Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

 


Book: Scarlet

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Pages: 452 Pages

Format: ARC

Source: Traded at OBS Meet Up 2013

 Where to Buy: Amazon CA, Chapters Indigo, Book Depository




 

Goodreads Summary

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Review:  

When I read Cinder last year I really didn't like it. I found it to be a bit annoying, and the foreshadowing was extremely obvious in my opinion. I really did not have a good time reading it. But lately, for some reason (probably the hype around Cress) I really wanted to pick up Scarlet. And I'm really glad I did.

I liked the narration a lot more in this book than I did in Cinder. I think it was because of the variety of characters and points of view, but I was more engaged in the writing and in the lives of the characters. The world surrounding them was so cool to learn about and I loved the balance between all the different story aspects.

The story I also found had a great balance. There was a great mix of Scarlet's story, as well as a continuation of Cinder's story. Learning more and more about the world and about the mysterious back stories of the characters was so interesting and I really enjoyed that.

I really liked the romance, or the start of the romance, in Scarlet as well. I just wish there had been more Kai and Cinder relationship in this one! Understand completely why there wasn't and why there couldn't be, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Scarlet, packed with beautiful writing and amazing characters, blew me away. It exceeded expectations, and I'm so glad I gave this series another go! 4/5 stars!

-Indigo 
@indigowayworth

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Review: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepard

Book: Her Dark Curiosity

Series: The Madman's Daughter #2

Author: Megan Shepard

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 420 Pages

Format: ARC

Source: HCC Frenzy - Thanks Ladies!

Where to Buy: Chapters Indigo, Amazon CA, Book Depository, 

Goodreads Summary

To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.

My Review

Okay, so here's the deal. The Madman's Daughter was really good. I really liked it, and I knew I wanted to complete the series. The inspiration from classic novels was such an incredible twist, and so different than the straight retellings that fill the YA shelves. So Her Dark Curiosity... blew me away. It was fan-freaking-tastic. 

Juliet is such an incredible character. She is strong, she's badass, she's caring, and she's human. We see many times through the novel where she makes mistakes, or does something wrong, and she has to recover from that. The fact that she has these moments makes her so much more relatable, and made me connect with her character. Also, her narration was kick ass. I really love the way she looked at the world, and the way she viewed the social constructs that had been set for women in her time and place.

I must say, even though I hate love triangles, this one worked. It might be because of the situation of one of the men in question (I can't go into specifics because of spoilers) or it might have been because I at one point was confused as to who she should choose. The writing of the triangle worked so well, and I was just stunned at how much I really enjoyed the love triangle. But this was an exception! I still don't like love triangles, or hexagons, or dodecahedrons!

And I cannot rave about the plot enough. This series is so cool, and it moves so quickly, but the forshadowing and the suspense is on point, and ahhhh! I really love this story. I love how Megan Shepard is able to blend these classic tales into one big amazing mishmash of awesome!

One of my favourite reads of the year. 5/5 stars. Have you read this series yet? Let me know if you have, because I want to flail with you over Twitter! If not, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

- Indigo
@Indigowayworth

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Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This year is one for the scrapbooks. I've done so many incredible things, gotten so many incredible opportunities, met so many wonderful people, and read some absolutely beautiful books. From my 

1. Great by Sara Benincasa
LGBTQ Fiction in a contemporary Great Gatsby story. With witty dialogue, beautiful writing, and such a hilarious bunch of characters, what's not to love?

2. Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Blunt, Funny, and heartbreaking, this book started my year off really well :)

3. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

A perfect ending to my favourite trilogy of all times. 

4. Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepard

I didn't expect to love this one as much as I did. But the pacing, and the writing, and the incredible characters make it stand out.

5. The Archived and the Unbound by Victoria Schwab

This series is an absolute incredible one. The Archived was so captivating and I fell in love with the characters. And the Unbound? Such an amazing sequel! I just want book 3 now! Also, Guyliner. #InWesleyAyresWeTrust

7. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Noah and Echo quickly became one of my favourite couples.

8. Dare You To by Katie McGarry

High school romance with a harsh writing style = one of my favourites

9. Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Such an amazing read. Please read the series, because it's so incredible!!!

10. Cruel Beauty by Rosamond Hodge

This book was beautiful, and the writing blew me away!!

I have had such a great year in reading so far, and I hope to finish it off strong!!! What are you best reads this year? Let me know in the comments!! Also, link me to your TTT!!

-Indigo

@indigowayworth

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Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Book: The Raven Boys

Series: The Raven Cycle #1

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastics Press

Pages: 409 Pages

Format: Hardcover

Source: Won in a giveaway from Kimmy at Pingwing's Bookshelf

Where to Buy: Amazon CA, Chapters Indigo, Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

My Review

I wasn't blown away by this book. I actually thought it was just alright. The writing was good, but it was so slow, and not in a good way. It was basically just a info dump for the rest of the series. The character's were alright, and the writing was pretty good, but everything was just... meh.

First things first, I don't know why, but I couldn't stand Blue. I was just erked by everything she did, and the way she thought. From her mannerisms, to the way she treated her mother at times, and im not proud of this last one, even her name (I know, from a girl named Indigo, it shouldn't bother me, but it did for some reason). 

The only thing I really appreciated in this book was the world building. Since this book was just an info dump, I'm very glad that the world that we were learning about was actually good. The world was so well built, but even then, I feel like there's nothing more to learn about, even though I know that there is. 

I don't think I'll invest in the second book, but I might pick it up from the library this summer. I'm really only interested in the romance at this point. 2.5/5 stars. It was only a 50% for me.

-Indigo
@Indigowayworth

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Review: The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

Book: The Unbound

Series: The Archived #2

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 368 Pages

Format: Hardcover

Source: Bought at Chapters Indigo

Where to Buy: Amazon Canada, Chapters Indigo, The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn't easy -- not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's really safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?

With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.

My Review

The Archived is one of my favourite books at the moment. The story was so captivating, and the characters so well written that I found myself really connecting with them. That being said, anyone would feel scared going into book 2, The Unbound. I was terrified that everything that I loved would crumble, and I'd be severely disappointed. This was not the case at all, and I found myself caring for these characters even more.

I want to talk Characters first, because they are possibly my favourite part of this series. Firstly, Wesley Ayres is God. He is possibly my favourite character of all time. He's such an incredible friend, and a beautiful person, and the little things he does totally makes me swoon. For instance, he's a badass who wears eyeliner, and leather, and studs, but he also abides by dress codes and rules, and i don't know why that makes me so happy, but it does. 

Mac is also such an incredible character and she grew so much during this book. There was so much more to her, and I found that I wanted to just hug her and tell her that everything would be alright. She was so strong in book one, and seeing her more vulnerable side was so wonderful. I can't wait to see her grow in the books to come.

The plot, and the world, just become more and more lavish as time goes on, and I have fallen in love with the world that Victoria Schwab has created. I would be an idiot to not give this one a 5/5 stars.

What did you guys think of The Unbound? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for reading guys! So glad to be back!!

- Indigo Wayworth

@IndigoWayworth

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Review: The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely

Book: The Gospel of Winter

Author: Brendan Kiely

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderly Books

Pages: 304 Pages

Format: Hardcover

Source: Won from the IndigoTeen Twitter Page - Thank you guys!

Where to Buy: Amazon Canada, Chapters/Indigo, The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

A fearless debut novel about the restorative power of truth and love after the trauma of abuse.

As sixteen-year-old Aidan Donovan’s fractured family disintegrates around him, he searches for solace in a few bumps of Adderall, his father’s wet bar, and the attentions of his local priest, Father Greg—the only adult who actually listens to him.

When Christmas hits, Aidan’s world collapses in a crisis of trust when he recognizes the darkness of Father Greg’s affections. He turns to a crew of new friends to help make sense of his life: Josie, the girl he just might love; Sophie, who’s a little wild; and Mark, the charismatic swim team captain whose own secret agonies converge with Aidan’s.

The Gospel of Winter maps the ways love can be used as a weapon against the innocent—but can also, in the right hands, restore hope and even faith. Brendan Kiely’s unflinching and courageous debut novel exposes the damage from the secrets we keep and proves that in truth, there is power. And real love.

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