It certainly had elements that were interesting but ultimately was lackluster when it came to execution.
The science felt...awful...simply awful and neither of the characters felt particularly compelling to read about...I probably won't be continuing this series cause I simply cannot care enough to continue. For more details, check out my video review!
OHMYGOSH. Goodreads Choice Nominees are in and My Reaction Video is up! Don't forget to vote!
The Written Review
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Amora Montara knows
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OHMYGOSH. Goodreads Choice Nominees are in and My Reaction Video is up! Don't forget to vote!
The Written Review
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Amora Montara knows she's her kingdom's only hope as the next High Animancer (master of souls).
She's been training all her life to wield Soul Magic - which allows her to control and destroy enemies of her country.
However, it is a fickle power. One where if it goes wrong, there are disastrous consequences.
On the very night she was supposed to demonstrate complete and utter mastery of Soul Magic...things go terribly wrong.
Amora is thrown into the dungeon and her only way of survival is to escape from her own kingdom.
Rumors abound about a new, destructive magic running rampart on her island-kingdom.
Only by reigning that in would she be able to prove her worthiness for the crown...but the question remains...will she survive long enough to destroy that magic? Or will her magic destroy her first?
Ultimately this one was an okay read for me.
I was interested by the magic and the world that was created.
I thought the secrets that Amora hunted were compelling and interesting.
But...the actual characters felt a bit bland to me.
Maybe my expectations were too high based on that gorgeous cover but I just didn't feel the bookish obsession that I wanted.
Fable has spent the last four years of her life trying to get off of the horrible trap on an island she was stranded on. Stranded by her own f
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Fable has spent the last four years of her life trying to get off of the horrible trap on an island she was stranded on. Stranded by her own father.
She's weathered storms, thieves and starvation until she finally saved up enough for passage off of the island.
But then, just when she feels like she can finally take a breath, the real adventure starts.
I know...don't judge a book by the cover but have you all SEEN THIS GORGEOUSNESS????
First time in a long time that I didn't even read the description. I just bought it. And wow. I'm glad I did.
I loved the world that Adrienne created - so wonderfully fleshed out and perfectly visualized. I loved the little bits of imagery she wove in and out along with the sprinkling of magic.
Fable was such a neat main character and I loved watching the world through her eyes. She had such an unique outlook and life.
And the plot! Oh! It was fabulous. So many layers and exciting events.
New week, New BookTube Video - all about the best (and worst) literary couples
The Written Review
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Two hundred years ago Cinderella li
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New week, New BookTube Video - all about the best (and worst) literary couples
The Written Review
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Two hundred years ago Cinderella lived, and ever since then she's been an obsession of Sophia's town.
She has three chances (one ball each year) to find a husband and then settle into a "comfortable" life as a wife.
But she does not want that. Not. One. Bit.
She is in love with Erin (even though Erin refuses to rebel) and on the night of the first ball, Sophia makes a run for it.
Her life is forfeit and her only chance is to keep running.
And Sophia runs into Constance - the last known descendant of the true Cinderella and her stepsisters.
Together, the girls must find a way to save their town (and themselves) by diving into the true story of Cinderella...but is there time? Or are they already too late?
I quite liked this version of the tale!
I felt like it worked really well and I loved the blossoming relationship between Sophia and Constance - they made such a natural couple!
I loved how every time we heard the story of Cinderella, there was a new twist that completely changed my opinion of the earlier versions. It was really cool (and clever) how Bayron managed that.
The book did require...a bit of suspension of belief...regarding the township.
The society is really, really shifted towards the most misogynistic possible structure...and I don't think there was enough background and world-building to support such a staunchly "traditional" society.
But once I decided to give into the world, the rest of the book worked really well.
All in all, this was the lesbian Cinderella retelling I've been waiting for.
A huge thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury YA and Kalynn Bayron for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
A new BookTube Video is Up all about whether you should buy, borrow or burn 2020 YA books! Let me know what you think!
The Written Review
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A new BookTube Video is Up all about whether you should buy, borrow or burn 2020 YA books! Let me know what you think!
The Written Review
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Stories always begin the same way. There was and there was not. There is a possibility in those words, the chance for hope or despair.
Soraya is a princess but she has spent her life in fairytales and hidden away because of her deepest, darkest secret.
...the div cursed her firstborn daughter, making her poisonous, so that anyone who touched her would die.
After a lifetime without touch, Soraya finds herself yearning ever-more for someone - anyone - to break her isolation.
When a div (demon) is taken into the dungeons, she finally realizes that she might have a chance to learn more about her curse and possibly break free...but she knows demons lie.
Is she willing to risk it all for a chance at freedom?
"Do you see now why I recognized you? You're my favorite story. I feel like I've known you for a long time."
First of all - GORGEOUS cover on this one. I absolutely LOVED the color scheme, the roses, thorns and snakes. Really eye-catching.
I loved the concept of this book - the poisoned princess, the demon-in-the-dungeon, and the mysterious stranger who loves her.
The three major characters played well off of each other and had a pretty good balance between the three of them. There were a few moments that felt a bit predictable but overall I was entertained by the direction of the book.
