Monday, April 20, 2015

Reading Wishlist: May 2015

 May 5

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)

Genre: YA Fantasy

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
Crimson Bound

Genre: YA Fantasy

The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass
The Heir (The Selection, #4)

Genre: YA Fantasy

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Saint Anything

Genre: YA Contemporary

The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in the Trees to Understanding the Cosmos by Leonard Mlodinow
The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos

Genre: Non Fiction

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
A God in Ruins

Genre: Literary Fiction

May 12

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh
The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)

Genre: YA Fantasy

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs
The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks

Genre: Non Fiction

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Luckiest Girl Alive

Genre: Mystery

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Nimona

Genre: YA Fantasy/Graphic Novel

May 19

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Off the Page

Genre: YA Fantasy

Lion Heart (Scarlet #3) by A.C. Gaughen
Lion Heart (Scarlet, #3)

Genre: YA Fantasy

Hold Me Like a Breath (Once Upon a Crime Family #1) by Tiffany Schmidt
Hold Me Like a Breath (Once Upon a Crime Family, #1)

Genre: YA Mystery

Dangerous Deception (Dangerous Creatures #2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Dangerous Deception (Dangerous Creatures, #2)

Genre: YA Fantasy

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Uprooted

Genre: YA Fantasy

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia 
Made You Up

Genre: YA Contemporary

May 26

P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han
P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #2)

Genre: YA Contemporary

The Notorious Pagan Jones by Nina Berry
The Notorious Pagan Jones

Genre: YA Historical



Review: Half Wild (Half Bad #2) by Sally Green

 Half Wild (The Half Bad Trilogy, #2) 

Synopsis: Kept in a cage for two years by the Council of White Witches, Nathan was trained to kill his father, the most violent and feared of Black Witches. Now Nathan has escaped, and he dreams of a quiet life of freedom with Annalise, the girl he loves - but Annalise is a prisoner, wasting away in a death-like sleep. Nathan's friend Gabriel is missing, likely dead, and although Nathan has found his unique magical Gift, he can't control it. The Council's Hunters are on his trail, so he is always on the run. Nathan's only hope of survival is to join with new friends and old enemies in an alliance to bring down the Council, and they want Nathan's help: they, too, want Nathan to be a killer. Maybe that's the only way out. Maybe that's just who he is now.

 I've been anticipating this sequel ever since I finished Half Bad. And while I enjoyed this book for the most part, it was not without its problems. 

First off, it takes a while for the book to get going. Nothing much happens in the first hundred pages or so and a lot of it is mostly recapping events from the first book. Things start to pick up a little after that but this installment didn't grip me completely until the last fifty pages or so. 

Also, I was extremely irritated with Nathan throughout the book and it's mostly to do with the book's love triangle. As the reader, it is completely obvious who Nathan is supposed to be with but he struggles with choosing between the two of them and keeps choosing the wrong one. To be fair, I think Sally Green did this on purpose, so (hopefully) when Nathan realizes who he really loves in the next book, it will be more rewarding. However, it was just so irritating to see him with the wrong person that I skimmed through a lot of the love scenes between the two of them. 

However, the one kissing scene between Nathan and the right person was so scorchingly hot, I reread it about five times. 

Another thing about this book is that it is very plot driven. There isn't a lot of description of either settings or characters so sometimes the story felt a little flat to me. For example, the secondary characters were so one-dimensional, that it was almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. Or they would be introduced so suddenly that I would forget about them, then they would be mentioned a few pages later and I would think 'Who the hell are they?'

Because of this, it was hard to care about the characters and what happens to them. This became evident at the climax of the book. While I did think it was a good ending, I thought it could have been so much more emotionally impactful if I was more attached to the characters. And it all happens so fast, there's no room for the reader to linger over any emotional devastation. There was one scene in particular that I thought should have been drawn out but it was over so quickly that it was like 'Wait! Go back!' 

I know this seems like a negative review, but I do really like this series and I'm curious to see what happens in the last book. And I'm stoked for the movie adaptation.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Reading Wishlist: April 2015

 April 7

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
None of the Above

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: A teenage girl discovers she was born intersex and is struggling to come to terms with her diagnosis when it becomes known to the entire school.
Why It's On My Wishlist: This sounds like the Young Adult version of Middlesex - a novel that I love.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: Simon, a closeted gay teen, is blackmailed by class clown Martin into playing wingman - or Martin will reveal his secret to the entire school.
Why It's On My Wishlist: This is one of the most anticipated YA novels coming out (no pun intended) this month. It sounds like it will be a funny, insightful read. And because #weneeddiversebooks.

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre
The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: Perfectionist Sage Czinski and Shane Cavendish are on opposite ends of the social spectrum and neither of them are looking to fall in love - but life has other plans for them.
Why It's On My Wishlist: I'm a sucker for opposites-attract romances.

Empire of Night (Age of Legends #2) by Kelley Armstrong
Empire of Night (Age of Legends, #2)

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: This is the sequel to Sea of Shadows, published last year.
Why It's On My Wishlist: Because I have Sea of Shadows - but haven't read it yet. But even if I didn't own the first book, I would still want this one. That cover is beautiful!

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1

Genre: YA Fantasy/Graphic Novel
What It's About: Five best friends are spending the summer at Lumberjanes scout camp but instead of canoeing or doing arts and crafts, their battling supernatural creatures.
Why It's On My Wishlist: See above.

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat
Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1)

Genre: Historical M/M Romance
What It's About: Damen, rightful heir to the throne, is sent as a slave to an enemy nation when his half brother seizes power. His new master is manipulative, deadly...and dangerously handsome.
Why It's On My Wishlist: I love gay historical romances and this one sounds so freakin' hot.

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science - and the World by Rachel Swaby
Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World

Genre: Non Fiction
What It's About: The title is pretty self-explanatory.
Why It's On My Wishlist: Science has always fascinated me and I love learning about the people behind the big scientific breakthroughs - particularly if those people have been overlooked in the field before because of their gender.

The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty #1) by Ken Liu
The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)

Genre: Fantasy
What It's About: Charming thief Kuni Garu and stern noble Mata Zyndu form an unlikely friendship despite being polar opposites. To their mutual dismay, they find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing conflict when the emperor is overthrown.
Why It's On My Wishlist: I just find the premise so intriguing. I have to find out what happens. It sounds like this is the start to an epic series.

Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins
Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle, #2)

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: This is the sequel to Rebel Belle, published last year.
Why It's On My Wishlist: To be perfectly honest, I don't know a lot about this series - but I do love that pretty cover.

Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant
Rolling in the Deep

Genre: Fantasy
What It's About: When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came with peddling imaginary creatures to the masses. They didn't expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn't expect mermaids with teeth.

April 14

All the Rage by Courtney Summers
All the Rage

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: When Romy is assaulted by the sheriff's son Kellan Turner, no one believes her. But when she finds out about his other victims she is determined to expose him.
Why It's On My Wishlist: With rape becoming an epidemic on college campuses, this book is, unfortunately, a timely reflection of rape culture and the effects it has on victims.

The Dream Lover: A Novel of George Sand
The Dream Lover: A Novel of George Sand

Genre: Historical Fiction
What It's About: The author George Sand, her famous lovers, and her scandalous life in 19th century paris.
Why It's On My Wishlist: I love historical fiction about famous artists.

Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling
Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

Genre: Non Fiction
What It's About: This is a commencement speech J.K. Rowling gave back in 2008 at Harvard University.
Why It's On My Wishlist: Anything by J.K. Rowling automatically goes on my TBR list.

North Korea Confidential: Private Markets, Fashion Trends, Prison Camps, Dissenters and Defectors by Daniel Tudor & James Pearson
North Korea Confidential: Private Markets, Fashion Trends, Prison Camps, Dissenters and Defectors

Genre: Non Fiction
What It's About: A deep look inside what life is like in the secretive state of North Korea.
Why It's On My Wishlist: Ever since I read The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, I have been fascinated by the real-life dystopia that is North Korea.

The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History by Brian Fagan
The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History

Genre: Non Fiction

A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall
A Crown for Cold Silver

Genre: Fantasy
What It's About: Twenty years ago, Cobalt Zosia led her five villainous captains and mercenary army into battle, wrestling monsters and toppling an empire. Now, her peaceful life has been shattered by the slaughter of her entire village. Seeking vengeance, Zosia heads into battle once more.
Why It's On My Wishlist: I didn't know I wanted to read a book like this until I heard about this one. The more female warriors in fantasy ficiton, the better.

Beautiful Secret (Beautiful Bastard #4) by Christina Lauren
Beautiful Secret (Beautiful Bastard, #4)

Genre: Romance

The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion
The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion

Genre: Young Adult Science Ficiton
What It's About: Bennett watches helplessly as his prom date gets abducted by aliens. Determined to rescue her, he hitches a ride into outer space with a band of extraterrestrial musicians.
Why It's On My Wishlist: The description of this book reminds me of one of my favorite books, Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Dream a Little Dream (The Silver Trilogy #1) by Kerstin Gier
Dream a Little Dream (The Silver Trilogy, #1)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

April 21

Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby
Things We Know by Heart

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
What It's About: When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend's donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke (Prisoner of Night and Fog #2) by Anne Blankman
Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke (Prisoner of Night and Fog, #2)

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II by Richard Reeves
Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II

Genre: Non Fiction - History

April 28

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
An Ember in the Ashes

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: An epic fantasy about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom, set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world.
Why It's On My Wishlist: This has got to be one of the most highly-anticipated YA debuts of 2015. I cannot wait to read it.

The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1) by Melissa Grey
The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight, #1)

Genre: YA  Fantasy
What It's About: Beneath the city of New York, live a race of magical people called the Avicen. Echo, a runaway pickpocket, is the only human who knows about them and soon she is caught up in an ancient war.
Why It's On My Wishlist: This book is already being compared to Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone.

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley 
Magonia

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: Aza discovers the world in the clouds above Earth, a place called Magonia.It is the first time she has felt she belongs somewhere. But when war begins to brew, Aza must decide where her true loyalties lie.
Why It's On My Wishlist: The summary on Goodreads describes this as a cross between The Fault in Our Stars and Stardust. 

Rook by Sharon Cameron
Rook

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Rogue (Talon #2) by Julie Kagawa
Rogue (Talon #2)

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: The sequel to last year's dragon fantasy, Talon.
Why It's On My Wishlist: Dragons!

Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger
Lying Out Loud

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: A companion to The Duff.

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick
Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own

Genre: Non Fiction/Memoir
What It's About: Bolick looks at the pleasures and possibilities of remaining single.
Why It's On My Wishlist: I always love reading books that examine and challenge societal norms. Since childhood, girls are conditioned to believe that happiness is attained through marriage and children. I want to read more books that challenge that convention.

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough
The Game of Love and Death

Genre: YA Historical Fiction
What It's About: For centuries, Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always. Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love could truly tip the balance?