City of Bones

Synopsis:

When Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder. Much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with odd markings. This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, Warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons - and keeping the odd werewolves and vampires in line. It's also her first meeting with gorgeous, golden-haired Jace. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in an ordinary mundane like Clary? And how did she suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Title: City Of Bones Series: The Mortal Instruments Author: Cassandra Clare ISBN: 1416914285 (ISBN13: 9781416914280) Pages:  485 pages (Paperback) Published:   March 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry Books (first published May 27th 2007) Characters:  Alexander "Alec" Lightwood, Jonathan "Jace" Wayland, Valentine Morgenstern, Isabelle "Izzy" Sophia Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Jocelyn Fray, Luke Garroway, Clarissa "Clary" Fray, Simon Lewis Setting: New York City, New York, 2007 (United States) Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Paranormal

The very first thing that I would like to talk about in this review is the diversity that the author had installed in this novel. I loved how Cassandra Clare had represented a gay character in this novel because to me, I feel like there were not much representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in YA novels and the fact that the author had laid the community in this novel was just fantastic! Therefore, I liked the diverse cast of characters in this book!

Moving on, I would like to discuss on the relationship that Cassie had deposited in this novel. The relationships between the characters were very unique and magical that I thought it was a great experience to have with the casts in this book because everything was not one-dimensional but complex and hard to guess (Does it make sense? I hope so) that I just really relished on how beautiful the experience that I had with this book was. Thus, I enjoyed the relationships that the author had dropped into this book.

Furthermore, we have the pacing that I would like to rattle on in this book review. I would not say that the pacing of this novel is fast or anything because it literally took me two weeks to finish this book due to the level of hardness at the beginning of the novel which I will talk more about later on in the review. However, as I had gotten past the first 150 pages of explanation and the ‘Wikipedia’ of the world, I was immediately sucked back into the story and the pages flew by so quickly that I had a hard time knowing that I actually reached the certain page count. Thus, I did not enjoy the pacing for the beginning of the novel but overall, I thought the pacing was pretty good!

Moreover, we have the beginning and the ending of the novel that I have to converse on in this review. The beginning which I will be conversing on first was filled with world-building and although I enjoyed how well the author had built the world, I could not help but feel how aridity and anti-climatic the beginning was. It was not that the world was not interesting, it was just that the author had included too much of information that resulted in information overload. Plus, nothing really happened in the beginning except for the planning that the characters’ had to bring Clary’s mother back. Thus, I kind of hated the beginning of the book.

In addition, the ending which was non-identical to the beginning of the novel was juicy, action-packed and overall frustrating (in a good way). The ending of the novel clutched on my heart, burned it to the ground and put it back into my chest again with no remorse except for the blisters on it that will never be healed ever again. Sorry for being so dramatic but I really loved the ending for this novel and because of that, I have decided to read book 2: City Of Ashes!

Into the bargain, we have the world-building and atmosphere of this novel that I have to include in this review! The world-building, just like what I have said earlier, was great and it enhanced the reading experience for us, readers. However, the author had included too much of the functions of the world in the beginning that I really found it to be an extremely hard segment to get through. In addition, the atmosphere for this book was exceptionally good because it increased my heart rate as the scenes had gotten intense and while I was reading this book, I can feel the chemicals that were working hard and revolving much around my brain. Plus, when the story came to a closure and the plot twists damaged my brain temporarily, I felt so drowsy that I had to read the next book almost immediately. Thus, I liked the world-building but not that much and I loved the atmospheres that were gyrating around this novel.

Cassandra Clare’s style of writing in this novel was not the best writing style out there- in the literature world, but I did really enjoy how she held onto some interesting words and made them lively. So, here goes the review of the writing style in this book!

The writing style for this book was chatty, articulate, idiomatic and sometimes- verbose. The reason why I said the writing style was verbose because of its constant used of unnecessary sentences to get to the main point that the characters’ were trying to harangue on. However, the writing style was also pretty informal which I, personally, enjoyed because it lets us, readers, see that this is how the characters’ are going to react when they are facing a situation. In addition, it was also very articulate and idiomatic! It keeps the readers in a constant flow of indulging in the book and performing wonders such as their imaginations- in the brain. Thus, I did enjoy the writing style! But I have more to talk about in the below paragraphs.

Presently, we are going to address on the excessive use of commas in this novel. As you can see, I am not the biggest fan of the redundant use of commas in the writing style because it is pretty hard for the readers to get through them and also, if you dive deeper into the novel, it gets very vexatious. And with all of that that I have said, I thought that this novel’s writing style fell into that category of ‘Commas-are-overused’. Furthermore, there were not enough prose to keep the sentences from breaking apart from each other and I thought the sentences do not flow well as they kept falling apart from each other due to the lack of prose like ‘as, because, etc.’ Therefore, it bothered my reading of this book to death due to the flaws in this novel.

Moving on, we are going to discuss about the word choices that Cassandra’s Clare picked to entwine words together to make them feel alive. I thought Cassie did a really good job on picking out words that were added pleasingly to the story and the word drizzled and diffused through each sentence accordingly. Thus, I enjoyed the careful handing out of words for this novel!

Finally, we have the descriptions of the novel that I would like to talk about. The descriptions which I really enjoyed drifted through the book as the scenes in this novel were thoughtfully picked out and the descriptions that had taken place in the book had made everything so easy to be visualized in the brain that I had no hard time trying to conceive anything in my head. Thus, I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions in the novel.

Clary Fray: Almost everyone on the internet called her out as an annoying protagonist but I thought otherwise. To me, Clary was a sympathetic character that I commiserate with and she was somewhat dumb at times but never annoying because the shreds of evidence were clearly placed in front of her eyes but she still managed to overlook them. Furthermore, she was a little cliché because her characterization fell under the category of ‘She-is-pretty-and-I-am-not’ but other than those flaws, I thought she was kind and decent. Therefore, I liked her as a character in this novel.

Simon Lewis: To be honest, I do not really enjoy Simon as a character in this book even though he had the potential to grow as a character in the later novels but I just did not enjoy his perspective because he was whiny, needy and ibwerobgib. Thus, I have nothing to compliment on his character except for the features that he had held.

Jace Wayland: He was the boy with a dark past. Although I did indeed sympathize with how abusive his father was and how everything- for example, the blood that ran in his veins, was not his fault but the blame was somehow atop of his head, he was still a very sarcastic, rude and not-very-sexy person who Isabelle called him out as sexy. I do not understand how a person who is so rude… can be sexy. Therefore, I liked him (again) as a character in this book; but I did not love him as a character in this novel.

Luke Garroway: I loved Luke as a character in this book! He was kind, friendly and ‘Has-Jace’s-Sarcastic-attitude lite‘. He was somehow a character that I commiserate even more because he was stripped of his title as a Shadowhunter and he was also forcefully banned from his own homeland due to the demon disease that flowed in his capillaries. Plus, he was betrayed by his dearest friend who he thought was a brother. Therefore, I loved Luke’s characterization in this novel!

Valentine Morgenstern: I hated him! UGH! THIS VILLAIN WAS A FREAKING ARSEHOLE IN THIS NOVEL LIKE KJFBIJBFABIBFIBA. Basically, words cannot express how irritated (in a good way) I am with him. He was one of the most interesting villains that I had read in a while and I hope he will just jump off the cliff soon. Thus, I loved this villain but hated him (hopefully it makes sense).

Although the ending for this novel was exciting and action-packed, I thought the beginning- somewhere around page 1 to page 100, was pretty dull and anti-climatic. Plus, there were some flaws in this novel that I, personally, did not enjoy. However, I am going to read the sequel to this book because the ending had me shook and I need more of Cassandra Clare’s world and characters. Therefore, I am giving this book a 69.5% rating.

Dumplin’

Synopsis:

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

Title: Dumplin’ Series: Dumplin’ Author: Julie Murphy ISBN: 0062327186 (ISBN13: 9780062327185) Pages: 371 pages (Hardcover) Published:  September 15th 2015 by Balzer + Bray Characters:  Willowdean Opal Dickson, Bo Larson, Bekah Cotter, Amanda Lumbard, Mitch Lewis, Ellen Sadie Rose, Hannah Perez, Millie Ranea Michalchuk, Patrick Thomas, Rosie Dickson, Billy Larson, Sammy Larson, Loraine Larson Setting: Clover City, Texas (United States) Texas (United States) Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit

Dumplin' is one of those books where I feel woefully unqualified to write a review. How can I possibly do justice to the brilliant, sweet, heart-wrenching and, ultimately, triumphant book that is Dumplin? Julie Murphy has created a cast of characters that are so real and well-developed that I often felt they could walk right off the page. Every character is shown as being multi-faceted. Ever. Single. One. I loved watching their hidden sides emerge alongside Willowdean, especially the girls who joined the pageant with her. Aunt Lucy plays a fantastic role, even though she has passed on before the events of the book, and it is heartbreaking to watch Will struggle to find her place in the world without Aunt Lucy in her corner. This plays into the incredibly realistic relationship that she has with her mother, and while it is clear that they love each other, neither seems to quite understand the other.

Willowdean herself has a tough and confident exterior, but the author does a phenomenal job of showing how even girls that appear to have it all together can have crippling insecurities. Throughout the novel we watch Will as she fights her own demons and struggles against the messages that the world is constantly pushing at her; that she isn't good enough, that she should be ashamed of her body, that someone her size doesn't deserve happiness. Sometimes she falters, which makes this novel all the more relatable, but she gets back up again and comes out stronger than before.

Dumplin' features a not-so-typical romance between Will and Bo - the last guy she ever expected to be interested in her. There is a touch of a triangle, as another suitor tries to garner her affection, but it never actually ventures into the been-there-read-that territory of the literary trope. The reader is never quite sure of Bo's intentions and, for most of the novel, we get wrapped up in the mystery of him right alongside Willowdean. It is heartbreaking to watch (but oh so relatable) as Will stiffens at his touch and wonders if she is good enough or if he is being honest.

Dumplin' is not just a story about a self-proclaimed fat girl finding her place in the spotlight. It runs deeper than that. Through Willowdean's internal struggle and the revelations of the other girls in the pageant, we see how everyone suffers with insecurities, no matter their shape or size. The overwhelming message, however, is that we not allow the internal monologue of "not good enough" to hold you back from wonderful and important life experiences.

Bottom Line: Dumplin is a book that I would recommend to anyone and especially one that all teenagers should read. It now sits on a special shelf in my classroom (at least it would if it wasn't being read so often!)

The Storm Runner

Synopsis:

Zane has always enjoyed exploring the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico, even though hiking it is challenging. He'd much rather hang out there with his dog, Rosie, than go to middle school, where kids call him Sir Limps a Lot, McGimpster, or Uno — for his one good leg. What Zane doesn't know is that the volcano is a gateway to another world and he is at the center of a powerful prophecy.

A new girl at school, Brooks, informs him that he's destined to release an evil god from the ancient Maya relic he is imprisoned in — unless she can find and remove it first. Together they return to the volcano, where all kinds of crazy happens. Brooks turns into a hawk, a demon attacks them in a cave, and Rosie gives her all while trying to protect Zane. When Zane decides to save his dog no matter the cost, he is thrust into an adventure full of surprising discoveries, dangerous secrets, and an all-out war between the gods, one of whom happens to be his father. To survive, Zane will have to become the Storm Runner. But how can he run when he can't even walk well without a cane?

Feisty heroes, tricky gods, murderous demons, and spirited giants are just some of the pleasures that await in this fresh and funny take on Maya mythology, as rich and delicious as a mug of authentic hot chocolate. 

Title: The Storm Runner Series: The Storm Runner Author: J.C. Cervantes ISBN: 1368016340 (ISBN13: 9781368016346) Pages: 448 pages (Hardcover) Published:   September 18th 2018 by Rick Riordan Presents Genre: Fantasy, Children, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mythology

It has been said that no story is entirely original. All stories take ideas and inspiration from others and mold them into something new. Books connect stories from the past to experiences from the present, creating ties between the new and the old. Young Adult fiction embraces older stories and folklore, especially in recent years. Ancient mythologies have become a particularly popular source of inspiration, and for good reason. Myths explain how the world works. Comparisons between the ideas of cultures from the past to our current understanding of the world lend themselves to dynamic, creative exploration in fiction.

Rick Riordan’s young adult novels, including the ever-popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, bring modern twists on traditional mythologies into the YA mainstream. Riordan explores Greek, Egyptian and Norse myth works–only a few of the myriad of mythologies to grace world tradition. Riordan teamed up with Disney Hyperion to create the Rick Riordan Presents imprint to provide other authors with the opportunity to retell their own cultures’ myths. In the imprint’s first wave of rich stories emerges J.C. Cervantes’ engrossing, action-packed and ceaselessly charming take on Maya legends: The Storm Runner.

13-year-old Zane Obispo has a volcano in his backyard. He is homeschooled, answers the phone for his elderly psychic neighbor, walks with a limp and has no greater friend in the world than his 3-legged dog, Rosie. And yet, Zane’s unconventional life is nothing compared to the world he is thrust into when he meets a mysterious girl named Brooks. In the blink of an eye, Zane finds himself in the beautiful and terrifying world of Maya myth with himself at the center of a prophesy that threatens to end the world as he knows it. Together with the nawal (a Maya shapeshifter) Brooks and his wrestling-obsessed uncle, Zane embarks on an epic quest to save the world. Their team of underdogs fight disgusting demons, crash legendary parties and enjoy divinely delicious hot chocolate in this quick-witted, fast-paced adventure novel.

J.C. (Jen) Cervantes loves underdog stories, advocates for more diverse stories in children’s literature, and firmly believes in magic. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jen about developing The Storm Runner and her writing process. We discussed her interactions with her readers, and (of course) what the future has in store for Zane and company.

Maya mythology is far less mainstream than, say, Greek mythology. Everyone knows about Zeus and Heracles, but who has heard of Kukulkan and Ah-Puch? And who knew that the Maya had a goddess of chocolate? Jen makes Maya mythology accessible to her readers (including a VERY useful pronunciation guide). She remarks that Maya folklore is something she grew up with. Revisiting these gods and legends while giving them a modern twist allows her to find both nostalgia and new inspiration in these centuries-old stories. “Reconnecting with the mysticism and the magic helped me bring the story to life in a way that is contemporary but also respectful of that mythological history,” says Jen, “or at least what history has been left to us.” The gods of The Storm Runner are alluring and noble, but just as flawed as human beings. They combine traditional Maya imagery with more contemporary styles, creating a fun, anachronistic atmosphere that adapts Maya lore with respect and wit. Perhaps the Maya wouldn’t be fond of their foul-smelling god of death being called “Puke,” but Ah-Puch more or less deserves it.

While creating her characters, Jen likes to let loose and let her characters shape themselves. Her characters certainly come into their own. The Storm Runner‘s varied cast each has their own goals and motivations. Each has a personal conflict that they must overcome before defeating Ah-Puch. Jen explains, “I learned a long time ago to just let the characters take control of their own identity.” Her philosophy on character creation is at the center of the novel’s protagonist, Zane. His physical disability limits his self-confidence as much as his movement. Moreover, he appears to have no control over anything around him: not only is he destined to fulfill a deadly prophesy, he is up against gods and demons that are imminently more powerful than he is on his own. But Zane never gives in; he always pushes forward, even if it means defying gods. He finds his amazing inner strength and shapes his own story. And he’d literally fight death itself for his dog (I can relate–Rosie is adorable).

Letting her mind and creativity run free isn’t limited to character creation. When writing, Jen tries to “let the inner critic go” so that the story can proceed naturally and dynamically–in other words, without limits. She states on her website that she believes in magic. Where is the magic in writing? “A sense of belonging and connection to something so much greater that myself,” she says.

Jen’s writing is greater than herself; it connects her not only to the cultures she represents in The Storm Runner, but also to every reader who opens the book. In addition to finding entertainment in the novel, Jen hopes her readers find themselves reflected in the pages. The Storm Runner contains notable representation for both Latino and young people (and dogs!) with disabilities, but its representation goes beyond the physical. Jen aims for her readers to see their own experiences in Zane’s adventures: “There are elements at play here that transcend the story: the feeling of not fitting in, facing your fears, growing up, navigating friendships, etc.”

The Darkest Minds

Synopsis:

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

But when the truth about Ruby's abilities-the truth she's hidden from everyone, even the camp authorities-comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run, she joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp: Zu, a young girl haunted by her past; Chubs, a standoffish brainiac; and Liam, their fearless leader, who is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

While they journey to find the one safe haven left for kids like them-East River-they must evade their determined pursuers, including an organization that will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. But as they get closer to grasping the things they've dreamed of, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Title: The Darkest Minds Series: The Darkest Minds Author: Alexandra Bracken ISBN: 1368022456 (ISBN13: 9781368022453) Pages: 567  pages (Paperback) Published:   January 2nd 2018 by Disney-Hyperion (first published December 18th 2012) Characters:  Charles "Chubs" Carrington Meriwether IV (The Darkest Minds), Ruby Elizabeth Daly (The Darkest Minds), Liam Stewart (The Darkest Minds), Suzume Kimura, Clancy Gray (The Darkest Minds) Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance

The Darkest Minds is one of those books. For as long as I’ve been in the community people have been talking about it. I see it at bookstores and in libraries all the time. But I never actually knew a thing about it, beside it being a dystopian and some vague knowledge that it involved kids in camps. Only when the movie trailer came out did I realize how much I really didn’t know. I had no idea there was superpowers in this book, but upon finding that out I was hooked. Superpowers are a big yes for me and so I decided I would read this book before the movie came out .. and I did ! (I’m proud usually I don’t end up doing it)

I definitely ended up really enjoying this, much more than I thought I would. I was worried it might be too generic and thus predictable, but I have enjoyed Alexandra Bracken in the past so I had hope. Some elements of this were definitely generic, it had a lot of classic dystopian tropes. But it was also really fun and managed to capture that something about dystopian I always love – the hope in the hopeless situation, and the found family dynamics. I definitely think if I had read this when it actually came out and hadn’t read so many dystopian I would have LOVED it.  

The Darkest Minds feels both fresh and familiar. Every time I reach for dystopian there is always some anxiety I will feel like I’ve read this one before.  Early on, The Darkest Minds played straight into those anxieties – the military aesthetic and camp setting early on was intended to be confronting but felt so generic. This isn’t Bracken’s fault, it’s 2021 and this was written in 2012, but  I was worried that this wouldn’t bring anything exciting to the table and was too firmly set in the 2012 dystopian era.

But I needn’t had worried. When The Darkest Minds hits its paces its unputdownable. I couldn’t stop reaching for this fun adventure that seems to blend road trip, dystopian and fantasy genres. The introduction of Liam, Zu and Chubs as the group Ruby finds herself with marked the beginning of good things. This group is tight-knit and exemplifies the found family trope. Each character that appears has their own secrets – Ruby and thus the reader, is privy to none of them. This anxiety created by the mystery behind each characters past is the medium through which Bracken created the majority of conflict between the group. It is also amongst these characters Ruby begins to explore her abilities. The superpowers give the characters strength, but they also introduce a vulnerability and induced anxiety for each character that plays out throughout the book, creating an interesting internal conflict, especially for Ruby. This book only gets better as it goes, from a mediocre start, we follow these characters through a journey with ever rising stakes, until the final third and ultimate end which just hit me in all the places it hurt.

My favorite element of dystopian is the world building and exploration of the deconstruction of “civilized” and “normal” society. The deconstruction of society as the characters know it, and then the endeavor to recreate societies and cultures that serve the characters rapidly evolving needs, oftentimes without help from authority or experts, is always fascinating to me. Half the horror of a dystopian setting is that the world as we know it becomes undone, that people are forced to exist in spaces and situations that are both unsafe and unnatural. It is such an interesting thing to play with!!  As soon as I got a whiff of it in this book I was hooked. It wasn’t taken as far as I would like, but at the same time there was just enough to get me intrigued. And I really enjoyed what I did get. I’m really hoping that carries on throughout the sequels.

But there were a few issues that stuck with me: one scene depicts a sexual assault and I was not entirely happy with how it was handled afterward. The “male savior” trope definitely came into play here, and giving female characters trauma related to sexual assaults for the purpose of allowing the love interest the “comforting, protective” role always feels icky. This major issue aside, some plot points felt generic and predictable. This is where though, I think it is more an issue of me reading this book six years after the fact than poor writing in itself.

The Darkest Minds thrusts the reader into a world that at first seems predictable. But it is a book that creeps up on you. Slowly you fall in love with these characters, you become intrigued by the setting and the politics of the world, and finally that explosive ending which has me scrambling for book two. Despite it being years since this came out, I felt entertained the entire time reading it, and where some dystopian fall for me, this one stood out. I cannot wait to both read the sequels.

This Savage Song

Synopsis:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from acclaimed author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books, This Savage Song is a must-have for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor. Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. In This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab creates a gritty, seething metropolis, one worthy of being compared to Gotham and to the four versions of London in her critically acclaimed fantasy for adults, A Darker Shade of Magic. Her heroes will face monsters intent on destroying them from every side—including the monsters within.

Title: This Savage Song Series: Monsters of Verity Author: Victoria Schwab ISBN: 0062380869 (ISBN13: 9780062380869) Pages: 468 pages (Paperback) Published:  May 16th 2017 by Greenwillow Books (first published June 5th 2016) Characters:  August Flynn, Katherine "Kate" Olivia Harker, Henry Flynn, Callum Harker, Leo Flynn, Sloan, Ilsa Flynn Setting: Verity Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Horror, Paranormal

With darkness in every corner, how do you fight your demons?

This Savage Song is a brilliant, creatively dark and deceptive book filled with dancing shadows and thrilling darkness. I breezed through this book and already I can't wait for the next one! Monsters that are actually bred from violence? Count me in! This is a dark and thrilling adventure, and I loved every minute of it!

The writing really made this book work for me. I was easily dragged in and I didn't want out. I flipped through pages easily and devoured the story as quickly as I could. My favorite part however, had to be the whole monster aspect. Violence breeds monsters; Actual monsters. You have Corsai, Malchai, and Sunai, all dangerous and dark and deadly. They are all horrifying in their greed and power and strength, but we also get to see a better side of the Sunai via August Flynn, and I really enjoyed that.

Being one of the most deadly monsters in the city, August should be cold, dark, and unforgiving like every other monster in Verity City, but instead he fights to be human, to act and feel like them, look like them. This is what eventually changes Kate's views on monsters, and what helps her character develop the way it does. It's a brilliant transformation, and it was very enjoyable to read, especially their interactions!

This book also has a dystopian feel to it. I didn't expect that, but it explained why the city was divided into two (Flynn's side and Harker's side; North and South) and the destruction and violence that occurs, and why they can't leave, why it's only their city being affected. The destruction of Flynn's side and utopia feel of Harker's side really let us delve into their characters a bit more, to understand why things happened how they did. Suffice it to say, Harker made my skin go cold. He was cruel, malicious, but almost seemed like a hero for letting people pay for his protection! He's a master liar and manipulator, and his darkness chilled me, but also made me enjoy this story a whole lot more. I loved every minute we got with destruction and horror, which is pretty much the entire novel.

Unfortunately, while you can connect with the characters in a way that you can understand their choices, feelings, and actions, you don't empathize or care. You see the destruction and horror and know you should feel something, but you can only watch it happen without the empathetic connection. It's a great read, and I couldn't put it down, but it wasn't because my heart was racing in fear for the characters, or aching to know what happens to them. It was because the world and the monstrous aspects and just the plot of it all held me captive while the writing hooked me, and I wanted more of that. That doesn't mean the characters are bad, because they aren't. They are brilliant and I loved them all, their strength and bravery, their struggles and confessions, the bad things they had to do... I just couldn't form that one connection that would've made this book a five-star read.

Overall, This Savage Song is a thrilling, mysterious and dangerous adventure that gave me chills and made my dark little heart smile. No one is safe, and hardly anyone is who they seems to be. I loved the writing, the world, and the plot. This is a book I would definitely recommend!

Red Queen

Synopsis:

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but a twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers an ability she didn’t know she had. Except . . . her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince and Mare against her own heart.

From debut author Victoria Aveyard comes a lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal.

Title: Red Queen Series: Red Queen Author: Victoria Aveyard ISBN: 0062362712 (ISBN13: 9780062362711) Pages: 400 pages (Paperback) Published: January 21st 2015 by Harper Teen Characters: Kilorn Warren, Gisa Barrow, Tiberias Calore "Cal" VII, Mare Molly Barrow, Maven Calore, Evangeline Samos, Diana Farley, Tiberias Calore VI, Elara Merandus, Julian Jacos, Lucas Samos Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance

The first 100 pages gave me the whole Hunger Games vibe and a little bit of The Selection series feel to it that I just couldn’t quite shake off. (I haven’t read the Red Rising by Pierce Brown, so I couldn’t really compare it to that, as most of the people do). I was imagining District 12 as the Stilts. The similarity is really palpable, what with Mare having a little sister just like Primrose, and Kilorn as Gale, one cannot just simply ignore it. There was also the feel of Cinder to it that I could not point exactly but it is there. Add the fact that there was also some XMen element to it. It was truly a mixture of every YA dystopian/fantasy novel rolled into one book, and I don’t know how to feel about it – the originality itself was compromised. Now I understand the mixed reviews, I was so ready to give it a lower rating, I was waiting for something to happen, something to capture my interest more, because I have to admit they are waning when I was past the 150 pages mark. I need something to hold on to, something MOREEEE! And then bam! It hit me like a wrecking ball! THAT TWIST!!! WHAT IS THAT TWIST!?? The twist won me over. Now that got my freaking attention!

I think it was the twist that saved the whole book, if it weren’t for that, the whole book will be another mediocre and forgettable one to add to the pile of all the YA books that tried to be different, but ultimately failed. It was also the reason I gave another star for it. I can’t say I didn’t see it coming, I knew there was going to be a twist, but I didn’t expect it to be what actually transpired. I knew from the start of the book that there was something shady that has been going on with the characters involved. There was this unease that I’ve been having towards the big reveal, I knew something was off, I’m just not sure which was it exactly, (I’m trying this to be as spoiler free as possible so forgive me for being vague), how everything was convenient and too good to be true, my suspicions came to fruition, just not what I had expected. I commend the element of surprise, I wish that was the case in the beginning, – surprising the readers one event after another, maybe then this book could have a solid approval amongst the book lovers.

Another issue was the ever present predicament of love triangles, a character torn between two people. Ugh, why can’t we just do away with it. Is it possible for YA not to have this kind of concept? LOVE TRIANGLES are the bane of my existence! Haha! or anyone for that matter, I never actually met someone who loves love triangles, so why do authors keep on incorporating it on their books? I just don’t understand. Anyway, this book even there was a love triangle, the romance was played out in a subtle way, not too overwhelming or annoying to a fault. For someone who is a sucker for romance, this is one of the few books that I was thankful that the romance was played into a minimum.

Next issue was the lack of back story about the war, that as what the book repeats all the time – the war that has been going on for centuries. I mean I wish there was more explanation as to how the war came about or as to why there was this kind of war and why it just doesn’t end. Why there was a division between the Reds and the Silvers. I have so many questions, that I wished someone had the answers to. The back story was not really well executed, if for anything it adds up to the confusion. But I would like to commend the foreshadowing, how the events led into the big reveal. How each event was linked to the end, I thought that was well played. I cannot discount such fact. I hoped the book was more polished. Plus it annoys me that there was so much repetition. For an instance, whenever Cal does something, Mare will say Cal, the soldier, doing something something, or Cal the prince, the general… and this will go on and on. We know, for crying out loud, we know, we know he is the prince, he is the soldier, he is a general. Or when Mare does something, she will say to herself, “the Red, the liar, or how lying came out so easily ahhh. That was tiring to read. It’s like every action needs justifying, needs explaining, I just don’t like that in a book.

Now let’s talk about Mare, our heroine, she’s not ultimately likable, I had issues with her, but these are more on the tolerable side of things. She can be annoying at times, and she can be mature if she wants to, so all things considered, she was still a good character, maybe I was looking for more depth. Cal on the other hand stayed consistent until the end, out of the all the confusing characters in this book his character was the one I liked most and the one I was constantly rooting for. He has a strong character yet there was soft side in him too. Now Maven, had more character growth, he was the wolf in sheep skin. Despite what he did, I liked his character, he was made to toy with the readers’ emotions, which was a plus for me.

If you are undecided to read this one, I say you do, give it a chance. Maybe you’ll like it, or not. The thing is, you should judge it for yourself. Reviews vary, people’s tastes are different from each other – always always lay judgment after you already know the whole thing, that pretty works in books and hey in life too! Haha

I understand that some people hate it with so much passion, while some loved it. I am kind of in the middle. I am not that impressed, but as I have said the twist was the rope that was thrown in to save the book from completely sinking down. So in the grand scheme of things, I enjoyed this one and will still be reading the next book. Maybe we can see some progress, book 1 will always be a make or break, and I’m sure Victoria Aveyard put a lot of effort into making this book.

A Court Of Thorns And Roses

Synopsis:

Feyre is a huntress.

She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price...

Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy's kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor's body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked - but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre's feeling for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she's been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows.

Feyre must find a way to break a spell, or lose her heart forever.

Title: A Court Of Thorns And Roses Series: A Court Of Thorns And Roses Author: Sarah J. Maas ISBN:  1408857863 (ISBN13: 9781408857861) Pages:  419 pages (Paperback) Published: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury Children's Characters: Amarantha, Feyre Archeron, Tamlin, Lucien Vanserra, Rhysand, Nesta Archeron, Elain Archeron Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Retellings

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES is nothing I expected to be. Originally, I expected it to be a great fairy tale retelling with a Katniss-like heroine. That is the expectation. What this book is, it goes beyond my expectations. It is legendary, and Sarah J. Maas is the queen (as said before by many). She has written THRONE OF GLASS and its sequels, but this beauty is the crown jewel (the masterpiece) of Maas's works.

A retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES holds some similar storylines to "Cupid and Psyche." But Sarah J. Maas never fails to amaze me, despite the familiar subplots and tropes used. Feyre is a dangerous girl, who has a stern heart of gold and the spirit of a true huntress. Tamlin, who is a dangerous faerie with awful skills for courting and deathly ways with a weapon (or no weapon at all), is full of layers and slowly becomes someone understandable.

The plot circles and circles around a single point. It goes very fast, and though the book is long (four hundred or so pages), the pacing is perfect. Every moment is amazing, every scene is absolutely splendid, and every page is worth a reread. (I admit I reread A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES at least four times because of how good it is.) The book is told from first person, and Feyre's voice reminds me very much of Katniss Everdeen and other tough huntresses of legends and myths.

