The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by VE Schwab

Summary:

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

The Review:

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of VE Schwab and I love everything she writes and this is no exception. What made this story stand out in particular was how character driven the story was. It begins with Addie in 1714, who was going by Adeline at the time is dealing with a lot of the societal pressures of being a woman coming of age and when she wants to rebel she makes a deal with “darkness” when she wants to live forever everything will forget her. It was a sort of deal with the devil which had a curse on life, and she was living through centuries and every time she meets someone, then they will forget about her, and then she meets a boy who actually does remember her.

I would call this a love story, but what I love most about Schwab’s writing is how character driven the story is. It would often switch from past Addie to present Addie and learning of her relationship with the curse, and a lot of the consequences that came with it. She deals with two relationships throughout the book, first with the “darkness” and then with Henry, the boy who remembers her.

Also this being a VE Schwab, the pacing is very good and I did not want to put it down, and every page meant for something and I wanted to keep going with her story and how her relationships would develop.

In the end, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue was an extremely great read and it is an extremely character driven story that you do not want to put down.

Grade: 5/5

Graphic Novels I have been loving

Over the past year, I started reading some graphic novels again which always good after a little reading slump. So I wanted to share a few good ones that I have been reading and loving.

Saga

What can I say about Saga that has already been said. It is amazing. I would say its like adult Star Wars, but is a gripping story about star-crossed lovers, intergalactic wars, love and redemption. The series is on haitus, which is upsetting because it is left off at the biggest WTF cliffhanger.

Montress

Oh this is a great one. An Asian-inspired fantasy, with some of the best artwork I have seen in a quite a while, set in a matriarchal society

Papergirls

Sort of like another Stranger Things, but with more of Sci Fi element and lots of time travel. Also having elements of Back to the Future.

Y: The Last Man

A post apocalyptical story set in world in which all men (or anyone with a Y chromosome) died unexpectedly except for one and that man has to go on journey to see why and if there is a cure. It reminded me a lot of the Walking Dead and a bit of the road. Also dealing with warring factions and government bodies.

Morning Glories

I would describe Morning glories as basically a very twisted prep school from hell. The main characters involves students who have been brought in by chance, and each volume there is many twists and turns.

These are some of my favorite graphic novels. Which ones are yours? Let me know in the comments bellow

WWW Wednesday 8/5/2020

Happy Wednesday everyone,

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

It has a dragon on the cover, and its about dragons. Of course I am reading this. From what I was told it’s Red Rising meets Game of Thrones, which is also a good combination and I am enjoying it so far.

In my quest to read the Percy Jackson series for the upcoming Disneyplus series, and I am loving it so far. Definitely better than the movies.

What did you recently finish reading?

This was a very nice retelling of Cinderella. While unpacking the mythos of Cinderella and learning more about the real story of Cinderella and how it affected the young girls of Lille. It had a nice Handmaid’s Tale vibe from it.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I have put this on my TBR for far to long and no more excuses. I recently bought both Jade City and Jade War, and I will hopefully read them both.

That is my WWW Wednesday. What books are you currently reading? What have you recently finished and what will you be reading next? Let me know in the comments below!

Cinderella is Dead by: Kaylnn Bayron

Summary:

It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

The Review:

This was a book that I was very excited about. If you have been following me for a long time know how much I am a fan of the Lunar Chronicles and love my fairy tale retellings. This one if a Cinderella retelling with a black protagonist and also an f/f romance.

In this story, the tale of Cinderella became a mythology in which every girl is suppose to strive for and for the main character Sophie she would rather have a princess than a prince. It also forces a lot of the young girls into gender roles and they have to participate in a ball in order to find a prince. It ties a lot into class structure as well, dealing with who gets the prettiest dress to find a prince.

With Sophie, she wants a princess, mainly her friend Erin and wants to escape Lille and get away from the rigged gender roles. As she just turned 16, she is now eligible for the ball.

What I like about the ball is that it strips away a lot of the Cinderella and learning about the real back story and it makes the fairy tale a lot more twisted and learning the truth about characters such as Prince Charming, Fairy god mother and the evil step sisters. Also learning that her new friend Constance, is a descendant of one of the evil stepsisters. Both of them trying to work together to stop and an evil and destroy the patriarchy of Lille.

A small negative that I have is that a would have liked to see a few more characters more fleshed out such as Luke, and Erin.

In the end, I really enjoyed Cinderella is Dead. It had a very unique take on a fairy tale and fleshed out the world of Cinderella. It had a very engaging main character and a great plot to destroy the patriarchy.

Grade: 4.5/5

The Last of US Part II Review (Spoilers and TW: abuse, transphobia, parental death)

The Last of US Part II was one of my most anticipated games of 2020. I remember being hyped when I saw the first trailer back in 2018, and then continuing with game play footage at E3 2020.

 

After finally playing it and finishing the game I felt like I needed to get my thoughts on this game. I always had history with Naughty Dog, I started young with Crash Bandicoot, spent my teen years with Jax and Daxter, and got older with the Uncharted Series and Last of Us, and it felt as Naughty Dog was growing with me.

 

Last of Part II is set five years after the events of the first game. Joel and Ellie are in Jackson in a nice community. Ellie is now older, and is doing patrols keeping clear of any infected.

At the start of the game you also play as a mysterious women named Abby, who is trying to find someone in Jackson. After a series of events Abby confronts the person she is looking for and it happens to be Joel. Where it becomes controversial, she kills Joel, in front of Ellie and Tommy. And that’s where the game starts.

It was a hug risk killing Joel, especially at the start of the game, which cause Ellie to go on a quest fro revenge to find Abby and avenge Joel. It is also a lot more brutal than and violent but it is the Last of Us, so or course it is violent.

There is some new game mechanics such as dodge when pressing L1, and with more crouching in which steal plays a huge role. Also the fact that the NPCs actually have names. It seemed very odd, but I think the intention was to make them more human, especially in the messed up world.

Also midway through the game, you begin to play as Abby, Joel’s killer and learns about her relationship with the WLFs, and her past as a Firefly. Also learning that her father was one of doctors that was killed at the end of the previous game.

The Abby sections of the game, I think really fleshed out the world. Seeing other factions and learning about the war the WLFs, had with the Seraphites. I also felt that her section of the game was a lot more challenging especially dealing with the Rat King infected from the hospital.

I feel that her sections of the game, was not merely to make her sympathetic, but to flesh out her character, I always think that the best villains are heroes in their own stories.

There is also a character named Lev, who is a trans man escaping the Seraphites and was banished for “shaving his head”.  Lev is one of the few trans characters in gaming, but he also has dealt with abuse and also being dead named by the Seraphites.

Let me give my thoughts about the ending. The ending is set about a year later, with Ellie living with Dina and raising JJ, but then found a lead on where Abby is. She spends time going to Santa Barbara to confront Abby and sees another faction that enslaves people, and is holding Abby and Lev.

When Ellie finally confronts Abby, they have a brawl and in the end she lets Abby go. I know it may seem controversial at first but really thinking about it. It ties a lot into revenge and forgiveness. While I don’t think Ellie forgives Abby, but I think it was important to let her go. When Joel died, Ellie didn’t really forgive Joel for lying to her about what happened at the hospital. Even at the end she goes home and finds that Dina and JJ has left, ending up all alone.

I really enjoyed playing Last of Us Part II. It felt like a really great book that you could not put down. It fleshed out a lot of the story, world and characters. I feel that some of the criticisms was warranted but not to the extent of making death threats to voice actors or to those who liked the game.

Grade: 9/10

Clap When you Land by: Elizabeth Acevedo

Summary:

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

Papi’s death uncovers all the painful truths he kept hidden, and the love he divided across an ocean. And now, Camino and Yahaira are both left to grapple with what this new sister means to them, and what it will now take to keep their dreams alive.

In a dual narrative novel in verse that brims with both grief and love, award-winning and bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives

The Review: 

I became a huge fan of Elizabeth Acevedo’s work ever since I read The Poet X, one of eh first novels I read that was in verse. Clap When You Land, is another novel also set in verse, this time telling the story of two POVs, Yahaira and Camino

It was great to ready about the two POVs, and she does a good job at giving them their own distinct voice to them. Both of them seeing the different sides of their father’s death. With the death of their father revealed that family secret that they are sisters.

With Camino, she is from the Dominican Republic, who lives with her aunt and dreams about moving to New York and going to Columbia University and becoming a doctor. Her aunt is the neighborhood medical healer, and one of my favorite highlights of the book was seeing her aunt use the herbal mixes and helping out her neighbors.

With Yahaira, she is from New York, who is a smart girl who plays chess mainly with her father.

When both receive the news of their father’s death, they both deal with a lot of emotions. Also they deal with the emotions of finding out about each other, and seeing the man they look up to as someone who had kept a secret.

Acevedo, does a good job at giving them their own distinct voices and seeing them navigate the grief of their father and the discovery of their sister. The verses feel so lyrical and every line of the book mattered.

In the end, Clap When You Land is an amazing book, that does a good job at tackling grief and secrets. Both characters are amazing, and it makes you want to root for them.

Grade: 5/5

WWW Wednesday 6/17/2020

Happy Wednesday everyone,

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Okay, so the moment I found out about the Disneyplus series, I bought the box set. My only experience with Percy Jackson was the movies unfortunately, but so far I am enjoying this, and hopefully I will read the spin off series as well.

This had me at dragons. I picked this book up back in February and this is a an epic high fantasy, with some great world building so far.

What did you recently finish reading?

This is a graphic novel which deals with aliens and immigration, which also feels very timely right now. This was also sitting on my shelf for a long time, and it really is a great one. I have read Nnedi Okorafor books before, and it still has that great world building and characters.

Going into the mind of N.K. Jemisin again, with a nice sci fi story set in New York, in which a group of seemingly ordinary people who have to work together. Because it’s an N.K Jemisin it has great characters, snappy dialogue and good world building.

What do you think you’ll read next?

This just came in a few days ago, and I am dying to read this, and the premise looks amazing.

I picked this up back in January, and it has been on my backlist for a while now. I met the author back in January at a book event, and was very intrigued by the premise.

 

WWW Wednesday 5/20/2020

Happy Wednesday everyone,

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Yes, I am diving right back in shadow hunter world and I am enjoying The Infernal Devices a lot more than The Mortal Instruments, and I could see why Tessa, Will and Jem are amazing characters, and it really has a chance to see the shadow hunter world more in depth.

I am currently listening to the audiobook, and it is amazing. I already read this series, but hearing the voices it reminds me of those old radio serials with an amazing voice cast.

What did you recently finish reading?

As a fan of both Clone Wars and Rebels, I became a fan of Ahsoka Tano. This book takes place after Clone Wars and before Rebels, and it really does a good job at fleshing out her character, and dealing with the events after Revenge of the Sith.

This was a very unique take on Arthurian Legend, and I like that it focused on Guinevere, and her trying to protect Arthur, and I really enjoyed it, and seeing a lot of references to the original King Arthur tale.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I read Sky Without Stars, and I loved it. A great retelling of Les Mis, set in space, which now deals with the characters, and a rebellion. I am very excited to read the sequel.

That is my WWW Wednesday. What books are you currently reading? What have you recently finished and what will you be reading next? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Ahsoka by EK Johnston

Summary:

Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars, and before she re-appeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance…. 

The Review:

I have always been interested in the story of Ahsoka since I started watching the Clone Wars on Disney Plus, (I’m on season 2 right now) and very intriguied by her story. She was Anakin’s apprentince during the Clone Wars, and one of the very few Jedi that survived Order 66.

This book is set after the events of Revenge of the Sith, when the Empire took over and starting to hunt down any surviving Jedi, so of course Ahsoka is trying to lay low and not draw attention towards herself.

With Ahsoka, there is a lot of elements of her reeling from the events of the Clone Wars, and surviving Order 66, and you really feel a sense of isolation with her, realizing that she has no one. The story is very character driven and the plot is very simple as to mainly being Ahsoka in hiding, and fleeing from Inquisitors.

She meets with a few characters, and goes by the name Ashla to hid her identity, and then tries to protect them from her past. I love a lot of the meditation chapters that peak into her memories of her time during the Clone Wars including her fight with Darth Maul, giving him more glimpses of her character.

The story was very character driven, and a little light on plot, however, I did like a few of the cameos including Bail Organa and little Princess Leia. Hopefully if there is a sequel I want to see the Ahsoka, and how she ended up on Fulcrum in Star Wars Rebels.

In the end, I really enjoyed Ahsoka. It was a nice character piece about one of my favorite Star Wars characters and how she dealt with the events after Revenge of the Sith, and puts Ahsoka. I know EK Johnston wrote other Star Wars stories and I am more than happy to read them

Grade: 4/5

Nocturna by Maya Motayne

Summary:

Set in a Latinx-inspired world, a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince must team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed.

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks.

As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

But when Finn and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darkness in their pasts

The Review:

I picked up this book on kinda of a whim, okay so mainly it was because of the cover, and the fact that it is an Latinx-inspired fantasy, which I am trying to read more of.

This book follows two main POVs. Finn Voy, is a thief who can shape shift into anyone which of course makes her a good thief, and has a good hustle going on, and tries to stay as far as possible. Alfie is a prince, who is dealing with the death of his older brother, who would have been king. He is mainly dealing with grief and trying to find ways to bring back his brother.

When Finn and Alfie meet I immediately liked their bond, even though they were bitter towards each other at the beginning they did manage to find some common ground and want to help each other out.

The plot involves how Alfie accidentally let on an evil spirit and now they have to work together to stop it. While it may seem thinly veiled what makes it work is the characters and the magic system.

I also really loved the world building. A lot of it was tied to Latinx culture and ideals, which even did a good job at discussing colonialism, which didn’t like info dumps and actually made me more invested in the story. The book also touches a lot of themes on abuse and grief. With Finn, a lot of her character arc deals with trying to escape from an abuser who would constantly gaslight her, which I felt was extremely well done.

In the end, I loved Nocturna. It had extremely well done characters and themes tied to Latinx culture. Finn and Alfie are amazing characters I want to see them continue their stories