Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Published February 5, 2013 by Feiwel and Friends
#2 in the Lunar Chronicles
5 Stars

Goodreads Review
The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Review:  Scarlet is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  I read the first book, Cinder, last year when it came out and I absolutely loved it.  In fact it was my second favorite book of 2012 so to say that my expectations for Scarlet were high is a bit of an understatement.  However I'm very pleased to report that Scarlet definitely lived up to my expectations!  The Lunar Chronicles is quickly becoming one of my favorite YA series.  (FYI this review might have some spoilers for Cinder, so you have been warned).

Scarlet picks up directly after the ending of Cinder.  What's interesting in Scarlet is instead of just following Cinder's story we are following three different characters, Cinder who is busting out of jail, Prince Kai who is trying to deal with the evil Queen Levana, and a new character named Scarlet who lives in France and delivers vegetables from her grandmother's farm.  I wasn't too sure how I would feel about the POV changes, but I think they were done very smoothly though I have to admit I enjoyed my homegirl Cinder's story more.

I did like the new characters, espeically Scarlet and Thorne (another prisoner who escapes with Cinder and really reminds me of Captain Jack Harkness).  However because Scarlet and Cinder don't come together until the very end of the novel I don't think we get the same level of attention paid to the new characters.  I didn't buy into Scarlet and Wolf's relationship the same way I did with Cinder and Kai. 

My favorite thing about Scarlet though is the introduction to the big plot.  Cinder was an introduction to the world and the main characters but in Scarlet we really get our first glimpse at just how bad the Lunars are and how dangerous Cinder's situation really is.  I also really LOVED the ending but the "big reveal"?  Yeah totally saw that one coming lol.

Overall Scarlet and the Lunar Chronicles as a whole are some of the best YA novels out there.  The balance of the fairy tales that we all know and love with the completely new world Meyer has created is fantastic and comes together to create a wholly original story.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Published September 18, 2012 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

#1 in The Diviners series

5 stars

Goodreads Review
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Review:  The Diviners by Libba Bray is a dense book. This is by far one of the most historically rich young adult books I have ever read. The amount of effort and research Bray put into The Diviners is immediately apparent. Not only do we get the more surface historical elements such as bobbed hair and flappers and speakeasies, but we also get the political, social, and economic climate of the time period in a masterfully subtle way. I think that is the greatest strength of The Diviners. The historical elements are fully integrated into the story in a beautifully seamless way.

Besides the awesome historical element, I really enjoyed the occult aspect to The Diviners. I loved "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies" as well as the various rituals and ghosty things that happen. I think there's a wonderful blend of fact and fiction that creates a really interesting story. I think some people may be initially turned off by the occult elements, but I think if you just remember that this is 100% fictional it will be ok. (I personally love creepy Halloween stuff so that was a huge selling point for me).

Now let's just take a minute to discuss Naughty John. That is one CREEPY mofo. Seriously, Naughty John is one of the best villains I have ever read. I would say he is on par with Stephen King's ghostly bad guys, which are really about as good as you can get. I think a lot villains in YA are watered down but not Naughty John. He's a great villain and I'm really excited when YA authors take their villain out of the box the way Bray did.

The other characters were also wonderful. I really liked Evie, even if she started off rather shallow, I think there will be a lot of growth with her character. I also really liked Theta and Mable, Evie's two friends. I liked their friendship a lot. I've said it before, but I love YA that has girls being friends with other girls. I think it's really important to include in YA and I think The Diviners does a great job.

My only real complaint about The Diviners is the sheer density of the book. Not only is it almost 600 pages, but the story is so full of background and historical elements that it can be a little daunting. This really isn't a negative, more of an observation that The Diviners was a slow burn for me.

Overall The Diviners is an impressive YA novel and really stands above a lot of historical fiction (YA or not). The excellent paranormal mystery woven into one of the most comprehensive historical novels that I've ever read makes The Diviners by Libba Bray an achievement for the YA genre.

May 2013 New Reads

Hi everyone!  Long time no post!  I only wrote 3 posts in April and only 1 of them had anything to do with reading.  I guess I was just feeling the blog burnout and had to take some time to myself.  I think that's really important with blogging and youtubing because these ultimately are things I do for fun.  It's important to take breaks when things aren't so fun anymore.

Well, it's a new month and I feel refreshed, so let's talk about upcoming releases!

May 7

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

Why I'm Excited: I've played piano since I was 5 years old. For me it's always been about emotions and has really been a form of creative therapy. I feel really lucky that my parents never put expectations on me to perform at a certain level. I'm really interested to see if Lucy can learn to just love music (I only hope it doesn't become some freaky sexual relationship type story. I'd be really annoyed).









The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
#1 in The Fifth Wave series

Why I'm Excited:  The 5th Wave has been making a lot of buzz already, and I have to admit I am very intrigued.  I've had multiple book sellers freak out over this book and tell me how absolutely amazing it is.  I will be in the book store picking it up the day it comes out.











May 14

Golden by Jessi Kirby

Why I'm Excited:  Golden sounds like a really cool mystery.  I really like the main character and it sounds like there is a lot of potential for character development.














May 21

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Why I'm Excited:  I was so lucky to get an ARC of Transparent.  It sounds absolutely amazing.  I love a good organized crime drama and the added twist of invisibility makes Transparent sound so awesome.













May 28
Impostor by Susanne Winnacker
#1 in the Variants

Why I'm Excited:  This sounds like a really cool science fiction novel.  I love the FBI aspect.  It sounds so cool!














Other Notable Releases

May 7 - The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher
              The Savage Blue by Zoraida Cordova
              The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller
              Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
              The Originals by Cat Patrick
              If I Should Die by Amy Plum
              Loki's Wolves by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr

May 14 - School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

May 28 - Of Triton by Anna Banks
                The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross
                Dare You To by Katie McGarry
                Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Zombies, Run! 5k app Week 8

This is it.  The FINAL WEEK!  8 weeks of training have come down to this.  I was equal parts excited and afraid for week 8, largely because it started off with the longest free form run yet.

Each day had a different program, so day 1 was as follows:

• 5 minute walk
• 5 minute free form run
• 2 minute stretch
• 20 minute free form run
• 5 minute stretch
• 5 minute free form run
• 3 minute stretch
• 5 minute free form run

That 20 minute free form run scared me like no other.  I have NEVER run for 20 minutes consecutively, not even close.  Well, I didn't quite make it the full 20 minutes, but I ran a total of 33 minutes out of the 35, so I think that's pretty admirable.  I did 3.45 miles in 50 minutes (40 minutes if you count out the stretching time) which I think is pretty damn good!

Day 2 turned out to be a much longer run than I anticipated, with training as below:

• 10 minute walk (even though the task lists say 5 minutes, it was 10)
• 10 minute free form run
• 3 minute stretch
• 2 sets of 10 minute free form run 5 minute walk
• 5 minute run

I ended up doubling past my apartment twice lol.  One thing that I was very proud of myself for was I ran every free form run without stopping.  I ended up running 4.3 miles in 58 minutes (or 55 minutes) which was pretty awesome.

And then came the final day.  I decided that I would try and run 3.1 miles (or a full 5k) as quickly as I could and then I would walk for the rest of the mission as a reward.  Well, not only did I run 3.1 miles, I did it without stopping.  O.O  I know!  I couldn't believe it.  AND get this...3.1 miles in 37 MINUTES.  37!!!!  That's only 7 minutes away from my ultimate goal and I still have 2.5 months until my race.

Overall I think the Zombies, Run! 5k app is really great.  I have never found a running app that had me motivated to run 3-5 times a week.  I am excited to finish the main app and to start new missions on April 16th!

Zombies, Run! 5k app Week 7

Only one week left!  I'm so proud of myself for completing this challenge so far.  I can't believe I'm almost done!  Week 7 was in some ways easier than week 6 and in some ways more difficult.  The training was as follows:

• 10 minute warm up walk
• 5 minute free form run
• 5 sets 1 minute walking 15 seconds skipping
• 5 minute free form run
• 2 sets 3 minute stretch 5 minute free form run

Let me just say that skipping is HARD.  This week was difficult because there wasn't any walking breaks during the interval training.  I will admit that I didn't skip every time.  However I did run during all of the free form runs.  Each day I ran right around 3 miles in around 45 minutes, but if you take out the time spent stretching that's around 37-40 minutes, so my 5k time is improving. 

Only one week left!  I think at the end of my training I'll try and run a 5k just straight and see what my final time is.  I'm shooting for around 35 minutes, I CAN DO IT!!!!

 

April 2013 New Reads

Here is a list of my top 5 most anticipated releases for April as well as some other notable releases for the month. Which books are you excited for?

April 2

Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Why I'm Excited:  First of all this cover is wonderful.  Stung also sounds like an interesting sci-fi mystery and I'm curious to see what happens.














Light my Michael Grant
#6 in the Gone series

Why i'm Excited:  Light is the final book in a highly praised series.  I really need to start this series soon and now that the final book is out I think I will.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Why I'm Excited:  This is What Happy Looks Like sounds a bit like You've Got Mail for teens.  I think this will be a cute and quick read.















April 23

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta
#3 in the Lumatere Chronicles

Why I'm Excited:  Ok I'll admit it.  I've never read anything by Melina Marchetta.  I know, I know.  I'm ashamed and I hope to rectify this soon!













April 30

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
#2 in the Blood of Eden series

Why I'm Excited:  I absolutely loved the first book in the series, The Immortal Rules, and I'm super excited to continue this series.














Other Notable Releases

April 2 - The Rising by Kelly Armstrong
              Rise by Anna Carey
             The Collector by Victoria Scott
              Dark Triumph by R.L. LaFevers

April 4 - Fractured by Teri Terry

April 8 - Renegade by Amy Carol Reeves
              The Stone Demon by Karen Mahoney
              Moonset by Scott Tracey

April 9 - Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

April 16 - The Game by Barry Lyga
                True by Hilary Duff
                 Taken by Erin Bowman
                Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

April 23 - The Elite by Kiera Cass
                 Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

April 30 - Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
                The Program by Suzanne Young

Zombies, Run! 5k app Week 6

Hi everyone!  Sorry I haven't posted all week, I've been fully engrossed in a little video game called Bioshock Infinite (maybe you've heard of it?) and have barely had free time to eat food, let alone blog.  But now that I've beaten the game (amazing btw) I can go back to normal life, like blogging.  Also showering.

Week 6 was one of my best weeks yet.  The weather started off cold, but I not only ran some of the longest distances of the program, but I also ran at a really good pace.  Week 6's training consists of:

• 5 minute walk warm up 
• 10 minute free form run 
• 10 squats 
• 2 sets 30 seconds stretching 10 squats 
• 5 minute fast walk 
• 7 minute free form run 
• 2 sets 2 minute stretch 7 minute free form run

My first day was really cold and windy but I managed to do 4.2 miles in 58 minutes.  By day 2 the weather had warmed up considerably and I ran 4.12 miles in 55 minutes, setting my best pace for the past month.  Day 3 I followed the exact same route and did 4.12 miles in 55 minutes.  

I do have a new problem with the app.  When the audio logs for the story play the don't pause the music, just kind of turn it down into background noise.  Usually that isn't a problem but if the character is whispering or supposed to be further away their recording is muffled and with the music it's practically impossible to hear.  That is really frustrating for me because I have no way of controlling the volume or pausing the music myself. 

Other than audio issues I really think this was one of the best weeks ever for my training.  I'm very proud of myself and I really think I'm improving :)