Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic

Author: V.E. Shwab

Series: Shades of Magic #1

Publisher: Tor Books

Publication Date: February 24, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Adventure; Adult for Young Adult

Pages: 398

Format: Hardback

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Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.

Parallel universes, magic, London, London, and more London. How…intriguing.

Scene One: Red London. So saturated with magic, the inability to control the elements is considered odd. Scene Two: Grey London. Our London, aka the considerably less cool of all the Londons. Scene Three: White London. Oppressed by the cold, cruel, colorless Danes twins, this London is doomed to meet the unspeakable fate of Black London.

First of all, character building? Flawless. Lila, the bossest of characters I’ve read in 2016, was a hands down favorite (except, of course, the Danes twins, but we’ll get to that later…). Kell and Lila made the most fantastic team. The dynamic between the two was indispensable in creating the suspenseful nature withheld throughout the entirety of the novel. Let me explain:

Kell: Dreamy (emphasis on the dreammmyy). The pet of the Red London royal family. A good boy, except when he’s not. A curator of relics of other Londons and an unapologetically proficient black-market dealer, which happens to be a bit illegal. An Antari and one of the few remaining Travelers.

Lila: An all-round-good-for-everything badass. Dreams of adventure and escape, preferably of the pirate variety. A competent thief and incurably stubborn. Sarcastic, insensitive. A blast to read.

They fit together like two perfect pieces of a puzzle.

As they fight two villains who could possibly be two of my favorite villains of all time, they work in perfect harmony. I appreciate how Schwab doesn’t make their victory too easy. Those Danes twins were the most well-developed antagonists. With well-placed rumors of floors inlaid with the bones of their enemies, their wonderfully creepy appearances, and their insane, despicable dispositions, the Danes twins were entirely unlikeable (in the most likeable way).

Parallel universe settings are so easy to get wrong. Luckily, Schwab knows what she’s doing and does it right in every way. She cuts down on the potential confusion by focusing on one particular place throughout the entire novel with certain checkpoints to hold the three worlds together. She doesn’t go overboard with fifty worlds, nor does she lamely half-ass her attempt with only two worlds. She sticks with the nice, comfortable, simple number of 3 (or, technically, 4). She briefly mentions the differing surroundings of each world, but doesn’t go into too much depth.

Also, can we just take a second and look at this beautiful cover? Is it not stunning?

A Darker Shade of Magic was a job well-done. Every part of this book deserved the favorable reception it was given. I’ll be reading the sequel very soon.

“I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”

A Gathering of Shadows

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a really great meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's Topic? 

Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR List

Spring (n.): One of the four season of the year; usually entails the cutest darn baby animals you've ever seen in your entire life, more flowers than there are stars, allergies, allergies, and more allergies, the weather you've been waiting all freaking year for, and, of course, brand new books! 



Here are the top ten books on my to-read list for this year's spring time:

1. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare: Spring is all about new things, right? Well...this BRAND NEW series in the Shadowhunter chronicles should be perfect for spring reading!

2. The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski: With no particular relation to the spring time, I just really need to get my hands on this book. I loved her other novels, and now, it's time for me to devour this one. It just happened to be released around spring. 

3. The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: Birds are springy. They fly around and tweet their little (slightly annoying) bird songs. Why not read a book that references feathers in the title? 

4. The Heir by Kiera Cass: I have to, I have to read this book. Now. Right now. I might be subjecting myself to an onslaught of thorougly addicting books/romances, but I am so ready for it.  

5. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty: I smell realistic fiction with a side of juicy romance. What could be more perfect for the spring? 

6. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: I love me some real good historical fiction. Salt to the Sea is not only historical, it's Ruta Sepetys historical, which, to me, is one of the best kinds.
7. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith: So, no, there is never a time when romance is not appropriate. But, during the spring time, it's even MORE appropriate. And Jennifer E. Smith is just too cute. Plus, might I just say, her book titles are to die for.
8. Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider: I adored the Beginning of Everything, and even if this story isn't as happy-go-lucky as some of the other picture-perfect spring reads, a story about second chances and learning to love is just fine for this time of year.
9. The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Ah, the aforementioned picture-perfect spring read. What else can I say?
10. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard: The first was so good, I just couldn't deny myself the pleasure of reading the sequel. Reading this as soon as possible is high on my list of spring to-dos.

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke Review

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman

Title: Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke

Author: Anne Blankman

Series: Prisoner of Night and Fog #2

Publisher: Blazer + Bray

Publication Date: April 21, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Historical Fiction; Romance; Adventure; Mystery; Young Adult

Pages: 406

Format: ARC

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The girl known as Gretchen Whitestone has a secret: She used to be part of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle. More than a year after she made an enemy of her old family friend and fled Munich, she lives with a kindly English family, posing as an ordinary German immigrant, and is preparing to graduate from high school. Her love, Daniel Cohen, is a reporter in town. For the first time in her life, Gretchen is content.

But then, Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen’s world turns upside-down. And when she receives word that Daniel is wanted for murder, she has to face the danger she thought she’d escaped-and return to her homeland.

Gretchen must do everything she can to avoid capture and recognition, even though saving Daniel will mean consorting with her former friends, the Nazi elite. And as they work to clear Daniel’s name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself. Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time-or will Hitler discover them first?

*Sigh*Historical fiction is so great.

Gretchen Whitestone was once Adolf Hitler’s pet. She was the perfect niece, and she admired Hitler to the point of fault. After meeting Daniel Cohen, her world shattered, and she ended up in England, free from Hitler’s tight reign over her and Germany. She’s happy, and she sees the life she always wanted stretched out before her. However, when Daniel is captured in Germany, Gretchen must face her horrible past, and triumph over the once inescapable grasp of her Uncle Adolf.

Even though we all know how it ends (Hitler gains control of Germany and starts a war around the world), Anne Blankman still manages to keep me guessing. She writes like there’s a chance of Hitler’s defeat, even if there’s not. When I’m reading her work, I’m in Germany while the Nazis are rising. I’m watching the Nazi parade and seeing Hitler’s stupid little mustache. Her melding of history and fiction together is astounding and thoroughly entertaining. Her painstaking attention to detail is enough to send her novels over the moon.

I love how this book shines a totally new light on who Adolf Hitler was, and how his comrades in his quest for domination acted and thought. I love the historical value of Anne Blankman’s writing, and it totally makes this whole reading historical fiction thing worth it ten times over. Reading and learning are two of my favorite things, and both come in this 406 page package.

I maintain that the Prisoner of Night and Fog series is one of the best World War II novels written, among Code Name Verity and The Book Thief. If there is ever another book in this series, I would read in a heartbeat. 

The Girl At Midnight Review

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

Title: The Girl at Midnight

Author: Melissa Grey

Series: The Girl at Midnight #1

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Fantasy; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 357

Format: ARC

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Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

How to describe this book…A Mortal Instruments copycat? Sure. Honorable attempt turned epic failure? Yes. Boring? Definitely.

Echo is a self-taught thief adopted by the magical race of the Avicen, a.k.a. The Bird People. The Avicen has had a raging, violent war with their counterparts, the Drakharin, a.k.a. The Lizard People, for centuries. The only hope for either race’s survival is the Firebird, a mystical object with enough power to stop the war or destroy everyone in it, and Echo is tasked with finding it. Her seemingly impossible mission will bring unlikely enemies and allies alike, and Echo will have to decide who she can and cannot trust.

Looking back on it now, it even sounds ridiculous.

From page one, I’ve felt as if I’d read it all before. Nothing was new, including the characters. Take the Mortal Instruments: one female human, several non-human friends, one guy in love with another guy in love with another guy in love with the female human, and one non-human sister-brother pair. The Girl at Midnight was exactly the same. Exactly. No difference what-so-ever. If I wanted to read another Mortal Instruments novel, I would’ve just read the original. I would’ve been more entertained the second time around than I was with the first time of The Girl at Midnight.

The romance desperately needed something. A lot of something. I could see the potential, but it was never realized and all around just made me sad. The “snark” and “wit” of the main character was rudimentary and unoriginal. The setting was uninteresting, as was the plot. I was never totally clear on the exact plot/goal of the characters. I lost focus about mid-way and never found it again. Overall, a whole-heartedly one star disappointment. 

The Shadow Hour

April 7, 2016

I'll Meet You There Review

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Title: I’ll Meet You There

Author: Heather Demetrios

Series: None

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Publication Date: February 3, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 388

Format: Hardcover

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If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

On some level, I always knew this book was going to be good. My book compass is rarely this right. To my delight, I’ll Meet You There started out good and kept getting better from there.

