Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu Graphic Novel Review

Title: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
Author: Marjorie M. Liu
Genre: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, SciFi
Illustrators: Sana Takeda, Rus Wooten
Publisher: Image Comics
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

---

*please note that this graphic novel has mature content and not recommended for children

I finally picked up this beauty of a graphic novel and let me tell you that the hype surrounding this one is all worth it! Filled with steampunk elements, witches, darkness, and monsters, this graphic novel is one that I would highly recommend.

Summary/Plot

Monstress follows the story of a teenage girl, Maika Halfwolf. Maika is trying to find answers to her questions in regards to her past and her mother. She is also struggling with a monster that lives within her who has massive power. Maika Halfwolf is trying to fight the monster within, while still trying to keep some of her humanity. In search of her past, she is also being hunted and maybe the answers she’s been looking for is closer than she thinks.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed Monstress, the artwork is stunning and there is a lot of dialogue. Usually, graphic novels take me less than a day to read but since this one had a lot of heavy reading material, it took me about two days. I loved how detailed the art is, I think that is also why I took long to read it because I found myself slowly absorbing at each piece.

Image obtained by the publisher’s website

This graphic novel is rich with elements that I previously mentioned. I felt that although it had all the elements of steampunk, witches, darkness, and monsters, there was balance. We have the Arcanics who are everything opposite of Humans & Witches. Some Arcanics are half animal/half human, some animals who can speak with special abilities, etc.

The world is already built and set once you open to the first page, which I find to be the norm for comics/graphic novels. I enjoyed how at the end of each comic section, there was a page filled with lessons on the culture of this world. So although the world is already set, we get to know how a lot of the culture came to be with the Arcanics and Humans.

We get glimpses of Maika’s past. Therefore, we get a lot of Maika’s life within the pages. I’m a big fan of past and present when done well and I thought it was executed okay here. Some times the author didn’t let us know when we were in the past. So I found myself a little confused at times.

We meet a lot of characters in this graphic novel due to the extended plot which is why this part will be kept short. Some of my favorite characters were Kippa (little fox) and Master Ren (cat with 3 tails who talks). These two were cute and hilarious. I loved when Master Ren made references to poets (in their world) and poetry. He has dark humor. Kippa is a child human/fox and his innocence throughout this graphic novel was comforting and admirable.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel but the reason why I bumped it down a star was because I wasn’t surprised with where the plot was going. I guessed a lot of what was going to happen with the plot and certain characters. I still want to read the next one though.

---

have you read this or plan on to? what were your thoughts? let’s chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Eliza and Her Monsters
Author: Francesca Zappia
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Greenwillow – HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

---

***Trigger Warning: Suicide and Attempted Suicide

Summary/Plot

When reading the synopsis from this book, I jumped into a few theories of what to expect with his book. We meet Eliza who is a very introverted, shy, friendless teenager in real life. However online when she is LadyConstellation and even Eliza online is very open and talkative. LadyConstellation is the creator of a mega popular webcomic Monstrous Sea, it is so popular that even publishing companies have sought out to obtain it. Eliza has turned it down so many times because she loves the platform of her comic just the way it is.

Eliza’s world is about to change when Wallace Warland transfers to her school and come to find out that he isn’t just a regular fan but a huge fanfiction writer. Everything takes place in slow motion but he eventually helps her get out in the world more. He doesn’t know that she’s LadyConstellation. And things are about to take a huge hit when the secret is out. Not only does this effect Eliza and her mental health but it also affects the world she’s created online, her family, and her relationship with Wallace.

Writing

This is my first Francesca Zappia novel. I actually have been wanting to read Made You Up for so long but I didn’t correlate the two as the same author so I was ecstatic to see she had written this one as well. I loved the writing!! Especially the insert pages of the graphic novel and illustrations. I think for this being a YA book, it was realistic. Francesca wrote some dialogue via instant messenger which I loved. The dialogue between the characters were great and her details were super amazing as well. I appreciate the author writing about mental health and really giving us the readers a lesson per-say through a character at the end of the book.

