I finished THE DARKEST LEGACY and I'm A MESS.
plastic heart. by Jessyca Thibault | Rating: ★★★★★"The world dances in your eyes."
UGH. I am so proud of how far Jessyca has come this year with her trilogy of poems. plastic heart. is, without a doubt, her best release yet and just as moving as you'd expect it to be. Thibault's signature prose is as present as ever: honest, raw, thought-provoking and utterly stunning. She will grip you with such simple words and leave a lasting impression.
This is what poetry is meant to be. This is what poetry will always be: life. Impressionable. Thought-provoking. At times so real, it's almost painful and sometimes joyous. In 2018, we've gone on a journey with Thibault and seen her at various highs and lows. There's a bravery in expressing one's self, and Jessyca Thibault has a tone to her that sets her apart from her peers.
As always, I spent a good chunk of my reading experience highlighting various parts that stood out or spoke to me. It is my favourite part about prose--seeing something in their words that reflects parts of you right back at you. Thibault's already poignant expressions become even moreso with plastic heart., with lines that brush against your very soul. "Words mean nothing / When they are abused for everything." being one of my favourites in the collection.
The Eternity Elixir by Frank L. Cole | ★★★★☆ (4.5)A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my thoughts in any way.
A truly fun middle grade read and the perfect start to a brand new trilogy. The Eternity Elixir is for more than just its target audience--it's fun for all ages; sprinkled with charming characters, delightful humor that's smartly woven into a high-stakes plot. Armed with a fascinating premise and a whole new world of Potion Masters (the crew at B.R.E.W. and most of main character Gordy's family are Elixirists) the story is impossible to put down.
From an essence of magic and science, to family (I love the Stitser family) and friendship (meet your new favourite trio: Gordy, Max and Adeline!) development, to the utter normalcy that other plot points bring into the story, and then straight to the tremendous significance the villains play into the story's central arch, The Eternity Elixir masters the art of storytelling. It has a little of everything, solidifying its versatility and appeal to its audience.
To put it simply? You should be reading this deeply imaginative gem of a story.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benajmin | Rating: ★★★★★The publisher was kind enough to send me a digital copy of this novel, after they hosted a giveaway. This does not effect my opinion in any way.
You know when you pick up a book and you can just tell it's going to destroy you? That's how I felt immediately after reading The Immortalists synopsis. I could just feel that it would be something that would change me just a little bit. Which is, at the end of the day, what I want from good literature. I want it to make me feel, or change just slightly.
I was like, "okay, this book looks gorgeous but I'm pretty sure Chloe Benjamin is about to knock me out with a ton of emotions." so obviously I entered the giveaway almost instantly. When I won, I was actually the terrible person who didn't see that I wont a digital copy of the novel because, somehow, it got sent to my junk folder. So, I ended up buying the novel (something I would have likely done anyways) and held off on reading it. Because, if there's one thing I've learned of The Immortalists, it begs of you to read it in the autumn or winter. It just does.
What I loved most about the novel was its never-ending connection between siblings. It's hard to explain, unless you've already read The Immortalists, but Benjamin portrays it beautifully. These siblings have something that ties them together far more than blood. And it's tense. It's complex.
Perfect Together by Christine L'Amour | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.8 stars)If you've been looking for more WLW friendly love stories, this is for you. Perfect Together is sweet and sexy; tied up beautifully with an easy-going pace and likable characters. Fair warning: it's a relatively short read, easy to read in one or two sittings. But, it is one that will surely warm you up from head to toe.
L'Amour takes on the ever-popular trope of a next-door neighbor lending a helping hand in more ways than one, sprinkling it into her story effortlessly and making it into something of her own. While there are many familiar tropes and tones to Perfect Together (be real: all romance novels share them) it never feels like it's trying to emulate another story. It's refreshing and sweet, and oh-so steamy in the end.
