Meeting Alwyn Hamilton!

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! So I just found this post in the drafts of my blog and realized that I never posted it. Unfortunately, I can't find the pictures I had of me and Alwyn. So here is my post, months late! Sorry!


Just an hour ago I was talking to Alwyn Hamilton, the author of Rebel of the Sands, which just came out on the first of March! Rebel of the Sands was one of my most anticipated reads, and I had such an amazing experience.

Discussion: Does Reading Experience Affect My Rating?

I've been thinking about this topic for quite a while now. Does my general reading experience affect my rating of a book? Am I able to separate the two?

The short answer to the latter question is NO. 

My reading experience is actually a big factor to my level of enjoyment of a novel. If I am busy and it takes me weeks to read one book, it will not get as high of a rating if I read it in one day. I wouldn't be as connected to the characters, and I might even forget parts of the plot. 

Take one of my most recent reads, Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, for example. My schedule has been pretty hectic, and reading has taken a back burner. I read the book in three sittings, but they were spread out among 18 days. When I finally sat down and finished the book, I didn't care for the characters as much. Finishing the book suddenly became more important than me completely understanding the book. I didn't get some references from earlier in the book, and I sadly didn't care enough to go back and refresh my memory. 

Some of my mediocre reading experience can be attributed to my actions. However,  it still spoke to me that after a week of not reading a book, I completely forgot some of what had happened in the first third of the novel. Rebel of the Sands didn't capture my intrigue enough for me to keep thinking and wanting to read it. Should that affect my rating?

To be honest, I think yes. If a book doesn't fully grab me that I'm not stop thinking about it, that means that there is something lacking in the story for me. I've had many experiences lately where I look back at my reading experiences and notice that my rating is very much correlated to it. 

A couple month ago, I railed on both The Fill in Boyfriend and Biggest Flirts. Looking back, I wasn't in the right mood for contemporary and yet forced myself to read the two. I was too critical and cynical while reading the books because I wanted to be reading something else the whole entire time. But should I go back and change my rating? Well, that is for a whole entire other discussion post. 

Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Book Review: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of the Sands was so much fun!

The novel started off with a bang (quite literally) and never slowed down. Amani lives in a dead end town and is looking for a way to escape when a foreigner comes along and changes everything. All of a sudden she's on the run with a stranger as an ally. Jin, the male lead, is everything I wanted in a male protagonist for this novel. I haven't completely fallen in love with him, but it is bound to happen.

My only wish is that my reading experience was different. I have been so busy these past couple weeks, and so it took me a long time to finish this book. Goodreads says 18 days, but I only sat down three different times to read this book. I know that if I had more free time, I would've felt more connected to the story and the characters.

By far my favorite character is Amani. She is such a headstrong heroine, and I absolutely loved reading from her perspective. Out of the secondary characters, I liked Shazad the best. She's yet another kick-ass female character, and I loved how Hamilton had females on the same playing field as men.

The second half of the novel took a different turn than I was expecting. I wouldn't say I liked it less, but it kind of threw me off. However, I am looking forward to where this new plot will take us. Amani's struggles have just become a lot more complex, and seeing it unravel in the next book will be one heck of a ride.

My only worry is that the series will end up feeling rushed. The world of this series is so complex, and I don't want it to be brushed over so that the story finishes nicely. I'd rather have this series become a quartet if it means that the world building is stronger. Hamilton knows what she's doing, so I still am hopeful!

I would recommend this to any fantasy lover. I'm quite a newbie to the YA fantasy, but I think even veterans would appreciate this. I can see this trilogy becoming one of my favorites out there. Amani and Jin's relationship is slow burning and I love it.  The plot is original and the characters strong. This story took twists and turn I was not expecting, and I really appreciated it. I normally can anticipate the "gotcha" moments, but this one really took me aback! Hats off to Alwyn Hamilton!

Overall, Rebel of the Sands is a strong opening novel to what can be a fantastic fantasy trilogy. The series holds true promise and I am looking forward to the second novel that will be coming out next year. I wish I could've had a better reading experience, because it negatively affected my enjoyment of the book.

With that, I give this book

4 out of 5 Stars!
 

Have you read Rebel of the Sands? What did you think?

Thanks guys for visiting and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Currently Reading: Feuds, Rebel of the Sands (March 2016)

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I'm doing my monthly currently reading post! I was supposed to do this earlier this month, but I forgot... Everyone makes mistakes!

So right now I have just picked up Feuds by Avery Hastings. I mean that in the most literal sense; I'm only on page 15! Because of this, I don't really have any grasp or feeling about the book. It did get a bit info-dumpy, but the world is simple enough that I don't think I'd mind it. The novel is pretty small (261 pages), so I'm thinking I'll be done with this by the end of the week, or possibly sooner if I get really into it!

After that, I am going to be picking up Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I've been dying to pick this up and considering that my spring break starts on Friday, (YAY!) I know I'll be reading this one. In fact, I actually just met Alwyn this past Sunday, and it pushed me to read the book even more. I'll be making a post about that and putting it out there soon!


After those two, I don't really know what will happen. I'm looking for a light, easy read that would be perfect for spring break. Clockwork Prince definitely isn't that, but I did pick it up a couple days ago and haven't opened it since, so I might be revisiting that. There's also a good possibility of me reading the last book in The 100 trilogy, because I have that on my phone.

Besides that, I don't have much going on! I'm planning on doing a whole lot of reading, sleeping, and Netflix-ing this spring break. I haven't had a solid amount of relaxation for a while, so that's what I am really looking forward to.

What books are you currently reading?

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

EXCITING NEWS!

Hey guys! I'm Genni and today I'm sharing some exciting news!

At the start of this month, I became a member of the Teen Advisory Board at  Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh. It's a pretty popular spot for authors to stop by on their tours, and I'm so excited for the opportunities it will bring!

However, the BIG news I bring you is this: I'm meeting Alwyn Hamilton tomorrow! If you didn't know, she just released her first debut novel, Rebel of the Sands, to a pretty great reception. The book has a 4.10 star average rating on goodreads!

Rebel of the Sands is a fantasy novel set in the desert. The main character is able to escape Dustwalk, a dead end town, with a fugitive. The synopsis also says she is going to fall in love with him! Here is the goodreads page for more information!

 I've been dying to get my hands on a copy, but unfortunately haven't been able to. But, when I see Alwyn Hamilton this Sunday, I'll have the chance to ask her some questions! So for any of you out there who are interested in Rebel of the Sands, please leave your question down below! I'll be sure to ask her at the meeting.

Make sure to leave a question! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading! :)

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!