Review: Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Rebel Spring
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Published: December 3rd 2013
Source: Paperback
Pages: 416
Series: Falling Kingdoms #2

The sensational high fantasy series that is like Game of Thrones for teens

Auranos has been conquered and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But alluring, dangerous magic still beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world. . . .

CLEO is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people MAGNUS stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister, Lucia LUCIA is haunted by the deadly outcome of her breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms JONAS watches at the palace gates, a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius When Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of cataclysmic events that will forever change the face of this land.

REVIEW

I started this book off thinking that I would love it for sure and I was so excited to read it but sadly, this disappointed me :( If you read my book review of the first book: Falling Kingdoms, you would know that I absolutely loved the first book and I was so excited for the rest of the series. I was hoping that some of its world building issues would be addressed and I really liked that there was minimal romance in the first instalment.

Similar to the first book, we get the multiple POVs but the similarity seems to stop there.

20 pages into the book, there was the stinky smell of a love triangle and I became really weary. And lo and behold! There is a love chain and a love triangle in Rebel Spring. What is a love chain you might ask. A love chain is when A likes B but B likes C and C likes D etc. I swear that I am not exaggerating one bit. At least 5 characters were  involved in this chain and there was even a love triangle somewhere in there. The romance was very strange and distracting from the plot. Usually I am pretty okay with love triangles and I can tolerate them but a 5-6 people love chain!? Come on now. I was spending half of the time trying to figure out who is falling in love with who after meeting each other for the first time. (YES THERE IS INSTA LOVE TOO)

The pacing was bad in this one. Nothing actually happened and I had to force myself to finish the book after putting it down for one week. The pacing of this was very very slow compared to the first book and there were hardly any twists, unlike in the first book where there was a twist every few chapters. This was very disappointing. There was a lot of faffing around and back and forth about whether someone should do something or not when the answer is already so painfully obvious. This was very predictable and was just not as enjoyable as I was expecting it to be. There were some parts that I was not expecting but it was over so quickly that I forgot all about it in the next chapter. The pacing in this instalment was either too slow or too fast. There were too many fillers and the ending felt rushed.

I felt very distant from most of the 'good' characters, they were so flat! The only character POV I really enjoyed was Magnus and Lucia, as per the first book. I was just not interested in the other characters, especially Cleo. She was so boring and we were in her head most of the time, bleagh. I really enjoyed Lucia and Magnus, I am really interested in their character arcs! I might just read the next book for them. 

World building was alright, it did not really add much to what we already knew from the first book but it was sufficient.

VERDICT

If you cringe and die the moment you hear of a love triange and insta-love in your books then you'll want to steer clear of this. The romance was just so convoluted and unbelievable and it ruined the book for me since it bogged down the pacing as well.

I highly recommended the first book but now that I've read this second book I am not so sure about it anymore. I am still deciding if I should read the third book, I just can't even bear the thought of reading about the weird love chain. 

Recommended for die-hard fans of Morgan Rhodes or the series (?)

Plot: 3/5 

Pacing: 2.5/5

Originality: 3.5/5 

Writing style: 4/5

Characters: 3/5 

Feels: 2/5
Enjoyment: 3/5

Cover: 4/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: Reality Boy by A.S. King

Title: Reality Boy
Author: A.S. King
Published: October 22nd 2013
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 353

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life.

Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved.

REVIEW

At first, I really enjoyed reading about how messed up Gerald was but then I started to feel like there was more to his anger issues, it seemed to be a part of something larger but it was oversimplified by his anger management coach(?). It just seemed like there was something more to it and I couldn't shake this feeling off for the rest of the book. I would think that you would suffer from more than just anger issues if you had such a crazy family. It just seems a lot more complex but it was never addressed.

Then he meets a girl and this became so reminiscent of John Green that I couldn't stop comparing. Troubled boy meets troubled girl and together they try to help each other. I was not at all interested in the Register #1 girl (I can't remember her name) and she sounded just like that girl in Looking for Alaska, which I also couldn't care for. I know I sound so heartless since Register #1 girl does suffer from some serious issues as well but I just didn't connect with her. The relationship was also really strange and I was just not convinced. Do people really behave this way?

