For Your TBR Pile - The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Published: September 17th

Thanks Scholastic and NetGalley for the eARC. In exchange, I've written this unbiased review.

From GoodReads: The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Overall Review: The Raven Boys is possibly my favorite book this year. If someone had told me, "Hey, Valerie. You know there's this series about touch, rowdy boys who drive cool cars and search for mystical things" I would have picked this series up SOOO long ago. After reading Shiver and part of The Scorpio Races, this is the series that won me over as a Maggie fan.

Rating: While I really enjoyed The Raven Boys and rated it 4 stars, I LOVED The Dream Thieves and rated it a 5. This was the book that tugged me in for the rest of the series.

Writing: A lot of people like to use the words "lyrical" when describing Maggie's prose and I have to completely agree. But what I especially like is that although she writes in 3rd person omniscient POV, she doesn't forget to give the narrator his/her own distinct voice. By doing this, she sneaks in these little quirks and jokes and opinions of each character, which is also why I think we gravitate to certain characters.

Characters: The characters are the best part of this series. Ronan, whose dark personality didn't hook me when I read The Raven Boys, was the focus of The Dream Thieves and I found myself completely in love with his shady past, his dream world, and his farm house roots. His ability to carry things out of his dreams and use them in real life is fascinating and brought a whole other level of intrigue to this series! I also loved reading more about the origin of his and his brother Declan's hatred for each other.

I know everyone likes to talk about Gansey as the best character from the series, but I absolutely love Adam and his struggle to make the transition of where he came from to where he wants to go. His relationship with Blue is heartbreaking, and at the same time I'm so glad Maggie made it an honest relationship--one where you don't always get what you want.

Blue is such a strong character who comes from an unconventional upbringing in a house full of psychics and I was thrilled to see the part they played in this sequel.

The Scene Everyone Is Talking About: There's a kiss...oh my gosh. It's such a good kiss. That is all I'm saying.

What's Up Wednesday - 9.25.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up.

You can participate by going to Jaime's blog here. Or Erin's blog there.

I now start every Monday thinking, "something better happen soon so I know what to tell What's Up Wednesday people." Or, in this case, "I had better write and schedule that Wednesday post now since I won't be around for the day."

So I am writing you from THE PAST right now.

What I'm Reading

Since I am writing you from THE PAST, I am more than likely reading one of these books right now. This is the stack I have narrowed down as of Sunday morning.

Does everyone plan out their reading a few days/weeks ahead of time or is that just a weird thing I do?

What I'm Writing

Nada! I'm on a bit of a break right now and letting my first draft simmer before I go in to do second-pass revisions. 

What Else I've Been Up To

Or rather, why am I writing to you from THE PAST today? Because it's actually my wedding anniversary and Shannon and I have left everything behind and high-tailed it out of town.

This picture was taken 3 years ago and I still remember the photographer saying, "you're too short and Shannon is scrunching down in all these pictures. I need you to stand on something." Of course, I panicked, like, "Ugh. I'm going to look five in my wedding photos!"

So we found this bench and it was covered in bird poo, hardened ice cream, and cigarette butts. Isn't that extremely glamourous? Or just Jersey Shore-ish? (We had our wedding in Cape May.) But, yes, this became the one that became the mantle picture (and I don't think I ended up looking five--hopefully).

See you next week! <3

Agents Like Us - Katie Grimm

Agents Like Us asks agents all their deep, dark agenting secrets. This week, Katie Grimm of Don Congdon Associates is here! If you love Arrested Development and are known to bust out in a jig, she's the agent for you.

She's actively looking for literary fiction, young adult, and middle grade. You can find her submission guidelines here, and tweeting under @GrimmLit.

Katie's answers are below in bold. Let us know what makes her like you in the comments!

Katie on Agenting

• When writers query me, I really wish they'd follow the rules! I love rules. And things like title, word count, genre, and this main character in this setting overcoming this problem. It's that easy!

• My favorite part about being an agent is well, I do love THE CALL when you tell the author their life is about to change or the discovery of THE NEXT BIG THING late night on my kindle, but what really gets the tears going is reading reviews or hearing from other readers who have loved my client's book too. Impacting different people all over the world with the same story is why we're all here.

• Rules and trends aside, what I really look for in a story is emotional connection and longevity - I read to grow and learn, and I should be able to get something different out of a book each time I read it, even 10 years from now.

• Whenever I make a book deal, I shout it to the rest of the agency - everyone runs out of their offices, and we all celebrate! I might have a deal jig too.

• I really wish I saw more stories that aren't about THE CHOSEN ONE or saving THE ENTIRE WORLD in speculative fiction - the stakes don't have to be that high for the book to be important. I also want to see more historical, like a YA version of RULES OF CIVILITY, fantasy that feels rooted in history (please a book about the witch trials!), creepy suspense, unreliable narrators and organic speculative fiction in the slush.

Katie on Clients

• My ideal client would never sleep and be able to sustain themselves on reading and writing books alone. Oh, that's not a thing?

• What I love most about my current clientele is their creativity! My clients' new book ideas and revisions give me chills. I think, I must have this, it has to be mine...oh wait, it is!

• What I want most for any client is to share their stories with as many people as possible.

Katie on Life

• If I weren't an agent, I'd probably be a medievalist - I'm really into vellum. And the emergence of Western culture as we now know it. Also, courtly love and witches!

• My favorite (non-client) book is I don't understand the question, and I won't respond to it.

• Secretly, I'm terrified of germs. Okay, maybe the fact I'm a germaphobe is not a secret. I swear this wasn't an issue growing up in Colorado...must be a NYC thing.

• My secret boyfriend is Quentin from THE MAGICIANS or Todd from CHAOS WALKING series? I am not drawn to books where the romance is at the forefront - I think I wore out my ability to swoon after too much Draco Malfoy fanfic (and Pottermore thinks I'm Ravenclaw, argh!). I like, real, flawed male characters that are trying to do the right thing but don't always know what that means.

• I have a total girlcrush on Verity aka Queenie aka a character I cannot forget, and the type of person I want to be in my life.

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I play Candy Crush on my phone. I started doing it "ironically" (I got my first new phone in 4 years a couple weeks ago), but I've definitely resorted to manually changing the date/time on my phone to skip ahead to more lives.

• My favorite drink is brown and has been aged in oak barrel.

Next Week's Agent: Katie Shea Boutillier!

Writers Like Us - Jennifer Laam

So excited to have Jennifer Laam here to share her Writers Like Us answers. Her book, THE DAUGHTER OF THE TSAR is out in October by St. Martin's Press. Jennifer is a total sweetheart and her book is my Anastasia-loving dream come true! You can find her website here or tweeting under @JenLaam.

Her Writers Like Us answers are below in bold.

Jennifer on Writing

• I've written two books, and one is (about to) see the light of day. The other one, my first novel, currently resides in the back of a closet, as far away from the light of day as possible. 

• My favorite scenes to write are those that involve first dates, new romances, and all sorts of delicious awkwardness. When I’m attracted to someone, my first impulse is to tease them. Unsurprisingly, my characters tease each other all the time. 

• No matter how long I've been writing, I still have issues with procrastination. I spend lots of time daydreaming about what I want to write, getting to know the characters, and visualizing how it will all play out. At some point, though, I need to plant my butt in a chair and get to work. I feel like I spend too long getting to that point in the process. And then once I do, I make way too many notes to myself to the effect of [insert dramatic change of circumstances/life altering realization here].

• A typical comment from my critique partners is “'ground' this obscure reference." It is a fair point. Interestingly, though, I have received positive feedback on a reference I think is obscure. At one point, my two main contemporary characters listen to “Terrible Love,” the opening track of the National’s album High Violet. Lo and behold, my amazing editor, Ms. Vicki Lame at SMP, is a huge fan of the National. That’s what I call kismet! 

• The book I wished I wrote is Jane Eyre. Why not dream big, right? I also wouldn’t have “minded” writing L.A. Confidential. That book is massive and yet so tense and exciting.

Jennifer on Getting Published

• If my agent, the magnificent Erin Harris of Folio, really knew how neurotic I was, she would find out I often want nothing more than to hide under my bed. When I start to feel overwhelmed by the day to day stresses of life, my first instinct is to run and hide. In my defense, though, I would crawl out eventually. If I stayed under the bed forever, I might miss out on a great cupcake or some breaking Kardashian news. You can’t let life pass you by! 

• When I was querying, I felt awkward. Oh so very, very awkward.

• The biggest mistake I made querying was waiting and waiting to bite the bullet and just do it. (See also “No matter how long I’ve been writing, I still have issues with procrastination.”)

• The craziest thought I've ever had while being published: “What if no one buys this book?” At least, I hope that’s a crazy thought.

• When I got "The Call," my first thought was “I am going to go have a happy cry!” And then I did.

• When I saw my book sale in Publishers Marketplace, I hoped to God this wasn’t all some awful misunderstanding. 

Jennifer on Life Outside Writing

• If I weren't a writer, I'd probably be a professor of "star studies" (aka “celebrity gossip”) at a liberal arts college. Thanks to the amazing Anne Helen Petersen, I know this is an actual job. I could read US Weekly as part of my research. If I end up in a heaven, it will be stocked with US Weekly. And maybe some back issues of Tiger Beat for nostalgia’s sake.

• Secretly, I'm terrified of leaving the house with my clothes on inside out. 

• My secret boyfriend is...oh wait. I keep an imaginary harem of secret boyfriends. Current imaginary secret boyfriends include Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Gary Lightbody-the lead singer of Snow Patrol (obscure reference grounded). My favorite fictional secret boyfriend is Mr. Rochester. So grumpy. So hot.

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I sing the roles of Jean Valjean and Javert in Les Miserables. I use different voices and try to sing both parts of their duets. I really get into character(s). It is horrific. 

Jennifer Laam’s The Secret Daughter of the Tsar is an ambitious historical novel that traces the lives of three women from different time periods -- Veronica, an aspiring historian living in present-day Los Angeles; Lena, a servant in the late imperial Russian court; and Charlotte, a former ballerina living in World War II occupied Paris – whose stories converge when a long-held secret concerning the Romanov family is finally revealed. By turns a tender love story and suspenseful page-turner.

What's Up Wednesday - 9.18.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up.

You can participate by going to Jaime's blog here. Or Erin's blog there.

You know, I've never loved Wednesday so much since I started participating in this blog hop!

What I'm Reading

Reading Jennifer Laam's THE SECRET DAUGHTER OF THE TSAR. Jennifer is a Twitter friend of mine (aren't Twitter friends awesome?!) and she gave me an eARC of her book. I don't typically read outside of my genre (young adult), but I was so interested in reading my very first Russian historical. Plus, Anastasia!! Romanovs!! Lost princesses!!

Jennifer and I have a fun blog interview planned for tomorrow so stop back and say hi to her!

What I'm Writing

I hit 50K words this weekend, which means I have alllmost a pretty solid first draft. I feel like there's still lots to nip and tuck and add and blend together, but it's getting there. That's always an awesome feeling when you feel a manuscript starting to solidify.

What Else I've Been Up To

My new blog series Agents Like Us is so much fun. I love reading all the different answers agents give. My favorite question is what they do right after they make a deal--like, I can imagine how the author might feel or react, but the agents celebrate too.

Next week, Katie Grimm's interview goes up and she says she has a Deal Jig that she does whenever she makes a deal.

What Inspires Me Right Now

You know, I'm starting to go to more book signings. I absolutely love hearing other authors talk about their books and their processes and how they got where they are. It gives me a lot of hope and confidence.

Plus I just love having a shelf full of specially signed books. I'm going to see Leila Sales this month! I absolutely can not wait to read THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Are you going to see anyone on book tour this fall?

Agents Like Us - Uwe Stender

Agents Like Us asks agents all their deep, dark agenting secrets. This week, Uwe Stender of TriadaUS Literary Agency is here! He's actively looking for YA, Middle Grade, Women's Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Mysteries. You can find his submission guidelines here, and him tweeting under @UweStender.

Uwe's answers are below in bold. Let us know what makes him like you in the comments!

Uwe on Agenting

• When writers query me, I really wish to find strong writing.

• My favorite part about being an agent is the "high" of discovery.

• Rules and trends aside, what I really look for in a story is an amazing story.

• Whenever I make a book deal, I go for a run, as my adrenaline skyrockets and I need to settle down again.

• I really wish I saw more mysteries (adult, YA, middle grade) in the slush.

Uwe on Clients

• My ideal client would be creative and passionate.

• What I love most about my current clientele is their excitement for their writing.

• What I want most for any client is for them to be happy in their life. 

Uwe on Life

• If I weren't an agent, I'd probably be a music producer.

• My favorite (non-client) book is right this second: “Eleanor and Park.”

• Secretly, I'm terrified of hospitals.

• My secret girlfriend is Alina Süggeler (from the German band Frida Gold).

• I have a total bromance with Bradley Cooper.

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I ask my dog how her day was.

• My favorite drink is a Brendan B. Gin and Tonic.

Next Week's Agent: Katie Grimm!

Cover Reveal - Robert Lettrick's FRENZY

Who wants to have nightmares tonight?! 

My awesome agency brother Robert Lettrick's middle grade horror book, FRENZY, finally has a cover, and, oh my God, it's so awesome looking! Seriously, what middle grade reader is going to be able to resist picking this one up?

Read more about Robert's book here. It comes out in April 2014 by Disney Hyperion.

What's Up Wednesday - 9.11.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up.

You can participate by going to Jaime's blog here. Or Erin's blog there.

What's Up, my Wednesday people!

What I'm Reading

Just finished The Dream Thieves, and, oh my gosh, it was so good! I really do love the characters in this series and I'm picking up on some things in Maggie's writing style that I just really love. And ugh, Adam. Just Adam. <3

Each of the boys have been so well rounded out in this book, and have such heart breaking stories. I can't really talk about any of it without spoiling, but if anyone wants to have a gush session, especially after September 17th, EMAIL ME!

What I'm Writing

I think I invented a new term this week.
Story Stare: when someone is talking to you, but you are totally not paying attention because you had a random thought about your WIP and your gaze drifts right up over their left shoulder.

I have it. BAD.
(Sorry everyone who tried to tell me something important this week!)

What Else I've Been Up To

I'm writing a lot, so really not much. I did have Carly Watters from PS Literary Agency on my blog this week. So check out that interview! I'm trying to figure out what I should do with the Agents Like Us series. Is it better to keep each agent a surprise to reveal on Tuesday mornings? Should I tweet hints? Or should I announce at the bottom of each post who's coming up next week? 

What Inspires Me Right Now

Know what I realized this week? I have to get out more. I've been spending way too many weekends cooped up inside. So this weekend I started going out for more runs (and when I mean runs, we know I mean I jog for a while. Then walk. Then jog. Because athletics and I do not really like each other). Anyway! The point is the minute I got outside, I felt like I shook loose a bunch of thoughts I had rattling around in my head. Plus, air smells better out here. So there's that.

Agents Like Us - Carly Watters

Agents Like Us asks agents all their deep, dark agenting secrets. This week, Carly Watters of PS Literary Agency is here! She's actively looking for women's fiction, YA, commercial fiction, and more! You can find her submission guidelines here, her really great blog there, and her tweeting under @CarlyWatters.

Carly's answers are below in bold. Let us know what makes her like you in the comments!

Carly on Agenting

• When writers query me, I really wish they'd be selective and do their research. Agents are looking to sign great writers, and want writers that will be a good fit. I recommend querying writers to read books by authors whom the agent represents, read their blog posts and interviews, and follow them on Twitter. 

• My favorite part about being an agent is everything. From discovering new talent, to being the biggest literary advocate in your author's life, to selling debut fiction, to building author brands--agents have a special relationship with the clients and within the publishing world. 

• Rules and trends aside, what I really look for in a story is for it to make me FEEL something. Whether it makes me cry, laugh, or think about my own life.

• Whenever I make a book deal, I do a big happy dance and call the author with a smile on my face. 

• I really wish I saw more upmarket fiction in the slush. I love commercial fiction, but I'm looking for book club books and high concept projects, too.

Carly on Clients

• My ideal client would be a bestseller. (Is that too cheeky?) Let's try that again… Someone who is talented, understands the art of revisions, is willing to promote and market their book, is resilient, has many books in them, and has excellent communication skills whether it's talking with me, their editor, on social media or their ability to communicate their ideas within their book. 

• What I love most about my current clientele is how they surprise me with their original ideas and their passion for writing.

• What I want most for any client is a perfect fit with their editor and publishing house, and a long, successful publishing career.

Carly on Life

• If I weren't an agent, I'd probably be an urban planner. I love cities and learning about how they develop and grow over time.

• My favorite (non-client) book is a tough question for someone that reads so much! 'One Day' by David Nicholls.

• Secretly, I'm terrified of running out of books to read. And large insects.

• My secret boyfriend is Garrett Hedlund. Anyone who has seen Country Strong knows what I'm talking about…

• I have a total girlcrush on Elizabeth Olsen. Great actress, stylish, and seems like a woman who knows who she is.

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I attempt to cook. (It ends badly and I end up getting sushi take out.)

• My favorite drink is a glass of Malbec.

NEXT WEEK: Agent Uwe Stender!

What's Up Wednesday - 9.4.1

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up.

You can participate by going to Jaime's blog here. Or Erin's blog there.

What's Up Wednesday people! Can you believe we're halfway to Friday?!

What I'm Reading

I finished These Broken Stars a few nights ago (and, oh my gosh, it's sooo good), and thought I'd just look at the first chapter of The Dream Thieves since I had a galley on my Kindle.

I was sucked right in. I really liked the first book, but I think I *LOVE* the second. Adam is so my book boyfriend.

What I'm Writing

So I didn't quite make my 10K to Labor Day challenge. But I did make 6.5K, which is not bad.

Seriously, I love this MS. I've gotten to that point where I'm neglecting anything and everything other than making my word count every night. It's kinda the best part of the writing cycle, don't you think?

What Else I've Been Up To

My agent, Lauren MacLeod, helped me kick off a really awesome blog series this week! Agents Like Us asks agents about their Agenting, Clients, and Life to help writers get a better feel for the agents they are querying/following. Lauren's answers were sooo funny! Plus her bangs are amazing.

I have about 7 other agents lined up, and can't wait to see all their answers too.

What Inspires Me Right Now

I've been a huge Kurt Halsey fan forever, and his paintings are so sweet. Sometimes when I need inspiration to write, I start Googling to see what new things he has out.

Agents Like Us - Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency

I've been super fortunate to have interviewed so many of my favorite authors in my Writers Like Us series from Sara Zarr and Jennifer E. Smith to Katie McGarry and Jennifer Echols. So today I'm really excited to announce a brand new blog series.

Agents Like Us asks agents all their deep, dark agenting secrets. Of course, I couldn't kick this series off right without the help of my rockstar agent with equally awesome hair, Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency. She reps young adult and middle grade. You can find her submission guidelines here, and her tweeting under @BostonBookGirl.

**PLUS--if you scroll all the way to the bottom of this post, we're giving away a signed copy of Jodi Meadows' INCARNATE.**

Lauren's answers are below in bold. Let us know what makes her like you in the comments!

Lauren on Agenting

• When writers query me, I really wish they would do their research! But more than that, I love when they include the genre, title and word count in the first sentence or two. 

• My favorite part about being an agent is the clients! Specifically working with them on amazing new projects and, of course, making the "we have an offer!" call. It makes me feel like a fairy godmother. 

• Rules and trends aside, what I really look for in a story is a connection. If it makes me feel something, I'm going to offer.

• Whenever I make a book deal, I call my dad or my husband. It is usually a while before we can officially announce but I have to tell someone! 

• I really wish I saw more YA mysteries and thrillers in the slush. Contemporary YA and funny MG is my wheelhouse so I get a lot of those, but I also really love tense, action packed stories and it seems like people don't write those as much.

Lauren on Clients

• My ideal client would be J. K. Rowling. And I would call her Jo and we would go to parties with Kate Middleton and plan the surprise Harry Potter spin-off series. 

• What I love most about my current clientele is how supportive they are of each other! Every agent thinks her clients are very talented and smart-- and I am no exception!-- but I think mine are particularly supportive and wonderful to each other and it makes me really happy. Also: you guys are all really funny. 

• What I want most for any client is success! I want my clients to find the readers and the fanbase they deserve. (I wouldn't mind them bringing in just boatloads of advance money either.)

Lauren on Life

• If I weren't an agent, I'd probably be an editor. But if I wasn't an agent because books were over, I'd want to be working in TV. I *love* stories and all the various ways we tell them. But, more realistically, I'd probably be a lawyer or a high school English teacher. 

• My favorite (non-client) book is most recently? Jellicoe Road. But ever and all time? Harry Potter. Probably ... and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

• Secretly, I'm terrified of driving in Boston! I *can* drive here, but only with lots of concentration, no music playing and only if can only take right turns. Down south, where I grew up, people drive much slower and you can do basically whatever you want so long as you drive slowly. But here! Here all drivers just want to kill you. 

I like to worry about the apocalypse too. I don't think I'm so much a "survivor" as I am an "early zombie-lifestyle adapter." Oh! And toilet snakes-- this has always been a fear, but this recent article in Slate-- "A Brief History of Toilet-Based Animal Attacks" --ramped up the nightmares. 

• My secret boyfriend is the Winchester brothers. And Captain Mal. (I will also never not have a thing for Leonardo DiCaprio.)

• I have a total girlcrush on Jennifer Lawrence (who doesn't!?!) and Michelle Obama (she got bangs because she liked them so much on me) and Kate Middleton (I can't help it! It is just-- I love that she and William seem to have so much fun together and she has such great style. Plus she got married just a few weeks after I did, so we have a deep bond) and Christina Hendricks (because I have eyes).

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I love it! I'm an introvert at heart. (Also, I talk to my dog like he is a human. And I, er, do his voice back to me too. )

• My favorite drink is Diet Coke! Unless you mean drink drink and then bourbon. Which work very well together, but is not very classy.

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Currently Reading - September 2013

Hello, hello! Hope everyone is having a fantastic end to their summers and going back to work/school/post-summer life isn't too painful.

For me, I'm knee deep in writing my own manuscript, so my reading has tapered off quite a bit in the last month. The only book I'm committing to read in September is Twitter buddy Jennifer Laam's THE SECRET DAUGHTER OF THE TSAR (she was so nice in giving me an eARC). I'm excited to read this one because it's A) my first non-YA read in 2013 and B) Russian historical!

So since I'm not reading much now in September, here's a recap of my absolute favorites from this summer:

Jessica Martinez's THE VOW was an amazing YA contemporary that asked the ultimate question: how much can you really commit of yourself to saving your best friend? My full review is here.

It's no surprise that Trish Doller's sophomore book is on my list. WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE is equal parts heartbreaking and triumphant. Expect much fangirling when this one comes out later this month. My full review is here. For all my previous fangirling, here.

I also really loved Miranda Kenneally's THINGS I CAN'T FORGET. If you want a sweet romance that challenges the characters' beliefs and faiths, this is your book. My full review is here.

Hilary T. Smith's debut, WILD AWAKE, was also at the top of my list. The main character took us along on a very wild, manic ride that I can't quite stop thinking about months later. My full review here.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU AND ME was the first book I read from Amanda Grace (AKA Mandy Hubbard) and I immediately fell in love with her unconventional storytelling. My full review here.

Lauren Myracle's THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US reminded me of Judy Blume's FOREVER and pushed the envelope of young adult contemporary romance. My full review here.

2013 Reading Challenge

Valerie has read 11 books toward her goal of 50 books.

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11 of 50 (22%)

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