If you read and follow the YA book world at all, you know that Leigh Bardugo is releasing the first book about our foxy hero, Nikolai, in just four days. Fans of the Grishaverse have been counting down for months, years even, for King of Scars release day to arrive. Queen Bardugo has been giving us little Twitter hints that this book will take place after the events of both the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duolgy so here I am, scrambling to read them in just a couple of days. But I’m not mad….rather, I am so excited! I am here for this! Bring it on, Bardugo!
October is absolutely my favorite month (and tends to be my most motivated month) to read in. I gather the biggest TBR–whether by accident or design–and read as much as I possibly can. I also sign up for as many challenges as I can find….and it seems like there are more challenges around as well. There are spooky challenges, trick-or-treating challenges, movie-themed challenges, classic book challenges, just everything under the sun. And I LOVE IT!!!! So as of now, we’re not even halfway through the month and already I have completely finished two books and I am halfway through another, and more than 100 pages into a monster of a horror novel (Stephen King’s “It”), which I probably won’t finish until next Halloween. Ugh. However, now that I’m decompressed post-wedding for the most part, I am going to be posting more with reviews and what I am getting myself into this fall (there is so much to DO!) and whatever else needs to go into the blog. So without further ado: my first review of the month!
October read number 1 was City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab. I’ve had my copy since it released in late August but I was waiting for October to read it (that, and…uh….wedding). This book was spectacular! City of Ghosts is about a girl named Cassidy, whose beachy summer vacation plans are going out the window because her parents are about to start shooting a ghost hunting show abroad in SCOTLAND!!! Add on top of that the fact that Cassidy can not only see ghosts, but her best friend IS a ghost, and we have the makings of an amazingly fun story!
I am always wary of reading middle grade books for fear that they will be too slow (yes, I realize that I am an adult and I acknowledge that this is a risk that I take…that’s exactly my point here). The book has its moments of defining ‘vocab’ words that a MG reader may not know, but those moments are few and far between. Ultimately, I wasn’t bothered.
Probably my favorite part was how Schwab seamlessly wove history into the story as well. In no way does it feel like we’re reading a history novel, but there is so much history all around the characters in Edinburgh and its fascinating to hear about it and even see it! And creepy at times too. I am SO glad I read this book in October. It was the perfect spooky read to kick off the month.
Which leads to my next perk: the spook effect! There definitely was some creep factor in this book! References to hangings, shootings, drownings, etc. I mean, it wasn’t all out gory or violent, but it wasn’t exactly a bedtime story either. The family and camera crew travels to graveyards and what used to be execution grounds and an old prison. I don’t say this to be spoiler-ey, but it these truly freak you out, be warned! Most of it is narrated in a pretty historical way and our ghost friend is always there to coach that its okay to be afraid of things (he’s the scaredy cat in these scenarios).
Ultimately, I can’t recommend this book enough. This is going to be one of those books that I re-read at least once or twice in Octobers to come, and I recommend that you do too. I am so glad to see that this is book #1 of more to come because I can see Schwab setting Cassidy and Jacob and her parents with their show in other historical/ghostly locations and I absolutely cannot wait!!
Just in case you live under a rock, Ruin and Rising is the third and final book in the Grisha Trilogy. The trilogy centers around the conflict between the Grisha (known as the practicers of the small science, they are the magical elite who can do things like heal, summon wind [or light or darkness if you’re really special], etc.) and the otkazat’sya (‘the abandoned’; those who do not practice the small science). Our three ‘heroes’ are Alina, Mal, and Nikolai, and we follow them through a war with the sexiest, broodiest book villain ever: The Darkling.
All gushing aside, the book was not perfect. After three full books, I still feel connected to maybe half of the side characters. Zoya’s sarcasm and mood was hilarious; Hershaw and Oncat are great just because I love to picture a big man toting a little cat all across the countryside; Genya is a badass (ruination, baby!) and David…well, he’s good at what he does; and Misha was a great new addition to the little crew. So cute!! As for everyone else in the party, meh. The twins I could never figure out and remember who was the guy and who was the gal. I hardly remember the others’ names and they were with Alina through most of book 2 and all of book 3 for the most part.
And now to discuss the ships. It seemed like all three guys practically got their own book. Was this the intent? Book 1 was pure Darkling. Book 2 was Nikolai’s time to shine. And Book 3 was Mal. Yes, there were smatterings of each character in each book of course, but there was certainly a focus to each installment. As for the ending and who she ultimately ends up with? Alina’s decision reminded me of Katniss in The Hunger Games. I pretty much guessed that this was where she would end up, but I still had my hopes for other suitors.
I did love the epilogue though. I that was a suitable ending and it was touching. That being said, though, I wouldn’t mind this being a series where we got to see Leigh’s take on all three (or four) possible scenarios. I was expecting something along the lines of the third amplifier to happen so while I was a bit surprised, I wasn’t overwhelmed (see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and I knew something was coming.
And a final thought, Alina and the Darkling’s ‘connection’ TOTALLY reminds me of Kylo and Rey in The Last Jedi. Just have to throw that out there. That is so stuck in my head now, and its not a bad thing!
No Good Deed….is okay. I found it categorized by my library under the subcategory ‘humor.’ But with the black cover with the spray paint plus the synopsis talking about ruin and warfare, I expected mischief and violence and maybe some mystery. Let me just tell you, there is none of the above (humor included).
So Gregor Maravilla (last name always included) goes away to summer camp with lofty ambitions to save the world by feeding the children. Everyone else at “Camp Save the World” has similar ambitions. Feminism, Men’s Rights, Eat Dirt, Anti-Robotics, etc. As you can sort of see, some of them are a little sideways, some of them are common. The camp turns these campaigns into competitions to gain the campers points to try to win an internship with the head honcho who can’t seem to find time to actually leave his office in the big city and visit camp in person. Of course things get cutthroat and quite crazy.
I hardly found there to be any depth or connection to this book. I really liked the ‘love interest’ Ashley Woodstone, who Gregor swore to hate from the very beginning. She was really the best part, even though when she did finally open up about herself, it was relatively brief and Gregor had a hard time taking it all in. Ashley was the most spirited person at the camp, and everyone else looked at her like she was crazy!
The biggest thing about the book that I had a problem with, I think, was that the ending felt like a loose end. In the first third of the book, Gregor and Ashley break into Jimmy’s office and Gregor finds something very revealing about the camp and how the campers all came to be there. Basically he finds a boatload of information he could expose that would make a huge impact on future summers. When there is a press conference at parents weekend, Gregor only exposes information about the internship. WHY?! All the way to the end of the book, the info about the campers is never brought to light. Again, WHY!??! You know all of this, why don’t you fix it? Do something?! All this talk about ’causes’ and needing to better public speaking and bla bla bla. Jimmy and his father being exposed and the camp coming to justice just seems like a big loose end to me! Gah!!
So that’s my take. The book has some fun ideas. Its relatively unique. Some of the causes are worthy of a good chuckle. I still wouldn’t eat the dirt even if my favorite celebrity told me to. I have a deep love for summer camps in my heart but my bias for them did not envelop this one. Better luck next time, Goldy.
So this is a NetGalley ARC I have had on my shelf for a while now. A few things about this book right off the bat: first of all, it took me a long time to read. My attention just wasn’t held the way I hoped it would have been. Especially because it felt rather like it was going to be a YA historical/almost-cozy mystery, which would have been right up my alley. Still overall regardless of exact genre, the plot moved very slowly.
Secondly, the magic in this book was not very exciting, widespread, nor well explained. Was it unique? Yes. You will never find Harry, Ron, and Hermione sewing glamours. However, that is the only magic in the book and its not shiny magic, its really not magic that Annis is really confident in or that she learns from some great wizard or a secret family recipe or anything like that…she hardly practices in any big, adventurous, fun way except for exhausting herself to save herself from bankruptcy. It was a bummer.
Third, the characters were unextraordinary to me mainly because I never trusted any of them. I never felt like we got a good enough glimpse into any of them because there was just too much going on with Annis and her cherades.
So those are my criticisms. All of that being said, I did enjoy other aspects of the books. I did like the setting of the book and the genre in general. There are not many YA historical mysteries out there. I would LOVE to read more books like this! Especially with young women at the center. The Jackaby books are good as well! I also thought the ending and the resolution in general saved the book in general. I wish the pacing would have been better throughout the book, but I have to say that I thought the ending was well done and I hope there is another book because I would pick it up.
All righty, I’m a little bit torn about this book. First off, I listened to the audiobook and I feel like that always throws my rating off a little bit. Was it the book I did/didn’t like or was did the reader throw my bias a bit? I actually thought the reader was pretty good on this book. She has a dramatic voice without being over the top or whiney or overdone or anything like that. I thought she was right where she needed to be. So great job to the narrator, in my opinion.
It is important to go into this book with an open mind. Just read the synopsis and go with it–don’t assume this or that, just let the story unfold. I’ve read several of the other reviews on this book and trust me, readers who expect one thing or the other only set themselves up for disappointment and this book truly is unique.
What Kali Wallace has done with Shallow Graves–in my opinion, at least–is create a unique kind of story. I don’t think I have read a book quite like this, where the main character wakes up dead and not remembering why. The mystery is who killed her, what type of creature she is, what other creatures actually live in the world, who is friend and who is foe, and how is she supposed to move on from here. There are several creep factor moments and then the book has its lulls…but overall, I was pretty entranced with the book so I recommend as a good fall/Autumn book!
For several months now, I’ve been seeking a good YA mystery/thriller. As I read more of them, it just seems that contemporary YA authors just fall into cliches and I dislike them and drive me farther and farther away. Not this one, though. My hope has been renewed! Thank you, Karen McManus! And this is a debut novel! Bravo!!
All righty, so as indicated by the above, that alone is a recommendation from me. One of Us Is Lying basically begins with murder in detention (dun dun DUN!!). The four survivors alternate narration as they navigate the media storm of their classmate’s death. The ‘victim’ was the school gossip mill via his own app, but also–as we find out–very interested in online chats about other school shootings and acts of violence. We learn about the four survivors’ secrets as they become closer to each other and how they ultimately unravel the truth and the lies behind what the bigger plan really was for detention that day.
Here is my brief opinion of the cliches I mentioned earlier that I usually see in YA horror and/or thriller and/or mystery: way too much high school drama i.e. the he said/she said heartbreak gossip OMG LOL ETC. BS. I can’t handle all of that. Or at least too much of that. I understand that I am reading the YA genre so I expect some of it. Fine. <u>One of Us Is Lying</u> has some, but does it with grace and gets the heck past it. There are way bigger issues to worry about. Like a MURDER. Lawyers to be hired. Press and media. Parents. Still trying to keep life in line and get into college. This was realistic to me. Yes, there were still petty high schoolers being jerks, but these kids (“the murder club,” they were taunted by the other kids in school) just banded together and got through it together and the story moved on. I loved that about this book. THANK YOU!!! Miracle!
So if you have not yet, check this book out. +19 weeks at the top of the NYT bestseller list and a 4.06 rating on Goodreads…this book is killin’ it (no pun intended).
Little & Lion is the story of two siblings who go by the nicknames Little and Lion. Little, aka Suzette, comes home for the summer from boarding school after experimenting with her female roommate and is still questioning her own sexuality. Meanwhile her stepbrother Lion, aka Lionel, has been struggling with severe bipolar disorder. As Suzette settles in at home, she finds herself falling for the same girl as Lionel, and Lionel’s bipolar spirals out of control. Suzette has to confront all that she has said and not said to help her brother before it is too late.
In my opinion, Lionel was a fantastic character who, in his illness, was fantastically portrayed. I was not a fan of how Suzette handled it, but honestly, it was probably a realistic reaction to how a sibling or close friend might react to those confessions. Suzette was constantly monitoring and overreacting to Lion’s confessions and it drove me crazy. I hated the back and forth between his issues and her issues. It was all just too much for me. I wish the book had just been about either his troubles with bipolar and summer drama or her struggles with sexuality and summer drama. Having the book be about both just crammed so much drama and emotion into one little book.
All of that being said though, it was still a pretty decent story. I still liked all of the diversity and appreciated Brandy Colbert’s writing. If you’re into diverse books and/or can relate to either of these scenarios, then you’ll probably enjoy this book so give it a shot!
Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined is told from Ingrid’s point of view, but through two different timelines: one as she is growing up with her opera star-gone wrong mother, and one in the present on a month long wilderness survival-turned disaster trek she wasn’t quite expecting. Growing up, Ingrid and her mother lived a wonderful life, with Margot-Sophia Lalange performing in the spotlight of the great opera houses until she does exactly what she knows not to do–she over sings and does not take care of her voice thus resulting in vocal nodes and the end of her career. Ingrid’s mother becomes bitter regarding music and theater, and the glamorous life ends. Ingrid struggles to fit in at school and she grows up taking care of her mother. Eventually, a role in the school play and (of course) a boy will change many things for both Ingrid and her mother.
5-star ratings are very difficult to earn from me, but I’m feeling generous today and I will round up a 4.6 rating on this one to a 5 for a few reasons. First of all, the wilderness survival camp is one for at-risk teens and while Ingrid didn’t feel that she wasn’t “at-risk” so she didn’t need to be there, she still toughened up and took it like a champ. I think that a lot of her thought processes were exactly like mine would have been (I won’t really give more information than that because it’s part of the humor and charm [lol…sass?] of Ingrid). Second, the way that passion for music and performing on stage is described. How you get up on stage and more or less don’t always know if you did well or not. Or Margo-Sophia’s phrases like “You did well last night but today you must be better. Always better.” In some ways she often comes across as self-centered but her career and that state of mind was her entire life. It was her state of mind for years. It was hard to see her discourage Ingrid from pursuing music but she was completely horrified for her. The one thing I did NOT like was how Ingrid treated Isaac after the show and the incident with the other girl. I didn’t think that blaming him so strongly was fair at all and I hated that. I thought that was the big chink in the book for me. And the end, of course, is a cryfest and my biggest weakness in books. It could have been more played up but I think it was just the right amount considering the characters so I say it was very well done. Overall, wonderful book. It is one that I highly recommend.