It wasn't a good decision for me to read this last night considering I have two tests today, but in my defense, it's an incredibly short book, and I still managed to study quite a bit.

I won't be writing a full review, but I'll do a little one for Goodreads right now, mostly because this book has somehow become really important to me in the less than 24 hours that I've come to know it. It's a very personal story, something that Patrick Ness obviously knew really well, and that made me feel even more connected with it than I already was. I don't want to go into the nitty gritty of why I related so much to Adam's story because at the end of the day, I have never had the same upbringing as Adam, yet I have had some of the same feelings. I will say now that this book is really heavy on internalized homophobia, especially regarding religion.

I think the sole reason this couldn't get five stars, despite how much I felt seen on the pages, despite the actual tears, was because of the sections about the murdered girl. I understood that Adam's story and her story were both about releasing themselves from prisons, in a sense, albeit both a metaphor for something else, but I didn't really enjoy the girl's sections. They didn't connect back in the ending, which really bothered me, so for that reason, it lost a star :(

I highly, highly recommend Release though. It was truly something special.

(And so far the only Patrick Ness book I've rated above three stars.)

-Book Hugger

http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

“Your emotions make you human. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. Don't lock them away. If you ignore them, they just get louder and angrier.” 

I have come to the conclusion that I will love everything Sabaa Tahir writes. A Torch Against the Night was a masterpiece and despite my traitorous memory (I read this in May), I can recall that much. The rest of this review will probably be me blubbering about emotional things and questioning everything because I happen to remember quite little about this book. Just that I never wanted it to end and there was a plot twist that killed me.

So yes, this is my ghost writing this currently. I am deceased and have been for two months. Time does not run the same in the afterlife apparently. (Or I'm just really really lazy and busy). 

ATATN picked up right where AEITA (short for An Ember in the Ashes because who has time to write that out) left off. I didn't need a second to get into it because I truly already was. Not to mention, Tahir has a special knack for trapping her readers and then spitting them out ten years later with little idea of what had happened to them. Basically, I was hooked. 

Her writing is gorgeous, too, with lines like, "So long as you fight the darkness, you stand in the light" and the one of which the title is derived from, "But you, Helene Aquilla, are no swift-burning spark. You are a torch against the night - if you dare to let yourself burn." Have I ever mentioned how much I love when titles come from quotes within the story? If not, then I'm mentioning it now. That's one way to get me to love your book...

The next is to create characters that you can feel and give them backstories that make you ache. I love Laia. I love her so much. I love Elias too. And a small part of me cares about Heline, despite her being an actually horrible human being. My one tiny little qualm here...I don't actually see Laia and Elias together. I'm hoping for the platonic friendship and nothing to ever happen between them. Personally, they do not have ANY chemistry. Maybe that's just me? I don't know. I kind of like Heline and Elias, which is probably horrible, because Heline's middle name should be "Yikes" and Elias's should be "I can do much better". She doesn't deserve him, but I've always been a fan of the friends to lovers trope. Help. I am what we call, torn. 

“It takes only a split second for life to go horribly wrong. To fix the mess, I need a thousand things to go right. The distance from one bit of luck to the next feels as great as the distance across oceans. But, I decide in this moment, I will bridge that distance, again and again, until I win. I will not fail.”

Anyway, everything about this book was fabulous, even if it did end up ripping out my heart. ALSO, WHAT IS THIS ABOUT THE NEXT BOOK BEING RELEASED IN 2018??? I CANNOT WAIT THAT LONG. TOO FAR. TOO DANG FAR. Ms. Tahir, if you see my review, I'd really love an ARC for the next one when they're available...*wink*

If you couldn't tell from this review, I highly highly recommend picking up An Ember in the Ashes and then reading this lovely, but painful, sequel. 

“Don't lock yourself away from those who care about you because you think you'll hurt them or they'll hurt you. What point is there in being human if you don't let yourself feel anything?” 

-Book Hugger

For more reviews, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

I'm not going to write a full review because it's been too long, so...

