Eliza and Her Monsters arrived in the May Owlcrate - complete with an exclusive cover! I went into this book totally blind, which I think is always a good thing.

This book is near perfect. The characters have nuance and depth, and the world Zappia has created is realistic and detailed. The artwork included is beautiful as well. But more than anything else, this book covers mental health amazingly well.

Social anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts - Zappia has covered it all with a level of realism and compassion that I haven't really seen in YA fiction before. I could see myself in Eliza, and I felt for her on so many levels. I'll admit, I teared up a bit at times too. I truly believe that this story could help so many teens that are struggling right now - teachers should add this to their classrooms and parents should take a look too. I know I'll be recommending this book - a lot.

4.5/5

Anxiety. That’s the biggest thing that comes to mind about my experience with this book – anxiety. Mae’s new Circle world was full of online activity and stimuli, and I just couldn’t handle it. She was overloaded with newsfeeds, message threads, online events and conversations – and she handled it perfectly fine. But man, did it ever stress me out! I can barely keep up with Instagram and Facebook.

There were no individual chapters and the ending was unsettling – I had a lot of questions after I finished it. The characters felt a bit two dimensional, but I kind of think that was the point. This book is a fable about the dangers of overdoing it online and the limits of privacy – the characters were there just to help tell that fable. As for the movie – I’m not sure if I want to see it. I’d rather not feel that anxious over a piece of fiction again.

I read this book in a single sitting – it was heavy, but pretty interesting. The similarities with The Handmaid’s Tale are certainly there, but this book is much more focused on religion and punishment. It got a bit too preachy at times, which definitely slowed down the pace quite a bit. Hannah’s journey was emotional, gritty and full of self reflection which was great, but may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Don’t expect a lot of action!

Jordan’s world building is fantastic, and her characters are complex and deeply flawed. I found myself very frustrated with Hannah’s family, and their rigid inability to grow and change. But Hannah herself does, and comes out stronger for her trials.

The story ends with hope, but not full resolution, which is my favourite kind of ending. That left me curious and thinking about Hannah’s future long after I had put the book down. I wish for a sequel, even though I know it shouldn’t really have one!

3.5/5

This review is also posted on my blog: http://the-bookish-life.com/review-seafarers-kiss-julia-ember/

When I picked this book up, I thought The Seafarer's Kiss was a reimagining of The Little Mermaid. But instead, it's more like the story of Ursula - which is an awesome twist!

This short little book is a quick read, with an interesting story that makes it quite the page turner. Ember has created a detailed world that really sucks you in. I loved the references to the Norse gods and that the story focused on an LGBTQA relationship. It felt fresh and unique. Unfortunately, the character development was a bit light, and I struggled to connect with Ersel and her troubles. When Ersel found herself cursed with tentacles, I was more interested in it as a plot twist, rather than how it affected her emotional state. But maybe that's just me! Even with this shortcoming, I did enjoy The Seafarer's Kiss and I would recommend it. This is not Ember's first LGBTQA title, and I'm definitely interested in reading more.

Also posted on my blog: http://the-bookish-life.com/review-cold-summer-gwen-cole/

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This story reminded me a lot of The Time Traveller’s Wife, but with teens (obviously) and a slightly happier ending. It was an engrossing read, and I sped through it in a single sitting. The narrative immediately jumped into the story with very little background, which added an element of mystery to it that I liked. Cole’s world building was excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the WWII scenes.

Kale is a well constructed character with a lot of depth – his PTSD felt pretty grounded in reality, even if the cause was rather fantastic. But the other characters were inconsistent – idealized and a bit flat, really. It’s difficult to be emotionally invested in characters of this type, and it caused some distance between me and the story. It pulled me out of the narrative quite a bit. Kale’s WWII experiences are really what made this story a good read. I just wish it had been a great read.

1.5/5

This book bothered me - a lot. It's well written, with a solid narrative through the voice of Mileva, but that's where the good parts end. Benedict has taken the barest outline of history and created a rather nasty bit of fiction, portraying Mileva as a martyr and Albert as a monster. There is no historical basis for her claims (which she fully acknowledges in the afterward) and states that this is simply an innocent reimagining. But this is far from innocent. The average reader will finish this book and assume that much of it is based on fact. So what's inaccurate about it? Where to start!?

Benedict centres much of the conflict around the four papers Albert Einstein wrote as a young patent clerk - the papers that made him famous. Benedict posits that Mileva discovered the theories on her own, with Albert just helping to polish them. Then in a fit of cruelty, he published each under his name alone. There is no historical basis for this fiction - letters between Mileva and Albert have survived and while Albert would touch on his latest theories in them, Mileva stuck to more practical topics. The only reference to collaboration between the two occurred during their school years - long before those 4 papers were conceived. Mileva failed her university exit exams twice and never got her degree. Historians agree that she seemed to give up science to raise her family instead, and that Albert likely used her as a sounding board while establishing his theories.

The life of Mileva Marić is fascinating all on it's own - she overcame disability and societal limits due to her sex in order to study one of the most complicated scientific fields. She suffered depression long before people really understood what that was. She lost a child far too young and raised two others. Her marriage was rocky, with Albert's indiscretions and his seeming inability to balance scientific pursuit and his relationships. Her life was interesting! I would have loved to have read a narrative that more accurately covered her life.

If you're looking to explore an accurate account, take a look at Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson. It's excellent. And pass on The Other Einstein.