bibliophilekid

*The images are from Pinterest*

Title: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Rating: 5 CROWS, I MEAN STARS!!!

Published September 29th 2015 by Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1627792120 (ISBN13: 9781627792127)

Synopsis:

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:

Break into the notorious Ice Court

(a military stronghold that has never been breached)

Retrieve a hostage

(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)

Survive long enough to collect his reward

(and spend it)

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.

Source: Goodreads

No, little brother. No one is stronger. You've cheated death too many times. Greed may do your bidding, but death serves no man.

First thing first, let me just tell you that Six of Crows set my bookish heart on fire! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this book is full of tricks. The six characters with a different point of view glide me up effortlessly. Leigh Bardugo never fails to amaze me when it comes to magic, darkness, and love.

Six characters and six parts, each of them fulfilled my bookish heart every step of the way. Unlike Shadow and Bone Trilogy, Six of Crows has its unique kind of Grisha vibe. Six of Crows has a lot of kick-ass moment and I am infinitely in love with it.

The gamble and risk of getting in and out of the Ice Court, Kaz, has a lot of creativity in his mind. One of the reasons why I love Kaz Brekker is because of his playful and tricky mind. He learned a hard way to survive and stand up in spite of the tragedy that he had with his brother. This man is relentlessly optimistic in every scenario. Through Inej and Jesper's skills, he combines all of the information to slowly sabotage their enemies. Basically, whoever blocks their way, he knows when to attack behind their back.

Matthias and Nina are hilarious. Seeing them bickering at each other and then agreeing at some point, is one of my enjoyable time when I read SOC. Both have their reasons to stand for what they believed in and for that reason, I simply admire both of them. Aside from that, I loved Jesper and Wylan, both came from a different environment, but they surprisingly synced together!

Of course, the most thrilling and exciting part of SOC is how the characters can get in and out of the Ice Court. You know what, Leigh Bardugo wrote a perfect escape to my bookish heart. SOC has become my official favorite book of this year, well aside from ACOWAR. But anyway, Six of Crows brought me to a massive heist. From knives, guns, bombs, explosives, tanks, and especially Grisha, Six of Crows is precisely the right book for readers who seek a deadly yet a lovely adventure.

About the Author

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse. With over one million copies sold, her Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, and The Language of Thorns— with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including The Best of Tor.com and the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer, and the forthcoming Ninth House. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Southern California, graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and even makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Los Angeles, where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band.

Title: This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity #1)

Author: Victoria Schwab

Rating: 4 Stars!!!

Published July 5th 2016 by Greenwillow Books (first published June 7th 2016)
ISBN: 0062380877 (ISBN13: 9780062380876)

Synopsis:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

Source: Goodreads

"I'm what happens when a kid is so afraid of the world he lives in that he escapes the only way he knows how. Violently."

This Savage Song was described by Victoria Schwab as her Romeo and Juliet with a mixture of thrilling monsters. It was on Goodreads, by the way. And I can really tell you guys, that this gut wrenching novel is indeed the kind of Romeo and Juliet twist that my bookish heart has been wanting to read.

It enters you to Verity which grants the readers to see not just ordinary monsters, but the kind of monsters that have their own level of their monstrosity. There is Malchai, Sunai, and Corsai. Each of them are deadly, but as you go further on TSS you'll feel the intensity of death that comes await to Kate and August. One of the factors that I loved of TSS is the structure of the monsters of Verity, from their ability to kill up until to their weaknesses, all of it was beautifully written.

Following Kate and August's encounter is not your ordinary type of a star-crossed lovers meeting, it was a mysterious and hypnotized kind of mood. Like Romeo and Juliet, of course they are drawn to each other, but there was a grey area that sets them apart, a deadly grey area to be specific.

As soon as I moved on TSS, it feels like I suddenly fell on a chasm. The plot twist was deep, dark and menacing. It keep me tight in to see how Kate and August can resolve the conflict of the treaty and at the same time, they are saving their own sanity. They both have dark past that made them deadly which keep up the story to move on swiftly. I definitely loved the way Kate and August characters was made into this book. Both are brave, strange, and I will say that they have a huge amount of trust issues to each other. You will definitely see how they've been doubting each other's decision multiple times and still see them holding hands and running for their lives.

