Ceci Creates

goodbye dear friends

well, it has been a hot minute.

so much has happened in the past year that I can't even imagine covering everything that has happened. i'm almost done my first year at college and its been crazy.

my mom encouraged me to start blogging again and after thinking about it i realized that i really did want to blog again. but it didn't seem right to come back to this blog. the person who wrote on this blog is different than the person who is writing this right now. but i still want to blog.

so i've started a new blog. and while it is time to say goodbye to Ceci Creates, I hope you'll join me in my new place: https://ramblingswhimsical.blogspot.com/

Star of Persia & The Runaway Bride {Double Book Review}

I'm trying out a new style of book reviews, so let's see how it goes and I hope y'all enjoy it!

Star of Persia: Esther's Story

I've always loved the book of Esther. It's such an incredible story of how God places you in certain places, at certain times, and for certain reasons. The story of Esther shows that perfectly. And I really liked how this book told her story.

I enjoyed how we were introduced to Esther before she was Esther, when she was Hadassah. I also liked the insights to Xerxes courts, the intrigue, and struggle. Esther's gentle ways are a breath of fresh air and it is really lovely to see how if you are a gentle and kind person, it really stands out.

Jill Eileen Smith's writing was really nice and it really drew me in. There was a really good intention to detail and she depicted things very well.

I did have a few problems. The first is while the writing was wonderful, sometimes I felt as if it dragged a little. Some of the characters were a little two-dimensional at times and it kinda threw me out. Since it does deal with Xerxes and his many wives, there is quite a bit of kissing and mentions of the marital embrace. It wasn't that bad and done in a tasteful manner, it just got kinda uncomfortable sometimes.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I liked the characters and the storytelling. The setting also really pulled me in and kept me interested. This gets a solid 3 stars from me.

I received a free copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Runaway Bride

While this is the second book in this series, this reads like a standalone.

I also liked this book. I always enjoy those books about the heroes who are scared and eventually overcome those fears because it's so hopeful and if there is something our world needs it is definitely more hope. Arabelle was easy to admire and even though her past darkness haunts her, she stills finds it in herself to care for other people. Pete was another great character. Charismatic and kind, you can see how people were drawn to him, I loved the storyline of forgiveness.

I liked this setting. I honestly didn't know much about the bride ships. I knew that there were poorer women that would come in those ships but I didn't know about the middle/upper-class women who would also go. The part about the measles was also very intriguing.

One of the things that mainly bothered me was the content. It wasn't crude or anything but it did make me uncomfortable at certain parts. We learn about Pete's past struggles with sex and desire and he struggles to overcome those things when it comes to Arabella. And sometimes he does get carried away. There were a few points where I had to set the book down because it made me uncomfortable.

Something else that bothered me is how Arabella didn't seem to change much. Ultimately yes, she was a different person at the end than she was at the beginning and it was a very admirable change but she stays in that middle point for so long that it drags. She takes a step forward then a step back and it gets a bit tiresome after a while. There also seemed to be a minor plothole with that person Arabella thought she saw a couple times and was never mentioned again? Or maybe it was and I just missed it.

I did end up liking this book and besides some of the content, it did keep me drawn into the story and the setting. Another three stars!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have and of y'all read these books? What did you think? Do you want to read them?

past, present, future | more specific updates

Okay yeah, it's been a hot minute since November. Honestly, the last few months have been a series of gaksjbasdvukshajmdhdlvhqfca and then sadkjbaslvaskhlcxjqcads with more aISHLJFDCNbwaovuclh,.achbsx,ckjkBjkCSADL,JC

bUT

That's in the past and I'm going to update y'all in this post about all the goings-on that have been....going....on....o.o......in the past few months xP

I have divided things into sections because my brAIn can't funCTION at this moMENT because of freaking scHOOLWORK

yeah life has been interesting

school

I guess we'll start off with the thing that leaves me dead on the inside. School.

School is interesting (my new favorite word woohoo). At the beginning of the school year, I didn't think that the workload was that bad.

Yeah that was a lie. Um, how to summarize school now in a few sentences. Let's do it subject by subject.

Math: Why the hecc do i need to know this m'kay imma go die now
Physics: "not that much math anymore" *more math and death and shvckjmasbndc*
Gov & Econ: Feds *do something* antifeds *get angry* *insert a million timed essays
Literary analysis: honestly not that bad and lots of fun but humans are terrible people
Catholic Doctrine: really freaking cool because wow, I didnt know that

Honestly, I have so many more thoughts on school right now that are all very interesting to say the least so lmk if y'all would maybe like to see a post with more thoughts xD

violin

I REALLY DONT KNOW WHAT VIOLIN IS RIGHT NOW

JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE MY BEETHOVEN SONATA AND MAKE IT TO MY SENIOR RECITAL WITHOUT DYING

ALSO WHY DID I ASK TO PLAY A PIECE WITH LIKE SIX SHARPS

But this competition that we were gonna do was canceled because of the coronavirus so all I have left if my senior recital.

dance

Dance was going really well. Our recital was supposed to be April 4th but, because of coronavirus, it was canceled. This was really, really tough news not only because this was my last year, but because this is the last year my teacher is going to teach.

I just remember our last class. It was the day that we ran most of our worship pieces and things were finally falling into place and it was just so good.

Then the case of coronavirus here started to skyrocket and it was canceled.

Honestly very heartbreaking.

life

Eessh.

Life has been crazy XD Senioritis is very very real. In January I went to the March For Life again and it was amazing. I miss my friends a lot and I hope to see them this summer.

As in regards to college stuff (yay), everything has been settled since early October which is a RELIEF. I'm going to a college about an hour and 15 minutes away as a music therapy major. I got several scholarships that will pay for everything.

But um, besides that nothing much is going on in life.

Oh, they canceled our prom which is a huge BUMMER because I got my prom dress and it is SO PRETTYYY. But like, they might reschedule it so fingers crossed.

reading

IM KINDA ASHAMED OF HOW LITTLE IVE READ THIS YEAR BUT LIKE SCHOOL HAS KILLED ME

I've only read 11 books this year ;-;

Rerum Novarum: On the Condition of the Working Classes, by Pope Leo XIII; Cress, by Marissa Meyer; The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka; Winter, by Marissa Meyer; Stars Above, by Marissa Meyer; More Than We Remember, by Christina Suzann Nelson; Far Side of the Sea, by Kate Breslin; Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis; The Runaway Bride, by Jody Hedlund; An Old-Fashioned Girl, by Louisa May Alcott; Star of Persia; Esther's Story, by Jill Eileen Smith

writing

I maybe haven't written since the end of November??

I've just been really busy and have had no inspiration. But I'm gonna try the April Nano because I got this story idea that wont let me alone for a novella. Pretty excited XD

future blogging plans

I'm hoping to post once a week. I have a few post ideas and I'm really excited. I have a book review I have to post tonight because I lost track of days and yeeee

ANyways, how are y'all?? Tell me anything i missed!

More Than We Remember {Book Review} | updates

Well, it's been a hot minute y'all. I am very sorry for essentially vanishing, but more on that at the end of this post. In the meantime, enjoy this book review!

One night changes everything for three women. . . .

When Addison Killbourn's husband is involved in a car accident that leaves a woman dead, her perfectly constructed life crumbles apart. With her husband's memory of that night gone and the revelation of a potentially life-altering secret, Addison has to reevaluate all she thought she knew.

Emilia Cruz is a deputy bearing a heavy burden far beyond the weight of her job. Her husband is no longer the man she married, and Emilia's determined to prevent others from facing the same hardship. When she's called to the scene of an accident pointing to everything she's fighting against, she's determined to see justice for those wronged.

Brianne Demanno is hiding from reality. She was thriving as a counselor, but when tragedy struck a beloved client, she lost faith in herself and her purpose. When her neighbors, the Killbourns, are thrown into crisis, Brianne's solitary life is disrupted and she finds herself needed in a way she hasn't been in a while.

As the lives of these women intersect, they can no longer dwell in the memory of who they've been. Can they rise from the wreck of the worst moments of their lives to become who they were meant to be?

Liked: I really enjoy those stories that have multiple storylines that all intertwine together. And while these three storylines are not so different, they still had that element of strings winding together. And it was pretty easy to follow. The strings never got tied in a way that left you confused, and everything panned out very well.

Liked: Christina Suzann Nelson did a really good job of rounding out her characters. They all had their strengths and flaws and it was amazing to read. I liked how the characters acted in very realistic ways and the characters helped make this story very good. It's a good tale of grace and our worthiness of it and the character being very three dimensional accentuated it.

Disliked: One of the things that I disliked, which I guess is the flipside of what I just said I liked above, is that some of the characters really sat wrong with me and I really did not like their behavior. Especially Emilia, who I felt sympathy for sometimes, but who generally really grated on me. And I think that attests to the way that the characters are well rounded that you can dislike a character and yet feel sympathy for them. Some of the other characters' behavior sometimes also kinda bothered me, so that wasn't that great.

-supposed drug use
-mention of suicide
-mentions of alcohol abuse
-one character is thought to have been having an affair
-death
-mention of child molestation
-some hospital scenes

A big theme in this book is grace and mercy, and who deserves it. Throughout the course of this book, you have Emilia almost solely focused on bringing Caleb Kilbourn to what she believes is justice. She pursues this like a hound and it's almost offputting because she decides right away that he is guilty and you wonder, "But what if he's not?" She seems to believe that he doesn't deserve mercy and two lines that come from her daughter kinda sums up what I wonder in regards to her behavior. "I bet Hannah doesn't feel like it's very fair that she's about to lose her dad because he was in an accident. . .so we should have our family, but Hannah doesn't deserve to have hers?" And that's something I wondered throughout the course of this book, especially how Emilia was very admirable in her determination to hold her family together: What about the Kilbourns?

A while ago in my literary analysis class, we read The Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy (which I 10/10 recommend) and we later had to write a paper on it comparing the natural and almost animalistic justice that prevailed in the first half of the story (a sort of 'eye for an eye' thinking) and the more divine justice that came to light in the second half, full of God's grace. While I was reading this book, I kept thinking about that natural justice vs. God's justice. It was very thought-provoking and I liked keeping that in mind as I read this book.

I'm giving this a rating of 4 stars and I would recommend this for maybe ages 13/14+

I was given a free copy of this book by Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.

Now for some personal updates. Oof, let's just say that senior year has been rough. There's a lot of stuff going on and time is like, "adiosss" and leaves. But I do still want to keep blogging and I have several books I have to review so I'm hoping on posting maybeee once a week.

I'm really sorry that I just left in November but things got really, really crazy then and it's been go, go, go ever since then (I actually haven't even been able to write since the end of November ;-;). But please let me know what y'all would like to see next, a general update maybe? I really do love y'all and I will try my hardest to keep on posting!

The Shared WIP Tag || {Week 4: Side Characters}

Well would you look at that, Ceci is on time with this post! Miracles really do happen.

Now let's get to know these side-characters!

If you had to go on a mission with any of your SCs, which one(s) would you pick?

Hm...I would pick Gervase (Adelina's brother), Markus (Adelina's human guard), Samsun (Adelina's human guard), and Captain Gradeth (a faerie captain). These are all really hard-working and strong people so you know they will help you get the job done. If anything, I would be the weak link in this team.

Which of your side characters attempts to steal attention from the MC the most?

If you mean in the actual story, then it would definitely be Joanna and her brood. If you mean that I'm really tempted to write more of them than my MCs, there actually isn't any this time.

Which SC would annoy you the most and which one would you bond with the most?

I feel like Joanna or Muriel would annoy me the most, and I would probably bond most with Gervase or Umfrey.

Which SC would you be most attracted to, romantically or platonically?

Not gonna lie, it would probably be Gervase or Asa that I would be interested romantically lol

Would you fit in with your SCs collectively, or would they not be your type of friend group?

I think I would fit in with some of my SCs more than others. Like I would totally be at ease with Adelina and her family, but really uncomfortable with Joanna and her brood.

If your SCs are not all friends, what would result if you were to thrust them together as a group and assign them an activity?

They are definitely not all friends xD And I think that there would be a lot of arguing at first before someone organized them and got them to get the job done.

Which SC would fit into our world the most?

I think Sabelina (Adelina's sister) would fit into our world pretty well. Especially after seeing pianos and listening to piano recordings.

Which SC makes you laugh the most?

None of my SCs are really hilarious, but Amara definitely gave me the most chuckles when I was writing her.

Which SC could probably get removed without affecting much of the story?

THERE ARE HONESTLY TOO MANY OF THESE PEOPLE. But I'm going to go with Aeretha. I mean for her to be like a second mother to Adelina and her siblings, but then I only wrote her in one scene and never mentioned her again.

Which SC could never get removed because of how important their role is?

I'm going to have to go with either Umfrey (Leo's human brother) or Lady Nesta (Adelina's mother). Umfrey becomes like a father to Adelina and her helps her out. He's also super close to Leo. And Lady Nest is Adelina's mother, so she is kinda important.

I hope you enjoyed this week's post! Make sure to come back next week (our final week) (*dies*) for a post full of snippets. In the meantime, check out these other amazing people.

Almost done Nano! What has been the best/worst part of it so far?