Title: Girl in the Blue Coat
Author: Monica Hesse
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery
Pages: 310
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2016
Format: Audiobook
"Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.
On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person- a Jewish teenager Mrs Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.
Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, gripping novel from a bright new voice."
My Rating: 4.5/5
Another audiobook that I zoomed through. I seem to be in the mood for historical fiction lately and I'm just going for it with my audiobook. I think this book includes a perspective that I haven't read before. The idea of mystery and resistance and taking a hard look at the small things that happen in a huge war and disaster. The changes in friendships and lives that took place during this time never fail to amaze and horrify me. I was just a little disappointed in the ending, and a few of the choices that Hanneke made.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Between Shades of Gray
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Publisher: Speak
Year Published: 2011
Format: Audiobook
"It's 1941 and fifteen-year-old artist Lina Vilkas is on Stalin's extermination list. Deported to a prison camp in Siberia, Lina fights for her life, fearless, risking everything to save her family. It's a long harrowing journey and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?"
My Rating: 5/5
Books like this are hard to rate. Especially because it's based on so much horror and historical truth. I'm under the opinion that we must read about the past so we can stop the same tragedies from taking place in the future. It is horrifying to think that something like this could go unnoticed for 13 years. Or if it was noticed the amount of fear that was in the remaining citizens was so high that they felt they could not help for they were protecting their own. I appreciate the fact that the author often tells stories that people haven't heard of before. Or historical events that are not as well known. I will continue to read her works and learn more about our past as humans. Some may argue that she is brutal and violent in her writing and I agree with those statements. But I believe that this a positive aspect in a historical fiction author. We need the whole truth. It's important especially due to our changes in our government and laws today. It was also important to note that many atrocities take place today and we are so privileged to live in the world that we do.
Thank you for reading,
Sidny
Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Series/Standalone: Red Queen Series (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopian
Pages: 383
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year Published: 2015
Format: Own it (Hardcover and Collectors)
First Line: "I hate First Friday."
"This is a world divided by blood- red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her the long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance- Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart."
My Rating: 5/5
This took a surprisingly long time for me to reread this time around, not because I didn't enjoy it. No rather because I was a bit lazy to reread and needed something that would gather my full attention and for that reason, I listened to many audiobooks lately. I also found that I was more looking forward to some of the aspects that happen in the coming books. I look forward to continuing my reread. Just unsure if it will be immediate.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Series/Standalone: The Syrena Legacy (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Pages: 324
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Year Published: 2012
Format: Audiobook
"Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen- literally, ouch!- both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gift. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom...
Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance."
My Rating: 4/5
This book was something that I couldn't have imagined. I was surprised to enjoy listening to it so much. It was everything that I wanted from a paranormal romance. Mermaids, sarcasm, sexual tension and most importantly a mystery that will change the main characters life. I loved the characters and both the fantastical elements and the realistic ones. I can't wait to continue the series and see where the characters go. Especially after the final twist?
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Final Warning
Author: James Patterson
Series/Standalone: Maximum Ride Series (Book #4)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 256
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Year Published: 2008
Format: Audiobook
"In this breathtaking new story from the astonishing imagination of James Patterson, a girl has to save herself from an army assembled just to capture her-- and maybe save the planet while she's at it.
Maximum Ride is a perfectly normal teenager who just happens to be able to fly, the result of an out-of-control government experiment.
Max and the other members of the FLock-- six kids who share her remarkable ability-- have been asked to aid a group of environmental scientists studying the causes of global warming. The expedition seems like a perfect combination of adventure, activism-- and escaping government forces who watch the Flock like a hawk.
But even in Antartica, trapped in the harshest weather on our planet, Maximum Ride is an irresistible target in constant danger. For whoever controls her powers could also control the world. Maximum Ride is James Patterson's greatest character, a heroine who manages to be human and fearless at once."
My Rating: 1.5/5
This was such a crazy book to listen to. For me, it just came off so preachy. And it was a pretty weird story to hear. They changed the narrator and then the music was still over the top. The more I listen to the audiobooks the more I feel like I'm just too old for this. That being said global warming is a real thing and we do need to take it more seriously. I just can't handle how in your face textbook this book felt overall. Needless to say, going to be taking a break from this series for a while.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Stone Cold
Author: Shannon Watters
Series/Standalone: Lumberjanes (Volume 8)
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Pages: 112
Publisher: BOOM! Box
Year Published: 2018
Format: Paperback Copy (Library Copy)
"Five best friends at summer camp take friendship to the max when they team up to defeat the strange forces lurking within the surrounding forest.
Excited to have Barney starting their first week at the camp, the Roanokes run over to the Zodiac cabin, only to find everyone turned to stone! Between the strange shadows and Diane being back, it looks like April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are going to have their hands full trying to find a cure for their friends... as long as they don't look the wrong thing in the eye first."
My Rating: 2/5
This was a disappointment. I feel that something in this series has changed and I just don't like it anymore. I think that it's been dumbed down and it doesn't hold the same elements that I once loved. It makes me really upset to see something start out so well and then just drop to such a different level due to artistic clashes. I may pick back up the series in the future but it won't be anytime soon.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
