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allthatissim
Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages
See All the Stars was no less than a movie or a show. I went into reading this without any expectations or pre-knowledge and it totally surprised me. I loved this book.
This story is about Ellory, a senior year student, and her life in Junior year. The book is basically written in two parts (not divided into two parts). The first part is about the present life of Ellory in senior year and second part talks about her past as a junior year student. Both the parts are well connected and we get to see the interlinks between past and present and also how Ellory’s past affected her present life decisions.
Ellory’s life in junior year was perfect. She was part of a group of 4 girls along with Ret, Bex, and Jennie. Ret was kind of mastermind of the group and she manipulated everyone as per her wish. I totally get the vibes of Pretty Little Liars here. Remember Alison from that group? Yeah, I resonated Ret with Alison so much. Ellory always felt as if she was favorite of Ret. When Matthias enters into Ellory’s life, her frequency changes with her friends as she wanted to spend more time with her boyfriend. But at that time too, she was closest to Ret and shared every secret to her. But she later finds out that this is not true with Ret, however.
Kit Frick has perfectly unveiled the events of pasts along with the present day scenes. I really liked the writing style of the author. The author has portrayed many serious topics in this book like parental neglect, unhealthy friendships, drug abuse among others. Making a story with all kind of issues is not always easy but the author has perfectly captured the whole essence of troubled teen lives.
This story is hugely based on characters and no character is perfect. Every one of them is flawed and complex. Ellory is a relatable character who loves art and working with metal and her dream is to get admission in her dream college in an art program. She is an only child with loving, protective parents. When Ret becomes her friend, Ellory is like a blank slate who is willing to be transformed by Ret’s in order to get her total attention. Her decisions were affected by Ret’s perspective. I loved how realistically this friendship was depicted.
Ret has a negligent mother and her life is twisted in its own way. She like to control everyone in their friendship group. Jenni is fond of cooking and always arranges night-out at her place but her parents also were almost out-of-focus. Matthias family was twisted and he never allowed Ellory to enter in his life. Basically, none of the families were portrayed as happy or good and maybe that’s because we get to see so many issues with those teens.
The biggest lesson that this story gives is how to work on hard things and how to fight your fears. You should be capable enough to learn from your own mistakes and should learn to forgive yourself. This story tells how one action of someone can cause the reactions which were never meant to happen in the first place.
The ending of the novel is the biggest point for it. Basically, the ending has two twists. While the first twist was predictable from the mid of the book itself, I never thought about the second twist. It was a total surprise for me and finally was a factor that made me like this book even more.
Though the story was entertaining and suspense was quite good, I felt as if it was little long and was kind of dragged out. I think that sometimes the past was moving too slowly and the book could have been much shorter. Also, the romance was not the strongest point of the story. I never shipped Matthias and Ellory. From the beginning itself, their relationship felt too rushed and forced. Matthias never seems that interested while Ret was trying to prove her importance to him.
Overall, this book is a complex and captivating read which definitely has the potential to keep the readers hooked till the end. The writing of Kit Frick is really good and with the complex and layered characters, she has added a magic to the story. The final twist was definitely worth waiting. This book makes you feel connected to Ellory and her emotions on so many levels. I was really impressed with this story and I hope to read more from [a:Kit Frick|7210822|Kit Frick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1499480938p2/7210822.jpg] in the future.
** Thank you to the author and McElderry Books for providing me the ARC in exchange for an honets review.
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See All the Stars was no less than a movie or a show. I went into reading this without any expectations or pre-knowledge and it totally surprised me. I loved this book.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-“
“I took the one back to you.
This story is about Ellory, a senior year student, and her life in Junior year. The book is basically written in two parts (not divided into two parts). The first part is about the present life of Ellory in senior year and second part talks about her past as a junior year student. Both the parts are well connected and we get to see the interlinks between past and present and also how Ellory’s past affected her present life decisions.
Ellory’s life in junior year was perfect. She was part of a group of 4 girls along with Ret, Bex, and Jennie. Ret was kind of mastermind of the group and she manipulated everyone as per her wish. I totally get the vibes of Pretty Little Liars here. Remember Alison from that group? Yeah, I resonated Ret with Alison so much. Ellory always felt as if she was favorite of Ret. When Matthias enters into Ellory’s life, her frequency changes with her friends as she wanted to spend more time with her boyfriend. But at that time too, she was closest to Ret and shared every secret to her. But she later finds out that this is not true with Ret, however.
"I wanted only this, the four of us together, but Ret said nothing ever happened, and Ret Johnson was the sun. Hot, bright, at the center of our universe. That we revolved around her was simply a fact."
Kit Frick has perfectly unveiled the events of pasts along with the present day scenes. I really liked the writing style of the author. The author has portrayed many serious topics in this book like parental neglect, unhealthy friendships, drug abuse among others. Making a story with all kind of issues is not always easy but the author has perfectly captured the whole essence of troubled teen lives.
This story is hugely based on characters and no character is perfect. Every one of them is flawed and complex. Ellory is a relatable character who loves art and working with metal and her dream is to get admission in her dream college in an art program. She is an only child with loving, protective parents. When Ret becomes her friend, Ellory is like a blank slate who is willing to be transformed by Ret’s in order to get her total attention. Her decisions were affected by Ret’s perspective. I loved how realistically this friendship was depicted.
Ret has a negligent mother and her life is twisted in its own way. She like to control everyone in their friendship group. Jenni is fond of cooking and always arranges night-out at her place but her parents also were almost out-of-focus. Matthias family was twisted and he never allowed Ellory to enter in his life. Basically, none of the families were portrayed as happy or good and maybe that’s because we get to see so many issues with those teens.
The biggest lesson that this story gives is how to work on hard things and how to fight your fears. You should be capable enough to learn from your own mistakes and should learn to forgive yourself. This story tells how one action of someone can cause the reactions which were never meant to happen in the first place.
The ending of the novel is the biggest point for it. Basically, the ending has two twists. While the first twist was predictable from the mid of the book itself, I never thought about the second twist. It was a total surprise for me and finally was a factor that made me like this book even more.
Though the story was entertaining and suspense was quite good, I felt as if it was little long and was kind of dragged out. I think that sometimes the past was moving too slowly and the book could have been much shorter. Also, the romance was not the strongest point of the story. I never shipped Matthias and Ellory. From the beginning itself, their relationship felt too rushed and forced. Matthias never seems that interested while Ret was trying to prove her importance to him.
Overall, this book is a complex and captivating read which definitely has the potential to keep the readers hooked till the end. The writing of Kit Frick is really good and with the complex and layered characters, she has added a magic to the story. The final twist was definitely worth waiting. This book makes you feel connected to Ellory and her emotions on so many levels. I was really impressed with this story and I hope to read more from [a:Kit Frick|7210822|Kit Frick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1499480938p2/7210822.jpg] in the future.
** Thank you to the author and McElderry Books for providing me the ARC in exchange for an honets review.
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As a debut novel, [a:Reesha Goral|16056784|Reesha Goral|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479405766p2/16056784.jpg] has done a great job. This is a very good read and a quick one. The story is entertaining and intriguing and leaves the reader with more questions and expectations as each chapter ends. Though it took sometime for me to get a grip on the story, but once I was in, I just wanted to keep reading it.
**
[b:The Servant Boy: A Rags to Riches Novel|32926729|The Servant Boy A Rags to Riches Novel|Reesha Goral|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478710681s/32926729.jpg|53512021] is a story about Zayne, a mulazim(servant). It depicts his journey of becoming rich from poor. Zayne has faced tough situations during his childhood and adult life. And in the meantime, his city has been facing an epidemic which is also affecting his life and Saidpur's.
Between his personal life and the epidemic his found a best friend and who changes his life. His friend believes in him and recognizes his talent and because of his hard work and the friend, Zayne becomes rich. His life changes. But still he was not happy as people around him were dying due to the epidemic. Along with his friends he tries to find the solution and he succeeded and thus make Saidpur free from this unknown epidemic.
**
This book was heavy on emotions and it depicts the relationship of Zayne with various persons very simply during his phases of poorness and richness. You can imagine yourself there. The Pakistani cultural element was also very good. Though I am Indian so I easily related with each local word written, but for other people also, who are interested in multi-cultural knowledge, this is a great read to learn it.
I main thing that I liked about this is that its a fast read. There was not even a single part which was stretched. For eg., Even if Zayne is thinking something, that was also just up to the mark. Nothing was exaggerated.
I enjoyed it very much as the story was fresh. But why I gave it a star less is because, I didn't liked the fantasy element in the end, it ended too quickly. I felt that the reason should have been something different for the ending. As it was a simple mutli-cultural story from the beginning, it should have remained so in the end also. I thought that this fantasy element was not needed, hence the rating.
Overall, it is a great read, and I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in reading about some different culture. And definitely I am waiting for some work from [a:Reesha Goral|16056784|Reesha Goral|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479405766p2/16056784.jpg] soon.
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**
[b:The Servant Boy: A Rags to Riches Novel|32926729|The Servant Boy A Rags to Riches Novel|Reesha Goral|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478710681s/32926729.jpg|53512021] is a story about Zayne, a mulazim(servant). It depicts his journey of becoming rich from poor. Zayne has faced tough situations during his childhood and adult life. And in the meantime, his city has been facing an epidemic which is also affecting his life and Saidpur's.
Between his personal life and the epidemic his found a best friend and who changes his life. His friend believes in him and recognizes his talent and because of his hard work and the friend, Zayne becomes rich. His life changes. But still he was not happy as people around him were dying due to the epidemic. Along with his friends he tries to find the solution and he succeeded and thus make Saidpur free from this unknown epidemic.
**
This book was heavy on emotions and it depicts the relationship of Zayne with various persons very simply during his phases of poorness and richness. You can imagine yourself there. The Pakistani cultural element was also very good. Though I am Indian so I easily related with each local word written, but for other people also, who are interested in multi-cultural knowledge, this is a great read to learn it.
I main thing that I liked about this is that its a fast read. There was not even a single part which was stretched. For eg., Even if Zayne is thinking something, that was also just up to the mark. Nothing was exaggerated.
I enjoyed it very much as the story was fresh. But why I gave it a star less is because, I didn't liked the fantasy element in the end, it ended too quickly. I felt that the reason should have been something different for the ending. As it was a simple mutli-cultural story from the beginning, it should have remained so in the end also. I thought that this fantasy element was not needed, hence the rating.
Overall, it is a great read, and I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in reading about some different culture. And definitely I am waiting for some work from [a:Reesha Goral|16056784|Reesha Goral|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479405766p2/16056784.jpg] soon.
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Thank you NetGalley and ABRAMS for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review
Actual rating: 3.5/5
A truly unique book with lots of great ideas and beautiful illustrations. I have never seen any work of author [a:Grant Snider|5198410|Grant Snider|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1498058591p2/5198410.jpg] before. I went to reading this without too much expectations. But it was too good for the first time read of the author.
The books has been divided into 10 different categories: Inspiration, Perspiration, Improvisation, Aspiration, Contemplation, Exploration, Daily frustration, Imitation, Desperation and Pure Elation. Each part has its own set of comics to illustrate ideas. My favourite was The nature of ambition under Aspiration.
Each concept has been depicted very clearly and cleverly. This is really an inspirational book for all the creative people. They can get very much from it. The illustrations are too effective and they got you thinking that even illustrations can be so effective.
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Actual rating: 3.5/5
A truly unique book with lots of great ideas and beautiful illustrations. I have never seen any work of author [a:Grant Snider|5198410|Grant Snider|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1498058591p2/5198410.jpg] before. I went to reading this without too much expectations. But it was too good for the first time read of the author.
The books has been divided into 10 different categories: Inspiration, Perspiration, Improvisation, Aspiration, Contemplation, Exploration, Daily frustration, Imitation, Desperation and Pure Elation. Each part has its own set of comics to illustrate ideas. My favourite was The nature of ambition under Aspiration.
Each concept has been depicted very clearly and cleverly. This is really an inspirational book for all the creative people. They can get very much from it. The illustrations are too effective and they got you thinking that even illustrations can be so effective.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Amazon
Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages
I had some high expectations from Sincerely, Harriet considering the synopsis. But unfortunately, the actual book is quite different from what the synopsis talks about. The chronic illness angle was overshadowed by the personality disorder of the main character and that too was never addressed properly.
Sincerely, Harriet is the story of Harriet, a young Latinx girl who has recently shifted to a new city and found herself bored and lonely there. She does not know anyone in her new town and also her parents have to work overtime. Her friends from summer camp also weren’t responding to her postcards. She has an active imagination creating stories for the world around her but it was hard for her to differentiate the fact from fiction. She starts a relationship with Pearl, the older woman who lives downstairs. Pearl gave her different books to read to overcome her loneliness. She also talks about her son Nick who had been quarantined in the house during an outbreak of Polio in the 1950s. Soon we learn that Harriet suffers from MS (Multiple Sclerosis).
I loved the idea behind this graphic novel. The idea was to highlight the life of a teen with a chronic illness, but it wasn’t mentioned until half-way through the book. Also, I didn’t like the protagonist, Harriet. Her loneliness makes her a habitual liar with the poor attitude, so she’s not a likeable protagonist. But after she meets Pearl, we get to see some improvement in her attitude. She starts writing about her own experiences after she comes to know about Pearl’s son who experienced Polio.
But the format of the story itself is quite odd. Harriet doesn’t get to explain her feelings enough. Her inner feelings are often overshadowed with the other aspects of the story. Pearl gave different books to Harriet but it wasn’t clear what’s the purpose of each of the book and why those were specifically chosen for her. She doesn’t even read most of the books and we are in dark about her connection to those novels. I wish Harriet’s character was more developed. Also, I felt that the story could have been drawn out better. It ended rather abruptly, according to me.
The synopsis also hints about an “unrequited crush” but it barely showed in the story. This side was totally neglected. Harriet relationship with her parents was something I was looking forward too but I was surprised to see how it was handled. Given that Harriet had MS, her parents should have been more careful about her and should have shared a more close relationship. But they barely spent time with her. I know they had multiple jobs to do, but still having a child with the medical condition needs special attention.
The highlight of this graphic novel was definitely the art. The style was quite unique and I loved the color palette the artist has used. It perfectly sets with the sad tone of the story. It captures the various mood of the characters perfectly.
Overall, I feel that the story definitely had a great concept but the execution felt rather flat to me. If you are looking for something light to read, you can definitely pick it up and you might end up enjoying it more than me 🙂
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I had some high expectations from Sincerely, Harriet considering the synopsis. But unfortunately, the actual book is quite different from what the synopsis talks about. The chronic illness angle was overshadowed by the personality disorder of the main character and that too was never addressed properly.
Sincerely, Harriet is the story of Harriet, a young Latinx girl who has recently shifted to a new city and found herself bored and lonely there. She does not know anyone in her new town and also her parents have to work overtime. Her friends from summer camp also weren’t responding to her postcards. She has an active imagination creating stories for the world around her but it was hard for her to differentiate the fact from fiction. She starts a relationship with Pearl, the older woman who lives downstairs. Pearl gave her different books to read to overcome her loneliness. She also talks about her son Nick who had been quarantined in the house during an outbreak of Polio in the 1950s. Soon we learn that Harriet suffers from MS (Multiple Sclerosis).
I loved the idea behind this graphic novel. The idea was to highlight the life of a teen with a chronic illness, but it wasn’t mentioned until half-way through the book. Also, I didn’t like the protagonist, Harriet. Her loneliness makes her a habitual liar with the poor attitude, so she’s not a likeable protagonist. But after she meets Pearl, we get to see some improvement in her attitude. She starts writing about her own experiences after she comes to know about Pearl’s son who experienced Polio.
But the format of the story itself is quite odd. Harriet doesn’t get to explain her feelings enough. Her inner feelings are often overshadowed with the other aspects of the story. Pearl gave different books to Harriet but it wasn’t clear what’s the purpose of each of the book and why those were specifically chosen for her. She doesn’t even read most of the books and we are in dark about her connection to those novels. I wish Harriet’s character was more developed. Also, I felt that the story could have been drawn out better. It ended rather abruptly, according to me.
The synopsis also hints about an “unrequited crush” but it barely showed in the story. This side was totally neglected. Harriet relationship with her parents was something I was looking forward too but I was surprised to see how it was handled. Given that Harriet had MS, her parents should have been more careful about her and should have shared a more close relationship. But they barely spent time with her. I know they had multiple jobs to do, but still having a child with the medical condition needs special attention.
The highlight of this graphic novel was definitely the art. The style was quite unique and I loved the color palette the artist has used. It perfectly sets with the sad tone of the story. It captures the various mood of the characters perfectly.
Overall, I feel that the story definitely had a great concept but the execution felt rather flat to me. If you are looking for something light to read, you can definitely pick it up and you might end up enjoying it more than me 🙂
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Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Another book which was better than my expectations! I truly enjoyed [b:Spin the Dawn|42815556|Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, #1)|Elizabeth Lim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542674036l/42815556._SY75_.jpg|58477266] from the first page to the last. I finished the later 70% of the book in a single day and stayed up till 3 AM to finish this book. This is something which rarely happens to me. So yeah, you can guess how much I loved this. This is a tale with adventure, magic, sorcerers, demons, ghosts, quests and of course, lots of sewing.
The story is about Maia, a seamstress, who wants to be an imperial tailor but the only problem is that she is a girl and in her kingdom, girls can’t be royal tailors. But when the emperor summons her father to the court, she disguises herself as her brother and goes to the palace. There she has to compete with eleven other tailors to become the Emperor’s court tailor. But the last challenge made her go to the most difficult quest of her life. She was given the task to make three dresses to symbolise the goddess Amana’s children and for that, she had to collect laughter of the sun, tears of the moon and blood of the stars. Then there is Edan, emperor’s Lord enchanter, who knows Maia’s secret from the beginning that she is a girl. He tries to help her from the beginning and even leave with her for her quest.
I loved Maia so much. She was a strong and well-developed character. She had gone through so much but still, she was determined to improve her family’s condition and to support them in whichever way possible. I really loved how she wanted to make a name for herself by being an imperial tailor. she had been told from her childhood that she can’t be a tailor simply because she was a girl, no matter how good she was in her craft. But I loved her ferocity and her desire to earn fame.
And Edan? He was a sugar. Maia and Edan are now one of my favourite OTP. Edan was so mysterious. He never fully revealed what or who he was. As a sorcerer, he was really powerful with centuries of knowledge and magic. I loved his initial banters with Maia. He always teased her and no matter how much Maia wanted to avoid him, they became closer. I was eagerly waiting to happen something between them 😀 Their love was a forbidden one but I wanted it so badly. Their relationship arc was really good and I loved how Edan slowly opened to Maia and told her his darkest secrets. Over the pages, Edan won me over.
Another side character I really like was Lady Sarnai. I definitely want to know more about her. She was forced into an arranged marriage with Emperor Khanujin to maintain the peace between two kingdoms. She was another example to show the status of women in society, that how men treat women as prized possession no matter how much talent she has. She was really an intriguing character and I hope her past is more explored in the sequel.
The world building of the story is fantastic. The story begins with a war-torn country which was trying to recover from this tragedy. I was glad though that the author didn’t put many details of this war in the story and quickly moved to Maia’s and Edan’s adventures, in which I was completely lost. The imagery of the world that [a:Elizabeth Lim|6926374|Elizabeth Lim|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1508017352p2/6926374.jpg] has created, is really beautiful. The scenes where Maia had to go to collect laughter of sun, tears of moon and blood of stars, were done so beautifully that I felt as if I am seeing them on the screen. The concept was really brilliant.
I really want to commend [a:Elizabeth Lim|6926374|Elizabeth Lim|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1508017352p2/6926374.jpg] for her writing for it kept me glued to the pages. The writing was so beautiful that it felt like I was reading an old favourite fairytale. The addition of magic to the story created a wonderful effect.
And lastly, can we talk about the gorgeous cover? It is so beautiful. And now after finishing the story, I can see how beautifully the different aspects of the story has been illustrated on the cover. There is Maia with her magical scissors, the dress with sun, moon and stars and then there is a Hawk.
Overall, Spin the Dawn is a fun and engaging read with a strong female character that I am sure everyone would love. Maia’s love for her family and her desire to gain fame is something that comes across strongly. With Chinese legends, magical gifts, adventuring quests, and the power of love, Spin of Dawn is really entertaining. It shows what true love is how it demands sacrifices. It is a story about grief, responsibility, faith, will-power, sacrifice and magic. I would absolutely recommend this. The sequel is definitely going to be darker than this and now I can’t wait to read it.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Another book which was better than my expectations! I truly enjoyed [b:Spin the Dawn|42815556|Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, #1)|Elizabeth Lim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542674036l/42815556._SY75_.jpg|58477266] from the first page to the last. I finished the later 70% of the book in a single day and stayed up till 3 AM to finish this book. This is something which rarely happens to me. So yeah, you can guess how much I loved this. This is a tale with adventure, magic, sorcerers, demons, ghosts, quests and of course, lots of sewing.
The story is about Maia, a seamstress, who wants to be an imperial tailor but the only problem is that she is a girl and in her kingdom, girls can’t be royal tailors. But when the emperor summons her father to the court, she disguises herself as her brother and goes to the palace. There she has to compete with eleven other tailors to become the Emperor’s court tailor. But the last challenge made her go to the most difficult quest of her life. She was given the task to make three dresses to symbolise the goddess Amana’s children and for that, she had to collect laughter of the sun, tears of the moon and blood of the stars. Then there is Edan, emperor’s Lord enchanter, who knows Maia’s secret from the beginning that she is a girl. He tries to help her from the beginning and even leave with her for her quest.
“My whole life, I’d been told what I couldn’t do because I was a girl. Well, this was my chance to find out. The only thing I could do was take it.”
I loved Maia so much. She was a strong and well-developed character. She had gone through so much but still, she was determined to improve her family’s condition and to support them in whichever way possible. I really loved how she wanted to make a name for herself by being an imperial tailor. she had been told from her childhood that she can’t be a tailor simply because she was a girl, no matter how good she was in her craft. But I loved her ferocity and her desire to earn fame.
And Edan? He was a sugar. Maia and Edan are now one of my favourite OTP. Edan was so mysterious. He never fully revealed what or who he was. As a sorcerer, he was really powerful with centuries of knowledge and magic. I loved his initial banters with Maia. He always teased her and no matter how much Maia wanted to avoid him, they became closer. I was eagerly waiting to happen something between them 😀 Their love was a forbidden one but I wanted it so badly. Their relationship arc was really good and I loved how Edan slowly opened to Maia and told her his darkest secrets. Over the pages, Edan won me over.
“I dread reaching the end of my story, for it is full of knots that I haven’t had the courage to cut free.”
Another side character I really like was Lady Sarnai. I definitely want to know more about her. She was forced into an arranged marriage with Emperor Khanujin to maintain the peace between two kingdoms. She was another example to show the status of women in society, that how men treat women as prized possession no matter how much talent she has. She was really an intriguing character and I hope her past is more explored in the sequel.
The world building of the story is fantastic. The story begins with a war-torn country which was trying to recover from this tragedy. I was glad though that the author didn’t put many details of this war in the story and quickly moved to Maia’s and Edan’s adventures, in which I was completely lost. The imagery of the world that [a:Elizabeth Lim|6926374|Elizabeth Lim|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1508017352p2/6926374.jpg] has created, is really beautiful. The scenes where Maia had to go to collect laughter of sun, tears of moon and blood of stars, were done so beautifully that I felt as if I am seeing them on the screen. The concept was really brilliant.
I really want to commend [a:Elizabeth Lim|6926374|Elizabeth Lim|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1508017352p2/6926374.jpg] for her writing for it kept me glued to the pages. The writing was so beautiful that it felt like I was reading an old favourite fairytale. The addition of magic to the story created a wonderful effect.
And lastly, can we talk about the gorgeous cover? It is so beautiful. And now after finishing the story, I can see how beautifully the different aspects of the story has been illustrated on the cover. There is Maia with her magical scissors, the dress with sun, moon and stars and then there is a Hawk.
Overall, Spin the Dawn is a fun and engaging read with a strong female character that I am sure everyone would love. Maia’s love for her family and her desire to gain fame is something that comes across strongly. With Chinese legends, magical gifts, adventuring quests, and the power of love, Spin of Dawn is really entertaining. It shows what true love is how it demands sacrifices. It is a story about grief, responsibility, faith, will-power, sacrifice and magic. I would absolutely recommend this. The sequel is definitely going to be darker than this and now I can’t wait to read it.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Full Review on: FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES
I love NetGalley for giving me such gems from time to time. Spin the Golden Light Bulb is a debut novel of Jackie Yeager and what an exceptional middle-grade novel it is! I was involved in the story from the first page itself..
From the blurb, you can get that the story is set in the year 2071. This is the year when people travel by aero-car and the students are not called by their name but the number at their school. This is a story about Kia Krumpet, number 718, and her journey for chasing her dream to enter in Piedmont Inventors Prep School (PIPS) – her dream school. She studies in Crimson Elementary school where no one has ever won the Piedmont challenge. But Kia wants to win that because her grandmother Kitty was the first-ever person to win that challenge. Her grandmother was her role model from her childhood and Kia wanted to be everything like her. Kia manages to secure a place in the team to compete in the Piedmont challenge. At first, she had travel connecting with her group members but slowly they form a good friendship and move forward towards achieving their common goal.
Kia’s team is called The Crimson Five (hence the series name) because her team was the only one to have all the members from the same school. Each of them has different traits. Jax is the calm one with always a computer with him trying to research about making apps. Marianna(Mare) and Jillian are the talented girls but Marianna is the one with almost foul mood. Ander is the naughty one and later becomes Kia’s best friend. I liked how Jackie Yeager has curated the team of children, each with different hobby and passions. Though the common goal of each of them is same, they want to achieve it differently.
There were many good things for middle-grade students to learn from this book. Jackie Yeager has thrown many useful information here and there. There is a sentence when Kia is talking about pi and then she is talking about how petroleum should be saved. I think, mentioning such things were really innovative. Kia has been shown as a determined and strong girl which gives inspiration to children to be more like her and try to achieve their dreams. Children need to know that being smart and intelligent is actually a necessity in today’s world. While most of the parents force their children to be good in academics, being creative is also important.
Jackie Yeager has also told the value of friendship and teamwork through her characters. If you have good friends you can achieve any thing you thrive for and if you have a good team, no matter how bad the condition is, you will make something out of it. These are the real important traits that children these days should definitely learn. At certain moment, Kia is loosing her confidence in herself. This tells you that it is okay to have these kind of moments too. But you have to fight back and have to emerge as even stronger.
I loved the imagination that Jackie Yeager has put into the whole story. And the cherry on top is that the imagination is in fair amount. You won’t feel as if it has been over done. There were magical things like aerocars, robotic monkey, sparkling rooms to eliminate negativity, floating gameboard, hidden cameras and many more. None of these felt over the top and perfectly fit the story. I would really like to applaud the author for all this creativity and to thrive children to actually think about such amazing things. In the beginning of each chapter there are different illustrations. I really liked those illustrations. Though not all the illustrations were unique, but they beautifully captures the essence of each chapter in the book.
Final thoughts
------------------------
I am nearly 30, still I loved this middle-grade book so much. In my opinion, this is a must read for all the middle-grade children. I was amazed by the book’s inventiveness and that too in the right amount. I loved the central message that the author is trying to portray- With friendship and teamwork, you can win any day. At first, I was not ware that this is actually going to be a series. Now that I know, I can’t wait to read the sequel and to follow the Crimson Five on their next adventures.
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Full Review on: FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES
I love NetGalley for giving me such gems from time to time. Spin the Golden Light Bulb is a debut novel of Jackie Yeager and what an exceptional middle-grade novel it is! I was involved in the story from the first page itself..
From the blurb, you can get that the story is set in the year 2071. This is the year when people travel by aero-car and the students are not called by their name but the number at their school. This is a story about Kia Krumpet, number 718, and her journey for chasing her dream to enter in Piedmont Inventors Prep School (PIPS) – her dream school. She studies in Crimson Elementary school where no one has ever won the Piedmont challenge. But Kia wants to win that because her grandmother Kitty was the first-ever person to win that challenge. Her grandmother was her role model from her childhood and Kia wanted to be everything like her. Kia manages to secure a place in the team to compete in the Piedmont challenge. At first, she had travel connecting with her group members but slowly they form a good friendship and move forward towards achieving their common goal.
Kia’s team is called The Crimson Five (hence the series name) because her team was the only one to have all the members from the same school. Each of them has different traits. Jax is the calm one with always a computer with him trying to research about making apps. Marianna(Mare) and Jillian are the talented girls but Marianna is the one with almost foul mood. Ander is the naughty one and later becomes Kia’s best friend. I liked how Jackie Yeager has curated the team of children, each with different hobby and passions. Though the common goal of each of them is same, they want to achieve it differently.
