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a_j_torres0's reviews
52 reviews
Breaking Order by Catherine Kopf
3.0
This version of the book is no longer on sale, but the story has been rewritten, recategorized to Middle Grade instead of Young Adult, and republished with a new cover.
This book is a Young Adult Dystopian/Fantasy novel book 1.
Book Cover: 5* - Wow! Can I say that this cover is a beautiful one. With the skyscraper over head, telling me that we are either in a modern setting or a futuristic one, and a young girl over looking what she has created on a wall surrounded by paint buckets and butterflies, telling me that we may be dealing with a story about the oppression of creativity and breaking free from such rules/laws. I loved the symbolism this cover gave me and I love how well it was done and reflects the story a bit.
Summary/Tagline: 4* - When I originally read the summary and tag to this book, I was very intrigued, but I also got, right off the bat, what kind of story this is telling me. A young girl living in a strict and conservative society with rules/laws against anything and everything involving art from painting to music to films, etc. and she gets shown that side and breaks free from such shackles of "order". It pulled me in enough to want to read this.
Characters: 3* - In this book we follow only 14 year old Calista Knight, daughter of The Regime's Head Executioner. She's pretty meak, and it seems follows the rules well enough to not want her father's wrath upon her. However, I wasn't drawn to the character unfortunately. Things happen in this book rather, quickly? Yeah I'll go with that, without much reaction from Calista or time to get to know how she feels about certain things from witnessing her father execute something to her mother leaving her family to meeting a dude claiming that magic and dreams are a good thing. It feels too rushed and most of the reactions and emotions are pretty quickly glossed over so that the story can just continue. There's just no balance with character development and the story's plot, and although there is a change from submissive and obedient Calista to accepting dreams and magic are good and The Regime are bad, we don't really SEE that development, she just accepts that fact later with not much push back. There are, of course, other characters in this book, and were given a similar treatment, but with different reasons. I won't say them here in case of spoilers, however, the characters weren't bad, they just weren't as properly developed for my liking. Also, the dialogues from these characters are pretty, I'm going to say weird and awkward, and I don't mean that they are quirky, I mean the conversations just don't always fit into specific scenes. That's all.
World Building: 3* - The lore in this world wasn't a bad one, but like many dystopians, I don't really know how the world got into this state in the first place. The city we reside in is called Fortress, mostly named because of the massive wall that surrounds the city and because most of the buildings are made of stone and concrete, at least those outside of the government/military areas anyway. Also, like some dystopians that follow a "lead by a military like regime", it's strict, job based, and conservative. You're not really given a choice in what you want to do, let alone what to wear. The Regime gives you said choice in what they deem appropriate and that will serve and benefit them. We are told Calista is asthmatic, and besides being told some reason here and there to suggest she does(we don't see a consequence of her having asthma), her father signs her up for a medication that will "treat" her asthma, but comes with some serious side effects like almost sterilization, stunted height, among a couple other things, because of that she's sure that she will not be placed in marriage for baby making and is instead sure that she will be placed in execution like her father, which is what's clear he wants anyway. We also get some info about dreamers and magic, which I'm mostly getting the idea that, this world just has them compared to it not existing in ours, so I'm assuming this is more of an alternate world kind of situation. I do like some of the information given to us about dreamers and magic, but I would have liked the how's and why's of The Regime too.
Story: 3* - Like I said earlier, the story follows Calista living in Fortress under the rule of The Regime. She's told what is order and what is chaos and she goes along with it, to a point. She meets a boy named Wes, a painter, who says he's looking for his sister that was taken from him long ago after his parents were executed for being dreamers. Soon they gather a small team to find out where Wes's sister is and things happen, but the group make it to a new hideout where they plan to raise a resistance to fight back against The Regime. Did this feel rushed? Good because it was. The story is mostly a beat for beat kind of story where we go from A to B to all the way to Z in the matter of, I think a few days? It may have been a couple of weeks in the book, but it didn't feel like it was a long time to set their plans in motion. Things happened that get pushed forward and glossed over even without much set up or even time to settle in what's happened. The reactions are quick and immediately pushed aside to allow the characters to just keep progressing through the story. Not to mention that the story was largely predictable, which isn't always a bad thing, so long as there's something there to surprise me, but there was only 2 things that did, which again, was quick and pushed aside, and the characters just accept the new information without any push back. This story was just to quick for my liking, it just needs to find that balance of character development and story pacing.
Over All: 3* - All in all, it wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't gripping either. This probably would've made for a good entry point for middle grade readers to get into young adult books for the first time, but the tones and pacing was too all over the place for me. I'm not sure if the story wanted to be more whimsical or more mature. Not to mention story was too rushed without much development from the characters. Although I enjoyed the idea of dreamers and magic in a dystopian setting, it just, like many dystopian books, didn't give me time and information on how this setting and world came to be. I very much am looking forward to the new Breaking Order book, it's now middle grade with an added POV character alongside Calista, so I'm curious to see how the story is now as it has been rewritten.
This book is a Young Adult Dystopian/Fantasy novel book 1.
Book Cover: 5* - Wow! Can I say that this cover is a beautiful one. With the skyscraper over head, telling me that we are either in a modern setting or a futuristic one, and a young girl over looking what she has created on a wall surrounded by paint buckets and butterflies, telling me that we may be dealing with a story about the oppression of creativity and breaking free from such rules/laws. I loved the symbolism this cover gave me and I love how well it was done and reflects the story a bit.
Summary/Tagline: 4* - When I originally read the summary and tag to this book, I was very intrigued, but I also got, right off the bat, what kind of story this is telling me. A young girl living in a strict and conservative society with rules/laws against anything and everything involving art from painting to music to films, etc. and she gets shown that side and breaks free from such shackles of "order". It pulled me in enough to want to read this.
Characters: 3* - In this book we follow only 14 year old Calista Knight, daughter of The Regime's Head Executioner. She's pretty meak, and it seems follows the rules well enough to not want her father's wrath upon her. However, I wasn't drawn to the character unfortunately. Things happen in this book rather, quickly? Yeah I'll go with that, without much reaction from Calista or time to get to know how she feels about certain things from witnessing her father execute something to her mother leaving her family to meeting a dude claiming that magic and dreams are a good thing. It feels too rushed and most of the reactions and emotions are pretty quickly glossed over so that the story can just continue. There's just no balance with character development and the story's plot, and although there is a change from submissive and obedient Calista to accepting dreams and magic are good and The Regime are bad, we don't really SEE that development, she just accepts that fact later with not much push back. There are, of course, other characters in this book, and were given a similar treatment, but with different reasons. I won't say them here in case of spoilers, however, the characters weren't bad, they just weren't as properly developed for my liking. Also, the dialogues from these characters are pretty, I'm going to say weird and awkward, and I don't mean that they are quirky, I mean the conversations just don't always fit into specific scenes. That's all.
World Building: 3* - The lore in this world wasn't a bad one, but like many dystopians, I don't really know how the world got into this state in the first place. The city we reside in is called Fortress, mostly named because of the massive wall that surrounds the city and because most of the buildings are made of stone and concrete, at least those outside of the government/military areas anyway. Also, like some dystopians that follow a "lead by a military like regime", it's strict, job based, and conservative. You're not really given a choice in what you want to do, let alone what to wear. The Regime gives you said choice in what they deem appropriate and that will serve and benefit them. We are told Calista is asthmatic, and besides being told some reason here and there to suggest she does(we don't see a consequence of her having asthma), her father signs her up for a medication that will "treat" her asthma, but comes with some serious side effects like almost sterilization, stunted height, among a couple other things, because of that she's sure that she will not be placed in marriage for baby making and is instead sure that she will be placed in execution like her father, which is what's clear he wants anyway. We also get some info about dreamers and magic, which I'm mostly getting the idea that, this world just has them compared to it not existing in ours, so I'm assuming this is more of an alternate world kind of situation. I do like some of the information given to us about dreamers and magic, but I would have liked the how's and why's of The Regime too.
Story: 3* - Like I said earlier, the story follows Calista living in Fortress under the rule of The Regime. She's told what is order and what is chaos and she goes along with it, to a point. She meets a boy named Wes, a painter, who says he's looking for his sister that was taken from him long ago after his parents were executed for being dreamers. Soon they gather a small team to find out where Wes's sister is and things happen, but the group make it to a new hideout where they plan to raise a resistance to fight back against The Regime. Did this feel rushed? Good because it was. The story is mostly a beat for beat kind of story where we go from A to B to all the way to Z in the matter of, I think a few days? It may have been a couple of weeks in the book, but it didn't feel like it was a long time to set their plans in motion. Things happened that get pushed forward and glossed over even without much set up or even time to settle in what's happened. The reactions are quick and immediately pushed aside to allow the characters to just keep progressing through the story. Not to mention that the story was largely predictable, which isn't always a bad thing, so long as there's something there to surprise me, but there was only 2 things that did, which again, was quick and pushed aside, and the characters just accept the new information without any push back. This story was just to quick for my liking, it just needs to find that balance of character development and story pacing.
Over All: 3* - All in all, it wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't gripping either. This probably would've made for a good entry point for middle grade readers to get into young adult books for the first time, but the tones and pacing was too all over the place for me. I'm not sure if the story wanted to be more whimsical or more mature. Not to mention story was too rushed without much development from the characters. Although I enjoyed the idea of dreamers and magic in a dystopian setting, it just, like many dystopian books, didn't give me time and information on how this setting and world came to be. I very much am looking forward to the new Breaking Order book, it's now middle grade with an added POV character alongside Calista, so I'm curious to see how the story is now as it has been rewritten.
The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
This is a Young Adult/New Adult High/Epic Fantasy novel Afterward Book Volume 1.
All in all, this was a great read and a wonderful way to come back to this world, even if it was only briefly. I enjoyed reading up on how Eragon, Murtagh, and Angela are doing, and I'm SURE there is more to come as each of their stories ended with a mystery that has yet been solved. Plus, this is only Volume one! And the author announced a Murtagh book coming soon! I so can't wait!
All in all, this was a great read and a wonderful way to come back to this world, even if it was only briefly. I enjoyed reading up on how Eragon, Murtagh, and Angela are doing, and I'm SURE there is more to come as each of their stories ended with a mystery that has yet been solved. Plus, this is only Volume one! And the author announced a Murtagh book coming soon! I so can't wait!
Aletheia by Megan Tennant
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
5.0
This is a New Adult Dystopian novel book 1.
I'm giving this book 5 stars. I would happily give this book more if I was allowed to lol. I went through quite the emotional roller coaster, and the writing is just beautiful in my opinion, the author really knows how to use her words. I also like/love every character we meet, from 736 to Seth(a minor but hugely kind character). I. AM. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SECOND BOOK RED RIVER! Seriously, I want that book, in my hands, like, RIGHT NOW! I'm kind of in reading limbo right now lol, don't mean to gush but I love this book that much. If you want to give this book a try, the first 5 chapters are up on the author's website. Go check it out to see if it is right up your alley.
I'm giving this book 5 stars. I would happily give this book more if I was allowed to lol. I went through quite the emotional roller coaster, and the writing is just beautiful in my opinion, the author really knows how to use her words. I also like/love every character we meet, from 736 to Seth(a minor but hugely kind character). I. AM. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SECOND BOOK RED RIVER! Seriously, I want that book, in my hands, like, RIGHT NOW! I'm kind of in reading limbo right now lol, don't mean to gush but I love this book that much. If you want to give this book a try, the first 5 chapters are up on the author's website. Go check it out to see if it is right up your alley.
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers is an Adult High/Epic Fantasy novel, book 2 in the series.
Like with book 1, the same narrator is utilized, and although he isn't a bad narrator, he's just not really that thrilling and exciting to listen to. It's even harder to listen to him read the book when he starts singing the songs, everything is just sung the same really. All in all, not a bad book, but about halfway into The Two Towers, I just wasn't feeling this book at all. I felt bored when listening to the lore and songs, I can't remember what happened to most of Aragorn's story, and the story just wasn't engaging enough to keep me tuned in unfortunately. Anyway, I'm not stopping here and plan to reread/listen to book 3 The Return of the King, but I'll be taking a break from this series for a bit.
Like with book 1, the same narrator is utilized, and although he isn't a bad narrator, he's just not really that thrilling and exciting to listen to. It's even harder to listen to him read the book when he starts singing the songs, everything is just sung the same really. All in all, not a bad book, but about halfway into The Two Towers, I just wasn't feeling this book at all. I felt bored when listening to the lore and songs, I can't remember what happened to most of Aragorn's story, and the story just wasn't engaging enough to keep me tuned in unfortunately. Anyway, I'm not stopping here and plan to reread/listen to book 3 The Return of the King, but I'll be taking a break from this series for a bit.
Imber: Book One of The Thanatos Trilogy by Tyffany Hackett
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Imber is book 1 in the Thanatos Trilogy and is a New Adult High/Epic Fantasy novel.
Although the story was a little slower paced than what I was expecting, it did pick up for me and I was thrilled from that point to the end of the book. I also loved the main core of characters and would love to live in this world. I'm not kidding, how can I get to Araenna lol. Oh! Before I forget, even though I say New Adult, the content within is about as on par as a Young Adult book, but follows characters over the age of 19 years old. So in my opinion, this book is perfect for New Adult readers that want to read somewhat softer/light content that follows characters their age and that doesn't at all dive into any of that older/adult explicity. Anyway, with how the book ended, I'm looking forward to finding out what's going to happen to Natylia after unfortunately disobeying her council by leaving the castle after what just happened to her and her family. The last thing I want is for the people to win and get her removed, and I SO don't want her to have to experience any extreme punishment, not to mention she needs to find the keys to make it so that the Titans never awaken. I have so much to worry about and I can't wait to read what happens next!
Although the story was a little slower paced than what I was expecting, it did pick up for me and I was thrilled from that point to the end of the book. I also loved the main core of characters and would love to live in this world. I'm not kidding, how can I get to Araenna lol. Oh! Before I forget, even though I say New Adult, the content within is about as on par as a Young Adult book, but follows characters over the age of 19 years old. So in my opinion, this book is perfect for New Adult readers that want to read somewhat softer/light content that follows characters their age and that doesn't at all dive into any of that older/adult explicity. Anyway, with how the book ended, I'm looking forward to finding out what's going to happen to Natylia after unfortunately disobeying her council by leaving the castle after what just happened to her and her family. The last thing I want is for the people to win and get her removed, and I SO don't want her to have to experience any extreme punishment, not to mention she needs to find the keys to make it so that the Titans never awaken. I have so much to worry about and I can't wait to read what happens next!
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Prince Caspian is a Children/Middle Grade Portal Fantasy novel, book 5 in the series.
I didn't care for the characters, the world wasn't at all interesting, and the story was such a bore. I just couldn't care one way or the other what was going to happen. So, yeah this series read is a one time thing.
I didn't care for the characters, the world wasn't at all interesting, and the story was such a bore. I just couldn't care one way or the other what was going to happen. So, yeah this series read is a one time thing.
The Monster Of Selkirk: Book 1: The Duality of Nature by C.E. Clayton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a New Adult High/Epic Fantasy novel book 1.
I won this book in a giveaway.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and the characters in it. There were some slow moments, and there were even fewer moments that did make me cringe a little, but I very much can't wait to get my hands on the next book. I gotsta know what will happen to Tallis and my boy Tomas! And the others too, but mostly Tomas lol.
I won this book in a giveaway.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and the characters in it. There were some slow moments, and there were even fewer moments that did make me cringe a little, but I very much can't wait to get my hands on the next book. I gotsta know what will happen to Tallis and my boy Tomas! And the others too, but mostly Tomas lol.
The Wolf Gate: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood by Hanna Sandvig
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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? No
4.0
I received a free eBook for subscribing to the author's Newsletter. I also have a physical copy now.
The Wolf Gate is a Young Adult/New Adult Portal Fantasy/Romance novella, book 0.5 in The Fairy Tale Romance series.
Definitely an enjoyable read that I will recommend anyone who wants a light, fast read that is heavy with the romance. Audrey is a great character to follow, very relatable too, and Gavin is a fun character to have around for Audrey to bounce off of. The world was whimsical and many side characters are fascinating and I think engaging. Although this is the second story the author wrote and not the first, it made me want to read The Rose Gate that much more. I don't know about you guys, but because of all the crazy 2020 is hitting us, I think we deserve a light fluffy read every once in awhile.
The Wolf Gate is a Young Adult/New Adult Portal Fantasy/Romance novella, book 0.5 in The Fairy Tale Romance series.
Definitely an enjoyable read that I will recommend anyone who wants a light, fast read that is heavy with the romance. Audrey is a great character to follow, very relatable too, and Gavin is a fun character to have around for Audrey to bounce off of. The world was whimsical and many side characters are fascinating and I think engaging. Although this is the second story the author wrote and not the first, it made me want to read The Rose Gate that much more. I don't know about you guys, but because of all the crazy 2020 is hitting us, I think we deserve a light fluffy read every once in awhile.
The Rose Gate: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Hanna Sandvig
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Rose Gate is a Young Adult/New Adult Portal Fantasy/Romance novel, book 1 in The Fairy Tale Romance series.
Even though I struggled with how I felt about this book, I think I'm satisfied with making a 3.5 stars. Although the original Beauty and the Beast faerie tale is an interesting story, this story has more closeness to the Disney retelling, and like I said, not my favorite movie, but there were enough originality to keep me reading and wanting to learn more. I enjoyed the characters, after reaching a certain point of the story, but I still enjoyed them, and I really enjoyed following what goes down in the 3rd act to the end. All in all, I'm looking forward to the next story in this series. I have a Frog Prince Retelling to read and a Cinderella Retelling is currently in the works. So, what are you waiting for, pick this series up, it's light, cute, and fun to read, and I think others will enjoy it too.
Even though I struggled with how I felt about this book, I think I'm satisfied with making a 3.5 stars. Although the original Beauty and the Beast faerie tale is an interesting story, this story has more closeness to the Disney retelling, and like I said, not my favorite movie, but there were enough originality to keep me reading and wanting to learn more. I enjoyed the characters, after reaching a certain point of the story, but I still enjoyed them, and I really enjoyed following what goes down in the 3rd act to the end. All in all, I'm looking forward to the next story in this series. I have a Frog Prince Retelling to read and a Cinderella Retelling is currently in the works. So, what are you waiting for, pick this series up, it's light, cute, and fun to read, and I think others will enjoy it too.
Empress Unveiled by Jenna Morland
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Empress Unveiled is an Young Adult Portal Fantasy/Romance novel, book 1 in the series.
All in all, I enjoyed the story when I could, but only when Tyler and Daylan weren't in a scene together, and I WOULD root for Swayzi, if the author put in the effort to scold both Tyler and Daylan for their separate actions, but I guess being a mushy teenager in love, it didn't matter because they love Swayzi and testosterones are FLYING! The characters are what made this book hard for me to read, to be honest, I would've much preferred if one or BOTH love interests didn't exist. I'm tired of boys fighting over the main character, and I mean verbal and almost physically fight MANY times, and I'm tired of writers making the teen girl lead completely mushy and dismissive when one guy forces himself on her while another was waaaaay to willing to murder a HUMAN girl, even if she does suck! And yes! Swayzi and I LITERALLY had the same mentality shortly after Daylan's almost murder of the bully girl. I want to read the next book, I really do, but not with these characters. If you're a fan of love triangles, regardless of characters and actions, then give this a chance. If you like portal fantasy/romance stories with faeries, give this a chance, otherwise, just brace yourself I guess.
All in all, I enjoyed the story when I could, but only when Tyler and Daylan weren't in a scene together, and I WOULD root for Swayzi, if the author put in the effort to scold both Tyler and Daylan for their separate actions, but I guess being a mushy teenager in love, it didn't matter because they love Swayzi and testosterones are FLYING! The characters are what made this book hard for me to read, to be honest, I would've much preferred if one or BOTH love interests didn't exist. I'm tired of boys fighting over the main character, and I mean verbal and almost physically fight MANY times, and I'm tired of writers making the teen girl lead completely mushy and dismissive when one guy forces himself on her while another was waaaaay to willing to murder a HUMAN girl, even if she does suck! And yes! Swayzi and I LITERALLY had the same mentality shortly after Daylan's almost murder of the bully girl. I want to read the next book, I really do, but not with these characters. If you're a fan of love triangles, regardless of characters and actions, then give this a chance. If you like portal fantasy/romance stories with faeries, give this a chance, otherwise, just brace yourself I guess.