Spoiler Free Review of A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

4.2 out of 5 Stars

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

A Court of Frost and Starlight was the perfect little break I needed from studying without being too distracting. All of the characters got to have some page time, there were little individual stories for everyone that all tied together, and it set up for the next few books beautifully. 

With that, there is not much more I want to add to this portion without getting into spoilers, because there is a very high chance that if you are looking to read this book, you have read the other books already and are just wondering if this is a book that has to be read. I would say, "YES," you do need to read this book. Not only because it was great fun, but because it lays the ground work for the rest of the books. 

It completely blows my mind that Maas was able to create a novella that wasn't just entertaining, but necessary for the continuation of the series. "Necessary" may be a strong word in this scenario, because someone could probably read right from book 3 to book 4, but this novella fills in so much context and character development that I really genuinely think that those readers who choose not to read this will be missing something as they continue the series.

Enjoy the novella. It will help get you ready for the next book, tide you over until the next Maas book, and it's worth the money too because to Sarah J. Maas a novella is 229 pages.

Thanks for reading!
Popsugar Reading Challenge: book by an author with the same first or last name as you

Avengers: Infinity War Movie Review

Avengers: Infinity War

Movie Review

5 out of 5 stars

 

It has been a long time since I have thought a Marvel movie was perfectly designed and executed, but Avengers: Infinity War really blew me away. It was perfectly balanced in every aspect of character development, plot detail, and humorous interjections. I was really worried about this one too because there were going to be so many characters and plot elements that needed to happen, or at least were set up to happen. 

Notes for the rest of this: 

1) There will be lots of SPOILERS. Read at your own risk

2) I have not read the comics, or even seen the movies a billions times. I am a Marvel fan, not a Marvel fanatic, so if I get small details wrong, please forgive them.

The first thing that I want to talk about is the character development of Gamora. She's always been a really cool character throughout the movies, but I really love how we get to see more of her history. It really rounds her out as a character and there is just the most perfect wait to let that history of her and her father sink in before Thanos kills her. That made the moment all the more heart-wrenching because of the lack of understanding on her part. 

The other character whose story has become really interesting is Banner's. His whole relationship with the Hulk side of him is fascinating. I'm not entirely sure what it is that is making the Hulk refuse to come out, but I'm wondering if is what happened in Thor 3? Or was there something preceding that movie that is making this happen? For whatever it is, it is really interesting to see play out across these multiple movies and come to a tipping point in this one. I really really hope the Hulk comes back for the next movie and that there is a kick-ass resolution for this character.

Apparently, none of the actors, or close to none of the actors, read the actual script with the real ending. And honestly, rightfully so I think because HOLY COW- so many people died in this movie! The deaths that really got me were Peter's and Bucky's. The latter because we just got him back, and then he died, so we lost him all over again. Peter's really got to me because he became so vulnerable at the end and he completely leaned on Tony in a way that showed their father-son-like relationship. And then, of course, my favorite died- T'Challa- and that massively sucked. I don't think all of these characters are dead though because a good deal of them have sequels coming out in the future.

My biggest lingering question from this movie is: how is Tony going to get back to Earth? Because I really think that's where he needs to go, if only to talk to Aunt Mae. The obvious answer is that Nebula is going to start up the ship or fly over there with him, but what is that relationship going to look like? Are they going to be able to commandeer a ship with just the two of them? Which ships are still working? Whose are they going to take? What will happen when they land? 

What kills me in this movie is that STUPID STAR LORD HAD TO POKE THE BEAR. Nearly literally- he just had to punch Thanos when he did. If he had waited until the gauntlet was off, then not only would the universe be safe and no one would have died, but he probably would have been able to beat the crap out of him due to pure anger afterwards at that point. Stupid. Just completely stupid.

Around this same moment, Dr. Strange gives up the time stone, which a couple of people I saw the movie with were wondering about. First, I really think that he had to do that because he saw that there was only one possible option to win the war and I think that had to be a part of the equation. Secondly, why did he not just chop off Thanos's head with the time sphere thing? Well, there are two points to that. The first is that he probably didn't know that was the way to kill Thanos. Sure it was probably a possibility, but the second point is that he might have seen that option and maybe Thanos was too quick in reacting to the sphere and it ended up failing spectacularly somehow. No matter what though, I have complete confidence that Dr. Strange knew what he was doing when he gave up the stone.

This leads into the question of how the time stone will play into the ending and if it will be used to bring characters back. Because while I think it could be used hypothetically to bring some back, it would be a cop out to use it to bring everyone back. Also, I really don't think everyone survives, specifically Captain America. This is based entirely on my own theories and whispers of what I think happens in the comics, but doesn't Cap die? Also, doesn't Chris Evans's contract end in 2019? Anyway, I also don't think the time stone could be used to un-kill half of the universe. This is a very serious problem that needs to get solved in the next movie, and I think the time stone will play a fairly large role in it.

 

Lastly, in the end credit we see Fury page someone, but all we see is a symbol. Again, in the theater, a lot of people were wondering whose symbol that was and who was being called on, but my immediate thought would be Captain Marvel? I've just heard his name, I have no clue where he fits in the timeline or the comics, but couldn't there be a way for it to make sense? I don't know enough about this hero to more fully elaborate on this theory, but there it is. Please make of it what you will- I'm going to blindly stick with it, but would love more info on it.

Thanks for reading!

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young Review

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

4.6 out of 5 Stars

*Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing a DRC for me to read!*
 
This book was actually something that initially caught my friend's eye and then I found out about it through her, and I'm so glad that it happened because this book was such a great historical fiction to read. What I think I really liked about this book was that it was very naturally historical and slightly natural while also tying in a lot of questions about how the role of family is thrown into the mix. [

SPOILERS BELOW

CHARACTERS:
 Eelyn: First thing I noticed about this name was that it sounded so similar to "Aelin" to me, from Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass. I was worried that Eelyn would be too similar to this character from the other series, but thankfully, she stood completely on her own and was kickass at the same time. What I really loved about her character though was that she was so fierce and at the same time so strongly loyal to her family and her convictions. She may be one of my favorite protagonists of all time because of this strength and confidence without being annoying or overly arrogant.

Fiske: I really appreciate how the first time they meet each other they are fighting literally to the death and Fiske just barely refrains from killing her. But looking at Fiske alone, he was really interesting to read about because the effects of his role in the house was not as obvious but it was still there. I feel like his character had a lot of moments like this: indirect characterization based on the words of others or a small look or action used in conjunction with them. Again, the familial loyalty in this character was really great to see.

Aska and the Riki: I'm putting the tribes as a character because they conflict that they have with each other is not just the premise of the novel but it is also a major conflict for it. It was so great to see this Viking rivalry though and learn about how these different tribes lived, yet were also so similar to each other. The only thing that was slightly cringe-worthy about this though was that it reminded me of the Montagues and the Capulets from Romeo and Juliette.

PLOT:
The plot was slightly disappointing in the sense that I feel like it all happens very suddenly at the end of the book. There is a lot of build up to the moment where the tribes need to go to battle, but there wasn't much of the actual fighting or resolution afterwards. For the amount of page time that the reader gets from the development of the characters and growth of understanding between the two main tribes, I would've like to have seen more time spent afterwards as well with the joining of the two tribes to tackle the common enemy tribe.

That being said, I loved the different details that were thrown in about how the warriors fought and dressed for battle. Everything from the way the moved with each other and how they prayed and buried the dead was fascinating. All of those details were beautifully interwoven throughout the entirety of the story.


The plot line that I think was handled perfectly was the romantic interest between Fiske and Eelyn. What I loved about this relationship was that it was not automatic and the characters really took their time to learn about each other and get past seeing each other as "an enemy". They took the time to really get to know each other and even at the end, they realistically have a conversation about what their future could look like, which added a nice element of a kind of maturity that typically isn't present in other young adult novels.

WRITING:
From what I remember, nothing really stood out to me as overly remarkable about Young's writing other than it was so smooth. I flew through this story, partially because it was a really good story, and partially because one sentence led you directly into the next. I also really loved that so many different details were added about the Viking culture (that I'm assuming are correct), which means that the author worked around the culture to create her story. I appreciate this because then you can learn more about this culture as you read as well.


