Sunday, March 29, 2015

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Even if I talked forever, I would never be able to share all of my love for this book. Because oh. I love these books by Philip Pullman so much. They mean the world to me. I might love Will the most, and he isn't in this book, but I still love this book so extremely much. Mostly because of Lyra. Whom I love so much.

This is my third time reading this book. And I'm never going to stop loving it. It is so special to me. It's one of the best books. This trilogy means so much to me. If you all haven't read and loved these books yet I'm very disappointed in you. Hmph. Do it. Because these books have the best characters. And best story.

As I have already written two long reviews of this book already, I won't be talking about all the things this third time. Because I will most likely just repeat myself, hah. But I do want to share some things. Like how much I love this book. And how, even though I re-read them in August, I could not wait any longer to read them a third time. Because Lyra and Will are always in my heart and thoughts. I doubt I will ever stop thinking about them. Sigh. Anyway. This time I'm reading the very special Folio Society editions of the trilogy. They are expensive. And the most gorgeous. The books are huge. And there is the most gorgeous illustrations outside and inside. Not as many as I would have liked, but still gorgeous drawings. Sigh. I loved them.

The Golden Compass is such a special book. And I cannot even begin to talk about all the things that happen in it. Because there is so much going on at all times. It is the story of eleven year old Lyra. Whom I adored from the very beginning. Though she do a lot of growing in this book, from a wild child to more honest and brave and strong and older. She is just. Lyra is the most amazing little girl. And I love her fiercely. I really loved getting to know her in this book. And we do get to know her. So, so much.

This is an epic fantasy book. And I love that to pieces. It is set in a world a bit different than ours, with every human having a dæmon. And I shall not describe all of that. Just. I want my own dæmon. My own little piece of my soul and heart. It sounds so amazing and adorable and just the bestest thing. And I love how Philip has created this book. How special it all is. How everything makes sense, despite it also being so different. And just. Yeah. I really love this book. I love every single thing about it. It's the best.

There is also these very awesome panserbjørne in this book. Armoured bears. Like Iorek. Whom I love so much. He's just all kinds of amazing and I loved reading about him and Lyra becoming friends so much. Sigh. This book is so special. There are witches. And I pretty much adore those too. Then there are all the bad people, who do such awful things. Like the Gobblers. Shudders. I cried so much when reading about the boy with the fish. Sobs. Still the most heartbreaking scene in this book. So sad.

I'm not going to say much more about this book. Just that it feels so long to read, yet not long enough. And every moment is exciting. Every moment of this book is amazing. Every moment is worth re-reading a whole bunch of times. Because the writing is so beautiful. The characters are stunning. The story is so exciting and interesting. There is so much happening. And everything is fantastic to read about. I couldn't have loved this book more. Okay, I love the next ones more, but this one is amazing.

I would also like to mention that I really adore the author, Philip Pullman. He is so kind and awesome. He have answered some of my twitter questions, which means the world to me. And then I sent him a letter back in September, which he responded to a month ago, and it meant the world to me. It is still the most precious thing I own. He answered some of my questions so amazingly. Sigh. Yeah. He is awesome. And I love his books so much. Now I'm dying for him to finish writing The Book of Dust :D Soon, I hope.


 
My collection of all things Philip Pullman, so far. <3

Saturday, March 28, 2015

In My Mailbox #178

I was planning on reading more this week. That didn't happen. Hmph. But I did read two books, and I'm happy with that. Plus, I'm going to start re-reading His Dark Materials today :D And I cannot wait. It will be so awesome. Sigh. These books are the best. I was on my third Tromsø trip yesterday, to get my x-ray. Glad to have it done. Though it will take about two weeks to get the results, sigh. Then I must wait for surgery. I don't want to wait more, so tired of being in a shitty mood and being sick. Hoping the time will go fast. Other than that I have had a good week; got some awesome mail; lots of pre-orders only :) Didn't have many blog posts this week, though. Ack. But four isn't that little. Maybe? Anyway. I read The Uninvited. <3 Which I really, really loved. Then I shared another Cress Tuesday. And I read The Jumbies, which I didn't like. I'm waiting on Daughter of Dusk this week :D Still waiting on some mail that I'm really excited about. Soon, hopefully. <3 Also, I want more lego as well. What did you get this week?



Shadow Scale. Another gorgeous edition that I didn't own yet; UK hardcover. <3 It is so big. Ack. And so damn gorgeous. Was to get a paperback.. instead got another US hardcover :( I now have 3. Ack.
The Walls Around Us. I really loved this book many months ago. And it is so damn pretty. I love it :D
The Fault in Our Stars. I supported this thing back in December to get this book :) It is pretty gorgeous.
Big Hero 6. I must have all the books that involves this gorgeous movie. <3 This manga is awesome.
Unremembered Poster. Eeek! Thank you so much Jessica. <3 This poster is all kinds of gorgeous. Love.



Frozen. This poster collection thingy is all kinds of gorgeous. The posters are so pretty. I needed it :)
Frost. Oh! And I got this Norwegian edition of the Frozen songs. Ack. I just really wanted to own it.
The Hobbit. Yay for getting more lego :D I want all of it. But expensive. But buying it all soooonish.
HTTYD 2 + Divergent. You know.. I need to own all the movies on DVD, though I never watch those.
Thor. I have always wanted to own my very own small Thor. So I had to buy him, hih. He's so pretty.
Baymax. Yay for making my Big Hero 6 collection grow bigger :D He is pretty adorable. I love Baymax.
Bukowski. I need all the plushes from this brand. He is so cute! He also have wings. Oh. I love him.
Hair Flowers. Okay, I should probably not share about this, but it was so gorgeous :D And I love it so.



Witch Hunter. Big thank you to Orchard Books (UK publisher) for accepting my request on Netgalley to read and review this book. <3 I shall be reading it soonish, I think :D As I'm pretty excited about it.
Fish. This fish is all kinds of gorgeous. And expensive. Figured I needed some "pretty" decorations :)
Skull. This skull was pretty awesome too, and I have wanted it for a long time. So I just had to buy it :D


More Instagram photos here. <3

Giveaways happening on my blog right now:
Hardcover of Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose. US. Ends 04/01.
Two hardcovers of Shadow Scale. US/Canada. Ends 04/02.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #180

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

DAUGHTER OF DUSK (Midnight Thief #2) 
BY LIVIA BLACKBURNE

Goodreads Description:

After learning the truth about her bloodlines, Kyra can’t help but feel like a monster.

Though she’s formed a tentative alliance with the Palace, Kyra must keep her identity a secret or risk being hunted like the rest of her Demon Rider kin. Tristam and the imprisoned assassin James are among the few who know about her heritage, but when Tristam reveals a heartbreaking secret of his own, Kyra’s not sure she can trust him. And with James’s fate in the hands of the palace, Kyra fears that he will give her away to save himself.

As tensions rise within Forge's Council, and vicious Demon Rider attacks continue in surrounding villages, Kyra knows she must do something to save her city. But she walks a dangerous line between opposing armies: will she be able to use her link to the Demon Riders for good, or will her Makvani blood prove to be deadly?

In this spellbinding sequel to Midnight Thief, Kyra and Tristam face their biggest battle yet as they grapple with changing allegiances, shocking deceit, and vengeful opponents.


Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: August 4th 2015 by Disney Hyperion
Pre-Order here and here.

I am so excited about this book :D I really enjoyed book one, Midnight Thief. <3 And I think Daughter of Dusk sounds all kinds of amazing. And the cover is so pretty :D I love love love it. Cannot wait to own this book in a few months. <3 I just.. I hope there won't be too much relationship drama, as I can't stand drama like that in books! There will probably be some, as most book these days do :( But, I'm crossing my fingers that there won't be, since I don't know. <3 I just. I really liked the romance in book one, though there was way too little, so I'm hoping there will be more amazing romance in this one :)
What are you waiting for on this spellbinding Wednesday?

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Review: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

When I first saw this cover I knew I had to read this book. I also found the summary to be pretty exciting. And then I got it from Netgalley many, many months ago. But I never felt like starting it. Then yesterday I finally did. I wish I could say I really enjoyed this book. But, sadly, I did not love it. But I did like it. A little.

Okay, I sort of liked this book. But it is still only a two star for me. Because I did not like it that much. I think most of that is because of the writing. It isn't fully bad, but I never connected to the characters. I didn't care about Corinne at all. Sad face. I didn't feel scared or excited, like I was probably supposed to.