Characters

I feel like each character in the book played such an important role in Eliza’s life and what was going to happen next. I spoke enough about Eliza but I have to say that she is definitely going through it with her mental health. This is something that the author doesn’t explicitly talk about throughout a lot of the book because it’s not something the character knows about. However, through Eliza’s interactions with her family, people, and just her thought process, you get a feel that there is something deeper. Living a life online one way vs. how her life is in the flesh, and her parents not really knowing much to then the pressures of high school can be hard on a teenager. I know that at least for me, I found Eliza’s character relatable.

We meet Wallace Warland and I thought he was the most adorable soft boy. Once he is presented in the book, I wanted to know him more. His character arc was really well done and when I got to know him on a deeper level, I cried. No lie, I really cried because here is this character who has been through a lot and he’s just taking everything one step at a time.

Eliza’s family; her parents and siblings. Let me tell you something!! I absolutely loved this family because in my opinion, we don’t see much family dynamic. Yet, here you have in Eliza and Her Monsters, parents that are all up on Eliza, super worried about their child and not knowing what to do with her. Which I thought was realistic because a lot of parents don’t know what to do with their first-born, especially during teenage years. We’re like the guinea pigs. You can tell that Eliza’s parents just want the best for her and are trying to steer her in the “right” direction but they don’t really understand her direction. I loved the brothers, their relationship was so great to see and the sibling relationship had amazing representation.

We do get to see other minor characters but I won’t really get into that because if not then I’ll definitely be spoiling the whole book lol.

Thoughts

I am going to keep this really short since I pretty much scattered my thoughts throughout the review in the previous sections. I absolutely loved this book and thought it represented mental health, family dynamic’s/relationship, friendships, and internal battles in a great way. The author definitely takes us through the highs and lows, I had found myself at times just really hoping for the best. Francesca Zappia wrote an amazing novel filled with reality and honesty in a form that everyone can read and still feel warm and happy at the end of it. I would LOVE if the author made Monstrous Sea into an actual graphic novel because everything about it was great. I feel like it would really go far. Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

---

and that is the end of the review! have you read this book? or plan on to? what are your thoughts? i would love to chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Our Dark Duet (Book #2)
Series: Monsters of Verity
Author: Victoria Schwab
Genre: YA Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.

KATE HARKER isn’t afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she’s good at it.

AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

THE WAR HAS BEGUN.

THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.

Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims’ inner demons.

Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

---

***there will be spoilers from the previous book, if you have not yet read This Savage Song, please do not read further. I have a non-spoiler review for This Savage Song here.

Plot

When reading Our Dark Duet, Schwab starts 6 months after the ending of This Savage Song. At first we jump into different perspectives with Kate and August in which we see two different sides of the spectrum. I love how Schwab expands her world and we see what is going on in two different towns, Prosperity and Verity. Kate had ran away to Prosperity in This Savage Song after the death of her father, meanwhile August stays behind in Verity.

In Prosperity, Kate hunts the monsters with a little help of a new set of characters that go by the name of The Wardens. In Verity, August becomes leader of the FTF and makes sure that the only humans who can trespass to safe grounds are humans with pure souls. Kate while in chase of monsters meets a new one that has never been spoken of and/or seen. When meeting this new monster, Chaos the Eater, some things are set in motion and everything goes downhill from there. August although being a leader is still struggling with the monster within himself while dealing with the ones outside and slowly but surely everything starts clicking.

Thoughts

 

Excuse me while I sit here and cry over that heart wrenching ending. WTF Schwab!!! How do you write such amazing books that leave me crying and hurting for dayyysss?!?! HOOOOWWWW?!?! An amazing conclusion to the Monsters of Verity Duology. I have never felt more satisfied by a series. Schwab left me with my heart in my throat and literal tears.

Our Dark Duet is the continuation of This Savage Song. After This Savage Song had ended, I was left in anticipation for this book. I was also left with a lot of questions, wondering about August and Kate and their whereabouts. Left with questions about other characters as well. And Schwab just took my soul and ran with it. Like if August played his violin and left me in bliss.

