Book Review: "Supernova" by Marissa Meyer

Title: Supernova

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: "Renegades" #3
Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Page Length: 552 pages

Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Book 1 Review

Book 2 Review

Wow. All I can say is wow. This book was so good and I had an absolutely wonderful time reading it. I binged this series over the course of about a week and I can firmly say that after finishing this trilogy it has cemented itself as one of my favorites of all time.

When I started this book, it was pretty late in the evening. I only planned to read about 100 pages before going to bed. The next thing I knew, I had finished the entirety of this 550+ page book in one sitting and it was now 2 am. And I wouldn't have changed a thing.

So much happened in this book and I don't have the time or space to discuss it all. Marissa Meyer truly knew how to build the tension throughout the trilogy so that this final book was explosive. So many things happened that I expected but there were also a lot of things that happened that I was not expecting. I was truly blown away by this book.

We start off with high-tension right at the beginning. There is no significant change in time between the end of the second book and the start of this book so I felt that I was right back in the story and the action. Since the first two books had been building tension and upping the stakes, the tension was quite high at the beginning of this book. I felt that, although there were less high-action scenes in this book until the end, the book was definitely not boring or slow paced at all because the tension was so high.

The characters were wonderful, again. There were a few moments with different characters that I was so excited for and finally happened. That being said, I do think the focus on the character development wasn't as strong as the first two books. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, because I felt that I had a good connection to the characters from the first two books. I also just want more of these characters! I want novellas and stories about them just living their lives after this trilogy's events.

It's hard for me to succinctly put my love for this book into a review. I just had so much fun with this trilogy that I don't have any bad things to say about it. I'll just end with this: I absolutely adored this series and I'm so glad that I finally read it. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes science-fiction, enemies to lovers tropes, and flawed superheros.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Book Review: "Archenemies" by Marissa Meyer

Title: Archenemies

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: "Renegades" #2

Genre: YA Sci-Fi 

Page Length: 474 pages

Publication Date: November 6, 2018

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Book 1 Review

Okay so from the very first page of Renegades, I was obsessed with this story. After how that book ended, I was very excited to see where the story would go in this book. I was not disappointed in the slightest. So many things happened in this book both plot and character wise and I could not put it down.

Much like the first book, this book starts with an action scene. We are right into the action and don't have to bother with long lead-ups or narratives. One of the many things that Marissa Meyer does right is suck you into the book right from the beginning. Like the first book as well, once we are pulled in, this novel does not let you go. I did read this over the course of three or four sittings but only because I was falling asleep while reading. When I was reading this book, there was not a single moment in which I wanted it to be over quicker.

The thing I love most about this series is the characters. We have our two main characters, Nova and Adrian, who alternate POVs throughout the novel. I absolutely adore each of them and think that their perspectives are so interesting to read from. The character and relationship developments with each of them were so on point. Their inner journeys as well as moral struggles are so well done in this trilogy, especially in this book. I really can't say much else other than I love these two so much. They have quickly become some of my favorite characters I've ever read from.

The side characters also make this book stand out from other series. Whereas in some series, the side characters fall into the background or don't get much development, the side characters in this trilogy are so well written. While none of them have their own POVs, we do get plenty of page time with them. I like that we also get to see side characters from each side of this battle: Anarchists vs Renegade. I just...I love most of the side characters and the ones that I don't love were written to be unlikable and were still written brilliantly. Also, I just have to say, I love them all and am so scared for the final book because half of them are on one side of the fight and half of them are on the other.

Of course, while characters tend to drive stories for me, the plot and storyline of this book did not suffer at all. Not only are we continuing with some existing plot lines from the first book, but there are a lot of new reveals and twists in this book that have their own little threads to follow. All of these threads do tie back to the main plot of the entire trilogy and I felt that the depth we get from them has really made this trilogy stand out even more to me.

This book also seemed darker and grittier than the first one. We still had fun and cute moments, but the tension is building and things are getting more serious as the stakes rise. There are some seriously messed up things that happen as well which just add to the tension. I am rather interested to see what the mood of the final book is going to be.

One of my favorite things about this trilogy is the moral debates. To try and sum it up without spoiling anything, there is this new society created by the Renegades after the Age of Anarchy and some people love it but some people see flaws with it. Then there are different actions being taken, rules being put into place, etc but also a ruling council that wasn't elected but rather put themselves in charge. There are also plenty of other moral and philosophical debates in these books, but I really love how Marissa has written them in. I myself have no idea what to even think because I've read from differing perspectives and can understand each of them. I'm just very excited to see how these moral dilemmas are continued in the final book.  

Overall, I just loved this book. I am so excited and nervous about the final book that I'm going to be starting later today. I think that Marissa has really outdone herself with this trilogy and I find myself loving these books more than the Lunar Chronicles (the only other books I've read by her). I think that, based off just the first two books, this series will definitely be one of my favorites and I can only hope that the final book solidifies that standing.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Book Review: "Aurora Rising" by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Aurora Rising

Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Series: "Aurora Cycle_01"

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Page Length: 470 pages

Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Date Started: June 7, 2019

Date Finished: June 16, 2019

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what to say about this book. I both liked it and felt a bit disappointed by it. I think for the most part, I enjoyed the book but there were definitely some factors that went into me not liking this as much as I'd hoped.

Before I get into the reasons I liked this book, I just want to talk a bit about how I was disappointed. I don't necessarily think it was the book itself that made me like it less. I went into this book with really high expectations, which I knew would probably hurt my reading but I couldn't exactly change my subconscious hope that this book would blow me away. Additionally, everyone is hyping up this book. People I have very similar reading tastes to talked about how much it blew them away. So I was expecting something along the lines of the brilliance of Illuminae. But I didn't really get that. Additionally, it took me a while to read this book because of personal life things and just stress in general. I don't think any of that helped and I wasn't connected to this story very much because it took me over a week to get through it.

I want to say that this is my preliminary thoughts on this book. Looking back on what was happening, I should have loved it. In terms of how this book, the characters, the story, etc and whatnot were written, it was done very well. But I was stressed and it took me so long to read this book that I didn't connect to the characters and was left feeling disappointed. So, these are my thoughts for now but I do plan on rereading this book before the second comes out so that I can (hopefully) have a better experience reading it.

But like I said, looking back on this book I think it was done very well. The plot, the logistics of the world, the pure creativity that must have gone into it--all were great. The characters were awesome but I do think that there were too many POV changes. We could have stuck with just 3 of them rather than everyone getting a POV but never in a consistent order or in equal amounts. What's the purpose of giving a character a POV when their chapters are less than a page long? But I did like the characters--especially Fin! His sass, his struggles, just him in general made me so happy.

Overall, I don't want to talk too much about this book just because I don't feel like I read it at the right time. I was so excited to read it, I was reading quickly, and I was enjoying it until I became stressed in my personal life and that severely inhibited my reading experience.

I am very much looking forward to rereading this book to see how things change--I've already forgotten a lot of it too because it took me so long to read. I also think this series has a lot of potential and I'm definitely excited to see where the story goes with how things were left at the end of this book.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Finally Fall Book Tag!

Hello everyone! I realize it's been a while since I've posted a book tag and we're about to remedy that! Fall is my favorite time of year and I'm beyond excited that it's finally upon us. The crisp cool air, beautiful colors all around, and perfect sweater weather! Spring just doesn't do it for me like fall does. And where I got to college at, there's so many trees and beautiful spots that I feel like I could live here forever. 

I figured that since I hadn't done a book tag in a while and I was running out of ideas for what to post this month, I would do the Finally Fall Book Tag. I first saw this tag around last year and it recently resurfaced again this year! I wasn't tagged by anybody, but I just wanted to do it so let's go ahead and jump on in! This was originally created by Alina at Tall Tales on Youtube!

1. In fall, the air is crisp and clear: name a book with a vivid setting!

I'm going to go with Caraval by Stephanie Garber for this one. Stephanie paints such a brilliant beautiful picture with her words and I am seriously dying to visit Caraval after hearing her describe it. I can picture it so easily and it gives me such fantastical vibes. 

2. Nature is beautiful… but also dying: name a book that is beautifully written, but also deals with a heavy topic like loss or grief.

For me, this book is one that came out at the beginning of September and continues to impact me: Sadie by Courtney Summers. For my full thoughts, you can find my review here, but overall this book just hit me really hard. It was so impactful and eye-opening as well as being an interesting thriller. 

3. Fall is back to school season: share a non-fiction book that taught you something new.

I don't particularly read any non-fiction books. I suppose that the books I read for school have taught me something new? 

4. In order to keep warm, it’s good to spend some time with the people we love: name a fictional family/household/friend-group that you’d like to be a part of.

I would love to be a part of the Covey family from the To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. They seem like such a supporting and fun family that I would be honored to be with. But I also love the Court of Terrasen from Throne of Glass and the Court of Dreams from A Court of Mist and Fury! 

5. The colourful leaves are piling up on the ground: show us a pile of fall-colored spines!

I actually don't have a picture for this, but if you want to go check out all of the other book piles I've taken pictures of, you can check out my book-themed instagram here :) 

6. Fall is the perfect time for some storytelling by the fireside: share a book wherein somebody is telling a story.

I haven't read this book yet, but I know that in it the main character is retelling his story for someone to write down I believe. That is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I still have yet to read it but I am excited to when I finally get to it. I feel like just with college I'm having a hard time reading longer books because of how long it takes me to get through them but hopefully over winter break! 

7. The nights are getting darker: share a dark, creepy read.

For this, I'm choosing Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Mansicalco. It's about a girl interested in forensic science who begins trying to catch Jack the Ripper. It was a deliciously dark and amazing ride that I can't wait to reread soon!

8. The days are getting colder: name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody’s cold and rainy day.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han definitely falls into this category. I'm also a fan of Check, Please!, a graphic novel by Ngozi Ukazu. It is also super cute and heartwarming and such a quick read. 

9. Fall (luckily, it’s my favourite season) returns every year: name an old favourite that you’d like to return to soon.

There's so many of them. I'm currently rereading the Throne of Glass series in preparation for the final book coming out this month and I have to reread Six of Crows for class. But otherwise I do want to reread Twilight simply to get back some of my childhood nostalgia. 

10. Fall is the perfect time for cozy reading nights: share your favourite cozy reading “accessories”!

I always read in my cozy papasan chair when I'm at college. Sometimes I'll read in my bed but that usually leads to Netflix or napping so my chair is the place to be. I also use my super big tie blanket and I end up just in one big pile of cuddle. It's quite nice. 

11. Spread the autumn appreciation and tag some people!

I tag @lexisbooktalks, @starlight.reads, and @dontgobrekkarmyheart on Instagram.

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Thanks for reading! Happy Fall everybody! I can't wait to bust out tea and sweaters and cosy blankets in my dorm room!
xoxo
Lauren

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Let's Talk: "Light Years" by Kass Morgan

Title: Light Years

Author: Kass Morgan

Series: "Light Years" #1
Genre: YA Science Fantasy

Page Length: 372 pages

Publication Date: October 9, 2018

Date Started: September 19, 2018

Date Finished: September 20, 2018

Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads

*I was provided an advance copy in exchange for an honest review*

When I heard that Kass Morgan was coming out with a new book, I was pretty excited. I hadn't read her other series but I had seen the TV adaption and I knew that I was interested in whatever the creator had come up with again. I was not disappointed.

This book was really good. I was pulled in from page one and I never was bored. I didn't think I was going to finish it in just two sittings, but lo and behold, I did. It was intriguing and paced really well. 

I think for me, a lot of what made me want to read this book late into the night and on my breaks at work was that I had to know what happened next. I didn't just want to know, I needed to know. You connect with these characters on so many different levels that make you feel so invested in their stories. 

Speaking of the characters, none of them were perfect and I loved that. They made mistakes, the acted rashly, they sometimes did the wrong thing. But that's how real people are and I've read so many books where the characters are perfect. I love that these characters weren't perfect people, and that made them the perfect characters.

The story was engaging. I would have liked it to be a bit longer just because I wanted more of each character's perspective and story as well as just more in general. Especially after that ending! I need the next book, yesterday! 

Overall, this was a great book and I can't wait to see where this story goes next. I am so happy that I got a chance to read this book early since it's been on my radar for months now. Do yourselves a favor and go buy this book the day it comes out! 

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Thanks for reading and a huge thanks to Novl for providing me with this review copy!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my Instagram here. New giveaway will be posted very soon!

Get 10% off your first order, plus 50 rewards points, when you use this link to purchase a personal aromatherapy diffuser from Monq

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