Queen of Books

Sunday, 14 October 2018

Weekly Recap: 9/24 - 10/13

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

It's been three weeks since I've written a recap. In that time, I've gone home to visit my family for a weekend.

College is hard but I have grown accustomed to it and am trying to manage the workload and balance my schedule.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review:

Saturday, 13 October 2018

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.

Dread Nation
Written by Justina Ireland

Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Horror

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: April 3, 2018

Pages: 455
Source: Library

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

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

Review:

I didn't want to read this book at first, but when my sister told me it was good, I knew I had to try it and I am so glad I did. It was so unique and a great read. I read it in two sittings, I was so obsessed. I mean, what is a better historical fiction concept than black zombie hunters in the Reconstruction?

COVER

I like how simple the cover is but it is still unique. Also it's so rare to see POC representation on book covers even if the book is all about a POC character/characters.

WORLD-BUILDING

The world-building is done fantastically well. There are so many nods to history (as it is historical fiction). In the states, there are combat schools for black and indigenous people so they can learn to kill the zombies. The Deep South States are called the Lost States of the South due to the lack of patrols and lack of winter. There's a lot of scientific racism that is developing around "coloreds" and "indigenous people".

The whole premise is that there has been a zombie apocalypse and the cities are safe. Most of the colored/blacks are at finishing schools where they learn to kill the zombies (they're called shamblers here) and then they become an Attendant to white families.

Then there are the characters.

JANE

Jane is the main character who is a brilliant actress, a great liar and sometimes an unreliable narrator. She is bisexual and mixed raced and is definitely a heroine that we all needed. I loved her attitude and her sass. I liked learning her backstory and traveling through the story alongside her. Jane has such a strong voice and is very assertive and doesn't like her plight. She is a very skilled fighter due to her time at the finishing school, and isn't willing to abide by the rules (as we learn very early on). I enjoyed her character a lot.

KATHERINE

Katherine is the second lead character and not a love interest (bless). She is a very developed character and that is why I consider her to be a lead character. Katherine is black but still light skinned enough in order to pass as white which makes her fellow trainees both resent her and are jealous of her. She is established as ace-aro (though the terminology is never used). Katherine is a strong female character who shows you can be strong and feminine. Her femininity shows as she likes dressing up and looking nice, but is also an excellent fighter. She also doesn't want to sit and look pretty for a husband, and instead wants to make her own life for herself which I loved.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Friendship is a key concept in this novel. Jane and Katherine originally hate each other. Jane internally dislikes lighter-skinned black people and Katherine is mad at how Jane is 'better' at fighting than she is. Jane also dislikes how Katherine acts and loves clothes. However, this soon changes when the two have to team up to figure out what is really going on at their finishing school. I loved their friendship and how much they end up caring for each other by the end.

PLOT

Dread Nation is about Jane who is the black MC and goes to a finishing school where she is studying to become an Attendant where she will learn weaponry and etiquette in order to protect white families. This is a chance for a better life for black girls like herself. The United States is overrun with the dead after they began to walk the battlefield of Gettysburg. Now, native americans and black children have to attend finishing/combat schools in order to learn to kill the dead. I thought the plot was really well done and I liked how much action was put into it.

ROMANCE

There is no romance in this book which I loved as it is focused a lot more on friendships and feminism.

WRITING

The writing is simple but enjoyable. I really liked how she got into the character's heads and it almost seemed as if they were real.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I went into Dread Nation, not knowing much about it except that my sister told me it was good. I ended up really enjoying it. I loved the female characters and the female friendship that was front and center. I also loved the concept. It's a perfect story for fall and Halloween time. I highly recommend it!

Quotes from the Book:

“It’s a cruel, cruel world. And the people are the worst part.”

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns

Saturday, 29 September 2018

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.

The Hate U Give
Written by Angie Thomas

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: February 28, 2017

Pages: 444
Source: Bought

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

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Review:

The Black Lives matter has been a hot topic in the news for awhile and although I was aware of the issues, this book still opened my eyes to the current racism in America. Unfortunately, we live in a reality where on any given day some innocent person can get shot or end up killed just because of their race or what a policeman thought he was doing. The Hate U Give, makes you feel every emotion that is physically possibly and opens societies eyes to the current issue.

COVER

I like how simple the cover is but it is still unique. Also it's so rare to see POC representation on book covers even if the book is all about a POC character/characters.

WORLD-BUILDING

We get to know Starr's world throughout the book. Starr splits her life between her home in Garden Heights and the white world of her private school, Williamson. Starr is constantly filled with the pressure to be someone else. At Williamson she can't be "too black" and at Garden Heights she can't be too "Williamson". After her best friend is shot and killed in front of her, her two worlds collide as she struggles to gain justice for him.

Then there are the characters.

STARR CARTER

Starr is a teenage girl who is telling the story. She is such a likable heroine and her voice is honest and genuine. She really makes you feel for her and feel with her. I loved how geeky she was with her references to Harry Potter as well as her jokes with her family. Starr is very family-centered and you can see she loves her family more than anyone/anything else in the entire world. Starr spends her days at a mostly-white private school that is in the rich suburbs. Starr has to monitor her speech and behavior for fear of being stereotyped. She lives in Garden Heights but she also feels like an outsider as she's become distanced from her community. But then when she witnesses the murder of her best friend at the hands of a white cop, everything falls apart and she has to decide whether she wants to speak out. Starr knows the cop was guilty, but the justice system is corrupt and she know that they won't convict him but she still doesn't know what to do. Starr is a very real character and her fears are real.

OTHER CHARACTERS

I'm not going to say much about the other characters but I loved most of them. Her father, Maverick, was easily a star. He's hilarious and is very supportive of his family. Her best friend, Maya, is Asian and I really enjoyed her character. Maya doesn't know much about Starr's other life but she quickly learns and is there to support her. Starr's mom is also very supportive and is a nurse/doctor. The last character I really liked was her boyfriend, Chris. Chris is white and lives in the suburbs. Starr does seem to have problems with Chris being white quite often, which I didn't like cause he doesn't have problems with her being black. He does sometimes say dumb stuff but when corrected he makes sure to never say something like it again.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

As I said before, family is a very important concept in this novel. Starr is very family-centered and many of the scenes in this novel are about Starr's family. Starr has even said that her parents are her OTP which I think is the cutest and purest thing ever.

PLOT

The Hate U Give is about a teenage girl named Starr who witnesses her best friend get murdered by a white cop when they get pulled over. Starr splits her life between her primarily white school and her black community and when her best friend is killed, her worlds clash.

The book shows us the outcomes of police brutality which are all terrifying, and we see how important it is that the good cops speak up. Starr's uncle is a detective who works through his own conflict between taking the side of the people he works with or the side of the teen, his niece's best friend.

The plot is intense but necessary and it still has it's light moments.

ROMANCE

The romance doesn't take up much of the plot but I still thought Chris and Starr were cute.

WRITING

The writing is fairly simple but it is very powerful. I really enjoyed Angie Thomas' writing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is an incredible book and such an important one. I highly recommend The Hate U Give, if you haven't read it already. Oh, and then watch the movie which is coming out in October.

Quotes from the Book:

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

“At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.”

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns

Sunday, 23 September 2018

Weekly Recap: 9/10 - 9/23

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 didn't do a recap last weekend but I didn't have much to write and I wanted to wait. I'm still settling into college and getting used to the workload and everything. I joined chorus which is super fun.

I haven't been reading as much but I am trying to get into a good routine.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review:

Saturday, 22 September 2018

AUGUST '18 WRAP-UP

So, it's the end of the month and that means another wrap-up!

Sorry, this is so late.

August was when I was getting ready for college as well as trying to work on my novel. I am now in college and it's been going okay. It's hard to adjust but I'm getting there.

I read a lot this month and watched a lot of television and movies as you can see below.

Join my book club: here.

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston. I picked this book up because I heard it was a retelling of Anastasia which is one of my favorite animated movies (now a Disney movie! Yay for Disney buying Fox). I really liked all the similarities between the movie and this book. I loved the characters a lot and I rated it 4 Crowns.

