DEAR BOOK, I HATE YOU. SINCERELY, THE ANGRY READER

Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler
Published by: Viking Children's
Genre: YA Magical Realism
Published: May 26th 2015

     
        

Mina is seventeen. A virgin. And pregnant.

Mina is top of her class, girlfriend to the most ambitious guy in school, able to reason and study her way through anything. But when she suddenly finds herself pregnant—despite having never had sex—her orderly world collapses. Almost nobody believes Mina’s claims of virginity. Her father assumes that her boyfriend is responsible; her boyfriend believes she must have cheated on him. As news of Mina’s story spreads, there are those who brand her a liar. There are those who brand her a heretic. And there are those who believe that miracles are possible—and that Mina’s unborn child could be the greatest miracle of all.

TWO QUICK REVIEWS: TABOO TOPICS IN YA GENRE

Last month I read two Young Adult novels dealing with very sensitive topics. I am glad that authors increase awareness by writing more about taboo topics like racism, prejudices or teenage suicide. If only they paid better attention to writing itself... Here are my thoughts on both books.

REVIEW: BAD ROMANCE BY HEATHER DEMETRIOS

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Release date: June 13th 2017

       
          

Grace wants out. Out of her house, where her stepfather wields fear like a weapon and her mother makes her scrub imaginary dirt off the floors. Out of her California town, too small to contain her big city dreams. Out of her life, and into the role of Parisian artist, New York director—anything but scared and alone.

Enter Gavin: charming, talented, adored. Controlling. Dangerous. When Grace and Gavin fall in love, Grace is sure it's too good to be true. She has no idea their relationship will become a prison she's unable to escape.

Deeply affecting and unflinchingly honest, this is a story about spiraling into darkness—and emerging into the light again.

REVIEW: EMPRESS OF A THOUSAND SKIES

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza
(Empress of a Thousand Skies #1)
Published by: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Release date: February 7th 2017

     

         

Empress

Rhee, also known as Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an, is the sole surviving heir to a powerful dynasty. She’ll stop at nothing to avenge her family and claim her throne.

Fugitive

Aly has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. But when he’s falsely accused of killing Rhee, he's forced to prove his innocence to save his reputation – and his life.

Madman

With planets on the brink of war, Rhee and Aly are thrown together to confront a ruthless evil that threatens the fate of the entire galaxy.

A saga of vengeance, warfare, and the true meaning of legacy.

WINDWITCH - MY FIRST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2017

Those of you who follow my blog regularly know that Truthwitch was one of my favorite reads last year and main protagonists Safiya & Merik even made it to my top favorite ships of 2016. To say that I was super excited to read sequel, would be an understatement. I simply could not wait to get my hands on Windwitch. So imagine my disappointment when it did not meet my expectations at all...

Windwitch (The Witchlands #2)

Written by: Susan Dennard

Published by: Tor Teen

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release date: January 10th 2017

       
           

Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…

After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands. 

TWO QUICK REVIEWS: YOUNG ADULT FANTASIES

Today I am here with reviews of two ARCs that I read in September but forgot to share my thoughts on them. I am sorry for the delay but better late than never, right?

(check my Rating System for detailed explanations of my quick rating)

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF CROOKED KINGDOM

It has been long since I read a book that inspired me to write full and proper review. Until today. Crooked Kingdom completely blew me away and I simply have to share my thoughts with you!

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)

Written by: Leigh Bardugo

Published by: Henry Holt and Co.

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release date: September 27th 2016

        
          

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world. 

TWO QUICK REVIEWS: ADDITIONS TO FAVORITE SERIES

There are book series and THE BOOK SERIES. For me, there are only few series that belong to the second group and Harry Potter and Experiment in Terror definitely belong among them. So imagine my joy when I found out that there weas 8th Harry Potter book as well as EIT spin-off novel coming out this summer. How do I feel after reading them both? Read on.

 (check my Rating System for detailed explanations of my quick rating)

TWO QUICK REVIEWS: HISTORICAL YA NOVELS

I'm a huge fan of historical genre so anytime YA historical novel with interesting premise pops up on my radar, I feel this need to check it out. Last month, there were two good looking YA historical novels released and here are my thoughts on both of them.

 (check my Rating System for detailed explanations of my quick rating)

NO MORE WAITING #8: THE RAVEN CYCLE

Are you fed up with cliffhangers? Are you not patient enough to wait months for next instalment when reading series? Or do you just prefer to completely lose yourself in story and marathon all the books together? If you answered "yes" to at least one of these questions, this post is for you. NO MORE WAITING is a feature on my blog that spotlights completed series. You can look forward to spoiler-free reviews and graphic arts to accompany it.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Published by: Scholastic Press

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Kobo

           

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

EARLY REVIEW: THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love 

Written by: Sarvenaz Tash

Published by: Simon & Schuster BfYR

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Release date: June 14th 2016

Source: ARC Edelweiss

     
        

John Hughes meets Comic Con in this hilarious, unabashedly romantic, coming-of-age novel about a teenager who is trying to get his best friend to fall in love with him from the author of Three Day Summer.

Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy...
Archie and Veronica...
Althena and Noth...
...Graham and Roxy?

Graham met his best friend, Roxana, when he moved into her neighborhood eight years ago, and she asked him which Hogwarts house he’d be sorted into. Graham has been in love with her ever since.

