{Review} An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Page Count: 300

Published on: September 26, 2017

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Romance

Source: hardback

Age Rating: YA

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 5

Goodreads synopsis:

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

~~~

Hey, guys!

     This review is just so long over due. I've literally had no time to write reviews. I feel terrible, but school has had to come first. I'm currently writing this at 1:30 AM on the 24th. I was given this beautiful book for my birthday by my twin sister for our 20th birthday and I was so excited to recieve it. An Enchantment of Ravens was one of my most anticipated 2017 releases. Although this book didn't live up to the hype that I expected, I take full responsibility for that. Sometimes I tend to expect books to be better than they are. Granted, this book was absolutely fantastic and I adored it, but I'm a dork and I expected it to be as fantastic as A Court of Mist and Fury. This standard is unhealthy because I do not think any book can live up to ACOMAF. 

     An Enchantment of Ravens was the last book that I read in 2017. I'm pretty sure I finished it around 10:30 in the evening. I was completely blown away by this book. It was absolutely lovely. The writing style was so beautiful and I'm so enchanted by the story. I desperately wish that this book would have been expanded upon and made into a duology. While I do think that this book was well thought out and the story was beautifully executed, the book lover in me really wanted the book to be much longer. The world that Rogerson created was so gorgeous and I just really really wanted more. 

     There were a couple "issues" that I had with this book, but overall the rest of the book made up for them. First of all, this book kind of deals with some insta-love or insta-attraction, but I really just enjoyed the time that Rook and Isobel spent together. I loved their friendship and I really aggressively shipped them. Rook is such an interesting character. Rook really had some of the best lines in this book. 

“If you must stare at something for hours on end, I’d prefer it to be me alone.” 

~~~


"I love you wholly. I love you eternally. I love you so dearly it frightens me. I fear I could not live without you. I could see your face every morning upon waking for a thousand years and still look forward to the next as though it were the first.” 

     Overall, I really do recommend this book if you adore fae stories, gorgeous writing, gorgeous worlds, and a fantastic magic system then I recommend this book. I cannot wait to read what Margaret Rogerson puts out next. She has a fantastic ability for story telling. Her book was magical.

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Review || LivTheBookClub June 2017 BOTM} Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Page Count: 240

Published on: October 24, 2017

Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Genre(s): Middle Grade, Mystery, Paranormal

Source: Paperback - via publisher 

Age Rating: PG

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

~~~

Hey, guys!

     This review has been a long time coming, but I'm finally getting to it! Julia and I read this for the summer book club back in June. I, unfortunately, was really disappointed in this book. Unlike Renee Ahdieh's previous books, the characters, the plot, and the whole concept of this book fell really flat for me. The characters were boring, annoying, and two-dimensional, the plot was underdeveloped, the magic, overall, lacked any kind of magical-ness. I was entertained and the writing style was interesting, but I just felt like Ahdieh just wasn't writing her best in FitM. I adored her Wrath and the Dawn duology. They were stunningly written and so intensely beautiful. I was so impressed, however, I feel like this book was written by a completely different person. 

      Let's talk about characters. This book didn't have any characters that I connected to. I felt like the characters that we met in this book were just "there" and didn't actually fit the story. The main character, Mariko, was just so annoying. I felt like she just whined the whole time and she would never make up her mind. She was just a mess. At first, I was really into her character. I thought she was really badass and really inspiring, but once the book started to progress, she just constantly whined and didn't progress at all. Anything that happened to her just seemed like a convenient plot device to keep the story going. The story didn't flow well at all. 

     The whole romance aspect of this book was just a big "nope" for me. I could not get behind the random and all-of-a-sudden kind of love. The romantic plot did not build up at all. It felt like it just was plopped into the story to make it "interesting". The little development that we got was much too rushed and I didn't really sense any real chemistry between the two characters. They went from enemy strangers to acquaintances to lovers. I just really didn't like that pacing. It was too much. The romance could have been left out and the plot would have been fine. I just think it was really unneeded. 

     I feel similarly about the magic system in this book. I don't know much of anything about it after reading the book. It just exploded towards the end of the book and left me confused. I really thought there would be more magic throughout the book, but I felt like it was just a mish-mash of an attempt at a history-based fantasy novel..but not done well. 

     I was hoping for a more history-based Japanese story, but I was just left with a massive state of confusion. The first part of the book was really fantastic and intriguing. I was really into the first part, however, the rest of the book was just a muddle of confusing ... stuff. I was just really confused throughout the book. 

    This book was far too busy for my taste. There was just too much happening and nothing productive. The ending was far too rushed and confusing. I'm still not sure what was happening. There were far too many instances where I was just questioning why I was reading the book. If I had not been reading it for the book club and buddy reading it with Julia, I would have probably DNF'd the book. Overall, I was just bored and confused. I only like a couple of the minor characters. I don't even remember their names. 

Favorite Characters: Yumi, Yoshi, and the peasant girl Mariko's brother likes

Least Favorite Characters: Mariko, Okami, & Ranmaru

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Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Review} Ruby & Olivia by Rachel Hawkins

Page Count: 240

Published on: October 24, 2017

Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Genre(s): Middle Grade, Mystery, Paranormal

Source: Paperback - via publisher 

Age Rating: PG

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

A spooky middle-grade story that's full of fun, friendship, and humor--perfect for fans of Ingrid Law and Lisa Graff.
Ruby is best friends with Emma, but she and Emma's twin sister Olivia are definitely not friends. Unfortunately, Emma will be away for the summer, while Ruby and Olivia are going to be stuck at a community service day camp for troublemakers--together. 
To kick off the spirit of service, the campers are outfitted with bright pink polka-dotted t-shirts with smiley faces on the front, then tasked with cataloging the contents of an abandoned mansion. Sorting through objects in an old house sounds boring, and working with each other is that last thing the girls want to do, but the stuff is actually pretty cool. There's everything from mink stoles to golf clubs to stuffed deer heads . . . and . . . wait . . . is that stuffed deer head watching them? 
When the taps run freezing cold and doors slam inexplicably, Ruby and Olivia wonder if the other campers are having a bit of fun, or if the abandoned mansion is looking for new residents. To solve the mystery, Ruby and Olivia will have to put their grudges aside and figure out how to be a team with or without Emma.

~~~

Hey, guys!

This adorable spooky middle-grade book was sent to me for an honest review from Penguin Random House. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

   Ruby and Olivia follows two young girls who are sent to a community service camp after getting into trouble. The kids are sent to a spooky house to inventory and count the items in preparation for renovation. Two of the girls, Ruby and Olivia, become unlikely friends as supernatural and spooky things begin to happen to the campers. They begin to investigate the house in order to figure out what's happening; and when they begin to find clues to the answer, who knows what will happen. 

   I was so excited to receive this book for review. I'm such a sucker for twin books and the fact that it had a spooky element to it really reeled me in. I really enjoyed those aspects, as well, however, I do not think they were incorporated as well as they could have been. I feel like the characters could have been a bit more dynamic and their relationships could have been more realistic. The relationships in this book felt like plot devices rather than something that should have been a concrete part of the book. The plot could have been more fleshed out as well. I think that Rachel Hawkins has a really sweet base to an even spookier story. However, this is an adorable middle-grade novel. I really did enjoy the characters and I really enjoyed the premise of the plot. 

     I really enjoyed the spooky bits of this book, but I really didn't think that they were fleshed out enough to actually be spooky. There just wasn't enough happening for it to be legitimately spooky. Granted, it's a middle-grade book, but I know plenty of kids in the age group that would like to get scared pantsless. 

     I really didn't think that the sister relationship between Emma and Olivia was resolved either. I just felt like it was resolved too quickly and too efficiently. There wasn't nearly enough said to resolve their issues. I also don't like how the drama between Olivia and Ruby was resolved. It was too convenient and too quick. I just felt like the characters were two dimensional and static. I wish there had been more development.

     I really loved how Ruby and Olivia's friendship developed. I think that their friendship is really interesting and as they grow closer, they'll become really good for each other. I love how Ruby helped Olivia grow as a sister and I love how Olivia helped Ruby communicate and express herself. This book perfectly showed what it's like to be in the awkward middle school age. These girls were super cute. I'd love to read more about them.

      For what this book is and for the age group that it is marketed for, I think this is a cute book. I think that it is thoroughly entertaining. I would have loved to read this ten years ago. This would have been one of my favorite books, I'm sure. As a twenty-year-old, it just wasn't all for me. My sister, Bailey, will love this book, though. I can't wait to show her it. She loves Liesel and Po by Lauren Oliver and this gives me some spooky vibes, so she will definitely love this one.

AUTHOR BIO

Rachel Hawkins is the author of Journey's End, the Rebel Belle series, and the New York Times bestselling Hex Hall series. Born in Virginia and raised in Alabama, Rachel taught high school English before becoming a full-time writer.

Happy reading!
Olivia 

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Review} All the Feels by Danika Stone

Page Count: 366

Published on: June 7, 2016

Published by: Swoon Reads

Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Source: Paperback - personally purchased

Age Rating: YA

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Twitter: @

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.

~~~

Hey, guys!

     This is another book that I read for the booktube-a-thon! Oh my gosh I read so many amazing nerdy books that week! This was definitely one of them. My main issue was that the main character was so melodramatic that it got pretty annoying. The friendships, the relationships, and the nerdiness in this book were just fabulous and I wanted so much more after I finished. Not to mention, the main character's name is Liv! We're so different, but so alike! 

     Liv is in her first year of college turns to crap when her favorite character is killed off in her favorite movie franchise. Liv is a wreck. She cannot handle it. After a long period of moping and wallowing in sorrow, Liv decides that she can't just let Captain Spartan die. She and her best friend Xander decide to begin a #SpartanSurvived campaign through the use of social media and the fandom community. As she begins her campaign, Liv has to figure out how to balance her school, her friends, and her family. 

     I really enjoyed this book. The whole fandom aspect was really fun to read about and I really loved how Liv pushed to show her love of fandom was normal. Granted, she didn't handle her grief at times, but she really did grow as the book continued on. I really enjoyed her character growth. She was really melodramatic throughout, but it only really bothered me because it could have been avoided with communication skills. She just didn't communicate well enough, so I got annoyed. 

    Xander was supe cute. I loved that he always cosplayed in steampunk or 19th century stuff. He was super sweet and I loved the way he spoke. I was thrown off at first, but it was so cool. I loved it when he got excited and just slipped back into really random modern slang. His love for McDonalds gave me life. He and Liv's friendship is the best. I want more friendships like that in YA. 

    There were only a couple things that I didn't like about this book. One was Liv's constant melodramatic attitude and the other was her issues with her mother. Their drama and beef was never actually resolved at the end of the book. I would have hoped for some kind of happy ending when it came to thier relationship, but I don't consider it resolved. 

    Overall, this book was pretty cute. I recommend it to the nerdy fandom readers out there. 

Other Books You Will Love:

• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
• Eliza & Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
• First & Then by Emma Mills
• This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills 

Happy reading!

Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Review} The Demigod Diaries (Heroes of Olympus Companion) by Rick Riordan

Page Count: 244

Published on: August 14, 2012

Published by: Disney-Hyperion Books

Genre(s): Fantasy, Mythology, YA, Adventure, Short Stories, Middle Grade 

Source: Hardback - personally purchased secondhand

Age Rating: MG/YA

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Twitter: @camphalfblood

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

What dangers do runaway demigods Luke and Thalia face on their way to Camp Half-Blood? Are Percy and Annabeth up to the task of rescuing stolen goods from a fire-breathing giant who doesn't take kindly to intruders? How exactly are Leo, Piper, and Jason supposed to find a runaway table, dodge a band of party-loving Maenads (who just might be a little psychotic), and stave off a massive explosion...all in one hour or less? With his trademark wit and creativity, Rick Riordan answers these questions and more in three never-before-seen short stories that provide vital back-story to the Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson books. Original art, enlightening character interviews and profiles, puzzles, and a quiz add to the fun in this action-packed collection.

~~~

Hey, guys!

     This was the first book that I read for the booktube-a-thon and it really kick started my reading progress throughout the week. This book was an amazing refresher of the Percy Jackson world. I didn't realize how much I missed the world until I read this collection of short stories. 

      I absolutely adored the short stories in this book. I loved hearing about pre-PJ Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth. It was so interesting to read about what they went through before they made it to Camp Halfblood. 

      Leo's story was just flat-out hilarious. I just love his character so much. After reading Leo's story, I just realized that I really miss the Heroes of Olympus books (and the Percy Jackson books, but LEO AND NICO ARE MY FAVORITES!). I just really need to do a reread of all of the books, but I don't have time! I also have other books I have  to read soon, so that's an issue. I remember last year I planned to do a big reread in August, but it never happened. Oh well. 

I'm rambling...Let's get back to this review! 

     I really enjoyed Percy and Annabeth's story as well. I just adore their relationship and I'd read anything about them... their day-to-day --all of the boring little details in their lives. I want it all. I just love them so much. 

     I think this little paragraph needs to be an appreciation moment for Martha and George. They are probably some of the funniest characters in the Riordan books. I love them and they are perfect. Hermes better appreciate. Give them all the rats. 

     Haley Riordan is such a talented writer. I loved his short story and I expect great books from him someday. I loved his serious tone and the insight that he had on the Mist. Alabaster is such a badass and I really want to know more about his character and how he would affect the series and the world. I think Haley was 16 when he wrote the story, but the internet says he's 22 now. That's so crazy! 

     This was such a great refresher of the Percy Jackson universe. I really need to do a huge binge/reread of the books. If anyone would like to do that in December or something, let me know. I'll need the PJ vibes to get me through finals. 

My Riordan Reviews: 

• Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5)
• Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase & the Gods of Asgard #1) 
• The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase & the Gods of Asgard #2) 
• The Hidden Oracle (Trials of Apollo #1)

Happy reading!

Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Review} First & Then by Emma Mills

Page Count: 272

Published on: October 13, 2015

Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Genre(s): YA, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, 

Source: Paperback - personally purchased

Age Rating: 

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Twitter: @elmify

My Rating: 4.75 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them: first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

~~~

Hey, guys!

     This is one of Julia's favorite contemporaries of all time...Julia hates contemporary, so this is a must-read for me. This month (July 2017), Julia and I decided to pick each other's TBR pile for this month and of course, Julia picked out First & Then! I have been meaning to pick up this book since April when I finally picked it up on BookOutlet, but of course, I just haven't. 

      First & Then follows the academically uninspired Devon Tennyson. Devon is content in ignoring the future, crushing on her guy best friend, and going to the Friday night football games. When her cousin Foster comes from California to live with her family, Devon's life starts to get jumbled and full of the unexpected. Foster is a bit of an outcast and when he becomes friends with the aggravating and attractive football star, Ezra, Devon's senior year gets even more crazy. 

      I really didn't really like Devon all that much. I felt like she lacked dimension and drive. Her relationships with any of the side characters (except Foster and Ezra) were lacking. However, she did grow very nicely throughout the book. As I write this review, I realize that she's a very boring character. She enjoys Jane Austen novels and she claims that she enjoys English class, but she rarely shows any kind of individuality. I just thought she was the wrong narrator sometimes. 

     Devon also was somewhat annoying when it came to having actual female friends as well. Her friendship with Cas lacked depth, but the friendship she had with some of the girls (who I cannot name) just wasn't believable. She came off as a loner and her "best friend" didn't even act like a friend. I just found that kind of frustrating.

     Foster, Devon's cousin was one of my favorite characters. He is so socially awkward (& maybe he has autism? I'm not a doctor or the author so I'm not going to diagnose him? That would be rude and probably insensitive.) and just an adorable pudding. I loved his interactions with everyone he met. He is such an original character and I would have loved the book to be in his perspective. His grief over his mother was so wonderfully done. It didn't exactly show the stages of grief, but it was his way of coping. The poor kid goes through so much in this book. The main thing that he goes through isn't really addressed in many YA books, so it was really interesting to see how Mills wrote Foster's character. I would have really enjoyed seeing the book from his perspective. His interactions with the football team and Marabella would have made an adorable book.  

"When you love something, you can't be happy all the time, can you? Like, that's why you love it. It makes you feel all kinds of things, not just happy. It can hurt, it can make you f*cking mad, but it makes you feel something, you know?"

      I absolutely adored Ezra. He and Foster were my favorite characters. Ezra was such a complex character. He was constantly proving that he wasn't what his classmates thought of him. I would have liked to get more of a backstory from him, but the details that we did get about him were fantastic. He is such a sweet and complex character. He reminded me a lot like Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, but only during the last half of the book. Ezra's drive was so cool to see. I loved how he interacted with Foster. He is such a good role model and friend to him. Not to mention he had the communication skills of a turtle. Overall, Ezra is a precious hunky bean. I would love a book on his character. 

     One thing that I wish had been mentioned more was Marabella. She is such a sweet character. She reminded me so much of Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series. Not to mention she's 15 and has a baby on the way. I would have loved to get to know her better. The few details that she revealed about herself were so compelling and I just wanted to know more about her. I could see a really cute relationship form between her and Foster. Their moments together were so precious. Foster is such a sweet kid and I think he would be really great to Marabella.

      A few of the side characters were rarely mentioned or expanded upon, which is one of the reasons why I didn't give this book a higher rating. For example, the dude who hated Ezra could have been expanded upon. I really didn't understand his disdain for Ezra and it wasn't explained well. Another character, Emir, was such a random person to include in the book. He was probably mentioned twice in the book and I felt like he could have been completely left out. The details included were really interesting, but completely random. 

     Overall, this book was super cute and entertaining. I think that some issues weren't dealt with in the best way, but I felt like other things were addressed very nicely. It was a bit of a hit or miss, but I still liked the book. The side characters were the most interesting to me and the main character lacked depth and substance. I really loved the romance aspect of the book. It wasn't forced and it developed realistically. Foster and Ezra are definitely my favorite characters. I would have loved this last summer. As someone who has had a plan for college for over a year now, I just couldn't relate to Devon as much as I would have my junior or senior year of high school. 

Awesome Romance/Contemporaries/Realistic Fiction Books You Would Love:

·  Me Before You (Me Before You #1) by Jojo Moyes

·  Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

·  The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

·  Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

·  Eliza & Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

(Excuse the weird spacing. It won't let me fix it)

I hope you enjoyed this review! 

Happy reading!

Olivia 

~LivTheBookNerd~

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