Review: Illuminae

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 599
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads is illuminating): This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

My Thoughts: It took me a long time to read this novel. I'm not sure why. Kristen kept ranting about how great it was. They are like...crazy though, so I try not to listen to anything they say ever. In this case, they were...I can't say right but I will say they weren't exactly wrong. This book was fantastic! Okay, actually this book was terrifying. It was the scariest thing I've ever read. I can't even tell you. I'm trying, I swear. Basically, this AI and the disease...it's all the scariest thing ever. It's the worst. By worst, I mean the best. 

I thought that the format of the book would make me hate it. The typography was pretty weird. Yet, it was also perfect. With any other book it wouldn't have worked but it worked. The images gave it a personality, which is ironic in this case because of the crazy computer. 

The only problem I really had with this novel was that you get so little description of setting and the characters. You really get thrown into the action and don't get the time or place described to you so you are left wondering what the hell is happening. I wish I would have gotten a little bit more information. I'm not sure how it would have been written into the story as it was but it might have helped a little bit. Luckily, after a little while it didn't matter. I caught up enough. Some more description might have also made me care about the characters earlier in the story.

I'm sorry this review is poopy. I tried, I swear. It's just good. That's all I can say. You have to give it a chance.

Basically, this novel is fantastic and beautiful and written in such a cool way that you should run to pick it up right this moment. Do it before the crazy computer makes you. 

This review took me forever to write and that makes me very sad because this novel really is fantastic and you should check it out but don't read it before bed because it's actually scary.

Review: Just One Day and Just One Year

I'm going to have a two for one special today on review. Let's take a look at the Just One Day series!





Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Gayle Forman
Format: Paperback
Pages: 369 and 336
Ratings for each 
(Just One Day): 8 out of 10
(Just One Year): 8 out of 10


Summary (For Just One Day): Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.

The first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved this series. I loved being able to travel (in my mind sadly) back to places that I had been in real life (that Europe trip was totally worth it). It was incredible to see those places again but through somebody else's eyes. I was interested in the idea that a girl who never did anything could strike out on her own and do something wild. I was fascinated by Allyson and the interesting people she met along the way.

I was very passionate about Allyson's mother...as in, I really hated Allyson's mother. I didn't think that a book would be able to make my hate anybody or anything as much as this book did. I didn't think that she had any right to treat her daughter the way she did. I actually swore at her out loud (of course, this drew a lot of attention so I really worked hard to repress the desire). My mom, while reading this series, felt the same way. She used it as a reason why she was a good mother, if that convinces you to read this at all...

I enjoyed the strange characters in the diner and at the school. I think the variety of people in the world was really captured in this story. It made for many interesting scenarios. Also, her grandmother is hilarious. 

I think that I might have enjoyed Just One Year a little bit more. I was already in love with the characters and I was dying to know what happened to Willem. Even when my mom was reading Just One Day she kept asking about him. The audience really needed the second in order to understand how we felt about him. It may have changed your perspective a little bit. It was a great book too. If you read or have read Just One Day, you really need to read Just One Year. It's important to get the whole picture.

Both Just One Day and Just One Year are full of wild adventures and moments that capture your heart. The characters are funny and hold nothing back. You will be happy with Allyson and you will be sad with her too. You will find yourself wanting to do something crazy, to travel the world, to try something new. I already suffered from all of these sad conditions and these books just made it all worse...but a good idea of worse. I mean, if Allyson can do all that she did, you can sign up for that race or say hi to someone new or apply for that job, whatever it was. Maybe I'm making up inspiration where it doesn't exist but I guess you will just have to read the series and find out if I'm crazy or not. 

So, basically, I think that if you like love stories, adventure stories, or stories that you can relate to than you should read this series. You will cheer on the characters and groan at their embarrassing moments but you will want to be right there in the action with them. I related to this series, especially Just One Day, too much. I already want to reread them.

Review: Mystic City

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Theo Lawrence
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 397
Rating: 5 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads rules): Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud - and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths.

But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place.

Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection - and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city - including herself.

