Monday, November 30, 2015

November 2015 Wrap Wrap!

   As most of you know by now, I took a month Hiatus for NaNo. Unfortunately I got NOWHERE
with that, actually I did get a lot of research done, but not really any writing.
   An upside for me was that I technically got a mini vacation from blogging, and it was kind of nice. There was a little weight off my shoulders so I was finally able to get some other things accomplished around my house and school wise. But now it's December and I am back! So expect a lot of fun stuff for this month, the same goes with January! It'll be my Blogiversary on the 3rd! So hopefully I'll have a giveaway or two!
   So this month I worked more (Gotta save up for Christmas Presents), I started some new shows (
Jessica Jones, American Horror Story....), got some Christmas shopping done. It was probably my chillest month of the year.
   The only real bookish milestone that I accomplished this month was reading my first 2016 novel, Shallow Graves was one of my most anticipated novels of 2016 so I'm excited to have gotten the chance of reading an early copy. You'll be able to read my review at the end of January, closer to its release! 
   That's it for this month! I'm sure my stats will be much larger next month, especially my book haul!


Books Read:




Book Haul:


Books Reviewed:


December Releases I'm Looking Forward To:


Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout (December 1st.)



That's it for this month, until next month!


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Book Review: Placebo Junkies by J.C. Carleson

Release Date: October 27th, 2015
Read: November 13th-23rd, 2015
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: N/A
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Source: Publisher in Exchange for Review



Description from GoodReads:



   Meet Audie: Professional lab rat. Guinea pig. Serial human test subject. For Audie and her friends, “volunteering” for pharmaceutical drug trials means a quick fix and easy cash.

Sure, there’s the occasional nasty side effect, but Audie’s got things under control. If Monday’s pill causes a rash, Tuesday’s ointment usually clears it right up. Wednesday’s injection soothes the sting from Tuesday’s “cure,” and Thursday’s procedure makes her forget all about Wednesday’s headache. By the time Friday rolls around, there’s plenty of cash in hand and perhaps even a slot in a government-funded psilocybin study, because WEEKEND!



   But the best fix of all is her boyfriend, Dylan, whose terminal illness just makes them even more compatible. He’s turning eighteen soon, so Audie is saving up to make it an unforgettable birthday. That means more drug trials than ever before, but Dylan is worth it.
No pain, no gain, Audie tells herself as the pills wear away at her body and mind. No pain, no gain, she repeats as her grip on reality starts to slide….


Review:


   I am in control.
   I learnt about Placebo Junkies from the same place I learn about all my other YA books, from the blogger community! When I first read the synopsis I didn't know what to expect, besides obviously drugs and lab rats. I definitely got more than I bargained for.
  Placebo Junkies started off like any book, with the character going through a normal day in her life. You don't expect much otherwise, but as the book went on you started to get a feel for Audie, you started to feel sorry for her, maybe even pity her. Then, because Audie doesn't already have it bad, you reach a part of the novel that makes you question everything, and wonder why you didn't see it coming.
   I can never wrap my mind around Mental Illnesses, you will never know what is actually going on inside of the persons head. It'll always be a mystery. With Audie, she was saw herself as sane but in reality to everyone else she was the opposite.
   J.C. Carleson's Placebo Junkies had me questioning who the real insane ones are, the people we label as sane or the people we label as insane?
   This was my first J.C Carleson book, and after this mind altering read I will probably go out of my way to pick up one of her first books, like The Tyrants Daughter.
   

Rating:



Favourite Quote:


"We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."


Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Mental Heath, Mental Illness.





Monday, November 16, 2015

#TheShelfieHop !


   Hey Everybody! Today I'm participating in #TheShelfieHop hosted by Bookiemoji and MyFriendsAreFiction.
   So today, I will be showing one of my favourite shelves! 

   I have this one shelf by my bed that holds most of my favourite series, (besides the series that are just too big for it to handle!). So without further ado, here is my shelf!



   So these two pictures are one shelf that connects, the picture to the right being the top half.

   The shelf is currently missing my ARC of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and my hardcovers of Heir of Fire, and Queen of Shadows. ( The covers are keeping their space warm.)



That is one of my shelves! What about yours? I'd love to see them!








Here are some more people who are participating!






Sunday, November 8, 2015

NaNo Hiatus


   Hello All! 
   So at this point we're about a 1/3 of the way through NaNo and November, and I have actually motivated myself to participate this year! So to actually keep my thoughts focused on NaNo I haven't planned anything for the month of November post wise, except for the few odd posts I already had/have scheduled. So don't expect much for the rest of the month from me! 

   If for some reason you need to get ahold of me I will be reachable through social media or by, of course email. 

   Ohana Reads will be back to it's normal schedule by the beginning of December, and don't worry! I've already got a bunch of stuff planned, including stuff for my blogiversary in January!

   Until then!




Friday, November 6, 2015

Book Review: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date: November 10th, 2015
Read: June 10-16th, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers
Format: ARC, 400 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for honest review



Description from GoodReads:


   Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

   After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

   But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

   As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…


Review:


   I feared my dreams.
   I loved Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series, and have since 2009 when Hush, Hush released. When Black Ice was announced and the ARCs were sent out, I wanted one so badly. But as time went on I ended not getting one and still haven't read it yet. Oops. Eventually Dangerous Lies became a thing, and so not waiting a minute I requested an ARC from the Publisher, and the ARC gods were giving!
   I knew when I began reading Dangerous Lies that it would be different from Fitzpatrick's original series. This one was Contemporary, unlike Hush, Hush which was paranormal. I've never read a thriller type of contemporary before, and where normally I don't enjoy contemporary I really enjoyed this one. Because of Dangerous Lies I now know I like a whole new genre of YA and so I'm very excited for what I'll pick up next.
   I live in Central Canada, so most of the time 'the country' is just a huge green field that goes on for miles. I really enjoyed the Nebraska Country feel, it was not something that I experience everyday. So it really pulled me in!
   Throughout the book we'd get these little messages from Reed, Estella's boyfriend from before Nebraska. I thought they were very cute and enjoyed them immensely, but I also found them unnecessary. We only encounter Reed once in the novel, that being the beginning of the novel, after that we didn't see or hear from him again. The messages themselves were past messages, not even related to the plot. So in the end, besides him being apart of Estella's old life, I found Reed necessary as well.
   Finally, my weakness, the strong independent main character. Estella/Stella I just loved her, snarky, confident and a little stubborn. One could just love the story because of her.
   Becca Fitzpatrick out did herself with Dangerous Lies, thrillers are definitely her strong suit. After this, I am obviously going to have to pick up Black Ice and give it a read, along with any other Thrillers she writes!


Rating:



Favourite Quote:


   " When you care, you have something to lose." ~ Reed


Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Murder, Drugs, Country




Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Book Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

Release Date: November 10th, 2015
Read: October 20th-221st, 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Series: N/A
Format: ARC, 272 pages
Source: McNally Robinson/ Two Thumbs Up Program




Description from GoodReads:


   For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. 

   When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

   But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.


Review:


   There will never be another name on my heart.
   Richelle Mead is an automatic buy for me, everything from her Young Adult books (Vampire Academy, Bloodlines...) to her Adult series, ( Dark Swan, Georgia Kincaid...). It was going to be no different for Soundless, Mead’s upcoming releases, until of course I got insanely lucky when I visited McNally Robinson for my next ARC for the Two Thumbs Up Program. Soundless would be my first Mead ARC, and I couldn't be happier.
   Just by reading the summery of Soundless, I was blown away. For the past year, bloggers have been going on about how we need more diverse books, and boy did we get it. And not just that, we got characters with hearing loss and blindness. This was the first book I've ever read where the characters knew sign language and that the whole book spoke using it. It was a truly unique experience! It showed you how signing is just another language to learn, and not some show people put on.
   The book also had a big message that I don't think many people will notice. The message being that artists and creativity are just as important as everything else. For schools and jobs currently, its 'very' important to know everything Math and Science related and so the schools cut the budget for the arts or don't even pay attention to them. The arts are so important and not many people realize that. Writing books is an art, and books or textbooks are very important in our everyday lives or education. That's why the artists being an important part of the story really got to me, the village acknowledged the arts and how important they are, I just wish everyone else would now too.
   The only thing I found a little bit out of sorts from the book was the mythology. The beginning of the book didn't really say much when it came to the myths, besides that one bedtime story we heard. So when it came to the end and the myth became a major event, it felt kind of forced in. Like Mead just needed an easy answer to end the book. I certainly thought Mead should have brought it up more throughout the book, instead of just at the very end.
   Besides the one problem I had, everything else was very unique and new. The story is also something you don't experience on a day to day basis, you don't see a lot of books based in China!
   Richelle Mead certainly has another hit for the world, one that will definitely win awards, but who would have thought otherwise. After this work of art, I honestly can't wait to see what Mead has in store for us next.

 You can find my review on McNally Robinson's Two Thumbs Up review page here.


Rating:



Favourite Quote:


" We need to know how to describe the world. Otherwise we'd fall into ignorance." ~ Fei

"You should marry someone who loves you. Someone who loves you passionately and would change the world for you." ~ Li Wei

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Chinese Folklore, Adventure