All the Stars and Teeth Book Review

 

Hey guys!

Today I’m reviewing All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace. I’ve had it for awhile, but finally got around to reading it this summer. 

Here is the blurb:

Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.

She will reign.

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer — the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.

But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder — and more peril — than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom. 

Cool right? I’m giving this book 4 stars. 

The plot: 

The idea of soul magic is very creepy, and the author did a fantastic job of making it such an aesthetic part of the culture. Really, the whole book is very aesthetic, weaving in bones and colors and of course pirates and ships, and delicious stuff like that. 

My only qualms were that the first chapter or two really dragged for me. It felt like I was being bombarded with world building, and all I knew about Amora was that she really wanted to sail, and it kind of made her a brat. There were also a few places where the wording threw me. The story world was so deep and captivating, and then a handful of modern sounding phrases were thrown in and it pulled me of the moment. 

That being said, the wording wasn’t the end of the world, and after chapter two things took off, and got moving. Then I couldn’t stop reading. And the world building was necessary to understand what happened next, so I’ll forgive it all being thrown into the first chapter. 

There were several fun plot twists that I didn’t see coming (keep an eye out on Bastian), and the entire magic system felt very fleshed out and in depth. I loved all the different cultures on each island, and the scene where the mermaid takes them underwater gave me goosebumps. 

The characters:

Like I mentioned, Amora starts out a bit of a brat. But that actually turns out to be a neat aspect of her character arc. In the beginning, she’s very much got the attitude of she’s the only one who can rule her people, in a very haughty way. By the end, she still thinks she’s the only one who can rule her people, which is really fun since I think it’s unusual for characters to not actually change their opinion by the end. But this time her attitude about it is much more humble, and urgent. She cares deeply about her people and wants to rule well. 

Bastian is very fun. I was expecting more of a pirate figure, and instead I got an injured puppy. Poor little guy. He just needs a hug. He does a good job of hiding it with his suave pirate facade though, which adds in plenty of humor. 

Amora’s fiancé is a hoot. If nothing else it’s fun to watch (read?) him squirm at all the horrors Amora drags him through. The dude had his arm cut off for her. That’s some dedication right there. 

There is also a mermaid in the book (I’m sorry, I’m blanking on her name) and I love her. So much sass. So much vicious. She’s one of those characters that while she’s technically on the good guys’ side, you always get the feeling she could snap and kill them all at any moment. It’s thrilling. 

The sequel will be released next year, and I will absolutely be buying it. *my bookshelf wailing in the distance* 

Have you read this gritty fantasy? 

Dance of Thieves book review

Hello all!

I hope you’re doing well—staying healthy and sane. 

I’ve recovered from the flu and am soaking in the sunshine, doing some yard work before the snow comes this weekend. #nebraskaweather

Today I’m going to be reviewing the Dance of Thieves duo by Mary E Pearson. 

It’s going to get a collective four stars from me—five stars for the story itself, but there was more cussing than I’d like so.

Here are the blurbs:

 Dance of Thieves:

A formidable outlaw family that claims to be the first among nations.

A son destined to lead, thrust suddenly into power.

Three fierce young women of the Rahtan, the queen's premier guard.

A legendary street thief leading a mission, determined to prove herself.

A dark secret that is a threat to the entire continent.

When outlaw leader meets reformed thief, a cat-and-mouse game of false moves ensues, bringing them intimately together in a battle that may cost them their lives―and their hearts.

Vow of Thieves:

Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor's Watch will be a kingdom, and the two of them will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and in their rush to return to Tor's Watch, just outside the fortress walls, they are violently attacked and torn apart―and each is thrust into their own new hell.

Unsure whether the other is alive or dead, Kazi and Jase must keep their wits among their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies. And all the while, Death watches and waits. 

The characters:

It’s been two years since a book kept me up all night reading it. These books ended that streak. (I bet you thought my sleep deprivation lately had to do with a new baby—wrong.) 

Kazi and Jase have securely wedged themselves into my top literary couples. At knife point.

They are everything I love in a character. Sassy, sweet, strong, broken. All in a nicely balanced way. 

Their interaction with each other is hilarious, and they’re one of the few fictional characters that actually felt like teenagers to me. Yes, they are outlaws and soldiers, but in the scenes where we got into their personal lives—especially the romantic aspect—they felt like kids to me, which was really refreshing. 

Jase really fascinates me. I definitely have a type, and there are certain things about Jarod that fit that type, but generally speaking he’s nothing like my fictional crushes. Except Jase. Jase is A LOT like Jarod. It was just a little bit disconcerting. Obviously Jarod’s not the leader of an outlaw family (or is he?) but I couldn’t help but think that if we plunged Jarod into this world, he would react the exact way Jase does. It was cool. Anyway, back to the story. 

The supporting characters were just as epic. I love Jase’s siblings, and his mom. Several of his brothers are hilarious, and I absolutely adore Kazi’s friends. I thought they really lended to the idea that all the characters were just kids as well. They talk too much, they wonder about adult things, etc. 

The Plot:

This was a very fun plot with all sorts of twists and turns. You really had to stay on your toes. It reminded me of a cleaner, sweeter Six of Crows. The scheming was so fun and it was a constant guessing game of who was playing who, and trying to decide if it was on purpose or if they really were having feelings. It really kept the emotional tension as full power. 

The books are tropey, but in a good way. Enemies to lovers, being trapped with someone you hate, all that wonderful awkward stuff. 

In short, I love these books. I will read them again and again. They are absolutely gorgeous inside and out. 

To Best The Boys Book Review

Yes, yes. I know I’m way too late in reading this book. But better late than never, right? I’m here and I have thoughts. 

The Blurb: 

The task is simple: don a disguise. Survive the Labyrinth. Best the boys.

In a thrilling new fantasy from the bestselling author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, one girl makes a stand against society and enters a world made exclusively for boys.

Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port have received a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. The poorer residents look to see if their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.

In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.

With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone is ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.

Welcome to the Labyrinth.

Honestly, I think I’m going to give it five stars. I have no complaints. Zero. 

Right at first when I started reading, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I get really tired of the whole Girls Can Do Anything spiel. I’m sorry. I just do. BUT this book was good. It felt very balanced and non-preachy with the girl power, and I fell in love after the first chapter. 

The characters:

Rhen is an awesome protagonist. She’s quirky and fun, strong, caring, and awkward. She felt very real, honestly, and her desire to “best the boys” felt was very natural rather than a soap box. 

Selini may take first place for best friend character. Usually the rich proper friend is also an airhead and weakling, but not Selini. She’s with Rhen every step of the way, and I loved how she portrayed being strong and capable but still 100% feminine. I also loved that her highest aspiration was to be a wife and mom—and that she was happy with it. So often homemakers are looked down on in fiction, and as a wife and mom myself, that makes me really sad. 

And you can’t best the boys without boys, and man were the boys in this book awesome. The villains were completely vile, and I actually did not see the final reveal coming at all. That was quite the surprise, and made perfect sense. I LOVE Will and Sam and really enjoyed their friendship with Rhen. And Beryl is absolutely hilarious, I can’t even stand it. 

Obviously, Lute is a heartthrob—anatomically correct lips and all. I just wanted to hug him. His story made me so sad, but yet he’s so perfect, and he’s so manly, but then he can wax poetic too (who doesn’t like a boy who talks about the sea? I mean, come on). He was perfect. That is all. 

The world: 

The world is very cool. I loved how chill it was with the magic. Oh yeah, there’s sirens in the water. Ghouls will rip your chest open. No big deal. It doesn’t give any explanation, which was really cool, because why would a character bother to explain if all of that is normal in their world? I really liked it. It was nice to just be able to accept, yes there is magic and monsters, and you just have to deal with it and watch out at night, without getting bogged down in a full blown epic fantasy explanation. 

The whole concept of Mr. Holm and his labyrinth is stinking awesome, and the way the labyrinth is described is so cool. This is a very vivid book, and Rhen’s quirky voice is absolutely awesome in describing it. 

The plot: 

It’s awesome. I had heard a lot about how good this book was when it first came out, bought it right away, then didn’t read it. So all the details I had heard before kind of slipped away from me, and I came into reading it with absolutely zero expectations. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, so every twist of the plot was a complete surprise and thrilling. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time (did I mention I read it in like, two days?) and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. 

It was really neat to have dyslexic and autistic characters in the story too. I feel like the author kind of took all the hot topic items of the day—diversity, representation, feminism, etc—and put it into a story that somehow magically doesn’t sound like a political rant. It’s fantastic. 

So, long story short, this book completely caught me by surprise in the best possible way, and if you haven’t read it you really should. 

The Girl The Sea Gave Back- book review

Hello all! 

It’s time for mass celebration, because I actually remembered that Wednesday is blogging day. 

Today I’m going to review The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young. I just finished it last night, and I’m just a little bit lost on what I’m supposed to do with myself now. 

This is the companion novel to Sky in The Deep. It takes place in the same world, with many of the same characters, but ten years later. Here is the blurb. 

For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.

I’m going to give this book four stars. 

The story was there. I loved the twists and turns it went on, and the characters were great. What the blurb doesn’t tell is that we actually get to be in Halvard’s (Fiske’s younger brother) point of view for half of the book. It was an interesting dynamic and I loved how distinct the two voices were. Tova’s perspective was full of eloquent words, deep analogies, and nature references, where Halvard’s voice was much more straightforward and to the point. It was very fun seeing the different details each of them picked up as important. 

I thought the plot worked really well, especially the big twist right at the end. Really there were only a couple minor things holding this book back from being a five star for me, and maybe they’re just personal preference. 

It was a little bit harder to read. Besides having alternating viewpoints, it also jumped around to different years and places, so I had to slow down and pay attention a bit more to where I was. It made sense though. There was no head-hopping or anything that heinous, just a different style that I had to think about a little more to comprehend what was going on. 

Some of the things with world-building confused me. I know she probably didn’t have the idea for this book while writing Sky in the Deep, but there were aspects of the magic and culture that were never mentioned in Sky, and yet everyone knew them in this book. It just felt a little disconnected, because a lot of it was never explained through the eyes of a character who was just learning these things, so I didn’t really understand it all. 

I had one issue with Tova, in that her excuse for the whole book was that she didn’t know these bad things were going to happen. Which was odd to me, because the instant the Svell wanted her to cast the stones, I knew what outcome they wanted, and I knew they were going to act on it and kill people. I don’t really see how she couldn’t have known that. If there would have been just a line or thought as she was casting the stones to clear up her confusion about it, it would have been much more believable. 

This probably seems like a negative review, but I promise, it’s not. All of these things were actually very minor in the grand scheme of the story. The plot and characters all came together nicely, and I was thrilled to get to see a bit of Fiske and Eelyn again (even though it wasn’t nearly enough. Never enough Fiske). 

It was fun to be in characters heads who weren’t battle thirsty. One thing that was so gripping about Sky was that everyone was after blood. The Girl The Sea Gave Back takes that same culture, but flips it to a different perspective, and that gives the whole book a fresh, yet familiar atmosphere that was super fun to read.

As far as content goes, there wasn’t much. Nothing sexual at all, no language, and very little detailed, gruesome violence. They fight, sure, but there weren’t many gritty details. Like with Sky, there is talk about gods and prayers and sacrifices. I personally don’t mind as long as it’s in a world that isn’t our own, but for others who disagree, know it’s in there. “The gods” actually play a much more active role in this book than they did in Sky, which was a bit odd to read, but it worked out. Other than that the book was squeaky clean. 

Hopefully this review hasn’t scared you off from reading the book. It was good. It was worth the read, and I’ll be reading it again. The main issue was I went in with preconceived notions based on what Sky in the Deep had been like. The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a totally different style and angle, and once I came to grips with that I was able to plow through the book and love every second of it. Give it a try! 

Have you read Sky in the Deep or The Girl The Sea Gave Back? What did you think? What good books have you read lately? I need a cure for a book hangover. 

The Girl With No Name- Book Review

Hi everyone! 

Technically I should be doing an end of the month wrap up post, (can you believe July is OVER??) but to be honest, I don’t have much to talk about. July was a good month, but fairly basic. The highlight was probably county fair, which involved bull riding, ranch rodeos, and my sister’s horse show.

So, for today I have a book review and then hopefully next week I’ll have answers to Jason’s questions from Blood and Dust. Sound good?

The book I want to talk about is 

The Girl With No Name: The Incredible Story of a Child Raised by Monkeys, by Marina Chapman. 

Yes, you read that right. A child raised by monkeys. And it’s a true story. 

Here’s the official blurb. 

The amazing story of the girl who overcame unique hardship and deprivation—growing up with a troop of capuchin monkeys—to find ultimate redemption. 

In 1954, in a remote mountain village in South America, a little girl was abducted. She was four years old. Marina Chapman was stolen from her home and then abandoned deep in the Colombian jungle. It is a miracle she survived. Two days later, half-drugged, terrified, and starving, she came upon a troop of capuchin monkeys. Acting entirely on instinct, she tried to do what they did: she ate what they ate and copied their actions, and little by little, learned to fend for herself. 

So begins the story of her five years among the monkeys, during which time she gradually became feral; she loses the ability to speak, loses all inhibition, loses any real sense of being human, replacing the structure of human society with the social mores of her new simian family. But her harrowing adventure is only beginning...

In the vein of Slumdog Millionaire and City of God, this rousing story of a lost child who overcomes the dangers of the wild and the brutality of the streets to finally reclaim her life will astonish readers everywhere. 

Now tell me that doesn’t sound exciting. This book was so disturbing and heartwarming at the same time. My dad originally heard about it on the radio (I think) and ordered it. Him being the awesome dad he is, sent it my way once he finished it. And oh my gosh. 

I gobbled it up. 

Like the blurb mentions, it starts with four year old Marina being kidnapped. Since she was four, her memories are very foggy and choppy, but that made it all the more real. I felt like I was getting the real story from a child’s eyes. 

Henry is only two, but I was still sitting there traumatized by the idea of a little toddler like him being dumped off in the jungle. You know how many survival books I’ve read? Like, all of them. And I’m 99% sure I would have died off in less than a week. And here this 4 year old survives. 

It was really cool because the monkeys did eventually accept her. It’s not like the cartoons where they immediately are friends and can talk, but eventually certain monkeys did come to like her, and she did learn to interpret and imitate the basic sounds they make. 

Throughout the whole story I was just struck by God’s amazing design for humanity. Even through all of this trauma, Marina was still very much human. And even though she came to not even realize that, to anyone watching her behavior, it was obvious. She decorated her tree home with flowers. She created things, and reasoned her way through problems, even though it was at a very basic, childish level. When she first encounters humans you really see it start to kick in where she is drawn to them—a lot like Adam in the garden of Eden looking for someone like him before God creates Eve. It was fascinating, so say the least. 

After being “rescued” in the loosest terms possible, Marina is bounced from place to place—brothels, the streets, the mafia. It’s truly crazy that one girl could have gone through so much before her sixteenth birthday. During this part I was struck again by her humanity. The girl had a sin nature. And I don’t say that to pick on her. But here she had been raised by animals with no concept or right and wrong, and yet during her time on the street she was proud of her ability to do wrong—to steal, to pull tricks, etc. Our sin nature, along with our being in the likeness of God, is engrained in us no matter what. 

The story came to a satisfying end that was so intense I won’t spoil it for you, and  a sequel was planned, but I don’t know if it’s been written yet. There are pictures of her teenage homes, and Marina and her family now, and it just makes a person smile to see the mischievous glint in her eyes even as a mom and grandma. You can totally picture her scampering up a tree after a monkey at any minute. 

This book gave me all the feels. It was such a joy to read as she finally found humans who loved her, and became human herself again, and I nearly cried thinking that all these years there has been a different family somewhere who thinks their little four year old is dead, and here she is, an absolute survivor, but with no way to find them again. 

It’s definitely an amazing story that I would highly recommend. 

As far as content goes, I’d really say there is none. It’s just real life. There are a few cuss words, but they come from the evil people Marina is trapped with, and the whole story is gritty. You’ve got a little jungle girl running around with no clothes, being taken in by a brothel, and then braving the dangers of Columbia’s streets. There’s nothing nice about it, but it’s not overly graphic or anything like that. 

Five stars from me! Go read it! 

What have you been reading this summer? 

The Raven Boys - A Book Review

Hi guys!

So I know I'm late to the party, and probably everyone has read it by now (except not everyone, because I hadn't read it). But I finished The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater last night, and all I want to do is talk about it, so I'm doing a book review.

About the book, courtesy of Goodreads.

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

My rating

            

There was so much I loved about this book. Meaning, the characters.

The characters are so good.

Blue is not your normal female lead. She's not overly strong, or insanely quirky. She's pretty sensible really. To me, she thinks exactly like a sixteen year old girl thinks, which is kind of unique in Young Adult books. One strange thing about her is she designs all of her own clothes, and its kind of funny because as I'm reading the descriptions I'm like "Oh yeah, I would have wore this a few years back."

She's got good fashion sense.

The Raven Boys themselves are all such big teddy bears. Some it's just harder to tell under their sharp edges. But I want to hug them all.

Currently Gansey is my least favorite, but through no fault of his own. I don't dislike him by any stretch, he's just not as colorful as the rest of the lot.

Adam is such a cinnamon roll, and I love his dynamic with Blue. I just want to hug him and whisk him away from danger, and then yell at him to stop being so stubborn. Which is to be expected when dealing with teenage boys, I suppose.

Noah is such a sad little guy, and I love him.

But my favorite is Ronan. Which will probably come as no surprise to anyone. He's my literary type. Dangerous, snarky, so very angry. I worry about myself sometimes.

As for the story line, it absolutely hooks you. Normally I can outguess a book pretty fast, and know what's going on, but there were so many twists and turns in this one that I didn't see coming at all.

It was both maddening and fantastic.

It's a fast paced book and stuff just keeps happening, but I loved how it wasn't all action related to their magical quest. I loved the personal turmoil and chaos that sprung up from all of them, and how they dealt with it.

Content was the only reason I took a star off the rating. There was a lot of cussing.

No sex, or anything like that. A few very mild innuendos. But a lot of cussing.

Also, if you don't like psychics and mediums, and things of that nature, pass this book up. I didn't find it a bother, but some people might.

Now all that's left for me to do is scurry on over to the library to get book two.

Fingers crossed that they actually have book two. 

Have you ever read The Raven Boys? What did you think?

I'm in the mood to chat about it.