So I finished Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen over the weekend. I went in with high hopes for this title- it sounded new and exciting!

BUT.

What I got was a mix of the Hunger Games and The Selection Series with a bit of Graceling thrown in. Not to say that that isn't a good combination- it is. Its just that the overall feel of the book seemed very familiar: the arena of the Hunger Games, the romantic triangle and royalty of the Selection series and the magic of Graceling. Good combination in theory but when the author blatantly takes scenarios from each and just changes the characters and place names, it becomes questionable. The over all story is very Cinderella-esq: The main character, Mare, is a servant girl who is destined to become a soldier in war she doesn't believe in. That is until she meets a mysterious guy in a bar who turns out to be the prince in disguise- the prince takes her to the castle to be a servant (thus saving her from the war). Insert love, drama, a second prince, and an evil Queen (who just happens to be the first princes' stepmother). There is also magical powers thrown into the mix. Add an *unexpected* twist and a guy from home who Mare could potentially love, and you have Red Queen. I understand that authors read too and what they read influences what they right but this was obviously a mash-up of Aveyard's favorite YA novels and themes. Had it been done a tad differently (take out the arena- it really does nothing for the plot), the overall book would have been better. 


This is the first book in a planned trilogy, I will probably read the next two just to see how it ends but I doubt I will read this again. 


Overall: 3/5 

Next up: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

I am currently reading Red Queen by Victoria Averyard. So far so good-I'll let you know my final verdict when I finish.

Anyway. This weekend my husband and I played "musical bookstore" on a mission for one specific book: The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. We went to 4 Barns and Noble stores and 2 Half Price Books in search of this title- I was determined to find this book! I had read a review that recommended The Rook to readers who enjoyed Harry Potter (which I loved- as evidenced by my 4 copies of each book), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (I adore this book and have read it over and over), and  Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell  by Susanna Clarke (though I have yet to finish this book, I've enjoyed it so far). I am very weary about recommendations- especially when they say a title is like Harry Potter or Harry Potter fans should read it- I've been disappointed way too many times (I read The Magicians by Lev Grossman based on a recommendation related to HP and ended up strongly disliking it). BUT I am willing to give The Rook a try- I just won't go in with my expectations too high. Unfortunately I have about 10 books ahead of it on my "To Read" list so it's going to be a few weeks before I get to it. Fingers crossed I like it! 

I finished All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven over the weekend and I needed a few days to compose myself for a review- all the feels this book caused.

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead

So. I started out reading this book thinking there would be a happy ending and the two main characters would be heading off to college like most high school students do. Boy was I wrong- at least partially. I was not prepared for the emotional roller-coaster that this book is. Having read YA for  years now, I guess I should have expected the ending, or at least realized what was going to happen as I read the book but nope- me being the optimist thought everything was going to be okay.  The two main characters, Theodore Finch "Finch" and Violet Markey meet under unusual circumstances: at the top of the schools bell tower, both contemplating suicide. Finch saves Violet or Violet saves Finch (all depends on who you ask) and the two become friends while working on a school project- discovering their states "natural wonders." During their exploration of the state, Finch and Violet become more than friends, all while helping each other to come out of their self-imposed shells. BUT neither one really knows what the cost of this project will be. 

Overall: 3/5 (mainly because I do not want to cry again)

Apparently I suck at keeping up with a blog.

Oh well. I'll just keep trying- its such an easy thing to keep up...if I only remember to do it. 

I'm currently reading All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. I'm about 200 pages in and so far its a pretty good read. It feels like I'm back in high school again trying to navigate the treacherous hallways, making sure I stay unnoticed and not causing any drama. High school was, and is, hard. The social pressure alone can be unbearable- throw in the pressure to get good grades and to participate in extracurricular activities to get scholarships- I'm surprised I survived. Don't get me wrong, I had great friends and a supportive family but no matter what- high school is HARD. 

I just finished A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas. It is a re-imagining of the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty- what happens after she is awoken. Aurora is awoken with a kiss from a handsome prince- only to find out shes been asleep for over 100 years. Her family is dead and there are uprisings happening all over the city. How does one survive when everyone you knew is gone- especially when you're entire life has been planned by complete strangers and you've become a political pawn. 


Overall, it was a good book and an interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. It took awhile for me to get into it- the first 100 pages or so were dry and had no conflict what-so-ever. After finishing the book, I know those pages were necessary to provide the back-story so when the final conflict did happen, I wasn't scratching my head asking whaaa??? But I almost gave up during those 100 pages- SO if you read this book: PUSH THROUGH, IT GETS BETTER. Any way- there is a bit of romance and its not a love triangle but a love quadrangle (? I think) its three boys all fighting for the same girl:
1. The prince who awoke her
2. The prince from a neighboring land 
3. The commoner 
 She doesn't really have an interest in any of them romantically but they all seem to like her- oh to be in that situation. Insert a bit of magic, a semi-wicked soon-to-be-mother-in-law, death and destruction and you have A Wicked Thing.
Oh and apparently this is the first in a series- so there is really no ending or conclusion to the story. It just stops. I HATE when books just "stop."  Yes, it will be a series and yes, the series will need to have continuity BUT that does not mean you just stop. Look at the Harry Potter series, each book is stand-alone but they all fit within a bigger picture. The conflict in each is wrapped up but the overall Voldemort plot continues- exactly how a series should be ((though I am bias, as Harry Potter is my favorite book/series of all time))

Overall: 3/5