young adult

Valentines Day Book Tag

February 18, 2019

Announcement! My blog name has changed and the banner will change as well! Bear with me through the changes! My new blog name is now The Bookish Fairy!

Happy belated Valentines Day my bookish lovies!!! Due to tech issues I am submitting the post today! This Valentines book tag comes from The Sassy Book Geek! The original creator of this tag is As Told By Tina.

Valentines Day is one of my favorite holidays mainly because I love celebrating it with my first-grade kiddies. I love receiving giant chocolate candy Hershey’s and adorable handmade Valentines Day cards from kids simply writing, “I love you.” Although one of the things I love the most is curling up with a good contemporary romance with a giant cup of wine and my favorite heart-shaped Godiva chocolates! Here is a list of all the books that I am insanely in love with, books that I have “meh” feelings for, and books that I have broken up with!

1…Stand Alone Book you Love

Nicola Yoon literally gave me so many mixed feelings when I was reading this book. Nicola Yoon made me want to dance around the room and sob bittersweet tears at the same time! My thoughts for this book are better described here in my book review.

2…Dystopian Book You Love

I am very late to the dystopian hype train since the Hunger Games fandom and I tried to read Everland by Wendy Spinale which was a Peter Pan retelling/dystopian/steampunk book and I ended up DNFing it. Unfortunately, my love for dystopian is practically nonexistent….

3…A book you love that no one else talks about

This book is written by the own voices Latinx Cuban-American writer Janelle Milanes and I am so happy that books like this exist! This book is unique because it’s a contemporary YA romance with a Cuban-American protagonist that has all the fluffy feels. There are not many YA books that have Cuban rep and just knowing that I was represented in a way that I could relate to what the character was going through was a validating experience. Read my book review here.

4…Favorite Book Couple

Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky…OBVI!!! Lara and Peter are so perfect together in every way and the chemistry that they have with one another is swoon-worthy. I love how Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky balance one another out. While Lara Jean is very particular about everything Peter teaches Lara to loosen up a bit. They learn from one another and grow with one another and we need a more healthy relationship like that in YA! I need to do a reread of these books again especially since the second movie will be released soon!

5…Books that other people love that you haven’t gotten around to read

This hype train has left me a long time ago and I find that I never really get around to reading most YA fantasy and science fiction novels because I have a hard time committing to a series! Although, I am making waves towards getting into fantasy since I read the first Leigh Bardugo book Shadow and Bone and I am looking forward to “hopefully finishing” the rest of the series.

6…A book with red on the cover…

I thought this book was incredibly written and really expressed the issues that the Black Lives era is facing every day. I listen to this through audible and this short read was extremely powerful and beautifully written. This is the kind of book that will take you through the thoughts and journey of the protagonist and literally punch you in the gut with emotion.

7…A book with pink on the cover

I am a huge Dawson’s Creek fan and frankly, I checked out this book in the library because I wanted to see if she wrote about Dawson’s Creek! Although, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and ended up not being able to stop listening to it. I loved how honest and frank Busy was in this book and how she touched into topics that were quite heart wrenching. Also, I was completely shocked with the Dawson’s Creek chapter when she stated that she hated working for the show because they favored Joey the most and was always fat-shamed by the costume designer! Scandal! This book was pink perfection!

8. What fictional boyfriend/girlfriend would give a box of chocolates to you…

From time to time, I have a bit of a thing for bad boys and I couldn’t resist the evil charms of the Darkling! I would gladly take a box of chocolates from the Darkling anytime even if I run the risk of possibly being poisoned!

9..You are single on Valentines Day. What book would you read? What TV show would you watch? What movie would you watch?

I would read the book Weetzie Bat because that is the most comforting and life-altering book for me. I would watch The Bold Type because there is nothing better than to watch girlfriends backing each other through life, love, and career changes and not get into cat fights. The movie I would watch is Clueless because that movie always makes me happy no matter how I am feeling!

10…You are in the bookstore. All of a sudden you get shot with an arrow by Cupid. What new release will you love?

I literally cannot stop thinking about this book! This book is coming out in May and I want it in my hands now! This is an own voices book written by yet another Cuban American writer and I am already in love with the synopsis! It has elements of magical realism, lots of pastelitos, and Gilmore Girls vibes! What more can a girl ask for?!

Anyone that would like to participate in this book tag is more than welcome to!

