The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Spoilers)

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their difference, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of  Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.

But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Review:

This book, man. I finished it in five and a half hours, including breaks. I just...love it so much. I have so much to say and no idea how to put it into coherent sentences.

I thought the beginning of the story to the end was brilliant at showing character development most of all, in my opinion. The foreshadowing was pretty good at well. You could just tell that something was coming, even when you had no clue what it was. I thought it was amazing how the prose painted a perfect picture of what was going on in my head. I could almost see Achilles rage as Patroclus was slayed.

I didn't see the twists and turns coming, and I love how it wasn't instant love. The romance didn't overpower the action and the hardships, and the side characters were very well developed and all served a purpose.

The only thing I didn't like was how....yeah, I can't think of anything I didn't like. This book was amazing, please read it.

5/5 stars.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can. 

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. 

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. 

She's wrong.

---

Spoilers.

Eh.

This book was...okay, I guess.

I really liked the premise, and the first few chapters were really interesting and I was excited. But then...Noah. Pompous boy who everyone wants, but the MC of course, and he wants her, for some reason. Noah is just so rude and arrogant and I really don't understand the appeal.

Another thing. Why is Anna automatically labelled a slut just because she's someone the MC doesn't like? Just because she may be an antagonist - a heavily cliched one at that - doesn't mean that it's okay to completely bash her. For example,

"The list of what you're missing, Anna, is longer than the South Beach Free Clinic's walk-in list," Jamie said, and I was surprised to hear his voice. "Though I'm sure your hookup resume includes the same names." 

And of course, since Anna was the bitch of the ball and no one liked her, it was automatically hilarious! No, not really.

On to Mara.

Man, what to say. I didn't really understand her character; she was all over the place. Not because of her trauma, I mean because she could never make up her mind. She'd be mad at Noah or  Daniel, but as soon as she went to confront them she'd either seem to forget the reason she came to them, or touch on it briefly and at the most get a bit huffy. Not to mention how she totally lets Noah get away with anything and everything just because he's so beautiful. And she takes the time to remind you how beautiful he is. Often. It just seemed that as long as Noah was with her, she cared about no one else. Like when Jamie got expelled, Mara thought about him maybe once, and that was when she wanted something from him. Then Jamie was never seen or heard from again.

Honestly, this book would've been better if they'd focused more on Mara's unique abilities instead of a cliched trope-sodden romance.

2/5 stars.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~

Book Review: Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel

"In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…"

---

'Vita hominis plus libro valet!'

Spoilers.
I stumbled across this book on my first trip to The Book Loft in German Village. I'd never heard of it before, but the premise seemed very intriguing, especially since the Library of Alexandria tragedy is something I am still not and will probably never be over. Seriously, I tear up just thinking about all of that lost knowledge.

First the good!

The intro, in my opinion, was the perfect set up for the story. you jump right into the action without making it seem abrupt or forced. I liked that, and it was the perfect way to draw a reader in. It kind of reminded me of Aladdin. The characters were amazing as well, and I am constantly praising the diversity of the cast. Jess, the main character, wasn't a flawless hero; he was just a normal kid with flaws and problems of his own thrust into problems that go way beyond what any kid should go through as they realize, rather harshly, that the world is nowhere near black and white.

The character development is nothing to scoff at as well, and I loved how seemingly minor characters end up playing such a big roll and become so lovable even when they're rarely seen. The world building was alright; there weren't any info dumps and I enjoyed how Ms. Caine incorporated some of the world building into Jess' emotions or past experiences with them, like the automatons in the beginning of the book that chased him. It helps me remember the landmarks and relate to the character.

The writing was very fluid, and Ms. Caine did an amazing job with making sure the reader could feel and envision everything that was going on around the characters; (SPOILERS) the awe they felt when they got to the Library, the pain and devastation of Thomas' death, and the constant wake up calls Jess is smacked in the face with. It's raw and powerful each time, and I find myself loving and dreading those moments simultaneously. I also loved how Jess came to see the light at the end, while also realizing that it's going to be a hard road ahead for him now.

Now the bad!

While the world building was indeed unique in it's portrayal, it was very difficult for me to determine the time period. I assumed it was sometime in the past, but I honestly could not pinpoint it. Also, I never understood why the Library was so resistant to change. Is it because they don't want to lose their control over the citizens? I assumed that but I was never sure.

Conclusion.

Despite the tiny, nitpicking comments, this book is amazing. It's not just a book about books, it's a book about how sometimes you have to go against everything you know to do what's right, and that there's always something more to learn about the people who rule you.

5/5 stars.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~

Changing Direction

So.

It's been a long time, hasn't it?

I was thinking about this blog earlier this week, and after a lot of contemplation I have decided to make this a book blog. I run one on tumblr, and I thought moving some of it over to Blogger would be a good way to make something out of my blog. This blog will be reviewing mostly YA and Children's Lit, since that's what I read most, but there might be some other genres as  I slowly expand my horizons. Another feature will be writing posts. I love writing, and the best thing I think would be to do is to put some of it up here for you all to see and give me feedback on.

I'm still going to be leaving the old posts up, not that there are many, because I honestly don't see a reason to take them down. They're not hurting anyone. Let's see, what else to say...I'm turning 15 tomorrow, or March 5th for anyone who's reading this later on. I'm kind of nervous because each new birthday comes with a shit ton of new responsibilities. But at least it's one year closer to getting my astrophysics degree.

Well that's about it, I will see all of you soon, and I hope you can all recommend me some books to read! YA or Children's Lit if able, nothing raunchy because ew and no.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~

Just Pray!: A Post On How Religion Isn't A Magic Solution

If you're like me, and have a mental or physical disability, and also have religious parents, then you know what I'm talking about.

"Just pray honey, and your [depression, anxiety, etc] will go away!"

So you try it, and surprise, it's not gone. It may lighten up if you're of the faith, but it;s not completely gone, and the response when you mention it?

"Well, you just didn't try hard enough!"

"Oh, you didn't believe it'd work, so of course it didn't!"

"You're just not trying hard enough."

I cannot even begin to explain how mad this makes me. I am a Christian who practices witchcraft; I'm bigender and pansexual, and I would easily date someone not of my own race. In my parents eyes, I'd be an abomination, which is why I haven't told them yet.

Religion is great, if you choose it. If you want to praise a God or Gods or Goddesses, that's great. But don't make it sound like just because you believe in a higher power, that said higher power is the answer to every problem.

In my opinion, God knows I have this illness, and he expects my parents, to give me the correct help to deal with it. That's not happening in my household, nope, and my parents would rather cover their ears and block themselves off in their little world of excessive pride and a holier than thou attitude instead of actually helping me with my problems. My mother doesn't even want me seeing my therapist anymore because,

"You don't need that; you just need to pray more!"

Tip: Don't say that. Please, you're not helping, and if you WANT to help, then educate yourself on the real ways to help and support someone with a physical and mental illness.

New Start

I think it's time for a change in lifestyle.

Does anyone ever feel like that? Like all of a sudden you need to completely change how you're living and what you're living for?

To be specific, I kind of think I need to change my friends.

It just seems like most of my friends are either really bad influences, or they're dragging me down and keeping me down. For example, one of my friends is smart, but he never applies himself and I pretty much had to coddle and mother him through 8th grade so he would (barely) pass. He reads this blog so he knows I'm talking about him. My other friend is always depressed and anxious, and when I give her advice she does the exact opposite and ends up causing even more harm to herself and others. There are more, but I won't get into that.

It seems like I'm not a friend to them, more like a mother or a soundboard. I don't mind being a soundboard sometimes, but it becomes a problem when it's the only reason we talk. I deserve more than that.

I need to realize that I'm not everyone's savior. I can't constantly try to fix everyone's problems to the point where I forget to take care of myself, which I have been doing since 5th grade. I'm in 9th grade now, and I'm exhausted. I don't want to leave my friends. I love them. But I can't let them drag me down, especially when I have voiced how I feel, multiple times I may add, and nothing changes. And I let it be that way because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I'm done with that.

I can't kill myself trying to make people's lives better. I just can't.

I'm done trying to.

Inside Out And In My Head (SPOILERS for Inside Out!!)

So, today has been a thoughtful day.

A friend and I went to see Inside Out today, and I was just expecting a quirky, fun movie for kids or tweens. And it was, but...it was also so much more.

Inside Out pretty much gives you insight into the emotions of a girl named Riley. Joy, Fear,  Anger, Sadness, and Disgust. Joy is the main emotion of the operation, and Sadness is always pushed aside because they see her as a bad emotion that should be used hardly at all. A lot of stuff happens, and Joy and Sadness are stuck in long-term memory, leaving Disgust,  Fear, and Anger by themselves in Riley's head.

In the beginning of Joy and Sadness' journey home, Joy writes Sadness off and doesn't let her do anything, like she has been doing since the beginning of the movie. Then, throughout the movie, Joy is faced with the idea that maybe Sadness isn't so bad, and she may need to give her a little more credit.

(MAJOR ENDING SPOILER AHEAD!!)

When Joy ends up in the memory dump, and now she's sad, not able to feel the Joy in the situation. She looks at one of the memories, and as she replays it, she sees that Sadness had to happen for the memory to be joyful. So then she realizes that she needs Sadness. That Riley needs Sadness.

Okay, so I bet you're trying to figure out what the point of this is, huh? Well, let me get right to it then!

In Inside Out, Joy is the prominent emotion in Riley's head, correct? Well, for me and I'm sure for a bunch of people, Sadness run supreme. And for a long time, I treated it like the rest of the emotions treated Sadness; with slight annoyance and attempts to squash it as must as possible.

This movie helped me realize that I don't have to always squash it; sometimes, Sadness is the only way for some Joy to come in. Sometimes, being sad is a good thing, and now I don't feel so bad when  I'm down in the dumps, because I remember that this movie taught me that all of my emotions have a good purpose.