A Very Merry Hiatus

Okay, so we know it's not technically Christmas anymore, but Christmas IS part of the reason we're going to be taking a short hiatus. We will be away from the blog until January 2nd while we spend the holidays with friends and family and try to get a quick recharge before coming back! We'll still be around on Twitter and possibly blog hopping, but posts will be at a standstill until next week. Thanks, everyone!

Weekly Recap: 12/17 - 12/23

TRACY'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope that all of you who celebrate Christmas are with your families doing whatever fun things are your traditions! This week has been pretty hectic for me. My husband (he had been away for work), mom, dad, and brother all showed up on my 5th anniversary, so I've been adjusting to having everyone in the house! We've spent the last couple days watching Christmas movies, seeing Star Wars, and I cannot wait for Christmas tomorrow! It'll be the first one we've spent in our new house and the first one my parents have ever spent in my home instead of theres? (Am I a real adult finally?)

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

No new books this week!

THIS WEEK I READ

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MC'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG
Woooohoooooo! I am on vacation!!! I always take Christmas week off from work and I am SO EXCITED for a bit of a break. This week seemed to drag on forever but now I am finally free!! I have a few family visits to make this week, but I will mostly be doing a lot of relaxing. I really want to try to get a decent amount of reading done, too. I "accidentally" placed an order from Book Outlet last week, so I got an early Christmas gift for myself in the form of a whole bunch of books. Oops. That just means I have more to choose from on my break! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and I will see you refreshed and ready to go in the new year!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

   

  

THIS WEEK I READ

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

On Monday I did the 2017 End of Year Survey
The topic was books I want Santa to bring for Top Ten Tuesday
On Wednesday I posted a reader survey
Friday ARC review of Genuine Fraud
On Saturday I did the Grinch Book Tag

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We're linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!

The Grinch Book Tag

Happy Saturday, everyone! If you celebrate Christmas, then you're probably starting to get pretty excited! I decided to bring some holiday cheer to the blog with the Grinch book tag, started at Thoughts on Tomes.

HALF OF THE LIGHTS ON THE

CHRISTMAS TREE ARE BURNT OUT

(Name a book/series/character that started out good but then went downhill)

The Remnant Chronicles was SUCH a huge let down at the end! I loved the first two books so much that I started collecting the series... then the third book happened and I just don't understand. I'll still read the author's next series, but I'm definitely going to adjust my expectations.

ANNOYING GREAT AUNT SALLY

WHO WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE

(Name a book that you didn’t enjoy, but everyone else seems to love so it never goes away)

Shatter Me. I see this book everywhere ALL THE TIME! Everyone loves this series so much and I just cannot for the life of me understand why. The characters were all obnoxious and the repetition drove me insane. But it seems that it'll never go away :/

YOUR PETS KEEP KNOCKING

OVER THE CHRISTMAS DECORATION

(Name a character that kept messing things up for everyone else (can’t pick a villain!))

Pippin, that Fool of a Took. I honestly don't know if he's quite as bad in the books, but the poor little guy is constantly getting everyone (and himself) in trouble. But he's just so stinking cute, how can you not love him?

YOU HEAR YOUR PARENTS PUTTING OUT
THE PRESENTS AND LEARN SANTA ISN’T REAL

(Name a book you were spoiled for)

I actually can't think of a book I've ever been spoiled for... Can I go with a TV show that's also a book? Because I was definitely spoiled for Game of Thrones AND The Walking Dead. A bookish company posted a HUGE spoiler for GoT in an Instagram photo the day after the episode aired and Entertainment Weekly was kind enough to send me an issue with a Walking Dead spoiler on the cover.

IT’S FREEZING OUTSIDE

(Name a main character you just couldn’t connect with)

Any of the Characters in the Worldwalker Trilogy. Granted, I only read one book, but I really wish I had been able to enjoy the characters more. Maybe then I would've given the rest of the series a chance.

MARIAH CAREY’S ‘ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU’
AND IT’S GIVING YOU ANTI-ROMANTIC FEELINGS

(Name a couple you couldn’t stand)

Alina and Mal. I hated them from the first page and I never changed my mind. I am Team Darkling all day long and I will fight anyone who tells me they weren't great together!

THAT SCRATCHY HOMEMADE WOOL SWEATER YOU
GOT FOR CHRISTMAS YEARS AGO BUT WON’T GET RID OF

(Show some books that have been sitting on your shelves for a while, and you aren’t motivated to read, but you don’t have the heart to get rid of)

I own the Jackaby series but I've never read past book one. I really enjoyed it and I'm not sure why, but I don't have any real desire to finish the series at the moment. Maybe one day? For now they're just really pretty on my shelf!

GRANDMA GOT RUNOVER BY A REINDEER

(Name a character death you still are mad about)

Will anyone ever get over the death of Sirius Black? Poor guy. He went too soon and he didn't deserve it. I'm sure J.K. Rowling has apologized for this one - anyone have the link?

THE MALLS ARE OVERLY CROWDED
WITH HOLIDAY SHOPPERS

(Name a series that has too many books in it/went on too long)

All of Sarah J. Maas' series. I loved ACOTAR (until the last book) but she really needs to learn when to stop and move onto something new. I'm so glad I don't read Throne of Glass! That series just keeps going and going and going and

THE GRINCH

(Name a main character you HATE)

I don't know if there has ever been a character I hated as much as I hated Eadlyn. I despise her more than I can possibly even tell you. If you want to know more about my extreme hatred you can find my review for The Heir here!

ARC Review: Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

Title: Genuine Fraud
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 264
Add to Goodreads

The story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

There is not much I can give as a summary of Genuine Fraud without giving something away, so I will jump right into the review. This book was…alright. It definitely wasn’t a bad read, but it could have been so much more. I was entertained, but I wasn’t convinced enough to suspend my disbelief about the events that were happening.

I will give this book credit for having an interesting style. It is told in reverse chronological order, with a final chapter in the present at the end to wrap everything up. This gives you a chance to learn the pieces of Jule’s life that have brought her to the point she is at when the book opens. It was definitely a unique way to get to know a character.

Unfortunately, I feel like I wasn’t able to fully understand Jule and her motivations. I wish the book had been a bit longer so I could have learned more about her. The story of her past stopped right at the point where she was first set on her current path. It would have been so much better to go back a little farther and learn what made her mind work in the way it does. The reader was shown how Jule came up with the idea for this particular plot line, but we didn’t get to learn what made her character that way.

There were a couple reasons that I had trouble suspending my disbelief for this book. Firstly, there were some mistakes within the timeline. If a book is being told reverse-chronologically like this one, it is critical to make sure that the timeline matches up. I did read the ARC, so there is a chance these mistakes were fixed in the final copy, but it really took me out of the story when I had to try to figure out the timeline.

Also, the characters were not believable whatsoever. They are a bunch of 18 year old college dropouts…and their ages don't match up with their timeline. It makes no sense. Plus, they are all able to travel the world at the drop of a hat without telling their parents where they are. I guess there might be some kids out there that could do this, but their lifestyle seemed so far-fetched and ridiculous. Another small thing that bothered me was their vocabulary. (Apologies for the upcoming language.) They would say "fuck" all the time, but they would call people a "witch" instead of a "bitch." I know this really isn't that important, but it was so annoying.

Ultimately, this book could have been so much more, but it fell flat. Yes, it was a nice, quick, entertaining read, but it was missing some crucial character development. The final chapter, which returned the reader to the present and provided a "twist" to the story, felt irrelevant after all the time that had been spent in Jule's past. It would have been better to add a chapter or two diving further into what made Jule tick.

Genuine Fraud is a short book, so definitely give it a try if you are interested. It is a unique and fun concept, but it lacks that special something that would turn it into a great thriller.

Cornerfolds Reader Survey

Hi, everyone! As we wind down for the year, MC and I are hoping to get some feedback from our favorite readers and friends! I know how easy it is to want to say the nicest possible things when filling out these kinds of surveys, but it would be incredibly helpful if you could be as honest as possible (but please not too harsh)! After nearly four years, we want to keep Cornerfolds rolling with quality content and we want to be sure that it's what you want to read! Thank you all so much! <3

Top Ten Tuesday #167: Santa, please bring books!

Today's Topic: 

Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

This week I'm sharing the books I want Santa to bring this year! These are all books that I've read already, but would love physical copies or special editions of! There are a couple especially that I'm really, really hoping show up this year!

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban UK Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling

The Lord of the Rings Leather-bound Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer

Waking Gods US Edition by Sylvain Neuvel

Waking Gods Goldsboro Books Edition by Sylvain Neuvel

Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

2017 End of Year Survey

Number Of Books You Read: 54 (as of today)

Number of Re-Reads: 1

Genre You Read The Most From: YA Fantasy

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?
Now I Rise by Kiersten White

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi - I put it off FOREVER and ended up loving it!

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Maybe Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue? I had a lot of people ask if I thought they would like it.

5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?
Series started: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Sequel:Now I Rise by Kiersten White
Series ender: I've only read one series ender this year and I didn't love it...

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?
Lexa Hillyer, author of Spindle Fire

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Now I Rise - I'll probably do a series reread before book 3!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexa Christo

11. Most memorable character of 2017?
Monty from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?
The Star-Touched Queen - usually I don't like flowery books, but this one was amazing!

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?
I don't think I read anything particularly thought-provoking this year :/

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read?
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?
I (still) don't have an answer for this because I'm terrible with quotes.

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?
Shortest: Strong Signal by Santino Hassell, 229 pages (not counting graphic novels)
Longest: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, 705 pages

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber (it's always the true ones that are the most shocking)

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
Maya and Amar - The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Far & Imogen - Invictus by Ryan Graudin

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Now I Rise by Kiersten White

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?
Amar - The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

23. Best 2017 debut you read?
Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Now I Rise by Kiersten White

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?
The Beast Is an Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
Hunted by Meagan Spooner

1. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?
My personal favorite is the spoilery review I wrote for A Court of Wings and Ruin

2. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
Why reading is the same as cardio

3. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Meeting Leigh Bardugo in Tampa.

4. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?
Reaching my 3 year blogging anniversary.

5. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
Keeping my blog going while in a perpetual slump.

6. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Other than giveaways, my review of A Court of Wings and Ruin

7. Best bookish discovery?
Free audiobook trials everywhere!

8.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Nope! I failed every single challenge this year :)

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?
Alone by Scott Sigler

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?
Bright We Burn by Kiersten White

3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?
Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel

5. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

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The annual end of year survey was created by The Perpetual Page-Turner! I'll be linking up here!

Weekly Recap: 12/10 - 12/16

TRACY'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Happy Sunday, everyone! This weekend has been... boring. I've finished up my Christmas shopping and finished wrapping gifts so yay for that! But other than that things have been a bit uneventful. I haven't read a thing, shockingly. This never ending slump is honestly kind of embarrassing. I feel like I'm never going to get back into my groove. I'm kind of considering taking a short hiatus at the first of the year. :/ I've discovered Spotify (I know I'm behind) and some music I didn't know I needed in my life. Christina and I have finished taking orders for the year in the candle shop and I can't wait to see what 2018 brings for our business! Speaking of, there were several people last week who didn't realize I make candles. Surprise! I make candles! You can find my book-inspired candles through the "shop" link in the nav bar!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

No new books this week!

THIS WEEK I READ

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MC'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG
Hi, everyone! This week seemed to drag on forever. I managed to get a lot of stuff done, but it was exhausting. Things just weren't going my way. And my car died so now I have a new car! I'm not looking forward to the payments, but I really like it. I have another Christmas party to head to this weekend and then some last minute errands to get all my gifts finalized. I can't believe Christmas is next week. I'm not ready for it, but I'm also excited because that means I get a week off from work! I've been in a weird reading mood lately, so please send me all your recs for good sci-fi and thriller books. I barely have any and I want to read some so badly! Have a good one!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

No new books this week!

THIS WEEK I READ

  

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The topic was 2017 favorites for Top Ten Tuesday
On Wednesday I did the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Book Tag
Thursday ARC review of Daughter of the Burning City
On Friday I posted the Dystopia Reading Challenge giveaway

UPCOMING REVIEWS

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We're linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!

Dystopia Reading Challenge: 4th Quarter Wrap-up & Giveaway

We made it! Welcome to the end of the 2017 Dystopia Reading Challenge! I hope you all met your goals! I didn't quite get there (unless I get one more in before January), but I got close. I ALMOST got a row on Bingo, but alas. I'm sad to announce that I won't be continuing the Dystopia Challenge in 2018. If anyone is interested in taking over, please send over an email or let me know in the comments! For now, scroll down to see what I read this year and enter the giveaway!

WHAT I READ THIS YEAR

Gilded Cage by Vic James

The Last One by Alexandra Olivia

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

Good Morning, Midnight by Lily-Brooks Dalton

1984 by George Orwell

City of Savages by Lee Kelly

The Gauntlet by Megan Shepherd

The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Warcross by Marie Lu

MY BINGO CARD

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CHALLENGE END GIVEAWAY

MUST BE A CHALLENGE PARTICIPANT TO WIN
Winner will receive one Dystopian book of their choice up to $12.
Open internationally. US prizes ship via Amazon Prime. International prizes ship from Book Depository.
Must be 18 years old or have parent's permission to enter.

*WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN!*

ARC Review: Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

Title: Daughter of the Burning City
Author: Amanda Foody
Publication Date: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 384
Add to Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.

But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered.

Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear.

Sorina is a freak. Born without eyes (but still capable of sight), she was taken in by the Gomorrah Festival as a child and has been raised among the members of the traveling city. She is an illusion-worker and has created a family for herself from her own imagination. But when one of her illusions is murdered - something that should be impossible - Sorina must launch an investigation to save her family and the Festival that is her home.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book. It has had a bunch of hype surrounding it since it was first announced, and it was well deserved. This is an absolutely fantastic debut novel, and if Amanda Foody keeps growing as an author, she is bound to create masterpieces in the future.

What I loved most about Daughter of the Burning City was the writing style. It was lyrical, descriptive, and beautiful. Of course, many readers may not like this style, and will therefore be turned off from the book. But if you love getting lost in the language of a novel, you will love this book.

The world of the Gomorrah Festival is utterly unique. I have never read anything so strange and simultaneously beautiful. It takes a few chapters to really get a clear picture of the Festival and get your head wrapped around what is going on, but it is so worth it. The world that Amanda Foody created is weird, for sure. But that sets it apart from other fantasy works and raises it a head above the rest.

And the characters! I have no idea how she came up with the idea for the people that populate the Festival. They were so strange, but so lovable. The romance was a little quick, but it wasn't overbearing at all. And, I'll be honest, most people would probably fall for Luca pretty quickly. He is amazing.

While I adored every second of this book, I decided to lower my rating a bit for two main reasons. Firstly, Sorina missed some blatantly obvious clues during her investigation. Weird things happened and she just breezed past them without a second thought. Also, there was a small plot hole at the end of the book when the twist was revealed. I did read the ARC, so there is a chance this was fixed in the final copy, but it left me with some questions.

Ultimately, if your reading tastes are similar to mine, I highly recommend Daughter of the Burning City. I love descriptive and lyrical books, and I don't mind if there is not a lot of action. If you are looking for an action-packed fantasy, this won't be for you. But I still recommend that you try to read a few chapters and push through, because you just might find a new favorite book.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Book Tag

Hurray! Two of my favorite things: books and Buffy! I found this tag on Abyssal Librarian and tweaked it a bit, choosing to only include my favorite characters, as well as some that I hate, but find important. 

BUFFY

A female character that does the saving, or doesn’t need anyone to save her.

Lada from And I Darken is a total badass who does have some experiences with men throughout the series, but ultimately is in charge of her own destiny and certainly doesn't need to be saved. She takes care of her enemies on her own, but is able to work with others when needed. 

XANDER
Name a character that brings or hold friends or a group together OR a character that always makes you laugh.

Everyone might not agree, but Ron was my immediate Xander choice. Not only does he always make me laugh (as long as he's not having a temper tantrum), but I also think he holds the group together. Harry and Hermione both need him for different reasons, but he's definitely important to their trio.


WILLOW
Name a character that became very powerful (in either a good way or a bad way).

Could there possibly be another choice? Alina starts out the series as a quite cartographer's assistant and ends as the Sun Summoner. I loved following her journey almost as much as I loved Willow's.


GILES
Name a character who is a fantastic father or father figure.

Again, who else could it have been? Sirius Black is my ultimate when it comes to father figures in the bookish world! *cries forever*

ANGEL

Name a character that pretended to be nice but turned out to be bad.

Real talk: I hate Angel with a fiery passion. But he's an important character, so here we are. Neely from Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a character who caught me off guard with his extreme awfulness.

SPIKE

Name a character who tries hard to be good.

Okay, there may be some disagreement over whether the Darkling tried to be good, but I'm calling him the perfect choice for Spike. He COULD have been good, given the chance!

DRUSILLA

Name a character who seems strange or crazy.

Penryn's mom. I don't know what else I can say.

OZ

Name a character who would be a great boyfriend, but maybe has something that keeps him from being perfect.

Poor Varen. He wants to be a good boyfriend so badly, but he has got A LOT going on! (PS: You need to read this series if you haven't already!)

CORDELIA

Name a character who loves to be the centre of attention and does everything they can to stay in the spotlight.

I can't remember if Lavender Brown behaves the same way in the books as in the movies, but she definitely came to mind when I thought of Cordelia! I have always been SO annoyed at how she inserted herself into Ron's life (which I guess is how we're supposed to feel).

ANYA

Name a character that seems/appears younger than their age.

I was going to go with the obvious vampire pick, but I decided to choose Peter Pan instead! Who knows how old the boy who never grows up is? He could probably rival Edward at this point.

 TARA

Name a character who grew into his/her own

Like Tara, Kestrel started her journey unsure of herself and scared to displease her father. By the end she had become a powerful, confident woman who led a revolution!

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Are there any you would've chosen differently for?

Who is your favorite Buffy character?

Let me know in the comments!