January 2018 – Page 4 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Wires and Nerve, Volume 1

Title: Wires and Nerve, Volume 1
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Source: Purchased
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers’ leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the series.

Review:

I’m so excited that I finally read this book! I kept putting it off, because I didn’t want to be finished with the Lunar Chronicles books.

This story was not what I expected. For some reason, I thought this story happened simultaneously with the story of the Lunar Chronicles. However, this story happens after, so I still got to see my favourite characters!

I didn’t really like the blue colour scheme of the graphics. I would have loved if it was in full colour! The blue was unique and a little strange.

I also would have liked more action. There was a lot of explaining plans, like there was in The Lunar Chronicles. This may have been because of the extensive cast.

One thing that I loved was that Iko was the main character! She’s hilarious and sarcastic. I’m so glad that she has her own series now! I can’t wait to read the next volume in a couple of weeks.

Review: Thunderhead

33555224

Title: Thunderhead
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: January 9, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the second novel of the chilling New York Times bestselling series from Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology.

Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.

Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?

Review:

I’m so glad I had the privilege of reading this ARC.

This is a highly anticipated sequel to Scythe, and it did not disappoint. There weren’t quite as many twists as in the first one, though there were many unpredictable surprises.

The Thunderhead is the primary focus of this book. The Thunderhead is the future of “the Cloud” in the way that it holds all of our information. It is constantly monitoring the world and can make decisions, but it can’t communicate with the Scythedom.

I really liked that parts of the world other than the scythes were explored in this book. There is a new character, named Greyson, who is an ordinary boy, but then he becomes an unsavory (a group of criminals who behave in unsavory ways). I enjoyed seeing more of the scythe world that surrounds Citra and Rowan.

One of the great things about the scythe world is that there are many more possible plots for future books. There could be more books around these current scythes, but it would also be interesting to see what happened at the end of the Age of Mortality (aka our modern world) and how the scythedom was formed. I hope there’s a third book on the way!

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Meant to Read in 2017…But Didn’t

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is Top Ten Books I meant to read in 2017… but didn’t. Here’s my list:

1. Dumplin’

2. The Hate U Give

3. Wires and Nerve, Volume 1

4. Wonder Woman: Warbringer

5. Warcross

6. Fate of Flames

7. Crown of Midnight

8. Ramona Blue

9. Carry On

10. Daughter of Smoke and Bone

(All images taken from Goodreads)

Review: Renegades

Title: Renegades
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Purchased
Release Date: November 7, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

Review:

Marissa Meyer has done it again! This book is so awesome. I loved this superhero story.

The characters have a lot of depth and history. Adrian and Nova have both suffered and learned from some of their mistakes.

The world building was great in this story too. I kept imagining Gatlon City as New York City. Especially with the big parade that opens the story.

One thing that I didn’t like was the long fight scenes. They took up multiple chapters. The one at the beginning was so confusing since I wasn’t familiar with the characters. I had to keep flipping back to see who did what. I wish that more characters were introduced before that.

I don’t know how I’m going to wait until next November to read the sequel! It’s going to be a long year.

Review: Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Kiss Kiss Bang Stab

28109896

Title: Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Kiss Kiss Bang Stab
Author: Amanda Conner
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Purchased
Release Date: December 15, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

NOW HIRING: ASSISTANT HARLEYS!

What with working full time as a psychiatrist, managing an apartment building full of needy tenants and rambunctious pets, skating in the roller derby and trying to start up a new romance, Harley Quinn has precious little time left over for her mission of do-gooding. Time to expand her operation with her very own team of assistants!

But only the best can trusted to spread Harley’s values of honor, trustworthiness and insubordination. The hiring process will be competitive…and bloody!

And that’s not all! In this volume, Harley also breaks into Arkham Asylum to save her bestie Poison Ivy, falls hard for dashing millionaire Bruce Wayne and spreads her own unique brand of holiday cheer.

Review:

This is another entertaining story featuring my favourite villain, Harley Quinn.

As you can tell from the cover, Harley encounters Bruce Wayne aka Batman in this story. Harley enters an auction to purchase a date with the millionaire. Of course, he knows that she’s Harley Quinn, but she doesn’t know that he is Batman, and the nemesis of her ex-boyfriend, the Joker. That made a very funny and one-sided situation.

Like other Harley Quinn comics, this one refers to the artists of the graphic novels. Sometimes, Harley had daydreams which are illustrated by different artists. She says it’s to give the artists a break so they can continue to draw the rest of the story. I love these funny comments on the creation of the graphic novel.

At the end of the story, Harley has recruited some personal assistants who will become her gang of Harleys. I look forward to seeing these new characters in the next graphic novels!

Review: The Year They Burned the Books

Title: The Year They Burned the Books
Author: Nancy Garden
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the author of Annie on My Mind comes an unflinching novel about prejudice, censorship, and homophobia in a New England town.

As the editor in chief of the Wilson High Telegraph, senior Jamie Crawford is supposed to weigh in on the cutting-edge issues that will interest students in her school. But when she writes an opinion piece in support of the new health curriculum—which includes safe-sex education and making condoms available to students—she has no idea how much of a controversy she’s stepped into.

A conservative school board member has started a war against the new curriculum, and now—thanks to Jamie’s editorial—against the newspaper as well. As Jamie deals with the fallout and comes to terms with her own sexuality, the school and town become a battleground for clashing opinions. Now, Jamie and the students at Wilson need to find another way to express their beliefs before prejudice, homophobia, and violence define their small town.