The romance between Feyre and Tamlin is great and amusing to watch, and it has a surprisingly large role in the story. The conflict and the villain of the story makes their romance even more difficult and simpler, all at the same time. Of course, the love between Feyre and Tamlin would never happen if it weren't for the cunning and dangerous villain, who I admire very much. She is a tricky character with horrible servants hanging onto her every world, a sharp mind, and an even sharper streak of cruelty. Her bloodthirsty ways are quite shocking and graphic.

The ending of the book is one of the best parts. The last chapter or so is so satisfying that readers would probably read it over and over twenty-two times in the row. In one sitting. It is that satisfying. Despite obvious loose ends, the conclusion to this book can be seen as a strong ending to a standalone. Still, I'm rather eager to see where the author will take the trilogy and hope that she doesn't turn the romance into a love triangle. (The "romance into a love triangle" is a discussion for another time and place.)

In conclusion, A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES is a whirling fairy tale retelling. With a tough and strong heroine and a lovable beast, this story is totally worth a reread. Every time. Many can probably live and breathe on the words of Sarah J. Maas.

A Whole New World

Synopsis:

What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie? When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

Title: A Whole New World Series: A Twisted Tale Author: Liz Braswell ISBN: 148470729X (ISBN13: 9781484707296) Pages: 400 pages (Paperback) Published: July 16th 2016 by Disney Press (first published September 1st 2015) Characters: Genie (Disney's Aladdin), Jasmine (Disney Princess), Jafar (Disney's Aladdin), Aladdin (Disney's) Setting: Agrabah (Disney) (Iraq) Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Retellings, Romance, Magic

This could have gone a lot better. If you've seen the movie Aladdin (1992), then you're set. This book isn't necessary at all, if you've watched the movie. And even if you haven't watched the movie... there are issues with this book that are issues that I have that have to do with the writing, the structure, the plot, the basic development. This wasn't a good story, and it wasn't a good book based off the movie. Whatever it was, it wasn't great.

Aladdin is a Street Rat, born and raised in the streets of Agrabah. One day, the princess decides to take a stroll in the market. Aladdin rescues her from getting her hands cut off. She tells him that she is running away from home, because her father is going to force her to marry someone. Then Aladdin is whisked away to Jafar, who has him get the lamp from the cave in the desert, by trickery. Aladdin survives, Jafar gets the lamp, and makes two wishes - to be the sultan, and to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Together, Aladdin and Jasmine must rally the Street Rats and people of Agrabah in order to defeat Jafar and take back the city.

Well. I did actually finish this book, which is a plus. I notice a slew of DNF reviews on Goodreads, so I thought I'd point out that at least I managed to finish the book! I'm not in the habit of DNF-ing, but still. This book wasn't so awful that even I couldn't finish it.

The writing style was VERY trivial - juvenile, as a friend of mine said. And there was so much modern jargon, which was REALLY detracting from the feel of the story. Too many modern phrases (or attempts at modern phrases) for my taste. This is supposed to be a fantasy novel, with magic and sultans and sorcerers and genies. Nowhere is this supposed to have even a hint of modern-day contemporary world-building or aspects or anything. To my knowledge.

And back to the writing in general - poor, at best. I couldn't take the writing seriously, because it seemed choppy and almost conversational, but not a good kind of conversational. Like a conversational with someone that isn't telling the story well. It was like the author was trying too hard for this book to be fun and light and cute... but it just seemed silly and poorly written.

This book is so similar to the movie, I might as well have just popped the movie in and watched. But this book was way worse - the movie is amazing and cannot be touched, but this book doesn't come anywhere close to the movie. And separate the book from the movie - this book would still be painful, with the choppy, childish writing style, the poorly development characters, the sloppy romance. I'll get to that in a minute.

I didn't feel like Jasmine or Aladdin grew very much, as characters. Jasmine, maybe, because she stopped being spoiled for about ten minutes so she could save the world. The thing is, Braswell does a lot of telling, and not showing. The same goes with Aladdin's character development.

Not to mention - I still don't understand how a group of Street Rats (CHILDREN) defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world. I'm struggling to understand this. This book is supposed to be a Young Adult book, right? It seemed so poorly constructed, maybe for young kids, ages seven to ten or something. How in the world did CHILDREN defeat Jafar?! Logically, it doesn't make sense. There were a lot of cartoon moments in this novel, where I thought to myself, a REAL "villain" wouldn't just STAND there, or wouldn't do THIS, or wouldn't not do THAT, etc.

The romance is so sloppy! So much insta-love going on! From the start, it's attraction at first sight, which is FINE. But the relationship does not develop at all. Braswell does a lot of telling us about the relationship, but not showing. I don't know how Aladdin and Jasmine grew to trust each other or even like each other. It was instantaneous? Not good enough for me.

  Cookie cutter perfect ending! As one would probably expect. I feel like this book would have made a great Middle Grade novel. But not necessarily YA.

Aru Shah And The End Of Time

Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them. The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?

Title: Aru Shah And The End Of Time Series: A Pandava Novel (Rick Riordan Presents) Author: Roshani Chokshi ISBN: 1368012353 (ISBN13: 9781368012355) Pages: 355 pages (Hardcover) Published:  March 27th 2018 by Rick Riordan Presents Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Children, Young Adult, Magic

Percy Jackson fans looking for similar authors are going to fall head over heels for Roshani Chokshi's Aru Shah! All the humor, friendships, and, of course, quests make this a perfect debut in the Rick Riordan Presents line!

I have a been a fan of Chokshi since THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN debuted. When I heard that there was going to be a Rick Riordan Presents line with publisher Disney Hyperion and that she was one of the three chosen authors, I was SO excited. Especially when I found out that her series would launch first! Granted, I wanted all three books and thought they all sounded great, but I especially wanted ARU SHAH.

The series starter ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME came out last week and I'm so happy to say it didn't disappoint! I was enamored with the world-building and the characters and have already been introduced to so much new mythology! It also feels like a great new series to recommend to kids who couldn't get enough of the Percy Jackson series. There's only so much I can give them in the children's department, and I love that ARU SHAH had all the humor, all the emphasis on friendship, and, of course, all the fun real-world questing that the Percy books have. I am so excited to continue Aru's journey as well as read the other books in the line because if they all capture the spirit of Riordan's own books and are as compelling and engaging as Aru Shah has been already, then I need to own each and every single one.

Aru Shah is just an ordinary kid, and readers will easily see themselves in her. She constantly wishes for a different life, and often tells tall tales at school that get her into trouble. When three of her classmates come to the museum her mother owns and see that she didn't go to Paris during break like she'd said, they decide to call her on her bluffs. Aru had told them that the Museum  of Ancient Indian Art and Culture was home to the cursed Lamp of Bharata. The trio demands that she do the impossible and touch the lamp. Panicking and not wanting to be in a viral video, Aru lights the lamp, never dreaming that she'll ACTUALLY release the Sleeper and bring about the end of the world. When everyone around her freezes, she realizes there's more at stake than she ever thought possible. She is a reincarnation of one of the Pandava Brothers from the epic Mahabharata poem. She is a demigod. And now, it is up to her and her Pandava sister Mini to save the world and prevent the Sleeper from reaching the Lord of Destruction before Shiva can perform the dance to end Time forever...

One of the main reasons I first fell in love with Rick Riordan's books was because they were overflowing with Greek mythology. Mythology was my favorite course in school, and I loved books influenced by myths. After discovering mythology, and realizing that myths and lore varied from culture to culture, I was always on the look out for tales from all over the world. I loved that Riordan went beyond the Greek mythology that is the most well-known in the United States and explored Roman, Egyptian, and Norse mythology. New tales were introduced and kids grew up enamored. One reason I've been so excited about the Rick Riordan Presents line is because more authors will introduce more myths to kids through fictional series--and they'll be #OwnVoices to boot! The first three series in the line focus on Hindu, Mayan, and Korean mythology. I know very little about these tales and am so excited to add to the vault in my mind where I store all these myths and tales.

Aru Shah has already introduced me to so much, from little things such as Urvashi's outfit "made from the skipped heartbeats of every person who had ever laid eyes" on her, which reveals so much about her personality and makes you want to know more, to the quests and heroism of the Pandava Brothers from the epic poem. Hindu demigods don't come into their heritage the same way as Greek demigods, either. They are related through the soul, not through blood. And their Claiming Ceremony is AWESOME and potentially deadlier than the ones at Camp Half Blood.

Another thing I loved about Riordan's books was the way he could turn something ordinary into something extraordinary. For example, Percy Jackson's weapon Riptide. It's a PEN. Demons and nymphs and monsters walked among humans, often disguised as your local teacher or shop owner. Regular buildings were fronts for something more magical....but only if you knew how to look. I love that all of these traits I loved so much carried over into Aru Shah and hope they do with other authors as well. There is an incredible Night Bazaar hidden in a CostCo--and it's a place for all types of beings, no matter their culture or identity. Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase and Aru Shah could totally walk side by side--and so too could a minotaur or a fury or a dryad!  It was such an imaginative place to bring to life, and I loved the characters we met inside who needed to help Aru and Mini on their journey. There are other "hidden" places they stop, too, that I don't want to spoil, but I will say, that visiting the family home of the Pandava Brothers was an especially well-shaped scene I enjoyed. And, of course, items! From weapons hidden in every day objects to special cookies to hairpins, there is so much fun and creativity throughout the journey!

There are so many great things I loved about Aru Shah, but to divulge them all would be to spoil your own discovery. ARU SHAH was fantastic, though, and I'm already eager to get my hands on ARU SHAH AND THE SONG OF DEATH  and meet more of the reincarnated Pandavas!

A Curse So Dark And Lonely

Synopsis:

Fall in love, break the curse. It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope. Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world. Break the curse, save the kingdom. A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Title: A Curse So Dark And Lonely Series: Cursebreakers Author: Brigid Kemmerer ISBN: 1681195100 (ISBN13: 9781681195100) Pages: 496 pages (Paperback) Published:  January 28th 2019 by Bloomsbury YA Setting: Emberfall Washington, D.C. (United States) Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Retellings, Fairy Tales

Every now and then, you hear about a book being hyped before release and it totally matches those high expectations. For me, A Curse So Dark and Lonely was one of those books. I’ve had it on my  TBR pile for absolutely ages, but I figured it was time to sit down and actually read it. And honestly, I’m a little lost for words. It is everything I wanted in a YA fantasy novel. There’s a good dose of slow-burn romance in there, some brilliant Beauty and the Beast retelling moments in there (let’s be honest, it’s the best Disney movie), and the characters are well-developed. Plus, and I feel like a bit of an asshole for even having to mention this, we get actual diversity in this book.

I’ll admit, at first I wasn’t entirely sold. The story starts out in DC which for me was a bit of a detraction. I get that Harper is a ‘real world’ character who gets thrust into a fantasy world she has to navigate, but for me I wasn’t a big fan of the brief bit of urban fantasy we get. Don’t get me wrong, it can be done well, but I just fell out of love with it a while back. I wasn’t the biggest fan of City of Bones being set in NY. Thankfully, it’s a pretty brief glimpse of DC before we are thrown into the world of Emberfall.

The descriptions here are gorgeous and I fell in love instantly. I liked that the world was revealed in little pieces, and that so much of it remained a mystery. I guess because the characters are isolated in one area due to the curse, there’s a lot of worldbuilding stuff that can be forgiven. Also, we’re getting a book two, so I’m hoping some things will be addressed later.

As for the characters, this is where I truly lost my mind. I was curious to see how another retelling of Beauty and the Beast would hold up, considering the phenomenal success of SJM’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but boy was I wrong to worry. I loved Harper so much. She was so strong and resilient and her kindness totally shone through on every page. I liked seeing her challenge Rhen’s prejudices and general distrust and temper them with bravery and trust. On the flip side, at no point did the character come across as ridiculously naïve either, which was quite refreshing. Instead, Harper is incredibly complex and nuanced. She also has cerebral palsy, which is something I have never actually seen well-written in YA before. It’s very well handled and I can’t commend the author enough for doing all the research before going and publishing this. I liked how some characters responded to Harper’s disability by seeing it as a weakness and tried to compensate by protecting her as though she were a delicate flower, and how Harper never really accepts that. In fact, she’s as damn badass as they come. She climbs out of windows, learns how to throw knives, tries multiple times to escape on horseback and is generally just too awesome for words. But just as her disability isn’t a defining part of her character. It is also something she doesn’t just brush under the carpet. There are moments when she accepts that she sometimes struggles to walk, or gets fatigued quicker than others. And though she doesn’t rely too much on other characters to help her deal with that, neither does she just pretend it isn’t a thing. Like I said, I thought it was really well handled. This is my opinion here though. I do not have cerebral palsy so I’m not sure if I’ve just naively skipped over some stuff others might have picked out (I did read a review the other day that complained about a lot of ablest language from the villains).

The other characters are also pretty cool. Rhen is revealed in stages, and he’s a bit like a Shrek onion because there’s so many layers to him. He’s an easy character to dislike earlier on but he really comes into his own later in the book and the transformation was very sweet. Likewise, Grey was well developed and seemed realistic. He was kind and loyal and made some tough decisions, But I also liked that both he and Rhen were sometimes incredibly selfish and made decisions that would harm others for the good of the kingdom. Not that that’s a good thing at all, but as flaws go, I think that’s a pretty interesting one for a prince and his guard to have. I wasn’t quite so keen on the brother later on in the book, but I think that’s because we didn’t see enough of his character to actually understand his swinging mood changes. Again, I hope this is something that is explored in later books.

There were also several plot twists at the end of the novel. Although I figured out how the plot of this book would end about halfway through, I did find the twist that paves the way for the sequel to be surprising. I’d be curious to know what others thought of that one (though please keep comments spoiler free at least until the book is released).

I will say that this retelling is incredibly dark, and there are several trigger warnings I want to mention for anyone who might be interested in picking up a copy of the book. Obviously, as a Beauty and the Beast retelling there are trigger warnings for abduction and false imprisonment, but also talks about cancer, attempted sexual assault, sexual assault, mentions of suicidal thoughts and torture. That’s a pretty long list, and the content may not be suitable for everyone.

Overall, I’m going to give A Curse So Dark and Lonely a 10/10 stars. I truly loved it, and I practically flew through the book.

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Synopsis:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Title: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children Series: Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Author: Ransom Riggs ISBN: 1594746036 (ISBN13: 9781594746031) Pages: 382 pages (Paperback) Published: June 4th 2013 by Quirk Books (first published June 7th 2011) Characters: Olive Abroholos Elephanta, Fiona Waters, Horace Somnusson, Millard Nullings, Jacob Portman, Emma Bloom, Alma Lefay Peregrine, Abraham Portman, Bronwyn Bruntley, Enoch O'Connor, Ferdinand Portman, Hugh Apiston, Claire Densmore, Miss Avocet Setting: Englewood, Florida (United States) Wales Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Horror

I would like to commence with this discussion by elucidating on the cover of the canto. The cover resembles the genre of horror and it initially reeled me away from purchasing the novel, but as time had passed, voyeurism had gotten the best of me and I had decided to acquire the volume and read it. Now, for people who are leery of the horror genre, you need not fear to read this novel as it does not slither or show an abundance of tactile sensation in the novel except for the vintage photographs which I will be presenting in the later paragraph as it requires a section of its own. So, do not be deliberated and pick this novel up if you have undergone the obligation to study it.

To begin with this review officially, I would like to talk about the lack of plot that this book had contained. There was enough action to move the plot along in the last 25% and personally, I thought the last 25% was not as exciting as I had hoped it would be. I thought the middle chunk of the novel was interesting as we learnt about the world and the magic system. The first 25% lack serious plotlines which in turn, made the pacing run at a slower pace and lose its readers. Therefore, I personally thought that there should be more action and plot to move the story along instead of staying stagnant and repeat timelines that were already described and explained.

Moving on, we have the atmosphere and world-building of the novel. The ambience of the novel was empyreal and it had a stainless discretion of the dream-like state, fantastical element and dilemma. The writer had a way to juggle around with the atmosphere and not lose grip from it. Therefore, I had to give props to the author for creating such a wondrous atmosphere.

The world-building was really well formulated as well. The scenery and the parcel of the estate were falsified consistently and the dialect and the physiques around the sphere were also expedited and fleshed out which made the world building so phenomenal. The dwellings and the children were also well represented. Thus, I enjoyed both the world-building and the ambience of the novel.

Now, we will pontificate on the plot-holes. There definitely were several instances where I went ‘huh?’ and ‘wait what?’ and I caught myself laughing because of the confusion but here are some questions I covet it will be answered in the next book:

Do the items that they have acquired from the market goes back to the market as the day restarts?

How did they create the time loop?

Why are there other loops in the B.C years and who had them created?

First of all, if a person is bleeding and is an adult in a child’s body, I do not think that they will speak like that unless they are extremely frustrated with the blood dispersing from their body. In this case, he was not frustrated: just trying to act tough which will always end in a bad way because right after this sentence, if my memory serves me right, he fainted.

Secondly, the use of the exclamation marks… I know it was to emphasize that they are children and had not experienced whatever that was beyond the 3rd of September 1940 but it was pretty annoying to have exclamation marks to be thrown at your face at all corners of the book. It pretty much shows the writer’s insincerity in his writing. I just hope that in the next instalment of this series, the author reduces the use of exclamation marks.

The style that the writer had acquired and adapted to were the ones which I was not comfortable with due to the excessive use of exclamation marks which I had already explained above and the sluggish writing such as expressing objects or ideas that were already known in order to stretch out the sentences to hit the word limit and carefully enhance the number of pages which could have easily been condensed down to a quick 318 pages novel. *Sob* an overabundance of trees perished for the sake of lengthening the novel.  

However, there are two major highlights in the author’s writing that I would wish to discourse upon: the tone and the description that he had endorsed in his writing style.

Ransom Riggs set the tone which is interrelated to the atmosphere and settings of the novel perfectly. With a classic surplus of magic and silent ‘drop n’ go’ information about the world and its system, it kept its readers such as I, to venture deeper into the novel to snoop for the obscure quality of the writer’s intellectual invention.

The description of the novel which again intersects with the settings of the novel, allows readers to survey the panorama and the grace in its world and also, the aversion that was concealed behind of the blinds. The author described the architectures and the contemporary lives of people living in that specific domain wonderfully and further on defined the behaviors of the humans surrounding the range without a particular flaw. In addition, the writer delicately apprehended the daily talks and the accent they spoke in and knitted into the story flawlessly. Therefore, I enjoyed these 2 major aspects of the writing style.

Jacob was the protagonist that was depicted to be good but he had a lot of flaws such as being spoilt by his parents and had the need to live an extraordinary life- with or without his parents’ care and I thought this made him independent but being wealthily spoilt and rude to other fellow colleagues at his workplace was inexcusable and that, I thought, made him a genuine human that was crafted by an author.

Although he had qualities such as the supposed ‘bravery’ and used mostly the right words to speak to his peculiars, that does not excuse him for being rude which leads to my next point. His character growth was exponential throughout the novel. He grew out from the ways he had spoken and he slowly but surely gained the momentum for being a brave teenage kid which I thought was remarkable.

However, his love interest named Emma was his grandfather’s admirer which actually sounds kind of wrong to me because you are practically stealing your grandfather’s suitor and I do not understand why Emma had to fall for Jacob instead of being just friends. Well, that leads to the next character that we will be bestowing the responsibility of this review on: Emma.

Emma is a stubborn-headed, narcissistic and rude adult who is stuck in a child’s body. She was obstinate because she does not listen to factual testimony that laid unadorned before her eyes, she was narcissistic because she only weighed on herself and how safe it was in order to protect the peculiar children instead of conversing on the fact that Jacob still have a life and a family which he had a responsibility to be right by their side to soother their family dynamics and not present them with anxiety instead of making them fret about Jacob’s well-being. Worst of all, she DOES NOT have a character growth and does not learn from her gosh darn mistakes. Oh well, finger-crossed for the next book.

Miss Peregrine is my favorite character in this book. She had an ambience of love for her peculiar children and gave them everything to make their lives much more interesting due to the fact that they lived on the same day over and over again. However, the children had a taste of depreciation and it saddened me to see Miss Peregrine being heartbroken over her achievements and ultimately, led to the disappointment of her own making. Miss Peregrine, I thought, was the motherly figure to these children as she protects them from danger like a mother chick and her babies. I hope they will get a taste of appreciation once again as Miss Peregrine is such an astonishing parent to the children.

Enoch is the worst character that I had ever laid my eyes on. He had ill intentions on making the children cry, a dark sense of humor and a torture device in human form. Just to give you an overall idea of the torture device thing I just said, he had the power to revive an inanimate object which means that he can also revive a dead person, if only he has enough supplies of animal organs. Victor, who is dead has a sister named Wyn and Enoch teases Wyn on her brother’s death by saying that he is going to revive him, but he did not do so which leads to Wyn‘s bawling.

What in the… who in the world does that? I hope Hollow City has a character arc for Enoch. He can’t be this mean.

I would award this book a 50% rating. Yes, right in the midst of my grading system. It had a plethora of blemishes which I did not personally appreciate. If you are reading or you have read it, I hope you have a pleasant experience with it. I, unfortunately, lack the experience of pleasantness when I was reading this novel. By the way, I will be reading the next book to see if the flaws have diminished, so stay tuned (again) to read my review for Hollow City!

The Cruel Prince

Synopsis:

Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. 

Title: The Cruel Prince Series: The Folk Of The Air Author: Holly Black ISBN: 031631031X (ISBN13: 9780316310314) Pages:    416 pages (Paperback) Published:   December 4th 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published January 2nd 2018) Characters: Madoc, Taryn Duarte, Jude Duarte, Cardan Greenbriar, Vivienne Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Magic

Honestly, I do not know how or where the hell I should begin. This book is a whirlwind of emotions and I think we should all applause Holly Black for doing the thing she did with this novel. Alright, I got to calm down and run through the tortuous thoughts in my head because this novel messed me up in the best way possible.

The writing style in this novel is extremely alluring. The author weaves sentences together like she is embroidering a dress and after she finishes, she proceeds to refine and embellish the details on every inch of it. Each sentence never fails to impress me with the author’s skillful writing style. She uses vast vocabularies which I really enjoy reading and discovering and I cannot wait for more of her delicious writing style to enter the depths of my brain.

The prologue of this novel is absolute gold. Ugh, that sounds kind of terrible because Jude’s (the protagonist) parents are literally murdered in the prologue [not a spoiler, it is in the synopsis] but I really enjoyed it. It kept me on the edge of my seat with my heart thumping fast and hard in my chest as if it was also trying to find out what was coming next as well. Then we have the first 160 pages which I thought was sensationally crafted and for your information, the political intrigue and the power shift happen later in the book but the first 160 pages will keep you piss off enough to make you fly through the pages due to the bullying the protagonist has to endure in Faerie.

The politics and power shifts are, for lack of a better word, mind-blowing. The amount of scheming, lying, twisted words and betrayal are balanced meticulously on the scale. Holly Black really knows how to create multiple plot twists that you will not see coming and I swear, a few of the chapters in this novel mystified me to the point where it got my lips carving a big O on my face, in other words, my jaw dropped. Some of the plot twists end in violence and some don’t but overall, they are still fucking amazing and I cannot stress that enough.

The characters in this novel involve Jude; Taryn who is Jude’s twin sister; Vivienne who is Jude’s older sister; Madoc who is the murderer of Jude’s parents; Oriana who is married to Madoc; Oak who is Jude’s younger brother but not blood-related in any way; Cardan who is the prince of Faerie and also happens to be a jackass for bullying people who are weaker than him; Locke who is… erm he can drown in a lake and I would say thank you; Valerian who also happens to be a jackass like Cardan and; Nicasia who is Queen Orlargh heir and she is disgusting. These are the central characters and of course, there are more characters in this novel but I do not want to spoil the story by naming the others so I am going to leave it at that.

The characters are so well constructed that you find yourself rooting for some of them and also, you will often find yourself wanting, desperately, to drown them personally in the river with your bare hands. Well, among all these characters, I would like to say that Jude has the most character development throughout the entirety of the novel because she is the one narrating the story but not only that, I thought her growth was gradual as she realizes her mistakes, takes guidance from other people and learns from it. Compare to the beginning of the novel where she does not, she clearly does take other people’s suggestions into account in the end.

For people who have not read a lot of Faerie books, you definitely need to know the basic knowledge of the folklore to understand the world a little better. I went into the novel with the mistake of not knowing anything about the folklore but I searched it up along the way so I can still kind of grasp the delicate line of knowledge of the world. Other than that, I thought the culture, the food and the social etiquette were very well formulated.  

However, I do have a scarce amount of complaints. Let’s inaugurate this section of the review with the ‘romance’. The romance, if you could call it that, feels really forced. It happens out of the blue and there is not any build-up to it. The romance section took me out of the story but luckily, it is quickly replaced by other plot points.

Moving on, we have some character decisions that I could not comprehend. For example, Jude says ‘My father’ as in Madoc and not her biological father in the previous page and in the next page, a character says ‘your father’ and she quickly counteracts and says ‘He is not my father’… like dude, make up your mind. Sometimes, she makes a decision and it is not addressed ever again.

Therefore, my final verdict for this novel will be a solid 85%. Time to force every single one of you to read this novel and drown in the sea of emotions with me. Please read it, thank you very much.

Anna And The French Kiss

Synopsis:

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

Title: Anna And The French Kiss Series: Anna And The French Kiss Author: Stephanie Perkins ISBN: 0525423273 (ISBN13: 9780525423270) Pages:  372 pages (Paperback) Published: July 16th 2013 by Speak (first published December 2nd 2010) Characters: Anna Oliphant, Étienne St. Clair, Meredith Chevalier, Rashmi, Joshua Wasserstein, Ellie, Bridgette Saunderwick, Christopher, Dave Higgenbottom, Sean Oliphant, Kevin Quiggley, Amanda Spitterton-Watts, Matt, Isla Martin Setting: Paris (France) Atlanta, Georgia (United States) Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary

I have heard endless good things about Anna and the French Kiss. It has been sitting on my shelf for a year now yet I've been hesitant to read it, due to all the hype surrounding it, I didn't want to read it and find myself disappointed. Yet, when one of my best friend's read it and completely fell in love with Anna and the French Kiss, I decided to read it this summer holiday. I started reading this book on Christmas day and I finished it when I went to bed that night. I fell in love with this book, just like my friend, and the rest of the bookish community, guaranteed I would.

Anna and the French Kiss is about 17 year old Anna, whose father, best-selling author of sappy romance books, sends her to a boarding school in Paris for the year. Anna is not happy at all, she has her best friend Bridgette and things with her crush are finally looking more serious, but when she meets Ètienne, she hopes that maybe she'll find romance in the City of Love, problem is...he's off-limits. But as they become best friends they both realize there's undeniable chemistry between them, but with lots of obstacles blocking their way, will Anna get that French kiss she has been waiting for?

Anna and the French Kiss is a magical read. Stephanie Perkins perfectly describes the scenery of Paris. I've always wanted to travel to France and through reading Anna and the French Kiss, I was able to do just that. I loved navigating the cobble stone streets with Ètienne and Anna, eating the sophisticated Parisian cuisine and viewing the vintages movies at the authentic cinemas lined up along the street. I absolutely fell in love with Paris in this book, and I hope that one day I will be able to visit it myself.

I think I'll start this review by saying how I adore Stephanie Perkin's writing. She has such a magical way of writing, and her novel is just such fun to read. I also love that it's not this fluffy read, it has depth to it and deals with serious issues that makes you sympathize with the characters, experience turmoil and you really feel a connection to them and are just rooting for them the whole way through.

Like I said, Perkins is an utterly fantastic writer and I spent the whole day in bed, or on the couch, just constantly reading and devouring the stunning story that Perkins has weaved with her enchanted words, loveable characters and swoon-worthy romance. It is seldom that I find a book that I enjoy so much that I read it in one sitting. Anna and the French Kiss is one such novel.

To me, the most wonderful thing about this novel are the characters. They're so real and they all have such powerful voices and powerful words that resonates inside the readers. They're all so authentic, and there's this witty dialogue and heart-warming moments that will have you producing tears and sighs of contentment. It's all just so perfect! I can't describe the sweet, romantic and frustrating moments that take place in this book...you need to experience it for yourself.

I absolutely love Anna! She's got such a honest voice and such a charming personality. I found that I could really relate to Anna, not in the way of being sent to live in Paris or such, but by the way she is a perfectionist, she is a natural worrier and freaks out about germs. There were times when I was reading that I was like "That's so me!" or "I do that!". Anna is also a great friend and she generally makes decisions based on how it will benefit her friends. I also love Anna and Ètienne's relationship, but I'll talk about that later. I just honestly love Anna as a narrator, she's just so cute. I love how she loves watching movies and has a website where she reviews movies, which I can relate to with my book blogging...knowing this also adds a more personal aspect to the novel.

Ètienne...Oh MY GOSH...I finally know what all the hype is about! I absolutely ADORE him! He's just so sweet and loving and perfect! My heart broke for him when he had family issues and I just wanted him to feel better again. I just love him so much!

I absolutely adore the relationship between Anna and Ètienne. It built up from this sweet, innocent friendship to this full on romantic relationship. I love how they're best friends and then they become more than that. Everything about the relationship is just so perfect! The way Ètienne slowly coaxes Anna out of her shell and shows her the ins and outs of Paris was beautiful to watch. I love how they built each other up and made each other more confident. Their romance was so extremely sweet and I love how they were best friends as well as being in love. It did infuriate me though when they kept denying their feelings for each other, as I just wanted them to officially get together. Perkins wrote their relationship wonderfully and she perfectly captured the roller-coaster of emotions of falling love in all it's bittersweet glory. The hope, the joy, the wondering....the heartbreak and devastation.

The secondary characters were written brilliantly as well. From Rashmi, Josh and Meredith, Ètienne and Anna's friends. I didn't really like Rashmi, I could never warm up to her. I didn't actually hear of Josh that much, but he seemed like a nice guy and an extremely talented artist. Meredith was sweet and I felt extremely sorry for her towards the end...especially seeing as she's in love with Ètienne too. There were also some jerks at Anna's school and I felt so sorry for her when false rumors started circulating around the school.

The story in itself was stunning. I loved how we got to familiarize ourselves with Anna and how her and Ètienne friendship slowly built up to something bigger. I loved exploring Paris with both of them, I loved the whole story.

I loved Anna and the French Kiss and I found it a charming, delightful read! You'll fall in love with the characters, especially with an English boy with a French name. The story is scrumptious and I completely devoured it. Anna and the French Kiss is definitely one of the best contemporaries I've read, with stunning, realistic characters, beautiful scenery, an exquisite story and a heart-warming romance, Anna and the French Kiss has everything (and more) that you'll be looking for in a contemporary.

The Wrath And The Dawn

Synopsis:

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?

