Maya is our protagonist in this debut by Roshani Chokshi. She has been born with a horoscope that only promises death and destruction and she becomes the outcast in her empire. This is the story on how her horoscope comes true in a way she didn't expect and how she deals with it. It's like a weird mix of Daughter of Smoke and Bones and The Wrath and the Dawn.
I don't know how to feel about this book. It's very disjointed in different parts and just when you think something starts making sense, the author throws you for a loop and you're left in the dark again. The elements of this book did not flow together and ultimately you're left with two stories mixed into one. The writing is very lyrical, much like The Wrath and the Dawn. In fact, it reminded me too much like that book. The same events with the love interest and the main character seem to happen and even the main character's themselves share similar traits and habits. It also shares the same reincarnate as Daughter of Smoke and Bones series. I found the resemblance in parts of the book very uncanny.
The main character was alright, but she wasn't unique. Neither were the other character's in this book. It just felt very did there, done that. I think the only thing that may have helped this book would be the Night Bazaar. I loved reading about that in the beginning and the weird things in entailed. Other than that, it wasn't a great book. It was a very meh book that is ultimately forgettable.
3/5 Stars
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Friday, September 2, 2016
Please Don't Tell Review
Trigger Warning: Rape and suicide are discussed in this book.
Twins, Grace and Joy, are split apart by the actions of someone at a party. They aren't the way they used to be. Joy is getting blackmailed because she was caught on camera "killing" her sister's rapist. This is their story on how Joy deals with the blackmailer and how Grace deals with the effects of being raped.
These characters were raw. I felt so much for Grace and the mental damage that was done to her. You could see the changes in her character in the before and after. She became a different character emotionally. She was empty. She was depressed and she became suicidal. The author did not romanticize it. She showed a glimpse of what suicidal people actually think and go through when they try to take their life. It was powerful to read. Joy also had a dramatic character change and hers was a little more obvious than Grace's was, but it was also extremely intense. She felt it was her fault that she couldn't protect her sister against Adam and when she didn't know whether or not she killed him, it ate her up and just transformed her. I must add that I couldn't stand Preston and when Joy got around him, she acted so much more immature than when she was around someone else.
This is not an easy book to read and I can't imagine it was an easy book to write but I can say that the product was absolutely fantastic. It showed the effects of such a horrible crime and it displayed that some people don't believe that it's truly "rape" and I liked that she addressed it. It's not a fluffy book it was a book that needed to be written. I truly applaud this book and this author and I completely recommend it.
4.5/5 Stars
Twins, Grace and Joy, are split apart by the actions of someone at a party. They aren't the way they used to be. Joy is getting blackmailed because she was caught on camera "killing" her sister's rapist. This is their story on how Joy deals with the blackmailer and how Grace deals with the effects of being raped.
These characters were raw. I felt so much for Grace and the mental damage that was done to her. You could see the changes in her character in the before and after. She became a different character emotionally. She was empty. She was depressed and she became suicidal. The author did not romanticize it. She showed a glimpse of what suicidal people actually think and go through when they try to take their life. It was powerful to read. Joy also had a dramatic character change and hers was a little more obvious than Grace's was, but it was also extremely intense. She felt it was her fault that she couldn't protect her sister against Adam and when she didn't know whether or not she killed him, it ate her up and just transformed her. I must add that I couldn't stand Preston and when Joy got around him, she acted so much more immature than when she was around someone else.
This is not an easy book to read and I can't imagine it was an easy book to write but I can say that the product was absolutely fantastic. It showed the effects of such a horrible crime and it displayed that some people don't believe that it's truly "rape" and I liked that she addressed it. It's not a fluffy book it was a book that needed to be written. I truly applaud this book and this author and I completely recommend it.
4.5/5 Stars
Sunday, August 28, 2016
First Review
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
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 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
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
A Darker Shade of Magic Review
A Darker Shade of Magic is an intense book about a young man named Kell who can travel into different Londons. They're not parallel universes per say, but they're definitely connected and he's the only one who can travel through them. He meets a girl named Lila and this book is their adventure through the different Londons and trying to stop a stone from destroying his world.