Another factor that hooked me up on TSS are Leo and Ilsa. *especially Ilsa* They are my favorite character to be honest. What I particularly loved about them is their own insights of giving justice and freedom. The other wanted to bloodshed and then another wanted silence.

Every characters have their own way to kill anyone. This Savage Song is the kind of book you'll want to checkout if you wanted to see monstrosity at its finest.

About the Author

Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the NYT, USA, and Indie best-selling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her work has received critical acclaim, been featured by EW and The New York Times, been translated into more than a dozen languages, and been optioned for TV and Film. The Independent calls her the “natural successor to Diana Wynne Jones” and touts her “enviable, almost Gaimanesque ability to switch between styles, genres, and tones.”

*The images are from Pinterest.

Title: A Darker Shade Of Magic (Shades of Magic # 1)

Author: Victoria Schwab

Rating: 5 STARS!!!

Published February 24th 2015 by Tor Books

ISBN: 0765376458 (ISBN13: 9780765376459)

Synopsis :

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Source: Goodreads

The world was made of give and take, and magic could be strengthened and weakened, but it could not be manifested into nothing.

A Darker Shade of Magic entails the idea of four Londons. Red, White, Black and Grey London. All of those are picturesque. The citizens of each London are not aware that the other version of London exists. But the thing is, no one knows how and why four versions of London started to come alive. Each version of London have their own rules, language, and culture. The beauty of it is that only an Antari can travel into another London. As all of Londons are entwined by magic, it is essentially by magic also on how a character can travel into it.

Antari is a term for a person that is blessed by magic. Which means from the day they were born, magic is already their calling. They can easily manifest any elements without much effort or chant. An Antari calls unto the magic the way a person can easily unlock a door. It was dangerous and exciting from my perspective. Kell Maresh is one of the Antari of the Red London. Another is from the Black London - Holland.

Kell is the messenger of Red London in which he was assigned by the King. He travels through Londons and delivers the message to the another ruler of London. In both ways, Kell only wanted to follow the rules but at some point, there are rules that are inevitable to be broken. On the course of reading ADSOM, I was really astounded the way the characters and the Londons are pictured. The culture and language of different Londons is one of my favorite. It is the best of both worlds, you get to see magic in both harmonious and disastrous way.

Another character that I loved in ADSOM is Delilah 'Lila' Bard. She's one of the bravest and most fierce female character that I will infinitely adore for the rest of my bookish life! I was so in love with the way the story gradually comes into a dangerous adventure of a seemingly an ordinary human and an Antari. ADSOM pushed Kell and Lila to risk themselves to save the important people in their lives. Even the dangerous characters are endearingly charming. They have their own ways to broke people and still keep them in their hands fully functional yet insane on the inside.

Once you have started on reading ADSOM, you will definitely fall in love with the characters and its setting. This book brought a lot of not only magic but it will take you to a dangerous adventure that you will surely grip on until the end. Next thing you know, you're hungry for the sequel.

About the Author

Title: What To Say Next
Author: Julie Buxbaum
Rating: 4.5 Stars!!!
Published July 11th 2017 by Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0553535706 (ISBN13: 9780553535709)

Synopsis

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I m going through. How could they? I don t even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I've attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I ve never once sat with someone until now. So your dad is dead, I say to Kit, because this is a fact I've recently learned about her.

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David s blunt honesty in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?"

Source: Goodreads

Can love be so powerful a force that it can skew the space-time continuum?

What To Say Next gave me such bright insights of falling in love in inexplicable way. It was such a great deal for me looking and listening to David and Kit's voices. Julie Buxbaum clearly pointed out their differences from the start and yet, both of them slowly collided with each other, and communicate in a way science can't even explain clearly. From the slim chances and possibilities of getting close with the person you liked the most, the story moved its way up and down.

I liked David's mind to be honest. From the start of the book, digging into his mind and reading every detail or even a tidbit of information entertained me a lot. I don't know much about the depths of science or even the art of reading pi and how it calms him down, but I loved the idea how numbers brings him in a state of bliss. It was a unique feeling and experience how David made me feel like I wanted to know him more beyond those words in his head.

With Kit's thoughts, it was pretty hard getting to see her at first. She was on guard with her feelings and almost felt like she just shut down everything else when her father died. The regret and pain of losing her father is something that sets her out on the core. I liked how Julie Buxbaum showed the notion of facing the stages of losing someone very important to our lives. It wasn't pretentious, everything felt so real. The words resounded as I expected it to be. It was full of loss and hunger for forgiveness. It drove the plot seamlessly.

As Kit and David gradually falls for each other, I felt their connection slowly getting close. It was entertaining for me to see how David manages to compose himself on falling in love with Kit. It felt like that was one of the things that he didn't calculated much, like the percent of the possibilities of him and Kit to be with each other.

Another part that I insanely love is the brother-sister love attachment of David and Lauren. It always catches my attention the way Lauren handles her brother with all her heart, with the way she protects him and alternatively saying to David about the facts of a high school life that he needs to deal with.

I recommend What To Say Next for the contemporary readers who have loved Jennifer Niven, Stephanie Perkins and as well as Jennifer Smith. What To Say Next is undeniably a great novel of dealing with high school life, love, pain and loss of losing someone and most importantly, how understanding another persons perspective can move your life into something even science cannot fully explain.

About the Author

Julie Buxbaum is the New York Times best selling author of Tell Me Three Things, her young adult debut, and the critically acclaimed novels The Opposite of Love and After You. Her work has been translated into twenty-five languages. Julie’s writing has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times. She is a former lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two young children, and an immortal goldfish.

Visit Julie online at www.juliebuxbaum.com and follow @juliebux on Twitter.

Title: Tell Me Three Things

Author: Julie Buxbaum
Rating: 5 Stars!!!
Published April 5th, 2016 by Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0553535641 (ISBN13: 9780553535648)

Synopsis :

Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Julie Buxbaum mixes comedy and tragedy, love and loss, pain and elation, in her debut YA novel filled with characters who will come to feel like friends.

Source: Goodreads

Perfect days are for people with small, realizable dreams. Or maybe for all of us, they just happen in retrospect; they happen in retrospect; they're only now perfect because they contain something irrevocably and irretrievably lost.

Julie Buxbaum's Tell Me Three Things is wonderfully written about death, pain, loss and finding yourself once again. With her characters Jessie and Ethan, both of them are trapped and lost from the person they dearly loved.

Leaving their usual life in Chicago, Jessie was forced to shift her life to cope up with her new step mother and step brother and especially, moving with a big house with a talented cook is something that Jessie did not expect. Adjusting from another environment is terribly hard. Worst is meeting people and knowing how to communicate without any bitches around. But unfortunately, it crashed into Jessie's life. She's matured enough to understand her father's feeling of moving on, falling in love and getting married to someone else. It was all new and yet Jessie accepted it without any restraint.

I loved Jessie's thoughts about the life of rich and spoiled kids in her school and taking advantage of anything they want. She was honest about everything she sees but she still managed to find the good things in Los Angeles, like her part-time job at a bookstore. It was a risk to take given the fact that she is still new and still in the middle of adjusting to new things.

With SN/Ethan's character, I ultimately loved the mysterious card he laid out. From quoting The Waste Land into his keen observation on typing punctuation marks and new words, he totally made himself interesting and it feels natural looking at him like that. He was naturally a swoon-worthy kind of guy. *Ethan is Ethan is Ethan*

But facing the reality other than just IM'ing is more than a risk to take. It shows how to trust someone even without seeing each other personally. Both Jessie and Ethan gradually realized how their feelings developed in the same way they feel the pain, loss and being alone in spite of being surrounded with people. They both know how to fill up each other holes when they wanted to spill out what their heart wanted to say, which always starts on them on telling three things about themselves. And slowly, the reality of meeting each other kicks in and it was an eventful setting to read. I feel surprised and relieved how Jessie and Ethan accepted each other and talked about when they felt lonely and when they looked at each other, they already know where they belong.

Tell Me Three Things is definitely a surprising YA book! I wasn't expecting myself to feel giddy and excited about how and when SN/Ethan do his next move. But mainly, this book gave me the feeling of finding and accepting the inevitable loss of being apart with someone we love and to love once again.

About me

Follow me

Follow me via email

Advertisement

About Me

Advertisement