August 3-in-1

The topic for August's 3-in-1 is books that made you lose track of time, which is pretty self explanatory. The 3 in 1 series was started in a Goodreads group called Booktubers from around the world created by Cherrie Walker.

Booktubers From Around The World ⇨ https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/195015-booktubers-from-around-the-world

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyers

     Seeing that I absolutely hated the original Cinderella because she was a push over and I don't think she is a good role model for anyone, I didn't think I was going to like this because it is a Cinderella retelling, but I was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious wrong. I ran through this faster than I thought and I fell in love with Cinder as a character. Strong and persistent is exactly the words to describe this amazing girl/cyborg. 

2. Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyers

     I am shamelessly and unapologetically a total twi-heart! This series jump started me back into reading in my early teen years and I absolutely devoured these books in a 1 book a day ratio. I don't understand what all the hate is about surrounding this series because I will forever be on #TeamEdward!

3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

     This book was very hyped up and let me tell you this book deserved every bit of it. I read this in 2015 for a book club and I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. I honestly thought it was going to be about someone literally stealing books, please don't ask me why. I enjoyed that it was so different from other WWII historical fiction novels as in the point of views we get to see things from. We got to see things from a German girl's eyes and not a Jew's for a change. We also got to hear things from our lovely narrator, Death himself, which made things very interesting. I got so drawn into this book I could sit there and read and not pay attention to the amount of time passing by.

Black Panther Vol. 1: Who is the Black Panther? By: Reginald Hudlin, Illustrated By: John Romita Jr.

Synopsis:

Collects Black Panther (2005) #1-6. Deep in the heart of Africa is Wakanda, a technologically advanced civilization of great power and mystery. It's warrior-king is T'Challa, the latest in a famed family line, and the great hero known worldwide as the Black Panther. Despite the futile defeats of the past, outsiders are once more assembling to invade Wakanda and plunder its riches. Leading this brutal assault is Klaw, a deadly assassin with the blood of T'Challa's murdered father on his hands. Klaw brings with him a powerful army of super-powered mercenaries, all hell-bent on raining death and destruction on this pristine land. Even with Wakanda's might and his own superhuman skills, can the Black Panther prevail against such a massive invading force?

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

     I feel kind of embarrassed to say this but this is the first time I have read anything about the Black Panther. I've always heard his name being bought up in the super hero circle but I'm glad that I can finally say I actually know something about him.

     For some odd reason I loved seeing all the blood being shed over the course of history. I enjoyed watching the villains plans come together then fall apart and the ending of this volume was left on pretty good cliff hanger as well. I really appreciate Black Panther more than other proclaimed super heroes simply because he doesn't have any special powers, he just knows how to use his two fist and two feet to kick ass.

     I 100% want to continue to read more of the Black Panther comics in the near future and I seriously can't believe it took me so long to jump on the Black Panther train. CHOO-CHOOO!!!

Bad Girl Gone By: Temple Mathews

Synopsis:

Sixteen year-old Echo Stone awakens in a cold sweat in a dark room, having no idea where she is or how she got there. But she soon finds out she s in Middle House, an orphanage filled with mysteriously troubled kids.

There s just one problem: she s not an orphan. Her parents are very much alive.

She explains this to everyone, but no one will listen. After befriending a sympathetic (and handsome) boy, Echo is able to escape Middle House and rush home, only to discover it sealed off by crime scene tape and covered in the evidence of a terrible and violent crime. As Echo grapples with this world-shattering information, she spots her parents driving by and rushes to flag them down. Standing in the middle of street, waving her arms to get their attention, her parents car drives right through her.

She was right. Her parents are alive but she s not.

She s a ghost, just like all the other denizens of Middle House. Desperate to somehow get her life back and reconnect with her still-alive boyfriend, Echo embarks on a quest to solve her own murder. As the list of suspects grows, the quest evolves into a journey of self-discovery in which she learns she wasn t quite the girl she thought she was. In a twist of fate, she s presented with one last chance to reclaim her life and must make a decision which will either haunt her or bless her forever."

Release Date: Aug. 8, 2017
Publishing Co.: A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: ★★★★

Review:

First of all, I received this book from Netgalley and A Thomas Dunne Book/St. Martin's Griffin Press, as well as a physical copy from a Goodreads giveaway, all in exchange for my honest review.

I just absolutely loved the overall concept of this book. This was my first time reading a book from ghost perspectives and let me tell you that "ghost justice" can be an amazing thing and I loved how Temple Mathews molded it in this book. Just the whole idea of you getting your revenge and still going to heaven is enough to make you scream. I just thought this point of view was so cool and it has me geeked out over this whole book. 

This most definitely started out with the creepy vibe and as you all should know, the scariest stories are the ones with creepy ass dolls, or in this case, creepy ass children. I enjoyed helping the characters figure out how they died. It really made me feel involved in the story and part of the pack.

Echo as a person was tap dancing on my last nerve with her "I have to get my life back" rants even though she knows 100% and have so-called 100% accepted the fact that she is dead. She was just so selfish and I didn't get off to a good start with her. 

Which brings me to the subject of character development. I think Temple Mathews did a great job at developing Echo's character. Echo really grew as the story went on and as she found out some things about herself, which made her look at herself in a different light. This by itself changed her as a person, or as a ghost I should say, and it made her really accept her situation for what it is. 

I just can't help but wonder if the story would have been even better had Echo being a ghost not been included in the synopsis. Maybe if we would have found out about her being dead at the exact same time as she did, it would have been a plus 1 for the book. Altogether, I really loved this book and I recommend to everyone especially during Halloween time if you're looking for something a little creepy but not terrifying.   

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!!!