Tag: YA

Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

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18484807Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: St. Martin’s Griffin
Pages: 304
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I really wanted to read Hello, I Love You. The cover is beautiful, the concept was super intriguing, and I’ve basically only read fantasy so far this month and wanted to cleanse my palette. This book is about Grace Wilde, country girl and daughter of super famous music producer, who runs away from her troubled path to go to school in Korea. At school she meets bad boy Jason, lead singer of KPOP group Eden. The story starts with a letter to her Big Brother, and from that very moment I guessed what Grace was trying to hide from everyone. I don’t know if it was supposed to be obvious – it certainly wasn’t a surprise when her backstory was leaked – but it did build the tension for the characters, if not the actual  readers.

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Review: Rogue by Julie Kagawa

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23168406Rogue by Julie Kagawa
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Mira Ink
Pages: 464
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★★
Series: Talon (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Okay, so the epilogues for this series so far are incredible! I need Soldier in my possession ASAP. How I’m supposed to go on when the final reveal changes EVERYTHING I don’t know! Rogue is a great sequel to Talon; it’s just as action-packed, with 100% more conspiracy. I have to say that I missed the blend of the contemporary/fantasy thing Talon had going on, but this series is definitely heading in an interesting and new direction.

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Review: Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

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only ever yoursOnly Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
Genre: Feminist, Dystopian
Published by: Quercus
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘Only Ever Yours’ was my first book of this genre, for the YA market. I think the only similar style think I’ve read is ‘Volpone’ by Ben Jonson, and that was for my English Lit course. I say the books are similar because they’re both satires, critiquing society in a way that isn’t overtly saying this is wrong. ‘Only Ever Yours’ was obviously written from a feminist perspective (I don’t know how this book could have been written any other way) and dealt with issues of materialism, body image, the objectification of women and female homosexuality. Overall, the five different ‘sections’ of the book all seemed very different, and I found it difficult to believe the ending was the same book as the beginning.
‘Only Every Yours’ is different from any other ‘dystopian’ style book because Frieda, the main character, doesn’t actually manage to break the society she lives in. She’s 100% subject to it, and can do nothing to change that, and in a way, that’s what gave this book a scarier feel than ‘The Hunger Games’.

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Review: Talon by Julie Kagawa

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17331828Talon by Julie Kagawa
Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Romance
Published by: MIRA Ink
Pages: 449
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★
Series: Rogue (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Dragons that can turn into humans: Who wouldn’t want to read that? Julie Kagawa always delivers a really action-packed contemporary/fantasy cross over, and Talon was no exception. The premise is so original and I’ve never seen it done before, the whole logistics of it may seem a bit crazy, but if you can look over the fact that dragons the size of buses can squeeze into a tiny human frame then you’re in for a wild ride.

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Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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UK Heir of FireHeir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 560
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Series: Throne of Glass (#1) | Crown of Midnight (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I have to say that I was slightly disappointed by this book as a whole. 550 pages is probably one of the longest books I read, and I didn’t think that enough actually happened to make this as much of an engaging read as the first two books in the series – which I LOVED, by the way. The writing style was still incredible, and Rowan’s character development was unparalleled. Sarah J. Maas, is an extremely talented writer, but I still didn’t enjoy Heir of Fire all that much and found myself really having to push towards the end. HOWEVER, I think this book has set up Queen of Shadows to be absolutely amazing, I just wish it could have done that with 200 less pages!

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Readalong Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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throne of glassI read ‘Throne of Glass’ as part of my first read-along with a friend of Goodreads! I thought as well as posting my formal review of ‘Throne of Glass‘, you may be interested to read my immediate thoughts on different parts of the book! But be warned, there are going to be spoilers, so only read this post if you’ve already read the book. So, ready for the bullet point style of notes?

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Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

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17670709Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 418
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★★
Series: Throne of Glass (#1) | Heir of Fire (#3)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This book was so action packed, it literally never stopped! The amount of content in this series so far really is incredible, and the pacing is perfect for a fantasy novel, where the world needs detailed explanations. I was literally in shock after Part One, after which I thought the story went downhill, but about 100 pages from the end, man, did it pick up rapidly!

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Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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throne of glassThrone of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 412
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Bee and I got the opportunity to read ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses‘ a few months back, which meant we read Maas’s books in kind of the wrong order. Everyone loves the Throne of Glass series. Everyone loves Maas’s writing style and the fantasy setting. Well, when ACTR fell a little short of the mark, we didn’t know what to expect when it came to reading her debut. Thankfully, it was AMAZING. Here’s what we thought…
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Review: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

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24669590Salt and Stone by Victoria Scott
Published by: Chicken House
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 407
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Series: Fire & Flood
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Now, I was a massive fan of Fire & Flood, it was really high up on my Top 14 of 2014 list, so I was super excited to read the sequel, but it turns out that I was a little disappointed. It had a lot of the same elements as Fire & Flood and I think it was just as successful, however this time round I found Tella’s narration to be a lot more annoying than her previous adventure. And here’s why…

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Review: Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton

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emma laEmma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 254
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

The sort-of sequel to ‘Jessie Hearts NYC’ better met its genre expectations of being an epic romance that took place in a foreign country. But this time, there was a love triangle! Classic!

Plot
You might remember Emma as Jessie’s best friend. It turns out that Jessie’s family isn’t the only one lucky enough to get a job in the USA. Emma flies out with her family to live in on the west coast, coincidently living close to a boy from her past and a hot movie star. The boys make up part of her love triangle, and Emma has to choose whether she wants fame or a fantastic relationship. Tough choice.  Continue reading “Review: Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton” →