If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan ★★★★☆ Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love—Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light. So they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce that they’ve arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin exclusively—and openly. Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants, in the body she wants to be loved in, without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self? Farizan handles a smattering of tough topics eloquently and without hesitation. This tale of forbidden love serves to humanize many groups of people who shouldn’t need humanizing; gay, trans*, and even Middle Eastern people. Farizan expertly balances the feeling that Sahar is no different than a girl down the street with the dangers of her country - most importantly, to Sahar, the view of homosexuality as a crime. As I read, my heart ached for Sahar, and for Nasrin. Their story raises a lot of important questions, and is one willing to slap you in the face if that’s what it takes to wake you up.
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The Maze Runner by James Dashner ★★★★☆ When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind. I liked this book for the fact that it was different from other dystopias. The concept of being stuck in a maze with grievous monsters and no memories is pretty unique and I thought it was done well. The beginning of the book bothered me like hell, since I had no idea what was going on and no one seemed forthcoming with information, but at the same time it was brilliant of Dashner to write it that way, as I’m sure Thomas didn’t like it much either. Once I got a feel for what was happening, I started to enjoy the book much more. Some of the characters, like Gally, seemed very one-sided, but overall they were written well. I thought Thomas and Teresa’s characters were written especially well and that all of the Gladers seemed human. The final chapter threw me for a loop, and I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series. Sirens by Janet Fox ★★★★☆ When Jo Winter’s parents send her off to live with her rich cousin on the glittering island of Manhattan, it’s to find a husband and forget about her brother Teddy’s death. But all that glitters is not gold… Caught up in the swirl of her cousin’s bobbed-hair set—and the men that court them— Jo soon realizes that the talk of marriage never stops, and behind the seemingly boundless gains are illicit business endeavors, gangsters, and their molls. Jo would much rather spend time with the handsome but quiet Charles, a waiter at the Algonquin Hotel, than drape herself over a bootlegger. But when she befriends a moll to one of the most powerful men in town, Jo begins to uncover secrets—secrets that threaten an empire and could secure Jo’s freedom from her family. I love that Sirens addresses the darker side of the twenties - the gangsters and their gun molls, the shady business in the back of every speakeasy. Danny Connor’s character scared me a little - how cold he was, what he was capable of. I was scared of what he would do to Jo. Lou was realistic in her jealousy, but at times I thought it was overdone. It was very obvious that Jo wasn’t interested in securing Danny for her own, and increasingly obvious that Danny was just using her. She didn’t even seem that bothered by the way Danny treated her. Jo herself was a little disappointing at times. She took too long to pick up on the last hint; there was no dramatic irony involved, she just didn’t get it, when it seemed plainly obvious. But maybe that’s just me. Other times I couldn’t feel enough of her; things didn’t seem to affect her as deeply as it seemed like they should. In all fairness, though, Sirens was a very good read. The plot line was a little convoluted at some points, but overall it held my attention and was full of suspense. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in the 1920s or the gangsters of Prohibition. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom ★★★★☆ Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer. In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie’s five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his “meaningless” life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: “Why was I here?” I was surprised at how much I liked this book. Because of the title, I figured it would be a book about God or something, but it wasn’t. Albom manages to talk about heaven and dying (and yes, a few mentions of God) without making his story into a Religion Book. I loved how intricate and interwoven Eddie’s story was with the others’. The last person he met in heaven nearly had me crying. This book was very well done and a fascinating story about an “unimportant” man, one that will make you question the impact you've had on others. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (Blood of Eden #1) ★★★★☆ Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters. Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for - again. Ever since Twilight came out and sparked a whole new interest in vampire books, I’ve been a little wary of the genre. But The Immortal Rules is wonderfully not Twilight. I love Kagawa’s vamps. They’re a cool new spin on traditional Dracula-types, and the fact that she added in the vampire cities and Rabids makes her world that much more complete. The vampire cities are eerie and scarily real-feeling. The Rabids, post-human monsters with no thoughts other than to destroy, just scare the shit out of me. For all I like about Kagawa’s beautifully combined paranormal dystopia, I wish I knew a little more about Allison. She seems to adjust to vampirism pretty quickly; I want to know if she’s conflicted about being ‘alive’ as a vamp, or if she simply accepts it as how life is now. Still, Kagawa managed to stay remarkably real in her story - from the way Stick reacts to Allie to the pilgrims looking for Eden to the humans’ reactions to being put under vampire rule. I will definitely be continuing this series. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett ★★★★☆ According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist. My friend recommended this book to me, and I’m glad she did. I was laughing by the time I’d finished the prologue and cast of characters, and I kept laughing throughout the book. As much as Good Omens was funny, though, it was also quite serious. I love the ideology worked into the text; the idea that humans are not inherently good or evil but rather both, and that angels and demons are not so unlike each other, plus a few more brilliant ideas that would spoil the ending for you. I love that the “In the Beginning” section is chock-full of foreshadowing, and all of it comes to fruition by the end of the book. No strings are left dangling, and while in some ways this wraps the ending up almost too neatly, it also leaves it fairly ambiguous. Another great facet to this book was the portrayal of the Horsemen, the Antichrist, and the angels/demons themselves. It was completely unique, and avoided getting very involved in religion while still acknowledging the religious undertones, which I very much liked. Overall, Good Omens was a truly incredible read that I absolutely loved, which met and then surpassed all of my expectations and totally blew my mind. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo ★★★★☆ The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka. Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free? The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him. But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him? I devoured this book. Bardugo’s world-building skills are incredible, and Ravka felt as real as any country I take a plane to. I loved the Russian (or what I’m presuming is Russian, forgive me) influence and the contrasts between the peasants and the Grisha. I was glad that Bardugo didn’t try to explain things too much and just make them confusing - she gave a good explanation that still left room for the imagination and left it at that. I’m even more glad that she pointed out the Grishas’ power was a sort of science, not really magic, even though it seemed that way. The level of creativity that she put into the plot, setting, and characters added to the book tremendously. The one thing that I felt took away from it was the love interests, simply because neither of them really seemed to have been evidenced earlier. It’s just nitpicking, though, and I loved so many other things about this book that I don’t mind. Alina’s story of finding her power and learning to control it, learning who to trust and who is deserving of mercy, is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Coupled with beautiful cover art and fascinating world-building (complete with a map of Ravka!), it’s absolutely captivating. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson ★★★★☆ Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair… . Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she’s ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland’s inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she’s always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter. With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it’s the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who’s everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart. We all know the story Disney told us. But what of the Neverland Wendy never saw and the Tiger Lily she never knew? Anderson tells Tiger Lily’s story enchantingly, sometimes poetically, sometimes simply, but always beautifully. She weaves a delightfully complex character in Tiger Lily. I admire Tiger Lily’s strength, silence, and bravery. I love that there are many sides to her, and to her story. She doesn’t have the luxury of easy choices, and sometimes she makes what seems like the wrong choice. But she is always Tiger Lily, and she is always brave. I love every bit of this book, from the characters to the setting - which Anderson did a wonderful job of expanding, to the Sky Eaters’ tribe and Tink. Finally we have a Tinker Bell who is not smiles and faerie dust. She’s spiteful and mischievous as well as caring and smart. Jodi Lynn Anderson has outdone herself with Tiger Lily. Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh ★★★★☆ Fate: Is it written in the stars from the moment we are born? Or is it a bendable thing that we can shape with our own hands? Jepp of Astraveld needs to know. He left his countryside home on the empty promise of a stranger, only to become a captive in a luxurious prison: Coudenberg Palace, the royal court of the Spanish Infanta. Nobody warned Jepp that as a court dwarf, daily injustices would become his seemingly unshakable fate. If the humiliations were his alone, perhaps he could endure them; but it breaks Jepp’s heart to see his friend Lia suffer. After Jepp and Lia attempt a daring escape from the palace, Jepp is imprisoned again, alone in a cage. Now, spirited across Europe in a kidnapper’s carriage, Jepp fears where his unfortunate stars may lead him. But he can’t even begin to imagine the brilliant and eccentric new master—a man devoted to uncovering the secrets of the stars—who awaits him. Or the girl who will help him mend his heart and unearth the long-buried secrets of his past. Jepp, Who Defied the Stars is a fantastic read. Highly philosophical but definitely grounded, Marsh’s tale tells the star-crossed story of a court dwarf. Often overlooked in history, tales like Jepp’s are intriguing and surprising. Marsh does an excellent job of mixing the fictional with the historical and does so with beautifully written language, believability, and unique characters. You’ll feel as if it’s Jepp speaking to you. The plot twists and turns without being predictable, and the setting(s) are beautifully depicted and described. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia + Margaret Stohl ★★★★☆ Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. I don’t usually go for the paranormal romance books, especially after Twilight hit bookstores and became the new standard. But this one is completely different from any I’ve read or heard about. I love the way the authors created the town, as rife with secrets as the families who live inside it. Beautiful Creatures is incredibly layered; there are a thousand stories weaving beneath Ethan and Lena’s, which is more like the way things really happen than most books will tell you. Because of this, the book is really long, but not a sentence is wasted. By the time you reach the end, you will be holding your breath and biting your nails, desperate to know Lena’s fate. |
Once Upon a Time...As a longtime lover of stories and a believer in the power and magic of books, I've spent my life seeking out the best reads. This blog is dedicated to reviewing the books I read - good, bad, or magnificent - to help other readers find their next favorite books. Currently ReadingKing Zeno
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