Children of Icarus - Book Review

Children of Icarus

By: Caighlan Smith

SPOILER FREE REVIEW!

Synopsis:It is Clara who is desperate to enter the labyrinth and it is Clara who is bright, strong, and fearless enough to take on any challenge. It is no surprise when she is chosen. But so is the girl who has always lived in her shadow. Together they enter. Within minutes, they are torn apart forever. Now the girl who has never left the city walls must fight to survive in a living nightmare, where one false turn with who to trust means a certain dead end."(Goodreads summary)
            I personally had an issue understanding the goodreads summary so here is an additional one: Children of Icarus takes place in a society that worships Icarus. In this world, an angel named Icarus was tricked by the gods to fly the sun where he was burned and fell to earth. A mortal built him a tomb underground so he could heal and one day return to the surface, and she put the tomb in the middle of a labyrinth which the city the main character lives in is build upon.
            The actual story takes place many, many years in the future. Every year up until they turn 16, children are chosen to go into the labyrinth, and they are told that if they make it to the center, they will be blessed by Icarus to become angels. The main character and her best friend are chosen and get put into the labyrinth, and all hell breaks loose.

My Review: (I received a copy of this book off of Netgalley in exchanged for my honest opinion)

            I put off reading Children of Icarus for so long because there wasn't a kindle version to download, and it was going to be uncomfortable to read on my laptop, but I really wish I read this sooner. It's like a combination of two of my favorite books-The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games-and Greek Mythology. I'm obviously obsessed with two of the greatest YA series of all time, and I also adore Greek Mythology so the story over all was quite enjoyable.

            The beginning of the book could've done with a little bit more explaining of the character, where they come from, and what they're like so it's easier to understand and connect to them more. Once they're in the labyrinth the pace really picks up and it gets to be very interesting, but after a while it gets boring and I endured the mid-book slump. Needless to say I was thrown out of that slump with the ending--it really caught me off guard and is probably one of my favorite endings to a book in a while!

            The main character, Clara, was quite frustrating for me to read. She was scared and useless for the majority of the book, and that got quite annoying quite fast. All the other characters I found quite enjoyable to read because they were all completely nuts, and after spending two years in the maze, they just got crazier, and that was really realistic seeming to me as well as fun to read.

            This was a fantastic debut novel for Caighlan Smith. The plot was intriguing, the characters interesting, and the writing was fantastic. The only complaint I had was that I wish she spent a little more time on the characters and their backgrounds so I could better understand and connect with them like I stated before. I tip my hat off to Caighlan Smith for both having an amazing name and an amazing debut novel--that's not something many people can say.

          
            In conclusion I give Children of Icarus by Caighlan Smith 4 out of 5 stars for the interesting plot and characters, along with the mid-book slump and annoying main character. I suggest that you pick this book up in you enjoy The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, or Greek Mythology because it is a really interesting take on all three.

                 

If you would like to purchase Children of Icarus

Book Depository

Barnes and Nobles 

Amazon

Author and publisher information:

Caighlan Smith Website

Switch Press Publishing

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P.S. I Like You - Book Review

P.S. I Like You

By Kasie West

Disclaimer: There might be some spoilers in this review. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

Synopsis: While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out… (Goodreads Summary)