The plot was interesting but it was missing a little sparkle. I think it's because we spend a lot of time inside or hiding, which is confining to astory.
The pacing felt a bit slow as Soraya waffled about whether she should take a plunge or stay in safety (which got...a little annoying after a bit) but once she finally made up her mind, the plot took off like a rocket.
All in all, I quite liked this one and I'm looking forward to what the author writes next!
With thanks to Netgalley, Flatiron Books and Melissa Bashardoust for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review
A new BookTube Video is Up all about whether you should buy, borrow or burn 2020 YA books! Let me know what you think!
The Written Review
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A new BookTube Video is Up all about whether you should buy, borrow or burn 2020 YA books! Let me know what you think!
The Written Review
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“Well, as they said, it's not over until the mockingjay sings.”
Coriolanus Snow, future president of Panem, is just eighteen-years-old in this prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy.
He is one of the Snows - a once mighty house in the Capitol but now is on the edge of desolation.
He's desperate to preserve the image of his family and find a way to claw his way back to the top.
Then, the unthinkable happens.
Coriolanus's graduation is now tied to the Hunger Games.
You can blame it on the circumstances, the environment, but you made the choices you made, no one else.
He's been given the girl from District 12 (Lucy Gray) to mentor and must find a way to bring her to the top.
Despite her being wholly and completely below him (after all, she'd district)...he finds himself drawn to her and her light.
Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.
But there's darkness within Snow, a darkness that he's willing to embrace to get what he wants. And no one - not the Capitol, not his friends, not even Lucy Gray - better stand in his way.
Snow lands on top
Wow.
Guys, gals, people of all genders - wow.
I was BLOWN away by this Hunger Games prequel.
So many prequels feel like completely and utterly unnecessary additions to the lore...but this one? I think it worked really well.
It added to and expanded the Hunger Games series - giving some much needed insights to the origins of the Hunger Games.
It was MB to watch these cruel humans design new muttations and calmly discuss the best way to wring out emotions (and participation) from the outer districts.
I also hated and loved Snow. There's no doubt that he's an AWFUL being. Like completely and utterly terrible.
And yet, I was glued to him.
I never truly emphasized with him (cause, hello, he was appalling) but he was riveting to watch and provided such an interesting perspective.
There were a few loose ends that I wished were tied up in the end but overall, I really enjoyed this return to the Hunger Games - and am crossing my fingers for more!
I cannot even BEGIN to talk about how BRILLIANT this one was.
I was hooked from the start - the way Aiden set up the characters and the Brujx world was so intriguing and exciting.
The plot felt so unique and fresh - I literally read this in a single night and was devastated there wasn't more.
I absolutely loved, loved, loved Yadriel and his struggles were so perfectly shown. The way his dad struggled with coming to terms with Yadriel's true self was so heart-achingly real.
I also adored Julian - and I'm normally the type to roll my eyes at characters like this in YA. And yet, it worked so well for him. He really embraced himself and did a fabulous job of giving the book some much-needed spunk.
The two characters clicked together right from the start and kept that momentum going. They played off of each other so well and honestly carried the book to new heights.
I cannot wait for this one to be published and for more people to read it!
OHMYGOSH. Goodreads Choice Nominees are here and...I couldn't resist a Reaction Video! Don't forget to vote!
Annnd here's my original reaction
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OHMYGOSH. Goodreads Choice Nominees are here and...I couldn't resist a Reaction Video! Don't forget to vote!
Annnd here's my original reaction to this book!
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A new BookTube Video is Up all about whether you should buy, borrow or burn 2020 YA books! Let me know what you think!
The Written Review
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I am going to tell you a story you already know. But listen carefully, because within it is one you have never heard before.
There's two Mozarts, but the world remembered only one of them.
Nannerl, had one wish - to be remembered.
She and her brother toured all throughout Europe but despite all her ambitions, she's still a product of her time.
The older we were, the less magnificent we seemed.
She has a gift for composing but women were not encouraged, or allowed to do such.
Bu then one day, she meets a mysterious person - Hyacinth. He comes from the Kingdom of Back - which is the polar opposite of her world. Upside down trees and the like.
At first, it was a story told between Wolfgang and Nannerl. A fun bedtime who can promise her the world, in exchange for a few...tasks.
And at first she's happy to comply...but as she becomes closer to Hyacinth, she starts realizing that what he says and the truth are two slightly different things. Can she trust him? Should she trust him? Is it too late to escape?
Even monsters must dream of fears and wants, and the sadness in his voice drew me closer.
Huh.
After slogging though six of her books, I think Marie Lu has finally hooked me.
It was really cool to learn that Wolfgang's sister was an actual prodigy and (in real life) the two of them created an imaginary world (The Kingdom of Back).
I loved how Marie Lu brought this fairy world to life.
It was really neat to watch it weave into the real world but I really wanted it to be firmer. It felt like brief interludes when I would've preferred it to be a more permanent fixture of the book. (kind of like how Holly Blacks goes all-in with the fae).
I also felt like Nannerl was a bit of a broken record when it came to "women just don't DO this stuff" but I suppose that's just how it was.
Other than that, I actually did enjoy most of this book.
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