Book Talk Tuesday - Dark Triumph

Happy Tuesday! It’s a bright & sunny day here in Wheeling, but I’m here with a review of a book that’s sure to give you chills: Dark Triumph, by Robin LaFevers.

Sybella was raised in the house of her father, d’Albert, a powerful and ruthless noble who has murdered six wives and now seeks to steal the throne of their kingdom from its rightful ruler, the Duchess. Several years ago, Sybella escaped from her father’s brutality and entered a convent, where she swore an oath to serve Mortain, the god of Death. At the convent, Sybella was trained as an assassin, learning to strike down those that are marqued for death by Mortain. Now the abbess of her convent has sent Sybella back into her father’s household, where she is tasked with reporting her father’s plans to the Duchess and killing anyone that displays the marque of Mortain. Between her father’s cruelty and the increasingly twisted love of her brother Julian, living in her father’s household nearly drove her mad once, and Sybella isn’t sure she can survive it again. When the convent sends her another assignment, this time one of rescue, all of Sybella’s skills will be tested.

This book was AMAZING. It’s the sequel to LaFever’s novel Grave Mercy, and if you haven’t read that one yet you need to run out and get it right now! Dark Triumph has a complex plot, with lots of secrets and political intrigue, plus plenty of action and of course a bit of romance. This book does tackle some pretty dark themes, so it is recommended for more mature teen readers. This is a great read-alike for fans of the show Game of Thrones!

Rating: 5/5 stars

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Want to read Dark Triumph? Request it here!

http://tinyurl.com/bmr2fhy

Book Talk Tuesday - Delirium

Happy Tuesday! Today I have a review of Delirium, by Lauren Oliver.

In 17-year-old Lena’s world, love is the most dangerous disease of all. Known as amor deliria nervosa, love is known to cause extreme emotions and chaos that are detrimental to society. At the age of 18, everyone undergoes a procedure that cures them by making them incapable of love. Years ago, Lena’s mother committed suicide because of strong emotions resulting from not being properly cured, so Lena is looking forward to her procedure. However, her best friend Hana is not. Hana has been acting strange lately - listening to forbidden music and openly talking about breaking the government’s rules. Lena is worried about Hana, but she soon has bigger problems to distract her. When she meets Alex, a boy who makes her feel everything she’s been taught to fear, Lena will have to decide what she is willing to risk for love.

This book was amazing! Definitely the best dystopian fiction I’ve read in a while. The story was really fast-paced and exciting, and Lauren Oliver is a great writer. I especially liked the character of Lena’s best friend Hana. Delirium is the first book in a trilogy, and books two and three - Pandemonium and Requiem - have already been released. That means no waiting for sequels, hooray! 

Rating: 5/5 stars

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Want to read Delirium? Request it here!

Book Talk Tuesday - What’s Left of Me

Happy Tuesday! It’s a beautiful day here in Wheeling, and I’ve got another book review for you. This week I read What’s Left of Me, by Kat Zhang.

Addie and Eva were born as two souls sharing one body, just like everyone else. As children, they shared the body equally, but as they got older Addie became dominant and Eva slowly faded away. The process of going from two souls to one is called settling. Anyone who does not settle properly is a  dangerous hybrid, subject to arrest and persecution by the government. Now in high school, Addie is hiding a secret - Eva never really disappeared. Trapped inside their brain with no control over the body, Eva is still inside, watching everything and communicating with Addie. When Eva is offered the chance to come out of hiding and finally move again, the girls will risk everything for Eva’s freedom.

I had mixed feelings about this book. The concept of two souls sharing one body was really cool, and Zhang executed it really well. Showing the conversations Eva and Addie have inside their head, plus the dialogue that’s going on in the outside world could have been confusing, but it wasn’t at all. The story was interesting, but I did have a little bit of an issue with the plot. The whole premise of the book revolves around how dangerous it is to be a hybrid, but it never really explained WHY the government hates hybrids or why they are dangerous. I wanted to feel that great suspense and drama that come from a really good dystopian novel, but I just ended up being a little bit confused. What’s Left of Me is the first in a planned series, so maybe there will be more explanation in the next book.

Rating: 3/5 stars

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Want to read What’s Left of Me? Request it here!

http://tinyurl.com/c5fywux

Book Talk Tuesday - Rookie Yearbook One

Happy Book Talk Tuesday! Today I want to show you Rookie Yearbook One, edited by Tavi Gevinson. Part magazine, part collage, this book is full of helpful articles such as “How Not To Care What Other People Think of You”, plus tips for loving yourself and creating your own personal style. While some of the writers are adults, a lot of the writers and artists who created this book are teenage girls. It’s kind of like getting awesome fashion + life advice from the coolest girls you know. This is such a fun book - you can easily lose hours just flipping through the pages. I’ve posted a few examples below - check them out!

Rating: 5/5 stars 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Want to read Rookie Yearbook One? Request it here!

Book Talk Tuesday - The Nightmare Affair

It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means: another book review! This week we’re talking about The Nightmare Affair, a paranormal mystery by Mindee Arnett.

Dusty Everhart is a Nightmare - literally. The halfling offspring of a mortal father and a Nightmare mother, Dusty breaks into stranger’s homes at night and enters their dreams. She attends Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind teens, where she learns to control her magic alongside fairies, sirens, mermaids, hags, and other magical creatures. One night, while she’s inside the dream of distractingly hot Eli, Dusty sees one of her Arkwell Academy classmates murdered - a dream that quickly comes true. Turns out, Dusty is a dream-seer, someone who can see the future in dreams. There’s a catch though: her psychic powers will only work inside Eli’s dreams, and he’s not too happy about being involved. Dusty doesn’t have much time to worry about that, because evil is descending on Arkwell Academy, and Dusty and Eli could be magickind’s only chance of stopping it.

This book was a lot of fun! The fact that the main character was a Nightmare was really interesting and different, and I enjoyed learning about the other magickind at Arkwell. It reminded me a little bit of Harry Potter (magical boarding school, students fighting evil), but with enough of a twist to be different. I also liked Dusty a lot - she was a funny, snarky, likeable narrator. That said, I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed with the mystery. I figured most of it out well before the end of the book, and I didn’t feel like the author built up enough suspense for me to really care that much about the ending. The Nightmare Affair is the first book in a planned series, so I’ll probably pick up the next book when it comes out to see where the story goes.

Rating: 3/5 stars

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Want to read The Nightmare Affair? Request it here!