My Bookish Distractions

Hello everyone! I'm sure some of you have been wondering, where in the world is Caity? Well, after unforeseen circumstances last fall, I've decided to completely start new with a new blog. My first post just went up today, with many things planned out for this month. I would love it if you were to follow me on my other blog.

Booktastic Finds

Hope to see you guys over there!

Alas, school has gripped me by the throat and refused to let go until I actually did studying for my midterms coming up. As a result, my reading has been at a minimum recently. I'm working through two books right now, one of which I've almost completed. I have a pile of books I'm planning on reading and reviewing in the near future.

For you lovely people, here's a list of books I have prepared:

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

I even have a few classic I've been wanting to read. I was thinking of ways to approach them while doing reviews, since obviously I need to do something different with them. If anyone have suggestions, feel free to comment!

The review I did have planned has since been scratched, because I couldn't bring myself to comment on a book that horrid. Note to self: avoid bodice-rippers romance novels.

Surprise! I bet you didn't expect to hear from me, did you?

No, this blog is not dead. I haven't posted in about two months due to a few different reasons. The biggest is my mother's surgery. She had a full knee-replacement, and I had to take care of her while she was on recovery. Then, I went out of town for a few days for my birthday. Let me just say, I'm never living in Atlanta. The traffic is terrible. Last, I started college a few weeks ago. Packing, moving, then adjusting took a while, but I was able to read a few books in the meantime, so I do have some reviews prepared! Expect the first one tomorrow.

Until then, stay beautiful!

I couldn't finish this book. The part of the book I did managed to suffer through, it felt like I was reading a screenplay. A horrid screenplay. There was mainly dialog, with very little else. Characters are one dimensional, and the story is just plain forgettable.

Sorry Max Barry, I really have nothing else to say about this book.

Rating: One out of Five stars

Lia fights a war every single day. A war with herself.

Anorexia is a silent and very deadly disease that many people suffer. Laurie Anderson does not sugarcoat Lia's struggle at all. When Lia stared at her body, disgusted with the imaginary fat pockets her mind conjured, Laurie used almost poetic imagery to describe in great detail what Lia sees. I felt nothing but depressive emotions when I read this book. I nearly cried multiple times, and vary rarely does a book cause me an emotional roller coaster like this one.

This book was spectacular in the way the author tackled on the sensitive subject of eating disorders without being too preachy in describing the horrors.

There was only one complaint I had about the novel. I found the strikeouts throughout the book a little on the distracting side. Also, when Lia started her hallucinations with the ghost of Cassie, the line between reality and imagination seemed to be a little hazy.

I highly recommend this novel to everyone, especially to increase awareness of eating disorders and how it can affect a close friend.

Rating: Four out of Five stars

I'm in love with the steampunk subgenre, and this novella portrays it in such a great way. The story takes place in an alternate timeline when America lost the Revolutionary War, and the United States is now called Toriana, or The Provincial Union of Victoriana. Americans are now citizens of England, and everything is changed.

The world building the author accomplished in this story is remarkable. The author even included a multi-page glossary in the back for the terminology, some made-up and some not familiar to an American audience.

The characters were very interesting. Kit, the investigator, Dredmore, the deathmage, and Thomas, the inspector. Perhaps there will be a love triangle in the second book, which I will be curious to read about, despite my aversion to the subject.

The plot starts simple, and grows as the story progresses. By the end of the book, the complexity is very refreshing, and left me craving for more. I was annoyed by the cliffhanger, but now I can't wait for the next installment.

Rating: Five out of Five stars

I received this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While there were moments I would like to complain about, I'd rather enjoy this book. It was a decent, easy, enjoyable read that I was able to get through, and the characters seemed real.

That's the only reason why I'm giving this book three stars. To me, the plot has been done before, but with a fantasy twist. A girl is swept away from her life of a laundress and into the lavish life of a Companion. Sounds very Cinderella-ish to me, which is way overdone in my opinion. At some points, the characters acted too out of character for me to simply ignore.

Spelling errors. Oh my god, the spelling errors. I couldn't handle that. I just wanted to get a red pen and mark everywhere. Too bad it was an ebook.

Rating: Three out of Five stars

I received this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.