An Overwhelmed Creative

  Marissa Meyer didn't disappoint. I heard she was releasing the second book in this series and I bought the first book, Gilded. It was in my TBR pile for a few months, until I learned that Marissa Meyer herself was coming to our Barnes and Noble to do a signing! I reserved book two and started reading Gilded. I was about half-way when we met this wonderful author (known for her Lunar Chronicles, which I love, and her Renegade series, which I plan to read). She was great to meet in person, and her book is great. The story is a retelling of Rumpelstinskin, but everything she came up with, although different from the original, makes sense in the dark fantasy world that she created where the dead roam the earth and the dark ones come out once a month. The story is filled with myth and magic and suspense. And although the story ends in the second book, the evil forces are winning. I can't wait to read the second book to find out if the good guys will find a way to defeat the immort...

 What an amazing game!  My husband had recommended I play this game for the longest time. I remember watching him play once and thinking it didn't look like my cup of tea, but not that I've played it, I just loved it. The gameplay was good, but the story and characters were wonderful. The banter between Atreus and Kratos is the best thing about the game, and they do it in this beautiful world filled with color and details. There were puzzles to solve as I progressed through the main quest. I confess I didn't get much into the side quests. I did finish a few of them, and I did explore the world a bit in between tasks on the main quest, but the side quests weren't as impressive as those in Witcher 3 or Skyrim . Not that it mattered, the main quest was great fun and the experience I gained from it alone allowed me to upgrade my weapons and armor enough. I did have to go down a difficulty level after about an hour of gameplay because I kept dying horribly. I lowered it down...

  The sequel to the amazing Once Upon a Broken heart by Stephanie Garber was just as amazing as the first book. It was filled twists and surprises. This time, we got a bit more backstory on the Valors and the Vallory Arch finally opens. The relationship of Jacks and Evangeline grows more intimate, until it ... I wish I could say more. If I don't give spoilers, then I can tell you that I was in shock by the last chapter, and all I could say was: "This can't be the end!" And it won't. Phew! I just read Stephanie Garber's comment on Instagram where she says that this story is not over. She also says that, although she knows exactly the events that need to happen, she hasn't decided on the ending yet. I am, of course, on team Jacks-Evangeline, but we'll see what the master of twists and turns gives us for a finale. She's still writing this story, and I can only assume it'll be a while until I can get my hands on it and read it. In the meantime, the...