Transformed: Paris

Transformed: Paris

 

Suzanne Falter & Jack Harvey

 

 

 

*this book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*



Basically, if you liked the first one, you'll like this one too.

 

Pure

Pure

 

Julianna Baggott

 

 

 

I'm a little conflicted about this one. Part of me really likes it, and part of me despises it.

 

The world is definitely different than most of what I've read, so that's a plus. There was a bomb that was detonated that resulted in radiation and 'fusing' where people's body parts are fused with objects that were near them when the bomb went off. There was also a dome that was built, and everyone inside is considered 'pure', whereas the fused people outside the dome are seen as 'wretches'. There's also some scary monsters called dusts and some groupies that just like to steal things and it gets a bit confusing.

 

The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season

 

N.K. Jemisin

 

 

(more like 3.5)

 

I have no idea where this book came from. It was on my TBR, but I don't ever remember reading the description or having it recommended to me. Either way, it was pretty enjoyable.

 

Hate List

Hate List

 

Jennifer Brown

 

 

 

I applaud this author for spreading such an important message.

 

This book is about a school shooting. Most people know someone who has been affected by a horrible experience such as this, or at least realizes that these events have been increasing in quantity in America recently.

 

Illuminae

Illuminae

 

Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

 

 

Never, ever have I read anything like this. It was so creatively done that even if I didn't like the story, I would have given it five stars for the format alone.

 

Also, I think I'm just going to go into every book blind from now on. I find that I enjoy books a lot more if I don't read the descriptions or anyone's reviews beforehand. A few people recommended this to me, but I had no idea what it was about.

 

Afterward: BooklyBox

Afterward

Jennifer Mathieu

3.5 stars. The Literary Fiction book of the month from BooklyBox dealt with some serious mental health issues, which I'm usually all for. My only real problem with this choice is that it seemed more geared toward the young adult audience.

This book is about two main characters (multiple POVs) Ethan and Caroline. Ethan was abducted when he was 11 years old and was found four years later after his kidnapper grabbed another child, Caroline's autistic brother Dylan.

Transformed: San Fransisco

Transformed: San Francisco

Suzanne Falter & Jack Harvey

(3.5 stars)

*this book was given to me by the author in order to give an honest review for the sequel (coming up)*

This was fun! My first experience with a LGBTQ focused book, and a good start!

Charley, a transman and CIA agent, is suspended from his job after he fails to file his taxes. Electra, the society Dom, moved to San Francisco to discover her new identity. Frankie, a SF police officer, knows something is fishy in the department but is being punished for her knowledge. The three join together to take down Randy, aka 'Roscoe' who is a religious fanatic with a plan for destruction to the LGBTQ community.

The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian

Rick Riordan

The finale, so sad. I don't want to leave this world...ever.

The Kiss of Deception

The Kiss of Deception

 

Mary E. Pearson

 

 

 

 

More like 4.5! I usually read some reviews (without spoilers) before I start books, but I'm so glad I didn't see the many one starred reviews on Goodreads from some of my favorite people because it really would have made me not want to try this and I'm happy I did.

 

Most of those reviews mention how there's a love triangle, no world-building, it's boring, and all about kissing, but this is because they didn't finish it! (at least I think so) Or maybe I just don't agree, but either way after the halfway mark, it was enjoyable for me.

 

The Battle of the Labyrinth

The Battle of the Labyrinth

Rick Riordan

'

Now it's getting good! Right at the end, we're starting to get more serious which is exactly what I've been looking forward to. As much as I love Percy's sass, he's still immature and I need some seriousness when it comes to War with the Titans.

Exciting News!

So, I got another cat. To make a long story short, the kitty looked exactly like Lola and there were a bunch of significant signs telling me to take this poor kitty home from the shelter in my town, and it caused WW3 in my household. Eventually, I got the okay. Her name is Pepper and she's adorable. She loves fuzzy blankets.

Also! Not trying to sell anyone on anything, just thought I'd let everyone know that last week I tried Blue Apron, which is a food service where they send you ingredients and recipes for 3 meals a week and I loved it! Always into trying new things, but the food was delicious and the recipes were very easy to follow.

A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic

V. E. Schwab



There's just something about magical books that makes me so happy! I definitely had ups and downs with this book, and qualms with the fact that there's a sequel, but I'll get to that in due time.

The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse

Rick Riordan

Book number three was a little more confusing... MORE PROPHECIES!!! But I still enjoyed it, of course. Even if my favorite character was missing for the entirety of the book.

The Sea of Monsters

The Sea of Monsters

Rick Riordan

Not at good as the first book, but still a fantastic adventure in an exciting world.

The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief

Rick Riordan

Ahhhhh this makes me want to read every Rick Riordan book ever. So, I half-wish that I had read this series when I was younger, because it's clearly great but at least I'm starting now.

Cover Me in Darkness

Cover Me in Darkness

Eileen Rendahl

 

 *This review is based on an advanced reading copy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review*

This one is a little hard for me to put into words. I appreciated the intricacy of the mystery, but the writing didn't really capture the desperation of the situation and in the end, it fell flat. I just didn't care enough.

The idea of the book was that the main character, Amanda, gets a call that her mother, who had been locked in a mental ward for life for killing her son, had died (ruled a suicide). Upon looking closer, Amanda starts to think that her mother was murdered and now that she knows to look, weird things start happening to her. She almost gets pushed into traffic, she gets poisoned, there's a homeless man following her. She starts to think that all of these events stem from her former religious cult, the Children of Greater God (COGG) and the secret she's kept for them.  

Requiem

Requiem

Lauren Oliver

 

 An ehh ending to an ehhhhhh series. I actually enjoyed this one more than the rest, but the ending just went downhill for me. Of course we had to deal with the new love triangle, which is annoying as always, but at least there was a rebellion in the mix.

The Second My Life Changed Forever: Stories of Life Changing Moments

The Second My Life Changed Forever: Stories of Life Changing Moments

Eileen Doyon

 

The author reached out to me and asked me to read the book, but the review below is my honest opinion. 

Remember everyone's fascination for the Chicken Soup for the Soul books? This is almost like that; multiple stories of people explaining the one second that impacted their entire lives. One man even said that he was published in one of the Chicken Soup books.

THE ENEMY WITHIN

THE ENEMY WITHIN

Scott Burn



The awesome author of this baby reached out to me and asked me to read, but the below review is my honest opinion.

I was so caught up in this, I probably read it in a good 3 hours (in between homework). What's better than a kid having visions of an apocalypse only to find out that they may be true? NOTHING!

I'm going to start by saying that this was new territory in a market of repetitive concepts. The main character, Max, is a 17 year old who's been in and out of foster homes his entire life. Once the visions of a burning world start to take over his mind, he will do anything to end it (including suicide). After an unsuccessful attempt, he is taken to an asylum where he eventually meets 3 other teens who understand him more than anyone in the world.

The Atlas of Us: BooklyBox

The Atlas of Us

Tracy Buchanan

This month's Literary Fiction book from BooklyBox was The Atlas of Us. Props to them for picking this book; I thought it was the most enjoyable I've received yet.

This book is the perfect example of reasons not to judge a book by the cover. When I first got it, I thought it looked/sounded like a cheesy love story but it was so much more than that.

Drums of Autumn

Drums of Autumn

Diana Gabaldon

 

Unfortunately, this series is starting to lose its hold on me. Book number four in the Outlander series was a bit different than what I had in mind. With the addition of a few characters, it's almost starting to read like a soap opera full of unnecessary and almost unrealistic drama.

Quick Update

Hi, Everyone. I just wanted to give a quick update to explain my absence. It's been taking me a bit longer than usual in between books to post but it hasn't been due to lack of effort. Unfortunately, my furry baby Lola had to be put down and it's been affecting me immensely. For those of you that don't know me, Lola was my absolute best friend and nothing in the world can replace her.

With that being said, I hope to be back up and running with a review for Drums of Autumn this weekend (I'm about 60% done right now). My apologies for anyone who has been waiting for their book to be reviewed. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this hard time.

Anything for Her

Anything for Her

Jack Jordan

 

 *This review is based on an advanced reading copy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review*

I don't know if I can explain why I wasn't a fan of this book...

I'm not sure if it was the writing style, or the fact that the story was so unrealistic, or that everything could have been resolved by a simple conversation but no matter the reasoning, it just left me with a bad feeling.

The story was about a dysfunctional family and a missing persons case. Our main character, Louise, is depressed and suicidal after an incident with her daughter referred to as 'that night'. A year after the event, her husband Michael tells her that he's been having an affair with her sister (this didn't add anything to the plot at all I was very confused at the end as to why this was necessary) and he's going to be arrested for money laundering which will leave them with nothing. Obviously, Louise is upset and needs to get away for a while so she stays at the family's country house away from London. A few days later, her daughter goes missing and Louise is getting frightened when clues start showing up at her door.

Pandemonium

Pandemonium

Lauren Oliver

 

 I enjoyed this more than I thought, and more than I did the first book. Unfortunately, one of the main twists was ruined for me before the start of the book (even though I kind of saw it coming... at least part of it) so I feel the need to warn you that there will be spoilers below.

Faithful

Faithful

Alice Hoffman

 

*This review is based on an advanced reading copy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review*

 

This is what a coming of age story should be.

  I am so in love with this book. I really could NOT put it down.

This is a story about a girl named Shelby who got into an accident with her best friend, Helene. The only difference is that Shelby survived with a scratch and Helene is in a permanent coma. Shelby carries her guilt with her everywhere, especially at the psych ward she's committed to for 3 months after the accident where she refuses to speak. After some time, the only person she really talks to is her drug dealer, Ben. I don't even want to give anything away after this point. 

Type 88

Type 88

Joe Glocke

 

"Please pay attention. This broadcast will repeat three times. Earth must be repurposed. We will start this process in ninety days. Everyone will be eradicated from the planet at that time. There is nothing you can do to stop this. Use the time you have left to find peace with yourselves. You will not hear from us again. Thank you."

  

Well, this was refreshing. I'm not sure why I've been staying away from short books such as this, but I'm glad that the author reached out and asked me to give it a shot and express my honest opinion.