Book Reviews – Page 7 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Book Review: Trusting You & Other Lies

Posted on June 22, 2017June 21, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

Phoenix can’t imagine anything worse than being shipped off to family summer camp. Her parents have been fighting for the past two years—do they seriously think being crammed in a cabin with Phoenix and her little brother, Harry, will make things better?

On top of that, Phoenix is stuck training with Callum—the head counselor who is seriously cute but a complete know-it-all. His hot-cold attitude means he’s impossible to figure out—and even harder to rely on. But despite her better judgment, Phoenix is attracted to Callum. And he’s promising Phoenix a summer she’ll never forget. Can she trust him? Or is this just another lie?

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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 was released on June 20.*

It’s officially summer, which means it’s time to pull out those contemporaries and get into a summer time vibe and Trusting You & Other Lies is the perfect book for that. Set at a family summer camp that was giving me serious Dirty Dancing vibes (the original, not the remake), we find Phoenix, her little brother, Harry, and their parents trying to pretend their family is way more functional than it actually is.

Phoenix is pissed at her parents because they’re in dire financial straits, but rather than tell Phoenix and Harry the truth they’ve been hiding it, though Phoenix has discovered their dirty little secret. Of course, rather than confront them she decides to be passive aggressive and has decided from the get go that she will not like this camp she’s being forced to attend.

Of course, that’s when Callum steps in. Callum is cute, mysterious, and everything you’re looking for in a summer fling. While Callum trains Phoenix to be a counselor it becomes more and more obvious that there’s an attraction between them, but Phoenix has serious trust issues, and not just because of her parents; her ex cheated on her right before she went to camp. As Phoenix tries to figure out her feelings for Callum (and his feelings for her), she also has to decide if she’s willing to forgive the ones who’ve betrayed her trust and learn to trust again.

While there were definitely some cute and swoonworthy scenes in this novel, I wasn’t all that impressed with Phoenix and Callum’s romance. Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of Phoenix or Callum. They both annoyed me a lot throughout the novel and I just wanted to shake them and ask, “Why are you like this?” Harry was honestly my favorite character.

I was also kind of annoyed about some things that were mentioned and then never explained, mainly about Callum’s brother. I know Callum’s supposed to be mysterious but he’d just drop these tiny bombshells about his brother and then never say another else about it, which I found so irritating.

Besides that though, this was a decent romance and it was a pretty quick read. I probably wouldn’t read again but I didn’t hate it. Basically, it was meh.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“You are the porterhouse [steak]. The best. All those other girls, any other girl, they’re packing popcorn.”

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Book Review: The Edge of Everything

Posted on June 13, 2017June 12, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

For the perfect love, what would you be willing to lose?

It’s been a shattering year for seventeen-year-old Zoe, who’s still reeling from her father’s shocking death in a caving accident and her neighbors’ mysterious disappearance from their own home. Then on a terrifying subzero, blizzardy night in Montana, she and her brother are brutally attacked in the woods–only to be rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter they call X.

X is no ordinary bounty hunter. He is from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe’s evil attacker and others like him. X is forbidden from revealing himself to anyone other than his prey, but he casts aside the Lowlands’ rules for Zoe. As they learn more about their colliding worlds, they begin to question the past, their fate, and their future. But escaping the Lowlands and the ties that bind X might mean the ultimate sacrifice for them both.

Gripping and full of heart, this epic start to a new series will bring readers right to the edge of everything.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began reading The Edge of Everything. I don’t think I read the synopsis beforehand, or if I did I didn’t remember it once I started the novel. I didn’t even realize this was a series until very near the end, which shifted my perspective quite a bit. While I would’ve liked to have known that beforehand, I think it was good that I didn’t know what to expect going into this novel.

The book is told in close third person point of view alternating between protagonists and love interests Zoe and X. It starts with a prologue that immediately drew me in because I loved the characters almost instantly. Zoe is snarky, whereas X is quiet and timid, even though he could totally kill you with his bare hands. He also speaks like he’s from the 19th century, which I found hilarious and cute. Add in the fact that he adorably has no understanding of the world because he’s grown up in the Lowlands, which is basically hell, and X is now on my book boyfriends list.

Besides Zoe and X, I enjoyed pretty much every character in this novel. I loved Zoe’s little family. Her mom is such a badass and her brother Jonah is so cute and super excitable. Then there’s Zoe’s ex Dallas who is such a dork and I love him. Zoe’s best friend Val was also great and funny. Down in the Lowlands, I really liked X’s friends Banger and Ripper, which is interesting because on the one hand they’ve done terrible things to end up in the Lowlands and yet I ended up loving them anyway. I also really liked the one of the Lowlands lord Regent and how he treated X. There’s some other lords that I could’ve lived without.

Essentially, the best part about this novel was the characters. They’re who really drew me in and I loved Zoe and X’s relationship, however, if you’re not a fan of insta-love you will not like this. I am a fan (in most cases) so I was immediately on the Zoe/X love train. The plot itself, however, didn’t draw me in as much as I would’ve hoped. My main issue was that it definitely felt predictable to me. I had a suspicion from early on that ended up proving to be right and I didn’t want to be.

Also, there’s a long part of the novel where Zoe and X are apart and while I understood why, that part of the novel dragged for me. I started skimming, thinking to myself, “Give me the good stuff. Where is the action?” It was just a bit too slow for me. However, once I got past that hump things got really interesting and I was sucked back in.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed The Edge of Everything and I will be reading the sequel, mainly because I need to know how this all ends. I’m kind of hoping this is just a duology, though I have no idea if that’s actually the case. I feel like I only need one more book to tie everything up but who knows what Jeff Giles has up his sleeves?

In any case, The Edge of Everything was worth the read and if you haven’t read it yet you should give it a chance.

Borrow or Buy: Buy

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“If I do not return it is only because not one but two worlds conspired to stop me.”

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Book Review: Lord of Shadows (Spoiler-Free)

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.

Purchase From:

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Review

*Warning: There will be spoilers about Lady Midnight in this post. Read at your own risk!*

I have been waiting for this book for what feels like the longest time and, unlike some other highly anticipated releases, Lord of Shadows did not disappoint me. I don’t even know where to begin.

Let’s start with that cliffhanger in Lady Midnight. I went into this novel expecting and Mark-Emma-Julian love triangle and that didn’t really happen in the way that I thought it would. I expected a bit more angst and instead it was kind of easily resolved, though I promise you there’s still plenty of conflict and romantic angst if you’re into that kind of thing, which I totally am.

In fact, the ships that kind of start off this book get upended pretty quickly, which I found interesting and fun. It kept things interesting and I never felt annoyed because, to me at least, there never seemed to a real love triangle. What I mean is, you can pretty much guess who everyone’s going to end up with and even if the characters themselves don’t.

Plus, I really liked how everyone loves each other. For example, Emma and Mark become really close and I liked their friendship. I also love how much Julian loves his siblings, as was evident in the first novel, but especially how he’s willing to swallow his feelings for Emma if it means she and Mark are happy together. It’s nice that not only are the Blackthorns so close but they’re family also includes Emma, Cristina, and even Kit now.

This book wasn’t just about the relationships, however, though I thought they were great. There’s various plots going on that kept be very engaged throughout the book. First of all, this book brought a lot of new characters, mainly in the form of the Centurions. These people are like the elite Shadowhunters. They train at a special school called the Scholomance. They’re also incredibly annoying, especially their quasi leader Zara.

Someone on Tumblr referred to Zara as the Dolores Umbridge of the Shadowhunter world. I saw her more as Tomi Lahren but either way, she’s literally the worst. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say she’s very annoying and her ideas about Shadowhunters and Downworlders are so outrageous. She, and the people that hold her same ideals, call themselves the Cohorts and honestly, it gave me serious Trump supporters vibes. At one point I think Kit even refers to them as fascists. This book got real political and I kind of loved it.

Besides that though, there was also a lot of other stuff going on, mainly with the hot mess Malcolm laid the foundation for in Lady Midnight. Everyone wants their hands on the Black Volume of the Dead, which Malcolm used to raise the dead previously, and, of course ,every one wants it for different reasons and for their own agendas. There are also some other problems brewing that get revealed throughout the novel.

I’d also like to point out the incredible LGBTQ representation in this novel. II thought Clare did an incredible job with it. She hits almost every part of the spectrum in this novel in such an organic way that while I was surprised by some things it still felt authentic, again unlike some other books I’ve read recently.

There was also such incredible character growth and development in this novel, not just for the teens like the Blackthorns, Emma, and Cristina, but also for Diana, and I totally loved it. I also really enjoyed the new friendships we got in this novel. The end of Lady Midnight hinted at something between Kit and Ty but I loved that they, along with Livia, became this amazing team. They were so cute together.

I also really liked that we got to see a bit more of Dru. I’d like to see more of her in the third novel but this was a great start into seeing more of her and what life is like for her. She was also great body positivity representation. Seriously, the rep in this book is a 10/10 in my opinion.

Also, there are so many callbacks to The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy. It made me want to reread all the books all over again because of all the references and appearances by some of my faves. This book was such a fan made book and by that I mean if you’ve read every Shadowhunter book and have been a fan for years you will totally love this book. It’ll give you all the feels, honestly. Additionally, there’s already tons of theories about what all the callbacks mean and I’ve got a few of my own, which made this book even more fun.

Lastly, I feel like it would be a disservice to my readers if I didn’t warn you that this book will break you. I saw people talk about how they needed tissues and how heartbreaking it was and I was like, “Okay, I’m ready for what Cassie is going to put me through.” But I was not and you won’t be either and that’s all I’m going to say.

If you’ve read Lord of Shadows, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below and if you haven’t read this book yet, what are you waiting for?

Borrow or Buy: Buy it!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“When a decision like that is made by a government, it emboldens those who are already prejudiced to speak their deepest thoughts of hate. They assume they are simply brave enough to say what everyone really thinks.”

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ARC Book Review: Words in Deep Blue

Posted on June 6, 2017June 5, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family’s bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came.

Now Rachel has returned to the city—and to the bookshop—to work alongside the boy she’d rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore.

As Henry and Rachel work side by side—surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages—they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it’s possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.

Purchase From:

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Review

After reading a lot of fantasy lately, I was in the mood for a contemporary and Words in Deep Blue was the perfect choice. It’s a short contemporary romance told in the alternating points of views of former best friends Henry and Rachel. Right before Rachel was moving away she wrote Henry a love letter telling him, once and for all, how she felt about him. She put it in the Letter Library in his family’s bookshop, and this honestly sounds the coolest place ever.

In the Letter Library, you can’t take the books out and people write notes in the books or highlight their favorite parts and then put the books back. They also, of course, leave letters inside the books for others to read, which is what Rachel did on that fateful night.

Fast forward to a few years later and Rachel is totally over Henry because not only did he never respond to the letter but he didn’t even acknowledge it’s existence. So now, when Rachel returns to town, after the death of her younger brother, Cal, she’s not exactly excited to see Henry. Similarly, Henry, who feels Rachel just ditched him once she moved away, isn’t all that excited to see her either.

However, once Rachel and Henry start talking again, mainly thanks to their mutual friend, Lola, and the fact that they have to work together, their friendship begins to pick back up right where they left off. As Rachel continues to struggle with her grief over her brother’s death and Henry contemplates the end of his relationship with Amy, who he believes is the love his life, the two begin to lean on each other in a totally adorable, made-me-swoon kind of way.

Besides getting Henry and Rachel’s POVs, the books is also interspersed with letters from the Letter Library. These letters are between various people but mostly their the letters between George, Henry’s little sister, and a mystery guy named Pytheas; Rachel and Henry; and Henry’s parents. I thought these letters were really cute and a nice addition to the book, especially with the added mystery of Pytheas, though I figured it out pretty early on.

There were definitely times throughout the novel where I wanted to shake Rachel and tell her to stop acting so stupid but I gave her a pass because she’s grieving and besides those few moments I really enjoyed the novel. My only other issue, which is super small, was the random letter from the author in the book. I liked the idea behind it (that the book is kind of like a book in the Letter Library and this was her letter to the readers) but it appeared so abruptly in the novel that it totally took me out of the story.

At first I was confused by it and then I realized what it was and then I had to get back into the story after I read it. It just seemed very strange to me, though I did like the letter itself. Maybe if it came at the beginning of the book or at the very end it would’ve been fine but happening in the middle of the story just didn’t feel right.

Overall though, I really did like this book. If you’re looking for a cute and quick contemporary romance, this book is for you.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“People are not only their bodies. And if there is no hope of saving the things we love in their original form, we must save them however we can.”

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Book Review: Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy

Posted on June 1, 2017May 31, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be.

But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon’s trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D.

Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. Written by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman, these moving and hilarious short stories are perfect for the fan who just can’t get enough of the Shadowhunters.

Purchase From:

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Synopsis

Although I knew the stories in this book took place before Lady Midnight I wasn’t a dedicated enough fan to buy each digital short story so I was very happy when this book came out. Of course, once it did come out I took forever to finally get around to reading it but I’m incredibly glad I picked it up before reading Lord of Shadows because there’s a few references in there from Tales that are way more interesting to read if you’ve read Tales.

Now to my actual review. I loved this book. It was so great to be back in the Shadowhunter world and to see another aspect of it. I was really interested in the Shadowhunter Academy and seeing how Shadowhunters’ prejudices against Downworlders and Mundanes were so strong. It’s so upsetting, honestly.

The Mundanes that attend the academy were called “Dregs,” which was so incredibly rude. What I loved about these stories was seeing things from Simon’s perspective. Simon went from being a mundane to a rat (briefly) to a vampire to a mundane again before learning his memories were taken by a demon and going to the academy.

Essentially, Simon has a very interesting world view. Naturally, he doesn’t like how the Mundanes are treated at the academy and he sticks up for them and stands up against the Shadowhunters, which was just a constant reminder of why I always loved Simon. Also, he’s just as nerdy as he always has been. I loved his references to Mundane culture and how the Shadowhunters didn’t get them at all. I thought that was incredibly funny. Additionally, I also loved the other characters especially George, Jon, Caterina, and Marisol.

I also liked how these stories gave perspective into some of my other favorite characters. “Born to Endless Night” was in the point of view of Magnus when he goes to the school with Alec and that story was so incredibly cute and perfect for my Malec shipper heart.

In “The Evil We Love,” we get to learn more about Robert Lightwood’s history with Valentine, which was really interesting and didn’t make me sympathetic towards him but definitely made me understand him more.

My favorite story was definitely “Nothing but Shadows,” though. The Infernal Devices are my favorites out of all the Shadowhunter books so getting to see Tessa, Jem, and Will again was great but I also loved getting to know Will and Tessa’s son James. He attends the Academy and goes through a rough time at first, similar to what Simon was going through when he first went to the Academy. I also loved getting to know the kids of my other favorite ships in TID. They were all interesting and funny in their own ways.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were definitely some stories that I felt were a bit slower than others but the ones that were good were really good and made up for any slack in the other stories. I definitely recommend reading this book if you love the Shadowhunter series. It’s kind of essential, anyway.

Also, my giveaway is still going on, so if you haven’t entered yet you can enter here!

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“You are a flame that cannot be put out. You are the star that cannot be lost. You are who you have always been, and that is enough and more than enough.”

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Book Review: Cheater

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

Lucas Thorn wasn’t born a cheater. All it took was a single moment—say, a certain disastrous incident on the night before his wedding—and boom. Reputation destroyed forever and always. So now he owns it. He has a lady friend for every night of the week (except Sundays—God’s day and all), and his rules are simple: No commitments. No exceptions.

