Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Summary from Goodreads:

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

Review:

So, I usually don’t write bad reviews. Basically, if I’m really not feeling a book, I’ll stop reading it and then I feel like I can’t honestly review it, without having read the whole thing. Unfortunately, I finished this book. I kept telling myself it would get better. I love these authors. I loved Illuminae, and this just sounded so good.

Unfortunately, this fell flat. What worked for me in Illuminae with all the characters and differeing points of view, just did not work here. Too many of the characters sounded the same. I had the problem of forgetting whose point of view I was in and needing to go back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself. Too many of them had the same voice! They all had the same weird reactions to bad situations and to being attracted to people. Like Aurora (who’s been frozen and asleep for 200 years) should not speak and react the same way to everyone else…including alien species. She should sound like me.

I also kept comparing this to Twilight and to Throne of Glass, and not in a good way. There was an equivalent here to Maas’s “mating” and Meyer’s “imprinting.” And, well, gag me. That basically destroyed my love of Throne of Glass. Why is it here? Why? And why is each character perfectly paired up too (in a very straight/heterosexual manner, I must add). So much of this book was about crushes and romance, and normally I’m all for that. But, here, it just felt like over-the-top mush.

I liked the overall idea for the story. I like the running from what they know element. I liked that the characters happened upon this crazy knowledge that they can’t un-know. And I liked the action/suspense of it all. I guess that’s what prevented me from putting this book down for good. That and wanting to know what on earth was happening. It took me 3 weeks to read though…

All in all, the action was good. The characters were terrible. They all sounded the same. The romance was borderline terrible. And the points of view switches were confusing at best. I give this a very disappointed 4/10.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

Summary from Goodreads:

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley's dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There's just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.

Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy's best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it's really Laura Dean that's the problem. Maybe it's Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.

Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Review:

This was the first book I’ve read in a long time that I just loved. I loved the art of this graphic novel. It was very feminine and pretty. Something about the black and white panels with a splash of pink, just super appealed to me. The facial reactions and emotions that come across the artwork was just spectacular; it felt like I was watching a movie.

I also think the story is so important. It deals with something I’ve gone through, and that I think, unfortunately, a lot of girls go through: dating whoever you can get to like you and settling for a bad relationship because you don’t think you can get any better. Laura Dean is a terrible girlfriend. She cheats, she neglects, she abandons, and she fights with Freddy. And Freddy keeps going back to her. Part of me kept yelling at her to stop doing it, but part of me super related. I think as a teen, when you’re so self conscious and afraid, it’s easy to fall into this trap. And it’s easy to neglect your friends for “love.”

I’ve never seen this point made so clearly and well. It was good that we got to see how this toxic relationship affected those around Freddy (like her best friend who really needed her). And it was also so nice to see Freddy finally start to realize things, to realize she deserved more than this and her friends did too.

I also like that this was a relationship between two women. It’s important to know that these kinds of things happen to all kinds of relationships and not just straight ones. I think this is a topic all humans can understand. We all need to value ourselves more than we do, and it’s such an important lesson for Freddy to learn.

All in all, this book impressed me. The art was stunning. The story/plot was on point. And the characters were definitely flawed, but also loveable. I give it a 10/10.

I see London, I see France by Sarah Mlynowski

Summary from Goodreads:

Nineteen-year-old Sydney has the perfect summer mapped out. She’s spending the next four and half weeks traveling through Europe with her childhood best friend, Leela. Their plans include Eiffel-Tower selfies, eating cocco gelato, and making out with très hot strangers. Her plans do not include Leela’s cheating ex-boyfriend showing up on the flight to London, falling for the cheating ex-boyfriend’s très hot friend, monitoring her mother’s spiraling mental health via texts, or feeling like the rope in a friendship tug-of-war.

As Sydney zigzags through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Italy, and France, she must learn when to hold on, when to keep moving, and when to jump into the Riviera…wearing only her polka-dot underpants.

