The Cursed Child Review

Contains spoilers!!!

Totally behind everybody in reading The Cursed Child, but I told myself I had to finish rereading the first seven before I was allowed to read Cursed Child and I'm really glad I stuck to that. I even went to the midnight release for the book at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, which was apparently the largest party in the country! Over 2,200 people were there! Alrighty, onto the review!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as many of you know is a new story by John Tiffany, Jack Thorne and J.K. Rowling that comes after the epilogue in Deathly Hallows. The main characters are Albus Potter, Ginny and Harry's son, and Scorpius Malfoy, Draco and Astoria's son. It's largely about the struggle of being the Slytherin son of the infamous boy-who-lived and how their's a rumor that Scorpius is actually Voldemort's son.

Okay, so this was just very mediocre in my mind. I love Harry Potter probably more than anything, it was what made me love reading and the world of Harry Potter is honestly sacred in my mind. It's why I didn't like Rainbow Rowell's Carry On, it was just a knock-off version of Harry Potter. I can see the thought process of the story for Cursed Child, being the son of Harry would be hard and trying to change things for the better is believable. However, this is not a Harry Potter book in my opinion. The script version is too short and jumps around. There are many plot holes and it definitely didn't have the same sort of whimsy magical feel that the original books do. The feel just doesn't match up.

The reason I didn't hate this was that I ended up reading it like it was fanfiction. It seriously felt like I could just find this on fanfiction.net and it was somebody's version of the next generation. I am not taking this as canon. I was satisfied with the original end and I'm sticking with that because that's how it was originally meant to be. I read the epilogue literally right before I started Cursed Child and I saw how they tried to make them overlap and pick up right after Deathly Hallows left off. Yet, this allowed me to see the flaws too easily and how they changed the wording and added stuff. If J.K. Rowling intended there to be a rumor about Scorpius, she would have put it into the original epilogue. Which is why Cursed Child isn't canon in my mind.

I see why a lot of people didn't like Cursed Child, Harry telling his son he sometimes wishes Albus wasn't his son isn't like him at all. However, we all know Harry had a bit of a temper and this wasn't him saying this because Albus was in Slytherin, they had other issues. I think the people who hated this book are taking this as canon and are feeling betrayed and misled. However, I choose to not take this as law. I feel like this was just another fanfiction story that I've read and I'm able to move on from it with the original books still untouched and solid in my mind.

I get that J.K. Rowling was supposed to have helped with writing this and if she really did, I'm disappointed. You never know though, because she might have had barely anything to really do with it and just stuck her name on it. It does say it's based off of a story by her, which doesn't elaborate what that original story really was and how much was thrown away or kept.

As a fanfiction, this was very average. I gave it four out of five stars, because it's still Harry Potter and seeing my favorite characters again always makes my heart twinge.

Sorry I just rambled on in this review, I just like to write as I think and it probably just jumped around a lot. These are my thoughts though and I hope people can see that we don't have to take this as canon and can enjoy it in other ways!

The Raven Boys Review

4 out 5 Stars!

Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys is about a girl named Blue whose grown up surrounded by psychics and every one has told her that if she kisses her true love, he'll die. Thus, being a very sensible girl Blue has decided she'll never fall in love. Except on St. Mark's Eve she sees a soon-to-be dead spirit even though she's not supposed to and the reason for it is that he's either her true love or she'll be the one to kill him within the next year. Suddenly she's thrown into a hunt for the truth to a myth with a group of Aglionby boys, also known as Raven Boys.

The amount of times I've been told to read this series is insane and I finally decided to do it! I thought Scorpio Races was awesome but I've heard differing things about Shiver so I knew The Raven Cycle was a series I'd get to eventually, but there's so many books to read and so little time!

I thought The Raven Boys was an interesting mix of the paranormal and mythology. I don't think they one hundred percent connect so it kind of felt like two different stories. I'm hoping in the next books they'll weave a little better. I thought the book was going to be predictable at first, but there were soon a couple twists that then made me doubt all my predictions.

I loved Blue's character. She's a mostly average girl in a house full of psychics and so she tries her hardest to be unique and different. She also feels a little uncomfortable with romance after being told her entire life that if she kisses her true love, he'll die. I just found this so relatable, because it's awkward when you don't know how to act in a situation and I think just like Blue when I don't know how to act.

I find Gansey a little annoying with how obsessed he is about finding Glendower and how blind he is sometimes. I do see like the other characters do that he never means offense, but I don't think he would be able to keep me around. I just don't have the patience to be with somebody like Gansey who is so fixated on the idea of something that he can talk about little else. Also, I'm still a little confused as to why he feels the desperate need to find Glendower. Is it to wish he's not deathly allergic to bee stings anymore? I understand how dire it is since he'll die if he's stung, but going on an insane hunt for some mythical king seems like extraordinary measures and definitely nowhere close to somebody's first thought. I don't know, I just couldn't connect to Gansey's quest.

I think Ronan is super interesting though and I really look forward to seeing him develop more! Chainsaw has definitely become my favorite character though.

All in all, I thought this first book was good. I almost never fall in love with the first book in a series though, as I usually wait to see if the potential holds up. So, my opinion can very easily go up or down and I look forward to seeing how that goes!

The Assassin Game Review

I received an advanced copy of The Assassin Game through netgalley; however, I did not know that the book had been previously published under the name Killer Game in the UK. So while The Assassin Game won't be out until August, you all can still read it if you're interested!

The Assassin Game is centered around a boarding school on an island in the UK, with no phones and no access to the internet an elite group of students keep themselves entertained by the game Killer. Very few are invited to join and of those chosen, one is picked as the killer and must go around "assassinating" fellow members, it's a mystery as to who this killer is. This game is different this time though, it's suddenly being escalated and taken a little too seriously and soon it's threatened to be shut down.

I'm not a big mystery person, which is weird because every time I do read thrillers or mysteries, I enjoy it. I get really into it and can't stop reading until I know how it's solved. The Assassin Game was no different, I wanted to know what the heck was going on so I finished it as quickly as possible. I honestly didn't expect the twist at the end and I was kind of glad at how it was done. There were a couple parts where I was thinking it was being made a little too dramatic. For example, who the heck leaves a car running in an unopened garage??? I feel like that's one of the first things I was told never to do, so that bothered me. I also found it very unrealistic that the students had absolutely no access to the outside world where their phones were taken away and they had no internet. Unless the UK is very different from the US, parents would not be okay with having barely any contact with their kids.

The main character, Cate, was kind of awesome in my mind though. She didn't want to put up with misogynistic B.S. and was believable in her reactions. She was not some lame damsel in distress who needed to be saved by others, but she also wasn't an unbelievable character who handled everything herself. She felt normal. I also loved at the end where a ptsd moment was included, like after this kind of stuff happens to someone, they won't be the same.

This book kind of made me wish for a more mature version though, where it actually is an assassin's guild. I love darker books and while this was good, it was also for younger readers where it needs a happy ending. I've gotta find me some dark and gritty books with no happy ending...

I would say that this was just average; not outstanding in my mind, but also not bad.

The Assassin Game comes out in the US August 2nd!

Defending Taylor Review

I got a pdf copy of Miranda Kenneally's Defending Taylor through netgalley, a website that's become one of my new favorite things. While I've heard of some of Miranda Kenneally's other books I've never read them before, but I quickly realized it's a little like Stephanie Perkins and where the characters in the books have some kind of connections.

Defending Taylor is about the daughter of a U.S. senator who gets kicked out of her boarding school when she lies to cover for her boyfriend. All of her hard work to be captain of the soccer team and the intense classes to get that 4.2 GPA and her plan to go to Yale is put into jeopardy. Now, she has to go to Hundred Oaks High, a public school where the classes aren't as good and her new soccer team hates her. The only person who sympathizes is Ezra, her childhood crush who is back in town.

The first part of this book I was rolling my eyes like crazy. It was attempting to portray Taylor as this rich girl who is still perfect and nice to everybody. It was a little disgusting to see how she viewed herself as wealthy but still so kind to the poor! Her housekeeper Marina and how only she knows what is good for team building on the soccer team. She was portrayed as being above everybody yet still so generous so everybody loves her. Gag. Yes, wealthy people can be good people but when this was just thrown into my face so I would like Taylor's character, it came off as so fake to me. Thus, I was originally going to give this book only one or two stars (which I almost never do!). However, once this over-the-topness stopped and the book became more about the story instead of how perfect Taylor is, I found myself enjoying it more.

There was some good stuff about finding out what you want to do, instead of just doing what's expected of you. I enjoyed the fact that it took into consideration that Taylor killing herself to do well wasn't okay and that we should all relax at times and enjoy the small things. Yes, preparing for the future is important, but I never want to look back on my life and have no good memories.

Overall this book was just alright to me. It's not a book that will last in my mind and it was just an easy romance read. It had some feminism qualities and the romance was okay, but nothing was strong enough to stand out in my mind. I will probably read some more of Miranda Kenneally's books though because sometimes I enjoy and need something easy.

Defending Taylor comes out July 5th!!

Zenith Review

When I first met Sasha, I had no idea where life would take her! We met during volleyball tryouts freshman year and were both too intimidated by the coach to continue the sport lol. I'm so proud of where she's gotten in life though!!! <3 <3 <3

Zenith is the first part to a series by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings, Andi is the captain of the all-female crew of the spaceship, The Marauder. She's called the Bloody Baroness and when her ship is captured by someone from her past, she's sent on an unexpected journey. Meanwhile, Nor, the ruler of a planet across the galaxy is plotting a vicious plan.

This book was a lot of set up, which made me upset when it ended so quickly. It's just the first part of the saga and it definitely left me wanting for more. Who wouldn't be excited about space pirates!? And they're all women and unashamedly brutal. So far, there's not too many male main characters and I love it. Strong women are something I always get excited about and so far it's being done very well in Zenith. I'm so excited for the next part because this was just an introduction to the characters and the storyline and I can't wait to see where everything goes. It has a lot of potential to grow and stand out as an incredible sci-fi novel. I look forward to seeing how the Mirabel Galaxy is laid out and built, as world building has always been one of my favorite things when I read.

One thing that kind of bothered me was the use of the word "fike". It was supposed to replace the f-word, but anytime the word was used I didn't think it worked correctly. The characters so far are brutal and aren't afraid to kill, there was lots of blood and the word "fike" just didn't match up with that for me. I needed the dark and grittiness in the imagery and vocabulary to match up a bit more. I'm also more mature (19) so I hear the f-word a lot more in daily life, so I get that to a younger audience they might not be as bothered by it. That's just my opinion though.

Overall, Zenith has so much potential in my mind. I just wish I could read it all at once instead of having to wait!

Zenith is currently an ebook, so go download it from amazon, iBooks, or any online store right now!

One Was Lost Review

Natalie Richards' One Was Lost is an intense mystery thriller, which isn't the typical kind of book that I read. I couldn't stop reading though as I was scared of what would happen next to this group of kids. They're a group of high schoolers who are required to go on some type of life experience trip and they go on a remote hiking trip with two of their teachers. About halfway into their trip there's a flash flood that separates the group. Sera is one of the four with one of the teachers and the next morning they wake up with words written on their arms. The words are "Deceptive", "Damaged", "Dangerous", and on Sera's arm is the word "Darling". Their supplies are destroyed and they're groggy from some sort of drug. It quickly becomes clear that they're being hunted.

This book was a pretty quick read for me as it was constantly ending chapters with some kind of cliff hanger. I don't read horror or thrillers all that often cause they freak me out a little and so with this book I couldn't stop reading until I knew the conflict was resolved. Maybe a little clichéd at times, but during a traumatic event you can't expect things to be rational and these are teenagers who are already  typically irrational. They also would have no idea how to do anything in a situation like this and I know I would get incredibly paranoid if I was being hunted in the woods so that I would start suspecting anybody and everybody.

I wish I had gotten to know the other characters backstories more though and what happened to them after everything. There were hints towards Jude and Emily's lives but I was never satisfied. After I finished the book, I immediately wanted a few chapters more or a whole other book where it's after everything and going back to high school. The readjustment and the school's perception of what happened would be so interesting in my opinion.

Overall, I was surprised by how attached I got to this book and how it kept my on the hook the entire time.

One Was Lost comes out October 4th, 2016 and I will definitely be recommending it!!!

Blood for Blood Review

Ryan Graudin's Blood for Blood is the sequel to Wolf by Wolf so there will probably be spoilers to Wolf by Wolf in this review! Wolf by Wolf is amazing though so go read it and then come back for this review!

Blood for Blood takes up right where Wolf by Wolf left off. Yael has just shot Hitler, only to discover it was not the real Führer. Instead, he was a skinshifter like her. Now, Yael is on the run and the rebellion has just begun. She's joined by Luka and Felix as the question for how far you'll go for your loved ones is overshadowing them.

My apologies for the short and vague summary, when I like a book I never want to give too much away and let me just say I LOVED this book. I was in a bit of a reading rut and it took me a while to finish it, but it was so good. It was darker and more intricate than the first book in my opinion and I loved all the characters. I was waiting for them to try and do a love triangle with Luka and Felix, but thank the lord that did not happen. Instead, the mistrust and deceptions were much more realistic and the relationships never felt forced to me. I may not have liked Felix, but I understood him and probably would have done much of the same things as him.

I love Yael and so many times in this book I started crying cause she has gone through so much and I just wanted her to be happy and to have peace! I also thought for some reason that this series was going to be a trilogy, so towards the end I was just thinking it wouldn't be resolved since there was going to be a third book! But it quickly became apparent to me that this was the final book. This was a little more mature since it does have some really dark themes, as many World War II and holocaust books do.

This is still very fictional even though it takes place in the 1950s, so you can't compare it fully to real history. It's not meant to be 100% factual, there are skinshifters for goodness sake, but I honestly loved this book and I'm going to be searching out Ryan Graudin's other books now!

Blood for Blood comes out November 1st, 2016 so go and get it!!!