Welcome to ChiBeReading! New Booktube + Blog

 

...Y'all still here!?!..

Hello my fellow booklovers! Long time no reviews! I cannot believe the last time I posted on here was in 2013 and I just went GHOST! But...

Without further adieu, I would like to welcome you all to...ChiBeReading! 

Hi, I am Chioma aka Chi.

And I be reading 🤗

As I say goodbye to Black and Blue Ink, the blog I called home for so many years, I am excited to invite you all to check out my Booktube channel ChiBeReading, 

and remain a part of my bookish circle here as I go through transitioning Black and Blue Ink the blog to ChiBeReading the booktube + blog!

(one of my favorite videos, me unhauling book because I need space...for more books  🤗)

I sincerely thank all those who have stayed followed to my blog over these years! Your support when I was active meant so much to me and it means so much to mean that you have stuck by Black and Blue Ink.

For a quick summary of what has been going on since your girl dissapeared under non mysterious circumstances ...I graduated college...I am currently in graduate school...I work full time as a Data Scientist...I recently joined booktube...and I am excited to get back into Blogging!

(a recent reads video where I give mini reviews of some great of the books I read...recently)

I have been wanting to get back into the world of book reviews and rejoin the bookish community and all of it's glory for the longest time, but I have been locked out of this account since I posted my last review (thanks Google). So once I finally regained access to this account again, I decided a BLOG REVIVAL & PLATFORM JUMP was in order!

(if you're looking for some new releases by authors of color, I have som recs!)

I am so excited to get back into book reviewing book blogging, interacting with bookish people, and just everything I used to love about the online bookish community. On my booktube I do more aggregate reviews of the books I have read on a weekly or monthly basis, I showcase the books I am looking forward to reading, my favorite books, book recommendations, book hauls/unhauls, and everything in between.

I would love to  post more dedicated reviews here, the blog counterpart to ChiBeReading, and spoiler filled reviews where we can really dive into what happened in the book and have a larger discussion based conversation on the books we have all been reading!

Before this post gets to be 10 miles long, I just want to again thank everyone that has stuck behind Black and Blue Ink over the years and I would greatly appreciate your continued support on my Booktube Channel and as I "rebrand" to ChiBeReading.

Also...what's been going on!? I feel so far removed from the book blogging community so if anyone could fill me in on what's new that would be great! What are the new trends, who's new on the block, I would love to catch-up in the comments!

Looking forward to interacting with everyone and posting here again!

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Posted in: african american,Bookcases,Books on a Budget,In My Mailbox,my blog,Review

Review: Played by Dana Davidson

Title: Played                                                       Author: Dana Davidson
Age Range: 15+
Publication Date: May 1, 2007
Pages: 240
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 5/10

Synopsis from Goodreads: When one of Ian's boys dares him to get plain-faced Kylie Winship to sleep with him in just three weeks, he thinks it'll be a breeze. Tall and fine, with honey-colored skin and eyes, Ian is used to getting what he wants from girls. And if he succeeds in playing Kylie, he'll be down with the most popular crew in his high school. But this girl, who everyone considers a nobody, is turning out to be more surprising than he ever could have imagined. 


Initial Thought:  "I can't wait for another book by Dana Davidson!!!"
End Thought: "Wow, guys can really be cruel, and some girls really disappoint me."

Review: I had very high expectations for Played after reading Dana Davidson's incredible book Jason and Kyra. After waiting over 4 months for this book to finally become available on paperback swap, I was really disappointed with the outcome.

In this book Ian is one of the finest more popular guys in Kylie's school. And he suddenly finds interest in her. Little does she know that it is only because of a bet. A bet that consists of Ian getting Kylie to fall for him, and sleep with him, in order to be initiated into some sort of popular fraternity. If you are anything like me, you are cringing at the mere thought of a guy willing to stoop so cruelly and so low in order to be a part of a crowd.

The plot went on like any other contemporary romance, except for the opposing thoughts of the two main characters. Kylie thinking that this guy who seems so ashamed of her at school is slowing falling in love with her, and Ian thinking that he only has a limited amount of time to STEAL Kylie's virginity in order to be part of the innermost in crowd. I could never get into the romance in this book because of how cruel and fake it seemed from my perspective, but I kind of feel like that may have been the author's objective when writing this book.

Ian is a creep. He can embellish all of his feelings and motives as much as he wants, but it takes a truly cruel person to be capable of such a thing. I actually admired Kylie in the beginning of the book. She takes care of her brother and sister, is in charge of a lot of things within her household, and barely utters a complaint. But by the end of the book, I felt she was acting a little bit naive. Emotions get in the way of logic I assume.

Overall, I did not really enjoy this book. But for some reason, I think that Dana Davidson expected this to be a book that will not be welcomed as well as others since this romance didn't spring as true as the others. It may have been meant to teach a lesson, and I have to say: Message Received! 

Recommendations: I recommend this book to those who have read Dana Davidson's previous books and are looking for something different from her. To those looking for a book that will make you wonder whether or not you liked it or not. And to all those out there that love a controversial romance.

Characters: 4/10 
Plot: 7/10
Originality: 8/10 
Entertainment: 5/10 
Ending: 3/10 
Writing Style: 7/10 
Cover: 8/10

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Posted in: african american,Contemporary,POC,romance

Review: Asleep by. Wendy Raven McNair

Title: Asleep                                                           Author: Wendy Raven McNair
Age Range: 13+
Publication Date: April 23, 2009
Pages: 422
Genre: Romance, Heroes, supernatural
Rating: 10/10

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Adisa Summers doesn't know her boyfriend, Micah Alexander, can fly. Micah's odd emotionless behavior, rigid posture, and vacant eyes are a mystery sending mixed messages to Adisa. When a flash of lightning sends a tree crashing down on her, Adisa is shocked to see Micah actually flying to her rescue! In an instant, Adisa is in his arms, looking up at the sky over his shoulder as they fly parallel to the ground. Micah shifts, shielding her completely with his body. As the tree explodes against Micah's back, Adisa feels him shudder with the impact and the air fills with wood chips and sawdust. Miraculously, they aren't smashed into the ground. They safely continue flying. Micah finally begins to open up to Adisa about his secret life as a superbeing and she discovers another shocking secret. Micah burns for her--literally as well as figuratively. ASLEEP is a superhero teen love story setting modern day Atlanta that's filled with thrills, romance, and suspense. 


Initial Reaction: "Finally! Characters that remind me of myself, I can't wait."
End Reaction: "Sure Daimon's a bad boy, and Edward sparkles, but my new man Micah can fly!!!"

Review: Asleep combines the best of a hot romance, the teen angst of growing up, and the exciting and suspenseful supernatural aspects of novels that I love. Adisa is just living life. She goes by living in the shadow of her two perfect twin sisters, and finding solace in the childhood superheroes she has loved all her life. Then mysterious, fine as heck, and stoic Micah comes and begins to show the smallest, emotionless interest in her, does she begin looking outside the usual limits of her life.

Adisa rocks the house. She is such a silent force. Yeah she is quiet, but she has a strong as heck mind under all that silence. I love how through the book Adisa doesn't lose herself. In some books when I flip from the front to the back of the book after I finish it, I found that the main character seems to be two different people, but Adisa doesn't change, she grows. She comes out of her shell after finding a part of herself that she never knew was even in there.

 Micah, Micah, Micah... Tall, dark, fly me into the night Micah. What can I say, he is so close to perfect, while being no where near there, (if that makes sense). He has a really soft spoken personality that distinguishes him from the typical male characters in YA. Yet, he is always prepared to save the day when it comes to Adisa, even when the people he is saving her from are those closest to him. I am definitely looking forward to reading more and getting to better understand who Micah really is in the next book.

The entire plot of Asleep is something totally different. I don't even know if I should categorize it as paranormal, maybe I'll call it supernormal or parasuper (supernatural + paranormal???).  The entire superhero world Wendy McNair  has created is nothing like I have ever read before. Not just your typical paranormal vampires, werewolves, faeries Oh My. More along the lines of supernatural healers, fliers, people who have the ability to hurl fireballs from their hands. And not just the characters, this whole idea of a different superhero world with leaders, laws, courts, prophecy's and everything else right under the noses of all the normal people amazes me.
  
Everything about this books intrigues me. The intense yet shy romance between Micah and Adisa that I could actually see building and getting stronger and closer. The mystery that is Micah: his world, his family, and his very existence and how Adisa fits into it. Something I really loved about the book is how everything connected. That initial attraction between Micah and Adisa wasn't as initial as was thought; there is a background story to every mystery, which usually ends up opening a new mysteries.

Overall, I loved and adored this book so much. It was exciting, beautifully written, and has me checking everyday for word on the release of the sequel.

Recommendations:  I recommend this book to romance lovers, paranormal and fantasy lovers, mystery lovers, and those looking for a great addition to their POC Reading List!!!


Characters: 10/10 
Plot: 10/10
Originality: 10/10 
Entertainment: 10/10 
Ending: 10/10 
Writing Style: 10/10 
Cover: 10/10
 

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Posted in: african american,paranormal romance,POC Challenge,Series

POC Reading Week!!!!

This week I am declaring it POC Reading Week here at Black and Blue Ink!!!

There are so many great POC books out there that many people don't know about, and these great books need the recognition they deserve. I can bet that there are many of you guys out there that have joined the POC Reading Challenge but aren't really sure about which books you want to read for the challenge, or what kind of POC books are out there,  but this week you will be able to see if any of the featured books are something you would be interested in reading. Or if you are iffy about whether or not you want to join the challenge out of fear of not completing it (because you don't think there are enough POC books you might like out there), this week you can get some great reccomendations. So in dedication of POC books everywhere, this week on Black and Blue Ink is all about you!!! All memes, reviews, author interviews will be dedicated to POC and getting some of my favorite books out there!!!

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Posted in: african american,Challenges

POC Reading Challenge

I know, shame on me for joining this sooooo late. I actually thought I had already joined, I don't know why but I did. Probably in my mind I did, but apparently not in real life. Being POC myself, I think this challenge is a great way to broaden up my reading range and encourage others, whether of color or not, what other types of books are out there. So here is where I am going to be linking the books I read for the challenge.

1. Josephine and the Soldier by. Beverly Jenkins 

2. Played by. Dana Davidson

3. Asleep by. Wendy Raven McNair

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

I'll probably be reading more than that, but I don't need this post to be that long!!!

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Posted in: african american,Challenges

In My Mailbox (1)

Wooooot!!! I am so excited to be doing my very own In My Mailbox! I have seen other bloggers do it for forever and I finally get to do my very own every week. I have to give my props to Kristi over at The Story Siren for creating this great feature. Here's what I got this week:

  Swapped Books

Title:Jason and Kyra
Author: Dana Davidson
Publication Date: July 2005, Hyperion
Genre: African American, Romance
Pages: 330 

Jason is a basketball star and one of the most popular guys in school. Brainy Kyra isn't, but she doesn't much care what other people think. Under normal circumstances, Jason and Kyra would live in their separate worlds until graduation. But fate intervenes, and the unlikely duo is paired up for a class project. Although preconceived notions abound on both sides, Kyra soon realizes that Jason is not the dumb jock she anticipated. And Jason finds himself telling Kyra things he can't even tell his best friend. As the two become close and eventually start to fall in love, no one in school can believe it, especially Jason's ex-girlfriend, who is determined to get him back. Being together means navigating the obstacles that are coming their way-but staying apart may be impossible. 


I was so excited when I got this book. There isnt many young adult books with African Americans that doesn't stereotype the characters into the generic outfit of what a black teenager is like. And its romance, added excitment!!!

Title: A Song For Summer
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Publication Date: October 2007
Genre: Historical, Romance
Pages: 376

Eighteen-year-old ellen never expected the Hallendorf school to be, well, quite so unusual. After all, her life back in england with her suffragette mother and liberated aunts certainly couldn't be called normal. but buried deep in the beautiful Austrian countryside, ellen discovers an eccentric world occupied by wild children and even wilder teachers, experimental dancers and a tortoise on wheels. And then there is the particurally intriguing, enigmatic, and very handsome Marek, part-time gardener and fencing teacher. ellen is instantly attracted to the mysterious gardener, but Hitler's reich is already threatening their peaceful world. only when she discovers Marek's true identity and his dangerous mission does ellen realize the depth of her feelings for him—and the danger their newfound love faces in the shadow of war.


I read another one of Eva's books, A Countess Below Stairs,  and it was okay, but this one actually sounds better so I am willing to give historical fiction another chance!!!

 For Review

Title: Poison Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publication Date: July 2005, Harlequin Teen 
Genre: Historical
Pages: 407

She'll eat the best meals, have rooma in the palace--and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust--and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...

I am so excited to read this book, it sounds so cool and it has such an orginal plotline. Thank you Harlequin Teen!!! 

Thats all for this week. It was a great for my first In My Mailbox. I can't wait to read and review all of them!!! 

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Posted in: african american,In My Mailbox