Alright, time to post a few more reviews, because I’m up to 12 books this month and have only posted 4 so far, so here goes reads 5-7!
(Reread) 5/5 for this beauty, read number 5, read 1/9-1/14
Because my first review of this book was beyond terrible, here I go again.
I cannot begin to explain my love for this story. Brown does not hold back when it comes to exploiting all of life’s hardships and showing that time and time again, life throws you curve balls and no matter how hard you hit rock bottom, there’s always something more that life can take from you.
This is not a happy book. It’s brutal and ruthless and if you want something that will make you smile for any measure of time, this isn’t it.
Darrow is such a kickass hero and I absolutely love his progression, though, again, it’s all hardship. He only progresses because life continues to deal him bad cards when all he really wants is to avenge his wife.
Parts of this book are like hunger games but so much worse and it’s mind-boggling.
I love the setting, I love the writing, I love the world building and the unique characters. I cannot wait to read the next book!!
5/5 for this lovely little book. Read number 6, read 1/14-1/17
Aside from Percy Jackson, it’s been a while since I’ve read a Middle Grade book, but I’ve been dying to read this for a while now and I’m so glad I finally did. I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish.
It was such a pleasure reading about Sophie and Howl in book form. I loved the book even more than I had anticipated and I was so worried I’d be comparing the book and movie too much, but I didn’t and still have such a love for the movie, and now I get to love the book.
I understand some of the changes made from the book to the movie, but I loved seeing the story in its original form. I would have loved to have read this in elementary school, young Lauren would have loved this story. But I can still appreciate it as the wonderful story it is, and for that I am thankful.
I’ve already got the second book on my shelf and will definitely be getting ahold of the third, cannot wait to continue with this world.
4/5 for this beautiful book. Read number 7, read 12/28-1/18
Man, what a read. I ended up reading through the second half of the book in one sitting, I just had to find out what happened to Kya and how everything played out.
This was a beautiful tale about someone’s true, unabashed will power in every aspect of life. Kya had to fend for herself at such a young age and it seemed every time something good came into her life, the tides of life swept it away from her. Yet she still turned out to be such an incredible young woman and I just felt her story so much, it resonated so deep for me.
Yes, her life is one in a million in the regards of how it turned out and no, it definitely would not happen the same way for many others. But Kya had so much strength and determination and despite being so walled off from others, she still managed to hold her head high and to love.
Okay, so I actually loved this even more than I would have anticipated. One of the wonderful things about this series is that each can be read separately and is from an entirely different time period/ cast of characters and there’s something for everyone.
I loved the Wild West aspects of this one so much, I always loved learning about this time period in history class, and this gave it so many fun angles with added humor, and it was great.
I adored the cast of characters so much, Frank, Jane, and George especially. There were also characters I despised, but I loved that they were fantastically villainous characters.
Read number 4 for the year! 3/5 read 1/10-1/11
A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and of course Andrea Hannah for providing me with an eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.
I wanted to absolutely love this book, I mean the cover is gorgeous and it sounds so good when you read the description, but it just fell short for me in some ways. I felt like the execution just wasn’t quite there for me, with some plot holes throughout and muddled character convictions.
It was interesting, and as things started to come together, I definitely enjoyed the last little chunk. But I guessed so much of it from nearly the beginning and it took away a lot of the experience of the book for me. It was dark and twisted though, and I know that many people will enjoy this book.
The one thing I liked the most was the friendship, the family bonds amongst the girls.
***This book is due to come out February 21st of this year! Keep your eyes peeled if it’s up your alley!***
Still got a few more reads to post (5 to be precise), so expect more reviews soon! What book(s) have you read this year so far? Comment below! ❤ -Laurenxx
4.5/5 for this NetGalley read! Read 12/24-1/3 Read number 2 for the year.
An enormous thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and of course, Camile Victoire for providing me with an eARC of this novel. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.
First of all, if you’re looking for a beautiful tale of wistful circus performances, this isn’t the book for you. This is a dark, twisted tale set in a world that doesn’t seem too far off.
I enjoyed the world-building immensely and would love to see more of this world. It’s definitely got a lot about preserving our world and what we’ve got and not continuing down the destructive path we’re on.
This book is for anyone who’s a fan of dystopians and revolution. For anyone who enjoyed Maze Runner and Hunger Games, this fits in quite nicely.
This book contained so many little twists and turns, it kept me sucked in from the very beginning. I absolutely adored the story and absolutely cannot wait for another book to be in this world once again.
This book comes out January 31st of this year, and I honestly cannot recommend it enough. This was such a dark book though, be prepared if you do read it. Have you read any upcoming releases? Drop a comment!
First read of the year! Trying to actually get through some of my books that I own this year, starting with some Owlcrate reads or just books that have been sitting on my shelf for FAR too long. I’ve got so many books that I need to read, and this was a wonderful place to start.
4/5 stars for this beauty! 1/1-1/2
I’m so glad this was the first read of the new year for me. This was such a great fantasy read, I was sucked in almost immediately. The whole world within this story was fantastic and I absolutely adored the story from beginning to end.
I loved Violet and loved watching her really come into her own throughout this book. She felt human, despite her powers, and I liked that. The characters were so real and raw to me, even being in a fantasy setting, they didn’t feel like your typical fantasy characters.
I loved the world-building in this one and would love to learn more about the world. I cannot wait for a continuation of this series! This series is definitely on my list to continue when book two comes out! If anyone hears any news, feel free to let me know, otherwise I’ll be posting updates here!
This year started off pretty well, I’ve actually done quite a bit of reading so far. We started off the year with a whole lot of packing- 3 moving truck’s worth. And then we spent quite a bit of time driving across the country to our new home in Kentucky. It’s been an adventure, for sure and we’re so happy to be here. But, here’s what I read in January of 2022:
1. Illuminaeby Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. FINALLY listened to the audio version and loved it, then listened to it again on our drive out here with my boyfriend so he could finally read this book. 5/5 on this read, as always.
REVIEW:
I’m writing this review all over again because I just absolutely love this book and even though it’s a re-read I think I fell even more in love with this book.
Kristoff and Kaufman are just absolutely genius when it comes to collaborations, this was such an incredible story and such a UNIQUE way to tell it. It’s got some of the most amazing writing because half the time you don’t even realize it’s such an odd format and you’re so into the story that you look down after reading for half an hour and you’ve flown through more than 50 pages because you’re just so engrossed.
The characters are amazing as well. Kady being the badass she was from beginning to end and seeing every side of Ezra and just… gahhh. They’re both so genuine! And then there’s AIDAN. Fuck, man.
This book just raises so many questions and brings up so much about humanity and it’s highs and lows and everything in between. The more I sit here and revel over everything that happens, the more I just want to read it over and over again. Literally, it’s that good.
And now I’m just rambling, but I LOVE this book.
2. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fireby Jennifer L. Armentrout. A solid 4/5 for me.
REVIEW:
This was a great continuation of Poppy’s story. I absolutely love her as a character and the world-building in this book was fantastic. I love these characters so much and getting to read their journey has been great.
These books are pretty spicy and I absolutely love that about them. Armentrout is such a great author and I love seeing her expand her universes from beyond the same sort of formular, her writing gets better as she goes. Definitely can’t wait to finish the series.
3.How Not to Fall in Loveby Jacqueline Firkins. 4/5
REVIEW: A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.
This book was so cute. I loved Harper and despite her being blind to certain things, it felt real. Everything came together in a way that thrilled me, but there were some realistic bumps along the way.
I flew through this book in what would’ve been one sitting, but ended up being two. It was so cute, I had to know how it all played out.
I definitely want to check out other books by this author because I loved the way she writes. Overall, a very cute romance, and a very quick read.
4.The Love Hypothesisby Ali Hazelwood. 5/5
REVIEW: One of the best fake dating stories I’ve yet to come across. This book was so cute from beginning to end, I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough.
I absolutely loved Olive and loved watching her grow over the course of the book. I loved her friends. Anh especially and all the shenanigans she forced Olive into, especially when it came to Adam.
I flew through more than half of this book in one sitting because I had to know how it all played out.
