Book Review

Leah On The Offbeat | Becky Albertalli

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35820414Pages: 368

Synopsis: Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.

When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.

So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended. (Goodreads)

Review:  stars stars stars /5

This book was one of my most anticipated reads this year. This was a book I bought on a release day. This very rarely happens. However, this book was over hyped for me. I wanted more from this book.

I really enjoyed our main character, she was such a kickass, firey, female lead. I saw a lot of myself in her. I enjoyed that this character was portrayed as a larger girl. I really enjoyed that there was a lot of LGBTQ+ representation which played a huge role in this story as the main character is trying to figure out her own sexuality.  I think is important to have LGBTQ+ representation just to be more aware of and know about because it is something that our society is open about. I also think that young adult and middle-grade books and media need to be putting out LGBTQ+ content because this is the most confusing age for people when they are coming out, or having feelings about the same gender. I think that books are a good way to offer support and make people feel like they are not alone.

I struggled to get behind the main character love interest. I loved it when the characters finally got together, but the process that made them get together was extremely long and overly dramatic. It also hurt a lot of people, which took away from the whimsical feel that I had after reading “Simon and the Homosapien Agenda”. I also felt that there were a lot of loose ends at the end that were not tied together. I was left with a lot of questions about what was going on with the other characters in the book.

I think that a major reason I gave this book a 3/5 is that it went back and forth on the development of relationships. The character would make progress in their relationship and then a few scenes later take a step back. It seemed that the relationships were constantly being started over, and although I enjoyed that this whole book is not a fluffy love story. I think it did do a good job of showing how one may be unsure of their sexuality and it supported that idea really well. I just didn’t agree on how that influenced the other characters I felt that a lot of the characters got hurt, and some of the hurt could have been lessened if the events played out differently.

I also did not like that there were a lot of loose ends at the end. There were many characters that didn’t get the proper closure that they should have. However,  I was pleased with the end result of the book between Leah and her love interest.

Leave me a comment down below letting me know if you read this book and if you liked it.

With Warm Cups of Tea and Just a Few More Chapters,

Rina

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Book Review

Now or Never: 5 Steps to an Epic Life| Book Review

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Now or NeverAuthor: Alexi Panos & Preston Smiles

Pages:  240

Format Devoured: Audio Book

Synopsis: Alexi Panos and Preston Smiles, the internationally recognized next generation thought leaders, redefine what’s possible in relationships, career, and life.

Alexi and Preston went through periods in each of their lives where they felt like they were doing all the right things, but never got the desired results. They read all the best books in self-empowerment and positive thinking, took classes, and sought advice, but there was always something missing. After all of their soul-searching and personal development, they realized that they were missing a connection between mind, body, and soul.

Based on their 12-week successful online program The Bridge Method, Now or Never combines the couple’s years of training into five principles that can help you navigate the real world, learn how to overcome your inner obstacles, and become your best self. Filled with narratives and stories from the duo’s own lives as well as from those they have helped along the way, Now or Never shares exercises, insights, and challenges to help you attain the personal freedom you have always been seeking.

If you want to lead an ideal life, you must become the best version of yourself. Alexi and Preston can be your guides. Choose your life. It’s now or never.

Bookish Thoughts:

This was good. It had a lot of great information and easy to follow prompts to get you thinking about the ideas that were presented in this book. I would love to own the physical copy of this book to mark up all my favorite lines and go back to reference information.

This was a book that was realistic in terms of how you can use the information in this book in your day to day life and it got you thinking about the things you would like to change while prompting you with how you can make those things a reality. I really enjoyed the little prompt questions at the end of each chapter because as a reader you are able to physically use the information rather than just absorb it.

The audiobook was enjoyable and read like a light radio show.

Fitness Journey

Oh, Hey!! Let’s be Vulnerable|Fitness Journey

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I have been sitting on this idea for quite some time.  If you follow any of my social media you may know that I have been working on my own fitness journey for about a year now. This is something so personal to me, that it takes a lot to share this. But, I think its time to share, the good, the bad, the dark and the ugly. It scares me to be transparent about this. But, I feel since I do share a lot of my fitness routines on social media, I feel like I should share this as part of the blog.

