P.S. I Still Love You | Book Review

Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han

Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Chick-Lit

Pages: 337 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.3/5

My Rating: 3/5

From Goodreads: Lara Jean didn't expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren't. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean's feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

I really loved To All The Boys I've Loved Before (review here), so P.S. I Still Love You was underwhelming and a disappointment. What I loved in the first book was missing. There was less humor and the romance wasn't very interesting. In the first book I really enjoyed reading about the sisters' bond but this time the story focused more on the love triangle and the romance.

Lara Jean was very childish throughout out the novel. I kept waiting for her to grow up and go through some character development but she never did. She stayed her childish, petty self. On the topic of characters, I didn't like Peter either. He was a really fun, cute character in the last book while in this book he was the stereotypical "popular jock". There was nothing unique about him.

I never understood the connection between Lara Jean and Peter. Even in TAtBILB I didn't think they had any chemistry but I still though they were cute. In PSISLY their relationship didn't make sense. They didn't communicate and weren't a good couple. The addition of the love triangle was pointless. It didn't add anything but unnecessary drama to the story. The way Lara Jean handled the love triangle was irritating as well.

While I did have quite a few problems with the novel, I did enjoy it. I like the tone of the books and how they're not stereotypical, cliche chick-lit. The books have a personality which I really enjoy. This novel also continuously discussed sexism and double standards which was a great addition.

I love this series, however, if you haven't read any of the books yet I'd recommend just reading the first book.

May Reading Wrap Up

This month I read a grand total of, drum roll please, 1 and a half books! Sorry for being so inactive lately x(. May has been super busy with AP tests and the end of high school. School is officially over (2 more days till graduation) so I'll have a lot more time to read.

At the beginning of the month I started reading Tiger's Curse. My friend recommended it to me purely so I could see how bad it was and let me tell you, this book is absolutely horrible. I'll have a full review up when I finish it.

The only book I actually read and finished this month was actually a re-read which I only finished 3 days ago. I read this in preparation for the sequel (which I am currently reading) and I fell in love again! I think it might have been even better than the first time although it did not have the same lasting impact it had the first time, but that's probably because I immediately started the next book. Full review here.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll have a longer list next month. :P

Hana

April Reading Wrap Up

This month I read 4 novels and 4 graphic novels!

The first book I read this month was Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I really ejoyed this book! It was gripping and fun to read through. I really liked the characters and the plot. I enjoyed how the love triangle wasn't the main focus of the novel. The main reason it's not a 4 or 5 stars is because of the amount of similarities to other dystopian novels. It's basically what The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Selection, and Shadow & Bone would be if they were smushed into one book. The worldbuilding could have been better as well. 3.5/4 Full review here.

The next book I read was The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. I mean I didn't hate it. There's a lot of hype, underserved hype, surrounding this book. the premise of the story is interesting but nothing special. The first 230 pages were pretty good but then it went downhill. The world building was really weak and romance was so superficial. The characters were more character tropes than actual characters and were very one-dimensional. Life is too short for mediocre books so I wouldn't recommend reading this. 2.75/5 Full review here.

Next I read the graphic novel, Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez. The story was somewhat interesting but I wasn't a huge fan of the art style so I'm not sure if I'll continue the series. 3/5

This was such a short and sweet coming of age graphic novel! 4/5 Review here.

As a big fan of the Infernal Devices and the Shadowhunter Chronicles in general, I was so excited to read the manga version of Clockwork Angel! It definitely didn't disappoint. It stayed very true to the book and was a great adaptation. 4/5

I loved Rebel Belle so I had high hopes for Miss Mayhem. Unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed. I felt the book was really out of place and not a great sequel, however, I did really enjoy reading it! 4/5 Full review here.

This was a really interesting graphic memoir! I though the story was great as well as the art. 4/5

This was a mostly interesting book but I thought it could've been better. 3.5/5 Review here.


Well thoseare the books I read this month! Let me know what you read:)

WWW Wednesday | April 29, 2015

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking On a World of Words, which asks bloggers to answer three questions, or three W's.

The three W's are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

Currently reading: Nothing unfortunately. Technically I'm still reading the Queen of the Tearling but I haven't touched that in a week. AP tests are coming up so I don't have any time to read. :(

Recently finished: I finished The Fire Children yesterday! It was an interesting read but nothing great. My review here.

Reading next: I plan to start Throne of Glass soon! I've heard so many good things and it's been sitting on my bookshelf since September so I really need to get to it.

The Fire Children | Book Review

Title: The Fire Children
Author: Lauren Roy

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Ravenstone

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 272 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.00/5

My Rating: 3.5/5

To Be Released: June 30, 2015

It's been 15 years since the last eclipse and Yulla is hiding underground with the rest of her village. When her curiosity gets the best of her, she goes up to discover the Witch Women capturing one of the Fire Children. Together with one of the Fire Children, she must stop the Witch Women.

I received this from NetGalley for review.

Meh. For the most part I enjoyed this book but I didn't think it was anything special. I really liked the premise and the folktale-like story but I had a few problems. I felt that the characters were really one-dimensional. They didn't have much of a personality and weren't very unique. I couldn't make a connection to them which is something I look for in books. The world building needed some work as well. The world the book takes place in is really interesting and I would have loved to learn more about it! However, the book only scratches the surface of the background. The plot was also a bit underdeveloped. The story was too easily resolved and not much happened. Overall, I did enjoy The Fire Children but it needs work.

WWW Wednesday | April 22, 2015

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking On a World of Words, which asks bloggers to answer three questions, or three W's.

The three W's are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

Currently reading: I recently started The Queen of the Tearling and The Fire Children. I really don't like The Queen of the Tearling so far. The main character is really annoying and the world building isn't very good. I still have about 300 pages to go so hopefully it will get better.
The Fire Children had a rocky start but I'm really starting to enjoy it now!

Recently finished: I just finished Miss Mayhem last week. It was a great sequel sequel and I can't wait for the next book! My review here.
I also finished This One Summer, a graphic novel. It was a short and sweet coming of age story. My review here.

Reading next: I'll most likely be starting Fire for Fire after I finish the two books I'm on!

Happy reading!

Top Ten All Time Favorite Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme held over at TheBrokeAndBookish.

This weeks topic is: top ten favorite authors

In no particular order (because there is no way I could number these), here are my top ten nine favorite authors!

John Green

This one's a no brainer. I fell in love with John Green after reading The Fault in our Stars. His writing is so captivating and his books make me feel all the feels. 

Lemony Snicket

A lot of people credit J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter for sparking their love for reading, but for me it was A Series of Unfortunate Events that made me really love books. I remember the unbearable wait for each book to be released and wanting to be just like Violet. This series was a big part of my childhood and I love it so much.

Shell Silverstein

Shell Silverstein was another big part of my childhood. I adored Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, and A Light in the Attic. I feel a lot of nostalgia thinking back on these books. 

Terry Goodkind

I read the Sword of Truth series when I was in the 8th grade and absolutely loved it. The series sucked me into a fantastic world where I could escape all my troubles. I have a soft spot for this series and I really need to reread it.

Rick Riordan

The Percy Jackson series was another series that let me escape to another world and I will forever love it for that.

Laini Taylor

Taylor's writing is absolutely beautiful. The Daughter of Smoke & Bone series is one of my favorite series. Her writing is captivating and her world building is fantastic. When Taylor comes out with another book I will for sure be buying it.

Alexandra Bracken

I love Bracken's characters and world. I have yet to read her other books but I cannot wait to do so as I'm sure I will be amazed once again.

Cassandra Clare

The Shadowhunter Chronicles are some of my favorite series' as well. Clare's world is captivating and intriguing. I love reading about all the characters. I'm so excited to read her upcoming books! 

Ellen Hopkins

I've read five of Hopkins' books so far and I've loved (almost) all of them! Her writing (prose) is gorgeous and I can't get enough of her books.

Those were my top nine favorite authors! What are yours?