Book in Review: The Kiss by Lucy Courtenay

2015 books
25617446
Title: The Kiss
Author: Lucy Courtenay
Publishing Date: July 2nd 2015
Publisher; Hachette Children's Group
Format: ARC
Rating: 3/5 

 Summary:

 'Aphrodite kissed a mortal once by the light of this moon, many thousands of years ago. It drove him crazy. The next person that he kissed - boum. The craziness travelled like this from person to person. It travelled through time. Everywhere - boum! Tu comprends?' 'Where did it end up?' I whisper. His lips are on my cheek now. 'It ended with me. And now I am going to pass it to you. You will like that, mermaid?' Imagine the perfect kiss. A legendary kiss that makes people crazy with love. Imagine a summer's night, on a moonlit beach in the South of France, as French boy Laurent kisses 16-year-old Delilah after the best chat-up line she's ever heard. BOOM! Delilah is pretty sure the Kiss is fiction, despite her head-spinning holiday fling. But with all the sudden crushes, break-ups and melt-downs happening back at home, the Kiss starts looking a little too real for comfort. If only Delilah could keep track of where it's gone ...Who knew one kiss could cause this much trouble? A hilarious rom-com that will delight Geek Girls everywhere!

If you're looking for that romantic summertime read that's fun, flirty, cute, and swoony, then The Kiss is the perfect book for you. This book is filled with hilarious moments, interesting characters and good old British humor that's filled with just the right amount of sarcasm. With a storyline that is reminiscent of Shakespeare plays, plus a premise that involves a little bit of mythology and the wonderful and romantic setting, this book is what you would call simply a delight!

Blog Tour: Don't Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom -- REVIEW + PLAYLIST + GIVEAWAY!!!

2015 books


Don't Ever Change
by M. Beth Bloom
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 7th 2015
Rate: 3/5 stars

Synopsis:

Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic—one that actually appeals to her generation. The only problem is that she has realized she can't "write what she knows" because she hasn't yet begun to live. So before heading off to college, Eva is determined to get a life worth writing about.

Soon Eva's life encounters a few unexpected plot twists. She becomes a counselor at a nearby summer camp—a job she is completely unqualified for. She starts growing apart from her best friends before they've even left for school. And most surprising of all, she begins to fall for the last guy she would have ever imagined. But no matter the roadblocks, or writer's blocks, it is all up to Eva to figure out how she wants this chapter in her story to end.

Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell,Don't Ever Change is a witty, snarky, and thought-provoking coming-of-age young adult novel about a teen who sets out to write better fiction and, ultimately, discovers the truth about herself.



Everyone knows I'm such a sucker for contemporary. Writer MC? Summer romance? Highschool to college coming of age story? Yes yes yes! As expected, Don't Ever Change was such a fun, and cute read for me. Aside from it being very enjoyable, I also found the narrative very honest and real, this being the main selling point of this book. I always favor character-driven books as opposed to those that have so many things going on but have zero character development. I'm glad to say that Don't Ever Change is able to succeed with the former.

It really appealed to me how Eva is made to be so unlike-able as a character, with her up-tightness and high sense of pride,  that I actually ended up liking her. I loved how ambitious and driven she is with her writing, that she's trying hard to find her voice by creating new experiences and trying new things - and doing a lot of wrong things along the way. But hey, that's all part of the self-discovery, right? I loved how willing she is to change and learn new things, and her renewed sense of self-awareness is admirable. She may appear to be snobby and socially inept at times, but the way she improves her interaction with her peers, namely her campers, reflect her character growth as the story progresses.

Book in Review: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

2015 books
22840182Title: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publishing Date: June 2nd 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: ARC
Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary:

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life. 

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .
Now where do I even begin with how absolutely gorgeous this book is?

I guess I could begin with the writing style. Good god, there's this amazing prose in this story that borders around perfection. I'm usually nitpicky about the writing of anything I read, but there isn't anything I found wrong in this at all. The language and the storytelling blew me away, that I felt so enchanted and intrigued of a story I would've normally considered a cliche. There is goddamn poetry in this novel and it's actually good and it will hit you hard in that tiny spot in your chest and make you cry fat ugly tears because you will realize how much it hits so close to home.

That's how I felt, and I connected with this book in a whole different level than I expected. I wanted to like this book because, like the MC I have a special connection with the ocean and would consider myself a mermaid chaser, however you may interpret that. But instead of liking it, I loved it. This book exceeded my expectations and oh my god, I can't stop rambling about how amazing this book is!

Book in Review: Don't Call Me Kit Kat by K.J Farnham

2015 books
Summary (via Goodreads)

Junior high is where things really start to happen. Cliques form and break apart. Couples are made and destroyed. And a reputation is solidified that you won’t ever be able to escape. Everything you do and say, and everyone you spend your time with, matters.

Katie Mills knows that. She gets it. That’s why she tried so hard to get in with the cool girls at school. And why she was so devastated when those efforts found her detained for shoplifting and laughed out of cheer squad tryouts.

But Katie has more to worry about than just fitting in. Her parents are divorced and always fighting. Her sister never has time for her. And her friends all seem to be drifting apart. Even worse? The boy she has a crush on is dating the mean girl at school.

Everything is a mess, and Katie doesn’t feel like she has control over any of it. Certainly not over her weight, which has always topped out at slightly pudgier than normal—at least, according to her mother.

So when she happens to catch one of the popular girls throwing up in the bathroom one day, it sparks an idea. A match that quickly engulfs her life in flames.

Is there any going back once she gets started down this path?

And would she even want to if she could?

At first, I thought this would just be an easy read containing some of the typical problems that teens undergo, but I was wrong. Don't Call Me Kit Kat is much more and much deeper . It tackles several difficult issues like smoking, drinking, bullying and eating disorders .

Katie, the main character struggles with the divorce of her parents and with trying to fit in. Like, what would it be like if she was part of the Orchard Hills clique? What would it be like if she just had the "perfect" body like her sister? These are some of the things she always thinks about and asks to herself, and I honestly can't blame her. 

Through the first person point of view, I was able to clearly understand what's going on and what Katie is undergoing. Most of the time, her reasons to binge are the small problems that when they're all together becomes a huge one. I was able to empathize with the main character simply because of K.J Farnham's writing style. It was just very smooth and uncomplicated  yet there's something in it that grasps you in every word.

I loved how the plot really focused on Katie, and how every character was there for a purpose. I also loved how organized and flawless the development was. When I was nearing the end of the book, I felt so relieved that Katie was able to speak out. Finally she was able to tell the people around what she was feeling all along. The beginning, the middle, and the ending worked great for me. It made me feel all kinds of emotions, but in the end, I was just happy that everything turned out that way.

I would definitely recommend this to all the teens out there. Especially if they're undergoing a similar thing with Katie. 

BOOK DETAILS:

Don't Call Me Kit Kat by K.J Farnham
Publication Date: May 15th, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Format: ARC



Book in Review: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

2015 books
19547856Title: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author: Becky Albertalli
Publishing Date: April 7th 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: ARC
Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met
I have mixed thoughts about this book and I am not too sure of what to think about it. On one hand, I found this to be an enjoyable and adorable read that got me giddy all over, but on the other, I felt like it lacked depth and substance to the story. The story is pretty simple to follow: Simon is a closeted gay boy, who has a secret online relationship with this guy named Blue. When one of his classmates, Martin, discovers their email conversations, he blackmails Simon to play matchmaker for him and Simon's friend Abby. Simon, who doesn't want his secret to be exposed, plays along.

Eventually, Simon is forced to go out of the closet and we see how Simon deals with the sudden turn of events. 

Let me get this straight - the only thing I honestly liked about this book is the romance, and I didn't even like it that much that I could overlook all the other things I didn't like. What I didn't like? The blandness of the story and the over characterization.

Book in Review: The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

2015 release


18044277

Title: The Walls Around Us
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Format: ARC
Pages: 336 (Hardcover)

 Summary (via Goodreads):
“Ori’s dead because of what happened out behind the theater, in the tunnel made out of trees. She’s dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me.”

The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.

We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.

Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and innocence, and what happens when one is mistaken for the other.

I'm sure you've all noticed that the summary is in black. This is because I didn't want anyone to read it before knowing that this book is so much better if you read it without knowing anything about it. If you do want to read the summary, highlight it and you should be able to read it.

 I read this book barely knowing anything about it. Sure, I read the summary, but I merely skimmed it. This was due to the fact that I wanted to read the book as fast as possible because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make a review in time. So, when I started reading this book, the only things I knew about it were that there are characters named Violet and Amber and that a girl named Orianna connects them. I read this at around 10:00 pm last night and I slept at 1:30 am even though I planned to sleep at 12:00 just because I couldn't put the book down. I started reading it and from then on, I took every opportunity I could to read it. Waking up the next day, I instantly started reading The Walls Around Us with the goal to figure out what exactly was going on. I'd like to say that I now completely understand what happened, but I honestly don't. 

 Let me just say that Nova Ren Suma's writing is beautiful, flawless. She takes her time without taking too much time. She knows what words she needs to use to piece together this haunting story about friends, betrayal, mistakes, and crime. She is amazing. With short, simple sentences and precise descriptions, she created a tale that will stay with you long after you're read it. I have never heard of Nova before, but now, her name is not one that I will easily forget. She created characters that stayed true to who they were, but also managed to change and grow. Every single one of her characters are memorable, unique, important. I'd love to give you some quotes just to help you realize how great it is, but I would probably place the entire book here, for everything she wrote is gorgeous.

 Amber is a girl who is locked up in a juvenile detention center, while Violet is a ballerina about to get into Juilliard and achieve everything she has ever wanted. This story was told by the two of them, and while their voices were similar in some ways, they had their own personalities, motivations. Orianna doesn't tell the story, but she is the center of it. With Amber, I can sense her motivation and the way she always has this sense of crazy underlying the calm but is also more mature than most people her age. With Violet, I could sense the ambition and the guiltless, honest, selfish way she acts to get where she wants. With Orianna, I could sense her loyalty and her humility even when she has so much talent that comes naturally. All three of them are connected in some way. 

 This book is shocking, not because the events weren't expected or because there were unexpected twists, but because even if you already know whats about to happen, you deny it, you wish it away, and when it finally comes, it hits you like bullet from a gun. I didn't expect the supernatural twist (because I barely read the summary) and I'm not very fond of supernatural stories, but in this case, it worked. Although there are supernatural happenings, the story contains so much of the raw truth about humanity and the world we live in. How not everyone who is found guilty is guilty, how not everyone who is said to be innocent is innocent, and how money has always and will most likely always be a huge factor as to who wins and who loses. I won't know exactly why what happened, happened, so I just like to think of it as justice working and the balance being restored. Honestly, this book is better off keeping some secrets because that's what makes it so great. That's what makes it alluring, appealing to readers. Nova knew what to tell us and what to let us figure out for ourselves. She wrote with a blunt honestly that also manages to be subtle when it needs to be.

 I love this book. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever read. The world building, the writing, the plot, the characters are all just wow. I advice anyone who reads this to read every single word even if it takes y0u more time. It's worth it.

Book in Review: Down the Wormhole by Ana Franco

1-star rating


23783793

Title: Down the Wormhole
Author: Ana Franco
Publisher: French Press Bookworks
Publication Date: March 17, 2015
Format: ARC

Summary (via Goodreads)
In a city there is a tiny lane that seperates two orphanages - one for boys and one for girls. Inside live two very special groups of teenagers. These teenagers carry a secret and leave it tucked safely away in their mysterious lives. 

Then one day, a girl named Kitty arrives. No last name, just Kitty.

Before Kitty has time to be astonished by the teenagers' real identitites, she is whisked into a magical realm that slowly unfolds her own. She must come to terms with her true place in the world while she can, because time is ticking and there are secrets in the wormhole.

Travel with Kitty and her new friends Down The Wormhole into a mysterious world of magic, mythology, and mayhem.

I am so disappointed. I have so many things to say about this book, but I don't know exactly how to explain them. I felt like this book could have done really, really well if the writing was different. 

 When I started reading this book, I thought that I would love it since the characters seemed promising and the plot was unique. The length worried me, though. The story is one that you have to draw out and explain, for not everyone knows about the mythology behind these things, especially since it is a fusion of multiple mythologies. I don't think it's sufficient to introduce a god simply by telling us that they are the goddess of chaos or the god of mischief. If you're gonna talk about this, you have to describe, you have to give us more background. For a story that requires details, explanations, background, this book seemed too short. Even so, I thought to myself that length doesn't matter if the plot was laid out well. Unfortunately, the more I read, the more I realized that the length was going to become an issue. 

 At the start of this book, Sif and Eris were battling. The scene was written well and made me excited to read the rest of the book. Unfortunately, when Kitty and the other gods were introduced, the book seemed to lose that quality. If the author was consistent in the way that she wrote the scenes, this book would have turned out great. 

 I'm gonna state the problems one by one as I think that that would be the best way to talk about this.

 1. The Writing
Franco wrote this book like she had so many ideas that she wanted to pack into a few pages. The writing was rushed, there weren't much descriptions, I couldn't connect with any of the characters. For me, the most important part of a story is the writing. You can write a cliche and it wouldn't matter to me if you could write it in a way that would interest me, make me connect with the characters. You could write an essay on pencils,  and I would read it if you gave me something that interested me. Down the Wormhole's plot interested me, but the writing was a letdown. I wouldn't mind if you made this book 500 pages long as long as you wrote everything you needed to write, and honestly, with the plot given, you could do exactly that. I also felt like the author changed her mind quite a few times on whether or not she wanted to make the book humorous or serious or deep or light. Sometimes, the writing did not match with what the scene is supposed to be, funny when the severity of the situation required serious handling. I also believe that she wanted to put so much into her work, and she wasn't willing to sacrifice some of it, so the entire thing became a big mess. There were also a lot of typos, grammatical errors, misspelled words, and jumbled sentences. I know that it's just an ARC, but the amount really distracted me from the story itself, and sometimes even caused me to become confused.

 2. The Characters
So, nearly all of the characters are actually gods here, but aside from their godly names, they have normal names and normal personalities too. The problem with this is that the fact that they're gods don't really seem to have much importance. I mean, yes, I understand why they had to be that particular god, but on a much deeper level, it doesn't really serve any purpose. As stated above, I can't really relate to the characters. Kitty overreacts all the time, picks fights for no reason, and is, all around, a horrible person. Thomas... I don't really know. I don't like him, I don't hate him, and I don't really care about him. Some of the important characters seemed to be tossed aside at the end, and some of the characters brought back and suddenly important even though they served no purpose for more than half of the book. The romance happened quickly, and the book kinda focused on that more than the plot itself. I just think they could have focused on a lot of other relationships that would have made the story really great. The relationships were unnecessary, and there wasn't much character development.
Down the Wormhole holds potential that, unfortunately, wasn't carried out well. I think that this book could probably be really good if it was revised and edited. The writing was not great, and that ruined the book for me, the story becoming uninteresting and not relatable. I'd love to read the book in its final form just to see if the book is better after its final edits and revisions. I look forward to reading Franco's next works, and I believe that she does have great potential to become a very good author. 

Blog Tour: Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan

3 stars


Displaying BiggieTourBanner1.png


Displaying Biggie.jpg


Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan
Published by: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date: March 1st 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Henry “Biggie” Abbott is the son of one of Finch, Iowa ‘s most famous athletes. His father was a baseball legend and his step-dad is a close second. At an obese 300+ pounds though, Biggie himself prefers classroom success to sports. As a perfectionist, he doesn’t understand why someone would be happy getting two hits in five trips to the plate. “Forty percent, that’s an F in any class,” he would say. As Biggie’s junior year begins, the girl of his dreams, Annabelle Rivers, starts to flirt with him. Hundreds of people have told him to follow in his dad’s footsteps and play ball, but Annabelle might be the one to actually convince him to try. What happens when a boy who has spent his life since fourth grade trying to remain invisible is suddenly thrust into the harsh glare of the high school spotlight?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23217531-biggie?ac=1

Biggie is all about an overweight teenage boy named Henry. He got his nickname "Biggie", well because he practically weighed over 300 pounds. He's also a nerd who enjoys spending his time talking to strangers online than people at his school.

In my opinion, Biggie's character isn't someone that everyone could get along with since he's really a bit weird. But, as the book progresses, I slowly understood him and came to like him more. We all get to know what he's thinking and what he's feeling. Basically, its all about getting to know Biggie.

What I liked about the book? Well, I love that it's very realistic. Someone out there could easily have the same situation as Biggie. Most of us wants to fit in, to be noticed by people we like. All of us make mistakes, even Biggie does! The writing style of Derek was just simple yet very clear. Next thing I liked about the book is the story itself. It's not your average YA. It's a fresh read, and it seems a bit like a coming of age plot.

As much as I liked those aspects of the book, I took two stars because of my own feelings about the main character, Henry "Biggie". It's not about him being weird or freaky. He actually improved on that slowly. What I didn't like was how he expresses that he loves Annabelle. Sometimes, I feel like it's just about the looks. If Annabelle wasn't hot like Biggie's descriptions, then maybe he wouldn't care for her in the first place.

Biggie is still an enjoying read though. It teaches us to bring out the best in ourselves. Also, if we truly believe in ourselves then nothing is impossible. I am looking forward to reading more books by Derek Sullivan!







Purchase:

Displaying Derek.jpg
AUTHOR BIO:
Derek E. Sullivan is an award-winning reporter and columnist at the Rochester Post-Bulletin in Minnesota. As a reporter, he has written more than 1,000 stories about the lives of teenagers, which he attributes to helping him find his YA voice. He has an MFA from Hamline University and lives in Minnesota with his wife and three sons.

Author links:

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • 2x 50$ B&N Gift Cards
  • 3x Signed copies of BIGGIE hardcover
Displaying ButtonXBT.png

Book in Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

2015 books

22308720

Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes
Author: Jasmine Warga
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Format: ARC Kindle Edition
Rating: 5/5

Summary via Goodreads
A stunning novel about the transformative power of love, perfect for fans of Jay Asher and Laurie Halse Anderson.

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There's only one problem: she's not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel's convinced she's found her solution—Roman, a teenage boy who's haunted by a family tragedy, is looking for a partner. Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other's broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together.

THIS BOOK IS JUST BEAUTIFUL.

I LOVED the plot, the characters and basically everything! I have no regrets reading this book. I never expected that a book with a theme of suicide and depression could be this good and could be this full of hope. But My Heart and Other Black Holes completely denied my expectations. Aysel and Roman were really dedicated to help each other die, but truly one spark can change everything. 

Aysel's voice in this book is vivid yet messy at the same time. It's very easy for a reader to relate to her and situations in her life. Same goes with Roman, Aysel's suicide partner.

Among all of the things that I liked about this book, what really stood out to me was the message that the author wanted us to have. Suicide is not the answer to depression. Sometimes we are put into situations just like Aysel and Roman, and we feel like those could ruin our lives forever. We shouldn't keep on blaming ourselves for the wrong things we may have done. Instead, we should start forgiving ourselves and learn from those. If ever we are put into these situations, or depression triggers us, the best way is to talk to someone, and maybe find inspiration from them. 

I am hands down impressed with Jasmine Warga, and I can't wait to read more of her works in the future!


Quotes:
“Maybe we all have darkness inside of us and some of us are better at dealing with it than others.” 
“I once read in my physics book that the universe begs to be observed, that energy travels and transfers when people pay attention. Maybe that's what love really boils down to--having someone who cares enough to pay attention so that you're encouraged to travel and transfer, to make your potential energy spark into kinetic energy.” 
“You're like a grey sky. You're beautiful, even though you don't want to be.” 

Have you read My Heart and Other Black Holes? What do you think? Leave a comment! 

Book in Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

2015 releases
Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publishing Date: February 10th, 2015
Publisher: Orion
Format: ARC
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win? 

"Rise, red as the dawn."

I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way but reading Red Queen reminded me a lot of Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, Attack on Titan and Legend of Korra - 4 of my most favorite things. If I were to describe Red Queen, original would not be the first word that would cross my mind, but despite that, the execution of the story is good, and the plot is well developed and consistent.

Red Queen's deals a lot with oppression. In a futuristic / dystopian world, the people are divided into two classes: the Reds, who are normal people who live in such extreme poverty, and work for the rich, and the Silvers, who rule over the country and enjoy luxury and also by the way, have awesome cool powers like manipulating matter, reading minds  and even controlling them. The Silvers are described as practically gods, though unkind and cruel ones who dont care about the people but make them work endlessly. The Reds are forced by the Silvers to give up their children to be conscripted in the front lines of a war they're not even fighting. The Reds practically have no future, and everything is absolutely hopeless.To distinguish them, Reds bleed red, while Silvers have silver blood.

Then you have Mare Barrow, a Red who discovers that she has the abilities of a Silver. It's a mistake, it's impossible- but can it change the system?

I found Red Queen to be interesting, in that it literally divides people according to their blood, which reminds me so much of the Pure-Blood fascism in the Harry Potter series. But it's not just Harry Potter that comes into mind - as Red Queen takes us into a story that is all too familiar not just in other books but in our history and the present. You can see Red Queen in the way the Africans were taken to America to become slaves. You can see Red Queen in the times when women were not allowed to vote, or drive or have an actual opinion. You can see Red Queen in the poor and the rich in society, the divide getting bigger and bigger, as the rich gets richer, and the poor gets poorer. This story is nothing new, but demands to be told again and again because it is the only way to get it into our heads. 

Book in Review: Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

2015 releases
Title: Playlist for the Dead
Author: Michelle Falkoff
Publishing Date: January 27th, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: ARC
Rating: 1/5 star

Summary:

A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.

Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now, Playlist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you—and the struggle to redefine yourself. But above all, it's about finding hope when hope seems like the hardest thing to find.

This book compares itself to Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp's The Spectacular Now. These are really big claims, and I was at first skeptical, naturally, but in the end I decided to give this a try. While I did not exactly like The Spectacular Now all that much, I did adore Perks a lot, and so I had great expectations for this book. Sadly, it was so different from what I expected and I'm really really disappointed with how this book turned out.

It's sad because there isn't really anything in particular that I would want to point out or rant about with this book. I just felt so unattached to it, and the whole time I was reading this I just had this meh look on my face, like I totally did not care for the characters or the story at all. This book could have had really great potential but it so lacks the emotional depth that I was looking for. For a story that tackles themes of death, suicide and love, it really fell short for me.

Book in Review: The Pretty App by Katie Sise

2015 releases
Title: The Pretty App
Author: Katie Sise
Publishing Date: April 14th, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: ARC
Rating: 2/5 stars

Summary:
Poor Blake Dawkins! She's rich, she's gorgeous, and she's the queen bee of Harrison High. The girls want to be her; the boys want to—okay, enough said. But it turns out Blake’s life is not so perfect—just talk to her dad, who constantly reminds her that she's not up to par, or to her ex-bff, Audrey, who doesn't even look her in the eye.

Then Harrison—and every other high school in America—becomes obsessed with posting selfies on the ubiquitous Pretty App. Next: Leo, an adorable transfer student, arrives at Harrison and begins to show Blake that maybe being a queen bee doesn't mean being a queen bitch. And though Audrey suspects somebody’s playing foul, Blake finds herself catapulted to internet fame after being voted one of the prettiest girls in the country. She's whisked away to star in a reality show—in Hollywood, on live TV. But she doesn’t know who to trust. Because everybody on the show wants to win. 

And nobody is there to make friends.

The Boyfriend App author Katie Sise spins another irresistible tale of technology, secrets, and big-time romance in this story of what it takes to be #trulybeautiful.

I haven't read the first book but this works as a standalone anyway, so when I got an advanced copy, I thought why not?

This is one of those books that I found very easy to read and I breezed through in just around two hours. Honestly, there isn't really anything great about its storyline unless you're looking for a book just to pass the time. I didn't really have any expectations for this book, so I can't say I'm disappointed; if anything, I actually didn't care.

The Pretty App is about Blake Dawkins, a mean girl who wants to do a make-over of her life, and change for the better. The pretty app is a newly released app where teenagers all over America can post pictures of themselves, and people can rank them according to how pretty they are. Whoever gets ranked highest from each school, will get a chance to become part of a reality TV show / beauty pageant. Blake Dawkins finds herself to be part of this reality show, and here begins her life-changing journey that will eventually result in her realizing that looks aren't all that matter. There is some obvious message here how physical looks aren't everything and what matters is the beauty inside. I didn't like how in-your-face  and obvious the message is shown. There is a lack of creativity plot wise, and I found the story to be somehow comical and a little bit too ridiculous.

The romance isn't all that good either and I found some parts to be predictable. I wasn't convinced with Blake's character development and I didn't get how easy it is for her to decide to suddenly become nice and I didn't like how she doesn't have to do any big sacrifices or lose anything - aside from throwing away the pageant. I felt like this story lacks any depth to it, and honestly I felt it too be a bit shallow and immature. I did enjoy reading it though and there are some parts I found funny, but some comical in away that it felt too weird (like the host cheating on stage - REALLY?? That happens???) If there's anything I liked about this book however, is that I admired how Blake has a real passion and dream, to become a TV reporter and I did sense her honesty in that. There are some sweet moments between her and Leo, but they don't exactly go beyond that.

I would recommend this to readers who are in for something fun and light to read, but for those who are looking for something more, then I suggest you skip this.

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Geeky Chiquitas

Stalk Us

2015 Reading Challenge

2015 Reading Challenge
Kimi has read 3 books toward her goal of 100 books.
hide