I went into this thinking that I would be able to really get into the head of a reality tv star, as per its summary, but we mostly just get recounts/flashbacks of what happened while they were filming the show and a lot of decision-making happening in Gerald's head. Things didn't get as deep as I was expecting and it really fell short in the feels department for me. I wanted to know how he really felt, if he was in pain, if he felt wronged etc. I mean we do get into Gerald's head but he was not the most introspective character. We do see a bit of change in him towards the end but it was too little too late. He just seemed a little too crazy and unfocused, making it very difficult for me to connect with him.

However, I did enjoy the writing style and I felt that it really helped in the portrayal of Gerald and it was rather unique. It probably did its job too well since he sounded too crazy for me to connect with. But he is not really crazy, he just has anger management issues, so why does he sound so off even when he is not angry? He sounded more autistic to me rather than someone with simply anger management issues, so this was a rather confusing read for me.

VERDICT

All in all, I am not really sure how I feel about this book. This was good but not that good. I wanted all the feels but I didn't really get it and I could not connect with the characters. Reality Boy feels very incomplete in terms of addressing the mental issues of the various characters, it felt like there was a lot more to Gerald, Sister, Mother, Register #1 girl.  I just needed a little more from it and this would have been amazing! I would definitely be checking out A.S. King's other works though, I really enjoyed her writing style!

Recommended for John Green fans.

Plot: 3.5/5 

Pacing: 3/5

Originality: 3.5/5 

Writing style: 4.5/5

Characters: 3.5/5 

Feels: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5

Cover: 4/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Published: January 1st 2013
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 371
Series: Splintered #1

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

REVIEW

This book started as a 4 star for me but it just spiralled down from there. Don't let my review put you off though, I can see why others have enjoyed this. This was a little too whimsical for me and there was more focus on that rather than the plot.

This was a good idea but the plot was very dragged out throughout the middle section of the book. Every tiny detail from the original Alice in Wonderland was addressed and 'debunked'. It was interesting to see the twists but it was overdone. To me, it felt very unnecessary seeing as how some of these events were pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Everything just seemed so overly convoluted just for that one outcome that Morpheus was aiming for the entire time. I am pretty sure he could have done it in a simpler way. (if you've read this I am sure you know what I am referring to)

Also, this was quite predictable for an adventure book. We know exactly what Alyssa has to do (down to the specific steps) and at first you might be worried that she'll fail but after the first 2-3 times where everything just happens to work in her favour, it gets really really really boring. You know that she is never going to fail and every 'obstacle' will be easily crossed.

This is also one of those rare times where I would've preferred this without the weird romance/love triangle. The guys just wanted to control her and I just didn't really like either of them so it wasn't very exciting for me. I tolerated it mostly and kind of just skimmed through the 'romance' parts. But honestly, Jeb just liked the idea of controlling Alyssa and Morpheus was just a crazy weirdo and I don't even know where his 'love' for Alyssa came from...This love triangle just happened. One moment Jeb is rejecting Alyssa while Morpheus is all over her and the next moment, the roles are reversed. Also, the entire time Alyssa just tells us how upset she is about it but she never actually does anything about it. I don't even???

However, as a character, I liked Morpheus. He did whatever the heck he wanted to and called out on Jeb's and Alyssa's bullshit. This book would have been so much better without Jeb. Alyssa is a totally different person when she was with Morpheus. The main reason why this got 3 stars was the draggy plot and the annoying Jeb. Even though I didn't like Alyssa, she wasn't an issue for me because I see her potential when she is with Morpheus. Jeb was just there to drag her down and carry her backpack for her...BUT Morpheus was constantly pointing out how shitty Jeb is so I guess I am supposed to hate Jeb? 

I loved how every detail was taken care of in this book. It is pretty uncommon in the books that I've read. She makes sure to mention that the backpack is dropped and that the characters have picked it up before they left the scene. While I really appreciated it in the beginning, it started to get seriously tedious as I went along. EVERYTHING had to be addressed and i found myself skimming through those parts. The writing style just seemed very contrived after awhile, it didn't flow very naturally.

I nearly DNF'd when I only had 50 pages left but instead I picked up and finished another book before I forced myself to finish up Splintered. I just lost interest in the story and even though the ending was good and kind of surprising, the only emotion I felt was relief. Yay after all that running around doing god-knows-what, the book has finally ended.

VERDICT

You need patience for this book. If you have seen a few of my reviews you will know how impatient I am when it comes to redundant plot points/info dumping. I don't mind a lengthy book with good writing but when the length of the book comes from redundant running-around-for-no-apparent-reason, I just don't enjoy the book as much as I probably should. Also, if you can't stand controlling boyfriends, RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN from this book. You will set this book on fire. 

I may or may not continue on with this series. There are probably better series out there for me to read though. Let me know if you've read the rest of the series and if I should continue on

Recommended for Alice in Wonderland fans.

Plot: 3/5 

Pacing: 2.5/5

Originality: 4/5 

Writing style: 3.5/5

Characters: 2.5/5 

Feels: 2/5
Enjoyment: 2.5/5

Cover: 4/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty
Author: Libba Bray
Published: November 11th 2014
Source: Paperback
Pages: 282

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

REVIEW

This is a short-ish review because there is really nothing much to say about it...

Plot/pacing was very slow. It was a real drag and I think its predictability just made it worse :/ The climax was very anti-climatic and I just wanted so much more from this incredibly hyped series.

It was quite predictable and it really affected my reading experience. I knew what was coming and coupled with the extremely slow pace of the story, I started to lose interest. This is a really cheesy fantasy novel about magical powers and addresses the issue of using it for good or evil blablabla. This made the book feel more middle grade than young adult. Imagine a middle-grade book, with a very simple storyline and is 400 pages long. Just no.

I did not connect with any of the characters. Not only was I losing interest in the story, I just didn't care about what happened to the characters.

Also, Romance is listed as one of the sub-genres on Goodreads. WHERE IS THE ROMANCE!? Did I miss a huge chunk of the book? Or was the tension bit between Kartik and Gemma supposed to be romance lol. They probably spoke like 4 times in the entire book. If that was the 'romance' in the book, this is Insta-love on a whole new level.

Loved the magical world. World building was done really well and I especially loved the magical world that Bray created. It is every childhood dream to have a space where everything was possible!

Loved the writing, it was very descriptive and I could really imagine everything. I have very distinct 'looks' for the characters and the environment based on the writing and the writing really helped me to push on with the book.

I highly recommend the audiobook, each character had such a distinct voice and character it was very pleasant and I could keep up even when multi-tasking. If I lose track for a few seconds, I can easily get back in because the voices were so unique. 5 stars for the audiobook alone.

VERDICT

If it were not for the amazing audiobook, I would have probably taken a whole longer to finish the book or perhaps even DNF it. I will not be continuing with the series. The predictability, characters and slow pace of this book made for a really disappointing read. Thank goodness for the lovely writing and the world building, otherwise this would probably have been a 2 star read for me. Do let me know if you've read this and if you enjoyed it. :)

Recommended for anyone looking for good writing.

Plot: 2.5/5 

Pacing: 2.5/5

Originality: 3/5 

Writing style: 4/5

Characters: 2.5/5 

Feels: 2/5
Enjoyment: 2/5

Cover: 2.5/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

Title: The Book of Ivy
Author: Amy Engel
Published: November 11th 2014
Source: Paperback
Pages: 282

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual. This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power. But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

REVIEW

Never would I pick this up in a million years if it were not for the amazing reviews. This cover is a disaster.

I am so glad I did though! This was a really short and quick read and I managed to finish this in 2 seatings. I was ready to give this a 4.5 star rating but I did not get Ivy's decision towards the end of the book. There are so many other ways to handle the situation and I honestly did not think that that was the most logical/would actually solve the problem. Other than that, everything was really good and I am looking forward to the sequel!

The plot itself is very predictable but I think the pacing, romance and Bishop really made up for it. I am pretty sure anyone would be able to predict 90% of the book just based on the synopsis alone. It is a typical post-apocalyptic/dystopian world with a huge fence surrounding it and a mysterious 'outside world'. It is also the typical over-throw the government scenario. BUT I think the romance played a more important role in this which was quite refreshing. I don't usually do book boyfriends because they are usually bad boys (which is not really that attractive to me IRL), but Bishop is the sweetest boy ever <333 The romance was just so realistic and it was not overly dramatised or dragged out for drama sake. I wasn't a huge fan of Ivy because she was so naive but I loved how Bishop changed her for the better.

