Showing posts with label 4.5 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4.5 stars. Show all posts

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Reviews: Books Told In Verse


I recently received a couple of review books that were pretty short reads, since they were in verse. And so instead of writing out my thoughts in three separate reviews (which would have been maybe a few sentences per post haha), I've lumped them all in one!

Monday, November 16, 2015

Review: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: June 2nd, 2015
Source: Library
Date Read: 11/12/15 to 11/14/15
416 pages
Rating: 1/2


The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .


I was pleasantly surprised with how this Little Mermaid retelling went, like REALLY HAPPY that all the reviews I read of The Summer of Chasing Mermaids lived up to the book. This is truly a diverse novel, with a person of color who has a disability (in that she is mute).

For me, seeing Elyse without her voice, with all her dreams and plans crushed because of it, literally crushed my heart. It constantly made me think of my own future, and what would happen if that was all taken away from me. However, I realized, like Elyse, that having a home and finding your family is what really matters. Which is why it is not only the love interest, Christian, that helps her recover what she's lost, but also her family and friends. 


Even though the plot revolved around Elyse helping Christian fix up his boat to win the Pirate Regatta, a race that the both need to win due to an idiotic bet his father made with the mayor, it mainly focused on Elyse's recovery. As she hung out with both Christian, his adorable little brother Sebastian, she learns to look forward to the future again and face her fears with the sea. 

Speaking of the adorable little child---I mean brother, I can't really put into words how much of an impact he had on Elyse. First off, CHILDREN. You don't normally see such well developed children in YA, especially in the form of a younger brother. And he definitely had a personality. He loves mermaids, and he always wants to go searching for them in the cove. My favorite part is that this is not gender stereotyped at all, especially his love for dressing up as a mermaid. And everyone's support for him (Except the father and the mayor because ugh).


So here's a sum up so far of all the amazing things going on in this book.
  • Diversity
  • Feminism in Gender Equality/NO Gender Stereotypes
  • Awesome friendships and family
  • Romantic interest is not a jerk, and actually APPRECIATES Elyse for who she is, even though she can't talk.
Oh, and I forgot something.

An actual mention of self-pleasure AND I AM SO HAPPY because it was in a positive light (why wouldn't it be?) and though it wasn't super detailed, it was very easy to understand what was going on. I think this is such a good message to the target audience (and I mean everyone, really) because it shows that masturbation isn't this taboo thing, and it's good to explore your body. So yeah, this made me incredibly excited because I honestly thought this novel wasn't going to get any better.


I think I'm going to stop here because I have done so much talking about the awesomeness of this book. However, before that, I do want to mention that it has kind of bothered me that the model on the cover seems whitewashed. Is this just me and my thinking? It was mentioned that Elyse was dark-skinned, but I'm not sure how dark. Anyways, it has nothing to do with the content of the book.

Overall, everyone needs to read The Summer of Chasing Mermaids, because even though it is a contemporary retelling, it sure does a good job in tying it back to The Little Mermaid. Like a REALLY good job. So yes. READ. READ IT. 

Monday, June 8, 2015

ARC Review: More Happy Than Not

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Publisher: Soho Teen
Release Date: June 2nd, 2015
Source: Book Expo America
Date Read: 5/31/15 to 6/2/15
304 pages
Rating: 1/2 


The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-relief procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto -- miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. But Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor or how his friends aren't always there for him. Like after his father committed suicide in their one bedroom apartment. Aaron has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it's not enough.

Then Thomas shows up. He has a sweet movie-watching setup on his roof, and he doesn't mind Aaron's obsession with a popular fantasy series. There are nicknames, inside jokes. Most importantly, Thomas doesn't mind talking about Aaron's past. But Aaron's newfound happiness isn't welcome on his block. Since he's can't stay away from Thomas or suddenly stop being gay, Aaron must turn to Leteo to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he is.

Adam Silvera's extraordinary debut novel offers a unique confrontation of race, class and sexuality during one charged near-future summer in the Bronx.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

I wasn't made aware of this book until I attended Teen Author Carnival in NYC, right before BEA. I sat in on the panel with Adam Silvera, and even as he pitched his book, I still wasn't fully paying attention. Even when I had the book in my hand from the Soho booth (Thanks Shannon), it didn't hit me that this would be one of my favorite reads of 2015. 


The novel starts off with Aaron living in the Bronx, hanging out with his friends and his girlfriend Genevieve. Even though his life isn't perfect, especially with the death of his father, his own suicide attempt, and the fact that his friends aren't as loyal as they should be, he still makes do with what he has. He even makes a new friend, Thomas, who he ends up spending a lot of time with while Genevieve is at art camp.

Before you dive into this book thinking that it's full of fluff and happiness, I'm just letting you know right now, that it's not. The beginning of the novel is so misleading. I was completely tricked into thinking this wouldn't be a novel of unrequited love, attempted suicide, and the art of forgetting. The fact that this contemporary weaved in a little bit of sci-fi, the Leteo Procedure, was a genius move. This book reminds me a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, if anyone has seen that movie. 


Aaron pulled at my heartstrings. Living in the Bronx means he can't fully be himself, which is why when he realizes his true feelings, he goes through a lot of trouble to hide it. There is a huge plot twist around the middle of the novel that I did not expect at all, which is what made this book a new favorite. 

Most importantly, I think More Happy Than Not truly shows the reality of life. Not everyone will return your feelings, your friends won't always have your back, the person you may think you know isn't who they really are, and life always gets in the way. This book has opened my eyes to how hard it TRULY is for anyone outside the "social norm", especially in areas not so forgiving. 

That's all I have. I wanted so badly to flail about this book, but this book is so sad and so realistic that I CANNOT NOT be serious. Also, this is the author's debut book, which is crazy, because it is so well done. Kudos to him!

Friday, March 6, 2015

Review: Golden + And How It Used To Be My Life

Golden by Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 14th, 2013
Source: Library
Date Read: 3/2/15 to 3/4/15
278 pages
Rating: ✰1/2


Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

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Contemporary Conversations

First, let me tell you, I am a huge fantasy geek. I basically only read books that are epic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, just anything that somewhat incorporates fantasy. Now, let me flail about Golden, a coming of age story about a girl who thought she had everything, but then realized that she didn't. About a girl that worked so hard for a life that may not even be for her. This is a pure young adult contemporary, and I loved it. 

Of course things change, that's a given. I've spent the last four years of my life working and waiting for them to change. Always waiting for the next thing - to graduate, to leave town, to go to college. And it's felt like an eternity. Times goes by slowly when you spend it waiting. But now, it's actually been flying by this whole time, and I've been too busy waiting to see what was happening all around me. Now I don't know if it's too late to try.

Parker, just nominated for a fully paid scholarship to Stanford, is beyond excited that everything she's worked for the last four years have finally paid off. Not ditching classes, not going to parties, and being an overachiever in general has gotten her to exactly what she wanted in life, that is, until she finds a high school journal of Julianna Farnetti, the girl that drowned in Summit Lake with her high school sweetheart 10 years ago, the boy whose family sponsors her scholarship.

The journal she discovers reveals a lot of things, like how maybe the golden relationship that is portrayed as the town symbol wasn't as golden as everyone thought it was. Maybe Julianna is still alive somewhere, or maybe not. From this and her road trip with Kat and Trevor, Parker begins to rethink her life, and whether she truly wants it.

Guys. This book describes my life. Well maybe my past. I really related to what Parker was going through, because that's how I felt all of elementary school, middle school and high school. My mom and I weren't really on the best of terms throughout my childhood. Even in third grade I wasn't allowed to leave the house until I finished piano practice, Chinese, English, writing, and math. I was taught algebra before middle school, even though I was taking math classes in school already. I was very overwhelmed with all this pressure, and I couldn't get away from it.

Now, I think my mom has learned that what she wanted for me wasn't what I wanted for myself. My childhood is a very sensitive topic for me, just because I feel like my childhood was forcefully taken away from me because education was always put first. Right now, I am a really, really happy, and I am just glad my mom has finally decided to listen to me. So yeah. Usually don't talk about this because I don't want to think about it, but Golden just resonated with me so well.

I know I basically just rambled on about myself. But uh..um THE BOOK. Yes. I really do recommend it! It's a very short read, and even so it holds a lot of weight. PLUS THIS REC IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO USUALLY DOESN'T READ CONTEMPORARY. So you should take this very seriously :)

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Review: All The Bright Places

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: January 7th, 2014
Source: Bought
Date Read: 1/14/15 to 1/17/15
388 Pages
Rating: ✰1/2


Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

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Man. I thought I was SO prepared. I mean, both Holly, Shannon, and Amber were reading it/have read it, and have warned me about the feels I would suffer from, but I went with it anyways. Friends are there to force others to read emotional books. 

I wasn't expecting this though. I mean I WAS expecting something to happen, but I didn't want it to happen.


All The Bright Places is an amazing story of a suicidal boy, Finch, saving the life of a suicidal girl, Violet. And together, they have to work on a geography project, visiting the places that make Kentucky, well, Kentucky. Violet, having recently (but not really recently) recovering from the death of her older sister, doesn't see the point anymore. It takes Finch, or as everyone says, Theodore "Freak" to save her from jumping off the school roof, even though he's there to kind of do the same. 

I loved both Violet and Finch, both having an obsession with looking up Virginia Woolf quotes to use them to communicate with each other. But it's just so amazing to see how a person can influence you in such a way. 

“Because you smiled at me.” “What?” “You asked why I wanted to do this with you. It’s not because you were up on the ledge too, even though, okay, that’s part of it. It’s not because I feel this weird responsibility to keep an eye on you, which is also part of it. It’s because you smiled at me that day in class. A real smile, not the bullshit one I see you give everyone all the time where your eyes are doing one thing and your mouth is doing another.” “It was just a smile.” “Maybe to you.”

I loved all of the places that they visit, this includes the blue hole, a handmade crazy rollercoaster, the trailers FILLED WITH BOOKS. It reminded of the road trip I went on with my best friend (because we were very close to visiting this Blue Holes Falls but we didn't)

Lastly, I love the message that this novel conveys. There's always a comparison between Violet and Eleanor, who died in a car accident. It's mentioned a lot that Eleanor's life was taken away from her, but on the other hand, Violet feels she's being selfish because why would anyone take away their own life? It's important to remember that there are victims of suicide and other mental illnesses, and it's not different from a car accident, or cancer, etc. A person's life CAN be taken away from suicide. And Jennifer Niven expresses this very well in her novel. 

“It's my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in my life I wish for measles or smallpox or some other easily understood disease just to make it easier on me and also on them.”

Overall, All The Bright Places isn't simply just about depression or suicide, but about the changing and growing lives of two beautiful people, and although I am very, very sad about how it ended, I'm glad it did end that way. Because, you know *sniff*, it was so so, *sniff* just so beautiful.


Friday, November 7, 2014

Review: Warbreaker

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: June 9th, 2009
Source: Sanderson's Library
Date Read: 10/16/14 to 11/4/14
592 Pages
Rating: 1/2


Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

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Just a note before hand, I actually read the rough draft of Warbreaker, which can be found on Sanderson's website! The full book is in his library, but he uploaded the chapters while he was writing them, just to show his writing process. Basically, I just couldn't get a copy in time for #SandersonCosmere, and I'm also broke, HA.

Everytime I read another Sanderson book, I end up changing my mind about my favorite book by him. I don't think I've mentioned this enough, but Sanderson is king of all fantasy novels. If you haven't picked up at least one written by him, then this is a good place to start!

The strengths of all his novels lie in the world-building. And this is yet again, shown in Warbreaker.


  • In the world of Warbreaker, colors make up the magic system. Every person has a breath, and they can obtain more breaths by buying them off people
  • The more breaths you have, the more color you are able to see.
  • You can awaken and command certain objects with your breath, or even control dead people!
  • But once you get rid of your one breath, you become a drab, basically meaning you yourself no longer have any color, which is sad, because I RATHER BE COLORFUL.

And then, there are the characters. This is the first book I've read by Sanderson where the characters actually come together pretty quickly, though the format of the book is still in multiple POVs.

First there are the sisters Siri and Vivenna. Both are trying to save their country from being invaded, though Siri was dragged into it when her father decided to send her to marry the God King of Halladran, rather than Vivenna. Of course, the whole marriage deal was to keep the peace between the two nations, but NOPE. No such thing as peace here!

Then there's Vasher, who's interesting because he has a ton of Breath, and therefore pretty powerful. Not much is said about him in Warbreaker, which is why I'm also dying for some sort of sequel.


And lastly, my favorite character, Lightsong. He's apparently a god, in that he Returned from the dead to fulfill some sort of prophecy. He's humorous, sarcastic, and refuses to partake in the politics of all the gods and the priests. (If anyone has read Way of Kings or Elantris, he kind of reminds me of Kaladin and Raodan).

Overall, the world-building of Warbreaker is what really pulled me into the story. The idea of using colors as magic, and being about to perceive more vibrant colors the more breath you have, is just incredibly original. Once again, Sanderson does not fail in delivering a complex, well-developed fantasy world.

But with saying all of this, I'm a little upset on how rushed the ending was! I really wanted to know more about what happened afterwards, but NO. I GOT NOTHING. So I just had to deal with what was given, which didn't end well because I spent a couple hours in a book hangover. 


It was not a good time for me. 

But in the end, Warbreaker is another amazing fantasy read, and it's definitely going into my favorites pile!  

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Review: The Way of Kings (Free On Amazon!)

Hello fellow bloggers!

I actually read The Way of Kings over the summer, as part of Faye's The Way of Kings Read-along. I'm not sure why I didn't review it then, but the reason I have finally decided to now is because The Way of Kings is free on Amazon Kindle.



There is seriously no excuse as to why you shouldn't get this. OH and it's also free on iTunes for those who don't have a Kindle.


The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
The Stormlight Archive #1
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: August 31st, 2010
Source: ebook
Date Read: 5/15/14 to 6/16/14
1007 Pages
Rating: 1/2


Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soiless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository


This was the best 1000 pages of my life. Literally. Brandon Sanderson is a god. His writing and storytelling is amazing, and the worlds are epic.

The Way of Kings was my first and only epic fantasy novel.

It will probably remain my favorite epic fantasy novel of all time. Except when you know, I read the sequel and I'm blown away, again. 

If you have never heard of Sanderson, then you are living under a rock (just kidding). This "little" project of his, aka the planning of the Stormlight Archives, took him 10 years. He's planning to have ten of these massive 1000 page books in the series. If I somehow die before him, or he dies before finishing, I will not be happy.


OK, let me actually try to convince you to read this. First off, this is a slow paced, detailed, fully fleshed out world with a huge emphasis on character development. The world Sanderson creates is gorgeous. He has literally thought of everything possible, from ranks of nobility to soul gems, to the structure of the language, and how the words are pronounced. High ranking women have bright eyes, and are constantly called "Your Brightness", which is just SO COOL. I want to be called "Your Brightness"! I don't even have blue eyes!

The characters. OH the characters. Each chapter is dedicated to the POV of one of the three main characters, Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar. They are the best characters ever I am so attached to all three of them. 



Kaladin can be described as our hero, but he's fallen pretty far down in both social rank and spirit. He's pretty much lost everything, and is now branded a slave. It's really horrible what he has to do though. Since the Way of Kings centers around war, Kaladin and his team are forced to carry bridges to allow the armies to cross chasms. Because of this, he is constantly in the line of fire on the battlefield. Everyone around him is dying, but still, he still somehow finds the courage and strength to overcome it all. And he's special.....dun dun dunnnnnn.

Shallan comes from a different background. She does come from a wealthy family, but due to her father's death, her family no longer has the means to soulcast new minerals for trade. Therefore, Shallan decides that she'll find a way around it, or you know, steal it from someone who has one. And of course it's someone who's well known. But even so, Shallan is still awesome. She has these amazing drawing abilities, and throughout the book, she questions whether or not she is doing the right thing.

AND LASTLY, there's Dalinar. I'm not as attached to him as I am to Shallan and Kaladin, but he's pretty cool too. He's one of the generals and an advisor to the King. Basically, he's a lord that controls part of the region, and all the other high princes fight for their wins too, and also fight for Shardblades, which to keep it simple, is EPIC INDESTRUCTIBLE ARMOR that makes you almost INVINCIBLE (I'm exaggerating, but you get it).


The characters in this story never actually meet each other, until the second book apparently. That's how slow paced this is. BUT, despite saying that, the pace is what makes this book so good.

In conclusion, please go download the book now. I don't care if it sits on your device for 10 years, you will not regret downloading this!   

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Review: Splintered

Splintered by A. G. Howard
Splintered #1
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: January 1st, 2013
Source: Library
Date Read: 7/11/14 to 7/13/14
371 Pages
Rating: ✰1/2

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

The amount of amazing books I have read in the past two weeks have been astounding. I am on a streak! For now! Haha. But anyways, back to this amazing book, the first in its trilogy, Splintered. Another fantastic fairy tale retelling, focusing on Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland". But here, the place actually exists. And also, it's dangerous.


Alyssa Gardner, our protagonist of the story, doesn't come across Wonderland by accident. No, she searches for it actively because of her cursed family lineage. And also, her mother is currently at an asylum due to her "madness", in other words, the curse, and is due to get shock treatments the following Monday. That means, Alyssa has until Monday to find Wonderland, fix everything the original Alice messed up, and get back home safely.

Unfortunately for her, she involves Jeb, her long time crush who has a girlfriend. While she discovers a mirror that leads her to Wonderland, she accidentally brings Jeb with her. So now, along with Jeb, she has to untangle all the mysteries and riddles surrounding Wonderland and her own life, undo all of Alice's mistakes in order to break the curse, and also find a way home.

And of course, what's better than introducing a love triangle! Haha. Though to be honest I think this love triangle worked out quite well throughout the story. Because there's DECEPTION and TRUST ISSUES and honestly if I was Alyssa, I wouldn't know who to actually listen to, because on one hand, Morpheus is hot and attractive and used to visit Alyssa in her dreams (stalker-ish much?), but then he's also dark and mysterious and just why would you trust him?? And then there's Jeb, Alyssa's long time crush and "mortal" knight. Basically in the end I still haven't chosen either.


Maybe I just don't care???? Hahaha. They both have their faults though

Yes, but the characters. I really liked Alyssa. She was determined to see everything through the end, even though at some points she knew that she didn't have a chance. This is where our love interests come in. One thing I didn't like about Jeb though, is that he constantly thought he had to watch over Alyssa. Even before they both went into Wonderland. I'm sure she could make decisions for herself. In the end though, he realizes his mistake and kind of redeems himself for it. Key words are "kind of". I still don't really like him much.

And then there's THE WORLD of WONDERLAND. I love how the author twisted the world of Wonderland, so that everything is actually creepy and dead looking. So no, no fuzzy rabbits and fun tea parties. In fact, just throw everything you know from the Disney Wonderland out the door. Even Tim Burton's doesn't compare to this level of creepiness.

Honestly this movie is NOT SCARY 
AND I LOVED discovering the truth along the way. Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to figure it out on my own. It's definitely exciting to see a novel unravel all it's mysteries until the very end.

To be honest, I did get slightly confused at some points throughout, even though I tried to read very closely. I want to say that I got about 90% of it, which is really good if I consider what else I've read in the past. Also, part of the ending was slightly unbelievable, but what the heck it's Wonderland and magic. I don't want to think too much about it.

Anyways, I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series (which is at the library!!!!) I thought this book was really, really good. Also probably one of the best fairy tale retellings I've read in a while (after Cinder). So yes, GO READ THIS :D

Monday, April 21, 2014

Review: Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Code Name Verity #1
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Released: May 7th, 2013
Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.
Taken from Goodreads

Start: 4/16/2014 | End: 4/20/2014 | Pages: 339 | Rating: 4.5 Stars 

My Thoughts:


Oh how this book messed with me. I really don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight. Because this is how I feel now:


Code Name Verity is a phenomenal story woven together by the journal entries of a secret operatives agent caught by the Gestapo in France. Known as a number of names, "Verity" delivers what she calls her confession through writing, telling her captors the story of two women, Maddie and Queenie, that met only by chance, and yet became the best of friends.

As Verity sells her intricate story, she knows she's running out of time before the captain deems her useless, and sends her away to concentration camp, or Natzweiler-Struthof. Yet, she begs for as much paper and time she can get. And her story? Is she really revealing everything to the enemy? 

Well fellow bloggers, you will figure it out when you read this book!

Oh Queenie and Maddie! Elizabeth Wein has created truly wonderful characters. I really want to be friends with them. Queenie, the confident, smart, deceitful translator, full of wit and cunning. She has made my top ten bravest and most loved female characters. And Maddie reminds me of myself! So determined to fly over England, and later France, that she fights for a position on the Air Transport Auxiliary (taxi-ing refugees to and from Nazi Occupied France) even though she's a woman. These women are perfect.

Seriously, these two girls' journal entries are remarkable. They actually write what they think, and I love the personality that comes out from it. QUEENIE YOU ARE SO WITTY. I wish I could meet you in real life.


And the amount of detail put in this book is incredible. Which may be the pitfall and the great thing about this book (how is this possible?) Truth be told, I started out slow. The beginning dragged on a lot since there was A LOT of information about different types of planes, and the different airfields and bases, and a ton of WWII terminology. Another thing was that there was rarely any dialogue. Each page was packed with words from top to bottom. No wonder it took me more than 6 hours to read it (total, not in one sitting).

After a certain point, however, the story took off running. I read the entire last half of the book because I could not put it down. Since I became familiar with the setting and the terminology, it became easier to read.

The ending nearly destroyed me. I have not cried about a book in so long, not since reading The Book Thief and The Fault in Our Stars. This book is not predictable at all. I really was not expecting what was going to happen, and if I did, I would have not read it at all. Nope. I would've avoided it like the plague.  



So yes, this was a great read. I'm not sure what else I should say because I'm still shocked by the ending, except that I really liked Code Name Verity. The friendship between these two girls is really beautiful, and my review doesn't show it at all. So really, just read the book!

1/2

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Review: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: February 26, 2013

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.

Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor... never to Eleanor.

Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.

Taken from Goodreads

Start: 3/14/2014 | End: 3/16/2014 | Pages: 328 | Rating: 4.5 Stars

My Thoughts:


I'm definitely going through Rowell's books fast. I only have one more left to read, and that's Landline, which I'm super excited to read. I love how Rowell's books each focus on completely different time periods. Eleanor & Park took place in 1986, if I'm not mistaken, while Attachments took place at the start of the new millenium. Then Fangirl is the present time, I think, and Landline....I'm not sure about that one. It's not out yet, but its summary points to time travel.

The novel begins with Eleanor and Park's meeting on the bus. Eleanor, who recently moved back in with her mother, stepdad, and siblings, is the new girl at school. She struggles to find a seat on the school bus, since everyone has their own "assigned" seat already, and ends up sitting with Park, much to his dismay. Due to her wacky clothing style, and that she's new, she is picked on the most. On the bus, her and Park don't talk at all.

The story follows the pair as they struggle to overcome their feelings of awkwardness, and it basically takes up one third of the book. For example, Park ends up bringing comics on the bus to read, and he notices Eleanor reading along with him over his shoulder. Being nice, he turns the page slowly, making sure she finishes reading before he moves on. Eleanor, although appreciates the fact he waits for her, doesn't want Park to pity her either. But neither of them speak to each other when this happens.  

What I really liked Eleanor & Park, was how incredibly normal and real it felt. Whenever I go to read books, I try to escape reality, not read about it. That's why I stick to reading fantasy or science fiction, rather than romance and literature. Eleanor & Park wasn't like that. It was like Rowell time traveled back to the late 1980's, picked out a couple, and told us their story. Some exceptions with this is Park's eyeliner, and how it resulted in no bullying. I was not born in this time period, so I can't say for sure what would have happened or not, but I think Rowell just added to in to add to the story. I can say that she did a really good job with connecting the past to the present. Even though I've never heard songs by The Smith, I definitely heard of them. Also I know about the X-Men, Watchmen, and the other comics they were discussing. So I wasn't out of the loop at all.

But with all love stories, they have to end somehow. I won't spoil the ending, but all I can say is that I was extremely upset with how it ended. Why? Because it ended like it would in real life, without closure or a true happy ending. I have to agree though that that's what makes this book so special, but still, I'm upset.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone a fan of Rainbow Rowell's over novels, or a fan of YA in general. As always, Rowell's writing and dialogue is amazing, and you should definitely put this and Fangirl on your TBR list :)

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