Madelyne Summers is 17 years old and about to begin the summer before her senior year. She’s popular and cool and on the cheerleading team. BUT she has a secret! SHE LIKES COMIC BOOKS! GASP! In real life, I am not sure this would be such a huge deal but who knows I might be out of touch given that I am an old. Anyways, Maddie keeps her love of comic books on the down low because when she was a little kid she entered a costume contest dressed as one of her favorite super heroes and ended up being totally made fun of. Obviously that stuff is scarring, so she decided to totally change and become cool. When the very last issue of her favorite comic book comes out, Maddie has to absolutely have it, only it’s backordered and it won’t secretly come to her house from the internet SO Maddie has to go to the local comic book shop, only omg what if someone sees her? In disguise, she goes to grab an issue only to come across Logan, a cute boy in her class working at the store. Y’all, this is about to get complicated! You see, Logan is not in the popular crowd and Maddie dates the star quarterback but yo, she is so attracted to Logan. AND SO, she begins hanging out with him in secret and he lets her in on the nerdy side of Natchitoches, Louisiana. And the central question is who is the real Maddie? Popular Maddie or nerdy Maddie?

Straight up, I was okay with Madelyne Summers. On the one hand, I found her kind of annoying because she had this huge need to hide her interests and was totally fake with her friends. On the other hand, I could identify with her because it’s not like I am entirely forthcoming about my blog — I mean, if people ask I tell them and most of my friends know. However, I am not exactly linking it on my personal facebook or linkedin or anything. I do get it, I get why Maddie feels like she can’t tell people she’s into fantasy and video games as she was totally burned by it. Yet, much like Logan I found that I was losing patience with her. Alas, not everyone is okay with letting their freak flags fly and as a reader, I am learning to be okay with that when it comes to characters. OH OH but I did like how The Summer I Became A Nerd allowed Maddie to be both a cheerleader AND someone who liked reading and comics. AND that it did not fall back on that stupid cheerleaders and football players are evil and mean and awful people stereotype. Huzzah for breaking the mold!

Now, if you are a total nerd or know people with nerd-like tendencies Leah Rae Miller’s voice might cause you to flail with excitement when you experience the recognition of your kind. First off, there is LARPing in this book. You guys, LARP means live action role play and it is seriously the nerdiest thing ever. LOL when I was in college one of my roommates and his girlfriend at the time were into that and LOL I just remember they had this giant staff made out of cardboard. I don’t even know, you guys.  Then again, I can’t judge too hard because I think Tony used to LARP when he was a kid. Soooo yeah. BUT that’s okay this is a judgment free zone and if you are into that kind of thing, you’ll probably like this book as it celebrates those interests. ALSO, another cool thing about it is that it does not condemn people who like video games and comic books, so big ups to that. I thought Miller did a fine job illustrating hobbies that I am not intimately familiar with.

The romance in The Summer I Became A Nerd is alright but leaves me conflicted. You see, when Maddie gets her crush on Logan, she’s already dating someone else. To me it is not okay to send off flirt vibes and I AM INTERESTED vibes when you are in a relationship with someone else. The right thing to do is dump the person who is wrong for you, even though it’s not an easy experience and then go for it with the other person. This aside, I liked Logan. He is a genuinely nice guy who does not give a fig what anyone else thinks. He’s one of the coolest characters in the book because he does seem wise beyond his years. However, he does have his jerk moments. Alas, he’s a normal teenage boy and those happen. ALSO. There’s some kissing in this book FYI but nothing that goes beyond that.

If y’all are down for a fun, quick read with a cute romance and a just be yourself moral, pick up a copy of The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leigh Rae Miller.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller:

Pinkindle – “could not have come at a better time for me”
Clear Eyes, Full Shelves – “I’d give this to teens (and middle-schoolers) in a heartbeat”
Quinn’s Book Nook – “I recommend borrowing it from the library”

As always Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.

What’s on your summer reading list? Drop your link in the comments and I will be sure to check your post out.

It’s not just the future that holds its citizens hostage to an authority willing to sacrifice the needs of the many for the elevation of the few.  It is not a new concept (or a future one) that wishes to control the minds, bodies, actions and reproduction of the people.  We—as humans—have been creating dystopian societies for centuries, which is perhaps why we are so good at imagining a future world where they have taken over.

The word utopia was invented during Henry VIII’s reign by Sir Thomas More, Henry’s advisor and confidant.  It means an imagined place where everything is perfect.  Interesting that More was the one to think of it, as he was one of the victims of the opposite—the Tudor dystopia.

Dystopian societies are usually fictional.  They are often societies run by a totalitarian government that dehumanizes its citizens and views love as an inconvenience.  The community is characterized by squalor, oppression, disease and overcrowding.  Aside from the “fictional” aspect, any and all of these ideas can be identified in Tudor England.

Like the peasants, who worked their asses off to feed their children, but also had to feed the rich, the church, and the unceasing wars.

Or the priests and monks, who thought they had entered a life of spiritual endeavor, fed and supported by the faithful, only to be thrown out on the streets when Henry decided that system of religion no longer worked for him.

Or the city dwellers, forced to live in crowded conditions along streets lined with refuse and excrement and teeming with plague-bearing rats.  Even the river reeked from rubbish and dross.

If you look at the dystopian novels of today, you can see ringing similarities to the lives of the Tudors.

In Delirium, Lauren Oliver writes of a world in which there is a cure for “love”, and that emotion has basically been eradicated.  The Tudors lived in a world where love was unimportant, where they had no choice who they would marry and where parents gave their children up at a young age to be raised by others.  One of the tragedies of Oliver’s world was that parents didn’t bond with their kids.  I can’t help but think that certain Tudors had the same issue.

Megan McCaffrey creates a future world in Bumped where teen girls are prized for their ability to reproduce.  In Tudor times, a woman’s worth was tied to her womb and her ability to bear children—especially boys.  Girls as young as twelve were given to older men in order to ensure this happened.  And, as Henry proved, a woman who failed to get pregnant could be easily expendable.

Tudor girls had to accept the man their parents—or guardians, or society—chose for them, just like Cassia in Ally Condie’s Matched.  So what happened when they fell in love with someone else?  Anne Boleyn faces this problem in Tarnish.

In The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe, an epidemic kills indiscriminately.  The Black Plague was a huge fear for the Tudors—often wiping out entire communities.  So were tuberculosis, smallpox, and something called the “sweating sickness” that these days we no longer have to fear.   Anne Boleyn got “the sweat” in the mid 1520s and almost died—Henry was so afraid of contagion that he wouldn’t even visit her.  And her daughter, Elizabeth, was scarred by small pox.  Even for the rich and relatively sheltered, it was a very real fear.

And in many dystopian novels (including The Hunger Games and Divergent), people are partitioned into specific districts or factions based on wealth, skill, class, evolution or simple luck.  We modern Westerners like to think we live in a classless society, but even we can see echoes today of Tudor England (and beyond), where position and family meant everything and woe betide the person who tried to break free.  Once within the confines of the court, a girl was living basically inside a walled city.  Her actions and interactions were dictated to her and she was required to spend all day every day in service to someone else.

In Tarnish, Anne Boleyn is trying to break free of the shackles of her dystopian society by using her wit, charm, intelligence and sex appeal.  She may not be able to wield a bow and arrow like Katniss or kick ass like Tris, but she operates within her own set of standards and pushes back when necessary.

In any society—modern, historical, or futuristic—it is difficult to break out of the pigeon holes people place us in.  The true heroes are the ones who try.  Whether or not they succeed is up to history.

About Tarnish:

“Anne Boleyn is the odd girl out. Newly arrived to the court of King Henry VIII, everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her manners to her witty but sharp tongue. So when the dashing poet Thomas Wyatt offers to coach her on how to shine at court—and to convince the whole court they’re lovers—she accepts. Before long, Anne’s popularity has soared, and even the charismatic and irresistible king takes notice. More than popularity, Anne wants a voice—but she also wants love. What began as a game becomes high stakes as Anne finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between her heart’s desire and the chance to make history”

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/The Book Depository

About Katherine:

Katherine Longshore grew up on the northern California coast. At university, she created her own major in Cross-Cultural Studies and Communications, planning to travel and write. Forever. Four years, six continents and countless pairs of shoes later, she went to England for two weeks, stayed five years and discovered history. She now lives in California with her husband, two children and a sun-worshiping dog.

Website/Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

Giveaway:

1 winner will receive A pair of Anne Boleyn inspired earrings and a signed Hardcover of Tarnish
2 winners will receive signed copies of Tarnish

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Tour Schedule:
6/10/2013 Tales of a Ravenous Reader- Guest Post
6/11/2013 Hobbisites- Interview
6/12/2013 Mundie Moms- Guest Post
6/13/2013 Literary Exploration- Review
6/14/2013 Confessions of a Book Addict- Review
6/17/2013 Good Books and Good Wine- Guest Post
6/18/2013 Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
6/19/2013 Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Guest Post
6/20/2013 Taters’s Tall Tails- Guest Post
6/21/2013 Pageturners- Review

After being sent away to the country for being totally embarrassing to the family, Anne Boleyn is back in court. Only, nobody likes her because she can’t control her mouth. Anne is engaged to this douche-y Irish dude named James Butler, which sucks for her brother George because if Anne and Butler get married, he gets some lands instead of those lands staying in the family. Anne totally does not want to marry James. With no friends at court and bleak prospects, Anne turns to Thomas Wyatt, court poet for help. Wyatt instructs Anne in the ways of seduction, like they aren’t actually in a relationship but they have to seem like it to attract the attention of everyone at court so that Anne shines. This could very well backfire and Tarnish Anne’s reputation. Unfortunately, Thomas and Anne catch feelings for each other, only OMG OMG DRAMA DRAMA Thomas is married and there is no way in hell Anne will be anyone’s mistress. Also. Also. Anne begins to catch King Henry  VIII’s eye. Court intrigue abounds, y’all. AND I LOVED IT, seriously Katherine Longshore can weave a story.

Friends, I think that Katherine Longshore’s Tarnish has one of my favorite interpretations of Anne Boleyn. Here’s the thing, as a human and a person, I like being able to pick and choose what interpretation of historical figures I like best and because Anne lived so long ago I feel pretty free to do that. I basically read this Anne Boleyn as being quite feminist. Here’s the thing, she is fiercely independent. She constantly remarks on gender roles and how women get the shaft. Anne also refuses anything less than the best. She refuses to be relegated to a quiet corner in the country. She refuses to be anyone’s mistress. She wants what is hers and I freakin love that. I love that Anne is so incredibly strong. I love that she won’t settle. The whole entire book was basically me nodding my head to Anne’s life choices and saying GET IT GIRL GET IT. I actually loved her character way more than Katherine from Gilt.

If you read historical fiction for the sense of place and time, then I think you will be well pleased by Tarnish. I mean, okay I didn’t get the sense that people reeked which I am sure they smelled awful back in the past. However, I really did get a feel for court. Basically people at court have nothing better to do but lounge around all day scheming and playing games and putting on plays called pageants. Also, because people get bored in one place, court moves from palace to palace following the king. I found it interesting how Henry VIII was pretty much described as lighting up the room like sun and how he gets all this attention. I found myself wondering if that was his actual charismatic presence or his role as king that was why people perceived him that way or a combination of both. Anyways, I really just got this sense of claustrophobia because it always felt like everyone was watching Anne during the book and you know because it’s first person, I just really felt for her and again, that sense of time and place, if her reputation is tarnished, well she’s basically sent back to the country where there’s no socialization, thus the claustrophobia.

READER FRIENDS! You know how I mentioned closing the book and practically hugging it? Well, that’s because of the romance and I also just think Anne Boleyn really needs a hug. So, okay, with Thomas Wyatt, the whole romance is forbidden and swoonworthy and you know they can’t do grown up things but at the same time you just kind of spend the whole book hoping that Longshore invents a time machine to change history because those two are perfect together. Y’all, who knew wordplay could be so… romantic? Clearly, I did not know this before reading Tarnish. And basically everything is ON THE LINE yo. Everything. And it’s like please please please just hook up because you guys are perfect. Then it’s all, grrrrr there goes King Henry VIII fucking everything up. Alas. I just really loved this book and think you should know there will be parts where you will want to dog ear the pages because of the swoons. Promise.

If you are jonesing for a great historical fiction book, get your hands on Tarnish. Legit, it was exactly what I had hoped for and my expectations were actually met. I KNOW. Basically if you like historical fiction, want to picture Jonathan Rhys-Meyer the whole time, and like to imagine historical women as being paragons of awesome, then read Katherine Longshore’s Tarnish, I loved it and I would never bullshit you.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of Tarnish by Katherine Longshore:

Basically this review has been scheduled over a month in advance sooooo, if you’ve reviewed it, drop your link in my comments and I will add it up here!

Books by Katherine Longshore:
Gilt

So, expect a slew of contests. First up, I am giving these four books away to a lucky US winner. Just use the rafflecopter to enter. You can also check out my reviews of each book to gauge your interest. If you don’t want one of the books I am sure there is someone in your life who would happily take it, or you could donate it to the library or a classroom.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• My review of The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver
• My review of Orleans by Sherri L. Smith
• My review of Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
• My review of Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Friends, one of my favorite settings in fiction is summer camp. I legitimately cannot get enough of it as a former camper myself. ESPECIALLY over the summer. So when a good friend was running the tour for this book, I decided to read Karice Bolton’s The Camp instead of Witch Avenue because I will read the hell out of almost any camp book. While I did not fall head over heels in love with the book, I at least found it to be much more readable than the other camp book I attempted. There are a few things that I just could NOT ignore, but I found Bolton’s book to be very breezy and quick – an okay weekend read.

What’s The Story Here?

Emma is sent to this camp for wayward youth in the Alaskan frontier called ReBoot. Only, she is not at all a wayward youth. At first, she hates it because all the felon dudes hit on her. Only, she meets a guy who is not at all a felon and totally capable of pitching a tent, he’s Liam and he’s one of the camp leaders, along with one of the only other girls, Stephanie. The camp is mad sketchy, the campers sleep in tents and not cabins. There’s no fun games or bonfires AND there is a serious bear problem. When campers start disappearing one by one, Emma knows there is something off. Further, the perpetrator starts terrorizing Emma. And so, The Camp is basically a throw back to those awesome RL Stine horror books of yore, actually it reminded me a lot of the books in the Point Horror line (hello THE LIFEGUARD). Anyways, that’s essentially the story — but with a lot more romance.

How Is Emma As A Main Character?

To be frank with you, I could probably not describe Emma very accurately and I just recently finished reading The Camp. She’s not annoying, but on the other hand, I feel like she’s very non-descript and the only way I could think to describe her would be ‘good looking girl who has a dead dad and is loaded’. That’s it. And while that is not awful, I just would have liked a bit more to go on than that. I never really felt totally connected with Emma.

Describe the romance?

Instalove. Boom done.

Kidding, I’ll go more into depth. So, basically Emma and Liam are the main couple/ the only couple in Bolton’s book. Liam puts up Emma’s tent and all of a sudden they are into each other. Like, they are dropping the I LOVE YOU bomb in a matter of weeks, which skeeves me out. I know, I know some people know pretty quickly but personally, I felt like the relationship developed way too fast and was missing the sexual tension that I love to read about. Also, Liam does a lot of protecting when Emma is involved and I just felt bored by it. ALSO. His eyes are caramel. That’s something you’ll learn several times over while reading this book.

How’s The Writing?

Here’s the thing, The Camp is a very, very quick read. Like, I read it in a few hours. I think my Kindle clocked me at 2 hours overall. However, that does not mean that it’s a literary masterpiece. I mean, I was actually able to read the book and never felt the desire to DNF. BUT, I think that it could have stood to benefit from more character development, sexual tension and a bit more build up. I probably would have gotten more mileage out of those books if it had those things. I will say, I did like how creepy and isolated she made the frontier feel.Now, other readers have enjoyed this one, but it’s not for me. I think it’s more for an audience that wants Point Horror but racier.

Sum It Up With A GIF:

Eh, it was alright and I would never judge you if you loved this, but I didn’t.

Disclosure: Received for review via Blog Tour

Other reviews of The Camp by Karice Bolton:

WhY.A. Not – “I had fun reading The Camp”
Pretty Little Memoirs – “no strings untied and no cliff-hangers”
Reading And Writing Urban Fantasy – “the romance was awww-worthy”

For Review:

Altered by Gennifer Albin (Requested Review Copy) – I have Crewel on hand but packed and I am one of those people where if I start a series, I typically want to finish that series. Also this came with a neat rubber band bracelet.
Wait For You by J. Lynn (Unsolicited Review Copy) – This is my second copy, I think. I might also have it on my kindle. Either way, yayyyy new adult and big print and steamy times. I might make this my during the week read because it seems sort of light.
The Newcomer by Robyn Carr (Unsolicited Review Copy) – I get a lot of unsolicited books by this author and I am torn on whether to give her a chance or not. Alas.
The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson (Unsolicited Review Copy) – I LOVE THIS BOOK and seriously need to do a giveaway for it. And write my review. UGH I AM IN A PIT OF LAZY.
We’re Here We’re Queer We’re Mad Libs (Unsolicited Review Copy) – Looking forward to playing this!

Gifted:

Doll Bones by Holly Black audiobook from Heidi at YA Bibliophile – Words can’t express how excited I am!

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

I was easily enthralled by the story of A Game of Thrones from the very beginning. The author, George R.R. Martin, is a masterful storyteller. In this book, he tells the story of war but he also tells a story of family, and friends, and even to an extent love. There are three primary families which are narrating the story: The Stark’s, The Lannister’s, and The Targaryen’s (primarily the exiled queen Daenerys). Each narration helps build the story as a whole as it brings a different perspective to a very complex story.

Oh, and when I say a complex story, I mean a COMPLEX story. There are so many unexpected turn of events. Things I would have never seen coming. It forces you to re-read the page to make sure that you had understood exactly what had just happened. There were times when I was literally gasping in disbelief. Another thing that makes the story so complex is the amount of characters. There are so many characters that at first it is hard to keep track of them and their different storylines. But once you get into it things become more distinguished and understandable. Or at least they did for me.

I actually enjoyed the multiple perspectives because it allowed you to get into everyone’s heads. You were not just forced to believe one person’s ideas regarding the war and everything involved with that. You had multiple designs to choose from, some that you could agree with, and some that you may have thought were completely crazy. Trust me; there is a lot of CRAZY in this story. Also, there are many detailed scenes which will turn your stomach, and for some people may be enough for them to be completely turned off by the book. If that is the case, that is perfectly fine, as this is not necessarily the book for everyone.

A Game of Thrones is a tangled web of plotlines and intrigue. Literally nobody is safe. You never know what exactly is going to happen to a certain character. Admittedly this made me a bit weary when it came to the ones that I became attached to. Luckily nothing truly bad has happened to them yet but I’m still fearful as there are more books to read in this series. Yet even with this fear, I’m determined to continue, and I actually do look forward to seeing what is going to happen next.

Disclosure: I own a box set of the first four books in the series.

Other reviews for A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin:

Alexa Loves Books: “A Game of Thrones is a strong start, as readers are given the most detailed of introductions to this entire saga.”

Books Take You Places: “Winter is coming, you guys, and I can’t wait for it.”

Consumed By Books: “This is not the book for everyone. It’s long and there’s a lot to remember, but it’s wholly enjoyable. ”

April’s Review: “I love gray areas and complexities AND being able to chat books with friends who have already read them. Game Of Thrones did all of this for me.“

Originally, I had received Transparent by Natalie Whipple in the mail as an ARC, and then a finished copy, which okay I probably should have read it in physical form BUT THEN a person I trust panned Transparent and I got kind of nervous. So, because audiobooks tend to go over better with me than physical books and because I have had to commute at least 2 hours a day, I knew that the best possible option would be for me to listen to Transparent AND it makes it so I can remove two books from my house without the OH NO I AM GETTING RID OF A BOOK WITHOUT READING IT WHAT IF IT IS NOT AT THE LIBRARY paralyzing fear. Yes, I have that anxiety problem. Also? Super powers. I came for the super powers.

What’s The Story Here?

Fiona is invisible, no one can see her as that is what invisible means. Her dad is the boss of this big huge crime syndicate and he often uses Fiona to complete some jobs. When he asks her to kill a rival’s daughters, she realizes that he has gone to far. Fiona and her mom then run away from Las Vegas to a desert community in hopes that her dad won’t find them. By the way, her dad has this charm power where he can pretty much get people to do whatever he wants. So anyways, while in this new town, Fiona makes friends for the first time in her life and may even have a bit of a crush BUT there’s this annoying boy who keeps getting in the way. OH AND, her father knows her power is valuable, so he’s on the hunt for Fiona.

How Did I Like Fiona?

At first, I kind of thought Transparent’s Fiona was a brat. I mean, she just came across as kind of whiny and okay, I GET IT. I get that her life does suck and being invisible is basically the worst. But then somewhere along the way, between her ineptitude at math and her protectiveness towards her new friends, I just started genuinely liking Fiona. She’s not so terrible 50 pages in and she actually is in a bit of pickle. Plus, she provides an interesting sort of dynamic as an invisible girl navigating high school. I’m sure plenty of us have felt invisible before, but Fiona actually IS invisible. So, there’s that. Her insecurities just made sense to me and so, I felt she was authentic and liked her.

What About The Worldbuilding?

Whipple’s world in Transparent is cool, no doubt about that. People used to take these pills called radiasure, in order to prevent radiation poisoning. However, the pills had the side effect of giving the offspring of the people ingesting the pills special abilities. And now the world is populated by crime syndicates who get their way because they have super hero powers and normal people do not. Currently, radiasure is illegal, but that does not stop people from making it and obtaining it. Y’all, the world is neat, however, we don’t really explore the syndicates and the mobs in depth. Instead, it’s about Fiona escaping from the syndicate and experiencing normal life. I think that this book does not quite go the full monty as far as world building goes.

ARE THERE SWOONS?

Yes, and one of my favorite kinds. The relationship between Fiona and a boy who I will keep unnamed for fear of spoilers goes from antagonism to this sort of crush. AND IT IS AWESOME. Y’all, I will forever and always love a love-hate relationship and one of those slow OMG I LIKE YOU realizations. They are far and away my FAVORITE. And yes, there are scenes where there’s glances and touches and kissing and it’s awesome. And yes, I totally used awesome one too many times, but I liked the romance in Natalie Whipple’s Transparent.

How Is The Narration?

As I mentioned above, I listened to the audiobook version of Transparent and quite enjoyed it. It’s produced by Harper Audio and is narrated by Tavia Gilbert and only seven hours long. Heck yeah, short and quick audiobook that took only a few days to listen to. This was my first time listening to something narrated by Tavia Gilbert but it will not be my last. She infuses her words with emotion. She does different voices for the characters. And her voice is not at all grating. In all, I quite enjoyed listening to this book on audio and would recommend you give it a shot if you’re curious about Transparent.

Sum It Up With A Gif:

Because those were the thoughts running through my head as I thought about Fiona’s powers.

Other reviews of Transparent by Natalie Whipple:

Bibliophilic Monologues – “So this book, you guys, it was fun. Entertaining.”
Pure Imagination – “I just went in expecting too much.”
Finding Bliss In Books – “not everything in Transparent is overwhelming awful”

Who does not love witches? Seriously, I cannot name a single person. Y’all remember the truth bombs Jessica Spotswood dropped on us at the end of Born Wicked with the big OH NO GASP GASP GASP moment? And then all of the swoons that she brought? Well the next book in the Cahill Witch Chronicles, Star Cursed dials all of the emotional reactions up a notch and left me simultaneously cursing Spotswood and praising Spotswood. As a girl who loves talking books with her friends, I honestly cannot wait for you all to read this book so we can discuss the ending and just how out of control it was. I can’t wait to talk with you guys about Finn and my love of him, about the Brotherhood and why they are the WORST and about Cate Cahill and how I’m rooting so hard for her. Drop your schedule and read Star Cursed.

