Scarlet and The Diviners

Over Spring Break I went on a whirlwind of reading, if reading two books in a week can be considered a whirlwind. According to my inner voice, it isn't, but if you look at my reading history for the past few months, it certainly looks like it.

On to the good stuff. As you can tell from the title (which kinda sounds like an awesome band name), I read Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (second installment of The Lunar Chronicles) and The Diviners by Libba Bray. Both were absolutely fantastic and totally worth the time I spent not writing my thesis. (Don't tell my mentor.)

courtesy Goodreads.com

Scarlet picks up where Cinder left off, with Cinder in custody of the Eastern Commonwealth and about to be handed over to the Lunars and the evil Queen Levana. Dum, dum, dum. Scarlet follows two principle main characters (Linh Cinder and Scarlet Benoit), and as the title implies, the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood is given a much-needed update. I simply adore the way the two narratives are woven together and ultimately united.

Plus, Wolf gives me goosebumps. In a good way. *shivers* I LOVE this twist to the original. However, no spoilers. Pinky promise.

By the end of the novel, Cinder and Scarlet are poised to begin the next chapter in their altered lives, and I absolutely can't wait to see what Meyer has in store for us in the next two books, titled Cress and Winter respectively. Can't. Wait.

courtesy Goodreads.com

Moving on to The Diviners and switching gears from moon magic and fairytales to magic of a more sinister and mysterious nature. Evie O'Neill has a gift, but so far it has been a curse to her social life. That is until she goes too far at a party, and is "banished" to New York City to stay with her Uncle Will, proprietor of "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies," more professionally known as The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. Needless to say, Evie is thrilled and determined to make the most of her time in the Big Apple.

I am a huge fan of Bray's other series, the Gemma Doyle trilogy, which incorporated a historical time period with elements of the mystical and occult. Therefore I was fairly confident of liking this newest endeavor. I was not disappointed.

Much like Bray did with Gemma, she created a character in Evie who has flaws, but who also has redeeming qualities, making us really believe in the story and her development. The exposition is also phenomenal. I read descriptions of New York and the wind over and over, just because I enjoyed the way each sentence created an atmosphere. I could feel the essence of the book and it sucked me into its embrace, tantalizing my senses with images of dark alleyways behind speakeasies, women in flapper dresses, and  an overwhelming sensation of Something-is-going-to-happen-and-it-won't-be-good.

The mystery is suspenseful, but not taxingly so. The characters are vibrant and I secretly think they are real.

And there you have it folks. Hopefully I'll post more reviews soon or at least something written or otherwise. I'm feeling the ticking of the clock most potently lately, with my thesis deadline looming closer and graduation in May. It's maddening in a way. This is me imagining a world without my thesis.

I do too, Liz. I do too. 

Actually, just about any of the gifs on #seniorthesisproblems Tumblr are applicable to my state of mind. Y'all have no idea how much joy I got from reveling in these gifs today. So much bitter joy. *chucklesob*

I hope everything has just been dandy here in Blogland. Feel free to update me on what awesome things I've missed since I've been terribly absent. Nothing like feeling worse to make one feel better, as I always say.

Until next time...