Weekly Mini Book Reviews 05

Title: Stars Above
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication: February 2016, Feiwel & Friends
Links: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble -- Goodreads
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: Stars Above is a bind up of novellas that take place in the Lunar Chronicles universe. There are 9 novellas in this bind up, 5 of which are brand new! Overall I loved this bind up! We get to see a little slice of each of our beloved characterʻs lives-both before the events in the primiary Lunar Chronicles books and after. Thereʻs also a cute little retelling of the Little Mermaid called The Little Android. Of course, my favorite novella was Something Old, Something New in which the wedding of the century takes place! ALL THE FEELS! Check out my full review for individual ratings for each novella.

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Publication: 2014, Harper Teen
Links: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble -- Goodreads
Rating: 3/5
Review: Marguerite is the daughter of scientists who create the technology that allows people to jump between dimensions called the Firebird. But when her father is murdered and his killer escapes to a different dimension using a Firebird, her main concern is catching him and avenging her father. As Marguerite travels through different dimensions she realizes that she might have been wrong about him after all. There are so many things that I liked about this book and so many things that I disliked. The premise is so interesting--I love the idea of being able to travel through multiple dimensions and living multiple lives as the same person. I didnʻt like the characters very much, though. Unfortunately they were a bit one-dimensional and shallow which was so disappointing. The world building was so great, but I felt that the character development fell short. I also thought that the love story was super cute, but I wasnʻt a fan of the love triangle--it seemed unnecessary to me. Overall I felt like this was a quick and cute read. See my full review here.

Title: This Is Where It Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Publication: 2016, Sourcebooks Fire
Links: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble -- Goodreads
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: Opportunity High School is your typical American high school until an act of violence shakes it to a core. Told in four differing view points, This Is Where It Ends gives readers a glimpse into the terrifying 54 minutes of a school shooting. This was probably one of the most hyped books early this year so, naturally, I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, this book ended up falling short for me. I did enjoy the diversity of characters in this book-there were LGBT characters, colored characters, and disabled characters. I really loved the premise of the book, it really did have so much potential but I was disappointed with how it was executed. There were also times when the book was just plain boring. I really wish that I had enjoyed this book more because I feel like this is such an important topic. See my full review here.

Title: Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2)
Author: Claudia Gray
Publication: 2015, Harper Teen
Links: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble -- Goodreads
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Review: Ten Thousand Skies Above You picks up shortly after the end of A Thousand Pieces of You. Now that Marguerite has saved her family, sheʻs sure that sheʻs in the clear--until Theo gets sick and the cure can only be found in another dimension.When Paulʻs soul is splintered (split into multiple pieces) while he is trying to obtain the cure, Marguerite knows that she has to work with her enemies if she intends to save her friends. I liked this book a little more than I liked the first book. As far as sequels go, this was great! It definitely added so much to the story and made me excited for whatʻs to come. There was definitely no sophomore slump here. My favorite thing about these books is definitely the plot twists. The author is great at plot twists that make me say WTF?! This book ends with a cliffhanger and basically I need the next book ASAP. Unfortunately, I am still not a fan of the characters, especially the MC, Marguerite. It is really hard to enjoy a book when I am not a fan of the characters. This was another quick and fun read and a solid sequel. See my full review here.

Mini Book Reviews Week 4

I know, I know...I have been seriously slacking with the book reviews. Itʻs been like 2 weeks since Iʻve done one. But, to be kinda fair, I havenʻt been doing a good job with the whole reading thing in general. Darn you reading slump and people coming to visit! Ah well...hereʻs to hoping that next week will be better...enjoy these for now!

P.S. Did yʻall see my new rating scale?! Iʻm kinda excited about it...itʻs on the side bar :D
P.P.S. Iʻm trying this new thing where the synopsis of the book is in italics. Iʻm hoping it makes it a little easier to differentiate between my review and the synopsis. Let me know if that works for you guys, please!

Title: The Emperor of Any Place
Author: Tim Wynne-Jones
Publication: October 2015, Candlewick Press
Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads
Rating: 3.5/5 Lollies
Review: When Evanʻs father passes away suddenly, Evan discovers the last book that he had been reading--a journal written by a Japanese soldier during World War II. A rich story of two young men develops as Evan reads the journal and learns of his own connection to the writer. Essentially a book within a book, this is an interesting tale of war, family, survival, and love mixed with a dose of Japanese myth and lore. The FIRST thing that you need to know about this book is that itʻs a mix of historical, contemporary, and paranormal fiction. Itʻs a strange mix, but it works somehow, but I donʻt think that I would have liked the book as much if I had gone into it not knowing that thatʻs what itʻs about so...yeah. I enjoyed the format of this book and how it went back and forth between Evanʻs POV and Isamuʻs journal. This book reminded me a lot of Lost but with Japanese lore mixed it. It was definitely an interesting read! Check out my full review here.

Title: Nanny Returns
Author: Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus
Publication: 2009, Atria Books
Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads
Rating: 2.5/5 Lollies
Review: This story takes place about 10 years after the events in The Nanny Diaries. In that time Nanny has married Ryan (aka Harvard Hottie) and theyʻve spent most of their time abroad where Ryan does humanitarian work. Now that theyʻre back home in the City, itʻs time to settle down--theyʻve bought a fixer-upper, Nanny has started an HR consulting business, and Ryan wants to start a family. Nan is not so sure about the whole family thing. When Grayer X shows up on Nanʻs doorstep shortly after her arrival home, Nanny is sucked back into the Xes world, which only makes her further question whether or not she wants to be a mom. This book was okay. The one thing that I really love about Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus is that their writing is excellent. Their books are so easy to read and easy to get through, definitely a must if you just want a quick read. I am still not a fan of Nanʻs character. I was expecting to see some sort of character growth because of the time gap between books, but I felt like it was the same old Nan. Sigh...will she ever grow up and become an actual adult who makes actual adult decisions? The world may never know. Check out my full review here.

Title: Immaculate
Author: Katelyn Detweiler
Publication: 2015, Viking Books for Young Readers
Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads
Rating: 4/5 Lollies
Review: Mina Dietrich is an average 17 year old who is trying to get through her senior year of high school with her friends and her boyfriend by her side. That is until she meets Iris, a seemingly crazy old woman who tells her weird things, and she ends up pregnant...and a Virgin. Soon, she loses one of her best friends who thinks that sheʻs a liar, her boyfriend who is positive that Mina cheated on him, and even her dad is convinced that sheʻs throwing her entire life away. Add to that the fact that the general public (and media) have caught wind of this shenanigan and Mina finds her life completely turned upside down. I liked this book a lot. The premise was interesting enough to suck me in and the writing was excellent enough to keep me interested. This was a great and quick read that kept me wanting to know more. I donʻt think there was a dull moment at all in this book! I loved that this book wasnʻt religious, even though there were religious parallels (obviously the story of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ). It did talk about faith but without getting too involved with religion. All the characters, I found, were likable but I enjoyed Minaʻs parents (especially her mom) the most. Check out my full review here.

Title: Nil Unlocked
Author: Lynne Matson
Publication: 2015, Henry Holt and Co.
Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads
Rating: 4/5 Lollies
Review: Things have changed on the island of Nil, Rives-the Cityʻs new leader-can feel it, but heʻs not sure if the change is a good or bad thing. What he does know is that heʻs going to figure out the islandʻs secrets before his 365 days are up-or heʻll die trying.  When Nil newcomer, Skye, drops in knowing a lot more about the island than your average Rookie, Rives realizes that she may be the key to unlocking Nilʻs secrets. The second book in the Nil trilogy by Lynne Matson DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Seriously, there was no sophomore slump here. This book was great. I read Nil last year and couldnʻt remember a lot of the plot points, but was reminded of quite a bit in just the first few chapters here. I thought that the plot was so interesting. This story focused on Nil itself and I loved how a lot of Nil mysteries were rooted in Pacific Island culture and lore. I really loved how the teenagers were beginning to feel connected to the spirit of Nil...the islander in me smiled, haha. I also really liked the characters--especially Skye and Rives! It was so interesting reading the story from both of their POVs, it made the story feel more complete somehow. I NEED THE THIRD BOOK NOW. That is all. Check out my full review here.

Mini Book Reviews Week 3

Title: The Nanny Diaries
Author: Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus
Publication: 2003
Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Review: Iʻm gonna be honest right off the bat here, I only picked up this book because Chris Evans is in the movie and I would like to watch Chris Evans in this movie, however I do not watch book-to-movie adaptations until I read the book. So basically I was forced to read this book. Anyway, this book is basically about a Nanny to New Yorkʻs rich and powerful couples. The couple in question, the Xes have issues...i.e. absentee/cheating dad/husband and an overbearing mother who doesnʻt know how to raise her own kid. Anyway, Nanny does everything for the X family, even though her job is to nanny Grayer by carting him off to all sorts of lessons, play dates, and basically teaching him how to be a little human. I didnʻt hate this book, but I didnʻt particularly enjoy it either. I liked that it was well written and funny, the story flowed well and the authors did a great job of getting their point across. However, I didnʻt feel like the problems in this book were resolved at all...the book kinda just ends. I want to read the second book just because I need some kind of ACTUAL resolution. Check out my full review here.

Title: Wolf by Wolf
Author: Ryan Graudin
Publication: October 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Review: So, this book is my current obsession and current favorite book of the year. Like...I cannot stop thinking about it and I just want to talk to everyone about this book, but I also want to make this review as coherent as possible so letʻs get to it. Hitler and his comrades won World War II and to commemorate the victory, he and Japanʻs Emperor Hirohito host an annual motorcycle race that spans several continents and ecosystems called The Axis Tours. All the racers want to win for the glory of receiving the Iron Cross and they will do anything to win. Yael, a death camp escapee, wants to win for another reason--she wants an audience with Hitler so that she can kill him. Using her skin shifting powers, a side effect of the painful human experimentation the death camp doctor dead on her, Yael poses as Adele Wolfe, the previous yearʻs  winner, in hopes that the Iron Cross becomes hers. I honestly wish that I had more room to write about this book, but Iʻll stop at that and yʻall can go check out goodreads. I am normally not a fan of historical fiction books but I absolutely loved this one and Iʻve got to say that the writing is a big reason why. It grabbed my attention and managed to keep it. I loved everything about this book--the plot, the characters, the settings, the writing...EVERYTHING. Seriously, if you want to talk to me about it please do! Check out my full review here.

Title: Saint Anything
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication: 2015, Viking
Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Review: The last time I read a Sarah Dessen novel was probably right out of high school. I loved her books as a teenager because they were cute and realistic, like these stories could actually happen to me. Saint Anything reminded me of how great Dessen is at writing relatable contemporary YA fiction. Sydney Stanford has always felt invisible next to her big brother, Peyton. After Peyton seriously injures a teenager in a drunk driving crash, Sydney decides to make changes in her own life and she does so by switching schools. Sydney meets siblings Layla and Mac Chatham at her new school and they promptly bring her into their world of family and friends. Saint Anything is a sweet and easy read about friendship, family, love, and growing up. I enjoyed this book a lot. It was so cute and such a quick read, but it also touched on so many important themes. While reading this, I couldnʻt help but be reminded of my own time as a teenager and all the feelings that come with that time of a personʻs life. My biggest issue with this story is actually with Sydneyʻs mother just because I canʻt understand how she can go so long basically ignoring Sydney and  her feelings. Must just be the Momma in me, though. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick and light hearted read!

What have you been reading recently? 

Mini Book Reviews Week 002

Alright...technically, this is supposed to be week 3 of Mini  Book Reviews, but since I dropped the ball last week and didnʻt get around to doing one, itʻs week 2! Hold on to your hats, people, because Iʻve got like six books coming at ya this week! That being said, Iʻm changing around the format this week so that I can fit all six books in without taking too long...cool? cool.

Soundless by Richelle Mead
About the Book: Soundless is about a girl named Fei who lives in a village atop a mountain where everyone is deaf. Their only way of communicating with anyone in the outside world is through a zip line--they send down precious metals from their mines and the ʻline keeperʻ sends up food rations. But as people begin to lose their sight and their production of metals decrease, so does their food rations. This sends Fei and another villager, Li Wei, off an adventure down the mountain to see whatʻs up and to try to make everything right again.
My Thoughts: I gave this book a 2/5 stars. Going in to this book, I was pretty sure that I wasnʻt going to like it. I had heard a lot about it from people I follow on instagram, booktubers, and book bloggers and it just didnʻt seem like it was my type of book. I picked it up anyway because everyone was just raving about it. I should have listened to my instincts because I really did not care for it at all. See my full review here.

