Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.
Disclaimer: On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" refers to a thorough review of the novel plus a spoiler-filled discussion.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
Fans of Morgan Matson, Emery Lord, Robin Benway, Jenny Han & Rainbow Rowell
Background & Backstory?
I actually didn't intend to read this but was in the mood to get out of my school-induced reading slump, so I picked this up for a quick cutesy contemporary.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing? Seriously?
Plot | 80%
Premise | 67%
Characters | 50%
Romance | 60%
Originality | 90%
Cover | 75%
Title | 55%
Feels | 40%
Writing Style | 57%
Pacing | 70%
Ending | 60%
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
45% | I'm not certain I'll read Let's Get Lost simply because the feedback hasn't been stellar but I'll consider it if I'm in the mood for a road trip novel.
Conclusion: Never Always Sometimes was a cute, diverse contemporary with well an unpredictable, well-developed plot and characters.
Synopsis : In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for the events that have taken place in the series previous novels - Cinder and Scarlet. On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" refers to a thorough review including a clearly marked spoiler free and spoiler filled section.
Background & Backstory?
In my August 2015 Reading Wrap-Up, I expressed my distress having to do with the Lunar Chronicles. Besides Queen of Shadows, Winter is a many people's most anticipated release for 2015. I marathoned Cinder and Scarlet back in Summer 2013 and I actually purchased Cress upon its release last year. The first two books in the series never impressed me, both earning a 3.5/5 stars and I consider it pretty average. Everyone insists Cress changes everything in terms of reader's opinions but despite the hype from the bookish community, I never got around to reading it. Until last month when I started feeling left out because everyone wants to read Winter.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
I can see why everybody said Cress changes everything. Why isn't Winter here!?
Even though I had expectations for this novel, I don't think those are what hindered my enjoyment of Cress, and I'm sad to say this but my opinion of the series overall didn't change with the addition. Something I didn't expect to enjoy was the third person point of view throughout the story. Often, I wish for first so as to get a more intense glimpse into their minds - I don't sound like an evil mastermind at all. However, there are simply too many characters to accomplish a 1st person POV and so many places to be simultaneously. I enjoyed seeing the opposing forces and the tension knowing I was powerless as a reader to do anything for them. Plus it was extremely funny to see confusion from two different characters on the same matter - you know what I'm talking about with that android escort body *winks*. I suppose the largest factor established in Cress that we hadn't seen previously was the huge scope of the universe. I've got to admit at times it was difficult to distinguish Cress's voice from little Cress or even Iko. She seemed so justifiably innocent and naive. Of course the fact that the audiobook's narrator's intonations weren't that different for the two characters impacted that. It was interesting to see her discover the Earthen world as we see it as "the future," but from the perspective of someone not Earthen but not Lunar either.
***Spoiler Alert***
Scarlet Benoit had obviously been tested before but I personally recognized her strength as a character throughout the Lunar interrogations and torture sessions as she was used as no more than a play thing.
I finally know what everyone was talking about when they fangirled over Captain Carswell Thorn. I couldn't help but see him from Cress' admiring perspective even if he annoyed me to no end when I was reading Scarlet, and that admiration was multiple further when he protested against Cress' attempts in finding some shred of goodness in him. Plus, when he gave her a kiss to remember on the roof of the palace... that was just icing on the cake.
Emperor Kaito has always been a favorite of mine and his stale mate situation tugged at my feels - especially because of the serious Heir of Fire vibes, if you catch my drift. It's obvious that all he wants is peace and good for the commonwealth but in many ways he's stronger than his father because of his desire to stay true to his values. Even though a huge issue I had was not being invested enough in the characters, I HAD to fangirl when he finally kissed Cinder and it seemed that they were united against Levana for the good of the universe.
I couldn't help but feel frustrated most of the time with Cinder because of the serious middle-of-the-series syndrome she was suffering from in terms of character development. It's clear she's ready to undertake the responsibility as queen but at the same time, she has understandable albeit aggravating doubts about her own moral compass as her lunar powers increase.
Our glimpse of Princess Winter is brief when she asks for Scarlet as a plaything but it's enough to know that she is seriously off her rocker. Obviously Winter is the final retelling of Snow White but I always assumed she would be sane. Whether it's merely because of living her entire life on Luna or being the daughter of someone as power hungry as Levana, she is clearly not. I am extremely intrigued to see where her arc goes.
Despite severely disliking Dr. Erland I understood him and was heartbroken at the scene where Cress learned he was her father and the one after that where he was tortured by Levana and died. He played a crucial role throughout the series and I'm a bit nervous to see how the characters will cope without him.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
75% | With everything said, I begrudgingly have to admit I will probably read Winter because the last chapter of Cress was too enticing not to continue with the series.
Conclusion: Even though my thoughts on the series as a whole are still extremely mixed, Cress was hands down the best addition to the series and set up the series for a hopefully stunning arc to be completed in Winter.
Goodreads Synopsis: Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.
The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…
Disclaimer: On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" means that there will be both a clearly marked spoiler and non-spoiler section of the Review.
Would I Buy It?
75% | Honestly, the only reason I don't own all of Colleen Hoover's books in physical form is because they're classified under "Adult" and therefore are priced accordingly. Translation = they're expensive. Nevertheless if I came across some sort of bargain I wouldn't hesitate for a moment in purchasing all her novels because of how much I love them.
Background & Backstory?
I started making my way through all of Colleen Hoover's novels in January of this year and Confess was the last book I needed to read before being caught up with all of the first novels in her various dualogies and trilogies.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
*angels singing* Ahhhh!
There's a lot of stigma and prejudice that comes with the New Adult genre. A lot of times the simple equation is mysterious boy meets mysterious girl, they have an inexplicable attraction, they can't be together, and there's usually some sort of factor like a child, car accident, or weird family connection that complicates everything. However, Colleen Hoover is something special. The stories she crafts tangle themselves up with reader's feels and wrench their hearts in the process, and of course, her male protagonists are super swoon-worthy.
Lately, Colleen Hoover has added some sort of extra multi-media addition to her novels. Slammed has slammed poetry the characters perform. The songs referred to in Maybe Someday are real ones you can find on Spotify, commissioned just for the book. Confess takes it up another level, incorporating real confessions Colleen Hoover was sent by her readers and the book includes full color artwork based off of those confessions. The creativity of her novels is just another aspect to crown her queen of new adult. [Click here if you want to know more about my opinions in pertinence to The Role of "Pictures" in Young Adult Literature]
Even though I say this after finishing every Colleen Hoover novel, I think Confess may be my new favorite. It all boils down to how much youconnect with the characters and Auburn's story of first love was one that captured my feelings exactly. The prologue is heartbreaking and the way it follows her to the end of the book is shocking and merely supports the evidence that Owen Gentry is bae.
***Spoiler Alert***
Auburn Reed is an extremely determined, passionate, and committed character. Despite the circumstances revolving around her son's - AJ -birth, it was clear how strong their relationship is and how much she cared about him, the lengths at which she went for him were simply extraordinary. Owen Mason Gentry - OMG for short - appeared as a mysterious NA character and the circumstance for hiring Auburn was absolutely hilarious. His admiration and respect for Auburn wasn't like a lot of characters in literature and it was nice for a change to see a good character.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
99.9% | I am so freaking psyched for therelease of November 9 which ironically is coming out on 10th of November this year.
Conclusion: Confess is another astounding work by Colleen Hoover, a model New Adult novel with incredible relationships and characterdevelopment with a unique multi-media spin.
My Synopsis: *I believe that the publisher's synopsis gives away too much of the story's plot, containing information from page 300 of the book, therefore I revised it to what I felt would be fitting as a reader*
This is a Middle Grade, historical fiction novel with a touch of magic about a 15 year old slave boy named Nic in the Roman mines who is forced to search for treasure in a sealed cavern. He discovers an ancient bulla or amulet (featured on the cover) that belonged to Julius Caesar thats magic gets transferred to Nic. Against his will, Nic is brought to Rome and finds himself caught up in a war attempting to destroy the Roman empire.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
If I were to describe this book in an X meets X formula, I would say Percy Jackson's world meets the protagonists of The Horse and His Boy meets the political intrigue from The Ring and the Crown.
Would I Buy It?
80%
The ARC cover for The Mark of the Thief is beautiful enough and I am dying to get my hands on a finished copy. I'm dying to know if the bulla is embossed in the final copy and if the colors really are as vibrant as they appear to be.
Background & Backstory?
The most disappointing part about all of this is that I had filmed a lengthy BookTalk video for Mark of the Thief. Unfortunately, my computer decided to eat the footage and due to time constraints, I was unable to refill/edit/upload it.
On a more positive note, Mark of the Thief andAll Fall Down (Ally Carter) are the first ever physical publisher ARCs I have ever received and I felt so overjoyed to reach that milestone in blogging with what had started of as a hobby.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
Per usual with every Jennifer Nielsen book I have ever read -
Sequel. PLEASE!
Right off the bat you should know that I had A LOT to say about this novel and I mean a lot. While I always try to deter you from looking at my Goodreads Reading Updates (because they're full of spoilers) you will notice that there are over FORTY of them. I had my phone by my side throughout my reading of Mark of the Thief and updated it every time I had some inference/feels-filled response to report.
Characters | 90% Let's talk about Nic.... Nielsen's strength has ALWAYS been her outstanding male leads and he is no different, but he was far enough from Sage in the Ascendance Trilogy that I didn't feel she had merely copied-and-pasted her protagonist. His snark and sarcasm was a bit more subtle and was fueled purely by emotions and selfish reasons versus Sage who had a greater sense of duty, although with the way Mark of the Thief ended. I wouldn't be surprised if Nic's moral compass improved, as well as his priorities, and his levels of compassion towards others as the series progresses. Sage was under someone's command, but he was still in enough a position of power where he could be reckless. However, Nic had his little sister Lucia to look out for as well as his hide which could have easily been skinned if he acted out too harshly. Nic was a very rough-and-tumble character who only cared about himself and was inexperienced with the ways of society.
And good news.... there was a strong female lead. Aurelia plays an interesting role in the story because of position in society and the way she begrudgingly becomes friends with Nic despite the fact that their relationship started as business-only. She wouldn't take any of his crap, stood up for herself, and put him into his place when he needed it.
Romance | 70% Nielsen writes Middle Grade and that means that romance is most definitely NOT her speciality. Nonetheless, the relationship between Nic and Aurelia was cute and I can't wait to witness the dynamic between the two of them evolve throughout the series because they feed off of each other's characters very well.
But, I'm not here to talk about AURELIA and Nic.... I'm here to talk about Corvus. While he's not a main character, he plays a prominent role in the story by helping Nic and Aurelia when they need it. I might sound like I'm jumping the gun with this 100% crackpot theory, but I think he might be romantically attracted to Nic. Wait until Jennifer Nielsen reads this review and facepalms herself repeatedly because she's written Aurelia and Corvus together and bringing in an LGBT aspect is the farthest thing from her mind. Anyways, he seemed uncharacteristically nice -for someone of his status- to them without a clear motive, except, perhaps.... love??? The last big splash of LGBT we've seen as readers was Riordan choosing to make Nico gay which aroused quite a conversation amongst fans. I'm dying to see this become a norm in all/any genre and would applaud Nielsen immensely.
Or we can just all agree I'm crazy.
How did the book's genre affect the story?
Despite the fact that I'm having a hard time determining the actual genre of this book, the premise/genre does affect it by giving the author the chance to make use of symbolism, mythology, and prophecies, three of my favorite things. Anyways, this is portrayed in particular with Caela, the griffin, featured on the bulla on the cover of Mark of the Thief. She plays a surprisingly important role in the story and I like the layer of complexity it adds.
Ending | 100% Per usual, Jennifer Nielsen's ending will either make her readers “want to kill you, kiss you, or be you...” (as Finnick Odair kindly supplied for me). It was completely mind-blowing, plot-twisting, and everythingyou have come to expect and respect from her.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
99.9%
While nothing about sequel to Mark of the Thief hasn't been announced yet, Nielsen fans can keep their eyes out for A Night Dividedwhich (according to the vibe I'm getting from the Goodreads synopsis) is a historical fiction thriller with a female narrator this time *waggles eyebrows* I loved the addition Aurelia provided to both the story and the fact that Nielsen's stories can feature kickass females. The different perspective will be an entirely new thing, especially because we won't hear from a snarky MALE protagonist this time. I am SO looking forward to this one.
Conclusion: Another well-paced series starter featuring two strong protagonists, a well-crafted world, and a mind-playing story you don't want to miss.
18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out.
DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible....
JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister....
MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window.....
In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out.
Disclaimer: Sometimes you read a book and you NEED to discuss all of your spoilery feels surrounding it. The spoilers in this review are clearly marked with asterisks, so you may skip over those sections if you do not want to be spoiled. Background & Backstory?
I had heard a lot of prepublication buzz about this book and loved the simplicity of the cover, but hadn't considered reading it until one of my best book BFFs of all time Nath from Codes and Writes raved about it. I respect her opinion surrounding books quite a lot and she talked so highly of this book that I made my parents get it for me for Christmas during our trip to Strand Books in NYC.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
I'm not sure how I feel about this book.
Plot - Premise - Originality | 98% You have to admit that this book has an awesome premise. At a glance, it seems like The Walled City is a brilliantly crafted dystopian science-fiction novel, but in actuality, the publisher considers it realistic fiction because of the different elements of the world that are perfectly legitimate to consider in our present day 21st century state. The way a brilliant premise is executed is usually what I criticize most in a novel, but Graudin did it flawlessly. Not once did I feel as if I had read this kind of story before, and I enjoyed the asian elements the book possessed as well.
Characters | 90%The Walled City had some of the most complex, unique characters I have ever read about that could rub heads with character of Legend by Marie Lu. We had Dai who I described to Nath as "A Day-like character with a June-like upbringing," which means that was sarcastic, intelligent, athletic, and had a mysterious past. He was my favorite as well as the strongest character during the story as well as the instigator during most of the story. Then there was Mei Yee who was such a broken character forced to survive extreme circumstances no human should, and she came out of the experiences without her soul being crushed. And finally there was Jin who was stubborn and determined and hadn't let her truly crappy life get in the way of her light.
Relationships | 70% Something Nath brings up a lot in our frequent Legend conversations is the value of family and how strong a sibling-siblings or parent-child relationship can be. Jin's desire to be reunited with Mei Yee was truly tangible and I enjoyed this element of the story so much.
***Spoiler Alert***
Nevertheless, I thought it was an odd decision to make it Mei Yee and Dai who were romantically attracted to each other. They didn't seem like good candidates for togetherness and their personalities clashed a lot in my mind when you thought about their relationship from a more statistical point of view. However, Dai and Jin would have made a much more believable couple because their passion for life would have been at the same level. Yet, Dai needed the motivation to rescue Mei Yee and what better motivation is there besides love?
***End Spoiler***
Writing Stye | 80% Everyone knows that I am an absolute sucker for multi-POV books and this book would not have wowed me half as much if it the three characters hadn't given me such a panoramic view of the story from three very different stances in society. In a dark world of drugs and crime, there was the vagrant, the prostitute, and the upperclass criminal which ensured the fact that I was in for a wild ride.
Ending | 70% It is rare that I will find a dystopian/fantasy-esque novel that is a standalone and most of the time, I am left wanting more from the author. I honestly don't know how Graudin did it, but she wrapped up all the loose threads into this neat little package. While I disliked the events themselves that happens, I loved the buildup to them.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author? 70% There was something so unique and individual in terms of the feelings The Walled City gave me that I want to feel again, so I most definitely will be picking upGraudin's other works such as All That Glows.
Conclusion: An exhilarating, vivid, and fascinating standalone told from three unlikely perspectives that is the epitome of a story.
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
Disclaimer: A BookTalk means that this review contains spoilers, but if you HAVE NOT read this novel, the spoiler-ey paragraphs have asterisks -more commonly known as stars- to inform you of when spoilers begin.
This book breaks down all my pre-concieved boundaries in terms of buying/re-reading. I sincerely want to buy this book and have it in my collection because THAT is how effected I am. While the cover is fitting and embodies the novel quite well.... I hate it and don't really want that on my bookshelf. Hopefully, a new cover (that's not that hideous movie cover) will be released soon.
Background & Backstory?
I picked this book up for the reasons a lot of people have in the past couple of months. On February 20, 2015, the book-to-movie adaptation is coming out. So, of course, I HAD to have the bragging rights of reading the book before the movie. There's a lot of hype around this novel, even before the news of the movie became big, I was SOOO close to giving this novel a 5/5 stars, and know exactly why people love this novel as much as they do.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
Expected, but appreciated. I have so much respect for Kody, Bianca, and Wesley.
Inexplicable Feelings: In 2014, I read five or so books that I was so confused about. I had no idea what to feel because there were ALL of the feels. The difference between a feels-filled books and the inexplicable feelings, is that these books range from TWO to FIVE star ratings. I may have hated the story, I may have loved it, but something in common with all of these books is the fact that they have made me think.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED the story, message, characters, and dynamics between various relationships. The dialogue and themes are rough.... but not necessarily gritty. The writing style, not the voice, is what killed that last half star for me. The dialogue, plot threads, and character molds (at first sight) were all hackneyed and done before. This is Keplinger's DEBUT novel, and the fact that it's so highly praised, and is being made into a movie is absolutely WONDERFUL. I would have preferred a smidgeon more of editing.
High School: If you look at ANY trailer for a movie set in high school, they give you this appearance like it's one for one and all for themselves. There are the certain labels and classifications people draw and call each other. Almost as if there's instantaneous self-damnation. If you believe in something for a single second.... that's who you become. High School is torture according to movies, and if done right, that is the best kind of contemporary novel setting. An author, such as Keplinger, who is able to find a perfect balance between an original plot and the setting because it provides reliability to the target audience without being a total cheese fest.
Sluts, Whores, and Bitches, We've Got Them All.... Kinda: Yes, I did use those words on my blog. I've come to a conclusion recently about use of language in blog posts. I'm not going to go dropping F-Bombs in reviews of Middle Grade novels.... but if I'm reviewing a book with a certain kind of language, and I need to use that word to further express my thoughts about the book.... I'm not going to keep typing asterisks between the first and last letter. That's a little noob-blogger of me. [Mini-Rant Over]
Anyways, Kody Keplinger deals with the topic of slut-shaming quite perfectly. There's the "DUFF" Bianca, who starts sleeping with Wesley, and for a sort of "darkest moment" for her character, she believes that she is a whore and a slut. By definition, she couldn't be, and by society's judgment.... society is screwed up anyway on their perspective of women. The term "slut" has absolutely NO positive connotation in society, and is only used as a degrading insult that does nothing to depict a person's character. To people squeamish of sluts, alcohol abuse, divorce, and cheating, Keplinger basically tells you to DEAL WITH IT in a way that is neither offensive to the reader or to gritty, but perfectly comprehendible to the non-booknerds of the world.
***The side character, Vicki, is brought into the light in a brief chapter when rumors of her being pregnant are spread. She is immediately slut-shamed, because it's true that she has a habit of "sleeping around." With Bianca's new-found revelation of labels just being another hurdle for teenagers during the track meet of life, she comforts Vicki, and assures her that she's not a slut.***
Wesley aka Zach Goode in an Average High School: If you haven't read the Gallagher Girls series, this will make 0% sense, but if you have.... do see how clever I am? Despite the attempt to portray him as a "bad boy" he didn't feel bad, and I quite enjoyed the dynamic between him and Bianca. She tells him to (how shall I say this PG-13?) shove his persona and douche-bag attitude up his behind quite a few times. Despite his sarcasm and womanizer stereotype, I loved him and he was probably my favorite character. Even if everyone knows bad boys can't be tamed.... let the booknerd wish what she wants.
Aint Nobody Got Time For That aka Bianca: She was a stunningly crafted character, intelligent, cynical, and sarcastic. Yet she was forced to cope with various issues and did so perfectly. Despite getting lost in Wesley and "using" him as a distraction, she was solid with herself and who she was. Bianca would not take crap from ANYONE and I respected that in a YA character so much, almost as much as being kick-ass and cold-hearted.
How Likely Is It That I Will Re-Read This Novel?
80% Everyone who has been following my blog for more than a day will know that I DO NOT re-read books. I have practically yelled it from the rooftops and out of the 153 books I read last year.... TWO of them were re-reads. Yet, I legitimately want to re-read it. As in, pick it up RIGHT now and start reading it again. I am certain this will show up in my Top 15 of 2015 and I will re-read this in 2016 for sure.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
85%
It will be hard to write another novel of the same caliber, and I'm not sure Kiplinger can out-do herself in my eyes, especially because I haven't heard ANYTHING regarding her other novels. Nevertheless, I am 100% willing to give another one a try and will be ecstatic if I can be as emotionally effected by another book of hers.
Conclusion: This is most certainly a memorable and raw Young Adult novel that should be recognized for the barriers it pushes past.
Goodreads Synopsis: Winning what you want may cost you everything you love
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.
But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.
I already have.... the image of the book is from my Instagram -*shameless self-promo @sslluvsbooks & Marie Rutkoski RTed it on Twitter also @sslluvsbooks*- I bought it for $2.50 from BookOutlet's Boxing Day Sale. To my disappointment, I ended up not loving it and am glad I didn't splurge too much. From my peer book bloggers, this is either a love it or hate it novel, and I would advise borrowing a copy from the library or some other means of book obtaining unless you are CERTAIN you will love it, just in case you feel the same way I did.
Background & Backstory?
Spring 2014 was a HUGE new release season in publishing and The Winner's Curse was the most hyped, most anticipated Macmillan Series Debut. Even if you didn't know what this story was about, you head ALL of the bloggers rave about the gorgeous cover and it's even prettier insides.
I was one of those ravers. I was a baby blogger (still am, but at least I know more about upcoming releases) and if everyone else was raving.... it HAD to be good, right? I actually encouraged one of my greatest twitter BFF's Nath to read this book, and she ended up not loving it (for these reasons). I also borrowed The Winner's Curse from the library 50 billion times and I never read it and ended up returning it to the library ANOTHER 50 billion times.
Finally, I bought The Winner's Curse in eBook form when Fierce Reads was having their holiday eDeals AND I bought the hardcover off of BookOutlet. Can you say putting all of your eggs in one basket?
And now I shall proceed with telling you my unpopular opinion for this novel that everyone and their mothers seemed to adore. I hope I can show my face later on Twitter.
[I saw this video in my subscription feed a few days ago by Thoughts on Tomes about dealing with Hype and Disappointment and I HIGHLY recommend you check it out because she does a better job than I ever could with explaining my disappointment because of the Winner's Curse]
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
Suspenseful ending! It tipped the rating to 3 stars, I want to read the sequel. But.... the overall story was a huge, boring disappointment ;(
Con | Political Intrigue Promises: *imagine I'm 2 years old for this sentence* I was promised political intrigue and I didn't get it! *stomps foot indignantly*
Yes there was political dealings with the military and Kestral's father was a general, but when I hear the two magic words, my expectations are sky rocketed to LEGEND status. Aka the queen of making politics actually sound like fun. We got a bit of an idea of how the military worked and the expectations for females in this world, but there weren’t any dirty dealings pertaining to a plague or swoon-worthy, well-meaning Elector’s sons who want to change the way things are run…. so I would say that this book did not fulfill that particular expectation.
Pro | Tacticians for the WIN!: While I disliked the two protagonists as characters themselves, I adored the characteristics the were given. Arin and Kestral have extremely intelligent minds built for leadership and the military. The book would have been awesome if the ENTIRE thing was the two of them being presented with various problems/battles and them attempting to find a solution together. I loved how they were quick-thinking, and witty at times, Arin knew he had to push to envelope, but knew how to do it in a way so that it would gain him respect and not a beating. In these aspects, they were a lot like June and Day…. my favorite power couple of all time.
This is going to sound like one of the most unusual statements EVER for someone talking about The Winner's Curse but my favorite character in this novel was Kestral’s father. The intimidating, powerful, rich, and vicious general of the emperor’s army. This goes along with my borderline-unhealthy obsession with loving psychopaths in Young Adult literature. He reminded me immensely of the Commander (Warner’s father) in the Shatter Me Trilogy. I loved how ruthless and unapologetic he was, and the word “regret” wasn’t even in his vocabulary…. like every all-powerful, life-ruining psychotic leader should be.
Con | Romance: A lot of people loved the way that the developed and cheered for Arin and Kestral whenever an external factor pushed them together. I’m not sure how this could scientifically happen (if book writing is in the least bit scientific), but even though nothing physically happened between them until around 60% of the book had passed, it felt entirely too rushed, insta-lovey, and out of no where. Of course I knew this book had romance in it…. that’s one of the biggest attractions for the reader. Of course I knew they would eventually fall in love and there would be chaos ensuing because slave/master love affairs are taboo. Yet, I could not wrap my head around them. There was no foreshadowing, in terms of chemistry and the dynamic between them. If anything, they seemed more suited to a parabati relationship than a romantic one. There was sincere mutual respect… that’s why Kestral purchased Arin in the first place. Yet, there were no electrifying touches, sarcastic remarks, or other indicators that proved they were attracted to each other or would make a good couple.
Neutral | Would anyone like to explain to me the kind of world/genre are we in?: On the world subject, I felt as if I was reading a novel set in Ancient Rome, set in Pompeii. Yet, this was a completely made-up world. There were slaves, an emperor with generals and province-like locations. There was a strong focus on military and protection. Women were expected to marry or join the army at age 20 (that one was unusual). All of the usual parties, galas, and overall frivolity that comes with being rich was present. So let me break it down for you - I felt like we were in Ancient Rome (historical fiction), but the world was made up (high fantasy), and there was a somewhat corrupt government slaves were determined to overtake (dystopian). What does this mean? What genre do I classify this as? *cries and collapses from confusion*
Con | Pacing: *We resume Sofia’s two-year old rant with this statement* I was told this book was fast-paced! *sits on ground to pout* but I was able to tear myself away for the sake of twitter. A good book should NOT be able to let Twitter get in my way. The entire novel, I was thinking, “When are we getting to the big climatic scene?” Things started happening around the 60% point, but once they did, they weren’t able to hold my interest very well and I grew bored quickly.
Pro | Writing Style: As an author trying to please Sofia Li, the number one thing you can do to boost your star rating is writing well. There isn’t a magic recipe or equation for greatness, but readers can just sense good writing when they read it. It wasn’t so much the way Rutkoski told THE story, but how she TOLD story. Her word choice was exquisite and (as odd as this may sound) the arrangement of her words was flawless. This mostly shone through with her descriptions/metaphors when painting a beautiful picture of minuscule details. She made exiting a room eloquent and playing a game lyrical.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
40%
There is so much pre-publication hype from a ton of bloggers I know, love, and respect their opinions. I'm obviously not going to purchase the hardcover at full retail price, but I am considering borrowing it from the library because Rutkoski could have a wonderful sophmore novel in this series. But it is most definitely not at the top of my list. (On top of putting too much faith in hype, I keep coming back for more.... no wonder I'm not in a romantic relationship with anyone)
Conclusion:I let the hype surrounding this novel get the best of me and didn’t enjoy the story or romance as much as I could have, but the way it was told was exquisite.
Let's Discuss~ Did you read/enjoy The Winner's Curse?
Was your reading experience spoiled for you because of hype?
Who was your favorite character?
Did you think this novel was fast-paced?
Do you ship Kestral & Arin together?
What do you think will be in store for us in The Winner's Crime?
Synopsis:
Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter are as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.
Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.
In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.
Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. It is also the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Winner in Historical Fiction. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Reader’s Choice Gold Award for Best YA Horror Novel.
Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
This was actually one of those blog tours that I signed up for, forgot about, and was promptly sent into a blank panic when informed that I was part of the tour. I had intended on procrastinating reading this until Monday (the 12th) on my plane ride to California. As a blogger, I always read one digital and one physical book at a time, and I had finished my digital one sooner than I had expected. So I picked up Raven before I had intended to and am SOOO glad that I did.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
That LAST page kind of recked it for me.... But the book was good.
Steampunk: 90% | The very first steampunk novel I ever read was actually also an Xpresso Book Tour novel and I fell in love with the genre. I haven't read many since, but would love if you left me some suggestions. The steampunk elements were perfectly executed, not just in the subtle ways characters lived their lives, but were crucial to the plot. What reminded me of the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare were the human-like automatons and I LOVED the role they played in the story as well as obstacles they provided.
Characters: 80% | If I could smoosh together the cast of Into The Woods and the Throne of Glass Series.... that's who would be in Chronicles of Steele: Raven. Raven seemed a lot like Celaena Sardothien, especially in the way she handled obstacles, plus a reaper is a synonym, of a sort, to an assassin. Celaena is more unapologetic than Raven, but their stubbornness and determination are perfectly matched.
This, of course, makes all of the surrounding character's lives hell. Jack Grant is the captain of the guard, and I couldn't help but draw the parallels between him and Chaol, especially because of his subtle, simmering attraction to Raven and the compassion he showed towards her. I thought Baron Solomon would have a larger role in the book, but the small amount of time we had with him constantly reminded me of Dorian. On the other hand, I envisioned the two witches as the one (played by Meryl Streep) in Into The Woods.
Romance: 69% | The romance was next to non-existent in this novel, and I sincerely wish there had been more to contrast Raven's steely personality with passion she felt towards another person. Without spoiling the novel, I will say that her romantic expectations don't follow through, but I wish they had OR that another character would have shown their feelings sooner.
Pacing: 70% | The pacing was a bit odd in the novel because I was interested in what was going on, but every time a new episode occurred, I was a bit bored afterwards. Nevertheless, the very beginning of every chapter were hands-down the best parts of this novel because there was a short passage or phrase in Creedan's beautiful prose that gave you an idea of what the chapter would be about. The moment I read the phrase that's paired with Chapter One, I knew I would enjoy this novel.
Ending: 78% | Chronicles of Steele: Raven, had a nearly flawless ending. The plot's wrap-up was well-done, bittersweet, and satisfying. I could have given the ending 100%.... if it weren't for the VERY last page. There's a conversation between the protagonist and a prominent side character that serves as a verbal montage (of a sort) of the events of the story. It's supposed to supplement the story and make the ending stronger, but what is said between them is hackneyed.
Quotes: 100% | The biggest WOW Factor of Pauline Creedan's writing is her prose. I have SOOO many highlights on my copy of Chronicles of Steele: Raven because of all the phrases that read like liquid poetry.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
45% It's unlikely that I will pick up another Creedan book BY MYSELF, but as most often happens, she will probably have another blog tour in a year or so, and I will most definitely sign up for it so I can support her.
Conclusion: Chronicles of Steele: Raven was an intriguing story in a perfectly executed steampunk world, with lovable characters, and relatable conflicts, all told in Pauline Creedan's gorgeous prose.
