Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I just really enjoyed this YA fantasy novel, with a bit of a viking feel about it (minus the ocean). Lots of cool monsters and battle scenes. Excellent character development. I enjoy that it is a standalone novel, but I'm also a bit sad, as I would like some more of this world.

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I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was okay. I didn't find it to be particularly tense or suspenseful. The premise was better than the story, and I got pretty bored and was glad when it ended.

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Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was glorious. Miller is a goddess. I enjoyed every single word.

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Supernova (Renegades, #3)

Supernova by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Super-b.

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Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was a lot less upsetting reading the end of this book knowing I now have book 3 in hand and can continue onward. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
This was every bit as fast-paced, action-packed, and gut-wrenching as book one. I even had to shout at a couple of characters on several occasions, not that any of them ever listened to me.

This has a dramatic conclusion which will leave you feeling desperate for book 3, in order to see how the story moves forward. That being said, book two did a great job of pushing the overall series forward. It also sticks a knife in and twists it, just when you think you can't take anymore.

Book 46 read in 2019

Pages: 560

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Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Renegades by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my 3rd time though, in preparation for reading the final book. And this is still glorious. I really have enjoyed revisiting these characters and this world.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
#BecRereads2019

Superb! This one gets 5 Super stars, with bonus magical powers.

I’m so happy to be rereading this one, in preparation for reading book 2 for the first time.

I adore how this explores the same situation from different perspectives. It walks that fine line between what is right and what is wrong, as well as who is good and who is bad. It’s a reminder that most of the world and life exists in the gray areas, not in the black and white areas.

Book 45 read in 2019

Pages: 552

PREVIOUS REVIEW:

A book about superheroes and villains, you say?





This was so much fun!





Until it wasn't.


And it was full of brave and powerful heroes and villains...





...assuming you can figure out which are which.


And the ending:





This was another incredible book by Marissa Meyer, assuming you like to feel like this while reading:





Here's how long you'll be willing to wait for book two:







Book 46 in 2018

Pages: 556

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The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky by Mackenzi Lee

The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amusing and so damned sweet.

This is a great little novella, and anyone who loves the series will want to pick this up and give it a read.

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The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was absolutely adorable and had such a great premise with some unexpected depth. I really just wanted a tiny bit more oomph and a bit more development in the side characters. I guess I expected just a few more truly funny moments, and it went the sweet but serious route instead. That’s fine, too, but I was craving just a bit more lighthearted fun. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it.

I listened to the audiobook, which had 2 unique narrators that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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You (You, #1)

You by Caroline Kepnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I confess that it first, I found this book a bit tedious, but then it really started getting into the inner-workings of the characters and it became much more compelling as the story progressed.

I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed the narration.

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Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians, #1)

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s a standard, decent read, that let me see the world through some different eyes and mindsets, which is good. But it wasn’t really as exciting and compelling as I hoped it would be. The overall plot is a bit meh, so I was there for the characters and culture.

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The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So I have been crying intermittently for about the past 2 hours now, because this book is 1 part fascinating, 1 part informative, 1 part heartfelt, and 7 parts horrifying. This level of suffering is unimaginable. I am so saddened by what occurred, but I’m glad that I read this book to learn more about these bold and determined women.

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Marriage for One

Marriage for One by Ella Maise
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a great, slow-burning “fake marriage” romance novel. I really enjoyed this one. It's full of kind, sweet, and heartfelt moments, which is lovely, but the two main characters still butt heads and bicker just a little bit, to help keep it realistic.

I listened to this on audiobook, and the narration was good. I couldn't stop listening, because I was addicted to this story.

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Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this far more than I actually did. On the plus side, we had the characters and setting, but the pacing was just all off for me. It felt like the novel really drug, and I found myself getting bored a lot. I think having read ON THE COME UP recently, it was hard not to draw some comparisons and find this one to be lacking.

But it’s definitely okay, just not brilliant or earth-shattering, which is what I’m always hoping for.

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Alaska Wild by Helena Newbury

Alaska Wild by Helena Newbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a romantic suspense, with a strong crime thriller vibe. It’s still sexy enough that I would consider it a romance novel but suspenseful and tense enough, with a fast-moving plot, which means you could also call it a thriller with lots of sexy fun in the not almost dying moments. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I’m also fascinated but what it takes to survive in the Alaskan wilderness.

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Ice Planet Barbarians Update

Aftershocks by Ruby Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good read with some added insights and different POVs addressing the big shake, or whatever you want to call it. This is the only novella that focuses primarily on relationships, family units, and the strength of the tribe, rather than just sexy fun times. There’s none of that in this book, though you do get some good cuddles and a lot of heart.

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Barbarian's Tease

by Ruby Dixon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Brooke and Taushen.

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The Barbarian Before Christmas

by Ruby Dixon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute. But I'm clearly obsessed with the Ice Planet Barbarians.

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Barbarian's Valentine; A Slice Of Life

by Ruby Dixon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A touch of sweet, and a touch of serious. I enjoyed the contrast.

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The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So much fun to revisit this one! It gave me all the feels all over again. I reread it straight through in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. There’s so much that I had forgotten about the story, so I’m glad I decided to revisit the series.

The world building is strong. There’s a really slow burn romance element, and every note is just so perfectly right. Plus, it has an unexpected twist ending that makes you anxious to move on to book two.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
I had trouble putting this one down, so I read it in 24 hours. It has excellent world building and interesting characters. The story is different and fascinating.

I loved the subtle implication that the lines between good and evil, winners and losers, right and wrong, can be so very thin and cloudy.

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The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my second read of this fantastic series, and I'm really enjoying revisiting this world and these characters. The whole world really expands in this book, and I adore that.

Book 2 is full of suspense, intrigue, and a serious case of political chess. It also did some really wicked things to all my feels, because nobody can seem to catch a win for more than a few minutes. There are lots of difficult choices made, by different characters, which keeps the story moving in unexpected directions. I wont say more, since this is book two, and I want to avoid any potential spoilers.

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The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was a pleasure to revisit this one. After all that time, I honestly couldn’t remember what was going to happen or how things would work out in the end

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
I thought this was a very satisfying end to an enjoyable trilogy.

Pages: 496

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Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali

Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I buzzed straight through this one, and it tugged at all my heartstrings. It has a way of being very informative, current, and relevant, but without feeling like you're being preached at or lectured. I guess what I'm saying is that it makes good points but doesn't hammer you over the head with them, which is good, as I usually find that to be disruptive to the story.

I think YA has a lot of great diversity these days (which I'm excited about), but the universe definitely needed this book. I especially liked the commentary on cultural appropriation, as I think that is something people definitely need to be more aware of and informed about. I also just enjoyed learning more about Muslim beliefs and customs. Some of the different aspects of the religion seem quite beautiful and appealing, and it made me curious to learn more.

Anyway, long story short, I'm happy that this book exists, and I hope that the current generation of teen readers grow up to become more informed, compassionate, and outspoken humans because this book exists.

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We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Freaking amazing. A totally unique and fascinating world, in which there still manages to be interesting political commentary that is currently highly relevant to our political climate.

I have started the New Year right by reading several YA novels with resistance themes this weekend (totally by accident) which is all sitting really well with me. If this is an end result of our currently difficult political climate—-that writers everywhere are using their art to tell beautiful stories that send strong messages to people about humanity and power dynamics, then at least one good thing has come out of all the mess. Because this is glorious. I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2, and I think more people need to get their hands on this book. I’m hoping it gives teens a lot to think about, in regards to what they believe in and care about, so that when they reach the age of majority and can vote, they’ll do better than my generation has been able to do. And be kinder to all people than my generation has been.

Clearly, I absolutely adored this, but I am now so tense and stressed out after reading it that I think I’m going to have to have my shoulders surgically removed from my ears.

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Random Collection of Short Reviews

Mother of Eden
by Chris Beckett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a fascinating world, with so much to say about humanity, society, power, politics, etc. But it never says anything in an in-your-face sort of way. It just presents the world and people and lets you draw your own, educated conclusions, based on how things occur.

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Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal

by Conor Grennan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was so caught up in this that I stayed up until 2 AM on a work night to read is straight through.

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The Hating Game
by Sally Thorne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book tackles a lot of common romance tropes in the most enjoyable fashion, including office place romance and enemies to lovers. It’s funny and quirky, which makes it stand out in the deep sea of romance.

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Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is magnificent and emotionally brutal. I ugly cried not once, but twice while reading this story. I should write an entire novel about how much I enjoy this series, but I’m exhausted and wrecked. So this is all for now.

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The Astonishing Color of After
by Emily X.R. Pan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gorgeous writing. Difficult topic, handled well. Elements of magical realism. Lots of insight into Taiwanese culture. Overall, this was a good read with a unique format and a lot of moving parts, but it all came together beautifully in the end.

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Internment by Samira Ahmed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*still sobbing*

10 stars.

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The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a unique read. It's like a fantasy western novel impregnated a paranormal dystopian novel, and the result was this story.

I really enjoyed the large cast of female characters. I was hooked from the start, and I enjoyed the way the character development unfolded as the story progressed. I can't wait to see what comes next!

The narratio (Jeanette Illidge)  is excellent and spot on.

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Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This whole situation is just so absolutely ridiculous and insane, which made for an interesting read. I can't even believe how long they got away with fraud and intimidation. This scam literally went on for years, and people supported this project despite a continual lack of real data and evidence to back anything up.

This is a good reminder that some people out there value making money above all else, and they will pretty much screw over anyone to get it. What a sorry state of affairs, but it's definitely a thrilling read.

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Orange Is the New Black

Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy the show, so I figured it was finally time to read the book and see how the two compare. I thought it was interesting and well-written, and the book actually made prison seem less scary than I expected.

It was interesting comparing this to the show, which obviously moves in a different direction and carries on for far longer. It also gave me a lot to think about, in terms of how ineffective the penal system can be.

Overall, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I actually prefer the show over the book. Yes. Blashphemy. I did just speak words that almost no librarian will ever utter, but it's true. The show shares information from a lot of different perspectives, which just gives it more depth and grit than you get from only Piper's POV.

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Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is still glorious. I'm just rereading in preparation for book two, which I'm really excited about. Since it's such a unique world and magic system, I wanted to make sure I remembered everything before moving forward.

The audiobook narration is fantastic and spot on. There's so much texture and variety in Bahni Turpin's voice, and she brings a lot of drama and emotion to the storytelling. I just love it.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
This story slayed me in all the ways. It’s so compelling that I want to clutch it close, in case it would try to slip away from me. I just finished the novel, and I almost want to go back and start it all over again, right now, as I’m not ready to let go of this world.

I was so captivated by this YA West-African inspired fantasy novel that I couldn’t stop reading once I started, and this is not a small book. Despite that, I still read it straight through, and wow. I just have so many wild feels that I’m not even sure I know how to write this review, but I want to write it now, while the magic and heartache is still fresh in my mind.

Things I loved and/or cried over:

--The characters and all of their uniqueness and intricacies

--The storyline and fast-paced plot, despite the length of the novel

--The captivating world and fascinating setting

--The magic system is A+, and I can’t wait to learn more about it in future novels

--The cover of the book, which is just stunning. I’m honestly obsessed with it, and I don’t know how much of the time that I spent just looking at the cover while I was listening to the book.

---The audiobook narrator: Bahni Turpin, who brings such life to the words

--The author’s note at the end of the book, which made me cry twice in just a matter of minutes

-- The title and its meaning to the story. I could reread/replay that segment right at the end over and over and over again, because it’s so perfect and gorgeous

--The ending, which really delivers, in all kinds of emotional ways

--They way 4 POVs are handled so well, and with so much unique voice that I always knew whose part of the story I was on, even when we switched between characters

--The characters names, which felt so perfect for them

--The ferocious feline beasts that I sometimes want to snuggle

--The fact that this is a debut novel, and it’s so incredible (no offense to other authors, who have also had some amazing debuts, but wow!)

--The fact that this lived up to absolutely all of the hype and it’s so easy to adore this book

--And obviously the diversity. I’m feeling pretty cheated that this is the first Nigerian inspired fantasy novel I’ve ever read, and I hope I see many more in the future. In case it’s my fault that I’ve never read one before, I’m going to go out and research this topic as soon as I finish this review, to see if there are any others that I’ve missed.

As far as I’m concerned, this book is perfection. It’s what YA fantasy novels should be. Honestly, in my opinion, it’s what all fantasy novels should be, regardless of category. And there better be more of this world heading my way in the near future. Preferably lots more.

Book 114 read in 2018

Pages: 525

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Dark Eden by Chris Beckett

Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a great premise! This is such an interesting and other-worldly sci-fi novel, with a strong dystopian feel about it. This story just sucked me right in, but I won't try to explain the plot, as to avoid spoilers. I think this is one of those books that reads best when you go in knowing almost nothing and just get to be surprised as the story evolves.

I'm so happy that it was suggested in an Audicted podcast, which is why I picked it up in the first place. The audiobook is fantastic, with 8 different narrators, representing different POVs, though a majority of the narration is handled by two main POVs, and the others just make occasional appearances.

I am definitely moving on to book 2.

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The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an intense read. I wanted to love this. The premise is solid. The format is interesting. The content is important. There’s lots of diversity, and it has a unique perspective. I see how this should be an excellent story. All signs pointed towards this book being a perfect read for me.

Unfortunately, I still struggled to connect with this story. It is relatively well-written, though the side characters are underdeveloped, and their motivations and intentions were rarely clear to me. The pacing also felt off to me, and I wasn’t that into the subplots. Honestly, I kind of just wanted to cut away some of the excess and focus more on the heart of the story, which was valuable and intriguing.

I think the supposed powers were a confusing distraction for me, as I thought they were all due to the inner-workings of Matt’s mind, as he struggled with his mental illness, which was upsetting but also fascinating. Then, some things occurred that suggested that it may not be all in his mind, which had me questioning if this is supposed to be magical realism, instead of contemporary, and that unsettled me. I think I spent so much time feeling awkward and uncertain about this that it left me holding the story at arms length, instead of fully embracing it.


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On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, this was glorious. Angie Thomas has this was of making me think over things that I thought I already knew and understood, but then once I rethink them a bit and see all the different points of view, it's like I understand those things in all new sorts of ways. I kind of love that. It feels like that shift from knowing to really understanding.

I think her books make a lot of complex topics clearer, even though, they also sometimes make me a bit discouraged about humanity and the slow rate at which change occurs. It would be nice if we could just all agree to do better right now.

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Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was great! I had a bit of information overload, since I listened to the audiobook, which is good. However, I think it would probably be more enjoyable to read through the print version of this one, as you could linger (and I've heard it has an interesting format) and tackle only a few women at a time, instead of everyone at once, like I did.

This would be awesome for school science classes to read about one amazing woman at the start of each class for 50 days. The excerpts are relatively short, so it's feasible.



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How to Howl at the Moon (Howl at the Moon #1)

How to Howl at the Moon by Eli Easton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was different and adorable, though I confess I liked the first half of the story better than the second half. Things sort of got unnecessarily out of hand in the second half, and it was such an awesome story, even without all that added nonsense.

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Sookie Stackhouse Series

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s not bad. It’s just not quite as good as I thought it would be after having this on my TBR for almost 2 decades. I don’t know if I will continue the series. I’m thinking about it, in case this is one of those series where each new book is better than the last, but I’m currently feeling a bit indifferent.

The pacing of this was surprisingly slow, and the storyline was kind of all over the place. I wanted more development of the side characters and more growth in the main characters. I even wanted more world building and clarity on the rules of the world and creatures. There were interesting elements, but this lagged too much to inspire any real emotion in me.

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Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay. So this was better than book one, and I started to be a bit more charmed by the world. However, I still don’t love this series, and there are a lot of characters who were underdeveloped and fell flat for me. There’s something about it that just doesn’t capture me, but I can feel improvement, which leaves me wondering if I actually should try out book 3 to see if the series improves again. Maybe it’s just one of those that has to grow on people.

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