REVIEW: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

            Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

            Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan….

            But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

            Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

            Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

            Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words…and she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

            For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

            I am livid and I want to vomit all at the same time. Fangirl is simply too perfect for this world and I am unworthy. Is the year 2016 or 3016? I don’t know if I, or the world, was quite ready for this book, but there is one this I know for certain. Rainbow Rowell be killing it! If this isn’t the new classic, then I don’t know what is. I know I wasn’t the biggest die-hard fan of Eleanor and Park, but Fangirl is still so much better. Not only is it one of the few books in YA dealing with the beginning of college despite the fact that there be turbulent waters there and the kids are all still teens, but Fangirl is also relatable and honest.

            It took a while for me to finally get around to reading this one, but I am so glad I did get to it because this book is absolutely one of my new favorites. I want to reread the book right now, and that’s saying a lot because I’m not the biggest rereader (I know, throw rotten produce at me). Rowell always seems to get her characters to perfection level. It’s amazing really, how incredible the characters are in Rowell’s books. She makes them and their problems completely relatable and honest and true.

            The protagonist is Cath, and she’s not the typical YA strong, independent, and sassy girl who fights off corrupt organizations and saves the world. No. She’s a girl in love with writing, and more so in love with writing fan fiction. I too am one of those girls, and I know there are countless more out there in the same shoes. She’s real, and it’s easy to see how all her personality traits tie back to her family and her upbringing. I think that’s the most extraordinary thing about Fangirl, that I know the exact moment that made Cath into the girl she is and exactly why she (and even her sister Wren) tick the way she does. And it was all show, not tell.

            I’m head over heels in love with this book, and I honestly do not have a single back thing to say about it. Every single character, moment, and action was perfection, and every single word made me begging for more. That’s all there is. Oh, and Levi is the most adorable human being ever. Done.

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

            Danica Shardae is an avian shapeshifter, and the golden hawk’s form in which she takes to the sky is as natural to her as the human one that graces her on land. The only thing more familiar to her is war: It has raged between her people and the serpiente for so long, no one can remember how the fighting began. As heir to the avian throne, she’ll do anything in her power to stop this war—even accept Zane Cobriana, the terrifying leader of her kind’s greatest enemy, as her pair bond and make the two royal families one.

            Trust. It is all Zane asks of Danica—and all they ask of their people—but it may be more than she can give.

            Along with Tithe by Holly Black, Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes prove to be my all-time favorite books. I don’t reread a lot of books (I find the act silly when there are so many new books that come out every day and plenty more old ones I have yet to read), but I do reread these ones and have many times.

            The thing that draws me back to Hawksong time and time again is partly the characters and partly the premise. Danica is a strong princess not afraid to get her gown a little bloodstained and her crown a little bent. She’s determined to stop the war between her people and her rival, at any cost. This is a characteristic that I absolutely admire. It’s a simple betrothal sort of tale which was really popular back in the early 2000s, but there’s so much more depth because of the premise and the characters.

            At its core, Hawksong is a love story, and getting to see the development of that pure love between the main characters is really what sets this story apart from others in the young adult world. A lot of YA books rely on love of the star-crossed destiny sort, but this book offers up something much more real with a slow burn. Danica never really sees when she falls in love with Zane and neither does the reader. Its just a natural love story set in the middle of a war-ravaged world where two nations have very little trust in the other. But they trust their leaders, and its very interesting to see two nations try to mend after being at war with each other for so long.

            This book is definitely underrated. There are so many great things in this book that really pertain to our world now. We are currently at war with another nation and that has caused much distrust, and I think this book really sheds a lot of real-world lessons that were pertinent in 2004 and still are twelve years later. So yes, it may appear to be a silly love story to some, but it is way more than that. This book will always be one of my favorites and I encourage everyone to read it.

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Three casinos.

Three bodies.

Three days.

After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team’s unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any tape. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code—and the closer the Naturals come to unraveling the mystery, the more perilous the case becomes.

Meanwhile, Cassie is dealing with an equally dangerous and much more painful mystery. For the first time in years, there’s been a break in her mother’s case. As personal issues and tension between the team mount, Cassie and the Naturals will be faced with impossible odds—and impossible choices.

