Review: Outlander

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WARNING TO PEOPLE THINKING OF READING THIS BOOK: There are many attempted sexual assault scenes and other very graphic violence scenes. Be careful, and don't read it if this could be harmful or triggering to you!

Honestly, this book made it to my favorites shelf around 50 pages in. By then, I was obsessed.

I've seen many booktubers rave about this series (i.e. Tasha, Sasha, and Naya mainly), and I'm so glad I was finally able to get around to this. It's a big intimidating book when you first pick it up, but it honestly flew by so quickly.

The romance leaves something to be desired. Here's the thing: it's a historical romance. Like, way, way, way back to the 1700s, where men weren't exactly known to be chivalrous or respectful or all the lovely things that men are supposed to be are today. There are many attempted r*pe scenes, because I'm pretty sure that's how men viewed women back in those days. I am by no means condoning this - it was absolutely revolting to read; but I understood where the author was coming from if that makes sense without sounding horrible???

Another thing about the romance: Jamie Fraser is not the perfect angel people make him out to be. There are many times in the first half where there is physical abuse and sexual coersion! FORTUNATELY, Claire sets him straight. It was definitely jarring to see at first how so many people were in love with him because there were just !!! WARNING !!! signs going off in my head, but he gets himself together and eventually becomes the ~steamy romance man character~ everyone knows and loves. (I do hear that the second book is better about this.)

Finally, ~the plot~
This book was absolutely amazing plot-wise. It's technically a romance book, but oh wow it was heavily action-packed. I don't think there was a single dull scene the whole book to me. It's also, as many people probably saw from my updates, SO cool to see how Claire, a modern 1940s nurse, has to deal with lackluster 1700s medicine. I took a class on plants last semester where we learned some medicinal properties of different ones, and it was fun to see old and new ones used here.

If you can stomach the first half of the book and the problematic romance (that eventually turns out much better), you'll probably really like this book.

I'm used to very dark movies, shows, and stories, so I knew going in that this was something I could handle. Others may not be able to (and that's 100% okay!!!), so please be careful and think of your mental health. If this could be triggering or harmful to you, please don't read it no matter how good the reviews may be for others.

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Review: The New Dark

The New Dark by Lorraine Thomson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.

The New Dark by Lorraine Thomson is about a dystopian/sci-fi book about a girl named Sorrel whose town gets raided by mutants. She barely escapes, but is now on an adventure to find her little brother and childhood crush. Along the way, there are many dangers. Will Sorrel ever find David and Eli?

This started and ended strangely. It dives right in, and you sort of learn about the characters through Sorrel's thoughts, but a lot of it you have to piece together yourself. You also don't get a real feel for the relationships between characters (since you learn about them in a small first chapter). This made me not as excited to go find Eli and David as I probably should have been. The ending was very abrupt. The book definitely should have been longer, as I was trying to figure out if I got a janky e-copy or if it literally ends right where it does.

The character development was great. The writing style was very plain and simple, but it didn't bother me. Even though it was pretty plain, I still feel like I was there along with Sorrel having this adventure too, which is always fun instead of feeling like just the audience.

This is a pretty good book. It was only ~180-190 pages on the nook, so it's a relatively quick read if you just sit down and read it (which I did not do). I'm definitely interested in seeing what happens next!

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Review: Bird Box

Bird Box by Josh Malerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Who needs Stephen King when you have Josh Malerman?

This is the first horror book I've read that legitimately creeped me the heck out. This was crazy spooky, and I loved it so much. I got it on Halloween, hoping I could be even just the slightest bit creeped out on such a ~spooky~ night, and wow, this was amazing.

This switches off between past and present experiences of Malorie, but both timelines seem to merge together the more you read on. In the present, she's raised her kids not to see outside. She has trained them to hear very well, and finally, they make an escape to freedom. They have to row down a river blindfolded with dangers lurking about around them. In the past timeline, Malorie joins a house full of survivors trying their best to be safe from the unknown dangers around them. Over time, arguments fight and everyone starts to psychologically break down.

This is 100% a book you have to read in bed, at night, and in the dark. It had me backed up against the wall of my bed scared to look out into the dark. Every moving shadow I saw actually made me tense up. There's something about the danger lurking about here, where no one knows what it is, and that's honestly scarier than some killer clown or disease-ridden zombies.

It really messes with the characters' minds.

The writing was so amazing. It made me feel like I was right there along with everybody the whole time.

I would recommend this book to everyone looking for a good scare.

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Review: Mr. Splitfoot

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a spooky audiobook I listened to on my rides to and from home and college. It was very creepy, not in a "spooky" way, per se, but just the gist of it itself. These orphans are raised by an overbearing, abusive pastor. Ruth, one of the children, ends up taking her pregnant niece on an adventure, and the two worlds intertwine slowly, and secrets come out.

The ending was creepy and sweet at the same time! A good book.

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Review: The Tethered Mage

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso is a young adult, fantasy novel about an esteemed heir, Amalia Cornaro, who, by accident, becomes a Falconer. Falconers control Falcons: mages with different and distinct powers, and Amalia ends up with one of the most powerful. With this newfound power, Amalia is thrust into political situations and must stop her country and a neighboring country from going to war.

This book was so amazing, and I really hope you all read it when it comes out. The characters were all so flushed out. You really ended up rooting for the main three. These three characters' personalities worked so well together that it was a pleasure to experience their interactions and feelings.

This book is full of mystery - there seems to be about three mysteries going on at once. Caruso did not fail to surprise me. The different plots were so well entwined, and I'm obsessed. The plot twists were not predictable (at least to me), which makes the whole story even more interesting. Who's behind all this?! Gotta read to find out!

The writing style was beautiful and had me basically watching the whole story play out in my head. It's difficult these days to find a book with such great writing that that happens, but this did not fail to disappoint!

