Nov 9 2016
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Coming Soon: Scythe by Neal Schusterman

scythe-by-neal-schustermanTitle: Scythe

Author: Neal Schusterman

Series: Scythe #1

Genre: Teen Science Fantasy

Release Date: November 22, 2016

The Overview: In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional reapers (“scythes”). Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythe’s apprentices, and—despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation—they must learn the art of killing and come to understand the necessity of what they do. Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice. And when it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser, Citra and Rowan are pitted against one another in a fight for their lives. -Goodreads

Nik’s Notes:

Scythe cross my radar relatively recently – think it sounds like a ton of fun! A grim reaper’s apprentice? Come on! It sparked my interest, doubly so because of all the great things I’ve heard about Shusterman’s Unwind series. I will definitely be picking up Scythe sooner than later.

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 7 2016
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Novella Review: The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

Title: The Slow Regard of Silent Things

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Series: The Kingkiller Chronicles #2.5

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri’s life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri’s eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows… -Goodreads

Novella Review:

There were several aspects of the Kingkiller Chronicles that fascinated me, but none more so than Auri – the urchin who dwells under the Academy. She was such an enigma, and I was incredibly excited to learn more about her as the series continued (which, obviously, has resulted in a ridiculously long wait). So, when Rothfuss announced the release of this novella, focusing solely on Auri, I was stoked.

Unfortunately, it left a lot to be desired.

While I learned a little more about how her brain ticks, I didn’t get any of the background tidbits I’d been hoping for. In fact, I didn’t get much at all. The entire thing read like a writing exercise. It was incredibly self-indulgent, and I felt Rothfuss didn’t give a shit about his audience (even admitting as much in the prologue). As a fan, my first impulse is to defend him, but at the end of the day I feel let down by his attitude about this novella (and his willingness to finish the series in general).

Overall, I’d recommend passing on this one, especially if you’re a fan of the series – it won’t satisfy any cravings you might have for a continuation. I ended up giving it a 2 star rating because at least the writing was lyrical, but that’s about it. 

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 4 2016
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Book Review: Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Title: Court of Fives

Author: Kate Elliott

Series: Court of Fives

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: On the Fives court, everyone is equal. And everyone is dangerous. Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family, she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for the Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best competitors. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between the two Fives competitors—one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy—causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death. In this imaginative escape into an enthralling new world, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott’s first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege. -Goodreads

The Review:

My new favorite trend is high fantasy authors tackling YA. Mercedes Lackey dazzled me with her Hunter series, and now Kate Elliott has done the same with Court of Fives. High fantasy usually requires more expansive world building, back history, and longevity. These authors are so proficient at tackling these elements on a large scale that their YAs seems so much more robust than competitive titles. On the flipside though, YAs tends to require faster pacing and a more prominent love story – something which Elliott tackled expertly in Court of Fives.

All the basic elements were there to make Court of Fives an awesome fantasy, and on top of that it also had my favorite story component: competition! I’ve read at least half a dozen novels that gave promise of a competition only to completely glaze over it. Finally in Court of Fives, the promise of a competition was delivered on! It was like reading about American Ninja Warrior for teens – oodles of fun and easily my favorite part of the story.

Court of Fives was one of those books that seemed to get better with each chapter… at least until the halfway point. Then it took a direction I wasn’t totally on board with (but was still interesting). And actually, I was a good way into the main conflict of the story before realizing the author was going to stick with that trajectory for the remainder of the book. I still devoured it, but kept itching to get back to the competition stuff.

The book also had an interesting love story. In a market famous for Insta loves, Court of Fives offered a relationship that felt incredibly organic and natural. My only objection is that I think Elliott could have extended the romantic tension a bit longer. Other relationships in the novel were equally strong and compelling, mostly because the characters were so well developed.

Overall, Court of Fives was one of the better Young Adult books I’ve read to date. Not to mention the ending was so powerful and evoking that now I’m scrambling to get a hold of the next one.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 2 2016
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Coming Soon: the Midnight Jewel by Richelle Mead

April 25, 2016

Title: Midnight Jewel

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: The Glittering Court #2

Genre: Teen Fiction

Release Date: April 25, 2017

The Overview: A refugee of war, Mira was cast out of her home country and thrust into another, where the conditions were inhospitable at best. In a life-altering twist of fate, she is given the chance to escape once more, and she takes it, joining the Glittering Court. Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. There, Mira finds herself subjected to persecution, not only from her fellow Glittering Court jewels, but from her suitors, as well—men she would potentially be expected to give her life to… -Goodreads

Nik’s Notes:

Richelle Mead has long been one of my top authors. The Glittering Court was the perfect cure for my Selection (the series by Kiera Cass) hangover. It had smart writing, girls in pretty dresses, and a fun dynamic between all the characters. Even though the story took an odd turn (for my tastes, anyway), I’m still eager to see where things go in the Midnight Jewel. The release date is so far away that I hope I remember all the things ha ha.

What books are you waiting for?

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 31 2016
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Tackling the TBR [17]: November 2016

tackling the TBR

It’s once again time for my favorite feature: Tackling the TBR! There’s nothing I love more than picking out which books to read next, and this slightly organized method of reading has really amped my enjoyment to the next level. Bring on the mantras!

Read the best books first.
&
Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.

However you put together your TBR for the next month, the goal is to reduce the amount of obligation in reading and increase the fun.

Here’s a look at how the system works:

1. Identify the titles that take top priority in your TBR.
2. Combine them all in your own Tackling the TBR post.
3. Throughout the month pick from that pile as the mood strikes you.

Here’s what mine looks like:

November 2016 TBR Tackler Shelf:

This month TBR looks a little different than normal because I decided to tackle a single series – Kate Daniels. The 9th book in that series just came out and people are going NUTS over it. I’ve only read the first book and didn’t think it was anything spectacular, but I’ve been assured left and right that I just have to keep going and it gets amazeballs. I’m also totally excited for the final book in The Naturals series, Bad Blood, but am completely, overwhelmingly excited for Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull. I think November is going to be a fun month of reading.

Last month I only finished half of the titles on my TBR Tackler Shelf, but at least started the remainders which is why there is carryover this month (as usual).

Feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile (and the links to your posts if applicable) in the comments. Maybe we can help make each other’s systems even better. :)

What books are you Tackling this month?

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 28 2016
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Book Review: Con Academy by Joe Schrieber

Con Academy by Joe Schreiber

Title: Con Academy

Author: Joe Schreiber

Series: N/A

Genre: Teen Fiction

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: Meet Will Shea, a con artist who has bluffed his way into one of the nation’s most exclusive private schools. But Will isn’t the only scammer at Connaughton Academy—Andrea Dufresne is there too, and the ivy-covered campus isn’t big enough for the both of them. So they make a bet—and the winner gets more than just a high school diploma. In this twisty tale of secrets, lies, and deception—it’s hard to figure out who’s double-crossing who. May the best con win!

The Review:

I’d been eyeballing Con Academy since it first came out a year ago. I’m a sucker for mastermind conspiracies like Ocean’s 11 and White Coller and thought the prep school premise sounded like loads of fun. I was nervous to read it, though, because it didn’t get a lot of hype when it came out, but I still had high hopes.

Did it live up to expectations? Not really… but it was still a good read.

Just the title “Con Academy” offers a few promises, and although they were delivered on, I felt it could have been executed a lot better. My issue was with the cons themselves. I wasn’t expecting all master plans to be totally foolproof, but I least wanted to see a bunch that would hold up to close scrutiny. But when the main con of the story was so thin that it would only work on a complete moron, I lost a little enthusiasm. It wasn’t stupid, it’s just failed to live up to most other conspiracy things I’ve read/watched. This issue is why I believe the book didn’t get more attention on the blogosphere.

Oddly enough though, I still enjoyed the book. It was written well, had interesting characters, and a slightly less than typical love story. The first half also threw me one surprise after another, and in a sense that unpredictability factor is just as important as the cons themselves. Basically, all elements aside from the cons were well done and entertaining. I’d still recommend it because, although it won’t knock your socks off, it’s a quick, enjoyable read. At this point I’d definitely consider reading other YA works from this author.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes