Friday, July 31, 2015

Graphic Novel Wrap Up | #1

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona is a wonderfully fun and hilarious graphic novel about a villain and his new shapeshifter side-kick who starts to shake up the morals of Lord Ballister Blackheart so he can win for once. This graphic novel is a wonderful mix of sass, superhero/villain tropes, science, and symbolism. It is a great read for young and old because the art and writing is awesome and you can't help but to fall in love with the characters and fly through the book! I want more!







Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi 

The Stonekeeper is book one of the Amulet series and it is full of gorgeous art and a fantastic introduction to a story of Em and Navin who are drawn into another world in a quest to save their mother from creatures they never knew existed. In their quest they meet some interesting characters and are faced with a power bigger than themselves and the choices that power will force them to make. This is a solid start to an amazing story with an emphasis on the importance of family and I am pumped to find out what comes next!






Pawn Shop by Joey Esposito and Sean Van Gorman 
(I received this book via NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review)

Based on this cover alone I probably never would have picked up this graphic novel, it just doesn't draw my attention. I chose to request this eARC based on the synopsis "Pawn Shop is an original graphic novel about the intertwining lives of four strangers in the ecosystem of New York City, connected by the streets they walk on and the people they touch." I love NYC and stories that are told from different points of view but are all connected. This graphic novel has lovely art by Sean Van Gorman and was a quick read.


They're Not Like Us by Eric Stephenson, Simon Gane, and Jordie Bellaire
(I received this book via NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review)

This graphic novel was kind of confusing to me at the beginning. It feels like it starts in the middle of a scene and you have no background to understand the motivations of the characters. I can understand the merit of starting it that way because it does grab your attention and draws you in but it was kind of confusing to me. I do really like the diversity of the characters and the story is certainly interesting because of the relationships between these characters. This series is basically about a group of people who have various types of telepathy from the ability to read minds to the ability to see the future and how these people cope with being different than the "normals" around them.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

June Reading Wrap Up!





I finished a total of 7 books in the month of June! This was a pretty diverse reading month for me. I read a political/historical fiction, a science fiction, a psychological thriller, a horror novel, two high fantasies, and a nonfiction book. Below are the titles and star ratings with links to The Book Depository and my reviews if applicable.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss               ★★★★★  
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas        ★★★★★  
Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs            ★★★★★                        (review)
Damage Done by Amanda Panitch                            ★★★★                             (buy) (review)
Survive the Night by Danielle Vega                           ★★★★★                         (buy) (review)
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera                    ★★★★★                         (review)
'89 Walls by Katie Pierson                                         ★★★                                 (review)

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Damage Done by Amanda Panitch

Genre: YA Contemporary/Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 21st, 2015
Edition: ARC Pages: 292
Purchase: Book Depository
Rating: ★★★★
(4 stars)

Trigger Warnings: school shooting, incest, violence

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

SUMMARY
22 minutes separate Julia Vann’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police. (Goodreads)

WHAT I THOUGHT
This was a very compelling read! The writing was wonderful and the story had some great twists and turns in it that really kept you on the edge of your seat. I read this book in about 4 hours (with small breaks). Once the story got going I really couldn't put it down because I wanted to know if my inklings towards the plot were true.


The story follows Julia Vann, a high school student and her life after a shooting occurs at her high school in northern California. Julia is now Lucy Black and is living in southern California with her parents who have cultivated new identities for themselves to escape the media circus that surrounded their lives after the shooting. Julia is an unreliable narrator from the start and each chapter has your formulating a new explanation for why she is thinking the way she is and pulling apart all of her subtle hints and remarks. Though I found the direction of the story early on I was still blindsided by the ending! I was still guessing about a few things up until the very end.

I don't want to give too much away so I will just say: read it! It was a fun, thrilling read!