Positive thoughts lead to Greatness

Think positive, achieve greatness.  

It should never be about the recognition received but rather the satisfaction of knowing you did something great. 

Sometimes we tend to overthink things.  When that happens, we don't really challenge ourselves for the fear of failure.  

Not knowing everything is ok. Not accepting it is the problem. 

It's ok to ask for help, humbling ourselves makes us that much greater. 

Treat others like you want to be treated. Find others talents and develop them. Empower and create leaders. 

Never be afraid. Keep moving forward, one step at a time; steady. 

Remember, only you can limit your greatness. 

The Wrath & the Dawn Review

Title: The Wrath & the Dawn (The Wrath & the Dawn #1)

Author: Renee Ahdieh

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (May 12, 2015)

This book was FANTASTIC!!! Makes me wonder why I delayed this book so much...

The Wrath and the Dawn was basically a retelling of A Thousand Nights (one of the best classics EVER!), but Ahdieh was able to mix Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin into the book.

Basically The Wrath and the Dawn was A Thousand Nights, with the big curse on the youngest Caliph in Khorasan history, also known as the "King of Kings". The "monster" of his book is Khalid, who at every dawn weds a new bride and kills her the next day. Turns out at around page 300, we find out the MAIN reason why Khalid (for how young he is) does this to many families. It's not because he's a cold hearted bastard, it's for his kingdom. I mean it's wrong, and it turns out the curse was out of jealousy from his first wife Ava (her father had done it when she was grieving and killed herself), and Khalid has been suffering it for almost 3 years now. but that doesn't mean he doesn't grieve along with the other families. Coincidentally, Shahrzad (I'll call her Shazi) is the last one so that the curse is broken, but Khalid ends up falling in love with her, because she's different from other girls.

Shazi isn't perfect. She had a lover before she volunteered to wed Khalid for vengeance on her best friends death (Shavi) who is also Tariq's sister. And of course Tariq (her lover) doesn't accept this, and works together with his uncle, her father, and an army of assassins to try to get her back; what they don't realize is that Shazi found out that Khalid isn't the cold-hearted bastard/monster everyone thought he was. Khalid is actually a human being, with a curse over his head and everyone closest to him knew, who felt guilty ten ties fold and actually wrote letters to ALL of the families of the women he killed himself at dawn.

Night after night, Shahrzad interests Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. Incredibly, Shahrzad over all of the grief, anger, hatred, and vengeance, she soon finds herself falling in love. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

This book is not only a romance, there is also magic (that I HOPE we will see more of in the sequel!), and turns out that when everyone thought that Khalid was the worst monster of them all? Think again. Because an unforeseen evil has just been awakened at the end of this book, and it's going to get ugly. This was just the beginning.

I loved the fact that Shazi was such a strong protagonist. She didn't show fear instead of the "monster" but made him show his true colors.

I loved her handmaiden and the alternative drama with her and Jalal (they need to work on that!)

I loved the scene where Shazi and Khalid were dressed as commoners and were able to explore the city as "regular" people (I LOVED THAT SCENE! GOODNESS!)

And I also liked the plot twists in the end, that was sure unexpected and that cliffhanger was the WORST! I need the sequel now!

P.S: I'm pretty sure the sequel is going to involve more background on Shazi's magic, Khalid's curse, and there is going to be a WAR! OH MY GOSH! 

Passenger Review

Title: Passenger (Passenger #1)

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Publisher: Disney Hyperion (January 5, 2016)

This book took me months to read. MONTHS. Because of exams, the slow pace of the book, and the writing style, it took me FOREVER to finish, but I finally DID IT!!!! WOOHOO! Now for the rating. I gave it a 2, because I liked the idea of time-traveling, I haven't read many YA novels having to do with time traveling and I jumped at the idea of finally reading a book with time traveling.

With Passenger I was able to tackle Bhutan (1910), New York City (2015), London (1940), Angkor (1685), Paris (1880), and Damascus (1599).

I will give points to Alexandra Bracken for having the ability to world build perfectly the many time periods mentioned in this novel, if I were able to write a time-travel book, I would fail miserably because I HATE history with a passion. Bracken was able to connect the time periods with the astrolabe perfectly, but for me as a fan of the supernatural, it fell short.

I'm not saying I hated or loved the book, I just believe that this book wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong I loved the premise of time traveling, a blonde chic falling in love with a African-American (sort of), music being the key to everything (with the G chord while playing the violin very original), and I LOVE THE COVER! GORGEOUS!

Summary: (in three parts)

i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda (this is where Sophie comes in and she's a real asshole) Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home (to be specific 1776) And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now. Turns out the time traveling is an undercover world where there are the actual travelers, and then the Guardians (which are people who would risk their lives for the travelers and Alice turns out to be one of them). Also, there are 4 families who control this time traveling world (the Lindens, Ironwoods, Thorn, and I can't remember the other one, but they died shortly after from Cyrus).

Then we have another point of view, Nicholas Carter who is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger (Etta) on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value (the Linden family's heirloom, astrolabe) one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, (the list is mentioned above) piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

Sounds interesting right? You go through a journey through the Seven seas on a ship with Nicholas and his crew, go through 7 different passages across time going through villages from the after effects of the World Wars, poverty, Gilded Age, the Cold War, the Progressive era, etc etc. you see different cultures represented in different parts of the world, and I just loved that.

With all of these positive remarks why the negative review? The writing fell flat. I tried so hard to keep myself motivated into completing the novel, but unfortunately with exams and other fun easy reads to read, this one was just thrown in the back of my to-reads pile. I was finally given the chance to finish this book today, and this is what I get: a history lesson, a marvelous journey through the world, an antsy romance, surprising betrayals, but with a very difficult and boring writing style. I had to skin trough most of the conversations to get through the good adventure parts of the novel, and that was mostly 75% of the book.

So after all of my ranting and confusing judgement of the novel, will I be reading the sequel? Only time will tell, because turns out the cover is just as GORGEOUS as this one, and I am deadly curious to find out what happened to Etta, Cyrus, Sophia, Rose, and Nicholas. Oh boy, this is going to be a wild ride

Just a thought...Mommy Quote.

Don't have a troubled heart....find and follow the way. It's not about longing...it's about relentlessly finding it.  

Pray, breathe and reflect. You hold the answers within you. 

To have a peaceful heart, always remember to do the right thing; weigh all your options, do not act impulsively, make sure you are comfortable with the decisions you are making. Remember, you will always have options, but you will not be able to change the result of a bad decision. Bad decisions will cause regret. 

Be clear and follow the right path. 

Wealth is in a clear and open heart. 

Words of Wisdom from Mom

Every day won't be great. People won't always be as you expect or hope them to be. But, that's ok. 

Remember to always be you. Be true to yourself. Don't change who you are to "fit in". It's ok to be original and different. 

You know what's right and you know what's wrong. Always make the best decision even if it isn't the popular one. At the end of the day, you have to be sure that you are the one that is comfortable. "You have to live with it."

Listen to advice, opinions and suggestions.  Take them and reflect. Have an open mind and weigh all your options. 

God will always stear you in the right directions. 

❤️ Mom

Always remember to smile. 😘

Today's thoughts from Mom

Life is made up of everyday opportunities and lessons to be learned (some good, some bad) that help form who we are today. 

It's all a matter of perspective.  Live and learn from these opportunities. They will make you that much better and stronger. 

Don't sweat the small stuff!  Keep the faith!  There is always a reason for the things that happen that are beyond our own understanding. 

❤️ Mom

Quote of the Day...

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.  -Maya Angelou

The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak

Sweet and refreshing. I really enjoyed reading this book. Every family has drama. Every family has secrets. But what happens when the possibility of secrets can destroy a family?  Nah, what if it were the complete opposite?

Maisy's marriage ended in divorce. Now with no where left to go she ends up back in her parents home only to bump into the person she never thought she would Rafe. 

Romance and family secrets with a twist of happily ever after.

Half Blood by Jennifer Armentrout

Great first novel. On to the second. 

What will happen with Alex and Aiden?  Obviously, there is some type of attraction there. But what is up with Seth!  Really!?!?

I really enjoyed this book. 

Alex is a very outgoing and difficult girl.  She is a childhood friend of Aiden but they really can't be together. (Her being a 1/2 blood and Aiden being a full blood). Her mother has turned into a deamon and is after her. She is protected in the covenant and is learning how to defend herself so she can become a sentinel. Her uncle now pretending to be a nice guy has brought Seth to protect her?  It is there an ulterior motive? 

Her uncle Mark is a bit aloof and her stepfather Luvicious sounds like a real jerk.  What is he hiding?

It turns out she will indeed become an Apollion when she reaches her 18th year.

How will that change her fate?  

On to the next book....

Managers vs Leaders

Anyone can be a manager. The word manager is exactly that, a word. 

A leader is someone who empowers and brings the best out of others. They are not jealous, but rather in encouraging. They are inspiring, not lowering. 

It brings them satisfaction to see others reach their max potential. 

Never let anyone take sparkle.

Always strive to be the best you can be. 

Remember, only you can limit yourself. 

The sky's the limit! 

When God throws you Lemons...

You make Lemonade. 

It's all about the way in which one approaches a problem. 

You can drown in your misery or step up and do something about it. 

It's all in the approach. 

No matter what life throws at you. 

Hang in there and make...lemonade. 😊

Keep the Faith!

If at all, never lose the faith. Faith can move mountains. Nothing is impossible, all in due time. 

Change a problem into a situation. Don't drown in a glass of water. Step back and analyze,  look at all your options. Everything has a solution...

Never stop trying to achieve greatness!

What really makes you happy? Money, power or contentment.

Everyone is different. Most will tell you, Money!  Power!  

But what about contentment? Being pleased with what you have. What does that mean...

We have a bad habit of looking at the person next to us and hoping we had something they have, sometimes even being upset of their successes. 

Everyone has their own problems and everyone has her own issues.  Being content doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to stop and settle, not being who you're really meant to be.   it just means being happy and satisfied with the what you currently have. Enjoy and savor every moment and never stop trying to reach and be who you are supposed to be. 

Doll Bones by Holly Black

I found this book not only odd but disturbing as a children's book. I feel that the content was a bit much (morbid) for younger children. I would have understood if it would have been geared more for teens. Had the intended audience been teens, I feel I would have rated it better. For example, had the kids gone their separate ways to later be reunited by similar dreams....a different twist. 

The story is about 3 childhood friends, Poppy, Zach, and Alisha. It tells us about their real life situations, their faithfulness to each other  and their imaginative play. As time passes these imaginative games are kinda placed to the side.  Until.....

The Queen.  Poppy's mom got the Queen at a sale. And has kept this doll  in a glass ever since. The Queen has a secret. 

How were these kids ever going to imagine that this doll would lead them on an adventure?  What is the real story behind this doll?  Why do they keep having dreams with Eliza?  Who is Eliza?

I feel that what happens to Eliza, the child behind the doll, is a bit much for a younger audience. 

I liked the story from the point when they get to the library and they're trying to follow the map to the cemetery and find the Willow tree. 

I don't think I'd recommend it to a younger audience though....

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

I really enjoyed this book. 

Being a controversial book and aware that different views expressed have been of both of  like and dislike, I wanted to read it out of pure curiosity.  What was all the Hoopla about?

I checked out an Audio copy from my local library and  listened to it in a couple of days. Honestly, I had to go back through some sections and make sure I didn't miss a thing. :). 

I couldn't put it down. Reese Witherspoon is the reader and she is wonderful. I kept thinking of her role in Sweet Home Alabama. :)

I loved Jean Louise. I loved how she had her opinion, how she didn't care what others thought about her and knew what she wanted. I loved the relationship she had with her uncle, how he was able to explain and answer questions that she felt were truly important. 

I didn't like Henry. He seemed to just roll with the punches and please people. 

I wasn't too happy with the role that Atticus played either. What was up with that?  This was something really difficult for Jean Louise (Scout) to comprehend. The way she idolized her father; he was a just and fair man. She was greatly disappointed when she realized what she always thought about her father was not really so. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I love reading books where I can learn and take something back. This book gave me a better understanding of how life was  for a girl in Maycomb, Alabama.

Fear vs Success

Don't let the fear of failing, deter you from achieving success. 

The darker and bumpier the road, the greater the outcome and success.

Faith moves mountains. 🙂

Smiles

Smiles are contagious. They can turn any situation around. Don't ever let anyone take it away. 😊😀