A short review of Fairest by Marissa Meyers!
Goodreads Summary: In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told. Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. Check out the written review Talia did! Alise has her own channel for acting! https://www.youtube.com/user/lilylixi
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A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be. This book has a 4.29 star rating on Goodreads and a number that high is really rare to see, but this book definitely deserves it. Now, some may be put off by the cover and think it's a junior reading level book, but it's definitely YA which means everyone can and should read it. It falls into the LGBT genre and if you're interested in reading something from this genre, this is a great book to start with. The story is about the relationship between two friends rather than heavy controversial issues though it does bring the problem to our attention, but doesn't make it the core of the story. It is, in the simplest terms, a story about two friends growing up and discovering themselves (and the universe, of course).
The story is told from Ari's point of view though it could be argued that both boys are equally the main character. The boys themselves are complete opposites of one another, yet the same in their boyish fun. They spend their days during the summer at the pool and live in a Mexican prevalent society in El Paso, Texas where the two of them don't exactly fit in, Dante for not being "Mexican enough" and Ari for just not caring about anything or anyone. This, if nothing else, brings them together. It's a very character-driven book rather than plot-driven which is possibly the reason why it's so appealing. Read on for more discussion of the characters and spoilers -Alise "Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls’s no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town--riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette’s memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle. Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds—against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn’t fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Summary from Amazon I read one of Jeannette Walls's other books, The Glass Castle, last summer and I really enjoyed it--plus there are a lot of hidden "easter egg" connections between her books in this one! This is a story that, at its core, represents coming of age and survival in a world that even though it's not our own modern-day world, the lessons Lily learns in it still hold true. Okay, now that we have our daily sentimentality out of the way... Lily is amazing. She's such a powerful character, and a kind of character I like to call "work-in-progress-statue" characters. That means that she's a dynamic character, who changes throughout the book, but it goes deeper in that she is "chiseled" by each of her experiences; Jeannette Walls conveys Lily's changing attitudes and virtues perfectly. It really surprised me; I had to look back at the front cover of the book to make sure that Jeannette was really the author, not Lily. Overall, this book has great character development, a simple but still intriguing plot line, and a great batch of settings that take you back to your childhood dreams of living on a ranch. I'd say a 7/10 for this book--it's exceptionally well written! Read on for more + some spoilers! -Mallory You may not have heard of it before, but steampunk is a sub-genre of science-fiction (and sometimes fantasy) that usually features steam-powered machines rather than the more modern advanced technology. There's also stonepunk, dieselpunk, etherpunk, cyberpunk, and more that I don't even know about, but steampunk is definitely the most popular. This genre has definitely been picking up steam (get it?) in the last couple years in media, movies, games, and of course books. As of late, it's become a fashion-style for cosplayers and fans of the genre too.
Interested? Well, you're in luck! I recently went to the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle (dressed in the steampunk style of course) and attended a steampunk writing panel of mainly YA authors. When I asked them what books would they recommend to start a reader on their journey into the world of steampunk, this is what they said... My mother always called it the eventuality. Not the maybe, or the probably. ‘It’s going to happen,’ she would tell me calmly. ‘I even know when. It’s a twist in my stars. It’s written there, and we have to accept it. My mother, Joanne Nielsen Crowe. She has a name, she’s not a was. Avicenna Crowe’s mother, Joanne, is an astrologer with uncanny predictive powers and a history of being stalked. Now she is missing. The police are called, but they’re not asking the right questions. Like why Joanne lied about her past, and what she saw in her stars that made her so afraid. But Avicenna has inherited her mother’s gift. Finding an unlikely ally in the brooding Simon Thorn, she begins to piece together the mystery. And when she uncovers a link between Joanne’s disappearance and a cold-case murder, Avicenna is led deep into the city’s dark and seedy underbelly, unaware how far she is placing her own life in danger. Goodreads Summary NOTE: Australian YA fiction is beginning to become popular in America!
Rebecca Lim is an Australian-based author and as of late, Australian YA novels are permeating into the mainstream flow of popular YA and I can see why. Though it's not one the best books I've ever read, The Astrologer's Daughter is definitely intriguing. The author weaves the complex layers together to keep the reader interested and wanting to know how the mystery ends up. There's a constant atmosphere of danger and mystic that makes the book appealing, yet the confusion with all the characters almost ruins it for me. Because it's a mystery with a lot of layers, there are constant characters that are constantly coming and going and there's never something prominent about the character that helps the reader remember who is who. Avicenna and Simon, Avicenna's love interest and probably the second most important character in the book, aren't developed as thoroughly as I thought they should have been. Consequently, their decisions were always unexpected and not necessarily in a good way. Since the book obviously advertises that it incorporates astrology, it does, but beware if you don't know a thing about astrology. Fortunately, I do know some astrology. Even so, I wasn't able to note the significance as Avicenna explained star charts to clients since their "harsh aspects between Mars and the sun conjunct Venus, between Mars and the ascendant, between the moon and Jupiter, between both the luminaries and Mars... Couple those stars with multiple afflictions to natal Mercury..." You get the picture. The author never teaches you anything about astrology or explains any technical aspect to it (sorry if you're disappointed). Thankfully, she does explain the characteristics that are created in the person by their star chart so something does come out of it, but the rest is almost extraneous. But if you can keep track of the characters and their names, I do suggest this book for you because underneath all it's flaws, it really is an intriguing book. Read on for spoilers and more discussion of the characters! -Alise What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once? Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. Amazon Summary This was recommended to me by my fellow bibliomaniacs, and it does not disappoint. Lara Jean (love the name, by the way) is a very well-developed character that is very family-oriented but still becoming of a normal high school girl.
This sounds a bit like a gushy romance, but I can assure you that it is not--it is written from a very realistic point of view and the main characters are all very relatable. This book is cleverly and amazingly earmarked by its complexity and the emotional depth of the characters. Overall, I'd say around an 8/10 for this book. I am very much looking forward to the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, coming out May 26th, 2015! Read on for spoilers! -Mallory Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons. Summary via Goodreads I've been a huge fan of Julie Kagawa's books since The Iron King (highy recommend that book if you like the Fey btw, it's fantastic) and Talon did not disappoint. Published in 2014 by Harlequin Teen, Talon is a great novel about romance, rules, and dragons (plus dragon killers). The characters are lovable (but a little predictable) and the story flows along very nicely. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has previously read a Julie Kagawa book, or for those of you looking for a good read that involves dragons. This book does dwell a little more on the romance aspect than the dragon aspect, but overall it's still a very good book and I'm eager to read the second book.
A little more discussion below the cut, so if you've finished the book then continue reading! -Talia We reviewed the The Winner's Curse which has the sequel The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski which we also reviewed!
The Winner's Curse summary from Goodreads: As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Alise has her own channel for acting! https://www.youtube.com/user/lilylixi This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year. Summary from Amazon I was able to make it through middle school by reading The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants so of course I was more than excited to read this book, but it truthfully is a disappointment to read. I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 5 because kudos for the idea, thumbs down for the execution.
The writing was very disjointed and would jump from one thing to another without finishing developing the first idea. Brashares spent a lot of time developing the future world from which Prenna came and not the present world where the story was taking place. If the novel wasn't discussing what the future is like and explaining what the plot was rather than showing, it was discussing what Prenna and Ethan were planning to do and then the two would not actually do it. Consequently, readers were not able to connect with the characters at all. This could also be due to the fact that Prenna and Ethan were flat as a piece of paper. Though they're lovable, all we see them do is solve the problem, try in vain to not fall in love, and play cards. The plot is very urgent within itself. The two have to save somebody from being murdered so the future wouldn't be so drastic. Instead of doing so, Prenna and Ethan, frolick in the ocean and play cards. Now this would've been a great time to develop their character, but it didn't happen. In their down time (of which they seemed to have a lot), Ethan would teach Prenna how to play card games since this was something she didn't learn in her training to be an early 21st century girl. I think Brashares was trying to make card games a motif and symbolic of the plot, connecting how some were tricky, others were based on luck/chance, and one needed skills to play cards, but it never connected. At the end of the novel, the reader is just left thinking, "well, that's a waste of their time." The plot and setting itself is very intricate and detail-oriented, and this would have been SUCH a terrific novel if it had just been executed better. "I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine." When high school cell phone disruption forces a classroom ban, the words on a Post-it note spark a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Lagan Desai, basketball captain and mathlete, would do just about anything to befriend the new girl. One Post-it note at a time, Lagan persuades Talia to peel back her heart, slowly revealing her treasure chest of pain—an absent mother, a bedridden brother, and an abusive father. In a world where hurt is inevitable, the two teens search for a safe place to weather the storms of life. Together. Amazon Summary ALL THE FEELS for this one. ALL OF THEM. This book really hits it out of the park; it's one of the only book with flashbacks that I actually enjoyed. Most of the time, those drive me out of my mind but the backstory in this book was quite enjoyable, and not distracting but rather revealing of the plot. The romance in this book is PERFECT: slow and ALMOST so slow you want to scream but then beauty returns to the world! And it's so unlikely and random that you feel like it's real life. It's a great new twist on realistic fiction that I loved! Can't wait to read Seeing through Stones, because we find out more about Talia's brother, Jesse. Read on for spoilers! -Mallory |
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