Review: Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: April 10th, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 4/10/18
400 pages

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

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

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged or reviewed a book in so long. Whoops. Well it WAS that time of the semester where I’m doing ALL THE THINGS, and every time I had some free time, I wasn’t motivated. But that all changes TODAY. Maybe.

Review: The Astonishing Color of After

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Release Date: March 20th, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 3/14/18
480 pages

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

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

Hello there, long time no see. I’m back from…wherever I’ve been, to review The Astonishing Color of After, an amazing debut that I have had the wonderful pleasure of reading. Seriously, it’s only March and I’ve found a 2018 favorite. And I mean, yes, though it is probably due to the fact that I related so much to the biracial main character, there was just so much more to it than that.

Review: Far From The Tree

Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 9/9/17 to 9/15/17
384 pages

A contemporary novel about three adopted siblings who find each other at just the right moment.

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

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

Far From the Tree isn't my first book by Robin Benway, who I think is pretty underrated and deserves more hype. Both this and Emmy and Oliver are phenomenal. I highly recommend both of them.

But back to this book. Far From the Tree tells the story of three adopted kids from three different families. There’s Grace, Maya, and Joaquin (nicknamed Joaq). After becoming pregnant and giving up her own child for adoption, Grace realizes that maybe her own birth mother went through a similar experience. This leads her to reach out to her two siblings, in hopes of being able to contact their mother together. Having been an only child her whole life, she’s hesitant about meeting both Maya and Joaquin.

Maya, on the other hand, doesn't want anything to do with her birth mother. She believes that her birth mother just abandoned them without a thought. It doesn’t help that her non-biological parents are going through a rough patch, in which Maya blames herself for causing. She thinks that she has broken up the family by being the adopted daughter, while Lauren is the perfect biological child.

And then lastly, there’s Joaquin, who's just been cycled around different foster families. He's scared of being adopted since he doesn't believe that the foster parents actually like him. He regrets some of his past behavior, even though as a child, he was only trying to shield himself from more emotional pain. Joaq also struggles with his identity of being half-Mexican, as he is constantly reminded of how he knows nothing about “being Mexican”. Yet even after meeting his fully white siblings, he still loves them unconditionally.

Out of the three characters, I liked Grace the most. It’s obvious that she cares a lot about her child, who she nicknames Peach. She spends a lot of time picking the perfect family for Peach, and worries about whether she chose right or not.

(Perhaps I loved this book so much because a baby was mentioned a couple of times. Shh)

Though it’s not apparent in the beginning, over the course of the novel you can tell that having a family to come to really helps all three of them, especially when they each have their own problems to solve. As you can tell from my review, Robin Benway does an amazing job with character development, and I honestly expected nothing less from her. I don't even have anything negative to say about this book. Other than the fact that Goodreads LIED and said this book was only 256 pages (it’s really 384 pages, thanks Shannon for letting me know). Like no wonder it felt longer haha. But seriously, I actually read word for word this time, rather than skimming through like I usually do (my bad).

Overall I really loved this book and I will just read anything by this author.

Review: Goodbye Days

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Crown Books
Release Date: March 7th, 2017
Source: ALA Midwinter 2017
Date Read: 3/1/17 to 3/3/17
416 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Can a text message destroy your life?

Carver Briggs never thought a simple text would cause a fatal crash, killing his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, there could be a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Then Blake’s grandmother asks Carver to remember her grandson with a ‘goodbye day’ together. Carver has his misgivings, but he starts to help the families of his lost friends grieve with their own memorial days, along with Eli’s bereaved girlfriend Jesmyn. But not everyone is willing to forgive. Carver’s own despair and guilt threatens to pull him under into panic and anxiety as he faces punishment for his terrible mistake. Can the goodbye days really help?

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

Completely lived up to The Serpent King, just saying. Also I was scared and hesitant to start reading this. Why? Because I wasn’t sure if I could handle the sadness that came along with this book. Well, I couldn’t exactly handle it, but that’s okay because THIS STORY IS STAYING IN MY HEART FOREVER.

But seriously, I would look up from reading this thinking that all my friends were dead. Fortunately, they were not. Never have I been so grateful.

