Star Noble's Book Review

Honesty by Seth King

noreply@blogger.com (Star Noble) — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 21:38:00 +0000

Honesty by Seth King
Release date: February 29, 2016
Series status: Standalone

Summary (from Goodreads):

A radiant story of first love and self-acceptance for fans of John Green, Jandy Nelson, and Rainbow Rowell

“Maybe we weren’t meant to collide. Maybe we were meant to explode.”

As a closeted teenager in the Deep South with a holy-roller father and the scars to prove it, bookworm Cole Furman has resigned himself to experiencing life and love only within the pages of his favorite novels. But after Nick Flores seems to walk off a page and starts to rewrite his story, Cole finds his dreams spinning into a dazzling – and complicated – reality.

If you have ever found yourself on the wild breathless thriller ride that is young love, Honesty will rip you back again in screaming color.

My rating: 5 "chandelier" stars

I've already done a review of one of Seth King's books: The Summer Remains. I specifically recall calling it "the best book I've read in two years." And it was. Because Seth King has a way with words.

He has a way of ripping your heart clean out of your chest and making you feel so much for the characters. He has a way of making the characters come alive.

In The Summer Remains, King tackled the difficult subject of life and life beyond death. In Honesty, King does it again but this time, it's LGBT rights.

Cole Furman is gay. He doesn't want to be gay. In fact, he fights so hard to be as un-gay as possible. Being gay in America is a struggle to begin with but being gay in the South? Absolutely horrible. Time and time again, I see Cole struggle to come to terms with himself and his attraction to other guys. He hates himself, hates not being able to measure up to what his gay-hating father wants from him.

And my heart seriously hurt for him.

But his miserable life suddenly changes when he meets Nicky Flores at a exercise program that his father dragged him to. Nicky Flores is beautiful.

"He was magnificent, really. As I pretended to stretch, I admired the curve of his shoulder muscles and his shortish, curly hair, which was medium brown, but touched by the sun on top. I noticed the thoughtful expression he always took, like he was figuring out a math problem that was just out of reach."

Cole is fascinated by Nicky the moment he sees him. When Cole downloads a gay dating app and finds Nicky on there as well, sparks fly. Over the course of the next months, Cole and Nicky enter into a beautiful, tender secret relationship.

"'I don't know," I said. "But I think I was meant to love you."'

But their relationship is so full of pain. While Cole is more comfortable exposing himself as possibly gay, Nicky is downright frightened. With straight jock friends, Nicky feels the need to hide his relationship with Cole. And it hurts both of them so much to keep their love a secret.

Throughout the entire book, King emphasizes the dogma and homophobia that exists in their little Southern town. And it almost made me cry to see people's cruelty through Cole's eyes.

"'Exactly. We can't walk down the street, Nicky. We literally can't walk down the street. You'll only ever love me with the lights off."'

Cole is a beautiful, kind boy. If he was real, I would give him a big ol' hug. This boy has gone through so much--he has to literally hide his true self. But he stays honest and true throughout the whole book and in the end, he grows from a shy, insecure teenager to a strong, confident man.

Nicky Flores is something of a puzzle to me. On one hand, I want to love him so much. He loves Cole so much and is so entirely sweet with him but at the same time, Nicky wrongs Cole many times. He's a complex character because I know that Nicky is scared to be himself when being himself will result in being shamed by his friends and family. I guess King is trying to emphasize that we are all human and we make mistakes.

This book was just great. It leaps into a struggle that is very real and current. I was personally shocked by how far behind the South is in terms of gay rights. Cole and Nicky are literally gawked at by people everywhere they go. Regardless, the bigotry in the South toward gays or anybody not straight has got to stop. There is nothing wrong with loving someone of the same sex--because at the end of the day, deep down, it's same love.

I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil too much but this book is just so freaking realistic and complex. King poured his heart and soul into this book, people. Every word is imbued with meaning. It was like reading an autobiography. And at the end of the book, King wrote a heartfelt, beautiful Author's Note relating his own experience that I still cannot recover from.

Do yourself a favor and read this mind blowing, spectacular novel.

"So: I am going to love you forever, regardless of whether I am ever strong enough to love you out loud or not. What would you say if I did ask you all this, once we built this perfect world, or it built itself? Would you take me as your real, actual, official boyfriend, once the wreckage and the bullshit was cleared?

P.S. --here's the thing I was never able to say in person, for a million reasons and one: I love you, Coley. Someday I hope we both can free."

Let's change the world, guys. Let's make it truly perfect.

_____________________________

Seth King is a twenty-five-year-old American author. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Sands by Kevin Nielsen: A Review-Interview Combo

noreply@blogger.com (Star Noble) — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 01:25:00 +0000

So folks, the review and interview package for Sands is here! I corresponded with the author Kevin Nielsen over the course of the week and he has been very speedy with his responses. So thank you, Mr. Nielsen! I've been pretty excited about this post because honestly, his answers are great and his book is amazing. The second book Storms is coming out on January 7th, 2015. So if you have read Sands or want to read it after this review, please keep a look out for Storms!

Sands by Kevin Nielsen
Page count: Paperback, 283 pages
Release date: July 23, 2015
Series Status: Book 1 of the Sharani Series

Summary (from Amazon):

For nine months of the year, the sands of the Sharani Desert are safe. The genesauri—giant, flying, serpentine monsters who hunt across the desert in enormous packs—lie dormant. The smallest of their kind is able to take down a single man with ease, and the largest is able to swallow entire clans. The people of the desert have always been able to predict the creatures’ appearance, but this year, the genesauri have stopped following the rules.

When the genesauri suddenly attack her clan, seventeen-year-old Lhaurel draws a sword in her people’s defense—a forbidden practice for women of any clan—and is sentenced to death by her own people. Chained to a rock and left to be eaten by the next wave of genesauri, Lhaurel is rescued by a mysterious, elusive clan said to curse children at a glance, work unexplainable terrors, and disappear into the sands without a trace.

With the fate of the clans hanging in the balance, Lhaurel discovers she possesses a rare and uncontrollable power—one that will be tested as the next deadly genesauri attack looms on the horizon and the clash between clans grows more inevitable by the hour.

_________________________________

My
Rating: 4 "mystic" stars

Okay, so this book was pretty awesome. As I've said before, I love strong heroines. Strong heroines are awesome people, friends that I want to have. And Lhaurel is definitely a strong heroine.

The moment I picked up (well, bought with one click lol) Sands, I was reminded of Dune. I mean, duh, even the summary on Goodreads calls attention to Dune fans. However, I hadn't read many books that took place in deserts and the characters sounded cool so I decided to give it a try.

I'm so happy that I did. Usually, I devour a 300 page book at about 100 pages per hour. This book took me about an hour and a half. After I finished, I regretted not savoring every description Mr. Nielsen gives us. Oh well, I had homework to do.
This book is seriously awesome. That is the adjective I'm naming this with. It's just awesome. Awesome people, awesome abilities, awesome creatures and awesome plot. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

As seen in the summary so kindly provided by Goodreads, Sands is about a girl named Lhaurel who is kicked out of her clan, the Sidena, for raising a weapon. If you can't tell already, this is an extremely sexist society where girls are left to die for holding weapons. In this society, women are property of men and have no say in what happens to them. They are only there to give the men children--specifically sons. *The feminist in me roars*

Anyway, in this horrible society with gender equality, Lhaurel is a rebel. She tries her best to disobey in small ways. When she is forced to marry the old warrior Taren, Lhaurel is horrified but unable to stop it. Until the genesauri attack her clan. The genesauri are basically three types of monsters, the smallest of which (a sailfin) is bigger than a grown man. The biggest of them all can easily swallow entire clans. Luckily for the Sidena clan, the genesauri that attack them are sailfins. However, the loss of life is still devastating and when Lhaurel tries to defend her best friend with a sword, she is knocked out by the people in her own clan and left to die.

Lhaurel is saved by a mysterious man named Kaiden, one of the Roterralar, a secretive clan seriously feared by the rest of the clans. They are said to be demons and to have strange abilities that no one has seen before. However, as always there is a twist: people's perceptions of others aren't always truthful I won't give away what the Roterralar do but it isn't that surprising when you think about it. Lhaurel is plunged into the world of this mysterious clan full of intrigue and newness. The Roterralar indeed have powers, powers that they reveal to Lhaurel. And as Lhaurel assimilates into the clan, she discovers that she has a rare hidden power that is unlike anything anyone has seen before...

All in all, I really liked this book. It was fun, amazing and really cool. As I've said over and over again, I am a fan of awesome characters with badass skills. And Lhaurel is both badass, mentally and physically. She is so caring of others but she has a strength about her that told me that this girl can kick ass when she wants to. I also loved the aevians--falcon-like creatures that carry the clan people of Roterralar around. When the Roterralar come of age, each get their own aevian. I love animals so I was totally down for reading about the aevians. They are hilarious, awesome creatures and reminded me a little of Buckbeak from Harry Potter. :P

Of course, there is always room for improvement. I would've liked to see more development in some of the characters in Sands. For example, my favorite character in the book is a snarky, sweet man named Tieran. He was hilarious and I would've liked to see more facets of his personality. If Tieran and a few others were more developed, I feel like this book would be even better. Also, I think more description of the scenery would have made me love it more. The desert is so beautiful in its own way and I would've enjoyed hearing more about the setting.

Furthermore, the book was a bit predictable. Maybe it's because of my immense prescience (lol, not) but I felt like I knew what was going to happen before it happened. I knew ten pages before Lhaurel figured it out her power. If the book was a little more unpredictable, perhaps I would love it even more than I do now!

Overall, this book is really well done, especially for a debut novel. When I learned that Sands is Mr. Nielsen's first book, I literally freaked out. What. Talent. There are also some serious gender issues that are raised in Sands. For example, gender equality. As a pressing issue in our own society, I liked that Mr. Nielsen incorporated some of that into the world of Sands. I seriously recommend this book. Be prepared for a wild ride full of excitement, cool mythological creatures and kickass characters.

Adjective I would use to describe this book: Awesome

Interview listed below!!
______________________________________________________

Interview with Kevin Nielsen :)

SN: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Mr. Nielsen. There are a few questions I would like to ask you regarding your book Sands. First of all, Sands has some similarities to the famous science fiction book Dune by Frank Herbert. What type of book were you trying to create with Sands? What type of book would you classify it as in terms of genre?

KN: Sands does have some certain similarities to Herbert’s Dune, though more in the environment than the scope of the novel. Dune has a far richer level of complexity and mysticism than does Sands.

When I started writing Sands, my intent was to create a new, exciting epic fantasy world, but geared more toward the current YA audience rather than just an adult readership. I think I was able to pull that off. I would classify it as YA epic fantasy, especially since it was intended to be a five book series.

SN: Throughout the entire book, Lhaurel and other women in the clans are discriminated against because of their gender. Is there a message you are trying to send with Lhaurel's subsequent actions in the book?

KN: There are certainly messages I’m trying to send. All books, even and sometimes especially children’s books, have some sort of message they are trying to convey. However, I will leave it up to the readers to determine what that message (or messages) is. As an author, my intent is more to ask questions and present possible answers rather than to give you “the” or “a” right answer. So through the Sharani Series readers will see lots of scenarios that would defy initial stereotypes and see some that fall well within them. Each are there for a reason and have a purpose in helping the reader to find their own answers.

SN: There are a lot of awesome butt-kicking characters in Sands. My personal favorite is Tieran. Which character is your favorite and why? What or who is the inspiration behind him or her?

KN:Well, that’s a tough question. All the characters in Sands, even the “bad guys” are special to me in their own way. They all have their own stories to tell and I’ve enjoyed experiencing those stories with them.

However, that’s not the question. The question is “who is my favorite,” yes? Well, my real favorite character is no longer in the book in her original form. In the first draft Khari played a much smaller role in book. She wasn’t even a mystic. She had a niece, Kharienerah, who was and who ended up being the one who taught Lhaurel both how to use the sword and how to recognize and understand her powers. Throughout the course of edits, however, that character ended up having to merge with the “then Khari” to form the hybrid character which is the Khari in the published manuscript. While I still like her, there were bits of Khari’s personality which weren’t my favorite and changed the character of both women enough to create a new person. I still have a certain fondness for that original character though.

I guess my favorite character from the published book would have to be Gavin, though. He’s a representation of everything I’m not, in some regards. He’s optimistic, naïve, quick to judge, and a little rash. Yet there’s an enduring earnestness to him that resonates with me too. You’ll see throughout the series where he goes and understand his vital role in this world as it progresses.

SN:What is the point of the aevians in the book? Are they just cool magical creatures that you thought would've made the book more interesting or do they represent something more?

KN: The aevians are both cool creatures and represent something more. They are a representation of balance. The genesauri monsters needed to have an enemy, something that would hunt and feed off them in some regard. Also, the Roterralar needed some way to travel the Sharani Desert. I combined the two to create the falcon-like aevians.

There are other reasons, of course, but I’ll have to give you a “read and find out” (RAFO) on those as the rest of the books in the series come out.

SN: In the book, the three kinds of mystics are very important to the Roterralar. However, as the book proceeds, we realize that Lhaurel is something entirely different. Is there a reason you chose what you chose for her magical ability?

KN: Short answer, yes – there’s a very specific reason why Lhaurel has the ability she has. Long answer – you’ll need to read the rest of the series. Lhaurel’s abilities are at the core of the series and the world in which she lives. I’ll give you a hint though, Lhaurel is not the only one you’ve seen who has abilities greater than what she should – and there’s a reason for both of them.

SN: At the end of the book, there are a series of revelations that come to life. Can you give us an idea of what characters will be playing big roles in the second book?

KN: Well, pay attention to Lhaurel, Gavin, and Khari – the three main ones you see in the epilogue of Sands. There are some minor characters from Sands who will take on larger roles in Storms (the sequel to Sands). You’ll also be introduced to some new characters – one of whom is the most complication character I’ve ever created. Storms comes out on January 7^th so hopefully you’re looking forward to that with as much anticipation as I am. Trust me, it’s even better than Sands.

SN: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! Sands is a wonderful book!

___________________________________

Quotes:

"I am of the sands and stones. I am he of the aevians, a warrior of the sands and metal that make up our world, a man of the Rahuli people."

"This was freedom. To pass through the skies, move through the limitless currents of space--it defied reason and time. It was exhilarating. Pure, unadulterated joy."

________________________________

Kevin L. Nielsen's journey into writing began in the 6th grade when an oft-frustrated librarian told him there simply wasn't enough money in the budget to buy any more books. She politely suggested he write his own. His teacher at the time also challenged him to read the Illiad by the end of the year (which he did). Kevin has been writing ever since (and invading libraries and bookstores everywhere)..Kevin currently resides in Utah with his amazing wife and two wonderful children. He's still writing and continuing a lifelong quest to become a dragon rider.You can find Kevin on his website, kevinlnielsen.com

Awesome Upcoming Interview with Kevin Nielsen!

noreply@blogger.com (Star Noble) — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 01:06:00 +0000

HEY GUYS! :)

So...I have some news. Kevin Nielsen, author of Sands and Resurgent Shadows has agreed to an interview! I will be doing a review pretty soon on Sands since that is the book that I read. Along with that will be my interview with Mr. Nielsen. So keep a look out for that post because it's going to be awesome :P

In the meantime, keep yourselves busy by checking out Mr. Nielsen's Sands!

<3 Star Noble

noreply@blogger.com (Star Noble) — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 22:20:00 +0000

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Down the Wormhole by Ana Franco (A Self-Published Novel)

noreply@blogger.com (Star Noble) — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 22:17:00 +0000

So as promised, folks, here is a post on Saturday :)

Down the Wormhole by Ana Franco

Page count: 173 pages (in e-book format)

Release date: September 21, 2015

Series status: Book 1 of Wormhole Series

Summary (from Goodreads):

Medusa is a nice girl, Aphrodite is empowering, Loki vanished on thin air, Isis doesn’t have a memory and Anubis is the only sane one. Join them all in an adventure that mixes the styles of ABC’s Once Upon A Time and Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson. What this can possibly mean? Why, chaos, of course!

My Rating: 2 stars

I received a free PDF of Down the Wormhole by the author Ana Franco in exchange for an honest review. However, I regret to inform you rabid readers that Down the Wormhole just did not do it for me. And it saddens me a lot because I really looked forward to this book. I mean, a combination of Percy Jackson and ABC's One Upon a Time! Who isn't down for that?

So as seen in the summary above, Down the Wormhole is about a bunch of teenage gods and goddesses pulled from different mythologies. You've got Thomas, a Celtic prince, Natalie, who is actually Medusa, Andrew, who is Anubis. And you've got "Kitty", an orphan girl who pops into their midst.

The premise of this book is great and it had the potential to be a wonderful, engaging novel but it fell flat for me. For one, I couldn't really understand it. I know that Ana is not a native speaker of English and therefore, I applaud her commitment and effort on this piece of writing. You can truly tell that she worked hard on it. But the plot, the characters and the writing all didn't make sense to me. It didn't flow. The characters did one thing, jumped to the next and did something completely insane without any good reason why. Not only that but the plot was completely crazy--just all over the place. The romance between Thomas and Kitty...ugh, no, that didn't make me sigh, it made me cringe. The girl just decided to have sex with this dude and get pregnant! She's sixteen, for God's sake.

The writing wasn't great. It was choppy and broken up and I couldn't make sense of what the characters were doing to each other. I couldn't keep track of who was who, who did what to who and why who did what. It was very hard and strenuous for me to read because of that.

Furthermore, there was really no character development. I hated Kitty. I'm sorry but it is true. The girl burst out of nowhere and changes her mind so quickly. One moment she's talking about having sex with Thomas, then she's having sex with Thomas, and then she's having his freaking baby!! I mean, what?? Kitty is a completely stagnant character...I see no signs of mental and emotion growth. All I see is her getting horny and doing it with her Celtic boyfriend. In my opinion, the plot seriously deteriorated towards the end: it was just sort of fanfiction. Her reactions to things are completely unexpected and wild and halfway throughout the book, I was ready to hit her over the head with my phone.

Not like the other characters were that much better. Thomas annoyed me to no end, Eris was a douchebag. She's the goddess of discord! She's a pest, something that just infuriates people! She shouldn't be so powerful. Had I been any of the other characters, I would've liked to punt her over the fence. Natalie and Andrew were a little better but only a little.

All in all, I didn't like this book that much. I didn't know what the characters' aim was and I didn't understand their internal dilemmas. I am a reader that likes things to be obvious and I usually don't get it unless the author pushes it in my face. I want to see glimpses of the characters' deepest fears and what tugs at them when they go to sleep at night. I want that deep stuff, framed by vivid verbs and descriptive adjectives! So yes, I am a reader that asks for a lot of things. I am just disappointed that I didn't see much of it in this book.

I would like to say kudos to Ms. Franco for some great descriptive language. The beginning was very engaging with the fight between Sif and Eris. I think she should continue to write because this series has a very interesting premise. :)

Some pointers I would give to Ms. Franco: Think about the connections between your characters' actions. What motivates them to do the things that they do? Why do they do it? Also, I would try reading over your work like you're a new reader yourself. That may be hard to imagine but I think it may produce some surprising outcomes. :))

Adjective: Alright

______________________________________

“But you mark my words: I will be there when everything you love is destroyed. Everything you didn't even believe you would have.”

“It's rather good to pretend to be normal with someone.”

________________________________________

Ana Franco was born on a small town on the interior of São Paulo, Brazil. She is known as a blogger under the name of “Ana the Bookworm” and her Young Adult novel, “Down The Wormhole”, is her first take in writing in English. Ana attends to college of Literature and Teaching in her country as well as she has taken courses in areas of Children’s Literature, Literature in schools, influences of the world wars at the world’s cultures and in writing for a global market.

In with the New...

noreply@blogger.com (Star Noble) — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 15:10:00 +0000

Hey you guys,

So there's going to be a few changes. I'm pretty excited about it actually. As you know, most of the books that I read and review are high end books, books that I personally like. Of course, this makes my book review quite atypical. Although I do like talking about bestsellers and books that I love, I am going to start taking the review requests because boy, have I got a bunch of them :-)

So I make a new vow to you fellow readers: I will post a review every Saturday. Promise. Definitely. I hope.

It should be fun.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 00:31:00 +0000

So it's been a while since I've posted. Forgive my incompetence.

It seems like I've been on a historical fiction book spree. First it was The Nightingale, now it is All the Light We Cannot See.

You may have seen this book on Amazon's top ten list or glimpsed the dark blue cover in your local bookstore. I first saw it about four months ago when it appeared in My Recommendations on my Amazon page. Thus began my halfhearted attempts to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, being on the Top Ten List of Books You Should Read makes it very popular. When I tried requesting it at my local library, I was told that I would have to wait for at least three months. So like the prodigal I am, I decided to get the rental book. $1 per week.

That's pretty damn expensive.

Because it was a dollar for a week, I knew I had to get started soon. So about a fourth of the week in, I opened the dark blue book and began reading.

~~~

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

~~~

The mystery, the beauty and the tragedies surrounding this book is unmistakable and unparalleled.

I mean, take a look at the summary. Even that is lyrical. Five stars. Definitely.

Everything about this book took me by surprise. I expected a different beginning. I expected a different kind of writing. I expected a different plot. I expected a different ending. The feel of this book...I've never read anything quite like it.

Doerr's writing is definitely unique. While most authors jump into the mix, throwing descriptive verbs and adjectives at you like a whirlwind, Doerr gives you glimpses of the big picture. A furious ocean, black and dark. A miniature wooden house. A crackling radio.

Every bit of his writing is tinged with mystery and hidden meaning. Every piece is a clue of what may or may not happen. Every section was devoured and feasted upon by my hungry eyes.

Doerr gives you snapshots of moments, memories, feelings and emotions. Of the blurring of boundaries and borders that often comes in war. In a way, it is more like a photo book rather than a book. Slowly, Doerr introduces the two main characters: Marie-Laure and Werner, separated by ocean and land.

Marie-Laure is awesome. She becomes blind when she is six and though she may look and seem fragile, this girl is as strong as iron. The things that she goes through in this awful period are unspeakable and if I were in her place, I would've froze in terror a long time ago. When her father takes her to Saint Malo where her great uncle resides and leaves, Marie-Laure must learn to survive without her father whom she has depended on since she was a child. It was really touching to see her mature from a frightened young girl to a strong brave woman. Marie-Laure, though blind, sees "better than those who have eyes".

Werner, Werner, Werner. I love this boy so much. Werner is truly the underdog of the story, the one that no one would've expected to succeed. Small and pale, Werner is a German orphan who at a young age, began to take a liking to building and fixing radios. When Werner impresses a Nazi official, he is taken to train at an academy for Hitler Youth. As time goes by, Werner improves in his skills and rises in the ranks. But at a price. Werner, like all the Hitler Youth, are trained and indoctrinated with the idea that the strong preside over the weak and that there is no room for vulnerability. The young men are pushed to the limit, faced with difficult choices of whether to help a friend and get punished or stay back and watch. All the while, Werner struggles with his conscience and wonders if he is doing the right thing. In a way, Werner's journey is harder than Marie-Laure because he faces serious moral dilemmas about himself.

Werner's and Marie-Laure's paths met a lot later than I thought. Like I've said, Doerr takes you completely by surprise. The book didn't feel like a book with a basic plot, rising action, climax and falling action. Every chapter was a whole book in its own regard.

I really liked this book. I mean, no surprise since it's a winner of the freaking Pulitzer Prize. But I also adored the beautiful writing that touched each subject with care and empathy. This book is tragic as war always is. But it's important to revisit our history to learn from our past mistakes and make sure we never do it again.

When asked about the meaning of the title, Doerr replied, "It's a reference first and foremost to all the light we literally cannot see: that is, the wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that are beyond the ability of human eyes to detect...It's also a metaphorical suggestion that there are countless invisible stories still buried within World War II--that stories of ordinary children, for example, are a kind of light we do not typically see. Ultimately, the title is intended as a suggestion that we spend too much time focused on only a small slice of the spectrum of possibility."

Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See is a heartbreaking yet truthful representation of normal people whose lives were irrevocably changed by WWII. I strongly recommend it.

Rating: Five stars
One adjective I'd use to describe this book: Spellbinding ------------------------------------

“So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?”

“You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are.”

“What do we call visible light? We call it color. But the electromagnetic spectrum runs to zero in one direction and infinity in the other, so really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible.”

_____________________________

Anthony Doerr is the author of five books, The Shell Collector , About Grace , Memory Wall , Four Seasons in Rome and All the Light We Cannot See . Doerr’s fiction has won four O. Henry Prizes and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, and The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Fiction. He has won the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, the Rome Prize, the Story Prize, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Award, and the Ohioana Book Award three times. Doerr lives in Boise, Idaho. Become a fan on Facebook and stay up-to-date on his latest publications.

The Nightingale: A Passionate Tale of Love and Courage in War

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 22:13:00 +0000

Hey guys,
I know I haven't posted a while so that's my bad. :( For the past few weeks, I haven't been reading a lot so again, that's on me. So for any of you who has been craving my book reviews, here's the big moment! :)
Today, I will be reviewing The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. LOL, her name though. So without further ado, I give you the usual summary from Goodreads...

FRANCE, 1939

“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over."

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another.
Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real--and deadly--consequences.

Okee.
So let's talk review stars. Out of five stars, I give The Nightingale FOUR STARS for an amazing, touching and tragic book that depicts the all-too-real destruction of Europe during and after World War II. I've always been a stickler to the historical fiction and romance and The Nightingale is no different. The first chapter of the book starts off with a mystery woman who is dying of cancer. She heads up to her cellar and pulls out an old trunk and suddenly we are thrust back to the mid 1900s in France on the verge of war.
In the past, we meet Vianne and her sister, Isabelle, separated by location and emotional strain. Isabelle lives in Paris and Vianne lives in the countryside. Vianne is older than Isabelle and has her own family. When her husband is called off to war, Vianne, a woman who has always relied on her husband for support, feels vulnerable and weak without him. Things worsen when Isabelle joins her after her Paris home is bombed. Isabelle is like a little firecracker and she is furious about the invasion of the Nazis into her home. While Vianne accepts her fate and wants to wait it out, Isabelle is hell-bent on resisting. When a Nazi officer demands to board in Vianne's house, the strain between the sisters grows. Soon after a few fights, Isabelle leaves to join the Resistance, a secret group of rebels who defy the Nazi's rule.

To be perfectly honest, I knew The Nightingale was going to be a riveting read. However, I had no idea how quickly it pulled me in. From the beginning, the author did a great job of setting the mood and creating suspense (with the mystery woman). The terror and paranoia that the French felt underneath Nazi rule was reinforced again and again in the book and Hannah did a great job of showing how bit by bit the Nazis grew a little colder, a little harsher, a little crueler, even in a fictional setting. In the book, I felt the pain of Vianne's Jewish friend, Rachel, whose rights were taken away as time passed. I don't want to spoil too much but I'll say this: this book hurts.

I also loved the juxtaposition of Vianne and Isabelle. Here we have two very different yet similar women. Vianne is the typical wife, the mother and the protector. She is a gentle spirit whose patience and quick wit guides her through the dangerous times in France. Isabelle, on the other hand, is unrestrained and fiery. She doesn't want to be held down and pushed around by the enemy. She wants to stand up and fight and it is quite inspiring. Not gonna lie, the ending threw me off a bit (I got a little teary). The two sisters are similar though because they share one important trait: courage. Isabelle acts with physical courage but Vianne also acts with mental courage as well. I don't want to spoil the book but let's just say that they both do tremendous good during the war. The only difference is that they do it in different ways.

I really liked this book because though I've read a lot of books on WWII, The Nightingale gives us a glimpse of something behind the scenes: the women's struggle during the war. We know pretty well what the men do but what happened to the women is a little more vague. And just because one gender "did" more on the surface doesn't mean that the other gender didn't stand up against what was wrong. Because there is no doubt that the women in this book are exceedingly courageous and truly inspirational. There are some things they go through that are very dark and inhumane. It makes me physically sick to think about what women went through during WWII.

This book is great not because its characters are flawless and heroic. No, it's good because the characters make mistakes. They must decide whether they want to stand up and risk death or stay back to save themselves. They make mistakes regarding family and loved ones but they make up for it and forgive. They grow and mature. Isabelle, for example, changes from a fractious young girl to a young woman who becomes the symbol of the Resistance. There are many dilemmas to be considered and decisions to be made and sometimes the characters don't do the right things. But they try.

This is why The Nightingale is a fantastic read: because it depicts human resilience, faith and love in the face of extreme cruelty and inhumanity.

________________________________

Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling American writer, who has won numerous awards, including the Golden Heart, the Maggie, and the 1996 National Reader's Choice award.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 01:22:00 +0000

Across the Universe

Summary (from Goodreads);

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SURVIVE ABOARD A SPACESHIP FUELED BY LIES?

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed. She has left her boyfriend, friends--and planet--behind to join her parents as a member of Project Ark Ship. Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.

Someone tried to murder her.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. And Elder, Eldest's rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship's cold metal walls? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

My Rating:

3.5 stars

Review:

Okay.

So you've read the summary (I hope.) If you haven't realized already, this is a book set in the future. It is also aimed at teenagers. I was at the library a few days ago when I happened upon this book. What caught my eye? The gorgeous cover, of course. I mean, look at that detail! I would be a liar if I didn't say I judged a book by its cover. And this book definitely caught my eye when I first saw it.

Amy is a teenage girl whose parents are important pieces to a new project: creating a life for humans on a new planet they call Centuari-Earth. Her parents have no choice but to go, mostly because humanity's survival depends on their success. Their only daughter, Amy, however, isn't needed for the mission but she decides to go anyway because of her love for her parents.

The first chapter is kind of weird. It sort of jumps out at you because it dives straight into the plot. To get to this new planet which is 300 years away, Amy and the passengers have to be frozen to keep them from aging. I found the freezing process fascinating because the first chapter really gives details about the process (which is more than painful) and how it works. Amy remarks on how the workers freezing them don't even bat an eye when she strips down naked (part of the process)--this shows how indifferent and cold they are after doing it a couple hundred times.

Things are fine and dandy for Amy until 250 years later into the future when she is suddenly left out to melt. This almost kills her and brings us face-to-face with the love interest, Elder. Elder is a swarthy, fine, inquisitive, cute lad who thinks that Amy's hair is just great. He's never seen a color like that and even calls her "the girl with sunset hair." How poetic.

It takes some time for Amy to recover but when she does...she meets a whole bunch of other people. Like Eldest, the evil-sounding and looking leader of the spaceship. And the doctor whose name I can't even be bothered to remember. And Orion, a Recorder, which is a person who records things. Okay.

At first, Amy resents the people around, blaming them silently for her being awake instead of frozen for at least fifty years. There's also the problem that she'll look older than her parents when they come out. 0_o It isn't until later that she realizes that there is a great picture and that something malignant is working beneath the surface...

Dun dun dun......

Okay, let's move on to the things I didn't like.

_____****_____*****______________***********

I didn't like a lot of things.

First of all, the book was extremely complicated. It would take a flowchart to map out all the things that were going on. You got names for jobs and designations that could be so much more simpler. Also, Elder and Eldest? What? Why? Why would you call your characters that!?

Another pet peeve was the characters. Gosh, I love talking about characters. I love the well-rounded, realistic, down-to-earth characters that people can relate to. Elder and Amy did not do that for me. If anything, they annoyed me. Amy was a flat, one-dimensional character who just explored and didn't do much while Elder just wanted to get into her pants. It sounds rough and I'm sorry, but I was bored to death by the lack of action and good characters in this book.

The plot was also kind of forgettable. Don't get me wrong, the first chapter is amazing. When I opened it, I was like, "Huh, that sounds cool." But eventually, the action all just sort of dies out and it's just, like, 50 pages of Amy walking around and looking at stuff. Oh and flirting with Elder. It really disappointed me because this book had such great potential to be out of this world (get it? hehe) but it really fell flat. I literally read it a day ago and I can only remember half of the events that happened. It was that forgettable.

I do give Revis kudos for the writing. The imagery and details given in Across the Universe was quite terrific. I could totally see Godspeed and the people's habits and daily routines. However, it was just too convoluted that instead of exciting me, it bored me to tears. I'm sorry for such a biting review, Ms. Revis, but this book was just not what it could be.

Exclusive Interview with Miss Tammy Blackwell! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 14:14:00 +0000

HEY GUYS! I'm super excited to announce that I finally interviewed Miss Tammy Blackwell! For those of you who do not know, Miss Tammy is the author of the Timber Wolves Trilogy and the Shifters & Seers Series that explore the world of werewolves. Her characters are lovable, witty and unforgettable. Miss Tammy was very gracious about it all and I am so happy to have been able to ask her questions about the first of her books, Destiny Binds! :) Check out my review of Destiny Binds here!

Thanks for joining us today, Miss Tammy! It's an honor to have you here. What was the inspiration that made you pick up the pen and write Scout's story?

I was a Young Adult Librarian when I first started writing Destiny Binds. I had a really great group of kids in my programs, and they all loved books, but I kept getting frustrated that none of the books actually depicted them or their lives. During one of our teen writing groups I wrote a scene in which a girl and boy were trapped alone in a cabin, hiding from the world. From that scene (which later showed up in Fate Succumbs), the idea started forming. Before I knew it, I was spending my evenings writing as much as I was reading.

What was the writing process like? Strenuous, laid-back, enjoyable?

Writing is very hard for me. I struggle through the entire rough draft. I have to schedule time to write, and then force myself into the chair. The words are slow in coming, and I hate the majority of them as they appear on the screen. But once the rough draft is done, things get fun. I really enjoy revising and editing. Making something from nothing? Hard. Making something that exists better? That gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Who is your favorite character and why? Which one is like you the most?

I really enjoy writing Angel. I like how she plays off all the other characters, calling them out on their crap and forcing them to drop their pretenses. Even though I've just finished up the Shifters & Seers series, I would like to come back to that world some day and write Angel's story.

As for who is like me most... I would have to say there is a little bit of Miss Tammy in each of my characters, but probably Scout is the most like me. We think about things the same way, but she usually doesn't react the same way I would to situations.

What were you hoping to achieve by creating this book? (I mean, was the main purpose to make people laugh? Or to write a book that defied people's expectations about werewolves?)

My main purpose in writing Destiny Binds was to give kids like Scout a hero, and not just some Superman character who can do anything. Scout is a flawed hero. She has insecurities, makes mistakes, and can be completely self-centered, but she keeps surviving and trying to do the right thing, which is the definition of a true hero in my book.

Last of all, why did you end the first book like you did? Was there a message that you wanted to broadcast by doing that?

I knew the end of the first book before I started writing it. It was important to me that Scout face real obstacles and know true loss. The end of Destiny Binds is the defining moment in Scout's life, and forces her to become the person she grows into over the remainder of the series. My hope was that readers would see what Scout endures and realize that if she can survive that, then they can survive whatever they're going through at the time too, no matter how horrible it may be. I wanted Scout's heartache to be another person's beacon of hope.

Thank you very much for being here today, Miss Tammy! I am definitely going to read the remaining books in your trilogy and new series!

Peeps, please check out her book, Destiny Binds--which is the first of many other awesome books--on Amazon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YA librarian by day; Caped Crusader by night. (Oh, and I write the Timber Wolves and Shifters & Seers books, too.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Timber Wolves Trilogy

Fragile Brilliance (Shifters and Seers #1)

Vain by Fisher Amelie

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Mon, 07 Sep 2015 18:00:00 +0000

What's up, guys? It's time for another book review! The lucky book to be praised/criticized today is Vain by Fisher Amelie!!!

Rating:

4.5 VAIN STARS!!!

Summary (from Goodreads):

If you’re looking for a story about a good, humble girl, who’s been hurt by someone she thought she could trust, only to find out she’s not as vulnerable as she thought she was and discovers an empowering side of herself that falls in love with the guy who helps her find that self, blah, blah, blah...then you’re gonna’ hate my story.

Because mine is not the story you read every time you bend back the cover of the latest trend novel. It’s not the “I can do anything, now that I’ve found you/I’m misunderstood but one day you’ll find me irresistible because of it” tale. Why? Because, if I was being honest with you, I’m a complete witch. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a friend using, drug abusing, sex addict from Los Angeles. I’m every girlfriend’s worst nightmare and every boy’s fantasy.

I’m Sophie Price...And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most envied girl to the girl no one wanted around and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Review:

So...you've read the summary. I think it's the first thing that hooked me. I mean, the cover is gorgeous but that summary...it isn't what you expect.

A few days ago, my friend and I were at the library, discussing a possible tutoring session that we could hold at the library. Unfortunately, they rejected us. :( It was a bad day only brightened up by one book. This book. :)

I am a pretty enthusiastic reviewer and I don't tend to give biting, acidic one-star reviews often. I think it is mostly because I understand how hard it is to write a book. I mean, I've tried (and failed).

I have no FREAKING idea how Ms. Amelie was able to create a book so replete with feeling and emotion that I think I cried a little.

As you know from reading the summary, Sophie Price is a spoiled, self-centered teenage girl from Los Angeles. She's a people-user and the queen bee of a group of followers. There's no denying Sophie isn't beautiful. The descriptions in the book make her seem like a regular Scarlett Johansson. Boys fall to the ground when she's in their presence. She can make a guy cheat on his girlfriend with a flirtatious smile and a wink.

But it's not until she's away from people and by herself that we see how much Sophie Price hates herself. She thinks her looks are just a facade--a way to hide the truly ugly being behind the makeup and smiles. That's the reason why she uses her friends and takes such good care of her appearance. Because she can't stand the person inside. And my heart breaks for her because she truly believes it.

When Sophie is arrested for drug use, the court sentences her to a few months at an African orphanage. Sophie is to help and change the lives of the kids there. She doesn't know that her life will be irrevocably changed as well.

There is a perfect blend of romance, love, courage and determination in this book. Sophie is humbled by the horrific things the orphans go through, by the kindness and goodness of the caretakers, Charles and Karina, and the mystery of the young man who works at the orphanage, Dingane. By the end of the book, you'll hardly recognize the selfish, vain girl, so changed by the experiences she gained seeing the struggle and hardships in Africa. Fisher Amelie brings around the extraordinary metamorphosis of Sophie Price, from a girl who thinks she is nothing to a strong woman who knows who she is.

And OMG, Dingane. Dingane is probably on my Top Ten List of book boyfriends because let me tell you, this boy's got a heart of gold. He's gone through a lot but still sees the good in people. And he loves Sophie so, so much. He's probably the biggest reason why Sophie finds herself eventually. I can't describe the perfection of Dingane. He is just gorgeous. Gorgeous.

Words cannot describe this beautiful, touching novel. It's full of life lessons that could apply to us. Hopefully, these quotes will give you an idea of the awesomeness of this book and you'll read it!!

“Vanity's a debilitating affliction. You’re so absorbed in yourself it’s impossible to love anyone other than oneself, leaving you weak without realization of it. It’s quite sad. You’ve no idea what you’re missing either. You will never know real love and your life will pass you by.”

“No one can know sincere happiness, Sophie, without first having known sorrow. One can never appreciate the enormity and rareness of such a fiery bliss without seeing misery, however unfair that may be.”

“Fear, Sadness. They're not weaknesses. They are overpowering, defining emotions. They make you human, Sophie.”

______________________________________

Fisher Amelie resides in the South with her kick ace husband slash soul mate. She earned her first 'mama' patch in 2009. She also lives with her Weim, 'Jonah', and her Beta, 'Whale'. All these living creatures keep the belly of her life full, sometimes to the point of gluttony, but she doesn't mind all that much because life isn't worth living if it isn't entertaining, right?

Fisher grew up writing. She secretly hid notebooks and notebooks of dribble in a large Tupperware storage container in her closet as a kid. She didn't put two and two together until after college where it suddenly dawned on her, "Hey, I like writing". She's a bit dense. "No, I'm not." "Yes, you are. Put down that Oreo, your butt can't take any more." "You're rude." "Yeah, yeah." Anyway, she likes to write and has finally beaten her self-esteem into submission enough to allow herself to be scrutinized under the 'other readers' microscope. "No! No! Not a cover slip! Last time it gave me a ra...." (mumbling)

Rescue Fisher from her metaphorical specimen slide at www.fisheramelie.com

Interview with Miss Tammy Blackwell!

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 02:24:00 +0000

Hello fellow readers/writers!

I have a very exciting announcement to make! Tammy Blackwell, the brilliant author of Destiny Binds and the Timber Wolves Trilogy, has graciously allowed me to interview her about her book. For those of you who don't know, Destiny Binds is a hilarious, quirky YA book that revolves around Scout, a down-to-earth teenage girl that we would all want to be best friends with. :)

If you have not read Destiny Binds and the following books in the series after it, I seriously recommend getting the book. It is a fantastic read that is so much more than you think it is. I for one am very excited to hear from the person who made it all happen. The interview will be posted as soon as possible. :)

In the meantime, click here to see my review for Destiny Binds!

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 02:25:00 +0000

My dear fellow readers/writers,

I would like to apologize emphatically about not being able to post. You may think that it is my extreme laziness (that is not true...okay, maybe it is a little) that causes me to abandon my blog continually. However, seeing as it is junior year and I am going through one of the most stressful and important stages of my life, please cut me some slack. I have not had much time to read. You can now expect a blog post every week or two.

The next book that I am going to review is one of the scariest, saddest books I have ever read in American literature. No wonder this book ruined Capote because it is just an incredibly tragic and terrifying read. I seriously applaud Capote's skill because this book is a magnificent addition to the literary world. Obviously you can guess the rating I'm giving it: five stars. Because of this, I am refraining from using any bad language or any jokes about the characters because I want you all to read it.

Regards,
Star Noble

In November 1959, four horrifying murders occurred in the tiny and obscure town of Holcomb, Kansas. In the span of a few hours, the Clutter family, a good and honest God-fearing people were killed in their beds by gunshots to the face. Federal agents were called from the neighboring states to investigate but the killers left no clues except a bloody footprint and smudges next to Mr. Clutter's body.

While America searched for the murderers, the townspeople were completely bewildered. For the Clutters were the least likely of folks to have enemies much less murdered in one night. Great, wonderful and kind people. Mr. Clutter was a strict yet loyal member to the church and his wife, though frail and nervous had a good heart. They had two daughters married and engaged and a teenage son, Kenyon, and daughter, Nancy living with them in Holcomb. So how could something so terrible happen to someone so good? was the question that the citizens grappled with. And does that mean we are all in danger?

While the town worried for their lives and locked their doors, the federal agents continued to search for the killers. After about a few months, Perry Edward Smith and his friend, Dick Eugent Hickock were arrested a couple states away. Taken to Holcomb prison for their upcoming execution, they weren't greeted by roaring rage and flying pieces of spittle from the citizens but silence. Dead silence. As if they were surprised that the killers looked like them; human. It was about five years later though, on April 14, 1965, that Smith and Hickock were hanged in Lansing, Kansas for their crimes.

Though the plot of the novel is rather sad and scary, I have read many "true-crime" novels where the serial killer kills about fifteen women before cutting them up and burying them. The details in some of those novels are truly disgusting yet this is the book that frightens me most of all. Four murders. Seems like a small amount compared to fifty but losses of life nonetheless. So chilling and personal is Capote's In Cold Blood that I was a bit nervous about keeping the book by my bed. Capote pulls us right into the lives of the Clutter family: from Nancy's social personality to Kenyon's quiet yet intelligent attitude. We get glimpses of their rooms and their habits. We stay with them for a few days, observing through Capote's trained eye of their lifestyles and routines. We become so fully immersed in the details of their lives that when they are ripped from us, we feel the terrifying loss. One line in particular jolted me and that was right after Nancy Clutter has been discovered dead and Mr. Ewalt, the man who found her, tried to call for help. "...Told me there was a telephone in the kitchen. I found it, right where she said. But the receiver was off the hook and when I picked it up, the telephone line had been cut." How did Capote manage to make a cut telephone line a living nightmare? Perhaps it is the symbolism of a life being ended, cut short too fast. Or perhaps it makes us imagine what happened that night the Clutters died. That is the power of great writing: it takes facts, usually boring and dull, and makes our heart pound faster.

Capote's imagery is fantastic and often I find him describing the clear blue Kansas sky which is so in contrast with the murder and horrors happening underneath it. Capote is unflinching in his description of the Clutter family's deaths, giving us detailed paragraphs of the limbs in rigor mortis and the exact brutal way they each died. I felt everything--the shock, the sadness, the disbelief--that the townspeople felt when they heard about their deaths. It is this fine detail that made me attached to the Clutters and it is what made this a such a tragedy.

Capote doesn't just describe the Clutters. He describes the men who took their lives with great skill as well. What made such ruthless killers who would destroy an innocent family without any prior thought? What pasts could have causes such monsters in flesh? But as Capote explores the pasts of Smith and Hickock, I realized something rather frightening. What if this lethal pair was born this way? What if no amount of good parenting can prevent a killer?

In Cold Blood is a heart-pounding, tragic true story about an innocent family murdered in cold blood. It is about a town that was explicably altered by the horrors that year. It is about how the seemingly human appearance of a pair of men may be a mask of the monster within.

________________________________________________________

For more information about Truman Capote and In Cold Blood, please look at this website: http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ca-Ch/Capote-Truman.html

************************

A few questions I would like to ask you if you've read the book (or not):

-Do you feel like Capote was sympathetic to the killers?
-What was the best thing you liked about this book?
-Do you think this book portrays what happened in a clear and accurate way?
-What do you think about this book; what rating?

Please comment below!

Star Noble

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 19:44:00 +0000

My Rating:

3.5 stars

Hey y'all! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I would like to say that I was sorta busy but that's not true. Well, half of it is...I spent nearly two weeks trying to finish this dang book! Anyway I know I wasn't very responsible with posting regularly and I'm sorry. Unfortunately, school is going to start soon so I can't promise regular, on-time posting. However, I hope I will be able to post a review every week. Sorry. :((

Let's get back to the books, shall we? A month ago, I felt that I needed to seriously broaden my horizons. I have been reading YA fiction since I was ten and I loved it. But there's only so much that a girl can be surprised about when reading YA fiction. To be truthful, most YA fiction use the same repetitive plot. Sure, it may be a different setting and different characters but you always have the girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, problems arise and boy makes dumb mistake, girl and boy break up, boy professes undying love for girl aaandd they get back together. Of course, there are a few amazing YA books but the others kind of just fall to the back of my mind. So I felt I needed a change. I needed to read a book that was so amazing and beautiful that my world view would be changed. So my friend asked me if I had read "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. And I was like "No! The freaking book is, like, 800 pages!!" And she was like, "Yeah, but it's a classic." And I said, "What's it about? Please, please. Give me a book that isn't the regular YA plot."

And she said, "It's about a Russian wealthy socialite who falls in love with a count."

o_0

But I read the book anyways. I had heard a lot of great things about it and even the title sounds regal and beautiful.I had heard famous quotes that made the poet in me fangirl like crazy. So I borrowed it from my local library even if the premise was everything I was hoping to avoid. I cuddled into my blanket and settled in my bed with it, hoping, begging for a good read.

I kind of succeeded. In a way, it was so much more complex than I thought when I read the summary. Complexity is good. It was seriously intricate because it touched upon many issues in Russian society. Like the fact that Anna Karenina, the socialite by falling in love with a count is seen as a slut by her society. And the fact that the count, Vronsky, is the victim of her machinations. The title of the book is also deceiving. Though it is called "Anna Karenina" the book speaks from at least ten different characters' points of views. You have Konstantin Levin, a wealthy yet awkward man who eschews society and its pleasures. Kitty, a beautiful yet naive princess who also falls in love with Vronsky. All of these characters, including Anna and Vronsky, share their sorrows and worries through 800 pages and long, long sentences with hard vocabulary.

And gosh, did it take forever. It never seemed to end and the characters had endless problems. I had read a review on this book on Goodreads and the girl stated the problem perfectly. If you aren't interested in the book's characters and you can't feel sympathy or anger for specific characters, put the book down and walk away. It's not the right book for you. In the middle of my arduous task of finishing it, I seriously felt that way most of the time and I wondered if I was wasting my time with it.

But the truth is, it was a fantastic book. Though complex and difficult to read, Tolstoy is able to highlight the issues of Russian society--the high standards set for women to be virtuous and innocent and the question that asks, "Is this society really good?" The view that I got from this book is that Tolstoy's society is poisonous, harmful and insidious. Though the people smile and compliment each other on the outside, they secretly have different, usually opposite feelings. Throughout the book, I felt Anna's strain to keep up a cheerful, cool demeanor in front of judging women who rejected her. I watched as the strain of looking happy and the realization that she was a social outcast changed Anna into a brilliant, bright woman into a jealous, depressed one.

The truth is, I hated Anna. I hated her because she got swept away by Vronsky's charm and dropped everything, including her little son and husband. Her husband, who had his own flaws, decided to forgive her for the affair and how did she repay his generosity? By hating him and saying that she couldn't stand his "magnanimity" because it ashamed her. Apparently, it "ashamed" her to the point that she decided to run away with Vronsky and leave her abandoned son and husband at home. Vronsky was also a douche who cared little about anyone else other than himself and Anna. He was charming and handsome but on the inside, I felt like he was an uncertain little boy who didn't know how to handle the mess he and Anna created.

But part of me wonders why I hated some of these character so. Is it because part of me sees the depravity and immorality that may exist in each one of us? Or maybe that I wished for a clean, good character but got flawed, fickle characters instead? And does the portrayal of Anna and Vronsky reflect real life people?

The answer is I don't know. This book twisted me into an awkward mess because I had no idea how to feel about it. I hated it, loved it and regretted it. The characters made so many mistakes, thought so many negative thoughts and were so fickle with love. The book was so long yet it was an incredible journey that gave me insight into the lives of these characters and Russian society. I don't know if I can say it is unforgettable but I understand why it is a classic.

Some quotes:

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”

“I think... if it is true that
there are as many minds as there
are heads, then there are as many
kinds of love as there are hearts.”

Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 22:02:00 +0000

Note:

Hey guys,

I'm so sorry I haven't been updating but I've been pretty busy. Namely going to Chicago and checking colleges out there. :) Of course, that is no excuse for abandoning this blog but again, sorry. But the positive side is that I just read a few amazing books on my way there and back. Check out my review for one of them!

My Rating:
4.5 OMG I <3 Alex and Scout stars

My Review:

There are a few choice words that I would like to say when I look at this book.

Mind blowing. Incredible. Heart breaking. Snarky. Realistic (well, as realistic as you can get with a book about werewolves).

Hold up, I know what you all are thinking. A WEREWOLF book. Cliché much, Star?

Yeah, that's what I thought too. But this book...is one of the best werewolves book ever. In fact, the werewolf aspect of it isn't even the center of the plot.

Destiny Binds revolves around the life of Harper Lee Donovan, nicknamed Scout. She is snarky, down to earth, witty and seriously cool. Seriously, this girl could probably talk a bear out of eating her. There were so many times that I burst out laughing at her comments that I got a few weird looks on the train.

Scout's life is pretty normal in the small town of Timber, Kentucky. She's got a best friend called Tally and a twin brother Jase who is just as sarcastic. She's also very in love with his best friend, Charlie. :) But when Alex and his older brother Liam comes to town, things begin to change.

Alex is charming, snarky and basically the male version of Scout. He's beautiful and at first, Scout can't believe that he likes her and that breaks my heart. Mainly because Scout thinks she isn't beautiful but Alex likes her for her wit and humor. I wish I had an Alex.

This book is about werewolves but I promise you, it is so much more than that. The characters in this book are so relatable, especially to how teenagers feel, that I couldn't help but fall in love with them all. It's about growing up, liking crushes and dealing with bullies and school. Though these instances aren't obvious, school was a big part of the story in Destiny Binds which I really liked because this IS about teenagers.

Earlier I said it was kind of heartbreaking. Guys, I mean, I shed a few tears reading this book because of how skillfully Tammy Blackwell brought around the tragedy. I'm not going to give it away but it threw me off because I was totally not expecting it. In that way, it was realistic because Tammy showed us that we can't always get a happy ending and that life will sometimes mess things up. I really liked that aspect because it gave the book a lot more depth.

If you're looking for a funny, quick read on a Friday night, read this. I loved the well rounded characters in this book and I hope you will too.

P.S. It's self published too! How the heck is a book this good self published?! Besides a few spelling errors that are expected from a self-published book, I think it's safe to say that Miss Tammy has done a great job.

Oh, and I've included a few snarky comments from Scout and her friends. :)

“Vampires? You think vampires are real? Seriously?"
"The werewolf is asking me if I believe in vampires?”

“There's an old adage about everything looking better in the morning light. I'm guessing that whoever thought of that had never been punched in the face.”

“Ground Control to Major Spazz. Can you hear me, Major Spazz?”

“John Davis smells like Play-Doh. When we were in elementary school, it wasn’t a big deal. I mean, we were kids. Play-Doh was pretty high on the awesome scale. But there comes a time when a guy should stop smelling like crafting supplies and develop a more manly scent, like campfire or gym floor.”

________________________________________

Find Destiny Binds on Goodreads!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 00:08:00 +0000

~~I have a curse~~
I have a gift

~~I am a monster~~
I'm more than human

~~My touch is lethal~~
My touch is power

~~I am their weapon~~
I will fight back

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.

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review: I would really like to say I loved this book because look at the cover. No, just LOOK AT IT. IT. IS. GORGEOUS. Dat eye doe.

Unfortunately, the contents of this book is not even close to being the level of kickass this cover is. The book is banal, boring and cliché. Half the time, I wanted to cut Juliette.

You've read the summary. Juliette's this really powerful girl with this lethal touch. Her power causes people to die, basically. I told you before that I like kickass powers. This girl has definitely got them. But she isn't actually kickass.

Because what would you do if you were locked away for murder? And you were extremely powerful? Like powerful enough to maybe blow this prison to bits? Girl, she doesn't even try.

The first, like, 100 pages are all of her sitting in her cell, moping around. Crying about how she's a monster, how she can't get over it, blah blah blah. Girl, get up on your feet, put your hands on the wall and blast this f*cker! She's got this power that she won't even use. If Adam (potential love interest) wasn't thrown in prison with her, I bet she would've stayed there for the rest of her life and this entire book would've been pointless. And the two books after it.

I didn't like her attitude. She made stupid decisions, acted like a freaking damsel in distress when she was probably the most powerful being in the world. But nooooo, she just wanted to think about her actions and REFLECT. What the hell is this? Talk about our feelings day?

I had really hoped that this would be a great book. You know, one of those books that are forever etched in your mind because of how awesome it is. Shatter Me was not one of those books. It will probably disappear from my mind the instant I post this review!

There's a potential for a love triangle. I sometimes like love triangles. Occasionally, they can be really well done and leave me hyperventilating over who my character should choose. However, most of the time they are stupid and a complete waste of time. Like choose one already!

The writing didn't stand out either. Like I'll take a bad plot and vapid characters but man, if the writing is sh*t, how am I supposed to love this book? There was just no personality. The author seemed to be just pulling characters out of her a*s and having them act the way she felt like it at the time. It just...wasn't pretty.

Shatter Me's love interests were boring. Just. Boring. Adam was a bore and the other guy who I can't even bother to remember the name of was less interesting than a snail. Adam was a flat character who was constantly nice to Juliette for no apparent reason (he knew she was a killing machine!) and the other guy was a supposed bad guy turned nice guy. Ugh, so cliché.

What a load of horse dung.

Oh, and there were a lot of references to birds for no reason.

Quotes:

'I don't know how to find the white bird.'

'There will be a bird today.'

'There will be a bird.'

'I'm the bird and I'm flying away.'

'Maybe a bird will fly today.'

'Birds used to fly.'

I've dreamt about the same bird flying through the same sky for exactly 10 years.'

'I glance at the window and wonder if I'll ever see a bird fly by.'

o_0

okay.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 21:05:00 +0000

My Rating:

4 stars

My Review:

The Other Boleyn Girl is an enchanting, insidious read. I don't read many historical novels mostly because I find the characters a bit boring and jaded. This book is a romance but it doesn't revolve around just that. The one thing that caught my attention when I saw this book was that it follows the life of the Boleyn family, a powerful family during King Henry VIII's reign. I'm sure you all know the infamous Anne Boleyn, one of the most influential rulers the world has seen. But you may not know the other Boleyn girl--her sister, Mary. While Mary did exist, keep in mind that this book is fiction but I found it interesting that the narrator was a girl on the sidelines of history.

I had hoped that Philippa Gregory would deliver this story in a poignant, special way. After all, doesn't everybody love hearing the great tales of the Tudor period? I was not disappointed.

Gregory delivers The Other Boleyn Girl with a certain poise and charm that most historical novels lack. In this genre, it is easy to get lost in the maze of old-fashioned ways and curtsies and bows. Gregory speaks through our honest protagonist, Mary Boleyn, a girl who wants nothing more than to fall in love with a good man and live a pleasant life. But this is not the path carved out for her. The family she comes from is cutthroat and ambitious and Mary is soon sucked into the tangled web of scheming and politics.

When she catches King Henry's attention, she is ordered by her uncle to become his mistress and tend to his sexual needs. Poor Mary is used by her family to further their own interests and gain the king's favor. Mary is very young, only a girl of fourteen, who becomes understandably swept away by Henry's intense attention and the lavish gifts he gives her. Soon, she finds herself falling in love with him, causing her sly sister, Anne Boleyn to become extremely jealous. But as Mary becomes pregnant with the king's child, the king begins to desire Anne. After a year, Mary finds herself invisible and her shrewd sister in the center of attention. Anne overwhelms Henry who overturns every law to satisfy her. And when she demands the queen's throne, the king is so besotted with her that he gives it to her. But not even the beautiful Anne could keep in the king's favor for long.

This book is about 500 pages long but I finished it within five hours. Let's just say I was completely immersed in the dangers of the court. And when I came out of the Tudor era, I found myself realizing how corrupt court was. It was constantly emphasized throughout the book that no matter how bright, how spirited or how kind you were, you were never safe. The king's word was the law. King Henry had the power to kill you without evidence of your crime if you were annoying him. For Anne Boleyn, keeping the king's attention required to appear confident, kind and spirited not just to him but to everyone. It was so stressful that when she came home and dropped her guard, Mary remarked that she would whisper witty retorts under her breath in her sleep. Court required the courtiers to always be on guard and trust no one.

Mary was one hell of a character. She was this kind, rather honest girl in the beginning but court and her family's schemes hardened her. In the end, she came out stronger and tougher but she remained fair to others. In the flurry of constant deceit and lies, Mary remained virtuous. I really liked her.

I would like to say I hated Anne but that would be untrue. Anne was one of my favorite characters in the book. She was corrupt, horrible, mean and selfish. Any step she took was for herself and nobody else. Anne used people, especially the people closest to her heart like Mary and their brother, George. I despised her for her wicked ways but couldn't help but admire her for how high she reached. The girl was just a courtier of a wealthy family and five years later, she sat in the throne next to the king. It is true that she got there by scheming and seduction. But she had me impressed.

The twisted rivalry between Mary and Anne was also interesting to see. Especially for me because I'm an only child. :) Though it seemed like they despised each other, at the same time they wanted to see each other succeed. This book just shows that the bond between sisters can never be broken, no matter how cruel and fraudulent one sister becomes. Mary still thought of her sister and Anne did as well.

I really liked this book. I may have a new appreciation for court intrigue after this. So many things were going on that you had to take in. The rumors that flowed like currency in court, the dangerous moods of King Henry and the English people. I loved how Gregory didn't make it just a shallow romance but that she added as many facets of the Tudor court to this book. She makes sure to add depth to her characters' every decision, emphasizing how much the dangers of the court influences their choices. This book is all about secrets, cover ups and appearance. One day you may be the favorite of the king and the next your head may be rolling down the steps of the scaffold.

Dark, intricate and complicated, The Other Boleyn Girl is a book worth reading.

.............................

Quotes:

“I was born to be your rival,' Anne said simply. 'And you mine. We're sisters, aren't we?”

“We might, either of us, be Queen of England and yet we'll always be nothing to our family.”

_________________________________________________

She lives in the North of England with her family and in addition to interests that include riding, walking, skiing and gardening (an interest born from research into the Tradescant family for her novel Virgin Earth) she also runs a small charity building wells in school gardens in The Gambia.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 18:59:00 +0000

My Rating: 1.5 stars

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this book. Some of my friends love it. Some of my friends want to crush this book into a million pieces and burn it.

Thirteen Reasons Why is about a teenage boy named Clay who receives a few cassette tapes on his porch one day. When he listens to them, he realizes that they are from Hannah, his crush who committed suicide a few weeks ago. Hannah lists thirteen reasons why she killed herself and Clay is among them. Some of his classmates are on the list as well. And as Clay listens to Hannah tell her story, he finds himself completely altered by her tale.

That is basically the summary from Amazon.

I read Thirteen Reasons Why three years ago. To a twelve year old who believes that anything with deep words and death is a good book, Thirteen Reasons Why is an amazing story. To twelve year old me, it was a tale that spoke to the hardships teens go through and how it affected one girl. I was bewitched by the awesome title--so deep!--and the gorgeous cover. I told all my friends how great this book was, how much it impacted me.

Then a few days ago, I saw this book in the library and decided to read it again. You know, in order to bring back some good feelings and have a good cry because it is a sad book. After I got through the first chapters, I felt like spearing Hannah in the stomach with a lance and throwing her off a cliff.

There are many days when I feel sad and blue. Days when I feel like the world is ending when my friend insults me or I trip and rip a gash in my wrist. There are bad days for everyone. That is basically what happened to Hannah: a bad day. But do you kill yourself because of a bad fall?

The reasons Hannah gave for killing herself are not the reasons for teens to kill themselves. I recently read a one-star review that pointed out this exactly: that teenagers would not commit suicide because of this. While it sucks that some bad things happened to Hannah, it should not be enough to cause her to kill herself. Though this may earn me some dirty looks and wide-eyed glances, I feel that this is something I must say.

I also disliked Jay Asher's writing style. It was an interesting idea to have Hannah speak through her cassette tape but it was way too confusing. I had no idea when Hannah's voice was talking or when Clay did something. The entire book was a mess and I didn't understand why twelve year old me had loved it so much. Speaking of Asher's writing style, Hannah was not someone I sympathized with. I am sure Asher was trying to paint her into an innocent, broken girl who was hit too many times by the cruelty of others. That did not happen.

The people that Hannah put on the list did not really do anything to her. For example, there is this one guy who cheated on her (he kissed someone else, I think) and Hannah put him on the list. Some other person was mean to her and boom, he was on the list as well. And Clay, the guy who liked her, who didn't even do anything cruel to her...he was on the list as well. Really?

I don't know how many times I can emphasize this: THESE ARE NOT GOOD REASONS FOR A TEEN TO KILL THEMSELVES. I have been cheated on, ditched, bullied at points in my life and while I felt down and sad, anger always pushed me back to my feet again. Smack the boy a few times on the cheek and get back up, girl! Another thing that made me mad was that her "tormentors" didn't even mean to do anything to hurt her. The boy who kissed another girl? He was just being a guy and a dick. The person who was mean to her? He wasn't trying to hurt her feelings. These tapes were not fair to the people she was mailing them to or Clay. I would understand if she was being bullied or pushed around for years or a long period of time but that wasn't it. It was just small things like a crush kissing someone else or a guy calling you fat one time.

This is life, Hannah. Life sucks and people are sometimes mean and insensitive but that doesn't mean you should end your own life because of them. There are bright patches and it sucked that she just couldn't see them.

It would make sense if Hannah had a condition or was mentally unstable. In that case, if the people who "tormented" her had known that and still acted rudely towards her, it would've been on them. But Asher did not portray her as such. She sounded like a normal girl--like you and me--but just whinier. No mental disabilities. No anxiety disorders. She wasn't even that sky. She was just...whiny.

The portrayal of Hannah throughout the whole book made me see her as an incredibly shallow, overly sensitive girl. These cassette tapes that supposedly taught its viewers her life story? They sounded like guilt trips. Every thing that Hannah went over a bump in the road, she blamed it on those people. Did she ever stop to think that her sending these cassette tapes to people might cause them to blame themselves for something that they had no part in? That they never meant to accidentally say something mean? That you yourself may scar others for life because of your selfish need to get revenge on people who did nothing to you in the first place? Hannah killed herself supposedly because of people's cruelty but isn't she hurting others by sending out these tapes? Such a f*cking hypocrite.

I hated this book. God, you know that 1.5 star was really hard to decide on because half of me wanted to dive into the book, bring Hannah back and throttle her myself. She caused nothing but drama and pain for the people she sent the tapes to and the book wasn't even realistic. I gave it an extra 0.5 star because my best friend loves it. Nothing more.

OH and SPEAKING OF REALISTIC. The guidance counselor. In the middle of the book, Hannah goes to the guidance counselor as one last shot to save herself. She is hesitant and tries to talk to the counselor about her wanting to commit suicide. Now the counselor knows that something is up with Hannah but because she isn't forthcoming with it, he dismisses her. What the f*ck?? Who the f*ck would let a girl contemplating killing herself walk away without helping them. Hannah talks about how she walks away slowly in order to give the counselor another chance to help her. He doesn't.

If Jay Asher is trying to show how crappy and stupid people are, he's done a wonderful job. But the guidance counselor? It's a step too far. In a realistic novel, I am sure no guidance counselor would ever refuse to help a student, inept or not.

This book is a cold, horrible and so unrealistic. It is like fantasy but even fantasy is better than this piece of sh*t.

However, like I've said before, lots of controversy. If anything of you guys like this book, let me know. Explain to me. Maybe I'm being a little too harsh on what is, at its highest point, a mediocre book.

_______________________________________________________________

Jay Asher has worked at an independent bookstore, an outlet bookstore, a chain bookstore, and two public libraries. He hopes, someday, to work for a used bookstore. When he is not writing, Jay plays guitar and goes camping. Thirteen Reasons Why is his first published novel.

The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 18:19:00 +0000

My Rating: 4.5 stars

My Review:

The Sweet Gum Tree is a haunting, beautiful, heart-breaking, lovely, soul-healing novel. Ms. Allred has done a terrific job with it because this book is so touching that it heals your heart.

The Sweet Gum Tree is a story that spans over ten years and it is from the point of view of a little girl called Alix French. She comes from a very respectable family with a unflappable mother and her two fussy aunts. The respectability of the French family is mostly derived from her grandfather whom she calls Judge because he was a judge. One day, when the Judge is fixing his car, Alix meets Nick, a boy two years older than him. And when she sees the scars from a belt buckle on his back, she can't help but try to help him.

While other kids may be scared of Nick's closed off demeanor, Alix is determined to help this boy. The further Nick retreats, the more Alix chases him, inviting him to a picnic and introducing him to her mother. I love it when Nick finally realizes that Alix will never stop and gives up. He becomes her closest friend and her protector through the years of growing up.

But it ends all too quickly. When Nick is accused of shooting his father, he is given the choice to join the army or face jail time. He chooses the army, leaving teenage Alix behind.

“No one should have to go through life with only half a heart,” he whispered.”

As the years go by, Alix retreats within herself, walling herself away, even from the ones closest to her heart. She stops sharing secrets with her best friend, Jenna. She divorces her husband, Hugh. It saddens me to watch the old, bright Alix slowly fade away, leaving nothing but a cold, stern woman with haunted eyes behind.

And when Nick finally returns, many years later, Alix is so closed-off that he can't even get to her. It makes you wonder: What made her like this? What happened while Nick was gone? Why has Alix become like this?

Alix is a beautiful, multifaceted character. She can be cruel at points and she makes some big mistakes but who doesn't? I love it when the characters are realistic because there is no such thing as a perfect person. The things that Alix experience, the memories that Allred highlights are especially important because they are a reflection of our lives. Whether you're a teenager or an adult, you have or are experiencing a part of Alix's life. In that way, Allred makes the book very relatable, giving us realistic characters who make mistakes.

Nick is a beautiful man. He's beautiful on the outside but he is also gorgeous on the inside. He is always kind, fair and generous which is incredible considering his father abused him for years. His heart is so big that he has the ability to love everyone. But I love him most for his faithfulness to Alix. Through it all, he has always seen Alix as the one for him. When she didn't realize it, he reminded her. Separate, they were great people but together, they were spellbinding.

There are a few reasons why I loved this enchanting book. Number one: Katherine Allred's writing is personal and honest. It gives us a feeling of the simplicity of life, of living in the South and its society. Of a little girl named Alix trailing behind her grandfather, listening with wide eyes to his stories. Of Nick and Alix meeting for the first time. It's a very clean feeling and I really liked it which is ironic since this book is all about secrets and cover ups.

The second reason this book hit me hard is the length of it. Not just the number of pages but the time it spans. Like I've said, it envelopes a big section of Alix's life, from when she is seven, to when she is in her thirties. Each part of her life is explored in depth and while I love it when authors give you a little peek into the childhood of their character, I love it even more when we get to really experience their childhood. In the case of The Sweet Gum Tree, Alix's teenage years are really given details and I felt like I was right beside her as she discovered boys and things about herself. In that regard, Allred makes Alix's story come alive, creating a journey for us all.

Last reason: the symbolism. Oh, Katherine Allred is an expert at tugging at your heartstrings. Every time she described the setting, I felt like I was looking in on the scene as it was happening. But what I enjoyed the most was the symbolism. You may have wondered at the title. The sweet gum tree is a big symbol for Nick and Alix and their intertwined lives. It stands for strength, honesty and truth to the very end. In spite of hardship and time, Nick and Alix found their way back to each other. The sweet gum tree is a symbol of their great love and courage because "the deep red wood stays true to its nature."

I adored seeing everything the characters did.

I treasured this book.

I really encourage you guys to try it! And please comment if anything comes to mind!

..................................................................

Quotes:

"You can’t turn love on and off like a light switch, no matter how hard you try. All you can do is wall it off, one brick at a time, until you’ve created an impenetrable fortress around your emotions. And once that fortress is built, you camouflage it so well that even you can’t see it anymore.”

“Lies and half-truths hurt not only the liar, but the people they love most.”

“But we southerners know that you can insult someone as much as you want so long as you add that "bless her heart" to the end of your comment.”

“He always was someone. Because the core of the sweet gum tree never changes. Like Nick, the deep red wood stays true to its nature. Strong, and steady, and pure.”

_______________________________________________

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 00:30:00 +0000

Summary (from Goodreads): Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...

My Rating: 4.5 stars

My Review: GRACELING! GRACELING! GRACELING!

Gosh can you believe it? Even the author's name is cool. Kristin. Cashore. Sounds like something from a fantasy novel. And the title? Awesome.

Graceling is a wild ride. It's a truly amazing book. Let me explain why.

In this fantasy world that Ms. Kashore has created, there are people called Gracelings. Like the summary above reads, these people are rare and held in high regard because they've got a skill in one area. So you could have a person who plays piano extremely well and is crap at other things. Anyway, they are experts at their area. (Get this: Gracelings have different colored eyes. That is cool.)

Katsa is the niece of the king but she is also Graced with killing. Her Grace was discovered at a pretty early age when she shoved her relative's nose into his brain, killing him. Although that is kind of gross, it's also incredibly badass. Unfortunately, because of her Grace, her uncle sees that as an advantage to terrorize his enemies.

Like I've said before, world building is always a big deal for me. Ms. Cashore shapes a world with descriptive words and her writing flows very nicely and smoothly. Katsa is pretty chill and calm, the sort of thing you would find in a king's assassin and I love her for that. She's completely fearless and is willing to face anything...except for when it comes to Po.

If there is one word that sums up Katsa's and Po's relationship it is sweet. It was cute and charming because Katsa, the girl who can kill someone without even trying--is completely flustered by Po. He is funny and debonair and he is Graced with fighting skills. So he's a pretty darn good fighter.

Instantly, you feel the chemistry between Katsa and Po and it gives me the incredible urge to giggle. Ugh, can you believe it. I never giggle.

This book is just nonstop action. Like I've said before and will say again. Awesome.

One thing that poked at me, one thing I'm sure others have also pointed out, is that Katsa rejects anything "girly". While it is fine to be a tomboy and hate wearing dresses, it is almost like Katsa scorns other girls that like "girly" things. She's like a radical feminist. In that regard, I find the book to be a little lacking because someone can wear dresses, like pink things and still be a feminist. In the end, feminism is about advocating to be a woman with equal rights as a man--not about what a woman wears.

But besides that little flaw, the book was very good. The pacing, the fights, the little scenes between Po and Katsa were all perfect. Good job, Ms. Cashore.

_____________________________________________________

Kristin Cashore grew up in the northeast Pennsylvania countryside as the second of four daughters. She received a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a master's from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, and she has worked as a dog runner, a packer in a candy factory, an editorial assistant, a legal assistant, and a freelance writer. She has lived in many places (including Sydney, New York City, Boston, London, Austin, and Jacksonville, Florida), and she currently lives in the Boston area. Graceling, her first book, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Fire is her second book.

The Summer Remains by Seth King

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 16:33:00 +0000

Summary (from Goodreads):

Twenty-four-year-old Summer Johnson knows two things. The first is that due to a quickly worsening medical condition, she faces a risky surgery in three months’ time that may or may not end in her death. The second is that she would like to fall in love before then.

As spring sinks into her namesake season on the Florida coastline, Summer plays the odds and downloads a new dating app - and after one intriguing message from a beautiful surfer named Cooper Nichols, it becomes clear that the story of what may be her last few months under the sun is about to be completely revised. All she has to do now is write something worth reading.

Tender, honest, devastating and triumphant, The Summer Remains explores a very human battle being waged in a very digital age: the search for a love that will outlast this temporary borrowing of bones. In an era when many feel compelled to share and re-share anything about everything, prepare to feel a love so special, you will want to hug it close and make it yours forever.

Rating: 5 stars

My Review:

Oh. My. God. This book destroyed me.

Shattered me.

Annihilated me.

Then it built me back up again.

I've already given you guys an idea of my ideal books and characters. From the books I've posted so far, you can tell I love action, amazing female leads and a hot guy wrapped around their fingers. But I also LOVE complicated situations, impossible odds and undying love.

And The Summer Remains? Made me cry like a baby.

There is so much I want to say about this book, I'm afraid I won't be able to get to it all. Oh goodness, the feelings coursing through me while I read this book...were incredible. I felt so much within the span of five hours. Seth King is a genius. If his goal was to rip out the heart of his readers...he got that on pat.

Summer Johnson is a twenty-four-year old with a serious throat condition. It means that her throat is broken. She can't eat food like us and is forced to have a tube drilled in her stomach for the sustenance--milk--she needs to stay alive. Her divorced mother constantly hovers over her and her father has never given a crap about her. I know if it were me, I'd be wailing and sulking about my life, about how cruel the universe is for giving me this condition.

Not Summer. Summer is strong, brave and I love everything about her. Sure, she doesn't know karate, tae kwon do or any of those other badass martial arts but she is nevertheless strong. She never lets her body's shortcomings get her down. She doesn't complain about her broken throat. She's humorous, sarcastic and amazing. She is quietly strong, always believing that she can survive this.

So when Summer is told that her odds are near impossible right before the beginning of summer, she is shocked. And when her doctor tells her that her only chance of survival is a surgery that is extremely risky, Summer knows exactly what she wants to do with her may-be limited time. She wants to have an amazing summer. No trips to Macchu Picchu. No skiing in Alaska. Just a nice summer by the beach and maybe fall in love.

She isn't expected Cooper Nichols. Cooper bursts into her world in a blaze of intensity, light and color. He is equally sarcastic, extremely funny and incredibly philosophical. He asks Summer these questions, questions about life, death and religion. But he's not perfect either. Cooper has scars and instantly, he sees Summer as something special. They have these long discussions and as a lover of philosophy myself, I almost squealed every time it happened. He and Summer are a match made in heaven.

But what amazed me more about this book is that this is no ordinary romance book. A central part of it is Cooper and Summer but Seth King is also sending an important message. Like I said before, Summer has a throat condition and a tube in her stomach. This means she looks different. Not ugly but different. She has insecurities like every other girl but her condition makes it worse.It saddens me so much to see her degrade herself in her head. She knows she is funny but she never thinks she is beautiful.

Summer doesn't post on Facebook, Twitter, etc. because she feels that she is ugly. And she knows it's stupid. She sees other girls are posting about their hair, boyfriends and marriage to their soul mate and she thinks it's shallow. But it doesn't stop her for longing for a simple life like that. For a life without an impending surgery and possible death.

However, as the book goes on, Summer realizes the true importance of life. Facebook, Twitter and other social media? They don't matter. We, today, especially teenagers, post things about our picture-perfect life, our happiness and other bubbly things. But do they really exist? Are we living behind a facade of perfection? Is social media just a way to show that we are beautiful, happy people?

The way Seth King interweaves this message throughout the entire book causes me to feel breathless. There is an echo of this question throughout Summer and Cooper's entire journey and it truly resonates with me.

I'm not going to give away any more details because this book is magnificent and everyone has to read it but I'll say this: Summer and Cooper are forever. They are two parts of a whole and when they collide, I love the feelings they feel, the love they show each other and their impossible courage.

This book is amazing. It's introspective, philosophical, romantic, hilarious and so, so beautiful. The strength that these two show in the face of the jaded world, divorced parents and the pretense of perfection, is inspiring. They bring something completely new to the scene and I am so thankful I found this book. It is a masterpiece.

“But whatever happened, I knew I’d always have this summer, and that first night on the pier under the stars, with the waves surging around us, when we both glowed. And armed with that, I was not afraid. This summer, and this life, had been a privilege. I was sure of that.”

I've given this book a five star. It is the only rating it deserves.

Hands down. The best book I've read in the last two years.

.............................

Quotes:

“Life's supposed to be a little hard. If your life is too easy, you're doing it wrong.”

“You’re beautiful, and beautiful things don’t demand attention. It just gravitates to them.”

“If a writer falls in love with you, you can never die.”
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Seth King is a twenty-five-year-old American author. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 01:01:00 +0000

Summary (from goodreads):

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Rating: 4 stars

My Review:

Angelfall is about a girl named Penryn living in a post-apocalyptic world with her mother and wheelchair bound sister. Her dad is out of the picture (I don't know where the heck he is) and Penryn struggles to keep her little family alive. The world is now full of the "angels of the apocalypse" (they have nothing to do with God) and the modern world we know today has shattered.

So when Penryn rescues a wounded angel, I was like, "Girl, what are you doing? Sure he's hot but oh look, there goes your sister!" Penryn's little sister, Paige is carried off by the warrior angels the wounded angel was fighting with. Naturally, Penryn yells and screams at the wounded angel when they fly away with her sister. (That was a little unnecessary. It was your choice to rescue him!)

Anyways, Penryn returns to her senses soon enough and decides to nurse the angel, Raffe, back to health. Of course this was no pure-hearted act, she just wanted him healthy enough to beat the information out of him. Just kidding.

Like I've said before, I'm enchanted with awesome, courageous heroines and Penryn proves herself to be one. She doesn't give up and forces Raffe to help her find her sister. The road is dangerous, full of bloodthirsty angels, gangs and other bad stuff. But Raffe is there to protect her, right? Nope.

This girl's fighting moves are my favorite part of the book. Ms. Ee describes her as a girl of average height yet she can bust out some serious moves. Penryn is also pretty street-smart so many times when she's in a difficult situation, she makes the right decisions. Fighting someone? Don't got a weapon? Use a set of wings to pretend you are an angel. Yeah. Pretty. Awesome.

Raffe is a beautiful man. Or angel. Either way, he's a beautiful specimen. The way Ms. Ee describes him makes me want to drool. He's also courageous like Penryn but in a quiet kind of way. The Silent Hero. Sigh.

Anyway, this book was pretty good. It has action, romance, fighting, desperation and all the little goodies. It's a dark book so you do have scenes with blood spurting. If you're not into that, you should still read it. You can flip past those parts.

All in all, I give this book a four star. There were awesome fight scenes and cute moments between Raffe and Penryn but I sometimes found Penryn a little annoying. The scene where she kicked Raffe for his little buddies (not buddies, they were beating him to a pulp) because her sister got carried off? That was NOT Raffe's fault. He can't help it if you go rushing in, abandoning your sister to save him! There were just these little parts that I didn't find as funny as Ms. Ee wanted to. However, she does redeem herself with some clever decisions and courageous thoughts.

P.S. One thing you should all know about me is that I am a very picky reader. There are some books that when I flip through the first few pages, I sigh and I think, "What is this author doing?" I'm judgmental as f*ck. Sorry.

Anyway, read this book! It's pretty awesome! Amazon

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Susan Ee is a USA Today bestselling author of the Penryn & the End of Days trilogy, ANGELFALL, WORLD AFTER, and END OF DAYS. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages, and her short films have played at major festivals. She used to be a lawyer but loves being a writer because it allows her imagination to bust out and go feral.

Sign up to hear about her next book at www.susanee.com or follow her on Twitter @Susan_Ee.

(PPS Let me just say right now that many of these books I have read in the past. However, I do go back and read them again so that my memory is pretty fresh. However, after my summer rush is over, I will get to reading the new books!)

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 18:39:00 +0000

Summary (from goodreads):

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

Rating: 5 stars

My Review:

Let me just say right here and now...that THIS BOOK IS THE BOMB!!!! (cue firework noises)

When I first picked up The Immortal Rules, I was like, "Oh, okay. Ms. Kagawa wrote this." By this time, I had already devoured her Iron Fey series and was completely in love with the characters. So I open the book and BOO-YAH! I see it is about vampires.

Now let me tell you something about books about vampires. You got the Twilight saga, the Vampire Diaries series, etc. Some of my friends love Twilight and I acknowledge them for that. However, I am not a vampire gal fan. Before you guys jump me, let me just say I respect all of you who read the vampire books listed but you won't find me panting to get a hold of these books.

So you can imagine how surprised I am that Ms. Kagawa had written a vampire book. And because it is the amazing Ms. Kagawa, I found myself opening the book and reading the first pages. In my head I was wondering: Can she pull this off? Can she create a kickass, fantasy world full of crazed vampires and humans trying to survive?

The answer: HELL YES.

This woman has done a spectacular job with this book. So good that I even did a book talk on it for my English assignment. And when I do a book talk on a book, you know it means something good. :)

The book is about a girl named Allie Sekemoto who lives in a dark, future world where vampires rule. (I never thought the phrase, "vampires rule" would ever pass my lips.) But it happens. The world is now a faded shell of what it used to be with deserted cars and abandoned houses everywhere. Humanity has fallen and now the supernatural has taken over.

There are a few cities left in the world and they are run by vampires. No humans live outside because the world is overrun with rabids, these hunch-backed monsters that will tear you to shreds. The surviving humans all live in the cities but here's where things get complicated. There are two types of humans who live in these cities. They are the Unregistered and Registered. Registered humans are allowed to have food, water and shelter but ONLY if they give their blood to vampires on a monthly basis. They are the ones treated like cattle. Blood cattle.

Then you got the Unregistered. The humans that live on the edge of the cities that do not share their blood with the vampires. They are not allowed food and shelter--they have to find it on their own. Serious consequences arise if you are caught stealing.

Our main character, Allie, is an Unregistered. The one thing I love most about her is how strong she is. Not just physically (she does have muscles) but she is mentally robust as well. She laughs in the face of danger and does what is necessary. She is street-smart and cool and I want to be her best friend.

But of course, things go awry and on one such hunt for food, Allie is bitten and becomes a vampire. From then on, she becomes the supernatural and hates herself for it. Then, like the summary above says, she has to leave the city, the only home she knows.

I don't want to give away too much but this book is a heart-pounding, relentless, action-filled journey. You are literally there with Allie, fighting alongside her against the rabids and other dangers. And gosh...don't even get me started on the world-building. Some authors can make you feel like you're right there, in that dark world of theirs. Julie Kagawa is one of them. She builds an entirely different vision of Earth with the five senses and the result is incredible.

Last thing I'll say is that there IS romance, peeps. It is slow building and you may feel like, "Gosh, when is she going to get with him?" but it happens. I also love that this book is not completely focused on the love interest but Allie herself. Her internal dilemmas. Her self-hatred. Her uncertainty about what type of vampire she is. It is really nice to see her struggle with this (I know, this sounds sadistic) because I love seeing inside the minds of my favorite characters. And Allie is definitely one of them.

READ. IT. It is a great book and don't judge it because it is about vampires. I almost made that mistake.

Buy The Immortal Rules on Amazon! Or get a closer look on Goodreads!

________________________________________________________________

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn't getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time (okay, at least the illustrations did), but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a
real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, an obnoxious cat, an Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and a hyper-active Papillion.

Legend by Marie Lu

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 04:18:00 +0000

Summary (from Goodreads):
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Rating:
4 stars

My Review:
There are a few dystopian books that are way up there on my list. For example, Divergent and Insurgent are up there. As is the Razorland Series by Ann Aguirre. One thing that I really loved about this book was the switching point of views between Day and June, the two main characters (aaanddd...dun, dun, dun...the two love interests). From the very beginning, we've got action speeding us through the book and that's also something that I really liked. Lu's ability to thrust us right into action and the lives of the characters is impressive. Back to the plot.

So like the summary says, June and Day are from opposite worlds in this big government called the Republic. One is rich and the other comes from the slums. So it makes sense that they should never meet right? Nope. When June's brother is murdered, June sets out to avenge his death. Guess who the main suspect is?

Ding, ding, ding. It's Day! June and Day soon meet and it's in a beautiful clash that makes my tummy tingle. Right from the start, June feels something for Day and vice versa but they refuse to admit it which is kinda adorable. :) I'm not going to give away too much of the book but it's a pretty great book. To switch between two characters with different personalities and ideas is a hard thing to do. I commend Lu on doing a nice job with showing June's wariness and closed off personality.

Another thing I really enjoyed is the setting. You got this contrast between the poor and the rich and the schism between them. The tension is strong as each resents the other. Though Lu did a great job with world building, I would've liked to see more vivid descriptions because that would've, in my opinion, strengthened the book.

Also, for the romance between June and Day, I really liked the pace it went at. With some books, you have the characters falling in love immediately and others, where it NEVER PICKS UP. Here, we get a slight buildup but not too slow as the mystery of Metias's death is slowly revealed. Which is great! We can all fall in love...together. (I don't know. Don't judge.)
Lastly, Metias's mysterious circumstances is slowly unravelled. We never really get to meet him but I like how well Lu shows us piece by piece the circumstances of his murder. It keeps questions flowing. Who murdered him? Why? And what did they want to do in the grander scheme of things?

All in all, I enjoyed Legend. It was a fast-paced read and I read it in about three hours. I have read the other books in the series as well and I may blog about them, too! Keep a look out!

You can buy Legend on Amazon!

_______________________________________________________________

Marie Lu (www.marielu.org) is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Legend, Prodigy, and Champion, as well as The Young Elites. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin's Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

Paladin by Sally Slater

noreply@blogger.com (Serena Cai) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 01:21:00 +0000

Summary (from goodreads):
Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam of Haywood is the most promising Paladin trainee in the kingdom of Thule… and knows it. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, and if her father has his way, she’ll be marrying a Paladin, not becoming one.

But Sam has never held much interest in playing damsel-in-distress, and so she rescues herself from a lifetime of boredom and matrimonial drudgery. Disguised as a boy, Sam leaves home behind to fight demons-—the most dangerous monsters in Thule—-alongside the kingdom’s elite warriors. Pity that Tristan Lyons, the Paladin assigned to train her, is none other than the hero of her childhood. He hasn’t recognized her–yet–but if he does, he’ll take away her sword and send her packing.

Sam is not the only trainee hiding secrets: Braeden is a half-demon with a dark past that might be unforgivable. Whether he can be trusted is anyone’s guess, including his.

As demons wreak havoc across the land, rebellion stirs in the West, led by a rival faction of warriors.

A war between men is coming, and Sam must pick a side. Will saving the kingdom cost her life–or just her heart?

My rating: 4.5 stars

My Review: Alright. This is going to be a long one. I have many things to say. Good things because this book is INCREDIBLE.

World-building? Check.
Strong female lead? Check.
Hot guy with awesome hair? Love interest that isn't actually a love interest? Swords and knives and daggers? Check, check, check.

I am a voracious reader. I devour books day and night, sometimes reading into the early hours of the morning. I've read tons and tons of books. But this book...this book is one of the best YA novels I've ever read. Three cheers for Sally Slater!

She has done a wonderful job.

Okay, now that I've seriously praised this magnificent book, let's talk plot. As the summary above kindly states, Paladin is about a boy...who is actually a girl. At first, when I picked up the book, I thought, "Uh-huh. Another Mulan-ish book." Nope, it's so much better than that!

Sam is the daughter of a duke with dreams. She doesn't want to be cooped up at home, watching the babies and cleaning up their puke. She wants to be out there in the world, fighting the demons that exist in her kingdom Thule. She wants to be a Paladin, a demon fighter.

However, all Paladins are male. There is no such thing as a female Paladin because in this kingdom, females are inferior to men. Sexists.

So Sam, being the strong, awesome gal she is, decides that she wants to become a Paladin. She dresses up like a boy and heads off to train to become a Paladin. The one thing I love about her throughout the book is how strong she is. How determined she is. This determination is what sees her through the many dangers and obstacles she faces. There are reasons for why she ultimately makes the decision but you'll have to read the book to find out!

Paladin school is where we meet the other main characters in the book. Braeden is a half-demon who is filled with the need for revenge against the demons. Tristan Lyons is a Paladin and he becomes the trainer of both Sam and Braeden.

Okay, these boys are hot. Not only are their bodies amazing in the book but they have such good hearts. Braeden is a total sweetheart and underneath the scary appearance, he's a marshmallow. ^_^ As for Tristan, he is kind and just and half the time I was reading, I just wanted to hug them hard.

Anyways, Sam and Braeden become formidable warriors just like Tristan. When they are sent on a mission by their commander to scout out a rival demon fighting group, things begin to change. Tensions, feelings and suspicions that Sam is not who she says she is.

However, I have to say I am totally Team Braeden. He's kickass from the very start and he doesn't need Tristan to teach him any new things about fighting. Sam and him become very good friends.

Basically, this book is just a whirlwind of adventure and action, sprinkled with bits of romance just enough to make me hug the nearest pillow. I'm not going to tell you which love interest she ends up with but let's just say, they make a really cute couple. :) After I finished the book, I scrolled back to their little moments and reread them. Three times.

The only thing I wanted more of was more into Sam's early life. Like I've said before, I'm not going to tell you the reasons she left to be a Paladin but I would've liked it if there were some more in depth descriptions and lingering moments when she remembered things from her past.

There are not many books that really give me a good vibe. Ones that make me smile and laugh as I read and feel myself fighting alongside the main character. The fact that this book exists is impressive. The fact that this is Sally's FIRST book? That's a miracle.

Paladin is a wonderful book to get lost in and I really recommend it. Thanks for giving us a world to escape to, Sally.

You can buy this book on Amazon!

P.S. I heard Sally was also writing a sequel so I can't wait to dig into that!
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Sally Slater is a writer and the author of Paladin, a fantasy adventure novel that has garnered over 10.5 million reads on the social networking platform for readers and writers, Wattpad. Her writing has also appeared in The Huffington Post and The Sydney Morning Herald's Daily News.When she's not writing, Sally is a public relations professional at a strategic communications and advisory firm in New York City. She also dabbles in CrossFit and firmly believes that women in both real life and fiction should be strong.