April Reading Wrap-Up

Super belated (as usual) but here are the books I read in April. Some great ones in this bunch!

 

THE WINNER’S CRIME by Marie Rutkoski

A reread to prepare for book three. I enjoyed this even more the second time around. The first time I was itching for Kestrel and Arin to be on the page together, but this time I appreciated their individual journeys/dangers/strategies even more. Kestrel is one of my all-time favorite YA heroines, and this second book dives even deeper into her brilliant mind.

 

UP TO THIS POINTE by Jennifer Longo

Ballet + Antarctica = I am sold! This was a plot I’d never heard of before. When Harper’s life plan to become a professional ballerina goes down in flames, she finagles her way onto an Antarctic expedition. One of her ancestors was a South Pole explorer, so she figures, why not? Her panic and hopelessness about her lack of direction rings so true. The story is told in two timelines, jumping back and forth between Harper’s life in Antarctica and the year before as a ballerina. The ballet parts were my favorite—I’m really into ballet books lately! I recommend this one for sure, especially if you’re looking for an MC trying to rediscover herself.

 

THE WINNER’S KISS by Marie Rutkoski

One of my most anticipated books of the year, and I was SO pleased with it! No spoilers, but I was very happy with how things played out. There’s not a lot I can say without giving something away, but we finally saw Kestrel and Arin together in more than just a handful of scenes. Very satisfying!

 

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

Jim Dale’s narrations are my all-time audiobook favorites. I borrowed this one through the OverDrive app and listened to it night and day (practically). SO enjoyable!

 

THE WAY I USED TO BE by Amber Smith

THIS BOOK. Wow wow wow. The story follows Eden through all four years of high school after she is raped by her older brother’s best friend. It’s a completely character driven story, showing how the assault shapes Eden’s sense of self and decision-making. We see her cope, we see her spiral downward, we see her make and lose friends. Even when she’s not thinking about what happened to her, we can see how it has saturated her every action and decision. This quote sums up Eden’s journey well:

“And me, well, before it was like you had the girl and then you had the rumors about the girl, but now there’s only the girl, because the rumors aren’t just rumors anymore, they’re the reality—they are the girl.”

 

NO BAGGAGE: A MINIMALIST TALE OF LOVE AND WANDERING by Clara Bensen

I wanted a travel memoir, and this one caught my eye. Traveling with just the clothes on your back and money/passport/iPhone in your purse? And your companion is a guy you met on OKCupid a few weeks ago? Sounds like the opportunity for panic, hilarity, and some great lessons. But what I got from the book? Minimalist traveling is actually no big deal. Nothing went seriously wrong—Clara didn’t even seem to struggle—so it made for kind of a dull read. Also, the dialogue between Clara and her boyfriend/travel companion, Jeff, read as very philosophical/academic/pretentious. Her thoughts and narration sounded normal, but I wondered if they really only talked about super abstract concepts instead of more normal exchanges like: “Oh my god, these sandals are MURDERING my feet right now.”

 

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs

I put off reading this for YEARS because the pictures scared me. I thought the book was going to be a horror story, but I was so wrong. In case you haven’t read it I won’t spoil anything; it’s one of those (I think) where it’s best to go in blind and discover the story as you go. Basic plot: After a family tragedy, Jacob journeys to an island off the coast of Wales with his father and finds the remains of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Who were these children? Why did they live on this island? Jacob unravels the mystery, and discovers he might play a part in it.

 

IN THE AFTERLIGHT by Alexandra Bracken

Finishing The Darkest Minds series has been my goal for almost two years. Finally, FINALLY accomplished it in April. A solid finale—slower-paced, but once we hit the big takedown part, I was hooked. Also, I almost started crying when our gang was reunited with a character we haven’t seen for a while. And books DON’T make me cry unless they’re HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, so when I come close, it’s a big deal.

 

 

I read some solid books in April. My favorite is a tie between THE WAY I USED TO BE and THE WINNER’S KISS—though you can’t really compare the two, so I’m making it a tie! Favorite contemp, favorite fantasy.

Happy reading!

My Most Anticipated New Releases of 2014 (Fall/Winter)

I'm anticipating going on several book buying sprees before 2014 ends. Why? SO MANY NEW RELEASES! Many of my favorite series are releasing their latest installments, and a couple contemporary authors I love have new standalones coming out. Here are the eight books I am most looking forward to.

My Most Anticipated New Releases of 2014 (Fall/Winter)

8. AFTERWORLDS – Scott Westerfeld (September 23)

From the author of the UGLIES series, this new book follows two storylines. The first is of a girl attempting to publish her first novel, and the second is the plot of her thriller novel. The stories alternate chapter by chapter. I’m a writer and LOVE reading about characters who love to write (aka. FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell).

  

7. THE YOUNG ELITES – Marie Lu (October 7)

This is a spinoff of sorts of the Legend series and follows survivors of the blood fever that plagued the nation. Now some of the survivors seem to possess powerful gifts (and are called the Young Elites), and they are being hunted down by the king.  

6. ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER (Anna and the French Kiss #3) – Stephanie Perkins (TODAY, August 14!)

Okay, so this technically is a summer book and was just released today, but I had to include it! This is the third book in the Anna and the French Kiss “world” of characters and follows Isla and Josh (both characters we’ve seen before) as they navigate the tricky world of a new relationship. I read the first 50 pages that were posted as an online except and fell in love with Isla and her voice. Can’t wait to grab my own copy!

5. GLORY O’BRIEN’S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE – A.S. King (October 14)

Glory has the power to see people’s pasts and futures, and the future looks bleak: tyrannical leaders, destruction of women’s rights, civil war. She begins recording everything she sees in hopes that her notes cam somehow make a difference and change this potential future before it comes to pass.

4. I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN – Jandy Nelson (September 16)

This book is told from alternating points of view of twins, Noah and Jude, who used to be closer than close. But something has come between them. Noah narrates their earlier years, while sister Jude gets the later teenage ones. From the excerpt I read online, I can tell that these two characters have amazingly unique personalities and I can’t wait to follow their entire story! I adore THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE and am so happy Jandy Nelson finally has another book for readers to devour.

3. IN THE AFTERLIGHT (The Darkest Minds #3) – Alexandra Bracken (October 28)

I love THE DARKEST MINDS and NEVER FADE, books that follow Ruby and a bunch of other kids who were locked up by the government due to their special abilities. I have no idea how this story will be wrapped up, but I’ve enjoyed how much Ruby has grown throughout these first two books. She’s going to kick butt in this last book!

2. THE INFINITE SEA (The 5^th Wave #2) – Rick Yancey (September 16)

The world is getting worse and worse under threat of alien invasion. In book 1, we learned about the first four waves of the invasion, and now the fifth wave is upon the cast of characters. This book is going to be told from even more points of view than THE 5^th WAVE, and I love the excerpt online that follows Ringer…her voice is STRONG. I’m ready for the adventure to continue!

1. HEIR OF FIRE (Throne of Glass #3) – Sarah J. Maas (September 2)

I can barely contain my excitement for this book! Celaena Sardothian is one of my new favorite heroines, and her adventure is getting bigger and bigger. Sarah J. Maas has promised us lots of attractive guys in this installment, hooray! CROWN OF MIDNIGHT left off with a crazy cliffhanger – thank goodness I read it close to HEIR OF FIRE’S release date. I want every bit of Throne of Glass I can get my hands on. It’s one of my favorite series I’ve discovered this year.  

And there you have it! Looks like 2014 is the year of AMAZING covers...I love every single one! 

Are any of these books on your own Most Anticipated list? Any books I missed?

Book Review: THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken

When Ruby is ten, all the kids around her start dying of a mysterious illness. The government responds by rounding up the surviving kids and putting them in “rehabilitation” camps. Fast forward six years and Ruby is still trapped in Thurmond, which she’s realized is a concentration camp for children and teens who have developed powers after the outbreak. She has survived so far by getting herself labeled as having a low-level ability, but when the camp discovers she actually possesses a more dangerous ability, she needs to run.

 

Upon escaping Thurmond Ruby meets other teens with abilities who are on the run toward East River, a supposed safe haven for people like them. With bounty hunters called Skip Tracers on their tail, they make a break for safety. All the while, Ruby hides her true power from these other kids because she doesn’t know how to control it, or if it can be controlled at all.

This book has been on my TBR list since February, and I finally got around to reading it. I don’t know why I waited so long! I couldn’t put it down and wound up reading it in one day. There’s a bit of world-building at the beginning (while I wouldn’t really classify this book as dystopian/post-apocalyptic, the US as we know it has changed) with the illness and the camp that slows the story down a tiny bit, but it’s necessary to the plot. Once Ruby is on the run, however, the story immediately picks up, and I was hooked from there until the last page. In a strange way, THE DARKEST MINDS is a road trip book. Ruby and her new friends (Liam, Chubs and Zu) cruise through West Virginia and Virginia in a huge beat-up van christened Black Betty, dodging the skip tracers who want to bring them back to the camps they escaped from.

My favorite parts of the book were anytime these four kids were together (which, thankfully, was the majority of the book). Each character has a distinct personality: Liam is the leader with endless stores of positivity and telekinesis; Chubs is suspicious, a little grouchy, and loves to read; and Zu does not speak a word in the entire book but her personality is as powerful as the electricity that comes out of her hands. The scene where Ruby meets them is intense and hilarious at the same time.

For me, Liam is one of the best parts of this story. It’s nice to see a genuinely nice guy in a book, one who’s not overly mysterious and brooding (though Liam does have his baggage). He’s possibly my favorite male YA character I’ve read so far this year (and that’s saying a lot, considering I was introduced to Captain Carswell Thorne of the Lunar Chronicles this year, too!). I enjoyed Ruby’s character a lot too, and I thought she had some great character development. In the beginning, she was extremely helpless, unable to stand up to a guard who unfairly punished her, but by the end of this book she was facing down some pretty serious bad guys and defending her friends. You go girl!

If you’re normally off-put by supernatural-type abilities, I would still recommend giving this book a try. The characters are so well written and the world is similar enough to ours that it doesn’t feel alienating. For me, this book is everything I wanted SHATTER ME to be and more. SO MUCH MORE! I can’t wait to start NEVER FADE and for IN THE AFTERLIGHT to come out this fall. There’s also a novella, IN TIME, that comes between the first and second books which I highly recommend. I am turning into a huge Alexandra Bracken fan. She knows how to write a story that will keep me flipping pages! Plus, the three book titles make a sentence: The darkest minds never fade in the afterlight. How clever is she?

Have you read THE DARKEST MINDS? Are you in love with this series (and Liam)? No spoilers about NEVER FADE, please, but I’d love to hear your thoughts!