Why I've been/will be MIA

Hi guys!

I'm too exhausted from my wonderful weekend in Antwerp, Belgium, with 3 of my best friends to do a full Daisy Update, but that's why I haven't been around this weekend. And last week was so crazy busy I hardly had time to read/blog at all. I'm gonna make up for all this maybe this week, but more likely the week after as I have a whole glorious week off then and I'll be REALLY BUSY this week as well...

I only have one picture from this weekend on my phone, the others are on someone else's camera, but I wanted to share the awesomeness that was our first night's drink with you guys:

It sort of looks like you could perform a chemistry experiment in these beer glasses :)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

Just Some Quick Thoughts on The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

So seriously you guys, after I was done squealing over getting my hands on the e-arc of The Bitter Kingdom, I just finished the book I was reading in no time and moved on to this one, because well, I LOVE this series and Rae Carson's writing and I couldn't wait till August to find out what happens to Elisa and Hector!!

Here are just some quick thoughts on the book, a full review will be posted closer to the release date:

-OMG, I just love Elisa! She's such an awesome character and I'm still wowed by how much she's grown over the course of this series!

-HECTOR! *swoon* *sigh* *generally all the things*

-The Inviernos are seriously creepy!

-Loved the council of the three queens!

I don't want to spoil anything but I do have to say that I am fully satisfied with this ending except for the fact that I'm infinitely sad the series has ended! (This is a plea to Rae Carson to write more books, pretty please?)

You can pre-order this book here and YES YOU WANT TO!

My rating: 5+ stars

Review of Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

Title/Author: Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
Publisher/Date published: Katherine Tegen Books, March 19th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley and bought a finished copy
Buy it at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Reminiscent of the Elizabeth Smart case, Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing and powerful psychological mystery about a girl who must piece together the story of her kidnapping and captivity.

Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home... only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen -or at least that's what everyone tells her.

What happened to the past three years of her life?

Angie doesn't know.

But there are people who do — people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?

OMG, this book was SO INTENSE! And I just loved it! It was so creepy! And I'm not really one for the creepy books usually!

It may be due to my profession, but I'm fascinated by mental health issues. It is simply amazing what a mind can do and this novel just goes to show how far self-protection mechanisms go.

So Pretty Girl-13 deels with a pretty heavy subject: child kidnapping and abuse and while this might not be suitable for every teen to read because of this, I did think that it dealt with all of this very well and doesn't get graphic. And it definitely feels like Liz Coley has done her research on the subject matter and I always appreciate that!

I really liked Angie, she's been through a LOT and even though she can't remember most of it at first, I thought she dealt with it pretty well. She's not supposed to be ok and she's not, but she doesn't give up. She's a survivor and is willing to really work on her problems. I like that, I can respect that.

And seriously, I was fascinated by the different alters and their stories. I loved that in between chapters from Angie's viewpoint we get fragments told by the 'gate keeper', who knows much, MUCH more and reveals snippets and I was just on the edge of my seat trying to figure it all out! There were times when I was getting this sense of doom and figuring out something based on the clues we were given and was like AAAH! THIS IS SO CREEPY! AND IT WAS AWESOME!

It's always mindboggling to me to imagine the extend of cruelty people are apparantly capable of and what a mind can do to cope with this and I was completely sucked in by Liz Coley's writing! I didn't want to put Pretty Girl-13 down and seriously, whatever Liz Coley writes next, I will READ IT! This is my kind of psychological thriller!

My rating: 5 stars

The Infernal Devices Giveaway Winner!

The giveaway winner is:

Ellie Warren @ Curiosity Killed the Bookworm

She was actually also the first person to enter! Congrats!

Daisy Update (38) and Book Haul (13)

Hi guys!

This week felt sorta chaotic, even though it was probably mostly so in my head ;)

Last Sunday my parents and brother came over for dinner and we just talked and played a game and it was really nice! We usually go over to my parents' for dinner, but this time they came to my place and I kinda liked playing hostess :)
Monday we had dinner with the boyfriend's family and after that I was pretty much in a food induced coma...

Tuesday it was time to go back to work and to also work the evening shift after my day shift and it was pretty ok. It was SO busy in the ER people had to wait for hours before they could be seen by a doctor, mostly because there was just nowhere to put them, so instead of me running around between four patients, I was constantly waiting for the ER staff to put a waiting patient in a room. It was kinda annoying cause I could have just treated all four patients in my shift and because there was no room I couldn't see all of them before my colleague working the night shift got there.

Wednesday I had an exam in preparation for the interview I have next week, applying to get a residency as a general practitioner to be. So yeah, I was pretty nervous. I think I did ok, but we don't get the results until our interview (at least, I hope we get the results then!)...

Thursday was the day I was stuck in traffic for almost three hours and GAH IT SUCKED SO MUCH! It normally takes me about 30 to 45 minutes to get home from work and it was just plain awful and the people on the news kept saying the traffic jam was clearing up rapidly. Yeah, that's why I had moved about 300 meters in half an hour...

Thursday and Friday it was just so busy at work that I was glad when it was time to head home for the weekend, because seriously, I was ready to throw my pagers at the wall at one point. The general theme seemed to be: when you're not sure who to forward the call to, call Daisy. Let's just say that I was not amused.

Yesterday we had two birthday parties, one was in the afternoon and the other at night, so we sorta did marathon-socializing and while it was fun, it was also really exhausting! I'm a bit of a hermit on the weekends, spending pretty much my whole Saturday around other people than my boyfriend or my family is rare for me as I just need a day to relax.

Today I'm planning to just blog a bit, read and prepare for a presentation I have to give on Wednesday.
I hope you'll all have a wonderful week!

Book Haul

Egalleys for Review:

First off I need to tell you about the book that made me want to drop everything and which I have already read:

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson: I love, love, LOVE this series and The Bitter Kingdom was a perfect ending, but now I'm sad I won't be going on adventures with Elisa anymore... But you should all read it!!

-Hopeless by Colleen Hoover: this sounds REALLY intense and slightly creepy!
-It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long: I love the Pennyroyal Green series and Julie Anne Long's writing in general, these books make me happy!
-An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands: there is just something about lairds.
-No Angel by Helen Keeble: this will be either REALLY good or really bad, I'm counting on the first.
-Find Me by Romily Bernard: I will be so creeped out by this book and it will be awesome!
-The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas: ALL THE EXCITEMENT! This sounds like such a me-book!
-Twinmaker by Sean Williams: because who hasn't dreamed of an easy way to improve your appearance? I'm curious to see the nasty effects this has!
-The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White: I've heard pretty much nothing but good things about her books and this one has EGYPTIAN GODS in them! Be still my mythology-loving heart!
-Blackout by Robison Wells: a mysterious virus infecting teens with impossible powers, YES I'm all over this!
-Don't Look Now by Michelle Gagnon: described as the teen version of The Girl of the Dragon Tattoo, it sounds really good!
-False Sight by Dan Krokos: I LOVED False Memory and can't wait to continue this series!
-The Taming of Ryder Cavanagh by Stephanie Laurens: I want so bad to LOVE one of her books again, I do always enjoy them though :)
-Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare: a Spindle Cove novella, I've fallen in love with Tessa Dare's writing.
-Hideous Love by Stephanie Hemphill: it's about Mary Shelley and sounds just fascinating!
-Prophecy Girl by Cecily White: this sounds like a fun paranormal romance series!

Bought:
-Crossed by Ally Condie: I haven't read Matched yet, but I will soon! And then this one!
-The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: I gave into peer pressure and bought it, even though this book scares me ;)
-Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: I still need to start this series but it bugged me that I didn't have the final book.
-A Beginner's Guide to Rakes by Suzanne Enoch: I've been eyeing this author's books for a while and figured this would be as good a book to start with as any :)
-Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson: a retelling of Bluebeard, the fairytale that gave me nightmares, I really want to love this, I've heard mixed things about it though..
-Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs: I really enjoyed Sweet Venom and am looking forward to continuing this series!

Gifted:
-Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston: I won this in a giveaway by my lovely blogging buddy Karin from My Life..., thank you so much! I'm really excited to read this!


Also, my giveaway for The Infernal Devices ended and I'll announce the winner later today!

Leave me a link in the comments and I'll be sure to check your haul out!

Review of Poison by Bridget Zinn

Title/Author: Poison by Bridget Zinn
Publisher/Date published: Disney Hyperion, March 12th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley
Buy it at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction — which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart... misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Clearly I hadn't read the summary of this book well enough, because before starting it, I couldn't for the life of me figure out why their was a cute little pink pig on the cover. And now I do and she actually turned out to be one of my favourite characters!!

But really, let's start at the beginning.

In Poison we meet Kyra, we isn't your every day heroine, she's a potion-prodigy and is on the run from pretty much the whole kingdom because she tried to kill princess, who also happens to be her best friend. And then she missed. And I loved discovering bit by bit what exactly prompted Kyra to try and poison the princess. Mostly because there are also memories mixed in of their friendship and these girls are the real deal.
I loved slowly getting to know Kyra and I truly love this girl for her independance, her loyalty and her braveness. She may not have the best social skills, but she is a true friend when it comes down to it and I respect that.

