waiting on wednesday: ten thousand skies above you

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted over at Breaking the Spine!

This week's pick: Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2) by Claudia Gray

goodreads

release date: November 3

synopsis: (spoilers!) Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents' invention, to cross into alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurting the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked and his consciousness scattered across multiple dimensions.

Marguerite has no choice but to search for each splinter of Paul’s soul. The hunt sends her racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each world brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with each trial she faces, she begins to question the destiny she thought they shared.

The second book in the Firebird trilogy, Ten Thousand Skies Above You features Claudia Gray’s lush, romantic language and smart, exciting action, and will have readers clamoring for the next book.
  
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Okay, I have been looking forward to this one for almost an entire year now. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, it was one of my favorites of last year, and it contains one of my favorite fictional boys (aka Paul), so I've been waiting with bated breath to see what this second installment would bring. I love the idea of the multiverse, and if that concept interests you at all and you haven't read the first book in this trilogy (I believe) (its called A Thousand Pieces of You), then you definitely should!

What's everyone waiting on this week?  

xx
Sunny

Cinderella book tag

It has been a while since I've done a tag on here, and since I am bored and without much homework on this lovely Sunday, I figured I would tag myself in one! In honor of the new Cinderella movie coming out on DVD this past week (which I adore), I thought I would do the Cinderella book tag, which I saw from Mel over at The Daily Prophecy! It was created by Tiffany at About to Read.

I love this tag, I think it is so adorable, so if you see this and you want to complete it, consider yourself tagged as well!

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1. Evil Stepsisters – A Book with Characters You Just Hate: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I found everyone in this book so boring and lifeless. I didn't hate them because of their actions, I just really did not connect with them, and I could not find anything attractive or fun to read about any of them.

2. Prince Charming– A Book with a Gentleman: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh. Khalid is a boy king, under an unbelievable amount of pressure, and it would've been very easy for him to be a total jerk. Instead, he is strong and unwavering with everyone else, but he is a total softie when it comes to Shazi. He believes in her, he supports her, he loves her with everything he has. I love it.

3. Cinderella – A Character that is Graceful, Kind and Defiant: Lara Jean Song Covey from the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Duology by Jenny Han! I think she is the kindest character I've read in a long time, but that by no means is indicative of weakness. She learns how to stand up for herself over the course of these books, to go after what she wants, and to love herself above all. There is something very Cinderella-esque about Lara Jean.

 
4. Fairy Godmother – A Character that Always Has Someone Looking Out for Them: Marguerite Caine from A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. Though she is hopping through dimensions and trying to solve a murder and a mystery, she always has someone looking out for her, whether it be Theo or Paul or her Mom or Dad or Sister, there is always someone there to help her.

5. Helpful Creatures – Something that Makes You Happy When You're Sad: I don't know if this means like in the bookish sense or just in general, but something that does genuinely make me really happy is being in bookstores. I just love the feeling of being surrounded by millions of words and thousands of stories. I love sitting there, preferably in a comfy chair, and just getting lost in a book. 

6. Ashes – A Book You Didn't Care For: Most recently, it was Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa. I was really looking forward to this novel, but it ended up being something that I wasn't expecting at all, and I didn't like the direction it went in at all. You might like it more than me, it just was not my speed at all!

7. Pumpkin – A Character With a Transformation: Who else can I choose but Celaena Sardothien? Over the course of five novellas and four huge novels, she has gone through the most amazing transformation that I have ever seen. I absolutely love the way that she comes into herself more and more throughout the series, and I can't wait to see what the last two books bring.

8. Impossible – A Book With an Ending You Didn't See Coming: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end of this book, but it ended up catching me completely by surprise! I loved it, I thought the surprise ending made it a better book altogether, but I definitely was not expecting it to take the turn that it did.

9. Happily Ever After –  A Book With A Perfect Ending: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. I cried actual happy tears when I finished this book, because I thought the ending was the most perfectly amazing thing that I had ever experienced. If you haven't read this book yet, please do, because it is honestly so perfect.          

I hope you all have fairy tale dreams! 

xx

Sunny  

bedtime book tag

Hey everyone!! I promised myself that I would do at least one tag post before the month of June was over, and so when I was talking to my friend Violet and she recommended The Bedtime Book tag, I just had to tag myself and give this one a shot! ITS ONLY JULY 2 SO THIS COUNTS. I've gotten this from here if anyone is interested in doing it themselves! I'm not going to tag anyone, except for to tag everyone, so if you want to do this, consider yourself tagged!

1. A Book that Kept You Up All Night Reading

I stayed up all night reading this one because I desperately wanted to get to the end without seeing any spoilers online, so I read it basically all in one sitting on the day that it came out! Many tears were shed, many goodbyes were said, it was all around an emotional night.

 
2. A Book that Made You Scared To Go To Sleep 

I do not do scary books. Or scary movies. Or haunted houses. Basically I tend to avoid being scared for fun. Not because I have a lot of fears, just because I don't find it enjoyable to be jumpy and on edge, and so I don't have a whole lot for this category. However, the world of the 5th Wave freaked me out a lot, so I would say this is the one that comes closest to giving me nightmares.

3. A Book that Made You Go to Sleep 

 I was *so* on board with the premise of this book, I thought it was going to be awesome and different and that I would love it! However, when I read it, two summers ago, it was incredibly disappointing, and I just remember being so bored and waiting for it to be over.

4. A Book That Left You Tossing and Turning All Night in Anticipation of its Release

 For those of you that have read The Mark of Athena, which is the third book in this, The Heroes of Olympus series, you will know that it was one of the most intense and emotional cliff hangers. Then we had an entire YEAR to wait in between that one and this, and so that meant that the night before this was released, I was too excited to sleep.

5. A Book that Has Your Dream Boyfriend 

PAUL *heart eyes emoji* I love him so so much. In my review on this book, I basically just gush for about 500 words about how much I love him. He is loyal and has a strong moral compass, and he is utterly devoted to Marguerite, but he doesn't pressure her at all when she doesn't know where she wants to be with him. He's just perfect and brave and wonderful and I'm obsessed with him. 

6. A Book that Would Be Your Worst Nightmare to Live In

Ok, half of the reason that I really liked this book is because the setting scared the crap out of me, to be honest. I've never read anything like it. This book takes place in an insanely scary world ruled by the Martial Empire, where even a toe out of line could get you disfigured or killed. I liked reading about it, but I would never ever want to live there.

7. A Book that Reminds You of Nighttime

I'm not exactly sure why, but I think of a clear night when I think of this book. Maybe because its kind of dark and twisty, because it takes place in Prague, because of Eretz, the world with two moons, but this is definitely one that reminds me of the night.

8. A Book that Had a Nightmarish Cliffhanger

 Even though I already had the next book in this series when I read this one, I still remember being curled up in a ball on the floor, rocking back and forth, sobbing at the end of this one. Remembering that actually really makes me want to re-read this series...

9. A Book that You Actually Dreamed About

 I'm sure a lot of us have had the Hogwarts dream. I know that I've been sporadically dreaming about Harry Potter since I first read it as a preteen. Who wouldn't want to be whisked away from their life and into a magical wizarding world?

10. A Book Monster that You Would Not Want to Find Under Your Bed 

I'm going to go with a Strigoi vampire from the Vampire Academy series. They are scary as hell, and you have to be like a super badass to beat them. Definitely not something I'd ever want to meet up with.

This was fun!! I always love doing tags. What would your answers be? 

xx

Sunny

top ten tuesday: movies and tv show adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish where each week we discuss on a different theme. This week's theme is: "June 2: Top Ten Books I'd Love To See As Movies/Tv Shows," which is something that I think we all like to think about. We all want our favorite books to turn into movies or tv shows, so that there is more for us to love, but we also want them done right. (and they so rarely are) Here are my top ten picks for books I'd love to see on the big or small screen.

1. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han – I think this would be the most beautiful movie, both visually and for the story. Jenny Han has done a wonderful job with setting up a specific look for all of her characters and the things they do, so I think it wouldn't be difficult to turn this into a film. Plus, it would be a great rom com for all ages. 

 

2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – Again, I think this would make an amazing movie. With Paris as the setting and a cast of lovable characters, there is literally no reason that this shouldn't be a huge hit. Plus, with a slow burn romance culminating in a very romantic ending, it is just the sort of thing that would work in a Hollywood movie. 

3. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray – I like that this movie could play up the sci/fi part of the book or the romance part of it and it would still be a great movie either way. The fact that it does have that sci/fi element would reach a wider audience and intrigue a lot of people. Plus, there are some beautiful settings in here just waiting to be visualized. 

 4. Vicious by V.E. Schwab – we are in a golden era of superhero themed everything. From the success of marvel on the big screen and dc's characters all over the small one in series like arrow, the flash and the upcoming supergirl, I think it would be just the interesting twist to throw Vicious into the mix. A story about heroes and anti-heroes that all look a whole lot like villains would be so amazing, something different in this already amazing market. 

 5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – I think this would make an incredible Game of Thrones style TV series. Since there are going to be six books and each of these books is of sizable length, there is tons of material that just couldn't be done justice in movies. It would be so fun to release a mini-series of the prequel novellas first, an episode for each one, and then plunge into the first book with a first season. I think this is a story that more people need to know about! 

6. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour – I'm all about the visual aesthetics in a movie. If the setting and the staging is beautiful I am more inclined to like the film. Which is why I think that Amy and Roger's, with the whole of rural America rolling by their car, would be a visually pleasing story. The adventures that they go on would play out so well on a big screen. 

7. Mosquitoland by David Arnold – This is the one on this list that I think would fit the bill for quirky indie film that hits it big. Because the story itself is not something that would typically be #1 at the box office, but it is so much of the human experience at its very core that I think it couldn't help but touch people in a way they wouldn't expect. 

8. Cinder by Marissa Meyer – Another longer series that would make a great TV show! There are four books and a prequel, which I think is more than enough to get a great start for a series. It might be a little like American Horror Story in that each season has a different setting and different characters introduced, but with the seasons connecting a lot more than AHS. It would be sci/fi romance mystery amazingness.

9. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – I picture this as a grungy sci/fi sleeper that, for the most part, doesn't have a whole lot of color, unless it is portraying the OASIS. I think this would be an immensely fun movie to watch, and that it lends itself easily to a film adaptation. 

 10. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins – I think that this could be marketed SO well if they played up the cutesy southern belle angle even while Harper is kicking ass and taking names. It would be something so unexpected, which I would love to see. 

What are some of your picks?

xx
Sunny

top ten tuesday: romances

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish, where each week we highlight a different category of the bookish lifestyle. This week is a free week, and we can pick anything that we want to post about. I personally have been in a particularly swoony mood all week, so I chose to talk about my top ten favorite book romances. (keep in mind though that these are not necessarily my favorite book couples, I just enjoy their stories the most.) These are examples of events that made my put down the book and squeal from the adorableness, cry happy tears, or be sad because these are things that do not happen to normal people. Let's all appreciate the love here people.

1.Will and Tessa from The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare. Clockwork Princess especially is just a riot of swoon-worthy moments, but really all three books are just golden for these two. To see Will grow from a distant and snarky boy to someone deeply in love is one of the most powerful changes in any book that I've read.  I'm also just partial to the fact that, no matter what, Will and Tessa need each other and, even when all seems hopeless, they can't help but have hope for each other. The epilogue of Clockwork Princess completely ruined me, it was so beautiful and indicative of the depth of love between the two.

2. Anna and Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. One of my favorite tropes in books is a friendship that grows into something more, and the way that Anna and Etienne do this is magical. They are two people who just seem to get one another, from the very beginning, and even though they're both unavailable for romance at the beginning, their relationship deepens to something more meaningful than either of them realize. Another favorite trope of mine is the idea of home being a person, and for Anna and Etienne, this is adorably wrought.

3. Macallan and Levi from Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg. This is the classic When Harry Met Sally syndrome of two friends who can't quite get the timing right to grow into something more. This book stretches through years, and the constant thing throughout those years is Macallan and Levi's unbreakable friendship. Though they both date other people in the story, it is clear to the reader that the only way they will ever work is if they're together. The rest of the time you're just waiting for they themselves to figure that out.

4. Lara Jean and Peter from To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. Lara Jean starts off the book by hiring Peter to be her fake boyfriend to prove that she is over someone in her past. However, as most fake-boyfriend situations do, Lara Jean and Peter grow from business partners to something more, something that is scary for the both of them to admit, even to themselves. They're a bit awkward, and that makes their story that much more adorable.

5. Tamlin and Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. This is a recent release, which means that this story has to be REALLY good to make it into this top ten. However, I have always loved the story of beauty and the beast, of looking past stereotypes and first impressions to the person that lies underneath them, and Maas does this in an incredibly fresh, engaging and sexy way. Tamlin is a perfect match for Feyre (though we all love to hate Rhys) and though it takes them awhile to get there, their romance is sweeping and grand.

6. Emma and Mr. Knightley from Emma by Jane Austen. I have always loved Emma's romance, almost more than other Austen heroines'. The idea that Emma didn't have to marry, that she never planned to need anyone other than herself, but somehow found herself drawn to her older brother figure with a passion that surprises even her? Beautiful, in my opinion. Emma may be silly and a little bit vain, but Mr. Knightley knows this and everything else about her, and loves her anyway. There is a level of transparency between these two that only comes from years of friendship, and it is beautiful.

7. Paul and Marguerite from A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. Two people jumping through the multiverse makes for a complicated love story, especially when one of them is suspected of murdering the other's father, but that is what makes Paul and Marguerite so different and also amazing. Even though this story takes place in four different parallel universes, somehow Paul and Marguerite end up near each other in every single one. Their closeness is not only on a physical level, but also seemingly soul-deep. I love the idea that, even in different worlds, if two people are meant to be together, they will be.

8. Amy and Roger from Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Amy and Roger have the slow burn type of romance that takes a while to get off the ground, but that makes the moment that it does so much better. They both have walls and secrets and things that they'd rather hide, but something about being in the car, driving cross-country alone tends to bring out the secrets in these two, and it is wonderful to watch them begin to trust and care for each other as the state lines pass under their wheels.

9. Isadora and Ry from The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White. Isadora and Orion (or Ry) are the definition of star-crossed lovers. Mixed up in ancient mythology, epic poetry and culture, these two start off as uneasy friends. It is clear from the beginning that Ry has feelings for Isadora, but for her it takes longer to let him in, past her hard exterior that is a product of her unusual childhood. The twist at the ending for these two is something that I want to read again and again.

10. Harper and David from Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins. The idea of two people, sworn enemies, snarking and sassing each other until somehow, their feelings of hatred grow into something else is something that I will never tire of. For Harper, David is the last person that she would ever want to fall for, but when it actually starts happening (while in the background she fights a supernatural force, of course), it isn't so terrible? I adore this pair.

what are some of your favorite romances?

xx
Sunny

paper stars picks #1

Hi everyone! So, as most of you probably know from reading some of my other posts, I have a friend over at Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink. We've been wanting to do some more posts together lately, so we came up with the idea to do joint posts sort of whenever we feel like it.

The series that we've just started is entitled Paper Stars Picks, which is when we pick six categories and each answer three on our respective blogs. You can check out the first half of this first installment over on her blog, here. So! Here is my half of the first installment of Paper Stars Picks.

Which protagonist would you be? 

Violet: Kestrel from The Winner's Curse. Kestrel is super smart and resourceful, and also I'd get to wear an awesome gown like the one she wears on the cover! or (sorry I'm picking two but I can't choose!) Cress from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. To be honest, any of the girls from the Lunar Chronicles are awesome protagonists, but I really enjoyed reading about Cress's character and hanging out with everyone in that group would be a lot of fun!

Sunny: Tessa Gray from The Infernal Devices trilogy. She loves books and is clever and kind, three things that I think are super important in a personality. Also, it doesn't hurt that she has both Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs to choose from... I seriously love Tessa though, above and beyond her choice in men. 

Significant Other you'd like to date? 

Violet: Morpheus from the Splintered series by A. G. Howard. Yes, he is still my favorite book boyfriend. I don't think this has changed since I've been blogging. Love Morpheus :) 

Sunny: Paul Markov from A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. He is a brilliant scientist and a little socially awkward, which just makes him so much cuter. He also throws his entire self into anything that he sees worth doing, which I find so endearing. 

Which YA trope would you like to live out? 

Violet: ordinary girl meets extraordinary world. I would love to explore a new fantasy world and discover an incredible adventure, while still having my normal life. Think Meghan Chase from the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, or Alyssa from Splintered by A. G. Howard, or Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson series. 

Sunny: the "omg I'm what?" trope where the main character is unaware of his or her involvement in the magical, supernatural or royalty. See: Clary Fray from the Mortal Instruments, Elara from The Princess in the Opal Mask, and Alex from the Covenant series. This is a little similar to Violet's pick, but it doesn't necessarily open a new world to the character in question, just changes their involvement in their own one. 

So thank you to Violet for guest starring over here on Stardust Words! Let us know what your picks would be in the comments :) 

xx

Sunny

look at her go: reviewin' reviewin': a thousand pieces of you

Name: A Thousand Pieces of You 
Author: Claudia Gray
☆☆☆☆☆ (and more if i could)
find it on goodreads
barnes & noble 
amazon

Synopsis: Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

 Full, non-spoilery (except a few clearly marked exceptions) review under the cut!