Tag: young adult

Reasons I would be that one YA fantasy protagonist who dies in the first 30 pages // Because I have no survival skills whatsoever!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Aline @ Fully Booked34 Comments

Welcome, to my book blog!! I am Aline. I like food. A lot.

Do you know what YA fantasy protagonists often lack? FOOD. (And a ton of other things, but FOOOOOOOD)

I could just end this post right there, because me? Accomplishing anything without food? AS IF.

Fantasy protagonists always go above and beyond in their survival skills (which does makes sense in certain circumstances due to how they were raised, but that’s not the point!) and it just makes me laugh at my incompetence seeing these 16-17-18* year olds accomplish so much under such horrible conditions–and me just… not. 😂

Which is why I thought it would be fun to compare the skills of those YA fantasy protagonists which allow or help them survive with my lack thereof!!

Hence why I would most certainly fail in a fantasy book!!

LET’S ROAST… ME.

*Not getting into the whole YA protagonists acting way older than teenagers, especially in fantasy but ,,,,

Having the physical strength to TRAVEL SO MUCH (and fight.)

GUYS I’M WEAK. A month long of hiking, of walking dangerous paths, of traveling and traveling and traveling, with minimal food, supplies and rest…………. I wouldn’t last very long???

Having good hand-eye-foot coordination to fight

Some characters were trained from birth, others just seem to have this ability to just pick it up super easily, but me? I HAVE TWO LEFT FEET, and will most certainly trip over my own feet and throw things in the complete opposite direction (unintentionally) during a fight, okay.

I would be lucky to not end up accidentally murdering my ally

Remembering important prophecies after hearing them once

I forget my friend said HI 5 minutes ago, and here we have 15-lined prophecies full of riddles and fancy language being memorized in a couple of minutes? GIRL, BYE. (Also give me your skills for my next exam holy crap)

(Not gonna lie, this was 100% inspired by my read of the third book in the An Ember in the Ashes series lmao but this has happened SO OFTEN!!)

Spying on sketchy people/villains and discovering crucial information without getting caught

Okay, so none of you have been around me in real life but I AM THE LEAST STEALTHY PERSON EVER. If I tried to spy on you, YOU WOULD KNOW. And I would die!! (If you were the evil, murdering type. You know. Which you would be in a fantasy novel)

SO MANY TIMES the lives of fantasy characters are saved or plot is moved forwards by characters spying on evil people and hearing them reveal some sort of their plan or some secret of theirs!! I get this, narratively, but I have two questions:

A) HOW do you manage not to be heard?? (squeaky floorboards?? Breathing??? Trying to stealth-walk and still being super loud?? HELLO ARE YOU A GHOST)

B) How do you hear everything so freaking clearly??? MY HEARING SKILLS ARE… NOT GOOD. The villain could be talking all about their plans to have the princess as bait and I could hear that they want cake. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (IT COULD BE TRUE OK.)

Accidentally stumbling on important revelations

La la la, here I am, minding my own business AND WOW LOOK HERE IS MY ENEMY MONOLOGUING TO HIMSELF HOW NICE.

The plot is saved! I can go report to my rebel group and save everyone! Because of my excellent ability to ,,, sense an evil monologue? My ability to walk around at the right time?

Though, to be fair, if the evil villain were monologuing in the middle of the night and I was hungry and went to get food and had no intention of being a sneaky spy…. relate. Because of course the most use I would have is when I didn’t plan on doing anything sjhadjahdjh.

Frankly, I am just not quite as bloodthirsty or honourable to succeed.

All these characters have lost something or someone, or want something so badly they’re willing to sacrifice everything to get it. They have killed, or they will kill, to ensure it.

Me? I’m just your simple bookworm just looking to not die under my enormous TBR and willing to sacrifice a few souls for an immortality potion, no biggie. No similarities here. 😉

But, I do admire the passion YA characters have for their cause! Whether it be for their people, or their family or friends, or world domination or being filthy rich,,,, you do you, ya know?

I would just lose motivation the second I run out of food. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Pain + torture tolerance?? don’t know her

I AM A WEAKLING. I do not like pain (well, who does) and I will break wayyyyy too easily under torture, so y’all, I would not fare well in keeping my mouth shut I’M SORRY.

But maybe in terms of survival that would actually be an asset???

Who am I kidding, they’d probably torture me, get the answers, and then kill me for good measure cause they can. Whelp.

God, being a fantasy protagonist is STRESSFUL and so much work ajddhjshajsdhajhd let’s NOT.

Soooo, I’m not going to pretend here I have any of the skills and characters of the traditional YA fantasy protagonist?? If I don’t die from my lack of skills, *maybe* I could live through my strong sense of self-preservation–> that is, I run and flee and never do anything heroic ever. Oops.

See that’s why it’s a good thing I am NOT a fantasy protagonist lmao 😅

And let’s be real, as much as I would like to imagine otherwise, I would not have a Wren (Girls of Paper & Fire) or an Elias Veturius (An Ember in the Ashes) or a ANY fantasy warrior by my side either smh. 😭 I WOULD NEVER WIN WHY.

How would you fare in a fantasy world?? 😂 What are some other skills YA fantasy characters have that you may not have? (Or what are some hidden talents YOU have that most characters don’t?? 👀)

I didn’t ask for perfect, but this is pretty darn close anyway // You Asked For Perfect by Laura Silverman REVIEW

Aline @ Fully Booked16 Comments

Surprise!! I’m a student!!

And chances are, if you’re reading this, you are one too or you were one, at one time or another!

Which is why I was so excited to hear there is a book out there talking about academic stress and pressure, which IS BASICALLY MY ENTIRE LIFE RIGHT NOW.

Now I know everyone’s school experiences and attitude towards academics are different, but for a lot of people, in high school or even in uni/college, STRESS is a big part of it. The stress that comes from balancing too many courses or activities alongside life, and friends, or a bad mark in a course, pressure of parents, or yourself, it’s just… a lot. (Of course there are many other things that can cause stress, but in this context!)

You Asked For Perfect does not shy away from any of that, at all. Instead, it’s an honest and very real portrait of a stressed, high-achieving student and delving into the stressfulness associated with school and wanting to get into a good university!

And spoiler: IT WAS PERFECT.

The thing that stood out to me the most was the characterization. I could see them so clearly in mind; their aspirations, their goals, their stress and I related SO MUCH in different aspects. I could FEEL Ariel’s stress and pain so clearly, the pressure of holding up appearances, of trying to be ‘perfect’. IT BROKE MY HEART, GUYS. And that’s greatly due to the author’s wonderful characterization as much as it is my own experiences that cause me to relate and empathize with him!!

Ariel is just so RELATABLE AGH, and so soft!! His number one goal is to get into Harvard, and god, the secondhand stress in this one was REAL. I don’t have nearly as much on my plate as Ariel did, but doing IB has definitely added a TON of work to my life and it is very stressful! So in that sense, it was kind of adding to my already stressed-out self to read about Ariel’s stress lmao oops. But it was good!! It was relatable and very well written.

Even aside from academics, he was just such a sweet character? The most lovable disaster bi. He’s Jewish, and he loves his family and his younger sister so much, he cares so much about his close friends, and he’s just so dedicated? Ahh he’s so precious!! My heart hurt for him so, so much.

Did I mention Ariel was Jewish? I really did enjoy reading about some Jewish traditions and customs, and there were also several sentences in Hebrew (I think?) throughout! Religions outside of Christianity is not as predominant in books, so it was very lovely to see some Jewish representation!

I also adored the side characters!! Amir, the love interest (yes, this book has an m/m ship!! I’M IN LOVE) is a Pakistani-American aspiring doctor with a talent for photography (who is also a Ravenpuff; two of the best houses obviously, no I’m not biased at all excuse me???????) and AN ABSOLUTE GEM. He is the SOFTEST and I adore him so much?!

Amir’s family, is also SO awesome. His parents were actually such a great example of subverting the usual trope of Asian parents pushing/forcing their child towards a more “prestigious” (cue rolling eyes) job like a doctor, engineer, etc. as they instead wanted him to pursue photography, which he’s good at! LOVE THAT. Amir’s sister, Rasha, wears a hijab as well and I loved her so much! I also loved how supportive Amir’s family is of his sexuality (I don’t think it ever said, but from what it seems Amir is gay), it made me so happy to see a Muslim family accepting of LGBTQ+ people!! ❤ ❤

Sook, Ariel’s best friend, is a Korean lesbian musician who was also so lovely! Their friendship made me smile so much, even through their rough patches ahh. Y’all know how much I love friendships in books so I truly did enjoy Ariel and Sook’s friendship ahh. ❤ Malka, is Jewish and Sook’s bandmate and I also loved how we explored sort of her difficulties with college, so interesting!

I will say, as much as this book does kind of get tough and tense with Ariel’s spiralling stress and the inevitable decline, the ROMANCE. IS. ADORABLE.

Ariel and Amir make the most amazing couple, and I was just smiling SO FREAKING MUCH reading their scenes? It just made me so happy!! My comments about the romance are so short and basic but I literally can’t form anything other than SQUEALS AND GIGGLES CAUSE I’M IN LOVE.

Can I also say, I LIVED for all the Harry Potter references. PERFECTION. (Plus there was a B99 reference too 😍)

So, um, if you DON’T have this on your TBR ,,,,,,,,,,, WHY.

Literally only complaint is that I WANT MORE.

The characters, the authenticity with which Laura Silverman wrote just made this story so incredibly memorable and wonderful to read! PLEASE READ IT!!

Rep; Jewish, bi male main character, Pakistani-American & Muslim gay love interest, Korean & lesbian side character

You May Also Like…

*I haven’t read this one yet (I WILL) but I’ve heard from many people it delves into academic stress and pressure as well and it’s diverse!

Book synopsis:

Senior Ariel Stone is the perfect college applicant: first chair violin, dedicated community volunteer, and expected valedictorian. He works hard – really hard – to make his life look effortless. A failed Calculus quiz is not part of that plan. Not when he’s number one. Not when his peers can smell weakness like a freshman’s body spray. Figuring a few all-nighters will preserve his class rank, Ariel throws himself into studying. His friends will understand if he skips a few plans, and he can sleep when he graduates. Except Ariel’s grade continues to slide. Reluctantly, he gets a tutor. Amir and Ariel have never gotten along, but Amir excels in Calculus, and Ariel is out of options. Ariel may not like Calc, but he might like Amir. Except adding a new relationship to his long list of commitments may just push him past his limit.

Add to Goodreads!! That would be PERFECT, THANKS. 😉

If you want to purchase: Book Depository // Amazon // Indigo // Barnes & Noble

Have you read this book?! What is/was your high school academic experience like? Are there any other books you’ve read about academic stress? Let’s talk!

YA books featuring autistic characters that I’ve read & want to read!

Aline @ Fully Booked23 Comments

April, is, as you may have heard, Autism Awareness Month!

(Better yet, Autism ACCEPTANCE Month)

Now, the idea in itself should be boosted as autism deserves awareness–and more than that, all-around ACCEPTANCE but I did want to mention to not support the organization behind this, Autism Speaks as it is INCREDIBLY harmful and does NOT actually speak for autistic people. This organization actually does the opposite of supporting autism, and uses its funding to look for a “cure” for autism, among spreading other problematic messages. For more details, there are a ton of articles online and you can check out this one as well!

Now.

I have read shamefully very few books with autistic characters! So to change that, I’ve compiled a list of books with autism rep for both me and anyone else out there who may have been looking for some to read!

I tried to focus on books that are either #ownvoices for the autism rep, or if they aren’t, have positive reviews from #ownvoices readers (aside from the ones I’ve already read). There are already too many harmful messages being perpetuated about autism and I really don’t want to boost books that contribute to that!

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde: This is SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK. I will scream about it to everyone, it is so incredibly diverse and fun and adorable aksakjkajk. One of the main POVs, Taylor, is autistic and has anxiety! It is also ownvoices for the autism rep, anxiety rep, and bi rep!! AMAZING ❤

Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik: #ownvoices review // I really enjoyed this one! This isn’t ownvoices though. The author does have an autistic child I believe and it’s clear she put a lot of effort into writing good rep!

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi: One of the narrators and main characters, Zofia has many signs of ASD, but I believe due to the time setting where they wouldn’t necessarily have a label for ASD, it isn’t explicitly stated. I love her! (Not ownvoices) (*I’m still reading this book, but shh.)

The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare: Not #ownvoices, but one of the key characters, Ty Blackthorn, is autistic and I’ve heard from many autistic readers that it was very positive representation! I adore Ty so much, and this series is also sooooooo good.

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum: PLEASE READ THIS #ownvoices review // This is listed here solely because I’ve read this book; I don’t actually recommend it whatsoever for autistic rep, as there are several problematic scenes and messages!

The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews: This is #ownvoices & the main character’s older brother is autistic!! This releases tomorrow, April 4th and I AM SO EXCITED! I haven’t found any #ownvoices reviews for this one since it’s… you know, not released yet but I trust the rep in this one! 💕

On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis: #ownvoices autistic main character (who is also biracial; part-Dutch, part-Surinamese Black), plus “a prominent bisexual trans Black girl, as well as lesbian, Muslim, and Jewish characters” (from the author) AHHH this sounds absolutely amazing!!

The State of Grace by Rachel Lucas: #ownvoices review / another #ownvoices review // This is on the younger side of YA in terms of the main character’s age but I’ve heard lovely things about this one! Plus, it’s ownvoices rep! 🙂

The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed: I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK ASKLSKLSK –> ft. Grace, a fat narrator, Rosina a Latinx queer narrator, and Erin with Asperger’s (now known as autism spectrum disorder) and anxiety!! Plus FEMINISM, and discussion (+TW) about rape, sexual assault . I KNOW I WILL LOVE THIS.

This is not ownvoices for the autism rep!! I do highly recommend reading this author’s interview to know more about her inspiration behind this book. **If you know of any #ownvoices reviews for this book, please let me know!! I have not found any!!**

When My Heart Joins the Thousand by A.J. Steiger: #ownvoices review / another #ownvoices review // Not #ownvoices autism rep, but I’ve heard such good things about this one! This falls in the more upper YA end, too which is nice!

Also: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang is also said to have #ownvoices autism rep! However, this isn’t YA; it’s an Adult contemporary romance so please don’t be misled on my account! 🙈 I know this list is covering YA books, but I had to include this as this is #ownvoices!! And I NEED to read it omg.

So I have a lot of reading to do!! SO much of my diverse reading has been occupied by books ft. POC, or LGBTQ+ rep which is great, but as an advocate for diverse books, I want to advocate for ALL diverse books, and that includes disabled characters!

I really did want to show a variety of opinions from #ownvoices readers, and I tried my best here but it was so incredibly difficult to find ownvoices reviews, so PLEASE:

If there are any ownvoices reviews you know of and want to boost, or if you’re an #ownvoices reader yourself, PLEASE don’t hesitate to send me a link to your review if you have one because I really do want to showcase ownvoices reviewers!

If there are any more books with autistic characters that any of you recommend, please let me know!! Especially books BY autistic authors!! I need more (good) neuro-diverse books on my TBR!! Also, if you’ve read any of these books, what were your thoughts?!

I had spring break, and yet I read less books??? // March wrap-up (+I got cake)

Aline @ Fully Booked31 Comments

I READ SO LITTLE BOOKS THIS MONTH (in comparison to last month)… and it wasn’t even cause of a slump? I just didn’t have time?

I was almost not going to do a wrap up this month because of that haha, and then realized that was stupid because reading any number of books is great, and I read some lovely books this month!!

SO LET’S TALK BOOKS.

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills: THIS WAS SO CUTE AHH. I loved the focus of friendship alongside the sweet, slow romance ahhh it was adorable!!

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia: this book makes me enjoy dystopia again!! I am HERE for the f/f romance okay, I am utterly in LOVE with Dani, and the writing is so gorgeous I-

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir: THE POLITICAL INTRIGUE omg. I enjoy all the characters, but I don’t truly love all of them as much as I wish I did ahaha but I could NOT stop reading this book omg

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir: SHOOOK. Also so much political intrigue, again!! I LOVE IT. The scheming, the action, everything was just so fast-paced? With three narrators, there is never a dull moment!

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender: This was cute!! Queer POC, with a disabled (deaf) love interest! They were adorable!! Didn’t particularly love some of the characters’ actions (especially how the MC kept screwing up in the same way and was kind of a douche to the LI but was always forgiven?) but it was a good read overall! 🙂

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake: I was holding off on posting this wrap up until I finished it today hahaha and I LOVED IT??!?! This is the book I NEEDED when I was younger, and honestly still needed now, this was so sweet and I connected with it in so many ways!!

  • I went to see our school’s musical production of Chicago, and it was so good??? All the singers were AMAZING, and the sets, the dancing and actors were all so impressive. And they’re literally only 17/18!! (and I’m out here being an untalented potato, but it’s fine) I had such a good time with my friends, too!
  • I had a week-long spring break during the week of the 11th! It was so nice to not have school, although I was (pleasantly) also super tired afterwards because my cousin from Boston came to visit and we went out EVERY SINGLE DAY 😂 To malls, to sightsee, to EAT POUTINE AND BEAVERTAILS 😍
  • Poutine, in case you’ve never had it (CRY) is basically the best food ever; fries, with cheese curds and gravy and IT’S SOOOOO GOOD
  • Beavertails, are not *actually* beaver tails and are a type of thin, fried-dough like pastry typically with lots of cinnamon and sugar (but there are a variety of toppings you can choose instead!) (I have photos)
  • Y’all, if you ever come to Canada…………. 👀
  • I had so much poutine during that week, it’s not even funny 😂 I think we tried 6 poutines, from different places? DON’T JUDGE ME.
  • We tried: KFC (the one in the photo), A&W, New York Fries, South St. Burger, Popeyes and Costco!
  • I think the winner was Costco and A&W, in terms of amount of food, the taste, and the price 😂😍
  • We had Beavertails twice, the first time we split one Chocolate Hazelnut, and the second time when we went with my sister, we got two; Chocolate Hazelnut again and an Avalanche one which was I believe was cheesecake with caramel and chocolate chips? DELICIOUS.
  • I had a photo of the options for Beavertails but I don’t have it anymore! Some of the other ones were maple, peanut butter and chocolate, chocolate and banana, caramel apple?
  • Poutine!! 😍
  • Beavertailssss 😍
  • Soooo all of that made it so I didn’t get any reading or blogging (or schoolwork) done, but I can’t say I regret it! 🤷🏽‍♀️
  • I also turned 17 this month, on the 24th! (I shared some of my bookish birthday wishes if you wanted to check that out, I loved writing that post!)
  • My family and I went out for dinner on my actual birthday last Sunday, and then my friends and I are going out today to celebrate! (Since some of my friends were gone on the day of)
  • THE CAKE WAS DELICIOUS, THANK YOU FOR ASKING
  • It’s basically chocolate cake with a thin cherry spread in the middle! BUT CHOCOLATE CAKE. 😍
  • :))

  • I GOT A LOT OF BOOKS AND GIFT CARDS TO INDIGO 😍
  • I have such amazing friends ahhh they are so sweet ❤

Okay, so these were the goals from last month, and I…. um failed spectacularly.

  • Read 8-10 books! –> I read 6 😅 Which, not horrible all things considered!
  • Follow my blog schedule! –> I posted 3 times out of the 12 times I had planned, and 2 of them weren’t even the same posts I chose OOPS
  • Blog hop more often/more regularly! –> 😭 I hardly blog hopped!!
  • STOP PROCRASTINATING. –> Who did I think I was???

I’m going to try keeping these same goals, but idk how feasible that is anymore lmao. Fingers crossed!!

How did your month go? This month seemed to go so quickly in the middle (probably cause it was spring break for me lmao)??? SHOOK. This year is going by so fast all of a sudden omg.

Let me know what books you read and loved this month?! Is there anything special you did? What’s your favourite kind of cake? Let’s talk!

(Also, I found out I reached 100 followers!! THANK YOU SO MUCH AHHH!! 💗💗💗)

all of the great contemporary reads, lots of stress but lots of books! // February 2019 Wrap Up

Aline @ Fully Booked23 Comments

GUESS WHO’S BACK AND HAS READ 15 BOOKS* IN THE SHORTEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!!!

This gal!!

I’m actually so happy with this, February was a busy month for me (hence my unexpected two weeks wish hiatus!!) so THIS IS A SUCCESS.

*Fine, two of them I had started at the end of January. BUT IT COUNTS OK.

  • King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo: 4(.5?) stars / I have a very gushing review you can check out, but I really enjoyed this!! I adore Nina and Nikolai to no end. ❤️
  • The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan: 4.5 stars / I am very biased because I FELT SO SEEN through the rep of a Bangladeshi-American sapphic teen in this book, and I have no regrets!! I CRIED.
  • Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz: 3.5 stars / I wish I had enjoyed this more, because it was a sweet story, but it was a tad bit too slice-of-life for me? (or maybe I just wanted them to GET TOGETHER SOONER ahaha oops)
  • The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf: 4 stars / ft. a historical setting of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, a Malaysian Muslim teen with OCD, broke my heart!
  • Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds: 3 stars / ft. a black teen, unexpected A Christmas Carol vibes, and social awareness 💔 It just felt too quick for me to connect to the character?
  • Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon: 4 stars / ft. a bisexual Jewish boy and his best friend Sophie who’s in love with him; sort of messy, but the greatest character development and I’m soft for the m/m romance !!
  • Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi: 4.5-5 stars / ft. a Thai protagonist with anxiety, and a troubled boy who likes to bake!! The sweetest, slowest-burn romance omg over text. I ADORED THIS SO MUCH
  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed: 4 stars / such a heartbreaking, powerful read tackling forced arranged marriages ft. a Pakistani-American protagonist 💔😭
  • Odd One Out by Nic Stone: 2.5 stars / I really do appreciate all the diversity in this book, especially the ownvoices black main characters but I just did not enjoy this book? And I’m so sad cause I loved Dear Martin! I just did not enjoy any of the leads, either through another character’s POV or their own. It made it very frustrating.
  • On the Come Up by Angie Thomas: 4.5 stars / A book from the QUEEN! I loved Bri’s story, so much love for the family relationships and social awareness omg
  • Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy: 3.5 stars / ft. summer romance, a slice-of-life novel following a queer protagonist and journey of self-discovery 💕
  • Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde: 4.5 stars / ft. the softest romances, all the nerdiness, a biracial and bisexual Asian-American with ADHD? (in a f/f/ romance!) as well as a fat character with anxiety and on the autism spectrum! 😍
  • Always Forever Maybe by Anicca Mrose Ricci: 3.5 stars / deals with an abusive relationship that was so hard to read ahhh
  • Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno: 4 stars / ft. a SOFT AF f/f romance and magical realism!! (also tackles rape 😭💔)
  • Noteworthy by Riley Redgate: 3.5 stars / ft. acapella, soft friendships and an Asian-American protagonist!

I mean, I only have like 4 to choose from, but I loved writing my discussion on the lack of romance tropes for marginalized identities! Diversity in books is something that means a lot to me, and I want so much to see so much more in YA books regarding diverse populations, including tropes. 💕

  • I!! Had!! So!! Much!! Work!! School KILLED ME 😭
  • I got my report card and went down in some subjects, but up in others? I’ve been able to maintain my 90+ average so far, but idk how lmao pray for me
  • Valentine’s Day was a flop but I bought chocolate for myself and it was delicious 💁🏽‍♀️
  • I went to an escape room with my friends to celebrate a friend’s birthday! WE ESCAPED 💪😊
  • Someone stole my money at work last weekend!! I had a good amount of cash (plus two toonies) and an Indigo gift card, and they were all gone 😦 My debit card and Tim’s card was still there, but I’m wondering if I should be worried the person took a picture of my debit or something?? Am I just being paranoid? No purchases have been made but what if they use it to buy something online?? AM I CRAZY?
  • This month was pretty bland otherwise!! Mostly stressful though omg.

I see some people doing this and thought I’d give it a try! I don’t usually set a ton of goals for myself, so we’ll see lmao

  • Read 8-10 books! (March is VERY busy for me, and even though I have spring break I really doubt I’ll get as much reading done!)
  • Follow my blog schedule! I want to be more organized (in one aspect of my life anyway, it’s not happening for school) and I’m hoping to post a bit more often this month!
  • Blog hop more often/more regularly! I don’t know how feasible this is based on my schedule, but I’m going to aim for Friday to be my blog-hop night 💪 I love reading and commenting on other posts, I just have no time!
  • STOP PROCRASTINATING. (Says me as I procrastinate on homework by writing this post, whateverrrr)

What was your favourite book you read in February?! Mine was probably The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali and Emergency Contact! I can’t believe it’s already March oh my gosh. Do you have any goals, or anything special coming up for you?! Let’s talk, I missed you guys!! 💕

Is there a lack of romance tropes with marginalized protagonists? // We need more diverse books!!

Aline @ Fully Booked30 Comments

Romance tropes, to the say the least, are slightly* very overdone.

(I mean… That’s why they’re called tropes??)

There’s the love triangle (cringe), forbidden romance, hate-to-love, friends-to-lovers… all the good stuff that you swoon over in books!

And as entertaining as those are, I feel like there’s also the issue of people being tired of these tropes? That, as much as there are books where we really enjoy these tropes, people don’t always want them as much. *cough* Love triangles *cough*

We might say it’s because they’re all the same, they’re overdone, and unoriginal or unrealistic and sure, I get that! I’ve even said it myself.

Yet as easy it is to write off love triangles or forbidden romance as being “dead” or “overdone”, SO MANY YA books containing those tropes feature the same kind of characters; allo cishet, able-bodied, white protagonists, and THAT’s my issue, more than how much tropes appear in books.

Which is what this post is all about!! I’m focusing on the appearance of queer POC protagonists in particular, but this absolutely applies to any marginalized population as well.

*VERY, in case you couldn’t detect the sarcasm ahaha

FIRST – THE TROPES.


In case you needed a little reminder of your favouritetropes!!

  • Love triangles: Usually featuring one girl and two guys who are in love with her! Extra Stereotypical Points if one guy is super sweet and caring and the other is the broody bad-boy (If you haven’t read one of these YOU ARE LYING)
  • Friends-to-lovers: Um what else do I say here… but often very cute! Though what I often dislike is when it’s like “they’ve been friends for years” and so when the book start the character is like already in love with their love interest even though we’ve hardly seen any reason WHY or any development?? like off I understand how people who’ve been friends forever can fall in love, that’s super cute but in a book it so often feels like lazy writing??
  • Insta-love: STAY AWAY STAY AWAY STAY AWAY
  • Hate-to-love/enemies-to-lovers: The angst! The tension! The best!
  • Forbidden romance: Similar to the star-crossed lovers, but not necessarily the same? But you know the drill, there’s always something that’s preventing this couple from getting together! But it can be sooooo good
  • Star-crossed lovers: (too much) angst!! Passionate kissing scenes and Romeo & Juliet number 3546 😅
  • Best friend’s brother (lmao): hm ok 🤔😅 Haven’t read as many of these? Not super interested in it either tbh
  • The ‘innocent’ girl and the ‘bad’ boy: welp what a classic am I right??
  • The nerdy boy and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl: I just find Manic Pixie Dream Girls (super weird/quirky/super exotic or unfamiliar to the nerdy boy) very bland? I think in attempting to BE ‘different’ from other girls they all become the same oops
  • Soulmates: Usually becomes the same as insta-love but hey, maybe that’s the cynic in me?? (Says me, while being a huge romantic)
  • Fake boyfriend/girlfriend: THE CUTEST I LOVE

*Subjective

Because although when we think of these tropes there are tons of books that come to mind, there is still a LARGE lack of marginalized people being represented in those same tropes we claim as being dead or unoriginal. Let me ask you: how many books have you come across with a love triangle featuring a POC, or a disabled, or marginalized character versus one with your typical white, allocishet Katniss-Gale-Peeta? I’m not saying they don’t exist, but the gap in numbers is quite large, I bet.

I’m not trying to attack books or anyone who reads and enjoys books with your “typical” types of characters (there are tons I love to death myself!), but as an advocate for diverse books and as a POC myself, this is something I’ve noticed and I wanted to speak about, from my own experience!

To be frank, it’s not that hard to answer this question in my mind. It’s a big fat YES. Now, I’m not in any way trying to diminish all the books out there who DO feature tropes with marginalized protagonists!! But I’m trying to say there should be MORE.

All my life, I’ve grown up seeing straight and white as the default. When I used to imagine writing my own books, I imagined the main characters as white because it never occurred to me that there could ever be books with characters who looked like me? And that reality is incredibly depressing.

Now, having found mainstream books that feature characters like me, or of other non-white identities, is so empowering and wonderful and I just don’t want it to stop where it is. When it comes to romance tropes, there is just SO MUCH POTENTIAL for all that could be done for diverse books! Yes, these tropes are common. Yes, we’ve seen them many times before. But not with everyone. And I want this so badly, you have no idea!! Love triangle featuring Asian characters? SIGN ME UP. A queer hate-to-love romance? MINE. Disabled characters becoming friends-to-lovers? YES PLEASE.

Literally take any trope and I will be overjoyed because marginalized identities are so often removed from the narrative concerning tropes. When we say they’re overdone, it almost never applies to minorities and almost solely refers to the “typical” YA character. And that’s an issue!

Take love triangles, for example. Hugely overdone, super common, yada yada yada. Off the top of your head can probably list a ton (Hunger Games, TMI, TID, The Selection, Red Queen…) but how many feature marginalized characters?

………..

Exactly.

I want to step into a bookstore and see more books like When Dimple Met Rishi or My So-Called Bollywood Life. I want to see books like The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali. Books like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Books like Let’s Talk About Love. Books like Starfish and Summer Bird Blue. I want to see love triangles, forbidden romances, fake dating, hate-to love with brown characters, black characters, disabled characters, Asian characters, queer & POC characters! I want to see stories with intersectional representation.

The world is just made of so many more different, amazing people other than straight white kids, and it’s doing everyone such a huge disservice not to represent that in our selection of books.

(And I limited this post to simply romance tropes because of Valentine’s Day, but this applies to every trope out there! I want to see brown girls or boys as the Chosen One, queer protagonists the secret heir to the kingdom, see disabled characters part of a prophecy to save the world.)

I WANT IT ALL. And I’m not sorry for that.

Are tropes over?? What are your thoughts? What are some of your favourite romances featuring marginalized characters?! Let’s spread some diverse books love! 💕

(also hi here’s your belated reminder for Valentine’s Day that being single is OKAY and you don’t have to be in love or in a relationship to be happy because you only need books you are an amazing individual who will reach success and great things with or without being in love!! okay bye I hope you had a great Valentine’s Day!!)

What Makes the Perfect Ship? // ft. My Favourite Couples In Books

Aline @ Fully Booked26 Comments

Let me preface this by saying: I have a HECK TON of YA ships I would DIE FOR.

(Let’s not put that to test though.)

Over the years, quite a many (literally most of them, give or take a handful) books feature a romantic relationship. And okay, not all of them are good (ahahah @ The Selection days) but there are several that were SO GREAT I LOVE THEM TO DEATH.

But how do you KNOW which ones are the amazing ones and which ones aren’t? (Ya just do, Aline, stop questioning everything uselessly) LET’S SEE.

  • ft characters that are strong individually, and together 👬
  • ft characters who complement each other
  • ft characters who don’t hold each other back 🙌
  • ft characters who have CHEMISTRY 🔥👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩
  • ft characters who don’t “cure” their partner’s demons, but helps them to defeat them themselves 💪
  • ft a slow burn hate-to-love relationship 🔥😠–>😍 (always a win unless it’s just done very badly lmao

I feel like my favourite couples tick at least one-two, if not more or all of these “criteria”?! Some of it just makes SENSE. Like if they don’t have chemistry? Ship is sinking. If the characters are boring or their sole winning characteristic is when they’re with their partner? Ship is sinking. If the characters are strong individuals, and just FIT together?? SHIP HAS SAILED, AND I’M ON THAT SHIP OKAY.

So in honour of Valentine’s Day coming up and to comfort my very single status, here’s some of my favourite ships*!! In case you are looking for the perfect romance this Valentine’s Day 😉

*I’m linking up with this week’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) prompt: Top Ten Favourite Couples in Books!

Literally all the ships from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo but particularly KAZ & INEJ and JESPER & WYLAN ❤ ❤ ❤ (Okay that’s 2/3 so I might as well also scream NINA & MATTHIAS)

  • Kinej has such a unique, heartbreaking relationship, I just…!!! They complement and contrast each other SO WELL yet are similar in so many ways aaaah
  • Jylan (?)/Wesper (?) is such a PURE and wholesome ship?? Jesper and Wylan are both so precious and to see them both support and lift each other up is the most beautiful thing
  • Natthias / Mina (??) HATE-TO-LOVE! (Mostly on Matthias’ side but whatever) These two have such an opposites-attract relationship and I LOVE
  • What is the ship name for all these characters, idek. Perhaps using their last names? Ghrekker? (no.) Brafa? (No.) Helvik? (?) Zelvar? (Maybe?) And Wesper is actually kind of cute! I’m not quite sure whether any combos of Van Eck (or Hendricks) would work with Fahey …
  • THIS ISN’T EVEN IMPORTANT WHY AM I DOING THIS

Jem & Tessa / Will & Tessa from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare: not gonna lie, I was tempted to put “Jem & Aline” or “Will & Aline” there for a second BECAUSE AH MY FAVES. 😭

Lei & Wren from Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL F/F SHIP IN FANTASY CAN I JUST??!?!?! It breaks my heart to see what they must go through but I ADORE these two. What an amazing ship 😭

Monty & Percy from The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: Monty is such an idiot but I love him!! Their relationship was just the cutest and most precious omg.

Lila & Kell and Rhy & Alucard from Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab: Am I cheating a bit? Yes. Do I care? Nope!! Because UM HI THESE TWO COUPLES ARE AMAZING. I adore Kell & Lila’s relationship, and Rhy & Alucard’s banter is so fantastic.

Simon & Blue from Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli: The cutest!! Their emails to each other made me smile so much and made me so happy

Lara Jean & Peter in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: COVINSKY IS SO AMAZING AAH!!! I so want to reread this books now ahahah

Shahrzad & Khalid from The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh: What an amazing hate-to-love romance OH MY GOD. So spectacular and literally all the feels!!

Tanner & Sebastian from Autoboyography by Christina Lauren: THE SWEETEST. SO PURE. BEAUTY. GOODBYE.

Tella & Dante from Legendary by Stephanie Garber: It was either this or Lira & Elian but I’m going with this one because that book had me SHOOK okay and it’s just… ahhhh all the chemistry between these two!!

Honourable mentions: Lira & Elian from To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (THEIR BANTER), Helen & Aline from The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare (WHAT A beautiful HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP AAHHH)

Also can I just make a note as to how little f/f ships I have on here? I have ONE. ONEEEEEEE. I need more in my life omg 😭 GIVE ME RECS.

What makes you love a particular ship/fictional couple? What are some of your favourites?! (I need to live vicariously through the romances of fictional characters okay) Oh and if you have any m/m or f/f favourites, non-binary or QUEER ❤ favourites for that matter, let me know because I CRAVE more of them ok. They’re fabulous AND I NEED MORE. Also if you’re participating in this week’s TTT, feel free to link your post as well! ❤

12 2019 Books By Asian Authors I want to read this year // #YARC Sign-Up + Update post!

Aline @ Fully Booked27 Comments

2019 is SO FULL with books by Asian authors and I. AM. HERE FOR IT.

I’m Asian, and I love reading diverse books by diverse authors so a reading challenge which promotes doing just that with books by Asian authors? YES PLEASE. This year-long challenge is hosted by 4 lovely bloggers; Shealea, CW, Vicky, and Lily! They are all such amazing bloggers and wonderful people, and I’m so happy they created this challenge. It’s such an incredible idea!! The goal is to read as many books by Asian authors as possible (which I was going to do anyway haha).

I don’t usually lean towards reading challenges because I have an issue with TBRs where I just can’t ever really stick to them? I love making lists, so I make a list of the books I want to read and suddenly I’m reading…. anything other than those books. (WHY) I think I just have an issue with reading that feels “required” in any manner, because it sort of puts pressure on me…. BUT I DIGRESS.

On that line of thought, I decided I’m going to aim for the Indian cobra goal (11-20 books)! I was going to go for the Philippine tarsier (1-10) to put as little pressure as possible, but looking at my TBR (and what I’ve already been reading), I think 11-20 should be attainable throughout the year! Or so I hope! 🙈

I have A LOT of books by Asian authors I still need/want to read (both backlist and upcoming titles), so I’ve decided to list 10 2019 books which I’m really excited for! I do have other backlist titles I want to read as well, but inevitably some are going to be replaced by other books not on the list because my brain does not always cooperate with TBRs hahaha.

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan (Jan 29th): I actually just finished this a few days ago! I’m hoping to have a review up near the end of the month, because I LOVED IT and I want everyone to read it 💕 It features a gay Muslim Bangladeshi-American main character who is sent to Bangladesh after her parents catch her with her girlfriend–and although the writing wasn’t my favourite, the story was so impactful and means SO MUCH to me. ❤️

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf (Feb 5th): I’ve heard nothing but the most INCREDIBLE things, there’s OCD rep and it’s set in Malaysia?! MY KIND OF BOOK. I don’t normally pick up historical fiction, but I have a feeling I’m going to love this one ahh.

The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhatena (Feb 26th): An Indian main character in a New girl/Bad boy trope??? YES PLEASE.

Ruse by Cindy Pon (March 12th): I really liked Want when I read it last year!! So excited for the sequel, though I don’t remember a ton from Want hahahah oops I’m a goldfish okay

Descendent of the Crane by Joan He (April 2nd): I mean, I haven’t read or watched Game of Thrones lmao, but I heard Chinese-inspired Game of Thrones and I’M PSYCHED omggg 😭😍

Love From A to Z by S.K Ali (May 7th): AHHH a Muslim main character?! I will never stop being excited for these books, BLESS 🙌 The love interest also has multiple sclerosis, and I am so excited to read this contemporary love story ahh.

There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon (May 14th): Ahh I really liked When Dimple Met Rishi! Dimple was kind of annoying, but Rishi was adorable. I have a feeling I’m really going to love reading Ashish and Sweetie’s story ahh!! ❤ (Also Sandhya Menon’s books have the cutest covers and the girls are so pretty!!)

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal (May 14th): GOSH THIS COVER IS GORGEOUS also an epic fantasy in a world inspired by ancient Arabia? *grabby hands* Seriously, this book sounds so amazing and I neeeeeeeeed it

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi (June 11th): Um just LOOK at that pure, wholesome, f/f rom com bliss cover???? CAN I JUST 😭😍

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho (June 25th): “Fresh and addictive fantasy romance set in modern day Seoul” –> MY. KINDA. BOOK.

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (July 26th): LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS ASIAN COVER ahhhhhh I am so happy!! And so excited!!

This Time Will be Different by Misha Sugiura (June 4th): Contemporary featuring a Japanese-American lead! Me love. ❤

Hahaha can you tell I got lazier with why I’m excited as the list went down?? BUT I’M EXCITED FOR ALL THEM OKAY I PROMISE. Also can I just squeal about how there are so many books here with Asian representation on the covers??!?!?! Years ago I would’ve never imagined to see people of colour like me, or other marginalized groups on the cover of mainstream YA novels. And here we are now!! 😭💕 IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY AAHHH.

I wasn’t going to add these to this post because I didn’t want it to be freakishly long, but these are some backlist titles I hope to read as well!!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns // Empress of All Seasons // Smoke in the Sun // The Astonishing Color of After // Under a Painted Sky // Written in the Stars // Shadow of the Fox // A Torch Against the Night & A Reaper at the Gates // The Way You Make Me Feel // Mariam Sharma Hits the Road // Not Your Sidekick

I’m going be updating the books I read across the year under this section!

Are you participating in the #YARC reading challenge? What books are you planning to read? Are any of you excited for these books? (YOU SHOULD BE!) Am I the only one who sucks at keeping up with TBRs? Talk to meeee 💕🙈

Basically Nina is my QUEEN, as always // Spoiler-Free King of Scars Review

Aline @ Fully Booked16 Comments

Hi, my name’s Aline and I WILL FIGHT anyone who says Nina’s not amazing. Thank you, goodbye.

(Not really, I have lots more to say sksksksk)

In case you were not aware (and there’s a very good chance of that since I’ve posted a grand total of one post so far lmao), I ADORE the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo! I also liked the Grisha trilogy, because of all the magic and NIKOLAI, but I did not fall in love with its characters as thoroughly as I did with Six of Crows. Now, here I have a book with NINA, one of my absolute favourites, AND Nikolai????????? My queen of waffles and the king of wit and charm? Needless to say, I HAD HIGH EXPECTATIONS. Were those expectations met? Yes… with a side dish of no. LET ME EXPLAIN.

Read More »

The month of fantasy, basically // Books I read this month

Aline @ Fully Booked33 Comments

My first post, woo!!! I’ve been debating making this blog since the start of the month, but, well, here we are at the end of the month. I’m still high-key overwhelmed to think it’s already been a month of 2019? I’m still back in 2010, ok.

Anyway, this month I read 12 books, which is really good! Two books were rereads (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom !!!!!!!! aka the BEST BOOKS EVER GO READ THEM) but the rest were all new to me.

Biggest disappointment

I mean, out of 12 books. But still.

I was expecting so much more from Solitaire, to be honest! I didn’t hate it, but after really enjoying I Was Born For This, this one definitely didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The plot was messy, there were several aspects which I just felt weren’t executed well… I don’t know. It’s complicated.

Favourites:

Legendary truly captivated me so much, I was so invested and god was I SHOOK at that ending! The world is so amazing, and I loved this one so much more than the first book. I NEED Finale. Omg.

Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom were MASTERPIECES as usual. I loved them so much. If you haven’t read them………… I will not share my cookies ok. That is a threat. I have to say, although I didn’t love the Grisha trilogy as much as Six of Crows, I did enjoy the books! It was interesting to finally have read them after all this time haha.

*whisper* I did not love The Cruel Prince, buuuuut I did enjoy The Wicked King! So many twists and turns and that ending, like the first one begs so much more aaaaah.

Shout out also to The Brilliant Death as well for the especially cute and slow burn romance of 2 non-binary main characters!! Diversity in fantasy is where it’s at people. ❤ ❤

Also: The Poet X was a beautifully written, and nuanced piece of work in verse, that I enjoyed so much! It explored sexism, relationships, the complex nature of strict parents, and so much more. ❤

What were your favourite reads this month? Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Let’s chat!