Format: Hardcover

The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee | Review

Posted January 25, 2017 in Reviews / 14 Comments

Many thanks to the wonderful Lauren @ Bookmark Lit for this book! Stacey Lee has built herself a reputation of writing strong YA female protagonists with very distinct personalities, and The Secret of a Heart Note is no exception. The story follows Mimosa, one of the last living aromateurs, and her mother as they mix elixirs to help their clients win the affections of their crushes. The entire novel has a bit of a magical realism feel, with the beautiful and wild garden Mimosa and her mother cultivate, their rambling cottage they live in, and their seemingly magical sense of […]

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell | Review

Posted January 11, 2017 in Reviews / 6 Comments

I love love love Rainbow Rowell, and Carry On was the last novel of hers I had left to read. I put it off for quite some time, I think mostly because I was a bit wary of one of my favorite contemporary authors writing in a completely different genre. I was scared I wouldn’t love it as much, and I’ll admit I did some skimming during the Simon Snow portions of Fangirl. While my feelings about Carry On aren’t as vast and burning as my love for Rainbow’s other novels such as Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, I’m so […]

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick | Review

Posted December 28, 2016 in Reviews / 6 Comments

I think everyone goes into reading The Boy Most Likely To with two thoughts in mind: they can’t wait to see more of the Garretts, and they can’t wait to hear more of Tim’s cutting sarcasm. The novel definitely hits the mark on both counts- the Garretts are an ever present entity in Tim’s life as he tries to refocus and reevaluate his life. Huntley Fitzpatrick is so gifted at bringing such a large and vibrant family to life in her stories, and it juxtaposes so well with lost and lonely souls such as Tim, or Samantha from My Life […]

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater | Review

Posted December 21, 2016 in Reviews / 4 Comments

Oh dear oh dear oh deer (no pun intended.) There seems to be something peculiar about my relationship with this series, which is that I absolutely love and am consumed by the odd numbered installments, but the even numbered volumes are a bit harder for me to get through. I’ll admit I held off on reading this book for months because 1) I have to be in the right mood to appreciate Maggie Stiefvater’s paranormalcy and magical realism, and 2) because I was scared it wouldn’t live up to how much I adored Blue Lily, Lily Blue. I finally decided […]

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather | Review

Posted November 16, 2016 in Reviews / 14 Comments

I have a confession to make: I love all things witch-y. Whether fantasy wizards or modern day sorceresses or just basic witch Halloween costumes with the pointy hat, I am all about the witch theme. Somehow How to Hang a Witch sort of slipped my radar when it first came out, but I came across it a few weeks from Halloween and used the magic of the library hold system to acquire it into my greedy hands right before Halloween. How to Hang a Witch not only dabbles in the paranormal, but in historical fiction as well, which endeared the […]

The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia | Review

Posted November 7, 2016 in Reviews / 1 Comment

Technically, you owe my grandmother. She says people can learn everything they need to learn from life from a good telenovella. -pg 171 Oh gosh. For some reason I went into this book thinking I was going to 100% love it because of diversity! Hype! Pretty Cover! Beautiful Creatures! Sadly, The Lovely Reckless was, while still overall an OK read, a bit of a letdown in a lot of areas. This is what I get, once again, for impulse buying books off of Amazon (I’ve been burned before recently). The Good: Undercover cops: I thought the plotline with Frankie’s father […]

Book Buddies Review: Daughter of Deep Silence

Posted October 19, 2016 in Book Buddies Reviews, Reviews / 2 Comments

Cristina & Lauren Read: Book Buddies is a fun, collaborative review feature that I participate in once a season with my friend Lauren who runs the blog Bookmarklit. We choose a themed book for the season, read it, and then answer fun questions that pertain to the book’s themes and each feature the book in our own way! Check out the second part of our feature on Lauren’s blog! Cover Contest! A new trend in YA book recently seems to be the changing of a book’s cover when it is released in paperback. While this has been something that’s happened […]

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J Maas | Review

Posted September 26, 2016 in Reviews / 11 Comments

The world will be saved and remade by the dreamers. I had the chance to meet Sarah J Maas this spring at her book signing at Kepler’s, and she was the funniest, sassiest, most unapologetic author I’ve seen speak. She was on tour promoting ACOMAF, but in just a few short months Empire of Storms was set to release, so it’s safe to say it was a HUGE year for her fans and everyone in the audience was simultaneously giddy and awestruck. It was in that moment that I realized she had truly and deeply solidified herself as one of […]

With Malice by Eileen Cook | Review

Posted July 18, 2016 in Reviews / 7 Comments

Thrillers are perhaps the hardest genre to read and write, because readers are going in with a very specific set of expectations: plot twists, unreliable narrators, dangerous secrets, edge of your seat pacing, and a satisfying conclusion. I’m not sure if this complicated recipe for a good thriller is why they don’t seem to be super common in the YA market, but I’ve noticed a lack of them, which is why With Malice caught my eye. The stunning cover made it impossible for it to escape my notice, and the premise had me clicking “buy” without a second thought, curbing […]

Book Buddies Review: Summer Days and Summer Nights

Posted July 6, 2016 in Book Buddies Reviews, Reviews / 8 Comments

Cristina & Lauren Read: Book Buddies is a discussion style review I participate in every other month with my friend Lauren who runs the blog Bookmarklit. We choose a themed book for the month, read it, and the have a discussion where we both discuss themes and aspects that really stood out to us. Book Buddy Reviews are posted during the last week of the month.You can see our review in a Q&A format with half posted here, and half on Lauren’s blog! Since there were twelve stories, Lauren and I will be alternating the reviews between both of our […]