10 Bookish Facts About Me - Dominique's Booklife 

  Hello everyone! I know that I haven't posted a booklife in about a year, but I figured that it was time for me to do something more with this blog than just posting reviews. I was surfing on the net when I found some other book blogs and I saw this idea coming up, and I thought that I should do it as well. So here is it, 10 bookish facts about me. Enjoy, because while I know not many of you would read something personal, I certainly enjoy making booklifes.
 

1. I started reading Young Adult books at the age of 12 I was 12 when I first picked up a Twilight book. Yes, Twilight. I watched the movie when I was 10 and I was instantly addicted to Fantasy.

2. I got addicted to YA books because of The Iron Fey this series is one of the most amazing series that I have ever read. I couldn't get enough of them and I absolutely love the vibe the books give off. My heart still makes a leap whenever I think about them.

3. My favourite book series right now is Vampire Academy maybe some of you already know this but I couldn't get enough of Vampire Academy. I am in love with both Dimitri Belikov and Rose Hathaway. The series is just such a bundle of perfection and I would recommend it to everyone.

4. I almost never finish a book in one day I just can't do it. I need to get into it and the only way I can really enjoy a book is if I read it in multiple days. Because of this, I can still remember what happens in which book (of the series).

5. I have never finished a book in one sitting how do people do this? It might be an ADHD-thing, but don't you get distracted? How are you so focused? How do you not get hungry? How does your bladder not act up?

6. I get a lot of reading slumps these are the actual worst. I remember than I once read 2 books in 5 months... Think of all the cool books I could have read in that time!

7. 2 books a week is an achievement for me it's been happening a lot lately, which is awesome. But it's a bit sad that I have less time for my favourite tv show (Glee).

8. I have so many books (series) to read that it actually stresses me out, I wish I could read them all.

9. I like it when books are diverse. As a white bisexual woman, I like it when there is homosexuality in a book. A book must have people with different skin colours as well. Even Fantasy books, because there are so many people who cannot identify with a lot of characters. Same goes for body types.

10. I cannot read for school, this is horrible because every time we have to read a book for school I get a massive reading slump. I just really don't like the book or something? I don't know.

Thank you for reading a little bit about me!

Dominique

Everything Everything - Nicola Yoon

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Cover
This cover is gorgeous. Wow. I actually love this cover so much, it fits the book perfectly because it has something to do with her not being able to see the world and yes, this is just great to have on your shelf.

Madeline (the main character)
I have mixed feelings about her. I feel like I needed more time with her, because while we were in her head all the time, I didn't really feel with her. She definitely isn't whiny and she's cool, but not a favorite character. Something I have to add though, props to the person who decided to make her Asian-African, there are almost no characters with such an ethnicity, and I hope Asian-Africans are able to recognize themselves in her. 
Small problem I had with Madeline: why did she not search up her condition? It would have made what happened in the end occur way earlier.

Olly...
Well, okay, he was all right. He was willing to do a lot for Madeline, which was sweet. He definitely wasn't a bad buy, besides the obvious YA 'black clothes' he wears. And of course he had to have a few daddy-issues as well. Yes, having a abusive father is definitely interesting and is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, but it felt a bit expected for the dad to one day hit him and his mom and stuff, I was basically just waiting for it to happen.

Writing style
How cool was this? There were notes in this book, like plane tickets, letters and drawings. It was so cool and so fresh, I really enjoyed those things. Even though the chapters were like 50-words-long sometimes, this was also enjoyable and made way for me to fly through this book, I finished this in less than 24 hours. The chatting was also quite enjoyable, although I did find Olly's grammar annoying. 

The ending
The ending was so abrupt, it just ended so weirdly and I really wanted to see more, to see Olly's reaction. It was really rushed as well, and so YA-ish. I really wanted to see a solution to her sickness, but instead we got that. It's not that I didn't like this book. I really did, but the ending was just not the best. '

I am really looking forward to watching the movie, I'm probably gonna see it when it is in the cinemas, and that's partly because Amandla Stenberg is in it, not going to lie. 
Anyway, this book was good but it didn't impress me, while the writing style was new and fresh, the book's story was nothing I hadn't read before. 4/5 stars.

 Trailer for the movie

Dominique

The Mortal Instruments 2: City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

Warning: spoilers for book 1 in the summary!

