books – Page 17 – Zakiya N. Jamal

My Summer Reading List

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

Nothing’s better than being able to lay by the beach and catch up on some much over due reading. This summer there are plenty of amazing books coming out that must be read. Additionally there’s a long list of books that have already been released that I can finally get a chance to read. Here’s my list of all the books you should check out this summer if you haven’t already.

New Releases

1. Opposition (A Lux Novel) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – August 5

Anyone that follows my blog on a regular basis knows how obsessed I am with this series. Opposition is the last book of the series and although I’ll be sad to see it all end I’m so excited to know what happens. The wait is driving me crazy. If you haven’t read the previous books in the Lux series I would definitely recommend checking them out. The series focuses on a girl named Katy who just moved to a new town with her mom, after her father’s death from cancer. Their neighbors, the Blacks, are an interesting bunch that includes Daemon, a hot jerk that Katy can’t stand but is regrettably attracted to, and his sister Dee, an eager beaver who really wants to be Katy’s friend. Eventually Katy learns the truth about the Blacks (they’re aliens) and it turns her world upside down. From there drama, mystery, fights, and a lot of romance ensues. The first one isn’t the best but they get better over time. Trust me.

2. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet – June 24

If you have any interest in adaptations this may be one of the coolest things ever. It’s a book adaptation of a YouTube series adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The premise of the novel is a retelling of Austen’s original novel but in the point of view and context of the The Lizzie Bennet Diaries YouTube series. If you’ve never watched this YouTube series I encourage you to check it out. Even if you’ve never read Austen’s novel (finishing it is still on my to do list) you don’t have to read the book to love the show. Does having background knowledge make the show even more entertaining? Certainly. However, if you watched the 2005 movie version with Kiera Knightley you’re basically covered. Either way you should definitely watch the show and then read this book when it comes out because I believe it’s going to be fantastic.

3. Silver Shadows (A Bloodlines Novel) – July 29

It all began with Vampire Academy, which was an excellent series. Then Richelle Mead decided to stick with this awesome fictional world she created and do a spin off series focusing on a human Alchemist, Sydney. To give a little background as an Alchemist Sydney’s job is to ensure that humans don’t learn the truth about vampires and dhampirs (half vampire, half human people). Even though she’s meant to work with them she’s not supposed to like them, recognizing that they are actually abominations. Well it’s a little difficult for Sydney to stay true to her beliefs when she’s forced to live with vampires and dhampirs on a regular basis and learns they’re not as bad as they’re made out to be. In fact, not only can she like them but she can love them too. If you haven’t read any books in this series or the Vampire Academy series you have a lot of catching up to do but it’s totally worth it. Besides, if you read like I do you can finish all the books in no time; they’re that good.

4. Endless (A Shadowlands Novel) – July 22

This is the last book in Kate Brian (aka Kieran Scott’s) awesome trilogy about the afterlife. The trilogy follows Rory Miller and her family who have run away from their hometown to escape a killer who’s after Rory. They end up in Jupiter Landing where things get strange. Or at least they do for Rory. People start to disappear yet no one seems to notice except Rory. Eventually Rory learns the truth about Jupiter Landing and it rocks her to her core. Definitely a must read and of course if you haven’t read the first two you should check them out before this book is released.

Already Released

5. Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

I love Ellen Hopkins. I’ve read all her books, both adult and young adult and they’re great. The best part about her books is that they’re written in poetry style but they come together to tell a whole story. Smoke is the long awaited sequel to her book, Burned, about a Mormon girl who falls in love and risks everything to finally found her own independence away from her father. I’m definitely going to have to reread Burned before I dive into this one but I’m excited to finally have a chance to read it.

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth

When I first heard about this series I was very hesitant to read it because it just sounded like another dystopian trilogy to me and I was just so sick of reading dystopian fiction. However, now that I’ve given it some time and the movie has come out I feel ready to dive into another dystopian world. I’m currently number 159 on the waitlist for the book from my digital library. Here’s to hoping I actually get to read it before the summer is over. Fingers crossed. If you haven’t heard of this book before, it focuses on a young girl named Beatrice (aka Tris) who lives in a world where everyone is placed in a faction: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. Each person has to take a test that will determine their faction, however, for Beatrice she is not placed in a faction but instead is classified as “Divergent”. This goes against the society’s rules thereby putting her in danger. Similar to many other dystopian novels no one is really happy with the way this new world is set up and of course there’s those who are ready and willing to rebel against it. There’s also a lot of romance involved as well. Basically, it’s my kind of book.

7. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Ever since I read Speak I’ve been obssessed with Laurie Halse Anderson. She has the ability to write about such serious topics that isn’t preachy but instead eye opening. In this novel she focuses on a young girl, Hayley, and her father, Andy, who return to Andy’s hometown so Hayley can attend school. Andy has been suffering from post traumatic stress disorder since his return from Iraq and it has greatly affected him and Hayley. This father-daughter pair tries to find peace by going back to Andy’s roots but one can’t run from their demons forever. I have a feeling this book will break my heart but in the most incredible way.

8. Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Since The Fault in Our Stars there has been this fascination with teens with cancer, mostly because it’s a pretty scary thought to face death at such a young age. In Julie Murphy’s novel Alice is diagnosed with leukemia and in an effort to right all her wrongs and get revenge before she dies she creates a bucket list that she and her best friend fulfill. Regrettably, however, Alice then learns she’s in remission and she’s going to live a bit longer. Now she has to face the consequences of her actions. I’ve never read a book by Murphy before (which makes sense since this is her debut novel) but this book sounds like a heart warming and funny novel that will be good to read by the pool.

9. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Another author I’ve never read before but am excited to try. This novel focuses on Kestrel, a 17 year old girl, who is the daughter of a general and is at the age when she has to choose whether to join the military or get married. Kestrel has no intention of doing either and instead buys a slave, Arin, who she begins to have feelings for but also has his own secrets. Truthfully, I’m not sure what to expect from this novel. There’s obviously going to be romance but I’m not sure what else. It seems like a dystopian novel but also different. Either way I’m excited to give it a chance and you can download the first five chapters free from Amazon if you want to try it before you buy it.

10. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

I first heard about this novel when I interviewed Kieran Scott a few months ago. When I first read the synopsis it reminded me of Frozen (the book not the movie). Alexandra Bracken’s novel focuses on a girl named Ruby who has extraordinary powers that got her sent away to a government rehabilitation camp when she was a child. Now having escaped she’s on the run with other kids just like her. The groups leader, Liam, begins to fall for Ruby but scared of what getting close to him could mean Ruby is determined to keep a distance. The first in the series I think this will be a great adventure/love story that I will quickly fall in love with.

I’ll definitely be adding to this list of books throughout the summer but for now I believe this is a good start. Happy reading!

Book Review: The One

Posted on May 19, 2014May 23, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

I was so excited once I was finally able to buy and read this book with no distractions or anything getting in the way. It was worth the wait and every penny. I believe I can’t do this review without going into details so beware the spoilers.

First, I was very nervous about this book because in my experience the last book of a dystopian trilogy never ends the way I want to (i.e. The Hunger Games, Matched, Delirium, etc.). However, with this novel Kiera Cass did an excellent job of tying up lose ends, giving us a happy ending but also keeping it real about the costs of war.

Although there were many deaths there was also so much happiness and love that although I cried I still smiled because this was such a beautifully written book.

If you’ve never read The Selection series before shame on you. The series follows the story of a girl named America who lives in the Illéa, the dystopian version of the U.S., and is selected to be part of a competition to win the prince, Maxon’s, heart and the crown. It’s kind of like The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games which could sound like a train wreck but is actually really awesome.

As with many dystopian series with a female lead there is a love triangle but what’s interesting is how Cass produces it. America enters into the “selection”, the choosing of competitors for the contest for Maxon’s heart, only because her boyfriend, Aspen, tells her to, breaking up with her in the process. America thereby enters a contest, which ideally is based on finding the Prince his true love, with a broken heart. She already knows (or at least thinks she knows) what love is and now she’s lost it but has to pretend she hasn’t because her relationship with Aspen also went against the rules of her society.

Of course things get complicated when America and Maxon actually have feelings for each other and then get even more complicated when Aspen shows up at the castle where the competition takes place. Talk about an awkward situation. Throw in the fact that there are 34 other girls competing for Maxon’s heart and drama ensues.

Besides the love triangle(s) there’s actually real problems in Illéa. There’s rebels everywhere and the society is based on a caste system that does well for those in the upper castes (1-4) but is terrible for those in the lower ones (5-8). Needless to say there’s a lot of political unrest.

Fast forward to this newest book and the competition is down to only four ladies and rebels are getting even more rebellious. Besides that America has finally realized that she loves Maxon and is now ready to fight for him. However, they still have a lot of issues to work through, mainly trust. Seeing as how America still hasn’t told him her ex-boyfriend is one of his guards trust is something they really need to work on. Plus neither of them have the courage to say they love each other (even though it’s so obvious).

Again spoiler warning. If you don’t want to know how it all ends stop right here. This is your last warning.

