Children of Blood and Bone
(Legacy of Orïsha #1)
by Tomi Adeyemi
Published March 6th 2018 by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5)
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow Leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy. [2]
Review: I had very high hopes for this book because of the hype and all the goo reviews I saw before I actually read it. It did not disappoint. I don't want to spoil this for those who haven't read it yet so I'm keeping the review really short. I just wanted to mention that my take away for this book is the awesomeness of the diversity. We need more books written with diverse characters and worlds. This book is highly recommended. I know there are more books and I can't wait for them to come out.
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Circe
by Madeline Miller
Published April 10th 2018 by Lee Boudreaux Books
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5)
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.
When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe's place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.
There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe's independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love. [3]
Review: Another must read book. This one tickled my love for Greek Methology. One I've had since high school. Greek Mythology books always read like summaries (especially in my college text books). Circe has always had just a small part in a bigger story. She's always just mentioned in other tales. Now she finally has time in the spotlight. This book told a tale between the lines. The stories of the gods became actual stories where we find out how human they actually are.
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The Diminished
by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson
Published April 1st 2018 by Harlequin Teen
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.
The singleborn
A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.
The diminished
When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what’s left of her life in peace.
As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined. [4]
Review: I have wanted to read this book since I first saw it being advertised in Insta (or Twitter..I don't remember anymore. LOL) and I had to wait a few months before I could even get an e-book copy. Unfortunately the paperback copy I am waiting for in Book Depository has yet to become available and I am still waiting patiently for it to become available. So the review. If you've read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, it feels just like that. I got so engrossed in the working of royalty and religion, then throw in the element of twins who cannot live without each other. I loved it.
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Warcross
(Warcross #1)
by Marie Lu
Published September 12th 2017 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life.
The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. [5]
Review: I read this book because I'm going to be part of a book tour for the 2nd book in September (do watch out for that). Now I'm asking myself why I didn't pick this book up earlier. I think I should factor in that I didn't like Marie Lu's first series. But OMG I loved Warcross. It's like an upgraded version of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. If you loved that book you have to read Warcross. It's eerie how we might see ourselves in this book in the next couple of years that it's not even Sci-fi anymore.
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The Poppy War
by R.F. Kuang
Published May 1st 2018 by Harper Voyager
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .
Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.
[6]
Review: This. Book. Is. Epic. Can I say how epic this book is? I'm going in circles because of how EPIC this book is! Ahhh! This is like maybe the more adult (gorier) version of Children of Blood and Bone. Not for the faint of heart or those who hate reading about abuse, rape, and genocide. So many trigger themes all put together in one massive story. I want to read more!
I have a few more books I need to review but those will have their own individual posts. I need to take a ton of pictures (eye roll) for them. LOL. I'm currently trying to finish all the books from Netgalley. Hopefully I can post them soon.
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