Book Review: All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

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ALL THE UGLY AND WONDERFUL THINGS
Author:Bryn Greenwood
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Coming of Age | Dark
Released: August 9, 2016
Review Source: Thomas Dunne Books

As the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer.

Where do I even start with this one!?  I absolutely loved this book.  This book has a whole lot of ugly as the title suggests but there is beauty in overcoming the horrible things life sometimes throws at you.

The mother in me truly struggled to read certain parts of this book. Hearing the realness of what kids go through in a drug influenced atmosphere was so incredibly heartbreaking. I wanted to put myself in this insane world and hug Wavy and Donal and take them away from the horrible lives they had to endure for so long.

The story begins in the spring of '75 in a small town in the Midwest.  It's written in multiple point of views, which I normal freakin HATE but it works in this book.  Wavy, a six year old little girl, and her brother Donal, a baby, are dealt an extremely shitty hand. They live with a certifiably crazy, drug addicted mother, Val and occasionally Liam, their meth making/dealing father would come around.  Val's neglect forces Wavy to look after herself and her baby brother.  Two years later, after being moved around from different family member's homes, Wavy is back with her mother.  Standing in a field, she notices a man she had never seen before, on a motorcycle, coming down the road. He notices her too, causing him to crash his bike.  Both of their lives changed that day.  The book covers more than a decade of the lives and experiences of the characters.

I don't want to say anything more about the story line because I feel it would give the story away.  I had such mixed emotions reading this book. I think the writing was so raw and brilliant. It was unlike anything I have ever read before.  I had a love/hate relationship with Wavy's aunt, Brenda. The mother in me sides with every choice she makes, the 14 year old girl in me feels so sorry for Wavy.  While I felt closure at the end, I was left with a lot of questions.  I hope the author writes another book on Donal's life so I can see more from his point of view.

This book won't be for everyone so I have to put that out there. There are some topics some may struggle to read because at times it was hard for me but it was such an ugly, wonderful book. The title could not be more accurate.  I recommend everyone at least give this amazing story a chance. It's a life changing book that I'll never forget.

Blog Tour: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff + Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on the Nevernight tour for Jay Kristoff. This tour is hosted by Rockstar Book Tour.

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Nevernight
Author: Jay Kristoff 
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: August 9th 2016
Review Source: Thomas Dunne Books

The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

He does not believe in happy endings.

Is this a young adult novel? I honestly do not think it is... It's dark, sexy but bloody dangerous. And I wouldn't recommend this for the younger crowd. As for the older gang... Read on and be prepare to be blown away.

Nevernight had me confused right off the bat. I had to read the first chapter about 3 times to understand what was going on. But don't be fooled because Mia will leave your mouth hanging on this very chapter and will completely blow your mind as you continue the story. 

Mia is such a fierce, dangerous and fun character to read. She is like Rose of The Vampire Academy, only snarkier and more of a badass and you certainly wouldn't mess with. Mia is a very dark character and boy, does she do the unthinkable. She's an assassin but she's not evil. In better terms, if you watch Orphan Black and love Helena, like I do, then you will looovee Mia. If you put Helena and Mia, you would think they are twins as they almost have the same personality. Not evil but when the job needs to be done, it gets done. They kill with a cause. And despite their wicked and dark personality, you fall for them.

Nevernight is very complex, full of bloody scenes and epic world-building. It is not your typical read. Trust no one. Betrayal is the theme of this book and the twist and turns are bloody. There are hot and steamy romance, hence why this is not suited for young adults, but don't be fooled... If you want a happy ending, then look away. Just when you think Mia has found happiness with a certain character... Your heart will bleed out of agony. There is no happy ending.

Overall, Nevernight certainly was quite an experience. Despite being a great story, filled with bloody scenes, epic moves, there are certain matters I am still confused of. I know Mia has a very strong personality, but she depends too much on male characters. Especially a male cat, who is not a cat, but a cat... You have to read to understand. He's the one that makes her act out of fear and do these awful and brutal things. He's the definition of sinister. Why? Why can't she be badass on her own? And the footnotes... *sigh* Regardless of these matters, I would recommend people, not the young crowd, to read Nevernight. There are many great scenes and amazing characters.

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Jay Kristoff is a New York Times and international bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy. He grew up in the second most isolated capital city on earth and fled at his earliest convenience, although he’s been known to trek back for weddings of the particularly nice and funerals of the particularly wealthy. He spent most of his formative years locked in his bedroom with piles of books, or gathered around dimly-lit tables rolling polyhedral dice. Being the holder of an Arts degree, he has no education to speak of.

His LOTUS WAR trilogy was critically acclaimed in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, nominated for the David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards and won the 2014 Aurealis Award. Jay’s new series, the SciFi thriller THE ILLUMINAE FILES, was co-authored with Amie Kaufman. Book 1, ILLUMINAE, became a New York Times and international bestseller, was named among the Kirkus, Amazon and YALSA Best Books of 2015 and won the 2016 Aurealis Award and an ABIA Book of the Year award. ILLUMINAE is currently slated to be published in twenty five countries, and film rights have been acquired by Brad Pitt and Plan B Entertainment.

Jay’s new fantasy series, THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, commences with book 1, NEVERNIGHT, from St Martins Press/Thomas Dunne Books and Harper Voyager in 2016. A new YA series, LIFEL1K3 has also been acquired by Knopf/Random House Kids, and commences publication in 2018. Jay is as surprised about all this as you are. He is represented by Josh Adams at Adams Literary.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13,030 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

5 winners will receive a finished copy of NEVERNIGHT, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the TOUR

8/3/2016- Supernatural Snark- Interview

8/4/2016- Nerdophiles- Review

8/5/2016- The Book Cellar- Interview

Book Review: The Gallery of Lost Species by Nina Berkhout

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The Gallery of Lost Species

Author: Nina Berkhout
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: May 31, 2016
Review Source: Thomas Dunne Books

Edith grows up in her big sister Vivienne's shadow. While the beautiful Viv is forced by the girls' overbearing mother to compete in child beauty pageants, plain-looking Edith follows in her father's footsteps: collecting oddities, studying coins, and reading from old books.

When Viv rebels against her mother's expectations, Edith finds herself torn between a desire to help her sister and pursuing her own love for a boy who might love her sister more than he loves her. When Edith accepts a job at the National Gallery of Canada, she meets an elderly cryptozoologist named Theo who is searching for a bird many believe to be extinct. Navigating her way through Vivienne's dark landscape while trying to win Liam's heart, Edith develops an unlikely friendship with Theo when she realizes they might have more in common than she imagined; they are both trying to retrieve something that may be impossible to bring back to life.

The Gallery of Lost Species is about finding solace in unexpected places - in works of art, in people, and in animals that the world has forgotten.

Let me start by saying that I unfortunately did not finish this book. In fact I think I got less than a hundred pages in before I had to quit. That isn’t to say that this was a bad book, because I enjoyed the small bit that I read but not enough to continue reading until the end, which sucks because I was looking forward to liking and reading it.

This book is about a girl who grows up in her older sister’s shadow, often times overlooked and unnoticed by all, including her mom. It says on Goodreads that the book is about “finding solace in unexpected places – in works of art, in people, and in animals that the world has forgotten,” and that was part of what drew me in. I think not liking this story had nothing to do with the writing itself, which was quite good, but with the slow pace. After a few false starts, I finally was able to focus enough on the story to read more than the first few pages, but again, the slow pace and building up to the main plot of the story did not keep my attention for very long. I’d like to think that I’m not a picky reader and I’m kind of easy to please; more often than not I give books four and five stars, sometimes three’s, rarely if ever, one’s and two’s. For the amount that I read, I give the story a solid 3.5 stars.

It was interesting to see the dynamic of this family and how they each got along with one another as well as a whole. The relationship that the main protagonist, Edith, has with her father made me think of the relationship that I have with mine and that was one of the things I liked the most. Constance, the mother of Edit and her older sister Vivienne, was so… not enjoyable, a very disagreeable mother and character. The chapters I read were mainly about their life growing up, what it was like for Edith to live in that shadow her sister cast, and the fallout and change in the family when Vivienne decided to go to war with their mother. I think that in time, I’ll give The Gallery of Lost Species another go, but for now it is what it is.

Waiting on Wednesday: Poisoned Blade & Nevernight

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Poisoned Blade

Court of Fives #2

Author: Kate Elliott

Release Date: August 16th 2016

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Jessamy is moving up the ranks of the Fives—the complex athletic contest favored by the lowliest Commoners and the loftiest Patrons in her embattled kingdom. Pitted against far more formidable adversaries, success is Jes's only option, as her prize money is essential to keeping her hidden family alive. She leaps at the chance to tour the countryside and face more competitors, but then a fatal attack on Jes's traveling party puts her at the center of the war that Lord Kalliarkos—the prince she still loves—is fighting against their country's enemies. With a sinister overlord watching her every move and Kal's life on the line, Jes must now become more than a Fives champion...She must become a warrior.

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Nevernight

The Nevernight Chronicle #1

Author: Jay Kristoff

Release Date: August 9th 2016

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

Book Review: The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur

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The Secrets of Lake Road
Author: Karen Katchur
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Released: August 4th 2015
Review Source: Thomas Dunne Books

A haunting story about the destructive power of secrets, this accomplished and gripping suspenseful women's fiction debut is perfect for fans of Lisa Scottoline and Heather Gudenkauf

Jo has been hiding the truth about her role in her high school boyfriend’s drowning for sixteen years. Every summer, she drops her children off with her mother at the lakeside community where she spent summers growing up, but cannot bear to stay herself; everything about the lake reminds her of the guilt she feels. For her daughter Caroline, however, the lake is a precious world apart; its familiarity and sameness comforts her every year despite the changes in her life outside its bounds. At twelve years old and caught between childhood and adolescence, she longs to win her mother’s love and doesn’t understand why Jo keeps running away.

Then seven-year-old Sara Starr goes missing from the community beach. Rescue workers fail to uncover any sign of her—but instead dredge up the bones Jo hoped would never be discovered, shattering the quiet lakeside community’s tranquility. Caroline was one of the last people to see Sara alive on the beach, and feels responsible for her disappearance. She takes it upon herself to figure out what happened to the little girl. As Caroline searches for Sara, she uncovers the secrets her mother has been hiding, unraveling the very foundation of everything she knows about herself and her family. The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur is a riveting novel that is impossible to put down and hard to forget.

You know, The Secrets of Lake Road was real surprising read for me, but I’m pretty sure that’s due to the fact that I read like three sentences of description before I said yes. Going into books blind can be the best, not knowing what to expect, at all, and getting no clue as to what will eventually transpire. So with that being said, this is a book to go blind into, so do it, and then come back.

Every summer Jo and her family would visit their cabin at the lake, but an unfortunate event at the beginning of the summer brings up old secrets and heavy wounds. Six year old Sara Starr drowns in the beginning of the summer and while the recovery team tries to recover her body they recover a bone from a boy named Billy that had drowned years back which raises questions of it truly being an accident or not.

I was actually surprised about how much of a mystery this book turned out to be. Going back in forth between the future and past, unveiling the truth about Billy’s drowning and the involvement Jo and her husband had in the matter. A lot of the story too was about Caroline, Jo’s daughter, who thought she could have prevented the drowning of Sarah, but is now set out on finding the answers about Billy and her parent’s involvement. Mystery aspect of the story aside, a lot of the book focused on the not so perfect relationship between Jo and Caroline, well actually a lot was focused on Jo and all the not so pleasant relationships she’s forged.

I may have thought this book was slow at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the small clues getting put together, understanding why Jo is so closed off, and seeing Caroline uncover her family’s secrets. Definitely one you’ll want to pick up.