Book Series Review: The Heroes of Olympus

SERIES: The Heroes of Olympus
AUTHOR: Rick Riordan
PUBLISHED between 2010 and 2014
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade/YAish
GENRE: Fantasy/Adventure, Mythology Tie-in
PREMISE: The demi-gods of Greece and the demi-gods of Rome's worlds collide as a force threatens to tear the world apart.
MY REVIEW: So, once upon a time, back when I first started this blog actually. I read The Lost Hero. I had just devoured the Percy Jackson series and I honestly, really liked it. But then.,,I forgot to read the rest? It's not a reflection on Mr. Riordan at all. These books are great. I just got into the Kane Chronicles, and then I had so many other books to read, that keeping up on this series sort of fell by the wayside. Especially after he started publishing two books a year.
But Magnus Chase came out and that reminded me that I have not read the rest of these and I started to feel guilty. So I went on a two month binge of the books. I enjoyed every minute of it. Reading these reminded me of why I loved the Percy Jackson series, way back when. I love that Riordan paid attention to the criticisms of the lack of diversity and instead of throwing a temper tantrum or crying PC police conspiracy, he went "you know...good point" and actually put diversity in the next books. Whether or not the diversity was good representation, is probably debatable, but I appreciate that he did it.
If you are familiar with Percy Jackson or the Kane Chronicles, this series follows the same sort of pattern. It's still immensely enjoyable. I love the spins on mythology that Riordan puts in it. I now am super pumped for the Apollo series and I'm reading Magnus Chase as we speak.
WHO SHOULD READ: Percy Jackson fans, Greek mythology fans
RATING FOR SERIES: Four and a half out of Five demi-gods getting stuff done

Book Review: Ungodly

TITLE: Ungodly
Book 3 in the Goddess War Trilogy
AUTHOR: Kendare Blake
PUBLISHED: September 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Mythology-tie-in
PREMISE: Cassandra and her friends face a final battle...
MY REVIEW: This trilogy is very underrated. My only explanation for why people aren't gushing about is...that it's not a happily ever after everyone comes out okay type of YA trilogy. Good characters die in this series and they stay dead. The good characters are complicated, which means they aren't immediately likable. I can't help but notice for all that readers love to complain about wanting more complicated characters (specifically females ones) and less gooey romance, when those things actually happen....the books that do these plot elements don't get super popular. Which, I have to say, is probably a large part of why YA authors don't do them very often. Just pointing that out.
But enough about my frustrations with the YA crowd, this book is just as solid as the rest of the trilogy was. As mentioned above, this is not exactly a happy YA series. Dark stuff happens here. There is a tied up ending, but it's more bittersweet then anything. No characters miraculously live again. The war does end though. Just not in a totally happily ever after way. Which, is actually fine by me. This feels like a more realistic ending. If all that darkness happened and then everyone lived happily ever after and all dead characters came back to life...well, I personally would have felt cheated. I've read series that have done this before and it's always felt like a really forced happy ending. So while I'm sad for Cassandra and other characters...it's a much more realistic feeling ending in a way.
I am personally satisfied with how this ended. I'm sure not everyone will agree and hey, that's fine. But I really liked it. As always with Blake, I can't wait to see what she gives us next. She apparently has a new series in the works for later this year and it looks great.
WHO SHOULD READ: Fans of the first two books, mythology fans, Kendare Blake fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five troubled goddesses

Book Review: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

TITLE: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
AUTHOR: Felicia Day
CATEGORY: Non-Fiction
GENRE: Memoirs/Social Commentary
PUBLISHED: August 2015
PREMISE: Youtuber/Actress Felicia Day talks about her experiences in nerd culture, how it shaped her career, and many other things.
MY REVIEW: This kind of book is probably going to be a niche sort of books. It'll generally appeal to a certain kind of person. Namely, it'll mostly appeal to fans of Felicia Day or perhaps nerds who happen to know her from the many things she's been on. Luckily, I fall into the fan of Felicia Day category. I've seen basically everything she's been in, I love her channel on YouTube, and she has even has a great book club on Goodreads that I check into from time to time because I've found some hidden gems that the members have recommended.
If you are familiar with Felicia Day and way she does her YouTube shows/commentary then this book will likely be familiar territory for you. This is basically her journey in nerdom written in her style. It goes into what her early years were like, to how she became interested in acting, to eventually writing and starting The Guild TV show. It's a lot of fun, and as a geek I related to a lot of it (I'd probably be just the same if I ever met Nichelle Nichols in person).
This was pretty much what I expected it to be: a fun and witty memoir. There was some nostalgic moments that made me think back to those early days of geekdom (ah...yahoo mailing lists....) and I got to learn some things I didn't know about a favorite actress/celebrity. All in all, a fun read.
WHO SHOULD READ: Felicia Day fans, those in geek/nerd culture
MY RATING: Four out of Five fun memoirs

Book Review: Manners and Mutiny

TITLE: Manners and Mutiny
Book 4 in the Finishing School series
AUTHOR: Gail Carriger
PUBLISHED: November 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Steampunk, Historical Fantasy
PREMISE: Sophronia's time at her school draws to a close as she learns of a large plot and finally deals with her feelings for her friend Soap.
MY REVIEW: It seems only a short time ago we learned about this new series and everyone was speculating and all nervous about it. Now, it's come to a satisfying end and we have to bid a sad farewell to another awesome Carriger heroine.
This was a great ending to a endlessly fun series. As always, I will miss these characters something fierce. Especially Pillover. If you're familiar with Carriger's style, this book continues that tradition of romance and humor and it all leads to a satisfying end.
As always with Carriger, I loved this. While I'll definitely miss this series, there's still the Prudence series to read and whatever fun series Carriger gives us next.
WHO SHOULD READ: Gail Carriger fans, steampunk fans, historical fantasy fans, those who've read the first three books
MY RATING: Four out of Five sassy schoolgirls getting stuff done

Book Review: The Dark Blade of Magic

TITLE: Dark Blade of Magic
Book 2 in the Black Blade series
AUTHOR: Jennifer Estep
PUBLISHED: October 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
PREMISE: Lila competes in a tournament while dealing with her new life among the families.
MY REVIEW: Like most sequel books, this review is going to be short because honestly I don't have much to say.
Estep continues her ability to make good on-going series here. Making interesting sequels and keeping readers coming is a hard thing and Estep manages it and I'm amazed at how well she manages it.
This did everything sequel books should do: keeps the plot going, keeps you interested, solves some plots and introduces others. It's all done with Estep's usual snappy and fun fast pace.
WHO SHOULD READ: Jennifer Estep fans, fans of the Cold Burn of Magic
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five magic tournaments

Book Review: Willful Machines

TITLE: Willful Machines
AUTHOR: Tim Floreen
PUBLISHED: October 2016
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Dystopian, LGBT
PREMISE: The closeted son of the President deals with conspiracies going on in his school in a troubled future where robots are becoming more human by the day.
MY REVIEW: Like Coyle's Vivian Apple series, this book proves that there can be originality in the dystopian genre. It is not dead, no matter what naysayers (namely, people who don't actually read it all that much) would have people believe.
This was new. There's no rebellion, no love triangle, none of the usual trappings I've come to expect from dystopians. The world is similar to most dystopians and bless the writer, he remembers that the US is not the only country and talks a bit about how other countries are dealing with the same issue (hint: much better then the US handles it). There's not much action in this one. It's a very character driven sort of dystopian. But I like the way it's handled and it doesn't end in a neat and tidy manner. It's actually a little bittersweet, which is probably why there are so many mixed reviews about it.
It's maybe not the best I've ever read, but for a debut, this was actually pretty good. A nice bit of fresh air in the crowded dystopian genre.
WHO SHOULD READ: those looking for new LGBT reads, dystopian fans, robot fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five robots gaining intelligence

2015 Favorites List Part IV: Sequels/Continuations/Series Conclusions

Here we have the last of the favorites list. This one is all sequels, series continuations, series/trilogy conclusions, etc. that I have enjoyed from this year.

Favorite sequels/series continuations/series/trilogy conclusions:

Avalon Book 2: Polaris by Mindee Arnett
Alienated Book 2: Invaded by Melissa Landers
Madman's Daughter 3: A Cold Legacy by Megan Shephard
Shades of London 3: The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson
Death Sworn 2: Death Marked by Leah Cypess
Winner's Trilogy 2: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
Lunar Chronicles 3.5: Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Rebel Belle Book 2: Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins
Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
Night and Fog 2: A Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman
Illusive Book 2: Deceptive by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Nevermore Trilogy Book 3: Oblivion by Kelly Creagh
Princess Diaries 11: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot
Magisterium Book 2: The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Jackaby Book 2: Beastly Bones by William Ritter
Tearling Book 2: Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Finishing School Book 4: Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Seraphina Book 2: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (still in the middle of it and loving every second)
Haven't read yet, but are sure to be favorites: Lunar Chronicles 4: Winter by Marissa Meyer
Diviners Book 2: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

And thus concludes my favorites list. I had a pretty good reading year, though I know my procrastination on this blog probably didn't show that. I am going to try and get better this year. Yes, I'm aware that I say that every year. At least I try?

2015 Favorite Book List Part III: New Series/Trilogies from 2015

Welcome to part 3 of the 2015 favorites list! Here are my favorite new series/trilogies that got started this year. There were lots of awesome ones out this year. So much stuff to look forward too in the coming years.

Favorite new series/trilogies/duologies:

TheVivian Apple books by Katie Coyle-Technically, this duology came out in 2014, but they were only released in the US this year so I say they count.
Embassy Row Book 1: All Fall Down by Ally Carter-Apprently book two is already out!
Conspiracy of Us Book 1 by Maggie Hall
The Girl at Midnight Book 1 by Melissa Grey
Lois Lane Book 1: Fallout by Gwenda Bond
The Wrath and the Dawn Book 1 by Renee Ahdieh
Custard Protocol Book 1: Prudence by Gail Carriger
An Ember in the Ashes Book 1 by Sabaa Tahir
Red Queen Book 1 by Victoria Aveyard
The Fixer Book 1 by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Middle-School Princess Book 1: From the Notebooks of a Middle-School Princess by Meg Cabot
Six of Crows Book 1 by Leigh Bardugo
Magnus Chase Book 1: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (I'm actually still in the middle of this but I can already tell it's going to be a favorite)
The Fifth Season Book 1 by N. K. Jemison

2015 Favorite Book List Part II: Favorite 2015 Standalone Books

Welcome to part 2 of my favorites of 2015. This list is all the 2015 standalone favorites. That is, books that are not a part of any series or any sequel of any sort.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (though I just found out that apparently there might be more books in this world. But it's not going to be for a few more years)
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
I Was Here by Gayle Forman
Trigger Warnings by Neil Gaiman
The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brackenbrough
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary by Anita Anand
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
As If!: An Oral History of Clueless by Jen Cheney
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Willful Machines by Tim Floreen
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

2015 Favorite Book List Part 1: Favorite Backlist Books

Welcome to my tradition of just going over all of my favorite books over the last week of the year. This will be split up into several parts going up to New Years Day where I will hopefully get back to regular reviewing. This first part is all my favorite books that I read this year that were not published in 2015.

Favorite Backlist Books:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (and really all of the Austens I read this year)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books 2-5 by Douglas Adams-I finally finished this series via audio and it was a delight. For those curious, I did the Martin Freeman narrated audiobooks and I highly recommend them.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Vicious by V. E. Schwab
The Archived Book 2: Unbound by Victoria Schwab
Thursday Next Books 1-3 by Jasper Fforde
Others Book 1: Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Dresden Files Books 2-4 by Jim Butcher
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Discworld: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (I was bad about getting the Discworld done this year)
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Heroes of Olympus series Books 2-5 by Rick Riordan
Flavia de Luce Book 1: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Jackaby Book 1 by William Ritter
Cormoran Strike Book 2: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Finishing School Book 3: Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger
Raven Cycle Book 3: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
His Fair Assassin Book 3: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
Magisterium Book 1: The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

Book Review: Forever Red

TITLE: Forever Red
Book 1 in the Black Widow series
AUTHOR: Margaret Stohl
PUBLISHED: October 13th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Adventure/Thriller
PREMISE: Join Natasha Romanov as she encounters her past during a mission.
MY REVIEW: This book is likely something that will only interest a certain amount of people. Namely, it'll interest Marvel fans. It's a very niche sort of book. I imagine anyone who doesn't know who Natasha Romanov is or reads comics will probably have very little interest in this book. If you want an introduction the character, this probably isn't the best way to go. It assumes you're a Black Widow fan already. I advise starting with the comics instead.
But if you are a fellow Black Widow fan, this one is for you. I know I've been saying this, but I'm seriously pleased that Marvel and DC have decided to crossover into the book world as well. YA works well for comics. I hear they're bringing in even more books next year such as Captain Marvel and Squirrel Girl and I'm so excited for this. If we get Kamala Khan, and maybe some Young Avengers (specifically a how Teddy and Billy met book) then I'll be the happiest fan ever.
While this book may not work for people who have never read Black Widow before, for those of us who have, this is a lot of fun. It is a tad fast paced, as most Marvel things tend to be nowadays (hey there, Agents of Shield), but it still does the trick in telling an entertaining story with not just one, but two kickass heroines.
WHO SHOULD READ: Marvel fans, comic book fans, Black Widow fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five badass redheads

Book Review: The Chess Queen Enigma

TITLE: The Chess Queen Enigma
Book 3 in the Stoker and Holmes series
AUTHOR: Colleen Gleason
PUBLISHED: October 6th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Steampunk, Mystery, Classic Book Referencing
PREMISE: Evaline and Mina get stuck playing chaperone to a young socialite during the season, much to their dismay. However, chaperoning leads to a case in unexpected ways...
MY REVIEW: I really wish more people knew about the Stoker and Holmes books. They are such fun. A little ridiculous at times, yes, but it's a fun ridiculous if nothing else. This book was no exception.
This installment was great. It moved the plot forward. It brought some plotlines from way back in book one to a close. We get introduced to new plotlines. We also get a glimpse of the mysterious Mycroft Holmes, Mina's father, who I personally wanted to see more of. Perhaps next book? Even better, the author has stopped having the girls make catty remarks about each other. Yay! Progress! Made it ten times more enjoyable, let me tell you. Sure, the girls still bicker, but it was mostly free of girls hating on girls for no apparent reason other then because. It was honestly a relief.
I'm glad we're getting more Stoker and Holmes. It looks like the story is starting to take interesting turns. I can't wait to get back to these characters next time.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of the first two books, Sherlock Holmes fans, Bram Stoker fans, steampunk fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five wooden stakes

Book Review: Lock and Mori

TITLE: Lock and Mori
Book 1 in the Lock and Mori series
AUTHOR: Heather W. Petty
PUBLISHED: September 15th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Mystery
PREMISE: Modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes with Holmes and Moriarty as teenagers and Moriaty as a female.
MY REVIEW: This is a case where I liked the concept far more then I liked the actual execution of the concept. Moriarty as a female? Awesome idea. It's been done before (hi there, Elementary), but still I always welcome gender swapping the classics. While this did give an interesting look at the idea, I honestly can't help but come to the conclusion that Elementary did it better.
Granted, this is maybe a bit unfair. Elementary has the benefit of having Natalie Dormer being their Moriarty. But the feeling remains. I'm not really thrilled with this version of Moriarty. It didn't help that this version of Moriarty and Sherlock were honestly, kind of boring. Getting Moriarty and Sherlock in a room together should not be boring.
The mystery part of this was good. But overall...it was honestly just kind of boring. Which boggles my mind because it's a Sherlock Holmes retelling but there it is all the same. It's not a bad reimagining. There are some interesting things going on here, such as trying to look into Moriarty's past. But overall...this is not the best version of Sherlock Holmes I've read.
WHO SHOULD READ: Sherlock Holmes fans, Elementary fans (willing to forgive that this is not Natalie Dormer)
MY RATING: Three out of Five not as good as it could have been sighs

Book Review: Six of Crows

TITLE: Six of Crows
Book 1 the Six of Crows series
AUTHOR: Leigh Bardugo
PUBLISHED: September 29th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMISE: Set in the same world as the Grisha trilogy, a bunch of misfits get together for job that has far more consequences then any of them realize...
MY REVIEW: I admit, when I heard that there was going to be a continuation of the Grisha series I heaved a bit of a sigh. I am a little tired of spin-off after spin-off of the same series that YA keeps pulling. Sometimes I wish authors would just move onto another thing. However, the premise sounded a little more promising then most spin-offs because it involved completely different characters and a different sort of plot then the first trilogy so I gave it a look despite misgivings. I'm glad I did, I actually sort of enjoyed this one more then the Grisha trilogy.
True, there are common tropes galore in this. I won't say this is ground breaking. It isn't. But it is damn fun. These characters are not a redo of the Grisha characters. It's not even a redo of the Grisha plot. So while it is a spin-off, it feels like a new series anyway. If you've never read the Grisha trilogy you can probably pick this up and not be totally lost.
While I am still tired of spin-offs happening, I can forgive the spin-off if it's well done. This was a well done one. Necessary? Not really. But it is fun and entertaining and if you want to spend more time in the Grisha world, it's a good way to do it.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of the Grisha Trilogy, fantasy fans, fans of heist movies
MY RATING: Four out of Five complicated characters with issues

Book Review: Carry On

TITLE: Carry On
AUTHOR: Rainbow Rowell
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Fantasy
PUBLISHED: October 6th, 2015
PREMISE: In the book Fangirl, Cath was writing a long fanfic titled Carry On about Simon Snow and Bas. This is that fanfic.
MY REVIEW: Last year I discovered Rainbow Rowell and never looked back. When I first heard about this, I was a little bit skeptical, but I couldn't resist and I'm happy that I didn't, this was a blast to read.
If you read a lot of fanfiction, and I'll be the first to admit I do (and I've been known to write some ;sticks out tongue at haters;), this book will be very familiar territory for you. It definitely reads like a fanfic. But the good kind of fanfic, not the bad kind like Fifty Shades of Grey was. If you were in the Harry Potter fandom at all (again: guilty), particularly the Draco/Harry part, this will be even more familiar to you. There are many Harry Potter influences in this and since Simon Snow is basically Rowell's fictional version of Harry Potter, it works very well. The only issue I found was that like most fanfiction, it assumes you've read the books it's based on, so it sometimes felt like I was missing knowledge. But overall, I got it and enjoyed this quite a bit. I actually now kind of want to see what the Simon Snow books are like. Just, throwing that idea at you, Rowell.
If you've never read Fangirl, you can certainly read this. It basically reads like a completely separate book. It's just maybe helpful to know this book's intent before starting. But even without knowing the intent, this book is just an enjoyable read.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Fangirl, those in the Harry Potter fandom, anyone looking for fantasy LGBT books
MY RATING: Four out of Five wizards who aren't Harry Potter but kind of are

Book Review: As If!: The Oral History of Clueless

TITLE: As If!: The Oral History of Clueless
AUTHOR: Jen Chaney
CATEGORY: Non-Fiction
PUBLISHED: July 2015
GENRE: Pop Culture Commentary
PREMISE: An examination of how Clueless got made and what has made the movie so enduring, even twenty years later.
MY REVIEW: Let me take you back to the nineties. This was a big time for teen movies. To anyone who thinks it's something new...nope, sorry. They were honestly being made even before the nineties (hey there, John Hughs). As far as I'm concerned, Clueless is one of the best of them. I rewatch it frequently and despite the nineties flavor, it actually holds up pretty well even twenty years later.
So I was interested in this book the minute I first heard of it. It's a very thorough look at Clueless and its influence. It goes into how Clueless got made, what was going on in Hollywood at the time, the cast, the crew, there's a teary talk about Brittany Murphy, and it even goes into whether or not it holds up as a Jane Austen retelling (it does btw).
If you love Clueless or just love books about movies/pop culture, this is a fun one to read. A lot of it is conversations with people involved so the book goes by really fast. It's well organized and very in depth, which is what I look for in my pop culture commentary books. So I say job well done. Even if I'm still trying to believe that it's been twenty years since Clueless. Man, I'm old.
WHO SHOULD READ: Clueless fans, fans of pop culture, movie fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five nineties movies

Book Review: Red Queen

TITLE: Red Queen
Book 1 in the Red Queen Trilogy
AUTHOR: Victoria Aveyard
PUBLISHED: February 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMISE: In a world where people with powers rule over people that don't have powers, a girl's life is turned upside down when she is forced to work for the rulers she hates and then discovers she has a power of her own.
MY REVIEW: Oh boy, here we go again. Once more, here is a book everyone loved. Everyone has gushed about. It even won Goodreads Choice Award this year so this has been a pretty huge book this year. Unfortunately...I didn't get into it that much.
Once again, I do understand why this has become a thing. Just because I personally didn't get into it doesn't mean I don't get the appeal. It's very readable. Aveyard is a decent writer. She describes things wonderfully, I get a...vague sense of the world. There are still some things that don't make sense to me, but I'm guessing most of that will be explained in upcoming books. It's just that honestly, a lot of the plot ideas in this book have been done before and have been done better. In the wake of The Winner's Trilogy/Game of Thrones, dark fantasy has become a thing in YA now. While I'm all for it, it does mean that maybe we need to think outside the box a little more when it comes to this genre. While I do think the author definitely has talent and there's potential here...it still felt like every other dark fantasy book I've read. It probably didn't help that I had read Court of Fives like a week earlier.
To be clear: I didn't hate this book. It's not horrible. It definitely is at least one of the better debuts of this year that I've read. It's just...not very original and honestly I feel some of the praise is a tad overblown as usual. But I do definitely see why people liked it. Heck, even though I'm not totally enamored with it, I'm probably going to read the second book next year. So, this book is good. As good as people have been saying? Maybe not. But it is at least a decent library read and maybe worth a buy if you find it's too your liking.
WHO SHOULD READ: Game of Thrones fans, Winner's Trilogy fans, fantasy fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five people with powers

Book Review: The Invasion of the Tearling

TITLE: The Invasion of the Tearling
Book 2 in the Tearling series
AUTHOR: Erika Johansen
PUBLISHED: June 2015
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy/Dystopian
PREMISE: Kelsea deals with being queen of a nation that is at war, both internally and outwardly.
MY REVIEW: Despite some issues in it, I actually really liked Queen of the Tearling. I'm happy to say, I feel the same about its sequel. In fact, I actually kind of like the sequel more then the first one.
I'll admit, the sequel is slow. It's mostly politics and we get to see a glimpse of how this world came to be from our world. That second part to me, was the most interesting part. I actually kind of wanted a whole book about Lily. But I'll settle for the glimpses of her story that we get. The story was made all the better when you saw how it entwined with Kelsea's story and the current situation she was in. I love when authors take two separate stories and then tie them together in brilliant ways.
The writing in this is still very solid and there's a twist at the end that I actually didn't see coming. I can't wait for the third book.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Queen of the Tearling, Games of Thrones fans, fans of political type fantasy
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five badass queens

Book Review: Court of Fives

TITLE: Court of Fives
Book 1 in the Court of Fives series
AUTHOR: Kate Elliott
PUBLISHED: August 18th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMISE: A girl defies her father and social standing and winds up paying the price in more ways then one.
MY REVIEW: I've been wrestling with how I feel about this book for awhile. I don't hate it or anything. There's actually a lot to like about it. Like most of Little Brown's books, it's highly readable. I'm always impressed by LB's ability to find authors who write good entertaining romps. For all that this book is a tad cliche, it's mostly well done cliche if you will.
Because honestly, the cliche part is the major issue I have with it. It's just frankly, not that original. Dark fantasy's have been going around YA for awhile now. Particularly this past year or so thanks to things like The Winner's Trilogy and Red Queen. I feel like there's a contest or something going on to see who can claim the title of YA Game of Thrones. So really...there's nothing new here. It also doesn't help that the world building makes very little sense to me. Particularly where the sexism is concerned. Like, the rich people have sexism but the poor don't? How does that work? There are also a bunch of little things that made no sense. It was good for plot, but it made no sense.
Honestly, this was a entertaining but rough book. It had a lot of good ideas and again is readable. It's just the more you think about it, the more it just honestly is a bit of a mess. If you just read it as an entertaining romp though, and don't think about the details of it, it works well.
WHO SHOULD READ: Fantasy fans (who don't mind messy world building), The Winner's Trilogy fans, Red Queen fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five shrugs

Book Review: The Rest of Us Just Live Here

TITLE: The Rest of Us Just Live Here
AUTHOR: Patrick Ness
PUBLISHED: October 6th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
PREMISE: In a universe where people have to band together to save the world daily, life can get old fast when you're just one of the normals whose destiny isn't to save the world.
MY REVIEW: This is probably going to be one of my favorite books of the year. First off, it's meta. You all know how much I love meta-type books. This one delves into how life must be for the rest of the people who live in those Chosen Ones stories and man, it's brilliant.
We actually get two connecting stories in this. In one, we have the typical YA Chosen One story. Complete with love triangles and saving the world shenanigans. Then we get Mikey and his friends. AKA the students who just happen to go to the Chosen One's school and are just trying to survive in a place where stuff like this happens daily.
I suspect this book won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's quirky. Quirky books can either work for you or they won't. This one worked for me. It also reminded me that I need to read the rest of the Chaos Walking series and Monster Calls (which apparently is being made into a movie next year).
WHO SHOULD READ: Patrick Ness fans, meta-ish type book fans, fans of the Chosen One trope
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five normal kids just standing there minding their own business