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Matched (Matched Book #1) by Ally Condie | An Interesting Concept With A Painful Execution

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In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion. Matched  is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic. Discussion:                                                                                                       ⭐ ⭐ Resigning all control over one's life is terrifying, to say the least; however, for Cassia Reyes and her community, this is reality. Seventeen-year-old Cassia's future family, life purpose, and her death are already pr

A Poem of Gratitude for Books: Ten Reasons Why I Always Return

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Dear books whose spines have cracked from countless pages turned, for the novels whose covers were folded and worn, for the scenes captivating enough to be performed, and for the stories and endings I will faithfully mourn. Nothing is better said than the ten reasons why I faithfully return to the stories with tens of thousands of words. Firstly, a long-awaited escape from my world to others is mine to yearn. But, this is second to the witty banter and tension between lustful characters and ruling lords.   Thirdly, the diversity in characters, personalities, and conflicts inspire me daily To be courageous, authentic, and honorably sarcastic in every way. Fourth, magnificently designed book covers and sprayed edges are great to display, But the familiar smell of libraries and well-read books are still triumphant without further say. Moreover, an author's recipes for controlled disasters may coax me to resist slumbers. Perfect deliveries of slow-burn romances and cliffhangers fuel be

Book Review: Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson | How to Solve a Century-Old Murder as a Teenage Prodigy

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Stevie is experiencing a  My Lottery Dream Home  moment; however, instead of a multi-million dollar prize leading to a new house and bonding time with the show's host David Bromstad, Stevie is enrolling in Ellingham Academy, a school known for teaching the brightest teenagers as well as the site of the near-century-old murder of previous student Dottie Epstein and the kidnappings of the school founder Albert Ellingham's wife and daughter. Both the murders and kidnappings are known to be done by the anonymous Truly Devious -- evidenced by a ransom poem crafted and sent nights before the terrible night in April 1936.  Inclined to solving the school's cold-case with her passion for forensics and with the aid of modern-day technology, Stevie becomes engrossed in a group video project staring the school's Hollywood star Hayes Major. Their focus is to recreate the series as a film showing the unfortunate events after Albert became aware of his wife and daughter's kidnapp

Book Review: I'm a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni | A Slow-Paced Gay Romance Book Attempts To Be A High-Stakes Magical Fantasy

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You try magic once and it sticks to you like glitter glue . . . When Johnny and his best friend, Alison, pass their summer holidays dabbling in magic, they never expect it to have consequences. Sure, it’d be great if they could banish bullies or change their lives for the better, and what harm could come from lighting a few candles and chanting a few spells? When they cause an earthquake that shakes Chicago to its core, they draw the attention of the Marduk Institute, an age-old organization dedicated to fostering the talents of young wizards. Once there, Johnny and Alison are told they can never return to their previous lives, and must quickly adapt to a new world shimmering with monsters, fraternities, and cute boys like Hunter and Blake. But when they’re pulled into an epic, supernatural fight that could cost them both their lives, Johnny and Alison find strength they never knew they had as they battle for love, acceptance, and their own happy ending—all with the help of a little ma

Book Review: The Thorn Queen by Elise Holland | Dull Middle-Grade Fantasy w/Life-Saving Lions

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Welcome to Glendoch! Hidden to most, this glacial world once crackled with alchemy. Now it waits for war—divided and bound by strict rules. So when twelve-year-old Meylyne falls from a tree onto Glendoch’s sickly prince, she must flee or face imprisonment in the Shadow-Cellars. The only way she may return home is with a cure for the prince’s peculiar disease. Convinced she will perish, Meylyne and her companions embark on their journey—and before they know it, they are knee-deep in a plot to sink Glendoch into shadow, like other worlds before it. Poisoned guardians, cursed wizards, and cunning witch-spirits bound into wands are just some of the dangers that dot the way of their travels. And behind it all is the Thorn Queen. Mysteriously magnetic (or murderously vengeful, depending on whose side you’re on), she is always one step ahead of them . . . Discussion: ⭐ DNF - 88% In short, The Thorn Queen  is a very slow book with not much action. Meylyne, the main character, is forced to trav

Ten Enticing "One Day" Novels with INCREDIBLE Pacing and That Caused Me to Forget the World Around Me

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Every Tuesday, Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl hosts Top Ten Tuesday, a series of posts created to appreciate lists of books and reading-related culture. The theme changes every week and is chosen by Jana. Come join our fangirl/boy craziness by naming your top ten favorite short reads in the comments or in your very own blog/social media post! Books and their stories, no matter the length, are extremely attractive. After a long day of work or school, it's only necessary to curl up on the couch and read a fraction of a story before sleeping the night away. However, some nights, the energy to finish a whole book readily flows in your veins and is fueled from the adrenaline of the right story. It's the nail-biting adventure novel with the cliffhanger chapters or the horrific fantasy giving goosebumps or the short king novellas. Whichever book floats your metaphorical boat, I have curated a list to cater to the interests of most readers. Ten genres is definitely not enough to cover

Book Review: A Beautiful Curse by Kenley Davidson | A Mean Frog Finds Love with a Nice Prince

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When a bumbling fairy godfather gifts a humble woodcutter’s fourth child with extraordinary beauty, she spends the next eighteen years trying to hide it—behind a book. Now, Elisette is ready to follow her dreams and become a scholar, but her admirers keep getting in the way of her ambitions. Ellie knows better than to rely on her fairy godfather, but she’s desperate enough to risk asking him for help. The trouble is, Mortimer isn’t feeling very helpful. In fact, he’s downright irritated…  After a bit of vengeful fairy magic, Ellie discovers that webbed feet and green skin are even harder to manage than beauty. No one cares what happens to a frog, except maybe quiet, unassuming Prince Cambren, who has enough troubles of his own.  Will Ellie find a way to break her curse and live happily ever after? Or will she spend the rest of her life eating flies and living in a pond at the back of the palace garden?  Discussion:  " Her fascination with words and books and learning simply d