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Review: How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

Oct2

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: How to Hang a Witch by Adriana MatherHow to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
Series: How to Hang a Witch #1
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on July 26, 2016
Pages: 358
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

The more things change in Salem, the more they stay the same.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous Witch Trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam is not exactly welcomed with open arms. She is a descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those Trials—and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that wasn’t enough, Sam finds herself face to face with a real, live (well, technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff.

Soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries-old curse affecting everyone with ties to the Trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and work with The Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first alleged witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it’s Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

Those of you who know me, know that I’m OBSESSED with the Salem Witch Trials and all fictional (and some non-fictional) stories about them. So, of course, How to Hang a Witch has been on my TBR for a VERY long time. It ended up being an epicly amazing book and I’m SO SORRY I didn’t read it sooner!!! The plot was intriguing and the characters were incredible! Also, at times, this book managed to creep me out. You guys know I’m not easily creeped out by books, so the fact that this book pulled it off? *Bows to the awesome.*

I loved loved LOVED the atmosphere in this book – the cobblestone alleys and eerie black houses; the fact that the street Sam lives on is called Blackbird Lane; the wrought-iron fence with pointed spires; the bedroom, “everything’s antique and made of dark wood.” It gave me major Munsters vibes. Also, major Dark Shadows vibes.

I adored Sam. She’s strong, stubborn and resilient. I loved the way she just dove right into trying to unravel the curse. She also accepted help when she realized help was needed – from a ghost, but still! Speaking of ghosts, Elijah was !!!!!!! I don’t know what else to say about him, haha. I adored him! But the way his story ended had me !!!!!!!

Jaxon, on the other hand, frustrated me. He was basically a charming ass with a (sometimes) bad attitude. I feel like I’m full of contradictions in regards to my feelings on Jaxon and Sam. On the one hand, the romance moved way too fast, which was annoying. But on the other hand, Sam and Jaxon were adorable, so I didn’t mind. Also, normally I’d be super annoyed with a character going back and forth on whether her crush really likes her or has betrayed her to the “popular kids” (which Sam does a LOT in this book, re: Jaxon). But Adriana Mather wrote it so well, it was really believable. In the end though, despite my contradicting thoughts, I really didn’t ship Sam and Jaxon at all. Sigh.

I really loved the Descendants. They gave me major The Craft vibes – especially Lizzie = Nancy. I just wish we could have learned more about them as individuals. I would have loved more backstory! (Hey Adriana… Maybe we can get a prequel book, a story about the Descendants BEFORE Sam arrived in Salem?!?!?! PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP!!!!)

I don’t even know if this makes sense, but the tone of this book completely remindED me of a 90s/00s teen novel, and I LOVED IT! It reminded me of an old-school Caroline B. Cooney novel, or an R.L. Stine novel or something. I’ve only gotten this vibe once before when I read To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough.

The ending was insane and twisted and unexpected. It’s rare that I’m caught of guard by an ending, so it was incredible to actually be shocked by the shocking ending.

So basically… I really just loved the crap out of this book (the plot and the characters), and I highly, highly recommend it for those who love witches and, specifically, the Salem Witch Trials!

five-stars

Review: No Good Deed by Kara Connolly (Blog Tour)

Jul31

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: No Good Deed by Kara Connolly (Blog Tour)No Good Deed by Kara Connolly
Published by Delacorte Press on July 18, 2017
Pages: 352
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

Fans of Dorothy Must Die will love this reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood. Girl power rules supreme when a modern girl finds herself in the middle of a medieval mess with only her smart mouth and her Olympic-archer aim to get her home.

Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.

Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?

Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.

Hey everyone! I’m so, so excited to be on the blog tour for No Good Deed by Kara Connolly! You guys know I LOVE retellings of any kind, so you know I JUMPED on this book when the blog tour invite showed up in my inbox. So, without further adieu, here’s my review!

