Cover Wars is a weekly showdown of two beautiful covers. The winner, as voted by you, goes on to face a new cover, and wins bragging rights. This is basically a fun way to discuss what we like in covers.

Some Quiet Place managed the first victory of the year last week. This week it's back to face it's new competitor, Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley.

I'm loving the colours and dresses. Both covers have the same haunting feel but completely different colour pallets. The bright dress and the ravens really stand out in Feather Bound. Also, Raven's being an omen of death are dead on her dress. Very interesting. 

So, which'll it be?

Let the Cover Wars begin!

Which cover should win Cover Wars?
	Feather Bound
	Some Quiet Place
pollcode.com free polls

There are many genres to choose from. With every supernatural or genre craze that has entered YA there has been an explosion of new books. I've read about vampires, werewolves, angels, zombies, cyborgs, and most recently, assassins.

I've enjoyed all of them in certain books. But some things that has been standing out is my increasing love for assassins who usually show up in high fantasy reads. Is it assassins I love or high fantasy? It really depends on the book. But high fantasy has definitely risen as my absolute favourite genre.

Why do I love high fantasy? Easy. First, let's get to know me a little bit. 

I’m a history nerd. 

• Preferably ancient history, but anything past the Renaissance to the Edwardian era is good too.

Fantasy tends to be set in these alternate history settings. They may not always be on Earth, but they resemble a time in history.

I love diversity.

Fantasy quenches this thirst. There are fantasies that capture the essence of many cultures, either by being set there or featuring diverse characters.

I also love action. 

• I really don't mind the guns though now that I think about it, there aren't many guns in YA (hmmm). Any who, I love swordplay, though I don't think I actually follow the actions properly; I just imagine some epic fighting. 

Strong female characters! 

• There was a time in fantasy when the female role was to be a damsel in distress, but the 21st century has shed a new light on females in fantasy and I love it. They are sassy, sexy and damn strong; corsets and swords all the way.

Lets talk about chivalrous knights! 

• Fantasy has introduced me to some of the most broodingly hot and chivalrous male heroes around. Want me to list ’em? 

1. Po (Graceling)
2. Chaol (Throne of Glass)
3. Robin Hood (Scarlet)
4. Gavriel Duval (Grave Mercy)

The list goes on!

Fantasy is a very rich genre. It’s rich of many things: characters, world, action, plot and writing. Obviously it depends on the book and the authors work, but at this point it’s kind of hard to have a fantasy book disappoint me. I read to escape and enjoy myself. I want to be enveloped in a completely different world, be thrust into situations I would never be faced with in life and live. Fantasy does this for me and so I can't help but adore it!

I Love Fantasy!

AND

THIS IS SPARTA!

-MARI

The Weekly Progress is a type of wrap up post that happens every Sunday on The Sirenic Codex looking on the week that was.

It blows my mind that last weekend was the end of the holidays. It's been a week, but they feel like they occurred months ago. Anyway, this week was all about getting back into the schedule.

Read

Two books isn't bad. It's not great either. I read my first JLA book, and the second to a series I was pretty excited about. Neither book blew me away, but neither was awful either. I've written reviews for both. 

Currently Reading

I just started it and it's very slow so far. I know that is the style, so I'm hoping I'll get more "into" it as I get further along in my reading. Right now, I'm trying to finish some school work before getting very far into the book. Also, I love the cover. 

Blog Recap

On Monday I reviewed Tessa Gratton's book, The Lost Sun.

Mari did a WoW for Far From You, and I'm just as excited for this book as she is. 

I also did a DNF review for Above. 

In Let's Talk About Gorgeous, I gushed about Josephine Angelini's covers because they are my favourites, and I asked people to tell me about their favourite covers. 

It was Mari's birthday this week! Happy birthday to her! She's 18 now which means she's an adult and old. In all seriousness, it's an enormous milestone and I hope she enjoys this milestone. She got some pretty great books though! Here's her STS/Showcase Sunday.

The Week That Was

I finished all my actual applications for university (yay!) and now I have to start applying for scholarships and grants. Hopefully I'm accepted to somewhere really good soon. 

