Heartless

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Genre: Fantasy
# of Pages: 452
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 10
Pace: 10
Plot Development: 10
Characters: 10
Enjoyability: 10
Ease of Reading: 10

Summary from Goodreads:

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

This book was absolutely incredible and I could not put it down. I enjoyed every aspect of it so much.

Characters:
The characters were absolutely amazing. The character development of Cath blew me away. When I started the book she was so sweet and innocent and I was like, “No way does this girl become evil.” But she did, (which is not a spoiler since this is a book about how the Queen of Hearts becomes evil) and it was so believable and felt so realistic. I was afraid it was all gonna seem super cheesy, but it wasn’t at all. And all of the other characters, especially Jest, were done so well. I loved seeing all the connections with the characters that I knew from watching Alice in Wonderland. Marissa Meyer did a fantastic job connecting everything, but still putting her own twist on the story and characters.

Plot:
The plot was equally as good as all other aspects of this book. I was just so invested in this story and could not put the book down even though I knew how it was going to end.

Writing:
Marissa Meyer has phenomenal story telling skills. The fact that I could not put this book down and was so invested in the story, even though I knew how it ended just goes to show how fantastic of a writer she is. I don’t think I will ever get tired of Marissa’s books. They are all literally so good.

Overall, I just thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely think it’s one of my favorites of this year.

Ship of the Dead: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Book 3

Ship of the Dead: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Book 3 by Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy
# of Pages: 410
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 8
Pace: I audiobooked this
Plot development: 9
Characters: 8
Enjoyability: 9
Ease of Reading: 9

Summary from Goodreads:

Magnus Chase, a once-homeless teen, is a resident of the Hotel Valhalla and one of Odin’s chosen warriors. As the son of Frey, the god of summer, fertility, and health, Magnus isn’t naturally inclined to fighting. But he has strong and steadfast friends, including Hearthstone the elf, Blitzen the dwarf, and Samirah the Valkyrie, and together they have achieved brave deeds, such as defeating Fenris Wolf and battling giants for Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Now Magnus and his crew must sail to the farthest borders of Jotunheim and Niflheim in pursuit of Asgard’s greatest threat. Will they succeed in their perilous journey, or is Ragnarok lurking on the horizon?

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

This is the third and final book in Magnus’ trilogy. Overall, I did like this trilogy, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite. I feel like Rick has definitely written better.

Characters:
I think my main problem with this trilogy is the fact that I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. I didn’t really like Magnus all that much, not gonna lie. And I felt like I never really got to know the side characters well enough to really like or connect with them. This book was very diverse, and I usually don’t have a problem with the, but it just felt so forced in this book.

Plot:
I thought the plot of this book was good. It could be a little confusing at times, but overall I thought it was very creative and a fun storyline to follow.

Writing:
I’ve always been a huge fan of Rick’s writing, and this book definitely read like a Rick Riordan book, so I enjoyed that aspect a lot.

Definitely check out this trilogy if you’ve read Rick’s other books.

Tower of Dawn

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy
# of Pages: 660
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 10
Pace: 10
Plot development: 10
Characters: 10
Enjoyability: 10
Ease of Reading: 8

Summary from Goodreads:

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent’s mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

This book was absolutely amazing and so much fun to read. I loved every second of it, and would highly recommend it to everyone.

Characters:
Chaos has always been one of my favorite characters, because I was a Chaol and Aelin shipper from day one. And in this book, I just fell even more in love with Chaol and all the complexities of his character. Even though sometimes he feels like a “side character” now, there’s just so much to his character.

Plot:
The plot was also fantastic. It spent just the right amount of times addressing old problems, like Chaol’s injury, and new problems that arose throughout the story.

Writing:
Sarah J. Maas will never cease to amaze me with her incredible author skills. I will forever and always read everything she publishes because she just amazes me every time.

They Both Die At The End

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera
Genre: Contemporary
# of Pages: 374
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10:

Quality: 8
Pace: 8
Plot Development: 9
Characters: 8
Enjoyability: 9
Ease of Reading: 10

Summary from Goodreads:

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure and to live a lifetime in a single day.

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

Basically, I thought this book was very good, but it didn’t quite blow me away like I was hoping it would. I think part of the problem was that this book takes place over the span of one day, so it was kind of hard to feel super attached to the characters.

Characters:
The characters were pretty good. I really liked Mateo, and Rufus was a good character, too, I just didn’t like him quite as much. I did really love all the minor characters, though. I also loved the friendship between the two main characters, it was very sweet.

Plot:
The plot was also very interesting. The premise  of the plot is what really got me interested in this book. I mean I just had to know…do they both really die at the end? So I really enjoyed following this story and watching it fold out as I guess what might happen at the end.

Writing:
Adam Silvera is a fantastic writer. Believe it or not, this was my first time reading one of his books, and I will definitely be reading more. I thought the idea for this book was just so great, and I felt like Adam wrote the story to fit the plot in such a perfect way. Everything was so unique and thought out, and I just loved that.

 

A List of Cages

A l.ist of Cages by Robin Roe
Genre: Contemporary
# of Pages: 310
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 10
Pace: 10
Plot development: 10
Characters: 10
Enjoyability: 10
Ease of Reading: 10

Summary from Goodreads:

When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian—the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years.

Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first, Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He’s still kindhearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what’s really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives…

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

This was a very emotional and heart-touching story that I loved deeply and would recommend to everyone.

Characters:
The characters are definitely what made this book special. I was so surprised by the amount of emotion I felt for these characters throughout the story. I really had nothing in common with either of the two main characters, but I was still able to feel for them and connect with them on so many levels.The relationship between the two main characters is also purely about friendship, and I really love seeing that in Young Adult books these days, so it was definitely a perk.

Plot:
The plot was so much more interesting and more intense than I was expecting. It really had a great storyline that was weaved together perfectly.

Writing:
This writing was phenomenal. It was so beautiful, and it worked so well in tying this whole story together into the beautiful masterpiece that it is.

The Smell of Other People’s Houses

The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Genre: Contemporary
# of Pages: 227
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 9
Pace:10
Plot development: 9
Characters: 8
Enjoyability: 9
Ease of Reading: 9

Summary from Goodreads:

In Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn’t like being a teenager anywhere else. Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home—until one of them ends up in terrible danger.

Four very different lives are about to become entangled.

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

I really did like this book, but it just wasn’t anything super special. I was kind of hoping for a story that was going to leave a lasting impression on me, but his didn’t really do that.

Characters:
The characters were really what made this story. They all had such unique stories and I loved reading along side all of them.

Plot:
Each of the characters’ plots were equally as interesting and unique as the characters themselves, and I really liked that. I also loved that this book kind of left a lot of things open ended. Usually I don’t like that, but I felt like it really fit this story well. It kinda just allows the reader to fill in the empty spots themselves.

Writing:
Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock’s writing is really good in this book considering it’s her first novel. Her writing really helped add to the whole aesthetic of the story.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book, I just wish it could’ve meant more to me.

Finding Audrey

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Contemporary
# of Pages: 286
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 10
Pace: 10
Plot development: 10
Characters: 9
Enjoyability: 10
Ease of Reading: 10

Summary from Goodreads:

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

Finding Audrey is a light-hearted contemporary that still deals with some harder topics. The whole book was just a really good experience for me. I enjoyed it a lot and I felt like I also learned a lot.

Characters:
The characters in this book were EVERYTHING. Every character had such a great personality and character arc throughout the story. I loved the way the characters acted with one another. Overall, this was a very character driven story, and that’s what made this book so fantastic.

Plot:
The plot wasn’t nearly as important as the characters, but it was still really good. I loved watching everything happen with Audrey and her improvements. This story was also surprisingly hilarious.

Writing:
Sophie Kinsella has a fantastic writing style. It’s light-hearted, funny, sweet, beautiful, and serious when it needs to be.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. 🙂

Eliza and Her Monsters

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Genre: Contemporary
# of Pages: 383
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 9
Pace:9
Plot development: 9
Characters: 8
Enjoyability: 9
Ease of Reading: 9

Summary from Goodreads:

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

This was a very cute story that reminded me of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Ut was nit as grid as Fangirl in my opinion, but it was still very good.

Characters: The characters in this story were very unique, and I liked that they were unique, but it made it much harder to relate to them. That was the big difference between this book and Fangirl. Fangirl was much more relatable. I also wasn’t very fond of either of the main characters. In all honesty I felt like I wouldn’t like either of them in real life.

Plot: The plot was really good, and it ,over along pretty well. There were a few things that happened that I either didn’t like or that bored me, but for the most part I loved the plot.

Writing: The writing was really good. I’ve never read any of Francesca Zappia’s books, but I’ll definitely be checking out her other books.

Our Dark Duet

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
# of Pages: 510
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 8.5
Pace: 10
Plot development: 9
Characters: 9
Enjoyability: 9
Ease of Reading: 9

Summary from Goodreads:

THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.

KATE HARKER isn’t afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she’s good at it.

AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

THE WAR HAS BEGUN.

THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.

Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims’ inner demons.

Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

I highly enjoyed this book, just like I do with all of Victoria Schwab’s books. However, this one was not as good as This Savage Song, the first book in this duology.

Characters: My main problem with the characters was that neither August or Kate felt like the August and Kate from the first book. Yes, I do understand that characters can change, and I realize that a lot happened in book 1 that could have changed August and Kate. However, I distinctly remember from reading book 1 that I really loved August and Kate because of the emotion I felt for them and their relationship, and how easy it was to just fall in love with their characters. And so I was slightly disappointed while reading this book because I really wasn’t getting the same feeling about August and Kate that I so loved from the first book.

Plot: The plot moved along really well in this story, and I liked where Victoria Schwab took the story in regards to the fact that there is a new kind of monster introduced in this book. The only thing I didn’t like about the plot was how sometimes it felt very politics-centered. The plot was just very different in this book from the first book.

Writing: The writing, as usual, was fantastic. Victoria Schwab never ceases to amaze me with the way she writes her stories.

Windfall

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Genre: Contemporary

# of Pages: 312

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Ratings (out of 10):

Quality: 10

Pace: 10

Plot development: 10

Characters: 10

Enjoyability: 10

Ease of Reading: 10

Summary from Goodreads:

Let luck find you.

Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes.

At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall.

As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined…and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

My Opinions (SPOILER FREE):

Jennifer E. Smith writes incredibly adorable stories full of love, fun, laughter, sadness, and always a message for the reader to take away. Her stories are highly entertaining and the characters are very enjoyable. Windfall is no different than Jennifer’s other books in the way that it was an amazing story and I loved it.

Characters: Jennifer’s characters in this story were perfect. I loved Alice and reading from her POV. I loved how she was relatable and not completely perfect. Teddy and Leo were also fantastic characters that I easily fell in love with. The dynamic between the three was also incredibly entertaining.

Plot: The plot was fantastic, because I’ve read a lot of contemporaries, yet none of them have had a plot/story idea like this one. I loved reading about something new that I had never read about before. The plot also had a great pace, and I never got bored with the story.

Writing: The writing in this story is amazing. It’s the perfect balance between beautiful, poetic, comical, and relatable. I love Jennifer’s writing and I will never get tired of reading her books.