5.The Vanishing Stairby Maureen Johnson. 4/5
REVIEW: What a ride. I definitely enjoy the mystery aspect behind these books and can’t wait to read the next one to see where it goes. This one progressed nicely over such a short period of time and I really want to know what happened to the added mysteries towards the end.
Stevie still isn’t my favorite character, but I did like her in this one more than the last, I feel like she’s grown a bit, but she’s still annoying at times- I wish she’d just tell people the damn truth more often, but I digress.
With how this one ended, I immediately went online and purchased the next one, so hopefully I’ll have it in my hands soon so I can see what happens next.
6 & 7:The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. 4/5 and 5/5
REVIEWS: HUNGER GAMES:
Boy, oh boy. I read this again for the first time in years as a buddy read with two of my absolute best friends, Ashley and Tiffany. I loved this even more than I thought I would and ended up finishing the book in two sittings. (oops)
I loved seeing how different this was from the movie after just having watched it a few days prior, and as always, the book is better. There are a lot of little moments of rebellion, certain things said or done by characters that are omitted from the movie and I feel like that takes away some of the oomph from certain moments. Haymitch’s character is toned down so much from the movies, but I feel like it was so important for him to sober up enough to help them throughout, seeing as that’s not his usual operating status; You can tell right off the bat when they start going at him that he realizes he may actually have a chance of seeing one of them make it through.
I love Katniss even more in the books, being inside her head as she goes through everything she does gives you way more insight as to why she’s making the decisions she does and I feel like that’s something they really couldn’t do in the movie.
I’m sad that they cut Madge out of the movie because her character is one Katniss actually thinks rather kindly of, and that’s big for Katniss.
There are so many details left out of the movie but this book really sets the stage for the rest of the series and gives you a good understanding of how much the people of Panem suffer on a regular basis at the hands of the Capitol.
Catching Fire: Another book that I had absolutely no problem plowing through. I contained myself more with this one because it’s my favorite, but still finished earlier than we had planned for our buddy read. Oops.
Yet again, I forgot just how much of the “little” moments were left out of this book- Madge yet again, Darius, and so much else. I loved getting to know some of the other victors from the other districts, even if they were in less favorable conditions.
The games in this book take up so little of the book itself, but the arena is beyond crazy with how it’s set up. And again, all the little things Katniss misses until it’s too late- like the watch at the beginning.
This series will forever hold a special place in my heart, it was one that really kicked my love of all things sci-fi and dystopian into gear and made me that much more of an avid reader. _______________________________________
Whelp. I read 7 books in January and all in all, it was a great moth of reading. Did you read any new favorites in January this year? I know, it’s going back a while, but this has actually been fun getting to reflect on what I’ve read so far this year. The Love Hypothesis is definitely a new favorite for me! That’s all for now. ~Bookschief_Managed
Going to do both a full review for Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating and a mini-review for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ! (I’ve still got to come back and write another review for White Hot Kiss and Sanctuary/ Containment , so I’ll be back at least a couple more times this week!
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Read: 10/4/19
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Guys, I don’t read as much contemporary as I would like, but when I come across one that calls out to me, I always give it a go. This was one I just had a really good feeling about, and thanks to the positive things my BBF Ashley had to say about it, I grabbed it from the library as soon as I could. I’m so glad I did. This played out in my head like a movie and I legitimately can picture everything in my head as if I actually watched it. It’s insane, but that’s how realistic this book was.
I started and finished this book in the same day (not quite one sitting because I had to stop to make dinner and stuff) because I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know how things ended. I had to know what happened with the characters.
Hazel was the absolute best MC ever. She’s a 3rd grade teacher with a flair for all things quirky. Think Ms. Frizzle meets Luna Lovegood and you’ve got Hazel. She was so true to herself after having watched her mother do the same as an equally quirky woman and I admired that greatly. Watching her as she interacted with others and just the way she held herself overall, I absolutely adored her. Not only was she strong and independent, she was a warm, caring, thoughtful person who also had her faults and wasn’t afraid to address them.
And then we have Josh. I loved Josh so much and watching his character develop was amazing. He really came out of his shell when he started hanging out with Hazel and I loved how he came back into her life. I loved watching their dynamic change as Hazel wormed her way into his life. Her friend Emily said that Hazel has a habit of latching onto people until they love her and watching that in action with Josh was awesome.
Both Josh and Hazel had great relationships with their parents and getting to witness that was really cool because that doesn’t happen in too many books. Her mother was a nurturing, caring, and quite quirky woman, and she took such good care of Hazel through everything and was so good at listening to her daughter and respecting her daughter’s opinion when she shared it. And Josh’s parents were traditional Korean parents and getting to see some of their culture and traditions was awesome as well.
I enjoyed this book from start to finish and I’m so glad that I read it. If you guys are looking for a great, funny rom-comy book, but one that does things just a little differently, check this book out. Give it a shot, because it’s a fantastic read.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsby J.K. Rowling
Read: 10/2/19-10/7/19
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ughhh. I do love this book and the whole concept of the Chamber of Secrets legend was super interesting as well- I mean, a secret chamber hidden in the school for more than 1000 years? How cool would it be to find that? As always with the first couple books especially, I think Harry, and the series itself, is still a little juvenile and more whimsical than intense. But, that sense of nostalgia hits so hard with them. My sister read the first 3 books to me before the 4th was released, we went to the midnight book release starting with the 4th and that’s when I got my own copy and read the rest on my own.
With this book, I honestly feel so bad for Ginny. Poor girl writes in a diary like any 11 year old girl would and all hell breaks loose. I loved getting to meet Dobby and really start learning even more about wizard culture.
Definitely not my favorite of the books, but I love it all the same.
Boy, what a ride. I still remember reading Caraval for the first time and just absolutely falling in love with the world and the characters and now here we are at the end. Stephanie Garber, I love you and this series and your creation so much, this will forever be a favorite series for me.
We’re swept away into more magical places and locations and we get to see more of our characters true nature than ever before and this book was just so satisfying as an ending to this amazing trilogy.
I love both Tella and Scarlett. Everyone always asks which sister I like better, but I don’t know if I could actually answer that question because they’re both amazing in their own ways. I loved that no matter who was narrating, I could tell immediately without even reading the name at the beginning of the chapter because each sister has such a unique voice and feel and I think that speaks volumes on Garber’s ability to write.
Both sisters have gone through so much since the beginning of Caraval and I loved watching their growth throughout the books. Neither of them strayed from who they truly are, but they both came into their own and really grew up over the course of these books and I just adored that growth.
I want to say so much about what happens throughout this book, but maybe I’ll come back to that another time because I would hate to ruin the magic that was this book for anyone.
I loved that this book was so focused on the Fates and their backstory. The concept behind them was so intriguing to me, I’ve always been a sucker for anything that involves fates, gods, mythology, any of that. So that aspect of these books just made me love them that much more.
The ending of this book was perfect, I absolutely love how things were wrapped up and I cannot wait to get my hands on any other series or books Garber writes in the future.
First of all, a HUGE thanks to the lovely author, Heather Carson, for sending me a copy of this book! I probably would’ve picked this out based on the cover alone if I’d seen it at a bookstore, I’m honestly in love with it. But, onwards with the review!
Trigger warning for this book: rape. (This scene is addressed in the review, so please be aware!)
Okay, so the storyline behind this book was beyond intriguing. I’m all for post-apocalyptic stories and stories that lean on that Lord of the Flies behavior when it comes to groups of kids trying to hack it on their own. BUT, I feel like there was so much to the world that we didn’t get to learn about. I know that it’s only book one, but I feel like if this had been expanded and was a 300+ page novel, it would probably be one of my favorites. It just felt like it needed that bit of fleshing out to really drive some things home.
There was a lot to this book that I did enjoy very much. I loved the setting, the simple design for their underground bunker and how it functioned for the kids, but again, I feel like there could’ve been some expanding on that as well. This had to have been some long-planned contingency plan, so why were all the kids so out of the loop with any kind of information? I liked that there was legitimate conflict and that things played out in a way that was actually feasible, that’s always one of my biggest pet-peeves when it comes to apocalypse stories, things just play out way too conveniently and that wasn’t the case here.
I honestly liked Katrina as a many character a lot. She stood up for herself and her beliefs and didn’t back down in the face of a bully. The whole group mentality leaning towards those who could make them feel the most secure in the moment really did play out as I would imagine it would, so I definitely appreciated that as well. The side characters were great, but once again, I wanted more from them. Mia and James were probably my favorites after Katrina, but there were several characters I despised and a lot that we really didn’t learn anything about.
The couple things that bugged me: some typos/ misplaced words, which I could get past and I understand, especially with indie books. There was a scene where someone is allegedly accused of attempting to rape a girl. She insists they don’t do anything to the guy, and the guy complains that she was lying, that he went to comfort her, she came onto him, then proceeded to freak out. Either way, it wasn’t really addressed, nothing seemed to come from it, and aside from it causing a fight between two characters, I feel like that could have occurred under different circumstances and that particular part wasn’t needed.
The entirety of this story takes place in only two weeks, and I do feel like some of it was moved a little too quickly, but that just goes back to the fact that I wanted it to be longer. I wanted so much from this book and I feel like I barely got to scrape the surface. I’m fascinated though, and will most definitely be picking up the sequel when it’s released!
Ughhh. I’m honestly conflicted with this book. On the one hand, I did really enjoy the story, on the other, I feel like I walked away with more questions than were answered and that always kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Again, it wasn’t bad, but I also wanted more.
Here’s the one thing that super duper put me off and probably one of the reasons I can’t give it even that 4th star: I didn’t like any of the characters. Any of them. I didn’t find myself rooting for anyone or getting upset when something happened to someone. It was actually surreal as things would happen to characters and I found myself just sort of lackadaisical about each incident.
I found myself uninterested in even finishing the book on more than one occasion, but I pushed through and finished the book and I’m kinda pissed about that. The ending wasn’t really an ending, there are SO MANY things left with loose ends or gaping holes and there isn’t even a confirmed second book that I can see, so I’m left feeling even more underwhelmed.
I did really enjoy the Tox and was happy with how things played out on that front, for the most part. I liked getting to see how it changed each girl, how it affected the animals and plant life on the island. I don’t want to give anything away on the info we receive surrounding the Tox, but I was pleased with that part of the book at least.
The other thing I had a problem with was the fact that, in all honesty, not a whole lot actually happened. There were a lot of flashbacks and chapters that really didn’t progress the story or make a whole lot of difference. It was an interesting read, and if a second one comes out, I’ll read it to get my answers.
Who’s read this themselves? What did you guys think?
“Sometimes you don’t know you’ve crossed the line till you’re on the other side.”
Oh boy. It’s hard to believe how quickly everything has progressed for these poor characters. This book really pushed the storyline forward and presented us with even more twists and turns for these poor characters. Right off the bat, we meet some new characters and the way Kristoff manages to weave them into the story so naturally is brilliant.
Lemon. Poor fucking Lemon. She’s gone through hell and back already and yet here she’s tossed around yet again and in for a whole new ride. From beginning to end, Lemon’s chapters were my favorite because I just absolutely adore her and I was always so invested in what was going on with her. She’s such a strong little badass and I just absolutely love her so much.
Zeke. I can’t imagine what’s going on in his poor head. I mean, when it really comes down to it, he’s only had a couple years to learn how to control his emotions. Even if he did it quicker than humans, that’s still leaving him with the emotional control and understanding of a child. And with all the shit he’s gone through, it’s a wonder he’s not bat-shit crazy.
CRICKET. My poor little baby. Not going to lie, Cricket’s POV always made me so sad, it’s honestly hard to have to watch him obey orders and stuff when he really doesn’t want to. But boy does he have some development in this one. So proud of him.
I want to just write about everything that happened and everything I loved and hated, but that would mean loads of spoilers and I’m not about that. All I can say is, no matter how hard I tried to anticipate the next twist, I was never able to guess what was coming next. Kristoff has got a knack of keeping you on your toes until the last page, and always making you want more afterwards. Thank you, Kristoff, for what I’m sure is going to be a horrible book hangover.
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