The Book Chick
Just your average bibliophile
Now Reading: "Kissing in America" by Margo Rabb
Review: "Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA/Romance
Oh. My. God. This book was AMAZING!! It absolutely deserves a 4.5, which is why I gave it such a high rating. Everything Everything is narrated by Madeline Whittier, an 18 year old girl who suffers from a rare disease called SCID, which means that her immune system is in bad condition and she's basically "allergic" to the world, never stepping out of her house. The only two people who are really in her life are her mother, who is also her doctor, and her beloved nurse Carla. She's come to terms with her condition and is content with her life, until a new family moves in next door. Along with her new neighbors comes their son Olly, who is around the same age as her and it turns out that his bedroom window ends up being right across from her. After seeing each other through the windows, they start a friendship/relationship over email messages and this big-hearted hunk quickly begins to win Maddy's (and mine) heart. When her nurse Carla secretly finds ways for them to meet in person, the two find that they can't hide their romance any longer and Maddy realizes that living life with caution isn't really living at all. The two whisk readers on an adventure of happiness and heartbreak, and leave us wondering how we ever lived without reading the story of Maddy and Olly.
I honestly can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book. Yes, people who've been reading my reviews for a while know that I'm a sappy romantic, but this book wasn't just about that. Yoon makes you question your life like Maddy questions hers, and the way she describes each and every detail makes you feel like you were there too. I liked how Olly had so much more depth to him then ordinary romance guys, and he wasn't super cheesy either, which was a huge relief. I watched the movie last night and although they changed a couple of things from the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it so kudos to Nick Robinson and Amanda Stenberg! I liked Yoon's style of writing, so maybe I'll check out a couple of other novels by her in the future.
Ciao for now!
- the Book Chick
Read this Year:
Here are some of the books that I read and reviewed for the first time this year:
1. Croak by Gina Damico
2. The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
3. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
4. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
Review: "The Glittering Court" by Richelle Mead
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance
If you've been reading my reviews for a while, then you probably know that I've been reading Richelle Mead's work for a while now, especially the AMAZING Vampire Academy book series. Ms. Mead definitely didn't let me down with The Glittering Court.
In Mead's novel, the story is narrated by Elizabeth Witmore, a noble in the beautiful land of Osfrid. Due to her family's dying wealth, she is arranged to be married to a rich but boring man with a demanding family. When one of her servant unwillingly accepts the offer to join the Glittering Court, a school that trains one to marry the "new nobility" in the colony of Adoria, she sees an opportunity to break free of a life where she can make no choices for herself. Donning the name Adelaide, she makes a life for herself through the Glittering Court but finds herself growing closer to Cedric Thorn, the son of the founder of this venture and the only one who knows of her real identity. However, Adelaide has to deal with dangerous journeys and threatening individuals, which could undermine her sole chance of freedom. Adelaide, unwilling to turn back now, braves this adventure and perhaps a possibility for love.
This novel really helped to display Mead's versatility as an author. The heroine of The Glittering Court was completely different from Rose Hathaway of The Vampire Diaries, yet they both were badass and unafraid to break the rules. I guess Mead is a fan of "forbidden love", because the characters in both stories fell in love with a man they knew that they shouldn't have (which makes it even better). Although sometimes it felt like random information and words were being thrown at us, I'm assuming this is only because Mead was setting up the plot for the next book, since this is only book one of the series. Hopefully, I can get my hands on the next book ASAP and put up a review soon.
Ciao for now!
- the Book Chick
Requests?
Review: "Dorothy Must Die" by Danielle Paige
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
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Dorothy Must Die was definitely as dark as it sounds. This novel stars Amy Gumm, a friendless, pink-haired, and spunky teenager from Kansas who is whisked away from her monotonous life and finds herself in Oz, only not the way that she knows it as. In this Oz, Dorothy returns to this magical land after going back to Kansas and becomes the ruler. In this new reality, everyone that is supposed to be good is evil and vice versa. Amy is soon recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked , who turn out to be not as "wicked" as they're supposed to be. Her mission? Kill Dorothy and end her tyrannical regime, bringing Oz back to the beautiful place that it once was.
If you're interested in novels that do different retellings of classical tales, you should definitely give tis one a try. The Wizard of Oz is a plot that everyone knows, and it was so interesting to read a version in which sweet innocent Dorothy Gale was a monster. Amy Gumm was such a badass and Paige did a good job of making the protagonist of the novel someone we could easily relate to. I didn't giver this book a higher rating because the ending disappointed me, but luckily this is only the first of a series and I'll be getting the next one soon.
Ciao for now,
- the Book Chick
Blast From the Past
Book: "City of Souls" by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Young Adult/Urban Fantasy
I can never ever get enough of the characters of the Mortal Instruments series, so I was eager to get my hands on the fifth book, "City of Lost Souls". As soon as we think that there will be a happy ending to "City of Fallen Angels" (the fourth book of the series), Cassandra Clare surprises again by adding another plot twist which leads to catastrophic events. With Jace gone and no where to be found, everyone else is in a frenzy searching for him. Clary finds herself sick with worry, carrying the weights of grief and guilt on her shoulders. Alec tries to find a way to be with the immortal Magnus forever, and Simon and Isabelle face their growing feelings for each other. The crew must find a way to find Jace before its too late, all while keeping their plans a secret from the Clave. No biggie, right?
I can definitely say that this book if my favorite in the series so far. After five books, I have come to understand these characters and their lives so much, and its really nice to see how different they are from the first book. "City of Lost Souls" picked up two weeks after the end of "City of Fallen Angels", and we can now see the development of the new antagonist of the series. The book ended with a cliff hanger, and I can't wait to see what happens in the last book of the series, "City of Heavenly Fire"!
Ciao for now,
- the Book Chick
The Book Chick
Email: thebookchick15@gmail.com