Book Reviews – Page 12 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Book Review: The Rose Society

Posted on October 11, 2016October 11, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

Purchase From:

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Review

*Warning: There will be minimal spoilers about The Young Elites in this review. Read at your own risk.*

As much as I loved the Legend trilogy I love The Young Elites trilogy even more. Marie Lu has created a dark fantasy that completely sucks you in and won’t let go until the very last page. The Rose Society is once again told in different perspectives but only Adelina’s is told in the first person. In this novel we also hear from Teren, Maeve, and Raffaele, which gives us a lot of interesting perspectives.

We also met new characters like Sergio and Magiano and Magiano is my new fave. In this novel we learned a lot more about the Elites and their abilities and got to see new ones at work. More importantly though we got to see more Adelina’s power and how’s she really becoming a villain. In the first novel I really sympathized with Adelina and even though I knew she did bad things I didn’t see her as a bad person.

In The Rose Society, however, Adelina seems to take a step further into the darkness and honestly I kind of loved it. This book was really dark and kept me on the edge of my seat. I never knew how far Adelina would go with her plans and I was so conflicted in rooting for and also hoping she failed. Also, the battles and fight scenes in this novel were amazing. We really got to see a lot of the Elites powers go to work but also swords and daggers were put to good use.

Overall, I absolutely loved this novel and I cannot wait to get my hands on The Midnight Star. I need to know how it all ends and what happens to Adelina and my favorite Elites. As much as I want a happy ending for Adelina I’m not sure she deserves. I’m really interested to see how Lu ends this trilogy because I have no idea where it’s heading. Definitely pick up this trilogy if you haven’t already. It’s worth a read!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“But true rulers are not born. We are made.”

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Book Review: Hopeless

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis:

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

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Review

For some reason I read this after Crooked Kingdom because I thought, “Crooked Kingdom was really emotional. Let me just read a chill romance.” Well that was a huge mistake. Obviously I forgot who Colleen Hoover is and how heartbreaking her novels can be because if Hopeless didn’t make me full out cry it definitely made me tear up and question why the world was such a terrible place.

From the start I had my suspicions about Holder and his connection to Sky but when all the truths were revealed I was honestly shocked and I loved it. Books that can surprise me are my favorite kinds of novels and the truth about Sky and the secrets Holder was keeping were perfectly sewn together that I remember putting down the book because I needed a minute. The plot was just so great and how everything comes together broke my heart.

Moreover, I absolutely loved Holder. He’s one of my all time favorite book boyfriends now. Someone find me a Holder. Seriously, at first I was wary but then I fell for him and I just love how he treats Sky. He’s amazing.

Really this whole book just made me laugh and cry and I loved every second of it. I couldn’t put this book down. I needed to know everything and I had so many questions that needed to be answered and they all were. This is definitely a contender for my favorite CoHo book. I loved it so much. Please read it if you haven’t yet.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“The moment my lips touch yours, it will be your first kiss. Because if you’ve never felt anything when someone’s kissed you, then no one’s ever really kissed you. Not the way I plan on kissing you.”

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Book Review: The Young Elites

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Purchase From:

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Review

I absolutely loved the Legend trilogy so I was excited to dive into Marie Lu’s latest trilogy and it didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t put this book down. This novel is told in three point of views but Adelina’s point of view is the only one told in first person narration, which I enjoyed because her mind is a very interesting place. Going into this novel I knew that it was about a villain and yet I struggled to see Adelina as a villain and instead saw her as a victim of her circumstances. She definitely has some questionable morals and a dark power that can’t seem to be controlled but I’m not sure I believe that means Adelina is a bad person, which is what I love about this book. Even though Lu tells us Adelina’s a villain, Lu has developed this character so well that I still find myself asking, But is she?

Besides Adelina, Raffaele is my favorite character. Teren annoyed me but I liked having his perspective and honestly I had very mixed feelings about Enzo, which I won’t go into because I don’t want to spoil it. I will say there is a bit of romance in the novel but it’s definitely very minimal and not at all a driving force in this novel, which I found very interesting, in comparison to the Legend trilogy. It’s clear this series is very much about the characters own personal journeys about what constitutes as right or wrong.

For Teren that comes with his religious beliefs, for Adelina it’s choosing between fighting the darkness inside her or embracing it, and for Enzo it’s the question of how far he’s willing to go to take back what’s rightfully his. I really liked how complicated these characters were and how I never knew who I wanted to root for because they’re all so flawed. That’s why Raffaele is my favorite. He’s the least problematic character in this novel to be honest.

Overall, I was really drawn into this story and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. I’m really interested to see where Lu takes this story. In most novels you typically want to see the villain defeated but I don’t want a bad end for Adelina. I’m not sure if a happy ending is possible for her but I kind of want it anyway.

Have you read The Young Elites? Let me know you thoughts about it in the comments below.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Be true to yourself. But that’s something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.”

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Spoiler-Free Book Review: Crooked Kingdom

Posted on September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*Warning: There will be minimal spoilers about Six of Crows in this review. Read at your own risk.*

I went to the NYC launch for Crooked Kingdom so I got the book a day early, which was awesome. As soon as I got it I dived in and loved it immediately. Crooked Kingdom begins pretty soon after the end of Six of Crows and the main mission is obviously to save Inej from Van Eck, which of course is easier said than done but if anyone can do it it’s the Dregs. Right? Naturally Kaz has a plan up his sleeve but what I really liked about this book and Six of Crows is Bardugo doesn’t just tell us what it is, she just let’s it unfold in front of us. Also, if you were hoping this book would begin in Kaz’s point of view, with him being totally distraught over Inej’s kidnapping then you don’t know Kaz or Bardugo. We don’t even get to Kaz’s point of view until part two, which let me tell you, almost killed me. But it’s worth the wait.

I won’t go into the plot because I promised no spoilers but I will say Bardugo wove this story together perfectly. I was excited, nervous, proud, a little sad, and swooning. There are so many swoon worthy moments in this one but still not so many that it was overkill and seemed out of character for the Dregs. Everyone was still their typical selfs and though it was frustrating at times (I’m looking at you Kaz) I’m glad that Bardugo made us work for the swooning because in the end it was worth it.

My favorite part about this novel was we learned so much about everyone’s pasts, particularly Inej, Jesper, and Wylan. We really got to know the Dregs in this novel and that was awesome. I think Six of Crows was really about establishing the team but Crooked Kingdom is about really getting to know them and what brought them to where they are now. I also thoroughly appreciated the throwbacks to the Grisha trilogy that appeared in this novel as well as the little Hamilton references.

The dialogue was great and I loved how the Dregs all interacted with each other and play off each other. There friendship is simple but it’s filled with love and trust. As with Six of Crows, Kaz’s schemes always surprised me, which made this novel really fun. The writing was superb and I couldn’t skim because every word was worth something. Overall, I loved this novel and I stayed up until 4 a.m. reading it because I just couldn’t put it down. It’s now filled with post its because I found something to love on almost every single page of this book.

Even though this is the lsat book in this duology I desperately need more of this world. In particular there’s one of the Dregs that I’d love to see more of but I won’t say who because I promised no spoilers. So I’ll leave you with this: read this book! It’s so good and I’ve been resisting the urge to pick it up and read it all over again. This is definitely a contender for my favorite book this year and that’s saying something because I love A Court of Mist and Fury with all my heart. But Crooked Kingdom is amazing. Definitely give it a read immediately!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I would come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together—knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”

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Book Review: Six of Crows

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction―if they don’t kill each other first.

Purchase From:

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Review

I don’t even know how long I’ve had Six of Crows on my bookshelf but it was too long. I could’ve read this book ages ago. I could’ve fallen in love with these characters so long ago. Why did no one force me to read this book? For why? Seriously, Leigh Bardugo has truly outdone herself with this novel and I loved it so much more than the Grisha trilogy.

First of all, the cast of characters in this novel is amazing. Kaz gave me serious heart eyes and I fell for him almost instantly and I don’t know what that says about because to be quite honest Kaz is not a good person. He has some great qualities, don’t get me wrong, but overall he’s not a great person. Still, I’m able to see past his hardened exterior to his nicer interior that he tries to keep buried but unfortunately for him keeps rising to the service.

Besides Kaz, there’s Inej, also known as the Wraith. She’s probably my favorite character, although Kaz is a very close second. Then we have Nina who’s such a badass and I love her. She’s so fierce but also really cares deeply about her people and just wants a better world for them. There’s also Matthias who I had mixed feelings about but grew on me. I absolutely loved Jesper even though he’s got a lot of problems he needs to work through. Finally there’s Wylan who I just wanted to hold close and protect at all costs. He’s too sweet and precious for this world. #KeepWylanSafe2016

More than anything I just loved how diverse this group of characters were. Besides just racially, there’s a character with a physical disability and a character with a mental/learning disability. Characters deal with sex trafficking, PTSD, addiction, and so much more. It’s truly amazing!

Not only were the characters great, this book’s plot was also amazing and fast paced. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next and loved that I was never really quite sure. Kaz schemes surprised even me and the end left me a bit stressed but in the best way. That’s one of the only benefits of waiting to read this book; I literally finished it as I was waiting in line for the Crooked Kingdom signing. Talk about perfect timing.

This book was way better than I thought it would be to be honest. Not that I thought it would be bad I just didn’t love the Grisha trilogy as much as I thought I would so I didn’t want to go into Six of Crows with high expectations. Thankfully Six of Crows is definitely worth all the hype and I’m already making my way through Crooked Kingdom and loving it. Make sure to grab both books as soon as possible. You won’t regret it; trust me.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“She’d laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him.”

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Book Review: Ruin and Rising

Posted on September 22, 2016September 21, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction―and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Purchase From:

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Review

*Warning: There will be minimal spoilers about Siege and Storm in this review. Read at your own risk.*

Up to this book I wasn’t all that impressed with the Grisha trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good but I didn’t think it was worth the hype. Then Bardugo gave me Ruin and Rising and I was like, “Yes! This is what I’m talking about.” First of all, Mal finally seemed worthy of Alina to me. He stepped up in a big way and I finally felt okay shipping them, although Nikolai will always be my number one.

More than Mal’s character development was the plot. It was filled with action, twists that I saw coming but were still very well done, and just overall awesomeness. I will be the first to admit that I skim plot. I just can’t deal with paragraphs of details. Get to the action! Get to the dialogue! But in this book the action was in the paragraphs of details and thus I was sucked in. I read (almost) every word and loved it all. I can’t think of anything I didn’t thoroughly enjoy about this novel. The characters were great, Alina’s group was squad goals, and the romance was just the right amount. What I loved most of all was the ending and how everything came together. I hate when I follow a series and then the end is a hot mess. Bardugo totally delivered with this finale and it’s my favorite book in the whole trilogy.

Ruin and Rising is definitely a buy for me, which means I have to buy the whole series. Thankfully there’s a box set coming out soon. Who doesn’t love a good box set?

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what’s inside you? That’s steel. It’s brave and unbreakable. And it doesn’t need fixing.”

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Book Review: Siege and Storm

Posted on September 20, 2016September 21, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Purchase From:

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Review

*Warning: There will be minimal spoilers about Shadow and Bone in this review. Read at your own risk.*

So I’m still not a big fan of Mal and then Leigh Bardugo had the nerve to give me Sturmhound, another possible love interest for Alina who, again, I liked more than Mal. Thanks Bardugo! No but seriously thank you; Sturmhound is my new fave. He’s cute and snarky, my favorite combination. Also known as the “too clever fox,” Sturmhound brought an extra round of humor to this novel that I felt was sorely needed. We also got some other new characters in this novel including the twins, Tamar and Tolya, who are an awesome addition to the trilogy. Their background is very interesting and they’re both so fierce and bad ass.

I believe my biggest issue with this novel was how quickly the Darkling came back into play. There was no build up or anything, we just kind of dived right back into the Darkling versus Alina saga. As much as I love the Darkling I wanted more from his and Alina’s reunion. It just seemed a little anticlimactic to me. Once I got past that though I definitely liked this book more than Shadow and Bone. I still didn’t love it but it was definitely better, which is a good sign about where this series is heading.

Still, this is definitely a borrow for me. I can’t really see myself reading this book again, no matter how swoonworthy Sturmhound is. Did I mention he’s the best part of this book? Because he is.

Have you read the Grisha trilogy? Let me know your thoughts about it below!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I want to kiss you. But I won’t. Not until you’re thinking of me instead of trying to forget him.”

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ARC Book Review: Kids of Appetite

Posted on September 15, 2016September 8, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Victor Benucci and Madeline Falco have a story to tell.
It begins with the death of Vic’s father.
It ends with the murder of Mad’s uncle.
The Hackensack Police Department would very much like to hear it.
But in order to tell their story, Vic and Mad must focus on all the chapters in between.

This is a story about:

1. A coded mission to scatter ashes across New Jersey.
2. The momentous nature of the Palisades in winter.
3. One dormant submarine.
4. Two songs about flowers.
5. Being cool in the traditional sense.
6. Sunsets & ice cream & orchards & graveyards.
7. Simultaneous extreme opposites.
8. A narrow escape from a war-torn country.
9. A story collector.
10. How to listen to someone who does not talk.
11. Falling in love with a painting.
12. Falling in love with a song.
13. Falling in love.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from First in Line and B-Fest. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on September 20, 2016.*

If Coco was here she would say, “Did you have any intention of reading this book? Tell the truth.” To which I would say, “No CoCo I actually didn’t plan on reading Kids of Appetite, it just fell in my lap.” Because that’s the truth. I won this book at B-Fest and although I was so happy to win an ARC I had never heard of David Arnold before and I had no idea what I was in for. But free books are free books so I happily took my winnings home, put it on a shelf, and then left it there for months on end.

Until a few days ago when something compelled me to take this book off my shelf just to see what it was all about. Intrigued by the synopsis you can read above I literally stood in front of my bookshelf (mind you it was at least after midnight at this point in time; I had just finished another book) and began to read and was immediately sucked in just with the cast of characters. How many books begin with a cast of characters? Not many. And I needed to know more about these interesting characters and why people were being referred to as chapters. So I dived in and couldn’t put this book down.

First of all, the characters in this book are so well done and I loved all the Kids of Appetite. There’s of course Vic and Mad who tell the story in alternating first person point of views. Then you have the brothers, Baz and Zuz, and then the youngest of the group, Coco. Also, can I get a nice slow clap for the diversity in this book? Arnold, I applaud you. I don’t want to give anything about anything so sorry if this is vague but just know that Arnold put together an amazing cast of characters and did so really well. He deals with two important subjects and handles them flawlessly. Honestly, reading his author’s note at the end made me cry because you can practically feel how much he cared about getting this story right.

Kids of Appetite was the perfect mix of tragedy and comedy (which is apparently called a tragicomedy). It was heartfelt, the romance was there but not in a cheesy way, and it was just the right amount funny that didn’t make it feel like it was trying to hard. I liked the running themes throughout the book, like Vic’s Super Racehorse idea and CoCo’s use of “frakking” as a substitute for the f-word. I also liked how the plot fit together and everything came together in the end. I was definitely surprised and I also appreciated the fact that this book wasn’t as predictable as I thought it would be. In summary I just really loved this book, okay?

Anyway, I’m going to go grab Mosquitoland because apparently someone forgot to tell me that David Arnold is an amazing writer. In the meantime everyone go pre-order this book.

Stars:

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Book Review: Shadow and Bone

Posted on September 8, 2016September 8, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

Purchase From:

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Review

I’d never heard of this series until I entered the bookstagram world. Even though I own Six of Crows (a spur of the moment Target purchase, in case you were wondering) and people told me I didn’t have to read the Grisha trilogy before I read Six of Crows I still wanted to start at the beginning of Leigh Bardugo’s writing. So I requested Shadow and Bone from the library and after what felt like forever I finally got it and I really liked it. I believe I read the whole book in one day because I just couldn’t put it down.

I really liked Alina’s character and I loved the Darkling, as so many people warned me I would. I thought Alina’s friend, Mal, was okay overall but he did have some very swoon-worthy lines that I definitely enjoyed. Still I don’t think Mal makes it to my favorite book boyfriends list but there are still two more books in the trilogy so he has time to grow on me.

The hardest part of this novel for me was keeping track of the world. I started doing that thing where I would just skim over words I couldn’t pronounce in my head, which is fine because that tends to happen with fantasy books, it’s just something I felt like noting. I think when I read the next book I’ll look at the map in more detail because I definitely didn’t understand some things but I think that was also because I read the book so quickly that I missed some details. What can I say, when it comes to plot I sometimes skim. I’m a sucker for dialogue. So sue me. Anyway, overall I did enjoy this book and I definitely want to keep reading but I didn’t absolutely love it.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.”

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Book Review: Fairest

Posted on September 6, 2016September 4, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

Pure evil has a name, hides behind a mask of deceit, and uses her “glamour” to gain power. But who is Queen Levana? Long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress in The Lunar Chronicles, Levana lived a very different story―a story that has never been told . . . until now. New York Times –bestselling author Marissa Meyer reveals the story behind her fascinating villain in Fairest, an unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death.

Purchase From:

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Review

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge.*

I finally read Fairest and I didn’t love it. It took me forever to read because I hated Levana. I was hoping Fairest would open my eyes to another side of Levana that I couldn’t see or understand in The Lunar Chronicles but that wasn’t the case. This book just made me like Levana even less. However, it was awesome to see Cinder’s mom, Channary, even though she wasn’t a great person either, and Winter’s dad who deserved so much better.

I pretty much liked all the characters in this book except Levana and although I’m happy I read it because now I can officially say I’ve read all the books in The Lunar Chronicles series, I definitely wouldn’t read it again. It was well written and the plot was fine but I didn’t enjoy reading it at all. Levana was just too infuriating and any sympathy I had for her at the start of the novella was gone by the end.

If you love The Lunar Chronicles I think you should read Fairest just because it does provide some interesting background but you don’t have too. It wasn’t as good as the other books in the series and nothing absolutely crazy happened that you must read. Overall, Fairest is definitely a borrow for me.

Stars:

Favorite Line: