February Book Haul (Or is it March Wrap-Up?)

So, I got a lot of books this February. Like, a lot. As in 17 books. And while it is technically March, I decided that I would show off the shinies. I don't know if you would call this a haul, or a wrap-up for the month (I have not read all of these, so I guess not). Anyway, let's get cracking!

(I apologize for the quality, it was taken with my iPhone.)

So, from left to right, I bought over the month:

-Shades of Earth by Beth Revis (signed)
-Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
-The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine
-Arcadia Falls by Kai Meyer
-Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (signed)
-Unite Me by Tahereh Mafi (signed)
-Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi (signed)
-Cress by Marissa Meyer
-Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (signed)
-Supernaturally by Kiersten White
-Endlessly by Kiersten White (signed)
-Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
-Vampire Academy 1-5 by Richelle Mead
      -Vampire Academy
      -Frostbite
      -Shadow Kiss
      -Blood Promise
      -Spirit Bound

Out of all of those, so far I've read Ignite Me, Unite Me (sort of) and the first three Vampire Academy books. Spring Break is coming up, so hopefully I'll be able to make some sort of dent in this massive list; seriously, even for me this is a ridiculous amount of books bought in one month! Not that I'm complaining, of course :)

In Which I Make Stephanie Perkins Buy Tea

Last Thursday, I was so so lucky to find a way to get myself to the Brentwood stop of the HarperTeen Dark Days Tour! I faced many obstacles, including, but not limited to:

-Rain
-Wind
-A tornado (twice)

Needless to say, I was excited, and hoping for good things. Four authors were scheduled specifically for the tour's purposes, but as it was in Nashville, a lot of authors who lived nearby came out. So, like any sane person, I walked into the Barnes and Noble with a 100% full backpack. Like, I-kept-it-with-me-because-I-thought-they'd-suspect-it-was-a-bomb type of full. I felt ridiculous, and it was heavy (18 books is not something light), but in the end, it was SO worth it.

After the panel, where they all gave really good advice (I recorded it but the video is messed up somehow), the signing began. It was very well organized, and I realized that it would take a while to get to everybody, so I decided to make a left and head towards the authors I'd spied on the way in. Stephanie Perkins, the author of Anna and the French Kiss, and Lola and the Boy the Next Door, was the only one not in the middle of signing or conversing, so I very awkwardly sidled over and chatted.

And, after some compliments on shoes, and attempts to be cool, I got a selfie with her.

The rest followed more or less the same. I did mention to Victoria Schwab (below with the short hair; also author of The Near Witch, The Archived series, and Vicious) that I'd seen her at signing before, and had chickened out. We all had a good laugh at my expense.

Also pictured here: Beth Revis of Across the Universe fame.

Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), who bears an uncanny resemblance to one of my professors, was the only one who required a photo done longways, because the man is capital-T Tall. I'm 5'2", as a reference.

So after that, I finally started getting in line for the official signings. Above is another thumb-clouded selfie, this time with Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky). I always worry that I'll have nothing to say to them, and result in standing silently while they write their name, but I'm pretty sure I was talking a mile a minute and overdid it. Sorry, authors, you just intimidate me (in a good way).

Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me) was fantastic as one would expect. She was really the catalyst that made me decide to go to this signing, since even getting to an event in Memphis (where I live) is difficult, let alone a city 170 miles away; I was still suffering an Ignite Me hangover, which those of you who have read it will understand completely. She was wearing the coolest skeleton leggings, looking incredible, and so I had to buffer a table between us to avoid the shame of not being as incredible.

I was so glad to meet Kiersten White (Paranormalcy, Mind Games, The Chaos of Stars); I hadn't read any of her work in a while, but she emanated that sassy fun that I sensed in Paranormalcy, and she was probably the easiest to talk to. Also, she was actually shorter than me, which never happens. So yay :)

Here with all four, after the lines had dispersed. Though I haven't read anything by Sophie Jordan (Firelight, Uninvited), she was just as cool and I really enjoyed getting a picture with all of them.

And one last picture to close the curtains. This gives you a reference to how many incredible, talented people were in the room that night. Also pictured is Courtney Stevens, whose debut Faking Normal just released. She was very chill, and chatted up everyone nearby like they were old friends.

Thus ended the event. After nearly accidentally stealing forty dollars worth of books, and then going to pay for it, I bought myself some Starbucks, where Beth Revis and Stephanie Perkins had remained for the same purpose. While desperately trying to avoid the awkward possibility of standing in silence, I recommended one of the teas that the store was selling, and inadvertently became a personal shopper for Stephanie Perkins, at least as far as drinks are concerned. I expect my career to take off any day now.

This was the biggest signing I'd ever been to; and though it's really hard to quantify such an experience, if not one of the best signings I'd been to, it is definitely among the most memorable. There's always a real anxiety to meeting these authors; for me, they're essentially my heroes, and I'm a mixture of excitement, nervousness at not being an impressive fan, and the fear that they might not be what I've created in my head. But, as has been the case thus far, and I hope will continue to be, authors prove time and again that they are sincere, genuine, earnest storytellers who want their readers to enjoy the story as much as they enjoy being the ones to tell it. I cannot wait for my next adventure, though hopefully next time will suffice without the threat of tornadoes.

Ignite Me

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ignite Me is the final installment in Tahereh Mafi's dystopian trilogy. In this finale, Juliette has had a revelation and is ready to take down the Establishment and its ruthless leader. Once enemy, now tentative ally Warner is by her side and just as ready to see the world take on a new beginning. But battles, with enemies and friends alike, must be fought and won before victory can be declared.

This book can best be described as a rush. It could also be described as incredible, jaw-dropping, heart-racing, and genius.

Before I go into details about this book, I'd like to applaud Tahereh Mafi for her incredible talent, not only at writing in general, but for her construction of one of the best executed story arcs I've ever witnessed. None of the books in this series are similar to one another, and they don't fall into the common expectations of a trilogy arc. Each installment was a different and exciting chapter into the story of these characters and this world. Each responded to the other in the best possible way, and I don't know what sort of effort and talent it took to pull it off, but I know that I certainly don't have it.

But on to the book itself. We went into this knowing a few things that led us to believe this was not like its predecessors. There would be no strikethroughs in the text, which meant that we were in for a completely changed Juliette. I can honestly say there was no point in the story where I felt frustrated with her. She's finally stepped up to the plate and embraced herself, and figured out what it is she wants out of life. What's more, she's chomping at the bit to go after it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of depth we got from Kenji. In the past, he's been the wisecracking smartass who knew when to tell Juliette to quit her crying and start doing something about it. Here, however, we got to see his vulnerable side, and we also got a lot more development in he and Juliette's friendship. He doesn't always agree with her, and doesn't hide his emotions from her when he's upset, but he makes it clear that she can come to him and tell him anything, and that's incredibly refreshing.

I was...surprised by the way I found myself viewing Adam in this story. He above all the other characters has gone through the most change in my eyes, at least in how I viewed him throughout the novels. There are definitely moments in this book where I wanted to tear him a new one and smack him across the mouth, but we also get a lot of observation and perspective from Juliette, and I was able to make myself see why he was doing certain things. I like where the book left him.

By far the best part of this book, and the greatest amount of development, was with Warner. Oh, this boy. We've seen in Unravel Me that he's willing to be vulnerable with Juliette, but at the beginning of Ignite Me he's still incredibly guarded, even around her. And while he was not necessarily changed, as he feared, he finally broke down the walls that closed him off from everybody else, though he may not have enjoyed doing so at the time. I won't spoil things for you, but let it be said that I love Warner and I love seeing him develop as a person.

Those going into this book for the dystopian aspect won't be disappointed, but it should be said that the dystopian setting of the book is not the main plot. This story, and the series as a whole, is about Juliette and her journey from the mentally damaged, terrified girl in Shatter Me, to the fierce, confident, strong woman we leave in Ignite Me. What's going on with Sector 45 is not as highly developed as, say, The Hunger Games or the Divergent trilogy, but those are stories about a dystopian world and how it's changed by the people in it. The Shatter Me series is the story of a girl in the middle of a dystopian world, and how she changes for the better within it.

The last five or so chapters rocketed by, and were largely what made this book feel like such a rush. You read through with Juliette's adrenaline in your viens, and it ends feeling like there could be more, but still ending in the best place for the story itself. I absolutely cannot wait to see what Tahereh Mafi has in store for her readers next, knowing that I'll devour it just as readily.

I also might even be meeting Tahereh, and a few other authors, next week! If I can swing it,  I'll be attending the Dark Days tour stop in Tennessee. Let's hope I don't pass out from being too starstruck.

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