Tag: new adult

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre lives in a world where the fae are beyond a wall that separates them from the mortal world. Years and years ago, according to the myths, a great war was fought and a boundary was drawn between the two races.

When Feyre shoots an enormous wolf that is more than what it appears, she is drawn into the world beyond the wall which operates under magic and an entirely different set of rules than the world she knows.

Will she survive?

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I chose to read A Court of Thorns and Roses because of the millions of positive ratings it received on Goodreads. It is an engaging read, but I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as some other readers.

“… any bit of information might help, and if I showed interest in them, perhaps they would warm to me.” pg 79, ebook

I enjoyed the heroine’s discovery of the magical world. I really liked the different creatures and situations that she found there. The exploration part of the book was my favorite part.

I did not enjoy the romance portion of the book and felt like it slowed the action down to a crawl in the middle of the story. Also, this should not be rated as a young adult book. Some of the relationship and sexual elements mark it clearly as new adult, in my mind.

I get that this is a “Beauty and the Beast” re-telling, but there are very few similarities between the two stories. If you’re looking for a fairy tale re-telling, you might want to keep looking.

And, occasionally, I found the actions of the heroine to be infuriating. She made decisions based on no reasoning that I could understand- much like a spoiled teenager. I suppose some could argue that that is exactly what Feyre is, but it wasn’t much fun to read.

Recommended for any readers who are looking for a light fantasy mixed with a lot of romance. Thanks for reading!

The Wicked We Have Done (Chaos Theory, #1) by Sarah Harian

The Wicked We Have Done (Chaos Theory, #1) by Sarah Harian

In a not-too-distant future, humanity has developed the technology to see inside the mind of criminals. Through simulations and tracking responses, the law claims to have the ability to measure motivation and “goodness.”

Evalyn Ibarra says she is guilty, but not of the crime she is on trial for. Rather than rely on a jury to prove her innocence, she chooses the “compass room,” the new technology, to prove her innocence.

If she is truly evil, the compass room will kill her. If she is innocent, she will walk free.

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“My throat tightens, but there is no time to reflect. I had months to imagine this moment, months to mourn. That time is over, because today is the beginning of my inevitable execution in the Compass Room.”pg 7, ebook.

I found the premise of this book to be interesting, but it suffered in its execution and characterizations. Both were rather flat.

“The tension after Stella leaves is awkward and volatile. … We’ve been given provisions, so it’s obvious that, if this is the Compass Room, we are meant to head out. It’s either that or stay in a house full of psychopaths.” pg 25, ebook.

Did I mention that the compass room tries more than one criminal at a time? Very Hunger Games-esque.

“The one thing I do know about the Compass Room is that this test is supposed to see who you truly are, despite your research. Despite good acting or the lies you tell yourself.” pg 27, ebook.

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Wouldn’t it be something if detecting evil was as simple as marking a chemical or hormonal response of the brain?

But then, of course, you wander into the problem: what if the technology gets it wrong? Or glitches?

“A terrorist attack finally convinced the Supreme Court. All charged in the bombing were forced to undergo the Compass Room’s exam. And they were all found to be, as reporters said on the news, ‘morally tarnished.'” pg 12, ebook.

The thing about execution is that there are no second chances or second guesses. Evalyn believes herself to be innocent. Will the room think so too?

I think if the author had fully explored the compass room and the psyches of those involved, I may have enjoyed it more.

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As it was, I felt like we only skimmed the surface of what was possible. It lacked complexity because of the number of characters she wrote into the story.

Also, the author includes some half-baked romances, perhaps to prove this is in the “new adult” genre? I don’t believe it added much.

There’s also some non-spooky horror elements, that are meant to evoke the harrowing nature of the compass room. They felt overdone.

If you must read The Wicked We Have Done, I recommend borrowing it from the library.

Thanks for reading!

Paper Princess (The Royals, #1) by Erin Watt

Paper Princess (The Royals, #1) by Erin Watt

paperprincessWow. And my library had this shelved with the young adult. I need to tell someone…

First of all, how scandalous. From graphic sex to underage drinking, fighting, stripping- this book is wild.

I know erotica is incredibly popular. I don’t judge what people read. Really. But this one was just so… I don’t even know how to describe it. I’ll just let some of the lines speak for themselves.

“This house is an illusion. It’s polished and pretty, but the dream Callum is trying to sell is as flimsy as paper. Nothing stays shiny forever in this world.” pg 32 Hence, the title of this book.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he rasps out. Don’t I know it. Still, I can’t let Reed see he’s gotten to me. I pull my hand away, folding the fingers into a fist. “I don’t know any other way to play it.” pg 92. Eye roll.

“My skill, if I have one, isn’t dancing. It’s my ability to believe that tomorrow can be a better day.” pg 171. Like a formerly stripper version of Scarlet from Gone with the Wind.

And finally: “When we get home, I run upstairs to add ‘the drive’ to my mental catalog of wonderful things that have happened in my life. I place it right after ‘blow job’.” pg 320 I have nothing to say.

But what could one possibly say after a literary gem like that.

No spoilers here, but who among us didn’t see the ending coming from a mile away? With all of that ‘calf touching’ by the pool, hungry eye foreshadowing and whatnot?

I am appalled that this has a YA sticker on it, more like rated X. I wonder how many 12 and 13 year olds picked this up thinking it was another The Selection.

Borrow from the library responsibly and thanks for reading!