Queen of Books: May 2019

Sunday, 26 May 2019

Weekly Recap: 5/20 - 5/26

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

This week has been slow in terms of reading. I got my wisdom teeth removed on Thursday which means I haven't been outside or really doing anything because I'm recovering. I did manage to read two books in the last day or so when I had a little more energy and could focus on reading, which is super hard when all I've been eating is super soft foods such as yoghurt, soup and applesauce, which don't give you a ton of energy.

I did post two blogposts this week and I am trying to plan more blogposts.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review:

Saturday, 25 May 2019

The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.

The Black Coats
Written by Colleen Oakes

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary/Fantasy

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: February 12, 2019

Pages: 400
Source: Library

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

Roses are read, violets are blue, if you hurt us, we’re coming for you.

The deeply secretive Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who hurt girls and women for years. And Thea has just received an invitation to join them. This is the opportunity she’s been waiting for to finally get justice for her cousin Natalie, whose killer went free.

Thea dives head first into the group, training every day with other girls whose stories rival hers. Together they carry out Balancings—acts of revenge guaranteed to teach a lesson. With every predator threatened, every blackmailer exposed, and every date rapist punished, Thea can feel herself getting closer to avenging Natalie’s death.

But then the Balancings begin to escalate in brutality, and Thea discovers that the Black Coats are not all they seem to be. Thea must confront just how far she’s willing to go for justice—and what kind of justice Natalie, and Thea herself, deserve. Because when the line between justice and revenge is razor thin, it’s hard not to get cut.

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes is a different genre than any of the other books by her. This book includes morally grey characters/plot where the fine line between justice and vengeance gets crossed.

COVER

I really like that the cover has lots of symbols that relate to the story. I also like how it's simplistic and only a couple of colors are used.

WORLD-BUILDING

The Black Coats is set in the modern day, however they do have a couple flashbacks from the past which help add to the story and learn about the Black Coats group.

Then there are the characters.

THEA

Thea is a smart and strong female character who always wants to do the right thing even if sometimes it doesn't seem like she does. She is battling with fresh, intense pain throughout the book as her cousin/best-friend Natalie was murdered and the case has been cold and the killer never brought to justice. Thea is asked to join the Black Coats because she wants to get justice for her best-friend. However, she realizes she won't cross the thin line between justice and vengeance which really made me admire her. Thea is very relatable and was a character that I rooted for throughout the entire story.

DREW

Drew is the love interest for Thalia but he was also his own individual character. While he didn't get as many scenes as Thea did, I still really enjoyed his character. Drew is a very caring friend/boyfriend for Thea and I thought he was really supportive. He was a refreshing male character when so many of the other male characters talked about in this story weren't painted in a good light.

OTHER CHARACTERS

Though the book mostly focuses on Thea, we get a bunch of other side characters such as Thea's group of Black Coats. Her group is made up of a couple of girls who are all very interesting and I really would have liked to have more pagetime for all of them. Bea is one of the interesting girls who is described as chubby and shy and has a very unique gift that she contributes to the book. I thought she was interesting because she immediately connects to Thea. Mirabella is one of the other members of her Black Coats group who is originally seen as the stereotypical "popular high school mean girl," but she was such an interesting character and was really different from how we all perceived her at the beginning. I would have loved it if we had gotten more page time for these side characters.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Thea is close with her family and what we establish in the beginning is how much she cares about her cousin who was murdered. The whole plot and story revolves around her wanting to get justice for Natalie (her cousin) which is why she ends up in these situations. She really cares about her family and though she distances herself from her parents sometimes, she still shows how much she cares about them.

The friendships in this book are very interesting because Thea doesn't have any friends at the beginning of the book as her best/only friend is murdered before the events of the story. However, she manages to make friends at the Black Coats and I really loved those friendships because at first they were simply there for a common goal and then they began to bond through their intensive training and outside activities.

PLOT

The Black Coats is essentially about a group of morally grey, vigilante women who get revenge on men who mistreat women. The story is told from the POV of Thea who is a high school student during modern day. Thea, along with a couple of other girls her age are initiated into the group because all of them have been hurt in some way, shape, or form by men. Each of the girls have their own special skill sets and they work as a group to go on missions to exact revenge. Each mission is handled differently depending on the severity of the man's crime. In a way, as a woman, it was very empowering to read about women giving men their just desserts. However there is a very fine line between justice and vengeance and when it gets crossed, Thea isn't sure if she wants to cross it.

ROMANCE

As I mentioned before, the romance is between Thea and Drew and I actually thought it was cute. Drew doesn't know about Thea being a part of the Black Coats when they get together and he isn't sure about the traumatic events that Thea went through. However he is very kind and supportive towards her and I thought their relationship was a breath of fresh air considering this book talks about how much a lot of men suck.

WRITING

Colleen Oakes' writing in this book is fairly simple however it makes the book seem a lot more realistic. I really liked how she still managed to completely pull the readers in. The pacing was slow at the beginning which made it take a little longer for me to get through it, but I think the slow pacing really fit the book.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Black Coats is a feminist, empowering read about women standing up for themselves and other women. I really enjoyed the plot and the characters and I highly recommend reading it if you want something new and different to try.

Quotes from the Book:

“It’s a shame...that sometimes even the strongest women are not strong enough to endure the wickedness of average men.”

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns

Monday, 20 May 2019

FIFTEEN ANTICIPATED 2018 RELEASES I DIDN'T GET TO IN 2018!

Hey guys! I read a lot in 2018 and yet there were so many releases that I never ended up getting to because of time or not having access to the book.

Let's get into it.

BOOKS

1. Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller

This was released on February 27, 2018. I really enjoyed the first book, Daughter of the Pirate King, and I bought this book shortly after it released but I never got around to reading it so I'm hoping to change that this year! The first book was about Alosa who is a female pirate captain (and part siren) searching for an ancient hidden map. She allows herself to be kidnapped by her enemies in order to search their ship for the map, the only thing standing between her and the map is her captor, the attractive first-mate, Riden. I'm hoping to get to this one soon.

2. Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

This was released on March 6, 2018. Restore Me is the fourth book in the Shatter Me series which was originally a trilogy. I loved the first three books a lot but am a little worried about reading this one as it might not live up to my high expectations.

3. Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

This was released on April 3, 2018. I bought this book when it came out because I loved Alex, Approximately by the same author, however, I never picked this one up. Starry Eyes is about Zorie and Lennon who are best friends-turned-best enemies who find themselves stranded in the wilderness together when a camping trip goes south. They have to work their issues out and try to get to safety with no one but each other for company. It sounds so dramatic and interesting and I hope to get to it soon.

4. Furyborn by Claire Legrand

This was released on May 22, 2018. Furyborn is a huge book and that is part of the reason why I have taken so long to read it. Also, I've tried the audiobook and couldn't get into it but I am finally reading it from the library and really enjoying it. Furyborn is about two women, centuries apart, who are fighting in a cosmic war that spans millenia. Rielle Dardenne exposes herself as one of the prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood, when she saves her best friend from assassins. She has to go through trials to prove she's the Sun Queen or she'll be executed. A thousand years later, Eliana Ferracora is a bounty hunter for the Empire until her mother vanishes. She then joins a rebel captain to find her and discovers how terrible the evil at the empire's heart really is.

5. War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

This was released on May 15, 2018. There is a reason that I haven't read this book yet and that is because I got a spoiler and now I am very upset and don't want to cry. I do want to read this though because I feel like I should complete the series.

6. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

This was released on June 12, 2018. I loved the first two books so much and I really want to get to this one but I feel like I have to reread the first two which is one of the reasons why I haven't read this one yet. This series is set in a world inspired by ancient Rome where defiance is met with death and everyone has to vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor. Laia lives with her older brother and grandparents and they live in poverty. They don't challenge the Empire but when Laia's brother is arrested for treason, she agrees to spy for the rebels who promise to help rescue her brother, however this greatly puts her life at risk as she's spying in the Empire's greatest military academy. She meets Elias who is the school's finest soldier and also its most unwilling as all he wants is to be free of the tyranny.

7. Dawn of Legends by Eleanor Herman

This was released on June 26, 2018. This is another finale to a series and I really don't want it to end. This series is about Alexander the Great when he was young and is a historical fiction/fantasy series. Alexander is the prince of Macedonia and is ready to find out his destiny in the world. Katerina is navigating court life while trying to hide her secret mission, to kill the queen. It's a darker series and is often compared to Game of Thrones because of it, however it is still a Young Adult/New Adult series.

8. Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

This was released on July 31, 2018. I love books having to do with sirens, mermaids and/or pirates and this fits the bill. This is a retelling of The Little Mermaid/an origin story of the Sea Witch. Evie is an outcast in her small fishing town (and a witch) ever since her best friend, Anna drowned. A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and Evie is convinced it's actually her best friend though the girl denies it. The girls catch the eyes/hearts of two charming princes and Evie believes she might have a chance at her own happily ever after however, her new friend has secrets of her own. She can't stay on two legs unless Evie finds a way to help her. It sounds so good and I really want to read it!

9. These Rebel Waves by Sara Raash

This was released on August 7, 2018. Another pirate themed book has made it's way onto this list! These Rebel Waves is a book that has very mixed reviews but I am very excited to read it regardless as pirate books are some of my favorites.

10. Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

This was released on August 7, 2018. Mary E. Pearson's first series, The Remnant Chronicles are one of my favorite book series and this is set in the same universe. This is about a reformed theif and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty. Jase is the leader of the Ballenger empire and Kazi is a former street thief sent to investigate in the land of the Ballengers. I am very excited to start this one.

11. The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee

This was released on August 28, 2018. This is the third book in The Thousandth Floor series and I think the last book in the series. I bought this book from Barnes and Noble shortly after it came out but since I went off to college, I never got to read it. This series is about Manhattan in 2118 where there is a thousand story tower where the majority of the Manhattan population resides. It's a very different and interesting book with lots of drama and gossip. I am excited to find out how this series ends.

12. Wildcard by Marie Lu

This was released on September 18, 2018. Wildcard is the sequel to Warcross which was about a teenage hacker, Emika Chen who works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. She hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships however she accidentally glitches herself into the action. She gets a call from the game's creator, Hideo Tanaka and he offers her a job to spy on the tournament in order to uncover a security problem and she accepts. I really enjoy all of Marie Lu's books and I loved the first book so I am very excited to read this one.

13. Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

This was released on September 18, 2018. This is the third book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. Audrey Rose Wadsworth is a lord's daughter with a life of wealth and privilege, however against her father's wishes and society's expectations, she works in her uncle's laboratory to study forensic medicine. I love how these books mix historical fiction with horror and it is so good.

14. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

This was released on October 2, 2018. This is the sequel or companion novel of A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue which was one of my favorite reads of 2018 and I bought this last year but I haven't had time to read this one. This one is about Felicity who was the sister of Monty. The first book was so good but I've heard some mixed things about this one so I've been a little worried to read this one.

15. The Devil's Thief by Lisa Maxwell

This was released on October 9, 2018. This is the sequel to The Last Magician which was set in modern-day New York where magic for the most part was extinct. Those who have it are hiding. Esa is the main character who is a thief, raised to steal magical artifacts. She has the ability to manipulate time and often travels to the past to collect these artifacts. This was also one of the books that I was very excited to buy last year so I am very excited.

Have you read any of these books?

Sunday, 19 May 2019

Weekly Recap: 5/13 - 5/19

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

Sorry that I haven't done one of these in a long while but I haven't been reading much or blogging much so I didn't see the point but now I'm back! I am back home from college. I moved out last Sunday and then my parents and I drove back home (for 10 hours) on Monday. I hung out with friends on Friday for one of my friends' birthday where we had dinner and got our nails done. On Saturday, I finally saw Avengers Endgame for the first time and it was so good but also made me cry a lot.

I am ready to read a lot as well as catch up on some TV and movies. I also added a new feature to this weekly recap which shows book, movie, and tv news!

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased: