6/1/2019 0 Comments Ascension by Victor DixenAscension is something like The Selection taking place in space: The first trip to colonise Mars is made by twelve teenagers as contestants in speed dating show. Six boys and six girls are sent to Mars in separate compartments, but during the journey they meet up for live broadcasted speed dating session for 3 minutes a week, in order to find their future spouse. The idea is that when they arrive on Mars, they should all have coupled up to begin to establish a colony on Mars. So, even though this story takes place in space, it’s more romance than sci fi though. Starting to read this book, I expected a light-hearted, cute and fun read, but there was a lot going on beyond the speed dating premise. In addition to the space parts, there was a part focusing on the business conspiracy on Earth involving the company behind the show and their leader with a secret mission to run for president. There was also a bit too much of unnatural explanations, and the speed dating parts were kind of rushed over. I wish that there had been more time devoted to the space travelers and their relationships (both the relationships between the six girls and the romance-buildings with the boys). I also missed out on representation, there were no same sex relations or queer characters at all. I feel like this book could have been really unique and mesmerizing, but the execution didn’t live up to the full potential.
But I did enjoy the book nevertheless, and it was full of suspense and with a main character, Leonor, that I couldn’t help root for. She was such a bold and strong-willed survivor of abuse and negligence, who didn’t believe in love, but seized the opportunity to create a better future for herself. “What I want is glory and I know that I’m not going to get it here on Earth.” I really want to know what will happen to her and the other contestants. Also, this book ended in a cliffhanger that made me excited for the sequels. So, all in all, a solid three star read, but it had the potential to be so much more. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Amazon Book Depository Author info: Victor Dixen
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5/18/2019 0 Comments Crooked Kingdom by Leigh BardugoCrooked Kingdom is the sequel to the wonderful Six of Crows, and just like the first book in the duology, the characters in this book are so amazing. The story is told from multiple character’s third point of views. I absolutely loved how brilliantly Leigh Bardugo created a web with so many layers, when each character added his or her piece, but still kept the main story together. I absolutely fell in love with all of the six main characters. They were so unique and interesting, mean but kind, bad but also good, and the all added so much depth to the story. And they all had troublesome pasts that helped you understand how they’d ended up in this band of thieves, but you also got to know about their dreams for the future and their hidden feelings and thoughts, which made you relate to, and love them, even more.
One thing I did not like though was a sad thing that happened in the story (will not say more to not spoil anything, but it really upset me). Besides that, this was a perfect ending to the series. I loved the way some of the romances evolved and also a very happy family discovery that was made. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Book Depository Author info: Leigh Bardugo This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is an absolutely wonderful book that I recommend with all my heart also to YA readers, even though it for most part has the parents’ perspective. This is such a witty, sweet, honest, gripping and thought-provoking read that addresses so many important questions. The book is about the large, gorgeous, lively Walsh-Adams family and their five sons, and what happens when the youngest one, the extraordinarily verbal little Claude, explains that he wants to be a girl scientist when he grows up. Laurie Frankel does such an amazing job in describing how important it is for Claude to wear dresses to feel comfortable and as him/herself even though he is not yet clear with that he is a girl. She also explains so well how the parents find themselves on new and scary terrain, trying to balance Claude’s safety and happiness with the older brothers worry about the comments and bullying both they and Claude will be victims to. After an incident, the whole family moves to a new city, where Claude blossoms as Poppy. The problem is that they have kept the past a secret, allowing Poppy to be a girl just like anyone else, which makes things easier for Poppy in a way, but increasingly difficult on her brothers. The story takes a darker turn when she is outed and Poppy and her parents must find their footing again.
This is a wonderfully contradictory story. So painful at times, yet so heartwarming and joyful, written with such a humor and witty language. And with so much knowledge. Laurie Frankel has herself a daughter who was born a boy, which is evident from the depth and understanding of what the family goes through in the book. I know that I will keep coming back to this book and the questions about how to best support and protect a child who isn’t identifying itself as its genders, but still not entirely as the other either. I loved the way the book does not give any definitive answers, but rather opens of for discussions about what it really means to be true to yourself; suggesting that there are times when neither right nor left works and, instead, you have to go straight ahead, through the great unknown of the middle. And I was so moved by Laurie’s explanation about the inspiration behind the book and the differences between a novel you write and your own life, in that the novel should be perilous, unpredictable, full of near misses and heartbreak, but the latter you want as plotfree as possible and a world where anyone can be who they are and become their most wanted , loved and appreciated selves. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Book Depository Author info: Laurie Frankel Seeing the beautiful cover and reading the synopsis, I was immediately drawn to this book and so sure I would love it. Sadly though, The Kiss of Deception didn’t blow me away the way I had expected. But it was good. A simple, light read, although a bit slow at times. The main problem for me was that I felt like there could have been so much more to this book. In short, the story is about Princess Lia who escapes her arranged marriage and flies to a small coastal village. But following her and eventually tracking her down are not only the prince she was supposed to marry, but also an assassin hired to kill her. At the village, Lia meets and interacts with two young men named Rafe and Kaden, but she doesn’t know that they are not who they pretend to be. Even though the readers know that Rafe and Kaden are not who they say they are, we are also left in the dark at first as to who of them is the prince and who is the assassin.
I really liked the premises of the plot and it was intriguing in the beginning, especially before the mystery of Rafe’s and Kaden’s identities were revealed. I also really liked Lia and how she stood up for herself when she decided to flee her home to avoid an arranged marriage. But for a YA fantasy there wasn’t as much action as I expected. After her initial escape, Lia more or less stays in a small village, trying to blend in to hide from her father’s army sent to find her. And when the suspense was lost after the reveal of the assassin’s and prince’s identity, the story slowed down even more and focused mostly on the romance part. So, all in all, The Kiss of Deception was an enjoyable and sweet read, but it was a little too uneventful and did not meet my expectations. It’s a book that provides adequate entertainment for the moment, but with a story and world building that is quite easily forgotten, and I don’t feel invested enough to continue this series. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Book Depository Author info: Mary E. Pearson |
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September 2023
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