Category: Young Adult

Contemporary · Fiction · Young Adult

Patron Saints of Nothing

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Title: Patron Saints of Nothing

Author: Randy Ribay

Page Count: 323

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2019 by Kokila

Format: Hardcover

Review: This is a coming-of-age story about struggling with identity and belonging.  The main character, Jay, must learn to cope with the senseless death of his beloved cousin, while also coming to terms with how his own decisions may have played a role in the unfortunate series of events that led to the tragedy.  It is also a story of the many ways people can surprise and disappoint us.  For better or worse, our family and friends do not always live up to the image we have of them in our heads.

The writing style of this author is very similar to the writing style of Kelly Loy Gilbert.  The first person perspective feels very authentic, and you very much feel like you are inside the head of the main character.  This book didn’t emotionally gut me the same way that Picture Us in the Light did, but it is similar in that the story touches on some very heavy topics and reveals some very painful truths about Jay and his secretive family.

The cover art for this book is absolutely stunning.  If I had not needed to read this book for a mock Printz committee, I probably would have picked it up simply for the cover art alone.  Both front and back incorporate beautiful colors and symbolism.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Goldhalf star

Fantasy · Fiction · Young Adult

Crown of Midnight

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Title: Crown of Midnight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Page Count: 418

Series: Throne of Glass, Book 2

Publishing Date/Publisher: August 27, 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Format: Paperback

Review: Sarah J. Maas is a truly an exceptional storyteller.  These days it seems most fantasy series are trilogies, but she manages to drag her stories into long sagas without becoming boring.  Her characters are engaging, her twists surprising, and her plot layering is superb.  The only reason this is not a 5 star book for me is because it reads very much like a second book in a trilogy (i.e. setting the stage for a final installment), at least at the beginning.  I have noticed this is a common trend in Maas’ writing.  She starts out slow and then hits you with a lot in the last 25% of the book.  Her ability to write strong endings is what keeps her readers chomping at the bit for more.  I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Heir of Fire.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Contemporary · Fiction · Horror · Young Adult

Foul is Fair

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Title: Foul is Fair

Author: Hannah Capin

Page Count: 336

Series: Foul is Fair, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 

Format: eBook

Review:  I am shocked at the positive reviews this book has been receiving from early reviewers. All the characters, including Jade/Elle, were terrible people. I did not enjoy reading about them, and I found it very difficult to get behind the revenge story because it was so ridiculous. Although I can completely empathize with a sexual assault victim wanting justice, a murderous rampage certainly does not seem like the answer and I did not find it at all gratifying. I would be extremely hesitant to promote this book to teen readers, because it glorifies murder and manipulation through sex. None of Jade/Elle’s coping mechanisms for her assault were positive, and I personally feel this book would be very unhealthy to put in the hands of someone who has actually been sexually assaulted.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_Gold

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

The Wrath and the Dawn

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Title: The Wrath and the Dawn

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Performer: Ariana Delawari

Length: 10 hr, 38 min

Series: The Wrath and the Dawn, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2015 by Listening Library

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I like the story of A Thousand and One Nights, so I was excited to read this YA adaptation.  I was underwhelmed.  This book did not do nearly enough to develop the story or the characters before jumping into the romance.  The whole time I was thinking, they have spent hardly any time together, know almost nothing about each other, and yet they are deeply in love.  After so many extraordinary girls before her, it is unclear why Shahrzad is the one who gets to live.  She tells stories?  So what.  I personally did not find the stories she told to be that riveting and I was perplexed by the rapid passage of time.  She tells one short story and then it’s dawn.  Hooray she lives to tell another tale!  The king trusts Shahrzad implicitly, but again, why?  I just didn’t buy it.

I did enjoy the imagery and I listened to the book in it’s entirety, so I didn’t hate it.  I would have loved to see the magic aspect fleshed out better.  I saw great potential with that particular storyline, even if it didn’t get a lot of page presence.  I am on the fence about starting the next book The Rose & the Dagger.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Contemporary · Fiction · Magical Realism · Young Adult

Dig

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Title: Dig

Author: A.S. King

Page Count: 394

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: March 26, 2019 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover

Review: This book is bizarre from start to finish.  It comes together in the end, but I was confused for about 3/4 of it.  Personally it wasn’t my cup of tea.  It was dark and delved into difficult topics such as abuse, murder, and deeply entrenched racism.  There were many things that still didn’t make sense to me even at the conclusion, but I just did not have the bandwidth to wade back through the book to try to make all the connections.  The writing style is very unique and it took me awhile to adjust to it. I would not be surprised if people DNF this book simply because it is difficult to follow.  Although I can see why there is buzz surrounding this book, it is not one I will be widely recommending.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fiction · Historical · Young Adult

Across a Broken Shore

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Title: Across a Broken Shore

Author: Amy Trueblood

Page Count: 360

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: November 5th 2019 by Flux

Format: eBook

Review: The setting for this book was lovely, but I found the plot to be painfully slow and I did not find any characters to be particularly compelling.  This falls into the rare category of books that I did not finish (I stopped at 42% completion).

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

A Court of Frost and Starlight

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Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Performer: Amanda Leigh Cobb

Length: 6 hr, 24 min

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 3.1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Recorded Books

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I don’t know how this author churns out as many books as she does.  With both her Throne of Glass series and this one, she has supplemented her series with interspersed novellas.  This novella is much shorter and less action packed than the three full-length books that come before it, and it is focused on the introspection of our main characters as they deal with the aftermath of the great battle with Hybern.  It reveals more insight into our main characters and offers POVs that were not present in previous books.  I did enjoy the book and the reader, but I found this book to be much soppier than the rest of the series.  A lot of focus is put on the mating bond between Rhysand and Feyre, and the rest of the book is more of a snapshot in time as our characters prepare to enjoy a holiday together.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Goldhalf star

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

A Court of Wings and Ruin

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Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Performer: Amanda Leigh Cobb

Length: 25 hr, 8 min

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 3

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2017 by Recorded Books

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This book was very much like the two that proceed it in that the plot starts out slow and then later picks up speed.  I was never bored during this story, but it sort of annoys me when things work out too perfectly in the end.  Sure there was a lot of bloodshed, but I never truly feared for any of the main characters, because they always seem to come through in the end.  I was also a little annoyed that Feyre was all of a sudden some sort of master spy and manipulator; however, I was greatly entertained by the shifting allegiances, political maneuvering, and a couple surprising character reveals.  This story certainly keeps you on your toes as friends become enemies and enemies become friends.  I don’t see a release date yet for the fourth book, but the Throne of Glass series should keep me busy in the meantime.

I was a little surprised that they changed the reader partway through this series, but was even more shocked at how similar she sounded to the woman who narrated the first two audiobooks.  At first I didn’t even realize that the performer was different because she did such an excellent job matching the character voices to how the original reader performed them.  Amanda Leigh Cobb is very talented, and the switch did not negatively impact my listening experience in the slightest.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

A Court of Mist and Fury

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Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Performer: Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 23 hr, 16 min

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 2

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2016 by Recorded Books

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This book took the momentum from the first book and catapulted it to even greater heights.  Feyre grows so much as a character.  She suffers from severe PTSD and much of the book is focused on her journey of healing.  She demonstrates how our wants and needs can change as we evolve and that people in our lives can either serve as hindrances or catalysts to this change.

Rhysand fans will be very happy with the events that transpire in this book.  The ending was a bit frustrating, but Maas does an excellent job of setting the stage for the conflict that will driving the next books in the series.

Oftentimes the second book in a series is a bit of a bore as it lays the foundation for subsequent books, but I did not feel this way at all with this book.  It was emotional, romantic, thrilling, and utterly unputdownable.

My only gripe about this book, and this series in general, is Maas’ near constant use of certain words…male, snarl, growl, etc.  It didn’t bother me enough to lower my rating, but I did find myself rolling my eyes from time to time as the words resurfaced over and over again.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

A Court of Thorns and Roses

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Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Performer: Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 16 hr, 7 min

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2015 by Recorded Books

Format: eAudiobook

Review: For diehard fans of Beauty and the Beast *cough**me**cough cough*, this was a delightfully unique retelling.   It had a bit of a slow start, very much unlike her Throne of Glass series, and slowly picked up speed until it reached it’s heart-pounding conclusion.  I honestly didn’t think I was going to give it more than 3 stars for the first half of the book, but the last 25% of the book was epic enough to make me reconsider my rating.  It’s very easy to see the influence of the Beauty and the Beast tale in this book, however, based on the conclusion, the next book in the series will more than likely be moving in an entirely different direction.

My favorite character by far was Rhysand, and it makes me very excited that he will play a central role in the second book.  Maas seems to have a thing for building interesting love triangle-y sort of situations, and it does not seem that this series will be an exception.  Rhysand is clearly the polar opposite of golden boy Tamlin, which should make for an interesting rivalry.

Jennifer Ikeda is a great reader and I enjoy her narration.  I look forward to listening to the next book!

As a side note, my library categorizes this book as Young Adult Fiction, but I think it is more like New Adult Fiction.  It is one of those books that hovers in the gray area and is hard to categorize.  The sexual content is pretty graphic, which is not typical for the Young Adult Fiction genre, especially in the realm of Fantasy.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold