Its Been Awhile...

Hello fellow book bloggers! I did not realize how long it has been since I've posted but life became crazy and other events demanded my attention.
My mom, who was in perfect health as far as we knew, experienced a brain aneurysm out of the blue. It was very sudden, with no warnings at all. I will spare you the details, but she passed away a week later.
My mom was my best friend. I told her everything and she was always there to listen and encourage me. She is very special to me and I think about her every single day.
Now its just my dad and I to keep the household going. We both work full-time and have a dog and cat to take care of. These past few months have really opened my eyes to how fast life can change and how even though something terrible has happened to you, life just keeps on going and you have to keep up.
I have always wanted to write a young adult novel, I just never felt confident enough to do so. I felt that my writing wasn't very good and I didn't have what it takes to succeed. However, with all of these strong emotions I am feeling, I finally think that I can write a decent novel.
I would love any words of advice, encouragement or even just a friendly word as I go on this new journey and dive back into the world of writing.
In the meantime, I will be reading and finally posting reviews again. I have missed reading dearly and it feels good to throw myself into the lives of fictional characters again.

Currently Reading...

Have you read this before and have an opinion you want to share?
Feel free to leave a comment! :)

Review of Doomed

Description from Goodreads

Beat the game. Save the world.

Pandora’s an average teen, glued to her cell phone and laptop, until the day her long-lost father sends her a link to a mysterious site featuring photos of her as a child. Curious, Pandora enters the site, unwittingly unleashing a global computer virus that plunges the whole world into panic: suddenly, there’s no Internet. No cell phones. No traffic lights, hospitals or law enforcement. Only Pandora’s Box, a virtual-reality game created by Pandora’s father, remains up and running. Together with her neighbors, gorgeous stepbrothers Eli and Theo, Pandora must follow the photographs from her childhood in an attempt to beat the game and track down her father—and rescue the world. Part The Matrix, part retelling of the Pandora myth, Doomed has something for gaming fans, dystopian fans, and romance fans alike.

My Review

“Moving forward is the only way to survive”.

This quote describes Doomed perfectly. Pandora, the main character and her two friends, Eli and Theo, seem to never stop. They always seem to be faced with a task to solve or a problem to get out of. This makes for a real page-turner and I found myself reading for hours without stopping. I couldn’t wait to see what these three characters would encounter next! I also enjoyed how the author utilized the Pandora’s Box game and incorporated it seamlessly into the real life action. The character development was also amazing. Watching each of them grow as the story progressed really made me realize how much an event of that magnitude can change a person.

Pandora is one of the better main characters that I have encountered lately. She grew up without her mom or dad being around so she tends to be a pretty strong person. However, I feel that she didn’t always reach her full potential. She tended to break down a lot and had to be rescued by the guys. However, she did prove herself a few times so she was a very likeable character overall.

When I first encountered Eli and Theo, I was not impressed. Eli seemed like the typical flirt and Theo had that whole ‘mysterious and dark’ side that I am getting sick of reading about. However, as I learned more about them, I began to understand how they got to be the way that they were. . They are both very complex characters that have different pasts that have shaped them differently.  They both grew on me and I enjoyed watching them both develop as the book progressed. I almost enjoyed them more then Pandora.

Speaking of complicated, then we have Pandora’s father. As the reader, you pretty much hate him because of how Pandora feels about him. I personally could not stand him but some people may enjoy him. If you would like to discuss this topic, let me know and I would be happy to explain my feelings towards him.

Even though I found this book to very enjoyable overall, I did have a few issues with it. I feel that certain issues could have been explored more to add some depth to the story. For example, I personally would have liked to learn more about Pandora’s parent’s relationship. I also felt that some of the action scenes were described in a confusing manner. I sometimes found it difficult to know what was really happening. Lastly, I found the ending to be extremely disappointing. It felt very rushed and lacked detail. This book could have easily been split into two, which may have been helpful in providing more details and depth to the plot.

Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable read. It was interesting to read about how people would react in the face of a crisis. It really made me think about what I would do if I were faced with the situation that Pandora was.

Currently Reading...

I plan to have the review done for this book by the end of the week!

The Girl Who Wants A Secret Bookcase

Hello fellow book lovers! My name is Ashley but everyone calls me Ash or Crashley (long story).

I grew up with my face in a book. I was the girl who loved going to the grocery store just so I could grab a book and read it while trailing behind my parents. Sadly, I do not get to have my face in a book as much anymore since certain activities such as driving demand my full attention. A lot of my time is also spent at the PetsHotel in PetSmart working as a Pet Care Specialist. In this case, working translates to playing with all the dogs that are there for the day. I love my job. :)

I am new to the book reviewing scene but I have always enjoyed discussing books I have read with friends and family. I get very attached to the characters I encounter on my book adventures so it is not uncommon to find me in a corner, clutching a book to my chest while rocking back and forth. Never fear, I usually recover quickly.. unless its very traumatic. In that case, give me a day or two to return to normal.

I feel that I have babbled on for far too long but I wanted this first post to be awesome. I will hopefully be posting my first review soon! :)