ryan graudin – Zakiya N. Jamal

ARC Book Review: Invictus

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

Synopsis:

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time traveler from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in ancient Rome, Far’s very existence defies the laws of nature. All he’s ever wanted was to explore history for himself, but after failing his entrance exam into the government program, Far will have to settle for a position on the black market-captaining a time-traveling crew to steal valuables from the past.

During a routine heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl named Eliot who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Eliot has secrets-big ones-that will affect Far’s life from beginning to end. Armed with the knowledge that history is not as steady as it seems, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to set things right before the clock runs out.

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Review

*I won a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from NOVL and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 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 26, 2017.*

This book was described as Doctor Who meets Guardians of the Galaxy, but since I’m pretty sure I’ve only seen one episode of Doctor Who that didn’t mean much to me. After reading this novel, I’d say this book is more of Six of Crows but with time travel. In other words, I loved it.

The novel started a little slow, but once Farway got his crew together and they were living on the Invictus, their time travelling ship, things got very exciting very fast. The only thing that threw me off a little bit was that we don’t see the beginnings of the crew’s adventures through time. Instead, the story jumps ahead and when we first see the crew on the Invictus they’ve already been jumping around time for about a year.

However, the time jump (pun intended) worked for me because I liked that Far, Priya, Imogen, and Gram, along with my favorite red panda, Saffron, were already a kind of family by the time the drama really begins. And that drama comes in the form of the mysterious Elliot.

To be honest, I didn’t like Elliot at first. Her non-answers annoyed me and I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why is she being so difficult?” Of course, there’s a reason, which you’ll just have to read and discover. But, in my opinion, I understood where she was coming from and in the end she became one of my favorite characters. Although, to be honest, I loved all the characters in this story.

Far is the cocky, sassy character, who’s soft spot for Priya made him endearing and quite adorable. Priya, my queen medic, was awesome and I wish she could make me some chai tea in real life. I’m sure her’s is better than what I’ve been getting at Starbucks. I absolutely loved Imogen and the fact that she changes her hair color every day. She’s so cute and funny, and we both share a love of gelato. And then we have my favorite nerd, Gram. His obsession with Rubik’s cubes and Tetris was so cute to me, and I liked that because he’s black, his views about travelling through time were different than those of his crew members. I thought that was a pretty great perspective to this story.

Overall, this book was filled with the perfect amount of adventure, romance, diversity, and funny moments, and I just couldn’t put it down. Although the ending to this story was absolutely perfect, I also wouldn’t mind a sequel. I just love these characters so much. Definitely make sure to grab a copy of this book when it comes out.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

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ARC Book Review: Blood for Blood

Posted on July 12, 2016July 12, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.

Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.

But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?

This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.

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Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers at Book Con. 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 November 1, 2016.*

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Wolf by Wolf yet, do not read this review. There will be spoilers!

Wolf by Wolf pleasantly surprised me with how amazing it was therefore I went into Blood for Blood expecting to be blown away and I was not disappointed. For most of this novel I was on the edge of my seat worried about Yael and Luka, wondering what would happen in this terribly, twisted world Ryan Graudin put together, and questioning how this could all come to an end in just one book. Thankfully I had no reason to worry because Graudin tied up everything perfectly, leaving no loose ends.

Although this book was also written in the third person point of view, just as Wolf by Wolf was, Graudin gave us more insight into Luka and Felix’s lives before and after they get tangled up with Yael. It was really interesting seeing how these two boys, who were lucky enough to be born in the right skin/race, both handled their privilege and how they treated Yael. I especially loved Luka in this book and he’s now been added to my book boyfriends list.

This book was filled with twists and turns and I was honestly taken by surprise multiple times, which I loved. I was on an emotional roller coaster while reading this book and I did cry because Graudin apparently likes to rip her reader’s hearts out. But it’s fine, I’m fine. Maybe. Nope, still crying.

Anyway, if you enjoyed Wolf by Wolf as much as I did you’ll love Blood for Blood even more. I honestly can’t wait until it’s finally released so I can discuss it more deeply with you guys. Until then I’ll stop here and refrain from spoiling anything.

Definitely grab a copy of this novel as soon as it comes out. You won’t regret it!

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Book Review: Wolf by Wolf

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, they host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The prize? An audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele’s twin brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and stay true to her mission?

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Amazon, Indigo, Book Depository

Review

I was hesitant to read this book because I’m not typically a fan of historical fiction. It’s just not my genre. Although I found the beginning of this book rather slow once it picked up it was amazing and I couldn’t put it down. Wolf by Wolf takes place in an alternate universe where the Axis powers actually won World War II and Hitler has power over most of the world. This is a terrifying idea especially considering current times and that alone made my heart race. The main character, Yael, is Jewish and was in a concentration camp with her mother but was able to escape due to a medical procedure that was done to her in the camp. Yael can now change her skin to look like anyone.

Using this ability she sneaks into a huge motorcycle race called the Axis Tour, and her end goal is to win so she can have the opportunity to kill Hitler and start a revolution. But no pressure or anything.

With everything basically riding on Yael to succeed she is determined to do whatever it takes to win but she also tries not to lose herself in the process. This book was filled with action, a very small bit of romance (just the right amount in my opinion), and a lot of emotions. My heart raced with Yael and I never knew what would happen. I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait to dive into the sequel.

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Favorite Line:

“The world is wrong. I’m just doing my part to fix it.”

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