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Review: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

Mar7

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Salt & Stone by Victoria ScottSalt & Stone by Victoria Scott
Series: Fire & Flood #2
Published by Scholastic Press on February 24, 2015
Pages: 320
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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three-half-stars

What would you do to save someone you love?

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

I went into Salt & Stone feeling excited and anxious. I absolutely LOVED Fire & Flood (I gave it 4.5 stars!) and I was desperate to see what happened next. Sadly, Salt & Stone disappointed me. I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped to, the characters got on my nerves, the Pandora scenes were heartbreaking and the writing seemed… off.

Let’s start with the characters. In Fire & Flood, Tella was a strong, fierce warrior. She came a long way from beginning to end. But in Salt & Stone, I felt like Tella regressed. She acted out of impulse and she was constantly making the wrong decisions. Or if the group followed Guy instead of her, she threw mini tantrums, like they were doing it just to spite her and her authority. Tella knew it was smarter to follow Guy’s lead, yet she still tried to force herself into a leadership role and, in some cases, it really landed the group in trouble. By the end of Salt & Stone, Tella seemed more like herself again. She was angry, exhausted and fed up – She was once again ready to fight for her family, friends, and Pandora’s. I’m confident she’ll have a ton of character development in book three, but I was very disappointed with her attitude in this book.

Guy annoyed the crap out of me. I know I just went off on a tirade about how Tella acted stubborn and immature, but Guy also wasn’t without fault. Yes, he knew what he was doing and Tella should have listened to him more. However, he really treated her like an ignorant child who knew nothing. I think the way he treated her fueled her actions and contributed to her acting out the way she did. If he had treated her more like an equal, or maybe opened up to her and explained himself better, I think things would have gone smoothly – Or, at least a little bit more so than they did.

And that brings me to their ship. In Fire & Flood, I shipped the crap out of Tella and Guy. They had a slow build-up, they questioned if the relationship was real or just a result of the circumstances they were in and they were slow to trust each other. In Salt & Stone, when Guy would chastise Tella or talk down to her, I pictured Guy as a giant and Tella as a tiny dwarf – Or I would picture them as a father scolding a child. I could not, no matter how hard I tried, picture them as lovers. I DID like the scenes where Tella told Guy to either open up to her or they were going to go back to just being teammates. That’s not something you often see – usually, the girl just swoons over the guy. So I liked that she put her foot down.

Harper was really cold and distant, too. I understood why to a certain extent, but her attitude kind of contradicted her mission in the Brimstone Bleed, so it was a bit frustrating. I wanted to punch Mr. Larson for 98% of the book. Every once in awhile, though, he had his moments. And then the thing that happened with him.. Wow. His good moments didn’t make up for his bad moments (since his bad moments were VERY bad), but it made me feel a little bit sympathetic towards him.

I couldn’t stand Willow. At all. And I never trusted her. But she didn’t deserve that fate.. I felt bad for Olivia throughout most of the book and I appreciated that one scene with her and Harper near the middle/end. I didn’t trust Cotton from the very first time we were introduced to him, but whoa.. I did NOT see that twist coming!

My biggest issue with Salt & Stone was the Pandora abuse. I absolutely adore the Pandora’s more than anything else. They’re the reason I read this series. I know, because of what they are and what they represent, that they can’t just go skipping through the story and never have any conflict.. And I tried to stay open minded about that when something bad happened to them. But.. Some of the scenes.. I really just couldn’t handle them. I tried to let it slide, tried to remember it had to happen.. It couldn’t NOT happen because that would be unrealistic. But.. What happened broke my heart and made me sick to my stomach. Especially after the ending of Fire & Flood.. I just couldn’t. The Pandora abuse almost made me DNF several times. I really don’t know how I was able to get through those scenes and it’s a huge part of the reasoning behind my rating.

My other big issue with this book was the writing. I’ve only read Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott. I haven’t read her Dante Walker books. So maybe this is something she always does and I just didn’t realize. But some of the writing was so cheeseball, I was grimacing and groaning as I read, especially when it came to some of the metaphors and descriptions. I didn’t notice that in Fire & Flood, so it felt like it came out of the blue in Salt & Stone. Victoria is an amazing writer and the cheesyness felt below her.

The ending, despite the Pandora abuse that absolutely broke me, was pretty crazy and epic. It sets up very nicely for the third book, which I do still want to read, though I’m crossing my fingers for less Pandora abuse.. Based on the ending of Salt & Stone, these characters are ready for an epic showdown and I can’t wait to see how this journey ends for them. Despite the issues I had, I still recommend this book for those who enjoyed Fire & Flood, since I seemed to be in the minority with some of those feelings.

three-half-stars

Review: The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Mar3

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda SalisburyThe Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
Series: The Sin Eater’s Daughter #1
Published by Scholastic Press on February 24, 2015
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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three-stars

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

I went into The Sin Eater’s Daughter expecting to love it and give it all the stars. It had everything I could hope for in a book – The court/castle setting, the mythology, gods and goddesses.. What’s not to like? Unfortunately, I didn’t end up enjoying it as much as I had hoped to. While I loved some aspects of this book, there were certain things that annoyed and confused me.

My biggest issue with this book was that I felt very detached from the story and the characters. And since I’m very character-driven, that always spells trouble for me.

I wanted to love Twylla because of who/what she was supposed to be. But, honestly, nothing about her stood out to me. I neither liked nor disliked her. She had some moments where I really rooted for her and felt like she was finally coming into her own, but then she would do something really stupid or frustrating and I’d be annoyed with her all over again.