This book is very much politics. I do have trouble sometimes wrapping my head around all the different people and still did so here for a good half of the book. The politics doesn't take away from the action (although it is all intertwined); there are still plenty of action scenes to keep your attention.

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Review: The Tethered Mage

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso is a young adult, fantasy novel about an esteemed heir, Amalia Cornaro, who, by accident, becomes a Falconer. Falconers control Falcons: mages with different and distinct powers, and Amalia ends up with one of the most powerful. With this newfound power, Amalia is thrust into political situations and must stop her country and a neighboring country from going to war.

This book was so amazing, and I really hope you all read it when it comes out. The characters were all so flushed out. You really ended up rooting for the main three. These three characters' personalities worked so well together that it was a pleasure to experience their interactions and feelings.

This book is full of mystery - there seems to be about three mysteries going on at once. Caruso did not fail to surprise me. The different plots were so well entwined, and I'm obsessed. The plot twists were not predictable (at least to me), which makes the whole story even more interesting. Who's behind all this?! Gotta read to find out!

The writing style was beautiful and had me basically watching the whole story play out in my head. It's difficult these days to find a book with such great writing that that happens, but this did not fail to disappoint!

This book is very much politics. I do have trouble sometimes wrapping my head around all the different people and still did so here for a good half of the book. The politics doesn't take away from the action (although it is all intertwined); there are still plenty of action scenes to keep your attention.

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Review: The Tethered Mage

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso is a young adult, fantasy novel about an esteemed heir, Amalia Cornaro, who, by accident, becomes a Falconer. Falconers control Falcons: mages with different and distinct powers, and Amalia ends up with one of the most powerful. With this newfound power, Amalia is thrust into political situations and must stop her country and a neighboring country from going to war.

This book was so amazing, and I really hope you all read it when it comes out. The characters were all so flushed out. You really ended up rooting for the main three. These three characters' personalities worked so well together that it was a pleasure to experience their interactions and feelings.

This book is full of mystery - there seems to be about three mysteries going on at once. Caruso did not fail to surprise me. The different plots were so well entwined, and I'm obsessed. The plot twists were not predictable (at least to me), which makes the whole story even more interesting. Who's behind all this?! Gotta read to find out!

The writing style was beautiful and had me basically watching the whole story play out in my head. It's difficult these days to find a book with such great writing that that happens, but this did not fail to disappoint!

This book is very much politics. I do have trouble sometimes wrapping my head around all the different people and still did so here for a good half of the book. The politics doesn't take away from the action (although it is all intertwined); there are still plenty of action scenes to keep your attention.

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Review: The Winner's Curse

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A big thank you to this book for getting me out of my reading slump ❤️

This book was so good! It was definitely the fantasy book I needed to get out of my school-induced reading slump. It had me hooked from the start with a badass character named Kestrel, who's actually not that good at fighting. This is different from the new trend of kickass female characters that all know how to kill a man. This didn't make her any less badass--she was still super clever and used that to her advantage all the time.

She's sort of like a second-rate Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass. Or maybe I just kept thinking of how the cover looked so much like Queen of Shadows... Honestly...



The romance seemed forced to me, but that may be because I didn't care much for Arin. I 100% understood why he did what he did, but I also 100% did not trust him or care for him. He hurt Kestrel but she still ended up falling for him, which honestly just pissed me off. I mean I'm not for slavery or anything, but I was honestly rooting for Kestrel to win here (to be fair, she doesn't really condone slavery either).

Their relationship was not healthy. I do not approve. Kestrel should've stuck with Ronan.

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Review: A Love to Remember

A Love to Remember by Bronwen Evans
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Love to Remember is a historical romance novel about Rose and Phillip, two people who have always loved each other but refused to marry. Eventually, Rose does want to marry and have children, but Phillip is still dead set against that lifestyle, so they break up. Unfortunately, they still have feelings for each other and have to cope with being alone. Will they end up back together, stay friends, or what?

I didn't really like the plot until the last 1/3 of the book, where everything became high stakes and dangerous. Rose was the typical "strong, independent woman" up to a point where she seemed to just become useless and dependent on Phillip for everything. I understand wanting to marry, there's nothing wrong with that, but she just becomes so helpless and fragile.

The romance was interesting. There weren't many sex scenes, which surprised me, considering most adult romance novels have one almost every chapter. The relationship between Phillip and Rose was very dependent and needy, and it seemed a bit uncomfortable to read about at times.

The book wasn't amazing, but for what it was, it wasn't horrible. If you want a quick, sappy romance novel with some actually decent plot, this is for you.

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Review: Her Book Boyfriend

Her Book Boyfriend by K.R. Grace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you, Netgalley, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.

Her Book Boyfriend by K.R. Grace is about an overachiever in school named Macey Greere who realizes she's never dated. To find herself a date to the upcoming prom, she's developed a list of tropes that book characters do to get themselves a boyfriend. If she doesn't get someone by the time prom rolls around, she'll end up going with her best friend, Cam.

This book was initially very slow, but once I got a feel for all the characters, I really enjoyed it. It's a very light, fluffy read. It's much along the lines of I Believe in a Thing Called Love, but unique in its own ways too. It's fun having a main character with a fascination for books. You didn't get to see how much she really loved books, though. She mentioned them maybe three times. You'd think that'd be mentioned more since that's the main idea of creating the list.

Cam was a total sweetheart, and he was probably my favorite character. At first he comes across as just this guy who sleeps around with no qualms and gets his best friend to do his dirty breakups so he doesn't have to deal with them. Basically, he sounds like a total jerk. But the further you get along in the book, the more you end up rooting for him.

I do have issues about how naive Macey is, but I can't get into too much detail because that would spoil the book!

