Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson

(4/5 stars)

After reading this book, all I want to do is throw my things in a suitcase and go on an impromptu road trip across America. Anyone care to join? A big thank you to Lisa for the recommendation! 

What I liked: I really liked how fun this book was to read, and how I felt like I was on the adventure with Amy and Roger. I found myself relating to their trip a lot, especially since I had been to a lot of the places they visited. I couldn't help but smile when Amy described the beauty of Kentucky (one of the places I've lived) and it made me miss it so much. I also enjoyed seeing them eat their first meals at places like Sonic and Chick-fil-A -- I tend to forget how much of a Southern thing those places are. The relationship between Amy and Roger was organic and not forced at all, which I appreciated in a contemporary story like this one. They were friends first, and it casually grew into something more. The story also handled the concept of loss well- Amy's dad had just died a couple months before the story starts. The emotions were very real and raw. Her dad also reminded me a lot of  how my dad is (Elvis loving, obsessed with cutting his front lawn, etc) so maybe that's also part of why I was able to connect to those feelings- that relationship was very real as well.

What I didn't like: As much as I loved Roger, I was so completely over his wallowing for his ex-girlfriend. Dude, it's over, let it be done. But no, he had to drive to her house, after she had ignored all his calls, to confront her. That was dumb and annoying. But I guess it all led to good things regardless, so I can't be too mad.

I definitely enjoyed this book, and recommend it to fans of contemporary. It kind of goes into that category of "issue contemporary" (like TFIOS and Eleanor & Park), and even though I don't gravitate towards that genre first, I had a good time reading Amy & Roger's Epic Detour and had a crazy hard time putting it down!

-Annie

Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys

(3/5 stars)

I always love reading a good historical book, and this one had a special place in my heart because I bought it when I was in New Orleans (the books takes place in NOLA). It promised murder, scandal (the main character's mother is a prostitute), adventure, and all the magic of New Orleans in the 1950s. Out of the Easy was a fun, light read, but I really expected more of it.

What I liked: The setting is perfect. Sepetys captures the sights and sounds of New Orleans like no other, though I might be biased after my recent trip. But to me, it was so cool reading lines like "pulled to a stop on Conti Street" (where I stayed) and "down for the Sugar Bowl" (why I was there), though the visuals Sepetys painted were so well done I could have imagined it regardless. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters that showed up throughout the book. They were energetic and individualistic, and just plain fun. Unless you count the bad guys, who were, you know, bad. I loved Josie's motivation in the story, she was determined and stubborn which I always appreciate from a protagonist. But I have to be honest and say that my favorite characters were the ones that hardly had any time on the page- people like Charlotte and Cokie.

What I didn't like: That leads me to my feelings of Josie. She was straight up annoying at times, and, she was being too stubborn and wouldn't let anyone help her. There was a whole slew of people who cared for that girl, and I feel like she took them for granted. She continued to let her past define her, and wouldn't own up to it and let it mold her. I also didn't like how little the murder was in the plot. I was so excited to read about a murder in the French Quarter because it had so much potential- historical mystery, heck yes! But the murder took a back seat and it didn't even feel like a big deal. Disappointment. I wanted to know more about Cincinnati and his boss (who was mentioned a lot but never made an appearance- weird since he was like a super big deal, it could have added to the story).  And I would have liked to see Josie investigate more since she had such a stake in the murder or whatever.

I promise you, I did enjoy this book. It was just hard to like it so much or even love it when I had higher hopes. It's a fun read, and I didn't ever want to put it down- it definitely had me hooked. There were also some great lines in the book that made me stop and think and feel. If historical fiction is your genre, then I definitely recommend it!

-Annie

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan

(4.5/5 stars)

Not going to lie, when I picked up this book I was hesitant. This was the last John Green book that I hadn't read yet and I've been very split on his books. I loved TFIOS and Looking for Alaska, but I wasn't a super big fan of the others. But people said it was good, and Good Reads said it was good, so I kept my fingers crossed and dove right in. Now I want to hit myself with the book for being hesitant at all. Will Grayson, Will Grayson was fun and funny and made me cry at the end out of happiness! 

What I liked: Both Will Graysons were so unique, each with their own set of problems that didn't completely intertwine, with the exception of their relationships with Tiny Cooper. They were equally laugh-out-loud funny in their own way, and had the right amount of teen angst that fit their personalities. I also think the way they handled sexuality was done quite well. Green and Levithan didn't walk on eggshells, instead they treated it like any other situation. The sky is blue, the grass is green, Tiny Cooper and one of the Will Graysons is gay. It is what it is. I'd like to send a round of applause to Green and Levithan for the way they wrote such good, supportive parents. That's not something super common in YA fiction. Usually the parents aren't involved in stories, and if they are, they're kinda lame and sucky. But not these parents. Anne Grayson is awesome! She doesn't blink an eye when her son comes out, and is nothing but supportive there after. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson are good people that are always willing to help their son. 

The writing in this book is spectacular and the voices of the characters are spot-on. Yeah, Tiny got to be annoying at some times, but you still gotta love him and his determination to find love. That's what the book is all about, finding appreciation and acceptance.The final scene had me with a big smile on my face and tears forming in my eyes. It's a feel good book, and I couldn't ask for anything more!

What I didn't like: Sometimes, I got frustrated by the relationship between Tiny and Will (o.w.g.) because it seemed like 1) Tiny had no stake in the friendship and used Will as a convenience and 2) Will was way too passive about how he felt about their rocky friendship at points. I know his rules are to shut up and not care, but sometime you have to care and speak up (which he does eventually). I also didn't really understand why the other other Will Grayson had to apologize to Maura. Like, she was really crappy to him (times, um, a million) and I don't think he owed her anything. I get that it was for closure, but still, not every broken relationship brings closure. 

Now that I've finished reading all of John Green's books, I'm going to patiently twiddle my thumbs and pray for a new one. I'm also going to move on and read some more David Levithan because I really like his writing style! I'm so glad these authors teamed up and produced such a great book, it was such a joy to read! Oh, and DFTBA :)

-Annie

Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J Maas

(5/5 stars)

1. Sarah J Maas has done it again and I'm obsessed! 2. I really need to not read these books before I go to bed or else I'll have really strange dreams. Basically, this book led to more first pumping and yelling things like "Wait, what?!" and "Hell yes!" and "No! My heart!". Reading this was like being on an emotional roller coaster. A really fun emotional roller coaster. 

What I liked: You all know how I feel about the world. I still really want to live there. I also wouldn't mind a map of it to spread out and mark up. So the world is still all kinds of awesome. And then there's the fact that I couldn't read this book without having all the lights on in my room and a blanket to protect me (just in case). This book is scary! Scarier than the first and so much more fantastical, but we find out some great things (sorry for the vagueness) that really move the story along. The love triangle that was once a love triangle is no more, which I liked. She picked a boy (and my heart smiled), but still kept the other in her life, and then all hell broke loose. To say things get complicated would be an understatement. But the complicated is brilliant and crazy and heartbreaking, but I love it so freaking much! Also, if you didn't hate the king in the first, you'll absolutely loath him in this one! And you'll probably scream "Evil!" loudly... or maybe that was just me?

What I didn't like: There wasn't much I didn't like, just like the last one. There was a death that made me upset, but it was a catalyst to the story so it was justified. The only problem I had was with the magic and creatures. I had a bit of a tough time following what was what, but eventually, it all clicked in my brain. 

I loved this book, LOVED it. Almost more than the first. And I know I'll be constantly thinking about it until the next book comes out (considering that ending and all that). Oh well, I guess I can *try* to be patient. But in the mean time, I'll just keep having weird dreams about magic, faeries, and assassins, and I'm totally okay with that!

-Annie

Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas

(5/5 stars)

This book right here. This book right here, though. Books like this one remind me why I love to read and why I love to write. This book literally made me fist bump while reading it. Yes, I threw my fist into the air and screeched in victory. I'm not embarrassed about it. It happens. But let's talk about this book for a second:

What I liked: World building! What a beautiful creation Maas has given us. The world is so vivid and real, I almost have to remind myself that it doesn't exist. Along with the brilliant world comes multi-dimensional characters. Their complexity is the best, like I can't even explain my love for these characters. And did I mention the character development? Because that's done so well I want to sing songs of joy. Celaena is such a beast, can I be her? Yes, she's a deadly assassin and her reputation is well deserved, but yet she still is able to smile and laugh and bond with people. It's amazing. Sure, she's cocky (rightfully so), but she takes on each task with a fierce determination and preparation that you can't help but admire. I'm pretty sure that if I was stuck in a war prison for so long and then forced to compete in scary physical challenges, I'd be lying on the floor in fetal position. But what does Celaena do? She trains hard, and then when she has free time, she builds weapons and continues her training. And then there are the love interests, Chaol and Dorian. How do you pick? Here's the answer, you can't. Like, I don't even care if it's a love triangle, they're both written so well it doesn't matter. But this love triangle is a good example of the protagonist having to pick a path that goes with each love interest. I applaud that. Also, the bad guys are deliciously bad (like straight up evil), me gusta. 

What I didn't like: I thought that the tasks that Celaena was put through during the competition to become the King's Champion weren't as exciting as I wanted them to be. They were things like archery, and poison detection, and I would have liked to see more combat (though the final challenge was all that I wanted it to be and then some). I also found myself upset that Celaena thought Nehemia was involved in all the bad stuff. I wanted her to trust her friend more, but I understand why she had to be suspicious. Celaena is an assassin and comes from a world where trust isn't given freely. But I still wanted them to be besties without trust issues. 

But basically this book has become my everything. I really wish I had a physical copy of it (instead of it being on my e-reader) so that I could physically throw it at people and make them read it. A thousand thanks to everyone who recommended Throne of Glass to me, especially Rinn and Josie! And I probably have to thank my mom too, for dealing with me running downstairs every five minutes to update her on the plot, listening to my endless squeals, and for accepting my (forceful) recommendation. 

-Annie

Vampire Academy, the Movie

Well, I can safely say that someone definitely read the Vampire Academy books before turning it in to a movie. So this past weekend, I dragged my roommate to the movies (under the pretense of a super fun girls' night) to see VA and it really filled all my expectations. Then again, my expectations weren't super high considering that nothing can come close to the perfection of the books.

What I liked: Well, it followed the book pretty well and included all the extremely important plot points. They also did a good job of explaining the world so that if you hadn't read the books, you kind of knew the difference between Moroi, dhampirs, and Strigoi. It was funny and it was cute. Rose's battle cries during surprise attacks against Dimitri were hysterical and just how I pictured them in my mind. The casting of Rose, Lissa, and Christian was perfect. I seriously can't see anyone else doing such a great job and my love for Christian just exploded in the best possible way.

What I didn't like: Let's continue on the casting decisions... Oh Dimitri. I had a couple of problems with Dimitri. He looked exponentially older than Rose, and I know the age difference is a thing and all, but it was a bit too extreme. Also, Rose and Dimitri didn't have that beautiful unspoken connection like they did in the books. This could have been a great opportunity for fans to see that love first-hand as it develops, but it fell flat and I didn't feel any real emotion between them. The movie itself was the ultimate cheese fest. It seemed like they made some of the jokes much cornier than they were supposed to be. It also moved really fast, with no time to process anything that happened. I totally get that, it's hard to smash that many pages full of non stop action into an hour and forty five minute movie. It just felt really rushed sometimes and that made me a bit sad.

Overall, it was enjoyable despite it's flaws. I still recommend it. After all, if you want to see more YA book/movie adaptations, you have to go see the YA movies that are out now. If you've read the book, you'll know what's going on, and if you haven't, you'll probably figure it out. Take it lightly and be ready to giggle, and just have fun watching Vampire Academy!

Next week, I'll be reviewing Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas (synopsis from Good Reads).

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.


-Annie

Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead

(4/5 stars)

There are so many reasons why I picked up this book. First off, I had heard nothing but praise about it for a long time (although I was always skeptical, I blame the title...). Second, the movie is coming out tomorrow, and if you know me, I love a great YA book turned movie adaptation. Third, I really like vampires and I don't care how many books I've read about them, I will always pick up another. Trust me when I say this, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when this book exceeded my expectations! Yay! A good vampire book is like a narwhal. They exist, but they're so hard to find (at least in my opinion). 

What I liked: This is a whole new take on the vampire mythology (which I actually studied for one my classes), and it's invigorating. Mead paints a beautiful picture of how this world works. It's not a world of vampires versus vampire hunters or whatever, instead it's nice (I use that term loosely because there are always mean people) vampires that age (Moroi) versus evil dead vampires who like to kill the nice vampires (Strigoi). And the nice, cool vampires have guardians (Dhampirs) who are really bad-ass and awesome, like our main character Rose. Rose who I absolutely adore and may be my new favorite protagonist. Sure she's reckless, but she's fiercely loyal and I respect that. 

So the story is really cool and the world building is awesome, but that's not the only reason I loved this book. I also liked the dynamics between all the characters. Whether it was mean girl, Mia, or misunderstood Christian, each character brought something different to the table. I could also talk about Dimitri for days on end, but I won't. I'll just say that I cannot wait to see where this relationship goes, like for real though. Finally, I think my absolute favorite thing about this book was Rose and Lissa's friendship. That's what this book is really about- the strong bond of friendship and how they'll do anything for each other. It's probably one of the best friendships I've seen in YA fiction.

What I didn't like: I'm picky, but there were times when Lissa was frustratingly annoying. I just wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her during the times when she was being all wishy-washy. I also wasn't a big fan at how important the school drama was and felt like it shouldn't have taken such a front seat position. Rose and Lissa have much bigger problems to deal with than ugly rumors. That was annoying, especially all the slut-shaming rumors that were constantly being spread. Ugh. I know that's how high school is, but I felt like every other chapter of this book was someone calling Rose a slut for something and that bothered me (but that's a whole other rant for a whole other time). 

Regardless, I loved reading this book because it was different. It wasn't what I expected and I really should have given it more credit before. But now, I'm ready to get my hands on the sequel and the one after that and the one after that (there are 6 books in the series so I'll be busy for a while)! And I can't wait to see the movie, which I will of course let you guys know what I think of as soon as I see it!

-Annie