Top Ten Tuesday #29 Books With Characters Who Are Role Models

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme from The Broke and The Bookish that allows users to share their top choices of the topic of the week!

With this top ten tuesday, I wanted to write about characters who can have such a positive influence on readers, as a motivational character can be the best thing about a book.

1. Harry Potter from: The Harry Potter series 
Not only was Harry raised in the mean care of the Dursley's, but he always persevered and stayed humble.

2. Tiny Cooper from: Will Grayson, Will Grayson 
Tiny inspired people to embrace themselves, and to not listen to the haters. 

3. Theodore Finch from: All The Bright Places 
Theodore taught people to keep pushing forward, even if things seem unbearable. 

4. Augustus Waters from: The Fault in Our Stars 
Gus was inspiring because he always stayed positive, even if he was in pain. 

5. Margo Roth Spieglmen from: Paper Towns 
Margo is my hero because she taught me to take risks and let loose. 

6. Lena Haloway from: Delirium 
Lena taught readers to fight for love, and go against the odds. 

7. Elizabeth Bennett from: Pride and Prejudice 
Lizzie showed us to see the good in others, and to give people a chance. 

8. Jay Gatsby from: The Great Gatsby 
He lived his life to the fullest, and was an amazing friend. 

9. Annabeth Chase from: The Percy Jackson series 
She showed all girls out there that you can be more powerful than a guy. 

10. Tris Prior from: Divergent 
She defied all odds to become an amazing heroine. 

What characters make you inspired? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn #1) by: Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary 

Published: September 18, 2012 by: Simon and Schuster 

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 Stars
*highlight white text to reveal spoilers*

Burn for Burn was the thrilling story of three girls who are trying to get revenge on those who have done them wrong. 

First we have Lillia, who wants to show her old friend who is now dating her freshman sister who’s boss. Then there’s Kat, who wants to put the queen bee of her school in her place. Lastly, there’s Mary, who wants to show the boy who bullied her that she is stronger than he thinks. The girls are not friends, they barely know each other. But they form a pact to help each other make things right.

I loved this book. It was so chilling, so unique, and so entertaining. Everything about the plot line and the characters was just captivating. To the first positive, this book was the most unpredictable book I’ve read. The concept was so different, and there were many plot twists. I couldn’t put it down because every corner had a twist and turn. Secondly, all three girls were so versatile and amazingly written. I loved reading about Lillia’s responsibility, Kat was just hilarious, and Mary was so sweet. I really felt for all three of them.

There were also some characters who I loved to hate. Alex just really grated on my nerves, he was so fake! Rennie was your typical mean girl, she was just awful! Reeve was a straight up jerk. The fact that he almost drove Mary to suicide, made me sick. Then again, these antagonists added to the interest and suspense of the book.

I know that Jenny Han is practically the contemporary queen, so I had high expectations from this book. This is the first book I've read from Siobhan Vivian, so I was curious to see how the two authors would blend in writing styles. I feel like both of them wrote to their full potential, and everything flowed nicely. I will definitely be reading more from Vivian.

Overall, an amazing book. It was such a cool concept and I can’t wait to read the next. That ending was so interesting! I need to see what happens next. 

Have you read Burn for Burn? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Top Ten Tuesday #28 All-Time Favourite Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme from The Broke and The Bookish that allows users to share their top choices of the topic of the week!

This is the hardest post to write. I know I've left some amazing authors out, but here are my favourite authors: 

1. J.K. Rowling 

Why? Because Harry Potter. That's why.

2. John Green 

His writing is just one word: beautiful

3. Robyn Schneider 

She's hilarious in her writing and she teaches amazing lessons.

4. Rainbow Rowell 

Eleanor and Park made me laugh, cry and everything in between.

5. Gayle Forman 

Not only did she create the amazing If I Stay, but she also got me obsessed with a fictional band.

6. Lauren Oliver 

She was one of the first YA authors I ever read from, and her Delirium trilogy was captivating.

7. Veronica Roth 

I can't even put into words how much the Divergent trilogy means to me.

8. Rick Riordan 

I went through a huge Percy Jackson phase, and his characters never fail to make me smile.

9. Stephen Chbosky 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower impacted me in a way that I will never forget.

