Tag Archives: teen books

Sep 15 2015
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Coming Soon: By Aimee Carter

queen

Title: Queen

Author: Aimee Carter

Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion #3

Genre: Teen Dystopian [ish]

Release Date: November 24, 2015

The Overview: Kitty Doe is a Blackcoat rebel and a former captive with a deadly connection to the most powerful and dangerous man in the country, Prime Minister Daxton Hart. Forced to masquerade as Daxton’s niece, Lila Hart, Kitty has helped the Blackcoats take back the prison known as Elsewhere. But Daxton has no intention of ceding his position of privilege—or letting Kitty expose his own masquerade. Not in these United States, where each person’s rank means the difference between luxury and poverty, freedom and fear…and ultimately, between life and death. To defeat the corrupt government, Kitty must expose Daxton’s secret. Securing evidence will put others in jeopardy, including the boy she’s loved forever and an ally she barely trusts. For months, Kitty’s survival has hinged on playing a part. Now she must discover who she truly wants to be, and whether the new world she and the rebels are striving to create has a place in it for her after all.

Waiting on Wednesday
Hosted by Breaking the Spine

I thoroughly enjoyed Pawn, the first book in this series, but never quite made it around to reading the sequel. Now that the third one is on the horizon, I might just hold off a little longer and then binge read all three (sounds like fun, doesn’t it?). Although the story lacks a believable society (and world building in general), I liked enough things about it that those deficiencies didn’t bother me. It’s a cool concept for a story, and I love the mild chess tie-ins that give these books their theme. I am genuinely excited to see where the story goes next!

What book are you waiting on?

 by Niki Hawkes

Sep 10 2015
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DNF Q&A: Gilded by Christina Farley

gildedTitle: Gilded

Author: Christina Farley

Series: Gilded #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: DNF

The Overview: Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she’s next.But that’s not Jae’s only problem. There’s also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae’s heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae’s been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she’s always been looking for.

The Q&A:

This is a reviewing feature I’ve been eyeballing on one of my favorite book blogs There Were Books Involved for a couple years now because I think it’s an excellent way to talk about an unfinished book fairly. I’m incredibly grateful because Nikki (the brains behind the blog, who has a most excellent name)  kindly allowed me to steal the idea and questions for my own blog. As my list of “amazing books to read” continues to grow, I find I have less and less time and patience to devote to the books I’m just not enjoying. I never would have considered DNFing a book ten years ago, but then I came across a quote, “Read the best books first, for you might not have the chance to read them all,” and have since made it my personal mantra. So let the Q&A begin!

Did you really give Gilded a chance?

I think so – I made it about 25% through before deciding it just wasn’t working for me.

Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre before?

Yes! In fact, Gilded’s similarities to these other, comparable books is what had me so excited to read it in the first place:

Some of these are YA Fantasies with strong cultural influences, which always sparks my interest.

Did you have certain expectations before starting it?

Moderately high ones. I really love when authors infuse different cultures in their works, and Korea was just too much to resist! I’d also met Christina Farley before at an event and thought she was of the nicest authors I’ve ever interacted with. Both of these facts make me feel incredibly guilty for not liking Gilded more.

What ultimately made you stop reading?

I stopped reading because it bothered me to see a smart, strong, and incredibly capable heroine make so many illogical decisions. Each harebrained idea seemed so out of character, as if each decision was no more than a means to advance the plot rather than what a smart character might actually do. It frustrated me enough to put down the book because I could no longer really relate to the character. I also found the love story, particularly her behavior towards the love interest, a bit immature.

Was there anything you liked about Gilded?

Again, I love the cultural immersion into Seoul, Korea and appreciated the extensive amount of drop-in details about the place (although there were a few places I could’ve used a tad more explanation for some of the references within the text… thank goodness for Google). I also liked the author’s basic writing style because it had a nice, easy flow to it.

Would you read anything else by this author?

Quite possibly. Like I mentioned, I liked her writing style, but had issues with character consistency. Her creativity was good enough that I probably would still try a new series.

So you DNF’d the book – would you still recommend it?

Yes – to the right customer. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a prevailing trend in YA for the female leads to make silly decisions without really thinking things through. If the person I’m recommending to had no issues with those other characters, then Gilded would be a great recommendation.

*Thank you Amazon Publishing, NetGalley, and Christina Farley for the chance to read and review a copy of Gilded – I’m sorry my opinions weren’t more favorable.

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 16 2015
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Mini Book Review: Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau

Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: Graduation Day

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Series: The Testing #3

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor Cia Vale vows to fight. But she can’t do it alone. This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for – but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves – and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

The Mini Review:

Since it has been a really long time since I posted my reviews for the first two books in The Testing Trilogy, I’ll give a little recap:

The Testing: I loved the concept and the actual “testing” these teens were put through, but I found the deaths in the story oddly placed, as if for shock value alone rather than any real plot advancement. I was also not sure what I thought about unique voice and writing style. [3/5 stars]

Independent Study: WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN ALL MY LIFE??! I LOVED Independent Study, and it was one of my favorite books of 2014. Scratch that, it’s one of my favorite books ever. I can’t say what flipped, but everything from story (the tests in particular), to setting, to characters, to voice came together for one hell of a book! Loves. [5/5 stars!]

Graduation Day: was somewhere in between. I enjoyed it immensely and appreciated it as a trilogy ender, but it didn’t have the same X-factor as the second book. Although I will say I liked the ending better than a lot of other dystopians on the market. There was a really nice escalation of events and I felt the resolution was fulfilling and complex, fitting in well with the story as a whole. I also think I appreciated the characters a lot more in Graduation Day than in the previous two books. Cia had to do a lot of peer evaluation as she tried to figure out who she could trust, and I enjoyed trying to psychoanalyze them along with her. The best thing I can say is, by the end of the book I was genuinely worried about who would and wouldn’t make it to the end (gotta love those dystopians).

Overall, I consider this dystopian well worth your time if you like the genre. To me it’s worth it for book 2 alone. I loved them enough to buy them all in hardcover and will definitely be rereading them.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 6 2015
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Book Review: Under the Empyrean Sky by Chuck Wendig

Under the Empyrian Sky by Chuck Wendig

Title: Under the Empyrean Sky

Author: Chuck Wendig

Series: The Heartland Trilogy #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Corn is king in the Heartland, and Cael McAvoy has had enough of it. It’s the only crop the Empyrean government allows the people of the Heartland to grow? And the genetically modified strain is so aggressive that it takes everything the Heartlanders have just to control it. As captain of the Big Sky Scavengers, Cael and his crew sail their rickety ship over the corn day after day, scavenging for valuables, trying to earn much-needed ace notes for their families. But Cael’s tired of surviving life on the ground while the Empyrean elite drift by above in their extravagant sky flotillas. He’s sick of the mayor’s son besting Cael’s crew in the scavenging game. And he’s worried about losing Gwennie? his first mate and the love of his life? forever when their government-chosen spouses are revealed. But most of all, Cael is angry? angry that their lot in life will never get better and that his father doesn’t seem upset about any of it. Cael’s ready to make his own luck . . . even if it means bringing down the wrath of the Empyrean elite and changing life in the Heartland forever.  

The Review:

I’ve been interested in this book for a while because of its major cover appeal and interesting premise, but didn’t expect to like it nearly as much as I did. Under the Empyrean Sky offered a unique voice, immersive world building, and characters who were as vibrant as they were gritty.

The story starts out with a clear perspective and only gets stronger from there. The book was front-loaded with a lot of profanity, which might bother some readers. I actually like profanity in books as long as it does one of two things: provides comic relief or helps developed character. Even though it wasn’t totally apparent from the start, I believe Wendig’s use of language positively added to the great atmosphere, character profiles, and world building of the novel. All of these elements are what left me feeling like the book was a cool experience.

I liked the plot because it surprised me. I thought I could see the predictable trajectory right from the beginning, but was proven wrong at every turn. There’s something oddly compelling about a clearly conveyed story that lacks plot transparency (meaning you always understand what’s going on, but the plot isn’t easy to see through). I give major kudos to Wendig for coming up with so many twists… It was refreshing. My only issue with the entire book was with pacing, as in I wish the story had clipped along a tad faster. Other than that, it was great.

Overall, Under the Empyrean Sky was a cool (albeit weird) book that I enjoyed thoroughly. It gave off a sort of Maze Runner vibe (sort of like the Maize Runner… eh? eh?) but with a lot more sass. I don’t feel the need to pick up the next one right away, but I am definitely interested in seeing where it goes within the next couple of months.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 19 2015
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Book Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass

The Heir by Kiera Cass

Title: The Heir

Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #4

Genre: Teen Dystopian [sort of]

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she’d put off marriage for as long as possible. But a princess’s life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can’t escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn’s heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.

The Review:

The Heir is one of the few titles that was a non-negotiable “I have to read it the day it comes out” type of book, as I’d been geeking out about it since it first cross my radar in late 2014. Thank goodness for nook digital downloads at midnight, because I was able to dive right in at 12:01 am (sleep be damned, it was SO worth it – The Heir was every bit as wonderful as I’d hoped it would be). It almost seems irrational to me how excited I was, but The Selection was such an experience, and it really hurt my heart to see it come to an end. I can’t describe the joy I felt when I realized I got to visit that world again, and with Maxon and America still around to boot! That might sound soooper cheesy, but I don’t care – I freaking love this series!

Can we talk for a minute about how incredibly appealing it is to watch one girl pick from a whole bunch of eligible bachelors? And how fundamentally more exciting that is than the other way around? Well, maybe not more exciting, but different, that’s for sure. I think it was really smart on the author’s part to give us a new twist on the story we all fell in love with (even though she didn’t have to stretch too far on the creative scale, I’m still impressed). The jury is out until I read all three books, but I’m already predicting I will like Eadlyn’s journey better than America’s. Here are a few reasons why:

In America’s journey, we only got to see her side of things, and I always wondered how the process was for Maxon (in fact, one of my favorite moments was in The Prince novella where we got to experience their first meeting through Maxon’s perspective). It had to be difficult for him to juggle all of those girls while trying to make a decision that’s best for both his country and his heart. Even though we got the best bits, we missed out on a lot of the details that I’m sure I would’ve found fascinating. What this new story did was allow me to become completely immersed in the process… and I ate up every page. It was so much fun seeing all of the boys interact with Eadlyn, and I had a blast trying to psychoanalyze all of them to figure out which boy would be the best match for her (which I didn’t get to do with America’s journey because, Duh! – she was totally the best match). The fact that Eadlyn didn’t want anything to do with the selection process bugged a few of my friends, but it didn’t bother me too much – I knew the boys would eventually start to win her over.

That’s another thing I liked – that Eadlyn was definitely her own person and a very distinct character from America (although you could see many similarities in their personalities – they are both stubborn and resilient people… the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree). I also loved that America and Maxon were heavily involved in The Heir and maintained the same personalities we fell in love with in the first trilogy (it’s a pet peeve of mine when parent characters we met as children morph into a “parental” mode and lose all personality. That definitely did NOT happen here – Yay!). There was also a neat dynamics between Eadlyn and her siblings, who added a ton of depth and charm to the story – I’m definitely looking forward to reading more about them.

My biggest criticism of the first trilogy was the world building/external conflict. I thought it was nowhere near as well developed as it could have been (although the things the author did well were so awesome it almost didn’t matter), but am happy to report that I think this time around the world building was a little stronger. Similarly, I caught a few plot holes within the first few books, but all the ones I thought I caught in this one the author eventually addressed – awesome! 

Overall, if you love to the Selection Trilogy as much as I did, there’s absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t love The Heir just as much. :-)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 31 2015
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Tackling the TBR [2]: June 2014

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(I’m still going to need a better banner)

I started this feature last month as a possible solution to my desperate need for a good TBR system. And you know what? I’m LOVING it so far! It has allowed me to stop stressing about all the unread books in my life because it channels my focus onto the authors I deemed the highest priority – I rest assured that, despite the fact I’m not making my way through my collection as quickly as I’d like, I am at least focusing on the best books first. It also takes away a little bit of that “I’m overwhelmed” factor because there’s usually only twenty books at most in my shortlist (which also gives me a remarkable sense of achievement every time I get to check one off that list). Finally, I love it because I still feel like I get to follow my reading whims – there is a lot of variety within my smaller pool of choices. I think I’ll keep this feature around for a while!

If you missed the Introductory Post, here’s how Tackling the TBR works:

1. At the beginning of each month, I select an author from each of my favorite genres
2. I compile all of their unread books onto my TBR Tackler shelves (physical & digital)
3. I pick from that pile throughout the month as the mood strikes me

Here is my TBR Tackler Shelf for June 2015:

Fantasy: Robin Hobb
Sci-Fi: James S.A. Corey
Urban Fantasy: Kim Harrison
Young Adult: Susan Ee
New Adult: Jamie McGuire

I am stoked. There are a lot of excellent titles here for me to choose from (with a large number of them sporting bird wings on the cover, oddly). I’m including Kim Harrison again this month because I just didn’t get a chance to pick her up last time and she is still my number one priority in the Urban Fantasy category. I can’t wait to get started on this list, and that is an awesome feeling!

This experimental system was so much more fun and rewarding because I didn’t do it alone – thank you to all my friends and blogging friends who tried it with me!

I will be sharing this post on the first of each month at least until the end of the year (we will see how it goes). I am also going to include a linky on each post so we can support each other in Tackling our TBRs! Even if you don’t specifically use my system, feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile… Maybe we can help make each other’s systems even better. :)

What authors are you Tackling this month?

^Yeah, you totally have to click on the frog to see everyone’s links… wish I had been smart enough to figure that out before now (especially since it says so right on it).

by Niki Hawkes