On the Same Page: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

December 17, 2014 by Alyssa

Title: Sunshine

Author: Robin McKinley

Publishing Information: November 30, 2004 by Jove

Genre: Fiction, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Horror

Series Information: Standalone

Format: Hardcover, 389 pages

Source: Bought for my personal library

Recommended For:

Related Reviews: Brittany’s Post and Amy’s Post

There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it’s unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while. Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don’t, when they’re vampires.
They took her clothes and sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion – within easy reach of a figure stirring in the moonlight. She knows that he is a vampire. She knows that she’s to be his dinner, and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet, as dawn breaks, she finds that he has not attempted to harm her. And now it is he who needs her to help him survive the day…

Okay so this month the gals and I set out to read House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski…it did not go well. That is to say, we didn’t last long before choosing to go down a different path by reading Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I had actually read this book a few years ago and all I could remember was CON ❤ and well, upon finishing I can sum it up in the same one word! I loved Sunshine and her feisty behavior and the fact that she felt so real, the reader can understand her fears and hesitations throughout the story. I thought for this month’s post I would share some pictures and quotes that I enjoyed while reading Sunshine!

“The train is roaring toward you and the villain is twirling his mustache and you’re fussing that he’s tied you to the tracks with the wrong kind of rope.” Continue reading →

Review: The Unwritten Series by Mike Carey

August 13, 2014 by Alyssa

Title: The Unwritten Series

Author: Mike Carey

Publishing Information: Volume 1 published January 12th 2010 by Vertigo

Genre: Adult, Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror

Series Information: 10 Volumes

Format: Paperback, 144 pages

Source: Borrowed from my local library

Recommended For: Readers who enjoy the Fables series by Bill Willingham, or those of you looking to foray into reading graphic novels without being overwhelmed by back issues and superheroes.

Related Reviews: Fables by Bill Willingham

Tom Taylor’s life was screwed from go. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The problem is Dad modeled the fictional epic so closely to Tom’s real life that fans are constantly comparing him to his counterpart, turning him into the lamest variety of Z-level celebrity. In the final novel, it’s even implied that the fictional Tommy will crossover into the real world, giving delusional fans more excuses to harass Tom.

When an enormous scandal reveals that Tom might really be a boy-wizard made flesh, Tom comes into contact with a very mysterious, very deadly group that’s secretly kept tabs on him all his life. Now, to protect his own life and discover the truth behind his origins, Tom will travel the world, eventually finding himself at locations all featured on a very special map — one kept by the deadly group that charts places throughout world history where fictions have impacted and tangibly shaped reality, those stories ranging from famous literary works to folktales to pop culture. And in the process of figuring out what it all means, Tom will find himself having to figure out a huge conspiracy mystery that spans the entirety of the history of fiction.

The series starts off great, upon finishing volume one I immediately wanted to continue on in order to find out where the story was going. I loved Tommy as a character, he is incredibly flawed but perseveres through the continuous trials he is put through. Richie and Lizzie are secondary characters in the series but they are both given thorough story arcs that I loved. Lizzie is given a great backstory and Richie is provided an excellent story arc that really makes his character change and grow. Basically, no one is safe, which I love!

The best part about this series is that while telling a new story (that maybe has underlying aspects found in Harry Potter, just a little), Carey also brings in fantastic aspects from “classic” literature such as Moby Dick, Aesop’s Fables, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Obviously, as an English major, this was right up my alley!

If I am being completely honest, it was volume 9, The Unwritten: Fables showing up on Netgalley that originally got me to start the entire Unwritten series. I had never heard of The Unwritten, but I am a lover of the Fables universe by Bill Willingham, so naturally when I saw that they were doing a crossover I had to jump on the chance to read it. I quickly ran to my library and checked out The Unwritten volumes 1-8 and read them in very short time. I am happy to say that I am now a lover of the series and I anticipate when volume 10 will be available.

For those of you who are debating trying out graphic novels, or for those of you looking for a unique and creative twist on some classic literature, you should definitely pick these up as soon as possible! Although they didn’t take the cake for my favorite graphic novel series, they’re certainly coming in at a close second.

100 Happy Days: Was it Worth it?

July 22, 2014 by Alyssa

Hello friends! You may remember, well, 100 days ago, I stared the 100 Happy Days Project via my Instagram…

I have read some pretty scathing reviews of this project, some people seem to think that it shouldn’t be necessary to post on social media in order to find happiness. Some people said that they felt guilty posting so many happy pictures, like they were rubbing their happiness in, or something. Really? Guilt for being happy? Ridiculous. Some people even said that they “don’t trust” people who are happy 100% of the time – which is actually VERY different from what this project promotes, but I digress…

As I mentioned in the first post, I have been trying to see the beauty in every day. Trying to remain optimistic despite the things that may try to interfere with my happiness. It isn’t always easy! I can’t lie to you, there were a few days where the evening was winding down and Amy had to remind me to find something that made me happy before the night was through! Thankfully, those nights were few, and as the days went on I found that it was much easier to find something to be happy about

Over the past 100 days I have gone through some major life altering things, some completely out of my control…some things that made it nearly impossible to get out of bed in the morning. So 100 Happy Days, was it worth it? Absolutely. Was it necessary for me to post on social media in order for me to find and maintain happiness? No, don’t be silly. However, there were many days where I saw something that made me smile and that triggered something in me. It was as if by remembering that I “needed” to post a picture for the day I was almost made me stop and realize that something had just made me smile on my terrible day. Does that make sense? It might not, but it makes sense to me and I thing that’s the whole point!

