Hello Friends,
Today I wanted to make a non book review given that 2018 is coming to an end I wanted to check on (and let’s be real roast myself) my 2018 goals as well as set new goals for 2019.
Continue reading “2018 Review and 2019 Resolutions”
Hello Friends!
Today I thought I would recap my favorite books of 2018.
I purchased this book, went to Mary HK Choi’s signing at the LA Festival of Books and then read the book a month later. And it was amazing. Definitely a book I would reread.
2. Labyrinth Lost
This book was amazing. Sure we got famous wizards such as Merlin, The boy who lived but were are our Brujas at? Look no further, Labyrinth Lost has a beautiful mix of different Latinx cultures and religions that make up this world. In addition, we also get a strong Latinx protagonist who is Bi!
3. Warcross
Warcross is amazing! If you were a Sword Art Online lover, like me. This book will blow your mind. This story had me at the edge of my sit and I loved that it was set in Tokyo, Japan.
4. Geekerella
Geekerella was so cute. I loved the way the fandom, cosplay, and the con was written. As a sometimes cosplayers I thought this story captured that aspect well. In addition, the characters in this book were awesome. Especially Fairy Godmother Sage.
5. The House on Mango Street
I had not read the House on Mango Street cover to cover until this year and I really enjoyed it! The collection of small poetic stories were really beautiful and Esperanza’s growth through the story was my favorite part of this book.
6. Six Of Crows
I have been meaning to read Six of Crows ever since I had heard about the series but did not read it until this year. This duology honestly blew away my expectations. I laughed. I cried. (I cried a lot). And I will carry the characters with me forever.
7. Kill the Queen
This book was described as a mixture of Game of Thrones and Black sails and it did not disappoint. There was a lot of action but also betrayal and deception as well as the overall growth of the main character, Evie as she prepares herself to take back her Queendom.
8. The Princess Saves Herself in this One
Another collection of poetry I fell in love with. The poems were beautiful and heart wrenching but what I liked the most about them was the way that they filled me with both inspiration and love.
Compiling this list of favorites was a little hard considering there were other great books I read this year that did not make this list. So here are some honorable mentions.
What was your favorite read of 2018? And what books do I need to check out for 2019?
Marie Lu
5 stars
Hello readers and neurolink users,
lol just kidding I think we’d all swerve the neurolink after reading the events of Warcross and Wildcard. That’s the true tea. Anyways I spent my best week putting down my Star Wars fanfiction and instead picking up Wildcard which has been sitting on my shelf since it’s release in September. Now my first impression of this book and I mean page one impression was “dang I missed this world.”
For those of you who haven’t read Warcross let me give you a quick summary. Warcross is a scifi ya novel that is mostly set in Tokyo, Japan and stars Emika Chen, a bounty hunter but also a hacker, who finds people that are doing shady shit in the game warcross, a virtual reality game that is popular in this world. Think Sword Art Online. However, the day that Warcross decides to have their championship game Emika accidently glitches herself into the game and leaves everybody shook but most important she impress Hideo Tanka, the creator of Warcross, who hires Emika to look for a particular glitch in his game. And the rest of that story is a crazy whirlwind and I suggest you add it to your Christmas wish list. Anyways now to the real review.
WildCard picks up right where Warcross left off and Emika is still trying to unravel her feelings for Hideo after he basically revealed himself to have a god complex. He would be such good friends with Light Yagami. Any who, as Emi is pondering her next move to take down Hideo, when she ends up getting swept up into Zero’s crew to take down her ex-lover however, as the story continues everything gets even more complicated.
I finished this book 20 minutes before writing this review and the story is still stuck with me. If you do not want to know my thoughts on the ending look away now. I thought the ending was a kind of bittersweet. Maybe I got a soft spot for villians but Hideo deadass thought mind control was the solution to world peace. However, I was also a bit satisfied that he ends up doing time for trying to mind control everyone and Emika becomes the new CEO of Hideo’s company what a plot twist but I loved it. Emi went from being hated at the beginning of this book to being the person to restart Warcross like what an icon. Additionally I have to say I found it weird that Hideo and Emika’s love story got wrapped in a newspaper blurb at the end. I don’t know how long Hideo is under house arrest for but it’s pretty wild that the news is peachy with the idea that Emika is dating the guy that tried to mind control everyone. Like did they just forget or was Hideo’s name cleared?
Anyways my little shipper heart was pleased I just have one complaint. Hideo and Emika didn’t have enough fluffy scenes together it was mostly angst. Compared to Warcross the two were so cute together but in this sequel they’re always dancing aroud their breakup and wondering if the other still likes them. Y’all are both into each other can you make out now.
My final thoughts are that Wildcard was not what I was expecting. As I progressed through the story everything I thought I knew got twisted into a bitter truth. And things were never what they seemed but I enjoyed that and it really kept me guessing so for that I give Wildcard 5 stars.