10. Jenny Han

She's amazing at writing contemporary books and there hasn't been a single book from her that I didn't love.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by: John Green and David Levithan

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Published: April 6, 2010 by: Dutton Books
Pages: 310
Rating 3/5 Stars
*highlight white text to reveal spoilers*

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the hilarious story of high school student Will Grayson, and his journey to find out who he really wants to be. Will lives in the shadow of his only friend: the amazingly confident Tiny Cooper. When Tiny casts Will as one of the main characters in the school musical, Will begins to think that it's the end of the world. Until by a chance of fate, he meets another boy downtown who just so happens to be named: Will Grayson. Together, the pair try to help each other through their paths of self-discovery, and end up creating the best school musical ever.

I absolutely love both Green's and Levithan's writing. They both brought great things to the table, however I do think that the book could have been executed better.

What I really liked about this book, is that is was incredibly unique. I haven't read anything like this before. The concept was so original, and the plot was very interesting. There was nothing predictable about it. I also loved how diverse the characters were. In most romance books, there is a focus on a straight couple. However this book's focus, was on a gay couple. If there's one thing that annoys me about books with couples, it's that they are mostly not diverse. I loved this change, and I can honestly say that Will and Tiny are now one of my favourite OTP's. 

I really liked the character development in the story. Self-discovery plays an important role in the book, and it was amazing to see the characters change. All of the characters were so incredible, and not one person annoyed me in this book.

There were some negatives to this book :( . For starters, it was extremely hard to follow. There were two people with the same name, and no direction as to which Will was speaking. The book was told from the alternating Will's, but it was so hard to find out which Will's POV it was.

I also feel like there were some parts to the book that were not needed. One idea would come along that would mean nothing in the next chapter. Some parts payed no attention to the overall plot and in my opinion, didn't have a reason to be in there.

Overall, this book was so humorous, and a great pick-me-up. I do wish there was more direction though :( . That is why it got a 3/5 rating.

Have you read Will Grayson? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Top Ten Tuesday #27 Favourite Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme from The Broke and The Bookish that allows users to share their top choices of the topic of the week!

This is such a good  topic because there are so many good quotes in literature. Here are my favourites:

*Some quotes may be highlighted due to spoilers*

1. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light"- Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter) 

2. "And in that moment, I swear, we are infinite"- Charlie (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) 

3. "Gatsby looked at Daisy the way that every young girl wanted to be looked at"- F.Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) 

4. "Stay Gold, Ponyboy"- Johnny (The Outsiders)

5. "Maybe she loved mysteries so much that she became one"-Q (Paper Towns) 

6. "I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you" -Augustus Waters (The Fault in Our Stars) 

7. "After all this time? Always". - Severus Snape (Harry Potter) 

8. “It's okay,” he said. “We're together.” He didn't say you're okay, or we're alive. After all they'd been through over the last year, he knew that the most important thing was that they were together. She loved him for saying that.” -Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson) 

9. "Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, every one. We can't escape that damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other". - Tobias Eaton (Allegiant)

10. "I love you, remember, they cannot take it." - Alex Seathes (Delirium) 

Excuse me while I melt in a puddle of tears.

What are your favourite quotes? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Isla and The Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3) by: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance 

Published: August 14, 2014 by: Dutton

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars
*highlight white text to reveal spoilers*

Isla and The Happily Ever After is the final instalment in Stephanie Perkin’s trio of love stories. This time, we follow Isla, a senior of the School of America in Paris, who is dealing with her crush on artist Josh. The two experience ups and downs, as Isla tries to get a grip on Josh’s glamorous world.

I’m not going to lie; it took me a while to get through this book. Once I got into it, I did enjoy it; however it started off really slow. I do think that it was a great final to the series though.

To the positives first, Isla was my favourite girl of the three books. She was a bit shy and quirky, and she had a great heart. She was also very smart and responsible. My issue with romance novels is that sometimes the girls can be too ditzy and dependent, but I did not find that with Isla. Josh was also my favourite guy of the books. He was so incredibly cute and such a gentlemen. Isla and Josh were by far, my favourite couple.

 I loved the little details in the book. Perkins brought back all of the other couples at the end of the book, and it was nice to see all of them back together again. In the middle of the book, she even referenced that Calliope Bell was now an Olympic skater, which I found to be so clever. Overall, I loved how she incorporated the other books into the story.

One thing that I did not like about this book is that it was a bit cliché. Not only with Josh and Isla, but with the other couples. St. Clair and Anna end up getting engaged, which I found to be more cheesy than cute. It was just so expected that he would propose once the gang was all together. With Isla and Josh, I found their story to be a bit predictable. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they have fallout, they get back together. While there were a few plot twists to keep things interesting, the main theme fell flat.

Like I said before, while the middle picked up in action, the beginning was quite slow. It almost turned me off of the book. I understand that it was supposed to be rising action, but it took a while for me to get into it.

Overall, this book was okay. Josh and Isla were my personal favourite couple, and I enjoyed reading about them; however I found things to be very cookie-cutter. This is an issue that I found with all three books. That is why Isla  got a 3/5 star rating.

Have you read this series? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Top Ten Tuesday #26 Characters I Want to Check in With

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme from The Broke and The Bookish that allows users to share their top choices of the topic of the week!

A series ending can be the worst thing. There are many characters who I would love to check in with. I wonder how they're doing? 

*highlight white text to reveal spoilers*

1. Albus Potter from Harry Potter and  The Deathly Hallows
Nope, not Harry Potter. We all kind of know how Harry ends up. I want to know how his son is. Did he get into Slytherin? How was his first year? 

2. Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower 
How's Charlie doing? Did he become a writer? Are he and Sam still friends? 

3. Eleanor from Eleanor and Park
I would love to catch up with Eleanor. Please tell me her and Park reunite, and that she is living a much safer life. 

4. Alaska Young from Looking for Alaska 
I understand that she is dead, however I just really want to know her thoughts on Pudge, as well as what really happened that dreaded day. 

5. Adam from If I Stay 
I constantly wonder if Shooting Star took off again, or if he is a solo artist. Mostly, what happened with him and Mia? 

6. Aspen Leger from The Selection
I would love to know if he found love just like America, or if he got a happily ever after.

7. Gale Hawthorne from The Hunger Games
If finished the Hunger Games without any clue of what happens to my favourite character. Is he doing alright? 

8. Tobias Eaton from Divergent 
Oh Tobias. I wonder if he found love again, or what his life is like without Tris, years down the road. 

9. Margo Roth Spieglman from Paper Towns
I'm mostly curious to hear what her life is like in New York, and if her and Q ever meet again. 

10. Hazel Grace Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars
I wish I could know what happens to Hazel! If she achieves remission, and how life is like after Gus. 

What characters do you want to hear from? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Afterworlds by: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Paranormal
Published: September 23, 2014 by: Simon Pulse
Pages: 599
Rating: 4/5 stars
*highlight white text to reveal spoilers*

Afterworlds is a thrilling story about a girl being able to see into the afterlife, and about the girl who wrote her. Darcy Patel has just published her first debut, which causes her to move to a swanky New York apartment, and start living the author life. Her book is about a girl named Lizzie, who after surviving a terrorist attack, has been able to speak to ghosts and see into the afterlife. Lizzie befriends a young ghost, and together they try to track down the killer who murdered her. Told from the alternating stories of Lizzie and Darcy, Afterworlds was like a book inside a book.

This book offered a paranormal/romantic mix. Firstly we have Darcy's story about her new life and new book. but we also get to see inside of her book. To the positives, Lizzie's story was very interesting. She wasn't exactly a ghost, but a person able to slip inside and outside the afterlife. It was a very unique story, and offered a lot of information.

Lizzie and her ghost companion were incredibly cute to read about. They were an unlikely friendship, but I loved their developments. They worked really well together because they both had troubling pasts, and Lizzie did so much for her. Overall, the characters and plot of Lizzie's story were great.

To the negative side, I really did not care much for Darcy's story. I felt as if there was no point or reason to it, and I wish that the book was just dedicated to Lizzie. Darcy's story really went no where, there was no suspense or anything interesting, besides the fact that she falls in love with a fellow writer. Nothing happened.

Overall, I loved Lizzie's story, but didn't enjoy Darcy's. I feel like Darcy's story was a great for a romantic/contemporary element, but it just didn't do it for me. The plot of Lizzie's story was thoroughly entertaining, and beautifully written. That is why this book got 4/5 stars.

Have you read Afterworlds? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess