BBCP: If Book Characters Were Superheroes

Welcome back to another year of BBCP! Last year, Nori created the Book Blogger Creativity Project and I am so happy to be able to participate in it again. This year, myself and a group of five other bloggers will basically be either comparing our favorite characters to superheroes, or creating their own. Today, I'll be comparing my faves to my faves. In dedication to the release of Suicide Squad, I now present to you my bookish superheroes.

Clearly I would begin this post with a character from my favorite trilogy - June Iparis from Legend. This girl is literally Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow. If I had an all superhero squad assembly like the Avengers or X-Men, I would kill to have June on my squad. June has spent a good amount of her time at Drake training in the arts of military tactics, which makes her an excellent fighter, great analyst, and overall a certified badass. I'm sure if you got June and Natasha pegged against each other, they'd be going at each other for days on end - because that's just how good each of them are. I also really love girl power, so hell yes to June and Nat.

Next up, Alina Starkov from Shadow and Bone. Alina is basically Sunspot from the X-Men, who can absorb solar radiation and then use it in a variety of ways. Sunspot can fire heat and solar power from practically every part of his body, use thermal energy to fly, and produce the heat of a thousand suns, and he's one of my favorite superheros ever. Now if you know Alina, you know this girl can pack a punch with her sun powers. She is the literal light of the Grishaverse and knows how to use her powers to her advantage. Honestly add Sunspot and Alina together and the whole world would combust. 

These two amazing female main characters, who I already consider superheroes, would change the world as we know it. Since I'm a massive Marvel fan, I knew this post would be fun to write up. Are there any book to superhero comparisons that you can make? Let me know in the comments below!!

Mid-Year Freak Out Tag

Jess brought this tag to my attention and I thought it was the perfect time to do it! I've done a good bit of reading this year, and would love to share with all of you my favorites so far. Feel free to participate!

Best Book(s) You've Read in 2016

       

The Raven King (review) by Maggie Stiefvater is one of the greatest series enders I've ever had the pleasure to read. Maggie knows her craft and knows how to keep her readers engaged till the end. the gangsey's wellbeing was my main concern going into this book, but Maggie knew how to toy with your emotions till the very end! I loved Maggie's writing throughout the series, but this fourth installment felt darker and more real. 

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff was so amazing. I just finished this and was wowed by how great this was. The writing is so beautiful and excellently crafted. I felt so connected to this story the whole way through. Jay Kristoff knows how to torture his readers. Reading this book was a roller coaster of emotions and developing deeper feelings for these characters I grew to love. I need the second book now.

Best Sequel You've Read So Far in 2016

       

A Court of Mist and Fury (review) by Sarah J. Maas. If you know me, you'll know I had the best time reading this sequel. I loved the direction this story took and the introduction of new characters, settings, and feelings. acomaf is brilliant overall and I cannot wait for acotar #3. 

Gemina (review) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I loved Illuminae with all of my heart. When I was able to get my hands on a copy of Gemina, I was so incredibly happy. Speeding through it, I was presented with the same magic I found in the first book. The storyline was fantastic and I loved the additional characters that now make up the Illuminae group. I cannot wait for the third book. This is one of my favorite trilogies by far.

New Release You Haven't Read Yet But Want To

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but I still haven't read it! I have it waiting patiently on my shelf for when I come home and I swear I'm gonna read it this summer. 

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year

       

I am so ready for The Midnight Star, but not ready for the end of The Young Elites. I love the character diversity featured in this trilogy and the intensity that is presented and amped with every book. Marie Lu is one of my favorite authors, so obviously I'm always ready for her work.

Six of Crows was one of my favorite reads of 2015, so clearly I am so excited and in need of Crooked Kingdom. After the way Six of Crows ended, I've been in dire need of the conclusion. Leigh Bardugo is another one of my favorite authors, so I'll be signing away my soul twice this fall to both of these beautiful ladies.

Biggest Disappointment

This Savage Song (review) by Victoria Schwab. sigh I felt like I was obligated to really love this, but I didn't. It was really slow to me, compared to the synopsis. I was expecting fast paced, with monster fighting and sick action, but half of the book was spent at snails pace. This isn't going to stop me from reading her other books, but I was definitely let down (maybe because of all the hype).

Biggest Surprise

Tell Me Three Things (review) by Julie Buxbaum. I really did pick this one up on a whim, not expecting to be as pleased as I was. I loved this book and now recommend it to everyone in need of a fast, cute read. 

Favorite New Author

Emily Henry! She knocked it out of the park for me with The Love That Split The World (review), and now I know she will be one of my favorite authors for a long time. Her writing really struck a chord in me and I cannot wait for her future books. Besides being a wonderful author, she is the sweetest person. I've had the honor of speaking to her many times online and can confirm that she is a ball of light. 

Newest Fictional Crush

I love Julian Blackthorn so much. Lady Midnight (review) by Cassandra Clare is one of my favorite reads of 2016 and gosh I cannot wait for Lord of Shadows. Julian is just the sweetest, fiercest, most beautiful boy and I'm so happy this fictional boy is in my life.

Newest Favorite Character

I loved and greatly appreciated the sorcerer gang in this book. A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess introduces you to a wonderful group of boys who kick butt and I loved them so much. Also, strong ass female lead, which made me love it even more. 

A Book That Made You Cry

bye

A Book That Made You Happy

         

As you know from above, or from following me on twitter, you know The Love That Split The World (review) by Emily Henry really impacted me. 

Dreamology (review) by Lucy Keating was just so cute and fun, I loved it so much. As soon as I finished I felt so happy and full of life - I need another book like this.

Favorite Post You've Done This Year

My discussion post "Body Positivity in YA!" I thought it was incredibly important to write, nothing only for myself, but for others.

Most Beautiful Book You've Bought This Year

I really don't know which was the most beautiful book I bought this year. I'm just gonna say Lady Midnight, because I love that cover, but I'm not home and can't look at my bookshelf to decide the final answer. 

What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year

        

            

and there you have it! this was tons of fun to write up and I hope you had fun reading through my favorite reads of 2016 so far. did you write up a mid year freak out tag? link me to it here! 

Captain America Book Tag!

because I love cap, I've decided to participate in this lovely book tag created by Morgan @ Gone With The Words! creds to her for this graphic. 

Steve Rogers/Captain America: 

a book with a big character transformation 

• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I think every single character involved in this book underwent a serious transformation. Between acotar and acomaf, Feyre becomes an entirely different person, and our perspectives on others alter. 

Peggy Carter:

a book with a strong female protagonist 

• Legend by Marie Lu. June Iparis is everything I aspire to be in my lifetime. She is vigilant, a fighter, so incredibly smart, and just an overall badass. June is one of my favorite female protagonists and Legend is my favorite trilogy, so it only seemed fitting that she was my answer. 

Bucky Barnes:

a book with your ultimate brotp

• The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. This series is literally just full of a bunch of brotps; Ronan and Gansey, Ronan and Blue, Noah and Blue, Ronan and Blue. I lived for all of their snide remarks, sarcastic comments, and squad goal moments. My copy of The Raven King is bookmarked with every Blue and Ronan moment, because I love them way too much. 

Howling Commandos:

a book with squad goals

• The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. I love the black betty crew sooo much. Ruby, Liam, Chubs, and Zu experienced one hell of a trip in that van. These kids would do anything for the other - protect, avenge, and find at all costs. They're a squad I would want by my side through anything. 

Red Skull:

a book with a cliche plot

• The Selection by Kiera Cass. must I say more?

Natasha Romanoff:

a book with a snarky side character

• The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. alright, she isn't really snarky, but I think she's one of the best side characters ever and that's Iko. She made Cinder so freaking funny and enjoyable, and the rest of her commentary throughout the series is genius. Iko is a fantastic side character with more to her than just being an android. 

Sam Wilson:

a book where the characters meet in a cute way

• Dreamology by Lucy Keating. Well, Max and Alice met each other in their dreams and travelled the world together, swam in pools of milk, and chased fish, so I think they win. 

Winter Soldier

a book with a great twist

• Illuminae and Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. These two books were full of twists and turns, and things that made my head spin. These two authors know how to toy with their readers and have us wrapped around their tiny fingers. I've never experienced so much stress while reading a book, but these two got my stress amplified to unhealthy levels. 

I'm Just A Kid From Brooklyn:

a book with a memorable setting/character backstory

• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Celaena Sardothien has one of the most complex and heavy backgrounds I think I've ever read about for a character. She's gone through a lot of emotional and physical turmoil, but that girl does not play around. Celaena is strong and sure, and she knows what sort of hell she is capable of rising. 

Do You Two ... Fondue? 

a book with a love triangle

• The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. The most beautifully written love triangle in existence - yes! I'm talking about you herongraystairs. This love triangle wasn't annoying, or petty, but wonderfully angsty and sigh I love it so much. 

You've Been Asleep, Cap:

a book you love with time travel/dual timeline 

• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. I really loved Passenger. I thought the time travel aspect was nicely executed and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters introduced to us. There was a lot of adventure, substance, and problems to be addressed in the next book, which I'm super excited for. 

Til The End of The Line:

a book with the otp to end all otps

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Noah Shaw and Mara Dyer, aka madness, is the greatest otp of all the otps. I love their story and their relationship, and I can't wait to see what's in store for them in The Shaw Confessions. It's gonna be in Noah's point of view ... I'm going to go crazy. 

I Had A Date:

a book with a cliffhanger

• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. holy crap, the way this book ended has been haunting me for the past year. It is finally July, so I know Crooked Kingdom is right around the corner, but Leigh really has me by the throat right now. 

That's it folks! I hope you enjoyed my Captain America book tag, courtesy of Morgan @ Gone With The Words! Feel free to participate yourself, but I'll be tagging:

Alex @ Fiery Reads

Jess @ Princessica of Books

Gee @ A Book and A Cup of Coffee

What was your favorite part of this tag? Which ones do you agree with? I hope to see your tags - leave them in the comments below! 

The Coffee Book Tag

*all graphics used in this post were made by Giselle herself! creds to you, gee!!

The always awesome, ever so great Giselle over at A Book and a Cup of Coffee recently tagged me in The Coffee Book Tag, and I just had to do it! Despite my lack of a knack for coffee, I just loved the idea and premise of this, so here goes it. 

So this series isn't tough to get into, but the fans are extremely loyal and scary. That series is Divergent. The fans will attack and defend at even the slightest bit of a diss against their favorite Fourtris moment. 

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. I always see along with My True Love Gave To Me become more popular during the Winter and I certainly don't see why not! Everyone loves a good holiday romance, so why not enjoy a good peppermint mocha while reading these three jolly stories.

My favorite children's book has to be Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo! That little mouse brought me so much joy as a child and I can still remember reading this story out in the backyard when the year was nearing November.

Cress by Marissa Meyer is the last book I read that had me on the edge of my seat. This book was full of suspense and incredible plot building. It was completely enthralling and kept me turning the pages faster than my mind could keep up. Watch out for my review of Cress! 

A book that I've been seeing everywhere lately is Winter by Marissa Meyer! Considering this the final, epic installment of the Lunar Chronicles, the promo is incredibly well deserved. After hearing so much about Winter, I picked up Cinder and haven't been able to put the series down since. I'm currently reading Winter and am extremely excited to read this finale!

Shoutout to Heidi Heilig and The Girl From Everywhere which I am so extremely excited to read! Heidi is extremely sweet and I've heard nothing but amazing things about her debut, which is why it is one of my most anticipated reads!

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Although I enjoyed most of this book,  I found it terribly slow. While the writing was impeccable, I just could not dive into the book as much as I wanted to. I ended up skimming the ending in order to move on! Though this was a tough read for me, I've heard greater things about the sequel, This Shattered World, so I'll give that a shot soon!

The Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin. The trilogy had me on an intense roller coaster ride with no seatbelt. I was pummeled and spit on, and brought so much pain, but I loved it. Of course there could never be enough Madness, so with Michelle writing the Shaw Chronicles I will be left satisfied for now - especially knowing that there's more to come.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. There is something so unique about the writing style of this book that was captivating and intriguing.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling had me dreaming of dragons and faraway lands for weeks. Considering Harry Potter is all magic and a giant castle, it seems only fit that I'm dreaming of attending Hogwarts and visiting distant wizarding worlds.

Yikes, considering I've only ever read one classic I guess by default it's my favorite? (slaps self) My by default favorite classic would be The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

and now I tag you, yes you, to complete this extravagant tag - even if you don't drink coffee (like me)

The Halsey Book Tag

I've been a bit obsessed with Halsey's album Badlands for quite some time and I've seen this tag a couple of times (specifically on Lady Knight Reads), so I decided to join in on the fun! 

1) Castle: your favorite queen

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen --- queen of my heart. The first time I heard Castle I was actually automatically reminded of her, so it's seems only perfect that she's my answer now!

2) Hold Me Down: a series you just can't seem to quite no matter how hard you try

The Selection Series by Kiera Cass! The first two books in this series were not that bad, but then as we got into The One and The Heir, I realized how unnecessary they were - but I can't put them down! They are somehow incredibly intriguing and difficult to put down. 

3) New Americana: the friend group you'd want by your side during the apocalypse

The Black Betty Gang from The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken! Not only are they incredibly fun, but I think they'd be especially useful when the world is falling apart. Also, considering the amount of turmoil they endure in this series, the apocalypse would be a piece of cake. 

4) Drive: a couple that needs to communicate better

All throughout In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken, I wanted to slap Ruby and Liam for not communicating as well as I hoped they would. It was overall frustrating, but the amount of Rubiam scenes I did get made my heart flutter.

5) Hurricane: favorite standalone

Papertowns by John Green. I know some people have problems with this book, but it's one of my favorites and just so happens to be sitting right in front of me, so that must be why I chose it.

6) Roman Holiday: cutest contemporary couple

Eleanor and Park from Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park. I thought the chemistry between these two was incredibly sweet and innocent, and it was just so refreshing from some of the romances featured in books nowadays. 

7) Ghost: most tragic break-up *scroll down if you don't wanna be spoiled!!*

Not entirely sure this counts as a break up, but I'm gonna say J*** and D** from the Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu. This broke my heart into tiny pieces, but the epilogue fixed my heart right back up with disney band-aids.

8) Colors: one of your favorite characters who cause you a lot of pain because of the terrible decisions they make

Adelina Amouteru I'm looking at you. Adelina from The Young Elites is, surprisingly, one of my favorite characters despite her dark soul, but the more we see of her, the more my hurt hearts. She continues down such a dark path, that it almost seems impossible that she'll be able to fix it. 

9) Strange Love: a character people dislike, but you love

Maven Calore from Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - and that's all you're getting out of me!

10) Coming Down: best sexy time scene

That one clace scene in City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. Nice one folks, put that down in the record books!

11) Haunting: a book or character you're still thinking about

Pretty sure I've spent 90% of every waking moment since reading The Darkest Minds thinking about Liam Stewart. Other than that, Kaz Brekker you have my heart. 

12) Gasoline: favorite (self-) destructive character

I don't really know one? Maybe you could answer this question for me?

13) Control: best villain

Well considering that I dedicate this song to Adelina, I'm gonna have to make her my answer for the second time. Every time I hear this song I automatically think about Adelina and the amount of crap she and other people, because of her, have to endure. You go girl, be that villain.

14) Young God: characters that secretly worship each other

Dorian and Chaol.

15) Trouble: toxic relationship you ship

The first thing that came to my mind was The Darkling and Alina from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, so I'm sticking with it, but really I think Alina should be an independent woman. 

So that was my Halsey book tag and now I challenge you to complete this tag as well! 

The Disney Princess Tag

Hey guys! Someone made an awesome tag featuring some of our favorite Disney princesses and books, and I really wanted to participate! Kaitlin over at Next Page Please brought this tag to my attention. Here we go!

Snow White - Name your favorite classic
I don't really read classics, but Gulliver's Travels is one of my favorites from the few I have read!

Cinderella - Name a book that kept you reading well past your bed time
I'm pretty sure I stay up well past my bed time for any book ever, but some of the more recent reads that have kept me up include The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, and Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (also HP7 had me up for two days straight I didn't know sleep until I finished it).

Aurora - Name your favorite classic romance
Sigh, once again I don't really read classics, so I don't know what to put here! Instead I'll just mention one of my favorite romance novels and that's Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.

Ariel - Name a book that's about sacrifices and fighting for your dreams
Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter

Belle - Name a book with a smart and independent female character
June Iparis from the Legend Trilogy! June never failed to be a badass, intelligent, and strong character - after all she's a prodigy!

Jasmine - Name a book with a character who challenged the social conventions of his or her world
The Giver by Lois Lowry. Jonas definitely challenged the social conventions of his world by straight up leaving.

Pocahontas - Name a book whose ending was a roller-coaster of emotions
I'm gonna have to go with Allegiant (sigh) by Veronica Roth and also, City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. Hopefully I don't need to explain why Allegiant was such a roller-coaster of emotions, but just know that I wanted to fight each character so bad. The TMI crew went through so much trauma, I couldn't believe that even when it was over there was still so much!

Mulan - Name a book with a kick-ass female character
The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas! Not only was Celaena a great kick-ass character, but Nehemia was as well.

Tiana - Name a book featuring a hardworking, self-made character 
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Tessa is extremely hardworking, making her one of my favorite female characters.

Rapunzel - Name a book that features an artist
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - when Mara draws Noah in her sketchbook ... nice. 

Merida - Name a book that features a mother/daughter relationship 
Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. We rarely get to read about the parents in YA, so being able to read about Maddy and her mother was very special. They were incredibly close, which made it even more great to read about!

Anna and Elsa - Name a book that features a great relationship between siblings
Well well, it's no surprise that I would mention another book by Cassandra Clare for this one. Alec and Isabelle have a great relationship that is all about trust and watching out for each other.

Hope you all find the incentive to complete this tag, because I tag you to do it! 

The Reading Habits Tag

You certainly learn a lot about a person from their reading habits - so I hope you learn some new things about me from this tag! Thanks for tagging me, Gee!

Do you have a certain place at home for reading? 
Most of the time I read on my bed, but we have a hammock outside that I love swinging and reading on when the weather permits it!

Bookmark or random piece of paper?
I'm not really sure if this counts as a random piece of paper or not, but I usually use concert tickets as my bookmarks. Right now I'm using a concert ticket from my Echosmith concert when I was in LA - it's snug and cozy in my copy of In The Afterlight.

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a certain chapter/a certain amount of pages? 
During the night I usually try (keyword try) to make it to the end of the chapter that I'm reading, but if I end up too sleepy, I'll just drop the book right then and there. When I'm not sleepy I give myself a page goal, which, by the way, I'm very consistent in keeping up with.

Do you eat or drink while reading?
Yes! I love snacking on fruit or just drinking water - gotta keep myself hydrated (since I'm most likely sweating over something that happened in the book).

Multitasking: music of TV while reading? 
I always listen to music when I read, but if it gets really intense or I get worked up, I'll have to turn the music off and calm down. Sometimes when I'm reading a book at night and things start getting creepy, I'll turn on my TV so I have some company - nothing beats creepy plot twists more than Girl Meets World.

One book at a time or several at once?
I almost never read more than one book at a time. There are situations where I do start a book and get halfway, then start another book and completely forget about the other, if that counts as reading several at a time.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?
I mostly read silently in my head, but there is some dialogue that craves to be read aloud.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
Keeping it like new! There are a few exceptions to this rule, however. My paperback copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is absolutely destroyed due to the amount of times I've read it. Sometimes even my pure carelessness has made me accidentally break the spine; my copy of City of Bones, for example.

Do you write in your books?
Oh gosh, no. I don't find it particularly pleasing to deface a book by annotating it, but if I really enjoyed a certain section I'll add a little tab to the page! There are these loch ness monster tabs that I really want, because they're absolutely adorable!!

To anyone reading this post, I tag you to complete this tag! If you've already had the chance to complete it, leave your link below!