Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Romance / Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: Sometimes, you just need a book that’s going to leave you with a smile afterwards. This is that book. It’s so cute, but has an at times sad and gripping storyline. Our main character is Annie, who is struggling with guilt over her boyfriend’s death. To honour his memory and as some kind of atonement, Annie signs up to run a full marathon. Downside: she hates running, and has never run a day in her life.

This story is structured around her preparing for the marathon, but it’s a lot more than that. It goes into her dealing with her grief and how her boyfriend’s accident has affected all areas of her life: family, school, and friends. She’s also struggling with her feelings for her coach’s younger brother, the charming Jeremiah. He makes her smile and feel things she hasn’t felt before, but that makes her want to stay away from him at the same time. A second chance romance is a tricky cliche to navigate. It’s too easy for an author to justify a new relationship by vilifying the old one, or comparing the two guys and finding the previous one lacking. Or, my least favourite of all, having the entire thing be completely unrealistic. This wasn’t the case here. The topic was dealt with gently and thoroughly, in a way that was very realistic and heart-breaking.

Jeremiah himself has to be one of my favourite leading guys. His personality is one I’ve never seen before, so it came across as incredibly original. This whole novel was a breath of fresh air. I’ve trained for something similar to a marathon, and the details were all there: the body breaking down, the stomach cramps, and how it’s the strength of your mind that will get you through it. I loved all of it! This is in a series of books called Hundred Oaks, and some characters from the other books do appear, but I read it as a stand-alone and had no trouble.

Willful Machines

Willful Machines by Tim Floreen

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: LGBTQIA+ / Science Fiction
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: This book is truly a standout for me from all the other YA m/m books out there. It's crafted so well and is perfect for anyone cautious about books featuring gay romance, especially since the plot line is so good!

The main character is Lee, who is the closeted son of a very traditional US president. This is set a hundred or so years into the future, were science has progressed onto robots. The one try at artificial intelligence, however, ended up in chaos - a team of scientists created Charlotte, who escaped by transferring her consciousness to the internet and began launching terrorist attacks on the country. Lee, despite his love of robotics, is more interested in the more immediate - eccentric, beautiful Nico, who spouts off Shakespeare at random and seems to be truly interested in Lee himself. But when Charlotte starts attacking the school and targeting Lee, he starts to believe that Nico isn't really who he says he is.

Nico is an absolutely adorable character, perfectly written to make me want to jump into the story and pinch his cheeks. His charm and infectious laugh translates through the page, and Floreen made not only Nico, but the rest of his characters quite life-like. And I wanted to give Lee a hug, because he's a sad, depressed character with a fairly miserable past, yet he's always trying to stay positive. The love story between the two was so sweet and cute, and despite being a little instalove-y, I still enjoyed it.

Floreen's writing steers towards almost gothic at times, which serves to set up an unsettling atmosphere and suspense. I also loved the way he unapologetically threw philosophical questions into the readers face about free will and what makes us human. And this was all in there without sounding preach-y and ranting. It truly did make me think! This is a super easy read, with Floreen's writing flowing like magic. I definitely recommend!

Hate List

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: This book honestly scared me. Everyone has those thoughts some time in their lives, the 'I wish this person was dead' but not truly meaning it. For Valerie, the MC of this book, she never meant it. But her boyfriend did.

The story starts when Valerie is returning to school, months after her boyfriend came in and shot students according to a 'hate list' they'd both put together, then shot himself. Val is racked with guilt, but is determined to finish her final year. Half the town thinks she's a hero for accidentally saving a classmate, and the rest think she was in on it. Even her family and closest friends have taken sides. So you can imagine just how intense and emotional of a read this was!

Rather than being about the shooting, though, this story is more about Val. Almost everyone we meet in the story is against her, and Brown truly delved into the minds of all the characters. There's not a single one-dimensional character to be seen! The story explores the good and the very ugly in people, in an unapologetic and, at times, hopeless light that I found enthralling. I was seriously sucked into Val's journey, and I love how she was the one forcing herself to get back on her two feet and stand up for herself, not anyone else. She truly found herself and it was one of the most awesome character growths I've read, because it was solely on her own. She's a character that is easy to connect with, and I could feel her hurt and guilt and loneliness as if it were my own.

This book went far further than just the black and white. One of the most interesting aspects is that Valerie still loves her boyfriend. The author doesn't paint him as purely an evil person. Instead, through flashbacks, we see Nick through Valerie's eyes, and see not only the warning signs, but the reasons why she loved him. All together, it turned this book into a powerful, thought-provoking read.

Liesmith (The Wyrd #1)

Liesmith by Alis Franklin

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Fantasy / LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: This story is such a mish-mash of genres that I think Franklin wrote exactly what she was passionate about, and it worked perfectly for her! There's a bit of horror, mixed with huge amounts of urban fantasy, Norse mythology, action, and a m/m romance that was adorable and stayed interesting. I've found it harder and harder recently to stay interested in romance books all the way to the end (mainly, after the couple gets together), but I didn't lose interest once in this!

Sigmund Sussman works in a dead-end IT job, pretty much just telling people to restart their computers all day. His world is shook up when newcomer Lain [unpronounceable last name] is placed at the desk next to him. Lain is everything Sigmund isn't - charismatic, good-looking, and a liar. With Sigmund’s peculiar ability to see lies, he quickly realises there's something very strange about Lain, not the least being his near-constant flirting with Sigmund.

This starts off as just a sweet romance, albeit one you don't see often in books - while Lain has the usual supermodel good looks, Sigmund is described with a pot-belly, big nose, and rather plain. I LOVED that. But it didn't take long for Franklin's creativity to take off, and the rest of the story moved at breakneck speed. As I mentioned earlier, this story contains a lot of Norse mythology, particularly surrounding Loki. I found Franklin's writing beautiful, as well as the way she seemed to mix-and-match tones at times. It all made for a unique and enthralling read!

Red Rising (Red Rising #1)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: I'm going to start this review off strong by saying: this is the best book I've read this year. And this is my favourite YA book of all time. I know my review isn't going to do it justice, but I'm gonna try!

I know I'm quite late to this Red Rising craze - I've seen glowing reviews for this book everywhere, and I did give it a go when it first came out. And I had this ridiculous assumption that I didn't like it, when in reality I read the first page then got distracted by something else (a very common occurence, for me). I'm sure this is what happened, because by the time the first chapter was over, I was hooked.

The premise for this story is: Darrow, our MC, is a Red. He's spent his whole life toiling below the ground on Mars, mining a precious gas that will help make Mars and other planets habitable. He and the other Reds believe they're Earth's last hope, but after a series of events put into motion by the death of his wife, Darrow realises that his life has been a lie - Mars and the rest of the solar system has been habitable for years, and the Reds are being used so the aristocratic Golds can live out their decadent lives at the top of the food chain. With this knowledge, Darrow is recruited into a rebel group and plans to infiltrate into the Golds' command school and bring the whole system down.

Read more »

Evenfall (In the Company of Shadows #1)

Evenfall by Sonny & Ais

Age: Young Adult; Adult
Category: Romance, LGBTQIA+
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: If you’re a fan of m/m books and you haven’t heard of this series.... where have you been?! This is, without a doubt, one of the best m/m series of the genre. As in, it’s in my top two! I’ve been on a roll with re-reading old favourites lately, and this series was my latest re-read. I feel like I could read it another five times and still not be sick of it!

This is set in a post-apocalyptic world, two decades or so after World War III where most of the major cities were blown apart by bombs. In this world, terrorist organisations pop up all over the place and it is the Agency’s duty, as a secret branch of the US government, to protect the nation’s interest. Which sounds great and patriotic on paper, but the reality is much different. Sin is the Agency’s greatest weapon - aggressive, merciless, highly skilled. His only drawback is the killing sprees he goes on and that his partners never seem to last longer than a few missions. This is where Boyd comes in: after a horrific tragedy years ago, he shut himself off from the world and his emotions, leaving him apathetic to whether he lives or dies. Which, coincidentally, makes him the perfect partner to try and keep the Agency’s most ruthless assassin in line.

Words can barely explain how much I love this series! Both Boyd and Sin are so broken at the start, and watching them grow was stunning. Sin is seen by others as a psychotic monster, and Boyd is written off as worthless. It’s written in multiple POVs, but mostly Boyd and Sin’s. Each author would write one character’s perspective, which I found interesting since there is no noticeable change in writing style. But because of this, you’re taken truly inside the character’s head, making the characterisation fantastic. Both Sin and Boyd go through some serious character growth in this series, and the authors pull no punches. Complicated psychological disorders are explored and a variety of other situations. Neither character is a Gary Stu - honestly, at one point or another, most of the characters disliked Boyd and had no problem pointing out his faults. However, Boyd and Sin are both just so loveable and amazing and gah, I love these books so much.

The action in this was also a big draw for me. I love my books when they have a fantastic romantic plot-line, but also a separate plot that isn’t overshadowed by the romance. This had it. It’s jam-packed with action, from fight scenes to all the different missions to the struggles the individual characters face. The plot was just amazing, with many twists to keep you guessing and never quite sure. Fight scenes can be quite hard to write, but Sonny and Ais nail it. They’re fast-moving but also understable, so I could easily picture what was happening in my head. And it wasn’t just the fight scenes that were on point - the emotional scenes were without cliches and so heart-wrenching, I suggest having a box of tissues on hand at all times.

A fair warning - this is a mammoth book. They recently released the Director’s Cut of Evenfall, and cut out a massive 100k words. And I don’t even want to think about the actual page number of the whole series! But not once did it feel like I was reading a book the size of a small country. The near-constant action, romantic and otherwise, kept me hooked on until 3am in the morning on many nights. So don’t be put off by the length! But I would clear your calendar when you start this series - because once you start, I guarantee you won’t want to stop!

Vicious

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Age: Young Adult, Adult
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: The blurb for this story was pretty ambitious - it promised me a tale of zeal, jealousy, morality and superpowers, a mix that was almost too good to be true! But V. E. Schwab managed to deliver a novel that was all of this and more.

My favourite quote from the story is this:

"Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human."

I feel like this perfectly sums up the grey areas and utterly intriguing characters of this book.

Eli and Victor become fast friends in college, both top of the class, ambitious, and with a dark streak under the surface. When both their thesises collide - the effect of near-death trauma and the creation of ExtraOrdinary humans - they decide to move from theory to experimentation, setting them down a path of betrayal and anger. The book alternates mainly between this time and ten years down the track, when Victor has escaped from prison with his cellmate and takes in a stray girl with an ExtraOrdinary power, and is intent on revenge. The structure of this book - the time jumps every chapter - could've so easily gone wrong, but the author pulled it off masterfully. It gave the story such a rigid structure and allowed Schwab to only reveal a little at a time, keeping me hooked. And I'm not just using that as a turn of phrase - I was honestly hooked in right from the start, and read it all in one sitting without even breaking for the bathroom!

Probably my most favourite aspect of this story was the way it delved into the grey area between good and bad, just as that quote earlier suggests. The quote at the beginning reads: "Life - the way it really is - is a battle not between Bad and Good, but between Bad and Worse" (Joseph Brodsky). Talk about that foreshadowing! Neither protganist is truly good, so the story is a facinating look into human behaviour, especially when influenced by power. The superpower aspect was also explored in an interesting way, though the characters are more the focus of the story than their powers are. But the creation of the superpowers, so rooted in science, was intriguing to read about and refreshing in its originality.

Honestly, I can't recommend this book enough. The writing is truly amazing as well, and the way the story was weaved around me left me breathless. I truly loved this story!

Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero

Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero by Alex Gabriel

Age: Young Adult, Adult
Category: Romance, LGBTQIA+, Supernatural
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: When Melissa suggested this book to me to read, she only needed to say two words to get me interested: gay batman. Now that is not literally right, but it was close enough to get me interested! Pat, reluctant son of a supervillain, is happy with his night manager job until a series of misunderstandings ends with him in the bed of his boss. Not only is his boss a reclusive billionaire and the famous superhero Silver Paladin, but he thinks Pat's a prostitute. Soon, the two are falling head over heels for each other, but the return of Pat's mother with a new plan to take over the world doesn't help matters.

Superhero stories always seem to fall into one of two characters: dark and serious (like the recent Batman movies) or lighthearted and non-serious. This fell into the latter category. I've read several superhero stories in this style, and most of the time I find them ridiculous, overdone, corny, stereotypical . . . overall, I don't enjoy the forced humour. But somehow it really worked in this book. Pat could so easily have become an annoying MC - he's weird, over-the-top, a chatterbox - but I actually did find him hilarious and he was so well-written that it worked. There's an almost satirical edge to this, one that pokes fun at the superhero/villain stereotypes in the funnest way possible. It was silly at times, but in a way that was fun and not absurdly ridiculous.

It is set in a completely different world, but not much information is given on it other than that showdowns between villains and heroes is the norm. The villains aren't truly bad - for example, Sir Toby created a mind control ray to take over the city and make people more happy and understanding of each other. It's situations like this where the satirical side shines through. Plus, the constant reference to the heroes/villains arranging themselves to get the best looking photo for the newspaper possible. It reminded me a bit of The Incredibles - the way it shows the heroics of a supervillain/hero meeting normal, mundane family life.

Pat is the black-sheep of the family. His older sisters are all following in his mum's supervillain footsteps, but he just wants to study Urban Design. He's just a normal university student, except the times when he has to pull 'minion duty' for one of the other villains. Nick, billionaire and Silver Paladin, is utterly adorable because he's characterised as this almost awkward, shy genius with next to no social skills.

This is longer than I would've expected for a story of this type, and I was so glad for it. I enjoyed every second of it and loved how the author wrote every scene to be so interesting. The only down point is the cover - how does a cover that boring match a book as hilarious as this? I don't really know what they were thinking, as it conveys a seriousness and over-romantic-ness that isn't present in the story. Either way, I definitely recommend this to any lover of superhero stories, or just plain slash.

Hover Car Racer

Hover Car Racer by Matthew Reilly

Age: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary, science fiction
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: This book is definitely not something I would normally read. I normally don’t touch science-fiction, and especially not a book classified under ‘childrens’ on Goodreads! But this is one of my most favourite authors and I first read this book about eight years ago - and on my third read-through (at 22 years old) this book hasn’t lost any of itsmagic!

We follow Jason Chaser and his brother, the Bug, as they navigate their way through the hover car racing world. The story starts with the two just scraping their way into the International Race School and their uphill battle to the top as they go up against the best racers in the world.

In the same vein as most children’s fiction, this story is fairly black and white. Jason and his friends are good, the bullies are bad. The basic plot (The Underdog) has been done a million times, but that didn’t stop me absolutely adoring this. Jason, the Bug and their mismatched hover car are constantly beset by obstacle after obstacle, but none of it feels overdone or ridiculous. Matthew Reilly is one of my favourite authors because his books always deliver fast-paced action and suspense that keeps me glued to the book, and his usual flair translated well into children’s fiction.

When this book was first released, it was done for free online and in installments. And it says something amazing about the book when Disney picked up the rights to it without all the installments even out! Although that was ten years ago, I’m still hoping for a movie to come of this!

I mentioned earlier that I don’t like reading science-fiction, but this is only set a few years into the future (at an unspecified date). It’s kind of like the exact same world as now, plus hover car technology for everyone. But the entire world and intricate detail Reilly put into this was awesome to read. The details of the racing tournaments were like an amalgamation of several different sports, and I was consistently in awe of Reilly’s imagination in putting it all together.

So please don’t be put off by the age! This is a fantastic book that can be read in a few sittings and leave you with the warm fuzzies.

An Ember in Ashes

An Ember in Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Age: Young Adult, Adult
Category: Fantasy, romance
Rating: 4.5 stars

Rosie Thinks: Laia's life is thrown into disarray when the Empire's ruthless elite warriors kill her grandparents and arrest her brother for treason, leaving her to flee. With nowhere else to go, she makes a deal with the rebels working to free their people from the Empire's violent grip: she will spy on the commander of their greatest military school in exchange for the rebels freeing her brother. The story is told in Laia's perspective, but alternates with Elias, the school's best soldier who will do anything to get away from his brutal and cold life there.

