Sublime Karma


Title: Sublime Karma
Author: Peyton Garver
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing 
Release Date: November 30, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

This review is part of the blog tour with YA Bound Book Tours. 

Brie is new at school. She catches the eye of two of the most eleigible bachelors, Ryan and Jake. She runs with Ryan on the cross country team. She sits beside Jake on the bus. But when she starts dating Jake, they realize they both come with baggage. Jake has a history with the captain of the cheer squad, as well as the girl next door. Brie lives with her mother and abusive stepfather. Both of them have lost parents. They have to try to push past their problems to make their romance last. 

There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this story. There were a lot of secondary characters, other than the main ones. This reflects the high school setting, but it was hard to keep track of everyone at first. 

Though there was a lot going on in the story, I got hooked right away. There were many subplots so there was lots of action. I really felt immersed in the story. 

The narration is third person, but it switches the focus between Brie and Jake. It was confusing at times when it switched between the two of them from one paragraph to the next. 

I really enjoyed this story!

Gotham Academy: Second Semester Vol. 1


Title: Gotham Academy: Second Semester Vol. 1
Author: Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Olive Silverlock stayed at Gotham Academy for the winter break. Before school started, a girl showed up in her room, claiming to be her new roommate. Amy convinces Olive to do bad things. They throw a rock through a window. They break into a house on the school property and then torment Eric. Then, a new club starts up, competing with Maps’s detective club. The new club is filled with witches who plan on burning the library books. Maps’s friends have to rescue her after she is brainwashed to join their club. But after saving her, Colton gets caught breaking into a classroom. The headmaster wants to expel him but he gets a trial first. He disappears during his hearing, so the rest of the gang set out to find evidence that he should remain at school and Olive has to face her past yet again. 

This is my favourite book in the Gotham Academy series. It was cohesive from the first comic to the last. It followed one major storyline throughout. Some of the other graphic novels have started with one plot and then drifted off into something else. This one was very consistent. 

The new characters also had a purpose in the story. In past graphic novels, some characters have been introduced but then they disappear. The new character, Amy, shows up for a reason which is revealed at the end of the story. 

I loved this new volume of Gotham Academy. It’s the best one so far! My reviews for Gotham Academy Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy is here, Gotham Academy Vol. 2 is here, and Gotham Academy Vol. 3 is here. 

The Lying Game


Title: The Lying Game
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Isa Wilde’s life changed when she went to boarding school in Salten when she was fifteen. She met Kate, Thea, and Fatima, and they introduced her to the lying game. They would make up lies and the more convincing they were, the more points they would get. But the four girls drifted apart in the seventeen years since they left the school. That is, until Kate texts all three women saying she needs them. They all race to Kate’s home, with Isa bringing her baby, Freya. A body has been discovered close to Kate’s home, and all their lies are coming back to haunt them. 

I liked this thrilling novel. It was very suspenseful. There were so many plot twists throughout the first half, that I didn’t know what was going to happen next. 

I really felt for the characters, which is important to me when reading a book. I kept wanting to tell Isa what to do, which was frustrating, but I also felt sympathetic towards her problems. 

I had kind of figured out what happened by the end of the book. There was a slight twist at the very end, but I had figured out the gist of it. 

I think this thriller will be a big hit this summer. 

Flash Gordon


Title: Flash Gordon
Author: Jeff Parker, Jesse Hamm, Grace Allison
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Dynamite
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

The world has been invaded by Ming, who is Flash Gordon’s nemesis. He placed a new continent in the Pacific Ocean, which created tidal waves around the world. Flash Gordon and his team go to the new land to defeat Ming and send him to another planet. But first they have to face apes, an animal army, and hallucinogenic plants. 

I had never read any Flash Gordon comics before this one. I liked that the illustrations were done in an old fashioned style, so it looks like the original comics. The cover also looks like an old newsprint comic. 

The story was pretty good. I had a hard time getting into it at the beginning because I’m not familiar with the history of the characters. But I liked it by the end. The final action scenes were exciting. 

This graphic novel is great for fans of the original comics and new readers. 

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 1: Revolutions of Terror


Title: Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 1: Revolutions of Terror
Author: Nick Abadzis
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction
Publisher: Titan Comics
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Gabby Gonzalez works in her father’s laundromat. One day while she is there, all of the washing mashines turn on at the same time and open a portal. Everyone in New York starts acting strangely, but they just assume it’s because it is the Day of the Dead. Then the Doctor shows up. There are creatures that play on people’s fears that attach themselves to humans. They entered through Gabby’s washing machines. Only the Doctor can save them now. 

This is a good continuation of the Tenth Doctor’s adventures. I love that even though some doctors are gone, they can live on in the comics and novels. 

The graphic novel played out in the same way that the TV series does when a new companion enters. Gabby was introduced and then we get her reaction to the Doctor. It’s like watching the series with new characters. 

One thing that bothered me is that it was set in New York. I wish the graphic novels were set in London like the majority of the show. It’s a British show so the graphic novels should continue that tradition. 

How To Be A Supervillain


Title: How To Be A Supervillain
Author: Michael Fry
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: jimmy patterson 
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Victor Spoil has supervillain parents called The Spoil Sports. But Victor is too good. They want him to be more evil so he will be a supervillain too. They hire the villain “The Smear” to teach Victor how to be bad. The Smear’s super power is making stains that won’t come out. He takes Victor to a fight he has scheduled against MegaMole. Along the way, Victor meets Octavia who is traveling with MegaMole to learn how to be a superhero. Octavia’s parents think she’s too bad to be a good superhero. Just like Victor, she doesn’t behave the way her parents want her to. All battles between heroes and villains are scheduled and scripted. They know who is going to win before it even begins. But The Smear is tired of losing. He wants to win this time. He travels around with Victor, battling many superheroes and teaching Victor how to be a supervillain. 

This story is so funny. I love all the rules the superheroes and villains had to follow, like having their fights scripted beforehand. The powers they have are also ridiculous, like being able to create stains that can’t be removed. It’s also funny that Victor is too nice and polite to be a supervillain. The typical story of the “bad” child is reversed with the child being too good. 

This book reminded me of Captain Underpants because of the crazy plot and the illustrations within the story. Captain Underpants was one of my favourite series when I was a kid. 

I really enjoyed this unique plot. It’s a great, funny read for middle grade readers and their parents. 

The Crowns of Croswald

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Title: The Crowns of Crosswalk
Author: D.E. Night
Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Stories Untold Press
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Ivy Lovely was a scaldrony maid. The scaldrons are dragons that cook the food in the kitchen of the castle. When one of them gets sick, Ivy is kicked out of the castle. Then, she finds that her belongings have been left outside for her, along with a note from her friend Rimbrick, a dwarf. He is sending her to the Halls of Ivy, a school for royals and scrivenists. Ivy will be a scrivenist, a person who writes and works for a royal family. They have some magic in them, but not as much as the royals. When Ivy arrives at the school, she realizes she has always dreamt of this place. She knows things that others don’t. She is able to remember things that everyone else has forgotten. Ivy has to use her special powers to save the Halls of Ivy and all of Croswald.

This book is a lot like Harry Potter. Ivy had a unique upbringing in a place that did not welcome her. Then she suddenly found out she had special powers and was sent to a magic school. Unlike Harry Potter, Ivy doesn’t know her family history, so it remains a mystery for the reader too.

I found it hard to get into this book for the first couple of chapters because there were so many strange things, such as the scaldrons and the hairies (creatures that create light). But once Ivy went to the school, it started to make sense.

I enjoyed this book. It’s a great start to a new series.

Gotham Academy Volume 3: Yearbook

Title: Gotham Academy Volume 3: Yearbook
Author: Brendan Fletcher, Adam Archer, Sandra Hope
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: November 8, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

The kids of Gotham Academy are back just before the end of the semester. A new girl shows up, who Olive has to show around the school. Maps gets really excited when they discover Riko, the new girl, is a “Robin.” That is, until Riko gets arrested. When Maps isn’t allowed to join the yearbook club, Olive gives her a personal yearbook where they can write down all their adventures. One day, Robin comes into Maps’s room. Pomeline finds him just as he steals Maps’s yearbook. The “Detective Club” have to solve one last mystery of the semester to find the yearbook. Finally, Olive gets sick after seeing the chapel catch fire. They have to figure out who destroyed the chapel. Was it the new visiting professor, like Colton thinks it is? Or is Pomeline right when she guesses it is a vampire?

This graphic novel is filled with lots of short stories of their adventures. These stories are all from Maps’s yearbook. There is also the overarching story that follows Maps’s obsession with the Robins, as well as another potential villain who knows Olive.

Each separate flashback from the yearbook was written and illustrated by a different artist, so they all looked different. At first, I didn’t like all the different styles of art in the book. But it really differentiated between the stories and the main storyline, so it worked well.

The next installment in the Gotham Academy series comes out next week. I’m so excited to read it! You can find my reviews for Gotham Academy Vol. 1 here and Gotham Academy Vol. 2 here.

Royal Replicas


Title: Royal Replicas
Author: Michael Pierce
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: ParousiaSix Press
Release Date: July 11, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

This review is part of the blog tour from YA Bound Blog Tours. 

Victoria Sandalwood lives with Duke and Duchess Ramsey. She has lived with them all her life, but she has never been treated as a daughter. She has been banished to the cellar and is constantly punished for silly things, resulting in her being beaten by Master Ramsey. One day, she gets a message from Queen Hart that says she is her daughter and must return to the castle to marry a prince. Victoria is shocked at this news but also happy to leave her painful life. However, when she arrives at the castle, Victoria meets six other girls who look just like her. She must compete with these other girls to win the Prince’s heart. 

This book is very similar to other popular YA dystopian series right now: The Selection, Red Queen, The Lunar Chronicles. But this one has a clever twist involving genetics. 

Every time I thought I had figured out what was happening, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. The twists were surprising and the pace moved quickly so I was never bored. 

The ending left the story open to a sequel, which I look forward to reading. 

Dollface Volume 1


Title: Dollface Vol. 1
Author: Dan Mendoza
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Action Lab
Release Date: July 18, 2017
Rating: ★

Ivan and Emily created Lila using a 3D printer and the book of the dead. She’s a doll they brought to life. They wanted to create a lifelike sexdoll and make a fortune selling it. But they didn’t realize she would have the soul of a real girl who lived four centuries ago. Lila came with a lot of baggage too. She was killed by a witch, who she meets in the modern world. Lila the dollface and her friends go on a witch hunt to find the book of the dead. 

The plot of the story was interesting. It would make a good story for some people to create a doll but then she has the soul of someone else. With the popularity of 3D printing today, this would be a good story. 

However, I really didn’t like this graphic novel. There was a ton of nudity and swearing that was really unnecessary. I think the story would have been much more effective without it.