Title: The Wrath and The Dawn Series: The Wrath and The Dawn Author: Renee Ahdieh Pages:  432 pages (Paperback) Published: April 5th 2016 by Penguin Young Readers Group (first published May 12th 2015) Characters: Shahrzad al-Khayzuran, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid, Tariq Imran al-Ziyad, Jahandar al-Khayzuran Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Adventure, Retellings

I have one thing to say. Khalid. Khalid was everything. This whole book was everything. I honestly have no words for it right now, other than brilliant, mind blowing and breathtaking, of course. Never in my life have I read a story more captivating than this one. All it took was the first three pages and I was completely hooked. It was a truly mesmerizing tale of love and sacrifice, an exquisite piece of fantasy literature based on one of the most intriguing stories of all time. A Thousand and One Nights has always been one of my favorite fairytales and Renee Ahdieh managed to capture its theme exceptionally well. I’m having a really hard time finding a book that will satisfy me after this one, and combined with the fact that I’m currently going through college exams and don’t have a lot of time to read in the first place, I think I’m heading for the worse book hangover of all times.

But let’s focus on the brilliance of this book and its amazing plot, which I would characterize with one word enthralling. That’s such an awesome word, isn’t it? Fitting because this book was awesome too. This book was a wild ride of conflicting emotions. Every single page and paragraph compels you to read further and I was dying to know the reason behind Khalid’s murderous sprint by the end of the first chapter! Granted, the plot might be a bit slow at times but Renee’s writing totally makes up for it and the intrigue and suspense is enough to keep you going until you’ve finally reached the end. I also have to talk a bit about the themes the book explores and the depth of the story and its characters. I found myself in a constant struggle to differentiate between the heroes and villains. The book teaches a wonderful lesson that nothing is black and white and that all is not always what it seems. Khalid, who is supposedly the villain, turns out to be the biggest victim of them all, while Jahandar, who is just a man looking for a way to save his daughter in the beginning of the book, ends up turning into the worst villain, even if his actions are somewhat justified. Even Tariq, who fights for his love, makes you question whether he’s right or wrong to do so and I was constantly conflicted about how to feel about him throughout the whole book. And that’s what I love about this book, the fact that it was real and honest and played with some important lessons in life without sugar coating situations.

And then the characters. Every single one of them had an impressive depth of personality that only added more brilliance to the story. Honestly, the characters are what really made this book for me and I was impressed by how much I connected with them in a very short time. Shahrzad has become one of my favorite female protagonists ever. She’s brave, strong and smart and managed to annoy me only once in the entire book which is a huge accomplishment. She uses her intelligence to survive when so many others have died, enchanting the caliph by weaving tales so mesmerizing that the king could not bear to kill her. And I have to add that I found those stories extremely interesting as well, even though they weren’t part of the main plot.

And then there is Khalid. Khalid is such a conflicted character. You know you have to hate him because he has killed so many girls for seemingly no reason, but at the same time you know there is more behind his seemingly cold and cruel personality and you want to get to know him and understand what defines his actions. And once you do, you can’t help but fall in love, just like Shahrzad fell in love.

Shahrzad’s relationship with Khalid is truly one of the most complex ones I’ve encountered in books and they weren’t even truly together for the most part of the book but I loved how she managed to love him even through hating him for what he’d done and how that love changed him and brought out his softer his softer side. And I also loved how Shahrzad became Khalid’s entire world and how he was willing to sacrifice everything for her. Shahrzad was determined to hate Khalid from the beginning and even though she never stopped holding him accountable for his actions, she recognized that what happened wasn’t entirely his fault and managed to forgive him and even love him once she got to know him better. But even though she did forgive him she still held him accountable for his actions and he held himself accountable as well. Excuses were never made and that’s what I loved about these two the most. That their relationship was so real and honest and that they managed to love each other despite the circumstances that defined them both.

Also, Tariq. I couldn’t help but love him even though I had decided pretty much from the beginning of the book that I wanted Shahrzad to be with Khalid. I found his character extremely interesting and the fact that he was so determined to fight for his love against all odds truly won me over, even though I kinda hated him for considering Khalid a monster. I’m really curious to see how his character and his relationship with Shahrzad will evolve over the second book and I do hope Renee will give him a happy ending. The side characters were also very well developed but I believe Renee could have worked more with them and give us more information about their past. I loved Jalal but unfortunately Despina left me completely indifferent. Rahim was also great and I though his humor added a nice light touch to the seriousness of the story.

Isn’t that just beautiful? Renee’s writing truly captivated me. The whole story and especially those last few chapters were mind blowing. My heart was literally racing while I was reading them. The writing was exquisite and the dialogue – especially between Khalid and Shahrzad was simply beautiful. I died a hundred times over while reading this. Especially towards the end. And that last chapter only left me wanting more. I wish May was here already.

The world building was also excellent. I loved the Persian setting and found myself transported into a fascinating world of Middle Eastern origins, rich with plenty of cultural references that I found extremely interesting  to read about. And I also loved the fact Renee wasn’t afraid to use non-English terms in this and thought it added a lot to the setting and the reality of the story.

Final rating: What else is there to say? This was simply brilliant. A total page turner and a book that deserves to be called a masterpiece in my opinion. One of the most beautiful stories I’ve read in a while. This was easily a five star rating for me, although I wish I could give it a lot more than just five stars. I can’t wait for May to be here already, so I can finally get my hands on The Rose and the Dagger and continue with this amazing story. And if you haven’t read this book yet, waste no time in doing so. You won’t regret it.

The Lightning Thief

Synopsis:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Title: The Lightning Thief Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Author: Rick Riordan ISBN: 0786838655 (ISBN13: 9780786838653) Pages:  377 pages (Paperback) Published: March 1st 2006 by Disney Hyperion Books (first published June 28th 2005) Characters: Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, Luke Castellan, Zeus (God), Dionysus (mythology), Ares (god), Hades, Poseidon (God), Chiron, Percy Jackson Setting: New York City, New York (United States) Montauk, New York (United States) New Jersey (United States) St. Louis, Missouri (United States) Las Vegas, Nevada (United States) Long Island, New York (United States) Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Children, Middle Grade

I’m sure we all have that book on our to-be-read lists, a book that you constantly stare at thinking, “I really need to read you,” but the timing is just not right. The Lightning Thief is that book for me. I think this novel has been on my TBR list longer than any other and I finally forced myself to read it after finding it at my local book shop. On a whim, I bought it and fell in love with the incredible world and characters Rick Riordan has created.

I’m sure almost everyone is familiar with the story, but if you aren’t, the book follows 12-year-old Percy Jackson, an ADHD and dyslexic boy who is constantly kicked out of school due to regular mishaps and bad behavior. On a class excursion at his newest school, Percy is attacked by a teacher who turns into a horrible monster and he discovers a truth about himself: he is a demi-god, half-human half-god, and the son of the sea god Poseidon. The Greek gods are alive and real and living in New York City. Percy is taken to Camp Half-Blood where he meets more of his kind, including Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, and Grover, a satyr. Not too long after he arrives, Percy discovers that he has angered the gods, especially Zeus, who believes that Percy has stolen his lightning bolt. Percy, Annabeth and Grover are sent on a quest to find the bolt, as well as Percy’s mother who was kidnapped, and the mysterious lightning thief.

Perhaps I read this novel at the right time in my life or maybe it was just that good, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was entertained from the first page, right until the very end. I am completely enchanted by the world Riordan has effortlessly created. It is such an amazing concept. I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical that the gods would simply just be there with no explanation aside from, “Yeah, they’re still alive,” but that was not the case. Riordan eloquently described how the ancient Greek gods are still kicking it. The gods, as well as Olympus and anything else attached to their realm, had followed the natural progression of Western Civilization, becoming the central deities of whichever country or Empire happened to be in charge at the time. They started (obviously) in Greece, moved to Rome where the Romans deigned them with different names; then to Western Europe and the Renaissance, kept alive through the rebirth of classical literature and artwork. Today, the gods have settled in the current most powerful country in the world: America. Olympus can be found on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building and the entrance to the Underworld is in L.A.

The world-building is amazingly complex, detailed and well thought out. Everything makes perfect sense as Riordan divulges certain pieces of information and history into the text at precise moments. Riordan’s writing was a little elementary and simple, but considering his protagonist is 12 years old and the novel is middle grade fiction, that’s understandable. The writing matched the tone of the novel – fun, witty and comical.

I found the story-line engaging and I would frantically flip the pages, so excited and intrigued to discover the truth and what will happen next. I loved the inclusion of so many of my favorite characters from Greek history and mythology. Each time a new, recognizable character was introduced, I practically squealed in excitement.

The Lightning Thief was a delightful series-starter that left me wanting more. This novel was so fun and entertaining it was impossible to put down.

Nevernight

Synopsis:

Mia Corvere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death. Destined to destroy empires, the child raised in shadows made a promise on the day she lost everything: to avenge herself on those that shattered her world. But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, and Mia must become a weapon without equal. Before she seeks vengeance, she must seek training among the infamous assassins of the Red Church of Itreya. Inside the Church's halls, Mia must prove herself against the deadliest of opponents and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and daemons at the heart of a murder cult. The Church is no ordinary school. But Mia is no ordinary student. The Red Church is no ordinary school, but Mia is no ordinary student. The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

Title: Nevernight Series: The Nevernight Chronicles Author: Jay Kristoff ISBN: 0008179980 (ISBN13: 9780008179984) Pages:  463  pages (Paperback) Published:  June 19th 2017 by Harper Collins (first published August 9th 2016) Characters: Tric, Mia Corvere, Lord Cassius, Mister Kindly, Ashlin, Mercurio, Jessamine, Mother Drusilla, Shahiid Mouser, Shahiid Solis, Shahiid Aalea, Naev, Carlotta Valdi, Diamo, Weaver Marielle, Justicus Remus, Osrik, Speaker Adonai, Julius Scaeva, Francesco Duomo Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Magic

I have a strict rule about reading: I have to read 100 pages of a book before I decide whether or not I’m going to finish it. Usually at that point I’ll finish it regardless because once I’ve sunk 100 pages into a book, I’d rather finish it and be able to claim I’ve read it (I’ve actually only DNF’d one book that I can remember). Maybe it’s not the best rule, but it’s how I operate. But let me tell you: Nevernight needed those one hundred freebie pages. If I’ve read another book that starts as badly, it’s been long enough that I don’t remember it. The opening chapter has some interesting things going on, stylistically, but after that… yikes. Mia and Tric, another important character, make their way across a dangerous desert to the Red Church, chased by monsters. You’d think running from monsters towards a murder church might be at least kind of interesting, but you would be wrong. It’s mind-numbingly boring. At that point in the novel, neither Mia nor Tric had done anything to get me to care about them as characters, and their repartee is not nearly as witty and charming as it’s evidently meant to be. The monster fights go on way too long and the narration doesn’t help it at all. More on the narration in a bit.

As I was reading this interminably long, interminably bad section, I complained to my friend that it was like Jay Kristoff’s editors had completely left him out to dry. Someone, I said, should have told this poor guy how many readers he was going to lose in this section. Then I figured it out. This is infodropping, I realized. We have to know about these monsters and this desert for the climax. I was right. Those stupid monsters do come back, and for the record, they’re not much better. I realize that they’re necessary for the plot, but I still think the editors needed to take Kristoff aside and say, this does not work. Rewrite it.

Back to the narration. It’s unique, for sure, and—I’m sure—base-breaking. Between Nevernight and Illuminae, it’s clear that Kristoff is a narratively skilled and innovative writer. Nevernight has a very strong narrative voice. An unnamed character who loves Mia tells the story directly to the readers, and tells it reverently, evoking religious phrases and imagery at every turn. There is also a liberal use of footnotes, which provide historical and cultural context for the fictional society. The footnotes pulled me out of the story. I couldn’t get into a rhythm because every time I did, I’d have to jump out and read multiple paragraphs about something that only peripherally affected Mia’s story. A few of them did provide important information, but enough of them were merely padding that my brain glazed over them a little as I was reading. As I’ve said, it took me a long time to care about Mia, and this was compounded by all the tangents. It’s not that I dislike tangents. Sometimes they can work really well. But when they interrupt a story that’s already limping along with something that brings it to a standstill, they’re not doing any favors. When I hit the middle of the book, they were more forgivable.

The book totally transforms when Mia and Tric reach the Red Church. Before they got there, I was desperate to get Nevernight over with. Once they arrive, so too did my interest. The challenges and trials posed to the acolytes gave the novel a structure it had been sorely lacking, and the new characters—particularly Ashlinn and to a lesser degree Hush, Jessamine, and Carlotta—changed up the dynamics for the better. Mia really only took form as a full character with the other acolytes. While lots of readers seem to really like Tric, I’m pretty neutral about him. He had a pretty blatant love interest vibe from the start. There were a few moments when it seemed like Mia wasn’t interested in him, and I was excited, but then they hooked up and my original impression was solidified. I’m not inherently against characters who are there primarily to be love interests. I can get very invested in well-told romantic storylines. But I never got Tric and Mia, and their lust-filled relationship didn’t interest me, especially considering how risky it was and how little either of them actually got out of it.

And there were a few minor things in Nevernight that bothered me. There’s a single line about Mister Kindly, Mia’s supernatural shadow sidekick, being angry when Mia sleeps peacefully enough that there’s no fear for him to feed on that fascinated me, but it never goes anywhere. The names for the assassination classes are hokey; a few of them kind of make sense, but calling poisons class “Truths” is kinda dumb. This is probably petty, but… when Mia had her appearance drastically and magically changed and is given much larger breasts, I couldn’t help thinking, this was definitely written by a dude. Sorry, but I can’t imagine a female writer giving her character a magical boob job, and especially not for assassin training. I mean, really? This poor girl went from being basically flat-chested to being apparently huge and never had any back pain? Sure.

The novel as a whole relentlessly juxtaposes the sacred and the vulgar. Mia wishes to become a disciple in a church devoted to shadow and darkness, where murder is sacred and the most relentless killers are lauded. The very first chapter of the novel intertwines scenes of Mia’s first real murder with her first sexual encounter, repeating phrases and changing only a word or two in order to align the two experiences as closely as possible. Repeatedly, violence and lust are woven together, and combined with the idea of murder-as-religion, the three ideas—sex, violence, and worship—become a kind of holy/unholy trinity. It’s fascinating, and when Kristoff keeps the uncomfortable balance, it works brilliantly. Unfortunately, the balance tips at the end. Most of Nevernight acknowledges, at least partially, that taking lives is generally considered immoral and that, therefore, a church dedicated to “Our Lady of Blessed Murder” is probably at least a little shady (pun mostly intended). The end doesn’t, though. I’ll put a spoilery paragraph at the very end of this if you want to read why the ending disappointed me.

The middle of Nevernight is very good. It has an interesting hierarchy filled with morally ambiguous power structures and characters. The beginning, though, is a chore, and the ending pulls off a dramatic twist… at the expense of the only character I actually, truly liked. The narrative voice is initially intriguing, but  it got old quickly and then I got numb to it and now can’t decide if I overall liked it or not. The same goes for the book itself. I enjoyed myself for probably around 65% of it, but was actively annoyed for a lot of the rest. I’m the rare reader who will come out of Nevernight lukewarm; I think the majority will run either very hot or very cold, because nearly everything about it is polarizing: the narration, the characters, the twist, the amount of sex and gore, the depiction of religion. I can see how every bit of it could be either adored or detested, and I’m surprised that I ended up stuck on the fence.

Falling Kingdoms

Synopsis:

Treacherous betrayals, secret alliances, unforeseen murders, and forbidden love— The world of Mytica will hold you captive:

AURANOS - Privileged Princess Cleo is forced to confront violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse.

LIMEROS - The king’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything.

PAELSIA - Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.

Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.

Title: Falling Kingdoms Series: Falling Kingdoms Author: Morgan Rhodes ISBN: 1595145850 (ISBN13: 9781595145857) Pages: 412 pages (Paperback) Published:  March 11th 2014 by Razorbill (first published December 11th 2012) Characters: King Gaius, Prince Magnus, Princess Cleo, Jonas, Princess Lucia Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Magic

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I honestly went into it with not very high hopes after reading a bunch of negative reviews on Goodreads but I actually really enjoyed it! I’ve already ordered the second book, Rebel Spring.

At the start of the book is a ‘cast of characters’ list and it basically lists all the characters in the book, what kingdom they are in and how they relate to the story. For example, Cleo Bellos is the youngest Auranian princess. I found this super helpful because there are a lot of characters and it was good to be able to flick back to the start to remind myself who everyone was.

I went into this book knowing nothing about it apart from it involved kingdoms and magic. I think that’s the best way to go into it because the first book is mainly setting everything up. There is a lot of world building, introducing all the characters and setting up the six book series. I’ll briefly explain the kingdoms and the plot below:

There are three kingdoms: Auranos (Southern kingdom), Paelsia (Middle kingdom) and Limeros (Northern kingdom). Auranos is a very wealthy kingdom full of lush green land with plenty of food and money. Limeros is wealthy too but their land is fading away and they don’t have the lovely green like Auranos. Paelsia is the poorest of them all and is mainly home to peasants with little to no money or food. They receive no help from any of the kingdoms and after one of their own is brutally murdered at the hands of an Auranian royal, Jonas is determined to avenge them and this sets the wheels of revolution in motion. Paelsia and Limeros believe that Auranos is full of greedy people who sit by and do nothing as everyone else suffers. Quoting the synopsis… kingdoms will fall, but who will emerge triumphant?

That’s all I’ll say for now otherwise I might be spoiling what happens because Falling Kingdoms is pretty much about a war brewing between the kingdoms after living in peace for centuries.

The start of the book definitely caught my attention because so much happened in the first few chapters I was just sat there with my mouth hanging open. It was crazy! I love when you are plunged right into the action because it’s so unexpected and it just makes you want to carry on reading. I could not put this book down. At all. I honestly thought it was going to be a really boring story but it was actually pretty exciting. I was expecting the start to be really peaceful and then the war coming towards the end but it actually all happens right at the start and then it builds up throughout the book before exploding at the end.

I read that this book is perfect for fans of Game of Thrones.  I do know that it is very bloody and violent with many, many, many people dying. This book isn’t as violent but it does have a lot of deaths. So many people died in this book it was crazy! They were dropping like flies. It wasn’t really violent but there was a lot of blood and destruction.

What I liked about Falling Kingdoms was that it wasn’t just one person narrating. It kept switching constantly back and forth between four characters: Cleo, Jonas, Lucia and Magnus. If you got tired of one character you got a break from them and moved on to a more fascinating character, Magnus, for instance. Magnus really made the book for me! He was a very fascinating character and my heart broke for him time and time again whilst I was reading his chapters. I am really looking forward to finding out more about his character because he just has so much potential. We literally saw so many different aspects of his character and how he has been forced into the person he is by the end of the book. He is a very evil character at times but I think he is genuinely misunderstood. I think he could turn out to be quite a good character and I’m excited to see if that’s true or not as the series unfolds.

Cleo went through a really good character development. At the start she was kind of annoying because she never tried to save herself. She always expected a man to swoop in and save her, she never fought for herself but she did fight for others. She was brave but she certainly wasn’t strong. She was a weak character but by the end she is forced into a corner and she becomes a much stronger character. I’m excited to see how much she changes in the second book because everything and everyone she loves has been cruelly taken from her. There is no one who can save her now and by the end she was determined to save everyone so I hope we do get to see that on some level!

Jonas, too, was an interesting character. He was so passionate about doing what’s right that he kind of let that blind him and made rash decisions. He was so blinded by his hatred for royals that he was willing to do anything to watch them suffer. He wasn’t my favorite character but it was interesting watching his whole viewpoint change throughout and by the end he becomes a more mature character. He has a stronger head on him and sets out a clear path on what is right and wrong. He changes his whole viewpoint by the end and I am interested in reading more from his point of view.

I like how all of the characters are vastly different from one another but their lives all intertwine in one way or another. They all cross paths in very violent ways and they all suffer but deal with their pain in very different ways. Another thing I like is that none of them are perfect. There are no good or bad characters they are just forced to make certain choices and take certain paths. They all have flaws and inner demons to deal with and believe that their actions are justified, they did what they had to do at the time and they can’t change that. There are so many sides to each character and we get to experience every side through the point of view of the other characters when their paths cross! This was very interesting and really exciting to read!

Falling Kingdoms is full of adventure, magic, heartless rulers, death and destruction! It’s a ruthless book full of ruthless characters and I am very excited to get my hands on the second book! I fully recommend this book and I hope you enjoyed this review!