Category: YA Book Reviews

Posted in YA Book Reviews

The Ask and The Answer

Posted on by Little Bee

The Ask and The Answer

The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness

Narrated by Nick Podehl and Angela Dawe

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

Narrated Rating: 4 Stars

 

The Ask and The Answer is the second book in the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness. If you read my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go, I was left devastated and not wanting to continue on. The Ask and The Answer did not crush my soul so it was pleasant and I will not wait a year and half before reading the finale, Monsters of Men.

The Answer is a terrorist group (let’s face it that is what they are) that was originated by women during earlier wars. When Mayor Prentis took over Haven, and became a tyrant of a President, The Answer reformed and began bombing buildings, grain houses, wells, etc in order to restrict the town and the people within. Mayor Prentis (Now President Prentis) created a response to The Answer called The Ask. Part of The Ask was a process called The Asking, in which men would torture a captive in order to get answers about The Answer.

I won’t give away any endings, or anything significant. I did like this one. There was a LOT of manipulation and attempting to turn Todd and Viola against each other. I like that there was a lot of growth for Todd and Viola.

As expected, Nick Podehl is amazing. Angela Dawes as Viola had a whiney voice. It made it sound like Viola whined the ENTIRE story.

 

 

Posted in Book Reviews, YA Book Reviews

Cold Burn of Magic

Posted on by Little Bee

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Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Goodreads Rating: 3 stars

I received a copy of this book at the RT Booklover’s Convention in May 2015. I was super excited to get to meet Jennifer Estep as I am a HUGE fan of her Mythos Academy series. Estep is super nice and very humble.

Cold Burn of Magic is the first in the Black Blade series. Based on the first book, I am not entirely sure what the series as a whole will be or how many books. This new series has monsters and magic, but you only ever see the pixies, loch ness, and what what magic someone may or may not carry. I do think this series carries a lot of promise and that perhaps this first book is more of prepper, getting the whole of the story ready. There was some excitement and drama, but not until the last couple of chapters. I figured out who the bad guy was pretty early on. The rest of the series will, I believe, focus around the bigger picture conflict with probably some obstacles here and there. (My guess).

I only gave it 3 stars because I felt like there could have been more. More action, more monsters, more magic, more to the story,  and more of the other characters. My hope is the next books will give me the “more” that I look for in Estep’s books! I will continue on with this story, as I said before, I believe it carries a lot of promise.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

All The Bright Places

Posted on by Little Bee

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All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

I didn’t know if I was going to write a review for this book when I finished. Sometimes we come across books that are just fantastical. They are so wonderfully written, I do not even know where to start. All The Bright Places falls in this category. I am not even sure where to begin my thoughts or how to even reel them in. So let me try…

This story broke my heart and crushed my soul. I laughed, I cried, I cried some more. I knew guys like Finch in high school. They would have been the type of guy I went for, or was curious about. You know the type? The ones that live right there at the edge of life. I knew girls like Violet.  In fact, there were times I felt like Violet myself.

I love the relationship that blooms between Violet and Finch. I love how Finch saves Violet and wants her to Live her life. Without regrets. I love that Finch teaches Violet to see the world differently, to wander, to not take movement for granted. Meanwhile, Finch is suffering .We know what is going to happen, but deep down inside, we hope it doesn’t. Maybe the author will take mercy on Finch.

I do like that All The Bright Places highlights mental illness and the fact that many families and those affected will hide it, or pretend it does not exist. Finch never received help. What is worse, Finch’s family and friends never stepped in to help. Even Finch’s counselor only half helped. Violet wasn’t even aware. That is what breaks my heart even more. No one did anything, and the one person who would, was too late. Finch didn’t want saved.

How many people do you know that is affected by mental illness or often flirts with suicide or high risk behaviors that are deadly, and you just ignore them? Will you continue to ignore them or will you reach out and make sure they are okay?

