February Wrap Up and March TBR

February was a little disappointing for a reading month, but really because I was so busy the entire month.... So I guess it was not that bad of a month for the time I had to read!

1. The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig 4/5 Stars My full review is here

2. Lifer by Beck Nicholas 1.5/5 Stars (I changed my rating...) My full review is... here

3. Hamlet by William Shakespeare 3.5/5 Stars (maybe more? Rating classic works is difficult for me)

4. The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle 5/5 Stars (full review to come!)

5. Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson 3/5 Stars (full review to come!)

6. A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab 50000000 Stars! Full review is here

7. The Haters by Jesse Andrews 2.5/5 Stars! Full review  is here

8. Mosquitoland by David Arnold (currently reading) looking like a 4 star, might change to a 4.5, maybe a 5 depending on how it goes....

I did not really stick to my February TBR, but I still managed to get 4 full novels finished and most of a fifth, two graphic novels and a play!

Obviously my favorite book of the month was A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC!


I will be posting a set of mini reviews for some graphic novels/comic books sometime in March. Should I make it a set of posts or one GIANT post? Let me know in the comments!

March TBR (hoping for the best!)
1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

2. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

3. A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

4. The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban

8. Dreamology by Lucy Keating (ARC)

plus a variety of eARCs if I have time... as well as some other books/plays from the library TBD

Stopping it at 8 this month...(with a bunch of others...) I have more time in March, but I don't want to overshoot it this month...

Confession time: I mentioned this in the Love-A-Thon a week ago... but...

I have never read Harry Potter before....

HIDES IN A CORNER

But I am getting to it now... so that counts for something right?

RIGHT?

Please don't hate me...

Forgive me...

But Annelise and I will be buddy-reading the series in the upcoming months!
(She has not read it either!)

March promises to be an awesome month and I am so excited!

What books are you reading this month? Let me know in the comments!

Dead House (Poetry by Me #6)

I live in a dead house

with dead people

and I attend a dead school

where the same dead people

have dead brains

and we all live in a dead world

filled with dead things

and meaningless objects

I wish I could capture

something more in this dead world

but with everything dead

what hope is there

to bring everything alive again?

Then one day

I found my escape

through the written word

I found ways to leave

to leave this dead world

an go somewhere better

somewhere new

where there aren’t as many

dead people

and there is hope once again

and once I found that

I never looked back

I wrote

I read

I lived and breathed it in

The other worlds

The written word

The escape

The pleasure

The living

Hope diminishes

when I think of the dead house

And everyone stuck inside

I feel pity for them because I,

I have escaped the dead house

To a world filled with life.

It took me a long time to get there

but I have arrived

I have made it

I am not dead

I am surely alive

Living in a world

without a dreary existence

It’s called

Well, does the name really matter?

All that matters is that

it’s not the dead house

it is more

and I have found

my haven

that I did not know

even existed

But I am glad that

I didn’t give up

I kept on pushing

to escape

the dead house

Mini-Review: The Haters by Jesse Andrews (Out April 2016)

Title: The Haters
Author: Jesse Andrews
Page Count: 352
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Bands
Rating: 2.5 Stars... maybe 3...
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way impacted my rating of this book.
Synopsis: From Jesse Andrews, author of the New York Times bestselling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and screenwriter of the Sundance award–winning motion picture of the same name, comes a groundbreaking young adult novel about music, love, friendship, and freedom as three young musicians follow a quest to escape the law long enough to play the amazing show they hope (but also doubt) they have in them.

Inspired by the years he spent playing bass in a band himself, The Haters is Jesse Andrews’s road trip adventure about a trio of jazz-camp escapees who, against every realistic expectation, become a band.

For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It’s pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It’s three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a decision: They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they’re in Ash’s SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun.

In his second novel, Andrews again brings his brilliant and distinctive voice to YA, in the perfect book for music lovers, fans of The Commitments and High Fidelity, or anyone who has ever loved—and hated—a song or a band. This witty, funny coming-of-age novel is contemporary fiction at its best.

