Bird Box by Josh Malerman

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Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

I had no idea this book even existed until a friend spoke about it. She said that it was similar to A Quiet Place and that if I liked things like that than I might like this book. As other people started reading and enjoying this book, I decided that I had to put it at the top of my TBR pile.
I was about half way through Bird Box when I watched A Quiet Place. I thought that it might ruin the book for me but it wasn't the case. Though they are similar I found Bird Box completely different. There was so much tension and build up in this book. It was an insane thrill ride. I was terrified of what was going to happen. The author does s fantastic job of putting the reader in the exact same mindset as the Malorie. At first,  you might feel skeptical thinking that the plot is far fetched. How could something like this take place? Is there really anything to be afraid of? As the book progresses and the the losses begin to add up you start to wonder what is happening to these people. By the end of the book it didn't take much to rattle me and any sudden noise or breeze made me nervous for Malorie and her children. 
I will say this one warning for readers...if you are squeamish you probably shouldn't read this book. There is a particular part of the book that is still stuck with me that was particularly gruesome. Bird Box will terrify you and make you wonder if monsters are real. If they are real, could there be something or someone worse? 

Grace and Fury (Grace and Fury #1) by Tracy Banghart

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In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.

Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace - someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir's eye, it's Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.

Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.

*ARC provided through Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Grace and Fury reminded me of The Red Queen with the exception of magic and the society that the author creates in this book. I enjoyed the world building. The author created a world that was ruled by men leaving women to be pretty baubles to be traded and looked at as beautiful statues. They are not allowed to learn to read or write and have no choices in order to keep them harmless and docile. Some of them go along with this but one of the main characters, Nomi, believes that this is unacceptable and wants to carve her own path. She is rebellious which I loved about her although she does not always think before she acts. I didn't like Serina at first because I found her to be complacent. I think that she has the most  growth in the story which made me change my opinion of her very quickly.
One of my favorite things about this book is the way that author portrays the strength of women in many different ways. She is able to capture how some may seem docile but theirs is a different type of strength. Most importantly, the author portrays women as a force that if pushed will show just what it is made of.
I didn't much care for the princes due to the plot point of the differences between them and their relationship feeling too familiar to me. However, I loved the idea of graces, how they came to be, and what they represented. I thought that it was an intriguing difference to other YA books that I hope the author will focus on more in the sequel. I want to know more about these women and how they felt about being chosen.

The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise

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The first time you meet someone, you make eye contact. You smile, say hello. Should be simple, if you’re anyone but me. The first time I met Dylan Reed, I found myself making eye contact with a different part of his body. You see, I’m very good at being shy, not to mention extremely well-versed in rambling nonsense and, unfortunately, rather highly skilled at making a fool of myself in front of a guy I’m attracted to.

At the time, I knew nothing about him and thought none of what I said would matter since I’d never speak to him again. Turns out, I was very wrong. He was the star wide receiver of the football team, one of the few players expected to make it into the NFL, and I ended up seeing him all over campus.
I might have also propositioned him, run away from him, attacked him with a cooking utensil…and…uh, maybe I shouldn’t tell you all of it. It’s pretty normal stuff, things you’d expect…from me. Eventually, the time came when I couldn’t hide anymore—not that he’d have let me even if I tried.
Before now, he never knew I was secretly watching him. Now that we see each other every day, he knows when I have a hard time looking away. It doesn’t help that I’m not the most subtle person in the world either.

He smiles at me and tells me he finds me fascinating because of my quirks. I can’t even tell him that I think my heart beats differently whenever he’s around.

He thinks we’re going to be best friends. I think I have a big thing for him, and the more I get to know him, the more I don’t care that I’m not allowed to be his friend, let alone fall for him.

The thing is, that’s exactly what I’m doing—what we’re doing, I think.

Falling.

Hard. 

I thought that this was a cute, funny romance with some angst thrown in. I honestly don't think that the angst should have even been in the book. It would have been great without it. I think that the main draw for this book is Zoe. She is an awesome character! Shout out to all the shy, awkward girls out there! She is a character I can get behind because I'm not a sultry or sassy woman. I'm actually a lot like Zoe where I have no filter and tend to say the wrong things and am not the most outgoing. I found her really relatable and enjoyed her interactions with Dylan. He was able to appreciate the qualities that many others found odd. He was a very sweet character and I liked that he wasn't a typical alpha male strutting around sleeping with every woman he laid eyes on. Their relationship was beautiful but I wish that there wouldn't have been as many high schoolesque miscommunications between them in the book. I'm not a fan of dumb drama. Zoe's secret was interesting and I was thrown off at first as to what it was. I think that it should have either taken more of a main focus in the book or have been left out entirely. 

Secret Lucidity by E.K. Blair

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This wasn’t supposed to happen. 

But it did.

This wasn’t supposed to be my life. 

But it was.

I was just a typical girl, living a typical life. Nothing was out of the ordinary until tragedy threw me into a turnstile I couldn’t see my way out of. That was, until him.

I never could’ve imagined my heart falling the way it did. Hard, fast, and with unbounding beauty. 

The only problem? 

He was off limits. 

Forbidden. 

But he became my everything, and I became his, so we risked it all. It was only a matter of time until I realized that our risk came with unimaginable consequences. 

My name is Camellia Hale and his is David Andrews, and this is our love story. 

I thought that Secret Lucidity was a difficult book to review because if the romance would have been thrown out then I would have loved it. Since this is a romance novel I feel like I need to explain myself. This book had a solid beginning where I got a taste for who some of the characters were as people and established the relationships between them. After that, I began to have a huge problem with this book. I realize that it is a forbidden romance but I didn't find the romance believable. It came off more as creepy manipulation than a deep, meaningful, love between two people. The relationship between them wasn't built on any kind of foundation before they are each professing their love to one another. David is pretty much saying that it was love at first sight and before you know it Cam is saying that she can't stand to be away from him or becomes severely depressed. Does that sound healthy to you?

The aspect of this book that saved it for me was the grief that Cam goes through because of what happens at the beginning of the book. I thought that the author does a good job of portraying depression and how far down that rabbit hole a person can fall. This book deals with sensitive subject matter like self harm and how people handle loss differently. I thought that the relationships between Cam /her mother and Cam/friends created an interesting dynamic in the book that showed how she was changing throughout the book and what she felt that she needed from each of them. I also liked how the author dealt with how those around a person give them a timeline for their grief when there is not a definitive timeline for coping with the loss of someone you love. 

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

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The bestselling novel about love, loss and hope from the twice Carnegie Medal-winning Patrick Ness. 

Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don't quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there's a visitor at his window. It's ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. 

Patrick Ness takes the final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd and weaves an extraordinary and heartbreaking tale of mischief, healing and above all, the courage it takes to survive.

This is my first Patrick Ness book. I have been interested in his writing  but haven't had the chance to read it until now. I'm really happy that A Monster Calls was my first look at his writing. This book was packed with so much beautiful prose and symbolism. I was floored by the plot and the author's ability to capture grief in such a raw, realistic way. I had many moments while reading this when I became emotional. I think that even if you haven't dealt with something similar to the main character that you can still relate to what it feels like to be powerless to help someone or escape a situation.
Conor feels his emotions so deeply throughout the book and doesn't seem to have an outlet for them. I loved him as a character because I feel like even though he was very young he went through things that are common for people but make them feel as if they are terrible people for having thoughts like that. Overall, a beautiful, gut wrenching read with beautiful images and words that capture every emotion to the point of tears. 

Summerlost by Ally Condie

 

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It's the first real summer since the devastating accident that killed Cedar's father and younger brother, Ben. But now Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar. 

Infused with emotion and rich with understanding, Summerlost is the touching middle grade debut from Ally Condie, the international bestselling author of the Matched series, that highlights the strength of family and personal resilience in the face of tragedy. 

I think that Ally Condie did a fantastic job with Summerlost! I think that she thrives in middle grade books. I thought that her Matched series was okay but this book really grabbed me. I was crying by the end which I didn't expect to happen. She captured the emotions of the story and the mindset of a preteen beautifully without sacrificing anything in the story. I don't read a lot of middle grade so I wasn't sure if I would like this because I thought that it might come off as too juvenile for me. I was wrong. I really felt for Cedar and what she was going through. She suffered such a devastating loss and didn't seem to know what to do with herself. She makes mistakes along the way but there was a beauty in those mistakes. I loved seeing the family dynamics play out and how the members of her family seem to do different things to cope with their loss. I liked the friendship between her and Leo and how they learn and grow together. Summerlost  packs an emotional punch that you won't see coming so bring your tissues and enjoy immersing yourself in Shakespeare and summertime!

Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1) by Sara Shepard

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Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series.

I watched the Pretty Little Liars TV show  before I even thought about reading the books. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy them as much after having them spoiled for me. Someone told me who A is in the books and when I am told such a huge spoiler, I usually don't read the books at all. I decided that I would give it a chance and was surprised to find quite a few differences from the show. This book was just as intriguing and addicting as the show was and I am excited to continue reading the series. 
The books seem to be written for a younger audience but that didn't really bother me all that much. I was surprised that some of the issues that the girls go through in the book were not featured in the show. I would think that it would be a chance to talk about difficult topics and shed light on them. 
I enjoyed the pacing of the book as well as the different points of view of each of the girls. They each had a unique voice that was interesting to read from Spencer who takes on too much in order to outshine her sister to Emily who seems perpetually nervous and tries to follow everyone's rules so she doesn't make waves. I didn't feel as if their voices were as unique in the show so I felt the book was better to highlight their differences from one another. 

Lifel1k3 (Lifelike #1) by Jay Kristoff

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On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.

Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it.

But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.

Even if those secrets were better off staying buried. 

This book really packs a punch! I knew that it would! I have loved all of Jay Kristoff's other books that I have read and when he described it as being "Romeo and Juliet meets Bladerunner, while Fury Road plays a guitar solo in the background" I knew that I had to read it. I think that Lifelike may be my favorite book of his thus far. It was action-packed but didn't skimp on the emotional punch either!

I know that the description may make it sound like there is too much going on but I promise that is not the case.  Some may be turned off by the Romeo and Juliet reference but it doesn't play into that side of things as much as one might think. I know because I am tired of those kinds of stories because I feel that they have been played out. Eve and Ezekiel are each very strong characters in their own right. They are trying to figure out where they fit in the world and/or how the world could be changed to fit them. Everything begins to go haywire once they meet and the fast pace doesn't let up throughout the book. I enjoyed all of the characters. I found that they each had a purpose in the plot of the book and each had some kind of background to them that was revealed. I appreciated this because it could get messy to flesh out so many characters but Jay Kristoff found a way to organically do it so that the book was fluid and packed with description. I love the world that the author created. It was very different and I'll admit that the slang tripped me up a bit. I did find the language a little annoying at times but you get used to it and everything else in the book more than makes up or it!

There were some things that happened that I had guessed would take place but others that I found a little confusing. I think that everything will be explained in book 2. I have a feeling that things are about to get bonkers!