IT'S HERE!

I have been planning to redesign my blog for quite some time now, so I'm really excited to finally share it with you all! Although I love a good minimalistic layout, I wanted to add something bright and fun. Yellow was not my first choice as a background color, but I like the way it looks with the turquoise. The bit of magenta came a little later :)

NEW ADDITIONS

• Updated tabs — I thought it would be fun to create a drop down menu for easy access to all my reviews. You can search by author, title, rating, genre and even page count.
• Disqus comments — I never realized that you need some sort of account (whether it's Google or Wordpress) to comment on Blogger, so this widget definitely make things a little easier for everyone to leave a message.
• Sidebar icons — Instead of leaving my links at the end of each post, clickable icons are now placed in the sidebar.
• Pineapple ratings — To match the yellow background, I chose to replace the boring star ratings with pineapples. I think this spices things up a little!

Other than that, everything is generally the same. I'll be adding a lot of new features and changing the format of my wrap ups in the next couple of months, so look forward to that.

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think about the new design :)

BookTubeAThon (Day 1)

Day 1 of BookTubeAThon is over, so I thought I'd share an update. (I am already straying from my TBR, but what else is new?) I lost a little bit of time after taking a nap, but I'm ready to continue with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire now. I might also use Maus I by Art Spiegelman as a "break" book if I don't feel like reading HP. If you're participating, how many pages have you read so far?

Other places to find me: Bloglovin'  •  Goodreads  •  Instagram  •  Twitter  •  YouTube

A (Late) BookTubeAThon TBR

Hi everyone! I won't have any new posts up this week because I'll be participating in BookTubeAThon, a week-long read-a-thon. If you want to follow along, I'll be sharing frequent updates on Twitter :)

I decided to make a TBR for this week, so that's what this video is about. Let me know if you'll be joining us (and if not, tell me what you're currently reading!)

Other places to find me: Bloglovin'  •  Goodreads  •  Instagram  •  Twitter  •  YouTube

Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Branded (Sinners #1) by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Release Date: June 28, 2013 (1st ed.)
Format: ebook // 314 pages

Why are you reading it?: Sasha from Abookutopia loved it, so I requested and was approved for this ebook from NetGalley. Thank you to Anne from Victory Editing for allowing me to read and review this!

Goodreads summary: Fifty years ago, The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society.

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.

Constant darkness. Brutal and savage violence. Excruciating pain. Every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole. I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter.

My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

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THOUGHTS

I have never been a fan of reading ebooks because I prefer holding a book in my hands and seeing how many pages are left, but I decided to test the waters with Branded.

I started off enjoying this book a lot. There was just enough information to keep me engaged but not give away any of the secrets, and the pacing was perfect. All the interactions between Lexi, the main character, and the people she meets in the Hole were realistic and understandable. However, it started going downhill when I reached the middle of the book.

While certain events were very detailed (lots of blood and violence), it didn't seem like a lot of thought was put into carving the small details of their society and lifestyle. I liked the plot and where the story was going, but I felt like I was left with a lot of different holes that ended up empty.

As with a lot of the characters in dystopian novels, Lexi ends up developing feelings for someone. I liked their relationship but after it was established, it ruined both of the characters for me. The decisions they made did not seem in line with who they are supposed to be.

Although I am not a fan of the writing in Branded, I like the plot enough to want to read the next book in this series. I don't have any expectations for it though.

OVERALL RATING

    

Have you heard of Branded? Would you read a book that is written poorly but has a good plot?

Other places to find me: Bloglovin'  •  Goodreads  •  Instagram  •  Twitter  •  YouTube