Evermore [Everless, #2] by Sara Holland

This review contains spoilers for Everless. To read my review of Everless, please follow the link here. 

Evermore [Everless, #2]
by Sara Holland

Genre: YA fantasy

My Rating: ★★

Description:

Time is a weapon. Only she can wield it. 
Jules Ember is on the run for her life. It's been weeks since she discovered she was the Alchemist, and her archenemy, Caro, is determined to steal back the heart Jules stole from her in a previous life. With the help of Liam Gerling, a man Jules is terrified to fall in love with, she desperately tries to unearth the secrets of her past lives -- before Caro catches up.

Overall Thoughts

Some of you may know that when I read Everless way back in May, I really enjoyed it. It wasn't without its faults, of course, but overall it was an enjoyable read, and I was excited to read the sequel, which came out fairly recently this year. I was sorely disappointed. This book suffers from weak plotting, an irritating and nonsensical romantic subplot, and some truly idiotic and out-of-character character decisions.

The beginning of Evermore was slow, but I had the same problem with Everless at first, and assumed that it would get better as the story progressed. It never did.

The Characters

Let's start with the characters. Jules was a smart protagonist in Everless -- she made some poor decisions, obviously, but she at least thought about what she was going to do and weighed the risks of doing it. But in Evermore, Jules became really, really stupid. I'm thinking of a few separate scenes right now, all of which are spoilers, but if you want to read my more spoiler-y thoughts about it, check out my Goodreads review, which goes into the individual scenes that bothered me as well as the overall story.

Plot/Pacing

And speaking of the overall story... I'm afraid to say that it was kind of boring and rambly. Jules is pretty clueless, and relies far more on her past life's memories than she does on her own decisions. It bothered me how little Jules affected the plot. This made a bunch of the events in the book seem really random.

And the romance subplot? The worst. I liked Liam in Everless, and I guess I liked him in Evermore, too? But not as much, for sure. And the romance between him and Jules was a) insta-love b) insanely annoying and c) unrealistic. I could see Liam having a crush on Jules -- it makes sense with his backstory with her. But Jules having a crush on Liam? No. Doesn't work. She spent years of her life assuming this guy was evil and tried to murder her childhood crush. I would think it would take a little while to get used to the idea that the guy is on the same side. But no. And it's not even a mutal crush in this book. We have both Jules and Liam throwing around the L-word when they've barely interacted at all for the couple of weeks they've agreed to be allies. Makes zero sense.

I'm really sad I didn't end up enjoying Evermore, because as I said, I did really love Everless. But overall, the book just didn't work for me.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Mild swearing fairly infrequently. Characters drink alcohol. 

A few sexual references. A minor character is an illegitimate child of a nobleman. One fade-to-black scene implies sex between a couple, not detailed. 

Violence is moderate. Blood is used as currency, though not as often as in Everless. Several scenes involving combat; characters are injured. A character plans to murder another. 

Books Without Romance (for teens!)

I like a good romance subplot as much as the next person, but sometimes... sometimes YA seems to include romance subplots just for the sake of having a romance subplot. And unfortunately, this means a lot of cheesy, poorly developed romantic plots. Which maybe is what gives romance in books its bad reputation.

That being said, sometimes it's nice when a YA book breaks the mold, and focuses on other aspects of life... because let's be real, not all teenagers need to be romantically involved with another person, right?

1. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (urban fantasy/horror)

A totally creepy, totally amazing book, This Savage Song is definitely violent and scary at times. But it features two awesome POV characters, a riveting plot, wonderfully executed themes, and, of course, an awesome m/f friendship. The second book does have a /tiny/ bit of romance in it... but not very much.

2. Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen (contemporary fiction)

This book surprised me, because I did not expect to like it at all! It's not really the type of thing I normally like, but oh my goodness. This book was really good. It's about a girl who gets sent to a wilderness therapy camp by her parents after she gets into drinking and drugs, and her road to recovery and healing. It's a wonderful story, and also has a great female friendship!

3. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (science fiction)

Talk about amazing friendships. This book was full of them, as well as well-developed characters, a fully realized storyworld, and a riveting plot with some truly epic twists.

4. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (historical fiction)

Maybe this book has a tiny bit of romance...? But I don't even know if it really counts as a romance, because it was barely in the book at all. So this book makes the list. It's a story about life and death and hope even in the face of ultimate evil, and it's about people. This book made the horrors of what happened during the Second World War strike very close to home for me. To read about these characters suffering through this horrible time lets me have a glimpse of what it must have been like for the real people who lived and died during this dark time in history. 

5. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (magical realism)

One of the saddest books I read this year. This book nearly had me in tears by the end. It's about a boy whose mother is very sick with cancer. One night, a monster comes to his window and promises to tell him three stories... and the plot continues from there. It's a really beautiful, heartfelt story, and I highly recommend it.

6. Sweep by Johnathan Auxier (middle grade historical)

So this isn't really YA...  but it makes it onto this list because it's absolutely amazing and heartwrenching and I really feel like it would appeal to other teens, too? I read this quite a while ago, and I don't remember any romance in it, but I could be wrong. If so, it's not a huge part of the plot at all. It's magical realism crossed with historical fiction, and the writing and the characters and the storyline are all fantastic. Definitely recommend.

7. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (adult science fiction)

Now this book is very... violent, so I don't recommend it to everyone. But it is a masterpiece of science fiction, and so if you are comfortable reading about high levels of violence (violence against and perpetrated by children) then I would highly recommend this book. It also has some fantastic plot twists.

8. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (contemporary fiction)

This book is one of my new favorites. It's a raw and honest story, and I highly recommend giving it a try. It's also incredibly short, so I won't say much more about it. You can check out my mini review which I featured in my contemporary reads wrap up here.

9. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (steampunk fantasy)

The world of this story is the best part of the book. The worldbuilding -- and especially the geometry/chalk/drawing based magic system -- truly makes this book stand out from the crowd. It also features a compelling mystery element, and some interesting character development. 

There you have it! Nine of my favorite romance-free YA (or not) books. Do you guys have any recommendations for romance-free YA? Have you read any of the books I mentioned, and if so, what did you think? Please let me know in the comments!

Stargirl [Stargirl, #1] by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl [Stargirl, #1]
by Jerry Spinelli

Genre: Middle grade contemporary

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

Leo Borlock's life is pretty ordinary. He goes to an ordinary school in an ordinary town filled with ordinary people who blend with the crowd and try not to stand out too much. And then one day, a new girl shows up at Mica high school -- a girl who doesn't blend in, who doesn't even try. Her name says it all: Stargirl Caraway.
Stargirl becomes a bright spot in Leo's ordinary life. But in a school like his, unique and popular are two different things entirely. Soon, he's forced to ask himself -- what does his value more? His social standing, or the girl he's quickly beginning to fall in love with?

Overall Thoughts

My brothers were actually reading Stargirl for literature class this year, and my Mom (aka, the Literature teacher) told me I'd really like it. And guess what? I did. I actually read the whole thing in just a couple of hours. I liked the message of celebrating nonconformity. The writing style. And the homeschool rep! (Which I do not see enough of in fiction).

The Characters

Most of the characters were fairly stereotypical, but I'm going to venture to say that that was an intentional choice made by the author. The character that truly stands out is Stargirl herself, both in the story and on the page. Everyone else feels average, one of the crowd, including the narrator, Leo. But I think that this really helps emphasise the themes of the book.

Writing

The writing was really simple and also really impactful at the same time. I find that a lot of middle grade falls into one of two camps -- simplistic, dumbed down language choices, or simple, purposeful language choices that can be enjoyed by any audience. Stargirl falls into the latter category. I especially loved the descriptions of the desert, because those were just beautiful. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Stargirl. 

Content

Recommended for ages 9 and up. 

No swearing that I can remember. Mentions of kissing. Stargirl is bullied. 

Code Name Verity [Code Name Verity, #1] by Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity [Code Name Verity, #1]
by Elizabeth Wein

Genre: YA historical

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description:

I have told the truth. 
October, 1943. A British spy-plane is forced to crash land in Nazi occupied France. The pilot and passenger are best friends, but only one has a shot at survival. The other has lost the game before it has begun.
Told in a series of confessions, Code Name Verity is a harrowing story of friendship and loyalty in the face of tragedy and ultimate evil.

Overall Thoughts

I have to admit, I did wonder what the hype was for Code Name Verity when I first started reading it. It was rather slow, and I couldn't really see what was so awesome about it that made everyone rave about it. But I'm so glad I stuck with it, because man, the hype is there for a reason. This book was a masterpiece! I liked the friendship between Maddie and Queenie; the raw, honest look at a dark time in history; and the plot twists that happened in the last 100 pages (can't say any more because of spoilers!)

