Review: By Your Side

By Your Side

Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: Paperback, 352 pages
Genre: YA
Release Date: January 31st 2017

Summary:

In this irresistible story, Kasie West explores the timeless question of what to do when you fall for the person you least expect. Witty and romantic, this paperback original from a fan favorite is perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson.

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.

Only he doesn’t come. No one does.

Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

Review:

By Your Side is classic Kasie West.
It's exactly what I want from her books and the reason I love this genre.

It's got a cute & fluffy romance, interesting characters and then West throws in something astoundingly serious, without dragging the light and sweet feeling of the book down.
It this case one of them is anxiety. I love that West brought it up. I even love more how she dealt with it. It was absolutely on point. She got the balance just right. It added depth and realism to the character. Yet it didn't overshadow the cute & fluffy vibes. The same can be said about the foster system. Interesting how this West, tackled such a major problem, yet kept the overal feel of the story lighthearted.

Autumn is a classic West female protagonist. She is witty, fun and at times insanely awkward. In one word great female lead.
Dax, was at first a bit the cliche solemn, quiet broody hottie. But I quickly grew to care for him. We get to see other sides to him and at the end I was totally head over heals for Dax.
Both MCs go through and interesting amount of growth in this book.
The support cast left me a bit divided. I love Autumns family. But her friends? Seriously the worst friends- EVER. And yet, I remember having friends who acted that stupid and carless. Seriously. We all did to a degree. So I kinda rather quickly forgave them at the end, even if throughout the book, I kept wondering why Autumn hang out with a seemingly shallow lot.
Jeff was - well, the hot happy boy cliche. I honestly didn't get his reaction in the end. I mean I am all for being happy for others, but his reaction meant either he was not sincere before or at the point.
The kinda love triangle though funny enough didn't really bother me. Which is a feat in itself.
My biggest issue was the mother. I think while realistic, I felt like those issues were just left hanging and it felt unresolved.
Still I can gripe about the characters because the felt real. There is depth to the two MCs and the cast in general. They- well most of them- somehow fall out of the usual tick-box in some way and managed to endear themselves to me.

Well written, great character building, interesting topics and a good dose of swoon make this heartwarming novel a must read.

Rating: 

Review: Pushing the Boundaries by Stacey Trombley

Pushing the Boundaries

Author: Stacey Trombley
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
Series: Off Limits #1
Genre: YA
Release Date: January 16th 2016

Summary:

Myra goes to Haiti with one goal: take the photograph that will win a scholarship and prove to her uber-traditional family that she has what it takes to be a photographer instead of a doctor. Her camera has always been her shield against getting too close to anyone, but she didn’t expect the hot teen translator who has an ability to see past her walls.

Elias needs his job as a translator to provide for his siblings. He can’t afford to break the rule forbidding him from socializing with a client. Except this girl Myra insists on going outside the city to capture the perfect picture, and he steps in as her guide in order to keep her safe.

The deeper they travel into the country, the harder they fall for each other. Now they’re both taking risks that could cost each other their dreams.

If they get too close—it could ruin both their lives.

Review:


Let's just get to the things I didn't like much first.
I am not a huge fan of the writing style. To be honest, the way Trombley dealt with the creole dialogues, is not to my liking. I know that is style many authors use, but I personally find it disruptive. It's really a matter of personal preference. At time I found the writing a bit too simplistic, but at others there were amazing descriptions. Which makes the writing style feel a bit inconsistent and it's one of the reason's it took me a while to get into the book.
The second negative point: the romance. It's too insta. I mean, we talking a week! One week, people. I get that Myra got affected by the place, but their feelings for each other and the dramas? I kept thinking, dude, it's been a few days...
However, the thing I liked do outway the things I didn't! So despite the above, I enjoyed the book immensely.

First and foremost Trombley chose two really different protagonists. I love that! But not only did she chose diverse characters, she also did a brilliant job at getting them right. Myra makes "sense", her struggles, even the ones with her mother, her attitude, her perceptions, her acts are that of a pakistani american youth. It's really well done. I absolutely love the character building in this book. Elias, felt a bit woody in the beginning, but soon became a vivid character that felt real.
The support cast was just as well written. But really for me the star in the story is Myra and her character growth. It's beautiful and feel so realistic. I was really moved by her, her changes and discoveries.
As I said I wasn't a fan of the romance, which means, some of the plot was not really my cup of tea. But there is so much more to this story than the romance. The work in the clinic for example, I have worked as a helper in a refugee clinic, and let me tell you I felt transported back to it. Tromley did a fantastic job at shedding light to those situations. I mean the negative and positive sides. And I felt like I visited Haiti after I finished read this. I know all about leaving a piece of your heart in places (mine is scattered in places all of the world) and I totally got what happened to Myra.
The poverty, the way that people are, the kids are the highlight of this book to me.
A beautiful reminder and a wonderful beacon of hope. Because as Myra discovered, instead of seeing the differences, when we see the similarities- the joy and hope we all share- we discover true beauty. I believe that humanity needs people like that and that we need to be reminded of this as much as possible.

Beautiful subtext, interesting characters and some beautiful descriptions make this a truly different experience.



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ARC Review: Frostblood by Elly Blake

Frostblood

Author: Elly Blake
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Frostblood Saga #1
Pages: Hardcover, 384 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: January 10th 2017

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.

All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king's tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.

Fast-paced and compelling, Frostblood is the first in a page-turning new young adult three-book series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that could change everything.

Review:

I am just like so many times deliberating about how to rate this... I think it's around 2.5Stars? More like 2.75?
So not quite good but way better than ok. Hence I am rounding it up.
I wouldn't have wavered in the first half. But the second half sadly highlighted my problems with the book.

Let's first talk about the world building. It's my favorite part of the book. I like the mythology Blake built around the Frostblood Saga. We given little bits as the story unfolds, forming an interesting background to the storyline. The reader gets thrown into the deep end at the beginning of the book, but one gets to discover a world of elemental magic, beasts of different origins, characters driven by power and idealism. While I am not completely wowed by the world building, I did like it. It is your classic high fantasy set up for sure and has loads of potential.

I am a little divided when it comes to character building. I liked Ruby well enough. I get where she was coming from and in the first half of the novel I could relate to her. BUT then she felt just like the rest of the entire cast a little to formulaic. Too thought through and too scripted.

The story line is where my biggest issue lies. It was completely predictable. I mean completely. I knew where this is going from the beginning. I could have told you each twist and turn a mile ahead.
Despite that I rather enjoyed the first half. I found myself caught up in Ruby's struggles, in her growing friendships with the people around her. I even quite enjoyed the romance, however cliche it might be. The second part however, while there was way more action, the whole thing felt even more predictable. I knew exactly where Blake was going next. The big revelations had me yawning. Not only that I found myself rather annoyed with the weird unnecessary love-triangle. I just wondered why Blake had to go there? Couldn't she keep that cliche out?

Now I feel like I should mention that I have read a lot of fantasy books in my life. I've been reading epic fantasy since I was 9 years old after all. Which means, I have a lot to compare to. But also that I have a lot of expectations. I have a feeling that readers who haven't read half as many might enjoy this more than I did.

So while I like the first half and I enjoyed the action scenes, I found myself wondering if I am going to read the next novel. At the end of this one, I didn't feel the urge to read the next. Yet... for the first time since I started the series, I am not sure where Blake is going to take this next.. and it has me wondering.. SOOOOO I guess I'll be reading Fireblood after all. ;)

Rating: 

ARC was provided by Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

ARC Review: Hooked on Trouble by Kelly Siskind

Hooked on Trouble

Author: Kelly Siskind
Publisher: Forever Yours
Series: Over the Top #3
Pages: Paperback, 336 pages
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: January 10th 2017

Summary:

Reality bites. Hard.

The last time Raven did “real” was sixteen months ago, when she spent one unforgettable night with the tattooed, impossibly sexy Nico, and then he disappeared the next day. Since then, she’s kept her guard up and her feelings to herself. She doesn’t have time for relationship drama when she’s busy searching for her long lost sister.

Nico hasn’t stopped thinking about Raven—her sultry curves, inked skin, and the fact that he ditched her after their night together. Now that they’re living in the same city, he knows this is his chance to make things right. What better way to prove to Raven he’s for real than helping her find her sister? But when the lines between right and wrong start to blur, putting his job on the line, Nico has to decide if the risk is worth the ultimate reward.

Review:

A fabulous ending to the series, in fact this is my favorite book of it.
I liked Raven right from book one. Her edgy ways, but also her tell it as it is, yet her loyalty were all reasons, I was looking forward to her book for.
And there there was big, dark, broody, handsome Nico... I kept wondering what really happened between them, another reason I was kinda desperate to get my hands on the book
And let's just say, when that was revealed I was a tad.. well... underwhelmed? I thought, is Raven for real? That was her reason???
But I got quickly distracted by wooing Nico, because, damn, wooing Nico is my favorite thing in the series, hands down.
The plot actually took a turn to much more serious topics. I kinda expected lots of cute & fluffy. And don't misunderstand me there is plenty of that. And it perfect and adorable and smoldering- well everything one wants (aka I want) from cute & fluffy. Totally swoony moments.
But Siskind dug deeper and somehow we discover Raven's secrets, her past, things that shape and formed her. The same for Nico. We see them overcome hurdles for each other. I totally and utterly fell for them. It's a really beautiful story, with all it's ugly past and everything. Siskind got it absolutely right.

The character building is what makes this shine. I could relate to both of them, I felt with them, understood them and their growth felt realistic and real. Add to that a great support cast, we got to know and love in the previous book, and it's a pleasure to read.

My only little issue? The epilogue.. And I got to say, don't ask me why. It was too *whispers* soppy for me. Now don't ask me why. It just didn't fly my boat. Though I found it amusing in some parts. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

So a brilliant ending to a wonderful series, Aa wonderful story about two people finding each other and growing together, oh let's not forget and lots of swoony, hotilicious Nico makes this a must read.


Rating: 

ARC was provided by Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review