Search

Rainy Day's Books, Video Games and Other Writings

Open Search
Category

young adult

Book Review: Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5)

Rating: 4.5 stars

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight… and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

In comparison to when I read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I enjoyed reading Sunrise on the Reaping significantly more. I feel like I enjoyed this book more for many reasons, one of which is that I enjoyed reading about these Games from Haymitch’s perspective. As Katniss Everdeen’s mentor, I always wondered how he came to be the man introduced in the trilogy, and this book didn’t disappoint in sharing his story.

Even though I knew the fate of the others who participated in the Games he was in, I still found myself rooting for those he worked closely with while in the Arena. And even though I find these Games barbaric and wish they didn’t exist in this world, I continue to find how their setup by the Gamekeepers fascinating to learn more about. I especially found the Arena Haymitch found himself in to be an extremely interesting one, with how things you would normally rely on for food and drink being the things not safe to consume. The mutts that the Gamekeepers created were also interesting because some of them were animals that wouldn’t normally be threatening to people, and how they were used to target certain Tributes in the Games.

I also enjoyed the connection this book makes to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes regarding the girl Haymitch falls in love with. She’s very similar to the girl that Snow falls in love with, so seeing that connection here, even though that book isn’t my favorite book in this series, was interesting.     

If there’s anything with Sunrise on the Reaping I didn’t particularly enjoy, it would be the appearances of characters from The Hunger Games trilogy and Haymitch’s actions during the Games. I felt that there were too many characters from the original trilogy in this book, and it didn’t make sense to me for them all to be present. A couple of them I understood making an appearance here, such as the characters that are from the Capitol, but finding a way to tie everyone else into Haymitch’s story didn’t make sense to me. I also wasn’t a fan of a majority of Haymitch’s choices during his Games because I feel like they didn’t make sense for his character. Yes, he does have moments of rebellion before the Games happen. However, a lot of them are due to the situation he finds himself in and due to his dislike of the Capitol. So, Haymitch doing what he does in the Games didn’t make sense to me regarding his character, as it felt more like something the girl he loves would do than him.

As a whole, though, I enjoyed reading Sunrise on the Reaping. I enjoyed getting to read Haymitch’s story and being able to see how he became the man you come to know in The Hunger Games trilogy. Recommend reading this one if you enjoyed Haymitch’s character in the trilogy and want to learn how he won the Games the year he was in them.               

0

Book Review: Don’t Let the Forest In

Rating: 3.5 stars

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality―Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork―whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster―Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…

From beginning to end, Don’t Let the Forest In is a book that had me hooked, eager to know what would happen next. In particular, what drew me to reading this book was the horror that was unfolding, combined with its setting at an academy for wealthy students. I also enjoyed it due to the monsters coming to life were from fairytales that Andrew came up with that Thomas drew. While I feel like there’s never any real explanation given as to why these events unfold, I enjoyed reading about it all to find out what would happen next. There’s just something about monsters coming to life from stories people have written that always draws me in. And this book was no different.

What Don’t Let the Forest In also did well was incorporate themes into the book that connected to what was going on in the story. These themes can be seen throughout the story through Andrew’s character as he struggles to fit in at school and deal with his mental and physical health issues, along with everything that has changed upon his return to school. Even though Andrew wasn’t my favorite character in this book (I’ll discuss that later), I found myself still hoping for the best for him, as he went through a lot in this book.

I also enjoyed the little snippets of the fairy tales Andrew had written that were incorporated at the beginning of chapters, and the pictures of the monsters Thomas and Andrew encountered. I felt like seeing these in this book allowed me to imagine what Andrew and Thomas were dealing with at Wickwood Academy. But it also helped me relate to these characters, as I found I was able to relate to Andrew through his telling of dark fairytales. If anything from reading those little blurbs, I found myself wanting to read the stories Andrew writes to find out what happened in them.

With Don’t Let the Forest In, what I didn’t particularly like was the lack of character development and details in the story. When reading this book, I felt like there was no character development for Andrew at all. Yes, he eventually gets to a point where he’s able to deal with the monsters on his own. But when it comes to everything else that happens in this book, he acts like he can’t deal with anything. And there’s never any discussion around why his character acts this way or anything in the story that explains it. It makes it hard for me to like his character because there’s no growth for him in this book. What also bothered me was the lack of details regarding why these monsters existed to begin with. I figured that as the story went on, there would be an explanation here for why these monsters exist. But if there is one, I didn’t see it because it felt like they just suddenly were at their school. Both these things bothered me as I felt like I was reading a story with missing information that I would’ve liked to have to get more insight into the story.

What I also didn’t like with this story was the sudden twist added to the story and the ending. I felt like the sudden twist that was added to the story didn’t do much other than add shock for the reader and cause Andrew pain. It was also something I felt like was easy to tell had happened, considering how little the character involved was actually in the story. While it did make me feel sorry for Andrew, I felt like it didn’t add anything to the story here for me, other than explain why this character wasn’t as heavily involved in this book as I was expecting her to be. As for the ending, like several of the books I’ve read this year, it was an open ending. And like I said before with previous reads, I don’t mind open endings, but with the way this story was written, I felt like the way it was left made me feel like this story didn’t have a happy ending for these characters. With this book, all I can truly imagine is a grim ending for these characters, which wasn’t at all what I was hoping for.   

Overall, though, I enjoyed reading Don’t Let the Forest In because of the horror in the story and getting to see these monsters brought to life. Also, incorporating a little of the fairy tales Andrew writes and having pictures of the monsters was a nice touch that I enjoyed and wanted to see more of. I just wish there had been more with regard to character development, the twist in the story, and the end of the book, as those were the things in this book that I didn’t particularly care for when  I was reading this. But I still enjoyed it and recommend Don’t Let the Forest In to anyone who enjoys horror stories that take place at an academy.     

0

Book Review: Bring Me Your Midnight

Rating: 4 stars

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild is the Witch comes a lush romantic fantasy about forbidden love, the choices we make, and the pull between duty and desire.

Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat.

Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe.

Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.

As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven, but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.

I enjoyed reading Bring Me Your Midnight, especially because of how magic is portrayed in the story. The coven Tana is a part of incorporates their magic through the perfumes they use, the tea they make, and they release the buildup of their magic during the full moon. I found all these aspects of their magic interesting because I had never read a story before where magic was used in this way. I also enjoyed the magic Tana learns about from Wolfe because it’s different from the type of magic Tana is accustomed to, and I enjoyed getting to read Tana’s reactions to his magic. The way magic was woven into the story felt magical in itself, and I was excited to continue reading this story to learn more about it.  

Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was seeing the relationships between the covens and the mainlanders. It was interesting to learn about the dynamics between the two different groups of people and learning the importance of an alliance between the mainlanders and the new coven. I also enjoyed seeing the relationships between Tana and the people closest to her. In particular, her relationship with her best friend Ivy and the man she was set to marry, Landon. Tana’s friendship with Ivy stood out to me because I could see how much they cared about each other even when they disagreed. I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Landon, too. While he was marrying her more out of duty than love, I felt like I saw potential between them as a couple. A potential that I wish the story had explored further.

I also enjoyed Tana’s character in Bring Me Your Midnight. I felt like she was a wonderful main character for this story, as she was someone you could relate to. A character who pursues what she cares about, stays loyal to those she loves, and remains curious about what she discovers. Even though I couldn’t understand everything she was going through, I felt like I could relate to her when I was reading her story and wanted everything to turn out well for her. Especially her love of swimming, as that’s something I also enjoy.    

What I didn’t particularly like about Bring Me Your Midnight was the relationship between Tana and Wolfe. I didn’t feel a connection between them when I was reading this book at all. I also felt like her attraction to him was due to wanting something different from herself than what was expected of her, and because she enjoyed using the type of magic Wolfe showed her how to use. While I found his magic interesting and wanted to learn more about it, Wolfe’s character didn’t feel all that interesting to me.

What I also didn’t enjoy about this book was the lack of details in the story. I feel like Rachel Griffin does a wonderful job of describing the world Tana lives in. But I feel like there were a lot of details in the story that were never fully explained, which frustrated me. For example, with the decision Tana makes, it’s never explained how her choice will impact her coven’s relationship with the mainlanders. I was also frustrated by the many secrets Tana’s mother kept from the rest of the members of the coven (such as the existence of the old coven and the truth surrounding the moonflowers), and felt like an explanation was needed regarding why their coven didn’t know about these things. However, I wonder if this lack of detail frustrated me simply because I was so invested in the story and wanted more.  

Bring Me Your Midnight is a read I highly recommend. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult literature and is looking for a different type of magic than they typically see. After reading this book, I feel confident that I’ll check out more books by this author in the future, as I enjoyed reading this book and don’t think I’d be disappointed reading some of her other works.               

0

Book Review: Out of Air

Rating: 4 stars

The deeper you go, the darker you fall.

Phoebe “Phibs” Ray is never more at home than when she’s underwater. On a dive six months ago, she and her four closest friends discovered a handful of ancient gold coins, rocketing them into social media fame. Now, their final summer together after high school, they’re taking one last trip to a distant Australian island to do what they love most – scuba dive.

While diving a local reef, Phibs discovers a spectacular underwater sea cave, rumored to be a lost cave with a buried treasure. But when Phibs and her best friend Gabe surface from the cave, they notice that they’re undergoing strange changes. Oozing gashes that don’t heal. Haunting whispers in their heads… Something has latched onto them, lurking beneath their skin, transforming them from the inside out.

When treasure hunters arrive, desperate to find the location of the cave and hold Phibs’ group for ransom, she’ll do anything to keep her friends safe. In the process she learns that, of all the dreadful creatures of the sea, she might be the most terrifying of them all.

I received a digital copy of this book through the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review.

Out of Air was an enjoyable read for me. It’s the perfect type of book to read for anyone interested in learning about diving and anyone who enjoys the sea without having to leave the comfort of their home. The imagery the author uses throughout the story to describe where Phibs and her friends were when they went diving made me feel like I was right there with them, waiting to see what they would uncover next. And it made me interested in reading her story to see what would happen with her and her friends.  

What I also enjoyed about this book was the switch between the past and the present. I felt like it was a wonderful way to get to know this group of teens and get an understanding of their dynamics together. I also feel like it gave me a better understanding of what had happened to them six months ago, which had resulted in their little group getting the amount of media attention they received. It also felt like a great way to connect to what was presently going on because you can see how the choices they made then impacted their present.

Out of Air is also a book that has an overall great vibe, as I felt many different emotions while reading it. I feel like this is because, as the plot unfolds, you can feel the tension in the air as you know there’s something bad that’s going to happen, but you don’t necessarily know what. But with each turn of the page, you can feel it, which makes you want to continue reading the story to find out what’s going to happen. The pacing of the story in this book was just perfect for what was going on, so I couldn’t wait to continue reading it.

I even enjoyed the open ending. As a reader, I felt like it allowed me to interpret what I felt would happen with these characters after everything they endured. I do, however, feel like this book ended too suddenly for what was going on. This bothered me because I feel like there was more to their story that could’ve been told. I also feel like a lot of the conflicts in this book were too easily resolved, which could also be a part of why I feel like this story needed more story in it than what I read. The best example that comes to mind for me is when Phibs finds out who in her friend group is the one who kept their coin when she had asked her friends to turn them in. The reason we found out is that this character tells Phibs they kept the coin and tells her why as well. And then it ends up becoming a non-issue once it’s revealed, too, even though she’s been upset about it the whole time.      

If there is anything else with this book I didn’t enjoy it would have to be a lack of character development. Granted, I didn’t mind the story being told from Phibs’ perspective. But what bothered me was that I feel like with this book, what happened to these characters could’ve easily happened to anyone, as I feel like these characters didn’t have much of a personality to me. It bothered me, though, because of how much I enjoyed reading this book, that I wanted these characters to have a little more personality than they do.

But overall, I enjoyed reading Out of Air. It was the perfect read for me as someone who’s always loved the ocean and was curious to learn about diving. It also felt like this book provided the perfect amount of tension in the story, which makes you want to continue to read it to find out what happens next for anyone who likes stories that have tension in them. Out of Air was published on May 13, 2025, for those interested in reading this book.            

0

Book Review: Iron Flame and Onyx Storm (The Empyrean Books 2 and 3)

At the end of 2024, I read Fourth Wing, the first book in The Empyrean series. While I no longer like to read books in a series until it’s completed, I can’t get enough of the world in this series and found myself wanting to continue with these books anyway. I know after the two books I’ll be reviewing here there are going to be two more in this series, and I have accepted that I’ll have to wait until they are also released before I check them out. But for now, since I’ve finished reading these books, I would like to share my thoughts on Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, the second and third books in The Empyrean series.

Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2)

Rating: 4.5 stars

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

As the second book in The Empyrean series, Iron Flame does a marvelous job of picking up where Fourth Wing left off. And just like with its predecessor, I found myself immediately hooked on the story and wanting to find out what happened next with Violet, Xaden, her squad, and their dragons. I felt like there was a lot of world-building in this book, but I was perfectly fine with it as I felt like I was learning more about the vast world all of these characters inhabit.

What I also enjoyed about the story here is that I felt like there were quite a bit of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. From finding out the truth about the real threat in their world to the introduction of new characters and bringing back certain characters, Iron Flame was a page-turner for me from beginning to end. I found myself continuing to read this book wanting to find out what happened next because for me I enjoyed the world and these characters and wanted to see where the story was going.

Iron Flame is full of so much action that I found myself heavily engaged in the story and the choices these characters make when the truth is revealed to them regarding the threat to their world. I also enjoyed seeing the character development of these characters as they navigate the different challenges they experience while at Basgiath and whenever they leave their school. I was especially happy to see that Violet’s friendship with Dain changes in this book once he finds out the truth of what’s going on. While the way he treated Violet in Fourth Wing irked me, I felt like he does a better job here realizing she’s more than capable of taking care of herself which made him a more likable character for me.  

Even the ending in Iron Flame was enjoyable to read for me. It was tough to read because of what happened and I was sad about the events that transpired too. But with the amount of twists and turns that happened in this book, I figured the ending would have some sort of twist I wasn’t expecting that would make me want to read the next book in the series. And it didn’t disappoint, even if aspects of it were sad to read.

If I had to choose anything with this book in The Empyrean series I didn’t enjoy it would have to be some of the new characters that were introduced and the problems in Xaden and Violet’s relationship that occurred here. The new characters I wasn’t particularly fond of here were Varrish, Sloane and Cat. Varrish was an interesting character to have as an antagonist in most of the book but I wasn’t particularly fond of him because all he did was do things to make Violet’s life at Basgiath difficult, but there really wasn’t all that much to his character that made the story interesting. As for Sloane and Cat, while I understood their reasons for not being fond of Violet here, I also felt like they were mostly unfounded too, and were the result of things that were out of her control. And even when these two characters get to a point in the story where they no longer dislike her, I find myself still not too fond of either of them.

I felt like the drama that happened in Violet and Xaden’s relationship in this book was completely unnecessary. I understood in the beginning Violet being upset with Xaden for keeping things from her that he should’ve told her. But at the same time, I also understood his perspective and why he felt like it was truly necessary. I also understand feeling a sense of jealousy when encountering someone from someone you love’s past. But I felt with the way Xaden acted towards his ex, there was truly no reason for Violet to be jealous here. So to me, I felt like there was a lot of drama between the two of them here that wasn’t at all necessary for their relationship that irked me.

However, despite these two aspects of the story, I really enjoyed reading Iron Flame. I felt like I was right back to where its predecessor left off and when it finished it made me all the more excited to read the next book in the series, Onyx Storm to see what happened next with this series I’ve been enjoying.

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3)

Rating: 3.5 stars

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.

I feel like in comparison to the rest of the books in this series, Onyx Storm was my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but in comparison to Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, it wasn’t as enjoyable a read for me.

What I enjoyed about Onyx Storm though was that I felt like I learned more about the world outside of Navarre. There were a lot of places that Violet and members of her squad went to in search of allies and I enjoyed learning about these different isles and what those who ruled over them were like. The amount of detail that went into creating such a vast world that has so many unique places some of which resulted in their group being unable to use their magic and communicate with their dragons or griffins is incredible. I felt like I was reading a story with a cast of characters on a quest because of what Violet and her group were in search of and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

I also enjoyed the relationship of the characters here better than I did in Iron Flame. With everything serious that was going on in this book, I felt like there was a lot of witty banter in this book in comparison to its predecessors which made some of the serious moments seem not quite as serious. There were a lot of moments when reading Onyx Storm where I found myself giggling at something that happened because of these moments in the story. The characters that annoyed me in Iron Flame didn’t annoy me as much in this book too, which helped. I especially enjoyed seeing the relationships between the dragon riders and griffin riders and how they all worked together in this book. I also enjoyed finding out more about the characters that had a second signet. I thought that was an interesting piece of information to include in the story and I was excited when I found out what Violet’s ended up being even though I felt like it ended up being an obvious signet for her to have.  

While I enjoyed seeing the dynamic of Violet and Xaden’s relationship in this book more, certain aspects of their relationship annoyed me. While I understood Xaden’s actions regarding their relationship, Violet was the one who annoyed me a lot with the way she acted about Xaden trying to keep himself in control. I also feel like with Violet, there wasn’t a lot of character development for her in Onyx Storm. Yes, I feel like she did a lot of badass things when it came to what they were doing on the islands to secure an army. But I also feel like at this point in the book, she wasn’t as strong as she could’ve been. I think I’m at the point where I feel like while she has a very powerful signet, she should have a grasp on how to use it by now in this series, but she still doesn’t. And it’s annoying to me because I feel like it’s going to continue causing more harm than good for her and those around her that she’s trying to protect.

Another aspect of Onyx Storm that I wasn’t particularly fond of was the overall plot. I understood why the things that were going on happened, but I felt like there was a lot of filler in this book too. Yes, I thought the islands that Violet and her group went to were interesting, but there were a lot of details that weren’t necessary as well. And while I enjoyed their journey, I also felt like it was kind of pointless too. Especially because it felt like a majority of it was for nothing due to the events that transpired as a result of it. I also felt like learning about the world outside of Navarre was interesting, there was also too much information for me to remember with all of the places they ended up traveling to.

I also found myself annoyed by it because of all the mystery surrounding Violet’s father regarding the information he left for her to find. I didn’t understand why he went to all this trouble to hide this information for only her out of the members of her family to find. I understand not keeping the knowledge he had somewhere leadership at Basigath could easily find it, but I felt like how he hid the information he had was too much. Especially because I felt like it didn’t contribute much to the story of what was going on and made me dislike her father even more than her mother.  

But if I had to choose anything with this book I disliked the most, it was the way the antagonist in this book is brought into the story and the ending. While I think Theophanie was an interesting antagonist to introduce into the story to show how their enemies have similar powers to them, I thought she would end up playing a bigger role in this series moving forward than she does. I felt like she was just introduced as this powerful character for Violet to take down to show how much Violet has grown throughout the series. But I feel like in a lot of their fight Violet struggled and very easily could’ve ended up killed herself. What I didn’t like about the ending was that there were multiple points of view from different characters that could’ve very easily happened throughout the book instead of at the end. Also felt like the ending left me with way more questions than answers as there’s a lot that’s mentioned but no real explanation for it. It also made me feel like everything that happens in this book was for nothing and that things are about to get bad for Violet and everyone else. It was my least favorite ending out of the books in this series so far.

As a whole, I enjoyed reading Onyx Storm but in comparison to the rest of the books in the series, it wasn’t my favorite as I felt like a lot of the plot was filler. And while I plan to continue reading the rest of the books in the series, I’m hoping they won’t be like this one for me.

As a whole, I’ve enjoyed reading both Iron Flame and Onyx Storm and am excited to continue reading the rest of The Empyrean series when the books come out to see what happens next now that I’ve finished reading both these books.               

0

Book Review: The Color of Revenge

Rating: 3 stars

Vengeance awaits in the follow-up to the epic, award-winning, New York Times bestselling Inkheart trilogy by internationally acclaimed author Cornelia Funke.

Five years have passed since the events of Inkdeath. At last, peace reigns in Ombra where Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger and all the other residents lead a happy, carefree life. But it has been a different story for Orpheus, who after fleeing to the north, has spent his days living a meager and deprived existence fueled only by his thirst for revenge against Dustfinger and all those who betrayed him.

Now Orpheus is willing to use any means necessary to take revenge. Even the darkest spell the ink world has to offer.

When Dustfinger’s deepest fears come true, he’ll have to figure out whether the words still obey him. Or is he the one who should be afraid of the pictures this time…

Don’t get me wrong, I overall enjoyed reading The Color of Revenge. However, in comparison to the books in the Inkheart trilogy, which are the predecessor to this book, I was severely disappointed in this book that takes place in that same world. But before I go into the reasons why I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the original trilogy let me talk about what I did enjoy here about The Color of Revenge.

What I enjoyed about The Color of Revenge was returning to the Inkworld again. I returned to a world I’ve loved since I was a young adult and was reunited with characters whose stories I thought had already been told. I didn’t even mind seeing Orpheus again even though he was one of my least favorite villains in the original trilogy. It made me miss the world these characters are in and made me want to read the Inkheart trilogy all over again.

Even though the execution of the main plot in this book ended up poorly executed, I loved the premise of the plot in this book. The idea of a villain initially being successful in getting revenge against those who they feel have wronged them in a unique way that’s described as impossible to stop. I loved the overall premise of what this book is supposed to be about and was interested in learning more about the grey book Meggie and several of the other main characters from the Inkworld end up trapped in and what Dustfinger and the Black Prince have to do to save everyone from Orpheus’s plot.

What I also enjoyed when reading The Color of Revenge was some of the new characters that were introduced in this book. In particular, the characters who helped Dustfinger and the Black Prince save the characters that were stuck in the grey book. I thought they were interesting characters and wanted to learn more about them and their powers. I forgot how much I enjoyed the magic of the Inkworld until reading this book brought me right back into their world and all the magic I enjoyed with it in the past.

However, there’s also a lot in this book I didn’t enjoy too. For starters, I was disappointed with how the plot in this story was executed. Don’t get me wrong, it was fascinating to see Orpheus get his revenge against those who wronged him and learn how he was able to do so. But I felt like there should’ve been more with it too. I think part of my issue here is that I expected this book to be just as long as the books in the Inkheart trilogy with a lot of detail regarding the Inkworld and I feel like this book just didn’t capture that for me like the original trilogy did. I was also disappointed because I was hoping we’d find out what all the main characters had been up to since the end of Inkdeath since the story here takes place five years after the events in that book. And we didn’t get that at all here.   

What I also didn’t enjoy about The Color of Revenge was the other names given to some of the characters in the story. Both Dustfinger and the Black Prince have other names that are used in this book that weren’t ever mentioned in the original trilogy. And I felt like Cornelia Funke used those names quite frequently in this book to where I would have to look them up in the back of the book to see which character was which. It was annoying to me because it didn’t make sense to give these characters these names when they didn’t have them in the Inkheart trilogy. I understand that this book is essentially about an adventure Dustfinger and the Black Prince go on while the other characters are stuck inside the grey book so wanted to add something more to the story. But if these were these characters’ names, they should’ve been in the Inkheart trilogy too.

What I also found disappointing when reading this book was how they got rid of Orpheus. There’s so much that happens because of him in the original trilogy along with this book that I was expecting a big showdown between him and all of the other characters, and they were going to do something against him to make it impossible for him to ever get revenge again. But what happens instead while it does in some ways feel right since he didn’t read himself into the Inkworld, to begin with so the chances of him coming back are pretty small, it also makes me feel uneasy too. I can’t help but feel like the story told is unfinished because of how lackluster this ending was to me, and I don’t like it because I never felt that way when I was reading the books in the Inkheart trilogy.

As a whole, while I did overall enjoy reading The Color of Revenge and getting to go back into the Inkworld once again, I felt like I was reading a book from a completely different series but with characters that I already know. I think I probably would’ve enjoyed this book better if I hadn’t read the original Inkheart trilogy before or if this book was labeled as being a part of that world but the start of another series as I feel like with the way this story ended Funke could very easily be thinking of doing another series in this world. I do recommend those who’ve read the original trilogy to give this book a read but to be prepared to have lower expectations if you’re expecting this one to be anything like the Inkheart trilogy as you’ll be disappointed like I was.     

0

Book Review: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders…

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

I was immediately hooked on Violet’s story from the first page of Fourth Wing. As someone who enjoys reading fantasy, especially fantasy books that have a strong female protagonist, I found that I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit. I enjoyed learning more about the college Violet attends with her ruthless classmates and learning more about the world of Navarre.

From the first page, I was captivated by the world Violet lives in. While I know it’s a world I personally wouldn’t want to be a part of, I enjoyed seeing the story told from her eyes and what her day-to-day life was like surviving in a world where everyone saw her as weak. I enjoyed learning more about her college, the different cadets and the signets they each developed once they bonded to their dragons, and everything else this world in Fourth Wing had to offer. It’s a very captivating world that as a reader I was easily able to get myself lost in.

What I also enjoyed about this book was the story itself. I enjoyed that the story centered around a protagonist like Violet who’s had to overcome so much to get to where she is and isn’t done overcoming obstacles. Violet is put through a lot in this book because of the number of other dragon riders who want to get rid of her, and who see her as the weakest one among them. I feel like she does a wonderful job repeatedly proving that she belongs here with them when she very easily could’ve given up. I also enjoyed that the story had a lot of fantasy elements to it, such as the dragon riders each developing a signet ability once they were connected with the dragon that chose them, the dragons themselves, and the fantasy within the world Violet and the other characters live in.

I also enjoyed seeing the different relationships between characters in Fourth Wing. Especially the relationship between Violet and Xaden, her friendship with Rhiannon and other members of her squadron, and the dynamic between Violet, Xaden, and their dragons. I felt like all of these different relationships had a great dynamic. And I enjoyed seeing how each of them separately was developing as the book went on.

If there was anything with Fourth Wing I didn’t like it was certain characters in the story and the way this book ends. The characters I’m talking about here are Jack and Dain. Disliking Jack in this book shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to those who’ve also read it because he’s one of the main people in Basgiath War College who wants Violet dead. But he’s also a threat to most of the other dragon riders in this book and I feel like is one of the main antagonists here up until a certain point in the story. I feel like he’s a threat to the other characters in the story and not just Violet because from the beginning he shows he has no hesitation in killing anyone at the college that stands in the way of him getting what he wants. Violet just happens to be who he wants to kill the most out of the characters in the book as he’s wanted her dead since the beginning. Dain on the other hand, is a character in the story I originally was hoping to like in Fourth Wing. Violet describes him as her best friend since childhood whom she’s had feelings for. But since the beginning of the book when he finds out that Violet is going to be attending Basgiath War College at her mom’s insistence, he is nothing but overprotective of her throughout this book. I understand he’s worried about her safety and cares about her, but it’s to the point where even when she proves she’s more than capable of taking care of herself here he’s still in an overprotective mode when it comes to her. To the point where it’s more of a detriment to her and it feels like he’s not being a supportive friend to her even when she’s shown what all she’s capable of. I feel like he basically does a shitty job of being a good friend in this book and understood completely when Violet had moments where she wasn’t on speaking terms with him. I’m hoping that as this series goes on their friendship ends up better than it was here because as of what I’ve read, he’s done a terrible job at being a good friend for her.

As for the ending in this book, I wouldn’t say I necessarily hated it though I was sad regarding certain things that happened. What I didn’t like about the ending is that there’s a lot that happens with it about Xaden and other characters and Violet becoming aware of creatures she thought weren’t real existing that doesn’t get fully explained. I feel like there’s a lot that happens in the end that needs a lot more explanation than what we’re given. I don’t necessarily see this completely as a bad thing since this is a book series so I’m sure the things that weren’t fully explained I’ll find out more about as the series goes on. I just don’t like the way it was done because there’s room for people to be confused about what happened.

As a whole though, Fourth Wing was such an enjoyable read for me. I enjoyed the world these characters are in even if it is not one I’d want to be in myself and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series Iron Flame to see what happens next to Violet, Xaden, and everyone else who’s played an important role in the story so far.            

1

Book Review: Visitations

Rating: 4 stars

Inspired by true events, this haunting yet hopeful young adult graphic novel weaves together family dynamics, mental illness, and religion―perfect for fans of Hey, Kiddo.

Corey’s mom has always made him feel safe. Especially after his parents’ divorce, and the dreaded visitations with his dad begin. But as Corey grows older, he can’t ignore his mother’s increasingly wild accusations. Her insistence that God has appointed Corey as his sister’s protector. Her declaration that Corey’s father is the devil.

Soon, she whisks Corey and his sister away from their home and into the boiling Nevada desert. There, they struggle to survive with little food and the police on the trail. Meanwhile, under the night sky, Corey is visited by a flickering ghost, a girl who urges him to fight for a different world―one outside of his mother’s spoon-fed tales, one Corey must find before it’s too late.

Drawing inspiration from his own upbringing in the Mormon church, Corey Egbert welcomes readers on an emotionally stirring, nuanced journey into the liminal spaces between imagination and memory, faith and truth.

I received a digital copy of this book through the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review.

Visitations is a young adult graphic novel. It tells the real-life story of the author’s Mormon upbringing and what it was like living with his mother and having visitation with his father. What I enjoyed about reading this graphic novel is that it touches on some serious themes, such as mental health and illness, grief, and family dynamics. And that it does it in a way that I feel would make this an appropriate read for young audiences.

Seeing these themes in a story like Visitations is important and is something I enjoy reading. I enjoy stories that have themes like the ones in this graphic novel as I feel like these types of stories need to be told. I also enjoy seeing them because it could be the perfect read for someone going through the same experiences. I also enjoyed this book because the story shared in it is based off of Corey Egbert’s life. I enjoyed getting to read a graphic novel that’s inspired by true events in the author’s life as I haven’t read too many graphic novels like this one before, so it was nice to see.

If there was anything with Visitations I didn’t particularly enjoy it would probably have to be the presence of the ghost in this novel. Its not that I didn’t particularly like her character or anything. My dislike comes from that the way the blurb reads of this book I thought she would play more of a role in this story than she actually does. I did find the way Corey introduces her into the story interesting, just thought she was more of a character in it than she ends up being. I also wanted to read more in Visitations too as I felt like I wanted to find out what their lives were like after the events that had transpired in the story as this novel felt too short for me even though I did enjoy it.

As a whole, Visitations is a wonderfully crafted graphic novel inspired by true events in Corey’s life that I highly recommend to anyone who can relate to growing up in a religious household, has delt with the struggles that come with your parents getting divorced, and has experienced grief of a loved one in their lives. Especially to anyone who enjoys reading graphic novels and reading stories that are inspired by true events in the author’s life.

Visitations is set to release on December 17, 2024 for anyone interested in reading this young adult graphic novel.       

0

Book Review: Perfect Girl

Rating: 3 stars

Jessa has been raised to be the “perfect girl.” She is unfailingly polite, never rocks the boat, and always follows the rules―no matter what. Her friends love to give her a hard time for being such a goody two-shoes, but Jessa likes it this way. She knows what’s expected of her, and she’s happy to be the person her parents (and society) want.

When a freak storm takes out the power during a sleepover at Jessa’s creepy, old house, things go south before the pizza gets cold. Her friends are at each other’s throats, unexpected guests keep showing up (some more welcome than others), and it’s not just her brother serving up jump scares. A killer looking for the perfect girl has targeted Jessa, and she’ll have to reject everything she’s been taught if she wants to keep herself―and her friends―alive until sunrise. Who knew perfection could be so dangerous?

I received a digital copy of this book through the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review.

Perfect Girl was a simple read that I enjoyed. It’s a young adult thriller about teenagers spending the night together when the power goes out and chaos reigns. I enjoyed it because it wasn’t too difficult to read.

I also enjoyed the before-and-after chapters. These chapters were interesting because they gave me, as a reader, insight into aspects of the story that I didn’t expect to read. I also enjoyed the setting of the story in Perfect Girl because it felt like just the right atmosphere for the story to take place in. This story’s thriller and spooky aspects were great, too, because I felt like I was reading the perfect book for a night in.

However, there are several things about this book I didn’t quite enjoy too. For one, I felt like the main character in Perfect Girl Jessa was too boring. When I first started reading this book, I wanted to get to know her and her friends but as the story went on, I found myself more interested in learning more about her friends than I did her. It was like she was too much of a goody-two-shoes to the point where her choices in the story were a detriment to her and her friends. A lot of the story, I found myself more frustrated with her character than anything because of how stressed she was about the simplest of things.

Speaking of characters, I felt like the characters in this book were one-dimensional. There was also very little character development in Perfect Girl because the only time Jessa does something outside of her normal behavior is close to the end of the book when she and her friends are in immediate danger. For most of the book though, I felt like I knew what was going on before Jessa even though I wasn’t the one anything was happening to. I don’t know if it was because there were moments in the story where events started becoming too predictable that I already knew what was going to happen. Either way though, finding out who was behind everything Jessa and her friends experienced in this book wasn’t too much of a surprise to me because I had a feeling pretty early on. Luckily, it didn’t take away from me enjoying this book as it allowed me to see how the characters responsible caused the events that happened in this book.

As a whole, Perfect Girl is an enjoyable read. I recommend this book to anyone looking to read a young adult thriller story that you can get through really quickly as this book was very easy to finish reading. Perfect Girl was published on November 19, 2024 for those interested in checking out this book.   

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