I won't be saying too much about this book, as it is only over two hundred pages, and not long pages either, so this book is really short. I wish I could say that it was exciting. But for me, it wasn't. I guess I could see how some might enjoy it, but I didn't. It was too little for me. Or, trying for too much. The jumbies in this book weren't creepy. They didn't make me care. And that is so depressing. Because this book sounded really awesome. Sigh. But then it wasn't. It was sort of silly, really. I didn't care for Corinne. Or her father. Or those new friends she gets. I sort of like the two brothers, but didn't feel too much about them either. I didn't like Dru much either. Sigh. Wishing this had been better. I just ended up not liking it much at all.

This book is about eleven year old Corinne. And about the beautiful woman who suddenly shoves up from the forest, trying to take over her dad. This woman is a jumbie. This creature thingy of the forest. She can do magic and such. She takes Corinne's dad away from her. I wish I could say it was exciting to read about. But I didn't care. It wasn't written well enough for me. I didn't feel anything for Corinne, and I didn't care that her father wasn't there with her anymore. Hmph. It makes me sad. I wanted to love it.

I really did want to love The Jumbies. Because the cover is so beautiful. Because it sounded like a different and exciting middle grade book. But then I started it, and I knew it wasn't for me. I usually love books like this one. So I'm not sure why I had issues with this. Hmph. But yeah. The writing wasn't that good. I didn't connect with the characters. I didn't like Corinne or her friends. What I did like was the oranges. And I sort of liked their village. But I just. I didn't think the plot was exciting at all. Sigh.

I don't feel like talking about this book, which might be a first for me. So just saying a little bit more. The plot in this book. It is about Corinne trying to get rid of this woman. And I just. I found it to be so silly. Though I mostly did not like this book, I did enjoy a few things, which is why it is a two star. And either way, I did not hate this book. It isn't the best, nor the worst. But it is a book that I will soon forget. Which makes me so sad, as I wanted this to be a favorite. Oh, well. Not everything is perfect.

Big thank you to the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers, for approving my request to read and review this book via Netgalley. <3 I'm glad that I got to read it. But also so sad that I did not love it. I wish I could have enjoyed this book, but it just ended up not being for me. I'm not sure if others will enjoy it. Though I do think that many kids might end up loving it. I usually love middle grade books, but this one just wasn't for me. Which is so depressing, since the cover is so gorgeous. Hmph. But it is what it is :)


Cress Tuesday #74

WINTER! The cover is finally here :D And my gosh. It is so pretty. <3 See the full size version here. So perfect. And the summary is so amazing too. Love it! I cannot wait to read these 800 pages. <3 I'm so excited. I know that Winter will be amazing. <3 Because I really loved Cinder, Scarlet, Cress & Fairest. I also cannot wait for all the other upcoming books by Marissa; especially Heartless :D So excited for everything that she writes. I will be re-reading these books pretty soon, I think, because I have waited more than long enough already. Ack. And I love them so much. Just wishing it was November already. Sigh. Waiting for Winter has taken forever, but I know the wait will be worth it. I'm thinking about doing these teasers until November. We'll see :D I love sharing them. I hope you are all enjoying these small and awesome teasers from Cress :) See all the previous Cress Tuesdays here. <3 Have you read it yet?


~

T
horne guffawed. "Oh, no, no, I didn't want the escort for me. I thought she'd make a nice gift." A silence followed and he was sure he could picture the skepticism on Jamal's face, despite having no idea what Jamal looked like. "She was for this android. . .spaceship. . .friend of mine. It's complicated." 
"It always is." Jamal clinked their glasses together. "I get it, though. You get your hands on an 
escort-droid, all the while keeping everyone's attention away from the true prize upstairs. You 
do seem like the protective sort." Thorne's instincts hummed at something in Jamal's tone. 
"Well. I am a lucky man."

~


 Hah. Watching Thorne in this book was all kinds of interesting :)
I loved that he was looking for an escort for Iko, though.


Huge thank you to Marissa Meyer and Macmillan Kids for letting me share these gorgeous Cress Tuesday teasers with you all. <3 They are the bestest. Thank you so much. I hope you are all loving the teasers :D I know that I am loving finding them and sharing them with you all. If you haven’t yet read Cress, I hope these teasers are making you more excited about it. <3 I’m sharing all these teasers from my stunning hardcover of Cress. Well, from one of my copies. I might be owning a whole bunch of them :D