Review: From Twinkle, With Love

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 22nd, 2018
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 5/11/18 to 5/17/18
336 pages

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?

Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.

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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.

Make no mistake, I wanted to love this book so bad. Especially since I absolutely loved When Dimple Met Rishi. But this, in the end, just didn’t work out for me. And honestly, I’m 100% sure it’s a me thing.

Review: Daughter of the Siren Queen

Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
Daughter of the Pirate King #2
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: February 27th, 2018
Source: Macmillan
Date Read: 2/5/18 to 2/7/18
352 pages

Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he's under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father's justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

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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 waited a good while before actually sitting down to review this (mainly because I've been super busy), BUT ALSO because I don't even know how to review this (why am I a reviewer again?). I loved Daughter of the Pirate King. I loved Daughter of the Siren Queen, but it definitely took a different route than I expected.

Review: Tess of the Road

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House Books For Young Readers
Release Date: February 27th, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 2/1/18 to 2/6/18
544 pages

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can't make a scene at your sister's wedding and break a relative's nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy.

Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it's a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl--a subspecies of dragon--who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she's tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one.

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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 pretty mixed feelings about this book, mainly stemming from the fact that I've forgotten everything from Seraphina and Shadow Scale (whoops). Nevertheless, Tess of the Road grew on me. ALSO, THE COVER IS STUNNING.

Review: When Light Left Us

When Light Left Us by Leah Thomas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Release Date: February 13th, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 1/23/18 to 1/25/18
416 pages

When the Vasquez siblings’ father left, it seemed nothing could remedy the absence in their lives . . . until a shimmering figure named Luz appeared in the canyon behind their house.

Luz filled the void. He shot hoops with seventeen-year-old Hank’s hands. He showed fourteen-year-old Ana cinematic beauty behind her eyelids. He spoke kindly to eight-year-old Milo. But then Luz left, too, and he took something from each of them. As a new school year begins, Ana, Hank, and Milo must carry on as if an alien presence never altered them. But how can they ever feel close to other people again when Luz changed everything about how they see the world and themselves?

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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.

It's times like these where I forget HOW to review a book. And especially one like this, which borders on the line between contemporary and science fiction. Some of the reasons why I picked this up were 1) written by Leah Thomas, who also wrote Because You'll Never Meet Me and 2) it reminds me of Shaun Hutchinson's We Are the Ants, which I loved, and 3) this is totally my type of book, and I wasn't wrong about that.

Review: Reign the Earth

Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen
The Elementae #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: January 30th, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 1/16/18 to 1/18/18
448 pages

Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.

But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

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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.

The first thing I would like to point out about Reign the Earth is that it is around 450 pages. And that is fine and all, but it really needed to be a bit more enticing and thrilling than what it actually was. It honestly did not help that the night I started this book, I had a dream that completely blew the actual book out of the water.

Review: Reign of the Fallen

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Reign of the Fallen #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: January 23rd, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 1/10/18 to 1/14/18
384 pages

Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised--the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.

A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa's necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer's magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

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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 Reign of the Fallen would have flown completely under my radar if it wasn't for all the buzz surrounding Reign of the Fallen. And then it didn't occur to me until much later that this was the same author who wrote Fear the Drowning Deep (which I really enjoyed!). Unfortunately, I don't think this completely blew me away, especially since the hype definitely made me expect so much more. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this!

Review: American Panda

American Panda by Gloria Chao
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: February 6th, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 1/14/18 to 1/15/18
320 pages

At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.

With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?

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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 don't think I've ever encountered as many feelings as I did with American Panda, a highly anticipated book written by an #ownvoices Taiwanese-American author. I'm not going to lie, I don't think I got out of this unscathed. But at the same time, this book will add so much to the community.

Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 9th, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 1/4/18 to 1/6/18
400 pages

A girl who can’t speak and a boy who can’t hear go on a journey of self-discovery and find support with each other in this gripping, emotionally resonant novel from bestselling author Sara Barnard. Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Jandy Nelson.

Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen.

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life. The condition’s name has always felt ironic to her, because she certainly does not “select” not to speak. In fact, she would give anything to be able to speak as easily and often as everyone around her can. She suffers from crippling anxiety, and uncontrollably, in most situations simply can’t open her mouth to get out the words.

Steffi’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to help him acclimate. To Rhys, it doesn’t matter that Steffi doesn’t talk. As they find ways to communicate, Steffi discovers that she does have a voice, and that she’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it. But as she starts to overcome a lifelong challenge, she’ll soon confront questions about the nature of her own identity and the very essence of what it is to know another person.

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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 had quite a tough time reviewing this, as I really liked this book, yet didn’t really know what to say about it (In other words, it’s one of those). Because of that, I’ll be listing out my likes and dislikes instead of a usual written out review.

Review: Meet Cute

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined To Meet
by Jennifer L. Armentrout & various others
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 2nd, 2018
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 12/16/17 to 12/18/17
320 pages

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors.

Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants.

This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

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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.

As you may know, I recently read an anthology where the them was all love triangles, and I did not like it. Now, I’ll be featuring an anthology of the complete opposite (or at least I think it’s the complete opposite). Here’s to hoping that it is so much better than the latter!

Review: Three Sides of a Heart

Three Sides of a Heart: Stories About Love Triangles Edited by Natalie C. Parker
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: December 19th, 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 11/19/17 to 11/23/17
448 pages

You may think you know the love triangle, but you've never seen love triangles like these.

These top YA authors tackle the much-debated trope of the love triangle, and the result is sixteen fresh, diverse, and romantic stories you don’t want to miss.

This collection, edited by Natalie C. Parker, contains stories written by Renee Ahdieh, Rae Carson, Brandy Colbert, Katie Cotugno, Lamar Giles, Tessa Gratton, Bethany Hagan, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, EK Johnston, Julie Murphy, Garth Nix, Natalie C. Parker, Veronica Roth, Sabaa Tahir, and Brenna Yovanoff.

A teen girl who offers kissing lessons. Zombies in the Civil War South. The girl next door, the boy who loves her, and the girl who loves them both. Vampires at a boarding school. Three teens fighting monsters in an abandoned video rental store. Literally the last three people on the planet.

What do all these stories have in common?

The love triangle.

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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.

Seeing as this is an anthology (and the first one I’ve read in a while), I’m going to be reviewing these stories one by one, and rating them individually!

I also do want to mention that I don’t mind love triangles, but uh…my opinion might change after finishing this entire anthology? Haha. Like there are definitely well written love triangles out there, but most of them flop.

Review: Renegades Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour! I'll be reviewing Renegades today, which I absolutely enjoyed. And yes, I am siding with the Anarchists, especially since I just know my cover as "innocent" is blown at this point, thanks to my *friends* that keep pointing out my mischievous side. And you know what? I do love the Anarchists in this series, so maybe I do belong with them.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Renegades #1
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: November 7th, 2017
Source: Blog Tour
Date Read: 9/27/17 to 10/13/17
576 pages

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both

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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.

After loving the Lunar Chronicles (or most of it, seeing as I have yet to finish Winter because I don’t want it to end), it’s no surprised that I also enjoyed Renegades, Meyer’s newest release.

Renegades features superheros and supervillains, but it’s clear that at the start of this novel, the superheros have everything under control. They’re the winners, while the villains hide in an abandoned subway tunnel. At first glance, it seems like a black and white situation, because obviously heroes can do no wrong, right? Well, there’s always two sides to everything. For one, the heroes aren’t doing a very good job governing the city. Second, some of the Renegades are really vicious, and they justify their violence by saying they’re heroes.

I liked getting to know our two main characters, Nova and Adrian. Nova is an Anarchist, but the Renegades know almost nothing about her. Because of this, she becomes the perfect Renegade spy for the Anarchists. Adrian was born into the Renegades, but feels like he can do more with his powers. Plus, he is determined to find his mother’s killer, and believes that Nightmare (Nova in disguise) knows more than she lets on.

Overall, I really liked Renegades. Although the plot was slightly predictable, the world-building and character development were solid. I loved reading about each character’s abilities, especially since some of them were really unique (find cool character cards here!).

I’m very curious to see how the series will continue, especially with how this first book ended. And I seriously cannot believe that I have to wait at least a year before the next book!

MARISSA MEYER is the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles series, as well as the graphic novel Wires and Nerve: Vol. 1, and The Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book. Her first stand alone novel, Heartless, was also a #1 New York Times bestseller. She lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and their two daughters.

New York, NY – Feiwel & Friends will publish bestselling author Marissa Meyer’s Renegades on November 7, 2017, the first in a two book series about teen superheroes. With the blockbuster success of the Lunar Chronicles series and Heartless, Meyer has become one of the most sought after authors in young adult fiction. She will embark on a two-week national author tour at on-sale.

Review: Kids Like Us

Kids Like Us by Hilary Reyl
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Release Date: November 14th, 2017
Source: Macmillan
Date Read: 10/31/17 to 11/1/17
288 pages

Martin is an American teen on the autism spectrum living in France with his mom and sister for the summer. He falls for a French girl who he thinks is a real-life incarnation of a character in his favorite book. Over time Martin comes to realize she is a real person and not a character in a novel while at the same time learning that love is not out of his reach just because he is autistic.

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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.

Kids Like Us was an interesting read, but ultimately not the book for me. BUT, I still think it had an amazing message overall, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for more ASD representation (I say this but I'm not exactly sure how accurate it is).

The story revolves around Martin, who is diagnosed with autism. He’s attending a local school in rural France during the summer while his mom is directing a movie. And it just so happens that his father taught him French before he left, so Martin is able to communicate with his new friends. The problem is that he doesn’t know, or doesn’t want to believe, that his new friends only hang out with him because of the connections his mom has with all these famous people.

The thing that really stood out to me was Martin’s inability to make things his own. And he is very much obsessed with the book Search by Proust. So much so that he takes what happens in the book and “applies” it to real life. For example, he meets a girl in school, and he just cannot imagine her being anyone but a character from his book, Gillberte. And so this is a bit of a problem because she’s a real person, but Martin does not attempt to know her or even her real name. The focus of Kids Like Us is Martin’s development as the summer goes by. And the message that kids with ASD are not something to be fixed.

I really liked the overall message of this book, and Martin himself. I would say that this is a rather simple book, due to the fact that there is not much of a plot throughout. And I may have skimmed through a couple pages because of that. But nevertheless, it was still a good read.

Review: Turtles All The Way Down (And Thoughts On John Green)

WoooOOoooo. It’s a new John Green book! I mean finally, right? Well, I’ve never been one to fan over his books. But at the same time I don’t mind John Green much. And I’m not biased to rate his books highly, so hopefully you’ll get some insight from this review.

Also, I guess I was anticipating more thoughts on John Green? But I guess I don’t have any? Whoops. I mean I know my best friend absolutely loves him, but I never really interested in any of his books? The first one I read was Looking for Alaska, which I only rated 3 stars. And maybe it was just me because I wasn’t too into contemporary back then? But I for sure can say that it did not motivate me to continue reading his books. Then on the other hand, I absolutely LOVED The Fault in the Stars. I kind of sobbed through the whole thing? AND THEN THE MOVIE TOO. I remember bringing a pack of tissues into the movie theater because I knew I was just going to bawl.

A post shared by Valerie (@innocentreads) on Oct 14, 2017 at 8:49pm PDT

Seeing how much of a hit TFIOS was, I’m not at all surprised that I only liked Turtles All the Way Down. It’s true that I did enjoy it, but it just didn’t have the “umph” that it had in his last book (which yeah, I’m not surprised by at all).

On the other hand, we get to experience Aza’s mental illness firsthand, and it relates directly to the cover of the book. Her struggle with mental illness is like a never-ending, tightening spiral downwards. And even though there are times were everything is okay, sometimes it’s just not. I honestly was not expecting such a vivid experience of her mental illness, something I could very easily connect to. It’s really what made this book stand out from all the others I have read.

The plot of the story is a bit bizarre, and also takes place in the background. It starts off with Aza and Daisy wanting to claim some reward for finding a wanted man (I don’t remember exactly, I think maybe he partook in some shady dealings). Anyways, this man happens to be Davis’ father. Davis used to be friends with Aza, but they drifted apart over time. Daisy wants to use this connection to investigate, but Davis is not really onboard. He knows that everyone trying to get close to him only wants the money. Which is why right from the beginning, he hands the two of them $100k.

But Aza is like nooo, I really like you for who you are! And so, the rest of the novel focuses on the development between the two.

Overall, I really liked the book, especially how it portrayed Aza’s anxiety (although I’m not sure, it might be OCD? It wasn’t exactly labeled in the book, but I know it’s mentioned in interviews with John Green somewhere, I just don’t remember right now). But this was definitely more of a character-driven novel rather than a plot-driven one. Also, I’m not really sure how I feel about the conclusion? I almost felt like it just…ended. I guess that does reflect real life, I suppose.

In the end, I’m glad I read it and enjoyed it. It did provide a very unique perspective on mental illness.

Review: Among The Red Stars

Among The Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 9/19/17 to 9/23/17
384 pages

World War Two has shattered Valka’s homeland of Russia, and Valka is determined to help the effort. She knows her skills as a pilot rival the best of the men, so when an all-female aviation group forms, Valka is the first to sign up.

Flying has always meant freedom and exhilaration for Valka, but dropping bombs on German soldiers from a fragile canvas biplane is no joyride. The war is taking its toll on everyone, including the boy Valka grew up with, who is fighting for his life on the front lines.

As the war intensifies and those around her fall, Valka must decide how much she is willing to risk to defend the skies she once called home.

Inspired by the true story of the airwomen the Nazis called Night Witches, Gwen C. Katz weaves a tale of strength and sacrifice, learning to fight for yourself, and the perils of a world at war.

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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.

As we all know (and as I repeat myself for the fifth time), I love reading World War II fiction. It is one of my go-to genres (despite current events). Therefore, it’s no surprise that I read and enjoyed Among the Red Stars.

First off, the story very much reminded me of Code Name Verity. There's a heavy focus on planes, including some technical jargon. But I could overlook this as the characters were very well developed. The story starts out with Valka and her cousin, Iskra, both wanting to join the war effort as fighter pilots. But it isn’t until later in the war when they get accepted into female fighter and bomber regiments. This means leaving home and also Pasha, Valka’s childhood friend.

Most of the book details the training that the women do, alongside their peers. I won’t lie and say there isn’t sexism in the book, because of course there is. The male commanding officers look down on the female fighter pilots, and refuse to give them access to better equipment. Little do they know that they work three times as hard as the men do. And these women are badass. They are literally flying planes at night, with low visibility, cutting off their engines to avoid being detected, and risking their lives flying 3 to 4 missions a night.

At the same time, Valka really misses Pasha. Unfortunately, Pasha was recruited to fight at the front lines. I do want to mention that it’s not until he gets into some serious trouble does the plot actually reveal itself. But on the other hand, this focuses much more on the characters themselves rather than an action packed plot.

One of the things I didn’t like about the story is that there were many, many alternating letters between Valka and Pasha. I didn’t mind at first, but over time it really did add up. Nevertheless, the story itself is packed full of emotion. I definitely teared up a bit when I heard about the fates of some of the characters.

Again I really love World War II books, and this wasn't an exception. I'm really glad I got to learn more about the Night Witches, because I hadn’t really heard much about them until this book. I just think that this topic is so cool, and it’s always fun to read about badass female pilots (based on REAL people!) dropping bombs on Nazis, and killing them. So yes, highly recommend this! But just don't expect your faves to get out unscathed.

Review: Dare Mighty Things

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 10th, 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 9/17/17
384 pages

THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: You must be gifted. You must be younger than twenty-five. You must be willing to accept the dangers that you will face if you win.

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Gupta’s entire life has been leading up to this—the opportunity to travel to space. But to secure a spot on this classified mission, she must first compete against the best and brightest people on the planet. People who are as determined as she to win a place on a journey to the farthest reaches of the universe.

Cassie is ready for the toll that the competition will take; the rigorous mental and physical tests designed to push her to the brink of her endurance. But nothing could have prepared her for the bonds she would form with the very people she hopes to beat. Or that with each passing day it would be more and more difficult to ignore the feeling that the true objective of the mission is being kept from her.

As the days until the launch tick down and the stakes rise higher than ever before, only one thing is clear to Cassie: she’ll never back down . . . even if it costs her everything.

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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 going to be honest I have no idea where to start with Dare Mighty things. I read this book in one day, (and it wasn't even one day it was more like one night) and I ended up staying up until 1 am or so. All in all, this was a pretty good book even though I knew that it wasn't going to be taking place in space just yet. (Because I love all things space).

Why does this not take in space, you ask? Well it’s because the main character, Cassie, is competing for a spot on a spaceship, by performing all these mental and physical tests. This is such a big deal since a trip into space hasn’t been funded in years, maybe even decades. And Cassie is going against a bunch of other 18 to early 20 year olds, so the competition is intense. Even after the first “trial”, more than 50 competitors dropped out, leaving only a handful behind.

The majority of the novel focuses on the number of tasks Cassie and her newfound friends go through. And although the blurb mentions genetically engineering, this didn’t end up being the focus of the book. Some but not all of the competitors were genetically altered.

Either way, I liked how the competition was drawn out. I loved Cassie’s friend group, and her relationships with all of them. Even though they were supposed to be competing against each other, teamwork and support was equally rewarded for during the challenges. Also, can we just talk about how driven and ambitious Cassie was? She’s kind of the person I strive to be (even though I’m a bum sometimes. It’s easier said than done, ok?). AND the book tackled the issues of unequal standings due to gender, and how the bar for women & POC is set so high compared to white males. And don’t forget that she’s Indian-American, and apparently asexual!

And then, there’s the “love interest”, Luka. Well who I assume to be the love interest. Every time I’m reminded of Luka, I’m just reminded of the ending. And yes, I’m going to say it, it’s…random…and…stupid. And uh, I don’t even know what to say about it? Which is why I’ll just shout out all my feelings in this spoiler section.

SPOILER (highlight to read):

Luka turns out to be an alien from outer space, and he and his family basically dragged Cassie, the crew, and their spaceship from Earth to a completely different galaxy. The initial plan was to explore this new galaxy and establish some sort of colony, but nope, this galaxy is not only inhabited, but also completely destroyed. Really reminds you a lot of what happened in my favorite video game, Mass Effect Andromeda.

But I mean other than that ending, I didn't really have anything else against this book. I mean yes, I admit the book was pretty predictable at times, and I do wish that there was just more done in space in general, but I think what really affected my rating the most was the really random ending. Which I'm assuming we'll find out more about in the sequel. But either way, I did enjoy the novel and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel at some point.

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: 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: Wild Beauty

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017
Source: Macmillan
Date Read: 8/16/17 to 8/22/17
320 pages

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

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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 finished! My thoughts! Well. I didn’t really think of any while I was reading. Which sometimes happens when I’m into a book and its characters. For one, I don’t think I could adequately describe the plot of this book, except flowers, and a strange boy, and a family full of women, who can magically grow the flowers.

Oh, and they can’t leave their home, La Pradera, for fear of being branded witches. And for the fact that their flower magic goes completely out of control.

Before I say anything else, you should read this book if you love elegant writing. I literally can flip to any random page and I’ll find something like this:


“…the ground was whispering, the grass and the flower beds giving up strange things Estrella could not name.”

or

“Their mothers did not notice the other moments that made color bloom in their daughters’ cheeks.”

or

“She imagined pressing her lips to Bay’s so lightly the wind would find its way between them.”

As you can see, it’s extremely well-written. And, the writing is really flowery, literally and figuratively.

I also did enjoy reading about the characters, but I didn’t really have many feelings. It didn’t help that it was hard to differentiate between all the characters introduced. Also, the plot didn’t pick up until the second half of the book, so I ended up being quite bored until then. These reasons are partially why I have no words for this review.

Other cool things I liked about this book:

• It’s beautifully written. I wish I could write like that.

• All of the daughters have a secret crush on Bay, who’s a girl. And there is no backlash at all whatsoever.

• The culture. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to what I have been reading recently, in regards to the fantasy genre.

• SO MUCH FOOD. AND DESCRIPTIONS OF FOOD. Most of it was in Spanish though, so I can’t even repeat it here because I have 0 experience with Spanish and remember nothing.

• And of course, all the flowers. Can’t forget those. This is magical realism at its finest (unless I'm wrong and I'm getting the genre wrong). 

• I say I was bored with the first half of the plot, but it did pick up and I like where it went! Also conveys a really deep message that is pretty relevant to current and social issues.

But yes, don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy this a lot. 4 stars in fact! I just don’t have much to say about the characters and the plot unfortunately.

Review: Ramona Blue

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: May 9th, 2017
Source: ALA Midwinter 2017
Date Read: 8/12/17 to 8/15/17
432 pages

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.

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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.

Man, I have such mixed feelings about this book. Really mixed feelings. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to accurately express myself in this review, but I’ll try my best.

Also, there may be spoilers, so read at your own discretion.

A couple of months before the release of Ramona Blue, there was controversy centering around the blurb, which has since been changed. Long story short, some people were upset about the main character, a lesbian who discovers that she likes a boy.

I think those feelings are very valid, especially in a time like now. On the other hand, sexuality can be fluid. I personally view sexuality as fluid, as people can change. Having a label, and expecting to stick to it, puts a ton of pressure on that individual. Especially when you’re trying to avoid the whole “told you you weren’t X”.

Obviously some people love labels, and it works for them. And that’s totally fine, I have nothing against that.

But just a heads up, Ramona Blue leans towards being sexually fluid (at least I would say? More on that later). Which is why the main character’s sexuality is never labeled as being bisexual in the end.

But first, let me get to the parts that I liked about the novel:

• Swimming. Automatically a win right there.

• The fact that Ramona and her family are economically diverse, if that’s the right word. They aren’t rich, and even since Hurricane Katrina, they have been barely managing. But they make it worse. A big part of the plot is driven by Ramona’s sister, Hattie, and her pregnancy. (And that deadbeat boyfriend Tyler, who I HATE. Or hated I suppose. Just kidding, I still hate him)

• Freddie. He is cool. And he also swims. And he does really have a great, adorable relationship with Ramona. Oh, and I also loved his grandparents, Agnes and Bart (step-grandparent?). Mostly Agnes though. They are so supportive towards him AND Ramona’s family.
  
  

• Basically, every character is multi-dimensional and fully developed.

BUT HERE COMES MY MIXED FEELINGS. Not because the representation was portrayed inaccurately, but rather because of how accurate it was. The remarks from Ramona’s family and friends weren’t exactly enjoyable, obviously. It reminded me of another book, Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, which didn’t sit well with me.

 This was why, at times, I ended up skimming parts of the novel. For example, when Ramona’s mom kept putting pressure on Ramona with the “I told you it was just a phase” mindset. I felt sad at this point, because these expectations hold people back, as they don’t want to prove their parents or their peers “right”. Which, I get, happens in real life. It just sucks.

Also, Ramona’s friends (mainly Ruth) were upset that Ramona liked Freddie, a boy. Their thought process was that liking both girls and guys took away from her identity as Ramona, the girl with the blue hair. Even though it…doesn’t. The thing about this was that Ramona never really stood up for herself in front of her friends (Ruth, really), so this thought is never challenged. In the end, they kind of accept Ramona liking Freddie. But kind of? Like more of “this is a one-time thing that will happen, I guess” And it seemed like Ramona also believed it was a one-time thing? At least it seemed that way to me.

I could be reading that wrong though. Lastly, I was slightly surprised that Ramona is never labeled as bisexual, as this book was often marketed as having a bisexual main character. She even admits that she’s still trying to figure it out and doesn’t know what to identify as, which is totally fine, don’t get me wrong! (Which is why I viewed her as being sexually fluid, but obviously other readers can think differently) I think I was just misled as to what I would be reading about. Like, seriously misled. It happens.

All in all, I did like Ramona Blue, even though I was cursing out the book every couple pages or so. It’s a book that will leave you with a lot of feelings, as you can see from this review. And ultimately, this just didn’t end up being the book I thought it was going to be.