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: The Blazing Star by Imani Josey

Title: The Blazing Star
Author: Imani Josey
Genres: YA, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Goodreads

'Sixteen-year-old Portia White is used to being overlooked—after all, her twin sister Alex is a literal genius.
But when Portia holds an Egyptian scarab beetle during history class, she takes center stage in a way she never expected: she faints. Upon waking, she is stronger, faster, and braver than before. And when she accidentally touches the scarab again?
She wakes up in ancient Egypt—her sister and an unwitting freshman in tow.
Great.
Mysterious and beautiful, Egypt is more than they could have ever imagined from their days in the classroom. History comes alive as the three teens realize that getting back to the present will be the most difficult thing they’ve ever done. Stalked by vicious monsters called Scorpions, every step in the right direction means a step closer to danger.
As Portia and the girls discover that they’re linked to the past by more than just chance, they have to decide what it truly means to be yourself, to love your sister, and to find your way home.'

My rating: ★★★/5 stars

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before I start this review, I want to write a little disclaimer. I read this book during a very difficult week, namely, the week that Trump won the presidency. I could pretend that this had no effect on my reading, but sadly, it did. I felt very down, and I kept thinking about my American friends and what they were feeling, which made the reading experience a lot less fun. It wouldn't be fair to the author of the book if I didn't address this, since it is something that affected my reading experience, and I'm sure I would've enjoyed the book more if I had read it the month before. Now, let's move on to my review.

When I spotted this book on Netgalley and read the synopsis, I got incredibly excited. Ancient Egypt? Time travel? Monsters? YA diversity? Heck yes! 

The first thing I want to talk about is how amazingly diverse this book is. Almost every character in this book is a person of colour, and I loved it. The second thing I really enjoyed was that the author didn't simplify certain words for the reader, and she used the real Egyptian terms (example: kalasiris instead of dress.) Of course this was difficult sometimes, but the author explained everything very well and it really added an almost authentic feel to the story.

Something I also enjoyed was the part that the Egyptian mythology and culture played in the book. It wasn't like Rick Riordan's books were the Gods are super involved in the story and we actually see them, but in The Blazing Star, the Gods do play a part, but it feels a bit more mysterious. 

As for the characters, I'm not sure if I like them or not. I did like our main character Portia, who is a very strong and brave, but I strongly disliked her twin Alex. Alex is the kind of character who is used to getting her way, and gets very annoying when stuff don't go her way. For the rest of the characters? I could just couldn't keep them apart, and I'm still not quite sure who's who, so I can't really tell you anything about them. My little disclaimer does play a huge part in this, so please keep that in mind. 


The Blazing Star does have a lot of girl power, and just girls kicking ass in general, which is something I adore. That was the main thing I loved about this book. Girls supporting girls. Girls being strong, in a society in which they're expected to be weak. Love love love. 

However, I didn't love the book. One of the reasons for this was that I didn't like the writing, which felt a bit messy sometimes. I wasn't able to picture any of the scenery or rooms because of a lack of descriptive-ness, and some passages I just didn't get. I read them over and over to be able to understand what was going on, but I just couldn't. I still have no idea about some of the things that happened in the book. 

Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I don't feel invested enough to want to continue on with the series. However, if you like books about Ancient Egypt and magic, I would recommend this one to you. 

Review: Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Title: Timekeeper (Timekeeper #1)
Author: Tara Sim
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Goodreads

Two o’clock was missing.

In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.
It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.
And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.
But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever.

★★★★+0.5/5 stars

Timekeeper wasn't really on my radar until I saw it on Netgalley, and the synopsis immediately swayed me. And yes, I did get a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Timekeeper went from not being on my radar, to being one of my favorite books of 2016. 

First of all, I want to talk to you about the characters in the book, because they were AMAZING. I adored every single one of them. They were all very three-dimensional, and almost every character had a backstory, which is something I really enjoy. Also, all of the characters were very morally grey, and that was very interesting. I personally wasn't sure whether I should like a certain character or not, but I have a feeling that this was the point. Most authors write a character with the intention of making them likeable or unlikeable, but it felt like Tara Sim didn't have this intention. She wrote the characters the way they are, and that made them feel human. 

I quite liked the writing in general. But, if I'm honest, the writing is what kept me from giving the book the full 5 stars. Some passages were just, well, boring. Don't get me wrong, I was still enjoying the characters and the writing itself, but nothing was happening. However, even during these boring scenes, I was still at the edge of my seat, because I had no way of predicting what was going to happen. It was great. I also loved how the author wove the Gaian gods and their stories into her own story, because it gave the book a whole extra dimension. 

Now, let's talk about the relationship between Danny and Colton, the clock spirit, because it was great! It was a very well-written romance, and I loved how Danny essentially showed Colton the world. And how Colton showed Danny his world. It was great. The first time they meet Danny is feeling extremely anxious, because this is his first time fixing a clock after his accident, and Colton helps him by distracting Danny and letting Danny tell him a story. It was, in my opinion, one of the greatest scenes in the books. I loved it so much. 

Lastly, I really like how this book wrapped up. That's why I feel so weird about this being the first book in a series. It'd make such a great standalone. I'm still conflicted about whether I want to pick up the next book or not, because I loved this one, but everything is okay now, and I don't want things to go wrong again. But I guess we'll see. 

Just, please, pick this book up. You won't regret it. 

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: Heir of Thunder by Karissa Laurel

Title: Heir of Thunder (Stormbourne Chronicles #1)

Author: Karissa Laurel
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Goodreads

"The Lord of Thunder’s sudden death leaves his daughter, Evelyn Stormbourne, unprepared to rule Inselgrau in his place. Weeks before Evie’s ascension to the throne, revolutionaries attack and destroy her home. She conceals her identity and escapes under the protection of her father’s young horse master, Gideon Faust. Together they flee Inselgrau and set sail for the Continent, but they’re separated when a brutal storm washes Evie overboard.
In her efforts to reunite with her protector and reach allies on the Continent, Evie befriends a band of nomads who roam the world in airships fueled by lightning. She also confronts a cabal of dark Magicians plotting to use her powers to create a new divine being, and she clashes with an ancient family who insists her birthright belongs to them.
If she’s to prevail and defeat her enemies, Evie must claim her heritage, embrace her dominion over the sky, and define what it means to be Heir of Thunder."

Rating: ★★★/5 stars

The author has send me a copy of her book for free in exchange for a review. All opinions stated are my own.

Heir of Thunder is about Evelyn Stormbourne, the daughter of the late Lord of Thunder. After her home is attacked by revolutionaries just weeks before her ascension to the throne, Evelyn must escape together with a young horse-master named Gideon. However, their journey to the Continent provides a lot more challenges than they expected. 

I adored the plot of Heir of Thunder. I really struggled getting through the first 25% of the book, but mainly because of the things that I thought were going to happen. It felt like this was going to be another typical YA fantasy book with a love triangle. Luckily, this turned out not to be true.

After the first 25%, things really picked up and the book went in an entire different direction than I expected. Some very unexpected things happened, and there were quite some twists and turns which I really enjoyed.

However, the writing felt a bit inconsistent. I really liked some parts, but other parts just fell really flat. I felt myself skimming through the major action scene because I just wasn't drawn into it. I also had a few problems with the world, because there wasn't a lot of world-building and I just didn't get it. Why was there a real city name (Brighton) among all of the really fantasy city names? And why was the language described as 'ancient and dark' German? Was this a weird form of a dystopian? I don't know.

Besides that, I did really enjoy the characters. Evelyn is a very strong, brave and loyal main character, and the rest of the characters all had a very strong personality and felt very real. 

I'm very curious to see where this series goes, because it has a lot of potential and I have a feeling it's going to be great.

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

Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Title: Saint Anything

Author: Sarah Dessen
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Goodreads

'Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.'

I am so so glad that I decided to pick up my first Sarah Dessen book, because it was wonderful and I'm sure I'll read a lot more of her books in the future.

Saint Anything is about a girl named Sydney, whose brother Peyton has always been the center of attention in her family, her school, and basically everywhere. Lately, that (mostly positive) attention has turned into concern, because Peyton has been getting into a lot of trouble and has to go to jail for a drunk driving accident. While her brother is locked up and seems to be the only thing on her parents' mind, Sydney feels invisible. 

Then, she meets the Chathams, a warm and chaotic family who run a pizza joint, and take care of their mother who has MS. While spending time with them, Syndney finally feels seen and accepted. Here she meets Mac, a guy who finally makes her feel like she belongs somewhere.

While Saint Anything was a pleasant and fun read, I definitely didn't love it. However, I did love Sarah Dessen's writing, and I can definitely see why so many people love her, and I'm sure I'll one day belong to that group. The narrative feels very simple, but it still draws you in and doesn't let you go. It isn't too much, and it doesn't try to shock you with the events that happened, but it simply tells you a story. And it was lovely. 

The main character Sydney is definitely one of the reasons why I felt so drawn to this book. She felt so real, and I felt very connected to her. The other reason is the whole family aspect of Saint Anything. I usually love books with family aspects, but this one felt different. Better, somehow. Even though Sydney's parents definitely neglect her, their family bond feels very strong. And the Catcham family was just wonderful! Their family, and the scenes that took place in their house, made me feel very warm and cozy. Mrs. Catcham was easily my favorite character.

Even though this story had a few very strong points, it also had some weaker ones. One of those was definitely the relationship between Sydney and her love interest Mac. It didn't make me feel anything, and it felt very boring. There was no real spark, and Mac was just, well, plain. I also didn't like how the 'overly-protective-mother' aspect of the story was dragged out. It felt a little too much, and a little bit too dramatic. It frustrated me a lot.

While Saint Anything definitely wasn't perfect, I still really really liked it, and find myself thinking about the characters often. I can't wait to read another one of Sarah's books!

Rating: ★★★★/5 stars

Review: To Be or Not To Be: A Choosable-Path Adventure by Ryan North

Title: To Be or Not To Be: A Choosable-Path Adventure

Author: Ryan North
Genres: Humor
Goodreads 

'To Be or Not To Be is a choose-your-own-path version of Hamlet by New York Times best-selling author Ryan North. Play as Hamlet, Ophelia, or King Hamlet--if you want to die on the first page and play as a ghost. It's pretty awesome! Readers can follow Yorick skull markers to stick closely to Shakespeare's plot, or go off-script and explore alternative possibilities filled with puzzles and humor.

Each ending in the book is accompanied by a full-color, full-page illustration by one of the 65 most excellent artists working today, so each rereading yields new surprises and rewards. Ryan's prose is, as always, colloquial and familiar but full of clever references, vivid imagination, and only the most choice of jokes. Inventive devices like a book-within-a-book (to mirror Hamlet's play-within-a-play) take full advantage of the gamebook medium and liven up the original story for even the most disinterested of Shakespeare readers!To Be or Not to Be became a sensation when it launched: over 15,000 people backed the book in just one month, and it remains the number-one most funded publishing project ever on Kickstarter.com.
To be, or not to be: that is the adventure!'

My Thoughts

Rating:

Before I begin this review, I have a confession to make: I have never read Hamlet. Or rather, I have never read any Shakespeare, except for a few sonnets, and I've seen one of his plays because a friend of mine was in it, but that's it. I have a basic grasp of what Hamlet's about, but I can, in no way, compare this to the original story. That being said, this book was the perfect (and probably most fun) introduction to Shakespeare's work.

I've read (or rather, played) through To Be or Not To Be a few times, and I had such a fun time! I died, married the love of my life, led a skeleton army and I even became a ghost marine biologist (???). The options were endless, and each time I went through a story, it changed drastically. It felt magical. And above all, it was absolutely hilarious. Ryan North's writing had me laughing out loud quite a few times. 

However, I did grow a bit tired of it. The book is basically just an endless number of jokes, and while it is entertaining and hilarious, it got a bit too much. This is definitely not the kind of book I could read for hours on end. 

Even though I don't 100% love it, the book is still wonderful and I'd definitely encourage you to pick it up if you like Shakespeare, or if you just like having a laugh.

Review: The Cartographer's Daughter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Title: The Cartographer's Daughter (or, The Girl of Ink and Stars)

Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Genres: Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade
Goodreads

Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.
When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.
But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.
From this young debut author comes a beautifully written and lyrical story of friendship, discovery, myths and magic – perfect for fans of Philip Pullman, Frances Hardinge or Katherine Rundell.

My Thoughts

My rating:   (+0.5)

This is the first review where I'm writing the review before giving my rating, because I'm so confused about what to rate this book. 

The Cartographer's Daughter takes place on the island of Joya, which has a mythical past of being a floating island. There's also this story, a myth that most of the people on the island know, about a girl named Arinta who fought a fire demon named Yote and saved the island. In The Cartographer's Daughter, the myth of Arinta and the life of 13 year old Isabella intertwine when she joins a search party as cartographer to find her missing friend, who went looking for a mysterious murderer. 

From the description, I expected an amazing magical-realism middle grade book, filled with myths and cuteness. A bit Alice in Wonderland-y, with special kind of birds and plants and such. What I got, however, was much darker. A book filled with monsters, and (sometimes) death. I think the fact that the book was 100% different from what I expected, is the main reason why I didn't like it that much. Because besides this, it had some pretty great elements.

One of those great elements is the writing. Kiran Millwood Hargrave's writing was beautiful and simple, yet elegant. The book had a very fairytale-esque feel to it, and her world building is fantastic, and definitely one of my favorite parts about the book. I am definitely going to read more of her work. However, I do think the story had a lot more potential, and I felt a bit disappointed when I finished reading it. 

Another thing that I loved, was the friendship between Isabella and her best friend Lupe and their characters. They're both very brave heroine's that trust their instincts, and their friendship adds a beautiful tale of forgiveness, love and sacrifice to the story. 

Overall, The Cartographer's Daughter was a very enjoyable and magical read, but it just wasn't as amazing as I thought it'd be.

Mini Reviews: That Summer, An Abundance of Katherines and The Princess Saves Herself in This One

Today, I'm officially starting a new series on my blog: mini reviews! This is for all those books that I read that I never get to review, because I just don't have enough thoughts and opinions about them to fill an entire review. 


Title: That Summer
Author: Sarah Dessen
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Goodreads

My rating: 

After reading the synopsis of the book, I thought I was getting a cutesy summery romance. Instead, I got a pretty dull book about self-discovery. 
I was pretty bored while reading this book, and I was struggling to finish it. The characters were boring and very plain, the writing wasn't great (very repetitive) and there was no real progression in the storyline. Nothing really happened, and the beginning, middle and end of the book felt the same.

On the other hand, it was very interesting to read this book because it was Sarah Dessen's first, and you can really see that she got a lot better at writing. 
I'm just very glad that this isn't the first book I've read of hers, because if it was, I'm not sure I would've read any of her other books. 


Title: An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Goodreads

My rating: DNF

I'm struggling to find something to say about this one, other than 'Oh man, this was bad'. I literally didn't like anything about this (I mean, it even included A LOT of math). The main character was such a whiny, annoying and boring character, and the rest of the characters didn't make up for that. Neither did the plot, which was pretty bland. 
I have never really been a big John Green fan (except for his Youtube videos, that is) and this is definitely my least favorite book by him. 



Title: The Princess Saves Herself in This One
Author: Amanda Lovelace
Genres: Poetry
Goodreads

My rating: 

I have no idea how to review this one, since The Princess is the very first poetry collection I've read, but I can honestly say that this was absolutely amazing. 
Amanda Lovelace's writing style is so raw and heart-wrenching, but at the same time it's very hopeful. It made me cry a lot, and I'm definitely going to reread this a couple of times just to really let the poems sink in. 

Review: Story Thieves by James Riley

Title: Story Thieves

Author: James Riley
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Goodreads

'Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world’s homework and chores.But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen—his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father…

…Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure.'

My Thoughts

Rating:  

As someone who dreams about jumping into books daily, I fell in love with this story before I even read it. 

Owen is living a normal and quite boring life until he one day sees his classmate Bethany climbing out of a book in the library. Turns out Bethany is half-fictional and is searching through the fictional worlds to find her (quite fictional) father, who went missing. Owen agrees to keep her secret a secret, but only if she takes him into his favorite books; the Kiel Gnomenfoot series. But then, everything goes horribly wrong, which results into Owen getting to play the part of Kiel Gnomenfoot. 

This was such a wonderful read! It was so funny and clever and entertaining and  magical and action packed and the characters were AMAZING and I don't know how to write this review without fangirling a lot.

Let's try again: Story Thieves was a very entertaining read from start to finish. The author is very clever and has created an amazing story line, which makes you wonder about the differences between reality and fiction, while making you laugh out loud. There's a plot within the plot, and there's so much going on but it all makes sense. I applaud the author, James Riley, because I don't know how he did it. 

The characters, Owen and Bethany, are amazing and feel very real, like they could climb out of the book at any moment. Same goes for the fictional characters (well, of course Owen and Bethany are fictional too, but the fictional people in the story. Eh, the people that are in the books in this book. HOW DO I EXPLAIN THIS?). The characters make you laugh, frustrate you and even make you feel a bit emotional (AKA everything the perfect character will do to you). 

Overall, this book was a very fun read, and I'm excited to see what'll happen to Owen and Bethany next.