Saturday, August 29, 2015

Reviews: Night Owls by Jenn Bennett and Talk Under Water by Kathryn Lomer

Title: Night Owls
Author: Jenn Bennett
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Simon & Schuster
Goodreads








Feeling alive is always worth the risk.

Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists.

But Jack is hiding a piece of himself. On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is.
Reviews by Nara

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Review: Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman

Title: Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals #1)
Author: Eleanor Herman
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
Source: Harlequin Teen via NetGalley
Release Date: 1 September, 2015
Goodreads


Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to newcomer Katerina, who must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But Kat’s first love, Jacob, will go to unthinkable lengths to win her, even if it means competing for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet fiancĂ©e, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the salacious and fascinating details of real history, New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known: Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.
Review by Nara

Monday, August 17, 2015

Queen of Shadows: Complete and Utter Epicness

Title: Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)
Author: Sarah J Maas
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy, EPICNESS
Release Date: 1 September, 2015
Source: Bloomsbury Sydney. THANK YOU!!
Goodreads


Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series reaches new heights in this sweeping fourth volume.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.
Review by Nara

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Review: Soulprint by Megan Miranda

Title: Soulprint
Author: Megan Miranda
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source: Bloomsbury Australia
Goodreads









Alina Chase has spent her entire life in confinement. With the science of soul-printing now a reality, she is 'protected' for her own safety - and the safety of others - because her soul has done terrible things ...or so she's told. When Alina finally breaks out of prison, helped by a group of people with unclear motives, she begins to uncover clues left by her past life that only she can decipher. And she may not be as innocent as she once believed. Can Alina change her future, or is she fated to repeat her past and face the consequences?
Review by Nara

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Review: Weightless by Sarah Bannan

Title: Weightless
Author: Sarah Bannan
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Bloomsbury
Goodreads






When 15-year-old Carolyn moves from New Jersey to Alabama with her mother, she rattles the status quo of the junior class at Adams High School. A good student and natural athlete, she’s immediately welcomed by the school’s cliques. She’s even nominated to the homecoming court and begins dating a senior, Shane, whose on again/off again girlfriend Brooke becomes Carolyn’s bitter romantic rival. When a video of Carolyn and Shane making out is sent to everyone, Carolyn goes from golden girl to slut, as Brooke and her best friend Gemma try to restore their popularity. Gossip and bullying hound Carolyn, who becomes increasingly private and isolated. When Shane and Brooke—now back together—confront Carolyn in the student parking lot, injuring her, it’s the last attack she can take.

Sarah Bannan's deft use of the first person plural gives Weightless an emotional intensity and remarkable power that will send you flying through the pages and leave you reeling.
Review by Nara

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Review: Adrift by Paul Griffin and Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Adrift
Author: Paul Griffin
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Text Publishing
Goodreads




Five of us went out on the water that night.
None of us came back whole, and not all of us came back.

Best friends Matt and John are spending the summer working: Matt to save money for college, John to kill time before trade school. On the beach, the beautiful Driana stops Matt in his tracks. Dri, Stef and JoJo invite the boys to a party at Dri’s Hamptons mansion, and Matt drags John along.

When Stef decides it’s a beautiful night to go windsurfing, the others race out on the water to make sure she’s safe. But with no land in sight and a broken boat engine, it’s not just Stef they have to worry about. And as the hours turn into days, the prospect of rescue seems further and further away…
Review by Nara

Friday, August 7, 2015

How Necessary are Book Trailers?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am really not a big fan of book trailers. I just feel like they're not really necessary, and some of them are just so poorly made (which is fair enough because it's book publishers making them rather than big budget Hollywood producers).

Here are some examples of kind of bad book trailers:

Reboot by Amy Tintera


OH MY GOD THE ACTING IS SO CRINGEWORTHY. And the weird CGI of the eyes argh I just can't take it.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi


Seriously, they just really overuse the "shattering" animation. It was maybe okay the first two times, and then it was like OH GOD PLEASE STOP.

One of the only book trailers I've actually enjoyed is the one for Vicious by V.E. Schwab. I think it's because there wasn't actually any acting or anything in it. And it's really well made- the phrases it uses, the background music...everything in it makes you want to read the book. THIS is the sort of book trailer that should be done. Not some random crappy teenage actors.
Take a look at it below.



Are you a fan of book trailers? Link me to some good ones if you are so I can maybe change my mind about them.






Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Reviews: Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes and All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie

Title: Viral Nation
Author: Shaunta Grimes
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source: Berkley via NetGalley
Goodreads


After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed. The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over. The Company, which ended the plague by bringing a life-saving vaccine back from the future, controls everything. They ration the scant food and supplies through a lottery system, mandate daily doses of virus suppressant, and even monitor future timelines to stop crimes before they can be committed.

Brilliant but autistic, sixteen-year-old Clover Donovan has always dreamed of studying at the Waverly-Stead Academy. Her brother and caretaker, West, has done everything in his power to make her dream a reality. But Clover’s refusal to part with her beloved service dog denies her entry into the school. Instead, she is drafted into the Time Mariners, a team of Company operatives who travel through time to gather news about the future.

When one of Clover’s missions reveals that West’s life is in danger, the Donovans are shattered. To change West’s fate, they’ll have to take on the mysterious Company. But as its secrets are revealed, they realize that the Company’s rule may not be as benevolent as it seems. In saving her brother, Clover will face a more powerful force than she ever imagined… and will team up with a band of fellow misfits and outsiders to incite a revolution that will change their destinies forever.
Review by Nara

Monday, August 3, 2015

Review: Frankie and Joely by Nova Weetman

Title: Frankie and Joely
Author: Nova Weetman
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: UQP
Goodreads



Frankie and Joely are best friends. They love each other like no one else can. But when a summer break in the country brings fresh distractions, simmering jealousies and festering secrets, can their friendship survive?

It’s the holidays and, together, Frankie and Joely board a train and escape the city and their mums for a week of freedom. But when Joely introduces Frankie to her country cousins, Thommo and Mack, it soon becomes clear that something other than the heat is getting under their skin. As the temperature rises and the annual New Years’ Eve party looms closer, local boy Rory stirs things up even more and secrets start to blister. Suddenly the girls’ summer getaway is not panning out how either of them imagined. Will they still be ‘Frankie and Joely’ by the end of their holiday?
Review by Nara