Ignite Me Book Review

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Rayna

Title: Ignite Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Book #3 in the Shatter Me trilogy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Genre: Young Adult – Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 408
Format: Purchased Paperback

“Ignite Me” by Tahereh Mafi is the third and final book in the Shatter Me trilogy. It follows Juliette, a girl with a touch that can kill – literally – and a super strong power that she has begun to finally understand and harness to its true ability. It’s also about her conflicts of the heart between two guys, Warner and Adam, and how she, along with several others, have to fight against the Reestablishment to regain control of their country – and their lives.

This review will probably contain some spoilers as this is the third book, so if you haven’t read it yet, please come back when you do.

THIS BOOK, GUYS. It was SO good. As far as wrap-ups to trilogies go, this one was on point. It wrapped up a lot of conflict, both inner and outer, and it also showed some amazing character development from a beginning of a series to the end.

Okay, let’s talk about the characters.

Juliette. She was so BADASS. She really came into her own in this book, and though she was a little whiny at the beginning, she really opened her eyes and finally realized a lot not only about herself, but about others. She became physically strong (like, ridiculously physically strong) as well as mentally and emotionally. When we first met her in the first book, she was a super unstable girl who counted cracks in the ceiling tiles and how many seconds of every day went by. In the second book she started to really see more of the world, and though she still had far to go, she was starting to learn to trust herself. And then in this book? WOW. She really showed that she’s not afraid of anything anymore, that she’s willing to make a difference in the world if it means helping others and herself. And she finally understood the complex feelings in her heart (YAY) and chose based on those feelings rather than by the first kind interaction she ever had.

Adam was a total jerk throughout a majority of this book. He showed a lot of his true colors when presented with stress and a broken heart. I really wanted to hit him a lot. I mean, he didn’t even apologize in the end, and I don’t really care what happens to him anymore, but yeah. His sweet and gentle personality was really, really tested in this book and it showed that he wasn’t all he was cracked up to be. I mean, throwing insults at Juliette and telling her what she can and can’t do? Yeah, no.

Warner showed so much more of himself in this book than any other and it really shed so much light on him that I kind of can’t believe I thought he was a super creep in the first book. But his actions in the first book really showed he kind of was, but that’s not the point. In this book we get to know more about the past and how Warner really thought. We also got a more in depth look into his personal life and his feelings and how much he would risk for Juliette. I thought it was very brave of him to be able to do so much for her, and really sweet. He became one of my favorite characters.

Kenji is also the best. I want him to be my BFF right now. Like seriously, I laughed out loud at so many of his interactions with Juliette and the others, it was great.

The plot of the story continued from the previous book, but it had to refocus as a lot happened in the second book, including (spoiler alert) Omega Point getting destroyed. So not only did it deal with the repercussions of that, but it also dealt with two sides joining forces with each other to try to overcome a common evil. I mean, obviously there was more than enough romance in this book (including lots of steamy parts [ohhhh myyy]), but I think it did give an ample amount into the Reestablishment and how they wanted to overtake it and regain control for the citizens and everyone out there.

Overall, I thought this book was an amazing trilogy finale and I highly recommend it if you’ve read the first two books. Seriously, this trilogy got better with each book (and the only reason it doesn’t get a full 5 star is because Juliette was still whiny and stuck in her ways at the very beginning).

I rate this 4.5/5 stars.

The Mortal Instruments 1-3 Book Reviews

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Rayna

Titles: City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Books 1-3 in the The Mortal Instruments series
Publisher: McElderry Books – an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Publication Dates: March 27, 2007; March 25, 2008; March 24, 2009
Genres: Young Adult – Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: CoB: 485; CoA: 453; CoG: 541
Format: Purchased Paperback – all

I finished the original trilogy of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and now I’m ready to share my reviews with you. This series is great and I personally love the characters and the world that it’s set in. It’s easy to imagine its real world presence as well as the fantastical and paranormal bits that make it a great urban fantasy read. So, without further ado, here are my reviews of the first three book in The Mortal Instruments series:

City of Bones

As the first book in the series, this was the foundation for the rest of the books to build up on. When Clary, a fifteen year old girl, enters an under 21 club in New York with her best friend, Simon, she wasn’t expecting to witness a murder – or what she thought was a murder. When her mother disappears after a fight she has with Clary and she starts being able to see things that shouldn’t be there, Clary knows that something’s wrong. Jace, a Shadowhunter, comes to her rescue, in a way, and also really helps to open her eyes to the world in which they live: the one in which both demons and humans reside side by side with one another. Clary is thrust into a world of violence, turmoil, lies, and mystery as she discovers who she is and the cost of having been lied to her whole life.

Alright, so this book was the first in the six book series. And though I loved reading of the world building and getting to know the characters, I felt that the book as a whole was really slow. It lacked a lot of action and depth, in my opinion. It laid out a foundation of the world, the main villain that they have to overcome, and some events that really lead up to those parts, but it was otherwise a slow read. By far my least favorite, but at the same time I did enjoy it. It’s a conundrum.

The characters, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec are our main heroes. They all work with one another and Clary, our main protagonist, would turn over heaven and hell to fight for those she loves, uncovering truths she never thought she could possibly find.

Jace seems disconnected or uncaring throughout a lot of this book, but as much of that was his upbringing by a man who was cruel (there’s no other word for it) it’s understandable as to why he thinks he’s some sort of invincible Shadowhunter. Though when he gets closer to Clary, he starts to really show his true self, which is more unguarded and someone who can be looked up to.

Though Isabelle and Alec are brother and sister, and grew up with Jace, they seemed definitely more so like background characters in this book and not a lot of depth was brought to them, even though they had several scenes in which they were fleshed out. In the later books, though, you do get a better sense of who they are and grow to like them.

Simon is the mundane in this book. He’s weak and fragile in comparison to the Shadowhunters, but he’s also thrust into their world because of his association with Clary. He’s got a witty, sarcastic charm about him that I like and enjoy reading about.

Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn and he’s very… eccentric in everything that he does, and wears. He grows more likable as the books go on, like the others.

Luke is sort of like Clary’s uncle, but not really. They aren’t blood related or anything like that, but when she finds out he’s a werewolf, he tells her the story of how he Changed and of how her mother fought to protect not only herself, but Clary as well.

Valentine is our main villain and he’s very unlikable. He’s good with words and charming in his own way, but he’s very cruel and doesn’t care who he cuts down in his path – even his daughter.

The plot of the book has a main focus point of taking out Valentine and helping Clary’s mother, Jocelyn, awake from a deep sleep. Those two are the main focuses of the book, but there are many events that happen that twist what they think needs to be done and how the characters work with one another.

Overall, I rated this book 3.75/5 stars.

City of Ashes

As the second book in the series, the action grew immensely in this one, making it more enjoyable and a much faster read than the first. Here, Clary and the others are still trying to find a way to help rescue Clary’s mother, but they learn a truth that unravels how Clary and Jace act around one another. And something happens to Simon that causes him to be changed forever – literally. This book is full of much more depth and I definitely felt my fondness for the characters grow in this one. Though Valentine is a sick and twisted man, the goals he’s trying to achieve ring out as truth to some, and complete lies to others.

This book is definitely much more gripping than the first with lots more action based scenes and plenty of tension to get your blood boiling. We learn more about Jocelyn’s and Valentine’s past, as well as more about the Shadowhunter world and the way the Clave (Shadowhunter government/society) works. It’s one that’s corrupt and very different from what it used to be, one that is more fueled by fear of Valentine than what their main purpose of existence is: to wipe out demons and help the world.

Clary is starting to grow more in this book as a person and she learns just how powerful she is. Though, yes, she can have her whiny moments, if you were in some of the situations she was thrust into, you’d probably do the same. Plus she’s fifteen, going on sixteen in this book, I’m not expecting complete maturity out of her. But she definitely grows a lot in this and learns many more horrible “truths” that unravel a lot in her.

Jace, as well, grows in this book. But he learns something that changes how he acts toward Clary and even his other friends. There are many times in which he risks his life for Clary in this, as well as his own, while also learning some things that could potentially destroy him.

We meet the Inquisitor in this book – Imogen Herondale – and, frankly, I hated her from beginning to end. She was just so mean toward Jace and the others because of a personal vendetta against Valentine. I don’t know. She made a good secondary villain, but she was more a victim in the end than anything.

Valentine ends up getting two of the three mortal instruments in this book (the Sword and the Cup) and plans on draining the blood of Downworlders (werewolves, vampires, fey, warlocks) to use their power, but he’s stopped by Clary, Simon, and Jace.

Oh yeah, something big happens to Simon in this book. Spoiler alert: he becomes a vampire.

Jocelyn still hasn’t been woken yet and they can’t seem to find the cure, though time seems to be running out to stop Valentine once something major happens after a battle on a ship. Someone appears at the hospital where Jocelyn is and tells Clary she knows someone who can help her mother: a warlock named Ragnor Fell.

Overall, the plot was much better in this book and I highly enjoyed it a lot more. I rated this book 4.5/5 stars.

City of Glass

The third installment in the series is definitely my favorite thus far. So many things happened in this book, and even though I knew a lot of things that would happen (because you know how spoilers run rampant over the Internet and in person), I still loved reading it and finding out some major twists that I didn’t figure out until the page before it happened.

In this book, Valentine has essentially grown in power and Clary and Jace have ended up in Idris, the Shadowhunter’s world, though by accident, in ways. Jace is not happy to see Clary and yells at her (pretty meanly), causing her to leave the area and head back to where she came from: Luke’s sister’s house. Though many, many things happened in this installment, the biggest things were ones in which I didn’t expect, and some I did.

We learn what happened to Jonathan, the first born of Valentine and Jocelyn, and how Clary avoided that same fate before she was born. We learn more truths about Valentine and his experiments on not only Downworlders and demons, but an angel, himself, and his unborn child. We learn the truth that had once destroyed Clary and Jace. We learn many, many things in this book. The battles that take place, the way the Clave really was corrupt, the way things progressed in this book was phenomenal and was a great closer to an original trilogy. It was wrapped up nicely and I highly enjoyed it.

Clary is super strong and brave in this book, standing up to a roomful of adults who otherwise wouldn’t have believed her had she not proven herself, how she fought for Jace, how she strived to save everyone. It was great seeing her development in this one.

Jace also grows, but throughout a lot of the book, he thinks that he’s less than worthy of life, let alone Clary or any sort of life he had in the past. But when he discovers the truth, though in some ways it was too late, in others it helped him to really overcome whatever doubts he may have had and progress through them.

Alec overcame something (a big something) that ended up being okay in the end. It’s actually really cute and made me squee with happiness.

Isabelle kicks ass. Like, wow, she’s awesome.

Jocelyn is finally woken up and helps in the final battle. She is woken by Magnus Bane, though, because of a certain spell book that Clary and Jace find.

Valentine, ever the charming bad guy, is definitely one which I still loathe and glad he got what came to him. I definitely wasn’t expecting the way he was going to die (yes, guys, he dies), and it was almost a let down, but at the same time I enjoyed the divine justice.

It was a great wrap up to the story, and I’m extremely glad the way it ended. Now I’m curious to see who the new villain will be, how the dynamics between everyone will be, and just how the next set of the story will unfold. I rated this book 5/5 stars.

Have you read TMI 1-3? Let me know your thoughts on the first three books in the comments.

The Selection Book Review

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Rayna

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: Book #1 in the Selection series
Publisher: HarperTeen – an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 12, 2012
Genres: Young Adult – Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 327
Format: Purchased Paperback

“The Selection” by Kiera Cass is a story about a girl named America who lives in a post-modern world society where The Selection takes place to determine who will be the next princess of the kingdom of Illea. She doesn’t want to be part of the Selection, though, where eligible young women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, I believe, are able to put their name in in hopes of being one of the 35 chosen to compete for the prince’s heart.

The Selection really sounds like The Bachelor, if you think about it. All of these girls going on dates and vying for the heart of who they hope will be their future husband. Some are in it for the money or the crown, and of course some are in it for the prince, Maxon.

I actually really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It was a fun, light-hearted read and I didn’t have many problems with it, but let me tell you a couple of problems I did have:

America could be whiny sometimes. And by this I mean that she seemed to either over think or be too critical in a given situation, but then again I know she’s supposed to be a teenager and teens tend to do that (I was one). Everyone gets like this from time to time, though, so I get it.
The love triangle between three of the main characters just seemed out of place toward the end of the book. I didn’t understand why Aspen had to be at the palace, but I guess it was sort of hinted at much earlier in the book.
Following that, I think the news America shared with Aspen at the end, and his cool response to it, just seemed out of place or not really true to his character. Though I guess we didn’t really get to know him much, so maybe that’s why it felt out of place.

I loved the whole system of the Selection and how it works, really. I could vividly imagine the goings-on of the days that they spent in training or in front of the camera, and I enjoyed how America developed within the Selection. She wasn’t this lovestruck, I-can’t-live-without-you girl as the story progressed; she actually had a mind of her own. I also liked that she was caring toward her maids and obviously not typical for that kind of lifestyle.

Maxon, himself, I got attached to, as well. He has the reflection of a typical stuck-up rich kid when America sees him on the TV and everything, but as she gets to know him (and injure him) he really opens up and shows his true character. I liked that about him, a lot. I kind of saw it coming, really, because it always seems like a recurring theme in YA, but I don’t mind it. It’s actually nice to see the true colors of a character fly when given the chance.

I want to know more about the king and queen and more about how their Selection took place. We got snippets and everything, but I just wasn’t satisfied. I hope that the next two books cover more of their backstory. (Oh hey, looking online there’s a novella, “The Queen,” that tells this story. Thank you, Internet.)

Also, the other girls in the Selection, like Marlee, Celeste, Bariel, Ashley, and the others, definitely have their own roles to play and it’s really interesting to see who is going where in terms of the Selection process. I have my own theories about Marlee, and when I read the next book I’ll let you know if I was right or not.

The world building was subtle, but at times it was definitely laid on hard because of the girls’ lessons from Silvia. I thought it gave a great chance to really expand upon how things happened and why Illea came to be. I liked it, though, so I can’t complain much.

The plot was predictable at times, I’ll give it that, but it wasn’t so predictable that I didn’t enjoy it. There were still a few things thrown in that made me smile, laugh, angry, etc.

I look forward to reading the sequels. This trilogy is actually now being turned into a five book series, so I can’t wait to read the rest.

I rated this book 4.5/5 stars.

Accompanying video: The Selection Trilogy Book Review

Eleanor & Park Book Review

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Rayna

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin – an imprint of MacMillan
Publication Date: This edition: June 2014 (originally published April 12, 2012)
Genres: Young Adult – Contemporary
Pages: 336
Format: Purchased Hardcover Collector’s Edition

I recently read “Eleanor & Park” by Rainbow Rowell, and I really enjoyed it.

This would be classified as a teen fiction novel, and it fits the category quite nicely. It’s about two teenagers who end up falling in love over the course of one school year and is told from both Eleanor’s and Park’s points of view.

There’s a lot more to the characters than first meets the eye, especially for Eleanor. When we are first introduced to her in the book, she is wearing weird clothes, has giant red hair, and is on the pudgy side. Of course she’s made fun of from day one, but that’s not all that’s tragic with her: her home life is a wreck. She has a stepdad who hates her, a mom who is abused, and four younger siblings who are just trying to survive day to day life.

When we’re introduced to Park, he wears dark clothes, listening to rock/punk music, and reads comic books. You’d think he’d have the same kind of story, but really he has an average life, with two parents, one younger brother, and a nice house to live in.

As I read the book, I could definitely see and feel the chemistry between the two grow, and it was nice to see for a change that it wasn’t just love at first sight (or first lust) and it wasn’t a relationship at the last twenty pages. Their love grew over time and it grew more and more.

One of the few things I didn’t really like was how unconnected I felt toward Park. I felt a much deeper connection with Eleanor, but maybe that’s because we’re similar in some ways? I’m not sure; I’m still trying to pinpoint it.

I liked the way each chapter/section was separated by saying either “eleanor” or “park” before each section, and Rowell definitely utilized both characters and their personalities in each.

Overall, I thought it was well written, definitely realistic in terms of language (oh no, swears!), and was a great romantic story. It’s heartwarming, funny, serious, and heartbreaking.

I rate this book 4.5/5 stars, only because I couldn’t really connect with Park.

Accompanying video: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Book Review

Have you read the book? Tell me what you think about it in the comments!

Divergent Series Review + Movie Review

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Rayna

Titles: Divergent; Insurgent; Allegiant; Four
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Books 1-3 + Novella bind up of the Divergent series
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books – an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication Dates: April 25, 2011; May 1, 2012; October 22, 2013; July 8, 2014
Genres: Young Adult – Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 487; 525; 526; 208
Formats: Purchased Paperback + Hardcovers

Hello all! Today I’m going to be reviewing the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I’ve already done the various videos about each book in depth, so if you want to take a look, I’ll link them at the bottom of each review section.

Just so you know, any review I do on this blog will be spoiler free unless otherwise stated. Sometimes my videos will include spoilers, so fair warning now!

Divergent Review

I thought that this book was very enticing. I will admit that I did see the movie before I read the book, and though I’m not a fan of doing that, I was still able to make comparisons and pick out my favorite parts from both book and movie.

So, when I read Divergent I wasn’t sure what to expect when I had first heard of it. I thought the premise of the story was a good one, and when I started to read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a fun, epic adventure that follows the journey of a 16 year old girl named Tris as she leaves her faction behind to seek the thrilling life of her new faction. She meets some interesting people along the way who help mold her into the person she becomes, including Four, who is a mysterious, and oftentimes harsh, guy who is not only her initiation instructor, but someone Tris becomes very close to.

As the story progressed I was surprised with how much time was spent talking about the Dauntless training and the various things that happened in Dauntless. It’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, but it was different from the movie, in my opinion. I actually enjoyed the book more because of it and felt that I got a really good feel of what living in Dauntless would be like.

The antagonist of the book, Jeannine Matthews, is a good villain. She has a goal she wants to reach and will get rid of anyone standing in her way, literally, including the Divergent – people like Tris. Jeannine is manipulative and cunning, making for a good villain that you can’t help but be mad at.

And then there’s Eric. I don’t like him.

The book is well written and the content can pull you in. As Veronica Roth stated in a Q&A in the book, she wanted to create a character that would cause the plot to keep driving forward. I believe Tris did just that.

The story left off with a cliffhanger and there was definitely room for a sequel to come into the mix, which I will talk about… now.

I give this a 4.75/5 stars.

Corresponding video: Divergent Book & Movie Review

Insurgent Review

As far as sequels go, I wasn’t completely disappointed with Insurgent. Some sequels are often lack-luster and can leave the reader feeling like it was just filler and didn’t need to be there, but Roth did a good job in presenting a sequel that followed the story line and didn’t disappoint.

It starts off with Tris dealing with a lot of emotional damage after the last book and it makes for a tough beginning for her as she and some of her friends have to lie in hiding from Jeannine Matthews and those that follow her. Though this doesn’t work out and the group has to run for their lives, they still manage to escape Jeannine’s clutches – for now.

The premise of this book focuses mainly on how much Jeannine wants to get rid of the Divergent. There’s a big secret surrounding them that isn’t discovered until the end of the book, but leading up to it there is a lot more action, bloodshed, and loss, but also a lot more budding romance between Four and Tris.

I don’t want to give away too much, but I will tell you that I do recommend this book and I give it a 4.5/5 stars.

Corresponding video: Insurgent Review

Allegiant Review

The third installment in the Divergent series let me down a little. I was expecting a different story, a different ending, and though the ending itself was heart-wrenching, it still made for a good ending. The premise of the story, though, felt off for the series as a whole. Let me explain why.

The premise of this book was following Tris, Four, and various other members of different factions outside of the fence lines. The point of view of this book changes, though, and is told from both Tris’s view and Four’s view. It surprised me and I questioned why Roth did it that way, but as I continued reading it did make sense for the story itself.

But that’s where it started to fall short.

The main plot to this last book was about genetic damage and how a corporation outside of the fence, known as the Bureau, was conducting experiments and watching them the whole time from outside the city limits. Our main heroes discover what they were really up to and try to stop them.

Now, this book had a lot of potential. I think if this were written for a different series, a different set of characters, it would have worked. But it didn’t seem to flow as well as Insurgent had from Divergent in terms of plot. In terms of story line, there was a continuous flow that occurred.

I give this book a 3.5/5 stars, but if you’ve read the first two books, you may as well read this one, too.

Corresponding video: Allegiant Review

Four Review

This was a novella collection of the Divergent series told from Four’s perspective. I enjoyed the collection and it was a fast and easy read as it told about Tobias’s past and how he joined Dauntless, flew through the ranks, and discovered a few secrets.

There were a few major continuity issues, though, and the parts that were included that made it that way really didn’t need to be and it took away from his stories overall.

I give this novella collection a 4/5 stars.

Corresponding video: Four Review

Divergent Movie Review

As stated above, I saw the movie before I read the book, but when I did see it I was hooked from beginning to end. I was rooting for Tris, I was rooting for her relationship with Four, I was captivated by the world of it, and I wanted Jeannine Matthews to pay for what she did so bad. The action scenes were enticing, the script was good, and the acting was well done.

Yes, there was one cheesy line at the end that really didn’t need to be there. Yes, the actor who plays Four, Theo James, is obviously not 18, but that’s okay. Yes, it was different from the book in the end.

If they had stuck with the original premise of the book at the end, I think it would have made for a much better lead into the next movie, but it’s obviously too late to change that. Overall, this was a well done book-to-movie adaptation and I rate it 4/5 stars.

So, there you have it! A bunch of reviews in one giant post. I probably won’t do this again unless it’s another series that I finish, but I will try to keep up with this blog, as well as my vlog, and I hope you all enjoy it.