So I have actually finished a bunch of books in the past few months or so, but just wasn't in the mood to write individual reviews for them (or on time, for that matter). I'm just going to blame my lack of motivation. And also, some of these books I just really have nothing to say about them? Like they were good, but that's all I have for you. Haha. But anyways here you go.
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: May 30th, 2017
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 5/10/17 to 5/11/17
400 pages
In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, Eliza is LadyConstellation, anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves her digital community, and has no desire to try.
Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea's biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and Eliza begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.
I really liked this one. Being a fan of Made You Up, I knew this one would be just as good. I thought that the online community of Monstrous Sea accurately reflected back on our own book community, and also other fandoms.
The only problem I had was that I got extremely impatient (in other words, this was my fault). I wanted to see how and when Eliza's secret would be exposed ASAP, so I skipped to the last 100 pages of the book. Basically, I read the first 150 pages, and the last 100 pages. To this day I have yet to read the middle. Whoops.
We also get to see how Eliza deals with her anxiety, especially with the stress of having to update every single week. And as of right now, it's really relatable! And we also meet her love interest, Wallace, which to be fair, I wasn't too big of a fan of. I think this was another reason why I have no interest in going back to read the middle. [Spoiler] Also once he found out Eliza's secret, he really pressured her into finishing the comic even though she didn't want to. He pretty much said to her "Hey I got this book deal to turn your comic into prose, but it's not official until you finish the series. So my life is in your hands, you have to do it asap." Like stop. Granted he realizes he's been an ass in the end, but boy did I want to smack him. [End spoiler]
I still absolutely loved this, however, and I immediately had to bother my friends once I finished the book.
The Abyss Surrounds Us #2
Publisher: Flux Books
Release Date: April 18th, 2017
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 4/17/17 to 5/3/17
281 pages
Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she'd been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it's not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It's being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart. But Cas has even bigger problems when she discovers Boa is not the only a monster swimming free. Other Reckoners illegally sold to pirates have escaped their captors and are taking the NeoPacific by storm, attacking ships at random and ruining the ocean ecosystem. As a Reckoner trainer, Cas might be the only one who can stop them. But how can she take up arms against the creatures she used to care for and protect? Will Cas embrace the murky morals that life as a pirate brings or perish in the dark waters of the NeoPacific?
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.
I finished this such a long time ago, that I don't remember if I had anything I really needed to say about this. As the sequel to The Abyss Surrounds Us, I thought this was a solid continuation. I continued to love the characters, however I definitely felt that the first book had this sort of air around it that made it special.
OH there was a surprising death in this however! I really didn't expect it, and when it happened, I was like "wow". Also compared to the previous book, you start to sympathize with the pirates on the ship, like Captain Elena.
Also, I think this is a duology? I'm so used to trilogies, that I was honestly surprised with the very clean ending. But hey I approve haha.
Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn AndersonPublisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: June 13th, 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 5/15/17 to 5/17/17
272 pages
Kansas, 2065 Adri has been handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before Launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house over a hundred years ago, and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. While Adri knows she must focus on the mission ahead, she becomes captivated by a life that’s been lost in time…and how it might be inextricably tied to her own.
Oklahoma, 1934 Amidst the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine longs for the immortality promised by a professor at a traveling show called The Electric. But as her family’s situation becomes more dire -- and the suffocating dust threatens her sister’s life -- Catherine must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.
England, 1919 In the recovery following World War One, Lenore tries to come to terms with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail to America in pursuit of a childhood friend. But even if she makes it that far, will her friend be the person she remembers, and the one who can bring her back to herself?
While their stories spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, Lenore, Catherine, and Adri’s fates are entwined in ways both heartbreaking and hopeful.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.
Even though I was expecting more of a story from Adri's perspective, because the future is cool and all, I still enjoyed Midnight at the Electric. More so than I thought I would. The premise of having a story within a story within a story, all tied together, was unique in a kind of way.
“I think that's what you say when you can't have something you want, isn't it? You say you don't want it in the first place.”
But other than that, I don't really have much else to say about this. The plot itself wasn't very engaging, and honestly, I had really high expectations after reading Tiger Lily. I guess it really doesn't help that I love Peter Pan, but not so much the history of the Dust Bowl. Oh well!
