Friday, April 29, 2016

The Boy On The Wooden Box

Title: The Boy On The Wooden Box

Author: Leon Leyson

First Published: August 27th 2013

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography/Memoir, Historical

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 240

My Copy: Physical copy

My Rating: 8.5/10

Goodreads Summary
Even in the darkest of times—especially in the darkest of times—there is room for strength and bravery. A remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list.

Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s List.

This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s List child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancor, the lack of venom, and the abundance of dignity in Mr. Leyson’s telling. The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read.


Sunday, April 24, 2016

The Shadow Society

Title: The Shadow Society

Author: Marie Rutkoski

First Published: October 16th 2012

Series: The Shadow Society #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 416

My Copy: Physical copy

My Rating: 8.5/10

Goodreads Summary
Darcy Jones doesn't remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn't have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn't happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn't thought possible. But Conn's interest in her is confusing. It doesn't line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can't rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades' latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won't soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense.


Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Half Lost

Title: Half Lost

Author: Sally Green

First Published: March 29th 2016

Series: Half Bad #3

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 352

My Copy: Physical copy

My Rating: 9/10

Goodreads Summary 
This is the final battle. 

The Alliance is losing the war, and their most critical weapon, seventeen-year-old witch Nathan Byrn, is losing his mind. Nathan’s tally of kills is rising, and yet he’s no closer to ending the tyrannical rule of the Council of White Witches in England. Nor is Nathan any closer to his personal goal: getting revenge on Annalise, the girl he once loved before she committed an unthinkable crime. An amulet protected by the extremely power
ful witch Ledger could be the tool Nathan needs to save himself and the Alliance, but this amulet is not so easily acquired. And lately Nathan has started to suffer from visions: a vision of a golden moment when he dies, and of an endless line of Hunters, impossible to overcome. Gabriel, his closest companion, urges Nathan to run away with him, to start a peaceful life together. But even Gabriel’s love may not be enough to save Nathan from this war, or from the person he has become.

Set in modern-day Europe, the final book in the Half Bad trilogy is more than a story about witches. It’s a heart-achingly visceral look at survival and exploitation, the nature of good and evil, and the risks we take for love.


Saturday, April 16, 2016

Am I Normal Yet?

Title: Am I Normal Yet?

Author: Holly Bourne

First Published: August 1st 2015

Series: Normal #1

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mental Illnesses

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 434

My Copy: Physical copy

My Rating: 8/10

Goodreads Summary
All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?

Friday, April 8, 2016

Homecoming

Title: Homecoming

Author: Kass Morgan

First Published: February 24th 2015

Series: The 100 #3

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopia

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 340

My Copy: Physical copy

My Rating: 8/10

Goodreads Summary
Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space.

These new arrivals are the lucky ones - back on the Colony, the oxygen is almost gone - but after making it safely to Earth, GLASS's luck seems to be running out. CLARKE leads a rescue party to the crash site, ready to treat the wounded, but she can't stop thinking about her parents who may still be alive. Meanwhile, WELLS struggles to maintain his authority despite the presence of the Vice Chancellor and his armed guards, and BELLAMY must decide whether to face or flee the crimes he thought he'd left behind.

It's time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they've found on Earth, or risk losing everything - and everyone - they love.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

April TBR

April already! Who had a good April Fool's Day? I completely forgot that even existed until I saw all these posts on Instagram. Oops :)

April is going to be a hectic month for me, so the TBR list has been shortened (again, I know)

What is on my TBR for April?

1. Homecoming by Kass Morgan. Once I finish this book, I'll start the TV series. I know, they are completely different, but I want to compare how different.






2. Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne. It looked interesting (yes, I judged the book by the cover). Plus, I quite enjoyed Holly Bourne's other book, The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting. It was really good!








3. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. Yes! It's been so long since we've had a Shadowhunter book, and I'm not going to miss out for the world. Especially since it's about Emma. We met her in City of Heavenly Fire, and she seems cool. I hope she doesn't turn into a Clary though!


What is on your TBR? Have you read any of the books on mine? Hope you have a great April! Happy reading! :)

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Day 21

Title: Day 21

Author: Kass Morgan

First Published: September 16th 2014

Series: The 100 #2

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopia

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 320

My Copy: Physical copy

My Rating: 8.5/10

Goodreads Summary 

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now. 

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself. In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan's The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.