Aside from loving the main character, there were also several other for me to love, mainly Fred and his giant hound and Rosie, the cute little pig. Fred is awesome. He is a bit of much needed sunshine in Kyra's life and I love how he just decided he would be her friend. He is just such a good guy and you know how I swoon for the good guys! And any guy who's an animal lover is extra swoonworthy in my book! And I kinda loved that he named Rosie.

Rosie is the little pig and I loved that without being able to speak, Bridget Zinn managed to really make her her own character and she was just so infinitely cute! I really want one of my own now! Well, until I remember a pig one of my friends in high school had who wasn't so cute...

The writing was wonderful and whimsical and just such a breath of fresh air! Every now and then I love to loose myself in a world where not everyone is getting killed or robbed or physically assaulted or anything and just have a fun time exploring a beautiful world. And Bridget Zinn did that for me and I loved every minute of it! And I loved that there was no cruelty to animals and I could just focus on the cuteness of them. I can easily see this being turned into a movie, and if so, I WILL WATCH IT!

Reading Poison felt like sitting down with one of my favourite fairytales and getting lost in the magic of it. It had all the things I want from a light fantasy: a strong heroine who has actual skills and is someone I could root for, cute animals to brighten the day (because really, what is better than a magical pig??), a good guy to roadtrip with, a little bit of sweet romance and a high stake puzzle to figure out.
I think it's a real loss for the literary world that Bridget Zinn passed away at such a young age because with Poison as her debut novel, I can only imagine what else she would have brought to the genre and I'm sure I would have devoured those books as well.

My rating: 5+ stars

Book Tour! Review and Giveaway of The Breeders by Katie French

Title/Author: The Breeders by Katie French
Publisher/Date published: August 1st 2012
How I got this book: received it as part of the book tour hosted by Kismet Book Touring

Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world’s last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches– moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders’ long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they’re hunting Riley.

When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender– a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley’s affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?

The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico– escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is shot and forced into the Breeder’s hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she’ll share unless she can find a way out.

There's just something about dystopian novels that draw me in and scare the crap out of me, especially when I can imagine the things that happen actually happening to us in the future!

Riley is one of the only free girls left in the world and one of the few girls in child-bearing years overall. You can't fully realize what this means to her and her family until you discover that girls are actually sold to breeding facilities and how scarce resources have become. It's pretty much a fight to stay alive most of the time and I really liked that we got to see the full impact this reality has on Riley and her family. Riley isn't the happy girl she should have been if times were different, she's had to learn how to adapt and how to take care of herself and the rest of the family.

I liked that instead of the usual lack of parental guidance, Riley actually still has her mother and a stepfather. She may not always get along with her stepfather, but they do look after each other. And then there's the adorable younger brother Ethan, who though he may only be 8 years old, has seen way too much evil by the end of the novel. And while he does lose some of his innocence, he's still the sweet kid we meet at the beginning and a really brave little boy and my heart just went out to him.
I couldn't imagine life without my family and I liked that Riley feels the same way and they always come first to her.

The concept of the government having facilities in which they force fertile women to have child after child is monstruous! Especially when they're starting with 15-16 year-old girls, I mean, no offeense, but they're not done being children/teens themselves, I know I wasn't! It's just not right when you're reduced to nothing but a walking birthing machine just because you were born with the right parts for it.

And as scary and wrong as this is, I can imagine how it came to be. We don't really get a lot of information about how they started this and I'm kinda counting on there being more on this in the sequel that's mentioned in the author's note at the end, because I can see how it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. And how it got out of hand and turned into something ugly.
I also hope we'll get to learn more about the virus that caused the whole shortage of girls and the existence of benders (a girlish-looking boy), because I can't help but be fascinated by stuff like this.

The Breeders is a pretty hars, dark book, which is to be expected given the subject matter. But it was so dark all the time that I sometimes found myself needing a break and doing something else because it could get depressing to be honest! The only bright spot in it all is the romance between Riley and Clay and well, that was also the only part of the novel I found a bit hard to believe.
They don't really become friends so much as that Clay can't seem to take a hint when Riley tries to get rid of him and because he thinks she's a bender, he rejects her when she tries to kiss him at one point. But then after he discovers she's a girl he's suddenly all into her?? I mean, they were sweet together, I just didn't fully believe this instant transition.

Other than that The Breeders was an enjoyable read with high stakes and a really scary possibility for the future and I'm interested to see what the sequel will bring for Riley, Clay and her family.

My rating: 4 stars


You can enter the Rafflecopter below to have a chance to win one of 10 Kindle copies of this book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway