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Review: “They Both Die At the End” by Adam Silvera

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33385229Rating:
4.5 stars

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure and to live a lifetime in a single day.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Nobles

Arrow

They Both Die at the End quote

A huge thank you to the publisher (HarperTeen) and Edelweiss for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

They Both Die at the End is an Adam Silvera book so of course it broke my heart and I loved every minute of it. The concept of knowing when you’ll die has always seemed interesting to me so I was looking forward to seeing how these characters would deal with knowing they’ll die that day. It’s tragic and hopeful at the same time.

Mateo as a character is very relatable and I could find myself in him. He’s a dreamer who’s been wanting to do a lot in life but always felt paranoid or scared to take that next step. He’s cautious and reluctant to try new things because of the jarring question, what if something goes wrong? But he’s also an all around good person. He cares deeply about others and will always be around for moral support.

Rufus is more bold and adventurous but has a good heart and is loyal till the end. He just lost his family in a car accident a few months ago and has been living in a foster home. He has the most wonderful and supportive group of friends who would go to the ends of the earth for him.

Watching Rufus and Mateo’s relationship growing into something deep and significant is heart warming. They’re both very different and under another circumstance, they wouldn’t have met. I usually hate the “met and fell in love all in one day” trope but it makes sense in this scenario since neither of them have any time left. They are both supportive of one another and become each other’s strength as the day goes by.

Similar to The Sun is Also a Star, TBDatE has small chapters with snippets from all the side and minor characters so we get glimpses of what’s going on in everyone’s heads, not just our two mains. I love stories where we get a full picture and in this world, we get to see how something like DeathCast affects all parties, the ones who are dying and the loved ones they’re leaving behind.

Have you read this one? What’s your favorite Adam Silvera book?

Review: “We Are Okay” by Nina LaCour

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28243032 Rating:
4.5 stars

You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…

Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

Arrow

We Are Okay quote

Trigger warnings: Depression, grief, loss of family member

We are Okay was an amazing and heart shattering book with intense character development. Marin’s grandfather, the only family she had left, passed away a few weeks ago and to cope with the grief, she leaves for college to New York early. She doesn’t keep in touch with any of the folks back home including her best friend Mabel. When the book starts, we learn that Mabel is coming to visit her dorm for three days after four months of Marin not communicating with her.

Plot wise the book isn’t much, it’s very slow at times and little to nothing happens. But to me, the development Marin goes through during the book more than makes up for the lack of plot. The book isn’t about the actual story but about different types of relationships and dealing with grief. I was full on crying quite a bit during the book. My heart went out to both Marin and Mabel and everything they’ve both been through (Marin especially). It’s obvious LaCour put a lot of effort into creating these characters when and that shows up on the page.

I haven’t read any of Nina LaCour’s earlier books so I didn’t know what to expect with her writing and I was pleasantly surprised. Her writing is wonderful and she articulates herself beautifully and with incredible expertise. This is one of those books that are immensely quotable and leave you thinking about the dialogue days after you’re done reading it.

Unique Blogger Award

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unique-blogger-award

A huge, HUGE thank you to both Maxine @ The Rogue Storyteller (who tagged me back in March) and Empress @ Empire of Starlight for nominating me for The Unique Blogger Award! Maxine has some very thoughtful book reviews and awesome recommendations so go check her blog out! Empress also has some great book reviews and she’s just a wonderful person inside and out so go check out her blog too!

Rules:

  • Share the link of the blogger who has shown love to you by nominating you.
  • Answer the questions.
  • In the spirit of sharing love and solidarity with our blogging family, nominate 8-13 people for the same award.
  • Ask them three questions.

Maxine’s Questions

  1. What’s your favorite retelling of a story/folktale? This can be in the form of a book or movie.Oooh, my favorite retelling. I guess I’d have to say the Lunar Chronicles because I haven’t read many retellings I liked. Out of the Lunar Chronicles, Winter (Snow White retelling) is probably my favorite.
  2. Are there any characters that you think deserved a better ending than they got?You mean ALL OF MY BABIES WHO DIED?? YES! SO MANY! (I’d also like to not spoil anything for anyone so let me refrain from actually making a list of characters who deserved very much to live).
  3. If you could be any book character for a day, who would it be and why?
    Image result for kamala khanThis is such a hard question! As much as I’d love to be any of the Six of Crows crew, I’d kill myself and the team in seconds. I’m actually going to go with Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel), she is still trying to get used to her newfound superpowers, we have similar family backgrounds and I think her powers are super cool.

Empress’ Questions

  1. If you could have any fictional power, what would it  be and what would you do with it?Related imageI’ve always liked force field manipulation/creation the best. I don’t think I’d do anything special with it really, just learn how to reach things with my field so I wouldn’t have to go get it, maybe use a force field to levitate myself, protect myself from a nuclear apocalypse, etc. etc.
  2. What is your favorite/most hated YA trope?Favorite: The Chosen One trope, I just love the whole your destiny is blah blah blah story line for some reason.

