Published May 5th, 2020 by Graphix (first published September 2016)
Genre: YA, Romance, LGBTQ+
Pages: 288
“Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out.
Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn’t think he has a chance.
But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.” -Goodreads
My Review:
I have not read a graphic novel in so long! This one was perfect to get me out of my tunnel down the fantasy rabbit hole.
I picked it up at Target a few days ago. I finished it the next day. I am now anxiously awaiting the second one.
This volume leaves off on a cliffhanger right as we were getting to the good parts. I love stories that leave you begging for more.
The story is so cute. It focuses on two high school-aged boys falling in love. Charlie and Nick’s romance is so touching and relatable. Whoever you are and wherever your love interests are, we can all relate to the highs and very low lows of crushes and love in high school.
The illustrations are so cute. I think these like semi-minimalistic cartoon pencil drawings are perfect. The way the feelings are displayed through changing box sizes and illustrations on the background.
This graphic novel is so well done. I love it a lot.
So besides the sister/brother romance, everything about this book is superb.
The Book:
Goodreads
Title: The City of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2
Published September 1st 2015 by Margaret K. McElderry Books (first published March 25th 2008)
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 455
“Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go—especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also her father.
To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings—and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?
In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City’s Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.” -Goodreads
My Review:
Cassandra Clare wrote horribly in the first book, City of Bones. She wrote writing that I could only describe as fanfiction writing. In this book though, she seems to have a grip on her fanfiction descriptions and reigns it into more professional and exquisite writing.
This is really shown off in the third book, but we are not talking about that yet.
Near the end of the book, the story sucked me in and I could not put it down. I finished the book in two days. I started to read the next one and devoured that as well.
The fighting scenes are so good. The little twists and turns are so good. The descriptions of the world are so vibrant. I can envision everything so well.
The humor in this series is the best. The witty comments are cheesy, but I appreciate them. They are actually funny, unlike other fantasy books.
The one thing I hate about this book is the romance. Ugh, I want to barf. If you don’t know, (spoilers for the rest of the paragraph) the main character and the main love interests are brother and sister for this book. It irks me because the romance could be so great, but now it is just tainted.
Other than that, this book is really good. I am enjoying The Mortal Instruments.
The next book is so much better than all the others. I cannot wait to finish it and put up my review.
Hey guys! I am trying out a new format with my blog so bear with me…
THE BOOK:
Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen #1
Published February 10th, 2015 by HarperTeen
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Sci-Fi
Pages: 383
“This is a world divided by blood—red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.” -Goodreads
MY REVIEW:
Plotwise this book had everything. Characterwise this book had everything. Romancewise this book had everything. This book was everything I wanted and more!
Before reading this, I was in a total reading slump. I had five books on my book cart begging to be read, but they did not entice me. I thought, “Okay, let’s try one more attempt at recovery.” I grabbed the first book on my shelf, something new, something fresh. I had never read Aveyard’s work before. I had attempted to read this one a long time ago, but it became overdue at the library and I had no care to continue on.
But damn how I have missed out!
From the moment I picked up this book, I devoured it. I began reading it last week and then just finished today. I have not finished a book in a week since Summer. School has been kicking my butt and this was the perfect escape.
The plot was exciting. Aveyard is a temptress. She brings you into the story with vivid details and then smashes your face into the Silver’s diamond walls with twists and turns. I got to see the seedy underbelly of the elite in this society, and I want more.
Whenever I started getting comfortable with the storyline, thinking: “What else could possibly happen?” I was thrown into a whole new hole and sunk deeper and deeper into the story.
The graphics in my mind were so amazing. Aveyard found the sweet spot when it came to describing the setting. It wasn’t overcontrolling but it wasn’t so little I could have thought of anything and it would fit. The imagery wrapped around me like a nicely fitting glove.
Mare Barrow, the main character, excites me, infuriates me, and charms me in every word of the story. She goes from peasant Red in rags to noble Silver in silks. We, as readers, see the internal struggle she feels working with her enemies. We feel all of her emotions as we go through the story.
The kind, sweet-hearted Maven was my favorite character. Emphasis on the was. I was really rooting for him throughout the book. I wanted the second child to get some sort of recognition in this book. He was handsome, smart, and emotionally available for Mare. Again, emphasis on the past tense.
Cal infuriates me. Yeah, I said it. He is annoying and I do not root for him. He stands against everything Mare stands for, which I am always going to be on Mare’s side, and that makes him a little punk in my mind.
The other side characters were amazing. Everyone was well developed, no matter who they were and if they only showed up once or twice. I got to love almost everyone in this book.
I think this book was super entertaining. I have heard that it might be made into a TV show or movie. I would die! I think that it would be so cool to see the story of Mare Barrow brought to the big screen.
Go check out my Twitter and Instagram @abookiesbooks
Authors: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
Published June 22nd, 2021 by Quill Tree Books
Genre: Contemporary YA, Romance
“A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…
A first meeting.
Long-time friends.
Bitter exes.
And maybe the beginning of something new.
When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.” –Goodreads
My Review:
This is going to be short, I am just trying to catch up!
I read this book in the summer. And clearly, I am posting this review in the fall. I am sorry. I have been doing a whole lot of reading and not a lot of blogging. Blame it on the various ways I am able to read books these days. Audiobooks have made it so I can literally read without my eyes open.
That is how I read this glorious book.
Let me tell you, I love these short story books by multiple authors. This is similar to the winter My True Love Gave to Me book. Except it is even better.
It is about black teens of all different sexualities in New York City. It has representation and New York City. What more can I ask for?
I don’t have a lot to say about this book other than it is really good. I think that everyone should read it. If you like romance and short stories that you definitely should read this book.
For those that dont know, WWW is a meme and this meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words. And it involves answering the 3 Ws!
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, YA, New Adult
“Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.
Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.
With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.
While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.”-Goodreads
My Review:
Colleen Hoover is never going to disappoint.
I have read a few of her books before and saved a few more after this book and they are always great.
This books takes two POVs, a daughter and her mom’s, and navigates their life after the deaths of the their husband/father and sister/aunt. I am notorious for not reading synopsis of books, so I was totally thrown at the fact that two of the main side characters in the story died.
And than the juicy stuff started to reveal itself. There was so much tea being spilled in this book, I felt like I was in high school all over again.
I love the story and how it was a plot that could have actually taken place. Seeing the humanity written out in the character was exciting. Most books always write the characters making the best decisions they can. This book had the characters f*cking up all over the place.
Clara was as unlikeable as she was relatable. I loved the YA romance with her. I loved her counterpart Miller. But she was one stupid mofo. I am sorry to bash on the girl like that. but, seriously, some of her decisions were S-T-U-P-I-D (and obviously relatable af to younger girls like myself). She took out her anger on everyone else other than the person she was really angry at most of the time. She just was really unlikeable no matter how hard I tried to like her.
But there has to be some characters I hate.
Morgan and her counterpart were extremely mature…NOT. A food fight in the kitchen is their peak maturity, but hey, what else are you supposed to do when your world is falling apart. All jokes aside, I honestly loved them. They were rocky in the beginning with the whole baby and not admitting feelings, but by the end they had me swooning. Morgan sacraficed her good mother face for her daughters emotional state (no matter how bad that kind of ended up on the daughter’s side also). I loved Morgan, no matter how many times I wanted her to throttle her to tell her daughter the truth.
I cried more time than I would like to admit to this book. But it is important to cry during a book. If a book doesn’t make you tear up at least once, it probably wasn’t that good (or that sad, which honestly are the same thing).
That being said it did leave me with this warm, ooey, gooey feeling all over that made me text the guy I am talking to and tell him some weird, mushy stuff.
It was good to read a book that was so warm and fuzzy and also so gut-wrenching at the same time. If you have not yet, check it out. Colleen Hoover will never be a disappointment. I finished the book in a day or two, so it is a quick and easy read.
Published September 29th 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, YA, LGBTQ
“The boys of Kings Row bout with drama, rivalry, and romance in this original YA novel by The New York Times bestselling author Sarah Rees Brennan—inspired by the award-nominated comic series by C.S. Pacat and Johanna The Mad.
Sixteen-year-old Nicholas Cox is the illegitimate son of a retired fencing champion who dreams of getting the proper training he could never afford. After earning a place on the elite Kings Row fencing team, Nicholas must prove himself to his rival, Seiji Katayma, and navigate the clashes, friendships, and relationships between his teammates on the road to state championships—where Nicholas might finally have the chance to spar with his golden-boy half-brother.
Coach Williams decides to take advantage of the boys’ morale after a recent victory and assigns them a course of team building exercises to further deepen their bonds. It takes a shoplifting scandal, a couple of moonlit forest strolls, several hilariously bad dates, and a whole lot of introspection for the team to realize they are stronger together than they could ever be apart.
The first installment of this enticing original YA novel series by Sarah Rees Brennan, rich with casual diversity and queer self-discovery, explores never-before-seen drama inspired by C.S. Pacat’s critically acclaimed Fence comic series and boasts original cover and interior art by Johanna The Mad.” -Goodreads
My Review:
OMG!
I found this book while perusing my libraries online audiobooks and this was the only book n the YA section that was available.
Boy am I thankful that I checked it out!
This was the cutest little audiobook I have ever listened too. It really got me into the mood of listening to audiobooks.
I think that the relationship between Aiden and Harvard is so cute! They were the main romance in the novel. I know the comic version mainly focuses on Nicolas and Seiji but I have not read it. I am trying to find out where to get it!
I absolutely loved this book. I listened to the entire thing in one day. I could not stop playing it. I began cleaning my house to it and than suddenly, I was laying in bed just listening.
The narrator did really well doing each person’s unique voice. The illustrations made it really easy to see the boys infront of me while they went along their tasks.
The one thing that I was not a huge fan of was the lack of fencing in the book. Sports romance books always seem to lack the sport they surround. The Foxhole Court was the same way.
I cannot wait for the second book to make it’s way too me. And I really want to check out the comics.
If you want an easy cute little read, I would definetly check this out!
Published September 20th 2016 by Henry Holt and Company
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Pages: 546
“Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.
Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.
A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
Bardugo really steps up her game in this book. She gives us even more character development. She gives us better back stories. She builds the realm of Ketterdam even more beautifully than the first book.
The plot thickens on the Crows story as they try to get the money that was owed to them in the last book. I felt like this story, while lacking the adventure aspect of the first book, gave me everything the first book was missing and more.
It explained more of the love interests in the stories and developed those relationships. Wylan and Jesper are even more enthralled with each other. The little teasing just GETS ME. Nina and Matthias are shown to be united and happy together. Inej and Kaz are the slowest burn alive but that BATHROOM SCENE had me SCREAMING!
We got to see more realm building. We steered off of the Shadow and Bone Ravkan knowledge of how Grisha were treated. Bardugo delves deeper into how Grisha are treated in any other part of the world.
This book was really good. I honestly have no complaints for it. I have not had a book I read in awhile that I have not complained about. The ending was a little shocking but I definitely cant complain about the shock factor.
I think everyone should go check this out. Also, now that I finished the books, I watched the TV show and it was so good! Not super accurate to the Six of Crows books but I liked the Shadow and Bone adaptation.
“Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.
Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.
When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.
But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…”-Goodreads
My Review:
I picked up this book quite a few years ago. I got the recommendation either from Sasha Alsberg’s YouTube or her Goodreads page.
Let me just say…it is not worth the read.
Plot wise, this book sucked. The synopsis makes the conflicts in this story seem a whole lot more exciting than it really is. The supposed “plot” is more like sub-plot. Most books have the overarching struggle along with many other tensions running underneath so the story doesn’t get boring.
Well this story only had sub-plot. A whole lot of mediocre sub-plots. Sure, they had the overarching love story (but even that seemed like a small issue). Everything else was just there.
Not only that, everything was so easily fixed. Conflicts, internal and outer struggles were quickly tied up by the end of a few chapters after they were introduced.
The story did not really have a point or have any build up. I saw no development in the characters or in the story.
The end was absolutely ridiculous. They had so much action packed into the last few chapters but it was like “hey omg I am about to be kidnapped. Oh look these random people, who we have only mentioned ONCE as a little world building jumped into to help with no explanation as to why they are here to help me, have come to save me!”
This book was so dumb.
Pros:
The love interests end up together
Cons:
Boring
Weird England/America parallel that I felt was unnecessary
To fast
Not well written
No knowledge of horses (see the part where she leaves a horse tied to a tree because its show comes off)
Adelaide=dull character
Arranged marriage being traded for…another arranged marriage
What was the point of this book?
Objectifying women while trying to make it seem like we were combating feminism
This book was absolutely ridiculous. I have never read a Richelle Mead book and I think it was steered me away from reading any other books she has authored.
Would not recommend this book to anyone. I am not even going to read the other books in the series to find out if it gets better. I have no faith.
Let me know what you thought in the comments. If you actually thought this book was good, please tell me why. Because honestly I can’t see why.
“You’d think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you’d be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they’ve left their cargo of human women – including me – on an ice planet.
And the only native inhabitant I’ve met? He’s big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me…“ -Goodreads
My Review:
So if you come from BookTok (the side of TikTok about books), you already know what is going on…
If you have graciously never heard of this book before, RUN!!
Run away
This book series has taken over my FYP (For You page) on TikTok.
The fact I am even writing a review for this book is HORRIFYING.
But in all honesty I did enjoy this book.
Did I think the 11 page sex scene was necessary? NO
Did the writing sound like a twelve-year-old-fanfiction? YES
But do I still want everyone to read it? HELL YEAH
If you have not met the 7-foot-tall aliens with ribbed you-know-whats (sorry grandma and grandpa if youre reading this right now) then you are kind of missing out.
This book is disgusting and needed 300 trigger warning but it was an experience I will never regret.
I highlighted every time something was said that was just so out-of-pocket I wanted to cry laughing.
Things like “My c*ck hasn’t forgotten this” (73), or “I’ve found an alien that likes to eat p*ssy as a greeting” (49).
This book, while trying to be a serious novel about alien abduction and surviving on a new planet, turns into something that I think of as comedy. The sex scenes had me laughing at the various nouns to describe certain body parts.
There actually is a semi-interesting plot to this story. So far, there are 20+ books out for the series so I am not too concerned that this book was basically exposition into the story on Not-Hoth (the planet they live on).
The conflicts in the book are sort of easily solved. The feminism in this went out the window no matter how hard they tried to be strong independent women. The men are utterly insane. There was a reference to sex almost every page.
This book was horrible, but in a capturing and intriguing way.
Please do not read this book but trust me you will be missing out.
Seriously, I hope that you read this, but also hope that you dont.
As always, thanks for reading,
A Bookie
Star Rating: 3 (only because I am going to read the next book)
