Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour
★★★☆☆
"Just out of high school, Emi Price is a talented young set designer already beginning to thrive in the L.A. film scene. But her artistic eye has failed her in one key area: helping her to design a love life that’s more than make-believe. Then she finds a mysterious letter at an estate sale, and it sends her chasing down the loose ends of a movie icon’s hidden life. And along the way, she finds Ava, and at long last, Emi’s own hidden life begins to bloom."
Having read (and loved) "You Know Me Well" by David Levithan and Nina LaCour, herself --- which I reviewed here --- I was very excited to read some more of her books. I really really loved that book so I had high expectations going in for Everything Leads To You, and it kind of disappointed me? It's a good book! I enjoyed it! But it didn't have that 'oomf' that I needed. I really liked the fact that's the main character worked in a film enviorment, because I was a film student at the time so I really connected to that. But there was something about the love story that just didn't really connect with me that well. It just didn't measure up to "You Know Me Well".
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
★★★★★
"Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight. Lord of Shadows is a Shadowhunters novel.
Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?
And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late."
I've been a big fan of Cassandra Clare since Seventh/Eight Grade when I began to get obsessed with The Mortal Instruments and later in High School with The Infernal Devices. Now I am back in love with these characters (and some new ones as well) with her new series The Dark Artificies. After my actual favorite book series of all time, The Infernal Devices, ended I didn't want to continue to read the last book of Mortal Instruments for whatever reason, I felt Clockwork Princess was the best goodbye to that universe. But then, after one of my best friends loved Lady Midnight so much, she convinced me to read it and of course, I loved it.
I really really love this series and this book was just perfect. What makes these two books so amazing are these characters, I love all these characters to pieces. It's perfect if you loved the other two series or if you've never read any of the Shadowhunter Adventures. I don't want to say too much because I think the summary did a great job of describing what happens without giving too much away. It's a long book but a lot happens so it's not like your waiting all the time for something to happen, you know what I mean? Anyway, perfect. Just go read Dark Artificies.
Flame In The Mist by Reene Ahdieh
★★★☆☆
"The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.
Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and track down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she's within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she's appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she's ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires."
This is one of the books I bought during the post-Hurricane Maria, I was really intriguied by the summary because it's something that I haven't read in YA before. It was really cool like the enviorment and the plot was cool. I think the main character was very interested and I definitely sympathized with her and the choices she had to make. The love story was something that I really liked and I thought the two characters had a lot of chemistry.
I just think the plot was too drawn out, nothing really happens until the last few pages when it gets REALLY interested and then it just ends. You're always waiting for something, I just think most of the book didn't have to be there. I know it's the first book of a series and I'm sure the second one is better paced, but I wasn't interested in it enough to pick up Book #2 but eh maybe I might.
I just think the plot was too drawn out, nothing really happens until the last few pages when it gets REALLY interested and then it just ends. You're always waiting for something, I just think most of the book didn't have to be there. I know it's the first book of a series and I'm sure the second one is better paced, but I wasn't interested in it enough to pick up Book #2 but eh maybe I might.
Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
★★★★★
"In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.
The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world."
The best discovery of the year! The best book I read during post-Maria! This book! THIS BOOK! Ugh, I loved this book. I'm currently reading the second one (I'm taking a break because now it's sad). This book was great. The characters all have very specific voices (which I love and always appreciate) and that just makes the book come to life for me. It's so interesting, the plot, the characters, the enviorment... beautiful. There's always something that keeps you interested and keeps you reading. Go read it. Trust me, it's amazing.
Precious Blood by Tonya Hurley
★☆☆☆☆
I just want to start this by saying... I only bought this book because of the cover and because the summary really doesn't give you anything. I was intriguied. So I bought this a long time ago and I never finished it because I got bored. Then post-Maria happened and I had all this free time and no electricity so I was forced to read all these books that I never finished -- Blessed or Precious Blood or whatever -- was one of them. I really didn't like this book. It has so much intrigue but it just falls short every time. Nothing happens for such a long shunk of the book and the suddenly, you have all this gore that comes REALLY out of nowhere and the most forced 'romance' of all time."From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a dark and thrilling trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy. Previously published as The Blessed.
What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?
Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief."
The characters are soooo unlikable, every single one. It's also really obvious that the author was trying to be poetic or something, but it just came off as pretensious and forced. It's trash. It's the messies thing I've ever read in my life. I was so relieved to have finished this so I didn't have to force myself to keep reading. I don't understand how this book has so much great reviews on amazon because... it's bad.
