It's Been Awhile

It's weird being here again. Life has been crazy for me lately. From dealing with family, relationships, work, and mental health; you can say I have a lot on my plate at the moment. On top of that, this whole crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarantine has been getting to me. I'm not here to complain but to simply get back into the groove of things. 

With all this craziness going on in my life at the moment I do want to take this time to get back into what I love doing, writing. Writing has always been a way for me to communicate my feelings, what I'm thinking, or what I'm feeling. Since I will have all this free time I might as well channel my boredom into something productive. I want to get back to writing poetry, my book reviews, and simply updating my social media platforms. 

Now the only thing for me to do to get a kick start on getting my blog back on track is to stop being lazy. Not that I'm lazy because I voluntarily want to, its due to many factors at this moment. Deep down I want to move past this and be the best version of me that I could be. I just need to keep pushing myself to be who I was meant to be. 

            So, my goal is to keep my blog updated as much as possible and get those reviews up and running. My reading goal is currently 46 books. As of right now I have read 13 books so far. I’m in limbo at the moment on whether I should try to do reviews for the books I’ve read so far, or should I just do it for the next book I complete. I guess I’ll decide as I go at this point.  

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Update

I’ve been procrastinating for quite a while now and it's sad. I have been wanting to update my blog and my social media accounts, but I haven’t had the chance to. Actually, I have had several opportunities to, but I never took the chance to do it. I've been so lazy and stressed so anything I want to do I can’t. But I really do want to get back into reviewing the books I have read and the books I have been sent for review. I'm thinking about how I would want to go about with my reviews. I'm trying to change it up a bit. As of right now, my blog will be under construction until further notice. I can't wait to see where my ideas take me and my social media accounts.

"Silent Song" - Jaci Wheeler

Genre – Young Adult, Contemporary 

Publishing Date – January 22, 2018

Page count – 285 pages

Source – Sent copy

Format – Paperback

Standalone/Series – Standalone

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hello and welcome to my blog of wonders. Here you can find book reviews of books of all origins and genres. I will always be honest when it comes to reviewing any book. I try and keep my blog up to date and filled with truthful and fun reviews. So, let's get started, shall we?

This was sent to me by the author herself, so thank you very much for sending this my way. Regardless if it was sent for review, I have always been truthful on whether I liked it, loved it, disliked it, or hated it. The main reason I stay truthful is for me. What blog would I be if I lied about every book I read and reviewed? I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings but this is my opinion and I am entitled to my own opinion. For the books, I have not enjoyed I would still recommend reading only because it may be a totally different experience for someone else. So, with that let's get into the review.

Silent Song follows two different people, in two different worlds. Barrett is deaf while Presley is a music fanatic. Even being so different, they build a relationship around their differences and overcome all odds. When I read the blurb I instantly knew that I needed to get my hands on this book. I personally have always wanted to learn sign language for own personal pleasure. It always intrigued me to learn how deaf individuals “talk” to one another. I think what made me love this book even more was the fact that it was written in ASL and not in English. What I mean by that is when Barrett is signing it isn’t written in complete sentences so you get an understanding how Barrett feels when he’s talking/signing.

It took me a bit to get the hang of how the book was written and after a few chapters, I was a pro. It was easy to understand and it definitely helped me ease my way in understanding what Barrett has to struggle with every single day. I’m not saying it as a bad struggle, but it’s something he must deal with everyday living around people who don’t sign. I can’t get over this book! It’s so cute yet so touching and heartwarming. This was my first five-star book of 2018 and I’m super thankful for getting the chance to read this before it comes out.

My favorite character would have to be Jodi only because she’s so funny and was the best friend Presley could have asked for. I did love Barrett and Presley don’t get me wrong. I just found Jodi’s character entertaining and she definitely knows how to lighten any mood. Plus, she’s a great friend and is always there when you need her.

I cannot thank Jaci Wheeler, the author of Silent Song, enough for taking time out of her day to send me her book along with bookish goods. It was super thoughtful and I cannot wait for everyone to get on this band wagon and join the ASL community.

"MonsterLand" - Michael Okon

Genre – YA Horror, Supernatural

Publishing Date – October 15, 2017 

Page count – 232 pages

Source – Sent copy

Format – Paperback

Standalone/Series – Series

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hello and welcome to my blog of wonders. Here you can find book reviews of books of all origins and genres. I will always be honest when it comes to reviewing any book. I try and keep my blog up to date and filled with truthful and fun reviews. So, let's get started, shall we?

This was sent to me by the author himself, so thank you very much for sending this my way. Regardless if it was sent for review, I have always been truthful on whether I liked it, loved it, disliked it, or hated it. The main reason I stay truthful is for myself. What blog would I be if I lied about every book I read and reviewed? I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings but this is my opinion and I am entitled to my own opinion. For the books, I have not enjoyed I would still recommend reading only because it may be a totally different experience for you. So, with that let's get into the review.

This isn’t my normal kind of read and I don’t know why I picked this book. And when I say this isn’t my normal kind of read I mean I don’t typically read books dealing with the supernatural (zombies, vampires, werewolves, etc.). I planned on keeping an open mind and that’s what I did.

“Welcome to Monsterland, the scariest place on earth.
When world markets are decimated by a crippling plague, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, Vincent Konrad decides to place monsters in a theme park setting to promote education and tolerance. Copper Valley is chosen as the primary site for the park in the United States. 
                  Wyatt Baldwin, a high school senior is dying to go to the opening and when he lands special passes to the park, he and his friends are expecting the experience of a lifetime. 
After all, in a theme park where real zombies, werewolves, and vampires are the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong? “

I gave this book a 3 out of 5-star rating only because I personally didn’t feel connected with the characters or plot. I did enjoy reading and going along for the “ride”. I think this book aimed for the younger readers and not for my age range. If I were to be a couple years younger than I would have given this a 4-5 stars.

The only thing really negative I have to say about MonsterLand is in some parts of the book I felt that it was forced and you can tell someone older was writing for some of the characters. 

I enjoyed this read and I would recommend this book to anyone of the younger age and/or anyone that enjoys reading YA horror. I want to thank the author again for taking his time and sending me his book.