But a certain smart-mouthed, strawberry blonde vixen is about to blow that all to hell.

Avery Black has never forgiven Lucas for cheating on her sister. And suddenly being forced to work with him is pretty much a nightmare on steroids. Of course, it does afford her the opportunity to make his life as difficult as possible. But no good revenge scheme comes without payback. Because he didn’t become the Lucas Thorn without learning a few things about women.

Now Avery’s lust for vengeance has turned into, well, lust. And if Lucas stops cheating, it’s definitely not because he’s falling in love…

Purchase From:

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Review

First, the synopsis of this novel led me to believe this would be an office type of romance situation in which the protagonists hate each other but they clearly also have chemistry and by having to work together sparks fly and they end up together. This was not that kind of book. Instead, I got a “let’s pretend we’re in a relationship for some reason and then while we’re pretending we realize it’s real” kind of story, which is not what I signed up for.

My biggest issue with this isn’t even that the plot was so very different than what I was led to believe, it was how the book got to this point. This is a bit spoilery but it happens early on in the novel and I’ll try to keep it as vague as possible.

Basically, Avery ends up sleeping over at Lucas’ apartment because she was drunk and his sister came over and thought that Avery and Lucas hooked up. Rather than just tell Lucas’ sister the truth, Avery decided it’d be better to pretend that they were actually dating and were in a serious committed relationship. Honestly, this was so ridiculous and only got more ridiculous when Lucas’ sister than told his mother about it and again, rather than just tell her the truth, he then played along with it until suddenly every one in Avery and Lucas’ families believed they were in a committed relationship.

Also, Lucas and Avery decided to continue the lie simply because they wanted their mothers to become friends again since they’d stopped talking after Lucas cheated on Avery’s sister Kayla with her other sister Brooke. Because somehow no one was upset that Lucas was now dating yet another sister of his ex-fiancé. Sure.

Truly, I thought the whole plot of this novel was outrageous and the only thing that saved it for me was that Lucas and Avery were pretty funny. The novel is told in their alternating POVs and there were a few lines that did make me laugh out loud. Plus, the two did have chemistry, which was nice.

Still, overall I thought this novel was sub par at best. I also didn’t understand this idea that Lucas was a “cheater.” Yes, he cheated in the past and in that way he was a cheater but him sleeping with different women every day of the week doesn’t make him a cheater. All of these women knew he wasn’t dating just them and agreed to it therefore I’m confused as to how what he was doing was considered cheating. It’s called being in an open relationship or just having multiple partners.

As long as everyone is involved is aware it’s not cheating and I hated that this book basically makes it seem like dating multiple people at once is problematic or being polyamorous is wrong. It’s not and this book shouldn’t promote this idea that it is. This idea that Lucas was a cheater was repeatedly hammered on throughout the novel, hence the title, and it thoroughly annoyed me all the way through.

So if you couldn’t already tell I didn’t love this book and I definitely will not be reading the sequel/companion novel. If you haven’t read this book, I definitely don’t recommend it but if you have read it let me know what you think.

Also, I’m currently running a giveaway on my Instagram. You can check it out here.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow it.

Stars:

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ARC Book Review: Flame in the Mist

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor’s favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family’s standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and track down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

I didn’t know this was a Mulan retelling until someone on Instagram said it was and that made me feel so much better because my first thought while reading was, “Is this supposed to be like Mulan or are the similarities just an unfortunate coincidence?” Once I knew it was a retelling I was more comfortable with the similarities between the plots and I also liked how much Renée Ahdieh also changed it for her own story.

The first noticeable difference is this novel takes place in feudal Japan not Han China. However, there’s also a lot of other differences. I’d say the only real similarities is that Mariko disguises herself as a man and she develops romantic feelings for one of the men she ends up working alongside. Otherwise the stories are actually very different.

Mariko ends up disguising herself as a means of survival. Walking around in the jungle is never a good idea. Walking around in the jungle as a woman is an even a worse idea. It’s unfortunate but it’s also true. So Mariko takes on a new (male) identity and heads on a mission to find the Black Clan who she believes is responsible for trying to kill her and killing all those that were with her.

She of course finds them and figures out a way to weasel into their group. It’s not easy and she quickly realizes that while she’s smart in a lot of way, she’s not exactly “street smart.” Still, while working with the Black Clan she begins to make friends and even finds some romance.

Besides Mariko, the story also follows other characters. Told in the third person the story switches around a bit to Mariko’s brother, Kenshin, the Emperor, and members of the Black Clan. The jump in perspectives was nice because at points I found Mariko’s story to be a bit slow. I wanted action and she’s a planner, which is fine I just wasn’t really interested in all her plotting.

There’s also a great deal of mystery and magic in this novel and while I think the mystery did it’s job in making me want to know more it also left me thoroughly confused. Mainly, I was very confused by the ending and I’m not sure that I’m supposed to be. This book is the first in the series so obviously the cliff hanger sets up the next novel but I think the ending of this book was a plot twist that I somehow missed. I don’t want to spoil it so I’ll just say that the ending left me feeling unsatisfied, not entirely eager to continue on with the series but also curious to know what happens next.

Another issue I had with the novel was the romance. I won’t say who it’s with because one thing I did like about this novel was I wasn’t entirely sure at first who Mariko’s romance would be with. Not to say it took me by surprise when it happened but there’s definitely a few twists that I was definitely surprised by and liked a lot. What I didn’t enjoy was the ease in which the conflict between Mariko and her love interest was resolved. It just seemed way too easy to me. It was like there was this huge betrayal and then a few chapters it was like, “Never mind, we’re good.” I didn’t get it all and it didn’t sit right with me.

Besides that though, I did really love the romance. It made me swoon, which sounds cheesy to say but it’s true. Plus, I just really liked the relationship between them. Mariko spent her whole life feeling less than just because she was a woman and with the Black Clan and her love interest she began to realize that being a woman wasn’t a weakness or a fault, it was just who she was. I absolutely loved that and I loved that overall message of the book.

For that alone I really did enjoy this novel. Would I read it again? I’m not sure. Still, I think you should give this book a try. It’s really interesting and like I said, the romance is fantastic.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“You are first and foremost a person. A reckless, foolish person, but a person nonetheless. If I ever say you are not permitted to do something, rest assured that the last reason I would ever say so would be because you are a girl.”

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Book Review: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Posted on May 9, 2017May 8, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Incredibly funny and poignant, this twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story—wrapped in a geek romance—is a knockout of a debut novel by Becky Albertalli.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

It’s been way too long since I read a LGBTQ centered novel so I was happy to pick up this one. Simon has been sitting on my shelves for about a year now and for some reason I just never got around to reading it. However, after hearing there’s going to be a movie and needing a quick read after the behemoth that was a A Court of Wings and Ruin, I decided to give it a chance and I’m so glad I did.

The novel is told in the first person POV of Simon Spier who’s gay but not out yet. Though he’s not really afraid to come out and knows he’s lucky enough to have family and friends that will except him, he’s just not ready yet, which is perfectly fine. However, his life gets complicated when his fellow classmate Martin discovers Simon’s secret emails to “Blue,” another gay student who Simon met through the school’s unofficial Tumblr.

Martin uses the emails to blackmail Simon, leading to a lot of problems for Simon who is basically put in the position of either agreeing to help Martin or being outed. Yeah, I’m not Martin’s biggest fan either. Though this is obviously a terrible situation for Simon to be in Becky Albertalli somehow managed to make this novel both funny, romantic, and very heartfelt.

Simon’s sense of humor had be literally laughing out loud and I loved reading his emails with Blue. They’re so incredibly cute together and I loved the mystery of trying to figure out who Blue was. For me, Blue’s identity was surprising enough that I loved the big reveal but wasn’t so surprising that it felt like it came of nowhere. Basically, it was perfectly done.

Besides, Simon and Blue’s epic romance, I also really loved almost every character and for different reasons. Simon’s group of friends includes his best friends Nick and Leah, and relatively new girl Abby, who causes some friction in the friend group, mainly because Leah’s jealous of her. Though Leah annoyed me at points I also found her to be relatable and grew to love her. I really liked Nick and Abby from beginning to end though, especially Abby. She was my favorite.

I also loved Simon’s family. He has an older sister Alice and a younger sister Nora, and I liked that they were so incredibly close but also all had their own secrets. Additionally, I thought Simon’s parents were so funny and I liked that they felt like real parents, meaning they were dorky and embarrassing but also loving and not adverse to handing out the occasionally grounding.

Lastly, I really liked Simon’s teacher Ms. Albright for a long list of reasons but mainly because she’s that kind of teacher that you’d totally be friends with on Facebook after you graduate. She’s chill but also a force to be reckoned with if you cross her.

Overall, I just really loved this novel. My copy is now filled with so many tabs it’s a little absurd. I’ve already reread my favorite scenes at least three times and I could reread this book from beginning to end right now, I love it that much. If you haven’t read this book yet I highly recommend it. Honestly, I’m mad it took be this long to finally give it a read.

Borrow or Buy: Are you serious? Buy it. Like yesterday.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“White shouldn’t be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn’t even be a default.”

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Book Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin (Spoiler-Free)

Posted on May 4, 2017May 4, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*Warning: While this is spoiler-free for ACOWAR there will be spoilers from the first two books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Read at your own risk.*

First, I think it’s worth noting that we, the fandom, overhyped this book. We were too hype. A Court of Mist and Fury was an amazing novel that is still my favorite book out of the three and I think everyone went into this novel with very high expectations that would’ve been difficult for any author to meet. With that being said, though I definitely don’t feel like A Court of Wings and Ruin met my expectations, I still throughly enjoyed this book.

The novel began where ACOMAF left off. Feyre was now in the Spring playing the doting… something to Tamlin. It doesn’t seem like the term girlfriend exists in this world but they weren’t exactly engaged either so I’m not sure what you’d call it. Regardless, Feyre played her role well and that’s where we found her at the start of the novel. One of the first things that bothered me about this novel was that I really hoped it would be told in alternating POVs between Feyre and Rhys and that was not the case.

Ninety-eight percent of the novel was told in Feyre’s POV, which was fine, it is her story after all. I just would’ve loved to see more of Rhys’ POV. I wanted to know what was going on at the Night Court while Feyre was away. How was the Inner Circle handling things? How were her sisters? I understood why Sarah J. Maas wrote it out this way. If we, the readers, saw what happened at the Night Court it would’ve been redundant when it was revealed to Feyre. Still, I just really wanted more Rhys.

That aside, I truly enjoyed this novel. The wittiness was still there, making me literally laugh out loud at times. I also legitimately cried at least twice, so badly I couldn’t see what I was reading, so look forward to that. I also loved that we got to know Azriel more. Because he’s so quiet and literally hides in the shadows, I think he went unnoticed at times in ACOMAF. He’s way more involved in this novel and he became one of my absolute faves. I 100 percent support a book just about Azriel. He’s too good for this world, honestly.

What I loved most about this novel was the world building. We got to see so much more of Prythian in this novel and learn more about the other courts and High Lords, which I really enjoyed. Because of this, the novel was also more diverse, including more characters of color and LGBTQ characters, which was a very nice improvement.

There was one character’s sexuality that really took me by surprise though and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. To me, personally, it seemed to come out of nowhere and while I love inclusivity this kind of felt forced, especially because it was revealed closer to the end and the situation around the reveal wasn’t really resolved, if that makes sense. This brings to what I believe is a lot of people’s issue with the book: it didn’t feel like a conclusion.

In theory, this is the end of Feyre’s story, however, there will be three more books in the ACOTAR world as well as two novellas. For some reason, everyone’s under the assumption that these three books will be another trilogy, which would make sense, however I don’t believe SJM ever said that would be the case. If it is great, but I’d be interested to see how she connects all the loose ends in this novel into another trilogy. To me, it felt like she laid the groundwork for multiple different stories to occur, but it’s possible that’s what the novellas are for and the three books will indeed be a trilogy that follows another character, just as this trilogy followed Feyre.

I say this all to say that I too felt very unresolved with this ending. Particularly, there was one major plot twist that left me confused because the people involved in that twist don’t even know about. I kept waiting for Feyre to say something and yet she didn’t, which I thought was so strange. I wanted to see that reveal, wanted to know what happened when they found out and then it didn’t happen. That irritated to me, but again I’m almost 100 percent positive SJM purposefully left that open ended and I’ll have to wait until we get more information about what these next books will be about before I can truly decide how I feel about this ending. (If you’d like to know the specific questions I’d like the next books to answer you can find them here. They’re spoilers, obviously.)

Additionally, this specific plot twist that I’m referring to also kind of annoyed me because it felt way too similar to a plot twist that occurs in SJM’s other series, Throne of Glass. If you’ve read that series, you’ll know what I mean when you read this book. I also kind of felt that way about the sexuality reveal I was talking about as well. It just felt like I’d read that before and while I enjoyed the twist it just felt too similar for me to be really excited about it.

Lastly, while I did enjoy the novel overall and was for the most part satisfied with the ending, I did kind of feel like it was a cop out though I did appreciate the full-circle feel to it. I can’t really explain what I mean without spoiling it so I’ll just leave it at that. Still, faults aside, this was a great novel, and I have so many tabs in this book of scenes and quotes I want to reread. I can’t even begin to imagine all the merch that is going to come from this book. I already want all of it.

If you’ve finished ACOWAR already, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below. If there’s a spoiler in your comment please put in a spoiler alert so you don’t spoil it for anyone. Thanks!

Borrow or Buy: Buy it! Like I said, I’d give it a reread.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I missed you. Every second, every breath. Not just this but…talking to you. Laughing with you. I missed having you in my bed, but missed having you as my friend even more.”

Book Review of A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAF)

Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury (Reread)

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court-but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms-and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world torn apart.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*This review will contain spoilers for ACOTAR and ACOMAF. For the spoiler-free review of this book please click here.*

In prep for the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin, which came out today, I decided to reread the first two book in the series and it was probably the best decision ever. I finished my reread of A Court of Mist and Fury and then went back and started rereading it again. Can you tell I’m obsessed with this book? I’m not even sorry.

So where to begin. Going into this reread I was honestly a little nervous that I wouldn’t love it as much as I remembered. I was scared I’d realize Rhysand isn’t actually that great and I just hyped it up in my memory, but boy was I wrong. I loved it even more the second time around, for a variety of reasons but mainly because I really got to see Feyre fall in love with Rhys.

I think the first time I read the book I was so focused on Rhys’s obvious affection for Feyre and being mad at her for not really what was right in front of her face, that I missed Feyre’s own realization of her feelings. I may have also been distracted by all the smut. I loved Rhys and Feyre’s flirting and wit and how fun they were with each other the first time but during that first reading I was kind of surprised when Feyre told Rhys she loved him. I expected it but I also kind of didn’t. Even with the reveal that they were mates, I understood why she ran. To be, that was a big deal that I felt she probably wasn’t ready for. However, during my reread, there was one scene I totally forgot about.

After they went to the Court of Nightmares, which was a very good scene, Feyre and Rhys got into this whole fight and Rhys stopped talking to Feyre for a day. It was during that time when it was clear to me how deep her feelings for him really were. And then Starfall right after was so good and I was like, “Feyre you are so in love with him!” It was perfect. I reread that part multiple times.

There were also just a lot of things I forgot. For example, one of my favorite lines, “There are good days and hard days for me even now—Don’t let the hard days win,” I thought Rhys said that but it was actually Mor. There were a few other instances like that where I forgot who said what and just scenes that were so fun to read again.

I honestly feel like I could reread this book again right now but it’s time to dive into the next book and I’m excited and nervous to see what happens next.

Stars

Favorite Line: