Month: January 2016

The Winner’s Curse Book Review

Title: The Winner’s Curse
Series: Book #1 in The Winner’s trilogy
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance, Dystopian
Pages: 355
Format: Hardcover – Won in contest

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

I have never been so conflicted about a rating on a book as I was with this one. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but I was just kind of neutral about it.

The story starts out in an interesting way with a girl of high society out and about in the market with her friend when they come upon an auction for a slave and she buys him despite her better judgement. It then goes on about her desire to not become part of the military like her father wants, of not getting married too young if that’s the only other option, and of not falling for someone she knows she shouldn’t and can’t have.

I honestly thought that this story was meh at best. I wasn’t overly blown away by it, nor was I super invested in any of the characters. There was enough in there, though, that made me want to continue and find out what happens next, but it was just okay.

Kestrel is a very strategic person, always trying to think two steps ahead of everyone else. She leads her life a lot through logic and cleverness, and she isn’t afraid to stick up for herself and make decisions regarding her life or supporting the decisions she makes. I thought that she was kind of distant, though, like I couldn’t really connect to her or her situations. I thought that she was kind of bland and didn’t really show much emotion other than cleverness or annoyance/anger. I remember one time – maybe two – in the book where she laughed or smiled genuinely in a situation, and that’s just something I just find hard to believe. I thought she was an okay character and her real self really came out around Arin.

Arin is the slave that Kestrel buys and already he’s got a kind of wildness in his eyes when she buys him, a defiance that shouldn’t be there in a slave. I think that where Kestrel leads with logic, he leads more with emotions and allows himself to feel situations more than Kestrel does. I thought that he was the more interesting of the two, honestly. He seemed much more honest when we read from his point of view and not nearly as bland. I enjoyed reading about his backstory in the parts where it happened, and of his protective nature over Kestrel.

I think that my favorite parts were the romance parts because that was when both of the characters truly seemed to come alive. Both of them bounced off each other in ways that were beautiful and golden and I thought that it was rich and lively and wonderful.

Kestrel’s friendship with Jess and Ronan didn’t seem genuine in the least. I thought that through the majority of the book that Jess would betray Kestrel because that’s just the vibe I got from her. And then I could plainly see Ronan’s affections for Kestrel even if she wanted to deny them. They didn’t really seem like they were part of the story, but rather fillers for when it was needed.

And though I could understand Kestrel being angry at being kept as though she were a slave later on in the book, I think that she didn’t really take the time to understand that the people who had just captured her had been slaves for the last decade. I was waiting and hoping that she would have put herself in their shoes at least once, to understand where they were coming from and to understand why they were so upset with the Valorians, but she didn’t, and I think that was my greatest disappointment.

Some parts were entertaining and lot of it was kind of dragging. I don’t really know how I feel about the book; I wanted to love it, but ended up kind of being meh about it.

I will say, though, that despite my complaints that I am interested to see what happens next and how things are going to go from here. I hope that the second book gets better.

I rate this book 3/5 stars.

Accompanying video: The Winner’s Curse Book Review | Spoiler Free

January 23, 2016
Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Buzzwords

Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday as hosted by Lainey of gingerreadslainey over on YouTube. Today’s topic is about the top five buzzwords that turn us on to books. These are the words that will draw us to a book no matter what the book is actually about.

I had to seriously think long and hard about my buzzwords because I’ve never really thought about it before, but here are my top five words that get me buzzing:

5. Magic/Super Powers

Who doesn’t love a little bit of magic in their lives? I love magical elements in books, whether they be elemental, mind powers, super strength, Allomancy, or whatever the case may be: I love magic. I think it’s mainly because magic doesn’t really exist in the real world, at least not the way it does in books, and I wish it did. If I could choose any magical ability it would be two things: the ability to fly and the ability to control the elements, kind of like the Avatar. Some of my favorite books with magical elements are: the Mistborn trilogy, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, the Shatter Me trilogy, and the Kate Daniels series.

4. Female Protagonist

I love females in the spotlight! Seriously, almost every book I read now features a leading lady at the forefront and I love it. Women are very strong, capable beings (and don’t get me wrong; male protagonists are cool, too!) and I highly enjoy seeing them in a position of power, so to speak. Some of my favorite heroines include: Celaena/Aelin from the Throne of Glass series, Lia from The Remnant Chronicles, Karou from the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, Cath from Fangirl, and Vin from the Mistborn trilogy. All of these leading ladies have a huge role in the stories that they’re in, but they’re also flawed which I think makes them even more amazing.

3. Faeries

Okay, here’s a weird one, I guess? I love faeries. I love reading about them, seeing how they act in different worlds and stories, and though many of them are the same: cold, inhumanly beautiful, cunning – they are all just incredible. Each has their own personality and each has their own way of life. I love the diversity of the species and types and that not all of them are beautiful, but some are actually grotesque or cute or huge or tiny. There’s so much variety in them. Plus, I love the lore behind them and I find myself drawn to them in ways that’s hard to explain. Some of my favorites include: the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, Trolls by Brian and Wendy Froud, and Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

2. Fantasy

This is a fairly broad and huge category, don’t you think? But if you honestly didn’t see this coming then where have you been since I started blogging? I love fantasy, whether it be high fantasy, urban fantasy, a touch of fantasy, whatever; if it’s fantasy, I’m all over it. Now that’s not to say that I love every fantasy book that I read, but I do enjoy a great deal of them and how authors are able to come up with such beautiful, vivid, detailed worlds. Some of my favorites are: the Throne of Glass series, the Mortal Instruments/Infernal Devices, the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, the Remnant Chronicles, the Song of Ice and Fire series, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, the Harry Potter series, and the Mistborn trilogy.

1 . Romance

Again, another broad topic, but this is my number one buzzword for books because, well, I love love. Love, and particularly romantic love, is one of the best things, in my opinion, in the world. Not just books, but the world. And to read about different types of romance is an extreme pleasure of mine. Honestly, if a book doesn’t have romance in it at some point then there better be a damn good reason as to why I’m reading it. I just love being able to see two characters come together and realize their feelings and how I see it happening from an early part of the story and it just makes it that much sweeter. Some of my favorite romances are: the Starbound trilogy (all of the romances are amazing), Jace and Clary from the Mortal Instruments series, Kate and Curran from the Kate Daniels series, Cath and Levi from Fangirl, Tamahome and Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi, Karou and Akiva from Daughter of Smoke & Bone, and so, so many more that I don’t want to list them all for fear of dragging this post out for too long.

So yes! Those are my top five buzzwords when it comes to books. Each one is very precious to me in its own way and I am pretty happy with that.

What are your top five buzzwords when it comes to books and why? Let me know!

Accompanying video: Top 5 Wednesday | Favorite Buzzwords

January 20, 2016
Rereads for 2016

Hey guys! I wanted to talk about the books I plan on rereading this year. I honestly haven’t reread a book in so, so long! I only reread one book last year and I really want to reread some books I haven’t picked up in years. So here are the books I hope to reread this year:

Vanish and Hidden by Sophie Jordan.

These are the second and third books in the Firelight trilogy and I loved this trilogy so much when I read it back in high school, and since I reread the first book, Firelight, last year, I figured that I have to finish rereading the other two. It’s a story about people who can turn into dragons and how one family leaves the comfort of their home to live away from them – and the dangers that ensue afterward.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer.

As one of my favorite books of all time, you’d think I’d have reread it more frequently, but I’ve actually have only read it twice, and that was a long time ago. So I figured I’d reread it and see if I love it as much as I did as a young teen or if my tastes have changed. But I just remember loving the clone aspect of it and of the mystery surrounding the main character, Matteo. Here’s hoping it’s just as awesome as the first time.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

I read this book back in my early teen years and absolutely loved it. My dad wouldn’t let me read it at first because of the sexual content, but really? Not the worst thing I’ve read in terms of sex, let me tell you – even at that age. So when I read it, I fell in love with the characters and the story and how it just broke my heart and made me swell with love. I also saw the movie adaptation and thought that it was pretty faithful to the book, which I was glad for. So I definitely want to reread this and see if I like it just as much as back then.

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah.

I read this for a school project my freshman year of high school. We got to choose whatever book we wanted, and I had had this one for years, untouched and unread, so I decided to read it. And oh. My. God. This one just rips your heart out and tears it into a million pieces. I remember it making me angry, sad, excited. So many emotions from one story; and I think it’s partly because it’s a true story. I wonder if I’ll feel the same emotions on the second read through?

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.

I read this as my last summer reading I’d ever had to do, and I’m so glad this was on the list. Usually the books on the lists are boring and I’d never read them (literally this was the ONE YEAR I actually completed my summer reading 100%), but this book was just amazing. I loved the story of a ghost woman who was just trying to find her place, and of a ghost man who had taken up residence in someone, and how the two fall in love and more. It’s just a beautiful story and I want to reread it to see if I still think that it is.

And that’s all I have planned for rereading this year. I think that it’ll be good to get back into some of my old favorites because I loved them years ago, why wouldn’t I now?

Are you planning on rereading any books this year? Let me know!

January 19, 2016
Favorite Books of 2015

Hey peeps! Today I wanted to talk about some of my favorite books I read last year because, well, why not? I loved them so much that I want to share with you all what they are and why I loved them. I already did a video version of this topic last month and just never got around to actually doing a blog post. So here we go!

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

This first installment of the Mistborn trilogy was just amazing! It was epic in a way that I had never read before. The plot was extensive, weaving so many aspects of the lives that were being lead together; the magical system was unique and defining, but not all powerful; the characters were differentiated by talent, personality, caste, and more; and it was just overall an amazing read. Highly recommended. Check out my review!

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the character arc in this trilogy was amazing. By far one of the best arcs I’ve ever read about. Juliette just proved how strong she was on her own without any guy to hold her down, and then the fights happened and the romance blossomed and the writing was incredible. This final installment of the trilogy was just amazing and I couldn’t recommend this more. Check out my review!

This Shattered World & Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

$theirfracturedlight$ As the second and third books in the Starbound trilogy, I just felt that these two were better than the first. The stories that were told were haunting, heart-breaking, intense, and fast-paced. The romances were ones that made my heart flutter and the worlds in which they lived in had me wondering about our own universe. The way that the story wound itself through these two and joined everyone and everything together was smooth and enticing. Also, have you seen the covers? Gorgeous! Check out my reviews here and here!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

As the first and second books in this trilogy of monsters and angels and humans, I was drawn in not only by the concept of the chimera and angels fighting against one another, but for the writing. Laini Taylor’s use of the English language is one that is beautiful and encompasses so much emotion and passion in every stroke. Not only that, but I found the characters to be engaging, the story to be different, and the romance to be one that stretches beyond time. Check out my reviews here and here!

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

As the fourth installment in my favorite fantasy series, of course I loved this book. It wasn’t without its problems, of course, but it was just everything I wanted and more from this series so far. There’s action, adventure, deceit, romance, death, magic, and more. Loved it and can’t wait for the next one. Check out my review!

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

My first audiobook experience and it also became one of my favorite books. This story is one in which a princess runs away from marriage and tries to build a new life with her friend, but ends up in a much bigger plot than she could have imagined. The audiobook was told in three perspectives and the actors did well with changes of voice and pronunciations. I loved the story and the characters and it’s just a beautiful tale of lies, love, friendship, and the need for freedom. Check out my review!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This debut novel was amazing from start to finish. Set in an ancient Rome-esque society, there is brutality in the land, slaves, warriors, a fight for freedom, hints of magic, and so much more. Honestly, how is this a debut? It’s so good! I’m also really glad that the second book will be coming out later this year because I need it now. Check out my review!

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

This. Was. So. Cute. I was squeeing and laughing out loud so much from this book and I am so glad I picked it up. This book is a coming out story and one that kids in today’s modern age can appreciate. With the use of the internet, two kids from the same school are able to communicate with one another and get close with one another, falling in love though they don’t know who the other is just yet. It was so adorable and it just brought so much happiness to my heart. Highly recommend this one. Check out my review!

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

This is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series, and when it was originally a trilogy I could see how this wrapped up the story beautifully. Not only were the characters coming in to their own, but the story was growing more and more exponential and the plot was becoming more and more twisted. This book holds hope, revenge, love, anger, and so much more. Honestly, a fantastic installment for the series. Check out my review!

The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

So I didn’t discover these two YouTube stars until I saw their book trailer, but I still really adore them! And I just needed the book. It’s a funny compilation of some of their best work, some fun facts about them, and some advice on making YouTube videos. I also got the audiobook, and it made the book 100x better. Loved it! Check out my review!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

The writing in this book is phenomenal! I loved the story, the characters, the twist of the psychics and the magic that lingers in the little town of Henrietta. The characters are all so intriguing and genuine and though I didn’t grow to love them until the second book, they were still etching their way into my heart. I highly recommend picking up this book and giving it a try. Check out my review!

So there you have it! Thirteen of my favorite reads from last year. If you haven’t picked any of these up then I highly suggest you do; you won’t be disappointed! And if you are, well… sorry.

What were some of your absolute favorite books that you read in 2015? Did you read any on my list? What were your thoughts? Let me know!

January 18, 2016
Rayna Recommends: Manga Favorites

Hey everyone! I know I haven’t done a recommendation post in quite a while, but I wanted to start the new year off with one of my favorite kinds of books: manga!

I started reading manga back in sixth grade when my best friend introduced me to it. I was hooked for a long time, but I stopped really reading them in college because my interests were changing – but I still enjoy reading a good manga series!

So I thought today I’d recommend some of my personal favorites. They spread over a few genres, but the bigger theme is that they all have some form of romance in them or another.

So here is my list of recommended manga:

1 . Fushigi Yuugi by Yuu Watase

This is my most favorite series of all time. It’s about a girl who gets pulled into the world of a book and how she has to live in that book until the end, pretty much. There’s romance, action, adventure, SO MANY FEELS, and so much more. I love Yuu Watase’s art style so, so much, and really, anything by her is amazing.

2. Ayashi no Ceres (Ceres Celestial Legend) by Yuu Watase

This is a more mature series by her, but it’s still a beautiful tale about twins who come to find out a secret about their family and how each of them have their own fates to play out once the secret’s out. It’s got romance, action, fantastical elements, magic, and more.

3. Chobits by CLAMP

This series by CLAMP is one about a boy who goes off to college and finds a persacom (robot) left out in the garbage outside his apartment. When he brings her back in and activates her, he discovers that there’s a lot more to persacoms than he originally thought – and just how valuable his is. I love, love, love this manga series not only for the art style, but the story as well. Each character is one you get attached to and it’s just a fun, and sometimes intense, story to follow.

4. Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya

This twelve volume series is a long one, but it’s about a girl who stumbles upon some classmates and comes to find out that they change into animals when they’re hugged by someone of the opposite sex. It’s a story about the zodiac and it’s a really good series. The art style took a while for me to get used to, but I otherwise adore the story and characters and I suggest giving it a go.

5. Tokyo Mew Mew by Reiko Yoshida & Mia Ikumi

The manga series that started it all, of course this series has a special place in my heart. It’s about magical girls who partly turn into animals and have to defeat some evil foes. I really adore the art style and the story, but I have to keep reminding myself how young these characters are. But still, it’s a fun story!

6. Ao Hare Ride by Io Sakisaka

I. Love. This. Manga. It’s seriously an amazing story about two high school students just going about their days, and one day they fall in love. It’s sweet and funny, and sometimes serious, and I just love it to pieces. Like, I can’t even. Go read it.

7. Kaichou-wa Maid-sama by Hiro Fujiwara

This series is about a girl who is very standoffish but is then forced to take care of one of her classmates. There’s a lot of silliness that ensues, but it’s also a love story. This one made me laugh a lot and I think it’s just one of those series that’s a great pick-me-up.

Honestly, I can’t recommend these few series enough. They are some of my absolute favorites ever and I think that if you like to laugh, you’ll enjoy any and all of them. There are serious moments involved in each of them, as well as romance and action. Check them out sometime!

Have you read any of these series? What manga do you recommend to me? Let me know!

January 16, 2016