Review: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Book: I Was Here
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Viking: Penguin
Pages: 270

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.
 
When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.
 
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

3/5 stars

Non spoilery review:

Here is the review, as promised, but I was hoping it would be on a better note. Honestly, this book just wasn't for me. I went into it excited and ready for some more Gayle Forman amazingness, but it just seemed to miss the mark.

So you have Cody: the girl with the absent father who loves to read, Meg: Cody's quirky best friend who doesn't quite fit in in their small town and who commits suicide, and Ben: the rocker womanizer. I found the characters pretty cliche, but that doesn't mean they weren't well written. Gayle Forman's writing really seemed to bring Cody and Ben, and yes even Meg, to life but their characteristics were just a bit too cookie cutter for me. We've seen these same characters in a thousand different stories before, just with different names.

The plot was decent, but  it was rather predictable. I kept waiting for an amazing plot twist or at least something that would deviate from where I thought it was going to go, but meh. The pace of the book is quite slow, which reflects how Cody is feeling, but it was just too slow for me. I usually am a pretty fast reader but  it took me forever to get through this book.

But I did like parts of this book a lot! The relationships between the characters developed so much, especially between Cody and Tricia. But I won't get too much into character development because spoilers.

Oh my gosh I LOVE the writing in this book! I swear, Gayle Forman could make legal documents sound beautiful. Whenever I felt bored with the plot, the writing kept me reading. It's so gorgeous.

I thought that suicide was extremely well done in this book. It is an extremely heavy subject for anyone to even begin to discuss, but Gayle tackles it well.

I encourage people to pick this book up even if it wasn't for me. However, I wouldn't recommend making it your first Gayle Forman book.

(I won't be doing a spoilery review because I don't have a ton to talk about and it just came out)

Happy reading!
~Kera

Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book: Opal (Book #3 in the Lux Series)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 394

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

4/5 stars 

Non spoilery review:

Okay first off, if you have not read Obsidian or Onyx this kind of going to have spoilers for them, since it's the third book. So you should totally read those and then you can come back. 'Kay? Good.

DEFINITELY the best book in the series so far! I loved this book from start to finish, it was so amazing! It managed to tie up some loose ends from Onyx and answer some of my questions but at the same time it opened up so many more.

As always, the characters are amazing, but if you've read Obsidian and Onyx then I really don't need to tell you that.

What I really liked about this book was how quickly the plat moved along. In Onyx, it didn't really seem like much was happening and sometimes I would get pretty bored or frustrated with it, but I had the opposite problem with Opal. In Opal, I never wanted to put it down because yet another exciting scene was about to happen and they never failed to deliver.

Overall, I absolutely adored the book and 100% recommend it to anyone who has read the first two books. :)

I think that's about all I can say for a non spoilery review, but let me warn you, if you are reading the new versions of the books where opal and origin are in one physical copy, DO NOT READ THE BACK COVER! If you read Origin's synopsis you will be HUGELY spoiled! So don't do it! Don't! (I did, and out of personal experience, I can tell you it definitely sucks.)

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Spoilery Review:

I don't really know where to even start, so let's just go with Blake. First, WHAT THE FUCK?! Second, kinda saw that coming, and third, WHAT THE FUCK?! I always hated Blake, but why would you secretly sleep with someone who hates you 'cause you killed their friend? He needs to get a life. I swear if they get back together or something, I will puke.

That Carissa scene was intense! I kind of figured something was up when she got sick, but definitely wasn't expecting fireballs and spontaneous human combustion. Really loving the badass fighting Katy we keep seeing. More please!

Speaking of the new kickass side to Katy, what's up with all these suggestions that she's going dark side? There was the jealousy first, then the cheerleader on the stairs incident, and the whole killing Will thing. She just seems to be unable to control her anger anymore, which I think is probably from her mutation. Is she now unable to control all of this new found power? My guess is it's too much for her body to handle and now it's making her unstable. Though I'd really rather prefer she didn't suddenly implode.

A major part of this book was them building up a tolerance to the onyx, but shouldn't Dawson already have a tolerance for it? If it's true that he was touching it all the time just like Blake, then why is he still affected? And for that matter, why isn't it at least a little less effective on Katy? I mean, they held it a couple times a day for less then a minute each time, but Katy had her hands encased in onyx for hours, so if their little bits of training made them less susceptible, then why was Katy still super affected by it? And if they develop a tolerance for onyx over time, then why does Daedalus always use it for torture? Wouldn't it just get easier as time passed? I don't know, maybe these will be answered later on in the series.

