Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

OVERVIEW: I'm going to try and keep this short, because I think that if you read it without knowing everything, it makes the book better. So, Lady Midnight is about Emma Carstairs and the Blackthorn family five years after the Dark War from TMI. I would suggest reading TMI before reading Lady Midnight, but I don't think it would be hard to figure out what's going on if you don't. But, Lady Midnight did feel like a continuation.

MY THOUGHTS: I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. Cassandra Clare has grown so much in her writing since City of Bones came out, and you can really tell in reading Lady Midnight. The plot was so complex. I was so glad that some of the characters from the other Shadowhunter books were mentioned in LM. I feel like that's all I can say without spoiling the book.

SPOILERS: So, I thought that Malcolm was being really odd about the investigation, BUT I did not see him as being the Guardian!! I honestly thought the Guardian was Diana, and I'm still confused as to why she's been going throughout the entire book. At first, I thought the relationship with Julian and Emma was kind of immature, and only because they lived together. But, as the book went on, I felt really bad that they can't be together. I still don't understand why it's such a big deal, I feel like the Clave should want powerful Shadowhunters. But, if it drives them to ruins, that makes sense. I went back and forth throughout the whole book thinking that Mark would stay in the Institute or go back with the Wild Hunt. I thought that Mark would fall in love with Christina, and she would be the reason he stayed. But then Diego ruined that for me! I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, and how many plot twists I experienced, but I already feel like I'm rambling. So, I'm going to leave with WHAT DOES MARK MEAN WHEN HE SAYS "Why pretend?"?!?!?!?

I give this book a 98%!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

OVERVIEW: Aristotle is a loner, he calls himself a pseudo-only child because his siblings are all 10+ years older than him, and his brother is in prison. Ari has no clue about his brother, his family never mentions him; they don't even have any pictures of him on their walls. When Ari meets Dante, his life changes. Dante teaches Ari to swim and they become best friends.

MY THOUGHTS: I was really excited to read this book because 1. the cover is GORGEOUS and 2. it was really hyped up. But I did not enjoy this at all. The storyline was okay, but I felt that both Ari and Dante were very immature, which really annoyed me. I felt like their wasn't even any character growth in the book at all, Ari was still as immature at the end as he was at the beginning. And the writing style of this book was unappealing to me. The author uses mainly simple sentences, with ten words or less. I felt like that made it difficult for me to even connect with the characters or even get into the story.

SPOILERS: So when I say Ari was still immature at the end, I mean, he really didn't change. He just accepted the fact that he was in love with Dante. And the whole story was revolved around their relationship, but I honestly just wanted to know more about why the family never mentioned their brother. When it was revealed that Bernardo was in prison for killing someone, all I could think was, that wasn't even like a big bomb drop. It was very anti-climatic, as was the rest of the book for me. I went into this book knowing that it was about two boys in love with each other, but they didn't even acknowledge their love until the last chapter. I feel like that made it even harder to get into.

I honestly don't even know what grade I'd give this book; but I did give it one star on Goodreads.

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

OVERVIEW: Hayley Kincain hasn't had the most normal of lives. After her mother died, and her father was sent to fight in the war, Hayley was placed with her father's new girlfriend. Years later, Hayley and her dad settle down in her grandmother's house after spending years traveling the country in a semi. Hayley now has to go to regular school, while worrying about her dad's PTSD and bad habits.

MY THOUGHTS: This book was kind of confusing to me at first; Hayley couldn't remember anything of her childhood, and that wasn't explained. I wasn't sure if she had brain damage, or a traumatic incident that made her block out the past, so I was unsure of the instances when she was having flashbacks. I'm honestly still not positive on why Hayley blocked out her past. The story was otherwise easy to follow, and a fast paced read. The one thing I was very disappointed in was that there were a multitude of editing mistakes that hadn't been accounted for, such as the author leaving out the word 'other' when saying 'each other'. This didn't make the story harder to understand, but it was kind of annoying to me since there were more than five instances of this.

SPOILERS: I honestly have no idea how Hayley could have kept her dad's behaviors and addictions hidden for so long. It would make me mentally unstable. I was honestly scared for Hayley when her dad found her in the car almost kissing Finn. I was sure Finn would understand something was up and report it, but I understand that he didn't because he had problems of his own. The fact that Hayley wouldn't let anyone help her until the conclusion, though, really annoyed me. I felt like she should have been more willing for help. Overall, I liked this, but didn't love it.

