Monday, March 28, 2016

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Spoilers)

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their difference, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of  Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.

But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Review:

This book, man. I finished it in five and a half hours, including breaks. I just...love it so much. I have so much to say and no idea how to put it into coherent sentences.

I thought the beginning of the story to the end was brilliant at showing character development most of all, in my opinion. The foreshadowing was pretty good at well. You could just tell that something was coming, even when you had no clue what it was. I thought it was amazing how the prose painted a perfect picture of what was going on in my head. I could almost see Achilles rage as Patroclus was slayed.

I didn't see the twists and turns coming, and I love how it wasn't instant love. The romance didn't overpower the action and the hardships, and the side characters were very well developed and all served a purpose.

The only thing I didn't like was how....yeah, I can't think of anything I didn't like. This book was amazing, please read it.

5/5 stars.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin


Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can. 

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. 
There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. 
She's wrong.
---
Spoilers.

Eh.

This book was...okay, I guess.

I really liked the premise, and the first few chapters were really interesting and I was excited. But then...Noah. Pompous boy who everyone wants, but the MC of course, and he wants her, for some reason. Noah is just so rude and arrogant and I really don't understand the appeal.

Another thing. Why is Anna automatically labelled a slut just because she's someone the MC doesn't like? Just because she may be an antagonist - a heavily cliched one at that - doesn't mean that it's okay to completely bash her. For example,

"The list of what you're missing, Anna, is longer than the South Beach Free Clinic's walk-in list," Jamie said, and I was surprised to hear his voice. "Though I'm sure your hookup resume includes the same names." 

And of course, since Anna was the bitch of the ball and no one liked her, it was automatically hilarious! No, not really.

On to Mara.

Man, what to say. I didn't really understand her character; she was all over the place. Not because of her trauma, I mean because she could never make up her mind. She'd be mad at Noah or  Daniel, but as soon as she went to confront them she'd either seem to forget the reason she came to them, or touch on it briefly and at the most get a bit huffy. Not to mention how she totally lets Noah get away with anything and everything just because he's so beautiful. And she takes the time to remind you how beautiful he is. Often. It just seemed that as long as Noah was with her, she cared about no one else. Like when Jamie got expelled, Mara thought about him maybe once, and that was when she wanted something from him. Then Jamie was never seen or heard from again.

Honestly, this book would've been better if they'd focused more on Mara's unique abilities instead of a cliched trope-sodden romance.

2/5 stars.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Book Review: Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel


"In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…"
---
'Vita hominis plus libro valet!'

Spoilers.
I stumbled across this book on my first trip to The Book Loft in German Village. I'd never heard of it before, but the premise seemed very intriguing, especially since the Library of Alexandria tragedy is something I am still not and will probably never be over. Seriously, I tear up just thinking about all of that lost knowledge.

First the good!
The intro, in my opinion, was the perfect set up for the story. you jump right into the action without making it seem abrupt or forced. I liked that, and it was the perfect way to draw a reader in. It kind of reminded me of Aladdin. The characters were amazing as well, and I am constantly praising the diversity of the cast. Jess, the main character, wasn't a flawless hero; he was just a normal kid with flaws and problems of his own thrust into problems that go way beyond what any kid should go through as they realize, rather harshly, that the world is nowhere near black and white.

The character development is nothing to scoff at as well, and I loved how seemingly minor characters end up playing such a big roll and become so lovable even when they're rarely seen. The world building was alright; there weren't any info dumps and I enjoyed how Ms. Caine incorporated some of the world building into Jess' emotions or past experiences with them, like the automatons in the beginning of the book that chased him. It helps me remember the landmarks and relate to the character.

The writing was very fluid, and Ms. Caine did an amazing job with making sure the reader could feel and envision everything that was going on around the characters; (SPOILERS) the awe they felt when they got to the Library, the pain and devastation of Thomas' death, and the constant wake up calls Jess is smacked in the face with. It's raw and powerful each time, and I find myself loving and dreading those moments simultaneously. I also loved how Jess came to see the light at the end, while also realizing that it's going to be a hard road ahead for him now.

Now the bad!
While the world building was indeed unique in it's portrayal, it was very difficult for me to determine the time period. I assumed it was sometime in the past, but I honestly could not pinpoint it. Also, I never understood why the Library was so resistant to change. Is it because they don't want to lose their control over the citizens? I assumed that but I was never sure.

Conclusion.
Despite the tiny, nitpicking comments, this book is amazing. It's not just a book about books, it's a book about how sometimes you have to go against everything you know to do what's right, and that there's always something more to learn about the people who rule you.

5/5 stars.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~

Friday, March 4, 2016

Changing Direction

So.

It's been a long time, hasn't it?

I was thinking about this blog earlier this week, and after a lot of contemplation I have decided to make this a book blog. I run one on tumblr, and I thought moving some of it over to Blogger would be a good way to make something out of my blog. This blog will be reviewing mostly YA and Children's Lit, since that's what I read most, but there might be some other genres as  I slowly expand my horizons. Another feature will be writing posts. I love writing, and the best thing I think would be to do is to put some of it up here for you all to see and give me feedback on.

I'm still going to be leaving the old posts up, not that there are many, because I honestly don't see a reason to take them down. They're not hurting anyone. Let's see, what else to say...I'm turning 15 tomorrow, or March 5th for anyone who's reading this later on. I'm kind of nervous because each new birthday comes with a shit ton of new responsibilities. But at least it's one year closer to getting my astrophysics degree.

Well that's about it, I will see all of you soon, and I hope you can all recommend me some books to read! YA or Children's Lit if able, nothing raunchy because ew and no.

-Books and Trust,
Pixie Dust~