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Chosen Ones

By Brookelorren on 1 Comment
The Chosen Ones cover

What do you do for the rest of your life after you save the world? I recently had the chance to read Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth, which explores this question. It is her first adult book. While it was good, I don’t think it had quite the same magic as Divergent (which, after reading page 50, I finished, along with Insurgent and Allegiant, in two days).

Alternate Universes

Chosen Ones takes place in an alternate Earth. I thought this was a pretty cool concept, and think that so many interesting stories could be told this way. It is a little confusing at first, as it covers a time period that I lived through and–I don’t remember a monster called The Dark One invading the earth and almost destroying it. When you get to part 2 of this book, it makes even more sense.

Characters

Sloane, the main character, is suffering from PTSD. She was one of the Chosen Ones that saved the world 10 years ago, and she has never truly recovered and moved on with life. Her boyfriend, Matthew, another Chosen One, happily meets with people and is your typical extrovert. Esther, another Chosen One, has turned into an Insta! superstar. Perhaps the only person that seems to get her is Albie.

I don’t personally connect with Sloane as much as, say, I connected with Tris. I think some people will though.

Story

About a third of the way through the book, something happens where they have to save the world again. I can’t say too much without being spoilery. Sloane isn’t really happy with this–didn’t she already serve her time? Things are not exactly as they seem though. As the story progresses, we find out the truth, Sloane begins to make peace with her life, and of course… there’s a resolution, which I also can’t give away without being spoilery.

Conclusion

Chosen Ones is a fairly unique book. There are a lot of things I really liked about this book. I didn’t like this quite as much as I liked the Divergent and Carve the Mark series–there wasn’t a FourTris or Akos and Cyra that really drew me in, and that might be part of it. Although both Cyra and Sloane were characters that had been through trauma and were trying to deal with it, Cyra had Akos, and while Sloane wasn’t exactly alone, the book spends most of its internal focus on Sloane battling her demons, and there wasn’t as much of a connection to the people around her.

If you like Veronica Roth’s other books, read her other books and wish there was less emphasis on the romantic relationships but otherwise liked the books, or maybe would like a sci-fi book with very little romance in it, you might like Chosen Ones. I did like it. although I’m unlikely to be obsessive over it like I was with Divergent.

The Best Laid Plans

By Brookelorren on 4 Comments

I hope everybody is doing well staying inside and social distancing. Recently I requested The Best Laid Plans by Cameron Lund from my library, and they kindly bought it. If you’re looking for a sweet end-of-high school story about first loves, this might be the story for you.

It’s Keely’s 18th birthday, and she’s having a horrible time. Her best friend, Andrew, is having a party–and the last of her friends has lost her virginity. Keely feels all alone and inexperienced. Are things going to be worse when she’s in college?

Then, she meets a cute boy that looks like James Dean, and he seems to like her. Only now Keely has an even bigger problem. Her friends are telling her that he’s not going to like her if he finds out that she’s a virgin. So she hatches a plan. Ask her best friend Andrew, who’d never hurt her, to help her gain experience. After all, he always seems to be with a different girl.

The Characters

The characters in The Best Laid Plans seem realistic. Keely, the main character, is insecure about her experience with boys and has ideas of how she needs to behave in order to keep the boy she wants. Her girlfriends think they’re experts on relationships, but like a lot of high school girls, they aren’t. Andrew is a sweet boy and–some of the boys in the school are a little crude. But aren’t they in real life? Dean also seems like a lot of college boys that might find themselves interested in high school seniors without really developing a friendship first.

The Story

Over the course of the story, Keely realizes what she really wants. Her high school friends are involved in a little drama, and we realize at the end of the story what the cause of the drama is all about. I thought the story was great and tied up nicely at the end.

Controversy?

Some readers may or may not find the book controversial, especially if they don’t finish the book. There are things that are revealed at the end of the book that clarify the meaning of the book. For one, everybody seems to be sex-crazed. Seems is probably the best word for it, because we’re seeing this through Keely’s eyes, and this is something she’s anxious about. It’s something her circle of friends seems to care about. Are there people in her school that aren’t? Probably, but since the book is from Keely’s perspective, we don’t see that.

The other controversy in this book is that one of the characters is being slut-shamed. The book doesn’t condone that happening. By the end of the book, we find out who is doing it and why. Not all of the people in this book are nice. Some people in this book are pigs. But isn’t that reality? Especially in high school?

Conclusion

Overall, I thought the book was good. Perhaps not everybody is going to agree with Keely’s choices, and Keely’s view of the world may be skewed, but I think that makes it a realistic first-person POV book. The ending was sweet and slightly surprising–obviously since this book is categorized as a romantic comedy we know there’s going to be a happily-ever-after (or at least, for now), but I really enjoyed the lessons Keely learned and how things ended up turning out. If you’re looking for a sweet, best-friends-to-lovers book to take your mind off the news, I recommend it.

The Lucky Ones

By Brookelorren on 1 Comment
The Lucky Ones

I recently read The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson (thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for offering me an Advanced Reader Copy). This book came out April 7th so you can read it now!

This book deals with two characters that were affected by a school shooting. May lost her twin brother Jordan during the shooting. She hid in the closet while the shooter killed everyone in her band class. Zach’s mother is the lawyer who decided to defend the killer–most of his friends decided to abandon him after that. When they meet at a band audition, you would think that this might be a match made in hell. Or… maybe not?

The Characters

I have to admit, I didn’t like May at first. She wasn’t very nice, even to her friends. Even before the shooting, we probably wouldn’t have been good friends had we gone to the same high school. After May went through this trauma, she became selfish and mean. However, she sees tremendous growth in this story and by the end, I’m rooting for her.

Zach seems likeable enough. Again, we probably wouldn’t have hung around with each other had we gone to high school together, but he makes a good match for May. But first, they both have some issues to work through.

The supporting characters make the world vibrant and lifelike. Both May and Zach have slightly dysfunctional families. May’s parents were so wrapped up in her brother’s life before he was shot, that they really don’t pay much attention to their daughter, even after their son died. Zach’s mother is always off at work, and his dad has been struggling with depression and isn’t present, even though he lives with them. Their friends seem like the kind of people that would make good friends with Zach and May.

The Story

The Lucky Ones has a great story to it. Both Zach and May have to deal with a lot of things, including how to deal with each other. They both have to deal with guilt resulting from things they couldn’t control. Eventually, with some help from their friends, they learn to begin living again. Even their parents take their heads out of the sand.

Although it took me a while to get into the story, I was definitely invested in the characters and the outcome by the end of the book.

Conclusion

The Lucky Ones is a fairly serious book that deals with a fairly serious issue. Although we don’t have to worry about school shootings while we’re all isolating ourselves in our homes due to coronavirus, it’s likely to be a problem that comes back once schools reopen. The people that have been affected by school shootings, or will be affected, can have their entire lives altered. It’s a book that deals with depression and guilt, and as a result, can be something that a lot of teens can relate to.

I did enjoy the book, and recommend it if your heart can tackle more weighty issues right now. If you’re already in a dark mood due to the coronavirus and are looking for a lighter book that deals with school shootings, I recommend That Night by Amy Giles (link is to my review). If your heart can’t take it right now, I do recommend coming to this book at some point, as it was good.

Once a King

By Brookelorren on Leave a Comment
Once a King cover

One of the things I’ve been doing since this coronavirus threat started strangling the world is taking more walks. This means… more audiobooks! I just finished listening to Once a King, part of the Clash of Kingdoms series by Erin Summerill. While I enjoyed the book itself, I didn’t care for the audio narration.

The Story

Once a King is narrated by Aodren, king of Malam, and Lirra Barret, daughter of the Arch-Traitor of Malam, and a wind channeler. Many people in the kingdom are gathered at a summit of nations. King Aodren is concerned because his father murdered channelers; he’s trying to right the wrongs of the past, but a lot of people don’t want to put the past behind.

Lirra’s father sends her a letter and asks her to deliver it to the “Bloody King of Malam,” as she calls him. They don’t have any respect for each other at first, but as they work together to solve a problem that is threatening the citizens of Malam–and Lirra’s da–they begin to like each other.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the story, but I don’t think I was as enthralled by Once a King as I was with Ever the Hunted and Ever the Brave. I think the character’s relationship in the first two books of this series was more engaging. However, part of this could be due to the fact that I listened to this via audiobook, which I’ll get to later.

I enjoyed the setting in this book, and the villain did surprise me. There were tense moments and how they got out of these situations surprised me as well.

The Audiobook

I really did not like the audiobook narration. Almost everybody’s accents were unnatural and got on my nerves. King Aodren narrated half the book and I especially didn’t like his voice. He spoke with drawn out words that made him seem like he was bored. The side characters often had nasally, drawling, or otherwise unnatural voices that were often more annoying than not.

Overall

If you enjoyed Ever the Hunted and Ever the Brave, you’ll probably like Once a King. This book can be enjoyed without reading the other two books; however, they do give the background information on the magic system that would make getting into this book easier. Britta and Cohen get the briefest of mentions in this book (they’re away on their honeymoon), so don’t bother looking for more on that couple. If you liked the world and the magic system and want a little more of the world, I recommend this book. I don’t recommend the audiobook though.

Night of the Dragon

By Brookelorren on 2 Comments
Night of the Dragon cover

Hello! I recently read Julie Kagawa’s Night of the Dragon. I really liked it (and look at that drool-worthy cover!). It is the third book in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy. If you haven’t read any of the other books, you might want to binge this series while you’re social distancing. Because this is the third book in the series, there may be spoilers for this review. You can read my reviews for Shadow of the Fox and Soul of the Sword, the two previous books, at the links above. A big thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with Advanced Reader Copies!

Yumeko, Tatsumi/Hakaimono, and their companions must finish their quest to disrupt the Night of the Wish. Of course, as with any great adventure, their final leg of the journey is not without its perils. The final battle won’t be easy either. It left me in tears. But my tears of sadness turned into sweet tears of happiness at the end, so you’ll be okay reading this book.

Night of the Dragon has a massive plot twist. I won’t tell you what it is, but the book will answer questions you didn’t even know you had. There are villains in this book you weren’t even aware of. But I absolutely loved it.

The Setting

I loved Night of the Dragon. One of the things I enjoyed about the Shadow of the Fox trilogy is the medieval Japanese setting. In a really odd coincidence, I just happen to be reading an old book from 1970, Japan: From Prehistory to Modern Times by John Whitney Hall, right now. You don’t have to be reading a history book on medieval Japan to enjoy the setting (I loved the first two books last year) but it is making it more interesting for me. There are some terms that you might find unfamiliar, but there’s a glossary at the end and you can always google any unknown words. Even though there are things you might be unfamiliar with, to me, it makes the setting stand out even more.

The Characters

I love these characters! They all have come a long way since Shadow of the Fox, where Yumeko was a naïve half-kitsune and the rest of them all had something to learn. They are still the people they started this journey out as, only better. In this final segment of the story, they step up and fulfill their destinies. I can’t say much else because I don’t want to spoil the plot, but I did love how it all turned out. Even though it made me cry.

Conclusion

Night of the Dragon is definitely worth reading. A lot in this book’s plot depends on the other two books in the series, so you’ll definitely want to read those first. If you have read those (or if you haven’t, just binge all three books) then I definitely recommend this book. It will probably put you in tears (fair warning) but it was well worth reading.

