Kat C

Audiobook Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

March 5, 2018 Leave a Comment

8 hours 39 minutes| Hachette Audio | Fantasy | 1/02/18

Jude and her twin sister Taryn were taken from the mortal world as children by their mother’s vindictive ex-husband and raised within the gentry of the Faerie world, where they have always been seen as outsiders especially by Cardan–youngest prince of Faerie–who delights in torturing them. Jude has had enough of being a victim and is ready to show she deserves a place in the Faerie courts. Her ambition gets her mixed up in a world of espionage, power plays, violence and oh so many plot twists.

I just ate this story up, which is saying something because I am def not the ideal reader for a book like this. I have always struggled with fantasy and have no base for Faerie mythology, but Holly Black draws the world so vividly I was able to put most of it together and quickly learn the rules of Faerie, If you like lush descriptions of fantastical beasts, clothes and greenery this is your book.

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The Sidekicks by Will Kostikas

February 3, 2018 Leave a Comment

This Aussie YA follows three boys at a Sydney private school who have nothing in common except their dead best friend, Issac Roberston.

The boys in this book are labeled as the swimmer, the rebel and the nerd and they each share their unique perspective on the aftermath of Issac’s death. Of the three boys, Harley, the “rebel”, feels partially responsible for the death (and who is just asking to be compared to Holden Caulfield) and Miles, the loner “nerd”, have the most compelling stories because of how Issac’s death changes the way they navigate the world.

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Behind The Screen: A Book Blogger Tag

January 31, 2018 Leave a Comment

I’m taking part in this tag created by Amber at Du Livre

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Kat’s 2017 End of Year Book Survey

January 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

It’s that time of the year for the End of The Year Book Survey hosted by Jamie, The Perpetual Page Turner ! For this I’m including books from this blog and my romance blog, Romance and Sensibility.

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One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

December 27, 2017 Leave a Comment

Release Date: 05/30/17 | 361 Pages | Contemporary | Delacorte Press

This breakout novel has been dominating the bestsellers list since it came out and it’s popularity is really interesting because you rarely see a debut author without a massive social media following or platform hang on the list this long. I think some of it’s popularity may have to do with it’s elevator pitch. Five high school students walk into detention; the nerdy girl, the criminal bad boy, the homecoming princess, the jock and the outcast—and only five come out alive.

I…I think I may be the black sheep when it comes to this book. It just wasn’t what I expected. I thought it was going to be crime solving teens but the characters don’t actively come together to try to solve the crime they’re accused of until about 80% into the book. For most of the story they’re just like “yeah, that thing was weird” and keep on keepin’ on with their lives and personal drama while off screen lawyers handle the intricate details of the case. This story is more about the characters deepest secrets being revealed than solving a murder.

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Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

December 6, 2017 Leave a Comment

Release Date: 05/30/17 | Contemporary | 385 pages | Buy Now !

At school, Eliza Mirk is the weird girl with no friends who never talks. At home she’s the black sheep among her athletic-obsessed family. She doesn’t think anyone can truly understand her until she meets the new boy in school, Wallace Warland. They bond over their love of Monstrous Sea, a popular fantasy webcomic. He’s the first person who gets what it means to have internet friends and be apart of an active online fandom–Wallace and his friends are BNF fan creators in the Monstrous Sea fan community. But what Wallace doesn’t know is that she’s not just any fan, she’s LadyConstellation–the anonymous creator of Monstrous Sea.

This book absolutely captivated me, I devoured the whole thing in in one day and I haven’t done that in years. Zappia (who I believe used to be a book blogger) has this amazing handle on the importance of online friendship, what it means to negotiate your online self with your IRL self, the inner workings of rabid online fandoms while also incorporating important themes about mental illness and self care for creative people.

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