Review: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)

Title: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 4, 2014
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

Review:

This was an amazing end to the Shatter Me trilogy.

This story was so fast paced. I couldn’t put it down! Just when you think you know what is going to happen, and the characters explain their plans, everything changes. The story was unpredictable and exciting.

I can’t believe how my feelings about the characters changed throughout the series. Ones I didn’t like and didn’t trust at the beginning were my favourites by the end. I have so much empathy for Juliette. There was a lot of pain in her narrative. Adam and Warner were such great lead male characters. They had a lot of anger, which dissolved when it comes to their feelings for Juliette. I loved Kenji! He was great comedic relief in this tragic story.

I loved this story! I can’t wait to read Restore Me, the next book in the series.

What to read next:

Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi

Have you read Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3? What did you think of it?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – April 7

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

Here are my weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… A Girl Like That

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A timeless exploration of high-stakes romance, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to love and be loved. 

Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school.  You don’t want to get involved with a girl like that, they say. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that. 

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Children’s Books I Love

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Children’s Books I Love. For this list, I chose the children’s books that I’ve read as an adult. Here is my list:

1. If the Shoe Fits (Whatever After #2) by Sarah Mlynowski

2. Mary-Anne Saves the Day (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels) by Raina Telgemeier, Ann M. Martin

3. Upside-Down Magic (Upside-Down Magic #1) by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins

4. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

5. Target Practice (Cleopatra in Space #1) by Mike Maihack

6. Flunked (Fairy Tale Reform School #1) by Jen Calonita

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Children’s Books You Love?

Review: You’d Be Mine

Title: You’d Be Mine
Author: Erin Hahn
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. 

But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen. 

Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk. 

Review:

I loved this book!

I loved the characters in this story. Both Annie and Clay have tragic histories. Annie’s mother was a famous country singer, but her parents died suddenly when she was a young teenager. Clay lost his mother, grandfather, and older brother who helped raise him. They both have these common experiences of losing their families, but their grief comes out in different ways.

This story shows a lot of what happens behind-the-scenes in the music world. Annie and Clay go on tour together. They have to write songs and adjust to last minute changes all the time. I really enjoyed this side of the story because I don’t know much about the music industry. It was all very new to me, and I liked reading about it.

This story really broke my heart, but it was mended by the end. This book will be the perfect summer read!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Fireworks by Katie Cotugno

Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington

Have you read You’d Be Mine? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – April 6

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I received my preorder of a book from Indigo:

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Disney Book Group:

Aru Shah and the Song of Death (Pandava Quartet #2) by Roshani Chokshi

I was approved for three books on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore

The Daughter’s Tale by Armando Lucas Correa

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Wednesday Books:

The Last Hope (The Raging Ones #2) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Thank you Disney Book Group, Simon and Schuster Canada, and Wednesday Books for these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: The Devouring Gray

Title: The Devouring Gray
Author: Christine Lynn Herman
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Indigo Summer Preview
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening…

Uprooted from the city, Violet Saunders doesn’t have much hope of fitting in at her new school in Four Paths, a town almost buried in the woodlands of rural New York. The fact that she’s descended from one of the town’s founders doesn’t help much, either—her new neighbours treat her with distant respect, and something very like fear. When she meets Justin, May, Isaac, and Harper, all children of founder families, and sees the otherworldly destruction they can wreak, she starts to wonder if the townsfolk are right to be afraid.

When bodies start to appear in the woods, the locals become downright hostile. Can the teenagers solve the mystery of Four Paths, and their own part in it, before another calamity strikes?

Review:

I loved this book! It’s spooky and suspenseful.

This story has been compared to The Raven Cycle and Stranger Things, and I was definitely reminded of both of those series while reading it. In this story, there is a place in the woods called the Gray. It is like an alternate version of the forest where time feels different. The Gray holds a beast that kills people in the town, so the founding families use their special powers to defend the town. This reminded me of the Upside Down in Stranger Things, which is also like an alternate version of their town.

This town felt like a real place because of all of the history it had. There were four founding families, each of which has their own special power, including seeing the future and bringing stone to life. There was so much history of the town that it seemed like a real place, though it would be a creepy town if it were real.

The characters were also well developed. They had intense histories, including losing family members. The three main characters have to do rituals to get their powers, if they have them. If they don’t have powers, the town looks down on them. The narrative alternated between the perspectives of Justin, Violet, and Harper. They are each in a different position in terms of their relation to the town and the Gray, so they have very different perspectives of the town.

I really enjoyed this story. The ending was open ended, so I’m curious to see what happens in the rest of the series.

What to read next:

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down by Gina McIntyre

Have you read The Devouring Gray? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – April 5

This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.

Here are my first lines:

“Scarlet was descending toward the alley behind the Rieux Tavern when her portscreen chimed from the passenger seat, followed by an automated voice: ‘Comm received for Mademoiselle Scarlet Benoit from the Toulouse Law Enforcement Department of Missing Persons.'”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer.

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Goodreads synopsis:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My review for Scarlet can be found here.

Have you read Scarlet? What did you think of it?

Review: The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story

Title: The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story
Author: Adele Griffin, LeUyen Pham (pictures)
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Adventure and discover with the bold and intrepid Becket Branch when her family’s move from city to a country farm means big changes!

Everything is changing for Becket Branch. From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, Becket is a city kid born and raised. Now the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to Gran’s farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines from feeding animals to baling hay. And as much as Becket loves to yell “Beautiful Alert!” there’s a lot about the countryside that is just plain odd.

But Becket is ready to put her own spin on country life. Whether selling her mouth-puckering lemonade, feeding hostile hens, or trying to make a best friend of her new neighbor Frieda Franca, Becket is determined to use her city smarts to get a grip on farm living. Laugh and learn with Becket as she mucks through the messy, exuberant human experience of change she didn’t ask for, in a story that sparkles with quirky characters and lasting connections.

Review:

This is a great story about growing up and life changes.

Becket goes through many changes in this book. At the beginning, her family moves to her grandmother’s farm. She has to adjust from city life in an apartment to country life on a farm. She also goes to a camp, but it is very different from the camp she used to go to in the city. She doesn’t make friends as easily as she did before. I loved that Becket had to deal with all of these changes in this book, because often kids books just focus on one kind of life change rather than many different ones.

I loved the pictures in the book. There were some at the beginning, but they tapered off towards the end. I had an ARC so this may have changed in the final edition, but I would have loved to have even more pictures because they were so great!

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending. I won’t spoil it, but something happens to one of the animals. It was upsetting to me, because I could relate to it, which made it difficult to read. Things happen to animals as part of life on a farm, so I understand why it was in the story. However, I don’t like reading about things that happen to animals, so it is a personal preference.

I really liked this story. It’s great for middle grade readers.

What to read next:

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

Clara Voyant by Rachelle Delaney

Have you read The Becket List: A Blueberry Farm Story? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – April 4

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but she’s, in fact, one of Quadara’s most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara’s most enlightened region, Eonia. He runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie both find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara’s queens dead.

With no other choices and on the run from Keralie’s former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation’s four dead queens.

An enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queensheralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?