The story is told from the point of view of a British prisoner of war, a girl who was captured on French soil and is now being forced to give up everything she knows to the Nazis. It was a hard-hitting read at times -- the prisoners of war are treated horribly, and it could definitely be disturbing to some readers. But I feel that what was talked about was necessary to the story -- we need to understand that that time was horrible. The book didn't sugar-coat anything, and I'm glad it didn't, because I feel that would ultimately have taken away from the story.

The Characters

The characters are well-drawn and realistic. The friendship that develops between Maddie and Queenie was wonderful and realistic and complex, and some of the minor characters were well-thought out as well.

Worldbuilding/Writing

The historical atmosphere of the novel also felt really authentic, which I liked. Even just small things -- like the mention of the road signs being blacked out -- really added to the realism of the story itself. 

I'm finding it incredibly difficult to talk about what I liked about this book without going into spoilers. But let me say this: this book deserves the praise it receives. It really is a work of genius. 

Content

Recommended for ages 16 and up.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sexual assault; rape.

Mentions of sexual assault. Mentions of rape. 

Several descriptions of torture methods, which could definitely be disturbing for some readers. Descriptions of wreckage. Descriptions of a burned body. Several on-page murders and acts of brutality that are described rather graphically; definitely not for anyone sensitive to violence. 

Bombings and other war-related violence. 

Characters drink and smoke.

Most Anticipated Reads of 2020

Quick disclaimer thingy: not all of the books I'm talking about here are set to be published in 2020. They're just books that I haven't read yet, that I'm super excited to read, and that I probably won't get to this year (because life and Words of Radiance happens.)

So, with that out of the way, here are my top ten most anticipated reads for 2020!

1. Oathbringer and The Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

Starting off with the next two books in The Stormlight Archive series, because am I excited for these! Oathbringer released in 2017, and in 2020 The Rhythm of War will be published. This series is the best epic fantasy series I've ever read, better than The Lord of the Rings, in my honest opinion. I'm currently halfway through book 2, and I already love the characters and the world and the story so, so much. I'm definitely looking forward to reading these two in 2020. 

2. Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

I enjoyed Spin the Dawn a lot, and now that Unravel the Dusk is set to be released, I'm so ready for it! The ending of book one makes me excited to see where the plot will go from here. And have you seen that cover?! I know the saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but when a book is this pretty? No way I'm not getting it for my collection. :)

3. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I know I'm really late to be jumping into this series, since most everyone who reads YA has read these, but... I'm going to read it now, okay? I'm waiting until I finish up with the series I'm currently working on (Mistborn Era 1) before I jump into any new series commitments. But my brother tells me that he's loving book one already, and so I'm really excited to see what I think of it!

4. Vicious and A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I loved The Monsters of Verity duology by Victoria (V.E.) Schwab, and now I'm going to try jumping in to her adult fiction! Both Vicious and A Darker Shade of Magic are on my tbr, but since my brother actually owns A Darker Shade of Magic... I might be reading that one first. But we'll see. Christmas is coming. *wink*

5. The Screaming Staircase by Johnathan Stroud

This book just looks super quirky and creepy all at once, and that seems right up my alley. I'm a Whovian at heart, so anything that seems even remotely Dr. Who-esque immediately gets shoved onto my tbr. Along the same note, I'm also excited to read Jackaby by William Ritter. Both of these are series, sadly, so both are waiting until next year when I have less series on my plate. :P

6. There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

So I was in Chapters the other day... and I saw this book... and I picked it up and kinda sorta bought it. It was a super spur of the moment purchase, even though I have read a little bit about it on Goodreads, I usually do a lot more research before committing to a book (especially a brand new hardcover!) But hey, maybe this will turn out to be a new favorite! Needless to say, I'm excited to see what I think about this book. 

7. Mistborn Era 2 by Brandon Sanderson

I'm really hoping to finish Mistborn Era 1 by the end of December. We'll see how that turns out. Regardless... I'm excited to read the second Mistborn series as well! This one is set centuries in the future of Mistborn Era 1, and it looks very cool! Plus, it's a Brandon Sanderson series, so I'm like 99.99% sure it's going to be amazing. :D

9. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

Another spur-of-the-moment purchase in Chapters (I really need to stop going to stores that are rapidly leaching all of my paycheck. Maybe?) Anyway, this book looks amazing. It's kind of a Norse inspired fantasy by the looks of it, though I know next to nothing apart from that. (I haven't even read the jacket description. Talk about going in blind.) But I'm excited to read it, and I hope it's as great as it looks!

10. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

And last, but not least, a contemporary YA that I'm interested in reading! (To offset all of the many fantasy books on this list). Letters to the Lost looks like it's going to be a hard-hitting and emotional read, and that's exactly what I like in contemporary fiction (fluffy, romance-only books very rarely sit well with me.) On the same note, I'm finally giving The Fault in Our Stars a read next year! (I know, how have I not read this yet? I'm fixing the problem as soon as possible, okay? Okay.) (See what I did there?)

And there you have it, my top ten (maybe slightly more than ten) books I'm excited to read next year! There are probably way more books that I forgot to add to this list, but I also don't want to make it so long that it gets boring to read about (if it hasn't already, man I tend to ramble.) 

Anyway, let me know your thoughts in the comments! Have you read any of the books I mentioned here, and what did you think of them? What books are you excited to read in 2020? Are any of them new releases? I'm excited to hear your thoughts!

The Way of Kings [The Stormlight Archive, #1] by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings [The Stormlight Archive, #1]
by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Adult high fantasy

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description: 

Kaladin was once called Stormblessed. Once a soldier, now sold as a slave, he is forced to fight in one of the most horrendous wars of the age.
Shallan only wants to save her family's house from destruction. After the death of her father, she leaves home in the hope of gaining a wardship with Jasnah Kholin, one of the most brilliant scholars in Alethkar.
Dalinar has always been first and foremost a warrior. But strange visions have begun to plague him during the Highstorms, visions that foretell of an impending danger that will shake the foundations of the world.
Szeth is Truthless, an assassin who weeps as he kills. He has destroyed before. And now, he will destroy again.


Overall Thoughts

If you're still reading after that terrible, terrible book description -- I loved everything about The Way of Kings. The characters are vivid and lifelike. The worldbuilding is complex and interesting. The plot is edge-of-your-seat, with some truly mindblowing twists. The themes are intricate and beautiful, and the character arcs are phenomenal. This series is definitely a new favorite of mine.

Now how to talk about this book without spoiling everything...? You guys know I've loved 99% of all of Brandon Sanderson's books (that I've read, at least), but let me tell you. This one is the best one I've read so far. I love everything about it, and I couldn't think of a thing that I actually would like to see changed, because everything worked so perfectly in the story, and it was an absolute pleasure to read. Now, these books are 1000+ pages, and normally, that would be daunting. But with this book, it was 1007 pages of pure awesome, so I didn't care.

The Characters

The characters were incredible. I love how complex Kaladin is, and his determination to fight against the injustice that life has thrown at him and the other bridgemen.
Shallan is smart and resourceful, with some of the best comebacks I've ever read coming out of a fictional character's mouth.
Dalinar was probably my favorite character out of all of them (though it's really, really hard to choose!) I just love his sense of honor and justice, and how he stays true to his ideals even under a lot of pressure. Some of the decisions he made would have been so difficult, but he stuck with them. Once he committed to a course of action, he followed it through. Alright, that's enough about Dalinar, I'm going to bore you guys. ;)
Szeth is such a layered character as well. He's an assassin, but he doesn't want to be. If that sounds really stereotypical, let me tell you, the way Brandon Sanderson did it was not. Szeth is the reluctant assassin done right.
The side characters were awesome, too, but I feel like I've spent way too much time talking about the characters already. :P

Plot/Pacing

The plot is super complicated, drawing on each character's unique perspective and weaving them together into one overarching narrative. Because the plot of this book is just part of the overarching series plot, I won't get into a lot of depth about it. It's hard to without revealing spoilers! But do know that there are some stellar twists in this book, and the ending is tense, perfectly setting up even greater conflict in book two.

Worldbuilding

The worldbuilding was incredible. I could imagine the settings so well while I was reading. Roshar is such a different world from ours. There's no soil, the plants have adapted to surviving the unpredictable environment, Highstorms (like normal storms but 400 times worse) regularly sweep across the land, and most of the animals are crustaceans (the main beasts of burden, chulls, are like giant crabs.) I loved how the differences in the environment and the weather impacted every aspect of the characters' day to day lives. (Towns and cities are built with roofs sloping towards the direction of Highstorm winds, for instance.)
The magic system is super cool as well, but I don't want to spoil anything. Just read the prologue. It's awesome. (Though me and my brother have a joke about it -- that it's Szeth's "tutorial level" where you get to see every different aspect of the magic system.)

In summary: I have a new favorite series, guys, and that series is The Stormlight Archive.

Content

Recommended for ages 16 and up.

Most swearing is made up ("storms!") There are a few (very rare) instances of real-world swearing, though. Most is fairly mild. 

A few references to sex. Some crude jokes. Kissing between two characters; some tense situations between said characters as well, with romantic undertones. Mentions of prostitution. 

Violence is definitely heavy in this one. There's a high body count, and numerous descriptions of blood, along with some disturbing descriptions of people being killed in battle. Several characters experience profound joy when killing -- though the outcome of this is handled very well and I feel will continue to be addressed in subsequent books. The violence is not glorified, and characters face tough moral dilemmas about war and killing during the course of the book. Descriptions of poisoning. Many characters are slaves and are killed in some truly brutal ways. Several scenes describing surgeries in detail. One scene, in particular, is not for the squeamish.
One character attempts suicide.
Characters drink alcohol. Drugs are used medicinally.

Contemporary Reads Wrap-Up [Everything, Everything; The Outsiders; Eliza and Her Monsters]

I have recently discovered the joy of the mini-review. More specifically, the joy of not having to slave over writing non-spoilery book descriptions. I love it! While I still will be posting full reviews for some of the books I read, I also want to give mini-reviews a whirl and see how you all like them.

Sidenote: If any of the books I review here look interesting to you, but you'd like more information about them before committing your time to reading, just leave a comment down below, and I'll write up one of my full, non-spoiler reviews for it. Or if you just want more content specifics, I can address that in the comments. Sound good? Awesome.

Without further ado, here are my three mini-reviews for some contemporary books I read recently.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Genre: YA contemporary romance

My rating: ★★★

Description: A girl who's allergic to the world meets the boy next door. Things happen.

There's one thing I've found from reading Nicola Yoon's two published books (the other being The Sun is Also a Star) and that's: I really like her writing style. There's something about the way she writes that sucks me into the characters' stories and doesn't let me go until I'm finished. Both The Sun is Also a Star and Everything, Everything were super hard for me to put down. But Everything, Everything did have some issues that made me not willing to give it a higher rating. 

First of all, about halfway through the book, some characters (including an authority figure in Maddie's life) made some really poor decisions. I couldn't really understand the motivations behind these decisions, and so I had trouble with the next whole section of the book. 

There was also the sex scene. It bothered me for a lot of different reasons, but in a literary sense in terms of how unnecessary it was. It didn't add anything to the story, nothing at all, and that bothered me. A lot. 

So overall, I didn't enjoy this one as much as The Sun is Also a Star, but if you liked Nicola Yoon's writing style from that book, I still recommend trying Everything, Everything.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Genre: YA contemporary

My rating: ★★★★★

Description: Two boys from the "wrong side" of town get into a fight with some rich kids, and things goes badly wrong.

I feel like it took me way too long to actually pick up this book. I ended up really, really loving it. There's a reason this one became a classic. 

The book itself is really short, so I'm finding it hard to say anything without spoilers. But. The characters were really well crafted, especially considering the page count of the book. The emotions were well-written and some scenes were honestly like a punch to the gut. 

There is definitely some gang violence here, as well as teen drinking and smoking. As far as I can recall, there was not much swearing. Maybe one or two swear words, but most swearing wasn't written in the text. A few sexual references. 

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Genre: YA contemporary romance

My rating: ★★★★

Description: Eliza is the anonymous creator of the popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. She's built her whole life online, but when she meets Wallace, she begins to wonder if a life off-line might be worth it after all.

There were moments while I was reading this book when I was planning on being so angry at the author for how the story turned out. Especially as the book neared the climax. But thankfully, everything was resolved in a way that made me happy, and now I'm glad I took the chance and read this book. 

I loved how Eliza was a storyteller, and I found that aspect of her life super relateable. I'm an amateur storyteller myself, and I could definitely relate to Eliza's attachment (and sometimes obsession) with her story. I also thought the descriptions of anxiety in this book were really well done while also not taking over the story or being romanticized. Another thing I liked: that Eliza wasn't perfect, and that she grew from the events of the story. 

The only thing I wish could have been resolved has to do with Eliza's parents. While I do think their relationship with Eliza did get addressed, I feel like it could have been gone into a little more. It's only one small nitpicky thing, though, and I really enjoyed the rest. 

There were a few sexual references and some instances of strong language. I'd recommend this book to ages 15 and up.  

And there you have it! Three contemporary books that I read recently. 

Have you read any of the books I mentioned here? What did you think of them? Are there any books I mentioned that you're interested in? Let me know in the comments!