Hello again, CSU! Wow, it feels like it has been forever since I last posted. Time certainly flies. I’m shocked that we’re already back in class. Personally, I wasn’t quite ready to return, but oh well. No rest for the weary, eh?

My winter break was full of family time, fun, and festivities. I turned 21 on the 13th of January (woot!), and I’m excited to share with you the wonderful books I got as gifts. I’ve already read 4 books this month, and one of them is definitely toward the top of my list of favorite books to read. So hold on tight, because this is going to be a whirlwind of pages and plot points. Here we go!

Due to my general laziness, I had no desire to drive all the way to the library when I had a perfectly good Kindle just waiting for some attention. So I booted it up, cursed the Jefferson County Public Library’s new website layout, and then finally decided on a few books to check out. My favorite, by far, was Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. Here is the book summary from Amazon:

“Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption.”

Rossi writes in a dual perspective, which I usually dislike, but she does it amazingly well. This dual perspective usually takes away the main male character’s mystery for me, but that was not the case at all with Perry. Rossi used the dual perspective to develop him and the relationship he has with his surroundings smoothly and realistically. As for Aria, I truly enjoyed her. Most female leads make me want to bash my head repeatedly on a hard surface. They are usually either too pathetic to so much as butter their own bread or so independent that I wonder why there are any other characters in the book at all. She may as well take over the world single handedly (and look hot while doing it), right? Psh. But Aria wasn’t like this at all. She had a realistic mixture of strength and weakness, bravery and cowardice. I loved both of the main characters equally, which is very rare for me. And on top of it all, this is the first book of a trilogy! (And I love trilogies.) If you like a book with some post-apocalyptic undertones and tasteful romance, this one is for you.

Now, onto some of the books I was gifted for Christmas and my birthday.

I’ve wanted to read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor for quite some time now, and I’ve finally got the first two books in my clutches! I finished reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone while I was home for break, and have since started on the second book, Days of Blood and Starlight. I’ll admit the books aren’t what I’d imagined they would be, but honestly, it doesn’t even matter. Taylor weaves intricate and fascinating plot lines, and her characters are unique all the way down to their clawed feet and serpent tails. (I’m not saying anymore. Go get the book and you’ll know what I’m talking about!)

I’ve yet to read some of the other books I’ve gotten, including The Death Cure by James Dashner, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and yes, the entirety of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. (Here’s a tidbit of information: J.K. Rowling used only her first initials because the publishers thought the books would sell better to boys if her full name wasn’t on the cover. Interesting, huh? Marketing strategies!)

But reading isn’t all I did over break. (I ate a lot, too.) I also started the editing process on the novel I finished in November, Fire Tongue. I’ll tell you what, it takes a long time for 615 pages to print. But wow, it feels seriously good to hold all of those pages and think, I did this. All of these words are mine, and now I’m holding them in my hands. It’ll take me quite a while to edit this book, so don’t be surprised if many of my blog posts from here on out are filled with the pleasures and perils of manuscript revision. I’ve got quite the journey ahead of me.
Until next week. Enjoy the warm weather (while it lasts).

Natalie can be reached at blogs@collegian.com