BOOKS, DREAMS AND LIFESTYLE TURNED 1 TODAY

Happy first birthday for my blog!

I am so happy to say, that this blog turned one year old today. This is probably one of the most exciting thing that has happened to me over the past year and let me tell you there was competition. But writing this blog makes me so happy and also it makes me so happy to be part of a community and be able to share my thoughts with you. There is a lot coming next year and I am so excited to for you to see it. I hope you're all having a very-merry Christmas with your loved ones and with your families.
And also stay tuned in the next weeks, because I have an exciting surprise coming up for you in order to celebrate the blogs first birthday, amongst other things
Until next time,
Bianka

October Wrap-Up

Hey Everyone, I am here with my October wrap-up and I know it's a little bit late, but I thought I would do this post anyway, because I have read a couple of books during the month of October. There were good ones and there were some, which disappointed me, but that is how it is with books, right?! So without further do, let's jump right into this:

Stay with me by J. Lynn aka Jennifer L. Armentrout:

This is the third book in the Wait for me series and this is a new adult contemporary romance. I loved the first two books in the series, but for some reason this disappointed me a lot. The story wasn't really for me andI also think the main characters were a little bit too basic, but that's just my opinion. Other than these little things, I enjoyed reading this book, it cheered me up and I will definitely pick up the next book in the series. You can find the book on Goodreads here.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: 

I enjoyed reading this book so much. It didn't disappoint me at all, it was exactly what I was expecting it to be. My reason for picking this book was really simple: someone wrote a review on Goodreads, saying it's very similar to the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter (you can find my review for the Gallagher Girls series here or my Embassy Row series review here) and after reading that sentence I immediately ordered it. Okay, maybe I lied a little bit earlier about this book being everything what I expected it to be, because I didn't expect the story to go this way, but other than that it really gave me the feeling of a good Ally Carter book, except it wasn't written by her. You can find it on Goodreads here.

Rose Under Fire by Elisabeth Wein: 

If you have read my blog in the past year you know how much I love a good historical fiction book and I knew Elisabeth Wein wouldn't disappoint me after what she did to me with Code Name Verity (review here). And she didn't. I won't tell you a lot about my opinion on this book, because I want to write a review about this or if it's up by the time you read this I will link it here. Until that here is the link for the book on Goodreads.

Perks of being a Wallflower: 

Years ago when it was very popular and the movie came out I tried to read this book and I couldn't. I just hated it, I didn't understand it. But recently I felt the urge to pick this one up and this book suddenly talked to me. And I think the reason for that is I am just experiencing really growing up, the same as Charlie, the main character in this book does. And yes there will be a review about this one as well, because I just have to write the effects of this book out of myself.

The last month was super-busy and if I am going to be honest I never thought I won't be able to write posts on the blog regularly or take care of my bookstagram and this is something that disappoints me a lot. So one thing I want to change in the next few months is my time management, because now I am definitely not on top of that lately, so this is kind of a problem for me. i hope you are all having an amazing time and thank you so much for reading my belated wrap-up post.
Until next time,
B

5 things that make me happy

Hey Everyone, I hope you're all having an amazing day, I am here with a very personal post today, since I realized how many things changed in my life in the past couple of months, I thought I would share 5 things that make me happy right now. Not all of the things are super big or life changing things, but I thought it's always nice to think about things, that cheer you up or make you happy. And who knows, maybe this post will inspire you to think about the things in your life that make you happy.

1. The people around me.

It sounds strange, but I never felt entirely happy with the people surrounding me. I am one of those people, who needs her environment to be very positive and full with good vibes, because let's say I am very sensitive to the mood and the vibes around me. And now I finally feel like I am surrounded with extremely good people and I cannot help but smile all the time.

2. Being able to experience new things.

This is one of those things I could have done before as well, I just never had the chance to be spontaneous. There was always something scheduled. And now I can go wherever I want to, exactly when I want to. Just this possibility is a new experience for me. And also I am very enjoying to experience my limits, although it's not unicorns and rainbows all the time, but it's very useful. I just realised so many things about myself in the past couple of months and although there is no regret in me for giving those up until now, I cannot imagine not having them in my life right now.

3. Stretching my boundaries.

Most of my life I was more an introvert, especially in my teenage years and honestly as weird as it sounds the world is just opening for me now. I get to go out more and as I said previously I have the possibility to be spontaneous. I start to realise how tight my boundaries were and it feels good to stretch it. And, yes sometimes I just cross a line with that and freak out, but hey, that's another experience too. I am very enjoying to experience my limits, although it's not unicorns and rainbows all the time, it's very useful. I just realised so many things about myself in the past couple of months and although there is no regret in me for giving those up until now, I cannot imagine not having them in my life right now.

4. Write again.

Writing has been such a vital part of my life since I was a kid, it was a way of coping with things in my life for me. And through the previous year it seemed like I have lost my voice. That is part of the reason I started this blog. I thought if I start to write in English for a change, maybe I will be able to write in Hungarian an well. It didn't work out the way I wanted it to (it turns out I like writing poems), but still, I got my voice back. And also I got something entirely different out of blogging as well:I got a bunch of new book-friends and I get to share my opinion about books with a whole community. That's sounds like jackpot for me.

5.Feel good in my body.

Outside of the ice rink I was always shy and quiet and I never wore clothing that caught eyes. Considering the fact that I always had the shortest skirt and the sexiest dress when it came to figure skating dresses, it sounds weird. I think I started to mix the two "personalities"together finally and it is working really well. I am just looking through my closet and seeing all those oversized clothing I wore in the past couple of years I just feel sad. I just feel like I could've shown a lot more of my personality though my clothing instead of hiding in it.

I just cannot tell you how happy I feel, because of these little things in my life and I just cannot tell you how grateful I am for all the above and for you of course, for reading my inner thoughts. I hope I inspired you to think about you're life a little bit and if you feel like it, please share one thing in the comments that make you happy at the moment.

See you later,

Bianka

Your voice is all I hear book review

Hey Everyone, yes, I am finally doing a book review, I feel like I haven't done one in a long time, but today I am going to. I am sorry for my absence from social media in the past couple of weeks, but I could really do a proper schedule, because everything is all over the place right now, so be patient and I will be back on schedule in a couple of weeks.

The book I am going to talk about is Your voice is all I hear by Leah Scheier and this has been on my TBR for the longest time, but I never really picked it up, I don't know why. When I saw, it's going to be published in Hungary, I knew I had to get it. Especially after I saw the cover. It's so beautiful.

The summary:

April won't let Jonah go without a fight. He's her boyfriend-her best friend. She'll do anything to keep him safe. But as Jonah slips into a dark depression, trying to escape the traumatic past that haunts him, April is torn. To protect Jonah, she risks losing everything: family, friends, an opportunity to attend a prestigious music school. How much must she sacrifice? And will her voice be loud enough to drown out the dissenters-and the ones in his head?

My thoughts:

This book is one of those YA books which features mental-illness, but it talks about it with a twist. We see what is happening to Jonah from Aprils point of view. We don't see what is happening in Jonah's head, we see how it affects his surrounding. We see how it makes April feel, how it affects her life and thoughts. And this was where it became interesting. The most appealing thing about how April reacted was how she always tried to explain it and find excuses. I think it's just how it is with mental illness, the people around you just cannot believe anything can be wrong with you. I have read plenty of books with the main character suffering in mental illness, but I have never see the "other side" of the story. It was really eye opening and it really shows that every story has two sides and honestly I think seeing the other side of the coin is bad. In my opinion YA would need a lot more of these kinds of books. April in this book tried to keep things together and honestly her love-story with Jonah was so cute, I don't think I would want to believe there is something wrong if I have a relationship like that. And as title says, Jonah for some reasons listenes to April. He hears her voice among the other voices. I think April managed to be strong during this whole craziness and tried to be there for Jonah, but it just wasn't enough. I don't feel like I can talk about Jonah, because honestly I don't know what was going on in his head and honestly I would really read this book about his point of view. And I don't think this book was necessarily about him or his illness. It was about April and her family and about Jonah's family. And there were problems to talk about on both sides.

All around, I definitely think you should read this book if you want to see the other-side of a common problem. I enjoyed reading it, it wasn't that rough and emotional, which was good. I hope you enjoyed reading my review and leave your thoughts in the comments if you feel like it and I will see you next time. 

I'll meet you there by Heather Demetrios book review

Hello Everyone, 

how are you today? I wanted to write this review since the minute I finished reading this book, but I didn't had the time back in August, so I finally decided to do it. Throughout last week I tried to collect all my thoughts about the story and the characters, so here we are. I'll meet you there by Heather Demetrios is not just a contemporary romance book as I heard it before. Going into it I thought it will be a fluffy, typical, YA romance book, but soon it turned out it, is so much more than that.