11/22/63

By Brookelorren on 5 Comments
11/22/1963 cover

I recently finished reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I don’t read a lot of King’s books, as horror isn’t really my jam, but I wanted to read this book, because it deals with JFK’s assassination and time travel. It was really good. I listened to it on audiobook, so I will make comments on the narration as well.

Jake Epping is a school teacher. Once he reads an essay by the school janitor, who was viciously attacked by his family in 1958. Shortly afterwards, a local diner owner, Al Templeton, lets him in on a secret: in the diner’s pantry, there’s a portal that will take him back to a particular day in the fall of 1958. Al gets him to agree to a mission: go back in time and prevent the assassination of JFK.

Jake takes on the altar ego of George Amberson and heads back in time to complete this mission. Along the way, he tries to help out the janitor. I’ll leave the details of what happens for you to read, but the past tries to prevent him, he falls in love, and it’s not a particularly easy task. I’ll also leave the details about what happens when he returns to the present for you to find out.

One of the things I love about this book is King’s descriptions of the past. It was such a different time back then, without fears of coronavirus or people fighting on social media about petty crap. Jake Epping discovers that even the food tastes better back then. Of course, not everything was great, and King does delve lightly into that too. It was a time when wife beatings were common and black people were sent to substandard bathrooms and treated like crap, but for a white guy like Jake Epping, it wouldn’t have been such a bad time to visit. After reading 11/22/63, part of me wants to read more books from this era.

11/22/63 isn’t a horror story, but there is some violence. There’s also a fair amount of foul language, which is normal for King’s works. One of the things I did find interesting was that it referred to evens that happened in It. Although I’ve never read the book or have seen the movie, I looked up the details and I thought that was pretty cool that he tied the two books together like that.

The ending was really sweet. It had me in happy tears. It’s not a happily ever after (I’m not sure this kind of book could be), but the characters get closure that I would hope them to have.

The Audiobook

I listened to 11/22/63 on audiobook, so I’ll make a few comments about that. The narrator was great, and kept the voices separate. Towards the end, the narrator brought in a character from the beginning of the book, and I immediately knew who the character was, just from the voice. There is some Russian in this book, and a character with a German accent, and I thought he did a good job pronouncing the Russian and the accent. I was able to understand the Russian before King translated it, which is a point in his favor.

Final Thoughts

If you like history or are interested in the JFK assassination, I recommend 11/22/63. It was like Back to the Future in book form, with higher stakes. The descriptions of “the land of ago” were compelling. The main character’s story was interesting, the characters he ran into along the way were well-fleshed out, and it kept me hooked the whole time. I’ve been recommending it to my friends ever since I started reading it.

Sparrow

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Sparrow cover

I recently had the opportunity to read Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson. Thank you to Bookish First and Tor Teen for providing me with an advanced reader copy! If you are interested in joining Bookish First, would you please use referral code 56cf541090ca608b4? Then we can both earn points for free books!

“Sparrow” is a ballerina, preparing to star in Swan Lake as the main character. The book starts towards the end of her junior year in high school and follows the characters through the end of high school. When one of the cutest guys in school, Tristan King, almost hits her with a car, he asks her out. She can’t believe her luck. They start going out, but unfortunately, it turns out to be an abusive relationship.

Lucas is Sparrow’s friend and dance partner. He knows that Tristan is trouble, and although he tries to warn her away from him, he feels responsible for what happens to her. He has to learn that you can’t fix everybody else’s problems.

Sparrow is told from two points of view: Sparrow’s and Lucas’s. There is a lot that isn’t revealed until the end of the book, which is why the synopsis is a little vague, and why I can’t reveal a lot about what happens. As the book unfolds, a few things happen that don’t seem to make sense until you read farther into the book.

While this is a book that deals with abuse (which could be a trigger for some people), this is also a book about healing from abuse, as well as the trauma of a person’s past. Sparrow dealing with her past is a huge part of the last part of this book.

One of the things that I liked about this book was its peek into the world of ballet. I’ve never taken a ballet class, but it was fun to see into the world of dance practices and rehearsals. I also thought the friendships in this book were well-done.

The ending of the book is satisfying and makes sense, although it probably wouldn’t be the ending I’d hope for.

Overall, I would recommend Sparrow if you enjoy ballet (or want to read about it) and are interested in a book about abuse or healing from abuse. It’s not my favorite book from this year so far, but I liked it enough. It doesn’t go on sale until March 17th, but you can pre-order it now.

Sensational

By Brookelorren on 2 Comments
Sensational cover

I recently finished reading Sensational by Jodie Lynn Zdrock. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy! This is the sequel to Spectacle, which came out last year (you can read my review here). This review assumes you’ve already read the first book, so if you don’t want spoilers or me to throw out confusing terms, then read the first book first.

It’s now 1889, and the World’s Fair has come to Paris. Nathalie is working at Le Petit Journal as well as the public morgue, where the police get her input as an Insightful. She has a boyfriend, Jules, who is also an insightful. As the World’s Fair gets into full swing, another round of murders begins. Nathalie wants to help put a stop to it.

What I Liked

Sensational brings you into the World’s Faire, which is pretty cool. It’s fun to be transported into a time when people weren’t necessarily familiar with many of the countries of the world, like we are today. In Nathalie’s world, the Eiffel Tower is new, and of course, there are also no phones or electrical technology.

Nathalie has great relationships with her friends and family. She lost her best friend towards the end of Spectacle, although we are two years into the future with this book, and the pain has ebbed a bit. She is faced with new pain regarding her family and friends, but Sensational isn’t a rehash of Spectacle.

The story itself has a satisfying ending.

What I Liked Less

Sensational didn’t seem to have quite the same magic that Spectacle did. There weren’t any thrilling chases through the catacombs, Nathalie’s Insightful powers were old hat, and the public morgue wasn’t a shock to me as a reader. I still liked the story, but not to the same degree that I did the first book in the duology.

Conclusion

If you’ve read Spectacle and really enjoyed it, then I do recommend you go ahead and read Sensational, especially if you’re curious about what happens to Nathalie. I liked it, even though I wasn’t as enamored with it as I was the first book. If you thought Spectacle was only so-so, then I wouldn’t move it to the top of your TBR list.

Chain of Gold

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Chain of Gold cover

One of my most anticipated books for the past year has been Cassandra Clare’s Chain of Gold. Funny, I was so concerned about reading all the March 3 releases and I end up getting two of them as ARCs. Once again, thank you to Bookish First and Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy! If you’d like to join Bookish First, you can use my referral code: 56cf541090ca608b4. We both get points if you use it!

When we first start Chain of Gold, two people are moving to London: Cordelia Carstairs, who has few London friends because her family has been living abroad for years, and Grace Blackthorn, whom James Herondale loves. Or thinks he loves. The city has seen very few demon attacks recently, but things are about to heat up in the supernatural realm.

If you’ve read “The Midnight Heir”, then you know that Grace’s adoptive mother, Tatiana Blackthorn, doesn’t approve of James. She hates the Herondales because of what happened to her parents in The Infernal Devices. Going into this story, I had seen the Shadowhunter found family tree, but if you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil the end for you. But Tatiana’s disapproval of Herondales and Lightwoods does propel some of the storyline.

Cordelia’s dad is in trouble. After an expedition went wrong, he was put under house arrest in Idris. Cordelia wants him to be found innocent, so she feels she needs to make influential friends. The friends she makes just happen to be the children of the characters from The Infernal Devices. While she is getting adjusted in the new city, all hell breaks loose. In some ways, literally. Cordelia and her new friends have to save the Shadowhunters from this new threat.

What I Liked

Chain of Gold is another outstanding Shadowhunters novel. I loved the characters, especially James and Cordelia. Cordelia’s future parabatai and James’s sister Lucie is a budding novelist and is a sweetheart. Then there’s Matthew, who drinks a little too much and has a troubled past. If you read “Cast Long Shadows” from Ghosts of the Shadow Market then you’ll know what happened. Anna, Christopher, and Thomas are also main characters that Cordelia spends time with that all have their own personalities.

The setting of Chain of Gold is different from that of The Infernal Devices. The book is set in 1903 (with some flashbacks to previous times) and Ms. Clare did a great job making it feel like a different time than that of her previous series. Technology has advanced as well as the clothing and slang the characters use. Tessa and Will, who are now in charge of the London Institute, have updated the Institute, so the decor is correct for 1903. If you read The Dark Artifices, then you’ll probably guess they were the last people to remodel the place. Clare is a master of worldbuilding and it is one of the things I love about her books.

If you’ve seen the Shadowhunters’ found family tree, then you might wonder as you start reading the book “how does X end up with Y?” I’m trying to avoid spoilers here. You find out why these two people end up together at the end of the book, and it makes a lot of sense.

Anything I Didn’t Like?

I have to wait until March 21, 2021 to read Chain of Iron. I want to find out what happens next! It doesn’t end on a huge cliffhanger like Lord of Shadows does, but I still want more.

Conclusion

Chain of Gold is another excellent book in the Shadowhunters universe. I loved the characters and the setting, and I highly recommend it. If you’ve never read any Shadowhunter books before, you can still read this one, but the other books are worthwhile. You might like the books better if you read The Infernal Devices along with some of the companion short stories that go along with this book. However, if you want to dive into this book without reading the others, you can, but you’ll probably want to go back and read the others while waiting for Chain of Iron next year.

I pre-ordered this book with my Christmas money in 2018 and it was worth the year+ wait.

Belle Révolte

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Belle Révolte

I recently finished reading Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller. Thank you so much Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an advanced reader copy! This book released February 4th. I feel a little bad that I’m behind on my ARCs, but I suppose that happens sometimes.

Emilie de Marais is a noble whose mother wants her to be a lady, learning how to divine and use the “midnight arts.” It’s an acceptable vocation for someone of her status and gender. She has other dreams, wanting to do the “noonday arts” and heal people, which can be a little gruesome and is considered to be unladylike. She sees her chance to change her fate when she runs across a peasant girl that looks a little like her.

The peasant girl, Annette, really wants to learn to be a diviner. Emilie asks if she’d like to swap. Annette takes her place at the fancy school Emilie is supposed to attend, while Emilie takes her chance at going to the university down the street. The arrangement makes both of them happy.

Society, however, is on the verge of revolution. The king is not a good man and is trying to quash the unrest. In their world, magic takes a toll on a person’s body. Using too much magic leads to an early death. Many nobles employ “hacks” to take the physical punishment for them. When Emilie discovers one of the physicians leaving one of their hacks on the verge of death, she decides to take action.

What I Liked

Belle Révolte had compelling characters and an interesting storyline. I felt empathy for Emilie. Although I’ve never been prevented from doing something I wanted to because of my gender, I did major in computer science and spend some time in the military. Also, who doesn’t love a good story where heroines take on a corrupt society to make the world a little more equal for everyone?

I didn’t have trouble picturing the setting.

What I Liked Less

The story seemed to be slightly lacking in it’s execution. There were points in the story where I had difficulty picturing what was going on. There were a few places that I thought needed a little more editing. Because the premise behind the book was good and I liked the characters, I was able to overlook this, but I definitely felt the story could have used some improvement in this area.

Overall

Overall, I enjoyed Belle Révolte and was glad I read it. The book has ace representation which can be rare. The characters and overall story were great. It’s not award-winning fiction, and if fantasy isn’t your genre or you don’t find the premise appealing, I won’t try to convince you to read it on the beautiful prose alone, but if you enjoy fantasy stories where the girls aren’t afraid to defy gender stereotypes and end up taking on a corrupt kingdom, I recommend it.