Review: Wolf By Wolf

Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Release Date: October 20th, 2015
Source: Book Expo America
Date Read: 6/6/15 to 6/7/15
400 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰1/2 

Code Name Verity meets Inglourious Basterds in this fast-paced novel from the author of The Walled City.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

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So, I read Wolf by Wolf awhile ago, and I'm going to be honest I do remember some of that, but that's pretty much it. And then I gave my copy away, and now that's that. Whoops. Let's see how I do~ 

Wolf by Wolf is not really a book I would read, seeing as it is about motorcycles, which I'm not too interested in. But let's be honest, put Code Name Verity in your blurb, have the story set during WWII, and I'm down. Let's not forget the fact that this is a reimagined WWII story. GOLD.

Yael has a personal vendetta against Hitler, especially after surviving and escaping a death camp. Which is why her one goal is to kill him. But since he's so well protected (after winning WWII and such), the only why she can do this is by 1) impersonating Adele Wolfe and 2) winning the motorcycle race that is basically like The Hunger Games, but for countries. And it doesn't involve too much killing. But it can, apparently.

Now you may ask, how can Yael impersonate someone who looks nothing like her? EASY. She has superhuman, shapeshifting powers! All due to human experimentation in the death/concentration camp. Actually, I was surprised at the route the book took. I was not expecting there to be science fiction intertwined with this dystopian. So that was a plus. 

Unfortunately, the positives end there. As much as I didn't mind the story, neither the plot nor the characters left an impact on me. And without that, the novel wasn't as memorable. (Though what was I expecting, nothing can top Elizabeth Wein's novels). I didn't feel much for Yael, or the side characters for that matter. I also felt that she was a little too much of a prodigy. First she's a shapeshifter, and suddenly she has mastered motorcycle riding (in a matter of months). It just felt unreal. It also doesn't help that there are two guys, but apparently it is not a love triangle because 1) Yael is imitating Adele and Felix thinks that she is really Adele, who is his sister. And 2) Luka is the one who has a thing for Adele. So in theory, it should not be a love triangle. 

And not only that, but the motorcycle race reminded me a little too much of The Hunger Games. Although it didn't include all the gore and monitoring, it had the same idea in that anything could happen. And the fact that Yael is in the middle of the rebellion. Against a dictator. Who hosts a game. Which in this case is a race.

So that will be an interesting turnout. But I'm going to be honest and say I'm planning to not read the sequel. I wasn't all that interested in this first book, and although the story has a lot of potential, it's not really high up on my list. But hey, another WWII book on my read list!

Review: Air Awakens

Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Air Awakens #1
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Release Date: August 27th, 2015
Source: Physical ARC from Author
Date Read: 9/26/15 to 10/5/15
377 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰1/2

A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond...

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

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I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.

I just want to mention that that was the most epic last line I have ever read. After I read it, I immediately wanted to get to the next installment. BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE EPIC.

Okay, onto the actual review.

I heard about Air Awakens through one of my favorite blogging buddies Ely @ Tea & Titles. And seeing that it is about magic involving the elements, I immediately looked into it. I was able to get a hold of a copy through the author herself, since Amazon messed up and had ARCs instead of finished copies.

Anyways, I seriously could not stop reading this. I even got annoyed at my roommate for disrupting my reading time by asking to prepare pizza for dinner. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO MAKE PIZZA. I needed to read Air Awakens at every waking moment. The plot had me hooked. Vhalla Yarl, a library apprentice with a love of books (!!!), discovers that she's actually a sorcerer. This comes as a huge shock, seeing as sorcerers are kind of looked down upon as evil. And as much as the Tower, where the sorcerers live and learn to use their powers, try to persuade her to join, she's still uncertain. It really doesn't help the fact that she's the only sorcerer with an Air Affinity.

Just like this weirdo from Avatar: The Last Airbender

And then enter in Aldrik, the crown prince who also is a sorcerer. Ever since he pushed her off the roof to ascertain her powers, she hates him. But then hate turns to tolerate, and then to some sort of attraction between them. And it's great because Aldrik is sometimes cold-hearted, but he really wants Vhalla to forgive him, especially since [spoilers] he originally only wanted to use her for her powers. [spoilers] And it also doesn't help that the two of them are bonded to one another, since Vhalla saved his life in the beginning.

The plot kind of reminded me of Shadow & Bone, with Vhalla having a special power that is extremely powerful. And plus the turn in plot, seeing as it went from casual meetings with Aldrik, to BOOM, ACTION AND DECEPTION. Did I mention how I couldn't put this down? Well yeah, I couldn't.

Also, at first I thought there was going to be three love interests, but luckily that barely caused any drama, something I was afraid was going to happen. This was due to Vhalla actually being smart, and realizing that she didn't have any feelings for the other guy. And of course what happened in the end was unfortunate, but what's done is done. I didn't really liked him too much either, and I was expecting the book to take a different route when he started going to the library to research magic.

Pretty much the only reason it's not a full five stars is because I felt like the book was unusually fast paced in the beginning. But the pacing evened out the further in, and then it just got more and more amazing.

So yes. I can't tell you enough to READ THIS BOOK. It's well-written, the cover is gorgeous, and just amazing in general. Plus the sequel is coming out on November 19th, and it's called Fire Falling!

The Fine Line: Twitter Chats

Welcome to the first post in this feature which will be shared by Holly @ The Fox's Hideaway, Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight, Amber @ YA Indulgences, and I. I think it comes as no surprise that we have teamed up again, though this time it will be more than just a book discussion. 

The important thing about this feature is that it brings up topics that are highly controversial. For that reason, I will try to remain as neutral as possible. These posts are not aimed to cause offense or target anyone. Instead they are observations as a whole of the book blogging community. And more importantly, the reason for these posts (for me at least) is to see what YOUR thoughts are on the topic at hand. Because I am interested.

Also, please don't be afraid to comment or discuss your thoughts. There's no right or wrong answer to anything I've discussed, and of course you do not have to agree with me on anything. The only thing I do ask is that you don't mention any names or the such. And if you do have a problem with anything I've said, feel free to DM me. Though just remember that I am allowed to state my own thoughts.

And with that said, let's do this!

Twitter Chats

The number of Twitter Chats popping up recently

The increasing number of chats appearing on Twitter is allowing for more bloggers and authors to communicate with other bloggers. And because of this, there have been many more conversations then there used to be. Authors can use chats to spread word of their books, and bloggers can use them to share their blog, especially bloggers who are shyer than others. There is no doubt that Twitter chats have led to more conversation in the blogosphere.

There are a lot of chats, many of them having the same theme as others. There will be at least one chat going on every day, and sometimes it clogs up the Twitter feed.

I think that Twitter chats are awesome, but I seriously wonder why there are so many. I am not suggesting that hosting Twitter chats should be entitled to certain bloggers, however, I do feel as it has become another one of those requirements to be a successful book blogger. The reason I have come to this conclusion is due to my observation of all the chats, and how some are very similar to the chats that have recently become popular in the blogosphere.

Another reason on why I wanted to talk about this is also the topic of plagiarism. Ideas being plagiarized seems to be pretty taboo in the blogosphere. Does this also apply to these chats? Is this even considered plagiarism? Or are Twitter chats too abstract and common of an idea to even be considered original anymore? (In other words, should Twitter chats be considered an original idea). 

1. Is hosting a Twitter chat the new "thing" to do as a blogger?
2. Do you view similar Twitter chats as repetitive?
3. Does it count as plagiarism? Or is it too hard to say or to prove? (Or is it just not an original thing in the first place)
4. What do you think of Twitter chats as a whole? 

Review: The Iron Queen

The Iron Queen
The Iron Fey #3
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: January 25th, 2011
Source: Library
Date Read: 9/6/15 to 9/17/15
384 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

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And here it is, my final review for the Iron Fey series. Because no, I will not be reading the last book in the series, only because I liked how Kagawa originally ended this. Also, I seriously wonder whether she wrote the epilogue after her editor commented on the ending, causing her to write a fourth book. 

Haven't read the Iron Fey Series? Read at your own risk for spoilers for the last two books!

So, let's review.

• In The Iron King, Meghan is introduced to the Fey Realm, and she finds out that not only is her half-brother kidnapped by the Iron Fey, but she is half Fey herself. Cue saving her brother, and meeting the Winter Prince along the way, Ash.
• In The Iron Daughter, Meghan spends her time in the Winter...uh...Kingdom? And it's all pretty boring, and this was my least favorite book because I liked Puck 100x better than Ash. And this was just a huge love triangle drama that I didn't want to deal with.

Fun Fact: I was actually spoiled by the author herself as to what would happen at the end of this book, which is one of the reasons why I ended up reading this, just because I wanted to see how it would work out. Sadly, I wasn't too impressed with the ending, since it was exactly as I predicted. I think I was expecting something more complicated, but nope.

Yet with that said, I did enjoy the continuation of Meghan Chase's adventures of saving everyone from the Iron King (Though I still hate her name, there is seriously no way to say her name without making it sound cheesy). And I really should've looked up a review or a recap of the first book, because I remember nothing. Like who this new Iron King was, or why Machina turned out to be nice, in the end? I don't know.

And let's not forget Puck and Grim, who unfortunately appeared less than in the other books. And also, let's talk about the ending of The Iron Daughter to the beginning of The Iron Queen. First off, I'm pretty sure Ash was devastated when he followed Meghan into the human world and was exiled for life. But then come to this next book, he's all like "I'll follow you no matter where you go in the world", and I'm like "where the heck did this come from?" I honestly don't remember Ash having super strong feelings for Meghan, since he was so wishy washy in the second book. I did skip most of the Ash-Meghan scenes though. Bleh.

The series itself definitely started out strong, and ended pretty well. I highly doubt I will be reading the "last" book, seeing as this technically was supposed to be the last book. But though saying that, I did enjoy The Iron Queen, especially with all its action against the remaining Iron fey and the new Iron King. I'm going to be honest and say that I am quite curious as to what Meghan will do now that it's all over, but I think I'm just going to leave that for another year, or two, or never.

Top Ten Tuesday #72

Hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!

Ten Bookish Things I Want to Quit Or Have Quit

This will mostly be a random list of things that I want to quit, like a book series or a bad blogging habit I do. I actually wanted to do just one topic for the whole list, but mehhhhhh.

Commenting On Posts I'm Not Truly Interested In - This is something that I have already quit doing, and I am happy that I have. Without an overload of posts that I feel obligated to comment on, I can actually leave longer and more meaningful comments on blogs. And since time is not something I have a lot of, this has helped me to love blogging again (and also view it as a hobby rather than a job).

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton - Oh...this book. I don't want to offend anyone, but MAN I hated this book so much, and I will never, ever, EVER continue on with this series. Because no no no. NOPE. 

Restrain From All The Amazon Deals - THIS I have also been doing a pretty good job of, kind of. Like this one time, the Memory Painter was a deal for $1.99. But seeing as I already requested a hold at the library, I restrained myself! Along with all the other deals! Ha...haha.

The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa - I just...ugh..I honestly could not care about what happened after the third book, The Iron Queen, and I actually liked the way Kagawa originally ended the trilogy in the first place. Which is why I'm just going to pretend that is the end. There never is a fourth book nope. Nope. AND THERE'S ALSO THE SEQUEL SERIES? Featuring Meghan Chase's little brother...like what.

Request Books I May Not Want To Read - I remember I used to request books from Netgalley that I wondered WHY I even requested in the first place. Now, I've done such a great job at just requesting the books I am actually interested in. Like those Harper Drops? I don't request them ALL anymore, nope.

Earth Girl by Janet Edwards - Here's one series where I WANT to quit so badly, since the second book didn't go as well as the first book did for me, but I JUST CAN'T. Let's just say it has something to do with being a perfectionist. For me, Earth Star was all tell and no show, and was basically Jarra just not doing ANYTHING WRONG. Gah. Do I even want to read Earth Flight? (Yes, I want my aliens)

Eat All The Food...oh uh.. - Like Popcorners. The popcorn that are chips. Yes. OK wait this is not bookish, well I do snack a lot when I'm blogging, and this ends up not being good because I cannot eat while I type. It gets way too messy, and I end up putting a pause on my blogging. WHICH LEAVES MORE THINGS UNDONE. Shame on me.

The Winter People by Rebekah Purdy - This is me and Kayla's inside joke. We both absolutely HATED this book and we didn't even finish it, and the fact that there is a sequel for it makes it even more hilarious. I feel bad for making fun of it, but I just can't not. It had a love square for goodness sake!

Not Get Too Caught Up With New Releases - And try to read the books that have been on my shelves for years and months. Seriously, I need to stop getting distracted by the shiny!

After the End by Amy Plum - Sorry Shannon, I know you liked this series, but I just didn't really buy into the plot. Like it was SO WEIRD. And very, unbelievable....yeah.

Heard of any of these series? Did you love them, or plan to quit them like I will? Do you share the same habits as I did? 

Review: Deathless

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
Leningrad Diptych #1
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: March 29th, 2011
Source: Library
Date Read: 9/9/15 to 9/11/15
352 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century.

Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation.

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This was...interesting. Of course I knew how lyrical the writing would be, because it's Catherynne M. Valente. But I guess because it was adult, it didn't have the magic that I encountered in her The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making series, and everything was more bleak than usual.

Also, disclaimer, I had never heard of this Russian fairy tale until I picked up the book, which is another reason why I probably did not understand half the things that happened, or why it happened for that matter. I did start to look up the original story, but that interest died after ten minutes or so.

Moving on. The story takes place in Russia, with our main character Marya Morevna wanting to escape her boring Russian life. She knows that there is magic out there, seeing domovyes (house imps) around the house and her sisters' to-be-husbands transform from birds to man, yet nothing ever happens to her. Until it does. This is similar to the Fairyland series in that the main character wants to be whisked away from her world so badly, that she doesn't think about the consequences or the regrets. 

Marya, after being essentially kidnapped by Koschei the Deathless, the Tsar of Life, begins her new life with him in his city. However, there's a war going on between life and death. And Koschei is constantly fighting, even dragging Marya along with him.

If you think this is some romantic novel, I'm going to straight up tell you that it's not. It's gritty, sex pretty much happens out of nowhere, and Marya transforms into this sweet innocent girl to a scary, yet fierce, woman. In all honestly, I find the relationship between her Koschei incredibly weird, they love each other, yet they don't want to stay together. It's almost like Fifty Shades of Grey! Not that I've read that, so it's a pointless comparison.

Also, not exactly sure what happened in the end? I thought that if I had more time to process the book as a whole, and research the original tale, I would come to an understanding. But I didn't. There is definitely symbolism throughout this entire book, explaining Russia and its surrounding countries in terms of metaphors, but unfortunately I was unable to catch on due to my lack of knowledge. Le sigh.

In the end, this was a fantastically detailed and well-written book, but I really don't know what else to think about it.

Funko Pops

F.L.A.I.L is an original feature that is about anything that I'm currently obsessing about that is not book related! (*gasp*) It will feature anything from TV shows, to video games, and even to mini projects that I'm working on.

What It's About: I'm not sure if the term "action figure" is correct, but basically it's figures of pretty much every single character ever existed, in some sort of fandom. Even if it's from an obscure video game or TV show that only you know about, there's probably a Pop for it.

Why I Love It: HOW CAN YOU NOT is the true question! Sure, it may seem weird the the eyes are huge black holes staring into you, but they are on cute, miniature sized bodies! In other words, it should and is acceptable to collect them all without weirding out your roommates. Plus, it's, in my opinion, a really affordable way to show you belong to a certain fandom. I often have trouble finding fandom related merchandise, let alone affordable, which is why Pops are the way to go. And don't forget they're cute.

My Favorite Character(s): Do you see all the Pops on the graphic? I WANT THEM ALL. Well I can pass on Ariel, maybe. I recently found out that they were making Pops of my favorite TV show ever, Bob's Burgers, so of course I plan to buy a Louise one the moment it comes out. And of course, there's Garrus from Mass Effect (video game), and Ezio who doesn't look like Ezio from Assassin's Creed 2 (video game).

Do I Recommend It: Now, this may be surprising seeing as I wrote this post, but I actually do not own a Funko Pop yet. This is because (dun dun dun), at first I had no intention on even buying them. But then, more and more bloggers were mentioning them (especially on the #OTSPSecretSister tag), and I just got more curious about these little things. And now, I really just want them all. I do not care if they are useless, or just for decoration. All I know is that it makes me warm and fuzzy inside when I see one of a character I love.

Do you have a Funko Pop? Of which character? Share Below!