Title: Foundryside
Author: Robert Jackson Bennet
Series/Standalone: Founders Series (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Adult
Pages: 512
Publisher: Crown
Year Published: 2018
Format: Audiobook
"Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne's docks, is nothing her unique abilities can't handle.
But unbeknownst to her, Sancia's been sent to steal an artifact of the unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic-- the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience-- have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact's secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims.
Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there's nobody with the power to stop them.
To have a chance at surviving-- and at stopping the deadly transformation that's underway-- Sancia will have to marshall unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact's power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined."
My Rating: 2.5/5
I found that this work was really hard to get into. Maybe that is due to the fact that I haven't read many Adult Fantasy works but this one took me a while to be interested in what was happening in the story overall. This also could be due to the fact that I really need to care about the characters in a story to continue on with the novel and truly care about where the plot was going. It wasn't until the last 2 hours that I felt something strong for our main characters and our side characters. There is a ton of world-building in this story and I understand why because the magic system is very different from other things I've heard about and needed a lot of explanation for the reader. I do wish that we could have gotten a bit more show and a little less tell, that being said I understand why the author had to use the tell method more often with such a complex magic system. I would recommend the audiobook for anyone who struggles with name pronunciation because when I was typing this books description I didn't expect any names to be spelt the way they were. Is this only a me problem?
I did like the plot of the heist and the plot twists were amazing! I'm still unsure if I will continue on with the next book in the series, for now, I"m curious but content to wait it out.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Dirty Rowdy Things
Author: Christina Lauren
Series/Standalone: Wild Season Series (Book #2)
Genre: Romance, New Adult,
Pages: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books
Year Published: 2014
Format: Paperback (Library Copy)
First Line: "I burst through the doors of this random Starbucks in this random neighbourhood in hopes of forgetting the second-worst lay of my life."
"From the New York Times best-selling author of Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, and Beautiful Player, Book Two of the brand-new Wild Seasons series that started with Sweet Filthy Boy- a story of friends, love and lust.
Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don't even like each other... which would explain why their marriage lasted only 12 hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she's too similar to the rugged fisherman- or just what he needs."
My Rating: 3.5/5
I thought for sure that this one would be more up my alley but it just used a few tropes that I didn't enjoy. I didn't like some of the kinks but I liked the overall plot. It was just ok for me. I enjoyed the side characters and seeing where Ansel and Mia are now. I'm also super interested in Ollie's and Lola's stories. I think I am going to wait to read the next one until I'm needing a bit of romance or smut. Until then, I"m good.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Paper Girls Vol. 5
Author: Brian K Vaughan
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson
Genre: Science Fiction, Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Pages: 128
Publisher: Image Comics
Year Published: 2018
Format: Paperback (Library Copy)
"Can anyone escape fate? That's what Mac and her fellow newspaper delivery girls must discover as they escape the year 2000 and travel to the distant future. Plus, the truth behind the mysterious "old-timers" is finally revealed."
My Rating: 4.5/5
This is starting to really unravel some of the mysteries that have been around since the start of the series. I'm enjoying unravelling where everyone came from and how the series might wrap up. I was grateful also to see how the series has grown each freaking volume. I'm nervous for the ending of the series, but happy that I read it.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Paper Girls Vol. 4
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson, Jared K. Fletcher
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 128
Publisher: Image Comics
Year Published: 2018
Format: Paperback (Library Copy)
"The mind-bending, time-warping adventure from Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang continues, as intrepid newspaper deliverer Tiffany is launched from the prehistoric past into the year 2000! In this harrowing version of our past, Y@K was even more of a cataclysm than experts feared, and the only person who can save the future is a 12-year-old girl from 1988."
My Rating: 4/5
It was super interesting to see the early 2000s Y2K fiasco that happens in an alternate past. At least past for me, in my current present. This series is so hard to talk about and explain without messing up timelines. I liked the story and the way the authors handled coming out in the group. I can't wait to continue the series. Hard to believe just 2 more volumes.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Wonder
Author: R.J Palacio
Series/Standalone: Wonder Series (Book #1)
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Pages: 315
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Year Published: 2012
Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)
First Line: "I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid."
"'I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.'
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid- but his new classmates can't get past Auggie's extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Time bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie's point of view, but switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community's struggle with empathy, compassion and acceptance."
My Rating: 3.75/5
This book has touched a lot of people and made them think about their places in the world, as well as in other people's lives. I kind of knew what this story was about and some of the content matter, but I wasn't prepared for how brutal it got at some points. I enjoyed this story overall, I understand how it gained such traction and why so many middle schooler's read it. I just don't think it was for me 100% there were just some points that I thought could have been done better or actions could have been taken to tell more of his mother's story. That being said I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone in middle school. I'm excited to watch the movie adaptation as well. Anyone have a preference between the two?
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Capturing the Devil
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Series/Standalone: Stalking Jack the Ripper Series (Book #4)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery
Pages: 453
Publisher: JIMMY Patterson
Year Published: 2019
Format: Audiobook
"In the shocking finale to the bestselling series that began with Stalking Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose and Thomas are on the hunt for the depraved elusive killer known as the White City Devil. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse has them fighting to stay one step ahead of the brilliant serial killer-- or see their fateful romance cut short by an unspeakable tragedy.
Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have landed in America, a bold, brash land unlike the genteel streets of London they knew. But like London, the city of Chicago hides its dark secrets well. When the two attend the spectacular World's fair they find the once-in-a-lifetime event tainted with reports of missing people and unsolved murders.
Determined to help, Audrey Rose and Thoma begin their investigation, only to find themselves facing a serial killer unlike any they've heard of before. Identifying him is one thing, but capturing him-- and getting dangerously lost in the infamous Murder Hotel he constructed as a terrifying torture device-- is another.
Will Audrey Rose and Thomas see their last mystery to the end-- together and in love-- or will their fortunes finally run out when their most depraved adversary makes one final, devastating kill?"
My Rating: 4/5
First off if you've read the description and were interested in the criminal aspects of this story, it has already been spoiled for you. The aspect of the murder hotel comes in the last 2 hours of the audiobook correlate that to pages if you wish. I still loved the characters and that's what carried me through this story. I will say that the drama with families was pretty interesting and kept me entertained for the first half of the book. I was also hoping in the last half of the book the mystery would pick up more than it did, but unfortunately, it just didn't. Overall I was happy to see the series through but it was a good time to end it. It was really time to wrap it. Now if anyone has read the novella, I would really appreciate knowing if I should check it out or not.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Fever
Author: Lauren Destefano
Series/Standalone: The Chemical Gardens Series (Book #2)
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 341
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Year Published: 2012
Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)
First Line: "We run, with water in our shoes and the smell of the ocean clinging to our frozen skin."
"Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.
Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans wait for her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago- surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopefulness.
The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous- and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can't seem to elude Rhine's father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion... by any means necessary.
In the sequel to Lauren Destefano's harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price- now that she has more to lose than ever."
My Rating: 4.5/5
This series just continues to surprise me. It's not following every other formula that I've seen for dystopian books. I was so excited to see where this series would go and it really didn't do the expected. What I expected was that they would find her brother and set up a plot to attack the government or House Vaughan. Spoilers: That's not what happened. At all. We saw so many different aspects of this world and how people were surviving. Also, the changes in government and laws were extremely interesting. I can't wait to see where the story goes after the crazy conclusion.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Ends of the World
Author: Maggie Hall
Series/Standalone: The Conspiracy of Us Series (Book #3)
Genre: Romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 309
Publisher: G.P Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2017
Format: Audiobook
"The Circle is hers. But Avery West has lost everything: her mother, the family she'd just found and the one boy she trusted. In their place are unfathomable power, a staged relationship that makes her question every real feeling she's ever had, and a mission to find the cure to the virus that's made her own blood a weapon.
Then disaster strikes, turning Avery, Stellan, Jack and Elodie into the most wanted people in the world. To clear their names and the growing rift between the families of the Circle before the world dissolves into World War Three, they'll have to make a desperate, dangerous final race for Alexander the Great's tomb. What they will find inside will mean the world's salvation- or destruction.
Avery will have to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice- for the world, for family and for love-in this conclusion to the Conspiracy of Us series."
My Rating: 1/5
I rarely hate a book series. But here it is the series that I kept thinking must get better, but it just didn't. There was one plot point that I thought could have been interesting in the very end of the book, one character I was intrigued by and guess what, they got killed off. I didn't think that this was logically or atmospheric, it was corny and straight-up stupid to me. I don't think I will bother reading anything else by the author. Maybe it was the plot or the writing but this whole series was just not for me! I don't understand the praise that it's gained from some of the booktubers I follow. I just literally don't get it. First 1 star of the year!
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Paper Girls 3
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson, Jared K. Fletcher
Series/Standalone: Paper Girls Volume 3
Genre: Science Fiction, Adult, Graphic Novel
Pages: 128
Publisher: Image Comics
Year Published: 2017
Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)
"The multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as newspaper deliverers, Erin, Mac and Tiffany finally reunite with their long-lost friend KJ in an unexpected new era, where the girls must uncover the secret origins of time travel... or risk never returning home to 1988."
My Rating: 3.5/5
I really hoped that I would understand something more about this storyline or be a little more intrigued at this point and I"m just not quite there. I'm enjoying myself. It's ok, it's just ok though, not as great as I want it to be. I have heard wonderful things about the last instalments and I can't wait to get to them. This one delves a little more into KJ's inner feelings and the changes she's going (aside from the crazy ones). I'm loving the cliff hangers and can't wait to see how the plot wraps up. I'm trying to prepare myself for not all my questions being answered. Not my favourite ending, but a potential ending for this series for sure.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Sweet Filthy Boy
Author: Christina Lauren
Series/Standalone: Wild Seasons (Book #1)
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Smut
Pages: 418
Publisher: Gallery Books
Year Published: 2014
Format: Paperback Copy (Own it)
"One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive or regrettable. They aren't supposed to be with someone like him.
But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation- and terrified of the future path she knows is a copout- Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume- her sweet, filthy fling- to France for the summer and just... play.
When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away."
My Rating: 3.75/5
This is my first (what I would consider) New Adult novel. And it was really something. Exactly what I needed at the time but not full of a ton of substance. I really enjoyed the interactions between the female characters at the start of the novel and the way they were building each other up (alway something to celebrate while reading). That being said there was a use of a vengeful ex-girlfriend, not a troupe I hate, also not my favourite. The smut scenes were well written just not really my particular cup of tea. I also found that the conflict resolution was lacking, as to be expected, to make for a happy ending. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series and getting to see some of the side characters.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
