Review: Everless by Sara Holland

Everless (Everless #1)

by Sara Holland 

Time is a prison. She is the key. Packed with danger, temptation and desire - a perfect read for fans of The Red Queen. 

In the land of Sempera, the rich control everything - even time. Ever since the age of alchemy and sorcery, hours, days and years have been extracted from blood and bound to iron coins. The rich live for centuries; the poor bleed themselves dry.

Jules and her father are behind on their rent and low on hours. To stop him from draining himself to clear their debts, Jules takes a job at Everless, the grand estate of the cruel Gerling family.

There, Jules encounters danger and temptation in the guise of the Gerling heir, Roan, who is soon to be married. But the web of secrets at Everless stretches beyond her desire, and the truths Jules must uncover will change her life for ever ... and possibly the future of time itself. 

My Thoughts:

I've been unable to read a book for a while because of work and it's one of the main reasons I was unable to blog or review books. I've still been active on my Goodreads but I haven't had time to blog. This book has been on my radar for a while because the blurb caught my fancy. While I did finish the book in a day, I find that this book didn't really WOW me. 

Positives

World Building & Premise

I loved the premise of the novel. It reminded me of the film In Time (starring: Justin Timberlake). I wasn't sure whether the author would be able to explain how the world works clearly but she did a very good job. She builds the world,its rules as well as its mythology wonderfully. At times the world building takes us away from the plot but it always links to the characters in the end. 

The Politics & Parallels to Reality

The novel is set in a world in which time is currency. I loved the way the novel showcased the way people in power hoarded time and taxed normal individuals. It didn't shy away from showcasing the reality through fantasy. The rich keep getting richer but at what cost? For once, a YA novel does not just tell you about the cost but paints a picture of it through words. Everless represents and showcases poverty and as well as class politics masterfully. 

Negatives

Predictable Storyline

The storyline is extremely predictable as I feel the author gives too many clues before delivering the 'unexpected' twists. There were certain key events that I could not predict but I was able to anticipate and correctly guess where the narrative was heading. 

Insta-Love/Puppy love

Jules has been in love with a character in this book since she was a child. This childhood love just frustrated me as her interaction with this character throughout the book was scarce. He is supposed to be the main love interest but his character needed to be developed much more. I just couldn't get invested in this relationship.

Character Development

There were many characters in the book that I could have grown to love, but as the book focused on the world building and mythology, character development took a back-seat. 

Overall, while I did enjoy the novel I am not invested enough to rush and pick up the sequel, despite the cliffhanger ending. 

My Rating:

3 stars

I enjoyed it but I'm not invested enough to pick up the sequel

Review: The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen (Red Queen #1)

by Victoria Aveyard 

Blurb:

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart ...

Source: Edelweiss (Thank you HarperTeen for the review copy!)

Links: Flipkart, Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Setting and Tone: Red Queen follows Mare Barrow as she progresses from being the lowest of the low to becoming one of people that belongs to the higher echelons of society. The setting is very dystopic but the story is classified as fantasy.

Mare is a red blood having silver abilities which is why like President Snow in 'The Hunger Games' ,the king decides that as he cannot kill her (because of reasons) he will keep her close to him and disguise her as a silver blood. Following the age old philosophy of  'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.'

Why is the king so worried about a red blood superpower? Because, the red bloods are mistreated by the supernaturally gifted silver bloods and they might decide to revolt against such discrimination. Sounds like a dystopic novel, doesn't it? But, because of the presence of the supernatural it fits more into the category of fantasy. I thought the tone of the novel was similar to that found in YA dystopia which is why I am stressing on this point.

Mixed feelings: The story focuses on revolution, class discrimination, aristocratic politics, political subterfuge and romance. I have mixed feelings regarding how this keeps shifting from one to the other and due to this the story lacks the depth found in 'The Hunger Games'. 

Negatives: The romance. Oh god the romance! It was not even a triangle , it was a love square. Mare is just so irresistible that every guy around her just goes gaga!

The relationship that is built up between Cal and Mare borders on insta-love.It's not quite insta-love but it feels like it. This is one thing I thought hindered Cal's character development.

Another negative was how boring some of the narratives were. This is directly related to the romance. The scenes that focused on the royal palace were incredibly interesting. The Red Army scenes were incredibly interesting in the beginning but started dragging towards the end. But, every time there was a romantic scene I was not interested.I think I just did not buy the lurve because how many people could she be lurve with? Three is too many,in my opinion.

My favorite part: The fantastical elements and the relationship between Mare and Maven (younger prince).

I know a lot of people are going to go gaga over Mare and Cal's relationship but I love the relationship that is built up between Mare and Maven .

I loved the non-romantic relationships that are spread out throughout the novel. The relationship between Mare and her family is gold. As well as the relationship between the Queen and her sons and that between Cal and his father. 

The best part of this book is the twist. Generally I can predict the twists but not in this one.It's unpredictable and I loved it. Before the twist this book was a solid 3 stars but due to the twist I am definitely intrigued about what happens next!

Overall, I'll be reading the sequel and the story was very interesting. I think if it had focused more on the fantastical elements it would have been an excellent read instead of a good one. I'm giving it a higher rating than I was planning to because of the unexpected twist. If you can't hang in till the end then this book won't be worth it for you.

My Rating:

4/5

Only because of the twist! 

Review: Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe)

by Rosamund Hodge 

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Source: Edelweiss ( Thanks HarperCollins!)

My Thoughts:

I really enjoy fairy tale retellings.I am sure I have mentioned this various times. Fairy tales just fascinate me and they can be told in so many ways.They can be lighthearted or dark,hopeful or full of despair,set in the past or even in a dystopian world. There is so much to work with.

Cruel Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is a story I'm fond of especially because of Belle and the fact that the Beast can easily be portrayed as someone who has social anxiety because of physical deformities. Cruel Beauty in my opinion is an original spin on the classic Disney movie that I liked but without it's charm.This is mostly due to the fact that Cruel Beauty is much darker spin on the tale.

Nyx unlike Belle has been prepared since birth to kill the monster. She has a lot of rage.She has had years to nurse her rage.Of course, she's not all rainbows and unicorns like Belle.She's all dark and twisted. I didn't like her as much as a character but she certainly had much more depth than the happy go lucky Belle. Her attraction for the monstrous beast also makes more sense as she is also a monster inside.

The story manages to engage but does drag towards the end. There is also an implied sexual scene which I wasn't exactly sure fit in with the story. I think it just drove home the fact that the story is much more mature and darker than the classic one we,as readers have seen and heard.

Overall, I didn't like this story as much as I enjoyed the Cinder series(another retelling) but it's an interesting spin on the tale of Beauty and the Beast.  

My Rating:

3/5

Review:All Our Yesterdays

All Our Yesterdays (Cassandra Chronicles #1)

by Cristin Terrill 

Blurb A brilliantly brain-warping thriller and a love story that leaps back and forth in time - All Our Yesterdays is an amazing first novel, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games.

Em is locked in a bare, cold cell with no comforts. Finn is in the cell next door. The Doctor is keeping them there until they tell him what he wants to know. Trouble is, what he wants to know hasn't happened yet. 

Em and Finn have a shared past, but no future unless they can find a way out. The present is torture - being kept apart, overhearing each other's anguish as the Doctor relentlessly seeks answers. There's no way back from here, to what they used to be, the world they used to know. Then Em finds a note in her cell which changes everything. It's from her future self and contains some simple but very clear instructions. Em must travel back in time to avert a tragedy that's about to unfold. Worse, she has to pursue and kill the boy she loves to change the future

US COVER: 

LINKS: Goodreads ,Amazon , 

Flipkart , Bloomsbury Book Page

Source: Netgalley! (Thanks Bloomsbury!)

My Thoughts:

I've been reading amazing things about this novel. Almost everyone has only good things to say about this novel. Needless to say, my expectations for this novel were sky high and you know what usually happens when you have high expectations from a novel.

All Our Yesterdays starts off in a manner very similar to Shatter Me but in the third or fourth chapter, you can see that this novel deals with things that series does not.

What does this book deal with, you ask? It deals with time travel and love and paradoxes .Now I, for one, am fascinated by time travel but almost every novel I've read about time travel so far has been disappointing. The best thing about this novel is the fact that it becomes VERY clear that time travel is central to the plot but the focus of this novel is not time travel.(I hope this makes sense) Anyways, the time travel element is never forgotten and I love how it's used in this novel. Well done Ms. Terrill , especially for a debut novel.

This novel is told from dual perspectives and at first it's a little confusing but only for the first two or three chapters after that it makes perfect sense (to me atleast because I figured out why the perspectives were needed and whose perspective it was from ). I must say this way of writing the novel is brilliant, because it's something different yet similar.(Avoiding SPOILERS)

Aside from the writing style, the first half of the book was good but as I had such high expectations, I was a little disappointed. The second half is unpredictable and pretty great.So I understand the hype and even though I'm not in love with the novel ,I really liked it.

The characters

Em is such a relateable character.She's mature and she's going through a lot! I really liked her and admire her strength and how she follows her gut.

Finn is a character I wanted to learn more about.I liked what I saw, but I want to see more. I especially want to see more of him showing off his computer genius skills.

Marina is like a typical teenager.Even though she should have irritated me, she didn't because I can see why she's acting the way she is. Also her character grows a lot in this novel and I loved seeing that growth.

James is a character that is flawed and is going through a lot.I don't hate him .

The doctor is a character that I hate. That is ALL.

Overall, this is a great novel that can be read as a standalone. I have no idea what the sequel will be about because this book doesn't end with a cliffhanger (YAY!!) but I'll most probably be reading the sequel. (Unless and until it gets horrible reviews. Then I would like to finish the series at it's high note) 

My Rating:

4/5

Review: Pivot Point

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1)

by Kasie West

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Links: Goodreads, Amazon (Currently on Sale on Amazon Kindle)

Source: Publisher for Giveaway (Thanks HarperCollins!) 

My Thoughts:

This book has a very unique and is based on a different concept.The author introduces us to world that has a genetically superior secret society.The people belonging to this society have different abilities. The main character in this book is a Searcher. She can see what would happen in her future if she picked a particular path.

The way this book unfolds is very different. In one chapter we are in a future in which Addison chooses a specific path and in the next chapter we see the future as it would be if she had chosen the other path.This cycle continues till the book ends .So it's like switching realities in every chapter but it doesn't get confusing.This is another thing that's great about this book!

Addison was a delightful character. I loved her. She was funny, smart and sarcastic. She also takes some pretty tough decisions. She seems wise beyond her years and that is why when she doesn't act like an adult it comes as a shock but then I remember that she's a teen and it's normal to behave that way. 

I wasn't a huge fan of some of the characters but I think the author wants us to hate them.So I guess it's ok. One character I wasn't a huge fan of towards the end was Laila.Pretty much throughout the book I thought Laila was being very stupid and needed to be smacked on the head. I was also very suspicious towards some other characters throughout the book so I couldn't really fall in love with them.

One thing that is commendable is that the ending of this book was unpredictable.

The plot is interesting and keeps you hooked. Only in the middle of the novel you get a little frustrated because nothing important seems to be happening but the beginning and the end make up for it.

Overall, the unique narrative style,the main character and this world has me looking forward to the sequel. Definitely worth a read.

My Rating:

4/5