This book is amazing. Victoria Schwab is a fantastic writer and her books are so captivating and spellbinding. I feel like I'm apart of the world I'm reading when it comes to her books. This book does have a few different perspectives, all in third person, but it works so amazingly well. You want to get inside all the character's heads. At least I did. I needed to know what was happening and why all those things were happening. Black London was extremely mysterious and it kept it's mystery which I loved. Some authors give a book a little mystery and lets it die away. It never did in this book, and it never gave us too much. This book did end on a good note so I'm kind of surprised it's getting a trilogy, but who wouldn't want to know what else these characters are getting into? Hopefully Black London will be explored.
All the characters were wonderfully written and felt realistic. I didn't think any of them were outrageous or crazy. Kell is such an easy protagonist to love and Lila is the badass heroine sidekick that spiced this book up. The characters remind me a lot of August and Kate (This Savage Song) and it almost seems like same characters just different plot, but if it works why change it? I was shocked by one characters betrayal. I figured he wasn't on Kell's side but I didn't expect him to turn his back on him. It added so much to this book though.
5/5 Stars
This book is amazing. Victoria Schwab is a fantastic writer and her books are so captivating and spellbinding. I feel like I'm apart of the world I'm reading when it comes to her books. This book does have a few different perspectives, all in third person, but it works so amazingly well. You want to get inside all the character's heads. At least I did. I needed to know what was happening and why all those things were happening. Black London was extremely mysterious and it kept it's mystery which I loved. Some authors give a book a little mystery and lets it die away. It never did in this book, and it never gave us too much. This book did end on a good note so I'm kind of surprised it's getting a trilogy, but who wouldn't want to know what else these characters are getting into? Hopefully Black London will be explored.
All the characters were wonderfully written and felt realistic. I didn't think any of them were outrageous or crazy. Kell is such an easy protagonist to love and Lila is the badass heroine sidekick that spiced this book up. The characters remind me a lot of August and Kate (This Savage Song) and it almost seems like same characters just different plot, but if it works why change it? I was shocked by one characters betrayal. I figured he wasn't on Kell's side but I didn't expect him to turn his back on him. It added so much to this book though.
5/5 Stars
Thursday, July 21, 2016
This Is Where It Ends Review
This is not an easy book to read; some people may not be able to handle the events that happen in this book. This book will not leave you with happiness, but it will leave you with hope. This book is controversial with the topic. This should be read by everyone. This book is This Is Where It Ends. A book told in a 55 minute time span filled with panic, anger, sadness, regret, and hope. May we never forget hope in an event like this.
I don't know how to write a review on a book like this because frankly I don't know what to say about it. I was left devastated by the events in this book. This will show you what some people have actually gone through. Not everyone agrees with the portrayal of the shooter, but most of the readers reading this have never been in an event like this and we will never get inside a shooters head. How do we know this is not how they are? How do we know this is? This is realistic fiction but fiction nonetheless and the author did this to how she felt the character may be. Personally, I think she did amazing. The shooter was not all evil. He had dimension to him. He was shown in good light and bad light. His ex-girlfriend defended him thinking that he could not do such a thing. His sister did everything in her power to prevent him from hurting more people. He was a person. He had is bad and his good sides like everyone else. His bad side just got the best of him in the end. These four perspectives may seem like it was too much for a book that is only 287 pages, but I thought it showed different connections that people may have had with the shooter. You had his sister, her girlfriend that he was jealous of, his ex, and a protective brother who had it out for him. How could you not form a connection with any of them? Especially seeing them in an event like this, it made me root for them and hope that they would all end up okay. They don't but that's the reality.
This is a hard book to review for. I can't even put stars on it because I don't think a book like that should be rated like that. This book needs to be read and absorbed and thought about. This is a book that will leave you uncomfortable but it should. This is what our world is going to. Everyone should be very worried.
I don't know how to write a review on a book like this because frankly I don't know what to say about it. I was left devastated by the events in this book. This will show you what some people have actually gone through. Not everyone agrees with the portrayal of the shooter, but most of the readers reading this have never been in an event like this and we will never get inside a shooters head. How do we know this is not how they are? How do we know this is? This is realistic fiction but fiction nonetheless and the author did this to how she felt the character may be. Personally, I think she did amazing. The shooter was not all evil. He had dimension to him. He was shown in good light and bad light. His ex-girlfriend defended him thinking that he could not do such a thing. His sister did everything in her power to prevent him from hurting more people. He was a person. He had is bad and his good sides like everyone else. His bad side just got the best of him in the end. These four perspectives may seem like it was too much for a book that is only 287 pages, but I thought it showed different connections that people may have had with the shooter. You had his sister, her girlfriend that he was jealous of, his ex, and a protective brother who had it out for him. How could you not form a connection with any of them? Especially seeing them in an event like this, it made me root for them and hope that they would all end up okay. They don't but that's the reality.
