Sophie Reads YA: April 2017

April Summary

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What I've read this month:

The Last of August
Series: Charlotte Holmes #2
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Published February 14th 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
Read: April 1-2 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2017 RockMyTBR

Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined
Series: None
Author: Danielle Younge-Ullman
Published April 6th 2017 by Scholastic (ARC)
Read: April 7-10 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars

Sparks of Light
Series: Into the Dim #2
Author: Janet B. Taylor
Published August 1st 2017 by HMH Books for Young Readers (eARC)
Read: April 11-13 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars

Like a River Glorious
Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy #2
Author: Rae Carson
Published September 27th 2016 by Greenwillow Books
Read: April 14-16 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2017 RockMyTBR, 2017 Flights of Fantasy

The Crown's Fate
Series: The Crown's Game #2
Author: Evelyn Skye
Published May 16th 2017 by Balzer + Bray (ARC)
Read: April 17-20 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2017 Flights of Fantasy

The Hate U Give
Series: None
Author: Angie Thomas
Published April 6th 2017 by Walker Books (ARC)
Read: February 19-April 21 2017
My Rating: Did Not Finish

Duels and Deception
Series: None
Author: Cindy Anstey
Published April 11th 2017 by Swoon Reads
Read: April 20-24 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2017 RockMyTBR

Obsidian and Stars
Series: Ivory and Bone #2
Author: Julie Eshbaugh
Published June 13th 2017 by HarperTeen (ARC)
Read: April 23-27 2017
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Fill-In Boyfriend
Series: None
Author: Kasie West
Published May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen
Read: April 30 2017
My Rating: 5 Stars
Challenge: 2017 RockMyTBR, 2017 Contemporary Romance

Challenges Update:

2017 Contemporary Romance: 1 (13 total)
2017 Flights of Fantasy: 2 (11 total)
2017 RockMyTBR: 4 (18 total)
2017 Debut Author Challenge: 0 (1 total)

Summary:

I haven't done amazingly this month, but I've enjoyed all the books I've read this month, and I'm getting back on track with all the reviews I need to write.

How have you done this month? Let me know below.

April

Stacking the Shelves: April 29th 2017

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#RockMyTBR 2016 Challenge

Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson

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Walk on Earth a Stranger
Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy #1
Author: Rae Carson
Published September 22nd 2015 by Greenwillow Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.
Goodreads

Review
I haven't read anything by this author before, but had heard really good things, and this book called to the historian within me. I'll admit, American history isn't my favourite, but the American west has always been a soft spot of mine, ever since I studied it during my GCSE.

In Walk on Earth a Stranger, our MC, Leah Westfall, has had a pretty cushty life so far. However, when her parents are killed, she has to disguise herself as a boy, and flee as fast as possible west. Why? Well, she's also hiding a secret, one in which she can sense when there's gold nearby, and that's one of the reasons why her father was killed. Her uncle, who is now her guardian, has nefarious goals to do with her, and anything would be better than staying within his grasp. So, she dons male clothes, and boards a steamboat to take her on her way towards the Oregon Trail, facing all the treachery that befalls travellers making the migration west.

I loved Leah. Hands down, she is one of the best protagonists I've ever read. She's perfect for the time period she is in, but she isn't a simpering girl, who needs help at every time. No, she gets things done, and is better than the majority of the other case, male and female. Her snarkiness was perfect, especially when you consider just how difficult the journey was was travellers, with no way of knowing what will befall you at the next turn. Though she is strong, she still is a teenage girl, in a dangerous situation, who has just lost her family. Her vulnerability shows through at times, and it makes her more of a lovable character.

The research Carson must have done for this book definitely shows through. Everything was so vivid, and realisic, that it almost felt like I was there as I was reading along. I'm actually going to be teaching the American West module in a few weeks to my students, and being able to see the true facts in this book made the reading experience that much more enjoyable.

The secondary cast was also perfect. Some of the them were fun, though others did grind on me at times. Leah's best friend, Jefferson, was just what Leah needed, I think. He'd already left for California, and Leah was on her way to meet up with him, because he was the only person she trusted. As she fell into a travelling group, a sort of makeshift family appeared, and each of them cared for Leah in their own ways, though perhaps they didn't always show it. Remember, they are all facing the same hardships, and don't realise that 'Lee' is actually Leah, and she finds it as difficult as they do.

The book is really long at times, though that's to be expected, because travelling across America - a large country, I don't need to remind you - wasn't always fun and games, but I felt the pace was right for the story. There isn't much of a romance, though I think the sequel may have some, and I'm really glad I've got a copy now, because I'll be starting it soon enough. All in all, this was a really enjoyable book, perfect for history and fantasy lovers.

Dates Read:

August 30-September 2, 2016

Rating
4 Stars

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Waiting on Wednesday: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

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2017 Contemporary Romance Challenge

ARC Review: Forever Geek (Geek Girl #6) by Holly Smale

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Forever Geek
Series: Geek Girl #6
Author: Holly Smale
Published March 9th 2017 by Harper Collins Children’s Books

Goodreads Synopsis
My name is Harriet Manners and I’ll be a geek forever…

Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.

Modelling isn’t a sure-fire route to popularity. Neither is making endless lists. The people you love don’t expect you to transform into someone else. Statistically, you are more likely to not meet your Australian ex-boyfriend in Australia than bump into him there.

So on the trip of a lifetime Down Under Harriet’s to-do lists are gone and it’s Nat’s time to shine! Yet with nearly-not-quite-boyfriend Jasper back home, Harriet’s completely unprepared to see supermodel ex Nick. Is the fashion world about to turn ugly for GEEK GIRL?

It’s time for Harriet to face the future. Time to work out where her heart lies. To learn how to let go…
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

The Geek Girl series is one of my all time favourite UKYA book series, and even though I was sad that the finale was soon to be published, I was overjoyed at the chance to read an early copy, and dove straight right in.

In the final instalment, we see Harriet trying to balance her new boyfriend, Jasper, with her home life, as well as her fledging modelling career, which is neigh on going down the pan. When her final chance to succeed leads to a trip down-under, complete with best friend Nat, and wacky grandma, Bunty, she was sure there'd be no chance she'd run into her ex-boyfriend, Lion Face himself, Nick, because, well, Australia is a really big country. Isn't it? Obviously, that didn't happen, but Harriet has other things to deal with, especially when she believes someone close to them both is sick, and she can't do anything about it.

Let me tell you, I honestly think this was my favourite book out of the entire series. Harriet has stolen a part of my heart, and I don't think I'll ever me able to get it back. We've seen her develop, and grow, into the best person ever, someone who hasn't lost her ow wackiness and originality, and her geekiness. I truly wish I either was her, or knew someone like her when I grew up. Everything about her is so commendable, and I really believe this series is perfect for everyone, no matter gender or age. We should all read this series.

I think most people know who my favourite love interest for Harriet was, though she is a strong independent woman who don't need no man. I was really happy with this series, and how much of the time Harriet realised she was perfect on her own, and needed to understand herself, before she was truly ready for someone else. That being said, there were a lot of cute moments in the book in which I couldn't keep a smile off my face because of how shippy it was.

I honestly could not have asked for a better ending to this series. Small has completed the series, full circle, and Harriet is the best person she can be. Nothing has been left unanswered that needed solving, and I have absolutely no complaints about anything in this series. I'm sad that this is the end of Geek Girl but look forward to more from the author in the future. If you, or someone close to yo hasn't read this series yet, what are you playing at?! Get on it right away!

Dates Read:

January 25-26, 2017

Rating
5 Stars

April

Stacking the Shelves: April 22nd 2017

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2016 Debut Author Challenge

Review: The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer

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The Season
Series: None
Author: Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer
Published July 12th 2016 by Viking Children's

Goodreads Synopsis
She can score a goal, do sixty box jumps in a row, bench press a hundred and fifty pounds…but can she learn to curtsey?

Megan McKnight is a soccer star with Olympic dreams, but she’s not a girly girl. So when her Southern belle mother secretly enters her in the 2016 Dallas debutante season, she’s furious—and has no idea what she’s in for. When Megan’s attitude gets her on probation with the mother hen of the debs, she’s got a month to prove she can ballroom dance, display impeccable manners, and curtsey like a proper Texas lady or she’ll get the boot and disgrace her family. The perk of being a debutante, of course, is going to parties, and it’s at one of these lavish affairs where Megan gets swept off her feet by the debonair and down-to-earth Hank Waterhouse. If only she didn’t have to contend with a backstabbing blonde and her handsome but surly billionaire boyfriend, Megan thinks, being a deb might not be so bad after all. But that’s before she humiliates herself in front of a room full of ten-year-olds, becomes embroiled in a media-frenzy scandal, and gets punched in the face by another girl.

The season has officially begun…but the drama is just getting started.
Goodreads

Review
I heard that this book was a Pride and Prejudice retelling, and if you know anything about me so far, anything that has to do with Jane Austen is automatically on my TBR. I'm glad that this book was like P&P, but not so much so that it didn't have its own story.

In The Season, the main character, Megan, is more tomboy than debutante. She loves playing soccer (football, to you and me), and has absolutely no intention in taking part in any kind of competition, etc., in which she has to wear a dress. So when her Southern Belle mama puts her in this years 'Season', she is understandably furious. However, she'll go through with it, because her twin sister, Julia, wants to. Some of the other 'debs', however, are really annoying, and Lauren was the worst of them all. As Megan meets the others, she finds herself falling into a love-hate relationship with Andrew, and the more that is revealed, the more she finds herself conflicted.

I really liked Megan. She had all the best bits of Lizzie Bennet, and she was still her own person. Her football was really important to her, as were her sisters, and even though she was angry with her mam for putting her in the season to begin with, family comes first.

The other characters were just like the 'originals', though with twists too. Julia was a perfect, sweet person, who always saw the goodness in others, and hers and Zach's relationship was as sweet as Jane and Bingley's. Lauren was awful, and I might have actually hated her more than Caroline, though it was very close. If you've read Pride and Prejudice, you'll be prepared for Megan and Andrew's romance to be slow, and agonising to read about, just like Lizzie and Darcy's.

All in all, this book was a really good P&P retelling, and I look forward to reading more from the authors in future.

Dates Read:
July 16-17, 2016

Rating
4 Stars

Puffin

Waiting on Wednesday: The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) by Rick Riordan

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4 Stars

ARC Review: The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #1) by Wendy Higgins

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The Great Hunt
Series: Eurona Duology #1
Author: Wendy Higgins
Published March 9th 2017 by HarperTeen

Goodreads Synopsis
“Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”

She could only stare back, frozen.

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger... until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them... or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

When I heard that Harper360 were publishing this book, I was intrigued. I had heard really good things about it by American bloggers, and immediately thought this would be a book for me, and I was right.

In The Great Hunt, Princess Aerity is the Crown Princess of her kingdom. Unfortunately, said kingdom has been suffering from attacks recently, and no one, not even the best hunters have been able to capture, subdue, or slaughter the 'great beast'. There are a few different kingdoms within Eurona, but Lochlanach, Aerity's kingdom, is the only one bearing the brunt of the attacks. When every other option fails, and less and less men are willing to try and stop the beast, the king must make a difficult decision. His decision, to offer his daughter's hand in marriage to whoever it is to still the beast, and become a member of the royal family. Though Aerity is understandably vexed by her father's decision, she knows its for the good of her kingdom, so agrees to play along. Anyway, some of the hunters are really nice, and Aerity finds herself drawn to one in particular, by the name of Paxton Seabolt - who, unfortunately, doesn't really like the royal family.

This book was so good! It reminded me so much of the fairy tales I read when I was younger, and though I never read the one this is based on, it has the right elements you'd find in a Grimm story. On top of the whole beast story line, there's also the added element of the Lashed Ones, people who have magic, but because of fear and prejudice, they aren't allowed to use the magic. If they do, they'll be caught by the physical signs shown in their fingernails, and be punished for it. I loved how both these story lines played out alongside one another.

The way the book was written helped readers to enjoy it more, as it was in multiple PoVs, in third person, though the main PoVs were Aerity's and Paxton's, who were definitely my favourite characters. That's not to say that some of the others weren't good too, rather there was a really wide range of cast, all with their own stories and backgrounds. Because of all this, the story progressed naturally, and we learnt things at the right times, rather than simply being told them.

I'm really happy I have a copy of the finale to this duology waiting for me, because I loved how this book ended, and can't wait to see how Higgins concludes the series. Definitely a book for fans of fantasy and retellings!

Dates Read:
November 6-12, 2016

Rating
4 Stars

April

Stacking the Shelves: April 15th 2017

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4 Stars

Blog Tour, ARC Review & Extract: Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman

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Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined
Series: None
Author: Danielle Younge-Ullman
Published April 6th 2017 by Scholastic

Goodreads Summary

Ingrid has made a deal with her mother: she gets to go to the school of her choice as long as she completes a three-week wilderness programme. But when Ingrid arrives, she quickly realizes there has been a terrible mistake: there will be no marshmallows or cabins here. Instead, her group will embark on a torturous trek, with almost no guidance from the two counsellors and supplied with only the things they can carry. On top of this, the other teen participants are “at risk youth”, a motley crew of screw-ups, lunatics and delinquents. But as the laborious days go by, and as memories of her complicated past come flooding back, Ingrid must confront the question of whether she shares more in common with these troubled teens than she’s willing to admit.

Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

When I first received this book in the post, I wasn't too sure about what to expect. I hadn't heard about it originally, but when I looked on GR for it, it seemed to be something I would enjoy, and that's exactly what happened.

In Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined, Ingrid is sent to a wilderness camp, for 3 weeks. She made an agreement with her mam to complete the course, and through the use of journal entries, letters, and prose, we learn more about Ingrid's life, and just why exactly she is at the camp. However, 'camp' is a loose term for what she actually faces. Rather than stay in chalet type buildings, on bunk beds and around a camp fire, it's hard, grueling work, making your own shelter, hiking/canoeing for days on end, in wet, smelly clothes. As we learn more about Ingrid, we discover why she won't quit and give up, even when so much is thrown at her.

I loved how the book was told, flicking from past to present, and back again, so we learnt about Ingrid's life in a way that added to the story, rather than took away from it. Because of these snippets, we understand Ingrid as a character more, and, in my opinion, we love her more too. She's such a relatable, and sarcastic MC, that even if the story wasn't that good - and it really was - she would have improved it.

The book has such a range of characters - from ones you love, to ones
you hate, both in Ingrid's past, and her present. Certain characters got my back up from the get go, and I was right to have those opinions of them. Even though the book seems on the outside to be quite cute and fluffy, once you actually get into it, it's a lot more hard hitting, and serious than I was expecting.

One thing I can say about this book, was that the 'revelations', weren't that hard to guess at, and the main thing we find out at the end, I'd guessed quite early on int he book. However, that didn't take away from the story, and I have to say my favourite part of the whole book was the 'present', while she was on the trip, though the past was enjoyable too.

If you like contemporary books to escape into a different experience, this is definitely one for you.

Dates Read:

April 7-10, 2017

Rating
4 Stars

An extract from the book:

About Danielle Younge-Ullman:
Danielle Younge-Ullman is a Canadian novelist, playwright and freelance writer. This is her second YA novel, and would be her first published in the UK. She studied English and theatre at McGill University in Montreal, then returned to her hometown of Toronto to work as professional actor for ten years. This was character-building time during which she held a wild variety of acting and non-acting jobs–everything from working on the stage and in independent films, to dubbing English voices for Japanese TV, to temping, to teaching Pilates. LOLA CARLYLE’S 12 STEP ROMANCE (Entangled/Macmillan May 2015) is Danielle’s YA debut. Danielle also wrote the critically acclaimed adult novel, FALLING UNDER, (Penguin, 2008), published a short story called “Reconciliation” in MODERN MORSELS, a McGraw-Hill Anthology for young adults, in 2012, and her one-act play, 7 Acts of Intercourse, debuted at Toronto’s SummerWorks Festival in 2005. Danielle lives in an old house in Toronto that’s constantly being renovated, with her husband and two daughters.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Goodreads