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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
YA novels are my guilty pleasure! And I admit that I look forward to the cheesy romance story line. I usually get more annoyed when the main female character is whiny, and plays the roll of “I’m independent, so don’t help me.... but always puts herself in some stupid situations because she “doesn’t” need any help and she’s trying to prove it... and then in the end in comes the big strong man to rescue her” (like in the stupid f’n book twilight).... anyway, I thought this book balanced the cheesy romance, and still let the female character stay independent and have her own storyline.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book #7 Read in 2016
Firstlife by Gena Showalter
This is the first in a YA fantasy series. Tenley has to decide between two factions before she turns 18. If not, her soul will be forfeited to Many Ends when she dies. Her parents institutionalize her to try to get her to make a decision. Turn out Ten is very important to both factions and therefore each want her to pledge to their faction. Archer and Killian, one from each faction, are guardian angels of sorts to her but will even they be able to save her? Lots of action, romance humor in this one. The book did bog down a bit and at over 400 pages it could have been shorter and sped up but overall, it was a good read. I will continue this series. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
Firstlife by Gena Showalter
This is the first in a YA fantasy series. Tenley has to decide between two factions before she turns 18. If not, her soul will be forfeited to Many Ends when she dies. Her parents institutionalize her to try to get her to make a decision. Turn out Ten is very important to both factions and therefore each want her to pledge to their faction. Archer and Killian, one from each faction, are guardian angels of sorts to her but will even they be able to save her? Lots of action, romance humor in this one. The book did bog down a bit and at over 400 pages it could have been shorter and sped up but overall, it was a good read. I will continue this series. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF. Got about 50% through. Could not take this stupid protagonist and her inability to make any type of consistent decisions. Interesting idea, horrible characters.
You can check out this review and others over on my Blog at Randomly Kait
I freaking love Gena Showalter, you guys. I'd been in sort of a Reader's Block for a few weeks when this book landed in my hands, and I was super excited because Gena is one of the handful of authors who is guaranteed to pull me out of not being able to read anything at all, or getting bored with the book a few pages in. This book definitely followed along with that trend. It was absolutely fan-freaking-tastic.
It kind of reminded me of a mix of Divergent, meets Shatter Me, but at the same time it managed to be its own unique story. Does that make sense? No, probably not... Oh well. Once I picked it up, it was impossible for me to put it down.
First let's start with the guys. Oh. My. Gosh. The guys. Archer and Killian Gena gets extra points for naming one of them Killian *SWOONS* I mean, I love that name anyways, and the whole time I was reading it, I just kept picturing a younger version of this:
He had the whole sexy Irish accent going on for him, too! I don't know who this character was modeled after-if anyone-but daaaaaaaang, I love him. Archer was pretty Ace, too.
This book had a love triangle that wasn't {which, I know, doesn't make any kind of sense}...Or at least, that's how I saw it. Sure, there were two super sexylicious guys that were both vying for her attention. But in my mind, there was only one guy she had any sort of romantical {yes, romantical} feelings for.
The one thing I didn't like about the guys was the fact that they were like "oh you're so special" and then in the very next breath it was "you should join Troika/Myriad" so that was annoying and frustrating, and if I were Ten, I would have lost my temper with them...
Speaking of Ten, I loved her! She was this tough as nails character and she refused to be broken no matter how many times she got hurt. She was completely loyal to the people that she loved, and sometimes that ended badly for her. She refused to let Archer or Killian be the deciding factor in who she chose to pledge her allegiance to. Troika would be my place of choice. They both have their downsides, but I think the positives for Troika outweigh the negatives. Less violence, more light, more value placed on Firstlife.
I will say there was a twist that I didn't see coming when *SPOILER REMOVED* tried to *SPOILER REMOVED* that about broke my heart, it was so sad. AND SPEAKING OF SAD! That ending! SHEESH! I was so brokenhearted at the ending of the book. And now I'm waiting very impatiently for the next book to come out, so I can see what happens to Ten and the rest of the gang. I have my theories, and I am curious to see if I'm right.
I freaking love Gena Showalter, you guys. I'd been in sort of a Reader's Block for a few weeks when this book landed in my hands, and I was super excited because Gena is one of the handful of authors who is guaranteed to pull me out of not being able to read anything at all, or getting bored with the book a few pages in. This book definitely followed along with that trend. It was absolutely fan-freaking-tastic.
It kind of reminded me of a mix of Divergent, meets Shatter Me, but at the same time it managed to be its own unique story. Does that make sense? No, probably not... Oh well. Once I picked it up, it was impossible for me to put it down.
First let's start with the guys. Oh. My. Gosh. The guys. Archer and Killian Gena gets extra points for naming one of them Killian *SWOONS* I mean, I love that name anyways, and the whole time I was reading it, I just kept picturing a younger version of this:
He had the whole sexy Irish accent going on for him, too! I don't know who this character was modeled after-if anyone-but daaaaaaaang, I love him. Archer was pretty Ace, too.
This book had a love triangle that wasn't {which, I know, doesn't make any kind of sense}...Or at least, that's how I saw it. Sure, there were two super sexylicious guys that were both vying for her attention. But in my mind, there was only one guy she had any sort of romantical {yes, romantical} feelings for.
The one thing I didn't like about the guys was the fact that they were like "oh you're so special" and then in the very next breath it was "you should join Troika/Myriad" so that was annoying and frustrating, and if I were Ten, I would have lost my temper with them...
Speaking of Ten, I loved her! She was this tough as nails character and she refused to be broken no matter how many times she got hurt. She was completely loyal to the people that she loved, and sometimes that ended badly for her. She refused to let Archer or Killian be the deciding factor in who she chose to pledge her allegiance to. Troika would be my place of choice. They both have their downsides, but I think the positives for Troika outweigh the negatives. Less violence, more light, more value placed on Firstlife.
I will say there was a twist that I didn't see coming when *SPOILER REMOVED* tried to *SPOILER REMOVED* that about broke my heart, it was so sad. AND SPEAKING OF SAD! That ending! SHEESH! I was so brokenhearted at the ending of the book. And now I'm waiting very impatiently for the next book to come out, so I can see what happens to Ten and the rest of the gang. I have my theories, and I am curious to see if I'm right.
Yikes. Het idee van het verhaal is goed, maar de uitvoering... Absoluut niet. Dit boek leest voor geen meter. Dat zal voor een deel te maken hebben met de vertaling, maar dat kan niet alles oplossen wat hier mis was met de schrijfstijl. Delen die spannend zouden moeten zijn werden in 3 woorden uitgewerkt, terwijl oninteressant achtergrondinformatie 3 hoofdstukken kost. En waarom probeert iedereen in het begin zo edgy te doen? Erg jammer dit, want het had een heel goed boek kunnen zijn.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this book, seriously, totally, completely (truly, madly, deeply?). Even though there were some "problems" they didn't outweigh the wonderfulness (is that a word?) that is Firstlife.
My full review is on my website (http://www.lizzthelibrarian.com/2016/02/book-review-firstlife.html), it is spoiler free and I was fairly brutal (yes, even with a five star review). Here is a tiny preview of my fangirling and ranting:
Why Did I Pick It Up: This book was already on my TBR shelf ... but, I was given this book by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. These opinions are all my own.
Summary: Tenley is in her Firstlife and has been sent to an prison by her parents in the hopes that she can be forced into signing with their side, Myriad instead of the more docile Troika. Signing with Myriad means that her parents will maintain their wealth and fame. Enter two boys, Archer who wants her to sign with Troika and Killian who is convinced he will be able to sign Ten with his bad-boy charm, violent outbursts, and devilish good looks. The two sides want Ten so much, they are willing to go to war ... maybe even kill her to avoid the other side winning.
My favorite quote from my notes: "Killian reminds me of Lucifer."
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy
Favorite Character: Archer
Suggested Age Range: 9 grade + (there is some definite raunchy humor in this book). Lots of swearing, etc. But also a lot of pretty on point slang (which might make this feel dated quickly).
Diversity Represented: a little, in minor characters
Romance: Yes ... but not really a love-triangle (just FYI if you try to avoid those)
The Good: The character development in this story I really enjoyed. I've seen a couple of reviews that have ripped on the characters and I love the way they change throughout the book. They are big drastic changes, but more realistic ones. Tenley is a pleasantly real character. She is flawed up the wazoo (seriously girl, just CHOOSE) and delightfully sarcastic. She has biting wit and is pretty fearless most of the time. I love that her only non-confident moments are the romantic ones. That was real for me and I loved it.
"Common sense and I are currently bitter enemies." - Tenley ... more at lizzthelibrarian.com
My full review is on my website (http://www.lizzthelibrarian.com/2016/02/book-review-firstlife.html), it is spoiler free and I was fairly brutal (yes, even with a five star review). Here is a tiny preview of my fangirling and ranting:
Why Did I Pick It Up: This book was already on my TBR shelf ... but, I was given this book by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. These opinions are all my own.
Summary: Tenley is in her Firstlife and has been sent to an prison by her parents in the hopes that she can be forced into signing with their side, Myriad instead of the more docile Troika. Signing with Myriad means that her parents will maintain their wealth and fame. Enter two boys, Archer who wants her to sign with Troika and Killian who is convinced he will be able to sign Ten with his bad-boy charm, violent outbursts, and devilish good looks. The two sides want Ten so much, they are willing to go to war ... maybe even kill her to avoid the other side winning.
My favorite quote from my notes: "Killian reminds me of Lucifer."
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy
Favorite Character: Archer
Suggested Age Range: 9 grade + (there is some definite raunchy humor in this book). Lots of swearing, etc. But also a lot of pretty on point slang (which might make this feel dated quickly).
Diversity Represented: a little, in minor characters
Romance: Yes ... but not really a love-triangle (just FYI if you try to avoid those)
The Good: The character development in this story I really enjoyed. I've seen a couple of reviews that have ripped on the characters and I love the way they change throughout the book. They are big drastic changes, but more realistic ones. Tenley is a pleasantly real character. She is flawed up the wazoo (seriously girl, just CHOOSE) and delightfully sarcastic. She has biting wit and is pretty fearless most of the time. I love that her only non-confident moments are the romantic ones. That was real for me and I loved it.
"Common sense and I are currently bitter enemies." - Tenley ... more at lizzthelibrarian.com