Our Dark Duet was filled with darkness, poetry, mentions of stardust, edge of your seat scenes, and tons of chaos. READ IT!

I really liked how Schwab gave us character development but also realistic characters that I was able to relate to. She did an amazing job in showing us their thought processing and what they were going through internally. Ugh, I love when books do that!

I absolutely loved the open-ending and just how raw it was. I couldn’t imagine the book with another type of ending, especially when the book was very dark. I found it to be much darker than This Savage Song, to me it was the perfect ending. Schwab had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t stop reading the book.

I am hoping that Schwab makes a spin-off for The Wardens.

“…..
so alone
it buries her
that sadness
swallows her
whole
the only sound
a voice
her voice
….”

please click here for credit and link

---

i would love to chat in the comments about this book!! what were your thoughts?

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

Friday Reads

Hey everyone! Happy friday!! I am so happy the weekend is here because this week has been just a little too long for me. I look forward to relaxing and doing absolutely nothing lol. I finished Our Dark Duet last night and my heart is still broken, I have so many feelings and thoughts but there will be a review up for it in the next comings days.

While on my long anxious way to work, I started reading Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. I say anxious because there were two ladies talking, more like SCREAMING, on the bus ride. And to top it all off, two more ladies stepped on the bus and it was like a screaming match on who can have the loudest conversation. Music couldn’t even save me from silencing them. Ma’am I do not care about your baby daddy situation, can I just read my book? Please and thank you.

I only got to read 20 pages of Eliza and Her Monsters because I couldn’t really concentrate with the loud mouths on the bus. However!! what I did get to read got me really excited and I cannot wait to read more tonight and this weekend.

---

synopsis from goodreads:

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

---

i hope you all have a great weekend! have you read Eliza and Her Monsters or plan on to? let’s chat in the comments! i would love to know your thoughts ❤

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas Book Review/Rant

please note that this review will contain minor “spoilers”
quotations because some things shouldn’t be viewed as spoilers, in my opinion.

Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin (Book #3)
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

---

if you read this book and loved it, please don’t take this as a personal attack. this is just my standpoint and personal opinions. i’m going to be real here and just say that after this book, i will no longer be supporting this author due to the reasons below. let’s get started!

i was very excited for this book! especially after how much i absolutely loved A Court of Mist and Fury (book 2). and after seeing the ending of book 2, i was left with the ultimate book hangover. i had found myself scrolling through tumblr days after looking for fan art, aesthetics, conspiracies for ACOWAR…EVERYTHING… but then, Empire of Storms which is the 5th book in SJM Throne of Glass series happened and i saw a lot of similarities to A Court of Mist and Fury. i had my speculations, i thought that maybe Sarah J. Maas was really tired of the Throne of Glass series and just wanted to spend her time on her newer stuff. no, i was wrong. A Court of Wings and Ruin happened and that proved my little theory so wrong.

i’m not going to lie and say that i hated ACOWAR from beginning to end. i was really into the first 200 pages or so till i started rolling the hell out of my eyes noticing a lot of inconsistencies in the plot and it was dragging as well. i completely understand that the plot is going to drag on, now that more books are going to be added but c’mon! this could’ve been sooooo good! i feel like this book had so much potential to be great.

i also noticed that she was still pretty much copying and pasting from one series to the other. there’s a theory out there that Throne of Glass and ACOTAR are parallel universes to one another and i’m starting to semi-believe it. or maybe it’s just that SJM has gotten lazy. she started adding witches and pirates into this series too…ahem…ToG

it doesn’t stop there though!!! FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD PLEASEEEEE STOP MAKING YOUR CHARACTERS HISS AND GROWL. i already had to endure it with ALL OF THRONE OF GLASS.

i’m still not done ranting. i have a lot more heavier things to discuss like sexuality, race, and abuse. but in the meantime can we discuss how Rhys and Feyre were having sex all the freaking time while there was a war going on?!?!? hoooowwwww, whyyyyyyy, like who has sex in the middle of a war camp?!?! i’ll tell you who! Rhys and Feyre. there’s just some things i don’t understand at all. when it came to book 2, i completely understood the angst and them getting with one another. but in this book?! they’re preparing for war  and there is war, like Sarah…i do not care about the page long sex scene between the two..there are more important things than how they make love to one another after fighting in a war. YA NOT TIRED FROM ALL THE FIGHTING?! CAUSE I SURE AM!! issa no from me.

which leads me to two things…sexual favors and pinching. Sarah has this way of twisting her characters around out of the blue, like i found Rhys and Feyre a little too different for me. now, i completely understand growth with characters but SJM loves to switch on them. i can name a few characters from both series but i’m going to keep my focus on Rhys who’s like the biggest softy in book 2 but yet is asking Feyre for sexual favors when something is done and it’s like wait what? and i feel like he’s being a complete douchebag and wanting Feyre on the sidelines at all times and i was like “where’s Rhys from book 2 who was all about equality and feminism?”

and the pinching which i consider abuse..they kept pinching one another and it was so disturbing to me. regardless of the context and how “playful” it was, i couldn’t deal with the two pinching one another a few times throughout the book. stop pinching one another, some people associate that with abuse. also, although this book is New Adult, Bloomsbury targets this as YA and i think about the audience that reads this book..i don’t find it appropriate for teens to read about pinching their significant other. this was normalized behavior in this book.

---

now can i talk about race for a second here?

sarah j. maas is known for her lack of people of color (PoC). like literally, they are in the books and don’t last much. or they’re usually in the background..like we always are in media…and i say we because if you don’t know, i’m Puerto Rican *waves the flag high and proud*

i was already pissed off and wanted to DNF this book with everything else that was mentioned above but then my blood started boiling when the war had just started and the first people that get attacked is the court that’s filled with PoC. this is when i have a problem because in media, when you have white people who are the main characters, the first ones to die are us PoC. this is a fact. this has become an actual joke between us PoC. we can watch a movie and be like “how much you wanna bet that the first person to die is the PoC?” i obviously cannot speak for every PoC but with my interactions with others..this is a thing that happens.

and i cannot support authors who keep doing this and making it okay to use us for their advantage and plot point. i know this is something that a lot of us in the book community speak up about. i also know that it’s our fault as consumers that we keep purchasing these books. because it gives the okay to publishers to keep pushing these types of books out.

which leads me into my next point…sexuality.

so people are going to dismiss the fact that SJM literally stereotyped the living shit out of a bisexual character by stating that he wanted a foursome with other characters? like if bisexuals in real life don’t get enough shit by people who think they’re promiscuous and confused and just want to sleep with everyone?

annnnnnnd let’s not forget that Mor all of a sudden is lesbian and SJM seriously wrote that scene like a fucking PLOT TWIST. sorry not sorry but umm stop making the LGBTQIA+ community as a plot twist.

issa fail.

and i am sure that SJM pulled this when she realized their was a deal of adding more books because she obviously needs to extend the series and it’s characters. BUT SHE COULD’VE DONE SO MUCH MORE THAN PULL THAT CRAP! like her main plot was already being pulled into a million different directions and so were the characters. so now all of a sudden, Mor is lesbian and you had to tell us that in book 3? FOH! annnnd it’s also still a secret cause she only told one person. therefore, SJM now has you stringing along to keep buying her other books to see how Azriel finds out about her being lesbian.  mmmmm k.

---

the only reason why i gave it a 2 star was because SJM definitely builds it up for the future books to come and she knows how to keep you on edge. there are characters that i care for and liked what she did with SOME of them. she definitely left me with tons of questions which i feel like will eventually be answered in the next 3 books but i won’t be reading them. i will forget about this one in a few days.

and that is it for my ranty review. any thoughts? let’s chat in the comments ❤

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

Friday Reads and a Chat

hey everyone! happy friday! i hope you are all doing very well today. i guess wanted to mix things up a bit; tell you what i’m going to start reading today and also have a chat with you. let you know what’s going on with me.

i’ve been very out of whack with blogging and life. which is why sometimes you don’t see me around as much, i’m trying to get back into the swing of things but wow my life has changed so much since April 4th (the day i released my poetry book). it’s the point where i have forgotten to take care of myself and my mind has been pulled into so many directions. i am overly exhausted but i am sorting things out.i am figuring out a schedule since i cut some hours from work in order to dedicate more time to writing/blogging, taking care of myself, and not forgetting the body that i am in. because my body and mind has taken the biggest hit of all which i won’t be going into details.

i miss the shit out of blogging and going through all of the other blogs. i miss posting book related post and poems. i just miss all of you *cries*
I AM READING AGAIN THOUGH!! whoop whoop!! while writing my book, editing, drafting, etc. i had read slim to nothing because my mind was just focused on all of that. especially since i am self-published, i was doing everything by myself. but i literally reaped what i sowed because the book community has had my back and i will forever be grateful. the amount of love, reviews, people telling me the sweetest things about my book…omg here come the water works lol.

so yeah, i probably still won’t be on much while i’m trying to figure out my schedule but i hope you don’t go anywhere! i have a few ideas and discussions for things ❤

---

to the reads:

i recently finished A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3) by Sarah J. Maas, which i will definitely be doing a .gif review for because i have a lot to say about this one. i won’t say much right now but that i am disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

i am going to start reading *drum roll please* Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab WHICH I HAVE BEEN HIGHLY ANTICIPATING SINCE LIKE FOREVER!!! oh my heart please be still! I definitely plan on starting this one later on today.

and what i love that is only a duology!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

haven’t heard of This Savage Song, the first book in Monsters of Verity? i have a non spoiler review of it here filled with .gif’s and aesthetics. the synopsis from Goodreads:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

---

and that is it for today! have you read any of these books mentioned or plan on too? what’s your read for the weekend? i would love to chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

May Wrap-Up 2017

My overdue wrap-up is here lol! Finally!! I will keep this short and to the point! I read 5 books in the month of May, slowly but surely I am getting into the hang of things when it comes to reading. Working a full-time job, writing, having a poetry book, being a dog mom, and just adulting. AHH!!!!…I’m happy to get back into the swing of things!

What I Read:

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor ★★★★★ 
Genre: YA Fantasy
I wrote a mini spoiler free book review because although this is a very long book, everything is a spoiler lol.

 

 

 

 

 

---

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember ★★★★★
Genre: YA Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Retelling
I thought this Little Mermaid retelling was amazing!!! It was the perfect balance of a retelling with originality. Add some Norse Mythology into the mix and you have The Seafarer’s Kiss! I have a review here.

 

 

 

 

---

Table for One by Laura Ashley Laraque ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
A collection of poetry that tells a story about a toxic relationship and overcoming it. If you like poetry and want to check some pieces, I have a review here where you can read my thoughts as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Afterlife by Melissa Jennings ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
I cannot stop gushing about this collection. It’s amazing and dark!! I love love loved it and I cannot wait to read more about this author. I have a review with some poems here.

 

 

 

 

 

---

I Am More Than a Daydream by Jennae Cecelia ★★★★
Genre: Poetry
I didn’t write a review for this book but this is what I wrote on Goodreads:
If you are looking for poetry that is positive and inspiring, then this is the book you will want to pick up. Jennae writes about strength and adds themes of self-acceptance and self-love. I really enjoyed the body positive poems! And the artwork was great too!

 

 

 

---

Some poems I posted in May:
it was 8:43am
it’s 11:somethingP.M. and i wrote a thing

again, I’m trying to get in the hang of things but I do also post poetry on my instagram! my instagram username is chicnerdreads

---

Things That Happened in May:

My blog turned 1 on May 20th!!!!! eeeeeeeek! time does really fly and it’s been an amazing year with blogging! I met some of the greatest people and it’s been such an ease with my anxiety as well. I also got to find out about books that I NEVER heard of! I did a Q&A and fellow bloggers asked me the coolest questions. If you’d like to check it out, click the banners and it will take you to the post ❤

---

and that’s about it! how was your may? have you read any of these books or plan on too? let’s chat in the comments!! =)

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

WWW Wednesday

Hi everyone! I thought I would participate in WWW Wednesday today. This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. You can link your blog post to Sam’s website that way we can interact and find other bloggers =)

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

---

what are you currently reading?

I am currently reading A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3) by Sarah J. Maas. This is the third book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses “trilogy”.. quotation marks because there will be more books added into this world but with different characters..let’s see how that goes. So far I am LOVING this and I am so happy that I’m reading about some of my favorite characters again because I missed them so much. After the ending of A Court of Mist and Fury, this third one was long overdue. I will not be adding the synopsis because I don’t want to spoil anyone. But you should definitely check out A Court of Thorns and Roses if you haven’t because its a New Adult Fantasy with romance and faeries and magic!

 

 

---

what did you recently finish reading?

i recently finished Afterlife by Melissa Jennings. it is a dark poetry book! i love love loved it and i cannot wait to read more by this author! i have a mini poetry review for it here.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
“The sun does not rise when you need it most. You rise instead.”
Afterlife is a collection of poetry about catharsis, self-love, and self-revolution. Afterlife is a journey from the darkness to the light again, and again, and again.

 

 

 

 

---

what do you think you’ll read next?

there are two books that i know for certain i will be reading next! just depends on how quickly i finish A Court of Wings and Ruin since one of these books comes out this Tuesday. these are the two:

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Eighteen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of Monstrous Sea, a wildly popular webcomic, but when a new boy at school tempts her to live a life offline, everything she’s worked for begins to crumble.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, smart, and friendless. Online, Eliza is LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of a popular webcomic called Monstrous Sea. With millions of followers and fans throughout the world, Eliza’s persona is popular. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves her digital community. Then Wallace Warland transfers to her school, and Eliza begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart. With pages from Eliza’s webcomic, as well as screenshots from Eliza’s online forums.

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab
Since this book is the second in a duology, I will not be posting the synopsis since I do not want to spoil anything again lol! But This Savage Song was amazing and I really cannot wait to read Our Dark Duet! Schwab has not disappointed me, I NEED THIS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

and that is it for this post! what are you currently reading or reading next? are any of these books on your radar? i would love to chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Afterlife by Melissa Jennings Mini Poetry Review

Title: Afterlife
Author: Melissa Jennings
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“The sun does not rise when you need it most. You rise instead.”
Afterlife is a collection of poetry about catharsis, self-love, and self-revolution. Afterlife is a journey from the darkness to the light again, and again, and again.

---

This poetry book is now officially a part of my favorites collection because OMG!!! you need to read this one and pick it up. Melissa definitely took me through all the feels with this one. If you love dark poetry that is empowering and speaks for itself, you’ll have to pick this one up for sure.

Melissa Jennings talks about mental health, pain, self-love, recovery, and so much more. The author makes mentions of different beautiful metaphors in a dark way that will have you THINK. Although I consider this dark poetry, they definitely uplift the reader to light and accepting the light that we are. Through all these beautiful dark poems, I found strength and power. AMAZING! And I cannot wait to read more by this author!

---

some of my favorites:

THE GHOST WE HIDE

Don’t let the ghost stay:

They’ve haunted for long enough.

It’s time to free their souls

From the home inside your head,

So they don’t live long enough

To become skeletons.

---

LET THE GODDESSES TAKE ME AWAY

I will end

The way

I began:

A child of chaos.

---

DROWNING REFLECTION

I look in
The mirror,
Searching
For answers,

But,

My hands
Are bleeding
From the glass,
As if

Time
was
slipping
out
of
my
grasp

---

if you’re interested in checking out this beautiful collection click here:
Amazon USA | Amazon UK

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)