Review:

After receiving this book on NetGalley, I was surprised to see that it was originally published in 1999. The story is still relevant today, so I can see why it was rereleased.

I loved the story. Even though it takes place in the 90s, it seems very contemporary. The only difference is they use typewriters to write their school articles and comment that certain people have a printer and computer at home.

Jamie was a great character. Jamie and her best friend Terry call themselves “Maybes” because they think they might be gay but they aren’t sure. Both of them have to come to terms with their sexuality, and have to become confident enough to share their true selves.

Though Jamie and Terry are learning how to express themselves, other characters, such as Ernie, hide behind what they think others want them to be like, instead of being themselves. This was sad but it’s something that still happens today.

The school newspaper was a great way for the characters to express their feelings. There was a lot of drama in the newspaper team that kept the story exciting.

I really enjoyed this story. Though it is almost 20 years old, it is still so relevant today!

Review: White Bodies

Title: White Bodies
Author: Jane Robins
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: September 30, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Felix and Tilda seem like the perfect couple: young and in love, a financier and a beautiful up-and-coming starlet. But behind their flawless façade, not everything is as it seems.

Callie, Tilda’s unassuming twin, has watched her sister visibly shrink under Felix’s domineering love. She has looked on silently as Tilda stopped working, nearly stopped eating, and turned into a neat freak, with mugs wrapped in Saran Wrap and suspicious syringes hidden in the bathroom trash. She knows about Felix’s uncontrollable rages, and has seen the bruises on the white skin of her sister’s arms.

Worried about the psychological hold that Felix seems to have over Tilda, Callie joins an internet support group for victims of abuse and their friends. However, things spiral out of control and she starts to doubt her own judgment when one of her new acquaintances is killed by an abusive man. And then suddenly Felix dies—or was he murdered?

Review:

The concept of this book is so intriguing, but it had many weird aspects that were hard to get past.

First of all, this story talks about an important issue. Domestic violence. Particularly, abusive partners who are very controlling. There are some serious situations in the novel that show just how dangerous these relationships can be. It’s scary to imagine a loved one in this kind of relationship, while being helpless to get them to see the truth.

Callie is weirdly obsessed with her sister. She’s worried about her sister’s relationship which is valid, but the way she stalks her is strange. Callie waits outside her sister’s home to follow her and she sneaks into her house to find out stuff about her relationship. That was so extreme.

I found Callie super creepy. When she was younger, she would eat things belonging to her sister to feel closer to her. She would eat her sister’s hair, paper from her journal, and even her baby teeth. Yes her baby teeth. I was so grossed out that it made me really dislike Callie. I couldn’t get past her weird obsession with Tilda.

Some parts of the story reminded me of The Girl on the Train, in the way that the plot unfolded. Callie is an unreliable narrator, so it’s hard to know what to believe. But Callie was so creepy that I didn’t even want to get involved in her story. And she made some strange and dangerous decisions.

Normally I don’t mind an unreliable narrator because they can add to the mystery, but I couldn’t get past Callie’s strange tendencies in this story.

Review: Me Before You

Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Books
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Release Date: December 31, 2012
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Louisa Clark is an ordinary young woman living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair-bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A love story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

Review:

I really loved this story.

I loved Louisa. She’s a funny and quirky character. She’s very positive, even when Will is constantly making her life harder. But he has some redeeming qualities too. He’s very thoughtful. And his bitterness can be understood, since he was in a terrible accident that left him paralyzed.

The ending of the story absolutely broke my heart. And it made me wonder how there could be a sequel (and another one coming out this year!). But I look forward to reading After You very soon!

Soon after After You was released, I went to a book signing and met Jojo Moyes! It was a fun event, where they even gave away bumblebee tights! Here’s a photo of her signing my book.

13221289_10156723513015467_4669741216062799619_o

Have you read Me Before You or After You?

Review: Queens of Geek

Title: Queens of Geek
Author: Jen Wilde
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: Purchased
Release Date: March 14, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Three friends, two love stories, one convention: this fun, feminist love letter to geek culture is all about fandom, friendship, and finding the courage to be yourself.

Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, is an empowering novel for anyone who has ever felt that fandom is family.

Review:

I am so excited about this book. There are so many great aspects of it.

I loved the diversity in the book. Charlie is Asian-Australian and bisexual. Taylor has social anxiety and is on the autism spectrum. These aspects of the characters were discussed but they weren’t their whole identities. They seemed like real people.

The two love stories were very cute. I loved Charlie and Alyssa! They make such a cute couple! And through the whole book I wanted Taylor and Jamie to get together! I was rooting for both couples (and I really didn’t like Reese!)

I loved the SupaCon. It sounds like so much fun! It reminded me of the only fan convention I’ve been to, which is Fan Expo in Toronto. It’s like a ComicCon and I went a few years ago. It also got me thinking about my upcoming trip to BookCon which I’m super excited for!!

Another great aspect of this book is the way it was published. Swoon Reads accepts manuscripts from writers, and then puts them online for readers to vote for which ones get published. It’s a great way to see your favourite indie writers get published.

I loved this book! I think I’ll be recommending it for the rest of the year!

December Uppercase Reveal

Here’s my reveal of the December Uppercase Box. There were some fun goodies here!

This is a notepad for tracking the books you’ve lent to friends! Great for keeping track of all those books you may or may not have floating around your friends.