Posted in Book Review Tuesday, Books

Book Review Tuesday (10/8/19)-DEV1AT3

Hey there, fellow bibliophiles, and welcome to today’s Book Review Tuesday!

 

As I hinted in a few previous posts (namely this one…), I read Jay Kristoff’s DEV1AT3 last week. And the final verdict?

It’s even better than LIFEL1K3. Ten times more action, intrigue, witty quips, and gritty sci-fi fun. In no way did this book disappoint.

(For my review of LIFEL1K3, click right here!)

 

Enjoy this week’s review!

 

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DEV1AT3 (LIFEL1K3, #2)

After the battle at Babel, a rift has come between Lemon Fresh and her former best friend, Eve, who is now the opposite of who she thought she was. What’s more, she’s been separated from her only allies, Ezekiel and Cricket. And to top it all off, Lemon has just realized that she’s a Deviate: a human born with unique powers. Hers? Manipulation of electricity and machines.

But her new status has placed a target on her head, and Lemon must pit a desparate escape–from those who she thought were her friends, and the ever-vigilant Brotherhood, keen on slaughtering any and all Deviates.

Unbeknownst to her, Cricket has been captured and nearly brainwashed by the Brotherhood, and on the brink of being turned into a killing machine. His only hope is in Abraham, the disenfranchised son of Sister Dee, the enigmatic leader of the Brotherhood.

Will the ragtag gang reunite in time to save themselves?

 

 

It always stresses me out when characters I love are separated. But in DEV1AT3, I immensely enjoyed seeing where all of their paths (okay, mostly Lemon and Cricket) took them. With Evie out of the picture, we got so much more development of many of the characters that took a backseat in LIFEL1K3, which was not only much-needed, but an absolute joy to experience.

I’m having trouble coming up with any criticisms for this book. Even better than its predecessor, packed with the perfect amount of Kristoff’s signature writing and wit. DEV1AT3 is everything that I enjoyed about book 1, and then some; the deeply-layered world-building, the endearing characters, and the witty yet insightful writing. At this point, I’m DESPERATE for a sequel.

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Jay Kristoff has confirmed that this series will be a trilogy (no suprise there…), but book 3 is, as of now, untitled. Sigh…

 

 

Thank you so much for reading this review! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and keep on reading!

 

Posted in Books, Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (10/7/19)-Under the Dusty Moon

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. If you want to participate, it’s simple: just pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

I’ve started to do a (safe and bookish) version of Russian Roulette when it comes to these TBR picks. My list grows longer every day, and as a result, I often forget hundreds (yes, hundreds) of books that pile up on my TBR. This was one of them…hopefully it’ll be good!

Without further ado, let’s begin!

 

GOODREADS MONDAY (10/7/19)–UNDER THE DUSTY MOON by Suzanne Sutherland

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Blurb from Goodreads:

She’s with the band, whether she likes it or not.

Victoria Mahler is the sixteen-year-old only daughter of rocker Micky Wayne, whose band, Dusty Moon, took the world by storm when Micky was just a teenager. The band broke up under mysterious circumstances, but, after years spent off the road being a mom, Micky’s solo career is finally starting to take off.

When an offer to tour Japan falls into her mom’s lap, Vic is left to spend the summer under the care of her distant grandmother, and without her built-in best friend. Fortunately, a boy with a secret geek side and a group of feminist game-makers save the season, and Vic starts to see herself as her own person, out from under her mother’s shadow.

But when Micky finally comes home — with a poorly chosen boyfriend in tow — all bets are off. Will Vic be able to maintain her newfound sense of self amidst the building thunder of Micky’s second chance at stardom? And through it all, will Micky still really be her best friend?

 

So why do I want to read this?

If done well enough, I thoroughly enjoy contemporary novels involving music. As some of you have gathered, I’m almost as big of a music nerd as I am a book nerd, so when a well-done, music-centric novel comes along, I’m sure to be engaged.

From what I’ve gathered, it seems similar to Sarah Nicole Smetana’s The Midnights, which I found to be fairly well-written and executed. The lowish rating on Goodreads worries me slightly (3.07/5), but hey, don’t judge a book by it’s rating. I mean, Spare and Found Parts  has a 3.53, and I’d give it all the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Anyway, that was a little off-topic. Essentially, what I’m hoping for in Under the Dusty Moon is a solid and emotional novel, with as many highs and lows as your favorite rock song.

 

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great rest of your day, and take care of yourselves! Stay tuned for a Book Review Tuesday tomorrow, and some more book tags to come! 😉

 

Posted in Book Tags, Books

I Dare You Tag

Hey there, everyone!

A Little Haze Book Blog  recently posted this tag, and though I wasn’t specifically tagged, they encouraged their followers to do this tag if they wanted to. I thought it’d be a fun tag, so here we go!

 

What book has been on your shelf the longest? 

Hmm. That’s a pretty hard one…

My brother handed down at least four or five Roald Dahl books to me when I was in elementary school, so they all hold the title. Among them are The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Witches.

 

What is your current read, your last read, and the book you’ll read next?

I’m currently reading Jay Kristoff’s DEV1AT3, which I’m IMMENSELY enjoying! (For my review of book one, click here.)

I finished reading Rainbow Rowell’s Wayward Son a few days ago. (My review for that is here!)

I’m not sure what I’ll read next, but I have a few books on hold at the library that I’ll probably pick up on Friday. 😉

 

What book did everyone like, but you hated?

I’ve probably got a few examples up my sleeve, but I absolutely despised (and DNF’d) Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen. UGH. Everybody’s comparing it to Shatter Me and X-Men, but…just another tropey, unoriginal, and poorly written YA dystopian novel trying to be the next Hunger Games. I wish I could un-read that one.

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What book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t? 

Hmm…probably One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McMannus. Everyone’s been pestering me to read it, and maybe I will someday, but…well…everybody and their sibling has it on hold at the library, and I’m not much of a mystery person anyway.

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What book are you saving for retirement?

Assuming this planet doesn’t go up in flames before I’m of retiring age (aHEM…)…

You know? Maybe I’ll just get more into Tennyson’s poetry. I already have a little collection of his, but I feel like that kind of atmospheric, lyrical poetry is ideal for sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch as the sun sets.

Last page: read it first, or wait until the end?

Wait until the end, most definitely. Of course, I accidentally read part of the last page more often than not, because I like to figure out how long the book is…oops.

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Which book character would you switch places with?

Maybe Alina from Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy.Grisha magic certainly has its perks.

(Read my review of Shadow and Bone here!)

 

Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life? (Place, time, person)

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein always makes me think of the late September-October period of my freshman year of high school. Sitting in English class, snuggled up under a cozy blanket, fog, seeing the showing of the National Theatre adaptation of Frankenstein at the movie theater…ah…

 

Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way.

The most *interesting* one I can think of is my copy of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. I got it from my school library; they had taken out some books that weren’t circulating much anymore, and I had heard some good things about it, so I took it home.

 

Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person?

…not that I can think of…

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Which book has been with you most places?

Anything from the Search for WondLa trilogy. They were my favorite books for a while (and I still consider them incredible novels), and so they’ve probably been taken to at least three other states besides my own.

 

Any “required reading” you hated in elementary school that wasn’t so bad two years later?

I enjoyed *most* of the books I read around that time, but I do remember feeling ambivalent about Orvis. I haven’t re-read it since, but I’ve been meaning to for a little while.

 

Used or brand new?

I prefer brand-new, but I could go for used, depending on the condition.

 

Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

Nope.

Come to think of it, the name doesn’t even ring a bell.

 

Have you seen a movie that you liked better than the book?

The ones that stand out most to me are Fantastic Mr. Fox and the How to Train Your Dragon movies.

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Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry? (Cookbooks included)

I know I’ve experienced the feeling, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. Sorry…

Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

Without question, my mom. I wouldn’t have gotten into Rainbow Rowell without her, so I’ll always be in her debt after that. 😉

Is there a book out of your comfort zone (outside of your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving?

I’d have to say All Out of Pretty by Ingrid Palmer. We’re reading it for my book club this month, and though I was a little hesistant about it, I found it to be an incredibly moving and powerful novel. But be warned–it’s a rough ride in every sense of the phrase.

 

Aaaaaand that just about wraps it up!

I tag:

 

Thank you so much for reading! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

 

 

 

Posted in Books, Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (9/30/19)–Sawkill Girls

Happy Monday, everyone! September’s almost over…but SPOOKY TIME COMMENCES TOMORROW! REJOICE!

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Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by Lauren’s Page Turners ; all you need to do to participate is to pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and tell everyone why you want to read it. 🙂

 

Without further ado, let’s begin, shall we?

 

GOODREADS MONDAY (9/30/19)–SAWKILL GIRLS by Clare Legrand 

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Blurb from Goodreads:

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.

He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.

Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.

Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.

Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.

 

So why do I want to read this?

I’ve been an on-and-off fan of Clare Legrand’s for a while; I loved Some Kind of Happiness (read my review here) and The Year of Shadows, though I wasn’t crazy about Foxheart. I figured that Clare Legrand’s creepy prose would be absolutely haunting in a YA format, so naturally, I’ve been wanting to read this for a while. It’s had the dreaded ‘All Copies in Use’ marker on my library’s website for months [single tear slides down cheek], so I haven’t been able to read it. Hopefully my luck will change soon.

I’ve also heard Sawkill Girls compared to Stranger Things, which is one of my FAVORITE SHOWS, so I’m really hoping this one won’t disappoint.

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Thank you so much for reading this! Have a great rest of your Monday, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Book Review Tuesday…and S P O O K Y  T I M E 🎃

 

Posted in Book Tags, Books

The Productivity Book Tag

Whoa, look at me! Baby’s first book tag! 😄 I was tagged by A Little Haze Book Blog, and I’m so excited to join in the fun!

Let’s lay out the rules for those who participate:

And most importantly…

  • Have fun! 🙂

 

Alright, here goes nothing!

 

PLANNING-A BOOK THAT IS COMPLETELY THOUGHT OUT

The Smoke Thieves–Sally Green

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There isn’t a place in this novel where I couldn’t find evidence of incredible attention to detail. And the world building…I couldn’t even dream of laying out something as intricate as that!

Read my review here: The Smoke Thieves

 

FOCUS–A BOOK THAT KEPT YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION

Aurora Rising–Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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This. Book.

I swear, I think I shaved off around 300 pages in a single sitting the first time I read this. And honestly? I could’ve gone on longer if I hadn’t had to…y’know…eat…[ahem]

An absolute gem of a novel.

Read my review here: Aurora Rising

 

DELEGATING–A BOOK THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIES

Last of Her Name–Jessica Khoury

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Although the conclusion was perfectly satisfying, I absolutely adored the galactic setting, and all of the alien fauna. I would have loved to explore this world more, be it in a sequel or a spin-off.

Read my review here: Last of Her Name

 

SMALL GOALS–A BOOK UNDER 150 PAGES THAT YOU LOVED

Fahrenheit 451-Ray Bradbury

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Okay, I’ll admit, I kinda cheated here. The edition I read was 159 pages…oH, scANDaLOuS…

Anyway, Ray Bradbury. ‘Nuff said. [mic drop]

 

PEAK HOURS–A BOOK/SERIES YOU CAN ONLY READ AT A CERTAIN TIME

Undead Girl Gang–Lily Anderson

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I read Undead Girl Gang in the middle of summer, but it’s definitely best read around Spooky Time™️, what with witches, zombies and whatnot. [blasts the entire soundtrack to The Nightmare Before Christmas from a boombox]

Read my review here: Undead Girl Gang

 

LISTS–A BOOK YOU FINALLY CROSSED OFF YOUR TBR

Red Rising–Pierce Brown

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Finally crossed off my TBR…but at what cost?

Unpopular opinion: eh…I liked Red Rising, but I found it to devastatingly overrated. Far too derivative of The Hunger Games, in my opinion.

 

PROACTIVE–A BOOK THAT IS/WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME

1984-George Orwell

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I know, I know, this is rather cliche choice. But in the current political climate (especially in the U.S.), it’s far more relevant than I’d like it to be. Let’s face it: we’re living through a terrifying part of history.

 

DECLUTTER–A BOOK/SERIES THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD UNREAD

Smokeless Fire–Samantha Young

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GOD. Where to begin with this one…

I fell into the trap of buying this one on my Kindle, as soon as I saw that it was only 0.99. Let’s just say you’re getting what you’re paying for; highly predictable plot, writing that practically begs for an editor, and a cast of cliched and disgustingly unlikable characters. I hate to say it, but…this is more Dumpster Fire than Smokeless Fire.

Oop. That last one was kind of low-hanging fruit, sorry…

 

MULTITASKING–BOOKS YOU READ AT THE SAME TIME

Two Dark Reigns–Kendare Blake

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Alright, sorry, I’m cheating a little bit on this one as well. I swore off reading multiple books at once sometime before middle school, so I can’t recall any specific books before then. But, I read this around the same time I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (probably my favorite book, personally) for an English project, so I *suppose* this counts.

Read my review here: Two Dark Reigns

 

I TAG…

 

Thank you so much for reading! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves! I promise I’ll get my blog format presentable sometime in the near future…

 

Posted in Books, Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (9/23/19)-Crown of Coral and Pearl

Would you look at that! I didn’t forget Goodreads Monday this week! 😀

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Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by Lauren’s Page Turners ; all you need to do to participate is to pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and tell everyone why you want to read it.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

GOODREADS MONDAY (9/23/19)-CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL by Mara Rutherford

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Blurb from Goodreads:

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

 

So why do I want to read this?

Simple. I’m desperate for a good mermaid book.

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Sorry, I had to slip this in somewhere.

Okay, maybe it’s not exactly a mermaid book, but it seems like a good execution of the concept of undersea kingdoms. If all goes well, it sounds like Crown of Coral and Pearl has a lot of political intrigue and some interesting world building. I’m not expecting another Smoke Thieves, but here’s hoping that we’ll get *something* as good as that.

And let me elaborate on the whole “desperate to read a mermaid book” thing. I haven’t read a book in years that has executed the concept of mermen well. Case in point: Jennifer Donnelly’s Deep Blue. Avoid this one at all costs; the mermaids were uncreatively designed, as was the kingdom. And, there was the unrealistic dialogue and the onslaught of awful puns that the author seemed to think that we were going to take seriously. Just stoooopppp. Ally Condie’s Atlantia has a similar plot to Crown of Coral and Pearl, but it fell into a nearly identical trap: corny dialogue, cardboard characters, etc. So yeah, I really need a good mermaid book. Soon. Right now. 🅱LEASE?

Crown of Coral and Pearl came out a little under a month ago, so here’s hoping I can find it and read it soon! 🧜‍♀️

 

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great rest of your day, and take care of yourselves! I’ll be back tomorrow for this week’s Book Review Tuesday, and I’ve also been (discreetly) tagged in my VERY FIRST BOOK TAG…so I’ll be getting to that soon as well! (Thanks A Little Haze Book Blog !)

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Books, Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (9/2/19)-Starswept

Oooh, a new thing! Surprise, surprise!

 

Goodreads Monday is a fun, weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners . I learned about it through A Little Haze Book Blog , so thank you to both of you! (Wonderful blogs, by the way, please check them both out)

It’s pretty simple: if you want to do this as well, just go through your Goodreads TBR list, pick a book, and explain why you want to read it. I figured it’d be a fun thing to try out, and a chance to…y’know…make the book-related portion of my blog more than just reviews. 😉

Without further ado, madelinetodd.com’s first Goodreads Monday!

 

GOODREADS MONDAY (9/2/19)–STARSWEPT by Mary Fan 

 

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Blurb from Goodreads: 

Some melodies reach across the stars.

In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.

A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.

When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music.

