Tag: YA fantasy

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 […]

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black- Review

Posted February 9, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 17 Comments

“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

“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

“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 […]

Fairytale Retelling Reading Challenge 2015

Posted December 8, 2014 in Readalongs/Readathons / 21 Comments

Today I’m excited to announce my first challenge I will be taking part in for 2015! It’s the Fairytale Retelling Reading Challenge hosted by the lovely Mel over at The Daily Prophecy. I’m really excited to be participating seeing as fairytale retellings seem to be a trend in YA that’s not ceasing to grow anytime soon, and there are a lot of them on my TBR for the upcoming year! According to Mel, here are the guidelines for the challenge: The challenge runs from January 1st – December 31st 2015. The goal is to read fairytale retellings, but if you […]

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas- Review

Posted November 14, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 21 Comments

This may be more of a rant than a review. Not necessarily a bad one, but definitely an impassioned one. Because Throne of Glass and I have perhaps the most love-hate relationship I’ve had with a book all year. So there were some high expectations I had for this going in, based on the plethora of rave reviews I’ve read: A) A kick-butt, take-no-prisoners, no-holds-barred, assassin protagonist B) A well done love triangle C) A creative fantasy world with good world-building I can say after finishing the novel that b & c were pretty well accomplished, but part of me […]

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge- Review

Posted August 22, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 22 Comments

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge My rating: 4.5/5 Stars Publisher: Balzer+Bray (2014) Length: 342 pgs Genre: YA Fiction/Fantasy/Romance, Fairy-Tale Retelling Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny. Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him. With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents […]

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo- Review & Series Thoughts

Posted August 16, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 8 Comments

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo My rating: 4/5 Stars Publisher: Henry Holt and Co (2014) Length: 422 pgs Series: Grisha, #3 Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for […]

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor- Review

Posted July 2, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor My rating: 4.5/5 Stars Publisher: Little, Brown & Co (April 2014) Length: 613 pgs Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3 Format: Hardcover, purchased Barnes & Noble (online) Goodreads Synopsis: By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz. Common enemy, common cause. When Jael’s brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou […]