Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Pages: 372

Amazon

I was presented a free copy of this book from the author. Thank you so much! All opinions are my own.

In the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine." Each girl's ability is different. Some develop unusual mental abilities. Some become physically powerful. Others have talents that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them. Aura tried to use her healing powers to help a small child. But when she Shined, something went horribly wrong--and Seattle was destroyed. In the aftermath of this disaster, the government institutionalizes Shines in "rehabilitative treatment centers." Aura is sent to the Transforming Your Light island rehab--but to her it seems more like a prison. The other Shines hate her. The people running the place are out to get her. And she feels certain more is going on here than "group grope" and twelve-step sessions. But when she tumbles onto the horrible secret lurking beneath the rehab--she realizes just how great the danger to her and the other Shines really is. Aura resolves to escape before it's too late. But she can only do that if she organizes the Shines, persuades them to work together, and overcomes the deadly opposition she only barely understands. - Amazon.com

Another book I received and I have to say that while it is one of my new favorite genres, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I thought the writing overall was fantastic and the plot and pacing were very well developed. The book had some great moments and if it weren't for my few issues I would have highly enjoyed the book.

I felt that there were a lot of characters to remember and I got easily confused. I also wanted more backstories to the characters and I felt they could be better developed overall. Although the main is wonderfully well developed and I felt that this compensated somewhat for the other characters.

Verdict: If you're a fan of sci-fi then this series is the one for you! It's an interesting concept and overall it's a pretty good book!

Rating: 3/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 378

Amazon

I was provided a free copy of this book by the author. Thank you so much! All opinions are my own.

Evan Umbra is the newest Venator to enter Veneseron, the school for demon hunters, only demons are the ones hunting him.

A Venator is a wizard, a spy and a demon hunter rolled into one. They’re taught how to wield their sorcery and enchanted weaponry by orcs, elfpires and aliens alike. Their missions range from battling monsters and saving countless lives in the multiple worlds, to wrangling killer unicorns and calming down drunken yetis. Being a Venator is perilous and every new mission could be their last.

Whilst learning how to manipulate the elements, summon magical creatures and shoot Spellzookas, Evan encounters a dangerous rival and meets a girl who makes him feel nauseous; but in a good way. He makes the first friends he’s ever had in the carefree Jed and the reckless Brooke. Whilst Jed gets on the wrong side of a rival Venator, Brooke finds herself falling for the enigmatic demon hunter who brought her to Veneseron, not knowing he isn't quite human. But it soon becomes apparent that Evan is more than just a Venator. Everyone wants to kill or capture him, from demons to Dark-Venators and even people he’s supposed to be able to trust.

Evan reckons he probably won’t survive his first year at Veneseron. - Amazon.com

Yet another book with magic and teens. Honestly, I think I'm going to burn out on these because they start seeming the same after awhile. But more on that later, here are the good parts of this book: The book is really engaging and fast paced. The plot is intriguing and the book is well written overall. The characters also seem very well developed. Unfortunately while that all sounds good there are some issues.

The book didn't click with me and I felt that it tried too hard to be like Harry Potter or The Mortal Insturments or any popular book like those. I felt that because it felt so familiar to me that was why my interest waned: I had already read those book and don't feel like reading them again. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and while the world building is fantastic I feel that if the author had a conversation with the characters or had little moments between them that weren't essential to the plot overall then I would have liked the book better. I also think there are some continuity errors in the book, especially with the timeline.

Verdict: If you're a huge fan of books like Harry Potter this book is for you! If you're looking for something a bit more unique then this might not be the read for you, but give it a try and see if you like it or not first =).

Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: YA Thriller

Pages:336

Amazon

Author

I was provided an arc of this book by KidLitExchange. All opinions are my own.

Flight.
All Kayla Asher wants to do is run. Run from the government housing complex she calls home. Run from her unstable mother. Run from a desperate job at No Limits Food. Run to a better, cleaner, safer life. Every day is one day closer to leaving.

Fight.
All Betsy Hopewell wants to do is survive. Survive the burner phone hidden under her bed. Survive her new rules. Survive a new school with new classmates. Survive being watched. Every minute grants her another moment of life.

When fate brings Kayla and Betsy together, only one girl will survive. - Amazon.com

If you ever wanted a YA book that didn't have typical dimwitted female characters then this is the book for you. I felt the characters of this book were phenominally well written and the writing style as a whole was amazing. I also thought that the pacing was very well done. Thrillers have been my hit or miss spot this year and for the most part this book really did the right things for me as a reader.

But there were a couple of things that I had issues with that definitely lowered the rating for me. The first part of this book was horribly confusing. The first part of the book really did make me want to just put it down and walk away, but I persisted. The first part is also kind of choppy as well, but the writing and the plot do get better as you progress throughout the book. I do think that the book could have been structured better and that the tension could have been built up better in the beginning of the book.