On a final note, I am still heart broken by this story. I finished days ago, and am just finally composed enough to write a review. Have tissue ready. Even when you are mentally prepared, it is not enough! This story is one that sticks with you even after the book is closed.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

Dorothy Must Die (May contain Spoilers)

Posted on by Little Bee

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Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Goodreads rating 3 stars

Actual Rating 3.5 stars

I read this book as a buddy read on Goodreads, it is also a book to tick off of my read list for the Retellings Challenge I am currently participating in.

I want to start off by saying, I had a lot of hopes for this book. It felt new, different, and edgy. Yes, it is different, and it is very edgy/dark, which is good. I feel that it some how fell short in multiple places.

First. On the back of the book, it states: Remove the Tin Woodman’s Heart, Steal the Scarecrow’s Brain, Take the Lion’s Courage, and then Dorothy Must Die. Here is where I have issues with this. I was waiting for this information the ENTIRE book, and where did it end? At the end of the book. The majority of this book was Amy being trained by the Wicked witches to kill Dorothy. Amy has her chance, and of course, she isn’t able to. It is then, that she is informed by the Wizard himself that she has to do these other tasks first BEFORE she can kill Dorothy. Lame. To be honest, I am actually convinced that Dorothy may not die at all in this series..that somehow she will be given retribution for her evilness she brought with her to Oz when she returned.

Next. Nox. I can’t place it yet, but he is NOT to be trusted. I can sense betrayal coming a mile away. I also want to put out, whatever Amy is feeling for him, will get her into trouble. We know how she feltish about Pete, and look what happens there! (Which I saw coming a mile away, to be honest).

Finally, this book is written in such a way you question EVERYTHING. I get it, truly, Amy is not supposed to trust anyone but herself right now, but, the two people that I felt could be trusted, get killed off rather quickly. Also, just so it is made known, this is not your mother’s Wizard of Oz. This book is dark, edgy, violent, and will crush your soul. I want to also take a moment to point out, that for as thick as this book is, and for what all happened, it did not feel like much happened at all.

I will continue on with the story, I am intrigued on how this will play out. I can only hope more happens in the next book, however, it is half the size of Dorothy Must Die, so I think it probably will not answer much either.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

Hunger

Posted on by Little Bee

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Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars

 

I discovered this book in a random search of recommended books on Goodreads. From then, I actively sought out this book, but could not find in the bookstores. So I ordered it on Amazon. It took approximately 4 days to read, shorter if I had more time to donate to it.

This story has a powerful message, and I admit, there were times I felt it was TOO much. But overall, I am glad it was TOO much at times, because in real life, outside of the stories, it can be MUCH worse for REAL people. Lisa is anorexic. She tries to kill herself, however, Death comes and announces she is the new Famine. Yes, one of the Four Horsemen. This story goes through the emotions and motions with Lisa. Addressing not only how there are people all over the world starving everyday, but also addressing how Lisa views herself. Once Lisa had her “ah-ha!” moment, I found myself to be emotionally involved. It was nice watching Lisa grow and recognize she had a problem. I also liked that Kessler did not just fully force change onto Lisa. It has to be natural, and it is often a slow process.

I think at some point in our lives, we all come across someone with an eating disorder. We may not understand, we may not be able to help. Even trying to help, it may prove to be an uphill battle. Kessler wrote this for the Lisas in our lives.

I won’t give any spoilers. I liked the ending and disliked it at the same time. I wished there was a little more to the book. There is a lot of inner dialogue, which there needs to be, but I wish there were more opportunities to be Famine than what was in the book.

Overall, it is a great read and I highly recommend it.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

A Thousand Nights

Posted on by Little Bee

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Goodreads Rating: 3 stars

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

 

I had high hopes when I checked out A Thousand Nights from the library. I selected this book as one of the books for the Retellings Challenge I am participating in. This story is a retelling of Arabian Nights. Where the book did well in challenging gender, power, and love/sacrifice, it failed for me in the overall final product.

The leading lady in this story is nameless, she is referred to more or less as sister, and once in the castle, Lady-Bless. I find that intriguing, since this nameless female sets off to become one of the most powerful and revered female in the land. She saves the lives of many, after 300 females died before her, she manages to keep Lo-Melkhiin’s interest to keep living another day.

Where this story failed for me, the book descriptions talk about the stories that the main character weaves keeping the interest of Lo-Melkhiin. There were not many stories told by the main character, and the ones that were told, did not last long. Lo-Melkhiin, or the being inside of Lo-Melkhiin, was fascinated by the power that Lady-Bless some how had.

This story seemed to take forever, the best part was the final event at Lady-Bless’ sister’s wedding. I felt that it took me longer to read this book than it should have. It was slow, and many parts were boring or unnecessary. The writing style flowed smoothly. I feel, overall, though the concept is intriguing, it failed to deliver. You will have to read it for yourself to see what you think. I think with other stories coming out retelling Arabian Nights, this one is not up to snuff.

 

Posted in YA Book Reviews

North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus

Posted on by Little Bee

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North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus by Candace Jane Kringle (aka Candycane Claus)

This story follows along Candycane Claus’ Junior year at North Pole High. Candy is one of the popular kids, dating the cutest guy, having the most powerful father, and being the one teen who is expected to have the utmost amount of Christmas cheer at ALL times.

But Candy is 16. She is going through changes. Her father, the head honcho, Santa Claus himself, should be able to handle his baby girl growing up right? Only those of us who live in the “inbetween” of the poles experience fathers who can’t accept their only baby girl dating boys right? Only the inbetweener fathers can be blinded by rage and misplaced judgment right? Nope!! Candycane Claus goes head to head with her father in this story of love, betrayal, and growing up.

Sometimes, the words that are used in the book to describe things are a bit much. Though, I do like the phrase “he is so hot chocolate” when describing the looks of the boys in the school. Other than that, it can sometimes be a little much.

I did enjoy this book, and I got a little teary at the end when Santa realized he was a jerk and almost ruined Christmas for EVERYONE in the world!

I don’t think I will give any more than that. If you decide to give it a look, be mindful that it is written from a “16 year old boy crazy” girl’s perspective and you have to place yourself in that mindset. It was the perfect Christmas love story for the holidays!

Posted in YA Book Reviews

Winter

Posted on by Little Bee

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Winter by Marissa Meyer, Narrated by Rebecca Soler

Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

Narrator: 5 stars

 

I will keep this review short and sweet, primarily because it was so long of a book and I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who has not finished the series or even begun.

So here we are, to the very end of the series. It has been a great journey, and I have truly enjoyed everything about this series.

In this installment, the main characters are mainly apart doing their own things for the greater good of the overall mission, reinstating Cinder as the rightful queen of Luna.

My only qualm with Winter is that it was longer than necessary. There were parts you would think would be the climax, but then it would just keep on going. The audiobook was 23 hours long. The book itself well over 800 pages. I believe, overall, the series ended exactly the way that it needed to, I just felt there was a lot of extra going on that could either have made another book or not been in the story in the first place.

The narrator, Rebecca Soler, is amazing. She is so good, sometimes it sounds like there is a different person narrating each character. I really like that about a narrator which is why she received 5 stars. Cinder was among the first Audiobooks I ever listened to, and Soler made it truly wonderful and elevated the overall story to a higher level.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

The Naturals

Posted on by Little Bee

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The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Narrated by Amber Faith

 

  • Overall Rating: 3.78 Stars
  • Goodreads Rating: 4 stars
  • Narration: 4 stars

 

Rating Breakdown:

  • Originality: 4 stars
  • Character Development: 4.5 stars
  • Plot: 3.5 stars

Genre based ratings:

  • Young Adult: 3.5 stars
  • Mystery: 4 stars
  • Romance: 3 stars

This is a series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes about a group of teens that have special skill sets that are used by the FBI in a special group to help solve closed cases. Cassie is really good at reading people in ways that the average person cannot do. Cassie takes ‘profiling’ to a different level and the FBI are intent on honing her skills and making her stronger. She was offered the opportunity to come aboard this group of misfits, which she accepted (or we would not be having this book or review).

