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samantha_randolph's Reviews (1.59k)
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"Mitsi Kashino loves her dog, Dash, more than anything. She also loves learning, her family, and her two best friends. Once Pearl Harbor happens during World War II, everything in her life changes. Now, her friends won't speak to her, and the class bully antagonizes her event more. People on the street stare and make fun of her, and before long, her family is forced to go to an incarceration camp. After having to leave her beloved dog and home beyond, Mitsi struggles to adjust to her new life, full of hope that one day she will be reunited with Dash." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=45927
Short and Sweet:
I think that Falling Into Place is a really beautiful book. I loved reading it and would definitely recommend it, but it wasn't my favorite.
To Elaborate...
Liv Emerson seems to have it all, a hot on-again/off-again boyfriend, loyal best friends, popularity, and a mean-girl attitude that demands respect. But no one knows what's going on in her head, what causes her to drive her car off the road on purpose. As she lays in the hospital, bits and pieces of her life are revealed to show how she got there and why.
The writing in this is stunningly beautiful. It looks at some very serious and dark concepts, but has strong glimmers of hope throughout. The best friends, Kennie and Julia, each have their own unique problems that they struggle with (that Liv might have encouraged), but they are completely loyal. I especially enjoyed Liam, Liv's quiet admirer, who saw how she really felt.
Even though I loved so many aspects of Falling Into Place, I still felt like I was waiting on something more to happen. I thought a big twist might show up around a few corners, or some different scenes would be looked at that would take the story up to a new level. The lack of this suspected twist didn't necessarily disappoint me, but it was kind of like, "Oh...ok...that's it....alright" by the time I finished.
I still think Falling Into Place is a great story, and it is a good read for anyone who enjoyed Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-falling-into-place-by-amy-zhang.html
I think that Falling Into Place is a really beautiful book. I loved reading it and would definitely recommend it, but it wasn't my favorite.
To Elaborate...
Liv Emerson seems to have it all, a hot on-again/off-again boyfriend, loyal best friends, popularity, and a mean-girl attitude that demands respect. But no one knows what's going on in her head, what causes her to drive her car off the road on purpose. As she lays in the hospital, bits and pieces of her life are revealed to show how she got there and why.
The writing in this is stunningly beautiful. It looks at some very serious and dark concepts, but has strong glimmers of hope throughout. The best friends, Kennie and Julia, each have their own unique problems that they struggle with (that Liv might have encouraged), but they are completely loyal. I especially enjoyed Liam, Liv's quiet admirer, who saw how she really felt.
Even though I loved so many aspects of Falling Into Place, I still felt like I was waiting on something more to happen. I thought a big twist might show up around a few corners, or some different scenes would be looked at that would take the story up to a new level. The lack of this suspected twist didn't necessarily disappoint me, but it was kind of like, "Oh...ok...that's it....alright" by the time I finished.
I still think Falling Into Place is a great story, and it is a good read for anyone who enjoyed Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-falling-into-place-by-amy-zhang.html
Short and Sweet:
Gretchen McNeil certainly knows how to set the mood for a thriller, but it ultimately just wasn't my taste.
To Elaborate...
For years, Bree, Kitty, Margot, and Olivia have secretly ran DGM, a society that sticks up for those who are bullied and harassed. While executing one retribution, they are interrupted by something they never expected: the murder of the bully they were going after. With mysterious envelopes, threats, and fear everywhere they go, trust will run thin among the four friends.
While I always like to throw in a good thriller in my reading pile to mix things up, I can be kind of picky as to what kind I like. It's not so much about the writing, just more of a personal taste kind of thing. In this one, though the writing is (up until the end) great and the author absolutely works chills and terror into a story well, I found myself struggling through it a lot. There are a lot of characters with all sorts of agendas, and it was hard to keep up with them. I enjoyed several of the romances, but sometimes it was even difficult to remember who liked who, and who was whose ex.
The ending fit into one of my top bookish pet peeves: a cliffhanger that halts mid scene. It wasn't mid line or anything like that, but I didn't feel like any of my questions where answered. Literally none. I didn't feel like there was any sort of resolution at all. I understand it's the first in a series, so of course not every question will be answered, but I felt like even the most basic ones just cut off. It's the kind of cliffhanger that has the opposite effect on me for what cliffhangers try to do. It doesn't make me want to pick up the next book to find out what happens, because I feel like depending on how long the series is, I might get an ending like that every time.
I think in the end, while I did enjoy parts of the story, it wasn't for me. If you like Pretty Little Liars, this is probably a super good pick for you though.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-get-even-by-gretchen-mcneil.html
Gretchen McNeil certainly knows how to set the mood for a thriller, but it ultimately just wasn't my taste.
To Elaborate...
For years, Bree, Kitty, Margot, and Olivia have secretly ran DGM, a society that sticks up for those who are bullied and harassed. While executing one retribution, they are interrupted by something they never expected: the murder of the bully they were going after. With mysterious envelopes, threats, and fear everywhere they go, trust will run thin among the four friends.
While I always like to throw in a good thriller in my reading pile to mix things up, I can be kind of picky as to what kind I like. It's not so much about the writing, just more of a personal taste kind of thing. In this one, though the writing is (up until the end) great and the author absolutely works chills and terror into a story well, I found myself struggling through it a lot. There are a lot of characters with all sorts of agendas, and it was hard to keep up with them. I enjoyed several of the romances, but sometimes it was even difficult to remember who liked who, and who was whose ex.
The ending fit into one of my top bookish pet peeves: a cliffhanger that halts mid scene. It wasn't mid line or anything like that, but I didn't feel like any of my questions where answered. Literally none. I didn't feel like there was any sort of resolution at all. I understand it's the first in a series, so of course not every question will be answered, but I felt like even the most basic ones just cut off. It's the kind of cliffhanger that has the opposite effect on me for what cliffhangers try to do. It doesn't make me want to pick up the next book to find out what happens, because I feel like depending on how long the series is, I might get an ending like that every time.
I think in the end, while I did enjoy parts of the story, it wasn't for me. If you like Pretty Little Liars, this is probably a super good pick for you though.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-get-even-by-gretchen-mcneil.html
Short and Sweet:
This is such a wicked, kick-ass series! And the second book does not suffer from 'Second Book Syndrome' at all.
To Elaborate...
It's so hard to put my feelings into thoughts on this one. I don't typically rush to grab fallen angels stories (though I don't run from them either), but this series has so many interesting spins in it that it really stands out. One of the things I really love about the series is that though it is about angels and demons (and the setting/world building is excellent), the characters' actions and personalities stand out. Gaby is still dealing with not remembering anything, and my stomach never ceases to twist around in knots in scary anticipation of finding out what will happen when she does remember what it is that she's forgotten.
Most of this book is intense action. Woven in, and though brief, are romantic/swoony scenes that go on steam overdrive. Rafa and Gabe are still in a complicated mess of sorts, but that doesn't stop them from giving into their feelings from time to time, and I was more than okay with that. :) I ship them so much that I really wanted to see more romance happening with them, but the action needed to be occurring, so I will impatiently wait for book 3 for more swoons.
Overall, this is a fun, upper YA story that commands you to dive into a world of angels, demons, long lost siblings, and intense romance. I would recommend reading it soon after the first book, however. It was probably a year or so since I read the first book, and I didn't have time to a reread before this one. There are some great refreshers throughout, but I still didn't remember as much as I needed to.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-haze-by-paula-weston.html
This is such a wicked, kick-ass series! And the second book does not suffer from 'Second Book Syndrome' at all.
To Elaborate...
It's so hard to put my feelings into thoughts on this one. I don't typically rush to grab fallen angels stories (though I don't run from them either), but this series has so many interesting spins in it that it really stands out. One of the things I really love about the series is that though it is about angels and demons (and the setting/world building is excellent), the characters' actions and personalities stand out. Gaby is still dealing with not remembering anything, and my stomach never ceases to twist around in knots in scary anticipation of finding out what will happen when she does remember what it is that she's forgotten.
Most of this book is intense action. Woven in, and though brief, are romantic/swoony scenes that go on steam overdrive. Rafa and Gabe are still in a complicated mess of sorts, but that doesn't stop them from giving into their feelings from time to time, and I was more than okay with that. :) I ship them so much that I really wanted to see more romance happening with them, but the action needed to be occurring, so I will impatiently wait for book 3 for more swoons.
Overall, this is a fun, upper YA story that commands you to dive into a world of angels, demons, long lost siblings, and intense romance. I would recommend reading it soon after the first book, however. It was probably a year or so since I read the first book, and I didn't have time to a reread before this one. There are some great refreshers throughout, but I still didn't remember as much as I needed to.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-haze-by-paula-weston.html
3.5/5
Short and Sweet:
I love the writing and the main character, Jessamin, but there were some things I really wanted to see more of.
To Elaborate...
All Jessamin wants is to be challenged in school and help her home island. When she meets Finn and strange crows start following her, everything changes. She is thrust into a world of power and magic with people thirsty for revenge. She will have to do everything she can to protect those she is coming to love and to avoiding getting lost in a world so different from her own.
Jessamin is possibly one of my favorite main characters ever. I love her cleverness and bravery, and she's a really fun character overall. The writing is so smooth and captivating, and it really wraps you up in Jessamin's world. It's a quick read, but I continuously wanted it to be longer so I could enjoy more of it.
I shipped the romance between Finn and Jessamin so hard, but I felt like it only scratched the surface of their relationship. I'm 90% sure this is a stand alone (and everything with them big question-wise is tied up by the end), but I REALLY wanted to see more of them. The swoony scenes were both tortuous and brilliant at the same time. Highlight for spoiler: The big kiss doesn't happen until about 70% in, which was great for build up, but then they only got maybe one or two other kisses in for the rest of the book, and dammit, they needed more kissing with how much I ship them.
Just like with the relationship, I really wanted to see more world building as well. The magical elements were super cool and neat, but again, it felt like it only scratched the surface on something really great.
All in all, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew that there was another book to look forward to that might go into more detail. Even without it though, the writing is just beautiful and I thorougly enjoyed reading the story. I'm really eager to go read more of Kiersten White's books now. She has so many out that I haven't read!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-illusions-of-fate-by-kiersten.html
Short and Sweet:
I love the writing and the main character, Jessamin, but there were some things I really wanted to see more of.
To Elaborate...
All Jessamin wants is to be challenged in school and help her home island. When she meets Finn and strange crows start following her, everything changes. She is thrust into a world of power and magic with people thirsty for revenge. She will have to do everything she can to protect those she is coming to love and to avoiding getting lost in a world so different from her own.
Jessamin is possibly one of my favorite main characters ever. I love her cleverness and bravery, and she's a really fun character overall. The writing is so smooth and captivating, and it really wraps you up in Jessamin's world. It's a quick read, but I continuously wanted it to be longer so I could enjoy more of it.
I shipped the romance between Finn and Jessamin so hard, but I felt like it only scratched the surface of their relationship. I'm 90% sure this is a stand alone (and everything with them big question-wise is tied up by the end), but I REALLY wanted to see more of them. The swoony scenes were both tortuous and brilliant at the same time. Highlight for spoiler: The big kiss doesn't happen until about 70% in, which was great for build up, but then they only got maybe one or two other kisses in for the rest of the book, and dammit, they needed more kissing with how much I ship them.
Just like with the relationship, I really wanted to see more world building as well. The magical elements were super cool and neat, but again, it felt like it only scratched the surface on something really great.
