Some quick review blurbs
Hi there!
I realized it's been a while since I posted--the new school year has started, and things are busy, busy busy!
I've been reading, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and write some in-depth reviews, but I thought I'd share with you what I've read since my last post, as well as some quick thoughts:
The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi
Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it)
Quick summary: A year after they broke up, Ella and Matt reunite. Matt is not over Ella, and Ella wants to be over Matt. As they relive the magical night that they first got together, Ella tries to figure out whether getting back together would be worth it.
Quick review: This was a really cute story! If you're into realistic YA romance (realistic as in, not fantasy or scifi or supernatural), then you'll like this one!
Lifel1k3 and Dev1at3 by Jay Kristoff
Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) for both
Quick summary: Eve lives among the ruins of post-apocalyptic, irradiated America, scavenging the heaps of electronic waste by day and bot-fighting at night. But the discovery of an android boy--not to mention, apparently she has the power to stop electronics with her mind???--among the scrap heaps will lead her, her best friend Lemon Fresh, and her robot buddy, Cricket, on a journey to discover long-buried secrets about her past.
Quick review: This is my first read of Jay Kristoff's solo books, and I was NOT disappointed. I love the Pinocchio parallels and the ultimate questions of what it means to be human and what constitutes identity. I can't wait to read the last book in the series next summer.
Competence and Reticence by Gail Carriger
Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) for both
Quick summary: These are the final two books in Carriger's Custard Protocol series. (Here are my reviews for book 1 and book 2.) Competence focuses on Primrose Tunstall and her growing interest in the crew's resident (female) werecat, while Reticence focuses on her brother Percy and his interest in the new female doctor to join the crew, while the entire series in general explores themes of colonialism and cultural exchange.
Quick review: I was honestly sad to see this series wrap up, because not only was it the end of THIS series, but it's the general conclusion of this particular universe of Carriger's that spans three entire book series, as well as a bunch of novella's. They were both everything you would expect--witty, sweet, and funny--but I have to give a special shout-out to Reticence because 1) Percy is one of those people who doesn't like people, and it felt especially sweet to see him fall in love, and 2) we got to see the wholllllllle gang in this one--a lot of the major players from the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate series either show up or are at least mentioned, and it just felt so lovely :)
Pestilence and War by Laura Thalassa
Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) for both
Quick summary: This is a fantasy-ish adult romance series about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the women who end up falling in love with them.
Quick review: Okay, I HAD to read these, because I was like, 1) Why are they beautiful, and 2) How can you fall in love with them when their entire purpose is to wipe out all the humans? But these ended up being really fun to read, even though they are Stockholm-Syndrome-y. There's a lot of questioning whether humanity is worth saving (spoiler alert: yes) and whether love really is that powerful (spoiler alert: yes). I'm hoping that the last two won't just feel like repeats of the first two but with different leads slotted in, if that makes sense.
I realized it's been a while since I posted--the new school year has started, and things are busy, busy busy!
I've been reading, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and write some in-depth reviews, but I thought I'd share with you what I've read since my last post, as well as some quick thoughts:
The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi
Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it)
Quick summary: A year after they broke up, Ella and Matt reunite. Matt is not over Ella, and Ella wants to be over Matt. As they relive the magical night that they first got together, Ella tries to figure out whether getting back together would be worth it.
Quick review: This was a really cute story! If you're into realistic YA romance (realistic as in, not fantasy or scifi or supernatural), then you'll like this one!
Lifel1k3 and Dev1at3 by Jay Kristoff
Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) for both
Quick summary: Eve lives among the ruins of post-apocalyptic, irradiated America, scavenging the heaps of electronic waste by day and bot-fighting at night. But the discovery of an android boy--not to mention, apparently she has the power to stop electronics with her mind???--among the scrap heaps will lead her, her best friend Lemon Fresh, and her robot buddy, Cricket, on a journey to discover long-buried secrets about her past.
Quick review: This is my first read of Jay Kristoff's solo books, and I was NOT disappointed. I love the Pinocchio parallels and the ultimate questions of what it means to be human and what constitutes identity. I can't wait to read the last book in the series next summer.
Competence and Reticence by Gail Carriger
Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) for both
Quick summary: These are the final two books in Carriger's Custard Protocol series. (Here are my reviews for book 1 and book 2.) Competence focuses on Primrose Tunstall and her growing interest in the crew's resident (female) werecat, while Reticence focuses on her brother Percy and his interest in the new female doctor to join the crew, while the entire series in general explores themes of colonialism and cultural exchange.
Quick review: I was honestly sad to see this series wrap up, because not only was it the end of THIS series, but it's the general conclusion of this particular universe of Carriger's that spans three entire book series, as well as a bunch of novella's. They were both everything you would expect--witty, sweet, and funny--but I have to give a special shout-out to Reticence because 1) Percy is one of those people who doesn't like people, and it felt especially sweet to see him fall in love, and 2) we got to see the wholllllllle gang in this one--a lot of the major players from the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate series either show up or are at least mentioned, and it just felt so lovely :)
Pestilence and War by Laura Thalassa
Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) for both
Quick summary: This is a fantasy-ish adult romance series about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the women who end up falling in love with them.
Quick review: Okay, I HAD to read these, because I was like, 1) Why are they beautiful, and 2) How can you fall in love with them when their entire purpose is to wipe out all the humans? But these ended up being really fun to read, even though they are Stockholm-Syndrome-y. There's a lot of questioning whether humanity is worth saving (spoiler alert: yes) and whether love really is that powerful (spoiler alert: yes). I'm hoping that the last two won't just feel like repeats of the first two but with different leads slotted in, if that makes sense.