History is All You Left Me - Book Review

History is All You Left Me

By Adam Silvera

Details:

Title: History is All You Left Me

Author: Adam Silvera

Page Count: 320

Publisher: SOHO Teen

Publication Date: January 17th, 2017

From the New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not comes an explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past.

When Griffin's first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he's been imagining for himself has gone far off course. 

To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin's downward spiral continues. He's losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he's been keeping are tearing him apart. 

If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life (Goodreads Summary).

My Review:  
           Before reading History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, I didn't understand why people enjoy reading books despite knowing they're sad, but I leave this novel with a whole new perspective. 
            History is All You Left Me is such beautifully tragic story...and I'm pretty sure it gave me emotional whiplash; I'd go from crying, to laughing, to crying again in a matter of seconds. Silvera does such a fantastic job in using his characters to further the emotions and the narrative of the story, and although the story is meant to be all of the character's 'histories,' I can feel and hear Silvera's voice through the pages, leading me to believe this story is more personal than he's leading on.
            The characters themselves are real and raw and unafraid to flaunt their flaws. I found my self loving Griffen, Theo, Wade, and Jackson by the end. The main protagonist, Griffen, took me a while to warm up to due to some rather interesting choices he makes, but I ultimately enjoyed how vulnerable he is, and how the entire story is told through his 'histories' of his now deceased first love, Theo, and how he is 'today.' Silvera writes him as depressed as well as gives him a few little quirks like slight OCD that really make his character all the more real for the reader. Theo is the kind of character that I still have so many questions out despite the story being over because we only learn about him through other's experiences, and I ca't tell if I enjoy that or not. He's described as very geeky and the perfect compliment, but I can't help but feel like there's something important about him that we still don't know I felt Jackson is a very interesting character being Theo's most recent boyfriend, and think he played a big roll in pushing the story forward. Lastly, I would Wade to a complete and utter cinnamon bun. He's not the most important character, but he's still necessary to the story, and I love how he is so caring and patient and accepting of the fact that his two best friends are in love with each other. History is truly a character driven story at its core, and  I highly doubt it would have come across as impeccably as it does without such string, well written characters.
            What I believe truly sets History is All You Left Me apart from other contemporaries is that it's such a wonderful representation of the LGBT community and it deals with grief in such a unique and interesting way. It doesn't play to any stereotypes or feel forced, which helps readers outside of the community understand and develop there own feelings. In terms of grief, most contemporaries like to keep a lighthearted feeling thought a novel, but Silvera is unafraid to dive deep and make the reader hurt. I just found History to be such a unique and delightful change from normal contemporaries, and am glad to have finally read it.
         
                In conclusion, I give History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera four out of five stars for being beautifully written, unafraid to test the boundaries of YA contemporaries, and a wonderful representation of the LGBT community. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a diverse read or anyone who's looking to have a good, ugly cry.

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Renegades by Marissa - Book Review

Renegades

By Marissa Meyer

Details:

Title: Renegades

Author: Marissa Meyer

Page Count: 576

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Pub. Date: November 7th, 2017

Synopsis:

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

My Review:  
             Disclaimer: The publisher provided me with ARC of Renegades through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

            With a vague synopsis that didn't give me must aside from Sky High (an old Disney channel original movie) vibes, I didn't know quite what I was in for when I started reading Renegades, but I put my faith in Marissa Meyer's very capable hands, and I shall never doubt her skills again.
            I can't say too much about the plot since this is an ARC review and I don't want to spoil anything, but it was very well written, action packed, and unpredictable. It's one of those stories thats begins in the middle of the action--literally starting in an assassination attempt--and I think it works very well for Renegades because it sets the pace for the rest of the story. The first few chapters read slightly slower than the rest of the book, but from the moment Nova decides that she is going to act as a double agent for the Anarchists by entering the trials to become a Renegade, I found myself sucked in and unable to put it down, constantly being hit with twists and turns as soon as I started to believe I had figured it out. I must say that the plot twist at the end truly shocked me, and I can't believe I have to wait so long to see what happens next!
            Meyer's vivid descriptions throughout the novel really help to transport the reader into the world of Renegades and Anarchists. She not only gives a fantastic visual description of Gatlon City including everything from the Renegades' headquarters, to the Anarchists' subway tunnels, to every individual street vendor's cart and product which makes the city come alive in our minds, but also describes the city's rich history with the Age of Anarchy and the Battle for Gatlon which allows ua to truly feel and sense the tension and uneasiness present in the city. The only thing I wish she had included more of was the history of how prodigies came to be because I thought that their powers were one of the coolest aspects in the story, and she could have expanded more on them.
            There is an expansive list of characters in Renegades which is already hard to keep track of, but with many of them being either superheroes or villains, a lot of them have aliases which makes it even more difficult! For the first few chapters I found myself unable to tell who was who or who had what powers, but eventually got the hang of it. I really enjoyed Nova and Adrian, the two main characters, and thought that Meyer did a good job in giving them interesting backstories which connected to their internal drives. Nova is an Anarchist who wants to destroy the renegades because of what they did to her uncle and possess the power to put anyone she touches to sleep, and Adrian is a Renegade who wants to find the Anarchists responsible for murdering his mother and has the ability to make anything he draws come to life. Of course there is a bit of romance between the two of them, but it isn't instalove, and I really enjoyed the way Meyer incorporated it into the story as to make it not feel forced. The POV switches between them throughout the story, giving the reader the point of view of both an Anarchist and a Renegade, allowing them to decide which side they believe to be in the wrong. Aside from the main characters I must say I found the rest to be a bit lacking. Some of them had half-decent back stories and character development, as if some were just lost or forgotten along the way. I did enjoy the Anarchist entourage of Ingrid, Lyon, Phobia, and Honey--I just wish there was more of them, and as for the Renegades, I felt that a few of the characters were present only for their powers. Overall, l I believe Meyer did a good job with her characters.

                In conclusion, I give Renegades by Marissa Meyer four out of five stars for being an fantastic, action packed start to a new series, and I highly suggest it to anyone who's a fan of YA, but especially to fans of D.C., Marvel, and superheroes in general. Also, there's a pre-order promotion going on, so if you send in proof of your pre-order to the publisher HERE you can get either a Renegade or Anarchist button pack--and you get to pick!  

If you would like to pre-order Renegades

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Mini Reviews - Volume 1

Hey guys! I thought since I don't always have time to write full length reviews for every book I read and I have some books that I just didn't write enough notes on for a full length review, that I'd start a series on my blog where I post little mini reviews for books I've recently read. Here's volume one of my mini reviews--I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of each of these books by their publishers through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.


Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore

Synopsis: A magically inspiring tale of a man who is reincarnated through many lifetimes so that he can be with his one true love: Death herself.
What if you could live forever—but without your one true love? Reincarnation Blues is the story of a man who has been reincarnated nearly 10,000 times, in search of the secret to immortality so that he can be with his beloved, the incarnation of Death. Neil Gaiman meets Kurt Vonnegut in this darkly whimsical, hilariously profound, and wildly imaginative comedy of the secrets of life and love. Transporting us from ancient India to outer space to Renaissance Italy to the present day, is a journey through time, space, and the human heart.
My Thoughts: Just from reading the summary of Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore, I could tell it was going to be a story unlike any other I'd read before, and it did not disappoint. We, the readers, get to experience all of Milo's 9,995 lives on his quest for perfections, and the variety of fuck ups that occur along the way. I especially loved how the stories of his lives weren't told in chronological order and differed in length, although I did find some to drag on longer then others. The book itself has a very unique sense of humor in the writing, and I think Poore does a fantastic job of expressing that humor through Milo and creating a character that every reader can come to love and feel sympathy for. I also thought that the romance between Milo and Death--I mean Suzie--was really unique in the way that they've been together for several thousand years, but are only able to be with each other in between Milo's lives. All in all I give Reincarnation Blues four out of five stars for being fun, quirky, and unique, but also slow at times. I highly recommend Reincarnation Blues to fans of sci-fi and fantasy who are looking for something fresh and new and exciting. (PS: Do you see how gorgeous that cover is?!)

The Big F by Maggie Ann Martin

Synopsis:Danielle effed up. Big time.
Danielle's plans for the future were all figured out... until she failed senior English and her single college acceptance was rescinded. Determined to get her life back on track, Danielle enrolls in her hometown community college with a plan: pass English and get back into Ohio State—and her mother’s good graces. Romance isn't on her radar... until she reconnects with her childhood crush and golden boy next door, Luke.Between family drama, first love and finding her own way, Danielle can't help but feel a little overwhelmed. Thankfully she has her friendship with the snarky and frustratingly attractive Porter, her coworker at the campus bookstore, to push her to experience new things and help keep her afloat. One thing's for sure: This time, failure's not an option.

My Thoughts: Maggie Ann Martin does a fantastic job of including all the the classic YA contemporary romance cliches that we've all come to know in love in The Big F, but altering them ever so slightly to give it a completely different feel from most other YA high school romances. The closest thing that I feel I can compare it to is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because both Daniella and Kath are college freshmen, but thats pretty much where the similarities end. It was such a fun, quick read that I highly enjoyed--I especially loved the theme of failure and how it doesn't mean the end of the world. 
            The story itself was intriguing, but it was the characters who truly brought the story to life for me. Dani being fresh out of high school instead of 16 or 17 was what really made this story unique for me. The way Martin wrote her was so realistic, and I found myself connecting to her trough out the story. Luke is the classic, adorable boy next door, and I loved him to pieces. I liked how the boy next door cliche wasn't the main focus of the story, but rather a tool used to push along the main plot. Zoe is one of the greatest best friends a girl can have, and I honestly wish that I could reach through the pages and pull her into my life to help me out during times of crisis. Porter reminds me so much of a lot of my guy friends who constantly like to push my buttons, but are always sweet and charming when they need to be--and I absolutely loved him! Martin did a fantastic job in writing relatable characters who develop well throughout the story, and find a special place in the reader's heart.
            Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Big F by Maggie Ann Martin, and give it four out of five stars. I recommend this book to any high school junior or senior who's worried about the future, or anyone who wants a fresh take on the classic YA romance.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Synopsis: Moxie girls fight back!
Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her small-town Texas high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes and hallway harassment. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.Viv’s mom was a punk rock Riot Grrrl in the ’90s, so now Viv takes a page from her mother’s past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She’s just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. Pretty soon Viv is forging friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, and she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution.

