*Grabby Hands* Review - Sadie by Courtney Summers

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: Sadie
Author: Courtney Summers

Age Category/Genre: Young Adult Mystery

Publication Date: September 4th, 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
 

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 out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late. 

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4 “Raw + Stellar Audiobook ” Stars

First of all, this audiobook is stellar. I wasn't a big fan of audiobooks, but this one definitely changed my mind and made me eager to listen to more. Here's hoping my next one is just as good.

Second, am I the only one who feels like this is neither YA nor mystery as it's being marketed?

Whatever it is or isn't, this book was still pretty great. Raw, like pretty much everything Courtney Summers writes, it was a story that wasn't the easiest to listen to because of how painful Sadie's entire life had been. For someone so young, she'd gone through so much already, and I couldn't help but feel for her, want to protect her and take her far away from that cruel world. Poor Sadie deserved so much better than what life had given her (and much better than that ending, if I'm being honest).

Dude, that ending...

Aside from the ending, that was a lot to like about the book. The characters weren't as black and white as one might expect with a book with such a serious and troubling theme; Sadie's POV had just the right amount of sarcasm to make her voice stand out; and even though there was little mystery involving the murder and the murderer, Sadie's fate and her path to revenge kept me interested from start to finish.

And I really, really loved how Sadie was portrayed: as someone who was trying SO hard to be strong and dangerous when you could so clearly see how broken she was. I don't love that she was broken, but I loved the contrast and how it made her narrative more powerful.

I initially also liked the podcast chapters, but they lost some of their purpose toward the end. Things got a little repetitive and I couldn't see the point of reliving everything we'd already seen in Sadie's POV.

Overall, though, this is another win when it comes to Courtney Summers' ability to write dark themes, raw feelings and engaging protagonists.

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Review - A Reaper At the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: A Reaper At the Gates
(An Ember in the Ashes #3)

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Publication Date: June 12th, 2018

Category/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

The highly anticipated third book in Sabaa Tahir's New York Times bestselling EMBER QUARTET.

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion--even at the cost of his humanity.

Goodreads

Buy Links:  Amazon

4 “Spetacular last half” Stars

Unlike what happened with book #2, I went into this certain I would love it as much as A Torch Against the Light. Then, I almost stopped reading because (a) I had a hard time remembering important facts since it'd been 2 FREAKING YEARS since the last book came out, and (b) the first half was way too slow for me.

Look, I'm not saying the first half was bad. Sabaa Tahir is a talented writer and I doubt she can write bad books, but it was nowhere as good as the first book, let alone the second, which in my opinion is the best one in the series so far. 

I'd expected A Torch to suffer from the second-book-is-a-filler syndrome, but it was A Repear that did for almost the entire first half. I didn't feel the same connection to Elias and Helene I used to. Laia was seriously getting on my nerves, something that I remember happened A LOT throughout most of An Ember, but had hoped wouldn't happen again since she made progress in the end of  A Torch.

Having said that, I'm glad I kept going, because DNF'ing this would've been a HUGE mistake.

The second half of the book was A-MAZING!

Things finally started moving. Intrigue. Twists. Magic. Deaths. Darkness. Lots of blood and sacrifices and women being badasses. Lots of things going to shit.

Helene, my glorious Blood Shrike, finally found her strenght and her story. Elias' inner struggle highlighted all the traits that made me love him so much. Even Laia's stuborness and impulsiveness bothered me less at the face of her humanity and love for her people.

My pattern with Laia didn't change. She annoyed me a lot throughout most of the book and made me tear up and feel for her by the end. But it was Helene once again who stole my heart. Her relationship with her sister, her attempts to best the Commander, her hatred for Marcus, her will-we-won't-we relationship with Harper (a character I liked in A Torch and now LOVE)...everything came into place after the half-point. 

All chapters after that seemed to end with a BANG and left me eager to read the next one. The surprises kept coming. The battle scenes were awesome. The magic didn't overtake the story, but added nice twists. Almost everything worked perfectly for the last half of the book.

I say almost, because one thing that bothered me in book #2 came back to bother me again. That thing is Cook, a character that worked well in An Ember…, but became inconsistent in A Torch. Even after the major revelation--one I didn't see coming--I still don’t understand how she was this super-skilled warrior/killer who simply couldn’t find a way to kill the Commander in all the years she lived in her house. I don't even understand how she came to be the woman's slave after everything that happened. Why would the Commander let her live? So much about that revelation and who she is still doesn't make sense to me. *sighs* That doesn't mean she didn't bring out major feels near the end. I feel for her and everyone involved.

Something that also didn't change was the small "problem" of how Helene and Elias are still super shippable with everyone. I still love the idea of Helene and Elias, even though Elias only has eyes for Laia, and that scene between Elias and Laia was WOW and had me seriously shipping them again. Then I also love Helene and Harper, and I want a repeat of that other scene near the end.

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is: If you start reading this book and feel like I did, DO NOT give up. The second half will blow your mind, so keep reading!

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Review - Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist#2) by Renée Ahdieh

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: Smoke in the Sun

(Flame in the Mist#2)

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Publication date: June 5th, 2018

Category/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publisher: G.P. Putman's Son Books for Young Readers

 

For weeks, seventeen-year-old Mariko pretended to be a boy to infiltrate the notorious Black Clan and bring her would-be murderer to justice. She didn't expect to find a place for herself among the group of fighters—a life of usefulness—and she certainly didn't expect to fall in love. Now she heads to the imperial castle to resume a life she never wanted to save the boy she loves.

Ōkami has been captured, and his execution is a certainty. Mariko will do what she must to ensure his survival—even marry the sovereign's brother, saying goodbye to a life with Ōkami forever.

As Mariko settles into her days at court—making both friends and enemies—and attempting Ōkami's rescue at night, the secrets of the royal court begin to unravel as competing agendas collide. One arrow sets into motion a series of deadly events even the most powerful magic cannot contain. Mariko and Ōkami risk everything to right past wrongs and restore the honor of a kingdom thrown into chaos by a sudden war, hoping against hope that when the dust settles, they will find a way to be together.

Set against the backdrop of feudal Japan, Smoke in the Sun is the breathless, romantic, not-to-be-missed fiery conclusion to a spell-binding adventure.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4 “Feminist Mulan in Japan - Part 2” Stars

Another win for super talented writer Renée Ahdieh.

This book...no, this series left me feeling super proud of being a girl.

Even though we had a lot less Mariko this time around--she shared the spotlight with many others, including badasss Kanako, the former Emperor's consort (more on her later)--whenever Mariko made an appearance my love, respect and admiration for her grew. She was not a lovesick fool and, even when she was risking much for the person she loved, she did it in a clever way. I loved all her experiments, all the times she sacrificed what she truly wanted for the greater good and put herself out there to defend those who couldn't.

I loved, loved, LOVED her conversations and the growing friendship between Mariko and Yumi. There's nothing like reading about smart girls having smart conversation and making smart choices.

There was less Okami in this book than I wanted, because I love him. LOVE him. But when he came into scene, he was as clever and perfect as I remembered him. His support of Mariko, even when he worried about her safety, was just BEAUTIFUL to watch.

The Black Clan guys that I grew to love in the previous books were also quite absent, since most of this book took place in court and around it. But there were some special scenes involving them. I thought I'd feel one of those scenes a little more than I did, but I blame it on the fact that we didn't spend too much time with them this time around.

As you can see, the main characters from the first book had to share "book time" with the others, but that wasn't exactly a bad thing since Renée Ahdieh introduced us (or reintroduced us, should I say) to some awesome royal characters: Raiden, Mariko's soon-to-be husband; his mother, Kanako, a woman who possessed great magic and was obsessed with the idea of making her son Emperor; and Roku, the new Emperor.

I didn't expect to like Raiden's journey as much as I did, but the author managed to make me care for a character I was convinced I would hate by the end of the book. Same goes for Kanako. The woman does unspeakable things to achieve her goal, but I found it extremely hard to hate her. Sorry.

So, while I miss the special romantic vibe and most of the lovable characters from book One, as well as though the ending was a little rushed (because I wanted to know what happened to some of the other characters), I was enchanted by Renée Ahdieh's beautiful writing, the complex new main characters and the feminist and powerful narrative. It also didn't hurt that the epilogue was AMAZING!!!

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: Listen to Your Heart
Author: Kasie West

Age Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Publication Date: May 29th, 2018
Publisher: Point
 

Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible.

But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for her friend ... until Kate herself starts to develop feelings for Diego. Suddenly, Kate finds that while doling out wisdom to others may be easy, asking for help is tougher than it looks, and following your own advice is even harder.

Kasie West's adorable story of secrets, love, and friendship is sure to win over hearts everywhere. 

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4 “Lake, Podcasts and Swoons” Stars

I'm still not caught up on Kasie West's books (Love, Life and the List is next), but after not feeling By Your Side as much as I wanted and being disappointed in Lucky in Love, I'm glad to announce I really liked this!

Listen to Your Heart had all the fluffy, swoony feels that makes Kasie West one of my go-to authors when it comes to YA romance. The main character, Kate was super likable and she had a great, almost sarcastic sense of humor. The love interest, Diego was adorable. And the side characters were well-developed.

I loved, loved, loved Kate's relationship with her best friend, Alana. Judging from the main romantic theme--falling in love with the best friend's crush, I was terrified KW would write one of those "girls fight over boy" scenarios. It was a happy surprise to read about two smart and mature young girls talking about stuff and finding a way to deal with their feelings without resorting to drama and shaming.

Frankie was another favorite. I loved how once again KW didn't go the obvious way with him. It was amazing to see their rivalry turning into friendship, and there was even a moment or two there Frankie got me shipping him with Kate. Sorry, Diego.

There were some pretty great moments with the advice podcast and with Kate's family, especially how healthy and absolutely adorable her relationship with her brother was. I felt so bad for him because of the things he was going through, but it was heartwarming to see how dedicated Kate was to making sure he felt safe and loved. Same goes for her relationship with her younger cousin.

Cute, light and swoony, Listen to Your Heart had all the elements that make Kasie West's books sucessful. No wonder I'm always excited to see KW announce a new book, even though it seems like she writes a hundred new books per year.

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

Release & Review - Sweet Black Waves (Sweet Black Waves #1) by Kristina Pérez

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: Sweet Black Waves
(Sweet Black Waves #1)
Author: Kristina Pérez
Age Category/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publication Date: June 5th, 2018
Publisher: Imprint
 

Not you without me, not me without you.

Two proud kingdoms stand on opposite shores, with only a bloody history between them. 

As best friend and lady-in-waiting to the princess, Branwen is guided by two principles: devotion to her homeland and hatred for the raiders who killed her parents. When she unknowingly saves the life of her enemy, he awakens her ancient healing magic and opens her heart. Branwen begins to dream of peace, but the princess she serves is not so easily convinced. Fighting for what's right, even as her powers grow beyond her control, will set Branwen against both her best friend and the only man she's ever loved. 

Inspired by the star-crossed tale of Tristan and Eseult, this is the story of the legend’s true heroine: Branwen. For fans of Graceling and The Mists of Avalon, this is the first book of a lush fantasy trilogy about warring countries, family secrets, and forbidden romance.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

3.5. "Sea and Magic" Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Imprint

I'm not very familiar with the tale Tristan & Iseult, so I won't comment on that. Still, if you're like me, I'm sure you'll still find plenty to enjoy while reading this story.

For me, Sweet Black Waves gave me its best during the first half, especially the first third of the story. There world was described in beautiful details, the main character (Branwen) struggled with what she thought right and wrong and still managed to do the right thing, the love interest won my heart as he stole hers, the relationship between Branwen and her cousin Essy had some truly adorable moments, and all was well in the world.

Speaking of the world...Despite going with some big fantasy tropes, the author still managed to create a world that felt interesting and rich. The hatred between the people of Iveriu and the people of Kernyv served as a great background not only to the love story, but also to what seems to be the theme for the rest of the trilogy. We didn't get to see much of Kernyv, but Iveriu seemed like a beautiful place. No wonder Branwen was willing to do anything to protect it.

Now, things started getting a little weird for me when the magic system kicked in. There was nothing particularly wrong with the magic, but it influenced the plot and the characters in a way that annoyed me. Branwen started making some dubious choices that were clearly going to come back and haunt her. Her obsession with saving her country and playing with what she judged was her cousin's hapiness went way too far. To make matters worse, her cousin, Essy went from spoiled to OMG, please, someone shake some sense into this girl ASAP. Even the romance lost some of its sparkle, and let me tell you, it was a pretty swoony romance.

Not even pirates coming into the scene had the intended effect on me, which is something I never thought I'd say because PIRATES!

Then the big twist in the end happened and all I could think was, "Well, Branwen, you brought that on yourself, didn't you?", which shouldn't have been my reaction because the thing was pretty heartbreaking.

I'm afraid the second half of the story wasn't as rich, romantic and interesting as the first, but I'm still interested in learning what will happen next in the trilogy.

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: From Twinkle, with Love
Author: Sandhya Menon

Publication Date: May 22th, 2018

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?

Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.

Goodreads

Buy Link: Amazon

4.5 “Adooorrrbbsss Part 2” Stars

I think I loved this book even more than the first, if that's possible. Well, it is possible, because unlike with When Dimple Met Rishi I have no major complaints about this story at all!!!! It was adorable and the character development was pretty stellar, too.

I was smiling so hard throughout the whole thing and got major swoon vibes from the romance, so yeah, I'm a happy reader!

First, hello first person narrative, you know I love you more than third especially in contemporary! Twinkle's voice was just perfect for YA and for the story itself. She was someone I could instantly connect with, despite my reservations about the decisions she was making along the way. But she was young and I could see where she was coming from, so instead of coming off as irritating, she was just slightly immature in a "I know this isn't the best idea but maybe it'll work out in the end because I have hope" kind of way.

She made some dubious choices and came really close to getting on my nerves like Dimple in her book, but unlike Dimple, Twinkle owned her mistakes and did her best to try to correct them. This was really what made this book extra special for me. As silly as this sounds, because I know that's not what happened, it still felt like the author fixed my biggest problem with her previous story.

Now, what didn't need fixing at all was Sandhya Menon's ability to write amazing love interests and swoony romance. She did it again!

Sahil was just... YEEEESSSSS!!!

Freaking adorable. Nerdy. Cute. Romantic. And obviously the better twin. Fight me!

I loved that instead of having that perfect twin dynamic with his brother, he was actually trying to stay as far away from "perfect" Neil as possible. The inner conflict wasn't a huge part of the story, but it made it special, and it gave Sahil something to work on throughout the book.

Aside from the romance, the story also focused on Twinkle's relationship with her best friend (loved how complicated that situation was, and how both girls ended up realizing their mistakes and trying to fix them) and the funny and usual dynamic with Twinkle's grandmother (a positive relationship in a home that seemed so broken).

Overall, this book was all about positives to me. It was cute, heartfelt, romantic, authentic and diverse. Not only the protagonists were Indian-American, but we had gay, black, Japanese-American and more diverse group of characters represented in a positive light. More, please!

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

Release & Review - The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: The Way You Make Me Feel
Author: Maurene Goo

Age Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: May 8th, 2018
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
 

From the author of I Believe in a Thing Called Love, a laugh-out-loud story of love, new friendships, and one unique food truck.

Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn't so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind? 

With Maurene Goo's signature warmth and humor, The Way You Make Me Feel is a relatable story of falling in love and finding yourself in the places you’d never thought to look.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon


3.5. "KoBra" Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

First of all, I'm a little late with this review, but I'm totally blaming life for that one. *hides behinds hands*

I was super excited to get a chance to read this book because OMG, a half-Brazilian main character. I didn't even mind that this wasn't written by a Brazilian author (at least I haven't found any info saying the author is Brazilian) because I thought the representation was pretty decent.

Clara and her parents had some moments that were just bold and loud and charming in a Brazilian way. Clara wasn't an easy character to get behind because she was a little extra, but she was full of life and had a bold sense of humor, which is something that immediately makes me think of my people. Plus, she ate fried-egg sandwiches and drank caldo de cana, which will always be a BR thing for me. I love those things and I'm hungry just thinking about them, by the way.

As far as I'm concerned, the rep of different cultures was of this book's best features. Clara was half-Korean and, although I can't say I know much about Korean culture, I could still tell the elements were well represented. And the diversity didn't stop with the main character. We had a strong, smart and amazing young black woman with a beautiful and well-structured family. A cute Chinese guy who was an absolute dream. And smart talks about diversity and feminism. I really, really loved all of that.

Something I also adored was Clara's relationship with her Dad. They had a strong bond that was built founded in friendship and freedom and respect. Clara did break some of that respect toward the end, but it felt like a necessary step so she could see and appreciate her father, who was a great man. I'm a little in love with Clara's father and I don't care.

My third favorite thing about this book was Clara and Rose's friendship. It started out with Clara annoying me for being unfair to Rose, but it developed into a beautiful bond between these girls that were nothing like each other. Rose learned how to let go a little with Clara, and she learned to take things a little more seriously with Rose. They complemented each other and I can see that friendship lasting for a long time.

As to Hamlet, the love interest, all I have to say is: ADORBS!!! TOTALLY ADORBS!!!

Now, to the thing I wished had been handled better: Clara's friendship with Felix and Patrick. I understand growing up and changing can lead people to drift apart from old friends and find new ones, but I didn't approve of the way Clara did this. It often felt like she was becoming "too good" for the guys who used to hang out with her before, and she treated them poorly instead of being honest with them. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

I also had a hard time buying how Clara's dad simply left two teenagers in charge of his food truck for so long without supervision after they had just started working there. It sounded a little immature and not believable, considering he had high hopes for his food business.

Having said that, The Way You Make Me Feel turned out to be a fun read with a main character that is so out there she made me laugh out loud a few times; tons of Brazilian references that actually made sense (not something I see often in books); food that made my mouth water; amazing friendship and cute romance; and a father-daughter relationship that was goals and made me tear up. The book had a slower start, but after the 50% mark it really won me over. 

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.