Category: Contemporary

Books, Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: We Awaken

by Zaheerah1 Comment on Book Review: We Awaken

review_weawaken

Rating: ★★★★☆

We Awaken is a very quiet story compared to the very dramatic book description. Since her father died in a car accident and her brother in a coma from the same accident, Victoria Dinham lives only for dance and is holding on to being accepted into the Manhattan Dance Conservatory. Until one night, in her dreams, she counters a girl who holds a message from her brother. Higher stakes and a fuller plot would’ve definitely given this five stars.

We Awaken is sweet and happy. And that’s what I loved about it. Lynn creates this romance that is so cute and adorable between Victoria and Ashlinn. We Awaken is a mix of fantasy and magic in the real world. While I thought the beginning was a bit off once I hit the halfway mark, I was hooked and rooting for Victoria for the rest of the way. It’s much more character-driven so I can tell some people may be disappointed with the lack of explanation of the magic in this but the journey of these two girls is so magical and amazing. They help each other in so many ways. Ashlinn helps Victoria understand her sexuality, who later comes out as Asexual. The representation the book gives which allows younger readers to understand more about it within the comforts of a book makes this book even more important. Victoria learns that nobody but her can decide who she is, and she doesn’t need to explain her choices to anyone.

We Awaken is the kind of book that you easily read in one sitting. And in that one sitting, you read a novel that is dreamlike and enjoyable.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | THE BOOK DEPOSITORY | BARNES & NOBLE
Books, Contemporary

Book Review: Stained

by Zaheerah2 Comments on Book Review: Stained

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* I received an ARC of this book from the author.  This in no way affected my opinion of the book. Also, TW: Mentions of rape and abuse.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Stained is an upcoming debut novel by Abda Khan that follows Selina, a British-born Pakistani young woman who is raped by her close, well-respected family friend. Selina is eager to do well in school so she can get into University, but her grades in Economics are the only thing that’s stopping her from achieving her future.It is then when a trusted family friend offers to tutor her but he preys upon Selina’s trusting nature and sexually assault her. Not wanting to bring dishonour on her family and deceased father’s name, we follow Selina go to extreme length to avoid the imminent scandal.

I really appreciated this story. I loved the character of Selina and her story. Despite facing such awful adversity and horrible trauma, she remained strong. She did her best to keep moving forward and learning to find herself despite all she’s faced. And how everything leads to her not reporting the assault is all too realistic and extremely upsetting. There’s so much to like about this book. Khan’s writing style allows us to fully understand Selina’s action and her situation. I had some issues with the speech sometimes since it felt quite stiff and didn’t read well but that issue is quite minor compared to how much I enjoyed the rest of the novel. The ending is a happy one, well as happy as it could be, considering what happened. It showed great growth in Selina and how she survived everything ordeal. She was given the opportunity to love again, while she doesn’t outright decline it, she simply takes a step back to focus on herself rather than what everyone else thinks. And I enjoyed that.

As relevant this book is, I would be very specific in who I recommend it to. There are so many triggering topics that are brought up: rape, miscarriage, murder etc. It’s important to the mentality of the reader that you’re aware. Stained is short but in that time Khan has created a novel that is so important and addressed such an important issue. I am so grateful that I have been given a chance to read this.

you can find the books at:
GoodReads | Author’s website | Amazon |

Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel

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you can find the book at:
GoodReads | Author’s bio | Amazon | BookDespository
Rating: ★★★★☆

As an Iranian-American, Leila’s different enough but if word got out that she liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when Saskia shows up, Leila begins to struggle to sort out her feelings.

I really wanted to love this book. It’s diverse, challenging, and absolutely needed in YA. But Farizan’s writing style doesn’t appeal to me at all. What I liked about Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel was that it captured the awkwardness of high school. Leila has a great and sarcastic sense of humour. Her small comments were really funny and I think she’s a well-rounded protagonist. I liked reading about her cultural conflict, in both her sexuality and future. While I can’t relate to the former, I could certainly relate to the latter. This kind of cultural conflict introduces a newer perspective that isn’t really discussed in young adult literature.

However, the story, overall, felt extremely simplistic in terms of plotting and characterisation. And I felt like the story focused way too much on Saskia as an attempt to bring in some drama when Farizan gives us so much more than the novel could’ve focused on if the plot hadn’t revolved around Saskia so much. (Leila’s family, Lisa’s family history, the way she used the Twelfth Night was a favourite part of the novel and I really wished that was introduced earlier into the novel and developed more.)

Despite the problems I had with Farizan’s characterisation, I did enjoy Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. While the plot was a little cheesy and predictable, but the romance between Leila and a certain character was adorable, and I loved their backstory. I know I’ll be reading more from Farizan.

Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published October 7th 2014 by Algonquin Young Readers
ASIN: B00KNCWLP2
Books, Contemporary

Book Review: A Boy Made of Blocks

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: A Boy Made of Blocks

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you can find the book at:
GoodReads | Author’s website | Amazon |
Rating:  ★★★★★

~ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~

Thirtysomething Alex is struggling. Struggling to have a close relationship with his autistic son Sam. Struggling to hold onto his failing marriage. Struggling to come to terms with a childhood tragedy. During a trial separation, Alex moves in with his best friend Dan, wondering if his family could ever come back together.

I loved this. It was so good. I don’t know how many ways I can say how amazing this was. Sad, happy, heart-warming and heart-breaking. A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS is incredibly humorous and moving. It may sound gloomy, but it’s far from it. In the beginning, you sit there wondering if Alex will ever learn but he does. He learns from his mistakes. He changes his approach in handling Sam’s tantrums and understands his son’s fears. There were so many moving scenes in this. (Tears were streaming heavily when a certain thing was destroyed but my heart was warmed when it was fixed.)

There were certain moments where Alex knows he shouldn’t yell at Sam but continues to do so and that really irked me. Like, he’s aware of how he shouldn’t yell at Sam but still continues to do so. I kept wanting to literally yell at Alex to shut up so many times. This is repeated so many times, probably for plot’s sake, but like it was really irresponsible of Alex. It was in those moments when I thought Sam would be better off with his mother.

The incorporation of Minecraft is one of the best parts of this book. People often unfairly associate Video Games with negative things. How it’s destroying this generation of people blah blah durr hburr techonology is bad kind of thing. But A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS shows one of the many positive things about video games and games like Minecraft. Minecraft provides an environment that encourages social interaction and helps people learn to communicate within the game’s well-defined rules.

Inspired by the author’s experiences with his own son, A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS is a heartfelt story of love and family.

Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Expected publication: September 1st 2016 by Sphere
ASIN:B010QDG9RI
Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: The Raven King (All For The Game #2) by Nora Sakavic

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: The Raven King (All For The Game #2) by Nora Sakavic

18187013you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:
Rating: ★★★★☆

As I mentioned in a previous review, I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book and I was seriously considering not continuing the series. But I’m so glad I continued because Nora Sakavic doesn’t disappoint in this sequel. The Raven King picks up straight after the events of book 1, continuing the story of Neil and the Foxes as move forward with the game season, counting down the days until they have to face the Ravens. Alongside this, Neil struggles with hiding his past and keeping it together in the presence of Riko’s menace.

The way Sakavic writes is really simple, not too OTT, considering the events of the novel which is what made it really nice to read. It’s fast-paced but not in a way that leaves you confused as she reveals more about the characters and their determination in the rough world of Exy. The characters are developing, as are their relationships, and it’s fascinating but you do find yourself having to stop and think about who is who with some of the other team members, but I was so focused on Neil and Andrew that didn’t bother me as much as it did in the first book.

Also, Neil’s one of those characters that you just want to pick up from their novel and place them somewhere safe. BECAUSE SO MUCH BAD STUFF HAPPENS AND HE JUST DOESN’T DESERVE ANY OF IT.

And I forgot to mention that the first book in the series is free and the rest are 99p.So cheap for a series that’s so good.

Kindle Edition, 181 pages
Published July 10th 2013 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN: 139781301824298
Books, Contemporary, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

28453981you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:

Rating: ★★★☆☆

~ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review~

Parker Grant lives by her own set of die-hard rules which she developed over the years, after losing her mother and sight at age 7, and refuses to let anyone treat her differently because of that. But when Scott, otherwise known as Parker Enemy Number One for breaking the most important rule, reappears into her life, Parker is forced to wonder if she was too quick to judge Scott while attempting to handle her new way of life after the death of her father three months prior.

I’m not going to lie, I was going into this book expecting it to be bad but, honestly, I thought it was pretty good.

Continue reading “Book Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom” →