Lovely War by Julie Berry

Lovely War 
by 

Julie Berry 

Heather's review

it was amazing

bookshelves: 2019, beautiful-cover, best-of-the-best, book-subscriptions, europe, historical-fiction, romance, tragedy

Beautiful, heartbreaking, funny, and original.

This book deals with meddling Greek gods during World War I. It’s a romance, and a war story, and story of hope all in one. I finished it in two days and cried my eyes out non-stop after page 240.

It was a fresh take on a war story that we’ve heard told many times before and the edition of the Greek gods really made it wholly original. I hadn’t heard about this book until it came in my Once Upon A Book Club Box, and now it’s a new favorite.

Current Favorites: Television Shows

When I'm not working or pouring myself into and over books, I tend to watch a lot of hidden Netflix shows. And I say hidden, as these shows I'm about to tell you about just don't get the kind of attention like, say, Game of Thrones, or Stranger Things do. But in my biased opinion, some of them are just as good or better.

1. The OA

Combining a bit of Stockholm syndrome, with time traveling and science fiction, and yet somehow set in the real world, The OA is a top pick for me. Currently at two seasons, it has so much to offer from the acting to the amazing friendships and the life lessons spattered throughout. The end of season 1 is sure to surprise you in the best of ways.

2. Dark

Similar to Stranger Things don't let it fool you with the awful dubbed translation from the original language. It takes time traveling and really makes you question your whole existence as well as confuse the heck out of you. The beginning is a little slow, but between the creepiness and the soundtrack, you're sure to continue watching until the very end. 

3. The Rain 

Yet another show with awful dubbed language. The Rain follows a real-life European city after a horrible rainfall causes most of the population to become sick. The rain continues to fall in toxic waves and infect people as they try to find new ways to survive. This is yet another one with a great cast of characters.

4. Star Crossed 

If you were ever a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series, then this one is for you. A little cheesy and a little overdone, but also extremely addicting. Combining romance and politics, Star-Crossed features an alien race that crash lands on earth and tries to integrate into society.

BONUS: The Umbrella Academy 

Another group of misfits and a secret school of kids with special magical powers. But not the way you think. This one will surprise you. 

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

House of Salt and Sorrows 
by 

Erin A. Craig 

it was amazing

bookshelves: 2019, beautiful-cover, best-of-the-best, book-subscriptions, cheating, cliques, kingdoms, murder-mystery, retelling,thriller, tragedy

House of Salt and Sorrows follows Annaleigh and her family as they’ve suffered one tragedy after another. Originally twelve girls, three have died (including their mother) when the story begins, and their family is considered cursed. Annaleigh is sure someone killed her sister, that their family isn’t cursed, and that more deaths will follow if she doesn’t find out who is behind the murders.

Part who-dunnit, and part is-the-main-character-crazy-am-i-crazy, this book was such a thrill to read. There’s ball dancing, small romances, laughs, murders, ghosts, and tons of moments that make you wonder if you’re losing your mind.

I enjoyed this book right from the beginning and was swept up by the writing and the imagery of the fictional kingdom the girls live in. The author does such a great job with world-building and expertly rotates between showing and telling.

Even though there are a handful of main characters, all of them felt unique in their own way, and I loved the relationships that were portrayed. The author also did a good job on showing how grief effects different people differently. And in the end, the message rang loud and clear about treating people right.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a thrilling almost scary read. The book has a strong summery feel due to the cover and the setting, but it also would make a good late fall or winter read too.

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jaluddin

Ayesha at Last 
by 

Uzma Jalaluddin 

really liked it

bookshelves: 2019, adult-fiction, asia, book-subscriptions, cheating,comedy, computer-programmer-hacker, contemporary, drug-abuse,poc-on-cover, religious, retelling, romance

Ayesha At Last is a Bollywood style retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The story doesn’t follow the originally to a T but hits the high points, and makes some nods to the original dialogue. It’s well-done and fun to read, and carefully weaves in current issues such as racism, and sexism. As a mid-twenties woman myself, I found I also related to her struggles of trying to find the right career at that age, while also battling the constant questions on marriage/dating.

Overall, this was a fun but insightful read and I would recommend to those interested in Bollywood or the original classic.

Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay

Ever Alice 
by 

H.J. Ramsay 

really liked it

bookshelves: 2019, arcs, cheating, retelling

Ever Alice follows fifteen year old Alice after her first time to Wonderland...but she’s in a mad house.

Wonderland and the story in general (both the original and the retelling) are both so mad, that at times the whole story feels like a dream. The author does such a good job at crafting a story that could truly fit alongside the original tale but is still unique enough to be its own. It’s humorous, and witty, and I really enjoyed reading about all of the old characters, and meeting new characters.

I found the story did drag a little bit, and the beginning was difficult to get into. There was also a bit of romance, that I wasn’t a fan of, but overall it wasn’t really present enough to be a problem.

Overall, I would recommend this to a younger audience, either late middle school or early high school. I myself, fall quite a bit out of that range and still enjoyed it.

The Real and True Life of Being A Mid-Twenties Adult

I'm sure at one time or another, I thought being in my mid-twenties would be awesome and I'd have it all figured out. I probably thought I'd be married, and super successful with my own house, and a job I loved. I'm sure I thought I'd have my whole life together and that nothing could possibly go wrong.

Now that I'm older, I see how wrong I was.

Being a mid-twenties adult, is similar to being a younger adult. I still have bills to pay. I'm still not exactly sure my career choice is the best fit, and I still get freaked out over not being able to accomplish certain tasks. I also still don't have the husband, the house, or even the 2.5 kids. But, what's important is knowing that one day I'll get to a better place, and that in the meantime there's no rush.

I started this blog many years ago and I thought at the time, it would be a more adult diary where I could write about the things that were too crazy to keep to myself, but also too personal to just tell anyone in person. Now that I've had the blog for a while, I realize how insanely difficult it is to keep up with and to just find time to write. There's just always something to do: school, then college, then finding my first job after college, then keeping my first job, and then trying to continue to excel at my job. All of it just got in the way.

Now that I'm older, I realize how nice it is to just have a place to go to keep track of everything and also to take some time to organize my thoughts. As I've gotten older, I've slowly started to realize how possessions aren't everything. How material things really won't make you happy. I still buy way too much, but at the same time I realize I'm happier when I have less clutter.

So that's a sneak peak at the real and true life of being a mid-twenties adult. You won't have everything figured out, but that's okay. You're still learning and your still working towards your goal.

On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

On the Come Up 
by 

Angie Thomas

it was amazing

bookshelves: 2019, audiobook, best-of-the-best, bullying, cliques,contemporary, drug-abuse, epic-letter-to-the-reader, glbt, poc-on-cover, school

A fantastic read!!

As usual, Angie Thomas finds a way to discuss racism, among other difficult topics without blaming specific groups of people. She effortlessly writes in a way that will speak to most any reader who picks On The Come Up up and have it resonate with them in a way that will incite changes.

On The Come Up follows Brianna “Bri” Jackson, a black teen who has dreams of becoming a rapper. After getting brutally assaulted and constantly harassed previously, by two white security guards at her elite (white) school she decided to rap about her experience in a song.

I loved The Hate U Give and I was skeptical if On The Come Up could be as big of a success as her debut novel. It definitely surpassed my expectations and was as good or better than THUG. 

On The Come Up did such a good job of showing the identity struggles of many characters in several different ways. From her mother, Jay, dealing with a past drug addiction defining her, to Bri dealing with her father’s previous fame defining her, and to even Miles dealing with his father’s expectations defining him. Every character deals with some kind of identity struggle. And this truly helped carry along the story, as well as make it relatable.

I also loved how Angie blended in today’s politics in the narrative without going over the top. I find, that especially today, a lot of books can get a little too political and go about blaming large groups of people. Which is definitely not how we get a problem solved. I feel like white students, students of color, Republicans, and Democrats could all enjoy this book and take something from it. 

I listened to this on audiobook while I read, and I really enjoyed the narration, and the overall spunk of the reader. I felt like I was actually listening to Bri, and Jay, and everyone else in the story as they told us their stories. The narrator also added sighs, and laughs, when they were appropriate and it just enhanced the reading experience that much more.

I can’t wait to see what Angie Thomas comes up with next. 

The Everlasting Rose (The Belles, #2) 
by 

Dhonielle Clayton

 

really liked it

bookshelves: 2019, arcs, beautiful-cover, cliques, dragons, fantasy,glbt, kingdoms, poc-on-cover, tragedy

thanks a million to Netgalley and Freeform for an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Everlasting Rose, the sequel to The Belles is so much different then it’s predecessor. The sequel is just as dark, if not more, and just like The Belles the darkness is hidden. In The Belles, the darkness/evil was covered up with beauty and romance, but in The Everlasting Rose it’s hidden through Camille and her friends being further away from the palace (and Sophia) and having their own worries.

This book was interesting, and a good sequel, but to me it didn’t hit as hard as the first one did. The first one, was about how you can take beauty too far, and this book is about how to make the decision when too far is too far, and living with the consequences.

Camille is conflicted much more in this book, which I really enjoyed. She’s conflicted on who to trust, who to forgive, how to help save everyone, and more, and I loved her for it. 

I think The Belles will always a hold a special place in my heart, but this was a very good follow-up to the series.

Five Feet Apart, by Rachael Lippincott

Five Feet Apart 
by 

Rachael Lippincott,

 

Mikki Daughtry

, 

Tobias Iaconis

really liked it

bookshelves: 2019, beautiful-cover, book-subscriptions, computer-programmer-hacker, contemporary, disorders-disabilities, glbt,romance, tragedy

I really loved this book. It’s about CF (or Cystic Fibrosis) which is a condition where your lungs produce too much mucus and you can’t breathe. It’s fairly common, although not many people know a lot about it. It's a scary diagnosis as those with CF usually don’t make it past 40. 

The book is told through a dual-perspective. Stella is a teenage girl who is staying at the hospital being treated for CF. She always does her treatments, and follows all of the rules concerning CF (which there are a lot), and is hoepful about getting a lung transplant soon. Will, is a teenage boy who is staying at the hospital being treated for CF. He is over his condition, and doesn't follow hardly any of the rules, sometimes missing medications, and also letting his friends use his hospital bed. And then one day they meet.

I loved this story because it showed the real side of CF, of going to doctor’s appointments and having to worry every time you get sick, and of course of letting us see all the worry of the family and friends. But what was really nice was how this story gave us hope and made us fall in love with the characters. But not in a super cheesy way. 

Besides Will and Stella, Poe, who is Stella's best friend (and also has CF) was funny and too cute. He's in the sappy, but scary first love with another boy and trying to make it work, even though kids with CF have to be careful as getting sick could lead to serious problems. I loved his and Stella's relationship and I loved how eager he was to celebrate with Stella when things were good.

If you liked A Fault In Our Stars then you’ll probably like this one. And even if you didn’t like it, you’ll probably like this anyways. 

The only thing I didn’t like, was the bit of insta-love, but at the same time, the book had a story to tell and some points to make and the insta-love was kind of necessary.

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful 

by 

Arwen Elys Dayton 

really liked it

bookshelves: 2019, audiobook, books-for-thought, bullying, cheating,disorders-disabilities, science-fiction, short-stories, thriller

I can’t believe this book was written in this day and age and didn’t immediately Sky-rocket into the Bestseller’s list. I picked this book up after Amie Kaufman, the co-author of The Illuminae series recommended it and a few others as undderated books of 2018. Amie Kaufman is one of my favorite authors due to her recommendations, books that she's written, and her general personality. If for some strange reason you don't like her books (or her recommendations) then this book may not resonate with you like it did for me.

This book isn't about following a specific character from beginning to end, but seeing sneak peeks into the lives of several different  characters through short stories. As the book progresses, we get more and more into the future, as is evident not only by the timeline, but also by the advancements in technology, and environment. 

This book has diversity in all forms, and combines body image and futuristic science fiction.

If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the format that throws people off, or makes them shy away. It’s technically told in several short stories, but set in the same world further and further apart. The first short story/ tale is told maybe during our day and age, or maybe a few years in the future. It starts with a few gene modifications and eventually progresses and it’s amazing to see the progression over the years.

I thought all of the stories were really insightful and also very scary at times. Towards the end, the last two stories get kind of graphic (in the “i might puke” kind of way) and very scary and become even more scary knowing how the first story started and how likely we are to get to this point.

I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’ve ever wondered about the advancement of science, gene modification, if and how we’ll defeat diseases, or how far is too far on changing the appearance of our bodies, then this is the book for you.

I think even people who aren’t as likely to read science fiction, would enjoy this book as well. This book could technically be considered science fiction, but more of a beginner's guide. Since the way it's told, the reader is eased into the switch from the book being on the more contemporary side, and slowly progressing into more science fiction. 

Glow: Book I, Potency by Aubrey Hadley

Glow: Book I, Potency 
by 

Aubrey Hadley 

it was ok

bookshelves: 2019, arcs, beautiful-cover, bullying, cliques, drug-abuse, no-barely-finished, science-fiction

I had a feeling I was going to struggle with Glow from chapter one. There were issues with the writing style (which I’ll go into later) that were present from the beginning. However, I was hopeful that the plot, and character development would be enough to save the writing, and I’d still like it even if I didn’t Love it.

Glow follows Harper, a home-schooled teenager with a strict mom, who has her on a curfew that Harper thinks is unfair, and occasionally tries to break it. Harper just wants to play soccer with her friends, and while she’s out, she sees something crazy, like unexplainable crazy. Her town along with other cities in the world are infected with Maasai Mara Sleeping syndrome which is a nice way of saying: first you get sick, then, you die.

The plot, really goes crazy from there. After the first 20%, we’re hit with a plot twist that is maybe a little over-the-top, and a little rushed on the execution. After that, I found it hard to stay interested and to continue reading as the twist was a little too forced on the reader, and a little too crazy. 

The writing ends up hindering most of the book, as it’s written in present tense which can already be a hit and miss, but especially for this book, as so much of the story is told to the readers and not shown. Adding this to the present-tense writing style and, the book draggggggs.

The characters also weren’t as likable, or unlikable as I wanted them to be. Harper has been thorough a lot in this book, and yet she’s boring and kind of flat. She doesn’t hardly get mad at her family (especially not to their faces) which she has every right to. And her main character traits: her love for biology and soccer, are kind of forgotten at some point and never mentioned again. And there were several times where she made a few comments (even just in her head) that bothered me. At one point she thinks:

I struggle to keep my face straight. If he wants to destroy the human race to get revenge on a few bullies, it’s not wonder he wasn’t popular.

This is already a kind of mean thought, but coming from someone who’s never gone to public school? The guy just confessed to complete strangers how he was bullied in high school, and how that’s when he realized the world wasn’t what is should be. Which he’s right. There shouldn’t be bullies in a perfect world. 

The actions of many other characters bothered me too. Harper's family especially seems to act unreasonably at times, and after awhile, she never thinks about them again. 

At the end of the book, I felt as if I still didn’t know her as a character, that there was nothing unique about her, other than maybe her genetics. Harper felt too flat for me, not likable, or unlikable as a character, and never really showing any true emotions.

Overall, this just wasn’t for me. It was very difficult to get to the end, and if I hadn’t received an ARC, I probably would have DNF’ed it.

**i received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely (A Curse So Dark and Lonely, #1) 
by 

Brigid Kemmerer 

 

really liked it

bookshelves: 2019, abuse, disorders-disabilities, dragons, falling-off-of-a-cliff, fantasy, glbt, killer-female-lead, kingdoms, possible-future-purchase, retelling, romance

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a twist on the tale of The Beauty and The Beast, set in present-day Washington D.C., but the main character is stolen from her time and taken to a new world. After staying on the look-out for her brother, Harper Lacey, gets involved when something starts to go wrong and is stolen in hopes of breaking a curse for a prince. But, the twist is, this is the last chance they'll get from the evil enchantress. 

The main character, Harper, has CP and she’s still such a badass. (Not that it was surprising) But she was such a realistic badass (or as realistic as you can be when dealing with fictional worlds and magical creatures) never letting anything stop her and always trying to learn how to better herself. Literature, and YA literature really needed her. 

The plot, although a little slow in the beginning half, never felt slow as we were getting used to the setting, getting introduced to the characters, and learning about what the minor characters knew of this world. 

The magic in this story was also done really well. Nothing ever felt confusing, and I felt like it added a lot to the story. The evil enchantress was involved throughout the whole story which was also an interesting take on the original tale which isn't often shown in retellings. It also made the story a little more creepier, and helped the reader gain a greater understanding into the relationships involved.

Also this book has almost 500 TALL PAGES and it reads super fast. The plot and character development are both really interesting and nothing really drags the story, and yet somehow nothing is rushed. What is this sorcery?

The only thing I didn’t like, was something that was suggested at the end, and a lot of people might miss it, but it made me feel icky. There is a very real possibility that what I thought I read was wrong, and will be explained better in the second book, and if that is the case, I will absolutely move my rating up.

Overall, I’d recommend for fans of Beauty and The Beast as this is a retelling, and A Court of Mist and Fury, as it felt most similar to this specific retelling.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1) 
by 

Roshani Chokshi 

really liked it

A cross between National Treasure And Six of Crows with a Slytherin twist, The Gilded Wolves is a unique story about friendship, family, and revenge.

The Gilded Wolves is set in 1800s France in which a group is on a mission to track down a magical object known as the forged.

The characters are memorable and you instantly want to be friends with all of them. They all are fleshed-out and well-written and I found it easy to follow along with their jokes and to keep track of the six of them.

A lot of the characters also had diverse qualities, ranging from the LGBTQ+ spectrum, to mental health representation, to multiple different nationalities represented. There's a character for everyone to feel seen by. In addition, they're all quite fantastic, and so their personalities are sure to touch the hearts of multiple different types of readers. 

The pacing is quick and throughout the book I felt as if I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next heist. And once one adventure had finished, the next would begin quite suddenly. 

The one problem I did have, was that the world was kind of confusing. Either because of the writing style, or the author intentionally saving some of the world-building for later, or because the world wasn’t developed enough, it was difficult to understand at times. I finished the whole book and I still have a lot of questions about what happened and what some of the rules of the world were. I typically don’t have problems with fictional worlds being completely fleshed-out in book one, but I found this world to be lacking and almost hindering to the reading experience. 

Overall, I liked the story, and found the characters to be a joy to read. I think some readers may be confused and find it difficult to read or even finish. But I will continue on with the series to see if the world-building is more developed in future books.

You by Caroline Kepnes

You (You, #1) by 

Caroline Kepnes 

it was ok

bookshelves: 2019, abuse, adult-fiction, audiobook, cheating,computer-programmer-hacker, drug-abuse, psychological-what-nots,thriller

In One Line: This had some thrills, and was definitely creepy. But it mostly just felt like a teen boy’s rambling on his sexual desires. 

You follows Joe as becomes obsessed with a young woman he meets one day while working at a bookstore. He stalks her, going into her apartment, stealing her things, and even resorting to murder in order to be the "guy of her dreams."

Joe is basically crazy, and while the book fell flat for me, it was very interesting to hear his rationalizations for what he continued to do in order to be close to Beck.

There were a couple other dislikable characters, and I think that's one of the reasons this book fell flat. In the end, there just weren't enough characters that are really unique or likable. 

The ending was anti-climatic. I was hoping for a big surprise reveal to make the whole story come together and have me wanting to reread to find out how I didn’t guess it. But it was just kind of expected and a little boring.

Ethan, a character introduced about mid-way point, really saved this book in my opinion. Very funny, and funny annoying.