Book Review: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Source: OwlCrate sub box (July 2016 "Good vs. Evil")

Synopsis:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

Review:
I wasn't too sure about this book in the beginning. The setting was a bit strange, and I just wasn't sure if I was on board with the whole monster thing. But I had heard some really amazing things about this book, and Victoria Schwab practically has a cult following among OwlCrate subscribers, so I persisted.

I ended up really liking this book. Usually in art, music is portrayed as a healing power. In this book, music is the weapon the monsters use to kill their victims (but generally, the "victims" are bad people who are in need of punishment), which was a refreshing difference.

It had a bit of a Romeo & Juliet vibe to it: forbidden love between two warring houses... I very much enjoyed the romance between Kate and August, their flight for their lives, and the unexpected twists. It was somewhat of a disappointment for me to discover that it is the first in a series, simply because this book was newly released in July 2016, so the second book won't be released until this summer (June 2017).

I hate waiting.

But I will be very anxious to get my hands on the next book, Our Dark Duet, to know where Kate and August end up, how the consequences of Kate's actions will follow up with her, etc.

Goodreads rating:

Book Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Source: OwlCrate sub box (August 2016)

Synopsis:

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

Review:

I read this book as part of the OwlCrate-A-Thon reading challenge in February. I gave it a bit of a lower rating on Goodreads because it felt a bit juvenile, a bit more junior high than high school.

I liked this little romance, don't get me wrong. It was cute. Like, super cute. Too cute.

I liked our main character, Lily. She's funny and sweet, and super loyal - all qualities I like to think that I possess. I did not like Cade, and to be honest, I wasn't super fond of her friend Isabel. She's sweet and all, but... I don't know. Something about her I didn't like.

I adore writing letters, it is one of my favourite past-times apart from reading and binge-watching Netflix... So the fact that this story revolves around passing notes in class (uh, yeah, I did that!) and writing love letters, I was into it. I had fantasies in high school of a story like this playing out for real in my life: me writing notes on a desk and somebody answering, and we fall madly in love... *stares dreamily into space* 

So, aside from the fact that the main element of the story is something I love, and the fact that I like and relate to the main character, and dreamt of something similar happening to myself in high school... despite all of this, I couldn't give the book more than three stars, because I didn't like who Lily's secret letter writer was. It was predictable, I saw it coming (I mean, who else could it have been, really?), and I didn't like it. I mean yes, he was a different person in his letters, and yes it was sweet how they seemed perfect for each other on paper, but... I just didn't ship it, ok guys?! 

Like I said, it was super cute. I would highly recommend it to a high school student who loves romance (or an adult who loves high school romance...), but I didn't completely love it.

Goodreads rating:

Book Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

 

 

Source: OwlCrate sub box (February 2016)

 

Synopsis:

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” At first, they’re just momentary glimpses—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

 

Review:

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It came in my OwlCrate subscription box in February 2016, and I was not immediately interested in it. In fact, the only reason I read it when I did was because I used it for part of the OwlCrate-a-Thon reading challenge in February (2017). I was convinced that this would be a weird book, and, in truth, it is. But not creepy weird, just blow-your-mind kind of weird!

I don't know why, exactly, but I've kind of made a habit of not doing any research into the books that come in my OwlCrate box before I read them. I guess I feel like the fact that somebody read it and recommended it is enough. They are a bit hit-and-miss with their books, for me, however. For the most part, they include books & authors that I have never heard of, and the covers don't typically draw me in (admittedly a pretty big factor for me). Some of them have been good, others have not. But I continue to give them the benefit of the doubt!

 

This is not a book I would have picked out for myself, based on both the cover art and the synopsis, but it was actually quite good. It is a bit of a thought-provoking book, and I like when a book forces me to think - not necessarily about hot, current issues, but just thinking in general. Why this book makes you think is because it raises questions regarding the space-time-continuum, and the whole story/situation revolves around an incident that caused a tear in said continuum which needs to be addressed if "he" is to live.

 

Certain aspects of the book were predictable (I totally called Grandmother's identity!), while others were not (did not see that ending coming). I like that type of story: I like not being able to tell what the ending will be right away, but I also want to be able to say, "I knew it!" sometimes.

 

The romance was sweet, the Native American stories were informative and interesting, and while I didn't understand a lot of the scientific parts I definitely appreciated the weird sci-fi elements. I also think that the ending, while unexpected and a bit shocking, is vague enough to be open to interpretation, and that both frustrates and satisfies me. :)

Goodreads rating:

 

Progress Report - February 2017

A couple weeks ago I participated in the weekly meme called It's Monday! What are YOU reading? (read my post here) and mentioned that I would be publishing this post last week, but I didn't get around to it. Whoops! I am going to try to make a habit of posting updates every month to summarize my reading progress.

 

As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, I've set myself a Goodreads goal of 35, but am unofficially aiming to reach 40.

 

In January I read six books and had aimed, for February, to finish The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, a few OwlCrate books, and some of my more recent acquisitions. It wasn't noted, but understood, that I also intended to read Anne of Avonlea, for my online book club reading challenge. Partway through the month, OwlCrate introduced their first annual OwlCrate-a-Thon reading challenge, which was to help us get through some of our unread OwlCrate books, and I decided to participate. The requirements for the challenge were 1) to read at least three books, 2) read one fantasy and one contemporary, 3) the one you've had the longest. The challenge ran from March 11-25.

 

So, in February I ended up reading five books: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth, The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (finally!), This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (OwlCrate 1: fantasy), P.S. I Like You by Kasie West (OwlCRate 2: contemporary), and The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry (OwlCrate 3: longest owned). I also listened to  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I didn't mention in my January post that I had also listened to The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky.

 

I barely read any of Anne of Avonlea, which I felt pretty bad about, so in March I am hoping to burn through both that and Anne of the Island. I am currently reading Ever the Hunted, I would like to read Caraval and a few others, but I'm kind of leaving it open. There are always books I'd like to read, but then when it comes time to pick up a new book, I'm not in the mood for those. So, we shall see!


So, my total books read in 2017 at this point is 13 out of 35, which is 37% complete - 8 books ahead of schedule! At this rate, I could potentially read over 70 books by the end of the year. That would be awesome! Especially if I could come to terms with getting rid of the ones I didn't love out of those I've read... *wink, wink*