Tag: books

Review – Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Kelsey BoganLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2016-07-14 at 12.01.35 PM

Nevernight (Book 1 in Nevernight Chronicle)
Jay Kristoff
Publish date: August 9th

Synopsis

The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

My Review

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Goodness, where to even begin with this book? I guess I’ll start by saying…

WOW!

Wow, this book was amazing. Really, really amazing. As a fan of Kristoff’s other work, Illuminae, I was fairly sure I’d like Nevernight. But since Illuminae was co-authored with a female author (Amie Kaufman), and since I rarely read books written by men (other than Jim Butcher), I did still have my doubts. But Jay Kristoff has once again proven himself to be a master at storytelling and world building. He is undoubtedly a fantasy and sci-fi powerhouse, and this rising author is one to keep our eyes on. On an unrelated note, he’s also quite pretty, so that isn’t exactly a burden, now is it?

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Now, this book is marketed as “young adult,” but other than the fact that many characters are young adults, I truly did not get much of a “young adult” feel from this story. It is dark. Seriously, seriously dark.  I’m talking, brutal, violent, and very explicit language and sexual content. Very, very explicit. And I finished this book in one sitting because it.was.amazing!

The first couple chapters are strange, so it takes a couple minutes to get into the story. The introduction is really cool though, I don’t know how to explain it, but its really cool. This is definitely not a light and easy read. The story telling is very complex, with multiple flashbacks (which are not labeled, so you have to stay on your feet to keep track of when in the story you are). It all connects to creating this really rich, really well developed and complex world and plot. I do have to say that it took a bit for me to get hooked, because the world is so complicated and detailed, but once I did, I could not put it down. The main character is determined to become an assassin so as to reap revenge on those who wronged her and her family, but first she has to find the den of the Assassins. And that is a challenge in and of itself. Once she finds it, she starts training. At that point its sort of like Hogwarts or Dauntless, except way more brutal and violent. Throw in friends, enemies, frenemies, mysterious instructors, dangerous challenges, and 30 people fighting for just 4 coveted “assassin spots,” and you are in for a wild, dark, and dangerous ride.

Fans of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass, Veronica Roth’s Divergent, and Tamora Pierce’s work are going to go crazy for this new series by Jay Kristoff. Anyone who has enjoyed Kristoff’s other works are sure to love this as well. And fans of dark fantasy with incredibly vivid world building will snap this right up. Plus, its about a kick-butt female assassin in training. So who isn’t going to like it?

Run, don’t walk, to pick up your copy of Nevernight on August 9th. You seriously have got to read this book.

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Kelsey Bogan1 Comment

Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 9.47.51 AMScarlet
Release date: 2012
Author: A.C. Gaughen
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Themes: Action & Adventure, Re-tellings, Robin Hood, Friendship, Mystery
Rating: 4 stars
Why did I read it?: Recommended to me

Gaughen, A.C. Scarlet. Bloomsbury USA Children’s, 2012. Print.  Digital.
Formats available: Digital, Hardcover, Paperback (amazon.com) **Currently only $2.40 on Amazon Digital**

Synopsis (from amazon.com)

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the evil Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only Big John and Robin Hood know the truth-that the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. It’s getting harder to hide as Gisbourne’s camp seeks to find Scarlet and drive Robin Hood out of Nottinghamshire.

 

But Scarlet’s instinct for self-preservation is at war with a strong sense of responsibility to the people who took her in when she was on the run, and she finds it’s not so easy to turn her back on her band and townspeople. As Gisbourne draws closer to Scarlet and puts innocent lives at risk, she must decide how much the people of Nottinghamshire mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles and temper have the rare power to unsettle Scarlet. Full of exciting action, secrets, and romance, this imaginative retelling of the classic tale will have readers following every move of Robin Hood and band of thieves

My Thoughts:
Re-tellings are very big right now. We are seeing a lot of fairy tale retellings in the YA sector recently, and it is a trend that I personally enjoy. I love when an author takes a story you already know, and turns it on its head. You go into it knowing that there will be major twists, but you don’t get to know what they will be. Scarlet is a re-telling of the Robin Hood legend, where Robin’s pal Will Scarlet is a girl named Scarlet, who disguises herself as a boy. One of the things I enjoyed is that is steers clear of some of the typical tropes used in the “girl disguised as a boy” storyline, which kept the plot fresh. For instance, while the average villager thinks she is a boy, her two love interests know she is a girl the whole time. So we avoid the overplayed “oh my gosh, you’re a girl!” aspect from the love interests.

One of the things I loved about this story is that we get to see medieval England through the eyes of a young woman who is living as a young man. We get to take part as she ruminates about the different avenues in life that are available to her as a “boy,” which would not be available to her as a girl. So the story includes a gentle discussion of gender roles during this historical period. Plus we get to see a pretty believable, and yet still kick-butt heroine who saves people while running from her dark and mysterious past.

An overall enjoyable read that had me reaching for the sequel in this completed trilogy.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next book in the series is called Lady Thief.

In the meantime you might like to try:

About the Author:
Visit A.C. Gaughen’s author website to learn more about her.

(ARC Review) Starflight by Melissa Landers

Kelsey Bogan2 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-10-06 at 8.01.13 PMStarflight
Release date: Feb. 2, 2016
Author: Melissa Landers
Genre: YA Speculative Fiction (Sci-fi)
Themes: Space-travel, trust, forgiveness, love, friendship
Rating: 4 stars
Why did I read it?: I read the author’s Alienated series and loved it, so I requested this ARC.

Landers, Melissa. Starflight. Disney-Hyperion, 2016. Print. ISBN-13: 978-1484723241.
Formats available: hardcover. Paperback $13.49 (amazon.com)

Synopsis (from amazon.com)

Solara Brooks needs a fresh start, someplace where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. The outer realm may be lawless, but
it’s not like the law has ever been on her side.
Still, off-world travel doesn’t come cheap; Solara is left with no choice but to indenture herself in exchange for passage to the outer realm. She just wishes it could have been to anyone besides Doran Spaulding, the rich, pretty-boy quarterback who made her life miserable in school.
The tables suddenly turn when Doran is framed for conspiracy on Earth, and Solara cons him into playing the role of her servant on board the Banshee, a ship manned by an eccentric crew with their own secrets. Given the price on both Doran and Solara’s heads, it may just be the safest place in the universe.
It’s been a long time since Solara has believed in anyone, and Doran is the last person she expected to trust. But when the Banshee’s dangerous enemies catch up with them, Solara and Doran must come together to protect the ship that has become their home-and the eccentric crew that feels like family.

My Thoughts:
**I received this book as a free egalley from netgalley.com in return for an honest review**

The author describes this book as a “romantic Firefly, or Guardians of the Galaxy” and I think thats a fair statement. Starflight is a fun and fast YA romp through space. Written from the dual perspectives of the male and female main characters, we see these two people who grew up in vastly different social strata (and who butted heads throughout high school) forced together on a perilous race across galaxies. Both are hiding secrets from the other, and neither trusts each other, and yet Doran and Solara will find they need to rely on each other to overcome enemies new and old. Together they find that sometimes you put your trust in the wrong people, and sometimes you are forced to rely on those you don’t trust at all.

I enjoyed this book, though I never really connected to Solara as a character. I felt that Doran was a more strongly developed and fully realized character than Solara, and just didn’t feel the author put an equal amount of time in developing Solara as she did Doran. I actually found myself connecting with his feelings, fears, and character arc more than Solara’s, which I found unusual ini a YA book as usually the female character tends to be the more fully developed of the two. The world building was pretty good, we’re given just enough understanding of how this world (or worlds, really) work that I’m intrigued to learn more about it in the following books (this is the first book in a planned series). There are several other characters introduced which were interesting and fun, though very under-developed thus far. But I believe that is intentional, as the following books feature those people as main characters, I believe, therefore it seems we are not meant to “get to know them” too much in this book.

The pacing is pretty good, a tad bit jumpy here and there, and several of the plot devices felt a bit “expected,” but there are a couple of twists in there to keep it from being stale, and overall I found this to be a satisfying space-travel story. I will absolutely pick up the sequel to see what happens next, whenever it should be released!

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
There is a planned sequel to Starflight, but no title or release date has been provided yet!

In the meantime you might like to try:

Extras:

  • Melissa Lander’s Starflight series website
  • This book is still months away from being released so I’m hoping more extras will be coming soon!

About the Author:
Melissa Landers is a YA author who often writes fun and fast-paced alien or space-travel romances.

Find her online:

(YA Review) The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

Kelsey BoganLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2015-11-17 at 10.25.12 AMThe Storyspinner
Author: Becky Wallace
Published: March 3, 2015
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance
Rating: 3.75
Why’d I read it?:
According to the synopsis, this book has all of the elements I like; fantasy, action, multiple perspectives, with a dash of romance.
Wallace, Becky. The Storyspinner. Margaret K. McElderry. 2015. Print.