I was in a surprisingly good mood all week, and I think part of that can be attributed to my favourite hockey team having their longest win streak of the season (4 games. It's a big deal folks!) and I think part of my New Year's Resolution is just to enjoy the moment more. It's a little lame, but I picked "Sparkle" as my word of 2014 and changed my phone's background to a diamond in order to remind myself that every day is a day to enjoy and make the most of. 

2014 is off to a great start for me, and I can't wait to see what this year will bring.

Song of the Week

This song is SO MUCH FUN. So this week I heard this really great preview for a song that was trap, and I would have used that preview because I listened to it about a billion times, but that song comes out tomorrow. Instead, I searched for other trap songs and found this. Trap is like trance + rap so there's electronic sounds in really cool beats. It's not for everyone, but I love this one, especially how it changes the pace of the rhythm. 

Hope you guys had a great week!
-P.E.

Welcome to this weeks Stacking the Shelves/Showcase Sunday!

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday are two weekly memes held by Tynga's Reviews and Books, Biscuits and Tea. Here we share all the new and amazing books we acquired over the past week!

So it's been a while since either of us did one of these, but I finally had an occasion for it. Last week was my birthday and I turned 18! I'm very excited about finally reaching this milestone and I'm slowly testing all the perks that come along with it :) 

I didn't buy any of the hardcopy books. They were all gifts from my wonderful friends, who have come to realize that nothing makes me happier than books for my birthday.

Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead

I've actually read this one, but I borrowed it from the library when I first read it and ever since I've been collecting the series. This was the only book that I didn't have, so I'm very happy to have the whole series and I can't wait to reread them.

Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz

I've read this one too, but a friend offered it to me and I wasn't going to pass it up :)

Allegiant - Veronica Roth

I finally have it! I'm so scared to read this one because of all the buzz I've heard. I've tried very hard these past few months to keep myself from being spoiled and the curiosity is killing me! I need to know what happens! Also, I can't wait for the movie, it looks amazing.

I did treat myself to some ebooks for my kobo as well.

I'm currently reading The Broken Stars and enjoying it though my reading has been interrupted by school. I'm also really dying to read Erased. I think I might try to this weekend (or tonight!). Fireblood is my fantasy fix. It was in a waiting on wednesday a month or so ago and I'm ecstatic to have it in my possession.

What's new on your shelves this week?

-Mari

I can't help it. When I think about the best, prettiest cover art for a series, there is one very clear winner in my mind: Josephine Angelini. Her covers are, in my view, absolute perfection. Let's take a look.

So pretty! That lilac dress is so nice. This cover feels like a cool day at the beach. There are so many cool aspects to the cover from the focus (around her feet it is crystal clear, away from her dress it is blurry) and the font (black outline, burned all around it). I feel Starcrossed is a very pretty cover. Then I saw Dreamless.

Same lilac dress! Same mix of blur and focus! Same pretty font! The colour scheme with that pink/orange sunset is amazing. Whereas the first cover was cool, this one is so warm. If there's one thing I don't like however, it is the girl's hair- it looks a bit unnatural, pretty badly photoshopped at the edges (it's too flat) and the colour is a bit jarring. So, beautiful cover, but not perfect. I mean, perfection is impossible right? And the only reason I notice these little flaws are because I have an extremely high resolution image of the cover I'm using. 

I'm the one in the middle.

IT EXISTS! Absolute perfection! This cover is everything I want in a cover. It is flawless, and I mean that literally. The girl's pose is a total goddess pose: slow, powerful, tall, looking at the sky. The dress is the same one from the other two covers (continuity ftw!), the font is stunning with gorgeous accents on the 'd's and nice dark blur, and let's talk about her positioning: high on a rock, which is perfect for Goddess. The best part, without a doubt is the colour scheme. Cool and elegant, blue, indigo, violet, and green, the colours are amazing. 

This is my favourite cover ever, and it's not even close. I love everything  about Goddess. It is gorgeous and stunning and every single adjective for beautiful ever. It deserves its own post because this s the most perfect cover I've ever seen. 

What's your perfect cover?

-P.E.

Author: Leah Bobet
Date of Publication: April 1 2012
Pages: 368
Source: Library

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

Review:

Leah Bobet seems like an interesting person in Twitter, I picked Above for Cover Wars a while back, and she's Canadian so I was really hoping I would like her book. What made me stop 55 pages in?

1. Awkward dialect. Dialect isn't a bad thing in itself. I've enjoyed many books with dialect before, so the dialect itself wasn't the biggest issue. I think it was the fact that the dialect promises a writing style that would be hard to get into, plus at some point there was some kind of story woven in that I had to reread a few times just because I was so confused.

2. Confusion. I don't know what Safe or Sick or Beast or Shadows or ANYTHING is. There seemed to be no explanation, and what explanation that existed was hard to comprehend because of the dialect. It got to a point where I couldn't imagine certain events taking place so I had to look at the story very generally, and...

3. The story doesn't call to me. The writing doesn't appeal to me and I don't even know what the premise is supposed to be. What's left to keep me reading are the characters, whom I can't enjoy because I don't understand (like the girl that turns into a bee? What?). The other thing that could have saved the story is the...

4. Plot, but there is a major issue right off the bat. A pretty significant event occurs and I do not understand it at all. I don't understand the aggressors, I don't understand the world, and I can't continue with Above when I'm already confused about what's supposed to be a pretty big deal.

5. I'm also in a piss poor mood. Chalk it up on school and general bad luck, but I'm frustrated enough as it is. I wanted this book to take me out of where I am and so I can focus on something else. Instead, I ended up being frustrated when 55 pages in, I know nothing.

6. I don't have much faith in the book. Say what you want about Goodreads, but a 3 star average killed my enthusiasm for Above.

Ultimately, I think Above is probably better than the first 55 pages, but as a reader sometimes I don't have the patience to wait that long. Some people like unraveling a mystery, but from what I could tell, this wasn't my read. Maybe I'll regret this and I probably didn't see the author's creative vision. Either way, I'm ready to move on.

-P.E.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Far From You

May 6, 2014

Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick. 

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared.

Goodreads 

I'm really interested in this one. There is a hint of the girls being involved in a drug deal which is new to me. I've read a lot about guys who are in the drug business but never a female perspective. I'm also interested in seeing how Sophie is going to deal with the obvious mistreatment that she will be faced with and what is this secret she speaks of?!

-MARI 

Cover Wars is a weekly showdown of two beautiful covers. The winner, as voted by you, goes on to face a new cover, and wins bragging rights. This is basically a fun way to discuss what we like in covers.

Welcome to the first Cover Wars of 2014. We have all new candidates. This week the battle is between, Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton vs. Ring and the Crown by Melissa De La Cruz.

Wow, flowers! It's been a while since I've seen flowers on a cover and these covers reminds us of how awesome they are. Some Quiet Place has an eerie feel, but it's captivating. It has an interesting concept with the leafs making up the model and her dress, thus she is deteriorating as the leafs fall off. Ring and the Crown isn't as easy to read but it's sure is easy to appreciate the abstract photography. One thing both these cover have in common are colour themes. Some Quiet Place is sticking with a subtle pink, while Ring and the Crown is bright and alive using different shades of red and yellow.

So, which'll it be?

Let the Cover Wars begin!

Which cover should win Cover Wars?
	Some Quiet Place
	Ring and the Crown
pollcode.com free polls

Author: Tessa Gratton
Date of Publication: June 25 2013
Pages: 368
Source: Library

Fans of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" and Holly Black's "The Curse Workers" will embrace this richly drawn, Norse-mythology-infused alternate world: the United States of Asgard. Seventeen-year-old Soren Bearskin is trying to escape the past. His father, a famed warrior, lost himself to the battle-frenzy and killed thirteen innocent people. Soren cannot deny that berserking is in his blood--the fevers, insomnia, and occasional feelings of uncontrollable rage haunt him. So he tries to remain calm and detached from everyone at Sanctus Sigurd's Academy. But that's hard to do when a popular, beautiful girl like Astrid Glyn tells Soren she dreams of him. That's not all Astrid dreams of--the daughter of a renowned prophetess, Astrid is coming into her own inherited abilities. 

When Baldur, son of Odin and one of the most popular gods in the country, goes missing, Astrid sees where he is and convinces Soren to join her on a road trip that will take them to find not only a lost god, but also who they are beyond the legacy of their parents and everything they've been told they have to be.

Review:

For some reason, I don't know very much about Norse Gods. I've read many stories about Greek Gods but when it comes to Asgard, I'm pretty clueless. When I saw The Lost Sun, I was very excited. Not because of the cover which didn't appeal to me at all. I was drawn to this book by the author, Tessa Gratton. I read her previous book, Blood Magic, and enjoyed it so I decided to give this one a shot.

I'm happy I did. I was very impressed with the atmospheric writing. There is a certain sense of destiny that permeates the story and this mood is evident from the very first page. The Lost Sun is not a light book; the story is vaguely poetic at times, and so it took some time for me to get into it.

As someone that knows very little about Asgard I was incredibly pleased that there were many explanations and retellings of prominent myths. I couldn't remember everything, but they helped introduce me to a new mythology. I also loved the way New Asgard was set up. The Gods live along with the humans. All humans seem to choose one particular god to obey and follow. Also, the little historical and geographical aspects were incredible. As a Canadian, Canadia and the Montreal Troll Wars were of particular interest. The setting was creative with some humour too, which was very useful considering how serious other parts of the story felt.

The plot was very enchanting. All the characters had a purpose and although it took a while, I finally started to connect to them. The friendships that formed were a little heartbreaking, and they were all so meaningful. What I would have liked to see was some lighter scenes. Everyone was so angsty, and it does make sense, but some comic relief to relieve some of the tension could be beneficial.

I can pretty much name the scene where I got very into the story because Soren acted so compassionately and I realized how good of a person he was. After that scene, I warmed up to him and all the other characters. Soren's conviction is endearing and it's hard not to root for him.

The ending is magical. Everything wraps up very well and I was legitimately scared for the characters. Gratton tied everything up though, and overall I enjoyed this foray into Norse mythology. I wouldn't mind more, actually.

If you're a fan of Maggie Stiefvater, Holly Black, Melissa Marr, and/or Brenna Yovanoff, you should give The Lost Sun a try. The writing is incredibly atmospheric and the story is enchanting.

-P.E.

The Weekly Progress is a type of wrap up post that happens every Sunday on The Sirenic Codex looking on the week that was.

It's Sunday, and tomorrow school starts, and I just can't I'm going to do my best to make the most of the rest of January. Right around now, I truly regret slacking off. Where did my two weeks of holiday go?

Read

I'm a little embarrassed, because this one was a DNF so it's not like I really read it. I stopped this book because it had a dull plot, with dull characters, and the premise (voodoo!) was dishonoured by being white washed. I regret not checking out Goodreads reviews before I picked up this book. 

Currently Reading

For school. I like it way better the second time around. I'm supposed to link it to another media text, and in my head, the similarities to Mean Girls are astonishing. 

Blog Recap

On Monday, there was a review of Steel Lily by me!

Next, we had a wrap up for Cover Wars 2013. This Tuesday will feature two brand new covers, and trust me, they're gorgeous. 

Mari and I wrote together about our New Year's Resolutions. This is actually the second post we wrote for New Year's. The first one was awful and long and boring, so we scrapped it. 

Mari then wrote a post about diversity in YA, with lots of K-Pop gifs. 

Next, we had a discussion post about swearing with some great comments from you guys. 

We concluded with my post on what really matters to me: stories. 

Overall, a very heavy discussion oriented week. Next week looks a little lighter, with some more reviews. 

The Week That Was

I don't even remember what happened. The days kind of merged together, and I have no idea where the time went. We had some kind of dinner party on New Year which wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be. Since then, my mom hasn't cooked because we literally have enough food to last two weeks, and that's with some of the food she threw out. Also, it's the holidays so I've been eating way too many M&Ms and I've done no school work. 

What I did do was catch up on The Originals! That show has been so much better than TVD this season, and I love it! Rebecca is the best, and Elijah is adorable. I even sometimes like Marcel, and Hailey! I'm hoping to see more on Davina and Josh's relationship. I feel like they're the most normal people, and their friendship is too cute. 

Song of the Week

This was kind of hard, because I didn't really listen to music. I found two tracks that I considered, but I pick this one just because it was a little easier to get into. Fun melody, and I like the vocals. I'm not sure if I'm sold with the combo though. Perhaps it will be one of those songs that grows on you? 

Hope you guys enjoyed your holidays!
-P.E.

I've never found it surprising that many book people end up studying literature or English in university. I'm currently in the application process, so this was even something I considered, but after finishing an English essay on Hamlet, I had an epiphany.

I hate essays. That's nothing new. What I realized is that I don't care much about the literary aspect of a story.

Good writing is nice, but it's not a requirement for me. I appreciate words, but I've never been the most eloquent writer. My style is factual and I think a little choppy. I know people with the skill to write intricate, weaving sentences. They're the people excelling at purple prose, and reading a well written passage is always a breath of fresh air. However, to this point I still don't feel like good writing draws me to a book.

Melina Marchetta, one of my favourite authors.

I mean, what is good writing anyway? I consider any story that interests me good writing. I don't look at it with more depth, except to gush about Maggie Stiefvater, Melina Marchetta, and Holly Black. All I really care about most are the characters, the plot, and the overall execution of the premise.

During a Lauren Oliver event, one of the most interesting things she said was that taking English at NYU taught her about writing, but she never learned of plot. She would write hundreds of pages of beautiful words but she couldn't connect them in a good story until Before I Fall.

This came as a surprise to me because the story is what I love.

Lurking in the world is a bit of snobbery when it comes to reading. Book worms haven't always had the best reputation because in our extroverted society, people don't understand the merits of staying home to read rather than going out to a party. Maybe I'm the only person to have dealt with this, but reading isn't always something people respect, especially the people that consider it "boring".

I was partaking in the daily struggle of walking upstairs to my locker when I heard someone say, "Why read the book when you can watch the movie?" Frankly, this attitude of misunderstanding the brilliance of our quiet hobby can get to bookworms, so I do notice some arrogance. It's where the "reading is sexy" campaigns come from.

Who does this? This does not look comfortable.

I may be mis-characterizing this, but it has gotten to the point where there is a certain pride in reading books, and a disdain for those that don't. We're the smart ones that actually partake in an art worth doing. We're the deep ones full of potential and complexities.

This isn't a prevalent attitude. Most bookworms I've met are superb, intelligent people. I can't pretend though that my hobby makes me any more intelligent than if I were a movie junkee or a video game junkee. I don't feel like I enjoy books because they're intelligent and make me look at the world differently every day. Some do, but I generally read for enjoyment, not enlightenment.

I love stories.

It shouldn't have surprised me when I realized I was a fan of watching hockey. It did though, and it was such a sudden thing: one week I didn't watch hockey, the next I did. Maybe it was a phase, but it has lasted two years. I used to characterize myself as a bookworm and so it felt wrong to like watching a sport. Like, wasn't that what brain dead jocks did?

After some reflection though, I've realized that as someone who loves stories, sports are another story. They're a story of goals and shots and win and losses. There are narratives everywhere with suspect reliability. Having a team I'm a diehard fan for is absolutely ridiculous, because it's just a game, but that's the same way people belittle books; they're just words. They're not. They are stories.

My last major interest is once again new. I've always loved to sing. I grew up watching American Idol with my parents, and I remember trying to sing with the contestants as a kid. Whenever I was given a music creativity assignment like composition, I always loved it. However, I never felt like a music person. I couldn't relate to lyrics and voices: music never changed my life, and I didn't need it like some other people do.

Even now, I'm not overly passionate about it, but music makes me happy. I listen to house, electric, techno, all those styles and I read somewhere that music is the only thing that can make you use all parts of your brain at once. I think that's especially true for me. Songs can awaken feelings that matter. They can be emotional and most importantly, they are a story in themselves. The best songs are the ones that make a history for themselves within my consciousness, so when I hear the song, I'm also feeling the story. "Don't You Worry Child" by Swedish House Mafia is one of my favourites for this.



The song makes me nostalgic, and it's like a balm telling me whenever I'm not sure of myself or my life that everything can work out. It reminds me to move on, and so through the beats and melodies and lyrics, it's another story: mine.

Stories can be found everywhere through different mediums. Different mediums speak to people. Ultimately though, I've found that I don't really care about words: I care about plot and characters. I don't care about hockey: I care about my team. I don't care about music: I care about complex melodies. I care about stories more than the art form itself. How about you?

-P.E.

A discussion with P.E. and Mari

As teenagers we swear, a lot sometimes. However, in teenage literature swearing is quite uncommon. How do you feel about swearing?

I fucking love it. Some people may be surprised because I honestly don't swear that much in person (outside of any competitive activity, often sports) but I'm not deaf and I know a lot of people do. I know some people are bothered by swearing, but for me it's about intent. If you intend to say something harmful and harsh and filter yourself to saying something more euphemistic than an f-bomb, that doesn't change anything. The intent was still to curse, so I think if you want that there, go ahead and say it. What do you think?

The best way to capture/explain swearing is probably Hank Green's video. Swear words are more than words, they're words that convey expression and emotions without us going into deep self study in order to find the exact term. When I'm frustrated, scared or angry, I will swear. No I'm not thinking about the original meaning of the word. I don't think any of us do when we say "Fuck you!" Instead it conveys quite clearly, that we wish for the opposing person to zip it and get out. Seeing as swearing seems to be quite inherent and common in life, why do you think it's so uncommon in YA?

Maybe because there's still this misguided idea that teens need to be sheltered? Or authors generally are more creative in their methods of communication, so they don't write f-bombs when they can think of something more clever. I honestly don't know. If something surprising happens, I know that I'll swear, maybe even under my breath. It's a part of reality (maybe I'm just around pottymouths?) but it doesn't translate to books. There's also the annoying people who will censor books based on language. Why do you think it's uncommon?

I would relate it also to censorship. It's a lot like how many people are banning some very powerful dark YA novels because they feel that "teens shouldn't be exposed to them". Similarly curse words are frowned upon. We have a friend who actively ignores them and tends to call out people (usually me) who are saying them. I think it all comes down to society and what we teach our children. We are told from the get go that swearing is bad; don't do it. So that ends up translating to our everyday lives. I don't swear in front of people I don't know or people of authority. Similarly authors might contain themselves while writing because they know that publishers and readers will be reading what they are writing. There is also the idea of "fine/proper language" which doesn't include vulgar curse words. I also found it interesting that you mentioned authors making their own creative methods to convey messages. How do you feel about fake swearing or substitute swear words?

I hate it, especially if the story is paranormal. If an author wants to have that sentiment expressed by the characters who exist in the modern world, do it. I know Paranormalcy by Kiersten White had Evie saying "bleep" a lot which I didn't like. On the other hand, I applaud authors who create their own swear terms in fantasies. The origins of swear words are really cool. English ones tend to be about sex, but I know in Quebec all their swear words seem to revolve around church items. So, if done reasonably, I think it's another way to immerse a reader into the story. That being said, I do sympathize with authors a little. Even I feel uncomfortable swearing on the blog. I think it's because when I swear, it's usually in a fit of intense emotion that doesn't last very long. It's all about the moment, and so later when I look back, it doesn't fit anymore. It just looks weird. Does that make sense at all?

That's exactly what swearing is. It's a random outburst of emotion and I think it gets the message across quite well. However, it seems as though it's much easier to hear swearing than read it. As for fake swearing... I have one word: 

BULLPOOPIE. 
(House of Night by P.C. and Kristin Cast)

Oh my goodness that one has bugged me for years. I've noticed that fake swear words tend to leave the realm of realism. But I have to give the authors props for even trying to come up with their own swear words since it's quite hard to keep from making them sound silly. Most of the accepted swear words are quite silly themselves but due to the widespread use they don't seem so. So if I were to choose, I would much prefer real swearing to fake swearing. Also, swear words tend to go with the trend of the day. So the words we say now may not be the words the next generation uses to express the same feelings. Do you think that may be another deterrent in using them?

That could definitely be a part of it, but maybe it's just me but I don't think there are that many new swear words. Also, I feel like a book will never be dated if the storyline is universal, you know? 


That's true. Keep it real and honest and your story will live forever. 

What do you think?