Aylee

• Rated 3 stars

“In short: The Originals by Cat Patrick failed to live up to its potential for me, but at the very least was a nice filler book between heavier reads.


The Originals was not the book I had been expecting to read. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey are the result of an illegal cloning experiment and thus must pretend to be one person, each girl taking their turn to live a third of the life of Elizabeth Best. If their secret ever got out, their family would be in danger. So you might expect a thriller with lots if secrets and intrigue, right? Well, not so much. Instead we get a contemporary story with lots of high school drama. And that? Is not the book for me.

So putting aside the fact that The Originals wasn't the high-stakes story I was looking for, it was at least an easy read. It was a nice filler story between heavier reads. I'm not usually a fan of these high school drama books because I find them cliched and childish, but at least I was kept somewhat entertained by the teen drama in The Originals. Near the end of the book, the plot line involving the danger of being clones finally comes into play, though it wasn't nearly as thrilling and high impact as I was hoping. The book's climax is only a minor hill before trailing off somewhat unimpressively.

As for the characterization, I was worried that I was going to have a hard time telling the three girls apart, especially because their names - Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey - are all variations of the name Elizabeth. Thankfully, I had no trouble distinguishing them and they all had fairly distinct personalities, if pretty one-dimensional ones. There was a pretty sweet romance here between the novel's protagonist, Lizzie, and a certain Clark Kent lookalike and that was nice.

Overall, The Originals wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't really for me. This was my first Cat Patrick read. I had been wanting to try out one of her books because they all seem to have pretty original premises and that is no exception for The Originals, but I can't help but feel like it failed to reach its potential. Still, I don't regret reading it as it was at the very least a nice filler book between heavier reads.”

Aylee wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“In short: The End Games by T. Michael Martin was an exciting post-apocalyptic zombie novel with a wonderful sibling relationship at its heart.


The End Games was one of my most anticipated reads of 2013. Everything about it screamed that it was a "me" book - the male protagonist, the focus on a non-romantic relationship, the fighting of zombies. And as I expected, The End Games was a book that I ended up enjoying a lot. 17-year-old Michael and 5-year-old Patrick are brothers and video gamers who are fighting their way through zombie hordes to get to the safe zone and The End of the Game. The End Games was a surprisingly insightful post-apocalyptic zombie book with plenty of scary, gory, and heart-pounding action scenes. More importantly though, it had a wonderful display of sibling love that was quite lovely.

I can't say that this post-apocalyptic zombie book is particularly groundbreaking in its genre, but The End Games did provide me with enough originality to keep my interest. The zombies in The End Games repeat back to you anything you say to them, earning them the nickname "Bellows". I quite liked this as it added a creep factor, but was also humourous at times. Something that wasn't at all funny about these zombies, however, was their ability to adapt and become savvier over time. Over the course of The End Games, the zombies become progressively harder to defeat and this added a lot of thrilling tension.

The best part of The End Games for me was definitely the display of sibling love between Michael and Patrick. There is some romance in The End Games, as well, but the main focus is on the familial relationship and I can't begin to describe how nice and refreshing this was, as it is something of a rarity in YA these days. Michael's nurturing and protectiveness of Patrick was so wonderful to see. I loved their bond and I loved the insight I gained from their relationship.

The stylized writing is the one thing I have mixed feelings about. Sometimes the writing was striking; there were several unique turns of phrase that added some interest to debut author's T. Michael Martin's prose. I really liked how the style of writing gave a "voice" to Michael's character. Other times, I found the prose to be too harsh and jarring. It didn't always flow very nicely and thus was sometimes distracting and confusing. It could very well just be me and my personal preference though; others may not be so bothered by the writing.

Overall, The End Games was an exciting post-apocalyptic zombie book with an impressively emotional sibling bond at its core. Though the writing may not have always clicked with me, it is evident that T. Michael Martin is an authentic new talent and one to watch. The End Games is a standalone (win!). I would recommend The End Games to zombie-lovers in need of some emotional depth in addition to the gore.”

Aylee wrote this review 13 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“In short: Combining an intriguing plot, intelligent prose, and vivid characters, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is an absolutely gripping story and one that is not to be missed.


"If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."
- Stephen Hawking

So begins the most gritty and realistic post-apocalyptic alien invasion story I have ever read. There have been four waves of terror and mass murder by the billions leading up to the titular event, The 5th Wave. This is not a story for the lighthearted. The 5th Wave presents a realistically bleak - and thus TERRIFYING - post-apocalyptic future ruled by aliens, paranoia, and desperation. The terror is palpable and the story is somehow all the more gripping for it.

I thought I knew exactly what to expect going into The 5th Wave; I have read my fair share of post-apocalyptic novels and I know how they always play out. Very rarely am I surprised by the direction the story goes. But as it turns out, I was completely wrong about The 5th Wave. Rick Yancey somehow manages to take an old tried and true plot and turn it into something that somehow felt more original and much more intriguing. It's no wonder to me that the movie rights for The 5th Wave have already been picked up. The 5th Wave is utterly compelling.

I was already a huge fan of Rick Yancey's writing from his historical horror series, The Monstrumologist, and that, combined with the mountain of hype surrounding this book, meant I knew I was going to be getting something special with The 5th Wave. And of course he delivered. BIG TIME. Rick Yancey is such an amazing storyteller - whether it's a heart-pounding, life-or-death action scene or an intensely poignant emotional scene, he handles it all skillfully and thoughtfully.

Told through multiple interwoven perspectives, Rick Yancey proves that not only can he create a fast-paced and compelling plot, but that he can craft vivid and intriguing characters, as well. The 5th Wave's protagonist is Cassie, who is a spitfire of determination and bleak humour with a M-16 for a best friend. I loved her entirely. Rick Yancey captured her voice perfectly in his prose, bringing to life a memorable teen survivor to rival the likes of Katniss Everdeen. The other perspectives - Zombie, the Silencer, and Nugget - all bring an interesting view of a well defined character, as well.

The 5th Wave is the best sci fi novel I've ever read and is one of the best post-apocalyptic reads I've read (alongside The Road). Combining an intriguing plot, intelligent prose, and vivid characters, The 5th Wave is an absolutely gripping story and one that is not to be missed. For folks who are wary of sci fi: this is your chance to try one that is guaranteed to enthral you and leave you wanting for more!”

Aylee wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“In short: Though The Eternity Cure wasn't as strong as its predecessor, it was still a welcome return to Julie Kagawa's brutal and elaborate dystopian world.


The Immortal Rules proved to be an exciting and elaborate paranormal dystopian when I read it last year and so I was eager to return to the grim world of Allison Sekemoto in the sequel, The Eternity Cure. Though I can't say I liked The Eternity Cure as much as its predecessor, I did appreciate getting the chance to return to the characters, the darkly atmospheric setting, and the involved action scenes that I remembered from The Immortal Rules.

Admittedly, the first 100 pages or so of The Eternity Cure were rough. The plot is meandering and tedious and I found I had a hard time re-engaging with the characters and the storyline. The one thing that I did like about the beginning, however, was Julie Kagawa's recapping skills. She does a fantastic job of rehashing the forgotten events of The Immortal Rules in a subtle and proficient manner. And after this beginning lull, the action does start to pick up thankfully and reading became less of a chore from that point on. Julie Kagawa raises the bar for gore and violence in The Eternity Cure and the resulting blood bath was an entertaining and welcome change (as morbid as that sounds...).

I do still like Allison for the most part, though her constant internal wrestling with her conflicting feelings about her humanity does get a bit irksome. I get it, it's hard being a vampire and struggling to maintain your humanity. I don't need to hear it again and again. I was hoping that we might finally get to see some development in Allison's character and finally, at the very end of the book, we do and it's absolutely welcome. By far the most interesting character though is the cocky and silver-tongued Jackal, who I admit I don't even remember from The Immortal Rules, but he definitely leaves an impression in The Eternity Cure.

Overall, though The Eternity Cure wasn't as gripping as its predecessor, it was still a strong sequel and a welcome return to Julie Kagawa's involved and brutal dystopian world. The ending was especially high-impact and exciting and I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the Blood of Eden series now.”

Aylee wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“In short: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris is a strong and riveting sequel to an intensely thrilling duology.


Unraveling was a fantastically thrilling mystery with a super cool sci-fi twist, so I knew I needed to get my hands on Unbreakable, the sequel to this duology. There was some worry from me that Elizabeth Norris was not going to be able to bring the same level of intense action scenes and involved mystery that she brought in Unraveling, but in the end I needn't have worried at all: Unbreakable was just as exciting and electrifying as Unraveling. Elizabeth Norris has a true talent for crafting weighty and ambitious story lines and she handles them exceedingly well.

Part of what makes Unbreakable so riveting is its breakneck pacing. Like Unraveling, Unbreakable is a chunky book, but you would never know it: super short chapters, near constant action scenes, and a race against a countdown clock ensure that you will fly through this read. I mean, GOOD GRIEF it was kind of insane how non-stop the action was. Unbreakable is the kind of book that left me with my knees hurting from how much I had been tensing them. But what I think I loved even more is that the insane and numerous action scenes were never at the expense of character growth and emotion in Unbreakable, as they are with most action-packed books.

I continue to love Janelle for her independence, level-headedness, and quick thinking mind. But part of me actually feels crappy because I feel so lame in comparison. I mean, because Janelle really is pretty freaking awesome. Her endurance and perseverance in the face of all that she has had to endure, both in Unraveling and in Unbreakable, is pretty remarkable. And of course, I continue to love Ben and I continue to love Janelle and Ben together. SO MUCH FONDNESS! I was rooting for them for the entire series.

If you haven't given Unraveling a try yet, I would absolutely recommend it. As I mentioned, Elizabeth Norris is an ambitious story teller with some great ideas. It's no surprise to me that Unraveling has actually been optioned as a TV show by MTV as I think it would be well suited to such a medium and would be loved by fans of Fringe and The X-Files. I'm sad to see this series end, but maybe having a TV series will help me deal with the loss.”

Aylee wrote this review Sunday, April 21, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“In short: I felt that Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare was the perfect ending to an amazing series and its beloved characters.


Overpowering happiness and emotional devastation - is it possible to feel such entirely different emotions over the ending of a series? Because with Clockwork Princess, the final book in one of my most favourite and beloved series, I sure felt that way. Clockwork Princess was a mixed bag of thrills and laughs, anguish and dread. I felt much the same about Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince, but Clockwork Princess kicks it up a notch definitely. I could not think of a more perfect outcome and ending for this amazing series and its beloved characters.

The same thing that I have always said about Cassandra Clare's characters holds true: they are some of the most engaging, endearing, and interesting characters I have come across. Every character, whether main or side, has their own unique personality and backstory and I have SUCH fondness for them all! Which makes it all the worse when they inevitably have to deal with ALL THE CRAP as Cassandra Clare systematically goes through each and every one of them and bestows drama and anguish and shite on them all. Cassandra Clare has proven time and time again that she has no problem playing with her readers' emotions and I suspect she in fact enjoys seeing us fall madly and deeply in love with her characters only to reduce us to puddles of despair and heartbreak by torturing them. Damn her! Works. Every. Time.

"How could three people who cared for one another so much cause one another so much pain?" -pg.175

One of the main sources of this heartbreak is of course the love triangle. But it is a love triangle that actually WORKS. I am still kind of in awe of Cassandra Clare's ability to craft a love triangle that does NOT make me want to cut somebody. But there it is: a TRUE love triangle in which everyone involved feels an equal amount of affection and respect for each other and in which no one comes out of the affair looking bad. Something of a rarity for love triangles. And I love that Cassandra Clare gave Will and Jem's bromance as much emphasis as she gave to the main romantic relationships. For the first time ever, I feel as though a love triangle has been handled effectively and gracefully. And I am so thankful of that.

I don't think Clockwork Princess was technically perfect; I had some minor, passing issues. But what do they matter when this finale affected me so profoundly and emotionally? I was very much saddened to have to say goodbye to this series and its cherished characters (though as we have come to expect from Cassandra Clare, this is not necessarily the case). I think Cassandra Clare came up with a practically perfect ending for The Infernal Devices that will hopefully satisfy the majority of readers - it did for me, anyways.”

Aylee wrote this review Sunday, April 21, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“In short: Fever was disappointing in that it was lacking a bit in plot, character development, and believability, but I still cannot help but be swept away by Lauren DeStefano's beautiful prose.


I loved Wither when I read it in 2011; it was a darkly atmospheric and beautifully described dystopian and I loved the enigma of the mansion. Fever was a rougher read for me as I felt it had lost a lot of the intrigue that had carried Wither. I had my suspicions that I would feel the same way about Sever as I did Fever, but as I am not someone who ditches series lightly, I felt committed to seeing the series through. Unfortunately, my suspicions were confirmed: like Fever, a significant portion of Sever felt disappointingly aimless and pointless and this nothingness in the plot killed any tension. There were a number of twists introduced and I appreciate the effort to add interest, but unfortunately, they all seemed forced and predictable due to heavy foreshadowing.

I am left disappointingly unimpressed by Rhine's character and her romance with Gabriel - they are just SO bland. I was also incredibly frustrated with Rhine's questionable decisions and her inaction for much of Sever. Opportunities came her way to say something, do something, and make a difference, but she seemed to just let them all pass her by. My main interest actually lies with the secondary characters of Sever: the fiery Cecily, the clueless but sweet Linden, and the cunning and villainous Vaughn are all infinitely more intriguing to me than Rhine and Gabriel.

One of my biggest offenses with The Chemical Garden Trilogy lies with the world building and premise of the disease. That is, it makes no sense. I found myself questioning how realistic it was after each new piece of information was revealed. The bio major in me was pretty frustrated at the silly and flat out inaccurate explanations presented about the disease. It was very apparent to me that Lauren DeStefano knows next to nothing about immunology and epidemiology and made no efforts to understand it. This likely won't bother most readers, but as someone with a heavy science background, the lack of scientific accuracy was a major problem for me.

The one real saving grave of Sever - as well as for Fever - is Lauren DeStefano's writing. She has a real talent for sculpturing this dark and dreary atmosphere that makes you feel like you are drowning in the gloominess. And yet, she somehow is able to find beauty within the terribleness and it's so absorbing that it's hard not to to get sucked in and swept away by it. So overall, I was pretty disappointed with the lack of plot, character development, and believability of the premise in Sever, but could at least still appreciate Lauren DeStefano's beautiful prose. Though I was frustrated at the unrealistic science, I do think the ending felt "right" for the story and it was satisfactory overall.”

Aylee wrote this review Sunday, April 7, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“In short: Thanks to my blog commenters who shamed me into reading Shadow and Bone, I got to experience a real treat. This book has it ALL!


A few weeks ago when I posted my Top Ten Tuesday post, Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy... But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread, there was something of a public outcry from my commenters who couldn't believe I STILL had not read some of the most hyped about books from the past few years. Out of all the books I listed, the biggest outcry was for Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, which I bought shortly after it was released last year after a slew of rave reviews. Because I had been shamed by the commenters and because I apparently cave easily to peer pressure, I made Shadow and Bone my next read when I next had a break between review books.

So I guess I should start off this review by thanking everyone who made me read Shadow and Bone. YOU WERE RIGHT! I already knew going into it that this book was going to be my JAM, but I was still blown away by the story and not at all let down after all the hype surrounding it. THIS BOOK GUYS. It's been a while since I've enjoyed myself so much while reading a book. It had so many elements that I love, including (but not at all limited to): a wonderfully developed and beautifully picturesque world, a creative and fascinating magic system, a sort of boarding school setting, an awesomely relatable and fierce heroine, a slow building and fantastically swoony romance, and an enigmatic and complex villain. Shadow and Bone has it ALL!

I can't put into words how much I loved the world building in Shadow and Bone. I was just left mesmerized by it, much as I was with Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It's been a while since I've had that experience of wanting completely to become apart of a fictitious world, but I found it was the case with Shadow and Bone. Except instead of "I want to be a witch and put on robes and go to Hogwarts!", it was, "I want to be a Grisha and put on a kefta and go to Os Alta!" I mean, okay, it probably wouldn't be the best time to be apart of this world amid all the death and destruction at the time the book takes place, but you get the idea.

So yes, thanks to my blog commenters, I got to experience a real treat with Shadow and Bone - one where I was held utterly captivated from beginning to end and one that had me wanting to sew my own kefta. You guys are the bestest. Maybe I should pick the next most popular reading choice from that post to read next since this was such a resounding success for me.”

Aylee wrote this review Sunday, March 31, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“In short: Though perhaps not hugely memorable, This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith is an very charming romance.


This Is What Happy Looks Like is, in a word, charming. The ease and playfulness of the fun Notting Hill meets You've Got Mail plot, the easily likeable characters, and the enchantment of the small town setting combine to make This Is What Happy Looks Like a pleasure to read. Contemporary romance is not generally my kind of read, but even I can see the appeal in the lighthearted airiness of this romance. It's nice to be able to relax and not overthink what you're reading.

That said, I was a bit surprised at the depth displayed in This Is What Happy Looks Like. I was not expecting anything more than a simple romance, so I was impressed at Jennifer E. Smith's skilled inclusion of non-romantic family issues into the plot. Now, I'm not saying that the plot was instantly elevated to something profoundly deep by the inclusion of this - it really was just an easy romantic read - but it did at least have the benefit of adding depth to the characters. Ellie and Graham were perfectly likeable before, as is their cutesy romance, but by adding more to their backstory, it made me care about them and their relationship more.

I think my main problem with This Is What Happy Looks Like is that I would have liked to have seen Ellie and Graham's relationship grow gradually from the beginning. We are told that Ellie and Graham have been conversing over email and growing their relationship for months prior to the beginning of the novel, but we only see a few of these email exchanges. They already have strong feelings for each other when they meet and it kind of took away from my connection to the romance a bit.

Overall, This Is What Happy Looks Like is a super cute romance with some added depth. It may not be life-changing and hugely memorable in the long run, but it delivers what it promises: an enjoyable and charming romance. This Is What Happy Looks Like would be the perfect beach read!”

Aylee wrote this review Wednesday, March 27, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“In short: I was disappointed with the lack of closure in Requiem by Lauren Oliver, but I did like it overall.


It was with a bit of nervousness that I entered into Requiem, knowing that it had had some mixed reviews and people especially seemed to have a problem with the ending. I absolutely LOVED Delirium when it was released and was completely blown away by Lauren Oliver's gorgeous prose. Its sequel, Pandemonium, was pretty good, though I felt that the story had lost a bit of the magic that had kept me enthused about the characters and the plot in Delirium. For me, Requiem falls a bit below Pandemonium in ratings - not a terrible read and pretty exciting in parts, but in other ways, it was pretty disappointing.

For me, one of the most important factors in evaluating the overall satisfaction of the final book in a series is whether the major questions were answered and whether most loose ends are tied up by the series' close. On this point, Requiem kind of fails for me and I'm sorry to say that I agree with the majority reader opinion in not liking the ending as it stands. Some people may like the open-ended ending, as it allows them to form their own conclusions about the future of the characters and plot, but for me, I needed more resolution, especially for the love triangle. Where was my closure? I feel like we are owed that for sticking with the series to the end. Unnecessary epilogues annoy me, but I feel like this is one case where I really would have liked to have seen one.

And I'm sorry to say I wasn't in love with Lena's character in Requiem. I liked her quite courage and wilfulness in Delirium and I really loved her growth to a strong, mature person in Pandemonium, but I feel like she regressed a bit with two boys in the picture in Requiem. I really hate that she was stringing along one of the boys while actually liking the other one more. Oh, love triangles - why must you make assholes out of people? I didn't have any particular preference for either of the boys going into Requiem, but that doesn't mean that I didn't experience dissatisfaction with the outcome due to Lena's handling of the situation.

I don't mean to be so hard on Requiem because I did like it overall. I liked the action scenes and I liked the inclusion of Lena's ex-bestie Hana's point of view into the story as it provided an opposing viewpoint of the resistance. There were just the few faults outlined above that I found couldn't get past. Still, it is always such a treat for me to get to experience Lauren Oliver's writing. I have yet to be disappointed by it and count myself as a life long fan. Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult - I will read whatever she has planned and am guaranteed to be blown away by her writing skills.”

Aylee wrote this review Sunday, March 24, 2013. ( reply | permalink )