    Most hated: insta-love. No, just no.

  3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life what would it be? 

    I… would rather not read for the rest of my life than choose among my children. I cannot and will not do it.

My Questions

  1. If you could bring any book character from their world to yours so you can be friends, who would you pick?
  2. What hobby would you like to pick up that you haven’t already?
  3. Do you like happy endings or sad but realistic endings?

I Tag You

(I’m going to tag some blogs I found recently that I loved. If you’ve already done the tag, feel free to disregard.)

 

Should novel length fanfiction count towards your Goodreads goal?

Published on by Shouni19 Comments

fanfiction

I have always loved reading fan fiction so I can stay in a book world I love longer, to follow the characters’ lives or just see how other fans interpret and expand the book. There have been an ongoing argument on Goodreads on whether or not fanfiction should be added and counted on Goodreads as a book.

I recently finished a novel length Harry Potter next-generation fan fiction. It was better written than a lot of novels I’ve read, a good size (would be at least 300 pages if put to paper), and had a complex story expanding on the ideas in Cursed Child (here is the link if you’re interested, I thought it was fantastic). So my question obviously is, can I count this towards my Goodreads goal?

I know as book bloggers, there are what we call real books which are published books and then there are other reading material that aren’t published books. But there’s also the fact that there are many fan fiction that are published books: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro, even Harry Potter and the Cursed Child since it wasn’t written by Rowling. So if a printed fan fiction can count as a book, does that mean all fan fiction can count as a book? (I am speaking specifically of novel length fan fiction, short ones obviously do not count).

What’s your take on this? Do you think long fan fiction should count towards your Goodreads goal?

November OwlCrate Box!

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I know I’m posting pretty late since the November box came towards the middle of the month but most of you probably know by now that I’m anything but punctual. Well, I have my good days. 🙂

I subscribed to OwlCrate on a whim. I heard the November box’s theme was Wonderland and I knew Heartless by Marissa Meyer was coming out in November so I assumed that was going to be the book. And I’m SO HAPPY I got it. I am very satisfied with this month’s box, I loved every item! (Well, almost every item anyway).

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List of items that came in the box:

  • An exclusive hardcover edition of Heartless by Marissa Meyer
  • A handwritten and signed letter from Marissa Meyer about Heartless
  • A quote card from Heartless 
  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
  • Alice in Wonderland bookmark to match the book
  • Alice in Wonderland postcard and pin
  • Alice in Wonderland magnet that says “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality”
  • Exclusive Wonderland tea in a lovely collector’s tin box
  • An absolutely beautiful brown metal bookmark that looks like a small looking glass

I think I got more than enough for my money’s worth. The only problem I had with this box was the tea. I am a tea addict, and I’m not saying tea addict because I just happen to love tea but I am literally addicted. That said, I couldn’t drink this tea. Something about the flavor just did not appeal to me. I’m definitely going to be using the box it came in though, it’s BEAUTIFUL.

Overall, I would say this box deserves a five out of five stars.

**If you’re planning on subscribing, use the code WELCOME10 to get 10% off of your first OwlCrate box! Next month’s theme is EPIC and will feature goodies related to Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and Narnia.

Are you subscribed to OwlCrate or are planning on subscribing? If you are, did you like the November box?

The Book Life Tag

Published on by Shouni2 Comments

Wow, it’s been a while since I posted something. Nine days. That seems like a lot though in retrospect, it really isn’t. What better way to start off again than a book tag? I was tagged by the wonderful Stellah @ The Little Book Nerd’s Life. Check her out, she’s awesome!

Who would your parents be?

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I would say Dante’s parents from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamis Alire Sáenz. They are both hilarious, very supportive and just overall loving people.

Who would be your sister?

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I already have a younger sister and I’ve always wanted an older one. Honestly, I would love both Jane and Lizzy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as sisters. Jane’s kindness and Lizzy’s witty intelligence are exactly what I need in sisters.

Who would be your brother?

I would absolutely love having Nico diAngelo from the Percy Jackson series as a little brother. Also Ender from Ender’s Game except his intelligence will always make me self-concious. I guess we’ll just go with Nico then.

Who would be your pet?

Church! From the world of Shadowhunters. That cat is immortal I tell you. He’s been in all three Shadowhunter series so far.

Where would you live?

Ooo… hmm…. the Wizarding World after Harry defeated Voldemort. I feel the need to specify the after. 

Where would you go to school?

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Well, I guess the obvious answer would be Hogwarts. Though now that I just finished The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater, Aglionby Academy is now up there on the list. If only I was privileged, rich and a guy.

Who would be your best friend?

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This one is hard. I think I’ll go with Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. She’s a little quirky, a bookworm, super shy and writes fanfiction. We’re essentially the same person.

Who would be your significant other?

I know I’ve named Pride and Prejudice already but I can’t just NOT say Mr. Darcy. Because, MR. DARCY!! And following close behind is Will Herondale from the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.

This was fun! Does anyone have the same answers? Do the tag if you haven’t already!

Review: “The Hidden Oracle” by Rick Riordan

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26252859~o~Rating~o~
4 tp

Warning: The following contains spoilers for its two prequel series Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus both by Rick Riordan. This is the first book to the Trials of Apollo series. 

~o~Goodreads Synopsis~o~

How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favour.

But Apollo has many enemies – gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

~o~Review~o~

Do you have to read the other two series to read this? No, not really. But it would help with your understanding of the book so it is highly recommended. And wouldn’t you rather know the full history behind these characters?

**Note: Again, spoilers for the first two series coming up. Not major ones but beware anyway.

I am SO glad I liked this book. Because, well, Blood of Olympus was horrible. I refused to consider that book a true conclusion so I was very excited for this chance to revisit my favorite characters. I kept my expectations at bay because after BoO and Magnus Chase (which was another disappointment), I didn’t have much hope left. I was not disappointed!

Back to first person point of view! Honestly, the third person of HoO wasn’t working out very well. Apollo’s pov is nothing like the usual sarcastic-jokester Riordan protagonist. Apollo is whiny, self-centered and egocentric and I LOVED it. His mortal name? Lester Papadopoulos. Any other character who acted so pathetic would bother the Hades out of me but this is Apollo. He gets a freebie.

Meg was a wonderful addition to this world. She is a fierce twelve year old demigod living in the streets. She rescues Apollo right after he, quite literally, falls from Heaven. Apollo and Meg have a pure friendship and it seems like this is the first time two main characters won’t be in a relationship in these series.

To those who are wondering if you see Percy and gang. Kind of. You definitely see Percy. And SOLANGELO IS CONFIRMED! It is no longer a thing of fanfiction!

Four stars because as much as I liked it, it didn’t have enough WOW factor to make me love it. And I wish it was longer. Only 361 pages? That’s not nearly enough.

~o~Spoilers Alert!~o~

Since I can’t help myself, here are some of my favorite scenes.

“Yep,” Percy agreed. “That pretty much describes my entire life: Because Poseidon.”

Percy is just so done with this world.

“But the truth is we gods are a little in awe of you mortals. You spend your whole lives knowing you will die. No matter how many friends and relatives you have, your puny existence will quickly be forgotten. How do you cope with it? Why are you not running around constantly screaming and pulling your hair out?”

Apollo gave me a serious existential crisis.

And I love all the jabs Riordan makes at, dare I stay it, stupid people.

At this point, you may be wondering how I felt seeing my son with Nico di Angelo. I’ll admit I did not understand Will’s attraction to a child of Hades, but if the dark foreboding type was what made Will happy…

Oh. Perhaps some of you are wondering how I felt seeing him with a boyfriend rather than a girlfriend. Is that’s the case, please. We gods are not hung up about such things. I myself have had… let’s see, thirty-three mortal girlfriends and eleven mortal boyfriends? I’ve lost count.

The casual he talks about homosexual relationships in a middle grade book is honestly one of the greatest things I’ve ever read. Hats off to Riordan!

“Nico,” I said at last, “shouldn’t you be sitting at the Hades table?”

He shrugged. “Technically, yes. But if I sit alone at my table, strange things happen. Cracks open in the floor. Zombies crawl out and start roaming around. It’s a mood disorder. I can’t control it. That’s what I told Chiron. “

“And is it true?” I asked.

Nico smiled thinly. “I have a note from my doctor.”

Will raised his hand. “I’m his doctor.”

“Chiron decided it wasn’t worth arguing about,” Nico said. “As long as I sit at a table with other people, like … oh, these guys for instance … zombies stay away. Everybody’s happier.”

Will nodded serenely. “It’s the strangest thing. Not that Nico would ever misuse his powers to get what he wants.”

“Of course not,” Nico agreed.  

Every Solangelo scene in was just too perfect! I’m glad I read this at home because I would just start squealing whenever they came up. A few more of these and I’ll put them above Percabeth! (Well… maybe a tie).

Nero waved dismissively. “But the Christians were terrorists, you see. Perhaps they didn’t start the fire, but they were causing all sorts of trouble.”

As a Muslim, I found this contrast absolutely hilarious.

“Eh,” Leo said. “We took Gaea in, like, forty seconds. This’ll be easy squeezy.”

I seemed to recall that the lead-up to the fight with Gaea had involved months of suffering and near misses with death. Leo, in fact, had died.

Who trolls their readers better than Riordan? I believe this was a jab to all those (including myself) who complained about the BoO end scene to be too short and anti-climactic. And that none of the heroes died, which was actually great.

Other random thoughts:

Percy studying for the SAT’s just so he could go to college with Annabeth. If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is. Especially since we know, Percy Jackson hates studying.

Austin and Kayla were pretty great and I’m glad we finally got to know them a little more.

Little Harley is so cute!

Leo and Calypso are going with Apollo! Not going to lie, I’d much rather have Will and Nico go but Leo is good too.

That Percy and Calypso reunion! I wish Annabeth was there.

I did not see the Meg thing coming! She’s Nero’s stepdaughter! This is one of the first times a Riordan book actually surprised me.

 

Review: “The Sword of Summer” by Rick Riordan

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 ~o~Rating~o~
3 tp

~o~Goodreads Synopsis~o~

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

~o~Review~o~

“Myths are simply stories about truths we’ve forgotten.”

I tried, guys, I really tried. I mean, after Blood of Olympus, my expectations weren’t even that high. But… Magnus Chase really did just seem like Percy Jackson with a different name and heritage. The connection we felt with Percy in the beginning of Lightning Thief wasn’t there at all. Maybe this is just me being biased, since I pretty much grew up with the Percy Jackson books, but in comparison, Magnus Chase felt too predictable and boring.

Magnus’ character wasn’t developed very well. He keeps bringing up the fact that he was homeless for two years but it just doesn’t fit with his personality. I understand that Riordan uses humor as a teaching method but it was just too much. Towards the middle of the book, I ended up just skimming the pages because I couldn’t wait for the book to be over.

PROS:

Annabeth! I wish she was in the book more. I honestly only continued the book in the hopes of seeing her.

Finally a Muslim character in a Riordan book! One of the three stars up above is just for having Samirah. Even though some of the plot around her doesn’t quite add up (the fact that she is a Valkrye for Norse gods yet she’s Muslim. And that she takes off her hijab whenever she wants to in front of other men… usually, you either wear it or you don’t). But minor issues aside, the diversity made me really happy.

Review: “Glass Sword” by Victoria Aveyard

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23174274~o~Rating~o~
2 tp

Warning: This review contains spoilers for  the first book in the series Red Queen.

~o~Goodreads Synopsis~o~

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.
But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

~o~Review~o~

After being horribly disappointed with the first book, I don’t know why I continued reading this series. Actually, I do know. I just can’t stay away from people with cool powers no matter how tiring the story is. The first book had potential so I guess I wanted this series to get better. Where did that leave me? Horribly disappointed again. I don’t understand why people are so obsessed with these books.

Most of Glass Sword was just plain boring. So many new characters were introduced but none of them were given any depth. The descriptions were heavy and there was a lot more telling than showing. Details in a book are generally good but huge information dumps are just confusing and… well, annoying. Even the action scenes seemed to drag on to the point where I would just start skipping paragraphs of unnecessary description.

And then comes my hatred for Mare. It’s not even a strong dislike anymore: I seriously hate this girl. She’s a whiny brat who thinks she is the only person in the world who understands pain. She treats all her friends like background characters, using them when needed and leaving them behind when she didn’t. She doesn’t trust anyone but expects everyone to trust her to make the “right” decisions. She just makes me angry!

Unless I’m completely out of books, I will definitely not be continuing this series.

Review: "Fake ID" by Lamar Giles

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~o~Rating~o~
3 tp

~o~Goodreads Synopsis~o~ 

Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight…

My name isn’t really Nick Pearson.

I shouldn’t tell you where I’m from or why my family moved to Stepton, Virginia.

I shouldn’t tell you who I really am, or my hair, eye, and skin color.
And I definitely shouldn’t tell you about my friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy he was about to uncover when he died—right after I moved to town. About how I had to choose between solving his murder with his hot sister, Reya, and “staying low-key” like the Program has taught me. About how moving to Stepon changed my life forever.

But I’m going to.

~o~Review~o~

This is going to be a small review. Hmm… I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It’s been a while since I read a book with a sole male protagonist since most YA books tend to have female leads nowadays. Nick and his family are a part of the Witness Protection Program and they are accustomed to always changing their identity stay hidden. Stepton is their fourth change of location.

I think Nick is smart and resourceful. The romance didn’t win me over; it wasn’t necessary to the plot. But I liked Nick and Reya well enough not to be bothered by it.

It’s clear a lot of thought was put into the plot of the book. The connections of the characters were well planned. But… the characters seemed a little static. There’s nothing wrong with static characters of course but I felt that some of the secondary characters needed more… pizzazz?

It’s a good book though guys! Some parts are hilarious and the ending actually took me by surprise.