Review: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

Title: The Great Hunt
Author: Wendy Higgins
Publication Date:  March 8th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: 

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

“Fear was a dangerous, unpredictable weapon.”

I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing YA romance with a tiny, and I mean tiny, amount of fantasy. I really wish we had gotten more world building and explanation of the Lashed and where they came from. But this is a Wendy Higgins novel, so I expect romance to be at the forefront.

The relationship between Aerity and Paxton actually did not bother me as much as I thought it was going to. I think Wendy did a good job of having it slowly grow into something while still starting out with that fire.

There was a huge chunk of this book that was boring to me. The hunters were doing the same thing day in and day out and there was not enough going on to keep me fully invested in the story and the characters.

Overall, this was a good "light" read. It was light in the sense that it was not the typical high fantasy, intricate magic system I have been reading lately. This book is definitely not for everyone especially when it is marketed as a fantasy and definitely leans more towards romance centric.

I look forward to seeing how Wendy Higgins ties everything up in the next book since this is one of those rare YA duologies.

Review: Nil by Lynne Matson

Title: Nil
Author: Lynne Matson
Publication Date: March 4th, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

"Nights were pitch-black, full of claustrophobic, creepy darkness. Nights were when the shakes came, from cold, and from fear. I was absurdly terrified of nighttime critters, not just weird bird men or potential aliens."

Lost was one of my favorite shows, and if you know me, you know that when Lost was airing, I spent so much time trying to figure out the island and how it worked. Looking at Nil, the premise alone drew me in. You have this mysterious almost sentient island where teenagers show up on and they only have one year to make it off the island. From that description, you are expecting this amazing adventure and survival story.

However, that is not quite what we get. Yes, this is a story of Charley and Thad and their survival on the island, but there is a huge case of insta-love that really hurt my enjoyment of the book. I understand knowing your time together is limited because one way or another you only get 365 days on the island, but that does not condone this insta-love. For me the huge downfall of this book was that it was more of a romance, than a survival story. 

I wanted to learn all about the island and the gates and how the island came to be. We got a little bit of background on it, but not nearly enough to appease me. Nil (the island) is what I loved about this book. I loved how it seemed to play tricks on the kids and how it is definitely possible to learn some of its tricks and secrets. I really hope future books focus more on the island and its background.

The last thing I will say it two-fold. First, I really liked the two perspective aspect of the book because we got to see a newbie on the island and the veteran. However, for me there were many times where it was hard to differentiate whose perspective I was reading from. The writing style between the two characters was exactly the same and there was no concrete way to differentiate the two characters other than them mentioning the other by name. Second, I absolutely loved that the characters bonded over hockey. I'm an avid hockey fan, so I appreciated the mention of hockey, especially the mentions of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Review: Armada by Ernest Cline

Title: Armada  
Author: Ernest Cline
Publication Date: July 14th, 2015
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Source: From BloggingForBooks
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.

“The only thing crazier than hallucinating a fictional videogame spaceship would be to blame it on a frosted breakfast pastry.”

Everyone talks always about Ready Player One and how amazing it is. And they always mention how great the writing is. I've had Ready Player One on my radar for a while, I just have not bought the book to actually read it. Armada from the synopsis sounds just as intriguing as Ready Player One so I was really excited to dive into the story.

I did not hate this book and it did draw me in, but it seemed unoriginal to me. The whole time all I could think was that this had been done already, especially when you compare it to Ender's Game. If I noticed the lack of originality, I cannot imagine what die hard science fiction fans thought. I know I have heard mixed things about this book, but I think a lot of that was comparison to Ready Player One rather than focusing truly on this book and its successes and failures.

I'm not a huge gamer, but I do consider myself fairly informed when it comes to games and that fandom. That being said, I was able to follow a lot of the gamer language and the science fiction references. However, while I got most of them, I felt like a lot of them were purposely shoved into my face without being subtle. This was a huge let down when it came to this book. 

One other aspect that bothered me with this book was the cases of instalove. Everywhere we went two characters were instantly all over each other. To an extent I get that you believe it is the end of the world so you are going to be more inclined to find someone to spend your last days with, but I felt like it went beyond that. If instalove does not bother you then you will probably be fine, but I've now recently read two books with instalove and it just really gets on my nerves. 

*I received a copy of this book through BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review*

Review: Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Title: Magonia
Author: Maria Dahvana Headley
Publication Date:  April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Harper
Source: Won in Giveaway
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

“I know people die. I know that when people die, the people they leave behind always think something insane happened, because death, by its nature, feels insane. It's part of how humans have always dealt with dying, as though it's somehow special, as though every person who dies is a hero. We want to die spectacularly, not just "perish"” - pg. 80

I heard a lot of good things about this book, especially with respect to the writing. Personally, I have conflicting thoughts. On the one hand, the writing of this book was absolutely stunning. Maria Dahvana Headley crafted this amazing world using beautiful writing. From the beginning of the book I was pulled in and want to see what happened. I also really appreciated how informal the writing style was and how the book added certain styles and text to add to the storyline. That being said, I was also incredibly disappointed by how much this story dragged. I loved the first third or so of the book, but then I was completely bored with it and did not care as much about what was happening. I still enjoyed the writing, but did not care for the story at all.

Obviously, I have two very polarizing thoughts about this book. But for me, it is the writing that continues to amaze me. Even though I was not a huge fan of the plot, I still greatly appreciated how the story was told. There were many times where I would forget that this was a fantasy world with this made up world of ships in the air and birds and singing. Then I would be reminded about just how different this world is from our own. I think one of my main problems plot wise with this book other than the dragging was the lack of answers. A lot of time was spent explaining this world and what it meant to be Magonian, but I had so many other questions about the world and the outcome of the events that unfolded.

I think I also I struggled to relate to the characters. I was pleasant surprised that this was a dual-perspective of both Aza and Jason. I appreciated the added knowledge we gained from Aza's perspective with Magonia and Jason's perspective still on land. But other than that, I felt no attachment to the characters and what they were going through.

Luckily, it looks like there will be a sequel to this book so hopefully all of my lingering questions will be addressed. I look forward to this sequel because of how much I loved the beautiful writing and the style of the story. Hopefully with another book the plot will be stronger since less world building will be necessary.

What are your thoughts on the book?

Review: Zom-B by Darren Shan

Title: Zom-B
Author: Darren Shan
Publication Date:  October 16th, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: When news reports start appearing of a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B's racist father thinks it's a joke-- but even if it isn't, he figures, it's ok to lose a few Irish.

B doesn't fully buy into Dad's racism, but figures it's easier to go along with it than to risk the fights and abuse that will surely follow sticking up for Muslims, blacks, or immigrants. And when dodging his fists doesn't work, B doesn't hesitate to take the piss out of kids at school with a few slaps or cruel remarks.

That is, until zombies attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers.

“Life's complicated. Answers rarely come wrapped up nice and simple. There are plenty of people out there ready to tell us what we should and shouldn't believe. We always need to be skeptical, to look for the sting in the tale.” - pg. 46

This book, while it had really intriguing writing and I loved the artwork, was very slow. I feel like way too much time was spent setting up the zombie attack and then once the zombies did attack it seemed rushed. There were only about 20-30 pages of actual zombies. For a "zombie" book that was disappointing. I also loved the black and white pictures throughout the book and how chapters started with the white text on black background. It was a small thing, but it was unique and fit in with the story. And that prologue was fantastically done. That scene is clearly important to the series as a whole, but it threw you right into the zombie attack and had you on edge.

I know that the book is written so that we hate B. B is not supposed to be a protagonist we cheer for or even one we want to be like. B has basically been brainwashed by an absolutely deplorable father. He is racist, abusive, manipulative, and down right nasty to everyone. I hated all the interactions between Mom, Dad, and B. They were horrible to read as B's Dad abused and forced his beliefs on everyone else. And I hated B for not standing up to Dad and not doing the right thing. B was constantly second guessing actions based on what Dad had said or would do as a result.

As for the action, once the plot picked up, I was utterly engrossed. This is a very quick read between the short, succinct writing style, the short chapters, and the short length of the novel as a whole. I have so many questions about the zombies and what this means for the future. That ending has left me with even more questions and I definitely need to get my hands on the 2nd book to find out what happens next.

That being said, this book definitely intrigued me to the point of wanting to continue with the series and find out what happens to London after the zombie attack. 

Have you read this series? What are your thoughts?

Review: Velvet by Temple West

Title: Velvet
Author: Temple West
Publication Date: May 12th, 2015
Publisher: SwoonReads
Source: From publisher
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

““I scoffed. “Why would I fall in love with you? You’re just a hot, closet-nerd vampire with a bazillion dollars and a Harley. There’s absolutely nothing attractive about you."”

I want to start this review by saying that this was a highly entertaining, mindless read. I flew through this book without any difficulty. That being said this book is not for everyone. I'm one of those people who every once and awhile needs a mindless read after I've finished one of my fantasy books with an incredibly detailed world and characters. This was just the book for me. I was able to pick this up and read it almost straight through.

Now is this an amazing book? No. It is not even close, however it was entertaining. Let me start off by saying that the vampire myths in this were strange. In this world, vampires are half-human, half-demon. I did not really get why these vampires were created and what purpose they served the demons (it seems as if only certain children are raised by their demon fathers). That being said, in Velvet, Adrian is a vampire who must protect Caitlin from his father.

Talk about cliches, and you have this book. Of course it is illegal for vampires and humans to be together and I'm sure you can guess what happens between Caitlin and Adrian. While this was beyond cliche, it did not cause me to dislike the book. While reading this I also had so many instances where I was comparing this book to both Twilight and the Vampire Academy. There were so many similarities between the three. Along these lines, there were also so many cheesy ridiculous passages that had me rolling my eyes. The quote at the beginning of the review would be one such instance. These passages were shoved in your face and had me cringing at some points.

Velvet is the first in a trilogy and while the plot did progress, this book was definitely about Adrian and Caitlin and had little to do with what they were going to do about Adrian's father or why Caitlin was special. I may or may not pick up the next in the trilogy, but I'm not eager to.

My rating for this book is solely because while it was an entertaining, mindless book, it reminded be too much of other vampire series and it was way too cheesy and cliche. That being said it was an excellent book in terms of mindless reading.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

How do you feel about vampire books post-Twilight craze? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Review: The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: The Isle of the Lost
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015  
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon and made to live in virtual imprisonment on the Isle of the Lost. The island is surrounded by a magical force field that keeps the villains and their descendants safely locked up and away from the mainland. Life on the island is dark and dreary. It is a dirty, decrepit place that's been left to rot and forgotten by the world.

But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon's eye: the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it...who will it be?

Maleficent, Mistress of the Dark: As the self-proclaimed ruler of the isle, Maleficent has no tolerance for anything less than pure evil. She has little time for her subjects, who have still not mastered life without magic. Her only concern is getting off the Isle of the Lost.

Mal: At sixteen, Maleficent's daughter is the most talented student at Dragon Hall, best known for her evil schemes. And when she hears about the dragon's eye, Mal thinks this could be her chance to prove herself as the cruelest of them all.

Evie: Having been castle-schooled for years, Evil Queen's daughter, Evie, doesn't know the ins and outs of Dragon Hall. But she's a quick study, especially after she falls for one too many of Mal's little tricks.

Jay: As the son of Jafar, Jay is a boy of many talents: stealing and lying to name a few. Jay and Mal have been frenemies forever and he's not about to miss out on the hunt for the dragon's eye.

Carlos: Cruella de Vil's son may not be bravest, but he's certainly clever. Carlos's inventions may be the missing piece in locating the dragon's eye and ending the banishment for good.

Mal soon learns from her mother that the dragon's eye is cursed and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the dragon's eye, these kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.

“Evie, with her beauty obsessed mother; Carlos with his screeching harpy of a parent; Jay, the happy-go-lucky thief with a quick wit and dashing smile, who could steal anything in the world except is father's heart.” - pg. 206

I was solely looking forward to reading this book because of the premise and because I wanted to read about what happens after the "happily ever after". With the movie coming soon, I wanted to read this before I watched the movie, since this is a prequel novel of sorts. Since this is a prequel novel, I was expecting an info dump of sorts and lots of back-story with very little plot. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised to find an actual plot.

This book focuses specifically on Mal (daughter of Maleficent), Jay (son of Jafar), Evie (daughter of Evil Queen), and Carlos (son of Cruella de Vil) and their lives on the Isle of the Lost. I was also presently surprised to see that even more children of Disney characters made an appearance (but I'm not going to say who because spoilers).

For me, this book was great because of all the Disney references. There were so many instances that went back to old school Disney movies including the princess and even more modern day Disney. Just to name a few, there were references to Sleeping Beauty, Tarzan, Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, the Princess and the Frog, and 101 Dalmatians. I really enjoyed picking up on all of them. I was also presently surprised that I was able to. I think many people may miss some (and I'm sure I did not catch them all). Melissa de la Cruz's attention to detail was paramount in this book and it made the book for me.

I have not given this book that amazing of a review only because it was a children's book and that was apparent in both the writing and the story. It was too "childish" for me to truly love. I did enjoy the book and look forward to the continuation in the movie, however this book was not up to my typical standards when it comes to books.

For me this book brought me back to my childhood of constantly watching Disney movies and loving every second of them. This book I think is great for a younger audience, especially kids who are a little apprehensive toward reading. I think this is a great book to get them interesting in a story. I borrowed this book from a family friend, whose 9.5 year old absolutely loved this book. I think for me, I enjoyed the references to my childhood, but it was a little too juvenile for me.

Are you looking forward to the movie? What are your thoughts on the book?

Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Publication Date:  September 7th, 2009
Publisher: Graphia
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: Deadly Grace

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight--she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graces as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...

“When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?” 

Going into this book I had heard many great things about the world and the Graces, so I was really looking forwarding to reading this. Overall, I was not disappointed. The world that Kristin Cashore has built is vivid and beautiful. I loved getting introduced, at least to some extent, to all seven kingdoms in the world. 

The idea of the Graces and children developing these abilities was really intriguing to me. Especially the differing acceptances and beliefs about the Gracelings. There are so many possibilities when it comes to a Grace. I also loved that the Graces did not seem to be just one thing, they could gave them multiple advantages and abilities. 

As for the characters, I really enjoyed Katsa as a main character. While at times her blind faith in following Randa's orders really irked me, she had amazing character growth and development in this book. I loved her strength and her independence. It was refreshing to read yet another book with an extremely strong and independent female character. The cast of side characters in this book were also really great. Especially, Po and Bitterblue who we do spend the most time interacting with. I really loved that Po saw Katsa for who she truly was and worked with her as an equal rather than treating her as others in her life had. Bitterblue was another strong character. What she went through in this book would have crippled most, but she powered through it and helped Katsa in her own way.

My main issues, and I use that word lightly, with this book were related to plot and the writing. For starters, this book took a really long time to gain my interest. I definitely had to push through the first 75 or so pages until my interest was peaked. For me this was both due to my overall "meh" feeling about the writing coupled with a slow start with not much focus as to what the goal of the book was. After the slow start, the book did pick up and I was hooked on reading about Katsa and Po's journey. However, once it was clear what journey Po and Katsa would be following, I was quickly able to predict what was going to unfold for the last half of the book. This was disappointing for me since I'm not a huge fan of predictable fantasy books. Especially one with a world such as this that I really enjoyed. As for the actual writing, it was nothing special or extraordinary to me. I was really disappointed in it and the lacking feeling I was left with.

Giving this book such a high rating is probably being generous, but I did really enjoy the world and the characters. It was an enjoyable read and that is why I have given it such a high rating. However, I did wish the writing was better and the book moved at a better pace. I also do not know if I'm going to continue with the other two novels in the world because I have not heard many good things about the other two.

Let me know if you've read Graceling and if you think I should continue with Fire and Bitterblue.

Review: The Clouded Sky by Megan Crewe

Title: The Clouded Sky
Author: Megan Crewe
Publication Date:  May 5th, 2015
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: Copy via NetGalley
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: When seventeen-year-old Skylar escapes the time-bending Enforcers who secretly control Earth, her troubles have just begun. She and her friend Win take refuge on Win’s home space station with his fellow rebels, but the fate of Skylar’s planet still spins out of her control.

To avoid detection, Skylar poses as the Earthling “pet” of Win’s rival, an arrogant boy named Jule. Homesick and faced with a cool reception from the other rebels, she throws herself into the group’s mission: assembling a weapon to disable Earth’s restrictive time field. Gradually, Skylar’s skill for detail gains respect—even from Jule, who is more vulnerable than he lets on.

Yet challenges spring from every side. Not only must Sky navigate the muddy waters of romance, but suspicions of betrayal grow among the rebels as their work narrowly misses sabotage.

In the latest in Megan Crewe’s Earth & Sky series, can Skylar expose the traitor before time runs out and Earth is destroyed?

“Working together, we can become something so incredible that we'll set all our lives on a completely different course.”

While I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book, Earth & Sky, the writing was still a weakness for me. The characters gained some depth, but it was still flat overall. I did fly through the book since it was a quick read. This book also spanned a wider period of time which I appreciated. The entirety of Earth & Sky focused on basically a week.

I really enjoyed seeing life on Kemya or more specifically on the ship. There were so many new things that Megan Crewe added to the world. And we got to see even more of how much Kemya hates Earth and the Earthlings. I also appreciated how much more depth Skylar got in this book. She went from this very obsessed paranoid girl in the first book to someone willing to do whatever it takes to protect and save Earth. I appreciated her as a character much more in this book than the previous.

This book ended in a way that makes me really anxious to read the final book in the trilogy, but also extremely weary about what the final installment entails. I have a feeling that the third book may be incredibly drawn out to be a full length novel. While the ending was exciting and not what I was expecting, there were many other plot points that were incredibly predictable. I was able to guess pretty early on who the traitor was. I also found it incredibly convenient how easily Skylar learned the new language.

The only other complaint I have is the ridiculous inclusion of a love triangle. I do not think it was necessary at all. There are some books that this works for, but for the majority of them, it does not. For me, the love triangle was not compelling at all. I'm really hoping the love triangle does not persist in the next book.

Overall, this was a stronger installment than Earth & Sky, but I still had some issues with some of the plot choices and character development. I love the premise of this book and the overall story, but the writing falls flat for me. That being said when the final book in the trilogy does come out, I will probably read it to see what happens.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are if you've read the book or if you plan to read it!

Review: Earth & Sky by Megan Crewe

Title: Earth & Sky (Earth & Sky #1)
Author: Megan Crewe
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: Copy via NetGalley
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Skylar has been haunted for as long as she can remember by fleeting yet powerful sensations that something is horribly wrong. But despite the panic attacks tormenting her, nothing ever happens, and Sky’s beginning to think she’s crazy. Then she meets a mysterious, otherworldly boy named Win and discovers the shocking truth her premonitions have tapped into: our world no longer belongs to us. For thousands of years, Earth has been at the mercy of alien scientists who care nothing for its inhabitants and are using us as the unwitting subjects of their time-manipulating experiments. Win belongs to a rebel faction seeking to put a stop to it, and he needs Skylar’s help--but with each shift in the past, the very fabric of reality is unraveling, and soon there may be no Earth left to save.

“There's a perfect dependability to math. No matter how many times you perform the same operations, the answer's always the same. As the factors expand out in their unshakeable pattern, my heartbeat steadies, the chill ebbs, and the wrong feeling fades away."

I loved the premise of this book. You have the planet Kemya, where it citizens have basically turned Earth into an experiment. Travelers and Enforcers from Kemya alter the course of history, and they have been doing it for thousands of years. I loved that you had aliens involved in human history and basically controlling its course, but then you have the added ability of time travel.

The main character in this book, Skylar, is has anxiety and is obsessed with the number 3. She is consumed with this idea of wrongness and things not being right in the world. A lot of her mannerisms were annoying and at times she failed to realize the true significance of her actions in the past and how much one little change could effect the entire future. While Skylar was helpful to Win in terms of finding the weapon, she was not a very strong character. I wish she could have been written as a stronger female character. This is not to say she was weak, but there were many times where her characterization irked me.

As for the other main character, we have Win. Win is an alien rebel searching for a weapon to destroy the experiment on Earth. I did not have any major issues with him as a character. I also appreciated that the romance was not obnoxious in this book. There is definitely a connection between Skylar and Win, but this book focused more on their mission and their friendship rather than romantic feelings for each other. I'm sure their relationship will be explored in subsequent books though.

The main reason I’m rating this book the way I am is the writing. The writing was simple, easy to follow and enjoyable. But it fell flat for me, there was nothing spectacular about it and there was nothing that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. While I did appreciate the simplicity of the writing in certain aspects of the book, there were other times when the writing did not fit my vision of the story. For the premise of this book, there was a large lack of true action. Yes, Skylar and Win were on the run from Enforcers and travel both across the world and time, but I did not have a big sense of adventure or action during their travels and “battles.”

Overall, this was an interesting start to the trilogy. I really like this premise, especially with the time travel. I’m also invested in this book enough that I do want to pick up the sequel and see what happens next in this world. However, I was not blow away by this book.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Let me know in the comments if you have the read the book and what your thoughts are!

Review: Awakening by Shannon Duffy

“This was Darian One Sterling. A murderer. And my childhood friend.”

Title: Awakening
Author: Shannon Duffy
Publication Date: April 7th, 2015 
Publisher:  Entangled Teen Books for Young Readers 
Source: eARC from publisher
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository








So I know I should not make this connection at all because they are two completely different books, but this book started out with a very Matched feeling to me. And I really disliked that book, however, the writing in this book was much better. I really enjoyed the way the world was laid out and the story that was being told. Desiree conflicting feelings were wonderfully explored.

My big issue with this book was the predictability. I get that it is a dystopian book, so there is a level of predictability which what is going to happen. But I feel like it went beyond that layer of needing to break free from the “perfect” society.

What I really loved about this book was the writing. Shannon Duffy has this way of pulling you into the story and the characters’ lives. The writing is what kept me interested and reading as fast as I could to get to the end and see what happened to the characters and world. While some of the plot points were predictable, I still enjoyed the overall story in this book. I appreciated that this book was focused on Desiree finding out the truth for herself. We see her timid, subconscious distrust of The Protectorate morph into this desire to find proof and eventually the need to do something about it.

Like I said, I appreciated the premise of this book. While the whole matching you to your soulmate thing screamed Matched Trilogy at me, I loved the idea of The Protectorate and their “brainwashing” of citizens to keep them in line. The Protectorate is there to take care of everyone’s needs. I also thought it was amusing the the past was called the Manic Age, as if things were utter chaos when you got to choose your own job, significant other, number of children, etc. Finally, the whole Dreamscape aspect and the reliance on this machine to sleep and as a way for the Protectorate to subdue individuals, and remove to nightmares was captivating. It is beyond disturbing to think that punishment for noncompliance was basically to have to live in your nightmares, rather than the wonderful dreams you are always used to.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book even if it was predictable. I think I have gotten to the point where I have read so many YA dystopian books that there is not much that could surprise me when it comes to plot points in a dystopian. I also appreciate that this was published a standalone, rather than the typical trilogy. It definitely left things open for a possible sequel, but for the most part things were tied up nicely.

*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are if you have read the book or if you plan to read it!

Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

“If the scientists here are so great, how come they can’t do what we can do? How come they can’t make a boy? The Governess once told us they’ve tried but the results were deformed, or sickly or not right in the head. That’s why we’re so important. That’s what they get for messing with nature.“

Title: The Glass Arrow
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publication Date: Feb 10th, 2015 
Publisher: TorBooks
Source: Audobook from RecordedBooks
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

I have a lot of mix feelings about this book. To stat off with, the premise is absolutely captivating. You have a society where girls are hunted and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Girls like Aya are prized due to their ability to be bred for males. The society that Simmons has created with the Magnates, Drivers, and the girls is unique and fascinating. At at the same time, it is scary to think of a society where young girls are sold due to their ability to potentially create male heirs.

In this book, we have Aya who grew up in the mountains with a small group of other women on the run. When she is caught and brought to auction, live takes on a whole new meaning in terms of surviving and being free again. This is a story of survival and gaining your freedom. And that is what I liked most about it. This was simply a story about Aya’s journey to freedom. It was her on her own with help from Kiran. But for the most part she was a strong independent girl who could take care of herself. The book was also not a full on love story between Aya and Kiran. It was a subtle building of something more without it driving the plot completely.

As for my issues with this book, the big thing was how incredibly slow the plot was. It took me way longer to get through this book due to how long it took to get to the story. The first third or so of the book is just Aya attempting to escape, time and time again. It was annoying and incredibly boring to see her make little to no progress. The last few chapters is where everything really happens and comes together. And I can say I did not see the identity of a certain character coming.

I listened to this book on audiobook narrated by Soneela Nankani. I’ve never been a huge fan of audiobooks and this book was no exception. Many people love audiobooks, but I personally prefer holding a book in my hands to read and enjoy it. That being said, I think Nankani did a good job of sharing the story. I just personally am not an audiobook listener.

Overall, this book was a fascinating premise and I enjoyed Simmons writing. I appreciated the way the story unfolded, I just wish it had not been so slow in the beginning. Plus this is a stand alone which is incredibly rare in the genre of dystopia. I would recommend this book to people who are okay with slow starts but more importantly for someone who wants to dive into a truly corrupt and enthralling  world.

*I received the audiobook from Recorded Books via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review*

♛ ♛ ♛½

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on the book or in you have any thoughts on audiobooks!

Jackaby and Miss Rook

"Hatun sees a different world than you or I, a far more frightening one, full of far more terrible dangers, and still she chooses to be the hero whom that world needs. She has saved this town and its people from countless monsters countless times. That the battles are usually in her head does not lessen the bravery of it. The hardest battles always are." 

Title: Jackaby
Author: William Ritter
Publication Date: September 16, 2014
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon




This was the 2nd book that I finished for the #ProjectTBR Read-a-Thon. Not very many people talk about this book, but it is said to be a mix of Sherlock and Doctor Who. That plus the gorgeous cover had me interested. This book follows Abigail Rook as she comes to America and searches for a new job. She sees an ad for an assistant to a detective. This detective is Jacakaby and he is not your typical detective. He focuses on crimes of the paranormal world.  This book is supposed to take place in 1892 in New Fiddleham (basically a New England town).

The setting of this book was the main flaw for me. The style of dialogue and how Abigail thought did not fit in with the time period, in my opinion. While this is not a huge thing, for me it really hurt the book. And this is not to say the book was not enjoyable, the opposite really. I just think this book would have been even better had the time period matched the writing.

I absolutely loved Jackaby as a character. He reminded me very much of BBC's Sherlock and I loved it. There were so many lines of his that were so ridiculous, but so well done at the same time (I really struggled with coming up with just one quote for this review, so there will be two more at the end of the review). Jackaby's character is paired with Abigail who was a fantastically written character. She was a very strong independent character who was on her own and looking for adventure. She found this adventure with Jackaby. I really enjoyed the progression of the their relationship throughout the book.

The only other "issue" I had with this book, and I use the word issue lightly, is the lack of mystery regarding the murder and Jackaby and Abigail solving work to solve it. Jackaby is a detective and Abigail and him are working to solve a string of murders. However, this did not feel like a mystery book to me. I was not on the edge of my seat reading to find out who the killer was. For me, I was more focused on our characters and learning more about them.

The last thing I want to mention is my appreciation of the lack of romance. There was the suggestion of something between Charlie and Abigail, but it was not at all a major part of the book. I appreciated that we could have the friendship between Abigail and Jackaby without romantic feelings.

For me, this book was all about the characters. I loved them. While the story and the plot was not my favorite, it was the characters that really made me love this book. Charlie and Jenny were two side characters that I really enjoyed and I hope in future books we get to see more of them. And the writing of these characters was great. This book also did not have a chapter 13 which I thought was phenomenal. I loved the line about Jackaby not wanting the contents of chapter 13 to be included. And the end letter that Jackaby wrote to the police was also great.

Rating this book has been a real struggle. Initially on GR I had given it a 3.5, but I feel like I enjoyed this book more than other 3.5 books. At the same time though, does it deserve a 4 when I did have some issues? I think I'm going to stick with the 3.5, but know that it is a high 3.5.

♛ ♛ ♛½

Let me know in the comments if you have read the book or plan to read it!

"'So what are you?' I asked. "A magician? A wizard?" "I told you Miss Rook, I don't go in for that sort of thing. I'm a man of science." "Well, what do you call what you do?" "I call it ratiocination. Deductive reasoning.'" - pg. 99

"Pockets. I was thrilled. I have never understood the aversion to pockets in ladies' fashion- as though it has become some great shame to appear as if one might actually need to possess anything." - pg 153

Review: The Glittering World

 



"As I was saying, nearly everyone around these parts has heard of them. Old country folks call them the Fae, but really they're talking about the Other Kind."

Title: The Glittering World 
Author: Robert Levy 
Publication Date: February 10, 2015 
Publisher: Gallery Books
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon






This book comes out Feb. 10 and I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it early. I feel like this book should be classified as magical realism. There were so many aspects of this book that were just so real, but then there were the fantasy elements.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I’m going to be honest and say that I was drawn to this book because of the cover and fantasy aspect in the real world. The world and the story were beautifully described and Robert Levy’s writing pulled me right in. I think the fact that Levy is a playwright really showed in this book with how the story progressed and the writing style.

The first part of this book could be a contemporary. It focused on the main character, Blue (or Michael) and his friends (Gabe, Elisa, and Jason) on their trip to Canada, to sell a house left to Blue by his grandmother. But after they get to the Cove things get really interesting. There is mystery surrounding Blue and his childhood plus what is going on with him now.

This book was beautifully done. I really liked how the POV shifted for each part. It was really interesting to see what was happening from the perspective of the different characters in this story. We only follow our main character Blue for the first part of the story, then it switches to Jason, Elisa, and finally Gabe.  Each character has 3 chapters to tell their part of the story before we go to the next story. This was a really interesting literary choice for me. It was not something that is typically done since we never go back to a previous POV. And the book is always moving forward, we only see events from the one perspective. However, I also found this frustrating, because we never truly know how each character feels at the end of the book.

I do not want to give away too much of the story and the mystery behind Blue and the Cove, so I’m not going to go into much detail about the mystery. But I just want to say two words, fey, dark fey.

*I received a galley of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

♛ ♛ ♛½

Let me know in the comments if you have read the book or plan to read it!

The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney

“And everyday since then, Bedlam City and the people in it have managed to break her heart all over again. She’s learned this world is a beast, a bully that keeps on kicking you long after you’re down. In Bedlam, you either learn to take a beating, or you find a way to fight back.”

This is one of those books that confuses me when it comes to the ratings on Goodreads. This book is rated extremely low (3.37), with many 1 star ratings. I went into this book apprehensive and expecting the worst. I was presently surprised to find a reimagined Batman-esque book. This book was not amazing, nor was it as horrible as others have said. Yes, this book was extremely similar to Batman and Gotham City, but it was unique with a female protagonist. The book had very little world building but this did not bother me much since it so closely resembled Gotham. I can see why others have been bothered by the lack of world building, Kahaney was attempting to make a crime ridden city in Bedlam and used many aspects of Gotham and Batman to achieve this. This lessened the originality of her story.

Anthem was annoying yes, but she is your stereotypical rich kid who gains “powers” and becomes a vigilante. Along with the superpowers, Anthem was also a ballerina initially. I found her annoying at times and hated the way she treated her friends and family throughout the book. Anthem is surrounded by other characters such as her parents, her ex-boyfriend, Will, her best friend, Zahra, and her new boyfriend, Gavin. There was quite a bit of insta-love between Gavin and Anthem, but they aren’t with each other long enough before he is kidnapped for it to really bother me.

As for the believability aspect of this book, I think the superhero vibe this book gave off helped me connect with the story and believe that it was possible for Anthem to have this new heart that saved her and also gave her new powers.

The best part of this book was definitely the prologue, I honestly loved it. I even used the end of it as the quote at the beginning of the review. It was very superhero-esque and reminded me of the intros to shows such as Arrow and The Flash, where the character is explaining who they are and what they do.

I struggled with what rating to give this book and decided on a 3.5. This was mostly because this book was enjoyable, but not amazing. I enjoyed the ease of reading it and how fast I was able to get through it. And as I’ve said, I enjoyed the superhero aspect of this book, even if our protagonist left much to be desired. I will probably read the sequel at some point but I'm not dying to.

♛♛♛½

Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith

“So things do not happen by coincidence, and everything that is, is really a collision of paths. And so luck, which I also do not believe in in the way that most people do, is merely a chain of certain reckless collisions.”

Andrew Smith is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw this book at the used bookstore, I had to have it. This book is a YA western, coming-of-age story about Troy and his friends living in a rural setting near ranches and farms. This setting was fairly foreign to me, but I still enjoyed the laid back aspect of the characters lives.

The book focuses on Troy, Tommy, and Gabe and their battles with town bad-boy Chase. They boys basically band together against Chase. The rivalry heats up pretty quickly when shots are fired. This all leads to one final battle where lives will be lost. While the rivalry is the main part of this book, Troy is also dealing with the death of his mother and his new relationship with Luz.

This book did not have the humor and wittiness that I am accustomed to with Andrew Smith’s other novels, mainly 100 Sideways Miles and Winger, but it still had that same style that I adore. The plot of this book was extremely slow to start and it took a good third or more to get into the book. But once the action picked up, I flew through the last 150 pages of this book.

While this book was not what I was expecting, it was still enjoyable. Since it is Andrew Smith’s fist novel, you can really see how far his writing has come in his more recent works.

✶ ✶ ✶ and 1/2 stars  

Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil by Paul Bloom

“And it isn’t a mistake in taste, like believing that the Matrix sequels were as good as the original.”  

Let me start by just saying that I really like the simplicity of this cover.With the hospital bands on the babies and the black and white with the red "good" and "evil" accents.

This book is different from what I typically read. However, as a Child Psychology major, it piqued my interest. This book is basically Paul Bloom’s argument about morality in babies. Bloom uses research from other developmental psychologists as well as his own research to show that babies have some sense of morality ingrained at birth.

This book included many of the studies and arguments that I have encountered in my major classes and it was a nice summary of those ideas. I preferred Bloom’s writing style to some of the textbooks I have encountered about similar topics. Bloom was able to get the information across while also using “normal” language and a bit of humor.

This book would be good for people interesting in Child Development specifically Cognitive Development and what it means for a child to develop morality and a conscience.

✶ ✶ ✶ and 1/2 

*I received this book from BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review*
 

They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire

This book was action packed from the beginning. Within the first chapter alone, Kenzie is almost killed in an accident. From there the list is released and you learn she is number 5. After that girls on the list start dying in freak accidents. It is Kenzie and Levi that start to piece together what is actually going on with he list and the deaths.

There was not a moment of this book that was dull or slow, it pulled you right in with the mystery. While the writing in this book wasn’t perfect and the characters at time were pretty one dimensional, the plot and mystery kept me hooked. However the main issue I had with this book was just how far-fetched it was. The book was insanely entertaining, but at the same time so ridiculous. The premise was well explained but completely unbelievable, no society would have allowed a school to continue making a list of the hottest girls in 11th grade for 30 years. That just isn’t plausible.

I absolutely loved all the Latin references throughout the book and how that added to the mystery of what was going on. Kenzie had to use her knowledge of the language to outsmart those out to get her and the other girls on the list.

The ending of this one was a little abrupt, but fit with the pace of the book as a whole. I also liked that the book ended somewhat openly about what Kenzie and her team were going to do moving forward.

Overall, this was an enjoyable quick read. Was it brilliant no, but it was not horrible either. I mostly had an issue with the lack of “real” characters and the plausibility of the plot.

✶ ✶ ✶ and 1/2 stars

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

This was a weird read for me. I really struggled to get into. Granted once I did, I could not put it down and read the last 200 pages in one sitting. The basic plot is that Audra and Vane are thrown together after Raiden and his Stormers learn where Vane has been hiding for the last 10 years. And it is Audra’s duty to protect Vane.

This book is about Vane coming into his windwalking powers, specifically those of being a sylph. The beginning of this book is very obscure in how you come to understand the lore behind sylph, for the most part you learn through what Vane is learning, but you also learn that there is more going on then what Audra is telling Vane. At times that was frustrating for me, but I understand why Shannon Messenger needed to keep us in the dark and leave us guessing. 

After about 100 pages of this book, it became much more interesting and it began to pull me into the story of Vane and Audra. However, the beginning was quite slow and unappealing at times. The relationship between Audra and Vane was strange. Vane has been helplessly in love with Audra ever since he was 7 and she “saved” him. He has been dreaming about her for years. But as they train together that is definitely when their relationship starts developing further. While they grow closer, it becomes more apparent that Audra is keeping things from Vane in the hopes of keeping him motivated with respect to his training.

After finishing the book and digesting it, the beginning was lacking. But I’m glad I stuck with it (not that there was ever really a doubt, I finish almost every book I start). Vane and Audra are special and have both gone through very traumatic childhoods. I really liked the progression of their relationship in this book. The rest of this trilogy will be interesting to see what Audra and Vane do next.

✶ ✶ ✶ and 1/2 stars