Pro-tip if you plan on reading this but haven’t picked up Warcross in a while I recommend a reread because there were times when I was like who, what, when? But if you a rebel and persist anyways can’t blame you I did the same thing.
Invisible Ghosts
Robyn Schneider
Pages 320 (according to Goodreads)
4 Stars
Hello Book lovers,
This past week I decided to abandon my current reads and crack open a book that has been on my Amazon Wishlist for the past 6 months. So I went on the library app, Libby, gotta start saving for Holiday shopping. Anyways it did not take much to get hooked up on this book and I gobbled it up in between classes, during homework breaks, and before bed.
This book follows Rose Asher, a high school Junior who loves to fade into the background. She lowkey hates her friends and holds herself back from doing things that make her truly happy. Rose’s reasoning for living her life in the shadows is that her brother Logan, who died when he was 15 still visits her and she spends a lot of her free time watching old Doctor Who reruns with him. However, things start to change when Rose’s old friend Jaime Aldridge moves back to town and the two begin to date. Suddenly Rose starts to come out of her own bubble and start to live her life however Logan becomes upset that Rose is spending less time with him and makes her choose between her happiness and seeing him.
Laguna Canyon was no stranger to ghosts, both the kind that blew in with the Santa Ana winds and the kind that sat in your classroom looking nothing like you remembered.
There were a lot of things that I loved about this book but let me start with the setting. The city that Rose lives in is called Laguna Canyon which I’m pretty sure is a fictional town but nevertheless the story is set in So Cal, probably somewhere in Orange County. Anyways because of this Rose, on numerous times, mentions the Santa Ana Winds. I wrote down 3 instances in which she mentions them! If you don’t know the legend/story behind the Santa Ana Winds these winds are believed to be supernatural and makes people do crazy things. There’s a whole essay written about this phenomena and it is even mentioned in Emergency Contact, another YA novel. Anyways I thought this was perfect to include in this book given the whole ghosty vibes this book gives off.
Something else I enjoyed was that Jamie’s race is explicitly stated. According to Rose, Jamie is actually part Filipino on his mother’s side. Personally I always enjoy some POC rep in my books so this nod made me pretty excited for the rest of this book. Aside from that Jamie’s entrance into this story is also pretty iconic, Rose explains that he blew back into her life because of the Santa Ana winds which spoiler alert, Rose isn’t the only ghost whisperer in her town. Now that I think about it tying Jamie’s entrance into the story with the supernatural winds foreshadow his own supernatural abilities which are revealed later.
And the last thing I wanted to mention that I enjoyed was that the popular student group are all super nice. Which is refreshing because story after story and show after movie the popular kids are often depicted as mean and bullies. However, the popular crew in Invisible Ghosts are super nice and super supportive of each other as well as Rose even before she joins their ranks. I remember fellow bookstagramer ShelvesofYa pointing out popular mean group cliché so I was surprised that this group of friends were actually super nice and supported of each other.
So why only 4 stars instead of 5 I did gobble up this book after all. Well my main problem was that I hated Logan’s character. I mean for a ghost he was super selfish and did not seem to care that Rose was basically wasting her life away because of him. On top of that homeboy threw so many tantrums when things didn’t go his way. I mean I get that he was 15 when he died but the boy needed to tone down the teen angst.
The Girl from the Other Side
Story and Art by Nagabe
Page Count: I don’t know it’s a magna
Rating: 5 Stars
Hello readers!
For today’s post I want to review the first book “The Girl from the Other Side”, a magna series. For those of you who are not familiar with Magna they are similar to comic books except they come from and are translated from Japan. A lot of Magna ends up becoming anime series such as Sailor Moon or Attack on Titan.
So what’s so great about the girl from the other side? In short everything. The series follows a young girl named Shiva who lives in an abandoned village with her demon guardian whom she calls teacher. In the first book we learn that some kind of sickness took over the village and Shiva was left in Teacher’s care. However for some reason Shiva cannot touch teacher or she will catch the curse and turn into some ugly creature…Forever. I know right so crazy.
Anyways Shiva is so sassy! And maybe part of that is because she is so young and kids don’t really have a filter but I found Shiva’s personality refreshing. I also loved that Shiva just rolls with the fact she lives with a demon now as if that is normal. Shiva does not ever show that she’s scared of teacher and I loved that.
The reason I loved this book and this is what originally drew me to purchasing the first story was that the whole series gave me this Hades and Persephone vibe and as I read the magna that vibe was further validated. I mean Shiva may live with a creature of darkness but that doesn’t stop her from napping out in the woods or collecting flowers to make a cute little crown for Teacher. In addition, Shiva not being easily spooked by Teacher’s otherness reminded me of the duality of Persephone as she is both the Princess of Spring as well as the Queen of darkness.
I’m not sure how the rest of this series will go but I do remember reading a summary of the series that Shiva at some point was going to travel away from the other side, which is where she lives with Teacher, in order to find her grandmother and ask her just why Teacher came to be her guardian. And with the way the first edition to this series left me feeling and left me hanging you bet I’m going to purchase the next installments.
Twilight
Stephenie Meyer
Total pages 498
My rating 4 stars
Hello readers and twi-hards,
The Summer of Chasing of Mermaids
Sarah Ockler
399 pages
4 Stars
Hello readers and book lovers,
Today’s review is a little late. I meant to post it as soon as I finished writing it but I completely forgot I wrote it.
Honestly if you’re looking for that perfect summer book that will give you the sense of being at the beach everyday, and having beach bonfires, and a cute summer crush the Summer of Chasing Mermaids is going to be your book.
This book follows Elyse a teen who has moved from Tobago to Oregon because of an accident that robbed her of her voice. Since Elyse can not physically make sound with her vocal chords because it will end up harming her voice even more she ends up writing her thoughts down on paper, or on walls, or other peoples hands. However, the words she pens with her sharpie are deeply poetic. I loved this about her because it was like every time she had something to say it was always articulated in such beautiful poetry. Elyse meets Christian Kane, her landlord’s son, and the two end up fixing up the Kane’s boat in order to win a contest that will determine the fate of the town.
My review on this book is 4 stars. Whole heartedly. It didn’t feel like YA too me more of a new adult novel. And that’s probably because the characters in this book are older, well they acted older I’m not sure how old Elyse and her friends where. This book was rich in culture specifically Tobago culture, although the author acknowledged that she learned a lot of that history and culture from close friends she also realizes that some things could be incorrect. I personally do not know much about Tobago so every time Elise talked about her life in Tobago I was intrigued and I loved learning about it.
Beside the culture, this novel also tackled a topic I hadn’t expected which was confiding to gender norms. Sebastian Kane, is Christian’s younger brother who in the novel, is around 8 years old, and he loves mermaids. He loves mermaids so much that he wants to dress like one and march in the annual mermaid parade the town hosts. The only problem is they won’t allow him to do it because he’s a boy. I was so frustrated at this point because Sebastian is a kid and kids should be allowed to express themselves however they want. This scene really resonated with me on a personal level because I have people in my family who make jokes about not wanting their sons to paint their nails since that is seen as something feminine. But hello did you just snooze your way through the rock and roll era (especially glam rock)? And it’s not as if actors, male actors included, aren’t getting their makeup done on set. Anyways it’s a pretty ridiculous thing to get all butt hurt about and I’m glad Elyse and friends definitely were mad about it. But it something that still happens today so I can see why the author chose to include this scene.
Anyways this book was great, and I would definitely recommend it to people looking for a diverse read, for people looking for a story set in coastal Oregon, and those looking for a nice summer read. I highly encourage you to add it to your next summer read.
Geekerella
Ashley Poston
317 pages
4 stars
Hello Bookworms and Book Goblins!
Today I am reviewing Geekerella, which if you’re a space obessessed Gal like me and you thought this book was going to be star wars-y you are half right!
Geekerella is about 17 year old Daniella who lives with her stepmom, whose mostly evil, and her two step sisters, who are evil most of the time. Geekerella follows the Cinderella trope evil stepsisters, evil stepmom while Cindy, this case Elle, has to tidy up the house. However, unlike the Cinderella trope Elle is also a huge nerd for this space show called Starfield. Starfield is similar to lots of space operas we know today such as Star Wars and Star Trek and like both of these real life fandoms Starfield gets a reboot. Which should make the fans happy right?
Wrong! A lot of the Starfield fans are straight up hating that this guy Darien Freeman from this overly romantic teen drama show has been casted as their beloved Prince Carmindor, Elle included. However, through a crazy turn of events Elle and Darien end up becoming text buddies and talk about all things Starfield. The only problem is they both have no idea they’re texting each others number 1 hater.
I loved Geekerella! Firstly the whole fan drama about whose being casted as your favorite character was super real. I remember the magician shade Whovians were throwing at the 12th Doctor. And the huge uproar that happened after Star Wars was sold to Disney. I mean I still encounter these salty fans online so I was very sympathic towards Darien.
And the whole Starfield Storyline was all up my alley. I love Space Princes and tragic love stories, cough star wars. And I was lowkey getting flashbacks to Ten and Rose when Elle brought up that scene where Princess Amara decides to save the world. I wonder if the author was inspired by them.
I also loved the whole convention aspect and the cosplay ball. Clearly I’ve been going to the wrong cons cause I’ve never heard of a cosplay ball but it sounds super fun! And I loved the moment when all the cosplayers decided to jump in and help Elle I though that was super cute and pretty accurate as cosplayers are usually super nice and supportive.
Lastly, Sage is a badass! She’s kind of the fairy godmother of this story but with less mystery which was totally fine. Sage knew how to work her own magic via her sewing skills and her crazy swerving in the Magic Pumpkin.
So if you’re looking for something to read this fall season or something to hype you up for your next con. I definitely recommend Geekerella.
Girl Against the Universe
Author: Paula Stokes
Pages: 382
My Rating: 5 Stars
(No photo because I forgot to take one)
“I just wanted to wish you good luck again,” he says. “In fact, I found something for you.” He pulls a wadded-up tissue from his pockets and folds it back to reveal a four-leaf clover. “Put it in your shoe or whatever.”
I loved this book. Normally I don’t really connect very much with a character when they’ve lost a family member or are an orphan. I just find that trope very common among YA so I think maybe I have just come to accept it as a kind of standard for the hero story. However, with Girl Against the Universe, I connected with the story right away.
Girl Against the Universe is about Maguire Kelly, a high school student, who believes without a doubt that the Universe is out to get her. Maguire has a history of walking away from disasters without a scratch and she convinces herself that she is cursed. However after her neighbor’s house catches on fire and Maguire’s family moves to San Diego she begins to attend therapy sessions in order to overcome her fear of the universe. It is there where she meets Jordy, who in is his own way is trying to take back his life. The two decide to help each other overcome their fears while also mastering the art of Tennis. Although Jordy is hoping to go pro while Maguire just wants an outlet. There’s some romance and a lot of cute moments.
I loved this book so much because Maguire’s fears and her curse felt real. I found myself unable to blame the girl for not wanting to ride in the car with other people because of the car accident that took her father, her brother, and her uncle’s life while leaving her unscratched. Maguire’s little rituals, her five minute checks, her positive affirmations, and her good luck charms were I think what really sold me. And it really warmed my heart when Jordy, Jade, and Penn took her fears seriously and offered her good luck charms as well in order to comfort her. That support system was just so beautiful.
I also enjoyed Maguire’s family and how although her mother remarries and has more children Maguire’s stepfather, Tom still claims Maguire as his own while also understanding he only has this new family because Maguire’s previous one had to die. Maguire also loves her steps siblings and she is patient with them and I found that refreshing as other books I read in the past liked to use the evil step siblings trope.
Something that I noticed that seemed off is when Magurie walks in on her therapist in one scene he is describes as eating an in-n-out burger and maybe I was hungry but I was left wondering well what kind? Was it a double double? A cheeseburger? Was it Animal style? I was left kind of curious about that.
I recommend this book to everyone! It was a very cute read. I’m not a fan of sports but this book is still a favorite.
Eliza and her Monsters
Francesca Zappia
Genre: YA
Pages 385
Reviewing 4.5 stars
Whoa just Whoa.
Eliza and her Monsters follows, Eliza Mirk, a high school student who is the author of the very popular webcomic, Monsters at Sea. Eliza is just living her life as the super private author of Monsters at Sea when Wallace Warland transforms to her school. Wallace as she comes to learn is a popular fan fiction author for Monster at Sea and he starts to work on the transcription of the web comic into books with Eliza of course as the beta reader. However as the two grow closer together Eliza ends up being outed as the author for Monsters at Sea and lots of drama ensues.
These books was cute and fluffy but also brought some very serious issues. Throughout the book Eliza is always alone. Until Wallace transfers she only really has Monsters at Sea and her online friends. That loneliness and frustration that Eliza has through the book continues to fester until towards the end of the book Eliza contemplates taking her own life.
I really enjoyed the world of Monsters at Sea and by the end of the book I was low key a fan but I did end up having to flip back and look at the art in order to figure out which character was which and try to unravel the story. I am honestly still not sure how that story ends but I hear Zappia is working on it.
Okay now for the thing that kind of angered me with this book was after Eliza’s secret is exposed she ends up not wanting to write anymore. Which is understandable as her whole life was put into the spotlight. However Wallace ends up being offered a book deal if he transcribes the comic but only once it’s finish so he kind of pressures Eliza to finish it. Although Eliza explains to him many times that she cannot Wallace persists and makes her feel guilty about it. Honestly that was a very shitty move Wallace and I liked him a lot less after that.
Before I read this book I found myself in a writing slump. I gave myself the goal to finish a story by the end of the summer and so far I was not really making progress on that goal. But then while reading Eliza and her Monsters, Eliza reminded me that creating worlds that can be shared is cool and everything but what really motivates a writer or an artist is creating for themselves. Once I told myself that writing became easier as I was doing it for myself and crafting these worlds became something personal and much easier to do.
I would recommend this book anyone wanting a contemporary read with a healthy serving of teen angst and self discovery. This book is also recommend for people who want a story within a story as Monsters at Sea is an interesting one.
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