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popthebutterfly
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Book: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Book Series: Grishaverse Book 1, Shadow and Bone Book 1
Diversity: Not specifically mentioned but Asian alluded/coded characters, especially those who are considered the villains
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: ya, fantasy, found family, magic, chosen one
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
Pages: 358
Recommended Age: 13+ (violence, gore, romance, slight sexual content)
Synopsis: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I had been meaning to read this book for a hot minute and I'm really glad that the Netflix show pushed me to start reading this book. I thought that the book did really well plot wise and at the World building was absolutely amazing. Combined the World building in the book with the map and you can basically see everything in your head as you're reading. Well I do have concerns about the main character, I did think that the author did well developing all the characters.
My main criticism of the book is that I felt that the character was just your basic YA heroine. She really just kind of felt like a carbon copy of Katniss and Triss, but I think this book was published during a time when characters like that were still all the rage so it really gets a pass for me for that. I also have yet to read the second and third book so I don't know if the character develops from there but I have high hopes. I also didn't like that some of the "enemies" were coded to be Asian, and I hope the Netflix series rectifies this.
Verdict: It was great!
Book: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Book Series: Grishaverse Book 1, Shadow and Bone Book 1
Diversity: Not specifically mentioned but Asian alluded/coded characters, especially those who are considered the villains
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: ya, fantasy, found family, magic, chosen one
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
Pages: 358
Recommended Age: 13+ (violence, gore, romance, slight sexual content)
Synopsis: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I had been meaning to read this book for a hot minute and I'm really glad that the Netflix show pushed me to start reading this book. I thought that the book did really well plot wise and at the World building was absolutely amazing. Combined the World building in the book with the map and you can basically see everything in your head as you're reading. Well I do have concerns about the main character, I did think that the author did well developing all the characters.
My main criticism of the book is that I felt that the character was just your basic YA heroine. She really just kind of felt like a carbon copy of Katniss and Triss, but I think this book was published during a time when characters like that were still all the rage so it really gets a pass for me for that. I also have yet to read the second and third book so I don't know if the character develops from there but I have high hopes. I also didn't like that some of the "enemies" were coded to be Asian, and I hope the Netflix series rectifies this.
Verdict: It was great!
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Disclaimer: I received this book from the author for Rockstar Book Tours. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Hunter
Author: Nicole Conway
Book Series: The Dragonrider Heritage
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: dragon lovers, fantasy lovers, YA readers
Publication Date: November 24, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (death, violence, gore)
Publisher: Broadfeather Books
Pages: 352
Synopsis: One boy must earn the trust of a blind dragon and hunt down an elusive sorceress before she can rekindle the war that nearly destroyed their world.
As the Kingdom of Maldobar emerges victorious from the brutal invasion of the Tibran Empire, much of the land is left in utter ruin. With his home destroyed and family gone, 16-year-old Thatcher Renley has no one left to turn to. And when he’s mistaken for a Tibran soldier and banished to a wartime prison camp, Thatcher knows his only hope for freedom lies in appealing to Queen Jenna directly.
But getting out of the prison camp might be the least of his worries— especially after he stumbles across a feral dragon locked in an iron cell.
As far as dragons go, Fornax is a lost cause. The battle that killed his rider also left him blind and too aggressive for any knight to control. But Thatcher can’t deny feeling drawn to the beast. Does he have what it takes to calm Fornax and join the proud ranks of Maldobar’s dragonriders? Only time will tell. And with a bloodthirsty Tibran witch threatening to rekindle the chaos of war, everyone’s time may be running out
Review: Overall, I thought this was a good book! The world building was good and the character development was sound. I liked how well the book did to keep an iconic dragon feel to it. It felt a lot like Eragon in some ways and I really liked that. The book also did well with the plot.
The only complaints I had about the book is that the book sometimes felt like it leaned too much on Eragon and it’s world building. The book also felt really slow in some parts. The book also liked to jump around a little bit and that made it hard to follow.
Verdict: It was good!
Book: Hunter
Author: Nicole Conway
Book Series: The Dragonrider Heritage
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: dragon lovers, fantasy lovers, YA readers
Publication Date: November 24, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (death, violence, gore)
Publisher: Broadfeather Books
Pages: 352
Synopsis: One boy must earn the trust of a blind dragon and hunt down an elusive sorceress before she can rekindle the war that nearly destroyed their world.
As the Kingdom of Maldobar emerges victorious from the brutal invasion of the Tibran Empire, much of the land is left in utter ruin. With his home destroyed and family gone, 16-year-old Thatcher Renley has no one left to turn to. And when he’s mistaken for a Tibran soldier and banished to a wartime prison camp, Thatcher knows his only hope for freedom lies in appealing to Queen Jenna directly.
But getting out of the prison camp might be the least of his worries— especially after he stumbles across a feral dragon locked in an iron cell.
As far as dragons go, Fornax is a lost cause. The battle that killed his rider also left him blind and too aggressive for any knight to control. But Thatcher can’t deny feeling drawn to the beast. Does he have what it takes to calm Fornax and join the proud ranks of Maldobar’s dragonriders? Only time will tell. And with a bloodthirsty Tibran witch threatening to rekindle the chaos of war, everyone’s time may be running out
Review: Overall, I thought this was a good book! The world building was good and the character development was sound. I liked how well the book did to keep an iconic dragon feel to it. It felt a lot like Eragon in some ways and I really liked that. The book also did well with the plot.
The only complaints I had about the book is that the book sometimes felt like it leaned too much on Eragon and it’s world building. The book also felt really slow in some parts. The book also liked to jump around a little bit and that made it hard to follow.
Verdict: It was good!
Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors!
Book: Iron Heart
Author: Nina Varela
Book Series: Crier’s War Book 2
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Sapphic romance! LGBT+ characters aplenty!
Recommended For...: sci-fi, robots, romance, war
Publication Date: September 8, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (grief, sexual content, romance, violence, gore, PTSD)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Synopsis: For too long the cruel, beautiful Automae have lorded over the kingdom of Rabu, oppressing the humans who live there. But the human revolution is on the rise, and at its heart is Ayla. Once handmaiden, now fugitive, Ayla escaped the palace of Lady Crier, the girl Ayla had planned to kill . . . but instead fell in love with. Now Ayla has pledged her allegiance to Queen Junn, whom she believes can accomplish the ultimate goal of the human rebellion: destroy the Iron Heart. Without it, the Automae will be weakened to the point of extinction.
But playing at Ayla’s memory are the powerful feelings she developed for Crier. And unbeknownst to her, Crier has also fled the palace, taking up among travelling rebels, determined to find and protect Ayla.
As their paths collide, neither are prepared for the dark secret underlying the Iron Heart.
In this stunning sequel to acclaimed author Nina Varela’s Crier’s War, the love that launched a revolution must now pave the way for a whole new era . . . and the ultimate change of heart.
Review: For the most part I really liked this story. I liked the plot and I really think this series is great if binged. The characters are well developed and the world building is great as well.
However, I did think that this book suffered from second book syndrome. The story didn't feel as captivating as the first and since you're reading the book from the POV of Crier and Ayla, you don't get a lot of action in this book. The romance was also kinda short.
Verdict: A great duology!
Book: Iron Heart
Author: Nina Varela
Book Series: Crier’s War Book 2
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Sapphic romance! LGBT+ characters aplenty!
Recommended For...: sci-fi, robots, romance, war
Publication Date: September 8, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (grief, sexual content, romance, violence, gore, PTSD)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Synopsis: For too long the cruel, beautiful Automae have lorded over the kingdom of Rabu, oppressing the humans who live there. But the human revolution is on the rise, and at its heart is Ayla. Once handmaiden, now fugitive, Ayla escaped the palace of Lady Crier, the girl Ayla had planned to kill . . . but instead fell in love with. Now Ayla has pledged her allegiance to Queen Junn, whom she believes can accomplish the ultimate goal of the human rebellion: destroy the Iron Heart. Without it, the Automae will be weakened to the point of extinction.
But playing at Ayla’s memory are the powerful feelings she developed for Crier. And unbeknownst to her, Crier has also fled the palace, taking up among travelling rebels, determined to find and protect Ayla.
As their paths collide, neither are prepared for the dark secret underlying the Iron Heart.
In this stunning sequel to acclaimed author Nina Varela’s Crier’s War, the love that launched a revolution must now pave the way for a whole new era . . . and the ultimate change of heart.
Review: For the most part I really liked this story. I liked the plot and I really think this series is great if binged. The characters are well developed and the world building is great as well.
However, I did think that this book suffered from second book syndrome. The story didn't feel as captivating as the first and since you're reading the book from the POV of Crier and Ayla, you don't get a lot of action in this book. The romance was also kinda short.
Verdict: A great duology!
Disclaimer: I bought this book to buddy read with my friend Rachael! Check out her twitch streams (chaelcodes) and support your authors. All opinions are my own.
Book: Only Ashes Remain
Author: Rebecca Schaeffer
Book Series: Market of Monsters Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Latinx Iranian Heritage Main Character, Thai side character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, urban fantasy, horror, thriller, paranormal, supernatural
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Horror
Recommended Age: 17+ (kidnapping mentioned, torture, gore, violence, parent death mentioned, grief, racism, language, abusive parent, PTSD, police brutality mentioned, rape mentioned, narcissist parent figure, prejudice, some romance)
Explanation of CWs: Some events of the previous book are mentioned including the main character’s kidnapping and torture. There are also mentioned of police brutality, parental death, and rape, but those are not shown. There is a lot of torture, gore, and violence in this book. Grief is a heavy topic of the book, as is prejudice and racism. There are curse words in the book. There are abusive/narcissist parental figures in the book. PTSD is shown in the book. There is also some romance shown in this book.
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 432
Synopsis: After escaping her kidnappers and destroying the black market where she was held captive, all Nita wants is to find a way to live her life without looking over her shoulder. But with a video of her ability to self-heal all over the dark web, Nita knows she’s still a prime target on the black market.
There’s only one way to keep herself safe.
Nita must make herself so feared that no one would ever dare come after her again. And the best way to start building her reputation? Take her revenge on the person who sold Nita to her kidnappers. But doing that is harder than Nita thought it would be, even with Kovit by her side. Now caught in a game of kill or be killed, Nita will do whatever it takes to win.
Review: I really loved this book! Picking up from where the last book left off, even though it had been over a year since I had read the first one. The book was well plotted and it stood it’s own in the series. The book had well developed characters and the plot was well done. The writing is absolutely fantastic and this is probably one of my favorite authors now.
The only issue I really had with the book is that the main character was wrote a bit differently than in the first book, but that’s because of the trauma she had faced. I was fine with her growth, but others might not be.
Verdict: Loved it! Highly recommend this series.
Book: Only Ashes Remain
Author: Rebecca Schaeffer
Book Series: Market of Monsters Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Latinx Iranian Heritage Main Character, Thai side character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, urban fantasy, horror, thriller, paranormal, supernatural
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Horror
Recommended Age: 17+ (kidnapping mentioned, torture, gore, violence, parent death mentioned, grief, racism, language, abusive parent, PTSD, police brutality mentioned, rape mentioned, narcissist parent figure, prejudice, some romance)
Explanation of CWs: Some events of the previous book are mentioned including the main character’s kidnapping and torture. There are also mentioned of police brutality, parental death, and rape, but those are not shown. There is a lot of torture, gore, and violence in this book. Grief is a heavy topic of the book, as is prejudice and racism. There are curse words in the book. There are abusive/narcissist parental figures in the book. PTSD is shown in the book. There is also some romance shown in this book.
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 432
Synopsis: After escaping her kidnappers and destroying the black market where she was held captive, all Nita wants is to find a way to live her life without looking over her shoulder. But with a video of her ability to self-heal all over the dark web, Nita knows she’s still a prime target on the black market.
There’s only one way to keep herself safe.
Nita must make herself so feared that no one would ever dare come after her again. And the best way to start building her reputation? Take her revenge on the person who sold Nita to her kidnappers. But doing that is harder than Nita thought it would be, even with Kovit by her side. Now caught in a game of kill or be killed, Nita will do whatever it takes to win.
Review: I really loved this book! Picking up from where the last book left off, even though it had been over a year since I had read the first one. The book was well plotted and it stood it’s own in the series. The book had well developed characters and the plot was well done. The writing is absolutely fantastic and this is probably one of my favorite authors now.
The only issue I really had with the book is that the main character was wrote a bit differently than in the first book, but that’s because of the trauma she had faced. I was fine with her growth, but others might not be.
Verdict: Loved it! Highly recommend this series.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Colonel and The Bee
Author: Patrick Canning
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Publication Date: June 1, 2018
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, slight gore)
Publisher: Evolved Publishing LLC
Pages: 304
Amazon Link
Synopsis: The Amazing Beatrix works as an acrobat in a 19th Century circus, no home or family to speak of. When a daring escape from her abusive ringleader crosses Beatrix's path with that of the daring adventurer Colonel James Bacchus, the unlikely pair team up, fly to safety aboard the Colonel’s miraculous four-story hot air balloon, and begin a grand quest to find the most precious gem in the world, The Blue Star Sphinx.
If the heroes can outmaneuver the deadly treasure hunters, escaped convicts, and double-crosses that await them, they may win the treasure they seek, or better yet, a sense of true belonging.
Witty banter, colorful characters, and exotic locations pack the fantastical, globe-trotting adventure that reads like Sherlock Holmes meets Around the World in Eighty Days.
Review: Overall, this was an ok book. The book had engaging characters and the book did well with the world building.
However, the book didn’t catch my interest that much. The book didn’t feel fun and I felt like I was having to slug through it. The pacing dragged and the story didn’t feel that well suited for young adults. The book’s plot was also not engaging and the world building, while good, did not feel realistic.
Verdict: It was an ok book, but not for me.
Book: The Colonel and The Bee
Author: Patrick Canning
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Publication Date: June 1, 2018
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, slight gore)
Publisher: Evolved Publishing LLC
Pages: 304
Amazon Link
Synopsis: The Amazing Beatrix works as an acrobat in a 19th Century circus, no home or family to speak of. When a daring escape from her abusive ringleader crosses Beatrix's path with that of the daring adventurer Colonel James Bacchus, the unlikely pair team up, fly to safety aboard the Colonel’s miraculous four-story hot air balloon, and begin a grand quest to find the most precious gem in the world, The Blue Star Sphinx.
If the heroes can outmaneuver the deadly treasure hunters, escaped convicts, and double-crosses that await them, they may win the treasure they seek, or better yet, a sense of true belonging.
Witty banter, colorful characters, and exotic locations pack the fantastical, globe-trotting adventure that reads like Sherlock Holmes meets Around the World in Eighty Days.
Review: Overall, this was an ok book. The book had engaging characters and the book did well with the world building.
However, the book didn’t catch my interest that much. The book didn’t feel fun and I felt like I was having to slug through it. The pacing dragged and the story didn’t feel that well suited for young adults. The book’s plot was also not engaging and the world building, while good, did not feel realistic.
Verdict: It was an ok book, but not for me.
