Warcross (Warcross, #1) by Marie Lu Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The version I am reading is an ARC -- any changes made for the final publication are not reflected in this review.

I have been a fan of Marie Lu's Legend series for a long time, and I finally decided that it was time to pick up Warcross from the spot on my shelf after years of starting at it. At first, I was not really vibing with the main character, and I will put the blame on myself since there is a six year age difference between us, and I have not been reading too much young adult books, especially science fiction or dystopian. But since I am in my young adult novel renaissance, I made my piece with Emika, our female lead. 

Lu does a very good job of expanding on Emika's backstory -- you will first feel as you do not know anything about her, but each piece of information you learn about Emika comes at the perfect time. I will admit that I felt frustrated when she was first introduced, but she definitely grows on you within the first 75 pages. Our 18-year-old lead is living in a beaten down apartment with a roommate who barely contributes to Emika's story. With being thousands of dollars in debt and behind in rent, Emika uses her Warcross skills as a bounty hunter catching criminals in order to get by.

By chance and total accident, Emika finds herself being propelled into an entirely new league of champions of Warcross after hacking into an international championship, and catches the eye of the game's creator, 21-year-old billionaire Hideo. From there, we follow Emika as she becomes a wild card in a game that captivates millions of players and audience members as she helps Hideo on a very important task working on a security issue. I will say that I guessed what the reveal was and still loved every second of Emika working her way toward it. I loved that from right off the bat, we could tell that Hideo and Emika were going to become much closer than anticipated as she becomes his personal spy inside the tournament.

Hideo's personality is very stoic in the beginning, which is expected as everyone around him seems to only want to be in his presence in order to get ahead or level up in Warcross. He also has so much rizz and really knows how to let Emika know what he wants, which had me doing cartwheels across the room. Lu allows Emika and Hideo's opposing personalities to compliment one another as they each let their guard down around each other, something they have not done for many years. Both with tragic pasts and hackers to track down, their romantic relationship was something so great to see. I absolutely loved the way that Lu was able to incorporate virtual reality and real life in their vulnerable states, and the way that Hideo opened up to Emika had my heart swooning.

The players on Emika's Warcross team were so much fun to read about, especially as readers are learning about them just as Emika meets them for the first time. Yes, she can look up their information, but there really is no better way to get to know your team members that actually learning their skills while in the game. Hammie had me cracking up because she was always so unhinged, and Asher's captain skills definitely came out to play in and out of the tournament. There is a ton of drama and scandal throughout the book, and coupled with the excitement of the Warcross games, it made for a very entertaining read.

I genuinely just had a great time reading this -- it is a super quick read and really captivates the reader once you get into the inner workings of Warcross and Emika acting as a spy for Hideo. There were so many times that I caught myself giggling and kicking my feet over Emika and Hideo's development, and I just loved how well they complimented each other without one overpowering the other in the relationship. Lu surprised me on just how much I enjoyed reading this, but it should have come at no surprise, considering how much I enjoyed Legend and the rest of the series. I will definitely be finishing the duology!

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A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor Quartet, #1) by Christelle Dabos Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I really needed to get back into fantasy books to kickstart me into finally working through my TBR pile, but I fear this book has actually sent me right into a fantasy reading slump. I have heard so many good things about this series, so I was pretty excited to dive into this book on vacation. The synopsis definitely pulled me in and the world-building and general idea was very intriguing, but I kept finding myself wanting to throw the book into the ocean.

Ophelia, our leading lady, is not like other girls! She wears glasses! And has curly brown hair! Which means her life is hard and that she does not like anything that has to do with marriage or femininity or apparently, common sense. I swear I wanted to grab this girl by the shoulders and shake her to knock some sense into her, just for a second, so that maybe a loose thought would find its way inside her brain. She somehow trusts everyone but also no one, while at the same time becomes upset when her fiancé, Thorn, does not want to tell her things, in order to keep her safe. She would actually be an interesting character if she used the logical thinking she claimed to possess every other chapter.

The side characters were absolutely insufferable on numerous occasions, so much so that I would have to go back and read conversations they had between each other when they were not interacting with Ophelia. I consider myself a fast reader, yet reading this book felt like it took forty hours to get through, not five. Maybe I would have been better off reading the French version instead of the English translation, but the prose and pacing felt off. There were definitely certain points in the book that had my undivided attention, but I spent the majority of the book begging for something remotely interesting to happen. I understand how important world-building is, but that too felt abandoned in order to make room for what seemed to be never-ending scenes of Ophelia and her thoughts.

