Books and Cookies Tag – Because I’m Currently Hungry and Feel Like Screaming About Books!

Honestly, is there ever a time when I’m not shrieking about books?

I’m pretty sure I can find a way to slip books into every conversation I hold with anybody.

And guess what??? I’m about to talk about them again! Hooray!

Shoutout to Cait @ Paper Fury for inspiring this post!

Chocolate Chip – Classic Book That You Love

I actually really liked Pride and Prejudice! I normally don’t like classics, they’re really hard for me to read, but I enjoyed this one!

Thin Mints – A Hyped-Up Book You Want To Read

I honestly love reading hyped books? Following publishers and book bloggers is how I find almost all of my reads, so most of them are pretty hyped. But these are probably my highest at the moment! (Also a lot of these are out, I just haven’t read them yet.)

Shortbread – An Author You Can’t Get Enough Of

This will probably come as no surprise to anyone, but I have to say Maggie Stiefvater. I just recently finished The Raven Cycle, and I’m even more in love with her writing than I was before. I haven’t read a single book of hers I didn’t like. (Also she’s literally the sweetest person ever! I was super anxious about actually meeting her, but she was very laid back and so nice!) 

I’m still a mess over The Raven Cycle! The Gangsey is the most precious friend group ever, and I have so much love for all of them. Every book will stab you with FEELS and you will want to thank it for the honor. Maggie is the queen of slow-burn romances, so you’re basically flailing and yelling “Just kiss, you oblivious potato chips!” while said chips don’t realize any emotions until the second or third book. I’m shoving the whole series in the faces of all my IRL friends, so I will also tell you to go read them, because you deserve to read such a masterpiece. (also she released news about the Dreamer trilogy and I’m about to HURL MYSELF OFF A CLIFF OR SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST FROM EXCITEMENT)

Samoas – An Emotional Rollercoaster

The Raven Cycle is a very good candidate for this section, but so is The Dark Artifices. Can we just appreciate how wonderful this series is?? It’s so diverse, and while I don’t require my books to have a hugely diverse cast, this one was so well done that it would seem wrong without it. And the friends-to-lovers trope is so beautiful. This is another instance where you’re screaming at the characters to just figure out their feelings because you can’t take it!! and they’re quite obviously in love!! Plus all the characters are so well written. Ty! Mark! Christina! Kieran! Emma! All the Blackthorn siblings! My fragile heart can’t handle all the feels. 

Oreos – A Book Whose Cover Was Better Than The Story

Part of the reason I read all these books was because of the covers, and I was a little disappointed? The books really weren’t that bad, but I was still a bit let down. 

Gingerbread Cookies – Where The Story Was Better Than Its Cover

I loved all of these books, but the covers could be so much better! The alternate cover for Legend is definitely an improvement. Fun fact! The Illuminated Dark is self-published by one of my IRL friends from my dance studio! She wrote it under her pen name for NaNoWriMo a few years ago, and I loved it.

Peanut Butter Cookies – A Book That Wasn’t What You Expected

Probably The Cruel Prince and Strange the Dreamer! The Cruel Prince was stabby and dark and amazing, and since I’ve reread it, it definitely gets a five-star rating. I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did, for sure. And I recently read Strange the Dreamer, and it was so good?? I wasn’t really expecting to like it at first, because the beginning kind of started at a drag. But as it went on, I actually loved it! Lazlo is just the sweetest Hufflepuff, and his nose was broken because he knocked a book of fairy tales off a shelf. If that isn’t the dorkiest, most relatable thing, I don’t know what is. 

Snickerdoodle – A Book You’ll Never Stop Rereading

I know for a fact that I will reread The Raven Cycle and The Dark Artifices many, many times. But I’ve reread the Keeper of the Lost Cities series and The Lunar Chronicles a lot, and I always love them.

Macaron – Sequels You Liked Better Than The First

Again, The Raven Cycle pops up. The Dream Thieves is probably my favorite book in the series, and while it isn’t strictly a sequel, it’s the second book. I also loved Thunderhead and Unhinged!

What is a book you’ll never stop rereading?

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Six Places I’d Like To Travel To (Plus an Exciting Announcement!)

I don’t know if I’ve said this much, but I have a huge amount of wanderlust.

I love the idea of just getting on a plane and flying somewhere on a whim, getting lost and wandering around a foreign city.

And so, today, I’ll be sharing a few of the places I’d like to go someday, and at the end, I’ll have an announcement to make!

France

I’ve always loved France, most likely because of my dance background. I’ve always been interested in French culture, also, with the French Revolutions, the Victorian era, and all the other periods. I’d love to visit Paris, of course, but other regions such as the Normandy and Brittany regions also seem amazing!

Italy

I love the culture of Italy, plus I have a lot of Italian heritage, so it’d be cool to see where some of my distant relatives grew up. I really want to go to Rome, Venice, and Florence, plus the Lombardy, Liguria, Campania, and Sicily regions.

Greece

I’ve been obsessed with Greece and its mythology since I was little, and it really grew after I read the Percy Jackson books when I was about nine. I’d really love to travel the same route that the Seven took in House of Hades, which goes through parts of Italy and Greece.

Australia

My grandmother and mom have always wanted to go to Australia, and even though there’s a ton of spiders and snakes that could instantly kill you, I think the pros weigh out the cons. 😉

Los Angeles

Two of my uncles live in L.A right now, and I’d love to go visit them sometime. L.A is also a big place for the arts, whether it’s dance, singing or acting, all of which I’d like to do at some point.

NYC

This one doesn’t need a huge explanation. It’s NYC! Even though I don’t like to interact with strangers at all, in a city this huge, I don’t have to worry about anyone ever seeing me again. So I think I’ll do okay. And this leads me to my big news!

So! In two weeks, I’ll be traveling to NYC, with my dear friend Eden, to attend a writing seminar hosted by none other than the queen Maggie Stiefvater herself! I’m so blessed to have gotten this opportunity, and I’m so excited! We’ll leave early February 2nd, and get to Manhattan in time for the book signing that night. Then we’ll stay in a hotel overnight, and go to Brooklyn the next day for the seminar! I’ll most likely be updating my bookstagram pretty frequently during the trip, so if you want to see some pictures and video while I’m there, you can check out my social media.

What are some places you’ve always wanted to travel to? Let me know in the comments!

Five Things To Do When It’s Cold Outside – AKA Me Sort Of Liking Winter?

It snowed today!

Which I normally wouldn’t like, but it’s very aesthetic snow, which means all the pictures! (Probably not the best pictures, since my camera still needs fixed, but oh well.)

But since I still don’t like the cold, here are five things you can do when it’s cold and snowy outside and you’re feeling especially antisocial.

Read!

Obviously this is high on my list. There’s nothing better on a cold day than to find a place to haunt, gather an ample amount of hot drinks and snacks, grab a fuzzy blanket, and dive into a good book. *heart eyes*

Chat with friends or family.

Whenever I’m stuck inside during the winter, I like to talk with my friends! Whether it’s through text, phone call, FaceTime, or in person, nothing makes me feel better than talking with my besties. And as a homeschooler, I’m always having some sort of conversation with my family! But if you go to public or private school and you have a snow day, it’s always nice to talk with family members.

Learn something new.

I love to randomly do new things, and what better time to do that than a snowy day? I’m currently learning the ukulele, because I felt like it one day, and my family happened to have one. (I’m not very good yet, but someday I might do a post on uke or singing if you’d care to see that.) There’s always new things to do, and you might find something you love! Try art, writing, if that’s something you’ve never done, hand lettering, baking! You might find a new passion by accident.

Listen to music.

It’s pretty well known that I love music. I almost always have some type of tune playing in the background, and it really helps keep me grounded. My go-to is twenty øne piløts, of course, but I also like Panic! At The Disco, Imagine Dragons, lots of Broadway musicals, and movie soundtracks.

Take pictures!

Now, we all know I hate the cold. But! For the good of the people, I will go outside during snowy days and take pictures. Snowy days are the best for photos, because if there’s no snow, chances are it’s a muddy, gray mess outside. If there’s snow, you have an instant aesthetic!! quality. If you don’t have a camera or any equipment, that’s fine! A phone works fine.

What are some things you like to do when it’s snowy outside? Tell me in the comments!

My Most Anticipated Books of 2019! – TTT

*waves* Today, I’ll be listing some of my most anticipated releases of 2019!

Actually, a few may be for 2020, but they’re so good I can’t help but add them.

This is part of Top Ten Tuesday!

King of Fools – Amanda Foody

I read the first book in The Shadow Game series, Ace of Shades, in 2018, and it was one of my favorite reads of the year. I mentioned the main character, Enne, in my previous post, and I can’t wait to see how her and Levi’s story continues in the next installment!

Children of Virtue and Vengeance – Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone is an amazing book, and I can’t wait to read the sequel! Plus Tomi is an absolute queen, and I love her writing.

Finale – Stephanie Garber

I’ve only read Caraval so far, but Legendary is high on my TBR. I’m so excited to see how the series ends!

The Wicked King – Holly Black

This is self-explainable. I posted my review for The Cruel Prince a few months ago, and honestly I love it even more now. I NEED MORE OF CARDAN MY TRASHY FAE SON, ALRIGHT?

An Ember in the Ashes #4 – Sabaa Tahir

No cover or title yet!

Honestly, Ember is one of the best series I’ve ever read! Sabaa has such a gorgeous writing style, and I love her characters. I can’t wait to read more about my babies Laia and Elias! 😍

Chain of Gold – Cassandra Clare

I’ve only read two of The Dark Artifices books so far, but so far, I’m in love with Cassie Clare’s books! Once I read the rest of the books, I’m sure this one will be out so I can read it immediately. 😂 (Also this cover y’all. *heart eyes*)

The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Chokshi

I’ve heard of Roshani through the Internet, but haven’t read any of her books yet. The synopsis seems really neat, and the cover. I know they say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but I totally do. 😍

The Toll – Neal Shusterman

No cover yet!

I think I’ve geeked out over Scythe and Thunderhead enough for this to be understandable. Thunderhead ended at such a cliffhanger, and I’ve been dying waiting for The Toll.

Stain – A.G. Howard

I discovered A.G. Howard’s Splintered series earlier this year, and I fell in love. When I saw she was coming out with a new standalone, I knew I had to read it. Like all of her books, it’s a retelling, but instead of Alice in Wonderland or Phantom of the Opera, this one is Princess and the Pea with a gothic twist. I love all of A.G.’s books, and I’m sure Stain won’t disappoint!

Are any of these on your TBR? Any 2019 releases you’re excited for? Let me know in the comments!

Who Needs a Boyfriend When You Have Books? – My Favorite Characters, aka Soft Bois and Stabby Girls

Hold onto your hats, folks, because today we’re going through a list of my favorite characters.

I did a post similar to this last year, which you can see here.

This will include both my favorite male and female characters, mostly from reads of this year. But there may be a few old favs in there too. 😉

*ALL ART IS OFFICIAL CHARACTER ART OR FANART. ALL CREDIT GOES TO THE CREATOR.*

Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs | The Dark Artifices

Honestly, is it possible not to fall in love with both of these characters? The Dark Artifices is the first of Cassie Clare’s series I’ve read, and wow does she have some amazing characters. Julian is so sweet, and such a good dad to his younger siblings, it makes my heart hurt. Plus his siblings are adorable. 😍 (I just have a thing for Blackthorns, okay?) And Emma is such a stabby, kickbutt, amazing leading lady, and I love them both to death. And their relationship is so precious and tragic and GAH. I love me a tragic, friends-to-lovers romance trope.

Prince Cardan | The Cruel Prince

Oh boy, I love Cardan. At first, I was on the line, but after reading the book again, I fully converted. I JUST LOVE STABBY DARK FAE, ALRIGHT? Cardan is more of an antihero than anything else, but I love brooding antiheroes, so… 😍 Him and Jude’s relationship is very complicated, but I love them.

Rowan Damisch | Scythe

Sadly I couldn’t find art for my son. 😢 But I love Rowan! He’s such a complex character, especially during Thunderhead. He acts tough, and he is, but I’m convinced all he needs is a hug and someone to mother him a bit. Also apparently I love complicated friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers romances? Because almost every book in this list includes one. Rowan and Citra are adorable! But they’re both apprentice Scythes and therefore can’t fall in love and UGH. My heart.

Sean Kendrick | The Scorpio Races

No art for this bean, either, but use your imagination. Sean is so soft, but also sort of stabby? He’s the best capaill uisce – water horse – rider on the entire island of Thisby, at age nineteen. Did I mention the water horses are bloodthirsty and will dismember you quite easily? So, I think he has some stabby qualities. Also, Charis has decided that she is engaged to him, so back off, ladies. 😉

Enne Salta | Ace of Shades

Can we take a moment to appreciate Enne? She’s ultra-feminine while still being super stabby, she’s a dancer, and she has Levi Glaisyer head-over-heels for her, which is quite an accomplishment. She’s such a amazing, strong character, and she really shows you can still run around the City of Sin, carrying guns and doing some shady stuff, while wearing dresses and heels. I absolutely love Enne. Plus Levi is also amazing.

Blue + The Raven Boys | The Raven Boys

I’m only on the first book of this series, but Maggie Stiefvater manages to blow me away every time. Her characters are so 3-D and human (except, of course, for the ghosts.) Ronan is such a rebellious, troubled little bean, which goes along with my they-need-a-hug-and-someone-to-mother-them hypothesis. (And Chainsaw! Ugh my heart.) Adam is so soft and socially awkward, which I relate to, plus he comes from an abusive home which makes me want to steal him away and give him ALL THE LOVE. And Gansey is adorable, and Noah… Well, no spoilers. And Blue! She’s so quirky and sassy and I love. (Also, isn’t this art gorgeous?)

Audrey-Rose Wadsworth | Stalking Jack the Ripper

Audrey is another great example of a stabby, feminine lead. She’s a woman trying to become a Forensics Pathologist in the 1800’s, where it was very looked down upon for women to be in that line of work. She’s such a great character, and very dedicated to her passion – forensics – while still being a proper lady. I love Audrey, and I love the Stalking Jack the Ripper series.

So there you have it!

Those are some of my favorite characters from books this year. Have you read any of these series? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

New Year, New Me? Yeah Right. – My Year In Review

Well, 2018 is officially over.

Owing to the fact that it’s currently forty-five degrees and raining outside, it really doesn’t seem like January to me. But since it undoubtedly is, lets do a little recap, shall we?

Stats

Views: 1,154

Visitors: 562

Likes: 174

Comments: 86

Followers: 211

Countries Viewed In: 34

A bit lackluster compared to last years stats, but considering I was on hiatus most of the year, I don’t think it’s that bad! I still gained followers while I was gone, and some people still read my posts. So overall, it wasn’t a bad year stat-wise. (And a thank you to my newest follower, Autumn!)

Popular Posts

A Wintery Photo Post

A Comprehensive List Of All The Book Characters I Would Gladly Steal For My Own (AKA Why I Have Unrealistically High Expectations For The Human Male)

\\\The Liebster Award///

In With The New Year! /// 2017 Recap \\\

Highlights

• I was chosen for four roles in my dance company’s performance of the Nutcracker this year! I was a party dancer, as usual, a soldier, a Reed Pipe dancer, and a snowflake. I was also promoted to apprentice company member, so I have class five days a week!
• TRENCH. That is all. TRENCH is one of my favorite albums, and I got tickets to see the boys on the Bandito tour in June, so that’s pretty awesome. (Also, for the benefit of the fellow clikkies, Josh and Debby’s engagement made my life. 😍)
• I went to St. Augustine, Florida! Our annual family reunion on my dad’s side was in Florida this year, and we actually went! We took a plane, which I’ve never done before. We spent a week there, and I had a great time!
• I went to my freshman formal, which a local co-op puts on for all the homeschoolers in the area! I went with a group of friends (no date for me, thank you!) and we had an amazing time! There may have been a Hugh Jackman a la Greatest Showman impression, and a Dirty Dancing lift. All involving my friend group, of course. 😉
• I went to my first official concert! I went to a Winter Jam performance in January, and I got to see Skillet, Jordan Feliz, Building 429, and some other amazing bands!

Favorites

Books

Not all of these were published in 2018, these are just my favorites from the year.

• Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber
• All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
• Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Anything by Marie Lu
• Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Music

These are bands or artists I started listening to more this year, and also some of my favorite individual songs.

Bands/Artists

• Panic! At The Disco
• Shawn Mendes (I blame Charis for this one.)
• I seriously joined the clique early 2018. I’d listened to twenty øne piløts before, but I really started resonating with the lyrics late 2017/ early 2018.
• Owl City
• Imagine Dragons

Songs

• I’ll Be Good – Jaymes Young
• One Day – Tate McRae
• Dynasty – MIIA
• when the party’s over – Billie Eilish
• Never Be The Same – Camila Cabello
• Leave The City – twenty øne piløts
• Neon Gravestones – twenty øne piløts
• Chlorine – twenty øne piløts
• Kitchen Sink – twenty øne piløts
• Forest – twenty øne piløts
• This is Gospel – Panic! At The Disco
• Northern Downpour – Panic! At The Disco
• Roaring 20’s – Panic! At The Disco
• Dying in LA – Panic! At The Disco
• Cancer – twenty øne piløts cover of My Chemical Romance
• Nicotine – Panic! At The Disco (Clean Version)

Goals

Let’s see how I did with my 2018 goals! A check means I completed it, a X means I failed it, and a circle means I sort of did it.

Writing

Finish rewriting the first draft of When The Phoenix Calls and complete the sequel, When The Clouds Lift. ❌

Edit and get Beta readers for WTPC. ❌

Receive critique from a published author for WTPC. ❌

Write at least five days a week. ❌

2018 was a really bad writing year for me. I had no motivation, and whenever I tried to write, it seemed to discourage me even more. Hopefully 2019 will turn out better.

Blogging

Reach 250 followers. ❌ I’m currently at 211, but that’s taking hiatus into consideration. Overall, not bad.

Grow my platform, and possibly progress to a paid platform. ❌ I didn’t grow a lot, but I’m hoping to change that this year.

Get social media for my blog, and grow my audience to increase traffic. 🔵 I made an Instagram for my blog, but I haven’t started using it yet. I’ll be posting on it the same days as I post here, starting Saturday. There’s a link in the sidebar if you want to check it out.

Learn graphic design, and start using featured images and handmade graphics. ✔️ I’m still learning graphic design, but I’ve started using featured images made with my own pictures, so I’d say this one is a win.

Dance

Stretch every day. ❌ I didn’t do a very good job of this one, but I do stretch pretty frequently.

Take more classes, if possible. ✔️ I went from having two of my own classes and a class wth the older group, to being added to the older class. I take three of my own classes, help with some of the younger groups, and demonstrate for the class below me in both of their classes.

Get cast in our spring ballet as a higher role, and also in The Nutcracker. ✔️ I was cast as a gypsy in our spring performance of Rapunzel, and my aforementioned Nutcracker roles. I’m pretty happy with how this one turned out!

Get a ballet barre, and use it to improve. 🔵 I got a barre for my birthday, but I currently don’t have enough space to set it up and have it operational. So I have it, but it’s not useable.

Overall, there’s a lot of places where I can improve. But I’m hoping I can do that over the next year. I’m not going to set any new goals as of right now, so I can focus on last years list. If I complete enough of those to suit me, I’ll make some new challenges.

What are some of your goals for 2019? Let me know in the comments!

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince was a dark, twisted book, and I absolutely loved it!

*WARNING* THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. SPOILERS WILL BE CONCEALED, BUT READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Add on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon

The Plot

 At first, I thought this was more of a coming-of-age story, but with dark fae. Jude’s focus is more on earning her place in the Court than anything else for the first portion of the book. But it’s really not! It has elements of a coming-of-age plotline, but it’s also about self-discovery and betrayal.

The world-building also surprised me! There’s a few info dump-ish places towards the beginning, but nothing like some other books I’ve read. The story is set in Elfhame, which is made up of three shifting islands: Insweal, Insmoor, and Insmire. Insmire is the main island, where the royals live and where the story takes place.

The Characters

I loved Jude! She was very stabby, but also very feminine and intelligent to counterbalance the stabbiness. She did have a bit of a habit of making snarky remarks when it really didn’t help her situation, but hey, without the snark messing things up the plotline would have been a lot slower.

I also loved Vivi, but I’m torn about Taryn. Like?? Why would you *SPOILER* go and get engaged to the guy YOU KNOW JUDE LIKES. LIKE SERIOUSLY. I know you want to fit in, but if you know that’s going on, and the dude is purposely playing your twin, I’d cut things off with that jerk. Okay, done with the Taryn rant. On the other hand, Vivi is Jude and Taryn’s rebellious half-sister, and I loved her. She’s constantly sneaking away to the mortal world just to annoy Madoc, which honestly I get. Madoc is not a very good person. But Vivi also loves her sisters so much, and it’s honestly really pure?? I love it??

Cardan tho. *heart eyes* At first, I really did not like him. He was a very self-centered jerk, which granted, is basically in the makeup of the fae, but still. But as the book goes on, you get more of his backstory, and you can understand where he’s coming from.  Also *SPOILER* I started low-key shipping Cardan and Jude towards the beginning of the book, even though he was jerky. I figured he’d have some backstory that could justify his actions, and while they weren’t completely justified, he did get a lot better! And the romance between them was very enemies-to-lovers, and not at all rushed. I really loved those aspects of his character. 

The only thing that really bothered me was all the side characters. The people who were close to Jude I could keep straight okay, but all the other members of the royal family?? And all the people Jude tried to make alliances with?? Gone from my brain in about 12.7 seconds. I understand their purpose, I just have the short-term memory of a house fly and cannot remember all these people for the life of me.

And OF COURSE they all have crazy fantasy names. Like, Orlagh?? Nicasia?? Caelia and Elowyn and Roiben and Ryhia?? I called Charis my cousin’s name the other day, which is Serena and in no way similar to Charis. How am I supposed to keep track of all these names that just sound like a keysmash?

Content

• Occasional use of b******, b****, s***, and d***.
• A few kisses, some fairly heated.
• Some implied sexual content.
• Frequent uses of magic.
• Frequent violence, with some pretty graphic descriptions.

Overall, I give it 4.5 stars! If you have better memory than I do, you might give it five stars, but since we’ve already established how bad my short-term memory is, all the names kind of confused me. Other than that, I loved The Cruel Prince and would definitely recommend it!

Are there any other books you want me to review? Leave a comment below! 

NaNoWriMo 2018 ~ My Fragile New Book Idea (With A Dark Stabby Boi!)

So NaNoWriMo is here, which means stress and way too much caffeine.

So today I’ll be telling you about my shiny new idea! Because I’m sure that’s what you want to hear about.

I swear, this is for the peoples best interest and not because I’m procrastinating. *smiles brightly*

This book doesn’t have a title yet, but it’s sort of a mix between fantasy and urban fantasy.

Here’s the best blurb I could come up with!

Elaina Grey has hallucinations. Or at least that’s how she explains the ghosts that constantly haunt her life. After her boyfriend was killed in a car crash, finishing art school (and blocking out the spirits) are the only things Elaina cares about.

But when Death himself shows up and spirits her away to the Underworld, Elaina realizes the ghosts aren’t explained away so easily. She finds herself trapped in the Underworld, and wiped from the memories of everyone she knows.

Now, with a growing threat looming on the horizon and the dark intrigue of Death taunting her, Elaina must choose between the possibility of returning to the surface, or the option of staying in the Underworld with the echoes of her past.

Ugh, I can’t write blurbs to save my life. *cringes*

I also made two collages for the aesthetic of the novel! 

This is a lot darker than any of the novels I’ve done before, but I’m really excited to write it!

Elaina is an artist, hence the paint and art supplies. Her art is a big part of the story.

This is more of a tie-in to the romance aspect of the book, which is very slow-burn and enemies-to-lovers! AKA two of my favorite tropes! *squeals*

I don’t have any character photos yet, because Pinterest is failing me when it comes to getting the looks right. 😕 But I’ll give some description of my two main characters.

Elaina Sophia Grey

• blonde curly hair • jade green eyes • 5′ 5″ • INFP • American • casual style •

Malachi (AKA Death)

• black straight hair with side bangs • grey-blue eyes • 6′ 2″ • INTJ • Italian • very flamboyant style •

I love Malachi so much, I think I actually like him more than Elaina. Whoops. He’s also the ‘tragic backstory’ antihero, which is another of my favorite tropes.

My current wordcount is 2,243. I got behind yesterday and wasn’t able to write at all today, since I had rehearsal. But I’m hoping I catch up tomorrow.

So that’s it! It’s really late, so I’ll update this with a cover image tomorrow. I didn’t have enough time to make one this evening. If you have any questions about my novel, feel free to comment! (Also, sorry of this post seems sort of scatter-brained, I’m exhausted.)

Emerging From The Abyss: My (Not-So) Triumphant Return

Wow, it’s been a hot minute.

I realized I never announced I was taking a hiatus, but I’m back now!

I’m sorry I disappeared without notice, I just needed time to get my schedule under control, plus get in a better place mentally so I could make better content.

Blogging was more of a chore than something I enjoyed, so I took a break.

But now I’m back, and hopefully I can keep a consistent schedule and get back to making good quality posts!

A Wintery Photo Post

Hello!

You know, I really thought winter was over. I mean, the high tomorrow is 76 degrees! Then it snows an inch and a half while I’m also flooded in from rain on Saturday. 😒

Anyway, we took a family hike while it was snowing, and my mom and I took turns with the camera! Enjoy! (Sorry if the pics aren’t the best quality, my good lens is broken, so I’m stuck with my backup lens. 😢)

We got this much snow in about half an hour.

Hey look, it’s me! And I’m so coordinated for once, and in my favorite color!

I was taking pictures for my friend, and my brothers… Well, I think Kane was maybe attempting a split, and Max I’m not sure about. XD

Kane and I were both kicking snow into the creek when my mom snuck this one. XD

Both of these were on my phone.

My mom, in case you care. XD

Camie just turned 10 months old, and I’m fairly sure she’s the cutest thing to ever grace this Earth. (Maybe besides Megan’s flufferpuff bunnies. XD)

Max started gymnastics recently, so he’s been a bit obsessed with walking on his hands. 🙄

And lastly, Elie! Isn’t she just so cute? (Of course, I’m a bit biased.)

What do you think of my pictures? Any tips? Let me know!

I was jamming to The Greatest Showman the whole time I was writing this. XD