I did really enjoy this, buuuuut, there was something missing. The writing style wasn't intriguing enough and honestly, the plot wasn't all that interesting. I was mostly there for the characters and the world-building (which was really good to be honest). Also, I was there for the romance, which was REALLY well-developed. It's one of the main reasons I'm looking forward to reading The Edge of the Abyss because YA rarely has well-developed female-female relationships. Hate-to-love is one of my favorite tropes and TASU did it so well.

Also, I think this could totally be a villain-origin story, not going to lie. It read a lot like anti-heroism, which I especially liked.

This book is really, really under hyped and I definitely recommend it, even if not everything about it worked out for me. Also, seriously, that diversity is epic and treated like no big deal. WHY CAN'T ALL YA BE LIKE THIS???

-Book Hugger

Link to my actual blog: http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

Initially, The Crown's Fate felt as though it'd 100% be a 5 star read. I loved it from the beginning until the last fifteen pages, actually. And then...it disappointed me beyond belief. Up until then, it was so much darker than The Crown's Game and I felt as though I knew the characters quite well. It was amazing, in all honesty.

I'm still in shock from the ending. Everything had been built up for so long, only to come crashing down in a matter of pages. I can't go into much without giving away anything, but color me disappointed and angry. I was expecting a giant birthday cake, but instead I was given a burnt cupcake.

I don't think you should just turn away from this book because of how disappointing the ending was for me, but keep in mind that this book is really hit or miss for people. It probably would have done just fine if The Crown's Game were a standalone, if I'm being honest here. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy this, because I definitely did, I just think if it was going to end that way, Evelyn Skye might as well have ended it on an epic and ambiguous note, like the way The Crown's Game did.

Though, I am quite satisfied with how epically dark this book is. Every character has morally ambiguous motives and it's difficult to tell who's good and who's evil (unless it's Aizhana, who's pretty obviously evil). Nikolai, after the events of book one, is in a rather different state and does some rather questionable things throughout this book. He still remains as my favorite, though, because he's one of the strongest characters here. Furthermore, my love for Vika grew as she stood deliberate in her decisions and never swaying to one side easily. She was fiercely independent and strong. I loved her in The Crown's Game, but felt that I didn't know her well enough, but I think now I know her very well and she was so much more fleshed out.

Another favorite of mine with this series is the Russian setting, especially since it takes place in a historically relevant time period. My studies in AP European History were applicable and I recognized so many events!! It was really exciting for me and I loved what she did with the time period. It's also so obvious how much effort Skye put into the world-building, magic system, and making the Russian culture pop out. If only she put that much effort into an ending!

I still recommend this series, don't get me wrong, just prepare to possibly be disappointed.

-Book Hugger

For more reviews, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

The Magic Misfits is a middle-grade novel coming out November 21st that I was lucky enough to get an ARC of at Yallwest! When I picked it up, I certainly wasn't expecting to recognize the name of the author--the famous Neil Patrick Harris. Usually, I'm hesitant when celebrities write novels because a part of me believes their fame assists them in the publishing process, but I also remember that I love Chris Colfer's books, so I shouldn't be this judgmental.

In all honesty, this was rather cliché and repeated so many popular tropes, which dropped the rating. Plus, I'm not exactly in the targeted audience, as this is a middle-grade novel and I am an 11th grader, so a lot of it felt far too immature for me. However, so much of it was adorable and heartwarming that I couldn't help but enjoy it. Keep in mind, that anyone under the age of ten would probably love this. 

Harris wrote a diverse cast of characters (and there's even one in a wheelchair!) with individual personalities that stand out on page. Carter, is absolutely adorable, and I would take a million of him. Not to mention, he deserves all the hugs. I'm excited to see where Harris'll go with the characters in the future, especially because there are a few with very vague backstories that I cannot wait to explore.

In the end, this was so cute and funny, but didn't have the depth I needed in a book at the moment. But, that's really nothing on this book, and more on me being to mature and old (whoops, my bad). 

-Book Hugger

http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

Invictus is a book I was able to pick up at Yallwest, and I was so excited for it...which makes it sad for me that this was so disappointing. Of course, I loved parts of it and the concept was amazing, but the execution fell flat. In a nutshell, this book had outstanding promise, but wasn't quite what I was expecting or hoping for.

The characters were rather interesting. I liked Far and his cousin (whose name has disappeared from my memory), but the rest of the cast seemed flat. The romance was nonexistent at one point and then dropped into conversation as though I was supposed to have noticed its existence beforehand. I would have loved to have seen some development there, instead of implying it. Also, I'm a sucker for first meetings, and that never happened because they already knew each other.

Secondly, Eliot screamed "excitement", but I was so underwhelmed about her character. I knew she was important and all, but her character had nothing special about it. She had zero personality, despite attempts made to have one, and I felt really indifferent toward her.

The plot was fun, honestly, and I have never really been one for time travel, but this was the first time I actually found myself engaged in the concept of traveling through time! There were laws and a system that made 100% sense to me (for once), which I found fantastic. Though, about halfway through the novel, the interesting parts of the time travel, like the stumbles through history and "how-to lessons" fell away for spaceship and science fiction pieces. This part felt, frankly, way too much like Illuminae and Gemina, specifically the ending of the latter. What was firstly original and creative became just another sci-fi novel, messing around with the same themes and tropes of every other one. 

Overall, I was disappointed--this wasn't the crazy, historical time-travel I expected. Thankfully, Ryan Graudin's writing is fast-paced and exciting, managing to wrap her readers up in the story. The made-up curse words were kind of hilarious (and if replaced with the ones they were alluding to, it would be an excessive amount of cursing--not that I'm complaining) and I would give anything to have a red panda as a pet. I give props to Graudin for creating such a wonderfully hooking novel, but am wishing that it could have been more of what I expected. 

In my opinion, this is a situation of "it's me, not you" because I imagine there is an audience for this book. If you're less accustomed to the sci-fi genre, maybe this would be new and exciting for you. And, quite possibly, I just didn't connect with these characters--maybe you will.

-Book Hugger

Check out my blog for more reviews like this!! http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

Honestly, I should have seen that Devil's & Thieves is blurbed to be like Beautiful Creatures, because I would have gone into this with more of an expectation. To be fair, there is some promise with this book, just not promise to be anything that I would ever enjoy reading. I think I've grown out of cheesy romance books with "fantasy on the side". I loved Twilight, but this felt too similar and much messier (as if that's even possible).

We start with Jemmie, who is one of the most annoying fictional characters to ever exist, and Crowe the supposed "bad boy" who succeeds at 1-wearing leather jackets and 2-leading girls on. HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH BOYS THAT LEAD GIRLS ON OR GIRLS THAT LEAD BOYS ON IRRITATE ME?? Hint: It's a lot.

Anyway, then you proceed into a storyline where Jemmie pines after Crowe while Boy #2 confesses his love for her. 

An actual scene (paraphrased because this is an ARC):

Boy #2-I'm in love with you.

Jemmie-We'll talk about that later. So...

GIRL.

THAT. IS. NOT. HOW. IT. WORKS.

Continuing on, the magic system didn't make much sense, nor was it actually explained. I think Jennifer Rush really just threw her readers into the fire and said "so this is what it is" without ever telling you how you got into the fire or how you're supposed to get out. I also must mention for the umpteenth time how important it is to have a magic system that makes sense. 

I spent most of this book wishing for it to end. It had no depth, nothing exciting, and I really couldn't find any parts that kept me interested. There was a tiny portion toward the end that made me consider upping this to two stars. However, I was still seething with anger at the rest of it, so I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Don't let this review stop you from picking this up. You may love it. I just didn't, and I think that's because I'm not a romance-driven reader. I love fantasy with a side of romance, but that's just me. I hate giving books one star because I feel like I'm destroying the author's dreams. As someone who aspires to be a published author, I understand the amount of effort that is put into writing a novel. Books are a work of art, but I think I need to remind myself that everyone likes different kinds of art and artists understand that. 

-Book Hugger

http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

I received The Epic Crush of Genie Lo at Yallwest in an ARC giveaway and was also able to meet the author, who signed my copy! This trip to Yallwest brought me my first ARCs and I couldn't be happier and more excited! I was a little wary about the summary for this book because it sounded like A LOT got crammed into something so small and it also appeared to be beyond ridiculous. 

Ridiculous isn't the word I'd use to describe it now. Maybe relatable or funny or epic (pun intended). I come from a high school very similar to Genie's, with the majority of the students Asian (though I myself am Caucasian), a high amount of academic stress, and not really any free time to live our lives. Most YA books I've read don't catalog these experiences accurately. Main characters are A+ students, but never study, and sometimes you never even see them take a class. They ditch school to make out and somehow never get in trouble. My school...it's not like that. I've never seen something in a book that realistically portrayed the high school experience I've had. But this did it. Genie manages to kill demons, battle issues with her family and friends, and do college applications. She consciously worries about what her mom would think about her actions, such as a new tattoo appearing on her arm. Where has this book been my entire life? 

I couldn't put it down once I got into it. The plot was new and riveting. Everything about this book is unique. I've never read something with Chinese mythology before and I found it fascinating (though the long bits about the folklore dragged on occasionally), but it was slightly disconcerting to know what Genie actually was. For those who've read the book, you probably understand what I mean...

I also loved that the majority of the characters are Chinese because it's not often you read a book like that. Most of YA is either diverse with a lot of different races (not bad!) or mainly white. This was exciting and refreshing. It's such a breath of fresh air to read about a culture not like your own or not like what's usually featured in novels.

These pluses come with a few faults though...

Yee's novel lacked much depth. The biggest struggles Genie faced were friend problems, which felt more middle-grade in character. I'd say this book is for the younger end of YA, even if the readers wouldn't relate to the school life. I also never really felt "high stakes" or threat to the characters. It just felt really immature at times and I was left underwhelmed. Maybe that was just me, so I wouldn't take this review and not read it because of this. There's a high-likelihood of liking it. It's fun, adventurous, and exciting. It just wasn't for me.

I also found the characters lacked development or anything to keep me attached to them. I didn't care about Genie or Quentin (the only emotion I felt about him was ANGER--that dude does not understand boundaries). Genie seemed real, though, with her struggles and personality. I just didn't like her. She was compulsive, irritating, and fiery. It seemed that anger bubbled off of her and she never failed to express her opinions about anything. Admirable traits, I will admit, but I couldn't connect with her and I have never loved hot-headed characters. Maybe it's because I do not relate--at all--because I'm far too logical for my own good. 

I recommend checking this book out once it hits shelves! It might not have been my cup of tea, but I do not regret reading it. I still enjoyed it very much!

-Book Hugger

For more reviews like this, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

As per usual, I'm reviewing books practically ten years after I read them, so pardon me if I completely forgot everything. (Actually it's only been a month, but it feels like an eon). 

“Be as swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unshakable as the mountain. And you can do anything...”

Flame in the Mist was actually a huge disappointment, especially after Renee Ahdieh's debut The Wrath and the Dawn. I didn't really love Flame in the Mist until the last third of it. It started off rather boring and uneventful. It was also rather unbelievable in the beginning. For example, Mariko's brother sees girl's clothes and hair on the ground and a man without clothing on and automatically assumes correctly that she is dressing as a boy now. That just didn't seem realistic to me. No one is that good at solving things within less than a minute. Also, how did only a few characters figure out she's a girl? She couldn't have been that good at passing at male. 

As well, there were far too many characters in the Black Clan and I found it hard to keep track of them all. Though, I do understand the inclusion of so many characters...I just wish I weren't so confused by it all. I also only really liked a few of them, especially Okami, my love. 

Anyway, aside from the beginning being not so fantastic, the last part was amazing. It introduced the hate to lovers trope (which is one of my all-time favorite romance tropes) and I shipped it so hard. I really liked the dynamic between Mariko and Okami, especially considering he wasn't aware she was who they were sent to kill until later. Argh it was just super cute and I loved it. He also has some wonderful lines about her being a completely separate person. When will other YA authors take Ahdieh's note and write feminist romances? It's so wonderful to read a book where the two love interests see each other as equals and they don't try to overpower each other. 

