I love this book and need to find similar books. It's funny but not completely frivolous.
This fantasy novel is set after the characters finish their qI love this book and need to find similar books. It's funny but not completely frivolous.
This fantasy novel is set after the characters finish their quest and fulfill a prophecy. They've killed the evil king and taken control of his kingdom, but now what? How do you rule a kingdom? And what about the expectation that the new king will get married and produce heirs?
This book will make you smile. The characters are endearing because they're fumbling through life with the best possible intentions. They want to do the right thing. They're just . . . really bad at everything. Their banter is hilarious. Every character is fabulously chaotic. I loved them all immediately and didn't want to put the book down. I was having too much fun.
My only complaint is the miscommunication plotline. I don't have patience for those. I know that using your words is hard, but problems aren't interesting if they can be solved with one conversation.
I still recommend this book, especially if you like Rainbow Rowell's Carry On series. Recommend more books like this one to me!...more
So . . . I stayed up all night to finish this book. I was completely useless the next day, but I regret nothing. That ending is awesome.
UnWholly picksSo . . . I stayed up all night to finish this book. I was completely useless the next day, but I regret nothing. That ending is awesome.
UnWholly picks up about a year after where Unwind left off. Connor, Lev, and Risa have gotten the world to pay attention to unwinding, but now they don’t know who to trust. Some people want to help them; others just want to collect the bounty on their heads. No place—not even the airplane graveyard in the Arizona desert—is safe. This book introduces three new characters. Starkey is a teen who’s obsessed with becoming just as famous as Connor. Miracolina wants to be unwound. And Cam . . . is a human made entirely from the body parts of other humans.
One of my biggest issues with the first book is that I didn’t buy unwinding. It doesn’t seem like a practical solution to any problem. This book adds enough worldbuilding that unwinding becomes slightly more believable. The story shows how this futuristic society is collapsing and the fear that people have of “feral” teens. Unwinding is big business in this world. Greedy medical companies are trying to make unwinding bigger, better, and more necessary. I really appreciate the worldbuilding because I felt like it was lacking in the first book. The new worldbuilding also takes some of the focus off of the abortion debate, which could be good or bad, depending on how you feel about the abortion stuff in the first book.
“The sad truth about humanity . . . is that people believe what they're told. Maybe not the first time, but by the hundredth time, the craziest of ideas just becomes a given.” - UnWholly
We need to talk about Cam. After I finished the first book, I started wondering if it was possible to use unwinding technology to build a whole new person. I wasn’t surprised when that’s exactly what happens in this book. I was (weirdly) hoping it would happen. Cam is the character I wanted. He’s fascinating. He’s super-naïve and super-intelligent at the same time. His brain is made up of pieces of other people’s brains, so he has an interesting way of thinking. What’s even better is that he encourages the reader to think. What, exactly, is a human? Is it possible to be more than one human at the same time? If Cam was created instead of born, is he property? How ethical/necessary is it to improve the human body?
Cam replaced Lev as my favorite character in this series. I still feel bad for Lev because he’s so young and has had to put up with so much crap, but Cam is what makes me want to read the next book.
I’m going to continue with this series, but I didn’t like this book quite as much as the first one. Compared to Unwind,UnWholly starts off very slowly. It took me a while to get into it. Also, UnWholly feels like a recycled version of Unwind. Actually, “recycled” is probably the wrong word. Let’s say that Unwind was unwound and then rewound into UnWholly. Some of the new characters are very similar to the old ones. Miracolina is the new Lev. Starkey is the new Roland. The characters are still dealing with the same problems as in the first book. This book doesn’t feel as original as the first one.
Despite the “rewinding” issues, I’m eager to continue with the series. I want to know what happens next....more
This was fine. It's a young adult dystopia that takes place in a settlement on the Canadian plains (I think?). I love the setting and the culture of tThis was fine. It's a young adult dystopia that takes place in a settlement on the Canadian plains (I think?). I love the setting and the culture of the characters because I haven't seen them in a dystopia before. The dystopias I've read have mostly felt like USA hellscapes. It's nice to see a different country's hellscape.
Unfortunately, the setting is the only thing I liked. Everything else follows a stereotypical YA dystopia script. If I read this book in 2010, I might have been obsessed, but in 2024? Not so much. That's probably my fault more than the book's. I went through a very intense dystopia phase in the early 2000s and read way too many of them.
Like most dystopias, Winterkill has Very Important Capitalized Words. There's a love triangle. There's an outcast teenage girl who seems to be the only person with a semi-functional brain. There are many moments of *Gasp* "The leaders lied to us? Who could have seen this coming?" There are forbidden woods where the leaders (very obviously) keep their secrets. There are prophetic dreams about the secrets in the forbidden woods.
I know I'm ragging on the book, but I didn't hate it! It has a few excellent plot twists, and you're never sure which characters to trust. You might like it if you want an extra dose of The Village, The Hunger Games, or The Forest Of Hands And Teeth....more
Have you ever finished a book and were disappointed, but y0u're not sure if it's the book's fault or your own fault? That's me with A Sisterhood Of SeHave you ever finished a book and were disappointed, but y0u're not sure if it's the book's fault or your own fault? That's me with A Sisterhood Of Secret Ambitions by Sheena Boekweg. It's not what I expected, but maybe that's on me? I didn't do enough research before buying it.
A Sisterhood Of Secret Ambitions is alternate history set in the 1920s. It's about a secret society of women who infiltrate American politics by seducing powerful men and influencing their political agendas. At this point in (alternate) history, women don't have any political power. The only way they can make their voices heard is by getting men to speak for them.
The secret society identifies an eighteen-year-old man who may become a future presidential candidate. The main character and her friends are sent to insert themselves into his life.
I adore this premise. There's so much potential for backstabbing and manipulation and messy emotions. I mean, imagine being that eighteen-year-old future politician. Imagine discovering that your friendships and romance are based on lies. That would be unsettling! It would be even worse to discover that your mother contacted a secret society to direct your entire adult life.
However, that's not what the book is about. That's what I thought it would be about. The actual book is kind of bland. The writing is clunky. The pacing is a disaster. There's no character development whatsoever. The author really beats you over the head with the "women are important" moral.
In reality, the main character doesn't want to be in the secret society. She's not interested in being a wife. She doesn't care about politician boy's feelings. It's a story about a teenage girl ignoring a secret society and becoming a writer. She learns to be the #GirlBoss of her own life. That's great, but I've read this story before. I was hoping for something new.
I understand that the author is subverting tropes. She doesn't want to write about bitchy women squabbling over a powerful man. But, the story didn't have to be that. The secret society is intricate and fascinating. I feel like the author threw away a bunch of cool world-building to give us a stereotypical historical fiction plot.
This book isn't what I wanted it to be. That's probably my fault and not the book's. My expectations were very, very wrong....more
The illustrations are beautiful, and I can't resist a portal fantasy. This one is about Olivia, a teenager who gets invited to her family's mansion. WThe illustrations are beautiful, and I can't resist a portal fantasy. This one is about Olivia, a teenager who gets invited to her family's mansion. While exploring the garden, she discovers a stone wall and a doorway to another version of the mansion. This one is full of ghouls and monsters who won't let her leave without a fight.
If you like stories that are all about the magical vibes, then this book is for you. The plot is pretty simple: a kid explores her new home. It reminds me of a young adult version of Coraline. The plot isn't what you remember. The creepy imagery will stick with you for a long time.
Also, that ending? I think it took a lot of courage to end the book that way. It's dark!
This novel is a bit light on plot and character development for my tastes, but I still had fun with it. If you read The Secret Garden and wished it was creepy, then read Gallant....more
This is the second book in the Wayward Children series, and I love it just as much as the first. The series is so creative!
Wayward Children is a portaThis is the second book in the Wayward Children series, and I love it just as much as the first. The series is so creative!
Wayward Children is a portal fantasy that follows a group of teens at a boarding school. The kids have all traveled through portals to hidden worlds. Then they came back. They ended up at the school because they can't cope with life in our world. They're desperate to find their portals again.
Down Among The Sticks And Bones is the story of Jack and Jill, two twins who discover a secret staircase inside an old trunk. Jack becomes the apprentice to a mad scientist. Jill joins a vampire coven. It's quirky. It's quick to read. It shows the dangers of forcing your kids to be what you want instead of letting them be themselves.
I wish these books were longer so we could get more world building. I need the next one right now....more
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan is hard to describe. It's young adult fiction about two boys who want to break the world record for the longest kisTwo Boys Kissing by David Levithan is hard to describe. It's young adult fiction about two boys who want to break the world record for the longest kiss. Their story is narrated by a Greek chorus of ghosts who died from AIDS.
Weird, I know. That's the whole reason I wanted to read it.
Honestly, it was really hard for me to stay interested in this book at first. The writing style struck me as pretentious and rambling, and the ghosts put an extra layer of distance between the characters and the reader. I considered giving up on it.
Once I got used to the narration style, I started to appreciate what the author was doing. Teenagers live in the moment, but ghosts are able to see the past and the future. The ghosts talk about how the world has changed for gay men. When they were alive, there's no way that two boys would have been allowed to kiss in public. Now two boys are attempting to set a world record. At one point during the world-record attempt, homophobes show up to protest the kiss. This is upsetting for the teenage characters, but the ghosts know that life will get better. There are reasons to be hopeful.
In the end, I really liked the contrast between emotional, impulsive teenagers and thoughtful ghosts. We're all part of history, even if we don't realize it right now. What kind of history do you want to create?...more
I had high hopes for this one because I loved the author's first book. It was weird and magical. This book is also weird and magical, but I couldn't cI had high hopes for this one because I loved the author's first book. It was weird and magical. This book is also weird and magical, but I couldn't connect to the characters.
The Price Guide To The Occult is young adult fantasy and follows Nor, a teenage witch who lives on a bizarre island. Nor just wants a normal teenage life, but her mother is standing in her way. Her mother is power-hungry and practices dangerous black magic that could destroy the island. Can Nor learn to accept her own magical abilities and become powerful enough to stop her mother?
I love the atmosphere and setting. This is an eerie little book. It's like a dark fairytale full of whimsical characters.
I wish we had gotten to know those characters better. They have so much potential, but they're all so flat! I was never motivated to pick up the book because the characters don't feel real. I didn't care about their friendships or teenage love triangles. Then there's a weird epilogue that kills the magical vibes and seems to be setting up a sequel. We don't need a sequel! We need characters with unique personalities.
I wasn't a huge fan of this one. It's a typical YA paranormal fantasy. I guess I was hoping for more. ...more
Normally, I'm a big fan of Victoria Schwab's books, but I read Our Dark Duet and was massively underwhelmed. Why is this book so long? Why are there sNormally, I'm a big fan of Victoria Schwab's books, but I read Our Dark Duet and was massively underwhelmed. Why is this book so long? Why are there so many words when nothing is happening?
Our Dark Duet is the sequel to This Savage Song. It's a young adult dystopian fantasy about a world where violence breeds literal monsters. It stars August (a monster who wants to be human) and Kate (a human who wants to be a monster). In this book, they team up to defeat a new threat to their city.
It's just too long! Kate and August spend a bunch of pages fighting monsters separately. Then they team up and fight monsters together. I was thrilled when they got back together, but the plot is too repetitive. The characters fight monsters. That's pretty much it. It's a bleak story because there's no way they can kill them all. There are too many monsters!
I considered giving up on the book, but I actually love the ending. I'm happy I didn't give up! There's a twist that caught me off guard. There's a lot of death in a world that's ruled by violence. How do you keep going when everyone around you is dying, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? I think it captures the hopelessness of people who live in war zones. (Or in countries where mass shootings happen every day.)
I'll continue reading Victoria Schwab's books, but I didn't like slogging through this one. It's too slow and repetitive for me....more
Historical fiction about Jo, a Chinese American teenager who lives in a tunnel under the house of a wealthy family. During the day, she works as a maiHistorical fiction about Jo, a Chinese American teenager who lives in a tunnel under the house of a wealthy family. During the day, she works as a maid for a cruel woman. At night, she writes an advice column for a newspaper. Her column is the talk of Atlanta, but she worries she'll lose her job if anyone discovers she's Chinese. Her bosses don't even know her real identity.
I love how full Jo's life is. Most real humans have complicated lives, and Jo does too. We get to see her work multiple jobs and form relationships with many different people. She's interested in horses and the suffragist movement. She's trying to improve her English. She has a crush on a fellow journalist, but she can't let him know her identity. There's also family drama. It's a lot! (In a good way.) Jo's a fascinating character to read about because she has so much going on. I wanted her to succeed and have an awesome life.
I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, and it got on my nerves. It sounded like the narrator was shouting the dialogue and whispering the exposition. I usually listen to audiobooks while walking to stores. I had to turn it up really loud to hear over traffic. Then the shouty parts exploded my ears. It was annoying.
If you love historical fiction, then this is a good one. It has a compelling character and a ton of entertaining plotlines. Just don't listen to the audiobook near traffic....more
It was like the author had a checklist of events that commonly happen in YA books, and she tried really hard to check everything off that list.
The stoIt was like the author had a checklist of events that commonly happen in YA books, and she tried really hard to check everything off that list.
The story is about Emilie, a teen girl who has been homeschooled for most of her life because she has epilepsy and a dead father. Then, her mother and therapist decide she should try public school. She takes about 5 steps into the school before running into a mean girl and developing a crush on a star athlete. Of course Emilie is a genius, and her crush needs tutoring, so they're forced to hang out. She spends 200 pages dithering about how to tell her classmates about her epilepsy. Then she tells them, and they clap for her. The end.
I realize I'm not the target audience for teen books, but I've read this story so many times that it had no suspense for me. I kept waiting for it to deviate from the script, but it didn't.
I did like the complicated relationship between Emilie and her mother. Emilie is too scared to break out of her comfort zone. Her mother is the opposite. This causes problems in their relationship, but they attempt to work through them, and Emilie learns to see things from her mother's perspective. Life is boring if you never try anything new.
This book wasn't for me, but maybe I would have liked it when I was younger. I've just read too many YA books....more
I think Ruta Sepetys is a queen of historical fiction. How does she consistently find such interesting subjects to write about? She's amazing at immerI think Ruta Sepetys is a queen of historical fiction. How does she consistently find such interesting subjects to write about? She's amazing at immersing the reader in historical settings. I'm impressed.
Out Of The Easy is set in 1950s New Orleans (which you could probably tell by the title). It stars Josie, the 17-year-old daughter of a prostitute who is desperate to attend college. In her quest to get money and recommendation letters, she crosses paths with brothel owners and sleezy businessmen, mobsters and cops, cab drivers and booksellers, and a boy who has the potential to be more than a friend. She even becomes a suspect in a murder case.
I like how compassionate the author is toward the characters she writes about. When you're examining the underbelly of a city, you're going to uncover some dark things. The author shows the good and the bad side of her characters, especially the prostitutes. The women at the brothel are a family to Josie. They're just as dysfunctional as any family. The women don't love being prostitutes, but they're strong and funny and are doing whatever it takes to survive.
The characters are where this book shines. I was completely invested in their lives. If you like character-driven historical fiction, then I think you should pick up this book and meet Josie....more
I finished the Simon Snow series. Nooo! What will I do with my life now? I've been spending all my free time reading these books.
Does the series reallI finished the Simon Snow series. Nooo! What will I do with my life now? I've been spending all my free time reading these books.
Does the series really have to be over? There are a bunch of dangling plot threads because the characters decided to let somebody else save the world. They could change their minds and keep things going . . . .
Anyway, this series is about a group of 20-somethings who have finished wizard school and are now in college or starting careers. The final book is Any Way The Wind Blows. It's slightly less plot-focused than the previous books, which is kind of the point. What's a Chosen One supposed to do when his enemies have been vanquished? How's he supposed to live without the whole world watching? What if fighting monsters is his only job skill, and he doesn't want to do it anymore?
The humor and quirky characters are the best part of this series, but I also love that it's set after a wizard war. The characters have regrets about how they behaved during the battles. They're now trying to correct their mistakes. In the process, they make friends with the classmates who had to get out of their way during all the saving-the-world stuff.
This series is awesome because it takes the villains and background characters from traditional fantasy series and turns them into main characters.
My biggest complaint about the final book is the kissing scenes. Most of them become biting scenes. It makes sense because the characters involved are a vampire and a dragon boy who used to be enemies, but it grossed me out. Kissing is unsanitary enough without breaking the skin! I couldn't stop thinking about infections. I hope they brushed their teeth before literally attacking each other's faces.
I'm scared of germs. If you're normal, maybe the biting is fine. Don't let it stop you from reading the book. I enjoyed this series. I'm sad it's over....more
I highly recommend this series because it's hilarious.
Simon Snow is a parody of the fantasy genre that follows a group of friends who have recently grI highly recommend this series because it's hilarious.
Simon Snow is a parody of the fantasy genre that follows a group of friends who have recently graduated (or dropped out) of wizard school. In this book, they decide to go on a road trip across the US because they need a vacation from constantly saving the wizarding world. Of course nothing on the trip goes as planned.
This series is brilliant because of how average the characters are. They're normal people in their early 20s who just happen to be wizards. They mess up their relationships and make impulsive decisions. They're insecure. They're not very good at saving each other from danger. It's a refreshing take on the genre. These characters aren't heroes. They're just kids with magic. And dragon wings....more
I finished 2022 with a 5-star chunkster! My wrists are still sore from trying to hold The Toll. It's massive. It's also the third book in the Arc Of AI finished 2022 with a 5-star chunkster! My wrists are still sore from trying to hold The Toll. It's massive. It's also the third book in the Arc Of A Scythe series, so I'm not sure how to talk about it without spoiling the first two books.
The best part of this series is how Neal Shusterman thinks of everything. The books take place in a world where people have conquered death. How would immortality change art, technology, politics, religion, and even daily life? A series like this could easily become preachy, but Shusterman doesn't do that. He acknowledges that philosophical questions can have multiple correct answers and allows his characters to make mistakes and change their minds.
This novel didn't have quite as many plot twists as the previous ones, but I guess that's logical because the series has to wrap up eventually. We can't keep throwing new problems into the mix. The ending still had enough twists to keep me happy.
Arc Of A Scythe is one of my all-time-favorite series. If you love science fiction, you should give it a try....more
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