The Gayle Forman Read Along Where She Went Week 2 Answers

Hosted by Alexa Loves Books

1. Adam's new girl, Bryn, has definitely made an appearance now. What do you think of how they first met? And what do you think of Bryn herself?

I don't care much for Bryn. I don't think in reality I really gave her a fair chance because I'm rooting for Adam to be with Mia, but I also don't think Bryn is the right girl for Adam.

2. If someone important from your past showed up again in your present after you'd left things on an awkward note, how would you react? Awkward? Excited? Nervous? Angry? Sad? Afraid?

I would be nervous. It was hard for Adam and Mia to come back into each other lives. They had to work through the awkwardness to come to a place where they could just talk. 

3. Mia and Adam attempted a few months at a long-distance relationship while Mia was in New York. What is your opinion on long-distance relationships?

I have never been in a long distance relationship, but they are hard even just keeping a relationship with my family while I'm at college is hard. I can see why Adam and Mia broke it off. The truth is if I truly loved somebody I would do what it takes to make the relationship work for the time being so we could be together in the future. I guess that is the romanticism in me.

4. As Mia says, "Everyone loves New York City for all these different reasons." Have you been to New York, and if you have, what did you love most about it? If you haven't been yet, do you want to visit and what do you want to see most?

I really want to see the Statue of Liberty. Otherwise I don't think I would like to live in New York very much because I like the slow pace of life of the midwest.

5. Shooting Stars seemed like such a close-knit group in If I Stay, but that dynamic has completely changed in Where She Went. What do you think of the friction between the band? Do you think they can fix it?

Adam has changed and has disconnected himself from the band. Also the news reporters have made friction in the band by only interviewing Adam. All of this has led to a change in the band dynamic. 

The Gayle Forman Read Along Where She Went Week 1 Answers

Hosted by Alexa Loves Books

Where She Went is the Third Book in the Gayle Forman Read-Along. 

1. Adam has changed a lot since we last saw him in If I Stay. Any guesses as to what happened between him and Mia? Him and the band? In his personal life? What do you think of the "new" Adam we find in the first chapter?

It has been three years since we last say Adam and I remember thinking at the beginning of the book that I wasn't really sure I liked the new Adam. He seemed like he had become less sensitive. I didn't have a lot of guesses as to what happened at the beginning of Where She Went, but I could tell that they weren't together and it hadn't been an easy break up. 

2. How do you feel about Mia's determination to go to Julliard right away, instead of deferring for a year? Do you think it was the right decision for her to immediately leave the familiar, the scene of her greatest trauma and grief and head to an unfamiliar, new place?

I have no idea what Mia went through, but her choices were sitting around her hometown for another year or moving forward with her life. I think she made the right choice to move forward because that is what her parents would want. 

3. What do you think of Mia and Adam's first reunion after three years? 

It was awkward. You could tell that the break up hadn't been easy on either one of them, but nobody wanted to confront it, but neither one of them knew what to say either. 

4. Grief strikes people different, as we see Adam grieving when he and Mia break up. Have you ever experienced the same intensity of grief? How did you survive it or move on from it? What do you think of Kim's role in helping Adam snap out of his grief?

I really loved that Kim and Adam came together threw Mia's accident and her leaving for Julliard. I think Kim was a key part of Adam's grieving process. 

5. Song lyrics can sometimes describe our feelings about situations completely, as Adam's lyrics for the songs on the Collateral Damage album describe his feelings after Mia dumped him. What are some song lyrics that describe feelings you've had or memories?

I really like country music which often is about love, breakups, and life. I like the type of music that describes life. 

Novemberthon Wrap Up

hosted by Books of Amber

This was one of my most successful readathons in a long time. I think a key part was that it was over Thanksgiving Break so I didn't overly have to worry about classes and I was reading a really amazing book. I read a total of 630 pages in 14 hours and 2 minutes in 8 days. That is about 78 pages per day and 1 page per minute. The other interesting part about this readathon is that I started and finished Insurgent during this readathon and since I decided to track my time I know how many hours it took me to read Insurgent. I find this highly interesting because this has never happened where I know how long it took me to finish a book. It took me 11 hours and 17 minutes to read 525 pages of Insurgent. Thanks for hosting Amber this was a great readathon. 

Book Started:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Books Finished:

When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Thanks for reading

Rachael 

Book Review: City of Fallen Angels (the Mortal Instruments #4) (no spoilers)

Book: City of Fallen Angels
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publication: April 5th 2011
Source: Local Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary (from Goodreads):

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And - most importantly of all - she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

 But nothing comes without a price.

 Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side - along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls - neither of whom knows about the other one.

 When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

 Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels

My Thoughts:
City of Fallen Angels really turns the Mortal Instruments series in a different direction. I have to admit this has so far been my least favorite novel of the series.

The main problem I had with City of Fallen Angels is Simon. I don't like Simon very much as a character so I have to admit I really struggled to get into this book. I lost some respect for Simon in this book to because he is dating two girls, Isabelle and Mia.   I just don't think that was right. Mia's character was really developed in this novel. Of course I'm always interested in Clary and Jace's love story. Although their love story continues to be complex. Their happy ending will come at a price.  Alec and Magnus's love story continues to stay interesting. Simon's roommate Kyle was also an interesting addition to this story.

I was disappointed with how little Clary was involved in this novel. I love her being our main character, but in this novel she was more in the background.

Compared to City of Glass City of Fallen Angels was quite slow. It didn't really pick up until the last few chapters of the book. What really got this book to four stars for me was the fact that there was enough action to keep me interested in the book. I never totally hated it. The ending was another key factor. Compared to the City of Glass ending this one was not as intense, but it was a cliff hanger for sure. It will lead to a lot of action in the next book in the series City of Lost Souls. I hope to have less Simon and more Clary and Jace in the next novel.


Thanks


Rachael

The I Haven't Reached My Reading Challenge Goals Yet and Get Ready for 2014 Readathon Goals

Goals:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

City of Lost Souls by Casandra Clare

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

The Snow Bride by Debbie Macomber

A Gift to Last by Debbie Macomber

Get Ready for 2014 is a readathon that last the whole month. I will put up a list of the books I finished for the challenge at the end of December. I hope to get at least 2 books done this week.