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betweentheshelves
Thomas does it once again with On the Come Up, this time tackling racism rampant in the hip hop world with teenage rapper Bri. I basically read this in one sitting on the way to Florida, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Also loved the nods to other YA books included in here! They were great.
Read my full review at between-the-shelves.com!
So many people were talking about this book at Book Con, and we got an ARC copy in at work! So, of course I had to pick it up. And oh my goodness, I'm so happy that I did. At first, I wasn't quite sure about it. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and it took me a little bit to figure out how to decipher them. But oh my, by the end. I was definitely emotionally attached to these characters.
Oh, and there was such emotion in this book! I think the character I grew most attached to was Anton. He has a past that he's running from, a past that we don't get the full story of until the very end of the book. Though, Jude might be a close second. He's trying to fulfill expectations that he's not sure he can. Possibly in love with his best friend. These characters are so fleshed out and so real, and this is one hundred percent kept me reading.
And the plot! Definitely marathoned the second half of this book because I so desperately needed to know what happened to these characters I fell in love with. I want more, Katy Rose Pool! Yes, I know the book just came out, but y'know. I need the next one now.
4.5/5 stars
So many people were talking about this book at Book Con, and we got an ARC copy in at work! So, of course I had to pick it up. And oh my goodness, I'm so happy that I did. At first, I wasn't quite sure about it. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and it took me a little bit to figure out how to decipher them. But oh my, by the end. I was definitely emotionally attached to these characters.
Oh, and there was such emotion in this book! I think the character I grew most attached to was Anton. He has a past that he's running from, a past that we don't get the full story of until the very end of the book. Though, Jude might be a close second. He's trying to fulfill expectations that he's not sure he can. Possibly in love with his best friend. These characters are so fleshed out and so real, and this is one hundred percent kept me reading.
And the plot! Definitely marathoned the second half of this book because I so desperately needed to know what happened to these characters I fell in love with. I want more, Katy Rose Pool! Yes, I know the book just came out, but y'know. I need the next one now.
4.5/5 stars
I absolutely flew through this because it's very fast paced with a lot going on. Because of that, I think it lacks a bit of development in terms of plot and character. There are a lot of good discussions happening between the characters though, and I think it will make for a good book club discussion!
Read my full review (tomorrow) at between-the-shelves.com!
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for sending me an early copy to review! Since young adult dystopian fiction is one of my favorite things, I couldn't wait to get to this book. It sounds like a mash-up of The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games, and I couldn't have been more excited. The story, the concept, and the atmosphere all worked, but the execution lacked a bit for me.
The concept and Tierney's development throughout the book were believable to me, as we learn more about the wrongdoings of society as Tierney's eyes are opened. And such a fantastic, creepy setting to boot.
What turned me off about this book was the execution. For most of the book, I was more reminded of The Lord of the Flies than anything else, with the girls turning against each other as they're trapped in the wilderness. Which is a fantastic story concept! I just wanted more insight into this society and some of the other characters. Besides Tierney, most of the side characters fell flat for me. Outside of their direct interactions with Tierney, we don't get much characterization, even for her love interest. I wanted to know more about them and see more vulnerability there.
Basically, I loved this concept, I just wish the structure was a bit different, with a stronger sense of the world overall. The creepy vibes, though, will make it a perfect October release!
3.5/5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for sending me an early copy to review! Since young adult dystopian fiction is one of my favorite things, I couldn't wait to get to this book. It sounds like a mash-up of The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games, and I couldn't have been more excited. The story, the concept, and the atmosphere all worked, but the execution lacked a bit for me.
The concept and Tierney's development throughout the book were believable to me, as we learn more about the wrongdoings of society as Tierney's eyes are opened. And such a fantastic, creepy setting to boot.
What turned me off about this book was the execution. For most of the book, I was more reminded of The Lord of the Flies than anything else, with the girls turning against each other as they're trapped in the wilderness. Which is a fantastic story concept! I just wanted more insight into this society and some of the other characters. Besides Tierney, most of the side characters fell flat for me. Outside of their direct interactions with Tierney, we don't get much characterization, even for her love interest. I wanted to know more about them and see more vulnerability there.
Basically, I loved this concept, I just wish the structure was a bit different, with a stronger sense of the world overall. The creepy vibes, though, will make it a perfect October release!
3.5/5 stars
I was wavering between giving this 3 and 4 stars because overall, I thought the book had some slower parts and also parts where Darrow annoyed me a bit. But the twist at the end made the entire book worth it, in my opinion. There's incentive to listen to the next book, which I'll definitely be doing as soon as I can!
For me, Spider-Man really shined in this. We got his snarky banter, his exhaustion. Everything. The story itself was pretty good as well, definitely starting off with a bang and not stopping.
There was just something captivating about Ben's voice in this that's so compelling. And the narrator for the audiobook absolutely brought their voice to life; I don't think I could imagine Ben's voice any other way. I was so invested in their story, and the romance in the book is to melt for. It's a very slow building romance, but also so rewarding.
The only complaint that I have about the audiobook, specifically, is that there were times where I couldn't necessarily tell if Ben was speaking out loud or if it was something they were saying internally. All the more reason to re-read the physical book, right? Right.
4.5/5 stars
The only complaint that I have about the audiobook, specifically, is that there were times where I couldn't necessarily tell if Ben was speaking out loud or if it was something they were saying internally. All the more reason to re-read the physical book, right? Right.
4.5/5 stars
An epic conclusion to a very well written trilogy--though not for the faint of heart. I loved the meta aspects of this book, and there was so much emotion included from the characters. There was humor, love, murder, action, magic--what more could you want in a book?
Read this and more reviews at between-the-shelves.com
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this to review! I had heard about the book at BookCon, and it sounded intriguing. A King Arthur retelling, gender swapped. Admittedly, I'm only vaguely familiar with the King Arthur story. But this was an enchanting retelling, nonetheless!
I'll start out by saying I can't wait to see the finished copy so I can see the finished illustrations. I think they'll definitely add a lot to the story; a magical element that's missing without the finalized art. As far as I can tell, they supplement the story really well and help to create the atmosphere Wheeler has created in the story.
Seeing familiar characters also really helps to bring the story to life. However, there were times where I found it a tad difficult to follow the story, and I wonder if it would have helped if I was more familiar with the original King Arthur. There were characters that I recognized, but I couldn't remember how they fit into the original. But, they're well-rounded characters that you're cheering for in the end, pulling you into this magical world that Wheeler has created.
After a bit of research, I've also learned that this isn't necessarily a retelling, just telling the story from a different lens. Would I have rathered a female version of King Arthur? Yes, I think so. However, I did enjoy Nimue's story, and her dedication to helping her people. She was the focal point of the book, and she shined throughout. I'm curious about the Netflix adaptation, because the overall book definitely read like a movie. It definitely lends itself to an onscreen adaptation.
There's also a lot of history in the book, which helped me to learn about the time period the book was set in. An overall enchanting story, just a bit different than I expected.
3.5/5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this to review! I had heard about the book at BookCon, and it sounded intriguing. A King Arthur retelling, gender swapped. Admittedly, I'm only vaguely familiar with the King Arthur story. But this was an enchanting retelling, nonetheless!
I'll start out by saying I can't wait to see the finished copy so I can see the finished illustrations. I think they'll definitely add a lot to the story; a magical element that's missing without the finalized art. As far as I can tell, they supplement the story really well and help to create the atmosphere Wheeler has created in the story.
Seeing familiar characters also really helps to bring the story to life. However, there were times where I found it a tad difficult to follow the story, and I wonder if it would have helped if I was more familiar with the original King Arthur. There were characters that I recognized, but I couldn't remember how they fit into the original. But, they're well-rounded characters that you're cheering for in the end, pulling you into this magical world that Wheeler has created.
After a bit of research, I've also learned that this isn't necessarily a retelling, just telling the story from a different lens. Would I have rathered a female version of King Arthur? Yes, I think so. However, I did enjoy Nimue's story, and her dedication to helping her people. She was the focal point of the book, and she shined throughout. I'm curious about the Netflix adaptation, because the overall book definitely read like a movie. It definitely lends itself to an onscreen adaptation.
There's also a lot of history in the book, which helped me to learn about the time period the book was set in. An overall enchanting story, just a bit different than I expected.
3.5/5 stars