Monthly Archives:: August 2015

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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I received this book for free from Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoSix of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Six of Crows #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on September 29, 2015
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, YA
Source: Henry Holt and Co.
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four-half-stars

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

WHOA. WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!

I rarely flail with much vigor and enthusiasm, but oh my lanta, this book was made of amaze-balls and epic-sauce. I am just blown away by how much I enjoyed this and how much I was on my toes the entire time. From start to finish, I was engrossed 101%. This was sublime storytelling, characterization, and action, everyone. Top-notch. Boom, pow, period.

For days I have been struggling to read. I’d open a book and then get bored in the first 10 pages. I’ve started and ended at least 5 books without even getting past 10% because they just weren’t grabbing my attention. It seriously made me so sad that I wasn’t able to finish a book at a steady pace… before finishing Six of Crows, my Goodreads challenge was pathetically six books behind schedule. SIX BOOKS! How could I possibly call myself a legit book blogger when I allowed myself to be behind 1 book behind schedule?!

So color me happy when I finally opened my copy of Leigh Bardugo’s newest work, courtesy of Shannelle @ Art of Escapism who lent it to me (thanks, doll! I owe you one!). Truthfully, considering my rather bad streak the week before, I feared that this one would be just like the others – uninspiring and lackluster. However, my fears were absolutely unfounded as from the very first page, this book held me and never let me go. It felt so, so good to finally have a book I could easily immerse myself in. The six characters were amazing and well-developed, the plot was intriguing, intense, and well thought-out, and the stakes were so, so high that I dared not blink lest I miss a scene. Do you know how rare it is to find all these three in a book nowadays?! DO YOU?!

First of all, the six characters – Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan. I’ve read multiple-pov books before and truth be told, 7 times out of 10, they are not written well, becausewith so many characters and backstories and development to feature, they end up being muddled and being only skin deep. They, most likely than not, end up being so over the place that they end up underwhelming. That’s why I am so gleeful that Bardugo wrote them extremely well here – there were six and yet their different personalities and motives were effectively portrayed, their backstories given equal spotlight, their character developements steadily and amazingly done. Like goodness, how can an author do that while also taking into account their goal: to infiltrate a seemingly impenetrable prison fortress and smuggle a highly valuable man whose work may launch the work into absolute chaos.

Yeah, think about that.

Leigh Bardugo, you are a beast, I tell you.

And seriously, dude, if you think this book is about six godly characters who never encounters a single problem, think again. One of the main reasons why this book really enthralled me was because even though these people were good at what they do, they were never immune to hardships. There were definitely near death instances; they made hard decisions with grave consequences; they made lapses in judgement. Things were never handed to them in silver platter, so it was so exciting to follow their adventure and see how they’ll overcome it, working their asses off in order for the plan to follow through. And the best part? The romances (yes, ROMANCES. There are three ships here y’all!) never took center stage. They were in the background most of the time, and oftestimes were touched every time the book talks about the character’s observation about their surroundings and situation. And they always, always, ALWAYS moved with the plot.

And can I just say I ADORE the characters? I ADORE THEM. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. I NEED TOY FIGURES OF THEM. MACMILLAN, MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

Seriously, pre-order this book, guys. I have no fucking doubt you’ll adore it to kingdom come. Beautifull-written, action-packed, with memorable and rootable characters whose kickass-ness will make you squeal with glee. Woot, woot!

four-half-stars

4.5 Hot Espressos

Review: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Review: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Posted by on 08/10/2015 • 3 Comments

This sequel has been a very long wait to read and I had very high expectations going into it. It was a little slow going at first, but it was so good. Even though it was slow, we get all of the characters we love (and maybe don’t love so much) as well as new ones. As with the first one, the descriptiveness was amazing and I loved seeing what everyone has been up to and what the new danger is going to put them through. By the time I was nearing the end of this book I was reading frantically needing to see what would happen. And the end… ahhhhh!! I sure hope the next book doesn’t take as long as this sequel did to come out. I assure…

Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Posted by on 08/07/2015 • 8 Comments

When you hear the words “young adult dystopian”, what are the first things that come to your mind? Wait, don’t bother; I’m going to do a checklist for you:

☑ There is a special, teenage snowflake… ☑ … who insists she is average and normal… ☑ … but catches the attention of one or two or three love interests… ☑ … who without the help of experienced adults… ☑ … manages to topple an oppressive government/system.

Am I right, or am I right?

However, you need not fear because The Glass Arrow took a completely different direction, deciding to give this world-renowned checklist a big “fuck-you”. It may not look like at first, but this standalone YA dystopian is about an unfortunate girl who was stuck in an unfortunate, cruel world and strived to escape…

Review: Friends for Life by Andrew Norris

Review: Friends for Life by Andrew Norris

Posted by on 08/06/2015 • 3 Comments

This book was actually much different than I thought it would be. It was a much deeper and serious story than I had originally thought going into it. I thought it was going to be a cute MG about a boy who is friends with a ghost. In a way it is, but it’s so much more. He can see the ghost for a certain reason, and then other people can too. Jessica is actually visible because they need her help and she also needs theirs so she can move on. This was a fantastic gem of a story where I was expecting something cute. It really hit me right in the feels and I think it was wonderful.

Francis is a loner. He is different so he doesn’t…

Review: The Fall by James Preller

Review: The Fall by James Preller

Posted by on 08/03/2015 • 8 Comments

I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of books about suicide and bullying lately. I suppose it’s a good thing because that means that there are more and more books out there covering the topic. Even though they all cover the same topic, the characters and situations are much different though. In this case it’s told by a boy who was kind of friends with the girl who committed suicide. What I mean by that is that he would secretly talk to her and hang out with her, but wouldn’t admit it out of fear of being judged. Of becoming a victim of the same bullying that she goes through. He is afraid, and after her death he needs to come to terms with things. We get to learn…