What I Think: This book was given a five out of 10 because it was pretty convenient and predictable. There weren't too many surprises in this one. I figured the plot out almost right away. It was a very basic young adult novel. Hero girl, hero guy. Falling in love. You know how it goes. I would say that it firmly belongs in the YA section due to its ease of reading and language. It was well written but didn't make me think about anything at all. I wasn't considering the schemes or the characters. I didn't have to read deeper into any of the conversations or anything like that.

That said, I thought this novel was a decent one. I enjoyed reading it and there were a lot of cute moments in it. I struggled with my anger over what was happening to this girl and the situation she was in but I didn't relate very well to her. It claims to be a Romeo and Juliette novel but that is a very superficial description since she is forced into that role and it has nothing to do with her choice. So don't pick up this novel because of that description (and don't get me started on how wrong Romeo and Juliette "romances" are, okay, because they are always a disaster...PEOPLE DIED, OKAY?! Sorry...it makes me mad). 

It was interesting enough. It was a fast enough read. It was just unique enough. It was just enough. Not outstanding, not horrible. I enjoyed it and would consider finishing the series but I'm not going to put this on the top of the reread pile. If you really enjoy YA than you will enjoy this book but I can see you it could be too young for many readers.

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Stephanie Perkins 
Pages: 338
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 7 out of 10 

Summary (you rock my world, Goodreads): Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 

My Thoughts: So, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written a review and I’m not even sure how to start it right now. Awkward. How’ve you been? Good? Glad to hear it.

I read Anna and the French Kiss back when it still had the pastel cover with the people on it, and I absolutely looooved it. That love, my friends, stems from one Etienne St. Clair; the amazing specimen that is the American boy with the British accent and the French name all wrapped up in a very respectable 5 foot 4 frame. He was hilarious, and swoon-y and everything that a girl looks for when choosing a fictional boyfriend. I mean, he makes the list with Peeta Mellark and Prince Eric, need I say more? Now, the reason that I’m talking about this is because I think a lot of the magic of the first book was wrapped up in Etienne. And Paris. Let’s not forget Paris.

Did I like Lola and the Boy Next Door? I did. Did I love Lola and the Boy Next Door? No, I definitely didn’t love it. A lot of my not-loving feelings toward it is because I didn’t click with the characters. I didn’t really understand Lola or why she was acting the way she was half the time (especially with the weird older boyfriend who I hated so much I’ve promptly forgotten his name). But, she was eccentric and herself, and I kind of loved that about her. She was unapologetic (most the time) and wild and very much a teen. I still don’t know how I felt about Cricket. He was just kind of there? I don’t know, there was a lot of pining and a lot of miscommunication and if they would have just talked to each other and sorted things out when they first ran into each other, the novel wouldn’t be necessary. I hate it when that happens. Miscommunication is one of my biggest pet peeves.

The writing was fantastic; it was simple and elegant and easy to follow. I picked this book up and finished it in the same sitting, and immediately dived into Isla, so I clearly like the series. It’s just not my absolute favourite. That place is saved for Etienne.

 Final Thoughts: If you're in the mood for contemporary, look no further. Stephanie Perkins is the queen of contemporary. 

Review: Kalahari (Corpus #3)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Jessica Khoury
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Rating: 6 out of 10

Summary (Thanks, Goodreads): Deep in the Kalahari Desert, a Corpus lab protects a dangerous secret…
But what happens when that secret takes on a life of its own?
 
When an educational safari goes wrong, five teens find themselves stranded in the Kalahari Desert without a guide. It’s up to Sarah, the daughter of zoologists, to keep them alive and lead them to safety, calling on survival know-how from years of growing up in remote and exotic locales. Battling dehydration, starvation and the pangs of first love, she does her best to hold it together, even as their circumstances grow increasingly desperate.
 
But soon a terrifying encounter makes Sarah question everything she’s ever known about the natural world. A silver lion, as though made of mercury, makes a vicious, unprovoked attack on the group. After a narrow escape, they uncover the chilling truth behind the lion’s silver sheen: a highly contagious and deadly virus that threatens to ravage the entire area—and eliminate life as they know it.
 
In this breathtaking new novel by the acclaimed author of Origin and Vitro, Sarah and the others must not only outrun the virus, but its creators, who will stop at nothing to wipe every trace of it.

My Thoughts: Side note: this is the third in a series but the other novels only provide basic background information. They aren't actually important to this novel at all. New characters, new plot, new location. I'm assuming that eventually all the novels will tie together but it wasn't an issue here.

ANYWAY, this novel was full of twists and turns. Surprises were around every corner. The beginning worried me because I wasn't sure that I could get into a novel that was full of whiney teenagers (I didn't read the summary before I began, to be honest with you; I just like the author) but it turned out to be fine. The various characters ended up rounding out the novel very well. The cast was necessary for all the twists and turns, for the excitement. I thought that they oddly worked well together and they seemed like real people in many ways. Their priorities were a little messed up, even for spoiled rich kids, but it was fine, I suppose.

I was a little disappointed in the major "plot twist" that was built up to be much larger than it actually was. Even so, I wanted the kids to survive, to make it through. I thought that Sarah was a genius and was constantly impressed with the survival skills. Obviously she had to have some but I am a city kid and know nothing of surviving in the wilderness (not that I want to after reading this novel). I lived a unique life through the reading of this novel.

The bad guys were an interesting sort. It was further away from the corporation that the rest of the series was but that was okay. The bad guys were still bad enough and you didn't know enough about them to think you had everything figured out. I believed that they were horrible people that would do whatever it took. 

Basically, the survival skills taught you something and that plot was kept busy and moving at a fast pace with enough near misses and character development to keep everyone happy. I enjoyed this novel quite a lot. I almost wish that it was a little bit longer. Check it out.

Review: The Killing Woods

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Lucy Christopher
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads kills me): Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd's dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl's broken body. "Gone," he says, then retreats into silence.

What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent -- isn't he? Before he's convicted, she's got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee's charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her -- the kinds of games that can kill?

My Thoughts: Look, it's a book with another beautiful cover. 

I read Stolen a very long time ago but I loved it. Nothing in it was quite how it seemed and it was impossible to guess what would happen next. This book was similar in that way. I found myself surprised frequently. How the characters were feeling was so believable (okay, the romance stuff was a little strange but when is it not, right?). They were having a melt down right in front of me. It was the kind of melt down that friends watch and don't know what to do to fix, that affects everyone around you. It was perfect because that's exactly what this novel needed for me to believe it. I could believe that horrible things happened in the woods and that people would avoid someone whose father probably committed a murder. It was the psychologist stuff that made this novel what it was. It was marvellous.

Of course, that said, teenagers are stupid sometimes. Yes, let's go wandering in the woods with people we barely know or worse, alone. Let's just run off on your own and do stupid things while you are clearly unstable. Let's antagonize people that clearly hate you. Sure, it all needed to happen to get to the end but a few times I felt like I was in the audience of a horror movie, yelling at the screen and blood girl #6 to stop going up the stairs while when the crazy neighbour keeps calling the house and hanging up. No, you shouldn't run into the garage with all the chainsaws. Yes, it's a fantastic idea to let your phone die on Friday the 13th, while you are home alone but supposed to be out of town in the middle of the storm of the century. What is wrong with you people? 

...On another note, although I understood why it was important to the story, alternating points of view have to be done very carefully. At times, I thought that it was too heavy on one side of the story while the other was just being used to move forward. Yes, sometimes a character needs help figuring things out but would these characters have interacted as much as they did? I doubt it. I would have stayed the hell away from them, but that's me. I did enjoy watching them both fall apart and watching both of them ask questions, however.

So, I thought that this novel was really great. It's creepy and a good mystery. I enjoyed watching the characters fall to pieces but was mad at many of their decisions. This was a very easy to read story that had you rushing to figure out what happened. I needed to know how it would end. I was more than satisfied with how it ended. This novel was very well done.

Review: Dreamtreaders

Review: Kelsey
Author: Wayne Thomas Batson
Format: Paperback
Pages: 289
Rating: 5 out of 10

Summary (I dream of Goodreads): People are fascinated by dreams, and the Bible has a great deal to say about them. From Jacob s dream of the heavenly stairway in Genesis 28 to angels visiting Joseph during dreams in Matthew 1 to the Apostle John s waking dream from which he obtained the book of Revelation dreams have been powerful ingredients of God s plan as revealed through Scripture.

Fourteen-year-old Archer Keaton discovers he has the ability to enter and explore his dreams. He is adreamtreader, one of three selected from each generation. Their mission: to protect the waking world from the Nightmare Lord, who wreaks chaos in the Dream World. But as Archer s dreams become more dangerous and threatening, so too does his waking life.

Rigby Thames, the new kid from England, builds a suspicious rock star-like following at Dresden High School a little too quickly. Even Archer s best friend and confidant, Kara Windchil, seems taken in by the cool guy with the wild blond hair, which definitely rubs Archer the wrong way. Archer must face two foes in two worlds, but he cannot succeed alone. Archer sets off to find other dreamtreaders in a desperate attempt to defeat the enemy terrorizing his friends and family.

My Thoughts: First of all, the cover of this novel is totally magnificent. The colours are wonderful and the birds are reflected inside the book as well. The tagline is a little simple sounding but easily overlooked. It's great...except for this name because my brain has a hard time understanding the word "treader" and also I can't figure out if it's supposed to be one word or two (Thanks for nothing Goodreads...) but, alas, it is what it is.

From great cover to not so great dialogue. The dialogue in the novel seemed a little off. Nothing was said quite how it should have sounded coming from the characters that were speaking. The inflection was also a little strange. It just sounded not right. It couldn't have been spoken by a real person. This kind of thing bothers me because pretty much everybody speaks so people should understand how regular people sound, right? The language being off made the novel seem much more middle school than it could have been (not that there is anything wrong with middle school aged novels, they just really aren't my thing). It was just too young for me, I guess.

There was also very little explanation of things. The reader was thrown into a very interesting world. This novel had a fantastic and imaginative concept but it lacked follow through. The missing explanations made the story feel rushed and cramped. It could have been longer and the extra pages would have helped a lot. It would have seemed more realistic. It would have been much easier to follow. It would have pulled the reader in more. It would have built up more suspense. It would have made me care about the characters. It would have made me care about the issues the world was facing. It would have done so much but it wasn't there and I missed it a lot.

I mean, the characters were sufficient but could have been so much more. The world story could have been more.

Basically, it wasn't enough for me. It was too young and too fast (not in a good way). I expected and needed more to fully immerse myself in the story. With what I was given,  I just couldn't get into it. I won't be reading the next book but I think I will keep this pretty cover on my shelf.

Review: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)

Reviewer: Kristen

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 340

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Summary (This Christmas, I am thankful for Goodreads): Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

My Thoughts: This is my second time reading this. I read it a long time ago, before there was any sequels and I forgot about it. I didn't realize that there were any sequels to the series until I walked into the book store and saw the beautiful new covers. And then, I saw them on BookOutlet, and that was my sign. I bought all of them, and dove right into the series. Apparently, I had forgotten everything that had happened. That's good though, it's almost like a clean slate. 

The writing took me a little while to get used to. It was different, but it was actually crucial to the story because it added so much to Juliette's character and it gave the reader such an insight into her life. Her mental state came through, we saw some of her deepest darkest secrets and fears, and had it not been written in the way it was, the story wouldn't have been nearly as powerful as it was. 

The story follows Juliette as she tries to navigate a world that has literally thrown her into a mental hospital for being born with powers that pose a threat to the new and remarkably corrupt government. I know, I know, it sounds like your typical young adult dystopian novel, but trust me. It is nothing like I have ever read. 

I binge read the crap out of this series, so I'm going to stop this review here. This was my least favourite book in the series, and yet I still really enjoyed it. 

Final Thoughts: Read it, internet friends!

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Sarah J Maas
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads, I'd save you in the apocalypse): When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!
My Thoughts: So, I love Throne of Glass something fierce. I love Sarah J Maas something fierce. I didn't think that my heart had anymore room for a fierce book love. I was wrong. I was so very wrong. This book is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, and that is literally one of my favourite fairy tales. Hello, the beast gives her a library. The world building in this novel is unlike anything I've ever read, and the characters are so kickass and loveable and fantastic that I just want to know on earth Sarah J Maas makes me feel literally all the things about all the characters.

I love Feyre, even though her name often times makes me want to bash my head against the wall. I KNOW HOW TO SAY IT BUT I NEVER SAY IT RIGHT. Same with Rhysand. Tamlin I got down though brother. Also, I'd totally get down with Tamlin... wait what? I'm torn because I think that I know where this series is headed and I don't know what to think or expect. Well, I know to expect that Sarah J Maas is going to throw us through a loop and make us regret all of the feelings we feel. She's good at that. Seriously, one of my favourite authors ever.

Also, can I get myself a Lucien? I'd like one.

Final Thoughts: This book has firmly planted Sarah J Maas into my auto-buy author list. She is fantastic and she is the queen of mortal and immortals alike.

Review: An Ember in the Ashes

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 446
Rating: 7 out of 10

Summary: Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

My Ponderings: This novel was not what I expected. Laia does so many things that you would not think she could or would after first meeting her. 

[Moment of honesty for the day: I don't remember much about this novel. I promise that I really am working on getting better at reviewing right away. I am. I swear, everyone, I swear.]

Recap what I remember? Elias made some stupid choices when he could have done better at keeping himself secret. He should have just shut up and he would have been fine. Laia made as many stupid choices. Stupid risks all around. 

Can I cut to the chase? Okay, this was a very good book and I didn't see a lot of stuff coming. Looking back I thought their choices were stupid but in the moment I could see where they were coming from. Elias was a unique character and Laia's love of family was admirable. The world this was set in was interesting and different enough to be a change of pace. I liked this novel and would read it again. I think that it would be better the second time, actually. I think that you would understand a lot of foreshadowing and would be better able to understand the characters.

Basically: I think that if you like adventure or solider stories than this is a pretty good one for you. It's good, I swear (even if I mostly forget what happened in it...)

Review: Fangirl

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 445
Rating: 7.5 out of 10 (1.5 of that is just for Levi, to be clear.)

Summary (I'm a fan of Goodreads): Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Thoughts: Kristen really loved this book from what I remember. I liked it but it wasn't my favourite ever. The main reason so this is that I never got into the fan fiction parts  of the novel. That meant that I found myself skipping entire sections of the novel and that made me sad. I still couldn't make myself read it. I didn't feel like I was missing out exactly but one shouldn't really feel the need to skip large portions of a novel, right? Also, I was mad at the resolution of her lack of interest in working on her school assignment.

Why did I like the novel? Well, Levi. Levi was pretty great. Sure, he made mistakes; he's human. I loved the sass and the sarcasm and the quick wit. I loved that he was kind and willing to do anything to help people out. I loved that he lives such a different life than the one I do so his life experiences were all new to me. I also loved that he needed help. He enjoyed making other people happy and was comfortable around basically everyone, which I envy. He was just fantastic and I want one right now. 

Cath? Cath was alright. I could relate to a lot of what she felt. I like reading novels with characters who write because I enjoy that. Right away I have something to bond with them over. I also really felt for her and her family situation. 

But, honestly, I wish it hadn't been fan fiction. I couldn't care less about the fan fiction. 

Even so...it was a good book. Easy. Ends happy. I don't know. Check it out.

