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The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
Thank you NetGalley and Skycrape for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review!
I originally started The Rule of One back when I was first approved for it at the beginning of fall but I just was in a weird reading slump and I eventually gave up. From the description of The Rule of One is sounds a lot like the Netflix movie What Happened to Monday which I really enjoyed and had the same concept: the government is controlling population by limiting families to only having one child.
Ava and Mira are twins in the United States of America and because of that they illegal. "One child, one nation." The phrases that haunts them everyday. Alternating day by day the girls play the role of Ava Goodwin the eighteen year old daughter of the man in charge on the one child policy. After one fateful incident everything Ava and Mira spent eighteen years working on and hiding is unraveling and their only option is to run.
I really enjoyed the idea behind The Rule of One. With climate change at its height and the United States in an uproar the one child act seems like the perfect solution to over population, but really it is just another from of oppressing an already oppressed society. But no body plans what happens in the cases of multiples. I found the world to be interesting and I was eager to learn more. I do wish certain things were more clarified and made clearer but I am hoping that that will change in the following book.
I liked Ava and Mira's characters but I feel like there where times I couldn't decipher which POV I was reading from. It began to bleed together. I am not sure if this was purposely done because they are suppose to be exactly the same person and huge chunk of the book is them discovering what makes them unique and their own person.
I did feel bad for Mira at times because she was the "second twin" which is basically the unwanted one. If their mother was caught by the government while she was pregnant she would have been forced to keep Ava and give up Mira. Giving up Mira would have meant Mira would have lived in a labor camp and lived a short painful life. We watch as Mira's guilt eats at her through out the novel and how they guilt fuels her in different ways. Though I liked Ava there was times that I found her rather cold and not sympathetic to her sister. I found her to be self absorbed at times and not putting herself in Mira's shoes. Ava was the twin who was wanted, she had the microchip that made them Ava Goodwin. She got everything that Mira couldn't.
I did find The Rule of One interesting and I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but there was a 20% chunk of the book where I feel like nothing interesting happened. It felt more like filler then parts needed for the plot. This book was rather short too, less than 300 pages so 20% was a rather decent chunk.
Overall I did enjoy The Rule of One and am looking forward to see how the ending of this book is going to play out in the sequel that releases in May.
Thank you NetGalley and Skycrape for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review!
I originally started The Rule of One back when I was first approved for it at the beginning of fall but I just was in a weird reading slump and I eventually gave up. From the description of The Rule of One is sounds a lot like the Netflix movie What Happened to Monday which I really enjoyed and had the same concept: the government is controlling population by limiting families to only having one child.
Ava and Mira are twins in the United States of America and because of that they illegal. "One child, one nation." The phrases that haunts them everyday. Alternating day by day the girls play the role of Ava Goodwin the eighteen year old daughter of the man in charge on the one child policy. After one fateful incident everything Ava and Mira spent eighteen years working on and hiding is unraveling and their only option is to run.
I really enjoyed the idea behind The Rule of One. With climate change at its height and the United States in an uproar the one child act seems like the perfect solution to over population, but really it is just another from of oppressing an already oppressed society. But no body plans what happens in the cases of multiples. I found the world to be interesting and I was eager to learn more. I do wish certain things were more clarified and made clearer but I am hoping that that will change in the following book.
I liked Ava and Mira's characters but I feel like there where times I couldn't decipher which POV I was reading from. It began to bleed together. I am not sure if this was purposely done because they are suppose to be exactly the same person and huge chunk of the book is them discovering what makes them unique and their own person.
I did feel bad for Mira at times because she was the "second twin" which is basically the unwanted one. If their mother was caught by the government while she was pregnant she would have been forced to keep Ava and give up Mira. Giving up Mira would have meant Mira would have lived in a labor camp and lived a short painful life. We watch as Mira's guilt eats at her through out the novel and how they guilt fuels her in different ways. Though I liked Ava there was times that I found her rather cold and not sympathetic to her sister. I found her to be self absorbed at times and not putting herself in Mira's shoes. Ava was the twin who was wanted, she had the microchip that made them Ava Goodwin. She got everything that Mira couldn't.
I did find The Rule of One interesting and I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but there was a 20% chunk of the book where I feel like nothing interesting happened. It felt more like filler then parts needed for the plot. This book was rather short too, less than 300 pages so 20% was a rather decent chunk.
Overall I did enjoy The Rule of One and am looking forward to see how the ending of this book is going to play out in the sequel that releases in May.
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The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Teen for the opportunity to review Spectacle!
Spectacle was quite different then what I was expecting. Though I did have my issues with Spectacle, I was nonetheless blown away by Jodie's writing style and the dark themes she wrote about in her debut novel. Spectacle was a page turner with characters that were easily likable and a series of grisly murders that you couldn't help but want to know more about.
My biggest issue with this book that by the way it is described I was expecting a blood soaked murder mystery that was going to send chills down my spine. Though it do that at many points, the murders and who the murderer is seemed to be a sub plot rather then the main plot. A big part of Spectacle was Nathalie trying to piece together where she got her ability to see the murders from and uncovering secrets from her parents and aunt's past.
Spectacle had a lot of potential and at certain points it felt like it just fell short of it. Important parts of the story were brushed past and I wish Jodie had taken more time to describe the experiments that gave people their magical abilities and a deeper view into the things that led Tante down the road to an asylum. I knew enough that everything made sense, but not enough to be emotionally invested.
I really enjoyed Nathalie's growth from the start of Spectacle and to the end of it. The story takes place over a few weeks worth of time and you can gradually to see the change in how Nathalie begins to act and think towards certain things. The friendship between Nathalie and Simone warmed my heart and I found it very similar to some of my actual relationships with friends, so I was able to feel her pain when her Simone would have disagreements. I don't thing Spectacle needed a romance aspect, it worked pretty well with out it. But Jodie did tease us with Christophe and Nathalie's interactions and by the end of the novel their relationship was very up in the air.
Spectacle did end very open ended and I can see the potential for another novel about Nathalie and her adventures since not everything was clarified by the end of Spectacle. Though I didn't love Spectacle, it was an enjoyable read and I am eager to see what is in store for these characters next.
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Teen for the opportunity to review Spectacle!
Spectacle was quite different then what I was expecting. Though I did have my issues with Spectacle, I was nonetheless blown away by Jodie's writing style and the dark themes she wrote about in her debut novel. Spectacle was a page turner with characters that were easily likable and a series of grisly murders that you couldn't help but want to know more about.
My biggest issue with this book that by the way it is described I was expecting a blood soaked murder mystery that was going to send chills down my spine. Though it do that at many points, the murders and who the murderer is seemed to be a sub plot rather then the main plot. A big part of Spectacle was Nathalie trying to piece together where she got her ability to see the murders from and uncovering secrets from her parents and aunt's past.
Spectacle had a lot of potential and at certain points it felt like it just fell short of it. Important parts of the story were brushed past and I wish Jodie had taken more time to describe the experiments that gave people their magical abilities and a deeper view into the things that led Tante down the road to an asylum. I knew enough that everything made sense, but not enough to be emotionally invested.
I really enjoyed Nathalie's growth from the start of Spectacle and to the end of it. The story takes place over a few weeks worth of time and you can gradually to see the change in how Nathalie begins to act and think towards certain things. The friendship between Nathalie and Simone warmed my heart and I found it very similar to some of my actual relationships with friends, so I was able to feel her pain when her Simone would have disagreements. I don't thing Spectacle needed a romance aspect, it worked pretty well with out it. But Jodie did tease us with Christophe and Nathalie's interactions and by the end of the novel their relationship was very up in the air.
Spectacle did end very open ended and I can see the potential for another novel about Nathalie and her adventures since not everything was clarified by the end of Spectacle. Though I didn't love Spectacle, it was an enjoyable read and I am eager to see what is in store for these characters next.
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
Rating: 2.5 Stars
I met Mimi at BookExpo in 2018 and she is so sweet and amazing (and has some pretty amazing tattoos) and it easily one of my highlights of the conference. But The Girl King has sat on my bookcase since June when in November I finally decided to give The Girl King a try and I made it about 20% before I put it to the side and said I would go back to it. It sucks when you are really excited for a book and then just don't love it. Sadly that was the case with The Girl King. It is beautifully written Asian inspired fantasy that will have you immersed from the first page. But my relationship with this book is: "It's not you, it's me."
The first few chapters I was really intrigued and eager to learn what was going on. Like I said, The Girl King is beautifully written and Mimi did not spare one second on building her characters. Each POV is distinctive and you could just tell by their voice whose POV you were reading from. The world is lush and the traditions are beautiful. Mimi created two sisters who are complete and total opposites and each with motives of their own for wanting the throne.
My biggest problem was that by 50% point of The Girl King nothing much had really happen. Where the book started off nicely with world building that made complete sense, but the halfway mark my head was spinning. This totally might be a me issue and maybe with The Girl King not being the book for me. But this book is almost 500 pages long, so by pretty much 250ish pages I really wasn't sure what was going on. The time frame also jumps a lot, so in Min's POV suddenly a month has passed by but it doesn't seem like that in Lu's POV at times.