Review:

This was the medicine I needed: something light, fluffy, romantic, and full of traveling adventures. It’s a great summer/beach read to take with on vacation. And it was the perfect book to take me away from summer craziness at work.  Books that take place in other countries, and coming of age summer books are two of my favorite things, so…this book checked a lot of boxes for me.

That being said Sydney wasn’t my favorite character. I felt for her, but I never seriously loved her or related too much to her. I also never loved her best friend. Sydney was too set in her ways, and it was hard for me to love her. Her best friend was just so whiny and annoying. I loved the friend they met up with in Paris, but she wasn’t in most of the story. And considering that much of this book was about friendship, I really wanted to like the two main friends more.

However, I loved the traveling to new places with no plans element to the story. I loved the sense of adventure. And I just adored the romance. The train rides, the beaches, the scenery, the travel friends they made, and the quick sight-seeing of amazing places really created a remarkable setting.  I definitely took away that youth hostels are not for me. And I’m definitely going to continue to book hotels and air b and b’s…But, the living on a budget thing definitely added another layer to fluffy story.

I’m getting married in September, and going to Paris right after. So, this definitely put me in the right mindset for that. And it reminded me of a not so long ago trip to London with Nick. This book is definitely for fellow travel lovers. I give it an 8/10.

A Good Week in Books (207)

I’ve had such a crazy, busy, hectic summer. But, I’m here now. I have some serious blogging to catch up on. I’ve read 4 books since my last post (one YA romance, one YA graphic novel, one YA sci-fi, and one Middle Grade) Reviews will happen pronto. I’ve also been doing some serious tv binging. Nick and I finished all of Supernatural, Good Omens, and Stranger Things. We are now on to New Girl. We needed something lighter. And I’ve been seriously obsessed with the show, Empire...Summer is my crazy time at work, and tv has been my go-to when I get home. I’ve received 7 new books for review. Thank you, Henry Holt, Swoon Reads, Feiwel and Friends, and First Second.

The new books:

Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
Within Ash and Stardust by Chani Lynn Feener
Before I Disappear by Danielle Stinson
Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea and Yana Bogatch
How the Light Gets in by Katy Upperman
Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski

Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Kelly Link, and Robin Wasserman

Summary From Goodreads:

The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks and vampires. There the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Nephilim to know. Through two centuries, however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the City of Bones, the very heart of the Shadowhunters. As a Silent Brother, Brother Zachariah is sworn keeper of the laws and lore of the Nephilim. But once he was a Shadowhunter called Jem Carstairs, and his love, then and always, is the warlock Tessa Gray.

Follow Brother Zachariah and see, against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealings and festive celebrations, Anna Lightwood’s first romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin and Tessa Gray plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Brother Zachariah...

Ghosts of the Shadow Market will be co-written with Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman, Sarah Rees Brennan and Pulitzer finalist Kelly Link and will initially be available digitally.

The first eight stories will be published as e-books from around March 2018 monthly, with the final two available in a print bind-up of all the stories, to be published in 2019.

Review:

I love these books. I love all the books that take place in this magical, magical world. I kind of went into this one blindly. It came out before I knew it. And I didn’t even let myself read the side flap summary. I just jumped right in. I loved getting so much more of Jem! He was one of my favorite characters from the The Infernal Devices series. And getting all these mini moments of him over the centuries was such a surprise treat.

This book definitely reads like a setup for the author’s upcoming series. But, I liked that. I liked getting the full backstory of what’s to come. And I liked getting so much perspective on it. From Alec’s story, to Catarina’s, to Magnus’s, to even Jace’s. Getting  to read about the night Jace joined the Lightwood’s was such a treat!

And I guess that’s the overall feeling of this book in general; a special treat I didn’t know I needed, but greatly did. And getting a more in-depth description of Alec and Magnus’ adoption story brought tears to my eyes. And I can’t forget Jem’s love story that transcends centuries. It was heart-wrenching, sad, and beautiful. I was so happy for the love he finally got to experience.

I love that Cassandra Clare teams up sometimes with other authors. I feel like these other authors can pull out even more from her. When she pairs with Maureen Johnson or Sarah Rees Brennan, it’s like magic. These ladies get characters so well. And you’d think that other authors (who didn’t actually write these people initially) would struggle with this. They don’t. They make these characters even more real.

Not all the stories were amazing. Some were. Some were just okay. But overall, I was glad to have read this. It really did feel like a bonus treat I was rewarded for good behavior. I got sneak peaks into moments I only ever imagined before…or didn’t even have the ability to think up. I can’t wait for the much alluded to next series to come out. Overall I give this a 9/10.

Serafina and the Seven Stars by Robert Beatty

Summary from Goodreads:

Serafina and Braeden make an epic return in the hotly anticipated fourth installment of Robert Beatty's #1 New York Times best-selling Serafina series. Serafina, the Guardian of Biltmore Estate, has won battle after battle against the dark forces encroaching on her home. Now, tranquility has returned to Biltmore. Serafina doesn't trust it. She patrols the grounds night and day, hardly sleeping, uncertain of her place after her best friend Braeden Vanderbilt's departure for boarding school in New York.

When Mr. Vanderbilt, the kind master of Biltmore, asks Serafina to move upstairs into one of the house's grandest rooms, she's sure it's to keep an eye on the guests who have arrived for the estate's annual hunt.

But as Serafina investigates, she becomes more and more unsettled by what Biltmore has become-a place haunted by nameless terrors where no dark corridor is safe. Even worse, she begins to doubt her own senses. Is Braeden really hundreds of miles away, or did he return to Biltmore for one strange night before vanishing? Is the bond between them truly broken or is it stronger than ever?

Then Serafina witnesses a crime that turns her world upside down. How can all that once seemed good and worthy of protection now be evil? And how can she guard those around her when she can't even be sure of the truth of her own heart?

Serafina and the Seven Stars marks the return of a heroine like no other, as master storyteller Robert Beatty weaves his darkest, most astonishing tale yet.

Review:

As I wrote on Goodreads, this wasn’t quite as suspenseful or dark or as addicting as the other books in this series. But…I still loved it. The ending melted my heart. It felt like this was the closure fans needed from book 3, but didn’t get. We got some closure in this book and it was nice.

I am a huge fan of this series. I find myself recommending it to children, teens, and adults. The writing style, the setting, and the plot are just masterful. It’s what I wish all middle grade novels can be, and secretly hope for each time I flip through new pages.

I was sad when the third (and thought to be final) book ended. I wanted more closure. I needed to know what would become of Serafina. She can’t live in the basement forever. And was there any possibility of her and Braeden becoming more than just friends? This fourth book (and definitely probably) last book answers all these questions.

There’s also of course a supernatural mystery to solve. I liked the involvement of Greek mythology, though I have to say out of all the mysteries, this one grabbed me the least. Maybe because my focus was on other things. Or maybe because my focus was supposed to be elsewhere. I’m not sure. That being said, it was still filled some serious surprises for me. One scene had me gasping in shock.

I liked that things resolved with a neat ribbon at the end. Though, maybe the ending was too good to be true. I liked how happy everything was. Don’t get me wrong. I feel like I have been drowning in sad stories, endings, and pot twists lately. It was refreshing to have so much happiness. It just comes off as almost too good. If that makes sense. But, I guess I’m kind of nitpicking here. I love this series. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next. I give this last book an 8/10.

A Good Week in Books (206)

I finished two books this week, and I can’t wait to review them. I’ve also received 5 new books for review (Thank you, Hachette and Macmillan). And I’m lucky enough to have a library board member come back from ALA with a middle grade ARC I’ve been dying to read. I feel so lucky to have so many good books coming my way.

The haul:

The Shortest Distance Between Us by Sandy Hall
The Traitor’s Kingdom by Erin Beaty
Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo (ARC)
Symptoms of Heart Break by Sona Charaipotra
Better than the Best Plan by Lauren Morrill
Old Souls by Brian McDonald and Les McClaine

How was your week in books?