“A Court of Mist and Fury” is Dazzlingly Better Than the First Book

I realized how badly I’d been treated before, if my standards had become so low. If the freedom I’d been granted felt like a privilege and not an inherent right.

Coming from someone who was sorely disappointed by A Court of Thorns and Roses, I could not have been more shocked by this sequel. It only took a couple chapters for me to fall in love with this book.

I loved everything—the characters, plot, fantasy world, writing, and romance. Can these be the very same things that annoyed me in book one? Yes, they can.

“A Court of Thorns and Roses” has a Dull Plot and Even Duller Romance

What a disappointment. Out of this entire mushy, romance-filled novel, the few action scenes were by far my favorite parts. I’m not saying action always trumps romance, but in the case of A Court of Thorns and Roses, it definitely did.

The word that comes to mind that I think best describes this book is “deceptive.” The cover is gorgeous, the premise alluring, and hello, it’s written by Sarah J. Maas. I was expecting exciting action and swoon-worthy romance and general awesomeness, but the truth is, A Court of Thorns and Roses was unbelievably boring.

“This is Not a Test” is a Haunting, Unique Take on a Zombie Apocalypse

“We’re a stampede of the living.”

First of all, if you’re looking for an action-packed zombie apocalypse book where the main characters are fighting the walking dead on every other page, you won’t find it here.

Surprisingly for its genre, This is Not a Test focused much more heavily on the character development than the plot. Don’t worry, there were still quite a few zombie fights and lots of blood, but the action and violence took the backseat.

“All the Rage” Focuses on a Harrowing Topic and Victim Blaming

“I’m the one that walks away from fights covered in blood.”

Wow. What can I say after finishing my second Courtney Summers book other than this woman is one heck of an amazing writer? I haven’t read anything quite like her books before. Her characters are always so fascinating and marvelously written—but also extremely sick, twisted, and screwed-up individuals.

All the Rage centers around Romy, who was raped by the sheriff’s son, but no one will believe her story and now the whole school makes fun of her, calling her “the girl who cried rape.” Romy has a tough persona, but inside she’s really a quaking, shivering, timid girl.

“Everything, Everything” Adds a New Twist to Teen Romance

“Don’t die,” he says.
“I won’t,” I say back.


Madeline has an incredibly rare disease known as SCID that puts her in extremely delicate condition. She hasn’t been outside in eighteen years. It’s critical to her health that she never steps foot outdoors, for if she comes in contact with any germs she could very well die.

Madeline is a spunky girl, despite having been confined within the walls of her house all her life. She’s homeschooled and her only friends are her mother and her nurse, but Madeline makes the most of her situation.

Then a boy moves into the house next door and Madeline’s world flips upside down.

“We All Looked Up” is Realistic, Gritty Science Fiction

“Every life ended in an apocalypse, in one way or another.”

This book is about a realistic apocalypse. You know all those ridiculous zombie apocalypse novels that are fun to read but would never happen in real life? What do you think would really happen if a huge asteroid was spotted plummeting toward Earth, threatening to destroy everything in its wake?

People would probably figure that if they only had a few weeks left to live, then they’d better live like there’s no tomorrow—because there literally might not be a tomorrow at this point.

“Falling into Place” Tackles an Emotional, Important Topic

“She was angry at all the people she ever hurt because they just sat there and let her, let her run them over until there was nothing else in her way.”

This was a very important book following a girl who tried to commit suicide. The out-of-order chapters were told from the point of views of the girl’s family, friends, and the girl herself.

Zhang brilliantly emphasized just how cruel people—namely teenagers—can be, while somehow still acting human. In a way, the main character, Liz, was the villain of the story, and when she failed at trying to redeem her horrible past behavior, she drove her car off the road.

“Dumplin’” Body Positive Theme is a Joke

I expected a cutesy chick lit romance. I expected inspiring body positivity. I expected a sassy and confident main character. I got none of these things.

Willowdean was a horrible protagonist who thought horrible things about her own body and the bodies of others. When a girl in her school asked the boy she liked out (when he and Will weren’t even dating), she made nasty references to the girl’s clothes and body.

When Will finally joins her mom’s beauty pageant to prove that she’s not ashamed of her body, her best friend, Ellen, signs up too. Will tells Ellen that she has to back out because Ellen has a beautiful, nonfat body and she might actually win. Then Will wonders why Ellen is so angry with her.

“Sugar” Brings a Stereotype to Life

 My, what a wonderful thing Ms. Hall has done. She took the stereotypical “fat girl” and turned her into a complicated, flesh-and-blood human being.

You know what I’m talking about. In movies and books the “fat girl” is usually a background character whose sole purpose is for comic relief. She’s not taken seriously or even treated like a real person. Why is it that something as trivial as size should define a person or make them worth less than anyone else?

This book humanized the main character, Sugar. Sugar is undeniably overweight, but there’s so much more to her than meets the eye. We are able to see her struggles, fears, and insecurities that fuel her constant need to eat firsthand through her complex mind.

“Room” is a Sad, Yet Hopeful Drama

If you’ve been considering reading this book, then I urge you to wait no longer. Room is a fast-paced, brilliantly written, thought-provoking, beautiful story about a boy whose mom was kidnapped, so he grew up thinking it was normal to live in captivity—in a single room—for his whole life.

The author wisely chose to have the story narrated from the little boy’s perspective. Not only did this add new details to the story, but it made Room unique. If it had been written from Jack’s ma’s point of view, it would’ve just been another book about kidnapping.

“An Ember in the Ashes” is Delightfully Action Packed

“Everything here is blood and violence.”

This book contained just about every YA cliché possible:

- Love triangle/sqaure
- Prophecy with the main character being “the chosen one”
- World ruled by an evil, controlling government
- Secret group of rebel outcasts
- Mission to save the main character’s sibling

Despite all of these overused ideas that were bound to result in another mediocre YA book, Sabaa Tahir totally made everything work.

The plot that’s been written a million times before in other young adult books wasn’t cheesy, but suspenseful to the point of having me on the edge of my seat. I became absorbed in the story from the very first page.

“Boring Girls” is a Disturbing Psychological Study

“Fern and I could not forgive. And the reason we murdered these people was very simple.
It was for revenge.”

Well, this is incredibly awkward. This is the coming of age story of a psychopath, and I thought it was really, really good.

The main character, Rachel, is completely nuts. She gets excited imagining inflicting horrible violence on people and fantasizes about blood.

“Finding Audrey” was Adorable and Sentimental

I was laughing hysterically within the first few pages.

I don’t know if it’s because I have a large family so I could relate to Audrey’s daily household fanatics better, but this book totally got me. It burrowed its way into my heart and had me laughing my head off at three in the morning when I should have been sound asleep (wow, that makes me sound like a lunatic), but I just couldn’t put it down because I was so excited to find out what would happen next.

“Pride and Prejudice” is Sweet, Old Fashioned Romance

Pride and Prejudice makes me want to drink a nice cup of tea and give warm hugs to all my dearest friends. It’s a spectacular novel that made me giggle one minute and sigh out of love for the characters the next.

Don’t let the fact that this is a classic put you off. Though the vocabulary is sizably larger than the language in modern books, I didn’t have a lot of trouble with it, and besides, struggling through a few big words is worth it when it’s Jane Austen’s witty and clever writing. I never found the story to be boring because the plot was so exciting.

“Not a Drop to Drink” Stars a Tough Heroine Bent on Survival

“Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water.”

I’m still reeling over this book. 

You’ve heard it all before. A dystopian, tough female character trying to survive, blah blah blah. Wait, what? This one was actually good?

If you’re tired of cheesy and unrealistic YA I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by this book that stood out in an overcrowded genre. I can’t describe my love for it enough—the fantastic narrator, heart pounding plot, and desperate survival atmosphere all had me hooked.

“The Rest of Us Just Live Here” Puts the Background Characters in the Spotlight

“Not everyone has to be the guy who saves the world. Most people just have to live their lives the best they can.”

I think the tagline for this book is accurate: “Sometimes you have to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.” This book is about finding the wonderful, little things in the normal people who lead ordinary lives.

It’s basically a comparison of fantasy “problems” and the problems you’ll find in everyday life. In a cliché fantasy book a female narrator will find herself torn between two hot dudes. In real life there are other problems to worry about such as bad parents, bulimic siblings, unrequited love, and feeling like no one wants you.

“Jane Eyre” Well Deserves the Praise

You’ve no doubt heard of this famous classic. A young woman who grew up a friendless orphan becomes a governess for Mr. Rochester, but there is something off in his huge, eerie mansion. Strange laughter peals in the night and the servants seem to be keeping a secret. Sound familiar?

Even though I knew enough of this book beforehand that hardly any of the plot twists came as a surprise, I could never guess how wonderfully atmospheric the writing would be. It was the kind that was deliciously creepy and made me shiver out of fear and excitement.

“Orbiting Jupiter” Made Me Bawl My Eyes Out

“He really could have been any other eighth-grade kid at Eastham Middle School. Except he had a daughter.”

How do I even write this review? 

I love books, in case you hadn’t noticed. I dedicate so much of my time to reading because I am constantly searching for those exciting stories with living, breathing characters. Yet out of all the novels I’ve read, only one I’ve ever come across has made me cry.

“Animal Farm” is a Short, Powerful Punch

“Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers.”

What an intelligent and quietly unsettling story this was. The underlying tone of warning in the writing was absolutely perfect. It was ultimately a huge metaphor about power being corrupted and Orwell captured this terrifying sentiment stupendously.

When working animals rebel against their natures and drive all humans from the farm, the smartest animals are quick to take over the empty spot in leadership.

“The Hidden Oracle” Should Please Percy Jackson Fans

“You hear that, guys? A batch of cookies is depending on me. If you get me killed on the way to camp, I am going to be ticked off.”

Aww, I just want to give all of these characters a big hug. 

The Hidden Oracle was the perfect step back into the world of Percy Jackson. While I felt like the Heroes of Olympus series was drawn out and repetitive—oh, please, they’re fighting another monster already?—this book felt fresh and more like old-school PJO.

“Truthwitch” is Light on World Building, Heavy on the Fantasy Fun

“I’ll always follow you, Safi, and you’ll always follow me. Threadsisters to the end.”

Witches! Action! Steamy ballroom dances! Whooo!

I think it’s apparent by the cover, but just in case you didn’t know, this is very typical YA fantasy. It doesn’t add anything new to the genre. That being said, it was incredibly fast paced and had a cast of awesome narrators.

I really liked the romance, I didn’t have problems with any of the characters, and Safiya and Iseult were a pair of super-cool Threadsisters. It had a very Throne of Glass feel. Was the plot cheesy, predictable, and the world building underdeveloped? Yep. Did I care? Not in the slightest.

“Kill the Boy Band” is Darkly Comical and Touches on Realism

This book is morbid, inappropriate, and completely hilarious.

The four main characters are a band of strong young women. They also happen to be fangirls. It was so fun to read about their awesome and totally insane personalities as they obsessed over their favorite boy band, The Rupters. Things get a bit out of hand when they kidnap one of the boys and tie him up in a hotel.

These girls acted totally crazy, from stalking the boys online to writing fanficiton about them. And yet, I could understand their side of things. The boys made them excited and gave them something to look forward to each day.

“And Then There Were None” is an Unputdownable Classic

“There was something magical about an island—the mere word suggested fantasy. You lost touch with the world—an island was a world of its own. A world, perhaps, from which you might never return.”

This may be the best mystery I’ve ever read.

I started reading mystery novels at a young age. When I was six, I read my first Nancy Drew. I recently picked up all of Gillian Flynn’s books and really enjoyed them. I’ve always loved the thrill, the mind-boggling that a good mystery brings.

But nothing could have prepared me for Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

“You” is a Riveting, Unique Thriller

“Your lips were made for mine, Beck. You are the reason I have a mouth, a heart.”

Okay, first of all it feels weird praising and recommending a book that’s so terrible. And no, I don’t mean it’s terribly written—You is full of many beautiful passages—but it’s terrible as in what it’s about. I felt slightly guilty while reading it.

This book is about a stalker.

Now before you click off my review in disgust, let me explain why I liked it. I think it could be very important for people who read a lot of YA. It counters the trend in YA books where the love interest (usually male) obsesses over and orders around the main character. While it is so obviously unhealthy, in YA, this is portrayed as hot.

In You, Kepnes shows how deeply unhealthy this kind of relationship is.

“Ugly Love” Supports an Awful, Obsessive Relationship

Is there something wrong with me? Because this book has a 4.32 average rating on Goodreads and apparently people find this hot:

Now he knows exactly how much I’m not Tate when I’m near him. I’m only liquid. Conforming. Doing what he asks, doing what I’m told, doing what he wants me to do.

I know a lot of people love Colleen Hoover but I just find her writing so cheesy. I couldn’t get invested in either of her romances in Confess or Ugly Love. They’re just so ridiculous. They lack a realness that I need in romance and remind me more of what a person’s fantasy of the perfect guy or girl might be.

“The Martian” Defines Humanity with a Good Dose of Humor

“If a hiker gets lost in the mountains, people will coordinate a search. If a train crashes, people will line up to give blood. If an earthquake levels a city, people all over the world will send emergency supplies. This is so fundamentally human that it’s found in every culture without exception.”

Mark Watney is stranded on Mars after an accident occurred and his crew mates left him behind, presuming him dead. Now he must survive on a planet where all the odds are against him.

This book was fantastic. The best thing about it were the characters. They were all well developed, fleshed-out, and dynamic so that they felt like real people. And there was a large cast, too, despite the plot being about one man stranded on a desolate planet.

“Illuminae” is Confusing, Cheesy Sci Fi

I deserve a medal for trudging through 600 pages of that. Ugh.

This has got to be one of the most confusing, annoying books I’ve ever read. A bunch of facts about an invasion, a spaceship, and a wormhole were thrown in my face in the beginning and I thought, “Okay, lots of books don’t make sense at first. I’ll get some explanations pretty soon.”

But it only got worse as it went on. I couldn’t understand the plot for the life of me. And don’t get me wrong—I love space books. I highly enjoyed Across the Universe and Ender’s Game. But the plot of Illuminae was so tedious. All the talk about a war and spacecraft went right over my head.

“Me Before You” is Heartbreaking and Deserves the Hype

“You make me happy, even when you’re awful. I would rather be with you—even the you that you seem to think is diminished—than with anyone else in the world.”

I love these kinds of books. The kind that, for a short while, can make you completely and utterly submerged in the characters’ world. For a few hours, I felt like I was breathing the same air as Louisa and Will. I had such a strong connection with them and could relate and sympathize with their narratives.

I loved the main characters and this beautiful, touching story.

“Six of Crows” is Smashing, Epic Fantasy

It’s as epic as they say it is.

Six of Crows was everything I could have hoped for. It gave me so many feels that by the end I was an emotionally devastated, fangirling mess. I loved everything about this beautiful book.

I loved the cast of six ruthless outcasts from the slums who were labeled criminals. They were awesome together in battle and hilarious when they weren’t fighting for their lives or staving off enemies.

The leader of the group, Kaz, was a horrible human being and I can’t even begin to describe my love for his character. He had no regrets and was quick to lie, steal, and kill. But then there was that cleverness, harsh honesty, and his fondness for Inej that made me love him so much even though he was evil to the core.

“Lady Renegades” is a Dull Finale

“There had been a time when I’d prided myself on being the most competent girl in the room, the one who always knew what to do. But the deeper I got into all this Paladin stuff, the more I seemed to be screwing it up.”

I think this series plummeted after book one.

Rebel Belle was all silly, lighthearted paranormal fun with a dash of romance. In Miss Mayhem, things took a turn when the author tried to take the plot more seriously. In my opinion, this took the enjoyment out of things.

“My Lady Jane” is Rollicking, Gut Busting Fun

Oh my goodness, that was the best thing ever!

Is it possible for a book to be sweet, funny, awesome, and led by a cast of amazing narrators? Indeed it is, because that book is My Lady Jane.

When I first heard about it, I was skeptical. A comical retelling of Lady Jane Grey, written by three different authors? It sounded like a recipe for disaster. As it turned out, I’ve never read a better co-authored novel. The writing flowed so I couldn’t tell the authors apart and the chapters transitioned smoothly.

The plot was absolutely hilarious and witty. The comparisons to The Princess Bride were spot on. I appreciated that the humor wasn’t silly or crude (as I was afraid it would be), but clever and sarcastic.

“The Unexpected Everything” was an Unexpected Surprise

This book was so stinkin’ cute. It was fluffy and sweet and, despite being over 500 pages, I was able to finish it in almost one sitting. But it wasn’t just a lighthearted summer read—the writing held a deeper sadness and understanding through the plot and characters.

Andie is the daughter of a politician and her father never seems to have time for her. Her mother died years ago, so Andie is on her own. This summer she’s stuck with her dad and her new job of dog walking.

Though romance was a center focus in this book, for once, it didn’t annoy me. Andie and Clark’s relationship felt much more mature than most relationships in YA books. They were adorable and awkward, but weren’t always perfectly happy—in fact, their first date went rather horribly. I felt like they were an honest portrayal of teen romance.

Requests

Are you an author or publisher looking to get your book reviewed? Send me an email at drewjreader@gmail.com and please fill out the information below.

• Provide the title and a short summary of your book.
• Cover image if available.
• How many pages (or approx. words) long is it?
• What are the genre(s)?
• Is it part of a series?
• Is there any romance? No need to answer this if the genre is romance.
• Any sexual content?
• Is the narrator male, female, or otherwise?
• How many point of views are there?
• Is it told in first, second, or third person?
• Who is the target audience? (Adult, young adult, or children?)
• Would you describe it as a slow, medium, or fast paced novel?
• What do you personally think is the strongest aspect of your book?
• Lastly, do you understand that I will give my honest opinion of your book, even if I don’t like it?

I accept or decline requests depending on my reading tastes. If I don’t think your book is something I’ll like based on the information I received, I’ll let you know in a reply.

~Drew

About the Blogger

Hi, I’m Drew! I’m a book-loving, tea-drinking bibliophile who is meticulously picky about organizing her bookshelf. I’m a Christian, my favorite movie is The Matrix, I love to dance, sing, take walks, draw, eat delicious food, and photograph books.

I started writing reviews on Goodreads in 2013 and it’s become a habit to sit down and write my opinion about a good (or bad) book!

My mom taught me to read when I was five and I’ve been a bookworm ever since. On rainy days I love curling up in a cozy chair with a cup of tea and a good book.

Over the years I’ve fallen in love with Nancy Drew, Roald Dahl, Percy Jackson, Lord of the Flies, and hundreds of other books. I read a variety of genres, but am particularly drawn to the thriller and fantasy ones. Some of my favorite authors are Patrick Ness, Sarah J. Maas, Barry Lyga, and John Green.