Waiting on Wednesday (157)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating.

This week I am waiting on Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine (07/05/16):

Description on Goodreads:

In Ink and Bone, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now, she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history…

With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart.

Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control…

Why I’m Waiting:

Book one is probably one of the most under-rated/not hyped enough YA books I’ve ever read that I think seriously needs more hype. It might have been my favorite book of the year. It was so good, I’ve already convinced 3 coworkers they need to read it (one already has). I cannot get this sequel fast enough. There is so much I need to know. And just the fact that the word, “fire,” is in the title gives me goose bumps. I cannot wait.

What are you waiting on this week?

A Good Week in Books (118)

I had another good week in books. I received three new pretties for review. Thank you, Macmillan. I’ve already read and reviewed two of them (as ARCS picked up at BEA)…I believe there needs to be a giveaway soon. And the third is one I have been waiting for, so I’m super excited to get my hands on it. Also, the outside of the pages are black. The book looks so cool.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

How was your week in books?

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Summary (from Goodreads):

The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series contrinues Celaena's epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Review:

Ahhh. This book. It’s one of those books that leaves you with a sad feeling when it’s over because, well, it’s over. This was my favorite of the series so far. What a great addition to the series that seems to be taking the YA world by storm.

I’m not sure I rated the other books in this series as highly as everyone else seemed to. I loved them, but I wasn’t loving them as much. Looking back at past reviews, I found some repeat occurrences that equate to personal red flags. I hate characters that boast of being able to do things that you never see them actually doing. Celaena was a lot of talk in the first couple of books. I get that she was enslaved in a labor camp and not her normal, chipper self. But, just being told she was once an assassin wasn’t enough for me. Talking about escaping and killing a room full of people is not the same as actually escaping and killing a room full of people.

Queen of Shadows shows her as the assassin. And oh my goodness, she is a remarkably tough, powerful young woman who can definitely escape and kill a room full of people (and then some). And now I feel as though she’s owned her boasting rights. She was always a strong character for me. She clearly wasn’t ever a damsel, but it was nice to finally be able to see this side and not just hear rumors about it.

The thing I love most about this series as a whole, is the characterization. I learn more about Aelin with each installment. I remember being genuinely surprised to learn who the main character actually was. And then I was more surprised. And I continued to be surprised learning about her assassin history in this book. She’s a complicated character, and my love for her grows the more I learn about her.

I also love the other characters. I love that romance is something that changes and grows; first love isn’t the only love. I wish more books handled romance in this fashion. I love the revenge story. I love the plotting, the action, the build-up, the simmering and slow-building type of romance, the world building, the politics, the evil, the witches, the demon princes, the friendships, the minor side characters, and the magic.  

Maas has proven herself to me to be a master fantasy writer. She’s probably one of my all time favorite YA fantasy writers today. I cannot wait to see where the story goes, who survives, etc. If you like YA fantasy at all, you need to read these books. I give this one a 10/10.

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Summary (from Goodreads):

In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.

Review:

This book was not what I was expecting it to be. I was kind of thinking it would be more of a lighter, humorous tale of an older kid with a returning imaginary friend. While a portion of the book deals with the main character’s reoccurring imaginary friend, Crenshaw –the giant cat, it was more about family and poverty.

I guess I didn’t really read what the book was about before diving in. Occasionally, I’ll do crazy things like that. I knew I’d like it. I’ve loved this author since the Animorphs series. She was the number one author I wanted to meet this year at BEA. My ARC of this book is signed! I just wasn’t prepared for the feels. I had a few tears in my eyes, reading this one.

It’s just so understandable and relatable. I can see this happening and know it does happen to a lot of families. I know medical bills can be outrageous. And I know people get fired and laid off all the time. I’ve never read anything on this topic though from the child’s point of view. Jackson’s memories of living in a minivan were so harsh. I really saw it all from his young point of view.

I loved Jackson’s relationship with his sister. He wanted to protect her, but at the same time, he didn’t want to lie to her. Reading about these kids having to give up the few belongings they cherished really melted my heart. This isn’t something I’ve read a lot about. And Applegate wrote it so well. So much can be taken away from this short novel. There’s messages about what in life is most important. There’s so much about family, friendship, and control too.