Synopsis: (from goodreads)

Drama and danger abound in this fantasy realm where dukes play a game for the throne, magical warriors race to find the missing heir, and romance blossoms where it is least expected.

In a world where dukes plot their way to the throne, a Performer’s life can get tricky. And in Johanna Von Arlo’s case, it can be fatal. Expelled from her troupe after her father’s death, Johanna is forced to work for the handsome Lord Rafael DeSilva. Too bad they don’t get along. But while Johanna’s father’s death was deemed an accident, the Keepers aren’t so sure.

The Keepers, a race of people with magical abilities, are on a quest to find the princess—the same princess who is supposed to be dead and whose throne the dukes are fighting over. But they aren’t the only ones looking for her. And in the wake of their search, murdered girls keep turning up—girls who look exactly like the princess, and exactly like Johanna.

With dukes, Keepers, and a killer all after the princess, Johanna finds herself caught up in political machinations for the throne, threats on her life, and an unexpected romance that could change everything

My Thoughts:

I chose this book because it sounded like it would have all of the elements I enjoy in a book; fantasy, action, multiple perspectives, romance, etc. And it did. For some reason I just never quite clicked with the story the way I usually do, but I have to be fair and say that at the time I was reading this I had a lot of family and personal troubles occurring as well, and I’m afraid it significantly affected my state of mind while reading the book. It’s highly possible that at another time I would have clicked with this story more, because as I said, it truly has all the elements I enjoy in a book.

Nevertheless the premise of the story is quite original, and I LOVE the beginning(ish) scene. The way the two main characters meet is hysterical, and is quite unlike the usual way. It really demonstrates major aspects of both of their personalities, as well. Its a great “meet cute.” The cast of characters gets pretty extensive, and basically the story follows two different groups of people. Throughout the story its unclear right away how the two groups’ stories will intersect, but eventually that becomes more clear. So overall I’d say that if you enjoy fantasy stories such as this, you may want to give The Storyspinner a try.

 

Extras:

 

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
You might also enjoy:

(YA Review) What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

Kelsey Bogan4 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 8.28.19 PMWhat We Saw
Author: Aaron Hartzler
Published: Sept. 22, 2015
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Peer Pressure, Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Rape
Rating: 5 stars
Why’d I read it?:
This book covers a topic that is so important, which is our societies’ tendency towards victim-shaming, blaming the victim, and generally the appalling “rape culture” we live within.
Hartzler, Aaron. What We Saw. HarperTeen. 2015. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0062338747.
Formats available: paperback, ebook, hardcover Paperback $6.87. Kindle $10.99

Synopsis: (from amazon)

Critically acclaimed memoirist Aaron Hartzler, author of Rapture Practice, takes an unflinching look at what happens to a small town when some of its residents commit a terrible crime. This honest, authentic debut novel—inspired by the events in the Steubenville rape case—will resonate with readers who’ve ever walked that razor-thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

The party at John Doone’s last Saturday night is a bit of a blur. Kate Weston can piece together most of the details: Stacey Stallard handing her shots, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early. . . . But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same questions: Who witnessed what happened to Stacey? And what responsibility do they have to speak up about what they saw?

My Thoughts:

This is such an important story to be told because it sparks discussion on a topic which is often swept under the rug and ignored. Rape Culture in the U.S. is a serious problem. Victim-shaming and victim-blaming are tendencies which run rampant in our society. This story is inspired by the true story of the Steubenville rape case 0f 2012 and also of other similar cases to arise lately. Teens throw a party in which there is a lot of drinking and drugs. One girl drinks so much she becomes unconscious and the next day accuses several members of the school’s basketball team of sexually assaulting her while unconscious. The story deals with concepts of truth and lies, perception, betrayal and trust. It also deals strongly with the idea of opening your eyes and seeing beyond the pressures of our community, and also of how to do what’s right once you’ve seen the truth. It can be very hard to see the truth, and to speak up when all of your friends and even your entire town seem to be willing you towards blindness and silence.

This book was quite excellent in the way it broaches such serious topics, and while it in no way flinches from the true horror of these kinds of events (gang-rape of an unconscious girl is discussed), the author keeps the story from being so graphic as to be distracting from the true issues of right and wrong. I highly recommend this to readers of all ages and gender, and I challenge you to consider what you would do in such a situation. Being human means doing more than spectating; it means we must act to create the world we wish to live in.

 

Silhouette of man in the fog in a forest

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the-world-is-a-dangerous-place

 

Extras:

** On a personal note: 

  • Unfortunately we live in a time where sexual assault is increasingly common, especially against women.
  • Most often, the person assaulting you is someone you know. You may be friends or even love this person. Even if its a friend or loved one, sexual assault is wrong.
    • If you said “no,” then it is wrong.
    • If you were incapable of saying yes or no, it was wrong.
    • If you were drunk, high, asleep, or even wearing “provocative clothes,” sexual assault is still wrong!
    • Every one has the right to wear, do, say, and act exactly the way they want without fear of assault.
    • Please don’t let anyone convince you that this was your fault. It is never your fault when you are assaulted.
  • Please be sure to see a medical specialist and speak with a trusted adult if you think you may have been assaulted.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
You might also enjoy:

(YA Review) The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

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The 5th Wave (Book 1)
Author: Rick Yancey
Published: May 7, 2014
Genre: YA science fiction/dystopian
Rating: 5 stars (aka I loved it!)
Why’d I read it?:
I love sci-fi and this one is getting phenomenal reviews. Plus a film version comes out in January 2016 and the preview looks awesome (trailer below)
Yancey, Rick. The 5th Wave. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. 2013. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0399162411.
Formats available: paperback, ebook, hardcover Paperback $6.99. Kindle $9.99

Synopsis: (from amazon)
The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother–or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

My Thoughts:

A chilling look at the human psyche’s capacity to endure. This book was intense. Creepy and suspenseful, this is a dark view of an alien invasion that strikes every fear we harbor from our childhoods. Yancey crafts a richly told tale with wonderfully developed characters, with the bulk of the story told from the alternating viewpoints of two teens who survived the first four waves, and whose journeys take them in different directions that eventually circle back to an inevitable conclusion. Phew this book was a heavy read.

The author pulls no punches with the horror he inflicts on the human population and doesn’t shy away from graphic and detailed enumerations of the effects of each wave of the invasion. The earth’s population is stripped down as surely as our main character’s humanity is stripped down with each trial they overcome, lending to a recurring theme that has the reader constantly redefining exactly what it means to be human? When billions are dead and you can’t trust anyone, how do you survive? More importantly, how do you stay sane and human? The Others don’t only take your life, now they are trying to take your humanity as well. This book is an action packed and psychological thriller that hooks you from the very first chapter. Theres plenty of action, suspense, and even a little romance. There are several twists throughout to keep you guessing, and though I found many of them to be quite predictable, it did not take away from the story for me and I still found myself shocked and surprised frequently. This one will have you on the edge of your seat and keeping your nightlight on at bedtime!

Please note that the synopsis makes it seem like this story is told entirely from Cassie’s point of view, but actually it is dual perspectives between Cassie and another young adult who survives the first four waves and goes an entirely different direction than Cassie to do so. There are also a couple of other snippets from one or two other peoples perspective. This is a form of writing that I really enjoy because it gives us a broader insight into the world.

Extras:

  • The 5th Wave has its own website at http://www.the5thwaveiscoming.com. There are tons of goodies and extra info to be found there.
  • Here you can find information from IMDB on the movie coming out in January 2016.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
You might also enjoy:

(Review-Ya) Mortal Heart by Robin Lafevers

Kelsey Bogan4 Comments

Mortal Heart by Robin Lafevers

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LaFevers, Robin. Mortal Heart. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2014. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0547628400.
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $9.18. Kindle $9.99.

Synopsis: (from amazon.com)

In the powerful conclusion to Robin LaFever’s New York Times bestselling His Fair Assassins trilogy, Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.
She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind, doesn’t mean she has.

My Thoughts:
During the first two books in this series, I thought Annith was the least interesting character, so I was not overly eager to read her book. I wasn’t dreading it, just felt kind of “meh” about it. But I’m very glad I did, because even though my feelings about Annith haven’t changed very much, in this book we get to meet her male counterpart, Belthezar, who is by far the most compelling male character in the trilogy. Belthezar “rescues” Annith after she escapes the convent one night, and she suddenly finds herself traveling with him and his band of mysterious, not-quite-human brethren. They are the Helloquins, damned souls who ride the night, hunting down and escorting lost souls to the afterworld. Although the first two books in the trilogy read more as historical fiction, with only little hints at magic or fantasy, this book seems to randomly go off in a new direction, with the addition of this almost ghostly army of Helloquins, but I didn’t care so much because they were quite fascinating. Belthezar proves an enigmatic and mysterious character, and I enjoyed learning more about his past as the book unfolds. I never really warmed up to Annith, but the other characters (Belthezar, and the Duchess included) more than made up for it, and Mortal Heart proves a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The other two books in the His Fair Assassin series are Dark Triumph and Mortal Heart

You might also like:

The Kiss of Deception (Remnant Series) by Mary Pearson
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Extras:

  • Robin Lafevers’ website includes extras about the World of His Fair Assassin.
  • Locate Mortal Heart at a library near you on worldcat.com
  • Find more recommendations on goodreads.com

About the Author: 

Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.

Waiting on Wednesday – Shallow Graves (YA)

Kelsey Bogan2 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-10-06 at 8.46.25 PM

Waiting on Wednesday is brought to us by Breaking the Spine.

Its a weekly meme where we can share the upcoming releases we are so excited about!

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Shallow Graves

by: Kali Wallace

Release date: January 26th, 2016

Synopsis: (from amazon.com)

For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace.

Why am I waiting on it?

Basically the first sentence of the synopsis. It totally drew me in and it seems really creepy and different from other things I’ve read. Plus, I always love giving a debut author a chance!

(YA Review) Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

Kelsey Bogan2 Comments

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Armentrout, Jennifer L. Obsidian: A Lux Novel. Fort Collins, Colo: Entangled Teen, 2012. Print. ISBN-13: 9781620610077.
Formats available: paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $9.63. Kindle #5.99

Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Published: May 8, 2012
Genre: YA Sci-Fi – Alien/Human Romance
Themes: Love, Aliens, Friendship
Rating: 3 stars (or, it ranges from ok to good enough)
Why’d I read it?: I’ve been on an alien/sci-fi kick lately and this one came highly recommended.

Synopsis:

Starting over sucks.When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.And then he opened his mouth.Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.The hot alien living next door marks me.You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.If I don’t kill him first, that is.

My Thoughts:

I read this book because it is so highly reviewed and recommended and a lot of people I know on the blogosphere have read and enjoyed it. Also I’ve been on a real sci-fi/alien kick lately so I figured Id give it a try. I have to admit that I was not blown away by it. It actually reminds me a lot of Twilight, especially in the romance department, and that is the part of twilight I disliked the most. This is simply a personal opinion, however. The book itself is well written, the characters seem real (i.e. not perfect, have flaws and more than one dimension), and the pacing of the story is good. I’m personally just not a big fan of the stories where the male love interest treats the female character so horribly. I mean, he insults her, embarrasses her, and is just cruel. And I don’t really respect the fact that she keeps hanging out with him after that, apparently just because he is extremely attractive and once in a while is not a complete jerk. Ugh, I don’t like that. I don’t mind when two characters don’t like each other and then eventually fall in love, but I don’t understand why the girl would keep hanging out with someone who was this much of a jerk. We also have a lot of tropes in this book that a lot of YA are known for, including: the “missing” or “absent” parents, the insta-attraction, the “plain” girl who doesn’t know she’s stunningly beautiful, and the attractive “cool” guy who acts like a jerk but is really “a good guy at heart.”

Anyway, the book is well written and the characters are not one dimensional. The author is obviously skilled. The suspense is pretty good and the alien mythology is pretty unique, though I don’t think it is explored fully enough. I believe this is because its the first book in a series, however, so in the following books there is probably more exploration of those aspects of the story. Be warned that this particular plot and love story reads a bit like a steamier rip-off of Twilight, I’m sorry to say!

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next book in the series is Onyx.

You also might enjoy:

  • Alienated by Melissa Landers
  • Goodreads.com has other recommendations for you!

Extras:

  • Find a copy of Obsidian at your local library through worldcat.org

About the Author:
Find Jennifer Armentrout online on:

Waiting on Wednesday – Rebel of the Sands (YA)

Kelsey BoganLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2015-10-06 at 8.46.25 PM

Waiting on Wednesday is brought to us by Breaking the Spine.

Its a weekly meme where we can share the upcoming releases we are so excited about!

Rebel of the Sands

by: Alwyn Hamilton

Release date: March 8, 2016

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synopsis: (from amazon.com)

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic.  For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

Amani Al’Hiza is all three.  She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power.

Why do I want it?

Did you read that synopsis? It sounds like this book has the potential to be epic and awesome. One of the things that drew me in is that the mythology and setting depart from the standard (and overdone) European influence and instead this story is built around Eastern mythologies and locations. Plus we have a “gifted gunslinger” as a heroine. I’m having (happy) visions of a wild-west-type of gal, and I like the thought. I have high hopes for this one, due out in March of 2016.