But now they’re sixteen, still neighbors, still best friends. And Graham and Roxy share more than ever—moving on from their Harry Potter obsession to a serious love of comic books.

When Graham learns that the creator of their favorite comic, The Chronicles of Althena, is making a rare appearance at this year’s New York Comic Con, he knows he must score tickets. And the event inspires Graham to come up with the perfect plan to tell Roxy how he really feels about her. He’s got three days to woo his best friend at the coolest, kookiest con full of superheroes and supervillains. But no one at a comic book convention is who they appear to be...even Roxy. And Graham is starting to realize fictional love stories are way less complicated than real-life ones. 

NO MORE WAITING #7: THE WINNER'S TRILOGY

Are you fed up with cliffhangers? Are you not patient enough to wait months for next instalment when reading series? Or do you just prefer to completely lose yourself in story and marathon all the books together? If you answered "yes" to at least one of these questions, this post is for you. NO MORE WAITING is a feature on my blog that spotlights completed series. You can look forward to spoiler-free reviews and graphic arts to accompany it.

The Winner's Trilogy 

Written by: Marie Rutkoski

Genre: YA Fantasy Romace 

Purchase: Amazon / B&N

         

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love...

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

REVIEW: INTO THE DIM BY JANET B. TAYLOR (OR HOW I VOWED NOT TO READ YA TIME TRAVEL NOVELS EVER AGAIN)

Into the Dim (Into The Dim #1)

Written by: Janet B. Taylor

Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers

Genre: YA Time Travel / Historical Fiction

Source: NetGalley e-ARC

Release date: March 1st 2016

         
          

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing. Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens. 

NO MORE WAITING #6: STARBOUND SERIES

Are you fed up with cliffhangers? Are you not patient enough to wait months for next instalment when reading series? Or do you just prefer to completely lose yourself in story and marathon all the books together? If you answered "yes" to at least one of these questions, this post is for you. NO MORE WAITING is a feature on my blog that spotlights completed series. You can look forward to spoiler-free reviews and graphic arts to accompany it.

Starbound Trilogy

Written by: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Genre: YA Sci-Fi Romance

Purchase: Amazon / B&N

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive – alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.

The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

TWO QUICK REVIEWS: TIME-TRAVELING TEENAGERS

I'm not sure if you remember, but last October I wrote a blog post about the boom of subgenre - YA novels featuring time-traveling topic. I was super excited about all those novels with time-traveling teenagers in leading roles. Unfortunately, my first encounters with this subgenre were a disaster. Unpopular opinion and rant ahead. You have been warned.

 (check my Rating System for detailed explanations of my quick rating)

REVIEW: 5 REASONS THAT MAKE TRUTHWITCH BY SUSAN DENNARD YOUR NEXT BOOK-HUNGOVER-WORTHY READ

Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1)
Written by: Susan Dennard
Published by: Tor Teen
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Kobo
Release date: January 5th 2016

       
          

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

EARLY REVIEW: BLACKHEARTS BY NICOLE CASTROMAN

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Published by: Simon Pulse

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Release date: February 9th 2016

Source: Edelweiss ARC

        
         

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay. 

NO MORE WAITING #5: DUST LANDS BY MOIRA YOUNG

Are you fed up with cliffhangers? Are you not patient enough to wait months for next instalment when reading series? Or do you just prefer to completely lose yourself in story and marathon all the books together? If you answered "yes" to at least one of these questions, this post is for you. NO MORE WAITING is a feature on my blog that spotlights completed series. You can look forward to spoiler-free reviews and graphic arts to accompany it.

The Dust Lands Trilogy

Written by: Moira Young

Genre: YA Dystopia

Purchase: Amazon / B&N 

  

      

Saba lives in Silverlake, a wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms where her family scavenge from landfills left by the long-gone Wrecker civilization. After four cloaked horsemen kidnap her beloved twin brother Lugh, she teams up with daredevil Jack and the Free Hawks, a girl gang of Revolutionaries.

Saba learns that she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Saba and her new friends stage a showdown that change the course of her civilization.

LIFE CHANGING READS #4: INSPIRING YA HEROINES

LIFE CHANGING READS is occasional blog feature in which I talk about books that recently (or in the past) had a big impact on me and left me in the state of slight addiction in one form or another.

4 REASONS WHY TO READ HELLO? BY LIZA WIEMER

Hello? by Liza M. Wiemer
Published by: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction

Release date: November 10th 2015

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

        
         

One HELLO? can change a life. One HELLO? can save a life.

Tricia: A girl struggling to find her way after her beloved grandma's death.
Emerson: A guy who lives his life to fulfill promises, real and hypothetical.
Angie: A girl with secrets she can only express through poetry.
Brenda: An actress and screenplay writer afraid to confront her past.
Brian: A potter who sets aside his life for Tricia, to the detriment of both.

Linked and transformed by one phone call, Hello? weaves together these five Wisconsin teens' stories into a compelling narrative of friendship and family, loss and love, heartbreak and healing, serendipity, and ultimately hope.

Told from all five viewpoints: narration (Tricia), narration (Emerson), free verse poetry (Angie), screenplay format (Brenda), narration and drawings (Brian).