Stories Are Perfect

Enjoy this spoiler-free review of Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble!

This is a completely non-spoiler review, so read on and enjoy!

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.
When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18879761-i-was-here

I'm not gonna lie to you. I didn't read ANYTHING (except the things I read during BookTube-A-Thon) in August. I started "The 5th Wave" by Rick Yancey, but I've had to put it down due to school stuff and all that jazz. This month, I'm keeping the TBR short and simple. I want to read 3 things this month, but I only want complete 2 of them.


First up! I want to restart and finish "The 5th Wave" by Rick Yancey.


After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

 
"Miss Audrey is heading for the stars"

My Rating: ✮✮✮✮☆ 3.5/5

Non-Spoiler Review
This book is about a girl, Audrey who has an extreme anxiety disorder from an accident which we really don't go into details about. This book really hit home for me because I shared a lot of similarities with Audrey but it was also a quite entertaining book as her brother is basically mine with a different name and accent, I'm not even joking! You don't know how many times I've wanted to throw his computer out the window! I found this book very refreshing as I've been reading a lot of fantasy and supernatural genre as of late and it was definitely not a bad read! I give it 3.5 stars because I really would have liked Audrey to get better and finally tell us the reader what had happened and also I think Audrey and Linus' relationship moved a bit fast. I enjoyed reading this book and was happy to here it was the book of the month from the Paper Towns Liveshow, (See Christine, Kat, and Jesse's Finding Audrey liveshow here)


Spoiler Review:
After finishing the book I realized it doesn't actually matter what happened to Audrey, the only thing that matters is that she's gotten better and that she has Linus and her family and she can continue to move forward with all their love and support. One of the best things about this book is that last page. After this whole time where she's filming her documentary we never in fact see her "on screen" per say and that last page is almost like a reveal.

Not a Fan-Art but this is the Indonesian Edition

 She reveals herself to the camera holding her new makeup not wearing her dark glasses and it's almost like she's a whole different person, she's like a normal teenage girl about to go on her first date. I just felt so happy for her! I can't really explain the feelings I have towards this book too much because I feel that everyone will feel differently about it because everyone has something that they have to overcome in their life and you can relate to this book at least a little bit.











Favorite quotes:

“But, Audrey, that's what life is. We're all on a jagged graph. I know I am. Up a bit, down a bit. That's life.”
― Sophie Kinsella, Finding Audrey

“It won’t be forever. You’ll be in the dark for as long as it takes and then you’ll come out.”

― Sophie Kinsella, Finding Audrey

 “We don't have to reveal everything to each other. It's OK to be private. It's OK to say no. It's OK to say, 'I'm not going to share that.”

― Sophie Kinsella, Finding Audrey

So I didn't read much in August so I'll spare a wimpy wrap up and post my three reviews instead. I actually started a lot of books in August, but since it's the first month of school I didn't get a lot of free time to read. I did however read the book of the month (Finding Audrey) and the tmireadathon book of the month (City of Glass) and a book that I have been wanting to read for a while (and that Tyler has been telling me to read for a while) which is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and wait for it... The second book (Hollow City) is the September book of the month because... Library of Souls comes out this month!(September 22nd) And DON'T FORGET Loop Day is September 3rd!

"I'd been born in the wrong century, and I felt cheated."-Page 13; Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (First Paperback Edition)

My Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮ 5/5

Non-Spoiler Review:
I don't normally give out five stars so you better believe that I absolutely LOVED this book. I can not wait for the movie to come out, I have high hopes for it as my favorite director is directing it; Tim Burton! This is definitely a book I'll be re-reading in the future!
So this story is about a teenager called Jacob, and the stories his grandfather told him as a child. He showed Jacob old photographs of the peculiar children from the children's home he lived in as a young-adult and told him the most fascinating stories, stories about the wise old bird who smoked a pipe, and the little girl who could fly, and the boy that had bees living inside him.We along with Jacob go and explore the island where the children's home once was located and discover the strangest and most peculiar things along the way. Full of eerie settings and haunting photographs this book is the perfect mix of supernatural, horror and mystery.

https://instagram.com/p/6vgFfZLeDt/?taken-by=ourstoriesareperfect

IG | @ourstoriesareperfect

Spoiler Review:

I am going to say this again I. Can. Not. Believe. I. Didn't. Read. This. Sooner. Of course I had several people tell me to read it but I did have a reason why I didn't want to at the time and it was simply that for some reason I thought it was a middle-grade book and I don't really fancy those... But after thinking about it a while and seeing it on sale at Wal-Mart I had to pick it up.
I started it and couldn't put it down! Every free second I had I would pick it up! Going to the grocery store? Well guess I'll take my book and read for the four and a half minutes it takes to get there! No but seriously, it's been a while since a book has caught my attention that much! You can ask anyone who knows me and they'd tell you I love creepy peculiar things! I love oddities and horror and this was just the book I've been looking for! This I am proud to say is my favorite supernatural/horror book, while Mara Dyer is right under it and The Mortal Instruments is my top fantasy book!
I think over all my favorite character has to be Millard, I couldn't tell you exactly why but that I just do! I really can't tell you much other than that you must read it for yourself! And I must say that when I pictured the hollows or the wights I thought of the Ood from Doctor Who and now that you have that in your head enjoy your day! hehe

I just had to share my favorite photo from the entire book has to be the one of Emma and Abe that they leave as proof for Jacob's father and The one of Emma peeling spuds!







 

















And lastly I'd like to share my favorite quotes!

“I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen.”
― Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ; Page 12 (First Paperback Edition)

 “I'd been born in the wrong century, and I felt cheated.”
― Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ; Page 13 (First Paperback Edition)

 “We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing in them becomes too high.”
― Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ; Page 20 (First Paperback Edition)

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.”
― Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ; Page 351 (First Paperback Edition)

"I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is life after that, I'll love you then.” 

My Rating: ✮✮✮✮☆ 4/5

Review (Minor Spoilers)

City of Glass and City of Heavenly Fire are the two in the whole Mortal Instruments series that I have been eagerly wanting to re-read, they are my absolute favorites! This is the first book that we get to see Idris and experience the surroundings of the Shadowhunters and really where it sets off for the series. Clary in an attempt to save her mother, portals to Idris with Luke, there she gets into trouble, meets a mysterious boy, fights with Jace and saves Simon. She also helps Shadowhunters and downworlders create an alliance and get along. Jace and Clary come to grips with being siblings but also don't... We meet some new characters and lose some others:( Magnus helps save Jocelyn and Alec finally gets a grip and makes up his mind.
The third book in The Mortal Instruments series consists of action, romance, mystery, and is poetic?
It's true! Cassie has this poetic way of writing that makes you want to quote the whole book!

So here are my favorites.

“Did you ever think that in a past life Alec was an old woman with ninety cats who was always yelling at the neighborhood kids to get off her lawn? Because I do,” ― Cassandra Clare, City of Glass; page 48, (First Paperback Edition)

“You never called me back," he said. "I called you so many times and you never called me back."  

Magnus looked at Alec as if he'd lost his mind. "Your city is under attack," he said. "The wards have been broken, and the streets are full of demons. And you want to know why I haven't called you?"

Alec set his jaw in a stubborn line. "I want to know why you haven't called me back." ― Cassandra Clare, City of Glass; page 238, (First Paperback Edition)

“Malachi scowled. "I don't remember the Clave inviting you into the Glass City, Magnus Bane.""They didn't," Magnus said. "Your wards are down.""Really?" the Consul's voice dripped sarcasm. "I hadn't noticed."Magnus looked concerned. "That's terrible. Someone should have told you." He glanced at Luke. "Tell him the wards are down.” ― Cassandra Clare, City of Glass; page 256, (First Paperback Edition)

“Have you tried talking to her?" 
"No. We've been punching her in the face repeatedly. What? You don't think that will work?” 
― Cassandra Clare, City of Glass; page 316, (First Paperback Edition)

Day 1{August 3rd}- I started this read-a-thon off with a bang! At about 1 in the morning, I started "Dreaming Anastasia" by Joy Preble. I ended up finishing it around 5 P.M., and then I started the sequel "Haunted". I only got 52 pages in, but that didn't bother me because my plan was just to finish one book a day.
Challenges Completed- "Read A Book With Blue On The Cover"

Day 2{August 4th}- I only got 64% into "Haunted" on Day 2. Whoops!
Challenges Completed- None.

Day 3{August 5th}- I stayed up until 1:40 A.M. to finish "Haunted"! The only other thing that I read that day was 100 pages of "Will Grayson, Will Grayson".
Challenges Completed- I ended up having to change up which book completes each challenge because I forgot that my Amazon order with "I Was Here" and "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" came on the 4th, which meant that "Haunted" wasn't my most recently acquired book. I counted "Haunted" towards the challenge to "Read 7 Books".

Day 4{August 6th}- I read so much this day! The first thing I read was "Will Grayson, Will Grayson", and then I read "The Son of Sobek" in one sitting. I also read "The Staff of Serapis" and "The Crown of Ptolemy", which are the other two Percy Jackson crossover novellas. At this point, I was back on track for my goal of reading a book each day.
Challenges Completed- "Read The Last Book You Acquired" and "Read A Book Without Letting Go Of It"

Day 5-7{August 7th-August 9th}- I only read 26 pages of "The 5th Wave" because school started on the 7th, and I was just too exhausted to read! The weekend just ended up not being good for me either. By not good for me, I just mean that I wasn't motivated.
Challenges Completed- None.


*Books Read*
"Dreaming Anastasia" by Joy Preble
"Haunted" by Joy Preble
"Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by David Levithan and John Green
"The Son of Sobek" by Rick Riordan
"The Staff of Serapis" by Rick Riordan
"The Crown of Ptolemy" by Rick Riordan

*Challenges Completed*
"Read A Book With Blue On The Cover"
"Read The Last Book You Acquired"
"Read A Book Without Letting Go Of It"
And I read 6/7 books and 26 pages of a 7th books.


Okay you guys! Although I didn't totally meet my goals, I think I did pretty well! Did you guys participate? Did you do well? Did you participate in the Twitter sprints? Tell me all about it!
-Tyler| @perfectabeth__