Tag: book reviews

Just One Year by Gayle Forman- Review

Posted April 6, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 11 Comments

“Bravery was doing something dangerous without thinking. Courage was walking into danger, knowing full well the risks.” I knew going in that this wasn’t a “sequel.” And you should too. It’s not a spoiler, but a fact, and it will save you a LOT of frustration if you know that the synopsis is extremely misleading-it does not in fact “pick up” where Just One Day ended, rather it tells the story of the year Allyson spent in Just One Day from Willem’s perspective. Once you’ve accepted that you’re not going to get much in terms of closure, you can […]

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas | A Review of Redemption

Posted March 25, 2015 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 20 Comments

“Then Celaena and the King of Adarlan smiled at each other, and it was the most terrifying thing Dorian had ever seen.” I’ll admit, I was a skeptic. Going in, I was NOT expecting this to be a five star, or even a four star read. I was really underwhelmed by Throne of Glass, and I felt like a total outlier because of it. Everyone raved about the series, so when I was at the bookstore the other day looking for a new paperback, I decided to give the series another shot. And I am SO glad I did, […]

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski | Review

Posted March 19, 2015 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 27 Comments

“People in brightly lit places cannot see into the dark.” How did I not read this book sooner? Sure I’d heard about it enough. I just went about my business, thinking this was nothing more than the usual and currently popular fantasy/dystopian YA love story. I am so delighted to have been proven wrong. I loved everything about this book, from the plot to the characters to the beautiful writing to the Greco-Roman inspired society. I don’t think I’ve been so passionate about a book since I finished Trial By Fire in January. The Winner’s Curse is the book […]

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins | Review

Posted March 13, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 13 Comments

“There are some people in life that you can’t get over.” Companion series are my new favorite thing. I love the idea of being able to have distinct, separate stories set within the same universe, and being able to see glimpses of characters from other books in them. It’s like getting to wave to a friend you haven’t seen in a while but miss terribly. Lola and the Boy Next Door is the second installment in Stephanie Perkin’s Anna and the French Kiss companion series, and it did indeed have the unique charm of introducing me to new memorable […]

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios | Review

Posted March 9, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 7 Comments

“…as if my sorrows and joys had conspired to birth me.” I’ve seen a lot of readers project that 2015 was going to bring a shift in trends toward the popularity of grittier contemporaries, and I’ll Meet You There definitely proves such predictions. This book was darker than I anticipated, following the lives of two teenagers from a dead end town in central California, one a former marine who’s landed back where he started, the other a budding artist with every ounce of determination focused on getting out of the desolate area. This book is not just an extremely […]

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard | Review

Posted March 6, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 10 Comments

“I see a world on the edge of a blade. Without balance, it will fall.” There seem to be two kinds of readers when it comes to Red Queen: Those who unabashedly love the novel in all of its dystopian glory, and those who were severely disappointed, after such a hyped up marketing campaign, and found it to be laden with tropes from other popular YA series. Despite knowing how polarized readers are on this title, I couldn’t help but order it (I succumbed to the cover, let’s be honest) and after having a few days to digest it, […]

5 Reasons Why Fairest is Everything a Novella Should Be

Posted March 2, 2015 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 14 Comments

It’s no secret that The Lunar Chronicles is a fan favorite for most YA fans. After the perfection that is Cress, I could hardly contain my despair at having to wait for Winter’s release date. When Marissa Meyer (who is a literary goddess, I mean, she’s influenced by fairy tales AND Sailor Moon) announced that there would be a novella chronicling Levana’s backstory, I knew it would be fabulous. However, even I underestimated how #flawless it would be. Below are 5 reasons why Fairest is the standard to which I will forever hold all YA novellas up against. Villainous Characters […]

Book Buddies Review: Just One Day

Posted February 27, 2015 in Book Buddies Reviews, Books, Reviews / 12 Comments

This month I’m partnering up with Lauren from Bookmarklit for Book Buddies, an every-other month feature where Lauren and I will choose a themed read to buddy read and then get together and discuss the things that stand out! You can see our review in a Q&A format with half posted here, and half on Lauren’s blog! Book Buddy Reviews are usually posted during the last week of the month. This month’s read Just One Day by Gayle Forman. Read the second part of our review at Lauren’s blog here. About the Book Just One Day by Gayle Forman My […]

Why Bad Reviews Don’t Mean Regrets

Posted February 26, 2015 in Discussions / 24 Comments

As a book blogger, negative reviews are ultimately something that are going to wind up on my blog. Not every book is going to click with me, and I’m very upfront how I feel about what I read. My reviewing guidelines for books is to always be honest while being respectful. I don’t trash talk authors, and if a book overwhelmingly didn’t work for me but there were still elements I liked, I am sure to mention the good and the bad aspects. Writing negative reviews is inevitable, and usually isn’t fun for the blogger to write or for the […]

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel- Review

Posted February 18, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 8 Comments

“Even if it won’t do any good, I will fight. I don’t know if that makes me weak or strong.” -pg 30 From the minute I saw the cover of The Book of Ivy, I was hooked. The premise seemed like an interesting twist on dystopian, and I was expecting an assassin-y, butt kicking heroine and a slow-burn yet inevitable romance that would have me drowning in delicious tension. After all, with a plot that includes the sons of the winning side of society to marry the daughters of the losers for the sake of “peace,” deep-rooted tensions and […]