Top 5 Tuesday | Favorite Fantasies

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the amazing Bionic Book Worm!

Today’s Top 5 is all about fantasy stories and it was so hard for me to choose only five because 98% of what I read is considered fantasy – lol. Here’s my attempt at choosing my faves…but just know this changes on a monthly basis depending on what I’m reading!

The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

SURPRISE. The Shadowhunter Chronicles is of course on my list of all time favorite fantasy series. The world is rich, unique, and so amazing. Angels, demons, mundanes. Vampires, Werewolves, Faeries. Magic. Battles. Death.

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

I don’t care if Harry Potter has been around for decades. It will never get old. The Wizarding World just has a tendency to make me feel at home and I will not stop waiting for my letters to Hogwarts (Or Ilvermorny or Beauxbatons). My wand and school regalia are prepped and waiting for the day.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Cycle is urban fantasy, but I’m putting this on my list because I’m obsessed with the magical Virginia suburbs from this series. The main crew is dysfunctional, angsty, and full of pent up energy. They’re adapting this into a SyFy series and I literally can.not.wait.

The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

A doomed land, a magical prophecy, fierce lady heroes, swoon-tactic male leads. The world building in this entire series, as well as the spin-off books, is so rich and intense – and amazing. The first book is written in a very “whodunit/Clue” way, where you don’t know which character fits what role (prince or assassin?) and it’s UH-MAZE. Please read.

The Stormheart Series by Cora Carmack

So far only book one is out, but that first installment is filled with magical storms, hottie stormhunters, a runaway princess, and a very mysterious/eerie villain (like so creepy he lays with dead people for fun. WTF?) I can’t wait to read the sequel – it comes out August 2019!

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? Do we have any favorite fantasies in common? Any I should add to my list?

Book Tag | Identity Crisis

It’s time for another book tag! Loretta @ The Laughing Listener created her very own book tag and now I’m spreading it around, because who doesn’t want to know what characters they’re most like?

I’m was super hyped…but also scared, because I kept thinking “what if I get someone awful like Taryn (Cruel Prince) or Gale (*gags*).” I think I did pretty well for my Virgo/Gryffindor self. Check out my results and don’t forget to play along!

RULES:

1. Take all the quizzes down below and record your answers somehow. I decided to just copy the text from each quiz and paste it into my post, but screenshots work too! Whatever floats your goat (Yes goat. I SAID WHAT I SAID).
2. NO CHEATING. You get one shot to take each quiz my friends. I’m watching you. ∗Suspicious squinty eyes∗
3. Use this post to give credit to the creator Loretta @ The Laughing Listener or tag her on twitter @LaughnListener so I can see everyone’s answers!!
4. Tag some friends to spread the fun!

RED QUEEN

WHO I AM: Mare Barrow

Okay, so right off the bat I’m getting the MC Heroine and I guess I’m okay with that since CAL is def a thing for me. Mare can be kinda annoying, but I love her for it anyway.

SHADOWHUNTERS

WHO I AM: Charlotte Branwell & Mark Blackthorn

YES I LOVE THIS COMBO SO MUCH. Charlotte is my FAVORITE character in The Infernal Devices. She is a badass QUEEN and she ran that institute like the boss lady she is. AND Mark is DEFINITELY THE BEST BLACKTHORN BROTHER (Don’t @ me). I’m not sure if people underestimate me? But I’m definitely the responsible mom of the friend group…did you remember to pack a sweater?

THRONE OF GLASS

WHO I AM: Dorian & Nesryn

HOW is this so accurate? This is based off dessert preferences and favorite nature spots and I’m concerned that Epic Reads knows everything about me.

HUNGER GAMES

WHO I AM: Effie Trinket

LOL. This is completely wrong. I can literally camp in the forest for a week with no showers, cell phone service, or TV and be completely okay with life. I’m also not flamboyant AT ALL. Buzzfeed, who put this quiz together? I have some questions. Other than that, I don’t mind Effie!

HARRY POTTER

WHO I AM: Dolores Umbridge

This is literally the first time I haven’t gotten Hermione on a Harry Potter character quiz and now I REALLY have questions for you, Buzzfeed! Dolores? Seriously?! I mean…I can be ruthless and bitchy, but I don’t like fluffy pink things? Def have to admit loving sweets but still, DOLORES? Side note: this description does not sound bad to me AT ALL. So yes to the description, NO to the character.

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES

WHO I AM: Amren

Okay, I am down with this answer for some strange reason? Buzzfeed Community members got it RIGHT. I am also short, with dark hair, and I do tend to act moody even with my family. So yeah besides the vain part I think this is pretty accurate. LOL.

THE RAVEN CYCLE

WHO I AM: Noah Czerny

The first part about being observant and keeping to myself is 100% ON. POINT. The rest of this is false. I AM loyal to those I love, but I’m not naive or gullible. I am probably the most skeptic person every. But I love Noah. He is a precious cinnamon roll and I don’t mind being like him in some way.

*Sorry friends, you don’t get a cute picture of Twilight because I don’t own these books. (Sorry, not sorry)

TWILIGHT

WHO I AM: Edward Cullen

SAY IT. OUT LOUD. I’m like Edward? This is not me…at all. Other than people staying away from me I have absolutely nothing in common with him, but like cool I get to be a hottie vampire. That counts for something.

FOLK OF THE AIR

WHO I AM: Jude

I mean, Jude isn’t the best Heroine of all time, but things could have been worse. I could have been Taryn. And nobody wants that. I am stubborn when it comes to my beliefs and decision making so I guess this makes sense?

THE LUNAR CHRONICLES

WHO I AM: Thorne

I LOVE Thorne (and also Flynn Rider…heeeey, how you doin’) so I’m so okay with this. I don’t think it describes me at all. I thought for sure I would be Scarlet, but beggars can’t be choosers. And at least I’m not Kai.

Talk To Me

Tagging anyone who wants to play along!

What did you think of my answers? Do you think I’m like or dislike the results?

Book Tag | Wonderstruck

Thanks to Jess from Fiction No Chaser for tagging me in this! Do yourself a favor and check out her blog. She’s snarky and amazing and full of spoiler-free reviews!

Guidelines

• Link back to the creator (Olivia)
• Answer as many or as few of the questions as you’d like.
• Feel free to use any of the graphics in this post. 🙂
• Tag however many people you’d like at the end!

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You’re Not Sorry: A book that un-apologetically broke your heart

The ending still keeps me up at night.

Back to December: A book you still think about even after you are finished

Does Harry Potter count? Because I’m pretty sure I think about something Harry Potter related at least once a day.

If This Was a Movie: A book you really want to become a movie

I NEED THE ILLUMINAE FILES TO BE A THING STAT.

Gorgeous: A book with the most beautiful cover

The 10th Anniversary Edition of City of Bones will forever be the most amazing cover.

Shake it Off: A book that gets hate but you still love

The Red Queen series gets a lot of hate – for the characters, plot, etc. – but I love it!

Never Grow Up: A book that gives you childhood nostalgia

I started reading A Series of Unfortunate Events in elementary school and I haven’t been able to find anything better.

Sparks Fly: A book you instantly clicked with

Aurora Rising is a book I INSTANTLY fell in love with. Squad 312, Fin, Tyler, Auri, SPACE, aliens, humor. It’s totally my kind of book and I need the sequel ASAP.

Style: A classic that will never get old

The Picture of Dorian Gray is dark, moody, and I love it.

End Game: A book with romance you love

Mary E Pearson knows how to WRITE. I loved the entire Remnant Chronicles series and the romance weaved into it.

I Knew You Were Trouble: A book you couldn’t help but become obsessed with

The Raven Cycle series is one that I was instantly obsessed with. The characters, the magic, the atmosphere, the writing. It’s all so good.

Bad Blood: A book where you loved the first one and hated the sequel

I don’t think I have a series where the first book was amazing but I hated the second book, BUT I do have plenty of series where the first book was amazing and the second book didn’t live up to my expectations. One said series, Caraval. Legendary wasn’t as good as book 1 (though I still loved it).

