Review: Anna K

Anna K: A Love Story

by Jenny Lee
ebook, 480 pages
Published March 3rd 2020 
by Flatiron Books
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | 

Meet Anna K. At seventeen, she is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather a sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.

As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.

Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K.: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy's timeless love story, Anna Karenina―but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak. 

For starters; the original Anna Karenina is a complex tragic love story. This one is a hormone-charged YA with so many unbelievable shallow and spoilt rich kids running around drinking, doing drugs, partying and ultimately ruining each other lives. Pure escapism but requires a lot of suspension of belief.

Review: The Beholder

The Beholder (The Beholder, #1)
by Anna Bright
ebook, 435 pages
June 4th, 2019
by HarperTeen
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | 

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

I ended up liking this book which is quite surprising since the female protagonist came off as a sheltered, naive weakling in the first few chapters. And the premise of setting on an adventure to desperately seek a potential suitor just offend my feminist inclinations. (Sorry not sorry). But along the way, our weakling finally learns to stand up for herself. Thank god. And the potential suitors certainly have quite a few tricks up their sleeves which make this story a lot more interesting.

Review: Yes No Maybe So

Yes No Maybe So
by Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed 
ebook, 448 pages
Published February 4th 2020 
by Balzer + Bray
ARC from Edelweiss  
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

YES
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone), Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.

MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural romance of the century is another thing entirely. 

This has to be one of the most adorable teen romance I've ever read! Jamie's super awkward, dorky personality and his crazy family just made me smile so much. I ship Jamie and Maya so hard. Although that kiss might be controversial for Muslims. The cross-cultural romance and the political setting might raise some eyebrows but I love how it's handled. I've never read any book by Becky Albertalli before but after this, I definitely will. 

Review: To Kill a Kingdom

To Kill a Kingdom
by Alexandra Christo
Kindle Edition, 346 pages
Published March 6th 2018 
by Feiwel & Friends
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

A delicious twist to the popular The Little Mermaid fairy-tale. I love that both of the protagonists are very strong - willed and have opposing views in the beginning. Lira; the siren is such a kick-ass heroine which makes her in an equal footing to Prince Elian. And as fate would have it their slow burn romance is simply satisfying to read and provided a much needed break from the piles of instant love in other YA fantasies. 

And the best thing about this..is it's a stand alone. No filler chapters that bore you to tears just because the publisher wanted it to be part of a series.Seriously one of the best YA fantasy I've had the pleasure to read in 2018! 

Review: Opposite of Always

Opposite of Always 
by Justin A. Reynolds 
ebook, 464 pages
March 5th 2019 
by Katherine Tegen Books
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . . 

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves. 

I haven't read a good YA contemporary for a while now so I was pleasantly surprised with this funny, sometimes a bit tragic romance. I love the fast-paced witty conversations between the main characters and how natural it seemed. Love the friendship between Jack, Franny and Jillian and just the overall journey of the book. Although the plot line of relieving the same time over and over again is nothing new, I just love how the author was able to spin this one with a few unique twists and turns. Love it to bits! But that ending is too vague for me. I was hoping for some closure for Jack and Kate. But all the time loops just get me super confused about what the ending is. 

Review: My Plain Jane

My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2)
by Cythia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
ebook, 
464 pages 
Published June 26th 2018 
by HarperTeen
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!) Or does she? Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

This book is so addictive! I can't help but smile and laugh out loud at the antics of such delightful, crazy characters. This wacky retelling of Jane Eyre even has the author as one of the characters. I would have given this 5 stars if the story were trim a bit since some of the chapters are too long. Otherwise, it's a delicious gem of a book and one of my favourite this year. 

Review: Dare Mighty Things

Dare Mighty Things (#1)
by Heather Kaczynski
ebook, 377 pages
Published October 10th 2017
by HarperTeen
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: You must be gifted. You must be younger than twenty-five. You must be willing to accept the dangers that you will face if you win.

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Gupta’s entire life has been leading up to this—the opportunity to travel to space. But to secure a spot on this classified mission, she must first compete against the best and brightest people on the planet. People who are as determined as she to win a place on a journey to the farthest reaches of the universe. 

Cassie is ready for the toll that the competition will take; the rigorous mental and physical tests designed to push her to the brink of her endurance. But nothing could have prepared her for the bonds she would form with the very people she hopes to beat. Or that with each passing day it would be more and more difficult to ignore the feeling that the true objective of the mission is being kept from her.

As the days until the launch tick down and the stakes rise higher than ever before, only one thing is clear to Cassie: she’ll never back down . . . even if it costs her everything. 

What would you do if you're given the chance to go to space? Are you willing to sacrifice everything for the opportunity to be an astronaut? Well, our main character Cassandra Gupta certainly is willing to put everything on the line for that. A genetically enhanced only child, Cass is gifted in sports, music and academics but socially awkward and has no friend in school.

When she was offered a place in an experimental program in Johnson Space Center as part of a very top secret space exploration, Cass wholeheartedly threw herself in the intense competition. From the initial 62, the candidates are quickly shortlisted to 25 in a day. And afterwards, tests after tests both physically and physiology were thrown at these youngsters to whittle out the best.

The interesting part is when Cass slowly open herself to others during the competition. The bubbly Emilio Esteban and the amazing Mitsuko Pinuelas became her allies. It was indeed an intense and exhilarating adventure although the ending caught me by surprise. I've always had a suspicion regarding Luka the son of the Georgian Ambassador who rather curiously maintained at the top of the rank in the space competition. But the twists involving him is rather unpredictable and begets more questions for the next book. 

Review: The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe 

by Lauren James
ebook, 290 pages
September 7th 2017 
by Walker Books
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

 Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away?

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone . . . 

This book was amazing! I'm probably the very few who actually enjoyed the movie Passengers and also The Space Between Us. Romance set in space seemed such an exciting premise so I was expecting the same kind of mushiness from this book. But...well this is beyond my expectation.

At first sweet and mysterious it quickly became creepy and dark. Thank god for that ending otherwise, I really don't know how I can stomach reading such a tense book. Let me just say, if you're looking for a romance then look elsewhere but I guarantee that this book will certainly blow your mind!

Review: Everless

Everless (Everless #1)
by Sara Holland 
ebook, 338 pages
April 1st 2014 
Published January 2nd 2018 
by HarperTeen
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

If I haven't been reading so much YA fantasy for the last 5 years, I would think this book is amazing and not just mediocre. But it's a great debut actually and the world building is complex and piqued my curiosity. But as much as I'm grateful for the strong female character, there are moments like her reminiscing about her childhood crush (yawn) and the oppressive state of the servants and villagers which just make me squirm.

I really hope the next book in the series would be a lot more exciting after that unpredictable twisted ending. 

Review: Kat and Meg Conquer The World

Kat and Meg Conquer the World

by Anna Priemaza
Hardcover, 368 pages
November 7th 2017 
by Harperteen
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

Kat and Meg couldn’t be more different. Kat’s anxiety makes it hard for her to talk to people. Meg hates being alone, but her ADHD keeps pushing people away. But when the two girls are thrown together for a year-long science project, they discover they do have one thing in common: They’re both obsessed with the same online gaming star and his hilarious videos. It might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship—if they don’t kill each other first.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. It stars two of the most weird, unbelievable quirky characters whom I just fell in love with. Its a tale of female friendship which I really..really like and is quite rare in the YA landscape. Kat and Meg are polar opposites but their love for a certain online gamer just seemed totally real! We need more books like this which celebrate not only female friendship and also diversity in the real world. 

Review: One Dark Throne

One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns #2) 

by Kendare Blake 
448 pages
September 19, 2017 
by HarperTeen
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail? With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent. In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.

Gripping and filled to the brim with blood and gore till the end. This wonderful book is the highly anticipated sequel to the Three Dark Crowns which I have the pleasure to read last year and still cannot forget. Not as shocking as the first book but still serves plenty of action and thrills. Despite the interesting depiction of the three very different triplet queens; oldest and strongest Mira but softie at heart, boyish middle sis Arsinoe and youngest but most cruel Kath, it's Arsinoe's best friend/ bodyguard Jules which is the most compelling in this book. I might have given this 5 stars if not for the tiresome lovelines. Thankfully some of the boys met their untimely end.