My first thought when finishing this book was that this series (but I used an expletive or two in place of that word) just got real. I’ve read a lot of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ books, so I’ve noticed the trend of rising thrill and kill. All In is quite similar in plot-twist-thrill level to her book The Fixer. There was a lot of plot twists, reveals and unveils in the first two books of The Naturals series, but this one far exceeded them. The more that Barnes rights crazy, twisty plots, the better she gets at it.

But do too crazy and too twisty of plots come at a price? A.K.A. the heavy price of losing the believability of the book? Luckily, All In, was still believable, though this is a problem some books pay. I think that’s one of the perks of having a long-running series, because you can initiate the plot twists in the first book, and then escalate them the further and further into the series. I guess in this way, Barnes is a bit like a serial killer.

By the end of the book, I quickly deemed in my favorite Naturals book to date. I cannot imagine how insane The Long Game will be if Barnes keeps up her escalating the thrill trend in her Fixer series. There were a few things that All In lacked, however, and those are the things that I’ll go into next.

When I first saw the cover and title of this book forever ago, I just knew that Barnes was going to delve into Sloane’s character and background more. I was excited and not entirely let down. So far, Sloane’s character has been incredibly analytical and unknown. She’s an open book with an unorthodox love for caffeine and numbers. This book brought her back to her roots, and I really expected to see interactions between her and her father. However, we saw a relationship blossom between her and the brother who never knew who she was.

While I was fine with the introduction of that new relationship, I still wish there’d been more with her father (though then the book might have been too similar to Killer Instinct). I certainly hope more of Sloane’s father comes up later on in the series. The main problem I had was that there wasn’t enough emphasis on Sloane’s story. It was still entirely Cassie’s story, and in a way that saddened me. Every new reveal led right back to Cassie, which is superb plot writing but I also thing it might be too much. Too coincidental.

This leads me back to the believability issue that arises in books laden with thrill and twists. Do many links between twists and the main character can sometimes lead to someone thinking the story is too coincidental which flaws the believability. I think Barnes is treading a thin line with all the links and, if not careful, she could hinder the story’s believability. I’m still a believer, but the final twist Cassie’s mother might be too far for me. Now of course, I believe in making everything personal for the protagonist, but the link with the mother and the potential link to Lia are almost too close.

I loved all the twists and turns, but I hope it doesn’t get too linky and end up wrapping together like a nice, pretty present. I like things put together perfectly, but that could end up far too coincidental for even me.

The characters were great, though the interpersonal relations weren’t the best that I’ve read from the series thus far. I understand that Cassie has chosen Dean, but her relationship with Michael seemed so different than usual. On top of that, I not too fond of the Cassie and Dean show. It seemed to level this book, and if there needs to be interpersonal tension it should be between them. Cassie should not have told Dean her secret before everyone else. She should have told Sloane since Sloane confided in Cassie, and left Dean to find out during the game like Michael. That would have been good.

I’m incredibly excited for the next book in the series. Things are getting quite intense, and I’m ready to see where Barnes takes the series now. I was let down by Killer Instinct, but the series has definitely stepped it up. Although, I’m getting really creeped out by this Fibonacci sequence. It keeps showing up in my books!

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: Tithe by Holly Black

            Sixteen-year-old Kaye is modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother’s rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms—a struggle that could very well mean her death.

            First off, Merry Early Christmas everybody! Second, Tithe by Holly Black is hands down one of my all-time favorite books ever. That being said, there are still a few things that could have been better, favorite author/book or not.

            The first thing that still jars me a little to this day, even after many a reread, is the awkward continuation of the book after the tithe ceremony. It was just such a good time to end the book but then it weirdly continued on. Sure, there was still more of the story to be told, but it just felt like the end of book one.

            Granted, I totally understand book deals and all that mumbo jumbo so there probably wasn’t a potential two-book deal or anything even though there needed to be one. The rest of the story had to be told, but with it came an uncomfortable hump in the story.

            Another thing that bugged me was the very end of the book. Seriously, Kaye? If you’ve read the story, you’ll understand my frustrations with her.

            Aside from that, there’s only praise from me. However, if this were any other book, that hump in the middle would have docked the book at least one whole star. It’s that awkward.

            Let’s get to the characters: they’re grungy and flawed and totally real. A lot of people will call these urban characters too over the top and unreal, but hellooooo it’s a book and I’m not entirely unconvinced that urban teens aren’t identical to those in the book.

            I think Kaye is an awesome protagonist. She’s lived her whole life on the move and not only has this made her fiercely independent, but also quite sassy. And I love sassy. She straight up commands a faerie knight to kiss her ass. Lovely.

            Corny is also a great character, mainly because he’s such a raw character. He’s homosexual, but not in the overly effeminine sort of way that is way overused. Corny is such a ****ed up character (excuse my wingding), and that’s refreshing. You don’t get to read a lot of characters like Corny, especially not in YA.

            Then there’s Roiben, with whom I am completely in love. Sure, it’s a little unreasonable. I’m a piddly blogger, and he’s a sexy faerie knight in love with a pixie. It could still happen!

            All of the characters were great though, and that definitely helped my eyes glaze over the awkward plot humps and hurries. It’s Black’s first solo book, so there’s obviously going to be a few mistakes. The fact of the matter, however, is that this book is dark and gritty when not so many are in the YA world (at least not back when Tithe was published). It really opened not only my eyes, but also those of the YA readership to the dark potential of faerie tales, and that’s a rather amazing accomplishment.

            There are plenty of people either on the love side of the Tithe fence or the hate side. Not many dare to sit on top of the fence, including myself. I’m clearly living in a condo on the love side, and that’s not likely ever going to change. Tithe is definitely a great book to check out if you love stories involving dark matter and faeries. Happy Holidays and Happy Reading. May your presents be plentiful with books.

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

            Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls-school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in sever different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real “pavement artist”—but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

            Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission—falling in love.

            You know when you read a book and you know that only a total teeny-bopper-hopeless-romantic-uber-girl should like such a book? And then you realize that you’re 23 and apparently fall under that category because of how much you adore said book? Well I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You is one such book for me. I won’t lie. I’ve kind of avoided the Gallagher Girls series solely because it seemed a little too girly-chick-flick-ish for me and because of my fear that I’d love it despite such reasoning. I read Ally Carter’s Heist Society and then I read her All Fall Down and they were both really good, so I decided to finally give this one a chance. And here I am, giving this book five stars because I absolutely loved everything about it.

            All the details that were overkill for The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, were on-point and just enough for this book. No detail was out of place or unnecessary, and that’s what I love about Carter’s work. She’s gives a lot of background detail and lingo like it’s everyday small-talk, but in such a way that there’s no overkill! It was perfect and I fell head over heels for the school, the world, and the characters.

            I wish I could have gotten to know Cammie’s classmates better because of the final exam. These were her sisters in a mission and I wish I’d known them like sisters. The stakes throughout the book could have also been higher, especially since the book is a part of a series. While I loved Cammie’s desires to be a normal girl, I still think there should have been more fear for the consequences. I was never worried that, assuming Cammie got caught, that she’d ever be expelled or given memory-erasing tea. I feared it more for her best friends, but not so much for the headmasters’ daughter. You feel me? There could have been a stronger motive behind Cammie’s desire to be normal of course, and there really could have been some sort of minute plot to carry on through this book and into all the others. These were all nit-picky things though because I though the book was solid. A little bit too stand-alone, but super solid.

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: Winger by Andrew Smith

            Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

            With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart. 

            Winger was one of those books I had to throw across the room in complete anger and take a few days to get over before reviewing. It was a great book with an ending that made me bawl my eyes out I was so furious and anguished. I really did finish the book days ago, but I had to let the dust of my emotions settle before I could write this. Let me start out by saying that I really loved this book.

            The characters (especially Ryan Dean, a.k.a. Winger) were raw and totally real. I could absolutely believe that Ryan Dean was a fourteen-year-old boy and he was hilarious too! He had all these funny, and sometimes perfectly perverted, drawings that really brought his character to life in a new way. I could read about Ryan Dean all day. He was just a very relatable character and there were all these nuances to his voice that made him that much more real. Like how he felt stupid for being worried about Joey being gay. Or how he kept calling himself a loser for various things. Or how he thought Ms. Singer was a witch. It was all hilarious and the little bits of rugby were brilliant as well.

            One thing you should know about me is I love rugby because of Teen Wolf and now also because of Winger. It was rugby that kept the story going. It was the thing that tied Ryan Dean to all the parts of the story of his junior year. All in all, it was an amazing story to read and so very hilarious.

            Now let me move on to the things that bugged me. I never really understood when Ryan Dean and Annie’s relationship shifted from “never-gonna-happen-cause-I’m-fourteen” to “omg-this-is-flirting-this-is-real”. It was an awkward transition that I never actually saw. It kind of took me out of the story because I was confused as to when this relationship became possible. I mean obviously they’re meant for each other, but I wish I could have really seen what Ryan Dean did to change Annie’s view of him.

            Next, I felt that there was an over-usage of the word loser. It was funny, and at times I didn’t notice or care that Ryan Dean called himself a loser at least once every chapter, but it was definitely overkill.  I mean, Ryan Dean writes haikus to his friend, he could at least change up his words a little. At the same time, though, it did make his character consistent and likeable. I just wish it had been done every other chapter.

            And lastly, Joey Cosentino. I’m not going to say anything else on that subject because it will ruin the whole end of the book. Just, when you finish reading, come to me and we shall rant and yell privately.

            Overall, despite the cons, there was still way more good in this book and I would really recommend it to anyone. I would even give it to female writers trying out male voices because this one is spot on and a great starting point for similar characters. So please, read it and let me know what you think because seriously, Joey Cosentino. I’m done. With life.

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

            I found myself whispering, “Do you think we’ll ever discover all the secrets of the universe?”

            I was surprised to hear Susie’s voice answering my question. “That would be a beautiful thing, wouldn’t it, Ari?”

            “Yeah,” I whispered. “Really beautiful.”

            “Do you think, Ari, that love has anything to do with the secrets of the universe?”

            Dante can swim. Ari can’t. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari’s features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself.

            But when Ari and Dante meet, the bond. They share books, thoughts, dreams, laughter. They teach each other new vocabularies and begin to redefine each other’s worlds. And they discover that the universe is a large and difficult place.

            This is the story about two boys, Ari and Dante, who must learn to believe in each other and the power of their friendship if they ever are to become men.

            For me, this was that book that I literally had to hug after I finished it. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a book like I love this book. It shocks me how much emotion this little book evoked in me. I think I love coming-of-age stories. Not only that, I love homosexual ships that sail. This is a little-known fact about me.

            Aristotle, or rather Ari, was a great perspective to hear the story from. He was just a boy battling a war inside of him just like his parents were battling their own. He wasn’t a man yet, and he didn’t know when it would start. Ari’s voice was beautiful and the ending of the book had me crying from happiness.

            Then there’s his best friend, Dante. He’s charming and the kindest boy ever. He introduces Ari to a wealth of new things, and it’s amazing to see the beginning of their relationship. SPOILER: Ari saves Dante’s life and that’s where you see the cogs turning. The doctor asks why, when it could have killed Ari, and Ari responds that it was a reflex. Saving the love of your life should be a reflex. END SPOILER.

            The way AUTHOR wrote the book was also gorgeous. Every chapter ended on a sort of thinker from Ari. There were a lot of little moments like that throughout the book  where Ari was just trying to figure life out (his to be more specific), and I loved them all. I kept wanted to get to the end of the chapter because I loved them so much. But I also loved starting the next chapter. It was an endless cycle.

            The only thing I don’t think I liked were how Gina and Susie’s characters weren’t a constant or consistent thing throughout the book. They did their purpose, but I wish they’d been consistent. Granted, the only friend Ari ever needed was Dante.

            Did I mention the ending killed me? I have to go buy this book and read it again it was so good. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. Beautiful, beautiful book, and I really can’t say more lest I look like an obsessed maniac. Everyone needs to read this book!

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

 

In the woods is a glass coffin.

It rests right on the ground, and in it

sleeps a boy with horns on his head

and ears as pointed as knives…

Hazel and her brother, Ben, live in Fairfold, where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Tourists drive in to see the lush wonders of Faerie and, most wonderful of all, the horned boy. But visitors fail to see the danger.

Since they were children, Hazel and Ben have been telling each other stories about the boy in the glass coffin, that he is a prince and they are valiant knights, pretending their prince would be different from the other faeries, the ones who made cruel bargains, lurked in the shadows of trees, and doomed tourists. But as Hazel grows up, she puts aside those stories. Hazel knows the horned boy will never wake.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel has to become the knight she once pretended to be. But as she’s swept up in new love, with shifting loyalties and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Holly Black has done it again. Obviously, Black is one of my most dearly beloved and adored authors. I have cherished every one of her books, and I love how she always finds a way to mesh together the modern and the ancient with just a pinch of the gothic. The Darkest Part of the Forest is no different.

Now, you remember when you were a kid and you thought you could be anything in the world? This story, to me, is those dreams incarnate. I, of course, loved everything about this book. I loved the slight play on gender roles by making Hazel the strong knight and her brother, Ben, the beautiful siren. It was a great twist that played well into the later twist in Hazel’s bargain.

This story did a great job of weaving the past with the present and everything that was brought up about the past played a very important role in the present. The characters were also beautifully developed. I could tell the exact motives behind every character’s actions, and that’s hard to write! This book was just so amazingly composed and achingly gorgeous.

My favorite character would have to be Hazel, though Sorrow comes in a very close second, because of her strength and her torn desire between helping and being greedy. It was a flaw within a good trait and I thought that was a very intriguing way of putting those together. Hazel wanted to be a knight and save tourists and her town, but it was all because she wanted to be the hero. Her desires made her greedy even though they were for a good cause. This sort of battle of Hazel’s is shown in multiple instances throughout the story, and then at the very end she has to face the consequences when the Alderking opens her eyes.

The relationships between the characters were also amazing. I loved seeing Hazel and Ben together because they were a brilliant team. They weren’t your normal bickering siblings because they weren’t from a normal family, which I loved (Mason jars and kale snacks? Yes, please). It was just all very interesting how it everything tied together. So many little things working together, and that is one of the most brilliant things about Black’s writing. Like the cogs to a giant machine.

I honestly cannot say that there was anything I disliked in the book. It was astoundingly dark, modern and sleek. I would say it’s Black’s best yet, but I’m just going to end now before I start gushing even more and start giving away spoilers.

XOXO Tia

REVIEW: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

            Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight she’s going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. Somewhere in the glassy darkness, he’s out there, spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night. And Lucy knows that a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for—really fall for.

            The last person Lucy wants to spend this night with is Ed, the guy she’s managed to avoid since punching him in the nose on the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells Lucy he knows where to find Shadow, the two of them are suddenly on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s pieces of heartbreak and escape echo off the city walls. And what Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

            I have to say that this is one of my favorite contemporary books so far. It was a sleek, urban story about love, life and art. The way that Cath Crowley so vividly described the urban nightlife of this city in Australia was superb. Even better, though, was the way in which she describing all of the art. It was beautiful. From Lucy’s glassblowing to Ed’s graffiti to Leo’s poetry to all the rest of the art referenced throughout. The book had no magic in it whatsoever, but it was one of the more magical books I’ve read in a while.

            In general, I really loved the way Crowley laid this book out. The story was told through the dual perspectives of Ed and Lucy, with the occasional poetry intermission by Leo. Though the story took place through the course of one, singular night, there was still so much going on. Nothing was revealed until it had to be, and everything had a reason or a place in the overall story.

            Along with that, the characters were amazing. I simply can’t choose which one I enjoyed the most. Ed was this perfectly imperfect character who could only really speak properly through his art. And Lucy’s view could only be described as looking through a kaleidoscope. Then there was the psychic, Jazz, who started the whole crazy night, and then we see his and Leo’s love progress through Leo’s poems. It was just a perfect book if I’m being honest.

            Okay, but I think my favorite character might actually be Ed’s mom. She was barely mentioned (talk about super secondary character), but it was the little things about her that made me cry like a baby. I don’t know why, but she got to me. And the mother of the year award goes to her. She had no money and spent most of the book working on her budget, but she had this money jar that went toward Ed’s pens and Pez but she didn’t have a jar for herself. The only thing that made me cry most was the book ending. If I could give this book more than five stars I would.

XOXO Tia