Scythe by Neal Schusterman

Series: Arc of a Scythe, #1

Publication: November 22nd 2016 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

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. 

My thoughts:

Scythe was such a let down for me. I went in with very high expectations because of all the hype surrounding it and I was very disappointed. 

Firstly it took me forever to get through. I would be reading for what felt like hours only to trackside I'd only read a few chapters. I found it so hard to focus while reading because I just wasn't interested in the story. 

The characters felt very flat to me and I was not emotionally invested in any of them at all. I couldn't relate to them so I felt no empathy or sympathy for them. I was annoyed at both, Citra and Rowan, for the majority of the book. I felt like they had no chemistry whatsoever so I wasn't rooting for them or their relationships. 

The plot was so slow. The story just dragged on and on and I felt like I was making no progress. I couldn't get into it. I didn't care who lived or died so the plot twists didn't shock me or anything (a lot of them were predictable anyway).

The idea was brilliant with the whole no one dying and how society works. It really made me thing about morality and mortality but the execution of the story was very weak.

I think Neal Shusterman's writing just isn't for me. It feels so straight forward and it doesn't have any emotion behind it or something. 

A bit bummed I didn't enjoy scythe because it's such a hyped series. I think this is the end of Neal Shusterman for me, I've tried Unwind too and wasn't a fan so I think I'll just stop wasting my time on his books.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

*This post contains spoilers for the first two books in The Illuminae Files series, Illuminae and Gemina.*

Read my review of book 1, Illuminae, here!

Read my review of book 2, Gemina, here!

Series: The Illuminae Files, #3

Publications: March 13th 2018 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? 

Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. 

With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken. 

My thoughts:

Obsidio absolutely blew my mind! It was an amazing concluding novel to this epic sci-fi series! It was such an exciting read! 

Liked Rhy- pretty interesting. But nothing compared to Ezra and Nik

Wasn't a fan of Asha- my least favourite of the girls. Wasn't as interesting. Felt very one dimensional. 

Despite not being massive fans of either of them I was still rooting for them and was invested in their part they had to play in the series!

I was here for the other characters though. Starting with our original duo: Kady and Ezra have the best banter in the chat rooms that had me laughing out loud. But they also had some very sweet emotional moments too that I loved reading. My favourite parts where any time they were on the page. 

Ella and Nik's interactions were such a highlight too!

An unexpected pair that stole the show for me was Nik and Ezra. The two are funny guys by themselves and together they are freaking hilarious! Their unexpected friendship in Obsidio was everything. I was here for it!

Obsidio started in the beginning but then I couldn't read fast enough. The second half of the book was mad. There was so much action it was as intense and crazy as the previous books. 

I loved the illustrations by Marie Lu from Hanna's journal- there was a mini comic strip in the story and I was dying reading it. Marie Lu captures Hanna's voice so well in her illustrations. Her personality comes across so well.

Obsidio was such a heart pounding read with lots of action and shocks and I throughly enjoyed every minute of it! It wrapped up the series very nicely and I can't wait to see what Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff do next! 

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

*This post contains spoilers for the first three books in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi*

Series: Shatter Me, #4

Publication: March 6th 2018 by HarperCollins

Goodreads Description:

Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good? 

My thoughts: 

I was happy with the ending of Ignite Me so I was very hesitant to pick up Restore Me but I after reading it I can say I am so glad I did! I missed these characters and had so much fun reading about them again!

In Restore Me Juliette is dealing with becoming supreme commander and what that entails. She has a lot of responsibility and I feel like that backtracked her character development. When we left her at the end of Ignite Me she was so confident and strong, which she is at times in Restore Me, but she does spend a lot of time doubting herself and I wished she had more self confidence like she did in Ignite Me. This was a minor thing but it annoyed me at times while reading, I just wanted to shake some sense into her. 

The story is told in dual POV and it was super interesting reading Warner's chapters. He is one of the most complex characters in the series and it was so cool being in his head despite it being such a sad lonely place.

I adored seeing Kenji again. He is hands down the best part of this series. He just brings o much fun and humour the story. I loved how Tahereh decided to develop his relationships with both Juliette and Warner. I loved Juliette and him and the originally trilogy and now I am obsessed with him and Warner. They develop such a nice bromance in Restore Me it was a joy to read!

Tahereh used this new book to introduce some new characters most of which I couldn't care less about but one really stood out for me. I loved reading about and hop to see more from her in future books.

Restore me felt like such a short book. It is definitely what I would call a filler book. It felt like it was just setting up the base for bigger things to come. Not much happens in terms of plot, most of the story is about Juliette and Warners internal struggles- which I enjoyed but I would have liked more action. I felt like all the action was saved until the end.

Speaking of the ending so many things were revealed that left me with lots of questions and theories. So I am very excited to get my hands on the next book!

I had a lot of fun reading Restore Me and I think Shatter Me fans will enjoy this new instalment to the series.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Series: Unwind Dystology, #1

Publication: November 6th 2007 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive. 

My thoughts:

Unwind was a bit of a let down for me. I was hesitant to pick it up because the whole concept of being 'unwound' sounded creepy to me and also because of all the hype. I ended up not loving it but not hating it either. I was very busy when I was reading it so it took me forever to get through which probably also played into my reading experience. 

The story is told through multiple points of view. I usually don't mind multiple POVs but I felt this sorry could have been executed better had there been one narrator. I was extremely bored reading from Lev's point of view and spent the whole time reading his chapters flicking ahead to see when the next Connor or Risa chapter was coming up. 

The characters felt very flat to me. I couldn't relate or emphasise with any of them at all which made it very hard for me to stay interested in the story. I didn't care about any of them. It also didn't help that they all made stupid decisions that had me rolling my eyes. 

The start is very slow. I found my attention drifting and had to force myself to keep reading. The plot was very slow and I felt like we were getting nowhere for ages. A lot of the 'twists' were very obvious to me and there was a good few plot holes scattered throughout. I also had to suspend my disbelief a good bit regards to the starts of the story that kicks everything off (like what mother would raise a child for 16 years and then decide to 'unwind' them just because they are acting like a normal teenager?). The pace picked up towards the end though with a good deal of action that kept my attention the majority of the time.

The writing felt very dry. While reading, I didn't feel anything. There was no beautiful sentences I wanted to make note of of share with friends of though provoking passages. It's all very simple, and nothing noteworthy. 

I will say the book does make the reader think about the issue of pro life and pro choice. The author even managed to write the whole story without advocating for one side of the debate which I appreciated. However the whole concept of being 'unwound' doesn't really tackle a lot of the issues surrounding abortion.

Overall I was unimpressed but I do want to continue with the series just not right now because of all the hype surrounding it.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirstin Miller

Series: Otherworld, #1

Publication:  October 31st 2017 by Delacorte Press

Goodreads Description:

The company says Otherworld is amazing—like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive—that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.

Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

And it’s about to change humanity forever.

Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming. 

My thoughts:

Short review today guys because I was not a fan of Otherworld. At all.

I hated the main character and that made it so difficult for me to enjoy reading the book. Simon is an idiot. He does and says things that are so wrong, hypocritical and sexist and on top of that he is a stalker and just an all round round bad guy.i hated him and not in the I-love-to-hate a character kind of way; he was just so unlikeable it really hindered my enjoyment of the story.

The actual writing was meh. There was way to many sentences stating with 'I'; I felt like I was in school reading the kids' new copies. The overuse of 'I' did dial down a bit about half way but not enough that it wasn't noticeable. There was also a few incorrect tenses used- enough that I noticed which was annoying.

On top of not liking Simon and finding the writing to be just ok I wasn't a huge fan of the plot. It was alright but nothing ground breaking. I skimmed a lot and felt like I'd read similar stuff before. 

The combination of hating the main character, the weak plot and meh writing made it hard to get through. I ended up skimming a lot. If you're looking for a virtual reality book I'd recommend avoiding Otherworld and picking up Warcross by Marie Lu (review to come) instead!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Warcross by Marie Lu

Series: Warcross, #1

Publication: September 12th 2017 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

My thoughts:

Warcross is fantastic! I absolutely loved this sci-fi book more than I thought was possible. I had so much fun reading it.What a whirlwind! I loved how easy it was to fall into it and then to keep reading. I have been a fan of Marie Lu's writing for years and this I think this is her best work to date! Warcross is a new favourite for sure!

The plot was so well paced. I was engaged the whole time and didn't want to put the book down. Warcross is a book that really had me thinking and theorising the whole time; I was constantly trying to guess who was behind the hacking and stuff. It was plot twists galore but I predicted them but I didn't care I saw what was coming because I haven't been that excited to get such a big plot twist since Crown of Midnight back in the day. The plot is action packed and let me tell you Marie Lu is an expert at writing action sequences. All of the warcross tournament matches were my favourite parts; they were so intense and fun to read. All I could think while reading was this needs to be a movie!

I loved the scifi elements and how techy it was and it was so cool imagining it all and the setting. Warcross- the virtual reality world was very well developed. It has been done before but I think Warcross is just such a fun spin on it. Futuristic Tokyo was such a fun and exciting setting. This is such a visual book. Everything is described so well I felt like I could really picture everything and felt like I was there.

Onto the characters: I really liked reading about Emika. She is so smart, a bit too smart sometimes to be realistic but fun nevertheless. I also loved how quirky and different she is from other YA female protagonists. Emkia has rainbow hair and tattoos and skateboards and plays video games. Some of the side characters could have been fleshed out a bit more but it was a very short book so I can't really complain about that. The cast of characters is very diverse; Emkia is Chinese-American, there is a wheelchair user who has a big role and also gay characters.

I loved the cute romance that was on the side; I didn't think I'd ship it but they grew on me and I ended up shipping it so hard, like new obsession shipping it! Hideo won me over pretty quickly with a British accent and rolled up sleeves and cooking for his parents.

Warcorss was fast paced, I loved the setting and characters and just had such an enjoyable time reading! I need book 2 now! I am so excited to see where Marie Lu brings the story now because it could go so many different ways!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

Short review today! I am super busy in college and don't have much time to write lengthy reviews for the next few weeks! 

*Warning this post contains spoilers for the first two books in the series; The Young Elites and The Rose Society!

Series: The Young Elites, #3

Publication: October 11th 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:
There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all she’s gained.

When a new danger appears, Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds, putting not only herself at risk, but every Elite. In order to preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger. 

My thoughts:

When I picked up The Midnight Star it had been nearly 2 years since I had read The Rose Society so I was a bit aprehensiive going in becuase I could hardly remember anything but it turned out not to be a problem. A few chapters in and everything came back to me and I was hooked. I had so  much fun reading this conclusion to the trilogy!

I had forgotten how dark Adelina was and when I was reminded I fell in love with her all over again. She's so different from other YA characters. Her growth over the course of the series is amazing and while she takes her cruelty to a new level in this final book I couldn't help but admire her confidence. While I love her wicked side I can't ignore her more vulnerable side that we do get to see in this final book. Adelina's relationship with Magiano really brings out the humanity in her from time to time and I really liked that!

There was a good bit of world building in The Midnight Star that I wasn't expecting since this was the last book in the series but I enjoyed exploring more aspects of the world. We get some answers about the Blood Fever and how it came it be and also get introduced to the idea of Immortals in the world and the mythology behind them which I found interesting.

I absolutely loved the ending. The series wraps up in such a nice way it was great. I particularly loved the last chapter/epilogue because it read like a fairytale/folk tale! The writing was just amazing. I loved how the series went in such a unique direction.

If I could only use one word to describe this series it would be 'different' and that's what makes it so fun to read! I loved how unique The Young Elites is from other YA trilogies out there. From the world to the characters it is just all so fresh and new! I had a lot of fun reading this series and regret not picking up this final book sooner.

Thanks for reading,
A :)

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

*warning this review contains spoilers for the first book in the Monsters of Verity duology, This Savage Song*

Read my review of This Savage Song here!

Series: Monsters of Verity, #2

Publication: June 13th 2017 by Greenwillow Books

Goodreads Description:

THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.

KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it.

AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

THE WAR HAS BEGUN.

THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.

Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons.

Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

My thoughts:

I really liked This Savage Song last year when I read it and I am a huge fan of Schwab's books so I had high expectations going into Our Dark Duet and unfortunately I was a bit disappointed. For me This Savage Song is the stronger book in the Monsters of Verity series, that's not to say Our Dark Duet was bad, it just wasn't as good as I was expecting it to be.

There was a handful of new characters introduced in the beginning but they just disappeared when Kate left and got no page time so they were very underdeveloped and I would have liked to see much more of them. Another new character that gets brought into the story is a 

new sunai called Soro. Soro is gender neutral which is something I've never come across in YA so they were cool to read about even if they didn't get as much page time as I would have liked.

We also get a new POV in Our Dark Duet- Sloan. I was meh about all his chapters, I only cared about Kate and August. His POV wasn't really that necessary and it didn't add much to the plot at all in my opinion.

I loved how Kate doesn't take anyone's shit and how strong  and capable August has become. Their character arcs in this book are a lot different than book 1.

I found the plot to be very slow until half way when the characters started interacting with each other. And I was struggling a bit which is a first for me with VE Schwab. It was okay though because halfway through it picked up and the last quarter was amazing. There was so much action and stuff going on; it got fast paced and compelling and I couldn't stop reading.

Our Dark Duet ended in an unexpected way but I can't imagine any other way it could have ended. Schwab did something I think a lot of authors wouldn't risk and it was perfect.

While ODD wasn't as good as TSS I still liked it and am a bit sad we won't get another book with these characters.

My rating: 4 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Spoiler free series review of Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Series: Starbound Trilogy

Book 1: These Broken Stars

Book 2: This Shattered World

Book 3: Their Fractured Light 

Goodreads Description of book 1:

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive – alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth. 

The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy. 

My thoughts: 

I've divided this review into 3 sections so you can avoid spoilers but regardless I will keep my thoughts as spoiler free as possible!

Book 1, These Broken Stars:

I enjoyed reading These Broken Stars but wasn't blown away by it. 

I couldn't stand the main character Lilac for the first half of the story. I found her so annoying. She couldn't do anything herself and had to rely on Tarver for everything. She did grow and develop but I felt like her helplessness was a bit over the top.  Like some things she couldnt/didn't do was common sense. I did grow to like her though when she stepped up to the plate. If you are frustrated with her like I was just push through- I promise she gets better 

It also took me a long time to really care about Tarver and Lilac's relationship. It's defining a slow burn relationships. They start out hating each other and slowly growing together.

I loved the survival aspect of the story and how big a part of the plot it was. I love reading about characters thrust into new environments fighting for their lives. There was defining some cliche scenes but I didn't mind them that much.

I was a bit confused at the end when everything started to get very scientific. This could have been because I was reading it in 10 page burst and probably didn't absorb all the explanations. I felt like the descriptions of what was happening was rushed and unclear. 

My rating: 3.5 stars; but it would have been a 4 if I had read it when I had time to read instead of in short bursts here and there.

Book 2, This Shattered World:

This Shattered World is an epic sequel, I enjoyed it so much more than These Broken Stars! If you weren't a huge fan of the first book I'd say give this one a go anyway. It's much better.

I had so much fun reading this book because I was not expecting to find Irish culture to be part of the world. It was great! I loved how they mentioned things like Molly Malone and Flynns group of rebels is called the Fianna and there was Irish scattered throughout it! And the grammar was right and it was called Irish not gaelic like it is in some books. The authors clearly did their research! I also loved how one of our famous Irish myths of Tir na nóg was included in passing but had a cool sci-fi twist! I hardly ever get to see my culture in the books I read so I was so excited that it was included.

I also had so much more fun reading this one because Jubilee is so much better to read than Lilac. Jubilee is a badass fighter who goes after what she wants. I loved reading her chapters. 

I also liked Flynn and Jubilee's relationship more than Lilac and Tarvers. I defining shooed the two and I loved how their story was kind of like a Romeo and Juliette type narrative. I liked how well their personalities complemented each other's.

While theses are companion novels I think that you do have to read These Broken Stars first, the characters from book 1 do pop up and play an important role towards the end of the novel. 

My Rating: 4 stars

Book 3, Their Fractured Light:

Their Fractured Light was probably my favourite book in the series. 

I loved how fast paced the story was. There was lots of action and tension spread out the whole novel with a nice mix of slower character driven moments.

I really liked Sofia. She's different from Lilac and Jubilee. She reminded me of a more confident version of Cress from Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles.

I loved reading about Sofia and Gideon's relationship. They both have a lot of trust issues so it was fun seeing their relationship develop. They weren't super cutesy but I loved them because I of how well they worked as a team. Their interactions were one of my favourite parts. 

The characters from the first two books join the story in the second half of Their Fractured Light so it is important to read the first two books. It was fun reading all their interactions because they are all such different personalities.

My Rating: 4 stars; I think it had the potential to be my favourite in the series and a 5 star read but wasn't because I was so busy while reading it that it took me ages.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

*Warning this post contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Illuminae*

Series: The Illuminae Files, #2

Publication:October 18th 2016 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.” 

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless. 

My thoughts:
If you read Illuminae and are wondering if Gemina is just amazing I'm here to tell you that it is absolutely fantastic, just like Illuminae I couldn't put it down. It is such an epic story and I'd highly recommend you give it a read if you are a fan of Illuminae.

We are introduced to two new main characters. Firstly there's Hana. When the story starts she came across as super girly to me and I wasn't sure I'd like her as much as Kady but I grew to like her as I got to know her. And boy did she surprise me. Her character arc was fab. Our main male character, Nik, also surprised me. I wasn't expecting his personality to be like it was. He's not as snarky as Ezra but still really fun to read. The side characters were so much fun too, especially Nik's cousin, Ella. And just to let you know, yes the Illuminae characters do pop up here and there!

The plot of Gemina is crazy intense, I couldn't stop reading. It was just so exciting and so much going on, it really is a rollercoaster of a ride. The last half of the story had me on edge the whole time. The ending is mind blowing it left me needing the next book asap!

Just like with Illuminae the unique format of instant messages, surveillance footage, file, emails etc makes the story fly by. I really liked the addition of illustrations by Marie Lu for Hana's journal.

Gemina is much more sci-fi-y than Illuminae. It got a bit confusing towards the end for me and I had to reread a few sections to comprehend what was happening. This is probably because I don't read a lot of sci-fi and the format makes it a bit more difficult to comprehend things like what was going on. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Gemina and for sure will be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out.

My rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Thanks for reading,
A :)

Through The Dark by Alexandra Bracken

*This post may contain spoilers for all three books in The Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken' The Darkest Minds, Neverfade, In The After Light*

Series: The Darkest Minds, #1.5, #2.5, #3.5

Publication:October 6th 2015 by Disney Hyperion

Goodreads Description:
Don't miss this breathtaking collection of stories set in the world of the New York Times best-selling Darkest Minds trilogy. Featuring ebook original novellas In Time and Sparks Rise, and a gripping, brand-new novella, Through the Dark is a must-have for fans of the Darkest Minds. This collection contains three novellas: In Time, Sparks Rise, and Beyond the Night, as well as a sneak peek at the first novel in Alexandra Bracken's new series, Passenger. 

IN TIME 
Gabe's life has been devastated in the wake of the economic crash. The only option left for someone like him to escape his tragic past is to leave his small town behind and to attempt to become a skiptracer. This already almost-impossible task is made all the more difficult by his first "score,"a young girl who won't speak, but who changes his life in ways he could never imagine. 

SPARKS RISE 
Sam didn't think things could get worse at Thurmand rehabilitation camp. Then the Reds arrive. Everyone assumed the kids with firepower had been killed years ago. Instead they were taken away, brainwashed, and returned as terrifyingly effective guards. To her horror, Sam recognizes one of them: Lucas, the one spark of light in Sam's dark childhood. Lucas has a deadly secret--he beat the brutal training that turned his fellow Reds into mindless drones. When Sam defends herself against an attack by a vile PSF guard and faces a harrowing punishment, Lucas must risk everything to save her. 

BEYOND THE NIGHT 
The government-run "rehabilitation camps" have been shut down, but kids with Psi powers are anything but free. Sam would rather be on her own than put in the care of a foster family and given the "cure"--a dangerous procedure that unclaimed kids across the country are being forced to undergo. But there's more at stake than just her own safety. Sam once made someone a promise, and the time has come to fulfill it. Now that she's out of her camp, Mia only has one thought in her head: finding Lucas, her beloved older brother.

My Thoughts:
Through The Dark is an amazing addition to The Darkest Minds Trilogy. I would highly recommend reading the three novellas in between each novel; so: The Darkest Minds, In Time, Neverfade Sparks Rise, In The Afterlight and then Beyond The Night.
Alexandra Bracken is so freaking good at wrting novellas. even though the stories are short they have all the charm and emotional punch her full length novels have. 

In Time
The character development in this novella is enough of a reason to read it. It was my least favourite of the three but it was still really good.

Sparks Rise
I really enjoyed this novella. I gave readers a really good insight into what the camps were like. I was really surprised at how much of an emotional read Spars Rise was. The new characters,Sam and Lucas, introduced were just so likable. The more I read the more invested I got in them. I really grew to love both Sam and Lucas in the 80 or so pages we got with them. I really felt for them, I was cheering for them at points and I was genuinely worried for them at other parts.

Beyond the Night
This novella was definitely my favourite novella. The story takes place a few weeks after the events of In The Afterlight so if you weren't satisfied with the ending you should read this novella. It answered a lot of questions I had when I finished In The Afterlight. And I loved this novella because the old gang makes an appearance!! I'm not going to say who but I was so excited to see them.I missed them so much so it was wonderful to see all my favoruites again.

Overall, Through The Dark is a great addition to the series and a must read if you love The Darkest Minds Trilogy.

My Rating: 4.5

Thanks for reading,
A :)
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The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín

Publication:August 30th 2016 by David Fickling Books

Goodreads Description:
Imagine a world where you might disappear any minute, only to find yourself alone in a grey sickly land, with more horrors in it than you would ever wish to know about. And then you hear a horn and you know that whoever lives in this hell has got your scent and the hunt has already begun.

Could you survive the Call?

My thoughts:
The Call is dark and bloody and I loved it. I couldn't put it down.

Nessa, our main character, is a determined young girl who I really admired. I loved how she didn't let her disability stop her from anything. She had a strong mindset of not falling behind and trying her very best in spite of her legs.
We do get a good grasp of the other characters, but I would have liked a bit more. There was so many characters, I felt like we just skimmed the surface of them.  The story does swap POVs a lot; personally I would have preferred to stay with Nessa because she was my favourite but if we had then we wouldn't really see how bloodthirsty and twisted the Sidhe are.

The plot was super gripping and engaging. I couldn't stop reading, I had to know what was going to happen. It was so fast paced and chapters often ended on a cliffhanger which made me eager to keep reading.

The setting was great. I am Irish so I loved how the story was set in Ireland, I have never come across a YA set here! I loved how our culture really shined through and how some of the names were irish, like there was an Aoife! I have never come across an Aoife in my reading! I loved how our mythology was woven into the story with the faeries and stuff. Those who don't have Irish/ aren't from Ireland might have a hard time pronouncing a lot of the names/places.

One of my problems with The Call was that the ending wasn't an ending in my eyes. It was a bit anticlimactic. I really hope there is a sequel because there is still a lot of questions unanswered.

The book was marketed as horror but I didn't find it scary at all. It was pretty violent but nothing I haven't read before.

Overall I really enjoyed The Call and will definitely be picking up anything else Peadar Ó Guilin writes, especially if there is a sequel!

My rating: 4 stars
Thanks for reading,
A :)
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