Y'ALL SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS HERE GEM. 💎 💘 It's so fucking relatable. I was (still am?) Ariel, and I empathized so hard with his academic and tiY'ALL SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS HERE GEM. 💎 💘 It's so fucking relatable. I was (still am?) Ariel, and I empathized so hard with his academic and time-related struggles. 💘 This book wins at diversity. The characters are of different races, religions, and sexualities. 💘 AMIR IS THE SOFTEST LOVE INTEREST EVER CAN I HAVE HIM? 💘 The friend- and family- relationships went through so much development and I reveled in it all. 💘 There's a loooot of Harry Potter references if you're into that. 😉
I've been wanting to read a Jay Kristoff book for ages. AGES! I was so sure that I was going to adore LIFELIK3--but I didn't. The writing was incredibI've been wanting to read a Jay Kristoff book for ages. AGES! I was so sure that I was going to adore LIFELIK3--but I didn't. The writing was incredibly irritating, the characters were bland, and the story had too much drama. This book's basically Lauren Kate's Fallen with robots.
1. WRITING: My biggest problem with the book was the writing. The book uses a lot of slang/weird-ass jargon from a supposed future America, which I quickly grew tired of. It was hard for me to connect to, and was just overall really cheesy for me.
2. CHARACTERS: The main characters in LIFEL1K3 have as much personality as my life-sized teddy bear. Which is just about none, if you're wondering. We have Eve, who suffers from multiple flashbacks so we get zero sense of her character, and Ezekiel, who is, well, a robot. Inside and out.
The side characters were a lot more endearing, especially Eve's best friend, Lemon Fresh, who is really cute and acts realistically.
3. STORY & PLOT: PRE-DICT-A-BLE. I felt like I've read this story a thousand times before--well, minus the robots. There was so much build-up for the twists, too, and they weren't even that "whoa," if you get what I mean?
4. WORLD-BUILDING: LIFEL1K3 gives us a look at post-apocalyptic America, where there are robots, androids, and "lifelikes" that live among humans. Personally, this was the aspect I liked most about the book.
It was interesting seeing another perspective of what the future might look like, scary as it is. We have the WarDome where robots fight to the death; the Scraps where Eve and her friends hunt for discarded materials they can revive or rebuild.
5. ROMANCE: Creepy. Fast-paced. Zero chemistry. Makes 5% sense. Wait, I totally forgot we were talking about LIFEL1K3--I thought we were talking about Fallen or Twilight. Eh, same thing....more
Okay, I have a confession to make: The main reason why I couldn't enjoy this book was because the humor was totally lost on me. I know so many other pOkay, I have a confession to make: The main reason why I couldn't enjoy this book was because the humor was totally lost on me. I know so many other people found this book to be really funny, and it kind of makes me sad that I didn't. At all.Maybe this means I'm mature? MUAHAHA who am I kidding!?
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE � The heroine annoyed the heck out of me. I honestly can't believe Clara's just around my age. She made me feel really old and all grown up which I'm not at all. She was spoiled, bratty, and cocky as heck. I know she's branded as a prankster and is meant to be a little immature, but I rolled my eyes so hard at her jokes--they were all just flat-out weird.
In said heroine's defense, Clara did realize her bitchiness at some point in the novel. She did grow, but I still found her to be immature by the end of the book. Baby steps, I know.
� The writing style and plot were really juvenile. To make this clear: I love making sarcastic comments just as much as the next person; laughing is great. But this book took jokes and pranks way too far, to the point where they crossed the boundary from funny to WTF just happened. It just wasn't for me.
� I wasn't a fan of the main hero, Hamlet. Or his romance with the heroine. See, Hamlet was sweet and adorable, but he just wasn't fleshed out enough for me. He felt a bit one-dimensional, like all he could do was tricks with a sign board and get coffee. His attraction to Clara also happened really fast, which, we all know, I am not a fan of.
WHAT I LIKED � The family dynamics were fabulous! I loved Clara's dad. I definitely got the Asian feel from him, and he was just really charming as a whole. I loved how much he and Clara clearly loved each other (although it took Clara a while), and how they did things with each other in mind. I'll admit, I did cry at the end from all the family lovin'
� The friendship aspect was realistic. Do you ever get the feeling that you're just not as close to your other friends anymore when you find new ones? Clara does. And it's fine with her. Things like this totally happen in real life, and I'm so glad this book shows that it's okay.
� FOOD TRUCK CULTURE--HELLO! I did mention , and The Way You Make Me Feel succeeded in that with flying colors. I loved learning about how food truck businesses work, plus it was fun to read about Clara's dad's foodish creations! *mouth waters*
1. The world-building creates a plot that's really timely and relevant. This book shows a world of trash--literally. In this dystopian world, everythin1. The world-building creates a plot that's really timely and relevant. This book shows a world of trash--literally. In this dystopian world, everything we haven't done to save Mother Nature has taken its toll. Global warming went to an extreme; all the icebergs in the world melted; miles and miles of trash make the seas almost inhabitable.
2. The heroine was strong, fierce, and smart. At first, Marin was just your typical, I-need-redemption-so-I-need-to-be-badass heroine. She grew a lot throughout the novel, proving to be loyal, compassionate, and resourceful. She always had the welfare of the common people in mind, and she always put them before herself. And she always stayed true to her word!
3. The hero was always either knocked out or useless, but I loved him anyway! See, there's a legitimate reason as to why the main dude, Ross, is this way--he's the President's son, so obviously, he grew up shielded from the harsh realities of the world. He didn't know how to sail a boat; he didn't know how to fight on the streets. But he tried his best!!! His desire to serve his people well was so obvious, and so genuine. He was such a pure, loving soul.
4. The writing could have been better. The writing was alright, technically, but it made me feel a bit disconnected from the characters and from the story. It took me a while to finally get into the book, and it was mostly because of the lovely characters, and nothing to do with the zero-personality writing.
5. The romance was cute, and it took a backseat! It took me a while to finally tell myself, "Yup, this one has a romance!" I didn't think it would have, based on the first 50% of the book or so, which was okay. BUT!!! The romance actually made things a bit better. Okay, okay. It was a little bit too fast-paced to be amazing, but I did like the dynamics between the two characters. They were respectful towards each other, and never pushed the other too far.
6. The friendship dynamics get an A+ from me! Ross has this best friend, Adam, who was a Shoreling--AKA he wasn't born wealthy. When he was bullied, or when other people looked down on him, Ross always stood up for him. And when Adam was kidnapped, Ross never considered sitting back and letting someone else find him. He went out of his way, doing things he knew he couldn't really do, just to find his best friend.
7. The ending was a bit too convenient!? I'll try not to spoil anything, but this is one of those books where some things happen behind the scenes, so we don't really know how things got to the ending, and we just know what the actual ending was. This wasn't really a big issue for me, though. This book was still a really solid, and relevant read.
Erm, well. I’m pretty confused about my feelings towards this one. On one hand, I loved the realistic representation of family and friendship (the herErm, well. I’m pretty confused about my feelings towards this one. On one hand, I loved the realistic representation of family and friendship (the heroine has a solid girl-friendship that reminds me so much of my own BFF). On the other hand, the romance was way over-done, and the real-world issue about Muslim hate took a bit of a backseat.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars // Full review soon! Wait for it on my YA book blog, ....more
1. Sympathy - This book is about a girl who goes under a heart transplant, and I ached for her so muchFEELINGS THIS HEART OF MINE MADE ME FEEL
1. Sympathy - This book is about a girl who goes under a heart transplant, and I ached for her so much! You can clearly see the struggles she has to go through, the daily (never-ending) maintenance, and the anxiety. The author's note also says that this story is true-to-life, and I think my own heart just died a little reading it.
"Mom and Dad have been pushing me to get out some. Socialize."
2. The awww! feeling I felt this because of the beautiful family dynamics and friendships in this book. Because of her condition, Leah's parents are overprotective--but in a sweet, not-overbearing way. She also has an amazing female best friend who stays with her through thick and thin. They have fights and misunderstandings, but their genuine love for each other prevails in the end.
3. Boredom There's a mystery in This Heart of Mine regarding the heart donor Eric's death. After a bit of foreshadowing, you can easily put two-and-two together. It was way too predictable for me, and this book would've been a hit without this aspect.
"But my grandmother used to say it was okay to see someone in a beautiful dress and think, I want a dress like hers. But it wasn't okay to think, I want a dress like hers and I want her to have a wart on her nose."
4. Admiration Like I said, our heroine Leah goes through so much in this novel, yet she stayed strong through it all, and pushed herself to do things she wouldn't normally have done. Aside from little life goals like getting a kiss from her long-time crush, Leah goes through way more. She puts herself in danger for others, constantly fights for her life, and still generally is a good friend and daughter.
5. Confusion I'm not sure how I feel about the romance part of the book! There are some parts where I totally ship Leah and kind-hearted Matt, but there are also times where I kind of just want them to separate. What I mean is, there are a bunch of cutesy and sweet scenes between the two, but sometimes the romance was too overly-done.
BORING, BLAND -- WASTED POTENTIAL actual rating: 1.5
I really wanted to like this one, believe me. We don't always get a lesbian main character in aBORING, BLAND -- WASTED POTENTIAL actual rating: 1.5
I really wanted to like this one, believe me. We don't always get a lesbian main character in an Asian-inspired fantasy. Girls of Paper and Fire was supposed to be the book to make every other YA fantasy feel inferior and want to bow down before it. Instead, this book threw all its potential out the window.
🌹 The heroine was so fucking bland. She was a huge Mary Sue--a Special Snowflake with not much to bring to the table. Yes, she had a backstory. Yes, she had drive. But what's all this worth if she has zero personality? I felt like she was too hot-and-cold, and I couldn't get a solid understanding of who her character really was.
🌹 NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. There's basically no story in the first 80% of the book. We're just thrown into the heroine's life as a concubine, getting to know the other, equally boring and depthless characters. She dresses up in fancy clothes, takes princess-y classes, and has about a thousand internal monologues.
🌹 The romance was oddly paced. What started out as mere physical attraction (which is totally fine) turns into love in a few chapters. Wren, the love interest, also felt like a surface-level character. She has a pretty interesting story, and I wish we'd gotten to know more about her character.
🌹 I wish we got more of the culture! Asian cultures are so rich and interesting. Aside from a few Asian terms and names, we don't really get much of the Asian-inspired world-building.What could've saved this book for me was something that was barely explored.
Fans of Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn would probably enjoy this one. Other than that, I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone else.
Here's the thing about this book: If you've never read a pirate YA book before, Over Ragi
Mistakes are far better teachers than rulers are.
Here's the thing about this book: If you've never read a pirate YA book before, Over Raging Tides can be a pretty great read to start you off! But if this isn't your first pirate read, you might not appreciate it as much.
Don't get me wrong: this book has a lot of strong suits, but there are times when it gets a bit obvious that this book is self-published. I'm not hating on self-published authors--I admire them so much--but the lack of editing becomes evident at some point, such as this example:
[...] cowering boy, younger even than John Wesson cowers [...]
REVIEW IN BULLET POINTS 1. The pirate-y tone of the book wasn't over done, and was in fact really easy to get into! I kept turning pages because of how easy Ellision's words are to read. The language is quirky, but at the same time felt relaxed and flowed smoothly.
2. I found it hard to differentiate the side-characters since their personalities kind of blended in for me, but I loved the heroine! Grace was strong and fought for everything she believed in. She never let her crew members' lectures get into her system and stood her ground. She was also a badass fighter!
3. The fantasy aspect in here was interesting. We have the Mordgris, evil creatures who can take the shape of a human to trick you, so they can suck you in to the watery depths of the sea. I would love to see more of them in the sequel, which I'm sure we'll be getting.
4. The overall pacing was way too fast. We have a lot of descriptive, action-packed fight scenes, but the scenes with actual plot and story didn't get enough air-time.
5. I wish this book was longer! Like I mentioned with the characters and with the pacing, this book needed more time to develop on those aspects. Another hundred pages or so would've made this book a killer!
1. Lots of mindless reading. Out of Left Field definitely doesn't hFind this review and more on
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUT OF LEFT FIELD
1. Lots of mindless reading. Out of Left Field definitely doesn't have a lot of substance. It's incredibly shallow and typical--which was fine by me! Y'all have to admit: We have these certain moods where we just want a fun read that doesn't require any thinking! This was definitely one of those books.
2. A best-friends-turned-lovers trope à la cheesy local rom-com. AGAIN I WAS TOTALLY FINE WITH THIS!!! Best friend romances (with lots of angst and denial in between) are my guilty pleasure, and the one in Out of Left Field was cute and genuine.
3. Awesome non-romantic relationships. Marnie had a positive and empowering friendship with her girl-BFF Sara. She also had a supportive dad, a mother who doesn't know what to think, and a brother who stands up for what he believes in. I thought the relationships were pretty realistic!
4. Baseball talk! This is something I'm not familiar with, but I love sports in contemporary YA.
5. You'll either love it or hate it. Like I said earlier, this book doesn't really have a lot of Substance�, but it really depends on the reader's preferences!...more
This might be one of the loveliest books I've ever read.
The main character's weak, shy, and perpetually lost, but I fucking love her. She's emotional,This might be one of the loveliest books I've ever read.
The main character's weak, shy, and perpetually lost, but I fucking love her. She's emotional, she's realistic, she's got a one-track mind. I could see myself in her at times. And Khalaf? Yes. No words for how sweet and wholesome this male lead was.
I feel like I should've taken my Chinese history lessons seriously in high school because I was so invested in the politics, the geography, the culture... This book seemed really well-researched (but don't quote me on this!).
Thoughts on the ending: (view spoiler)[I'm not familiar with the opera this book's based on, but I already saw the ending coming from a mile away... and yet, I cried my heart out when the ending finally came. It seemed really fitting, though. A different ending wouldn't have worked. (hide spoiler)]...more
A VERY SHORT LIST OF REASONS WHY I HATED AUGUST AND EVERYTHING AFTER 1. Insta-romance. The characters' relationship progressed (and started, really) toA VERY SHORT LIST OF REASONS WHY I HATED AUGUST AND EVERYTHING AFTER 1. Insta-romance. The characters' relationship progressed (and started, really) too quickly. Bonus points since the romance was a Toxic one! *showers book in confetti* 2. Douchebag hero. The love interest was mean, problematic, and didn't want take realistic measures fix himself. 3. Boring characters. I couldn't connect with anyone in the book, and frankly, I didn't care for any of them. 4. Plain writing. The writing style didn't have any personality, which is probably the main reason why I couldn't get into the book.
That's pretty much it! The only reason why I added .5 to my rating was because of how I appreciated the ending--it was pretty much one of the only positive things I can say about this book.
"You are not defined by the men in your life, no matter how powerful."
I was completely conflicted about my thoughts on What If It's Us. This book
"You are not defined by the men in your life, no matter how powerful."
I was completely conflicted about my thoughts on What If It's Us. This book definitely wasn't bad, but it was a lot different than what I was expecting. Let me elaborate with my feelings!
� I know this book is mainly a romance book, but I felt that there was a bit too much romance in this one. The main characters had internships, summer school, college applications, etc., to think about, and the romance really cut away from those.
� I related so much to Ben, who was super chill but also not at the same time. [I make so much sense, right!?] Anyway, he was more of the go-with-the-flow of the two MCs, but he also did a lot of overthinking--very much like me! That being said, I wasn't the biggest fan of Arthur. He was so dramatic, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it made it hard for me to really connect to with him and want to read about him.
� The whole book was very theatrical. This was both a pro and a con for me! For one, the cutesy scenes were all so fucking cute, but then, they also seemed too much sometimes. I mean, I'd be drained as heck if all those super adorable things happened to me all in a short span of time. Or maybe I was overthinking things? [I was in a huge reading slump while reading this, okay!?]
� I haven't read from Adam Silvera before, but like Becky Albertalli's Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, this was very easy to read. Despite being in a reading slump, I managed to fly through this book in just a couple of days! The writing was incredibly charming with lots of humor, and you could tell that there were both touches of Becky and Adam in the characters. The two POVs had their distinct voices, which is always a great thing.
� I looooved both boys' families! Arthur's parents had their problems, but it was still clear that they loved each other and just had different dynamics from most happy parents, and that they supported Arthur in everything he did. Ben's parents were charming and sweet. What's lovely is that neither had the nonexistent-parents trope. [HUZZAH.]
� I wish we also got the less-drama-more-love side of the friendships here. Don't get me wrong, the awkward-slash-broken-apart friendship stuff going on here was totally realistic, but I wish we got to see more of the lighter, more chill side of them as well. I did appreciate both Ben's and Arthur's friend groups here, but again, it's a personal preference to have a balance between the drama and the chill.
� I loooooved the ending. This is something I can't talk about because I don't want to spoil anyone, but I felt like it was perfect for the overall vibe of the book. I think I can say it's my favorite part of the whole story, and I wish other books could have an ending as fitting as this one.
TBH, I thought I'd DNFed this one, until I checked my Kindle app and saw that I did, in fact, reach the 100% mark. That's how much this book an[image]
TBH, I thought I'd DNFed this one, until I checked my Kindle app and saw that I did, in fact, reach the 100% mark. That's how much this book annoyed me.
It was just your typical YA fantasy--and tried too hard to be that, if you ask me. The heroine Zera constantly made these not-really-funny side comments and comebacks that did NOT appeal to me. And why does the voice of the "hunger" have to be WriTtEn liKE tHiS?! IS IT A MEME!? So yeah, the writing and characterization obviously didn't do anything for me.
That's not all! I also really disliked the hero and the romance. Lucien was, again, your typical YA douche, and their romance happened in a span of two weeks. Was it attraction/spark at first sight? I can't even remember. But I do remember cringing every time they interacted. Whoops.
Anyway, the concept was fine, and I did appreciate the effort. I can also see that this is a book other people seem to love--maybe the humor really just isn't my style.
Guys, this book will make you feel things, and when you feel things, there are stuff you might do. AND I AM HERE TO PREPARE YOU WARCROSS READING GUIDE
Guys, this book will make you feel things, and when you feel things, there are stuff you might do. AND I AM HERE TO PREPARE YOU (because I am a fabulous friend). You're very lucky. Here we go:
1. You will GASP. Very loudly. Read in private. This book is pretty much a piece of literary genius. It's inevitable that you will gasp at the most intense parts, and the twist-iest of turns.
In the game of Warcross, players are taken into various arenas in forests, oceans, and other very imaginative places. You will also gasp at how in-depth and gorgeous all of the descriptions are, yet they will surely not bore you to death. Only skilled authors like Marie Lu can vividly come up with beautiful landscapes without being info-dumpy at all!
2. You might want a brain transplant afterwards. (But don't do it!) The characters in this book are so diverse, unique, and complex. Emika is a Chinese-American coding goddess working for the even smarter Hideo Tanaka, the genius behind Warcross. At some point in the book, I was thinking about whether or not it would be possible to get a brain transplant to be as awesome of them. (I quickly dismissed the idea, though, since we're all awesome on our own, anyway. *wink*)
The side characters rocked as well. There were some LGBT characters, a physically disabled character, etc., but they didn't feel forced at all! All the different races, genders, and more made the book even much more realistic.
3. You might plan your /secret/ escape to Tokyo. Guys, this book makes Tokyo sound 592x more badass than it actually is in real life. I'm definitely going back there in the future. GIVE ME ALL THE KICK-ASS TECH.
4. You might not like the romance (if you're a cynical reader like me). The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was because of the romance. This aspect of Warcross seemed way too sudden, and way too forced. There wasn't any need for a romance; it didn't provide me with any additional substance. I thought it was just used as a weak plot device to create more drama and problems in the story, although I think Marie Lu could've chosen a different route, or made sure that the romance wasn't a random wait, what the heck's happening?! subplot.
5. You will probably want to marry this book. It's that good. I totally want to be a bridesmaid at your wedding. Thanks in advance.
WHY EVERLESS MADE ME WANT TO RUN AT IT WITH A PITCHFORK
1. Cardboard cut-out characters Jules, the heroine, is another Special Snowflake who was bliWHY EVERLESS MADE ME WANT TO RUN AT IT WITH A PITCHFORK
1. Cardboard cut-out characters Jules, the heroine, is another Special Snowflake who was blind to any sort of practical reasoning, and decides to disregard everyone's advice because she thinks she knows what's best. The side-characters aren't developed AT ALL and basically have zero personality. We're always told about their characteristics, but never really shown these. *coughs* *coughs some more*
[image]
2. Typical storylines Sure, we're given something different with the whole blood and time being used as money thing, but the flow of the story and the individual scenes gave me a sense of deja vu, which basically means that I've probably read something similar in the past.
3. A WTF-romance-love-triangle thing See, I don't even know what to call it. In reality, we have this one dude who the heroine's been crushing on for ages, who is an absolute sweetheart (or so we're CONSTANTLY reminded throughout the book). Then, there are these creepy/weird hints of a possible love triangle with this dude's "mean" older brother. Pssh.
[image]
4. Bland/boring writing I found it SO HARD to get into this book. The writing felt flat, since there was a LOT more telling than there was actual showing.
5. Weird twists There was basically one "big" twist in the book, and it honestly felt like it came out of nowhere--it felt a bit forced, like there was no other possible solution to the problem/way to explain all the conflicts going on, so it came off as though any-way-is-better-than-no-way.
***
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There are some books that are so problematic that they end up making you question the state of the universe.
There are some books that are horribly wriThere are some books that are so problematic that they end up making you question the state of the universe.
There are some books that are horribly written, and you wished you didn't bother reading them.
Then we have Furyborn, which was none of the above. So what the heck was it, Aimee?! Calm down, my booknerd friends, I'm getting there! Furyborn, to put it simply, was just so boring and forgettable. Too harsh? Heck, I can't even remember most of the characters' names anymore. Let me get into detail for you guys:
1. First off, can we talk about how freakishly long this book was!? (ŷ says the hardcover is 512 effin' pages!!!) But that's not even the problem. The problem is that it didn't need to be long. Take off 200 pages and there wouldn't be a significant difference in terms of plot. Maybe I wouldn't have fallen asleep while reading!
2. Furyborn was told in alternating perspectives--one from the present, and one from the past. I was alright with this at first, until suddenly the cutting between chapters didn't make any sense anymore. The swaps weren't smooth, and often times it made me more frustrated rather than wanting more. This kind of made it hard for me to care for the characters?? Or maybe it was something else.
3. Like I said, I don't give a single crap about any of the characters. Their personalities are all kind of messed up, like they themselves aren't sure of who they are. They have too many conflicting traits that don't match up. Let's take one of the heroines, Eliana, as an example. Is she an assassin, or is she an angsty teenager? I dunno, you tell me.
4. The romance is WEIRD AS HECK. It's kind of a love triangle-square thing and I can't even describe it. I don't want to spoil this for people who still plan to read the book, but generally, things were... odd.
Anyway, I did appreciate what the book tried to be. There were some interesting concepts here and there, and I enjoyed the elemental aspect, but overall, I'm sure I'll be forgetting Furyborn as a whole.
Call Me, Maybe is the FIRST Ellie Cahill (Liz Czukas) book I didn't finish. There wasn't anything particularly HORRIBLE about it, but the pacing was wCall Me, Maybe is the FIRST Ellie Cahill (Liz Czukas) book I didn't finish. There wasn't anything particularly HORRIBLE about it, but the pacing was way too fast and it was just, to be frank, boring. I couldn't force myself to read another word. DNF at around 50%.
Although I personally didn't enjoy this one, I think it'll be a good read for others, especially those who have/are experiencing anxiety. I've listed Although I personally didn't enjoy this one, I think it'll be a good read for others, especially those who have/are experiencing anxiety. I've listed three relatable themes from the book in my ! Apart from that, though, here's the gist of what I thought:
WHAT I LIKED 1. The author describes anxiety realistically. 2. We have a heroine who is absolutely passionate... about ballet, which I think is beautiful.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE 1. The "romance", which is really only romance to some extent, (You'll get this when you read the book) really got on my nerves. 2. The characters were cheesy AF. They felt like characters from an overly-dramatic play, as opposed to a realistic fiction novel. 3. The ending was just too abrupt and unrealistic....more
This book and I got off on the wrong foot, really. It was probably the COMPLETELY inconsistent pacing that threw me off. I mean, sometimes things happThis book and I got off on the wrong foot, really. It was probably the COMPLETELY inconsistent pacing that threw me off. I mean, sometimes things happen way too fast, (like the romance, ugh. More on that later) while others take foreverrrr (like, unfortunately, the rest of the plot).
So, let's elaborate.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
1.) The pacing - Like I said, it was totally inconsistent. Other than what I've mentioned earlier, there were a few times when a weeks have gone by in a span of a page, and sometimes a single day takes a chapter. It could've worked, but there was just something rough about the transitions.
2.) The convenience and predictability - Let's face it, this book was kind of one of those formula books where you're never really shocked about anything since you saw things coming seven chapters away. You're just so sure that the heroine isn't in any real danger, and that just takes away most of the excitement.
3.) The love triangle - I just don't get the point in it. It was senseless, trivial, and just overall really annoying. Did it add to the story? Nope. Did it give me any additional feels? Heck no. Did it serve a greater purpose for the plot development? Ha. No.
4.) The minor characters - They were INCONSISTENT AS HECK. ***minor spoilers for this section***
Exhibit A: Sareem, Vhalla's close friend and one side of the love triangle. See, at first I was ALL for Team Sareem (hey, that rhymed), but then when he discovered a few of the secrets she kept, he exploded and turned into a complete asshole. AND THEN a few pages later he's back to being a "good friend." Kay.
Exhibit B: Roan, another one of Vhalla's "friends." She's totally protective and caring about the first, but when she found out about all the Sareem/Vhalla business, she went on bitch mode, which sucks because, hey, what happened to sisters before misters?
THINGS I LIKED
1.) The character growth - Okay, so, I didn't LOVE Vhalla at first--she was okay, mostly just your regular Special Snowflake heroine (you know, the kind who were really weak but were still labeled as "The One"), but she turned into a more believable heroine as the story flew by. She wasn't unbelievably badass or unbelievably petty--she was just your average, relatable heroine, who was smart, open-minded and kind.
2.) The romance... at some point - AT FIRST the romance was a tad too fast paced and had no chemistry, but HOLY CRAP by the last 3/4ths of the book, I was just exploding with feels for a certain ship in this book.
3.) The ending - This book ended so strongly that I had to give this book 2.5 stars despite disliking so many things about it. There was a brilliant twist, intense action and a lot of things going on. It's the kind of ending that'll leave you wanting a lot more.
CONCLUSION
If you've read and enjoyed the more popular YA high fantasy novels out there, like Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass, you might find yourself enjoying Air Awakens as well. But if you think you're not ready to dig into another cookie cutter YA, this might not be the book for you.
ACTUAL RATING: 2.5 STARS
Thank you so much to Elise Kova for providing me with a copy of Air Awakens for review!
aimee (aimeecanread)
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