Review: I'll Give You the Sun

My review of I’ll Give You the Sun, the winner of  2015 Printz award, by Jandy Nelson is below. Those strange noises you hear are nothing to be concerned about…it’s just me crying and dying over this book. 

Summary (from goodreads): Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Thoughts: 

How is it even possible for me to have another book worthy of a re-read? I’ll tell you how, Jandy Nelson decided to write I’ll Give You The Sun. 

Just like Jellicoe Road, I didn’t expect this book to hit me so hard. I didn’t expect to fall in love with this book. I started the book and though I wasn’t confused, it didn’t grab my attention completely. But somehow, the book snuck up behind me and practically consumed me because, once again, I was about 100 pages in and I couldn’t put the book down. (This was an actual problem because I had class at eight in morning after—I almost missed class). 

Past affects the present. Amazing characters and plots. Twins who are willing to do anything and everything. I loved it all. I’m doing my best to keep this spoiler free, people, but it’s so hard. I want to fangirl about everything in this book. 

I once again fell in love with the characters before the plot in this book. At thirteen,  Noah is the person I was when I was in high school (and kinda of even now). Jude was the person I wanted to be. At sixteen, Noah was the person I envied and hated. Jude was the person I wish I was courageous enough to be. 

Ms. Nelson does a perfect job in depicting a brother-sister relationship. I don’t have a twin, but I’m best friends with my younger brother and everything that happened with Jude and Noah—the jealously, the misunderstanding, making each other angry just because they could—I have been through it with my brother.

Then there was their passion for art. Both Noah and Jude are artists and I really connected with that. Now, I’m not an artist—I tried it for a couple of years because my sister was and is really into art—but the passion, devotion, and determination the two twins had. I saw their passion reflected in my own pursuits with writing and that was really cemented my love for the book. 

The plot also helped. I can’t say much without giving everything away, but I’ll put it this way. There’s a reason I loved both I’ll Give You the Sun and Jellicoe Road. There’s a reason I’m willing to read both again. It’s because both books had authors that knew how to tell not just one story, but two. Two stories that are intertwined from root to branch. 

Have you read this amazing book? What did you think? Please tell me you loved it :) 

Review: (On the) Jellicoe Road

This book. This book. (Imagine me shaking the book in front of you.) I never thought I would say it, but I have a favorite book. I don’t even know where to start. Characters, setting, plot, backstory. *Incomprehensible noises* It was all amazing.

Now that I’ve calmed down a little. Here’s my review of On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Summary (from goodreads): I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago.

Taylor is leader of the boarders at the Jellicoe School. She has to keep the upper hand in the territory wars and deal with Jonah Griggs - the enigmatic leader of the cadets, and someone she thought she would never see again.

And now Hannah, the person Taylor had come to rely on, has disappeared. Taylor's only clue is a manuscript about five kids who lived in Jellicoe eighteen years ago. She needs to find out more, but this means confronting her own story, making sense of her strange, recurring dream, and finding her mother - who abandoned her on the Jellicoe Road.

Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars 

Thoughts: 

I would re-read this book. It’s been a good two weeks since I’ve finished this book and I still find myself thinking about it. I’m planning on buying this book and all of Ms. Marchetta’s other books as a graduation gift for myself. This is how much I loved this book. 

The way that Ms. Marchetta weaves two stories together is amazing. I loved how perfectly everything with the two stories was set up. I don’t even know how many hours Melina Marchetta worked to craft this story, but I can tell you it couldn’t have been easy. I loved that as I read the book I could guess what was going to come next. There’s just enough information given to you so you can guess, but the reveal doesn’t come in the book for a couple of pages or even chapters later that you can’t help but doubt yourself. I don’t think I’ve ever been so worried while I was reading a book, honestly. It was predictable, but only because Ms. Marchetta wanted it to be that way. This is how you write an amazing book.

Then the characters. I wanted to be Taylor. I understood Narnie. I fell in love with Jonah. I saw a little bit of myself in every single character and connected to them all. Yes, the plot was amazing and that alone is enough to get you through, but in the beginning when there isn’t much to go on, you read because you love how tough and sassy Taylor is. 

I could go on and on about this book.

But I’m not going to lie. The beginning was confusing. I was frustrated because nothing was explained, but once I got about 100 pages in I was hooked. I literally read the rest of the book in one sitting and the whole time I was screaming at various moments throughout the book. I am so glad I kept reading. 

If you have this on your to-read list, bump it to the top. If you thought about reading it, do it. If you have no clue what this book is, read it. I promise you, you won’t regret it. And even if you do, that’s fine with me. It’s your opinion :) But seriously, read this book. 

Has anyone else read this amazing book? Please tell me I’m not the only one that adores this book? 

Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

This is the review for the third book in The Raven Cycle. If you haven’t read the first two books in this series—The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves— (which I reviewed before) and you don’t like spoilers, stop! I try really hard not to have any spoilers, but I don’t want to upset anyone on the off chance that I did spoil something.  

Summary (from goodreads): There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up. Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.

Mothers can disappear.

Visions can mislead.

Certainties can unravel.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Thoughts: 

It was a great book.

But it was setting up a lot of things. It was like watching a chess player contemplate all the possible moves before he actually moves a piece. Ms. Stiefvater was moving all of the pieces into place with this third book. While it was intriguing to read and I would literally read anything with the Raven Boys and Blue in it, there were sections of the book that dragged a little. 

The reason I got through it was because of Ms. Stiefvater’s writing style. It is amazing as always. I don’t know how she does it, but if I could spend a day in her mind, I would do it. There’s a certain way people view the world and I’m starting to wonder if Ms. Stiefvater’s view is a little tilted (in the best way). 

Other than the plot and writing style, I still loved reading about all the characters. It was yet another reason I couldn’t put the book down despite the plot. I am invested in these characters and I am not afraid to admit. And we get even closer to Blue and how her mind works. It was also great to see Blue and Gansey’s relationship bloom a little more. Adam’s finally taking control. And Ronan is his wonderful Ronan self. 

This book isn’t as great as the previous two, but it still definitely has it’s merits. It’s definitely enough to get all the readers to pick up the fourth and last book of the cycle, for sure. 

What did you think of Blue Lily, Lily Blue? Are you excited as I am to read The Raven King? 

Review: The Dream Thieves

I did a review for The Raven Boys a while ago! I’m going to try to keep this review of The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater  spoiler free, but if you want to be extra careful, I would suggest not reading this review if you haven’t at least read the first book. 

Summary: (from goodreads): Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. 

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. 

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

Rating: 5/5 stars

Thoughts: 

Yes, you saw that right. I’m giving this book 5 stars, which means I would re-read this book and I hate re-reading books. (Let’s be honest, I’m most definitely going buy and re-read this series in the forthcoming years. That’s how much I love The Raven Cycle.)

What’s the reason I’m willing to re-read this book? Two words. Ronan Lynch. 

I love him so much. I didn’t realize I had a favorite Raven Boy until this book. I’m sure a lot of people felt this way. The Raven Boys was a great, interesting beginning, but it was the introduction to the world. We got to know the characters pretty well, but in The Dream Thieves we get to know Ronan very well. 

And everything I learned about him, only made him that much better. He’s a angry, tough guy. You know that from the start, but in the second book in The Raven Cycle, you find out why and how he ended up this way. I wouldn’t mind if there were four books on Ronan alone. That’s how much I love him. 

And it’s not just Ronan. Adam. Gansey. Noah. Blue. I love them so much. I just want to wrap them up in a blanket and hide them. To keep them safe from Stiefvater’s evil clutches.

And when the characters aren’t enough to keep you reading, the plot is. Oh dear, everything just got so much larger with the introduction of new characters and new threats. I couldn’t put this book down. I adored it. I will never not love these books. 

I can’t even formulate the words to review this book well. For that I apologize, but if you haven’t read this series, seriously you need to read it. You won’t regret it. 

What do you think about the 2^nd book in The Raven Cycle? Who else loves Ronan Lynch? (I better see all of your hands in the air, right now.) 

Review: Crash Into You

Happy Valentine’s Day! Even if you don’t have a valentine, I’m sure you have tons of books (who needs anything else). Here’s my review of the romantic, swoon-worthy Crash Into You by Katie McGarry. 

Summary: (from goodreads): The girl with straight A's and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family…and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Rating: 4.0/5.0 stars

Thoughts:

I’m a big fan of Katie McGarry. She pulled me in with Pushing The Limits and Dare You To (the first books in this universe), and I’m glad to say that Crash Into You has gotten ever better. If you need a romantic YA to read, you need to pick up her books.

Yes, Crash Into You has a little bit of “instant-love”. Yes, there’s the classic “bad boy” who cares a lot more than he lets on and “good girl” who wants to break out of her shell.  Yes, its is filled with events that really wouldn’t ever happen in real life (but then again why are we reading fiction if we were satisfied with reality). But I went in knowing and wanting these things when I picked this book up. 

Out of the three books by her I’ve read, Crash Into You is definitely my favorite. It may or may not have to do with my weakness for “bad boys” like Isaiah :). But at the heart of the story, it’s a book about friendships, family, and love. 

I loved reading about how passionate Isaiah and Rachel were about cars. I loved that the book revolved around Rachel trying to live up to her parent’s expectations—what person (teenager or adult) doesn’t have to deal with that. I loved the little snippets of how the other characters were doing.

One of things I didn’t like about the book is how protective the men in Rachel’s life were of her. Not only her brothers and father, but also Isaiah. I think it’s a fine line between overprotectiveness and just plain controlling. The line wasn’t exactly crossed here, but there were moments in the book that I raised my eyebrow at their actions. Aside from that, Crash into You was everything I wanted and needed to read to get out of a slump. It made me flail and squeal and shout at the book, so I’m definitely going to pick up her other books if I wasn’t convinced before. 

Thoughts? Anyone else read Katie McGarry's books?

Review: The Raven Boys

So, I think I’ve decided that I’m going to try and review at least 25 books this year. I see a lot on Twitter that authors appreciate good or bad reviews (but let’s be honest, I’m not critical enough to give a bad review) and I would really love to help authors out. Also I know when I’m on the fence about books, I’ll go look up a review or two to make my final decision, so I hope this helps readers out there too! 

Here’s my review of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. 

Summary: (from goodreads)

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars. 

Thoughts: 

Why didn’t I read this sooner? I’m literally sitting here, trying to figure out where* I got the idea in my head that Maggie Stiefvater isn’t a good writer because I was absolutely blown away by The Raven Boys. It was so creative and unique and overall just amazing. 

While the premise of the novel is what drew me in, the thing that really made me fall in love with this book were the characters. Ms. Stiefvater is genius. I don’t know how she does it, but the characters she’s created were so well-developed. Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. I can’t explain it. I just felt like I could pluck them out of the story and I would be able to have a conversation with them. The only adequate way I could explain how I feel about Blue and the boys would be this: *flail and fangirl*. The characters alone were enough to convince me to read the rest of the series. 

That wasn’t the only element that I loved. The entire plot of The Raven Boys was great. The pacing was perfect (at least perfect for me). To be honest, after finishing the book, I just wanted to curl up with it and cry. Just a little. Because how I can I ever be as good as Ms. Stiefvater? Digression, sorry. 

Another thing I loved about The Raven Boys was just Ms. Stiefvater’s writing style. I’m not one for long descriptions or imagery. A perfect example of this is how I’m not a big fan for Laini Taylor’s writing style (The Daughter of Smoke and Bone) though I do love her stories.  Stiefvater’s style was just creative enough in the combinations of words and creation of similes/metaphors that I actually stopped reading The Raven Boys at times, just to re-read a beautiful piece of prose. I don’t re-read things--it's just not a thing I do. But The Raven Boys made me re-read things and I have a feeling I might re-read this entire book during the summer this year when I have a little more free time. 

For now, I can’t wait to start reading The Dream Thieves (book 2 of The Raven Cycle). 

*After contemplating this for nearly two days, I figured out that one of my friends doesn't like Maggie Stiefvater’s writing style in Shiver and therefore will not read any of her other books. Goes to show you only need a seed to be planted for an idea to form (no matter how wrong said idea is). 

Please tell me you loved The Raven Boys as much as I did! Or feel free to disagree with my opinion. Someone should just comment so I can fangirl about this book. Seriously. 

Review: Burn for Burn

Today, I’m reviewing/recommending Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Here’s the Goodreads summary because if I were to write my own, I feel like I would spoil something, and I really don’t want to do that. (Unless you specifically ask me to spoil something for you. I have no qualms about that as you guys saw from my last blog post)

Summary: (from the goodreads page) 

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds. But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong. 

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate. 

Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.

Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far?

Rating: 4/5 stars. 

Thoughts: 

Let me just start off by saying, that I finished this book in one sitting. Yep, I started at 10 o’clock at night and finished at about 1:45 in the morning. I initially picked up the book because I could tell I was going into a small book slump induced by the massive amounts of fantasy/sci-fi I was reading. Therefore, I wanted a little “slice of life” as my brother calls it. It’s just the way I read books: a "real-life" book thrown into the mix to keep my interest in reading piqued. Even though Burn for Burn isn't completely void of fantasy or magic. 

