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On The Come Up by Angie Thomas || This Is All Sorts Of Bri(lliance)

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Well, we all knew the Queen of YA, Angie Thomas, would gift us with another incredible story.

So brb, I am just feeling so many things about On The Come Up. I also really love Angie Thomas’ style and her passion and love that you can absolutely feel in every single page of the book. This one is about Bri who is a rapper and her family is facing possible homelessness and she’s trying to be herself…but she doesn’t know who that is yet. Her murdered dad was this Big Rapper Legend and everyone expects her to be him.

The story is about finding where you fit.

It’s not as dark as The Hate U Give, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful or needed. (I did like THUG more, but I also don’t want to compare them, because they’re different!)

 

Thank you Walker Books AUS for the review-copy! On The Come Up by Angie Thomas came out Feb 5th, 2019

 

➸ so first things first: it’s about rapping.

Bri’s #1 dream is to be a rapper and she’s super good at it. Her dad was a rapper and could’ve been really famous…except he was murdered when she was really little. Bri loves him, but doesn’t really remember him…but also doesn’t want to be him. She wants to make it as a rapper on her own talent.

So she writes a song that gets misconstrued and everything takes off from there. Kiiiind of out of her control.

There are so many powerful lyrics in what Bri raps and how she thinks up lyrics all the time. I noticed when she was particularly happy or stressed, she found a way to mentally put it in a rap. Also I think Angie Thomas herself is a rapper? So I can imagine the heart and talent that went into this part of crafting the book. (Also the movie is going to be EPIC.)

All these folks I’ve never met became gods over my life. Now I gotta take the power back.

➸ Bri and her family were my favourite thing in the book!!

Bri is amazing and so loving and protective of her family. She’s also a total geek (and so tired of how nobody gets her references) and finds school exhausting and is really done with people treating her badly because of her neighbourhood and being black. She absolutely takes NO shenanigans and has a really sharp temper…which lands her in a lot of (unfair) trouble too. And she’s flawed…I loved that about her. YA is all about teens who are learning what is to be themselves while they tumble through decisions and grow up. This had the heart of YA so so well.

Also…

➸ I love her realtionship with her family!! Her brother Trey is a total softie and takes such good care of her. And her mum lost herself to drugs for years and basically had to give up Bri and Trey to their grandparents and it took forever to get custody back. Their family is fractured but so close. I love them!! The banter was A+!! That uno game was WILD.
➸ And Bri’s friend squad of Sonny (who is gay and a graffiti artist) and Malik (a budding documentary maker and Bri’s long time crush…which goes badly) are EPIC together. They’re not perfect and they have some bitter fights. But I love tight-knit friend groups.

Jay’s a people person. I’m more of a “yes, people exist, but that doesn’t mean I need to talk to them” person.

➸ the romance was so smol but so cute

It was a tiny side-dish, which I appreciated, because Bri has a heck of a lot going on here. And it’s not the ship you originally think it will be….I just liked it a lot!!

 

➸ the themes are so so good.

This book arrived to raise its voice, which is something we’re all grateful for. It unpacks discussions on racial profiling and prejudice, it talks about what it really means to be poor, and it’s about defining yourself even despite others assuming things about you. It’s also about consequences: whether earned or not. Agh, so much unfairness hits Bri’s life, so you end up aching with her.

 

➸ I adore the writing in Angie Thomas’ books!

It’s always immediately captivating and Bri’s voice was just THE BEST. I also laughed out luod and got twisted up in anxious nerves, so like: get you a book that can do it all. (Although, unlike in THUG, I didn’t feel wrecked reading this…but it still had so much emotion.) Also for a 450 page book…it went by fast!


Obviously this is one you don’t want to miss! I loved it so much and seriously cannot wait for Thomas’ next book announcement. (pls be soon…) It’s a complex story with so many layers and it wraps a tight hug around family, friends, dreams, and fears. It’s about defining yourself and speaking up with art and passion and talent.

 

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.
On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

Goodreads | Walker Books | Book Depository | Booktopia

 

➸ similar titles to try…

   

have you read The Hate U Give or On The Come Up?!? do you compare authors’ secondary books to their first or try to view them separately?

Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman || Reading This Causes Dehydration

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I just want to thank Dry right up front for making me the most hydrated person I have ever been.

I have never been so freaking thirsty in my life — and then I read this book and suddenly I consumed like 40 gallons of water in 350pages. I’M NOT JOKING. 10/10 this book will remind you to HYDRATE. Forget all those “drink 6 glasses a day” challenges, just read Dry and you will start crying over a tiny cup of water in gratitude.

Also I want to say a special thank you from my anxiety and I to Neal Shusterman, who makes me so traumatised in every. single. book. of. his. I. read. (I LOVE IT, NEVER CHANGE.)

I find it pretty awesome that this is a father-and-son collab novel too! It’s great to raise your children as writers! Although if I ever had kids I would 100% raise them as chefs so they could feed me while I write. But this is a tangent excuse me.

SOME THINGS YOU CAN EXPECT

★ your mouth being weirdly dry all of a sudden ok wow
★ an apocalyptic road trip with a bunch of teens who are NOT FRIENDS
★ you can imagine the shenanigans that are coming
★ such a realistic setting and plot…you can imagine it happening to you
★ people being severely messed up
★ america being a problem (usual tho)
★ no romance actually
★ a plot that’s constantly go go go

I really enjoyed this! In a…traumatic kind of way. The stakes are super high (find water vs die) and it throws us into a world where you can’t turn the tap on and take a drink. In fact, there is no water anywhere. Obviously humans need water to survive more than anything, so watching the universe spiral out of control so fast and viciously was both terrifying and absolutely realistic. This book is dedicated to climate change and, woahhhhh, it is such a slap in the face.We all need this slap. why did we break our planet

 

It has quite a lot of perspectives to capture the scope of the tragedy.

This is good because –> we see how WIDESPREAD it is. But it’s also bad because –> I never really connected to anyone?? I feel like the book was all about the plot/premise, and…not the characters.

But anyway! We have:

  • Alyssa ~ her personality was honestly “being trustworthy” and while I liked her, I don’t feel like I knew her.
  • Kelton ~ he’s the next-door-neighbour-kid that Alyssa always thought was creepy because his dad is an Apocayplse Prepper (before it even happened! cue their house being a fortress and they have generators/stocks of food and water and weapons etc). I reeeally liked Kelton. He’s very earnest and super awkward.
  • Garret ~ he’s Alyssa’s 10yo little brother and kind of annoying because little siblings are ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
  • Jacqui ~ I swear she is the best thing ever. She gets tangled up in their journey due to circumstances, but she is TERRIFYING and will bite things. She has bitten, will bite again. And is secretly so soft™ so basically my favourite.
  • Henry ~ he is a nasty little cunning piece of Slytherin. The actual slimiest. But I loved how he shook up the others’ story line and messed their dynamics up. He is intriguing and I hate him ahaha.

The plot was basically freak out –> travel –> lose hope –> keep travelling. 

It’s very much action/adventure focused and it keeps things moving at a fearsome pace! I admit journey-plots aren’t my true love (I just wanna get there already) it kept my attention! It was so so taut. Is everyone going to die??? Is the world going to end??? I had no idea how to predict the ending! Shout out to how stressy the finale was! WOW.

It’s a good social commentary on how the world is today…and what it could become. And seeing it explore how depraved humanity can cave to so so fast is chilling. Like what would YOU DO FOR WATER if you were about to die?! There were so many chilling scenes too.

Basically this is the book will make you think and I love that about it. 

AND IT MADE ME SO THIRSTY. That’s how vivid it was! It is more about the desperate race to get water and live as opposed to really developing the characters (it reminded me of the Gone series too) but it’s captivating and STRESSFUL and would recommend thoroughly!!

THANK YOU TO WALKER BOOKS AUSTRALIA FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman is out October 2018!

★★★★☆

The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.
Until the taps run dry.
Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

Goodreads  Book Depository  Booktopia  Walker Books

 

  

do you actively think about what would happen if society collapsed?! and tell me your favourite end-of-the-world novels!! will you read this one???

White Rabbit Red Wolf by Tom Pollock || Mind Bending Conspiracy Adventure With Side Dish of Anxiety

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White Rabbit Red Wolf was very good and also such a wild ride your entire mind is going to get whiplash.

I did go in thinking this was a contemporary about an anxious mathematician. And it is. But it’s also a twisty spy-conspiracy thriller with a little bit of Xmen thrown in at some corners and so much math. Peter is literally trying to find the formula that will calculate his anxiety so he can understand why he’s always so scared. The kid counts in square roots to calm down!!

Sometimes if I try to do maths, my eyeballs bleed. I actually stayed playing music for such a long time because you really only have to count up to four. I don’t even count page numbers of books, ok, I let Goodreads do that for me.

So I really admired the math and (will confess) I got totally lost several times. I don’t think that is a problem for the enjoyment, but THERE’S MATH, OK PEOPLES. FAIR WARNING.

It’s such a mind bendy book!

One minute you’re reading about Peter, who lives with his twin sister and super intelligent scientist mother, and then the next — GUNS. BLOOD. KIDNAPPINGS. ATTEMPTED MURDER. REAL MURDER. RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE. CONSPIRACIES. DOUBLE-CROSSING-AGENTS. ANXIETY.

Confusion? I know it. Sometimes it was all I knew ha ha ha…ahem. But honestly the wildness really captivated me too! I wasn’t actually expecting this kind of book, but I was thrilled and addicted and trying desperately to work out the good vs badies. Who is who?! Or is everyone morally grey?!

It’s best not to go in with TOO much knowledge of the plot! But basically Peter’s scientist mother is shot and kidnapped and he and his twin are being rounded up by the British super secret intelligence. For their “own safety”. His twin sister has vanished though…and seriously who the heckkkk do they trust.

The whole book screws with Peter’s head — aka it screws with ours. And by the end?! I have so. many. questions. Open ending, hi, just hit me why don’t you.

Peter is the kind of narrator you fall in love with: total gangly, anxious, super genius and dork.

Peter is an Anxious Wreck On Two Legs™. He has a panic disorder (he’s not autistic) and an eating disorder (which I believe is #ownvoices rep from the author note). He’s a genius but bullied, and he’s always being beaten up and faking he’s not smart in class just to survive. His twin sister, Bel, absolutely DESTROYS anyone who touches him and I love that kind of relationship.

  • There are so many epic intelligent women in this book!!
  • Also Peter’s best-friend is a girl with OCD
  • Peter is very self-depreciating about his issues and adorably funny
  • ALSO DON’T TRUST ANYONE EVER

  • really heartfelt and good mental health rep
  • I don’t think it encourages cures or “fixes” (apart from wanting to just cope better with life)
  • SPY CONSPIRACY MIND TWISTY PLOT
  • maths, more than 2+2 actually
  • a really adorkable character you want to protect
  • epic sibling relationships
  • lies lies lies lies lies
  • actual hilarious lines that will make you bust up laughing
  • British setting
  • being on the run and screaming into the void about it
  • basically imagine someone REALLY UNPREPARED to cope with their adventure? Meet Peter Blankman, ok. This poor kid.

I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who loves their minds twisted and to have a REALLY wild ride. It’s a bit improbable and sometimes confusing, but it has deeply flawed and loveable characters. It cares about diversity. And it’s FUNNY.

 

THANK YOU TO WALKER BOOKS FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. White Rabbit Red Wolf by Tom Pollock was published July 2018.

Peter Blankman is afraid of everything and must confront unimaginable terror when his mother is attacked.
Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a maths prodigy. He also suffers from severe panic attacks. Afraid of everything, he finds solace in the orderly and logical world of mathematics and in the love of his family: his scientist mum and his tough twin sister Bel, as well as Ingrid, his only friend.
However, when his mother is found stabbed before an award ceremony and his sister is nowhere to be found, Pete is dragged into a world of espionage and violence where state and family secrets intertwine. Armed only with his extraordinary analytical skills, Peter may just discover that his biggest weakness is his greatest strength.

Goodreads  Book Depository  Publisher  Book Topia

  

what’s the weirdest/wildest book you’ve read?! and have you heard of this one? is it on your TBR? do you think more action/adventure books should feature mental illnesses?

And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness || Upside Down Moby Dick! Also Illustrated! We’ve Been Blessed

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And The Ocean Was Our Sky is an extremely beautiful and somewhat odd story.

I do like how Patrick Ness’ books are rarely “the usual” because it’s fresh and different and unpredictable! And the illustrations of this one were just !!! That’s how you write a good review, kids. You say your opinion is “!!!” and pretend to be eloquent. I’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS TRUST ME.

This is definitely not like any of the other Ness books. I thought it’d be like A Monster Calls, considering it’s illustrated too, but…not really. It’s extremely metaphorical and basically a fable that talks about war turning people into monsters, and how sometimes you make monsters by forever pursuing justice through violence instead of choosing peace.

So good stuff. I like.

It’s also an upside-down retelling of Moby Dick!

I have nOT read Moby Dick and all I know is that there’s a whale. I’m…I’m a little ashamed of me too. (I actually looked up the wikipedia synopsis about this and gUESS WHAT IT IS ABOUT A WHALE.) However you need to know the original to appreciate this one! But it is upside-down so it’s (a) narrated by the whales, and (b) the whales are harpooning the men now. Which quite frankly makes sense. Men…I can’t even with them. So it was weird but I was onboard (LOL LOL SHIP PUN) for a bit of oddity. Although I’m still confused about how the whales had ships? I couldn’t visualise it and there wasn’t an illustration for it.

Also Toby Wick (VERY CLEVER) was on the evil-human side but I am still 0% sure as to what he was. A man? An actual monster???

As a black-and-white sort of person, I did struggle to read between the lines of all the allegories. 

It feels like an Aesop Fable in style really and the writing has an old-fashion voice so I had to really focus to stay engaged. But the illustrations were GORGEOUS. And they got super dark (so um, yes, this is not middle-grade ok). I also want to raise my hands and just say: “THANK YOU. ADULTS DESERVE ILLUSTRATIONS TOO.” 10/10 would like all books to have more illustrations.

And The Ocean Was Our Sky feels like it’s full of questions and meanings and leaves you thinking. It’s beautifully put together too! Even if I was a bit confused how a whale had a narrator…my imagination got a work out haa ha ha.

THANK YOU TO WALKER BOOKS FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness is published September 2018.

With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…
As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.

Goodreads  Book Depository  Booktopia  Publisher

alright tell me a YA book you WISH was illustrated?! and do you read much Patrick Ness? What’s your favourite? Will you try this one?

Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein || New Favourite #LoveOZYA Thriller?!

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Okay WOW, I absolutely glued my face to Small Spaces! It was so good!

I started off reading last Sunday afternoon thinking, “Eh I’ll read a few chapters before working” and then it’s an hour later and I’m flipping pages anxiously after shouting at the sun and checking under my bed 57 times and saying, “whAt iS GoING ONNNN.”

Solid stuff here. Am a fan.

Also three things to note: (1) I literally can’t check under my bed because my bed is on the floor?!??!!? So look what this book has done to me. And (2) I don’t actually usually like thrillers (I’m never thrilled #sob) but I enjoyed this one so so much!! My thriller-opinion is CHANGED. And lastly (3) I actually read an ARC so the first picture of this post is badly photoshopped. Enjoy my skills ah ha ha.


✓ The amazingly created characters is what made this one stand out for me! I do like a good solid twisty plot, but charactesr who are complex, diverse, dimensional and LEAVE ME FEELING THINGS?!? Heck yes I’m more here for that. Tash is an anxious (and slightly neglected) wreck. Morgan is like an over-excited puppy of love. Sadie is here to be so fabulous you can see her glorious light shining from the moons. Mallory is soft™ and must be protected at all costs. I!! love!! them!! Books that focus on characters first always make me care —> which makes the plot way more compelling.

 

 

✓ The plot was also frikkin’ fine. It’s about Tash, now 17, still trying to recover from her traumatic childhood where she (a) had a creeptastic imaginary friend named Sparrow WHO WAS LIKE AN EVIL SPLOT YOU’D FIND IN THE BASEMENT, and (b) she witnessed a 6 year old little girl get kidnapped. But obviously when an 8-year-old says “My imaginary friend kidnapped her!” everyone just writes her off as an attention-seeking brat.

My heart really broke for Tash and the way her mental health was treated. It was infuriating who everyone diminished her as “attention seeking” when she was obviously anxious, even as a kid. And her mother was awful and condescending (argghh) and I think the book really highlighted how isolated you can feel with mental illness and not being believed.

 

 

✓ So is the imaginary friend real or not?! It keeps you guessing and second-guessing yourself the entire time! Is it paranormal? Is Tash really seriously seeing things? Is someone mucking up her life? IS THIS THE BROTHER OF STEPHAN KING’S IT OR SOMETHING??? Obviously I give no spoilers. (Mwhahaha.) But I LOVED how it was handled. Sparrow was so flipping creepy. I was genuinely CREEPED. If I say “creep” one more time you can creep over and turn me into a crepe or something. I mean.

#CREEPIFIED

 

 

✓ The whole plot tied together reeeeeally well at the end. Possibly it was a bit tight/clean/tidy, but more importantly I’m sitting here lowkey wishing for a sequel from this fantastic-friendship-squad, who are all slightly damaged but super adorable little boxes of trauma! Aww.

 

✗ My only quibble is that it was slow to warm up. But we also know I have the attention span of a refried gnat, so take that onboard! I just felt it dragged a little too much at the beginning (although I get it was to build tension and set the scene) and some of Tash’s decisions were like: “WHYYY TASH WHYYYY.” I mean she literally had a traumatic experience at her aunt’s creepy house as a kid and now, at 17 is like, “I’M SURE IT’LL BE FINE TO REVISIT.” aGhighajfffsss Look once I ate a piece of lettuce and it had a grasshopper near it, so now I can never eat lettuce again. Be like me. Be safe. Learn.

Small Spaces is one of my new favourite thrillers! A+ characters who had me invested within mere pages and the type of creeptastic imaginary friend that will make you ban yourself from imaginary games forever! Such fun! I will take 9 more!

THANKS TO WALKER BOOKS AUS FOR THE ARC! Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein was published April 2018!

Tash Carmody has been traumatised since childhood, when she witnessed her gruesome imaginary friend Sparrow lure young Mallory Fisher away from a carnival. At the time nobody believed Tash, and she has since come to accept that Sparrow wasn’t real. Now fifteen and mute, Mallory’s never spoken about the week she went missing.
As disturbing memories resurface, Tash starts to see Sparrow again. And she realises Mallory is the key to unlocking the truth about a dark secret connecting them. Does Sparrow exist after all? Or is Tash more dangerous to others than she thinks?

Goodreads  Publisher  Buy  Author Twitter

 

CLICK TO READ REVIEWS

  

alrighty do you read many thrillers?!? and did you ever have an imaginary friend as a kid?? and tell me what you think of Small Spaces!!

Chaos Walking 10th Anniversary Edition #Giveaway + 7 Reasons You Should Be Obsessed With This Trilogy

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I just want to give a warm and happy CONGRATS to the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness for its 10th anniversary of destroy hearts!

Bless it.

Sometimes bookworms joke around and say they want happy books, but NO. What they really want are trilogies like this one that are complex and emotional and full of heart-wrenching moments and characters you love and die with that will ultimately change your life. And make you cry a little. Ha ha. Or a lot! It’s flexible. So nice of it!

I’m teaming up with Walker Books Australia to giveaway a complete set of the 10th anniversary editions which have pages stained as black as our hearts probably. It’s SO gorgeous.

But before we get to that, I’m listing 7 reasons you absolutely need to start reading these books! I mean, obviously I should just say “READ IT” and you all will. But in case you need convincing…

 

1. I THINK IT’S WORTH NOTING IT HAS THE BEST TITLES EVER.

Look sometimes I just fall a little bit in love with titles. And I find it especially cool as, the more I read, the more the titles make sense until they’re absolutely freaking clever and I just have such admiration for them. And I really really love saying “CHAOS WALKING” which is basically how I announce myself in the mornings anyway.

So just trust me that (A) the titles mean something big for EACH BOOK, (B) they’re so so epic, and (C) they gradually get shorter as the trilogy goes on to be symbolic of how much of your heart there is left to break. *

 

* I’M JOKING…but really…

2. IT’S A SCI-FI TRILOGY ABOUT SETTLERS OF A NEW WORLD AND HOW THAT ALL GOES SOUR SUPER FAST.

Which gives it this nearly Western vibe at times because everyone speaks slang and education is nobody’s priority and everything is about farms (!) survival (!) settling (!) destroying natives (!…) and doing all that other fun stuff that men do when they enter a new place.

I also think it critiques white men’s way of “conquering” because heck, they do a bad job. There’s some alien natives on this planet they’ve taken over and it’s war —> slavery basically. UGH PEOPLE.

3. IT HAS UNIQUE FORMATTING WHICH IS MY FAVOURITE THING RIGHT AFTER BREAD.

Bread is great. But UNIQUE FORMATTING!! I’m not going to lie, I absolutely adore when books think outside the box. And I feel this trilogy doesn’t so much think outside the box, as frikkin’ kicks the box over. It’s great.

The people in New World are affected by this alien-germ that makes all the men’s thoughts be heard. They call it Noise and the book often uses like this wild font to demonstrate how overwhelming and intense it can be.

4. OKAY BUT SPEAKING OF THE “NOISE” HOW HORRIBLE WOULD IT BE TO HAVE ALL YOUR THOUGHTS OUT IN THE OPEN????

I am so…not a fan. Ahem. But only the men are affected by this, and I kind of wonder if this is a subtle point at how men say “oh women are impossible to understand and read”…and in this book it’s exploded 100 x over. Plus Todd, when he meets his first girl and can’t read her Noise, acts like she’s dead and dumb inside because he doesn’t understand her. And I just feel like that’s a parallel of that to how we, in today’s society, treat people who communicate differently to us and then use it as an excuse to be horrible to them.

Or maybe I’m reading way too much into it ah hahaha, but I’m having fun, don’t stop me. I feel like this story has so so many deep layers.

5. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TODD, OUR NARRATOR, AND HIS VOICE IS SO STRONG AND EMOTIONAL.

It’s in 1st person and it’s so personal and close. You aren’t reading Todd, YOU ARE TODD. He narrates the first book solo, and then Viola co-narrates the second. But TODD. I really love him. The emotion and the panic are all splattered across the page as he and Viola take this cross-country run to get away from an army and warn a town that they’re about to be destroyed.

Also Todd is a Hufflepuff and you can fite me on this but I won’t back down.

Plus Todd + Viola’s relationship is so thick and complex and emotional…it just fills my heart and guts me all at the same time. I love love love how it’s written.

6. IT WILL KEEP YOU ABSOLUTELY GLUED TO THE PAGE AT ALL TIMES UNTIL YOU ARE ONE WITH THE PAGE.

Honestly, they’re just that addictive. The plots! The running! The terror! The questions! It is like MASTER of unanswered questions. Todd is basically thrown into his speedy journey at the beginning by his adopted-dads with 0% information because they couldn’t have people reading it out of his Noise. So the whole time: Todd is asking questions, WE are asking questions, tHE WORLD IS ASKING QUESTIONS.

And when you get some answers? You get more questions.

The book is master of half-stories and lies and twists. And when it comes clear, ohhhh it packs such a punch.

I’m also so impressed at the amount of psychological subplots?! There’s mind control and manipulation and the badies are SO BAD and the goodies are BAD too and, yes, everyone is morally grey. Everyone. Trust only Todd and Viola, I tell you.

War makes monsters out of men.

7. IT DOES NOT GO EASY ON YOUR FEELS. IT IS HERE TO DESTROY YOU AND YOU WILL BE GLAD.

Honestly this trilogy HURTS. And I think that’s really special and perfect?! Books that get an emotional response, that stick to your bones, that make you think and think??? Those are the kind of books I want in my life. This trilogy is one of my utter new favourites. Everything from the raw writing to the storyline to the heart winning characters, to the terrible terrible things it discusses?! It just hits me so much.

PAIN IS NOT SPARED HERE, OK, YOU MAY CRY. GOOD LUCK.

OPEN TO AUSTRALIA ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

okay tell me a series/book that’s made you really emotional over the characters?!? and have you read The Knife of Never Letting Go or any other Patrick Ness books??

Scythe by Neal Shusterman || Dystopian of Perfect Murders Because “Thou Shalt Kill”

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So Scythe is basically about murder and death and deathly murder. Exciting!

I feel like everyone and their dog and their aunt and their friend’s semi-literate fish has been begging me to read this…and look I finally did! It’s definitely worth all the rave reviews (although I confess to loving the author’s Challenger Deep and Unwind more).

And look, I keep whingeing on about how “I’m just not into dystopians anymore” but for two weeks in a row I’ve enjoyed them. So there we go! The world is full of murder and surprises.

+ In this dystopian universe, it’s a perfect world with no death. So people become scythes to keep the balance.
If you think that sounds like a terrifically flawed idea. WELL DONE! YOU ARE RIGHT! Humans are so good at mucking everything up. I do so love this world (it reminded me of The Giver) and amongst the perfectness, the scythes still h ave the ability to be cruel and warped. Although I confess even giving the scythes an opportunity to be violently cruel (with guns and flamethrowers and knives etc.)…kiiiind of lost me. Why even give them the option?! shouldn’t everyone get pacifist deaths?! Like a murder-pill or something??? If humanity is supposedly  “perfect”???

 


+ But hello look at the cover. The scythes had freaking awesome robes and I want one.
No no, I don’t want to be a scythe. Just the robe. I NEED ONE. I mean I MIGHT JOIN THE SCYTHEDOM FOR ONE. I DON’T KNOW. GIVE ME THE OPTION AND WE’LL SEE.

 

+ It’s dual narrated by Citra and Rowan.
The story is split between them (plus little journal excerpts from other scythes between their chapters). Both have been basically forced into apprenticeships to Scythe Faraday and at the end, one has to glean the other. I enjoyed both their perspectives! Citra is a bit of a Slytherin go-getter and Rowan is a self confessed “lettuce” (aka: unimportant and forgettable). And if you put a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff together…I just ship it. I do. However, I did feel their narration was distant (which is weird as I generally adore 3rd person the best) but I was super keen to see how their story would unfold. Their relationship was also marvellous. SO CUTE. But if you don’t like romance, this actually has very very little.

ALSO THE BOOK IS VERY MEAN TO ROWAN AND MY POOR HEART.❤💔

 

+ It is kind of long though.
I felt it was a teeny tiny bit rambly, and it took me a while to get invested because there wasn’t much plot besides Citra and Rowan training to be scythes. However it was still enjoyable to read. I just…am not so big on the “now we FIGHT AND TRAIN” narratives that are everywhere.

 

+ AND THEN THE TWISTS CAME.
Like hit me in the face with a brick, why don’t you. One of the twists had me kind of going “OH. OH. I DIDN’T WANT THAT” which is a masterfully great feeling. Who needs happiness?! Not bookworms!

 


+ And I really appreciated the detail of the world building.
It’s a “perfect” society and everyone can reset their ages and live in comfort (although they still had to work/strive). The whole world just felt so CHILL. Apart from, you know, rogue scythes doing mass murders due to corruption. But what can we say. These things happen. The details of the world just really made it so easy to get lost in.

I was late to the Scythedom highway-to-hell but I’m HAPPY I’M HERE NOW. It wasn’t a “perfect” read for me as I wasn’t emotionally invested, but it was full of questions and things to make you think. There is death, corruption, feels and knives. Yes please and thank you.

THANK  YOU WALKER BOOKS FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Scythe by Neal Shusterman was published February 2018.

★★★★☆

Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Goodreads  Publisher  Buy

  

 

okay tell me a book people keep telling YOU to read?!? (and are you going to read it?) also what do you think of Scythe?!? ?

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas // Basically Can We Give All The Love To This Book

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The Hate U Give is absolutely an incredible read.

It’s probably one of the most hyped books in the book blogosphere of…ever!??? Even right back when it was announced!! Because it had so many publishers auctioning for it, plus it was a six figure deal, plus I believe it even got moved forward in publishing date because everyone was so excited about it, plus it already is in works to become a movie and it’s been out for a hot month. And it’s so worthy of the hype! I recommend getting your little eyeballs towards a copy and reading it ASAP.

It perfectly combines talking about the really important topic of the #BlackLivesMatter movement with excellent storytelling, writing, and characters. It’s just JUST A DEBUT. Hopefully Angie Thomas becomes one of the top contemporary voices in YA!

 

I think the characters made it incredibly special too.

Starr was so winning and relatable and complex…I just rooted for her the whole time. She’s got personality, dreams, and fears — and will also refuse to watch Harry Potter with her dad because he mocks it too much. Which brings me to one of the best things of ever: this book focuses on family!! Be still my beating heart. Positive !! loving !! family !! representation!! Starr’s parents are loving and supportive and respectful and they bring up their kids to think for themselves. Yes please and thank you for their existence.

 

(Also Starr frequently said her parents were her OTP. Excuse me but that’s so ridiculously adorable.)

 

I also enjoyed reading about teens who actually respected their parents. Suuuuuure they did dumb stuff BECAUSE IT’S IN THE CONTRACT OF BEING A TEENAGER, but they loved their parents fiercely and also would rather relocate to Antartica to live amongst the penguins instead of getting caught doing evil because #SoDead.

“So she unfollowed your Tumblr thingy,” Momma says, proving why she can never have one.

I also adored all the secondary characters!

Every single of one of them was so real and complex. I was just…floored??!?? It wasn’t like “oh hear I am reading a piece of paper” it was actually “oh here I am being with humans who are totally alive right now“. And that’s what I wish every book would do. That’s the truest sign of excellent writing. Starr’s older brother Seven was like THE BEST and her little bro, Sekani, was a complete annoying squidge. As all little siblings are. Starr has an epic Asian friend too! DeVante, a boy they end up helping who gets on the wrong side of his gang, was just adorable and I love how his story line went.

OH OH YOU SEE THAT: all the characters had their own storylines. Starr’s obviously was prevalent, but no one was just existing for Starr. Hence it made the book so real.

OTHER SMOL LIST OF THINGS I LOVED

  • Starr has friends who are WOMEN, like bless THIS. It shouldn’t be irregular to read about epic and diverse women in books but…it is.
  • There is so much FOOD. I was so hungry thanks for nothing, book.
  • Starr has a super sweet relationship with her uncle as well.
  • It features good people who mess up.
  • It’s funny!! It’s such a serious story line but there are still quips and TONS of time where I was grinning like a dork.
  • It’s #ownvoices.
  • It talks about the brutal unfairness of racism but it also shines a light into the world. I felt sad in so many places, but it sent an excellent powerful message in a hopeful way.

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

There were only two tiny things that weren’t my favourite.

And they’re, of course, subjective! As is every and anything in my reviews!

  • (1) It’s very long…I loved reading it, obviously, looooooved it. But I’ve yet to read a 500-page contemporary that doesn’t feel like it waffled a bit.
  • (2) I didn’t really ship the romance between Starr and her white boyfriend, Chris. They’re already together when the book starts, so it was nice having a couple and not the “falling in love” stuff that could’ve taken over the important part of the story. So YAY for that. But Starr kept returning to the point that because Chris was white he’d never truly understand her. And I think that’s fair, obviously, but I don’t understand why they were together?? I like how Starr educated Chris when he said something ignorant/dumb and it wasn’t about attacking — instead lovingly correction. But possibly think the romance wasn’t adding to the story much. But well, you know YA…must have thee a romance…

I think this definitely qualifies as a “must read” for anyone and everyone!

It’s a powerful voice about racism and #BlackLivesMatter and is about speaking up even when you’re scared. It’s not a “comfortable” book to read, and it shouldn’t be! It made me think! No one should ever witness their friend die in front of them and the way the book progresses and Starr finds her voice is just amazing. It’s a sad but hopeful book!

Plus I love Starr and her family SO MUCH and the nerd levels were A+ and please I need a snack now because the foodie fiction element was everything.

 

(And mate, I’m a fantasy reader addict, so look at me go, loving a contemporary so much. Who am I.)

 

THANK YOU TO WALKER BOOKS AUSTRALIA FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas was published March, 2017.

★★★★★

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.

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have you read The Hate U Give yet?!?? are you going to??? who’s your favourite fictional family?!?

Stray (Spark #2) by Rachael Craw // exciting and intense but I still have copious questions, dudes

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stray (2)

Well that was intense and exciting! Stray sure turned the heat up a notch from book 1: Spark. And that is always a good thing! I’m also 900% in love with the cover AND how the spines of this one and the first book are making a tree. Hopefully there will be 9 books, right, so we can have a massive tree, right!? I DON’T ASK FOR MUCH.

Okay, okay, I’ll shush and get on with the review.

So while I DO love these books and I adore the story…I always spend a good portion of the book confused. Oops. I’m 99% sure this is my fault. I’m a fast reader and sometimes miss details (although I did purposefully slow down for Stray to try and soak it all in) and a lot of questions I had from book 1 are STILL plaguing me. Maybe I’m not supposed to have answers yet?! MAYBE THIS COMES IN BK 3 AND I MUST JUST BE PATIENT?

SMALL LIST OF THINGS I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND:

  • Why the Strays/Sparks/Shields exist? They’re a mutation experiment (I think) but who created them and for what purpose? I get why you’d create Shields, because they’re like super-humans and could make a nice little psycho army for a villainous person to take over the world. Sensible. But why the Strays and Sparks? I is confused.
  • Why the intense ferocious passion to keep one person alive?? All Evie wants to do is protect Kitty, her Spark. BUT WHY??? Evie would kill other people to protect Kitty, right? So. Where is fairness? Why is Kitty most important? Kitty doesn’t even seem to do anything.
  • Evie has a secret parentage. But why the secret, dudes?! What does it affect?

These really chewed my brain while I was reading and I didn’t enjoy Stray as much as I thought I would. But I STILL DID LIKE IT. There is more secret X-Men style stuff going down. I’m talking labs and people floating in tanks of goo and telepathy and trackers and all the insane awesome things. I want this as a movie. I DO. Hello, Marvel? Please make these into superhero movies kthxbye.

stray + spark

There’s also marvellous character development. In my review of Spark and commented that Evie is a bit of a fainting lily, and…she still is. BUT HECK. SHE KICKS BUTT WHEN SHE’S CONSCIOUS, OKAY?! When she’s nervous, she breaks doorknobs like Mr. Incredible. I love the details in these books.
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tumblr_mv93nx89il1qbf4k6o1_250And have I mentioned how much I HATE the “company” that owns them?!! Affinity is downright crazy and creepy and invasive. Talk about “no free will”. I always get so angry in books where freewill is taken away and powerful people control others BECAUSE IT’S SO WRONG. I want fairness! Down with Affinity! Cake and holidays to the Bahamas for the little adorable characters!

ALSO THERE IS A DEVASTATING DEATH THAT I DID NOT SEE COMING.

I foresee so much awesomeness in the final book. I NEED IT. I have quibbles and I struggled to understand the WHYS behind the story, but I still quite like this series. Suuuuperhuuuuumans ARE AWESOME.

stray (1)

THANK YOU TO WALKER BOOKS FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Stray (Spark #2) by Rachel Craw was published in September, 2015.

 

23784978It’s hard to remember hating anything as much as I hate Affinity; a bone-deep loathing for the faceless unknown and the concrete walls of my own DNA.
Evie is a Shield: designed to kill in order to protect, and the Affinity Project have finally come for her. But Evie isn’t ready for the sinister organisation to take control of her life, her body, her mind. She isn’t ready to follow their rules about who may live and who must die – not when it condemns the innocent. She has one option: risk losing everything and everyone – including Jamie – and run.

Publisher  Goodreads  Purchase  Review of Book 1: Stray

3-stars

 

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lets chat

do you think sequels should answer questions or ask MORE?? what do you prefer, as a reader?!?! and have you read this series? (can you secretly answer any of my questions…please?) 

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness // ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE LET ME FLAIL

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the rest of us just live here (!)

Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. This book is extraordinary and emotional and relatable and OH WOW. (Did I already say that? Just a few times. WELL YOU KNOW I MEAN IT.)

How does Patrick Ness write this incredibly?! (Answer: he is a wizard.)

This is my 4th Ness book and so far I’ve rated all his books 4 or 5 stars. I was 99% sure that I’d adore The Rest Of Us Just Live Here. But I didn’t actually know what it was about, except that it was NOT about “The Chosen One”. I had noooo idea it was about families and sibling relationship and end-of-school and anxiety. So, give me a moment. I just need to hug this book and pronounce it a new favourite.

the rest of us just live here (2)

“Not everyone has to be the Chosen One. Not everyone has to be the guy who saves the world. Most people just have to live their lives the best they can, doing things that are great for them, having great friends, trying to make their lives better, loving people properly. All the while knowing that the world makes no sense but trying to find a way to be happy anyway.”

the rest of us just live here (5)

It’s set in the kind of world that’s had all the weird superhero stuff happen in the past. But it happened in the last generation and no one really believed and it got covered up as “accidents”. So everyone believes in supernatural stuff, but they don’t. Make sense? OF COURSE IT DOES. I think this is an epic (and somewhat original) spin on the old superhero story. Except, honestly? This isn’t a superhero story. it’s set in the world, yes, but it’s 98% a contemporary and 2% supernatural. It has a superhero background, that that’s literally all it is: a background.

 

So can we talk about the characters?! 

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  • Mikey: He’s the narrator. He’s, like, incredible. He’s the quiet one, the one who feels replaceable. He has serious OCD and unrequited love with his sister’s best friend and…he’s just adorable. The way he loves his sisters and takes care of them?! HE IS A FINE SPECIMEN OF HUMANITY. Of course, he hates himself. #awkward
  • Mel: Yes, the entire family has names that start with M. Worse, their last name is Mitchell. (Although I think that’s done on
    giphy

    Me encountering these incredible characters. #emotions

    purpose.) SO. Mel also has anxiety, and is recovering from nearly dying from anorexia. I really loved that the story didn’t focus on Mel’s decline, but her journey forward, even though it’s far from smooth. I really connected to both Mel and Mikey. Their relationship is SO CLOSE, and they’re there for each other when the other is having an anxiety attack. I love sibling relationships. Have I ever mentioned that?! I LOVE ‘EM.

  • Meredith: She’s the baby Mitchell, the 10 year old. And she’s altogether fabulous. She’s excitable and clever (like, genius clever) and I LOVED how the teens included her. It wasn’t a “argh, I haaaate it when my little sister is hanging around”. They all loved her and took care of her. FJDAJKLS TO THIS ADORABLE FAMILY.
  • The Mitchell Parents: Well. They sucked. Which is odd considering how wonderful their children are. The father is an alcoholic, mentally checked out of the family. The mum is so deep into politics nothing else matters for her.
  • Jared: I liked Jared. He was a really epic best friend for Mikey. He’s big and kind and totally there for Mikey. He has BIG SECRETS too, which are weird and awesome.
  • Henna: Okay, out of the foursome (Mel, Mikey, and Jared) I really didn’t like her. I felt like she lead Mikey on at the same time as friend-zoning him. Their relationship was interesting…not quite romantic but wishful? Loads of unrequited affection on Mikey’s part (which actually made him annoying sometimes). They’re complicated. Literally! But for once I found it interesting and intriguing instead of irritating. Henna was black and vibrant and had parents who were missionaries and she was half Scandinavian.

the rest of us just live here (6_

I loved it, okay?! I JUST LOVED IT A LOT. I loved the focus on family and growing up and change and anxiety and love — but the complicated kind of love. It’s not a massively fast story, but it’s addicting.

OH IT’S SO ADDICTING.

I just felt the book was suffocatingly perfect. Plus the writing is just gorgeous. It’s heavy on the dialogue and doesn’t waste time and k
nows how to hook you in with just a few words. It’s a little big magical and yet perfectly real.

WHAT ARE WORDS?! JUST GO READ IT. This is one you need in your life. Just have chocolate on hand. Lots of chocolate. Thankfully Walker Books sent me chocolate with my ARC and goodness: thank you. I needed it.

the rest of us live here

Thank you to Walker Books for this deliciously wonderful ARC! The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness is published in August, 2015!

22910900What if you’re not the one who’s so often the hero in YA fiction; who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you were like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend might just be the God of mountain lions…

5-stars

Goodreads  Boomerang Books AU  Book Depository  Walker Books AU

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SO. how do you feel about books that are specifically NOT about “the chosen one”? have you read any others like this?! and who’s an author you’ve read 4 or more books from and they continually amaze you. LET ME KNOW ALL IN THE COMMENTS!