Weaver, by Katherine Arandez

(3/5 stars)

This book came to me from the author herself, so that's pretty nifty! Katherine contacted me through Tumblr and asked if I could do an honest review of her book, so of course I said yes. Weaver is Katherine's first published novel, and it is also the first book in her series: The Kervanian Chronicles. 

What I liked: The background in this book is completely on lock. There's backstory on backstory and lots of interesting information about the world that she built and the Kervanians themselves. I loved how knowledgeable Kate was about her family history- it wasn't one of those books where everything is new and almost annoyingly so. Kate has to explain everything to her brothers and that's how the audience learns about the world, too. That's really well done. I also really liked the time period it was set in, humans get to mix with dinosaurs which is totally, completely awesome! It was an entertaining read, that's for sure.

What I didn't like: I don't want to say it, but I'm going to say it: there needed to be more editing. There were grammar mistakes and plot holes that made it hard to get through at times. Sometimes the writing was stiff and the phrase "show not tell" (the writer's mantra) kept coming to mind. 

Not to say this book wasn't good, it was, but there's room for growth. Katherine has a lot of potential as an author, and I think that she's definitely someone to watch out for in the future.

-Annie

Authors of 2013

Well, another year has come and gone, but boy was it a good year for YA books! Some of my favorite books have come out of 2013, which makes me only a million times more excited for what next year is going to bring. Obviously, we would be nowhere without the amazing authors behind these books, so as this year is finishing up, I've decided to celebrate some of my favorite authors of 2013. Let's have a round of applause for them!

So, without further ado, here are Books, A Novel Idea's Authors of 2013!

-Veronica Roth
When you can take a risk like she did and it pays off so well, you definitely earn a spot on the Authors of 2013 list! Not only did Veronica finish her best-selling series this year, but the Divergent trilogy really went out with a bang (no pun intended). She's an amazing writer, and I can't wait to see what's ahead for her. Also, every time I remember that Divergent the movie comes out in 2014, I can't help but squeal in excitement.

-Rainbow Rowell
So she published two books in 2013, and not only that, but they were all everyone could talk about this year! Now, I've only read Fangirl, but that alone made me love Rainbow with all my heart. And Eleanor and Park is on my Christmas list/to be read list so I'll get to that hopefully soon. Did I mention that Fangirl (her second novel) was the very first book in the Tumblr book club? Super big deal!

-John Green
Okay, so John didn't exactly have anything published this year but I still feel like this was the Year of John Green. To me, it seemed like he was everywhere (and I really wouldn't have it any other way). This was the year The Fault in Our Stars was made into a movie to be released next year, ergo, this year should go down in history. Oh, and the poster was released yesterday so feel free to freak out with me about it!

(raise you hand if you cried when you saw this! *raises both hands and a foot*)

Also, the Vlogbrothers were up to so much this year, I can't even sum it up in one post! Including Project for Awesome which just ended yesterday and raised money for charity. Gotta love the Green brothers!

-J.K. Rowling
Yes, her new book wasn't a YA book or anything, but girlfriend managed to publish a book without ANY OF US KNOWING.Why do I feel like MI6 was somehow involved in that? So she gets a thousand props for being able to pull that off AND because her book was fantastic (so I've heard from multiple reliable sources- it's also on my TBR list).

-Maureen Johnson
If you do not follow this woman on Twitter, then we can't be friends. But for real. I feel like all I do is respond to or retweet her tweets, but because the woman is hysterical. And she has a super cute puppy named Zelda. Oh and she's written one of my favorite series (aka my go to recommendation), The Shades of London series, and 2013 was the year that the second book came out. I mighta kinda sorta threw the book across the room after reading it, and I won't be the same until the next book comes out (fingers crossed that it's in 2014!).

Honorable Mentions:
-Sarah Rees Brennan- because of this awesome article and because this was the year I discovered The Lynburn Legacy series and fell in love.
-Cassandra Clare- because this is the year that Clockwork Princess came out and City of Bones was made a movie and was awesome and perfect so yeah.

So now, for next week, the day after Christmas, I will be reading and reviewing Weaver by Katherine Arandez (synopsis from her website).

As a sorceress of Kervanian descent, Kate Merin's reality has always been a bit more than the average human's. But her life is turned upside down when she and her two brothers, Albert and Micheal, stumble across a portal in the woods which transports them back to 465 BH (Late Cretaceous era). There, they find the earth inhabited by their ancestors, the Kervanians, a race originally from the far-off moon of Kervanis. 

The three siblings must now team up with their predecessors in their quest to return home. Along the way, they face magic they never knew existed, brave dangers they never imagined, and discover things about themselves and their family that they never could have guessed. 

Kate soon learns, however, that there were far greater forces than an old, faulty Portal working to send them back to the Cretaceous period, and that she and her family have been chosen to play a great role in a vast plan orchestrated by an extremely powerful being. The only question is: Will Kate survive long enough to fulfill her destiny while caught in the middle of a war spanning countless millenia and several universes?


-Annie

Born Wicked, by Jessica Spotswood

(4.5/5 stars)
(Probably my favorite cover of 2013- look at this beauty!)

Ugh, I need this sequel like I need air! But like really, it was that good. It reminded me a lot of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series (one of my all time favorite series) in all the best ways and right now, I find myself making annoying grabby hands towards anything or anyone who can provide me with Star Cursed. I've reached a new low, kiddos. The end made me gasp out loud (ask my roommates and they can attest to that), and I thoroughly appreciate the reason for that. Anyway, I got the opportunity to meet Jessica at the Nimrod Conference for Readers and Writers in October, so that's where I first picked up Born Wicked. Jessica is absolutely awesome and she gave a really great talk on relationships in YA Fiction. In short, she said that writers should aspire to write healthy relationships since so many people are influenced by what they read, and that love triangles aren't necessarily an evil thing because they can be done right and tastefully (more on that later).

What I liked: I loved the story, there was something absolutely captivating about it. The world that Jessica creates is reminiscent to other witch stories but it still manages to be original and stand out. The characters are well done and believable, and I adore Finn (the bookkeeper's son, obviously he was going to win my love). Now, on to the love triangle. Yes, there is a small love triangle in Born Wicked, but it really boils down to what path Cate wants to choose for her future. She's not choosing a boy, necessarily, she's choosing who she wants to be and what life she wants for herself. And the boy she does choose in the end, respects her as a person and loves her for her flaws.

What I didn't like: Okay, so for the first part of the book, I had a really hard time placing everything geographically and into a specific time period. It doesn't take away from the story or anything so I wasn't horribly bothered by it and got over it quickly. I also didn't like how Cate continued to believe the Brother's opinion about women and magic for most of the book (but at the end she realizes what's really going on), but I feel like all of that is going to be super huge in the next two books. There's a revolution coming and I hope the Brothers are taken down!

So now I'm really looking forward to reading the next two books in the series (here's looking at you mom, Keeper of the Christmas List) and I think you should all run out and read this book as soon as humanly possible. You won't be disappointed.

-Annie

Catching Fire (not called Hunger Games 2 but whatevs)

So I've seen the movie, made an executive decision to go see it twelve more times, talked to friends, parents, and even professors about it, and we've all come to the same conclusion: Catching Fire ROCKS! Dare I say it? Yes, I dare. Catching Fire was maybe one of the best book to film adaptations... ever. After Deathly Hallows Part 2 (aka the movie that I could quote in the theater because they took it all straight from the book).

The acting was phenomenal (Jennifer Lawrence should win another Oscar for that last scene, amiright?) and stayed so true to the characters from our beloved book. Johanna, played by Jena Malone, was flawless. She had the right amount of spunk and sass that embodied book Johanna, and she had a bigger role in the movie which I really enjoyed seeing. Going into the movie, I can't lie, I was hesitant about Sam Clafin playing Finnick. It wasn't anything personal. Finnick is just my favorite character and I hold him dearly in my heart so I was maybe a bit too protective over him. In my mind (before), there was no candidate who could live up to the character. With that said, I would like to applaud Sam Clafin for doing such a good job with my baby. I was sold in the sugar cube scene and he had my love for the rest of the movie.

Josh Hutcherson was fantastic, reminding me over and over why I love Peeta so much. He saves Katniss so many times, not physically though he does that, but also emotionally. He's her rock (no pun intended) and he would literally do anything for her. Basically, if I hear one more person say that Peeta Mellark is useless, imma throw my computer at them. Then, imma throw the complete book series at them.

Also, I'm really excited to see how Mockingjay plays out with his character. That's going to be some A+ acting.

Now, I would like to talk about Her Majesty, Queen Jennifer Lawrence. She embodies all that Katniss is and I honestly couldn't see anyone else in that role. In the last scene (that goes really well with the book), she says so much with her expression that no words are even necessary. How many actors can do that in today's industry? Exactly- JLaw wins. She is a phenomenal actor, plain and simple. 

There was just so much that went into this movie. Epic costumes, chilling scenery, super well done CGI, all the tears because of deaths and rebellions, and so much more. They did really well with the story as a whole, and split the time between the victory tour and going back into the games just as they should have. Actually, I probably could have sat in the theater for a couple extra hours to see every detail, but that might be a bit too ridiculous. Basically, if you haven't gone to see Catching Fire, do it ASAP. And if you have, go see it again and then go see it with me.

For next week, I'll be reviewing Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood.

A gorgeous, witchy, romantic fantasy by a debut author! Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and the Beautiful Creatures series!

Everybody thinks Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship--or an early grave. Then Cate finds her mother's diary, and uncovers a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. But if what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe--not even from each other.

-Annie