But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous. Her quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.

 

So why do I want to read this?

 

Those who know me fairly well know that I’m eternally itching for a good sci-fi novel. At this point, I’ve had to let go of the fact that a good 80% of sci-fi aliens in YA are almost completely humanoid, so I’m willing to see if the execution of the Adryil is good or not. Hopefully the factor of their telepathy will make it better; that, at least, seems somewhat original.

What I’m really intrigued about, however, is the music aspect of this story. As both a sci-fi and music nerd, I’m excited to see both of these components woven together. It seems like it’ll be an atmospheric novel full of flowery prose, but you never know. Anyway, I haven’t been able to get my hands on it (I almost bought in on my Kindle a few months back, but along with everything else I had, it ended up being a bit too expensive with the others), I look forward to reading Starswept. 😉

 

Thank you so much for reading! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and stay tuned for another Book Review Tuesday tomorrow!

Posted in Books, Geeky Stuff, Holidays, Movies, Music

2018

Whew.

The past 2 or so years have both been dumpster fires, and that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Mostly 2016, but you know what I mean.

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And this year?

Weeeell…I wouldn’t quite go so far to say that it was good, but it was less of a dumpster fire. You get my drift?

I’d be lying if I said that 2018 was easy. I had to face many daunting obstacles, make some difficult transitions, and come to terms with some truths about myself. But you know what? I managed to overcome those challenges, and I bet that you were able to do the same with yours. But if we look past all that we’d like to forget about this year, parts have been pretty awesome. I got to have so many new and wonderful experiences (Chicago, Sequoia National Park), discovered LOADS of new and spectacular books (some notable 2018 releases included Heart of Iron, Thunderhead, Honor Among Thieves, A Conspiracy of Stars, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik, and a few others), some amazing films (Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, The Crimes of Grindelwald, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Antman and the Wasp, and I haven’t seen Aquaman but I’ve heard that it’s great), incredible music (Lush, Twin Fantasy, etc.) and much more. Of course, we’ve had some not-so-great moments in those respects (The Light Between Worlds, Venom, etc.), but overall, it’s been alright. And regardless of what kind of year we had in 2018, we’ve got a lot to look forward to in 2019.

I saw a meme the other day that was kind of hopeful, however silly it was.

 

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Fingers crossed. 

 

And I’m really hoping that this will be the way things are. If it gets too bad, I’ll just remember that Dark Phoenix, Avengers: Endgame, Soul of Stars, Honor Bound, King of Scars, and An Anatomy of Beasts are in our futures. So let’s try to make 2019 the inverse of 2016, everyone. Make it good. 🙂

 

Posted in Books, Movies

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Movie review)

Hey, everyone, and happy Labor Day!

 

Let me just start off by saying that I didn’t have the highest expectations for this movie. I read all three of the books in Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series earlier this year (not review, but well loved by yours truly), and I didn’t want the movie to drastically change from the book, as all too many YA adaptations have in recent years. (Looking at you, Love, Simon…fantastic book, but way too much changed between the book and the movie…😬) The trailer really didn’t do anything to ease my suspicions.

Then it came out a few weeks ago, and it seemed to be getting some positive reviews. About two weeks after its initial release, my mom and I decided to watch it on Netflix. And I’m happy to say that the movie adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before exceeded my expectations!

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For the most part, I felt like they did a great job of staying true to the book. No unexplained characters that didn’t exist in the books, hardly any deviation from the plot, all the good things. They nailed all of the characters. No kidding. Nailed them.

 

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Let’s start off with Lara Jean. Her portrayal was spot-on, down to the little details. Not to mention, I loved all of those perfect lil outfits she put together. Absolutely adorable. A+, Netflix. Thank you.

Also, kind of unrelated but kind of not, throughout the movie, I had this feeling at the back of my head that I recognized her from somewhere else.  It wasn’t until the end of the movie that I realized…

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…JUBILEE!

She was so adorable! I wish we’d gotten more of her and all of her wonderful, neon 80’s-ness. Maybe we’ll see more of her in Dark Phoenix. Or maybe not. But I kinda want to see more of her. I mean, the only time we got to see her powers was in the deleted mall scene (which, by the way, is totally worth it to watch).

 

Now, back on topic.

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They TOTALLY NAILED Kitty. I mean, they captured all of her hysterical sass and charm. Oh, my goodness. I missed lil Kitty.

Overall, I liked Margot, though I felt like she was slightly more of a jerk than she was in the books. Also, I imaged her with a bob and straight-ish bangs. Kind of like a younger version of Jenny Han’s original author photo, come to think of it. Weird, I know, but that’s just my brain. Don’t judge me.

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I felt that Josh and Peter were also pretty spot-on, mostly how I imagined them in the books. Peter had always gotten on my nerves in the books (Really, Lara Jean? You chose him? Out of everyone? God…), and he got on my nerves in the movie, so…I guess that was a good sign? Kinda? 🤷‍♀️

Also, this might have just been me, but…did Peter and Josh look eerily alike? For the first twenty minutes, I had a bit of trouble distinguishing between the two of them…

 

Aaaaanyway, they pretty much nailed most everything. My only major problem was the ending.

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I…just don’t remember if it even happened in the book. And even if it was, it felt really forced. Like, no, this is not Lara Jean and Peter. This is over-the-top, corny, Hollywood chick-flick material. No. Stop. Just act normally. Please. Oog.

 

But as I said, overall, a great movie. I was happy to see that they’d done just enough justice to the original series, and it was an all-around, cute and feel-good movie. Perfect for Saturday afternoons and whatnot.

 

I hope you’ve had a good long weekend, and enjoy the rest of your day! I’ve got the first BRT of September 2018 coming up tomorrow, and I’ve got a couple more posts planned out for the near future. So stay tuned, everyone!

 

Posted in Books

Book Review Tuesday (6/12/18)-Honor Among Thieves

Hey, everyone, and welcome to this week’s Book Review Tuesday!

 

I discovered this book (and a few other noteworthy ones which I might review later) on an article about YA book to read after watching Solo: A Star Wars Story. I later picked it up at the library, and…

MAN, THIS HAS TO BE THE BEST BOOK I’VE READ SINCE THUNDERHEAD. THUNDERHEAD. (If you want to see my review for that wonderful book, check out 2/20/18). Nearly solid 5 star rating. I rated it at about a 4.75 on Goodreads, which would probably end up at a 9.5 on my personal book-rating scale. Such a wonderful, clever, and original sci-fi book. *sniffles and further regrets getting this book at the library* Okay, here’s your review!

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Honor Among Thieves

Over 100 years in the future, mankind has discovered that it is not alone in the universe. Many have come face to face with the Leviathan, but Zara Cole never thought she would. After her latest misconduct, Zara, a runaway and a criminal, thinks she has landed in rehab for the last time. But unexpectedly, she is chosen to become an Honor-a human chosen by the Leviathan to join them on their expeditions to travel to the farthest corners of the known universe. Glorified and glossed over by the media, Zara is initially supsicious of the program. She joins up with Beatriz, her fellow Honor, and Nadim, their partner Leviathan. But once their journey begins, they discover secrets about the Honor program that are best kept hidden…

 

OH MY GOD.

I absolutely adored Honor Among Thieves. I can completely understand why this was picked for the Solo article-not only is this partially reminiscent of Star Wars, but Zara Cole is very Han Solo-ish herself. Her development, along with that of the other main characters, was what I most enjoyed about this book. On top of that, the intricate world-building, the banter and connection between the three main characters, and much more (including a BEAUTIFUL illustration at the front of the book *swoons*) made for a spectacular book.

On Goodreads it says that this is #1 in a series, but I’ve found no information about the sequel and when it comes out. This book came out in February 2018, so that means I’ll have to wait a year or two for the next installment to come out…

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That, and the sequel to Defy the Worlds, the next Arc of a Scythe book…

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Ah, such is the tragic life of a bibliophile.

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the review! Have a wonderful rest of your day!