This was one of my favourite romance novels of the year, because it was so soft and sweet one minute but then it hit its stride and felt very much so like something far steamier. L'Amour balanced these qualities together with grace and made sure that the story wasn't any one thing: it was just about love blossoming at an unexpected time in two lives.
As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.
WOW. Mikayla Elliot does it again with the next enthralling release of her The Black Ice trilogy: Blizzard. Just when you thought things couldn't get more thrilling, action-packed, or mysterious, Elliot makes the stakes at an all-time high, leaving readers grappling with where the story went and just what the implications will be for the third installment.
Where we left in Snow, there were a lot of questions left dangling just in front of us. The betrayal of Zachariah, the fact that Eliza is technically Neva's mother, Neva is left reeling from the death of all but one member of her family, a niece who is presently missing and presumably in terrible danger, by the hands of her long-gone husband. Elliot packed a lot into the climax of Snow, leaving us all breathless and intrigued at one comes next--fortunately for readers, Blizzard is just as complex and richly written as its predecessor and will, once again, leave us longing for more.
First things first: for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter--I was on a hiatus and I'm sorry for being MIA! I didn't mean to disappear but I had to take a step back from the blog due to the fact that my father unexpectedly lost his job of 22 years. The stress of it all was a bit much and because of my issues with anxiety, I just wasn't in the right state of mind to be blogging.
While I'm still not 100% back to myself, and probably won't be until this entire situation is over, I am trying to get back on my blogging game. Goodreads provided a nice kick in the butt recently, though, with their 10th annual Goodreads Choice Awards. Can you believe it's time for the opening round nominations already?
(I can't!)
As the year dwindles down, it's time for us readers to put together our favourite releases of the year. So many good books have been published this year and while many of the ones I adored didn't make the cut on Goodreads, there were plenty of options to pick from.
I thought it'd be fun to put together a little post discussing my picks. So, here we go!
Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis | Rating: ★★★★★So. How does one describe Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now in a single word? Remarkable. This book is truly and completely a remarkable, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and at times stomach curdling, read. Dana L. Davis really knocked it out of the park with this one and left me in shambles by the time the story reached its end.
Every year, I feel like there are less and less books that are able to actual evoke genuine emotions from me. But, Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now quite frankly owned me from the very start and was so, so gripping. I will never forget this book. Ever. It is truly an impossible to put down read. Even moreso, it's an impossible to forget novel and one of the best debuts of all time.
When I was younger, the first time I remember reading and having a good cry over a book was Candle in the Wind by Maureen Crane Wartski and The Girl Death Left Behind by Lurlene McDaniel. Last year saw the very emotionally charged releases of Dear Martin by Nic Stone, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now joins the ranks of these books in the sense that it will truly move you.
If there's one thing you should know of me, by now, it's that I have a massive amount of love for the duo of writers, and twins, Krista and Becca Ritchie. They are to my twenties what J.K. Rowling was to my childhood, which is to say that they have shaped my love of literature in different ways. When I first heard that the two were releasing a new series in the young adult world, I knew I had to jump at any chance that may come my way.
Their latest offering, The Raging Ones, was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018. The novel, out August 14th, is their first published YA novel and, well, can you guys feel my excitement? Yes? No? Maybe?
Regardless, I am so excited to be participating in the official blog tour celebrating the novels release.
Spoiler alert, guys: it's
I am super excited for this weeks theme--BEST OF 2018, SO FAR! Colour me stoked. For those of you who are new to my blog, or the book blogging community, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Artsy Reader Girl, originating over at the Broke and the Bookish, and is exactly what its title hints at.
Each week, we receive a new topic to discuss on Tuesdays. It serves as a fun way to get to know one another in the book blogging community and is by far one of my favourite parts about blogging.
This year has been an incredible year for literature once more and so many books have hit the right spot for me. Narrowing down the list to ten was quite difficult, but I put on my big girl pants; chugged a massive cup of coffee and managed to pick ten of my favourites in between my rereading of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
