Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Aurora Rising

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Published: Knopf, 2019
Pages: 473
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Amazon, Goodreads

I was born with the taste of blood in my mouth. I was born with my hands in my fist. I was born for war.

About the book

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.

Review

I was hoping Aurora Rising would be like the Illuminae Files, creative, thrilling and hard to turn away from; however, it didn’t quite make it.

What’s it about? 

At Aurora Academy, star pupil Tyler Jones is stuck with a ragtag crew and a girl woken up after being cryogenically frozen for 200 some years. He soon learns that the very girl he saved may be the catalyst that starts a war.

I’ll focus on the positive first. The characters were very distinctive and interesting. I really liked the storyline. Aurora Rising WAS similar to the Illuminae Files as they are both science fiction novels set way in the future and aboard spaceships. I also have to admit that the ending was exciting.

As for the negative, Auri really bothered me at the beginning. I mean, this girl wakes up after 200 years to discover her family is all dead and all she focuses on is how hot she thinks Tyler is. Auri seemed shallow, insubstantial and just really freaking annoying. 

Switching between multiple perspectives from first person was confusing for me.  Though the characters had striking personalities, they didn’t have distinctive voices. This could have been avoided by writing in third person.

Overall, Aurora Rising was enjoyable even though I had a few issues with it. I feel it’s worth a read for those who like YA science fiction.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

Long Bright River

by Liz Moore
Published: Penguin Group, 2020
Pages: 496
Genre: Mystery
Amazon, Goodreads

All of them children, all of them gone. People with promise, people dependent and depended upon, people loving and beloved, one after another, in line, in a river, no fount and no outlet, a long bright river of departed souls.

About the book

In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling.

Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit — and her sister — before it's too late.

Review

Long Bright River is a raw, unforgiving story of the strained relationship between two sisters and the ultimate cost of opioid addiction.

Addiction is a monster that doesn't discriminate. From the disadvantaged poor to the privileged rich, opioid addiction is sweeping across the United States. It's even become a problem where I live in rural Illinois.

Novels like Long Bright River show readers who may not have been touched by addiction how this disease ruins families.

The story is told from the perspective of Mickey, a 33-year-old cop in Philadelphia whose sister is a drug addict. Though their relationship is at best strained, Mickey's sister is missing and while searching for her, Mickey reflects on her difficult childhood and struggle to raise her son. There's a string of murders occurring in the area, and Micky races to find her sister and the killer before the unthinkable happens.

Author Liz Moore has a unique voice perfect for this type of storytelling. It's very much a slow-burning suspense focused on character development, rather than a whodunnit mystery.

The writing is beautiful and the characters haunting in a way that sticks with you long after finishing the novel.

I highly recommend Long Bright River.

RATING (out of five puppies)

November 2019 Wrap Up

Hi all! I can't believe it's already December and one month away from 2020! I read a lot of good books in November.

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule - A non-fiction detailing the fascinating story of Ted Bundy and how author Ann Rule discovered she was close friends with a monster, The Stranger Beside Me was shocking. My rating: ★★★★

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - Slated as a quirky, fun read, I wasn't a fan of this one. I've heard you need to be in the right mood for so maybe I wasn't. My rating: ★★

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys - I devoured this book in an entire day! It was so good! I definitely recommend it for those who enjoy historical romances. Check out my full review here! My rating: ★★★★★

Feed by Mira Grant - Feed is a zombie novel surrounding a team of blogger journalists who uncover a political scandal. I really liked this one! Click here to read my full review! My rating: ★★★★

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo - This is one of my favorite - if not one of my favorite - books of the year! It was dark, enthralling and impossible to pull away from. Click here for my full review! My rating: ★★★★★

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell - A decent mystery for those looking for a rainy day read! My rating: ★★★★★

The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood - I loved this unconventional love story! Check out my full review here! My rating: ★★★★★

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray - A really liked this book, though I gave it a slightly lower rating because there wasn't much character development and the love triangle was annoying. My rating: ★★★

#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil - #Murdertrending is a thrilling horror novel about a young woman who gets sentenced in the murder of her step-sister and sent to battle live in isolation with other convicted felons. The plot is unique and interesting. Trigger warning: Violent. My rating: ★★★★★

Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard - A solid mystery full of twists and turns. My rating: ★★★★★

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh - I was disappointed by this one. I loved the setting but was ultimately let down by the lack of character development. Check out my full review here! My rating: ★★★

Imaginary Friends by Stephen Chbosky - Imaginary Friends is a good book but the storyline was dragged out. I left the novel feeling frustrated. Check out my full review here! My rating: ★★★

What did you read this month?

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

Imaginary Friend

by Stephen Chbosky
Published: Grand Central Publishing, 2019
Pages: 720
Genre: Horror
Amazon, Goodreads

We can swallow our fear or let our fear swallow us.

About the book

Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for her and her son, Christopher, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with her child. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knit community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. It's as far off the beaten track as they can get. Just one highway in, one highway out.

At first, it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. for six long days, no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed but not unchanged. He returns with a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a treehouse in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone in the town will never be the same again.

Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so frustrated with a book. This is a GOOD book that left me breathless in certain parts but ultimately failed by being too long.

Don’t get me wrong. I like a long novel that as long as it has an interesting plot and great character dynamics and writing. Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, Imaginary Friends doesn’t quite make the cut.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my favorite books of all time, so I nearly peed myself when I saw that Stephen Chbosky published another novel. 

So let’s start with the basics: the plot involves a young boy whose mother is running from a bad boyfriend. They settle in a small town in Pennsylvania. All seems well until Christopher goes missing for six days in the mysterious woods; he comes back home but with an imaginary friend no one else can hear. This plot is very similar to many of Stephen King’s plots, such as The Shining or Firestarter — a young child with unusual powers that ends up facing trouble and gets help from some older, wiser adult.

The thing is, though, this book is not bad! It’s well-written with strong character development and a thrilling storyline. It seems like I’ve already read this book while I was in the middle of reading it.

The book also drags on a bit, especially at the end. There were definitely some scenes that could have been cut that weren’t necessary. At the end, I was frustrated that I put quite a bit of time into reading a 700+ book that was overall very good but didn’t need to be so long.

RATING (out of five puppies)

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

The Beautiful

by Renée Ahdieh
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2019
Pages: 440
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Amazon, Goodreads

“My actions speak for me. If you feel them to be heartless and cruel, then so be it: I am heartless and cruel.”

About the book

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent in the middle of the carnival season, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its fancy soirées and even its danger. She becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain.

When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien's own lair — the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks — Celine battles her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

After a third murder, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose — one who has now set Celine in his sights. As the murderer stalks her, Celine finally takes matters into her own hands, only to find herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night, where the price of forbidden love is her life.

Review

I’m having a hard time putting together my thoughts on this novel, I’m going to break it up into two parts — what I liked about the novel and what I didn’t like.

I know The Beautiful is going to be compared to Twilight but they are completely different stories. I admit, I loved the Twilight books when I was in high school; the movie series is what ruined the franchise. Don’t go into The Beautiful thinking it’s some high school love story about glittering vampires. This story actually follows Celine, a young French woman travels to New Orleans to escape a dark secret. She accepts an offer to design a gown for an alluring, mysterious woman who takes Celine under her wing and introduces her to an intoxicating crowd of strange, non-quite-human individuals. Death soon follows Celine, and she discovers that beautiful does not mean safe.

The Beautiful is marketed as a vampire novel, but it’s really about evil. The word vampire isn’t even used as a description until the very end. I feel like this gave an added dark element to the storyline. Instead of Celine arriving in a new world and acting all “OMG vampires! How crazy!”, it’s more of Celine discovering that is evil in this world and that she has some wickedness inside herself.

The author does a great job of providing a dark, creepy atmosphere throughout the story while showcasing Celine’s unwavering fearlessness and endless wit.

Such as: 

“You do not belong in this world, Celine. It may be beautiful — intoxicating even — but beauty is a danger to behold, for it often masks the decay lurking beneath. Et ça fini toujours dans le sang.”

And it always ends in blood.

“I am not so captivated by the beautiful, monsieur.” Celine met his gaze without wavering. “For I know beauty is only a moment in time.”

Though I enjoyed the story, and the novel was full of attention-grabbing quotes, I felt there was a lack of character development that could have really made The Beautiful stand out. I won’t get into the ending because I don’t want to revel spoilers but I also felt it was anticlimactic. The lack of an emotional connection to the characters is what ultimately made The Beautiful fall flat for me.

RATING (out of five puppies)

The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood

The Reckless Oath We Made

by Bryn Greenwood

Published: G.P. Putman's Sons, 2019

Pages: 436

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Amazon, Goodreads

"I am well. This place be full of knaves and godless motherfuckers, but I fear them not."

About the book

Zee is nobody's fairy tale princess. Almost six-foot, with a redhead's temper and a shattered hip, she has a long list of worries: never-ending bills, her beautiful, gullible sister, her five-year-old nephew, her housebound mother, and her drug-dealing boss.

Zee may not be a princess, but Gentry is an actual knight, complete with sword, armor, and a code of honor. Two years ago the voices he hears called him to be Zee's champion. Both shy and autistic, he's barely spoken to her since, but he has kept watch, ready to come to her aid.

When an abduction tears Zee's family apart, she turns to the last person she ever imagined — Gentry — and sets in motion a chain of events that will not only change both of their lives, but bind them to one another forever. 

Review

Contemporary romances aren’t usually my jam, but there’s something I really love about stories like this: the normalization of the non-normal.

The Reckless Oath We Made follows the unlikely love story of Zee, a struggling young woman whose father died in prison for murder, and Gentry, a high-functioning autistic who speaks in only Old English and views himself as Zee’s “champion,” bound to protect her.

Zee and Gentry’s lives are brought together when Zee’s sister is kidnapped during an outbreak at the prison where she volunteers at. Zee grapples with taking care of her nephew, dealing with her disabled, hoarder mother, and trying to find out if her sister is OK. 

Since first meeting Gentry, Zee accepts Gentry for who is — I mean Gentry hears voices in his head and she still accepts him with all his flaws without trying to change him. Similarly, Zee is also messed up. She has deep trust issues, comes from a dysfunctional family, and has done a lot of shit she isn’t proud of to get by in life. 

Gentry is the unconventional hero to Zee’s distressing tale; no matter what, Gentry sticks by her and protects her, and she eventually learns to trust and hope again.

The Reckless Oath We Made is truly a beautiful story with raw characters and great writing. Strongly recommend for contemporary romance fans!

RATING (out of five puppies)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House 

by Leigh Bardugo
Published: Flatiron Books, 2019
Pages: 480
Genre: Fantasy
Amazon, Goodreads

That was what magic did. It revealed the heart of who you’d been before life took away your belief in the possible. It gave back the world all lonely children longed for.

About the book

Galaxy "Alex" Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she's thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world's most prestigious universities on a full ride. What's the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale's secret societies. Their eight windowless "tombs" are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street's biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.

Review

My reaction after finishing Ninth House can be summarized in eight letters: H-O-L-Y S-H-I-T.

Guys, this book is EXCELLENT. It’s Leigh Bardugo’s best work to date.

It follows Alex Stern, a Yale freshman who is recruited into a secret association called Lethe which oversees eight other ancient, magical societies.

Ninth House starts with a bang with a prologue scene of Alex very injured and hiding out in a safe house then dives into the storyline — Alex monitoring on a ritual involving the disembowelment of a mentally ill man. At that point, the reader slowly learns about the disappearance of Alex’s mentor, Darlington.

Bardugo cleverly jumps the timeline from winter, the present, to last fall, when all of Alex’s troubles began. The author does a great job of interweaving these two timelines while also jumping perspectives without leaving the reader confused. This also creates a ton of suspense and leaves readers guessing.

In addition to the terrific plot (and writing!), the characters are very raw. The glimpse into Alex and Darlington’s pasts provides a rich element to the story.

There’s a reason why there’s so much hype around Ninth House: it’s because it really is that good!

Ninth House will be a series, though I’m not sure how many books are planned, but I’m going to be anxiously awaiting the next installment!

RATING (out of five puppies)

Feed by Mira Grant

Feed

By Mira Grant
Published: Orbit, 2010
Pages: 608
Genre: Dystopian, Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

Darwin was right. Death doesn’t play fair.

About the book

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives — the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

Review

What better way to draw me into a book than zombies and journalists?

The plot of Feed is what really fascinates me. I’ve been a newspaper reporter for six years this post-apocalyptic story focused on a group of blogger journalists trailing a political campaign really sucked me in.

The most important aspect of this novel is that it’s not really a zombie book; it’s more of a thriller that just so happens to be set in the future where zombies run rampant.

The thing about the zombie franchise is that they never focus on a society whose government is actually functioning with clean water and internet access.

Author Mira Grant paints a thought-provoking setting: what would the world be like in today’s day and age but with the constant threat of zombies?

Personally, I did feel like the characters left something to be desired but this was a great read for those seeking a Dean Koontz/Michael Connelly type of book.

Filled with twists and turns and a shocking ending, I couldn’t put Feed down. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Fountains of Silence

By Ruta Sepetys
Published: Philomel Books, 2019
Pages: 512
Genre: Historical fiction, Young adult
Amazon, Goodreads

"Truth breaks the chains of silence."
Puri puts a trembling hand to her chest. Her voice drops to a whisper.
"It sets us all free."

About the book

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into the country under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of a Texas oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography — and fate — introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War — as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions admidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

Review

Fountains of Silence is one of the biggest page-turners of the year you won’t want to miss!

The story alternates between the viewpoints of Daniel, a young Texan man who aspires to be a photojournalist, and Ana, a poor Madrid maid who works at a hotel catered to rich Americans.

With the story revolving around a teenage boy who comes from a family of wealthy oil tycoons falling in love with a young woman from a poor family, the book is at risk of becoming a clique, but thanks to the rich dimensions of Daniel and Ana, the Fountains of Silence is actually very unique.

Daniel is given added depth by his mother, a transplanted Spanish native who instills in his son the importance of her heritage. This helps steer him away from the typical “rich boy” vibe. Ana is also an impressive character; she is a mature young woman who has to work hard to assist in supporting her family following the murder of her parents by Franco’s regime.

The setting of the book — Madrid in 1957 when it was under the fascist dictatorship is General Francisco Franco also makes this novel stand out among YA historical fiction. It’s clear that author Ruta Sepetys completed thorough research prior to writing this novel; Fountains of Silence shows a glimpse into the true post-war struggles of Spain at that time.

I devoured this book in an entire day, which is saying a lot since it’s over 500 pages. I really enjoyed this one!

RATING (out of five puppies)