Skylar Evans is trapped in her rusty nowhere town of Creek View. If she followed the unspoken rules of all other Creek View residents, she’d stay there for the rest of her life, living pay check-to-paycheck on a GED education or less. She’d marry a good-for-nothing furniture occupier and be pregnant by the time she was getting her high school diploma. And she’d be happy about it. But passionately artistic Skylar sticks to her own Plan. But when art school and the escape from her dead beat town starts slipping through her outstretched fingers, she starts to think the Plan is just another dream. Then, Josh Mitchell, town legend turned Marine, returns from Afghanistan with only one leg. Skylar and Josh’s path coincidentally collide at Paradise, and years of loneliness and hopeless dreaming come together and form a relationship deeper in meaning than either of them had ever hoped they deserved.

This book is about a lot of things: overcoming socioeconomic status, the tragic aftermath of fighting in a war, loss, betrayal, hope, and love. It was a statement of the intricate traps set by a person’s external environment, and the trying attempts one has to make in order to break free of such prisons.

Skylar Evans has always been subject to the life of trailer parks and working two jobs to support a static life that becomes neither better nor worse. Success and comfortability is unforeseeable from her and her family’s impoverished position. Her mother, throughout the story, is vulnerable to bouts of depression and the draw of a man whose only attractive feature is his ability to finance her and Skylar’s lives.

Josh’s reckless reputation has kept his old self alive in his old home town of Creek View. His return after joining the Marines was unexpected yet quickly accepted. After all, a life in Creek View was like quicksand; you could try to escape and may even almost succeed for a moment, but sooner or later, you’re bound to be sucked back in again. Josh not only returns as a shell of the charismatic and rash boy he once was but also as a wounded veteran with the bags upon bags of suppressed learned instincts and emotions.

What’s so different about this book compared to all the other tributes to our veterans is Demetrios’ unapologetic take on the wounded veteran. Held in such high esteem, it’s not uncommon for authors to tip-toe around their characters, afraid to break their perfect warrior specimen, to flaw them in places they should be polished. Demetrios, exposed to the life of veterans and soldiers her entire life, was fearless yet respectful with her imperfect portrayal of Josh, the image of a war vet riddled with guilt, regret, fear, and post-traumatic stress. Not only was she brutally honest with the way she built Josh so ragged and bruised, but also with the means in which she formed the harsh realities of loving someone such as Josh.

Neither Josh nor Skylar can be considered unique or original. As mere representations of the millions of people living in their positions, their main purpose is to instill a special kind of compassion and respect for those they embody. Demetrios’ mastery in storytelling was hypnotic and hard to look away from, as was all the elements in her story. From the characters to the setting to the heartbreak, this novel was breathtakingly real.

Sway Review

Sway by Kat Spears

Title: Sway

Author: Kat Spears

Series: None

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; Disability; Young Adult

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

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In Kat Spears’s hilarious and often poignant debut, high school senior Jesse Alderman, or "Sway," as he’s known, could sell hell to a bishop. He also specializes in getting things people want---term papers, a date with the prom queen, fake IDs. He has few close friends and he never EVER lets emotions get in the way. For Jesse, life is simply a series of business transactions.

But when Ken Foster, captain of the football team, leading candidate for homecoming king, and all-around jerk, hires Jesse to help him win the heart of the angelic Bridget Smalley, Jesse finds himself feeling all sorts of things. While following Bridget and learning the intimate details of her life, he falls helplessly in love for the very first time. He also finds himself in an accidental friendship with Bridget’s belligerent and self-pitying younger brother who has cerebral palsy. Suddenly, Jesse is visiting old folks at a nursing home in order to run into Bridget, and offering his time to help the less fortunate, all the while developing a bond with this young man who idolizes him. Could the tin man really have a heart after all?

A Cyrano de Bergerac story with a modern twist, Sway is told from Jesse’s point of view with unapologetic truth and biting humor, his observations about the world around him untempered by empathy or compassion---until Bridget’s presence in his life forces him to confront his quiet devastation over a life-changing event a year earlier and maybe, just maybe, feel something again.

When I first read the tagline Boy Meets Girl. Boy Charms Girl…For Someone Else., I immediately thought of Ten Things I Hate About You, one of my favorite movies, then I thought of Heath Ledger, then I sighed because Heath Ledger, then I picked up Sway because any book that can get me thinking about Heath Ledger is worth reading. Simple. Logic.

Jesse “Sway” Alderman specializes in getting people what they want. Drugs. Alcohol. An A on the semester exam. Done and done, with little to no effort. But when the school’s meathead, Ken Foster, asks Sway to get him a girl…well, Sway’s never turned down a challenge. When he realizes the “girl” isn’t just a “girl” but actually the town’s perfect do-gooder, Bridget Smalley, things get a little more challenging. Especially when he falls for her. Sway starts to change, even earns himself a new friend, Bridget’s younger brother. The only problem is he made a deal, and Bridget’s not his to keep. Will Sway fall surrender to the feelings he never knew he could feel, or will he tap into his steely, unemotional self and tell himself that this is “just business”?

First worry: The undoubtable presence of the dreaded Insta-love (Just add water!). Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Even though “Oh, I love you! Don’t leave me! I can’t live without you!” did show up right of the gate, it didn’t bother me that much. It could be because I was expecting it, but I don’t think so.  Something about the way the author incorporated dark subjects like drugs and suicide made it, I don’t know, make sense.

Second worry: The lack of plot. I had some reasonable doubts about whether or not the nine word tagline revealed any and all plot the book contained. Would Sway turn out to be a lame, two-dimensional, superficial let-down? Or would actual tell a story worth reading? It turned out the answer would be the latter.

So, the story was good, the romance was good. Any actual complaints? Why, yes, thank you for asking. The only problem for me that almost ruined the entire book was Bridget Smalley. Too perfect, too pretty, too privileged, and waaay too hate-able. No one likes anyone that’s too perfect. And Bridget Smalley was too perfect. Sway was great. He had faults that made him all the more likeable. But Bridget had no faults. How am I supposed to like someone like that? Excuse me, but I’d like to think that guys don’t fall for just the perfect ones. However, I was able to overlook this small problem in the favor of Sway. So in the end, it’s just a tiny complaint, not a game-changer.

I liked it. In fact, it’s one of my new favorites. I would recommend it to any romantic in a heartbeat. 

The Murder Complex Review

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Title: The Murder Complex

Author: Lindsay Cummings

Series: The Murder Complex #1

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publication Date: June 10, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Dystopia; Science Fiction; Thriller; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 398

Format: Hardcover

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An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

A boy trained to kill. A girl taught to survive. What could possibly go wrong?

Zephyr and Meadow live in a state packed with too much people and too much crime. Their lives and their deaths are controlled by the MC, the Murder Complex (*cough* Title *cough*). The MC tracks the delicate balance of the population in their community. After Meadow’s mother died in the streets during the night, her father is bent on protecting her and the rest of her family. Being put through grueling training has heightened Meadow’s instincts and ensured her ability to survive. When a chance encounter forced Zephyr, a meaningless Ward, into her life, her world is flipped, and truths start to turn into lies.  

The plot line was basic. Normal. Nothing new. Another Class A case of forbidden romance. Woo-hoo. It’s not like we don’t know how it’ll end. But the setting, that’s where it actually gets interesting.

The world Lindsay built was grotesque and horrifying, and ironically, intriguing. I’m not one for horror, but this book wasn’t a horror; it was a thriller. Big difference. Instead of being scary, it was more…thrilling. Edge of you seat, tips of your toes kind of thrilling. It’s the difference between captivatingly heart-stopping and just plain disturbing. While there’s plenty of death, guts, and blood, it’s all about suspense and mystery – not a showcase of the macabre.

The romance was vanilla. It gave me everything I expected, which honestly I didn’t really want. I wanted to be surprised. I wanted this book to give me the old razzle-dazzle. What I really needed were two things:

1.     Less of that gross mushy stuff. There’s no time for declarations of ever-lasting love! Hello?! You’re in a world ruled by murder – start acting like it please!

2.    More danger and frenzy and fear. See above points.

Be warned, there's no ending, just a real kick ass cliffhanger at the end. 

The Murder Complex was a good read for those still caught on the tail end of the dystopia fad or those you wanted to be thrilled with guts and glory. Honestly, it’s not a bad waste of time, and I wouldn't mind wasting more on it's sequel.

The Death Code

May 26, 2015

An Ember In The Ashes Review

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Series: An Ember in the Ashes #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Fantasy; Romance; Adventure; Young Adult

Pages: 446                     

Format: Hardcover

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

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

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

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

I was put off by this book for some odd reason. I think it was the word “ashes.” Apparently, I’m naturally repulsed by the word “ashes,” especially in book titles. I can only guess it’s because of past traumatic experiences.  Thank the Powers That Be that I had a momentary lapse in judgement and decided to read this book.

Laia and Elias live different lives. Their paths were never meant to cross. They should have nothing in common. But they do, and there’s nothing they can do to stop the attraction between them, no matter how much they know they should. One is a soldier, and one is a slave. One rules over the other. Mutual hatred is expected. Elias is a soldier, top of his class, son of the terrifying Commander. Everything about him should scream “Martial Empire!”, and yet, it doesn’t. He resents his family, his past. He is a slave to his own duty, and he only wants freedom. When a search for the new Emperor pulls Elias even deeper the realm of the Martials, he can no longer run. He must fight. Laia is a princess of the rebellion, expected to continue her family’s line of duty in fighting against the oppressive Martial Empire, but she is unexpectedly reluctant to fight for what her parents died for. When her brother is captured, Laia is willing to do anything to retrieve the only family she has left, including joining the Rebellion singlehandedly built by her parents. She is tasked with spying in the heart of the Martial Empire. She may get everything she’s ever wanted including her brother and her freedom, or she may die a torturous death at the hands of the Commander.

When you look at the cover, what are your first thoughts? Mine were simple: 1. Cool. 2. Post-Apocalyptic. 3. Too many words. 4. Fire. 5. Stereotypical Armageddon, maybe with a pinch of not-so-well-written romance. Five thoughts in all, and none of them were correct. Yet another example of that cliché about book covers and judging and whatnot. But seriously, I was so wrong, it wasn’t even funny. First of all, this book was more than cool. It was fantastic. It was more like a fiery pit of awesome than just “cool”. Secondly, it wasn’t even post-apocalyptic. It was futuristic yet kind of medieval and magic-y and different and intriguing. Thirdly, the book didn’t have too many words. It didn’t have enough. Fourth, fire really wasn’t a big deal. And lastly, it was not stereotypical, or Armageddon-like, and the romance was definitely not badly written and did not exist in a quantity that can be described as a “pinch.” So, in conclusion, all my preconceptions about this book were absolutely wrong.

The characters were so great. Mysterious yet understandable, complex yet simple. The romance was die-hard intoxicating and mind-controlling. You know the kind: the one where you walk around all day thinking about nothing but the complicated romance and the characters, and you constantly have to remind yourself it’s a book and you obsessing over it won’t change anything. Except, this one was a little different. Picture this: you’re at a basketball game and you’re cheering for a team, then suddenly, out of nowhere, the team you were rooting for changes into a completely different team, and even though you have no idea who they are, you continue rooting for them until you’re full heartedlly cheering them on. Then, BAM, you’re back to the original, and you’re still cheering like an idiot because you have no idea what else to do. Then there’s a giant puff of smoke and you’re in an entirely different game with entirely different teams, and now you’re really an idiot because you have no idea what’s going on, and you’re still cheering. It’s like that. But worse. It’s so great. Eventually, you familiarize yourselves with the teams and pick a favorite. I’m Team Elias all the way, baby. I can understand the other side, though. Actually, I take that back. I don’t get anyone who’s not on Team Elias because Elias ROCKS.

Read the book. You won’t regret it. I’ll even bet ten bucks that this is the next big thing. It’s that good. 

TBA

April 26, 2016

Perilous Sea Review

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

Title: The Perilous Sea

Author: Sherry Thomas

Series: The Elemental Trilogy #2

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Historical Fiction; Adventure; Fantasy; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 414                     

Format: Hardcover

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After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

Yep. Sherry Thomas still got it.

Iolanthe (how do you say that? EYE-OH-LANthhh? EEE-uh-LAWNT? I wish I knew. It would make the book so much better if I wasn’t always thinking “DAMMIT WHAT IS THAT NAME?”) and Titus come back together after spending a summer apart after the crazy events of The Burning Sky. Iolanthe is still acting under the pseudonym of Archer Fairfax. She and Titus continue to work together, reading spell books, practicing magic, and a little something extra, if you catch my drift (*wink wink*). Things are going good until Titus decides to have a realization that will ruin all their plans and their relationship. Way to go, Titus. You put the im- in impossible romance. Iolanthe aka Archer can no longer serve the purpose she was originally promised. Can she recover from being tossed aside after everything that’s happened?

I had doubts. It had been a while since I read The Burning Sky, and I wasn’t entirely convinced that I would remember all that I was expected to remember. Like when you go back to school after summer break. Unrealistic expectations of you retained from last year’s chemistry class is inevitable. Lucky for me, this book was very different from a chemistry class (thank God). The story was surprisingly easy to catch up on with skillfully placed reminders.

The sequel was just as fantastic as the first book. The key to a successful series is to write the separate installments as separate stories with their own personalized story lines. Otherwise, readers are stuck with a boring continuation of a story to which they already said goodbye. Readers want new, exciting, suspense. They can’t have that if they are caught into reading a prolonged conclusion to a washed-up plot line. Sherry Thomas knew this and played it up. Her Perilous Sea story was exciting and filled with its own set of problems. I was just as entertained with the dazzling magic in this book as the previous.

The characters were built and written fully. They were well rounded and complex. Their romance was held back just enough to keep my intrigue and left me wanting just the right amount of more. Respectfully clever and hard to put down, this novel an overall success. With the bar set to sky-scraping heights, I can’t help wonder if Sherry Thomas can keep up with the standards she’s set for the final book.

The Immortal Heights

October 13, 2015

Mosquitoland Review

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Title: Mosquitoland

Author: David Arnold

Series: None

Publisher: Viking Children’s

Publication Date: March 3, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Realistic Fiction; Adventure; Contemporary; Disability; Coming-of-Age; Young Adult

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

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After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the "wastelands" of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.
So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.
Told in an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic voice, "Mosquitoland" is a modern American odyssey, as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

“I am a collection of oddities, a circus of neutrons and electrons: my heart is the ringmaster, my soul is the trapeze artist, and the world is my audience. It sounds strange because it is, and it is, because I am strange.”

This book was a Book of Woah. As in, I couldn’t stop saying “woah” every five pages.

Mary Iris Malone is weird and unique and running away from home. She’s going to save her mom, who was abandoned and is now sick. Mary has to save her mother if it’s the last thing she’ll do, and she’s putting every resource she has into finding a way to Cleveland. She’ll stumble across different characters, each a little bit weirder than the last, until she finds a way back home.

This book gave me shivers. Chills. Goosebumbs. You name it, I got it. I devoured every little word, every perfectly written phrase like a feast. A literary feast of bottomless wisdom and refillable intelligence. I couldn’t stop rereading the really excellent quotes, scared that I would forget them or the fact that they even existed. I want to own this book just so I can read it over and over again, and commit the really good things to memory.

The character were by far some of the best that I have read ever. Mary Iris Malone, just by herself, was a unique character expertly crafted into something I’ve never seen before. With her messed up uvula, her one blind eye, and her war paint, she was fantastic to read and watch throughout the story. She was unapologetically weird, and is relatable by everyone, I think, because inside of everyone, there’s a little bit of an anomaly.

“Because even today, inasmuch as an anomaly is a thing that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. I can think of no more appropriate word to describe myself.”

The book is written like a journal some parts, and in normal novel format in others. You witness her journey from two sides, and you can barely wait to see how it will end. In the story, Mary travels with interesting characters that deviate from every strand of normal you could think of. From an old woman with a box she won’t let go of, to a boy with Down Syndrome and a contagious smile, Mary is accepting of everyone’s oddities, probably because she is a bit odd herself. She makes life-long, priceless friendships with unexpected allies and teaches the reader how important it is to just be.

I don’t know what I expected from this book. All I know is that I got everything I bargained for plus a little more. I can’t wait until this book gets the attention it deserves, because it deserves all the attention in the world. I loved this book, its messages, and its characters. In my mind, it’s one of the classics, and I cannot wait until other people experience it for all its magnificence.

“And as simple as it sounds, I think understanding who you are—and who you are not—is the most important thing of all Important Things.”