Most Anticipated 2015 Releases

Hello happy readers, and a happy New Year! It's 2015. Wow. That happened. Of course, with every new year comes new book releases, so here's a quick list of some of my most anticipated new releases for the year. Please keep in mind that the release dates are tentative and may change. Also, if you want to know more about any of the books, I've linked their goodreads pages. Just click on the name of the book and it'll take you to its goodreads page.

The very first book on my list comes out in four days (Jan. 6), and that is Firefight by Brandon Sanderson.

Firefight is the sequel to Steelheart, book two in a series that I just learned about eight seconds ago is called The Reckoners. I wrote a mini-review of Steelheart in an earlier post if you want to check out what I thought of it, but basically it was a really good, really fast-paced read with HUGE plot twists and I'm super excited to see what's going to happen next.
Release Date: January 6th

Next on the list also comes out in four days. Say hello to Golden Son by Pierce Brown:

Golden Son is the sequel to Red Rising, a book which I have not yet read. Woops. I'm going to read it soon, though as it looks amazing, and hopefully the looming release of the second book will motivate me to read the first one. If you have already read Red Rising, congratulations (I'm super jealous of you) and I hope Golden Son is just as good (or better) than the first!
Release Date: January 6th

Next on the list is Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I believe that this is her debut novel. From what I've heard/read/seen, it's basically a dystopian-fantasy-X-Men hybrid, which sounds awesome.
Release Date: February 10th

Also released in February is A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. To be honest, I have no idea what this is about. I think there may be parallel universes. I'm not sure. All I know is that it's by V.E. Schwab (also known as Victoria Schwab), and that's good enough for me.
Release Date: February 24th

Armada by Earnest Cline is another one I don't know much about. Really, though, it's by Earnest Cline, the guy who wrote Ready Player One, so of course it's going to be awesome. I do know that apparently there are video games involved. And aliens. Yes please.
Release Date: July 28th

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The next book on my list doesn't have any cover artwork yet, which is a shame because this author's books are usually so pretty. Jennifer E. Smith's new book is called Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between and although I don't know much about this one either (not for lack of trying. The goodreads summary is very vague), I'm going to hazard a guess and say it's a teenage romance. I'm actually not a huge fan of Smith's books, but I always end up buying them anyway because of the stunning (and matching) covers. I'm a sucker for stunning (and matching) covers.
Release Date: September 1st


This next one I am incredibly, very, super excited for.

Yes. Yes. Yes, Rainbow Rowell is writing an actual, physical, complete version of Carry On, the fanfiction that her main character from Fangirl, Cath, wrote. Yes.
Release Date: October 6th

Last on my very incomplete list is The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. Book one in his new Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. Yes, Asgard. ASGARD. From what I've heard, it sounds pretty similar to the Percy Jackson series: weird stuff happens in boy's life, boy is confused, boy finds out he's the son of a Greek Norse god, boy must go on a quest to save the world, but that's okay because ASGARD. Also, I'm pretty sure part of it takes part in Boston, which is cool.
Release Date: October 6th

That's all I've got for now. Happy reading!

Quotes from The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Once again I forgot to mark down my own favorite quotes, so I'm just stealing all of these from the goodreads page and tumblr.

"There's no freedom quite like the freedom of being constantly underestimated."

"There are only three people in life you can never fool - pawnbrokers, whores, and your mother. Since your mother's dead, I've taken her place. Hence, I'm bullshit-proof."

"I don't have to beat you. I don't have to beat you, motherfucker. I just have to keep you here... until Jean shows up."

"'I can't wait to have words with the Gray King when this shit is all finished,' Locke whispered. 'There's a few things I want to ask him. Philosophical questions. Like, 'How does it feel to be dangled out a window by a rope tied around your balls, motherfucker?'"

"When you don't know everything that you could know, it's a fine time to shut your fucking noisemaker and be polite."

"If reassurances could dull pain, nobody would ever go to the trouble of pressing grapes."

"Throwing blondes at Locke Lamora was not unlike throwing lettuce at sharks."

"'What kind of knife is this?' Locke held a rounded buttering utensil up for Chains' inspection. 'It's all wrong. You couldn't kill anyone with this.'"

"'So that makes us robbers,' said Bug, "who pretend to be robbers working for a robber of other robbers.'"

"'Fuckdamn,' said Conte, totally unable to help himself when the sums involved vanished over his mental horizon. 'Beg pardon, Dona Sofia.'

'You should.' She drained her snifter in one quick unladylike gulp. 'Your calculations are off. This merits a triple fuckdamn at the very least.'"

"'You wound us, madam,' said Calo. 'We're harmless as kittens.'

'More so,' said Galdo. 'Kittens have claws and piss on things indiscriminately.'"

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

5 stars. Initial reaction: Holy hell, something tells me I'm about to have one major book hangover.

This book was stunning. Stunning in scope, stunning in breadth, stunning in all of those other words that people use to describe a book that is just so gods-damned, all-around, mind-fuckingly brilliant that you need terms of epic proportion to do it justice.

'Scuse the language, I'm still caught up in the elaborate, ensnaring, bottomlessly-detailed world of the city of Camorr.

In quick summary, here's what Scott Lynch did right: He created imperfect characters that were loveable despite their faults. He world-builded (yes, it's a verb now) so hard that my mind just about exploded trying to contain the scope of it. He layered plot upon plot upon plot in such an intricate way that it's impossible to disentangle them, and why would you want to, as they all ended in a singularly thrilling and spectacular climax? And don't even get me started on the plot twists, I'm still trying to process them. The world, the characters, the language, the book were so enthralling that I just... I just can't.

I do have one minor quarrel with this book, though. The "Interlude" chapters, especially towards the end, were bit disruptive to the flow of the narrative, and I feel as though they weren't utilized entirely to their strengths. Hopefully that's something that will improve in future books, because it's a unique feature that I think, if used correctly, can only add to the story.

I am still trying to wrap my head around the spectacular entity that is this book. By all means, please join me in my speechlessly astounded awe.

And holy Crooked Warden do I ship Jean and Locke. 

More Mini-Reviews!

Because what better to do when you're procrastinating on finals than update a blog you haven't touched since July! But hey, I'm a college student now, it's what we do.

Here's a list of the books I'm reviewing in this post:

• City of Thieves by David Benioff
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• If I Stay by Gayle Forman
• Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

4.5 stars. This is a book that should be labeled as a modern classic (though I'd be surprised if it isn't already). The beginning was a bit slow, but it did get better. I didn't find myself caring for the main character too much, but I did find I cared for Kolya more than I'd anticipated. Do not pick up this book expecting a light, easy read. If you want to fully enjoy this book, you have to work for it. Definitely worth reading if you're up for the challenge, though. Also, Ron Perlman is the god of audiobook narrators. 

EDIT: I originally posted this review on my goodreads account (see here) when I first read it at the end of July. Now, at the beginning of December, i am remembering just how good this book actually was. I think now that I've had some time to think about it, 've formed a more concrete opinion and that opinion is that if you are looking for a book that will make you think, what are you waiting for go check it out of the library or buy it from your local bookseller right frikkin' now. 

(Minor spoilers? Maybe?)

5 stars. I read this book at the perfect moment. I was starting college soon, and so I related extremely well with Patrick and Sam, but also with Charlie because I was also (about to be) a freshman. This book was a godsend - it helped me freak out a little less about college. (edit: haha haha hah)

I think my favorite thing about this book, besides how ridiculously well-written and relatable it is, is that the thing about Aunt Helen at the end was not the point of the book. It was just another (albeit awful) thing that happened. Personally, I think it would have been much harder to enjoy the book if that had had a stronger presence throughout the book.

3.5 stars. I got pretty much exactly what I expected from this book. It was a very good read, but it didn't completely wow me. The plot was pretty straightforward, but at the same time well-crafted to suit the story. I don't think this is one of those stories that's going to stay with me forever, but it was still worth the read. Also, it definitely takes an emotional toll, especially if you're a college freshman trying to get over homesickness. 