The Book of Ivy was also very well-paced and I was never bored. I would've finished it in one seating if I didn't need to sleep :P I loved the interesting issues this book raised; your idea of freedom may not be what others view as freedom and having freedom may not be a priority when it comes to survival. This was really interesting to me because the Western world constantly criticises the lack of freedom in Singapore and while I would enjoy more freedom, I do recognise that some individual restrictions are better for the society as a whole. I was pleasantly surprised that this unassuming short book managed to bring up this grey area and I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

VERDICT

This was very enjoyable even though nothing really amazing stood out for me, it is a little difficult to explain why I enjoyed it so much, I can't quite put my finger on what made this good. It was just such a great combination of pacing, romance, characters and writing. Do give this a go if you are intrigued by the premise and you will most likely enjoy it too! :)

Recommended for anyone who is looking for a new book boyfriend :P

Plot: 3/5 

Pacing: 4.5/5

Originality: 3.5/5 

Writing style: 3.5/5

Characters: 4/5 

Feels: 3.5/5
Enjoyment: 4.5/5

Cover: 1/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Falling Kingdoms
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Published: December 11th 2012
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 412

In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed? It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

REVIEW

The prologue was amazing! The only other book that has really sucked me in right from the prologue is The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. It was such a great peek into the world, writing style, plot and pace of the story. If you are hesitant about starting this book, read the prologue and if you enjoy it, you will most likely enjoy the rest of the book. :) I simply love it when I am hooked from page 1 of the book.

All the characters were so well-developed and everyone had their own arc! We follow 4 different characters' POV and it was amazing getting to look at the issues/drama from the different angles! You will find yourself rooting for every single one of them even though they have conflicting opinions. The writing was just that good! It is a very interesting and refreshing way to tell a story and I really appreciated it!

My favourite character is probably Magnus. He has so much inner conflict and I just find him so intriguing. His love interest situation kinda disturbed me but I am surprisingly open to how it plays out and I have faith that Rhodes is going to handle this really well. The way Magnus describes his love for her just makes me feel his pain and I'm willing to overlook to unconventional aspect of it.

Cleo has so much room for growth. We can see her slowly growing in this book and if she keeps continuing in this direction I think I am going to love her! I think that Cleo is supposed to be a strong female character by the end of the series so we are witnessing her progress towards that. I love how realistic the book was in portraying her, she was not perfect and could not just go around doing whatever she wanted to just cause she was the MC. She knew her limits and did not behave like the usual bratty YA female characters. I also really loved how the other characters belittled her because she was female and did not praise her for being rash or when she was making stupid decisions. THANK YOU FOR THE MANY DOSES OF LOGIC, RHODES.

Jones was kind of annoying and idiotic, he was the only one that I didn't really get but thank god he had very small parts in this book so I could easily overlook him. Maybe he'll play a bigger role in the future? For now he seems to only be there to drive the plot along.

This is high fantasy done right. Rhodes was smart to only have 3 kingdoms in her world and I think that was a good move. The number of characters and kingdoms were kept to a decent number so that things didn't get overly convoluted *ahem*Snow Like Ashes*ahem*. This is YA and with the comparatively shorter length, unlike adult fantasy, there just isn't even enough time to really flesh out an eight kingdom world. Keeping it simple is key, quality > quantity. Final Kingdoms was very well-paced, it wasn't bogged down with unnecessary info-dumping and the injection of world building was spaced out very well. HOWEVER, I had issues with the lack of depth in world building. I wanted to know more about the day-to-day life of the commoners outside of the palace so that I could really imagine the world. We also never really got to witness all that talk about the citizens being overly religious and whatnot in the kingdoms. I felt a little disconnected to the world, there was a lot of telling and very little showing when it came to world building. I am really hoping that this will change as the series progresses!

The number of plot twists really kept me on my toes! Shocking things happened throughout the book (like GoT) and I can see why this is compared to Game of thrones but tbh they should not have marketed it as such. Many people went into this expecting the depth that GoT has and were obviously disappointed. The plot started off a little shaky but it got better as the story progressed.

VERDICT

Falling Kingdoms is definitely a great start to an amazing series with a decent cast of characters, great pacing and amazing storytelling. World building is a little lacking, it is not lacking per say but it would've been nice if there was more depth to it. The writing was a little dry at times but the plot really made up for it. I already have the next 2 books checked out from the library and I can't wait to continue on with this! I would recommend this to anyone who appreciates a well-paced high fantasy and is looking for a very exciting read!

Plot: 4/5 

Pacing: 4.5/5

Originality: 4/5 

Writing style: 3.5/5

Characters: 4/5 

Feels: 4/5

Cover: 4/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: Snow like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Title: Snow like Ashes
Author: Sara Raasch
Published: October 14th 2014
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 416

Goodreads | Amazon

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.

