Sunday, May 31, 2020

New Releases in YA! (June 1st-6th)

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!
P.S. Click on the book's cover for the Goodreads page!


Did I miss any books?
What books, if any, do you plan to read?

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday: River of Dreams by Jan Nash

Waiting on Wednesday (or Can't Wait Wednesday) is a weekly meme, hosted by Wishful Endings, where we talk about the books we're waiting (a bit impatiently) for!

This week I am waiting for...
River of Dreams

Draped in themes of first love and family, secrets and malevolence, and swirling through an exhilarating dream world full of danger, violence, and love, this exciting debut is a high-stakes adventure full of suspense, romance, and magic.

Finn Driscoll is counting down the days until she can leave for college. With her beloved brother, Noah, in a coma and her high school social life sinking every day, she’s ready for a fresh start.

Until the night she sees Noah in a dream. He begs for her help. At first, she shakes it off as just a nightmare. Then it happens again. And again. Frightened, Finn confides in her grandmother, only to learn the shocking truth about her family. They’re Dreamwalkers--heroes who step into the River of Dreams and fight the monsters in other people’s nightmares, freeing them to face the problems in their real lives.

Awake or asleep, Finn has never thought of herself as any kind of hero, and walking through other people’s dreams seems much worse than just hiding at school. But as hard as facing this challenge might be, Finn knows she has no choice: she will do anything she can to save her brother. 
Release Date: July 21st, 2020




Why am I waiting?
Books taking on the fantasy aspect of dreams always intrigue me. Even though similar concepts have burned me before, I still hope to see one executed in a fantastical, and wonderful, way. This book also looks like it, hopefully, focuses more on family rather than romance.
What book are you waiting for this week?

Sunday, May 24, 2020

New Releases in YA! (May 24th-30th)

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!
P.S. Click on the book's cover for the Goodreads page!


Did I miss any books?
What books, if any, do you plan to read?

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Short and Simple Reviews: Creepy Hollow (Books 4-6) by Rachel Morgan


This is a place for books that I didn't fully review.
Maybe I listed my likes and dislikes, had a little short paragraph, or a few sentences to convey my feelings on the book, but whatever the "review" is, all of them are short and simple. (hence the clever name)



A Faerie's Secret (Creepy Hollow, #4)
Calla Larkenwood wants nothing more than to be a guardian, but her overprotective mother has never allowed it. When circumstances change and Calla finally gets to join a Guild, she discovers guardian trainee life isn’t all she hoped it would be. Her classmates are distant, her mentor hates her, and keeping her Griffin Ability a secret is harder than she thought. Then an initiation game goes wrong, landing Calla with a magical ability she can’t control. She needs help—and the only way she can get it is by bargaining with the guy who just discovered her biggest secret.

Join beloved characters and new heroes as the bestselling Creepy Hollow series continues.



Review
I had a hard time getting into this book. I loved Vi's story, but this book switches perspective. Now, we follow Calla. I had a really hard time getting used to Calla at first. I couldn't connect with her, and I couldn't quite grasp the plot. I thought the plot was going to follow Calla trying to get into a Guild, but that was quickly resolved. I kept putting the book down because I wasn't feeling it. But, I didn't give up. It took me a while to get into Vi's story too. In fact, I didn't LOVE the books until book two. I'm glad that I gave Calla's story a chance because once I sat down and started reading again, I became invested in her story. There are a lot of interesting plot elements and mysteries that promise a great start to a new arc, and the book took quite a few surprising turns! This book ends in a cliffhanger, and I really want to know what happened! So I do plan on continuing the series.

I hereby give this book
3 Stars
Meaning: I liked it



A Faerie's Revenge (Creepy Hollow, #5)
Still reeling from a shocking revelation, guardian trainee Calla Larkenwood finds the threads of her world unraveling further when she’s accused of a horrifying crime she didn’t commit: A deadly magical disease has entered the Guild, threatening to wipe out every guardian—and someone is intent on framing Calla for it. With the Guild Council focusing their investigation on her instead of searching for the real criminal, Calla watches her dream of becoming a guardian rapidly slipping away. Time is running out, and as the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, begin to blur, whom can she turn to for help? 

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository / IndieBound


Review
I listened to this book entirely on audio.
I think I liked this one a little more than book one. I got used to Calla as a character, and it didn't take me as long to get into this book. In fact, once I started listening, I didn't want to stop. This did have one of my least favorite tropes--with Calla being blamed for something she did not do--and the first half of the book felt off-track from the main plot of book one, but I still really wanted to know what was going to happen. I don't love Calla as much as Vi from the previous trilogy, but she is certainly growing on me. I'm not quite on board with Calla and Chase. I'm not against it, and I don't have issues with Chase (he really feels like a different person), but I just don't ship them as much as Vi and Ryn. Overall, this was a great addition to the series. It was full of action and twists and I look forward to continuing the series.

I hereby give this book
3 Stars
Meaning: I liked it






A Faerie's Curse (Creepy Hollow, #6)


A witch’s curse. A world-ending prophecy. A daring rescue mission. Don’t miss the heart-pounding finale to Calla’s story!

On the run from the Guild of Guardians, Calla Larkenwood and her team of fellow outlaws plan a daring rescue operation into the Seelie Court itself. As if that isn’t enough to keep them busy, the power-hungry Princess Angelica has begun preparations for a horrifying prophesied spell that will forever change both the magic and non-magic realms.

When Calla is blindsided by an unspeakable tragedy before the rescue can be carried out, she struggles to remain focused on her mission. She believes she’s reached her lowest point—until a witch reveals the final blow: she has cursed Calla’s magic. With time running out, can Calla save the one she loves and stop the prophecy from being carried out before the curse claims her life?
  Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository / IndieBound



Review
Whew. A lot happened in this book and by the time I got to the end I really didn't feel like it could tie everything up. I don't think I'm fully satisfied with the ending because there are still some unanswered questions and the world still feels like a mess. This book was quite action-packed and it did not pull punches. I'm shocked at where this book went and how dark it got. I am still in denial about some things. I do feel like Calla's story has come to a conclusion (at least her story at the forefront. I'm sure we will see her again). I can clearly see how much she has changed from a girl desperate to join the Guild and afraid of her own abilities, to learning her strengths away from the Guild. I'm still meh about Calla and Chase. I'm fine with them together, but I just don't ship them, and their romantic moments just made me roll my eyes. Overall, I liked this book and Calla's story was a great continuation of the Creepy Hollow series. I hope to read the next books soon and meet new characters!

I hereby give this book
3 Stars
Meaning: I liked it




Friday, May 22, 2020

REVIEW: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer



A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers, #1)

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

MY THOUGHTS
Oh boy. This book has had so much hype surrounding it since it came out. I was going to wait for the series to be over with until starting, but I decided that I needed to see what the hubbub was all about. I ended up liking this book, but I didn't love it. Even though I still liked it, because of this hype I find myself disappointed. So fair warning, there is going to be some disappointment in this review because when I think of this book instead of thinking about what I enjoyed, all I can think about is how it did not reach the level of hype.

Harper's mother is dying and her brother is resorting to shifty means in order to keep their family afloat. One day when Harper is assigned lookout for her brother, she sees a man dragging a woman. Worried that the woman is being trafficked, Harper steps up to stop the man. Except, she ends up being taken to the fantasy world of Emberfall. For years, the prince of Emberfall has been cursed to repeat the same autumn until he finds love. Worse, each autumn ends with him turning into a beast, killing his own people and even his own family. The girl Harper saved was meant to be the prince's next suitor but now Haper seems to have taken her place. But all Harper wants is to go back home.

Harper and I started off on the wrong foot. I am wary of tough girls in books because almost always the "tough girl" is against anything girly. Honestly, I think you can still kick butt in a dress. Harper is a tough girl, and she started off seeming to be against anything girly, but there ended up to be a lot more to her character. I never fully felt like I understood her history, which made her character feel flat at first. As the book progressed, I did grow into liking Harper's character. She was very impulsive, but she only wanted to do what she thought would help others, or help her family. She does end up having a very strong character arc in the book, and that's not even about the romance, but just her overall bravery. Harper does have cerebral palsy, and while I can't speak about how well represented it was, it is the first time I have seen an MC in a YA novel with cerebral palsy, and the book never focused specifically on it.

While Harper ended up not falling into the "I'm not like other girls" trope, the other characters (namely the guy characters) couldn't stop mentioning how different Harper is. Harper read like a modern girl and one we see often in YA novels, in terms of her bravery, impulsiveness, and loyalty to her family. I found it hard to believe that in all the years, Rhen and Grey never found a girl who talked back to them, tried to run, as well as tried to help their people.

This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and that story has its fair share of plotholes. The book does follow the story very well, so it is a fairly decent retelling. There are of course more modern elements (like Harper's character). I found the way the beast was handled in a very interesting way and while we don't get to see Emberfall fully, I did find the relationship between the castle and the rest of the kingdom interesting. Time runs differently in the two areas, so it helps explain why the kingdom doesn't know about the curse but know about the beast. The kingdom does think the prince (and the king, who the kingdom does not know has died) have abandoned them, so we get an extra political layer. So in some cases, the book does try to address some plotholes in the original tale.

As for romance, I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. I think the romance was just expected in this book.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I think I expected to be wowed by this book, but it was just the usual retelling. While this had some pretty unique takes to the tale, it had the expected plot elements. The book does go in intriguing and dark directions, but the romance felt kind of light throughout most of the book (it does get dark toward the end). I did end up liking this book and I kind of wonder how I would feel about this book if it weren't for the hype surrounding it.

I hereby give this book
3.5 Stars
Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Cover vs. Cover: Frankly in Love by David Yoon

This week's pick is...

Frankly in Love (Frankly in Love, #1) VS.  Frankly in Love (Frankly in Love, #1)
Original                           Redesign
I'm not real sure with this one as I'm not real impressed with either. The original has an interesting font treatment, but it doesn't really make the whole cover interesting. I remember being pretty let down when the cover was first revealed. I'm not wild about the redesign, because the people look awkwardly posed, but I feel like it shows more about the book than the original.
Final Verdict: Redesign
What do you think? Give me your thoughts on which cover is the best!

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday: Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

Waiting on Wednesday (or Can't Wait Wednesday) is a weekly meme, hosted by Wishful Endings, where we talk about the books we're waiting (a bit impatiently) for!

This week I am waiting for...

Unravel the Dusk  (The Blood of Stars, #2)The thrilling sequel to SPIN THE DAWN, a magical series steeped in Chinese culture.

Maia Tamarin’s journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. The boy she loves is gone, and she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor’s bride-to-be to keep the peace.

But the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red, losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It’s only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, but she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.

YA fantasy readers will love the sizzling forbidden romance, mystery, and intrigue of UNRAVEL THE DUSK.
Release Date: July 7th, 2020


Why am I waiting?
I really liked the first book in this series so I look forward to reading the conclusion! (At least, I think it's the conclusion!)
What book are you waiting for this week?

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

REVIEW: No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

No Place to Fall

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.

When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.

Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.





MY THOUGHTS
I've had this book on my TBR for quite a few years, since the book came out. This book wasn't exactly what I expected, and I found myself disappointed.

No Place to Fall is the story of Amber, a teenage girl living in a southern small town. She has just spent her summer hanging out with the summer hikers, partying and having flings with hiker guys. Now it's back to being the same old Amber, the Amber living in a dysfunctional and run-down home. The Amber who wishes to make music and leave her small town. And then she has the opportunity to audition for art school. But when she strikes a complicated relationship with a boy she's known for years, and her family grows even more dysfunctional, it feels like her dreams are slipping away.

My main issue with this book was that it was very unfocused. There are so many small plots and never really one that takes center stage. Amber's music is pretty central, but it still fell flat. When I first started the book, I thought it was a solid three-star read. It wasn't amazing, but I liked the writing and thought the story was going somewhere. At some point, though, it became clear that this book wasn't going in a clear direction. It starts out with Amber partying with hikers, the middle is mainly about art school then and ends with [highlight to view spoiler] drug-dealing? [end of spoiler]. I think there are a lot of topics here that are great to explore in YA, but they didn't feel connected.

I think I also just could not connect with Amber but it's hard to place why. The book did do a great job of capturing the setting and the idea of wanting to escape the small town, but Amber still fell flat for me. This may partly be because Amber makes a lot of dumb choices in this book. She's a teen so, yeah, dumb choices are expected, but even some dumb choices need reasons behind it. A lot of the supporting characters also just felt there. They were literally just there to move Amber's story along. The author does bring up some subplots with the minor characters, but they weren't explored that much. I think that was the case with so many things in this book (not just the characterization). Ideas popped up but were not explored to their potential.

As for romance, I was not a fan. This book seemed to have been heavily marketed as contemporary romance, especially thanks to that cover, but I wouldn't call this contemporary romance. The romance is a small part of the book and for a while, I didn't even know who the love interest was supposed to be because there are so many different guys. Now, I am fine with books not having romance (in fact, I prefer it), what bothered me about the romance was that it was cheating. I didn't find it romantic, I found it infuriating. I think if the book had Amber learn from the experience, I would have different feelings toward the romance. Amber does realize at some point that her sleeping with this boy in a relationship [highlight to view spoiler] is like how her dad is cheating on her mom. In this situation, Amber is the "other woman" and the girlfriend is being hurt like her mom is being hurt [end of spoiler]. If the book explored this idea and made Amber realize "hey, maybe this is a bad thing to do", I would be feeling differently, but no, she doesn't learn from this. In fact [highlight to view spoiler] she gets the guy! [end of spoiler]

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I was disappointed by this book. It was promising in the beginning, but the story never explored the themes fully and everything fell flat.

I hereby give this book
2.5 Stars
Meaning: I almost liked it, but not quite