Select by Marit Weisenberg (2017)

Title: Select

Author: Marit Weisenberg

Pages: 352 (Kindle)

Expected publication: Oct 3th 2017

Publisher: Charlesbridge, Teen


This eGalley was given to me by Charlesbridge, Teen vie NetGalley in exchange for the honest review. These are my personal opinions of the book.

If this book had to be compared to anything, in terms of genre, it would be Twilight. It is a YA romance with supernatural/paranormal undertones. Julia, the protagonist is, however, not a vampire, she belongs to a group of people who are genetically different than humans. All their seances are stronger, they are better at everything. And she falls for the normal, mortal boy. I would not consider this a strong sic-fi or supernatural/paranormal book as it seems to focus more on the romantic relationship between Julia and John than the supernatural aspect. However, I very much enjoyed this. It's like a fluffy YA romantic but with a constantly present, yet subtle element of science fiction. I have been looking a book like this forever, that is funny romantic, but not too cliche.

I liked the characters, except Novak (naturally). I felt like he was restricting Julia and had too much power over her. She didn't speak up to him, even as a daughter and I feel like she was unreasonable blamed for things. I would have liked more information about Julia's group of people as I often in the beginning felt just as lost as John if not more. Often the reader was just told that they were different, they had to be subtle or they were better. I felt like I was expected to know everything already. In a way this puts the reader in the situation of John, which is powerful in its own way, but as he only got to know Julia's whole story 53% into the book I felt like I was as well. And it frustrated me for quite a while. In other words, I felt like although it was a first person story Julia wasn't very open to the reader and we only found something out if it was spoken out loud. More insight would have been appreciated. Sometimes the language was a little boring and simple, but the dialogues were very enjoyable.

I very much enjoyed the mind reading. John is the best character with his funny personal remarks and he really brightens it up. His optimistic, humours thoughts were much more successfully written than his negative thoughts, which sometimes felt a little fake even if they would've been said out loud. John definitely made this book much better and with the constant presence of Angus it was even better.

I can't help but wonder if there will be a sequel. It works fine as a stand alone but I do wonder at some loose ends and the very end hinted at the fact that there might be more to told. What about Julia's mum? What about John's vision? The FBI? The utopia? Angus? I need to know what happens next.

Plot Summary:

“It had always been a fact of life that we were biologically different—better—and that it had to be kept secret.”

Seventeen-year-old Julia Jaynes has the perfect life. She’s beautiful, freakishly athletic, and extremely smart. That’s because she comes from a race of highly-evolved humans living in the heart of Austin, Texas.In order to protect their anonymity and preserve their elite society, Julia’s powerful father forces her to suppress her abilities. When she accidentally demonstrates her super human prowess in public, she’s banished to the one place meant to make her feel inferior: public high school. Thrust into the confusion and humiliation of a normal high school, Julia is just trying to keep her head down when John Ford strolls into her life. An outsider and tennis jock, John is immediately attractive to Julia as a curiosity. She can even read his mind. But as Julia's newfound powers over John grow, so do her feelings. When she discovers her father has been hiding dangerous secrets, for the first time in her life, Julia begins to question her restrictive upbringing. Caught between the prejudices of her manipulative father and the allure of an outsider’s life, Julia must decide how she will define herself—and who she will betray.

My Rating:

7/10

Favourite Quote:

"One more set like this, and that will officially be rock bottom. And in front of her. Definition of a shit show. I should be handing out toilet paper." - John

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller (2017)

Title: Mask of Shadows

Author: Linsey Miller

Series: Untitled
Pages: 384

Expected publication: Sep 5th 2017

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

This ARC was given to me as an ebook by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I didn't finish this book after 66% because sadly I did not enjoy it.

This book featured a gender fluid character called Sallot (Sal). Sal is attending an audition to become Opal, a member of the Queen's left-hand. This audition felt too much like a weak copy of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass and I could not escape that. I didn't truly understand how the audition was laid out and the proper rules. The plot felt like it was altogether weak.

And unfortunately Sallot infuriated me. They were arrogant and cocky and I had absolutely no sympathy for them. I got increasingly annoyed and when Sal then showed some actual fear towards the Shadows it felt fake. I felt like Sal was mostly unsympathetic and rude, too full of themselves and I personally felt it very hard to read about a person like this, especially in first person. Sal make a point in the beginning that they has never killed anyone before, but then when they kill of people later it feels childish and like painted on bravery or carelessness. All of their decisions seem abrupt and stupid and they make a big deal of how feared they were but I didn't understand half of the decisions  they made. I understand that Sal had deep feelings for their homeland and wanted revenge but it appeared silly and I never felt like I was given real background to this country or what had actually happened. Why was there a war? What happened during the war? What are the Shadows? I felt lost. Sometimes little facts were thrown at the reader but to little for it to make sense or matter to me. I needed some real background to the world and history.

The other characters were all referred to by the number they were given before they entered the audition. Sal was 23. But because all the others were known to Sal as different numbers I constantly got confused with who was who and therefore got confused with Sal's feelings towards each of them. I couldn't form any relationships with those characters and it was very impersonal.

As stated above Sal is gender fluid and the characters do make a deal of it in the book. It is the first time I've experience this topic in a fantasy and I think it is very brave of Miller to bring up such a subject in fantasy when it seems to fit in more in the YA contemporary genre. Personally it didn't bother me and I think that was the upside of the book, and I see that as a success. I mostly depended on what Sal was wearing in the scene but if I didn't know I didn't matter too much. This however doesn't change Sal's personality and characteristics in the narrative which I was not in favour of.

The only character I felt like I could actually deal with was Elise, Sal's writing tutor and love interest. She was cute enough and I did enjoy some of their scenes together but again I was not a fan of Sal's flirting. They were cocky and they acted like they weren't interested but they were and I got tired of it. Toward the 60% mark Sal and Elise share an intimate moment and Sal says they find it intimate  and they are nervous, but I got absolutely no feels what so ever.

I have heard great reviews of this book so your reading experience may be completely different. These are my personal opinions of the book and as much as I know that reviews influence readers, don't judge the book by my review alone.

Plot Summary:

Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a high way robber and get closer to the upper-class - and the nobles who destroyed their home.
When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand - the Queen's personal assassins, named after the ring she wears - Sal Jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.
But the revenge is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and viscous ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepares Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can only have if they survive.
-NetGalley

My Rating:

2/10

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (2017)

Title: The Bone Witch

Author: Rin Chupeco

Series: The Bone Witch #1

Pages: 411

Published: Mar 7th 2017

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire


This eGalley was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.

I was completely captured by the cover for this book and it did not disappoint. This book is a fantasy following the journey of young Tea who is training to become an asha (who in description really reminded me of geishas) , a bone witch who guards the population from daevas, dragon like creatures.

The book is slow, but in a good way. It is very descriptive and everything is clearly beautiful in this world. It is not slowly as to make you bored, but rather there is a lot of world building and Chupeco truly takes her time in describing and revealing details of that world for the reader. There were a lot of different new words (I believe there is a glossary in the printed version, which would've been very helpful). It is a cozy, beautiful read, rather than an action filled fantasy. While there is no definite information about sequels or how long this potential series could be this first book felt like it was setting up the situation and world for the following books (if there are any). The Bone Witch did not end completely in a cliff hanger but prepares us for more and I'll be truly disappointed if I don't get to know what happens after.

The Bone Witch was written from two perspectives. The first (and major) was of the young Tea while she is training to become a Bone Witch. It is first person and told more in past tense as if though Tea is looking back at this. The second is more abstract. It is from the point of view of a story teller who is visiting a girl (supposedly Tea, although this is not clarified). This is at the end of each chapter, and much shorter. It seems to be told in present time. I got the feeling that the journey of Tea is leading up to this storyline of the girl. I realise, when I'm trying to explain this, that it may sound complicated, but it truly isn't. It's rather clever and I liked the interlocking narratives.

I would definitely recommend this as a different, more low key fantasy. I see it more as a magical book than a high fantasy. And although there are dragons it is not very action filled. As a first book of a series this looks very promising and I would highly recommend it because I truly enjoyed this.

Plot Summary:

The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spine. But the girl was fiercer. 
Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who is feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living - and of the human.
- Goodreads

Favourite Quote:

"Return to me once you have entered a mind from where three heads sprout" - The Oracle from The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

My Rating:

8/10

Other Books by this Rin Chupeco:

The Girl from the Well
The Suffering

Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan (2017)

Title: Hold Back The Stars
Author: Katie Khan
Pages: 304 (hardcover)
Published: Jan 6th 2017
Publisher: Doubleday


This book was given to be for free as an ebook via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are honest and my own and I do not intend to offend anyone or claim that my opinions are right. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to the release date.

This book had such an intriguing cover that just shouted Young Adult Contemporary and I got the feeling that the star filled cover may just be pretty. Turns out I was wrong. The cover is very literal. Carys and Max are stuck in space with only 90 minutes left worth of oxygen to live and while they try to save themselves they also express their feelings and the reader finds himself going back in time to Carys and Max's time together on earth.

I didn't finish this book. It took my ages to try to get into it and in the end I managed to get through 40% of the book but had to put it down. I wasn't enjoying it at all and I didn't look forward to sitting down and reading it. I aim to finish all the books I receive from NetGalley but I couldn't make myself do it. I never bonded with the characters and even though it was a very character dependent narrative I didn't feel like they truly blossomed and it truly bothered me.

I didn't really see the point of the narrative. Here are two people stuck in space with 90 minutes to live and they look back at their life together. As tragic as and emotional this sounds I couldn't be less interested. I only felt like I was intruding on their moment together.

Furthermore what truly bothered me was that I couldn't decide on which genre this book belonged to. It felt like it was written young adult/new adult but the characters were in their 20s which confused me. It is clearly set in the future Europe where it has been improved and people live and move to different Voivodes during their lives for different jobs but don't appear to have a say in where they're going. Love is banned until the age of 30 ish when one is meant to consider having children. Seeing as Carys and Max are also in their 20s but out alone in space (Max with very little education in the astronaut field) this gave me a strange feeling that it was a sic-fi book but it was so clearly a love story and it didn't give me the epic sic-fi/fantasy feeling. I was confused and this battle was going on in my head while reading. I felt like it wasn't giving me enough context to the world they were living in and it left me hanging, uneasy.

Despite this there were few odd moments when the narration on the book kept me reading and it had nothing to do with plot and characters but simply impressive authorship and talent. Similar to Kazuo Ishiguro who had me reading 'The Remains of the Day' even though I was uninterested in the plot. Even if I was unimpressed by the characters and the plot I would have liked to see more of this and if Khan had been able to grasp my attention more often I may have given this book another try.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me as I could not immerse with the plot and felt constantly confused. I hope others get a different, more positive reading experience.

Plot Summary:

Carys and Max and ninety minutes of air left.

None of this was supposed to happen.

But perhaps this doesn't have to be the end...

Adrift in space with nothing to hold onto but each other, Carys and Max can't help but look back at the well-ordered world they have left behind - at the rules they couldn't reconcile themselves to, and a life to which they might now never return. For in a world where love is banned, what happens when you find it?

- GoodReads

Favourite Quote:

'First love can break you. But it can also save you'

My Rating:

2/10

This is the first 2 I have ever given a book and it breaks my heart.

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige (2016)

Title: Stealing Snow
Author: Danielle Paige
Series: Stealing Snow #1
Pages: 375
Published: Sep 30th 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens


This e-book was given to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My opinion about this book is mixed and there were moments when I really enjoyed it and then moments when I just wanted it to be over.

This book is based on the fairytale of the The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson and I was dumb enough to assume it was based on Snow White. Paige did trick the reader slightly to believe this and it was clever enough for me to laugh at myself for being in the wrong.

I found the plot a bit confusing. First she was in the mental hospital Whittaker and as she entered Algid she was taken care of by the River Witch and her apprentice Gerda along with her friend Kai. I liked this bit of the story and found the characters gripping. I wanted more.

But as soon as it had started Snow then moved on to the Claret, the head quarters of the Robber Girls where the plot seemed to change. I did not enjoy this part of the book as much and it felt like it was just dragging along. There were too many strange magical things that I just didn't enjoy reading about. I'm just simply not a fan of purple pasta that tastes like chocolate. The Robber faces creeped me out and reminded me out the house of Black and White in 'The Song of Ice and Fire' series by George R.R. Martin.

The ending had a plot twist which I couldn't decide whether I liked or not. It changed the plot, but I'm not sure if I was in favour of it or not. I wasn't left longing for more and I doubt that I will read the following books in the series unfortunately.

This book is suitable for the YA fantasy, fairytale retelling genre but I felt that it was too much for me. It all seemed a bit like a bucket of glitter had been thrown over this magical land and it all went a bit mental. I do enjoy magical lands, but this went to the extent that it wasn't believable and I simply couldn't immerse with the world. There is no lack of Paige's creative mind and imagination but I found that it went over board and I was overwhelmed with some things that I found bizarre. Unfortunately I found that this was the case with 'Dorothy Must Die', which I didn't finish for the same reasons.

Plot Summary:

First kisses sometimes wake slumbering princesses, undo spells and spark happily ever afters. 

Mine broke Bale.

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric - but she isn't crazy. And that's not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent...when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away - dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that's hers for the taking - if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming theif Jagger, and a prophesy that Snow will save them all.

Favourite Quote:

"I took a bite of purple pasta. It melted in my mouth with  a delicate, sweet, almost chocolaty taste."

My Rating:

6/10

I took too many breaks while reading this book.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (2016)

Title: The Sun is Also a Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Pages: 348
Published: Nov 1st 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press


I received this book from Penguin Random House UK in the form of a Kindle Book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. These are my own opinion and thoughts.

I haven't read a contemporary young adult book that has had me so hooked in a good while. This book was impossible to put down. If you are ever struggling to get out of a reading slump I highly recommend picking this up. The chapters are short and fast moving and had me at full attention.

'The Sun Is Also a Star' by Nicola Yoon follows a day in the life of Natasha and Daniel, two teenagers in New York. During this extraordinary day Daniel manages to convince Natasha to give him the chance to make her fall in love with him through science.

This book was beautifully written from first person perspective in respective character's chapter. Sometimes the chapters were written from the universe point of view or random people who's perspectives are vital to understand for the plot.

I can't emphasise enough how important I believe it is for young people to read this book. It's not just about boy meets girl, even though it is that simple on the surface. It's about a million possibilities and our choices in life, about art and science and love.

Plot Summary:

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 expectation. 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?

Favourite Quote: 

"Sure, but why not more poems about the sun? The sun is also a star, and it's our most important one. That alone should be worth a poem or two." - Natasha

My Rating:

10/10

Never before has the term 'opposites attract' been more accurate.