Sorry, I had to fit that in there. I’m a hopeless nerd.
Anyway, hello and welcome to the last BRT of February 2018!
This book’s a bit more predictable in terms of origin, as it is another library copy. At almost 500 pages, I gobbled it up in about two days. Not the best thing the literature universe has delivered, but definitely a fun ride. Enjoy the review!
MILA 2.0
As far as Mila knows, she’s a normal 16 year old girl, living in a tiny town in the middle of Minnesota. She lives with her single mother, after her father died in a fire in Philadelphia, where they used to live. But after an injury reveals a shocking secret, Mila realizes that she’s anything but human. Mila was an android, designed by the U.S. military to be the ultimate killer. To keep their identities a secret and their lives safe, Mila and her mother must evade the authorities in whatever way possible. But though they may run, they can never truly hide…
I’d say my book-rating scale rating would be about a 7. Hmm…6.75. Yeah, that’s fairly accurate. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. A fast-paced, action packed, and exciting novel.
I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day, and keep on posting those SW quotes and gifs!
Again, I’m home sick, (I SWEAR TO GOD, THIS COLD WILL NOT LET GO), but don’t worry-this time, I’ve got a book review!
This one’s a book I’ve been anticipating eagerly since October of last year. It’s the sequel to Scythe (If you want to see my review for that one, see 10/17/17), and boy, if the first book was mind-blowing, Thunderhead BLEW IT OUT OF THE WATER! Which, honestly, was no surprise, as Neal Shusterman is a spectacular author, but let me just warn you that the ending left me…
…how should I say this?
Speechless. Mentally unstable. Shook. DEADISH.
Alright, I had to throw in a Scythe joke in there at some point. Not sorry. Here’s your review!
No spoilers. Promise.
Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)
Since their apprenticeship, Citra and Rowan-now Scythe Anastasia and Scythe Lucifer-have gone in wildy different directions. Scythe Anastasia has remained within the Scythedom as it slowly crumbles into corruption. She knows something must be done, but everything she tries is blocked from all directions. Even with the help of her mentor, Scythe Curie, it seems that the Scythedom is doomed. Scythe Lucifer, after failing his apprenticeship, has broken off from the Scythedom, snuffing out all of the Scythes he deems corrupt. He’s now one of the most wanted people in the Scythedom, but thusfar, he has evaded them for almost a year. Through it all, Scythe Anastasia isn’t the only one with it’s eyes on the Scythedom’s path. The Thunderhead, the digital ruler of the new world, is not pleased with what it sees. But is there anything it can do?
Okay, THIS BOOK IS A MASTERPIECE. FIVE BIG FAT STARS. SOLID TEN ON MY SCALE. JEEEEEEEEEEESUS, I LOVE THIS BOOK.
(SIDENOTE-I’m pretty sure I looked like Chris Pratt here a few times while reading Thunderhead. No joke.)
Yep, I think the Arc of a Scythe series is now up there right next to The Search for WondLa and Keeper of the Lost Cities as one of my favorite book series of all time.
Well, thanks for reading, and stay warm/healthy/sane!
Yep, that’s right, everyone! Here is your promised Car Seat Headrest album review!
Let me just start this off by saying…
There is not a single bad song on this album.
Okay, that’s probably a teensy bit biased, but that’s what I’ve truly come to believe. I had bought a few songs off the original album, and they blew me away, but this re-release truly blew it out of the water. Don’t believe me? Here’s my review!
TRACK 1: “My Boy (Twin Fantasy)”-8/10
Though it’s only around two and a half minutes long, this song is a beautiful mix of simultaneous hope and poignancy, with consistancy and slowy building vocals and instrumentals. *sad smile* Aww, Will…
TRACK 2: “Beach Life-In-Death”-7.5/10
Normally, my patience for songs runs out at about eight minutes. “Beach Life-In-Death” clocks in at about thirteen. But the good thing about this song is that it’s like three different songs. The first five minutes or so have lyrics that reflect a sense of boredom and redundancy. Then, it changes to melancholy and regret, then slowly transitions back into fast-paced instruments similar to the first third of the song. Me gusta.
TRACK 3: “Stop Smoking (We Love You)”-8.5/10
This was one of the songs I initially bought off the original version of the album. A beautiful, pleading melody with a great message to top it all off. This new version backs up the instrumentals in the background a lot, making the song almost more powerful and meaningful, in some strange way.
TRACK 4: “Sober to Death”-10/10
This was the second song I bought off the original album. And OH MY GOD, Car Seat Headrest blew it out of the water EVEN MORE with the new version of this song! I loved the original the second I heard it, but this version makes me want to jump out of my chair and scream, cry, and dance. It really stirs up my soul and makes it want to burst at the very seams with pure joy. I swear I’m not overexaggerating-THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SONGS IN RECORDED HISTORY. PERIOD.
TRACK 5: “Nervous Young Inhumans”-9/10
(This is the greatest music video ever. I gotta learn Will Toledo’s little dance.)
This song was the other one that I bought off the original album. Though I miss Will Toledo’s little rant about galvanism and Frankenstein and whatnot, I loooooooove the new version of this song. The lyrics (slightly changed) are easier to understand now, and their cleverness and wit truly shines through with this track.
TRACK 6: “Bodys”-7/10
Not the best track on the album, but a fun, catchy, and at times a bit hilarious song.
Okay, I’ll admit, the first time I heard Will Toledo say “Is it the chorus yet?
No. It’s just a building of the verse…” I cracked up. No joke. It’s almost like he wanted the song to end…God, I love Will so much.
TRACK 7: “Cute Thing”-9/10
Aaaaaah! Lovelovelovelove! Such a beautiful, quirky, song-something about it feels like a sort of anthem. An Indie-Rock love anthem. Also, kudos for the They Might Be Giants references.
TRACK 8: “High to Death”-7/10
This song moves about like a lazy river, foggy and misty, almost like a kind of wistful dream. Almost beautifully melancholy, and in the slightest sense, almost dirge-like. The lyrics of “Stop Smoking (We Love You)” are hidden in there too, but they’ve been twisted a bit, which I thought was interesting. I didn’t like the random samples and looped vocals for the last two or so minutes of the song.
TRACK 9: “Famous Prophets (Stars)”-7/10
Like the track prior, “Famous Prophets (Stars)” has a dream-like quality, albeit a 16-minute long dream. It’s a pretty song, but after about around ten minutes, you kind of get the feeling like, “Jesus CHRIST, is this song ever going to end?” Like “High to Death”, there were some odd samples, and more lyrics from other songs (this time, slowed down lyrics to “My Boy (Twin Fantasy)”.
TRACK 10-“Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)”-7/10
With some lyrics borrowed from one of their older songs (“Sunburned Shirts”), more looped vocals, more brief Will Toledo musings, and an air of melancholy, regret, and almost jealousy, “Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)” makes for an interesting track. I like it about the same as I did “Bodys”. A sweet, wistful kind of song.
Just like I did with MASSEDUCTION, I averaged all of my scores for each song, and came out with a solid 8. Overall, pretty dang close to a masterpiece as far as albums go. An amalgam of melancholy, angst, hope, and poignancy that I doubt I’ll get tired of in the near future.
I hope you enjoyed my album review, and have a great rest of your day!
Hey, everyone, and welcome to the first BRT of February 2018!
Pretty much the most boring month of the year. There’s Valentine’s Day, but that’s pretty much all that goes on. Plus, Valentine’s Day is basically for stuffing yourself with overly sweet chocolates and insincere, fill in the blank cards.
*Will Toledo voice* “I’m so sick of…fill in the blank…”
Aaaaaaanyway…
PLOT TWIST-I got the following book from an internship I had at my local bookstore. I got to pick out seven Advanced Reader Copies in exchange for a review of all of them. (The best part? If I didn’t like the book, all I had to write was “Would Not Recommend”!)
It seemed that this ARC had been in there a little while, as it came out last November, I believe. But anyway, it was the first really fantastic one that I came across. Enjoy my review!
Kat and Meg Conquer the World
Though Kat and Meg are both freshmen in the same high school, they couldn’t be more different. Kat just moved, and she’s introverted and suffers from an anxiety disorder. Meg is far more extroverted, but she has ADHD and her parents just divorced. But when they’re partnered for a science fair project, they discover that they have so much more in common than they thought-in particular, their shared love of the video game Legends of the Stone, and a YouTube star who plays it. Soon, they become immersed in their LotS-oriented project, but it soon takes them down roads they’ve both never traveled before-be it a LotS convention, boyfriends, and even the YouTube star himself.
Squee! Even if you’re not a gamer, you’ll have no trouble understanding or (thoroughly) enjoying this book. Very realistic, diverse characters, fast-paced and well written, and all around fun! (Also, the back of the book said that it’s perfect for “fans of Nicola Yoon’s ‘Everything, Everything’, which I adored, so that’s a plus.)
Thanks so much for reading, and have a great evening!
Hey there, fellow bookworms, and welcome to the last BRT of January 2018?
Is it just me or did this month fly by super fast? Come to think of it, that’s probably a pretty good thing. I’m kinda tired of nuts and tide pods and Somebody Toucha My Spaghets. (The latter wasn’t even that funny to begin with.) Gah.
Anyway, I actually bought this one on my Kindle while in Florida almost a month ago. The author had a very intersting take on mythical creatures, and a society that almost revolves around them.
Okay, now I’ll get to the review before I spoil anything more!
Fairy Keeper
In the world of Alluvia, many resources come from magic and mythical creatures. One of those is fairies-not the beautiful, dainty creatures you’ve been led to believe in, but more like bees than anything-used to produce nectar. The special humans who tend for them are the Fairy Keepers, marked by a butterfly-shaped birthmark on their necks and gifted with the ability to communicate and control a hive of fairies. Fourteen-year old Sierra is one of the Fairy Keepers, but she doesn’t enjoy her sacred job. But her opinion is soon shifted when she finds all of the fairies in her hive dead and the queen missing. She soon learns that this is no coincidence-fairy hives across Alluvia have been wiped out, and every queen gone with them. Will she find the source of these mysterious deaths, and stop it before every last fairy is gone?
Though this book wasn’t outstanding, it was certainly a very interesting and inventive take on magical creatures, and an alternate world that revolves around magic itself. The characters were very realistic, and it was easier to relate with their struggles.
Thanks so much for reading, and have an amazing rest of your day!
I’ve only started to really get back into the normal routine of checking out stacks of books at the library, browsing the Kindle library when I’m waiting for my holds, picking books up after school, etcetera. I read this particular book on my Kindle during the interim of finishing a stack of libary checkouts and waiting for my other holds. I must say, it was a very interesting concept.
Now, without further ado, here’s your review!
What’s Left of Me
Eva and Addie live in an alternate version of planet Earth, in which a small percentage of the population is born a “hybrid”-a person with two souls inhabiting one body. Usually, one soul overtakes the other in early childhood, but when that doesn’t happen, the hybrid is institutionalized. Eva and Addie are a hybrid-though they hid the fact that Addie’s soul had not really dominated Eva’s. But the unimaginable happens, and she along with Hally and Lissa, and Devon and Ryan, two hybrid siblings, are now stuck in a clinic, where their other soul will be “extracted” from their bodies. Will they find away out, and keep both souls intact?
Though I would’nt say it was the best book in the universe or anything, it had a very fascinating and inventive concept, very realistic characters, and a well-thought out world and future. All in all, not at all a bad book!
Now, before I go, I’ve got two things to tell you:
Car Seat Headrest is re-releasing Twin Fantasy, (I’m listening to the “Cute Thing” re-release as we speak), and I’m considering doing a review of it.
There’s a something of a drastic surprise coming your way very soon. All I’ll say is that it has something to do with the background change.
Before I get to the acutal review, I just want you guys to know that I did do a BRT last Tuesday, but something must’ve gotten weird with the post (or I got distracted) and it didn’t post. So you kinda get two BRTs today-one was just meant for last week.
Alrighty, that aside, hey there, and welcome to today’s BRT!
This one’s from the same author as Furthermore and Whichwood (you can search those in the “Book Review Tuesday” category, the latter is fairly recent), and honestly? I can’t decide whether I like Whichwood or this novel better! So if you decide to read it, PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!
Here’s your book review!
Shatter Me
Juliette was born with an ability-some say it’s a gift, most other call it a curse. With the slightest touch of her hand, she can kill a person in seconds. After 17 years of moving to new towns, discrimination, punishment, and expulsion, the ruling Reestablishment has put her in prison with charges for murder. But now, they have other plans for her. Now, forced to be a weapon for the Reestablishment, Juliette has glimpsed the oppressed reality of the world outside her window. With the help of another soldier, she sets in motion to escape. But with the eyes of the Reestablishment all on her, will she succeed?
Before reading this (and after reading Mrs. Mafi’s other works), I went into it expecting a well-written book, but a generally overused YA dystopian plot. Both were ture. Thing is, Mafi executed it so well that it was impossible not to be utterly enthralled. What a book!
Have a great rest of your evening, everyone, and stay warm!
Hey there, fellow bookworms, and welcome to (finally) the first BRT of 2018!
Again, I’m so sorry that I was unable to do a BRT last week. That aside, I got this book from the library (no surprise there), and though it was relatively short for my taste, I loved it! Also, it’s by the same author as Scythe (See the BRT for 10/17/17), if that raises your expectations. It certainly did for me. Now for the review!
Everlost
Fourteen year old friends Nick and Allie were both killed in a car accident. But when their spirits passed on, they are not transported to where they’re supposed to be. Instead, they are now stuck in a place in between life and death. This place is Everlost, where lost children run free, with whispers of monsters and sinking into the ground to fear. Ruling over them all is Mary Hightower, who takes Nick and Allie in and teaches them all she knows. But though Nick feels that he has found a home with her, Allie seeks to know more, and above all, just wants to return home. Soon, she begins dabbling in forbidden magics, and soon discovers that Everlost isn’t as harmless as it appears…
Alright, technically this book was written around ten years before Scythe, but let me just say this: MAN, Neal Shusterman really did it again! Intricate world-building, complex characters, and just the right amount of creepy. Love it, love it, LOVE IT!!!
Before I get on with this post, I’d like to mention a few things.
Happy Holidays, guys! I hope you all are enjoying your Holiday season!
Oops. Sorry about the absence of the BRT this Tuesday. I had just gotten off the high that was Christmas Day and the thought of doing the book review never crossed my mind. I won’t be able to do a BRT 2-year anniversary post (that would have been tomorrow) nor a first BRT of 2017 for I will be in Florida once again. Sorry, guys.
Alright, I take back what I said about 2016 being the best and worst year of my life. It’s now probably just the worst. 2017 was…well…like 2016, but a little less horrible. Like last year, lots of people died, humans did a bunch of terrible things, there’s been a bunch of horrible natural disasters, and one of the best singers of all time came out with an underwhelming fifth album. (Sorry, Annie…) What I’m saying is that it’s been one heck of a ride this year. I’m glad we’ve gotten through it…well, technically, we’ve got a couple more days, but you know what I mean.
But as with 2016, there have been some truly great things that happened this year. We’ve gotten a truckload of fantastic books (Nightfall, Darkness of Dragons, Warcross, Whichwood etc.), movies (The Last Jedi, Wonder Woman, Justice League, and even though I haven’t seen it, I know this one’s going to be awesome, The Shape of Water), albums (Everything Now, Heartworms) and TV shows (Stranger Things 2). Of course, we’ve gotten meh material from all of those categories (Thor Ragnarok, MASSEDUCTION, etc.), but man, as far as some of those things go, we’ve gotten pretty lucky. Pretty lucky to have all of these amazing things, and lucky to be alive in the first place.
And this year has been a big year for me personally as well. I’ve conquered some fears, visited some astounding and eye-opening new places (the Grand Canyon and New York City), honed my drawing skills, and realized my writing potential. Also, meeting Millie Bobby Brown at Denver Comic Con was most definitely a highlight. She was such a nice person. It was such an honor to meet her. If you’re reading this, Millie, thank you so much.
Now, 2018 is just around the bend. I’ve got hopes that we’ll further rise from the ashes of years previously, strive to be brave, strong, and kind. We can try and make the world a bit of a better place. Also, we can try and hold in our excitement for Avengers: Infinity War until May. OH MY GOD, THAT TRAILER LOOKED AWESOME!
Let’s make 2018 a great year, everyone. Together. *holds out lightsaber for no apparent reason*
Hi again, everyone! So glad to be back here on this oddly warmish December day! (*State Farm commerical music* Glo-bal war-ming, bum ba dum bum bum bum BUM)
As usual, I got this gem of a book from my local library, and boy, I LOVED IT!
But before this review, I have to tell you that you shouldn’t start it unless you’ve read the previous novel in the series, Furthermore. (See Book Review Tuesday-2/21/17). Though the author gives bits and pieces of the background, I still found it far easier to understand having read the previous novel. So, you might want to go back and read my Furthermore review if you haven’t read this one, and are interested. Either way, enjoy!
Whichwood
(Okay, can we just point out first that THIS COVER ART IS A GIFT TO MANKIND? I MEAN, REALLY…👌)
Laylee lives a life of sorrow and drudgery in her small village of Whichwood. Her mother is dead, her ghost haunting her at every corner. Her father left her, driven away by grief. And Laylee has taken up his job as the village mordeshoor, or the person who washes corpses in preparation for their journey to the afterlife. To top it all off, she seems to be growing sicker by the day-her hands, eyes, and hair have grown a pale, unhealthy silvery grey. But soon, her monotonous life is shattered by two other kids, and soon, she is swept off on an adventure that she’ll never forget. Will Laylee not only be cured of her sickness, but remember what it means to enjoy life?
In contrast to its prequel, Whichwood was far darker. And honestly? I loved that! From what I remember, Furthermore was lyrically written, whimsical, but almost borderline fluff. But Whichwood really blew it out of the water, introducing newer, deeper characters, spookier elements, and even better world-building than its predecessor. Such a treat to read! Such a shame that I bought Furthermore and got this one at the library…*wipes single tear from eye*
I hope you enjoyed my review, and enjoy your evening, night, morning, or whatever time it is in your time zone!
The Bookish Mutant 