REVIEW

The info dumping was insane, if i wanted to read that many facts in one page, I would read my assigned readings for classes. It was so stressful and unnecessary, I had to commit so many things to memory but it turns out that Raasch does not even bring up a lot of the stuff she mentioned in this first book. So what was the rush? Even if it were essential information, it could have been spaced out throughout the book. I did not need to know about all the minute details of the other kingdoms that were basically uninvolved in this entire book. This really bogged the pacing down.

And to make matters worse, the info dumping wasn't even done in a clear and organised fashion. Okay so the Season kingdoms only experiences one season each, what about the Rhythm kingdoms?! What does rhythm even mean? Do they march around the kingdom to different rhythms? lols. 

Reference to people and places are confusing as heck. Sometimes they refer to the kingdom by the name of the Kingdom but sometimes they refer to a kingdom by its king or its city. And no they do not put 'King' in front or even mention which Kingdom he is actually a king of. I was pretty much lost for a good 1/3 of the book whenever names were being thrown around. Eg. Paisley, Angra, Raina, Cordell, can you tell which are places and which are actual people? Also, all these information were not actually of any use, at least for book 1. It was just so unnecessary and frustrating.

EVERY SINGLE TIME Mather touches or even looks at Meira she has the exact same thoughts (just slightly paraphrased) and this can happen within 2 pages of each touch/eye contact so I was CONSTANTLY reading about how they are forbidden lovers, how depressed she is about it and how she will never be good enough etc. OMG GIVE ME A BREAK. The angst was terrible in this one. Why does your life revolve around a guy and you being upset about not being good enough???

This repetition thing also happens whenever Mather thinks about how he can never use the female-blooded magic. He gets depressed and moody, wallows in self-pity every time he THINKS about the goddamn conduit. I think I got it the first 10 times this was brought up, also I think I know the difference between male and female. I don't need a constant reminder.

Needless to say, I did not connect with any of the characters.

Things really improve around the halfway mark and I finally stopped falling asleep while reading this. The pacing was a lot better now that we got that whole info dumping situation out of the way. However, the writing was just too dry for my tastes and I had to really push myself to continue reading.

*SPOILERS STARTS HERE*

I didn't get the part about giving Mather away to Angra to pacify him?!?! It was so unconvincing. They themselves mentioned that Angra would not stop until he got EVERYONE. So why would he be satisfied with a useless 'king' that could not even use his kingdom's magic?? Idk man there were one too many plot holes in this one, this is just one example.

The last 10% was pretty good but it was really unnecessary to constantly remind us/hint that Angra is not dead. I think we got it when you mentioned mid-book about the dark powers and then again before he was killed. There's no need to repeat it another 2 times after he dies.

*SPOILERS END HERE*

VERDICT

You will probably enjoy this if you have not read many high fantasy. Snow like Ashes did not really stand out amongst all the fantasy that I've read and the world building was just so poorly done with all that info dumping. That really killed the book for me. Also, I really hate it when books keep repeating something over and over again or try to place very unsubtle hints along the way. Why?? In case you were not imaginative enough or had a 30 second memory? I may have a poor memory but I think I can remember what you just told me 1 chapter ago. This book could have benefited with better editing perhaps? I would say that a good 50-100 pages were redundant. The plot twist was very unimpressive because I saw it coming within the first few chapters thanks to the 1001 hints dropped along the way.

I just did not enjoy the storytelling and writing style of this book. This is what made the entire book so predictable and it seems like this is going to go on for the rest of the series. This was frustrating in the first half, got slightly better in the second so in conclusion, this was a meh read.

I am not going to be continuing with this series.

Plot: 2/5 

Pacing: 2.5/5

Originality: 2.5/5 

Writing style: 2.5/5

Characters: 2.5/5 

Feels: 2.5/5

Cover: 3/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: February 5th 2013
Series: Shatter Me #2
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 461

Goodreads | Amazon

(This summary has been cut to remove any spoilery content, click on the links above to read the full summary)

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

* THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE! YAY!*

OMG THIS BOOK!! EVERYTHING WAS ON POINT! I WAS VERY IMPRESSED.

Plot/Pacing
Great great pacing, everything was so well developed and I really enjoyed the longer book compared to Shatter Me. The plot was also amazinggg! I love how we knew more about how their powers worked and stuff (if you recall, I was kinda annoyed that we didn't know much about it in Shatter Me.) And oh god all the plot twists definitely made up for the lack of it in Shatter Me. It was twist after twist after twist, Unravel Me was a page-turner for sure!

All in all I really really liked that Tahereh Mafi didn't make things convenient just to progress the plot. Warner didn't just change into this lovable guy just cause Juliette was in his face about it. She didn't create characters with insane powers just so the good guys could win. Also, there are little to no fillers in this book!! We didn't waste any time (pages) doing/talking about stupid things. Every word, every sentence actually contributed to the plot. Its so refreshing to read a middle book without a middle book syndrome!

Don't even get me start on the writing style!! 
I wanna eat these sentences and digest them so I can use them whenever, wherever! If I were still writing essays for school, I would be memorising and learning these and using them left, right and centre. How does Mafi even come up with these things?? Emotions were conveyed amazingly and I just had all them feels! Also, the make out scenes, holy shit!!! This book definitely had one of the best love scenes I have seen in a YA book, steamy stuff~

Romance
I'm usually not a fan of a girl who thinks she's in love with two guys but somehow this kind of worked for me. I didn't really get the decisions she was making though but that could just be me, I'm too logical for all the crazy drama that people usually get into when it comes to their feelings.

I wasn't really rooting for anyone in particular at first because I wasn't really feeling it. But that changed towards the end for sure! I can't really say much about the romance without spoiling anything. But basically, #teamWarner although I don't really get what he sees in Juliette :P I am rooting for Warner cause I like him, but personally, I think he deserves better.

Character development
And I absolutely loved how Warner is a douchebag that remains douchey throughout. I really appreciate this consistency and loved how he doesn't become super nice or whatever just to get the girl. AMAZING STUFF!! Juliette tries to figure him out but never really succeeds which I think is amazing. Too many books use that as a convenient way to make the character likeable by straight up telling you about all his great qualities and sob stories. Mafi challenges the typical YA romance formula. I like how I don't totally like Warner but at the same time I like him so much as a character! He is so multi-faceted and intriguing, definitely one of the best characters out there! #TeamWarner

And Kenji Kenji Kenji ahhh! I want to be his friend so bad! Loved his humour and his personality so much! We really got to know him a lot better and I really liked how he handled all the situations. I loved loved loved how he was so mature and he was keeping everyone in check :P He is probably my all-time favourite character!

Adam kinda fell flat for me in Unravel Me, I didn't really care for the whiny him. Maybe that's the intention?

I still don't really get Juliette as a character and there wasn't much development in this book, for me she is the typical frustrating YA dystopian female protagonist. A naive and immature little teenager that is trying to save the world/people. The last scene shows great potential in her character arc and I am crossing my fingers that we are gonna get that in Ignite Me!

VERDICT:

I wouldn't say this book was life-changing by any means but it has really good writing, storytelling and character development. This was also a great improvement from Shatter Me! I still stand by my Shatter Me review about how this is more of a guilty-pleasure type of series (think Twilight). If you are looking for a dystopian novel heavy on the romance then this is for you!

My rating: 
Recommended for dystopian lovers!

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Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: October 2nd 2012
Series: Shatter Me #1
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 340

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Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

I have been putting off reading this book for 2 years because of its previous ugly cover. It looked like the girl's singing was so bad that she was shattering all the glass around her lol. I just couldn't take it seriously :P

That changed quickly after the cover change though, I've seen too many great reviews to continue ignoring this series. AND I AM SO GLAD I GAVE THIS A CHANCE!

I loved the writing style. The prose was amazing and exaggerated in the beginning but I thought it was a very creative reflection of Juliette's sanity. It got a little crazy with all the metaphors and I wanted to throw the book across the room because I was so frustrated that I kept taking the metaphors literally when I read too quickly.

But that was just me being stupid. I got over it quickly once the plot quickened.

Romance was very odd
- Juliette becomes stupid in front of Adam, she doesn't question the escape plan, ask about what is going on etc. It was so annoying.
- Warner is creepily obsessed and in love with her, it seemed kind of psychotic? Insta-love on a whole new level? Or maybe there is something we just don't know yet.
It was very weird and confusing so eventually I just kind of glossed over the 'romantic' bits in my head. I am glad that it didn't really play a huge part in the book though.

Storyline & Character development was alright~
Felt a little short and rushed, a lot of things happened in one book which is usually a good thing but I just wanted to spend more time knowing more about the characters. I am still not sure if I enjoyed the fast pace. It really sucked me in but it felt like character development was sacrificed and the plot could have been a lot more fleshed out. The plot was a little too simple and it felt like I was just watching from the sidelines and was not truly invested in what was happening.

