Review: Giant Days Vol. 11

Title: Giant Days Vol. 11

Author: John Allison

Artist: Max Sarin

Series/Standalone: Giant Days Series (Vol. 11)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult

Pages: 160

Publisher: BOOM! Box

Year Published: 2019

Format: Paperback Copy

"It's Daisy, Esther and Susan's third year at university, and with that comes new beaus, new jobs, and new adventures.

The third (and final!) year of university is finally here, and BFFs Daisy, Esther, and Susan are in for some surprising upsets in their first semester. Between Halloween run-ins with Daisy's dreaded (dreadful) ex, part-time gigs at a shady pop-up Christmas market, Esther's dating a tech-bro and Susan attempting to be... romantic, there's still plenty to learn and more than enough misadventure to squeeze in before it's time to don caps and gowns!"

My Rating: 4/5

This wasn't one of my favorite volumes in the series, it just hinged even more on chaos than usual and while I love that idea, it was a little over the top even for me. That being said, I continue to enjoy the series and our main characters. I can't wait to see where else their last year at Uni takes them, all the ups and downs. Looking forward to finishing the series.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

Title: The Proposal

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Series/Standalone: Series (Companion) (The Wedding Date Book #2)

Genre: Adult, Romance

Pages: 325

Publisher: Berkley Books

Year Published: 2018

Format: Audiobook

"The Author of the Wedding Date serves up a novel about what happens when a public proposal doesn't turn into a happy ending, thanks to a woman who knows exactly how to make one of her own...

When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn't come as a surprise-- or happen in front of 45,000 people.

When a freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn't the hard part-- they've only been dating for five months, and he can't even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans...

At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik's rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He's even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik's social media blows up---in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can't be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes...."

My Rating: 3/5

This was far more my speed than the first book in this series. This book still had a very quick and fun romance, without being quite as insta-lovey. I think that these two characters were better suited to each other and we knew more about them than we did about other characters in the past novel. It was nice to see the past characters but was glad that this didn't have too much about their lives in it. I will say that the conflict was insanely small. I did struggle with the way time goes in these books, all of a sudden it's been 5 weeks, and I don't realize how much time has passed. Could be just a problem I'm having. I do plan to listen to the next companion book on audio.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Review: Giant Days Vol. 10

Title: Giant Days Volume 10

Author: John Allison

Artists: Max Sarin and Julia Madrigal

Series/Standalone: Giant Days Series (Volume 10)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult

Pages: 112

Publisher: BOOM! Box

Year Published: 2019

Format: Paperback (Library Copy)

"Daisy, Esther, and Susan's last year at university is getting a bumpy start, with everything strange after Ed's declaration of love followed by grievous injury, Daisy with nowhere to live, and McGraw and Susan at odds over their new flat!

The final year of university is about to start for best mates Daisy, Esther, and Susan, and everything is going completely off the rails. From finding somewhere to live at the last minute, to broken bones, to the looming terror of the adult world, this semester is one you won't want to miss...."

My Rating: 5/5

It's the beginning of the end of this series. And while it's breaking my heart I'm grateful that this series never lost its spunk. From day one this series has been about coming of age and being who you are to the best of your ability. It reminds me of my college years and all the feelings that came along with them. The characters are phenomenal and heartwarming. I'm excited to be continuing with the series.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Title: Girls of Paper and Fire

Author: Natasha Ngan

Series/Standalone: Girls of Paper and Fire Series (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT

Pages: 385

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson Books

Year Published: 2018

Format: Hardcover Copy (Own It)

First Line: "There is a tradition in our kingdom, one all castes of demon and human follow."

"Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for.... and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after-- the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, she does the unthinkable-- she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge."

My Rating: 1.5/5

I really wish that I liked this story more but it just isn't what I'm looking for in my fantasy stories. I personally prefer a little more political intrigue or action-based scenes. It just didn't have either of those factors, it was more about the relationships between the characters and the beginning of a war. And while the war aspect was interesting, along with the world it didn't draw me in enough to want to continue with the series. I also found that while there appeared to be an idea of building up tension, but the follow-through just wasn't there for me.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Fever Code by James Dashner

Title: The Fever Code

Author: James Dashner

Series/Standalone: The Maze Runner (Book #5)

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Young Adult

Pages: 347

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Year Published: 2016

Format: Audiobook

"Once there was a world's end.

The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled.

Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man.

Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.

The boy's name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze.

Now there are secrets.

There are lies.

And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen.

This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down.

All will be revealed."

My Rating: 3/5

This was an interesting look into the backstory of The Maze Runner series. But it didn't show a ton that I didn't already expect or assume. I was curious about the relationships that the boys had before coming into the maze and whether they knew each other and that was answered. I also thought it was interesting after watching Theresa's entrance into WICKED in the fourth book. If you've finished the series and you are interested in what happened at the conception of WICKED this book is for you. It's fun and an easy read while still hitting with some interesting information.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Title: The Wedding Date

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Series/Standalone: The Wedding Date Series (Book #1)

Genre: Adult, Romance

Pages: 317

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2018

Format: Audiobook

"A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in a fun and flirty debut novel.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn't normally do. But there's something about Drew Nichols that's too hard to resist.

On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend...

After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkley, where she's the mayor's chief of staff. Too bad they can't stop thinking about the other...

They're just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century-- or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want."

My Rating: 2.5/5

I really wanted to enjoy this romance. I felt lately like I need something lighter, and this was light, but almost too much. You may be wondering what I mean about that so let me explain. I don't think that this romance book really went there. I wasn't cheering on the couple, not that I didn't want them to be there I was just passively watching it. It didn't go into massive details during the sex scenes, but it also didn't go into detail on their dates, or any of their time together. It was all so surface level. I wanted to care more, but it's hard to care when you're being told how things are not shown. I do plan to read the next book just to see if things dig deeper, but I don't currently have high hopes.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Kill Order by James Dashner

Title: The Kill Order

Author: James Dashner

Series/Standalone: The Maze Runner Series (Book #4)

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Pages: 327

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Year Published: 2012

Format: Audiobook

"Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there's something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it's mutating, and all the evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there's a way to save those left from descending into madness. And they're determined to find it- if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you're worth more dead than alive."

My Rating: 4/5

I love a prequel that describes where the first book takes off. I think that this story did an excellent job of explaining the flares and the illness. Just how everything started out really. This was heart-wrenching and made me angry about how WICKED used people and their innocence to start a pandemic. That being said, maybe not the best thing to read during a global pandemic. I loved Alex's character and would have done anything for that sweet, gruff man. The plot of this book reinvigorated me for the last book in the series.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Sidny

Book Review: Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

Title: Without Merit

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series/standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Pages: 385

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2017

Format: Audiobook

"Not every mistake deserves a consequence. 

Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother's former nurse, the little brother isn't allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there's Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn't earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her- until she discovers that he's completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she's never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves."

My Rating: 3.5/5

I understand why people find Colleen Hoover's books are well-rated, they are extremely entertaining and the characters are fun and have quirky things about them. I enjoyed reading about the Voss family and all their unusual quirks. That being said, I think that some of the secrets that Merit is expected to keep are too much to just let go of. It was interesting to see how their lives went on after tragedies and changes, but I think that at some points there needed to be more of a reaction to certain behaviors. I found it entertaining and an interesting read. I look forward to reading more works by this author.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny