Placebo Junkies / J.C. Carlson

3.5/5

I do not even know where to begin. What did I just read.  

Placebo Junkies is pretty brilliant, not only in terms of plot, but also in the writing. I love Audie. I love her voice, her honesty, and how they shone through not only in her narration but also in her blog posts. I love her unreliability; I find unreliable narrators fun because you get to piece together the puzzle yourself, although there is a downside, which is that things can become confusing very easily. I read this on my phone (which unfortunately really does affect my overall experience because I can't concentrate or absorb the facts as well) which contributed to my slight confusion, but I got enough to understand: this novel is going to tear you apart!

Placebo Junkies is intense, engaging, fast-paced, and interesting. It's dark, and I would not recommend it if you're squeamish. Be prepared for brutal and gritty, and you'll enjoy Placebo Junkies.

Tiger Lily / Jodi Lynn Anderson

3.5/5

Tiger Lily made me so sad it made me angry. It was indeed a good story-- I'd heard many good reviews, and now I understand.   

The novel is very honest, and its characters were flawed in obvious ways, which was frustrating but also realistic and made it all the more piognant. Tiger Lily is written from Tinkerbell's perspective, which I found strange at times because it just felt unnecessary. Tinkerbell added nothing to the storyline; it would have made more sense to simply write the novel from the third person. But after a while I grew to like Tink's bits of wisdom. She sees the world differently, and her perspective added even more beauty to the novel.  It's also partly due to Tink's perspective that I love the writing so much. Anderson creates a beautiful world, and seeing it from Tink's eyes allows us to enjoy it more.  

Overall, Tiger Lily is a love story that will not make you feel happy or mushy or flowery, but rather leave you with a bittersweet sense of loss and sorrow. It takes a good novel to evoke those feelings, so I would recommend Tiger Lily-- but don't say I didn't warn you of the full depth of what you're getting yourself into!

Code Name Verity / Elizabeth Wein

4/5

I read this book once and I need to read it again. Keep in mind I read it on my phone (not the ideal way to read a book, ever) so I don't think I got the full experience, because Code Name Verity is written in various formats. (Hence the need for a second reading.) 

There were times when the novel was boring and bland and I skimmed a LOT, but it definitely deserves the 4-star rating. This is mainly due to how I teared up several times toward the end. If a book can make me do that, then it's a good one by my standards. My only/main problem is that even though I like Maddie, I feel like there was wayyyy too much text spent on her, resulting in a boring, dragged out feeling. I love her, but I don't really think she's the ideal choice for a narrator.   

Anyway, the negative points I brought up are definitely outweighed by the strength and emotional impact of this novel, and I would highly, highly recommend it! Just beware that it will certainly pull at your heartstrings.

We Were Liars / E Lockhart

3.5/5

I enjoyed We Were Liars. It's about the rich life, a life of privilege, but Gat's perspective kept things real. He made sure the book didn't get too whiney, and overall I just really enjoyed the peak into their privileged lifestyle. The novel also kept me engaged the whole time, and I was curious as to what happened until the very end. The big reveal was quite a blow, and immediately got it a higher rating from me. Would recommend!

*note: read online, which does affect my overall experience.

Lucky Strikes / Louis Bayard

4/5

I was a little disappointed when I opened the book to the first page and discovered it was written in dialect, but that one page was as long as my disappoint lasted.

Lucky Strikes is a fast-paced, high-stakes novel set in the real world about tough Melia. She's fighting to keep her family together and to keep their gas station. Nothing was sugarcoated-- Melia was tough, down-to-earth, practical, and her occasional selfish outbursts made her human. The characters of Lucky Strikes were complete, well-developed, and relatable. I cared for each of them. The ending even made me tear up a bit. Would recommend!

(Also, the cover is pretty.)

The Winner's Kiss / Marie Rutkoski

2/5

My expectations were a little higher for The Winner's Kiss than they would have been for any other trilogy's conclusion because this series has been amazing. I did keep in mind that sequels are never as good as the first, which is why my expectations weren't too high, but because the first book was so good the decline hit me a little harder than usual, resulting in two stars. 

The first book had me obsessed, and the second was strong enough to keep me going, but unfortunately, this third book made the mistake of focusing too strongly on the relationship that was developed during the first two. I was all for the relationship, and I very strongly shipped Kestrel and Arin and couldn't wait to see them together. But what made the first two books so great for me was that both Kestrel and Arin were incredibly smart, calculating, and strong. They were perfect partners, and enemies, and I loved how that played into the dynamics of their relationship and the course of the war. 

In the third book, nearly all of that is lost and instead their relationship becomes the focus of the novel-- and it isn't an enjoyable relationship anymore! Kestrel becomes weak as Rutkoski pulls the cliche and unnecessary trick of erasing her memory. I was willing to forgive that horrible plotline, but Arin also becomes rather unbearable. He's obsessively protective of Kestrel and lets this stand in the way of his role in war. I would say about 65% of the text is boring language dragging on about how sad Arin was over Kestrel. It was all very self-pitying and whiney, which I don't like. Bringing me to my next point: Rutkoski's writing has really declined. Most sentences are less than five words long, and a lot of them don't contain verbs. I understand that this is a dramatizing tool, but it was overused.

Sure, The Winner's Kiss was far from ideal. I wanted to see our two main characters stronger than ever in this series finale, I wanted to see Herran and Valoria go head-to-head with each leader at his/her full potential. But I'd say that most flaws were forgivable because the trilogy is definitely good enough to be worth finishing. I loved Roshar, I loved the war, and I loved the final scene. I would highly, highly recommend this series; don't let the lower rating for this novel scare you off, because the first novel was absolutely amazing and 100% worth it, and I'd bet it's enough to pull you through to the third.

The Museum of Intangible Things / Wendy Wunder

1/5

There are several reasons why I gave The Museum of Intangible Things a low rating. 

One, there wasn't any character development. The main character, Hannah, remained unhealthily dependent on her best friend Zoe and never grew a spine. Hannah LET Zoe do all of these crazy things (and I mean crazy as in mentally ill, not just "out there") that were extremely dangerous, and didn't get Zoe help even though she knew Zoe was sick, which leads me to reason number two. 

Two, Zoe is mentally ill and Hannah pretty much just watches as Zoe spirals into madness?? Is this what we should be teaching the young girls that read these novels?? The novel ended with the main character being reassured that nothing is her fault, when really it was. She was her friend's enabler. She helped Zoe do all of these incredibly dangerous and unreasonably things when she KNEW that Zoe was sick and mentally unstable. And at the end of the novel, Hannah is STILL ridiculously dependent on Zoe, to the point where she was willing to die because she couldn't bear the thought of living with out her. What exactly is this book trying to say? Follow your mentally sick best friend and let her ruin herself, and then offer to ruin yourself with her??

And finally reason number three: the horrible relationship. He comes out of nowhere and our main character is so desperate and lonely that their relationship just miraculously blooms. I found it very unbelievable and rather disgusting, especially because they went from never talking to extremely intimate sexual acts. What???? 

Please do not read this book, especially if you are young and impressionable. I can't think of any other purpose this novel has other than to romanticize mental illness and codependency. If you want an eye-opener on mental illness, read It's Kind of a Funny Story. That's an amazing and touching novel that really leaves you thinking, and does everything Museum fails to do.

Dumplin' / Julie Murphy

2.5/5

I expected more from Dumplin'. I thought it would be something NEW. The summary was at least pretty original, but the book was very typical teen realistic fiction. There weren't any epiphanies or realizations or anything new. 

The main girl was frustrating with the way she treated herself, the boys, and her friends. I expected this book to teach young girls about self-love and pride, to have some positive message, but instead the book was weak.   

Dumplin' was an alright read for me (I was skimming by the end) and if you like the typical YA realistic fiction, you should give it a try. It does address topics that aren't as common (like being fat, I guess??) but really doesn't stray from the mainstream. If you want a social commentary, Libba Bray does it much better in Beauty Queens.

Dreamstrider / Lindsay Smith

2/5

I made it through about three-fourths of the book before skipping to the end, which I think is pretty impressive. The concept of the novel is original and interesting. It felt promising and had potential, but unfortunately the novel did not live up to it.

First thing I didn't like: the main character is incredible incompetent. I was willing to forgive that because her incompetence seemed to be part of the plot, but she never improved throughout the novel and that made me kind of want to stab someone.

Second thing: the book moved too slowly. So slowly.

Third: the writing got worse as the book progressed. The scene where Livia and Brandt met the Emperor was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever read. The Emperor's dialogue was straight out of a children's novel. I actually stared at the pages in disbelief.

I'm one for strong female leads. I like YA novels, which pretty much means I like romance plots, but I do NOT like cheesy, unrealistic, white-knight plots. I want something real that I can believe and that I can get behind. Livia's relationship with Brandt was pitiful, and the whole infatuation thing (I don't even know what to call it) with Marez was frankly a little weird and rather unbelievable. To sum it up, the book wasn't very good...but I guess at least the cover's really pretty?

An Ember in the Ashes / Sabaa Tahir

4.5/5

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. The two main points I look for in a book are characters and plot, and An Ember in the Ashes executed both of these aspects brilliantly. 

The characters were extremely well-developed-- and not just the two main characters, but all of them. They had complete backstories, full emotions, and I could understand their principles and what motivated each of them. The plot is extremely high-stakes, and I was so, so invested in this book. I absolutely devoured this novel. 

It was an intense read because I sympathized with many of the main characters and wanted them to each get what they wanted and deserved, but that meant conflicting things. I am still freaking out.

An Ember in the Ashes is an amazing novel. It's fast-paced, high stakes, and intense. It has strong characters who can each hold up on their own, and put together they create a very interesting storyline. I highly recommend it!

The Girl From Everywhere / Heidi Heilig

3/5

Whew, it's been a while since I read anything, so it took me a while to finish this book (I really need to learn some self-control around Netflix). 

I really liked The Girl From Everywhere. The main character, Nix, is both strong and vulnerable. She's well-developed, and I could sympathize with her. I also really liked her relationship with Kashmir. It was realistic and sweet and based on a real friendship, unlike the silly romances in most YA novels where the hottest guy imaginable sweeps a girl off her feet. 

It might have been because I took so long to read it (and maybe also because my concentration wasn't so good at the time) but towards the end all of the time-traveling and paradoxes got rather hard to follow. I just went with the flow and kept reading because trying to figure out the logistics was too difficult. I still really enjoyed the novel, and would recommend it to those interested in topics such as time travel, the past/regrets, and family.

The Wrath and the Dawn / Renee Ahdieh

1.5/5

Well I didn't actually finish this book. It had a lot of potential, but I got really angry with it maybe around a fourth of the way in because the main character is incredibly weak. Not weak as in all she needs is a little character development (although she could have used some) but weak as in the author made her spineless and obedient. From reading the blurb, it's pretty obvious that she and the emperor will fall in love. I was eager to see that relationship develop. Instead, our protagonist begins to fantasize him by the third night (the third night!) even though they have not had any conversations-- she just likes that when they have sex he doesn't try to kiss her. Honestly, the third night??? Her goal is to kill him, and by the third night she's already fantasizing about him??? So you could say this book wasn't for me.

Feel free to give it a try, but if you like females with a spine then this novel will not satisfy.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters / Laini Taylor

3/5

Finally finished this brick of a book!! Took me a looong time. 

Maybe it was because I took too long to read it, but Dream of Gods and Monsters felt pretty dragged out. I remember I finally reached the climax, and everything was finally coming to a close, and yet there was still ~200 pages left?? I kept reading (obviously) and it really should have just ended there. There was only one storyline left in those two hundred pages, and it was a rather unnecessary storyline. Well, I was interested in that storyline, but it completely didn't tie into the main plot. I thought that it would come into play, but it never did. Instead, it was absolutely separate, and not only was it irrelevant, its timeline didn't even match up with the main storyline (it lengthened the novel by 200pages!)

In this novel, Taylor's excessively flowery language becomes even more prominent. I would say at least 30% of each page is skippable because they are just metaphors, usually about how much fire there is whenever Karou and Akiva are within sight of each other. But it's manageable and I didn't mind too much.  

Anyway, I really enjoyed the entire series! Sure, my ratings for each novel decreased slightly as it went on, but it definitely was not a waste of my time. I do not regret reading it and would definitely recommend it to those who like novels such as the Grisha trilogy or Throne of Glass to pick it up.

Days of Blood and Starlight / Laini Taylor

3.5/5

I read this book too fast, but I just couldn't stop. I finished it today, immediately grabbed the next, and began reading. 

Boy, was this book an emotional rollercoaster. I would recommend reading it at a more realistic pace than I did. I was too excited after I finished Smoke and Bone so I started flipping pages ridiculously fast, which resulted in some frustration. I felt that Karou took a little too long to collect herself, but that may have been due to my own impatience. 

The second installment still jumps around a bit like the first novel did, but not as dramatically.   Ultimately, I was and am completely invested. I care about the characters and need to know what happens to them, especially because this novel introduces some amazing people (and unfortunately takes some away too). I can't wait to finish the third!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone / Laini Taylor

4/5

I haven't read for a month (yes, I am ashamed), so I needed a good book to get me back into reading. I'd heard Daughter of Smoke and Bone was good, and even though the length intimidated my rusty reading skills a bit, I more than made it through the ride.

Taylor has developed a very thorough world. It's well thought-out and very intriguing. I love it, and I love how she slowly revealed everything to us. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is intense and thrilling, and absolutely drew me in.

The reason this is four stars rather than five is because I felt like this story was a lot of BACKstory. It's here to set up for the next book. There was some jumping around through time, and towards the end of the book we spent so much time in the past I started wondering why Taylor didn't just start the series there instead of having a flashback. But I like jumping around, and it was in the reveal that made this book so thrilling. I'll admit, there were definitely reveals/twists that had me shouting internally, and so my rating is high. 

One other minor flaw is that I felt the novel focused on the romantic aspect a little too much. It started off super mysterious and dangerous, and then began to focus more on love. But I think that's because the backstory is mainly based on love, and the reason the characters ended up where they are is because of love, and since this book focuses mainly on how they ended up here it makes sense for this book to have a little more emphasis on the character's relationship. I think in the sequel(s), there'll be less emphasis on this romantic aspect, and so I don't have a problem with it. 

All in all, Daughter of Smoke and Bone was enjoyable and I'd recommend you give it a try!

Madly / Amy Always

4.5/5

I loved Madly. What made me fall in love with it instantly was Sam Kemi, the protagonist. She's strong, capable, and smart. Another strong point of the novel was that it kept me completely absorbed with its action and intensity. I was invested and really, really enjoyed the ride. 

The only part I found a little weird was that the ending was a little quick. It wasn't rushed and didn't feel unrealistic, but as I was approaching the end, I looked at how many pages were left (there weren't many) and was little confused on how Alward was going to wrap it up in the amount left. She did manage to finish the book very nicely and the story was complete, but I still felt as if the author had been given a set amount of pages, and she had written freely until she reached about the last 10% of the novel, and then thought, "Oh shoot, I've gotta wrap up because I'm almost at my page limit." But the story was definitely whole and complete, and I finished it feeling satisfied. 

Madly was a very good read and I highly recommend it, especially to those who enjoy strong leads and fast plots. Also, the cover is gorgeous!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / Jesse Andrews

3/5

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl is funny (well, as funny as a book on this topic can be), cleverly written, and realistic. It begins stating that there will be no deep or profound paragraphs on the meaning of life, and there actually weren't. But the novel accurately portrays exactly how (I believe) it would feel to have someone in your life lose to cancer, especially when that someone is only an acquaintance.

I finished the book in one day (it's short and captivating). Earl was my favorite character, keep an eye out for him! All of the characters were complete, well-developed, and realistic. Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl portrays a common real-life situation in a natural light; it makes you reflect without depressing you by keeping its writing casual and humorous. The novel is a major eye-opener, and I would recommend it for those that want a milder version of The Fault in Our Stars. Calling it a milder version of TFIOS makes it sound not as good as TFIOS, but that isn't necessarily true. The books are just different because they focus on different things. TFIOS goes more in depth and focuses more on being a cancer patient, while Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl focuses more on what it's like to have someone whom you didn't even know well disappear so quickly. It's about not knowing the person well, and that s/he didn't get to lead a great or meaningful life; I would say that's the whole point.

The Diviners / Libba Bray

4.5/5

The Diviners is so good! The story is well written and follows several plots. The murder mystery case is thrilling and scary and intense. Evie is incredibly charming and likeable-- I love her. 

The Diviners is captivating. The only thing I find a little annoying (just a little) is that I expected Bray to close up all of the stories she followed, especially because the book is so fat (400+ pages). There were so many storylines, and I thought she would tie them together, but instead the strands stayed separate. Some met, but the stories never fully merged and came together. I guess she's saving it for the sequel. I spent the entire novel super excited to see the characters finally meet, the puzzle finally pieced together, and have all of their knowledge shared, but that never happened, so looking back at that lack of climax is a little disappointing. But it's not a big deal, because this book is amazing, and I know the strands will all be tied together in the sequel. It's really such a small flaw (not even a flaw really), and the novel is so enchanting and immersive, that it doesn't change how much I enjoyed The Diviners.   

The Diviners is exciting and keeps you completely invested until the very end. There were parts where I was on the edge of my seat, barely breathing, waiting to see what would happen. It's a thrilling read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fun, realistic characters and intense mysteries (and also a few history lessons thrown in!).

I'll Give You The Sun / Jandy Nelson

4/5

I was really stuck between 3.5 stars and 4 stars. I'll Give You the Sun was a good book, so I chose 4.   

What I really didn't like about the book was the writing. Nelson uses so many unnecessary metaphors that she gets caught up in, that oftentimes it's hard to even understand what's going on. It is very unnecessary and very annoying. I don't know if she did it ironically to symbolize that all artists are a little cuckoo, but that was a pretty major flaw that would have had me putting the book down within the first three pages (yes, the metaphors are extremely prominent within just the first three pages)if I hadn't heard trusted friends praise it religiously. I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. 

