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.

Favourite Books I Read in 2015

Okay, so, I know I'm a bit late to this party. But seeing as this blog is brand new I thought I would start it out with an easy post. I also love talking about my favourite books.
I only read about 40 books in 2015, so I've narrowed this list down to my Top Six.
This list is sorted by date read. I will also add the link to the books Goodreads page in case you want to check it out.
Note; these are books I read in 2015, they weren't necessarily released in 2015.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
5/5 Stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief

This was the first book I finished in 2015, and if I had to pick an overall favourite this would be it. This book is beautiful, and sad, and everyone should read this. (Side note: I gave this book to my mother and she cried when she read it) It follows a young girl named Liesel Meminger and her life during World War II in Germany, and is told from the perspective of Death. Yes, Death is the narrator of this novel, which isn't something I've seen in a book before. Overall this a gorgeous book that everyone should read.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
4/5 Stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14061957-ruin-and-rising

This is the third and final novel in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy, one of my all time favourite book series. I won't go too into plot details because this is the final book. What I will say is that this is an incredible YA Fantasy trilogy set in this Russian-based world where people called the Grisha posses magic-like abilities. It basically has everything you could want and more from a Fantasy series. And I know that a lot of people didn't like this final book, but I loved it. I thought it was a phenomenal ending to the story, and you should definitely pick this series up if you haven't already.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4/5 Stars 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21480930-gone-girl

I am a little ashamed to say that I originally had no intentions to read this book, I had even went so far as to Google the the ending. And then I watched the movie and I instantly wanted to get my hands on the novel. This book is adult fiction, and a thriller, and the farthest thing from what I normally tend to lean towards. This book starts off following Nick Dunne on the morning of his wedding anniversary, and then his wife disappears and it seems like he is involved. If you haven't read this book yet, or if you've only seen the movie I highly, highly recommend you pick this up.


Nimona by Noelle Stevenson 
5/5 Stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23131087-nimona

This was another book that was out of my normal reading preferences. It is a graphic novel that follows Nimona, a shape-shifting sidekick to a villain. But it ends up being so much more than that, I can't even put it into words. This is a gorgeous graphic novel that everyone should at least try to read once, it will blow you away.

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
5/5 Stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23705512-you-re-never-weird-on-the-internet

I listened to the audio book for this one, and I honestly think that makes all the difference having Felicia Day read it to you herself. This is the first memoir I've read (well, listened to) and I don't think I could have picked a better one. It's funny, it's smart, it's a little inspiring. I loved it, I recommend this book to everyone whether or not they're a fan of Felicia Day herself.

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
5/5 Stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25735012-career-of-evil

This is the third novel in J.K. Rowling's (as Robert Galbraith) Cormoran Strike series. The series follows private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. This third book is the best in the series so far in my opinion. The first two were great, but this one absolutely blew me away and left me needing the next one ASAP. This is the farthest thing from Harry Potter, yes, but if you are a fan of JKR's clever and thoughtful story weaving than you really need to pick up this series. It won't disappoint.


So, those are my favourite books I read in 2015. If you've read this far, thank you, I tried to keep it as short as I could for a first post.
In the comments below let me know what your favourite books in 2015 were, and if you've read any of these books. I would love to hear your thoughts.