“The Sky is Yours” by Chandler Klang Smith (Ft. Dragons, Snotty Characters, And My Overwhelming Disappointment)

Basically: This book was creative, but it unfortunately wasn’t for me. I actually applaud myself for making it through.


🐉 What’s the story about? 🐉

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A sprawling, genre-defying epic set in a dystopian metropolis plagued by dragons, this debut about what it’s like to be young in a very old world is pure storytelling pleasure

In the burned-out, futuristic city of Empire Island, three young people navigate a crumbling metropolis constantly under threat from a pair of dragons that circle the skies. When violence strikes, reality star Duncan Humphrey Ripple V, the spoiled scion of the metropolis’ last dynasty; Baroness Swan Lenore Dahlberg, his tempestuous, death-obsessed betrothed; and Abby, a feral beauty he discovered tossed out with the trash; are forced to flee everything they’ve ever known. As they wander toward the scalded heart of the city, they face fire, conspiracy, mayhem, unholy drugs, dragon-worshippers, and the monsters lurking inside themselves. In this bombshell of a novel, Chandler Klang Smith has imagined an unimaginable world: scathingly clever and gorgeously strange, The Sky Is Yours is at once faraway and disturbingly familiar, its singular chaos grounded in the universal realities of love, family, and the deeply human desire to survive at all costs.

The Sky Is Yours is incredibly cinematic, bawdy, rollicking, hilarious, and utterly unforgettable, a debut that readers who loved Cloud Atlas, Super Sad True Love Story, and Blade Runner will adore.

“Beneath our city lies another city, carved into the earth, a city of hollowness, a city of emptiness, a city of negative space. Its skyline will never be revealed, not until that time in the future when our society’s final resting place is excavated and disturbed by a more advanced species.”

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I’m Baaaaack [From The Dead]! *Cue Riotous Applause* + Choose An Iconic Seasonal Drink And Get An Equally As Iconic YA Short Story Collection Recommendation

Helloo!!

I am back. (From the dead, basically). *modestly accepts flowers and applause* I promise I haven’t forgotten about you lovely souls, I just needed to take a “””quick””” break… and then a year went by so fast? But I missed you all! And I missed reading your wonderful content! (And I feel terrible about my inactivity!) ❤

Here are all the Life Updates, aka things that have happened these past few months that you probably didn’t ask for but I’ll happily give you anyways!

  • I read 50 books!! YES I know what an accomplishment for me!! alas, I am still woefully behind my actual TBR and I haven’t updated GR in…. months ):
  • My dog ate my homework (multiple times, may I mention). true story. I love her to death, but I have to admit I almost spontaneously combusted after realizing she chewed the corners of my painstakingly-constructed tri-fold :’)
  • I recently survived finals season, and my emotions can basically be summed up through this very pertinent emoticon: 😔
  • I also survived college admissions season!!! I’m *this close* to being a college freshman!! (take a shot every time I use exclamation marks and you’ll probably pass out by the end of this update!) If you live or happen to drop by the LA area, hit me up because that’s where I’ll be studying 😉

Also, after so much time on hiatus, I would just like to mention that it’s SUPER amusing to recognize the stark difference between my Blogging Voice (aka my weeping + ranting + screaming about books persona) and my Essay Writing Voice (aka my “STOP USING EM DASHES” persona). Because I haven’t written a blog post in forever, I have to admit, it’s incredibly refreshing being able to write literally however!! I! want! the rules of grammar do not apply to me!!! (If I did this in one of the college essays I churned out back in winter, I genuinely think the admissions officers would question my sanity.)

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As for the Quiz…

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy steamy fall beverages or iconic winter treats! Now, without further ado, here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: please click on a yummy-looking seasonal drink and receive your equally as yummy short story collection recommendation. ❤

Gingerbread Latte

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for those who love comfy sweaters and intimate chats by the fireplace

Peppermint Mocha Cappuccino

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for bookworms who love magic, murder, and… peppermint (duh)

Frozen Butterbeer

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for those who insist that their Hogwarts letters got lost in the mail (it’ll come one day!)

Pumpkin Spice Latte

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for bookworms who don’t mind a little bit of spice

Cloud Frappuccino

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for bookworms with an insatiable sweet tooth for romance

Iced Tea Lemonade

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for those who love drama and live for characters’ messy romantic complications

Strawberry Smoothie

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for strawberry-lovers who believe in soulmates and true love

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Here’s to hoping that I don’t fall off the face of the blogging universe again. Fingers crossed!

Love,

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Before and After: Book Blog Edition | In Which I Take You Through My Blog’s Embarrassingly Awkward Evolution

My blog is honestly such an adventure because every single time you visit my site something changes! A well-developed, consistent theme? WHAT IS THAT LOL.

If you can’t already tell from my a) incoherent paragraphs, b) grammatical errors, and c) refusal to edit said grammatical errors, it’s currently 2:30 AM and I… don’t know what I’m typing. I feel drunk except all I’ve had today is three pouches of CapriSun and I’m most likely just excessively sleep-deprived. I should really stop

fun fact this is the gif I use most often and I don’t know what that says about me

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“Damsel” by Elana K. Arnold | A Fairy Tale With Teeth

Synopsis

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LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUS COVER. JUST LOOK AT IT.

The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: when the prince-who-will-be-king comes of age, he must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been.

When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, however, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon, or what horrors she has faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome prince, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny to sit on the throne beside him. Ama comes with Emory back to the kingdom of Harding, hailed as the new princess, welcomed to the court.

However, as soon as her first night falls, she begins to realize that not all is as it seems, that there is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows–and that the greatest threats to her life may not be behind her, but here, in front of her. 

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Rating: ♡♡♡ 1/2

We’ve all heard the same story dozens of times throughout our childhood. A dashing prince. A terrifying dragon to slay. And of course, to complete the tale, a beautiful damsel in need of rescue.

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“Bright We Burn” by Kiersten White | A Beautiful, Blood Soaked (And Tear-Drenched) Conclusion

↪ this review contains spoilers for AID and NIR, also probably contains tears and incoherent screaming so sorry in advance I guess

This was a bittersweet ending to a gorgeously written saga. I think about the characters and I just feel like draping myself dramatically over the bed and sobbing, Disney princess style. I mean, I’m still mentally on the floor weeping right now over a jar of peanut butter because I can’t handle that this is the LAST BOOK AND I NEED MORE.

And I Darken: ✦✦✦✦✦

Now I Rise: ✦✦✦✦✦

Bright We Burn: ✦✦✦✦✧

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