The Program by Suzanne Young
★★☆☆☆
"In this “gripping tale for lovers of dystopian romance” (Kirkus Reviews), true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.
Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.
And The Program is coming for them."
Here's another book that I bought for the cover and then never finished (are you sensing a trend here?). In contrast with The Blessed, The Program has an actual plot element that interested me. The premise was interesting. The fact that the two main characters were actually together at the beginning of the book and have been for a while was something that stood out to me because it's not something you see a lot in YA dystopia. It's a good book, I just wasn't that connected to it by the end. It's a book that I feel should have probably been only a novel instead of a trilogy or series, because I have zero interest in reading the next one.
It was okay. It wasn't bad or horrible but it wasn't great either. I don't think it was a good way to deal with depression or suicide -- it was interesting but clearly, the author doesn't know a lot about depression because not all of it comes from memories. It's an interesting conversation to have about how adults view suicide in young adults and teenagers. Again, don't fully understand how many great reviews this has but well.
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
★★★★☆
"Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch—a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood—or else she might be next."
It's been a while since I read a Bloodlines novel and even longer since I read Vampire Academy, one of the first vampire YA novels I read after Twilight back in middle school. And I never finished this third book of the series, for no specific reason, I just stopped reading and I never really felt like starting it from the beginning. I got this book as a birthday gift from one of my best friends in eleventh grade --- oof, such a long time. Because of post-Maria, I had nothing else to do so I decided to start it from the beginning and finish it. And I loved it! It was great! I forgot how much I enjoyed Bloodlines as a series! Adrian has always been one of my absolute favorite characters of Vampire Academy since Spirit Bound so getting to "see" him again in Indigo Spell was great, I'd missed him! The romance between Sydney and Adrian, I love, of course.
I'm 100% sure this is mostly nostalgia talking but I really enjoyed this book. Getting to see these two characters again was awesome. The question is if I'm going to continue with the series, and the answer is a definite no. While it was nice to see the characters again, I wasn't completely interested in seeing where the plot goes so... yeah. I also didn't expect that there were SO MANY books in the series? I just kind of thought it was 4 book series but nope... there's six. And my friend told me it goes to a crazy place so, yeah, no.
Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
★★★★☆
I love Heist Society! It's one of my absolute favorite YA series. So when it comes to re-reading series, Heist Society is one of my favorites to pick up. The third book is possibly my favorite in the series, it's really really good. Kat and Hale are together and you go into Hale's backstory and his family -- which I love! And the stakes are even higher than before, which is always the case. I just really enjoy this book! It's so fun! Ally Carter does a great job of upping the stakes in every book and it doesn't feel forced or anything. I don't have that much to say about this book because I love it so much, it will just be me showering this book and series with endless compliments. Just go read this series, it's amazing."Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it's that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting-or stealing-whatever they want."
Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1
★★★★☆
"Heroic. Iconic. Unstoppable. Armed with her Lasso of Truth and imbued with the power of the gods themselves, Princess Diana of Themyscira—known to the world as Wonder Woman—is one of the greatest superheroes in history.
But who is she…really? Not even Wonder Woman herself knows for sure. Diana’s links to both the Amazons and the Gods of Olympus have been severed. Her memories are a tangle of contradictions that even her lie-detecting lasso cannot untangle.
To solve the riddle of her origin, she must embark on her greatest quest of all: finding a way back to her vanished home. To get there, she must team up with her greatest enemy, the feral beast-woman, Cheetah. Will this unlikely alliance shine the light of truth on Diana’s darkest secrets, or bury them—and her—forever?"
When the Rebirth event happened in DC, I was sooo excited to pick up all the volumes and get rid of the New 52 costume design. After watching the amazing Wonder Woman movie, I just had to pick her volume first. I LOVED this book. If you're not sure where to start when it comes to reading Wonder Woman, this book is perfect for you. These issues fixed everything the New 52 did wrong with Diana. It was like going back to the basics of what makes Wonder Woman who she is and what she stands for. This book is beautiful. And it includes Steve Trevor! Which I was very excited to see after the movie. I definitvely want to pick up volume 2!
That's it for the books I read in 2017! Let me know in the comments below what books you read the past year and what you recommend for me to read this year! Thanks for reading~ 💕
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