Incarceron [Incarceron, #1] by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron [Incarceron, #1]
by Catherine Fisher

Genre: YA steampunk

My Rating: ★★★

Description:

This prison is alive.

Finn has lived in Incarceron for as long as he can remember, but he's sure he wasn't born there. For years, he's experienced strange visions he believes are clues to his past life: a life outside of Incarceron. 

Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, forced into a complex political marriage that she's desperate to escape from. 

Two separate worlds. Two separate lives. But when Finn and Claudia discover identical copies of a strange object -- an object that somehow allows them to communicate with each other -- a plan begins to form. A plan to enact an escape from an inescapable prison. 

But the prison has other ideas. 

Overall Thoughts

Incarceron was a hard book for me to rate. On one hand, there were elements of it that I loved. On the other hand, it leaned heavily on several tropes that I'm rather tired of seeing. But I ended up enjoying reading it despite its flaws, so I gave it a higher rating. 

I honestly love reviewing books that I have mixed opinions about. I like being able to point out things I didn't like about a book, but at the same time being able to say, "yeah, this part wasn't the greatest, but what the author did here? Brilliant." So without further ado, I'm going to get into it.

The Characters

I'll start with the two main characters, Finn and Claudia. Finn was my favorite of the two; I really liked his whole backstory thing that was revealed near the beginning (though I didn't like how it was told, more on that later), and I just liked him as a character? Maybe he's not the greatest protagonist out there, but he was still a good character and I liked reading his POVs.

Claudia... I honestly didn't care about her at all. She's a character we've likely all seen before: rich girl who doesn't like her arranged marriage and is trying her hardest to find some way out of it. Now, that's not to say I was annoyed by her. I wasn't. I just didn't care about her either way. Also, the stakes on her side, compared to the stakes Finn was facing, were not very high. 

The secondary characters were hit and miss. I liked Jared (actually, he was probably my favorite character in the whole book), and ended up getting somewhat attached to Keiro even though he's a jerk. Attia... I didn't really see enough of Attia to form a very good opinion of her. But she was a decent character, and I did love some of her dialogue. 

Overall mixed feelings about the characters. Most of them weren't brilliant and definitely won't make it onto my list of favorite characters? But at the same time, they weren't bad characters. They just weren't the best. 

Plot/Pacing

In terms of plot, it was well paced, but nothing brilliant. There were a few points in the story where it looked like conflicts were being resolved through deus ex machina (though this was actually addressed later on, it did irritate me a little at the time.) One aspect of the plot was... rather predictable. I called the twist very early in the story, but at the same time, I still don't know how I feel about it. That particular plot line was left loose, and so could be resolved in a way that would make me very satisfied, or... not. I'll have to read Sapphique to really make up my mind how I feel about it.
Another plot twist did catch me completely off-guard -- it was something I wasn't expecting at all, though I'm sure a few astute readers will be able to catch it (I'm not good at predicting plot twists whatsoever.)

Worldbuilding/Writing

The worldbuilding -- and especially the concept of a sentient prison -- was probably my favorite aspect of the whole novel. There were a bunch of neat concepts that were put into play here: the prison doesn't waste anything, so it creates new animals -- and sometimes people -- out of, well, dead material. The concept of the halfmen (cyborgs, but created by the prison) was also really interesting. I thought that the prison aspects of the novel had some really unique and interesting world building.
Incarceron itself is a major character in the novel, and I liked that, too -- it was kind of creepy, knowing that the prison had a mind of its own, and that the characters were trapped inside it.

Now, I mentioned at the beginning that I didn't like how Finn's backstory was told. Here's why: it was mostly told through dialogue. While there's nothing wrong with using dialogue in this way, I thought that the way Finn told his story was a little bit... too detailed? Many people, when recounting a story, tend to not talk about smaller details, which Finn did, and it stuck out as being a bit odd. Maybe this was the author's intention -- that Finn did notice these small details and wanted to talk about them. But it didn't ring quite true to me. There were a few other sections of dialogue throughout the story used in a similar way -- not enough to annoy me hugely, but enough that I did notice.

Overall, a very unique (and sometimes very weird) steampunk novel. I enjoyed it and will definitely be reading Sapphique in the near future.

Content

Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Minor swearing similar to an average YA novel (think of it as similar in this aspect to Cinder by Marissa Meyer). 

Sexual content is limited to a few comments about a character's appearance, an arranged engagement, a rumored (though untrue) affair between two unmarried people, and a few comments about a minor character's love life. 

Violence is fairly common, but not described graphically. There are descriptions of characters afflicted with disease or hunger.

The Darkest Minds [The Darkest Minds, #1] by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds [The Darkest Minds, #1]
by Alexandra Bracken

Genre: YA dystopian

My Rating: ★★

Description:

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something had changed. Something that scared her parents so much that they locked her in the garage and called the police. Something that got her locked up in Thurmond, a government camp for children who survived the brutal disease ravaging the nation and gained something new -- something dangerous.
Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. Now, six years later, she tries to stay under the radar, knowing that if the camp authorities discover what she really can do, she's sentencing herself to something far worse than Thurmond.
But when her abilities are revealed, she's forced to flee for her life. On the run, she meets a group of kids also fleeing from the authorities, and joins in their quest to find the last safe place for kids like them -- East River.

Overall Thoughts

I'd heard so many raving reviews for The Darkest Minds that I was almost sure it was going to be one of my new favorite books. Sadly, that wasn't the case. While I didn't hate the book, I didn't love it, either -- I don't feel like it deserved all the hype that it got. 

Let me explain why.

The Characters

The characters were okay. I never really got attached to Ruby (mostly because of the motivation issues I talked about), but I did like her backstory, and the reveal was well done. I liked the little girl, Suzume, a lot, and I liked the friendships between the other characters (Suzume, Chubs, and Liam). Liam was not exactly your typical YA dystopian love interest, which I also really appreciated. 

However, like I mentioned before, there were too many different villains, and it felt kind of silly at times because of this. I feel that if the author had stuck to one or two different villains -- and maybe made them actually be different in some way -- it would have been better. 

Plot/Pacing

This book had no real plot. The overarching goal is to "find East River", but Ruby, the protagonist, isn't fully on board with that goal. She goes along with the others anyway, but for a good portion of the book, finding East River isn't even a top priority for her. When she finally does decide she wants to go there, her motivations are rather shaky. I didn't really see enough of the drive behind her motivations to really "get" her story. 