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

Clary is the most naive person I know
Oh no, oh.. no... 
I find her so annoying, maybe some people pity her, but I just can't take her seriously. She is sooo naive that it's just unbearable. She really does feel the need to do everything herself, and she always wants everything her way. Meanwhile, Jace and the other shadowhunters are way more experienced and know better than her how to handle things. But no, Clary does what she wants and she still has two boys who love and adore her. Also, when she talked about Isabelle and how beautiful she was and how 'slutty' she actually looked I was so done. Women should support other women.

Jace's sarcasm
Okay, yes, he was actually bearable and great in this book. I live for the moments where he calls Clary out on her naiveness. What bothers me though, is how he's obviously still in love with Clary and he wants to date her in secret. She's your sister! Come on! (Yes, I know what happens in later books). He actually didn't care at all and still wanted a relationship with her. Unnatural, pretty much disgusting. There are many things I support but incest is definitely not one of them. I also don't understand how people like this asshole. While he wasn't as much of an asshole as in the first book, he's still just not a nice person.

  Incest. 
Right. Hell no. Everytime Clary longed for Jace or Jace touched Clary, I slightly gagged. That isn't right. You should try to avoid each other and every time the thought even passes your mind, you should try to push it out.Also, DON'T KISS? I know that love is a complicated thing, and I actually do quite like Clace, I just don't support incest and that is the biggest problem with this book.

Alec and Magnus
The Purest. Best. Relationship. In. This. Book. Series. No one can tell me otherwise. Seeing Alec struggle with his homosexuality while Magnus is so open about his (bisexuality, probably, but I do not feel the need to label), is just lovely. This book came out in 2007, when homesexuality (in America) was still very much not accepted. I absolutely love the fact that Cassandra Clare still used it and tried to let people know about the struggles of homosexuals in a very discreet way. I hope to see more of them in the future, because I adore them.

  Valentine, the ending and future books
Valentine honestly isn't that bad. I hate him more in the tv show than I did in this book, to be honest. Anyway, I was really excited to see what this book's Mortal Instrument, the Mortal Sword, could do. But how much information about it do we get? Almost nothing! 
The ending was also not that great. It didn't grab me as much as it should have, and deaths didn't affect me. Maybe I've just become numb to this book series. While I really do want to read The Infernal Devices after City of Glass (which I am currently reading), and while I do absolutely love this world Clare created, I am not looking forward to reading the fourth book in this series, since people say it is not as amazing. My rating for this book. I honestly have no idea. I liked this book, I really did, it was fun and addicting even though the characters weren't the best. I feel like my rating would not be 3.5, but 4/5 stars. It really was entertaining, even though I just bashed this whole book because it is quite problematic.

Currently reading City of Glass, liking it wayyy more than this book. Hope the entire book is good.

Dominique

The Lunar Chronicles 1: Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.

Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived.
But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.

Cover
Pretty! I feel like the cover on the left is not that special, but so fitting! You can see the cyborg parts, and since this is loosely-based on Cinderella, I thought it was great that there was a heel on the cover.
The Russian/Slovenian/East-European-I-don't-mean-to-offend-you cover is also absolutely gorgeous. I cannot see Cinder in that dress though, so I think hat must be Levana? Anyway, I like the moon on it, since this book is sort of about people on the moon.

Linh Cinder aka a great, great main character
I really enjoyed reading from her perspective. She's no where near arrogant, but she knows how to stand up for herself. She has her own insecurities, but she's very strong and she knows how to hide them. She didn't spend all her time pitying herself, but most of the time worrying about her special gifts. She's selfless, hence why she cares about her sister more than she does about herself. And when meeting the prince, she spoke to him in a normal, polite way and she didn't freak out. Yeah, I totally loved her, although she was a bit confusing in the beginning, with her being a cyborg and all.

Prince Kai(to), an Asian representative
Okay, yes, I didn't love Kai to death. I liked him, but he didn't make me squeal out of love. Anyway, one thing I did love about him, was the fact that he was Asian. I am white, so again, I cannot say anything for the Asian community, but I have noticed that Asian people are not represented enough. It was very fresh and lovely to see more people in ya books. But yes, I think Kai's greatness was just average, but that might change in later books, because then he'll start to understand Cinder more and such.

Queen Levana
She was probably the most interesting character in this book. An experienced Lunar with a dark history and with powers that can change everyone's opinion about her. Her 'glamour' powers were really intriguing. I want to know more about Lunar people and what they can do, because I feel like this book was just an information bomb in the first half. What I actually wanted to know is how Lunar people became Lunar people and how they got their powers. I might read Fairest (the novella about queen Levana) sometime if everything is explained in there.