 

Tagging

Kal | Arin | Jessica | Anyone else!

 

Top 5 Tuesday | Books Set In My Country

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the amazing Bionic Book Worm!

This week is all about favorite books set where I’m from. I’m from Southern California, so there are tons of books I could choose from that are set all over the United States. You would think that makes this easier, but it actually made it so much harder! So, here’s what I actually ended up choosing.

The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

Are you guys sick of me bringing up how much I love the Shadowhunter books? Well, just get used to it, because I can’t stop, won’t stop. ANYWAY, The Dark Artifices take place (mostly) in California! The Institute is in Malibu, the Shadowmarket resides in Pasadena and there are tons of other landmarks up and down the California coast the team visits. It was so much easier to envision scenes in my head because I’ve visited them before!

Percy Jackson & The Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan

Imagine a world where demigods are real, the Gods run big corporations like Amazon, and national parks and tourist attractions actually hide some seriously magical creatures and objects. Rick Riordan’s world of mythology is one of my favorites, and even though these are meant for younger readers and I’m well past the age bracket, his dad jokes and magical America will always be one of my favorites. Can I join Camp Half-Blood? Because I’ll totally move across the country for that.

Under the Dome by Stephen King

To be fair, I love anything Stephen King writes and he usually sets his novels somewhere on the east coast/Maine. BUT, I’m gonna go with Under the Dome for this list because I devoured this book in less than a week. A small town city full of dark secrets, corruption, and bat-sh*t crazy people is totally my vibe. The ending is not the best, but everything leading up to the last few chapters is so so so good.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Oh hi, just me again talking about the Raven Boys, how much I love them, and this entire series. Who wouldn’t want to live in a Virginia town that sits on Ley Lines, is full of magical caves that hide demonic presences and not-so-dead Welsh princesses, and not to mention the feisty psychic ladies of 300 Fox Way. I could skip the gross summer heat of the Deep South, but for Gansey I would suffer. I’d also brave the hornets for one day in Cabeswater.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I’m throwing it way back to high school days with this pick, but To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic that depicts the deep south, racism, and inequality in America so vividly. There’s a reason this book is a classic and teens read it in school every year – it’s a must-read.

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? What are your favorite books set in America? Any I should add to my TBR list?

Fiction Files Friday | The Raven Boys

This Week’s Updates

It’s time for the first ever Fiction Files Friday weekly update! Loretta (@LaughingListener) and I did an entire series based on The Raven Cycle Characters. Ronan blew up on Tumblr and apparently everyone secretly loves Adam…who knew?

Check out some highlights below and don’t forget to follow our pages for more!

The Profiles

I only pulled a handful of my favorites to highlight here – you definitely don’t want to miss out on the rest!

Social Media

Here are links to all our accounts. Come hang with us – we love making new bookish friends!

Twitter

Instagram

Tumblr

LinkTree

Talk To Me

How excited are you for more Fiction Files? Any fandoms you want to see us bring to life? Let me know in the comments!

Blue Sargent | A Raven Cycle Playlist

Here we are, weeks later, and the entire #Gangsey has their own personal playlists. I save the best for last though – Blue! She’s my feminist spirit animal. She’s weird, stubborn, and independent and her music speaks to that.

The Breakdown

Blue obviously listens to girl power music of the alternative and oldies persuasion, but like her broken Raven Boys rule, she secretly has some GRL pop songs mixed in (because no one can resist Beyonce).

Just a Girl, No Doubt

Every girl has a phase in their life where they listen to No Doubt/Just a Girl on repeat for longer than they want to admit. It’s an anthem. 

Notable Lyrics: “Cause I’m just a girl I’d rather not be ‘Cause they won’t let me drive Late at night. Oh I’m just a girl. Guess I’m some kind of freak. ‘Cause they all sit and stare”

RESPECT, Aretha Franklin

Are you even an independent lady if you don’t rock out to Aretha Franklin? Blue isn’t one to listen to conventional music, but Aretha is the OG queen and is classic enough to be weird but also trendy at the same time, so it works.

Notable Lyrics: “All I’m askin’ is for a little respect”

Confident, Demi Lovato

Blue would die if someone caught her listening to this song, but it’s her guilty pleasure (just like hanging out with her Raven Boys and pretending to fake fight with Henry in front of school so no one would know *lol*).

Notable Lyrics: “What’s wrong with being confident?”

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? What songs would you add? Do you have any playlists you’d want me to create?

Adam Parrish | A Raven Cycle Playlist

Surprise – here’s another Raven Boys playlist! Okay, it’s not really a surprise because everyone knows I’m obsessed. Per the title, I’m featuring music that reminds me of everyone’s favorite emotionally unstable magician! Adam was actually kind of hard to put together. I SCOURED the books for any clue as to what kind of music he likes…but for some reason I came up with ZERO INTEL. Please share with me if you have the valuable knowledge I seek.

Anywho, I decided Adam would listen to good ol’ fashion Southern/Classic Rock. He likes songs that speak to his troubled soul. He wants to leave his old life behind, but for some reason can’t find the strength to stray too far from his Henrietta, Virginia roots.

The Breakdown

Once I figured out what music spoke to Adam’s soul, it was easy to find my top picks. Check ’em out!

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones

For most of the series Adam has trouble being happy with literally everything. School, work, Blue, Ronan, life in general. He can’t get a break!

Notable Lyrics: “I can’t get no satisfaction, I can’t get no satisfaction. ‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try. I can’t get no, I can’t get no…”

Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Clash

This is so Adam on multiple levels. Book One: Does he stay at home with his abusive father or put his pride aside and leave with Gansey? Book Two: Does he stay normal or become a magician for Cabeswater? Book Three/Four: Does he stay with Ronan or leave him behind. IT’S THEE PERFECT SONG.

Notable Lyrics: “Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double.”

Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie

Okay, if the last song wasn’t the perfect song, this one definitely is. He’s always under pressure – keeping up with school, making enough money (for school), trying to keep everyone happy (so he can get through school). Adam’s Pressure = the limit does not exist.

Notable Lyrics: “Pressure pushing down on me. Pressing down on you, no man ask for.”

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? What songs would you add? Do you have any playlists you’d want me to create?

Ronan Lynch | A Raven Cycle Playlist

Here’s another playlist for all my Raven Boys fans. Ronan Lynch quickly became the love of my life and my favorite Raven Boy. He’s blunt, salty, and doesn’t give a FUUU about anything. The only thing I regret about this playlist is that there is no Murder Squash song to add to it! Outside of crazy Irish music, we can find him blasting techno/electronic music, and that’s where my Inso came from. See said snippet from The Raven King…even the trees can’t get enough of his beats.

“The volume of the resulting boom surprised even him; he heard it in one ear and felt it in both feet…Each of the trees they passed sounded with a processed thud, until the sound around them was the pulsing electronic beat that invariably played in Ronan’s car or headphones.” – Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven King

The Breakdown

Here are a few of my faves and some lyric highlights! A lot of these are lowkey PYNCH song because I am totally on board with that ship. And, Ronan would totally have a playlist on his MP3 player dedicated to music reminding him of Adam.

Alive, Krewella

This pretty much sums of Ronan. Everything self-destructive thing he does is to make him feel something other than dead inside. I mean, I’d probably be messed up too if I knew secrets about my deceased parent that I couldn’t share with anyone. What does it say that he’s still my favorite after everything?

Notable Lyrics: “All alone, just the beat inside my soul. Take me home, where my dreams are made of gold. In the zone where the beat is uncontrolled. I know what it feels like. Come on make me feel alive.”

Dreams, Adventure Club

He’s a greywaren and can take things from his dreams…need I say more?

Wishing for his powers to dream up food for myself. 

Notable Lyrics: “Please take me back to a dream. We’re miles away, a place that’s never seen. Show me the wonders above.”

Addicted To You, Avicii

Adam Parrish + Ronan Lynch = Weirdest Couple that I am SO here for.

Notable Lyrics: “You came into my crazy world like a cool and cleansing wave. Before I knew what hit me, baby, you were flowing though my veins.”

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? What songs would you add? Do you have any playlists you’d want me to create?

Richard Gansey III | A Raven Cycle Playlist

If you haven’t read The Raven Cycle series you should drop what you’re doing and start now. Maggie Stiefvater shares so many fun, little details about her world and characters and it was so easy to fall head over heels with all the Aglionby Boys and their rich-boy problems. It’s why I had so much fun making playlists for all of them!

Gansey’s was one of the easier ones to make. He’s the leader of the crew, with an old soul, a wandering spirit, and a desire to help his friends. He reminds me of a less intense version of Indiana Jones, who thinks everything belongs in a museum, has trouble sleeping, and enjoys listening to oldies.

“He’d jotted enigmatic notes to himself all along the margin of it. Some of them were coordinates. Some of them were explanations of topography. Some of them were Beatles lyrics.” – Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

The Breakdown

Here are a few of my faves and why they made the list.

The Wanderer, Dion

Gansey always talks about never wanting to stay too long in one place. He likes to travel and wander the world looking for hidden things and magical kings.

Notable Lyrics: “They call me the wanderer. Yeah, the wanderer. I roam around, around, around.”

I Want to Hold Your Hand, The Beatles

If this isn’t a Blue & Gansey song, I don’t know what is. She can’t kiss her true love or else he dies…he thinks he’s her true love…she thinks he’s her true love…we all think they’re each other’s true love! Thus, no further explanation is needed.

Notable Lyrics: “I want to hold your hand…”

Stand By Me, Ben E. King

All he wants is for his friends to love him as fiercely as he loves them. To stick around when things get tough and to do things together. Everyone just needs to find themselves a Gansey, boat shoes and all.

Notable Lyrics: “Whenever you’re in trouble won’t you stand by me.”

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? What songs would you add? Do you have any playlists you’d want me to create?

Top 5 Tuesday | Books With Magic

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the amazing Bionic Book Worm!

Today we’re talking about books with magic! You’d think this would have been easy, but it was so hard to choose just five. I just love me some magical stories.

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

I know this is going to be on everyone’s list but come on, it’s HOGWARTS. Wands, magically appearing buffets for every meal, flying brooms, flying cars, floating candles…this list goes on literally forever. Rowling was one of the first authors to introduce me to an expansive fantasy world and I love her for it. The magical world of Harry Potter will never get old. How long will I love it? …Always.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The magical world that is Brakebills Academy is a darker, way more emo version of Harry Potter and the world of Filory is a way more messed up Narnia. Reader Beware: Magic doesn’t solve everyone’s problems in this series, it actually makes things worse most of the time. Which is why I kinda live for this series. If you want to test the waters, watch the show on SyFy! It’s so, so, so good.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

There’s a psychic, a dreamer, a magician, a ghost, some immortal royalty and demons. The Raven Cycle has every type of magic you can possibly imagine and it just works. Add in the Deep South setting of Virginia and some Ley lines and you have the makings of an amazingly magical story. If you don’t read this for the magic, read it for Gansey and his crew!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

I had to get this in here because KINGDOM OF ASH IS OUT TODAY, and who doesn’t love a fantasy series with every kind of magic you can possibly think of. It has fire magic, healing magic, immortal faerie blood magic, witch magic, demon magic…the list goes on. You get it right? If you like Cinderella and always wondered what she would be like as a badass Faerie QUEEN, you should read this.

The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

I LOVE the Shadowhunter world and any chance I get to talk about it, I will. The magic in these books is based around demonic and angelic power, which makes it that much more enjoyable for me. I love a good angel vs. demon, good vs. evil story. Especially when the lines get all muddled and grey. If you’re magic because you have some demon blood in you, are you evil? Let’s ask Magnus Bane, Tessa Grey, Catarina Loss and all the other amazing warlocks of the world! (PS, I’m still in love with Jace Herondale.)

PPS: Magnus is awesome, but don’t ever mention the Shadowhunters show

Talk To Me

What did you think of my picks? What are your favorite books with magic?