Dividing Eden wasn’t really a book I was excited to read. That’s strange to write considering I really enjoyed it. But, I started it at the beginning of the year and put it down. My best friend pushed through and loved it but at that time the concept was lost on me. Now, I fell in love with it.
I was a tad turned off by some of the concepts throughout, but that was purely because of my own life experiences. This is mainly the alcoholism that one of the main characters suffer with. Considering the close perspective we get of both twins through their POV’s it was difficult to read at times.
The concept of this book is what really encaptures me though. A pair of siblings fighting for a throne and neither will win at the end? Since this is a series I figure that last part of that will be made further in the series, for now, I am entrapped with it completely. This book really brings forth familial ties, friendship ties and how your choices can lead to your failure.
It’s a bit difficult to talk about this book in my ramble section because I feel saying too much will give away too many things that happen in this book. I was just completely unable to put this book down despite the fact it did take me a few days to read.
P L O T
A challenge between siblings for a throne with strange relationships woven into the story is what Dividing Eden is ultimately about. Carys and Andreus are happy to live their lives with their struggles and let their older brother take over the thrown. That is until their older brother and father are murdered leaving the pair to compete in trials to achieve succession to make sure a rival does not gain the throne. However, at the end of these trials, one of the twins will die.
Interwoven into this is the fact that upon the birth of the twins they were informed that Andreus was cursed, his struggles to breathe through his youth highlighted this. It was decided that this would be hidden in order to protect him. So, who really wants a cursed king on the throne?
Honestly, it was really interesting. My only problem was that it took a while to really work into the plot. We get to know the characters until around 40% where this challenge takes off. It also is as if we’re not exactly meant to root for either of the twins. In their own right, they both felt like some kind of anti-hero who would bring doom to Eden.
I’m very excited to see how Joelle Charbonneau continues the plot in the upcoming books. The ending of this particular one leaves many possibilities to come.
C H A R A C T E R S
#C A R Y S
Carys really isn’t the ‘typical’ kind of princess either. She isn’t happy to sit around but instead took it upon herself to learn the art of weaponry in order to protect her brother and her kingdom. This gets her in a tad of trouble throughout the course when people wonder why a princess who is meant to have more skill in embroidery has the ability to perfectly kill an assassin.
Carys had to be my favourite of the twins if I had to pick one. I found her struggles and panic to be written well into the narrative. I really enjoyed her perspective and typically groaned when I had to read an Andreus chapter.
Her dedication to her brother was admirable. I have never read a sister who cares more for her siblings than Carys did for Andreus, a character who in my belief really didn’t deserve that dedication.
#A N D R E U S
Andreus is the definition of a pampered prince. Until the death of his brother, he isn’t really expected to do much. When he is, his sister takes the fall and the beating for him. He is happy to run around the court sleeping his way through the women, including brother’s fiancee.
I definitely hated Andreus. It has been a while since I’ve read a character who was so easily manipulated and, well, terrible. I presume he was meant to be the anti-hero of this book and make us truly try to realise how someone’s personality can change. But, I found him to be a bit daft and want him to die within the trials. The way he treated his sister, especially, pissed me off.
One scenario I need to talk about, I promise this isn’t a big spoiler but if you want to go in knowing nothing skip to my overall section. Andreus is about to screw something up (I can’t remember what) so Carys steps in to make sure she is reprimanded for his actions. She is taken up to a tower and whipped. When she finally goes back to her rooms she expects Andreus to be there to help take care of her, as he always is since it was his fault. This time? He’s not. Where is he? Screwing his dead brother’s fiancee. What a real treat.
O V E R A L L
Overall, despite my hatred for Andreus I really did enjoy this book. It really helped pull me out of the slump I have been facing since reading Zenith by Lindsay Cummings and Sasha Alsberg (review on my blog, it’s a rant). Dividing Eden wasn’t exactly the best book either, so if you do choose to pick this up have low expectations. It was simply a fun and enjoyable read....more
LMAO IM SIMULTANEOUSLY CRYING AND SCREAMING NO ONE TOUCH ME BECAUSE THIS SERIES HAS MY HEART BOTH WARM AND COLD. HONESTLY THIS IS SUCH A CLICHE STORY LMAO IM SIMULTANEOUSLY CRYING AND SCREAMING NO ONE TOUCH ME BECAUSE THIS SERIES HAS MY HEART BOTH WARM AND COLD. HONESTLY THIS IS SUCH A CLICHE STORY BUT I AM NOT HATING ON IT IT IS WHAT I NEEDED AND I AM SO HAPPY.
I AM SHOOK. I AM SCREAMING. I AM NOW EXPECTED TO DO TWO UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENTS AND IM NOT SURE HOW TO EVEN LIVE. THIS BOOK WAS A MASTERWHAT
THE
FUCK
WHAT
I AM SHOOK. I AM SCREAMING. I AM NOW EXPECTED TO DO TWO UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENTS AND IM NOT SURE HOW TO EVEN LIVE. THIS BOOK WAS A MASTERPIECE JUST LIKE THE FIRST AND I NEED BOOK THREE NOW.
This book wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was epilepsy representation so I could understand my mum's struggles on another level.
In the 1DNF @ 15%
This book wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was epilepsy representation so I could understand my mum's struggles on another level.
In the 15% I read, I didn't get that. I got a childish story of a girl who does not seem to care too much about her health and is "not like other girls". Obviously having epilepsy which causes grand-mal seizures is difficult, especially in the formative years. However, the main character slut shames other female characters and there is an annoying preppy lead who will no doubt be the love interest.
I'm also high key not in the mood for a contemporary. I just don't want it. I want a fast paced fantasy novel. I also wanted more of her seizure dog, but he seems to be an after thought.
I may come back to this one day, but for now it's a DNF. ...more
Invictus has stumped me. And, not in a good way. It's stumped me because I have never been this confused on how to rate a book. I've struggled between a 4 and a 3 for the beginning of the book, but as the story continued my attention wavered and I struggled to stay absorbed in the world and plot. I'm honestly just confused.
I should point out, sci-fi isn't my usual genre. I don't actively reach for a science fiction book. However, I trusted this author after how amazingly she executed Wolf by Wolf (a retelling of history that did a take on what would happen if Hitler had won). Sadly, I'm never going to be a science fiction and I think that's where the book lost me. Inter dimensional travel is a confusing concept and it went straight over my head. I got grasp time travel, just, so adding that extra element had my eyes rolling back into my head from the confusion I was feeling.
Simply, I just couldn't connect to either the world or the characters because of this. The addition of a new system of swear words also did my head in. I'm not a fan of swear words (curse words, cuss words, whatever you want to call them) being recreated. I'm a big fan of using cuss words so I don't see the point in changing it up. That could just me.
To get back to the book in this ramble, it just wasn't for me. Don't let this deter you from this book, though, I know others out there have loved it and I am simply an unpopular opinion in the sea of praises.
C H A R A C T E R S
In this section, I usually break down the characters and begin talking about how they added to the plot. However, for this book, I don't have a lot to say about any character, in particular, even the main character. But, to list everyone for you there is Farway (our main character) and his crew on the Invictus, Pyria, Imogen and Gram. Added to the crew on the adventure is Eliot, who is a mysterious girl who brings drama to the storyline.
Farway was egotistical. That is the one word I would choose to describe him. I'm not even sure how I felt about his character apart from confused. I didn't understand a lot of his inner monologue and was left staring at the book with my face scrunched in confusion a lot. I was excited to read about his illicit activities and evading the authorities of his world, but that wasn't really what this story was. It was confusing and my head is still spinning from it.
Pyria was Farway's girlfriend. I must have missed something because this shocked me. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the pair and felt their relationship was almost forced. It was a struggle to read. I could see the pair as close friends and I wish that had been their dynamic instead. Pyria is also the medic on the ship and the only logical one in most situations, I'm not sure how I felt about her, though. I really felt she took a backseat when it came to Farway's plot.
Imogen would be Farway's wild cousin. She changes her hair every day and has an undying passion for gelato (much like her cousin). Imogen is the one who clothes them on their time travelling missions because you can't turn up in Ancient Rome dressed in jeans and a polo, right? She had to be my favourite character until romance was added to her storyline with the only other male on the ship.
Gram was the one they all relied on to get them to their destination safely. I believe that makes him the engineer? I'm not sure, I forget. I did like him as a character and I didn't mind his romance with Imogen but communication problems are the bane of my existence and basically 80% of the romance between the two. I didn't feel like we focused enough on Gram either. He seemed to suffer from OCD tendencies and a panic attack in his first chapter, but I could be very wrong. I will, however, count those as triggers so people can be cautious.
Finally, Eliot. Literally the female version of Farway. She was egotistical and did everything for her friends and family. I wasn't expecting her to have alopecia, but I did think it was an interesting addition to the plot. I don't have much to say about her. When her 'mystery' was revealed I was unimpressed and expecting more. She was simply there, I did enjoy her friendship with Imogen though.
P L O T
For me, the plot was what let the book down subcutaneously, I think. We open with Farway failing his exams and then we have a heist. Which, if you ask me, is an amazing start to a novel. The book slowly falls away from this though, leading into a bigger problem for the universe and everyone in it. We learn about time travelling and what the threat is, but I was a tad unimpressed.
This really was probably just me, because I didn't read the blurb. I was expecting heists to follow the whole book and to be left on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I was more so flipping pages thinking about all the chores I had to do once I finished a chapter.
O V E R A L L
This was a space adventure filled with a diverse cast that unfortunately fell flat on me. I didn't enjoy the romance and I most certainly did not feel absorbed to the plot. I would still recommend this to everyone when it releases later this month, but unfortunately is not the book for me. If you're a fan of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo or heist novels, this may just appeal to you. ...more
WARNING THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOK ONE, NEVERNIGHT. HOWEVER, THIS REVIEW WILL HAVE NO SPOILERS FOR GODSGRAVE.
R A M B L E
I loved Nevernight. I’ve made that pretty clear since I read it. I also love Assassin’s and murder, something I don’t think I’ve made clear enough. So, obviously, Godsgrave was exactly this and more. If you loved Nevernight, you will adore Godsgrave because it is everything and more. I was even more excited when I was told I would get the opportunity to receive and review this book. I have never been lucky in my life, but in that moment I think I was the luckiest I’ve ever been.
I went in with high expeditions and every single one was met. The beginning was slow, but I feel like that’s the way Kristoff writes – reals you in with a false sense of security and then stabs you in the eye with feels after the first hundred pages. If you can stick around with that for both books it will be worth it.
It was also clear to see how Mia had grown throughout this book. It got a bit confusing in some places, but by the end, I was cheering for our anti-hero and blood covered girl. I felt some things with her character could have been improved but I’m sure it will come in the final book.
I just have so much love for this series. I can’t even begin to describe it. It’s truly everything I want and need in a book.
P L O T
The plot was intense. Mia is now a Blade after the events in Nevernight and is now followed by two daemons, Mr Kindly (her original shadow cat) and Eclipse (a shadow wolf). The pair drink her fear and make it so she is able to go into situations that would normally have people shitting their pants and come out victorious.
We expand a lot on the revenge plot that was created in book one, adding more names to her enemies list and discovering all is not what it seems to be. It was wild, to put it in one word. The side character also make this book. I won’t name names because that’s a major spoiler and if y’all are as big of a Nevernight fan as me you’ll be pissed if I spoiled it. Trust me, you’ll be shocked with this addition to the plot.
Basically, the plot is even more exciting than the first. Mia is no longer training and is willing to murder anyone who gets in her way. It’s difficult to explain it in any other way without giving away spoilers because truly you need to read this book and reach the end.
This series is just so badass, it’s amazing. I’m both nervous and excited to see what Jay Kristoff will be doing for the final book. I have no doubt I will be back screaming and crying like I was at the end of Godsgrave.
Seriously, make sure you know someone who has read this book because you will want to scream.
C H A R A C T E R S
#M I A
Mia is one of my favourite characters. Ironically, I’m compared most to her and Nesta from A Court of Thorns and Roses. I’m not sure what that says about me. Whatever though, I adore Mia. She’s kickass and in this book she goes through some serious growth. The character development blows me away.
Mia goes through more than just the classic revenge; she learns about her sexuality, deals with grief and discovers things about herself and others she had never anticipated. The way she deals with them is so beyond realistic that I could barely separate reality from the book. I related to a lot of emotions and feelings in this book. I think Jay Kristoff tackles these issues well, though I can’t speak too much on the representation of sexuality it seemed to work seamlessly with the plot (I will keep an eye out for reviews from people speaking on the rep to include here).
I should also mention, I loved the romance. I wasn’t sure I was going to, but I quickly grew to love it as the book progressed and find myself rooting for the pair.
However, Mia isn’t afraid to do what she has to. This may be murder or simply having to make a decision. It was interesting to see what choices she made; both in her eyes and the eyes of others.
O V E R A L L
Jay Kristoff creates the world that I would not like to live in but I would I adore reading about. The snarky footnotes, the gruesome murder, the smut that makes me uncomfortable to be reading the book on the couch in front of my family…all equal a fabulous read that I can’t help but rave about.
I can’t wait to read the final book in this series, I know it is going to completely shatter me but after the cliffhanger that this book left me on I have serious grabby hands. I also can’t wait to find out who the narrator is....more
WARNING: this review will get super personal, if you're not interested in that I suggest skipping it.
“I'm being for
4.5
TRIGGER WARNING: self harm.
WARNING: this review will get super personal, if you're not interested in that I suggest skipping it.
“I'm being forced to challenge ideas that have kept me safe for so long. There's an entire library of information in my head, and suddenly I can't decide if any of it is worth reading.”
Under Rose-Tainted Skies was an amazing book. It was similar to Everything, Everything but better. It felt a lot more realistic than Everything, Everything and had what it was lacking - a character who doesn't change purely based on a boy and a supportive circle of people. I just enjoyed this so much.
The story is from the perspective of Norah, a girl who has agoraphobia, OCD and anxiety. Not so fun for the typical teenager. As someone who was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and PTSD I found it amazing to see thought processes I have every day going through the main characters mind. My whole life I have been called both a hypochondriac and a drama queen because of how my brain wants to keep me safe. I don't branch out. I stay in a bubble and I will always think my options through if it is a dangerous scenario - this is something I'm getting with purely because my friends put me in situations that make me uncomfortable. Norah had a similar thought process of mine, processing all the worst possible case scenarios - even if they are unrealistic. I have never felt so completely represented in a book before.
However, I did have a small problem with this book. It felt that, in some way, it invalidated the fact that self-harm can be represented in other forms apart from cutting. The mum and Dr. Reeves are very open to it, but Norah was incredibly close minded and it was slightly frustrating. I'm about to get personal, so get ready, but when I would self-harm during my anxiety attacks I would scratch my skin till it bled or rip chunks of my hair out. It grounds me. Norah did something similar where she would scratch her skin until she bled, Dr. Reeves points out this, is in fact, self-harm and Norah doesn't agree because "it fades in a week."
This was my only problem, though. I loved all the characters. I felt so giddy while reading it. I loved the dynamic between both Norah and Luke. It was just such a sweet story and ultimately did have an amazing representation of mental health, in my opinion. I highly recommend it. ...more
R E V I E W SPOILERS FOR ALL BOOKS IN THE SERIES, INCLUDING IMMORTAL REIGN
Immortal Reign was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017. Then it got pushed back to 2018 and I remained excited. I was sitting on the edge of my seat after the short events of Crystal Storm. The ending especially had me curious about the fate of Magnus Damora in this book. How would my beautiful villain turned softie fair out? I wasn’t going to write a review but I just have so many thoughts, none good.
I typically love conclusions when they’re fleshed out. However, in Immortal Reign a lot happens while simultaneously the characters never move from their original positions. Amara is suddenly not the enemy, King Gaius is dies, and the elemental crystals are the only thing that matters. That is really the entire concept of this book. There’s a lot of murder, Lucia is meant to be some sort of demon to the people, and no one seems to really care about the poor people who the elementals have taken over. There is a slight care from Cleo, but really, grief is not something that Morgan Rhodes has a talent for writing.
There were just so many problems with Immortal Reign. It’s not as if I hadn’t known there were problems in the previous books, I had simply ignored them because I didn’t want it to take away from how exciting the content was. Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes has not a single scrap of that excitement from the previous books – which, I’ve rated all five stars. It is weak. The main focus of this book is to give redemption arcs to the antagonists who have been terrible people. Not only that but there is some crazy queer baiting for a f/f couple. I don’t understand why the m/m couple was stated in the text but the f/f couple obviously gets pushed aside. To have a few more short points before I get into the big stuff; Lucia was a terrible mother, Jonas lost his spark, and I have no idea what Magnus and Cleo did apart from having sex together on a beach.
L I K E S
✗ MAGNEO HAPPY ENDING
This is really the only thing I did enjoy. My one ship of this series made it to the end and got a happy ending. I shouldn’t have been shocked considering they’re on the cover. That’s really all I can say. I love the paths they’re character took throughout the series and they didn’t really do much this story, so, they got their happy ending and that is all that really matters to me about the entire book.
✗ APOLOGY ARCS – KILL ME?
The biggest problem of the whole book. I mentioned this earlier in my review, but the apology and redemption arcs of two of the biggest antagonists is a problem. Also the fact that one of the antagonists, Amara, was spontaneously queer baited – I shouldn’t be shocked after what happened with Nic. It just all came across as weak, honestly. You can kill of characters even if they haven’t been redeemed in the book. They’re villains for a reason, you don’t need your character to mourn for their abusive father who was a dictator ruler. You also don’t need to redeem a character that murdered her whole family and blame her grandmother. It all just came across as wasted page time, honestly. This book could have been shorter without all the unnecessary pages that had King Gaius and Amara become ‘good’ people. There was just such a lack of need for it. Also, considering this series is compared to Game of Thrones you would really think Rhodes would be willing to kill them off with no regret.
✗ FORCED RELATIONSHIPS
Jonas and Lucia made me so uncomfortable. Honestly. The whole relationship was just weird. There was also no explanation for either of them in the end, which had me rolling my eyes. The relationship came out of nowhere and looking back, I find it weird that Lucia named her baby after a girl she had gotten murdered and Jonas loved. It’s just so weird. Neither of them shared two brain cells between them as well. They just ran into situations without an ounce of thinking, not caring who got hurt in the process.
✗ WHERE IS THE ORIGINALITY?
It’s not only the fact I didn’t enjoy Immortal Reign, but it lacked originality. It seemed like the story went around in circles, we faced problems we already had and the characters seemed to have lost a lot of the development they had fought for in previous books. It was incredibly disappointing to read and wonder what had happened between the last book and this one, despite the fact the story picks up right where it left off.
POINTLESS SCENES
I think pointless scenes added the most to the circle feeling of this book. It felt every time we were taking one step forward we would take two steps backwards. It was redundant and so frustrating to read. I just wanted these characters to do something useful to the plot instead of screaming and fighting over useless stuff. A few of the POV’s could have been cut – cough, Amara, cough, Nic, cough – and it would have really not impacted the book at all. It was just so much wasted page time, especially with Amara’s section being filled with endless queerbaiting.
✗ EVERYONE GETS A GOLD STAR
Everyone gets a happy ending; no one is at risk for more than a chapter, no one has to face any great issues. It was boring. Every POV from Jonas, Magnus, Nic, Amara, Cleo and Lucia were all boring. Why? Because not a single trouble happened. However, they were all rewarded despite the fact they literally did nothing that just feels pointless. The biggest problem ever, as well, had the easiest conclusion and Lucia was acting like a fucking moron over her child but couldn’t think to ask a simple question of ‘where is my baby?’ – reasons why children shouldn’t have children. It would have been great for there to actually be some danger so that the characters deserved the endless gold stars they received, but nope.
Overall, I’m disappointed. If you were looking for a concise conclusion that’ll make you happy, I’d probably skip Falling Kingdoms altogether. I realise looking at it now that the series really fell apart around Frozen Tides and wasn’t able to pick it’s self up in this final book. It’s disappointing and frustrating just how juvenile this book was at stages. I just wish Morgan Rhodes would have taken a different path because Immortal Reign reads as if it was rushed and just a clump of ideas pulled from the trash.
I WANTED TO LOVE THIS. I WANTED TO LOVE IT SO BAD. BUT I JUST CANT.
I'm not a sci fi reader. I never will be. Space doesDNF @ 31%
THIS HURTS ME TO DO.
I WANTED TO LOVE THIS. I WANTED TO LOVE IT SO BAD. BUT I JUST CANT.
I'm not a sci fi reader. I never will be. Space doesn't interest me enough to want to read about it. Illuminae and Gemina were flukes, which I adored. Defy the Stars is not going to be a fluke.
Don't get me wrong, the concept is interesting. I just expected more. I wanted so much more from the characters and story by 20% and I wasn't getting it. The fact I was reading so slowly was making me want to tear my hair out.
I also didn't really like Noemi. I'm sure there's some character development there, but for now I couldn't handle her. I may come back to this one day next year, see if I'm a different reader. For now I need something to pull me out of my slump I'm entering at high speeds. ...more
BUDDY READING WITH TWO OF MY FAVES AKA JOSH & CAIT
I was provided with an eARC but all thoughts and opinions are my own - you guys know I'd never lie BUDDY READING WITH TWO OF MY FAVES AKA JOSH & CAIT
I was provided with an eARC but all thoughts and opinions are my own - you guys know I'd never lie to you.
I love Mulan, let me just preface this with that. Mulan has always been tied for my favourite Disney film with Beauty and The Beast because our MC is kickass and the songs are even better. So, when I heard about a Mulan retelling coming out I obviously had to jump on it.
[image]
I was, however, a tad bit nervous going into this due to the fact I was not a large fan of this author's other series (The Wrath and the Dawn???) meaning I DNF'ed it, oops. Whats new? However, when my friends and I were provided with an ARC I thought "fuck it" and dived right in.
AND THANK GOD I DID.
I loved this. I can't tell you a single character's name nor can I pronounce almost anything without butchering it, my pronunciation is terrible with English names as well. I did not predict a single event which occurred throughout this novel. I was literally on the edge of my seat at the end of every 10%.
However, it is important to note this book is slow, so slow that Cait didn't actually enjoy it. Shockingly enough, despite my hatred for slow books, I loved it. So, be cautious going in if you're expecting a completely action packed book because this is not it.
I did also find that some of the perspectives were utterly useless. This book definitely could have benefited from sticking to our MC's perspective instead of jumping to her brother's. It got a bit frustrating since I was only reading 10% a day and when most of that is spent in a character's perspective I didn't enjoy, I don't enjoy it.
The twists are pretty crazy, though, as are the events which occur throughout the book. Overall, this was an enjoyable book despite being a tad slow. Don't go in expecting Mulan to be told exactly in a story, it isn't. This story is very different from Mulan, though it does contain some similarities.
PRE-REVIEW
Every time I see this book in my feed I scream of excitement. Mulan is one (I said one, don't attack me pls) of the most kickass females in a Disney films and I absolutely adored the power in the movie! I am definitely counting down the days till this is realised omg....more
Renegades by Marissa Meyer was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017. Which meant I was incredibly cautious when it began approaching its release date. At this point in this year, I have been let down countlessly by books I was excited about. It’s gotten to the point where I try to feel indifferent in order to save myself from disappointment or get incredibly excited when the book is amazing. I’m so happy to tell you that Renegades falls into the amazing category.
I received this book on the 27th of October. My sister called me while I was sitting at a train station in Brisbane to tell me because I was going away for two weeks. So, I had to wait two weeks to get home for this book and I was pretty damn excited about it. I honestly wouldn’t shut up about it and honestly found it hilarious that it turned up an hour after I had left my house because at that point it was the only book I wanted to read. Just my luck, right?
This book was just incredible and I’m pretty sure this review will be mostly incoherent because what the fuck did I just read? This book has honestly shot straight to my favourites ever, and especially into my favourites of this year. It was truly such a spectacular book that really felt like it was from the same author as The Lunar Chronicles (which Heartless didn’t feel to me).
I really feel that in Renegades Marissa Meyer creates one of the best worlds to date. Creating such an interesting world filled with grey morals and ethics. This particular book shows that things aren’t as straightforward as people tend to believe, leading to a spectacular story with complex characters who go through their struggles as they try to decide what side of the good or bad line they fall on.
It’s not even that Marissa Meyer creates great main characters, which she does, but her side characters are what really drive the book and keep you interested. She doesn’t forget them among the plot and main character drama, they still continue to play a large part. I love that.
P L O T
I found the plot for Renegades to be incredibly complex. Not in the way that it was difficult to understand, more so that I found it so mind-blowingly intricate and I felt as if there were so many clues in the text for what is to come if you’re keeping an eye out for them. Truly, this plot is incredible. It’s been a while since I’ve been invested in a plot as much as this one. Hell, it’s been a while since I even gave a book five stars. But, Renegades deserves it.
Nova and Adrian are on different sides. Nova is an Anarchist, has been since she was six. Adrian is a Renegade, has been since he was born to his superhero mother. They both believe their side is, ultimately, the right one. But, how can the villains be right when they’re villains? Doesn’t matter that the people meant to protect the city are slightly shady, the Anarchists are the enemy and should be seen as such.
I really loved the development of this story, completely. From the romance between Nova and Adrian to the overall set up for the plot. Like, to get into the writing style for a second, Marissa Meyer has one of the best writing styles I’ve ever read and that is really highlighted in this book. Especially through her dialogue. Hell, her dialogue has to be my favourite part of this book. I truly adored how it all connected and made me physically laugh aloud, a rare thing for me while reading.
C H A R A C T E R S
There are many characters throughout this story that play large roles, on both the Anarchist and Renegade sides. For this section, I’ll only briefly talk about our two main characters and my thoughts and feelings on them as our leads.
#N O V A
Nova is the girl who has had everything go wrong in her life. She has nothing but the few members of the Anarchist left. No one but them even knows about her. I mean, the world knows her alias, Nightmare, but apart from that nothing. That doesn’t stop her, though. Nova is one of the most kickass women in YA fiction, I’m calling it now. She was so incredibly badass and willing to physically kick ass that I was proud to be supporting her.
Our main character Nova has an incredible amount of snark as well. She was always there with a comment that could get in her trouble, a comment she was willing to say even if it would get her in trouble. She’s also smart, resourceful and a villain. But, is she?This is a question Nova struggles with throughout Renegades and I absolutely loved it. Not that she was struggling, but the way Marissa Meyer wrote this internal struggle she faced. I feel as if it was incredibly well done.
I really hope in the sequels that we get to see more of Nova’s power (the ability to put people to sleep with skin to skin contact, leaving them vulnerable). We got some small snippets throughout Renegades but I really would like a larger focus on it.
#A D R I A N
Heres the thing with Adrian, I hated him at first. It was nothing against him but I have a thing against guys named Adrian. It’s a long, personal story that isn’t meant for my blog so I’ll skip it. However, I may have just fallen in love with the Adrian that features Renegades.
Adrian is honestly a sweetheart. He has grown up a Renegade, with his late mother being one of the original six. His adopted fathers are also part of the original six, having been best friends with his mother. All he’s known is that he wants to know who killed his mother. How does a hero that can fly die falling off a building? It’s not logical. No, seriously, it really isn’t logical, like what the heck? Anyway, Adrian is a Renegade to the bone and willing to do absolutely everything to be a hero like his mother and fathers.
I was super intrigued by his ability, the power to draw things and they come to life. I would love for him to draw me some of the dinosaurs he drew throughout this particular book. I just freaking love dinosaurs. It was interesting to see how he used his power too. I’ll leave that there, just so you can feel a bit surprised when you read this book (seriously, read this book, you know where the buy links are on this post!).
He was truly just a sweetheart, the way he cared for Nova and his team was quite beautiful.
O V E R A L L
Overall, someone needs to put book two in my hands now. The ending has left me with major grabby hands and honest embarrassment for my desperation for the sequel. Truly, this book was a masterpiece. I can’t fault it on one single thing....more
**I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
I went into The Crown's Fate with so many high expectations. I loved The Crown's Game, it was great. However, The Crown's Fate was not on the same playing field. One of my favourite things about The Crown's Game was the magic. I was in love with the world building and the historical Russia setting. This book lacked the enchanting aura that came with the first book.
It also felt that throughout this book the characters lost their personalities. I didn't recognise anyone from the first book. Pasha was stupid, Vika couldn't stop complaining and I have no idea what Nikolai was doing but boy was it annoying.
On top of the characters being completely not themselves, there was not plot line. No, sorry, there was but it simply was repeated several times throughout the book and caused the characters to be running around in circles and have the same conversation several more times. So, it was just a tad boring if you ask me.
To further my disappointment, this book was filled with useless perspectives. Honestly, this book could have chopped maybe a quarter off if it hadn't been for the useless perspectives for a page. You can bet I was rolling my eyes whenever I happened across one of those in particular.
I wish I could deconstruct this better and maybe express my opinions in a more concise matter, but I didn't take much of this book in. I was scanning my eyes across the words and because the content was so useless to the plot I found myself napping with my eyes open. I honestly don't remember a thing from the second half of the book. It all felt like it was trying too hard....more
I usually try to finish books I read this far. However, it's so boring. This book had a strong start and then it disappeared, only to come baDNF @ 68%
I usually try to finish books I read this far. However, it's so boring. This book had a strong start and then it disappeared, only to come back and disappear again. There is a lot of training and not a lot of action, which is incredibly boring.
The world is incredibly interesting. I don't think a lot about a post-mortality world, but one of my good friends does quite a bit so it was interesting to see another's interpretation of what I've heard discussed. That doesn't make up for how boring it was to read the history.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book. It's just a slow book and I'm not in the mood for that. The best parts were the journals, purely because I couldn't tell the difference in voices between our main characters a lot of the time. ...more
Wow. It's been around 24 hours and I still am unable to put The Crown's Game into the words I want to. Buddy Read with who dat aka big boy aka Caitlin
Wow. It's been around 24 hours and I still am unable to put The Crown's Game into the words I want to. I am still in shock. I picked the book up despite seeing some mixed reviews which would have otherwise drove me away, and then proceeded to read it with one of my favourite people who I met through this site. If I hadn't been reading it with Cait I probably would have DNF'ed it.
One thing I can say about this book is that the beginning is slow. It is so horrifically slow that I was frustrated with our characters. I grew to love them though, clearly from my rating of this book. However, since I don't want to say anything about this book in fear of ruining it for you I will put it in gifs.
