Review: Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

Rate:

3/5

Goodreads Description:

The thrilling first book in a YA fantasy trilogy for fans of Red Queen. In a world where social prestige derives from a trifecta of blood, money, and magic, one girl has the ability to break the spell that holds the social order in place.

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Her life might well be over.

In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.

As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever.

Review:

The beginning seemed good to me, the setting was great, it was unique, I was totally digging the beginning. I felt like Eves did a good world building and I really enjoyed THAT aspect of the book and its what did it for me, particularly what really did it for me to want to read it, it was promising but theeenn..

There is always a but then

Anna seemed whiny for a lot of the book, and by this, keep in mind that shes supposed to be super unique and all that jazz and will of course be the face of the rebellion as all these books tend to be, but she just didn't care about anyone else but herself. And when she would do a stupid thing and consequences came about, more whining would ensue and she would be like

The book was sllooooowwww, I found myself moving 50 pages and yet.. nothing much had happened. The love interest was so insta-love to me and I just CAN NOT deal with that! There are few instanses in which I can accept and really care for insta-love characters, some authors really nail that, Eves however, did not. The love aspect just lacked, Anna is like.. super in love with him and im just screaming at the book WHY, WHY AM I SUPPOSED TO CARE IF THIS SHIP LIVES OR SINKS. Particularly because she fell in love with a ton of boys and then as soon as she did, someone else came in so its like.. Okay, I know we teens are very much hormonal and all that jazz but seriously, I shouldve tallied how many times she fell in love. 

Recommend it?

...

No comment.

Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Rate:

5/5

Goodreads Description:

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.

Review:

This is probably... (goes on goodreads)

this is totally the longest book that I have ever gone through. JESUS

I thought it would never end BUT IN THE BEST WAY.

Let me explain, this is my first ever Stephen King book. I had been wanting to get my hands on the story for a really long time, well, ever since the show came out, (I have yet to see it, I wanted to read the book first).

There is so much going on in the book that I had to keep reminding myself that the things that happened in the beginning, were part of the same book , not like a prequel or such. I found this to be so fascinating, I feel like so many of us have thought of time travel, all the what ifs that come with it and what we would personally do. It was super fascinating to read Jakes adventure/mission through the 50s and 60s and also a bit trippy, trying to remember, along with him, what did and didnt happen in the year that he was on, as well as trying to remember that fact that in the present time, only 2 minutes had passed.
That lead to so many questions like what, does that mean we can live forever this way, living in the past and then does he come back and he is the same age? Shit like that that Jake himself would wonder so I felt like that just added to the whole thing. 

Im glad that I went with 11/22/63 as my first book because now I have tackled one of his bigger books (not the biggest but still), its the first book that I have sat through so many fucking pages without knowing anything about it like all the massive ones I have tackled before.

Now that I am finished with the book I will be moving on to seeing the show :D

FINALLY 

I swear, the year of falling behind has started, I am behind on so many books (personally, not on my yearly goal) and I am very much behind on shows, there are just so many that I need to start or catch up on!

Stephen King is either a love or hate author, as a single book, I have yet to decide which side I am on. 

Back to the book.

As the book went on and what happened is supposed to happen, we finally get to the plot twist. We the readers kept being told about the butterfly effect and surely some of us thought that surely something as saving Kennedy would have a MASSIVE effect and massive effect did it have.  It was a giant mind fuck, trying to figure out, hand in hand with Jake, what the hell happened  and trying to figure out the whole timeline of what would happen if he went back but knowing he had to and trying to think what would happen to THAT present and just... Everything. 

How I wish that we DID get the full history of what happened after 11/22/63 in the books universe. 

Im guessing, based on what were told its a case of either you die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Jake has this moment, and its a seemly balanced scale, it could go both ways.

What would I do, thats a question that just kept popping in my head, WHAT WOULD I DO.

Would it be the same as Jake?

Who the hell knows

I doubt I wouldve had the strength.

Recommend it?

Yes

Review: A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

Rate:

3.5/5

Goodreads Description:

Welcome to a new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie?

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again. 

Review:

In the beginning.. There was darkness

JKJK okay seriously.

In the beginning, the book was super similar to the disney movie with only a bit of stuff added to the story so as to not make it a play by play, THEEENNN the differences started.
I havent seen Aladdin in a long while now, sad, I know, so I actually couldnt tell some of the slighter differences but for me to have noticed SOME things after not seeing the movie in years, says a lot about the book. 

Yeah the book is a reimagining of the story but still. 

There are parts of the book that had me wondering, is this because I know what happens in the movie or is it just really obvious and following the typically YA villain plot?

The thing about Jafar is that I had wished that in this book that we would get more of a reason as to why he is evil, I always dig knowing a villains origin and I feel like some authors have really started to do an explanation as to why, maybe is its popular enough or maybe authors want to be more original and not start doing origin stories for them but come onnnnn, the public wants this.

HI, im the public.

What I did really like in the book was that I feel like Jasmine had a more of a story to her than in the movie and that she acted more like a princess than in the movie, and by that I mean that she seemed to care a lot more for her people and seemed more willing to make a difference for them, to really want to fight for them to have a better life. 

Will I continue on with the other re-imagenings? Damn right I will, this was good enough for me to want to continue onwards.

Recommend it?

I mean yeah, to be honest yeah, the book has mixed reviews and I personally have mixed feelings but it was still a goodreads.

Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Rate:

4/5

Goodreads Description:

As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, this remarkable allegory of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals, and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality is one of the most scathing satires ever published. As we witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals, we begin to recognize the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organization; and in our most charismatic leaders, the souls of our cruelest oppressors.

Review:

This book is a work of art disguised as a book. 

The book speaks volumes of society at any point in time, how the people shift their views no matter what and there is always people that will take advantage or work towards something new. 

There is a lot of analysis that could be discussed about this book and every page could be dissected but then the book would feel like assigned reading and I would hate it sooooo, lets just stick to the fact that the book is enjoyable. Its a classic of classics.

Recommend it?

Yes, its a must of a book, whether its personal reading or school reading. 

Review: Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz

Rate:

3/5

Goodreads Description:

Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history.

1777. Albany, New York. 

As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball. 

Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history.

Review:

It was a sweet read, I found myself just kind of floating along, not really feeling much for the characters up until the 70% mark. The characters weren't bad at all, of course. Melissa de la Cruz has been a solid author for years for me and I feel like the reason that this book was so hyped up and people were so excited about it has a lot to do with Hamilton the play which I will be the first to admit that as of (5/18/2017) I have yet to see it or hear any of the songs. So I have yet to understand why people are SO into it. Its sad really because by the time I see it, people will be over it and I will be alone in my feelings.

One Eliza admitted to herself her true feelings, that is when things got more interesting for me, and of course, the smidge of drama that happened with her family due to their expectations and other people around her which made what she was doing super scandalous. 

So the break down is a bit like this.

0-70%

Somewhat boring, considered not finishing the book more than once but it wasnt boring enough for me to quit it.

70-100%

Okay, this makes the book worth it, does it make it my favorite?

No.

Would I have liked it better if I was into the Hamilton hype?

Maybe.

Does it MAKE me want to see Hamilton?

Doubtful...

Recommend it?

If you have seen Hamilton or you love Melissa.