I encourage you all to check out 100 Happy Days, or do something, anything, that ensures that you find the beauty in every day! XO

On the Same Page: Fairytales for Wilde Girls

April 29, 2014 by Alyssa

Title: Fairytales for Wilde Girls

Author: Allyse Near

Publishing Information: June 3, 2013 by Random House Australia

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Gothic, Fairy Tales, Romance, Paranormal, Mental Illness

Series Information: Standalone

Format: Paperback, 432 pages

Source: Purchased for my personal library

Recommended For: Fans of darker fairy tales filled with descriptive imagery, fans of Neil Gaiman, and fans of books that are much more than what they seem.

Fairytales for Wilde Girls was unlike anything I have ever read before. It was dark, and deep, and sad while simultaneously maintaining ribbons of hope and stolen moments of happiness. It was a novel of self discovery and it was the dark overtone of the novel that really assisted the snippets of light to shine through. One of the most outstanding things about Fairytales of Wilde Girls was the language and use of metaphor by the author. Allyse Near has such a gift in the way in which she conveys every moment with lyrical and descriptive language, it really heightens the novel and sets it apart from other pieces of literature. That being said, some of the quotes throughout the novel really stuck with me and I wanted to share their beauty with you guys! I made up some nifty little images to go along with a few quotes that I really loved, take a peek! Continue reading →

On the Same Page: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

January 31, 2014 by Alyssa

On the Same Page is a new feature here on Books Take You Places that I am hosting along with two of my very dear friends, Amy (Tripping Over Books) and Brittany (The Book Addict’s Guide). Essentially, we will be reading one book a month together and then doing a non-traditional review such as a playlist, character analysis, or like my post below, a dedication to some beautiful quotes found in the book. To find out more about this new feature, head on over to its dedication page!

The quotes in Days of Blood and Starlight really stood out for me, I can’t tell you how many pictures I took on my phone of different quotes throughout the book. With that in mind, I went forth and made some images that feature some of my favorite quotes through the novel. Enjoy!

Title: Days of Blood and Starlight

Author: Laini Taylor

Publishing Information: November 6, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Magic, Romance

Series Information: Book 2 in The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy

Format: Hardcover, 513 pages

Recommended For: Fans of intricate and vibrant novels that tear your heart out a little bit.

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living—one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel—a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.”

“It was brave,” countered Issa. “It was rare. It was love, and it was beautiful.”

“Daughter of my heart,’ was the message Brimstone sent just for Karou. She wanted to cry again right here in the court, thinking of it. ‘Twice-daughter, my joy. Your dream is my dream, and your name is true. You are all of our hope.”

“The man had lifted Madrigal up, cloaked in her living shawl, and brought her back down again, and even a boy could see that there was magic between them, and more than magic.”

“Dead souls dream only of death. Small dreams for small men. It is life that expands to fill worlds. Life is your master, or death is.”

“Light coursed through Karou and darkness chased it-burning through her,

chilling her, shimmer and shadow, ice and fire, blood and starlight, rushing, roaring, filling her.”

Be sure to check out Amy and Brittany’s similar posts:

Amy: Review of Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, and Visualize Days of Blood and Starlight

Brittany: Branching Out Into Fantasy

Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

September 21, 2011 by Alyssa

Title: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publishing Information: June 7, 2011 by Quirk

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery

Series information: Book 1 in a planned series

Format: Hardcover, 352 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Recommended For: Fans looking for a mysterious novel revolving around intriguing photographs

I found out about this book through multiple blogs that I follow and I was very intrigued at the idea of a story that focused around real photographs that are very out of the ordinary. When this book came into my library I quickly grabbed it and started reading and from the first page it was AHH-MAZING!! So much happens in this book that it is hard to write a review without spoiling part of the plot but here is the official review from amazon.com:

As a kid, Jacob formed a special bond with his grandfather over his bizarre tales and photos of levitating girls and invisible boys. Now at 16, he is reeling from the old man’s unexpected death. Then Jacob is given a mysterious letter that propels him on a journey to the remote Welsh island where his grandfather grew up. There, he finds the children from the photographs–alive and well–despite the islanders’ assertion that all were killed decades ago. As Jacob begins to unravel more about his grandfather’s childhood, he suspects he is being trailed by a monster only he can see. A haunting and out-of-the-ordinary read, debut author Ransom Rigg’s first-person narration is convincing and absorbing, and every detail he draws our eye to is deftly woven into an unforgettable whole. Interspersed with photos throughout, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a truly atmospheric novel with plot twists, turns, and surprises that will delight readers of any age.

When you start reading this story you really don’t know what to expect. It starts off like a horror novel, the type where you need to turn the page but at the same time are scared to do so. Once you get half way through the story you realize the true plotline and it is so different from anything written before that the reader hardly knows how to feel.

The story ends on a cliff-hanger and one can only hope Ransom Riggs is diligently working on a sequel. Even more exciting, according to the author’s blog 20^th Century Fox has purchased the film rights and they are currently working on casting!