Noticing Sentences

Description Some of us camouflage our scrawny bodies in baggy shirts and slouch, just waiting for the day when we can fold into ourselves and vanish completely. p5 Love it "We don't have to be chosen ones or whatever to do good." p33 acceptance/ family p87 World-building crimes against celestials- p51 slippery slope of loss of rights p220-221 Shade I don't understand celestials who become bodyguards for politicians who are campaigning against their existence. p112 Powerful I shouldn't get to be crowned as the hero when everyone's suffering is my fault. And maybe we're not the saviors this city needs. p164 "Your humanity is what makes you heroic, not your powers." p168 "You've got a lot of blood on your hands for someone who cares so much about life." p253 I didn't grow up with powers, but I've been a brother for eighteen years. p263 Uncaught Typo Its red beak is sealed shut with iron, preventi...

World-building You're not guilty of anything. But these days, actual guilt is an afterthought. p4 Even worse, although David got booted, too, only my parents and I were called in for a lecture about how I should know my place at school, keep my head down, and be grateful for the privilege of attending classes there. p6 Our military is diverse, but not this shiny, new branch. They're all white, it seems. A victory for nostalgic racists longing for the "good old days" of segregated units and separate bathrooms. p47 One detail that's impossible to miss? Just like in the train station, every person with a gun is white, and not white like maybe they're Bosnian-- the kind of white that thinks internment camps are going to make America great again. p64 I wonder what else they've built. What else can they do to us when America isn't looking? p80 Bystanders vs Upstanders I thought our little liberal college town would fight it longer, hold out. S...

Note- Since this is part of a series, there may be spoilers for the SERIES, even if they are not spoilers for this BOOK. World-building There are lands across the ocean that no longer exist, now either frozen over or sand swept, flattened by the wrath of a few and the ignorance of the many. p8 bombs discussion- note on p 8 weather/ catastrophe p9 I am particularly concerned by man-made climate change, an easy trap to fall into, especially for advancing societies. p11 How could servants create such beauty and still be considered inferior? They are capable of wonders different from our own. p64 Because the war is not a war at all. It is an extermination. p108-109 Silvers aren't used to being denied anything, and they don't react well to hardship. p225 Shade Some texts vary in quality of preservation, and to my surprise and chagrin, many seem to disagree on the severity or magnitude of events, particularly those regarding climate.  p10 "And fewer Silve...

World-Building He'd destroyed cultures, destroyed invaluable knowledge, destroyed so much of what had once been bright and good. His people should revolt. p69 Find the evil in the castle... But the only evil thing in this world is the man ruling it. p219 "Marriage is a legal contract-- it's not a sacred thing. As Crown Prince, you should have given up such fanciful notions. What if you're ordered to marry for the sake of an alliance? Would you start a war because of your romantic ideals?" p231 The week surrounding Yulemas was a time of relaxation, a time to celebrate the carnal pleasures that kept one warm on a winter's night. Women wore their hair down; some even refused to don a corset. It was a holiday to feast on the fruits of the harvest and those of the flesh. p259 Gender She glared. "I hate women like that. They're so desperate for the attention of men that they'd willingly betray and harm members of their own sex. And we claim ...

This is an ADULT book written by an author who also writes YA. The quotes definitely reflect the adultness of this book. It's also a sequel, so although I have attempted to avoid spoilers for this book, I cannot guarantee there are no spoilers for Nevernight. Humor "You don't find any irony in earning your place in a cult of assassins by saving half a dozen lives?" p67 The old man hooked his thumbs into his waistcoat. "Problem with being a librarian is there's some lessons you just can't learn from books. And the problem with being an assassin is there's some mysteries you just can't solve by stabbing fuck out of them." p67-68 "... And I'll be damned," she said, pointing her practice sword at Mia's face," if the last my blades sing is because you and Furian can't agree on the color of shit. Fuck him. Stab him. Stab him while you fuck him, I don't give a damn. But get it sorted out before you get us all...

Illinois connection! Every summer, Leda's family forced her to come on their annual visit "home" to Podunk, middle-of-nowhere Illinois. ... If she'd done what they did-- moved from Danville to New York as newlyweds... p11 LOL It sucked sometimes, being best friends with the girl too flawless to come from nature. Leda, on the other hand, probably came from a night of tequila shots on her parents' anniversary. p12 World-building Rylin was a little impressed to find it full of illegal old paper greenbacks, which still circulated wildly through the black markets since, unlike nanodollars, they were untraceable. p113 Buy a pack of grapefruit M&M's... p125 Cord had once asked why her job even existed, why they didn't just have bots at each monorail stop like they did at upper-floor lift stations. "Because I'm cheaper than a bot," she told him, which was true. p184 The three hour train ride ... [from New York to Paris] p187 Two...

********I have tried to stay away from any spoilers for THIS book (except where marked), but if you have not read Caraval , you may be spoiled.******* Freedom/ Deception "What's the point of all this glorious freedom if we don't enjoy it? Our father wins if we keep living as if we're still trapped beneath his heavy fists." p19 Legendary by Stephanie Garber Saying something was for someone else's own good was almost always another way of justifying something wrong. p41 Legendary by Stephanie Garber It didn't last nearly long enough. But it upended her. It made her wonder if jewels hidden away safely in boxes sometimes longed to be stolen by thieves-- because now he was definitely stealing her heart, and she wanted him to take even more. p362-363  Legendary by Stephanie Garber LOL/ Sass "You know how I feel about boys who are prettier than me." p59 Legendary by Stephanie Garber "You know," Tella mused, "if I didn...

Revolution "Whatever we accomplished would die with you. Don't take this the wrong way, but the world we want to build has to outlive us." p9 War Storm by Victoria Aveyard _________________________ "And what does your government consider a long debate?" ... "Oh, years." Davidson sighs, matching her forced humor. "Democracy is a funny thing. Not that any of you know that yet." p25 War Storm by Victoria Aveyard _______________________________ "And while your cause is just, accordances must be made. You are a group with no nation, no citizens to answer to. Your methods are beyond the usual bounds of war. We have our own to think of." p197 War Storm by Victoria Aveyard On the opposite side of the low room, Cameron taps her knuckles against her greasy window. "You know, maybe this rebellion would be further along if they didn't rely on teenagers so much." She tosses a smirk at Kilorn. "Especially ones w...

Throwing Shade Cal warned me against the threat of civil war a long time ago, before his father died, before he was left with nothing but a tempestuous lightning girl. Rebellion on both sides , he said. But standing here, leashed before Maven's court and his Silver kingdom, I see no division. Even though I showed them, told them of Maven's prison, of their loved ones taken away, of their trust betrayed by a king and his mother-- I am still the enemy here. It makes me want to scream, but I know better. Maven's voice will always be louder than mine. p 3 King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard It's amazing how the meaning of things can change when we read them at different times. I read this first when it came out, then again in early May, and looking through my quotes now (late May) as children are being taken from their families, refugees are forced to wear armbands, the people who are drawing attention to the atrocities are being treated as the enemy. Sad, true, and sa...

World-building Because Shusterman is the master at world building! Now the venerable structure was a historical site. Tours were given seven days a week by docents with PhDs in the study of mortal humans. p19 Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman Passion of performance was a thing of the mortal past, and true artistic style had gone the way of the dodo. Of course, the dodo was back-- the Thunderhead had seen to that. A thriving colony was now happily not flying on the island of Mauritius. p32 Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman His parents were "serial parents." They loved the idea of having families, but loathed raising them. Greyson and his sisters were his father's fifth family, and his mother's third. They had tired of this new batch of offspring quickly, and when they began to shirk their parental responsibilities, the Thunderhead took up the slack. p66 Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman "I'm going to learn how to drive, no matter how may times it kills me....

World Building The sixth and final fight of his contract would determine whether he landed a new deal or found himself on the next flight back to Earth, relegated to fighting in orbital dives reeking of pot, where the vacuum plumbing regularly gave out and big bubbles of pee floated in the bathrooms. p4 Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee The zero gravity complex, recently renamed the Virgin Galactic Center, loomed ahead of them. p9 Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee After a couple seconds, he said, "Connection's good," and one of the screens above flickered and shifted into the view from Carr's optic cameras, now being fed live to his subscribers. p 20 Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee Who in this part of the world still had a defunct genetic disease like asthma ? Only people with parents too poor to afford even the most basic gene therapy but irresponsible enough to have kids anyways. Low, even by the standards of their neighborhood. School boys would go after such a glaring mark of weakne...

Although I absolutely loved this book, I didn't mark a lot of things. I like to think it's just because I was so caught up in the story. World Building If you haven't noticed yet, I'm apparently a sucker for little details that make worlds feel more real and complete. The arrangement is layered with the pinks and purples of hedge nettles and showy orchids. It is as pretty as a wedding cake, early bloomed by the naturalist gift. Each family has brought their own, and most brought extra, to decorate the tables of the giftless. p34 Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake Strength/ Standing up for yourself He leans forward to kiss her, and she jerks back. It was so sudden. She stammers an apology. Though she does not know why she should be the one to apologize, when it was he who was too forward. p65 Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake Reversal of expectations "It was only a joke, Mira," says Bree gently. "Of course I do not wish that. No one rea...

This book is not YA, but some of your young adults may enjoy it. What I felt was most valuable about this book is the way it can open up discussion about discrimination and the way in which we ingrain it into society. It also, therefore, has a great discussion for a creative writing class on how real an author can make their world feel by truly fleshing out all the ways in which whatever change they've made from our world to their world affects so much. Discrimination “Here’s a hint,” I said. “One comes from a beloved android character from one of the most popular films of all time. The other describes the sound of broken machinery. Guess which one we like better. P 25 Lock in  by John Scalzi (Also a good example of allusion) “Are you saying I should just shut up every time someone says something stupid or factually wrong about Hadens?” I asked. “I just want to be clear what you’re asking.” “I’m saying pay attention to when it makes sense to say something,” Vann said. ...

I loved the world-building in this story. I know that people can argue for days about HOW the Death-Cast actually works and how it affects the way you live the day and how it, in turn, would CHANGE the day instead of predict, but.... I love the way Silvera came up with lots of ways that this change would cause ripples into other facets of life. So when I looked back at the sentences I marked, I found that most of them were world-building in some way. Perhaps you can find some sort of application for this in your classroom. I'm planning to use if for world-building for my Creative Writing class. World development I’m trying to stay shut ‘cause I don’t wanna take my problems out on some guy doing his job, even though I have no idea why the hell anyone applies for this position in  the first place. P 17 They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera “Maybe you’ll live to see another day with some Vitamin Me in your system” p 36 They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Wha...