Review:

This review is almost impossible for me to write because I am just so utterly... disappointed. I actually quite enjoyed the vast majority of the book... but I don't feel it really went anywhere. It did go a many of places, but it felt like a jumbled mess.

Now, I love Jesse Andrews writing, and his humor. I think its phenomenal, and it's something we need in YA today, funny and enjoyable, yet realistic with deep undertones. I think he captured this essence perfectly. But I think part of this is, this book was not for me. I began to groan at the overuse of the immature humor that these characters have... it was funny... at first... and it continued and I would find myself chuckling along... but their comes a point where it no longer has the intended effect, and it just feels wrong.

I love his writing, but this just lacked in other areas for me.

The characters... our three main character, Ash, Corey, and Wes... are a diverse cast of unique characters and they were all very different. This follows the same formula as Me & Earl with the character dynamics, so as much as I liked it, it didn't feel quite right for these characters. The characters, on their own, had interesting backstories that I would have loved to delve into a little more. Ash was especially strong.

Corey reminded me of Earl, in his straightforward way of telling Wes how it is.

And Wes reminded me of Greg... but only in their voices, the way they talked felt so similar. That may be why I am disappointed in this book.

The storyline was interesting and I loved all the band names and how the story progressed until the 90% mark was intriguing then it fell flat... and I can't excuse that.

Anyways, I think this is a case of me and not the book... but it may be the book as well but I definitely still think people should check it out anyways!

I'll leave the linky links here:

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

Cody @ Roecker Reviews

Blogger Introduction: Annelise Loveless

A lil late to the party but what up blogger world

I'll be using questions from the Love-a-Thon questionnaire to introduce myself

1. What’s your name?

Annelise

2. Where in the world are you blogging from?

Oregon, USA  (the hippie rainy state)

3. How did you get into blogging in the first place?

Lol Cody told me to do it, so if I suck at blogging blame him

5. What genre do you read the most? 

Fantasyyyyyyyayayay

9. Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2016!

1. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab, KELL ME NOW
2. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare, I swear if any characters from TID are in this book I will throw myself off a cliff
3. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, CANNOT wait to see my 6 favorite criminals again
4. The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdeih, the love story in this series just melts my cold cold heart
5. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
6. Adding a 6th, The Midnight Star by Marie Lu.  I NEED to know what happens to mi Adelinetta.  

10. Name the 5 books you want to read this 2016 that you didn’t get to in

previous years!

1. I still need to read the last 3 books in the TMI series so I will definitely be finishing that
2. Basically all of V.E. Schwab’s books. I am just itching to get started on Vicious
3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, I hope to see what all the hype is about with Ms. Rowell
4. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, this sounds like such an EPIC high fantasy series and I cannot wait to get started on it
5. Cinder by Marissa Meyers, literally everyone's read this series and I just need to hop on the bandwagon already

11. What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?

This is def for the younger crowd, but Avalon: Web of Magic by Rachel Roberts was my shit back in the day.  Such a great beginner fantasy series full of friendship, magic, and talking ferrets.

12. Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF?  

Tessa Gray from TID series because she is honestly one of my favorite heroines of all time, she’s so smart and witty and caring, ily Tessa

13. Which book boy or girl would be your book boyfriend/girlfriend?

Imma go with an oldie and say Peeta from THG by Suzanne Collins.  I’m totally a Gale girl but Peeta is def more boyfriend material

14. Who would you recruit for your apocalypse squad (5 characters max)

1. Celaena Sardothien from the ToG series by Sarah J. Maas (if she is not in your squad then good luck)
2. The Wraith (aka Inej) from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
3. Wren from the Reboot Duology by Amy Tintera

Girl power yeeeee

15. Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?

Listening to music (Glass Animals is where it’s at), playing soccer, Netflix (minus the chill), and obsessively stalking V.E. Schwab on literally every social media platform available.

16. Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for?

