To say that this year has been “quite a journey” is an understatement. Making the decision to attend college (Hillsong International Leadership College- HILC) is the BEST decision I ever made in my entire life! Well, next to accepting Jesus into my life, that is. And that’s saying at least something given that I am 25! 😉 I’m not gonna summarize every event/detail of my entire year here in Sydney in this post. Because, let’s be real, that’s gonna take me days, considering I do talk a lot (that hasn’t changed!). What I’m gonna do is basically what the title of this post says- ‘Year End Reflection’. I know God is faithful, loving, forgiving, gracious, amazing, wonderful, powerful, transformative, great, and all the good adjectives this language could ever have, but nothing could have prepared me to how He was going to show me life this year (2015). Let me take you back to the beginning of this year… January— I was both excited and anxious stepping into a very crazy idea of doing Bible Leadership college. I didn’t know what to expect, both about college and Australia. I never dreamt of either. I remember vaguely,
Continue readingMonth: December 2015
Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer |Jenna’s BOOK REVIEW|
Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long. Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? I KNOW. Why just 3.5? I’m just gonna DIVE STRAIGHT to the point. I couldn’t count how many times this book frustrated me. I do love action scenes and the “dying before victory” kinda plot every now and then in books. But somehow “Winter” just brought it to a whole new other level of frustration, IMO. I was frustrated every time the protagonists never had a chance to be “one step ahead” in this war. Like in every move
Continue reading|Book Review| Talon & Rogue by Julie Kagawa
Talon and Rogue Published by Harlequin, HarlequinTeen on October 28, 2014 and April 28, 2015Pages: 449 and 444 pagesFormat: PaperbackSource: boughtGoodreads [Talon] Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon’s newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in
Continue readingTEN reason why I love Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4 by Sarah J. Maas)
Queen of Shadows Series: Throne of Glass #4Published by Bloomsbury on September 1, 2015Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Magic, Young AdultPages: 648Format: PaperbackSource: boughtBuy the Book • Goodreads The queen has returned. Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past… She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return. The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world. (BRACE YOURSELF GUYS, I HAVEN’T HAD ONE OF THESE CRAZY REVIEWS IN A WHILE) (YOU’RE WELCOME.) AMAZING. EPIC. AAAH! There’s just so much energy flowing inside of me (even writing this review two months after reading the book!) guys, thinking of how GOOD this book was and now finally am able to talk about it!I can’t even begin to
Continue reading|Back2Back Review| Between the Lines & Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Between the Lines & Off the Page Published by Delacorte Press, Simon Pulse on June 6,2012 and May 19, 2015Genres: Fantasy, Teen, Young AdultFormat: eBookSource: boughtGoodreads [Between the Lines] Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales. [Off the Page] Sixteen-year-old Delilah is finally united with Oliver—a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale. There are, however, complications now that Oliver has been able to enter the real world. To exist in Delilah’s world, Oliver must take the place of a regular boy.
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