EDIT: I read this book in early September, if you couldn't tell by me lamenting about homesickness. I was right. This book did not stick with me at all. 

First of all, this cover. Can we just - can we just. Second, I can't really say much about this book because it's the third book in a trilogy but I wanted to mention it on account of how much I frikkin' love it.

So that's it for now. I'll be posting more mini-reviews in a few days, along with a full review of an amazing book that I just finished (TBA) and quotes from that book. 

Mini Reviews!

This post will be brought to you in three parts: Part one, a mini review on a book. Part two, a mini review on another book. Part three - wait for it - a mini review on a third book! I figured I would try this style for a change, since I'm not the best at writing full reviews and I think most of what needs to be said about these books can be said in a paragraph or two. So without further ado, let's get into it!

How a book about superheroes (or rather, anti-heroes) should be. Fast paced, reads like an action movie. Other than the intense action scenes, though, I found it to be a bit tedious to get through. Lots of dialogue, and I feel as though the whole background for this post-apocalyptic world could have been explained in more detail. All in all, though, it was a solid read. The twist at the end makes it all worth it. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel. 4/5 stars.

It's been a very long time since I've read a book that not only has a compelling story and characters, but prose so amazing that I didn't want it to end. I wanted to keep reading, to stay longer in Patrick Ness's writing and the masterful world he'd created, and I was pretty much heartbroken when it ended. Not because of the ending, but because it had ended. Novels like this are very rare. 5/5 stars, I will recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Decent story, but I felt that I knew so much about the characters' disabilities and not enough about the characters themselves. That being said, I think (as someone who knows someone with OCD and had a classmate with CP) that the author did a decent job accurately portraying the disabilities, even if it was a bit overbearing at times. If you're considering it, it's definitely worth the read. (Be warned, though, it may be triggering for someone with OCD or something similar). 3/5 stars.

So that's that for this post. Let me know if you've read any of these books, what you thought of them, or if you're planning on reading them in the future!

First Sentences!

This is a response to kimberlyreads's video on youtube. She's the creator of the First Sentence Challenge, and recently she made another video about some of her favorite first sentences. I thought it would be fun to do the same...

How do you choose??? I went through my entire bookcase(s) and ended up with a stack of about twenty books. Eventually I narrowed it down. Ish. Well. Let's get started. (These are not in any particular order).

I'm going to assume The Fault in Our Stars goes without saying. "Late in the winter of my seventeenth year my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I ate infrequently, read the same book over and over again, and spent most of my abundant free time thinking about death." How did I do? I didn't look at my book(s) (I'm lazy), so that's probably off by a bit, but you know the one.

"It was a pleasure to burn."

Talk about powerful first sentences. I remember the first time I read this book, that line completely took me by surprise. That's a sentence that just makes you stop and go, "Wait, what?" and then you have to read more. It's simple and powerful. Also it's just a fantastic book in general.

"The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school."

I don't think I need to elaborate. 

"The man billed as Prospero the Enchanter receives a fair amount of correspondence via the theater office, but this is the first envelope addressed to him that contains a suicide note, and it is also the first to arrive carefully pinned to the coat of a five-year-old girl."

Uh...

Translation: "What... that's... intriguing... GIVE ME MORE."

"I AM A COWARD."

If you've read the book, you know why this is such a fantastic first sentence. It's a great first sentence anyway, because it immediately draws you into the story and starts a really important theme that carries through the rest of the book, while at the same time giving a pretty good character detail and also READ THE BOOK.

"The gorilla who clung to the ceiling was wearing a Princeton t-shirt."

Yeah. 

"Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town."

I actually didn't like this book that much, but I do like this first sentence. It's such an over-simplification of the beautiful monstrosity that is the Appalachian Trail, but that's the point, and it works, because everybody (myself included) oversimplifies the AT.

"Motion is impossible."

It's one of those sentences you read and then you keep reading and then you stop and you're like, "Wait, hang on, what?". It's one of those sentences. Also it's a pretty major theme throughout the book, so there's that.

"This is a tale of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast."

Classic Vonnegut.

"The future isn't what it used to be."

Again, another one of those, "Wait, what?" sentences.

That's it for now, folks!

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff: A Review (SPOILER FREE)

It's steampunk. It's Japanese. It's fantasy. And HOLY WORLD-BUILDING, BATMAN.

Everything just felt so richly imagined. The setting, the costumes, but also the culture itself, with its Guildsmen and samurai and clans and irezumi and everything in between. The world in this book is called the Shima Empire. It's ruled by the shogun, Yoritomo, who is protected by his ranks of Iron Samurai. Also close to the shogun are the many Guildsmen of the Lotus Guild - a group who's basically monopolized every industry in Shima, putting them to use for the production of everything lotus - lotus fuel, lotus-based drugs, probably even lotus shampoo. They're also the driving religious force in the nation, promoting the worship of the gods and the burning of any citizen deemed "impure". Then of course there are the clans, and the irezumi worn by each clan, and even more complexities within the clans, and even more complexities after that... It's pretty complex.

This world is so rich and imaginative, I can't even... You have your cities, like Kigen, that are so polluted and disgusting and corrupt, and then you have the Iishi Mountains, which are so pure and utterly devoid of human corruption. The contrast between them is so stark, and so beautifully done - Kigen makes Iishi seem all the purer and Iishi makes Kigen seem like the worst place to live on the planet (which it probably is).

The book spends about half its time in Kigen, and the other half in the Iishi, which is fantastic because I felt like I got to completely immerse myself in both settings without becoming bored. And the detail is flawless. The scenes are so rich, all the little details adding together to create such a complex and interesting image. Here's an excerpt from the beginning of the book:

"Yukiko and Akihito made their way through the squeezeways, over the refuse-choked gutters, past the grasping hands of a dozen blacklung beggars and down into Docktown; a cramped and weeping growth of low-rent tenements and rusting warehouses slumped in the shadows of the sky-ships. A broad wooden boardwalk stretched out over the black waters of the bay, hundreds of people shoving and weaving their way across the bleached timbers... Lotusmen swarmed in the air about them like brass corpseflies, the pipes coiled on their backs spitting out bright plumes of blue-white flame."

Time and time again I found myself getting swept up in scenes like that, so completely and utterly imagined that I couldn't believe it was just a figment of some guy's imagination.

And the costumes. Those outfits - I mean, really, people wearing giant brass suits to filter out the poisonous air (with the added side-effect of being basically invincible), chainsaw katanas, and steam-powered armor all alongside traditional Japanese robes and gowns - I'd want to see this book as a movie just for those costumes.

I did, however, have a few issues with this book.

First of all, the clans. I love the idea, and I think it added so much to this world that Kristoff has created. I would have loved to know more about them, though. It's hinted at several times throughout the book that there used to be more clans than the ones currently existing, but it's never mentioned what happened to them. The only kind-of, sort-of history of the Shima Empire we're ever given in this book are a few myths and legends that don't really add much to the story, and I wish there'd been more cold-hard facts.

The biggest issue, however, was with the characters. I loved Yukiko, and I loved Buruu even more, but everyone else was a bit... eh. There's a love triangle, but neither of the two men vying for Yukiko's attention ever really got my attention. They were both a bit predictable and boring, and in fact were remarkably similar.

I think that was the problem with the majority of the supporting characters in this book. They were all a bit too unremarkable, one-dimensional, and... similar. I mean, A+ for branching out from the overly-populated "white guy/white girl" section of YA novels, but you can't stop there, which this author seems to have done, if only a bit. Even Yukiko got on my nerves toward the end, with her cliched struggle of right vs. wrong that was reminiscent of Katniss in Mockingjay, only with much less style and much more predictability.

The only redeeming character in the novel is one I'm shocked I haven't even mentioned yet - Buruu, the thunder tiger. I won't say too much because spoilers, but he is bad-ass. I loved him. He was perfect.

Overall, I gave this book a three out of five stars on Goodreads, and I am planning on reading the sequel because I think Jay Kristoff will probably (hopefully) have improved a lot on some of his weaker elements (like the characters). We'll see.