December Wrap Up

In the month of December I read a total of 5 books, which wasn't at all the amount of books I wanted to complete last month but nonetheless here is my extremely late December Wrap-Up.

1. Life As We Knew It by  Susan Beth Pfeffer

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 2 stars

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer was my first read of the month and I really did not enjoy this at all. This was the choice for my school book club so in a way I felt an obligation to give this book a try even though I was wary of it. Life As We Knew It is a post apocalyptic novel that follows Miranda and her family as they struggle to survive on earth after the moon is knocked out of orbit and is in closer proximity to the earth, causing a change in weather conditions. 

This novel was quite taxing to read. The main source of my dislike would have to be the writing. The way that Pfeffer writes is read as juvenile and it was hard for me to discern if this way a middle grade or young adult book. There isn't much that happens in this novel, the plot mainly just focuses on Miranda and her family staying in their house. The rest of the characters in this novel felt very one-dimensional and I couldn't really connect to them. Though I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 because during the end of the novel Miranda began to redeem herself which I really appreciated. I know there are three other books in this series, but I am certain that I won't be reading those.

2. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Rating: ★★★★★ 5 stars (10 million stars)

A book of my heart and soul. If you follow me on Instagram you already know how much I am in love with this book. I have a full review here if want to know my complete thoughts. This novel is both beautiful and heartbreaking. A Little Life follows Jude St. Francis, the quietest and mysterious out of his three friends and catalogs their lives throughout college and mid-adulthood as Jude tries to come to terms with severe abuse he received as a child. This book is just so intricate and intimate. Hanya Yanagihara has such a way of manipulating words that make you feel deeply for Jude. At times it became very hard to read and many times I ended up having to put this book down. I can't recommend enough how phenomenal this book is, and if you take the time to consume it slowly, you'll enjoy it all the same.

3. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3.5 stars

Started The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in November, but finally completed it in December. This was required reading in my English class and I fairly enjoyed it. Recently I've been enjoying more of the classical literature that I am required to read in school. The Scarlet Letter centers around Hester Prynne who is ostracized by her Puritan village after they discover she committed adultery and is forced to wear an embroidered scarlet letter A on her chest. This novel surprised me immensely. I will admit that Hawthorne can become quite verbose in his writing, but once you root through all the extraneous words, the story is very easy to follow. I appreciated being able to discuss this class and go more in depth into it. Hester Prynne becomes almost a saint-like figure as she humbles herself and takes her punishment. If you have to read this for class I recommend reading it slowly or even reading the modern text No Fear version to help discern some of the tougher parts of the text.

4. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4 stars

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh is a retelling of the classic A Thousand and One Nights. This story follows Shahrzard who volunteers to be the wife of  Khalid, murderous boy-king who ends up killing his wife every night. Shahrzad volunteers in hopes of killing him in order to avenge her friend's death who was one of his victims. This story is languid and almost sensual and I really enjoyed Ahedieh's writing style, there was something atmospheric about the setting in the desert. Although I enjoyed this story for the most part I found it really disconcerting how it felt like the author was trying to absolve Khalid of his actions. That was the main reason why I did not love this novel, but I also wished the magical elements of this novel was explain more in depth because it came off as underdeveloped and halfhearted. I have a full review here if you want more of my thoughts.

5. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Rating: ★★★★★ 5 stars

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen was my last read of December. (I actually finished it on New Year's Eve) And this book flew to the top of my favorite books of 2015 list. I went into this novel with pretty high expectations and I am so glad that they were all met. The Queen of the Tearling is an unconventional fantasy story actually set in the future, with both medieval and modern aspects, and focuses on young queen Kelsea Raleigh, who upon turning nineteen must take up her family throne after so many years away from her kingdom. This novel had everything I wanted and then some. Kelsea isn't really a physically strong character, but she is wise and uses her brain. It shows how much she thinks situations through and actually cares for the well-being of her country, which she barely knows. For such a lengthy novel, the plot really flies through as Erika Johansen encapsulates you in this world. I am quite to get back to the second book, Invasion of the Tearling. My full thoughts can be found here.

Lady Midnight Cover Analysis

Today was the day that the cover for Lady Midnight was revealed during the Shadowhunter's panel at New York City Comic Con and on Cassie's instagram.

Lady Midnight is the first installment in The Dark Artifices trilogy, which is still set in the Shadowhunter world, but is five years after the events in City of Heavenly Fire, and takes place in Los Angeles. We get a new cast of characters to follow, mainly Emma Carstairs and her parabatai Julian Blackthorn as a mysterious string of murders begin happening in Los Angeles and an impending war against the fair folk is almost upon them.

Synopsis: Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

And the cover....

This is by far the most gorgeous Shadowhunter cover we've had had, and I thought it couldn't get better than Clockwork Princess. I was kinda sad that the spines will no longer match the previous Shadowhunter books, but honestly the spine looks pretty gorgeous. I wonder if the rune on the spine will change with each book release.

The girl on the cover is most certainly Emma Carstairs, who of course is our main character. It wasn't until upon further examination of this cover that I realized that in the background it shows inverted church spires as she floats suspended underwater. I honestly have no idea why she is wearing a dress in the cover, but I'm pretty sure it will be explained in the novel as for Cassandra Clare is not one to have a typical girl-in-dress-cover without reason being for it.

As soon as I saw this cover it reminded me of the Fair folk for some reason. There is a black spiraling darkness rising from the bottom to met her. I have a reason to believe that this might be connect Unseelie Court. Cassie confirmed to me on twitter, that we will be seeing the infamous Unseelie Court and it will be very creepy. Not much is known about the Unseelie Court in the Shadowhunter books, besides that the location of their Court is unknown to many and they're even worse than the Seelie Court.

Could it be that in the cover Emma is traveling to the Unseelie Court, which happens to be underwater. She also has a fear of the ocean so this may be her overcoming it. There's not much to go on from this cover, but it definitely makes me all the more eager to pick up this 786 page behemoth when it comes out on March, 8th 2016.

What do you guys think of the cover? What do you believe will happen in Lady Midnight?

BOOKISH Q & A

So it's been awhile. I haven't realized it's been over a month since my last post and I don't know why but every time I went to write something my brain would be like

This went on for over a month

Since summer is coming up I really want to try to be more active on here and will try to post at least 3 times a week. I wanted to do a Q&A where I asked a bunch of questions on my instagram and replied here.

1. Which genre would you prefer to read: New Adult or Middle Grade?

I had to actually think about this for a moment because these are both genres that I really don't reach for. I'm not a big fan of New Adult because from reading the synopsis' many of them sound so similar to each other and not really my cup of tea. So I would have to choose Middle Grade because it does feature many fantasy books, which is my favorite genre, but also I feel as if Middle Grade is more diverse genre.

2. Which fictional character do you relate to most and why?

BEFORE I EVEN FINISHED READING THE QUESTION I KNEW ALREADY. That has to be Elise Dembowski from This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales.

This book guys I just 

Elise is one of the most honest and relatable characters I've ever come across. For those of you who don't know, This Song Will Save Your Life is about a socially awkward girl named Elise who finds a love in dj-ing and it really helps her figure out who she is as a person and she has the best character development I've ever read. I'm not going to be nonchalant about it, everyone must read this book.

3. Favorite all time book?

I'm the type of person that can't have one all time favorite book because I love so much of them for various but here are my top 6 series/standalones (as of right now)

4. Do you prefer fantasy or contemporaries more? What about dystopians or romance novels?

 Fantasy is my favorite genre. I don't read much YA dystopians anymore because most of them are repetitive [insert stereo-typical white teenage girl who is somehow the "chosen one" who overthrows a supposedly all powerful government body who've been in power for centuries with the help of a teenage boy and they happen to fall in love in the process, also with the help of side characters who are more fillers than anything else] But I do love classic dystopian. I don't mind romance novels once in awhile, if they aren't overly cheesy.

5. What are the books that affected you deeply?

If I'd were to list all of them it would take a substantial amount of time. All of them can be found on my this-could-change-your-life shelf on goodreads. Here are some of them:

• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
• Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
• Everybody Sees The Ants by A.S. King
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
• Going Bovine by Libba Bray
• Me And Earl & The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
• I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

6. Paperbacks or Hardbacks?

Hardbacks over everything, there is no other way.

7. If you could meet your favorite character of all time, what would you ask?

One of my favorite male characters is Will Herondale so I'd probably be blubbering and too in shock to ask him anything. So one of my favorite female characters is Paige Mahoney from The Bone Season and what I've really wanted to ask is how does she find it inside herself to stand up with her ideas and plans to help everyone, even while they're sitting down.

8. Top five favorite female fictional characters and why?

The female characters I am going to list below either exhibit courage, self-lessness, kick-assery, and also a kind heart that is understanding towards others.

• Paige Mahoney (The Bone Season)
• Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass)
• Annabeth Chase (PJO/Heroes of Olympus)
• Elise Dembowski (This Song Will Save Your Life)
• Karou (Daughter of Smoke & Bone)
• Tessa Gray (Infernal Devices)
• Vin (Mistborn)

I know that was more than 5, but whatever.

9. What character's personality is most like yours?

I am honestly a collection of various characters I've read from over the years. I feel as if I get a bit of my personality from various favorites and could see myself in them.

10. Exactly how many books do you own?

Last time I counted it was 121, but it's probably more now.

11.  Biggest book pet peeves?

Okay a bookish pet peeves that has to do with the actual physical book is cover changes (unless they're good cover changes) but I hate it when publishers change the covers when the series isn't even completed.

A bookish pet peeve that has to with the actual story itself is when a story has an unnecessary love triangle where you can obviously see who that person will end up with.

12. Who would be your fictional soulmate?

WILL HERONDALE AND PERCY JACKSON

13. What book got you into reading?

In Kindergarten my teacher took us to the school library for the first time ever, and I was mesmerized by it, and one of the librarians helped me pick out one of Marc Brown's Arthur books. I read D.W. The Picky Eater by Marc Brown, then the rest of the Arthur books after that (over and over again) and I was hooked for life.

14. What books/series did you read when you were a child?

As aforementioned I was a big fan of the Arthur books, but what got me from reading only picture books to chapter books were the Katie Kazoo books, specifically this one

15. When and why did you make your bookstagram?

I made my bookstagram account back in late 2013, and it was just because I had a personal account, but didn't want to spam people with my book photos so I thought why not make an account dedicated to books. I joined when bookstagram was just starting up I didn't even know bookstagram was a thing and me and some other people who I still follow had no idea what we were doing. We would just post book photos of what we were reading, then soon after a bunch of tags would come along. It's been one heck of a ride.

16. How many books do you read in a week?

Well back in middle school I was an unnaturally speedy reader. I use to be able to read 4 large books in a week. Now I can barely finish a 300 page book in 2 weeks...

Thanks for all those who asked me questions. Might do another one like this in the future.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books That Feature Traveling

Another day, another Wednesday. This weeks topic of Top 5 Wednesday is: Books That Feature Traveling. Truth be told that I had a hard time choosing 5 books because many of the books I read take place in one general area. But nonetheless, I found some that I really enjoyed. Let's get right into this.

5. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead is by far my favorite Vampire Academy book and that is all because of where it takes place; Russia. I loved that we got to take a break from St. Vladimir's for awhile and go into the outside world. Mead's descriptions in this book are so vivid and beautiful that at times I felt that I was in Russia right alongside Rose. I think the traveling aspect of this book is so important because Rose ends up meeting some new characters along the way that really impact her life, and afterwards the entire trip changes her as a person. I wasn't too keen on this book series in the beginning, because Lissa was a really annoying character throughout, but the entertaining dialogue, and Rose's sassy narration made this series highly addicting.

4. Heist Society by Ally Carter

If I didn't have so many awesome choices, then Heist Society by Ally Carter wold have made the top of my list. For those of you who do not know, Heist Society in simple terms is Ocean's Eleven for teens. This book follows fifth-teen year old Kat Bishop, who grew up in a family of con-men and thieves. In the beginning of the novel she gets kicked out of the boarding school that she conned her way into. Her friend Hale, tells her that her father, has been accused of stealing a painting of a powerful mobster, who wants it returned in a matter of weeks. Kat, who wants to clear her father's name assembly's a crew to steal back the painting they believe has been hidden somewhere; in one of the most secure museum in the world.

This books has espionage, humor, family matters, and the romance isn't shoved in your face as the case in many YA books. I definitely recommend this trilogy to everyone, it is highly underrated but wonderfully entertaining.

3. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Another underrated book that I absolutely love. I kid you not Libba Bray cannot write a bad book. For those of you who haven't heard of this book Going Bovine is about 15 year-old Cameron who just wants to get through high-school, but then gets diagnosed with mad-cow disease, and knows he is going to die. He is then visited by a punk-rock angel, who tells him there is a cure if he's willing to search for it. Cameron then sets off on a road-trip with a talking garden gnome, dwarf friend and insanity ensues. Let me be the first to tell you that this book is quite weird, but there is so much humor and depth into this novel. I loved the road-trip aspect of this book immensely, because it was entirely different from anything I read before. Half the time you're figuring out whether certain scenes or real or part of Cameron's hallucinations and that's only half the fun. I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for some humor, but also a bit of depth and reality.

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Many times I hear of people talking about Gayle's first novel If I Stay, but rarely this one. In my opinion Just One Day is leagues ahead of If I Stay. This novel follows Allison Healy who lives a pretty structured life, that is until she agrees upon visiting Paris for just one day, with the free-spirited Willem, who she just met on her trip abroad. A large portion of this novel centers around that just one day in Paris and boy did this book blow my mind away. I wasn't a huge fan of Willem's character, but I was of Allison's. The way Gayle Forman forms her character arc was absolutely beautiful. I loved the descriptions of Paris, and everyday life in a city where most people focus on the tourist attractions. This books is not only about love, and travel, but also about finding yourself and this book left me so inspired. I still need to pick up the companion novel, Just One Year, but really looking forward to it.

1. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

And finally my number one pick, and a book that holds a very special place in my heart, The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan. Actually I count both the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series for this one. These books are just one epic adventure after another. There's so much rich story and traveling adventures in each of these books that I don't even know where to begin with. The road-trips in these books are so well fleshed out and described, that you can't help but feel you're right alongside these demigods on their epic quests. 

The characters are phenomenal, don't get me started on Percabeth. There is also so much to be learned from these books, I myself and many others learned a lot of Greek mythology while reading this, which has become something that I now absolutely love. If you haven't read this series then you must have been living under a rock, but definitely go out and give this a try. It is a common misconception that this book series can only be enjoyed by children, but there are many adults who love this book just as well.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Wanted to Start Yesterday

Now is the time I sit down and finally do this. Over the course of the past months of vigorously watching booktube videos like there is no tomorrow, I came across something I really wanted to do. Top 5 Wednesday, a weekly video update where you showcase your top 5 books of the specific topic that week, which was created by a You-tuber I adore GingerReadsLainey. This weeks topic is Books You Wanted to Start Yesterday, which is fairly easy topic to me because I am a professional slacker when it comes to keeping up with series. Here are my Top 5:

5. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer makes it to number 5 on my list because for some strange reason I have yet to purchase this book. Let's ignore the fact that I have already bought Cress & Fairest as you can see from my instagram. I've read Cinder back in 2014 and really loved it. The way Marissa Meyer writes her characters and her world build-up is incredible. From what I've heard, each book just gets better and better.

4. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes inevitably makes it onto my list because every time I see it at Barnes and Nobles or at the library I'm like: 

This is one of those books where I hear literally everyone and their mother rave about. From what I know it's a young adult high fantasy book following multiple perspectives that inevitable cross into each others lives. The other two books, Rebel Spring and Gathering Darkness are already out so once I get my hands on it you can bet I will be marathoning these. Can we just admire these absolutely stunning covers for a second: 

3. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

*Crawls into a hole and hides* I honestly feel like the only person who hasn't read this trilogy. I didn't really feel like purchasing it so I went to my town library and they didn't have it. My school library has Unravel Me but not the first book. They checked nearby libraries and none of them had it. Once my school library finally got it, someone checked it out then lost it. 

They finally got a new copy, but some has already checked it out. (No surprise there.) I'm pretty sure the universe doesn't want me to read this book. I downloaded the e-book and only read 20 pages, but so far I like it. Still waiting to get that physical copy so I can continue. Yes I am that weird person that puts off reading a book even though she has an ebook of it just so she can read it in physical form. But that's only sometimes. Another main reason I want to read this is because I adore Tahereh. Have you seen her instagram, it's flawless.

2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I had a hard time deciding between my number two and number one pick. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is definitely high on my tbr list. This year I have been trying to get back into favorite genre which is high fantasy. Last year I branched out and read a large diversity of genres, especially contemporary that I realized I was neglecting my favorite. So far I caught up on the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and currently on the second book of the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and I love both. I know very little about the Name of the Wind, but I really want to go into it that way. What I really want to do this year is expand my knowledge of adult high-fantasy books, and this will be a great addition to that.

1. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

The number one book that I wanted to start yesterday will have to be Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I don't want to sound repetitive, but all I hear about this book is amazing things. I hear great things about the romance, the plot, the writing style, and also that it's a very underrated book makes me want to check it out even more. I'm not a big fan on YA dystopia, many of them are quite repetitive and boring. But I am definitely looking forward to reading this one sometime this year.

books and bagels are life's essential necessities☽❈☾

Book Review - Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publication Date: November 14th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
ISBN: 1442484233 (ISBN13: 9781442484238)

Rating: ★★★★★

“Don’t find peace, find passion.”

M. ara
A. mrita
D. yer
N. oah
E. lliot
S. imon
S. haw

Let just take a moment.
I need to get my emotions in check

*Ten years later*

Ok I’m good now.

Let's ignore the fact that I read this in February, but was too lazy to post a review until now.

*ATTENTION: SPOILERS GALORE. YOU HAVE BEEN FOREWARNED.*

What a absolutely beautiful end to this trilogy. I don’t even mind what anyone says about how there were some lose threads.

Doesn’t every book have it’s flaws. I may have liked to know what happened to Stella and there were other bits and quirks that remained unsolved. But even after we finish a story, there is always so much we do not know. I honestly do not care about it’s minor flaws because I had a hoot and a half reading this book.

So many parts that I loved and now I am left an utter emotional wreck. I honestly lost count of how many times I cried reading this. This is by far the best book in the trilogy.

Going into this I was very skeptical, because many people felt indifferent on this, but by the end I am literally blown away.

LOVED the setting. I loved how we didn’t just stay in Florida, but got to explore around and see New York. I loved Hodkin’s descriptive narrative, making me feel as if I am right along with the characters.

Can we just talk about Mara’s fantastic character arc. I absolutely positively without a doubt love Mara Amitra Dyer. In the beginning of this trilogy we meet her as this uncertain unstable character mess of a girl but begin to see her grow as a person.

I loved seeing Mara grow into herself as she finally accepts her abilities, unafraid of who she is. She can also kick ass. (◡‿◡✿)

Not only can Michelle Hodkin write great characters, but she nailed humor. About 70% of my tabs are about Mara and Jamie’s banter. It was laugh out loud hilarious and shed some light on this quite dark book.

I was so glad we got to see Jamie more often in this book, and get to see his friendship with Mara grow. Nope I am not crying. Can we also mention how his powers are freaking amazing. It had me thinking of Ruby from the Darkest Minds and Piper from Heroes of Olympus.

Noah Shaw.
Noah Shaw.
Noah Shaw.

What can I possibly say about Noah. I really am trying not to sound repetitive but I absolutely love him. What I loved about this book is that you get to see the more vulnerable side of his emotions which was so endearing. I am not crying, nope.

Can we just pause and talk about the dual POV. I honestly did not see that coming and at first I thought Hodkin was gonna pull a Veronica Roth on me but I am doing backflips that she didn’t. That was a close one. (⊙‿⊙✿)

I was surprised at myself for actually feeling sort of bad for Jude. There’s no way I would ever forgive him for the terror he caused, but what I feel bad is that if he wasn’t artificially manifested he could have grown up a normal kid.

At the beginning of the book I could already come to the conclusion of who was funding this entire experiment. Though I did love that Hodkin dropped clues throughout the last two books, which had me flipping back and forth in a frenzy.

It’s so refreshing to read a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy. So many times I have been left underwhelmed by series endings and I’m so glad now I able to finish these beautiful books without feeling bitter. I read the first two books back in 2013 and was becoming increasingly anxious when this books publishing date keeps getting pushed back. Incredibly satisfied that this was not a disappointment. If you’re looking for a book that is multitude of different genres then I definitely recommend reading this trilogy. Definitely worth the wait.

“This is a love story. Twisted and messy. Flawed and screwed up. But it’s ours. It’s us. I don’t know how our story will end, but I know how it will start.”

"I love big books and I cannot lie..."

Currently reading More Than This by Patrick Ness.

A Monster Calls book review

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth” - Goodreads summary

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness [illustrated by Jim Kay] is an beautifully told story, illustrated throughout with pictures, about a boy who gets visited by a monster by midnight. At first upon reading this I have already held this book with high expectations because it is a Patrick Ness book (to understand my obsession with this author please read the Chaos Walking trilogy) and seeing that this book has won both the Carnegie and Greenaway Medal made me all the more anxious to read this. I honestly haven’t read many illustrated books in recent months but I can tell you that these illustrations were absolutely mesmerizing. There wasn’t an overflow of pictures where it became too much but just the right amount, and the black and white coloring made it all the more chilling.

This book is about a boy named Conor who has this frequently recurring nightmare that is never specified until near the end of the novel. At one certain point in the night (12:07 precisely for some reason) Conor is visited by this monster who also happens to be the yew tree that resides on the other side of his backyard. The irony of this all is that you are expecting a vicious terrible creature that comes to terrorize this kid, but in fact it is the monster who helps Conor cope with his problems and face his fears.

The monster who is there to tell Conor three stories and which in turn Conor must tell the monster his story, which is the recurring nightmare. I really enjoyed the themes of the stories the monster told, which made you question moral and the overall feeling of is there good and evil or is everything just a grey area? All the while this happening the story goes through Conor’s everyday life and you discover that his mother is ill. This weighs heavily on Conor and he often feels upset about how everyone treats him differently because of his ill mother (besides the bullies of course) Ness goes on to write a well thought out story about learning to face the truth of yourself. In the span of this short novel you are able to connect with this character you just met and for that I applaud you Patrick Ness. What I do wish is that we were able to see more conversation or background info on Conor’s past friendship with his schoolmate Lily who I really end up liking, which is rare for me in short stories like these.

The conflict between Conor and his grandma I found most interesting because she isn’t your “traditional” grandmother. She is persistent, uptight, always on the move which I found thought provoking. All in all A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is one of those books that anyone can read and fall in love with because of this author’s incredible writing style. Highly recommend this for everyone and this makes a perfect October read.

Starting New Blog

First Blog post. My name is Rebecca and I am an avid reader. Hiiiii