JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

March 2016 Wrap Up

Another month has gone by, meaning another month of books acquired and reviews posted! Here is a list of the books I’ve received/bought/borrowed in March:


1. Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for supplying this book to me through Netgalley. This is about Lily, a beautiful daschund who develops a brain tumour. But we don’t refer to it as a tumour. We call it an octopus. Lily’s owner is desperate to help Lily beat this Octopus because he’s so close with Lily and can’t imagine losing her. I’ve already read this book and am writing up a review for it soon. I absolutely loved it! It’s such a heart-warming tale for all animal lovers, but it’s also exceptionally well written! A favourite of mine for 2016.


2. Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
Thanks to Text Publishing for supplying this book to me through Netgalley. Sid and Cassie are sisters who live in different countries and aren’t as close anymore, so they start writing letters to each other to better keep in touch. And out comes their marriage problems, parenting woes, and all the concerns they’ve had and been too afraid to tell the other. I’ve posted my review already and thought it was a lovely read.


3. The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis
I picked up a copy of The Sidekicks earlier this month at a book event, and I finished it in one sitting. This book is about three school students who are dealing with the loss of their friend, and it is painfully raw. The characters are all very different and yet they mould well together and they work to find themselves again after the sudden death. I really enjoyed this book!


4. Ruined by Amy Tintera
This is the first book in a fantastic new YA/fantasy series by Amy Tintera. I borrowed an early copy off a friend and read it within a couple of days. The main character is feisty, daring, bold and courageous. She impersonates a princess to seek revenge on the royal family because they murdered her parents and kidnapped her sister, and the story unfolds at a rapid pace!


5. Yellow by Megan Jacobson
I bought this book earlier this month after its release and have since read it and posted a review on the blog. Yellow is about a young girl who is struggling to fit in. Her friends bully her, her father has left them, and her mother is an alcoholic. And then she meets a ghost who was murdered 20 years earlier, and she seems to be the only person who can hear him. This is a really compelling debut novel!


6. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
This is another book I bought upon release date after hearing so much about it on social media. Imagine Aladdin set in a dystopian world, and you’ll understand the setting of Rebel of the Sands. The main character is a fantastic shooter, and she’s desperate to escape her no-hope town and find a better life. Action and adventure ensues.


7. A World of Other People by Steven Carroll
I’ve had this on my bookshelf ever since Steven Carroll won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award last year. He’s a wonderful writer, and A World of Other People is about a couple whose lives intersect multiple times but who tragically part ways every time. Steven has done a marvellous job of telling their story.


8. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
I bought this one at a Lifeline bookfest a few weeks ago and I’ve just started reading it. It’s beautiful. It sheds light on a piece of American history that is often forgotten, and the writer is extremely talented. The characters are wonderfully real and painfully flawed.

And in case you missed it, here is a list (with links) of reviews that I’ve posted on Jess Just Reads this month!

REVIEWS POSTED IN MARCH:
1. Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
2. Hold by Kirsten Tranter
3. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
4. Yellow by Megan Jacobson
5. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
6. A World of Other People by Steven Carroll

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading!

Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) by Sara Raasch

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

I’m fast becoming a sucker for a YA dystopian series with a fantastic cover. Perhaps I’ve read too many, or perhaps I love YA dystopian novels because they’re always so unique and interesting and they are can’t-put-it-down kind of books. I actually have to stop myself from reading more YA dystopias so this blog can remain a book review blog where I review different genres of books.

Snow like Ashes is the first novel in a new series by Sara Raasch where different societies are separated by seasons. Not districts. Not class levels. Seasons, like winter, autumn, spring and summer. And it’s very refreshing. And I love that our main character is from Winter. It reminds me of Frozen, and it also reminds me of many glorious fantasy novels where they’re fighting winter or they have to travel through horrific cold conditions to complete their task/mission.

The main character, Meira, is fantastic. She’s confident, daring, bold and she knows what she wants. This isn’t exactly unique in YA fiction, because I’m reading more and more novels where writers are finally giving their female lead character a bit more backbone. There aren’t many Bella Swan’s in YA dystopian fiction, thankfully. Meira also knows how to handle a really shite situation where she’s been betrayed. There’s a particular scene where her love interest and father figure betray her (quite horribly) and she acts accordingly. She knows how to get what she wants and she doesn’t give second chances.

I’m looking forward to reading Ice like Fire (the second in the series) because there were romantic links between Meira and Mather and also Meira and Theron, and these remain unresolved at the end of the novel. This leaves it open to be further explored in the second novel. Also, Meira’s magic powers and her link to the kingdom in Winter is also expected to be developed further in Ice like Fire.

Despite the fact that it took me a good 50 pages to fully understand the premise of the story, and also to understand which character is which (I got confused with all the names in the first few chapters), I do think this book is wonderful.

Cheers to Snow like Ashes:

My Score: 9/10

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.

We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.

This novel is haunting and extremely well-written. For a young adult novel, it’s provoking and unique and engaging, and Nova has done an exceptional job at crafting this story. The cover art is amazing – the colours really invite the reader in. Although, that being said, the cover art doesn’t actually give any indication on what the book is about and may put off some readers. The storyline is different, and all of the different POVs weave together towards the end to give the reader an ‘Ahhh’ moment (or many moments). There are multiple twists that the reader is blindsided by, and when the reader thinks they know what’s happened or how the three characters are connected, something happens and they doubt their reading of the book.

The best part about this novel is definitely the writing style. Nova’s writing is fluid and believable. The premise is interesting, and I feel that a novel set in a female juvenile detention centre (especially for the young adult genre) hasn’t really been done before. Well done to Nova for finding the gap in the YA market and filling it. The chapters are a good length, and they end on such a suspenseful sentence each time. I kept wanting to take a break after reading a chapter, but found myself turning the page until I’d read the whole story.

Now I have to talk about the negatives. Sometimes the storylines seem a little scattered, and the opening few pages of the novel make it seem a little dystopian. It took a couple of pages before I fully comprehended what was happening. Also, let’s not mention how CONFUSING the ending is. Was anyone else confused? I had to reread it a few times to attempt to understand it. It’s one of those endings where you think you understand it, but deep down you know you’re probably wrong. Lastly, the twist involving the murder of the two girls behind the theatre is a little predictable, and I think Nova gave away too much information about that earlier in the novel.

I’d recommend this novel for any reader, even if you don’t usually read young adult. I received an ecopy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Score: 8/10