Tag: YA

Would You Rather (Book Edition)

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We already have a post for December 1st and 2nd, so Maddie and I decided to try and do Blogmas! So without further ado I have been tagged in the Would You Rather Tag that has been going around booktube and the blog-o-shere. I was tagged by Diary of a Booklover and I do believe that this tag was created by RayKayBooks on YouTube. (Original video here!) Would you rather…

1) Read only trilogies or stand alone novels?

I love a good stand alone novel, and I think it’s so amazing that an author can create a complete set of characters, perhaps in a new world and make us fall in love with the story over the course of only 300 pages. As much as I like trilogies, more often than not there tends to be the trend of the ‘not-so-great sequel.’ There are quite a few series/trilogies that I definitely would’ve happily left at book one. So stand alones for me!

2) Read only female or only male authors?

I don’t think the gender of the author matters when I pick out books. I am interested in women’s fiction, and would like to study it critically at university, but that won’t stop me from picking out books written by men – it’s important to read a mix of both. I know I’m supposed to come down on one side, and I’ll admit that the majority of the books on my shelf are written by women, so even though  this question is super tough, I’ll go with read only female authors because I read to read every single thing that Morgan Matson publishes.

3) Buy books online or in store?

I’m all for supporting book shops, but there aren’t any book stores closest to me, so I find myself buying online more. But that doesn’t stop me from being in bookshops as often as I can, even if I can’t afford to buy anything!

4) Have books made into movies or tv shows?

I don’t actually watch a lot of TV shows, and there is nothing I hate more that something being dragged out for a ridiculously long amount of time, so it really depends whether it’s a stand alone or a series. I’d like to see more book series being made into TV shows (I’m super excited for the TMI TV show, but I am NOT excited for the re-casting) but I live in the UK so even if they did make an AMAZING series adaptation of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, I’d have to wait, like, a million years before it became available for my region.

5) Read five pages a day or five books per week?

I’m off to university next year so five books a week would be great!

6) Be a professional reviewer or author?

AUTHOR. I have my ten year plan set out for how I’m going to get myself into the publishing industry and becoming a best-selling author is stage three. But I don’t think I’ll ever give up reviewing books as a hobby.

7) Read only your top 20 books over and overread only new books?

Here is a list of my Top 20 books. There’s no way I could give them up, but I would chose to only read new books so I could find new favourites, but have Maddie read my favourites to me. There, that’s not cheating.

8) Be a librarian or a bookseller?

A librarian, without a doubt. Unlimited books whenever I want? Yes, please!

9) Only read your favorite genre or all genres except your favorite?

YA is my favourite genre in broad terms, and I don’t have a favourite sub-genre, so I’ll cheat and say I’ll be forever reading YA. Because I will be. It’s stage two of the publishing plan.

10) Read only physical or only ebooks? If I had the money and space I would read only physical books, if I didn’t have unlimited funds or storage then my Kindle – called Roger – will suffice.

Thank you so much to Alma for tagging me! This was a really fun tag, and if you haven’t thought about these questions yet, then you definitely should!

Review: You’re the One that I Want by Giovanna Fletcher

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You're the oneYou’re the One that I Want by Giovanna Fletcher
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 372
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘You’re the One that I Want’ was only my second New Adult book. I found it under the ‘Chick Lit’ section of the bookshop, however, due to the age of the characters moving from nine years old to twenty seven, its safe to say that the majority of the novel happens when the three main characters are in their teens.

I love Gi. I found her when she first started making videos on her channel, ‘Giovanna’s World’ and like to catch up with her blog posts for Hello! Magazine. She’s so bubbly and fun, and her personality really diffused into this novel.

There was nothing difficult about the writing style. I didn’t feel like I needed to be twenty seven to enjoy it. It was written exactly how a teenager, and how I imagine a university grad, would write and feel. It really just made for a quick and fun read that didn’t have me questioning the origins of the universe.

The novel focuses on Maddy, a bride to be, and Ben, her best friend but not her groom. These are the two perspectives of the novel, however we also get to experience the groom’s speech, written by Robert, the final point in our love triangle (or self-proclaimed love tripod.)

Main problem: will Ben pipe up at the altar and claim Maddy for himself?

After the first scene of the wedding, when Maddy is contemplating her romantic decisions, we are rocketed back to the past, when all three characters are nine years old. Until they are twenty one, we get to see the relationship develop between Maddy and Robert (who become a couple at sixteen) and Ben and Maddy (a relationship that never quite got off the ground.) I loved how Gi waited until they were twenty-one to get serious, because teenage relationships are meant to just be fun. It felt completely natural that Maddy and Robert would stay together if they didn’t have a reason to separate.

Only they did. Cue Robert doing something stupid. This led to the relationship between Ben and Maddy intensifying.

The one thing with this love triangle was that the novel knew that’s all it was focused on. I wasn’t annoyed by the backwards and forwards of will she love me or won’t she because I knew what I was getting, unlike in YA novels, when a love triangle is thrown at you for no reason. Also unlike with YA novels, I never knew which guy I preferred. They both did questionable things to Maddy, but both seemed to really care for her.

When they grew up some more, however, I thought that the relationship between Robert and Maddy was a compromise for their true feelings. It felt like they were staying together because they didn’t know how to be with anyone else. Of course, when their relationship went back to normal, I went back to shipping them, but a little piece of my heart would always tug towards Ben and how he drew the romantic short straw.

I really loved the ending of this novel. It wasn’t a cliched ‘speak now’ wedding, with lots of gasps and treachery. It was real. The epilogue gave me a good sense of closure for the three characters, and recognised that your first love doesn’t have to be your only love (even  though it was super cute that that was how it worked out for Gi and Tom, the most adorable couple ever.)

Overall, I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Like I said, I knew what I was getting, and was ready for it. It captured me for the entire time I was reading it and had me immersed in the lives of Maddy, Ben and Robert. I look forward to reading Gi’s debut novel, ‘Billy and Me’ in the near future!

Review: Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich

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Blog Tour BannerWe were given an ARC copy of ‘Rite of Rejection’ by Sarah Negovetich, curtesy of the author, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book and we hope it does well!

Rite of RejectionRite Of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Published by: Self Published
Pages: 320
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘Rite of Rejection’ sounded to me like a mixture of ‘Matched’ by Ally Condie (and I’ve only read about 40 pages of that, so perhaps I’m not qualified to make that comparison) and ‘Branded’ by Abi Ketner and Missi Kalicicki. Nothing can describe it better than the blurb:

“Before you stands the future.”
Straight-laced, sixteen-year-old Rebecca can’t wait for her Acceptance. A fancy ball, eligible bachelors, and her debut as an official member of society. Instead, the Machine rejects Rebecca. Labeled as a future criminal, she’s shipped off to a life sentence in a lawless penal colony.
A life behind barbed-wire fences with the world’s most dangerous people terrifies Rebecca. She reluctantly joins a band of misfit teens in a risky escape plan, complete with an accidental fiancé she’s almost certain she can learn to love.
But freedom comes with a price. To escape a doomed future and prove her innocence, Rebecca must embrace the criminal within.

It’s safe to say that we both really enjoyed this book. As a reader, you were thrown straight into the world, and I really liked it that we were just submerged, without any convenient history lessons about the dystopian society. It meant that I could focus on the characters and their emotions, rather than trying to get the facts straight. This novel is very character driven – Rebecca is strong as protagonists go with a good moral code and a persistent dedication to her friends. Unfortunately, she’s also a hazard to society.

She is thrown in the PIT by the evil overlord of the realm, the Cardinal (which was a surprisingly religious title, but I guess that ‘Governor’, ‘President’ and ‘General’ have been done a thousand times before.) However, Rebecca adjusts fairly quickly, finding friends and a home in a matter of days.

The one thing I noticed when reading this whole novel was how difficult it was to pinpoint how long it had been since the last action scene. Rebecca and co. seem to spend the majority of the first half of the book eating or walking around outside. The monotony of the scenes reflected the life of the PIT Rejects, but also disorientated me when they were trying to escape.

Everything happened so fast. There was so much going on. As soon as one master plan was ‘complete’, another was devised.

The relationship between the characters were interesting. There are a few plot twists relating to these characters, which we won’t spoil, but it really added depth to the novel. I didn’t quite understand where the love triangle came from, but it all became clear as the plot progressed.

The ending was abrupt. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and apparently, I won’t get to know. Perhaps there will be a sequel that explained what happened after ‘The End’, because I need to know!

Overall, I’d give this book around 3.5 stars. Because I got a little confused towards the end, I deducted a star, and the ending left me feeling unfulfilled. Where’s the closure? I repeat: I need it! However, this did not hinder my enjoyment of this novel. It was a brilliant debut, and I look forward to seeing what Sarah writes next!

Enter to Win! A #RiteOfRejection Giveaway!

AGiveawayPrize description:
Chapter 17 tissues (because that’s when you’ll need them), a jumbo sized chocolate bar (a hot commodity inside the PIT), an orange scented candle (courtesy of Rebecca’s fondest memory from home, a dandelion pen (as featured on the cover), handcrafted Molly bag (named after the character responsible for sewing them in the book, these are the bags used extensively by the main characters), and a $10 Amazon gift card

Link to Giveaway, hosted on Rafflecopter: 
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NDJiNzM3Y2E1YzRlMDgzY2E2ZDg0Y2E3YWFjOTM4OjI=/

Author Information:

Sarah NegovetichSarah Negovetich knows you don’t know how to pronounce her name and she’s okay with that.
Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it’s accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.
Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.
You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com.


Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

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13564634The Selection by Kiera Cass
Genre: Romance, Dystopian
Published by: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Series: The Elite (#2) | The One (#3)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I’ve heard a lot of people say that the main character, America, is annoying, therefore I went into The Selection with extremely low expectations and ended up really loving it. The Selection is basically a mix between The Hunger Games and the TV show, Take Me Out. Instead of fighting for your life, you’re fighting to become the next potential Queen, boyfriend is included, but dresses each sold separately.

Maxon was not what I was expecting at all, for a guy in a love triangle containing 35 people. Of course, he’s also in a love triangle with America and her ex-boyfriend Aspen, but that’ll probably be a bigger theme in the next book. Maxon is kind and gentle and has the makings of a great king, which means he isn’t exactly a fan of having to pick a girlfriend from 35 girls, as it means he has to break 34 hearts – although some of them could probably do with a knock to their ego. I’m not the biggest fan of the concept, because the love matches were basically selected because of their beauty over anything else, and America can be quick to judge with her backhanded compliments to some of the other girls, but overlooking that, it was a fun read!

America wasn’t as annoying as people said she was, but perhaps those comments relate to the next book. I actually thought she was quite a strong character in places, she really seemed in control of what was happening to her, even if she don’t enjoy it in the beginning. I didn’t really get into the story until America did, the beginning section where the majority of the narrative is world building was, although interesting, a little dull. The action really started when we got to the Palace and were introduced to the other girls.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly didn’t feel any remorse for any of the girls that left the selection, because I didn’t know them! Sometimes there would be an announcement that three girls has left and I’d never seen their names before! The only one that really had an impact was the first girl to leave, because it was quite the surprise. It’ll only get harder in The Elite, I assume, as we’ll actually know the girls who are leaving next time.

The development of the romance was nice, not too fast not too slow, but I didn’t like the idea of Maxon dating about fifteen girls in one go. There were mildly suspenseful sections, like the attacks from the Rebels, who we still haven’t seen yet. Their threat seemed a bit exaggerated, but I’m sure when we meet them later on in the series – which I presume we do – it’ll seem a lot more intense. I was intrigued by the Queen and her family, and would like to know more about her selection process, I think there is a novella from her PoV and I would definitely be interested in reeading it!

As for my favourite character, it was probably Maxon, and then America, and then the maids, because they were so adorable, and precious. The ‘surprise’ about Aspen was something I had guessed would happen as soon as the drafting was mentioned in the world building, but somehow the predictability of this book make it even more enjoyable. America was friendly to everyone, but her naivety about Aspen will definitely grind on my bones later on in the series, I can tell. For some reason, Aspen’s reintroduction has given America an element of choice, even though she likes Maxon and Aspen was a total douche canoe, oh my goodness, why.    Rant over. Other than that, I really enjoyed The Selection. Good world building, good characters, unfeasible but still okay concept and a gorgeous cover. Perfect.

I’m still not entirely sure how Kiera Cass has managed to make it so that one process splits up into three books, and I’ve only heard the worst of things about The Elite, the second book in the series. What confuses me even more is the fact that the title gives away the plot of the whole book! Well…basically. The concept of the ‘elite’ is introduced quite early on, when America explains how the process works, and it means the stage in the competition where there are only ten girls left. The One is obviously about the winner, and why the heck would an author write from the perspective of one of the girls that gets knocked out in the first round? Kiera Cass obviously doesn’t do this, so if we put two and two together we somehow end up with America as the one. Well, that’s my satisfaction with the series all wrapped up! I’m not sure if I’m going to bother with The Elite or The One, as I’m 99% sure my predictions are correct, and if The Heir is anything to go by, then just call me the Oracle of Endings. Maybe I’ll pick the series back up with The Heir, or at least wait for The Elite to be super cheap on Kindle. Four stars to The Selection, even though it was pretty predictable.

Review: The Illusionists by Laure Eve

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IllusionistsThe Illusionists by Laure Eve
Genre: Techno-Fantasy
Published By: Hot Key Books
Pages: 412
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Fearsome Dreamer (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I was so excited for the sequel to Fearsome Dreamer but somehow I managed to put off reading this book for months due to other reading endeavours. But I was so glad I waited to read this majesty of a book.

‘The Illusionists’ fulfilled my expectations of how this series was going to end. Of course, I had no idea how the series was going to end, Laure Eve has a wonderful way of keeping you guessing. I didn’t see any of the twists coming, which I was thankful for, otherwise I would have been heart broken.

I really think that both books in this duology have really branched out into a new genre. I’ve never really read ‘technofantasy’ before and now I’m desperate to get my hands on more, hence my newly found love for the ‘Under the Never Sky’ series. Rue is such a strong main character, the world building is excellent and you really know what Laure Eve was trying to create with this book.

I can’t talk that much about ‘The Illusionists’ without giving away HUGE spoilers, which I don’t want to do. If you’re interested in finding out what happens to these marvellous characters then you’ll have to read it for yourselves! However, I think that the cliffhanger that was tacked on the end of ‘Fearsome Dreamer’ perfectly prefaced this book. The monsters in the Castle and the threat to mankind was thrilling and really underpinned the whole plot.

The relationship between Rue and White reached its peak and I’m so glad that the two of them found happiness. They were the cutest things ever and just…meant to be! Everything I type must sound really subjective because I just love this series so much. Good just doesn’t begin to describe it.

For the first time in ages, I read a book in under three sittings. I swear, I read about two hundred pages way past when I should have gone to bed because I just couldn’t put it down. The action and the drama has you hooked throughout and the changing perspectives help to freshen up the setting and the pace of the book.

The only bad thing about this series is that it only consisted of two books. I would have loved for Frith and Oaker’s relationship to be explained more. I’d love to know more about the primordial gods that Rue and Angle Tar believe in. What happened with the technophobes? Some of the surrounding plot points seemed to have been forgotten as Rue, White and Wren tried to close the Castle and dispel the threats it was creating. I just need MORE! Thank goodness for fan fiction.

Overall, I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I didn’t love it as much as the first book, but I did love the addition of actual romance, the emotional torment and the small amount of Cho’s perspective we were given. The epilogue (and Fernie) just threw me for a loop, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the whole thing for days after I read it. Definitely would recommend.

Sneak Peek Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E.Schwab

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A Darker Shade final for Irene

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy, ARC
Published by: Tor Books
Pages: 150
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads

I have heard nothing but good things about Victoria Schwab’s writing, and although I enjoyed the excerpt of A Darker Shade of Magic, I’m unsure on whether or not I would continue reading.

The concept is imaginative and original, if a little hard to keep up with. The majority of the sample that I read – which I think is the first 150 pages – is mostly world building. There are four different ‘worlds’ including White London, Red London, Grey London and the mysterious Black London, all of which the main male character Kell can transport himself too. Did I mention they were all different parallel universes?

There are two main characters, Kell and Lila, and I have to admit that I had to find the blurb of Godreads to actually understand what was happening, and who they were. Kell’s story was a lot easier to determine, but because Lila was dressed a guy, I’m still not entirely sure what her relevance is.

The ending was a definite cliff-hanger, and as a novel excerpt they definitely had a good cut point. Because there was so much world building, it was hard to really connect with any of the characters, so from that perspective I would be interested in the rest of the story, because I feel we’ve only scratched the surface of their personalities. Yet, for a 150  page excerpt I was expecting a lot more to happen, it feels like this was almost a pre-novel novella so that all the explanation is out of the way, and now the real story can begin.

Before I think about reading the rest of this novel, I think I should start with something like The Archived, just so that I have a better understanding on the author’s writing style. As I wasn’t overly invested in the plot or the characters, and because it was only a sneak peek, I’d only give this excerpt about three-ish stars.

Sidenote: the cover gets five stars.

Review: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

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Dark9943270 Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Published by: Houghton Mifflin
Pages: 385
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Grave Mercy (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Dark Triumph is significantly shorter than Grave Mercy, exactly what I wanted! AND we got a new character perspective! I liked Dark Triumph a lot more than the first book in the series. I was so much more engaged in the story, and enjoyed the romance immensely, it didn’t seem forced or coincidental.

The pattern of the story was very similar to that of Grave Mercy, the only real difference being that in Sybella’s story her backstory is a slow reveal, which I loved. Much like Ismae’s story we’re thrown right into the action and there is little to no set up, but we know we’re with Sybella and that’s pretty much it. Sybella was briefly mentioned in Grave Mercy, but she certainly wasn’t a main character, and, of course, it took a little while to settle into her voice. She was in a similar court position as Ismae was in, but luckily Sybella’s personality was distinguishably different. Whereas I thought Ismae lacked a strong personality, Sybella had an engaging voice, that was only enhanced by the intriguing and haunting allusions to her past. Although Ismae and Dival did play a small part in the story, and it was nice to revisit them, Dark Triumph is very much about Sybella and Beast.

The beginning of the novel was relatively slow paced, but it build up Sybella’s lifestyle and her situation, which aided my understanding, as I still hadn’t quite gotten over the fact that we were just leaving the Duchess in Ismae’s hands, capable they may be, but I’ve learnt not to trust any one in the Breton nobility. After we were made to feel so strongly for the Duchess it did seem rather strange to suddenly be transported somewhere else, but what do you know! We were given two more sisters, one of them ill, to worry about! Yay! for His Fair Assassin tropes!

There was a lot more emphasis on the relationship side of things this time round, which compensated for the otherwise slow plot development. By far by favourite parts of the novel were Beast and Sybella’s exchanges, particularly when they visited the grave of Beast’s sister. Their relationship was bittersweet and, much like the plot, it was slow building. However, after reading plenty of instant romances this was a fresh perspective and I felt both deserved their happy ending – or was it happy? Was it even an ending, on that note? What was going on there? Am I the only one confused? Let’s hope things are explained in Mortal Heart, which I can’t wait to get my hands on!

Everything in this story was so well crafted, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so intrigued and repulsed at the same time! I never saw any of the plot twists coming, and was shocked by every single one of them – but that’s what I loved about this book, it had you guessing, it kept you on tender hooks. If I’d been looking hard enough, and thinking about it more than perhaps I was, then maybe I could have come to my own conclusions, but it was so lovely to be completely swept away by the story, as opposed to being too focused on conspiracy theories.

Overall, I would give Dark Triumph four stars – partly because I’m hoping to give that elusive five star to the final book in the series, just to prove that it gets better and better. I enjoyed the characters and the plot and cannot wait to see what happens next now that I have no idea who our villain could be!

Review: Stella by Helen Eve

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StellaStella by Helen Eve
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Macmillan Children’s
Pages: 268
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Books about boarding schools are usually my kryptonite. I love the friendships that build between than characters as they dorm together and I adore the movie ‘Wild Child’ (along with every other 2007 Emma Roberts movie.) I thought that this book was going to be original. The first two chapters, which introduced the main characters made me laugh out loud. I had high hopes.

However, this book definitely peaked too soon. And by peaked to soon I mean from Chapter 3.  When I thought it was going to be original, I was completely wrong. This book is a ‘Mean Girls’ remake, tied in with ‘My Sister Jodie’ by Jacqueline Wilson.

The story line was divided between Stella, the Regina, and Caitlin, the Cady. I don’t need to tell who how the story goes. It was the classic ‘an-unpopular-girl-usurps-the-popular-girl-and-turns-the-social-system-on-its-head-but-then-just-becomes-popular-and-conceited.’ Along with a tragic back story that acted as a self fulfilling prophecy for Stella concerning her dead sister, Siena.

This book went back and forth between Stella being powerful and Caitlin being powerful. It disgusts me to think that schools could actually be like that, and people could dote on one girl or guy for recognition and reassurance of their own popularity. How does someone get to the position Stella held?

Urgh.

I would have liked this book a lot more if there wasn’t such a focus on appearances. Vanity and narcissism were huge themes throughout this novel – the fashion labels and references alienated me as a reader that isn’t well versed in fashion. I think that the characters were way too self involved and conceited, that they couldn’t see past their own trauma.

As for Stella and Caitlin as popular dictators of boarding school society, it is NOT OK to put down someone that isn’t carrying the latest Pucci Gucci Juicci whatever handbag. It is NOT OK to make other people feel like rubbish because they don’t have a lot of friends or they had braces or lacklustre hair.

I saw every ‘plot twist’ coming. If you’ve watched ‘Mean Girls’, you will to. For that reason, among with many others, I gave this book only 1 star. Seriously, I can’t give it any higher because I am against everything it stands for. Popularity is not the most important thing. Back-stabbing girls and fickle friendships are not what I want to read about.

If you want to read a book about boarding schools with good messages, read ‘Secrets of St. Jude’s’ series by Carmen Reid instead.

(Mild Spoiler) Review: The Body Electric by Beth Revis

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the body electricThe Body Electric by Beth Revis
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Published By: Scripturient Books
Pages: 482
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘The Body Electric’ is the first book that I’ve read by Beth Revis, and I can certainly say that I’m interested in reading the rest of her novels. This novel is a standalone, which definitely appealed to me, as with other sci-fi adventure novels, you can’t escape the dreaded trilogy. This meant that in 500-ish pages, Revis had to create a world, characters and a story, all while bringing it to a conclusion relatively quickly. Was it a success? So-so.

I felt like there were a lot of ideas within this book. Ella, the protagonist, had the ability to experience someone else’s ‘reveries’, a term used to describe a daydream or a memory that was particularly pleasant. She can also manipulate the reveries and use them as a way to look into people’s minds and the secrets they hide. Already, you get the feeling her power is going to be abused by the governing body.

There’s also the element of space travel and scientific advances. Her best friend is a soldier on the moon (sounds like a Doctor Who episode), her mother created the science of reveries and her father was employed in android and cyborg creation. Again, the potential for government intervention, and the use of these things for evil was prevalent.

There’s a freedom fiellaghter group called the Zuzanna, which is controlled by Ella’s love interest that she can’t remember because her own memories have been manipulated.

If that isn’t enough, it turns out that, SPOILER; (Ella is a science experiment herself.) You can understand why I felt like I was reading four different books at once. All of these ideas climaxed at the end, however, it left me feeling quite confused. The pacing was fast, which was great, and the chapters were short, which was greater, but the different plot points colliding was a bit clumsy.

I enjoyed what little romance was presented. Ella seemed like quite a strong protagonist, and very proactive in deciding her own fate and what she was happy doing. She came tojack the gradual realization that she wasn’t quite human well, although she did have the ‘I’m-a-monster’ syndrome, when she’d done nothing monstrous.

Whilst reading, I was able to pick out a few parallels with other novels, which added to the feeling that I was reading four at once. First, you’ve got ‘The Host’ parallel – the relationship between Jack and Ella resembled that of Wanda and Jared, as she couldn’t remember a previous relationship with him, so he was romantically frustrated. Second, was ‘Cinder’ and the ‘Lunar Chronicles’ in general, with the inclusion of androids and cyborgs as subhuman and the lunar army. Bit of ‘Hush, Hush’ and ‘Vampire Academy’ with the emphasis on communicating through dreams and out of body experiences. ‘Fearsome Dreamer’ and ‘Under the Never Sky’ made an appearance because of the conventions of the genre.

I haven’t read that many sci-fi-adventure-romances, however it’s definitely a genre that I want to read more of. However, I’d be more interested to read a book that didn’t conform to the ‘girl vs. government’ category. Seriously, one girl having the power to take down a whole government system, that had previously been in place and working for years? It’s becoming a cliché.

Overall, I’d give ‘The Body Electric’ 3.5-4 stars. I haven’t quite made up my mind. I enjoyed it immensely, yet on reflection, I was able to pick out the faults a bit more. The book was jam-packed and action filled, so definitely suitable for those that like a lot to happen in a novel, though it is 500 pages.

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

9565548Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Published by: Houghton Mifflin
Pages: 549
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★
Series: Dark Triumph (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Grave Mercy is set in 1485 Brittany, and luckily – thanks to my A-Level qualification in Tudor History – I knew the context of this time. However, even if you don’t know anything about Tudor History, or what was happening in Europe at the time, then Robin LaFevers explains everything as you go! In her acknowledgements at the end of the novel she also gives you a more detailed backstory on what was happening, and I was really surprised that the majority of the characters were based off of real-life figures! Now, my forte is Henry VII, and I knew that Brittany was going to be absorbed by France eventually, you need only look at a modern map to find Brittany isn’t it’s own country anymore – is it a spoiler if it’s a historical fact? – which did sort of take something away as I knew that even though Duchess Anne’s nobility worked hard to ensure he political independence, it doesn’t work out in the long run.

It might seem like a ridiculous thing to want, but I really would’ve liked a bit more information on Henry VII and the HRE, because they were mentioned, but only briefly and their relationships with Britanny I wanted to have been cleared. but anyway, enough about history, let’s talk about the characters.

I loved the first section of Grave Mercy, where were given Ismae’s backstory. It made it easier to slip into the fifteenth century mindset, because even the writing style and the language used seems historically accurate. Ismae was a strong character, and I loved her moral journey of who to trust. I loved being in the convent for that short period of time in the beginning of the novel, and I don’t think I ever got used to being with the nobles. I think this was mostly because I was promised assassin nuns, but what I really got was one assassin nun mingling with a bunch of people with a political agenda. I love a good boarding school type book, so I hope in the sequels that there is more of a focus on the convent itself, rather than just the girls.

Dival is our love interest, and I felt that their relationship developed relatively slowly for my liking, until the end when it was like ‘ohmygosh this romance seems to have come out of no-where.’ I really didn’t want Ismae to fall in love with anyone, I wanted pure assassin awesomeness, for once it would have been nice for our protagonist not to get distracted by love – perhaps Dark Triumph will deliver on that?

One of my only qualms with Grave Mercy was its length. I felt like it dragged on incessantly in the middle, and got rather repetitive. Realistically I don’t think it needed to be over 400 pages at best, so I was delighted to find out that the sequel is significantly shorter. I suppose we can mark the length up to the fact that she needed to pack so much backstory into a short space of time (or long space of time, as it transpired).

I have to say that I didn’t see the plot twist/big reveal coming, so that’s good! The mystery certainly kept me reading in the slower sections, I just wish that their could have been even more action that there was, as the whole assassin thing really was downplayed at times, although we were always reminded that Ismae could kill someone.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot, even thought it was slightly dragged out, and the historical fiction element was definitely a fun one! Reading Grave Mercy made me realise just how much I enjoy historical fiction, and it’s probably my favourite historical fiction book I’ve read. I’d give Grave Mercy 3.5 stars.