The only drawback about this book is that there is only one and I WANT MORE!!!! I actually don't think this story would benefit in any way from an additional book, but the characters and story were compelling enough were I want to hear more about this world and their lives.

Sky in the Deep was a lovely break from the usual stories that are released and from the business of the end of the school year. It was captivating and engaging and I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a standalone novel that is not just contemporary romance.

Thanks for reading!
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: Book with a weather element in the title

Spoiler Free review of Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

4.6 out of 5 Stars

*Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing a DRC for me to read!*
This book was actually something that initially caught my friend's eye and then I found out about it through her, and I'm so glad that it happened because this book was such a great historical fiction to read. What I think I really liked about this book was that it was very naturally historical and slightly natural while also tying in a lot of questions about how the role of family is thrown into the mix. 



The only drawback about this book is that there is only one and I WANT MORE!!!! I actually don't think this story would benefit in any way from an additional book, but the characters and story were compelling enough were I want to hear more about this world and their lives.

Sky in the Deep was a lovely break from the usual stories that are released and from the business of the end of the school year. It was captivating and engaging and I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a standalone novel that is not just contemporary romance.

Thanks for reading!

Love, Simon Movie Review

Love, Simon

Movie Review

5 out of 5 stars

There are so many reasons why this movie is incredible, I'm not even sure where to begin. Love, Simon though is hands down going to be one of my favorite movies for the year. It was funny, heart-wrenching, important, beautiful, accurate, and just over all really, really well done.

For those of you who don't know, this movie follows Simon Spier and is a coming-of-age romance where Simon is a completely normal dude but has not told anyone yet that he's gay. It is based off the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, is directed by Greg Berlanti, and stars Nick Robinson, Alexandra Shipp, Katherine Langford, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. among so many other performers.


Part of what makes this movie so striking is the ordinariness of it. Simon is completely normal; his family is completely normal; his friends are completely normal; his school is completely normal; everything is completely normal. But the one thing that Simon is keeping secret is that he's gay, which unfortunately is something that is normal but is not treated as such yet in today's society- not fully, which is why Simon is afraid to come out.

The romance of this story was so heart-warming. I don't think I have really enjoyed a romantic movie like this in a long time. But it was honest and touching to see the two characters of Simon and "Blue" fall in love with each other via email. They are both going through the same thing, and can talk to each other openly about their decisions and how they want to go about coming out. The support they have for each other is extraordinary and it makes their love for each other even better.

There were also moments that were completely heart-breaking, and for the sake of not spoiling the movie, I won't say which parts. I will say though that it was great to see all of this happen in a setting that is "typical". Simon himself lays it all out in the beginning of the movie. He loves his family and friends and they love him. He has an unbelievable support system in place, but he still does not want to come out.


This leads to a great commentary on the part of the movie about identity and respect that each person has a right to their own self that they alone have the right to share or express. There's a moment in the film (and I'm only mentioning this because it was in one of the trailers) where Simon looses it in front of another character. That was one of the scenes that I was crying during because it was so correct. What Simon was saying in that moment about his self belonging to him was beyond powerful and I think that is something that anyone can relate to.


Another great thing that I think this movie touched on, even though it didn't necessarily focus on it, was the use of the internet, for better or for worse. There are serious consequences of what is posted online and even though they are not directly addressed in the film, they are still present in a way that represents the reality of them.

On a more fun note, there are some really hilarious lines and moments in this film. I also really appreciated the pop culture references and the need for them all to get coffee in the morning. It really humanized them in a way that brought the characters off the screen. I too drink coffee every morning and obsess over Panic! at the Disco- same people.... same. :)


I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of coming out in the film. I would hope though that people from the LGBTQ+ community can find a way to relate to Simon and that this movie overall has taken us another step toward overall equality. Representation like this is needed, and Love, Simon is one of the early steps to get us to the point where it is normal, not just to have gay or LGBTQ+ main characters, but just normal all around in our everyday lives.

The world has needed this movie for a while now, and I am so glad that it has been done in a way that is not just successful, but realistic and relatable. Please go out and support this movie in the theaters. It is important and I really think the live movie experience will make it even better.

Thanks for reading!

POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2018

POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2018 

After thinking about it, I really want to challenge myself to complete the Popsugar Reading Challenge for this year. This website has been coming out with these really cool reading challenges that force you to expand your reading to be more diverse since 2015, and I had sort of halfheartedly done them in previous years, but nothing this seriously.

There are so many interesting categories that even if I have nothing to read, I love this list because I can come here and find something completely new to stretch my readings into genres I don't know as well. To read about the challenge from the site itself, you can click this link. There is a really cool graphic that they have and a printable version as well, but it was so long that I just ended up typing out the challenges below so that this post wasn't just a giant graphic.

What I want to do: Personally, I hope to complete not just the forty challenges, but the extra ten challenges as well, which are listed under the Advanced portion of the sheet. To keep track of this, I have an excel sheet going where I'll be typing in book titles as I go and I will also be printing out their printable version of the challenge to physically check of the challenges as I go. I also just joined their Goodreads group page, which as so many cool discussions going on it that will hopefully keep me motivated throughout the entire year. I'm also going to make a label for my reviews so that I can keep them all notated on the blog, and I'll write on the bottom of the reviews from now on if they satisfy one of the categories.

Why I like the Popsugar Challenge: Overall, I think I like this particular reading challenge because it can be as difficult or as easy as you want it to be. While I want to finish every challenge, it is not necessary to do so if you don't want to. It's a very personal and individualized thing which I like. It also just has so many different and unique categories that I have not even heard of before. Like, "Nordic Noir" is a category this year and I don't even know what that means. But also underlying everything with this challenge is the element of fun. You compete with yourself because it's so personal, you can get the support from the reading community if you need it, and chances are, you are going to be reading books you have never heard of before or that you never thought you would ever even pick up. It's great. :)

Here's the list for this year:

Book made into a movie you’ve already seen

True crime

Next book in a series you started

Book involving a heist

Nordic noir

Novel based on a real person

Book set in a country that fascinates you

Book about a villain or antihero

Book about death or grief

Book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym

Book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist

Book that is also a stage play or musical

Book by an author of a different ethnicity than you

Book about feminism

Book about mental health

Book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift

Book by two authors

Book about or involving a sport

Book by a local author

Book with your favorite color in the title

Book with alliteration in the title

Book about time travel

Book with a weather element in the title

Book set at sea

Book with an animal in the title

Book set on a different planet

Book with song lyrics in the title

Book about or set on Halloween

Book with characters who are twins

Book mentioned in another book

Book from a celebrity book club

Childhood classic you’ve never read

Book that’s published in 2018

Past Goodreads Choice Award winner

Book set in the decade you were born

Book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to

Book with an ugly cover

Book that involved a bookstore or library

Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 Popsugar Reading Challenges

ADVANCED:

Bestseller from the year you graduated high school

Cyberpunk book

Book that was being read by a stranger in a public place

Book tied to your ancestry

Book with a fruit or vegetable in the title

An allegory

Book by an author with the same first or last name as you

Microhistory

Book about a problem facing society today

Book recommended by someone else taking the Popsugar Reading Challenge

Now, I have already read 8 books this year, so I will be going back to see if they fulfill any of these categories for me. But I am really excited to see where this challenge guides my reading! If you are also participating in this challenge, I would love to chat with you; and if you're not I hope the list can at least give you an idea of books that you can branch out to!

Thanks for reading!

Review of Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

3.75 out of 5 Stars

*Thank you to Harlequin Teen and Edelweiss + for providing a DRC for me to read!*

The first in what will hopefully be a very successful space series, Zenith, by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings, has great promise and potential to it while the finer details and minutia to the story and writing are the only things that deter from this being a great novel.

Following the story of Androma Racella and her gang of fellow space pirates, Zenith is a space opera heist where the protagonist finds herself needing to complete a job to save a man from her past from a notorious prison. Helping her though are not just her fellow hand-picked shipmates, but Dex, an unwelcome fellow outlaw that she had worked with in her past. The plot keeps moving, the characters play off each other, and the world is a beautiful imagination drawn on page.

