Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

Title: Tiny Pretty Things

Author: Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

Pages: 448 pages
Published: May 26th, 2015

Genre: Mix of contemporary and suspense

Source: Hardcover from Barnes & Noble

Rating:

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance- but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year of her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Read it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

BLACK SWAN MEETS PRETTY LITTLE LIARS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO GET YOU TO READ THIS BOOK!!!

But...

If you haven't been properly convinced yet, let me explain why right now and I'll bet you that I'll have you practically begging on your knees to have this book stat!

This book follows three of the best students at an elite Manhattan ballet school. In the world of this school, it's all about being on top and there is really no such thing as second place if you want to be seen by the professional ballerinas from the school's company. The three point of views in this novel made the story more riveting and expressed the differences in their personalities. Gigi is a kind, sweet doll that just wants to show off her true talent. Bette is a devious, conniving little bitch that will do whatever she has to in order to get to the top even if it means destroying something completely. June, the perfectionist that is always second at everything and she's tired of it.

This book completely blew me away! You would expect ballet to be about elegant and gorgeous swans that are always listening to directions and their footsteps are as light as a feather, but in this story the authors decided to play a little twist on the story. Inside an elite ballet school, you've got to do a lot to stay on top of Mr.K's (the school instructor) list of prima ballerinas. I thought this plot was set aside from other books and unique in a whole 'nother aspect. EVIL BALLERINAS?? Yes please!

When you begin reading the book, you are immediately pulled into the world and it's kind of like you're a ballerina in the school that is experiencing and being a witness of everything that happens. If you didn't understand that, it's kind of hard to explain, but basically the story starts off with the girls plotting their way to the top and destroying everything in their way.

The character development is SCARY GOOD! It shows the progression of these soft and gentle ballerinas turning into ruthless black swans that are obsessed with the idea of igniting a flame in order to get to the top of the class. Really, competition turns people into something else. The revenge plots were fun and enjoyable to read about-- ranging to different lengths such as having sex with someone you don't want to, seducing a teacher, violent means, and even some plots leading to the death of a student. These girls are unwavering in their means and it's a pretty sweet book that's evil and dark. I like books with a twist, and this certainly had it.

Another thing I want to point out about this book is the cover. The cover shows ribbons being sliced into different pieces, which I think is brilliant and wonderful that the cover designers thought to do that. There are also little shards of glass on the cover that play a huge and significant role in the book, which if you read the book, you'll totally understand.

If backstabbing, betrayal, romance, and a dark read are all things you look for in a good contemporary suspense novel, I highly suggest reading Tiny Pretty Things. This story holds much more a mysterious vibe than any regular contemporary novel and the dark ambiance of the story will show you the devious sides of ballerinas at their finest moments.

Read Proud Listen Proud: Sharing LGBTQ Stories

In celebration of Pride month, Listening Library and Penguin Young Readers have teamed up to launch a new source for all LGBTQ teens, parents, teachers, and librarians! Read Proud Listen Proud is a site where everyone can find books and audiobooks surrounding LGBTQ issues and characters who are positive role models, along with author interviews and discussion guides.

I'm so startled by this entirely new site and want to help launch the celebration of LGBTQ in books and audiobooks everywhere! LGBTQ conversations and discussions should be encouraged and literature is the best way to do just that, since there are so many people that read and so many books that have already begun to spark conversations between readers globally. In honor of this fantastic milestone, I've decided to share some of the books that have revolved around LGBTQ issues and spread the love.

1. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

This novel follows a young girl named Astrid who struggles to break free of society's definitions and doesn't know what it means when she realizes she's falling in love with a girl. As the relationship begins to grow more intense, Astrid has nowhere left to turn and no one she can trust with this huge secret of hers. I haven't read this one but it sounds so true and philosophical. I also love how well it's honoring the LGBTQ issue!

2. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

A dazzling book about two twins, Jude and Noah, that are super close in the beginning but as they grow older, a terrible event seems to throw them apart and their lives change completely. The story is told from two different timelines- an earlier timeline told by Noah and a much later timeline of when they're older told by Jude. The LGBTQ issue in this book is not as prominent but it's written beautifully by Jandy Nelson who describes Noah's love with a boy. I was so glad to read this one and it has definitely made my list of top books of 2015!

3. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

I've been literally dying to read this due to the constant hype and talk about how light-hearted and hilarious this book really is. The book follows Simon, a boy who is not so open about his sexuality when it comes to being gay. From reviews, the main character is quirky and everything you would find in a fantastic male lead!

4. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

I have this book on my kindle but I've yet to read it!! When I found out this book had an LGBTQ issue, it seemed 100x more appealing. Emi is set designer trying to find her way in the competitve Hollywood world. When she finds a letter from a famous movie legend, she is sent on this amazing journey to find the girl being talked about, Ava. From reviews, the LGBTQ aspect has only added a unique and fun spin on the story.

5. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

This book is enthralling in all its glory and its finally out! The book follows a boy that is considering a major memory-alteration procedure to forget that he's even gay because being straight would just be so much easier for him. This book discovers race, class and sexuality wrapped up in one heart-racing novel!

6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

I've heard too much about this book not to talk about it on this post! The book follows two boys who meet and seem to have nothing in common but as they spend more time with each other, they unlock a friendship that changes their lives. This book plays out the LGBTQ issue so beautiful and I've been hearing great things from trustworthy bloggers and vloggers.

7. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

This truly inspirational book by David Levithan follows a story based on true events about Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a Guinness World Record. Their relationship becomes the focal point in inspiring other teenage boys dealing with long-term relationships, coming out, and finding their place in the world of love and romance.

These are just a few of the LGBTQ books I've seen/hear about! I haven't ready many but I do tend to change that as this new site has opened my eyes to the world of discovering sexuality! What are some of your favorite LGBTQ books?

Calling All Sarah Dessen Lovers

I'm joining Penguin Teen in a 12 week social media campaign to celebrate all things Sarah Dessen! Now I haven't read all the Sarah Dessen novels, but I've read enough to fall in love with her writing. I'm glad to have been asked to be apart of this event! If you haven't read anything by Sarah Dessen and you're a huge contemporary love, I highly suggest reading some of her novels.

I've been given a Sarah Dessen book to review and post about on the 21st of July, so watch out for that review and look forward to a bunch of giveaways and tweets full of new videos and surprises. Sarah Dessen is YA contemporary author who writes light-hearted novels about love and friendship and some of the recurring problems and bumps in relationships. Her characters are also so realistic and vulnerable, or should I say easily swayed by the conflict of the story because they change so much and show a good amount of development by the end of the story. #SarahDessen #HeartDessen The book I'm reviewing is...

Title: Someone Like You

Author: Sarah Dessen

Pages: 281 pages

Published: May 11th, 2004

Genre: YA Contemporary

Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she's carrying his baby, she was devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Their friendship may bend under the weight, but it'll never break-- because a true friendship is a promise you keep forever.

Buy it now!
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Remeber to be on the lookout, July 21st, for my review of Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen!

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Title: Daughter of Deep Silence

Author: Carrie Ryan

Pages: 375 pages

Published: May 26th, 2015

Genre: Revenge thriller, Mystery

Source: Hardback from Barnes & Noble

Rating:

I'm the daughter of murdered parents.

I'm the friend of a dead girl.

I'm the lover of my enemy.

And I will have my revenge.

In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story- and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she'll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.

Sharp and incisive, Daughter of Deep Silence by bestselling author Carrie Ryan is a decisevly smart revenge thriller that examines perceptions of identity, love, and the lengths to which one girl is willing to go when she thinks she has nothing to lose.

Buy it now!

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For fans of the TV show Revenge, you will eat this book up!

This story follows our main character Frances who witnesses a shooting attack on the Persephone, the luxury yacht, but survives only to have to deal with the death of her family and her best friend Libby. Two other survivors, the Senator and his son Grey, are the only ones who have survived with Frances. They tell the media that there was a huge wave that destroyed the ship and killed everyone, trying to hide the fact that there was a violent shoot out and everyone was shot to death. Frances is enraged and knows they're trying to hide something. Libby's father, upset with the death of his wife and daughter, wants to get revenge on the Senator as well and tells Frances to take the place of his daughter to keep her safe so she can get the revenge they both deserve. We get front seats to Frances' revenge plot and how she plans on taking down every last person who aided in the covering up of the attack of her family and friends.

"It's funny, most people think that revenge is a passionate affair, driven by rage and pain. But it can't be. Feelings such as those make you weak. They overwrite thought and cause reckless impulses that lead to poor decisions.

If anything, revenge is the absence of emotion."

God, I don't know how long its been since a great revenge thriller came out, do you? I absolutely adore when the narrator of the book takes us inside the plot and how he/she will attain their revenge. It's so brilliant! I definitely need to read more revenge novels now.

Frances, our main protagonist, was like a profession revenge plotter. She was so devious, I just loved it! All throughout the book she played the innocent girl Libby that needed help from her traumatic experience, while on the inside she was slowly stalking her prey, waiting to pounce. This innocent cover up was like the cherry on top of the ice cream because it definitely persuaded Grey that she was just that, innocent and that he should comfort her. WE GOT A BAD GIRL OVER HERE! #badgirl #livinglifeontheedge

Exactly, no one had any idea what she was capable of with her facade on.

The characters are not bland or boring. Carrie Ryan perfectly envisions her characters to have a certain role in the revenge plot so they're not there for no reason. Also when you guys do read this book, it's just satisfying to understand why each character was involved and how they were involved. You never know: for example the damsel in distress could may as well be the killer after all. *wink wink*

Remember that quote you always hear, "Love always triumphs in the end." I think that saying is perfectly embodied by this statement!

The TV show was cancelled, so if you're looking for some more satisfying revenge plots, READ THIS BOOK!

There were no sappy romances or swooning male leads, but there was a romance nonetheless! Our main character, caught up in revenge, is forced to choose between hurting the family of the person she loves or getting revenge for her family and best friend. There are also some juicy scenes, so don' be afraid to try this revenge thriller if you're normally always into contemporary. You're going to love it, I promise!

A Daughter of Deep Silence is a uniquely-written, never before seen revenge novel following a main character driven by rage and fury. Fans of the popular TV show Revenge will find this book satisfying and even more exciting since our main character is a devious little squealer!

A Huge Sorry: Mass Reviews!

The font and title of this post just says it all. I'M SORRY FOR IT ALL! I'M SORRY SO VERY SORRY! This post isn't a pity post but more like a post to apologize for some things I've been doing horribly as a blogger.

What exactly am I sorry for?

Even though The Book's Buzz is a book blog, I never wanted my site to be filled with reviews over and over again! I feel like lately I've been doing that because it's my summer vacation and I've been reading books that I want to share with you so much! So I'm sorry for posting reviews so often and not many discussion or fun game posts.

I just want to issue this post to tell you that yes, there are going to be more reviews. Not that I want to bombard you guys with book reviews all day but I've gotten many ARC copies for books that I'm very lucky to have gotten and I feel like I owe it to the publishers to give them a review. There are going to be more reviews on some interesting books so I just hope you guys like them and aren't too mad at me for no providing some legit content.

I will promise you guys right now that the reviews coming soon are actually very interesting and you should totally check them out when they're published. I put a lot of hard work and love into my reviews and I don't just post them for the sake of having something on my site.

BEWARE: MORE AWESOME AND INTRIGUING BOOK REVIEWS TO COME!

If you haven't watched my latest video, check out my June book haul!

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Shadow and Bone

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Pages: 368 pages

Published: June 5th, 2012

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Rating:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life- a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha... and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

Buy it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Many blogger friends and booktubers have fallen in love with this series and it was only a matter of time before I would pick it up and read it. On a bargain sale I was able to snatch up the first book and quickly get started on it, with my summer vacation approaching. My bar of expectations was super high for this book, all things considered, and I was basically expecting this book to be the fast-paced fantasy read that everyone was talking about, in the level of Throne of Glass. But let's jump into the review before I give too much away.

The book follows Alina, an orphaned teenage girl who's only grown up beside her best friend Mal. The two of them are inseparable and Alina knows she has more than just friendly feelings for him. It's obvious because she gets jealous every time a gorgeous Grisha dwells on Mal's face for too long. It's not until their group is attacked by hungry volcra does Alina discover her true and untapped power inside of her-- she is a Sun Summoner, one that could bring light to dark days and destroy the Shadow Fold forever. But with this great power, she's got a lot of people out for her head or to control her. You never know who you could trust with that kind of power even if you think you know.

Overall, this plot reminded me of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and some version of Rebel Belle remix by Rachel Hawkins. It just wasn't so unoriginal and awkward at times, but it was still a great story. I think the way Leigh Bardugo started the book was an interesting take and decided to infused some tones and elements of true friendship and romance before things got too serious.

You'll like this book if you're a fast-paced reader that wants your plot to get straight to the point right away. I can recall that being one of my favorite parts-- that there was always action at every corner. But in all honesty, this book just didn't live up to all its hype and didn't impress me much (and it doesn't take much to impress me, at all).

I have mixed thoughts on Alina. It was either I loved her or I really didn't at some parts of the book. She was a bit of a whiner, but then again I could definitely see her brave and tenacious characteristics sticking out on the sides. I didn't think of Alina as a strong character, but more of a weak one with not much of a development, but since this is a three book series, there is no doubt in my mind that the author will try to change Alina's mannerisms.

I felt that in this certain book, the protagonist was the most interesting character. The Darkling was our protagonist and I felt like he was so wonderfully crafted. Devious, controlling, manipulative-- these are all the traits I look for in an enthralling character. And he did stir up some heavy emotions. I really really enjoyed his place in the book.

No slut-shaming here but if my crush that I'd grew alongside by was at home while I was living in a palace, I wouldn't kiss the hottest guy there like. Like c'mon Alina, seriously? Did you really just kiss him? The romance in here was weak, to say the least, but I do like myself a juicy love triangle between two conflicting characters.

Alina went back and forth between Mal and the Darkling, and I kind of hated that! Romance does not get serious in this book but it is something that stirs up the conflict. My words and thoughts for this book are just really sparse and I find that I can't have a full length discussion about it. Oh wells, I really hope I like the rest of the series!

Going into this series with high expectations was probably not the best way to proceed, and I ended up being disappointed since it wasn't as fantastic as most readers have claimed. I will be continuing with the series as I've already purchased the second book (good going, Alex!!) and to see if this series gets any better. Thanks for sticking around for this review!

The Cellar by Natasha Preston

Title: The Cellar

Author: Natasha Preston

Pages: 356 pages

Published: March 1st, 2014

Genre: Mysterious, Thriller

Source: Paperback from Barnes & Noble
Rating:

When sixteen-year-old Summer Robinson goes missing one night, her family, friends and boyfriend are devastated. Nothing ever happens in Long Thorpe, so the disappearance of a school girl shocks the whole community. The police waste no time in launching a search and investigation, but with nothing to go on and no trace of Summer, hopes of finding her quickly fade.

Colin Brown, is a thirty-year-old solicitor living alone after the death of his mother. He suffered a traumatic and abusive childhood, and is left with no sense of right and wrong. Desperate for the perfect family, Colin, referring to himself as Clover, turns to drastic measures to get what he wants.

Get it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This summer I've been venturing down a long path of contemporary and mystery/thrillers. I love the suspense and excitement that these types of books take me on. I'm that type of girl that stays up late marathoning the last season of any criminal detective show. Also this book follows a realistic topic in society that is never really portrayed in books-- kidnapping and rape. I hope after the end of this review, I've convinced you all to read this twisted and mind-blowing book

I liked how in one moment Summer was living a normal life and the next, she was being thrown into the back of a van and down a hidden cellar. The author makes it to be so easy to kidnap someone and get away with it-- not only one but many many times. Colin Brown, in search for the perfect family, kidnaps girls that have run away or are homeless. But Summer has a family, friends, and a boyfriend that is worried sick about her at home. And Summer finds out that she's not alone in the tiny, dark cellar. Later renamed Lily, Summer finds out that there are three other girls who have been stripped of their names and have been down here for a while.

This book is told from three point of views-- the captor, the captive, and the people looking for Summer (i.e. her boyfriend Lewis and her dear family). The changes in POV is not terribly confusing as it is stated on the top of every new page of every new chapter. These POV changes kept the story fresh and more interesting, as we got to see inside the twisted mind of these girl's captor. We also saw from Summer's POV, which was the best because she was our inside view into what Colin was actually doing with these girls.

I was thinking that this book was kind of like a HOW TO ESCAPE A KIDNAPPING SITUATION kind of thing since we were bombarded with all these POV and ideas from the characters. We learned from Summer that you can never give up on hope that people are out there looking for you and one day your captor will slip up and you can escape. I definitely learned that you shouldn't be walking on the streets alone at night.

This book discovers just so many aspects of this real life situation and it's terribly scary to be in the eyes of the captive, while the captor and kidnapper is doing whatever he pleases to you.

The characterization that the author sets up is impressive and I found myself gawking at some of the most foul and dirty scum of this story. Colin is seriously twisted and we can see from his actions that he has no sense, whatsoever, of what is wrong and what is right. He kills postitutes, kidnaps girls to preserve their innocence and smacks these girls when a flower dies. From the beginning, the author has made it clear that he is obsessed with innocence and cleanliness by making the girls take a shower 2 times a day and they should be fully dressed with makeup and everything by the time he comes down. What I thought was most disturbing was how he took a girl individually into this separate room and he basically did whatever he wanted with you in there, WHICH WAS TOTALLY GROSS! AND WRONG because no one should be having their hands on your body without permission, it's called rape. Preston does a fantastic job at making Colin seem terrifying and gave me chills throughout the book when the girls got scared.

Summer, the main girl that was kidnapped, was a kind of all-talk-but-never-do kind of girl. She constantly called Colin a psychotic freak but she never really did anything about it. When two girls attempted to escape by means of hurting Colin, she just watched them and didn't do anything. I guess you could say she was as bad as Rose and Poppy, the two girls who have been there the longest and has no sense of escaping whatsoever.

There is a sick romance in this book. Well I thought it was sick. You see, Colin thought that the girls he kidnapped belonged to him and were his to control or do whatever he wanted. He loved them as a family and took care of them, yes, but in a sick and demented way. In the end, he was even willing to kill all the girls and himself so they could be together, which by the way the girls were not okay with.The romance was supposed to be symbolic for something else as it was kind of abusive and dirty.

The Cellar is a very dark, yet realistic novel about what happens when you're kidnapped and when your kidnapping is not all sane. The story follows many POV's and is not confusing in any way. Preston's ability to characterize her characters and make them seem 10x scarier is phenomenal and she can run chills down your spine with just words. Don't read this book at night, ladies and gentlemen, but it's definitely a book that needs to be on your TBR this summer! Be prepared to be terrified and put on the edge of a cliff!

Jurassic World Movie Review

When I was younger, I was always the little girl that screamed when Dragon Tales was on TV and when she was taken to the Dinosaur ride at Disney World. I was basically watching this movie to prove a point about how I'd grown up from that silliness and was ready to take on the prehistoric world of dinos. After watching it, I'm left with no words because the movie was fricking fantastic. You don't have to be a dinosaur lover (I wasn't, heck no), but this movie is for everyone (even 12-year-old boys, like my brother).

Plot/Story

Jurassic World takes place in a modern world where a group of rich philanthropists and scientists have decided to rebuild the theme park Jurassic Park (which crashed and burned) into Jurassic World. They apparently didn't learn from the old Jurassic Park and are repeating the idea in the sense of making it bigger and better. But bigger and better doesn't only pertain to the park, but as well as the attractions- the dinosaurs. A scientist creates a smarter, bigger, and scarier dinosaur called the Indominus Rex in hopes of creating a new attraction for the people. Unfortunately, genetic mutation and "playing god" is not as easy as it seems. Not only have they just created a new dinosaur-- they've also created a monster when the dinosaur is let loose on the park.

Jurassic Park was kind of the same thing but less dramatic and genetic mutations and building weren't involved, so I liked how this story took a new path. Also if you watched the movie, they mentioned Jurassic Park several times so it's nice that they didn't forget about the old theme park. Basically the story followed a simple moral-- history repeats itself; it's inevitable!

This movie was a great surprise because this is the first time any Jurassic movie has included genetics and altering genes of animals. I remember the Jurassic Park movies were only about the classic dinosaurs, which is fine, but then again the genetics added an entirely new conflict and villain. It also made these characters hungry for power and thought of it as a scientific establishment that new dinosaurs were being created.

Characters

I can say right now that 40% of my reason for watching this movie was because the main protagonist was being played by freaking Chris Pratt, an amazing actor that has played many roles in action/thriller films.

Claire, the park manager(?) or in some kind of high position, was played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Her character was just so amazing, like woman goals right there! She was a brave character that played a major role in the story and the love interest to Chris Pratt. Yes, there is some romance!

Action/Fighting/Thrill

This movie was supposed to be filled action and suspense, and I felt that I definitely got that hint! The action scenes between the humans and the dinosaurs and the dinosaurs vs dinosaurs was more action and fighting than I can get in 100 action films, combined. I loved every second of the suspense that left me clutching the ends of my seat, worrying that more and more people would be killed or how they would finally put down the Indominus Rex.

Romance

It was obvious that this movie wasn't about romance. From the premise and the trailer, there weren't many hints from the director that there would even be a slice of romance. I loved that it wasn't prevalent and although there was one, it didn't take up so much room in the story which left more for some blood and hunting!!

What did I think of this movie...

If there's a theater near you, run there and watch this movie! It'll be worth it, I swear. And even if you're not even into dinosaurs, this movie portrays them in the sweetest/scariest ways. Trust me!!!

Here's an awesome gif!

Stacking the Shelves #15

I can't recall the last time I was able to upload a Stacking the Shelves post. I was able to contain myself this week and buy less than 10 books, which usually is a hard thing for me to come by. If you're looking for more book hauls, check out my Youtube channel where I have massive bulk hauls.

Books I Bought