My Review:  P.S. I like this book. A lot. P.S. I Like You is so adorably cute! I don't normally find myself reading actual YA contemporary Romance novels, but I do love going through Wattpad and reading cute contemporary love stories and there, and P.S. I Like You was just like that....but better written (you can't always trust those Wattpad writers to spell check and fully finish plot lines [myself included]).
             From the minute I read the summary I knew I would enjoy this book. A girl writes down some of her favorite lyrics to find that someone finished them for her the next day? HOW INCREDIBLY AMAZING DOES THAT SOUND?!! I really enjoyed a majority of the plot, but found myself slightly annoyed that I was easily able to figure out who Lily's pen pal was much before the big reveal, even with all the red herrings. I also liked that West had other smaller plots going on with the main plot that were minor but somehow also very important to how the story was going to end (does that make sense??? It does to me). One example of this is the song writing competition that Lily wanted to enter. It wasn't as important as the whole pen pal plot, but they still went hand in hand with Lily's pen pal helping her to eventually write the song she is going to enter the competition with. Sidenote: I really liked how West ended the novel with Lily just figuring out what song she's going to enter instead of her actually entering and winning/losing. It really makes it feel likes there's so much more to the story, and allows the reader to imagine their own ending for the characters. Last, but not least, THE LAST LINE IN THIS BOOK MADE ME SOB HAPPY TEARS. "And then I mouthed 'I think I love you too.'" It's the perfect quirky ending line, for the perfect quirky character, in this perfectly quirky love story.
            Once we got past the whole sending letters back in forth bit (the first half of the book), and Lily knows who her pen pal is, I personally thought that the book got a whole lot better. Not that the beginning was bad-it was actually really reaaaallly good-but with Lily knowing Cade was her pen pal during the second half of the book made things a lot more interesting. There were so many amazing  moments in P.S. I Like You (I especially enjoyed every scene that included Bugs Rabbit), but I think that the entire Thanksgiving scene and the man bracelet scene tie as my favorites. The Thanksgiving scene was a perfect blend of humor and drama and the beginning of a romance, and the man bracelet scene is when I marked the beginning of their personal relationship (excluding letters). [Sidenote: I'm curious as to what your favorite scene in the book was, leave it down in the comments and let's chat]
            One thing West did particularly well was developing the characters. By only about halfway though the book I felt like I really knew Lily through the descriptions of her clothes, habits, and the way she acted around both herself and other people. I really felt like I connected with her, and one minor thing that really helped me personally connect with her was the way she talked to herself, which is something I do quite often. Lily is probably one of the funniest protagonists I've read in a while-if not all time. Cade Jennings is one hell of a love interest if I've ever read one. He's got the sad past, good looks, and enough charisma for more than one man. One really cliche thing this book did, but that I enjoyed because I'm trash, was make the bully and the victim fall in love. Even though Cade wasn't that big of a bully, and Lily seemed to take everything a step too far, it's just really cliche. 
            Aside from the main characters, I found myself liking many of the minor characters as well. I thought the way West described and developed Lily's family, especially her parents and Jonah, was fantastic, Isobel is the amazing best friend everyone wishes they had, and Sasha is the bitchy kind of girl everyone hates. The only character I found myself disliking and disconnected from was Lucas. I understand why he was there in the beginning, him being the guy that the Lily knows she'll never have but she'll pine over anyway, but once Lily got the courage to ask him out and they hung out once or twice, it was like he lost his purpose. He also just disappeared way too easily from the story, and I just found myself wishing he had a bigger purpose (like possibly stirring up some drama.....ohhhohohohohhh). Aside from my minor complaint about Lucas, I still believe that Kasie West did more than an amazing job in creating loveable and relatable characters.


           In conclusion, I give P.S. I Like You four and a half out of five stars for the humor, entertaining plot and amazingly written characters. I highly suggest you pick this up if you're in the mood for a cute, light read, or if you want to get out of a reading slump, because that's what this did for me.

                 

If you would like to purchase P.S. I Like You

Book Depository

Barnes and Nobles

Amazon

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August Owlcrate 2016 Unboxing - Fast Times at YA High

August Owlcrate Unboxing

"Fast Times at YA High"

This month's box was filled with amazing goodies, and an equally amazing book which I'll have a review up for soon.



This month's theme was "Fast Times at YA High," and I always love the artwork that Owlcrate does for the spoiler sheets.

This Month Owlcrate designed it's very own necklace inspired by Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell specifically for Owlcrate, and it's gorgeous. The pendant features the cover image, and there's also a cute little cassette tape attached to the chain.

These awesomely adorable buttons were designed by Taryn Draws for Owlcrate, and I cannot wait to add them to my pin collection on my ACOMAF tote bag. One button says Hogwarts is home....which it is, and the other one says chapter raptor on it (adorable!!!).

One of my personal favorite items from this month's box is the print of the Golden Trio designed by Susanne Draws. It perfectly captures all three of their personalities (Hermione with her hand up ready to answer the teacher's question, Harry off in his own world, and Ron sleeping [lol]). I can't wait to hang this up on my wall.

Another one of my favorite items from this box has to be the adult coloring book by Blue Star Coloring. I personally love coloring books (I have the Harry Potter coloring book, the Outlander coloring book, the Game of Thrones coloring book, I pre-ordered the Throne of Glass coloring book, and have many other random ones given to me as gifts). I can't wait till I get to color in all of the 'stress relieving patterns.'



Another awesome goodie I received in this month's Owlcrate is a Decomposition Notebook. I actually love this brand and use their notebooks for school, so I'm glad I have another one to add to my collection.

And last, but certainly not least, is this month's book, P.S. I Like You by Kasie West. Normally I'm not one for contemporary romance novels, but this one really caught my attention when I read the synopsis: (INSERT SYNOPSIS). I won't spoil my review incase you want to go check it out, but I really enjoyed it overall, and it's also an added bonus that it came with a signed bookplate and these adorable mini colored pencils to color in the coloring book with.

And that's it for this month's box! Per usual I find myself once again in love with everything included, and waiting on the edge of my seat for next month's box to arrive.

The theme for next month's box is "Darkness," and it will feature an item based on Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

If you would like to purchase your own Owlcrate subscription:

https://www.owlcrate.com/

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Crown of Midnight - Book Review

Crown of Midnight

By: Sarah J. Mass

DISCLAIMER: There are spoilers in here so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Synopsis: From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.(Goodreads summary)

My Review:  Throne of Glass was and is one of my favorite books, and I was very excited to see when Mass was going to take the story with Crown of Midnight, and, once again, Sarah did not disappoint.
            The action took off right from the very beginning. Celaena is the newly dubbed King's Champion, and she's already been out on several jobs. Mass doesn't take any time to get into the action, and actually starts out the book with her on a job and returning severed heads and hands to the king. The true plot really begins when the King gives her the job to kill and old friend of hers, Archer, who the King believes to be a rebel against his rule. 
            Throughout Crown of Midnight you are able to see the characters develop more thoroughly and see how their relationships with each other develop as well. Chaol and Celaena's relationship is explored much more in this, and Mass does a fantastic job in portraying how much they truly care for eachother. Celaena by going after Chaol when he is kidnapped, and Chaol by sending Caelana off to Wendlyn to be with the fae. Another thing I thought Mass did particularly well was show how Dorian felt about the whole Chaol and Celaena situation. She showed his jealousy and anger and finally content with their relationship fabulously, and the readers are able to truly feel how he feels. Lastly, Nehemia and Celaena. Their friendship was truly tested in this book, and I cried at the way it ended. After Celaena arrived at the castle to find Nehemia dead and defiled, she went off into a storm of rage and attacked Chaol, showing that she cared more for her friend. It was truly a beautifully, heartbreaking moment.
            One thing I just have to add in is about Fleetfoot. During the final battle scene against the creature Celaena summoned, fleetfoot tries attacking in to defend Celaena over and over again, and for some reason I'm much more effected when a dog gets injured or killed, so I actually cried when Fleetfoot fought for Celaena. It was so touching and sweet, and something Mass put in to make up suffer.
            The way this book ends is absolutely amazing. Mass has set it up perfectly for the next book with the reveal of Celaena actually being the lost queen Aelin, and Chaol unknowingly sending the biggest threat to his country off to meet with potential allies. I just can't wait to read the next one and find out what's going to happen, and how Chaol and Celaena or Aelin's relationship will continue, IF it will continue. The one major thing I just didn't like about Crown of Midnight was the feeling that it was a filler book for the most part. It reminded me of how I felt about Avengers: Age of Ultron, that it was just created to fill some time and set up for the rest of the series. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic read, and I look forward to what is going to happen next.

           In conclusion, I give Crown of Midnight four out of five stars for it's incredible plot and it's amazing set up for the rest of the series, but also for the feeling of this book being a little bit of a filler to get into the next part of the series. Once again, I highly, highly suggest you pick up any of Sarah J. Mass's books because they are all incredible, and you will not regret it.

                 

If you would like to purchase Crown of Midnight

Book Depository

Barnes and Nobles

Amazon

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