Review: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Title: The Sun Is Also a Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Genres: YA, contemporary, romance
Goodreads

'Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?'

★★★★★/5 stars

Here it is, the best YA contemporary I've read all year!

I went into this one with extremely high expectations. I loved Nicola Yoon's first book, Everything Everything, and I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover and I read it's synopsis. Having high expectations when going into a book is almost never a good idea, because I usually end up being extremely disappointed, but The Sun Is Also A Star managed to exceed my expectations!

While I first thought that this book would include a lot of insta-love, it didn't. Not really. Daniel, the hopeless romantic poet that he is, knows that wants to be with Natascha almost the second he sees here, but Natascha is very hesitant. Throughout the book, you can see them starting to really fall for each other, and it's incredibly cute. And even though the romance takes place over the course of a day, it feels very real and authentic.

This book did have something I needed to get used to, and that was all the different POV's. You don't only get to read from the POV of Natascha and Daniel, but also from the POV of a lot of minor characters, like the driver of the tram Daniel's in, and the security guard at the immigration office. This added a lot to the story, and I absolutely loved it. Besides this, Nicola Yoon's writing was absolutely beautiful, and almost magical. 

Something I also really liked was the exploration of the Jamaican and Korean-American cultures in the book. It was incredibly interesting, especially Daniel talking about the struggles of being both Korean and American.

I would highly recommend you picking this one up, even if it's only to frame the book and hang it on your wall because it's GORGEOUS.

Review: Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand

Title: Some Kind of Happiness

Author: Claire Legrand
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Goodreads

'THINGS FINLEY HART DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT• Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.)• Being sent to her grandparents’ house for the summer.• Never having met said grandparents.• Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it’s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.)Finley’s only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her grandparents’ house and realizes the Everwood is real--and holds more mysteries than she'd ever imagined, including a family of pirates that she isn’t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange old wizard living in a house made of bones.With the help of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the Everwood, she’ll first have to save herself.Reality and fantasy collide in this powerful, heartfelt novel about family, depression, and the power of imagination.'

My rating: ★★★★★/5 stars

Some Kind of Happiness is about a 10-year-old girl named Finley who has to spend her summer at her grandparent's house because her parents are having problems. She has never met her grandparents, or anyone from her dad's side of the family, before. 

Finley has blue days she wants no one to know about. Days on which she can't physically get out of bed, and when life feels overwhelming. Her only escape is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that she often writes about in her notebook, until she discovers that the Everwood is real, and that it's right behind her grandparent's house. And it holds more mysteries and secrets than she could've imagined.

I am struggling to find words to describe how much I loved Some Kind of Happiness. Finley's struggles are heartbreaking, but as someone who deals with them herself, they felt so so real. I felt so much happiness when I realized that I finally found a book that describes what I feel, too. Even though it was hard to read at times.

I also loved the aspect of the Everwood, and found it a brilliant way to describe what was going on in Finely's mind. I also loved the dark magical-realism vibes it gave to the book, which made this so much more than 'just' a mental-health book.

The family aspect was amazing as well. While Finley found it hard to get along with her oh-so-perfect family at first, it warmed my heart to see her become such great friends with her cousins, seeing their adventures in the Everwood, and seeing the whole family grow closer when their secrets are finally out in the open. I especially adored Finley's relationship with her older cousin, because they really helped and supported each other.

Some Kind of Happiness is a book that really had an impact on me, and is going to have a big impact on a lot of it's readers. It is a story that won't easily be forgotten, and holds lessons that are going to help the people who need them.

All in all, I basically want to buy everyone copies of this book for Christmas so everyone can read it. It was amazing. 

Review: The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse by Brian Farrey

Title: The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse
Author: Brian Farrey
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Goodreads

A princess and a peasant girl must embark on a dangerous quest to outwit a centuries-old warning foretelling the fall of the Monarchy in this modern fairytale. In the center of the verdant Monarchy lies Dreadwillow Carse, a black and desolate bog that the happy people of the land do their best to ignore. Little is known about it, except for one dire warning: If any monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, then the Monarchy will fall. Twelve-year-old Princess Jeniah yearns to know what the marsh could possibly conceal that might topple her family’s thousand-year reign of peace and prosperity.Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Emberfell, where everyone lives with unending joy, a girl named Aon hides a sorrow she can never reveal. She knows that something in the carse--something that sings a haunting tune only Aon can hear--holds the cure for her sadness. Yet no matter how many times she tries to enter, the terror-inducing dreadwillow trees keep her away.After a chance meeting, Princess Jeniah and Aon hatch a plan to send Aon into the heart of the carse to unlock its darkest secret. But when Aon doesn’t return, a guilt-stricken Jeniah must enter the carse to try and rescue her friend--even if it means risking the entire Monarchy.

Rating: ★★★★/5 stars

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse tells us the story of two 12 year old girls living in Emberfell; princess Jeniah, and Aon. The princess's mother is dying, and she will soon have to be queen. Jeniah is terrified she will mess up because she has no idea how to rule, and her mother has only told her one thing: do not enter dreadwillow carse, or the monarchy will fall. However, this only spikes Jeniah's curiosity. What is in the carse that could ruin thousands of years of peace? 

Then there's Aon, a girl with a secret. She is the only one who can feel sadness in a world where the only emotion people feel is happiness. She doesn't understand why, but she knows one thing: the dreadwillow carse holds the cure for her sadness. Together, the girls form a plan to send Aon into the heart of the carse to discover it's secrets, but when Aon doesn't return Jeniah has no choice but to find her friend. She enters the carse herself, even though it risks the entire monarchy. 

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse was very different from what I thought it would be. Where I thought I'd get a cutesy book that wouldn't be more than just a fun read, I got so much more. The book, while disturbing at times, had a truly magical feel to it. It read like a dream, and I couldn't help finishing it in one sitting.

This book has it all: 2 amazingly strong main characters, an incredible friendship, a (very creepy) fairytale like setting, beautiful writing, and a valuable message for it's readers. It's a great book for any middle-schooler, or anyone who loved middle grade novels, like me.

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Goodreads

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

Rating: ★★★/5 stars
 

Red Queen is set in a world where people are divided by blood type. There's the Silvers, the elite who all have a certain superpower, and the Reds, the commoners, who have to do all the dirty work for the Silvers. 

In Red Queen, we follow a girl named Mare Barrow, a 17 year old Red, who suddenly finds herself working in the Silver palace. Here, she discovers that despite her red blood, she has a deadly superpower of her own. However, the king and queen find out as well, and in a desperate attempt to keep this hidden and not cause a lot of chaos, Mare finds herself engaged to a Silver prince. 

Now, living in a palace where one misstep can cause her death, she is secretly working with a resistance group to bring down the Silver regime, and she finds herself falling for a prince.

I didn't really like Red Queen, but after hearing so many people talk bad about this book, I didn't really expect to. I think the fact that I went into this book with very low expectations, actually saved it for me. 

So, what did I like, and what did I dislike about Red Queen?

Likes:

• Even though the plot resembled a lot of other dystopians, I still really liked it. It definitely reminded me why I loved dystopians so much in the first place. 
• The main character, Mare Barrow, was a great main character. She's very likeable and brave. She won't go down without a fight. 
• The action scenes were excellent! The kept me on the edge of my seat, and made me unable to stop reading until it was over. They were very fast-paced without feeling chaotic, which is a difficult thing to pull off. 

Dislikes:

• Usually while reading a book, I can always picture what the characters and places look like, but while reading this one, I just couldn't. It felt like I was reading the book blindly (which doesn't really make any sense) and I really didn't like it.
• I got bored. So bored, in fact, that I had to read the last few sentences of the book to keep me from DNF'ing it. Luckily the last few sentences were really intriguing, and the book did get a bit better towards the end. 
• The ending didn't sit very well with me. (SPOILER ALERT!) The fact that Prince Maven's character could change so drastically in just a few seconds felt very weird, and very unrealistic. But, granted, it was a plot-twist that I didn't see coming. 

Even though I didn't love Red Queen, I'm still planning on reading the second book because I'm very curious about what's going to happen next.

Review: Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

Title: Girl Against the Universe

Author: Paula Stokes
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Goodreads

'Maguire is bad luck.No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.From author Paula Stokes comes a funny and poignant novel about accepting the past, embracing the future, and learning to make your own luck.'

Rating: ★★★★/5 stars

Girl Against the Universe is about a girl named Maguire, who's convinced she's bad luck. This is because horrible things happen when she's around. Her father, brother and uncle were killed in a car crash where she walked away with barely a scratch. The rollercoaster she was in with her friends jumped off its tracks, and everyone broke something except for her. Oh, and she accidentally set her house on fire.

She hardly leaves her house anymore, when her therapist encourages her to join a sport to help her deal with her feelings - and she picks tennis. This turns out to be the best thing she could have done, because here she forms new friendships, meets the very hunky tennis coach Jordy, and she learns that she's actually pretty lucky.

I have no idea where to start with this review, so here are 4 things I loved about Girl Against the Universe:

1) Jordy. I fell head over heels in love with Jordy while reading about him. Yes, his cocky woman-izer personality is unbelievably cliché, but it's so deliciously cliché. His adoration for Maguire made me melt, and his personality made me grin like an idiot.

2) The romance. If you know me at all, you know how much I hate those 'ohhh you have a mental illness, but here's a boy and now you're fixed' novels. And yes, this book seems to be one of those books, but it's not. Maguire doesn't need a saviour.  Yes, Jordy helps her with her therapy tasks, and she helps him, but ultimately it's not him who 'fixed her', she did it herself. And I'm damn proud of her. But besides that, their romance is the cutest thing in the world. It was Anna and the French Kiss level cute, which is, in my opinion, a big compliment.

3) The family aspect. After the accident, Maguire's mother remarried and Maguire now has 2 adorable little siblings. Her little sister was such a ray of sunshine and I loved her so much, but the thing I loved most was Maguire's relationship with her stepdad. There's a very important scene between the two of them, where they open up to each other about their feelings and what's going on, and I loved it so much! Her stepdad even offered Maguire to help her with her therapy tasks, and this made me so happy that I had tears streaming down my face. 

4) The friends. I looooved the friendships Maguire formed with Penn and Jade. They both had very fun and outspoken personalities, and they were so supportive! Jade actually reminded me a lot of one of my best friends, and that might be why I loved her so much <3

So, if everything was so amazing, why didn't I give it 5 stars? Well, because there was one thing that I really didn't like.

I'm very sensitive when it comes to anxiety-issues, because I've been struggling with them for years. That's why some things Maguire did in this book didn't feel right. For example: for one of her therapy tasks she has to go for a drive with someone else besides her mom, so she picks Jordy. They go for a short drive, and she has a panic attack. A week later they go for a 3 hour drive, and she isn't struggling with it at all. This was very frustrating to me, because it just didn't feel realistic at all. But maybe that's just me.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one, and I wish there were more books out there like this one. And, above all, I wish Jordy was real <3