The Scorpio Races by: Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Magic Realism
Published: October 18, 2011 by: Scholastic Press
Pages: 409
Rating: 3/5 stars

At the start of every November, the Scorpio Races happen on an elusive island, where the people are quiet and riders are resilient. Riders will attempt to tame fierce water horses all the way to the finish line. Many die, and the winner receives a cash prize. Sean is the returning champion, and he is determined to keep his father's legacy alive. Puck is entering the races for the first time, and not only is she the first girl to do so, but she is determined to win the money for her struggling family. Which one will prevail?

I have always loved Maggie Stiefvater's writing. All of her books are tied to magical realism, a genre that intrigues me so much. While I am absolutely obsessed with some of her other novels such as the Raven Cycle series, this book seemed to capture the essence of her writing, but wasn't necessarily my favourite.

I loved the feminism in this book. Puck is the main character, and she experiences harsh sexism and scrutiny throughout the book because riding in the Scorpio Races was always considered for men only. She was a very strong female lead, much like Stiefvater's other main characters, and I loved her.

I wasn't quite sold on the chemistry between her and Sean. I get it was supposed to be romantic, but I honestly didn't see much there between these two and it all seemed very forced. Their relationship needed to be developed more.

I think the concept of this book was interesting, but it didn't capture me as much as The Raven Cycle did. I found the plot to be kind of rushed at times and quite confusing. I wasn't exactly sold on it.

Overall, I think if you like Stiefvater's writing style, definitely give this book a go. It goes with her theme of magic realism, but I prefer some of her other books.

Have you read The Scorpio Races? What did you think?

Radio Silence by: Alice Oseman

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: February 25, 2016 by: Harper Collins
Pages: 403
Rating: 2/5 stars

Frances is a shy girl with only one goal: to go to an elite university. Then enters Aled, a tech genius behind Frances' favourite podcast. He shows Frances true friendship for the first time, and helps her to come out of her shell and reveal some hard kept secrets. But when Aled's podcast goes viral, Frances must finally address some secrets in her life that she thought she'd never share, while Aled has some secrets of his own.

I feel like I am the only person in this world who just didn't get this book. I understand what the author was going for, and I appreciated the diversity and Frances' growth as the book went on. However as a whole, I just think I was so disconnected from this book and in too much of a reading slump to be wowed over it.

This book was just... too techy for me??? I never watch podcasts and don't really get them, so I wasn't really interested in that theme throughout the book. I just didn't feel like this book clicked with my personality and interests, and thus, I was just bored.

I wasn't really into Aled and Frances' relationship either. I just didn't see much chemistry there and I found it hard to really connect with them. While I can relate to Frances in the sense that I am also very academically driven, she just didn't click for me.

Overall, this book wasn't for me. However every other review I have read about this book has been positive, so I think you really should experience this book for yourself.

Have you read Radio Silence? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Queens of Geek by: Jen Wilde

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: March 14, 2017 by: Swoon Reads
Pages: 262
Rating: 3/5 stars

SupaCon is a place where fandoms unite to become a family. Introverted Taylor knows that all too well, she is looking forward to attending the con with her best friend Jamie, and she is even considering telling him that she may want to be something more. On the other side of the con, Charlie is an extroverted vlogger and actress promoting her first movie, and trying to conceal her feelings for Alyssa Huntington, a cool-girl actress who appeared unexpectedly as a surprise guest. Throughout the con, relationships will be tested, and hopefully, new ones forming too.

I don't really know what drew me to this book. I was in kinda a slump when I started it, and just wanted something quick and lighthearted. While I definitely got just that, I'm not sure this book wowed me enough for me to rate it high.

It was a cute novel. Having been to con's before, it was fun to read a book that takes place during an entire day at a con, where a lot can happen in so little time. I appreciated the diversity and the fact that the author showed that fans come from all different walks of life.

It did seem a bit childish for me. The writing seemed very middle-grade and especially the whole "internet star" theme took me back to when I was thirteen. I would love to read more mature versions of books like these, as I have found that a lot of the lighthearted contemporaries I seem to read nowadays don't really strike me as interesting.

Overall, I think this book is great for anyone who appreciates a good fandom, but don't expect anything groundbreaking. It was just ok, and very predictable.

Have you read Queens of Geek? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Blog Commenting Formats- What's Your Preferred Platform?

Blogger has gone and messed me up again. I used to always get emails whenever someone would comment on a post, but now, I'm assuming with new privacy policies changing, I don't! I have tried a number of things and I just can't seem to get my emails back, making it so I have to check every single post for new comments.

This isn't a cumbersome thing for my most recent posts, however if someone were to comment on an older post, I have no way of knowing and therefore feel like an ass for not replying :((( I love replying to comments and getting emails was a sure way to remember to do them. Now, I'm not sure what to do.

I know there are a few blog commenting formats out there, Disqus is notably the one I see the most besides regular blogger, and I'm just not sure whether to make the switch. I am not the most techy person and while I assume I'd be able to set it up on my blog, I am unsure whether it will decrease my commentors or not. Not everybody has a Disqus account and I know not many people like to have a million accounts for different things, and I just don't want people to feel obligated to sign up for yet another thing. I enjoyed the convenience that everybody with a google account could comment on my blog, but it's not exactly convenient for me anymore.

So, I am appealing to the book community. Do you have Disqus? Blogger? Any suggestions on how to get my emails back??? Please let me know what commenting format you have and if it works for you. I am open to any suggestions as long as they're easy to install and give me notifications when somebody comments. And, if you are a regular reader of my blog, how would you feel if I switched to another platform? I am at a loss here.

Emily @ Paperback Princess