Review: Between Shades of Gray

Reviewer: Kristen

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Pages: 344

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (via Goodreads): Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

My Thoughts: I am going to keep this brief because I don't think that I can do it justice, and I also read this in February, and it is now November. This book threw me through the ringer. It devastated me, it informed me and it made me question a whole lot of things on a whole bunch of topics that I admittingly know next to nothing about. This book was written beautifully, and once I started it I couldn't put it down. Don't let that fool you though, because it is still absolutely heartbreaking. The struggles that the main characters faced are unparalleled to anything I can think of, and I'm shocked I didn't know more about the events that happened. Even if you're not into historical fiction, I urge to give this one a chance anyway. It's made me want to get to know more about the events that took place. Lina was the perfect narrator for this story, because she had you hoping or despairing or crying or laughing right along with her. She offered an insight into the world that is hard to achieve, and I cannot recommend this book enough. 

Final Thoughts: There's not much insight I can shed that hasn't already been spoken about in regards to this book, but I hope that I've somehow managed to convince to pick it up and give it a try. It taught me about a world I was completely oblivious to in an amazing way. 

Review: Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Robin LaFevers
Format: ARC
Pages: 444
Rating: 9 out of 10

**This is the third in this series. The review for Grave Mercy is HERE but I don't think this is too spoilery**

Summary (Bless Goodreads heart): Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has...

My Thoughts: I won this novel from the love of my life, Goodreads. 

I really enjoyed this novel. I think that it might have been better than the first (I haven't read the second but I have it). I love the time period it's set in. It affects everything about the novel, especially in this one, I think. 

The characters are great because they don't take anything from anyone. I fell in love with this characteristic in Grave Mercy and it seems to have been something the author continued on with. And I felt bad for Annith. All she wanted was to serve the person she joined the convent for and they wouldn't let her. All she wanted to be was who they made her to be. She was the most loyal of all the girls in that place. 

I knew what was up one of the characters before anything happened with them but that didn't make it any less important when it happened. Guessing didn't make me sad because it was so well-written that it didn't matter. 

I think the ending was sufficient but I'm not so sure that immortal characters would react in the ways that we write them. 

My favourite thing about this novel is that it's the kind of novel that puts you in another place with a bunch of people that you feel like you know. You go on an adventure that you could never go on otherwise (not that I would necessarily want to) and you get to experience a million things that will never happen to you (in most cases, it's a good thing). It's just so outside your experiences that you learn something else about the world and you get to be somebody and something else. This is the kind of book everyone means when they say that reading means living a thousand different lives because you get to be something new when you read it. I love that this book, this series, had the ability to make me feel strong and smart and like I can do anything (not unlike Black Widow, I won't lie to you). I think that we need more books like this one. They are the best kinds of books.

So: If you are into that adventure/action thing and are looking for a good series, you can kind some kickass female leads in this series. They are strong and do what needs doing. I like that these books can be read together or apart. Check it out.

Review: Red Queen

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Pages: 338
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads, I love you): The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

My Thoughts: I really need to stop being skeptical about hype surrounding young adult books, especially fantasy books, because without fail, I always end up loving them, and Red Queen was no exception. I loved the world that Victoria Aveyard created, because it was the perfect dystopian setting without being ridiculous or over the top or unbelievable. Everything that happened felt like it  could happen, which isn't even when you're playing with fantastical ideas and characters. 

Maven was definitely a character that I didn't see coming. I didn't expect to root for him even after that huge reveal about him. But, despite that, I'm actually looking forward to what he does next and how it affects Mare and everything that is going on around her. I'm not sure what I think about Cal. If you've read Throne of Glass, he kind of reminds me of Chaol, and I've got some seriously mixed feelings about the both of them. I'm thinkin I'll need to spend some more time with Cal in the next instalment before I decide what to think about him. 

But Mare. I love Mare. Seriously. She is fantastic, and quick, and smart, and extremely capable and she is going to change the game, I just know it. She is a game changer, and she is giving the palace a run for it's money. I'm super excited to see what happens next, because her character could go in either direction. I'm super excited to see where Aveyard takes the rest of  the series because I love literally every character that she introduced.  

Also, how amazeballs is that cover?!

Final Thoughts: If you are a lover of all things young adult and dystopian, this is the perfect novel for you. I cannot wait for The Glass Sword next year!