My major problem with this book though was actually pretty minor. Why did she wear the opal as a necklace?!! Necklaces are made to be seen! This is a secret! Like, seriously girl, it just has to be touching your skin somehow, so why not just stuff it in your bra, tuck it into your sock, anywhere besides right out in the freaking open! Come on!

I'm so glad Dee and Katy are friends again. I knew they were eventually going to get back together, but it just killed me seeing her so upset. Though I was a bit confused as to what made her come around... It sort of seemed like one day she was horribly distraught as usual and the next day it's all smiles and prom dresses. But no matter what, I'm glad they're back.

Prom was probably the best scene of the book. It was good to have everything set straight after that infuriating homecoming in Obsidian. And ohmygosh that after prom woods scene. Just go ahead and add that to the list of reasons why Daemon Black is a gift to humanity, fictional or not.

This is getting to be pretty long, so let me tie this up with predictions for Origin and Opposition. Personally, I'm convinced that Matthew is going to die. I didn't think so until Katy made a comment at one point saying that he was the glue that held them together. Nooooo, why would you do that? By saying he was important, you just condemned him to die! Or maybe I've just been reading way too many depressing books and am paranoid. Who knows.

I am curious to see where this series is leading. Like, what's going to be the big climax in Opposition? Will the Luxen team up to fight the DOD? Is it a reunion between Katy and Daemon? Where is this whole hybrid thing going? I really have no clue how this series is going to turn out and that just makes me all the more excited.

Happy reading!
~Kera

Recently Bought: I Was Here by Gayle Foreman

It's finally here! I Was Here by Gayle Foreman was just released today so of course as soon as I finished up with school I made a bee line to Barnes and Noble. It's so thin! Definitely wasn't expecting it to be only 270 pages, but then again I've been reading a lot of fantasy books at the moment and had kind of forgotten that, yes, a book can be under 400 pages and not take forever to finish. Anyways, I couldn't help but do a little impromptu photo shoot with the beautiful new book, so this is the product of that:  

 Gotta love them Polaroid effects :)

 It even looks amazing naked! (sorry, that sounds weird out of context)

and faceless me posing reading

Honestly, this book could not have come out at a more perfect time. If you didn't know, the book is about a girl named Cody whose best friend Meg commits suicide and Cody is determined to find out why. Right now, my best friend and I are trying to unravel the reasons behind the suicide of our friend who killed himself 6 years ago. This seems like one of those books you pick up at just the right time in your life. I'm hoping that reading Cody's story will help me with my own dilemmas.

Are you guys as pumped as I am to start this book? Tell me in the comments if you've picked up I Was Here yet. I hope to have a review of it up soon, and even though I have essays and speeches and whatnot coming up, I don't really have an excuse since it's so short.

Happy reading!

~Kera

Review: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Title: Snow Like Ashes
Author: Sara Raasch
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 422

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own. 

1/5 stars

Non-spoilery Review:

It has been quite a while since I read this book, and to be honest the only reason I even finished it was because I was reading it for a book club, so I don't remember everything I liked and didn't like.

Since I'm about to rip into this book (Obviously. I gave it one star.) let's just first mention that I absolutely adored the title, cover, and synopsis. So, let's all the take a moment to appreciate it's beauty.......and good.
I wish this was one of those kind of books that sits on your shelf looking pretty that you say "I'm going to read that soon, I swear" and never get to. But alas, I opened it up and read it, and it was all downhill from there. 

I never liked Meira. She seemed whiny, immature, and annoying, and it felt as if the character was being crammed into a "badass female heroine" cookie cutter. Neither of her love interests, Mather and what's-his-face from that northern kingdom, really impressed me either. Every single character followed stereotypical roles in the story, so I became quickly annoyed with the book.

The plot had real potential. After reading the synopsis I was practically jumping up and down in my seat; I couldn't wait to read this book. However, the story was awkwardly paced. Large gaps of time were skipped over just to get to more "exciting" parts that usually left me disappointed.

Oh the romance. I don't hate all love triangles. I probably actually like more than I don't, but I could not stand this one. I had felt a plot twist coming and then when it came I wasn't surprised, just exasperated. 

The world building to me was cheap and done solely through info dumps. My main problem with it was that it didn't seem believable at all, and if anything, it was kind of cliche.

What I hated most about this book though was the villain. I forgot his name because I've simply been thinking of him as "Random Evil Bad Guy". He had no rhyme or reason to any of his actions, or at least any that were explained. He just seemed to have one single character trait: "mean". It's cool if a villain is evil all the way through, but I want to know if they are cunning, or manipulative, or greedy, or vengeful, or anything that could possibly make him seem at all realistic

All in all, I was extremely disappointed by this book and will not be reading the sequels.

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(short) Spoilery review:

Obviously, I was so not a fan of this book, and it's been like, 2 or 3 months since I read this, so there's not much spoilery stuff I want to talk about. But that ending though.

The end was just kind of confusing. "Random Evil Bad Guy"'s death felt like it was supposed to be a cliff hanger, but I certainly didn't feel like I was anxious to find of what would happen next. The fact that they returned to Winter seemed too easy, like they hadn't really done all that much, which just made me think that this should have been accomplished long ago.

I don't know, this got kind of nuts and I'm sorry if you loved the book but it really just wasn't my cup of tea.

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Page Count: 396 pages

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.Written by Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again. 

5/5 stars

Non-spoilery Review:

I absolutely loved this novel. I've been wanting to read this since I saw the cover a few years ago, but it wasn't until I received it for Christmas this year that I got a chance to read it. If the book had just been a comedy and not so satirical, I don't think I would have liked it so much. I honestly thought I was going to hate a majority of the characters, but as we got to know them one by one, I found I couldn't even choose a favorite. I've seen a lot of reviews bashing this book for being "typical" and "overly feminist" but I didn't think that at all. I loved how every character had their own special backstory and reason for joining the pageant that we slowly learned throughout the book. The book truly showed how feminism is for every kind of girl imaginable, a message that is incredibly important today. The plot of this book is completely unique in the sense that you will have commercial breaks and fact pages and such. If you haven't read this book and you enjoy quirky comedies and interesting female characters, then I urge you to go and check it out! If you have read it, let's head on down to my spoilery review.

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Spoilery Review:

Holy crap. I freaking LOVED Taylor. At first, I couldn't stand her and got frustrated every time she came up in a scene, but after she heard the radio say that rescue wasn't coming, I fell in love with her character. Nothing says badass quite like blowing up a snake with a can of hairspray.

It was great to watch the girls grow and develop, especially Nicole and Shanti. At first they simply saw each other as competition but being on that island forced them to realize that they had a lot more in common than they thought, and I adored how close they became.

At the very start of the book, my favorite character was Adina, since I felt like I connected with her the most. Before reading this book, I despised pageants all together but still considered myself to be a feminist, just like Adina. I sort of grew along with her character as I came to see that yeah, these girls might spend forever trying to get their hair and nails just right, but they aren't just a shiny exterior. They are an actual person inside, with hopes and dreams and fears.

Those pirates. Oh, those freaking pirates. At first, I was so annoyed when they showed up, like, why are you disturbing these girls? They were making a ton of progress in figuring out who they were and then, boom, testosterone arrives and they seemed to revert back. But it wasn't until the pirates actually left that I realized just how much I missed them. Honestly, as crazy and frustrating as they could be, they were hilarious, and let's be real, Sinjin St. Sinjin was pretty phenomenal.

The plot was so cool, what with The Corporation's tid bits. I liked how satirical it was, showing through a joke just how messed up our own society is. There were times when the plot seemed too fantastic, despite being satire, but for me at least, it was pretty easy to get over those parts and enjoy the story.

My favorite part has to have been when the Teen Dreamers banned the word "sorry". I loved that they realized that they used to the word to apologize for their own existence. I realized that I start every question I ever ask in school with "Sorry, but..." . It's just become a reflex, but it's ridiculous! It's not just me either. Just like the girls in this book, tons of girls I know do the same thing. And I realized that seldom do you ever hear a guy starting his questions like that. So it's New Year's Eve, and when I type this there are only 30 minutes left in 2014. I've decided that my new year's resolution (one of many) is to stop saying "Sorry" every time I raise my hand in class.

As for the ending, I actually enjoyed it. I didn't think I would like how neatly it tied everything up when they gave little blurbs about their futures, but for this particular book, it somehow worked. 

Overall, I adored this book. I read it in two days while I was on vacation and could scarcely put it down. I thought the plot and characters were funny and entertaining, and I hope you enjoyed it too! In the comments below, tell me what you thought of the book! Did you like the satirical style or was it too cheesy for you? Who was your favorite character? Let me know!

As always, happy reading!
~Kera