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

January 25, 2019

The Sun is Also a Star Published by Delacorte Press on November 1, 2016
Genres: contemporary, YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 384
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes & Noble, Buy on Books & Books
Goodreads

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Catfairy’s Booktape

Natasha is my ultimate music twin due to our mutual love of 90’s grunge and Daniel is a poet so of course, Bob Dylan is the perfect mix to add into this playlist! Here is a little bit of Eddie Vedder, Dylan, Chris Cornell, and some good old teen spirit!

Catfairy’s Starry Bookish Babbles

When I finished listening to Nicola Yoon’s book I rewinded the ending like seventeen times because my heart couldn’t handle that the book was over! The book had all the elements of being a fluffy book while showing the intensity of first love. She writes the feelings of first love the way a sixteen-year-old actually experiences first love. Yoon brings you back to the days when falling in love is an all-encompassing feeling and it’s all you think about, ruminate about, sing about, write about, and obsessively dream about as if your own life depends on it!

Catnopsis

“I see us in old age. I can’t see our faces; I don’t even know where or even when we are. But I have a strange and happy feeling that I can’t quite describe. It’s like knowing all the words to a song but still finding them beautiful and surprising.”

-Daniel

Daniel and Natasha are in a record store in New York and from the moment Daniel lays eyes on Natasha he has a feeling he is going to spend the rest of his life with her…

But he has approximately twelve hours to convince her to fall in love with him…

Natasha is a girl about facts and science and currently, she has a hard time facing reality. Her family is about to get deported and she has twelve hours to try to get her family to stay in New York and then she bumps into Daniel in the record store and her whole world changes.

Daniel has always been the perfect son but faces pressure from his family to be someone that he is not when all he wants is to be a poet. He is a boy who lives in his own head and is a true romantic at heart. When he meets Natasha he sees his own future right before his eyes…

Pop Culture Purr-References

via GIPHY

I know I have mentioned this pop culture reference just recently but obvi Before Sunrise has been on my mind lately! I really need to watch it tonight and just get it over with!

But honestly, The Sun is Also a Star perfectly represents the insta-love that Before Sunrise does!

Nicola Yoon’s Writing

The chapters in this book are written in the point of view of the characters and this is my favorite kind of book because I love books that are character driven more than plot driven. Even though the chapters are mainly dedicated to the main characters Natasha and Daniel, there are surprise chapters from the strangers they meet along the way such as the security guard from the immigration office and even the etymological history of the Jamaican term irie!

Nicola Yoon represents diverse characters in her story with Natasha being Jamaican and Daniel being Korean American. Not only does Yoon represent the characters diverse backgrounds in this story, but she also touches on immigration which is a hot topic in our Trump era. The author writes about the struggles about facing deportation and really humanizes the struggle of immigration.

Glittery Introspections

The format that I used to read The Sun is Also a Star was a mix of reading and listening but I was listening to this book 70% of the time. If I wasn’t listening to this book for most of the time I would have probably tabbed almost the whole book because the language was even more lyrical than Yoon’s last book Everything, Everything.

Nicola Yoon is becoming the queen of insta-love but she is one of the few authors that REALLY knows how to write insta-love! This book captures the exhilarating experience of running around New York while falling in love! What can be better than that?!

More importantly, this is a book about fate and about how everything is connected in some way or another and that was one of the most beautiful things about this book! This book teaches us how strangers can sometimes have a significant impact on our lives when we aren’t even aware of it.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

June 29, 2018

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha, #1) by Tomi Adeyemi
Series: Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha,
Published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers on May 6, 2018
Genres: fantasy, Fantasy > Magic, Young Adult Fantasy
Pages: 525
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes & Noble, Buy on Books & Books
Goodreads

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Catfairy’s Bookmix

This isn’t my playlist but I think it’s a perfect playlist to go along with this fantastical masterpiece!

“They may have a thousand men in their army, but not one of them has the support of the gods. We have magic on our side, so stay strong, stay confident…”

-Zelie

CatFairy’s Thoughts

Children of Blood and Bone is not usually my typical read and fantasy books, in general, are not always in my comfort zone. As soon as I picked up this book, I was taken by surprise because skies…this story is insane! Insanely good!!! The story literally sucked me into the world of Orisha! I love how the world building doesn’t interfere with the plot development and the characters. I think sometimes in fantasy books there is too much world building and not enough plot development and this story was such a delight because it has everything an epic fantasy story should have!

Reading COBAB was a pure adrenaline rush! This book has everything you could ask for from politics, racism, romance, magic, adventure, African mythology, and dynamic multi-dimensional characters that you fall in love with!

Catnopsis

“It doesn’t matter how strong I get, how much power my magic wields. They will always hate me in this world.”

-Tomi Adeyemi

In the land of Orisha, magic is dead. Years ago, magic was alive with the residents of Orisha and they all held different magical powers from people who had diverse abilities such as manipulating fire and connectors who could read the minds of others. The ruler of Orisha, King Saran has a deep hatred for magic. King Saran has abolished magic and will kill anyone who dares to practice it.

Zelie is a diviner and her mother who was a diviner was killed by King Saran many years ago in what was known as The Raid, where many Orishans were slaughtered for practicing magic. Until Zelie gets a vision that she will travel with a magical scroll to a faraway temple to revive magic in the land of Orisha again. Zelie will not be going on this journey to bring magic alone. She will be going on this adventure with her brother Tzain, Princess Amari, Amari’s brother Prince Anan, and of course Zelie’s beloved lionaire Nailah! Throughout this experience, they learn about the power of their own magic and the strength they have in themselves.

Meet Zelie

Zelie is a ruthless and strong character. Also, she is immensely loyal but there is so much dimension to her character overall. Zelie is the kind of person who could get her heart broken at the same time but has no problem smacking you with that staff if you cross her! I haven’t read a character like Zelie in a long time and I was fascinated with her. Although, I have to say that the only complaint that I have with Zelie is that she gave Amari quite a hard time for awhile in the story. Even when Amari was clearly on her side, it was difficult for Zelie to accept her. Despite Zelie’s stubbornness, I admired Zelie’s character and her unequivocal strength.

Meet Tzain

Tzain is an underrated character in this story and I hope that in the second book they give him a chance to develop his character a bit more. I found Tzain to be such a loyal and patient character. Tzain and Zelie are an adorable brother-sister combo and they compliment one another very well. While Zelie is always getting herself into trouble Tzain is trying to get her out of trouble! Every Zelie needs a Tzain!

Meet Amari

Amari is my favorite character in this story because she shows a huge character arc and it develops rather nicely. Amari began the story as a very meek character. Although throughout the story you can see how she changes and her quiet strength slowly comes out with a vengeance. Even though, Amari learns to stand up for herself she is still a sweet character and develops a strong bond with Zelie in the process. Amari is a mix of sweetness and “kickassness” and that’s a great combo if you ask me!

Meet Inan

Inan…Inan…Inan…where do I begin with Inan?! Inan drove me, insane people. Inan wasn’t my favorite character at all. This character is so deeply flawed and didn’t know what the heck he wanted. He would make a decision and then change at the drop of the hat. Inan was constantly battling his mind and he was so indecisive that it drove me nuts! Although I could understand where he was coming from and the intense amount of pressure he was in but I was struggling with this character and found it hard to find a connection with him.

CatFairy’s Final Thoughts

There are many people out there that compare COBAB to a Harry Potter level and I wholeheartedly agree with this opinion! This book is such an entertaining read because it’s not your typical cardboard cutout characters. These characters are flawed, brave, and beautiful all at the same time. COBAB is one of the few fantasy books where all the characters are African American and this makes the book so refreshing and different from the others. COBAB is riveting from beginning to end and there aren’t any parts in the story where it was dragging in the least bit. The whole time that I was reading Adeyemi’s story I felt like I was a part of Zelie, Inan, Tzain, and Amari’s adventure. I am looking forward to continuing their adventure to bring back magic in the second book!

“The book was written during a time where I kept turning on the news and seeing stories of unarmed black men, women, and children being shot by the police.”

-Adeyemi

Racism is a huge part of this book. Zelie has dark colored skin and she is looked down upon in the land of Orisha. The gentry has a lighter-toned skin and they are constantly skin bleaching. King Saran sends out the message to the Orishans that skin color determines their status in society. Unfortunately, King Saran’s message reflects our own society today and we are living in a world where people are constantly being diminished if they don’t meet the status quo. Adeyemi sends out a strong message through this story about what happens when hate takes over the world and how it damages everything around us. Although Adeyemi sends out a hopeful message that even though there is hate in the world around us…love is magical and stronger than hate.

FIVE CHARLIE CHUCHI STARS (HIRE HIM FOR THE ROLE OF NAILAH!)

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