Title: Paper Girls Vol. 1
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson, Jared K. Fletcher
Series/Standalone: Paper Girls Series (Volume #1)
Genre: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 144
Publisher: Image Comics
Year Published: 2016
Format: Paperback Copy (Library Copy)
"SAGA writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN launches a brand-new ONGOING SERIES with superstar Wonder Woman artist CLIFF CHANG! In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12 year-old newpaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time."
My Rating: 5/5
Part of me is really lost about what the hell this was but at the same time I loved it. There is a sense of intrigue, rebellion and wholesome content just due to the age of the characters that we are dealing with. I'm loving the Stranger Things vibes that this is giving off and I'm hoping to take out the rest of the books in the New Year. Sorry I ignored so many people who recommended this to me.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Series/Standalone: The Chemical Garden Trilogy (Book #3)
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Pages: 358
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2011
Format: Hardcover (Own It)
First Line: "I wait."
"By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Genetics are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.
When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape-- before her time runs out?
Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts toe scape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?"
My Rating: 4/5
This story is so fascinating. I love the idea of the world (and by love I mean I'm terrified, but it's creative). The writing in this book was well paced and well written. The characters were easy to fall in love with and relate too (as much as one can in this scenario). I was super interested throughout and I can't wait to continue the series. The one reason I decided to dock a star off my rating is because I know where the romance in this series is going and I just don't really care for it. To be honest I don't want the main character to fall for anyone, I'd rather there just be a friendship. But it's fairly obvious where the romance is going and why.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Rebellion
Author: Kass Morgan
Series/Standalone: The 100 Series (Book #4)
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2016
Format: Audiobook
"Centuries after nuclear war destroyed our planet, humanity struggles to rebuild. It's been a month since the dropships landed and the Colonists joined the Hundred on the ground. The teens, once branded juvenile delinquents, are now leaders among their people.
The Colonists and the Earthborn's are celebrating their first holiday together when, to everyone's horror, they're attacked by a group of strangers whose unusual battle cries fill the air. The newcomers kill scores of people, seize prisoners and pillage the crucial supplies. When hotheaded Bellamy and his analytical girlfriend Clarke discover that Wells, Octavia and Glass have been captured, they vow to get them back at all costs. But as they go after their new enemies, Bellamy and Clark find themselves increasingly at odds, unable to agree on a plan to save their friends.
Meanwhile, Wells, Octavia, and Glass are being slowly brainwashed by their captors, religious fanatics with one goal: to grow their ranks and 'heal' the war-ravaged planet... by eliminating everyone else on it.
But centuries of radiation exposure have taken their toll, forcing the cult to take drastic steps to survive. And unless the rescue party arrives soon, the teen captives will face a fate more terrifying than anything they could imagine. IN this thrilling fourth installment, the hundred fight to protect people they love on the dangerous planet they always dreamed of calling."
My Rating: 2.75/5
I think that this by far the weakest instalment in the series and it makes sense that the series ended here. I think that things were resolved in some ways too quickly and in other ways far too slow. The use of miscommunication in this story was just at some points over the top. I also found myself eye-rolling a bit more than usual. I did enjoy the idea and the change of pace away from our regular setting. I just think that it could have been executed in a different way. I'm glad that I read the story but if you are concerned after reading the 3rd book that might be a good place for you to stop in the series.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: My Brother's Husband Vol. 2
Author: Gengoroh Tagame
Genre: Manga, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Year Published: 2018
Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)
" The concluding volume in the story of Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and how their meeting Mike Flanagan- Yachi's brother-in-law-- changes their lives and perception of acceptance of homosexuality in their contemporary Japenese culture.
As Mike continues his journey of discovery concerning Ryoji's past, Yaichi gradually comes to understand that being gay is just another way of being human. And that, in many ways, remains a radical concept in Japan even today. In the meantime, the bond between Mike and young Kana grows ever stronger, and yet he is going to have to return to Canada soon-- a fact that fills them both with impending heartbreak. But not before more than a few revelations come to light."
My Rating: 4/5
These two stories are so amazing. It's important for everyone to read. I think that this story really explores the view of homosexuality through biases in Japan as well as through the fresh eyes of a child. Working with children, I often see a parent having problems with something that children don't even linger on as "odd". I will certainly read anything else translated from Gengoroh Tagame. I hope that they continue this somehow with Kana and Yachi go to Canada.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Homecoming
Author: Kass Morgan
Series/Standalone: The 100 Series (Book #3)
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 345
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2015
Format: Audiobook
"Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space.
These new arrivals are the lucky ones- back on the Colony, the oxygen is almost gone- but after making it safely to Earth, Glass's luck seems to be running out. Clarke leads a rescue party to the crash site, ready to treat the wounded, but she can't stop thinking about her parents, who may still be alive. Meanwhile, WELLS struggles to maintain his authority despite the presence of the Vice-Chancellor and his armed guards, and Bellamy must decide whether to face or flee the crimes he thought he'd left behind.
It's time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they've found on Earth, or risk losing everything- and everyone- they love."
My Rating: 3.75/5
This book was just ok for me. I think that because the other's were so addictive and so fast-paced that this one just felt a little slow. I don't feel like this story brought as many thrilling aspects to the table. Or maybe just things that I didn't see coming. I assumed most of the things that were going to happen in this one. That being said, I still enjoy the storyline and the characters it just wasn't my favourite book in the series so far.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Tiger Lily
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings
Pages: 292
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Year Published: 2012
Format: Hardcover Copy
First Line: "She stands on the cliffs, near the old crumbling stone house."
"Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair...
Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.
Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthrals her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything- her family, her future- to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.
With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up."
My Rating: 1/5
Starting this out maybe wrong, I read Peaches in high school and I freaking loved it! I saw that there was another book she had written a while ago and bought it. It sat on my shelf for a while and when a prompt for a book with orange on the cover came up in the Winter Magical Readathon. So I decided to read it. And the description tells the whole story. The characters were unrelatable for myself and I felt that there were no real stakes. I think that the plot wasn't paced well things that should have been weighed more weren't were as poetic writing took up many pages. It just wasn't for me. I hope that upon rereading Peaches series I can relive some of the original writing that I liked. Realizing that I am older and more skeptical makes me think that I might not enjoy that as much either.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Series/Standalone: To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 355
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2014
Format: Audiobook
"To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all."
My Rating: 4/5
This story is just overall enjoyable. I think that it's a sweet coming of age story and so cute to read. It does handle interesting matters, as in the idea that girls get shamed for being sexually active as a teen and boys don't have any reprimands for the same thing. Overall I just loved the family aspects in this story. I think the bond between sisters isn't something you can quite understand unless you have one, but the author does a great job of describing it. I also love how awkward Lara Jean is and can relate. I would also like to be at home rather than going to a party. I'm excited to continue on with the series and to force my boyfriend into watching the Netflix adaptation.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Save Yourself
Author: Jeremy Whitley
Artists: Mia Goodwin, Jung-Ha Kim, Dave Dwonch
Series/Standalone: Princeless Series (Volume 1)
Genre: Grahic Novels, Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 140
Publisher: Action Lab
Year Published: 2012
Format: Paperback (Library Copy)
"Princeless is the story of Princess Adrienne, one princess who's tired of waiting to be rescued. Join Adrienne, her guardian dragon, Sparky, and their plucky friend Bedelia as they begin their own quest in this one of a kind, action packed, all-ages adventures."
My Rating: 4/5
This was a really cute first installment. It really is a feminist princess story, one that I think so many young girls should read. I think it really kicks in for someone my age who still grew up with Disney Princess unreal expectations, but then sees how the world is changing in the most positive way for women. We're not quite there, but we're taking steps to become more than just a princess waiting for a rescuer and that's saying something.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: My Brother's Husband, Volume 1
Author: Gengoroh Tagame
Genre: Manga, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Year Published: 2017
Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)
"Yachi is a work-at-home suburban dad in contemporary Tokyo; formerly married to Natsuki, father to their young daughter, Kana. Their lives suddenly change with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself the widower of Yaichi's estranged gay twin, Ryoji. Mike is on a quest to explore Ryoji's past, and the family reluctantly but dutifully takes him in. What follows is an unprecedented and heartbreaking look at the state of a largely still-closeted Japanese gay culture: how it's been affected by the West, and how the generation can change the preconception about it and prejudices against it."
My Rating: 5/5
I really thought that this is such a fantastic manga to help understand different views on the world. Including the view of a child which is so eye-opening. I think that this is such an amazing manga and would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the art style. I will say that this is one of my favourites of the year and can't wait to continue onto Volume Two.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Sadie
Author: Courtney Summers
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary
Pages: 308
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Year Published: 2018
Format: Audiobook
"A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.
When West McCray- a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America- overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.
Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page."
My Rating: 4/5
This book was so original and interesting. I loved that this has such alternating perspectives. I think that its a story that we have come so used to hearing (to an extent) that we filter it out or avoid it. But people who have handled abuse, or pain are still people not just victims. I hate to use the word enjoyed, but I did enjoy the narrations and the changing points of view, but it was alot to handle at some points. I will say that this book did feel slightly too hyped and that is reflected in my rating. This book makes you uncomfortable in a way that reminds you of the world we live in while trying to remain hopeful.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Valiant
Author: Lesley Livingston
Series/Standalone: The Valiant Series (Book #1)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 372
Publisher: Razorbill
Year Published: 2017
Format: Hardback Copy (Own It)
First Line: "The steam rising off the backs of the cantering horses faded into the morning fog."
"Princess. Captive. Gladiator.
Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king, the sister of the legendary warrior Sorcha, and the sworn enemy of Julius Caesar.
When Fallon was a child, Caesar's armies invaded her homeland, and her beloved sister was killed in battle.
Now, on the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is eager to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her place in the fearsome Cantii war band. She never gets the chance.
Fallon is captured and sold to an elite training school for female gladiators- owned by none other than Julius Caesar. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who destroyed Fallon's family might be her only hope of survival.
Now Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries and deadly fights- in and out of the arena. And perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her forbidden irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier."
My Rating: 3.25/5
Overall, the enjoyment of this book just wasn't there. I liked it, it was ok. I read it for the Winter Magical Readathon and it was ok. I don't think that I would have read it quite so fast if I wasn't participating in a readathon. I did enjoy it it was entertaining, but overall just didn't have the amount of action that I hoped that it would. The romance also just wasn't my cup of tea at some points it felt forced and unnecessary. That being said that if I wanted a dash of historical fiction I would pick up the second book. I don't think that it would be one that I'd have to pick up remembering every single aspect of the first instalment.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Two Dark Reigns
Author: Kendare Blake
Series/Standalone: Three Dark Crowns Series (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 464
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year Published: 2018
Format: Audiobook
"Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There's also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead- or if they're waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.
Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a spectre they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.
Jules, too, is in a stranger place- in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can't imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine's doorstep.
There is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed- or expected."
My Rating: 5/5
This was just another enthralling installment in the series. I love this series so much it's political, magical and dark. Everything I love from a fantasy. I especially would recommend the audiobooks the narration is beautiful and atmospheric without being over the top. I will say that upon starting out the series it is hard to keep track of the characters as each sister has their own group that comes with them. But please if anything about three sisters, a magical island and a throne that may belong to only one of them interests you I urge you to pick it up.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
