Literally Lenny: August 2016

What's it about?

"Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

Now overall, I wouldn't say that this book was a dissapointment as a stand alone, but as the sequel to the series, It did not live up to the first book that I adored so much. It wasn't as gripping and heartbreaking as the first one was. I think the best way to describe it (in hopes that the next will be better) it was just a bridge between Red Queen and Kings Cage. I don't feel like any major developments occured, and if anything Mare became weaker and more selfish. I do have high hopes for Kings Cage though. Because I believe that this can be redeemed quite easily.

I still love the world they are in and the plot that is unfolded, but the characters in this book just did not evolve as I would have liked them to. And in a lot of novels, the characters make the story.

But, despite all of this being said, I will not hold this against the Red Queen series. I know that the first book was phenomenal, and the second book was in no way bad...it just did not live up to my expectations.

And if anything, it just made me crave Kings Cage more and more.

Overall, I give Glass Sword 3 stars.

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11:53 AM No comments

What's it about?

"After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen-year-old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper-class England in the 1820s, is shattered when her brother mysteriously drowns. Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident.

A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumor, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham. Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too?" - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

The Gilded Cage was essentially a cross between Pride and Prejudice and the Princess Diaries circa 1800s with a side of murder mystery. If this sounds even remotely interesting, you should definitely give this book a read. It's a wicked quick read and very gripping.

I really liked George and Katherine because of their relaxed country manners. They didn't go into lordship for the money. They did it because they were the heirs. I don't know. I guess I just liked how humble they were. Not to mention the opening scene is Katherine on the farm doing target practice. Major badass.

The romance seemed very forced...not to mention quite random. Like yes, it was essentially the hate turned love relationship that Liz and Darcy had, but it was almost as if it was trying too hard to be Liz and Darcy rather than their own.

I will say, the murders were a complete plot twist because given that I had not read the synopsis before starting this, I was thrown completely off guard. I love when that happens because I feel as if it's really difficult to catch me off guard when reading a book. I find most books to be even somewhat predictable.

The reason I would rate it what I do is just because it wasn't anything significant. Nothing super special or mind blowing. Just another quick read that was fun to read when you get home from a long day of work.

Overall, I give The Gilded Cage 3 stars.

7:55 PM No comments

What's it about?

"This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart. " - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

I've been meaning to read this book for over a year now, and i'm slightly punching myself for not having started this sooner. I think I was afraid of it being awful, despite the amazing reviews. I read that it's literally a cross between The Selection and The Hunger Games...which...although I loved both of those, I wasn't too crazy about them being molded together. So I steered clear for a while.

But let me tell you. While Red Queen is exactly that, it's also nothing like it. Yes, there's the fact that she is poor and 100% supports her family (Hunger Games). And then theres the fact that they're separated into different 'districts' and are being oppressed by the government (Hunger Games). And THEN she suddenly becomes a princess (The Selection) who falls in love with the prince who is "no good for her" (The Selection). And then has to fight against the government by herself pretty much and save the whole freaking world. Basically. (Hunger Games AND The Selection).

So. There's that. But. Just hear me out. While there are all these similarities, there's so much that just holds it completely separate from the others. It's fantastic because it takes everything that we love about the YA genre, and turned it into one single book. It brought princesses together with badass butt-kicking oppressed teenagers.

It was hard to follow at some points, i'm not going to lie. There was too much going on in the end for me to really get who exactly was the bad person. But hey, who doesn't like a good plot twist?

I think the one thing that really bothered me though, is that something dramatic happens in the beginning, and I could literally predict the outcome of that event from 300 pages away. It was too predictable and kinda annoyed me that the author thought we would even buy into that. And that the main character just took it as it was without wanting proof. But. It is what it is. Small minor problem.

But. Just to prove to you how much I enjoyed this book, as soon as I finished it I started the second book Glass Sword. And when I read series, I can never marathon them because I need something different. But with Red Queen...I couldn't just stop. I wanted so much more.

Overall, I gave the book 4 very red stars.

8:55 PM No comments

What's it about?

"Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

I'm going to start off by making my opinion of this book very clear: I was NOT expecting it to follow in the footsteps of the other 7 Harry Potter novels. Not even a little bit. Therefore, I think I was able to enjoy this book much more than some other people did. It did read like fanfiction, and I did find some inconsistencies but overall, as a seperate entity of the Harry Potter world, I think it was as perfect as it could have been.

In the beginning, the writers were trying way too hard to try to pull everyone back into the storyline. It was almost cringe worthy. Not to mention, that reading the words of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine just did not seem anything like their originial characters. I get that it's 22 years later, but it was forced...and not sincerely them.

However, I bloody loved Scorpius. Draco completely redeemed himself for me. Ron just got 10x better in my book. And Snape...ugh. The emotions. I can't.

So I think what everyone is "doing wrong" is that they're expecting way too much of this book. If you're expecting it to be just another book in the series, you are going to be massively dissapointed. But, if you understand that this book is CO-WRITTEN by JK Rowling and ADAPTED for a screen play, then you'll understand, and just appreciate the gift JK has given us of returning to Hogwarts for 308 pages.

Overall, I rate this 3.5 stars.

2:28 PM No comments