The first portion of the book where Juliette was in the asylum was done amazingly, we could really understand her character, her emotions and the crazy shit that she's going through. But after that, the pace picks up rapidly and we are thrown into a flurry of activities and character development was pretty much forgone. It felt a little superficial and I never really felt like I could understand any of the characters.

Storyline was also pretty unoriginal: girl in distress > 2 boys try to save her > they try not to get caught. I was looking for a shocking twist or two but it never really came so in terms of creativity, this fell a little flat for me. The superpowers were also not very unique and I wanted a better explanation of how her powers worked but well, Juliette never seem to bother finding out. The world that was built was also pretty average, nothing really ground breaking here. (Maybe I've been reading too many dystopians and fantasy but my expectations are pretty high.)

VERDICT:

I get how this wouldn't be for everyone, it is a little cheesy and if you are not a huge fan of dystopians, this might not be your cup of tea. The storyline is not very original or unique but somehow Tahereh Mafi just manages to pull you in and never let you go with her writing. The pacing of the novel probably saved the book a little cause you just didn't want to stop reading to think about the other flaws in the book. I was also hoping for a lot more depth throughout the book after the great first few chapters of delving into Juliette's mind. This is one of those guilty pleasure books where it is very enjoyable and entertaining but does not really deliver in terms of a well-rounded book.

I will be continuing on with this series for sure! :)

My rating:  
Recommended for dystopian lovers!

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Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Title: Seeker
Author: Arwen Elys Dayton
Published: February 10th 2015
Series: Seeker #1
Source: ebook
Pages: 448

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Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

Seeker's blurb was really intriguing and it sold me at Hong Kong! I was really excited to read my first ARC since I started blogging again. I went in with high hopes and I tried not to let all the negative reviews get to me. For the first 15%, I thought I was going to be one of the rare few who will enjoy the novel, it was mysterious, intriguing and exciting!

But it soon got pretty apparent that are no plans to explain the basics of the story any time soon and I got really frustrated. It just felt like a poor way to keep a reader's interest. We are forced to continue reading just to know what this book is about (think: an extremely extended book intro), instead of reading to see how the story unfolds.

I DNFed Seeker at 30%.

MAIN ISSUES:

In which time period is this set in?

What is a seeker?

Why doesn't John warn his friends about what's to come?

What were the great things that the seekers used to do?

What happened to all the other seekers?

There was a serious lack of world building and introduction to conflict.

Super boring, confusing and frustrating.

Seeker is written from a third POV, similar to Throne of Glass, but its execution was poor. Each chapter follows one of the four main characters but we don't get a lot of information but rather more confusion. Some chapters were too short and the transitions between characters were very strange. Just when questions were going to be answered, the chapter ends. (imagine a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter) The issues were never addressed again even when it rotates back to that character.

Case Study #1: Right after Quin goes through the portal to take the test for the oath, (??? TBH I don't really know what's happening) the chapter ends and the next immediate chapter shows the aftermath of the test, entirely skipping the actual test. (I thought I accidentally skipped a chapter) And apparently this test is life-changing because they realise being a Seeker is a bad thing.

A. I still don't know what a seeker does.

B. We didn't get to witness the life-changing event but rather just 'time travelled' through it. This is a very strange way to tell a story that hinges on what a seeker does.

C. Even in the aftermath and over the next couple of chapters, she refuses to talk about what happened. So yes we continue to be left in the dark. I get that Dayton probably wanted to retain some mystery so that you'll be intrigued and continue reading, but its already 22% into the book, throw us a bone!

Case Study #2: We 'time travel' AGAIN and we are thrown one month into the future at 23%. Of course during that one month we missed, Quin learns a lot about her family. "She understood it all now: the wealth behind the estate, how her family survived. And there was nothing virtuous about it." She then goes on to talk about her horse. That is all we get, the carrot dangling continues.

Character wise, there wasn't much development/backstory. We get to know a little about Shinobu and John. Ironically, we seem to know the least about Quin, the main character. TBH, I was too frustrated with the storyline and didn't give much thought to the characters. They did not stand out for me. (These probably came after the 30% mark)

VERDICT:

I can see how some extremely patient people might enjoy this (apparently it gets better once you hit 70% of the book) but I am not going to spend 2-3 frustrating hours just to get to the good parts. It feels like this book was originally written in a relatively linear fashion but was later chopped up randomly so that random chunks of the story was removed to create 'suspense'.

We could have been told straight up what a seeker was with some backstory, and then go on to John/Shinobu/Quin's struggles between good and evil. The mystery element was dragged out far too long and I lost patience/interest. (fyi: I am not a fan of mystery novels) 

I have to admit though, the storytelling style is unique and could've been interesting but the execution was poor and I did not enjoy it.

P.S. You can read another review that covers some other issues I had with Seeker over at Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh My!

My rating: DNF
Recommended for mystery lovers (even though this is not mystery, it seems to have a similar style) or patient folks!

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Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Mass
Published: August 2nd 2012
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Source: paperback
Pages: 404

Goodreads | Amazon

Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught. Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

It took me quite awhile to get through the first few chapters because I was getting used to the writing style. It is written from a 3rd person POV that follows about 4 characters, this is a pretty uncommon style but I really loved the writing style once I got the hang of it.

Things I liked:

1) I loved Celaena although her name is weird as heck. I kind of like how she dealt with the situations she was thrown into and how girly she was at the same time. :P

2) I actually enjoyed the love triangle, I liked how being with either guy was considered forbidden love. A love triangle where the parties have equal chances are so fun! Also, I don't really care who she ends up with but I like rooting for the underdog! :P GO CHAOL (another weirdass name)

3) The second half of the book was definitely a lot more enjoyable for me. The pacing was amazing, it was so exciting and addictive, I couldn't put it down.

4) Loved loved loved the fantasy aspect. The fantasy wasn't too in-your-face and overwhelming, it was easy to understand and didn't overpower the rest of the story. I really liked how the (sort-of) magic was kind of subtle but the monsters were so scary.

5) I also throughly enjoyed all the plot twists, a few were predictable but most of them caught me by surprise!

6) World building was amazingly done! I enjoyed the history, the politics and the overall descriptions about the world.

7) Also, the adorable puppy - Fleetfoot. CAN I HAVE ONE TOO?

Things I did not like:

1) There was too little action for a book about an assassin. She did not really kick butt until the end of the book and even that was more of a joint effort. I wish that there was more focus on the tests because they sounded so good! (think Triwizard tournament)

2) I couldn't really tell Dorian and Chaol apart for a good 20 chapters, I really hope that there is more character development for them in the subsequent books. (Something other than just the romance aspects)

Verdict:

This book is amazing and Sarah J. Mass is a great author! I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

I overlooked a lot of the issues I had because I understand that Sarah J.Mass is probably setting up her world for the rest of the series. I am crossing my fingers and hoping that these issues don't resurface again in the next book!

Can't believe I have to wait to read the next few books in the series. I am still deciding between ordering them online or getting them at a bookstore, books are so incredibly pricey here :/

My rating:
Recommended for anyone that enjoys fantasy and loves cute puppies.

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Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Published: April 15th 2014
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1
Source: ebook
Pages: 288

Goodreads | Amazon

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the sory of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.

But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Things I liked:

1) Super cute romance that had me tearing a little at the Peter K parts

2) Lara Jean may seem childish but I feel like she is that way because of her over reliance on her older sister. She never had to really grow up. I thought this was a pretty realistic portrayal of anyone who might be in the same situation.

3) A decent balance between family, school and romance drama.

3) PETER K PETER K PETER K <3 (He was imperfect, making him so realistic!)

Things I did not like:

1) The only real issue I had was Chris, she was pretty much a useless character and I didn't get the best friends vibe from Lara Jean and her so I don't get it. Was it just so that Lara Jean had at least one girl friend? lol

2) A CONTEMPORARY WITH A CLIFFHANGER? That's a first but I am a sucker for Peter K so I am going to get my hands on it!

Spoilery:

A lot of hate has been directed towards the book because of the whole 'liking-your-sister's-ex' drama but she liked Josh before he got together with her sister. And well, at least she tried and is still trying to not act on those feelings (albeit in a weird way).

Verdict:

1) This is not Stephanie Perkins good but it is pretty close! So definitely pick it up if you need a good contemporary fix!

2) I wished this was a longer standalone book, just a few more chapters would have been enough to wrap things up, but oh well! I guess we'll just have to wait another 4 months for P.S. I Still Love You.

3) Also, I feel that everyone would enjoy this book as long as you can cringe at Lara Jean's stupid moves and then move on and cry and laugh at all the cute romance moments. :)

My rating:
Recommended for everyone! :) Esp if you love YA contemporary.

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