Category: All Things Books

To Best The Boys Review

IndiaReadsALot2 Comments
  • Author: Mary Weber
  • Series: Standalone
  • Genre: Magic Realism/Action Adventure
  • No. of pages: 314
  • Dates read: 21.05.19 – 29.05.19
  • Star Rating: 4 stars

WOW!!!!!!

This is the kind of book I need more of in my life! This book is incredibly empowering and is something that all young girls should read.

Plot: Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port have received a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well, Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition. With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone is ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.

First of all, you have a female protagonist who aspires to be the first female scientist while also dealing with dyslexia, I love it. While dyslexia only plays a small part in her character it really shows her determination to want to learn and succeed. I thought she was an amazing protagonist and I found myself relating to her a lot!

One of the main themes of this book is about a women’s place. Who she should be in accordance to the male characters, you see Rhen try to break free from the societal constraints placed on her and she says numerous times that she is not owned by any man and that she is her own person to make her own decisions. Then you have Seleni who enjoys the more stereotypical roles of a housewife and mother and I loved that both women were empowered to lead their very different lives and the Seleni wasn’t ridiculed for her choices by Rhen and vice versa.

Seleni and Rhen’s relationship was one of my favourite parts of this book. I love their support for each other, their love for each other and how Seleni didn’t bat an eyelid in taking part in the contest to support Rhen. They were never really pitted against each other and even if they were they had each other’s back which I loved to see.

Many men in this book were awful! Point blank awful. I have never wanted to launch a book across the room as much as I have with this book, as some of the boys (the privileged, rich kids) were so rude and horrible. We had attempted assault, gaslighting, classism etc. Weber did a great job of making you hate these characters. I also felt that Weber did a great job though in separating the bad men from the good men who were allies to Rhen and Seleni. Like Lute, Beryll, Sam etc. These boys were a ray of light, especially Lute, who didn’t feel emasculated next to the girls and didn’t feel the need to bring them down but actually lifted them up and gave them opportunities to succeed.

What I liked about Beryll, especially, was he was raised exactly like the horrible boys were. Rich, privileged lives but he didn’t look down upon others and he took his experiences and the people he met and ultimately learned from it and tries to be the best ally he can me and I loved that about his character!

The setting for this book is really interesting. It’s sort of light fantasy/magic realism and I really enjoyed the setting. I loved that it was the norm to avoid going out at a specific time or specific areas because of ghouls and monsters and how some people didn’t bat an eyelid about it. The labyrinth was my favourite part of the plot, I do think we could have spent more time and I was disappointed that it was over so quickly. I felt it was incredibly imaginative and that not all was as it seemed, I love seeing the character dynamics play out with each obstacle. But I felt more time should have been spent in there.

The next book I will be reviewing is Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve. I have heard some amazing things about this novel so I’m excited to give this a go. I will also be re-reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the same time. I will go into a bit more detail about my re-read and why I am re-reading the series in a future post.

Viper Review

IndiaReadsALot2 Comments
  • Author: Bex Hogan
  • Series: Isles of Storm and Sorrow #1
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • No. of pages: 400
  • Dates read: 16.05.19 – 21.05.19
  • Star rating: 3.75 stars

I got this from a book subscription box and I had bought other ones for the same company and had not enjoyed the books selected that much or at all! So going into this I was quite worried I would have the same experience but I was happy to be proven wrong!

Plot: Seventeen-year-old Marianne is fated to one day become the Viper, defender of the Twelve Isles. But the reigning Viper stands in her way. Corrupt and merciless, he prowls the seas in his warship, killing with impunity, leaving only pain and suffering in his wake. He’s the most dangerous man on the ocean . . . and he is Marianne’s father. She was born to protect the islands. But can she fight for them if it means losing her family, her home, the boy she loves – and perhaps even her life?

For starters, the world of the Eastern Isles is really imaginative and I loved being in that world. I felt the introduction to the world and its history was done really well and was a very interesting part of the story. I really enjoyed hearing about the past between the Eastern and Western Isles. It was all thought out very well. Hogan’s descriptive writing of the different islands was really fun to read about. You could picture yourself there.

I have never read a pirate story before and I feel this is a really good introduction into these kinds of novels. I felt that Hogan’s writing when it came to explaining the ways of the Viper’s ship and all the sailing jargon was done really well to show the intricacies and knowledge Hogan had but also simpler enough that if you had never heard of this stuff before you weren’t incredibly lost. Also, the description of fighting was amazing, since these characters are such skilled fighters you have to have writing that matches that.

The female characters were stand out in this novel and I felt Marianne was a great protagonist. I especially loved her internal struggle of trying to figure out where she stands in the world and who she truly is. Her strength was something I truly loved about her, despite everything, she stands tall and continues to fight. It’s a very admiral trait to have in a female character.

Her relationship with her father was the most interesting part of the whole book. It’s a very traumatic and heart-breaking dynamic that could be hard for certain readers to read. You spend the whole book rooting for her, as you truly see a monster more than a man with Captain Alder. I think it’s an interesting pairing to have with a book as I am used to female characters standing up against evil mothers, not fathers.

I really enjoyed the exploration of what it means to be a woman in the world and especially what sacrifices the female characters have had to make in order to survive whether it’s on an island or on the Viper’s ship.

I thought the arranged marriage between Torin and Marianne was done really well. I think most arranged marriages are written to be evil things that act as prisons for the main character and while this can be the case, it was nice to see a more positive spin on a trope which is normally used more negatively.

My only qualms with this novel are:

I felt the magic and all the stuff surrounding the magic could have been introduced or hinted at earlier on. There were signs here and there but they were too subtle and I felt when they did the big reveal that it came out of no-where and I would have been happy if she just a normal teenager trying to survive.

I really didn’t like the whole “I’m scared of the darkness within me” trope that happens a lot in books like this. I found that it was used to much and it got quite tiresome by the end of it as personally, I would love to see her embrace all sides of herself.

Finally, the romance took some time to really work for me. I am not the biggest fan of romance in stories, as I have seen it be done horribly so I am always cautious but I ended up enjoying it, it just took some time.

The Boundless Review

IndiaReadsALot3 Comments
  • Author: Kenneth Oppel
  • Series: Standalone
  • Genre: Historical/Magic Realism
  • No. of page: 332
  • Dates read: 12.05.19 – 15.05.19
  • Rating: 2 stars
  • Challenge: ONTD Challenge May Theme “A book set in a country you’ve never been to”. (Canada)

I had a lot of hope for this book. I had only recently added it onto my TBR list and happened upon it while in the library. This book, to me, had so much going for it but it just lacked in execution.

Plot: When Will Everett boards The Boundless he expects the ride of his life – not a fast route to death. But when the key to the train’s secret cargo falls into his possession he finds himself hunted by ruthless killers. As the great train hurtles across the country he will need all his wits to elude his pursuers – and keep himself alive. (Goodreads)

The overall writing was quite boring, I understand it needs to be easy as this is aimed at a more younger audience but the writing could have been more exciting! This book to me felt like it was a middle grade novel trying to be a YA novel. One thing I did enjoy with the writing was that it covered a lot of deep-rooted issues like racism, colonisation and sexism which I felt was handled well but then on the flip side the character does black face and is trying to pass off as Indian in order to not be recognised by the villain and that made me feel uncomfortable.

The book tackled with a lot of genres; historical fiction, fantasy and magic realism. While I normally enjoy a mismatch of genres this felt all over the place for me. I guess it was meant to play with the question of “what is magic?” and “is it magic or just an illusion?” but I don’t think it was executed that well.

I love stories set on trains. I think it’s a really interesting setting for a novel and the description of the different carriages was fun and varied, what I expect from a middle grade novel. I loved the imagination!

The characters were fun and slightly layered which was enjoyable and I loved going on the journey with them. Will, as a main character was fine, but you stay for the secondary characters as they bought more personality to the table. My favourite character would have to be Maren, a self-assured female character that had many different sides to her. I would have preferred if she was the protagonist of the story. She was the more interesting of the two.

The next book I will be reviewing is Viper by Bex Hogan. A book I obtained from the Fairyloot March Box. I have not had great luck with the books from the Fairyloot packages so I am hoping to enjoy this book but I am a bit worried.

April Wrap Up 2019

IndiaReadsALotLeave a comment

Below is the list of the four books I read in April. The photo includes all the books I own. I had a pretty good April with most books being 4 stars or more!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (4.5 stars)

This book to me was 4 stars until the very ending. I couldn’t give it 5 stars due to the fact I felt that Christie relied on the ending for her book entirely. While I felt that the ending was masterful, I felt the book as a whole was 4 stars.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (4 stars)

This book had been on my TBR list for ages and I thought I was never going to pick this us. This was until the ONTD Reading Challenge came along and set the theme of “Time Travel” for the month of April and I knew this was the book I was going to read. This book was an incredible slow-burner and I loved reading about this immaculate life/lives that Harry lives.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (5 stars)

This book was recommended to me by a friend from work, I don’t own this book so it’s not included in the photo. It was a book I had seen all over Booktube and Goodreads but never felt the urge to pick it up and did I feel like an idiot when I sat on the train back home from work and fell in love with these crazy characters! This is more of a character-driven novel and it was so, so good. Everyone should read it!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (2 stars)

So this book… I have not done a review for this book since I DNFed it at 40% so I couldn’t give a review on a book I didn’t even read half of. But I did read that 40% in April so I think it should be noted. To be honest, the reason I put it down was due to the desire to pick it back up was minimal and while I did want to know how it ended, I didn’t want to read the extra 300 pages to get there! I just decided to put it down and move away.

March Wrap Up 2018

IndiaReadsALotLeave a comment

Below is a list of the five books I read in March. The photo is missing Thunderhead sadly 😦

Legendary by Stephanie Garber (3 stars)

A great sequel to an amazing debut novel, though not without faults. Garber’s writing was enveloping, she welcomed you back to her world like she welcoming you back home. Yet the strucutre of the plot was a bit lacking at times.

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman (5 stars)

A jaw-dropping sequel! It was so good I have a friend from work picking up the series just so he can read this book. The world building is the standout feature in this story and more so than ever we see our own society reflected in this novel.

The Power by Naomi Alderman (4 stars)

A pre-dystopian novel I didn’t know I needed. The multi-perspective/characters were the highlights of the story. Alot of triggers litter this book, which I list in the review but this is just a warning going into the book.

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson (3.75 stars)

My very first arc! This was a promising debut and I will definitely pick up the next book she releases. The representation in this book stood out to me alot and I felt it was done really well. The main character was really great and I enjoyed reading her POV.

How to Adult by Stephen Wildish (3 stars)

A satirical non-fiction book I read but I don’t know how to review a book like that so I gave it an average rating. It was very funny and a quick read for March.

February Wrap Up 2018

IndiaReadsALotLeave a comment

Bit late this time round but I couldn’t find the time to take a photo of the books I read in February.

Below is a list of the four books I reviewed in February.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (4 stars)

A great final instalment to one of my favourite sci-fi series. I loved the diverse cast and the dossier style format it follows but critiqued the sometimes cringe dialogue.

The Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft (4 stars)

Another book into my 2019 sequels. I read the 1st book, Senlin Ascends, last year and it was my favourite book of 2018. I was quite nervous going into this one but I ended up throughly enjoying it!

The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah (3.5 stars)

A fresh new take on Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective, Hannah takes over the mantle from Christie and produces a book which has classic Christie tropes. I enjoyed this story a lot.

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (4 stars)

A heart-warming story about life and death. I get emotional every time I think about this story. A quick, inspirational read that will have you thinking about life just a little bit differently.

Bookish This or That Tag

IndiaReadsALotLeave a comment

Sadly, no review this Sunday. I had a really draining week at work so I didn’t get to finish a book in time for a review. So I decided to do a quick and fun tag about some of my own bookish opinions.

Series or Standalone

See, normally I wouldn’t consider this a hard choice. I adore standalones but when it comes to choosing between series or standalones, I think that there is so much expansion that you get plot and character wise with series that you can never really get with a standalone. While I love the simpleness of one wrapped up story in one book.

My choice would be series just because you get a lot more from a series than you do a standalone.

Magic earned or Magic Born

I like both options here. I love the idea of there are some people who are born with these incredible powers and we watch them struggle with immensity of the power and the responsibilities that come with it or watch them embrace what they have and use it for good. There are many variations that come with being born with magic.

That being said I love the idea of someone working really hard to be the best at the magic that they earned. I love the idea of dedication and it makes for really interesting characters as well. Someone choosing and working towards that level of power, evil or good it makes for a more dynamic character.

My choice would be magic earned.

Enemies to Lovers or Friends to Lovers

To me, this is quite an easy choice I understand the love for enemies to lovers trope having its appeal but I absolutely love the idea of two people who have been friends for a long time realise their love for each other. I prefer that over people who have disliked even hated each other suddenly have some moment which they realise they love each other or can grow to love each other.

My choice would be friends to lovers.

Hilarious Banter or Emotional Ruin

Again, another easy decision. I don’t mind a bit of emotional ruin here and there. The occasional tears and devastation. But personally, I prefer to laugh alongside my characters, enjoying moments of happiness with them rather than moments of heartbreak.

My choice would be hilarious banter.

Love Triangle or Instalove

I’m not the biggest fan or either option here to be honest. I personally think love-triangles are a bit more dynamic and a bit more interest to the story than insta love does. You get more tension with a love triangle which is not necessarily a good thing but it makes for a more interesting read. Insta-love to me is false. I don’t believe in it, if it is posed as lust at first sight, I think it could work so you’re not playing it off as true love.

My choice would be a love triangle.

Mean Parents or Dead Parents

The dead parents trope breaks my heart. All I can think of is Harry Potter and every time I think of him as an orphan stuck in the Dursley’s house it makes me tear up. That being said I don’t like mean/abusive parents so for that…

My choice would be dead parents.

So there you go… something to fill the gap before the next review.

January Wrap Up

IndiaReadsALotLeave a comment

This is just a small post to cover all the books I read in the month of January. I read 4 books this month, which are listed below alongside the review I wrote about it. So please give them a read and let me know what you think!

The Light Fantastic – Terry Pratchett (4.5 stars)

https://indiareads.home.blog/2019/01/06/the-light-fantastic-review/

Fire and Heist – Sarah Beth Durst (2 stars)

https://indiareads.home.blog/2019/01/13/fire-and-heist-review/

The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R Tolkien (3 stars)

https://indiareads.home.blog/2019/01/27/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-review/

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (5 stars)

https://indiareads.home.blog/2019/02/03/nevermoor-the-trials-of-morrigan-crow-review/

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow Review

IndiaReadsALot3 Comments
  • Author: Jessica Townsend
  • Series: Nevermoor #1
  • Genre: Fantasy and Middle Grade
  • No. of page: 384
  • Date Read: 25.01.19 – 31.01.19
  • Rating: 5 stars (Favourite)

Words cannot express how amazing and magical this book was! Part of me wishes I didn’t devour this book as quickly as I did and just read it slowly, taking in every single detail. But if I love a book I end up reading them so quickly! I will definitely be re-reading this in the future.

Plot:Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks–and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart–an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests–or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.

I genuinely have no bad things to say about this book so it will be purely positive things. I feel I might have peaked early this year.

The imagination in this book was amazing, it surprises me, with every book I read, in the vast creativity of authors where they can come up with such fun and imaginative ideas. This book is no exception! This book exuded magic and imagination, I felt like magic was spilling out of the pages! While I don’t like to compare books to other books, I definitely felt the same kind of magical feeling that I got when I read Harry Potter for the first time. I love the Hotel Deucalion with its varying rooms. I loved especially how the hotel changes the resident’s room to match their personality. It was fun to see Morrigan’s room develop as the story went on. I loved the brolly rail I thought that was super fun and I was impressed in the variety of trials! My favourite would have to be the Book Trial!

This was overall just a really fun book. I enjoyed reading it so much and it was so funny. The dialogue in this book was well balanced in being incredibly funny but not in a cringey way and I found myself laughing out loud at times.

The plot was really incredible. Whether it was just a chapter at the Deucalion or a chapter which involved an important trial each chapter introduces something new, whether it’s an unknown fact about a character or an insight further into the book’s on-going mystery. The mystery especially was one of the biggest highlights, Townsend was really good at keeping you intrigued right until the end, never really solving things but also maintaining the excitement throughout. You can’t possibly put the book down as you need more of this world, these characters, this story!

All the characters were exceptional. They worked really well as an ensemble cast and were all really likeable. They were also all incredibly different which made for a better reading experience. Morrigan was also a solid main character and I enjoyed viewing Nevermoor from her eyes. I found her POV to be fun to read about. My favourite character though would probably have to be Hawthorne Swift, he was such a ray of sunshine, hilarious and so much fun to read about.

The next book I will be reading is my first sci-fi novel of 2019. I will be reading Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, the third and final book in the Illuminae Files Trilogy.

Top 5 2019 Releases I’m Excited For.

IndiaReadsALotLeave a comment

2019 has a lot of exciting books in store for us! I can’t wait to get stuck in! Today I will be talking about some 2019 releases that have piqued my interest.

The Hod King – Josiah Bancroft

The Hod King is the 3rd book in The Tower of Babel series. I read the first book Senlin Ascends last April and it was my favourite book of 2018. It follows Thomas Senlin who travels to the Tower of Babel, with his new wife Marya but he loses her and spends the rest of the book traversing the tower in search for her. I haven’t read the 2nd book in the series yet but I just loved his first book so much I can’t help but get excited for new additions in the series.

Finale – Stephanie Garber

Same case as The Hod King. Finale is the final book in the Caraval trilogy. I read the first book Caraval, last February and absolutely loved it. I still haven’t read the 2nd book in the trilogy, Legendary, but I loved the first book so much I’m just so excited for new instalments. Fairyloot, a UK based book subscription box, is doing a very special box all about Finale and I really want to purchase it.

The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon

This story is told through multiple perspectives and focuses on Ead Duryan, an outsider turned lady-in-waiting who uses forbidden magic to protect the Queen, who is being targeted by assassins.

I have been hyped for this book since November as initially, I thought it was Fairyloot’s book for their December box. I love multi-perspective novels and I’m really intrigued about where this story will go especially as it seems the main characters are women.

The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Choski

Set in Paris in the 1800’s we meet Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, as treasure hunter. He is given the task of a life time when he is told to find an ancient artifcat for an ancient society called the Order of Babel . In order to get this artifact though, he will need a team of experts.

I’m getting a very strong Indiana Jones and Ocean’s Eleven vibe from this book so I am excited to read this! I haven’t read many books set in Paris either so it will be nice to explore Paris in book form.

The Similars – Rebecca Hanover

The Similars is a YA sci-fi novel focusing on a character called Emmalina who’s best friend, Oliver, died that summer. Trying to get over the grief of losing Oliver she comes face to face with Levi… her Oliver’s clone. Six clones arrive at her high school and even though she doesn’t want to get involved with them she can’t help but feel the pull. Soon she gets mixed up in the dark truth’s about her school and the clones.

I have never read a book like this before. Sci-fi isn’t really my genre but this sounds so intriguing so I really want to give this a try!