Review: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Publication Date: July 17th, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 3rd Person
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Adventure, Family, Magic

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Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales.

“The Land of Stories” tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

Review: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Random House Canada
Publication Date: October 11th, 2016
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Point of View: 1st Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 14+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Racism, Law, Family

Buy: Book Depository

BLURB:

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn’t offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.

Review: Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Scholastic Canada
Publication Date: February 23rd, 2016
Publisher: Point
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Humor, Celebrity

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BLURB:

Just know from the start that it wasn’t supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near them. That’s why we got a room in the hotel where they were staying.

We were not planning to kidnap one of them. Especially not the most useless one. But we had him—his room key, his cell phone, and his secrets.

We were not planning on what happened next.

We swear.

From thrilling new talent Goldy Moldavsky comes a pitch-black, hilarious take on fandom and the badass girls who have the power to make—or break—the people we call “celebrities.”

Must-Read Review: The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Publication Date: June 7th, 2016
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Family, First Love, Adventure, Life and Death, Humour

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BLURB:

It’s a summer for first love, last wishes, and letting go.

Maddie has big plans to spend the last months before college tying up high school “loose ends” alongside her best friends. Then her beloved grandmother drops two bombshells: (1) Gram is dying. (2) She’s taking her entire family on a round-the-world cruise of dreams come true—but at the end, Gram won’t be returning home.

With a promise to live in the now without regrets, Maddie boards the Wishwell determined to make every moment count. She finds new friends in her fellow Wishwellians, takes advantage of the trip’s many luxuries, gets even closer to her quirky family, and falls for painfully gorgeous Enzo. But despite the copious laughter, headiness of first love, and wonder of the glamorous destinations, Maddie knows she is on the brink of losing Gram, and she struggles to find the strength to let go in a whirlwind summer shaped by love, grief, and laughter.

Best Ever Fairytale Retellings on Earth

Best Fairytale Retellings

Dear readers, my love for fairytale retellings is incomparable. I have read them ever since I learned how to read and, even today, I cannot spend two weeks without reading them. They are truly magical and wonderful – most of them, anyway. Making this list was hard for me, but here are my favourite fairytale retellings!

The Reader – Traci Chee

The Reader by Traci Chee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: September 13th 2016
Publisher: Putnam
Point of View: 3rd Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Magic, Pirates, Books about Books

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BLURB:

Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin, who teaches her to hunt, track, and steal. But when Nin is kidnapped, leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin’s been taken, or if she’s even alive. The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance and her father’s murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed—and punish the people responsible.

Best Books of 2016 (So Far)

Top 6 Books of 2016 (So Far)

Dear readers, we’re halfway through 2016 (and more), so I thought I’d break down my favorite books of the year so far. I rarely read adult, so my list does mainly contain YA novels, but that doesn’t mean I have read them all. In fact, I only read 54 2016 pblications so far this year. Regardless, here is the much awaited list. (All links lead to reviews.)

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1) by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: February 24th 2015
Publisher: Tor Books
Point of View: 3rd Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 14+
Pacing: Slow
Genres &  Themes: Mature YA, Fantasy, Alternate Universes, Magic, Dark

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Kell is one of the last Antari, a rare magician who can travel between parallel worlds: hopping from Grey London — dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George — to Red London — where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire — to White London — ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne, where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back — and back, but never Black London, because traveling to Black London is forbidden and no one speaks of it now.

Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see, and it is this dangerous hobby that sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to take her with him for her proper adventure.

Review: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2) by Cassandra Clare (NO Spoilers)

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: December 6th 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Margaret K. McElderry
Point of View: 3rd Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Very Slow
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Steampunk, Fantasy, Adventure, Demons, Mystery, Family

BLURB:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Minuscule, Adorable Reviews for Good and Awful and Amazing Books (LOL, What a Title)

Hello, friends, readers, perusers! As you know, bloggers have lives, too. Sometimes, they don’t feel like writing a review for a book, so they just tweet something about it instead. I usually try my best to write complete reviews, but sometimes I just don’t feel like it. BUT, I still want to share some of the books I’ve read this year, even though I have not reviewed them properly. Here they are, them (mostly) tweet-sized reviews!

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaug ❤ The only thing remotely good about this book is the cover. Am I the only one who felt deeply uncomfortable being spoken to by the main character as if I were his lover?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik  ❤❤❤❤❤ I think this book was uprooted from Heaven’s grounds and magically brought to Earth.