Overall I really think The Girl King just wasn't for me and it was more of a me issue then the actual book. I do encourage you to pick this book up because it does contain beautiful writing and it has been loved by so many so far. I am excited to see what Mimi is going to write after The Girl King with all things considered.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
I met Mimi at BookExpo in 2018 and she is so sweet and amazing (and has some pretty amazing tattoos) and it easily one of my highlights of the conference. But The Girl King has sat on my bookcase since June when in November I finally decided to give The Girl King a try and I made it about 20% before I put it to the side and said I would go back to it. It sucks when you are really excited for a book and then just don't love it. Sadly that was the case with The Girl King. It is beautifully written Asian inspired fantasy that will have you immersed from the first page. But my relationship with this book is: "It's not you, it's me."
The first few chapters I was really intrigued and eager to learn what was going on. Like I said, The Girl King is beautifully written and Mimi did not spare one second on building her characters. Each POV is distinctive and you could just tell by their voice whose POV you were reading from. The world is lush and the traditions are beautiful. Mimi created two sisters who are complete and total opposites and each with motives of their own for wanting the throne.
My biggest problem was that by 50% point of The Girl King nothing much had really happen. Where the book started off nicely with world building that made complete sense, but the halfway mark my head was spinning. This totally might be a me issue and maybe with The Girl King not being the book for me. But this book is almost 500 pages long, so by pretty much 250ish pages I really wasn't sure what was going on. The time frame also jumps a lot, so in Min's POV suddenly a month has passed by but it doesn't seem like that in Lu's POV at times.
Overall I really think The Girl King just wasn't for me and it was more of a me issue then the actual book. I do encourage you to pick this book up because it does contain beautiful writing and it has been loved by so many so far. I am excited to see what Mimi is going to write after The Girl King with all things considered.
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
Thank you so much Delacorte for sending me a copy in the mail for review!
“Friends, enemies, I don’t think it matters anymore. The chains are just as heavy, no matter who holds the key.”
I loved Ash Princess and the ending had left me hungry for more, so I was super excited when Delacorte sent me a copy of Lady Smoke in the mail for review. I didn't not like Lady Smoke, I enjoyed seeing some of my favorite characters and seeing what they are up too. But I didn't love this book as much as I hoped too. I see so many five star reviews for this one, so I can tell that I am already the black sheep.
I think my biggest problem was that even though I do love these characters I couldn't connect with them on a personal level like I did in Ash Princess. In the first book I was super invested in Theo and Soren and Blaise and their quests. In Lady Smoke I was very bleh about my connection with them. To be brutally honest I really didn't care for the giant quest they had to go on. If I can't connect with characters I am going to have a hard time reading the book. I felt like I spent a majority of Lady Smoke dragging myself through the pages.
I really didn't like the fact that Theo has to find a husband in order to defeat the Kaiser. I get that it is a plot point to the story can move forward. But #girlpower! (Plus, I ship Theo and Soren still so the whole "Theo having to find a husband that isn't Soren" wasn't my favorite thing in the world.)
“Still, there is something to be said about someone seeing your darkest parts and accepting you anyway.”
Overall I just really didn't love Lady Smoke as much as I hoped. It did end on a cliff hanger so I am slightly intrigued on what is going to happen next. I hope the conclusion for the Ash Princess trilogy is going to be just as kick ass and amazing as the first book was.
Thank you so much Delacorte for sending me a copy in the mail for review!
“Friends, enemies, I don’t think it matters anymore. The chains are just as heavy, no matter who holds the key.”
I loved Ash Princess and the ending had left me hungry for more, so I was super excited when Delacorte sent me a copy of Lady Smoke in the mail for review. I didn't not like Lady Smoke, I enjoyed seeing some of my favorite characters and seeing what they are up too. But I didn't love this book as much as I hoped too. I see so many five star reviews for this one, so I can tell that I am already the black sheep.
I think my biggest problem was that even though I do love these characters I couldn't connect with them on a personal level like I did in Ash Princess. In the first book I was super invested in Theo and Soren and Blaise and their quests. In Lady Smoke I was very bleh about my connection with them. To be brutally honest I really didn't care for the giant quest they had to go on. If I can't connect with characters I am going to have a hard time reading the book. I felt like I spent a majority of Lady Smoke dragging myself through the pages.
I really didn't like the fact that Theo has to find a husband in order to defeat the Kaiser. I get that it is a plot point to the story can move forward. But #girlpower! (Plus, I ship Theo and Soren still so the whole "Theo having to find a husband that isn't Soren" wasn't my favorite thing in the world.)
“Still, there is something to be said about someone seeing your darkest parts and accepting you anyway.”
Overall I just really didn't love Lady Smoke as much as I hoped. It did end on a cliff hanger so I am slightly intrigued on what is going to happen next. I hope the conclusion for the Ash Princess trilogy is going to be just as kick ass and amazing as the first book was.
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
Rating: 2.5 Stars!
From the first moment I saw the cover for Everless I was immediately taken away with this book. The idea of time be bound to money and being hoarded by the wealthy was a really cool concept that I was super intrigued by. Though I did find Everless interesting I did have quite a few issues with it.
I found Jules be very bland and fit into the same cookie cutter mold of the heroine who got put into a position she didn't ask for and now she has to save her country. Only, Jules willingly went back to Everless, she sought out these answers and created many of these problems for herself. I also found her character to be super reckless and super selfish at times only caring about herself and the answers she was seeking.
The idea behind Everless is interesting: time being bound to blood in the form of coins and then being used as currency. The concept was interesting and unique and it gave the book an air of uniqueness but that was about it for me. I found the story between the Sorcerer and the Alchemist interesting and liked how Holland used a children's tale to explain the story on how blood-irons had come to be.
I feel there were plot points in Everless that were just added with no suspicion or forewarning. They kind of just popped up randomly and no one seemed to question it. Jules was super quick to not question what the letter said about her heritage. I also didn't understand the point of the queen as she really didn't have a grand role in the grand scheme of everything? I honestly thought her character wasn't needed at all. The ending was kind of predictable and I had guessed it pretty early on in the story upon the Queen's arrival and the alliances that were being made by characters. There was one character death that surprised me though and I am really sad with loosing this character.
Overall, I wasn't crazy about Everless and I am more disappointed in the story then in love with it. I'm super torn on reading the next book in this series to see what happens next because I have a strange feeling I already know, but we shall see. I did request a copy for my library so maybe when it comes in...? In the end this one wasn't my cup of tea sadly.
Rating: 2.5 Stars!
From the first moment I saw the cover for Everless I was immediately taken away with this book. The idea of time be bound to money and being hoarded by the wealthy was a really cool concept that I was super intrigued by. Though I did find Everless interesting I did have quite a few issues with it.
I found Jules be very bland and fit into the same cookie cutter mold of the heroine who got put into a position she didn't ask for and now she has to save her country. Only, Jules willingly went back to Everless, she sought out these answers and created many of these problems for herself. I also found her character to be super reckless and super selfish at times only caring about herself and the answers she was seeking.
The idea behind Everless is interesting: time being bound to blood in the form of coins and then being used as currency. The concept was interesting and unique and it gave the book an air of uniqueness but that was about it for me. I found the story between the Sorcerer and the Alchemist interesting and liked how Holland used a children's tale to explain the story on how blood-irons had come to be.
I feel there were plot points in Everless that were just added with no suspicion or forewarning. They kind of just popped up randomly and no one seemed to question it. Jules was super quick to not question what the letter said about her heritage. I also didn't understand the point of the queen as she really didn't have a grand role in the grand scheme of everything? I honestly thought her character wasn't needed at all. The ending was kind of predictable and I had guessed it pretty early on in the story upon the Queen's arrival and the alliances that were being made by characters. There was one character death that surprised me though and I am really sad with loosing this character.
Overall, I wasn't crazy about Everless and I am more disappointed in the story then in love with it. I'm super torn on reading the next book in this series to see what happens next because I have a strange feeling I already know, but we shall see. I did request a copy for my library so maybe when it comes in...? In the end this one wasn't my cup of tea sadly.
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I want to start off my review thanking Chloe @ The Elven Warrior for being the best and letting me borrow her ARC of Wilder Girls when she heard how much I wanted to read it. This book was a thrill ride from page one. Rory has a beautiful style of writing that brought the world of Raxter and The Tox alive before my eyes. This book was unlike anything I have ever read before and left chills down my spine as I read.
As I mentioned in my Teaser Review for Wilder Girls is that the idea behind this book is terrifying and really makes you think about human evolution and viruses and things that can change the course of human history. It also brings into question the issue of climate change and the disastrous effects that that can have on microorganisms. I think the science behind Wilder Girls was amazing and the development of each character and the anomalies they developed because of The Tox was amazingly done.
I really loved Hetty's character and it was easy for me to relate to her. You can see through out the story how she struggles with what is right and wrong and how she feels responsible for some of the events that happen in the novel (Even though for many of them she wasn't at fault for.) You can see how The Tox and the quarantine as well as losing her sight in one eye has put a strain on her and her relationships with the other girls. But with the quarantine and effect and the food supplies low it is easy to see how everyone is tense.
I liked Byatt's chapters for the sake we got to see what was happening after she went missing and we go a little more insight on her character. I love that Rory wrote her POV as fragmented and with a lot of repeated language. It showed through the pages her hysteria and desperation and as well as her confusion in being in this situation. We learn also that Byatt is a master manipulator and that it is one of the reasons her parents sent her to Raxter. Byatt's use of manipulation actually causes someone to become infected with The Tox.
Though Hetty and Reese's sexuality isn't explained in Wilder Girls, it is a female/female romance. I loved that Rory didn't make it a cookie cutter romance that so many other young adult books fall victim too. The romance between Reese and Hetty is flawed and complicated. It isn't perfect, but essentially love is never going to be 100% perfect all the time. The actions that Hetty had to take in certain parts of Wilder Girls put a strain on their budding romance. By the end of the novel their relationship is very open still, but I like to think that they were able to work through the ordeal on Raxter island and continue their relationship.
*Slight spoilers in this paragraph!*
Wilder Girls was left really open ended and I can see the potential for another book. But at the same time the book had a haunting atmosphere and that's the sort of note on how this book ends. Do these girls live? What exactly is going to happen to Byatt? Do they cure The Tox? There are a lot of questions but it is also up to the reader at this point to come to these conclusions. To me they get rescued and there is a cure, Hetty is reunited with her family and Reese goes with her and Byatt reverts back to her bubbly self. But that is me and I am excited to see how other readers are going to interpret that.
Overall, I really loved Wilder Girls and I can't wait to read any of Rory's future novels. Her writing is a breathe of fresh air in the young adult genre. Wilder Girls is a book that is a must read for 2019 and is a fabulous debut novel.
I want to start off my review thanking Chloe @ The Elven Warrior for being the best and letting me borrow her ARC of Wilder Girls when she heard how much I wanted to read it. This book was a thrill ride from page one. Rory has a beautiful style of writing that brought the world of Raxter and The Tox alive before my eyes. This book was unlike anything I have ever read before and left chills down my spine as I read.
As I mentioned in my Teaser Review for Wilder Girls is that the idea behind this book is terrifying and really makes you think about human evolution and viruses and things that can change the course of human history. It also brings into question the issue of climate change and the disastrous effects that that can have on microorganisms. I think the science behind Wilder Girls was amazing and the development of each character and the anomalies they developed because of The Tox was amazingly done.
I really loved Hetty's character and it was easy for me to relate to her. You can see through out the story how she struggles with what is right and wrong and how she feels responsible for some of the events that happen in the novel (Even though for many of them she wasn't at fault for.) You can see how The Tox and the quarantine as well as losing her sight in one eye has put a strain on her and her relationships with the other girls. But with the quarantine and effect and the food supplies low it is easy to see how everyone is tense.
I liked Byatt's chapters for the sake we got to see what was happening after she went missing and we go a little more insight on her character. I love that Rory wrote her POV as fragmented and with a lot of repeated language. It showed through the pages her hysteria and desperation and as well as her confusion in being in this situation. We learn also that Byatt is a master manipulator and that it is one of the reasons her parents sent her to Raxter. Byatt's use of manipulation actually causes someone to become infected with The Tox.
Though Hetty and Reese's sexuality isn't explained in Wilder Girls, it is a female/female romance. I loved that Rory didn't make it a cookie cutter romance that so many other young adult books fall victim too. The romance between Reese and Hetty is flawed and complicated. It isn't perfect, but essentially love is never going to be 100% perfect all the time. The actions that Hetty had to take in certain parts of Wilder Girls put a strain on their budding romance. By the end of the novel their relationship is very open still, but I like to think that they were able to work through the ordeal on Raxter island and continue their relationship.
*Slight spoilers in this paragraph!*
Wilder Girls was left really open ended and I can see the potential for another book. But at the same time the book had a haunting atmosphere and that's the sort of note on how this book ends. Do these girls live? What exactly is going to happen to Byatt? Do they cure The Tox? There are a lot of questions but it is also up to the reader at this point to come to these conclusions. To me they get rescued and there is a cure, Hetty is reunited with her family and Reese goes with her and Byatt reverts back to her bubbly self. But that is me and I am excited to see how other readers are going to interpret that.
Overall, I really loved Wilder Girls and I can't wait to read any of Rory's future novels. Her writing is a breathe of fresh air in the young adult genre. Wilder Girls is a book that is a must read for 2019 and is a fabulous debut novel.
This is the first graphic novel I have ever read and I blew through it in a little more then a half hour. Though the story line is a little strange I am interested to see what is going on