Review: Ash & Bramble

TITLE: Ash & Bramble
AUTHOR: Sarah Prineas
PUBLISHER: Harper Teen
PUBLICATION DATE: 9/15/2015
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 464
SOURCE: For Review

MY RATING:

  
BACK COVER SUMMARY: Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmother's fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, spending day after day making ballgowns fit for fairy tales. Pin feels there's more than what's inside these cold, stone walls and escapes with the handsome young Shoemaker.

But Pin discovers that what seems like freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles Pin in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between her prince and another--the one who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny.

The tale has been told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stitched, but now discover the true story of Cinderella in Sara Prineas's bold, romantic, and utterly original young adult debut.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I've always loved retellings, so I was pretty excited going into this book. This was definitely an interesting take on the classic story and I really enjoyed it. The introduction was brilliant. I felt like the narrator was talking directly to me. There was a point in the book about a third of the way in that was really strange and I was worried the book was going to get weird, but it only lasted a couple of pages and then it was over.

The ending was great. There was a good build up and plenty of action. I also really liked the way the story was wrapped up. There was a point where it could have been turned into a series, but in the end everything was wrapped up and I'm glad that this is a standalone.

CHARACTERS: I liked both the main characters, Pin and Shoe. They had a fun chemistry together. I also liked the shoemaker and his wife. I wish we had been able to learn more about the side characters as there were so many that seemed interesting, but I didn't really know much about (Dulcet, Precious, Spinner).

COVER: I am obsessed with this cover. It is gorgeous and it ties in perfectly with the story.

September 2015 Wrap-Up

 

In September I read a total of 4 books which makes my total books read this year 111. Of these books, 3 counted for the "Real" Book Challenge, making my total books read for the challenge 87.

"Real" Books:

 

Audio Books:

Reviews Written:

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend Review

TITLE: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. 
AUTHOR: Matthew Dicks 
NARRATOR: Matthew Brown 
GENRE: Fiction, Fantasy 
PUBLISHER: MacMillan Audio 
PUBLICATION DATE: 8/21/2012 
FORMAT: Audio book 

LENGTH: 10 hours 57 minutes 

SOURCE: Bought 

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Budo is Max's imaginary friend. But though only Max can see him, he is real. He and the other imaginary friends watch over their children until the day comes that the child stop imagining them. And then they're gone. Budo has lasted a lot longer than most imaginary friends--four years--because Max needs him more. His parents argue about sending him to a special school. But Max is perfectly happy if everything is just kept the way it is, and nothing out of the ordinary happens. Unfortunately, something out of the ordinary is going to happen--and then he'll need Budo more than ever...

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I actually really enjoyed this book. I hadn't heard of it before, but I'm glad that I gave it a listen, because it was great. I loved the narrator. His voice was easy to listen to and fit with the characters well. The concept of the story is really interesting. I've never read anything from a perspective like this before and it was very well done. The story line itself was interesting and exciting. There were funny moments, touching moments, sad moments and suspenseful moments. This book had it all and was a great all-around read.

CHARACTERS: Budo was such a great character. I loved seeing the world though his eyes and watching him change throughout the story.

COVER: I like how it's blurred out. It fits with the idea of this imaginary friend and the possibility of them fading over time.

August 2015 Wrap Up

 

 In August I read a total of 13 books making my total books read this year 105. Of those books, 10 were "real" books making my total "real" books read this year 84.

"Real" Books:

Audio Books:

 

Reviews Written:

None. I've been in a blogging slump lately. I feel like I've been in a little bit of a reading slump as well, hence all the manga I read in August and not very many actual novels. I'm hoping to catch up on some reviews and hopefully get back into reading this month.

July 2015 Wrap Up

 

In July I read a total of 10 books, making my total books read this year 92. Of these books, 6 are "real" books, making my total "real" books read this year so far 74.

"Real" Books:

E-books:

Audio Books:

 

Reviews Written:

Cat Daddy

Storm

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