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strangeandforlornbooks · 4 years

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best books with morally ambiguous narrators!

all y’all’s problematic faves and villains! :) also included are third person narrators but in books with morally ambiguous leads/themes

Sci-fi

Scythe by Neal Shusterman: in a future free from pain, disease, and war, people can live forever. ‘scythes’ are given the power to decide who lives and who dies to preserve the balance. sad and kinda gives of hunger games vibes, if you like that.

Neuromancer by William Gibson: basically invented the cyberpunk genre. strange and removed protagonists. (a team of computer hackers have to face off against an evil AI). you kind of dislike everyone and suddenly you’re crying over them. one of those trippy sci-fi classics.

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut: very beautiful and very very sad (same author as slaughterhouse five). the richest man in america has to face a martian invasion. more about free will and bad people doing good things than a plot that makes any kind of sense.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick: set in an alternate universe where the germans and japanese won world war two. not really like the tv show at all- it’s not an action story, and there’s not really the hope to somehow fix the world that drives a lot of dystopia stories. instead its about how people survive and connect to one another in a hopeless society.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow: a supercomputer convinces the leaders of the world to keep the peace for hundreds of years by taking their children hostage and obliterating any city that disobeys. what happens to the hostage protagonists when war seems inevitable? lots of morally fraught decisions and characters slowly losing their identity. (plus a fun lesbian romance)

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson: a brilliant mathematician and a dedicated marine fight to keep the ultra secret in world war two. fifty years later, a tech company discovers what remains of their story. one of the most memorable sequences in the book is a japanese soldier slowly becoming disillusioned with his nation and horrified by the war even as he continues to fight.

Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick: another one of those sci-fi classics that’s not at all like the movie. there is a bounty hunter for robots, though, as well as a weird religion that probably is referencing catholicism and a decaying society with a shortage of pets. kind of a trip.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power: girls trapped in a boarding school on an isolated island must face a creeping rot that affects the animals and plants on the island as well as their own bodies. the protagonists will do anything to survive and keep each other safe. very tense (and bonus lesbian romance whoo)

The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin: three women are gifted with the ability to control the earth’s energy in a world where those who can do so are forced into hiding or slavery. some veryyyy dark choices here but lots of strong female characters.

Historical Fiction

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: two victorian lesbians fall in love as they plot to betray each other in horrific ways. lots of plot twists, plucky thieves, gothic settings, and a great romance.

Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiwicz: a powerful roman soldier in the time of Nero plots to kidnap a young woman after he falls in love with her, only to learn more about the mysterious christian religion she follows. very melodramatic but some terrific prose.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: a blind girl in France and a brilliant German boy recruited by the military struggle through the chaos of the second world war. ends with a bang (iykyk.) very sad, reads like poetry.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang: graphic novel reveals the story of a young boy fighting in the boxer rebellion in early twentieth century china. the sequel, saints, is also excellent. beautifully and sympathetically shows the protagonist’s descent into evil- the reader really understands each step along the way.

Fantasy

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: three triplets separated at birth, each with their own magical powers, have to fight to the death to gain the throne. lots of fun honestly

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: everyone in these books is highly problematic but you love them all anyway. a ragtag game of criminals plan a heist on a magical fortress. some terrific tragic back stories, repressed feelings, and revenge schemes.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King: idk how to describe these frankly but if you can put up with King’s appalling writing of female characters they’re pretty interesting. fantasy epic about saving the world/universe, sort of. cowboys and prophecies and overlapping dimensions and drug addicts galore.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud: lots of fun! a twelve year old decides to summon a demon for his cute lil revenge scheme. sarcastic demon narrator. lighthearted until s*** gets real suddenly.

Elegy and Swansong by Vale Aida: fantasy epic with machiavellian lesbians and enemies to lovers to enemies to ??? to lovers. charming and exciting and lovely characters.

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen: an orphan boy must compete with a few others for the chance to impersonate a dead prince. really dark but very tense and exciting and good twists.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu: fantasy epic. heroes overthrow an evil empire and then struggle as the revolution dissolves into warring factions. interesting world building and three dimensional characters, even if they only have a small part.

Circe by Madeline Miller: the story behind the witch who turns men into pigs in the odyssey. madeline miller really said, i just used my classics degree to write a beautiful gay love story and now im going to write a powerful feminist retelling because i can. queen. an amazing and satisfying book that kills me a lil bit because of the two lines referencing the song of achilles.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer: the tragic backstory for the queen of hearts in alice in wonderland. a little predictable but very fun with a compelling protagonist

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George RR Martin: ok I know we all hate GRRM and rightfully so but admittedly these books do have some great characters and great scenes. they deserve better than GRRM though. also he will probably never finish the books anyway....

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: not really fantasy but not really anything else either. plucky, intelligent, and kind children fight off evil plots for thirteen books until suddenly you realize the world is not nearly as black and white as you thought.

Classics

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: gothic romance!! a new wife is curious about the mysterious death of her predecessor in a creepy old house in the British countryside...good twists and lovely prose.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles: not really morally ambiguous but one awful decision suddenly has awful consequences and certain people are haunted by guilt forever.... really really really beautiful and really really really sad. boys in a boarding school grow up together under the shadow of world war two.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: while imperial russia slowly decays a beautiful young woman begins a destructive affair. a long book. very russian. the ending is incredibly tense and well written.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: I think you know the plot to this one. the prose is better than you remember and the last scene is always exciting.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: one by one, the guests on an island are slowly picked off. one of Christie’s darkest mysteries- no happy ending here! very tense and great twists.

Contemporary

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: inspired the whole dark academia aesthetic. college students get a little too into ancient greece and it does not end very well. lovely prose but I found the characters unlikable.

Honorable Mentions

The Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherford: has literally a billion protagonists, but some of them are morally ambiguous ig? follows a few families stories’ from the 400s ad to irish independence in the 20s. beautifully captures the weight and movement of irish history.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer: how morally ambiguous can you be if you’re, like, eleven? a lot if you’re a criminal genius who wants to kidnap a fairy for your evil-ish plan apparently!

Redemption by Leon Uris: literally my favorite novel ever. the sequel to Trinity but can stand alone. various irish families struggle through the horrors of world war one. the hero isn’t really morally ambiguous, but the main theme of the novel is extremely bad people suddenly questioning their choices and eventually redeeming themselves. sweeping themes of love, screwed up families, redemption, and patriotism.

The Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett: heroes redeem themselves/try to get rich/try to save their country in early renaissance Europe. if I actually knew what happened in these books I'm sure it would be morally ambiguous but its too confusing for me. in each book you spend at least a third convinced the protagonist is evil, though. lots of exciting sword fights, tragic romances, plot twists, and kicking english butt.

Bonus: Protagonist is less morally ambiguous and more very screwed up and sad all the time

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: you know this one bc its quoted in all those quote compilations. basically the story of how one horrible event traumatizes a young man and how he develops a connection to a painting. really really really good.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: hard to describe but strange... not an action novel or a dystopia really but sort of along those lines. very hopeless.

#book recs #morally ambiguous protagonists #dark academia #book recommendations #mine

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heka-write · 6 years

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Six of Crows Thoughts and Discussion

Just finished this book a week ago.

Not doing a review because I find that boring. The book was amazing. That’s all you need to know. Definitely recommend for buying if you can.

A solid 4.5/5.

I thought I’d do my thoughts on the book and story as a whole, since that’s more fun and would love to open it to discussion.

(Spoilers are a given)

Again, I loved this book. It reminded me a lot of The Lunar Chronicles in the sense that this book was a archetypical revenge/heist plot set in a fantasy world and The Lunar Chronicles was a traditional fairy tale plot in a fantasy/sci-fi world.

I also did not read the original Grisha Trilogy but was still able to read the book and understand the story completely. There was plenty of world-building that intertwined seamlessly into the story, and while a few details went over my head, I was still able to have a decent understanding of the environment and politics and enjoy the story. You don’t have to read the original series to understand the spin off, and that’s another reason I would recommend the book.

(Though, now that I have read this I am quite interested in going back and reading the original series. )

I especially loved the cast. The morally grey, chaotic neutral characters are my favorites. The ones that are victims of society and rebel against it to survive, but still have heart and care about each other. They are Bad and ruthless but sympathetic and forgivable. They are the type of Bad that you wanna be. #SquadGoals.

They remind me a lot of Team Taka from Naruto, a team of people that were also victims of their societies and taken in by a bad crew, but learned to care for each other. Unfortunately, the author dropped the ball on those characters so the “good” characters could have their happy endings, but I’m glad I get to experience that dynamic in this book.

I loved all the characters, but I think my favorites would be Kaz, Inej and Nina. Nina was great throughout the novel but her ending was so hardcore. I’m hoping we will get to see her struggle in the next book, and she won’t be out of commission for too long. She’s sassy and her relationship with Matthias reminds me a lot of Anastasia and Will from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (another spin-off series! Much better than the original imo). Both these relationships are about a couple who loved each other making mistakes and working to forgive one another. The tension between them sliced through the page and I really felt their struggle. They have a great reason to love each other too; each taught the other about the common humanity among people. Matthias showed Nina kindness that she didn’t receive from her oppressors, and Nina showed Matthias friendship that he didn’t see in the propaganda he was taught. The flashbacks and progression really helped solidify them as a believable couple. I think what works the most about fictional couples like them is that you are shown how much they care despite being mad at each other. That’s how real relationships should be like.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Jesper and Wylan as a couple. Growing up it was pretty much impossible to see gay relationships in mainstream books (only in the LGBT genre could you really find them), so I was pleasantly surprised. At first I saw Wylan as very young (for some reason) and probably a little brother figure to Jesper, but I’m glad I was proven wrong. They are hilarious together, and it was really heartwarming to see someone care for Wylan after witnessing his father reject him.

Even though I did like these two couples I wasn’t a fan of the need of having everyone paired off. I mean seriously? Can no one be single in fiction?

I feel this was especially since I did not see Inej and Kaz as a strong couple. I love them both as characters. Inej is a tough girl who had to work through her insecurities and heal from her past. Not to mention her cool skills. Kaz is the intelligent boy prodigy who is dark and out for revenge. They are both badass with tragic pasts, but I don’t think that’s a good enough reason for them to be together. Kaz is the bad boy type character that I usually would rather see stay a loner than have a romantic interest. If he has troubles keeping friends, how would he be ready for a romantic partner? I’m glad the author addressed that in the book, when Kaz asked her to stay and she said she needed commitment and he was too cold to give it to her. Bardugo did a good job of addressing that at least.

But the flashbacks and longing looks didn’t really convince me for this couple as they did for NinaXMatt. They both have tragic pasts, and can sympathize with one another, but nothing of what I saw gave me reason to believe that Kaz would bond with her more than Jesper or any of the other characters.

What really annoyed me about their relationship was that it seemed that all the moments used to show how much they cared about one another required Inej getting kidnapped or hurt. Kaz shows how much he cares for her by torturing the person who hurt her. The author shows how much Kaz cares by having a villain kidnap Inej and making Kaz go to his worst enemy for help. I’m not against female characters ever getting hurt or needing help but Inej didn’t even get a chapter in her POV after getting kidnapped. It doesn’t sit well with me. I know another book is coming, so I’ll reserve my final judgement for then.

Again, I liked seeing Inej overcome her fears and achieve her goals. The chapter where she was able to climb up the chimney was the most empowering to read, personally. Even though I’m glad she got her revenge on Tante Heleen, I’m annoyed that we had to repeat the trope where women have to sexually please men to survive. I know the author was trying to do a subversion, because Nina and Inej were working undercover (and seductresses are staple in the Heist/Revenge plot storyline) but men are never put in this position in fiction unless it’s a joke (if anyone can come up with serious examples I’d still stand by that women are subjected to it more). Yes, I’m glad that this plot point was brought up in the issue of poverty (the author is very cutthroat about the dark aspects of the book, which I like), but I don’t understand the need to put females in this position after they escaped it.

It was an especially frustrating point in the book because Inej spent so much of her dialogue talking about how girls were trafficked into the pleasure houses, how much abuse she suffered there, and how she left for the Dregs because it was so awful, and then says something about someone “choosing” to do it. I think the author was trying to paint that she hoped someone would choose it so it was less horrible (this is a real tactic that women in these positions use in order to cope with abuse, btw), but the fact is women in these lines of work in third-world countries rarely choose it.

(Speaking of Inej, here’s a fun fact: My friend rented the book from the library and someone was kind enough to leave their artwork of Inej, I’ll post it if I ever get permission to).

I think those are my most solid opinions just based on the first book. Kaz turning to Rollins for help was interesting...to say the least. I think I’ll need to see what happens next to really understand if he has given up his Revenge for Inej or if he does intend on coming back to fry that evil man’s ass.

Let me know your thoughts ~

#six of crows #ya lit #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #nina zenik #blog #reviews

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dangerouslycleverbooks · 6 years

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MARCH WRAP UP???

Hi everyone!

So I decided that Saturdays will be the day of posts. Posts in other days than Saturday will be more random and probably shorter. I do realize that it’s the middle of the month of April and that everyone kind of forgot about March, but I’m about to post my March wrap up anyway.

Because in March I’ve read 9 books I will try to write it as short as I can. It’s not a lot, but I’m not disappointed, because as I said before there are 8 books I need to read per month (because of my reading challange for 2018). Not only I wasn’t disapointed by the number of the books, but also the contents; from all of 9 books I’ve enjoyed every single one, some more, some less, but there is no book I’ve give less than 3*.

The first book I’ve read in March was Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. I’ve enjoyed these stories. I wish I had this book when I was younger. It’s inspiring and really well written. Most important it’s not only “book for children”, it’s something that we all can learn something from. Not only young girls and what’s most people haven’t noticed; not only girls. While I get a lot of women that were mention in book are not a really good examples to be followed for good girls, the book is not about being GOOD. It’s for a rebel girls for goodness sake! The book is about powerful and influential women, which sometimes doesn’t go along with being “the good girl”.

The next book was Before I Let Go written by Marieke Nijkamp. Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return. Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town’s lost daughter, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she’s a stranger. Corey knows something is wrong. With every hour, her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter… Though I haven’t gave this book 5* it’s still one of my favorite storie I have ever read! I love the concept, getting to know characters, the wat Marieke wrote this book, not unnecessary the style. I don’t want to say too much because I’m afraid I could destroy you the reading experience.

Another book, or should I say graphic novel, is The Mortal Instruments; The Graphic Novel Vol I. Hanging out with her best friend, Simon, is just about the most exciting thing in Clary’s life…that is, until she realizes there are people only she can see. But when her mother disappears and a monster attacks her, Clary has to embrace a world that she never even knew existed–a world full of vampires, werewolves, demons, and those who fight for the humans, Shadowhunters. I love the idea of the graphic novel for The Mortal Instruments because the first books from the series aren’t really good for older teens and adults. They could easily skip the first three books by reading the graphic version of them! For now, there is only the first half of City of Bones (the first book from TMI series) but there will be more! And hopefully we will get them at least to City of Glass. I recommend buying this edition not only for people who are a bit too grown for the way CoB was writte, but for everyone. It’s fun, the illustrations are really good and also there is one scene that was missing from the original book!

The fourth book from March wrap up is Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levensellet. Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship. More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King. It’s really typical YA novel and from the synopsys you can clearly say it is cheesy, but I really enjoyed my time reading this. I hope the next book (because it is a duology, and I haven’t gave you the name of the sequel for a reason; it’s pretty spoilering). Maybe I liked it because the book is about pirates and sea adventures, and I’m all about it! I don’t have problems with light books (and this was definitely one) I also don’t have any stipulations with it. But I do have some thoughts starting with „this could be better if…”. I wasn’t the big fan of a romance in it, but I believe that Levenseller will make it up with another books!

The next two books are my rereads and the first one is Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them… I’ve reread this book because I am taking part in rereading Clare’s books before Queen Of Air And Darkness release. I have to admit when I first read Clockwork Angel I wasn’t a big fan of it, especially the love trangle. During the reading this book this month I focus on London and the case they were into, I’ve tried to ignore the love affairs and I have to say, I was really pleased with it. I’m not saying that I’m madly in love with Infernal Devieces and it’s not my favorite series by Cassandra, but it definitely jump on higher place.

My second reread is the first book of my favorite duology of all times (which are basically on the same place as Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab), and that is Six of Crows by Leigh Berdugo. Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone… A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first. If you still wonder about buying this book… don’t wonder, just buy it! If you already read The Grisha trilogy, buy Six of Crows asap! Or if you’re not really interesting in reading The Grisha, just jump right into it! I am really mad at myslef for ignoring Six of Crows because of the hype, but it really is worth it, at least for me. There is no words that can describe my love for this book. The first time I’ve read this book in January of 2018 and I immediately had to jump into the second book! I’ve finished SoC at 9 AM and right after this I went to local book store and bought Crooked Kingdom! Still it wasn’t enough so I ended up wanting to reread both books! First time I focused only on the story and the task they had to do, which basically made me miss a lot of really important things in relation between characters. Probably with the third reread (which will probably happen in the next 4 months) I will find something else. Six of Crows is connected to The Grisha trilogy and some people says it’s not necessary to know it before reading duology. I do believe it is better to read Grisha first because there you have the whole magic system and most important thing of this world is in it. Plus Six of Crows happened after The Grisha series which basically means you might find some spoilers, not big one, but still spoilers. I personally read Six of Crows first, but if I could I would definitely start with The Grisha series.

And now the book that I did enjoy but not that much… and everybody seems to love it… and after years of trying reading it I finally finished it. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or if you prefer The Sorcerer’s Stone by none other but J.K. Rowling. Everybody probably knows what this book is about so I won’t write about it. And to be clear I love the world of HP, I love the films, I love the story, I love characters… it’s just, the book (THE FIRST BOOK) was not for me. I dislike the first movie from the series as well so maybe it’s just how it is. And maybe because I wasn’t growing with the books or that they are written for kids… I didn’t get it. The only thing I liked about this book was the exploring the world all over again. More details about it etc. For me the worst part of the book (and I do get why it was shown this way, but it still was really pissing me off) is the hate towards Slytherin. That everybody in this house have to be evil. Like they are the worst. (I also might be a bit offended because it’s my Hogwart house). But I will continue the series becuase after all I didn’t hate the book. It was okay, just not something I am madly in love with… or at love at all. I hope the next books will be better, I’m especially excited about The Half Blood Prince which is my favorite part when it comes to movies. I hope to love this series just as everybody else so much! Let’s hope I will.

Let’s move on to two the best books of March, and the first one is… Strange the Dreamer by Taylor Laini. I am so suprised that I loved this book so much. The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep and when a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors who proposed an expedition … to someone else. Because I’m writing full review about this book, I am not gonna write here much. I really do love Lazlo and the storie following his person, and not only his! I am really happy I did buy Strange the Dreamer and I cannot wait to hear more stories from Laini because she’s an amazing author!

And finally probably best of the best reads of this year is A Conjuring of Light by one and only, amazing V.E. Schwab. I absolutely adore Shades of Magic trilogy, it stole my heart with the first sentence! Because A Conjuring of Light is the third book in a series I won’t write anything about it, except the fact that it did broke my heart and left me empty, and yet the ending was so satisfying and beautiful that I cannot complain, but I do need more. And I heard we will get the stories set five years after the Shades of Magic, but we will see what will happen! For now, I will just highly recommend you this trilogy.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little wrap up and that people won’t jump on me becuase of Harry Potter… we all should respect each others opinion, I mean, everybody has a right to have one (..right?). But that’s it for much, thanks to anyone who read this and let me know down in a comments what was your reads of the month of march and what was your favorite? 🙂

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escapeinpapers · 4 years

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MAY WRAP-UP

This month, I think I spent way too much time in booktube that my attention for a certain book quickly goes to another one. I’m quite mad at myself because I had not been consistent of my May TBR. Even so, I’m still pretty proud of myself because I’ve read more than what I expected to read. Also, I would say there were books that disappointed me this month but there were some that I quickly rated as 5 stars and made me so emotional.

So here are the books that I’ve read for the month of May.

NEW ADULT/ADULT ROMANCE

To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise (2/5)

The story is told by POV’s main characters, Olive and Jason. Olive is an indie author whose book will be adapted into a movie. She then finds out that the actor who will be playing the male protagonist is her brother’s childhood bestfriend/ her childhood crush and first love, Jason.

I honestly love the childhood crush and second chance romance trope on this book but it was getting bad and bad as I continue to read. I even prepared myself to be ready for a major twist or revelation but I was just disappointed. It felt like there was no real and impressive conflict on their relationship. I enjoyed the first few chapters and maybe towards the first half but it just got really crappy. There were cringey love scenes and sometimes the characters were being dumb that it is so frustrating.

(P.s. Every time Jason calls Olive “little one”, I cringe and I remember Thanos from Avengers lol.)

The Guy on the Right by Kate Stewart (3.5/5)

This is a friends to lovers novel. Main characters are Theo and Laney. Theo is quite shy and a reserved person. He lives in a house with Troy, the popular playboy roommate. He calls himself as “the guy on the right” because Troy always takes the spotlight and many girls go after him. He met Laney on a party. She, on the other hand is the quirky, outspoken and hardworking country girl. They became close, started a social media page and they eventually fell in love with each other.

This is my first new adult book ever. I’m usually into young adult and adult books so it was a huge step for me to explore this genre and gladly I enjoyed this book and now I’m more interested to read other new adult books. The storyline was good. I gave it only 3.5 stars because it was just an okay read for me. I love the elements of music and social media. The characters were also charming in their own ways. And you’ll get quotations called Grannism every end of a chapter. Some were really relatable.

Read my full review:

The Naked Truth by Vi Keeland (4/5)

The book is all about a second chance romance. Layla, a lawyer, was asked to do the pitch for a prospect client to their law firm. She didn’t know that the client she’s gonna impress was Gray, her ex who just got out of prison. Gray want Layla back and he wants to clear all the misunderstanding and explain to her why he had to lie to her.

I didn’t expect to love this book. I love the shift of timelines from present to the past. I thought that it will be just full of steamy scenes but the plot was amazing. The twists and turns were impressive. There’s one that really struck me and I literally screamed with that revelation. It was a major drama I didn’t see coming. I think people who love K-Drama (like me) would like this book. I also love how the author portrayed the aspects of family, marriage as well as death. The lawyer-prisoner romance was also interesting. It is my first time reading that kind of trope. My only issue with this book is Layla being sometimes annoying with her petty arguments.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (5/5)

Due to food poisoning, Olive’s twin sister and Ethan’s brother can’t make it to their honeymoon in Maui. Thus, Olive and Ethan were asked to take their places. The problem is, Olive and Ethan do not get along very well. They pretty much hate each other’s guts but the two need to work together and act as newly married couple. Only, they didn’t realize that this free vacation is changing their lives.

This was an easy 5 stars for me. I enjoyed this book so much because it was atmospheric. It felt like I was on the beach myself because of how engaging the story was. The enemy to lovers and fake marriage/relationship tropes were done beautifully. I was easily hooked into the story and the twists were just freaking good. Olive and Ethan’s chemistry is so strong. Their banters were very fun. I just love love love this book.

Read my full review:

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover (5/5)

The story revolves around Tate and Miles. Tate is a nurse who has no time for love and Miles is a pilot who doesn’t want to love again. Their first meeting was not great but their paths always cross because he’s her new neighbor and he’s her brother’s friend and co-pilot. Physical attraction grew between them and they can’t put aside their desires so they had some sort of friends with benefits relationship. But things get really bad because they are slowly breaking their own rules.

This is officially one of my favorite books of all time. Everything in this book is just perfect. I kind of judged this book very wrongly 2 years ago when I first tried to read this because I thought it will be just about sex and at that time my smut level on books was really low. But, I decided to read it again out of a whim at freaking midnight. I looked past through the love scenes (though idk I find it dreamy and romantic now) and focused on the story, and swear, I was blown away. I never thought that I would cry so badly again over a book.

Read my full review:

FANTASY

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2/5)

This is somewhat a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Feyre, a normal mortal girl, killed a Faerie (a magical creature) while she was hunting for food. She was punished to live in a High Fae’s manor to pay for the life she had taken and she ends up falling in love with Tamlin, her captor who can shapeshift and who wears a crappy mask.

I really want to love this book. Some people told me to don’t stop reading because it will get good. But sadly, I just did not like it (Sorry! ). The writing is atmospheric though, I admired it at first. However, as I go on, the description of the settings or for the other things were too much and I think did not necessarily affect the situation at hand. Sometimes, it was just too flowery and over with metaphors. Feyre and Tamlin as characters were not effective, their chemistry is “meh”. There were cringey lines especially on the love scenes. The plot twists were not hard for me to predict. I think this book was not just for me to read. Though, I’ve been told that the sequel is the best among the series so I might give it a shot soon.

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow & Bone (3/5)

Siege & Storm (3/5)

Ruin & Rising (2/5)

Alina had discovered her unique powers to summon light when they were assigned to cross the Shadow Fold. It’s a forsaken place of impenetrable darkness with flesh eating monsters. Leaving Mal, her childhood bestfriend and the guy that she also likes, she was sent to the Little Palace to work with the magical elites called Grisha in hopes that she could destroy the fold and unite Ravka. While working to hone her powers, she finds herself developing feelings for The Darkling, the mysterious and attractive as hell leader of Grisha. On her journey to destroy the Shadow Fold, she encountered many challenges, revelations and truth about the people around her.

I really had high expectations for this series because I love the author and her Six of Crows duology. But I was again, disappointed. It’s not that it was that bad, it was not just as great as I expected it to be. I have a love and hate relationship with this series. The first book was good. The build up of the story was beautifully done. I love the magical system and the characters were intriguing, but only at first. I understand why the Darkling is hyped up till now because he is absolutely mysterious and hot (plus Ben Barnes will be playing the role for the Netflix adaptation). Revealing Alina’s power as well as the Darkling’s was very cool. The second book is where the Darkling gets literally dark. Even though this was more tensed because of the twists, I enjoyed and laughed many times than the first book because of Nikolai. He’s not the main character of this series but its funny because I like him the most. Scratch that. I love him. The third book was just so disappointing. I enjoyed the side characters’ romance more and the twists were not that impressive. And the ending? Worst. I think there’s one common denominator of all the things that I didn’t like in this series, and that is Alina being a typical weak female protagonist. She is just annoying sometimes, too dependent of the other characters and does weak and petty arguments.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (5/5)

This is the sequel of the Six of Crows duology. Kaz and his crew did the heist they were asked to do but they had to face their consequences and take down the real enemy. As much as I’m excited to tell you more about the plot, I won’t go any further because I don’t want to spoil anything.

I absolutely love the first book and I was not disappointed with this one. This is my best fantasy reads so far. I fell in love more with Kaz, Inej, Matthias, Niña, Wylan and Jesper. They are just freaking amazing. The character development was done so good. The plot twists are super amazing and I got fooled many times. Also, the ending is so satisfying. I have to admit, I enjoyed this duology more than The Grisha Trilogy.

Read my full review:

YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston (4/5)

We follow Sophie’s journey towards healing her broken heart. Her Grandma decided to set up her in blind dates and the guys he’ll be dating are chosen by some of her family members. So, she went onto these days, in hopes to forget her ex-boyfriend. But things get complicated. Her ex wants her back but the feelings she had for an old friend is growing back.

If you’re looking for something that is light, cute and a quick read, this is the book for you. The blind dating thing was just very cute. I never expected to like it, but it was just interesting and each date was fun in their own ways. I also love the essence of family and friendship on this book. As a person who grew up in a family-oriented household, I can relate so much of the main character.

Read my full review:

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (5/5)

In this world, there’s this system called Death Cast. They call people to give them an alert that they’re gonna die on that day. No when and how but only the information that on that day that you are called, it’s your time to say goodbye to the world. Mateo had been always paranoid about the time that he will receive the call. So, when Death Cast called him, he had been more paranoid than ever. Then, he met Rufus, who’s also gonna die that day, through The Last Friend app. Despite the two having very different attitude towards accepting their death, they decided to spend their last day together.

This is the kind of book that is very hard to put down. The title itself is already very intriguing. All the time I was reading this, I can’t help but to be anxious because knowing anytime soon, Rufus and Mateo are gonna die. I had a lot of theories on how they would die but it was no where near. The narration is very deceiving which I love. The message of this book is also very touching plus the characters are very relatable and I can’t help to put myself in their shoes. I know it is unpleasant to think about death especially these times but this book just made me realize things about life and it made me reflect and ask myself on how I’ve been living my life so far. I love this book so much that it is one of my best reads for this year and I might make a full review for this one.

So those were all the books that I've read for the month of May. For June, I've been thinking to read genres that I don't usually read such as msytery and thrillers. I hope I would be consistent on my next month's TBR.

Thank you for reading. I hope some of the books caught your interest. Till my next post ❤

#may wrap up #book review

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Army of the Dead 2: Questions That Need to Be Answered in a Sequel

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This Army of the Dead article contains spoilers.

Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead packed a punch on Netflix the weekend of its release. By the following Monday, the Justice League director’s zombie heist epic was well on its way to becoming one of the streaming service’s top 10 most watched movies of all time. What does that mean? That there’s a good chance we’ll be getting a sequel in due time.

A sequel won’t come as much of a surprise to those fans who’ve been following along, though. After all, Army of the Dead was always meant to be the opening salvo for a new zombie cinematic universe for the streamer, including two prequel projects already in the works, an anime series called Lost Vegas and the movie Army of Thieves, which follows master safecracker Ludwig Dieter before he joined Scott Ward’s team.

Then there’s Army of the Dead‘s cliffhanger ending, something a potential Army of the Dead 2 would need to address in some way. And there are a few other questions left unanswered, too. For example, what the hell was up with that robot zombie?!

Here are all of the loose plot threads a sequel will need to tie up:

Are Aliens the Cause of the Zombie Virus?

It’s only ever really mentioned in the opening scene in the movie, as the soldiers transport Zeus to a secret military facility, but it bears discussion: is whatever Zeus has been infected with of alien origin? Is Zeus himself an alien? We never really learn the origin of the zombie virus but the fact that one of the soldiers mentions that Zeus came from Area 51 does seem significant.

Could humans vs. zombies vs. aliens be the ultimate end game of Snyder’s Dead universe? It remains to be seen, but the director is hardly the first filmmaker to subtly connect his zombie virus to outer space — a brief newscast in George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead speculates that radiation coming off of a Venus space probe might have been responsible for the movie’s undead nightmare. Plan 9 from Outer Space involves alien invaders bringing the dead back to life to eat the humans. Robert Kirkman’s original pitch for The Walking Dead involved a big twist involving aliens, too. Is Snyder nodding to the zombie classics that have come before? Is it really alien?

We just don’t know. (But it’s probably aliens.)

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Where Did the Robot Zombies Come From?

Sorry, I meant humans vs. zombies vs. aliens vs. robot zombies. Alphas aren’t the only “undead” creatures introduced in Army of the Dead. There’s also a robot zombie that appears in one shot of the movie and which has become the subject of heavy speculation among the director’s fans.

The robot cameo is a blink-and-you’ll-miss it moment. As Scott and what remains of his squad of thieves fight their way out of the casino at the end of the movie, they shoot a zombie in the face, revealing what looks like its metallic skull and a mechanical eye. The body also seems to short circuit as it falls to the floor, with a blue flash that also resembles the blue-ish insides that gush out of the alphas when they’re killed.

So what’s going on here? Snyder has confirmed there are indeed robots camouflaged as zombies in this movie, but won’t say what for or how they got there.

Snyder did suggest some possibilities in a Q&A about the film (via Comic Book): “If you pay close attention, there’s a number of zombies that are clearly not zombies. You see normal zombies and then you see some robot zombies. Are they monitors that the government has placed among the zombies to monitor them? Are they technology from the other world? What’s happening there?”

Sounds like he’s definitely saving this one for Army of the Dead 2 (or one of the prequels).

What’s Going to Happen to Mexico City?

This is the most obvious plot point for a potential sequel. At the end of Army of the Dead, we watched an infected Vanderohe making his final descent into Mexico City. He was unknowingly bitten while fighting Zeus in the vault room, and unless he ends his own life, he’ll soon be transformed into a new alpha.

You can guess what will likely happen next: Vanderohe turns once the plane lands and begins munching his way through the Mexican capital, which contains about 7 million more people than Las Vegas. That’s a much bigger zombie army than the original, and a much more difficult city to wall up than the Vegas strip. Yeah, humanity is in trouble if things turn out the way we all expect.

But could Snyder have some other twist in store for Vanderohe? According to the director, he has the story for Army of the Dead 2 all mapped out, including what’s going to happen in Mexico: “What we have planned is too crazy. Once we knew Vanderohe was bit, and he’s going to Mexico City, I was like, ‘You know what’s gonna happen?’ And then I just went on a tear. And by the time it ended, Shay [Hatten, co-writer] was like, ‘OK.’”

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Will There Be a New Zombie King and Zombie Queen?

One of the most fascinating parts of Army of the Dead was Snyder’s vision for an advanced race of alpha zombies that could not only communicate with one another and strategize but also procreate. Indeed, we learn that Zeus, the zombie king of Las Vegas, is expecting a baby with his zombie queen, the incredibly creepy undead Vegas performer who welcomes Scott’s group as they enter the quarantine zone. Together, they’re the zombie first family of the city.

While the movie doesn’t explore how exactly the alphas choose their leaders, it’s clear that the alphas have a hierarchy. Perhaps it’s as simple as patient zero taking command of his undead army. That would mean that Vanderohe could become the zombie king of Mexico, but perhaps it’s more complicated than that. Maybe the king needs to prove himself the true alpha of the undead in order to become leader. Either way, it’d be interested to see Army of the Dead 2 explore all that a bit more.

Why Does the Government Need a Zombie Army?

We learn in the big third act twist that Scott’s casino heist is just a way for sleazy rich guy Bly Tanaka to attain his real prize: the alpha DNA he hopes to sell to the U.S. military. But what does the Secretary of Defense want with the zombie queen’s head? Well, his plan is to use it to create the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, a zombie army he can unleash on America’s enemies.

As insane as it sounds, the plan seems clear cut enough, but there’s an underlying question: what threat to the U.S. is so big that the military needs to spark another outbreak of the zombie virus and risk infecting the entire world? Snyder implies in his movie that the current U.S. president of this universe is no genius — he wants to blow up Las Vegas simply because he thinks it’d be cool — so it’s possible that it’s the government’s ignorance and hubris that’s behind the plan to weaponize the zombie virus.

But could the U.S. military be trying to create its own zombie army to fight an even bigger threat looming in the shadows of the movie? Is it the aliens? Or does the military think it can create an anti-zombie zombie task force for the next time a Las Vegas-level disaster pops up?

Are Scott and His Team Stuck in a Time Loop?

Okay, I think I’ve got it right this time: the endgame of the Army of the Dead universe might actually be humans vs. zombies vs. aliens. vs. time itself. You’ve likely read about this theory by now — Scott and his team are actually stuck in a time loop, doomed to repeat their failed Las Vegas heist until they finally complete their mission.

There’s some very compelling evidence that this is indeed what’s happening, such as the corpses waiting for the group when they reach the vault room, decomposing skeletons wearing outfits and gear almost identical those worn by Scott, Vanderohe, Dieter, Maria, and other members of the team. Have they been here before? How many times before? Other evidence suggests that the movie takes place during the fourth time loop, meaning the team has tried and failed three times before.

When asked by The Film Junkee about the time loop theory, Snyder revealed that there was other evidence sprinkled throughout the movie that fans might be right, including a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of another group of corpses sitting at a casino table as Scott and his team make their escape (it happens at about 1:53:26).

“I will also say that… there’s a chance – and I’m not saying this is 100% true, and in some ways it’s not – but the group at the table, I mean, it’s pretty subtle, but that’s them also at the table as well as… they get farther every time … possibly… Is this the time they made it all the way to the money?”

That almost sounds like he’s sort of confirming the theory without saying as much. For now, this is another question to be answered in the sequel.

In the meantime, Army of the Dead is streaming now on Netflix.

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