Disclaimer: I just wanted to say I have not forgotten about my blog! I'm in school now and things are pretty crazy so it's harder for me to read a book in two days. I'm still here though and I still love doing this!
Trigger Warning: This book deals with rape.
Firsts is the debut novel by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn and it deals very heavily with sex. Our main character Mercedes offers a "service" to take boys virginities in order for them to give their girlfriends a good first time which she didn't have. Her best friend's boyfriend ends up finding out about her and asks for it and eventually it gets leaked to the school.
These characters are stereotypes basically. They don't have much dimension to them and with Mercedes you lose some of her character from time to time because it changes. One minute she knows exactly what a boy wants just by looking at him and the next she's left confused and feeling complicated from the boy. She's very selfish with what she's doing with them because she starts doing it for her own benefit. Faye was the mysterious new girl who had absolutely no reason to even be in the book but she was there. Zach was the dream boy who stood by Mercedes through it all and then she found out she has been in love with him since they were mere children. Angela was the oblivious best friend who believed everything she was told. They were boring characters.
Throughout the book there's a lot of sexual innuendoes. It got to the point that I was very annoyed with how many there were. This wasn't the heartbreaking book that it said it was. This was a sexual, slut shaming, not going to fully address the main problems with the characters book. It was not well written and I didn't enjoy this book at all.
1/5 Stars
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Sunday, August 21, 2016
An Ember in the Ashes Review
An Ember in the Ashes was one of the most hyped books of 2015, and its second book, A Torch Against the Night has to be one of the most hyped books of 2016. I believe that An Ember in the Ashes lived up to the hype that surrounded it and it was a very solid debut from Sabaa Tahir. It follows a soldier, Elias, and a slave, Laia, and how they fight against the Empire.
I loved Elias. I thought he had dimension and was extremely likeable. He didn't conform to the rules even though he knew they could kill him for it. He cared for a slave girl even though there was a chance he would get that beat right out of him until he didn't care about anything anymore. He wasn't a jerk like so many other guys in YA can be. I thought he was a stand up guy in this book and has to be one of my favorite characters I've read about this year. I didn't enjoy Laia's character at first. She was very repetitive, but I felt for her with the things she had been through. I ached for her towards the end and felt her desperation on getting her brother out. When she was betrayed, I was shocked and angry at the person. This girl did everything he wanted for him and he never planned on helping her. I grew to love her in the end and she showed just how brave she could be, even when her life could be taken from her.
The writing was very hypnotizing. It felt like you were sitting around a fire while someone told this story filled with magic, betrayal, and so much more. This author is extremely talented and I am very excited for the second book which comes out August 30th.
4.5/5 Stars
I loved Elias. I thought he had dimension and was extremely likeable. He didn't conform to the rules even though he knew they could kill him for it. He cared for a slave girl even though there was a chance he would get that beat right out of him until he didn't care about anything anymore. He wasn't a jerk like so many other guys in YA can be. I thought he was a stand up guy in this book and has to be one of my favorite characters I've read about this year. I didn't enjoy Laia's character at first. She was very repetitive, but I felt for her with the things she had been through. I ached for her towards the end and felt her desperation on getting her brother out. When she was betrayed, I was shocked and angry at the person. This girl did everything he wanted for him and he never planned on helping her. I grew to love her in the end and she showed just how brave she could be, even when her life could be taken from her.
The writing was very hypnotizing. It felt like you were sitting around a fire while someone told this story filled with magic, betrayal, and so much more. This author is extremely talented and I am very excited for the second book which comes out August 30th.
4.5/5 Stars
Monday, August 15, 2016
Magonia Review
Magonia is the delightfully weird book by Maria Dahvana Headley. Aza is a young girl who has a mysterious breathing illness and is dying. Her lungs ae barely functioning and it's a countdown until she dies. She does end up dying and from there stuff gets weird. Turns out she belongs in a country above the clouds called Magonia. This book is her journey in trying to figure out what is going on in her life and how to go through it.
The characters wee absolutely amazing in this book. They felt so real and down to earth that I wanted to actually have friends like Aza and Jason. I mean who wouldn't? She's so sarcastic and yet so brilliant and he's so nerdy yet so lovable. It's the perfect duo. The character development through the book is through the roof. You truly watch Aza transform from her earth self into her Magonia self. When she goes through the tougher things, it's truly heartbreaking and you just want to be there and tell her everything is okay. Jason has anxiety and Headly does that well without making his whole character only about anxiety.
The writing was so beautiful and lyrical. I was just entranced by everything that the author was writing and I wanted more. This book felt too short for my liking, but it all honesty it was the perfect size for this story. It was straight to the point and there were not long explanations about what was going on. Could it have used a little more explanation? Maybe, but I thought it was perfect. She is one very talented author and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves magical realism and weirdness.
5/5 Stars
The characters wee absolutely amazing in this book. They felt so real and down to earth that I wanted to actually have friends like Aza and Jason. I mean who wouldn't? She's so sarcastic and yet so brilliant and he's so nerdy yet so lovable. It's the perfect duo. The character development through the book is through the roof. You truly watch Aza transform from her earth self into her Magonia self. When she goes through the tougher things, it's truly heartbreaking and you just want to be there and tell her everything is okay. Jason has anxiety and Headly does that well without making his whole character only about anxiety.
The writing was so beautiful and lyrical. I was just entranced by everything that the author was writing and I wanted more. This book felt too short for my liking, but it all honesty it was the perfect size for this story. It was straight to the point and there were not long explanations about what was going on. Could it have used a little more explanation? Maybe, but I thought it was perfect. She is one very talented author and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves magical realism and weirdness.
5/5 Stars
Friday, August 12, 2016
Beware That Girl Review
I recently finished Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten. Normally, I would give you guys a synopsis in my own words, but this book is way too complicated to explain on my own so I'm going to copy it from Goodreads.
Synopsis: For fans of We Were Liars, The Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl, this powerful psychological thriller with multiple mysteries is set against the backdrop of the megawealthy elite of New York City. Toten delves into the mesmerizing yet dysfunctional world of those who manipulate but seem ever so charming. With its gripping pace and Hitchcockian twists, Beware That Girl will keep readers guessing until the very last line.
The Haves. The Have-Nots. Kate O’Brian appears to be a Have-Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of—some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. Oh, and she’s also a masterful liar.
As the scholarship student at the Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ladder and land a spot at Yale. She’s already found her “people” among the senior class “it” girls—specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she’s always needed, the sister she never had.
When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration, he immediately charms his way into the faculty’s and students’ lives—becoming especially close to Olivia, a fact she’s intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal—and can’t afford to ignore. How close can Kate and Olivia get to Mark without having to share their dark pasts?
Actual Review: This book is more or less a Gossip Girl "thriller," if you can even call it that. The main characters are very controlling of the other and the whole mystery is very boring. There are themes in this book that get a little intense if you've been abused. There are events that are implausible. As I said before with another psychological thriller I read, the book should leave you satisfied with the ending. This book does not do a good job of that.
Katie and Olivia are roommates and best friends. The point of view also switches between the two. First person goes to Katie while third person goes to Olivia. Some people may enjoy that, but I didn't particularly enjoy that. I felt it should've been left all one p.o.v. I think third would've done this story better, but it is what it is. Both characters are very dry with their own mental issues which is the "norm" at the school they attend. It even says that someone is going into the stay in hospital for something. I just didn't see anything relatable with the characters or what was happening with them.
The plot.....oh wait there was none. There was no plot to really follow until the end and even the ending didn't have a great plot ender. A lot of things didn't fully make sense within the book. It just wasn't a fantastic book. Nothing worked for me inside this book and I'm not even going to rate it because I would give it 0 stars.
Synopsis: For fans of We Were Liars, The Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl, this powerful psychological thriller with multiple mysteries is set against the backdrop of the megawealthy elite of New York City. Toten delves into the mesmerizing yet dysfunctional world of those who manipulate but seem ever so charming. With its gripping pace and Hitchcockian twists, Beware That Girl will keep readers guessing until the very last line.
The Haves. The Have-Nots. Kate O’Brian appears to be a Have-Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of—some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. Oh, and she’s also a masterful liar.
As the scholarship student at the Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ladder and land a spot at Yale. She’s already found her “people” among the senior class “it” girls—specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she’s always needed, the sister she never had.
When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration, he immediately charms his way into the faculty’s and students’ lives—becoming especially close to Olivia, a fact she’s intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal—and can’t afford to ignore. How close can Kate and Olivia get to Mark without having to share their dark pasts?
Actual Review: This book is more or less a Gossip Girl "thriller," if you can even call it that. The main characters are very controlling of the other and the whole mystery is very boring. There are themes in this book that get a little intense if you've been abused. There are events that are implausible. As I said before with another psychological thriller I read, the book should leave you satisfied with the ending. This book does not do a good job of that.
Katie and Olivia are roommates and best friends. The point of view also switches between the two. First person goes to Katie while third person goes to Olivia. Some people may enjoy that, but I didn't particularly enjoy that. I felt it should've been left all one p.o.v. I think third would've done this story better, but it is what it is. Both characters are very dry with their own mental issues which is the "norm" at the school they attend. It even says that someone is going into the stay in hospital for something. I just didn't see anything relatable with the characters or what was happening with them.
The plot.....oh wait there was none. There was no plot to really follow until the end and even the ending didn't have a great plot ender. A lot of things didn't fully make sense within the book. It just wasn't a fantastic book. Nothing worked for me inside this book and I'm not even going to rate it because I would give it 0 stars.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Faling Kingdoms Review
Falling Kingdoms is the first in the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes. I could not really tell you what it's about because nothing happened.
This book was not my cup of tea in anyway and I don't love the style or writing or world building. It took the whole book to get to any type of conflict and when it did, I was left underwhelmed. I think characters were just killed off because the author may not have known what to do with them. Their deaths all came at weird times except one. The writing style was extremely bland and I didn't share any emotions that the characters went through. The characters were also poorly written and were all two dimensional. I'm trying to get back into fantasy and this hasn't helped my quest at all.
2/5 Stars
This book was not my cup of tea in anyway and I don't love the style or writing or world building. It took the whole book to get to any type of conflict and when it did, I was left underwhelmed. I think characters were just killed off because the author may not have known what to do with them. Their deaths all came at weird times except one. The writing style was extremely bland and I didn't share any emotions that the characters went through. The characters were also poorly written and were all two dimensional. I'm trying to get back into fantasy and this hasn't helped my quest at all.
2/5 Stars
Saturday, August 6, 2016
The Leaving Review
The Leaving is the newest (debut?) book by Tara Altebrando and it's the aftermath of 5 kids coming home from an abduction. There were originally six but one, Max, didn't return home and now the kids have to figure out who took them, why they were chosen, why Max didn't return, and how to retrieve their memories. The plot is really hard to explain because it's so intricate. There are three point of views: Lucas and Scarlett (they were apart of The Leaving), and Avery (sister of Max who was abducted). I would not recommend reading this book on an electronic device due to the grammatical and formatting errors that occur.
The characters in this book were just okay. They were all exceptionally bland and Scarlett and Lucas sounding so extremely similar they could just be continuations of each other's chapters. Avery was a complete brat and I wanted to strangle her half the time. She was upset because her mom was crying all the time and then she was disappointed her brother didn't turn up dead. Then, she was completely focused on Sam and Luke and she was so self-centered that I couldn't stand her. She has to be my most hated character I have ever read and I've read some pretty bad characters. The secondary characters were nothing special and I'll be lucky if I remember in them in a day. This book was just not strong in the character department.
This plot could've gone crazy places. There could've been such amazing curveballs that you would've never guessed who took them or why or anything else. Instead, it was so painfully obvious that it hurt. I wasn't sure at first but when one of the character' were introduced oddly I just knew that they had a connection with their disappearances and they did. There were also holes in the plot and we never figured out why something happened and who was doing it. This is one of the most disappointing books that I've read of 2016.
1/5 Stars
The characters in this book were just okay. They were all exceptionally bland and Scarlett and Lucas sounding so extremely similar they could just be continuations of each other's chapters. Avery was a complete brat and I wanted to strangle her half the time. She was upset because her mom was crying all the time and then she was disappointed her brother didn't turn up dead. Then, she was completely focused on Sam and Luke and she was so self-centered that I couldn't stand her. She has to be my most hated character I have ever read and I've read some pretty bad characters. The secondary characters were nothing special and I'll be lucky if I remember in them in a day. This book was just not strong in the character department.
This plot could've gone crazy places. There could've been such amazing curveballs that you would've never guessed who took them or why or anything else. Instead, it was so painfully obvious that it hurt. I wasn't sure at first but when one of the character' were introduced oddly I just knew that they had a connection with their disappearances and they did. There were also holes in the plot and we never figured out why something happened and who was doing it. This is one of the most disappointing books that I've read of 2016.
1/5 Stars
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