Be Curious. Be Creative. Be Collaborative. Be Colourful. Be Courageous.
There were many good things for middle-grade students to learn from this book. Jackie Yeager has thrown many useful information here and there. There is a sentence when Kia is talking about pi and then she is talking about how petroleum should be saved. I think, mentioning such things were really innovative. Kia has been shown as a determined and strong girl which gives inspiration to children to be more like her and try to achieve their dreams. Children need to know that being smart and intelligent is actually a necessity in today’s world. While most of the parents force their children to be good in academics, being creative is also important.
Jackie Yeager has also told the value of friendship and teamwork through her characters. If you have good friends you can achieve any thing you thrive for and if you have a good team, no matter how bad the condition is, you will make something out of it. These are the real important traits that children these days should definitely learn. At certain moment, Kia is loosing her confidence in herself. This tells you that it is okay to have these kind of moments too. But you have to fight back and have to emerge as even stronger.
I loved the imagination that Jackie Yeager has put into the whole story. And the cherry on top is that the imagination is in fair amount. You won’t feel as if it has been over done. There were magical things like aerocars, robotic monkey, sparkling rooms to eliminate negativity, floating gameboard, hidden cameras and many more. None of these felt over the top and perfectly fit the story. I would really like to applaud the author for all this creativity and to thrive children to actually think about such amazing things. In the beginning of each chapter there are different illustrations. I really liked those illustrations. Though not all the illustrations were unique, but they beautifully captures the essence of each chapter in the book.
Final thoughts
------------------------
I am nearly 30, still I loved this middle-grade book so much. In my opinion, this is a must read for all the middle-grade children. I was amazed by the book’s inventiveness and that too in the right amount. I loved the central message that the author is trying to portray- With friendship and teamwork, you can win any day. At first, I was not ware that this is actually going to be a series. Now that I know, I can’t wait to read the sequel and to follow the Crimson Five on their next adventures.
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Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages
Star Daughter was one of my most anticipated books of the year. This contemporary fantasy based on Hindu mythology is filled with lush prose and rich magic with a well woven plot and characters, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
Sheetal is the daughter of a human dad and a star mother. Her mother has left them and now she is living with her father and is forced to hide down her silver hair by dying them. The ‘starsong’ flows through her but she is forced to ignore that. But when she can’t help herself staying away from the truth of being a star daughter, she does something that unintentionally harms her father and now she had to turn to the clouds to help him and to seek the answers to her questions.
I was happy to see how flawed and realistic Sheetal’s character was. I can relate to the decisions she made out of desperation. When she made new discoveries and get to know hidden secrets, her character justifies her uncertainty.
I loved the setting and it was probably my favorite thing of this book. It is beautiful and magical. The description of Svarglok is so realistic and I felt as if I am watching an old Hindi mythological TV serial
Star Daughter was one of my most anticipated books of the year. This contemporary fantasy based on Hindu mythology is filled with lush prose and rich magic with a well woven plot and characters, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
Sheetal is the daughter of a human dad and a star mother. Her mother has left them and now she is living with her father and is forced to hide down her silver hair by dying them. The ‘starsong’ flows through her but she is forced to ignore that. But when she can’t help herself staying away from the truth of being a star daughter, she does something that unintentionally harms her father and now she had to turn to the clouds to help him and to seek the answers to her questions.
I was happy to see how flawed and realistic Sheetal’s character was. I can relate to the decisions she made out of desperation. When she made new discoveries and get to know hidden secrets, her character justifies her uncertainty.
I loved the setting and it was probably my favorite thing of this book. It is beautiful and magical. The description of Svarglok is so realistic and I felt as if I am watching an old Hindi mythological TV serial
Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages
[b:Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon|41150325|Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon|Mary Fan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1547228964s/41150325.jpg|61584197] is a story about Anlei who wants to be a warrior like her dead father. She is with guards whose job is to protect the village from the evil spirits called Ligui, who had been mercilessly attacking her village for years. The Emperor refuses to acknowledge their suffering or send aid so it was the guards’ duty to protect the village as best as they can. But one day Viceroy Kang arrives with his mechanical dragons and fleet and saves the village from another Ligui attack. He promises to provide aid to the village from further attacks but in return, he wants the village’s magical River Pearl and one of the village girls as his bride. He chose Anlei as his bride and takes her to his city. When the River Pearl is stolen, Anlei decides to go after the thief and return it to the Viceroy so that he doesn’t break his promise to protect her village. But she never knew that by going after the thief, she will embark herself on a journey full of adventures and spirits.
Content & trigger warnings: Parental death, torture, violence, death, imprisonment
Diversity: All Chinese cast, female MC with Dyslexia, Brown side character
What I Liked
=====================
1) I loved the overall concept of the book. It is not just fantasy, rather a mix of elements. There are mechanical cyborgs, automatons, paranormal Ligui, Yueshen spirits and the River Dragon mythology. It was certainly a refreshing take and it was fun to read about a world where science and magic work simultaneously.
2)Stories with enemies to lovers trope are my favourite. Though the duo in this book were not exactly enemies, I loved their journey. The initial banter between Anlei and Tai was full of sarcasm, wit and sass and enjoyed reading their story.
3) I loved how the author has portrayed our MC, Anlei, as a strong warrior. I a world where girls were married in quite young age, Anlei was devoted to protecting her village from Ligui. She is a badass heroine, a heroine you would love.
4) It was amazing how both Anlei and Tai were devoted to their communities and were ready to do anything for them. Their love and loyalty for their family and village made them perfect for each other.
5) The pace of the story was quite good. The world-building has been introduced nicely as the story progresses. The reader doesn’t have to make an extra effort to understand the world and thus the book feels quite fast-paced. The action scenes in the story were written quite well too.
6) I loved how the author has delivered the concept of stories, that they have several versions and in each version, there could be a different hero. People modify stories as per their will. While some believe in them, for others they are just stories. For some the characters are heroes but for a few, they are mere characters.
7) I really appreciate how the romance wasn’t a large part of the story. You can tell from the first encounter of Anlei and Tai that there would be love between them, but I was glad it didn’t take the centre-stage in the story.
What I didn’t like
========================
1) I wasn’t able to understand the true purpose of Viceroy Kang, what he actually wanted. He was like a typical villain who was just power hungry. There wasn’t any real motivation. I wish his side was explored a bit more and his character was developed in a much better way.
2) I was able to predict most of the turning points, so there was no surprise element for me.
3) The title and cover don’t really relate to the story. There was no actual bronze dragon or anyone to be stronger than it. The dragons mentioned in the book were mere mechanical and were part of the Viceroy Kang’s fleet. I wish there was an actual dragon.
Overall
================
Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon has its share of flaws but still I really enjoyed it. If you love things like Asian mythology, strong and kickass warrior girls, witty banter, unique world-building, steampunk elements, magic, thieves, birth secrets and adventures, then this story is for you. Though it started as a revenge story, it is more than that. It is a story about community and family, about love and sacrifice and what it means to be the hero of our own story. It is a fast and fun standalone which will certainly entertain you.
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[b:Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon|41150325|Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon|Mary Fan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1547228964s/41150325.jpg|61584197] is a story about Anlei who wants to be a warrior like her dead father. She is with guards whose job is to protect the village from the evil spirits called Ligui, who had been mercilessly attacking her village for years. The Emperor refuses to acknowledge their suffering or send aid so it was the guards’ duty to protect the village as best as they can. But one day Viceroy Kang arrives with his mechanical dragons and fleet and saves the village from another Ligui attack. He promises to provide aid to the village from further attacks but in return, he wants the village’s magical River Pearl and one of the village girls as his bride. He chose Anlei as his bride and takes her to his city. When the River Pearl is stolen, Anlei decides to go after the thief and return it to the Viceroy so that he doesn’t break his promise to protect her village. But she never knew that by going after the thief, she will embark herself on a journey full of adventures and spirits.
Content & trigger warnings: Parental death, torture, violence, death, imprisonment
Diversity: All Chinese cast, female MC with Dyslexia, Brown side character
What I Liked
=====================
1) I loved the overall concept of the book. It is not just fantasy, rather a mix of elements. There are mechanical cyborgs, automatons, paranormal Ligui, Yueshen spirits and the River Dragon mythology. It was certainly a refreshing take and it was fun to read about a world where science and magic work simultaneously.
2)Stories with enemies to lovers trope are my favourite. Though the duo in this book were not exactly enemies, I loved their journey. The initial banter between Anlei and Tai was full of sarcasm, wit and sass and enjoyed reading their story.
3) I loved how the author has portrayed our MC, Anlei, as a strong warrior. I a world where girls were married in quite young age, Anlei was devoted to protecting her village from Ligui. She is a badass heroine, a heroine you would love.
4) It was amazing how both Anlei and Tai were devoted to their communities and were ready to do anything for them. Their love and loyalty for their family and village made them perfect for each other.
5) The pace of the story was quite good. The world-building has been introduced nicely as the story progresses. The reader doesn’t have to make an extra effort to understand the world and thus the book feels quite fast-paced. The action scenes in the story were written quite well too.
6) I loved how the author has delivered the concept of stories, that they have several versions and in each version, there could be a different hero. People modify stories as per their will. While some believe in them, for others they are just stories. For some the characters are heroes but for a few, they are mere characters.
7) I really appreciate how the romance wasn’t a large part of the story. You can tell from the first encounter of Anlei and Tai that there would be love between them, but I was glad it didn’t take the centre-stage in the story.
What I didn’t like
========================
1) I wasn’t able to understand the true purpose of Viceroy Kang, what he actually wanted. He was like a typical villain who was just power hungry. There wasn’t any real motivation. I wish his side was explored a bit more and his character was developed in a much better way.
2) I was able to predict most of the turning points, so there was no surprise element for me.
3) The title and cover don’t really relate to the story. There was no actual bronze dragon or anyone to be stronger than it. The dragons mentioned in the book were mere mechanical and were part of the Viceroy Kang’s fleet. I wish there was an actual dragon.
Overall
================
Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon has its share of flaws but still I really enjoyed it. If you love things like Asian mythology, strong and kickass warrior girls, witty banter, unique world-building, steampunk elements, magic, thieves, birth secrets and adventures, then this story is for you. Though it started as a revenge story, it is more than that. It is a story about community and family, about love and sacrifice and what it means to be the hero of our own story. It is a fast and fun standalone which will certainly entertain you.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Ko-fi |Amazon
Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
[b:Surviving Adam Meade|33949762|Surviving Adam Meade|Liveandlove10|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1506446100s/33949762.jpg|49708247] was a kind of swoony read. You know the stories where the girl is attracted to the bad boy and we all actually like that douche-faced bad guy because of his attitude though he is broken from inside? Well, yeah I basically summed up the story in two lines 😛 Except not? This story was about chasing your dreams too. I really enjoyed the book overall.
This story is about Claire Collins who has moved to a new town in her senior year, thanks to her dad who is a football coach. She is trying to forget her past and to move on. She never again wanted to fall for a guy who plays football but then she meets Adam Meade who is in the football team coached by her father. Claire just wanted to graduate and go to Auburn, her dream school but Adam Meade turns out to be an unexpected thing in her life. Adam is the star of the high school’s football team and basically the most popular guy in the school. Claire and Adam are like enemies and both get under the skin of each other. Both are stubborn and strong-willed, but what happens next is something to look out for.
What I Liked:
=> For the starters, the initial plot of the story was quite realistic. Claire moved to a new town in her final year, leaving her friends there and also faced a terrible breakup. I think this was something that most teens can relate to really well? In my opinion, the life of high-school was portrayed pretty well.
=> Adam was certainly a favorite character. He was popular and always tried to show himself as a strong person. But when he met Claire and realized that he wasn’t able to woo her by his charm like other girls, he was really irritated. But soon he started showing his vulnerable side to her.
=> Claire actually came out as a strong character. She tried to hold her life together after a messy player and to a great extent, she was able to. I really loved how she was focused on her dream school and wanted to get there on any condition. We get to see rare teens in YA these days who are actually focused on their future. I really liked how much she was motivated and determined.
=> I personally love “hate-to-love romance” trope and I enjoyed all the heated banter between Claire and Adam. Both were stubborn though they had chemistry from the beginning. What started as heated arguments and sarcastic comments, soon turns to something more passionate.
=> Apart from all the swoony things, we also get to see the various problems through which both Claire and Adam were going through. While Claire was trying to forget and her past and was trying to adjust to the new world, Adam had more things related to her family.
=> I really appreciate the author for showing the senior year challenges in a realistic way. All the challenges like filling applications, going to college visits, deciding on long-term relationships – all felt real and relevant.
What I didn’t like:
=> The biggest problem that I had with this story was its speed. It was way too fast and at times it felt as if it missed so many days and weeks in between. I felt that this book could have been a little longer to miss out some basic details. One moment it was like Monday and the next chapter was moving two weeks after. The storyline definitely felt all over the place.
=> I felt that character development was okay but it could have been better? The depth was missing from the characters. I felt that the relationship between Claire and Adam was too rushed. I wanted them to be friends first so that they know each other better, but I think within the length of the book, this was all we could have gotten.
=> The ending was not my favorite but considering that there is a next book in the series, I am hoping that the story would take a better turn.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. This can be a perfect beach-side companion or a summer read. If you love YA contemporary, definitely give this book a try! It’s a quick and engaging read that will make you laugh and smile in equal measures.
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Actual rating: 3.5 stars
[b:Surviving Adam Meade|33949762|Surviving Adam Meade|Liveandlove10|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1506446100s/33949762.jpg|49708247] was a kind of swoony read. You know the stories where the girl is attracted to the bad boy and we all actually like that douche-faced bad guy because of his attitude though he is broken from inside? Well, yeah I basically summed up the story in two lines 😛 Except not? This story was about chasing your dreams too. I really enjoyed the book overall.
This story is about Claire Collins who has moved to a new town in her senior year, thanks to her dad who is a football coach. She is trying to forget her past and to move on. She never again wanted to fall for a guy who plays football but then she meets Adam Meade who is in the football team coached by her father. Claire just wanted to graduate and go to Auburn, her dream school but Adam Meade turns out to be an unexpected thing in her life. Adam is the star of the high school’s football team and basically the most popular guy in the school. Claire and Adam are like enemies and both get under the skin of each other. Both are stubborn and strong-willed, but what happens next is something to look out for.
What I Liked:
=> For the starters, the initial plot of the story was quite realistic. Claire moved to a new town in her final year, leaving her friends there and also faced a terrible breakup. I think this was something that most teens can relate to really well? In my opinion, the life of high-school was portrayed pretty well.
=> Adam was certainly a favorite character. He was popular and always tried to show himself as a strong person. But when he met Claire and realized that he wasn’t able to woo her by his charm like other girls, he was really irritated. But soon he started showing his vulnerable side to her.
=> Claire actually came out as a strong character. She tried to hold her life together after a messy player and to a great extent, she was able to. I really loved how she was focused on her dream school and wanted to get there on any condition. We get to see rare teens in YA these days who are actually focused on their future. I really liked how much she was motivated and determined.
=> I personally love “hate-to-love romance” trope and I enjoyed all the heated banter between Claire and Adam. Both were stubborn though they had chemistry from the beginning. What started as heated arguments and sarcastic comments, soon turns to something more passionate.
=> Apart from all the swoony things, we also get to see the various problems through which both Claire and Adam were going through. While Claire was trying to forget and her past and was trying to adjust to the new world, Adam had more things related to her family.
=> I really appreciate the author for showing the senior year challenges in a realistic way. All the challenges like filling applications, going to college visits, deciding on long-term relationships – all felt real and relevant.
What I didn’t like:
=> The biggest problem that I had with this story was its speed. It was way too fast and at times it felt as if it missed so many days and weeks in between. I felt that this book could have been a little longer to miss out some basic details. One moment it was like Monday and the next chapter was moving two weeks after. The storyline definitely felt all over the place.
=> I felt that character development was okay but it could have been better? The depth was missing from the characters. I felt that the relationship between Claire and Adam was too rushed. I wanted them to be friends first so that they know each other better, but I think within the length of the book, this was all we could have gotten.
=> The ending was not my favorite but considering that there is a next book in the series, I am hoping that the story would take a better turn.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. This can be a perfect beach-side companion or a summer read. If you love YA contemporary, definitely give this book a try! It’s a quick and engaging read that will make you laugh and smile in equal measures.
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This was too cute same as its counterpart [b:A Tale of Two Mommies|12976333|A Tale of Two Mommies|Vanita Oelschlager|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328763183s/12976333.jpg|18135047]. It is the story of a boy and a girl. The boy ask her if she has two daddy's, and she in return answers all his questions.
This book is very good for children and to make them to understand in their little ages that there are some families who have two mommies and two daddies and it is perfectly normal. It is good to make children understand these things in little age.
The illustrations were beautiful. Children will love it and it will help them to engage in it. The rhyming of poetry was very good and after finishing it, there will be a cute smile on your face. :)
Thanks to NetGalley and VanitaBooks for providing this arc
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This book is very good for children and to make them to understand in their little ages that there are some families who have two mommies and two daddies and it is perfectly normal. It is good to make children understand these things in little age.
The illustrations were beautiful. Children will love it and it will help them to engage in it. The rhyming of poetry was very good and after finishing it, there will be a cute smile on your face. :)
Thanks to NetGalley and VanitaBooks for providing this arc
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Amazon