This is a hard book to review for. I can't even put stars on it because I don't think a book like that should be rated like that. This book needs to be read and absorbed and thought about. This is a book that will leave you uncomfortable but it should. This is what our world is going to. Everyone should be very worried.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
More Happy Than Not Review
*This books deals with the topic of suicide, depression, and drugs*
More Happy Than Not is the debut novel of Adam Silvera and follows a boy named Aaron who lives in a rough part of NYC. During the story, he meets a guy named Thomas and starts developing feelings for him. When he gets denied, he wants to have a memory altering surgery to help him forget about Thomas and being gay. This story is quite emotional and follows a young man who can't quite accept himself though others have.
This book got quite a lot of hype when it came out and I expected it to live up to it but for me it did not. I'm not really into the writing style of this book. There were certain phrases repeated 14-15 times and when it's a book that's only 200 and something pages, it get a little annoying. Now, I know that it is set in the Bronx and people talk kind of different since it's not the best part of town. I lived in New York for most of my life so I do know, but it was still annoying at how hard it seemed to be ghettoish. The plot twist that so many people were shocked about didn't shock me in the least. I guessed it long before it happened. It just seemed to obvious.
I thought the main character was extremely young sounding. For all the things he had been through, he didn't seem to mature at all. Instead, he decided to run from his problems and forget that it ever happened. I just didn't agree with the idea that someone could decide that they were going to forget something that happened in their lives. It left a bad taste in my mouth. None of the characters wowed me. They were your average kids that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and are a little messed up from it. Aaron's obsession with Thomas was a little weird. If the kid isn't gay, I don't know why you're trying to convince him that he just hasn't come out yet and you'll wait for him. You can't force your sexuality on someone else no matter how much you want that person. This was happening non-stop in the book: Gen with Aaron, Aaron with Thomas, and Aaron with Collin.
I'm the minority here with this book because it does have such amazing reviews and I'm sitting here wondering how on earth it got as many good reviews as it did. Maybe I'm picky and just looking for things not to like. Who knows. I wouldn't say it's a fantastic LGBTQ+ book. Don't listen to me though.
2/5 Stars
More Happy Than Not is the debut novel of Adam Silvera and follows a boy named Aaron who lives in a rough part of NYC. During the story, he meets a guy named Thomas and starts developing feelings for him. When he gets denied, he wants to have a memory altering surgery to help him forget about Thomas and being gay. This story is quite emotional and follows a young man who can't quite accept himself though others have.
This book got quite a lot of hype when it came out and I expected it to live up to it but for me it did not. I'm not really into the writing style of this book. There were certain phrases repeated 14-15 times and when it's a book that's only 200 and something pages, it get a little annoying. Now, I know that it is set in the Bronx and people talk kind of different since it's not the best part of town. I lived in New York for most of my life so I do know, but it was still annoying at how hard it seemed to be ghettoish. The plot twist that so many people were shocked about didn't shock me in the least. I guessed it long before it happened. It just seemed to obvious.
I thought the main character was extremely young sounding. For all the things he had been through, he didn't seem to mature at all. Instead, he decided to run from his problems and forget that it ever happened. I just didn't agree with the idea that someone could decide that they were going to forget something that happened in their lives. It left a bad taste in my mouth. None of the characters wowed me. They were your average kids that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and are a little messed up from it. Aaron's obsession with Thomas was a little weird. If the kid isn't gay, I don't know why you're trying to convince him that he just hasn't come out yet and you'll wait for him. You can't force your sexuality on someone else no matter how much you want that person. This was happening non-stop in the book: Gen with Aaron, Aaron with Thomas, and Aaron with Collin.
I'm the minority here with this book because it does have such amazing reviews and I'm sitting here wondering how on earth it got as many good reviews as it did. Maybe I'm picky and just looking for things not to like. Who knows. I wouldn't say it's a fantastic LGBTQ+ book. Don't listen to me though.
2/5 Stars
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Made You Up Review
*This novel deals with a main character that's schizophrenic. In case this triggers anyone, I just wanted to let you know.*
Made You Up is an explosive novel about an unreliable narrator with schizophrenia. In the novel, you as the reader have to determine what you think is real and what you think isn't. It's crazy and there is some major curveballs that will knock the breath out of you.
I truly enjoyed this novel and all that it offered. This book does not focus strictly on the idea that she has this problem. Instead, it focuses on how she deals with it and her adventure through high school as being a normal teenage girl. It does not paint schizophrenia in a wonderful light. It does not show all the "good" (there are no good things with this disease. Believe me. I know someone who has it) aspects of this illness. Instead, it shows how scary it can be and how much it can affect the person. I did hear there was a psychology textbook studied to get the information to write this book and whether or not this is true, it was still wonderfully written.
The characters are wonderful. Alex is an amazing narrator with such an interesting and witty sense of humor that I don't think everyone will like it, but I did. She didn't wallow is self-pity or hide away from the people who teased her and made fun of her. She rised above that and came out stronger in the end. Miles was a fantastic love interest. He riled her up, made fun of her for silly things, tested her, and pushed her. Their romance was not instalove. It was not love at first sight. It took time and effort, and they fought a lot before they finally realized they liked each other and even then their relationship wasn't easy. They had to work at it like any normal relationship.
This story will have you guessing and crying and laughing and falling in love with this beautiful story.
5/5 Stars
Made You Up is an explosive novel about an unreliable narrator with schizophrenia. In the novel, you as the reader have to determine what you think is real and what you think isn't. It's crazy and there is some major curveballs that will knock the breath out of you.
I truly enjoyed this novel and all that it offered. This book does not focus strictly on the idea that she has this problem. Instead, it focuses on how she deals with it and her adventure through high school as being a normal teenage girl. It does not paint schizophrenia in a wonderful light. It does not show all the "good" (there are no good things with this disease. Believe me. I know someone who has it) aspects of this illness. Instead, it shows how scary it can be and how much it can affect the person. I did hear there was a psychology textbook studied to get the information to write this book and whether or not this is true, it was still wonderfully written.
The characters are wonderful. Alex is an amazing narrator with such an interesting and witty sense of humor that I don't think everyone will like it, but I did. She didn't wallow is self-pity or hide away from the people who teased her and made fun of her. She rised above that and came out stronger in the end. Miles was a fantastic love interest. He riled her up, made fun of her for silly things, tested her, and pushed her. Their romance was not instalove. It was not love at first sight. It took time and effort, and they fought a lot before they finally realized they liked each other and even then their relationship wasn't easy. They had to work at it like any normal relationship.
This story will have you guessing and crying and laughing and falling in love with this beautiful story.
5/5 Stars
Monday, July 18, 2016
Harry Potter - Update
Hello everyone! Elle and I have decided to not post a review for the second book in the Harry Potter series because Elle was on vacation and we were both so busy while reading it that not posting a review would be the best thing to do. There will be a review up for book three very soon. I hope you all understand. Happy reading!
Sunday, July 17, 2016
This Savage Song Review
This Savage Song is the newest novel by Victoria Schwab. It follows a human, Kate, whose father controls the northern part of Verity, and a monster, August, whose father controls the southern section. Verity is over run with monsters that are created by crimes. August and Kate will end up trying to prevent a war while each dealing with betrayals.
The story was extremely confusing at first; I almost put the book down because I was so confused. It takes about 20% for it all to start coming together. The writing itself, though, was very haunting yet beautiful which fit perfect with the story. The concept was unique and very enjoyable.
There is no romance between the characters which is extremely rare in YA. It was refreshing to see a guy and girl just be friends. The characters were also just realistic and lovable. They had such realistic qualities and I loved them both so much.
I would recommend this to fans of Cassandra Clare since both stories are urban fantasy and have a lot of similar elements.
4/5 Stars.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Update
Hello everyone! I know I haven't posted in a few days and it's just because I've been crazy busy. I went on vacation for a few days and my kindle died so I just got a new one and I'm trying to figure that out. I am currently reading The Crown's Game but I'm not in love with it so far. I hope to get back to my regular review schedule soon. Bye guys!
Friday, July 8, 2016
A Gathering of Shadows Review
I recently just finished A Darker Shade of Magic which is the first book in this series and loved it. This book takes place four months after the events of the first book. As I had said in my review of the first book, the first book could've ended as a standalone and I still believe that after reading this book.
Not a whole lot happens in this book to be quite honest with you. I was left very unimpressed with the plot because there was none. This book didn't advance the plot in anyway. Was it entertaining? Sure. Was it interesting? Sort of. After this book, I lost my love with this series. I wanted more. I wanted more with Black London and the magic and everything else. Instead, Lila is all the sudden a magician and may be an Antari at that and we're left with quite a cliffhanger. This story also had the games and only the last 3 pages finally had action at the meet up between Kell and Holland. By then it was too late to salvage my feelings towards this book. I sang high praise with V.E. Schwab, but I'm starting to wonder if she can truly write series or if she's better of writing standalones. I don't know. This is short because I don't have a lot to say. I'm just disappointed.
2/5 Stars
Not a whole lot happens in this book to be quite honest with you. I was left very unimpressed with the plot because there was none. This book didn't advance the plot in anyway. Was it entertaining? Sure. Was it interesting? Sort of. After this book, I lost my love with this series. I wanted more. I wanted more with Black London and the magic and everything else. Instead, Lila is all the sudden a magician and may be an Antari at that and we're left with quite a cliffhanger. This story also had the games and only the last 3 pages finally had action at the meet up between Kell and Holland. By then it was too late to salvage my feelings towards this book. I sang high praise with V.E. Schwab, but I'm starting to wonder if she can truly write series or if she's better of writing standalones. I don't know. This is short because I don't have a lot to say. I'm just disappointed.
2/5 Stars
The Loose Ends List Review
The Loose Ends List is a novel about loss, death, and forgiveness. Maddie, the main character, finds out that her gram is dying and is taking them on a death-with-dignity cruise. Though at first she doesn't want to go for fear of seeing death, she ends up going and making friends with some of the other passengers on board along with getting a boyfriend. This novel was made out to be hilarious and heartbreaking, but was pretty brash and a little insensitive at times.
This was one of my most anticipated books this year and I could not be more appalled and disappointed by this book. The family that this book is surrounding is rich and uptight minus the gram. The main character was insensitive calling the stocky family onboard "Ornaments", the new guy on board "Gollum", and calling other people rather rude nicknames. I guess that was supposed to be funny but I personally found it shocking that an author would write a main character like this. She also had IBS, but it was put into this "hilarious" light on how she "ruined another thong due to her IBS" or something along those lines. I know that there are people who have this and it's not funny or fun to deal with. Gram was a pretty good character, a little out there, but she managed to be an okay character. The rest of the family was either drunk or out there and I don't have anything good to say about any of them. I was more attached to the secondary characters than the main ones.
There's some serious insta-love in this book. Maddie lays eyes on Enzo and claims that she's in love with him. He was a bad character all by himself but them together was cry-worthy. He pressured her to smoke weed (even though she said she would never do it), he got her to drink, and have sex. Her virginity was a long joke through the whole book which was completely unnecessary. It was brought up so many times and it was as if her family was pushing her to have sex. I have no idea what realistic family does that. She mourned the loss of her boyfriend leaving more than the loss of her gram. It was all just really backwards.
I must say though, I did like the idea of a cruise travel book. I haven't read any books where the main character travels by cruise so this was new for me. Each stop was beautifully described and I had a clear picture of every destination that they landed on. I think this was probably the only thing I liked about the book.
I'm surprised so many people liked it, but maybe they read the main character's tone different than I did. 1.5/5 Stars.
This was one of my most anticipated books this year and I could not be more appalled and disappointed by this book. The family that this book is surrounding is rich and uptight minus the gram. The main character was insensitive calling the stocky family onboard "Ornaments", the new guy on board "Gollum", and calling other people rather rude nicknames. I guess that was supposed to be funny but I personally found it shocking that an author would write a main character like this. She also had IBS, but it was put into this "hilarious" light on how she "ruined another thong due to her IBS" or something along those lines. I know that there are people who have this and it's not funny or fun to deal with. Gram was a pretty good character, a little out there, but she managed to be an okay character. The rest of the family was either drunk or out there and I don't have anything good to say about any of them. I was more attached to the secondary characters than the main ones.
There's some serious insta-love in this book. Maddie lays eyes on Enzo and claims that she's in love with him. He was a bad character all by himself but them together was cry-worthy. He pressured her to smoke weed (even though she said she would never do it), he got her to drink, and have sex. Her virginity was a long joke through the whole book which was completely unnecessary. It was brought up so many times and it was as if her family was pushing her to have sex. I have no idea what realistic family does that. She mourned the loss of her boyfriend leaving more than the loss of her gram. It was all just really backwards.
I must say though, I did like the idea of a cruise travel book. I haven't read any books where the main character travels by cruise so this was new for me. Each stop was beautifully described and I had a clear picture of every destination that they landed on. I think this was probably the only thing I liked about the book.
I'm surprised so many people liked it, but maybe they read the main character's tone different than I did. 1.5/5 Stars.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
With Malice Review
With Malice is a thriller and a mystery that follows Jill, who is accused of murdering her best friend after she ends up surviving the fatal car accident. She doesn't remember anything that happened before, during, or partly after the accident. She now has to piece together what happened while trying to hold on to her innocence. Included in the book are interviews with family members and witnesses, text messages, and other little things that make you feel as if you're piecing together the crime also.
I typically do not read thrillers after being disappointed by We Were Liars. I figured they were all probably similar and I wasn't missing out on much with this particular genre. That being said, I still decided to pick this book up for some reason. The idea of Jill not having her memory and being blamed for this kind of intrigued me and I saw some hype surrounding this book when it first came out. This is an enjoyable story if you don't expect too much of a shocker at the end.
Jill was a good protagonist. I was cheering for her and hoping that she was innocent and that there was more than what met the eye with the accident. I wasn't expecting a happy ending with her story though she got one and that left me extremely disappointed. There was also a character growth with her towards her feelings toward Simone, and while they were understandable the end still left me shocked and a little upset. I didn't expect her to go so cold towards her, but then again Simone was never a real friend so justice was served in a way. None of the other characters were super involved with the story except Anna. She was a fantastic friend to Jill and was what Jill needed at the time instead of everyone coddling her and pretending her life wasn't changing forever.
Honestly, I'm quite disappointed with this book and as I said before than ending was pretty cold, but I was intrigued with this story the whole time and while I did guess that it was who it ended up being, I still guessed a few other people in the process.
3.5 stars/5 Stars
I typically do not read thrillers after being disappointed by We Were Liars. I figured they were all probably similar and I wasn't missing out on much with this particular genre. That being said, I still decided to pick this book up for some reason. The idea of Jill not having her memory and being blamed for this kind of intrigued me and I saw some hype surrounding this book when it first came out. This is an enjoyable story if you don't expect too much of a shocker at the end.
Jill was a good protagonist. I was cheering for her and hoping that she was innocent and that there was more than what met the eye with the accident. I wasn't expecting a happy ending with her story though she got one and that left me extremely disappointed. There was also a character growth with her towards her feelings toward Simone, and while they were understandable the end still left me shocked and a little upset. I didn't expect her to go so cold towards her, but then again Simone was never a real friend so justice was served in a way. None of the other characters were super involved with the story except Anna. She was a fantastic friend to Jill and was what Jill needed at the time instead of everyone coddling her and pretending her life wasn't changing forever.
Honestly, I'm quite disappointed with this book and as I said before than ending was pretty cold, but I was intrigued with this story the whole time and while I did guess that it was who it ended up being, I still guessed a few other people in the process.
3.5 stars/5 Stars
Monday, July 4, 2016
City of Lost Souls {The Mortal Instruments Book Five}
This is the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series, so if you have not read City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels I suggest you go back and read those before you read this book.
Wow. This book was intense. There was so much going on in this book I can't even put it all into this review. This book wasn't one character heavy. I felt that there was just enough of each character narrating it. As you all should know Sebastian, Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern is his birth name, rose from the dead with the demon Lilith. Jace and Sebastian are now bound together and if one of them gets hurt the other gets hurt as well, if one of them dies they both do. Sebastian controls Jace's mind and what he does and when Jace is actually himself he has no recollection of what happened when he was being controlled. The Clave was searching for him nonstop but other things got more important and less Shadowhunters were ordered to search for him. Obviously Clary, Isabelle and Alec are infuriated with this decision and they decide to try and find Jace on their own. Of course they have Simon, Isabelle's love but she doesn't know it yet, Magnus, Alec's immortal boyfriend, Jordan and Maia. Jace and Sebastian come for Clary at Luke's house and let's just say people don't go unscathed. While no one is paying attention Clary sneaks out and waits for them to come back so she can join them to take them down from the inside out. Clary has a way to communicate with Simon but its a secret and I will not tell you because it's pretty cool. When Jocelyn finds out Clary left she's furious. Magnus, Alec, Simon, and Isabelle summon a Demon and an Angel. One of them helps them one of them doesn't do them any good. Eventually Clary gets her Jace back, somehow someway she does. That's all I will say about this intense book and I left out a chunk of it for a reason, its shocking what this person does. Thank you so much for reading!
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
If I Was Your Girl Review
This book is about a transsexual teen named Amanda who has to deal with a relationship and friends and no one knowing who she truly is. This is an extremely important book for people to read because it shows the struggles of a trans teen in this brutal world. It's 2016 and we still aren't accepting of people who are different than us. We shouldn't care because it doesn't concern us and they aren't hurting anyone. They're being who they are and isn't that the most important thing? That being said, I didn't love this book. So I'm going to split this review into two parts: characters and plot. I have a lot to say about some of these characters.
Characters
1. Amanda (main character)- Amanda was a good main character, but not one that will stick out in my mind for years to come. She's extremely brave for the things she has to go through and she never had self-pity for any of the troubles life put her through. She was a little young sounding for almost being 18 but that's no big deal. A very average character.
2. Bree- I don't know what happened with her. She was introduced as the chill girl who Amanda found a friend in. I never saw any hints that she ever felt affection for her, but all the sudden at the homecoming dance she outs her? I didn't truly understand that. It also seemed extremely out of character for her.
3. Chloe, Layla, and Anna- I'm combining these three because they're rarely seen without the others. They were fantastic female friends and how friends should be. They didn't leave Amanda when Bree did what she did to her. In fact, I think they only got closer and this is how girls should be. Instead of shaming each other, create a tight bond that can last forever.
4. Grant- I hated him since he was first introduced. One minute he was hot and the next minute he was cold for what reasons? I felt he was also bossy and kind of rude towards Amanda. He was just a bland love interest.
Plot
I didn't see where there was a plot in this book at all. I thought this was going to be more about Amanda transitioning, and it was more of the aftermath with some flashbacks of when she started the medicine (I forgot the word. I'm so sorry). I think the only time anything really happened was at the end which seems to be happening for a lot of the books I've been reading lately. I just don't think this was the story I was expecting and that's nothing against the author.
2/5 Stars.
Characters
1. Amanda (main character)- Amanda was a good main character, but not one that will stick out in my mind for years to come. She's extremely brave for the things she has to go through and she never had self-pity for any of the troubles life put her through. She was a little young sounding for almost being 18 but that's no big deal. A very average character.
2. Bree- I don't know what happened with her. She was introduced as the chill girl who Amanda found a friend in. I never saw any hints that she ever felt affection for her, but all the sudden at the homecoming dance she outs her? I didn't truly understand that. It also seemed extremely out of character for her.
3. Chloe, Layla, and Anna- I'm combining these three because they're rarely seen without the others. They were fantastic female friends and how friends should be. They didn't leave Amanda when Bree did what she did to her. In fact, I think they only got closer and this is how girls should be. Instead of shaming each other, create a tight bond that can last forever.
4. Grant- I hated him since he was first introduced. One minute he was hot and the next minute he was cold for what reasons? I felt he was also bossy and kind of rude towards Amanda. He was just a bland love interest.
Plot
I didn't see where there was a plot in this book at all. I thought this was going to be more about Amanda transitioning, and it was more of the aftermath with some flashbacks of when she started the medicine (I forgot the word. I'm so sorry). I think the only time anything really happened was at the end which seems to be happening for a lot of the books I've been reading lately. I just don't think this was the story I was expecting and that's nothing against the author.
2/5 Stars.
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