Sorry I cannot resist

Where do I even start? From the fact that I have sticky notes marking my favorite quotes? I never pay attention to quotes. Never. And here is this book, just blowing my mind.

“For a time, we rummage through the drawers of our memories, pulling out the stories that are brightest and sharpest, like knives, and setting them in a row. Rekindling fires that had burned to embers. And then we are silent and still because merely listening to ourselves breath feels like a holy rite in Death’s halls.”

The metaphors. This is my ideal writing style. At times it’s simple, and other times it just HITS YOU IN THE FEELS. Really, unlike anything I have read in a long while.

I’m not even sure what else I should be saying? Other than the fact that if you’re going to be reading any one contemporary, pick up Goodbye Days. Also, be prepared to tear up throughout the novel. Because it’s sad. I mean, imagine if your best friends were dead and everyone blamed you for their deaths. It’s rough.

One thing that did rub me the wrong way a bit was [spoiler] how Carver started going after his dead best friend’s girlfriend. However, despite saying that, I believe it brought up an important issue, and that’s that no one owns Jessamyn. She is allowed to move on at her own pace, because she doesn’t belong to anyone, dead or alive. So even though it felt weird to me to have this relationship pop up all of a sudden, I came to realize that that was okay. [end spoiler]

And that’s my very vague review. Again, highly recommend reading this, as it definitely makes my top 2017 reads.

Review: Scythe

Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Arc of a Scythe #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books
Release Date: November 22nd, 2016
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 11/24/16 to 12/8/16
435 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

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

I have been putting off this review since forever. About a month and a half or so. The reason for that is because I just didn’t know how to review Scythe. Because it was that good, but in a way I just couldn’t possibly explain.

The great thing about Neal Shusterman is that he has these worlds that are constrained by rules of his own making. About two years ago, I heard him talk about it during a signing. He showed the audience pages and pages of his manuscript, all written out in ink. I couldn’t imagine all the hand cramps that came with that. His dedication to world building is clearly shown in this new series, and I highly recommend you at least read this for that.

In this science fiction world, humanity has gained immortality. Without hunger, disease, war, or misery, you could say that this is a pretty good world to live in. Well, except for the fact that there are people called scythes, in charge of maintaining the human population. Everyone is scared of them, sometimes there’s bribery, and this book (and most likely the series) focuses on the corruption within the group. That’s where Citra and Rowan come in, two apprentices who not only have to learn the morals of what it means to take a life, but also find a way to survive themselves in this political climate group.

Though I absolutely adored the characters, I was very much drawn into the plot and the world-building. It’s not every day where you read about how to pick someone to kill. And the different scythe mentors, Scythe Faraday and Scythe Curie, each had unique methods. One who goes for the instant kill, and the other who confronts the person first. Also pretty sure Scythe Faraday was one of my favorite characters from this book.

As with all great books that I’ve read, I just don’t have that much to say about Scythe. But don’t take my lack of words as me not liking it. Because I did! Compared to the rest of the books I read in 2016, this one is way above all of them.

More Double Reviews: Sabriel & The Song Of Achilles

I originally was not going to re-review Sabriel, which I have already read and reviewed two years ago. But then I was like, "Wait, I need this to level up my Pokemon because why not." Also I can do two reviews in one post, how about that.

Sabriel by Garth Nix
The Old Kingdom #1
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Release Date: September 1st, 2014
Source: The Book Depository
Date Read: 8/14/16 to 8/17/16
396 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him.

With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen series, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether.

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Like two years ago, I was again, blown away by Sabriel. So much so that I keep wondering why I haven't finished the series yet. With Goldenhand coming out in October, I'm determined to get through Lirael (again), and then Abhorsen (the one I actually haven't read, oops).

There's something magical about rereading. Whether it's knowing and anticipating what will happen, or simply seeing the characters again, either way I don't do it often, and I regret not having the time to. I was brought back to the world of the Abhorsen, one who, unlike a necromancer, makes sure the dead stay dead. I was reintroduced to Mogget, my favorite (and I will assume the original) non-cat. And the romance between Touchstone and Sabriel, which I do have to admit, happened a little out of nowhere. If I were to recreate it, it would be something like "And he truly noticed her as a woman rather than the Abhorsen", and then BAM they both like each other.

Still, this book holds a place in my heart. And I'm glad I got to reread it for this readathon.

The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: March 6th, 2012

Source: Amazon

Date Read: 8/17/16 to 8/21/16

369 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

The legend begins...

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

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This book. THIS BOOK. I've been wanting to read it for ages, and now that I have read it, I am broken.

This is one of those books where it hurts to read because you know what's going to come next, thanks to well, history. It's obvious from the synopsis that this is a story about Patroclus and Achilles, and the Trojan War. I've watched the movie, learned about it in history classes, yet still I was completely unprepared for how not okay I would feel.

It's pretty heartbreaking to see your favorite characters grow up, knowing that there is some fate in store for them. If you're an avid fan of Greek history and mythology, then definitely add this to your TBR. Because it was everything I wanted and more.

Review: Nevernight

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
The Nevernight Chronicle #1
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release Date: August 9th, 2016
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 7/19/16 to 7/20/16
448 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

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

I've been putting off writing this review because I already know I'll be repeating myself over and over again, saying how amazing Nevernight is.

First off, not only does it revolve around assassins, but there's also a school that trains them all, called The Red Church. Honestly, it reminds me of Hogwarts, but less safe. Don't expect to come out of this book with all your faves alive, because it just won't happen.

Mia has been training to attend The Red Church ever since her family was taken away from her. In order to get back at the ones responsible, she aims to succeed at the "school" and become one of the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder. But to do that, she has to overcome a number of trials, decide whether love is worth it or not, pick her friends and enemies. Plus it doesn't help that students are dying left and right, whether it's due to murder or class. Honestly, Nevernight has been one of the more bloodier books I have read in awhile.

Let's go into more detail about what I liked! (Surprisingly there were a lot that I can pinpoint, and that makes writing this review so much easier! Go me.)

• There is a talking cat. Technically it is not a cat, but it didn't make a difference to me. I love talking cats. I love talking sassy cats. I don't know exactly why I love them so much, but nothing can go wrong with them.

• Blood, gore, just the fact that no one is safe in this book. No one. You have a favorite character in one chapter? They're gone in the next (somewhat of an exaggeration haha). All I'm saying is that Nevernight really keeps you on your toes. It really was never boring.

That's it, that's the book

• The flashbacks gave more depth to Mia, especially as to how she acquired her shadow-y (not) cat in the first place. They took place between chapters, especially at the start of the novel.

• Oh, sex (yay! wooo!). I would say there's two pretty graphic scenes. So if you're not into that stuff, then don't read this or maybe skip those parts.

• And of course let's not forget about about our love interest Tric. Although I liked him as one, I can't say that I have strong feelings about him.

• The twist that killed me. Books like Nevernight are why I have trust issues.

And there we go! Did I mention that I read most of Nevernight in one day? Because that happened. Also, I have to mentioned that I may have skipped reading most of the footnotes. And I still loved it. So if you happen to also have an eARC (or an ebook of it I suppose? I don't know if the placement will be changed), then don't worry about them! I'll probably check out the footnotes later but I don't think you miss much.

I went into Nevernight blind, not sure at all whether I would like it or not. But here I am now, raving about its awesomeness. 

Review: This Savage Song

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Monsters of Verity #1
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: July 5th, 2016
Source: ALA Midwinter
Date Read: 6/24/16 to 6/30/16
464 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

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

I'm this close to having this review be only three words. Because I am not even sure how to go about reviewing this. I loved this, do I really need to say more? How many synonyms do I need to find to express the amazingness that is this book?

Let me try to sum it up. The city of Verity is divided between two factions, the North and the South, held together by a shaky truce. In control of the North Side is Harker, a man who demands money from families for protection against the monsters, the Corsai, the Malchi, and the Sunai. Managing to bring the Malchi and Corsai under his control, Harker is allowed to make the rules as to who dies and who lives. The Sunai side with Henry Flynn on the South side. Although scarce, they are considered the more powerful of the three, able to feed on the souls of sinners. With them in the South, both sinners and monsters are kept in check.

August is one of those Sunai, a monster that represents justice. Since monsters come from the shadows of living sinners, they must be killed. Under the "protection" of Henry Flynn, he is sent out to kill them with his music. His Sunai brother, Leo, convinces him to spy on Harker's daughter, Kate, over on the North Side at Colton Academy. Problem is, he has to pretend to be human or else risk getting caught.

Those two little paragraphs above does no justice at all. There are many, many details missing. Ones that make this whole story much more complex than it seems. So much thought was put into this, and I just absorbed it all.

I loved August. He is a monster, but he is also a human.

I loved Kate, who only wanted her father's respect.

I loved when the two were together. I wanted Kate to finally figure out who, or what, he was. I couldn't wait to see how everything would turn out when both August and Kate had to escape from the Malchi chasing them.

I wanted to know more, about everything. What is the Phenomenon that caused the monsters to form from human shadows? What is it like outside of Verity City? And since most of the novel focuses on  the North side, what is it like in the South? Seriously, when is the next book coming out?

This Savage Song was just much more unique than I could have ever imagined. With monsters, with music, with all around death, this book is beyond astounding. There is really no other way to put it. 

Review: Run

Run by Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: June 28th, 2016
Source: ALA Midwinter
Date Read: 4/24/16 to 5/21/16
288 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and a mama who's not exactly sober most of the time. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks.

Agnes Atwood has never gone on a date, never even stayed out past ten, and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally blind daughter -- protect her from what, Agnes isn't quite sure.

Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs truer and deeper than anything else.

So when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, with police sirens wailing in the distance, desperate to get out of town, Agnes doesn't hesitate to take off with her. But running away and not getting caught will require stealing a car, tracking down Bo's dad, staying ahead of the authorities, and -- worst of all -- confronting some ugly secrets.

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

Hey would you look at that! 5 stars for a contemporary! Must be the end of the world or something. Just kidding. Honestly, I just loved Run. Not only is it a powerful story about friendship, but it also tackles issues such as sexuality, disability, and family.

There are two main characters in the novel, each having their own POV. Agnes is a goody two shoes with overprotective parents, afraid that she'll hurt herself with her disability. On the other hand, Bo has a bad reputation. Her mother is constantly drinking, and at times Bo finds herself in foster care because of it. In Run, Agnes narrates the "before" while Bo narrates the "after". The event separating them is when Bo discovers she is being put in foster care again, leading to the both of them running off to find Bo's dad.

I'm not exactly sure HOW I can fully convince you to read this book. For one, I haven't read The Duff or Lying Out Loud, so I can't really compare any of them to Run. But nevertheless, Run had a wonderfully unique plot. I adored both Bo and Agnes, who both had such unique voices. With Agnes, I could see that she was really suffocating under the watch of her parents, who barely let her do anything. Yet at the same time, I admired how her parents stepped up and backed up her friendship with Bo, even with Bo's reputation. Bo herself didn't give a shit as to what anyone thought, and that was extremely refreshing. But she also thought about Agnes, and how she didn't want to drag her down to her level.

I guess what I'm afraid of with most contemporaries is running into petty drama, especially involving relationships. There were none in this book. Run featured a strong friendship between Bo and Agnes, even when it hit some rough patches along the way. The perspective each of them brought was vivid and refreshing, with Bo being bisexual and Agnes having a disability.

Basically, my point is is that you should all pick up this book. I would say more, but I think the best thing for you to do is to discover what happens on your own.

Also, thanks to Amber for patiently waiting for me to finish so we could chat about it!

Review: The Serpent King

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 22nd, 2016
Source: ALA Midwinter
Date Read: 3/15/16 to 3/18/16
384 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it through their senior year of high school without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self. Graduation will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is content where he is thanks to his obsession with an epic book series and the fangirl turning his reality into real-life fantasy.

Their diverging paths could mean the end of their friendship. But not before Dill confronts his dark legacy to attempt to find a way into the light of a future worth living.

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

Let me tell you what I found myself with after reading this book.

1. A stuffy nose

2. Red eyes

3. A damp pillow

4. A shirt covered in my own snot

Now, did you think I asked for any of that? NO. I didn't even ask for a goddamn contemporary, yet here we are. That's right, newsflash, The Serpent King is NOT fantasy, the cover lied to me.

Yes, I'm overreacting, fine. It's like on one hand, I REGRET reading this because I am SO SAD, but then I don't because this forever changed me. Forever. I didn't even know I could cry while reading contemporary YA. HOW.

And I don't even know how this book affected me so much. Like Dillard Early, the son of a pastor who is now in prison due to child pornography. Everyone blames him for the situation his father is in, saying that he's the one who downloaded the porn. But all Dill wants to do is write music and hang out with his best friends Lydia and Travis. But Lydia is busy planning to leave buttfuck nowhere with her successful fashion blog and head up to NYU for college. Travis just wants to talk to his online friend and girlfriend about his favorite fantasy series, Bloodfall.

They are really the perfect group of outcasts. And I can relate to all of them (except maybe not Dill, and I don't live in the South).

But there is a lot happening in this book. The relationship between Dill and Lydia is a little tense because for one, Lydia is LEAVING. And of course, Lydia constantly tries to convince Dill to leave as well by applying for college, which is no easy feat especially when your family is in a ton of debt. And yes, it DOES hurt when your friend has a way out and you don't, especially for Dill. And the same goes for Travis too, who has to live with his shitty, abusive father.

"I can't. I just can't. And all you're doing is making me feel worse about my life. You're telling someone in a wheelchair 'Walking is awesome. You should get up and walk'. It's not that easy"

Plus, Dill is struggling with his faith. And I can tell you right now that this book handles it perfectly There's no preaching, yet also no outright denial. Dill takes what he has learned from his faith, and interprets it in a way that applies to him and his future.  

I don't know if you can tell by this review, but my emotions are everywhere. I felt A LOT for the characters. I also cried for a solid one hour after finishing. This may be the sixth book I've ever cried over in my life.

What else needs to be said? Let's see.

You definitely need to read this book. I'm sure you'll connect with Lydia (unless you're not a book blogger, though maybe you still will). And the same for Travis and his love for reading fantasy novels. 

You'll probably need tissues at some point. Or not if you're heartless.

Oh, and you can thank me after you're done. Yes? Yes. You're welcome.

Review: Kill The Boy Band

Kill The Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
Publisher: Point
Release Date: February 23rd, 2016
Source: ALA Midwinter
Date Read: 2/22/16 to 2/24/16
320 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Okay, so just know from the start that it wasn't supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near The Ruperts, our favorite boy band.

We didn't mean to kidnap one of the guys. It kind of, sort of happened that way. But now he's tied up in our hotel room. And the worst part of all, it's Rupert P. All four members of The Ruperts might have the same first name, but they couldn't be more different. And Rupert P. is the biggest flop out of the whole group.

We didn't mean to hold hostage a member of The Ruperts, I swear. At least, I didn't. We are fans. Okay, superfans who spend all of our free time tweeting about the boys and updating our fan tumblrs. But so what, that's what you do when you love a group so much it hurts.

How did it get this far? Who knows. I mean midterms are coming up. I really do not have time to go to hell.

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

I was not expecting Kill The Boy Band to be one of my 2016 favorites. First of all, it's contemporary, but then again it's not romance so I guess it had that going for it. Second, it was completely unpredictable and weird, but in a good way. And third, it was about boy bands. I don't really care for boy bands, neither have I been fans of them.

The interesting thing about this book is that the main character's name is never mentioned. The entire story is told from her point of view, as she describes the events that transpired between Erin, Apple, and Isabel and The Ruperts. Or more specifically, one band member, Rupert P., who is "accidentally" taken as hostage. Really, what happens from there is hectic, and then it turns into a murder mystery. This book kind of reminds me of a satirical version of Dangerous Girls, in that you have NO IDEA who the culprit is.

And the main character, who gives out fake names to everyone who questions her, like Sloane (I'll be calling her Sloane from now on), is running around trying to reason with the girls about all of this, especially when things go from bad to worse. The dynamics between her and her best friend, Erin, changed throughout the novel as well.

I think I'm just going to come out and say that I did see a couple of problematic issues in it (which inspired my problematic issues discussion post!), but it didn't really affect my enjoyment. 

This review is just incredibly hard to write because I rather not spoil anything, it's really just better to go into Kill The Boy Band blind and read it for yourself. Overall, all I can say is that this was definitely an adventure, and I was not expecting it at all!

Review: Salt To The Sea

Salt To The Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: February 2nd, 2016
Source: Bought
Date Read: 2/11/15
400 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war.

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.

Yet not all promises can be kept.

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I'm going to be very honest here, I have yet to read Between Shades of Gray, yet I still was highly, highly anticipating Salt to the Sea. And I am so happy to say that yes, this is a fantastic WWII novel.

Salt to the Sea features four very unique characters, Joana, Emilia, Florian, and Alfred. They are all facing their own situation, but come together at some point in the novel, whether it's from trekking through the snow together, or meeting up on the ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff. 

I'm not even sure how to begin my review. The way the author masterfully revealed each of the characters' backgrounds brought the story together. Even with Emilia having little dialogue due to the language barrier, I was completely drawn into her story. Joana herself was also incredibly tough, but motherly. As a nurse, she helped anyone and everyone. Florian is the loner, and he rather protect himself than get anyone involved with his "secret mission". Unfortunately for him, Emilia clings on to him at all times.

On the other hand, Alfred....his POV just went completely over my head. He is Team Nazi, yet there is something wrong with him in that he is completely out of it. His chapters are just mental letters about what he is doing (which is all a fantasy?) to a childhood friend (?). I personally did not like him at all, and he doesn't meet up with the other three characters until much later.

And this isn't all about the character development either, actually this is based off a real event that happened. Look, here is a real life photo, or picture, of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff.

It transported evacuees from Gotenhafen, including Joana, Emilia, and Florian! And Alfred too. He starts off on this ship after all. But yeah, this ship carried thousands of evacuees and military, much more than its capacity. It was just all so fascinating to read about, especially with the author's writing style. Salt to the Sea was a such an easy and fast read, I never got stuck or confused anywhere.

In conclusion, WHEN you read this, you'll learn a ton about this major event that happened during the actual war, you'll meet wonderful characters, you'll also have your heart broken by the end of it, but you'll also encounter hope.

Review: A Criminal Magic

A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: February 2nd, 2016
Source: ALA Midwinter
Date Read: 2/1/16 to 2/7/16
432 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Magic is powerful, dangerous and addictive - and after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is finally illegal.

It's 1926 in Washington, DC, and while Anti-Sorcery activists have achieved the Prohibition of sorcery, the city's magic underworld is booming. Sorcerers cast illusions to aid mobsters' crime sprees. Smugglers funnel magic contraband in from overseas. Gangs have established secret performance venues where patrons can lose themselves in magic, and take a mind-bending, intoxicating elixir known as the sorcerer's shine.

Joan Kendrick, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County, Virginia accepts an offer to work for DC's most notorious crime syndicate, the Shaw Gang, when her family's home is repossessed. Alex Danfrey, a first-year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a complicated past and talents of his own, becomes tapped to go undercover and infiltrate the Shaws.

Through different paths, Joan and Alex tread deep into the violent, dangerous world of criminal magic - and when their paths cross at the Shaws' performance venue, despite their orders, and despite themselves, Joan and Alex become enchanted with one another. But when gang alliances begin to shift, the two sorcerers are forced to question their ultimate allegiances and motivations. And soon, Joan and Alex find themselves pitted against each other in a treacherous, heady game of cat-and-mouse.

A CRIMINAL MAGIC casts a spell of magic, high stakes and intrigue against the backdrop of a very different Roaring Twenties.

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

Holy shit

I don't know what I just read, my heart's still racing because of how intense this was. Sure magic is powerful and dangerous, but you know what else is? THIS BOOK. For my HEART.

Joan and Alex are on the opposite sides of the field, in a way that Joan is convinced that her magic is being used for a good thing (like getting high!), while Alex is posing as a double agent in order to stop people like his father, who distributed the drugs and profited from it. Both lead incredibly dangerous lives, with Alex risking his life every time he reports back to the Feds, and Joan risking hers by demonstrating sacrificial magic no one knows about except her family to a gangster boss. So when I say that A Criminal Magic has hell of a dangerous plot, I am not lying.

Right from the beginning, you are sucked into Joan's world. She's fending for herself and her family, but with her uncle constantly high on his own sorcerer's shine, it seems like she'll never be pay off any of their debts. Until enter in Mr. Gunn, gangster boss gathering sorcerer's for some special performances, and off she goes. And then Alex is in a similar situation except he's been in deep waters with the Feds ever since his father got caught distributing drugs. So he has to make a deal, go undercover, discover what all these gangsters are planning, and report it. And off he goes!

It wasn't only the plot that made this novel such a fantastic read for me, but both Joan and Alex had such great characterizations, and the fact that their history drove most of their actions made them feel like real, and solid. And their magic. Their magic complemented each other so well, in this way it reminded me so much of The Night Circus. The marketing pitch was not wrong in that way.

But there were so many criminals. Magic is being shipped off as drugs as a way to get high or wasted. And it was just fascinating to read about such a thing, especially since all of this takes place in the 1920s. And although there were many parties, most took place in bars and such where sorcerer's shine was brewed. I almost wanted their to be a Gatsby party with these kinds of drugs. That would have been chaotic!

Maybe my one complaint is that both Alex and Joan were near perfect in every way, but honestly, it didn't bother me as much. It helped that there were more bigger and dangerous things going on in the background.

I loved A Criminal Magic, though I am still confused as to what this is marketed as. I want to assume it is YA but it seems as it is Adult fantasy? I'm not sure and will have to look it up somewhere other than Goodreads. But again, this was a fantastic novel. Definitely great for fans of The Night Circus, and maybe even A Darker Shade of Magic!

Review: Truthwitch

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: January 5th, 2016
Source: Book Expo America
Date Read: 5/30/15 to 5/30/15
416 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ 

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

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

So here we are, months since I have read the book, which I rushed to receive at BEA (everyone else was rushing too!) But anyways, I read the book in May. In one day. Oh, and this is scheduled, because no way in hell would I have remembered anything in December. Ha. So I guess you could say this review is my initial thoughts, seeing as I reviewed it right after reading it. If I were to read it again, maybe my opinion would have been different, but as of now, I really loved this book.

Moving on.

Where do I even start with this book? Fully developed world, characters each with their own backstory, antagonists that aren't just black and white, an interesting plot immersed with politics and magic. OH AND DEATH. Don't forget death.

So here's the thing. Safiya is a Truthwitch, and no one but her best friend Iseult and immediate family know about it. In fact, everyone has been protecting her from the start, which is what gets Safi into a whole mess with Prince Merik. What does it mean to be a Truthwitch, you may ask. Or a Threadwitch? OR ANY WITCH IN GENERAL. For Safiya, being a truthwitch means being able to tell whether someone is truthful, whether it's a statement or the nature of a person. She's considered very valuable because the last Truthwitch died 24353 years ago (random number sorry, you get my point), and come on she can tell what's true from false, and this whole story revolves around politics so who wouldn't want that?

There's also Iseult, who as a Nomatsi Threadwitch, is discriminated by almost everyone. I'm not sure why that is the case because it was never explained (sadly), and I'm also unsure whether her power, being able to see threads of emotion coming out of people, is just exclusive to her. Apparently every witch must have a Threadsister or brother, so that may not be the case.

Honestly, I was so immersed in the story of Iseult and Safiya, and their encounter with the Bloodwitch, Prince Merik, and everyone else, that I never really had the time to fully analyze what I loved (No surprise). All I know is that I couldn't put the book down from the moment I stepped on the bus from NYC back to Boston. Sure, I have to admit some things never got explained, but I'm sure that will happen in the second book. Whenever that comes out. Ha.

Overall, I loved Truthwitch. I loved the world, loved the magic, loved the characters, and most importantly, I love where this plot is going. I can't say whether I have or haven't been influenced by the hype monster or not (probably have), but for now I'll just let that slide.  

Looking for a different perspective? Holly and I are post twinsies for today! Check out her review of Truthwitch here!