I’m REALLY loving this book!!! Unfortunately, life has been a little hectic lately and I haven’t been able to finish reading it yet. That said, I’ve read 50% and feel confident I can write a partial review that will honestly reflect my thoughts and do the book justice. Once I finish the book, I’ll update my review.

I’m getting a lot of different vibes from this book: Robin Hood: Men in Tights vibes. Xena/Hercules vibes. The Witch Hunter vibes. I think these comparisons come from the similar time periods and settings, rather than plot – except for the Robin Hood vibe, the reason for that is obvious!

I really love the characters in this so far. Ellie reminds me of Emily from Make It or Break It – mostly because of the short hair and “Olympic hopeful” thing. James seems swoony so far! The Will Scarlet and Little John characters have me cracking up! I have a feeling I shouldn’t like Guilbert, but I kind of do really like him because I have a feeling there’s more to him than meets the eye!

So far, the plot is incredibly intriguing and I can’t wait to see what happens next! The writing is epic, too – I’m really getting sucked into the story because of it and the plot. I think Kara Connolly is going to be an author to watch and I’m already excited to see what else she does!

So far – and assuming this book continues being epic – I definitely do recommend it to those who love retellings! Also, I was told it has a similar vibe to Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, so if you’re a fan of that book, I recommend checking this one out!

UPDATE (8/8/17): So I FINALLY finished the book. I’ll admit, I struggled with it a little – the middle dragged a bit. But I’m not sure if it was the book or because of life being hectic and my reading slump, so I’m not going to blame the book. It really picked up at the end and I ended up really enjoying it. My favorite parts were the ones with Eleanor of Aquitaine, especially the part that took place at 76% (in the US eARC version – I think it was chapter twenty-one). I also REALLY LOVED Will Scarlet. He was hilarious and I loved his friendship with Ellie.

The ending was a bit rushed, but adorable and fun. It wrapped up nicely, but it left room for my mind to wander and imagine what happened AFTER. In my opinion, the best standalones are the ones that end in such a way – nicely and with no loose strings, but with enough leeway to picture the “after” however I like.

I still highly recommend this to anyone who loves Robin Hood and retellings.

~*~*~

Blog Tour Schedule:

July 17:
Joyousread
Cafinated Reads

July 18:
Istyria book blog
My Guilty Obsession

July 19:
Stories & Sweeties
The Book Monsters
Urban Fantasy Investigations

July 20:
Seeing Double In Neverland
Love is not a triangle
A Backwards Story

July 21:
Take Me Away
Feed Your Fiction Addiction

July 24:
Beauty and the Bookshelf
Mom With a Reading Problem

July 25:
Teen Lit Rocks
Peace Love Books

July 26:
Bumbles and Fairy-Tales
The Hollow Cupboards

July 27:
Adventures of a Book Junkie
A Midsummer Night’s Read

July 28:
Gone Pecan
Mommy Ramblings

July 31:
By Valia Lind
Pandora’s Books

August 1:
Cracking the Cover
Jessabella Reads

August 2:
A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM
Bookish Lifestyle

August 3:
Twinning for Books
Ms. Yingling Reads

August 4:
Lisa Loves Literature
She Dreams in Fiction
Zach’s YA Reviews

~*~*~

About the Author:

Kara Connolly loves history, though she has never time traveled. She lives and writes in Arlington, Texas.

To learn more about Kara and her books, visit her website or follow @readKaraC on Twitter and @readkaraconnolly on Instagram.

four-stars

Review: The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye

Jul28

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 Crown’s Fate by Evelyn SkyeThe Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye
Series: The Crown's Game #2
Published by Balzer + Bray on May 16, 2017
Pages: 415
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
two-stars

Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected.

Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom.

For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world.

With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.

It physically pains me to write this review. I don’t WANT to be writing this review – I don’t even know how to start. Those of you who follow my blog and social media know that I LOVED The Crown’s Game SO SO much! The characters felt real, the plot was filled with magic and mayhem, and the writing was lush and gorgeous. Skye’s writing was still lush and gorgeous, but this book just… crashed and burned.

This book had hardcore Second Book Syndrome – despite being the conclusion to a duology. It was slow and it dragged and, to be painfully honest, I was bored. If this WAS book two in a trilogy, I think I could have tolerated some of what happened a lot better. But knowing it was the conclusion, it was just disappointing. I feel like nothing was accomplished in this book and there was barely a plot, more like little mini plots all strung together to scrape a second book out. It felt forced and unnecessary, and I really felt like The Crown’s Game could have just been a stand-alone.

The characters fell REALLY flat to me. Like, they were NOTHING like they were in The Crown’s Game. It felt like everyone was acting out of character in so many ways. And then there were the ships… I shipped everyone with everyone in book one. As I said in my review for The Crown’s Game, “I just had SO MANY FEELS that, honestly, any of those ships would satisfy me. Normally I’d pick an OTP for a book, but that’s impossible to do with The Crown’s Game because all the characters are so epic, I just love all the potential pairings!”

But in The Crown’s Fate? I didn’t ship ANYONE because my ships were either almost completely separated from each other throughout the book (i.e: Vika and Nikolai) OR the characters were so OUT of character, I didn’t like them enough to ship them (Nikolai with anyone). And that takes me to Nikolai and his plot.. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE EVER-LOVING EFF??? *Takes deep breaths* I just can’t. I can’t without spoilers, so I just can’t… But also that ending?!?!?!?! Vague spoilers in the next paragraph, be warned:

All was just forgiven and everyone moved on?!?!? Okay, not gonna lie, I’m happy they worked it out and it was a HEA. But it was tied up WAY too neatly and WAY too easily and there were NO consequences for ANYTHING that happened and how can that just be forgiven????? *Rips hair out!!!!*

The only thing I really liked was all the Russian myths and legends coming to life. Except that was barely mentioned and nothing came of it, so… Total let-down *Sighs.*

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book. I still LOVE The Crown’s Game, but I’m gonna pretend that it was a stand-alone and that this book never happened. I didn’t like the direction the plot (what plot?) went, and I didn’t like the totally out of character characters. I didn’t like that I had to hate characters I loved the first time around. This book was frustrating and disappointing and I seriously struggled to finish it, which is very upsetting and heartbreaking for me.

Would I recommend this book? I don’t know… I DO recommend The Crown’s Game because it was AMAZING and my opinions on The Crown’s Fate won’t change how much I love The Crown’s Game. But I don’t think I can recommend The Crown’s Fate. It was just… heartbreakingly disappointing. Then again, I’ve seen mixed reviews – people either LOVE LOVE LOVE it, or they don’t. So.. Maybe you’ll love it? Maybe I’m just in the minority with this opinion? So if you truly loved the first book, then go ahead and give this one a shot.

two-stars

Review: Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

Jul20

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: Royal Bastards by Andrew ShvartsRoyal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts
Series: Royal Bastards #1
Published by Disney Hyperion on May 30, 2017
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.

At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.

Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.

Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey . . .

I adored this book so much!!! The characters were epic, the plot was intriguing and the writing was great. I’ve been in a terrible reading slump for over a year now, and this book really helped pull me out of it.

I loved Tilla right from the start. She’s “rebellious, determined and stubborn,” with “a bold heart and an iron will.” This was the way two of the characters in the book described her (hence the quotation marks), and I 100% agree. I liked Zell’s character growth. His backstory was heartbreaking but I loved the way his story ended. I really liked his relationship with Tilla.

Jax was an amazing character and I sobbed when one very big thing happened to him – I kept hoping there would be some kind of epic twist at the end, but alas, there was not. Lyriana was an interesting character. I’m hoping there’s a sequel because I’d love to see her in Lightspire, ruling in her natural element. I’d also love to learn more about her background and her magic.

Finally, Miles… UGH! Don’t even get me started. I didn’t like him in the beginning and I HATED him by the end.

I had a LOT of comparison vibes with this book. First, as always, I had major Reign feels (re: Kings, Queens, court and Bash, since he’s a bastard). Second, I had some pretty big Long May She Reign vibes. I can’t go into details without spoilers. But part of it was what happened at the banquet in the beginning and part of it was that Jax from Royal Bastards reminded me of William Fitzroy from Long May She Reign.

Finally, the biggest vibes I had while reading this book? Breakfast Club vibes! Our main characters were kind of just thrown together in this incredibly crazy, dangerous situation and they banded together and made the most out of it. But for some strange reason, these Breakfast Club vibes were “Degrassi’s Breakfast Club-like episode” vibes. You can watch it on YouTube (spoiler alert if you’ve never watched the show, because it’s season 3). I don’t know why, but I kept picturing the scene where they conga down the hallway.

I loved the descriptions of the different mages! The magic in this book was so intriguing and, in some cases, a bit wild and untamed. I loved that the rules could be broken and the magic had different manifestations.

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. The ending was super intense and had me flailing! Again, I’m REALLY hoping for a book two because I want to see what happens next for these characters! I love where all their stories ended in this book, but their stories are FAR from over! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves castles, court and intrigue. And to anyone who enjoyed Long May She Reign and The Breakfast Club.

four-half-stars

Review: Katana at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee (Blog Tour)

Jul10

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: Katana at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee (Blog Tour)Katana at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee
Series: DC Super Hero Girls #4
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on July 4, 2017
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

Get your cape on with the DC Super Hero Girls(TM)--the unprecedented new Super Hero universe especially for girls! Readers of all ages can fly high with the all-new adventures of Wonder Woman(TM), Supergirl(TM), Batgirl(TM), and some of the world's most iconic female super heroes as high schoolers!

Sword-wielding Katana isn't like most high school students--but with classmates like Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl, Super Hero High isn't like most high schools!

In addition to training to be a super hero, Katana also follows the noble warrior traditions of the Samurai. Now an unknown source has given her the responsibility of guarding a hundred ancient Samurai swords--but why her, and for what purpose? With the help of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Ms. Martian, and some of her other super friends, she intends to find out. But she just made captain of the fencing team, she has a huge school project due, and a villain with ties to her family's past seems to be amassing an army. Maintaining her inner peace isn't going to be easy . . .

. . . but Katana has the steel to save the day!

Award-winning author Lisa Yee brings this edge-of-your-seat adventure to life with mystery, thrills, and laughs. Move over Batman(TM) and Superman(TM)--the DC Super Hero Girls are ready to save the day and have fun doing it!

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Katana at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee (July 4, 2017 – Random House Books for Young Readers). This book was an epic, fun read, so I’m really excited to be a part of this blog tour! I hope you enjoy my review!

~*~*~*~*~

This series just keeps getting better! The plots are so intriguing and with each book, the cliffhangers get more and more evil! I love the characters and character growth. These books are such fast, fun reads, you can speed through them in a few hours to a few days (depending on your reading speed)! There was a LOT of mystery and intrigue in this book, which made it even more epic!

I really liked Katana! She was an interesting character with an incredibly intriguing and emotional backstory. I loved learning about her grandmother and her samurai legacy. I definitely had some Mulan vibes when we learned that women couldn’t be samurai, yet her grandmother was.

Another character I really liked was Miss Martian. She was shy and relatable, with intriguing powers – invisibility and mind reading! I wondered for awhile if she might be the main character of book five, but that ending has me questioning this theory. Whether I’m right about Miss Martian or whether my other theory comes to pass, I’ll be happy!

Speaking of… I’m still dying for a Harley Quinn story and a Poison Ivy story!! It NEEDS to happen and SOON!! I’m so curious about their characters, powers and backgrounds!

The ending was epic, incredible and emotional – it made me cry!!! And (as I briefly mentioned earlier) that cliffhanger was EVIL and I’m dying to get my hands on book five!!!