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Ultimately, I need to be put in my glass castle (my big boys will understand) and be held by someone because damn. Definitely one of the best books I've read of 2016. ...more
I was provided with an eARC but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
GUYS ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR RIGHT NOW. IM SOBBING. I AM IN LITERAL HYSTERICS OVER I was provided with an eARC but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
GUYS ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR RIGHT NOW. IM SOBBING. I AM IN LITERAL HYSTERICS OVER THIS BOOK. I HAVENT CRIED OVER A BOOK IN FOREVER BUT THIS. PICK IT UP ON RELEASE DAY. BLOODY DO IT BECAUSE I AM HYPING THIS HARD.
IT HAS A FANGIRL FEEL TO IT BUT IS SO MUCH BETTER. OH, MY HEART. OH MY WALLACE.
OKAY, SO BASICALLY IVE DECIDED I CAN'T WRITE THIS REVIEW WITHOUT KEEPING MY KEYBOARD ON CAPS LOCK. WELCOME.
FRANCESCA ZAPPIA DISPLAYS MENTAL HEALTH PERFECTLY. SHE DOESN'T MAKE IT A BIG DEAL. SHE SNEAKS IT IN AND KEEPS IT REALISTIC. WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT MAKES THIS BOOK MAGICAL. ON TOP OF THE MC DRAWING COMICS (which is pretty dang cool) AND JUST BEING AWKARD - I FELT THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT.
THEN THERE IS WALLACE. WALLACE IS AN ANGEL. SOMEONE FIND ME A GUY LIKE WALLACE. NOT JUST BECAUSE HES TALL AND IS BUILT LIKE A FOOTBALL PLAYER (though, like, yum???) BUT BECAUSE HE IS THE SWEETEST MALE CHARACTER I HAVE READ IN A LONG TIME. HE IS AN ANGEL.
THEN WE HAVE SNIPPETS OF THE COMIC. SNIPPETS FROM WALLACE'S STORY. GEEKY CHARACTERS WHO COSPLAY. AND JUST OVER AROUND GEEKY SWEETNESS.
THE STORY ITSELF IS BEAUTIFUL. A SUPER FAST READ. I AM SUPER HAPPY I READ IT SO FAST. I AM HYPING THIS BOOK UP BECAUSE IT DESERVES IT. I NEED THIS IN A PHYSICAL COPY. AHHHH. It's SO GOOD. ...more
Thanks NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own
Trigger Warnings: murder, PTSD (bad rep), grief EDIT 20/01/18: I’m not sure if I missed it, but aThanks NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own
Trigger Warnings: murder, PTSD (bad rep), grief EDIT 20/01/18: I’m not sure if I missed it, but a rape subplot is in the final copy.
Here’s the thing, I knew Zenith wasn’t going to be the book for me. I knew it in my soul. I had read the small snippet that was released last year. I hated it. At first, I was shocked, because it was pretty good on my first read through. However, the more I sat on it the more I hated it. This 500-page copy of Zenith was somehow worse than those first 62 pages that were released.
I have never been so bored reading a book. Nothing happens. These characters are dull and our main character, Androma (Andi), is so fucking boring. I’m going to talk about this later in this review, but it is insane what an unmemorable character she was.
It felt like Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings tried too hard to turn Zenith into something it wasn’t. Filled with a ridiculous amount of POV chapters I feel the story was lost within side plots that did not add to the story in any way. I also believe that the duo tried to create a story that would be similar to the YA favourite Six of Crows and Throne of Glass. I found myself picking up on many similarities throughout the 500-page novel and wanting to roll my eyes.
Not even that, but simply the overwhelming fact that the writing style was boring. It was clear that one part of the novel had been more heavily edited than the second half. It was also incredibly clear that this book was written by two authors. In my opinion, the duo’s writing styles didn’t flow together and left this particular version of the book feeling clunky. The flow was truly off, with the pair focusing more on scenes that added useless information to the story rather than the main plot.
It wasn’t even that, actually. The first part of the book (the original 62 pages) had been edited to have a sort of flowery style of writing. It was confusing and unnecessary the amount of metaphors and similes that had been thrown into this book. None of which really made sense. However, that style of writing basically completely stops out of nowhere and it becomes incredibly messy. I know this is an eARC but I found several mistakes throughout and repeats of words and phrases. I definitely couldn’t stand the fact that you were told Andi’s backstory every fifty or so pages. It was frustrating because purely because this book could have been 300 pages shorter and still delivered the same plot.
I also quickly want to mention the girls inclusion of PTSD. As someone who has PTSD I found their attempt at representing it through their main character laughable. It wasn’t good. It was clunky and thrown in when it best suited them. It didn’t add to the character and it wasn’t mentioned until convenient. In no way did Andi come across as someone who was struggling with PTSD. It actually incredibly frustrated me. Sure, there are many types of PTSD but in the case of this particular book it wasn’t displayed accurately. The girls would have been better to just drop that entire piece of the book.
P L O T
Plot is a funny word to use in regards to this book. Mainly because for 490 pages nothing happens. I truly wish I was kidding. The excitement and climax of the book happens just seconds off you ending the book. It felt sloppy, it felt like it wasn’t edited and, boy, did it feel rushed. It felt as if the authors had a deadline to meet and where throwing every cliche on paper in order to get their book in. It was frustrating to read.
The primary plot of this is that the Bloody Baroness (this nickname is a joke and I’ll talk more about it in my characters section) has been recruited by a man who hates her to rescue his son with a man she tried to kill. Really, there are so many other YA stories where this is executed much better. This particular mission is accomplished within 40% of the book. The characters have retrieved him successfully. For 50% we get to watch every other fuck around and have a ridiculous amount of POV chapters.
I wish I was kidding about the POV chapters. There were at least 6 POV chapters. One takes place in the past, three are people on the ship, one is the evil queen and one is the guy who is being rescued. A ridiculous amount and many of which could have been taken out. We really only needed the main character’s perspective and this book could have been so much shorter.
C H A R A C T E R S
There are so many pointless fucking characters in Zenith. I apologise for the language that is about to arise, but I’m getting mad just remembering this book. There’s the crew on the Marauder, all women space pirates which sounds awesome but trust me I’m not. There’s like a 12 year old murderer, Lira, and a giantess? I have no idea, honestly. They were made clearly not important or relevant to have a backstory. The only character who gets a POV chapter is Lira, a perspective that really wasn’t needed to add to the story.
For this section I only want to talk about Androma, because I have a lot to say and this review is already longer than my usual. There are characters like Dex who I liked better, Nor who was an evil bitch that I wanted to murder everyone and Valen who was useless.
#A N D R O M A R A C E L L A
Lets get into this. Hello Androma Racella, an attempt at both Celaena Sardothien and Kaz Brekker. A terrible attempt. It doesn’t matter if you only like Throne of Glass or Six of Crows you will cringe at this clear attempt at trying to be like your favourite characters. I truly have never read a more unimpressive character in a fantasy novel. I have never been more bored in a fantasy novel either. However, Andi’s perspective had to be some of the most boring ever.
I want to start off with my first major hate for the scary and fearless main character. The fact that she is not this big amazing character that we are meant to believe. She is feared throughout the galaxies and the authors have described her as ruthless time and time again. This is so incorrect. With a title like the Bloody Baroness you don’t expect a character to take time to mark each death on her blade and mourn the deaths under her blade. It was truly pathetic, honestly. She thinks she’s a monster but she continues to kill and enjoy it? Her character was a contradiction that didn’t make sense. I ranted about this in my part one review of the novella. It seems that it wasn’t changed when they forced this book to hit 500 pages (seriously, Andi isn’t interesting enough to be worth 100 pages).
She also treats everyone like shit. From her crew who she is meant to love to her ex boyfriend. Which was a romance that led to nothing. Throughout the entire book you are seeing Andi and her ex Dex flirt and kind of grow their feelings as they learn what happened before the big betrayal. It leads to nothing. They ultimately go ‘well we had our chance lmao nice knowing you’ and I’m like are you fucking serious?!
This book is a whole lot of nothing. The characters are a whole lot of nothing. The ultimate thing accomplished throughout this book is…you guessed it, nothing! 500 pages of shitty characters and nothing. I’m going insane even thinking about this book, oh my God someone stop me from ripping my hair out.
O V E R A L L
Overall, this isn’t a book you need to read on release day or week. If you still want to read it, I would recommend waiting for it to come down in price because it is not worth the hype. It is truly a let down and I wasn’t expecting anything at all. I truly can’t even put into words how much I recommend you don’t waste your time with this book. It’s boring and nothing happens. I mean, look at the Goodreads rating on it. It’s damn low.
I really just keep getting mad about this book. This may sit under All The Bright Places and Caraval for most hated book by me ever. I really tried to be nice throughout this review, but the more I typed the angrier I got that I spent 5 hours reading this load of shit when I could have done absolutely anything else in the world....more
I tried. Boy, did I try. I struggled through 20% of pointless interactions and pointless SECOND ATTEMPT DNF @ 20%
BUDDY READING with my wife, Caitlin.
I tried. Boy, did I try. I struggled through 20% of pointless interactions and pointless information to give up. This book just isn't for me and I'm sad because I really did want to like this.
In one of her updates Caitlin said this was basically the Titanic in space - I hate the Titanic. I hate the movie with a burning fiery passion of "wtf why did I just waste like two hours of my life??"
The characters are one dimensional for me. I hate Lilac (I hate her name as well) and Tarver (is that his name? don't care). They're so annoying. The attempt at banter and snark is slightly painful to read. As are the descriptions and the slightly pervert moment Tarver has while Lilac is passed out.
The insta-attraction still hurts me, as does Lilac's ridiculously immature reactions. It has so much potential, the execution is just poor for me.
FIRST ATTEMPT DNF @ 1%
Now, I know what you're thinking:
Amber, you've only read one percent?!
So stay with me kids, because I have the perfect reason for not continuing on. Insta-attraction. Oh, and cliches as hell.
Insta-attraction?!
I use this because it wasn't love, but the descriptions used for the girl I presume to be the female lead where of such an insta-love way I was rolling around on my bed cringing.
Shouldn't you at least give the book a chance?
No. I'm not wasting my time with crappy books anymore. They're not worth the energy and reading slumps that follow. I am, however, really upset I didn't enjoy this....more
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