Crenshaw, if anything, was a small side note to the story. He did make Jackson more likeable to me. What’s not to like about a kid who has a giant cat for an imaginary friend? I also like that there was this thin layer of magical realism. Did Crenshaw really know everyone else’s imaginary friends? Did the dog see him? There was a fine balance between the magical and the logical, yet there was also so much hope. Hope for a better situation, hope for things not being that bad, and hope for some things to remain magical.

I mostly enjoyed this one. I wasn’t expecting the feels, but that’s my own fault for not reading what this book would entail. I also feel like I kept waiting for more story to happen. It was a very character driven novel, which I tend to like. Yet, this one seemed to be missing something. I wanted a little more plot to it than I got. All in all, I really liked it. I give it an 8/10.

Waiting on Wednesday (156)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating.

This week I am waiting on The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden (11/17/15):

Description on Goodreads:

Seven girls tied by time.
Five powers that bind.
One curse to lock the horror away.
One attic to keep the monsters at bay.

**

After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal. But with home resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal needs a new definition.

As the city murder rate soars, Adele finds herself tangled in a web of magic that weaves back to her own ancestors. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, who can she trust when everyone has a secret and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless . . . you’re immortal.

Why I’m Waiting:

I just recently returned from an amazing vacation in New Orleans, where I first learned the myth of the casket girls, on a ghost tour! I wasn’t sure how much fun I’d have on the ghost tour. But seriously, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of history and facts about the buildings I’d already walked past in the French Quarter. I learned a lot on that tour. And I found the story of the casket girls to be particularly interesting. So, I was super excited to see a YA novel that talked about them. Good timing. Also, I think New Orleans would make the perfect, spooky setting for a YA book.

What are you waiting on this week?

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis and illustrated by Brooke A. Allen

Summary (from Goodreads):

Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together...and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way!

Review:

So, there are two reasons I read this book. One; it’s written by the author of Nimona (one of my favorite books of the year so far). And two; A girl/teacher I made friends with in line at the Boston Comic Con told me I had to read it. I’ve definitely been getting into graphic novels more and more lately. Frankly, there have been some seriously awesome YA and Kids graphic novels that have recently come out. This one seemed like it would be a winner.

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t that good either. In comparison to Nimona, it seriously fell flat. It had a lot of super amazing things going for it too. It deals with summer camp, friendships, mythological mysteries, and adventure. It sort of has the makings of a super amazing middle grade novel.

I think my problem was I kept comparing it to Nimona, which isn’t exactly fair. Also, it was not linear enough for me. It felt kind of like several different, disconnected stories piled together, and I was expecting more of a typical graphic novel format. There wasn’t a ton of things to connect the stories together.

It also kind of felt like the beginning of something good. It read like the first 10^th of a Rick Riordan book. There was that much action and adventure, and even humor. There just wasn’t one steady story arc, connecting it all (at least not yet).

The book does have charm. I loved the art. I also adored the friendships and the characters, even the bossy councilor. Some of it made me laugh (like when the boys camp gets involved). It just wasn’t quite enough for me.

All in all, Lumberjanes read like a fun beginning to a series for me, but there wasn’t enough story or connecting aspects within the different stories to make it enough for a novel yet. I did enjoy the setting, the characters, and the sense of humor. And I do think I’ll keep going with it, in hopes of getting that something more. I can see some readers enjoying it a lot more than me. I give it a 7/10.

A Good Week in Books (117)

I had a very nice book week, if I say so myself. I have been a little MIA lately. I was out of town for a bit, visiting with some amazing librarians who I mostly haven’t seen since Library School (five years ago). We went to New Orleans and had a reunion! Before that, I had my mom in town and I’d been nursing one injury or another from what I’m now referring to as my summer of injuries. I feel like I’m finally getting back to my normal routine again. I’m healthy again. Autumn is good for that. It’s also good for apple cider and YA novels.

I bought the first two in the pile. The rest I received for review in the past two weeks. Thank you, Macmillan and Disney.

Princess Knight by Osuma Tezuka
A School for Brides by Patrice Kindl
Fire Walker by Josephine Angelini
The Trouble in Me by Jack Gantos
Star Wars A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken
Little Robot by Ben Hatke

How was your week in books?