Red Rising

Red Rising - Pierce Brown

2/5 Stars

The Earth is dying.

Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it.

The Reds are humanity's last hope.

Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie.

DNF at around 60%

After just starting The Way of Kings, I really can't see myself picking this book back up. Dystopian books just really aren't my thing, but they say your taste buds change every seven years so I gave it a shot! However, I definitely need to wait a couple more years... 

Pros 

There were actually a fair few things I liked about this book, as I thought it used a few interesting ideas to build up this world. For example, how you have to pull a man's legs when they're being hung to combat gravity etc. I thought these little bits of detail were really cool and I could tell a lot of thought was put into the world building. 

While I didn't really care much for the world, I thought that the actual amount of time spent to world building was perfect. Too often in YA, world building takes a back seat, but I thought Red Rising did a good job of exploring this Sci-Fi world without disrupting the overall pace of the story. It is also important to note that I never tend to like books, which are set in space or anything like that, but if you do...Then I think you'd really enjoy this world.

Cons

I could not stand the writing in this book! I just found it excruciating to read, as it consistently used short sentences, which over dramatised every single thing and it just got exhausting. Darrow could be getting dressed and it would be like... 

I bend down and pick up the sock. It feels different. Everything feels different now. I slip it on my left foot and pause. Something is wrong. I gasp out in panic. It's a Tuesday. These are my Wednesday socks. I have to be more careful.

Okay that may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. That's honestly how every paragraph felt for me and it was just so unnecessarily exhausting and left me disconnected from the plot.

I also really didn't like how Eo was used, as she was literally only there to serve as motivation for Darrow. It's like the Author thought "Oh, my main character lacks motivation... I know Let's (anyone who has read it knows)... It just felt really cheap to me.

This book also started out very Cliche, which I actually don't mind in books. It just happens to be that I don't like many Sci-Fi or dystopian Cliches... So I was just left annoyed at how predictable the start was. However, things did pick up and the story started to become its own by around 150 pages, but by this point I had lost all interest and concentration to even understand what was happening. 

With all this considered, I don't actually think this is a 'bad book' and I do think that anyone, who likes Sci-Fi dystopians, would really enjoy this read. Unfortunately this genre just isn't for me, but hey... You can't like everything :( 

Pantomime (Micah Grey #1)

Pantomime - Laura Lam

4.75/5 Stars

Gene's life resembles a debutante's dream. Yet she hides a secret that would see her shunned by the nobility. Gene is both male and female. When her parents plan a devastating betrayal, she flees home and joins a circus.

This Book is seriously underrated and more people need to read it! It is honestly one of the best Young Adult books I have ever read!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love circuses and I think this book does an excellent representation of showing the magic and mystery surrounding a fantasy circus. I mean ... what's not to love about bearded women, creepy clowns and contortionists.? However, what really set this book apart from a few other circus books I have read, is that there are Chimaera! I just think that Chinaera fit so neatly into the setting of a circus and really add to the dark, creepy and imaginative atmosphere it should have!

Putting my slight circus obsession aside, this was still a highly enjoyable read and had a very intriguing plot throughout. I found the pacing to be perfect, as I was never once felt bored, but at the same time no plot points ever felt rushed or glossed over.

The main character, Gene or Micah, is now one of my favourite YA protagonists! Gene is intersex and therefore both male and female, however she goes by the name of Micah, disguised as a boy for the main course of the novel. I have personally never read a book with an intersex main character and I found it so interesting to see the world from this perspective. I don't know how accurate the representation of being intersex was, but frankly this is a fantasy book, not a contemporary... and I loved how Laura Lam put her own fantasy twist onto this topic.

Gene is also a runaway (for valid reasons) and ends up at a circus, which is a trope I will never grow tired of! Despite her understandable running away, I appreciated how Laura Lam briefly included the effects this had on Gene's family, which is something that I feel isn't discussed enough with these kind of things. I find that the family is often forgotten about and never heard of again, when in reality they have just lost their child...

I also loved all of the side characters in this book, especially Aenea, who is an aerialist in the circus, but also all of the smaller characters, who each had their own unique roll to play in putting on a show. Despite this, I would have preferred it if there was more time dedicated to more circus members and their back stories, but I understand how this could have disrupted the pace of the novel for a lot of people... Maybe I'm just being greedy!

I never tend to take much notice to the romance in books (especially in YA), however I actually adored the romance in this novel and there was no insta-love. It was more lighthearted and slowly built, which I feel a romance should be at the beginning stages and not confessing your love for each other after two weeks, like some other Young Adult books... *eyerolls* I also found Gene to be highly likable in this respect as she was often kind and calculated, but also selfish when she needed to be and put herself first, which is something I personally admire in protagonists.

Despite all of this, I do have a few little quibbles.

In the beginning stages of the Novel , I found it very hard to picture the main character, which is never normally a problem for me! It was only half way through, when there was a description of Micah's Auburn hair that I started to get a solid image in my mind. I don't know if I missed some earlier description, but it definitely bugged me a little bit.

I also wish there was slightly more world building. I don't think the world building was bad by any means, but I just wish there was a little more! This could just be a personal preference, as I know not everyone cares for lengthy descriptions of places and lore, but I do ... :D Also, I understand how this is the first in a trilogy and I hope that a lot of things mentioned will come into play in the later installments.

Another thing to note is that this book switches between the past and the present a fair bit, which I personally don't like in books, as I prefer a chronological narrative. However as I read on I adapted and understood the reasons behind this choice in structure and it actually kinda worked for me by the middle stages.

I do think that these issues are very minor and down to my own personal preference and not objective flaws to the story itself and should by no means put you off giving this book a shot! If you love circuses, or just want a fun YA book then look no further! Or if you want to read Caraval then read this instead, as it deserves so much more attention :D I'm not salty over that book... I swear ;)

My Goodreads Review

The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time #3)

The Dragon Reborn - Robert Jordan

5/5 Stars

 I don't think I have ever been this invested in a series before and I'm so happy! I understand some people's reasoning for not liking The Wheel of Time, as yes... it's filled with a lot of cliches and tropes (at least in the first book) However, I just happen to love each and every one of these tropes! While I'm glad more modern fantasy has developed and become more original, I just find it so refreshing to go back to the genre at its core and this series just makes me so happy for them reasons :D

The Dragon Reborn is actually my favourite book so far and this is why...

In this instalment, there is much less POV time for Rand and I actually think this does wonders for the series, as it allows every other character and plot line to develop massively. For example, I feel as though the female characters really come into their own in this book and become their own individual person with their own distinct personalities. Whereas previously I couldn't help but get confused between Egwene and Nynaeve, as I didn't think there was much separating them. While they are still not my favourite characters in the series, I absolutely loved their scenes in this book as they reminded me so much of why I love A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4), due to all the
slowly built up secrecy and court intrigue! (but the White Tower version)

We also get more Perrin, who is my favourite of the 3 Edmond's Field boys! I also started to really grow towards Mat in this book, as he became so much more entertaining to read about and not annoying in the slightest! I also loved Queen Morgase, as she reminds me of Queen Elizabeth 1 crossed with the Queen of Hearts and it just makes me laugh xD I also found Lanfear incredibly interesting as a character and can't wait to learn more about her and her motives!

But what really made this book my favourite in the series so far was the pacing and how it was structured. The pacing was consistently on the increase and slowly built up to an epic climax that definitely satisfies! Also we stayed with one character enough to really develop the story arc before switching POV, instead of switching every other chapter, which can sometimes be quite jarring as in other fantasy books. And then to top it off plot points from the previous two books come back into play and it's just.... *claps* Well played Mr Jordan well played.

I absolutely love this series and I am so glad there are still 11 books to go! All it needs now is a circus and my life is complete!

Spoiler alert- Nynaeve tugs her braid... a lot...

My Goodreads Review

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 1 : The Faust Act

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 1 : The Faust Act 

4/5 Stars 

I haven't read many Graphic Novels, but I was suddenly in the mood for one and The Wicked and the Divine has been sitting on my shelf for a while now so thought I'd finally pick it up. 

I'm so glad I did because it was so much fun! After recently reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, I can't help but draw comparisons between the two, as they have similar concepts. (not plot). I have to say that I found this way of tackling the theme of Gods in our modern world to be much more entertaining. I actually found myself laughing to myself (on the inside) at the witty lines from each character. This use of humour also really helped to outline the characters' personalities and different quirks. Plus, the fact that the Gods come back as pop stars I found funny in itself :D

The plot was no where near as confusing and hard to follow as some reviews suggest, but maybe I just accepted that I wasn't going to know every single thing about everyone straight away. However, whether people liked the plot or not, I think it's a common opinion that the art is amazing and beautiful to look at! 

This has definitely encouraged me to pick up some more Graphic Novels in the future and carry on with this series :)

My Goodreads Review

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman 

4.5/5 stars 

I absolutely loved this audio book! I normally don't like it when authors read their own books, as I normally feel it lacks a good performance, but Neil Gaiman does an excellent job of bringing his characters to life. 

These characters are all very quirky, much in Neil Gaiman's style, but these ones are my favourite from his books so far. Bod was an adorable character and I never found him annoying, which is rare for a small kid! I also loved every side character and their interactions with Bod, as they were often either funny, or discussed interesting themes, such as death, Good vs Evil and Youth. 

However, what I loved most about this was the atmosphere. One of my favourite things is when Gothic themes and settings are made fun and lighthearted. So if you know any other books like that, then please let me know!

My Goodreads Review