Firstborn by Lorie Ann Grover

So I’ve had this book since it came out in January. And I finally got around to reading it. But I was beyond disappointed. This book had so much potential with the themes and topics it dealt with. I feel like Grover barely scratched the surface when it came to dealing with the gender roles and the flaws in the society.

And for a book that I believe is a stand-alone, it sure did leave the ending very open. To me there was no real conclusion. She never really proved to everyone that she was just as good if not better than the boys her age. The only ones to truly accept her were Mirko and Ratho. And those stories are left somewhat open as well.

I was also disappointed with how the plot panned out. We learn a lot about the Madronian rule and R’tan culture but then there is no conclusion to the problems that plagued the world. It was great world building but nothing came of it. This isn’t technically a spoiler, but I feel like the end was just Tiadone running away from all the problems in the world to be on her own. That is not the sign of a strong female character. Tiadone shows throughout the book that she is equal to the other males, but the ending kind of reverses some of that.

Overall, there was potential with this world and the storyline but it was poorly executed in my opinion. Because I liked the concept I have to get it 2.5 out of 5 Stars even if I felt the novel overall to be lacking.

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

WHY DID IT HAVE TO END LIKE THAT??? That is not a nice cliffhanger at all Amy Ewing. I don’t approve! Other the the “horribleness” of the ending, I really enjoyed this book. I have heard people compare this to the Selection Series, but honestly I see no connection. These girls are auctioned off to the wealthy to bear their children and then are tossed away after they have served their purpose. The Duchesses and Countesses are all in a competition to obtain the best surrogate and will go to any length to obtain what they want.

The world is beyond ridiculous where girls are literally bred to be surrogates for the wealthy and powerful. However, underneath that there are the rebels with Lucien, Violet, and the other person who I won’t name so I don’t spoil anything. The “magic” within the book (AKA the auguries) are an interesting facet. One to control color, one for shape, and one for growth. With these three powers, the surrogates and doctors are able to create whatever is desired in the child.

As for the characters, Violet was your typical strong-willed female who completely despises the system. Lucien is there to help her along her way and is a source of information for what is really going on. Then there is the love interest Ash. I thought this match was a little forced and cliche. Of course she had to fall in love with the one guy who was unavailable and would get her in the most trouble. Even though we don’t see a lot of Garnet, I feel like he will be a very important character and confidant for Violet as she grapples with what happens at the end of The Jewel. Plus he is your stereotypical bad boy, who completely defies everything expected of the royals.

Overall, I really enjoyed this new dystopian novel and obviously need the next one now. I need to know what is going to happen to Violet now that that thing happened (I know that sounds stupid, but obviously don't want to spoil it for people who haven't read it). I have to say though, with the books I have been reading lately, I appreciate the cliffhanger even if it infuriated me to no end. And because I literally just finished the book, the cliffhanger is still fresh in my mind for me to agonize about why Amy Ewing decided to leave us hanging like that.

4/5 Stars

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch

This book literally starts with you meeting this pretentious doctor. He introduces his practice and how he gives his patients the illusion that he cares, when in reality, he knows everything way quicker than the time he spends with them. Dr. Marc Schlosser is basically the complete opposite of what you would hope for in a doctor.

There were a lot of instances where Marc was really annoying to me. And I don’t even know if annoying is the right word. He was just so condescending and a character you were supposed to hate. Like when he would try to judge how he acted by stating that it was due his practice or his work. He was using his unique practice to justify some of the borderline unethical things he was doing in his practice. He just really got on my nerves, but I still wanted to read the book to see how it was all going to unfold.

Throughout the book, Koch used this amazing writing style to describe how the body worked. While these were incredibly descriptive and sometimes really in-depth in terms of body function, I really enjoyed the imagery. The human body is a fascinating topic and I feel like Koch really embraced that in his writing.

“It was war. You’re better off winning a war than losing it. History teaches us that.  And biology. You’re better off beating someone to death, than being beaten to death. From time immemorial, the man has guarded the entrance to the cave. Intruders are sent packing. People. Animals. A persistent intruder can’t say later that he hasn’t been warned.” (pg. 195)

My only real complaint is the slowness at the start of the book Koch sets up the relationship between the Schlossers and the Meiers and the subsequent death of Ralph. And with that explanation and background information, the timeline at the beginning of the book is weird. Koch switches between the present after Ralph’s death, the summer leading up to his death, and his time in med school. At times it seems out of place even though it makes sense towards explaining what is happening in the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, especially the writing. This book has been translated into English from Dutch, but it is not noticeable and Koch’s imagery and language is translated beautifully. I was only slight disappointed by the end. I feel like it did not completely wrap everything up, but I guess that is the nature of the story Koch was telling.

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

4/5 Stars

Top 5 Wednesday- Favorite Titles

1. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
2. 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith
3. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
4. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (not pictured)
5. Tithe by Holly Black

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Greek mythology is always something I have enjoyed. And this was a really interesting take on it. The book basically revolves around Kate, who is being tested to see if she can take on the role of Persephone, and then there is Henry AKA Hades. The book takes place in Eden, MI and is centered around Kate learning about the Olympians and learning a little at a time about the Underworld.

All of this is complicated by the fact that Kate still has to pass 7 tests to be accepted and no one has passed before her.  All previous 11 have died. And to add to that, someone is trying to keep Kate from passing the tests.

This book did not have much action, but since it is the first in a series, it focused more on Kate learning about this hidden world and the Gods. This book was about Kate coming to terms with her future whether she passed or failed. The book also largely focused on the budding romance between Henry and Kate. I really appreciated how their relationship unfolded. It did not seem too rushed or fake to me. It progressed as expected without being annoying.

Aimee Carter has a unique writing style that really pulled me into the story. I got through this book really fast because it was intriguing and it was also shorter than a lot of other books. There were a lot of twists and turns in this book. And the end revelation really surprised me, but that may be because I read the book so fast. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I will be picking up the next one in the future.

4/5 Stars

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I have been wanting to read this for a while, but when my cousin texted me yesterday morning raving about this book, I knew I needed to finally get around to it. Plus with the movie out now, I don’t want to get spoiled. I was up until 4 am last night finishing this book. Initially I was just going to finish the first part of the book, but that quickly turned into finishing the whole book because I was so engrossed.

The book is told from Nick’s perspective during the investigation and Amy’s diary perspective detailing Nick and her’s marriage leading up to the incident. I really enjoyed learning about this couple from the two points of view. It gave me as the reader different perspectives to look at as I tired to guess what was going on before we actually found out. Throughout Nick’s chapters there we all these little clues and red herrings where he would mention how many times he had lied to the police or how he smiled at the wrong moment. I loved how Flynn used these to make it grayer about what was happening.

 I don’t want to say too much about the plot because it is really best to go into this book mostly blind. But let me just say this is a messed up story, about messed up characters, who do messed up things. And it is absolutely nuts how much thought had to go into to creating this story and making everything connect and work out. I applaud Flynn’s ability to write this insanely good thriller.

4.5/5 Stars

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Lost magic, three kingdoms, three teens. That is the basic structure of Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. But this book is about more than just the lost magic and the three kingdoms. It is about Cleo’s journey to save her sister, Magnus’s journey towards love, and Jonas’s journey towards revenge.

I really enjoyed the alternating perspectives in the books. They went beyond the three characters that book focuses on. But for the most part they stuck to the three kingdoms (Paelsia, Limeros, and Auranos) and the kindred. While at times I would get frustrated because I would want to know more about a certain character but had to read a few chapters before I found out what happened. But that just goes to show how enthralled I was with this book. Once I was about 100 pages in and the story and journey became apparent, I didn’t want to put this down and finished it in one sitting.

The 2nd half of this book is leading up to a major battle between the three kingdoms and all the secrets everyone is keeping are exposed. I loved how we got the perspective of each kingdom on the oncoming bloodshed. Some of the choices made in the book were absolutely devastating. While some characters needed to die for the story to progress, I really disagreed with other deaths.

Throughout the book Ioannes really intrigued me. It was like the creepy stalker watching all the characters and seeing what they are up to. He clearly is an important character in these series, we just don’t know the full extent yet.

Overall, this was a great introduction to the world and these characters. I cannot wait to continue on with the series in Rebel Spring. Morgan Rhodes is a fantastic writer and has a way of pulling you into a story.

4/5 Stars