Book Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi {Shatter Me #2} -- AKA My Warner Rant

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: February 2013
Genre: YA/Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Source/Format: Library/Paperback

From Goodreads:

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

I honestly don't even know where to begin talking about Unravel Me. I have so many emotions. It was exciting, it was steamy, it was frustrating, it was infuriating...it was all the adjectives, basically. And I'm still trying to figure out whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. What I do know is that I enjoyed Unravel Me more than Shatter Me, and even though I was correct when I predicted the direction this book was going, I'm not as upset about it as I thought I would be. I think. I'm upset that Mafi spent so much of Shatter Me convincing me that Warner is this horrible, irredeemably bad guy, only to shove Juliette into his arms in Unravel Me. I feel just as conflicted as Juliette, which I suppose is a good thing (I take it as a sign of good writing if you feel everything the character feels), but at the same time drives me crazy! Warner has done bad things. Really bad things. But I pity him because of his upbringing and the fact that he has a horrible father, and also because he does seem to have the capacity for love and kindness where Juliette is concerned. But just because I (and Juliette) pity him, does that mean he can be forgiven for all the wrong he has done? Should he get off scott-free? I'm not so sure. But now that he's a love interest, I don't want anything to happen to him. I almost want him to skip merrily off into the sunset with Juliette. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

What bothered me most about Juliette's relationship with Warner is that, at first, it's mainly driven by her physical attraction to him, which, given the circumstances, makes her seem extremely shallow. It was disappointing to see that a little lust was all it took to tip the balance in Warner's favor. I would have been more okay with the whole thing if Juliette had connected with Warner because she felt their miserable upbringings and their yearning for attention and love made them understand each other...but all of that seemed secondary to the physical attraction. And yes, I get that physical attraction is a big deal for Juliette because she's never had the chance to experience it before, but should it really outweigh what she knows about Warner and what he's done?

And then there's Adam. Poor, poor Adam. This dude just can't catch a break. First he's nearly killed and then brought back to life, then he finds out he's not immune to Juliette's touch like everyone thought, then Juliette almost kills him, and THEN she goes and starts having feelings for Warner. I don't know what Ignite Me has in store for Adam but I hope he's able to find some sort of happiness, whether it's with Juliette or not.

Love triangle aside, Unravel Me did have some pretty thrilling action, which kept the story moving along at a nice pace. The war between the Reestablishment and the rebels escalated to an exciting (and unexpected) finish. I'm glad Mafi delved more into the story of Omega Point and Castle, whom, to be honest, I had a hard time trusting for the first half of the book. It was his relationship with Kenji and his willingness to accept Warner into Omega Point that finally convinced me he was a good guy, not power-hungry leader hiding behind his supposed good intentions. And while Juliette frustrated me so much throughout the book, the transformation she undergoes at the end has me very excited for Ignite Me. It will be interesting to see how her new-found confidence and strength will change her, and which side she will choose.

I'm ready to do something I'll definitely regret and this time I don't care. I'm done being nice. I'm done being nervous. I'm not afraid of anything anymore. Mass chaos is in my future. And I'm leaving my gloves behind.

Harry Potter MOTW {2}: Most Beautiful Spot in the Series

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme created by Leah of Uncorked Thoughts.

This week's topic: Most Beautiful Spot in the Series

My Choice: The Great Hall

Via

The Great Hall at Hogwarts is one of my absolute favorite settings in the series. I love how in the earlier movies the Great Hall is always looks so warm and inviting with all of that bright, golden light. In the books, I always loved it when J.K. Rowling would describe the feasts in the Great Hall; as a kid, I wanted to leap through the pages and be there so I could join in on the delicious feast. (Hmm, food seems to be becoming a theme in these MOTW posts...).

The dorm I lived in in college had a dining hall that looked very similar to the Great Hall. Every year in November our dorm would have "Hogwarts Week," an entire week dedicated to all different kinds of HP-related activities. For the week, candles were hung from the ceiling outside the dining hall with fishing wire, so it looked like we had our own "floating" candles! The dining hall itself was decorated with Hogwarts house banners. Instead of Gryffindor or Slytherin, though, each banner had the names of the residence halls in our dormitory, along with an animal to represent each one. I don't think I could have picked a cooler (or nerdier) place to live. Needless to say, I stayed in this dorm all four years of college. :)

What is your favorite spot in Harry's world?

Lux Series Release Day Launch

I am so excited to be a part of the release day launch for Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series! Be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win hardcover copies of Lux: Beginnings and Lux: Consequences. :D

Lux: Beginnings

Now available together for the first time, don't miss Obsidian and Onyx, the first two books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's bestselling Lux series. Also includes bonus content exclusive to the print edition! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Barnes & Noble

Lux: Consequences

Now available together for the first time, don't miss Opal and Origin, the third and fourth books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's bestselling Lux series. Also includes bonus content exclusive to the print edition! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger...and they know it.

Barnes & Noble

About the Author

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Find Jennifer L. Armentrout

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Goodreads

  Add the LUX Series on Goodreads!

LUX: Beginnings Goodreads ** LUX: Consequences Goodreads ** Opposition

  Find Entangled Publishing

Entangled Website ** Entangled Twitter ** Entangled Facebook

***

And now, the part you've all been waiting for: THE GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books That Will Be In My Beach Bag This Summer

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Soon, very soon, I will be in beautiful Florida soaking up the sun and hanging out by the pool. And while the sun, sand, and surf are all great, vacation wouldn't be complete without some great books to read. The hard part is choosing what those books will be. I'm a mood reader, so the biggest thing for me when deciding what books to pack is making sure I have options. I may be perfectly content with a fluffy summer romance one day, but the next day I could be bored with that and craving something more action-packed. The need to have a variety of books on my person at all times usually turns me into a bit of a book-packing monster.

By the time the picking and choosing of books is all said and done, I still have a teetering pile I have to narrow down. And since my family is flying instead of driving to Florida this year, I have to be even more conscientious about my book selection (oh, the agony!). Here's my current list of books I'm debating taking to the beach.

1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: I have been anticipating this book so much and I think vacation will be the perfect time to devour it.

2. What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Obligatory summer romance. I haven't read Huntley Fitzpatrick before but I've been hearing good things so I'm excited!

3. This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Read: I came across this book while browsing through Barnes and Noble a couple weeks ago and have been wanting to read it ever since. Lucky for me it just came in at the library!

4. Out of the Easy by Ruta Septys: Even though it's set in Louisiana, not Florida, I've been saving this one to read on vacation because I liked the idea of reading a book set in the South while I'm actually in the South. It's silly reasoning, but there you go.

5. Tides by Betsy Cornwall: Mermaids. Need I say more?

6. Angelfall by Susan Ee -- I don't know why but, for me, summer and end-of-the-world books just seem to go together. Last year on vacation I read The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey, which was all the right amounts of excitement, apocalyptic horror, and unlikely romance, and even though it wasn't my favorite book of the year, it was an entertaining vacation read. So this year I'm going with another apocalyptic pick. The apocalypse, hot angels, and a girl who has to save the world--sounds like the makings of a thrilling summer beach read!

7. The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs: This one's been sitting on my shelf for a while and it seems like a quick, fun paranormal romance--perfect for poolside reading.

8. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor: I have a feeling that this will be the one book that definitely makes it into my carry-on bag. I'm still in the middle of Days of Blood and Starlight (and loving it), so we'll see how far I get before vacation.

9. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: Now that Reign has been off the air for a couple weeks, I'm craving some action-packed historical fiction and Grave Mercy sounds like it will deliver!

10. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I started reading Obsidian a couple summers back but then got caught up in the flurry of moving back to school and starting senior year and...well, the book just kind of fell by the wayside. I really loved the premise when I started reading it (Katy is a book blogger! One of us! How cool is that?!) and I've seen so many of the bloggers I follow talking about how much they love this series, so I figured now is the perfect time to catch up! (And be sure to check out the blog later today for a special post regarding the Lux series...you won't want to miss it!)

So that's the list. Now watch me pack something totally different by the time I'm ready to leave, haha. What books are you all planning to read this summer?

That's a Wrap {2}: May 2014

It's time once again for my monthly wrap-up post! Here's what went on in May:
On the Blog
As you might have noticed, there were some big changes to the blog in the month of May--starting with a name change and a whole new look. Yes, I retired Life in the Pages, did a complete blog design overhaul, and BooksyDaisy was born! I really hope you guys like the changes! I'm very happy with it. :)

May was also the month for BEA preparations. Well, not for me, but I did have a lot of fun reading everyone's posts leading up to BEA. Although I couldn't make it to NYC this year, I lived vicariously through all the posts and pics on the blogosphere, and by participating in Armchair BEA. I didn't get to post too much for it because I was busy getting ready for my little sister's graduation, but you can see the Armchair BEA posts I did write here!

Speaking of events, I also signed up for even more blog events in May. From now until September 1, I'll be participating in Katie's Book Blog's Book Blogger Summer Reading Program. I've challenged myself to read 30 books, but I'm hoping to get through even more. You can follow the link to sign up and join in on the fun. In June I will be participating in Mental Health Awareness Month, an event hosted by Leah of Uncorked Thoughts and Ula of Blog of Erised. Throughout June, participating bloggers will be reading and discussing books centered around issues of mental health in an effort to shed some light on this important topic. You can read my intro post and find out what I'll be reading here.

Books Read in May
Don't Worry, It Gets Worse by Alida Nugent
Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor (review)
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (review)
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Favorite Posts from Other Blogs

• Christy of Avoiding Atrophy talks about the #YesAllWomen movement on Twitter.
• For #IReadYA Week, Ginger of GReads discusses why she reads YA.
• On Alexa Loves Books, Alexa talked about the books she DNF--and why that's okay! She also throws in some good ol' Britney for your listening pleasure. :)
• Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, posted pics from her England trip. Her blog is just really cool in general and you should definitely check it out.
• Speaking of DoSaB, Vickie of .Under the Mountain featured the first book in her Many Covers Monday feature. International covers are so cool! I want to collect them all!
• And finally, Book Riot totally surprised me with their post, "How To Tell A Loved One Their Favorite Book Sucks." When I first saw the title of this article, I was fully prepared to go into rage mode. As someone whose favorite book has been the target of endless ridicule, I don't take too kindly to the idea of people imperiously informing someone else that a book that is near and dear to them "sucks," as if their negative opinion of it should make the reader see the error of their ways. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found that this article was not in fact a how-to guide on book shaming, but rather the opposite: the acknowledgment that while YOU may think a book "sucks," it can still hold special meaning for someone else. And if that someone else is a friend or family member or significant other, it's the considerate thing to not ruin their favorite book.

So, that about sums up May. How was your month? Got any good blog posts to share or books to recommend?

Harry Potter MOTW {1}: Wizarding Sweets

I am so excited to have discovered this Harry Potter meme created by Leah at Uncorked Thoughts! Each week Leah lists a different series-related topic for us HP nerds to discuss. Let's do this!

This Week's Topic: Wizarding Sweets I've Always Wanted to Try

Butterbeer

Via

I think it's safe to say that every Potter fan has wanted to Apparate to the Three Broomsticks to try a mug of butterbeer. I think it would taste like liquid butterscotch. Yum!


Pumpkin Pasties

Via

I've always imagined Pumpkin Pasties to be like mini pumpkin pies. What could be better than that?


Cauldron Cakes

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Chocolate cake. Need I say more? 

 

So tell me, which wizarding treats have you always wanted to try?

Blog Event: Mental Health Awareness Month

Hey all! Starting June 1, Leah at Uncorked Thoughts and Ula at Blog of Erised will be hosting Mental Health Awareness Month. By reading and discussing books centered on mental health, they hope to enlighten others and hopefully reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues. But for the event to be really successful, they need us, the book bloggers, to join in on the conversation. To sign up, all you need to do is go to this post. 

As someone who struggles daily with anxiety, mental health is an important topic to me and one that I feel needs to be discussed more frequently. For the moment, the main book I plan to feature in my MHAM discussions is Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. Although it's all about the joys of being part of fandom culture, Fangirl also has some very poignant things to say about anxiety disorders. I'm so excited to be rereading it and discussing it with you all for MHAM!

Let me know in the comments if you'll be participating and what books you'll be reading!