Hello everyone! Today I will be reviewing Warcross by Marie Lu. I hope you enjoy! And just for reviewing purposes, I am reviewing this book as an ARC, so some small things might be changed for in the final book.
Release date: September 12, 2017
Hardcover page count: 416
My rating: 3/5
​My review:
 Created ten years ago by a young inventor, Warcross has captivated the minds of the people of the world ever since. Played on the NeuroLink, virtual reality glasses also created by the inventor of Warcross, millions of people play and watch Warcross like a competitive sport. Emika Chen is a bounty hunter, one who catches people who bet illegally on this online games to make money in really life. But while watching the opening game for the Warcross World Championships, a quick hack to help her earn some quick cash accidentially ends with her glitching into the game. But contrary to her fear of being arrested,  the creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka offers her an offer. Go undercover in this year's Warcross championships and figure out a security problem and you will be rewarded generously. So now directly thrust into the world of celebrities and shimmering Tokyo lights, Emika must now uncover a plot that may lead to sinister ends.
    Let's begin with what I enjoyed about this book. Lu has truly created a world that is a masterpiece, advance technologies and amazing sights littering the place. I don't think that I have ever fallen in love with a book's setting as much as this one. Lu's world is one completely emerged with virtual reality, something so surreal and beautiful that it makes me look forward to the future of this technology. The game, Warcross, was also very well thought out, it's various worlds and levels a game that I would like to learn more about in the sequel.
     The second thing that I really enjoyed was the ending. That's right, and the ending was actually my favorite part of the book. to be quiet frank, most of the book was slow and not with many sudden revelations, but when I read the ending I was like whoa, I can't wait for the sequel. 
     Now on to what I did not like. For one, the relationship between Emika and Hideo was one that seemed rushed an unnatural. Yeah, he hires this hacker/bounty hunter to help him out. But according to him, he has done this with several others. This is why I found it strange that he just happens to frequently invite her out and tell her secrets of his past that he hasn't told others before. Even when she first met him, his various employees were like 'omg you being here is making him so much happier'. The whole relationship just seemed overly forced. 
      The second thing that I did not really like was the fact that even with little schooling, Emika still happens to be a super amazing hacker. How did that happen? It's not that I really mind, besides that fact both her and Hideo were super great characters, but why is she just this supernaturally good?
      And the final thing that I did not really like, which isn't much of a criticism, is various under explained aspects. For example, how do people play the actual game? Do they have to move around their bodies physically, or do they just sit down. And what about other aspects of the world? How are other technologies doing, how are people getting to their jobs. If people can virtually be in places, can't they just sit at home the whole day instead of going to work. I just hope that some of these questions can be answered in the next book.
      Overall, I found that while this book had an amazing world some of the events seemed kind of bland and predictable. I definitely will read the sequel because I really enjoyed the ending of this book. But in the end, I feel like a lot of the hype was just hype. Several book tropes went into this book, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The book was still, good but I just wish that some things were changed. I would recommend this book for people who like books with lots of futurisic technologies and especially virtual reality. 
     I hope that you guys enjoyed this review. If there are any books in particular that you would like to see me review, please let me know in the comments.
Until next time!
-Cami
    
    

Hello everyone! Today I will be reviewing yet another Throne of Glass book, Crown of Midnight, an amazing sequel by the author Sarah J. Maas.
Release date: August 27, 2013
Hardcover page count: 432
My rating: 4/5
My review: 
     Crown of Midnight is the sequel to Throne of Glass, and follows Celaena, who is now the King's Champion. But the job she expected to be simple and easy is far from not as she attempts a charade of fooling the king that she is doing his bidding- an act that can turn deadly very quickly. But when a new task comes about, she will need to figure out how to deal with it, especially when it can have devastating consequences that can tear apart all that she has built in the glass castle.
       I feel like second books are almost always better then the first. Because while the first book has to establish facts and characters, the sequel has the ability to further explore them and make the characters deeper and more meaningful. This is one of the main reasons why I liked this book so much. Through it, we get to further explore some of the characters that we first learned about in Throne of Glass, and really begin to learn what makes them tick. Maas does a fantastic job with this, making me being to fall in love with some characters that I thought could have been a lot better in the first book. 
     This book focused mainly on the 'now what' of after Celaena won the contest. Now many of us probably assumed that the assassin would just go on her marry way and continue to randomly kill people, but she has done a lot more then that. I really appreciate Maas for doing this, because it has begun to transform Celaena into more then just 'a super badass assassin. 
        So as I said before, one of my favorite parts of this book was all the character development that took place. Everyone was granted a chance to grow here, even the smaller characters. Through this book, characters that we wouldn't have even thought twice about in the first one are suddenly turned three-dimensional as we fall in love with them.
        In my review of the first book, one of the things that I said I didn't really enjoy about the first one was the writing. It wasn't at all bad, I just though that there was some parts that could of been cleaned up a bit. And that is exactly what Maas did in this novel. I feel like as her characters became more fleshed out, her writing did too. In this novel, you can really see how her style is turning into that in A Court of Thorns and Roses- an absolute godsend. I feel like this is actually very motivational for all young writers (like me!) out there too see this change. Maas's writing wasn't at all bad to start with, but now it is slowly turning into something beautiful.
       Now on to what I did not like about this book. It is two, very simple things. For one, I feel like I am slowly growing a pet peeve of having characters that are the absolute strongest and most powerful person out there without fault. And my second complaint is that it went a bit too slow. This does not at all mean that I do not like the book, I just wish that there was more reality in her character. After all, no one is indestructible. But I hope that we might be able to see that in the next book.
       Overall, I really enjoyed this book. But, there is one thing that I regret doing that I hope can serve as a warning. When I was done with Throne of Glass, I began searching for some fan art to look at. But this turned out to be a big mistake as I accidentally revealed a spoiler to myself. The three simple words in that fan edit completely spoiled the end of the book for me. And I guess it is okay and I don't at all mind, but I wish that I haven't seen it. So a warning to you all, don't look at fan art!
       I hope that you guys enjoyed this review! I have already begun reading the next book, but it is a bit longer, so I will either have a review of Heir of Fire out next week or of another book, but either way I bet it will be good. Please let me know down in the comments below if there are any books you would like me to review next! And as always, I'll see you in th next review!
-Cami
         
​

Hey guys, this week I will be reviewing Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas! I hope that you guys enjoy this review.
Release date: August 7, 2012
Hardcover page count: 416
My rating: 4/5
My review:
     Throne of Glass follows the story of Celena, an assassin who has been sent to a slave labor camp to rot. But, when the Crown Prince comes knocking at her door to pull her out of prison and into the fierce competition to become the King's Champion, she knows that she must go. Fighting her way to the top, the only thing standing between her and freedom is twenty two other opponents and the four years she would have to serve as the king's personal assassin if she wins. But, it will not be as straight forwards as she thinks it will be. Princesses from enemy kingdoms, handsome princes, and of course a hint of deadly magic stands in her way. Will she be able to survive?
       This is actually my second time reading this book. When I originally read it, I thought nothing of it and put it away. But this time, I read it deeper, hoping that I can finally get a glimpse at what all the hype is about. So let's begin on the pros. For one, Maas creates a beautiful world with world building like no other. She constantly hints at magic, but keeps it scarce. She has created a large and powerful kingdom, filled with revolts and terrible kings. And she has created beautiful locations, one being the castle of glass itself and other's being the fabulous libraries and mysterious hallways.
     Now on to her characters. I love how each of her characters have personalities of their own. For example, the princess Nehemia is first seen as just a pretty foreign princess, but then is revealed to be a kind friend. But throughout the book, even more layers are revealed. Maas does this with many of her characters, making us engaged with them as we dig into them. 
       Her plot was was a lot like this too, seeming to be simple and straight forwards at first, but soon turning into something deeper and more serious as the book went on. 
      So, I am only giving this book a four out of five for one reason, the writing style. Now don't get my wrong, Sarah J. Maas's writing style is a gift from a literal goddess which you would know if you have read A Court of Thrones and Roses. So, I am only saying this because Throne of Glass is her first book and obviously her oldest, her writing style has obviously since evolved. So, what is wrong with the writing in this book you may ask? For one thing, Maas has done a few things in the book to over exaggerate her characters and their actions. The one that I can give the best example of is Celaena, who seems to fully take on the book trope of an assassin. For one, she starts the book with only one though in her head being kill, kill, kill. And as the novel goes on, she takes on even more tropes like intense sarcasm and the strange ability to still regain most of her strength and be almost the same kick ass assassin that she was before being sent to a slave labor camp for a year. And yes, people do describe her as looking like a skeleton, but then why is she still so damn strong? 
      And secondly, my other complaint with her writing style in this book is the exclamation points. Yes, I am complaining about the the punctuation. Though it is mainly just in the first half, Maas begins the novel with a whole mess of over use through these exclamation marks. And while I understand that they are used to convey a point, I just find them super annoying. Though, this might be because I am currently working on the second draft of this book I am writing where I am finding the same over use of exclamation points and over exaggeration of the broody kick ass yet out of shape assassin type, I find that other people might be able to notice them too.
       Anyway, this book was still amazing. I am currently reading the sequel and will hopefully have a review for it next week. I have read Sarah J. Maas's other series A Court of Thrones and Roses, and have fallen in instant love with them, so I hope that I can experience the same with this series. And hopefully, I will be able to follow my slow obsession with this series through these posts.
      So, I would like to recommend this book for anyone looking for a fantasy book set in a different place and time with only a hint of magic. If you are looking for lush worlds and dangerous political plots, this book is definitely the one for you. And, this book is even VERY loosely based on Cinderella so if you are into re-tellings I would recommend this book as well. 
        I hope that you have enjoyed this review. If there are any other books that you would like me to review, please let me know down in the comments!
Until next time!
​-Camille 

      Hey guys! This week I will be reviewing The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Original release date: 1985
Page count: 311
My rating: 3/5 stars
My review: 
      The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood tells the story of a women named Offred who lives in a dystopian society where women are given no rights. Only around for breeding purposes, women are greatly oppressed and are treated like property, not allowed to read, leave on there own, or even speak freely. Offred now must manipulate the strange commander and his controlling wife in hopes of escaping and earning back her freedom. 
    Let's start with some of the positives. For one, Margaret Atwood has a fabulous writing style of bits broken up into paragraph or page long bits. These bits all consider different bits of the plot, touching on various bits and bouncing from past to present. She uses this to set a solid background, sculpting the story out the further we go. By doing this, the reader feels like they are peeling back a new piece of information with every page.
        Another part if the novel that was very enjoyable was the the universe that it was set in. Mrs. Atwood utilizes real events that were happening during the time she wrote the novel, and pushes them to severity. Her characters live in a world with a new government, the whisperings of a sickness that destroyed women's uteruses, and the threat of a mysterious place over the fence where people are sent. These different elements paired with her great story telling skills makes the story feel more immersive.
       The characters in the novel were also interesting, each with there own distinct backstories and secrets. You always seem to be unsure of character's motives because of the secretive feel of the society. But, this only furthers the reading experience when something unexpected happens.
     Now, the reason why I give this book only three stars is simple, the ending is a huge let down. Throughout the whole novel, the author is constantly build up the story and creating so many different directions that it can go. With random things she mentions once and never again to actions that don't really get an explanation, there are so many different directions where she could take the story. But, instead of doing something strange yet amazing to end the book, she goes with the most obvious ending possible. Now, I won't say what the ending is but if you think about what the most obvious ending for this book is, that is most likely it. 
   I recommend this book for anyone looking for a new feminist dystopian read. But, be warned that this book gets kinky at some points and has a fair amount of sex in it. Also, if you are looking for an epic ending, try to curve your excitement. The author has a fabulous writing style though, so if you are reading to discover new styles, definitely check it out.
     I hope that you guys enjoyed that review! Once again, if there are any books that you would like me to review, please let me know down in the comments below. 
See you next time!
​-Camille 

Hey guys! Today I will be reviewing This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada. I hope you enjoy!
Release date: November 7, 2017
My rating: 4/5
My review:
​         This Mortal Coil is the story Catrina, a girl living in a world of futuristic technology and hacking a disease that might end the world. Catrina lives in a world where a dangerous disease named 'Hydra' infect people and make them explode, just after going crazy of course. She lives in her cabin in the mountains hidden away from Cartaxus, and organization who locks people up in there underground facilities for safety, where no one ever comes back out. But, when a Cartaxus agent comes for her and tells her that he needs her help decrypting her fathers work for the cure to Hydra, she knows she must help. You see, Catrina lives in a world where people have hacked their genes and thanks to panels inserted into their arms, they can control them. Catrina now has to work together with the organization that her father always told her to stay away from to save the world.
           The world that the author has created is amazing. First of all the disease that the author has created is so interesting and complex, that you can't help but learn more about it. She opens the book about it, and it lead to a very strong start of the novel. As you explore the world more, you always come across new technologies that you can't help but know more about. 
         Also, while the plot might seem pretty straight forwards at first, the author adds many twists and turns along the way that keeps you on your feet. Though she is a bit predictable at times, the story is still interesting enough to make you want to keep pushing on to find out about what exactly happens next.
        Now on to the characters. Many of the characters in this book have unique personalities that make you want to find out more about them. But, some do have pretty predictable personality traits, which might be annoying at first but you eventually learn to ignore them. 
   I gave this book four stars mostly because of its predictability, but the story is still very interesting and  sucks you in. I am so in love with this sci-fi world that the author created, so I am very excited for the next book.
          I recommended this book for people looking for a sci-fi read with super cool technology.  This book was also super interesting with its actively threatening disease which you don't see often in books because the disease has already passed.  I can't wait for the sequel.
        I hope that you guys enjoyed this review! This book was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed this world. If you would like me to review any book in particular, please let me know down in the comments below! Also for anyone wondering, I got this book ahead of release from the young adult book festival YALLWEST. 
Until next time!
​-Cami