Upside Down by Lia Riley

Series: Off the Map, #1

Publication: August 5th 2014 by Grand Central/Forever

Goodreads Description:

If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

My thoughts: 

Upside Down is one of the most addicting books I've read this year! I literally stayed up all night reading it without meaning to; it was such a fun easy quick read! I'd definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a quick new adult romance book.

Natalia, the main character, was likeable enough. She's dealing with a lot of stuff in the story and has lots of flaws which made her feel real and human to me. I liked how she was independent she was and how she wasn't struggling with self confident issues like many other NA female protagonists.

I had a hard time liking Bran, I knew straight away he was trouble. He has a lot of issues too and he's not a nice guy. He's actually a bit mean at times. I didn't love him but I did warm up to him a bit as we got to know him. He does make some bad decisions which turned me off but he might redeem himself in later books.

The romance was good, I liked how Bran wasn't used as a way to 'fix' Talia. They definitely have their issues as a couple but their relationship was fun to read about.

There is some OCD representation which I don't think I've ever come across in my reading. The whole book isn't about Talia dealing with her OCD but it is mentioned a good few times. One of the other characters tees picks up on Talia's rituals but doesn't treat her any different which I liked. I can't speak on the rep but from other reviews it seems like the author did a good job as it's ownvoices.

I also want to highlight that one of the side characters is anorexic and it is talked about so if that's triggering for you maybe skip this one.

I was so excited when I heard Upside Down was set in Australia because it's no somewhere I've ever been or read about. There was so many Australian stereotypes though which annoyed me. I felt like the author went overboard on it.

Upside Down was full of drama, tragic backstories and emotional hurt but that's what made it so quick to read 

I wasn't left dying to pick up the next book but I had a lot of fun reading Upside Down and will be picking up the rest of the books when I want something quick and easy to read!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Renegades by Marissa Meye

Series: Renegades, #1

Publication: November 7th 2017 by Feiwel & Friends

Goodreads Description:

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both. 

My thoughts:

I found Renegades so hard to get into, I found it very easy to be distracted but glad I pushed through because I ended up liking it. I went in with high expectations because I adore The Lunar Chronicles but Renegades just didn't have the charm I was looking for.

Nova is so boring really struggled reading her chapters. I just wasn't invested in her storyline at all. I've read so many characters who do what they do to avenge their parents being killers so she felt very unoriginal. I just felt like I'd met her before and they only thing that made he special was her powers. Because I wasn't a fan of her it made her chapters very boring and hard to get through. 

On the other hand I really liked Adrian's chapters. I found him to be super interesting. I liked reading about his relationship with his parents and his powers.

I did really like two other characters who were also on Adrian's team. It was also cool learning about all the different powers. There was so many and they were so unique. Marissa Meyer really got creative in that department!

The pacing was a bit all over the place. It was so slow in the beginning and combined with me not liking Nova meant I was bored. The plot did eventually pick up and there was a lot more action going on in the second half. The plot was quite predictable though and overall I felt the book was too long. I think a lot of stuff could have been left out to speed up the story. I was expecting a fast paced read with lots of action because it was a superhero book.

Marissa Meyer did a great job with the world building though. I loved how she went into all the history of how the world ended how it was and she described the new law and lifestyles people have as a result of the superheroes and villains.

I liked how the story explored the concept of questioning what's good and bad and right and wrong

I ended up liking Renegades but it wasn't anything amazing. I will probably only pick up the next book if it gets amazing reviews because the ending did leave me a bit intrigued for more. 

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Take Me On by Katie McGarry

Series: Pushing the Limits, #4

Publication: May 27th 2014 by Harlequin TEEN

Goodreads Description:

Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really means.

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for. 

My thoughts:

I love all Katie McGarry's books so it's no wonder I really enjoyed this one too. Take Me On starts of during the ending of Crash into You so I'd recommend reading that one first; it's not necessary but you will be spoiled for the ending if you read Take Me On first.

The main character Haley was such a joy to read. I loved her straight away, she was nothing like other female character in YA contemporary. She was so stubborn and independent and I loved it! She was in a very difficult situation but stayed strong and thought things through before making decisions. I loved her chapters. It's was also fun having a female character who was involved in a mostly male dominated sport.

It took me a lot longer to warm up to West. He has a great character development arc over the course of the book but in the beginning I just didn't care about him. He can be quite impulsive and makes things more difficult for himself when it's not necessary but he has a good heart.

Their relationship had its ups and downs but I loved how they worked together as a team and always did what they could to help each other out.

I loved how this book touched on some more serious topics like homelessness. It was interesting reading from the perspective of a homeless main character as it's not something I rally come across in my reading. It really made me think about how lucky I am to have what I have and not to take it for granted.

This isn't a cutesy romance contemporary it's more of a dramatic one. There was lots of drama in this book, lots of lying and fighting but there was some heart warming moments here and there too.

I was so happy we got to see Abby, Rachel and Isaiah in this book. I thought we wouldn't since Haley doesn't run in the same circles and the characters from the previous books but we did!

Take Me On was not my favourite in the Pushing the Limits series but did really really like it; I just love Crash into You and Dare You To more!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

*Warning this post contains spoilers for all the previous book in the Throne of Glass series- including Tower of Dawn*

Series: Throne of Glass, #7

Publication: October 23rd 2018 by Bloomsbury YA

Goodreads Description:

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series. 

My thoughts:

Wow what a finale! I finished KoA in awe of Sarah J Mass. I was apprehensive going in since ACOWAR wasn't my favourite but by god has Sarah learned how to write an ending. KoA is an absolutely breathtaking finale and was definitely worth the wait. I wasn't sure she could pull it off with the scope of this series being so grand but it was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better way for one of my favourite series to end.

I was an emotional mess reading almost every other chapter and when I wasn't tearing up I was on the edge of me seat freaking out over all the intense battles and action sequences that Maas packed into this massive book. 

I love Aelin to pieces but following her in this book was extremely difficult for me. She goes through lots of ups and downs but mostly downs and I was so emotional reading all her chapters because I didn't want to say goodbye to this badass brave woman who I have looked up to for the past 5 years of my life.

Dorian got a lot of page time in KoA which I was so happy about. I feel like he has been a bit neglected in the past few books but Sarah gave him so much opportunities to shine in KoA. In this book he is struggling with his trauma and his humanity and he even explores new aspects of his magic. I missed my sassy charming prince from the early ToG days but I've also loved how layered and complex his character has become over the last few books.

Manon- her arc- in this book alone

I ended up caring about the cadre a lot more than I expected. I grew to love Fenrys in this book because he was with Aelin. I also really grew to like Gavriel, he's so different to the other males. I loved how kind and gentle he was with Elide on their search for Aelin.

There was a few new characters introduced- mostly witches, which was interesting but we don't get to know them that well which is understandable considering the size of the cast. 

It was so interesting how Sarah managed to weave all these storylines so that all these characters started converging. There was at least 10 points of view and I found myself invested in every single one of them. I was surprised that Sarah J Maas pulled off the multiple POVs. It could have been a lot but she managed to write them in a way that made sense for them to cross paths.

A number of things I predicted did happen but she did it in a way that surpassed my expectations. There was lots of twists and turns and I loved how she played with some tropes and turned them on their head.

A note on the romance. Everyone knows Sarah's latest books have been full of romance and steamy sex sex scenes and while some readers enjoy that it's not my cup of tea so I was over the moon excited to see that she toned it way down with the sex scenes in KoA and focused on the plot and other aspects of the characters relationships!

People are going to argue that the ending wasn't what they wanted but it was exactly what I wanted .

I have no words to describe what this series has meant to me over the years. It has been my rock in so many ways and I am very sad it's over but am glad with how it ended. I couldn't have asked for a more epic conclusion for this badass character I love with all my heart. I know this series has its problems but I will love it until the day I die. And I want to say thank you to Sarah for writing it.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Publication:Published August 9th 2016 by William Morrow

Goodreads Description:

Nemesis (n.) 

1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;

2) A person’s undoing;

3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. 

My thoughts: 

I had never read chicklit/adult contemporary before picking up The Hating Game but I'd heard so many people raving about it I decided to give it a go and I am so glad I did I was only a few pages in and I was hooked. It was such a fun read and one I throughly enjoyed!

I loved reading from Lucy's perspective. She was such a quirky cute character. There were times when she came across a bit childish but for the most part I found her to be a very entertaining main character.

I loved Josh too. He was not what I was expecting when I picked this book up. He was such a sweetheart. He did start to become a bit possessive and protective later in the book which I wasn't a fan of though. 

The romance was so much fun to read. I love the enemies to lovers trope so when I heard that's what this book was I was so excited. Sally Thorne did an excellent job taking a trope that is always used and made it into something so much fun. There was so much angst and build up I loved it! I was getting so impatient reading because tension was there I was just waiting for the two to realise they loved each other. I was so invested in their relationship.

There wasn't much of a plot with it being a romance but the plot that was there was very predictable. I knew when there was going to be drama and why before it happened.

The Hating Game was so addicting it was ridiculous, I didn't want to go to bed I wanted to keep reading. I had the best time with this boo and will for sure be picking up more books like it in the future! This was an excellent introduction to the genre!

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 :)

A Court of Frost and Starlight

*This post contains spoilers for the first three books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series; A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin* 

Read my review of book 1, here!

Read my review of book 2, here!

Read my review of book 3, here!

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Publication: May 1st 2018 by Bloomsbury YA

Goodreads Description:

Hope warms the coldest night.

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. 

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court. 

My thoughts:

This novella/book is completely unnecessary to read. It is an alright read but it has nothing in it that will not be mentioned in the next book in the series so you definitely skip it. If you want to read it, give it a go but I'd recommend going in with low expectations and here's why: 

There is absolutely no plot. We follow Feyre going on multiple shopping trips and a few other characters just hanging out around Solstice/Christmas. It felt very reminiscent of fanfiction I have read about multiple series I love. It was fun at times but boring at others and felt repetitive. 

Feyre in ACOFAS is not the Feyre we know and love from ACOMAF/ACOWAR. I was constantly annoyed at her while reading this novella. I was/am very disappointed in how Sarah J Maas took this badass role model female character we all love and made her into a stereotypical house wife in this 200 page story. In ACOMAF and ACOWAR it is constantly brought up that Feyre is a High Lady and Rhys' equal but in A Court of Frost and Starlight he's the one out at meetings and running the Night Court and Feyre is out shopping and cleaning their house and cooking for him and the others.

The writing is a bit all over the place. The book is told in multiple POVs but Feyre and Rhys's were in first person but Mor and Cassian's were in third person which confused me, like just pick one and stick to it. There was also a good few repeated phrases here and there and lines from previous books reused.

AVOFAS is not a necessary read I will say it is a quick one; I read it in a few hours and when I wasn't annoyed at Feyre I did enjoy it. Also I'm still SJM trash so I'll read anything by her. 

ACOFAS was marketed as a novella that was supposed to set up the storyline for the next book which it does but literally in the last few pages. The content of which could easily have been a prologue in the next book. 

Will I  be picking up the next book? Definitely. Was this one a waste of my time? Kind of. 

Thanks for reading,

A :)