Eona (Eon #2) by Alison Goodman | Book Review

July 23, 2019 ~ mybookacademy ~ Leave a comment

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dragons
Publication Date: March 29th, 2012

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

Once she was Eon, a girl disguised as a boy, risking her life for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice. Now she is Eona, the Mirror Dragoneye, her country’s savior – but she has an even more dangerous secret. She cannot control her power. Each time she tries, it twists into a killing force. And more destruction is on her trail – High Lord Sethon’s army. She and her companions must find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona’s power if he is to wrest back his throne. But to help him, she must drive a dark bargain with an old enemy, which could obliterate them all.

–Possible Spoilers! Read at your own risk!–

“We are all more— and less—than what we seem.”

This series has been one heck of a ride. Never have I gone from hating to loving as much as I have with this crazy cast.

But man, Alison Goodman can tell an amazing story. It’s complex and well written and has such an amazing cast of complex and flawed characters.

I loved the political battle, and the struggle all the characters had with power and their humanity. I loved dragons, the entire energy world was absolutely fascinating. This story and this world that Alison Goodman has created is so unique and I even though this book was 600+ pages I was really sad when it ended.

I really loved Eona’s character. I’m not saying she didn’t frustrate me, oh she did. But gosh, she faces and has to make many tough decisions throughout the novel. Granted they’re not always the correct ones. She’s someone who has all this power and it’s because of that power she has a tough time trusting those around her. And also trusting in herself, for with great power comes great responsibility.

“You have seen me at my worst and at my weakest. Let me show you my best.”

Ido, I’ll admit it, I didn’t love him in the first book, but I was drawn to him. He intrigued me in a way Kygo didn’t. And even though he’s a murderer and possibly a psychopath, I couldn’t help but feel for him. Whether it’s by Sethon or Kygo, or even Eona, he was always being controlled by someone. Used for his power, used for killing. Is that what shaped him to be the person he is? To be this selfish character who only looked out for himself and was fueled by his own ambition? I don’t know. But I want to know, I want to know so much more about him.

“I know that love is about power, too. Who gives, who takes. Who is willing to risk showing their true self.”

I had a major love-hate relationship with Kygo as well. Surprising since I almost always fall for the royalty character. He’s emperor and because he’s an emperor he has to make tough decisions that will be best for the empire and his people. In his own way, I knew he cared for Eona, but at times I wondered if that was enough. Or if his quest to reclaim his throne would turn him into someone just like his uncle.

“In the end, power is always used to gain more power. That is the nature of the beast.”

Now the ending, most readers will be satisfied. It tied up some loose ends without exactly making it a happily ever after. But I really wanted more, I still have questions!

Overall, Eona was everything you could ever ask for in a fantasy series: great world-building, complex characters, political battles for power, and my personal favorite, moral ambiguity. Oh and dragons! Can’t forget that. Definitely, recommend if you’re looking for an awesome fantasy series!

“You lie even to yourself. Now that is the mark of a fool.”

5 out of 5 stars

★★★★★

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Buy Eon:

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Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf | Book Review

May 6, 2018May 6, 2018 ~ mybookacademy ~ Leave a comment

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

Page Count: 400
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Witches
Publication Date: June 5th 2018

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.
Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.
Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.
So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.
Winner takes the loser’s heart.
Literally.

–Possible Spoilers! Read at your own risk!–

“I am no flower to be ravaged at your whim, angry wolf—I am your hunter, bow cocked and ready. I am a Heartless.”

I THOUGHT THIS WAS A STANDALONE.

spoiler alert: this is not a standalone

Okay not going to lie, this book was a bit cliché and predictable plot wise (you can tell from the blurb who’s probably going to get together), but honestly it was buckets of fun.

Bring Me Their Hearts is filled with killer, heart stealing witches, mischievous royalty, magic and swords and pretty dresses and so much witty and sarcastic humor.

The story follows Zera who is a Heartless, bodyguards to whatever witch cut out their heart to keep preserved in a magical jar, as she infiltrates court life in an attempt to steal the heart (literally) of the Prince in order to stop a war and obtain her freedom.

There is some nice world building with a complex history of past wars and religions and kings. It was interesting to learn the hidden world of the court with all its lies and deceits.

“Does he keep count? Does his number haunt him as my own haunts me?”

I really enjoyed Zera’s character even if she was a bit over the top and extra. She’s so hilarious, I love her dry, witty humor, and though she may be heartless she is so filled with heart and empathy.

She uses dark humor in uncomfortable and awkward situations in order to cope, which I found super relatable.

Prince Lucien and Malachite were a bit cookie-cutter, in my opinion, but honestly, I don’t even mind because they were both just so absolutely charming and hilarious.

Malachite was kind of the typical “guard-best-friend” type who treats the prince differently and tells Zera of all the ways he treats her differently from the suitors etc. etc.

“T’ragan him af-artora, af-reyun horra: As we all should be, but as we all cannot be.”

However, he was also sassy and funny as hell and I found him adorable. I really loved learning about the Beneather culture and language.

Lucien was your typical “arrogant-bored-prince-that’s-actually-a-huge-softy”, and again, it was fine. I still liked him. He has his flaws, he makes his mistakes, but he genuinely cares for his people and that’s very admirable.

Many of the characters are complex and interesting and just so charming. I loved all the friendships with all its witty banter, and the instructor-esque relationship filled with mutual respect and eventual love.

“Allow me to impart a bit of wisdom from my teacher; a blade is a blade—no matter who wields it, it can still cut.”

There’s some sexism, but there were also a ton of powerful women, some who carried swords and some who were strong in all different types of ways.

“This city is afraid. And fear turns the wisest and kindest men stupid and cruel.”

The witches are not all inherently bad, the Heartless are not only just raw flesh-eating monsters, the King is not completely a heartless villain, nor do I believe that of the Archduke even if I dislike him very much.

“Killing only makes more hate, and the world’s got enough of that right now.”

The book poses the question of monstrosity and what it means to be a monster. In this society there is so much morally grayness. It is filled with people who were wronged, and people who would do practically anything to avenge those they love even at the cost of their own humanity.

The people at court are horrid, and do horrid things to those below them and even to each other, but at the end of the day, they are all people just trying to survive.

BUT THAT FREAKING ENDING! I am so upset, I hate cliffhangers and now I’ll be forced to wait probably more than a year for the next one.

Totally recommended if you’re looking for a super young adult fantasy read! It had a semi-predictable plot, and I wouldn’t go into it expecting anything new or particularly mind-blowing, but the characters are lovely and their relationships are complex and wonderful.

It’s entertaining and filled with humor, and I had a lot of fun reading it. I am so excited to see how the series progresses!

“What’s worse, Reginall—to be a monster, or to make monsters?”

Disclaimer: A huge thank you to the publishers for sending me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and all quotes used are from the ARC copy and might change in the final version.

4 out of 5 stars

★★★★/5

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The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon | Book Review

March 22, 2018March 29, 2018 ~ mybookacademy ~ Leave a comment

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Page Count: 348
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Publication Date: November 1st, 2016

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

–Possible Spoilers! Read at your own risk!–

“The thing about falling is you don’t have any control on your way down.”

Okay wow. When I imagined writing this review I did not expect it to go like this, but I finished the Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon and I actually really enjoyed it.

Now I’m going to be 100% real with you, the romance? It was alright.

I like my romance to be the slowest of slow burns, I want to be tortured by how slow it is, I want to melt by the time it finally happens.

And this book is the opposite of slow burn, but despite that I really liked it anyway.

The underlying story about family and friendship, and racism and the struggles of being an immigrant really connected with me.

“I wonder if she realizes how passionate she is about not being passionate.”

I really liked Natasha’s character, we are so similar in so many ways, realists (*cough* cynics) through and through. I loved how passionate she was about physics.

“Because it doesn’t matter what I say. People take one look at me and believe what they want.”

Daniel’s struggle with his family’s racism and his struggle with identity reminded me so much of myself. That being said, my family isn’t quite as bad as him, no one is forcing my to be a doctor, but the whole section of “you should marry a Asian American girl/boy”. Oh yes. That is my family.

Daniel and I are honestly nothing alike, not like me and Natasha, but when he was talking about his struggle with identifying himself to others my heart went out to him.

“My parents think I’m not Korean enough. Everybody thinks I’m not American enough.”

He is a Korean born in America. You try to be both and you can never be enough of either. You try to be one, but you can never change how others perceive you.

Nicola Yoon captured that feeling, that helplessness so well, for one can never change what others think of you, especially if it has to do with something superficial like your race.

“I don’t believe in love.”
“It’s not a religion,” he says. “It exists whether you believe in it or not.”

Natasha and Daniel really connected with me. Maybe not their relationship and their love, but definitely their characters.

The Sun is Also a Star is a perfect young adult novel for people who want to know what it’s like to be an immigrant in America. To any Asian American you will find a small part of yourself in Daniel.

I loved the “A History” chapters, Irie and Half-Life being my favorites. I loved reading side character point of views, those were really fun.

I do think a much more romantic person than me would have enjoyed this book even more than me, but I am so happy to say I quite liked it.

A whole lot more than Everything, Everything at least.

Her romances aren’t really for me, but I cannot deny that Nicola Yoon’s writing is just so lovely and wonderful.

I think this just goes to show how not liking one book by an author doesn’t mean you can’t like another! I am happy I gave this book a shot because I was really pleasantly surprised, which is nice.

“We are capable of big lives. A big history. Why settle? Why choose the practical thing, the mundane thing? We are born to dream and make the things we dream about.”

Overall, this was a really cute and fun novel that touched on some really tough topics. I loved the diversity, and I still cannot believe most of the book takes place over the course of a day.

If you’re a romantic you’ll definitely enjoy it, and even if you’re not, the story is also one that deals with family, identity, and morality, which I personally really enjoyed.

Also, can I just say I love the title for this book? So fitting and perfect.

“Most poems I’ve seen are about love or sex or the stars. You poets are obsessed with stars. Falling stars. Shooting stars. Dying stars.”
“Stars are important,” I say, laughing.
“Sure, but why not more poems about the sun? The sun is also a star, and it’s our most important one. That alone should be worth a poem or two.”

4 out of 5 stars

★★★★/5

–

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Reading Preferences and How I’ve Changed as a Reader | Let’s Chat!

January 29, 2018February 4, 2018 ~ mybookacademy ~ Leave a comment

Let’s talk about reading preferences and how we’ve changed as readers.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how much my reading preferences have changed throughout the years.

Just recently I finished Brave, the last book in the Wicked trilogy, by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Long story short, I didn’t really like it.

And it just got me thinking that if I had read it back in 2013 when I first got into the community side of reading, I would have probably loved it.

I think it was a strong case of ‘it’s not you, it me.’

I like to think that over these past few years I’ve grown a lot as a reader and as a reviewer.

I used to only read heterosexual romances.

Before anyone says it, no it was not because I used to be a homophobic asshole. I may not understand relationships or sexual attraction all that well, but I know for a fact people should be allowed to love whomever they want and you can fight me on it.

There is this fantastic quote in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda that states it so well:

“Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it shouldn’t be this big awkward thing whether you’re straight, gay, bi, or whatever.”

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I am not a big fan of labels, but default blanket stating that me or everyone in the world is “straight” is an ignorant way of viewing the world.

But I digress, I mainly read heterosexual romances because I genuinely thought I would not be as invested in the relationship. I distinctly remember being recommended the book Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat and being hesitant to read it mostly because someone mentioned rape and I think I was like 15 at the time, but also because I knew it was M/M and I didn’t know if I would care about the romance enough to read it.

I really do not know why I had this mindset, but I am so glad I got over it because I ended up loving Captive Prince and Damen and Laurent. So many of my all time favorite ships, so many of my all time favorite books, feature lgbt couples whom I love with all of my heart.

I also think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I did not really know any books with non-heterosexual romances either. I will always be so eternally grateful for the Internet for helping me discover new things.

I used to lean away from books with male protagonists.

Again, like with the “only reading heterosexual romances” thing, I did not think I could relate that well to a character simply because they were male and I was female.

I think in a lot of ways I also preferred female protagonists because I wanted someone infinitely cooler and stronger than I was that I could only aspire to be. I wanted a role model to look up to.

And while I do not think there’s anything particularly wrong with preferring one protagonist gender over another, I am so happy I got over it because there are someone amazing male protagonists out there in literature.

I distinctly remember my teacher loaning me a copy A Darker Shade of Magic over the summer and me putting off reading it because I knew there was a male protagonist. And hey, look at me now, Kell Maresh is honestly now one of my all time favorite protagonists out of all the books I’ve read. I love him and I can relate to him with my entire heart and soul. He is forever ingrained into my brain.

I used to hate third person perspectives and want to read only in first person perspectives.

This is probably the biggest flip flop, which also happened around the time I read A Darker Shade of Magic and Victoria Schwab showed me how wonderful third person perspective was.

I used to absolutely dread reading third person perspectives and would actually not want to read a book if it was not in first person. The only exception I had was for Cassandra Clare books because they are fantastic.

Now, I honestly prefer all books to be in third person. I find the stories to be much more rich and more fun because it is more than just one characters brain. While first person let’s you intimately get to know the main character, you do not really get to know everyone else.

While I do not particularly mind first person, I would much rather prefer it in my contemporary novels than my fantasy novels.

I used to force myself to finish a book/series even if I was hating it.

This is a huge one for me. One I am still kind of working on.

I distinctly remember forcing myself to finish the Hush, Hush saga despite hating every minute of it and want to throw the book across the room.

I also remember rating the first book five stars because I was riding the hype and I knew everyone loved it and I wanted so desperately to love it too that I forced my brain to pretend that it did.

Not my proudest moment, I am so glad I have gotten past that.

The truth is, all of these things? None of them are really true anymore.

While I do still try to finish every book I start, I am not afraid to not finish series anymore. I did it with the second part of the Selection and the Bloodlines series. I did it with Throne of Glass and I am so glad I did because those books actually filled me with dread to read.

When a book makes you actually not want to read, do not continue reading it.

I guess what I am trying to say is, I will always be thankful to Jennifer L. Armentrout and her books for being such a critical part of my past self, but I do not think her books are for me anymore.

And I truly think that it’s okay. It’s okay for you to change and grow as a person. It’s okay for your reading preferences to be different.

It’s okay to once love a book and maybe not love it as much anymore.

Perhaps I will check out more of her books again in the future. I did quite like the Problem With Forever, but at the moment I’m done trying to force myself into devouring everything she writes.

I feel like this could possibly be taken the wrong way, but I just wanted to share this so we could all have a conversation, so let’s chat!

In what ways have you changed as a reader?

I honestly just find it so fascinating how people can change so much that revisiting old favorites just lose their appeal.

Life is complex, people are interesting, everyone is different, and I honestly think that is so cool.

What did John Green say?

“Your now is not your forever.”

I know he was talking about mental illness when he wrote that in Turtles All the Way Down, but I’d like to think it still applies.

–

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Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh | Book Review

January 6, 2018January 6, 2018 ~ mybookacademy ~ Leave a comment

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Page Count: 393
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication Date: May 16, 2017

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.
So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.
The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

–Possible Spoilers! Read at your own risk!–

“Be as swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unshakable as the mountain. And you can do anything.”

What an beautifully written book.

I fell so hard for the setting and the descriptions of food, and just the feudal Japan culture in general. I loved all the Mulan vibes. Though, minus the cross-dressing and the Asian setting, they really do not have much in common.

The plot was a bit slow, but it was filled with so many twists and turns and so much betrayal and manipulation.

“She was beginning to realize that honor did not serve her well in a den of thieves”

I love Mariko so much, she is so strong and intelligent and brave, and oh so wonderfully flawed. She is not perfect, but she goes through so much throughout the course of the book and I am very proud of her.

Okami captured my heart right at the beginning, the author tried to hide him from us by making him appear like a throwaway lazy character when Mariko first encounters him, but I was not fooled.

“I believe the stars align so souls can find one another. Whether they are meant to be souls in love or souls in life remains to be seen.”

His bond with Ranmaru was so heartwarming. The friendship and love between all the Black Clan members and their forest was magical.

There were a lot of names I struggled to keep track of. (and like five of them began with “R”?). But oh man, were the members of the Black Clan just a delight.

Despite my issues with remembering their names, all of the characters were just so intriguing. No one is as they appear to be and it is clear they are all hiding something. Kenshin is an interesting one, I feel as if his heart is truly in the right place, but I feel as if it is his honor and his fixed mindset that will cause him trouble. I am very intrigued by him.

The Emperor’s consort, Kanako was definitely raising some red flags right at the beginning, but it was the Emperor’s actual wife, Genmei who really ended up surprising me right at the end, I am very excited to learn more about her.

I did have a couple of issues with it, some of the narration lines were kind of repetitive and pretentious and some of the dialogue lines felt a bit awkward.

It was kind of like a Throne of Glass thing where everyone just kept repeating how clever and smart Mariko was and I just got slightly annoyed by it.

In addition, the magic system wasn’t really explained. I was confused as to how it worked and how some obtained abilities while others did not. I hope it is more explained in the next book.

“My heart knows your heart. A heart doesn’t care about good or bad, right or wrong. A heart is always true.”

But dang, okay, the romance? I loved the romance. It was so slow burn with so much confused sexual tension, and I loved it. So worth the wait. My heart was pounding and I was screaming.

“There is such strength in being a woman. But it is a strength you must choose for yourself. No one can choose it for you. We can bend the wind to our ear if we would only try.”

Overall, Renee Ahdieh’s writing is so wonderfully immersive, she creates beautiful characters, her worlds are atmospheric, and her romance is filled with tension and a passion that is palpable. I loved how empowering and feministic the book was. The females of this book are all so strong in their own ways. They are manipulative and wise and cunning, and I loved them so much for it.

Despite my issues, I am extremely excited to see how this story ends.

Cliffhangers are just rude though. I would like the next book now, please and thank you.

“No matter how high a man rose in life, death was the greatest of equalizers.”

4 out of 5 stars

★★★★/5

–

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Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia | Book Review

December 28, 2017January 5, 2018 ~ mybookacademy ~ 1 Comment

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Page Count: 385
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publication Date: May 30, 2017

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.
In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.
Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.
But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

–Possible Spoilers! Read at your own risk!–

“THERE ARE MONSTERS IN THE SEA.”

This book was a gigantic rollercoaster for me.

It was scary how much I related to Eliza. Of course, I will never be a talented webcomic artist, but her anxiety, her struggles with social interactions and her family not understanding, her love for fandoms and the Internet, it was so poignant sometimes that it physically hurt.

Just reading this book made me so anxious, I cried multiple times, and I had to take so many chapter breaks before I could continue on. What Eliza has to go through literally fills me with dread.

My heart was pounding and I was all sweaty just imagining it, and I just felt for her, I really did.

“I’m so tired. I’m tired of anxiety that twists my stomach so hard I can’t move the rest of my body. Tired of constant vigilance. Tired of wanting to do something about myself, but always taking easy way out.”

I could not imagine ever being in her shoes and having so many people counting on her like that.

A lot of people were saying that the book was kind of slow, but I think I loved it more because of its slow place. I will never be as artsy as her, but getting to know Eliza, being inside her head, going through all of the awful days of school, made it all the more real for me.

“Broken people don’t hide from their monsters. Broken people let themselves be eaten.”

She struggles with coping with her problems, her family does not get her, but she does not try that hard to get them to understand either.

But in a lot of ways it is because of her anxiety, in a lot of ways Eliza is an unreliable narrator because when you have anxiety sometimes it feels as if the world and everyone in it hates you more than it actually does.

The writing is so beautiful, and I loved all of the art scattered throughout the book. I am extremely curious about Monstrous Sea as well as the Children of Hypnos series. I loved how Francesca Zappia developed the idea of the expectations people have for those we admire. It was really interesting, and very stressful.

I especially loved the value placed on Internet friendships. Despite age differences and being miles apart, Max and Emmy and Eliza are true friends. I loved everything about their relationship. Max is hilarious, Emmy is adorable and they’re both just so supportive.

The only reason it is not a five star is because a character toward the end really upset me and I am still not okay with what happened.

Never force yourself to do something painful out of obligation. When the times comes and only when you are ready.

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. However I am so glad I checked it out of my library because I don’t think I could ever read it again.

It was so completely heartbreaking and lovely and beautiful, I loved the gradual sibling relationships, but the anxiety was so palpable that I just don’t think I could.

It was emotionally draining for me. It is so wonderful and rare to find a book that gets you.

But I do recommend it wholeheartedly, it truly was a fantastic and lovely book that I think anyone who has ever been a part of a fandom will love and connect with.

“She drew so many monsters that she became a monster herself.”

4.5 out of 5 stars

★★★★½/5

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My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

December 25, 2016March 13, 2017 ~ mybookacademy ~ Leave a comment

My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Young Adult, Anthology
Publication Date: October 14th, 2014

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year’s there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

–Spoiler Free!–

I don’t read many anthologies and for good reason too. It’s strange experiencing so many different writing styles contained in just one novel. But thankfully I ended up enjoying all the stories in this one. Some were obviously better than others, but all of them were a lot of fun to read!

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell
★★★★★/5

Or also known as: How to Fall in Love With Two Characters in Only Twenty Two Pages. This story was so cute, I loved it so much! Rainbow Rowell is such an amazing writer, Mags and Noel were wonderfully written and developed characters. I fell in love with them instantly and I shipped them so hard.
Such a great story to start off with, but it did set the bar pretty high with my expectations for the other stories.
I never wanted it to end. I wanted to stay with Mags and Noel forever.

“You’re a kaleidoscope. You change every time I look away.”

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link
★★★/5

This story was a bit…strange. It started off a bit slow and confusing, but I actually ended up liking it! It was very magical and nice.

“We all lose,” says an acerbic voice. “We all love and we all lose and we go on loving just the same.”

Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Peña
★★★/5

This one was kind of sad, I’ll admit I teared up a little, but I still liked it. Plus there was a cat, cats are my weakness.

“Sometimes I feel liked a shook-up bottle of soda. Like, I have all those passion that wants to explode, but don’t know where to aim it yet.”

Polaris Is Where You’ll Find Me by Jenny Han
★★★/5

I liked this one, it was unique and original, but it was way too short and open ended for me to really fall in love with it. I don’t know, I just wish it were longer. We didn’t really get to know any of the characters, which was sad because Natalie, Flynn, and Lars seem like character I could fall for.

“Flynn looks up at the sky, at the North Star above us. Polaris, it’s called. A fixed point, more accurate than any compass. You always know where you are when you look up at it. Home.”

It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins
★★★★★/5

Okay how does she do it? How does she constantly make such adorable and swoon worthy characters? I absolutely loved North, he’s such a sweetheart! He’s funny and kind and caring and I’m already swooning. I loved his and Marigold’s relationship. They’re so cute. This story was so cute. My poor little heart. I’m dead.
Their story continues in Summer Days and Summer Nights, another anthology edited by Stephanie Perkins. That one was super fabulous as well.

“That you still don’t realize I’m willing to do anything, anything to stay in your company. You don’t need to pay me.”

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan
★★★/5

Hooray for an LGBT romance! This one was really cute, but I didn’t really feel much connection to the characters. This story was definitely one of the shorter ones in the bunch, only about sixteen pages. Not much happens, but still, it was sweet and nice dealing a bit with family issues. The ending left me feeling hopeful.

“He says presents aren’t important, but I think they are–not because of how much they cost, but for the opportunity they provide to say I understand you.”

Krampuslauf by Holly Black
★★★/5

Ahhh, this story was a lot of much fun! I really liked all of the characters and could relate a little with the main one. I absolutely loved the slight magical elements added into it, and the ending was really nice and satisfying.

“He punished the naughty and rewarded the nice. Just like someone else who wore a lot of red. Scramble the letters in S-A-N-T-A and you get S-A-T-A-N.”

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman
★★★★½/5

SOPHIE AND RUSSELL ARE SO CUTE. As someone who communicates mostly in sarcasm, their humor and banter left me feeling oh so happy and giddy. Their relationship was so adorable and I never wanted to leave them. The ending was nice and left me hopeful for their future.

“Sophie wondered when was she going to learn that lots of things seem like a good idea but a small amount of analysis might uncover that such seemingly good ideas are, in fact, intrinsically faulty.”

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire
★★★/5

Another cute one! Kind of cheesy, sad at parts, relating to our main character’s family life, but it was still a nice story. Vaughn was a delight! I loved reading about all the pranks he pulled.

“Soon enough, people forget you altogether. So you do things that make them remember.”

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White
★★★★/5

This one was so adorable! I absolutely loved Ben, not only is he a complete sweetheart who genuinely loves Christmas, he can also cook. Hello dream husband. Loved his relationship and banter with Maria, those two are really good together. And while the story was super cute and fun, it also dealt with family and relationship issues that had me tearing up a bit.

“If you were a food, you’d be a gingerbread cookie. Spicy enough to keep life interesting, but with just enough sweetness to balance it out.”

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter
★★★★/5

Star of Bethlehem was such a heartwarmingly cute read! I do wish it were a bit longer and that we had more background information on the characters, but overall I really enjoyed this one and I’m hopeful for Lydia and Ethan’s future.

“But I was not in the mood to hear what I couldn’t do. The list had been too extensive for too long.”

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
★★★★½/5

This one was so magical! I loved the Dreamer, I loved all the magical gifts that he gave Neve. Laini has such a wonderful and whimsical kind of writing style. The story was very unique and interesting. I’ll definitely be checking out more of her works in the future.

“I will free you, and I will lift you. I will learn a thousand ways to make you laugh. Your smiles will be the honey in my mead, your enchantment my delight.”

3.5 out of 5 stars

★★★½

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P.S. I Like You by Kasie West | Spoiler Free Book Review

August 12, 2016 ~ mybookacademy ~ 3 Comments

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publication Date: July 26th, 2016

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?
While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she’s flustered — and kind of feels like she’s falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer — but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

–Spoiler Free!–

“Words brought us together though they almost kept us apart.
You trusted me with your secrets and then you stole my heart.”

This book was so adorable. I cannot stop smiling at all the cuteness.

“Who are you talking to?”
“Myself.”
“You do that a lot.”
“I know. I’m the only one who understands me.”

I want so badly to rate it 5 stars because of the ending alone, but alas, I cannot look past how upset the main character made me. I found Lily to be really funny and awkward. I loved her passion for music and her relationship with her family. In the beginning I really loved her, she reminded me a little of myself–an awkward person who talked to themselves occasionally, didn’t mind being alone and loved indie music–but she’s just so judgmental and it was a huge turn off for me.

“I was fine alone. Sometimes I preferred it that way.”

Especially toward a certain someone and it made me so mad because I loved him. I loved him so, so much. Gosh, he’s a total sweetheart. The last third of the book had me swooning and my heart fluttering with full on excitement.

Kasie West has always been one of my guilty pleasure reads. If anyone else besides her had written this book I most likely wouldn’t have picked it up or put it so high on my to-be-read pile.

But with her, I can’t explain it. You’ll definitely have to read one of her books to really understand what I mean. They cast a spell on you. Suddenly your normal reviewer mind just shuts off and you return to being that casual reader that reads a book simply for pure pleasure.

P.S. I Like You, The Distance Between Us, and On the Fence (still haven’t read The Fill-In Boyfriend yet, shhhh) are books that are a ton of fun. They’re cute, they’re funny, and they’re for pure entertainment. Which at the end of the day, is something everyone needs once in a while.

Will this book win a ton of literary awards? Probably not. But I don’t think it’s a book that sets out to do that either. It’s a book that makes you feel happy.

Overall, I definitely recommend you check out Kasie West’s novels! My favorite is The Distance Between Us, but P.S. I Like You was so much fun to read as well! When you feel yourself succumbing into a dreaded reading slump, I assure you they’ll pull you out of it!

3.5 out of 5 stars

★★★½

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Sea Spell (The Waterfire Saga #4) by Jennifer Donnelly | Book Review

July 29, 2016 ~ mybookacademy ~ 2 Comments

Sea Spell by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication Date: June 14th, 2016

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

At the end of Dark Tide, Book 3 in the Waterfire Saga, Astrid leaves her mermaid friends to confront her ancestor, Orfeo, the evil force behind the rise of the monster Abbadon. Orfeo possesses one of the six talismans that the merls need in order to keep the monster locked up forever. But without the ability to songcast, how will Astrid be able to defeat the most powerful mage in history? Meanwhile, Serafina and her Black Fins train goblin troops for battle against her uncle Vallerio’s death riders. Will Sera ever see her beloved home–and her beloved Mahdi–again, or will the Volneros take over the mer realms while Orfeo takes on the gods themselves? Nothing less than the fate of the underwater world is at stake in this breathtaking finale.

–Possible Spoilers! Read at your own risk!–

“Just because you failed today doesn’t mean you’ve failed forever. Falling down doesn’t mean anything. It’s staying down that does you in.”

Sea Spell was a great finale to a series that I ended up liking way more than I thought I would. It was a conclusion that was satisfying, but still left a few unanswered questions. Which I surprisingly am okay with.

“A little while ago, I lost faith in myself. It nearly did me in. You helped me swim back from the brink. Now it’s my turn to help Becca. Because if the six of us lose faith in one another, we’ve lost everything.”

My favorite aspect of this series will always be the relationships. Not necessarily the romantic ones, those I found a bit rushed and wasn’t really attached to, but the relationship between friends.

Sera, Neela, Ling, Becca, Ava, and Astrid, I loved their friendship, their sisterhood so, so much. Each girl grows up to become strong, independent women. They all had to make many tough decisions, but in the end I am so proud of each and every one of them.

“Because it’s time, Des,” she finally said.
“Time for what?”
“Time to play my uncle’s game like a queen, not a pawn.”

Serafina especially, she gets most of the development since she is the main, main character. She started off the series confused and afraid. My heart was breaking for her, but she pushes past all her insecurity and in the end becomes such a strong person, a strong leader. A real queen, and gosh I am so happy for her.

“Was love enough? Was it stronger than her uncle’s brutality, his just for power, his hatred? Was it stronger than fear? Stronger than death?”

The theme of love has always been so prominent in this series. It’s a story about love in all different shapes and sizes. A story with love between friends, allies, and family. And what it means to really risk it all for those you love.

The battle for Cerulea and the one against Abbandon were so much fun to read about! It was heart pounding and had me at the edge of my seat. I couldn’t flipping pages. Absolutely epic and so thrilling.

Oh and don’t worry, the pun game is still going strong. For example, *clears throat* “Holy silt!”
Ahhh, a book looking to catch my pun loving heart.

The epilogue leaves room for spin offs and I’m super excited to see if Jennifer Donnelly decides to expand on this world.

Overall, a really great conclusion! I ended up liking this series way more than I expected and I’m kind of sad to see it go. If you’re looking for a fun, quick, magical, fantasea read with great friendships I definitely recommend giving this series a chance!

“Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

4 out of 5 stars

★★★★

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The Cresswell Plot by Eliza Wass | Book Review

July 9, 2016February 2, 2018 ~ mybookacademy ~ Leave a comment

The Cresswell Plot by Eliza Wass

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Publication Date: June 7th, 2016

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads)

Castella Cresswell and her five siblings—Hannan, Caspar, Mortimer, Delvive, and Jerusalem—know what it’s like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict rule of God, whose messages come directly from their father.
Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. But, at school, they’re still the freaks they’ve always been to the outside world. Marked by their plain clothing. Unexplained bruising. Utter isolation from their classmates. That is, until Castley is forced to partner with the totally irritating, totally normal George Gray, who offers her a glimpse of a life filled with freedom and choice.
Castley’s world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were the only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father’s grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind. Just as she begins to form a plan, her father makes a chilling announcement: the Cresswells will soon return to their home in heaven. With time running out on all of their lives, Castley must expose the depth of her father’s lies. The forest has buried the truth in darkness for far too long. Castley might be their last hope for salvation.

–Possible Spoilers! Read at your own risk!–

“But that’s what life is like; it blinds you. It makes you think you’ll never escape. But you will. You will if you keep fighting, even if sometimes you don’t know what you’re fighting for.”

The Cresswell plot was a dark, creepy, and gripping novel that I’m still not really sure how I feel about.

It’s hard for me to review this book because I personally have very little knowledge about strict religious families, or religion at all really. I can’t tell if these children’s reactions were true to life or not, because things that seem clearly wrong aren’t wrong to them.

The Cresswell children: Castella (our narrator), Hannan, Delvive, Casper, Mortimer, and Jerusalem all listen and accept their father’s religious teachings without a second thought.

And it was scary. So scary to see them get punished for the simplest things and to accept it with only minimal acts of rebellion. So scary to see them turn on each other in fear of God or their father punishing them. It was absolutely heartbreaking.

“‘Because I can’t tell if you’re lying. I can’t tell whether you’re telling the truth or not. I can’t ever tell.'”

For some of the children, you just couldn’t tell how much they believed in what their father told them and where their loyalties lay.

“When you were living a life you hated, there was absolutely nothing worse than the people who were living the life you wanted.”

I really felt for Castley, all she wanted was to be a regular teenage girl. She could be kind of annoying and make stupid decisions, but I blame most of it on the cruel way she was raised.

“Most people, the so-called “good people,” looked that other way when we crossed the street, like my teachers never looked me in the eye when they noticed my wrists were bruised”

Also, can we talk about the fact that these children literally have ALL OF THE SIGNS of abuse (bruises, burn marks, haunted looks in their eyes) and nobody cares?

Is this what happens in real life? Because if it is, we humans need to get our act together. I didn’t think I’d need to say this, but ABUSE IS NOT OKAY. Nor can it be ignored or brushed aside. If you’re constantly seeing bruises on children, or actually know that they’re psycho father is locking them up in some weird sewer, you do something about it.

I have never been this upset with a made up town.

The ending was also a little disappointing. There were a lot of things left in the open and I still have a ton of unanswered questions. Especially about Mr. and Mrs. Cresswell, I mean I hated their father, but I was also really curious about him and his past and why he became the way he is. And I can’t forget about that mysterious carved star!