Kristin Cashore: Graceling

In the first in the series, Kristin Cashore takes readers on a journey to save not only a child but a Kingdom:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with just her hand since she was a child. She is a Graceling, blessed with a a special ability, an extreme skill that cannot be matched. Once her Graceling status was known she was given to the King to be his personal hit squad. Katsa accepted her life a long time ago, but then another Graceling who challenges everything she knows and is good at, Po. Katsa begins to question things as Po makes her think more about her Graceling ability and When someone in Po's family needs help, she will do anything to actually do something good with her abilities. But the road ahead is a dangerous one, enemies are made and not all will be the same when this is done.

I have heard nothing about good things about this series and about Katsa as a character. I really enjoyed this story and I was able to read it almost in one sitting. Cashore was able to draw me into the story right away with the idea of Gracelings and Katsa as a character. 

I loved Katsa as a character she knows who she is and what she wants and what she wants to do with her Graceling powers, but that was not how she started in the world. When she first discovers that she has the ability to beat anyone in a fight at eight, there are those that take advantage of her ability for murder and torture. It is as Katsa grows up she become more and more uncomfortable doing what she is told and the acts she is being told to do. She finds her inner strength and a new purpose in life. 

I think one of my favourite things in the book was the relationship between her and Po, it is so sweet and honest and full of emotions especially the farther you read into the story. Po is also a Graceling, so he understands some of things that Katsa has gone through but he had a very different upbringing that her. 

My main critique about the book I wasn't a fan of how the book was written, very paragraph heavy to the point that it felt clunky in the executions. Each new paragraph was almost always a new point in time, a new scene. This also meant that the book had longer chapters due to this fact. I wish that she broke it up a bit more in terms of chapters instead of paragraphs.

Although I enjoyed this book in the sense of Characters and Story how it was written really made it hard to read at times, that I don't think I will continue on in the series, especially as Katsa's story is wrapped up in this book. But i did enjoy this book overall.

Enjoy!!!!

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Liann Zhang: Julie Chan is Dead

In her debut novel Liann Zhang asks the question would you take over your Twin's Life?

Julie Chan has nothing, is nothing, lives a mundane life that is really going no where. This is complete contrast to her twin Sister Chloe, who has become a social media influencer and seems to have everything going for her. Julie and Chloe have not been in contact since they were separated at a young age, other than one video Chloe made using Julie. When Julie receives a call from Chloe out of no where, Julie feels she should go to Chloe. What she finds is Chloe's dead body and everyone thinking that she is Chloe. Does Julie dare to become Chloe, go into the life that has coveted from afar. But once Julie becomes Chloe she realizes that being an influencer is harder than one thinks, and that Chloe's life is not all it seems.

I personally love reading debut novels, to hear the new voices that are coming out in the literary world. The premise of this book had me hitting read extremely fast and even questioning if i had a twin and had the opportunity to take over their life would i? This is a theme that Zhang explores in the first part of the book, can Julie truly becomes Chloe and make those around her believe that she is actually Chloe as they have grown up so differently. There is also the need for Julie to try to find out why Chloe died and what better way to do it than pretend to be her, you can find friends and enemies a lot easer that way. I was in I was invested and then, What the actual F*** happens halfway through this book? 

This book takes a huge left turn that I was not expecting, but was warned something was going to happen but not what it was and I don't think i ever would have predicted that the book would take this turn. This is to the point where the books feel like two different books, that Zhang had two ideas (and I think great ideas) that Zhang decided to meld them together, but didn't quite make it.

Am I upset about this strange turn of events, Yes and No. Yes, because this book became something I was not expecting it to be and seemed so different from the beginning of the book and what i thought I was going to get. But then No at the same time as Zhang took a risk with this and deciding to go this way.

I liked that this book highlights what it takes to be a social media influencer, and I don't think that Zhang is far off in the first half of the book. The amount of content they are making and expected to make, how they feel the need to share everything in their life and that those who portray "healthy lives" are nothing but unhealthy (both physically and mentally).

Julie felt like such a real character to me, her life and her jealousy over Chloe's life and missing the twin that she had before they were separated as children. I cant blame Julie for the choices she makes or what she feels, it felt raw and real.

I was not a fan of the ending of this book either. You can tell Zhang tried to do something a bit different and normally I'm all about that, but it just didn't work here.

I would try another book by Zhang as I think the book was well written and the ideas she presented, just not together in one book. I think once Zhang can focus on just one amazing idea she will have a killer book.

Cheers!!!

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Alison Gaylin: The Collective

In the Collective, Alison Gaylin shows the lengths that grieving parents will go to, to make sure those who hurt their loved ones suffer:

Camille, is angry, grieving, mother, who for the past 5 years has had to watch the person who raped and murdered her daughter go free, have a clean record and have the world act like he was never involved in the crime, all because he had the money to get away with it. Camille has had enough, she is determined to show the world what type of "man" he truly is. Camille's actions bring her to the attention of a secret group on the dark web, one that makes sure those who got away from crimes are punished. Camille feels a sisterhood, a kinship to all those in the collective and if she can help even in small ways to bring justice to other mother's out there, she will do it. But the longer Camille is part of the Collective the more she learns not just about herself but the Collective as well and it will have her questioning everything.

This is the first book that I have read by Gaylin and it will not be the last. I do not know if I am the first one to say this but this book is what I wanted Kill for Me Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh to be (yes that very hyped book from last year), yep I said it. I found that this book had more depth, more emotion and even though it is more of a slow burn thriller at times i just felt connected to Camille that I was reading as fast as I could. Gaylin does such a great job in pulling the reader in. This made me invested in Camille right from the beginning, I wanted to know how far she would go, what limits the Collective would push her to and then thinking what would be my limit? Would I go this far? 

Personally, I cannot blame Camille for what she wants to happen to her daughter’s rapist and murderer. I think any parent would have many of the same feelings that she expresses throughout the book. Gaylin makes Camille feel like a real person and her honesty of what she wants is not sugar coated at all and it is dark at times. I like how Gaylin showed the decline in Camille's mental state throughout the beginning of the book and how helping the Collective seems to help her in some way. Although as you read further into the books there is a secondary plot that unfolds, this book is very much driven by Camille and her story.

That Ending.....now that is an ending. Way to go Gaylin. 

I really enjoyed this book, I like that Gaylin was able to make me feel so connected to Camille and at times takes the story in a way that I did not fully expect. I look forward to reading another book by Gaylin.

Enjoy!!!

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Sabaa Tahir: A Torch Against the night

In the second book in her Ember in the Ashes Series, Sabaa Tahir, the Main Characters are running for their lives as Dark forces continue to stalk them:

Elias and Laia are running for their lives and they are running from someone who know Elias better than anyone, so they have to be more cunning, more secretive, more fierce in order to escape, in order to prevent the continued genocide of the Scholars. But unhuman dark forces chase after them, death stalks them and there are those who would do anything to break them apart.

I don't think it needs to be said but I will say it anyways, you will need to read the first book An Ember in the Ashes before reading this book as this book starts up right after the first book left off. The first book also sets up the characters, relationship and how we got to this place in the story.

I'm obsessed with this series so far. I love that this book picked up right where the first ended as it not only ended on a cliff hanger but so much chaos as well. I did not want to put this book down and would have read it in one day if I could have. The stakes were even higher in the book due to the event of the first books and you feel these stakes in all of the POV. This book will give you a spectrum of feelings from Triumph to heartbreak several times within the book, but it never slows down (Tahir knows what she is doing with pacing).

I loved that there are still three POV in this book and that Helene is now getting more chapters. Her POV is much different from the other two as she is not where she want to be and not whom she wants to be with but she does her duty any way. The obstacles that are placed in her way along her journey in this book are devastating and heartbreaking at times. Unlike the first book I feel like we really get to know Helene as a character. 

I don't think I can say enough how much I have enjoyed this book and this series so far. I am invested in all the characters and was to see where Tahir takes each other their stories as we well as the world they live in. Cannot wait to read the next book in this series and I cannot recommend enough starting this series. You will not be disappointed.

Enjoy!!!!

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