I had big expectations for this book. It caught my eye a few months ago, before it was published - an incredible blurb, plus an Ancient Rome inspired world?! Um, yes please. For the first time in a while, this book lived up to my expectations! What really caught me at the beginning was the characterisation of Laia. We are presented with this girl who is ruled by her fear, yet possesses a determination she doesn't even realise. Her weakness at the beginning cut at me and, yes, made me a bit frustrated, but I couldn't wait to see how she would grow. Everywhere in YA books, there are kickass heroines who can master their fear and refuse to run from any situation (Katniss from Hunger Games, Celaena from Throne of Glass, Katsa from Graceling, I could go on for a while). These are all fine and good, but you rarely see a character like Laia who is so strangled by her fear at the beginning. Honestly, she acted in a way I could see myself acting like in that situation, and that made me empathise with her all the more. Elias's character development wasn't as obvious as Laia's, but he still made for a good person to read about. The insights he gives into his world were breathtaking and showed the creative world Tahir created. Elias is the best warrior the school has seen in two decades, yet he has plans to desert the day after graduation - this situation also seriously intrigued me.

The whole storyline was fast-paced and gripping and, at times, downright evil. The villains are numerous and realistic, and even the Elias's sociopathic mother is made out to be human, not some kind of caricature. One of my pet hates is when a villain is just evil for the sake of being evil, with no real substance behind him/her. A book becomes immeasurably better, in my opinion, when the villain becomes human, with motivations and fears and goals that you can understand. This is what the truly frightening villains have. Marcus, Elias's schoolmate nemesis, was a bit of a Draco Malfoy-style bully at the beginning, but even he began to get a bit fleshed out towards the end. Speaking of, all the supporting characters were just incredible. Each of them played important roles and kept the plot rolling forward at a breakneck pace.

The only problem I had with this book were the unfortunate hints of a love triangle in the middle, for both main characters. I will first say this, though: this novel is fantasy first, and romance more as a side-note. There is a romantic underlying to it, but the plot is moved forward by the action and characters, rather than revolving around the romance. However, I found Laia's 'heart wanting one guy and body the other' (not actual quote) to be unnecessary and annoying. However, I'm just being picky. If you're like me and hate love triangles, don't be put off - this is only annoying in a handful of scenes.

But otherwise, this novel is flawless. It is dark and enthralling, and made me blow off all plans so I could finish it within a day. It captures a true journey of human spirit, and I can't wait for the sequel next year. I can see this becoming one of the must-read YA novels of the year. Definitely recommend!

This Raging Light

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Age: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary, romance
Rating: 4 stars

Brittany Thinks: I love reading realistic YA fiction - perhaps because I discovered YA in a time before Twilight and magic and Dystopia shaped the books that lined shelves. When YA, like a true young adult, was really trying to find its place in the literary world and in the general societal subconscious. I love a good Fantasy YA read, but every once in a while I totally dig losing myself in a world where human beings have human problems and they make a bigger mess of things on the way to the truth. This Raging Light by Estelle Laure felt like the YA books that made me fall in love with the genre and I really want all of you to have the chance to love it, too.

The title attracted me first, because I assumed (correctly, fortunately) that it was a reference to my favorite Dylan Thomas quote, “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. That’s exactly what Lucille has to do when she wakes up to find her parents have both left town and she has a 10 year old sister to care for and a mountain of bills to pay. I know that people have an amazing capacity to keep it together through unimaginable things, but I was so enthralled by her character. She was strong without being dramatically closed off and vulnerable without being obnoxious - and either of those alternatives would have been entirely understandable in her situation, too. I also really liked Eden, Lucille’s best friend, and Digby, Eden’s brother. They were so kind, so supportive, and so great at times that I envied their relationships.

I think my favorite part of this book is that it’s so dark, but also so filled with goodness. There is another trend in YA that leans more towards the sad of late. Some of my favorite reads of the last 5 years in this genre have been soul crushing. And this book could have taken that path, but it reminded me of another quote from a dude I love, Mr. Rogers: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping”. I think everyone could use a reminder of that sometimes and this book is filled with people caring about people when they don’t really have to.

Definitely check out This Raging Light. The writing was beautiful, I bought it six hours ago. It’s absolutely worth your time.

The False Prince

The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Age: Young Adult, Middle Grade
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: Although this book has been out since 2012, for some reason this is the first time I'd ever seen it on Goodreads. I knew this for a fact, since the summary hooked me in straightaway and made me ditch the other book I was reading halfway through. And this book certainly delivered!

To save a kingdom on the brink of civil war, Conner, a nobleman, recruits four orphans to compete to become the lost prince. It starts off quite Anastasia-like, but the characters and the plot soon move well beyond that. It is told in the perspective of Sage, one of the orphans competing. Unlike the others, he struggles to be free of Conner's not-so-altruistic machinations. He's rude, poor-mannered, a thief, incredibly intelligent and I loved him so much as an MC! With the twists and setting, telling this story in first person POV could've killed it easily for me, but somehow it worked. Sage's voice was always quick, witty and hilarious, but it didn't detract from the sometimes sombre tone of the novel.

I was a bit wary when I saw this novel marked on Goodreads as not only YA, but also Middle Grade. I am happy reading YA, but Middle Grade would be getting a bit too young for me! Thankfully, it didn't come across as a book written for children, even though it still would probably be suited for Middle Grade, despite the dark themes sometimes.

The fantasy side of this story isn't so pronounced - the world-building wasn't very detailed, beyond what was needed for the storytelling. Instead, Nielsen focused more on the characters and weaving a fairly intricate web of lies. Sage is a perfect liar, but this becomes more of an endearing quality than a fault, if that is even possible! The other characters are all well characterised, with very few of them falling into stereotypical roles. I really enjoyed reading this and am so happy the summary didn't let me down!

Carry On

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Age: Young Adult
Category: Historical
Rating: 5 stars

Brittany Thinks: Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors writing today. From her first adult novel Attachments to her smash hit YA novel Eleanor & Park, I have devoured every one of her novels in one sitting every time. Carry On just might be my favorite. I’ve already read it twice since picking up a copy in February and I’m sure I’ll read it a few more times before the year is through.

Now this might get a little bit meta and confusing so hang in there, but Carry On is kind of a novel from within a novel and you may want to read Fangirl before digging into it. Fangirl is a novel about a girl who adores a set of fictional characters to the point where it distracts her from really living. She writes a web-hit fan fiction about these characters and fans fell in love with them. So did Rainbow. Carry On is Rowell’s version of what happens to those characters. Still with me? Good. I read Fangirl first, but it definitely isn’t necessary. I’d suggest it only because it’ll make you love these characters before even cracking the spine of Carry On.

Rowell herself has said that Carry On is her take on some of the best series of the last 20 years - namely Harry Potter and Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. It follows Simon Snow through the course of his last year at Watford School of Magicks as he tries to make sense of why every one thinks he’s “The Chosen One” and why his roommate Baz hates him so much. This is a fun, exciting read and, like all of Rowell’s books, it’s absolutely hilarious. She has such a wit and clever tone to her novels that I always find myself snickering or all out laughing. Simon and Baz have a great love/ hate chemistry going on and I lived for the scenes that featured both of them.

As a real fan girl of Harry Potter and anything a bit magical, I loved this. As a lover of character development and coming of age novels, I was even more satisfied. Seriously, writing this review makes me want to read it again. And then reread everything by Rainbow Rowell, because I just love her so much. Definitely pick this one up. It was perfect.

The Problem with Forever

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Age: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars

Brittany Thinks: Jennifer L. Armentrout typically writes sci-fi or paranormal romance and I’ve always enjoyed her grasp of plot arc and character development. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on “The Problem with Forever” even though I knew it was a change for her in terms of content. I was not disappointed.



The Problem with Forever is the story of Mallory, a young girl from a troubled past who is about to start her senior year of high school. When we meet Mallory, she’s already done a ton of work to recover from the trauma that she experienced as a young girl, but she still has a long way to go. On her first day of school, she runs into the boy who served as her protector – Rider - when they were both very young and the reunion tears their lives apart. I can’t really tell you more about the plot without mega spoilers, but whoa. I would liken it to a tamer Colleen Hoover or a more contemporary Sarah Dessen novel. 



I absolutely loved reading this book. I think Armentrout handled a sensitive subject with so much grace and understanding. I loved the emotional journey of both Mallory and Rider. I was riveted from the first page and read it from cover to cover in one day. One of my coworkers said she found the book to be a bit slow and I think that’s a fair assessment. It’s not the most action packed read out there and might not be your cup of tea if character development doesn’t keep you interested, but that wasn’t a problem for me. I love a story about growth, learning, and struggling and “The Problem with Forever” was one of the better examples that I’ve come across. I really came to care about Mallory, Rider, and all of their friends and the relationship between Mallory and Rider was just so dang cute! “The Problem with Forever” is a great read to curl up with on a sunny warm day and lose yourself. I have a feeling that you’ll love Jennifer’s worlds as much as I do.

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1)

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Age: Young Adult
Category: Romance, fantasy
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: This book has been sitting on my kindle for a very long time. Fellow judge Melissa read it and adored it, so sent it on to me. That was almost a year ago, though - it just faded into the background, even though the summary was appealing. But due to general laziness on my part (ie, not being bothered to research and find a new book), I gave it a go. And, as you can probably guess from my 5/5 rating, I was blown away! This would be the best YA first-in-a-series book I've read in a really long time - maybe since The 5th Wave.

Kestrel is the daughter of the infamous General who conquered Herran ten long years ago. Since then, its people have been enslaved to the Volarians. The story starts with Kestrel buying Arin at a slave auction against her better knowledge, seeing a kindred spirit in him. The two are from completely different worlds: Kestrel, that of a high society lady, and Arin, that of a slave who's suffered through the worst horrors of colonisation. As is noted in the story, "the Winner's Curse is when you come out on top of the bid, but only by paying a steep price". Accordingly, Kestrel soon learns just how steep the price she paid is.

Read more »

The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1)

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

Age: Young Adult
Category: Fantasy, historical
Rating: 5 stars

Marta Thinks: If there’s one thing I can appreciate, it is originality, and in “The Dark Days Club”, Alison Goodman delivers in spades. Pitched as a Georgette Heyer Regency romance fusion with Buffy (which is astonishing accurate description, by the way), the book is set in the 19th century, against the backdrop of the upper-class English society. For our heroine, Lady Helen Wrexhall, parties, marriage and respectability are not her priority. Lady Helen desire one thing only: independence, which she does not have under the authoritarian eye of her Uncle.

Not only that, though: Lady Helen must protect her reputation and tainted heritage. Her mother and father drowned at sea, and were declared traitors to the crown soon afterwards. Lady Helen longs for her parents, though she must hide her feelings, and the only thing which remains of her mother is a pendant. It is this very pendant that will change Lady Helen’s life and allow her to discover the darker and more dangerous side of society, the one with the answers behind the disappearance of London girls.

What makes this an exceptional book, and distinguishes it from the other historical/fantasy books out there, is the witty dialogue, the strong and real female friendships and Lady Helen, who is thoughtful and kind, but also desires a life of her own without endangering others. The only downside? The sequel comes out next year.

The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles #1)

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan

Age: Young Adult, Adult
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: Whenever I go into my recommendations on Goodreads, this book always pops up first. I've been seeing it for a very, very long time, until I finally decided to give it a go yesterday, with very low expectations. And then, because Goodreads knows me so well, I was hooked. This book had everything I loved in it: it was fast-paced and had a fantastic cast of characters, with a plot that, while seeming to be generic, was everything but.

After spending five years abroad as a warrior, Hadrian has come back to his homeland after the death of his father, completely purposeless. He finds this purpose when a friend of his father tasks him with stealing a famous journal from an impenetrable tower. The only problem? He has to do it with the help of Royce Melborn, a cynical assassin whom Hadrian would rather kill than work with.

Read more »

Daughter of the Gods

Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Stephanie Thornton

Age: Young Adult
Category: Historical
Rating: 4 stars

“The fear of losing each other is always stronger than the pain we cause.”

Marta Thinks: Hatshepsut was one of greatest rulers of Egypt but her role was very nearly wiped away completely when almost every reference to her time as a pharaoh was erased. She was previously thought to have been murdered by her stepson Tutmose III, but her mummy revealed that she died of natural causes at the age of fifty – and archaeologists uncovered proof that showed that Tutmose III had very likely removed evidence of her rule not to seek revenge but rather to consolidate the succession of his heir.

Hatshepsut is an ideal historical character to take on: she has a vivid role in a history that has largely been lost, allowing room for experimentation and imagination. She must have been a force to reckon with – easily charming and charismatic but ambitious and ruthless and calculating. She’s a hard act to top and she’s a hard task to undertake. Hatshepsut probably would have been handled unsuccessfully in anyone else’s hands but Stephanie Thornton finds the perfect balance and allows Hatshepsut to become relatable (or at least, as relatable as an ancient royal can be), likeable and admirable.

Read more »

Remembrance

Remembrance by Meg Cabot

Age: Young Adult / Adult
Category: Science fiction, romance
Rating: 4 stars

Brittany Thinks: In high school, Meg Cabot was my favorite author. She really introduced me and so many other young readers to the YA genre with her interesting stories that portrayed real teens with real problems. And, yeah, a lot of those problems stemmed from something insane in their life, - like discovering they were royalty or seeing ghosts or saving the President - but they still fought with their friends and hated doing homework. Her books made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

I’ve grown out of my Meg Cabot phase over the years, but I was thrilled when she announced that she’d be writing Adult follow ups to two of my favorite - and her most popular Young Adult series. Remembrance is the second book in her nostalgic project and, to be honest, the venture I was most excited for. If any of you were fans of the original Mediator series, - 6 fun, quick reads about a girl who discovers it’s kind of her family’s duty to help ghosts move on - then I am thrilled to tell you that Remembrance totally holds up. Sure is still the stubborn, strong, funny lead that we grew up reading about and Jesse still made my knees a little weak. Cabot touches base with all of our favorite characters and it’s great to see where they are now. The case itself carries the same depth - even if Suze is a little more prepared to carry out her duty than before.

I think that Remembrance would still be an interesting read for those unfamiliar with the story. Some connections or discussions may be a bit confusing and may not carry the emotional punch without reading the originals, but Cabot explains everything well and the story works as a stand alone. All in all, it’s a fun, fast read full of mystery and strong characters. I was pretty apprehensive to read anything from Cabot’s nostalgia project at first, because I was afraid the books would feel forced rather than necessary. That wasn’t the case with Remembrance. I read the Mediator books when I was the same age as Suze in the original series and it was fun to read about “Suze the adult” now that I’m an adult, too. It was like catching up with an old friend now that we know a bit more about ourselves and I’m grateful that Cabot provided fans with that opportunity.

Ticker

Ticker by Lisa Mantchev

Age: Young Adult
Category: Science fiction
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: Having lost both her sisters to a hereditary heart disease, Penelope ‘Penny’ Farthing was saved by Doctor Calvin Warwick – who was engaged to Penny’s older sister – when he implanted a brass ‘ticker’ into her chest to replace her heart. The success of this operation made Penny the first person to become augmented. However, it soon came to light that for Warwick to be so successful he had practiced on unwilling patients and was arrested for mass murder. On the final day of Warwick’s trial, everything starts to go wrong for Penny and her brother, Nic – their factory is bombed, Warwick escapes, and their parents kidnapped, a ransom note sent demanding their notes on the augmentation trials if they ever want to see their parents again. Ticker sees Penny, Nic and their friends (Violet, a baker, and Sebastian, a rich gentleman) working alongside a young Army general as they try to stop Warwick once and for all.

Ticker had been on my to-read list for many months; due to the beautiful cover art catching my eye on Amazon; before I eventually got around to reading it and I can honestly say that Mantchev did not fail to deliver! Despite there being many characters to trip over (and each one having their own set of individual quirks and ways that could have easily got a writer confused!), Mantchev did not lose control of the characters once. There were many relationships between the characters; familial, romantic and traitorous; and they all developed perfectly along with the plot. The characters were written that well I even developed a tiny crush on the young Army general, Marcus Kingsley!

This was my first time reading Steampunk fiction but it definitely won’t be my last! It was a great look into science fiction with Penny’s ‘Ticker’ being the focal point and the idea that we can create stronger human beings through having mechanical organs and body parts. However, Warwick’s methods of practicing on unwilling participants had the characters divided. Penny, despite it saving her life, believed it was murder and wrong whereas her brother, Nic, thought it was for the greater good, especially seeing as it will allow him to grow old with at least one of his sister’s.

With a plot filled with adventure, Ticker was a novel that I couldn’t put down and read in one entire sitting because I was just dying to know what happened. I hope you’ll all feel the same if you give it a try!