Definitely pick it up if you want a fun, light read.

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Review: Royal Pain

Royal Pain by Tracy Wolff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kian is three things: a twin, a prince, and a womanizer. His twin brother, Garrett was born just a bit before, so Garrett gets to deal with being the future king while Kian gets to show off, sleep around, and enjoy the perks of being royal with none of the responsibilities. Then, Garrett gets kidnapped, and Kian has to step it up and learn to cope with being the next in line for the throne.

Kian also meets a girl named Savannah, or Savvie, who seems like the average manic pixie dream girl. There's something about her that's different than all other girls, and Kian finds himself head over heels for her and wanting to be committed in a monogamous relationship--something he's never felt the desire to do before. While he's dealing with his feelings for Savvie, he also has to fill Garrett's place. There's also the chance that Garrett is still alive, so that adds even more stress and drama to the situation.

This romance novel seems very plot-driven, which I wasn't really expecting, to be honest. The sex scenes were long and often, but I was honestly more interested if Garrett ever returned and, if he was alive, what state he was in after being gone for months!!

Also, the sex scenes seemed very unrealistic. I don't want to be sexist and stereotypical, but this was very obviously written for women. The sex scenes were full of emotion and love more than lust. They were all about pleasing the woman and making her feel amazing more than mutual satisfaction. Also, not to be graphic, but I don't think orgasming three times in a row every single time they go at it is very realistic.

I was very on the edge about giving this three or four stars. On one hand, the writing was very choppy and lackluster. On the other hand, the plot itself was a bit interesting and this was a truly entertaining read, even if it was just chuckling at mediocre things.

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Review: I Hate Everyone But You

I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I Hate Everyone But You is a story told in emails and texts about two best friends named Ava and Gen who go their separate ways to college and discover themselves, their sexuality (sexualities?), and more throughout the story.

Even though this is told in emails and texts, it was still told very well, and you really get a feel for the characters throughout it all. Ava has OCD and is depressed and is trying her best to make new friends and find a social circle in film school. Gen is wild and reckless and definitely exploring her sexuality, which is almost the exact opposite of Ava. Even though these two are so different, they compliment each other very well. It was so fun reading the interactions between the two.

The story itself wasn't boring at all. It reminded me of ttyl, where so much happens through just online interactions. You get a feel for the background characters (such as Alex and Charlotte and Sophia), but it's mainly just about Ava and Gen.

Definitely read this book!!! It's so cute and fun and also sorta dramatic. It's such a quick read.

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Review: Nyxia

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen is about ten poor teenagers from all over the world that are brought together by Babel Corporation, a space organization that wants to train them to gather Nyxia--a substance that pretty much does everything. The only problem is that only eight of the ten can get to Eden, so they are pitted against each other in many trials. This story follows Emmett, a boy from Detroit who wants to win for his family.

This book was AMAZING. It hooks you from the first line and keeps you wanting more. Emmett is such an interesting and fun character to go on the journey with, but the other nine characters are also incredibly interesting to learn about. You get to slowly learn all their habits, backstories, reasons for fighting, and personalities. It's not too hard to keep them all straight, but it's a little challenge at the beginning because they're all just thrust at you at once.

The idea of nyxia is really interesting. What I got from it was it can form into practically anything, and there's tons that need to be mined from this Earth-like world called Eden. It's really cool reading about the different ways to use nyxia and how far you can go with manipulating it.

So I guess this is a bit like a sci-fi Hunger Games or Throne of Glass, where the kids learn and fight against each other to win spots on Eden. Alliances and nemeses form, and it's just all SO FUN AND INTERESTING!!! You definitely end up wanting multiple people to win + lose. (I personally loved Kaya and another surprise character I don't want to spoil).

There's a slight romance, but it doesn't really seem important to the story. Not much happened that was really needed, but it didn't seem too forced. I think it could've done without the romance, but it'll definitely make it interesting in the next book how that plays out.

Also, I just really want the next book now. I wanna know what happens next!!! It ends at such a good part!

Please read this book; you won't be disappointed.

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Review: Spellbook of the Lost and Found

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you, Penguin First to Read, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle is an enchanting story about items that get lost and found. Three different friend groups all notice items getting lost and find a Spellbook, which has a spell to return the items they lost. These girls and boys find out that magic isn't what it seems, and become connected to each other in mysterious ways.

The characters were all individual in their own ways, but it turns out that I kept getting them all confused until about halfway through the book. The story itself seemed to drag on. It WAS an interesting story, I promise! I just felt like I was reading the same stuff over and over again each time I picked it up and read a little more. The writing was definitely different and full of adjectives and the word "lost." I can't even tell you how many times that word appears. I tried counting, but got too tired after the first 50 pages.

The pace is slow but rewarding. All the events slowly unfold and new layers of depth and mystery are revealed with each chapter. Everything's all connected in a way that has you screaming and kicking yourself for not figuring out what's going on, even though it's pretty hard to guess what's going on.

I would recommend this to anyone who has the patience for a slow, mystical mystery.

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Review: One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*no spoilers bc im not a monster*

One of Us Is Lying is about five students that find themselves in detention together. One dies, and it's uncovered that the other four all have secrets that the dead student was about to release to the public. This story is about trying to figure out who is the killer and who is lying.

This is such a fantastic story! You get to really know the characters and backstories, which make them relatable and lovable. I found myself going "they're the one!!" every time the chapters changed (I may not be the best at solving mysteries). Each one has a pretty good motive to kill Simon, but they all plead innocent pretty well. It'll really keep you on your toes figuring out who did it and how.

This isn't just about who did it, though. This story is also about how a murder accusation affects the lives of these high school students. Even more secrets come out, new friends and enemies are made, and it's all over just a bad time that has you going "How could this possibly get worse?" in each new chapter.

I listened to the audiobook, and the full cast was amazing. They all played their roles really well. It really helped me remember who was who. I'd definitely recommend listening to the audiobook, but also maybe buying the hardcover too because that book jacket is just too cool. (The pages on the faces feel different than the rest of the book. It's pretty cool.)

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Review: The Butterfly Garden

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

HOLY CRAP!?!?!?!?

This is the kind of book I've been looking for--equal parts horrifying, disturbing, and intriguing. The Butterfly Garden is about girls who have been kidnapped by a man called the Gardner, who collects these girls and tattoos butterfly wings on them. They then live until 21, where they are killed and preserved for their eternal beauty.

When you read this, you're disgusted but can't stop yourself from wondering what happens next. It'll also have you screaming because when you think it can't POSSIBLY get any more messed up, it GETS MORE MESSED UP!!!!

The writing was absolutely beautiful. The style of the story, told as an interrogation, was actually really helpful and interesting. You know they make it out because Maya's being interrogated, but it keeps you on your toes because you really want to know HOW they got out of this madness.

This could be very triggering, as there are mentions of rape and drugs and abuse, but if that doesn't keep you away, I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for something thrilling and creepy.

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Review: I Believe in a Thing Called Love

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you're looking for your next cute summer contemporary read, look no further.

I Bellieve in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo is a story about Desi Lee, a Korean girl who is best in her class and an overachiever in everything but boys. When a new boy, Luca, comes to school, she uses the guide of K-dramas to help her win him.

Even if you don't watch K-dramas (I've only seen one), you'll love this book, but it's probably even more fun if you've seen them. This story even has a guide to K-dramas on the back, if you want to marathon those before reading this.

This is one of the cutest books I've read in a long time, oh my gosh. Desi is such a sweetheart and adorable, and her relationship with her father is adorable, and her relationship with Luca is adorable. Everything about this book screams cute.

Plot-wise, this is sort of a predictable book. You can tell what's going to happen, but it doesn't stop you from reading on anyway!

I love this book and this is probably one of my favorites of this year so far (and that's a big accomplishment considering I've read like 60+ so far).

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK AND LOVE IT!!!

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Review: Frostblood

Frostblood by Elly Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Everyone knows that in video games, fire ALWAYS beats ice. So what's this crap about ice being stronger than fire in this world?????

I liked this but I had a few problems that were probably more my fault than this book's fault.

1) The male characters all seemed to have the same personality to me, and I kept getting them all confused because they all seemed the same.

2) There seemed to be random romantic scenes that always took me by surprise and didn't seem to further the book. Also they didn't mean much to me because all the character seemed the same to me so I'm not entirely sure who was the love interest (like there was Arcus but I think there were a couple more?? Maybe????)

3) I didn't remember a lot of scenes (I listened to this audiobook over a pretty long time), so when I started it up again it was difficult to remember what happened and who the characters were and where Ruby was and what she was doing. :(

Despite my horrible memory, I did enjoy this book and would definitely read the next one! Everyone complains about how Generic this is, and it sorta is!! Reminds me of many books (Throne of Glass, Snow Like Ashes, Red Queen, etc.) but I like those books!! Why wouldn't I like this? I would definitely read it in ebook or physical format though, because fantasy is difficult to keep up in audio form for me.

3 stars just because it didn't capture me as much as other 4-5 star books, but it wasn't bad.

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Review: Defy

Defy by Sara B. Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this one! Alexa, known as Alex, has to pretend to be a boy in the guard to protect herself from being raped and "bred." She is the best of the soldiers, and is soon personally protecting the prince. Then, a sorcerer infiltrates the castle, and everything changes.

Defy was very love-triangle, but it wasn't too bad. There were definitely a lot of eye-roll moments with Rylan, her best friend/admirer. He also seemed to have no personality and existed only to make her love life with the prince a pain in the ass. He also seemed to think he was entitled to her, which was so annoying to read through.

Alexa was a great character, but she also seemed to lack some personality. The only thing going for her was that she was hiding her identity, but apparently she did such a crappy job that it didn't last long. Then she was just a love-sick girl (who was weak personality-wise but kickass physically).

There were definitely a few plot twists that I should have seen coming but had me gasping in surprise. (Like seriously. I really should've seen them coming.)

I would definitely recommend if fantasy's your thing and you're not too turned off by love triangles!

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Review: Ignite Me

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WHAT A PERFECT ENDING TO A PERFECT SERIES!!!!!

Juliette has grown so much, and her ranting to Kenji about how she's strong and deserves better than Adam and should think of herself made me so happy. She's so badass and has come SUCH a long way since book one, and she deserves the world. Her having a million powers does confuse me -- why does everyone else only get one power and she gets like everything? That's a bit convenient.

The ending also had me panicking because there was so much to resolve with so little pages left, but somehow it managed to work, but also left me wanting SO MUCH MORE. Can this series go on forever please?

I need more Warner. I need a lot less Adam (because holy hell has he gotten so much worse since book 1). I need more Warner and Juliette. I need more Kenji. I want to know Everything that happens after.

Also, of course, the writing is still beautiful but actually a bit different than the other two. The strikeouts in phrases are gone, because Juliette is finally confident in herself and doesn't need them (I'm assuming), but that did make it different and weird because that's sort of what got me into this series. There's still writing/prose that's beautiful and pretty metaphors but it's not as ~magical~ as the other two, if that makes sense. I still loved it so much!!!

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Review: Sour Heart: Stories

Sour Heart: Stories by Jenny Zhang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a free e-book copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity!

Release date: August 1, 2017

Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang is a fictional book about stories of daughters of Chinese immigrants living in New York. The stories each follow different families but are all connected to each other in some way. They show the struggle of immigration and poverty in the 1990s.

I know that this is about poverty, but part of it seemed like it was trying hard to romanticize poverty. Maybe it was the slight prose with the first story that gave me that mindset, but it stuck throughout the book. The stories also varied--some were definitely worse than others. I remember the second story being disgusting and almost made me want to quit the book (due to scenes of sexual abuse), but it definitely picked up from there.

This book was diving into a genre I haven't explored too much. I think most of the characters in books I read are white and pretty well off, or they show little signs of struggle when poor. So Sour Heart broadened my reading horizons, and it did not disappoint! The stories were so interesting, and the characters were one of a kind. The stories did start to blend together for me, since they all had very similar tones, but that also may be because it took me a month to finish this book (not because it's bad!)

Although fiction, this book definitely made me realize how good I've had it in life. It makes you stop to think about others and what they've gone through to get where they are today. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves short stories, fiction, and stories of struggle and perseverance.

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Review: Life of Pi

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Life of Pi is about a zookeeper's son, Pi, who sets off to his new life in Canada. Animals from the zoo are also aboard his ship to go to the United States. Unfortunately, the ship crashes, and Pi finds himself stuck in a lifeboat with a tiger. This is the story of his survival.

This was such an intriguing read! The animal and zoo aspects of this story enticed me -- all the different facts about animals, habitats, and personalities. The way Pi ends up dealing with the tiger is fascinating to read about. The different ways he asserts his dominance and keeps the tiger fed and happy so it stays away from him is amazing and was very believable. The audiobook reader also really got into making the tiger noises, which was fun.

Survival stories are always cool because the characters are abandoned and have to make do with so little. Pi didn't sugarcoat it--it was horrible and lonely and he ended up dehydrated and starving and eating tiger feces at one point--but he didn't totally lose hope, which is always the best part of survival stories. They manage to keep their personalities and wits and use them to keep themselves alive. The fact that he had a huge tiger there was both a blessing and a curse. He had company to keep him from going insane, but he also went a bit insane of fear that he'd be eaten.

Once I read that the author studied philosophy, all the religion mentioned in the book started to make more sense to me. This book wasn't just a simple survival story. It was very religious and philosophical, which made it even more interesting in my opinion. Pi, this poor kid, just wanted to love God from all points of view, which baffles the rest of his family and priests. I think the promise of God also kept him alive in the lifeboat, which was touched on a bit but not to the point where you think the whole point of the book is just to convert you.

The writing of this book was amazing and kept me on my toes. The only problem I had were the last 2-3 chapters with interviews, which I thought were absolutely pointless and ruined the story. I can also see, though, how it's important (thanks to the book club discussion questions in the back of my physical copy). It ended up making me question everything, which wasn't a satisfying ending.

I would recommend this to everyone--especially fans of animals and survival stories (duh).

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Review: This Savage Song

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'd say this is 4.5 stars! The whole story itself was very weird and new and different that I couldn't help enjoy it. The writing style is beautiful (and I can't wait to read more of this author's books because I love the two I've read so far!). The idea of a monster only attacking guilty people isn't exactly //new// but still cool!

The audiobook reader was amazing and had me enchanted. I could really see it all playing out in my head (which was sometimes bad because I listened to this while driving most of the time and sorta got too invested in the story).

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Review: Lord of Shadows

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been ten thousand years,, but I've finally finished this book,,,//

I really liked it even though it took me longer than average to read! As much as I loved Emma and Julien's parts, I think I enjoyed Kit and the twins even more. (Also I'm really glad that Kit and Livvy didn't end up becoming a couple. They worked a lot better as friends.)

It took me a bit to get into the story, since it doesn't quickly dive into the plot of searching for the Black Volume. The story ended up being longer than it could have been, but I was okay with it! I loved seeing everyone's different perspectives of the events going on.

Also Emma and Jules ended up breaking my heart at a few scenes. The whole parabatai falling in love storyline really interested me (since we've never had it before). The whole idea of it driving them mad was really cool. (view spoiler)[I'm still not entirely sure why they wanted to go into exile, mainly because I forgot what they said when they were explaining it, but I'm sure it's for a good reason. (hide spoiler)]

He caught her by the wrist, brought her hand to his bare chest. Splayed her fingers over his heart. It beat against her palm, like a fist punching its way through his sternum. "Break my heart," he said. "Break it in pieces. I give you permission."

I also loved the representation! There weren't just white, cis, straight people. There was Christina and the Centurions. There were Magnus + Alec and Kieren + Mark. (view spoiler)[There was Diana, who, for some reason, I really wasn't too surprised about. Like no way I would've guessed that she was transgender, but it made sense??? (hide spoiler)]

This was an amazing book. The writing of Cassandra Clare has always amazed me, and I can't wait for the next book.

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Review: Unravel Me

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

wow wow wow somehow this book ended up being even better than the first!!!!!

Juliette is now working for Castle and trying to deal with being a weapon for him and deal with her feelings for Adam and her confused thoughts on Warner.

Basically, this is the book where Juliette realizes that there are more boys in the world except for Adam. Kenji ended up being such an amazing friend, staying by her side even when everyone else in the area didn't want to be near her.

Also the change in Juliette was awesome. She's still this weak girl, but she's getting so much stronger and not leaning on Adam anymore and I'm just so proud of her.

Of course, the writing was amazing and intoxicating. I wish this author had a lot more books like this series because I would eat them up.

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Review: The Color Purple

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I normally don't read classics because they just remind me of the ones I suffered through in grade school and parts of high school. The only reason I own this book is because at obscure used bookstores, I tend gravitate towards books I've heard of (instead of finding new books I could potentially be interested in). I'm so glad I got this!!!

The Color Purple is about a woman named Celie who has been raped and abused most of her life. She and everyone around her think very lowly of her until a famous singer named Shug Avery winds up in her home. Shug helps Celie deal with her past and present abuse, her confused sexuality, and her self-image. In The Color Purple, you get to see what a great change of character can occur when someone finally becomes loved.

The growth of Celie was amazing to read about, and I feel #blessed to be able to read this story. Literally the first page of this book is about her stepdad raping her. It only gets worse from there. She's beaten and given away to a husband who beats her even more. She also has to leave her sister, Nettie, which was the only light in her life at the time. Her children (from the stepfather) were given away, so she never gets to really know them. This whole first half of the book broke my heart. It was so amazing, after Shug coming along, seeing her grow more comfortable in her own skin. She became happier, too, which was very evident in the writing style of her letters to God (and later to Nettie).

"I am so happy. I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time. And you alive and be home soon."

This start of a letter actually had me choking back a sob because I was just so happy for Celie. She deserves the world.

The writing was different, but not bad. First, the story is told in a series of letters from Celie (and some from her sister) to God, which initially had me hooked. There's something about books told in letter or diary form that intrigue me. They're a lot more personal and you get to learn so much more about the characters and what they're going through than even a regular, first-person story. Second, the writing wasn't perfect English. It was written sort of how the characters talked (ex. instead of "asked" it was "ast"). This made the book a bit more immersive, because the story may have been a lot different if I was just reading it in perfect English?? Does that make sense???

I would recommend this book to everyone. It does get graphic with the rape and other abuse scenes, though, so if those could be triggering topics, I'd stay away. But overall, the story isn't about the abuse; it's about overcoming abuse and sexuality and self-image. It's about finding your voice and finding love.

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Review: The Falconer

The Falconer by Elizabeth May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a free e-book copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity!

The Falconer by Elizabeth May is a great fae fantasy book about Aileana, a girl whose mother was murdered by fairies. She seeks revenge for her mom's murder while also trying to fit into the constricting lifestyle of women in 1844.

This was a good book and a quick read for me, but there were some parts that didn't sit well with me. First of all, the main character Aileana reminded me a lot of Adelina from The Young Elites, in which her history and reasonings were very similar and the personalities were pretty similar. Sadly, I didn't like Adelina and didn't care much for Aileana either. I also didn't really like Aileana's bloodthirstiness. With all the other kick-butt assassin characters I've read in other books, they don't necessarily like killing people. Here, Aileana loves and craves killing the fae, which could've been an interesting aspect, but it just ended up a bit annoying.

The romance was very lacking in this book, and it would have been better if Gavin or Kiaran were more fleshed out characters, or even if there was no romance at all. The buildup to the romance with Kiaran seemed lackluster and didn't have me excited at all.

The plot itself was very intriguing! I just wish they went more into the "falconer" aspect (I mean it literally is the title). The name was thrown around a lot, but not much happened with it. Like it did, but it didn't. Where were the falcons???

I think four stars is a generous rating, but here it is.

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Review: A Dog's Purpose

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really cute book! It's all about the lives of one dog, who prefers the identity of Bailey the most. He keeps reincarnating until he discovers his purpose in life.

It wasn't anything too profound or deep, and I rolled my eyes a lot at this book, but also, this book was so funny and cute and I actually almost cried every time he got put down. (Typical me, emotionless w/ people but crying w/ dogs). I would recommend this book to any animal lover!

Also lmao the cat hate was so real

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Review: Blood and Ink

Blood and Ink by Stephen Davies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a free e-book copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity!

I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK AFTER A WHOLE MONTH. I do feel bad for putting off this book for so long, but things happen. Putting it off doesn't mean that this book was bad, though!

This book is about Ali, a Defender of the Faith, and Kadi, the daughter of a man who has illegal manuscripts. I don't know much about this history, so I can't say how accurate this is or how it compares to the actual story, but it was a pretty good historical fiction story.

The first 65% of the book was really slow, and I was actually thinking of DNF-ing this book, but, as I do, I hoped the story would get better and powered through it. I ended up liking the last part a lot, which saved this book from a one-star rating.

There wasn't much character development with anyone but Ali, which surprised me. I had an idea that Ali would become a better person, but he was just so headstrong that I just didn't know. I ended up really interested in his character and his reasoning for it all. It was intriguing seeing how both Kadi and Ali thought they were in the right. It was also a bit scary how extreme the Defenders of the Faith were, and how into the cause they were. Scary to think that this was based on a real event. I'm still not entirely sure what harem is, but I'm assuming from context it's similar to "sacrilegious." Davies didn't include it in his helpful glossary. :-(

There was some romance in this book, and I feel like it was required to push the story and character development forward, but it just didn't seem real. Kadi falls in love with Ali, the boy who had been harassing and targeting her, her family, and her friends this whole time. Their meetings were never really cute and flirty--they were pretty dark and violent. I just can't see how she fell for him.

Overall, the characters were decent, the story is slow and takes a long time to pick up, the romance a bit unbelievable, but this book still isn't bad. It isn't amazing and mind-blowing, but I ended up enjoying it.

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Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thoughts before reading this book: (1) this book cover is so green wtf (2) this books gonna fuck me up
Thoughts after reading this book: (1) this book is still so green it's distracting (2) this book fucked me up

A Court of Wings and Ruin is the third book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and it was probably one of my favorites in the series. I still think is my favorite because it was so mystical and new, and this one was more brutal, but I still loved this to death and is my second favorite now.

THIS REVIEW IS NOT SPOILER-FREE. LEAVE NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS (but let's be honest I think everyone's read this by now. it's all over my home page)

When I finished this book, I was just lying in my chair staring at the wall for a good half an hour, not knowing how to process all of my emotions. I WAS FEELING A LOT OF THINGS. I read the last 100 pages in one sitting and oh man did that break me. I never come close to crying when reading books, but this had me tearing up.

Just warning you now that there are going to be spoilers from here on. Just in case you decided to read on and ignore my previous warning.

Every scene with Rhysand towards the end broke my heart. He's definitely one of my favorite fictional characters of all time now, and he's been through SO MUCh, aND HE WAS WILLING TO GIVE HIMSELF UP FOR PRYTHIAN AND I SORT OF GUESSED THAT HE WAS GOING TO GIVE HIMSELF UP BUT OH MY GOD I WAS A PUDDLE OF SADNESS DURING THAT ONE SCENE (YALL KNOW THE SCENE).

I grew to love the Court of Dreams bunch even more through this book. More storylines were explained, and the character development was so real with some characters (Mor and Nesta).

I also found out I absolutely 100% love and support Nesta. Her pissed off stage at the beginning was actually one of my favorite parts of her, just because she was so different than the nice Night Court happy friends we were getting used to.

There's so much more to talk about, but so little time (and such bad memory, tbh. I don't want like one sentence reviews on scenes).

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Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

review #2 - v small review i promise
wowowowow even knowing all the twists this book didn't fail to have me head over heels again for it again also im so in luv with rhysand WOW can the next book come now please (it's actually getting shipped today im hyped)

also i forgot just how many sex scenes there were in here jesus

original review

There will be some spoilers in the "other thoughts" section because I can't contain my excitement I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT STUFF SOMEWHERE also slight spoilers from the ending of the first book because I can't help myself

What's This Book About?
This is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. At the end of Sarah J. Maas's first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre finds herself a newly-made Fae being (Is "being" the right word to use here? I don't know). Everybody gets to go home and be happy and everything is starting to be perfect in the world again. In this book, it starts out the same way. Everyone's trying to be happy and be in the perfect world they fought so hard to have, but things aren't as perfect as we want them to be. Feyre's been having these insane nightmares over the horrors she lived through Under the Mountain. Tamlin's been crazy protective over Feyre to the point of her having anxiety attacks. Feyre is still stuck seeing Rhysand once a week every month -- a part of their bargain from the last book. But once Tamlin's overprotectiveness goes way too far, Feyre asks Rhysand for an escape. And that's when it starts getting good.

Characters
Feyre - So Feyre. So much character development going on with Feyre in this book (as to be expected since she's the main character). Her anxiety was real as heck, and I was amazed that Sarah J. Maas was able to describe the panic attack so realistically. Feyre is trying to figure out whose side she's on and tries to piece herself back together after murdering innocent fairies Under the Mountain. There's nothing I love more than broken characters. Feyre's also got these crazy cool new powers that I am very jealous of. You get to see a lot of them. It's very cool.

Tamlin - Tamlin doesn't show up much in this one, actually, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Tamlin's character seems to change entirely. Where I was once rooting for him, now I am grossed out to read about him. I also did feel bad for him throughout the book, because being in his position would sort of suck.

Rhysand - RHYSAND. OH MAN. THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. I started this book not knowing how to feel about Rhysand. But after like 10 chapters or so, I was head over heels. And the character development is so real with this guy. I don't want to say too much and spoil stuff, but oh man.

Mor - I was only going to be talking about Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhysand, but I can't help but talk about Mor too. She's such a great character, and I love her so much. She's as sweet as can be but can also be terrifying. She helps Feyre in so many ways and without expecting anything in return. She's a total sweetheart!!!!!

World Building
The world building is so amazing in this. It was great in the first book, but I found it even better in this second book. The courts, the cities, the feud between humans and Fae. All of it is so intriguing and so lovely and amazing. You shouldn't be disappointed in this area.

Romance (if any)
WOO YEAH THERE'S SO MUCH ROMANCE. Actually there are around three detailed sex scenes. Yeah, I probably wouldn't recommend it to the young Young Adults. The whole thing was really nice but also sort of weird. I loved the romance in this book so much. It was a slow build up to it and I found myself waiting for it to happen. You know when there's a couple that should really be together and it just takes them SO LONG to get together? Yeah, it's like that. Actually, it's exactly that.

How's the Writing?
Sarah J. Maas has never let me down. Her writing style is so beautiful that I'm always coming back for more.

Other Thoughts
Okay here's the spoiler section.
(view spoiler)[The romance in this book was crazy and I absolutely loved it. I loved the idea that Rhysand was her mate all along, and that he didn't tell her. I loved the shameless flirting between them and the build up to the actual romance was so well done. I'm absolutely obsessed with these two.

Also Feyre going back to Tamlin. The fact that Maas left out the fact that she's now a High Lady. Oh my goodness. I'm so excited for the next book. (hide spoiler)]

Conclusion -- Rating Explanation
Romance was A+. So much character development. World building and writing was beautiful. I love you, Sarah J. Maas. Thank you for writing this book.

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Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review (sorta) #2
OH GOD I'VE BEEN PRONOUNCING RHYSAND'S NAME WRONG THIS WHOLE TIME. Book two's gonna be so weird trying to pronounce his name the correct way.

This book might have been even better the second time around. It was really amazing reading all the little hints and things that are more explained in book two (which I don't want to give away even though probably everyone has read these by now).

I'm so pumped for ACOWAR oh man.

In my old review, I talked about how this book could have been two books itself, but reading this again made me think that this was wrong. I thought it could've ended when Feyre returned home and the next book start with her going Under the Mountain, but now I realize that this book really did need all of this in one to get the full experience. Nothing much really happened in the first part to make it seem like it could stand alone, and I think I was too caught up in the romance the first time to realize that.

Also "This book ended so amazingly that I don't even know if I want to read the sequel." Oh please.

Also sort of unrelated, but goodread's new reread feature is cute. Crazy that I read this at like almost the same time last year.

Original Review (or lack of review?)
I loved this book so much you don't even know.

It's a take on Beauty and the Beast, I believe. This takes place in a world with humans and the Fae (fairies). A human girl, Feyre (fay-ruh), is struggling to keep her poor family alive. She hunts for food, and one day she ends up killing a Fae beast. This leads to her breaking the treaty between Fae and humans, and she must either die or come back to live with the Fae for the rest of her life.

This story is about her being torn away from her family and living in this new world she didn't believe really existed until now.

I don't want to get more into it, but it was great. I loved it so much. Maybe you wouldn't like it as much as me (I'm a sucker for stories with romance in it), but give it a shot!

Also it seemed like 2 books in one for me. I can't really explain it, but once everything seemed to end perfectly (at least a good ending to make you want a sequel), more things happened. This book ended so amazingly that I don't even know if I want to read the sequel.

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Review: This Is Where It Ends

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of the shorter books I've read in a while, but it took me so long???

I think it's because this book's writing style is so choppy that I couldn't really get engaged. I found myself reading a chapter then looking around and not really wanted to get too back into the book. Also for a book that should only take place in a couple of minutes, it takes so long (not just personally me reading, but the story itself and the chapters itself). It didn't seem reasonable that so much was going on in only 2 minutes at a time.

The whole story premise is horrifying though, and I was really excited to read a story about a school shooting. We've all seen them in the news more and more these past few years, so this is a very important story. I don't know how accurate it is, but it really resonated with me. It was really interesting seeing Tyler through the lives of others. He was apparently such a great guy to some, but everything just went so wrong.

There's more than just a shooting though. This tiny book also focuses on LGBT characters and rape. It also doesn't romanticize small towns - it shows the dangers of the police being so far away and everyone being connected to each other just made the whole thing so much scarier.

The texts/tweets seemed to be useless to me. None of them conveyed much, and I didn't care at all about the characters that starred in them (Jay, someone who skipped school so we don't know a single thing about him, and Mei, a teacher's daughter that we don't really get to meet and who's just sort of annoying).

Important story and topics, but it fell a little flat for me. I'd still probably recommend it to people though because it is such a short book.

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The Diabolic by S. J. Kincaid

Rating: 4/5 stars
★★★★☆

The Diabolic is about a girl named Nemesis who isn't really human, but Diabolic, which means she was created with superhuman strength and bonded to a human to protect her for the rest of her life. Nemesis is bonded to Sidonia, who one day is forced to be in the company of the unliked Emperor. To save Sidonia, Nemesis decides to disguise herself and go in her place.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: 5/5 stars
★★★★★

Crooked Kingdom is the second book in the Six of Crows duology. Six of Crows is about a big heist, and Crooked Kingdom is the aftermath.

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

I received a free e-book copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
★★★★★

Mask of Shadows is about a gender-fluid thief named Sal who finds a flyer for an audition to be Opal, one of the queen's right-hand-men. When Sal applies, they realize that the audition is actually a fight to the death.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Rating: 2/5 stars
☆☆☆★★

Scarlett and Donatella Dragna have lived with an incredibly abusive father ever since their mother had died. Scarlett, enchanted by all the stories her grandmother told her about the mysterious Caraval (a five-day spectacle of magic and games), wrote every year to the owner of Caraval for tickets. Finally, the one year she doesn't want them, she gets them. She loses her sister in the process, and has to do her best to win the game and find her.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Rating: 4/5 stars

☆★★★★

Passenger is about a girl named Etta, a soon-to-be professional violinist, who learns that she can travel time. Her mother hid an item throughout time, and another time-travelling family has captured and is using Etta’s mother as a reason to find the item for them. She only has cryptic clues and messages from her mother. She’s thrust into this new time-travelling world she didn’t know even existed, and has to survive and find the item before her mother dies.

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
★★★★★

The fifth wave is still happening, and getting more brutal. You still can't trust anyone, but the ragtag group of teens that managed to survive are trying to trust each other and keep each other alive through the madness.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Rating: 2/5 stars
☆☆☆★★

"In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic." Eventually, they have to fight to the death, and whoever wins becomes the real queen.

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Rating: 3.35/5 stars
☆☆★★★

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness. This was the goodreads info. I couldn't find a better way to say it.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Rating: 4/5 stars
☆★★★★

It's the end of the world and two ex lovers have to communicate to survive. Told through emails, chat logs, audio logs, and so on. Very cool.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Rating: 3/5 stars
☆☆★★★

Adelina Amouteru is broken and scarred (literally) from a plague she survived. Every other child who survived the plague ended up having super powers and formed together to create the Young Elites. Adelina has an abusive childhood while her father tries to coax her power out. She thinks it's hopeless, until one day it comes out. Then her whole world changes.

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5/5 stars
★★★★★

These are 4 Throne of Glass novellas! Highly recommended that you read these definitely before Queen of Shadows or Empire of Storms, but before the whole series too if you want a bit of insight into the main character. I didn't read this til after Empire of Storms, and I really wish I read it before. I didn't get all the little references til afterward.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Rating: 4/5 stars
☆★★★★

There have been 4 waves of the apocalypse. Now is the fifth wave -- the wave of aliens taking over the human race. You can't trust anyone because they've placed themselves inside the human population. You don't know who's who anymore. Cassie Sullivan has to use her intuition and trust friends to save her brother and herself from the fifth wave.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 4.75/5 stars
☆★★★★

Juliette's untouchable. Some power she has makes everyone who touches her die painfully and almost instantly. She's gone crazy from being locked up for the world's protection. Her world gets interesting when she meets Adam, the first person who can actually touch her.