Series Review || Nightrunner #1-3 by Lynn Flewelling

Nightrunner #1-3 by Lynn Flewelling ★★★★☆

When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them.

Oh boy, if that summary isn't the biggest understatement of this series, I don't know what is. Because man, do things take a turn for both Seregil and Alec.

I have a lot of feelings about these first three books in the Nightrunner series. And as you might guess from the 4 star rating, most of them are good. I'm not sure how coherent this review will be, but I'll try my best.

First of all is Flewelling's characters. Seregil and Alec in particular, but really, the whole supporting cast is fantastic as well. I adored Alec from the outset--his charming naivety, his steadfast loyalty, his quick competence. He goes through so much in these first three books and is so changed by it. He's pitted against some overwhelming odds right at the beginning of book 1 and perseveres. I just want to clutch him to my chest and fight off anyone who tries to hurt him.

Seregil too, although those overprotective feelings didn't develop fulling until book 2. Because Seregil puts on a good performance, and it's only later that you realize how much he's been hurting and hiding. Despite that, he is so kind and loyal--despite the terrible hand fate has dealt him. As that starts to unravel in book 2 and especially in book 3, I was ready keep him safe, much like Alec.

And oh, let's talk for a hot second about the romance between these two. Because, I'll be honest, that was what drew me to these books in the first place. The slow burn is so good. There's only hints of anything in book 1, and it takes until the very end of book 2 before anyone acts on any of those feelings. But there is some delicious mutual pining in the lead up. (Along with, y'know, forced separation and mortal peril, which are always good for kickstarting the romance.)

And I appreciated how casual and familiar things seem between them in book 3. But despite occasional mention, most of the rest of it takes place off-page. Not that I mind--or that I even really think the books should've focused on the romance more heavily--but I wonder if things might've played out differently had it been a heterosexual pairing.

Despite all that, Flewelling's world is nothing if not tolerant. Bisexuality is treated as normal and common throughout most of the lands and both Seregil and Alec are canonically bisexual. Skala--the main kingdom of the series--is a matriarchy, ruled by warrior women. Though, I will quibble a little with the small role female characters play, at least at the outset of the series. This improves through books 2 and 3, though, to Flewelling's credit.

The politics and mysteries, magic and intrigue were also excellently done. Though, I feel like the writing gets clunky in places. There are breadcrumbs, but they're not always that easy to follow. Flewelling tries to tease out hints, but some of them are bogged down with intentional obscurity--leaving you with the feeling that she's withholding information intentionally only to rip the curtain back at the last second. I'm sure that rereading passages with the reveal in mind would help you see how the pieces were supposed to fit together, but again, clunky. This didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the books, per se, but you can see that this is a 4 star series and not a 5 star one.

Still, that aside, the tensions and stakes felt appropriately high in times of danger. I had a difficult time putting any of the books down, and when I did, I was constantly thinking about what might be going on in my absence. Despite the fact that they're basically 500 pages a piece, I read them mostly in 3 or fewer sittings--often reading 300+ pages at a time.

There are currently 7 books in the series, but book 3 does a good job of rounding out most of the major plot threads satisfactorily. Sure, there's more to be explored in this world, but I'm not sure if I'm going to continue on. I love Seregil and Alec and would read more, but at the same time, there was a nice little ending--even as open as it was.

And I've read the summary of book 4 and from the sounds of it (and some of the reviews I've read) it sort of looks like things get a little too trope-y. That, and with the number of years between books 3 and 4... some reviewers have mentioned inconsistencies within the canon. And anyway, I don't know that I really need to read on. I can happily conjure up fantasies about what Seregil and Alec might be up to or read fanfic to satisfy the urge--but I don't know that I need to read about them getting captured and separated and sold into slavery. No really, that's the synopsis of book 4.

Anyway! Quite the ramble, but hopefully that's mostly coherent! I really did enjoy these books, despite their flaws. And if you're interested in some classic 90s fantasy with queer protagonists, I'd definitely recommend it!

Review || The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance #1) by N.K. Jemisin ★★★★☆

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

This was a really excellent read. I'd been wanting to try Jemisin's work for a while now and the combination of the praise for her new series and my happening across a short story of hers in a collection I was reading really put things in motion for me.

There was just something about this book. I had a hard time putting it down. And when I did, I found myself constantly thinking about the characters. I really like politically driven fantasy--navigating the court, unraveling the secrets, figuring out who is scheming with whom. Parts of it really reminded me of Kushiel's Dart, especially in tone, though I couldn't tell you exactly why. They're very different books.

Still, the worldbuilding was spectacular, the characters were complex and interesting and I enjoyed myself every time I sat down to read. Some of the writing was a bit clunky at times, but given that this is Jemisin's debut, it didn't bother me much. I can't wait to read more from her.

Review || A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

A Natural History of Dragons (Memoir by Lady Trent #1) by Marie Brennan ★★★★☆

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten...

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

Oh holy smokes, I adored this. If you like fantasy-of-manners ala Gail Carriger's Soulless you should probably add this to you TBR immediately.

The writing is charming, the character voice strong and the world delightful--because even though this feels like Victorian England, it's tried and true fantasy. But enough so that newer readers to the genre won't be too put off by the learning curve. The world feels very familiar, and if you've read any historical fiction taking place in the 19th century you'll feel right at home with this one.

Isabella is an absolute delight as well. Narrating some of the exploits of her younger self, she often addresses the reader directly--sometimes to fantastic comedic effect. (She dares you to challenge her on the inclusion of some details that wouldn't be brought up in polite company and it is darling.) It also has the added benefit of being tantalizing foreshadowing sometimes.

Isabella is reckless, headstrong and determined to make more of herself than is expected of a woman of her time. And let me tell you, I am all about women defying societal propriety and expectation in order to strike out and discover something great. I love those kinds of stories, and this one did not disappoint.

That said, as other reviewers have mentioned, this ends up focusing less on the dragons and more of the memoir part of the title. Which I didn't mind at all, but I understand why some might be disappointed. Still, the dragons do feature, and I expect there will be much more of them in future books as well--which I can't wait to read!

If any of this sounds even remotely appealing, I'd definitely recommend picking this up. You're in for fantastic characters, enthusiastic discussions of science! and quite possibly a lot of capital-f Feelings about parts of that ending if you're anything like me.

Review || Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Red Rising (Red Rising #1) by Pierce Brown ★★★★☆

The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.

Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.

The first thing that comes to mind when I reflect upon this book is: ambitious.

This book (and from how things are shaping up--the entire series) is incredibly ambitious. This is Brown's debut novel as well, which sort of adds to my awe of the whole thing.

Though things sort of start off in the predictable "society is keeping secrets from you to keep you under control" vein, Brown brings his own twists on the trope and the result is a rollercoaster of a tale.

The set up of the society isn't particularly unique--ruling class superiority and then others divided by profession through to the bottom of the caste system. But this book is only marginally about that side of things. And I will say that I'm looking forward to seeing it get fleshed out in future instalments.

Darrow, on the surface, seems to be an unremarkable character. But as he undergoes change throughout the course of the book--well, I wouldn't exactly say that I ever fully identified with him. But I understood him. And I sure as hell was rooting for him.

I've seen this book classified as YA--which I understand given the ages of the characters. But I mostly disagree with that classification. Brown does not pull his punches here and the story does not hold anything back. Darrow gets thrown into a war (albeit, not a "real" one as it's pitched as "on-the-job training" for the school) and war is a brutal, savage thing.

Brown also does an exceptional job of keeping the stakes high. No one is safe, not truly, and there were a number of surprising character deaths. There was at least one character that made me think, "Did they really have to die?" And then I realized the answer was, "Yes." Not just because of the consequences for the story (and character relationships) but because really, why should I have expected them to be safe and exempt from death? Just because they were a named character who I had time to get a bit attached to... it made their death that much harder.

The whole book felt like that. Rough. Brown puts his characters through hell and back. And it's remarkable to see how they respond.

Now, a good portion of this book relies on military style strategics. There is a lot of time devoted to this. Keeping track of all the players, weighing the options, battles and retreats. So if that isn't your style, you might have a hard time with this book.

That said, it's all written in such a way that is very comprehensible. While Brown doesn't skimp on the details, he also doesn't bog you down in unnecessary technical minutiae. And the strategies his characters use are fascinatingly desperate at times.

Overall, this book far exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I thought I was going to. I cannot wait for the sequel in January!

Review || Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J Maas ★★★★☆

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

I loved this book. It had everything I wanted: action, intrigue, secrets, BAMFs, love triangles...

Wait.

Hold up.

A love triangle I actually enjoyed?????

Say it ain't so.

But it is. Because there was just something so compelling about the romantic forces at play in this book. There was no clear and decisive preference in my opinion. Which never happens to me. I always can firmly choose a team to side with. And in this book, I didn't want to.

Sighs happily. How refreshing.

Besides all that, Celaena is a fantastic character in her own right. And I am absolutely itching to get more of her backstory. The supporting cast of characters are also wonderful in their own right. I'm particularly partial to Nehemia.

Maas does a brilliant job of teasing out tidbits of information about the world. It feels like jumping into a fully realized universe, despite how much there still is to know.

I was enthralled with the tale, despite its flaws. I cannot wait to get my hands on both the prequel and the sequel. (Especially with book 3 out already!) Definitely recommended!

Review || The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black ★★★★☆

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

This is going to be a difficult review to write. I always seem to struggle with the books that I enjoyed.

While I liked Black's White Cat well enough when I read it last year, Coldtown is heads and shoulders above that. I really enjoyed this book. It was dark, twisted and full of compelling characters and mythology.

The set up here, for those of you who somehow don't know what this book is about already, is vampires. A fairly standard vampire mythos is accompanied by some really interesting world history. Vampires are publicly recognized--albeit as monsters. But also, in some cases, as a very twisted form of celebrity. It's not too unbelievable, given our modern penchant for reality TV.

Combine that with some really complex and diverse characters, and you have Coldtown in a very simplified nutshell.

I am very much a character person when it comes to books. Give me depth and complexity. The characters here are so beautifully flawed. They are fully of shades of grey. They have their own complicated histories. It was really fantastic. I really loved Tana as a narrator, for no reason that I can eloquently express. I just clicked with her as a character, despite us being very different.

One of the things I've seen this book praised for is its inclusion of a transgender character. Which, truthfully, brought it higher up my reading priority list than it had been before. I'm going to quibble a bit, since said character was a secondary character and did not feature as much as I would've liked. She still got a really cute side love story, which made me really happy.

Still, despite all my praise, this was not a 5 star book for me. I can't really pin down what it was about this book that made it 4 instead of 5 stars. I just never really got that "5 star" feeling, if you know what I mean. Never had that smack my hand against the cover slash want to throw the book across the room it was so good feeling.

Regardless. Highly enjoyable and definitely recommended--especially if you're looking for something new to try in the vampire realm.

Review || Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★☆

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Sanderson knocks it out of the park again for me. Though very different from The Rithmatist this book has a lot going for it.

Some people will find this book more accessible, because even though Sanderson still builds his world, it's much subtler. The book is fast paced and full of pulse pounding action. In fact, I ended up finishing it by accident. I had only intended to read the next section, but got caught up in everything.

This twist on "superheroes" reminded me a lot of Vicious in places. Yes, the Epics are evil, but the Reckoners aren't exactly good either. David is obsessed with revenge. Some of the team has questionable morality. At least two of them are hiding massive secrets...

Steelheart ends up being more of a mystery book than you'd expect. The central plot is trying to take Steelheart down. But in order to do that, the Reckoners must find his weakness--every Epic has them, and they're often bizarre. As the plot unspools, you start to construct your own theories about what's going on and how Steelheart might finally be defeated. And I have to admit, I guessed wrong!

Still, being wrong didn't detract from the enjoyment of that final epic showdown at the end of the book. There were several plot twists that were incredibly shocking. I didn't see them coming at all!

That said, not a perfect book for me. This is very plot driven instead of character driven. Which is fine, since the plot is awesome, but David in particular didn't really do anything for me. I mean, I certainly understood him as a character, but I never connected with him. And his ridiculous insta-crush on one of the female Reckoners was obnoxious.

But the same goes for most of the main Reckoners cast. They all definitely had implied Pasts, capital P necessary, but they were all still relatively two-dimensional.

I like to have some investment in my cast of characters. I want to feel like I know them. There was a major character death near the end of the book that didn't make me tear up even a little bit. I felt fairly detached from everyone.

Still. This was a great book. I'm fast becoming a Sanderson fan. And if you're looking to jump into his work but are intimidated by the thought of his complex worldbuilding, I'd start here. (I love complex worldbuilding myself, so I feel like if I had to rank them, I liked The Rithmatist better than Steelheart, but I'm definitely in for book 2.)

Review || Slated by Teri Terry

Slated (Slated #1) by Teri Terry ★★★★☆

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

Everything The Program should've been, but better.

When you use memory loss as a plot device in books, you have two choices: show the before so the reader knows what's going on even if the main character doesn't OR let the reader figure things out with the main character.

Now, either method has things going for it. I, for one, am a huge fan of the first situation as a plot device. But when The Program did it, it fell really flat for me. Slated goes with option two and it is so much stronger as a novel because of it.

With Kyla, you slowly start to see how this world is different from ours. At the beginning, things seem to be fairly in keeping with what you'd expect. Aside from the Slating procedure itself, it looks and feels very much like our world.

But as Kyla starts to notice things, so do you. And everything is not as it seems.

Slated paints an intriguing and not unrealistic portrait of a tight fisted government rule. And man, I love me some government crackdown in my dystopias. Through the course of this book, you (along with Kyla) start to understand how we got here and what the norm is now.

The pieces of the puzzle are arranged carefully by Terry, enough so that you tend to figure things out just before Kyla. Which was refreshing in two ways. Firstly, because sometimes I feel like there aren't enough breadcrumbs in books that are trying to be mysterious. A sudden plot twist or deus ex machina hits you out of nowhere and it's jarring. That is decidedly not the case with Slated. The other refreshing bit is that Kyla is smart. Sure, you can put things together a few pages before she does, but it's not as if you're waiting chapters upon chapters for her to finally figure things out. It was a nice change from some decidedly dense protagonists I've dealt with in the past.

That said, the ending of this book got a little wonky for me. There was a major shift in one of the characters and suddenly things were spiralling out of control really fast. And then they were ended just as abruptly. If there's one flaw to this book, it's that it definitely does not stand on its own. There is so much left unfinished, so many new questions and problems raised in the last handful of pages.

Like with Proxy, though, that just made me want to go out and get my hands on the sequel. Which isn't a bad thing. There are a few recent developments that have me a little wary, but I'm more interested to see how it all gets tied in.

Definitely recommended!

Review || Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) by Laini Taylor ★★★★☆

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

This trilogy, you guys, oh man.

I have been waiting for this conclusion since the winter. It had sort of become my unofficial Christmas tradition to sit down with a book from this series over my winter break and just devour it. So when this release got pushed back to April, I was really disappointed.

And then, when it was finally in my possession... I put it off!

First, let's be real, this book is massive. At over 600 pages it is intimidating to say the very least. But there was also the fear of, "What if I don't like it?" paired with, "But I don't want it to be over!"

I got over myself and devoured this in 4 days. I felt pretty proud of myself.

The writing in this book is just as gorgeous as I've come to expect from Taylor. Her descriptions are poetic and beautiful and sometimes down-right heart-wrenching. This book does not disappoint in the feels department. Tears were shed, more than once.

Taylor has done a magnificent job making you care deeply about this cast of characters. Not just about Kaoru and Akiva, but for those closest to them as well. Ziri and Liraz both stole my heart in this book and then made it ache. Taylor really understands the phrase "hurts so good". Ugh.

However, this is not my favourite book in the series.

It's a great book, and a good conclusion, don't get me wrong. But it's probably actually my least favourite of the three. (The list goes: Days of Blood & Starlight, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, and then this one, if you were wondering.)

That's not to say I disliked it. Not by any means. I gave it 4 stars and it genuinely deserves it. I enjoyed it a lot. But I had some issues with it that weren't fully resolved.

This book introduces some new characters and new depth to this world. And as interesting as it was, I struggled the whole time I was reading the book with how necessary it was. Now, I fully respect Taylor's authorial intent on this one, but it just didn't do it for me.

I feel like, for the most part, you could've removed most of that and not really lost anything. Sure, you would've had to rework a few scenes and resolutions, but I don't think the story would've been any poorer for it.

As I was scanning Goodreads reviews--as I am want to do after finishing a book--I saw the phrase angelus ex machina show up in a review. And that perfectly describes some of the problems I had with all these extra complications. I don't think the book was any more compelling with all the extra lore.

And truthfully, I feel like some of it, especially the epilogue, was just there to make Kaoru and Akiva angst some more about not being together. Again, it just didn't do it for me.

That said, it was still a great book--and a great series. One I would highly recommend (and one I am looking forward to adding to my bookshelf)!

Review || Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo ★★★★☆

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

This series continues to deliver and I'm sort of ashamed it's taken me so long to pick up this book. Granted, I read the first book Shadow and Bone back in February 2013. And I had to wait on an inter-library loan from the other side of the province to get my hands on this. But still.

It doesn't take long for the action to get rolling in this book. And though it comes in fits and starts after that, the underlying tension never really goes away. I was floored by a twist in the first handful of pages and never really was able to trust the book again. (Which is totally a good thing!)

The Darkling continues to walk this line of sensuality and downright creepiness. And I continued to love every second of it. It gave me the willies.

Mal and Alina's relationship undergoes a lot of changes in this book (not all of them good) and some of the hot and cold left me feeling a little frustrated. Mal, for whatever reason, was just not as likeable in this book as I found him in the first. And, granted, it doesn't help that he's being held up against Sturmhond.

Oh. My. God. You guys. Sturmhond. I have seen bits and pieces of this character mentioned in the skimming and scanning of reviews. And I didn't get it. I wasn't sure how people could be singing the praises of a character that wasn't even in book one.

I'd like to apologize to everyone, because holy hell was I wrong. Sturmhond is everything I love in a character. Morally ambiguous, clever as hell, cunning, witty. His biting wit and sarcasm was brilliantly delivered and I was almost instantly charmed.

And yeah, okay, his presences adds yet another love triangle to the series. But I honestly didn't mind. Because there is so much else going on in the book that those sorts of things naturally fell away after a while. (And it didn't hurt that Sturmhond actually listens when Alina tells him she's not interested.)

The politics and intrigue really take centre stage when the action isn't overwhelming. And there is so much of it going on it's glorious. There's politics with the Ravkan king and princes. The First and Second Armies. The threat of the Darkling still looming. The Apparat and his cult. It's a very delicate balance.

And it's one easily shattered. While I appreciated the suddenness of battle, I was sometimes let down by the resolution. The last battle at the end of this book is particularly guilty of this. It was just kind of disappointing in its resolution.

The book as a whole was good--really good, in fact--but not outstanding. There were still things that left me wanting. And I was never overcoming with the desire to throw the book across the room because I couldn't stand how good it was. (This is one of my criteria for a 5-star book, in case you didn't know.)

But regardless. And excellent sequel to what is shaping up to be an excellent trilogy. I can't wait to see where Ruin and Rising takes us. And I'm particularly intrigued to see how Alina's power and brutality end up shaping her choices further. I can't wait for June!

Review || These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner ★★★★☆

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

This book completely took me by surprise. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It's sort of been on my radar for a while now, but I'd been putting it off--or, at least, it wasn't very high on my priority list.

A lot of people have been describing this as "Titanic-in-space". And, admittedly, I wasn't really super intrigued by the comparison. Hence, the putting it off.

You guys, if that is the only thing holding you back from reading this, do yourself a favour and forget that comparison immediately. And then go out and acquire a copy of this book.

While "Titanic-in-space" isn't inaccurate per se, it completely fails to capture the essence of this book. Yes, we have two young people from different social castes thrust together by circumstance. Yes, the ship they're on goes down. But that all happens relatively quickly in the book.

What the comparison fails to illustrate is the aftermath of all of this. Lilac and Tarver have to learn to work together, live together, survive together. To trust each other. To become dependent on each other. The writing and the mood of this story is just superb. Completely unlike anything I've read in YA sci-fi. 60 pages in, I was muttering to myself, "I am super into this..."

There's this fascinating balance that evolves between Tarver and Lilac as the story progresses. At first, it seem inequitable, because Tarver is the experienced one and Lilac's high society upbringing does her no good. But they have to lean on each other throughout this novel. As we learn more about them, each of them has their own strengths (and their own weaknesses). It was a really refreshing relationship.

And oh, the slow burn. What develops between them is fragile and precarious, but it's tension done so well. I am definitely more of a drawn-out-romance kind of girl and this book just hit all the right notes for me.

The back and forth narrative between the perspectives was well done as well. But what really stood out for me was Tarver's interrogation scenes that prefaced each chapter. Just those few lines of simple dialogue were so well crafted and intriguing.

That said, it wasn't a perfect book for me. The ending, while really cool, seemed a bit anti-climatic upon reflection. After all the building and all the mystery, it was almost disappointing in its resolution.

And then... there are my thoughts on some super spoilers. (Highlight to read.)

I don't know, I think the book almost would've been more compelling for Lilac to have been dead and stay dead. It was a huge blow to me. I was reading at school on my prep and was like, "You can't do this to me! I can't cry over this book at school!" It was just so good. So unexpected.

Though, admittedly, I also have no idea how you'd get Tarver out of this situation without Lilac. Not only was she instrumental in the distress signal, but in Tarver's motivation too. I really liked seeing Tarver slipping into a haze of depression without Lilac--too often I think grief and mourning get brushed aside in YA.

So, I don't know how it all would've worked out, so I understand the choice the authors' made. But still.

Overall, this book was so good. I had no idea what was going to happen to these characters and how this was all going to get resolved. It was the best kind of tantalizing, all around.

If you're into YA sci-fi, definitely check it out.

Review || Winger by Andrew Smith

Winger by Andrew Smith ★★★★☆

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

If you're not a teeny bit in love with this book after that cartoon I don't know what else to tell you.

Littered with adorable cartoons from the main character (courtesy of Sam Bosma) and the undeniably accurate toilet-humour narrative that comes with having a 14 year old protagonist, Winger is an experience from beginning to end.

Ryan Dean is so multifaceted it's hard to describe him. He's crude, crass and perverted. He's brilliant, nerdy and funny. Loyal. Immature. A great friend. A terrible friend. Confident, yet unsure. He's a well rounded human being. And his narrative is occasionally so laugh out loud funny I actually needed a moment to catch my breath. He draws graphs comparing how much brain power he's spending thinking certain thoughts alternating from 'oh god that girl is touching me' to 'I have to pee'. I'm serious.

Smith has capture the voice of a 14 year old boy with perfection. Ryan Dean's story is one about figuring out not only who you are, but who your friends are. It was a captivating ride.

My only complaint centres around the ending of the book. I'm going to hide a few spoilers here in case you want to know my thoughts (highlight to read).

I get that tragedy is abrupt. It was not so much the abruptness of Joey's death that bothered me. I thought that was done quite well. When I read the mini-chapter in which they find his body, I actually had to set the book down for a moment. It was one of those horrible moments where you knew what was coming but so desperately wanted for it to not be true.

That, I thought, was done well. But what I took issue with was how abruptly the rest of the book tapered off to a close. I would've liked to see more coping. Dealing with tragedy and grief. More details of Ryan Dean's self-imposed silence and of his support network. More of him coming together with Chas and Kevin to form a friendly bond. The rugby team at the funeral. More of the consequences and fallout from closing O-Hall. All that.

I get that the book was pushing 450 pages as it was, but I don't know. I think how you deal with that is just as important.

Part of me wonders if that will be dealt with in the apparent sequel that has been announced in the time since I picked up the book. But given that the synopsis says it'll deal with senior year, that doesn't seem too likely.

Regardless of my quibbles, this was a great book. Not a perfect one, but something fun and different to my usual fare. Definitely enjoyable and definitely recommended.

Review || The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson ★★★★☆

For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over?

There was a teeny tiny part of me that was slightly... disappointed isn't the right word exactly, but let's go with it... "disappointed" that this book didn't have a single word title like the other Laurie Halse Anderson books. And then I promptly got over that because how freaking gorgeous is this title? It's so evocative.

Just like the book itself. Anderson knows what she's doing and she continues to prove that. She writes some of the best hard hitting YA... ever. Period.

Now, I only have Speak and Wintergirls under my belt as Anderson reads before this, but I still had high expectations. Anderson has a reputation. And she does not disappoint. (Not even with the title.)

Since I started blogging, I've taken to making plus/minus lists for a book after I've read them so I can cobble together a review. I started one for this book... drew the table, wrote + and then - and then AH

And that's really as far as I've gotten. This book was just so good. So raw and so real. The characters in this book all have their own sets of problems and their own ways of dealing. Their lives are messy and complex and they feel like people you know, not just characters on a page.

Hayley is witty and fun, but carries her own demons. She struggles to take care of her father and watches helplessly when he falls apart. She was a great narrator, the combination of her quick wit and desperate struggles kept me turning the pages. "One more chapter. Okay, just one more chapter." It was hard to put the book down because it all unspooled before me so easily and readily. One thing after another after another. It felt more like watching a movie than reading a book.

I have to tack on a tiny bit of fangirling over Finn. I adored him as a character and as a love interest. Other book bloggers talk about having book boyfriends... and I almost feel like I know what they're talking about now, having met Finn. (And okay, Levi from Fangirl too. But it's a small list.)

I think I've run out of praise for this book that doesn't just devolve into, "AH SO GOOD READ IT" so I'll stop there. But if you're familiar with Anderson's work (and especially if you're not!) pick this up. It will meet all your high expectations.

Review || Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken ★★★★☆

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

I barely even know what to tell you about this book. I accidentally read it over the weekend without meaning to. In fact, once I got started on it, I'd actually planned to savour it a little bit more--read it in chunks. But when I hit 70% done with still Sunday evening left to go, I knew I just had to finish the darn thing.

I have not wanted to stay up past my bedtime for a book in a long time. And that might sounds fairly trivial, but listen, I need my sleep. I am not happy when I don't sleep well. And not only that, I need my winding down time. I usually take close to an hour or more to get my brain to shut down at night. And that's on a normal night.

Last night, after I finished this book, I did not sleep well. The world and story were still turning around in my mind. I was restless and awake. And I knew this would happen before I decided to stay up and finish the book--and I decided I didn't care.

That's the sign of a darned good book, in my opinion.

Now, you'll notice this is not a 5 star rating. I had a very hard time trying to make that decision. I feel like this is probably 4.5 stars... and I say that with my new "harsher" rating system in mind. I really enjoyed this book. The plot just kept rolling. The depth of the world made everything so much richer. I had strong and extreme emotions about characters. (I plotted at least two gruesome deaths in my head during the course of the book. And at one point actually propped the book open on my head like a hat and wailed, "I AM SO ATTACHED TO EVERYONE.")

This book was solid. It was so good. And I read it surprisingly quickly given its not inconsiderable size at 507 pages. Despite all the ups and downs, all the rooting for and mental murdering of characters, despite all of that... it never quite tipped over into the land of 5 star material.

I laughed, I cheered, but I didn't cry. It never made me want to throw the book across the room because I couldn't stand how good it was.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is a spectacular book. And I really thoroughly enjoyed it. I would absolutely recommend this series. I'm actually seriously considering buying physical copies of this and book 1 for my book shelf (which is only a thing I do for a book I've already read if I really loved it). But I guess that I'm trying to justify a not-5 star rating.

Which I suppose is silly. It's my opinion and my rating system. But there you have it.

So so good. Give this series a chance if you haven't started it already. And if you have read this book, come wail in a corner with me about waiting until September for book 3. I could barely stand waiting a month for this one!

Review || The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken ★★★★☆

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

The internet has been collectively raving about this series since I first tuned into booktube in December. So I finally decided to cave and see what all the fuss was about.

I have to admit, at first I was a little wary. The first time I sat down with this book I read 80 or so pages. And by that point I wasn't terribly impressed. I was having a hard time getting into the writing, the worldbuilding was neat, but not very well explained, and Ruby--our narrator--wasn't really doing much for me.

I put it down and took a break. Later that evening I read another 100 pages. By then, things were starting to get rolling. The story had found it's groove and things were happening. Ruby became someone I could relate to and enjoy. I grew desperately attached to Liam, Chubs and Zu. I devoured the rest of the book quickly and with glee.

The book still has its flaws. The writing gets stronger as the story unfolds. Though there were a few times when characters were called by name before Ruby was introduced to them or before she was referring to them in that way. Since the story is first person, this bothered me. And given that Chubs' real name actually managed to stay on lockdown for as long as it did, this could've been easily fixed. Call it a nitpick or a pet peeve if you want, but it did throw me out of the immersion of the story when it happened.

That said, there were some genuinely amazing moments in this story. While the overarching plot points and major twists weren't too hard to puzzle out, they were still satisfying. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the end of chapter 23 and the beginning of chapter 24 actually made my heart stop a little. I had to close the book and force myself to breathe.

And ugh, that ending. While I think some of the parts leading up to... well, everything hitting the fan, felt a little rushed, there's no doubt that the urgency was there. The stakes were high--and they felt high. I was frantically turning pages. I may have smacked the cover a number of times and hurled verbal abuse at the book once I was finished. But in a good way.

I am desperate for book 2. Part of my goal this year is to read through more series and actually complete them. But I actually want to dive right back in to Never Fade, which isn't always the case with other series. Unfortunately, the school library copy is checked out by a colleague and overdue. (I may or may not have confronted her about it after school today! She promised to bring it back soon.)

Despite the slow and wary start, I'm excited to see where this series will go. With the third book coming out this year, I think I picked a good time to jump aboard this ship.

Review || Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer  ★★★★☆

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

This is another book I've been struggling to review because I just really enjoyed it. I guess it's easier to be critical than it is to explain why you really liked something!

Cinder completely took me by surprise last year. I'd been putting off reading it for no good reason, but when I finally picked it up I was completely unprepared for how hooked I was going to get. At least going into Scarlet I sort of knew what I was in for. But Scarlet grabbed me twice as fast and would not let me go. I had to make myself savour the book--it would've been far too easy to all but devour it in a day.

Scarlet and Wolf were excellent additions to the cast. As with Cinder, Meyer manages to twist the original fairytale just right to suit her needs. The story of Little Red Riding hood is recognizable in Scarlet's tale, but is still different enough that you're not quite sure how everything is going to play out. There is one plot twist in particular that actually made me screech aloud. (It's times like these where I'm glad I live by myself.)

Impressively, Meyer manages to intertwine Scarlet and Cinder seamlessly and brilliantly. Both stories are cohesive and engaging and I'm really invested in both characters. Wolf was compelling and interesting as well, even though tall, dark and tortured isn't usually my thing. I even bizarrely found myself growing attached to Thorne who I was certain at the beginning I was going to detest. In the latter parts of the book I found myself amused by him and then promptly caught myself in surprise.

All in all this was a delightful read, and I am absolutely vibrating in anticipation of Cress.

Review || The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

I finished this on Thursday and have kind of been putting off writing an actual review. Not because I didn't love this book, because I absolutely did, but more because I wasn't sure what I really wanted to say about it.

This book was just so good. A lot of people have been saying that's it's better than it's predecessor The Raven Boys, and I don't think they're wrong. It certainly does not suffer from mediocre-sequel-syndrome as so many second books tend to.

I will admit, it had been a year since I read The Raven Boys and this world is so rich with detail that I found myself struggling to play catch up with the opening of this book. There isn't a lot of recap, which is fine, and what is there is woven in with the new expertly enough to jog my memory without being overbearing. (Nothing irritates me more than a "last time on.." sort of info dump.)

Again, the writing is so captivating and lush that I found myself wanting to take my time with this book. With a lot of YA, I tend to race through, but here I wanted to slow down. To take it all in. To reread a particularly exceptional turn of phrase. To imagine being surrounded by everything that Stiefvater has created.

This book, as with it's predecessor, is an experience. And because it's so all consuming, it's hard not to love the characters that inhabit it. I feel like I understand Ronan so much more, now. I'm starting to have a little bit of a Gansey problem (the good kind). I want to hug Noah basically all the time and keep him safe. I'm still wary of Adam. I love Blue and her family. I completely unexpectedly adored the Gray Man--from his detached and unapologetic view of the nature of his work, to the way he concerned himself with and appreciated certain details (not ruining Gansey's model of Henrietta struck me as particularly charming).

And again, the mythology of this book--of this series--is just so cool. It continues to be so different, to set itself leagues apart from what else is happening in YA right now. It's. Ugh.

Yes, this is a plot-y book. And no, that doesn't mean it's slow going. There are so many twists and turns. So many questions to still be answered. The stakes remain high. And I absolutely cannot believe I have to wait until later this year for the sequel. (Hopefully not any longer... but considering there's no title, cover or release date yet. Yikes!)

★★★★☆ (4 out of 5 stars)