The second book I read was Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan. I really enjoyed the first book when I read it a long time ago, so of course I had to read the sequel. I liked seeing the progression of events and how everything played out as Luna is a princess. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The third book I read was Suitors and Sabatoge by Cindy Anstey. I loved this book. I really liked the plot and the characters. I love Regency era books and historical fiction. Cindy Anstey writes some of the best historical fiction books and this wasn't an exception. I rated this one 5 Crowns.

The fourth book I read was Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda. I requested this as an ARC at the beginning of 2018 and I never got it which was disappointing. I got this book in California and I am so happy that I read it as I loved it. I really liked the story and how creepy and atmospheric it was. Horror science fiction Young Adult books are starting to become a favorite of mine. I rated this 5 Crowns.

Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson was my fifth book of the month. This was a reread for me but I love this series and have never finished it. Also, it's such a good series and I was having post Disney blues. I really like how Ridley Pearson did so much research for this book and it is so interesting to see things that the public don't. I rated this 5 Crowns.

End of Days by Susan Ee was my sixth read. I love this series a lot. So many people think this series is generic but I think it's very unique. It is an apocalyptic book with fallen angels but it is so much more than that. Penryn is a very strong female character who is very protective of her younger sister and values her family and morals even though death is occurring all around her. Oh, and her relationship with Raffe is super cute.

The seventh physical book I read was Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. This book is dark. There are three sisters and only one can be queen, so they have to kill the other two. Yeah, it's dark. I enjoyed this book even though the majority of the characters left something to be desired. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The eighth physical book i read was Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh. I really enjoyed this series. Renee Ahdieh has a very lyrical writing style which immerses you into the writing. I loved learning more about Okami and Mariko and meeting new characters and the real villain of the series. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The ninth physical book I read was Contagion by Erin Bowman. This book was another horror science fiction novel which I really enjoyed. It was a lot darker than Pitch Dark but I really enjoyed the mystery about it. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The tenth physical book I read was P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han. I love this series so much and I was going to read the whole thing in order to watch the movie on Netflix. I loved this almost as much as the first book. This series is adorable between Lara Jean and Peter's relationship, Lara Jean's style and her obsession with baking. It's so cute. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The eleventh physical book I read was The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee Huber. I picked this up from the Mystery section at the library and I wasn't expecting much but I ended up loving it. It was such a good mystery with some amazing characters and I rated it 4 Crowns.

The twelfth physical book I read was Catwoman Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas. I loved this book a lot. I liked this more than Sarah J. Maas' other books as I feel like we got to see her real writing and how she develops her characters and plot. I rated this 5 Crowns.

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue was a book that I had to read for college but I actually ended up enjoying it. I liked her writing style and I enjoyed the story but I did not like the ending. I rated this one 3 Crowns.

The fourteenth book I read was Star Wars Most Wanted by Rae Carson. I really liked this book as I loved the movie Solo. I liked learning about Qi'ra and Han before they were together or even friends. I loved the plot and the high stakes. I rated this book 4 Crowns.

The fifteenth book I read was Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han. I loved this ending although I did cry as I didn't want it to end. I loved seeing more of Lara Jean, Peter Kavinsky and the others. I rated this one 5 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

The first and only ARC I read was Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black. I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect fall read, though I read it in August. I liked the main character as well as the mystery. I will have a full review up as soon as possible. I rated it 3 Crowns.

REVIEWS IN MARCH:

Mini Reviews: Tahereh Mafi Edition

Movie Review: Christopher Robin

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han Book Review

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

ARC August '18 TBR

Disney for the Day: Disneyland Essentials

July '18 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Fowler from Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan

Ben from Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

Tuck from Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

Raffe from End of Days by Susan Ee

Okami from Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh

Peter Kavinsky from P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Sebastian Gage from The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee

Luke Fox from Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Ana from Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

Luna from Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan

Imogene from Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

Laura from Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

Penryn from End of Days by Susan Ee

Mariko from Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh

Lara Jean Covey from P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Thea from Contagion by Erin Bowman

Lady Darby from The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee

Selina Kyle from Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Luna and Fowler from Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan

Ben and Imogene from Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

Laura and Tuck from Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

Penryn and Raffe from End of Days by Susan Ee

Okami and Mariko from Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh

Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean from P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Sebastian Gage and Lady Darby from The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee

Selina and Luke from Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH: