Jill's Book Blog

Review: Archie, Vol. 3

Title: Archie, Vol. 3
Author: Mark Waid, Joe Eisma
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Archie Comics Publications
Source: Library
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Introducing… Cheryl Blossom! The fiery red-head takes center stage as Archie and Veronica’s worlds are torn apart as the two are living thousands of miles away from each other. What will happen to the rest of Archie’s friends in Riverdale? And just what kind of havoc will Cheryl Blossom wreak? All the answers and more in the third volume of the SMASH HIT Archie series! Collects Archie issues 13 – 17.

Review:

When I was little, I didn’t like Cheryl Blossom. She made rare appearances in the Double Digests I read. In those comics, she would arrive in Riverdale and upset the love triangle of Archie, Betty, and Veronica. Betty and Veronica didn’t like her, so I didn’t either. Ironically, she’s now one of my favourite characters on the new TV series, Riverdale.

Cheryl plays a slightly different role in this story. She meets Veronica while away at boarding school in Switzerland, and she eventually makes her way to Riverdale. Meanwhile back in Riverdale, Archie has a kind of mental breakdown and decides to live like Jughead. That part of the story was strange, so I enjoyed the Veronica/Cheryl story better.

This is a great third volume in the series!

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – October 10

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi.

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Odd One Out

Title: Odd One Out
Author: Nic Stone
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martincomes this illuminating exploration of old friendships, new crushes, and the path to self-discovery.

Courtney “Coop” Cooper
Dumped. Again. And normally I wouldn’t mind. But right now, my best friend and source of solace, Jupiter Sanchez, is ignoring me to text some girl.

Rae Evelyn Chin
I assumed “new girl” would be synonymous with “pariah,” but Jupiter and Courtney make me feel like I’m right where I belong. I also want to kiss him. And her. Which is . . . perplexing.

Jupiter Charity-Sanchez
The only thing worse than losing the girl you love to a boy is losing her to your boy. That means losing him, too. I have to make a move. . . .

One story.
Three sides.
No easy answers.

Review:

This story was separated into three parts. Each part was narrated by a different character. This made the story very tense, while I was wondering what the other characters were thinking in the different narratives. The ending of each part was so emotional. There were major revelations each time from the different characters, which really built the tension until the next part.

I loved Courtney and Jupiter. I was rooting from them right from the beginning, even though she was gay. They were so perfect with each other, so I wanted them to be together. However, things got complicated when Rae arrived. Jupiter liked Rae and Courtney liked Jupiter, while Rae liked both of them. It was a complicated set of relationships.

I know many people don’t like reading about love triangles, but I don’t mind them. I’ve witnessed them in real life many times, so I can understand why they’re so prevalent in books. This love triangle was complex because of the different gender identities that were involved.

I just loved this story! It’s an amazing, modern coming of age story.

Top Ten Tuesday – Longest Books I’ve Ever Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Longest Books I’ve Ever Read. Here’s my list:

1. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (1036 pages)

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (766 pages)

3. Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (659 pages)

4. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin (695 pages)

5. Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin (784 pages)

6. Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin (973 pages)

7. A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4) by George R.R. Martin (936 pages)

8. Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon (868 pages)

9. Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon (743 pages)

10. Voyager (Outlander#3) by Diana Gabaldon (870 pages)

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: Making Friends

Title: Making Friends
Author: Kristen Gudsnuk
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Graphix
Source: Library
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixth grade was SO much easier for Danielle. All her friends were in the same room and she knew what to expect from her life. But now that she’s in seventh grade, she’s in a new middle school, her friends are in different classes and forming new cliques, and she is completely lost.

When Danielle inherits a magical sketchbook from her eccentric great aunt Elma, she draws Madison, an ideal best friend that springs to life right off the page! But even when you create a best friend, it’s not easy navigating the ups and downs of relationships, and before long Danielle and Madison are not exactly seeing eye-to-eye.

To make matters worse, Danielle has drawn the head of her favorite (and totally misunderstood) cartoon villain, Prince Neptune. He’s also come to life and is giving her terrible advice about how to make people like her. When she rejects him and he goes on a rampage during a school pep rally, Danielle and Madison have to set aside their differences to stop him!

Review:

This story started out really well. Danielle experienced a dreaded schedule in school, where her friends were assigned to different classes. I had that happen a couple of times, including when we had two separate lunch periods in high school. However, I ended up making a friend who is still my best friend ten years later. Danielle handled the situation differently.

Dani found a magic sketchbook that would bring her drawings to life, so she drew a best friend. Things became tricky when her friend began looking for her own family, who do not exist since she was created on paper. Dani also drew the head of Prince Neptune, a character on a show similar to Sailor Moon. He came to life and tried to control Dani.

I think Dani could have handled the situation better. Things got really out of control at the end, which left everyone with magic powers. This was a random ending to the story. Also, I don’t think Dani learned from her mistake of creating friends in her sketchbook. This situation could have been portrayed in a more realistic way to help the young readers who may also go through the same experience.

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – October 8

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished Odd One Out by Nic Stone.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Devil’s Thief (The Last Magician #2) by Lisa Maxwell.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – October 7

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

Misfits (Royal Academy Rebels #1) ★★★★★
Son of a Critch: A Childish Newfoundland Memoir ★★★★★
Dawn and the Impossible Three (Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #5) ★★★★★
Swallow’s Dance ★★★★
Grim Lovelies ★★★★
The Truth About Martians ★★★★★

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… The Devil’s Thief (The Last Magician #2)

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 reading The Devil’s Thief (The Last Magician #2) by Lisa Maxwell.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this spellbinding sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Last Magician, Esta and Harte set off on a cross-country chase through time to steal back the elemental stones they need to save the future of magic.

Hunt the Stones.
Beware the Thief.
Avenge the Past.

Esta’s parents were murdered. Her life was stolen. And everything she knew about magic was a lie. She thought the Book of Mysteries held the key to freeing the Mageus from the Order’s grasp, but the danger within its pages was greater than she ever imagined.

Now the Book’s furious power lives inside Harte. If he can’t control it, it will rip apart the world to get its revenge, and it will use Esta to do it.

To bind the power, Esta and Harte must track down four elemental stones scattered across the continent. But the world outside the city is like nothing they expected. There are Mageus beyond the Brink not willing to live in the shadows—and the Order isn’t alone in its mission to crush them.

In St. Louis, the extravagant World’s Fair hides the first stone, but an old enemy is out for revenge and a new enemy is emerging. And back in New York, Viola and Jianyu must defeat a traitor in a city on the verge of chaos.

As past and future collide, time is running out to rewrite history—even for a time-traveling thief.

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: The Truth About Martians

Title: The Truth About Martians
Author: Melissa Savage
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A boy and his best friends set out to discover the aliens who crash-landed next to their Roswell, New Mexico, farm in this charming novel packed with adventure and heart, perfect for fans of Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish and Jennifer L. Holm’s The Fourteenth Goldfish.

Mylo never really believed in Martians, unless they had a starring role in one of his comic books. But then a flying saucer crash-lands next to his Roswell, New Mexico, ranch, and he starts to hear voices–like someone is asking for his help.

With his best friend Dibs and crush Gracie by his side, and his Cracker Jack superhero membership card, a slingshot, and a small American flag–for peace–in tow, Mylo sets out on an epic adventure to investigate the crash and find the Martians. But he and his friends end up discovering more about the universe than they ever could have imagined.

Review:

I really enjoyed this story!

At first, I didn’t realize it was about the famous Roswell spaceship. This is a cool way to teach kids history, though it is a fictional story. The historical elements of the story were great, especially the way that the kids rode horses around town.

This story was also an emotional rollercoaster. The main character lost his brother a year before, and he keeps revisiting his grave. He misses him tremendously. Though he’s excited about the alien discovery, he wishes his brother was there with him to experience it too.

This story was fast paced and exciting! I loved it!

Stacking the Shelves – October 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 these books from the Penguin Random House Canada Fall Preview:

Set for the Holidays with Anna Olson by Anna Olson
The Oyster Thief by Sonia Faruqi
Midnight Light: A Personal Journey to the North by Dave Bidini
The Winters by Lisa Gabriele
Boy Wonders: A Memoir by Cathal Kelly
Dreaming Sally: A True Story of First Love, Sudden Death and Long Shadows by James Fitzgerald