Book Review || The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir

The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir

Publication Date: June 12th, 2018

Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group

Genre: Adult Contemporary

Source: Library

Summary

Esther Ann Hicks--Essie--is the youngest child on Six for Hicks, a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia's? Or do they try to arrange a marriage--and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media--through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell--Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

I picked up The Book of Essie because of all the hype it's been receiving in the book review community. It seemed like an interesting read -- a story about a teenage girl, but written for a more adult audience. Even from the synopsis, I knew it was going to be a book dealing with some tough topics. Like everyone else, I immediately thought about that TV show about the religious family with all the kids (you know which one I'm talking about) and was expecting something vaguely superficial but got so much more.

Book Review || American Panda by Gloria Chao

American Panda by Gloria Chao

Publication Date: February 6th, 2018

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: YA Contemporary

Source: Library

Summary

At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.

With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

At first I was skeptical about a book featuring MIT, my alma mater, so prominently. How could someone who never went there accurately depict what life is like at such a unique university? And then I found out the Gloria Chao is an alum, class of 2008, and I was immediately sold. Mei is a  and a year younger than her classmates. She has parents that push her toward a career path she isn't sure she even wants to pursue. While I was blessed to have parents that were happy to support whatever path I chose, I knew too many people that had parents like Mei. I am no a few years removed from my time at MIT, but reading American Panda brought right back to those early days and I could empathize so deeply with Mei. It's been a while since I picked up a YA contemporary, but this one hit so close to home and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

ARC Review || Rebellion by Stephanie Diaz

Rebellion (Extraction #2) by Stephanie Diaz

Publication Date: February 10th, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: eARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley

Summary

The uprising has begun.

It's been seven days since Clementine and Logan, along with their allies, retreated into hiding on the Surface. The rebels may have won one battle against Commander Charlie, but the fight is far from finished. He has vowed to find a way to win—no matter the cost. Do the rebels have what it takes to defeat him...and put an end to this war?

As Clementine and Logan enter a desperate race against time to defeat Commander Charlie—and attempt to weaken his power within his own ranks—they find themselves in a terrifying endgame that pits them against a brutal enemy, and each other. With every step, Clementine draws closer to losing Logan...and losing control of herself.

Continuing with the mesmerizing saga that started with Extraction, Stephanie Diaz blends science fiction, epic romance, and heart-stopping adventure to create a world that no reader will soon forget.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

Note: I received and advance readers copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.

I thought Rebellion by Stephanie was a good sequel to Extraction, the first book in the Extraction trilogy. I no longer felt like I was constantly comparing it to other YA series and it felt like the story was coming into its own more. Sometimes, with sequels I feel like they just are extensions of the first book and don’t have their own Story. However, with Rebellion I do feel like it stands well on its own.

[Book Review] Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) by Sara Raasch

Publication Date: October 14, 2014

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: eARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss

Summary

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

Note: I received and advance readers copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch is a great new book in the young adult fantasy genre. I liked the story and the characters but because it was so hyped up, I had really high expectations going in, which is never good a thing. I had a little trouble getting into the story at first because of the amount of background information. However, the suspense and plot twists kept me reading and I'm glad I did because it turned out to a solid start to what looks to be a fantastic fantasy series.

[Book Review] The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by Samantha Shannon

Publication Date: August 20th, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Source: Personal purchase

Summary

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

What a fantastic book! I've had The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon on my shelf for over a year now and I can't believe it took me this long to finally read it. I think I’d been putting it off for so long because of all the hype surrounding the book. Let me just say that it definitely deserves that hype. Shannon has created this whole alternate history of the world in The Bone Season and done it nearly flawlessly.

[Book Review] Extraction by Stephanie Diaz

Extraction (Extraction #1) by Stephanie Diaz

Publication Date: July 22, 2014

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: personal purchase

Summary

"Welcome to Extraction testing."

Clementine has spent her whole life preparing for her sixteenth birthday, when she’ll be tested for Extraction in the hopes of being sent from the planet Kiel’s toxic Surface to the much safer Core, where people live without fear or starvation. When she proves promising enough to be “Extracted,” she must leave without Logan, the boy she loves. Torn apart from her only sense of family, Clem promises to come back and save him from brutal Surface life.

What she finds initially in the Core is a utopia compared to the Surface—it’s free of hard labor, gun-wielding officials, and the moon's lethal acid. But life is anything but safe, and Clementine learns that the planet's leaders are planning to exterminate Surface dwellers—and that means Logan, too. 

Trapped by the steel walls of the underground and the lies that keep her safe, Clementine must find a way to escape and rescue Logan and the rest of the planet. But the planet leaders don't want her running—they want her subdued.

With intense action scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters, Extraction is a page-turning, gripping read, sure to entertain lovers of Hunger Games and Ender's Game and leave them breathless for more.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

You wouldn't expect a science fiction book set on another planet with a moon that spits out acid to be described as realistic, but that’s exactly how I would describe Extraction by Stephanie Diaz. She manages to take this completely fiction world and translate into relatable experiences. Everything from her characters to the situations the find themselves in just seems like they could happen to me – you know if I happened to live on the planet of Kiel.

[Book Review] Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Not a Drop to Drink (Not a Drop to Drink #1) by Mindy McGinnis

Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Source: Personal Purchase

Summary

Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water. 

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….

With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different than our own.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

If you're looking for a dystopian book that isn't like your typical dystopian you've come to the right place. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis deals with a man vs. nature rather than man vs. society/government post-apocolypse. I really enjoyed reading about Lynn and her experience, and while occasionally slow, overall the book was well-written and suited the survival story aspect of the plot. While I don't think it necessarily needs a sequel, I will definitely be pickup up the companion novel, In a Handful of Dust, coming out later this year.

[Book Review] The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex (Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings

Publication Date: June 10, 2014

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Source: eARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss

Summary

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

Note: I received a digital review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.

Are you sick and tired of YA dystopian books? Well I'll ask you to reconsider because The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings is a mind-blowing thriller that will make you forget why you were sick of the genre in the first place. Fast paced and suspenseful, I couldn't put this book down and the 400 pages seemed to fly by. Of course no book is perfect and there were certain aspects of the book I wish could have been different. Even so, I don't know how I'm going to wait a year for the sequel, because the ending, while satisfying, left me wanting to dive right back into the world of Meadow and Zephyr.

[Book Review] No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige

No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5) by Danielle Paige

Publication Date: November 12, 2013

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: Library

Summary

After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.

Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature’s most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

I had trouble getting into Dorothy Must Die the first time around, but after reading No Place Like Oz I am very excited to pick it up again. This e-novella gives the reader a glimpse into the time between the end of the original tale by L. Frank Baum and where Danielle Paige picks up in her own retelling. Of course the writing style and voice sound different from the original but as some one who has read the original story I could still feel the spirit of each character. After reading this short story I can't wait to pick up Dorothy Must Die again.

Book Review: Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Release Date: January 1, 2013

Publisher: Little, Brown Book for Young Readers

Source: Library

Summary

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

By the time I finished Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor I was hooked and excited for the third book. Unfortunately, it took me a while to get hooked as the first have was rather drawn out and lacked action. However, the action of the second half and the merging of the different story lines from the beginning of the book redeem the book as a whole.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Release Date: September 27, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown Book for Young Readers

Source: Library

Summary

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

From the start, I was intrigued by Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. The story is so different from the typical young adult books you see today. The story is told from multiple points of view that don't appear to connect at first but when they do, they converge seamlessly. It is not your typical love story, but so much more and by the end of the book you just want to pick up the next one.

Book Review: Taken by Erin Bowman

Taken by Erin Bowman

Release Date: November 6, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Library

Summary

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

It was very apparent by the end of the Taken by Erin Bowman that it was part of a trilogy. I would almost go as far to say that it really doesn't stand alone very well. While the plot of the book was great, there was a very apparent lack of character growth. It was very plot and action driven, and while that is not a bad thing, sometimes it felt that the characters were secondary to the action, and it was hard to form and emotional attachment to them, as a reader. My hope is that the main characters will grow more in the later books, but it still doesn't excuse the poor character development in the first book. Overall, though, the book was very good and I'm excited to read the next one in the series.

Book Review: The Transfer by Veronica Roth

The Transfer by Veronica Roth

Release Date: September 3, 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Source: Personal Purchase

Summary

More Four! Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by "The Transfer," the first of four new short stories told from Four’s perspective. Each brief story explores the world of the Divergent series through the eyes of the mysterious but charismatic Tobias Eaton, revealing previously unknown facets of his personality, backstory, and relationships.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

For fans of the best-selling Divergent by Veronica Roth, the new companion novella, The Transfer, is a must read. In this first of four novella's we read about Tobias Eaton's transfer from Abnegation to Dauntless, and learn about his tragic background that made him into the Four we all know and love. 

Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Release Date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library

Summary

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

(courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

When I first picked up Tiger Lily and read the jacket copy I was immediately drawn  to the premise of the story. It wasn't until a few months later that I finally got a chance to read the book that sounded so interesting those many months ago. There are a lot of re-tellings of classic fairy tales but Tiger Lily was unlike any I had read before. You are taken to a Neverland unlike any other and as a "prequel" to the classic story Peter Pan, Tiger Lily hits the nail on the head.