Book Review: What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

Title: What We Saw
Author: Aaron Hartzler
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year Published: 2015
First Line: "This video doesn't show you everything."

"Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone's house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early- the feeling that maybe he's becoming more  than just the guy she's known since they were kids.
But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mill's shoulder appears online, Kate suspects she doesn't have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate's classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can't be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds lead back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?
This story- inspired by real events- from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It's a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time."

My Rating: 4.5/5

Before getting into this review this book has a few triggers and should be read carefully. It deal with the idea of feminism as well as the look at rape culture. I found that this book really hit on important topics as a young woman in the modern world. It shows how society thinks can change the action of a group as a whole. It makes you wonder about the possibilities and sad about the losses that have happened in the past for victims of such crimes. Mostly this book made me wonder what if? What if the roles were changed? What if it was older people? Younger people? This book is a hard hitter and digs deep where it counts. I did find that the characters were a little young for me, but that being said, this topic is important for all ages, genders and races to read. For everyone. Is it pretty? No, but it's important!
The only reason I docked .5 stars for this book is I found that a few of the characters were hard to get past and the slow start to the book. I just found that the first third seemed to drag a little to long for my liking. I do hope to read more of Aaron Hartzler's work and hope that it's as well thought out as this amazing debut.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

This post will contain triggers for sexual assault victims, as the book focuses on the topics of rape culture and equality. This debut really looks at Western society, specifically in North America and our norms towards rape culture. It looks at how particular things are dealt with in a small town when a woman who has a reputation reports a case of assualt. It was a tough read but an important one. As many people in North America know there are several cases of rape each year and women are told ridiculous reasons for "why" it happened or asked if they were doing something that may have lead to the assualts. For example: Being drunk, dressing a certain way, making any kind of advance, encouraging,  friendly, or the one that makes me angry every time "It can't be assualt if it's your significant other." All of this is bullshit. I'm very passionate about this, for this reason: If you got robbed, would the police ask you if you'd been drinking or if you'd encouraged the robber some way? Would they ask what you were wearing?
This book deals directly with consent and how to give consent through the teachers at the school as well as the characters introduced in the book.

For anyone who is interested in what consent means please visit:
http://www.bhsu.edu/FacultyStaff/HumanResources/TitleIXSexualMisconduct/ConsensualSex/tabid/14246/Default.aspx

Characters:
Kate: She was a strange character to follow as the only time I felt I could relate to her was when she said she was going to the police, but I also found that I was proud of her for stepping up when no one else would. It takes alot to be the "snitch" although it often in the role that is necessary, especially in a case like this. I think that she did the right thing and learned alot about herself through it.

Ben: I found the relationship between Ben and Kate to happen to fast and just didn't seem necessary. Also the fact that he walked in on his teammates raping a girl, and didn't report it is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I can't imagine seeing something like that and doing nothing about it. 

Stacey: It doesn't matter what your reputation is or where you grew up. No one deserves what happened to Stacey. Unless someone says yes, one should assume it's a no.

Lindsey: I'm glad she stood by Kate just disappointed she didn't do more. I understand the small town aspect but really it's ridiculous that this case got so far before someone did anything about it.

Rachel: I want to use so many inappropriate words to describe this character, but mainly she's a product of what she was raised in "Boys will be boys". What bull shit! 

John: I wish that I could say the time he spends in prison is enough and that everything in the world is fair, when in reality it's not. Not even a little. Look at cases that are happening today. You see that criminals don't always do the time they deserve. Especially popular ones who have an in somewhere along the way. 

Sloane: Good for her for being up in everyone's face. It was an important story and someone had to tell it!

Staff at High School: It seems the staff at this school were put into two groups. Ones who supported Stacey and those who backed the golden boys. The principal was one of my least favorite. Rumours can be spread yes, but allegations that someone raped someone else are not taken lightly. Especially with DNA being a thing now, it's not nearly as difficult to find out who did what to who. The coach should be fired for his actions, but likely wouldn't be in real life. While the guidance counsellor got a shitty end of the stick, she stuck up for someone who may not have gotten the help otherwise. Lastly the Mr. Johnston, who puts people in their place while trying to make light of the whole situation. I found from Pg. 280-283 the most important parts of this book and gave me a different perspective on the situation from a grown mans point of view.

Moments to Remember:
Final Line: "Some moments should only be recorded in our hearts."

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Title: I'll Give You The Sun
Author: Jandy Nelson
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTT*
Pages: 371
Publisher: Dial Books
Year Published: 2014
First Line: "This is how it all begins."

"Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them.
But three years later, at sixteen, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways... until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else- an even more unpredictable new force in her life.
The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to each other, they'd have a chance to remake their world."

My Rating: 4/5

I started reading this at the beginning of this past week and kind of got bogged down with how heavy the writing was. I found that this was a slow start to the book. I thought that it was really hard to get into with the longer sentences and the character driven plot. After about 100 pages I got more interested in the characters but still found the  main characters less interesting then those in the background. I really enjoyed the view from two vastly different characters and the view in on twins. I also found it interesting as there is a bit of mystery as readers make the connection between past and present.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I found that this book was slow to start but got interesting as the character progressed and changed. I thought that the character driven story was difficult to get into but worth it in the end. The two perspectives told the story well and helped to build a family drama/ mystery about the town but the family as well. I think that around 100 pages I was really drawn in and found my groove with this story.

Characters:
Jude: I think that she was really bratty in the beginning. She watched her brother have trouble fitting in and being pushed away by her father but got jealous about her mother noticing him instead. Life is tough. I found that her pity me act in the high school ticked me off even more. But as I watched her grow closer to Guillermo and Oscar I noticed how many things she regretted and that her self-loathing was eating her alive.

Noah: I think that the beginning Noah was hard to read. He had so many run on sentences from his perspective. I found that he grew on me though. It was heart warming to read that he found someone he could relate to like Brian, but heart breaking when they got caught. Finally how he lashed out was hard to watch but it helped build the story to where it was.

Oscar: I want to know so much more about his past. I thought that he was a great "bad boy" but when he starts to bring back other girls, I got annoyed. 

Brian: I wish that he felt like he could be himself around others but as time goes on you see that he is able to be more comfortable in his skin rather than shy away from who he really was. I thought that he was a sweet characters.

Heather: I'm glad she didn't assume that her and Noah were going out.

Guillermo: I really, really enjoyed this character how broken he was and how much he must have loved the twins mom was beautiful. It was horrible that he believed for so long that she was going to leave him without rhyme or reason. I wish that he found love in the end but 
maybe over time, after grieving he would be able to.


Moments to Remember:
Pg.  174
"And no hot guy should be allowed to have an English accent and drive a motorcycle."

Final Line: "Remake the world."

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass

Title: Happily Ever After
Author: Kiera Cass
Series/Novel: Selection Series Companion
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Romance
Pages: 416
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Year Published: 2015

"Before they found their happily ever afters, Amberly Maxon, Aspen and Marlee had other stories to tell.
Return to the world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series with the enchanting collection of four novellas."

My Rating: 5/5

This book is a collection of novellas from the Selection series. So this is me completing my endeavour into this series. I must say that I really did enjoy the series as a whole and this was the perfect way to wrap it up. Those of you who have read my previous reviews and spoilers on this series, will know that I was more interested in the first three books than the last two. This is why I loved this book so much. It was amazing closure and I enjoyed the notes from the author at the beginning of the novellas. This was a great story if you're interested in finding out more about the characters in this story I strongly recommend this book. If you're fine with all the endings feel free to leave it out. 

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass

This book was as mentioned above, a companion novel on the Selection series. This story was a good wrap up for me for the series as I really loved the first three books and disliked alot about the last two books. I found it interesting to see the changes in the country of Illea from different perspectives and especially since it followed up on all the girls in the selection.
Way to go Kiera Cass. 

Characters:
Amberly: I found that this was really helpful to find out more about how such a kind and sweet woman ended up with such an apparent horrible man. I think that it helped to also understand Clarkson. How would we know about how he'd experienced abuse as a child if not reading this. That being said, it's never ok. I was surprised that Amberly put up with so much though. It's hard to do so many things for someone and not be put out by it. 

Maxon: I think that seeing how he felt about America helped me to understand his need to be with her in the second book. I found that they instantly connected but I didn't know what he was thinking.

America: I loved her pregnancy announcement. It was beautiful.

Aspen: I found it sad to watch him losing America, but I still don't care for him. I liked who he was in the fourth and fifth books more so.

Marlee: I think that learning more about her relationship. I was surprised at how quickly her and Carter fell in love it was really amazing. 

Celeste: It both made me smile and broke my heart to read her section of the story.

Lucy: I was happy that she ended up with someone who loved her and was very interested to see her reaction to learn about Aspen and America but all in all her reaction made sense. 

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

Title: The Crown
Author: Kiera Cass
Series/Novel: The Selection Series (Book #4)
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance
Pages: 278
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year Published: 2016
First Line: "'I'm sorry,' I said, bracing myself for the inevitable backlash."

"A selection can only have one winner.
A princess only has one heart.
When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illea to hold her own Selection, she didn't expect to fall in love the way her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you... and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible- and more important- than she ever imagined."

My Rating: 4/5

This is the final book in the Selection series and reading it was bittersweet. It was nice to see the story come to a close. Seeing how the characters had all grown up as well as the countries change over 2 generations was interesting to me. That being said I'm glad that it's over. I'm not the biggest fan of the main character and found that by the end of this book it was just a little rushed. This being said, Kiera Cass made many twists and turns in this last book that left me hooked until the end. The addition of newer characters and changes of the people in Illea made this book far more enjoyable than the Heir. I hope to read Happily Ever After (a collection of novellas) before putting this series down for a while. 
All of the above being said, I'm grateful that I picked up The Selection when I did as it helped me get out of a reading slump and had very important messages beyond becoming a princess.
I would suggest this book for anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games or Divergent as long as they can handle slightly more drama and romance. 

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: The Crown by Kiera Cass

So this is a conclusion of the Selection series. And I'm grateful that I took the journey to reading these book but also a little sad that it's done. That being said, I also purchased Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass (the companion novel) and hope to read that before moving on to another book series. This story really evolved from America's and although I did not enjoy The Heir, I did enjoy The Crown a bit more. I found that Eadlyn was less whiny and more understanding. I definitely saw her in a different light in this final instalment. The country has also grown throughout the series. From being labelled by a number and told what you can do. To having say in the government with a constitutional monarchy. I found that the world was the most gripping part of the series as a whole and would suggest it to anyone interest in dystopia or romance as well as those who enjoy drama. 

Characters:
Eadlyn: She has grown as a character but this being said, I didn't connect with her as much as I had with America in the past books. I found that because she wasn't really fighting through something I was annoyed. That being said she starts to show love for her family by taking on the throne early and letting her parents be a happy couple. I also found that when she opened up she wasn't so cold which was good lessen in what you see isn't always what you get. This being said, I did find that she was still whiny sometimes and that bothered me to no end.

America: She lived so that's awesome and she's by far my favorite character in this whole series. She has always been a fighters and fights what is right whether it will get backlash or not. I'm happy to see her out of the lime light. 

Maxon: What a strong father character he played. I found that his character evolved best between book 3 and book 4. As you could see he had matured but still remained in many aspects the Maxon we remember from the first 3 books in the series. I also found thought that with him still being so in love with America, it held me captivated to find what would happy to their children. 

Kile: I think that they could have worked out and I was pulling for him. But he had other dreams and I think that Eadlyn did the right thing letting him loose with his future. As much as it upset his mother it was the right thing to do.

Henri: It broke my heart when he found out about Erik and Eadlyn because I thought he would be angry. But he's so fantastic that he encouraged it. That was an incredible character and I wish I knew more about his country of Swendway. 

Erik: Ok, it became increasingly obvious that he was in love with her but I kind of suspected that it would just pass through as other love interests did in the first three books (you should all know who I'm talking about). I think that they will make a good couple, although their relationship near the end seemed to rushed for my liking.

Hale: I was surprised by what happened between him and Ean but alot of things make more sense to me now. I'm glad that he came clean.

Ean: This makes way more sense now that we know he just wasn't interested in any women. I get that he was trying to make the best of a situation but I'm happy that he found Hale.

Marid: This freaking loser. I hope that his parents had nothing to do with his plotting, but he's a piece of garbage. To take advantage of someone in such a way is inexcusable.

Josie: She's growing up. Thank goodness.


Momemnts to Remember:
Final Line: "Or a window as narrow as seven minute."

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Review: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi

Title: Prince of Elves

Author: Kazu Kibuishi

Series/Standalone: Amulet Series (Book #5)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle

Pages: 208

Publisher: GRAPHIX

Year Published: 2012

"The enemy grows stronger...

Emily survived the chaos of the Guardian Academy, but Max Griffin has stolen the Mother Stone. With it, the Elf King forges new Amulets that will give him the power to invade and destroy the nation of Windsor. Emily and her friends lead the soldiers of the Cielis Guard in a fight to stop him, but Max stands in their way. And when she seeks information from the Voice of her Amulet, she discovers that the Voice is much more sinister than she ever could have imagined."

My Rating: 5/5

I made the choice to continue reading tonight and I'm glad that I did. After doing more research on this series I've found out that book 7/9 have been published. My library has the first 6 copies and am planning to pick up the 7th in a few months. I can't wait to read them all. This series is taking further dark turns which is what I really love about it. The dark and sinister plot thickening is amazing. The writing is well thoughout and the plot is marvelous. I'm anxious to see how the series draws to a close over the coming years.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Review: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi

Title: The Last Council
Author: Kazu Kibuishi
Series/Standalone: Amulet Series (Book #4)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure
Pages: 212
Publisher: GRAPHIX
Year Published: 2011

"A fallen city where terrible secrets are revealed...
Emily and her friends think they'll find the help they need in Cielis, but something isn't right. Streets that were once busy are deserted, and the townspeople who are left live in fear. Emily is soon escorted to the Academy, where she's expected to compete for a spot on the Guardian Council, a group of the most powerful Stonekeepers. But as the number of competitors gets smaller and smaller, an awful secret is slowly uncovered- a secret that, if left buried, means the certain destruction of everything Emily is fighting for."

My Rating: 5/5

This has been by far my favourite instalment in the series. It was dark and hard hitting. All in all, an incredible use of illustration to demonstrate our characters power as well as their ability to think quickly. Although I found the ending to be slightly predictable (I'm an adult, not middle grade to be fair), I still loved it. I think that this fourth book got down to the point and I'm more than interested in what will happen next. The world is tremendous and I would imagine it only gets better from here. So buckle up and read these amazing graphic novels.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny