My Favorite Quotes/Lines: Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children)

“This, you see, is the true danger of children: they are ambushes, each and every one of them.”

“It can be easy, in the end, to forget that children are people, and that people will do what people will do, the consequences be damned.”

“Every choice feeds every choice that comes after, whether we want those choices or no.)”

“There are moments that change everything, and once things have been changed, they do not change back.”

“The best beauty was the sort that took some seeking.”

Review - Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children)

Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire

Quote that explains the series really well:

“...Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world. Other adventures must be committed to before they have even properly begun. How else will they know the worthy from the unworthy, if they do not require a certain amount of effort on the part of the ones who would undertake them? Some adventures are cruel, because it is the only way they know to be kind.”

5 out of 5 gnomes

Dark/Gothic story telling at its finest. What an awesome prequel. It was great to learn more about Jack and Jill's story especially after reading the first book. They spent a lot of time in a very different kind of world then what most the people who went through doors did.

This book lets you dig into more of their psychology and why they become who they do. They’re identical twins who never really had a chance to be who they wanted to be. Then they go to a dark fantastical world and are divided on two very different paths. Both paths are intriguing to read about too.

Lyrical writing and a tense setting equal a story that's hard to leave behind. Putting all the pieces together of their story fleshes out the characters well and I know I wouldn’t be adverse to having another story about them just to see what happens after the events of the first book now that I know more about them both.

I continue to adore the door mythology and all the laws behind them. This story shows that home and belonging can be extremely different depending on who you are. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series (I don’t think I’ve ever preordered anything so fast.) Check out this series ASAP.

Sentence Sneak Peek - Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children)

Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire

Sentence Sneak Peek:

The first sentence from each chapter of Down Among the Sticks and Bones, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“PEOPLE WHO KNEW Chester and Serena Wolcott socially would have placed money on the idea that the couple would never choose to have children.”

“THE WOLCOTTS LIVED in a house at the top of a hill in the middle of a fashionable neighborhood where every house looked alike.”

“AGE SIX WAS KINDERGARTEN, where Jacqueline learned that little girls who wore frilly dresses every day were goody-goodies, not to be trusted, and Jillian learned that little girls who wore pants and ran around with the boys were weirdos and worse.”

“JILLIAN AND JACQUELINE ran through the flowers like wild things— and in that moment, that brief and shining moment, with their parents far away and unaware of what their daughters were doing, with no one who dwelt in the Moors yet aware of their existence, they were wild things, free to do whatever they wanted, and what they wanted to do was run.”

“THE MAN LED THEM through the silent town beyond the wall.”

“JACK AND JILL were tucked away in the same round tower room, in two small beds shaped like teardrops, with their heads at the widest point and their feet pointed toward the tapering end.”

“DR. BLEAK LIVED OUTSIDE the castle, outside the village; outside the seemingly safe bulk of the wall.”

“IT WOULD BECOME QUICKLY dull, recounting every moment, every hour the two girls spent, one in the castle and one in the windmill, one in riches and one in artfully mended rags: it would become quickly dull, and so it shall not be our focus, for we are not here for dullness, are we?”

“THE INN OWNED by Alexis’s parents was small and cozy and reasonably clean, as such things went.”

“TIME PASSED.”

“SHE SHOULD BE HERE by now,” said Jack, putting aside the bone saw she had been carefully sharpening.”

“SEE THEM NOW, two girls— almost women, but still not quite, not quite— running hand in hand across the vast and unforgiving moor.”

“DESCENDING THE STAIRS as a twelve-year-old had been tiring but achievable: the work of hours, the amusement of an afternoon.”

Review - When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“Strange things were happening in the pit of his stomach. Fun things.”

“Even his eyebrows looked embarrassed, somehow. Dimple felt a little bad for him. But not that bad, because he was the one who’d said it.”

“And then, once you’d been together awhile, bam. The gauzy lust-curtain fell away and you realized you’d married an alligator with bad breath.”

“The realization was alarming. Concerning. And not altogether unwelcome.”

“...but all he felt was this warm, almost gooey feeling in his chest. Like his heart was wrapped in microwaved Nutella.”

4 out of 5 gnomes

Dimple & Rishi is a pretty darn adorable book.  

When they first meet, they couldn't be any more different. Dimple is about as nontraditional as she can get and Rishi is all about tradition. Both characters are well written and will make you feel for them.

It gives you a look at tradition versus new and whether arranged marriage could work for them. There are some great characters and chemistry abounds.

The banter between Dimple and Rishi is very well done. It's a fun read for the most part as you get to know them and see their relationship grow. They slowly well as cliche as it sounds they find themselves.

The story gives a great look at culture and identity and the ending especially feels like a Rom Com movie. It's the kind of book that will just make you smile while reading it.

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - The Love Interest

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“If an oddly shaped nose is enough to get rejected, I’m sure my pale, weirdly hairy body isn’t far behind.”

“Some people,” I say, “would say if laughter is a manipulation it’s the best one there is. It makes people feel good. Who cares how that end is achieved?”

“He grins. “You know what I think? I think you’re a great actor. I know you’re lying, yet I find myself believing you. It’s truly a rare gift.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “She’s the hero of this story, so how I feel is irrelevant.”

“No freaking way. They’re faint, and only visible when I’m smiling, but this fact is unavoidable: they gave me dimples.”

“No one finds the love of their life while they’re a teenager.” “You haven’t read any YA novels recently, have you?”

“An informed Love Interest is an effective Love Interest.”

“Of the two of us, he’s better-looking. By a wide margin. After everything I’ve done to turn myself into the perfect Nice, he could win because of his pretty eyes and stupidly cute smile. It’s bullshit.”

“Now I know why they’re so popular. The very air of this place is delicious.”

“For the first time, I start to wonder if love is, in fact, necessary.”

“Did she just say frigging? My favorite fake swearword? Be still, my beating heart.”

“I may not be Nice, but that doesn’t make me mean.”

“What would Juliet think if she saw us side by side with our shirts off? Whose body would she prefer? I have a feeling it’d be his. I prefer his.”

“Crap! I like him. Good job, brain, you can’t have him, so you decide you want him. Typical.”

“I can’t help but be myself when I’m around him, and that’s dangerous.”

“And if I’ve learned anything, it’s that my real feelings only hurt me.”

“Stupid feelings, making me all soft.”

“Of course I like you. I like three things: Nicki Minaj, Star Wars, and you.”

“We live in a world where a piece of information can kill careers or start wars.”

“My life has had so much darkness but it’s the sparks of joy, like his smile, I think of now.”

“I have one idea, and it’s risky. But it is what a protagonist would do.”

Review - The Love Interest

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

5 out of 5 gnomes

This book was intense and awesome all rolled up into one. I loved how it played with the whole ideas/tropes of two love interests in a story and amped everything way up from there.

Our main character has spent his entire life at the LIC learning how to be a Love Interest. The Interests are divided into Nice guys and Bad guys. They then compete for the target, the winner gets the girl and the loser dies.

There's built in drama of course but just when you think you know where the story's going, you're in for a surprise. The whole spy/wondering who to trust really pulls you into the story.

Caden and Dyl have some solid chemistry and it makes the story seriously shine. The relationships scripted and not are really well done.

The whole book would make one heck of an intriguing TV show or movie. The last half especially has some great action/sci-fi scenes.

The only slight misstep to me was the epilogue, I think ending before it would have been even better. Plus I wanted to know more specifics of how the ending changed them and the world.

Overall strong world building and characters you'll really care about. I'm looking forward to whatever this author writes next.

Goodbye Batman

Goodbye My Batman

Adam West will always be my Batman, his Batman showed that the character doesn't have to be all dour darkness to work.

I wasn't born in the 60's when the show originally aired but saw reruns when I was younger. The show meant a lot to me because it's just so bright, positive and fun. I believe it's where I got my love of awesome alliteration and words in general. 

West just always seemed like such a jovial guy in everything that he did. I'll miss his colorful characters and unforgettable utterances.

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

“They wanted what was best for their charges, as did she. It was simply that they had very different ideas of what “best” meant.”

“If her hair was white now, and her skin was soft with wrinkles and memories, well, that was no matter at all. There was still something unfinished around her eyes; she wasn’t done yet. She was a story, not an epilogue.”

“‘Real’ is a four-letter word, and I’ll thank you to use it as little as possible while you live under my roof.”

“Because hope is a knife that can cut through the foundations of the world,” said Sumi.”

“Because they’re the wrong colors, right? Somebody else’s rainbow.”

“We’ve much to do, and time does insist on being linear here, because it’s awful.”

“I never did like to leave a story unfinished.”

“We are in a material place. Blood flows in your veins. Try to keep it there.”

“We notice the silence of men. We depend upon the silence of women.”

“Sumi was a reason for other people to scream.”

“That’s because Narnia was a Christian allegory pretending to be a fantasy series, you asshole,” said one of the other boys.”

“This world is unforgiving and cruel to those it judges as even the slightest bit outside the norm.”

“I don’t like corpses in that way unless they’ve been reanimated,” said Jack. “Corpses are incapable of offering informed consent, and are hence no better than vibrators.”

Review - Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

5 out of 5 gnomes

Wow wow wow, talk about short but sweet. This story isn't very long but it draws you right in. I adore the whole mythology of it all, very fairy tale plus. It's like if Alice in Wonderland opened up a school for every other child who has ever gone down a rabbit hole/opened a door to a mysterious world.

This school tries to help them with the fact that they might never go back to these worlds that feel so much like home.

The drama comes from many of these worlds being so different which means some of the students just intrinsically don't get along.

It's intriguing hearing about all these worlds and their many different rules. Then it turns into a straight up horror/murder mystery. Some of the worlds were a lot more happy than others.

The characters are all so well written. One of the victims stories is especially heartbreaking with so few words. You'll find yourself caring so much about these characters and wanting to know more about the worlds they've seen.

Check out this story ASAP if you love fantastic fantasy.

Sentence Sneak Peek - Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

The first sentence from each chapter of Every Heart a Doorway, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“THE GIRLS WERE NEVER present for the entrance interviews.”

“THE HABIT OF NARRATION, of crafting something miraculous out of the commonplace, was hard to break.”

“SUMI WAS RESTLESS, in the way of the living, but even for the living, she was fast.”

“ACCORDING TO WHAT Nancy’s parents had told her about the school, the mandatory group therapy had been one of the big selling points.”

“THE BUILDING WAS BIGGER than its population, filled with empty rooms and silent spaces. But all of them felt like they harbored the ghosts of the students who had tried— and failed— to find their way back to the worlds that had rejected them, and so Nancy fled to the outside.”

“MORNING CLASSES HAD BEEN canceled; they resumed after lunch.”

“ALL THE STUDENTS had been gathered in the dining hall, most dragged from their beds by either Angela’s shrieks or the staff pounding on their doors.”

“LUNDY STOOD IN the doorway, eyeing the pair suspiciously.”

“JACK DESCENDED THE STAIRS as if they had personally challenged her, taking them two and three at a time, until Christopher had to jog to keep pace.”

“LUNCH WAS A STILTED affair, with no one talking and few students actually eating.”

“KADE AND CHRISTOPHER gathered Jack up; Kade and Christopher carried Jack away, while Nancy stood, frozen and temporarily forgotten, in the shadows on the porch.”

“JACK’S EYES WERE OPEN and fixed on the ceiling.”

“WITHOUT JACK TO HELP, disposing of Lundy’s body was more difficult: no one really wanted to go into the basement save for Christopher and Nancy, and they didn’t know enough about chemicals to dissolve her safely.”

Review - The Dark Prophecy

The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) by Rick Riordan

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

"Vaya con queso.”

"I often speak without the benefit of forethought. Usually it works out. Sometimes it leads to improvisational masterpieces, like the Renaissance or the Beat movement. I had to hope this would be one of those times."

"Too many questions crowded in my head. I wanted to divide myself into a dozen different manifestations so I could pursue every answer at once, but alas, mortals don’t split easily."

"I chopped those onions

With my own ex-godly hands

You’d better eat them"

"HITTEST ME WITH THY BEST SHOT."

"How did I know the basics of a fast-food kitchen, you ask? I had discovered the singer Pink while she was working at McDonalds. I found Queen Latifah at Burger King. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in such places. You can’t discount any site where you might find talent."

"He put those words in air circles (since air quotes had not yet been invented)."

"It’s not how long you live that matters. It’s what you live for.”

"On the list of things that freaked me out, seven-year-old girls who giggled about death were right at the top, along with reptiles and talking weapons."

"As any Mount Olympian custodian can tell you, ammonia is an excellent cleaning agent for monsters and other blemishes."

5 out of 5 gnomes

I adore this series, Seeing all things from the ex-godly point of view is entertaining as always. Apollo trying to be human and get along with demigods is entertaining, especially those he should remember more about but can’t.

Seeing Leo, Calypso, and other characters from past series continue to change and grow makes for a great read too.

Finding all these prophets/oracles and escaping the big bads continues to have a lot of obstacles. Lester/Apollo has plenty of issues and trauma from the past/being immortal so long.

His interactions with Meg are always something because even though he has to listen to her there’s still something there. You can tell that they both really care about each other too.

The humor and heart of it all really make this series special. You’ll go from hearing about battle ostriches to heartbreaking stories about Apollo’s past and possibly scary future.

I love the history of these characters and the continuing to evolve mythology. It should be very interesting to see what happens next. I just don’t know how happily this series can end or what exactly that might look like. I look forward to finding out though because each new quest is leading in some pretty dark directions/intriguing places.