My Thoughts: I will admit that going into Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, I didn't really know what it was going to be about and I didn't think I would like it, but after finishing it I want to go up to every other girl in my high school and force them to read it so they can feel as empowered as I did directly after finishing it. Moxie is the story of a girl named Vivian who is done with the sexist way of thinking that her town runs on, so she creates a zine after being inspired by her mom's old things and basically starts a revolution. I absolutely love Vivian, and how realistic she is compared to other main characters of YA contemporaries. She's passionate and zealous and perfect to lead the feminist uprising at her high school. I liked her love interest, Seth, and I thought that the addition of romance was fun to read, but I don't believe it was necessary. It neither added nor took away from the plot as a whole. Moxie also rape/sexual assault which I feel like is seen as a taboo subject in YA literature, so I'm glad Mathieu included it. Overall I give Moxie 4.5 out of 5 stars for being full of such great and important messages such as fighting against injustice, girls helping girls, feminism, and so many more. I believe that this is such an important novel that women of all ages, but especially younger girls, should read to feel empowered and like a boss.

So these are all of my mini reviews I have for y'all at the moment. If you have any thoughts on these books or book suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comments--I'd love to talk about books with you!

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Roar by Cora Carmack - Book Review

Roar

By Cora Carmack

Details:

Title: Roar

Author: Cora Carmack

Page Count: 380

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: June 13th, 2017

Synopsis:

In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage. 

She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough. 

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.

My Review:  
            I received Roar many months ago in my June Fairyloot, and I was absolutely thrilled! I've been looking forward to reading for a while and was glad to finally have it in my hands. Although it took me a few months to start it, I went into this novel with high expectations, and Cora Carmack did not disappoint me.
           Carmack's ability to write so many interesting characters truly impressed me--usually the main characters are interesting, but the side characters are lacking, but she didn't overlook a single characters. The main character, Aurora/Rora/Roar is a spitfire. In the beginning of the book I was worried that she was going to be a useless princess with no backbone who falls in love with the first guy that actually tries to get close to her, but she proved me wrong. The minute she leaves that castle and sets off to become a storm hunter she completely leaves behind 'Aurora/Rora' and allows 'Roar' completely take over. Locke, Duke, Sly, and the rest of the storm hunters are probably my favorite characters of the entire story. They've each got their own strengths/talents, and the way Cormack writes them truly lets them shine. Roar's first love interest and storm hunter, Locke,  is officially a new book boyfriend of mine--he's smart, charming, and incredibly kind to Roar when she is in need . Roar's other love interest, Cassius, is a completely different story. I get Darkling (from the Grisha Trilogy) vibes off of him and I LOVE IT. He, his brother, and his father are completely wicked, and added just the right amount of conflict to allow the story to develop--I can't wait to see what they do in the second novel.
           Roar had my full attention from the very beginning due to the vivid details Carmack put into the world building, making the Lands of Caelira come alive. I truly admire the way Carmack never skipped out on a single detail of any of the multiple lands, which really helped improve the overall quality of the story. I adored how realistic the world was, even though it was fantasy, and I think that is something that very few authors achieve when writing fantasy. If I was able, I would have loved to have pulled myself into the pages and live in Caelira--when the lands aren't at war, or course.
            I found the plot to be, surprisingly, very complex and layered. As soon as I got past the first thirty or so pages of the story which I found to be quite boring, the story really opened up and expanded past what I had assumed it to be. Every time I believed I had  figured out the rest of the story, Carmack twisted the plot up once again, leaving it as a mystery. The action scenes had my adrenaline pumping, and I think they really helped to give the book a fast-paced feel even though it's close to 400 pages. Overall, I think Carmack did a fantastic job in creating a new, unique story that is unlike anything I've ever read before. The idea of storms being alive and having magical hearts that humans can steal is something truly new and refreshing to the world of YA fantasy.
           
                In conclusion, I give Roar by Cora Carmack four out of five stars for having a rather slow start, but overall compelling characters and an interesting story line. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique YA story full of fun and adventure.

If you would like to purchase Roar

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