CLOTHESSSS

17. At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song

would be playing?

Nobody’s Perfect by Hannah Montana …. lol no jk, in all seriousness probs Take Me Up by Coleman Hell cause Coleman Hell is bae and this song just gets me in a party mood

18. Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV show you want turned into a book.

Legend by Marie Lu would be really cool to see in film, but it would have to be HELLA good for it to even be half as good as the book

19. What would your dream library look like?

A small room on the second story of a house that's circular shaped with white shelves that line the walls and a window looking out at the ocean with one of those window seats.

20. Author you want to meet and sit down to tea with?

V.E. Schwab bc I’m on a Schwab high rn

Book Review: A Darker Shade Of Magic by V E Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic Book 1)

Title: A Darker Shade of (Perfection...) Magic.

Author: V. E. Schwab

Page Count: 398

Genre: Adult, Fantasy

Rating: Perfect. 5 Stars. 5 billion stars. Every star in the galaxy.

Source: Borrowed from Annelise! (The one who will be soon redesigning this blog... ;) )

Synopsis: Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.

Review:  "Death comes for everyone. I'm not afraid of dying. But I am afraid of dying here. I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still"

How can I even begin to describe this book and its beauty and convince you all to read this while avoiding spoilers and actually trying to make sense? The answer is: Very very difficult to do. At least for me. But I will try, because Victoria Schwab deserves a well written review, although nothing can match the beauty of ADSOM.

First of all, I am angry at myself for not reading this sooner. It was great (as I will say a multitude of times during this gushing ahem I mean REVIEW) and as complex as the world was, I quickly grasped the concepts, and it clicked in my head.

Basically, Antari can travel through the London's. There is Black London, White London, Red London and Grey London and to travel between them, you have to go in that order. If you begin in Red, you can travel one way to Grey or one way to White. But in Grey, you can only go back to Red. Sounds super complicated, but it's easy to grasp.

So we begin our journey with Kell, one of two Antari still around. (that we know of at least... I have theories...) And he has this badass coat that has several sides and Victoria has a coat fetish, to put it plainly... and I loved every moment of it! ;) I loved his coat and learning about all of it's many sides and how he changed it based on where he was. It was great.

Kell is just great. He is witty, and compassionate, and he seems to have his interests in mind, but will still help others. Like Rhy, his brother. I love the dynamic between the two of them, it's endearing. Kell and his conversation with the Queen and King near the beginning was also really interesting. I feel it gave of us a good grasp of everyone in Red London.

Holland is a creepy Antari who lives in White London serving under the ruthless Dane twins, Astrid and Athos. Holland is intriguing as all hell, and vicious, and I loved seeing everything he did. His words stung, and they were very memorable to me. Everything about Holland oozed disturbing things. I really thought he was a strong character, as were all the characters.

Astrid and Athos are the most terrifying villains I have read, practically ever. And even though they were evil (and vicious, and scary and beautiful and cynical) I still rooted for them at times, because they were interesting. I loved them in this book, and the scene between them and Holland and the blood and omg. shudders It was gloriously horrifying (never thought I would say that it the same sentence)

Lila Bard, Captain Bard, Delilah Bard, her and her many names... I adore Lila with all of my heart and she is badass as all hell. She is fearless. I love her and her obsession with knives. She has a knife fetish as Schwab has a coat fetish. (I just love continually making this joke because I am pretty sure Victoria tweeted about it at some point) But anyways, Lila is full of sarcasm, wit, spunk, badassery wrapped up into this rugged-looking bow of strength and power. She is the epitome of deserving her accomplishments. I was so proud of everything she did, all the choices she made... I was ON BOARD. Lila's banter with Kell gave me immense joy and it reminded me of The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig and Kash & Nix... the banter is beautiful. I loved Kell and Lila more... but the idea is the same. I loved her power, and her drive to get things done. Her insistence that she was strong enough and her thieving was great. The scene that Kell and Lila met was phenomenally written and a great way to introduce their soon to be interactions. I also particularly loved Lila's first meeting with Rhy.