Either way, I was introduced to Burn for Burn after following Jenny Han on twitter. Burn for Burn actually caught my interest because the premise sounded similar to Revenge (a TV show) and I’m a huge fan of that show. And boy, it didn’t not disappoint. 

It was everything I wanted it to be. It has the perfect amount of revenge so I wasn’t bored and the revenge was the perfect amount of pettiness in combination with things that could actually get them in trouble (like serious trouble). It has amazing characters with rather valid grudges. Also, it definitely helped that one of the three main girls, Lillia, is a Korean American girl (like me!). It’s not something I see a lot in YA books and I really enjoyed it. Furthermore, the pacing was great; pacing is one of those things that make or break a book for me. A lot of books move a little too quickly for me and when it isn’t done right, I feel like I’m just panting for breath after a run. Burn for Burn wasn’t like that. It wasn’t too fast and it wasn’t too slow. It was just right. 

My only complaint was that some of the secondary character’s motivations and behavior felt a little off/fake. I think that will fade as the series goes on. Its a lot to juggle—three main characters and a whole boat of secondary characters. I’m excited to see more of the three main girls and all of the other characters in the second book. 

Last thing, the cliffhanger is practically a siren’s call to read the second book. So, if you’re going to read Burn for Burn, I suggest having the second one as close as possible. I completely regret not checking out Fire with Fire, but have no fear, I’ll be reading it soon! 

For those of you that have read Burn for Burn, what did you guys think? Any other books by Jenny Han or Siobhan Vivian that you would recommend? Any other books like Burn for Burn or Revenge I should pick up? 

Top 5 Books To-Read in 2015

Hello people of planet Earth. I have come to this foreign planet with a very important mission….actually not really. I just want to talk about books again (I love books if you haven’t noticed). So here’s another short and sweet blog post about the Top 5 books I’m looking forward to read in 2015! 

1. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

I’ve recently heard about this book on Twitter and Tumblr. I’m slightly scared about all the hype it’s getting, but I’m really excited to read it. I’m praying it’s as great as it sounds. Not to mention that Sara Raasch seems like an awesome author that’s great about interacting with her readers (always a plus). 

2. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

This beast of a book is definitely one of the first things I’m going to read. I swear Ms. Maas’s books just get better and better. Not to mention that I’ve heard so rather positive/exciting things about Heir of Fire…cough cough Manon and Rowan. 

3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I’m ecstatic that Ms. Bardugo has another book coming out in 2015 and I’m even more excited that it’s set in the Grisha world. I have quite awhile before I can get my hands on this book (it’s released Oct 8^th, 2015), but you can bet money that I’m definitely going to buy it the day it comes out and devour it in one sitting. Also I can't wait for the cover to be released--if it's anything like The Grisha series' covers, it's going to be epic. 

4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

So I first heard about this book after I joined the Twitter universe and the moment I read the blurb, I knew I was going to be reading this book ASAP. I cannot wait until the book is released. Do you see how beautiful and simple the cover is? I really hope it's lives up to all the hype! (But I'm always a sucker for great ideas whether they're executed well or not--sue me :P) 

5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I’m cheating again because with this one, I’m actually really want to read all three companion novels. I love reading contemporary YA novels in between the various dystopias and fantasy novels. I’ve been itching to read these for a while now and can’t wait to get my hands on them.

Bonus: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

I haven’t read anything by Susan Dennard, but I do read her blog a lot and everything she’s posted about this book/series seems awesome. I can’t wait to read this and I really really hope it doesn’t get pushed by to 2016. I don’t know if I can wait that long. Also I'm really sad that it doesn't have a cover yet. 

What books are you looking forward to read now that 2015 has rolled around?Any other books I need to add to my to-read pile? Don’t be afraid to comment below! 

Top 5 Books I Read in 2014

Hi! So 2014 is coming to an end. I honestly don’t know where the year went. It’s already December! My semester is technically over. I mean I still have finals to get through, so this blog post is going to be pretty short and sweet. I’m going to make a point not to mention anything that spoils the books so don’t worry! (All the links are to the Goodreads pages btw.)

1. In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

This shouldn’t be that big of a surprise that this is number one. I really love this series and the author. I made a post about it here. It was honestly the best ending to a trilogy I’ve read in a while. Seriously, go read this book! You won’t regret it, I swear!