I highly recommend this book – and series – to anyone who loves the DC comics, as well as to anyone who wants to get into the comics, but who wants a quick and easy introduction to the characters first!

~*~*~*~*~

Lisa YeeAbout the Author:
 
Lisa Yee’s debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, won the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award. With over two million books in print, her other novels for young people include Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, So Totally Emily Ebers, Absolutely Maybe, and a series about a 4th grader, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and Bobby the Brave (Sometimes).

Lisa is also the author of American Girl’s Kanani books and Good Luck, Ivy, and this year’s Lea Clark novels. Her novel, Warp Speed, is about a Star Trek geek who gets beat up everyday at school. A Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence, Lisa’s books have been named a NPR Best Summer Read, Sports Illustrated Kids Hot Summer Read, and USA Today Critics’ Top Pick.

The Kidney Hypothetical – Or How To Ruin Your Life In Seven Days is Lisa’s latest novel for teens. Lisa’s 2016 books include the DC Super Hero Girls middle grade novel series and the American Girl, 2016 Girl of the Year books.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

four-stars

Review: Seeker by Veronica Rossi

Jul9

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 Veronica RossiSeeker by Veronica Rossi
Series: Riders #2
Published by Tor Teen on May 16, 2017
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

When Daryn claimed she was seeing visions during her sophomore year of high school, no one believed the truth.

She wasn’t losing her mind; she was gaining the Sight—the ability to see the future. Daryn embraced her role as a Seeker. The work she did was important. She saved lives.

Until Sebastian.

Sebastian was her first—and worst—mistake.

Since the moment she inadvertently sealed him in a dark dimension with Samrael, the last surviving demon of the Kindred, guilt has plagued her. Daryn knows Sebastian is alive and waiting for help. It’s up to her to rescue him. But now that she needs the Sight more than ever to guide her, the visions have stopped.

Daryn must rely on instincts, intelligence, and blind faith to lead the riders who are counting on her in search of Sebastian. As they delve into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems and where Samrael is steadily amassing power, Daryn faces the ultimate test. Will she have to become evil to destroy evil?

The very fate of humankind may rest in the answer.

I really, really enjoyed Seeker. Honestly, I think I liked it better than Riders, which is weird to say because Riders was AMAZING! But Seeker really pulled me in and refused to let go until the very last page. The plot was incredible, as was the world – especially The Rift, which was such a weird, freaky place. I have no idea why, but it kinda made me think of Jumanji (the rain forest part of it)… Anyone else feel that way??

I loved having the multiple POV with Gideon and Daryn. Like I said in my Riders review, Gideon was an epic narrator. I loved his dry, sarcastic sense of humor and his hilarious one-liners! Daryn’s POV really balanced well with Gideon’s narration – she was more serious and logical, thinking things through rationally whenever she was able.

I totally shipped Gideon and Daryn, but even more so in Seeker than in Riders. They worked well together, and I loved the way they seemed to be two halves of a whole, almost completely in sync – yet able to disagree and still respect each other. They were perfection, basically.

I loved the friendship – the brotherhood – that formed between Gideon and Marcus, especially with how hostile they were towards each other in the beginning. Really, all four guys were amazing and their relationship was amazing. Their unbreakable bond/brotherhood was something I’d love to see more of in YA. I loved the way this book showed that guys and girls CAN just be friends (re: Daryn with Bas, Jode and Marcus) and that guys don’t HAVE to get all weird and territorial when one member of their group “snags the girl” (I hate that phrase, but it fits what I’m trying to say).

I really liked Cordero. Since it wasn’t her in book one, we didn’t TRULY get to know her. But in Seeker, we really got to know her character well. The criminal forensic psychology thing was intriguing (and something I’d love to do) and the whole “studying occult and paranormal phenomena” is was really epic! She reminds me of Topolsky (Julie Benz) in Roswell. On a similar note, I loved the government involvement – it was like all those conspiracy theories being proven right, haha! I also really liked Maia – she’s a badass sniper and I love it!

I don’t know why, but Samrael reminded me of Rhys – if Rhys were 100% pure evil and not a good guy. I was incredibly intrigued by his story and a bit sad by the way it ended, though not surprised in the least. It really made me want a third book told from his POV, to be honest.

Which leads me to… That ending! I couldn’t have asked for a better ending! It was perfect and made me tear up! I’m sad this isn’t going to be a trilogy, but I think it was perfect and I really loved the way Rossi wrapped things up. I don’t think it could have ended any other way.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it to those who are Rossi fans, and to anyone who loves stories about the apocalypse, etc. As someone who wasn’t a huge Rossi fan before this, I’m now eager to see what she does next!

~*~*~*~

Favorite Quotes:

“War has a sensitive tummy” — This was one of Gideon’s famous one-liners that I mentioned (above), but all jokes aside, it’s nice seeing a YA book address digestive issues – in this case, celiac disease. No one likes talking about this stuff because it’s “gross” and “taboo” but it’s also REAL and many people suffer from digestive issues. It needs to be shown in books more often, especially YA books, so teens don’t feel alone or weird for having these issues.

four-stars

Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

May25

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 Upside of Unrequited by Becky AlbertalliThe Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Published by Balzer + Bray on April 11, 2017
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

This book was so freaking adorable!!! Describing a book as “down to earth” like you would a person seems weird, but that’s exactly what this book is – down to earth. The characters were incredible and beyond relatable. The writing was magnificent. And the plot was intriguing and held my attention until the very last page. Becky Albertalli is an incredible story teller. Much like her first book, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, this was an adorable coming-of-age story that everyone should read!

For me, Molly is the most relatable character I have ever come across. I don’t talk much about myself or my personal life, but like Molly, I’m fat, Jewish and have anxiety. Those three things alone make her incredibly relatable, but there were other things mentioned throughout the book that made her EVEN MORE relatable. I’m not ready to specifically name/discuss those things, but if you’ve read the book, Molly could be my Personality Twin. I felt like I was her, or she was me, or something like that. She is now one of my favorite characters of all time.

I loved how complex Molly and Cassie’s relationship was. It’s very common in YA novels for the siblings to not get along at all, to despise each other. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen in real life. But sometimes, siblings DO get along. Or get along sometimes, but not always. And I loved that this book showed that. It showed how close Molly and Cassie were, but also showed that siblings can fight and drift and still love each other. It was so refreshing to see and I wish more YA books showed that.

Molly, Cassie, Olivia and Mina are squad goals. Cassie and Mina were adorable together and I loved the way they made sure to include Molly and Olivia in almost everything they did. But I also liked the way they showed the ups and downs of friendship and the whole “balancing friends and boy/girlfriends” thing. Because it CAN be a balancing act and it’s not always easy.

Reid was AMAZING. He was kind, sweet, nerdy and funny. I wish I had a Reid in my life. I loved the progression of his relationship with Molly and how neither one played games. They were very real with each other.

Just like with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I loved that Molly and Cassie’s parents were THERE. Unlike so may YA books where you never see the parents and wonder if the main character even has any, Nadine and Patty were there for Molly and Cassie. They set boundaries and rules and punished the girls when they did something wrong. But they were also fair.

I don’t know what else to say about this book. This review doesn’t do the book justice AT ALL. All I can say is it was effing fantastic and if you don’t read it, you’re missing out. So go buy it and go read it ASAP.

five-stars

Review: Freya by Matthew Laurence

Apr24

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: Freya by Matthew LaurenceFreya by Matthew Laurence
Series: Freya #1
Published by Imprint on March 14, 2017
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Freya is myth. She is legend. And she’s about to make one hell of a comeback.

Sara Vanadi is more than she appears to be.

In her prime, she was Freya, the Norse goddess of love, beauty, war, and death. Now all that’s left of her legacy is herself. Her power comes from belief, and for an ancient goddess in the 21st century, true believers are hard to come by.

She’s been lying low for a few decades, when all of a sudden a shadowy corporation extends an offer: join them and receive unlimited strength and believers—or refuse and be destroyed. Sara chooses neither; she flees with the help of a new friend named Nathan.

With a modern power rising that wishes to bend the divine to its will, Sara decides to fight back—but first she needs some new clothes.

When I finished Alex & Eliza and went to pick this up, I fell into a reading slump. I had a lot going on and I was super stressed and just couldn’t focus on reading. I didn’t read for nearly a month! And then a 6 hour flight forced me to read and I FINALLY picked this up and got into it and HOLY CRAP I LOVED IT SO HARD!!!! This was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2017! The cover is gorgeous, the writing is amazing and the characters are epic!

I loved Freya (the character) so much. She has so much personality and spunk! I love that she’s so body positive (“Body-image apocalypse.” Bahaha!) and that she embraces beauty and fashion. She’s hilarious, too. I loved the juxtaposition of her “goddess of love” and “warrior goddess” personas. It’s like she’s at odds with herself, yet she’s two perfect halves that make a fierce whole. As far as heroines go, she’s up there with Feyre, Celaena, Alina and Suze, in my opinion.

Nathan is an interesting character. In the beginning, he was cool, but nothing fantastic. As the story went on, however, I really started liking him. He was so loyal to Freya, despite her insane life and how it put him in danger at every turn. I also loved the role reversal that went on. Usually it’s the human girl running after the vampire boy or whatever, but this time the human boy is running after the goddess. Nice change of pace!

Dionysus is effing hilarious, if not arrogant and cocky. He reminded me of Casanova from Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer series. In fact, the entire vibe of this book reminder me of the Cassie Palmer books. So if you were a fan of those, I recommend this book! Following that train of thought, I loved that their “hideout” was at a Disney theme park. It was like a kiddie version of Dante’s!

Another character I liked was Sekhmet. She was cold and calculating, but in an intriguing way. I can’t wait to see more of her in the sequel (Because yes, there’s a sequel and I fangirl about that in the last paragraph, so see below!)

I’ve always been fascinated by Greek mythology, but lately, I’ve just wanted to read books about ANY and ALL mythologies, so I LOVED being introduced to so many pantheons in this book. There were so many gods and goddesses (Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Hindu, Hawaiian) I’ve never heard of and now want to research and read more about, like Izanami (Izanami-no-Mikoto), a Japanese goddess. She’s Queen of Yomi and mother of the gods. “Once giver of life, now its destroyer,” as described in the book. Now I want to know her full mythology!

The ending of this book was INSANE and EPIC and I’m SO, SO, happy that there’s a sequel, but WHY IS IT NOT COMING OUT UNTIL MARCH 2018, THAT’S TOO LONG A WAIT!!! *SOBS!!!!*

So, yes, I HIGHLY recommend this to fans of mythology and to fans of the Cassandra Palmer books!

five-stars

Review: Alex and Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz

Apr17

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: Alex and Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la CruzAlex and Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz
Published by GP Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on April 11, 2017
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Witches of East End and The Descendants comes the love story of young Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler.

1777. Albany, New York.

As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball.

Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history.

In the pages of Alex and Eliza, #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz brings to life the romance of young Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler.

Though I haven’t seen Hamilton (yet), I’m a HUGE fan of Melissa de la Cruz and historical fiction. So this book has been on my radar for a LONG time – and it definitely didn’t disappoint! It was amazing, adorable and full of ships and feels!

I loved Eliza! She was defiant, feisty, sassy and snarky! I really loved how amused she was by her own efforts to rile Alex up. I completely cracked up during these scenes! One of my favorite quotes from her is this:

“She had to hand it to him. He was GOOD, this Alexander Hamilton. Under other circumstances, she might actually like him. But right now she had about seven more minutes of his time, and she was determined to make them as difficult as possible.”

Alex’s personality was so multi-faceted. On the one hand, he was this sweet-talker who charmed the ladies and “knows what he’s doing.” On the other, he was a gentleman who rattled SO easily, like when Eliza told him to watch where he put his hands and he stumbled over an apology. It made him really likable. Also, despite having not seen Hamilton on Broadway, I completely pictured Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hamilton the whole time I was reading!

I – obviously – 100% shipped Alex and Eliza right from the beginning. They were adorable together and they gave me SO MANY swoons and feels!

Another character I really loved was Aunt Gertrude!! She was pretty progressive, considering the time period she’s living in. I loved her fierce attitude and desire to protect and care for Eliza.

I really enjoyed the writing and atmosphere – though I fully expected to, since (as I mentioned) I adore Melissa de la Cruz. She always does an amazing job creating epic worlds and characters, and this book was no exception!

I definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction, Melissa de la Cruz and Hamilton!

four-stars

Guest Review: The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding

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.

Guest Review: The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy SpaldingThe New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding
Published by Poppy on April 5, 2016
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
three-half-stars

A ridiculously cute, formerly-famous new guy dropping into your life? It's practically every girl's dream.

But not Jules McCallister-Morgan's.

I realize that on paper I look like your standard type-A, neurotic, overachiever. And maybe I am. But I didn't get to be the editor of my school's long-revered newspaper by just showing up*. I have one main goal for my senior year-early acceptance into my first choice Ivy League college-and I will not be deterred by best friends, moms who think I could stand to "live a little," or boys.

At least, that was the plan before I knew about Alex Powell**.

And before Alex Powell betrayed me***.

I know what you're thinking: Calm down, Jules. But you don't understand. This stuff matters. This is my life. And I'm not going down without a fight.

----

* Okay, I sort of did. But it's a sore subject.

** I mean, I guess everyone knows about Alex Powell? Two years ago, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing about viral video boy band sensation Chaos 4 All. Two years ago, Alex Powell was famous.

***Some people think I'm overreacting. But this. Means. War.

Filled with romance, rivalry, and passive-aggressive dog walking, Amy Spalding delivers a hilariously relatable high school story that's sure to have you falling for The New Guy.

A message from Meredith: Hey everyone! Today, I have Melanie here with a guest review for The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding

You can find Melanie on Melanie’s Musings and on Twitter!

Without further adieu, here’s Melanie’s review! Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

Sometimes I want a lengthy, highly descriptive, fantasy world to get sucked into and other times I was a fast, fun read. The New Guy (And other Senior Year Distractions) fell into the latter.

I quickly read it one afternoon and it was just the right amount of fun I was looking for to escape that particular day.

Jules was the first thing that I enjoyed. I always think that YA can use more girls who know exactly what they want and Jules has her future plans down to an exact science of what grades and extra activities she needs to get early admission into an Ivy League. Yes, a smart female lead! I’m here for it!

Enter Alex who is a new student and formerly a member of a highly popular boyband (think a short lived One Direction.) He is the start of a mess of problems for Jules including a rivalry with the school newspaper and now broadcast news.

While I did enjoy Jules’ character from the beginning, there were also plenty of times I got frustrated with how much she was worried about herself. Sure, it was important that she reached her goals, but it was often at the expense of her friends.

Whatever problems Jules had in maintaining her friendships, she did have a great support system in her moms. They were great and really cared about their daughter.

All in all, Jules’ story and struggles still maintained a relatability despite the LA location and former pop star new kid. There are always kids working themselves harder than you’d believe to reach their goals and there are always going to be rivalries between other students. For the most part, I still got the sense that these were real teenagers who could be from anywhere based on their goals and feelings.

While this might have been a quick read, it definitely had the nostalgia of high school for me that I remembered with struggling to maintain too many things at once. The New Guy will be a perfect read for a high school student who needs a break from working hard or even for someone who wants to briefly remember what it was like to be focused on the times they’re in now that was once on a future goal.

three-half-stars