Here's a list of my top 12 reads of 2017! There's a full-length video review of each of these books under the playlist: YA Book Reviews. In no particular order: 1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 2. A Million Junes by Emily Henry 3. The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy 4. Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson 5. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly BLack 6. All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater 7. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo 8. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro 9. Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore 10. Ignite Me/Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi 11. Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody 12. An Enchantment of Ravens Bonuses:
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender This book is a tough one for me. So I'll keep this review short because even 2 days later I'm still reeling. I stayed up til 2am even to finish it. The writing and characterization is amazing. The story is a mix of tall tale and magical realism. It's about love and lust and infatuation and how love informs our choices. It's about the light and dark sides of love. That said, the jacket flap did say that everything would come to a dark crescendo and somehow it was much more traumatic than I'd thought it would be. I think I kept hoping it wouldn't be even though there were some clues. I would like to offer the warning that the last three chapt
Jane Unlimited by Kristen Cashore I really enjoyed this story. First, I have to say I'm a believer/fan of the multiverse theory. If that is something outside of your comfort zone this book will probably be too weird for you. I loved how each story played out. The first story or chapter pretty much sets the stage for the other stories which is the result of each of Jane's choices when she decides who to follow. The one about Charlotte was a bit strange and dark. I was hoping there would be a little more to it. I enjoyed Spies Without Borders and the Jane Unlimited sections the most. In the author's note the story was originally supposed to be like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but I liked
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black This is my second Holly Black book and I cannot get enough. She is quickly becoming one of my favorites and is definitely a master storyteller. Normally, I don't like gore and I still don't but the plot of this is just too intriguing to mind. This book is dark...Twilight it is not. I never read Interview with a Vampire but I would venture to say it's more akin to that. I found myself reading 100 page chunks at a time. Black really draws you in with her interesting characters-who are always flawed with complex backgrounds-and with how she establishes relationships. I loved the concept of Coldtowns and a vampiric outbreak and how our obsession with r
War of the Cards by Colleen Oakes This is more 3.5 stars for me. I did forget some things from the previous books (one reason I like to read all the books at once) and had to look up a synopsis, but after that I was good. This book starts right in the action as Dinah goes to overthrow the King of Hearts. Things I liked: Dinah's character arc from the beginning of the series, the writing is easy to read (and the books have large margins), the Yurkei tribe, and the resurgence of a character from Dinah's childhood. Things that didn't jive for me: I forgot how incredibly bloody it was and that stuff kind of makes me feel physically ill so I skimmed a lot, two major plot twists I predicted early
Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi I really love Tahereh's middle grades books (also a huge fan of Shatter Me), but my first Tahereh read was Furthermore. This book was a bit darker and the details vivid. I also loved the narrator interaction with the reader. This book is great for adults and for younger ones, it does deal a lot of with the dead/death and treating others with respect so keep in mind with younger audiences. One part I didn't like was near the end and was a bit morbid/revenge seeking however it was acknowledged as not the correct course of action. It just didn't feel like it fit the story. So this is 4.5/5 stars. I would love another book in this world but am not sure it's in the cards
Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore I'm not sure what to say about this book. I loved the cover and enjoyed the story line between Fel and Estrella. The mystery of where he came from and why, Estrella grappling with her family's curse, Fel trying to grasp at bits of his past life. But that lovely story line got lost in copious amounts of floral and color descriptions (I'm talking paragraphs at a time and frequently) which sometimes left me distracted as opposed to enchanted. I also feel like this book is a bit guilty of diversity dumping. At times the writing style seemed like it was trying too hard to be like classic storytelling with the language choice (periods are mentioned at least four-
The Graces by Laure Eve This book is different. If you know that going in I think that you’ll enjoy it a bit more. I did read several GoodReads reviews prior to reading it, so my reading was driven by looking for clues to the plot twist (which if you pay attention is fairly obvious but not the why nor the how). I also read that the protagonist was unreliable and kind of annoying. These factors drive this review. First, some things I didn’t care much for: There was a lot of swearing, drinking and sexuality so I’d say this book is for upper high school. The protagonist, River, is really needy but I do see it as part of her drive and obsession with The Graces (a trio of siblings the town believ
7 Candles for 7 People on Your Gift-Giving List As of 12.2.17 all of the candles featured in this video can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/thebookishflame which specializes in fun and quirky 100% soy candles for book lovers! Fandoms include Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Grishaverse, Raven Cycle and other books by Maggie Steifvater, Princesses, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and many more!