Okay, here I go.

She chose Maxon. They’re married and she’s queen and everything is right. Except for the fact that Celeste died. And so did Queen Amberly. I don’t really care about King Clarkson but I mean it sucks that Maxon lost both his parents in one day. Also, America’s dad died and he was the best.

Still, I’m glad that Cass wrote it so that America and Aspen are still friends (family really) and they both found their true loves. The greatest thing about this is the way Cass wrote it, it’s not as if Aspen lost America and settled for Lucy. Instead he realized for himself that although he still loves America he wasn’t in love with her and it was the same for America. They both recognized that they would always mean something to each other but they weren’t meant to be. To me that’s how a first love should end.

Amongst other things Cass presented an ending in which there’s hope for a better future but also doesn’t exactly say that everything is perfect and fixed, not in Illéa or in Maxon and America’s relationship. America even says it:

But even now I know this isn’t a fairy tale. I know that we’ll have hard times, confusing times. I know that things won’t always happen the way we want them to and that we’ll have to work to remember that we chose this. It won’t be perfect, not all the time. This isn’t happily ever after. It’s so much more than that.

That’s my favorite part of this novel and this series as a whole. Cass keeps it real even within a dystopian, fiction novel. She recognizes that love isn’t easy. She acknowledges that a messed up society can’t be fixed over night. She points out all these things but still provides fans with the happy ending they look for in a fiction novel.

In summary, it’s brilliant and I loved every part of this series and the long journey that got us to this end. But then again is it really the end?

Now a days most dystopian novels come in the form of trilogies and it seems that Cass is following that tradition. However, on the cover of The One it doesn’t say, “The final book in The Selection series,” or anything to that affect. Instead it says, “Book Three of the Selection Series.” Wait, what?

Is it possible that this book isn’t the end of this marvelous series? Could there be more? So far Cass hasn’t said anything about that. However, she did announce that she will be releasing a digital novella about Queen Amberly’s selection process, explaining once and for all how the heck she ended up with a jerk like King Clarkson. Therefore we do have something to look forward to but if Cass is planning to continue the series so far she’s been quiet about it.

Personally, I’m totally satisfied with this ending and I’m not really sure where she could go from here. However, until she says it’s definitely not happening I’m open to the idea.

To put it simply, get this book and if you haven’t already, get all the books in this series. It’s awesome and I can’t wait to reread them all over again.

Favorite Line: “Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”

Stars: 5 out of 5. I don’t think I can emphasize any further how much I loved this book.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Buy every book/novella in this series and then reread them until the end of your days.

Book Review: Women in Bed

Posted on April 20, 2014May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

I usually don’t read anthologies because I like to stick with one character throughout a novel, however Jessica Keener’s book, Women in Bed showed a growth in her characters that made it feel like I was watching one woman continue to grow.

The first short story didn’t give much detail into the character (we never learn her name) and it was pretty short. I wasn’t used to reading a story that didn’t put a name to a face but it was interesting to read. As the stories continue they get more and more detailed, becoming more like stories I usually read.

I enjoyed the last three stories the best because they were focused on one woman, Jennie, and showed her growth from the heartbreak of an ended relationship, to visiting her sister and remembering her past and her abusive father, to her finally finding what she needed and letting go of her fear of repeating the past.

Though I loved Jennie’s stories the best she wasn’t my favorite character. My favorite had to be Elizabeth in the “Recovery” story, who’s battling cancer. I loved her attitude and the way she handled her situation. She was such a strong character and I was sad when her story ended. I wanted to know more!

The other four stories involve a woman who lost her brother to suicide, a college dropout who goes to be with her not so loving boyfriend, a hard working woman who was so busy taking care of others she never took a chance to take care of herself, and a woman who left her husband realizing she needed to end her marriage before she could truly move on.

Truthfully, Keener’s writing style is very different from what I’m used to. As I said the stories get more and more detailed as they go on but it was still not a book I’d regularly pick up. That being said I did enjoy most of the stories. I found them to be interesting and also thought provoking. It raises a lot of questions about marriage, forgiveness, love, acceptance, and strength (mental, physical, and emotional). Overall I thought the book was good and a nice read.

Stars: 4 out of 5. It took me sometime to get used to the writing style but once I did I really enjoyed the stories. I found some to be more appealing than others but I think that’ll vary by each reader.

Borrow or Buy: Buy. As I said, there’s a story in it for everyone. It’s only $7.99 on the Kindle and I think it’s worth it.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly: Binge Reading

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

The best feeling is discovering a book series that already has four or five books out. You don’t have to wait (im)patiently for the next one to come out, you can just grab it from the library or buy it instantly. Though this can be a great thing it also be bad. Really bad. Why, you ask? Because just as quickly as you became obsessed with Scandal you’ve become just as obsessed with the Private series. What’s worse is unlike a TV show, reading takes longer and you can’t really multi-task while you’re reading. Instead you find yourself so wrapped in your book, hours have gone by and you’ve forgotten how to eat, sleep, use the bathroom, and socialize.

In short, you’ve become a hermit.

It’s okay. Take a breather, relax. Binge reading is a fine (and fun) activity. It’s great to find yourself wrapped in a series with these characters you just can’t stop thinking about and always wanting to know what happens next. Reading is fundamental after all and unlike watching TV it won’t kill your brain cells.

It becomes bad, however, when you let your reading take over your whole life. Now you might be thinking, “That would never happen.” Yeah, sure. Here’s some signs that you might be losing it:

You freak out when the library doesn’t have the next book in the series.
You’re willing to buy the next book (or next three) no matter what the cost. “If I don’t check my bank account then it’s not real.”
Friends ask you to hang out but you say no because you JUST GOT TO THE GOOD PART.
You tell yourself you’ll go to sleep at 3 AM but then when 3 AM comes and you’re still in the middle of the chapter so you say, “I’ll just finish the chapter,” but it ended with a cliffhanger. You can’t possibly stop now, you’ll just go to sleep at 4 AM. This cycle continues until suddenly the sun is up.
When you have to eat or go to the bathroom you take the book with you.
Actually you just take the book everywhere.
People try to talk to you but you just say, “Uh huh,” or “Okay,” because really you just want them to be quiet so you can keep reading.
When you’re not reading you have to remind yourself what’s real and what happened in the book. No you do not have super powers and no you’re not in the middle of an all out war with the Capitol. Relax.

If any or all of these apply to you, you might have a problem but that’s okay because let’s be real reading too much is never really a problem right? The book series has to end eventually . . . but then you’ll find another one to read then another then another until you forget what real life is.

Here’s the deal, I love binge reading as much as the next person but just as binge watching TV can be bad for you so can binge reading. For one thing you can actually hurt your eyes by reading so much. For another you’ll start alienating yourself for the sake of a book. Don’t let your favorite character become your best friend. The day a character in a book actually starts talking to you is when you know you need to put the book down.

Rather than binge reading, take a break in between books. I give you permission to stay up however, long it takes to read one book but after you’re done give it a rest. Go for a walk, go see a movie, hang out with friends. Don’t let a fictional world become your whole life. Remember, no matter how good the book is, it’s not real and it’ll still be there when you get back.

Besides why rush a good thing? The sad truth is the series will have to come to an end eventually or worse you’ll actually catch up and find yourself waiting a year for the next one. Why put yourself through that torture? Take your time with the series. Re-read all the good parts. Let it all sink in before you jump right back in. Trust me, it won’t kill you.

Honestly, I know many of you will ignore my advice and keep binge reading anyway. If you do I wish you the best and enjoy the reading.

Sources for photos: Tumblr

Book Review: Opal

Posted on March 9, 2014May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

If you haven’t noticed by now I am 100% obsessed with the Lux series. I just can’t stop. It’s a serious problem, especially for my bank account. That being said, this book was much better than the first two and I couldn’t put it down.

A lot happened in the last book so let me give you a quick recap. If you haven’t read the first two books of the Lux series (Obsidian and Onyx) then you should stop reading right now. For those of you who have reached the point I’m at, here we go:

Adam FREAKING died. Seriously, for why? I mean I get how it happened but why? I loved him and so did Dee.
Dawson is back and he’s (acting) weird.
Daemon and Katy are in love despite everything that occurred (and technically Daemon still hasn’t said it out loud).
Katy’s officially okay with killing people.
Blake left?
Will sucks and is actually evil
He might be connected to Daemon and Katy now since Daemon was forced to heal him to save Katy.

I think that about sums up all the OMG moments of the last book. Now on to this bad boy.

We jump back in right where we left off. Everyone is stressed and there’s a lot of tension as there should be since it’s getting really difficult for everyone to know who they can and cannot trust. After the whole Blake fiasco it’s evident that Katy shouldn’t trust anyone.

When the novel begins Katy’s in the dog house with Dee (and Ash and Andrew but they never really liked her to begin with). Daemon and Dee are trying to get reacquainted with their long lost brother which is proving to be difficult since all he wants to do is save his love, Beth, which is understandable since he risked everything for her in the first place. Plus, Daemon and Katy would be lying if they said they wouldn’t do the same thing if they were in his shoes.

Therefore Katy decides that they have to help Dawson get Beth back because it wouldn’t be fair if they didn’t try to help. Honestly, though how in the world were they going to do that with no leads to go on? Enter their old friend, Blake, who decided he wasn’t really the “run and get gone” type. Nope, this kid is bold. So bold that in spite of Daemon (and everyone else’s death threats) he still returns and with a plan to save Beth and his alien buddy Chris from wherever the Department of Defense is holding them.

Of course no one really trusts Blake (and with good reason) but honestly this rag tag team of aliens and hybrids don’t have a lot of options, which leads them to make a deal with the devil. Blake claims he’ll leave once he gets Chris and all will be good but it’s still risk, one Katy and Daemon (along with everyone else) are still willing to take.

Besides everyone’s life being on the line and having no one they can truly trust except each other, Daemon and Katy also grow closer, making their love stronger as they stand together against every obstacle that comes their way.

Opal has been my favorite book in the series thus far. With so much anger, sadness, distrust, sexual tension, and drama I never knew what to expect. This book kept me on my toes to the very end and I’m excited (and scared) to see what happens next.

Stars: 5 out of 5. I had my doubts about this series but I’m completely hooked now. There were so many times I was glad I was reading by myself because I found myself screaming and freaking out often.

Borrow or Buy: BUY!!! Honestly I have no money to be buying these books but I have because they’re just so good and I have to know what happens next. Definitely one to put on the shelf.

Book Review: Onyx

Posted on March 8, 2014May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

In answer to my question in my review for the first book of this series, I’m not sure if this series is going downhill or not but maybe I’ll figure it out by the end of this review. Let us begin.

First, my feelings about Katy were very up and down throughout the novel. This is the second book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series and last time we left off Daemon told Katy he was going to make her fall for him and of course she said that’s ridiculous and he said:

And as we see early on, he means business. Flowering Katy with gifts and attention Katy has to force herself to not believe he has feelings for her which is ridiculous because he clearly does. However, she is in thorough denial blaming their new alien connection for his feelings. In conclusion, she’s crazy.

Needless to say when a new, human guy comes in the picture Katy is all too happy to jump on that train in hopes that she can forget all about Daemon and aliens and just be normal. Sadly, for Katy this guy, Blake, is anything but normal. Rather he might just turn out to be her worst nightmare.

Despite Katy’s annoying disbelief in her clearly budding relationship with Daemon, I still like her as a character. She can be very sassy when she wants to be and definitely doesn’t stand for Daemon’s crap which is great.

Even so, I really love Daemon. He’s so flirty, snarky, protective, and attractive and it’s heartbreaking to watch him put his heart on the line and Katy still not believe it’s real. Daemon is what really kept me reading. And Katy when she wasn’t discussing her blog so much which is ironic since I have my own blog and know exactly what she’s talking about when she says she’s going to write four book reviews in one sitting. I feel for you girl. However, I’d rather hear about your alien drama rather than all the books you read.

What’s also great about this novel is Katy get’s her own powers. For the first time she’s not completely defenseless (although she could handle her own in the first book as well). Learning how to control these powers, however, causes Katy and Daemon issues, especially since they’re keeping her powers and their new alien connection a secret from everyone, including Dee, putting a strain on their friendship.

Overall, I’d have to say that I did enjoy this novel more than the first in the series. There’s way more sexual tension between the two main characters, Dee gets some action as well, and the alien drama gets even more crazy as the Department of Defense (DOD) makes a big appearance in this novel. With so many threats, secrets, and romance around, this novel was an exciting book to read. Yes, there were still some parts that I could do without (mostly Katy’s inner monologues about her feelings about Daemon and her books) but overall this book was good enough for me to buy the third.

Stars: 4out of 5. Good but not OMG amazing.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow. This one isn’t as cheap as the first one and although I’ll definitely be rereading some parts at some point, I don’t think it’s something I needed in my Kindle library.

Book Review: Obsidian

Posted on March 5, 2014May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

I am a creature of habit so when I find an author I love I read all their books until there’s no more left and I don’t stray. I’m also pretty stuck up about the books I read. Not to say I only read classics and NY Times Bestsellers but I only read novels that I deem to be “worthy”. That being said, rarely do I ever take a chance on an author I’ve never read/heard of before. But this time since it was only $2.99 on my Kindle and I was desperate to read something new I had to take a chance and I’m very glad that I did.

I don’t know where Jennifer L. Armentrout has been hiding this whole time but I am now officially hooked on her Lux series. The series focuses on Katy Swartz, a 17 year old girl, who moves to a small town in West Virginia with her mom a few years after her dad died. Both her mom and herself are looking for a fresh start and although Katy is not at all thrilled with her mom’s choice of location she attempts to take it in stride for the sake of her mom.

That is until she meets her next door neighbor, Daemon Black, who seems to hate her from the moment she meets him, and Katy has no idea why. All she knows is he’s a douche bag that she hates but is also kind of attracted to. Talk about awkward. Daemon’s sister, Dee, is his opposite however, as she quickly befriends Katy, despite her brother’s warning. The more Katy spends time with the Blacks the more she realizes that there’s something strange about the Blacks that she can’t quite put her finger on. It’s not until Daemon saves her life that she learns the truth: they’re aliens.

By saving Katy’s life Daemon leaves an alien trace on her that puts her in danger of being found by other aliens that won’t hesitate to kill her. This forces the two to spend more time together than either of them bargained for as Daemon feels obligated to protect her and get rid of the trace that also puts himself and sister in danger. This of course leads to multiple fights, a lot of sexual tension, and the learning that they may have more in common than they originally thought.

I’ll admit the beginning started pretty slow with Katy constantly talking about how much she missed writing on her blog and me thinking, “Nobody cares; get to the good stuff!” However, the novel then quickly picks up once she meets Daemon and starts hanging out with the Blacks on a more regular basis.

What makes this novel great is although it relies on the classic “girl meets guy who turns out to not be a human” trope it differs because although we all know they’re probably going to end up falling for each other it doesn’t start off that way. Katy knows she wants Daemon sexually but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dick to her and what’s great about Katy is she doesn’t stand for it, not even when she finds out the truth about him and what he could do. Armentrout produces a character that’s not afraid to say what she’s thinking and is willing to stand up for herself no matter how attractive and mysterious a guy is. That’s awesome.

Additionally, Armentrout is a saint and adds two chapters in Daemon’s point of view at the end of the book so we can know exactly what he was thinking in those moments. While you’re reading you’ll understand why this is such a God send. Daemon is such a hard character to read and always leaves us wondering, “Does he like her or not?” It’s frustrating but so fun to read as well.

I plan to read the whole series over my spring break so I’ll have many reviews to let you know whether the series get’s better or worse from here but I’ve read the first two chapters of the next book and I’m very excited to see what happens next.

Stars: 4 out 5. Though I think the novel is great over all, the beginning was too slow for me.

Borrow or Buy: Buy. It’s so cheap, why not? Plus it’s really good and you’ll definitely want to reread it at some point.

Maria V. Snyder: From Meteorologist to Novelist

Posted on February 22, 2014May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Author Spotlights

Source: www.mariavsnyder.com — Source: http://www.mariavsnyder.com

If you told Maria V. Snyder 20 years ago, that she would be a New York Times best-selling author, she probably wouldn’t have believed you. Snyder’s dream was never to become an author but instead to be a storm chaser. It wasn’t until she got her degree in meteorology and became an environmental meteorologist that she began writing. It was then that she realized she loved writing more than studying meteorology and went back to school to get her Masters of Arts degree in fiction writing from Seton Hill University, where she now teaches.

I recently had the opportunity to get to know Snyder, learning more about the start of her career, love for writing, hobbies, and what she’s got planned next.

Zakiya N. Jamal (ZJ): How did you first get interested in writing?

Maria V. Snyder (MS): Boredom! I was working as an environmental meteorologist for a consulting firm and I was either crazy busy or bored. During the slow times, I jotted down story ideas and possible plots.

ZJ: When did you write your first novel?

MS: I started my first novel in 1996. I wrote about a chapter a month and submitted the pages to my critique group for feedback then made revisions. It was a slow process, but I finished the novel in 2001.

ZJ: What was the transition from being a meteorologist to novelist like?

MS: It was a slow transition. When my son was born, I went from working full time to part time, then, when my daughter was born two years later, I quit working as a meteorologist. Writing at that time was more a hobby – something to do that was creative and fun. When I finished Poison Study [my first novel], I thought the book was pretty good so I submitted it to agents and publishers. After 57 rejections, I received an acceptance! [In total] the transition spanned eight years and instead of going back to work, I kept writing.

ZJ: Where do you get the concepts for your novels?

MS: Everywhere! I get story ideas from books, magazine articles, TV shows, movies, the theater, from something my kids say, from my travels, or from the people I meet. Life is [a] fodder for my stories.

ZJ: Almost all of your series are trilogies except the Outside In/Inside Out pair. Is there a reason why you write your series in the form of trilogies? Can readers expect a third Outside In novel?

MS: I don’t really consider my books trilogies. What happens is, after I write three books about the same characters, I’ve had enough. I want to move on to new characters and new worlds with a whole new set of problems. In my opinion, trilogies are just one huge story broken into three parts. As for another Insider book, there are no plans for a third book at this time.

ZJ: Are you working on any new projects currently?

MS: I’m working on a new set of Study books with Yelena and Valek. There has been enough time from the original three books for me to be excited about the characters again and I [came up with] a new idea. The first of them is tentatively scheduled for January 2015 release.

ZJ: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

MS: Lots! I have a number of writing advice articles on my website that they can read but my biggest piece of advice is always persistence! I’d been writing for 10 years and submitting for eight before I sold anything. [You should] learn the craft of writing as well as the business of writing and attend writer’s conferences and classes if you can; consider that time an apprenticeship. Get feedback on your stories from fellow writers before submitting. Joining a critique group is very helpful. I also find that if I let a story sit on my desk for a few weeks I can pick out all the problems, typos, and inconsistencies easier. I agree whole heartily with Stephen King’s advice: ‘If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.’ And don’t give up!

ZJ: The worlds of the Study and Glass series and the Healers series seem to be similar. Is there a connection between the two worlds at all or is that just a coincidence?

MS: There isn’t a connection; they are two separate worlds. However, I will admit there are many similarities between them. In both worlds there is magic and a lack of technology – no electricity or modern machines. I just think it’s more fun and challenging to have characters [that] ride horses, fight with swords, and don’t have instant communication. Many fantasies are set in medieval times, but with my worlds I didn’t want to be restricted to what words I could or couldn’t use and those times were not the best for women and my ladies are strong, smart, and independent.

ZJ: What is your writing process like? Do you start writing as soon as you come up with an idea or do you do a lot of research first?

MS: I don’t do that much research before writing. I’m a “seat-of-the-pants” writer; I discover the story’s events as I write so I never know what I’m going to need as far as research is concerned. As I’m writing, I’ll encounter things I need to research so I’ll make a list as I go and just put a comment in my story and move on. However, that doesn’t work for things that propel the story and are integral to the plot. For example, in my Glass books, the main character, Opal, is a glass artist and I needed to take a number of glass blowing classes while working on those stories.

ZJ: What do you do when you’re not writing?

MS: I enjoy playing volleyball and I love to ski. I also dabble with photography and make jewelry plus I read and love to travel.

ZJ: Who are some of your favorite authors?

MS: This is always a hard question to answer and I’m glad you [only] asked for ‘some’. Some are Rachel Caine, Illona Andrews, Mindy Klasky, Jeri Smith-Ready, Kate Elliott, Gail Carriger, Harlan Coben, Sebastian Junger, and Dick Francis.

ZJ: If you didn’t choose to be an author what do you think you would be doing?

MS: Before I started writing seriously, I always thought it would be fun to work in a bookstore or be a librarian. Now if I had to change careers, I would become a criminal psychologist – I find the criminal mind fascinating!

ZJ: What has been your greatest accomplishment/experience as an author?

MS: This one is easy to answer. A teen girl who was contemplating suicide was inspired by the actions and courage of Yelena (my protagonist from the Study books) that she decided to keep living. That is without a doubt my greatest accomplishment as a writer – better than any award or being on a bestseller list.

Snyder would like to thank her fans for their loyalty and support and for inspiring her to be a better writer. She hopes that you continue to support her as she continues with her writing. If you’re interesting in learning more about Snyder’s works you can read the first chapter of all her books on her website and read a few of her short stories there, as well.

Why Rereading Is The Best

Posted on January 30, 2014October 20, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

I am a firm believer in rereading books. I most recently just reread the whole Mediator series by Meg Cabot and I loved every second of it. Something about reading a good book for the second time just feels awesome. If you need any more reasons to reread your favorite book (although you really shouldn’t) here’s a few.

1. You know how it ends

Although we hate it when other people ruin an ending for us it’s different it we’ve read it ourselves. There’s this crazy anticipation that comes when you know something good or bad is about to happen and you feel so much anxiety because you want to yell at the character but you can’t. Also, it’s great watching your OTP fall in love knowing they’re going to end up together. It’s like hitting rewind on your favorite movie.

2. You pick up on things you missed

Remember how there was that crazy twist at the end and you couldn’t believe THAT person was the killer. Well now you’ll be looking at all the clues and seeing what was staring in the face the whole time. I still don’t understand how Kate Brian (aka Kieran Scott) pulled the wool over our eyes with Private. HOW DID THE AUTHOR DO THAT???