Verdict: I think this book was a good thriller, but the beginning made me question how much I really wanted to read this book. If you like thrillers this is a definite must read, but if you're a fairweather reader then this may not be for you.

Rating: 3/5

Genre: YA Mystery

Pages: 368

Amazon

Author

I received a free copy of this book from KidLitExchange. All opinions are my own.

Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return.

Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town's lost daughter, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger.

Corey knows something is wrong. With every hour, her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter... - Amazon.com

Before I begin this review I do want to give a warning about this book. The book discusses depression and it can be a very heavy topic for a lot of people. If you suffer or are triggered by depression please reconsider reading this book. Moving on, this book is a super dark tale about grief and depression. I thought that the story was well written and the plot was intriguing at face value, but the book had some serious issues with it.

I had a lot of trouble getting through the book. I really wanted to DNF it and while the writing was really good the story felt like it wasn't going anywhere. I felt that the main chracter had the same conversation with other people multiple times and that there was no character development for this character. I also felt that the book felt off. It didn't feel like anything was really resolved and there was no message of hope or healthy acceptance of the character's depression. The book even kind of leans towards showing how horrible having depression is and that it's an end-all which I didn't like or agree with at all.

Verdict: I think this book could have been better and could have been an uplifting tale about depression and grief. Both of these topics should never be taken lightheartedly, but it can be wrote in an uplifting manner. If you're into mysteries then this book will be for you as there is some mystery in this book.

Rating: 5/5

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian

Pages: 425

Amazon

Author

In this gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Cat must use her gene-hacking skills to decode her late father’s message concealing a vaccine to a horrifying plague.

Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.

That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.

When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race.

Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself? - Amazon.com

Let's start with the fact that when I read this was going to be a dystopian I was like "YAS GIVE ME THIS BOOK". I've been wanting to read this book since I saw it was slated to come out and so I was pumped to finally read it. I have to say that this was one of my favorite reads of 2017 and my husband even buddy read it with me (meaning we fought over who would get to read the book in an hour of downtime we had). I thought the plot was fantastically done and the pacing was on point. The characters were all very well developed and while the book had a somewhat love triangle in it it was not a typical YA love triangle and it was fantastically written to not annoy the crap out of me. The book as a whole was wonderfully well wrote and I think this book could be the next Hunger Games or Divergent.

The only issues I had with the book is that I thought the science was a bit hit or miss (I do recognize that Emily is infinitely smarter than me in math and science but sometimes there is a bit of suspension of belief with sci-fi books and I didn't see how some of these things could come to be... but then again my great grandmother said the same thing about men landing on the moon so anything is possible!) and I wanted to know more about the world. The world building for the most part was fantastic, but I think that there could have been more.

Verdict: I am excited to see the sequel whenever it comes out! I will be first in line to Barnes and Noble when it's on the shelves and I won't be afraid to cry like a baby when I get my copy. I loved this book and if you loved the hunger games or divergent then you'll love this book.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual violence and rape, infant/child/fetus death, abuse)

Pages: 448

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Amazon

I received a free copy of this arc in exchange for promotion and review from Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing. Thank you so much for allowing me to participate in this endeavor.

Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for an end to the violence that has claimed so many of their loved ones. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bone Lands, a country where magic is outlawed and the Elementae--those that can control earth, air, fire and water--are traitors, subject to torture . . . or worse.
Before she is even crowned, Shalia discovers that she can bend the earth to her will. Trapped between her husband's irrational hatred of the Elementae and a dangerous rebellion led by her own brother, Shalia must harness her power and make an impossible choice: save her family, save the Elementae, or save herself. – Amazon.com


Welcome to the new year and with a new year comes a new book review! My first book review of 2018 will be this book which for the most part I absolutely loved. I thought this book was a very high action book and also a very emotionally taxing book. The book did very well with character development (for the most part) and the plot and pacing kept the book interesting and moving well. I also want to appluad the book for showing a realistic view of what an abusive relationship looks like. I studied this area and I volunteered at a rape crisis center and I can tell you that there is a cycle of violence with abuse. Relationships will start off great and then slowly there will be little things that will annoy one of the partners. Eventually there is a break in which violence will occur. Afterwards, the offending partner will make amends with the victim and the victim will more than likely take them back. Then the cycle starts again. This is why it is so hard for abuse victims to leave their situations, because there is a honeymoon period in which things are amazing and great and the offending partner sometimes goes above and beyond in giving the victim what they truly desire, but it’s all a psychological game. If you condition a person to live in a certain element, they will do it. And that’s what an abuser does, they condition their victims to live in a certain way and to accept less than what they deserve. This is what this book does really well in my opinion. It will really show young girls what an abusive realtionship looks like and give you a character that while is strong can still fall into this cycle of violence.

However, I did feel like this book had a very awkward beginning and ending. The mechanics of the magic and the world are not very well established in the beginning which makes for a trying read. The whole of the magic really isn’t explained until towards the end and even then I’m still left confused by the book. I also had issues with the ending as it just kind of ended. It’s hard to explain, but it didn’t feel like a natural ending. I also though there were some character development issues, especially with the main’s family, and there were some plot issues in the book that will hopefully be resolved in the next one.

Verdict: This is an amazingly powerful and moving read and I greatly enjoyed the book. I felt like it could have been a bit more polished in places, but overall I enjoyed the world presented in this book. If you’re looking for a good 2018 release, this one comes out on 1/30! Go check it out!

Rating: 3/5

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, death, suicide, abuse, sex, language)

Pages: 506

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Amazon

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance. – Amazon.com

Once again, I’m in the minority for this book. I thought it was good… butttttt I was so awfully confused throughout the whole book. I realized probably halfway through that the most important part that you can do in the reading of this book is to check to see what the year is in the chapter titles. But more on that in a second. I thought this book was very beautifully written and that the writing really flowed well. I also thought that the book’s plot was very interesting and overall was intriguing.

However, the book completely confused me. I got lost so many times in where I was and even who I was throughout the book. You have to keep checking the chapter titles to make sure I was following along with where because my biggest complaint of this book is that the POV shifts between almost 10 people and the time shifts back and forth between multiple time zones. The book also doesn’t develop some of the characters very well, like Chandresh’s friends that help plan the night circus, and the book feels a little awkward as it moves between the different POVs.

Verdict: I think I just didn’t get the main point about this book and I feel like something kept me from seeing what everyone else is seeing. I just felt like I was totally confused and I don’t enjoy books where I feel very confused.

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended Age: 16 (language, sex, violence, relationship abuse)

Pages: 440

Genre: YA Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Author: Brindi Quinn

Amazon

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much! All opinions are my own.

The world remains a mystery.
Fair-haired, fair-skinned Ashlin is the same as her family. She’s the same as her classmates. She’s the same as everyone. Ashlin is one of the last 90 people left in a dead world.
Tucked away in a small commune, her only friend is a boy, different from the rest – shunned because his eyes don’t match. And he holds a secret.
What really remains in a world thought to be dead? And what forgotten history has been painted into Ashlin’s skin?
In a world where everyone’s the same, difference can be deadly. – Amazon.com

So one of my favorite books of all time is The Handmaid’s Tale and one of the most interesting scenes in that book for me is when it is revealed that there are Japanese tourists who are watching the handmaids while on vacation. I’ve always wondered what if we are living in a world in which we are just the museum exhibits of someone’s expansive zoo… and this book gives me that. I loved the concept of this book and I felt that the plot and pacing was very well done in this book.

However, I do feel like the book could have focused more on Ashlin’s life in the compound before she left and gave us more world building. I also feel that the character development was off for some of the characters. There were also some plot holes in the book, such as when one character choked another and it didn’t leave marks on their body. This was not because the character had some sort of healing factor, it was just never mentioned. I also feel that the book was a bit problematic in the diversity department and I felt the way the mental illness was portrayed to be very worrisome and problematic. Also, I can’t accureately state whether Ashlin gave fair representation to what have a certain medical condition which is a spoiler is like. If it is then that’s awesome because there’s never any books about those types of medical conditions. As a final note, in comparison to how Reign the Earth portrayed abusive relationships I feel that this book failed in that regard.

Verdict: If you like dystopians then you’ll love this book and you’ll love the twist that this book presents. Brindi is a good author and this book, for the most part, was enjoyable.

Rating: 3/5

Recommended Age: 15+ (language, sexual abuse, rape, sexual violence)

Pages: 208

Genre: Feminism

Author: Christian Cigala

Amazon

I received a free copy of this book from Black Chanteau in exchange for promotion and a review. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

The Gender Wars won’t be fought with machines—they’ll be fought with people. And when the women of West America wage war with men in the East, it’ll be anything but unimaginative.

In East America, the most fertile women go through excruciating body- and mind-altering training until their identities satisfy that of the State. They are the “Nancys”—white hair, light eyes, and no way to differentiate themselves from their identical “sisters.” Nancy159 is fifteen. She’s auditioning to be the seventh wife of President X, the ruler of the Eastern States. If she wins, she’ll be married to the most powerful man in the world; if she loses, she’ll die.

Avis Baron is the daughter of the Luminary of West America. Recently, she stopped taking her Amplexus pill, taken by all women in W.A. to control their emotions. It turns out there's a lot she didn't know a person could feel—especially the way she's feeling about her friend Ethan.

What is the source of a woman’s power? Does it come from fertility, like the Nancys suggest? Does it come from brute strength and cold calculation, like the West believes? Or could it just be the simple beat of your own heartsong?

The world continues to collapse and the Gender Wars loom on the horizon…XX v. XY. – Amazon.com

I’m on the dystopian train for a bit, so why not read one about an America divided between men and women? I thought this book had a very interesting concept and the plot and pacing of the book were very well done. I felt engaged and excited throughout the book and I didn’t feel like the story dragged anywhere except for the ending.

However, I did feel that the end was very awkward and had an unnatural feel to it. The characters were also not very well developed and were just kind of placed in the story without any backstory or anything. I also feel that there could have been more world building and that the ending could have been reworked a bit to flow a bit better.

Verdict: I felt that if you really like feminist books then this will be a great book for you and I love that the message wasn’t strictly about female rights but about equality (which is what true feminism is about, trust me I studied this topic as well), but I just felt like as a book the characters didn’t connect with me. Give it a check though if you’re into this type of book!

Rating: 1/5

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, antiemetic remarks, historical inaccuracies, rape, child death, inaccurate cultural information)

Genre: YA Historical Fiction (borders on the edge of straight fiction though because of the amount of historical inaccuracies)

Pages: 358

Author: Randall Platt

Amazon

I received a free copy of this book from Dayle at The Literary Llama for a guest reviewing position! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

It’s 1939 in Poland and Arab (don’t call her Abra Goldstein) knows that being Jewish doesn’t pay. Neither does being a girl. No, Arab will tell you that claiming any people at all can get a person killed—and she’s not about to let this war take her down.

So as the Nazi occupation goose steps its way into Warsaw, Arab plans to survive the way she always has: take to the streets, king her gang, and above all refuse to get involved. Disguising herself as a boy, Arab looks out for herself, stealing what she needs and selling to whoever’s buying.

But it’s a complicated war, and to stay alive, Arab will need to use all the skills the streets have taught her—and avoid every enemy she’s made along the way. Nazis, Jewish ghetto police, Polish resistance fighters, and enemies from competing gangs are all searching for her, and any one of them could sign her death sentence.

And then there’s Ruthie, Arab’s baby sister—how will shesurvive the occupation? Trying to be a hero is a surefire way to die, and Arab knows it. But there’s at least one person who believes she has what it takes. And at least one person who needs her to take a stand.

Hard-hitting and unforgettable, The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die is a story about surviving, and finding hope when the world is at its darkest. – Amazon.com

I’m going to make this a brief review because there are many, many people who have expressed the same views that I’m about to and they can explain them so much better than I can. This book sounded amazing and I have wanted to read it since it came out. I knew that there was some controversy about it, but I hadn’t had a chance to read about it. When Dayle gifted me the book I wanted to go into the book blind to the controversy so it wouldn’t taint my view of the book before I gave it a chance. I read this book in one day and I will say that the writing is really good. Whatever else comes after this paragraph I will say that this author can write really well and that I might pick up another book of hers in the future.

However, there were a lot of issues with this book. The book had a lot of nati-Semitic elements in it from how the main, who was Jewish, idolized Hitler and the Nazis, to how Arab likened herself to Jesus, to how the character said and monologue a lot of Jewish stereotypes and really insulted her own culture. Her own name, Arab, is even really troubling to readers. The book has a problem with historical accuracy. The back of the book tells us that “with any work of historical fiction, the author takes great care in research”, which was sadly not true. The book missed several key events from that time period and failed to mention events that Arab would have surely during the course of the book. Some items include: The invasion of Poland by the Soviet Union within 2 weeks of Germany’s invasion of Poland and Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass where 91 Jewish people were murdered during the attack, hundreds died afterwards, and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps) in Austria which Arab would have witnessed and would have had something to say about. The book also has a lot of cultural inaccuracies. The Nazis didn’t get into power by fluke. They didn’t just get to kill Jewish people just because. They came into power because they blamed the Jews for their economic issues and their downfalls from World War 1 and many people already had existing beliefs about Jewish people. This along with expert use of propaganda helped cast the Jewish in an awful light which made it so much easier for the Nazis to rise to power and to kill these people. The Polish did not have a very warm reception of the Jewish people before the invasion and Arab should have known that. The portrayal of the opposite is false in this book. The book also portrays at least two Nazis in a good light while it presents the majority of the Jewish in a bad light. And while this book has really good writing and would have otherwise been a 5/5 star book I can’t ignore the inaccuracies and the anti-Semitic language in this book. It’s hurtful to the Jewish people and it spits on the graves of those who were lost during World War 2.

Verdict: I’m not going to tell you not to read this book and I’m not going to tell you to never buy another book by this author again… but I will say that this book is not something that should be celebrated. It’s hurtful to the Jewish people and it’s a disgrace to historical fiction. Read if you want, but please go into it with these things in mind.