Tag: book reviews

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black- Review

Posted February 9, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 17 Comments
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black- Review

  “We love until we do not. For us, love doesn’t fade gradually. It snaps like a branch bent too far.” I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering how in the heck I only gave this book 2.5 stars. You’re probably wondering if I even read the same book as you did. Well, full disclosure: It breaks my heart to rate this book so low, but it just didn’t work for me. I was so so excited to read The Darkest Part of the Forest, as it was the first novel I picked up by Holly Black. I had read […]


Splintered by A.G. Howard- Review

Posted January 26, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 10 Comments
Splintered by A.G. Howard- Review

  “Sometimes a flame must level a forest to ash before new growth can begin.” First and foremost, Splintered has a beautiful and evocative cover. Combined with the fact that I love fairy tale retellings, and it was inevitable that I would add this novel to my collection. Now I’ll be honest and admit that I’ve never been the biggest Alice in Wonderland aficionado, but I love the imagery and know that it’s popular enough to have inspired dozens upon dozens of retellings in the past few years. I went into Splintered hoping it would be a quality retelling amidst […]


Flailing Everywhere Over Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini- A Raving Review

Posted January 19, 2015 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 15 Comments
Flailing Everywhere Over Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini- A Raving Review

  “A crucible’s craving is her mechanic’s mandate.” I usually write very calm, analytical reviews. In fact, I pride myself on it. I like being able to look back on my reviews and have a clear and coherent message as to my thoughts on a book. However, much of that I fear is going to go out the window with this review because I cannot stop flailing over how much I loved this book. It’s only the second book I’ve picked up so far in 2015 but it’s already become my first five star read of the year! Reading this […]


Wish by Grier Cooper- Blog Tour & Review!

Posted January 14, 2015 in Reviews / 8 Comments
Wish by Grier Cooper- Blog Tour & Review!

I spent a good 7 years of my adolescence dancing. The performing, the athleticism, the costumes, the music- I loved it all. Though ballet wasn’t my main focus, I took enough classes to appreciate the extreme talent and dedication it breeds, and how it becomes a lifestyle for many. My dance background, along with the stunningly gorgeous cover is what drew me to Wish, although aside from that I had no idea what to expect, having never read a dance based book. What Wish provided wasn’t just a book about dance, but a gutting, heart-wrenching account of alcoholism, emotional abuse, […]


The One by Kiera Cass- Review

Posted January 12, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 16 Comments
The One by Kiera Cass- Review

  “Mistakes mean it’s real.” I have a very conflicted relationship with The Selection Series. I love the concept of mixing society’s obsession with reality tv, especially that focuses on relationships, with a dystopian, futuristic, post World War 4 America. I think the caste division is so interesting. I liked the idea of the ruler of Illéa marrying one of the people as a show of support to the country. Yet at the same time there’s something about these books that prevents me from really losing myself in them, at sometimes grow bored with them toward the middle. I feel […]


10 Lessons in Decorum and Dystopian from The Selection by Kiera Cass

Posted January 5, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 17 Comments
10 Lessons in Decorum and Dystopian from The Selection by Kiera Cass

Having a copy of The One waiting for me on my bookshelf and it having been over two years since I read The Selection, I decided a re-read of the first book in the series was in order. I bring you my unorthodox re-read review of Kiera Cass’ The Selection in list format, detailing the top ten lessons this reality-show-dystopian-hybrid conveys. 1) Pay your debt, lest you be taken over by wealthier countries. This was an aspect of the book I really found interesting, perhaps because the fate of America (now known as Illéa in this series) isn’t too unbelievable… […]


Why Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer Parodied My Expectations- Review

Posted December 26, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 8 Comments
Why Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer Parodied My Expectations- Review

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer My rating: 2.5/5 Stars Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (2014) Length: 264 pgs Genre: YA Contemporary/Magical Realism Format: Hardcover, checked out from local library Goodreads Synopsis: If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be  at home in New Jersey with her sweet British  boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching  old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks. She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English. But life isn’t fair, and Reeve […]


Book Buddies Review: My True Love Gave To Me

Posted December 25, 2014 in Book Buddies Reviews, Books, Reviews / 8 Comments
Book Buddies Review: My True Love Gave To Me

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 both of our opinions and discussions in the conversation review format, and is usually posted on the last Wednesday of the month (although for the month of December, we opted to post on Christmas!) This month’s read My True Love Gave To Me, a holiday anthology edited by Stephanie Perkins and containing short stories from twelve YA authors. […]


Forever by Maggie Stiefvater- Reread Mini Review

Posted December 22, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater- Reread Mini Review

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater My rating: 3/5 Stars Publisher: Scholastic (2011) Length: 388 pgs Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls (#3) Genre: YA Paranormal Fiction/Romance Format: Hardcover, purchased Goodreads Synopsis: then. When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives. now. That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be […]


The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu- Review

Posted December 17, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 15 Comments
The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu- Review

“There is one thing I’ve learned about people: they don’t get that mean and nasty overnight. It’s not human nature. But if you give people enough time, eventually they’ll do the most heartbreaking stuff in the world.” I have SO much to say about this book, and I’m going to do my best to coherently organize my thoughts. I’ve been waiting a long time to read this novel, specifically because of the subject matter. I think there’s not enough YA books that look at society’s problems with teenage sexaulity, and the stigmas, rumors, and slut shaming that go along with […]