Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

 Series: Blue is for Nightmares
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Page Count: 284
Published: November 8th, 2003
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
  4 Stars ★★★★

Stacey is a junior at a boarding school, a witch, and has been having nightmares about one of her best friends. In these nightmares, it is undeniable that Drea, her friend, is in trouble, and she soon worries that these dreams may come true when strange gifts and phone calls start arriving.

Stacey uses the magic that her grandmother taught her with hopes to reveal who is behind all of this. But will she be able to unravel the messages in time?

So the first thing I'll say is that this book is rather short, but the length works for the story. I was worried that it might be too short and that the ending could be rushed, but it was paced well and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

When I started this book I was expecting more of a paranormal or supernatural mystery, but instead what I got was more of a contemporary story with religious or realistic magic. Stacey wasn't the kind of witch who can summon lightning from her fingertips, rather she uses candle magic and reads cards for divination. 

I really liked this aspect of the story. Most of the witch or magic books that I come across, especially in the young adult genre or range, are more mystical and based in the witches and warlocks of fairy tales and movies. I was surprised to find that the character actually practiced Wicca, because I rarely find Pagans or Neo-Pagans in YA books! 

The mystery itself, of who was targeting Drea, was suspenseful and interesting but to be honest, it didn't feel very original. I was also somewhat disappointed with the ending and who turned out to be the culprit. Their motive didn't make much sense to me, it seemed slightly over the top for the situation. I thought the villain seemed kind of stupid, actually, for thinking that they could get what they wanted through scaring Drea? I can't say much else with spoiling it. 

Between this book and Deadly Little Secret, I can say that I definitely enjoy the writing of Laurie Faria Stolarz. I will be looking for her books in the future, however, I won't be absolutely rushing to get the sequels. I feel like while I like her books, I'm not absolutely blown away. 

I recommend this book to people who want to read a more realistic or diverse portrayal of magic! If you want a YA mystery, you may enjoy this one.

Find Blue is for Nightmares on Goodreads

Unique Blogger Award

I was nominated on Paperback Darling for this award! Thank you very much!

The Rules:
- Share the link of the blogger who nominated you
- Answer the questions
- Nominate 8-13 people for the award
- Ask them three questions

Melanie's Questions:

Q: What was the one book that started your reading obsession?

A: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, for sure. I enjoyed reading before I found that book, but when I read it, my obsession truly started.

Q: If you could only pick one character, who do you relate to the most?

A: This is really hard to answer for me, because I relate to so many different characters for so many different reasons. I guess it'd have to be Varen from Nevermore by Kelly Creagh because we like the same style of clothing/music/etc, we've both been bullied and had family issues, and we're both AWESOME of course.

Q: Could you name three books you can never, ever part with and why? 

A: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh because the characters are awesome, the story is amazing, and the world is an interesting place to read about. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy because I think the world of this series is the best world to just escape to for hours. Stolen by Lucy Christopher because it's my go-to emotional, bittersweet read.


My Questions:
1) What book do you recommend to everyone and why?
2) Why did you start blogging about books?
3) What book were you surprised to enjoy?

I nominate:

Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader  
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight 
AngelErin @ Angel Erin's Books Obsession
Alice @ Married to Books
Lauren @ Always Me
Ashley @ Truth About Books by A Fae
Alex @ A Geek With Books
Edward @ Scaredy Engines


If anyone doesn't want to make a full post for whatever reasons, feel free to answer in the comments!!

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Darkest Powers
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Page Count: 360
Published: April 28th, 2009
Publisher: HarperCollins
  5 Stars ★★★★★

Chloe has escaped from Lyle House, but she's been captured by the Edison Group and is staying in another one of their facilities. With Simon and Derek still on the run, Chloe has to escape by herself this time. While the group continues to pose as one that helps those with powers like herself, Chloe knows the truth, that there have been deaths... young people who have been subjects in the Edison Group's studies have died mysteriously in their care, and that she may have been genetically modified. 

When Chloe does escape, she leaves with Tori, a girl with a bad attitude, to find Simon and Derek. But there is a reward offered for her return, so Chloe has to travel in the shadows to safety... that is, if she isn't killed first. 

Kelley Armstrong has done it again! I remember loving The Summoning, and when I remembered that I already owned The Awakening, I decided that I had to find out what happened to Chloe, Simon, and Derek, next. I enjoyed this book as much as I loved the first one, maybe even more. 

In this sequel, the same interesting characters star in an exciting supernatural story. Chloe remains the likeable necromancer that she was in the first book, Simon and Derek, the two foster brothers, continue to be complete opposites of each other and friends with Chloe, and Tori is still the same annoying, stuck-up bully that she was in the first book. This cast of characters makes for a book of paranormal thrills, amusing dialogue, and lots of tension!

