Book Review : The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner *Spoiler Free*

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

4/5 Stars

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Released: March 8th, 2016

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 384

“If you're going to live, you might as well do painful, brave, and beautiful things.” 

In the story, we have our three main characters: Dill, Lydia, and Travis, who are a close-knit band of friends. Dill is the son of an incarcerated preacher, who has a passion for music. Lydia is a sassy, goal oriented blogger who dreams of bigger things. And Travis who is a big dude with a love of fantasy novels, and the outsider of his stereotypical southern family. 

This is not the type of book I normally would pick up. Truthfully, if I hadn’t been given this book, I probably would never have read it. That being said, this book surprised me. I went into this book knowing nothing (except that there was something about snakes and religion). And when I found out I was getting the book, I actively avoided reading anything about it (I didn’t even read the summary). 

At first, I almost DNF’d this book. Why? Because I’m not that big into YA contemporary stories. But, The Serpent King definitely isn't your typical YA Contemporary novel. It is a mix of everything you wish a YA Contemporary could be, and it wasn't totally cliche. I’m so glad I continued with this book. This book emotionally destroyed me in all the right ways. It’s the first book to make me cry (I’m talking gross, uncontrollable sobbing) in a very long time. (I think the last book to do that was The Fault in Our Stars back in 2012). And I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn't prepared for it to shatter my heart into a million pieces. Throughout reading the first half of this book I didn’t think it would hit me so hard. It really started as a 3 star read and ended as a solid, 4 star read. 

This is a very character driven novel and each character felt very real. The characters in this book are all incredibly unique and easily relatable. Seriously, there is something in every character that you can easily relate to. The characters are really what make this story. Even the plot is somewhat unique, and what I loved about this book is that didn't even make the characters attending classes a major focus. This is a well-crafted, beautiful story about three teenagers finding themselves. 

This book is the perfect blend of comedy, romance and drama that all fit perfectly together into one beautiful puzzle. The writing is compelling, original and in some places so intense you cannot help but continue reading, this book had me up all night trying to finish it once I got hooked. Truly, this book is stunning. I can't say enough about it.

Book Review : Vicious by V. E. Schwab *Spoiler Free*

Vicious by V. E. Schwab

5/5 Stars

Publisher: Tor
Released: September 24th, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 364

“The paper called Eli a hero. The word made Victor laugh. Not just because it was absurd, but because it posed a question. If Eli was really a hero, and Victor meant to stop him, did that make him a villain? He took a long sip of his drink, tipped his head back against the couch, and decided he could live with that.” 


(I need to drop the whole blurb here, because no description I give will do this book justice.)
"Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?"

See what I mean?

I’m going to try and eloquently express my opinion, but it’s probably not going to work.(Also it’s so hard to talk about this book without giving anything away. And honestly, this is a book you want to go into without spoilers.)

I went into this book not knowing much about it. (I tend to do this; I don’t like look up a book before I read it.) I saw it floating around the internet attached to phrases like “morally grey superheroes” and “best book I’ve read”, and I knew I needed to get this book. And so I did. The second I saw it pop up on Book Outlet (I usually go with Book Outlet for authors I haven’t read yet, just in case) I grabbed it, not even thinking twice about it. And then I let it sit on my shelf for a year, almost completely forgotten, pushed aside for newer, shinier books. I regret taking so long to read this book. It was amazing. No, it was beyond amazing. This book might just be my favourite read of 2016.

One of the things I really liked about this book is the way the story is told. The chapters go back and forth between past events and current events, where every past event is followed up by something that is currently happening because of those events. I also liked the multiple narrators used. I’m not usually a fan of multiple narrators, I find it tends to get messy when there’s too many people to follow (I just have a hard time following multiple narrators/story lines). But it fit this book so well, because everything comes together so beautifully. Also, I love nice, short chapters and this story was structured perfectly in that sense.

What I absolutely adored about this book were the characters. No one was perfect, no one was entirely good; everyone was flawed. They were messed up, they had struggles, and fears; and secrets of their own. Every single character had to face obstacles, and the best part is that every one dealt with their obstacles in completely different ways. The characters were hauntingly real because of their imperfections. 

Another thing I loved about this book is the way it poses questions about morality – about how what you think is good isn’t always what’s actually good, and about the consequences of dealing with death and whether anyone has the right to decide when a life has to end. (All because you think what you’re doing is what’s right). What I can tell you is that this really is one complex book.

This book was a roller-coaster from start to finish, and I loved every second of it. It was an addictive and a compelling page-turner. This was such a great book, with such a great concept. This was really different from what I usually read, but in the best way possibly. I loved the writing style, and I can’t wait to read more books by Schwab.

Book Review : Uprooted by Naomi Novik *Spoiler Free*

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

5/5 Stars

Publisher : Del Rey
Released: May 19th, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 438


“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

The story opens in a village where 17-year-old Agnieszka has been living with her family all her life. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. In order to keep the Wood at bay, the villagers rely on the help of the Dragon, a powerful wizard. As compensation for his efforts, the Dragon demands a tribute: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years. With the next choosing approaching, she is afraid. Everyone knows that the Dragon will take her best friend, Kasia. But when the Dragon comes, it isn’t Kasia he chooses. Instead he chooses Agnieszka.

Uprooted has quickly become one of my favourite reads of the year. It has everything I could ever want in a book. That being said, I’m finding it surprisingly difficult to write a review for it. I went into this book knowing very little; I actively avoided reading anything about this book after I picked it up. And I think that’s partially why I enjoyed this book so much. I didn’t know what to expect going in, so I really couldn’t be disappointed. And I was definitely not disappointed. This book blew me away. From start to finish, this book held me in its grasp and didn't let go.

I won't go into specific plot details. To give it all away would ruin the experience that is this book. (And boy is this book an experience). But I will say that it was very well done; complicated, dark and twisted in all the best ways. Seriously. What I really loved the most about Uprooted was the feeling it gave me. It’s an indescribable feeling, almost like a nostalgic love. It has all the makings of a familiar fairytale story, something you might have heard as a child. And this book is so well-defined that it produces powerful feelings and strong, clear images in your mind. You can practically feel the evil lurking inside and seeping through the pages.

Another thing I loved was the focus on the friendship between Agnieszka and Kasia. Kasia always seemed to remain her priority at all times; and the strengths and weaknesses of their friendship felt honest and real, especially for their age. And it was a much greater focus than the romance. And I love that. I love books with strong female friendships. But don’t get me wrong, I also enjoyed the romance-y bits. It’s just refreshing to see it take a bit of a back seat.

I have to say this book was such a beautiful, dark fantasy read. It read like a modern fairytale. Great world-building, engaging narrator, and spectacular depiction of magic without dumping too much information. I could easily see this book becoming a classic in the future. If you're a fan of beautifully crafted stories, hideous monstrosities that are all too human, and good triumphing over evil, read it.

Book Review : A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas *Spoiler Free*

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

3/5 Stars

So, this review was a little difficult to write. I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to post it or not, because the overall experience I had with this book was negative. I didn’t want to end up posting a hate-filled rant instead of an actual review. But after letting it sit for a few days, I’ve been able put my thoughts together in a much better way.

The hype for this book is unreal, and it made me go into this it with very high expectations. Which I think kind of ruined the reading experience for me. I went into this book expecting to absolutely love it, and I didn’t. (Which seems to be a trend for my relationship with Sarah J. Maas books. *cough* Throne of Glass *cough*) But I can understand why people like this book, in theory. And don’t get me wrong, this book does have some very strong moments. But to me those moments are so few, and for the most part so very late in the story, that they can’t wholly save the it for me.

The biggest issue I had with this book was Feyre. As a character, she drove me crazy the entire time. Nothing she did made any sense to me. With the way she’s set up in the beginning of the story as this great, experienced hunter, and how she’s been taking care of her family single-handedly for years; she knows how to survive. But she would go and make these really dumb decisions and go purposefully put herself in danger. Out of what always felt like naivety, not bravery. And that doesn’t fit with how her character is supposed to be. She just felt very inconsistent, with her actions constantly contradicting themselves. And that was the most infuriating thing to read. I would find myself constantly saying “Why?” “Why are you doing that?” “WHY??”. Though, she was saved for me a little bit at the end of the book, when most of her decisions finally made sense. (Which, the end of the book is when it gets good anyway, in my opinion.)

Another problem I had was that I just wasn’t invested in the romance. Which, the romance is a very central part of the story. It’s an important part of this story. And I didn’t care about it all that much. To me it was very generic, very bland, very much instalove. And I just don’t like the whole instalove thing in books. I just didn’t buy it. (And for some reason I get the feeling that maybe we aren’t meant to buy into the whole Feyre/Tamlin romance. That could just be me, though.) Also, I didn’t love Tamlin as a character. I didn’t hate him; I don’t really feel any connection to him. He was just very meh to me. And there was something about him that just didn’t sit well with me. It’s mainly that he’s set up as very much the “nice guy” from the beginning, the guy is basically portrayed as a saint, but some of the things he did didn’t really fit with that. (I’m getting serious Adam from Shatter Me flashbacks with him.)

And then you compare that to a character like Rhysand. From the moment we meet him, we know he isn’t a “nice guy”. And his actions actually support that, yet he’s still this complex and interesting character with depth. And his interactions with Feyre felt real, and were something I really enjoyed. (I’m really having Shatter Me flashbacks right now, and I kind of like it.)

The other issues I had with the book were all pretty minor things. The Beauty and the Beast elements didn’t really work for me, it felt like it was a re-telling in the loosest of terms. Which is fine. And the fact that the first 80-85% of the novel was very slow, and nothing really happened, almost killed it for me. There were a few times where I really wanted to DNF the book. But the side characters, the ones we really got to see, saved it a little bit for me. They were one of the things I really liked about this book. (Lucien and Rhysand I’m looking at you.) Honestly, Lucien and Rhysand were the reason I kept reading. And I’m kind of glad that I did finish it, because that last 15-20% of the novel was when things started making sense. The end was when it really got interesting, it was when plot finally started going somewhere. It was when you really start to understand the story as a whole. (Also, Rhysand. I just really like Rhysand.) And it really set up a lot of things for the future books that have me interested. The ending alone has me interested in picking up the next book.

Overall, this was a very disappointing book. Though there were parts of it that I really did enjoy, they didn’t make up for the parts that I didn’t enjoy. But I’m not giving up on the series yet. I’m actually looking forward to picking up the next book because I can see the potential this series has. And I’m hoping that the future installments have a chance to really make up for the things that didn’t work for me in this one. 

Book Review : Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella *Spoiler Free*

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

4/5 Stars

This book follows Becky Bloomwood a financial journalist with a major shopping problem. 

I am not usually a fan of the "Chick-Lit" genre, it's usually the last thing I pick up, but I've had Sophie Kinsella's books recommended to me time and time again so I decided to pick it up. I was not disappointed. This book surprised me, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I recently found myself in a bit of a reading slump, where every book I started I immediately put down. This book was exactly what I needed to break that slump. It was funny, light, and a quick read.  That being said, Becky Bloomwood drove me crazy. There were times when I just wanted to shake her and yell STOP SHOPPING! And some of the lies she told were cringe-worthy and unnecessary. But, overall this book was enjoyable. I would recommend it if you wanted something that is a quick, light, fun read.