What Characters Am I Most Like?

I'm participating for the first time in the Teens Can Write Too blog chain! If you don't know what that is, check out that link. :D The question for this month is: What characters are you most like?

Hmmm.... That's kind of a hard question. I'm going to make a list because, as I've said before, I like lists.

Tris from Divergent
Okay, let's just get this out there right now. I'm short, blonde, and look younger than I am. Ring a bell? That's because Tris was described just as that! Of course, I'm talking about the book version; the movie version of Tris didn't even have blonde hair. *sigh*

Iko from The Lunar Chronicles
I'm a very enthusiastic person. I get excited, and when I get excited, everyone within a two mile radius of me (okay, okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration :P) knows about it. I like to fangirl about things, much like Iko! Yes, I realize Iko is an android, and I'm not (or am I? Dun dun dun! <<Just kidding! I'm perfectly human XD) but personality-wise, we're pretty similar.

Christy from the Christy Miller series
Christy is a very organized girl who likes to have everything planned. That part of her personality *shakes head* is not very much like me at all. Yeah, sure, I like to make plans. I just don't really like to always stick with them. Secondly, if you could see my desk right now- wait! I can take a picture!- you'll see below that it's very disorganized.

You see that clear space in front of the laptop? Yeah, that's only there because that's where my arms go when I'm on the computer. XD Okay, now it's out there. I'm a disorganized person. That's definitely something I want to work on, and I plan to do so this school year. I mean, being organized is definitely an important quality to have. Anyways, by now you're probably wondering why in the world Christy is even on this list. Well, that's because I'm a worry-wart like Christy. When it comes to school especially, I worry about things sooo much, and I relate to Christy in that sense. 

Katie from the Christy Miller series

Okay, now here's a character that I'm more like. Katie is spontaneous, enthusiastic, and a little bit crazy. I'm all of the above. Yeah, sure in some instances, I'm definitely more like Christy, but in others, I'm a lot like Katie. 

Now for a question for you guys: What are some characters that y'all are most like? 

Schedule for the rest of the blog chain:

Prompt: “What characters are you most like?” 

5th – http:// semilegacy.blogspot.com/

6th – http://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/

7th – http://nasrielsfanfics.wordpress.com/

8th – http://sammitalk.wordpress.com/

9th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

10th – http://irisbloomsblog.wordpress.com/

11th – http://www.brookeharrison.com/

12th – http://miriamjoywrites.com/

13th – http://uniquelyanonymous.wordpress.com/

14th – http://erinkenobi2893.wordpress.com/

15th – http://novelexemplar.wordpress.com/

16th – http://nutfreenerd.wordpress.com/

17th – http://unikkelyfe.wordpress.com/

18th – http://writers-place-for-you.blogspot.de/

19th – http://roomble.wordpress.com/

20th – https://taratherese.wordpress.com/

21st – http://thependanttrilogy.wordpress.com/

22nd – http://freeasagirlwithwings.wordpress.com/

23rd – http://butterfliesoftheimagination.wordpress.com/

24th – http://theweirdystation.wordpress.com/

25th – http://teenageink.wordpress.com/

26th – http://www.adventuringthroughpages.wordpress.com/

27th – http://randommorbidinsanity.blogspot.com/

28th – http://missalexandrinabrant.wordpress.com/

29th – http://dynamicramblings.wordpress.com/

and http://thelonglifeofalifelongfangirl.wordpress.com/

30th – http://fantasiesofapockethuman.blogspot.com/

and http://www.turtlesinmysoup.blogspot.com/

31st – http://theedfiles.blogspot.com/

and http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (We’ll announce the topic for next month’s chain)

School: The Thief of All Free Time

School started back this week. Classes, homework, projects, lectures. Within the first week, I've already been assigned a project, two essays, and other sorts of homework. I'm actually kind of glad about that, though, because, for me, it's really stressful when you're trying to get into the swing of things. I like just jumping in and going with it. Maybe I'm just weird like that. :P

Anyways, school, of course, takes up a lot of time. I'm gone 8 hours (or so) a day, and then I have homework and studying to do. I'm also currently a leader in two clubs, so I've got things to do for that as well.

The point of all this: I'm sorry for not posting as much this past week. I'll try to still post at least once a week, but keep in mind that school takes up a lot of time. :)

Random little awesome side note: My DC creative/technical writing teacher just introduced in class today a short memoir assignment. (I counted that as one of my essays up above even though she hasn't given us a due date and a lot of it will probably be done in class.) I am really excited about it!!! This is going to be soooo much fun!!!! =] (Hey, I just found a new emoticon!!!! =] On complete accident! This makes me happy. XD)

Musica!

Okay, so I haven't posted in, like, forever because of this little thing called life. Oh, and also, I like to overbook myself, but enough about my impending explosion of the mind come Monday. On with the post.

I like music. I'm pretty sure you like music. I'm pretty sure almost every single person on planet Earth at least remotely tolerates music. Therefore I am going to share with you some of my favorite songs right now in the form of embedded Youtube videos. This is not a top tens post, mind you. I just want to share music, even though I've already shared 30 songs with you the past few weeks. :P Who can have too much music?! XD

Fully Alive by Flyleaf

I love this song. It makes me want to try to write a song again. Keyword: try. Trust me, this wouldn't be the first time I've tried to write a song. :P

Let It Go by Idina Menzel

I had to. I couldn't resist. It's Frozen. Idina Menzel. Come on. :P 

Background by Lecrae ft. Andy Mineo

I love this song. I almost named this blog after it, but I was afraid of copyright, so Fantasies of a Pocket Human it is. XD 

Loyal Like a Golden Retriever

Okay, that's a bad simile. I'll go ahead and say it now, but I was trying to come up with a clever-ish title for this post, and that's what popped into my head, so I'm going with it. XD

I just finished reading the book of Ruth, and I just think it's awesome how loyal Ruth is. Naomi kept insisting and insisting that Ruth leave and go back home. She told her that's what would be best for her, that she could move on with her life and find a new husband.

Ruth insisted, too, though. She insisted that she stay right by Naomi's side.

I mean, these two were definitely women- as stubborn and insistent as we all are! XD

Anyways, this was the time that Naomi needed a friend most, and Ruth wasn't going to let her down. Naomi had lost her husband and had just recently lost both of her sons. Her second daughter-in-law left upon Naomi's insistence, but Ruth refused to budge.

I think this shows some serious selflessness. Ruth probably could have gotten on with her life again just fine, freeing herself from some old woman's troubles- they weren't her problems anyways, so she didn't have to be bound by them. But she didn't.

Ruth didn't. She stayed. She was selfless.

Ruth gave up her own happiness to stick by her friend's side.

I like to think about what the world might be like if all of us were like that. If every single one of us decided that we were willing to give up our own happiness to stand by and stay- really stay- right by a friend's side through the thick and the thin. The thinnest of thins and the thickest of thicks. I know I want to be that type of friend. I know that sometimes it can be hard to let go of all of those little excuses that run rampant in the back of my mind. You know, those one's that are secretly selfish but manage to almost convince you otherwise. But we can do it. Let's be those selfless friends.

You Are Not Alone

Someone I know started this up for people, especially teens, who feel like they're alone. Just click on the picture above to go read what she put on Wattpad about it. She has a very powerful, and I feel, a very important message to share. It'll only take a minute or two to read it, and if you feel compelled to do so, share it as I have. You never know who might need to hear those words. You are not alone.

Another really great post about it can be found here. Someone else I know wrote her thoughts on the topic herself on her blog. If you have time, you should go check that out as well. :)

The point is, none of us- not a single one- are ever alone. Even if the circumstances seem dreary at best and you think you have no one to turn to, you do. Right here, right now, God is all around you, and He loves you more than you can ever imagine. Just turn to Him, and He will comfort you.

Top Ten Bible Verses

Okay, so this is definitely a hard topic to choose only ten of, but I'm going to list ten of my favorite Bible verses that come to mind right now.

Top Ten Bible Verses:

 Philippians 4:13

     "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." 

 Matthew 5:16

     "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your        Father in heaven." 

 I Corinthians 13:4-7
     "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor            others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight        in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
 Proverbs 8:17
     "I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me."
 John 20:31
     "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by                  believing you may have life in His name."
 John 20:29
     "Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not            seen and yet have believed.'"
 Galatians 5:22-23
     "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness            and self control."
 Daniel 6:23
     "The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from        the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God."
 Daniel 6:26-27
     "'For He is the living God and He endures forever His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will        never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He      has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.'"
 Ephesians 6:11
       "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."

That's just a handful of my favorite verses. What are some of y'all's favorite Bible verses? :)

Lunar Chronicles "Design a Sticker" Contest

Over on her blog, Marissa Meyer hosted a contest for Lunar Chronicles fans to design a sticker. The winning stickers will be used in promotion! Of course, I designed a sticker, and after trying to submit it to Pinterest 3 times (and it all of a sudden losing its quality upon uploading all 3 times) I decided to just post it here. Let's see if this works.

Ugh. It still lost its quality. Oh, well. I don't know what else to do. It looks just fine on my computer, but whenever I try to upload it anywhere, it looks like that. *sigh* If anyone has any tips for uploading for me, that would be awesome. :D

Edit: Wait, guys, never mind. When I view it in the document editor here on Blogger, it looks bad, but I just viewed it on my blog, and it looked fine! YAY!!! :D

Getting to Know My Characters

I think one of the most important parts of the brainstorming/planning process for a novel is getting to know my characters. Now, I can't stand filling out those questionnaires that ask you for things like eye color, hair color, height, biggest fear, etc. Filling out that stuff like that just doesn't work for me. It doesn't feel right. Stephanie Morrill from Go Teen Writers has a method for getting to know characters that she talked about here. Once I read this post, I decided to try it, and I love it.

Basically, what she does is ask a character a question, one that you might hear in an interview. Then she writes the answer from her character's point of view. For her, the answer is usually pages long. (By the way, if you have the chance, you should definitely go check out that post! It's a lot better at talking about this process- after all, it is the original! :-) Now, for me, the answers are typically shorter. I also have a tendency to ask more of the "quick answer" type questions, like "beach or mountains?" and "dog or cat?"

I also like taking personality tests for my characters. Answering those questions helps me get a feel for their personality, and what types of things they like and don't like. Also, the answer, if I agree with it, can give me a good, quick archetype to refer to. Another thing that helps with these is when the answer you get is something that you feel doesn't quite fit your character because then you start thinking about why it doesn't fit and how your character is different.

For a short story I just started writing, I didn't know anything about my main character other than the fact that she was the daughter of an inventor and a journalist. So I decided to start interviewing her. Once I started answering the questions from her point of view, her personality came to life. It helped a ton!

And now I'm off to go take personality tests for that character! :D

Beautiful People

(Okay, before I get on with the actual post, please let me jump up and down with excitement that I just posted that pic through an html tag!! I didn't know if I'd be able to do it, and I did it on my first try (well, kinda, unless you count that other time I was trying to figure out how to do that some completely different way XD)!! =D) Now, for the post. :P

Well, I found this linkup called Beautiful People today through Tara Therese's blog, and it looks like a ton of fun, so I'm joining in! (By the way, so much for my schedule for posts. I told y'all- I like to make schedules but not stick with them. XD)

Okay, so I'm doing this for one of my MC's from that new fantasy idea I mentioned the other day. She also happens to be the MC from my MMC story. That definitely wasn't intentional when I wrote the story, but after the fact, I decided I liked it, so I incorporated it into my idea. =D Anyways, her name is Laira (no last name) and because I just want to be different like that, I'm going to type her answers to Cait's and Sky's questions (which I think were actually submitted by Ana, A Finch of the Imagination (sorry, I don't have your blog link because I just found these links from the Beautiful People post. :P), and Rachel) in first person.

1.) What does your character regret most in their life?
Not hugging my mother one last time before these savages invaded our land. And not attacking the palace when I got the chance. That rebel army is futile without me. They won't get anything done now.

2.) What is your character's happiest memory? Most sorrowful memory?
My happiest memory would have to be the time I joined the rebels. That's where I met my best friend. My most sorrowful memory is a dead-tie between the day my father got struck by a shard of the Divide and began to turn into a Changeling and yesterday- the day I was taken.

3.) What majorly gets on your character's nerves?
Ugh, I can't stand it when people decide that listening to me isn't a good idea, so they turn around and go do something stupid just to spite me. Or when they patronize me either because I'm young or because I'm a girl.

4.) Do they act differently when they're around people as opposed to being alone? If so, how?
My parents and Lance say that I'm more guarded and stuff when I'm around people. Apparently, I'm more of myself when I'm alone. Lance says I'm nicer and more relaxed when I'm alone. *shrugs*

5.) What are their beliefs and superstitions?
I believe in the Creator and that He's somehow going to get me through all this craziness. How? Well, I'm just glad I don't have to worry about that. As far as superstitions go, nope, none. I think they're crazy.

6.) What are their catchphrases, or things they say frequently?
I've been told that I tell people to go live with a pig a lot. *shakes head* I really don't say it that much, just when people annoy me or make me angry. Wait... Hmm... Maybe I do say it quite a bit. Maybe I should work on that.

7.) Would they be more prone to facing fears or running from them?
Facing them, definitely. I don't care how much I want to run, I'm not going to.

8.) Do they have a good self image?
Well, yeah, I think I do. I guess it's just as good as the next girl's. (Katheline here: Yes, she does have a good self-image. She's actually a little over-confident. We'll have to work on that throughout the story. XD)

9.) Do they turn to people when they're upset, or do they isolate themselves?
I definitely isolate myself. Talking to people about my feelings *shudders* I don't know about that. If I do end up going to someone, I guess it would have to be either my parents or Lance. That's it. No one else.

10.) If they were standing next to you, would it make you laugh or cry?
Well, I think I would just smile and say, "Nice to meet you." I'm pretty funny, so I'd probably make myself laugh a little bit, too. Oh, that question wasn't for me to answer? Fine. I'll just sit back and see what she has to say. *crosses arms and taps foot* Katheline here: Well, if I was a normal person, I would probably be crying right now at the glare she's giving me, but I'm not normal, so I'm laughing really, really hard. It's just funny how angry that glare of hers is, especially considering I know we're going to be working out those anger issues throughout the course of the novel. XD

Well, that wraps up the character interview! That was a lot of fun! Thanks for hosting this, Cait and Sky! :D

Monday's Minute Challenge

Over on Christ Is Write, Tessa Emily Hall hosts a challenge every other week to write a short story about one of three prompts. I've participated in it before, but this is the first time since I've made my blog, so here goes! :D

-----------------

If Laira had known this was to be her fate, she would have hugged her mother once more. As she watched her homeland fade to mist, her eyes began to water. No. She wouldn’t show these barbarians weakness. She blinked in succession until her eyes were dry.

“Get off that step there, ye vermin! Come down to the bottom deck.” Laira narrowed her eyes at the man’s voice behind her but obeyed. What else could she do besides jump overboard? That. That was an option. Chancing the waves had to be better than the slavery in her future.

Too late. The man grabbed her arm. No escaping now. She sighed.

The man yanked her arm. “What was that?”

Laira shook her head. “Nothing.”

“I'm 'master' to you.”

She shot a glare at the wooden planks beneath her. It didn’t satisfy the surge of anger, but it was better than nothing. “Nothing at all, master.” She gritted her teeth so hard it hurt.

“We’ll work on that.”

He swung open a creaky door and pushed her down stairs that didn’t look sturdy enough to hold a rat. Of course, apparently, Laira was merely a rat to this bumbling bunch of savages. Oh, the nerve of that man to call her a vermin. She clenched her fist.

“Pent up anger ain’t good for ye. Yer master’ll whip that right out.”

Laira didn’t respond, nor did she unclench her fists. The man didn’t notice, though, because they’d reached their destination- a hollow hole housing the prisoners. No sooner than she’d stumbled into line with them did a man come up to her and take her hand. He pressed a stamp into her palm, and when he walked away, Laira looked at the mark.

A barcode, and under it: “Slave”.

So now it’s official.
---------

Hope y'all enjoyed! It would mean a lot if you would leave a comment. :D 

I Might Be Young, But...

I feel weird when I write these and the writing posts. I just think to myself- "Well, why would anyone want to listen to me? I'm only a kid. It's not like I'm a professional theologian or a published author." Well, I'll just ignore that feeling and post anyways, but it's still there. It still bothers me.

But it shouldn't.

1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity."

Jeremiah 1:6-7 says, "'Alas, Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am too young.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, "I am too young." You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.'"

So I'm going to go out and follow God's call and spread His love and His Word, even if I'm just a kid. I might be young, but I can still be a spokesperson for God.

Fantasy Recommendations?

Yeah, sorry, I don't have a book review today. I'll hopefully have one next week, though. We shall see.

Anyways, I'm working on the brainstorming, more specifically, the backstory, for a new idea right now. It's a fantasy. I've never actually completed a fantasy. All- and by all I mean both- of my completed first drafts have been sci-fi/dystopian. Well, I've recently taken a liking to the tone of those medieval time period fantasies. So, I've set off on the quest of writing a fantasy.

Because of that, I have two requests to ask of you, my loyal blog readers (loyal, I say, even though this blog hasn't even been up a month, but still... XD).

One: Please hold me accountable to finishing this at some point. Just, on any post I make, randomly comment, "So, how's that fantasy coming?" Then I shall be shamed into continuing it when that inevitable time comes that I want to give up on it.

Two: Help me continue to be inspired. For me, when I'm writing something, it just helps me to keep going if I'm reading something at least slightly similar to my WIP. So, what are some of y'all's favorite fantasies? Preferably the ones with that medieval times sort of feel to them. I mean the ones like Eragon and Seraphina (even though I've never actually completely read either of those books). By the way, random little squirrel, I just realized that there is not a single fantasy book on my bookshelf. *scurries off to check Kindle* Okay, there are some on my Kindle. Just in case you're wondering what kinds of fantasies I've read and liked, here's a short list of what's on my Kindle:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Poison by Bridget Zinn
And, well, I would give a rough synopsis of this mystery idea that you know nothing about other than the genre, but I don't even have an actual, erm, plot yet. Just lots of backstory and a very vague idea for a premise.

So, what are some of y'all's favorite fantasy books? :-)

Top Ten Songs- A Mish-Mosh

Alright, this is the final top ten post about songs, and this week features songs from a whole slew of genres!

Top Ten No Particular Genre Songs:

1. Preacher by OneRepublic
2. I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin
3. The Scientist by Coldplay
4. Gale Song by The Lumineers
5. Let It Go by Idina Menzel
6. For the First Time in Forever by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel (I told you guys I loved Frozen :P)
7. Wake Me Up by Avicii
8. Let Her Go by Passenger
9. Coming Home- Part II by Skylar Grey
10. All Of Me by John Legend

What are some of y'all's favorite songs? :)

Why Critique Partners are Amazing

Every writer should have a critique partner. Practically every blog, book, or website that has ever mentioned critiquing for writers has probably said that. Yeah, sure, there are probably plenty of posts out there that talk about getting CP's, what makes a good CP, why you should have a CP, and so on. Well, you know what? I want to join that group and write a post about why CP's are complete amazingsauce (Do ya like what I did there? Get it? Get it? Not, awesomesauce but amazingsauce. Yes, I know I'm weird. :P)

<And here I am happy-dancing and smiling like an idiot about my first writing post>

Anyways, on to the actual post, in which I will make a list because I like lists.

Critique Partners are Amazingsauce Because:

• They catch things you don't see. Let's be honest with ourselves here. We might be able to catch a ton of mistakes in our stories/novellas/novels/etc, but there are still going to be tons more that we can't really see. Or maybe...
• They make you fix that one mistake you kinda noticed but avoided. You know what I'm talking about. You're reading back through your first/second/whatever number draft, and you get that feeling that something's not right with the character's reaction in that one scene, but you just ignore it. No one will notice it anyway. Well, your critique partner did, and she's going to point it out to you, and you are going to be a good little writer and go back and fix it. Right?? 
• They're like your own little cheerleaders. An Amazingsauce CP will not only catch your mistakes and kindly point them out to you, but they'll also encourage you when you're in one of those moods where you just want to give up on the idea and start something new. Or *gasp* you just want to stop writing. Your CP simply won't let you just get away with something like that just because you're having a less-than-great day. 
• They probably are some of your biggest fans. A critique partner will not only point out the mistakes in your writing, but they'll also rave about the fantastic stuff! They'll find those little golden nuggets that are sure to be hiding in your project and help you show them the light of day. They'll be able to watch the book take form over "x" numbers of drafts, getting better and better with each one, until, finally, you've reached that point when you look at your manuscript and say, "This is the best I can make it."

So now that you've read that, you want to go out and get a critique partner, right? That is, if you don't already have one. I will tell you one thing: I have 3 Amazingsauce critique partners, and there is definitely a reason why there are all kinds of posts out there on the Interwebs about just why you should have a critique partner (or three!).

Why Are You So Joyful All the Time?

[Side comment before the actual post: I cannot get the scheduling feature to work on here and I don't know why! If anyone knows how, please do tell me.] << Never mind! I figured out what I've been doing wrong- I think. We'll see if this works for my next post. XD Now, for the actual post!

Zachary Levi, an actor, said,

My job on my set, I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, "What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents?" And I can turn to them and say without blinking, "Jesus Christ."

Yes, that was a long quote, but I absolutely love what he says there. I saw a picture on Pinterest with that quote written on it, and it's made me think. I want to be one of those people that's always got a smile on their face and does their best to always brighten everyone's day. Why? Because I want people to look at me and ask, "Why are you so joyful all the time?" Then I can turn to them and say, "Jesus Christ."

Think about it. What if every one of us did our best to always act like that? What if we smiled at that kid walking past us in the hall? What if we were always one of the first to go up and say hi to the new kid in school? What if we went up to people who looked like they were having a bad day and asked them what's wrong? What if we got up the courage to ask that kid sitting by himself to come sit with us? What if we even just did something as simple as do that chore our parents have been asking us to do without complaining? Imagine what the difference could be in not only our lives, but also in the lives of the people around us.

I think one of the keys to having this attitude every day is to wake up with a positive attitude. Every morning, I roll out of bed and ask God to help me honor Him today. Secondly, I've been spending more time in God's Word lately.

We all need to pray more. Read the Bible more. Meditate on it. Not only that, but learn to act on it. That's when the real differences will be made.

That way, when someone asks you why you're so joyful all the time, you can turn to them and say, "Jesus Christ."

Crewel by Gennifer Albin Book Review

Oh, boy. This is a hard book for me to review. It's just hard for me to put my thoughts into words, but here goes.

Back Cover Copy:

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

Rating: 4 stars (liked it, would recommend it)

What I Liked:

Okay, the premise for this is sooo insanely awesome it's not even funny. I mean, how creative does Gennifer Albin have to be to come up with something like that? It makes me, as a writer, a little jealous. XD I liked Jost's character. I don't even know what to think of Erik. Gennifer Albin definitely succeeded in making me completely and totally dislike Cormac. 

What I Didn't Like:

*sigh* Here comes the hard part. I can't really think of anything to put my finger on. I like this book. I don't love it. I think that's maybe just me. There's nothing really inherent that I can point out that led to this. Yeah, sure, I pretty much guessed one of the big plot twists early on, but that didn't necessarily bother me. It actually made me happy that I finally guessed something right because I'm usually wrong. Yeah, sure, I didn't really like Adelice's relationship with one of the love interests (yes, there's a love triangle). Well, I guess that's something that counts as a hard and fast reason for my 4 star rating. Also, yes, I don't want Adelice to end up with either of the guys, but that's not because there's anything wrong with her or with the story. That's simply because I'd rather each of them be with someone else. *sigh* This is a good book, but a hard one for me to review. Let's just leave it at that. XD

Summary:

Crewel by Gennifer Albin is a good book for anyone looking for a creative fantasy/dystopian read. 

Top Ten Songs- Country Music

Okay, I'm sorry this is so late. I scheduled it to post this morning, but it never posted. Well, I'm back with my second top tens post! This time I share my top ten country songs! Again, it's hard for me to narrow it down to just ten songs, so there are plenty more songs that I loooove that aren't on this list. :D

Top Ten Country Songs:

1. I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice
2. Austin by Blake Shelton
3. Invisible by Hunter Hayes
4. Everybody's Got Somebody But Me by Hunter Hayes
5. Flashlight by Hunter Hayes
6. 19 You + Me by Dan + Shay
7. Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood
8. I Need a Miracle by Third Day (I normally would have classified this as Christian music, but I just now thought of it, and Third Day is pretty country.)
9. Stupid Boy by Keith Urban
10. Til My Last Day by Justin Moore

And that's the list! Next week will be the remainder of my favorite songs- a mish-mosh of different genres. :D