The author did a great job of making me feel what Chloe was feeling. This mainly consisted of concern for those she cared about, and fear of the Edison Group. Chloe's voice remained believable, and her struggles relatable, despite their often supernatural nature. I love when I can relate to characters in vastly different situations than my own, because it just makes the whole situation seem a bit more real to me, which greatly affects my reading experience. 

The writing style was incredibly easy to read, which made this book go by very quickly for me. I just devoured page after page because I couldn't stop reading! The book was packed with event after event, one after the other, and I was never, ever bored. I hope that the third book in this trilogy is as good as the first two!

I recommend this trilogy to fans of young adult paranormal stories. If you're looking for a story with different paranormal creatures, secret groups, and teenagers on the run, this book is for you.

Find The Awakening on Goodreads

50/50 Friday - Book Hype

This meme is hosted at The Butterfly Reader and Blue Eye Books

This week's topic is novel worth / not worth the hype.

Worth the Hype

 

I thought that Throne of Glass was actually really worth the hype. I wasn't expecting it to be such a great read, I'd found myself disappointed by books with high ratings on Goodreads and lots of hype like this before, so I was pleasantly surprised to end up rating it 4 stars! I really enjoyed it. I really want to read the next one. 

Not Worth the Hype

The Hunger Games wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't super amazing. I did like it, but it didn't blow me away and I didn't go on to read the next books in the trilogy. I like the story of The Hunger Games, but the book didn't live up to the hype for me.  

 

What did you think of these books?

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

 Series: N/A
Author: Jeff Garvin
Page Count: 352
Published: February 2nd, 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  4 Stars ★★★★

Riley is the child of a congressman, loves rock music, and is genderfluid. They aren't out to anyone but their therapist yet, but they start an anonymous blog under the name Alix so that they can discuss their experiences as a genderfluid person. When Riley moves to a new school, they experience harassment and bullying, but they also make a few friends. Suddenly, their blog becomes extremely popular, and it appears that somebody may know Riley's true identity. Will Riley have the courage to come out before somebody reveals their identity to the world for them?

I was super, super, SUPER excited to read this book. There are very, very few genderfluid characters in books, and so as a genderfluid person myself I was really hoping that someday, a genderfluid character would appear. Then one day, this book was recommended to me, and my wish was fulfilled! I was certainly not disappointed with this book, though it didn't exactly blow my mind, either.

First off, I was impressed with the way that the author depicted gender dysphoria. Actually, by reading this book, I found another way to describe dysphoria, so I'm thankful! It appears that the author did his research concerning what its like to be genderfluid in a world where just the idea of someone being nonbinary provokes confusion or even mockery. I think that the author writing about a genderfluid character was a brave step, and I'm hoping that it's one that will help people to consider including nonbinary characters in their own books in the future.

Riley as a character, as a person, reminded me a lot of myself and of other nonbinary people I know! Riley's taste in music and clothing gave them a distinct image, and their struggle with anxiety and depression was incredibly relatable. While Riley seemed a bit reactive and dramatic at times, these flaws added to their character and deepened my understand of their flaws and struggles. It was interesting how Riley interpreted different interactions, and often their attitude really mirrored real life. 

My main issue with this book was the bullying. Bullying is certainly an unfortunately common occurrence, especially for LGBTQ people. However, the bullying depicted in this book seemed fairly unrealistic or just cliche. The bullying was at times even cheesy, and occasionally I feel it went a bit over the top, or became fairly over-dramatic. Maybe things are different where I live as opposed to where the author lives, but I interpreted much of the bullying that Riley deals with as based on stereotypes, as opposed to real life. Now, the cyberbullying was well depicted, with the various trolls, anonymous haters, slurs, and even the threat of the online bullying extending into real life. I also want to mention that there is an instance in the book where a sexual assault, or at least a near-sexual assault, occurs, and this might upset some readers, so I felt it was important to include a warning in this review. While I think that it's important for some books to exist which don't mention serious issues, serious crimes, like this, against trans people, I think that this book incorporated this assault very well and depicted it realistically. I think this part is obvious, but this book was at times a very emotional experience for me, especially since I have such a connection with the main character.

I also feel like there was a bit of an awkward use of pronouns within the book. For example, the author used things like "she/he" or "she...or he?" and similar pieces, when characters of indeterminate gender were present. At times this felt awkward to read as it didn't fit well into the sentences, and I'd suggest that authors make use of the singular "they", as it sounds smoother and also spreads the general awareness that there is, in fact, a valid gender neutral pronoun for people to use if necessary or requested.

Overall, this emotional book captured a lot of important details of what it means to be a genderfluid person. While I had issues with the somewhat cliche bullying and the awkward use of multiple pronouns, I was not disappointed and I hope to read more books by this author in the future. 

I recommend this book to readers looking for something with a genderfluid main character. If you are a fan of LGBTQ novels, and you like contemporary young adult stories, this book is for you.

(Note: the author uses "gender fluid" with a space, but I prefer to spell it as one word, "genderfluid", so I used my preferred spelling in this review).

Find Symptoms of Being Human on Goodreads