I give this book an 80%.

George by Alex Gino

OVERVIEW: This story follows George, a transgender fourth grader. It's a very quick read, following George's thoughts and process of him telling everyone he believes he's a girl.

MY THOUGHTS: This book was so heart-warming! It was a quick, but very good read! It's definitely a book that will stay with me forever. This was the first book I read with a transgender narrator, and I'm glad it was the first book I read. It gave me more perspective on transgender people, and helped me understand their thought process more. I feel like this is a really short review, but it's really hard for me to describe what a good and impactful book it is.

SPOILERS: I felt so bad for George throughout the entire book, but she is so brave! My only thing I wished the author would have done was show how the mom and brother adapted to Melissa; were they okay with it? Did they support her through everything? I wanted to know how supportive her mom turned out to be since she was reluctant about the idea at first. But, I did love how accepting Kelly was. It was such a great portrayal of how kids aren't born judgmental.

I give this book a 95%.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

OVERVIEW: This book is about a boy with depression. This boy, Craig, checks himself into a hospital; the book chronicles Craig's stay in the hospital. This is pretty much all I think one needs to know before reading it.

MY THOUGHTS: I overall enjoyed this book. There were parts I, as a person diagnosed and treated with depression, really connected with. Although Craig and I are completely different people, with different morals, I really felt like I knew exactly how he felt because of my struggle with depression. There were certain scenes in the book that I felt were unrealistic, which I will describe in the spoilers. But, overall this was a good, quick read. Many reviews stated that the book was funny, and I don't know if this is because of my struggles with depression or something else, but I don't think it was very funny. There was a few characters I thought were funny, but I really thought that it was a serious book, with a serious topic and tone.

SPOILERS: I completely connected with Craig and his stress over getting into school, as I just went through applications for college and the stress of wanting to get perfect grades since I started college. I really give Craig props though, for being able to admit he has depression and get help, because it is HARD. As for what I thought was unrealistic, the part where Craig takes Nia to his room and KEEPS THE DOOR OPEN to make out with her. I have never been in a mental hospital, but I really think it would be difficult to bring a girl to your room.. Muqtada did make me laugh when he interrupted them though! Craig deserved it!! At the end, when it said that this story was inspired by Vizzini's five day stay at the hospital, I was really moved. It made me really sad to know that he had to go through all that, to get the idea for his book. It's a very serious topic, but Vizzini tackled it well and mostly realistically!

I give this book an 80%.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

OVERVIEW: This book is a continuation of the Throne of Glass series, the second book. In this book, Celaena is now the King's Champion. The king commands Celaena to assassinate a man she knew in her life before Endovier. Before Celaena does the job, she tells the prince she wants more time for this job so she can find out more about the rebel group this man is in. This book follows Celaena's journey of trying to uncover the secrets of this rebel group, and to save her old friend.

MY THOUGHTS: First of all, OH MY GOSH WAS THIS AMAZING. There were so many plot twists and unexpected events. I read this book on my laptop, and I literally dropped my laptop more than once because of everything that happens in this book! It's so CRAZY. Celaena's relationships with Chaol and Dorian develop even more in this book than they had in TOG. And I honestly feel like Celaena matured more throughout this book, even if she's still an assassin. Maas's writing is so thrilling, it's hard to describe! I feel like I'm literally in the world and had to adjust when I stopped reading and went back to the 'real world'. This is honestly, so far, one of the best series I've read in a while! I highly suggest the Throne of Glass series, and I'm only on book two of six!

SPOILERS: Once again, I am neither Team Chaol or Team Dorian. Chaol is just really cocky, in my opinion, and I can't stand that. I think Dorian is really sweet and wants to do good, but with him being the Crown Prince and Celaena being a criminal/assassin and pretty much against anything the King says or does, I know a relationship between the two could never work out.
I was SO pissed when Nehemia died, I wanted to go into the world to take care of such injustice! Like, I feel like I should have known it would happen since she's a princess and is also against the King (although he doesn't know it), but I still loved her character! The one thing that did surprise me though was that Archer killed her! I honestly thought that the King paid someone to off her..
AND THE ENDING, WOW. That's about all I can say; Celaena is part fae and Dorian has magic; the King is an asshole and WOW.



So, I've been watching some booktubers and one of the channels I like uses a "Grading" System instead of the Star system, and I think I'll like that better so I'm going to do that instead. Because, as she pointed out, I could really like a book, and still give it four stars. I could like a book and give it three stars, but hate a book and give it two, there isn't much room for people to actually know how wonderful you think the book is.

My "Grading" System rating is a 97%.

Front Lines by Michael Grant

OVERVIEW: This book follows three different young ladies in an alternate history of World War II. In this reality, women were also drafted into the war. These three different girls come from different parts of the United States with different backgrounds. There is one white girl, an African American girl, and a Jewish girl; these three all enlist into the army before they can be drafted. The first half of the book follows the girls' decisions to enlist and their time in boot camp. The second half follows the girls' to Tunisia, North Africa, to the front lines.

MY THOUGHTS: I was so disappointed with this book. World War II is one of my favorite historical fiction subjects so I'll read almost anything with high expectations. This book did not meet my expectations. I felt that the plot was really slow, with no twists or turns or unexpected events. I couldn't even pick out what the climax was. The one thing I did find interesting was the setting of Tunisia, I have never read a WWII book set in Africa, so I did like that perspective.

I give this book a 2/5 stars.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

OVERVIEW: This story follows an assassin in the land of Adarlan that is imprisoned in a death camp. The Crown Prince travels to Endovier to find Celaena, the assassin, and bring her to the castle to train and fight to be the King's Champion. Dorian, the Crown Prince, really takes to Celaena and believes in her right from the beginning. Meanwhile, Dorian's friend and a guard named Chaol is very untrusting of Celaena. This book is filled with twists and turns.

MY THOUGHTS: I honestly wish that I would have found this book sooner. It is such a great, fast paced read and I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a famous YA movie series. I kind of felt like this book was like The Selection, but with killing and magic and unexpected elements. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes corrupted societies and fantasy.

SPOILERS: I thought that Nehemiah was the killer, and Cain was just on drugs. When Maas pulled magic into the book, I was mindblown. During Cain and Celaena's duel, my heart was pounding because I thought she wouldn't drink the wine and when she did I just wanted to throw my book!! I had absolutely no idea how Celaena would survive, and didn't know how the next book could continue if Celaena didn't win. But she did, and I was SO happy!! I just finished this as I'm writing this and still cannot put into words how crazy this book was for me. When Celaena "let go" of Dorian, I was kind of sad; but in a way I want her to be with Chaol, but then I'm torn. I'm excited to see where this love triangle leads in the next book, which I will be getting next time I visit my library!
**I also want to predict that something bad was in Celaena's contract and there's going to be a shitstorm ahead for Celaena, Dorian, and Chaol.

I give this book a 4.5/5 stars

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

OVERVIEW: Salt to the Sea follows four different refugees from World War Two in each of their perspectives. The perspectives are from Alfred, a German sailor; Joana, a Lithuanian nurse; Florian, an East Prussian boy; and Emilia, a Polish teenager. The four all meet on the ship Wilhelm Gustloff.

My thoughts: This is such a beautiful, heartbreaking story. I've always enjoyed historical fiction books about WWII and the Holocaust; and I absolutely loved Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray, but this book exceeded my expectations and easily become one of my all time favorite books. Before reading Salt to the Sea, I had never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff. I would suggest you read the book before researching the Gustloff if you've never heard of it; this will ensure no spoilers. But what happened is so heartbreaking and honestly made me mad that I never learned about this event in school. While I did not cry while reading the book, I cried when I read the author's note and hearing the disturbing facts of this event. This book was so fantastic, I am having such a hard time putting my thoughts into words. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE.





SPOILERS AHEAD:

I am SO upset that Emilia sacrificed her life for others, but I SO admire the action. I just wish she was able to survive and watch Halinka grow and have a wonderful life. The fact that Alfred died made me strangely happy, he was just too corrupted by Hitler's propaganda. My favorite part, though, was that Joana and Florian ended up together and raised Halinka, along with a family of their own. Although, I was kind of hoping that Emilia and Florian would stay together.



I give this book a 5/5 stars!