Between Shades of Grey by: Ruta Sepetys

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Between Shades of Grey is a heartbreaking story of  bravery,sacrifice and suffering. The story takes place in Lithuania, 1941. Lina, a 15-year old girl with a passion for art, is preparing for art school. That is, until Soviet police rade her house, and take her family. Lina, her mother and her brother are separated from their father, and shipped on a train to Siberia. Her father, is sent to a prison camp elsewhere. The story follows Lina's fight for her family, her journey to find her father, and using her talent of drawing, to escape the Russian's grasp.

I loved this story. This is much different than books I usually read, (romance and adventure) however it was equally as brilliant. I liked this book because the author took a real-life event, and created a plot around it. Lina's story is both sad and beautiful at the same time, because this story represents true sacrifice. Lina's parents' sacrifices to protect the children, and Lina's sacrifices to find her father. This book was equally sad and extraordinary at the same time.

I will say that this book is very saddening. The theme is quite upsetting, and the book has quite a few sad parts to it. Although the book is not the most joyous, I will say that the ending is both happy and sad. There is defiantly and lighter side at the end.

I liked this book because it is unique. In a world where most YA fiction is dystopia or romance, it's fun to have a change. I have never read another historical fiction book as interesting as this one. I applaud the author for trying something different, in this trend of books.

Overall, this book was amazing for it's uniqueness. This book is not a history novel, it is history told in an amazing story of a heroine who is much more wise beyond her years. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I have no complaints.

*a note* off the topic of this book, I just wanted to add that I finally saw If I Stay earlier this week, and it was AMAZING! The movie was everything I wanted it to be like. If you haven't already, you should definitely go see it.

Bye for Now!

Paperback Princess

Liebster Awards

I was nominated by two bloggers for the liebster award! Thank you to:
  Anne and Charlotte for nominating me!

Rules:
1. List 11 facts about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions asked by whoever nominated you
3.Nominate 9 bloggers with less than 300 followers, and let them know they have been nominated
4. Ask new questions for your nominees

Facts:

1. I have a twin sister!
2. I hate horror movies, even the commercials freak me out!
3. I am left-handed.
4. Despite the book being so popular, I really didn't like the Mortal Instruments series.
5. I never use bookmarks when reading, even though I have so many.
6. I am obsessed with Disney movies, especially Aladdin.
7. I hate fruit.
8. I am a very fast reader. I can finish a Harry Potter book in a day, if I have no distractions.
9. I am obsessed with watching Youtube videos. My favourite Youtube channel is Our2ndLife.
10. The first book I properly read by myself was the Rainbow Magic fairy books.
11. I am the first person in my family to have a blog.

Charlotte's Questions:

1. If you could rewrite any book which would you pick? Why?
I would rewrite Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so that my favourite characters would not die.

2. Do you have more read or unread books on your shelves?
I have more read books. Once I buy a book, I have to read it.

3. What's the most unusual book you have read?
The Mortal Instruments. I found it confusing.

4. What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Getting to communicate with people who have the same interests as me.

5. Are you a fast reader or a slow reader?
Definitely a fast reader.

6. Do you prefer e-books or physical books? Why?
I prefer physical books, because I like to go to book stores, or the library.

7. Which of your books has the most beautiful cover?
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. The cover is simple, and the artwork in the inside cover is adorable.

8. If you were a superhero what would your power be? What would you do with it?
I would teleport, so that I could teleport myself out of bad situations, and into a good situation.

9. What is your favourite genre? Why?
I love adventure novels because of the suspense.

10. If you had to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
I would pick pepperoni pizza!

11. Which book by your favourite author, is your favourite?
Paper Towns by John Green is my favourite!

Anne's Questions:

1. Did you ever not finish a book? Why?
I haven't finished House of Hades by Rick Riordan because I completely forgot about it! I'm planning on finishing it now.

2. If you must burn one book you own, which would it be and why?
I would burn An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green because I found it quite boring. 

3. What is your favourite series/trilogy of all time and why?
My favourite trilogy is the Divergent trilogy because it was a great trilogy of novels!

4. If you could kill one author and wouldn't go in jail for it, who would you kill and why?
I wouldn't kill anyone! Every author has something great to offer to the world. 


5. In which language do you mostly read?
I read in English. 

6. Have you got a list with books you wanna buy? If so, how many books do you have on it?
I don't have a list, I usually just buy books that I hear people talking about to be brilliant. 

7. Do you take note (while or after reading) or do you just write down your thoughts while writing a review?
I write down my thoughts when writing a review. 

8. Which year (school or college) are you in?
I am in Grade 9. 
9. What was the most horrible book you had to read at school?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It was too confusing! 

10. If you could just bring three books to your new apartment, which three would you bring and why?
I would bring Paper Towns, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Eleanor and Park because these all are my most favourite books. 

11. How many books do you have in total?
I have no idea, too many to count! 

Many people have already been nominated, so I will only nominate a few:

Michelle
Jessica and Amber
Sophia
Fiction Addiction


My Questions: 

1. If you could be any book character, who would you be? 

2. If you could kill off one book character, who would it be? 

3. Do you consider yourself to be open to many genres of books, or just one genre?

4. What book have you read that you could relate to the most? 

5. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

6. If you could interview one author, who would it be?

7. Did you always like reading? 

8. If you could spend a day with one book character, who would it be?

9. Besides reading, what are you other hobbies?

10. Do you enjoy writing stories or just reading?

11. What is your favourite subject in school? 

Don't feel pressured to answer these questions! If you do answer them, I would love to read your answers! 


Paperback Princess

The Beginning of Everything By: Robyn Schneider

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Tragedy, Comedy, Coming of Age

The Beginning of Everything has easily become one of my favourite books. One of my favourite youtubers, Ingrid Nilsen, recommended this book in one of her videos. She explained it to be funny, and heartwarming, with a good message. When I saw it in the book store, I decided to give it a try. It did not disappoint.

The book follows Ezra, a popular high school senior who tragically gets in a car accident, which shatters his leg. His social life is ruined, as nobody wants to be seen with "the boy with the cane". He finds a new crowd of debate club members, and befriends the new girl, Cassidy. Cassidy is unique and confident, and teaches Ezra to be himself and not to go with the "in crowd". They eventually fall in love, but when another tragedy strikes, Ezra begins to wonder who he really wants to be: the popular golden boy, or himself.

I really enjoyed this book, as it was a different take on tragedy. The book was witty and adorable, and was not at all depressing, despite the theme. This book is a great coming of age novel, because it is about a teen struggling with identity. I think that most teens would be able to relate to this book.

I liked this book because it was different. The book did not have a perfect ending, it had a realistic ending. The books theme's were relatable, and the book had great advice throughout. I also liked how the book was not predictable. There were many "plot twists" which I didn't expect at all. The book was kept interesting.

The author did a great job at capturing the message of this book, which was that everyone will get a personal tragedy, but it's all about how they respond to it. They could complain about it, or do something about it. This could change the outcome. Overall, I would rate this book 9.5 out of 10 stars, for it's beautiful message, and advice.

Bye for Now!

Paperback Princess

Paper Towns by: John Green

Genre: Young Adult Drama, Romance, Adventure, Mystery

Paper Towns is one of my all-time favourite books. The book follows Quentin, a high school senior who has a crush on a mysterious bad girl named Margo. One night, Margo whisks Quentin off on an adventure to get revenge on all of the people who have annoyed them both. The next morning, Quentin remembers all of the fun he had, however he notices that Margo is missing from school. She is still missing until graduation, so he and his friends go on a road trip to find her.

I can say that Paper Towns is one of my favourite books. I liked how this book did not just contain some romance, but also mystery and adventure. Once again, John Green has created a genius book. 

This book has many different genres, so it can draw the attention of many different readers. The book is so versatile, and that is why I like it.

Overall, this book had many different elements to it. I liked the many different genres, so I didn't get bored. This book was filled with suspense, and I couldn't put it down. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars, for it's versatility.

Bye for Now!