This blog has always been my safe zone, my outlet for expression and although it terrifies me to share things other than books on here, I feel like this is an important journey that I would like to have documented.

I guess we should start at the beginning. As a child, the youngest I can personally remember myself is being around is 3 or 4, when my family took me to a summer home. To be honest the details are a little fuzzy. But, I remember clearly that eating food was not my idea of fun during that tender age. I was more interested in the butterflies that were flying around, or the bunny that hopped by. I would not sit still for a single moment. My mom likes to say that she would run after me with a spoon in her hand (in the literal sense- this actually happened) while I would be running around. Can you just imagine how long it took my poor mom to feed me a spoonful of soup? But, I sure kept her lean, as she ran around after me.

The food in Ukraine was so different from food in America. As I am told apples were a treat and hard to come by. But, the account of food that I do remember is lots of different soups, soups for all occasions. Chicken noodle has and will always be my favorite, and not that fake chicken noodle out of the can- the chicken noodle soup made of fresh ingredients and boiled carrots with thin little noodles. There was always a spoonful of love in that chicken noodle soup. The beautiful part of food in Ukraine there was no preservatives, a lot of the food was homemade and sold at the local markets. For example fresh made cottage cheese, let me tell you that stuff is to die for when made right.

I remember that for my fifth birthday- the first Mcdonalds opened. That is where I had my birthday lunch. My first happy meal- the food tasted so much different than the McDonalds food I would later try in California. I don’t know how Mcdonald’s food is distributed but I am a strong believer that the European McDonald’s food quality is a lot better than in the United States.

Then, a couple weeks later after my fifth birthday, we moved to San Diego. McDonald’s was on every corner, Pizza was served at every birthday party – no more glorious Russian food feasts, and very few people who drink tea after every single meal. My taste buds adapted very quickly and after a few weeks the tears that were cried because I refused to eat pizza, burgers etc, became pleas to be taken to Wendy’s as a treat. Life sure began to be different….

Stay tuned for the next installment!!

With warm cups of tea and a few more bites,

Rina

Lifestyle

Life Changes & Rebranding| 2018

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Knights and Ladies,

I think there is something in the air, something wonderful.

I want to start this post by saying thank you, thank you for every single person that is subscribed whether by  e-mail, or wordpress. Thank you to every single person who has ever read any of my posts. I have been so blessed to have this space as a creative outlet.

However, you may have noticed there have been a few slight changes being made to the site. You will still be getting book content if you subscribed to me for that, that is not going away. However, I want to add more lifestyle and fitness journey entries here as well. I have contemplated starting a completely different site for all my fitness updates however that just sounded silly to me as I am not a one-dimensional person and have a lot of different things that I am curious about and interested in. I want this to be a safe space.

When I started this website, it was with the intention to inspire people to read more and read more diversely and although that is one of my purposes in running this site. I am finding that I am human and I use my time not only reading but taking a bunch of classes, working out, cooking, traveling, etc.

Which brings me to the following- I haven’t been reading as much as I used too. I have been traveling and going to events. Especially, this current summer I feel like I have an event almost every weekend. So, I would like to create more vlogs- event and travel vlogs and add some reading vlogs in the mix of things. I don’t want to have to limit the things that I can talk about on this platform just because this started as a book blog.

If you are here for book content only there is a tab at the top of the page for book content, this also goes along for fitness and lifestyle. I think that we all have a lot more in common than we think and by merging all my interest together, I feel like I will have a better space to share my adventures.

Thank you for all your support and love,

With warms cups of tea and just a few more  chapters  adventures,

Rina

 

#booktube · currently reading · weekly goals

Weekly Goals and Currently Reading #1 | June 2018

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Hey Bibliomanics,

I went to vidcon and came home extremely inspired. Since my 3-month hiatus, I have created a new video and I am excited to start creating more content. Thank you to everyone that has stuck with me through this crazy wonderful journey. I love editing videos and being creative while sharing my creativity with the world. I am still learning my elements but I am blessed to have this outlet.

Today’s video is a weekly goal’s and a currently reading, where I share with you what my goals are for this week and what I am currently reading as getting a lot of reading in is always a goal for me.

With Warm cups of tea and just a few more chapters,

Rina

 

Book Review

Matilda by Roald Dahl | Book Review

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MatildaPages: 240

Published: June 1, 1998

Publisher: Puffin Books

Synopsis: Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she’s knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she’s a super-nerd and the teacher’s pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda’s world. For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there’s the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Miss (“The”) Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.

She warms up with some practical jokes aimed at her hapless parents, but the true test comes when she rallies in defense of her teacher, the sweet Miss Honey, against the diabolical Trunchbull. There is never any doubt that Matilda will carry the day. Even so, this wonderful story is far from predictable. Roald Dahl, while keeping the plot moving imaginatively, also has an unerring ear for emotional truth. The reader cares about Matilda because in addition to all her other gifts, she has real feelings. (Goodreads)

My Bookish Thoughts: 

This is one of my rereads for this year. I have always loved this book, and it is so near and dear to my heart. I have read it several times in my life. This book tells a story of a young girl named Matilda who is a lot wiser than her age.

I feel like this particular book is very much character driven. I initially connected with Matilda through her love of books. I visually can picture the first few chapters of the book so vividly in my mind and how Matilda goes to the library while her mom is out playing bingo. This book has stuck with me from the first time that I have read it back in elementary school until now.

I love how whimsical characters are. Matilda plays a lot of pranks on the evil Trunchbull. Matilda likes justice and throughout the book whenever the Trunchbull does something that seems to be unfair Matilda is the one to try to get revenge on the Trunchbull.

I really enjoyed the magical element in this book it really ties everything nicely together and gives the book a satisfying conclusion. I really enjoyed having Kate Winslet narrate the audiobook. She is such a fabulous narrator for this particular book. She brought all the characters and situations to life and it was very enjoyable.  If you have not read this, what are you doing? You are literally missing out on a childhood favorite. Go check it out. Right now!!!

With Warm Cups of Tea and Just a Few More Chapters,

Rina

 

Book Review

Wonderwoman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo |Book Review

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WarbringerPages: 364

Published: August 28, 2017

Publisher: Random House Children’s Publishing

Synopsis:  Daughter of immortals.

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Daughter of death.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war. (Goodreads)

My Bookish Thoughts:

This book has been sitting on my shelf for such a long time. I remember that I bought it right when it came out because of the cover art on this book. It is absolutely gorgeous. Also, it was written by Leigh Bardugo whom I have read in the past so, I had rather high expectations for this book.

Honestly, I was quite disappointed. I wanted this to be more of an origin tale about wonder woman and how the Amazons came to be. But, this was not that at all. In fact, I felt that Diana wasn’t even the main character of the novel. This was quite a let down for me.

If you are expecting this to be solely about Wonder woman, I have to say you may be disappointed with this book. As it really follows our main character Alia,  who is wanted dead because she is supposed to be the next warbringer, meaning she causes people around her to become angry which leads to the outbreak of war. Diana is determined to find a way to save Alia from the curse of being the warbringer.

This book wasn’t terrible but if you are a fan of Leigh Bardugo, I feel you may notice that the writing style in this book seems to be a little forced and not her regular enticing writing as in “Shadow and Bone”. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters and honestly could have cared less if anyone died in the book. Also, the storyline was overly complicated and it really didn’t need to be. I think that if the book just told the history of Diana and her entrance into the human world halfway through the novel, the story would have been more enjoyable. I wanted more backstory on her life as an Amazon, vs Diana running around New York.  Diana, had the potential of being this kick-ass character. And although she had a few high action scenes in this novel, I felt it didn’t really do her justice.

This is the second time that I picked this book up. The first time that I tried reading it I couldn’t get past the first chapter. This time around it helped that I listened to the audiobook because I feel like I would have personally dnf’ed it had I been reading the physical copy. It honestly didn’t capture my attention from the very beginning and I only continued with the audiobook because it was going by a lot faster. I noticed that I had to relisten to some portions because I would miss a few details. But, it held my attention better as an audiobook.

This book was just meh.  I’m glad to have it off my TBR (To be read) shelf. But, it just was disappointing, it dragged in a lot of parts and I couldn’t relate to any of the characters or world building in this book. This book had so much potential, as being an origin story but it just felt like nothing really happened for the majority of the book. The major action-packed scene occurred with 21 minutes left in the audiobook. And the ending of the book seemed to just resolve way to easily and quickly.

In conclusion, it was just meh… I loved that Young Adult literature tried to play around with iconic D.C. Characters but, it just ended up being flat. If you loved the movie “Wonder Woman”, I would honestly skip this read. But, the cover was HELLA pretty!!!

With Warm Cups of Tea and Just A Few More Chapters,

Rina

Uncategorized

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy)| Book Review (Contains Spoilers if you haven’t read the previous books)

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shadow kissPages: 443

Published: January 2, 2008

Publisher: Razorbill

Synopsis: WHAT IF FOLLOWING HER HEART MEANS ROSE COULD LOSE HER BEST FRIEND FOREVER?

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires – the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

Rose knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa – the last Dragomir princess – must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken…

Then a strange darkness begins to grow in Rose’s mind, and ghostly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy’s iron gates. The immortal undead are closing in, and they want vengeance for the lives Rose has stolen. In a heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmares, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most… but will her choice mean that only one can survive? (Goodreads)

My Bookish Thoughts:

I have read so many books in this series lately that I have just gotten myself immersed in the story. The anticipation of the storyline gets more and more intense with each book. There is just so much going on.

Throughout Shadowkiss, the main character Rose struggles with being a good guardian. In an assignment that is assigned to all the Dhampirs in their third year which is to protect a Moroi while the staff stage sneak attacks on them as if they were out in the real world battling Strigoi. However, Rose finds herself not only dealing with the staged attacks but also with spirits (ghosts) that begin to haunt her. As Rose figures out what is happening to her and why these spirits are contacting her, the Strigoi become an active threat to the academy. Mix in a forbidden love and you have one enticing tale.

I loved this book, I love this series. I have not read a series back to back in such a long time. I have been borrowing this series from the library.( YAY support your local libraries!!!) I used to own this series but the books sat on my shelf for so long that I ended up giving them away last year when I moved out because I was trying to be a minimalist but honestly who did I think I was kidding…

I really enjoyed that this books always has a flashback to the previous book. So, if it has been a while since you read the previous book the author makes sure that there are a few paragraphs at the beginning of the novel that recap what happened in the previous book.

I found this book to be addicting. I could not stop reading it. I was rooting for Rose and Dimitri’s relationship. Their relationship is forbidden and the character fight with their inner self in order to stay away from one another. But, their draw to one another is just too intense and they can’t help but want to be together. I was fangirling hard. There is also, another character introduced that happens to create a love triangle in this particular book and that is Adrian, a royal morori that the vampire queen has special plans for.

Lissa was one of those central characters that has an influence on everything that happens to the other characters yet she is slightly on the sidelines because the storyline is not mainly about her. I really enjoyed watching how her interaction with the other characters has a cause and effect.

The series just gets better and better as the books go on. This book is full action, twists and turns, and a romance which makes this series so difficult to put down. I think that the fact that the series keeps getting better and better with each book speaks for itself. You must check this series out, one of the best Vampire young adult series there is out there.

Have you read the Vampire Academy? Did you find them addicting?

Any fast paced books that you think I would enjoy? Leave a comment down below.

With Warm Cups of Tea and just a Few More Chapters,

Rina

 

Book Review

Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli | Book Review

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simon vs the homosapien agenda

Pages: 303

Publisher: Blazer & Bray

Published: April 7, 2015

Synopsis:Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama f

or the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met. (Goodreads)

My Bookish Thoughts:

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this book when I picked it up. My initial interest was sparked when I found out that there was going to be a movie based on this book.

I picked it up as an audiobook from SCRIBD. And it was very enjoyable.  This book is a coming of age story about two male high schoolers who have been talking via email, as they establish a relationship and face the struggle of coming out. But there is a twist, our main character Simon Spier has his e-mail fall into the wrong hands and all of a sudden he has to face being blackmailed and risk having his email messages leaked to the entire school. And although he isn’t ready to be out himself, he is more worried about outing the boy that he has been talking too.

 

This book is written in an upbeat and very fun writing style. Becky Albertalli really sucks you into the story. There is a little mystery involved because the main character doesn’t know who the person is that he has been emailing too, all he knows is that the other person is a male and goes to his school.

I really enjoyed that this story wasn’t superficial. There was no instant love. The two main characters didn’t know what the other person looked like until almost the end of the novel which I thought was an honestly a very fresh way of writing a YA love story. I loved that this story showed that there is so much more than falling in love with a person’s outer shell, and how important it is to fall in love with the inner shell first.

This story I think teaches a lot about not only love romantically but how to learn to love yourself too. Throughout the e-mails that the two characters send to one another, they acknowledge their past relationships and why they didn’t work out and they stop shaming themselves in thinking that something is wrong with them. I think this is such an important message for today’s youth.

There is a lot of diversity in this book which should be noted, there are colored characters and LGBTQ+ representation. And all of it is done so perfectly. This also has healthy relationship representation which is important to note as well.

I enjoyed my experience with this book, I can’t wait to see the movie. If you are planning on settling down with this book I recommend you have your oreo cookies out and your tissues on hand because if you are like me, you will tear up at some of the cute little parts in this book.

Overall, good read, good representation, good audiobook.

With Warm Cups Of Tea and Just a Few More Chapters,

Rina

Book Review

Frostbite By Richelle Mead| Book Review

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FrostbitePaperback, 327 pages
Published April 10th 2008 by Razorbill (first published April 1st 2008)

Synopsis:

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price… (Goodreads)

Rating: starsstarsstarsstarsstars/5

Review:

Hey Biblimanics,

Today I bring to you my thoughts on Frostbite by Richelle Mead. To be quite honest I picked this book up on a whim. I couldn’t get into anything after finishing “The Great Gatsby”. I also wanted something that was fun and didn’t take much brain power to get through. This was such an enjoyable read. If you are a fan of “Twilight” or vampires this is a read for you.

This is a second book in the series. The first book “The Vampire Academy”, I read a long time ago. For some reason, I never continued on with the series. That book spent a lot of time setting up the world building and relationships. This second book was just a mind whirl. It was excellent, as we continue to learn more about the characters and watch them develop into individuals, while a crisis breaks out where someone is murdering the royal vampire families. The students of St. Vladimir’s have to go into hiding in a safe ski resort for the Holiday/ Christmas break. You would think that everything would be smooth sailing from there but that is where we are so wrong. Chaos unleashes and Rose once again decides to save the day.

Let me just say, this book is full of romance. The relationship between Dimitri and Rose is literally to die for. This ship, literally makes you feel all of the emotions. There is so much love, yet the two characters struggle with keep strict boundaries between one another because they lead a student/ mentor relationship. But, every time that Dimitri was in a scene I couldn’t put this book down. I was fangirling so hard. I feel like this particular novel is heavily character driven.

Rose grew so much in this book, and although she still had her spunky banter, you can tell she was talking her role of guardian in training more seriously.  I felt there was a lot of emotion in this book. I related to Rose, she seemed like a character that had things from romance to friends to school issues going and she handled them how a person who is stressed out would. I felt like all her issues never just had a fast solution, the character really had to figure things out for herself.

This novel is also action-packed, from combat practices gone wrong to a bad-ass sword battle. I lived for all the little action moments. They were done so well, I never felt like the action was just randomly placed. It was well, thought out.

I loved that the book tied up loose ends. The ending definitely made me want to continue on with the series but, this book was complete. I never got the feeling like there was more that I wanted out of it. I think that the ending did a great job to set up for the next book to pick up without the reader feeling disappointed. And boyyy, let me just say the ending gave me so many feels. The last 100 pages I feel just went by so fast. They were emotional and action packed which made this book extremely enjoyable and I highly recommend if you like romance and vampires to pick this one up.