Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Rating: 4 stars
Publisher/ Date: Greenwillow Books/ September 22nd, 2015
Word Rating:  Solid history-based goodness. 
Purchase: AmazonBarnes and Noble
Source: Borrowed ARC
The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research. 

I loved, loved, loved this book.

If anyone else remembers them, Walk on Earth a Stranger reminded me a bit of the Dear America books for children. I loved those books for their strong roots in history, and for making their historical setting come to life with a kickass female protagonist.

The worldbuilding in this novel is strong, and I really felt like I was fully immersed in the world of 1850s America and the struggles and hardships of the Oregon Trail.

We have a female protagonist who has her priorities straight and sorted, and I would argue that there really isn't romance in this first novel, which was a nice change because it allows you to get invested in Lee and her individual story.

The Mulan-esque thrill of when/if/how Lee will be caught, a twisted family plotline, and the fantasy element (which I was a bit worried about, initially, but was executed very well) felt like icing on the cake.

Definitely one of my favorites of this year so far, and now I'm further solidified in my mindset of buying/reading/throwing my money at anything Rae Carson writes!

(Full review to come closer to the release date.)

Sketchy Sunday: All the Light We Cannot See

So lately, since summer has started and I've suddenly found myself with a lot of free time on my hands, one of the things that I've started to take an interest in is typography and hand lettering. After spending too much time on Tumblr and looking through a bunch of beautiful examples, I decided to try hand lettering myself.

For inspiration I used some of my favorite books, of course, and one of the better pages was this one, inspired by All the Light We Cannot See. 

Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Rating: 3.5 stars
Publisher/ Date: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books/ October 7th, 2014
Word Rating:  Complex characters make this book. 
Purchase: AmazonBarnes and Noble

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

The Young Elites is definitely some of the best fantasy I've read this year. The premise isn't exactly the most unique, but what drew me to the book was the nuanced characterizations in the story. 

Adelina is not your typical YA fantasy heroine. 

I feel like this statement has been thrown around a lot to refer to a lot of YA heroines, but Adelina really stands completely apart from most of the heroines I've read about. 

Adelina is brave. She is resilient, she is a fighter. But more than that, it would be very difficult to call her good. And it is this very lack of "goodness" that makes her such a fascinating character. 


In spite of everything, I feel a strange sense of glee. All this chaos is of my own creation. 

There's a darkness inside of her that festers, and instead of going away, stays with her throughout the novel and becomes a driving force for her. She wants to hurt, kill, cause chaos. It's easy to see why others are weary of her but also easy to see why this darkness drives her, creating a story narrated by an anti-hero rather than a hero, which is something I've scarcely seen in YA. 

Oh, and she has one eye. Which is totally awesome. 

None of the relationships made me want to hit my head against something.

The friendship between Adelina and Raffaele, a hot male courtesan who's also really kind, is presented so, so well. His beauty and kindness is acknowledged by Adelina throughout the novel and in another book, this might have immediately set off my love triangle meter, but here, the friendship between a boy and girl is done the way it should be. 

I also loved the relationship between Adelina and Violetta, her sister. I could relate so much to the jealously Adelina had towards her and I could understand all of the bad thoughts Adelina had for her, and yet I could also see exactly why Adelina protects her and cares for her. 

Enzo and Adelina's relationship is never the main focus of the book, which is always a plus point. To be perfectly honest, I didn't really feel the chemistry between them, and I was left wondering until the very end whether they really even care for each other (which isn't as bad of a thing as I think I made it sound; in fact, I thought it added to the intrigue around both of their characters). 

The plot always keeps you on your toes. 

While the plot might not have been very action-packed, per se (there are several very well-written fight scenes, though), there were always a few subplots to keep you hooked. 

And of course, the ending. I think I actually stopped reading for several minutes after getting halfway through that one particular event to collect myself before resuming. 

I didn't really enjoy Legend by the author and gave up halfway through the second book of that series, so I didn't have incredibly high expectations for this book despite the hype. But Marie Lu does fantasy a thousand times better than dystopia (I mean that in the best of ways) and you will not regret picking up The Young Elites. 

This review also appears in a guest post on Elfswood.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Winner's Crime

Title and Author: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
Publisher/ Expected release: Farrar Straus Giroux/ March 3rd 2015
Series: The Winner's Curse Trilogy (#2)  

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

This is pretty much my most-anticipated book for 2015 (well ,so far). I absolutely fell in love Arin, Kestrel, the slow-burn romance, the surprisingly engaging plot, and just everything about the world Marie Rutkoski created. Rutkoski has definitely made it onto my automatic-buy list.


Review: All the Light We Cannot See [...]


Rating: 4.5 stars
Publisher/ date: Scribner/ May 6, 2014
Word rating: Absolutely gorgeous.
Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure's agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.

In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure.

Doerr's gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is his most ambitious and dazzling work.

This is one of my all-time favorites. 

Review: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Rating: 3 stars
Publisher/ date: Feiwel & Friends/ September 2, 2014
Word rating: Too much convenience. 
This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

I saw many positive reviews from bloggers that I seem to share tastes with, and so when I wasn't really enjoying this more than halfway into the book, my thought process started going like what is wrong with me why don't I like this I should be liking this.

Review: Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre

Rating: 2 stars
Publisher/ date: Feiwel & Friends/ August 5th, 2014
Word rating: Chaotic.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind...
I think, at the end, there was just too much going on in the book, and the message that it seems to be sending (whether the author intended to or not) just isn't one that I agree with.

I thought at first that was going to be a book about making a deal with the devil and exacting revenge (I mean, at least that's what I gleaned from the summary), but the plot, while starting off pretty good, quickly turned into a downward spiral.