Tuesday 31 May 2016

The Get To Know Me Tag

I was tagged on The Book Goddess!


 

The Basics

Name: Wren Love.

Nicknames: One of my friends calls me Llama :)

Birthday: January 21st.

Star Sign: Aquarius.

Occupation: I'm currently a student aspiring to be an author and a social worker. 

Looks

Hair Colour: Brown naturally, currently dyed blue-black.

Hair Length: Really short, not even down to my shoulders. 

Eye Colour: Brown.

Best Feature: I like my eyebrows. 

Braces: I was supposed to get some but never did.

Piercings: Not yet.

Tattoos: Not yet.

Right or Left-Handed: Right.

Firsts

Best Friend: My first best friend was a girl in my kindergarten class. Unfortunately I haven't seen her since the end of kindergarten because I moved.

Award: My first 'real' award was the Principal's Academic Award, which I received at my grade 8 graduation. 

Sport: I was on a soccer team for several years when I was younger. 

Real Holiday: I went to Disney World on winter break one year.

Concert: The first concert that I attended of which I wasn't dragged to by my family was the Black Veil Brides concert! 

Favourites

Film: I have too many favourite films, but a few include The Phantom of the Opera (starring Gerard Butler), The Man Who Laughs, and Sweeney Todd. 

TV Show: Scream, Hannibal, Sherlock, Criminal Minds and Pretty Little Liars. 

Colour: Red and black.

Song: I have so many favourite songs but a few include House of Memories and Build God Then We'll Talk by Panic! at the Disco, Sons of Night and Perfect Weapon by Black Veil Brides and the entire Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. 

Restaurant: A&W and Subway.

Shop: Book stores, both new and used. Hot Topic and thrift stores like Value Village also make my top few favourites. 

Books: Once again....sooooo many favourites I can't list them all! A few include Nevermore by Kelly Creagh and Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, also The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti and many, many more. 

Shoes: I really like black boots with silver buckles.

Currently

Feeling: Tired and very creative. Not a good mix.

Single or Taken: Taken!

Eating: Nothing at the moment but I had Subway about an hour ago. 

Thinking About: Writing.

Watching: Hannibal.

Wearing: Pajamas. 


Future

Children: I want at least one, but I'd rather adopt.

Marriage: I really want to get married.

Careers: An author, of course! I also want to help people, especially youth, which is why I am considering social work. 

Where You Want To Live: I want to live in the town I grew up in, it's not too far from where I am now. 

Do You Believe In

God: I am agnostic but lean towards polytheism. So, sort of?

Miracles: Not really. 

Love At First Sight: You may certainly be attracted to somebody at first sight, but actual love? I think that comes a little later. 

Ghosts: Yes!!!!!!

Aliens: Yep.

Soulmate: Yes, though I consider it in the context of both romance and friendship. 

Heaven/Hell: I believe in some sort of afterlife, though certainly not one of torment or suffering. 

Kissing On The First Date: I believe in "do whatever the heck you want" meaning yeah! If you want to, kiss on the first date! If you don't want to, that's fine too! Personally, I've kissed someone on the first date myself, so yes.

Yourself: Sometimes.

Who I Am Tagging

All of you are tagged! Leave a link to your posts and I'll take a look. 

Thanks for tagging me!




Sunday 22 May 2016

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

 

Series: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Page Count: 327
Published: March 16th, 2010
Publisher: Harper
  4 Stars ★★★★

Violet can sense the dead. They give off unique 'echoes', which are also attached to their killers. She hasn't found a dead human in a long time but that changes once somebody starts prowling on teen girls in her area. 

Violet is determined to use her ability to help the police track down this killer, but her best friend, Jay, is adamantly against the idea. Dealing with the fear of being the next victim and her complicated feelings for Jay, Violet only hopes to stay alive to solve the mystery, catch the killer and maybe even find love in the process.

So I initially had a bit of trouble getting into this book, I guess I found the writing style somewhat different than other books I have read. Once I got into the middle of chapter two I was completely engrossed in the story but I felt it was a bit hard to get into at the very beginning. I think this may have to do with the level of description found on the first page, even within the first paragraph. I have trouble visualizing when there's so much description! But as the book progressed, the descriptive nature of the writing was better paced. 

That's really my only criticism. I remember a friend of mine recommending this book to me years ago, after it first was published. I had dismissed it at the time but recently decided to pick up a copy and give it a try. I am disappointed that I hadn't decided to do this sooner! 

I was sort of expecting something cheesy, something cliche, especially considering the mention of Violet's feelings for Jay, falling in love, all that. But the romantic aspect was quite believable and paced perfectly in relation to the greater plot. I feel like the romance added to this book, instead of taking away from its value as I've felt romance has done in other novels. 

They mystery aspect was very well done. A slight spoiler, but that part where she senses the killer in the woods during the search? That was very suspenseful and other events in the story followed suit! I was always on edge when Violet sensed an echo. I can confidently say that I feel that this book executed the mystery and suspense aspect of the plot very, very well.

 This book played with my emotions at the very end, and I was simultaneously angry at and impressed with the author for being able to do this in so few pages. There was a twist, and then another twist, and I feel like this was a very effective ending to the first book in this series. It made me wish I had the sequel there and then.

So I most certainly recommend this book, especially if you like YA and mystery. If you're interested in murder mysteries along with paranormal ideas, this is a great blend of the two.  





Thursday 5 May 2016

Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

I found this tag at Feel Your Books

In this tag, you discuss your opinions about books that may not be shared by others! Enjoy.

Popular Books or Series I Wasn't Feeling
Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters, #1)
Vampire Academy wasn't a bad book, I did enjoy it. But I didn't really get any of the hype behind it, and I didn't find it amazing. It gets a solid 4 stars from me, but I won't be reading the rest of the series any time soon. While not as popular, Embrace didn't do it for me at all, I didn't even finish the book. 
 
Books or Series I Enjoyed More Than the Masses
Nevermore (Nevermore, #1) Blood Magic (The Blood Journals, #1) 
 Neither of these books seem to have become as popular as I wish they had. Nevermore is one of my favourite books, and Blood Magic falls slightly lower on the favourites list but is definitely still included. 


A Failed Love Triangle / An OTP I Didn't Like
Fallen (Fallen, #1) The Forbidden Game (The Forbidden Game, #1-3)
I do not ship Daniel and Luce. I want her to be with Cam! Fallen definitely fits into this category. Also, I want Jenny to be with Julian from The Forbidden Game, not Tom. 

Popular Genres I Rarely Read
I don't usually read historical fiction. I prefer stories set in the current era/timeframe. Also, sci-fi isn't really my thing, though I've read some great sci-fi stories. 

Beloved Characters I Don't Like
I don't know why, but for some reason, I never liked Peeta from The Hunger Games.  

Popular Authors I Can't Get Into
Richelle Mead. She's not a bad writer, and I may read some of her books in the future but she's not number one on my list.

Overused Tropes I am Tired of Seeing
I don't mind cheesy romances but there comes a time when one can only stand so many over-dramatic first meetings, ridiculously failed attempts at being inconspicuous (especially when lives depend on it) and bad boys. I want more realistically mysterious, somewhat shy or reserved, maybe even tastefully antisocial male love interests, please! (*cough* see: Nevermore *cough*).

Popular Books or Series I Won't Read
  Divergent (Divergent, #1) The Book Thief
Divergent doesn't seem like the kind of book I'd like. I liked the movie. But I'm not sure if I would enjoy the book as much.  Also, The Book Thief looks way too depressing for me. 

 Movie Adaptions I Prefer to the Books
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
I enjoyed the City of Bones movie, and now TV show Shadowhunters, more than the actual book. I think it may have to do with the pacing of the plot.
 
 
If you complete this tag, leave a link in the comments below!