Donʻt Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
About the Book: Samantha wakes up with absolutely no memory of who she is. She doesnʻt remember where she was or the night that she and her best friend Cassie went missing. She doesnʻt remember anything at all, but Sam is convinced that she has to remember that night because Cassie is still missing and she may hold the key to figuring out what happened.
My Thoughts: HOLY COW I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. I ended up giving it 5/5 Stars. This book was such a thrilling read with twists and turns that kept me guessing right up until the end. Like, I would think one thing and then BAM, something else comes out of left field and smacks me in the face. I have to say that the writing is definitely what drew me in to this book. This was my first Jennifer L. Armentrout book and Iʻm glad that I finally took the dive--Iʻve only heard amazing things about her and her writing, Iʻm glad that it met...even exceeded...my expectations. This was truly an addicting read that kept me guessing up until the very last page. See my full review here.

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir by Stan Lee, Peter David, and Colleen Doran
About the Book: This is a graphic memoir about Marvel legend Stan Lee...need I say more?
My Thoughts: This quick read introduces readers to the life of comic legend Stan Lee. I think it is a great overview and peek into the life of a legend. It follows Stan Lee's life through his childhood where he discovers his love for writing, as he enters in to the comic world, and where he is currently. I loved getting to know him through this form. The artwork was also so beautiful. I just wish that some of the stories had more detail or were more fleshed out but I know that would have been difficult in this format. Overall a quick and fun read perfect for children and casual Marvel or comic fans. I gave it 3/5 Stars.

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
About the Book: After everything that Nastya, a former piano prodigy, loved is taken from her all she wants is to start over--that includes attending a new school where no one knows who she is or her story and deciding to go mute. Josh Bennett is a boy at her new school who has lost everyone he loved. Something pulls them together from the first time Nastya sees him at school and soon their lives are tangled up in each other. But the secrets between them hold them back.
My Thoughts: I ended up giving this book a 4.75/5 stars. I honestly loved this book so much. The writing was flawless, the characters were so well written and had so much depth, it gave me ALL THE FEELS, and best of all--it was unpredictable! It kept me intrigued until the very end, something that I find so important when Iʻm reading a book. It did get points knocked off because of how a certain event in the book was handled, but that was entirely a personal preference. See my full review here.

Golden by Jessi Kirby
About the Book: Parker is a high school senior who has always done everything right--she gets good grades, listens to her mother, and is on the fast track to a full-ride scholarship to Stanford. But Parker has never did the unexpected and went against the current of her life. However, after discovering a journal the belonged to Julianna Farnetti--a town legend and tragedy--all of that changes. Parker finds herself on a journey to find out what really happened on the night that Julianna and Shane disappeared.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book and gave it a 3.5/5 stars. I thought it was a cute, coming-of-age story about the choices we  make and the consequences that follow. The life lessons in this book were on point. Unfortunately, the book (particularly the ending) seemed a little rushed to me and I would have loved more depth and detail about what happened. It just seemed to me like the story didnʻt really end. See my full review here.

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
About the Book: Violet is a ballerina with a secret about what happened the night her best friend, Orianna, was arrested and charged for the murders of two girls, but sheʻs not about to give up the life that she has become accustomed to to save her friend. Amber is a girl convict and Oriannaʻs new cellmate at Aurora Hills Secure Juvenile Detention Center. Told in two points of view, this is the story of two girls, the secrets they keep, and the girl who connects them.
My Thoughts: As of the time of this writing I literally just finished this book and havenʻt had the chance to even rate it on Goodreads yet, so Iʻm literally just going to write this on the fly. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Itʻs a haunting tale of teenage girls and what theyʻre capable of. This book borders on YA contemporary and paranormal thriller, which I thought was a weird combination but Nova Ren Suma somehow made it work! The writing was absolutely gorgeous. If I had to give it a rating right now, Iʻd give it a 4.5/5 Stars because it was a gorgeous novel, I just wish there was more Orianna!

Weekly Mini Book Reviews {001}

Iʻm starting a new feature this week here on the blog. Weekly mini book reviews! Iʻm going to use this as a way to keep track of where I am as far as my reading challenges go and a way to keep track of what I read during the week. Also, itʻll help me keep on track with my goal of actually doing book reviews. So Iʻm gonna stop talking now and letʻs get on with what I read this week.

Title: Emmy & Oliver

Author: Robin Benway

Publication: June 23, 2015 by HarperTeen

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Links: Goodreads -- Amazon -- Barnes & Noble

Review: This was the first book that I read in 2016 and I loved it. Iʻve been reading a lot of books lately with similar themes as this one: kid gets kidnapped, kid returns x amount of years later, kid needs to learn how to fit in with old family & friends; so I was a little wary about reading this one at first. Iʻm glad I picked it up, though, because it was different from the others. So, Oliver is the kid that was kidnapped by his non-custodial father and after 10 years, he returns home to his mother--who now has a new husband and twin daughters. On top of that, Oliver has to adjust to going to public school and making new friends. Thankfully Emmy, Oliverʻs next door neighbor and former best friend, is there to help him adjust--even though sheʻs got her own issues trying to forge her independence in the world when her parents are way overprotective, an after effect of what happened with Oliver. I liked this story because although it was a bit of a romance, it was so much more to that. This book also touches on the themes of friendship, family, and growing up. The only thing that I didnʻt really like was that it was a bit predictable. Even the climax of the book was a little underwhelming and I was tempted to skim over it because I could already see what was coming. This is a great book to read if you enjoy Contemporary YA fiction that is more than just INSTAlove. Check out my full review here.

Title: The Shock of the Fall

Author: Nathan Filer

Publication: Harper Collins, 2013

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Links: Goodreads -- Amazon -- Barnes & Noble

Review: Matthew and Simon were brothers. One night, while on vacation, the two boys go out but only Matthew returns home. What happened that night affects Matthew for the rest of his life. But this book isnʻt a book about brothers, itʻs not even really a book about family. Itʻs a book about mental illness and Matthewʻs struggle with it. When I seen this book in Target, I wanted to read it so bad and I thought that it would be a perfect read for the January girlxoxo monthly motif reading challenge. However, Iʻm glad that I decided to borrow this book instead of buying because, unfortunately this read just didnʻt grab me as much as I would have liked. Actually, I donʻt have any strong feelings for this book at all...I didnʻt love it, but I didnʻt hate it either. It was just...meh. I did like the format in which the book was written--it was like the book was jumping from place to place, which can be annoying but it was meant to reflect the mind of a person succumbing to mental illness. I did not like the pacing of the book, though, it was a bit slow at times and it was easy to get lost at times. It was also a bit predictable at times. This book won the 2013 Costa Best First award and I can see why, it was a fairly interesting read just not my taste. See my full review here.

Title: Pretending to be Erica

Author: Michelle Painchaud

Publication: Viking Books for Young Readers, 2015

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Links: Goodreads -- Amazon -- Barnes & Noble

Review: This is another one of those kid gets kidnapped then returns but the Erica Silverman who returned home after being kidnapped years earlier isnʻt actually Erica Silverman. Her name is Violet and she has been raised to be Erica Silverman by her master con artist father. Planted in the Silverman home to steal the rumored Silverman painting, if Violet can pull of this con, she and her father will be swimming in dough. I thought that this story was so interesting, I didnʻt want to put it down. However, it was a bit slow at certain points and I found myself being tempted to just skim through those parts. I also found the climax of the book to be good, but a little predictable. If you havenʻt noticed a pattern yet, I am not a fun of predictability...I like to be surprised all the way through. See my full review here.

Title: Trouble is A Friend of Mine

Author: Stephanie Tromly

Publication: Kathy Dawson Books, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Links: Goodreads -- Amazon -- Barnes & Noble

Review: Yet another book that I chose to read that went well with girlxoxo.comʻs Monthly Motif Reading Challenge. This contemporary YA debut follows Zoe, the new girl in town, as she meets Philip Digby (the way too blunt, annoying, and seemingly crazy boy who shows up on her doorstep one day thinking that he knows every thing about her) and the subsequent shenanigans that the two get in to. They are trying to solve the mystery of a girl who went missing over the summer because it might have a connection to a similar case that occurred in the town years earlier. Described as "Sherlock meets Veronica Mars meets Ferris Buellerʻs Day Off," this is a seriously funny read that will keep readers on their toes up until the very end of the book. I thought that this was a very solid read and a solid debut. The witty dialogue, plot twists, and interesting characters kept me hooked from the very beginning up until the last page. I would totally recommend this read if youʻre looking for a light-hearted mystery that will keep you guessing and laughing. See my full review here.

These are the books Iʻve finished since the beginning of the year up until yesterday, so I would say that January is off to a pretty great start! Iʻve got a few books in the queue already for this next week but I definitely donʻt think that Iʻll come close to this! What books did you finish this week? What books are you reading in the week to come?