There was a substantial amount of hype surrounding Marissa Meyer's Renegades series. Alas, it was not my favourite. (Although, I can see why so many people might love it.)

After rereading the Divergent trilogy and lowering my rating considerably, and the miss that was Roth's Carve the Mark, I've come to the conclusion that I just don't connect with her writing. (But, because of her connection to Chicago and my youthful nostalgia for Divergent I always want to.)

I solemnly swear that I'm not still studying the cover for Rogue Princess like it's a priceless piece of art. (It is, okay?)

Get ready for another vivid and fast paced space adventure by this dynamic duo. Are you ready?

If you guys thought I lost my mind last year doing the blog tour for The Raging Ones, you should see me now. TODAY'S THE DAY: my tour stop for The Last Hope. I can't believe this duology is over. Special thank-yous to Wednesday Books for inviting me to be a tour host and Krista and Becca Ritchie for answering a few questions!

Before I Disappear is a book so mysterious, I wondered if I merely dreamed it up. Isn't that what we all want from literature? Here's what I have to say on Danielle Stinson's brilliant novel.

The Queen's Wing (The Queen's Wing, #1) by Jessica Thorne | Rating: ★★★★☆

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.

This truly was a gripping story! The Queen's Wing is just the right amount of action and romance; mixing up quite the selection of genres. So, when you see the tagline: "A completely gripping fantasy romance" BELIEVE IT! I will say, however, that the story is more science-fiction than fantasy. It combines fantasy, science-fiction, steampunk and fantasy.

The Queen's Wing is a fun mix of the above genres and will surely appeal to fans of The Selection (I was getting some major parallels between the two when it came to the romantic plotlines), The Androma Saga and maybe a little of The Winner's Trilogy. Which makes it all the more enthralling to its target audience. It's action packed, driven by romance, and just an all around fun time.

That being said, it won't be for everyone. Like all works of fiction, it has it flaws and there are several kinks that Thorne will have likely sorted out in the sequel. While it worked for me, despite said flaws, I will say you should probably steer clear of The Queen's Wing if you aren't interested in love triangle tropes (there's definitely a big one in this first installment, however it is sorted fully by the end) or in romantic stories in general.

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente | Rating: ★★★☆☆

"Life is beautiful and life is stupid. As long as you keep that in mind, and never give more weight to one than the other, the history of the galaxy, the history of a planet, the history of a person is a simple tune with lyrics flashed on-screen and a helpful, friendly bouncing disco ball of glittering, occasionally peaceful light to help you follow along. Cue the music. Cue the dancers. Cue tomorrow."

For many years, I'd heard nothing but rave reviews when it came down to Valente's prior releases. Immediately, I saw in it just what everyone had been saying all along--she's got a beautiful prose. In truth, Catherynne M. Valente could probably write about an orange being set on fire and thrown into space and it would still sound so much more stunning than most of her peers. For me, Space Opera was gorgeously executed with a highly captivating premise--it just wasn't entirely my cup of tea and, at times, hit some slower points.

This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy Space Opera. I really did like a good chunk of it! The start pulled me in, but somewhere about 25-75% of the way through I felt myself losing interest. Then, right around that 75% mark, it picked itself up again. Still, Valente's writing is what made me keep up and continue on--it was much less about her skills as an author and much more about my inability to connect with the story for one reason or another.

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi | Rating: ★★★★★

"I cannot let the broken girl inside of me inhale all that I've become. I cannot revert back to another version of myself. I will not shatter, not again, in the wake of an emotional earthquake.”

I'll be honest: I was skeptical of this book when it was announced. I absolutely adored the original trilogy and was hesitant about Restore Me. In spite of my initial "eh" reaction to the continuation of the series, I had faith that Mafi wouldn't let the fans down and she truly didn't. I was mostly concerned that everything that was built up in the first three books would be pulled apart in the worst way possible.

Plus, I had it in my mind that the previous book was the conclusion. It takes me a while to adjust to changes. But, at the end of the day, Restore Me isn't a change. It honors the beginning and end of the original run, expanding both the world and its characters; their relationships and the politics. Restore Me makes the series richer in tone and detail and proves to be Mafi's best release to date.

First things first, HOLY CRAP HER WRITING. It just keeps getting better. Pick up Shatter Me, reread the first three books, and then look at how much she has grown right there with the characters. I'm stunned. This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2018 and one of the only books I literally could not put down, even if I wanted/needed to.

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 probably definitely one of my favourite (!!!!) YA books of the year. #BUTWHOSSHOCKED

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Rating: ★★★★☆

Am I not merciful?

What a suspenseful, chilling read! I had been hearing the hype surrounding Illuminae since its initial publication but because of the way it is written, I had been hesitant to try it out. I feared I'd burned myself out of this style of writing when I was a teenager immersed in T.T.Y.L. and those other IM based books, so it did take me a bit longer to get to it than I'd planned. But, I'm glad I read it when I did! Because it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Illuminae is split into various points of view (although it is mainly focused on two characters, Kady and Ezra) and dips its toes into many forms of story telling: transcripts of interviews, instant messaging, letters, documents and more. This was my first experience with writing by both authors, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, but it certainly won't be my last. Not many authors can pull off story-telling in the way that they managed to with this one and that should be applauded first and foremost.

The action and stakes are high in Illuminae and the way the story unfolds is delectable in the sense that you feel like you are a part of it. Would you feel the same intimacy from a standard novel with this plot? Mostly--it just so happens that Illuminae's strength comes from its format and how readers are swept into the thick of it straight away. Although I have read similar novels not only in format but in science-fiction plotlines, Illuminae stands out on its own as something unique and not quite like anything I'd read before.

Zenith (The Androma Saga, #1) by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings | ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via Edelweiss by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.
The first thing you must know about Zenith is that it's fun. Pure, simple, fast paced fun--with fantastic characters and a whole lot of action. The second thing you must know, is a fact that lay in the blueprints of the beginnings of the series--Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings are a dynamic duo both on and off page.

Between the two, when story meets paper, Zenith is as unstoppable as any devoted reader could hope. It is every bits as spellbinding as any sci-fi enthusiast could hope. Both the authors and the characters found in the book command your attention instantly. In short, Zenith is the sort of novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seat in suspense and promise.

Readers who hope to find the perfect combination of angst, intrigue and an out-of-this-world cast of characters, will be satisfied with the roller coaster Zenith takes them on. In terms of science fiction, it is not easy to come by one that is wholly satisfying but Alsberg and Cummings take the genre and make something entirely their own. While there was the occasional miss and pages that felt to drag on, it was still a fun experience to flip through its pages and get lost in the spaces between.

   

The Vaskell Empire began on September 26th, 2017 with Touch of Ice. Promising to be a mix of all the fantastic elements readers love in YA: science fiction, dystopian settings, fantasy at its best, all wrapped up in one novel. Coming of age in an ordinary world is one thing. Coming of age in a world other than our own is another--enter Ayla Vaskell, your next favourite YA lead.

I'm so excited to celebrate the release of what is sure to be a gripping saga. Touch of Ice combines so many of my favourite YA qualities into one that it's easy to see it will captivate many fans and leave them on the edge of their seats. Plus, who can say no to that summary and cover? I can't.

To learn more about the start of this series, the author and an exclusive giveaway: follow the cut! And buckle up for some serious world building in this one.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth | Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Ah, the first big disappointment of 2017. Well, in terms of new young adult releases, that is. I was so looking forward to this one but it's one of those instances where all the hype makes you wonder why. As someone who loved the Divergent book series (or at the very least, the first book) it was very surprising to see Carve the Mark be plagued by so many flaws--Veronica Roth isn't an awful writer in the least but the entirety of Carve the Mark feeds on an offensive undertone that makes me cranky. And due to some of the remarks she made in her NPR interview, I've lost a bit of respect for her as an author and, well, a person.

In other words, I'm not entirely sure what to make of her. I--well, if you just Google info on the interview, you'll see where the problem lays and I'll leave it at that. Thanks to everyone who brought this to my attention, as well.

I hadn't seen all of the posts about this novel's flaws until after I'd read part of my pre-order (which wasn't that long ago) and I'm quite happy that I'm not the only one who was just generally put-off by the stereotypes in the story itself and the ways in which Roth is conducting herself. Personally, reading this was like I'd put on an itchy sweater and was stuck with it until the end of the day.