There was a lot of action -- but much of it felt contrived. There were a bunch of different people chasing them, and so there were a lot of different chase scenes, as well as scenes where they would be cornered by the people hunting them. But there were so many villains chasing them it was almost laughable. One of the three villains literally has no purpose to the plot apart from chasing Ruby and the others down.

Writing/Worldbuilding

Now, this review is making it sound like I hated the book, and that's not true. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, either. So now, I'm going to talk about the things I really enjoyed about this book. 

1) The first three or so chapters. These chapters are basically backstory -- and I loved it. The first line of chapter one hooked me right away, and the sense of urgency and tension in these early chapters was really well done. I also liked the one character who featured in the backstory, Sam. She was great. 

2) The world building. I liked the whole idea of kids getting different powers, and how everyone was scared of them. I liked how they were divided into five different classes of powers, and that the abilities weren't totally random, but had to be from one of the specific categories. I thought that Ruby might have some totally random power when I first started reading, but luckily that didn't turn out to be true!

3) The end. I could not have predicted that ending, and I think it was a really good way to end the book (it was actually what made me give this book the extra .25 stars.)

So, while this novel wasn't everything it was cracked up to be, it was decent. I'll try to read the sequel, to see if the author improves at writing story goals and motivations for Ruby, but it's not insanely high on my TBR at the moment. Whenever my hold on Overdrive goes through -- that's when I'll read it. 

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide, attempted sexual assault.

Swearing is fairly infrequent, but does include very strong language, especially towards the climax of the book.
Sexual content includes kissing, mentions of boys being attracted to Ruby (in a sexual way; this is clearly shown as being wrong), a boy touches Ruby inappropriately even after she's made it clear she doesn't want him to, an attempted sexual assault.
Violence is common and sometimes disturbing. Certain characters can influence other characters to do some horrible things, including at least one count of suicide (on page). Characters, including children are shot and killed. Descriptions of blood. A car explodes, causing a death.

8 Things That Irritate Me in Fiction

Since I've started this blog, I've been widening my reading horizons: exploring new genres, reading new authors, breaking into adult fiction. It's been great, and it's helped me to start to see what I like to read -- and what I don't -- in fiction.
Some things (like cliches) can be done well. Love triangles can (rarely) be a great addition to the story. But the things I'm going to talk about are 99% of the time going to annoy me (or make me really angry... it has happened) if I see them in a book. And they turn up surprisingly often in books I've read, despite the fact that -- in my opinion -- the vast majority novels would be better off without them.

1. "As You Know" Dialogue

The author wants the readers to know something. Whether it be about a character's backstory, some aspect of their world building, etc, they somehow decide that their best course of action is to have a character talk about it -- in the most out-of-character way possible. 

I cannot stand dialogue that does this. 99% of the time, the character would not be talking like this and is only revealing information for the sake of the readers, not the other characters. It comes off as fake, obnoxious, and amateur. I would much rather read an info-dump in the narrative than have to put up with characters talking like textbooks. 

2. Over the Top Villains

Black, swirling capes; dark, hollow eyes; chilling laughter, cheesy one-liners taken straight out of The Villain's Pocket Handbook to Villainous Dialogue. These guys have it all. Literally their entire persona oozes "villain lifted directly from '90s cartoon." This includes knowing that the good guys are good and they -- along with everything they stand for -- is evil. They are a collection of stereotypes and stupidity that has absolutely no place in any book that isn't supposed to be a satire. 

3. Characters Over-Reacting to Situation

This may seem like a nitpicky thing, but I really can't stand it when a character over-reacts to their circumstances. For instance, a character sees a dead body for the first time, and immediately loses their lunch. I'm not saying that this isn't a perfectly natural human response -- but I've seen the same reactions for so many main characters that I'm wondering if it's not a default reaction for authors to fall back on. There's also the classic scene where the main character loses someone close to them and starts screaming and crying -- again, perfectly natural response... but not everyone would respond like this. Some would cry silently. Some would be numb, unable to cry. The main thing I'm asking from authors here is to just really examine their character's reactions, and make them fit the character.

4. Describing hair and eye colour -- in first person

"My long black hair blows wildly in the wind" is a line that I want to be able to permanently erase from my memory for all of eternity. In first person, you're seeing everything through the character's eyes. And let me tell you, when I'm running down a street, or standing on the edge of a cliff with the wind blowing through my hair, my first thought isn't "my long brown hair blows in the wind". Actually, my thought process is more along the lines of "Ugh. Annoying hair. Get out of my face. Bleh. Wind." Nothing about "chocolate brown" or "platinum blonde", see?

The same thing bothers me about eye colour, though it happens less often. However, both descriptions should be hunted down and scratched out before the book goes to press.

5. Overuse of and/or Bad Metaphors and Similes

There are two parts to this complaint. One is the overuse of metaphors and similes. In these books, it seems like every other description contains a metaphor or simile -- even when it isn't necessary. Metaphors are supposed to be used to clarify an image for the reader -- so when we already know what something looks like, metaphors are pointless. 

My other complaint is about bad metaphors. It seems more and more that "wacky metaphors and similes" are being equated to "good writing". The more out there your metaphor is, the better. This last complaint is something I will genuinely hate a book for. I can't stand bad writing, and this is up there with some of my least favorite writing techniques of all time.

6. Animal Attacks

I know, I know, a lot of books have one of these. But let me tell you, every time I read one, I inwardly roll my eyes. "Oh, it's the token bear/wolf/coyote attack to fill up space before the next actually plot relevant scene." 

I don't like these scenes for two reasons. Number one, they're usually unrealistic. Wolves and bears will not normally attack people unless they're a) defending their young or b) starving. Number two, nine times out of ten, the attack serves no purpose for the story. It's written to kill time, create more action, and that's it. There's no world building, or characterization, or anything involved in these scenes. 

Okay, and I have to take a moment to mention one more thing. I read a book this year (though I actually didn't finish it) where there was an animal attack. And the attack included bears, wolves, and coyotes. In the same place. This is so unrealistic, I can't even. The worst part was, before that point, I'd been loving the book. After that, well... I just didn't.
So when writing animal attacks, please think twice about why you're doing it. And please let it actually add something to the plot.

