REVIEW: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

 Synopsis (by Sterling):

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Review:

2/5 Stars

Tiger's Curse had a lot of promising elements- a setting in a foreign country not often seen in Young Adult literature, an Indian curse, and a gorgeous cover- but, of course, this book only further proved to me that just because a book has a high rating on Goodreads, doesn't mean that it's actually well written.

The Bad:

1. Writing style: Right off the bat the dialogue irked me. It was written in short staccato sentences that didn't flow well or seem natural. The writing style reminded me of the way young children speak or really bad fanfiction written by a 15-year-old.

2. Unrealistic situations: For example, Kelsey's foster parents allowed her to travel with no parental supervision to India with a strange man they had just met. If I had asked my mother for permission to do the same thing she would have called me crazy.

3. Low self-esteem: Kelsey has to constantly remind the reader that Ren is gorgeous and she is so hideous in comparison that she doesn't deserve to be with him. She even goes as far as to compare herself to a radish while all the supermodel girls who Ren could be dating are compared to a buffet. Really Kelsey?

4. Bad decisions: Kelsey throws a temper tantrum when Ren understandably get frustrated after she is rude to him. Then after she resolves to break up with him, she ends up kissing him, and is shocked when he keeps pursuing her. This girl is the personification of mixed signals.

5. She's the chosen one but doesn't act like it: I don't get why Kelsey is Durga's favored one. She isn't Indian. She clearly does not have the 'heart of a warrior' because if she did she wouldn't break up with someone for such shallow reasons.

6. Excessive details: I get that Colleen Houck is fascinated by Indian culture but some of the stuff she felt the need to include in her book seemed unnecessary to the plot.

The Good:

1. Completed it: I actually bothered to finish the book and it wasn't boring enough for me to have taken exceptionally long to finish reading it.

In Conclusion

The main character is terrible. I won't be continuing with this series but at least I can admire the beautiful covers.

TOP 5: Most Anticipated Fall YA Book Releases

Fall marks the start of a new school semester, the return to cooler weather, and, most importantly, a slew of amazing new books become available! I have compiled a list of my top five most anticipated young adult releases.

1. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Release Date: September 6, 2016

The next fantasy book in the epic Throne of Glass series, which follows female assassin Celaena Sardothien as she is given the chance to be absolved of her lifelong prison sentence in exchange for her tenure as the king's assassin, comes out in two weeks! One of the best aspects of Maas' writing is that with the each new installment of this series, the plot gets even more complex and the stakes become higher.

2. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo 

Release Date: September 27, 2016

Crooked Kingdom, the final book in the Six of Crows duology, is a fantasy version of Ocean's Eleven. Six characters are hired to pull of an impossible heist. Each of these people are so well written and developed that you can't help but care for them. The first book ended in a cliffhanger so if you're looking for a finished series that you can read quickly, will keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you laugh and cry check this one out.

3. The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan 

Release Date: October 4, 2016

The Hammer of Thor follows Magnus Chase, the son of a Norse god, as he tries to retrieve one of the most powerful weapons in all of Norse mythology, Thor's hammer. This is the second book in the hilarious Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. This is the perfect read for someone looking for a fun lighthearted novel.

4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Release Date: November 8, 2016

Marissa Meyer wrote the New York Times bestselling Lunar Chronicles series which was a futuristic science fiction fairy tale retelling of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Now she's back with Heartless, a story about the Queen of Hearts (from Alice in Wonderland) before she became the villain. Meyer has a gift for creating great villain backstories so it'll be interesting to see if the Queen's story elicits empathetic emotions from her readers. If that description doesn't entice you, get it for the gorgeous cover.

5. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman

Release Date: November 15, 2016

After Cassandra Clare finished writing the Mortal Instruments series she decided to dive deeper into the future of one of the characters, in a collection of short stories called Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. These novellas give more details about specific plot points and feature characters from Clare's other books which take place in the same world. This is a must read for Shadowhunter fans.

I can already feel my wallet shrinking at the thought of buying all the books I want this fall! 

REVIEW: Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Parts I & II

Synopsis (by Arthur A. Levine): 

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Review:

3/5 Stars

The release of Harry Potter & the Cursed Child was exciting but worrisome. Would Rowling be able to deliver a play that was just as good as the first seven books? Overall, I thought it was okay.
***This review contains spoilers.  

REVIEW: Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Synopsis (from Dial Books):

Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him.

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she’s being realistic). But is ambition alone enough to get her in?

Enter Lisa.

Determined to “fix” Sol, Lisa steps into his world, along with her charming boyfriend, Clark, and soon the three form an unexpected bond. But, as Lisa learns more about Sol and he and Clark grow closer and closer, the walls they’ve built around themselves start to collapse and their friendships threaten to do the same.

Review:

3/5 stars 

This book first caught my eye because of the cover. The words "Highly Illogical Behavior" sounds like it should be the title of my autobiography. The cover art is weird enough that you can't help but want to know what it's about. Then once I read the synopsis and I knew I had to buy it. A book about a teenage agoraphobe? You don't come across those every day! Not to mention, the author, John Corey Whaley is a National Book Award Finalist and a winner of The Printz Award. This book fulfilled all the requirements for me to impulse buy it; it had cool cover, a unique synopsis, and a critically acclaimed author.

First off, I thought the author did a great job handling mental illness. Solomon, the agoraphobic main character, didn't magically get cured of his anxiety disorder by the end of the book but you feel hopeful that he can overcome his issues some day. 

I did get annoyed with Lisa, the teenage girl who wants to "fix" Solomon so she can write an essay about him that can get her into one of the top psychology degree programs in the country. In other words, she's using him. Doesn't she sound like the kind of person you would want to keep away from someone with mental health issues?

The story is told through the alternating dual perspectives of Solomon and Lisa. Reading the chapters told from Lisa's point of view explains why Lisa behaves the way that she does. Although it's not an excuse, I could understand where she was coming from. Plus, I suppose not every YA main character can be likeable.

Another issue I had was how much info dumping Whaley did at the beginning of the story. There were paragraphs and paragraphs explaining things we needed to know about Solomon and Lisa's personalities, families, and backstory in order to understand the ensuing plot. The author only does this for a few chapters and I think it works in the context of the story to do some info dumping. However, I think he could have done more showing and less telling with some of the details. 

One of the perks of reading a contemporary YA novel is that sometimes there's some life lessons you can take from it. Highly Illogical Behavior has a few gems in there that are pretty applicable to teenagers and people who are coming of age. 

Overall, I enjoyed reading this. If you've never read a mental health contemporary about agoraphobia I encourage you to check this one out and since it's 249 pages it only takes a few hours to read. It may not be your favorite book that you've ever read but it's worth picking up!

REVIEW: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Synopsis (by HarperTeen):

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. 

Review: 

3/5 Stars

Even though this book did seem like a mash-up of YA books that I've already read, it had the potential to be better than it was. The last 100 pages were definitely the most interesting. Unfortunately, Red Queen overall fell a little short for me which was disappointing considering all the hype surrounding this book.

The story read like it was a first draft. The world building felt basic and needed more unique details to distinguish it from the worlds contained in other books. Even the basic plot of the story reminds me of other dystopian novels. For example, in the world of Red Rising by Pierce Brown social classes are organized based on color and the main character who comes from the lowest class manages to fool others into thinking he's in the highest social class. If you liked the premise of Red Queen save yourself some money and pick up Red Rising instead.

I didn't feel attached to any of the characters which made it hard to care about the romance in the book. It felt like Mare knew her love interests as well as she knew a can of paint. Parts of the story dragged especially in the middle when Mare was dealing with her new life as a royal. The main problem is that despite having just finished the book, I'm having problems trying to remember what happened because the story is so forgettable. Nothing really stands out. 

The story was still entertaining enough that there's a chance that I might pick up the sequel. Maybe.