Unravel Me

Title: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: YA Science Fiction/ Dystopia
Pages: 461
Rating: 3/5 Stars
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In the continuation of Shatter Me, Juliette finds herself at the hideout of the rebel group, Omega Point. Desperate to overthrow the Reestablishment, she's faced with the confusion that comes with deciphering who's really good, and who's actually bad.

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I don't know... this was kind of a let down for me. Shatter Me didn't have much going for it in my opinion, but this one was definitely worse. I struggled to get through the first half of the book, because nothing was happening! I found Juliette to be insufferably annoying, and sort of wanted her to just get captured or something again because literally nothing was happening in the plot. Basically, it wasn't until Warner was reintroduced that I found the book interesting at all.

I do love Tahereh Mafi's writing, she's very poetic and has a beautiful way of weaving words to create just the most gorgeous lines, but I find that she can be a little overdramatic. All the chapters are very short (like, one or two pages short) and she seemed to feel the need to end every single one with some dramatic bang. I mean, she was making things like walking through a door seem like the single most dramatic thing to ever occur. Of course, a dramatic flair is great every once and awhile, but when it's every two pages, it starts to lose its affect on me. When things were actually supposed to be a super dramatic reveal, I wasn't as shocked, or it just didn't seem so amazing, because two pages ago she made walking through a door seem just as important. I don't know if this is making any sense to you, but oh well... 

However, as I mentioned previously, things really started picking up for me towards the second half, and especially near the end. Warner is by far the best, most developed and complex character in the series, so him being involved made the content of the plot so much more substantial, and I started to actually enjoy myself as I read (which is sort of the point here). 

All in all, this one was a half star below Shatter Me, but I never give up on a series because of the second book. It's a rule I have for myself- especially with trilogies. 2nd book blues is a real thing, and having finished Ignite Me yesterday (shhhh I know I procrastinated this review) I can confirm this book has it. 

If you read Shatter Me and maybe somewhat enjoyed it, I would say you should give this book a go. I really did enjoy the ending, which is why I didn't go down into the two star range. 

              

Click here to view Unravel Me on Goodreads

Other books in this series:

Shatter Me

Shatter Me

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi 
Genre: YA Dystopian
Pages: 338
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Purchase this book here

Juliette's touch is poisoned with death. Every human she touches dies within minutes.  Why? Nobody knows for sure, but the one thing that everyone knows is that Juliette is powerful.  The Reestablishment seeks to use her curse power to take over the world. Juliette seeks to hide her power from the world. After being imprisoned for the past year because of her curse power, Juliette is wary of anyone who sees good in an ability so evil.  

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I liked this book more than I thought I would, even if it's not the best book ever.  The action is exciting, and the overall idea is very unique. 

Maybe you picked this up from my synopsis, but the book is filled with crossed out words.  I really liked this aspect of the novel, because it helped you better understand Juliette, the main character.  However, I can see why this would bother some people, as it does break the flow of the writing a bit.  If this is something that would ruin the reading experience for you, I would steer clear of this novel.  

My biggest problem with the book was probably the love interest.  Adam is a rather bland character.  He doesn't really have a personality, and he lacks flaws. What little personality he does have is conflicting.  

My other problem with this book was how much romance there was.  I'm fine with some here and there, but it felt like every other scene was a romance scene. 

However, I did enjoy this book.  It had a very interesting plot.  Juliette literally has the touch of death, and it was interesting to read from the point of view of a person who is pretty much isolated from society in a mental and physical way.  

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a unique dystopian action novel, and doesn't mind a lot of romance.  I'm rating it three and a half stars merely because it wasn't terrible, it wasn't spectacular, but I did enjoy it.  

Top Ten Tuesday 12/1/15

Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's theme is actually "most anticipated debut novels of 2016", but because I don't think I'd be able to come up with ten, I'll be simplifying it to "most anticipated novels of 2016". 

So, here are my Top Ten Most Anticipated Novels of 2016 in order from least to greatest anticipation:

10. Stars Above by Merissa Meyer

Stars Above is going to be a collection of short stories from the Lunar Chronicles! More content? I think yes.  

9. I See Reality by Various Authors

With twelve short stories about life, I thought this book looked rather interesting. 

8. Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige

This is the third book in the Dorothy Must Die series, and I'm pretty excited to see how it ends. (Is it the last book... I don't know if there's supposed to be another one or not.)

7. The Last Star by Rick Yancey

This is the final book in the 5th wave trilogy, and I'm certain I'm not the only one who's highly excited about seeing how this alien apocalypse closes.  

6. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

This is the 2nd book in the Red Queen series, and I'm really excited to see what happens next!

5. United As One by Pittacus Lore

IT'S THE LAST BOOK- I'M SO EXCITED!!!! 

Ahem, anyway, yes, final installment in the I Am Number Four series, and I seriously can't handle the cliffhanger we got at the end of the last book.

4. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken   

If you didn't already know, yes.  Alexandra Bracken is releasing a new book on January 5th, and yes, I am most definitely reading it.  And just look at that stunning cover! 

I mean, I'm not one to judge books by their cover (cough) but just look at it! 

3. The Crown by Kierra Cass

I know some people weren't too fond of the extension of the Selection Series, but I personally adore the Selection world, and I'm super excited to get this book.

2. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater 

The final book in the Raven Cycle is coming out spring of next year, and I seriously cannot wait.  Also, this book has a beautiful cover- it takes my breath away.  

1. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare 

And my number one, most highly anticipated novel of 2016 is Lady Midnight.  I mean- is there a TMI fan out there who isn't excited for Lady Midnight?  More content on those next generation Shadowhunters = take my money. 

Thanks for reading this week's TTT- comment your thoughts and feel free to link your post! 

  

The White Rose

Title: The White Rose (The Lone City #2) 
Author: Amy Ewing
Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopia
Pages: 308
Purchase the book here

In this continuation of the Jewel by Amy Ewing, Violet Lasting is running from the Jewel with her two closest friends.  Ash Lockwood, former companion, is a wanted fugitive. Violet, escaped surrogate, is said to be the victim of rape. Raven Stirling, pregnant surrogate, is half-crazy.  Despite the attention the three are receiving, they manage to evade the royals and get to safety with other people who want to overthrow the royalty. Unfortunately for Violet, she has a very, very special role in this rebellion.  But will she be strong enough to prove that she is more than just a surrogate, or will she fall to the limits the royalty have set? 

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If you read my review for the Jewel, you know that I did not enjoy it.  I only read this one because I already owned it. I was hoping that this one would get better, and I'm sorry to report that it did not fulfill these hopes.  

I mean, it wasn't bad, really.  But it just wasn't good.  And I still don't like the romance between Ash and Violet. 

The main reason I didn't like this novel was the plot.  It moved really fast.  Whenever a complication came up, the characters would get out of the problem without having to do anything. Does that make sense? Probably not... What I'm trying to say is everything was too easy.  They got out of problematic situations too easily.  

And the writing didn't get much better.  I mentioned a problem with antecedents and their pronouns in my Jewel review, and Ewing hasn't improved.  There is still confusion about which "she" is being referred to, or which persons are being included in the "they". 

Also, I felt the Raven's character was very inconsistent.  Her mind is supposed to be messed up, yet how aware she is changes so much that it's hard to keep track of when she's talking nonsense and when she's serious.  Violet, our narrator, doesn't mention if Raven is acting any differently. 

However, I must applaud Amy Ewing's ending.  It left off at a cliff hanger, and now I have to know what happens next. Siiiiiiigh. 

So yeah, I probably will be reading the third installment because- darn cliffhangers!! That being said, I'm still giving this three out of five stars, as it wasn't all that great.  

Red Queen

Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Genre: dystopia, action, YA
Pages: 388
Purchase this book here

Mare Barrow lives in a world divided by two blood types: red and silver.  The reds are the laborers- the workers.  They slave away in their grimy villages, supplying the silvers with every leisurely need.  The silvers are the nobles.  They sit in their mansions, or their expensive flats in the capital of the country, laughing at the insignificance of the reds.  There is one special thing about the silvers, though: they have a special ability, each of them.  Some have the strength of a giant, some can bend the rays of the sun at their will, some can leek into the minds of their neighbors.  It is these abilities that create a rift between society.  The kingdom is so cleanly divided that nobody quite knows what to do when one day, Mare Barrow, common red, quite obtrusively shoots lightning out of the palm of her hand directly at the new queen-to-be- by accident. 

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This book was fantastic! It was choke full of action, and there was a twist around every corner. This was definitely worth my time, and I can't wait for the next one to come out. 

As you can see from the summary, this book is a dystopian book.  I for one, love dystopia, and if you do to, you should definitely pick this book up. What drove me to read this was probably just how popular it was, so, I figured, I might as well see what all the hype was about.  It definitely has a Throne of Glass feel to it, along with a Hunger Games sort of social system.  That being said, this is a book entirely of its own sort, so don't be afraid of picking up some repeat dystopia book. 

The actual story telling of this book was down right phenomenal. When you start reading a dystopian book, or at least a book that takes place in its own world with its own ways of society, you usually get some amount of information dump.  The author explains all the rules and ways of society all at once, or as needed. That never actually happens in Red Queen.  This is how you can see just how great of a writer Victoria Aveyard is. She doesn't tell you all the background information, she shows you it. If you're a writer, you've probably heard that term before: Show, don't tell; and that's exactly what Aveyard does.  She doesn't tell you that Silvers are viewed as superior to Reds, she shows you through the two interacting in society.  She doesn't tell you that only Silvers have abilities, she shows you when everyone is shocked at Mare possessing a power. Having a good story is only half of the equation, you also need to be a good storyteller. 

So.... moving on to the characters. There are a lot of characters in this book, and sometimes it can be a little hard to keep track of them all, especially since a lot of them have odd names.  However, the major characters are very complex, and their personalities are strongly developed.  There is no bad guy and good guy.  Every character has a little bit of each in them. 

The action and suspense in this book is great, and you should definitely give it a shot!  It also has a great lesson in treating all people as your equal.  So go read this book, and remember, "power is a dangerous game".