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Hi, I’m Sydney Owen. I currently reside in the Philippines. I mostly read YA but I have been drifting to other categories recently. I absolutely adore steampunk and anything with light romance. Surprisingly, I am the only reader, writer, and artist in my family.
How long have you been blogging? What made you want to start a book blog?
Six months, ever since I posted my review of Cinder last year. Lately, I’ve been getting a bit lazy on the blog but I’m working my way back! I started Starry Storm because I wanted to get my opinions out there and I had a lot of free time on my hands. Also, I was kind of in it for the experience. What was it like to become a reviewer or even a long-time one at that?
What do you do when you’re not blogging or reading?
Normally I just sleep, watch some shows, or play games. I want to go out more often but my friends are constantly busy and I don’t really want to go alone.
What is your favorite part about blogging? Least favorite?
This is a common answer but I guess it’s sharing opinions with other bloggers. It’s fun to read their thoughts and discuss on important topics. I hate it when I can’t write something different, interesting, or even anything for a book. I also hate it when my review is so disorganized and has no flow.
How did you come up with the name for your blog?
Not sure. The name just came out of the blue and all the good ones were taken by the abandoned early 2000s blogs. My decision could have also been influenced by the fact that Starry Storm rhymes a little with Sari-sari Store (for some unknown reason). The very first name Starry Storm had for the first thirty minutes of its life was Thoughts Beyond Clouds, which (mostly) everyone greatly disapproved of.
Do you have any specific book bloggers that inspire you?
None in particular. However, there is AnimeJune from
Gossamer Obsessions. I stumbled upon her blog after a quick google search on a certain novel and used to love reading her reviews. I am not sure why I stopped visiting a few months back. She is one of the bloggers that inspired me to become a reviewer.
What do you look for in a blog when following? What are your pet peeves?
As long as a blog posts different reviews, I won’t mind any hard-navigate-or-read blogs. I won’t tolerate bad spelling though. (By “different reviews”, I’m not really sure how to explain it. I think if it stands out from the rest, I’ll give it a go.)
What’s your favorite book(s)?
The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead, The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare, and The Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld.
Favorite author?
I don’t have one. At least, I think I don’t.
What is the biggest turn off for you when you’re reading a book?
Love triangles, weak/insensitive main characters (especially ones that don’t even have common sense), predictability, and cliche after cliche after cliche.
What first draws you to a book to make you want to read it?
Amazing covers and interesting summaries, respectively. Even if there’s a cliched plot, if the summary is extremely good, I’ll take a look.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Shy. Random. Procrastinator.
Name a random fact about yourself.
If you meet me, I am extremely shy at first. It’s hard to get me to open my shell and I barely speak a word to people I don’t truly know. Once you’ve earn my trust, I can’t stop talking. I am a huge chatterbox.
Do you have a job? If so, what do you do?
…Does reviewing count as a job? No?
What did you want to be when you were little? Has that changed?
I wanted to be a doctor when I was little because everyone told me it was the best job out there and my parents strongly encouraged me to become one. Now I definitely do not want to be a doctor, but I’m not sure what to do anymore. Maybe a lawyer or an actress on stage. Who knows?
Randomness
Cats or dogs?
Dogs, simply because I have one (although she often acts like a cat).
Favorite animal?
Foxes. To me, they look so adorable.
White, dark, or milk chocolate?
There are some days I hate the taste of white or dark chocolate. Milk chocolate never fails me!
Coke or Pepsi?
Coke. Pepsi only brings back bad childhood memories from me.
Favorite TV show?
Hard to choose! Umm… maybe BBC’s Sherlock? Oh, and The Simpsons for being a childhood favorite!
Favorite movie?
The Avengers. I haven’t seen any good movies recently. In fact, I rarely go to the movies at all.
Color?
Rainb–okay, fine. Ocean blue.
Thanks for being here today, Sydney! It was fantastic getting to know you!
Find Sydney:
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