{Currently Marathoning} The Last Kids On Earth (New on Netflix!)

Hey, guys!

Who remembers my reviews for The Last Kids On Earth #4: The Cosmic Beyond? I absolutely loved this middle-grade book. The characters were hilarious and diverse, the story was so imaginative and colorful, and the monsters and conflict were so much fun! 

The book series has been adapted for an animated series on Netflix! Not only does it follow the books, but it's also free to watch for any Netflix watcher on September 17! That means you can watch it now!

~ S Y N O P S I S ~

Ever since the monster apocalypse hit the town, average thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan has been living in his treehouse, which he's armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack's loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack's crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it? 

Told in a mixture of text and black-and-white illustration, this is the perfect book for any kid who's ever dreamed of starring in his or her own comic book or video game. And then grab the rest of the series, now a New York Times bestseller!

~~~

I love this series and I cannot wait to finish my binge-session of this animated series. The fifth installment of the series, The Last Kids on Earth and the Midnight Blade, was just released as well, so I cannot wait to binge it as well! 

Order It Here!

~Amazon

~Barnes and Noble

~Book Depository

Interested in the series? Here's the first page!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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{Review} Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

Page Count: 416

Published On: September 24, 2019

Published By: Viking Books for Young Readers

Genre(s): YA, Horror, Mystery 

Source: paperback ARC provided by publisher and Bookish First
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

TW: suicide attempt, death of a loved one, loss of a sibling, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, death, and gore







Goodreads synopsis:

In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister--at all costs.

Once a year, the path appears in the forest and Lucy Gallows beckons. Who is brave enough to find her--and who won't make it out of the woods?

It's been exactly one year since Sara's sister, Becca, disappeared, and high school life has far from settled back to normal. With her sister gone, Sara doesn't know whether her former friends no longer like her...or are scared of her, and the days of eating alone at lunch have started to blend together. When a mysterious text message invites Sara and her estranged friends to "play the game" and find local ghost legend Lucy Gallows, Sara is sure this is the only way to find Becca--before she's lost forever. And even though she's hardly spoken with them for a year, Sara finds herself deep in the darkness of the forest, her friends--and their cameras--following her down the path. Together, they will have to draw on all of their strengths to survive. The road is rarely forgiving, and no one will be the same on the other side.

~~~

TW: suicide attempt, death of a loved one, loss of a sibling, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, death, and gore

Hey, guys!

When going into this book, I really thought I was going into a psychological thriller that I would be completely blown away by. This was not the case.

When I first read this book's sneak peek, I was so excited to read the story and finally be impressed with a YA horror novel. I've never really been one for a spooky, ghosty story -- I love a monster story, but this just wasn't the monster that I wanted. I truly expected a psychological thriller, rather than a fantastical horror situation.

I really liked the concept behind the format of this book, but, unfortunately, the format really inhibited me from connecting to the characters, their personalities, and their stories. I really wanted to care about them, but it really felt jarring when you would go from format to format and perspective to perspective. It was also really hard to differentiate between the characters and remember who they were.

Overall, this was a pretty fun book. I wasn't terrified, but the twists and turns were fun. I guessed some of them, but I was surprised enough to be entertained. It was also really great to have such a wonderfully diverse cast. They were great. 

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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(Review} Storm (Elementals #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Page Count: 432

Published On: April 24, 2012

Published By: Kensington

Genre(s): Fantasy, Paranormal, YA

Source: ebook - personally purchased
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

Trigger warnings for rape, attempted rape, and violence

Goodreads synopsis:

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys-- the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her.

Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water--just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming...

~~~~

Hey, guys!
Please enjoy this ramble-y review of this fun book by Brigid Kemmerer, a queen of fantasy and contemporary romance -- and now she's a queen of paranormal fiction in my heart. 


Trigger warnings for rape, attempted rape, and violence

This story has a lot of promise but was obviously from the early 2010s if not the late 2000s. This isn't a negative point, but I just felt it was pretty obvious. (And I was correct! It was originally published in 2012. Point to Olivia!)

Overall, this wasn't Brigid's best work, but it was her first published novel! It was a wonderful paranormal novel and I enjoyed it immensely, but it just could not compare to her recent YA contemporaries and A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

I really enjoyed the four brothers. They were super fun and I loved to get to know them. However, their classic white boy names(TM) really confused me sometimes. They were just too similar and they were all mainly names that came from the Bible -- angel's names too. I kept getting Gabriel and Michael mixed up. Their voices were also quite similar to each other so, sometimes I would forget who was talking. I know that Brigid's skill for name differentiating wholly improves, so I'm not particularly worried about the rest of the books.

Becca was a really fun character to get to know too. She was so strong-willed and independent and I love her for that. The horrific things that happen to her, I feel, were a bit glazed over, but I also think that that is because of the internal shame that she feels about it.

I guess the only nit-picky thing I have to say about it is that I wish that there were actual trigger warnings for it in the book. I'm not typically triggered by rape or rape-centered discussions, but I really felt Becca's panic and hurt surrounding the events and I wish that there was some sort of warning. I cannot imagine what it would feel like if I just read something like this if that was something that triggered me. I personally think that the book is feminist af and great, but I wasn't those who read my reviews to be aware that this is in the book.

Overall, this was a really fun paranormal novel and I will absolutely be continuing on with the series. I'm completely attached to these characters and the story that she introduced. I love elemental magic and this is the ATLA-high school drama-paranormal contemporary-goodness that I need in my life.

I was also blessed enough to snag the ebook on Amazon for $1.99 and it is still a discounted price, so hop on that, friends!



Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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August 2019 Reading Wrap Up + September TBR

Hey, guys!

This month was surprisingly very productive! By the middle of the month, I began to get really slumpy because I was dreading going back to school. I hate the start of school but I love it so much at the same time. August and September tend to be my worst reading months because I'm trying to juggle my life, but still keep my sanity and not explode into a disgusting mess.

Here are the books that I read in August!

Caraval by Stephanie Garber ~ 3 stars

- This was a reread and I was honestly let down. I didn't love this as much as I did when it first came out. However, I will be continuing on with the series and I'm really excited to see where the story goes. 

reread via audio

{original 5-star review}

Ziggy Stardust & Me by James Brandon ~ 3.5 stars

- This was such an impactful and powerful read. 

This was kindly sent to me by Penguin. I have a full review posted!

Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston ~ 3.5 stars

- This was such a wonderful roller coaster ride of a book! I cannot wait to get to the sequels! I absolutely adore Ashley Poston's writing and characters!

read via audio

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks ~ 5 stars

- This was the perfect graphic novel. Beautiful, fluffy story combined with gorgeous art and puns? Hello! Yes, please! This is the perfect fall story. I love love love this book!

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff ~ 5 stars

- This is one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. Jay Kristoff is quickly becoming an all-time favorite author. I cannot wait for the release of Darkdawn and to get to Godgrave! This book was so phenomenal. 

read between e-format and physical format

{review}

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen ~ 2.5 stars

- This was also another let down of a read. It isn't something I would normally pick up. I picked this up via audiobook, but I ended up finishing the book physically because I really didn't enjoy the narrator. Although this story was well written, the twists were pretty fun, and the characters were interesting; however, the story was just so slow and uneventful. I do not think I will read another book from these authors. 

read via audio

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

- Well, I finally read this enchanting book! Who is surprised that I was completely blown away and in love with this story? 

started via audio (hated it), read 90% physically

{check out my review here!}

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - 4 stars

Another masterpiece. Granted, I docked the story a star just because I found the story's pace quite slow, but the content is so fantastic and I love Aziraphale and Crowley. I love them with all my heart. Not to mention, the mini-series is so phenomenally done. I absolutely binged it with the fiance before I finished the book. 10/10.

read via audio

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - 4.5 stars 

- Another series that i started right before school started... then leading me to wait to actually continue the books because I do not have any time to read for fun now. 

read 90% via audio, finished physically

{check out my review and gush here}

Dinosnores by Sandra Boynton ~ 5 stars

- This was graciously sent to me by the publisher. This is such a cute and heartwarming board book. I definitely want to acquire more books by Sandra Boynton for my potential child's future library. (No I'm not pregnant and I won't be for a hot minute. I am engaged, so now I'm trying to consider things for my future little family.)

Night of Knives (Shades of Magic Graphic Novels #8) by V.E. Schwab, Andrea Olimpieri, and Budi Setiawan ~ 3 stars

- This was a bit of a letdown, but it was still good. The previous chapter to the story was so engaging and fast-paced and fantastic, but I felt like this chapter was just not that great. The pacing was so off, the characters were being cliche, and the art style wasn't shining through. The characters looked really similar to each other this time. 

I still cannot wait for more installments to the series. I love V.E. Schwab.

read via e-book through my library

# of Pages Read: 3,617

Physical: 5

Audio: 5

eBooks: 1

What did you read this month? What was your favorite book?

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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