Tag: book

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, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) by Nora Sakavic

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) by Nora Sakavic

18874651you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Having just finished this, I must say that I’m not exactly sure what to say about this book. I didn’t like certain aspects of the novel, but overall plotline interested me enough to actually want to continue the series.

The Foxhole Court focuses on a fictional sport called Exy, which seems like a mix of lacrosse, hockey, and some other sports I can’t quite remember. It’s extremely popular and the only thing that makes Neil happy. But Neil is on the run from his father, an abusive man in the mob, and signing a contract with the PSU Foxes should be the last thing Neil should ever do. The lie that has kept him living for five years begins to break under the pressure of his new teammates and the truth about him could get him killed.

To be honest, it’s hard to explain this whole book because so much happens and would spoil the book immensely. I enjoyed the plot, but I had bigger problems with issues like rape jokes and homophobic slurs within the book that made it uncomfortable to read. I originally gave this book 1 star but it was like 12 at night when I finished it so I slept on it and decided a 3 rating was more suitable. The concept of Exy was interesting to read and despite the weirdness of the plot, I liked how realistic the characters were. (I have the biggest soft spot for Nicky and Kevin) Each character has a fascinating backstory which captivates the reader and makes you love the minor characters even more.

Kindle Edition, 230 pages
Published July 30th 2013 by Smashwords Edition/ Self-published
ASIN: B00E9BLRUI

 

Books, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Chasing Thunderclap by Kaylie Caswell

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Chasing Thunderclap by Kaylie Caswell

28462769you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

~Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review~

Chasing Thunderclap haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to their band. With the death of  a former band mate and on the edge of losing their new lead guitar player to an Ivy League college, could Chasing Thunderclap be no more by the end of summer? Hell-bent on keeping Bryan, their lead guitarist, in the band, the remaining members will do anything to turn his mind away from college. But as their plans crumbles away, each member begins to question whether this dream is worth following?

I’m not going to lie: I hated this book for the first 75% of this book. The behaviour of these boys actually disgusted me and they were so irritating. But I had to give the Caswell some props for making some distinction between the boys. I literally thought I was going to be stuck with five POVs with no idea who was speaking when. But the story of each boy was clear and different, and when weaved together, the novel was enjoyable to an extent. I liked the storyline but hated the characters. Haha, is that even possible? I really liked how the band had different meanings to each member. And how important the band was to their fans and that fuelled the boys to keep going. There’s a scene where a fan comes up to Bryan and tells him how their music saved their life, and that scene was so cute!

I was actually going to not even finish this book but I’m glad I kept reading because the ending was good. I don’t say that often but I liked how realistic it was. And it was good to see each boy finally decide what their position was in the band, and I agreed with each decision they made.

Kindle Edition, 315 pages
Published December 30th 2015 by Berried Alive, LLC
ASIN: B01A1BSGHG

 

 

Books, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

23961611you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

In an attempt to escape her music royalty family, Grace Wilde transfers into a Korean boarding school and finds herself falling for a K-Pop star.

If you want a novel with proper representation of Korean culture mixed with likeable characters, I suggest you don’t even bother putting this book on your TBR list. Why? Because this has none of that.
Continue reading “Book Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout” →

Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: The Awakened by Sara E. Santana

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: The Awakened by Sara E. Santana

26847637you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Author website

my review:
NOTE: I’ve already posted this review when I was apart of The Awakened Blog Tour but I wanted to post it again because the review is buried underneath so much blog tour stuff.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

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

Zoey Valentine’s life revolves around avoiding her irritating next door neighbour, Ash, and surviving the constant self-defence classes her police officer father makes her take. That is until the zombie apocalypse hits the USA, and the entire country is thrown into a frenzy. What seemed like an unusual illness, is actually turning everyone into a zombie-like state. Except, they’re much faster than the usual. When Zoey learns that the US government decides to bomb every major city, including her home city NYC, she finds herself on the run with her father and Ash in a desperate dash for survival.

This book was really great, in some sense, was really guessable in certain scenes but the way Santana writes makes it a really interesting read with a great cast of characters, each different in their own unique way. I enjoyed the doses of humour and heart within the novel and alongside Sara’s writing style which is easy to follow and compelling to read. She has the makings of a decent storyteller with this fast-paced debut novel.

Anyone who actually read my reviews knows that no good book ever goes unscathed. What really dragged this down was mainly due to certain aspects I personally didn’t like.

I think I’m the only person so far that didn’t like Ash? No offence, but he’s so irritating! Despite he does change in the end, and he ends up with Zoey. But, honestly, I didn’t find it cute that Ash was just terrible to Zoe since she was little. And Zoey knows it but yet she was still attracted to him? If I was being bullied by a boy and would in no way have some sort of attraction to him. Honestly, I would have ditched him the minute the apocalypse started. Despite Zoey telling him explicitly, she doesn’t want to be near him, he continues to flirt with her despite having a girlfriend and she’s already said no? And then when another survivor lowkey flirts with her, he gets annoyed? I just thought that behaviour was problematic and he should’ve backed off a bit.

Also, what was going on with her dad? I honestly hate it when adults assume boys teasing girls means he likes her? Her dad wanted them to get together despite Zoey CONSTANTLY telling him he’s been bullying her at a young age and the way he puts Ash on a higher pedestal than his own daughter was extremely worrying. He does kind of admit it in the end and apologise, but overall, the only character I found myself rooting for was Zoe. The romance in this novel was a bit off to me. Ash and Zoey literally pick the worst moment to get all hot and steamy, especially towards the end.

Kindle Edition, 317 pages
Published by Oftomes Publishing (first published December 1st 2015)
ASIN: B017AD8K9W
Lifestyle, My Year In Books

My Year in Books – 2015

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on My Year in Books – 2015
My Year in Books – 2015

Using information from My Year in Books from Goodreads, I decided to make a smaller, shorter summary of my Year In Books for this blog. And show you all my 5 favourite books I’ve read this year. (I was going to do 15 but I realised how long that would make this post.) I was actually really impressed with myself this year in terms of the books I’ve read. I made it my goal to read at least 35 books, and I remember setting that goal in my gaming class, thinking oh man that’s going to so difficult. But in the end I hit 35 before we even hit half way through 2015! And I also started book blogging in late December, early January so it’s been a full year since I’ve started blog and I’ve had so much fun writing for it. And having this blog has really boosted my confident in my career of becoming an author.
Continue reading “My Year in Books – 2015” →