Book Talk #12: Favorite Books Of 2016!

Hello, everybody! I hope you all have had an amazing holiday season this past couple of weeks, I know mine was filled with too many laughs and LOTS of dancing and karaoke. Anyhoo, I also hope you all had a really great year both reading wise and just overall. I always feel like the time passes by too fast every single year. I swear just yesterday we were counting down to 2016 and now it's going to be 2017?! How crazy is that?

I thought I would take this chance to reflect on some of the great books I was able to read this year, not really going in a particular order. I thought about making a top ten list but honestly, that involves too much thinking for me so I'll just do an overall favorites list for you. To make both of our lives easier.

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Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

I fell in love with this series all thanks to one of my best friends who recommended Cinder to me in hopes I'd love it as much as she did. Well, I became OBSESSED with the series and this book really made me sad that the series was over. Luckily, we have a graphic novel based on Iko coming out soon but I will forever love the series. And Prince Kai. Especially that last one.

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The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I had been meaning to read this book for so long that I was beginning to forget all about this book. Thankfully, I have friends that like going book shopping with me and one of them practically forced me to buy a copy of the book. That is why we're best friends. Just like this post suggests, I freaking LOVED it!! I'm so excited for the movie and I can't wait to read the sequel!

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Zero by Morgan Dark

I love reading books by indie authors since I think there are so many undiscovered authors out there that need some much-needed love and attention for all their greatness. This one really took me by surprise and I loved every second of it! It was just what I was in the mood for at the time I read it and I can't praise this book enough.

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The Rearranged Life by Annika Sharma

I was so invested in this book because it was so different than a lot of books I read in the YA genre. I loved that it followed a main character from Indian descent and I was able to learn about the culture and see how rich and colorful it truly was. I adore diverse books and this one is for sure a favorite contemporary of mine!

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The Reader by Traci Chee

I don't have a review for this one and I really wish I would have written one when I first finished the book because now, I think I'd have trouble getting my thoughts together about it. I borrowed this book from one of my friends and ended up falling madly in love with it! I can't wait for the sequel to this lovely fantasy story because I NEED IT!!

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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Once again, I never wrote a review for this book because I honestly forgot to do so. I read it because I saw the trailer for the movie and was like "WHOA, THAT'S COOL!" I bought a copy for myself, read it, fangirled over the trailer once again and forced my brother to read it too. I can't wait to see the movie adaptation which is already in theaters if you live in the US. It was touching, heartbreaking, and tackled the confusing and difficult feeling of anger and grief so beautifully.

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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North

I really wanted to read more graphic novels this year since I don't feel like I read enough of them last year and I just love graphic novels and manga so much. I first picked this one up because I thought it looked cute and heard good things about it. I read it in one sitting and I seriously can't wait to read the rest of the series since Squirrel Girl is one of my new favorite heroes! It was so entertaining, made me laugh, and quirky. Enough said.

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High School Debut Vol. 1-2-3 by Kazune Kawahara

I read the first issue of this manga series because I thought it sounded like it would be quite entertaining. I'm a sucker for contrasting characters who interact with each other since I find it makes me laugh most times. I read the first issue, then continued on with the books because I couldn't get enough! I now own the first 9 issues of the series and I can't wait to continue reading the series! Totally one of my favorite manga series! I may have already read this omnibus twice now . . . and may reread it again . . .

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So those are all of my favorite reads of 2016! Did any of your favorites make this list as well? What were your favorite reads of the year? I can't wait to see what I read in this new year and I wish you all a very happy new reading year. Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Review: Jorie and the Magic Stones by A.H. Richardson

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Rating: G

Genre: Children's, Fantasy

Score: ❤❤❤

Page Count: 267

Book #1 of the Jorie and the Magic Stones series

Publisher: Serano Press

Published: March 11th, 2015

When Marjorie went to live with her frosty maiden aunt, she couldn’t imagine the adventures she would have with dragons — good and bad — and all the strange creatures that live in a mysterious land beneath the Tarn. The spunky 9-year-old redhead forges an unlikely friendship with an insecure young boy named Rufus who lives with his crusty grandfather next door. When Jorie — for that is what she prefers to be called — finds a dusty ancient book about dragons, she learns four strange words that will send the two of them into a mysterious land beneath the Tarn, riddled with enchantment and danger. Hungry for adventure, the children take the plunge, quite literally, and find themselves in the magic land of Cabrynthius. 

Upon meeting the good dragon, the Great Grootmonya, Jorie and Rufus are given a quest to find the three Stones of Maalog — stones of enormous power — and return them to their rightful place in Cabrynthius. Their mission is neither easy nor safe, and is peppered with perils in the form of the evil black half-dragon who rules the shadowy side of the land. They have to deal with a wicked and greedy professor, the tragic daughter of the bad dragon, caves of fire, rocky mountainous climbs, and a deadly poisonous butterfly. 

Jorie must rely on her wits and courage to win the day? Can she do this? Can she find all three Stones? Can she save Rufus when disaster befalls him? Can she emerge victorious? She and Rufus have some hair-raising challenges, in which they learn valuable lessons about loyalty, bravery, and friendship.

Rating:

PROS:

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1. Special thanks to the publisher for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I've been wanting to read more children's books lately, more so to review them and add more children's book reviews to my catalog of mostly YA reviews. I like children's books but they aren't something I reach for often if I have the choice. So, when I was contacted to review this book, I thought the book sounded like too much of a fun adventure for me to turn down. I'm happy I get to review this book for you guys so let's get on with it! 

2. I thought Jorie was such a fun little girl that had a hunger for adventure and had a bad case of curiosity that had a habit of getting her into trouble. She was so lively and made me feel like a kid again as I read about her adventures with her friend and neighbor Rufus as they make some interesting discoveries both in Jorie's new home and in the world around them. I thought they were quirky and even the side characters were enjoyable and funny, even making me wish we got to see more of them in the story. Jorie's personality reminded me a lot of a young Merida from BRAVE so I think if you're a fan of that movie, you'll quickly take a liking to little Jorie.

3. The book reminded me a bit of NARNIA meets BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA with the discovery of this fantasy world neither Jorie nor Rufus could have imagined filled with creatures such as fairies, matadors, trolls and other creatures that helped them along the way. Not to mention the dragons! It was a fun fantasy world that was easy to imagine, though I did wish it had a little more description of things as it seemed like a very colorful and magical setting. The world building was great and overall, it was a fun children's fantasy adventure that I think a lot of younger kids would enjoy. 

The reason why I didn't give this book a five-star rating is simply that I didn't think there was enough of a climax. The book picked up the pace as the storyline hit the climbing point but it was a little too calm and I would have loved something a bit more exciting as the story starts wrapping up. I also felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. I think I would have liked it a little more had there been another chapter to draw it out and make it feel less like a sudden stop to the story. 

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

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About The Author:

A. H. Richardson was born in London England and is the daughter of famous pianist and composer Clive Richardson. She studied drama and acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She was an actress, a musician, a painter and sculptor, and now an Author.

She published her first book, Jorie and the Magic Stones, in December 2014, and has written a sequel to it titled Jorie and the Gold Key at the request of those who loved the first ‘Jorie’ story. She is currently working on the third book in the series.

She is also the author of Murder in Little Shendon, a thriller murder mystery which takes place in a quaint little village in England after World War Two, and introduces two sleuths, Sir Victor Hazlitt and his sidekick,  Beresford Brandon, a noted Shakespearian actor. She has more ‘who-dun- its’ planned for this clever and interesting duo… watch for them!

A. H. Richardson lives happily in East Tennessee, her adopted state, and has three sons, three grandchildren, and two pugs. She speaks four languages and loves to do voiceovers. She plans on writing many more books and hopes to delight her readers further with her British twist, which all her books have. 

Author Links:

Website

Facebook

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I hope you all enjoyed this book review! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Review: Teach Me To Forget by Erica M. Chapman

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Rating: PG-13

Genre: Contemporary

Score: 3.75 stars

Page Count: 287

Stand Alone

Publisher: Merit Press

Published: December 2nd, 2016

This is the story of Ellery, a girl who learns how to live while waiting for the date she chose to die.

Ellery's bought the gun, made arrangements for her funeral, and even picked the day. A Wednesday. Everything has fallen into place.

Now all she has to do is die.

When her plans go awry and the gun she was going to kill herself with breaks, she does the one thing she has control over--return it and get a new one. After tormenting the crusty customer service associate by trying to return the gun with the wrong receipt, Ellery gets caught by the security guard who also happens to be someone she knows--the annoyingly perfect Colter Sawyer from her English class.

Colter quickly uncovers what she's hiding and is determined to change her mind. After confessing a closely held secret of his own, he promises not to tell hers. Ellery tries to fight her attraction to him as the shadows of her past cling tight around her, but when she's faced with another tragedy, she must decide whether she can learn to live with what she's done or follow through with her plan to die. 

Review:

PROS:

1. First, I want to give a huge thanks to Merit Press for sending me a physical copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I was really excited to get my copy in the mail since it sounded like it was going to be a heartbreaking story but also a good one. I love reading books about mental health, as you probably know by now if you've been following my Instagram or blog for a little while. I even have a list of all my favorite mental health reads that you can check out. I'll be updating it soon once I have more books to add to a second list but for now, let's get started with this review, shall we? 

2. I really liked our main character for a few reasons, one being that Ellery is dealing a huge weight of guilt and grief that she carries on her shoulders as the story pans out and we really get to see what goes on inside her head. She pretends to be happy on the outside, even calling her non-self by the name of "Happy Ellery" while on the inside, her mind is waging a war against itself. She feels lonely, tired, and blames herself for what happened to her sister. She hides her pain and self-harm from everyone she loves or cares about, including her mom, best friend Jackson whom she's known since they were kids, and Colter who enters the picture and seemingly wants to help Ellery, knowing that there's something darker going on inside her head. Ellery pushes people away slowly, little by little, in order to make it easier on herself and everyone around her when she finally decides to take her own life. She has a plan on how she'll do it, when, and we get to see her reasons why she thinks this is the best thing for her and everyone she loves. 

3. Even though we follow Ellery's story, there's also a subplot that pops up that I felt made me even more invested in the story and the characters as the story progressed. While Ellery is fighting her own battles and planning her suicide, she runs into an old friend named Dean, who she finds out is self-harming and also plans to take his own life. He just isn't sure when he'll do it. As Dean and Ellery reconnected after so many years of not talking to each other, I thought this aspect was a nice touch since it shows how Dean doesn't want Ellery to kill herself and vice-versa. It's an interesting view we get of these characters since they care about each other and want the other to be safe and happy when they themselves are planning to take their own lives. 

4. The story had a nice pace, a great cast of characters, themes of grief, depression, loss, guilt, and a feeling of hopelessness that gave the book a melancholy tone with little hints of humor tossed in every now and then to break it up a little. It also had what I would call a slow-burning romance which I enjoyed, even though the romance between Ellery and Colter happens over the course of about a month but we got to some important moments between the characters that I think kept it from falling under the category of insta-love. I also appreciated that even though Colter was determined to help save Ellery from committing suicide, he also accepted that no matter how hard he pushed her to let him in, it was ultimately her choice and he wouldn't be able to stop her from taking her life should she choose to go through with it. 

CONS:

1. The reason why I didn't give this book a five-star rating is while I liked that the story was engaging and tugged at the heartstrings, even making me tear up a bit while I was reading, I thought the character depth could have been a tad bit better. I also think that the reason why Ellery wants to kill herself was breezed over once we got the full story of what happened the night Ellery lost her sister. If the story had focused on that reason for just a couple of more pages at least, it would have felt more emotional in the long run. 

2. I also felt like even though the romance was nicely paced, showing us those important moments between Ellery and Colter, it felt a bit trope-y towards the end of the story. It was gradual at first which kept the romance from immediately becoming that stigma of girl meets boy and then isn't depressed anymore but it started to go down that path a little more after trying not to for at least half of the book. I still enjoyed the book and recommend it if you want a quick book to read that has a raw and heartbreaking storyline or if you're a fan of mental health reads like me. I look forward to reading more by this author.

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Google Play

Book Depository

IndieBound

Audible

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About The Author:

Erica M. Chapman writes dark, emotional YA novels with a burst of humor, and lighter contemporaries with smart-ass protagonists. Her first novel, TEACH ME TO FORGET will be published by Merit Press in December 2016. She's a member of SCBWI & Sweet16s, and a lifetime Lions and Michigan football fan who loves alternative music. She loves to tweet and watch various CW & Freeform shows while typing her next story on a MacBook in a Detroit Lions Snuggie. 

Author Links:

Twitter

Goodreads

Instagram

Facebook

Tumblr

Pinterest

Goodreads

Website

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I hope you all enjoyed this book review! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Song Of The Week #6

Hello, everybody! These past few days have been pretty busy, fun, a little crazy, and full of reading and holiday cheer as the new year is right around the corner. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that 2017 is only less than a week away! I have no idea what the new year holds for me and this little blog of mine but I'm excited to start getting stuff done this new year, especially since I'll officially be co-blogging on Of Wonderland starting in January. 

I also hope to accomplish more with my writing and hopefully begin editing a new novel I've been working on for a couple of months now. Of course, I'll have to actually finish writing the thing but I've taken a short break from it just to give myself some time to think about where to take the story. I also hope to pursue my art and maybe start selling some prints or bookmarks with my original art on them. Nothing is set in stone as of yet but hey, who knows what may happen? Anyhoo, that's it for this little life update! Enjoy this week's song of the week and please have a fantastic day!

Last Week's "Song Of The Week"

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Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

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Rating: PG

Genre: Contemporary

Score: 3.75 stars

Page Count: 317

Book #1 of the Little Blue Envelope series

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: August 23rd, 2005

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.

In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

Rating:

PROS:

1. I first read this book a few years ago when I was about twelve or thirteen and it was pretty much my first step into the YA genre of books. I remember falling in love with this book and wanting to read more of Ginny's story but I never ended up reading the sequel to this book. I bought a copy a few weeks ago since I thought it was about time I reread the book just to see if I ended up loving it as much as I use to and run something of an experiment. Happily, I was able to buddy read this book with a friend of mine Olivia from Olivia's Catastrophe and I had a lot of fun discussing the different events that occurred in the book. Here's my review:

2. I thought Ginny was a nice main character as she was more of a quiet and shy type who didn't like being the center of attention and wasn't one to just go out and do something crazy, unlike her aunt who was a wild and free spirit, someone who would go to work one morning then fly to Amsterdam that evening. The contrast between Ginny and her aunt made it really entertaining to read since Ginny is following in her aunt's footsteps, following the letters she reads and their instructions and traveling to the same places her aunt went, meeting the same people her aunt once knew, and encountering new things, trying to understand her aunt and the person she really was. I also liked the side characters such as Richard who plays a guardian role for Ginny. I thought he was very thoughtful and looked after Ginny quite well even though he barely knew her. I also liked Keith mainly because of how honest and forward of a character he was. He didn't hold anything back about his opinions on things and had an air of confidence that was complementary to Ginny's character type.

3. I loved being able to travel around Europe with Ginny and get to know her crazy aunt in that way. The descriptions were nice and easy to imagine, especially if you've seen movies or pictures of the sights that Ginny gets to see and travel through. There were some errors with some of the settings and tiny little details that were overlooked and took a little bit away from the book but overall, I thought it was written nicely and was a quick enough read that I was able to relax with. It's lighthearted, wanderlust filled, and had this colorful, old-world, European feel throughout the book that I adored.

CONS:

1. While I liked the book overall and thought it was fun to reread before the end of the year, I did feel like the book needed a better ending. After everything that Ginny went through, everything she saw and experienced, both the good and bad things, the ending didn't really fit in with the rest of the book. It was a bit of a let-down as I felt that the ending was a little too nicely packaged and maybe even a little too realistic in a sense. I know that sounds strange but the way the story wraps up, it was just too easy and smooth. I think I would've enjoyed the book a little more had Ginny done something a little crazy herself before the story ended, especially since she didn't do anything crazy all on her own throughout the book, she was merely just following the instructions her aunt gave in her letters. 

2. There were quirky moments strewn throughout the story, funny moments, sad moments, and happy moments but I would have loved just a little bit more of a climax. I think at some points, there was some conflict that was dealt with and then resolved to move on to the next part of the book but there wasn't anything too exciting that happened. Yes, it had a nice pace and it was interesting to read, but this book needed that little extra punch that I think would have benefited the character development of Ginny who doesn't really have any development. She does have to find a way out of some sticky situations but she handles them like a shy and quiet character would, not like someone who's starting to realize how big the world really is like her aunt is trying to teach her through her letters. 

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I hope you all enjoyed this review! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter! 

Song Of The Week #5

Hello, everyone! I've been hard at work coming up with some new blog posts this month and I'm really excited for a few of them I have coming up on both this blog and on Of Wonderland that I announced I'm now co-blogging for!

I really hope you're all having a wonderful week and have an even better one as the holidays approach! Today, I've chosen a song that will help you all to wind down a little and bob your head along to with your headphones on. I hope you all enjoy this week's song and if you have any song suggestions whatsoever, please them in the comments!! I would LOVE to listen to your favorite tracks!

Last Week's "Song Of The Week"

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Review: Right Under Your Nose by Holly Tierney-Bedord

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Rating: PG

Genre: Novella, Romance

Score: 3.75 stars

Page Count: 117

Book #1 of Untiled series

Publisher: Kindle

Published: November 13th, 2015

Ariadne Daniels seems to have it all: A successful career as a pastry chef, a Victorian home in a trendy neighborhood, and her dedicated boyfriend Scott who she's been with for years.

Her life is great until the day she stops by Scott's apartment to surprise him and finds out that he's not so dedicated to her after all. Shocked and too depressed to celebrate, she decides to skip Christmas. Her best friend Jess does his part to convince her otherwise, but Ariadne's determined to wallow in her misery, at least until spring.

Life has other plans for her, however. Some helpful meddling from a new friend at a local bookstore, along with some questionable behavior on the part of Jess’s girlfriend, turn Ariadne’s ho-hum holiday plans on their head.

Review:

PROS:

1. Special thanks to Lola over at Lola's Blog Tours for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the lovely cover! I just adore book covers that look like drawings or illustrations so I when I read the synopsis of this novella, it gave me another reason to read it. I wanted to get this review out as soon as possible since this novella is a Christmas story so here you go! 

2. I really liked the characters in this book, especially one of the side characters whom we meet a little later in the book who is an elderly man that owns a bookstore. I thought the main character, Ariadne, was a hard working young woman who's pretty pissed off at her ex-boyfriend and therefore, decides she'll be skipping Christmas this year and avoid anything that's merry or holly jolly. She did come across as a bit self-centered and immature, acting like a teen trapped in a woman's body, but I felt she redeemed herself as she learned throughout the book that there's a lot more going on around her than she realizes. I also really liked Jess because he seemed like a really loyal and funny friend and the romance between the two was nice and sweet, maybe needing just a little more fleshing out but still, I enjoyed it. 

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3. I loved that this novella was mainly dialogue and maybe it was a creative touch or simply because it is a very short book but either way, I really enjoyed it. The dialogue kept the story moving, only broken up by little simple descriptions of the settings, people, emotions etc. I've never really read a book that was mainly dialogue so it was a nice change. Even novellas that I've read before I felt could've done without so much description and I think this book was a great example of limiting description to only what is needed. It was a fun holiday themed book that is obviously perfect for this time of year. It's a quick read, really entertaining, and it made me want to visit a bookstore. 

I didn't give this book a five-star rating because while I thought it was fun and quick, funny and light, I did wish it was a few pages longer. I thought the ending could have used another chapter or two to tie everything together nicely and avoid feeling rushed. I thought the book had a nice pace throughout until the ending that felt a little sudden. I'm curious to see what happens in the sequel to this novella and am excited to hopefully see more of this author's work. 

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

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About The Author:

Holly Tierney-Bedord writes contemporary fiction. She is the author of Surviving Valencia, Right Under Your Nose, Bellamy's Redemption, and Coached, as well as children's books. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Author Links:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon

Newsletter

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Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Announcement: I'm A Co-Blogger!

Hello, everybody! Today, I have a very special announcement to let you all know about and I'm seriously SO EXCITED to tell you guys what I've been gearing up for behind the scenes of this little blog of mine!

As you've probably gathered from the title, I am now a co-blogger! This blog is still my little baby and I plan on posting many more things in the future to keep you all entertained (hopefully) but I've recently been invited to co-blog over at Of Wonderland which I'm so happy about because I've been following that blog for a few months now and I still can't believe I'm co-blogging there now!

In case you guys aren't familiar with this blog, it's run by Inge and Aly where they post some really fun bookish posts about their favorite series', books, rants, discussions, and all kinds of fun stuff. I really encourage you all to head over and check it out if you're curious because it's all really very fun. 

I've already made a blogger introduction post that just went up on the site which you can check out here and I REALLY hope you all enjoy getting to know a little more about me on there as well. Plus, there's a face reveal so yay! Please note that the picture is a little inaccurate as I now have short purple hair and different glasses. Still black-rimmed but a different pair nonetheless but you get the idea! 

I won't officially start blogging on OF WONDERLAND until January which gives me plenty of time to come up with some fun blog post ideas. The first post goes up sometime in the first week of January so be sure to follow the blog to stay in the loop of things! I'll be posting once a week over yonder and maybe twice a week every now and then. I've been chatting with Inge, Aly, and Ella who is also the new co-blogger so be sure to give her some love and we've been having too much fun getting everything in motion.

As a fun little fact, we're also buddy reading Harry Potter this month which has made me so giddy because it's my first time ever reading the Harry Potter books and I'm experiencing the magic for the first time ever. Not going to lie. I feel very giddy about it all! 

So, I believe that is everything I have to let you guys know about! I'll still be blogging on here, of course. That much has not changed! I have an entire list of things that will be posted within the next few weeks such as more book reviews, more giveaways, and some fun little bookish posts I've been meaning to write for a little while now.

I'm really excited about co-blogging and I hope you guys come and join me on OF WONDERLAND where fun things always happen. Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

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Review: Hero High by Mina Chara + GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

Howdy, everyone! Today, I have a fun review for all of you because it involves superheroes. YES PLEASE. Today, I'll be reviewing Hero High by Mina Chara hosted by YA Bound Book Tours so huge thanks to them!

I was sent an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of this blog tour.

 Down below you'll find my review of the book, the links to where you can purchase a copy for yourself as well as a GIVEAWAY! Yay! I hope you guys enjoy this one! Read on, bookworms!

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Add It To Goodreads!

Rating: PG

Genre: Fantasy

Score: ❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 348

Stand Alone

Publisher: Byzantion Books

Published: October 1st, 2016

Reality TV meets Superhero High School in this intriguing story about friendship, fame, and what it means to be a hero. 

In Icon City superheroes save the day every day on the quarter hour. Led by Captain Fantastic, scores of superhero celebrities do their best to train the next generation. Seventeen year old Friday Fitzsimmons and Jake her childhood friend are their latest starstruck recruits. When Doctor Dangerous returns from the dead and the Figure in Flames decimates the city, Captain Fantastic is betrayed by one of his own.

Torn between Jake, Ashley and her feelings for Doctor Dangerous, Friday must decide if her childhood friend is worth fighting for, and if the worlds most famous super-villain is worth saving, all while learning how to be a hero.

Review: 

PROS:

1. I was sold when I saw the word 'Superhero' in the description because who doesn't love a good superhero story? I was a fan of such movies as SKY HIGH and ZOOM so the idea of kid superheroes in high school that's also a filming set for a 'reality' show just sounded like too much for fun for me to pass up on. I'm so happy to have been able to read this book. Here's my review:

Source

2. I thought the characters were really fun and I loved seeing all the different superpowers they all had the varied from the typical super strength and flying. Our main character Fitz has the super power of being able to think at a rapid speed, spending hours thinking about such a thing as a math problem in her head when in real time, no more than a second goes by. That would totally be so useful to a ton of people I think. I thought Fitz, or Friday, was a snarky and sarcastic girl and even though she wasn't considered a 'real' superhero by others, she was determined to prove everyone wrong. She was a feisty one and though she did come across as a little immature at some points and tended to react rashly and on impulse, she was quick to redeem herself which I really liked since it kept me interested in her character. Add in Veronica who was all about the showbiz and getting any drama on film and cared about nothing else, Fitz's teammates that I wished we saw more of in the book because they were awesome, and Ashely who never hesitated to put Friday in her place and tell her what's what and constantly reminded her that she got on his nerves, it was very entertaining character wise.

Source

3. The concept of both superheroes and supervillains going to a special high school just for them was really original and I applaud that idea because I have never read a book quite like it. It had a really nice pace for most of the book and the author did a great job of establishing the famous superheroes of their world such as Captain Fantastic and Sense. Superheroes are the celebrities of their world and it was really fun to see a few of the famous superheroes play certain roles in the book and help out our main character. The book also had it's supervillains, however, and let me just say that they added some major twists and turns to the story, one of which I was anticipating and even though I was able to see it coming, it was still surprising because of the deeper explanation. It's also action packed and a few scenes had me on the edge a bit and cheering for Fitz and the other characters.

4. Overall, I was really impressed with this book and I think it's such a great read for anyone who loves superheroes and action-packed storylines. I'm not entirely sure if this book is only the first of a series but I really hope there's more to come. Not only does this book have fun characters, exciting adventures, and a really fun atmosphere, but I also really liked how seamless everything was. The writing kept the story moving without any awkward jumps which made reading it nice and easy and simple to understand without getting too complicated. The romance in the book also wasn't the forefront of the story but only a smaller sub-plot that didn't take the spotlight and wasn't constantly being thrown in your face. It added interest and I liked it.

The reason why I didn't give this book a five-star rating is because while I did really enjoy it, I think the conflict in the book could've been handled a little better, specifically the bigger plot twist that pops up towards the end. I think that situation could've had a little more of an explanation and fleshing out so that it didn't feel too rushed in moving past it. Because it was pretty big. Just saying.  

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

Amazon (UK)

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About The Author:

Hi! I’m Mina Chara, I’m a student, an artist, a daughter, sister and companion to my two furry friends, Gimli and Gwynne. This blog is here because I’ve just written a book called Hero High: Figure In The Flames.

This is My Story

Being dyslexic isn’t so much of a problem, the hard part  is not letting it dictate what I like, and what I can do. For years I was scared of reading, but then I discovered YA fiction, real books with main characters I could relate to because most of them were girls.

When someone criticizes my writing, I feel like crying, because I feel like that I’m back in English class getting yelled at again, just wanting to go home, but I’m not a kid anymore, I’m an adult, and as an adult, I wrote a book, and you can too. 

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