Formal Exit + What I Have Been Up To + I MISS YOU ALL

Hi guys 🙂 So….

You may be wondering why I’ve decided to write an entry on this blog a year after I last showed up on your newsfeeds. I know that I just disappeared without a trace, disappointingly so especially after I had resolved to post more often for the New Year (well, the old new year!) I guess for a year now I’ve been denying the fact that I left so ungracefully, and so unceremoniously, and probably in a very annoying “poof and I’m gone” manner, which is why it had to take me this long to formally tell you guys that I’m no longer a part of the book blogosphere.

Well, technically, I haven’t been for as long as I’ve been AWOL, and I know that. I guess I just wanted to apologize for leaving without a trace, and not bothering to contact all of the friends I’ve made from here whom I have promised to stay in contact with. I’m not even sure anymore if anyone will get to read this, as I have considered the fact that most of you may have erased my blog from your feeds and subscriptions altogether because it’s been defunct for the longest time, but I just HAD to say this formally, or else it would’ve felt like unfinished business (and you and I both know how nasty that feels in every sense!).

Come to think of it, I may have gotten a few hopes up that I’d be making a grand return, but no such thing will happen, I’m afraid. Don’t get me wrong, though– I love books just as much as I did before, and I still do keep up with all of the series you guys are into now, but lately, I just haven’t had the time to keep up a blog like this. For one thing, I’m in college now, and it’s way more stressful than I had imagined it would be. I’m majoring in an honors course and am trying to keep up a full scholarship at the moment, so I can’t afford to let anything get in the way of my academics. I wonder if I’m offending any of you guys by making it sound like I think of book blogs as a distraction. Of course not. Once upon a time, I ran a little something something called Flip That Page myself, and let me tell you, it was the most fun I’ve ever had in this lifetime. Of course, I still have lots of fun now, and really, it feels like I’ve found my calling, but I will always miss having amazing conversations with you guys, getting to fangirl with you over fictional characters, and of course having an opportunity to hold the occasional debate (my brother misses all of you guys too!)

It’s been tough having to leave, especially after working so hard on my blog and making sure I posted premium content. I always took this blog seriously, and it’s always been a shame that I couldn’t manage to keep it up. But truthfully, I’m the busiest person I know right now, what with all these org works, and projects, and meetings, and long exams, and research papers, and gatherings, and parties (it’s not the college life without one of these!), and me trying to maintain a steady social life, and everything else that I have on my plate at the moment, and what a ginormous plate it is.

So yeah. I guess I just wanted you guys to know that no, I’m not dead yet, that no, I don’t hate all of you, that no, I have not lost interest in books, that yes, I am sorry for going MIA, and that yes I miss all of you and all of the things we used to share. Of course, if you guys want to strike up a conversation or two, I won’t be a snob! So feel free to mail me anything, or leave a comment or tell me what you’ve been meaning to tell me for the past year, if anything.

Of course, special mention goes to Chiara, my bloggy best friend, whose blog is now the prettiest damn thing I have ever seen in my life. Chiara, I know we don’t get to talk anymore, but I’m still up for that trip to Paris and to Disneyland and to anywhere else around the world and I promise to visit you in Australia one day. I know you may think that I’ve forgotten, but I haven’t, especially since I’m still updated with whatever you’re up to on other forms of social media. I love you, I still do, and I will forever. SOUL SISTER! So proud of what you’ve achieved while I was away!

And to all of the other friends I’ve made on this blog, thank you for being a part of my life. I think I’ll decide to keep Flip That Page on the internet forever, because this is definitely an experience and and a journey that I will want to look back on fondly in the future. (DAMN I’M CRYING THE NOSTALGIA IS REAL).

Thank you guys for listening to what I have to say. I guess as a book blogger, it’s a (formal) goodbye for now, but I’ll always be around somehow, in other ways. And that’s a promise 🙂

xoxo, Jasmine

 

 

Cast Of Characters: Villain Turned Love Interests In YA

Adam from Beauty And The Beast

Villain turned love interests are the so-called ‘bad boys’ to a greater, more palpable extent– that is to say, the heroine turns against him at one point in time, though most are adversaries to begin with, at least until she cuddles up to the irresistible charms,  and stays there, snug as a bug in a rug. In which case, she realizes that she can’t be with or without him (it’s an inevitable tragedy, but not really). These beautiful nightmares are usually widely misunderstood, where behind the evil veneer, lies a heart of pure gold.

Try to match each quote to the corresponding VTLI who said it from the examples shown above! I may have removed some of the names so that it won’t be such a giveaway! Also to avoid spoilers 🙂

“I love you. I love you more than any other creature, because you are cruel, and kind, and alive.”

“Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.”

“I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head.”

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. You and I going to change the world.”

Kidding! (but goddamn I miss the innocent Stiles)

Okay, not gonna prevaricate, but I think the notion of a ‘bad boy’ is far too common these days, to the extent that the idea of them feels a little hackneyed, which, much to my detriment, subsequently relinquishes their X factor (you know, that one thing, haha. Mmkay I’ll stop with the One Direction references now). But this quandary applies to me (and/or you) especially, because they recur predominantly in Young Adult books, though the occasional author here or there can make them work with exceptional writing. Villains as love interests, however, are a discrepant matter altogether. For one, it could be that many authors are reluctant to turn the tables, because it’s hard to rationalize the actions of an outward rapscallion, and furthermore, give the heroine an upstanding reason to fall in love with him beyond his strange charms. And if the author lays low on his nefarious reputation, does that make him a believable character?

So there lies the dilemma. I, for one, have a hard time tolerating the fact that someone capable of murder and torment is also perfectly capable of love and kindness, although I’m not going to deny the fact that their frequently impervious, almost inconceivable beauty makes it hard for me to spite them wholly. And whenever the heroine speaks of unfurling an affection for such characters, it always makes me controvert her reason, and to an extent, her sanity, because I myself would never think to love someone who engenders an almost unbearable amount of pain and misery.

But guess what? It happens anyway, and sometimes it even works. I guess my sentiments on the matter depend on how the romance is written— I don’t favor unceremonious changes in character, or villains who cut the heroine slack and antagonize everyone else, or even the sympathetic villains, if they continue to walk the path of destruction. Redeeming value is a must, of course!

So I guess it all depends on the pretext. Sometimes, the heroines just happened to have judged them prematurely, such that they’re more decent and accommodating than what one would expect. But as long as they’re not full-blown, cold-hearted, and insensitive bastards who torture and kill with neither rhyme nor reason, I cling to the hope that they’ll make for befitting love interests, and hopefully spice up the lives of the heroines hopelessly in love with them, but who, in the end, can’t ever help it anyway.

What about you? Do you approve of villain turned love interests in YA? Who are other examples that you know of, and which are your favorites? Do tell me in the comments below 🙂

Book Tour Review: Shattered Veil

  Title: Shattered Veil

  Author: Tracy E. Banghart

  Release Date: February 28, 2014

  Publisher: Tracy E. Banghart

  Description: 377 pages, New Adult Science Fiction

  Purchase Book: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

For Aris, a talented wingjet pilot, war means sacrificing everything: her home, her name, her face—and the one promise she swore she’d never break.

In the small village of Lux, everyone flies wingjets, but nobody flies them like Aris Haan. When she’s not dancing through the skies, she’s spending every minute with Calix, whom she’s loved since childhood. They plan to Promise, but instead he is sent to defend their dominion against a bloody invasion. Determined not to lose him, Aris follows, joining an underground network of women inside the male-only military. Using secret technology that allows her to pass as a man, she becomes “Aristos”, a Flyer in a search-and-rescue unit.

As Aris grows stronger on the battlefield and more comfortable in her guise as Aristos, her personal mission becomes less and less clear. When she and her enigmatic commander, Major Vidar, uncover an astonishing conspiracy that could destroy everything, she must make a choice that will determine not only the fate of her heart, but the future of her dominion.

To be honest, I expected this book to underscore romance and liaison, which would have been unfit, and maladroit to an extent, in light of the dystopian setting. Be that as it may, Shattered Veil was nowhere even remotely proximate to this foresight, as it turned out to be a reckless, yet intrepid account of love and hope amidst the onslaught of war, a thrilling chase across the endless skies, and an exciting tale replete with twists and turns, each one more impulsive than the previous. And quite frankly, if the typical New Adult books were written in this manner, I would have embraced the genre in no time.

The plot itself was unique to a certain degree, vaguely reminiscent of a cross between Shatter Me and Divergent, but nonetheless a cosmos of its own undoing. I delighted at how the author managed to incorporate the beauty of modern technology into the idea of the diatous veil and make it work for her story, and despite the fact that it was hard for me to reconcile female reference with male semblance and countenance alike, the flawless writing was more than recompense, and the characters themselves followed through with incredible development, and remarkable individuality. All in all, I was more than pleased with the book, and suffice it to say that I am willing to get my hands dirty to secure a copy of the sequel (and don’t even get me started on that exquisite cover).

“Why does anyone fight a war? To protect a way of life, to find or support loved ones. To avenge those lost. Or maybe because it’s a calling. Because someone has to. Because there’s a line no enemy should be allowed to cross.” 

The pacing to this book was unparalleled in its seamlessness, and though at first, all of the anomalous terms were thrown at me one after the other, I wasn’t bothered as such, forasmuch as the world building was impressive, and most of my earlier diffidences were elucidated almost in immediate succession. Though the mysteries with regards to the siege and the politics behind it were unfolded rather unceremoniously (and it was honestly a little frustrating to have answered a question one minute and ask another the next), I loved how this made the book suspenseful in it’s entirety, and suffice it to say that the big reveals, so to speak, were nothing short of astonishing. The storytelling was woven through quite masterfully as well, and many of the junctions made between characters did not feel too forced and peremptory, as per usual, but rather, seemed to have made all the sense in the world.

The characters themselves were mediocre at worst and brilliant to a stratospheric degree at best, and I loved how the main character fully acknowledged her imperfections, channeling them to find her strengths and overcome her weaknesses. And though the romance was a little subpar, especially in terms of graduation, I was able to move past that and appreciate how guileless and deep-rooted the relationships between the characters became. And despite how morbid the story itself seemed, the characters were unwavering in their hope for a better future, and the soldiers of war moved not as individuals within a single unit, but as one unit in and of itself. And being a Citizen Army Trainee myself, believe you me this is a mindset as paramount as it can get. Kudos to the author for managing to portray that, although I do give props to her for having used her own experiences to paint such a vivid, and fantastical picture.

Needless to say, the book was, overall, one of the best reads this year thus far, and I am most definitely looking forward to getting to read more about Aris, whoever she may truly be. So if you’re into a novel on the wonders of science, the strength of an unshakable hope, and unrivaled couraged, set against a backdrop of deceit and betrayal, I do recommend you pick up a copy. Copy?

“There’s a war raging, and we both have skills and desire to help. It’s my duty just as much as it is yours. I am sorry I lied to you. But I’m not sorry for what I did. I know you value the rules, but sometimes… –sometimes breaking them is the right thing to do.”

So what do you think of this book? If you haven’t read it, will you? Sound off in the comments below!

 

About The Author

Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age  of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

If you’re interested, do participate in the TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY, and get a chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card (INTL), or one of three swag packs which include a notebook, magnet, button, 2 signed bookmarks, and Shattered Veil- themes temporary tattoos (US/CAN). 

Thank you very much to Giselle and Xpresso Book Tours for letting me review this title! 🙂

(This banner will take you to the tour schedule)

Did you miss me? Till next time!