Wolf by Wolf. Book Review #16

On July 9, 2017July 9, 2017 By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete5 Comments

Hello Bookworms!

This weeks review is of one of the coolest books I’ve ever read.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin is a YA historical science fiction novel that imagines a world where the Allied powers never won the second World War but instead the Nazis did. Yael is a seventeen year old resistance fighter and she is going to kill Hitler and finally end all of the pain and terror he has brought forth – she just has to get close enough to him first. With the pack of wolves on her arm, tattooed to remind her never to forget, and her deadly shapeshifting power, the Nazis don’t know whats coming for them.

This book is a whirlwind journey that spans continents and time all in a way so elegantly that by the end you’ll be wondering, did any of that actually just happen? Can anything be so good? The plot itself is dazzlingly unique. There is, of course, some parallels to the cult classic The Man In The High Castle with it’s dystopian Nazi future, but in her YA twist Graudin mixes in an element of sci-fi that fits so perfectly into the story that I can’t imagine the plot without it.

Yael is a shapeshifter. I won’t give you the logistics or the origins because they are just too good to spoil but her bad-assery in this book needs to be mentioned if I am going to give it a fair review. There were so many moments in the story when I was silently cheering on/commending the heroine for her unfailing ability to be awesome. She didn’t moan and she wasn’t annoying- She has a job to get done and she knows how she’s going to do it. She’s a girl with a goal and thats why I love her.

In terms of world building Graudin manages to maintain a seamless dystopia that becomes almost real every time she drops in a new detail. The writer handles the delicate subject of the holocaust and all of the atrocities committed by the Nazis in such a thoughtful and respectful way throughout her plot and the love story she weaves in the background is my favourite kind: deadly. I won’t give any spoilers about what happens between Yael and her love interest but: The twist at the end!

I truly enjoyed Wolf by Wolf and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced story thats unique and addictive.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

Spoiler-free Review: One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

On July 6, 2017July 14, 2017 By Beth JonesIn Book Review10 Comments

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Goodreads | Amazon

Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule.
Sports star Cooper only knows what he’s doing in the baseball diamond.
Bad body Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime.
Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.
And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won’t ever talk about any of them again.
He dies 24 hours before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it’s no accident. All of them are suspects.
Everyone has secrets, right?
What really matters is how far you’ll go to protect them.

Doesn’t the concept of this book sound incredible? I’ve been intrigued by it for so long – I’m so glad I wasn’t disappointed. There are so many elements of this book that could have gone wrong but didn’t. Let’s start with the simple stuff – this book is from the viewpoint of four different characters. Was it confusing? No.

All of these characters were separate, and I knew them easily from one another. I felt like one of their friends. To say that I felt like the friends of murder suspects, people who cheated and lied, is a big thing. I always have a tendency to hate characters that, for example, cheat. I have barriers, but McManus managed to break them down.

“I stand and hold out my hand. She gives me a skeptical look, but takes it and lets me pull her to her feet. I put my other hand in the air.”

So the character development was incredible – but not just that. The plot was clever, well paced and just awesome. This book would make an amazing TV show. The pages flew by, and the suspense really shone through. As one should with books such as these, I really wanted to know what was going on. And one of the best things is I didn’t guess. I honestly didn’t know the outcome until the very end.

“‘Bronwyn Rojas, I solemnly swear not to murder you today or at any point in the future. Deal?'”

It’s so hard to write a review for a book you thought everything was great in. I honestly don’t have anything to critique! I love the low-key romance and LGBTQIA+ elements of this novel, along with the character development and depth, suspense and writing. The whole thing didn’t even feel far-fetched with the amount of drama that goes on with teenagers today.

“‘You’re ridiculous,’ she mutters, going even redder.
‘It concerns me you’re avoiding a promise not to murder me.”

If I had to critique anything, I would say the amount of characters became slightly confusing. But even saying that, it didn’t change how I feel about this novel. All I can say is the hype this book appears to be achieving is definitely worth it – it won’t let you down!

★★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Thanks For The Trouble. Book Review #15

On July 2, 2017June 29, 2017 By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete1 Comment

Hey everyone!

Happy to say that after a long and honestly very boring break, I am back!

I hope you are all well and ready for Summer!

Today I’m going to talk about a book by one of my favourite authors.

Thanks For The Trouble by Tommy Wallach is a contemporary YA magical realism novel that follows Parker Santé, an anomalous teen living in San Francisco who hasn’t spoken in five years. Parker’s voice is now a pen and paper and as result of his lack of friends, spends nearly all of his time in hotels, skipping school in the process. He feels stagnant, stood still in a world where others are planning their futures, deciding who they want to be. This all changes of course when he meets Zelda Toth, a peculiar girl who, like him has a penchant for hotels as well as her grey hair.

This book is a gift, a palate cleanser in an ocean of too pungent and too saturated young adult narratives. Like many successful stories, I believe Thanks For The Trouble’s beauty is born from its characters. Parker Santé has a classic YA superpower, or anti-power in the fact that he can’t speak but this feature doesn’t become annoying or unnecessary like it easily could. In fact Parker’s lack of vocals give the reader a nudge towards who he really is, a traumatised teenage boy, whilst they are searching in the jungle of the storyline. This feature in itself is another trait that helps TFTT hold its own because it is as though as the reader finds out more details and solves more puzzles regarding their main character, Parker himself does too and there is a comfortable pace in this.

Zelda Toth is a pulsing and delightfully abnormal character. There are a lot of finer threads that weave together to form the dazzling tapestry of her personality however to me, I think that it’s best you discover these on your own. I will say one thing, Wallach’s use of the fantastical through Zelda was perhaps my favourite part of the book because in the most casual and glamorous way the writer lets us know that oh by the way Zelda lives forever. Immortality is a subject that I find to be forever fascinating and the way its played out in this book only gripped me more.

This book certainly has its fair share of cliche scenarios and randomly perfect scenes that never seem to happen in real life (Where is my midnight beach party?) but please don’t let any of these events put you off. Through the scope of Wallach’s wonderful cast of characters none of these segments ever felt overly arduous and at times I even found myself escaping into the wonderful fairy land that is being an American teenager in a Californian city in a young adult novel.

I give this book a 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

Review: Your Name. by Makoto Shinkai

On July 1, 2017June 30, 2017 By Beth JonesIn Book Review12 Comments

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Goodreads | Amazon

Mitsuha, a high school girl living in a rural town deep in the mountains, has a dream that she is a boy living an unfamiliar life in Tokyo. Taki, a high school boy living in Tokyo, dreams that he is a girl living in the mountains. As they realize they are changing places, their encounter sets the cogs of fate into motion. The light novel is written by director Makoto Shinkai of the animated film Your Name.

Your Name has held a special place in my heart ever since my lovely friend Hannah introduced it to me. In fact, before I start, I’d like to point out her review of the film. It really is something special.

I’m always searching for something, for someone.

Your Name is not only one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, but also one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Makoto Shinkai is both the author of this light novel and the director of the film, and for that reason they compliment each other perfectly. Having the first person viewpoint of both characters is a delight to read, even if it can be a little confusing at times!

In fact, the only gripe I have about this novel is so small, it actually isn’t about the writing. Because the storyline is so complex, it can sometimes be hard to follow when the characters are experiencing the same thing (and who’s talking). It would have really helped to have had one of the characters viewpoints italicized or in a different font!

This feeling has possessed me I think, from that day…

Even though I already knew this story basically word-for-word, this book still made me cry. It still left me pondering love and life. It still left me feeling overjoyed and like I’d just experienced some kind of beautiful adventure.

There is so much I love about this novel, I don’t even know where to start describing everything. For a start, I got through this book in under a day. For me, that’s incredible, and something that hasn’t happened for a while! This book flew past in a beautiful mixture of words and experiences.

That day when the stars came falling.

As with the movie, the mixture of sci-fi and romance really works for this novel. I found (in the book more than the movie), that it left a beautiful metaphor more than anything. It felt like something so real.

Overall, I am still in utter admiration of Makoto Shinkai for creating such a deep, complex and incredible romance. It is one I have recommended and will recommend to many people, readers and movie-lovers. The story is just so precious – I feel like I’m reviewing a true treasure.

One tip before I go – if you’re interested in this one I’d recommend reading the book and watching the movie within a few days of each other if you can! The story can be pretty complex on it’s own, but the two together do make it clearer.

This book, like Taki and Mitsuha, will always hold a special place in my heart.