Fictional Books I Want to Read in 2018

Hey everyone! I wanted to share what books I really want to get to in this New Year! Since I don’t read as much as I used to, I wanted to keep this post small and to the point. Majority of these books have been released already and some I am still waiting for! The list is an no particular order. Without further ado, let’s get started! (all links lead you to the goodreads page)

 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas a YA Realistic Fiction take on the black lives matter movement and police brutality.

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbree a YA Contemporary book about a girl who’s an “overnight” internet sensation and when an online flirtation can happen in real life, how will she tell him that she’s a romantic asexual?

Ringer (Replica #2) by Lauren Oliver a continuation of the YA SciFi Dystopian novel Replica. After discovering some uncomfortable truths about the Haven Institute and cloning, we see what happens afterwards in Ringer.

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco the continuation of the YA Historical Fiction Mystery Stalking Jack the Ripper, we follow the main character Audrey in another adventure featuring Vlad the Impaler. 

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff in continuation of the amazing YA SciFi novels Illuminae and Gemina, comes Obsidio with more action and adventure. This is the finale of the teams and oh my heart be still.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo a YA Fantasy following one of my favorite heroes, Diana, who has risked exile for saving a mortal which changes everything.

Unearthed (Unearthed #1) by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner a YA SciFi that has to do with earth getting a message from a long extinct alien race, infiltration, secrets, and survival.

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomy Adeyemi a YA Fantasy about magic disappearing in Orïsha under orders of a ruthless king, yet the main character is struggling with controlling her powers and feelings towards the enemy.

Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King #1) by Tricia Levenseller  a YA fantasy that has a female pirate, adventure, and hidden map!

Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer a YA Fantasy about secret identities, powers, vengeance, and justice.

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell a YA Fantasy filled with time-travel and historical fiction, one character has to travel back in time to 1902 to steal an ancient book. However Old New York is filled with gangs, secret societies, and too much magic.

Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff this Adult Fantasy continues the journey of our ruthless assassin main character where she is still looking for revenge.

The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden a Fantasy Historical Fiction, this story continues the adventure of main character Vasya and what lies ahead for her.

---

and that is all for this post! any of these books you’re looking forward too? or you’ve read already? i would love to know your thoughts in the comments!

---

instagram: @chicnerdreads
twitter: @chicnerdreads

Warcross by Marie Lu ARC Non-Spoiler Review

Title: Warcross (#1)
Series: Warcross
Author: Marie Lu
Genre: YA SciFi Thriller
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books
Format: ARC Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu—when a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths.

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

---

***Thanks to BookCon and Penguin for providing an ARC.

Here you have Virtual Reality, Bounty Hunters, Tokyo, plus tons of Diversity! Warcross, the biggest known virtual reality game across the whole world. Everyone links in to watch, this is one huge phenomena. 10 years ago, Hideo Tanaka who’s Japanese created this virtual reality called NeuroLink through a pair of glasses and since then, the world has changed. Emika Chen, a Chinese American bounty hunter and hacker, struggles in real life to make ends meet and pay her bills. She and her roommate, Keira, are about to get evicted within days. Due to the virtual reality world, gambling has become a serious issue where people buy things off through NueroLink and sell them in the real world, converting notes to money. After Emika loses a bounty and the money that came with it, she gets impatient about how she’s going to survive another day. During the Warcross championships, Emika comes up with an idea to hack the games and take a power-up in order to gamble and make it into money. What she doesn’t know is that when she hacks into the game, the game glitches and she is automatically thrown into the game to be seen by everyone. LITERALLY EVERYONE IN THE WORLD. In an instant, Emika Chen becomes an overnight sensation and her life changes in an instant. Emika Chen is worried about getting another arrest due to her hacking the Warcross Championships but what she doesn’t know is that Hideo has other plans for her, he flies her off to Tokyo and the rest is for you to read.

I am not new to Marie Lu, one of my favorite series happens to be Legend and if you’ve read Legend, then you’re in for a nice surprise with this one. Marie Lu has created such a detailed rich world in Warcross, she transported me from my own life to Warcross. She isn’t complicated with her words, Marie Lu knows how to explain everything smoothly and still have you imagining a vivid world. She draws you in with her plot, characters, and setting. I was addicted to this book and couldn’t stop reading it. Marie Lu is an amazing writing.

I loved every single character. We meet a wide range of characters filled with diversity and I am so happy that Marie Lu made this organic, as it should be. It never felt forced and I wanted to hug ALMOST (some I couldn’t stand) all of these characters lol. We first meet Emika Chen, our Chinese American MC with rainbow hair. Who is this amazing kickass chick from the boogie down ayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! (aka the bronx for those who don’t understand NYC lingo lol). Emika has been through a lot in life and Marie Lu definitely tells us how she got to where she is, her story was very heartwarming. We also meet Hideo Tanaka, the Japanese billionaire who created Warcross and everything that comes with the NueroLink. I feel like his character was a little trope-y lol (if that’s a word), if you like the “guy who has a shitload of money but has tons of secrets” trope, then you are going to love Hideo.

We also meet TONS of side characters that I really enjoyed and look forward to maybe reading more in the next books to come *fingers crossed*. We have from the Warcross Championships: Asher, Hamilton, Roshami, and Ren. I enjoyed all these characters and how flushed out they were. Marie Lu definitely gave us great insight to them.

I LOVED THIS BOOK AND I NEED THE OTHER BOOK RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HOW IS THAT MARIE LU IS GOING TO DO THIS TO ME WITH THAT ENDING?!?!?!?!? *THROWS A TANTRUM AND DOESN’T CARE WHO’S WATCHING*. This book was just utterly amazing. A lot of people compare this to Ready Player One, I tried reading that book and couldn’t get into it so if you are like me, then I would say to still give this one a shot because it’s amazing and vastly different. I loved the way she gave us enough information on the characters but it never felt like info-dump. Marie Lu always gave a smooth transition (in my opinion).

I really cannot wait to see what Marie Lu does with the rest of the series and how it ties into some of my theories. If you read Legend, then you’ll know what I’m talking about lol. I remember staying up for a few hours researching connections. You can still read Warcross without reading Legend though.

Marie Lu is definitely an auto-fave for me and now I need to marathon The Young Elites trilogy for sure. I definitely recommend Warcross!

---

have you read Warcross or anticipate it?? or any Marie Lu book at all? let’s chat in the comments! i would love to know your thoughts!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

The Sunshine Blogger Award #3

It’s been such a long time since I’ve done a Sunshine Blogger Award! Whoaaaaaa!!! Thank you Flavia @ Flavia the Bibliophile for awarding me with this! Her questions are amazing and I cannot wait to read them! Also, definitely check out her awesome blog.

Rules

1.) Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
2.) Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
3.) Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4.) List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

***Before we start, I want to make a note that if you ever tag me, please tag a blog post so that I can see it. For some reason due to my theme, I won’t get a notification/ping-back if you tag my about me or blog link. Thanks so much! Let’s get started!***

1. What are you reading right now?
   Odd & True by Cat Winters
2. What was your favourite read from 2016?
   OMG so many to choose from but I’ll have to say Illuminae by Aime Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
3. What is your favourite read of 2017 so far?
   The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Definitely started off the year with a bang!
4. Do you read more than one book at once? Why? Why not?
   The only time I ever read two books at once is if I am reading a fiction (any sub genre in this category) book and take a break to read a poetry book which doesn’t happen all the time. I cannot read two fiction books or two poetry books at the same time. My mind does not do well at all lol. I admire people who can read multiple books at the same time.
5. Do you enjoy reading classics?
   Nope.
6. What is your ideal reading spot?
   My bedroom, I can read well on my bed or the floor lol.
7. Do you read when you travel?
   No I do not!!! I usually can read on the plane or car ride but I do not read on vacation.
8. How many books do you read in a month (approximately)?
   My reading has slowed down tremendously this year due to being an author now lol. I would say 3-4 books per month.
9. How many books do you read in a year (approximately)?
   About 50 to 60 books per year but that most likely will be lower this year.
10. What is your favourite genre? Why?
    OMG this is so hard! No it isn’t lol it’s a tie between anything YA and poetry. I feel like I connect most to these genres, poetry for personal reasons and YA for the fun. I love reading action packed YA stories, oh it just takes me to another world!
11. Do you read more during a particular season than other seasons?
    I read a lot more during Fall/Winter/Spring seasons because once summer comes, I have a lot of guest in my household *side eye* and that messes with my reading time.

I suck at tagging people and making questions up so I will definitely be passing this part lol. Call me a rule breaker? I would love to chat in the comments though! Do we have anything in common?

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco Non-Spoiler Review

Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Genre: YA Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

 

 

 

---

Set in the late 1800s, the opening pages start with our main character Audrey Rose in a laboratory working on a cadaver. Immediately you get the feel and tone of the book, very mysterious and dark. In a society where misogyny is on a all time high, many people expect Audrey Rose to hide her love for science and all things forensic medicine which includes dead bodies, Audrey Rose has a different take.

To get away from her father’s madness and society’s rules, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory. Audrey has been helping her uncle with the corpses of this madman serial killer, theorizing and trying to figure out who it is and why are they doing this. When trying to go public with help backfires on her, she starts secretly searching for clues and the answers she is searching for will lead to something never expected.

The writing was very well done. I honestly feel that the author wrote this book in a realistic way. Yes, some parts were boring but they felt authentic and necessary. Kerri Maniscalco definitely gets into detail with the mutilation of the bodies and how they were killed, therefore please read with caution if gore isn’t your thing. Definitely do not eat and read this book at the same time. However, I actually loved that the author wrote those scenes in such detail, showing us how dark this book can get without filter.

“the dead speak to those who listen. Be quieter than even them.”

The setting and society were very on point. Maniscalco definitely does not hold back with how misogyny took place in this time, sometimes to the point where it was a burden on our main character, Audrey Rose. It also made me cringe sometimes. It sucks that this was something that was very prevalent in that day and age (we still live through it now just not as heavy), however, Maniscalco took that and made it her own. She wrote scenes that showed us how strong Audrey Rose is.

We meet a few characters throughout the book. Some of my faves including Audrey Rose, Thomas, and the Uncle Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth. All three of these are on the same hunt for the serial killer. Thomas who was pretty much Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth apprentice definitely gave me bad vibes in the beginning of the book due to his quiet sarcastic attitude. There were times when I told myself “booooyyyyyy if you do not stop right now” lol. I loved the banter between him and Audrey though! They had me giggling.

“Science never abandoned me the way religion had that night.”

I definitely grew a soft spot for Audrey’s uncle because he always meant well and definitely tested Audrey and Thomas’s limits when it came to forensic medicine. I was sad to find out that Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth and Audrey’s father, Lord Edmund Wadsworth were not in speaking terms. In actuality, Lord Edmund hated the thought of her daughter being in that laboratory for reasons the book gets into later on.  Lord Edmund’s paranoia left Audrey and her brother Nathaniel in a state of despair, not knowing what to do. Lord Edmund’ s madness is due to the death of his wife, Audrey and Nathaniel’s mother. I also enjoyed Nathaniel’s character and their sibling relationship. He was very understanding to his sister’s love for the science and curiosity but also very cautious.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the second installment, Hunting Prince Dracula. The character development and the way things flowed was great. Now if you’re wondering as to why I gave the book 4 stars it’s because I found the book to be a bit predictable and some scenes were just boring. Other than that, I really enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper.

I loved the characters, the setting, and even the subtle steampunk elements. If you know me, you know I love steampunk. I am also a huge sucker for late 1800s to early 1900s London except for the misogyny of course because we don’t need that. Kerri Mansicalco definitely did a great job with transferring me to this world every time I opened the page.

And that ending??!!?? Although I predicted it, I was still shocked with how some things came about and I kept flipping the pages like nobody’s business. I would highly recommend this!

 

---

have you read stalking jack the ripper? what are your thoughts? do any of you anticipate hunting prince dracula? let’s chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel Non-Spoiler ARC Review

Title: Black Bird of the Gallows
Series: N/A
Author: Meg Kassel
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Format: ARC paperback
Release Date: September 5th 2017
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.

 

---

*I want to thank BookCon and Entangled Teen for providing me an ARC!*

Angie Dovage is a teenager trying to live a low-key life where people forget her story and what’s happened with her mom. In small town Pennsylvania where nothing much really happens and everyone lives their day to day life, Angie Dovage is going to meet her new next door neighbor who will drastically change her life. Once her next door neighbor moves in, Reece Fernandez, something supernatural tries to attack Angie. Yet, every time Angie goes through an attack, she notices that Reece is there. Angie is dancing with a harbinger of death and when she finds out out why Reece is really there in this small town Pennsylvania, it’s either saving everyone or staying alive.

I thought the writing was okay, easy to read and understandable. Meg Kassel wrote the setting in present times so there wasn’t much world building. The author really focused on the descriptions of what was a Harbinger of Death, Beekeepers, and the crows. I found that to be a problem (in my opinion) because this is a short book of 308 pages and sometimes she would explain over a few times what these three things do rather than focus on the plot. There was a point where I put down the book and asked myself “is this book part of a series? cause if so that would make more sense as to why she’s giving us much detailed descriptions.” Goodreads didn’t give me anything so I went to her website and found that she’s working on a novella and companion novel.

Meg Kassel also wrote a lot of tropes. If you do not like instalove, then you might want to steer away from this book. There’s also the neighbor who happens to be a supernatural trope, the girl who wasn’t doing much with her life till a guy walked in trope, and many other tropes but I won’t mention it because I don’t want to spoil the book.

We get to meet a few characters throughout this book. We meet both main characters Angie and Reece. Angie Dovage lives with her father and she hasn’t had the best life. Losing a mother to drugs, her life in school isn’t the best because everyone knows of her story. Angie is focused on music and the band she’s in with her two friends, Deno and Lacey. Reece is the new mysterious attractive guy that every girl in school is swooning over. Instead of being the quiet bad boy, he instantly gets a long with everyone in school and get’s into the hockey team. We also meet Angie’s father in the story who happens to be really present in her life and I have to say that I really enjoyed that aspect.

I also have to say that these characters weren’t flushed out as I would like. I feel that I’ve read these character arcs repeatedly throughout the years. I didn’t really find them relatable and it would’ve been nice to see them grow naturally but the tropes didn’t really help with the growth because a lot of their (Angie and Reece) decisions were based off emotions.

Overall, I found this book to be very predictable. If you like LUX by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, then I would definitely suggest you reading this book because it has ALL the same elements.

For this being a short book, I thought there was a lot more descriptions going on rather than plot. The plot really took place in the last few chapters. I know I mentioned this already but I really wish the author would’ve taken more time focusing on the plot, building the characters, and giving us just more of the world.

Angie asked a lot of questions about what the Harbinger of Deaths do and what Beekeepers are, how the Crows are involved in all of this. Yes, those are very important questions, however, Meg Kassel was explaining this way too much. And yes, it is important to the plot and what happens but there wasn’t a flow with plot and getting to know these paranormal elements. Therefore, sometimes the book felt too jumpy instead of an organic flow of things.

There were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way as well when reading this book which I can’t just let slide over without mentioning.

• There was a part in the book when the author compares Cadence (name of town) to Afghanistan. “Cadence is not Afghanistan. It’s southwestern Pennsylvania.” I thought that was very insensitive of the author to write.
• There is also a scene where Angie is drenched in water, she’s unconscious, and Reece stated that she was freezing and in shock. She wakes up and notices that her clothes is hanging on a chair and she was changed into a t-shirt which was alarming to her. She calls it to his attention, she’s asking questions about what happened, and he gets really defensive which I didn’t like at all. We get a character who’s been really nice and cool throughout the book but then when he get’s questioned on what happened while she’s unconscious, he turns into a dislikable person. “You were freezing and in shock. I had to get you warm and dry. I’m not sorry.” He also didn’t apologize which really pissed me off.
• “what are you, suicidal? leave me and go.” this type of sarcasm is a no from me.
• Reece Fernandez so happens not to be latino at all so there went my hopes and dreams of a latinx character being involved.

---

that is all for this review. i would love to chat in the comments about your thoughts! if you have any questions, please feel free to ask ❤

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. On every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

The Mortician’s Daughter:
One Foot In The Grave (Book 1)
by C.C. Hunter

Release Date: October 31, 2017
Publisher: Unknown
Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads Synopsis:

Her dad’s an alcoholic.  Her mom passed away when she was young.  She sees dead people.  Can seventeen-year-old Riley Smith’s life get any crazier?  Yes it can.

When Riley’s attempt to help a spirit leads her to the discovery that the young woman’s death wasn’t an accident, she finds herself face-to-face with the killer.  And just when things seem like they couldn’t get any more complicated, she’s visited by another ghost, a boy her age, whose smile makes her melt.  Her job is to convince him to pass over, but her heart doesn’t want to let him go.

---

that would be me wanting the book

I literally screamed when I received C.C. Hunter’s newsletter in my inbox. If you don’t know this, I am a huge C.C. Hunter fan. Literally, I will read anything she comes out with. I absolutely loved her Shadow Falls Series/Spin-Off. I love the way C.C. Hunter writes her world and characters. She just knows how to write an awesome YA Paranormal Series filled with angst, mystery, suspicion, and some romance.

While reading through the newsletter, she first mentioned another book that comes out in 2018 which I am excited for but I’ll do a WoW for that one sooner to release date. However, when I kept scrolling through and saw The Mortician’s Daughter a trilogy. I almost fell off my chair!! And it comes out on Halloween, during my favorite season of all time.

C.C. Hunter is no stranger to writing characters who can see ghost so I know this is going to be amazing! She knows how to write ghost and their stories are always complex!

---

i would love to know what you think!
let’s chat in the comments. have you read C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls Series? what are your thoughts on The Mortician’s Daughter?

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. On every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

The Language of Thorns:
Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
by Leigh Bardugo

Illustrator: Sara Kipin
Release Date: September 26, 2017
Publisher: Macmillan
Genre: YA Fantasy, Short Stories

Goodreads Synopsis:

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

---

This might be on a lot of people’s TBR list but I seriously cannot wait for this book. I am such a Grishaverse fan that I almost screamed when I found out about this one a few months ago. Plus there are illustrations included in Language of Thorns and I NEED TO SEE IT!!

I’m really excited each short story. However, I look forward to reading is the young mermaid story because I love mermaids and anything dark. Language of Thorns definitely sounds like a magical haunting read. And I am sure that Bardugo is going to captivate us with her writing skills and rich world.

September is right around the corner, along with Autumn (favorite season) and my birthday. This book releases 6 days after my birthday and I sure am going to gift this one to myself.

---

are you anxiously waiting for this book as much as i am?? let’s chat in the comments!!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Eliza and Her Monsters
Author: Francesca Zappia
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Greenwillow – HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

---

***Trigger Warning: Suicide and Attempted Suicide

Summary/Plot

When reading the synopsis from this book, I jumped into a few theories of what to expect with his book. We meet Eliza who is a very introverted, shy, friendless teenager in real life. However online when she is LadyConstellation and even Eliza online is very open and talkative. LadyConstellation is the creator of a mega popular webcomic Monstrous Sea, it is so popular that even publishing companies have sought out to obtain it. Eliza has turned it down so many times because she loves the platform of her comic just the way it is.

Eliza’s world is about to change when Wallace Warland transfers to her school and come to find out that he isn’t just a regular fan but a huge fanfiction writer. Everything takes place in slow motion but he eventually helps her get out in the world more. He doesn’t know that she’s LadyConstellation. And things are about to take a huge hit when the secret is out. Not only does this effect Eliza and her mental health but it also affects the world she’s created online, her family, and her relationship with Wallace.

Writing

This is my first Francesca Zappia novel. I actually have been wanting to read Made You Up for so long but I didn’t correlate the two as the same author so I was ecstatic to see she had written this one as well. I loved the writing!! Especially the insert pages of the graphic novel and illustrations. I think for this being a YA book, it was realistic. Francesca wrote some dialogue via instant messenger which I loved. The dialogue between the characters were great and her details were super amazing as well. I appreciate the author writing about mental health and really giving us the readers a lesson per-say through a character at the end of the book.

Characters

I feel like each character in the book played such an important role in Eliza’s life and what was going to happen next. I spoke enough about Eliza but I have to say that she is definitely going through it with her mental health. This is something that the author doesn’t explicitly talk about throughout a lot of the book because it’s not something the character knows about. However, through Eliza’s interactions with her family, people, and just her thought process, you get a feel that there is something deeper. Living a life online one way vs. how her life is in the flesh, and her parents not really knowing much to then the pressures of high school can be hard on a teenager. I know that at least for me, I found Eliza’s character relatable.

We meet Wallace Warland and I thought he was the most adorable soft boy. Once he is presented in the book, I wanted to know him more. His character arc was really well done and when I got to know him on a deeper level, I cried. No lie, I really cried because here is this character who has been through a lot and he’s just taking everything one step at a time.

Eliza’s family; her parents and siblings. Let me tell you something!! I absolutely loved this family because in my opinion, we don’t see much family dynamic. Yet, here you have in Eliza and Her Monsters, parents that are all up on Eliza, super worried about their child and not knowing what to do with her. Which I thought was realistic because a lot of parents don’t know what to do with their first-born, especially during teenage years. We’re like the guinea pigs. You can tell that Eliza’s parents just want the best for her and are trying to steer her in the “right” direction but they don’t really understand her direction. I loved the brothers, their relationship was so great to see and the sibling relationship had amazing representation.

We do get to see other minor characters but I won’t really get into that because if not then I’ll definitely be spoiling the whole book lol.

Thoughts

I am going to keep this really short since I pretty much scattered my thoughts throughout the review in the previous sections. I absolutely loved this book and thought it represented mental health, family dynamic’s/relationship, friendships, and internal battles in a great way. The author definitely takes us through the highs and lows, I had found myself at times just really hoping for the best. Francesca Zappia wrote an amazing novel filled with reality and honesty in a form that everyone can read and still feel warm and happy at the end of it. I would LOVE if the author made Monstrous Sea into an actual graphic novel because everything about it was great. I feel like it would really go far. Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

---

and that is the end of the review! have you read this book? or plan on to? what are your thoughts? i would love to chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Our Dark Duet (Book #2)
Series: Monsters of Verity
Author: Victoria Schwab
Genre: YA Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.

KATE HARKER isn’t afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she’s good at it.

AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

THE WAR HAS BEGUN.

THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.

Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims’ inner demons.

Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

---

***there will be spoilers from the previous book, if you have not yet read This Savage Song, please do not read further. I have a non-spoiler review for This Savage Song here.

Plot

When reading Our Dark Duet, Schwab starts 6 months after the ending of This Savage Song. At first we jump into different perspectives with Kate and August in which we see two different sides of the spectrum. I love how Schwab expands her world and we see what is going on in two different towns, Prosperity and Verity. Kate had ran away to Prosperity in This Savage Song after the death of her father, meanwhile August stays behind in Verity.

In Prosperity, Kate hunts the monsters with a little help of a new set of characters that go by the name of The Wardens. In Verity, August becomes leader of the FTF and makes sure that the only humans who can trespass to safe grounds are humans with pure souls. Kate while in chase of monsters meets a new one that has never been spoken of and/or seen. When meeting this new monster, Chaos the Eater, some things are set in motion and everything goes downhill from there. August although being a leader is still struggling with the monster within himself while dealing with the ones outside and slowly but surely everything starts clicking.

Thoughts

 

Excuse me while I sit here and cry over that heart wrenching ending. WTF Schwab!!! How do you write such amazing books that leave me crying and hurting for dayyysss?!?! HOOOOWWWW?!?! An amazing conclusion to the Monsters of Verity Duology. I have never felt more satisfied by a series. Schwab left me with my heart in my throat and literal tears.

Our Dark Duet is the continuation of This Savage Song. After This Savage Song had ended, I was left in anticipation for this book. I was also left with a lot of questions, wondering about August and Kate and their whereabouts. Left with questions about other characters as well. And Schwab just took my soul and ran with it. Like if August played his violin and left me in bliss.

Our Dark Duet was filled with darkness, poetry, mentions of stardust, edge of your seat scenes, and tons of chaos. READ IT!

I really liked how Schwab gave us character development but also realistic characters that I was able to relate to. She did an amazing job in showing us their thought processing and what they were going through internally. Ugh, I love when books do that!

I absolutely loved the open-ending and just how raw it was. I couldn’t imagine the book with another type of ending, especially when the book was very dark. I found it to be much darker than This Savage Song, to me it was the perfect ending. Schwab had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t stop reading the book.

I am hoping that Schwab makes a spin-off for The Wardens.

“…..
so alone
it buries her
that sadness
swallows her
whole
the only sound
a voice
her voice
….”

please click here for credit and link

---

i would love to chat in the comments about this book!! what were your thoughts?

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads