It's Our 1 Year Blogoversary!

It's Our 1 Year Blogoversary!

Between Bookends is now one year old and that seems totally KRAZY! This blog has been so much fun for us, doing meme's, writing reviews, and keeping in touch with the book world from our small town in the Midwest. For our blogoversary we thought we'd talk about some of the awesome book-related stuff we have been able to do this year.



Camp NaNoWriMo

Last July, not long after we set up this blog, Christina had to run it by herself for a while because Sarah was trying her hand (for the third time) at writing 50,000 words in a month. The 50,000 words were accomplished with one day to spare through lots of encouragement and pushing from Christina plus the added bonus of chocolate chips after every thousand words.lol

One chocolate chip for every thousand words.lol

North Texas Teen Book Festival
This was the first book festival we have ever attended and we were so jazzed! We spent months reading the authors books and buying the ones that we wanted to get signed and completely fangirling.
We drove down the day before and spent the 7-8 hour drive introducing our parents to the Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter on audiobook. We were pretty nervous about the next day and Sarah woke up early with a massive headache which (thankfully) went away before we had to leave.
We weren't sure what to expect, but the amount of people there was a bit overwhelming. We quickly found our footing and made our way towards the freebie's and got some awesome stuff (including ARC's for The Heart of Betrayal and The Fixer. Christina's copy was the first copy of the Fixer that Jennifer Lynn Barnes signed which was so awesome!) Carrying close to 20 books each for most of the day was not overly fun but getting them signed was!

Christina's favorite part of the day was talking Beowulf and The Curiosities with author Tessa Gratton and Sarah's favorite part was telling Rosemary Clement-Moore how much she loved the goats in Texas Gothic (which she only read 5 days before). The panels were fun and were mostly filled with the same authors. Sadly, we missed the Book Boyfriend panel with one of our favorite authors, Ally Carter, but we got into our second choice which great as well. By the end of the day we were dead on our feet but already planning our return visit next year.

Lois Lowry Talk/Signing
Though we have a pretty great library system, and get a lot of great books, we are in the middle of nowhere thus we hardly get any well known YA/Children's authors though here... or at least ones that we know. Having Lois Lowry come through was so freaking amazing and the place where they had the talk was beyond packed! There were people standing along the walls and in front of the stage, and over a hundred people were left outside waiting in the signing line. We went with a friend and we were all were able to get our copies of the Giver signed. It was awesome!



Library Book Sales

This is only about a third of the room... or maybe a quarter...

Like I said, we have a great library system and they put on an amazing library book sale that lasts a whole week! Twice a year we attend the Preview Sale, Bag Day, and one or two other times during the week. This Spring we came out of the preview sale with around 40 books each! The library book sale is some of the only times we buy books so it feels very much like Christmas!



Book Clubs
For the past three years we have been arranging a book club for us and our friends. We just read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and our next book will be The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. It is so fun to hang out with friends who read/like similar books and be able to fangirl over them.

We are also a part of our local library's book club that started last December. It's something new for us because it forces us to read outside our comfort zone (as well as making us read adult books.lol). In both book clubs there is only an average of 4 people which is kind of sad but it does makes it easier for everyone to get their opinions out.



Christina and Harry Potter
As the big Harry Potter fan in our house, Christina is always looking for ways to expand her collection of everything HP. Last winter she knitted a hat for each house and a friend of her's knitted her a Slytherin scarf (we are both proud Slytherins). She is also the proud owner of Harry Potter Clue, the Harry Potter poster book, and she crocheted her own Buckbeak! And all this was only what she got this year.

Favorite Blog Posts
We've done quit a few blog posts over the year and we just wanted to share some of our favorites with you. One of our favorites was one that was posted pretty early on and we called it A Sisterly Argument: Half-Bloods vs Wizards. Basically we transcribed an actual arguement we had over who would win in a fight: Rick Riordan's Half-Bloods or J.K. Rowling Wizards. (Neither of us have conceded our argument). Besides that, Sarah's favorite post was her Raging Star Review + Fancast. We don't fancast much but this was a fun one to do. And Christina's favorite was (of course) about Harry Potter, called Back to Hogwarts Week: The Series That Lives.

All in all, we've had a great book year and have met some awesome people on the blogs. We've won some great books and have read many amazing ones. We can't wait to see what the next year holds.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases For The Rest of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer
The final novel in the Lunar Chronicles series!!! I think I'm most excited about this one because I have been with this series from the beginning and can't wait to see how it all works out!

All In (The Naturals #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is on my list of favorite authors right now. I love The Naturals and cannot wait to continue the series. Who doesn't love reading about brilliant teenagers solving brutal murders?

Walk The Earth A Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson
 I discovered the Fire and Thorns series at the beginning of the year when I was bieng reading in preparation for North Texas Teen Book Festival. I absolutely love her writing, world building, characters, etc. and I cannot wait to read this one. And it's a historical fantasy set during the gold rush! How cool is that?!
 
6 of Crows (The Dregs #1) by Leigh Bardugo
I loved the Grisha trilogy so I knew that I would read Leigh Bardugo's newest book but I got even more excited when I heard it was about thieves! Those types of characters hold a special place in my reader heart.

Soundless by Richelle Mead
I'm not quite sure what it's about. But it's another YA by Mead so I'll definitely read it. 

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas
While this is not my favorite series I am definitely hooked. After how the last book ended I cannot wait to see the next step in Celaena's adventure!

The Unquiet by Mikaela Everette
I'm a sucker for books that deal with alt/parallel worlds but, as of yet, I have been disappointed. The Unquiet combines parallel worlds with assassins! It's going to be awesome and creepy!

Lion Heart (Scarlet #3) by A.C. Gaughen
I know this book is out already but I haven't read it yet so I'm adding it to the list. This is another series I've been with from the beginning and I love it! I've always enjoyed Robin Hood stories and I can't wait to see how Scarlet and Rob turn out in this one!

Immortal Heights (The Elemental Trilogy #3) by Sherry Thomas
After The Perilous Sea I am so ready for the conclusion. That cliffhanger last time was just mean. I am not amused... but I am impressed.

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
There are no words on how beyond awesome this is going to be! To have a YA novel written about Black Widow? Purely AMAZING!!!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1)
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: 28 April 2015
Rating: 4 Stars

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. - Summary from Goodreads

I have consistently heard two things about An Ember in the Ashes: (1) That it is great (2) That it is brutal. I agree with both of those statements, but before I read the book I worried about the second. In case anyone else worried about the brutality as well, here's my perspective of it. This semester I had just taken and World History I class where we learned about Rome and Sparta, both of which have elements that can be found in the novel. I also recently read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass which is the autobiography of an escaped slave. These two things made me look at the brutality in An Ember in the Ashes as being realistic, not surprising. Is it horrible? Yes. Is it over the top and unbelievable? Unfortunately, no.

While the book is brutal, there are scenes in it which make me smile. Those are the scenes that make the rest of the book worth it. I cared about Laia and Elias. I rooted for them, I hated what they had to go through, I loved the scenes when they were together. I shipped them, but at the same time I was unsure, like the characters, because their feelings were a confusing mess. I wouldn't say that there are any love triangles/squares in this novel, I think it is better described as a confusion of the heart.

Towards the end of the book I really didn't know what was going to happen or how everything was going to get fixed. There were plenty of times when I wondered, how is this going to be finished by the end? The answer is that not everything is tied up by the last page. It does not leave a cliff hanger, but many things set up at the beginning are not concluded in the end. This is just the beginning of a larger story and I would have felt cheated if there wasn't going to be a second book. I'll definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out.

An Ember in the Ashes shows that even amongst the brutality there is friendship, loyalty, love, and hope. That is what makes this novel worth reading.
        -Christina

The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy #2) by Sherry Thomas

Title: The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy #2)
Author: Sherry Thomas
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: 16 September 2014
Rating: 4 Stars

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future. - Summary from Goodreads

Right from the first chapter The Perilous Sea I was sucked in and it was near impossible to put down. I’m serious, that first chapter is just evil! The chapters alternate between things that happen after summer when Iolanthe and Titus return to Eton and events that take place SEVEN WEEKS IN THE FUTURE! Guess which type the first chapter is. I’ll give you one guess…

This book spends a lot of time asking questions about the nature of prophecy. If you see it, is it written in stone? If you manipulate events to encourage the prophecy, are you making it happen? What if the Seer makes a mistake when interpreting the vision? Prophecy is a tricky thing, and Iolanthe and Titus are beginning to learn just how tricky. It causes drama in their relationship, but I like them better for dealing with it and working things out between them.

As good as the first book was, its sequel surpasses it in awesomeness. We get to know some of the side characters better, like Cooper and Kashkari (whom Sarah loves). It has plenty of action and tension in the book and the story is just so good! But for some reason I can’t give it a 5-star rating, it wasn’t until after reading book two that I figure out why. I don’t have an emotional connection with the characters. Maybe it’s because the writing style feels distant to me. When I’m reading an emotional scene, I’m reading about what the characters are feeling, I don’t feel it myself. That is the only thing that makes this series less than perfect for me.

I love how The Elemental Trilogy references fairytales in the Crucible. The innocence and “and they all lived happily ever after” of the fairytales contrast the horrible reality of what the characters are dealing with in such a heartbreaking way. It’s such a small part of the series but I wanted to mention it.