What the book is about:

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom―that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she's ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. 

What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise―a quirky motel off California's dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

My thoughts on the book:

Yes, there is  romance in this book, a cute one actually, but for me it was the least significant part of the story. It deals with so many, more important topics. Let's start with Josh, since he was by far one of my favorite characters in this book. His personality is the most interesting. I don't see young "boys" coming back from war in YA often. Or I haven't read a book, which featured a character like this. I think Josh is one of the toughest characters I read in YA. He translated to me as a fighter, as a person who has a goal in life, who found a cause he would die for. Not a lot of people find that goal in their lives. And not a lot of people would continue fighting for it after loosing a leg. Especially not as a 19 year old young person. And I especially found his chapters interesting. I wish there was more from his point of view, but at the same time I liked it was just peek into his mind from time to time.

Skylar is a young person, who wants to get out of her little town. And I have to say I understood her really much. I think at age, almost every person feels like exploring a world. At some point everyone wants to be independent. And that's why Skylar is so relatable to me. 

And my other favorite character was Dylan. While every friend of hers wants to get out, she is perfectly happy where she is. She doesn't have much, but she loves it. It couldn't be easy to watch all of your friends complain about the place you'll probably live for the rest of your life. But she is strong and knows what she wants. I liked that there was friend like this in Skylar's life.

And the Paradise motel... I loved, that it was differently themed in every room. I would totally go there, if it would be an existing place. Also, somehow it seemed like the center of everything to me and I was always toying with the idea of hanging out in a motel or in a hotel all the time (hello, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody), I think I got that from my Dad. We both would move into a hotel or even to airport, because there are so many people from different places and it's so good to talk with all these different people.

Altogether I really enjoyed this book, although I didn't necessary think the romance was needed in order to tell the story of these two characters. It was a cute addition to the story and it just made it enjoyable.

So this was my short review, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have read this book feel free to share your opinion in the comments and I'll see you next week.

Bye,

Bianka

P. S.: From now on I am going to upload my new blogposts on Wednesday, so if you want to keep updated follow me on twitter and on my Instagram or just subscribe to the blog.

August Wrap-Up

Hey Everyone, I am officially back from vacation and also I had bit of "writing-slump" as well, so today I am going to share all the books I have read in the month of August. It's been quite a busy month, but I now I am saying that all the time. This month was I think the best reading month I have had in a long time. I read eight books this month and I could finally catch up on my Goodreads reading challenge. Most of these books I read during my vacation, so the lesson is I should go on vacations more often. But hey, who doesn't?! Without further do, let's see what I read in the month of August and also my favorite memory from this moth.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristof: 

I have already talked about this one in my July wrap-up post, but I wasn't finished with it at the time. After finishing it I think this book is genius. I am not a huge sci-fi fan and I am not a big audiobook fan either, but this book made me like both of these things. I have a review about this one up on the blog, if you want to read it, just click here. 

The Siren by Kiera Cass:
I was a little disappointed by this book, honestly. It was't what I was expecting. And I also had a few problems with it. Altogether I enjoyed reading it, if you want to read my review about it, please click here.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone by J. K. Rowling: 
This was my first time reading any Harry Potter books and I have only seen the first movie, so although I had high expectations, I really didn't know what to expect from this book. Everyone knows what this series is about, butI didn't know, whether I am going to love the writing or not. I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think I can form an opinion just after one book.

P. S. I like you by Kasie West:

Kasie West never let's me down. This was a real fluffy contemporary romance and although the characters are still in school in this book, for me it was the perfect summer-read. Especially now, when I don't have to go to high school anymore. I will write a review about this one, so keep an eye out for that.

Flat out love by Jessica Park: 

I don't give a book one star often, but in this case I had to. I didn't like this book and I am so sad, because I had such big expectations for this one and it had such good reviews on Goodreads....I didn't like the writing and the main character Julie annoyed me on a whole new level. But I really liked Celeste in this book, she was so weird and I think there is another series by Jessica Park, where she is a teenager and I think I am going to read that and maybe I will like it a little bit more....

I'll meet you there Heather Demetrios: 

Yes, another contemporary romance on the list. I have been feeling a little bit down lately, so I think the best way to cheer me up, is reading fluffy romance books and it totally works. This book was not what I expected it to be. Yes, there was a romance in it, a cute one actually. But the more captivating thing for me was Jake's character. Seeing a teenage guy back from war, after loosing his leg is not something you see in YA often. I'll also do a review about this book sometime in the near future.

Anna and the french kiss by Stephanie Perkins: 

I don't think I have to talk about this book, because we all know this is my all time favorite book. I brought this with me, because if this wasn't going to cheer me up, then nothing could. And also I couldn't go on vacation without Étienne St. Claire....I know, my obsession with this book is unhealthy.....Don't judge me, please....

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen: Honestly, I liked this book at the beginning, but it became slower and slower towards the end. I don't know if it was because of the translations (I read it in Hungarian) or the original is so slow as well, but this just wasn't for me. I am not planning to do a review about this book, but if you want me to, leave a comment and I will do it.

Highlight of August:

I started university!!!!!! Okay I haven't had any classes yet, but I got to know a lot of people already and they are all so friendly and nice. I have never made friends so easily before. It's definitely not high school anymore. Also, my brother just turned 18 this month, so that was a big highlight of the month as well.

August was a really fun month and also exciting, I pretty much think this was my favorite month of the summer. I am very excited for what's coming in the next months. How was your  summer? Are you ready for back-to-school? Tell me in the comments, because I am really curious.
Until next time,
B

The Siren book review

This week I am here with another book- review and hopefully it will will be more expressive than my previous one. This is a spoiler-free review, so you don't have to worry about being spoiled. As you could already see from the title, the book I am going to talk about today is going to be The Siren by Kiera Cass.

What the book is about:

Love is a risk worth taking. 

Years ago, Kahlen was rescued from drowning by the Ocean. To repay her debt, she has served as a Siren ever since, using her voice to lure countless strangers to their deaths. Though a single word from Kahlen can kill, she can’t resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live freely among them again. Love is a risk worth taking. 

Kahlen is resigned to finishing her sentence in solitude…until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and kind, Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. And though she can’t talk to him, they soon forge a connection neither of them can deny…and Kahlen doesn’t want to.

Falling in love with a human breaks all the Ocean’s rules, and if the Ocean discovers Kahlen’s feelings, she’ll be forced to leave Akinli for good. But for the first time in a lifetime of following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart.

My thoughts:

Since I want to keep this review honest, I had really high hopes for this book, because after The Crown I wasn't really happy and I hoped, this book will make me love Kiera Cass-books again. Don't get me wrong I still love the first three books in the Selection- series, but the last two books weren't my favorites. And I was so disappointed, because this book just didn't live up to my expectations. I still enjoyed it, but it won't make it to my favorites-shelf. The story was really slow in my opinion and at the same time everything happened out of nowhere. The relationship between Kahlen and Akinli was just there after they'd only met like, three times, Kahlen was head-over heels for him and Akinli seemed to feel the same. I just don't like instal-love in books, because some romantic books are already a little unrealistic in my opinion and this makes it more unrealistic. But at the same time I loved them when they were together, they were really cute. I just couldn't see where it's coming from.

Kahlen was a likable character at the beginning, but she became more and more miserable with every single page. I get it, it's not easy to live as a siren serving the Ocean, killing people, but the other sirens could figure out how to cope with it. She had the longest time to get used to it and she couldn't. Miaka and Elisabeth were far more interesting characters and their background-story was also more interesting to me. Or at least what we get to know about their background. But my favorite character was definitely Aisling. She had the most unique story and I think her life as a siren would've been more worthy of telling than Kahlen's, but that's just my opinion.

Last, but not least, let's talk about the Ocean. In this book the Ocean uses sirens to kill people, because she needs them in order to stay alive. I already don't like the ocean and knowing that it can hear my thoughts, when I am in it or it can eat me any time makes it harder to even give it a chance. Although, I gotta say it's an interesting idea to think of the ocean as something alive, but it still scares me.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, it was a good summer read and although I was disappointed, I didn't regret picking it up. In my review I pointed out a lot of things, I have to point it out as well, that this was the first book Kiera Cass has written. And for a first book, it is really good and I know how good the Selection-series was, so I cannot wait to see her next book, hopefully soon. Have you read this book? If you did, what is your opinion about it? Make sure to tell me in the comment section.

Until next time,
Bianka