Ophelia's aunt and her constant hysterics had me banging my head against the wall -- she was definitely making some valid points considering the number of situations she and Ophelia were placed in, but oh my god I thought I would never hear the end of it. For a woman who is so vocal about her displeasure, she sure does not do a single thing to try and remedy it. Thorn, on the other hand, had barely any page presence, yet I found him to be the most intriguing out of the ensemble. He is cold and keeps to himself, but I kept finding myself hoping that when I flipped the page, his name would show up and the plot would get moving. Ophelia's distain for him does not help this matter, and she spends more time thinking about how annoyed she is at him than actually helping her and her aunt's situation.

It takes literally about 350 pages for something remotely interesting to happen in order to move the plot forward, which is an issue as the book comes in at just under 500 pages. The author was dedicated to world-building, but seemed to leave character development at the door. Learning about the world was intriguing and I loved those aspects of the book, but the characters really did not experience any form of growth during the story -- understanding that this is the first book in a series, they will definitely have time for development, but nothing in the book was making me like anyone in particular.

Things really do pick up in the last fifty pages or so of the book, but I personally found it all very predictable on what was happening. Maybe it's because Ophelia's so-called common sense that everyone was boasting about seemed to finally kick in for her, but I was not surprised at anything that took place towards the end. Some characters had a little bit of growth in the sense that their true character was revealed, but nothing groundbreaking. I still very much need to know what happens next though, and will be pushing forward to see Thorn and how the series moves forward.

I do own the second book and will be continuing on with the series, but I will probably need a break and will be reading some other books before diving back into The Mirror Visitor world. The concept is original and intriguing, yet I believe readers will have to power through the first book in order to really get into the plot.

You can add A Winter's Promise and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The version I am reading is an ARC -- any changes made for the final publication are not reflected in this review.

I am not exactly sure what I was thinking when I thought this would be a quick and easy read while I was on vacation -- it is definitely emotional and you see so much pain and grief that Griffin and Jackson go through that I literally could not bring myself to read it for a few days. I have read They Both Die at the End, and this book definitely is up there on the heartbreak scale, at least in the first third of the book. Not everything is incredibly sad, but the beginning definitely sets up Griffin's story to be a rocky road as he navigates life without Theo.

I was straight up crying from page eighteen to about page one hundred. I have no idea what possessed my body during those pages but my god they were so incredibly sad and heartbreaking to read. Since the book goes back and forth from two years before Theo's death to his funeral, it really tugs at your heart strings, especially seeing the life he lived and then immediately going to him no longer being there anymore.

Griffin is dealing with so much on top of Theo's death, and his character is definitely not the most likeable at times. You really see the way that grief affects him, and watching him struggle to make sense of what has happened really puts it into perspective on how grief is not linear and how anger and frustration play into grieving. Even without getting Jackson's point of view throughout the book, you can tell that his initial distain for Griffin was more out of mild jealously and feeling as though Theo would drop Jackson in a heartbeat if Griffin would get back together with him.

With Griffin's OCD, readers are able to see how his compulsions stem into his grieving and begin to take over his life and thoughts as he attempts to cope with losing Theo. We see him become more open about them as well, and as Griffin begins to confide in people about how he really is doing, we also see him go deeper into a state of denial -- I would even argue that he was trying to get revenge on Theo in some instances, even with Theo being gone. He becomes somewhat self-destructive towards the end of the book, and while understandable that he could not come to terms that Theo was not only gone, but shared some intimate details about Griffin, he definitely began to isolate himself from people who wanted to support him. It is a stark reminder that people are so incredibly individual and human, and without compassion and understanding from others as well as from ourselves, grief can feel so very alone.

Both Jackson and Griffin were using each other as support after Theo died, but I felt as though they were mildly competing with one another on who knew Theo better and who had more memories with him. When they would go out together and talk about Theo, it would feel genuine in the beginning, but slowly it would gain this somber atmosphere that would encompass them as they tried to grieve. Silvera did a pretty good job at depicting two different methods of grief and coping, especially when Griffin and Jackson were pretty much placed in the exact same situation.

I do not typically reach for a contemporary read, but Silvera manages to build a compelling story exploring grief and coping with struggles in a heartbreaking read. If you are looking for a quick yet provoking read on humanity after death, this is a great choice. With complex characters and writing that pulls emotion out of its readers, Griffin's story will certainly take you on a journey.

You can add History Is All You Left Me on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Promises and Pomegranates (Monsters & Muses, #1) by Sav R. Miller Review

This is a spoiler-free review! A list of trigger warnings can be found in the beginning of the book. You can read my review of Sweet Sin on my blog, here.

Imagine the absolute delight I experienced when I found out that this book was a cross between a loose Hades and Persephone retelling and a mafia romance -- giggling and kicking my feet before I even opened the book. Since I read Sweet Sin prior to getting into the book, I at least had a little background on Kallum and Elena's relationship dynamic and their characterization. The way you can tell that he is absolutely obsessed with Elena right from the beginning had me feeling all sorts of ways, and you could tell that he was not going to let it go until she was his.

The pacing moves pretty fast in the beginning of the book, where the author basically rushes through a ton of pretty big plot events that are happening in a short amount of time, so you can really feel the sense of urgency that Kallum and Elena are experiencing. They have this dynamic between them that just screams electricity while also very much giving into the enemies-to-lovers with a side of friends with benefits. Yes, he is fourteen years older than her and YES she did just turn eighteen.... technicalities, people, technicalities.

So WHAT if he basically kidnaps her?? I call it doing that girl a favor, because boy oh boy she would not have liked where her life ended up if things did not go according to his plan. And you can clearly tell that she secretly loves that it happened, because her home life was not giving The Brady Bunch happy family by any means. Not counting her sisters, my girl Elena needed to get away from her parents immediately. So shoutout to Kal for making that choice for her, we love a thoughtful gentleman.

I literally could not get over the way that Kal talks to Elena.. like oh?? my god?? The man has absolutely no filter and does not hold back for even a second. And the way that he talks about Elena to her mother? I nearly had a heart attack thinking every one of their conversations was going to end in bloodshed. He is totally possessive of her and does not let anyone manhandle or force her to doing anything... unless it's him. Elena is very confident in herself and definitely gives Kal a run for his money when it comes to being stubborn and hotheaded, but it makes their match so great. I would have loved to see more scenes of them being domestic or of Kal being protective over Elena, but the smutty scenes more than made up for it.

Elena's sisters had me cracking up, especially because they are younger than her yet seem so much more comfortable speaking in an "inappropriate" way in front of their parents, and definitely do not hold back when asking Elena about her relationships. Her parents on the other hand are a completely different story -- they agitated me so much throughout the entire book, and her mother is downright despicable when certain events are revealed. Elena's mother does this complete turn around as a character compared to how we originally view her in the beginning of the book, and I have to say I do not wish her the best.

The plot was pretty straight forward and there were not really any super crazy twists and turns, so it pretty much read as a forced relationship romance book with a darker undertone. I definitely would have loved some more action to happen, because there are some moments that do seem to drag on just a bit that made me wish the plot would just move forward. Some things were pretty underdeveloped and I found myself a little disappointed that the author did not dive into some more deeper stuff, especially because it is such a quick read that it felt like it was over way too soon. There was not nearly enough groveling at the end of the book -- the author pretty much drops a bomb on the main character (which was completely obvious) and then three chapters later the book is over.

If you're looking for a quick mafia romance read, this was a fun surface level read that filled the transition period as I decided on what I wanted to read next. I am not sure if I would continue reading the series, but I never say never and seem to always come back around in the end.

You can add Promises and Pomegranates on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin now.

I have no idea why it is taking me so long to get through this series, especially because I was reading and buying them as they were released way back in the day. This felt like it was supposed to be a cute little filler Christmas episode in a sense -- no major plot points really came to light, but rather it was used as a stepping stool to introduce the ideas that would become the focuses of A Court of Silver Flames.

Getting more perspectives in this novella was a treat, I will say. We did get a hit of Rhys in the previous book, but I was more excited to see Cassian and Azriel's perspectives -- Mor's perspective gave exactly what I expected from her, so it was not too enticing, and Nesta's short perspective had me agitated for the sole reason that I still have not forgiven her for the way she treated Feyre. And from the bulk of the novella's focus, it was clearly obvious that we would be dealing with a lot more Nesta in the future, which did not leave me thrilled.

There was so much "Oh Nesta is all by herself" and "Nesta lives in a run-down apartment" and "Oh Nesta won't come to dinner" commentary that I thought I was going to lose my mind. I understand that this novella was basically setting up for A Court of Silver Flames, but if I read this before knowing that Nesta would be getting the next book in the series, it would be driving me crazier than it already was. Nesta literally drives me up a wall -- I never liked her in the original trilogy and this novella is not helping her case at all for me. In all honesty, it makes me less inclined to read the next book, only because I know that I will have to force myself to read it because her character infuriates me.

I enjoyed the way that Rhys had some internal reflection going on, especially when it came to understanding his closest friends, but I was definitely surprised at the way he viewed Tamlin at the end -- he still cannot and most likely will not forgive him for what he put Feyre through, but it was nice to see Rhys have that olive branch moment, even if I hate Tamlin just as much as Rhys does. His relationship with Azriel and Cassian was also nice to see from their perspectives as well, since we only have received an outsider's eyes on their bond and centuries of knowing each other.

My beef with Elain and Nesta still runs pretty strong, and the way that Lucien and Cassian show clear signs of aggravation and rejection from them does not hold them in high regard in my eyes. However, the boys should not just get to be with the girls because of circumstance, so I will let that play out as it will. Elain was definitely testing me with the way she is treating the Inner Circle, and I hope she gains some sense with all that sight she now has and gets her act together.

Maas continues to expand on her characters with this winter special as she sets up to continue the series, and fans will get just a taste of normalcy for these characters because they tackle the aftermath of the war and consequences that A Court of Wings and Ruin left in its path. This novella was sweet, but nothing that had me on the edge of my seat or giggling and kicking my feet. It will probably take me another six months to decide if I want to read Nesta's book, and that will probably be from peer pressure, not desire.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

A Dark Kiss of Rapture (Renegade Angels, #0.5) by Sylvia Day Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Vampires, lycan, angels... the list just keeps on going. Set in a modern world where a vampire will casually be using an iPad, this novella reminded me a lot of The Mortal Instruments in the sense that in that series they are just out of reach in using technology by choice, but Day chooses to have her characters welcome the advances.

Raze is a vampire on a mission and he does not hold back when it comes to carnage, whereas Kim has just witnessed a gruesome crime scene of someone close to her -- and yet, they somehow find each other when they needed someone the most. I think if we knew more about Raze and his past, it would have made their instant connection more interesting, but I went through the entire novella wondering what exactly was so great about him that Kim could not stay away.

For a novella tagged as erotica, it was plagued with fade to black scenes that made me feel like I was back reading young adult novels just alluding to what happened between the main characters. Especially since Raze and Kim are adults, it was kind of disappointing to have mild build up just to have the chapter come to an end or page break into the next scene. I fell victim to the free book section on iBooks and paid the price... I kept waiting for something more exciting to happen and at the end of every chapter I was only left hanging. I understand that this is an introduction to a series, but if the rest of the series is anything like this, I will not be continuing on.

Raze would have been a much more interesting character if the author kept the momentum going with him on how he was introduced in the beginning. If Raze had been more brooding or even cold -- ironic, since he is a vampire -- it would have at least added something to his character besides being interested in Kim. At least Kim had some more dimension to her with what she has been through, but her own characterization was lacking and she was running into the arms of the first man she laid eyes on and somehow turned it into a relationship overnight.

The scenes where Raze was just running around tracking random vampires and talking to his friends on his iPad had me rolling my eyes into the back of my head. For someone who thinks that himself and Kim might be in danger, he sure does take his time in actually doing anything about it. Every chapter had him either thinking how great Kim was or thinking about how to get intel on other vampires, and not much else.

If you are looking for a very quick read to up your reading goal for the year, this novella fits the bill. If you are looking for something with a bit substance to dive into a new series, I would say that you can pass on this one. It is unfortunate, because angel and vampire books usually are just what I am looking for, but Day's novella misses the mark when it comes to world building and characterization.

You can add A Dark Kiss of Rapture on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!