Posts

Showing posts with the label 5 stars

Ungifted by Gordon Korman, published 2012

Image
This is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. I really enjoyed it, despite the lower reading level. (Let me clarify, this is a juvenile fiction book. Not a kid’s book, but more written for 3rd graders.) I liked the ups and downs, the predictable unpredictability, how you were always on edge, but massively content with where you were sitting in the book at the same time.  I read this just a few weeks ago, but I still think about it a lot. Books designed for younger kids have a larger theme, or more outstanding moral story, than books written for adults. This book changed the way I think solely because of that. I think we should all pick up a juvenile fiction book once and while, we might learn something. (Or we might not, who are we kidding?) I fully recommend this book and I might read some other books of his, but let’s be honest I read so many Gordon Korman books while in elementary, it’s funny that I haven’t read this one until now. 

The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano, published 2017

Image
            This book was so much better than expected. I’m not gonna lie, I picked this one up because I thought it wasn’t a romance (What? Not a romance? Are you feeling okay?), but the reason one is because when I looked back on all the reviews I’ve written, every single one, except for The Book Thief, are all romances. I mean, what can I say? To quote Chloe from Pitch Perfect, ”I love love.” How cliché of me. Anyway, since this is a romance, I haven’t broken my streak yet. Onto the actual review though, I loved this book. I, the master of predicting the ending of books, was surprised at this ending. Sometimes I don’t like an unpredictable ending, but the twist ending was awesome, unexpected, and had me reeling. I loved the mix of realistic fiction and fantasy. I feel like the author got the balance just right.  I loved all the characters in this book and I recommend this book. I can’t wait to read the next one.

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick, published 2015

Image
I absolutely loved this book. I might be a bit biased considering it’s historical fiction, romance AND a mystery, but either way I fully recommend it. I was so in the mood for a mystery too, and this one was really great. The twist ending was unpredictable and exciting. You never really knew what was going to happen next.  While this isn’t the most exciting mystery I’ve read, it was definitely up there in terms of quality. It was really well written, and I thought it had the perfect amount of characters. Not too many characters that you don’t remember who everyone is, but not so few characters that the story isn’t interesting. And credit to the author, because she introduced the new characters at just the right time to make them memorable.  Some of the scenes I found tedious to get through, but I know that they were there to show traits and symbolize a few things, along with adding clues to the plot. I enjoyed how the author gave the reader all the clues that the main characters

Her Royal Highness (book #2) by Rachel Hawkins, published 2019

Image
            5 stars. 100% one of the cutest, sweetest romances I have ever read. I have no criticism to offer, this book was literally perfect.  This was the second book in a series and while I liked the first book, this one was even better. I read the first one first (obviously) and I already posted a review for it, go check it out (Royals). The storyline was delightful and I found myself more invested in it.  I’m definitely putting other books by this author on my list. I whole-heartedly recommend this book, and I will reread it in the near future.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, published 2019

Image
          This was a great book. It opened my eyes to historical romance fantasy. The sarcastic crime-fighting trio made this book one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read. The emotional rollercoaster this book took me on was so captivating it held in my thoughts even when I wasn’t reading it.   I ended up reading this book well into the night and through to the morning.The character development, while not something you see right away, was amazing. You just have to take a moment to compare the characters to themselves from the beginning to the end of the book.  The characters, the plot, the writing was all great but the ending was by far the best.  The author did a beautiful job of wrapping up the story as well as all the loose ends she’d left hanging throughout the book until the dramatic climax.  The craftsmanship was amazing in all the scenes, truly making it one of the best books I’ve ever read. I passionately urge you to read this book and will personally be rereading it.

Royals by Rachel Hawkins, published 2018

Image
  This book was better than expected. I only picked it up because I wanted to read the second book in the series (Her Royal Highness), and I figured reading the first one first seemed like the reasonable thing to do. Expectations were low, I fully expected this book to get 2-3 stars. The blurb made Royals sound really bad but I read this book despite that. I’m so glad I did because this book was amazing; it not only exceeded my low expectations but made me want to reread it.  If I had to find a criticism, the writing style seemed to clash with the main character’s personality. I would like a book told from Miles’s point of view but I think that’s a bit much to ask of this author.  The final verdict is this is a genuinely cute, make-you-feel good romance that I 100% recommend. I’m going to be rereading this book, reading the next one, and I’m giving the full 5 stars.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, published 2013

Image
     5 stars. I loved, loved, loved the characters. So much. The main character especially, I loved her. Her perseverance and spitefulness was so fun and relatable. I could keep rambling about how amazing the characters were, but I think you get it.     If I’m nitpicking, I didn't like how oblivious the main character was to the affections of the two men after her though. I feel like if she had acknowledged it a bit more, then this book would've been even more of a home run. The dystopian theme wasn’t overwhelming, and I loved how the author let the fantasy aspect of the story shine.     Anyway, great book, great characters. And I mean it, this is a very good book if you want something simple that you don't have to get really into and  it leaves you just satisfied enough. I won’t be reading the next one, but I would still 100% recommend this book.

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, published 2019

Image
                 This was a great book; I thoroughly enjoyed every part of it. I would reread it in a heartbeat and the next books in the series are on my to-do list. I’ve always had a soft spot for historical-fiction romances, especially ones set in old England, and this one topped all. The attention to detail was amazing, and while I’m not sure how historically accurate it is, it certainly seemed like it was written straight from the 1880’s.  I loved how we got to dig further into the characters’ personalities as the book progressed. The characters were so deep and I loved how everything played out. Certain twists and turns in the plot were unexpected and it was fun to be surprised. I admit, I wish that the main character was a bit more vengeful and had gone back to wrong those who’d wronged her because that would’ve been satisfying, but alas, a life well lived will always be the best kind of revenge I suppose.  I also loved the cover, which is the perfect balance between old Engla

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, published 2005

Image
     This book is amazing. I was a little worried going in that the reputation pumped it up to be more than it's worth, but I did a total 180 when I got into it. At first, the setting seemed to be a bit bland, not really matching the rest of the story. Once you get deeper though, it's the perfect setting and I really can't picture this story taking place anywhere else.     I was really looking forward to reading this story, and the ending made me wish that I had checked the rest of the series from the library. I love how the fantasy didn't overtake the book and really let the romance aspect of the book shine. My only problem is that I felt like they declared their true love for each other a bit early in the book. It caught me off guard, but I'm so happy that they found each other and are in love. Also, at times I wished I knew what Edward was thinking, and I’m super disappointed that they didn't add some chapters that were from his perspective.      This book is

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, published 2019

Image
  I picked this book up because it won an award on Goodreads, so my expectations were high and it absolutely exceeded expectations. This book was so funny and the character development was the best I've ever seen, especially coming from a new author. I wonder if it would've been even better if it were written in first person because sometimes the third person got a bit confusing. It was fun to compare the characters at the end to themselves from the beginning. So much changed about them that they seemed like real people. The characters made mistakes, had feelings, changed for the better, reflected on who they were, and did things normal humans do that you rarely see characters do in books. They felt like real people and I am seriously disappointed this is not based on a true story. I'm not going to lie, most of the political stuff went over my head. If I understood more I'm sure it would've added a new dimension to the book, especially considering how deep the

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light, published 2020

Image
            Let me start by saying that I love the cover of this book. It’s absolutely adorable. This book is fully deserving of the 5 stars, and I was impressed with the quality of the writing, especially coming from a newer author. As far as criticism goes, I have very little. I think the characters were super awesome and I loved them both. My only thing is sometimes some of the scenes were a bit more cheesy than necessary. I felt the characters’ personalities were a bit too similar at times, but I think that’s what made the relationship work, so it wasn’t a huge deal. At the end of the day, this is a really, really great book. I thought it was super cute and I would 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for a chill relaxed romance. I’ll definitely be rereading this one. 

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton, published 2020

Image
     This book gets 4.75 stars and it was all around a great book. The characters were relevant and reflective of modern lifestyles, which was refreshing. The determined mindset of the main character is a wonderful model for the kind of confidence everyone hopes to achieve.      Be warned, this book has some incredibly cheesy moments; I physically cringed at some parts. But this was done in such a funny manner that I still enjoyed those moments.       That being said, I still took off the .25 star because some of the scenes were unnecessary and  described in annoyingly vivid detail.  I kept thinking that these scenes would have symbolism of some sort, but I really couldn't find any. (But I've always done poorly during the symbolism unit in literacy, so maybe I'm not the right person to refer to on that front.)     That's really my only problem with the book. I would say this book is a reread, but knowing what happens might take away some of the magic. Nevertheless, this

Clique Bait by Ann Valett, published 2020

Image
  I loved this book, all around. Everything was perfectly planted; everything had a reason for being included. It was fun to predict what was going to happen and when major plot-changing bombs were dropped, you were either shocked out of your mind, or smug because you knew it was going to happen. Coming up with theories on how the ending was going to play out was the best, similar to a mystery. But it’s not a mystery, it’s just mysterious.  Trying to describe the genre is hard. It’s definitely a romance, but it’s not just a romance. I get that its also realistic fiction, but it feels like there should be more to it than that. But like I said, it’s not mystery, not horror or thriller, it’s nowhere near being a fantasy or sci-fi. If revenge is a genre, that would fit. It’s a romance-revenge. It’s also kind of a finding-yourself book.  I think the concept is genius and perfectly executed. It had the right balance between sweet romance filled moments and crazy, revenge seeking moment

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, published 2005

Image
  For me this was an amazingly wonderful, life-changing book. I would give it more than five stars if I could. I’m not going to lie though, it was a struggle to get through at times. Some books I quit simply because not enough happens, but this one I almost quit because too much happens and it’s heartbreaking. The way things get worse and worse is really emotionally draining. You would think it’s one of those books where everything is saved in one miraculous swoop at the end, but as soon as you start reading you would know this not to be the case. I also loved this author’s writing style and I thought the narration was genius.                If you google this book, it’ll list the genre as young-adult fiction and historical fiction, which I don’t disagree with. But it’s also a tragedy. I’m not sure if tragedy is a genre, but that’s the only real way to describe it.  Also, this is not a romance. Some other people were saying that it was and I wanted to put it out there that even thoug