Spoilers Below

Plot:
The plot, while not being wholly original, was captivating and engaging for the reader. The drawback though was that it seemed to take too many pages for the events of the story to unfold. Part of this is due to having so many points of view, which in and of itself had a couple more drawbacks to it that will be addressed later. But because there were so many characters getting page time, the story dragged in a few areas, making the parts that were moving at a good pace seem almost like they were going to fast. The juxtaposition of these slow moments with the well paced ones was a bit jarring- the equivalent of a reader's whiplash.


That being said though, the arch of the story is captivating and thought out. It also seems like there were moments that are meant only to set up for the next book and/or the rest of the series. This, while doing it's job, did not necessarily fit in with the rest of the book. I'd be curious to know as to how that decision was made because these set-up details were brought to us in additional points of view and did not contribute to the rest of the story in this book. My question then is just why now in this book and not later in the next?

Characters:
This is the area where my biggest issues with the book lie, but that is also partially because I love reading for the characters. It just seemed like overall there was not a thorough enough development of any one character and that made some of the lines overly cliche and standoffish to read.

Androma: It is very clear from page one that Androma is not a character that will take crap from anyone or anything. As amazing as it is to see this- because these are my favorite types of characters- I don't know if it was executed as well as it could have been. There was a lot of just straight-up saying what the characters were like instead of showing these skills and attributes, which made it a bit less believable and even slightly annoying. A bit more showing instead of telling could do this character good I think.

Dex: Dex may be the most well developed character of the entire novel. He was one of the main perspectives that the reader gets while reading and, unlike the Baroness, his characterization is mostly done through his actions instead of a narrative description. Him as a person I don't know if I would particularly like him: there's enough there for me to distrust him, but there's also enough there for me to ship him with Andi..... he's a good character.... I like his character.

Nor: I'm assuming that Nor is going to be an important character for the rest of the series; but again, I feel like her characterization was not where it could have been so I am not sure. Based on the end of the novel with her role in the experimentation, she is the character for the readers to hate. There are some mixed signals though coming from what I believe to be her background story, but if that is the case, the connection is not super clear. It does complicate her character though which makes it harder to hate her.

The gang: Same issue as Androma: there was so much textual characterization of "we are badasses" and not as much showing to support this claim. I do like the consistency in their dynamic though and their loyalty to the ship and Andi. They're their own little family and it was really cool to see that.


Valen: Of all the characters in the book, he is by far the most intriguing to me. He is almost all action and dialogue based characterization, which was so lovely and made him so realistic. The killer though is that he wasn't there as much! Granted, I think that if he was in the narrative more often it would have not been nearly as good as it is now. But I am really looking forward to seeing him in the next book and finding out more about him as a person and what is wrong with him.

Writing/World:
The world that Lindsay and Sasha have created is extraordinary. There is a beautiful map to accompany the story and it shows just how much detail and effort went into the creation of this solar system and the world of the novel. The pieces all fit together really nicely as well. What I think was done the bets though was the history of the planets' interactions sprinkled throughout the story, explaining what needed to be explained, but without making it a history lesson.

The writing of the book itself is tricky. I know that the two of them switched back and forth while writing, and some author duos pull it off really well, but I could tell when the writer switched. With the way that this story is laid out, I do not think you were supposed to be able to tell that. I can only imagine how immensely difficult it is to synthetically have two people writing on the same story, but it did distract me at times. 

Zenith, while not being the most well constructed book of the year, definitely has it merits and I will continue to read it to find out what happens to the characters and larger plot of the book. The best thing about this book I think is that it has something for nearly every reader. Even those who do not normally find enjoyment in the "science fiction" genre or with "space" books will be able to find enjoyment in the story.


Thanks for reading!
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: Book by Two Authors

p.s. I was looking at the copy in a store the other day, and I'm not entirely sure I read this whole thing/ I had the whole thing in my DRC, so I will definitely be rereading this and comparing! :) When? TBD