Book Review: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Release Date: May 7th, 2019
Read: June 17-19th, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: The Aurora Cycle, #1
Format: Hardcover, 470 pages
Source: Bought

Description from GoodReads:

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm

A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates

A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder

An alien warrior with anger management issues

A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

Book Review: How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

Release Date: July 26th, 2016
Read: July 16th-19th, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 368 pages
Source: BEA 2016

Description from GoodReads:

   Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

   If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

Review:

   Names have power.
   I hadn't heard really anything about How to Hang a Witch until my sister had it on her gigantic list of books that she wanted me to pick up at BEA 2016. Then after grabbing a copy and heading home, I slowly started seeing mentions of it everywhere on Twitter. From the publisher, as well as other bloggers. After the book trailer was released, I knew I had to read it ASAP.
   No matter how many books I've read, I can never get tired of reading about witches. It was a new experience with How to Hang a Witch entirely, of course it had its made of moments with having ghosts and actual witches, but in a way I'd say that it was also a bit of a historical fiction. With the author being an actual descendant of Cotton Mather, the blame to the Salem Witch Trials, (You can read the authors note about it at the end of the book), she actually threw in a lot of historically accurate stuff. It was very interesting to see the mix of the real and the made up together.
   Adriana Mather's writing was past paced and easy to read through, making How to Hang a Witch the perfect book for anyone looking for a quick witchy read. Although her writing was that way, I still found her characters to be a little predictable and native. With that, I was constantly groaning at the characters actions, and was always irritated at them. Sometimes just reading on to get through particular parts.
   How to Hang a Witch was an intriguing yet sometimes predictable read, I would definitely recommend giving it a read for its historical accurateness if you're someone who can usually get past somewhat predictable plots.

P.S The banana, honey, and peanut butter sandwiches aren't that bad!

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"A peaceful rest before thou wake."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Mystery, Witches, Salem Witch Trials, Ghosts

Book Review: Placebo Junkies by J.C. Carleson

Release Date: October 27th, 2015
Read: November 13th-23rd, 2015
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: N/A
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Source: Publisher in Exchange for Review

Description from GoodReads:

   Meet Audie: Professional lab rat. Guinea pig. Serial human test subject. For Audie and her friends, “volunteering” for pharmaceutical drug trials means a quick fix and easy cash.

Sure, there’s the occasional nasty side effect, but Audie’s got things under control. If Monday’s pill causes a rash, Tuesday’s ointment usually clears it right up. Wednesday’s injection soothes the sting from Tuesday’s “cure,” and Thursday’s procedure makes her forget all about Wednesday’s headache. By the time Friday rolls around, there’s plenty of cash in hand and perhaps even a slot in a government-funded psilocybin study, because WEEKEND!

   But the best fix of all is her boyfriend, Dylan, whose terminal illness just makes them even more compatible. He’s turning eighteen soon, so Audie is saving up to make it an unforgettable birthday. That means more drug trials than ever before, but Dylan is worth it.

No pain, no gain, Audie tells herself as the pills wear away at her body and mind. No pain, no gain, she repeats as her grip on reality starts to slide….

Review:

   I am in control.

   I learnt about Placebo Junkies from the same place I learn about all my other YA books, from the blogger community! When I first read the synopsis I didn't know what to expect, besides obviously drugs and lab rats. I definitely got more than I bargained for.
  Placebo Junkies started off like any book, with the character going through a normal day in her life. You don't expect much otherwise, but as the book went on you started to get a feel for Audie, you started to feel sorry for her, maybe even pity her. Then, because Audie doesn't already have it bad, you reach a part of the novel that makes you question everything, and wonder why you didn't see it coming.
   I can never wrap my mind around Mental Illnesses, you will never know what is actually going on inside of the persons head. It'll always be a mystery. With Audie, she was saw herself as sane but in reality to everyone else she was the opposite.
   J.C. Carleson's Placebo Junkies had me questioning who the real insane ones are, the people we label as sane or the people we label as insane?
   This was my first J.C Carleson book, and after this mind altering read I will probably go out of my way to pick up one of her first books, like The Tyrants Daughter.
   

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Mental Heath, Mental Illness.

Book Review: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Release Date:  October 20th, 2015
Read: July 29th- August 18th, 2015
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: The Illuminae Files, #1
Format: ARC, 608 pages
Source: McNally Robinson/ Two Thumbs Up Program

Description from GoodReads:

   This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

   This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

   The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

  But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

   Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Review:

   Am I not merciful?

   After BEA 2014, Illuminae was all the rage. Everyone needed their hands on the ARC, the same went with the hardcover ARC that was released a few months later. It was the latest book craze, so when I found a copy while picking up my latest book to review from McNally Robinson, I died a little bit inside. I could not wait to read it.
  When I first started reading Illuminae I was mesmerized by the beautiful pages and the uniqueness of the way it was written. I couldn't stop staring at the pages and continuously flipping through them. It was definitely a new experience, reading Illuminae.
   Unfortunately the beauty of the pages were not enough to keep me entertained throughout the book. I found the story itself to be bland and not have anything special about it, and at times I found the characters to be a bit ridiculous. While the story could be interesting at times, the only thing I found special about Illuminae was the way it was printed.
   Illuminae may not have been for me, but like I said above it was a unique experience and so I hope everyone will give Illuminae a try. 

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"If I breathed, I would sigh. I would scream. I would cry."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Space, Space Travel, Robots