Paperback Princess

The Giver

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia, Sci-Fi

The Giver is about a boy named Jonas, who lives in a futuristic world. In this world, children are given a job at a certain age, based on their personality. They will have to work this job for their entire life. This world seems "perfect" however it is far from it. Jonas learnes this first-hand.

Jonas is assigned the job of Reciever of Memory. This is one of the most important jobs in the world. He goes everyday to The Giver, a wise man who each day gives Jonas memories of the past world. Jonas realizes that the world used to be a beautiful place, full of wonder. However that has now changed. 

I really enjoyed this book. The book was very wise, and the story taught a lesson that in order to have good days, you must have bad days too. I think that Jonas was taught that good things can also become bad. 

I like this book because of the lessons it teaches. I think that most young adults would benefit from this story's wise teachings. Most importantly, that bad times may come, but they will get better.

Jonas learned that his world was not as perfect as what he thought it was, but he did something about that. He went against anyone telling him otherwise. That is why I admire his character the most.

The book had a very interesting plot, and I enjoyed learning from The Giver. The book was not confusing with the teachings, and I think the author did a great job at capturing the emotion. Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, for the lessons. 

Bye For Now!

Paperback Princess

Looking for Alaska By: John Green

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Drama

Looking for Alaska is a book by one of my favourite authors: John Green. After reading his book, The Fault in Our Stars, I decided to read some of his other novels. Looking for Alaska was not what I expected from this author, but it was still a very good book.

The story features Miles, a teenager who is obsessed with famous people's "last words". He is sent to a boarding school, where he meets his new friends: a witty boy named Chip, and a wild-child Alaska. Miles is immediately drawn to Alaska, however she is not interested. The book follows Miles and his friends, pranking the school, especially the warden. Miles grows closer to Alaska throughout the book, and learns more about her past. Alaska tells him many confessions about her life, which eventually leads to a tragedy at the end of the book.

I wouldn't say that this book has a happy ending, but I also wouldn't say that it has a sad ending. This book had many ups and downs. The book was kind of confusing in some parts. I feel as if some parts in the book were irrelevant to the plot. Also, there were some quite "dirty" parts in this book. This book is quite mature.

John Green was very descriptive throughout this book. Sometimes this was a good thing, and sometimes it was a bad thing. There were parts where I applauded his choice of wording, the quotes were magnificent! However in some parts, especially the mature parts, the book was a little "too much information".

Overall, this book was very mature. It was a good book, however some parts could be a bit disturbing. I don't think that this book is appropriate for everyone. Then again, every book has it's age group.

I did enjoy this book. The quotes were incredible, and the ending was cute. The friendship between Miles and Alaska was unbreakable. They really did care for each other. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars, for the descriptive plot.

Bye for Now!

Paperback Princess

If I Stay By: Gayle Forman

Genre: Young Adult Romance, drama

If I Stay is a book that I have wanted to read for a long time. The book follows Mia, an aspiring cello player, who's life is turned upside-down when she and her family get in a car crash. Her family is killed, and her soul  is left to choose between life or death.

At first I was reluctant to read this book. I don't like sad stories, and a book about death freaked me out. I have to say I was quite surprised. I found the story very emotional, but a bit confusing at first, however, as the book progressed, I could understand the feelings of Mia and the other characters. I also fell madly in love with Mia's boyfriend, Adam. I found Adam to be so caring towards Mia. They were so cute together!

Even though the book contained a lot of drama, I still found it to be a heartwarming story. The love between Mia and her family was unbreakable. Her protectiveness over her brother was very strong. Even the love between her and Adam was undeniable.

The story of life and death was very thought-provoking. I am not a very emotional person, but I did enjoy this book because of the romance between Mia and Adam. I am all about  a good love story. I think that the book is quite mature, because of the theme.

Gayle Forman did a great job at capturing the emotion, love and life throughout this book. A movie of this book will be coming out this month, however I recommend that people should read the book before seeing the movie. Overall, I thought that this book was quite emotionally-charged, because of the suspense created to see if Mia "stays". I think that you will like this book if you enjoy a dramatic novel. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Bye For Now!

Paperback Princess