Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Summary from Goodreads:

Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

Review:

I love a good time travel book, and this did not disappoint. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting. Certainly not adventures at sea, secret codes, family secrets, passages in time that are opened up with musical notes, magical artifacts, desert travel, violent attacks, and a super interesting, forbidden love.

I like how the book tackled things like race and gender in regards to time travel. Basically, it was not easy for someone not white or male to go back in time.  I loved that one of the first conversations Etta has with a fellow traveler involves conversing about when women finally get the vote. And I love Nicholas. (Though, did his name really need to be Nick Carter?) I love his dreams and his sense of justice. His story was raw and powerful. And I love getting a biracial love story.

I love the romance and the adventure. I think my favorite parts all took place on Nicholas’s ship. His crew owned a piece of my heart. Though, I also loved all the scenes in the desert and even the jungle. This was more than anything, an adventure story. The plot was constantly moving. Etta was always on the run from somebody or other.

There’s still so much I need to know about Etta’s history and about her mother. I cannot believe the state of things this book ended in. Talk about cliffhangers. The end makes me need book 2 so badly. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

I really enjoyed this one. I am so shipping Etta and Nicholas a lot more than I was expecting to. I’m curious to see how it all resolves and what happens to the timelines. I love stories where the underdog takes the lead and I this is very much that kind of story. I’m hoping more comes up in regards to Etta’s music in the next one. Should she be practicing?

This was better than expected. I give it a 9/10.

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers

Summary from Goodreads:

His world is music. Her world is silent.

Ali Collins was a child prodigy destined to become one of the greatest musicians of the twenty-first century—until she was diagnosed with a life-changing brain tumor. Now, at seventeen, Ali lives in a soundless world where she gets by with American Sign Language and lip-reading. She’s a constant disappointment to her father, a retired cop fighting his own demons, and the bruises are getting harder to hide.

When Ali accidentally wins a backstage tour with the chart-topping band Tone Deaf, she’s swept back into the world of music. Jace Beckett, the nineteen-year-old lead singer of the band, has a reputation. He’s a jerk and a player, and Ali wants nothing to do with him. But there’s more to Jace than the tabloids let on. When Jace notices Ali’s bruises and offers to help her escape to New York, Ali can’t turn down the chance at freedom and a fresh start. Soon she’s traveling cross-country, hidden away in Jace’s RV as the band finishes their nationwide tour. With the help of Jace, Ali sets out to reboot her life and rediscover the music she once loved.

Review:

I read this book super fast (in under a day). I love books where the main character gets to meet and possibly fall in love with a famous person. I know they are not that plausible, but they read like modern day fairytales to me. I knew I’d eat this one up. I’m also super fascinated by Deaf Culture, and I couldn’t wait to read a YA book with a main character who was deaf.

This book did not disappoint in regards to those to things that I love. I also loved that two of the band member were gay and dating each other. I loved how one of them was obsessed with watching Dr Who. The characters all just seemed so real to me. They weren’t just background noise for the main event: the romance. They were a little more than that.

I loved reading all the scenes with the band bickering back and forth. I also felt like Ali’s best friend was a solid character. I wished I got to see more of her.

Both Ali and Jace came from abusive families. And I almost wish this part of the storyline was missing. Ali and Jace seemed to be connected in almost too many ways. I know a major facet of the romance was the idea that they could help each other heal because they truly understood what the other had gone through, but it felt a little over the top to me. Also, why was Jace always waking up soar, and feeling the long term effects of his injuries, while Ali never seemed to be in physical pain?

All in all, I wish there was more focus on Deaf Culture, and more connections made between Ali and Jace’s parents. I loved the characters. I found the romance to be rather predicable and cliché, yet at the same time I read it super fast. It was a nice, easy contemporary to read in the midst of the chaos of my schedule at the moment. I give it a 7/10.

Waiting on Wednesday (195)

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 Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken (1/3/17):
 

Description on Goodreads:

All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected—Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master’s heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta’s past could put them both at risk.

Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail. They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia. But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realizes that one of his companions may have ulterior motives.

As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognizable… and might just run out on both of them.

Why I’m Waiting:

I only recently finished the first book: Passenger, and I loved it. Also, I could not possibly understand how anyone could finish that first book and not need the second as soon as humanly possible. That ending was nuts. Nuts!  I love a good time travel book, and this did not disappoint. I like how the book tackled things like race and gender in regards to time travel. Basically, it was not easy for someone not white or male to go back in time. I love the romance and the adventure. And there’s so much I still need to know about Etta’s history. So much.

What are you waiting on this week?

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Summary from Goodreads:

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Review:

For 640 pages, I read this one remarkably fast. There just wasn’t a good time to put this down. Ever. I needed to know things. And I had to see other things through.

That being said, I do not like these books as much as I do the Throne of Glass series. I liked this second book a lot more than I did the first. I think that is mostly due to the pacing. This one had way better pacing, action, adventure, and world building than book 1 did. However, because of Throne of Glass, I feel like I expect a lot here.

I still loved, and rated this rather highly. There aren’t a lot of books I can read this quickly. It was like a special treat just to have a few spare moments in my busy life right now to read it, and I never felt like any of my spare moments were wasted. This was juicy. The romance was sizzling. The dark court was fascinating. The characters were awesome. And the world was just beyond awesome.

I love that the first guy a girl falls in love with isn’t necessarily the last guy she falls in love with. Maas takes this ridiculous YA trope of first love soul mates and turns it upside down, or at least I thought she was doing that. Then comes the whole “mate” thing. As far as I can tell, it’s a not-so fancy way of describing someone a character can just instantly fall in love with/soul mate bond with. As soon as more happened with this particular plot device, I made literal gagging noises. This instant-love/meant to be nonsense reminded too much of imprinting and also kind of counter-balanced what the author was initially saying.

Looking back at my old review, I realize I also didn’t care too much for Feyre in book 1. I loved her in this one. She knows she’s broken. But, she also knows she’s special. She’s strong, determined to not be left behind, and open to learning how to improve. She has some serious downer moments, but she did have a lot to process and recover from.

So, why don’t I like this one as much as her other series (besides the instant soul mate nonsense)? The plot. I think her other series has one insanely amazing and unique YA plot, and this one just barely reached a quarter of the other one’s greatness. I know she can do better.

The different courts hiding artifacts, and the whole bringing back a certain character storyline just felt like something I’ve read a million times before. And I guess, the whole Feyre having all the powers thing, also reminded me of a million other YA books. I was hoping for the plot to be a little bit fresher.

That being said, I grew to love Feyre. I loved the romance (before the mate thing started). I loved the world building. I read this book in record time. The pacing was so much better than in book 1. However, I was hoping for a little more originality. I give it an 8/10. I’m still rating it high because of how I devoured the thing.

A Good Week in Books (138)

I had a nice, little book week. My library’s annual book sale is officially open. Staff and volunteers are invited to come in the day before it opens to get first dibs. I bought a few books. I even purchased one adult book. My boyfriend is also a librarian, so last week I went to his book sale, and this week he came to mine. Libraries and book sales are the best. I may even have to look up when other summer library sales are happening.

The lovelies:

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
Just Listen  by Sarah Dessen
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I already read Just Listen and All the Bright Places, but both are books I know I will want to go back to at some point.

How was your week in books?

Waiting on Wednesday (194)

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 Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro (2/14/17):

Description on Goodreads:

In this second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes trilogy, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn't the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family's Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming more than friends - but still, the darkness in Charlotte's past is a wall between them.

A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte's beloved Uncle Leander goes missing from the estate — after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.

Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty — formerly Charlotte's obsession, currently believed by most to be dead — whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too. What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

Why I’m Waiting:

I loved the first book. I ate it up and enjoyed it even more than I was expecting to. I’m in love with the idea of a female Sherlock. Yes, more please! Also, in this book they get to travel? More is likely to be revealed about August Moriarty. And the romance is building between the two main characters? I want this like yesterday. I’m so excited for where things will go. Also, I love the consistent covers.

What are you waiting on this week?

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Summary from Goodreads:

PLACES, EVERYONE!

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she can't really sing. Instead she's the set designer for the drama department stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

Review:

So, this is my favorite Telgemeier book (so far). There’s a new one entitled Ghosts coming out soon, and I might end up liking that one the best. I love a good ghost story. I’ve been on a good Telgemeier kick lately too. There’s something so easy, so fresh, and so fun about all of her graphic novels.

I love that I can read her books in no time at all. I love her artwork. I love how easy these books are for people to read, even if they aren’t used to reading graphic novels. It’s also nice to get middle school books that aren’t about anything too dark, war-like, or death related. These are kind of fluffy. And I particularly liked this one because of the romance element.

The romance did take a backseat to the rest of the plot, which is fine by me. I love that Callie’s love of set design takes the center stage. It’s not just some added hobby put in by the author, and then never discussed again. It’s a real thing that emanates from her person for the entirety of the book.  Also, back to the romance, it’s middle school romance for sure. Basically, Callie has a few crushes (not just one!) and the way she handles them is so real, but also so brave.

Callie puts herself out there to get what she wants, even though a lot of the time things can and do end badly or embarrassingly. I was not like that in middle school. I like to think I am this way now. I wish I was more like Callie in middle school and that’s another reason I loved this book.

I loved the LGBT characters too. Also, Callie’s friends and family members all felt very believable to me. The real stand out though of course is Callie. I love that she knows when she’s not being treated fairly by guys. And I love how she handled a certain situation with an old crush at the end of the book. I pretty much yelled out, “You, go girl!” when I read it.

This is a great book if you’re looking for something you can read fast. It’s sweet, fluffy, and kind of dramatic (as the title suggests). Basically, I loved every second of it. I give it a 10/10.