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Friday, January 19, 2018

An Avalanche: Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

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I received this book for free from Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

An Avalanche: Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Megan SpoonerUnearthed by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Published by Disney Hyperion on January 9th, 2018
Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi, YA
Source: Disney-Hyperion
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Goodreads
four-stars

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...

I am behind on the times because this is my first time reading a book by this dynamic duo. To be fair, These Broken Stars has been on my tbr since 2012 and we’re just going to ignore the fact that 5 years later (or 4 years since it came out,) I still haven’t read it. BUT, I WASN’T GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN WITH Unearthed. If I remember correctly, at some point it was pitched as Indiana Jones in space. I also got serious National Treasure vibes from the synopsis and I  am garbage for anything that involves a treasure hunt and secrets.

For those wondering, yes Unearthed 110% lives up to those comparisons. Unearthed is a fantastically written book that you WILL gobble up because it is addicting and exciting. There are very few books I say this for (because I am a picky fuck) but, I would NOT be upset to see Unearthed on the big screen.

It did take me a while to really get into the book but I think there is a small chance that might just be a me thing. I cannot even pinpoint what made it slow. It starts off in the midst of action and the action/adventure keeps building like an avalanche until you’re hit in the face by that masterpiece of an ending.

If you are a commercial reader like me, Unearthed is the next best thing and you’d be making a huge huge mistake by not adding it to your tbr. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been truly swept up on an adventure like this (re-reads of favs don’t count) and I cannot believe that we’re going to have to wait for a sequel. THATS THE PROBLEM WITH NOT READING BACKLIST, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THINGS LIKE SEQUELS.

UGH.

Anyway, anyone who says commercial fiction is so shallow can bite me because Unearthed on top of having great characters, also explores socioeconomic privilege and how that shapes Amelia and Jules’ childhood experiences.

I’d, like, talk about the characters and the romance in Unearthed but tbh, there really isn’t much I can say. They are both great characters, their romance starts on a relationship of convenience, with some hate-love vibes and blossoms into something more. We also have great secondary characters and that’s all you gotta know.

There is a good chance most of you already have this on your to-read lists but if not, seriously, like, what other convincing do you need? DO YOU NEED SOMEONE TO DELIVER UNICORNS TO YOUR HOUSE? Can someone deliver unicorns to my house?

four-stars

4 Hot Espressos

Truly Clever: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Posted by on 01/17/2018 • 6 Comments

I somehow missed that Maureen Johnson had a new book coming out this month and only found out like a month or two ago. That shows you how I’ve been doing on keeping on top of all the new releases. Spoiler alert, its not good.  I actually had not read any Maureen Johnson prior to reading Truly Devious but had heard so many good things about her other books. Plus I am absolute garbage for books that have boarding schools and this one even had a fun murder mystery involved. I am going to be a spoilsport though and start off by focusing on the bad because I really enjoyed the book and would rather end on a more positive note.

Ellingham academy sounds amazing but… I felt like it…

A Short Guide To Teas

Posted by on 01/15/2018 • 13 Comments

 

First of all, Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. day! Unfortunately we seem to be alive in a time where it feels like all of his work was for naught. I have a lot more feelings in general but today is not for me and I don’t feel like its my place, today of all days to talk about //my// feelings. Anyway, I do hope you’ll take the time to reflect on the work and words of Martin Luther King, Jr on this day.

Today, I am going to be talking about TEA!!! If you know me, you know I LOVE my tea. I constantly joke about getting an IV drip for tea because I run on tea. On a regular day, I consume somewhere between 3-5 cups of tea….

Fresh Batch (January 14th – 20th)

Fresh Batch (January 14th – 20th)

Posted by on 01/13/2018 • 2 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Truly Devious Maureen Johnson Series: Truly Devious #1 Publication date: January 16th 2018by HarperCollins

Goodreads Purchase

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart.

Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school…

‘Stranded in an Airport’ Story I’ve Been Waiting For: The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody

Posted by on 01/12/2018 • 6 Comments

The first discovered Jessica Brody with 52 Reasons to Hate My Father. She immediately had my intention and I really wanted to read everything she wrote but I quickly found out that perhaps everything she wrote wasn’t for me. Which is unfortunate because I really enjoyed her writing style. But then I came The Chaos of Standing Still, a book that demanded my attention.

At 403 pages The Chaos of Standing Still is not a short book but don’t let it fool you. Those 403 pages FLY BY. There are books I’ve read where even 300 pages feel like they are too fucking much but Jessica Brody knows how to pace a story well. In fact she probably deserves an award because there have not been many times in my…

Rashika’s Meet Cute

Posted by on 01/10/2018 • 4 Comments

Meet Cute is an adorable anthology of stories I felt were personally written for me. I didn’t actually know the book was coming out until like mid-way through last year. That in itself isn’t entirely odd in of itself but like for a book that just screams RASHIKA, clearly, I should have known about it. Shout out to my friend Holly who saw the book at ALA in June and thought of me even when I didn’t know Meet Cute was a book I needed.

I digress though. I don’t really want to review this anthology. I can wholeheartedly say it was worth the read and that I didn’t dislike any of the stories. There were maybe 2-3 that didn’t do much for me but even then, I did not…

Self-Care in 2018

Posted by on 01/08/2018 • 10 Comments

  New Year, New Me, right? 2017 was a rough year for me, personally and just on a larger political scale. I am really hoping 2017 will at least bring good things on a personal scale or at least won’t try to take me on an intense emotional coaster; however, I am not holding any high hopes for not experiencing high amounts of stress because the world is falling the fuck apart. I am not trying to be pessimistic though, I just know that even if good things happen, I ~will~ be stressed out and so since the year has only barely begun and I haven’t experienced any high amounts of stress yet, I thought I’d do a post centering around what ~I~ plan to do for self-care this…

Fresh Batch (January 7th – 13th)

Fresh Batch (January 7th – 13th)

Posted by on 01/06/2018 • 2 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Nice Try, Jane Sinner Lianne Oelke Publication date: January 9th 2018by Clarion Books

Goodreads Purchase

The only thing 17-year-old Jane Sinner hates more than failure is pity. After a personal crisis and her subsequent expulsion from high school, she’s going nowhere fast. Jane’s well-meaning parents push her to attend a high school completion program at the nearby Elbow River Community College, and she agrees, on one condition: she gets to move out.

Jane tackles her housing problem by signing up for House of Orange, a student-run reality show that is basically Big Brother, but for Elbow River Students. Living away from home, the chance to win a car (used, but whatever), and a campus full of people…