Review: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
Rise of the Empress #1
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: October 10th, 2017
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 9/2/17 to 9/7/17
384 pages

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

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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.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was a tough book to review, mainly because I was initially so excited about the synopsis, but the closer it got to the release date, the more I felt like I (for some reason) wasn't going to enjoy the book? And I'm not sure why, but I feel like this biased me a bit, causing me to go in it with lower expectations.

Yet when I started reading, I was in for a surprise since I had no idea that this was about an anti-heroine. I remember when the cover reveal happened, I was like, “how is the cover NOT a beautiful scene of a thousand lanterns, you know, like in Rapunzel?” Clearly I was in the wrong, because that image would have not fit with the story at all. But yes, the main character being classified as an anti-heroine is awesome, but she wasn't really the anti-heroine I had in mind.

The story revolves around Xifeng, who’s completely taken advantage of by her aunt (Guma). Her aunt emphasizes the importance of physical beauty and court manners all for a prophecy that may or may not be true. She tries to turn Xifeng into someone she is not, all for the sole possibility that Xifeng might one day be empress. After a falling out with her aunt, Xifeng runs away and escapes with her boyfriend, Wei.

The both of them end up in the Imperial City, where Xifeng finds a way to join the court. Since ladies-in-waiting cannot have outside relationships, she leaves Wei behind. To me, the motivation behind this made no sense. For one, Xifeng loves (or I supposed loved) Wei, but she immediately abandons him in order to fulfill her aunt’s dream. But then, since when did her aunt’s dream become her own dream? There never was any mention of her desperately wanting power or riches. I suppose it could be that she just simply wanted to be better than everyone else, yet her love for Wei seem stronger (even though Wei was an asshole)?

Xifeng also starts forgiving and appreciating everything her aunt did for her. Maybe to the point of even loving her. Even though I kind of get this, her aunt’s actions were so extreme and almost unforgivable. Even without being present, Xifeng’s aunt still found a way to manipulate her thoughts.

The rest of the book focuses on Xifeng’s slow climb up in rank. She serves and puts up with the emperor’s primary concubine, gets in the Empress’ good graces, befriends the eunuch Kang, the one person who truly likes her as a friend. In order to become empress and fulfill her aunt’s dream (?), she needs the emperor to like her. In other words, Xifeng has to get with this man who potentially might be a lot older than her, since she's only about 17 (18?) years old.

The plot definitely picked up during the second half of the book, only because that's where all the killing starts! Well, all the action is. But anyways, I enjoyed that much more than just seeing how she worked her way up in rank.

In the end, I did warm up to Xifeng, even though I had no idea what her motivation was for all of this. I do want to read the next book, as I’m curious to see how magic will play a role in the series.

Review: Hunted (+ How Do We Feel About Captor/Captive Romances?)

Hunted by Meagan Spooner
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: March, 14th 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 3/5/17 to 3/9/17
352 pages

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

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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.

To say I didn’t like this would be a bit over the top. Since I’ve read These Broken Stars (which now that I think about it, also got 3 stars from me), I knew I would be picking up Hunted as well. As much as I love those retellings, I’m starting to now think maybe the writing style common to most fairytales just aren’t my thing. Either it’s that, or it’s just this book. Honestly, not sure how I feel about Hunted at all.

Hunted mushes together the tale of Beauty and the Beast, and also I think The Firebird? Or whatever the name for that tale is, because I’m really not familiar with Russian Folklore at all. Nevertheless, the story tells of our main character Yeva (secretly named Beauty by her father and her family) hunting the Beast that supposedly killed her father. But after being captured herself, she’s forced to train and hunt for him, for some unknown reason. As the story progresses, the two kind of get closer…kind of.

Buuuuut that leads to my main discussion, and why you all visited my blog today! *claps*

What is our stance on captor/captive romance? Or however it’s called.

Just a little disclaimer, I personally didn’t find this part of the book problematic, mainly because I knew it was based off Beauty and the Beast. However, I did think about this a lot while reading Hunted, and then I thought about what the opinions of the book community were on this topic. Mainly because I haven’t seen anyone talk about it in regards to this book, and from previous book and Twitter discussions, this seems to apply to only WWII settings. And I think The Bone Season? Either way, I know there’s been some discussion on this, but I wasn’t sure what made something a problematic captor/captive romance.

Thoughts like the questions above kept popping up the more I read through Hunted. For example, Yeva’s best friend warns her of not going back to the Beast, because he hurt her. And even though she reasons that it’s because she stabbed him with a knife and anyone would retaliate after that, the conversation between them really stood out. Mainly because the friend doesn’t get many lines in the book, and her saying this made me feel like the author was trying highlight this conversation.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What are your thoughts on this topic? What makes a romance like this problematic? Or is there nothing wrong with it at all?

How does this relate back to Beauty and the Beast? What makes that romance okay and others not?

To conclude, I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Beauty and the Beast (literally), mainly because I kept constantly thinking about their romance. Plus, even though I did enjoy the plot, the writing itself made me a bit sleepy. I couldn’t stop myself from skimming here and there, because I just wasn’t engaged with the writing style. And because of that, I didn’t end up caring too much about the rest of the family, Yeva’s two sisters and their suitors (Also surprise, there is no real Gaston in this book!).

So basically, I thought this was pretty meh, and I’m hoping my next read will be much more exciting!

Review: Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: September 27th, 2016
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 9/21/16 to 9/27/16
448 pages

Rating: ✰✰

When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.

Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.

Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.

Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. .

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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.

Last year, I read Crimson Bound and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thinking that I again would be entranced by Hodge’s writing, I picked up Bright Smoke, Cold Fire. Unfortunately, I didn’t really end up enjoying it, and maybe it’s because I’ve never really been a fan of Romeo and Juliet. Or, maybe it’s because the only similarities between the two were the names, and the fake deaths.

Also enjoy all my commas, because that’s what I do when I am confused, apparently.

The first red flag was being thrown right into the world of “The” Juliet and Romeo. And also of Runajo, who as some sort of priestess, feeds her blood to the walls of the city. Or something. As The Juliet and Romeo secretly wed, performing the ritual to bind Romeo as her protector, she accidentally ends up killing herself. But Runajo pulls her out of death and binds The Juliet to herself, also by accident. With names like Mahyanai, Catresou, Paths of Light, I had no idea what was going on. What does this all mean? Is Mahyanai a race? A tribe? A family? What was with this Sunken Library? And the walls feeding on the blood of the people? It took me pages before realizing that this was a Romeo and Juliet retelling (the names should have cued me, but I am often pretty oblivious).

The Juliet herself is some sort of warrior who brings justice down to everyone and anyone. But she was chosen (made?) to be the warrior for the Castresou. I’m not sure why they needed her specifically, why they couldn’t just train many warriors from birth. Is it because her protector can control her? I don’t know why she doesn’t even have a real name, or why she is referred to “The” Juliet in the first place.

And I didn’t even end up shipping Juliet and Romeo together here. Since Runajo spends a lot of time with The Juliet, I wanted those two to be together. And then this other Castreou boy, Paris, ends up being paired up with Romeo (how this happened, I have no idea), so I ended up shipping those two together as well. As Romeo and Paris investigate the crimes of the Castreou, they bump into Vai, King of the Rats. Then I was shipping Vai with Paris, but then it turned out (Spoiler, highlight to read) that Vai was a girl, and swore to hold the title of a boy because her family had no other sons, or whatever. Bottom line was, it was ambiguous as to what her sexuality was, or the pronouns she/(he?) used for that matter (see?). After the discovery, “she” is used for the rest of the novel, making it even more confusing. In this case I would say it’s for practical purposes, but from Vai’s explanation, I’m not even sure. (End spoiler)

The closer I got to the end, the more I wanted to be done with this. Especially with the idea of necromancy thrown in, reminding me of how this is an inferior version of Lirael, which coincidentally I was reading as well. Though I ended up enjoying the book by the halfway mark, it was more of a “let me accept everything just to get through it”. I just felt way too invested to stop.

Review: As I Descended

As I Descended by Robin Talley
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: September 6th, 2016
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 8/31/16 to 9/3/16
384 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰

Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—even if no one knows it but them.

Only one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey.

Golden child Delilah is a legend at the exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. She runs the school, and if she chose, she could blow up Maria and Lily’s whole world with a pointed look, or a carefully placed word.

But what Delilah doesn’t know is that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to make their dreams come true. And the first step is unseating Delilah for the Kingsley Prize. The full scholarship, awarded to Maria, will lock in her attendance at Stanford―and four more years in a shared dorm room with Lily.

Maria and Lily will stop at nothing to ensure their victory—including harnessing the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school.

But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what is imagined, the girls must decide where they draw the line.

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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.

When I read Lies We Tell Ourselves two years ago, I knew I found myself a new favorite author. Which is why when As I Descended popped up on my radar, I instantly added it to my list. And having just finished reading it, I can definitely say I enjoyed this Macbeth retelling. Though I will say that this didn't compare to her debut novel.

If you've read Macbeth, you know that it involves ghosts, revenge, and a lot of death. As I Descended is no different, so do not expect your favorite characters to make it through to the end. Rather than in England, our main characters Maria, Lily, Brandon, and Mateo all went to boarding school in Southern Virginia (or at least somewhere in the South). The first three are all friends, which is half the reason why they find themselves playing with an Ouija Board. The other half of the reason stems from Lily's desire for Maria to win the Kingsley Prize. If only Maria could call on the spirits and ask for help, maybe she could finally surpass Delilah.

What could possibly go wrong with involving yourself with the spirits of dead?

The short answer? Everything. The long answer? Well a couple of people die, revenge is in the works, and regret fills the air as Maria realizes how much trouble she's gotten herself into. It doesn't help that she's unleashed a bunch of angry spirits, ones that have never been properly buried because surprise, the academy is built on top of a plantation.

I actually had an equal amount of likes and dislikes for As I Descended. For one, the plot itself made me want to keep reading. I wanted to know what the spirits had in store for Maria, and whether she could truly go through with her revenge. Maria has played by the rules her entire life, while others ahead of her have not. Winning the Kingsley Prize means a full ride to any college, and it's not like Delilah needs that money anyways. I easily related to Maria because as someone who is equally as ambitious but most often lands in second place, I understand how she feels. (But don't worry, I'm not that salty as to get revenge on everyone like that).

As for what I didn't like, well the writing itself was noticeable choppy. And also, this took place in boarding school, which I tend to not like because (get ready for the boarding school spiel) usually it's done inaccurately. And in this case, a couple of things felt incredibly unbelievable, like coed dormitories (no way you would find that anywhere), outside late at night, unsupervised around members of the opposite sex in living areas, etc. I get that it's fun to have your characters living at boarding school because they can all be together conveniently, but having gone to one, it is hard to imagine it being different.

I actually couldn't put down As I Descended once I started it, because it was that interesting. Robin Talley still remains one of my favorite authors, and I'm excited to start her other novel, What We Left Behind.    

Review: Everland

Everland by Wendy Spinale
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: May 10th, 2016
Source: ALA Midwinter
Date Read: 6/19/16 to 6/22/16
312 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰

London has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease. The only ones who have survived are children, among them Gwen Darling and her siblings, Joanna and Mikey. They spend their nights scavenging and their days avoiding the ruthless Marauders -- the German army led by Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer.

Unsure if the virus has spread past England's borders but desperate to leave, Captain Hook hunts for a cure, which he thinks can be found in one of the survivors. He and his Marauders stalk the streets snatching children for experimentation. None ever return. Until the day they grab Joanna. As Gwen sets out to save her, she meets a daredevil boy named Pete. Pete offers the assistance of his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella, who have all been living in a city hidden underground. But in a place where help has a steep price and every promise is bound by blood, it will cost Gwen. And are she, Pete, the Lost Boys, and Bella enough to outsmart Captain Hook?

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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.

Everland was an interesting take on the story of Peter Pan. Rather than a land of fantasy, we're introduced to Everland, the post-apocalyptic London. Where the aftermath of a war has evolved into an airborne virus that affects all, but mainly girls.

BECAUSE WAR NEVER CHANGES. YEAH! (Val recently finished Fallout 4 and is not okay)

This is one of those books where I just rushed through, because of how fast paced it was. Because of that, I ended up not paying attention or analyzing everything I was reading. Though I can say that I liked it, there's a great possibility that I won't remember much of the details. (Hence why I'm having a hard time writing this review, whoops). But let's get on to what happened.

The story opens up to a ravaged London, where Gwen, her sister Joanna, and her brother Michael are scavenging for food and supplies. But everything falls apart when Marauders (or pirates really) kidnap Joanna, as girls are incredibly scarce due to the disease killing them all. It's believed that any girl even alive is considered immune to the virus, and therefore must be taken captive so a cure can be created. But everyone is mistaken unfortunately, because there's only one true immune out there.

Fast forward to Gwen meeting Peter Pan, who CAN'T FLY. Okay yes I was a little disappointed that this didn't end up being a fantasy, but hey at least Tinkerbell can fly! Or Bella in this book, who's only 12. But she has these mechanical wings that let her fly, and she carries gold dust (or pixie dust).

Just based on the cover alone, I expected a much darker story. And although it wasn't as light as say, the Disney animated version, it felt a little "cheesy" at times. Maybe cheesy isn't the right word to use. I guess I expected "Hook" here to be much more darker, more sinister, more cunning. And "Smee" was acting like a bumbling idiot everywhere trying to capture both Gwen and Bella. It just didn't give the sense of terror or evil.

I really don't have much else to say. This is one of the better Peter Pan retellings I have read, but then again I don't think this one was truly for me.

Double Reviews: *Insert Frustrated Noises Here*

Guess who finally read some 2016 releases that weren't, great? Me. Yes, it was bound to happen, but I guess I was hoping to avoid all the books I wouldn't like? But nope. It happened. And am I sad? Yes I am. But maybe I shouldn't have expected such a thing. Womp womp.

Enjoy my fun, ranty, negative reviews! Yay!

Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 9th, 2016
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 2/15/16 to 2/17/16
304 pages

Rating: ✰✰

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

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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 am really surprised I finished Reign of Shadows. Honestly, I feel like it paled in comparison to all the other books I was reading, plus it mainly focused on the romance, which sure, was fine, but I am not a romantic person!

This was based off of Rapunzel, except Luna does not have super long hair that she uses to tie people up or swing onto things (haha). Actually, Luna is blind. Yet, she can still...do things like anyone else. She just uses her other senses a ton more. It was great to see a strong female main character who was blind, yet still held her own. However, though saying this, I found her ability to do things extremely unbelievable. Like, picking up a knife and chopping vegetables. I don't know HOW you can use your other senses to know where an inanimate object is, and use it to STAB other inanimate objects. There must be some sort of magic involved, because this is just so unbelievable.

And then. The romance. It was...a lot. And not for me. I just really didn't connect with any of the characters, I wasn't invested in the story much. This whole book was sadly "meh" for me, and other than above, I don't really have much to say.

Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: February 2nd, 2016

Source: Edelweiss

Date Read: DNF

420 pages

Rating: --

In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.

Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

With shades of The Godfather and Romeo and Juliet, this richly imagined fantasy from debut author Sarah Ahiers is a story of love, lies, and the ultimate vengeance.

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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 think all I can say about Assassin's Heart was that the writing was way too dense for me, and I couldn't handle it. I think I was expecting something like Assassin's Creed, but maybe this is a story that for me, only works in video games, where you are actually controlling the character. Because I do have to admit, your whole family being killed because of a sort of rivalry is the plot of Assassin's Creed II.

I didn't read enough to get into either Lea or Val, the whole reason why I requested the book in the first place (haha). Apparently, Val is a huge douchebag, or so I've heard (the character, not me!), and he's not great for Lea at all. But I don't think I got to that part.

I DNFed because at that point, Lea was hiding out in a church or whatever, and she was escaping with one of the Brothers to...somewhere. At that point, I was being hugely info-dumped, and I could not care less.

I do know that Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight liked this, so maybe you'll want to read her review!

Review: The Wrath and The Dawn

The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 12th, 2015
Source: Library
Date Read: 12/10/15 to 12/13/15
388 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

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Well, I waited a long time to review this. I'm not exactly sure why? Because I really liked The Wrath and The Dawn. I was drawn into the characters, the story, and I can say with certainty that this is a backlist book that you should get to (in reference to all the posts and people saying they want to read more backlist titles. READ THIS). No peer pressure.

You may not think this, but a lot of things happen in this novel. At least more than I thought. First, our main character, Shahzard, volunteers to be the bride of the Caliph of Khorasan, who is known to kill his brides at dawn after the ceremony. "Why does she do this?" you may ask? Well to get revenge for her best friend of course, who was killed by him. So she has a plan, which is to survive and kill him. By telling him a story that doesn't have an end, she forces him to come back each night, and leave her alive to hear the rest. And although there were a few close calls, she never foresaw that she would end up falling in love. Big whoops there for her.

The characters were what really made this novel. Shahzard was a strong, determined young woman with a thirst for revenge. She carefully scouted out the palace, and tried to find weaknesses in Khalid. But then she's torn on whether she should avenge her best friend, or stay with the killer.

And then, like I said before, this isn't the only plot. There's also a rebellion brewing in the outskirts of Khorasan. Fathers and mothers are tired of sending their daughters to be wives, only to be killed the next day. If I were a parent, I would have been pissed too if my child was slaughtered for no reason at all, so I totally understand their motives. But here's the thing, this rebellion was sparked by Tariq, Shahzard's previous "lover". He is completely convinced that she needs his help, when that isn't the case at all. (In fact he makes it much worse, andddd I hate him, but that's besides the point).

However, at times, I felt a little frustrated because how long could Khalid, our Caliph and love interest, keep his huge, dark secret from Shazi? The build up for it was huge, which was why when it was all revealed, I felt a little underwhelmed. I just thought there would be more to the whole thing.

The Wrath and The Dawn was a great read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Plus, I need the sequel with an ending like that!

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 . . .

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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. 

Review: Never Never

Never Never by Brianna R. Shrum
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: September 22nd, 2015
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 10/21/15 to 10/28/15
368 pages

Rating: ✰✰

James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.

When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.

But grow up he does.

And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.

This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.

Except one.

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

Why are there no books out there that show Peter Pan as a nice, fun loving child, rather than this monstrosity? This now makes two books (Tiger Lily), where Peter wasn't exactly shown in a good light. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, but where is my childhood?!!

Long story short, I wasn't a fan of Never, Never unfortunately. As much as I was looking forward to James Hook's side of the story (which was somewhat interesting) it was just a rehash of the original Peter Pan with more blood and realism. Even some of the lines from the original (I could even say the Disney version) were copied into some of the scenes.

It's not that I hated the book, but it was more that it was incredibly boring in that I was falling asleep with the kindle falling onto my face. I wasn't into much of the story at all, especially the characters, who I hated anyways. I literally was just going through the book, the scenes, the actions, not really caring about what was going on. And the fact that I have to admit that Peter Pan sucks saddens me. LIKE WHY is he such a little piece of ...argh *makes stabby hand motions*.

And Tiger Lily? Ehh. Boring.

I did like the elements of having experiences makes you grow up faster, but other than that, eh. Everything was eh. I really could not have cared less, and as much as that makes me sad, I'm glad that I'm finished reading it. Or skimming it. One reason why you should probably take this review with a grain of salt!  

Overall, I AM DONE. I wish I could say more, but honestly I don't think there is much to say unfortunately. 

Review: Deathless

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

Rating: ✰✰✰

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review: Beastkeeper

Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Release Date: February 3rd, 2015
Source: Library
Date Read: 4/14/15 to 4/15/15
208 pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰

Sarah has always been on the move. Her mother hates the cold, so every few months her parents pack their bags and drag her off after the sun. She’s grown up lonely and longing for magic. She doesn’t know that it’s magic her parents are running from.

When Sarah’s mother walks out on their family, all the strange old magic they have tried to hide from comes rising into their mundane world. Her father begins to change into something wild and beastly, but before his transformation is complete, he takes Sarah to her grandparents—people she has never met, didn’t even know were still alive.

Deep in the forest, in a crumbling ruin of a castle, Sarah begins to untangle the layers of curses affecting her family bloodlines, until she discovers that the curse has carried over to her, too. The day she falls in love for the first time, Sarah will transform into a beast . . . unless she can figure out a way to break the curse forever.

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Are you looking for a wonderful, happy fairy tale? One with a happy ending and all that jazz? Well then, you are in the wrong place! If you thought this would be a cute MG retelling, you are wrong.

Beastkeeper is a nice, quick read about a girl, Sarah, longing for magic, but unfortunately she really doesn't know what she's asking for. Once she encounters it through a family curse, one that turns her grandfather, her father, and even herself into a beast if their first love doesn't love them. After finding that out, after living a semi-normal life, who wouldn't want to go back to being ordinary?

I used to be a huge fan of Newgrounds, a site dedicated to animated shorts and movies. One of the animated movies I watched featured this character, Bitey the last of the Dashkin. So the whole "beast" concept really reminded me of him. Art link on image.

There are a number of aspects I loved about this dark MG, one being that it questions the little things other fairy tales often ignore. How are curses passed down through the family? Who does it affect? What happens if love doesn't last? Is love real if it's only based on outside beauty? Do happy endings actually exist?

The curses in the book all revolve around the two families, and it's fascinating to see how everything weaves together and affects one another. So many coincidences! And it's all up to Sarah to fix everything, which ends up seeming more and more impossible as the story goes on. I did like Sarah, but I was more fixed on the whole story rather than the characters. Though I do want to know more about Alan, even though I may or may not hate him.

Also, guess what? No romance! Don't get me wrong, I love romance sometimes, but I'm just glad this didn't have any because it doesn't need it. And yes it is MG, which is why. The focus was on the plot and the story, and no meaningless fluff was added in to detract from that. My one gripe is that I'm not entirely sure I understood the ending, but that is so typical of me. And also, when does this take place? At first I thought it was in our normal world, but then we were whisked away to this medieval, forest like place which held a lot of magic, and from then on I didn't know when or where.  

Beastkeeper was overall, executed very well, and it's a great refreshing take on retellings, even if it isn't exactly a happy one.    

Review: Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles #3
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: February 4th, 2014
Source: Owned
Date Read: 10/14/14 to 10/29/14
550 Pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

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Where is the next book when you need it?
Seriously. When is it coming out?
Ok, Fairest is coming out in January, but where is Winter! I want Winter! gah

If you've read both my reviews for Cinder and Scarlet, and still haven't picked up the series yet, what are you doing with your life? 

I'm just kidding. But seriously, The Lunar Chronicles just gets better and better. At first I thought Cinder was amazing, and then I read Scarlet and thought it was even better. And then Cress, just take the amazingness of Cinder and Scarlet, but them together, and multiply that by ten. That's how good Cress was.

It is also such a beautiful book on it's own. Just look at it.

Since this is the third book in the series, and I can't exactly do a full review without spoiling anything, but, I can say that this is one of the best books I've read so far this year. (You know, if you haven't gotten that from my previous statements)

The best part of Cress isn't just the storyline, or the fact that it's another fairy-tale retelling. No. Cress is all about the characters. Meyer weaves together a story that fleshes out every single character she creates, making us, the readers, fall in love with them completely. 

I loved our new addition to the gang, Cress. Although around half of the book centered around her, Meyer was able to somehow develop the other main characters, Captain Thorne and Cinder, even when she was limited to 550 pages. Oh, and don't forget her amazing writing, her ability to create an amazing side story out of nowhere, while weaving it perfectly into the main plotline.

It's official. Marissa Meyer is now on my list of favorite authors.

I'm really at a loss for words, because Cress is the epitome of amazing. All I can do is wait until 2015 for the next two books. 

Seriously, this review does no justice (I know), so I'll leave you with this beautiful photo of the pumpkins my friends and I carved earlier today.

I carved the cat by the way.

I hope that from this review, anyone who hasn't started the Lunar Chronicles, will start it right now.

That is all I have to say. Also, Happy Halloween everyone! I would've made it two different posts, but I'm lazy, and I also haven't gotten a book review up in a while. I don't read spooky books though, so the two are kind of unrelated (lol Cress is not spooky)