“You are first and foremost a person. A reckless, foolish person, but a person nonetheless. If I ever say you are not permitted to do something, rest assured that the last reason I would ever say so would be because you are a girl.” 

Also, the action really improved and I became more invested in the characters and what happened to them. When they met up with Mariko's family, I was super involved in it. Though, I do have to say, I think Ahdieh has a thing for writing books where the main character betrays her family. I'm not complaining because it totally spins things a completely different direction, but I do wish she had a little variety in her storylines. 

I love Mariko and she's such a strong character. So much love for this girl <3 

“If I am marching to my death, then I will march to it as a girl. Without fear.” 

Okay, so the verdict is: It wasn't nearly as good as Ahdieh's other books, but the ending was great and I will definitely be reading Smoke in the Sun when it comes out.

-Book Hugger

Color me underwhelmed because this series went seriously downhill with Half Wild. I didn't love Half Bad, but it was a solid four stars because I was hooked and found it quite unique...I also had a fondness for many of the characters. Unfortunately, I lost much of that with Half Wild. In fact, I only like a singular character now, Gabriel, and am not HAPPY with anybody else.

Annalise?? She can go. Please. I cannot stand her, mostly for the reason that she has literally no useful characteristics, is as bland as a saltine cracker, and serves the sole purpose of being Nathan's love interest. AND NOT EVEN THE ONE HE SHOULD BE GOING FOR. Ugh. I'm so irritated and it's been a month since I finished this. But seriously, can we end the idea that female characters exist to purely be a love interest and nothing more? Nathan's motivations were "I HAVE TO SAVE THE GIRLFRIEND" instead of "I HAVE TO FIX THINGS AND LET HER SAVE HERSELF". Though, that is kind of questionable because I don't think she was in a position to save herself...hmm.

Don't even get me started on Nathan who is just as sure about his feelings as I am that the Earth is flat (which is not at all, mind you). He spends the majority of the book toying with Gabriel's heart and I hated it. I've been lead on before (you all probably know that by now given how passionate I can be in reviews) and it S-U-C-K-S. Characters, stop leading people on and get your head on right. If you do not know how you feel, don't act on anything. Shouldn't that be a motto or something?

Also, isn't this sort of perpetuating the stereotype that bisexuals cheat on people? Consider me not amused.

Other than that bit of angriness, the formatting of this book changed?? And I kind of hated it?? Literally, there was an entire page filled with large-font bird noises. What is the actual point? Most of the writing advice blogs I've read seem to say that if it doesn't progress the plot, it shouldn't be included. So...Sally Green, what's the purpose of that, might I ask? 

And to even further my anger, I didn't even understand what was going on for the majority of this book. Half Bad seemed to have some plot with a reasonable explanation for most actions, but Half Wild is a mess of Nathan being an angry horrible person, Gabriel pining after him, and Annalise being useless. Throw in a bunch of other characters doing murderous things or not doing anything and you have this book. Take this with a grain of salt, though, because I tend to forget plot-lines, which means the confusion might just have been my fault.

Why did I give this three stars, might you ask? Hmm. For starters, I would like to hug Gabriel and take him home with me because my son does not deserve this. He's the only character I care about and is actually somewhat fleshed out to the point that he feels real. Then, of course, there's Green's writing, which did manage to keep me hooked and interested. The plot was messy as ever, but I couldn't stop reading.

Not to mention, I did quite enjoy the thoughts about morality and good vs evil that it brought up. I'm kind of obsessed with the lines between good and evil, so this satisfied that need. I think it's okay too that I don't like Nathan because part of me feels like that was her intention? I don't think she intended for him to be detested purely because he's a jerk who does not understand romance, but I do think she intended for him to so morally grey that people wouldn't outright be in love with him. That's one sign of good writing because she did succeed at that.

I think I'm still going to read Half Lost because I'm attached to Gabriel...but I probably won't be buying it.

-Book Hugger
Check out the blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com