Review: The Little Princess

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Format; ebook
Pages: 257
Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Summary (from the not so little Goodreads): Sara Crewe seemed just like a real princess... When Sara Crewe arrives at Miss Minchin's London boarding school, she seems just like a real little princess. She wears beautiful clothes, has gracious manners, and tells the most wonderful stories. Then one day, Sara suddenly becomes penniless. Now she must wear rags, sleep in the school's dreary attic, and work for her living. Sara is all alone, but keeps telling herself that she can still be a princess inside, if only she tries hard enough.

My Little Thoughts: I had to read this book for one of my English classes this semester so it started off on my hate list. I was glad to find out that the book wasn't school bad. It was actually super good. I found my heart breaking for little Sara, time and time again. But she was just such a good person that she continued to rise above everything that was thrown her way. There were not many surprises in the novel. There really was no big plot twist. The reader could figure out what was coming easily but that really wasn't the point of the novel. The point, I thought, was that she remained herself through terrible obstacles and that she helped people even when she didn't have that much to give.

I'd recommend this book to pretty much anyone. It's a children's book but not immature so it's good for both young and old alike. It's just a super good book about how people can do good things for others. Plus, I thought that Sara was adorable. It's a quick read so you should check it out.

Life of a Blogger [17]

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature that I found through the amazing Rebecca at Vicariously! ,  hosted by the lovely Novel Heartbeat. Each week a subject will be chosen and we get to talk about it. The topics will be non-bookish so that you can get to know each other on a more personal level! Make sure to add your link on the linky list! 

This week's topic is: Achievements 

This isn't a very clear topic. Are we talking about awards or such we've managed to accomplish because they are very different questions. I count getting a job and finishing writing four novels as achievements. But I also got the Christian Living Award at gr. 8 graduation and that's sort of an achievement. I don't know what you people want for me. I'm counting keeping up with all these stupid lists and stuff as an achievement too. Deal with it.

- Kelsey

Top Ten Tuesday [19]

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

January 20: FREEBIE
[Books we've read that start with S because Kristen mocked me.]

Kelsey: 1. Splintered by A.G. Howard
2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
3. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
4. Sever by Lauren DeStefano
5. Stay With Me by J. Lynn
6. Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
7. Signed, Skye Harper by Carol Lynch Williams
8. Swan Peak by James Lee Burke
9. Show no Mercy by Cindy Gerard
10. Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

Review: Revolution 19

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Gregg Rosenblum
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 265
Rating: 4 out of 10
[The ratings have been low lately. I don't know what's up with that. Maybe I finally started reading our review policy. If something seems funny about my rating and you don't believe it, please feel free to check out my goodreads (link on the side) or our review policy here. We try to pride ourselves on having honest reviews but it seems like rating is harder than anything else that we have to do. Our deepest apologies if there has been any confusion.]

Summary (Via the Goodreads revolution): Twenty years ago, the robots designed to fight our wars abandoned the battlefields. Then they turned their weapons on us.

Only a few escaped the robot revolution of 2071. Kevin, Nick, and Cass are lucky —they live with their parents in a secret human community in the woods. Then their village is detected and wiped out. Hopeful that other survivors have been captured by bots, the teens risk everything to save the only people they have left in the world—by infiltrating a city controlled by their greatest enemies.

Revolution 19 is a cinematic thriller unlike anything else. With a dynamic cast of characters, this surefire blockbuster has everything teen readers want—action, drama, mystery, and romance. Written by debut novelist Gregg Rosenblum, this gripping story shouldn’t be missed. 

What I Think: The problem with this novel was not the central plot of the story. It equal parts scared and interested me. I thought that it was unique enough. It wasn't brand-spanking new, sure, but still. It seemed to make enough sense. The problem wasn't in the perspective which allows insights into the minds of most of the characters and also allows the reader to get a rather large picture of what is happening in the world. The problem was not that the main focus of the story was not a love story. It was refreshing to have a story focused on love of family, parents and siblings, over everything else. Actually, that may have been my favourite thing about this novel. I enjoyed the interaction between siblings. 

The problem was that the novel felt incredibly long when it was actually, after thinking on it, too short. The novel should have slowed down and expanded on...well, just about everything. It could have been so much more. I expected it to be so much more. I'd wanted to read this novel for so long and was disappointed that it didn't really get into too much. It could've slowed down a bit and still be alright. Maybe the solution to this problem could have been to put the first two books in this series together. I'll let you know after I read the next one but it probably won't be any time soon since I wasn't really too interested in this novel. 

I found that, due to the strange pace of the novel as well as the many, many characters that seemed thrown at me in the few pages that made up this novel, I was missing and/or ignoring huge hunks of description. This may have just been me. Actually, it's extremely likely that this is my own fault and nothing more but it still bothered me. 

Conclusion: I wish this novel had slowed down and gone into more detail. I liked the sibling interaction; it was different. This novel wasn't my cup of tea. I think that it would be more enjoyed by middle school or high school aged kids, boys in particular. In my mind, it just could have been more and that makes me very sad.

Life of a Blogger [16]

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature that I found through the amazing Rebecca at Vicariously! ,  hosted by the lovely Novel Heartbeat. Each week a subject will be chosen and we get to talk about it. The topics will be non-bookish so that you can get to know each other on a more personal level! Make sure to add your link on the linky list! 

This week's topic is: Bad Habits

Oh... that's... brave. My worst habit is probably biting my nails (lame answer) or peeling the nail polish off of my freshly painted nails. That's a head scratcher. I spend time painting my nails, and then I peel it off within like the hour. Riddle me that, would ya?

- Kristen

Ummm...
I don't know...
I sometimes bite my nails but not so much lately. I eat horribly. By "horribly", I mean that I eat food that tastes good but is slowly killing me.
Oh, I touch my face way too much. 
That's all you get.

- Kelsey

Top Ten Tuesday [18]

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

January 13: Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

Kelsey:
1. Rooms by Lauren Oliver
2. Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
3. Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick
4. Twisted by Emma Chase
5. Tamed by Emma Chase
6. Three by Kristen Simmons
7. Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout
8. Tied by Emma Chase
9. Reborn by C.C. Hunter
10. The Haven by Carol Lynch Williams

COVER REVEAL: Desolate Mantle by LK Hill

I just had the privilege of reading the first of L.K Hill's new series Street Games, and holy hot damn it was amazing! If you liked (ok let's be real... loved because how could you not?) Persistence of Vision you'll want to check this new series out. Seriously. It's amazing. And you need to read it. Like yesterday. Anyway, if that didn't convince you, here's the synopsis of the first one: 

Dark Remnants (Street Games #1)

In the most dangerous city in the country, one controlled by a sadistic gang called the Sons of Ares, Kyra Roberts is searching the deep places for someone…

Kyra has come to Abstreuse city to find someone she’s lost, but walking the underbelly—a dark alley system residents call t

he Slip Mire—even in disguise, is rife with dangers. Kyra must stay on her toes if she intends to live. After crossing paths several times with the same detective, she wonders if his work and hers might be connected.

Gabe Nichols has worked homicide in Abstreuse for three years. Dead prostitutes and gang violence are part of the night shift. When a woman who looks like a street junkie but acts like an intellectual saves his life, he’s intrigued. Another woman shows up at his crime scene, and Gabe’s instincts kick into high gear when she clams up. Two cases involving strange women who won’t tell what they know are too coincidental.

If Gabe and Kyra can’t find a way to collaborate, they may not live to see the sunrise. Doomed, like so many others, to become gray, unmarked graves in a forgotten fracture of the Slip Mire.

And, I'm so excited to reveal the cover for the second in the Street Games series:

Are ya ready for this?

Desolate Mantle (Street Games, #2) 

In the most dangerous city in the country, one controlled by the sadistic Sons of Ares gang, Kyra Roberts recently crossed paths with detective Gabe Nichols. She dismissed any liaison with him as impossible, but telling him the truth may prove inevitable...

Walking the Slip Mire nightly, dressed in her disguise and trying to infiltrate a homicidal gang, Kyra sees plenty of things she can’t explain. When she begins to suspect a serial killer might be at work, she decides to approach Gabe again.

Gabe has plenty to keep him busy: a bizarre missing persons case, a new development in his brother’s cold case, a new neighbor, and the grisly murders that are a nightly ritual in the Slip Mire. When Kyra shows up unexpectedly, he jumps at the chance keep her around, but it’s harder than he bargained for. She’s not an average source any more than she’s an average Mireling. Gabe wishes she would be sensible about her own safety.

Their partnership crumbles, but when things become even darker than usual in the Slip Mire, they’ll need one another get survive a hellish situation. If they can’t work together to shoulder their burdens, they’ll find themselves utterly alone. In Abstreuse, it’s not a matter of not coming out of the darkness, but of being absorbed by the darkness itself…

Guys, I'm so excited and I hope you all check this out!