April TBR

The List
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (big book/Goodreads shelf since 2012)
The Future Collection by Beth Revis (e-book)
Oxygen by Carol Cassella (The Life of a Book Addict List)
Skandal by Lindsay Smith (for review)

Review of The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: The Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series:  Yes
Rating: 4/5









Goodreads Summary:
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

There is a ton of hype surrounding this book. The cover immediately grabs your attention then of course reading the inside flap lures you in and then you read the book and completely understand why there is so much hype surrounding this book. 

Mare is an excellent protagonist. She takes none crap and she does not allow herself to become a love struck teenage girl. She has far too much on her plate to be bothered with boys. I like that she has feelings for a guy, but it does not overpower the story at all. I would also like to congratulate Aveyard on not making the love triangle the main focus in the first novel. There is a few characters who it seems might create a love triangle, but Mare has no time for that. I love Cal and Malvin as the princes. They are complex and I want to learn more about both of them. I think Farley could have her own novella because she has a lot of back story that I am curious about her.

This society has silvers bloods are the elite and red bloods are considered a lower class and are the workers for the silvers. Mare gets a job working for Silvers and a freak accident causes her to be brought to the silver's attention.

I am excited for the rest of this series.

Stacking the Shelves

This is another library haul.  I have been trying not to buy books. My local Goodwill is having a 50% off day next week so I might find some good finds. 

Borrowed from the library
Hold Still by Nina LaCour 
Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan 
The Song of Roland by Michael Rabagliati 
Little Women by Louise May Alcott (audiobook)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (audiobook) 

Gifted (Chapters gift card)
Jessica Darling It List #1 by Megan McCafferty 

What did you get in your mailbox?

Review of Wild by Cheryl strayed

Title: Wild
Author: Cheryl Strayed
Source: Bought used
Series: Standalone
Series: 3/5









Goodreads Summary:
At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State — and she would do it alone.

I found this book used for really cheap and I was really interested in reading this novel. The movie is coming out shortly and I decided I wanted to read it before I considered watching the movie hoping it would be an interesting story of a woman who decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

The story was a lot different than I thought it would be. We learn early on in the novel that Cheryl's mother has died at a young age from cancer and for the entire novel Cheryl uses this as an excuse for everything. She uses it as an excuse to ruin her marriage with her husband but seems to not understand why he may be attached to to other people after they are divorced. She uses it as an excuse whenever she has hurt anyone in her life. I was not a fan of Cheryl for not only using her mother's death as an excuse, but also because she seemed convinced everyone was attracted to her and when she did not get her way she would make these people sound like they were cruel individuals. 

There is a lot of people who float in and out of the story but I found all of them were memorable in their own way. Her description of the trail was sporadic and she skipped a lot of the trail and hitchhiked a lot and described her experience in that situation almost as much as she explained the trail.  

This novel's saving grace were the characters and the trail. I loved reading about the trail. I have donated this novel. I liked it but I was not in love with it. 

Review of Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Title:  Fairest
Author: Marissa Meyer 
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Yes
Rating: 4/5









Goodreads Summary:
Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series. 

This review  contain spoilers if you have not read the Lunar chronicles or this novel. 

Meyer is showing us how Queen Levana became the queen and why she uses glamour. I felt a little sympathetic for Levana, but then her horribleness starts to show itself again. She starts using her persuasion on people at a young age to get what she wants and her sister is not much better.

We see briefly Winter and Cinder as children playing together and find out how Levana came to have Winter as a daughter and what led up to Levana trying to murder Cinder. Levana's sister clearly is also off her rocker, and her making fun of her sister and not allowing Evret to leave with Winter. Ugh. 

Conclusion is Levana is evil and even though she had a terrible childhood I think even if she had a loving childhood she would still be a crazy queen. She forced Evret to marry her and stay with her because she could not stand that he did not love her. Poor Evret. 

This is is a must read for fans even thought I wanted Winter to be out right now so I know how it will all end. I need to so badly.