When Cassie was younger her mother was brutally murdered. The FBI  never found the body, nor the killer. Cassie accepted this offer for this elite group of teens in hopes that she would be able to see her mother’s file and finally have some closure. Not long after Cassie joins this ragtag bunch of teens, murders start popping up, murders similar to her mother’s. Cassie goes off kilter and trying to solve these murders in hopes that she can ultimately find her mother’s killer. Along the way, she attempts to get a feel for who she can trust, and who she should steer clear of, but, are her intuitions correct? Or is her feelings regarding her mother’s death clouding her ability to read what is going on? Dun dun duuuun!

So why did I only give the plot 3.5 stars? While I feel the book, overall, was a pretty decent story, I feel that it could have been further developed. I believe the relationships between the teens and FBI agents could have been more developed in their relation and how they fit into the story overall.  I also feel that the plot twist, though a FANTASTIC one that I did not see coming, could have been further developed to deliver a more meaningful punch to the story to have a more significant WOW factor and impact.

I gave the Character development 4.5 stars and while it may conflict with what I wrote a paragraph ago, I want to point out, that the character sketches for those in this story are spot on. Each character has their own personality, their own issues, that make them fit with the rest of the group and into the story. I feel that some characters needed more interactions in the story’s overall plot development. It felt like some characters were left out, and it primarily focused on Cassie, Michael, and Dean.  I am hoping to see more of Lia and Sloanne in the next book as they were funny, lively, and made each scene they were in, unique.

I gave this book 4 stars for originality, 3.5 for its categorization of Young Adult, 4 for mystery, and 3 for romance. Here is why, I do believe this to be an original storyline. I stopped reading mysteries a long time ago because I felt they were all done multiple times over and I could figure most of them out. This story was very unique, and I didn’t see the plot twist coming (which is why it received a 4 star for mystery). I am not sure why the subcategory includes romance. Cassie kissed Michael, secretly crushed on Dean, but there was not much more than that. Maybe in the next installment, Barnes will dive into the relationship a bit more.

Narrated by Amber Faith, this book was elevated to a more enjoyable level. Let me reiterate, though I love reading actual copies of books, every now and then, a narrator brings the book to a higher level of enjoyment. Faith did just that. However, her best narration was Cassie, the main character. I did enjoy the voices for her other characters, but I am sure as the characters develop in the story, the narration will as well.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

Red Rising

Posted on by Little Bee

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Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

 

Rating Breakdown:

  • Originality:  4
  • Character Development:  5
  • Plot: 4.5

Genre based ratings:

  • Young Adult: 4.5
  • Science Fiction: 4.5
  • Dystopia: 4.5

 

This book has been on my To Reads list for a long time, so I finally ordered myself a copy from Amazon and gave it a go. This book is a quick read.

Darrow was a young driller in the depths of Mars. He was married young, as is most of the society. Then one day, his wife is killed (not a spoiler). This made him angry and he did something that would also cause him to be hanged, only it didn’t work. He was altered by the Sons of Mars into a member of the Gold Society. He went into a special schooling that determines where a Gold fits into society. He is expected by the Sons of Mars to excel and “weasel” his way into the Gold Society in order for the Sons of Mars to come in and cause mass chaos and destruction.
It will be interesting to see how this manifests through the series…I have some inklings about what will happen based on some instances in the book, but you never know I suppose…

In regards to character and character growth, I gave this book 4.5 stars. Darrow was very annoying for me at first, however, I believe he had significant growth during the book. He was very cocky and arrogant for the better part of the story, up until the last few chapters. I found I enjoyed him more overall after he was knocked down a few pegs. (I wont go into more due to spoilers)

I had hope for a lot of the characters in the story, but some of them really turned into villains, so I am looking forward to reading more about them in the series. My hope is that, there is more character development and less of the arrogant ass behavior exhibited by various characters. I felt that Brown really villanized characters who would be a potential alley and I am hoping for some more growth in that area of story and plot development as the time goes on. 

In regards to originality, I give this book 4 stars. I think the concept is great, however, seen before, in different formats. Oppressed sector of Mars, lower levels are abused and kept out of the know of what is really going on, one person chosen as the one to bring the system down…catch my drift? Even if it has been used before, it is still a worthwhile and enjoyable read. There is a lot of blood and death in the book, so keep that in mind in the event that is not your thing.