Independent Study By Joelle Charbonneau [book review]

Independent Study

Book: Independent Study

Published: January 7, 2014

Genre: YA Dystopian

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About Independent Study

Independent Study is the second installment of The Testing. The story follows Cia as she goes to college, but now she’s getting more tests thrown at her. But now some of the government has grown suspicious of her. They are determined to see her fail. Now will she be able to get through even more tests when she’s being watched at every turn?

What I thought

I’m so so so close to finishing the series! I’m glad I wound up giving the story a second chance because I have really enjoyed the series so far.

Yet again, though, my only issue is that Cia is too smart for her own good, unfortunately. This story has absolutely no supernatural elements. At least not really. But it kind of seems like she has a “supernatural” element to her smartness. Also, most classes that most students have are seven, while Cis is stuck with nine. If those with fewer classes are stretched out to their limit then exactly how is Cis even managing? No, she has no room to fail, or she will die, but when does it become too much? If it were me, I probably would have just given up because her life is not a life worth living.

But the story has quite a of twists and turns that I wasn’t quite expecting. For starters, there’s one person I was kind of hoping Cia would wind up being with, but something happened to him at the end of the story that very well pissed me off. I hate that that happened, and that’s partly why I’m so excited to read the next book.

I just hope that Cia fails a little bit and she’s not so “perfect” at figuring things out. Also, I hope she’s able to kick some butt in the next book and that she’s possibly able to see her family again.

I’m really looking forward to getting to the next book and seeing if I like it or not. If you want more dystopian books, you can find those here.

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury [book review]

Delicious Monsters

Book: Delicious Monsters

By: Liselle Sambury

Published: February 28, 2023

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre: YA Horror

Setting: Ontario, Canada

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. What this means is that if you purchase anything through the links I have provided for you, then I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider supporting my blog

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September 2025 book releases perfect for spooky season

September seems to be a great month for new books. There are so many September 2025 book releases that seem like great books.

I know I don’t need any books right now. Who am I kidding? I always need new books. But I know I want to try and read some of these. Maybe once I get some of my TBR knocked out, then I’ll try to get some of these.

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10 gripping thrillers perfect for cozy fall afternoons

Guess what, guess what, guess what? Fall is nearly here! I don’t know if you’re a fan of the fall, but I know a lot of people are! I know what I’m most looking forward to is Halloween and spooky season! With that comes gripping thrillers and spooky books that will set the mood for this time of year!

What kind of books do you typically think about this time of year? Do you like to read more uplifting books, or would you rather read darker books?

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9 Dark Academia Books for back to school thrills

Where I live in the United States, some schools have already started. Others start later, but where I’m at, they usually start at the beginning of August. It’s early, I know, but we’re used to it here. It’s normal, and now I don’t think anything about it. But with school starting here now, that means it’s time to find some great books that revolve around school itself. So, that means some great dark academia books!

So what exactly does dark academia mean? After looking it up the dark academia meaning is actually vague. But for me, dark academia is usually books that take place in private or prep school. It usually follows the “elite” kids, and obviously, something dark happens and secrets are exposed. There are some exceptions to this where it doesn’t completely take place in a private school. But it usually follows students who have something dark hidden, and it gets found out and exposed.

But here are some great dark academia books that you should add to your TBR!

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Books you can’t put down (and want to skip class for)

Life is great. You wake up well rested and get to do all of the things that you want to do. That includes reading books that you enjoy. You’re getting unlimited uninterrupted reading time and almost every book you’re reading are books you can’t put down. Sounds amazing, right?

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How to get back into reading after a busy summer

Summer is close to coming to an end. Where I’m from, school is actually about to start. So, summer break is coming to an end here too. If you’re a parent, or even if you aren’t, but are busy during the summer season, then you might struggle to get back into reading. But how to get back into reading after a busy summer?

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April 2025 book releases that will captivate readers

I know a lot of you are probably like me and want to know what books are going to be released. I do have to say that there are going to be a lot of great books being released in 2025 alone and looking at the releases for April….We’re in for a treat. There are quite a few April 2025 book releases that I’m pretty excited about.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a few of these!

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Horror books about twisted relationships that are really chilling

Love is supposed to be beautiful and caring, but it gets all twisted up when combined with horror. There are toxic relationships in horror books that take obsession and manipulation to terrible new heights. No matter if the relationship is built on secrets or a power dynamic, the books on this list will make you start questioning if you know your loved ones. Horror books about twisted relationships put these books at a whole new level.

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Horror books for kids that are perfect for Halloween

Is your kid starting to show an interest in horror books? There are tons of horror books for kids out there that are perfect for their age group. I started to show an interest in horror books and movies at a very young age. Instead of watching and reading age-appropriate, I started to read and watch pretty adult horror things.

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