Pacing, ending, secret-reveal
The pacing.... was a bit slower than I'd expected. I couldn't really get through the first few chapters and it was all so confusing that I doubted that I would like it. But yes, I did like the book. Maybe a bit too much, cause I couldn't put it down. I finished it in two days! Wow! 
The ending was also a bit less exciting than I'd expected. At the ball, Cinder started saying such weird stuff that I actually had to close the book and get time to facepalm myself. Yes, I later found (through a friend who had also read the book) that she said these things because Queen Levana forced her to. Still, what happened at the ball just didn't make sense and was so unbelievably dramatic. The secret-reveal was also quite predictable. 

I'm definitely looking forward to reading Scarlet, the second book in the series. Although I've heard some bad reviews, I liked Cinder, so I only expect the series to get better and better. This book deserves, in my opinion, 4/5 stars.

Dominique

Percy Jackson and The Olympians 4: Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears at his potential new school, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.

In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

Cover

Pretty cover, but just not my thing (right). These books are relatively old though, and covers have evolved since then, so it's acceptable. The covers always have something in them that also occurs in the books, so that's fun.

Percy
My lovely Percy. I can't tell you all how much I love him. He's just such a sweetheart, and oblivious sweetheart, yes, but still one of the coolest heroes I know. I am not going to lie and say he doesn't annoy me sometimes and that the choices he makes aren't always the best, but he is still smart and such a funny character.

Annabeth
In my last review I said that she annoyed me and she was getting more and more irritating. I still believe this, but I am starting to like her again. Although her jealousy (of Rachel) is so unnecessary, her wisdom and Percy's bravery just work really well together. I really, really wish to see them together. 

Rachel
Yes! She could easily be one of my favourite characters in the series. She is a mortal, but she is able to achieve and do so much because her courage. I also love that she has secrets surrounding her family and that she definitely isn't perfect. I believe that she will play a great role someday, maybe in the fifth book.

Luke/Kronos
So interesting. Honestly, I don't believe there's still a chance for Luke to be his old self again. Luke is probably going to die in the last book and it will be one of those tragic deaths that will make me cry. Before he dies, though, I am really interested in his family and I'd like to see some backstory. I'd love to learn more about his relationship with his dad (Hermes). It bugs me how Annabeth is still - obviously - in love with him. I really want him to die, but I also don't ? 

Other, new creatures
To be honest, I had no idea who Daedalus was before I read this book, but I really loved the addition of him. The Labyrinth was really interesting, although I expected more of it and I got bored during some chapters. Chapters I loved, however, were the ones with Calypso. She is so interesting and lovely, and she really doesn't deserve all the hard things she's been through. I hope to see her again.

The ending was great. I didn't really fly through this book, which was kind of a bummer, because I really loved the Titan's Curse. This is my least favourite book in the series, which is why I give it 4/5 stars.

Dominique

The Iron Fey: Call Of The Forgotten, The Iron Traitor - Julie Kagawa

my review of the first book (pls forgive the quality)

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice. 

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again. 

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all.

Cover
First of all, this cover is so beautiful. It's so fantasy-ish and just makes me want to dive into the land of the fae. Silver eyes and hair make it kind of mysterious, and the font also totally gives off this feel. I love these series' covers. 

A mature Ethan Chase 
In the first book, I saw Ethan as a child with an undying love for his girlfriend, blah blah blah. But during the course of this book, I started to see him as a grown-up man who shared a love for his family also. His love for his family is so big he even tries to help Keirran, his nephew, in his darkest times. I think Ethan is one of the most strong and realistic characters I've had in books, Julie truly is a great writer.

Keirran a.k.a AARGH
I.HATE.HIM. I don't think I've ever felt so frustrated with a non-villain. Throughout the entire book, I could feel there was something wrong with him. In the end, I got proof. Man, I can't deal with him. Even writing about him makes me feel so annoyed. The only thing that makes him human (since he's half-fae) is his love for Annwyl. 

Ethan and Keirran's love parallel
Ethan loves Kenzie, but knows it might not take long until she dies of her cancer and he wants to protect her at all costs. Keirran loves Annwyl and knows it might not take long until she fades away (she's one of the forgotten fae, which means human's don't remember her and she might fade away if she doesn't get back in NeverNever in time), but will still do anything to protect her, even give his own life. I just thought this was so nicely done, comparing human love to fae love, both in their unique ways. 

Storyline
I do have to say it was a little bit hard to get into for me, but the action started faster than in the first book. It was so nice to hear from Meghan again, since she is my actual favorite female character. Although Puck, Meghan and Ash returned in this book, they didn't get a storyline, which was actually great, since it's not their story. The amount of appearance was just right. The characters were really well written, although I wanted more NeverNever moments in the book, since almost everything happened in Between (seriously, where's Leanansidhe?). I did get the feeling this book could just as well have been a novella, since it focused on Annwyl SO MUCH. They didn't really talk about Kenzie apart from the beginning and the end, you only got Ethan whining over her needing to be safe. 

Ending
Throughout the entire book, there was this build-up to the end, where you could finally see what is actually going on. The ending was such a big cliffhanger, but it was also kind of weak. I just got the feeling this whole book is actually useless. Like, they spend so much time on a way of trying to save Annwyl, and at the end it seems like nothing really changed.

Overall, the Iron Fey books are beautifully written and gorgeous, but this book didn't really grab my attention. I guess I like the first book in the sequel series more, although this is still so amazing and these book series are truly underrated. 4/5 stars for me since it wasn't as powerful.

Title: The Iron Traitor

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey: Call Of The Forgotten (book 2)

Publisher: Harleuin Teen

Price (Paperback): $8,99

Pages (Paperback): 352

Dominique 
(Paper Towns review next week!)

The Selection 4: The Heir - Kiera Cass

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought. 

Cover

Beautiful, beautiful cover, as always. I love these covers so much, they're so dreamy and feminine, completely my style and it catches people's eyes really easily. They're also really fitting for the theme of the books. Cover

Eadlyn...

To say it discreetly, she wasn't the most humble character I've read about. Actually, she was a bitch. I couldn't believe the things she thought about doing to the Selected! I know that she has to have a cold side to be a great queen, but she isn't even a queen yet and for her to be mean to other people is just horrible. She is egocentric and plain mean. 'I am the most powerful person in the world.' Yes, you might be, but that doesn't give you the right to order your friends and family around. She humiliates the Selected on national tv, she swears at a young girl because the young girl wants to be just like her and so on. She does have some character development throughout the book, but I didn't like her attitude at all.

Eadlyn's family (Royal Family)
Like most spin-off series, writers try to include the characters of the prequel and it just doesn't feel right. America still had most of the things she used to have, but Maxon changed and that made me uncomfortable. I guess that was just me, and I know that these books are about Eadlyn and not about them, but I just missed them.
Eadlyn's brothers were more interesting than her to be honest. Ahren and his love-interest Camille deserved way more input in this book. First Eadlyn tells us that she relies on her brother a lot, but we don't even see that a lot. Her younger brother Kaden is way smarter and he would be a better leader than her. Osten is funny and he seems like a sweetheart even though he's ten. I don't know, Eadlyn should have been nicer, because while I know that the writer did this to make us pity her, I did not.

The Selected (mostly Kile, Henri and Erik)
Of course, because the Selected were boys, there had to be a rapist. I'm sorry, I do not wish for this to sound offensive, but they should have checked every Selected and they should not just apologise afterwards. But all right, I kind of liked these Selected. I mean, Eadlyn had a lot of chemistry with both Kile and Henri. But while I was scrolling the internet, I searched up for some spoilers to see if the one I thought was going to become prince was going to become prince, and then I realized that he wasn't. I really wanted to stop reading because of that. I really don't see them together, and I have a strong feeling that their relationship in the next book is going to feel very rushed. I am open to see them together though and I really want to like them together.
However, there is one thing that I really don't like. Where are the balls, the assignments and the parties we got during the first three books? This one mostly consisted out of forced appointments between Eadlyn and a Selected. I really hope that The Crown will be more spectacular and more like the first three books.

These books are so easy to read. The words are easy and the books are not that sad. I feel like beginner-readers could really enjoy these books, and they could be some light readings for more advanced readers. As a hopeless romantic, I have a weakness for sappy books like these. And although I hate the main character, I did get that same feeling I got with the past books. Yes, I do feel like Kiera Cass should have written just three books, but I did enjoy this book. I am not sure what rating to give this book. I feel like it's more of a 3,7/5? Let's just say it's a 3,5/5 stars.

Dominique

(I'm deciding on what book series to read next. Hard choices)