Book Review: The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Title: The Host

Author: Stephanie Meyer

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Pages: 624

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Year Published: 2008

Format: Audiobook (Own Physical Copy)

"Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love."

My Rating: 3.5/5

I can't decide how I feel about this book. It was such an unusual story and it felt like a slice-of-life science fiction if that makes sense. It was the most relaxed alien abduction I think I've ever read. It felt very day-to-day while still having an overarching plot. It was fun, it was entertaining but it wasn't captivating. Some choices were made in the love interests that felt a bit dicey. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but it is entertaining if any of this review or the description sounds fun to you.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Chaos

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Series/Standalone: Caster Chronicles (Book #3)

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Pages: 516

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company

Year Published: 2011

Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)

First Line: "In Gatlin, it's funny how the good things are all tied up with the bad."

"Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected- and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What- or who- will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena- and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself- forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This was fine. I felt like there was still some fun 2010s angsty paranormal young adult book moments. It was interesting to see how the characters had changed, or not changed from the first book and watch where the authors were taking this series. I was surprised that they chose to end it on such a cliffhanger, and I will be continuing the series as soon as possible to finish this binge read. Overall, fun but nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Darkness

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Series/Standalone: Caster Chronicles (Book #2)

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Pages: 503

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company

Year Published: 2010

Format: Audiobook (Own a Physical Copy)

"Fall under the spell of the Beautiful Darkness, the sequel to the instant NYT bestselling gothic fantasy, Beautiful Creatures!

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin as a pace where nothing ever changed. Then mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes revealed a secret world of curses and Supernaturals with terrifying abilities. Lena showed him a Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen. Sometimes life-ending.

And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems."

My Rating: 2.25/5

This wasn't what I expected from the sequel and in many ways I was disappointed. I was upset about the love triangle aspects, the changes in character development and setting. That being said, if I had read these when I was in 10th grade when they were published I would be eating this up. I am interested in where the story is going and do enjoy the audiobooks. They are entertaining without being heavy. If you're looking for some 2010s YA angsty paranormal romance, pick them up. I'll be picking up the next book in the new year on audio. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Series/Standalone: Caster Chronicles (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Pages: 563

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company

Year Published: 2009

Format: Audiobook and Physical Copy

"Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. 

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything."

My Rating: 2.75/5

Rating books is such an odd experience. For example, this story is so quintessentially 2010s paranormal romance that I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew that the romance would be questionable and that there would be a lot of yearning and angst. It's exactly what I wanted that being said, was it a magnificent book? Not for my current reading taste, was it fun? Absolutely. I think my main gripe about this book is our characters they don't have anything really interesting about them. There were also some points in here that would fly under the radar at the time of being published, but now fat-shaming a teenager, or having the story take place revolving around the Civil War without a black perspective would be questioned. Overall, I enjoyed it for what it was and will continue for a fun and light read. Not the best book I've read, but still enjoyable.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

Title: The Queen of Nothing
Author: Holly Black
Series/Standalone: The Folk of Air Series (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 308
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year Published: 2019
Format: Audiobook

"He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to. Jude learned that lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now, as an exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time, determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines, she becomes ensnared in the conflict's bloody politics.

And when a terrible curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity...."

My Rating: 3.75/5

I know that for lovers of this series this book was not a lot of people's favourites. But I really enjoyed it. I felt more connected to the characters and although there were plot lines that I wished had been further developed, I enjoyed the story overall. I think that this cast of characters goes through so much growth and there is such a great plot that it was a good series. That being said, I don't think that I will be purchasing the whole series for my personal collection, I've read it once and that was enough for me. I loved the angsty aspects of the story especially and look forward to perhaps reading more by Holly Black in the future. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The 100 by Kass Morgan

Title: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Series/Standalone: The 100 Series (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction
Pages: 323
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year Published: 2013
Format: Audiobook (Own a physical copy)

"No one has set foot on Earth in centuries- until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents- considered expendable by society- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life... or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came toe Earth for the girl he loves- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless Bellamy fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And Glass managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their past, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope."

My Rating: 4.75/5

I was fully prepared for this to be corny and horrible. And get this... it wasn't. It was super enjoyable. We follow 4 characters (2 female, 2 male) after descent to earth. We also get to jump back into their lives on the station that humans have lived on for the past 300 years. We really get to see things from different perspectives and different ways of life on the ships. It's also interesting to see people experience things for the first time. Things that we easily take for granted. 
Now for the negative thoughts. I didn't like that there was a love triangle, but the fact that it was written in 2013 and was picked up by a tv network for a show should have clued me in that this would happen. I also hate Wells, with a fiery passion so there's that as a negative.

Overall I would suggest the audiobook to anyone looking for an addicting YA Science Fiction read!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Title: Hunting Prince Dracula
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Series/Standalone: Stalking Jack the Ripper Series (Book #2)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult
Pages: 435
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Year Published: 2017
Format: Audiobook

"In this New York Time bestselling sequel to Kerri Maniscalco's haunting #1 debut Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer... or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europes best schools for forensic medicine... and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries of the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again."

My Rating: 4.25/5

I've been eating up these audiobooks as I am waiting for the anticipated conclusion that will come out in September, but at this rate, I will be finished the rest of the books far before I get to read that one. I cannot recommend these audiobooks enough. I think that the narrator does a wonderful job of capturing the characters and who they truly are. I also think that her reading of the books helps add to the suspense of the story overall. I liked the writing, the only thing that I found to be a little over the top this time was the continual reminder that we are in a castle with potentially haunted woods. I understood the first time I was told but then it was repeated quite a few times. I can see that the author was really trying to drive home how dangerous it was but it got to be a little over the top. I can't wait to continue the series and see where the author takes us. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

Title: Little & Lion
Author: Brandy Colbert
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT
Pages: 330
Publisher: Little, Brown
Year Published: 2017
Format: Audiobook

"When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back, L.A. is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support.

But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new... the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself-- or worse."

My Rating: 4.5/5

I decided to take out this audiobook on a whim. And I was shocked by how much I enjoyed the storyline. This book deals with so many aspects of life: race, sexuality, family and what makes them, mental illness and probably more than I'm missing. This story really taught me somethings about bipolar disorder that I didn't know about (not sure if this is own voices or not). I was invested in Suzette's life and was interested in her relationship with other characters around her. I think that the author did something interesting where she took a character from a very trendy city to a small town and then back again comparing the differences in opinions on sexuality and race. Overall I really liked it and only docked .5 stars due to one aspect that kinda bothered me\

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson

Title: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
Author: James Patterson
Series/Standalone: Maximum Ride (Book #3)
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction,
Pages: 405
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year Published: 2007
Format: Audiobook

"In MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution," a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race... and to terminate the rest. 
Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them-- but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

My Rating: 2.5/5

I know that this one was supposed to be more dramatic but I just found that it was so repetitive to the ones in the past that I had trouble caring about the world and the characters. I will say that the fight scenes in this were well written and interesting, but other than those I wasn't too invested in anything that was happening. I am looking forward to continuing the series and wonder where the author will take it now that they have a different voice reading them and the characters have a different objective.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: School's Out- Forever by James Patterson

Title: School's Out- Forever
Author: James Patterson
Series/Standalone: Maximum Ride Series (Book #2)
Genre: Paranormal, Science Fiction, Young Adul
Pages: 409
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year Published: 2006
Format: Audiobook

"In this eagerly awaited follow-up, brave bird-kid Max and her flock are discovered by an FBI agent and forced to go to "school." There is no such thing as an ordinary day as Max deciphers how and when she's supposed to save the world, and she faces her greatest enemy- a clone of herself."

My Rating: 3.5/5

Again I read part of this series when I was probably 14-16 and I really liked it then. So when I saw that my library had all the audiobooks. How could I resist? I think that this series holds up fairly well and would likely be great for people in their teens, but it's a little young for me. And as per usual it's a little dated just due to how far technology has come in the past 13 years. The other thing to note is the audiobook has a lot of music and sound effects. It works ok for me, but it can be a little over the top at times. Just a heads up.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

Title: The Walled City
Author: Ryan Graudin
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, 
Pages: 424
Publisher: Little, Brown
Year Published: 2014
Format: Audiobook

"730. That's how many days I've been trapped.
18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out.

DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible...

JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister...

MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window...

In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This story was certainly entertaining, and I'm curious about the setting, to say the least. Due to the author note, I was able to better understand the setting and the use of names. I was happy to see that the author did her research and portrayed a story that was similar to some historical events. I enjoyed the characters overall but found that the romance seemed to take over a book that didn't particularly need romance. I really enjoyed the writing style and the dark ideas throughout and would read work from the author again. 

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

When I started to listen to this audiobook I was really enjoying the dark twists and turns in the setting as well as the characters lives. Unfortunately, after renewing my audiobook I found the last 3 hours to be less entertaining than the first half of this story. I was a little disappointed in the development of the romance, especially with the love at first sight into that the two characters get.
I was happy to hear that the author did research on the original "Walled City" and the way people lived within its borders. I was grateful that she had done research so she could tell a story that was similar to the original while taking creative license to make her own story.

Characters:
Jin Ling: I thought that her devotion to her sister was so beautiful and well written. I could clearly understand her motivation and her needs to find her sister. I also liked that while she has had to grow a thick skin, she still has adopted a cat to take in. I also enjoyed her blossoming friendship with Dai and her stubbornness.

Dai: I loved his character more before we knew why he thought he was a bad guy. I know it's wrong to hope that someone who says they are not good, to actually not be good, but I just like a good evil character who has done wrong but changes. I also loved his ability to stick up for himself with the Brotherhood.

Mei Yee: I think that she might be the strongest out of all our characters. She stays strong even though she is expected to take men to her bed regardless. And yes she's "lucky" that she only has to take one, but at the same point, it's not consented by her for him to touch her.

Sing: Her death hit me hard, but in the real walled city she would have been one of many. 

Mama Son: I understand her fear of moving on, and not believing that she belonged anywhere but her cage. I wonder about her backstory.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 328
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year Published: 2006
Format: Audiobook (Own Physical Copy)

"The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder-- a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first- time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family's need for peace and closure.

The details of the crime are laid out in the first few pages: from her vantage point in heaven, Susie Salmon describes how she was confronted by the murderer one December afternoon on her way home from school. Lured into an underground hiding place, she was raped and killed. But what the reader knows, her family does not. Anxiously, we keep vigil with Susie, aching for her grieving family, desperate for the killer to be found and punished.

Sebold creates a heaven that's calm and comforting, a place whose residents can have whatever they enjoyed when they were alive-- and then some. But Susie isn't ready to release her hold on life just yet, and she intensely watches her family and friends as they struggle to cope with a reality in which she is no longer a part. To her great credit, Sebold has shaped one of the most loving and sympathetic fathers in contemporary literature.

My Rating: 3.75/5

So I'm starting off this year with a lot of adult books that I'm reading. This book has been a long time coming, firstly because I've been listening to it on and off for about 2 and a half months. Why so long? Because it was my filler audiobook between books I was waiting for on Overdrive. So it took me a while to read this book, but it wasn't quite my favourite book. I really enjoyed the first half of this book where it deals with the families grief in the presence of the tragedy, but as time went on I just felt that the book was getting too drawn out. I was excited to see how the family changed over the years. Overall it was a good audiobook just not as great as I hoped that it would be.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This book has been out for over 10 years and I'm just now getting to it. I'm trying, honest to god. I've been reading this book on and off for about 2 months for the simple reason that it was a good filler book for in between other books I had on hold. This book tells the story of Susie Salmon who is brutally raped then murdered. It shows how her family copes with their grief and the mystery of the disappearance of the oldest Salmon child. I think that the audiobook does a great job of telling the story how the author imagined (mostly because the author is the narrator). This story does an interesting job of helping readers understand grief and acceptance of losing ones they love.

Characters:
Susie: She is an interesting perspective to follow from as she has an omniscient point of view for most of the storyline. She is all knowing and all seeing. She watches her family, friends, first love and killer grow up without her and sees a future she will never have. She gets to interact with those in her heaven as well but seems dead set on spending more of her time watching the living than anything else. I was happy that she was able to let go of her family and enjoy her heaven while they continued on in life.

Lindsey: I liked that she didn't take shit from anyone. Yes, she suffered the tragedy of losing her sister, but she was able to continue on bravely with Sam beside her. I loved them as a couple and was so excited to see them grow up together and get closer and closer.

Buckley: I wonder how he would have grown without his mother for a large part of his life, and then his mother coming back as he entered his preteens. That couldn't be easy for him. 

Abigail (Mother): I understand why she did what she did, but it was extremely frustrating to hear about. I think the fact that she felt the need to run away and identifies Jack as being the stronger of the two of them was an interesting addition to the storyline. I do wonder if she would stay for the rest of their marriage though. 

Jack (Father): He was strong enough to continue living while fighting to find his daughters killer. I was extremely frustrated that no believed that he could have guessed his daughters killer and that Harvey got away for such a long period of time. But it's not as though Susie was the first. 

Ruth: I wonder how long she could see those who had passed into their heavens. Was it a constant thing or did it happen after Susie passed her? And how would it feel to leave your body to someone else and return knowing someone else had worn it (this sounds weird if you haven't read the book... I'm so sorry). I liked that she was unapologetically unique. She was so unique in her small town.

Sam: He and Lindsey were perfect for each other. They seemed to really even each other out. I wonder about their future but in a pleasant way where I don't need to see their future in writing to know that they would be happy. 

Ray: I loved Ray as well, he dealt with being a suspect in a strong manner (especially with a strong as hell mother which is something I can appreciate). He and Ruth make an unusual pair of friends, but I love them. 

Len: Not my favourite guy. He let Abigail in when she was grieving which is one thing, but maybe letting her sleep with you wasn't your best choice.

Grandma Lynn: Nothing like the drunk relative character. I enjoyed her as well. She told it how it was which is something I enjoyed listening to. I do wonder about her heaven. 

George Harvey: This man is a sick freak. That's an understatement but the fact that we see some of his past was important to the storyline. He saw some things and did many more things that shouldn't have been seen or done. I was surprised how many murders and rapes he had committed without being caught, but at the same time, there was not the technology we have now to assist with solving crimes.  I'm happy he met the end he did, although I hoped that he had driven right into the sinkhole and died from being crushed in surrounding eath, that would have a nice twinge of revenge to it. Cosmic revenge of course. 


Thanks for reading,
Sidny