I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I love a good dystopian novel! Love them! Aside from the "classics" (ie: Hunger Games, Divergent) it seems like it's hard to find a really good quality dystopian novel. The Jewel is one of the good ones! In fact, it's amazing!
The Jewel is what I'm referring to as a "magical dystopian" novel, because although it has all the typical markings of a dystopian (ie: corrupt government, citizens living in poverty/fear, etc), it also incorporates a few magical elements in it. Don't worry though, it doesn't go overboard! It's done just right. So, the book is basically about this girl, Violet, who has "magical powers", and because of this is she sold into slavery to bear the royal families babies. However, although she is a slave and experiences unimaginable cruelties, she also is "gifted" with some luxuries. She gets to live in a castle, she has people who wait on her, and she gets to eat great food. Even with all of these "benefits" Violet is, of course, unhappy with her situation. I don't want to give too much away, because this book does have a lot of twists and turns, so I'll leave the summary at that. One thing I really loved about this book was how well thought-out it was, it seemed like the author really planned her novel out beforehand. It all fits together perfectly, and just makes sense. I also loved the main character, Violet. I have also grown attached to a few of the other characters, so I'm invested in what happens to the characters (and heartbroken when something bad happens to them). The only thing I didn't like was it's a little confusing to keep up with all the royal families and their status and the history of "The Jewel" (The Jewel is where they live, kinda like the Capital is in the Hunger Games). Aside from that though, it's an amazing story! I have already started reading the second book. If you have read (and liked) the book "The Handmaid's Tale" you will probably like this book as well. I also would recommend this book to anyone who loves books about royalty, magic, or dystopian societies. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own*
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I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book is an essential read. This book is straight-forward, eye-opening, and relevant! If I can only say one thing about this book it's this: EVERY. SINGLE. WOMAN. OVER. THE. AGE. OF. 18. NEEDS. TO. READ. THIS. BOOK.
Lisa Bloom writes this book with unapologetic honesty. She tells women like it is, without being disrespectful. She gives facts, she gives suggestions, she tells relatable stories. She compares the paradox that woman are the most professional and formally educated than previous generations, however we are electing to ignore personal education. (ie: reading, keeping up with news, ignoring "fluff") Like I said previously, this book needs to be read by every woman (over 18, since there are some "adult" topics discussed). This best part of this book is that it is written for ALL women: single women, college students, older professional women, women who are married with children. It's well-written, it's engaging. Absolutely essential. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* Books by the Beach was at the Zeider's American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach, VA last night (February 22, 2018) for "The Word: An Open Mic for Poets, Storytellers, and Fabulists."
The event was hosted by the Zeider's Theater (commonly known among patrons as "The Z", in collaboration with some local writing groups: Tidewater Writers, Hampton Roads Writers, and The Muse Writer's Center. The event welcomed poets and storytellers of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. The diversity of the speakers is what made the event such a success. There were professional speakers as well as brand new voices! Everyone was welcomed and encouraged to share. The most remarkable part of the event was how comfortable the Zeider's Theater made everyone feel. People who didn't plan on sharing when they arrived ended up sharing by the end of the night. The crowd was respectful of everyone regardless of their experience in performing. This event was one of a kind, if you are looking for a community-based event, or if you are hoping to share or listen to poetry and stories, this is the event you need to attend! The next "The Word" event will be on April 19 at 7:30pm. The event is free, however a $5 donation is suggested. For further information: Zeider's American Dream Theater: www.facebook.com/americandreamtheater/ The Muse Writer's Center: www.facebook.com/TheMuseWritersCenter/ Tidewater Writers: https://www.facebook.com/TidewaterWriters/ Hampton Road's Writers: https://www.facebook.com/hamptonroadswriters/ I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. My opinions on this book may seem a bit paradoxical, but stay with me. I completely enjoyed the motivation behind this self-help book. However, the writing style was a little lack-luster.
This is the first book by Daymond John that I've read, however I was super excited to receive this book because I am a huge shark tank fan! I also have really been getting into non-fiction books this year, so I jumped at the opportunity to review this book. Throughout this book Daymond talks about his personal life, his "grind" if you will. He also tells the story of various other success people, ranging from talk-show hosts to dog-food makers. These stories were super inspiring! They really motivated me to want to "rise and grind." At the end of each story there was a checklist that each person gives their "must-dos", and I found this to be a great way to sum up the chapter. However, like I said the writing STYLE itself was bit boring. It took me way to long to read this book, even though the stories were amazing. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their "grind". *I received a free copy of this book from the author's publisher in exchange for a honest review! I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I adored this book. I read the entire thing within 24 hours, because I just could not stop! It was extremely well written, with realistic and helpful tips. This is the prefect introductory book on etiquette and elegance.
. This short "self-help" type book was all about becoming more elegant, classy, sophisticated, and well...poised. Although the book was short it covered a variety of topic (including style, grooming, work-life, travel, dating, hosting, and keeping a home). I am referring to this as an introductory book though because although it talks about a lot of different topics, it only goes into each briefly. (I know Jennifer L. Scott has a lot of other 'Madame Chic' themed books that I have not read, so those may go into more details). One of my favorite things about this book was how the author continuously noted her experiences in Paris as a teenager, and how that experience shaped her opinion on what a "poised woman" is. The fun stories throughout the book made it a lot more personal, rather than a step-by-step manual. Whether you are committed to being a completely elegant woman or are just curious how to up your sophistication this is the prefect book to read! I would absolutely recommend it to any woman you wants to improve herself. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. Wow. That was the first word out of my mouth after reading this book. It was unquestionably spectacular.
Seed is a book about a cult. The main character, a girl named Pearl lives in a community called "Seed", which is run by their leader Papa S. In their community they spend their time worshiping nature. As the story goes on Pearl begins to see cracks in her community, what was once a paradise on earth is suddenly filled with violence, tragedies, and lies. Like I said in my review of The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante (which was another cult themed book I read earlier this year) I am intrigued by books involving cults. This one did not let me down! I became emotionally invested in the characters, particularly Pearl, Jack, Ellis, and Kate. The characters were well thought-out for this type of story. I also enjoyed the suspense that followed you throughout the book, the entire time you are reading you know things are about to get really bad; and trust me, they do! It has everything you could want in a "cult-themed-novel" but it also had enough individuality that the story felt unique. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. Okay, so I'm just going to come right out and say it: THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR. Seriously, absolutely amazing. Extremely relevant. Tremendously powerful. Beautifully written.
This is a book about a boy named Justyce, who is an excellent student who is on his way to an Ivy League School. Throughout this novel Justyce goes through a journey of discovering himself and learning about current race relations. It all starts when he is put into handcuffs by a police officer, even though he was doing absolutely nothing wrong. He experiences racism (both blatant and subtle) as well as a profound loss. Throughout the entire novel he continues to grow and learn about himself and the world around him. So, I have nothing negative to say about this book. Seriously, this is the type of book that needed to be written years ago! I'm so happy that Nic Stone completely "went there" with this story. This is the type of book that makes you think and question. It is the conversation we as a country have been needing to have for a while, and Nic Stone wraps it up beautifully. I don't want to give too much away, so I'm just going to leave it at this: Every. Single. Person. Needs. To. Read. This. Novel. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I personally didn't find this book to be helpful, however I can see how others could really benefit from it. If you are SERIOUS about limiting (or eliminating) your (smart) phone usage then this is the book for you! Otherwise, it will probably just irritate you.
This is a non-fiction book written by Catherine Price, about (you guessed it) breaking up with your phone. When Catherine Price says "breaking up with your phone" she means limiting most of your smart phone usage. Some of her suggestions include small, easy steps such as "not using your phone a few hours before you go to bed" to some major, life changing suggestions such as "get a land line or flip phone." Okay so, I'm a big phone user. I have a smart phone and I use it all the time. I have pretty much every social media under the sun (snapchat, twitter, instagram, pinterest, blog, goodreads, I even have three facebooks- one for my blog, one for personal and one to promote my books and me as an author. Needless to say, my phone isn't going anywhere anytime soon. So, honestly some of her suggestions were just downright frustrating and annoying. For example, she suggests that if your friends come over you could ask them to place their phone in a bin. (Uh...what?! No way!). With that being said, I will take a lot of her tips. Especially her tips about using your phone before bed, I will try to avoid using my phone for a couple hours before I go to sleep and see if that improves my sleep quality. Also, I agree that texting and driving is a huge no-no! And a lot of people ARE so addicted to their phones that even while driving they aren't able to put it down. Another thing I agreed with what that a lot of people have bad phone etiquette. (Looking at your phone while at dinner). All of these are some amazing suggestions! I think this book would be amazing for someone who is committed to changing their relationship with their phones. This book is filled with relevant research and has a well-thought out plan for decreasing your usage. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is frustrated with the control their phone has over their lives. But...like I said before, if you love your phone and only want to make small changes- this probably isn't the book for you. *I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review* I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. So, I am finding the book really hard to rate/review. I feel really conflicted about it. This was a good book, but it wasn't spectacular. I didn't dislike the book, but it also didn't live up to the hype.
This novel is about a girl (Freya) who is 23rd in line to the throne. She despises court, and plans to leave as soon as she can. Until one night, almost everyone in the court gets murdered. She is suddenly next in line to become Queen. An honor that she never expected or wanted. As Queen her first task is finding out who poisoned the court. Okay, so I want to say what I liked about this book first. I loved the elements of science in this novel- Freya was extremely interested in science. I loved that there were scenes of her doing experiments, and I really loved that she found a way to use science to help her as a Queen. I also loved that this had a mystery element to it, it was more than a Fantasy novel. The last thing I enjoyed about this book was the little bit of romance that was sprinkled into the story line. It wasn't over done, but it was just enough to add something to the story. With all that being said, there was a lot of things I didn't like. All of the characters, including the main character Freya, didn't seem to have a lot of depth to them. It seemed that we only got to know the characters superficially. With a book as long as this one was I really wanted to get to know the characters more. Another thing I had an issue with was the mystery (although a great element to add to the story) was extremely predictable. I figured out 'whodunit' very early in the story. Overall, it was a good story, but it wasn't great. I would recommend it if you are someone who really enjoyed YA (young adult) Fantasy novels. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* I had the honor to interview New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Jenn McKinlay for my school's newspaper "The Current". Below is a link to the interview.
thecurrenttcc.com/artandculture/interview-with-jenn-mckinlay/ |
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