3. Falling in love with your favorite character all over again.

Yes Pooh Bear. Yes we can.

The worse thing to ever happen is when you forget, specifically, why your character is the best. You know in your heart this character is the greatest thing that’s ever blessed a novel but you can’t remember exactly why. That’s why when you reread and see Dimitri and Rose (spoilers!!!) finally give into their feelings for each other in Shadow Kiss you melt all over again. You forgot how good that scene was! Yeah, it’s the best.

4. You know so much more now then when you first read the book.

Being older and wiser (even if it’s just a little bit) you will see this book differently than when you first read it. That quote about all the “little infinities” (TFIOS has the best quotes by the way) suddenly means something different when you lose someone close to you. Or how falling in love is just like falling asleep (last TFIOS quote I swear) means more to you when you’ve actually fallen in love. As you grow and become a different person, reading the same book for the second (or third time) will take on a whole different meaning for you.

5. Going through all the laughs, tears, and pain all over again

I guarantee that if a book is truly well written it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve read it you will still laugh at the jokes, cry when your favorite character cries, and feel pain when someone is hurt or dies. Though it may sound crazy you know you fell in love with that book because of the emotional roller coaster it put you on.

Your emotions:

Yeah, you know you enjoy the stress. Wouldn’t it be great to go on that ride again?

I challenge you to take a look at your bookshelf and try rereading that book you used to be totally obsessed with. Trust me, it’ll be even better the second time around. I mean really, who doesn’t love seconds? Enjoy!

Book Review: Taste of Darkness

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

Although Maria V. Synder is a NY Times Bestselling Author I don’t think she’s that well know. Amongst my friends that actually read for pleasure many of them are not familiar with Snyder or her works. I, however, am absolutely obsessed.

From the day I received her book, Poison Study, as a gift I was hooked. Synder has this uncanny ability to create these magical worlds filled with war, betrayal, love, lust, death, and life. It’s amazing and this latest and last book in her most recent trilogy, Healers, did not disappoint.

Similar to the second novel in this trilogy the book alternates between telling the story from Avry’s point of view in the first person and Kerrick, Avry’s love interest, point of view shown in the third person. This structuring of the novel worked perfectly since from the start of the novel the two main characters are separated and they often remain that way throughout the novel.

What’s also great about this is unlike the first book we get a view of that very mind that frustrated Avry to no end in the first novel. Now that they are in love it was interesting and amusing to see how both their minds work as they are both stubborn characters who have different views. Even so, it’s evident that they both love each other and will do anything for each other, even trusting that the other will survive when everyone else believes otherwise.

Synder’s talent, however, comes from the fact that although she has created this beautiful love story she doesn’t shy away from the real difficulties that will appear in any relationship. Of course, not every couple is going to be separated because of a war that seems to be never ending but they will experience fights, disappointment, and frustration with each other. Here, Synder creates a couple that is real.

Even so, because these two spend so much time apart Synder doesn’t allow us to get sick of them. Instead, she focuses in on so many other things that I almost created a flow chart to keep track of what was happening. There were so many times in the novel when someone either did die and I was shocked or I thought someone was dead and they somehow survived. Well, not somehow. It was usually magic that saved them.

Though Synder is writing a novel about war and love what makes it even more interesting is that it all exists in this magical world where people have all different kinds of power. We have healers, life magicians, death magicians, air magicians, and a forest mage. Not mention some other surprising powers like one that will just hit you with the cold. These abilities play an interesting role in the novel creating bonds between multiple characters, saving lives, and also making the war that much more complicated.

And Avry’s right in the middle of all it. As a healer, one of the few left, she’s very necessary for battle. Plus, as Avry learns more about her abilities and what she can do she becomes a much wanted resource to many and some go to extraordinary lengths to use her and her information. Lucky for her she’s smart, witty, stubborn, and has her team of boys to back her up.

Synder ended this trilogy with a bang. This novel was amazing with many twists and turns that left me screaming, stressed, and outright concerned for my own well being. Just the kind of feelings I want from a book. Also, I truly enjoy that Synder portrays these headstrong, heroines in all of her novels. Girl power for the win!

If you haven’t tried one of Synder’s books yet definitely give her a try. Trust me once you try one you’ll be hooked. I would suggest starting with the first book in this trilogy however. The first two books are just as good as the last.

Stars: 5 out of 5

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Buy! Buy! Like I said this is definitely one for the bookshelf. I own all the books in this trilogy and it’s definitely worth every penny. I’m probably going to reread the whole trilogy over spring break. Amazing!