The Perilous Sea contains all the action, drama, and adventure that you can hope for in a sequel. The ending is set up perfectly for book three and leaves you hanging from the side of a cliff (metaphorically speaking) and anxious for the conclusion to the trilogy.
     -Christina

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy #1)

Author: Sherry Thomas

Genre: YA High Fantasy

Rating: 4 Stars

It all began with a ruined elixir and a bolt of lightning.

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant sixteen-year-old girl with no training.

Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission—and her life.

The Burning Sky—the first book in the Elemental Trilogy—is an electrifying and unforgettable novel of intrigue and adventure. --Summary from Goodreads

I have been trying to up my fantasy reads this year and happened to run into this high fantasy on Goodreads. Because I was going to see the author at an event I decided to bump it towards the top of my TBR list. Though it was a bit of a confusing start, and perhaps because I haven’t read many high fantasy’s it took me a while to adjust, I really enjoyed getting pulled into this world.

I was a bit confused at the beginning as to what time this story was set in. We are given two dates that seem centuries apart but are actually happening at the same time? I didn’t know what to think. However, after a few chapters I discovered that the times did indeed coincide but one was the year for the mage realm and the other for England. Once I realized that I was able to fully enjoy the mixture of the Victorian England with the mage realm. It’s like Harry Potter in a way, where there are two separate world and only one knows about the other.

After a series of events where her elemental powers manifest into something beyond amazing, Iolanthe finds herself ripped from her old life and on her way to an all-boys school in Victorian England where she is in hiding from the Bane, a tyrant who wants to capture her, with the help of Prince Titus.

Let me just say that Iolanthe is an awesome heroine but she also makes an amazing boy. When she first arrived at Eton College, where the prince had spent years creating an identity for the person in his mother’s vision, I was as nervous as Titus as to how she would pull off being a boy but she fit right in, armed with an arsenal of insults and swagger. She’s quick and smart and though she never wanted this destiny thrown upon her, she rises to the task despite her fear.

The relationship between Iolanthe and Titus is a mixture of desire, disgust, and despair. Titus is protecting Iolanthe but only so he can train her to confront the Bane and hopefully destroy him. Iolanthe just wants to stay in hiding and live a semi-normal life. Titus basically cons her into creating blood oath with him leaving her little option but to train or else endure excruciating pain. You kind of wanted to kill Titus at this point but, like Iolanthe, there is no way to fully hate the boy who carries so much on his shoulders.

My favorite parts of the book was when they were in training in the Crucible, a book that they can enter and run fairytale and legend simulations in order to exercise their powers. They can even set it up so they can fight against dragons, how cool is that! In the Crucible you can get hurt, and even die, but it doesn’t physically carry over into the real world. And to exit the book all they have to say is “and they lived happily ever after.” Isn’t that awesome!

The world Sherry Thomas has created is a mixture of fantasy and historical and I love it. This story has good pacing and plot and the cast of characters, main and side (my favorite being Kashkari), really bring it all together for one great read. If you love fantasy, you must try out the Burning Sky.

-Sarah

 

Top Ten Books We'd Like To See As a Movie/TV Show

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

MOVIE
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
This would be such a BEAUTIFUL movie! Well, now that I think about it, it would also be a very bloody movie, but still enjoyable! And it's a standalone which means that you don't have to watch 3 4 movies to get the entire story. I need this to be a movie!

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Ridley Scott is doing this movie.... sometime. I don't know when but I do know that it's going to be AMAZING once it comes out! I love this book so much!
 
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Can you imagine how visually beautiful and creepy this movie would be? And the whole tone would be amazing. I've love to see the faerie world on screen. Also, I think it would be fine with just one movie since the book itself can standalone.

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
It would be so cute and funny! We need a YA book movie that won't make us cry.

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
This is such a great trilogy and I think it would make some awesome movies (even though I kinda hate watching zombies)! Then I could see Eleanor and Daniels relationship on the big screen as well! ;)

TV SHOW
Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter
I can see so much potential in this being a TV show because each book cover's one semester and there could be so much fun in-between the main story. On the other hand, I think this would make a great TV show post-books and follow the girls once they've already gotten their jobs. Either way, I need some Gallagher Girls TV!!!!!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Movie format doesn't really work for this book, I'd love to see it stretched out into a series. The world is so vast, there are so many adventure that they could have. And after a while they could spin-off Bloodlines!

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Each book lasts a year, there are so many mini adventures that our beloved characters could have that lead up to the main plot of the novel. Also, there could be more time spent on characters like Seamus, Dean, Neville, and all of the Weasleys. I'm not saying that a TV series would be good right now, it's too soon after the movies. Maybe in another 20 years it would work.

Mind Games by Kiersten White
There's a lot that can be done with this story and also this world. I'd love to see it on the screen!

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
The books are so long and cover such a great period of time that I don't think this could be anything other than a TV show!