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I love Rainbow Rowell’s books. I know Eleanor and Park is more popular than this one, but I think Fangirl deserves a little more love. It had be squealing in my bed as I read it. I definitely recommend it to anyone in college because Ms. Rowell has a knack for capturing the college life (eating granola bars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—definitely did that my first year of college). 

3. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

This is the third book and ending to The Grisha series. I’m really glad I finally read the second and third book to this series. Ms. Bardugo’s worldbuilding is amazing. I'm sad this series if over, but I am so excited for another series set in the Grisha world called Six of Crows!

4. Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

This is the fifth book in the Bloodlines series (which is companion series to Vampire Academy series). Let’s just say that I read both series in the span of a month this year. My only regret is that I didn’t know about these books sooner! I can't wait to read the last book to the Bloodlines series, The Ruby Circle. 

5. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

This is the second book in the Cinder series and while I loved Cinder. I loved Scarlet even more. If you haven’t heard about these books, but like fairytale retellings with a sci-fi twist, I would definitely pick them up over the holidays! 

Bonus: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

This book doesn’t make my top five, but I had to have it on here because…well just because! It’s the prequel to the Throne of Glass series. It gave me great insight into the main character, Celaena. Ms. Maas' novels just get better and better. Also how amazing is this cover? 

Thanks for reading! What are some of your favorite books you read in 2014? I would love book recommendations for 2015! Comment below!

BR: The Darkest Minds Series

Whenever the post title has BR, it’s going to stand for a book recommendation/review. So if you see BR and know it’s not your thing, you can just close the window if you want, no hard feelings! 

Now that’s out of the way….Where do I even start explaining how much I love this series? 

The Darkest Minds (1) Never Fade (2) In The Afterlight (3) is a series written by one of my favorite authors Alexandra Bracken. It’s a dystopian trilogy where the majority of children in the US have IAAN (Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration). There’s only two outcomes when the children have IAAN: they either die or obtain Psi abilities classified into the groups Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, and Blue (why does it feel like I’m in microbiology class? Though the alternative to death was never as cool as developing mind powers or anything.). The kids that survive IAAN are considered to be a danger and under the guise of rehabilitation, they are taken to camps where they endure mistreatment, etc. The main character is Ruby Daly and the series is all about what trouble she runs into as she lives her life as a Psi. 

Now onto why I recommend reading this series. This is only a small list because honestly I can talk about these books for days. 

1. The Darkest Minds series is the reason I love dystopias. It was written so well. It’s the exact reason I still buy or check out every YA dystopia even though the market is saturated with them. When they’re done well, they just make me squeal. If you have any interest in dystopias, but find yourself a little tired of the typical ones, pick this book up! 

2. The characters. Ruby, Chubs, Liam, Zu, and many others…I adore them so much. From the first time the main four characters were introduced, they were written so well. Realistic, complex, three-dimensional—Ms. Bracken has a skill in creating distinct characters and it really pulls you into the story. 

3. Who doesn’t want to read about kids with awesome powers: pyrokinesis, mind control, electrokinesis (I’m not sure if this is actually a word, but basically the ability to control electricity), enhanced intelligence, and telekinesis.

4. It’s a finished series now, so you don’t have to suffer like I did waiting a year for each book to be published. Go out and buy all three. I’m warning you now. It’s in your best interest that you just buy all three so you don’t even have to suffer the car ride to your local Barnes and Noble or local indie store to get the next book. 

5.  I really admire Alexandra Bracken (if you haven’t noticed). I love the way she writes and I love that she does her research (regarding IAAN especially in the 3^rd book—biochemist/pre-med in me really appreciates that she didn’t just leave the science out of the series). Most of all, she really cares about her fans. She’s active on Tumblr and Twitter—I mean she retweeted me and answered a question on Tumblr. It’s the first time I reached out to connect with the author of a series I loved and Ms. Bracken exceeded my expectations. If I can just have a fraction of her writing ability, I would be satisfied with my writing (well not really, but I would be happier :D) 

6. Bonus: The book titles make a sentence! The Darkest Minds Never Fade In The Afterlight. How awesome is that? 

Seriously, I really recommend that you read this series. You will not regret it. Let’s just put it this way, I will be buying anything Ms. Bracken writes until there’s nothing left. 

Have any of you read this series? Or are you now interested in reading it after this blogpost? Comment below! I would love to fangirl about The Darkest Minds.