The Girl He Used to Know: A Book Review

I'm forever grateful to my bookish friends who lead me to books like this (Sarah, I'm pointing to you!). The Girl He Used to Know touched me so deeply, gave me so much hope and happiness, and made me sob after finishing it because I didn't know how to understand all the emotions I was feeling. If nothing else, this book made me FEEL, more than any other book I've read so far this year.

The characters in this book are so real that I often thought about them outside of reading. First and foremost, I believe this book is about Annika overcoming her struggles with autism and fear, and how Jonathan helps her and loves her unconditionally. They bring out the best in each other, and they struggle together. I think their relationship is one of my favorite literary relationships of all time. I can't get enough of it.

There are things in this book that I never saw coming. There were parts when I cried, laughed, and smiled because my heart was full. This is a book I will always remember, and probably reread every year. The writing is wonderfully compelling and easy to understand and get lost in. Tracey Garvis Graves wrote a remarkable book, one that both entertains and educates (especially about autism). This book is so dear to my heart and I can't give it anything but a solid five stars.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Would I recommend? Yes, yes, yes! Though content warnings include some swearing and explicit (but matter-of-fact) sex scenes.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for the review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Tiger at Midnight: A Book Review

I've been longing for a young adult fantasy focused on Indian culture and mythology ever since The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck. And this book, by Swati Teerdhala, fulfilled every longing, every expectation, and rekindled my love of Indian-themed books. The best part? It's a trilogy! I'll be waiting not-so-patiently for the next books to come out.

Besides the rich Indian culture and mythology, I loved the characters. Kunal is an endearing character—easy to love, understand, and root for. I think it's because he is incredibly loyal and has goodness deep in his bones. It's interesting to watch his character development as his world crumbles around him. Esha, on the other hand, is as morally gray as they come. She seeks revenge and is a fierce fighter. But she too is easy to love and root for. Together, Kunal and Esha have an amazing, dynamic relationship as they play cat and mouse and discover secrets that could threaten everything they know. Their witty banter wasn't cliche (I so hate cliche, witty banter. But theirs was believable and clever), the passion between them was undeniable, and the issues holding them apart was captivating. The characters are the strongest element of this book, and that's the reason why I give this a solid five stars. I want to return to Kunal and Esha again soon, and can't wait to continue their story.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Would I recommend? Yes! Especially if you love the enemies-to-lovers trope, mythical fantasy, Indian culture, political intrigue, and slow-burning romance.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Finale: A Book Review

Finale gave a great ending to a magical, crazy series. And while I don't think it held the same magic and wonder as the first two books, I feel that it was needed to tie everything up and give us the answers we needed to part with this world.

Overall, Caraval was a thrilling series. I devoured the first two books in a matter of days, and was so impressed with the talented writing, magical world building, and fascinating characters. I think I'll be rereading this series in the future, but I'll be sure to savor them and appreciate every detail. I really think the greatest strength to this series is the mystical world and Stephanie Garber's writing. I got lost in these books, especially the first two. It's a great series that I would recommend to all fantasy lovers.

Ratings for Finale:

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 3.5
Character Development: 4.5
Overall: 4

Ratings for the Caraval series:

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Spin the Dawn: A Book Review

Spin the Dawn is a masterful story pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway. I agree with this for the first half of the book, but the second half was so much more powerful and complex. This book tells the story of a young girl who disguises herself as a boy to compete to be the master tailor for the emperor. She must make three dresses: one from the sun, one from the moon, and one from the stars. This spurs an epic adventure that tests her skills and determination. And I think it's now one of my favorite story adventures.

There's something for everyone to love in this book: magic, love, long journeys, sacrifices, discovery, fights, and the power of a young girl who can beat the odds with her skill and determination. All around, the story kept me engaged and I finished it in three days because I couldn't put it down. The characters are wonderfully real, burdened by their responsibilities and the deepest wishes of their hearts.

I loved Elizabeth Lim's writing style and I wouldn't hesitate before reading another one of her books. I'm despondent that I have to wait for the second book of this series, though. I need Maia's story to continue now! Until then, I'll recommend this one to anyone who loves fantasy, Chinese culture, and fairy tales.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4.5
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House) and NetGalley for the free review copy! This book will be released July 9th, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Call It What You Want: A Book Review

From the author of A Curse So Dark and Lonely comes a breathtaking contemporary novel about two teenagers trying to find their places in the world. I adored this book much more than I thought I would. I haven't picked up a contemporary for a long time, but this book made me want to only read contemporaries for the next month! So beautifully and thoughtfully done.

I loved the two main characters, Rob and Maegan. Both Rob and Meagan have their issues (like a father's failed suicide after being caught embezzling money and cheating on the SAT, respectively), and both are social outcasts. So when they are paired together for a AP Calculus project, they discover that they have more in common than they thought. To me, their relationship was the best part of the book. I loved watching it grow and develop, and even struggle at times. They felt so real to me, and I felt like I was a part of their world.

Brigid Kemmerer's writing is astounding. I'm shameful to admit that this is my first read by her, but already I know I want to read everything she writes. The pace of this book was engaging and well done. Even the premise grabbed me. It has everything a YA contemporary should have: realistic relationships (romantic, friends, and otherwise), diversity, secrets, truth, real-life problems, and hope. And I appreciated that the swearing was kept to a minimum and that I didn't have to skip any sex scenes.

Overall, Call It What You Want was a wonderful, quick read for me. It's on my list of favorite YA contemporaries, and definitely one I would reread and recommend.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4.5
Overall: 4

Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the free review copy!  This book will be released June 25, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Lost Roses: A Book Review

Lost Roses is a worthy prequel of Lilac Girls. I don't read a lot of WWI fiction, so I enjoyed the fresh take this book offered. Like Lilac Girls, it focuses on three characters' points of view, one from America (Eliza, who is Caroline's mother from Lilac Girls) and two from Russia (Sofya and Varinka). I loved the focus on the Bolshevik Revolution and its impact on Russian nobles and peasants alike. The book did have a lot of tragedy, death, and other hard issues like sexual abuse and torture, so it was sometimes hard to read. But I loved the historical insight into this time period.

As always, Martha Hall Kelly's characters were strong, well presented, and real. It was hard for my attention to stay with Eliza though, because I was more interested in the Russian part of the story rather than the American part. Also, Varinka is a piece of work. I can't decide if I hate her or like her. I think that's a sign of a true, real-life character.

I felt the plot moved well, similar to Lilac Girls. It kept me entertained. Kelly's writing style is clear and captivating, and she crafted a beautiful story.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Yes! Especially if you read Lilac Girls, or love books about the Bolshevik Revolution/the Romanovs.

Thank you Penguin Random House for the free review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Candle and the Flame: A Book Review

Happy release day to this gorgeous book, The Candle and the Flame!

After reading this book, I finally understand what the author, Nafiza Azad, meant when she said, "This book is about many things but it is mostly about women being women in the most fantastic ways possible." I absolutely agree with this. The Candle and the Flame is rich with culture and themes surrounding women empowerment and diversity. I love the many women characters in this book, and how their strengths are all different. The book carries a great message that each woman is strong and capable in her own way.

I've been waiting for this type of book. I loved reading about the wide variety of cultures, religions, and people in the city of Noor. The descriptions of food and clothing were superb, and I felt like my view of the city was intimate and mind-opening. The characters themselves were rich and wonderful representations of their culture and religions. I also loved learning about Islam through this book.

This book is incredibly different from anything I've ever read. First, the language is different in that the book is written in third person omniscient, which is a point of view I don't read much of. It was quite jarring at first, and this, coupled with a lot of political explanation, made the first part of the book move slowly. It was hard to get into. But once I got used to the language and tried to make sense of the various politics and the Islamic religion, I devoured this book. I worry for more impatient readers, but I think this book is well worth the patience and work.

The plot moved very well, the overall idea of Djinn fire was interesting, and I liked the many characters' points of view. The story was engaging, the characters worth rooting for, and the romance slow burning. I do wish we could have had more romance, but I still think it was artfully done.

I already want to reread this book, just because there is so much to learn. I feel like I could read it multiple times and get something out of it each time. And again, it is such a powerful book with themes of diversity and women empowerment.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3.7
Plot/Movement: 4.5
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Yes! Just give yourself time and patience to get into it. 

A big thank you to Scholastic Press for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!