Although the style was a pretty big turnoff, there were other aspects of the book that were so good they actually managed to cancel that out! 1) I like the format. The novel is about twins, but it follows one twin, Noah, when he is thirteen, and the other twin, Jude, when she is sixteen. I like this because 2) I get to slowly piece together everything that happened. We get to see how what happened in the past caused exactly what's happening in the present. Things are revealed bit by bit, and once all the pieces clicked together in my brain, my jaw had dropped and I had to take a little break while I just stared out the window in glee. Nelson ties all these little storylines and strands together, showing how every small action affects the surrounding characters. 3) The characters were well developed. I personally didn't like some of them, but I understood them-- a sign that a character is very well-written. I didn't like them but I felt connected and invested, so I had to finish their story. And OK, at the end, maybe one of their relationships was a little too perfect and rather unrealistic (it was kind of a load of hooey, filled with more metaphors, that was too similar to cliche chicklit) but by then I just wanted them to be happy and I wanted it to be over, so I could definitely buy it. I mean, I could definitely see how that character could view the relationship in the mushy, lovey-dovey kind of light. 

Summing up, this book made me feel. It drew me in. I was invested invested. It's a coming of age novel, packed with emotion, so if that's your thing, I highly recommend you check it out. Just bear through the extreme metaphors and personification-- it IS worth it.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake / Amy E Reichert

2.5/5

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is a love story and nothing more.

I had thought it would be more focused on Lou working hard for her restaurant, but it wasn't. I also thought the whole love at first sight, "she's the most beautiful creature in the whole universe and absolutely leaves me breathless" thing going on from Al's point of view was very cliche, dull, and unrealistic. I usually read more sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian kind of thing, novels with more action and intensity, so when I look at this book from that point of view it was rather boring. But when I judge it for what it is (a chicklit love story) it's pretty good. It had romantic moments, although the novel did call to mind the manic pixie dream girl trope. 

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake had good characters and character development. They were understandable and relatable and made me care. There was also a very jaw-dropping reveal toward the end which I really loved, because it spiced things up. For all of these reasons I couldn't put the book down and finished it in one sitting. It's definitely lacking the action aspect that I need in a book, but it did what it did well. It was a cute love story, so I would recommend it to those who like that kind of thing. I don't particularly, but I still enjoyed the novel!

The Girl at Midnight / Melissa Grey

3.5/5

This book is so good!!! The Girl at Midnight is intense and engaging. The character's are well-developed and thoroughly explored, making them relatable. I was completely invested. Melissa Grey creates a diverse and interesting cast that completely held my attention. I could not put this book down. The main plot twist may have been a little... I don't want to say predictable because it didn't quite reach that point yet, but I wasn't absolutely shocked when it was revealed. Rather, I felt victorious that I had guessed correctly and not dismayed. Even if the plot twist can kind of be guessed (I really just had a hunch and didn't think on it too much, so I hadn't 100% guessed it), The Girl at Midnight's entire plot is never boring.  It was a very, very thrilling ride, and I'll be reading the next one.

Court of Fives / Kate Elliott

3.5/5

Court of Fives was entertaining and captivating. I could not put the book down. It doesn't really have a solid plot/goal, it's more just Jes's story, but it's still intense and interesting.

I really liked Jes's character, and how the book revolved around her, not around Kal, the love interest. The story is more than just a romance plot; it's also about family, honor, betrayal, etc., and it really dives into those themes. One thing keeping me from giving it a higher rating was that the novel is a little long. I have nothing against page numbers, I mean long as in it dragged and got tiring at the end. Elliott introduced more family lines/history at the end, making it feel very crammed. The family lines were not well-explained earlier (and very confusing with the fancy names and the several generations), so the two pages of solid text trying to clear up the history was incredibly hard to follow. I just skimmed it, because it wasn't very relevant either and could have been stated in a much simpler, clearer way.

In the last fourth, more magical stuff is introduced. It was very vague, and Elliott started using all these metaphors which made everything more confusing because I had no idea if it was just a metaphor or if the flowery language was describing some magical thing that was happening. I think Elliott wanted to introduce more to the world, but the book was already so long and she never got into it, which made the magic aspect feel unnecessary, tiring, and confusing.

Court of Fives was an intense ride. I really enjoyed it, but because it kinda went downhill at the end it left a bad taste and now I'm tired, so I don't know if I'll read the next. Either way, this book was enjoyable, so try it out!

The Darkest Part of the Forest / Holly Black

2.5/5

The Darkest Part of the Forest was not bad. I didn't give it that high of a rating because I feel like it had a lot of potential and a lot of undeveloped areas. For me, it feels like Holly Black (an established author) got the thread of an idea one day when she was bored and decided to jot it down in a few weeks, and this is what it became. I feel like the idea of living with faeries and the world Black created was interesting, but she didn't expand on it enough. 

The area where the most potential was wasted is the characters. Ben was a coward. I didn't feel connected to Hazel at ALL, but I guess she got better. Jack could have been expanded on (how it felt growing up between two worlds, etc) and Severin, oh God, SEVERIN, had so much potential. SO much backstory that could have been mentioned. Instead we got a very brief, flat description of his life through Ben's point of view. And Ben is not a good narrator because he is emotionally weak and basically just a mess. 

The story of Severin and the monster could have been so much more if it had been focused on. If more of the characters had been revealed, not only would the book be a lot more engrossing, but the characters would also be more a lot more relatable.

Also, there was too much kissing in the book. I sound like a prude, but really. I love make-out scenes in books, but all this kissing was so meaningless?? What was the point?? All of the kissing was weird, but I guess after finishing the book it wasn't that bad. Still not a necessary part though.

The story was good. I liked it, especially toward the end where things really picked up. It's definitely worth reading. But what's keeping me from giving it a higher rating or putting it up there with my tops (Throne of Glass, Winner's Curse) is because I felt there were areas for improvement where Black could have gone deeper (oh, I sound like my lit teacher.) It's a good read though, and it's a standalone (I love standalones, they're such a relief) so go try it!

We Can Work It Out / Elizabeth Eulberg

3/5

Not nearly as good as the first, but sequels rarely ever are. We Can Work It Out was filled with lots and lots of drama, and not the good kind that one wants in a book, but the annoying kind that one finds in a high school (well, I guess it does take place in a high school, but still.) Penny was also extremely frustrating and amazingly stupid and incapable, which was the reason for pretty much all of the issues in the novel. Ever heard of time management, Penny?? 

OK, I guess I'm being a little mean. It was a little disappointing, but I wasn't expecting it to be as good as The Lonely Hearts Club. We Can Work It Out is still much better than the majority of chicklit/fluff that's out there. It focuses on community and independence, and the overall themes are things that I back up 100%. That's why I loved the first book so much. I loved that there was finally a book unapologetically devoted to women finding their own identity, which sounds so cheesy and preachy, but it truly is what young girls need. 

So I did like this book, but really it didn't introduce anything new that the first hadn't touched upon. I love The Lonely Hearts Club; it's one of my all-time favorites. Do read it. And if you love it as much as I do, then feel free to see what happens to the characters afterward in We Can Work It Out. If you aren't as passionate about The Lonely Hearts Club as I am (though I can't see how you wouldn't love it!) then don't waste your time on the second. We Can Work It Out is really just for those who are curious about the characters they have already decided they love.

The Winner's Crime / Marie Rutkoski

4.5/5

OMFG LIVED UP TO ALL MY EXPECTATIONS AND MORE.
LOVE THE FIRST, LOVE THE SECOND, WILL LOVE THE THIRD. READ THIS.

Ok but real review: Rutkoski continues her story. She doesn't lose momentum or her reader's interest. What attracted me in her first book were Kestrel and Arin's intelligence, competence, and complete development, and none of that is lost in the second book. Rather, it's proved further. I love that they're BOTH smart, and BOTH competent, and both developed so thoroughly. Their emotions are real and well-explained, and therefore extremely relatable so I felt connected with the characters. There were times when Rutkoski gets a little too carried away with the metaphors, but I love it. Very interesting. This series is pretty much up there with Maas's Throne of Glass.

Threats of Sky and Sea / Jennifer Ellision

2.5/5

Not original at all. This is like every other sci-fi/fantasy book out there that's made it big. Sure, it has the components the successful ones do (secrets and murders, intense political situations, a prince and princess, magical powers) but the book is nothing more than that. I didn't feel any obligation to care about any of the characters because they were so cliche. It was all done before, and done better (please read Throne of Glass.)

Threats of Sky and Sea also moved incredibly slowly. INCREDIBLY slowly, and I knew what would happen about twenty pages into the book because it was so cliche...(psst! she founds out she has powers!) Not a surprise, and I was expecting that she'd have powers when I started the book and I would have been OK with her having powers, but unfortunately she did not discover them until about the last fifty pages of the book. So what were first 250+ about?? Nothing. Just her whining. 

Would not recommend and will not be continuing. It was just average, nothing special at all. There are many books that did this kind of plot a LOT better (have I already said Throne of Glass? Or Grave Mercy? Or Shadow and Bone? And that's just to name a few!)

Soulprint / Megan Miranda

4.5/5

Ok I really really really liked this book. The idea is just so good, and it was executed well. I know the summary may sound a little cheesy (I mean "sparks fly"? Really?) but blurbs never reflect the book accurately. Soulprint deals with deep themes of redemption and identity. It's intense and thrilling, and I was absolutely hooked. It starts off fast, and doesn't slow down, and it asks very intriguing questions.

I love standalone books because then I don't have to be bound to follow a series over the years, but I loved Soulprint so much I wanted more. But at the same time, it was wrapped up so nicely, so satisfactorily. 

Soulprint leaves you thinking, and I highly highly recommend it!

Vengeance Road / Erin Bowman

2.5/5

I don't like when books are written in dialects (is that how you say it?), when it's written the way it's spoken, with improper grammar. It makes it hard to read.

The book started off pretty intense, but I kinda lost interest halfway and by the time I was two-thirds of the way in I just started skimming very, very quickly. I wouldn't say I completely lost interest, because I still finished the book and wanted to see the ending, but I was no longer really interested in what the main character had to say (she started blabbing a lot towards the end.) 

Anyway, I guess it was good in that it didn't support moral absolutism? Main characters stayed racists throughout the whole book, which sounds really bad put that way, but I guess that's how things were back then. It would have been unrealistic for their minds to have been changed completely, but their opinions did change, so I think that was handled pretty well.

It was average. Pick it up if you'd like, you may enjoy it more than I did!

The Martian / Andy Weir

3.5/5

A good experience, for sure. Especially enjoyable because I recently took chemistry, a class I hated, and The Martian made it feel like the knowledge was at least some what relevant to my life...? Ha.

I really liked The Martian. It took me a while to read because aside from being a slow reader, every sentence was explaining what Mark was doing and I had to think over the science and read everything several times. It's different from what I usually read (scifi/fantasy, not real science) and I liked that. The Martian is interesting, entertaining, and very educational. The movie isn't bad either (but do read the book first, you get A LOT more out of the movie that way.) Point is, would recommend.

Six of Crows / Leigh Bardugo

5/5

I. Love. This. Book.

I was a little hesitant when I read the summary because I was worried I would get the characters confused, or wouldn't care about them, but boy is that far from the truth. Bardugo slowly introduces us to each character, and we learn more about their background throughout the novel. Every single one of them was well-developed, and Bardugo revealed this absolutely perfectly, effortlessly flitting between storylines to reveal their past and how exactly they got to where they are. Each character is also very different, which brings me to my next point: the representation. Bardugo includes all of the countries' different cultures, and all different kinds of background, so the character aspect of the book feels complete. But along with the different cultures/countries, she also brings in the complications of relationships between these countries, and the racism/prejudice that goes with it.

Now for the storyline: also amazing. It is incredibly intense, with endless twists and turns; it's the kind of plot that has you biting your nails, sitting on the edge of your couch, with your eyes wide open. Other than the great speed of the plot, another good point was how the romance and emotions of the novel were handled. The relationships were subtle (there wasn't a single sex scene or even kiss in the book, amen) but they still draw you in completely, and make you feel just as much. It shows that relationship and romance aren't built off sex, but development.

Basically this book has everything, the plot and the characters. I could go on forever. This is a must-read. A MUST-read.

Beauty Queens / Libba Bray

4/5

Very good! 

Beauty Queens is hilarious. It makes fun of all of the sexism, racism, capitalism and just everything that's wrong with modern society, and it does so in a fun way. It doesn't feel like a complaint or rant. It's a little long, but entertaining and definitely captivating enough that I had no trouble finishing it.   There is also a lot of representation (lgbt, race, etc) which I LOVED. Beauty Queens emphasized that every girl is different, with different backgrounds, motivations, perspectives, but that a certain type of girl is not better than another. Please read it!!!

The Break-Up Artist / Philip Siegel

1/5

Don't read this. It's not even worth my time to write a review.

Boys Like You / Juliana Stone

3.5/5

Very cute, absolutely enjoyable. I read Boys Like You very very quickly, and ended up skimming most of the last third in my hurry to finish it. It's very teen romance-y, with some tragedy to add...spice? Authenticity? Either way, the tragedy kept it from being a regular YA realistic fiction novel-- it's better than your normal fluff or chick lit. The characters were believably real. Sure, the relationship was very fast (classic instalove) but definitely forgivable. Boys Like You was a fun read and an exciting roller coaster with some A+ love scenes. Try it out!!

A Court of Thorns and Roses / Sarah J Maas

2.5/5

This is such trash. I am so angry right now. I am so disappointed. ToG series was so good. Not anyone could have written something as well-developed as ToG, but anyone can write ACOTAR. In fact, most YA books are exactly like ACOTAR, consisting of only the author's silly fantasy/wish fulfillment. Maas is beginning to just write her sex fantasies now; you can see it clearly in Queen of Shadows and in ACOTAR.

I was expecting a strong female lead, someone competent, but Feyre is absolutely useless. She does nothing. She literally does nothing. She gets brought to Tamlin's home and does nothing. The first 200+ pages are dedicated to admiring Tamlin's muscles. Why does Feyre fall for him when he has no personality?? Where is the development?? Well, Feyre doesn't have much personality either.

Lucien and Rhysand were bright points, with very interesting backgrounds, but barely focused on at all and so they were not fully developed. And their characters were a little stereotypical: the snarky bestfriend/wingman and the dark mysterious bad guy who is secretly a softie. It got a little more interesting in the last third, but Feyre remains useless. I wanted someone strong (you could say I'm a bit of a feminist) and boy did I not get that. Feyre's "bowels turned to water" at least five times in the book. And yes, Maas used that phrase every time.

The plot was nonexistent for about the first three hundred pages, and the twists were not very original. The riddle was so cheap I almost cried. Maas, what have you become? Please read it if you want to cry from sorrow at Maas's lost writing, laugh at how poor the plot is, or suffocate yourself because of how weak the females are and the sexist themes.

Trouble is a Friend of Mine / Stephanie Tromly

3.5/5

A fun read!! The main character, Zoe (whose name I just searched up right now because I've forgotten it within two days of reading the book) could definitely be more proactive. She does nothing. The book uses stereotypical characters, but it didn't have the stereotypical love story which is really really nice. The plot and events are highly, highly, HIGHLY unrealistic, but who cares?? The writing was funny enough, Digby was interesting enough, and the dialogue was entertaining enough that I made it through without any issues. Give it a try!

The Cage / Megan Shepherd

3.5/5

Huh, actually pretty good! The alien/human relationship was kinda weird at first but got better. The book was very intense; it was a mixture of Lord of the Flies and Across the Universe (Revis). Would recommend. I'll read the next one out of curiosity.

Love Letters to the Dead / Ava Dellaira

1/5

Not sure if I can say I finished it because I ended up just skipping around and then giving up. I don't like whiney voices or the epistolary style, so this book was not for me. It's a bit of a knockoff of Saving Zoe. It's similar to Perks, but if you're looking for a coming-of-age novel I would recommend This Song Will Save Your Life instead. I wanted to like Love Letters and tried to like it, but it was just too boring and repetitive. Nothing special.

The Winner's Curse / Marie Rutkoski

4.5/5

The Winner's Curse is exciting and intense and well-written! The action never stops. Do try it out, you will love it.  Kestrel and Arin, the two leads, are both well-developed, and their emotions feel natural. I completely sympathized with both of them. I want them to be together, but Rutkoski has twisted the situation so well that I don't want them to be together with these circumstances. I can't wait to continue following their adventures in the next book, please join me!

The Kiss of Deception / Mary Pearson

1.5/5

Very poorly written, the boys especially. Too bad, because the summary/plot/idea had so much potential. I loved the main character, Lia, and I liked the book up until the two love interests were introduced. Then I just skimmed the rest to find out what happened. I will not be reading the next one.

Kiss of Deception has everything the most popular books have, like a prince, an assassin, a strong runaway princess, but the guys (who make up a large portion of the plot) are just so, so bad. I also feel like the stronger, darker emotions of the novel weren't handled well. The grief, shame, and confusion the characters felt were not strong enough to feel real. But this may be because after reading the Throne of Glass series, nothing can really compare.

Since You've Been Gone / Morgan Matson

4/5

I've never understood what reviewers meant when they said that a book has "charm," but after reading SYBG I finally get it. This book isn't intense or edge-of-your-seat material, like the scifi/fantasy I usually read, but it's super charming and sweet. When I first got it I was a little hesitant due to its length, but I enjoyed it immensely and finished in less than two days! I've reread it several times since then, it's just so fun and sweet and enjoyable. Go try it out.

Assasin's Blade / Sarah J Maas

4.5/5

This was so painful to read because I could see everything that leads up to Sam's fate :(

You can see how every single decision leads up to what happens, and it is absolutely heartbreaking. I think this should be read before the series, but if you change up the order it's not that big of a deal. You can always read the prequel and then reread the series (that's what I am doing) because I feel like now I would get more out of the series.

If you read the prequel first, Celaena might start to annoy you because of her arrogance and vanity, but trust me she is so much better in the series. This arrogance is part of her "before" character, so I know why Maas added it in to such great lengths. As I got nearer and nearer to the end, because I had already read the main series, I could see their downfall which was why it was so hard to read (but in a good way). Go read it!!

Don't Look Back / Jennifer Armentro

3/5

It was super intense!! I was totally absorbed throughout the novel, but it felt a little long/dragged out in around the second to last fifty pages, and then picked up again when things got revealed. Looking back, it wasn't amazing, but had a lot of fun reading it!

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