I absolutely adored Lief from the very moment we were introduced to him. He was charming and kind, yet bold enough to speak his mind with Twylla. He didn’t fear her and he treated her like a human being instead of a goddess or, worse, a monster. And then that ending… Wow. I really don’t even have words for that ending because I just can’t believe it.. That was – in my opinion – the second biggest plot twist in the book and I didn’t see it coming at all. I still have hope though..

Merek was a frustrating character. I wanted to like him.. And he didn’t really do anything to make him unlikable until the end, and even that has an explanation. Yet.. I don’t know. I just didn’t swoon over him. I definitely shipped him and Twylla more than Twylla and Lief. Yet I didn’t feel as many swoons as I would have hoped to feel.

Obviously I couldn’t stand the queen. She was so incredibly vicious, cruel and power hungry.. Honestly, almost all the women in this book were cruel and conniving. The king didn’t seem like a bad guy, though. I wish we could have gotten to know Tyrek more. And Dorin. I almost cried at that one moment with Dorin..

Detachment from the characters aside, the other issue I had with this book was how confusing it was, especially in the beginning. For the first few chapters, I had NO IDEA what was going on. It was like we were thrust into this world and nothing was explained and nothing made sense and I had no idea what something had to do with anything. I stumbled my way through and, eventually, understood enough to get through the book. But I think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn’t been so confusing.

Bouncing right off that frustration, the writing was also an issue. At times, it was wonderful; smooth and flowing, dragging me into the story and refusing to let me stop reading. At those times, it definitely felt like one of those books where you keep saying “just one more chapter” and you can’t stop reading until you’re forced to put the book down. At other times, the writing felt choppy and flat and I struggled to get through a single chapter.

For all the reasons stated in the above two paragraphs, I feel this is the kind of book you need to read a second time in order to catch what you didn’t understand the first time. I think if I were to read this a second time, I’d pick up on more things and enjoy it a LOT more.

All that said, I still enjoyed this book. The mythology, though confusing at first, was intriguing and – at times – creepy as all hell! I’m fascinated by the Sin Eating and would love to learn more about that. Though we did receive a lot of detail on the different food, I’d love to learn more about the whole ritual in general. Also, I think it would help if the book had a page with a key, detailing which foods stood for which sins. A lot of that was thrown at us and I couldn’t keep track, so it would be handy if there was a page the reader could just reference as the need arises.

The biggest plot twist in the book only partially shocked me. There were enough hints that I was able to figure it out. Despite that, it – as well as the second major plot twist – really kept me on my toes, trying to figure out what would happen next. And one thing that happened at the end shocked me in a good way and gave me a feeling of justice.

But then the very end.. The epilogue… I know this is supposed to be part of a series (supposedly), so some things are going to be left open and unanswered. But even so, that epilogue was so odd and left me feeling completely unsatisfied. I’ve never been more frustrated with the ending of a book.. That said, I do truly hope we get a second book because I need more! I need to see what happenes next for Twylla, Merek and Lief. I need to know if things get resolved and what that ending means for all of them. I’d even settle for a short novella to wrap things up, if we can’t get a book two for whatever reason.

Overall, despite feeling confused and being unable to connect to the characters, I still did enjoy this book. I think if I read it a second time, I would understand more and enjoy it more. I would definitely read book two if it came out and I would definitely recommend this book because there seems to be a pretty firm divide between those who loved it and those who didn’t love it, so I highly recommend reading it and forming your own opinion – you may end up loving it!

three-stars

Review: The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski

Feb28

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Winner’s Crime by Marie RutkoskiThe Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #2
Published by Farrar Straus and Giroux on March 3, 2015
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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three-stars

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Going into The Winner’s Crime, I was really nervous. I didn’t enjoy The Winner’s Curse (book one) as much as I had hoped to, but the ending held a lot of promise for book two. Still, I was reluctant to read it and even put it down in favor of another book before picking it back up. In all, it took me almost a month to read The Winner’s Crime and I was incredibly disappointed.

I still liked Kestrel, but she was very, very reckless and careless in this book. As I mentioned in my review of The Winner’s Curse, she often does things without thinking through the consequences and that was especially true in The Winner’s Crime. I like how calculating and head-strong she is, how she’s willing to risk everything for what she believes in. But in some ways, she made things worse. And the ending… Wow, she REALLY messed things up in the end. I have NO IDEA how she’s going to get out of this mess now..

Now.. *Prepares to be hated…* I don’t like Arin. I don’t like him and I don’t ship him with Kestrel. When I first started The Winner’s Curse, I was told to expect lots of swoons and I knew everyone LOVED Kestrel and Arin. I was prepared for feels and for shipping this couple that everyone adored. But I didn’t. At all. Arin is bitter and broken from his time as a slave to the Valorians. That’s understandable. But he’s so cruel to Kestrel; he says the nastiest things and doesn’t let her explain. He NEVER believes her and only realizes, too late (of course), that she was doing what she did for him, his safety and the safety of his people. He’s strong-willed and stubborn and he refuses to let Kestrel into his heart. He’s also just as reckless as she is and he really put his foot in his mouth in the end. He made such a mess for Kestrel, I just can’t even.

I used to think the only redeeming thing about this ship is that Arin and Kestrel can read each other so well.. Except, if that were the case, wouldn’t Arin have figured things out sooner? And I really never felt any sparks or chemistry between them. Only once and very briefly. So… I don’t know. I just think too much has happened – too many lies, deaths and betrayals – for Arin and Kestrel to be together. I just don’t ship it. And I apologize to anyone who absolutely loves them. I promise, I’m not trying to insult them or you. I just didn’t see it at all.

My biggest issue with this book was that, in my opinion, it had Second Book Syndrome to such a degree that the entire thing felt too long and 75% of it felt like filler. There were a lot of unnecessary flash-back scenes, too. It felt like the only point of this book was to bridge the gap between book one and book three.

I wanted to like Verex and I mostly did. But I don’t feel like we completely got to know him. He seemed kind and he didn’t give Kestrel a hard time, but he’s still the future emperor and his duty is to his people, not his forced bride. I also really wanted to like Tensen, but I was always worried he was going to double cross Kestrel. I didn’t like Jess and Kestrel fighting, though I completely understood where Jess was coming from and Kestrel should have been a better, more understanding friend. And obviously I hated the Emperor… Like, really hated him. Hate isn’t even a strong enough word.

And then the ending.. Well. At first, the ending started to seriously pick up and I got really excited because that happened with The Winner’s Curse; the ending picked up so much, it made up for the rest of the book being meh and even raised my rating by half a star. The ending is what made me excited to pick up The Winner’s Crime! So I was crossing my fingers that would happen with The Winner’s Crime, too. Sadly, I was let down. While the ending started off brilliant and the book was FINALLY picking up steam, it ended up falling flat in the last few pages. I still think I’ll read the third book because.. why not? It’s only a trilogy and I’ve gotten this far, I might as well see how it ends. But I’m not dying for it, as I’d hoped to be.

I do still recommend this book because I seem to be in the minority with these feelings. Most people LOVE these books and feel all the feels for Arin and Kestrel. I just didn’t, but that doesn’t mean you won’t. I’ve had a few people comment on my feelings about this book, saying they won’t bother with it now and that makes me so sad because everyone has their own opinions, likes and dislikes and I never want to make someone feel as though they shouldn’t read a certain book just because I didn’t like it. So if you enjoyed The Winner’s Curse, definitely give The Winner’s Crime a chance. You can always DNF, but don’t let my opinion stop you – you might fall in love with this book! I didn’t, but that’s okay. I still have a lot of respect for the author; she created a gorgeous, detailed world, with characters that many people love and a ship that most people adore.

three-stars

Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Feb15

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys DaytonSeeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
Series: Seeker #1
Published by Delacorte Press on February 10, 2015
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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three-stars

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

*Fair warning: There might be mild (or major, depending on how you view it) spoilers in this review. Read at your own risk!*

When it comes to Seeker, the name of the game is curiosity. Because even though I didn’t like the writing, the plot OR the characters, my curiosity kept me reading. Which says a lot since I’m very character-driven and not liking the characters can often mean an automatic DNF. Yet I was so desperate to see what happened and get answers to my many questions that I read the first 150 pages (all of part one of the book) in 5 hours – which is slow for me, actually, but not bad considering how many times I debated DNFing. Yet, it then took me 5 days to finish the Interlude and parts two and three. I didn’t even want to pick it up some days because I’d heard a lot of people say that part two is where they DNF’d and I was nervous to keep going. By the end, Seeker turned out to be an okay book with an intriguing ending.

As I mentioned, I basically couldn’t stand any of the characters. I didn’t totally hate Quin, though she was such a stagnant character for about 90% of the book. Yes, I get it, she was lied to for most of her life by the person she trusted the most. By three people she trusted, honestly… Okay, everyone in her life lied to her or kept secrets. But once she knew the truth, instead of wanting to fight to fix things and make them better, she sort of… sunk into herself and hid from it. She ran away, ignored the problem.. She just didn’t want to deal with it. She comes alive near the end of the novel and I saw a small spark in her that I think will grow in book two, so I’m excited for that.

Shinobu was kind of a useless character… He really didn’t do much, especially in the second half of the book. I mean, the story couldn’t have moved forward without him but that’s really all he was good for. Just as Quin ran from her problems, Shinobu drowned his problems out with various… vices. He left those he loved vulnerable and, sometimes, his running from his problems put his loved ones at even greater risk than if he had stayed and fought. He definitely comes into his own in the end. I think he had the most character growth of the three main characters, to be honest. But that’s not saying much because he was kind of forced – to a certain extent – to clean up his act and help. He had this one “awakening” moment where he realized he had to change, though, so that was good.

John was just an ass. I’m sorry, but he was. He was also the most dangerous kind of villain because he’s so convinced that what he’s doing is morally right and for the greater good that he’s blinded to the consequences of his actions. He hurt people, he killed people.. He let his own men slap Quin around, while still claiming he loved her and wanted her to chose him. He was jealous beyond what was logical of her and Shinobu (and they really didn’t even get together in the book…) and had a nasty temper, too. Really, most of my review notes on him just say “Yeah, he’s an ass.” It’s sad, though, because he had an interesting back-story, but his voice was dull and boring and he was an ass most of the time.

Maud was by far my favorite character. I loved her back-story, her voice, all of it. I was terrified for her at several points, but I’m really intrigued with how her story ended and I can’t wait to see where it takes her in book two. She definitely provided the most entertainment and I kind of wish the book had been narrated more from her perspective than anyone else’s.

There were a lot of secondary characters and it’s hard to talk about them all. But I’ll give a few quick shout-outs: Briac was horrible and I wanted to punch him. I mostly wanted to punch Alistair, but then I felt bad for him. Fiona was an intriguing character and I would have loved to learn more about her. Gavin was.. odd.. But I’d love to learn more of his back-story. Same goes for Maggie and Catherine. And I think that’s everyone… Oh, The Old Dread, as well.

I think my biggest issue with the characters, aside from not liking/connecting with them, was that they all changed SO drastically from part one to part two. The only ones that really didn’t change were John and Maud. But Quin and Shinobu acted like completely different people in part two. Honestly, part two was like a totally different book altogether, not just character-wise. And the interlude felt unnecessary – most of that information could have been interspersed into the rest of the book. As weird/boring as part two was, part three actually picked up and was very interesting. A lot of epic things happened and some of my favorite moments were in part three. Some of the characters got more interesting, some of them got what they deserved and some of them finally achieved character growth.

Despite all the things that annoyed me – the characters, the plot, the writing – I couldn’t stop reading. Yes, I contemplated DNFing SEVERAL times. Yes, I complained about the bad parts a lot (in my defense, the bad parts were TRULY bad…). But there was still something about this book – as small as it might have been – that kept me reading. Like I said in the beginning of my review, my curiosity got the best of me and I was determined to see it through to the end. And, to my complete shock, the ending was kind of intriguing! Book two’s release date is a year off, so I’m not sure if I’ll read it or not, but the ending of Seeker definitely picked up enough that I’m considering it.

Would I recommend Seeker? I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it and I can’t claim I loved it, but I would definitely say give it a shot. The love triangle (which felt forced, in my opinion) was compared to the love triangle from Hunger Games. So if you liked Hunger Games and you like books that focus more on the romance than the world, then this may be the book for you and you might want to read it. If you do, I truly hope you enjoy it more than I did! It wasn’t AS BAD as some said it was, but it definitely wasn’t amazing. Others might love what I didn’t. I would never tell someone not to read a book they were interested in reading. So read it! Give it a try and see for yourself! It might surprise you and end up being one of your favorite books of 2015!

three-stars

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Feb5

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Red Queen by Victoria AveyardRed Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen Trilogy #1
Published by HarperTeen on February 10, 2015
Pages: 383
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play 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, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this book. Everything about it was epic – the world, the characters, the plot, the writing. From the moment I saw the cover and title, I knew I was going to love Red Queen. Not only did it not disappoint, but it also exceeded my expectations!

I liked Mare and her voice pretty much right away. She did what she had to in order to provide for her family, even though they didn’t appreciate her or her help. She kind of reminded me of Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses in that sense. Mare loves her family and Kilorn and will do anything to protect them. At the same time, she’s trying to avoid the bleak future that awaits her. As the story goes on, Mare becomes stronger and bolder, learning how to control her ability so she can fight for freedom. I definitely saw some parallels with Pawn by Aimee Carter, both in Mare’s personality and in the plot.

Cal was an interesting character but I’m not really sure how I feel about him. He was incredibly kind to Mare in the beginning, though I wonder about his reasons for doing what he did. Was it just to be kind? Was it out of guilt? Did he like her as early as then? Even after finishing the book, I’m just a little suspicious of his motives. I also didn’t ship him and Mare at all. I just didn’t see any sparks or sense anything more than friendship.

I ADORED Maven, though. He was so kind, sweet, generous, adorable… Everything that makes a perfect book boyfriend. I also pictured him as Bash from Reign, so if you watch that show… Swoon!!!!!!! I loved how he treated Mare, how he listened to her and helped her. How he cared for his country and his people and wanted to do right by everyone. And then came the ending… *Opens mouth. Shuts mouth. Opens mouth again. Sighs. Shakes head. Sniffles. Walks away.*

Queen Elara scared me and her ability was shudder-inducing! Also, every time I pictured her, I saw Queen Catherine from Reign. She was so manipulative and evil and seemed to relish in the pain she brought upon others. King Tiberias wasn’t much better. And yes, I pictured him as King Henry from Reign.. What else did you expect? He actually wasn’t quite as ruthless and cold as Elara, but he was still a ruler and still put his needs above everyone else’s. He just did it in a more practical way. And then the end… Sigh. And let’s not even talk about how badly I wanted to bitch slap Evangeline (or how I pictured her as Princess Claude from Reign.. Cause, you know, we’ve already established the fact that I’ve been watching too much Reign).

Other characters that deserve notable mention are Julian and Lucas. To be honest, as much as I liked them, they kind of blended together into one person for me, so I don’t have too much to say about them. And don’t even get me started on Kilorn… He kind of reminded me of Gale (The Hunger Games) except a lot more annoying… Which is saying a LOT cause I didn’t really care for Book Gale that much at all. It was obvious Kilorn was meant to be part of the love triangle.. or love square.. or whatever… But I didn’t see any sparks with him and Mare. They were like brother and sister to me, honestly. Speaking of brothers, I loved Mare’s brothers. All of them. And one major thing that happened with them? I had a weird feeling and my feeling was right! (That’s so vague, I know.. But… spoilers… Can’t have spoilers!)

Aside from loving all the characters and picturing them as the cast of Reign, I also loved Red Queen’s plot and Victoria Aveyard’s writing. While I can definitely see similarities with other books (Like Pawn and A Court of Thornes and Roses, as mentioned above), Red Queen was still a unique, intriguing book. Aveyard pulled off some epic plot twists that I didn’t see coming, too. I’m usually pretty good at sensing/guessing plot twists and while I definitely figured out one major one from very early on, I was completely blown away/shocked by the MAJOR major plot twist at the end. My jaw is still hanging open over that huge plot twist. My feels are broken and I’m currently experiencing a big book hangover! I haven’t even started a new book yet; I’m still trying to grasp that ending…

Overall, I adored Red Queen like crazy! It’s definitely in my top five favorites of 2015 – and we’re only in February!! I highly recommend this book for fans of Dystopian and magic! Also, even if you aren’t sure about the book, look at that epic cover! How could you look at that and not want it on your shelf?!? So yeah, I’d definitely say I’m beyond excited for book two! I can’t wait to see what happens next! And I can’t wait to see what else Aveyard does, beyond just the Red Queen trilogy. I have a feeling she’s going to go far in this industry! She’s definitely going on my Auto-Buy List!

five-stars

Review: Paper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes

Feb4

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Paper or Plastic by Vivi BarnesPaper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes
Published by Entangled Teen on February 3, 2015
Pages: 352
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

Welcome to SmartMart, where crime pays minimum wage...

Busted. Alexis Dubois just got caught shoplifting a cheap tube of lipstick at the local SmartMart. She doesn’t know what’s worse—disappointing her overbearing beauty-pageant-obsessed mother for the zillionth time…or her punishment. Because Lex is forced to spend her summer working at the store, where the only things stranger than the staff are the customers.

Now Lex is stuck in the bizarro world of big-box retail. Coupon cutters, jerk customers, and learning exactly what a “Code B” really is (ew). And for added awkwardness, her new supervisor is the totally cute—and adorably geeky—Noah Grayson. Trying to balance her out-of-control mother, her pitching position on the softball team, and her secret crush on the school geek makes for one crazy summer. But ultimately, could the worst job in the world be the best thing that ever happened to her?

Paper or Plastic was amazing, adorable and unputdownable! No, seriously, I read it in four hours! And I only put it down once to take care of the dog and do dinner! The characters in this book were all incredible and realistic and they all tugged at my heartstrings. Pair all that with Vivi Barnes’ incredible writing and you’ve got a winner!

I loved Alexis (Lex). She’s pretty, fairly rich and popular. She had some moments where she was a bit oblivious and didn’t realize how fortunate she was compared to others. But she never seemed stuck up or snobby, though she had a few moments where she acted as though she were above it all. I know that’s a bit contradictory, but it’s just how she was. She took her mom’s criticism in stride (for the most part). Her relationship with her sister seemed very typical of siblings (they were fine one moment, fighting another). I loved the relationship she had with her grandmother, though some of those moments were hard to read. I was really pleased with Lex’s character development from beginning to end.

Noah was so swoony and adorable. In the beginning, he was a bit of an ass to Lex and really, really hard on her. For someone who had been horribly misjudged, he was a very judgey person. He definitely had some trust issues going on and he had a hard time opening his heart. I don’t blame him for that, considering the things he was dealing with. But it killed me to see him shutdown just when he should have been opening himself up. I don’t think he had as much character development as Lex, but he definitely made progress.

I completely, 100% shipped Lex and Noah. They were so funny and adorable together, I found myself chuckling throughout their encounters. I think I might have even blushed a few times. In some ways, they were complete opposites, yet they complemented each other perfectly. Even when they fought, I still rooted for them.

Court and Syd were… interesting, to say the least. Court was the slightly bitchy friend and Syd was like the peace-keeper. I definitely liked Syd better, but Court had her moments where she pulled through for Lex. Bryce was a fun character, though his ability to hold a grudge kind of knocked him down a few pegs, in my opinion. He was so mean and bitter and, considering he and Lex were supposed to be such amazing friends, he wasn’t very nice or fair to her.

I loved Bessie! She was such a kind person, yet pretty sassy, considering Lex saw her as a grandmother-type figure. I was scared to death for her at the end, though! Ruthie was an annoying character in the beginning. But the more I got to know her and her story, the more I sympathized with her and felt bad for the hand she was dealt.

I couldn’t stand Lex’s mom in the beginning. Just six pages in and I was ready to slap her. She was so dismissive of Lex and her dreams and aspirations. But she sort of made up for her behavior by the end of the book. Lex’s sister definitely had her brat moments, too. And don’t even get me started on Roxanne… Wow. I wanted to punch her face in on more than one occasion!

And Lex’s grandmother… I can’t. I LOVED her grandmother, but those parts were the hardest for me to read. I teared up a few times. I can’t say much more without spoilers, but I will say I feared for her fate and it was just really tough to read the parts with her.

The ending was… insane and epic and so, so intense. Seriously, my heart was in my throat the whole time. The ending was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book. It kind of reminded me of Magnolia by Kristi Cook!!

Overall, Paper or Plastic was an amazing, heartwarming read! I’m probably a little bit biased because I ADORE Vivi Barnes! But if you love contemporary and you’re looking for a feel-good book that you can’t put down, look no further! I highly recommend this one!!!

four-stars

Review: Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Jan29

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Shutter by Courtney AlamedaShutter by Courtney Alameda
Published by Feiwel & Friends on February 3, 2015
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

Horror has a new name: introducing Courtney Alameda.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.

Shutter is pretty much everything I could want in a book and then some. From the second I learned the premise, I knew I had to have it and I couldn’t wait to read it! It has demons, demon hunters, Van Helsing descendants, Dracula mythology and some amazing characters! I really loved the world that Courtney Alameda created, as a whole.

Micheline was a tough-as-nails, pro-active heroine. One of my favorite quotes from her is, “He couldn’t do this to me, couldn’t lock me away and expect someone else to save my life.” Honestly, this line completely describes Micheline’s personality. She was head-strong, refusing to sit on the sidelines while others fought her battles. She didn’t want to wait for someone else to save her. But her stubborn personality also meant she was wreckless at times, often getting herself into worse predicaments than if she had just been patient and waited for – or asked for – help. Still, I liked her leadership and how protective she was of her “boys.”

I really loved Ryder. He was such a great character. He was very loyal to Micheline’s father and wanted to follow all the rules, yet he broke the biggest, most important rule of them all. He was a strong fighter and he and Micheline worked well together. I completely shipped them!!! There was one moment where I was so terrified for him, my heart was ponding a mile a minute. I literally had to stop reading and scream “NO!! THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN!!!!!”

Oliver was one of my favorite secondary characters. I loved his backstory – well, what we learned of it – and his role in the group. I really would have loved to get to know him better. Like with Ryder, there were several moments where I feared for Oliver and his safety. I really loved Jude, as well. He seemed to have the most tragic back-story of the three boys and I just wanted to reach into the book and give him a hug. He tried so hard to be tough, but I could tell that underneath all of that, he was just a nice guy who wanted to do his job right and protect his friends. I definitely think Micheline’s protectiveness rubbed off on me; I was constantly panicking over the boys, praying they were okay and alive and panicking when they were hurt, injured – or worse.. And Gemma… Sigh.. :(

Kennedy was an awesome character! For some reason, he kind of reminded me of Finnick from Hunger Games. He was a good little soldier who just wanted to do what was right. And even though I 100% shipped Micheline and Ryder, there was a small part of me that could completely see Micheline and Kennedy together. Another character worth mentioning is Bianca. She was one tough cookie and I wish we could have learned more about her.

Obviously, I couldn’t stand Micheline’s father, though I think he had his reasons… Maybe.. I hope.. And obviously I could’t stand Luca. I knew, right off the bat, that Micheline shouldn’t trust him.. I was completely shocked by his identity reveal, though. I mean, I guessed something close to what it really was, but I never imagined it being what it was. It was a bit cliche but also completely perfect

The camera aspect of the book was really intriguing and unique, though some of the technical stuff went right over my head. It definitely added to the story and I don’t think the book could have worked without it, but I just had trouble understanding some of it. The idea of the soulchain curse was so interesting, though! It kind of reminded me of the old AOL days when you’d send chain mail to all your friends, “Send this to 15 people within the hour or you’ll be cursed with bad luck for the next 20 years.” I don’t know if anyone else felt that way … Or if I’m dating myself here and half of you don’t even know what AOL is…. But it’s all I could think about as I read!

The ending was crazy intense. The Obscura was creepy and reminded me of the Netherworld in Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers books. I guessed who the entity was fairly early on, but my theories on the entity’s motives were only half right. Still, even with guessing the big twist early on, I still loved the ending and how crazy, intense and epic it was.

I only had a few minor issues with Shutter. The pace slowed down a lot in Night Three. I had to really push myself to read this section. However, Night Four really picks up in speed and intensity. As I mentioned earlier, some of the technological mumbo jumbo with the cameras went over my head, though the camera aspect was awesome and I loved how it made the book unique. Finally, I’m a horror buff and I had heard Shutter was seriously creepy. I’m a tough nut to crack when it comes to horror. Not much makes me jump, so I wasn’t as creeped out by Shutter as I’d hoped to be. There were definitely some disgusting scenes that made me shudder and the cover for sure creeps me out. So, I would have liked to see.. more, but again, I LOVE horror and not much creeps me out. I’ve spoken to others who couldn’t even read Shutter at night because it creeped them out so much!

Overall, not only did Shutter meet my expectations, it exceeded them. I loved the characters, the world, the explanations/mythology and pretty much everything about this book. I had a few slight issues, but they didn’t effect my feelings on the book or my rating at all. I’m crossing my fingers this is a series because I’m desperate to explore this world more. I want to learn more about the various species of necros and I want to learn more about the characters. I want to see more of the back-story and discover more about Luca and what his presence means for Helsing Corps. Really, I just want to read another Courtney Alameda book. I definitely think she’s an author to watch out for. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

four-stars

Review: Twisted Fate by Norah Olson

Jan20

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Twisted Fate by Norah OlsonTwisted Fate by Norah Olson
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on January 20, 2015
Pages: 272
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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three-stars

When Alyson meets Graham Copeland, the new boy next door, she instantly feels like he’s a kindred spirit—shy and awkward like her, someone who has trouble making friends. It’s impossible to resist having a crush on him.

As usual, her sister, Sydney, sees things differently. In Sydney's mind, Graham's odd personality and secretive past scream psychopath, not sweetheart. Her gut is telling her to stay away from him, and to protect a love-struck Alyson from her own naïveté. But despite her instincts, Sydney is surprised to realize that a part of her is drawn to Graham, too.

And the more Sydney gets to know him, the more she realizes just how right—and wrong—she is about everything.

Perfect for fans of Michelle Hodkin, and E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, Twisted Fate is an unputdownable novel, teeming with suspense.

Twisted Fate is an oddball of a book. The best word I can think of for this book is confusing. Because I was confused for at least half of it. But it was also intriguing. I knew it had a crazy, twisted ending, so I was desperate to know how it ended. And… wow. The only other book that has blown my mind to the extent that this book did is Of Scars and Stardust. Twisted Fate was on that level and, potentially, went way beyond it.

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and I’m not sure how I felt about them, overall. I didn’t like them but I didn’t dislike them. However, they all intrigued me. I wanted to know their stories and I wanted to know them – some of them more than others.

Syd and Allyson were like the opposite sides of one coin. Syd was kind of goth, skater-punk and grumpy. She got high and did drugs and cut class. But she was also smart and wanted to live life. Allyson was bubbly and wholesome. She was too trusting, most of the time, and refused to see the bad in people. Honestly, Syd and Allyson were pretty cliche and stereotypical characters. Until the end of course.. But we’ll get there in a little bit!

Graham was… weird and odd. I hate throwing this word around, but he was pretty crazy. Yet, in some ways, he wasn’t. He just really didn’t understand that his actions had consequences. And his family didn’t help, they just enabled him. Becky and Declan were intriguing characters and I’d love to learn more about them, either with a sequel or maybe a novella.

I think the most confusing thing about this book was the timeline. A lot of Syd and Ally’s chapters were the same scene, just from each sister’s POV. By the end of the book, this totally makes sense. But as I was reading, it made it veerrryyy confusing. I also didn’t like the chapters that seemed to have multiple POVs because the various POVs weren’t distinguished enough. Part of that might have been because I was reading an eARC and the formatting might have been off, so it was impossible to separate who was who in the multi-POV chapters. But still, it was very confusing when the chapter said “Syd Declan Becky Graham” and then seemed to only be in Syd’s POV. Or switched from Syd to third person and then didn’t tell us that was happening.

I guessed one of the “twists” very early on. It wasn’t too surprising and it was easy to figure out. But the HUGE twist at the end completely shocked me and blew my mind. Normally I’m good at guessing these things, but I’m sick right now and it just totally went over my head. I had to re-read the last page like five times before it sunk in. And then I had to sit quietly for about twenty minutes, contemplating what that meant to the book and the events of the book and the ending. I’m telling you… If you’ve read Kate Brian’s Shadowlands or Andrea Hannah’s Of Scars and Stardust, this ending was on par – if not more mindblowing – than those.

I gave this book 3-stars because, overall, it was just an okay read. Some of it was boring and the pacing was a bit slow. The characters weren’t likable nor dislikable. It didn’t stand out or wow me until the end, when my brain exploded from shock. However, I definitely recommend this book. I finished this book last night and I STILL can’t stop thinking about it, what happened and how it ended. Despite it being a 3-star read, this is the type of book that will keep me up at night, pondering WTF just happened. Personally, I’m hoping for some novellas to fill in the gaps and answer some of my questions. Because I definitely have a lot of questions and I definitely feel like a lot of things went unanswered. I’d love some prequel novellas, some sequel novellas, whatever it takes to answer the millions of questions flying around in my brain right now.

Overall, I absolutely, 100% fully insist (nicely, of course!) that you get this book ASAP and read it. Even if, like me, you don’t enjoy it at first, try to push through until the very last page. Because this is the kind of book that will stay with you for a very long time, whether you enjoy it or not, whether you want it to or not. It will blow your mind and leave you demanding answers.

three-stars

Review: Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

Dec16

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Suspicion by Alexandra MonirSuspicion by Alexandra Monir
Published by Delacorte Press on December 9, 2014
Pages: 368
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

"Take The Princess Diaries and add magic, murder and mystery, and you've got SUSPICION. A delightful read!"—Amy Plum, author of the of the international bestselling Die For Me series

"If Alfred Hitchcock had directed Downton Abbey, the result would have been this book. Alexandra Monir takes us on a gripping, nonstop thrill ride with just the right amount of supernatural and an ending that you definitely won't suspect. I devoured it in one sitting."—Jessica Brody, bestselling author of the Unremembered trilogy

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Suspicion blog tour! Today, I’m sharing with you my review of this creepy, magical murder mystery. Enjoy!

I was really excited to read Suspicion when I first read the description and saw that gorgeous cover – It sounded epic and exactly like the kind of book I would love! And Suspicion EXCEEDED my expectations. It was such an amazing, fun, creepy and thrilling book, I wish I had a physical copy so I could hug it and re-read it!

First of all, Suspicion is described as The Princess Diaries meets Downton Abbey. One friend described it as The Princess Diaries meets The Secret Garden. And as I read, I pictured it as The Princess Diaries meets What A Girl Wants. So, which is it, you ask? All of the above! I could completely feel the The Princess Diaries vibe of the book from very early on and I completely agree with my friend about it also having a Secret Garden feel. And then, about 29% into the book, I got the whole What A Girl Wants vibe, since Suspicion has a young American girl who is suddenly thrust into the British Peerage system.

I’ve always loved YA historical fiction, especially when it’s set in the 1800s and early 1900s and especially when it has royalty, castles, fancy gowns and ballrooms, horse-drawn carriages, etc. But I must say, reading Suspicion – which takes place in present-day – really opened my eyes. I love ANYTHING to do with England and royalty and that whole world. I think that’s one of the reasons I loved this book so much. I was completely fascinated by that part of the book.

I really liked Imogen. She had a great voice, a great personality and she was relatable. The beginning of the book is a bit odd because we have a prologue and then the book starts off in the past, when Imogen was ten-years-old. It’s only for one chapter, to give the reader context. But it threw me a little bit. I had a hard time relating to a younger Imogen, although the back-story was intriguing and a bit horrifying – and something we definitely needed before moving forward with the book.

Imogen was committed to honoring her family and her duties. She may have run from Rockford Manor when she was younger, but now that she’s older, she accepts that she can’t let her father’s legacy be ignored. I admired that about her. She was, essentially, leaving everything she knew and everyone she loved behind to go to a place that she hadn’t been in almost a decade, a place that held bad memories for her, just to do what she knew had to be done. She also didn’t just sit back and accept things as they were. She dug into her family’s history to discover the truth.

Sebastian was… an interesting character. I wasn’t crazy about him in the beginning. There was just something off about him and his temper was scary. I also couldn’t see him and Imogen as a couple in the beginning. But then, when there was a major plot twist with him, I didn’t believe it at all, despite my not trusting him. I really liked Theo, though, and really shipped him and Imogen for awhile. But by the end, I was totally Team Sebastian!

I didn’t trust Maisie or Mrs. Mulgrave from the absolute beginning. There was something about them that irked me out. I chalked it up to Mrs. Mulgrave being a creepy, bitter woman and I was half-right. Now that I’ve finished the book and I’ve discovered the truth about the two of them, I feel like I need to re-read the book and read the parts with them more carefully the second time around.

Other characters worthy of being mentioned were Oscar and Alfie. They were like the father/uncle/brother-figures for Imogen. And they were so loyal to her. I never doubted them or suspected them for a second.

The ending was… an insane Parent Trap-esque thrill-ride that had me scratching my head and thinking back on everything that had happened. So many revelations!!! This is a stand-alone and the ending was brilliant. A few things were left open-ended, just enough to hint at what could come. But there weren’t any huge cliffhangers or unanswered questions that left me feeling annoyed or wanting more, though I’d LOVE a sequel, if there’s any chance it could happen. I’m not 100% convinced the supernatural elements were necessary to the story, but since I love supernatural/paranormal books, it was like an added bonus.

Overall, I do highly recommend this book. If you’ve read the reviews, you might be skeptical, but I urge you to put those thoughts aside and give it a chance. It might just surprise you! I really loved it and can’t wait to read more from this author!

four-stars

Review: Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

Nov28

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Falling into Place by Amy ZhangFalling into Place by Amy Zhang
Published by Greenwillow Books on September 9, 2014
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road.

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.

Warning: This review could be a Trigger for bullying, depression, suicidal thoughts, suicide, etc. Please read with caution.

Falling into Place was my #1 “I’ll cry if I leave here without it” book that I snagged from BEA. It was heartbreaking, shocking and beautiful. It’s the kind of book that everyone who has ever bullied or who has ever been bullied needs to read. There was so much depth and emotion to this book. It broke my feels and made my heart ache.

Fair warning, guys: I was so busy reading and copying down favorite quotes that I was bad with taking regular review notes. Also, this book kinda sorta totally broke me. So… I’m sorry if this review is vague or odd. I’m trying my best to remember certain details and it’s hard to find the right words for a book like this.

It was evident almost immediately that Liz was a complex character. Yes, she was a bully. She was horrible to people. But deep down, she was just as broken as the people she bullied. She’s pretty and popular to those who don’t know her, who only see her smile at school. She’s the stereotypical rich girl, partying, drinking and driving – she’s careless and thinks that consequences don’t exist for her actions. But inside, she’s lonely, insecure and hurting. It doesn’t excuse her behavior, but it gives us a look into the mind of a bully. Like everything in life, there’s always two sides to a story.

Kennie is convinced that popularity has a lot to do with confidence and in her mind, Liz is all confidence. Kennie is insecure for her own reasons, broken from past mistakes. It was hard for me to connect with Kennie and she wasn’t one of my favorite characters. I wish there had been a bit more character development and depth to her. Julia, on the other hand, was an intriguing character. She was the girl who should have been on top of the world, who should have done well. But peer pressure brought her down and she blamed Liz for it, yet (deep down) still loved her friend, which is true loyalty. There’s a scene near the end with Julia and Jake that had me laughing my ass off. It definitely made Julia one of my favorite characters.

Liam was a character that I really wanted to know more about. We know he was bullied by Liz and her friends for stupid reasons – I mean, really, is there ever a non-stupid reason to bully someone? But you know what I mean – and we know he still… I don’t know if “loved” is the right word, but he admired Liz. He was the nice guy who helped the popular girl (several times, actually), even though she ruined his life. He still looked up to her, still admired her, still had a bit of a crush on her. He forgave her.

Falling into Place did a great job of showing that, in tragedy, everyone wants to be in the spotlight, everyone claims to be your friend, everyone acts sad even if they didn’t know you very well. The people at school used Liz’s accident as a reason to get out of classwork and homework and some even skipped school to be at the hospital. I was pretty disgusted by this, but I know it really does happen; I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it.

Falling into Place also did a great job showing that a bully is a person, too. Bullies usually have low self-esteem, come from broken homes or have been bullied themselves. All the above basically describes Liz. I’m not saying it makes what bullies do okay. It’s never okay to bully. But it’s a reminder that we all have our own stories. We all have things going on in our lives that make our lives difficult and crappy. For some people, making others feel insecure and sad makes them feel better about themselves. I don’t know why and I don’t think any of us will ever understand it. But this book really opened my eyes to it. Liz was so broken by the things that had happened in her own life and by the things she had done to others, that she felt it wasn’t worth living anymore. She was sorry for the things she had done, but she didn’t know how to apologize or how to ask for help. She felt she had no other way out.

The ending of the book was… I don’t even know if I can say without being spoilery. But it was crazy and emotional and intriguing and all these things that, again, I can’t say because I don’t want to spoil it. But you’ll definitely need tissues and chocolate by the time you’re done. Also, I figured out who the “narrator” was pretty early on. I loved who it was. It really makes you think…

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It was emotional, heartbreaking, enlightening and – I believe – a truly important book in the anti-bullying genre. It’s the kind of book that NEEDS to be read and understood. Amy Zhang is a brilliant, intelligent writer. She clearly knows a lot about teenagers and human nature and her story felt incredibly real and authentic. I look forward to seeing what else she does in the future.

Here are some of the powerful, heartbreaking quotes (Trigger Warning for some of them) from Falling into Place (Please Note: These quotes came from the ARC. They might be slightly different in the final copy of the book and may be on slightly different pages):

“…[Liz] wanted to be happy . She wanted to be bright and laughing and thin.” — Page 17 (ARC)

“On the inside, she shakes to pieces.” — Page 30 (ARC)

“She tried to think of a reason to go on. She couldn’t. But she could think of a thousand reasons to give up.” — Page 53 (ARC)

“She was different, different was weird, weird was bad. It was simple.” — Page 88 (ARC)

“Out of the seven billion people sharing the planet with her, not one of them knew what was going through her head. Not one of them knew she was lost. Not one of them asked.” — Page 108 (ARC)

“She wanted to go back. She wanted to be a little girl again, the one who thought getting high meant being pushed on the swings and pain was falling off her bike.” — Page 257 (ARC)

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, please speak up. Speak to an adult you trust.

Important Links:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website
Stop Bullying website
NOH8 Campaign website

Heather Brewer, a young adult author and a big advocate of mental health and bullying prevention, has a special message for you, too. Check it out here.

four-stars