Girl in Pieces

September 15, 2018September 15, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Girl in Pieces

Author: Kathleen Glasgow

Performer: Julia Whelan

Length: 10 hr, 43 min

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2016 by Penguin House Audio Publishing Group

Format: eAudiobook

Review: BIG trigger warning for this book: there is a lot of graphic self-harm. Sometimes it can be difficult to stomach, but it is important to note that the self-harm does not feel in any way gratuitous. Without such vivid description, it would be difficult to understand the characters’ mental state and the extent of the damage they inflict upon themselves as a result. This is a powerful story of addiction and finding coping mechanisms to overcome extreme trauma.

I will say that as difficult as this story was to get through due to the heavy content, I found myself wanting to finish because I was truly hoping for a positive outcome for the main character, Charlie. I wouldn’t say the ending is uplifting, but I found that when I put it down, I did feel some sense of closure.

It’s hard to say I “love” this book…more like I found it to be very compelling. It addresses a sensitive topic that is infrequently talked about, but important to understand.

The performer of this book did a good job. Her voice fit the character, and that’s really all I ask for.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Rebel of the Sands

September 15, 2018September 20, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustme2 Comments

Title: Rebel of the Sands

Author: Alwyn Hamilton

Performer: Soneela Nankani

Length: 9 hr, 35 min, 55 sec

Series: Rebel of the Sands, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2016 by Recorded Books

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I have been on a fantasy kick lately, and I am very excited about this series. More often than not I will read the first book in a fantasy series, and then move on. Not the case with this series. I was downloading the second book before I even finished this one in anticipation of continuing the story.

Sometimes it takes awhile for a story to really rope in the reader. This book had me hooked from beginning to end. Although I am not quite behind the rebellion itself 100% yet, I am 100% behind the heroine of the story, Amani. This book had just the right amount of action and romance to keep me invested, and it has really set the stage for the books that follow. I can only imagine that the story will getter better as it continues to build.

The performer they picked for this book was very well chosen. Her melodic voice is an absolute pleasure to listen to, and I was very happy to discover that she is a woman of Indian/Ghanaian descent. I looked up a photo of her online, and she is very much what I would have pictured the main character to look like, sans the unnaturally blue eyes.

On a completely different note, I LOVE the cover art featured above. I was a bit dismayed when I saw that the cover art had been revamped for more recent editions, and I was shocked when I realized that the new cover art for the first book is a bit of a spoiler! One of the most critical reveals in the story is actually evident on the new cover. This surprises me, as I would think that such things would be vetted by the publisher BEFORE release. I’m just glad that I got to the reveal before I started browsing for the second book and saw the new cover art.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Young Adult

Damselfly

September 13, 2018January 16, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Damselfly

Author: Chandra Prasad

Page Count: 240

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: March 27, 2018 by Scholastic Press

Format: Hardcover

Review: This book was marketed as a modern day retelling of Lord of the Flies, which I found very intriguing. After reading the book, I would say that is an apt description. If you can get past the fact that a bunch of teenagers survived a horrific plane crash relatively unscathed, then it is an interesting story.

For readers who have read Lord of the Flies or similar survival stories, the outcome of the story is fairly predictable, but I think this would be a great discussion book for classrooms that want a fresher take on the classic story. I liked the analogy of the damselfly, and the cliffhanger at the end was certainly satisfying in its own way. I hope this is a standalone, not because I didn’t like the story, but because I think it packs more punch not knowing the fate of the remaining survivors.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Young Adult

The Young World

September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: The Young World

Author: Chris Weitz

Page Count: 384

Series: The Young World, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: July 29, 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Format: eBook

Review: As far as post-apocalyptic teen dramas go, this one was not the best, or even close to it. I had a very difficult time buying into the overall premise of a disease that kills everyone, except teens. Although it is plausible to think that a world governed by teens would quickly become a mecca for cruelty and vice, it feels like a lot of the terrible things that happen are added merely for shock value. The author really threw just about every controversial topic he could think of into one story: violence, rape, racism, homophobia, cannibalism, animal abuse, child soldiers, gangs, you name it…it’s probably in there. It’s hard to believe that there is anything left to address in two more books.

To the author’s credit, it is hard to be original with an overdone storyline, but I nevertheless found myself wanting more from the main characters and more from the story.

I won’t be continuing forward with this series.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Young Adult

Little White Lies

September 10, 2018October 30, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Little White Lies

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Page Count: 400

Series: Unknown

Publishing Date/Publisher: November 6, 2018 by Freeform

Format: eBook

Review: This book was a whole lot of fun. For fans of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, this is going to be the next big read.

The characters in this story were a bit stereotypical (nothing terribly original), but I still enjoyed watching them navigate through a life of riches and scandal. Although the story itself was bit formulaic (poor girl gets thrown into the deep end of high society as she is mentored by the wealthy family she never knew she had), I found it refreshing that there was no romantic subplot for the main character. The story focused almost entirely on her personal quest to find out who her father is.

Although I very much enjoyed this book, there are a couple reasons I could not bring myself to rate it higher.

The structure of the book was not my favorite. It starts out in the present then goes back in time to set the stage for what is happening now. Although I generally like this type of structure, I only like it when it is done well. The switches between the past and the present seem very unnecessary to me, and did nothing to further the suspense. The story could have moved along equally well if the author had only done one time jump in the beginning and then caught the reader back up towards the end of the book.

The big reveal at the end of the book was entirely anticlimactic. There are some authors that really know how to blow your mind with a big reveal, but this author has not quite mastered the art of it. The mystery is resolved enough to make this book a standalone, but the author left enough loose ends that I suspect that she is going to try to make it into a series. I, as the reader, feel perfectly content to leave the story where it ended in this book.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Road to Somewhere

September 8, 2018September 8, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Road to Somewhere

Author: Kelley Lynn & Jenny S. Morris

Page Count: Not Available

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: March 11, 2014 by Bloomsbury Spark

Format: eBook

Review: This book was the definition of O.K….certainly nothing to write home about. I did not feel any real attachment to the characters or romances. All in all, a truly forgettable read.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Young Adult

A Reaper at the Gates

September 6, 2018September 8, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustme1 Comment

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Title: A Reaper at the Gates

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Page Count: 464

Series: An Ember in the Ashes, Book 3

Publishing Date/Publisher: June 12, 2018 by Razorbill

Format: Hardcover

Review: Sabaa Tahir continues to impress me. When I read her debut novel, An Ember in the Ashes, I thought it might be a standalone. I was very happy to later hear that it would be part of a quartet. The first book was good, but I did not consider it five star good. However, each book in the series has gotten progressively better, and at this point, she is in the five star rating range for me.

This is a very unique story, and I enjoyed both the setting and the diverse array of characters. It has elements of mysticism, rebellion, and just the right amount of romance. I really appreciate the fact that although love is an important part of the story, the story is not built entirely around romantic love. The relationships between all the various characters drive the plot, but sometimes not in ways you would expect.

This is one of those books series that is very difficult to predict the outcome of. The author does a very good job of making the reader empathetic towards the harbinger of doom, and in some ways, you futilely hope for a happy ending for him too.

I am VERY excited for the final book in this series, and I eagerly await to find out when it will be released.

Two final thoughts:

I wish I had been able to enjoy this book in audiobook format (the library system I work for had the hard copy available before the eAudiobook format) because the three readers chosen for this series are all UH-MAZE-ING. I listened to the second book, A Torch Against the Night, in audiobook format and was completely mesmerized. I almost wish I had held out a little longer to listen to this third book as an eAudiobook, but alas my impatience to get my hands on it won out.

There has been some controversy surrounding the change in cover art that occurred when the third book was published. I have very little to say about this, aside from the fact that I admire that the author wanted to have her ethnically diverse characters featured on the front. My only disappointment is that the character of Laia depicted on the cover does not match her physical description in the book. The woman chosen to illustrate her is beautiful, but I was under the impression that Laia’s character is biracial. She is described as having dark hair, golden eyes, and golden skin. Some of her immediate family members, specifically her mother, are described as being blonde haired and blue eyed. I was hoping to see a biracial character represented on the cover, but we can’t all have what we want. Oh well!

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Leah on the Offbeat

September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Leah on the Offbeat

Author: Becky Albertalli

Performer: Shannon Purser

Length: 7 hr, 11 min, 21 sec

Series: Creekwood, Book 2

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Harper Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, so I was thrilled when I found out the author was publishing a book highlighting another character introduced in the first of the Creekwood series.

Leah was a character I enjoyed very much in Simon’s book, and I was excited to get to know her better. Leah’s character is self-assured and opinionated, and she loves her appearance, despite the fact that her body type does not adhere to traditional standards of beauty. She is confident in just about every aspect of herself, except her sexuality and her art. Leah is a very talented artist, but she is reluctant to show her deeply personal work to the people in her life. Perhaps she is worried that it will be revealing of the secret she has been harboring from her friends…her bisexuality.

Based on the description above, I should love Leah, but once inside her head, I actually found her to be a bit obnoxious. To make matters worse, many situations in the book made me cringe, because Leah was outright rude or inconsiderate to the people around her. By the end of the book, I was not her biggest fan.

The romance between Leah and another character was also very problematic. Her love interest came off extremely flat and the chemistry just wasn’t there. The story also does not address any blowback that would have undoubtedly occurred if the romance progressed the way it did in the book. It was extremely unrealistic and disappointing when the author jumped over any inevitable falling out and just included a “happy ending” epilogue to gloss it all over.

Despite my disdain for this book, the performer did a great job with her narration. I would give her a higher star rating than the book itself if I could.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

September 2, 2018September 2, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

Author: Becky Albertalli

Performer: Michael Crouch

Length: 6 hr, 45 min, 6 sec

Series: Creekwood, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2015 by Harper Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This love story is adorable. Simon is adorable. Everything about this book is adorable.

In all seriousness though, this is an excellent coming-of-age/teen romance. It’s angsty and endearing and you just want to reach through the pages and give Simon a big hug. It is hard for me to relate directly to his experiences coming out to his family and friends, but many of Simon’s struggles to accept himself are universal. The supporting characters in this story are, for the most part, also very likable. Simon’s friends and family are so accepting of who he is, that at first it seemed silly to me that he is so reluctant to come out to them. As the story progresses, however, I really got a better grasp of how scary this step is to a teen, regardless of whether or not they have a strong support network.

I enjoyed this story in audiobook format. I have listened to other audiobooks performed by Michael Crouch, and his voice is very well suited to books told from the perspective of a teenage boy. It’s a very generic “young man” voice, and his even cadence makes his performances very easy to listen to.

After reading this book, I was very excited to rent the movie adaptation Love, Simon. My expectations for book-turned-movie adaptations are always low, but the movie was extremely well cast, and they captured the feel of the book very well. This can be difficult to do, especially when so much of the book is introspective.

Both the book and the film were very heart-warming, and I highly recommend both to fans of this genre.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Historical · Romance · Young Adult

The Bird and the Blade

August 31, 2018January 16, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustme2 Comments

Title: The Bird and the Blade

Author: Megan Bannen

Performer: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 10 hr, 17 min, 3 sec

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Harper Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This book surprised me. I checked it out on my OverDrive app on a whim because it was available. I gave the brief synopsis attached to it only a cursory glance, so I knew very little diving into it. Very quickly into the reading, I knew that the story sounded vaguely familiar. As I listened a bit longer, I realized that it was an adaptation of a story I had heard before. Although I had some inkling of how it would end, I was intrigued to hear the story from the point of view of a slave girl.

What immediately drew me into the story was how cleverly the author organized it. Each part of the tale peeled back a new layer, and details that had at first seemed minor carried greater significance as more back story was revealed. By the end my heart was pounding and although I knew the outcome, I was still eager to see exactly how it played out.

My favorite part about the novel was how carefully the relationships were developed. The story is told from the point of view of Jinghua, a slave girl with a mysterious past. Jinghua is plain in appearance, but others value her for her intellect and spirit. She is beautiful on the inside, if not on the outside, and her actions throughout the story reflect that.

If I were to read this book again, I would probably read it in a different format. The performer had a tendency to exaggerate the waviness of her voice during dramatic scenes. I found this distracting, so I think I would have enjoyed the story even more if I had been reading it in a physical format.

I was so impressed with this book. It is a story of loss and love and sacrifice. It contained all the elements of a great story, and it was beautifully written. It is hard for me to believe that this was a debut novel. I look forward to whatever else the author has in store.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: