OMG our names aren't really RQK & FTM | Faith & Raquel

This Is Us

You might have noticed that RQK and FTM aren't our actual names. The both of us have been blogging for a little over a year, and we have come to a decision to use our own names. However we also have a have a new person named Amy joining as a guest author!

P.S. If you didn't know we are Canadian and proud of it. #mounties

Forsworn: Emily Wibberely | Review | Blog Tour | FTM

Clio can see the future, but what she doesn’t know about her past could destroy her. 

It’s been a year since Clio made her sacrifice to the Deities and embraced her destiny as the Oracle to save her people.

The only family she has left is a brother who wants her dead.

The prince, her oldest friend, is a king with his own agenda.

And the man who once loved her, now hates her.

All she can do is try to forget about Riece, the enemy commander whose heart she broke to save his life, as she serves the Deities. Her days are filled with Visions and bloodshed in a never-ending war against the Untouched. To add to her problems, she must pose as King Derik’s mistress to conceal her forbidden powers from the Emperor’s spies.

When Riece unexpectedly returns to Sheehan with a new and beautiful ally, Clio knows she must put him out of her mind once and for all, but first, they are thrust together into battle against a mysterious Untouched warrior with otherworldly power. To reclaim her city, she must team up with the man she hurt, the man she still loves but can never be with, and finally confront the questions about her origin—questions with answers that Clio may not be prepared to face.

- Goodreads Synopsis

This Review Will Be SPOILER-FREE

Helia's Shadow Part 1: K.C. Neal | Review | FTM

Nineteen years ago, aliens arrived on a dying Earth with advanced technology and the promise of ensuring human survival in exchange for a place to settle. They were hailed as the saviors of humans and Earth.

Today, 16-year-old Helia wants two things in life: to step out of her over-protective mother’s shadow and become an engineer, and to stop hiding her romance with alien boy Kalo. But the world definitely isn’t ready for a human-alien romance. And worse, the human-alien partnership is crumbling. Humans are being arrested without explanation. Some of them are never seen again.

When the alien leader imprisons her mother on a false charge, Helia discovers the aliens never intended to help humans at all. Now, she must join forces with alien rebels and convince the young rebel leader that humans aren't expendable. If she succeeds, humans have a chance at survival and she has a chance at love. If she fails, the dwindling human race dies out in slavery.

-  Goodreads  Synopsis

This Review Will Be SPOILER-FREE

Favourite Author's | RQK

I really enjoy making lists so I thought I would make a short post about my ten favourite author's! This list is in no particular order, just ten of my favourites. I will be providing some of the authors link's if you wish to see/read more about them.

Patrick Ness

My favourite book from Patrick Ness is A Monster Calls. I also really enjoyed More Than This and The Knife of Never Letting Go. Though A Monster Calls isn't really a normal book, I just really like the message of the book and enjoyed the story. It was a very unique thing to read. I am not really sure why I like Patrick Ness's books so much I just think that all of his books are really well written and his stories are just phenomenal.

Website

Goodreads 


Khaled Hosseini

My favourite book from Khaled Hosseini is The Kite Runner. I also really enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed. Khaled's books are very different from the normal books that I read. His book the Kite Runner was the first fiction book that I genuinely enjoyed. His books are very tragic but very real. It gives you a sense of people's lives in other countries. It really makes you think how fortunate you really are. His stories highlight the problems that still are a part of our world today.

Website
Goodreads


Michael Grant

My favourite book from Michael Grant is Light. This is the last book from his Gone series. Michael's Gone series reminded me a lot of the tv show based off Stephan King's book Under the Dome. I really love that show and that's what kind of lead me to first pick up this series. I also enjoyed his BZRK series and am looking forward to reading his Messenger of Fear novel in the near future.

Website
Goodreads

Brandon Sanderson

My favourite book from Brandon Sanderson is Firefight from his reckoners series. The first book was also really good, but just something about this book made me really fall in love with this series. I haven't really read a book like this. It brings in the idea of Superheroes or like the idea of people with powers. However it takes a twist on the normal idea. When they use those powers that can define them as a Hero, it comes with the risk of turning into a Villain.

Website
Goodreads


Rick Yancey

My favourite book from Rick Yancey is The 5th Wave.  I also did enjoy the second book in that series The Infinite Sea. However I have a liking towards the first book of series which is why I would choose the first book over the second. The 5th Wave is being turned into a movie and I am so excited! I think that if it is done well this series would be amazing to see in theatres.

Website
Goodreads

A Court Of Thorns And Roses: Sarah J. Maas | Review | FTM

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

-  Goodreads Synopsis

This Review Will Be SPOILER-FREE

Top 10 Books | RQK

So this is about my 1 year wrap-up anniversary on this blog! I thought this would be a perfect time to list my top ten favourite books that I have read over this year. Some of the books I just read, some both FTM and I have read. I will be linking our wrap-ups for each of the books so you can see how we rated them.

10) The Blood of Olympus by: Rick Riordan

I read this book in October of 2014.
This is the last book in the series. I personally really enjoy Rick Riordan's stories, I have always had an interest in ancient cultures and his stories couldn't do a more perfect job at bringing in the mythology. His stories sometimes can be a bit cheesey, but I overall enjoy them a lot.

FTM
RQK




9) Half Wild by: Sally Green

I read this in April 2015.
This is the second book after Half Bad. This series is one of the first where I have had to actually wait for each book after the first to come out. A lot of time I pick up a series after the first two or more are out. Usually I am not really into Witch type stories, but I found that this book was very intriguing and held my interest.

FTM
RQK



8) Light by: Michael Grant

I read this in August 2014.
This is the last book of Michael's Gone series. I chose the last book because I really thought this series had a phenomenal ending, but I really could have chosen any of the books. In each book Michael was able to provide an interesting story that gives us some insight, but yet still keeps up the mystery.

RQK


7) Firefight by: Brandon Sanderson

I read this in April 2015.
This is the book after Steelheart. I was kind of conflicted about whether I should put the first or this one. I usually just have a sort of special place for first books. It's where you are first introduced to a character, it's where all the first impressions are made. At this point you can't really say I wish that didn't happen because you don't know anything about the story yet. However this book had a lot of unique things and a lot of action. We got to see the characters in a different way and I really enjoyed it.

RQK


6) Suicide Notes by: Michael Thomas Ford

I read this book in June 2015.

RQK  *FIX THIS**

 I also did a book analysis which can be viewed here







5) It's Kind of a Funny Story by: Ned Vizzini

I read this book in July 2014.
I had heard about the movie for this book and I always like to read the books first so I did. I found this book to be very unique. It was very well done. It is a somewhat mature book going along with the topic of suicide, but there generally is minimal gory details. I really liked this story and it was a good read.

RQK




4) Knife of never letting go by: Patrick Ness

I read this book in September 2014.
This is the first in the Chaos Walking series. Again I could have chosen any book from this series as they all were fantastic! The idea of this story is really quite odd, but I absolutely love it. I have never read such a story like this. It's like a general story about a unique society, a futuristic story even, but it has a twist. To me this twist is just so creative I can't even explain, but I highly recommend this series!!

I wrote a post on the first two books of this series which you can read here
RQK


3) A Monster Calls by: Patrick Ness

I read this in December 2014.
I was debating about whether to put this one or More Than This by Patrick Ness. I really love his books and thought both of these were terrific, but I decided to put this one over More Than This. The reason I chose to put this one instead is that this book has a sort of lesson to it. This book is kind of like a big children's book. It has pages with pictures and text and it teaches you a lesson. However there is more to this book, it isn't your typically fairy tale lesson story book. It has a lot more meaning and depth to it. It's an easy read and I would recommend that anybody willing should read this. You won't regret it.

RQK


2) And The Mountains Echoed by: Khaled Hosseini

I read this in July 2014.
I did start a review for this, but it got deleted so it never was posted. I plan to re-read it this summer and re-write my review. I love all Khaled Hosseini books. I just love the truth and tragedy in them all. The books are so realistic, but so sad. That's what to me makes them so good. It helps you realize that these stories yes are made up, but people have stories like these. These things have happened to real people. This isn't some dystopian world, this is our world. He didn't need to make up a world where people are killing each other, a world more violent. We already have one.

RQK



1) Last Night I Sang To The Monster by: Benjamin Alire Saenz

 I read this in November 2014.
I read this book on the recommendation from a friend who also had read Khaled's books. This book was very different from the books I had read before. Honestly I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. Something about this book just really touched me. I know that's such a cliche thing to say, but this book made me feel something and for me when a book can do something like that, you know it's a pretty amazing book.

RQK

Not Every Girl Interview With Jane McGarry! | FTM

Olivia Davenport’s plan is destined to fail. 

She is going through with it anyway, of course. After all, it is the chance of a lifetime. The unreasonable rules of others should not stand in her way. 

In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood. Dismayed by the constant discouragement of her ambitions, she makes an impetuous decision to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak on a mission. The consequences are not at all what she anticipated. 

When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace; however, an unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King. The ensuing adventure finds her grappling with mercenaries and outlaws, yet these pale in comparison to her newly awakened emotions. She finds not only her life at risk, but also her heart, when the aloof Prince Liam begins to affect her in ways she never thought possible. In the end, it is her courage and unique spirit which must guide her through the challenges she encounters both physical and emotional. 

I received a review copy of Not Every Girl and I loved it! This book is so awesome, it is filled with so much action, and it is so inspiring. I have mentioned this before, and I will say it again. This is one of the best debut novels that I have read, and it deserves so much more attention and it deserves to be in physical form! I recommend that you go and purchase it, because I know I will be when I can!

Shortly after I read this book, I contacted Jane and asked to do an interview for the blog, and if you could't tell by now, she said yes. So here are the questions! 

Not Every Girl: Jane McGarry | Review | FTM

Olivia Davenport’s plan is destined to fail. 

She is going through with it anyway, of course. After all, it is the chance of a lifetime. The unreasonable rules of others should not stand in her way. 

In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood. Dismayed by the constant discouragement of her ambitions, she makes an impetuous decision to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak on a mission. The consequences are not at all what she anticipated. 

When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace; however, an unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King. The ensuing adventure finds her grappling with mercenaries and outlaws, yet these pale in comparison to her newly awakened emotions. She finds not only her life at risk, but also her heart, when the aloof Prince Liam begins to affect her in ways she never thought possible. In the end, it is her courage and unique spirit which must guide her through the challenges she encounters both physical and emotional. 

- Goodreads Synopsis

This Review Will Be SPOILER-FREE

May/June Wrap-Up | RQK

So I have recently reflected on my old posts and realized that I tend to rate books very high. Even though I do enjoy the books a lot I think that I should start rating books more accurately otherwise it is hard to really compare them with one another. Therefore these ratings will most likely be later than my earlier posts, but just keep in mind that my rating system has changed.

The first book I read this month was Macbeth by: William Shakespeare. I had to read this book or play for my english class. We did also watch the movie, but after we finished reading of course. I personally am not really into Shakespeare's work. I do appreciate his writing, I understand the significance and beauty in his work, but I just don't enjoy them. If you are the type of person who likes play's and poetry with lots of tragedy and drama this definitely would be for you. The story line of the book is actually really good though, but I just don't enjoy the style it is written in. I would give this book 3.5/5 stars.

The next book I read was Captive by: Aimee Carter.  So I read the first book of this series last year I think. FTM and I saw the first book in our local bookstore all the time and we both were really interested in reading it. However I will say both of us were let down. The book was decent, but nothing like what we expected. The base storyline was good, but I think could have been better written. That goes for this book as well. This one was somewhat of an improvement. The story was less everywhere there was some interesting things that happened, but I still found that the writing was still not as good as it could be. I did enjoy parts of the book, but wouldn't want to pick it up again. I would give this book 2.5/5 stars.

The next book I read was the one for my independent novel study and that was Suicide Notes by: Michael Thomas Ford. This book was quite something. I chose this book because my teacher knew how much I read and she asked me to pick a book different from what I usually read. Suicide Notes lived up to and surpassed my expectations. I have read books kind of like this before, but this one was very unique. To me the book seemed to be written by a teen and I mean that as it seemed like the actually character wrote the book. I felt as if I was able to really get into the story as if I was actually there with him. The story isn't super extensive, it is not really depressing. There are some things of course, but the author manages to overall keep a light mood around most of the book. The way he uses the comedy mixed with the sadness, just makes the book that much more surprising and good in my opinion. I rate this book 4.5/ 5 stars.

I also did a basic analysis of the book which you can check out here.

In the start of June before my exams I took time off studying to read Maximum Ride Forever by: James Patterson. This is the last book in his Maximum Ride series. I started reading this  series last year I think. I personally grew up reading or hearing about James Patterson so I think I am bias towards his books. However I do think that he is just genuinely a great writer. I will admit that his teen stories tend to be somewhat cheesey, but I still enjoy them a lot. James Patterson has great writing and many different stories. I would say even if you don't enjoy this particular story, you shouldn't judge him based off just one of his countless pieces. He writes everything from childrens to teens to adults books so there are books of his for everybody to read! This book was filled with quite a bit of stuff and I definitely enjoyed it the most out of all of them. There was just a different aspect to this book as if you could feel everything coming to an end. I would rate this book 4/5 stars.

The most recent book I have read is Paper Towns  by: John Green. I decided to read this book because FTM wants to see the movie and I thought that I definitely should read the book first! So I borrowed the book from her and read it! I really enjoyed the storyline of the book. I think the whole idea was really fascinating and the ending was kind of shocking, but well done. I personally get bored with these kinds of books however and I start to skim or skip the middle parts which to me feel really flat. This of course is just how I feel about these books. I am use to reading books with more action or event sin them instead of a light novel such as this. John Green really is a good author, but I personally just am not a huge fan of these types of books though I still read some. I would give this book 3/5 stars.

Suicide Notes: Book Analysis | RQK

So I had to do a novel study on Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford. For many books people have posted various analysis that you can usually use to help you either remember certain things, or at least in my case with phrasing of things like their traits and or the theme. For this book however there is little out there on it so I thought I would post it so if somebody else in the future ends up doing it well this is there for them! Also if you are wanting to read this book you can have somebody else read this (So the book isn't spoiled for you) and have them tell you a bit about it! (That's what I did) I personally really liked the book and was genuinely surprised by how the novel turned out! I would recommend it to EVERYBODY- who is mature enough to handle it. There is some sensitive and more mature stuff in it so young people may not want to read it. Throughout I have numbers in brackets which represent page numbers of where I got some of the information.


-SPOILERS-

Setting: Suicide Notes takes place in a psychiatric ward of a hospital. We know that it is in January just after the New Year as the main character Jeff tried to kill himself on New Year’s day at midnight. This book takes place is in some modern day times. I know this because Jeff says something about Paris Hilton and he mentions watching the ball drop in New York on TV. Besides his back stories the whole story takes places in various locations of the ward. Some of these include his personal room, his psychiatrist office, the main lounge and the bathroom. Jeff has a room to himself which he describes to be old looking and have dirty white coloured walls (4). He also mentions that the main lounge has a TV and couch and that it's an open space connected to where the nurse’s desk is. He doesn’t go into much detail about how the other locations look.