A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge By: Josh Neufeld

Synopsis:

A stunning graphic novel that makes plain the undeniable horrors and humanity triggered by Hurricane Katrina in the true stories of six New Orleanians who survived the storm.

A.D. follows each of the six from the hours before Katrina struck to its horrific aftermath. Here is Denise, a sixth-generation New Orleanian who will experience the chaos of the Superdome; the Doctor, whose unscathed French Quarter home becomes a refuge for those not so lucky; Abbas and his friend Mansell, who face the storm from the roof of Abbas’s family-run market; Kwame, a pastor’s son whose young life will remain wildly unsettled well into the future; and Leo, a comic-book fan, and his girlfriend, Michelle, who will lose everything but each other. We watch as they make the wrenching decision between staying and evacuating. And we see them coping not only with the outcome of their own decisions but also with those made by politicians, police, and others like themselves--decisions that drastically affect their lives, but over which they have no control.

Overwhelming demand has propelled A.D. from its widely-read early Internet installments to this complete hardcover edition. Scheduled for publication on the fourth anniversary of the hurricane, it shines an uncanny light on the devastating truths and human triumphs of New Orleans after the deluge.

Rating:★★★★★

Review:

     This book hit really close to home for me because I am a Louisianian. I was 9 years old when Katrina hit and even though I didn't live in New Orleans to experience the flood waters I still had to experience the before, during, and after effects of the storm. 

     I think this book did an amazing job at representing so many different point of views from so many different people about their experiences because depending on where you were during the storm you experienced things differently. Even including the big conspiracy theory that has been going around for years surrounding what really happened to the levees was represented in this book. I started to tear up on the death scene, not because I did not know that this happened, but because it bought up memories of seeing all of the news reports being played over and over, constantly, with all of the death tolls from the storm.

     I believe this can really give people that are not from Louisiana some insight on what Katrina was like for those who experienced it. I always here people ask or say, "why didn't they listen and evacuate?", "If they just would have left like the mayor told them too, none of this would have happened.", and my favorite "That's what happens when people are being hard headed". I think people need to understand that many people didn't evacuate because they did not have the money or transportation to leave, especially the sick and elderly, and also the mandatory evacuation was issued only hours before Katrina hit. Also, in Louisiana hurricanes are a normal occurrence, no one usually bats an eyelash when one makes landfall so many of us never leave for hurricanes thus a lot of people just figured it was going to be another little hurricane leaving behind some wind damages and power outages for a few days. No one new it was going to be as bad as it was and we were not even a little prepared.


     I recommend this to everyone because everyone needs to see exactly what New Orleans went through, before, during, and especially after Katrina hit. The city, to this day, is still not 100% rebuilt. It's almost as if the rest of the city were forgotten about. 

Glass By: Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.

Rating:★★★★

Review:

*This is more of a rant than an actual review per say*

     Obviously seeing that this is the second book in a series there's not really too much I can say in fear of spoiling anything in case you have not read the first book. Reading Crank I was more sympathetic towards Kristina but reading Glass I am very pissed of with her. Don't get me wrong I loved the book but she, as a character, pissed me off to the highest level of 'piss-tivity'. Her disgusting attitude towards others, her abandonment actions toward her family, not to mention her own child, and just her all around not-giving-a-fuck attitude she had about her own self. But I can't be too mad about that because I know that is how people with addictions of this level are in real life but I am still highly upset. I felt like she just gave up on herself but at the same time she was begging for help that no one gave her. 

     Which brings me to the point of her being too dependent upon others, especially on the male species. Kristina pictured and wanted a prince charming to step in and make everything okay and normal for her life again but she was not doing the work the needed to do for her own life. She was too focused on finding "love" in all the wrong places.

"If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?"

Lumberjanes Vol.2 By: Noelle Stevenson

Synopsis:

What a mystery!

Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are not your average campers and Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types is not your average summer camp. Between the river monsters, magic, and the art of friendship bracelets, this summer is only just beginning. Join the Lumberjanes as they take on raptors and a sibling rivalry that only myths are made of.

This New York Times bestseller and Eisner Award-nominated series is written by awesome all-star Noelle Stevenson and brilliant newcomer Grace Ellis, and illustrated by the tremendously talented Brooke Allen.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max includes issues 5-8 and the first fourteen pages of Giant Days, Vol. 1 by John Allison.

Rating:★★★

Review:

     I actually feel 'meh' about the plot of this volume. It was okay in a, good-way-to-explain-all-the-drama, kind of way but it ultimately fell flat for me. I didn't feel immersed into the story like I did in the first volume and this was actually a little boring to me. The sad part about this is the only thing that saved this from being a 2 star rating for me was the cover gallery at the end. Those graphics were very beautiful and just all around amazing. 

     I guess I would recommend this if you just want to finish the series off and get some kind of explanation but I absolutely believe this could have been done a whole lot better than what it was. 

And I Darken By: Kiersten White

Synopsis:

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

Rating:★★★★

Review:

     I absolutely loved this book! This is the first book in The Conquer's Saga and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. This book was very character driven for me so majority of what I will be commenting on will be based on the characters personalities and actions. First I want to start off by saying I went into this completely blind, being that this was a title I randomly picked out of my Ravenclaw Recommended Reads Jar. So, I had no idea that this was supposed to be a retelling of Vlad the Impaler in gender reversal, who I knew nothing about anyway.

     I was a little skeptical at first because I was afraid when I saw the words "dracul' because I thought I had been tricked into a vampire story and I was not in a vampire mood but that confusion was quickly washed away. Lada's whole family made an insane first impression as in if they were in modern times 90%, with the exception of Radu, would be institutionalized. Vlad, Lada's and Radu's father, is the definition of abusive to everyone including his children. Lada, Vlad's and Vasilissa's Daughter, is a psychopath and my opinions did not change of her by the end of the book. Vasilissa, Lada and Radu's mother, in my eyes are suicidal and depressed as clear as day. Radu, Vlad's and Vasilissa's, son, is just damaged goods from having a traumatizing childhood resulting from witnessing all of the craziness from his family.

     Lada wasn't my favorite character in the whole wide world at first but I did enjoy the gender reversals. Lada was more tough and unforgiving like a boy, while Radu was more sensitive and delicate like a girl. I very much appreciated Lada more after I got to know her and see why she was why she was. She is the epitome of  a "bad bitch".

     I was not expecting at all some of the scenes in this book, and if you have read this book you know exactly what I mean, but I feel like they were done very nicely. The drama and the action in this book was awesome, filled with a lot of "bad and boujee" women, but I did feel at some points the plot got a little dry and I wanted to skip through some pages to get to the next climax in the story.

     This book is way more than recommendation worthy!!!

Brown Girl Dreaming By: Jacqueline Woodson

Synopsis:

Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. 

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

"But on paper, things can live forever. On paper, a butterfly never dies."

     I really enjoyed reading this autobiography in the format that this is written in. Being written in verse really made this book go by faster than what a normal biography or autobiography would. I loved the fact that I after reading this I feel like I know Jacqueline personally and like I've know her and her family all my life. I thought it was awesome to have the family photos at the end, which made it so much more personal than any other autobiography that I've read. 

     Jacqueline really opened the door and let all of her readers into her world, her histories, and her memories. I recommend this to everyone because it really shows you from a child's point of view, how the world worked and how the world affected a whole society during this huge time of change in America. 

Night Shift By: B. R. Meyers

Synopsis:

At Willard's department store, none of the night security guards survive for long, and eighteen-year-old Daniel Gale is about to discover why. 

Tired of living out of his backpack, he ignores the clerk's gossip about the old building being haunted and accepts the latest vacated position of night guard. On his first shift Daniel narrowly escapes a fatal fall down an elevator shaft and is rescued by Mary—a bossy and intriguing girl far too beautiful for after hours inventory. 

Anticipating every night shift as a chance to be with her, Daniel thinks his traveling days are over hoping that Manhattan is the place to call home. But as his life becomes more entwined with Willard's, Daniel senses unnatural changes and bizarre coincidences both with Mary and the store itself. Soon he begins to suspect Willard's is hiding something more sinister than gossip about ghosts—something that could make him the next casualty of the NIGHT SHIFT.

Publishing Co.: Backlit PR
Rating:★★★

Review:

**I received this e-ARC from Netgalley and Backlit PR in exchange for my honest review**

     Based on the synopsis I thought something really creepy and dangerous was going on. I really thought I was going to see someone die or at least get seriously injured, leading to the brink of death, but I was wrong. This book wasn't scary at all I was hit with more of the curious factor than actual fear, which kind of disappointed me. 

     Now don't get me wrong, what was actually going on at Willard's was a really good concept but I felt like it could have been executed better. I started to get bored in the middle of the story to the point where I just had the "lets just get it over with" attitude, and that's not the best feeling to have while reading a book that you want to enjoy.

     Going beyond the plot of the story I did feel connected with the characters. I felt bad for Mary and the crew being stuck in the situation that they were in, I really just wanted to see them get out and be free.

     This story had a weird concept which was different in a good way but it was sadly very predictable  in various spots throughout the book and the concept, in my opinion, could have been handled a lot better.

A Midsummer Night's Dream By: William Shakespeare

Synopsis:

Shakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of laborers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny.

Rating:★★★★😊

Review:

I am shocked by how much I liked this book/play simply because this is my first work of Shakespeare that I have read on my own, without it being required reading for school. I went into this not know anything about it except that it's not a very popular piece of literature that you hear about like you would Hamlet, Macbeth, or Romeo and Juliet, which made this all the more exciting to read.

This is a comedy set in ancient Athens, Greece and it is a very magical, mythological time period seeing that there are faeries that wield magic and the Duke referring to be Hercules's cousin. I really enjoyed the drama in the retrospect of blood apparently not being thicker than water to some characters, who are willing to sacrifice those that won't jump when they say jump. 

I hated Helena because she was so soft and let anyone, let alone a man, make her feel lower than dirt. She was willing to do anything to and betray anyone to be accepted by Demetrius.

The six stooges who were given the task of putting on a play for the Duke's wedding were too much for me. At some times they were so dumb it was funny but at others I was left scratching my head wondering how some can be so dumb.  

But in general this was a very short and a simple romantic drama that I would widely recommend to anyone that is venturing out into Shakespeare or into classics in general.