Read with Me - Tales of a Wannabe Author, Cosplayer, and Blogger

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review Fifty Shades Freed by E. L. James. It's the third book of the Fifty Shades Trilogy, and it continues Anastasia and Christian's relationship as well as deals with the threats being made to the couple. But enough about that, let's get onto the review! The good news is that this book has kept up with the pacing from the second book. The bad news is that it brings up problems, doesn't really address those problems, and then it miraculously fixes them by the end of the book. Nothing is ever really addressed until someone's life is at stake and then suddenly problems don't really mean much. While that may be true for a little while, it should really just be a salve to the problem, not a solution. I was just a little frustrated over these plot points. Another thing that I have a problem with is the use of unnecessary flashbacks. We get them right in the beginning of the book, and the only reasons they are r

Hello, everyone! I'm back and I'm here to review Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James, the second book of the Fifty Shades Trilogy. It continues Christian and Ana's turbulent relationship, beginning with their temporary hiatus. From there, the dynamic duo faces overbearing bosses, stalker ex-subs, and relationship drama. But enough about that. Let's get onto the review! The first thing I have to mention is that the pacing has changed dramatically from the first book. There are a lot more things going on other than their relationship that help move the plot foreword. There's something other than Anastasia's and Christian's relationship that made me want to read more. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy their relationship, including all of its ups and downs. We get more back story on Christian, and we get to see a few of his exes, which is pretty telling. We get to see a glimpse of his life pre-Ana, and it's kind of scary. We also see a lot of

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review Fifty Shades of Grey , the movie. Now, there have been some negative things said about this movie, but it has also grossed $81.7 million in a mere three days. So, there is something to be said about the movie's appeal. Maybe that has something to do with the Valentine's Day movie rush or the fact that sex sells. I don't know, but I will tell you my experience and what I thought about the movie. Let's get onto the review! So my first impression of this movie was ten minutes of silence. Literally, we had visuals, but no audio for the first ten minutes of the movie. So while the manager of the movie theater worked on fixing the problem, my friend and I commented on our lead characters. To be honest, we weren't that impressed. For one, Christian Grey, who was played by Jamie Dornan, didn't look that intimidating. He just kind of looked like he was bored or confused most of the movie. I wasn't expected a

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James. The book started off as Twilight fan fiction, but has now been converted into it's own series. It tells the story of Anastasia Steele, an innocent English major, and Christian Grey, a dominating multimillionaire. After a chance meeting Mr. Grey pursues Ana, and she tries to come to terms with her feelings for him and his domineering nature. But enough about that! Let's get down to the nitty gritty! First, I will say that I was a little hesitant about reading and reviewing this book. For one, it's a bit of a controversial topic, which I tend to stay away from. I didn't know how I would feel about it previously being fan fiction. By that, I mean I wasn't sure if I would be constantly comparing it Twilight. Then, I wasn't sure if it would be my type of book. I'm read some romances, even some with BDSM themes, but the hype surrounding this book made me feel like

Hello, everyone! I'm back and I'm here to review Fairest by Marissa Meyer. This is a prequel to the Lunar Chronicles from Queen Levana's point of view. It begins with her as a sixteen year old princess looking for love, and then everything goes to crap. But to be fair, we all knew that was going to happen. But enough about that, let's get onto the review! So, let's talk about Levana. After all, she is the main character of this story. I know many of you wouldn't have guessed this, but the truth is Levana is a bit crazy. It's true. She's stuck in the same mindset she had when she was sixteen, which is "I will be the best queen," and "this guy loves me." But part of me thinks that's not completely her fault. I mean, she lives in world where everyone is deceitful. She is constantly bombarded with images and illusions that are not real. It's hard to trust anyone when everyone you look at is a potential lie. It makes it that

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to give you some ideas on what to get your book lover come Valentine's Day. I think I've got a good mix here for all kinds of book lovers. If you're interested in in any of these products, click the picture, and it will send you to the product's website. But enough about that, let's get onto the list! Of course, the first thing I have to mention is a book. One very popular Young Adult romantic novel is Anna and the French Kiss by Stephenie Perkins. Chances are, if you follow any Booktuber on Youtube, you've probably seen them talk about Anna and the French Kiss . It's also on my To-Read list, and I think that it would be good for your honey on Valentine's Day. If you are looking for something with a little more action (no, not that type of action; get your head out of the gutter) with a sci-fi twist, I suggest Lux: Begginnings by Jennifer L. Armentrout. You can get the soft cover of these books on A

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger. This book is for my American Lit after 1945 class, and this novel tells two stories. One is of Franny and her boyfriend Lane on a disastrous date. The second is Franny having a mental breakdown and her brother Zooey trying to comfort her but still trying to keep it real. But enough about that, let's get onto the review! Now, these stories were written in the 1950s, a post-modern society. Experimentation was big with authors, and this book is one result of such experimentation. It focuses on the idea that people are given a "script" or they assign themselves one. Then they try to emulate that script. Sometimes it comes off well. Sometimes it ends up with you ready to vomit in a fancy restaurant bathroom. In this novel, you see people who try to force themselves into their box and others who are desperately trying to stay out of the box. I like the concept that the book is pla

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review Cress by Marissa Meyer, the third book of the Lunar Chronicles series. This book is centered on Cress, the Rapunzel character, who is stranded on a satellite. She meets the rest of the gang, and they come together to stop the impending marriage of Emperor Kai and Queen Levana. But enough about that. Let's get onto the review! I like to call this book "The Book Where the Characters start to Grow on Me." Granted, that is a long title, but it rings true. Two characters in particular that I've grown to like are Captain Thorne (previously known as just Captain in the last review) and Dr. Erland. The reason Thorne has started to grow on me is mostly due to Cress, who is awesome by the way. You really start to see the good in him, despite the fact that he does whatever he deems as the best for him. Cress makes him better, at least for a little while. It's still up in the air on how their relationship is going