Ahhhh, ok this was great. You want to know why? Because I had zero expectations going into this, and had NO IDEA how much I was going to love it. I believe this book is extremely underrated with not many people (at least on Booktube) talking about it. Yeah, changing that.
So what I loved most about this book was that it APPEALED to so many different sides of myself. It's so action-packed the action movie lover in me was rooting for the heroine when there was a car chase on the streets of Istanbul. The romantic in me loved this book because come on, chemistry and tension and love interests who start out hating each other is my thing. The history buff in me fucking devoured the richness of this mystery that pulled from Ancient Civilizations like Alexander the Great and Achilles (my main men, let's get real.) Because of that, this book hooked me. Just hooked me.
If you're looking for some comparisons, I got you covered. Now. Are you ready for this? If you're looking for the wealth, the power, the control and the glamour of Gossip Girl mixed with the "found a clue, which leads to another clue which leads to another clue..." of the National Treasure movies, and sprinkled off with the historical legends of The Mummy movies, stop reading this review, go to Amazon/B&N/etc and buy this book. You can thank me later.
The Conspiracy of Us tells the story of a teenager girl named Avery who because of her mother's job, constantly moves around the United States preventing her from developing any true friendships and relationships. She has never met her father, so she has always held on to the hope that maybe someday she would meet him. She becomes suspect when the new boy at school has a picture of her in his back pack and it cartwheels into her prom where she gets swept up by said boy (and another) into a world where she's told her dead father's relatives are part of 12 families that quite literally, rule the world. Illuminati, New World Order, secret society, call it what you want - that's them.
First, I have to talk about the pacing. Basically, it was perfect. I had just come out of book where I did not like the pacing one bit so TCOU was a delight. What was awesome about this pacing was that I was never bored while reading. I think with any book that is really hard not to have somewhat boring scenes, but with this, I was hooked and couldn't stop reading. The best part about it was that when I put it down to go to work, I was excited to pick it back up again. I just think this whole story was paced wonderfully which led to an amazing reading experience.
So I love history, specially, I love Ancient History. Maggie Hall does an amazing job of picking apart Alexander the Great's history and incorporating it into her own believable story a la The Da Vinci Code. Like, you guys, I can't even convey the correct amount of enthusiasm I have for how history LITERALLY comes alive with this book. It's unlike any YA story I've read and makes me want to find more like it.
Next the characters. Gonna get this out there now - I am Stellan trash. I mean come on. You can't throw a half Russian/half Swedish guy with the most interesting of all back stories with a goddamn tattoo at me and not have me rooting for him. I'm ok with Stellan's "Boy B" status in the first book, but I have faith my ship will full on sail across the sea in book 2. (Also, I totally pictured him as a young Alexander Skarsgard.) Stellan works for one of the other families but he has such a presence in the books that makes you want to know everything about his character from the beginning. Maggie does a great job of giving us just enough to satisfy but dang, so excited for the next book and his character exploration.
Jack. Ok, listen. I like Jack as much as the next person. He's British and I pictured him as Jasper from The Royals (tv show) and I also think his past is really interesting as well and look forward to more of him. I really admired his intelligence in this book as well. In any other world where Stellan wasn't in, I'd be tripping over a Brit who speaks French, rides a motorcycle, and has an expansive knowledge in all things Alexander the Great. But listen, your accent isn't Russian and I have my priorities.
Avery, our main homegirl. As this book is told in first pov, I found her to be pleasant. I think it's hard for a first pov female heroine in YA to not come across as annoying and Avery didn't for me, and that is huge. However, her character was very very overshadowed by both Jack and Stellan. Avery was a little basic, but I just wanted to climb into her soul and pull out what I know is an amazing character. I just didn't exactly see it in this one. Towards the end, she was taking some initiative, so I liked that so I am hoping to see that more in the next book. I just wanted more from her. Also the "purple-eyed girl" was a little generic and played into the special snowflake trope, but again, there was so much else going on that I loved that I was able to look at that and go "ok, I'll let this slide just this one."
Another reason why I took off half a star is because while I liked that Maggie Hall skips the bullshit in the beginning and just starts with the action straight off and doesn't bother with a lot of set-up I think the beginning suffered a little and took me a little bit to get past that shakiness, but really, it didn't last long.
Hope for the next book: 1. Precious baby Stellan gets some action specifically with Avery 2. Treasure hunting 3. Avery as a main character outshining the two boys that currently overshadow her development as a character because I know it's in there. ...more
I mean, Coballoway ALL THE WAY. This was the first book in the series (technically including Addicted) that was a five star for me. Connor and Rose's I mean, Coballoway ALL THE WAY. This was the first book in the series (technically including Addicted) that was a five star for me. Connor and Rose's perspectives are just perfection. Their characters are so incredibly unique and this just might be my favorite NA novel of all time....more
First read: September 15, 2015 Second read: May 4, 2016 Third Read: April 2018
Third read thoughts: I honestly think I might like this book a little more every time I read it. Like, Niklas is my favorite character in this series.
Second read thoughts: Ok, so one of the biggest reasons I wanted to re-read this series was because I wanted to pay more attention to Niklas in the first books because I had wrote that boy off long ago and didn't like him. And then in #4 I was starting to take more notice of him and when I first read TBW I really really fell in love with him. And now here we are, my second time reading this book and I loved it even more this time around. This is my favorite book of the series (I have since read the 6th book as I'm writing this review) and I really just want more and more and more Niklas in future books. How has he become my favorite. Except for Nora of course, who is Queen of All the Land.
----
First read thoughts: I can't decide if this is my favorite so far of the series. Damn. All my feels. I may be doing a non-spoiler series review of books 1 - 5 if that interests people! More people need to read this series. It's the best....more
First Read: September 13 2015 Second Read: April 2016 Third Read: April 2018
Second review thoughts: I mean, I love these characters. I'm sticking with my 5 star rating. I am completely amazed at the pacing and how Jessica builds tension in this installment. It reads like one of those season finales of a tv show. Damn. Just, everything in this book. I first fell in love with Nora the first time I read this and she's still my favorite badass female character of all time. I'll argue and educate you if you think you can argue me on this.
First review: NORA KESSLER YOU SLAY ME. I have now been introduced to my favorite badass female character of all time....more
First Read: September 2015 Second Read: February 2016 Third Read: April 2018
Second Read Thoughts: So I loved this re-read, keeping my rating at a 5-star. What was the best about rereading this, was being able to pick up on all the things I missed and if you have read this boo, you know what I'm talking about....more
A thrilling, huge, conclusion to this series. So many questions were finally answered from the beginning of the series that I loved discovering everytA thrilling, huge, conclusion to this series. So many questions were finally answered from the beginning of the series that I loved discovering everything as things were slowly making sense and the twists were amazing, and I'm so happy I read this series this month. It was exactly what I wanted to read when I didn't know what to read....more
Oh wow, like, really. Wow. This was seriously everything I wanted and needed in a fantasy read. I'm just so damn happy that I have the other two booksOh wow, like, really. Wow. This was seriously everything I wanted and needed in a fantasy read. I'm just so damn happy that I have the other two books in the trilogy so I don't have to wait with ordering them.This will definitely be one of the my favorite series I've read all year.
Poison Study follows a young woman named Yelena, who has been in the Commander's dungeons for almost a year upon killing a man. The day she is set for execution, she is given a choice. She could either go through with her execution or she could be the new food taster for the Commander. Bet you can guess when she chose or else this book would have only been ten pages long.
Holy shit, I loved this book. Yelena has quickly become one of my favorite female protagonists because she's badass without Snyder shoving it down your throat that she's badass. A lot about this character is SHOWN to you instead of TOLD to you, which as a reader, I appreciate so much. The book is also told in first perspective, which sometimes I find it easier for me to grow annoyed with the main character because first perspective is so limited, but I LOVED this perspective and I loved Yelena's voice. You really see her growth too from this dungeon rat to this all-around badass who is still learning but can hold her own. There's quite a bit of the whole "training montage" happening in this story. Most of the time in stories, I hate when we go through the stereotypical training sequences and I was nervous at first because not only does Yelena go through poison training, she also goes through fighting training. BUT Snyder never makes you feel like all you're doing it reading about Yelena training. Somehow, she writes a perfect balance between training scenes and summarizing that totally works for the story and HOW DOES SHE DO THAT? I've never read a book with that perfect of a balance.
Valek. Ohmygod, Valek. What a hunk of man meat. So while I just recently learned that this series isn't actually YA, but adult, it makes more sense (even though I feel like this series is marketed towards a YA audience) do you know how many times I praised at the fact that Valek wasn't an eighteen year old? Valek is the Commander's head of security, captain of the guard, whatever you want to call that position. He's in his early thirties which completely fits the rank he hold and the skills he has. Too often in YA do I see eighteen or nineteen years old controlling armies or head assassin or captain of the guard and I always think that's unrealistic - even in a fantasy. Valek is stone-cold but he is so well-rounded. We find out so much about him through the observations and snooping. Also. Can we appreciate the fact that the "trope housekeeper" that Valek and the Commander trust the most didn't give Yelena the expositional story on Valek's past? PRAISE. PRAISE. I hate when an author brings in a housekeeper character just to do that.
Moving on to the story and the plot. What I liked about the story was how layered it was. There was new things being introduced, history being told to us, and while the summary is extremely straight-forward to a point where you could feel this story could be a standalone, the new aspects including political corruption, magic, and the plethora of other territories, completely introduces the reader into this world that has many stories to tell and more directions Yelena's story could go. Snyder balanced flashbacks really well too. She gave us insight into Yelena's past that put her in the dungeon without overbearing us with too much past scenes. Based off the ending, I can't wait to pick up the second book. I really enjoyed the journey of the first book. I felt like it was paced perfectly, not at all rushed, and the writing was completely effortless.
I'm definitely going to recommend this book. Especially if you find yourself having the same reading style as I do....more
Is literally what I said after finishing. Along witFirst read: July 2015 Reread: May 2018
Second Review: so much love for this book.
---
First review: Wow.
Is literally what I said after finishing. Along with a lot of other indescribable noises that attributed to the fact that I need the second book more than anything right now in my life. Guys. This is a good one. This was the easiest 5 star rating I have given all year.
What I have to say first is that SIX OF CROWS is incredibly well-rounded for a novel. The first in a new series, I was trying to figure out if it was more story-driven, more character-driven, or more world-driven. All. All of them. They were all matched at the same level and that is so very hard to do in a novel, especially as a first book in a series. And I am about to go in-depth (spoilery free) into each aspect of this novel.
So, story-driven. It's such a high-stakes and tightly-constructed story, with a very clear goal that we are working towards. This is a heist story. THESE ARE MY FAVORITE TYPES OF MOVIES. I love heist movies because they have high-adrenaline non-stop action with a job that rewards the characters (who are always criminal, technically, but damn how these stories make you root for the "bad guys"). Also the formula is a great heist story is the crew that is put together. But more on the characters in a minute. SIX OF CROWS is no exception. To me? Instant classic. Bardugo has a way of telling the reader the plan, but then have "reveals" and "surprises" that were always part of the plan to begin with but surprises the fuck out of you where you just get more excited for the story and how it's developing.
The characters in this story, guys. Gems. All of them. At first, I was really nervous about all the characters getting lost on me. There's six in this crew and six characters I was convinced I'd feel like it's too much for me to handle. While we primarily get five out of the six povs, they're each introduced in such a way where I was never once questioning what was going on and who's head I was in. Bardugo has a gift for multiple perspectives, and we didn't get to see that in the Grisha trilogy. I loved each of the perspectives and was excited to turn the page and see who's head I was going to be in next. Since all six characters have a lot of scenes where they are all featured, I always felt that perspective that we read the scene in was the perfect perspective to tell that part of this story. Does that makes sense? I made sense to me right now. Each character was so very distinct. Kaz was the perfect leader. He had his issues, but the way he thought was so intriguing. He was my perfect anti-hero. Praise, PRAISE, for strong female characters Inej and Nina. I seriously loved them both. With each other, they have this very quiet friendship yet strong bond between them and they're so vastly different from each other, I was so happy there wasn't some petty female rivalry. Also, the heist itself is impossible without Inej's select set of skills and Kaz lets pretty much everyone know that. I also really liked Matthias, and not because we were introduced to him by way of a underground prison fight (because omg, hot.) He was such a complex character with so many morals and feelings contradicting and working against him. Wylan, my baby boy. And Jesper also, I felt like he had to be there and if he wasn't, the crew would have been "missing" something. Of course, I have to mention the ships and how they absolutely crushed my soul into a million tiny pieces. Every relationship in this story, romantic, rivalry, camaraderie, etc. was just so damn perfect.
Next on to the world-driven. I feel like I am biased since I have read the Grisha trilogy. So I am well-versed in the world as a whole. For people like me? It's literally like coming home. While we all know about Ravka, it was so much fun being in and learning about Fjerda and Kerch. I WANT TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD. I feel like now, this is my favorite fictional world. It definitely takes place after the Ravkan civil war, and for Grisha Trilogy fans, Bardugo makes nods to characters from the books. Now, for Kerch. This epic island country that is like a 1/16 to what Ravka is but is so larger than life, I just want to know everything. Kerch has so much culture and flair, this is world-building done right. It has this distinct tone and atmosphere that you honestly can just SEE this city so well. It was like a movie in my head. After, I read Bardugo's acknowledgements in the back of the book and she mentions what books inspired Ketterdam and I just nodded, because everything she mentioned was literally what I was picturing in my head.
Listen. If you're looking for a book filled with action, adventure, and an impossible heist job BUT a book with heart, pick up Six of Crows because it is such a fantastic and magical read....more
SECOND REVIEW: So I rated it a 5 the first time I read it and I just reread it and the rating still stands. I loved this book and I loved it x1000 morSECOND REVIEW: So I rated it a 5 the first time I read it and I just reread it and the rating still stands. I loved this book and I loved it x1000 more the second time around. Thora is my favorite NA heroine, Nik is my favorite NA hero, this is my favorite NA book hands down.
----
FIRST REVIEW: I've now read by favorite New Adult book. So thanks to my girl Jillian from bookishandnerdy to introducing me to Krista and Becca Ritchie. (I have a video book review coming soon and will link it once I finish it.)
I really loved this book. This book is a love story set at a circus show in Las Vegas. Goddamn, I was sold when I read the synopsis.
Our main character Thora James, decides to drop out of her last year of college to chase her dreams to join the circus. So she goes to Vegas for an audition. Listen. I freaking LOVED Thora. I related so so so much to this character, moreso than I ever had with another NA character. I had so much endearment for her and wanted her to succeed and achieve her dreams because essentially, this chick is doing what I've been to scared to do since I graduated college a year ago. So I just admired her, and loved being in her head.
Nikolai is our male lead who is Russian and hot and tall and the star of one of the Vegas shows. In short, I loved him. He also had so much responsibility that I loved seeing his relationship with his brothers and sister and the side characters were so on point, I fell in love with all of them. I want books on top of books following the Kotova siblings. The cousins. The brothers we don't see who are traveling across Europe in a traveling show. Give me everything, pls. And I am excited for the companion novel, INFINI, that the Ritchies announced recently. All up on that.
The story went fast, in a good way, and I was so engrossed with everything that I couldn't read it fast enough. The pacing went really well as did the development of the relationship which is something I always pay attention to when I am reading NA. And I loved the development of Thora and Nikolai's relationship.
First Read: May 3, 2015 ReRead: January 24, 2016 Third Read: April 13, 2018
ReRead Thoughts: How the fuck did I ever hate my precious baby Niklas. I loveFirst Read: May 3, 2015 ReRead: January 24, 2016 Third Read: April 13, 2018
ReRead Thoughts: How the fuck did I ever hate my precious baby Niklas. I love you so much.
----
It's like Mr. & Mrs. Smith in book form. I can't wait to collect the rest of this series and get introduced to all the characters.
I know a lot of people were a little disappointed in the ending, but I know for sure this was my favorite conclusion of a seWhat. A. Roller. Coaster.
I know a lot of people were a little disappointed in the ending, but I know for sure this was my favorite conclusion of a series I read in a long time. It ripped me apart, sewed me back up, only to rip me apart again. My heart still bleeds for the ending, but I loved it. ...more
Ahhhh, I'm so happy I started and finished this duology in February. While it didn't on a cliffhanger, giving me a satisfying ending, you can just feeAhhhh, I'm so happy I started and finished this duology in February. While it didn't on a cliffhanger, giving me a satisfying ending, you can just feel the potential it would have for a longer series.
I read a boat load of books this month, and this was easily by second favorite book. Everything about this books was wonderful, it transported me to places so visually, I literally felt like I was there. The characters were great. I loved every one, every version, and Claudia Gray has a way of making them so unique from the last version of the character in another dimension. The first thirty pages was muddy for me. My poor brain has a hard time wrapping around science concepts like that, but I followed it well enough. I REALLY cannot wait for the second book. I already know it will be a series I will be obsessed with....more
Loading...