7. Unclear/Nonexistent Character Motivations

The character goes on the quest because, well... someone has to go on the quest, and they're the hero. So of course, even though  they have no motivations (or even worse, motivation to not go on the quest) they go along anyway.

This annoys me to no end. When the character doesn't know what they want, we as readers don't know what to want either.

8. Wise Old Mentor Characters

This character type is up there with cheesy villains as one of my least favorite archetypes of all time. This guy is old as the hills, with enough knowledge to help the hero master their abilities and themselves in the process. The problem? They're also fond of riddles, even when faced with the impending doom of the world as they know it. I usually hate mentor characters that fall into this stereotype because they're all exactly the same. All white haired with a mysterious past. All knowledgeable. All equally cryptic, because straight answers are not a thing, apparently.
They're overused. There are so many awesome mentor characters out there that break this stereotype. For example, in the middle grade magical realism novel, Sweep, the mentor character is a young school teacher. In Spin the Dawn, the love interest doubles as the mentor of the novel. In The Hunger Games, the mentor is not all-knowing, and is drunk more than half the time.
There are plenty of mentors out there that break the stereotype, and are far more realistic and three dimensional than the wise old hermits we've come to associate with the word "mentor" anyway.


And that's it for now! I may do a follow up post in the future, because there are a lot of things that irritate me in fiction, but I'm going to stop here for the sake of brevity.
Do you agree with any of my points? Disagree? Are there any things that irritate you in fiction that I haven't included here? Let me know your opinions in the comments! 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder
by R.J. Palacio

Genre: Middle Grade contemporary

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description: 

August "Auggie" Pullman is just a normal kid. At least, that's how he sees himself. He just wishes other people would see him that way. He was born with a facial difference that has, up to this point, kept him out of public school, and now, starting fifth grade at Beecher Prep, he just wants everyone else to see him the way he sees himself -- perfectly, wonderfully ordinary.
But his classmates can't seem to get past viewing Auggie as different.

Overall Thoughts

I've wanted to read Wonder for a while. (Shout out to the awesome person who lent it to me!) It's an amazing story, and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to read it! I finished the whole novel in about a day and a half, which should give you some idea to how much I enjoyed it.

The Characters

I think the characterization was the strong point in this novel. I liked that the author chose to explore the situations from the point of view of multiple characters (you have Auggie, the main character; his sister, Via; her boyfriend and her best friend; and two of Auggie's friends, Jack and Summer.) Seeing all of the characters and their different points of view made the novel really unique. I loved seeing different sides to the same story, how different events meant different things to different people. All the point of view characters were well-developed and felt human. One character who didn't get a lot of development was Julian, the bully: however, I've read that R.J. Palacio wanted to tell his story, but couldn't find a way to do that in Wonder without disrupting the story. She released an e-book in 2014 called The Julian Chapter which tells his story. She said she didn't want to justify his behavior, but she did want to humanize him, which is what the book apparently does. Another addition to my TBR, apparently. :P

Plot/Pacing

The plot centers around Auggie's first year in public school, navigating fifth grade. (Also, yay for homeschool rep!) It's not an incredibly twisty or riveting plotline in and of itself, but it's compelling in its own, quiet sort of way. The everyday events in the lives of the people in Auggie's life are relateable and sympathetic -- I especially related to Via, Justin, and Miranda's POVs, because I recently graduated high school myself, and a lot of their struggles hit really close to home.

Writing/Theme

The message of the book was excellent -- a theme of kindness, forgiveness, and compassion that I believe is universal. Though the book is marketed as middle grade, I think that this book would appeal to many who have long since grown out of grade school, high school, even college. It's a lovely, heartwarming story.

Content 

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Bullying. Name calling. One character punches another character in the face. Several boys are attacked by older boys, and a fight ensues, not described in detail. 

Several instances of bathroom humor.
I don't recall any specific instances of swearing.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races
by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: YA magical realism

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description:

It happens every November: the Scorpio Races. It's a wild, dangerous sport, as riders battle to stay on their water horses long enough to cross the finish line.
Some live.
Many die.
For Sean Kendrick, four-time champion of the Races, the danger is nothing new. He knows the risks and accepts them. If he has any fear, he keeps it buried. For him, it's not the thought of winning that drives him, but something deeper, something he keeps to himself, something wild and alive inside.
Puck Connolly never meant to ride in the Races, but fate forced her hand. Now she's entered in the competition -- the first woman ever to do so.
Neither of them are in any way prepared for what will happen.

Overall Thoughts

I have read so many books that have become new favorites this year. The Scorpio Races is one of those books. Honestly, I put off reading this for far too long, and I'm so glad I finally decided to read it!

Writing

I want to talk about the writing style first, because it was so unique and beautiful without bogging down the story. Sometimes authors get caught up in writing beautiful descriptions and lose track of the actual plot (we've all read that one book) but The Scorpio Races balanced lovely writing and description with the plot events excellently. In fact, I feel like the writing style added to the overall atmosphere of the book. In my Best Books for Fall post, I mentioned that the entire story felt like November. And it's true. It's hard to explain, but once you've read it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

The Characters

The characters were excellent. Of course we have our main characters, Puck and Sean. Puck is such a great main character. She's really strong, but still feels human, still makes mistakes, and isn't the best at everything she does. But she still tries, and fights, and genuinely cares about both of her brothers. (I guess you guys must have guessed by now how much I love well written sibling relationships in books!) I wish female characters like Puck were more common in YA fiction, because she was incredible. 

Sean was also well developed. I suppose he could have fallen into any number of YA character stereotypes, but he never did. He has a really unique character voice, and his motivations and reasons for riding in the Races were so complex and layered and I really liked that. 

But it wasn't only the main characters who were well developed! Stiefvater did an excellent job in characterizing even her background characters in a couple of sentences. Even the random people populating the island felt like real people, and it really impressed me. Too often in fiction, minor characters are not well-developed and feel like cardboard props to support the main character's stories. The characters in The Scorpio Races all felt like people in their own right, and I appreciated that.

Plot/Pacing

The plot and pacing were nearly perfect. I do have to say that the beginning of the book was a tiny bit slow, but it picked up fast enough that it's barely noticeable. The rest of the book is perfectly paced, and I feel like the plot balanced the two main character's lives with the plot of the Races very well. There's not much I really want to say about the plot, because it's really one of those books that you shouldn't know very much about going in.

Worldbuilding

And the world building! As I mentioned earlier, the writing contributed so much to the atmosphere of the book, and I really loved how real the Thisby felt. It was so vivid and amazing. The water horses felt like a perfectly natural part of the island, and I loved that. It's magical realism at its best. 

I've probably used the words "amazing" and "incredible" far too often in this review, but I don't care. Anyway, this book deserves it. I highly, highly recommend picking it up, even if you aren't a fan of magical realism or YA. This book is just that good.

Content

Recommended for ages 13 and up. 

Some minor swearing, used infrequently. Some sexual innuendo, also infrequent. Kissing. Characters drink alcohol. 

The biggest content warning would have to be the violence. The water horses are vicious. Several on-page deaths, some rather gruesome. Nothing is gorily described, but it could be disturbing for some readers. A character threatens another character at knifepoint. 

Horses are injured. One scene describes the carcass of a dead sheep. 

City of Ghosts [Cassidy Blake, #1] by Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts [Cassidy Blake, #1]
by Victoria Schwab

Genre: Middle Grade horror

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

Cassidy Blake's parents are the Inspecters, paranormal investigators and authors whose latest project -- a TV show documentary -- will take them to some of the most haunted cities in the world.
Which would be just fine with Cassidy -- only she can actually see the ghosts. Since her near-drowning a year ago, she's been able to cross over the Veil between her world and the world of the dead. Her best friend is even a ghost.
When she arrives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and meets a girl like her -- someone who can also cross the Veil -- Cassidy realizes she has a lot to learn. About herself. About her strange powers. And about the Veil itself.
And she has to learn fast. Because the city of ghosts is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Overall Thoughts

City of Ghosts is a middle-grade horror novel by the author of The Monsters of Verity duology. I picked this up soon after reading Our Dark Duet, and while I didn't find it quite as good as The Monsters of Verity, it was still fun and enjoyable, and I will definitely be reading the sequel.

The Characters

The characters in this book were strong and honestly made the book for me. Cassidy, the main character, is spunky and also smart, and her character voice throughout the novel (it's written in first person point of view) was excellent and kept me engaged. 

Jacob, her ghost friend, was probably my favorite character. He's got a great sense of humor, but thankfully isn't delegated to the role of comic relief, as so many friends in middle grade tend to be. I actually really enjoyed the friendships portrayed in these books, and I'm excited to see them develop more in future installments. 

I also want to talk a bit about Cassidy's parents, because they were such a breath of fresh air. In so many middle grade and teen novels, the parents are totally out of the picture -- either dead, or abusive, or absent -- which serves as an excuse for why the main character is free to explore the story goal in sometimes unsafe ways. Cassidy's parents felt like real people, and I liked that they actually cared about their daughter and were just overall good, caring people?

Plot/Pacing

The plot was well-paced, but was also one of the weaker aspects of the novel. For a good portion of the book (I would say 60% or so), Cassidy is reacting: it's only when we hit the third act or so that we really see her acting towards a goal. It didn't really bother me, because the plot before that point was still good and engaging, but from a purely objective standpoint, not having a real goal for much of the book definitely weakened the overall structure.

Writing

The writing style was good -- not my favorite, by any means, but good. I don't really enjoy narrators who speak directly to the reader, and Cassidy was definitely one of those narrators, but I didn't mind it nearly as much as I usually do when reading this kind of narration. So, mostly my problems with the writing stem from my own individual preference, not from any objective issues.

Worldbuilding

The last thing I want to talk about is the setting and worldbuilding. I loved the descriptions of Edinburgh, and the descriptions of both the real world and the world beyond the Veil. They were vaguely creepy, and the whole book felt... grey and misty. I know that probably doesn't make much sense, so let me rephrase: this novel is atmospheric. Wonderfully so. 

I also found the whole "Ghost world" easy to follow along with; it never confused me even when new information about it was revealed. We're also left with a sense at the end that there is more about the Veil and the ghosts that Cassidy doesn't know yet, and I'm excited to see what new things will be revealed in Tunnel of Bones. 

Also, side-note: the ghost stories sprinkled throughout this book are so spooky. I'd really love to know if they were made up for the book, or if they are real ghost stories from the Edinburgh area. 

Content

Recommended for ages 11 and up.

I don't recall any specific instances of swearing, but I believe there may have been a few times when characters used the Lord's Name in vain. 

Violence is not described; this is a middle grade book, after all. A boy is trapped in a burning theater. Cassidy recalls her near-drowning before the beginning of the book. Several ghost stories are told and could be disturbing for some readers. One story recounts how a ghostly woman spirits children away from their homes. 

Brief description of a corpse. 

Best Books for Fall

Autumn is the time for pumpkin pie and hot apple cider, frosty mornings and fluffy blankets, mugs of cocoa, and cozying up in a corner with a good book. You know, not just any book. The kind of book that you can fall into (see what I did there?) and stay there for hours, immersed in the story. You know, those stories.

They're not easy to come by, but they are there. (I managed to pick out four, but I'm sure there are many more I haven't discovered yet!) So, without further ado, here's my list of recommended fall reads. Enjoy!

Photo by Jessica Fadel on Unsplash

1. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (My Review)

© 2019 by Rambles from My Library

This book is a great fall read, with just the right amount of atmosphere and creepiness, combined with excellent character development and a riveting plot.

Three reasons to read it:

- Amazing characters

- An immersive, beautiful writing style

- Monsters and general creepy coolness

2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Review forthcoming!)

This book is one of my most recent reads, and let me tell you: it's incredible. If ever there was a book that felt like November, it's The Scorpio Races. Prepare to be blown away. 

Three reasons to read it:

- Beautiful writing and descriptions

- Well-developed, likeable characters

- Water horses 

3. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

© 2019 by Rambles from My Library

You guys know I love Harry Potter, and no list of autumny books would be complete without it.

Three reasons to read it:

- Fun, likeable characters

- An engaging, magical story

- It's HARRY POTTER

4. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (My Review)

A beautifully written, hauntingly sad and achingly beautiful story about love, loss, and hope.

Three reasons to read it:

- Beautiful, haunting writing style

- Realistic depictions of loss and grief
- Wonderful, human characters

And that's all for my current recommended fall reads!
Have you read any of the four books on this list? Are there any books you would have added to it? Let me know in the comments!

This Savage Song [The Monsters of Verity, #1] by Victoria Schwab

This Savage Song [The Monsters of Verity, #1]
by Victoria Schwab

Genre: YA urban fantasy/horror

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description:

In Verity, there's no such thing as safe. 
Once, shadows stayed shadows. But since the Phenomenon, the violence in Verity spawns actual monsters -- and no one is safe.
Kate Harker wants to prove herself as ruthless as her father -- the man who lets his monsters roam the streets and offers protection...  to those who can afford it.
August Flynn wants to be human. But he isn't. He's a monster, born of violence, who can steal a soul with a single song.
When August and Kate's worlds collide, they are forced to ally themselves against a threat that could tear their city apart.

Overall Thoughts

Excuse me while I go and scream at the sky, because this book is amazing and nobody talks about it! I would honestly give it 300/5 stars if I could. I know I didn't do it any justice in the blurb, but guys. Guys. Do yourself a favor and go read this book!

Okay, now to the actual review. :P

The Characters

The characters were well-developed and sympathetic. August was hands-down my favorite character. He's so desperate not to be a monster, even while he's forced to steal souls for... reasons. (We're straying into spoiler territory now.)

It took me a little longer to warm up to Kate, but when I did, I loved her too. She's got two faces -- the fierce, ruthless, version of herself she presents to the public, and then the face she doesn't show anyone else. I won't say any more, because I feel like the less you know about the book before you start reading it, the better. This is one of those books where it's better to go in blind. 

The other characters were excellently developed, too, but I can't devote a separate paragraph to each of them for the sake of keeping this review a decent length. So suffice it to say that cardboard characters are not a thing in this book. And Ilsa is amazing. That's important as well.

Plot/Pacing

The plot was perfectly paced and riveting. Victoria Schwab did an amazing job with the tension in this book; sometimes it was hard to put down and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next and how the characters were going to get out of this one. I'm finding immensely difficult to discuss the plot without getting into spoilers, but honestly, it was perfect and engrossing and there was never a boring moment. There were some really good plot twists as well, but those were never the highlight of the story for me -- I think my favorite parts of the book are a toss-up between the characters and the beautiful writing. (Okay, probably the characters.)

Worldbuilding

And the setting! The idea behind this book is kind of post-apocalyptic urban fantasy, and it was so dark and creepy and just perfectly atmospheric. I'm not a huge horror fan, but I did enjoy this book, even though it technically works in some horror elements. It wasn't scary enough to keep me awake at night, but just scary enough to keep me turning pages, which I loved.

Writing

But speaking of the writing! It was beautiful. Victoria Schwab has a way with words that paints a picture in my mind, and every sentence flows so smoothly into the next one, it's easy to forget you're reading at all. The writing really played into the overall feel of the book.

The themes also really impressed me. This book is about good and evil, what makes a person good or evil, what makes a monster. Each of the themes were beautifully handled.

Overall, I loved this book so much, along with its sequel, Our Dark Duet. I'm so glad I took a chance reading it, because this is now one of my new favorite book series.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: References to a mass suicide, flashbacks to a school shooting.

Swearing is infrequent, but does include some very strong language. It wasn't enough to bother me, personally, and wasn't used gratuitously or for shock value, which I appreciated. 

No sexual content (you heard me right, not even kissing.)

There's quite a bit of violence, including some descriptions of blood and gore. Several descriptions of the bodies of people who have been attacked by monsters. Characters are wounded. At least one torture scene, with some details. Descriptions of monsters.

The Final Six [Spoiler-Free Book Review]

The Final Six [The Final Six, #1]
by Alexandra Monir

Genre: YA science fiction

My Rating: ★★

Description:

The human race is dying. When climate change finally caught up to them, they were powerless to stop it. Now, as more and more dry land is flooded, humanity looks once more to the stars.
The plan is simple. Twenty four teens, drafted from across the globe, will compete to be chosen as one of the Final Six, who will be the first to colonize Jupiter's moon, Europa, and create a new home for the remainder of the human race.
Leo and Naomi are two of the chosen. Though Leo sees his being drafted as a new purpose to go on after his family died, Naomi isn't so sure. She's suspicious, and rightly so -- they're not being told the whole story. And the truth buried beneath the lies could be something disastrous -- something deadly...

Overall Thoughts

Apart from a compelling concept, The Final Six has very little going for it in terms of writing, plot, and characterization. I'll admit, I was attracted to it both by the cover (it really is pretty) and the concept of people colonizing Europa (which is something I'll be attempting to explore in my own sci-fi series.) But after a few pages, it became clear that this book was not going to be for me. I did read to the end, if only to review it, but I can't say it was a particularly enjoyable book.

The Characters

The characters were... well, not my favorite. Naomi was the only person I actually liked in the whole book, and I looked forward to reading her POVs. I don't know why I liked her the most -- maybe it was her relationship with her brother that endeared her to me. But she wasn't extremely well developed, either; she just happened to be the best character in the novel.
The other POV character, Leo, was just plain annoying, and his character was really inconsistent. He's supposed to be in mourning for his family, but as soon as he gets chosen for the competition, it's like he forgets about them (and his depression, apparently?) I'm not saying he had to wallow in sadness, but please, think about them at least!
The other characters were one-dimensional, as most of the focus is on Leo and Naomi. The adults were cardboard, and even some of the other kids on their team (like Beckett) got very little development. Beckett himself was a stereotypical shallow rich jerk, with no real depth of character.

Plot/Pacing

The plot lagged for the first twenty or thirty percent, and it was hard to read through it. Perhaps it was because I really hated reading Leo's point of view, but I did find that the pacing picked up after around the 30% mark, so maybe not? The plot itself wasn't horrible, but it wasn't really anything special, either. Honestly, I had assumed going in that there would be some space travel in it, but literally the entire 300+ page novel was about the training camp preparing them to go to outer space. While some of it was interesting, it wasn't really what I was hoping to read about.
There were also a few cases of deus ex machina that really irritated me. For example, in one scene, Naomi needs a microscope. It's a good thing she packed one! I wouldn't have had a problem with Naomi having a microscope, but at least mention it beforehand -- otherwise, it just comes off as a convenient plot device. There was also a huge case of deus ex machina near the end -- which ruined everything I liked about the book for me. Enough said.

Worldbuilding

The world building was fine. Not exceptional, but not horrid. The premise is that global climate change has caused worldwide flooding and earthquakes, resulting in an apocalyptic earth where only a fraction of the earth's population survives. There's robots, some kind of radiation resistant bacteria, VR simulations for training... some typical sci-fi stuff. It was okay, but added nothing new to the genre. However, if the rest of the story had been good, I would have been okay with it.

Writing

The writing was... not my favorite. The author relied really heavily on tell-y dialogue to fill us in on the world building, especially in the first 20% or so. Some of the adult characters were literally only there to spout off important information and backstory. Not what I came here to read about, thanks. I feel that most of the world building could either have been implied or revealed in more subtle ways, instead of using the scientists with their "as you know" speeches.

Overall, a sadly disappointing read. I may pick up the sequel just to see how the story is resolved, but it's not high on my priority list, and if I never get around to it, I won't feel like I'm missing out.

Content (potential minor spoilers)

Recommended for ages 14 and up. 

TRIGGER WARNING - Attempted suicide. 

Swearing typical to an average YA novel, not frequent, but definitely present. 

Sexual content includes kissing and a mention of a girl's undergarments. One scene in which two characters spend the night together, with the implication that they were intimate with each other. No details.

In terms of violence, there wasn't very much. A character tries to unhook another character's harness while bungee jumping. The characters are told that another competitor died because he swam underneath the propellers of a submarine. 

The characters are all given an injection of radiation resistant bacteria. Two characters become ill as a result, and one is killed. Descriptions of the illness could be disturbing. 

Fairest [The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5] by Marissa Meyer

Hi guys! Life has gotten in the way of my normal posting schedule (again, haha), so instead, here's a book review of Marissa Meyer's backstory novella for Queen Levana, which took me way too long to get around to reading. 

Fairest [The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5]
by Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA dystopian retelling

My Rating: ★★★★

Description: 

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is fairest of them all?
Princess Levana Blackburn is desperate for love. In a world where fidelity is a joke and true love is nothing more than a fairy tale, Levana wants to be wanted -- at any cost.

In the chilling prequel to the Lunar Chronicles series, Queen Levana's rise to power is revealed -- from a girl starved for affection to the ruthless Lunar Queen.

Overall Thoughts

Learning a backstory sometimes makes me feel more sympathetic to the villain. With Levana's backstory in Fairest, Marissa Meyer only shows us how messed up the Lunar Queen really is. Seeing Levana's twisted motivations and justifications for her actions was terrifying, and definitely helped make her scarier in my mind. This is a prequel, but I wouldn't recommend reading it until after reading Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress. There are some spoilers for those books in this one, so if you haven't read them yet... please don't continue reading this review!

Thematically, this book was terrifying, about the descent into villainy. It also touches on topics of manipulation and what love looks like (more through Levana's twisted version of love and the contrast with the love shared by Solstice and Evret.) Because the book was so short, the themes didn't really take a lot of precedence, but they were still well thought out.

The Characters

The characters were well-drawn, in true Marissa Meyer form. I liked the conflicts between the characters, and how each character's dialogue was unique and distinguishable from the others, which I feel is something Marissa Meyer excels at. Most of the characters were not likeable characters -- not by any means -- but they felt real, and I guess that just made them even scarier.

Plot/Pacing

The plot takes place over a number of years, starting when Levana is fifteen and going all the way up until she's crowned Queen of Luna. It was fast paced and interesting, showcasing not only Levana's backstory, but also including the cameos or mentions of several important characters in the Lunar Chronicles series, including Winter, Jacin, Sybil Myra, and Selene. The plot itself was very inward-focused -- centering on Levana's desire to be beautiful, her turmoils, desires, and desperation as opposed to having a more outward focused story goal.

I don't feel like there's much more to say about this book, except that, if you like the Lunar Chronicles, you will like this book.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

There was more sexual content in this book than in the Lunar Chronicles series -- nothing explicitly described, but there were a few descriptions to show that characters were intimate with each other (not graphic), and numerous mentions of infidelity in the Lunar Court. Levana uses her glamour to manipulate another character to do what she wants (which includes her sexual desires.) There is one minor character who is presumably gay. 

Violence including a character remembering being disfigured in a fire. A child is presumed to have died in a fire. A man is shot in the chest. A character stabs another character. A woman dies in childbirth.  A character imagines another character dying in numerous, horrific ways. 

Swearing limited to minor cursing.

The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill

The Lost Girl of Astor Street
by Stephanie Morrill

Genre: YA historical mystery

My Rating: ★★★

Description:

Piper Sail's best friend, Lydia, is missing. Though the police have promised to do all that they can, Piper is convinced that they're looking in the wrong places and starts her own investigation. With the help of the young police detective Mariano, Piper begins uncovering clues to Lydia's disappearance.
But soon, she has to decide just how far she's willing to go to learn the truth... especially when the trail of clues begins to lead back to her own affluent neighborhood.

Overall Thoughts

If you're looking for a complex, twisty historical mystery novel -- this isn't the one. While The Lost Girl of Astor Street was a well written, enjoyable story, the mystery was definitely not my favorite and didn't include all of the twists and turns that I have grown to expect from mysteries (or maybe I've just seen too many episodes of Murdoch Mysteries to be surprised anymore? I hope not!)

Speaking of Murdoch Mysteries, though, this book did remind me quite a bit of the show. Not in a bad way, but it had a very similar feel -- perhaps it's the historical mystery that's making me draw lines between them.

The Characters

The characters were definitely the best part about this book. Piper was a decent main character, and I liked reading her POV. Her reactions to the situations she was faced with felt realistic, and I appreciated that. I wasn't as huge a fan of her love interest, Mariano. I didn't hate him by any means, but I would have liked the two of them better as friends. Emma Crane was also a great character, and just an all around nice person? I really related to her character. I also liked her brother, Jeremiah (who would have been a better love interest, in my humble opinion.)
I will say that the villain didn't really have the greatest motive, and I wish that this aspect of the story had been done better. (But then, I had a problem with a lot of the mystery aspects.)

Plot/Pacing

Now, for the plot. While the mystery wasn't extremely twisty, it was a decently plotted out storyline. I wish that Piper had found more clues earlier -- for the first little while, it seemed as though she was just aimlessly ambling around looking for clues and not finding any. But once she did start finding clues, the story became really engaging and fast-paced.
In terms of subplots, there were several dropped threads that I wish the author had tied up, as there was quite a bit of page time spent on some of them. For example, her father's engagement to Jane. Piper doesn't like Jane, and voices it on numerous occasions, and really, by the end of the book, it seemed like nothing had changed between them? Which I found to be sad, and also slightly annoying, considering how much time Piper spent complaining about her.

Setting

As for the setting -- I loved it. I've always had a soft spot for historical fiction (ever since my seventh grade days of binge reading Dear Canada and The Royal Diaries... ah the good old days.) But anyway, since I love historical fiction, I loved reading all the historical details the author wove into this book. The setting felt genuine and vibrant. It also explored a period of history I haven't read very much about -- the 1920s -- which I liked. It seems like so many historical novels are based during WW2 nowadays that this was a refreshing change. (Not hating on WW2 novels, though: it was an important and tragic period of history, and one that we shouldn't forget any time soon.)

Conclusion: if you like historical fiction, you might want to keep The Lost Girl of Astor Street on your radar. But if you're a die-hard mystery fan, it might be worth your while to look elsewhere.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Kidnapping, mentions of human trafficking. 

No swearing that I can recall (this book is published by Blink, which usually means there is little to no profanity).

Sexual content is limited to kissing; there are also mentions of brothels and prostitution, as well as some talk and anxiety of what might have befallen Lydia (in terms of human trafficking). A minor character is married and having an affair with an unmarried character. One character reveals that she was sent away by her family to get an abortion. She didn't go through with it. 

Violence includes being held at gunpoint, a child is found to have been beaten, talk about a dead body and how the person died, a character experiences rough treatment including being dragged across gravel.

Sky Without Stars [System Divine, #1] by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

Sky Without Stars [System Divine, #1]
by Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell

Genre: YA science fiction retelling

My Rating: ★★★

Description:

Laterre was a blessing. A refuge for humanity fleeing from a dying world, one of nine planets in the System Divine.

Now it is less a refuge than a cage.  

Chatine just wants to get off Laterre. She's stolen and saved for years to earn enough to escape -- so when she is given an opportunity to spy on Marcellus Bonnefaçon in exchange for her dream, she accepts, unknowing of the consequences of her choice. 

Marcellus has known for years that he will one day replace his grandfather as General for the First Estate. But when he receives a mysterious message from a known traitor, he begins to question his loyalties.  

Alouette lives with a sisterhood devoted to keeping history alive. And she's also the only one who can read Marcellus's message. 

Underneath it all, Laterre trembles with the beginnings of rebellion. And soon, all three of them are tangled in a silent struggle for freedom.

Overall Thoughts

This book had me at sci-fi Les Miserables. (Okay, and the gorgeous cover might have had something to do with it, too.) I mean, what's not to like? Plus, it's a huge book, and I love huge books, so this was a win-win-win for me going in. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. There were a few issues I had with it that stopped me from giving it a higher rating, but I did enjoy it despite those issues.

The Characters

The characters were good. I liked Chatine from her first POV; she's cunning, risktaking, and sarcastic at times. Her longing to get off of the planet was portrayed realistically, and I liked her complicated relationships with her family members.
I liked Marcellus at first, but he ended up being my least favorite point of view character. He seemed to trust people a little too quickly? But I still liked his POV. His struggle with where his loyalties lie was interesting, though I wish the authors had chosen to show more of the other side of the conflict, as well.
I was surprised at how much I liked Alouette, the character who fills the role of Cosette in this story. I didn't like Cosette very much, either in the 2012 movie or Victor Hugo's original novel. But I did really like Alouette. She's smart, brave, and determined, and I really liked that about her.
I didn't like the villains so much. For the majority of the book, I thought that the Inspecteur (who fills the role of Javier) was super cool. He was a cyborg, and I thought that was an interesting twist. But then the climax rolled around... and he started in with the villanous monologues and maniacal laughter. So that was... anti-climactic.

Plot/Pacing

The plot was decent. Of course, I didn't realize going into this book that it only retells half of the original Les Mis -- the second book (set to release some time next year) retells the next half. But because I didn't realize this originally, I kept waiting for the revolution to start and it just... didn't. But it wasn't something that really disappointed me, because the plot itself was okay, definitely not the finest plot out there, but solid and enjoyable. There were a few small things that annoyed me -- like when Chatine is enlisted to spy on Marcellus, and her employer tells her that he believe Marcellus trusts her... based on some footage where he (Marcellus) literally found her looting bodies. So that was weird? But okay. There was also a short scene where a kid tells Chatine that he works for the revolutionaries, even though he doesn't know who she is. Which also struck me as odd. Chatine assumes he's joking, but even so, I was pulled out of the story for a moment because of that.

Worldbuilding

The worldbuilding was fun. I liked the descriptions of the planet -- how it's always grey, rainy, cold. It felt really different from a typical sci-fi planet, and I thought that was neat. There were a few terms for the technology that irritated me a little bit, but it wasn't really anything huge.

I seem to have had a lot of problems with this book, but even so, I enjoyed reading it! It definitely wasn't as brilliant and awesome as I wanted it to be, but it was still an enjoyable read, and I'll probably be picking up the sequel once it comes out, too.

Content

Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Violence is typical of an average YA novel. The battles and wounds were minimally described (the fights themselves only lasted a short time; I feel like they were a bit rushed through at points, even.) A few mentions of blood. 

Someone threatens to cut off another character's toes. A child is poisoned. 

A few instances of mild swearing. 

Sexual content doesn't go beyond kissing. Chatine disguises herself as a boy for most of the novel. 

There are places called "blood bordels" where young girls can sell off the nutrients in their blood. Chatine's father threatens to send her to one if she can't earn her keep.

Storm Siren [Storm Siren, #1] by Mary Weber

Storm Siren [Storm Siren, #1]
by Mary Weber

Genre: YA fantasy

My Rating: ★

Description:

Nym shouldn't even exist. She's a female Elemental, something unheard of in Faelan. And she's a monster.
For years, she's been sold from owner to owner, a path of death and destruction following in her wake. But this time is different. When she's purchased by Lady Adora, a councillor to the king himself, Nym finds out that she might be Faelan's last hope in the decades-long war that has ravaged her country.
But how can she become a hero after everything she's done? How can she save her world when she doesn't even know if it's worth saving?

Overall Thoughts

Alright. So this is possibly the lowest rating I've given to a book during my time blogging, and I feel really bad for giving it such a low score, but honestly? Trying to find something I actually liked about this book is such a struggle. I'll admit, the idea was super intriguing to me, and I do like the cover. But that's about it.

The Characters

The characters annoyed me. Nym is probably the most developed out of all of them, but that's only because we're reading her point of view for the entire book. I honestly don't really have a very strong opinion about Nym... she was kind of whiny, and her motivations were a little weird sometimes, but I didn't really care about her a lot? 

The other characters were a collection of cardboard stereotypes. You have Adora, the flirtatious, nasty, self-centered noblewoman. Colin, the obnoxious flirt (who is supposed to be a likeable character, but I kind of hated him). Breck, who could have been interesting but just ended up annoying me. 

The villains were either stereotypical, tacked on, or downright cheesy. (Like the one guy, Myles, literally hisses like a snake.)

And don't get me started on the love interest, Eogan. He had way too many physical descriptions (I really don't need to hear for the fifteenth time how handsome he is, Nym! We get it!)

Plot/Pacing

Which brings me to the romance subplot. I hated it with a burning passion. It's insta-love, definitely. Or more accurately, insta-lust, since I honestly don't know what either of them see in each other? Apart from being physically attractive, that is. Ugh. 

The plot was extremely slow for the first 45% or so. It took me about a week to read that. The other 55% picked up enough that I was able to finish it in a day, but that's only because I just wanted to get it over with so I could read something else. 

I think one of the main problems with the plot was the lack of urgency. We know there's a war, and people are dying -- I mean, there are even attacks in the book itself! -- but I just never felt like it was super urgent. For some reason, nothing really impacted me or made me feel tense or unsure or scared. Everything just seemed to be conquered too easily. Nym didn't really struggle to achieve many of her goals. Her character change seemed too easy considering what obstacles she was supposed to be facing.

The only thing I thought was an interesting move was a plot twist near the end. It wasn't really unexpected (none of the plot twists were, in fact, and some were down-right cringy) but this one was definitely a bold move, and I have to give the book credit for that. 

Worldbuilding/Writing

The world building was basically non-existent. I didn't ever feel immersed in the world, and it felt like a very generic fantasy (with some obvious Avatar: The Last Airbender similarities.) It's never explained why Nym, who shouldn't have powers, was born with powers. There doesn't seem to be much of a world, actually. Nothing is fleshed out or developed in the least. 

The writing also annoyed me. There were a lot of awkward and odd-sounding similes and metaphors that dragged down the rest of the writing. I also hated the made-up swear words. Most of the time, I don't mind if swearing is made up (actually, I prefer it in some cases) but in this case, I almost wish they'd used the actual words. It annoyed me that much. For example, one they used quite a few times was "what the kracken". I mean, really? Why?

So, I obviously didn't love this book. I wish I had more positive things to say about it, but I don't. I'm just glad that others were able to enjoy this book more than I did. 

Content

Recommended for ages 14 and up

TRIGGER WARNING: Self harm. 

No real swearing, just made up words (as noted above). Violence is typical fantasy: descriptions of blood, somewhat disturbing descriptions of certain creatures and characters. Allusions to a character being beaten. A character punches another character. A character threatens to kill other characters. Explosions. Mentions of a plague (never actually shown in the book). A bar fight scene. 

Sexual content includes kissing; mentions of "favor-houses"; Adora is noted to spend a lot of time with male consorts; another character flirts with Nym. 

Mentions of drinking alcohol. 

My September Book Haul!

I try so hard to save money, but when it comes to books, budgeting hurts. Fortunately, second-hand bookstores are a thing. And where I'm from, we have a fantastic one.

So I managed to buy a whole new haul of books to read before I've even finished reading the books from last time. Go me.

Anyway. I'm here to talk about books, so let's get to it!

© 2019 by Rambles From My Library

I picked up several books that I've heard were amazing, as well as some old (and new!) favorites.
And if anyone's curious, here's the list of all the books in this photo and why I picked them up!

A Study in Charlotte - I really want to read more mystery books, and a modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes (with a female Sherlock!) seems right up my alley.

Six of Crows - Literally everyone I've talked to about this duology raves about how amazing it is, so of course, when I saw it, I had to grab it and see for myself what all the hype's about.

Between Shades of Grey - This is a YA historical fiction, and I'm super excited to read it, as I really love historical fiction, but there doesn't seem to be very much in the teen fiction spectrum (most of it is speculative historical if there is any.)

Moon Over Manifest - This was a spur of the moment purchase for me, but I've heard that Vanderpool's writing is incredible, and plus, this book is an award winner. Here's hoping it lives up to my expectations.

A Northern Light - Another spur of the moment purchase, this one is also an award winner. It also seems to be a historical mystery novel, which I think sounds incredible.

Jackaby - This book looks... interesting. I really have no better way to say it. I believe it's been compared to a mixture of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who, which, I mean? What's not to like? It looks kind of quirky and dark at the same time, so I'm looking forward to seeing how I like it. (It's also a series, so... even better if I like this one.)

Everything, Everything - As some of you may know, I acquired Nicola Yoon's other novel, The Sun is Also a Star, in my last book haul, and really enjoyed it. So when I saw this one (in hardcover, no less) I had to pick it up.

Thirteen Reasons Why - This book is super controversial, and has been on the banned books list numerous times. I've always been hesitant to pick it up due to the controversy surrounding it, but now I've been "assigned" to read it and talk about my opinions on here. (Even after graduation, the homeschooler still gets assignments!) And now I'm interested to see what my opinions on this book will be.

The Night Gardener - If this book is anything like Johnathan Auxier's other novels, it will be amazing. I really love his writing style, so of course I'm excited to read this one.

The Fault in Our Stars - I know, I know, why have I not picked this up yet? I'm sorry. The Fault in Our Stars is probably one of the most famous YA novels of all time, so I feel it's about time I found out why. (Though I already know the ending... thanks, Pinterest.)

Scarlet and Winter - Obviously, I'm completing my Lunar Chronicles collection. I now have the full original series (which doesn't include Fairest or Stars Above.)

Our Dark Duet - I borrowed this on Overdrive, but I love, love, love, love this duology so much, so of course I had to buy my own copy.

And that about wraps it up! Have you read any of the books on this list? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments! (No spoilers, though!)