Rhy, my precious cinnamon roll. You have landed yourself among the greats of my precious cinnamon roll beauties. Under Jude and Wylan, you are coming in at number 3, my prince. I want him to be more present in AGOS. But I loved his protection-like style toward Kell... I loved every moment he was on the page, because I cared so much about his well being, and everybody's well being, even the characters that made me almost shit my pants.

I struggle to find the words that convey this book to it's potential. This book is one, if not, my favourite fantasy book ever, and one of my favourite books of all time. Victoria Schwab has already gone on to my favorite authors list because of this book. I needed one book to fall in love, and this one did it folks. I have wanted to read a Schwab book since I first heard about The Archived, and this one as well, I just forgot about it for a period of time.... but I do not say this lightly. This is such a phenomenally well-written fantasy novel with a strong female lead character and such wonderful other characters. My favourite female villain is included inside these pages.

The magic that is inside these pages is so reminiscent of other things, yet it feels so different. One of my favourite passages is when Kell describes the game board with the various elements, so someone can test their affinities for different magic. I LOVED that. It made the world feel so much more real to me. I also loved the startch contrasts between the different London's and this really added to the atmosphere of the novel.

Schwab's writing is breathtaking, and I loved her third person writing style. I usually have a difficult time getting into third person POV, but Schwab wrote it phenomenally. It was very active. And for me, venturing into this adult fantasy world was a big step, but it has opened my world to so many amazing things and I cannot even begin to express my gratitude in enough words.

Victoria Schwab has written a world I will never forget filled with a cast of characters that will ALWAYS live on in my heart, long, long after I turn the final page. I am enamored by the beauty of this story, and the way everything weaved together.

Schwab didn't milk any of this story to make it longer, or to meet deadlines. She wrote with passion that bled through the pages, by the gore that is included within this novel. This novel is dark. And I love dark novels. I am so excited to see how much darker it will get in Black London in A Gathering of Shadows. Which I want... now. It was just so fantastic. It felt almost phantasmagorical, the way everything flowed. I want to live in this world, but also, I don't. I am imagining now what it would feel like to live there.... In Grey London I would be bored, even though it mirrors our London, where I would love to visit and live... but in this story I wouldn't enjoy it. Red London seems the most well off, but also terrifying, but I would love to meet Kell and Rhy... so... White London would be ruthless and terrifying but I would have a lot of fun living there if I created an alter ego or something of the sort. Black London frightens me almost as much as it intrigues me. I neeeeeed to see it. I want to experience it and all it's dreary horrors.

I am so incredibly happy I read this book, and my life has been changed because of it. This book has sparked a writing bug in me, and I am so thankful. I love fantasy, and I love this book. Everybody needs to read this book, because it is fantastic in every way, shape, and form. Everybody from Grey to Black London will enjoy this book.

Be prepared to see this with the fantasy greats in years to come.

Very important: I aspire to write a book that is half as good as this novel. I love to write, and this book has made me want to write. Excuse me as I go fangirl as I wait to get A Gathering Of Shadows in my hands... and then I will write. And continue to write. Thank you, Victoria for inspiring me, I will never forget that.

Add it on:
Goodreads

Please purchase this book and its sequel... WHICH IS OUT FEBRUARY 23RD!! (aka super duper soon, tomorrow, so soon AHHH)

Parnassus Books (Victoria Schwab's bookstore!)

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

Amazon

Cody @ Roecker Reviews

Just Love (Poetry by Me #5)

I wrote this almost four years ago... probably one of my first poems... I never liked poetry growing up.

The people in life
We love the most
Can disappear quickly
When we need them the most
So cherish the moments
The moments you have with them
They don't last forever
Sadly they don't
They could be here today
Gone tomorrow
Life is too short to hold grudges
So you might as well just love

Love-A-Thon Questionairre

1. What’s your name?
Cody Roecker

Jenna Corso 

2. Where in the world are you blogging from?
Oregon, United States (I mean, I could give you my address?... No?.. Too personal?.. Yeah, you're probably right.)

Saaaaaame. Oregon and same region. 

3. How did you get into blogging in the first place?
I decided last year that I really wanted to share with other people my love for books! (Of course selfishly I thought about getting ARCs of books...) but mostly it was to meet new people and learn about new books and share about great ones!

Cody forced me into this. Not that I'm unhappy! But it was not my idea.

4. How did you come up with your blog name?
Roecker is my last name and I wanted to incorporate it so I titled my blog Roecker Reviews because I thought it flowed nicely. What do you guys think?

I had no part in the creation of this blog name. but the name is catchy, it's got alliteration. That's always nice.

5. What genre do you read and review the most on your blog? 
I am pretty sure that my most common type of book is Young Adult Fantasy, but I also read a lot of YA Contemporary as well!

Whatever Cody tells me to read, and probably occasional other stuff. I tend to like classic lit more than he does. 

6. What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews?
I started doing TBRs this month, and I am looking into doing a few other ideas. I am really new to this whole blogging thing and I am not really sure what I am doing... But that's totally okay! Every Sunday I post one of my poems that I have written! I will be doing this until I run out of poems! What suggestions do you have? I'd love to learn some new post ideas! I'm planning on doing some Unpopular Opinions posting, as well as some Waiting on Wednesday posts and other things... but as I said, I am still learning.

7. Best blogging experience so far?
I absolutely died when Abrams Books quoted me on their twitter from my review of Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate (SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK!)

8. Favorite thing about the blogging community?
The inclusiveness. Everyone feels like family, even those bloggers I haven't talked to yet!

9. Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2016!
1. A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir
2. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
3. Throne of Glass 5 by Sarah J Maas
4. Timekeeper by Tara Sim
5. Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia 

Honorable Mention: Caraval by Stephanie Garber (pushed back to 2017)

1. Timekeeper by Tara Sim 
2. Honestly I'm not in the loop about stuff that's yet to come out yet but I just like clocks
3.
4.
5. Yeah I don't know


10. Name the 5 books you want to read this 2016 that you didn’t get to in previous years!
1. Harry Potter (all of them) (I KNOW I AM SO SORRY DO NOT KILL ME) by J K Rowling
2 The Golden Compass Trilogy by Peter Pulman
3 Game of Thrones (at least book 1) by George R. R. Martin
4 The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare
5 Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

1. In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken 
2. Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness
3. The Once and Future King by T.H. White
4. Dracula by Bram Stoker
5. Most H.G. Wells novels
(I said I like classic lit)

11. What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?
I'm not sure if it counts as underrated but Pendragon by D.J MacHale is one of my favorite series of all time, because I grew up reading it. (Not as they were published, but shortly after...) Travelling is involved and it is probably what sparked my interest in time travel (which when done well is one of my favorite things so needless to say, 2016 is a good year for books for me!)

Also: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga is incredibly underrated in its relation to All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven... I have not read ATBP but it is very hyped whereas I don't remember seeing a big hypefest for MY HEART.

The Infernal Devices is infinitely better than The Mortal Instruments and anyone that wants to fight me on that can meet me by the flag pole after school.
In terms of underrated books though... 
I think that in the age of YA, classic lit is forgotten. It can be really interesting, I swear. 
And oh man. I love "Magic's Pawn", by Mercedes Lackey. Very good.
I can go on about books both underrated and OVERRATED for a long time.

12. Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF?
Jude from The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. He is the most precious cinnamon roll in all of existence and I love him so much. Oh, and Wylan from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!

Naturally I want to say Jem Carstairs because I adore him but ideally I'd just straight up marry him. I still love Johnny Desperado from Vampirates even though I'm not twelve. And oh my God, Hamlet. The royal Dane to match my wits. 

13. Which book boy or girl would be your book boyfriend/girlfriend?
Can I have Iseult from Truthwitch? Or Adam Parrish from The Raven Cycle?

Oh this is what I wanted. James Carstairs, of course.

14. Who would you recruit for your apocalypse squad (5 characters max)
Are they able to use powers they may possess? If so...
1. Aeduan from Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
2. Cole from The Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken
3. Lysandra from The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

It's really hard to pick book characters only. Hm. 
1. The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. I don't know why but that feels right
2. The Pied Piper because he'll tootle toot the zombies into the ocean. Assuming it's a zombie apocalypse. 
3. Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia because he's actually God


15. Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?
I am very active in my theatre department at my high school and really enjoy acting in general and the community it brings. I am the president of out troupe this year which is exciting and insane at the same time. Troupe 7125! I also love to write, and I have started a countless number of stories and I am working hard on a few different ones at the moment, switching off between them to avoid a block in my head. I hope to eventually publish a book... After working in publishing for a few years.
I also love Netflix (as we all do), I really enjoy the TV shows Quantico, Once Upon A Time, Code Black, Amazing Race, Survivor, Big Brother, and I loved White Collar and Psych when they were on! :D

I am a writer first and foremost. I also enjoy crying, theater, eating new food, playing loads of Dragon Age...

16. Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for?
I am not the biggest fan of shopping... but I do like buying T-shirts... which all of mine are from Kohl's.

Same. But not Kohl's. I have only bought like two things from Kohl's... I also like grocery shopping. Especially for ethnic or obscure foods that I haven't tried before. 

17. At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song would be playing?
Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley, Hallelujah, (For whatever reason I have always LOVED both of those songs)  A Twenty One Pilots song, or whatever my favorite song in that moment is. (Which is Stand by You by Rachel Platten & Ophelia by The Lumineers) 

Synesthesia, by Andrew McMahon



18. Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV show you want turned into a book. 
The Pendragon Series by D. J. MacHale. This is my favourite series of all time... I grew up with it and I adore it so much. I think there is so much material from the 10 books and I would love to see it put into a TV show so we can really see all of the different places Bobby travels!

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. And that's actually happening, by the way. Shout out to Netflix. 

19. What would your dream library look like?
Belle's in Beauty in the Beast. or something like this:
I have a slight obsession with trees, and one of my proudest accomplishments is a story I am working on involving trees.

One that's really looooong but not very tall because I am terrified of heights. That's all I know for sure. I also designed a pretty rad library in a story I wrote one time. Cody knows the story. 

20. Author you want to meet and sit down to tea with?
Becky Albertalli (as long as I can have some oreos with her as well) Alexandra Bracken (It would also be nice to tell her in person how she has destroyed me time and time again. But really, she just seems like a really kind person that I would enjoy talking to!) Countless others really, but I really want to meet these two authors!

OSCAR WILDE. Not even a question, like literally. He is my soul. 

Waiting On Wednesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking The Spine where we post one of our most anticipated releases of this upcoming year.

This week I am going to list 10 (well... kind of) reasons I am excited for this book! Of Fire And Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

1. Lesbian and Bi Characters confirmed from  to the author.

2. Another debut! I love debuts! I love discovering new others to love and fangirl over!

3. She possesses an Affinity for fire. I am totally a sucker for elemental powers, and fire is always great.

4. "Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. Soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more."

LOOK AT THIS OMG.

5. MAGIC. I love magic.

6. ASSASSINATION. I totally am drawn in by an assassination done well.

7. "but she has to choose between her duty and her heart when she falls in love with his rogueish horse-training sister instead" HORSES AND HER BETROTHED' SISTER OMG

8. Do I really need more reasons than that?

9. I mean I probably have more but just omg.
10.  THE COVER.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.

PRETTY FONT

COOL DESIGN THAT REMINDS ME OF WINGS.

THEY ARE HOLDING HANDS

ONE OF THEM HAS A BOW

STARS AND FIRE AND OMG

EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS

and also can cry with me when they see the release date....

November 22nd, 2016 

NOVEMBER 22ND REAAAAAAALLLY?

I want it nowwwwwwwwwww!

Here is the synopsis: Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.

Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two work together, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. Soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.

Monster (Poetry by Me #4)

Yesterday, When I was younger
We were asked to draw a monster
So I drew a creature
With three eyes, four arms, and furry hair
My friend next to me
She drew an angel
I didn't understand

We were taught that monsters
Were just fictional stories
Used to spark fear
Into the hearts of little children
An angel just didn't match that description

If I was asked to draw a monster today
I would not draw what I did back then
I would draw anxiety, depression
and all the real monsters of the world

I would draw an angel
Because the worst of monsters
Disguise themselves as
Everything we could ever wish for

The real monsters are right in front of us
They hide in plain sight
Because nobody would expect a monster
To hide in the light

Book Review: The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (February 2016)

Title: The Girl From Everywhere
Author: Heidi Heilig
Page Count: 465
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Time Travel
Rating: 4 (and almost another half) Stars
Source: Won an ARC from SDCC Epic Reads Giveaway
Synopsis: It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...

Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever.

Review:

"Sometimes fate makes choices for us"

I'd like to begin by apologizing for this mess of a review because it is unorganized and gushy, and crazy, and you have been warned.

I had this book for 4 months before I finally got to the book and picked it up... and immediately I was kicking myself in my butt, pulling my hair out, screaming at myself because I should have started it so much sooner.

The story begins so beautifully and we quickly gain a glimpse into Nix's world, her relationship with her father, and her friendship with Kashmir, as well as some interworking between Nix and Bee and Rotgut, the other people on the ship Temptation.

Before I even get to the plot of this book, or the characters... I just want to let you all know that Heidi's writing style is completely beautiful and it's lyrically written.

I had examples while reading the book, but then I had to put it aside to focus on school, and I hadn't tabbed the pages... but I asure you...

ITS SO WELL WRITTEN AND IT MAKES ME SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY.

The characters are fully fleshed out and believable. I loved Nix's voice from the moment she first spoke. She had a way of describing her surroundings and her feelings and everything so realistically and I truly felt I knew her personally and she was telling me a story of her past adventures, and I loved that feeling.

I loved Kashmir's witty banter in general, but specifically between him and Nix. It was hilarious, it was adorable and I shipped them from the first moment. (and that's saying something for me. I haven't shipped two characters that quickly in a LOOOONG time.) Kash is very strong, he is very sarcastic, and he is intelligent as well, but I think he tries to hide it at times.

Slate, the captain, Nix's father... pissed me off to no end so many times, but that's what he was supposed to do right? Anger me? Make me feel like I was Nix? If so... it worked. Slate was egotistical at times, and he was very self-centered yet I found myself forgiving him for his mistakes as Nix would. I couldn't stay mad, as frustrated as I got.

I loved Bee, and Rotgut, and the wise things they both had to say, as small of a part they played in this story, I felt like they were very important and I like the dynamic between them and the rest of the characters.

When we met Joss, I thought she was a lunatic, but I also knew that she would provide some very important insight to things in this world, in things that Nix would experience. I liked it, and I appreciated her and her relationship to Slate and how everything played out involving her.

The Hart family, Mr. Hart, Mrs. Hart, and Blake Hart were very interesting and I liked the way they tied in, Mrs. Hart made me uncomfortable with her interactions with Kashmir.... but that was brief and not really a big part of the story and Mr. Hart confused me oftentimes... and this is completely because I was really tired when I was reading 50 pages before the last 50 pages... so I think I missed something... but things happened and I didn't understand what was going on.

My confusion is the main reason I didn't give this book 5 stars... otherwise it would totally deserve the five star rating.

I loved the incorporation of the time travel and the way you had to do it. The rules are complicated but pretty easy to understand. You need a map from the time period you wish to travel to, and it must be dated. You also must believe you can travel there as well, or it will not work.

The Girl From Everywhere has executed time travel exquisitely with wonderful, rich characters, under a beautiful backdrop on the ship Temptation, and in Hawaii in different time periods. This book is wonderful and I think every person should read this because it is really worth the read. It is a pretty quick read, and I loved it sooo much.

ADD ON:
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PREORDER/BUY FROM:

Amazon

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Birthday and Appreciation

This is a super short, super informal post!

It's my birthday!

That means I am 18 years old! This is absolutely insane!

I just wanted to thank all of you, my blogger/author friends and family that check up on my blog for being such wonderful people that I absolutely adore.

Everyone I have met through this has changed me as a person, every little interaction means so much to me.

To everyone I have talked to, thank you for taking the time to be kind to me. Your graciousness and patience with us newer bloggers is monumental. I appreciate all of you, and I respect you and I hope to one day give to others what you have given to me.

Without you guys I would never have had the courage to do this and continue with my passion despite my love for this. It's the love and support and the connections that really make this all worth it.

I love you all.

- Cody Roecker  @ Roecker Reviews

This Goes Out To (Poetry by Me #3)

This goes out to the bookworms
Trying to escape the world
From dusk until dawn
Turning that one last page
Before sleep at night

This goes out to the athletes
Working hard to please the crowd
All day and all night
Sweat pouring, showing their passion
Passion for something they love

This goes out to the outcasts
Who are misunderstood misfits
Seeking acceptance anywhere they can find it
But knowing they don't need others acceptance
To feel content with themselves

This goes out to the lovers
Who love unconditionally
Despite the mistakes one has made
Those who have a heart of gold
And the power to forgive

This goes out to the soldiers
Fighting for their countries
And what they believe is right
Giving up their lives
So we can live ours without worry

This goes out to the activists
Who take a stand for equal rights
And refuse to take no for an answer
Standing up for their beliefs
And knowing when a fight is worth it

This goes out to all of humanity
To those who need the motivation
To speak up and stand tall
And know they are not alone

Theatre Competition! (Personal Update for Funsies)

Hi Everybody!!!

Tomorrow is a day that is very important to me because I have Regional Competitions for Theatre. This is my final year of doing this and it terrifies me!

This year I am doing 3 different things:

A duo dramatic scene called The A Word by Linda Faigao-Hall which is a scene in which my character, Young Man, and this woman in her 50s, Beth, discuss her life... her mistakes, her problems, her falling in and out of love. And the entire time I am trying to get her to talk... about something she did in her past... And we have never gotten to the point of her admitting it... I am 'haunting' her because she is too afraid to admit to herself that she killed me... She aborted me twenty years prior...

This scene is incredibly powerful and reading it for the first time killed me. Performing it has been a dream, and it's something near and dear to my heart.

My second scene is a group scene entitled Slop Culture by Rob Badlam and it is a commentary on how our entire lives are based on 25-years of bad TV... It's hilarious... Scooby Doo, Gilligan's Island, Tom & Jerry, Happy Days and more... I have such a joy performing this scene!!! Some of my favourite lines include: "Silly Rabbit, Jobs are for grownups!" and "You can take the boy away from the coconuts but you can't take the coconuts away from the boy. Coconuts the great social equalizer!"

My third, and probably my most proud is a script I wrote called 'Monsters In The Light' in which A teacher gives an assignment to two students to draw a monster... one of them draws something like this:



and the other draws this:



and the scene is a conversation they have after and how people perceive the world differently and the realization one of the kids have about 'angels' and 'facades' in his life.

It is one of my favorite things I have ever written and I really want to share it with everyone! (Someday soon!)

Regionals gives me the opportunity to learn more and perform for my final time in competition (unless I qualify for state which would be SO COOL)

If I qualify for state that means that I place in the top 10% of everyone at the competition (or 2 groups depending on the amount in the category)

Are any of you guys into theatre?
Leave some comments down below I would love to hear from you!

- Cody Roecker @ Roecker Reviews