Star Cursed begins pretty much exactly where Born Wicked leaves off. Cate Cahill has gone to join the Sisterhood in New London and is basically taking magic lessons. Her sisters are still at home, but she sees this as a sacrifice she must make to keep her sisters out of harm’s way. Finn Belastra has joined the Brotherhood in order to protect his family and Cate. Things are not very easy right now for Cate. Anyways, things get real, real fast in Star Cursed. The Brotherhood has basically gone bat shit and are clamping down with their restrictions on women, it’s literally a witch hunt. Cate still has feelings for Finn, but you know she can’t exactly act on them now that she is posing as a nun. AND AND, the head nun in charge is dying which means leadership of the Sisterhood will pass to someone else, most likely the prophesied witch whom everyone thinks is Cate. Oh, and Maura is still around being a general pain in the ass. Plot distillation, y’all.

So, in this sequel, there is of course, character growth for Cate Cahill AND I LOVE THAT. Seriously, I will always love it when characters learn things and change and have revelations. This is the book where there’s torment and pain and anguish and all of that happy fun stuff in store for Cate and it is awesome. We get to see how Cate deal with all this new strife and responsibility. I loved seeing all of her self denial because I am a weirdo like that. I’ve decided that I can really relate a lot to Cate, except that I am really selfish whereas Cate is super self sacrificing. I love seeing how much she cares for her little sisters and acts as a surrogate. I love how protective she is and the lengths she will go to save her family. That’s the mark of an admirable character to me, as personally, this blogger thinks family is one of the most important things there is and I don’t often get the chance to read about such strong sibling relationships in fantasy. Y’all should read this book if you like reading about sisters who fight but at the end of the day love each other fiercely. Also, if you like determined and headstrong main characters.

If you are one of those people who is like FUCK YES WORLD BUILDING then I think you’ll dig Star Cursed. There’s more of Spotswood’s patriarchy filled society, FYI, she does not celebrate the patriarchy, but instead is all THIS SUCKS. As a reader I found myself thinking ugh, stupid mens trying to take rights away. You see, as Star Cursed goes on and on the Brotherhood keeps on subjugating women taking things away little by little, and it made me think of contemporary politics but I will not get into that. Anyways, I just found myself thinking that if you are looking for feminist fantasy that says hey it’s cool to have what are traditionally perceived to be feminine attributes as well as romantic swoon type feelings READ STAR CURSED. I mean, I don’t really know if Spotswood meant for it to be so female-empowered and so anti-patriarchy, but either way that is my impression and y’all I fist pumped like the dork I am because I love subversion.

Most of you are like me, I bet, since you are reading this blog — you come to a book for the awesome plot and characters and end up staying for the romance. If you remember Born Wicked,  chances are you will remember sweet, bookish Finn and his feels for Cate and her feels for him and ALL OF THE SWOONS. Yo, this book totally takes that up a notch. I mean, it is GRIPPING romance. Like hold the book tight in your hands as you read because oh my god oh my god OH MY FREAKIN GOD there is KISSING and yes, some sads too. I loved just how tumultuous the romance was — at first you are like oh no Cate and Finn are star crossed lovers and nothing can happen because she’s in the Sisterhood and he’s in the Brotherhood. BUT THEN, revelations occur. And you guys, I won’t say much on this except there are feelings and swoons and a moment where I wanted to throw the book across the room I was so invested. Throw it in a good way I mean, as a release of all of my emotions.

Obviously, I had a ton of emotions and feels while reading Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood. I wish I had read it at a point where I could honestly really put 100% of my focus on the book because let me tell you, it is absorbing and there’s a lot going on. Now, I mean, it’s not like there’s TOO MUCH going on with a scattered focus however, there’s many plot elements that do weave together in a pretty neat fashion. Personally, I loved going from a swoon to anger to soaring joy to sadness to feeling utterly livid. I loved experiencing the gamut of emotions while reading. At this point I can’t wait to see how everything plays out for the Cahill sisters and Finn and OMG the ending of Star Cursed is a total book flinger in the best possible way so this is really me saying if you trust my reviews read this series AND READ BOOK TWO.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood:

Pure Imagination – “Oh my! I don’t know how I can wait for book 3”
Ex Libris – “the kind of wonderful pain that only a well-written story can bring”
Fiktshun – “incredibly exciting, suspenseful, heartbreaking and utterly riveting second book”

Books by Jessica Spotswood:
Born Wicked