All in all, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew that there was another book to look forward to that might go into more detail. Even without it though, the writing is just beautiful and I thorougly enjoyed reading the story. I'm really eager to go read more of Kiersten White's books now. She has so many out that I haven't read!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-illusions-of-fate-by-kiersten.html
"According to Darby Quinn, Cinderella is the liar of all liars. Prince Charmings may in fact be full of charm, but true happy endings are nonexistent. After strings of relationships that always ended badly, Darby wants nothing more than to focus on her career and her own happiness without a committed man. When she meets Jake, he constantly surprises her by not fitting into the typical, no-good prince profiles, and he doesn't give up easily no matter how many times she tries to explain her dating rules. If she's not careful, she just might find herself falling for him." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=46088
"Fallon and Madoc are stepsiblings who love how much they hate each other. Never seeing each other as actual siblings, their sexual chemistry is explosive. After Fallon left a couple of years ago, forced by her mom, Madoc tried to forget her, thinking she left him on purpose. When Fallon comes back, she can't understand why Madoc seems to hate her so much. But in the end, there is a fine line between love and hate." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=46156
"As little girls, Sphinxie's mother and Cadence's mother made a plan for their children to become best friends and spouses. Miraculously, parts of the plan started falling uncannily into place until an incident when Sphinxie and Cadence are young that leaves Sphinxie scarred and Cadence taken away. Years later, the two children are drawn together as teenagers and what once started out as a beautiful plan made my two close friends transforms with frightening twists into something no one wished for." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=46153
Short and Sweet:
This was such a fun and intense time-travel-y/past-live-y/soul-mate-y read. The ending was the only thing that held the rating back for me (cliffhanger).
To Elaborate...
Alex keeps having visions that ruin her life. When someone named Porter finally leaves a mysterious message saying he can provide answers, Alex takes a chance and meets him. Through him, she learns that she is a Descender, someone who can access their past lives (and in her case, their are 56 of them). There is someone who doesn't want her traveling though, and she will have to figure out what's really going on before it's too late.
My favorite thing about this book is the imagery. It's never lengthy, but the descriptions are so original, and they paint the perfect picture of the scenes. Alex goes through several different time periods in history, and it was so awesome reading all the different descriptions about them. I love the whole concept behind the Descender idea, and it made for such an intense read.
The romance(s- depending on how you look at it) is swoony and sweet. My only complaint is the cliffhanger at the end. I didn't really see it as necessary, but I"m not a fan of cliffhangers anyways. Even though Strange Chemistry is going away, I believe that the author still has plans for a sequel in the spring. Though, I'm not sure if it will self-published or it it's with a different group. It still says Strange Chemistry on Goodreads, so I'm not 100% positive on this, but either way, I'm definitely going to look out for the sequel!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-57-lives-of-alex-wayfare-by-mg.html
This was such a fun and intense time-travel-y/past-live-y/soul-mate-y read. The ending was the only thing that held the rating back for me (cliffhanger).
To Elaborate...
Alex keeps having visions that ruin her life. When someone named Porter finally leaves a mysterious message saying he can provide answers, Alex takes a chance and meets him. Through him, she learns that she is a Descender, someone who can access their past lives (and in her case, their are 56 of them). There is someone who doesn't want her traveling though, and she will have to figure out what's really going on before it's too late.
My favorite thing about this book is the imagery. It's never lengthy, but the descriptions are so original, and they paint the perfect picture of the scenes. Alex goes through several different time periods in history, and it was so awesome reading all the different descriptions about them. I love the whole concept behind the Descender idea, and it made for such an intense read.
The romance(s- depending on how you look at it) is swoony and sweet. My only complaint is the cliffhanger at the end. I didn't really see it as necessary, but I"m not a fan of cliffhangers anyways. Even though Strange Chemistry is going away, I believe that the author still has plans for a sequel in the spring. Though, I'm not sure if it will self-published or it it's with a different group. It still says Strange Chemistry on Goodreads, so I'm not 100% positive on this, but either way, I'm definitely going to look out for the sequel!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-57-lives-of-alex-wayfare-by-mg.html