Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Review

   Wow Rockett, where have you been? Long story short, I'll feign busy, and also I drove 14+ hours to help my brother move so on and so forth. Either way I picked up Shadow and Bone again, and this time I finished it in one sitting, so lets talk about that!

I'm going to jump right into the most complaints I saw. A lot of the poor reviews discussed how this book was pretty cliche. And that is not a wrong assessment. A plain (but probably still conventionally attractive) female protagonist figures out she has a special something, becomes beautiful and useful, and has a bit of a love triangle. 

Was it cliche?

Yes.

Here is the problem with cliches today. As a writer I hate them, as I reader I acknowledge that cliches are cliches for a reason, they are popular and fun to read. Was it a little annoying? Yes, but I was still giddy every time Aline, the protag, made a romantic advancement. Almost everything is a cliche now, so you sometimes have to dig deeper.

I had heard a lot about the Darkling before starting these book, so I was sort of expecting what happened, but I was still shocked. That was plus one, Leigh Bardugo. I still like the Darkling, although I'm pretty sure I shouldn't.

Prose-wise this book was very easy to get through (as aforementioned I got through it in one sitting). It's nothing exceptional but it gets the job done. I liked this setting and the plot line, I thought it was very interesting. Although, like a lot of other people I do wish the Russian influence was more accurate and clear. I love Russian history, and I think the mark was missed there. 

Overall, did I enjoy this book? Yes.

Am I excited to get to the next one? Medium. I feel like I lost a lot of the tension with the ending. Maybe I'm the only one. But what was the main plot of the story kind of was over. Granted there is a new plot, but it's a little off for me. We'll see, I'll definitely be reading it. 

What would I rate this book? A tentative 4/5. It was enjoyable, even with the cliches. But I feel like it could have been more. 

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven Review

Whew, this book. I bought this book on a whim in a wholesale store. I had seen it around a lot getting buzz and after reading it, I think it deserves it. I didn't know what the book was about until I read the back. It deals heavily with suicide, and coping with loss.

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know these topics are some of my favourites to read about. So let's get into the review.

This book follows Theodore Finch, a teenager struggling with family issues, identity issues, and mental illness. It also gives the point of view of Violet Markey (Ultraviolet Re-Markeyable) a girl who feels responsible for her sisters untimely death. The two meet and what ensues is hope.

Now for those of you who hate a cliche you will and won't find that here. I don hate when people get angry at cliche's, because it's like being mad at remakes of movies, or new brands of mac-n-cheese. Not everything can be original, and all characters fall into some archetype. 

Finch is cliche in that he's the spontaneous, qwerky, bad boy, except that he's not. And Violet is the smart girl with the wrong friends (which she is). This didn't bother me reading it though, as these characters, these tropes, are real people in the real world. 

Violet and Finch wind up on a school project together, wandering Indiana, and together trying to recover from the things that haunt them. It's a beautiful story, and I won't soon forget it.

BUT THAT ENDING. The ending of the book may be the least cliche thing about it. I'm trying to keep this spoiler free, but if this book was all cliche, it would not have ended like that. I was in fact almost in tears. Is that a spoiler? No, it's a hint. Oops. 

I love what this book has done, and what it stands for, the Authors Note at the end is very well-written and appreciated as well. This book tackles the subject of suicide, depression, and loss very well and for an audience that may really need that. I can't express my love for this book.

5/5

Buy the book here.

Q&A Five Year Journal Review!

So this is a little bit of a different book review, as it's a journal. I saw this journal last year and I really wanted it, and then a couple weeks ago I got it for review, and now here we are!

I'll be the first to say it wasn't really what I expected. With a $16.99 price tag I did expect more. The page sides are golden, which is a plus, but doesn't make up for the pocket sized book. Each page in the book has the date and five places for you to write an answer (one for each year). The questions are hit or miss, but there are 365 of them so that's fair.

I don't know if I'll actually still have this in 5 years, I'm having a hard time remembering to write in it and I've only had it about a week and a half. I'm sure it'll be around, filled out or not. It would be neat to look back and see "What song was stuck in my head" in 2015.

It's a fun book, however it is a commitment, and I'm thinking there might be other ways to do something similar to this (ask.fm maybe). I got it free for review, and I'm glad I did because I never would have paid almost $17 dollars for it.

3.5/5

Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement Review

It took me a lot longer to get to this book than I thought it would. However, once I did, I loved it. I'm not usually one for these kinds of books, but this one was very well written and compelling.

This book centers around Ladydi and her family as they struggle to deal with the tough situation surrounding them in rural mexico. This book is not very long, and packs a punch. There is violence, sadness, death, and even sometimes hope. Reading this book I really felt for everything that Ladydi and her family went through, it is especially touching knowing these things do in fact happen to people. 

While this book captured me more than I thought it would, and I thought it was much more compelling than similar books I still wasn't in love with it. In this time of powerful women, this book really exemplifies that and with a more diverse cast. If you're looking for a rollercoaster ride, albeit an inspiring rollercoaster ride of a book, pick up Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement.

4/5 

#WinterRespite Read-A-Thon TBR

The Winter Respite Read-A-Thon is coming up, and I have once again planned a TBR, that I will most likely stray from almost immediately. The Read-A-Thon will go from January 26th until February 1st. There aren't any challenges or anything.

Commence the TBR

1.) Prayers For The Stolen ; Jennifer Clement

2.) Post Office ; Charles Bukowski

3.) Shadow and Bone ; Leigh Bardugo

4.) Fables Volume 1 ; Bill Willingham and A conglomerate of other people.

If I manage all that (let's be honest I won't) I will commence the rest of the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.

Very Exciting, if you're also participating let me know, so I can follow your posts!

Golden Son by Pierce Brown Review.

   I've already ditched my more formal review system for this book. BEWARE SPOILERS AHEAD;

     If you're unfamiliar, Golden Son is the sequel to Red Rising. The third book in the trilogy, Morning Star is probably to release next year. And I bloodydamn can't wait that long. I was surprised by how much I liked Red Rising, and I liked Golden Son even more. 

       Don't be turned off if you're not accustomed to or don't like more sci-fi books. I've never been one for sci-fi. It reads more like an adventure for sure. There are so many characters in this book and they are all real, with flaws. Darrow is no exception. And while I didn't always connect with Darrow, I could understand why he was doing the things he was doing. 

     I'm going to try to keep this review brief, although I have a lot to say. 

This book picks up two years after the Institute. Nothing was really missed however, like you so often get with time jumps. Pretty much from the get-go everything is action packed. 

       The world that Pierce Brown made is so vast, I have no idea how he kept it all clear in his head. There are so many players in this game. Darrows relationship with Mustang was interesting, and I understand why she left, and why nearer the beginning he didn't ask her to stay. I am very curious what she's doing right about now. 

    Sevro is arguably my favourite character. I love myself some Sevro. I loved seeing all the sides of him as well. And finding out he's half Red, like woah. And his father, yes Fitchner is (was?) Ares? That's crazy. 

        The relationships Pierce Brown created in Golden Son made me absolutely envious, as creating relationships is something I struggle with when writing. There were three relationships I found slightly more compelling than the rest. Darrows relationships with Roque (That went well), Tactus (Also went great), and Ragnar (No sarcasm this time). I don't want to get to much into the plot, I've already given a lot away, but I HAD TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK. 

     

If you haven't read this series yet pick it up, I gave Red Rising four stars, and Golden Son five stars. It's an impressive world with an equally impressive cast of characters in an action packed plot of war, trust, and rebellion. 

2015 Reading Resolutions

   I might have already typed all this up once before my internet shut down. So pardon any subliminal anger.
   To reiterate, 2014 was not a great reading year, but considering some of the stuff that occured I'm not that upset. 2015 however, I'd like to really tackle some of this reading. So here are two reading related resolutions.

   This first image I found through Facebook and I think will help broaden my reading in 2015.

In addition to that hefty challenge I'd like to attempt the Classics Challenge. One classic a month to help tackle my ever growing classics shelf. 

Expect to hear more from me!

 Happy New Years everyone!