sagek's reviews
1006 reviews

The war is over, and reading through Juliette's story is such a mind-opening experience. You learn that you can be strong, that even if you're in a dark place you can rise and stand and eventually be out of that hole you buried yourself in for so long and it's just so magnificent! It proves that although things go wrong, and mistakes are made, and hearts fall for the wrong hearts, it all works out one way or another. Who cares if it takes a long time? The end product, the happiness, it's all worth it.

Mostly though, I just really really love Aaron and Juliette together. And how Juliette's mind works. It's so odd, reading her voice and seeing from her eyes. It makes you think and see things differently, even if only slightly.

I have to say though, honestly, that this is now my favourite trilogy ever, and Tahereh Mafi is also maybe kinda sorta one of my very favourite authors now.

*This will also be posted on Booklikes and my website Books & Coffee.

Rebel Belle is a tale following seventeen-year-old Harper Price as she becomes and has to come to terms with being a Paladin, as well as what her new status entails. Being a Paladin, she quickly finds out it is her mission to protect and defend a thing or person from any and all danger. And in the process wicked twists are thrown her way, spells are cast, people are deceived, and yeah, there's romance, and a whole lot of crazy action.

I think my favourite part of this novel is that although romance is a pretty big part of the story, it's not the main focus. The main focus is how on earth Harper is going to protect what she needs to without dying and without hurting too many people. And also the people who help her and make her job harder; that's focused on too, of course.

The pacing is great. Not once did I feel like it was moving to slow or too quickly, and with each twist presented, you were kept hooked the entire time. I only put Rebel Belle down once, and I was almost 200 pages in. And then I was craving more and so I finished in all in one sitting. I mean, who doesn't want to read about a teenaged girl gaining like, superpowers because her school janitor (who's not really a janitor, as it turns out) kisses her while he's on his death bed and transfers some weird power-thing (aka the power of a Paladin) into her body, and then she has to fight and battle and do a whole bunch of wicked stuff in order to protect something/someone? Does that not sound intriguing? I mean, if you don't want to read this book even after hearing that, well obviously it's not your taste, but seriously, I recommend Rebel Belle to everyone.

That brings me to the characters. Harper is a strong, confident character, and yeah she has flaws and she knows it, but she goes with it. She's kind and tries to help everyone and she's pretty badass. David may actually be my favourite character though, no joke. Bee is pretty cool too, though. She's a great best friend, and I wouldn't mind having someone so supportive. Although at times she did question Harper, and maybe seemed to be less loyal, she still came out on top as loyal as ever. I won't say much more about David, Bee or the other characters, because I don't want to spoil anything. But if you read Rebel Belle and David isn't your favourite character, then Harper or Bee will be.

Overall, the characters were likeable, maybe even relate-able if you're like Harper and are really invested in your school. The pacing, plot, and writing were amazing. And you should read this book. Because its awesome and not reading this is like missing out on coffee, or cookies, or a seriously great book!

* I won the ebook version of this in a giveaway on Booklikes.
**This review will also be posted on Booklikes.

If you like anything [or most things] with quickly-spreading viruses, zombies, realistic teenaged characters, learning how homeless kids get by on the street, action, and strong loyalty, then you will surely enjoy this novella.

This is an intriguing, cannot-put-it-down tale told in the view of one of seven runaways, Mary. This is supposed to be the type of story about a group of kids living in the street, trying to survive, having to leave their home because of a plague or something. But really, in this one, they're trying to do more than survive. They want to live a life they have chosen, they want to build a better place for themselves. And that's what they're doing, and Mary's blog is set up to help others who have [or think they have] the same desires. Mary and her friends know how to survive on the streets, and the author doesn't make it out to be something pretty or desirable, she instead makes it more realistic [well, for what I believe life on the street would be like] and doesn't sugar coat any of it. I'll be honest here and say I don’t know much about homeless teens, but I have to agree that it feels like the author did her research, or maybe even knew of [or spoke to] someone who was a runaway like Mary and her friends.

I especially love Mary’s blog posts, how even when not living a glamourous life she still just wants to help people. She shares tips, things she has learned not to do and it feels so real that if I were to ever run away [I wouldn't, but hypothetically if I were to] I would probably write down her tips and follow them.

I'll also admit that while I also love a good apocalyptic tale, I feel like maybe the virus came in too quickly. Other than that, though, I love how it was introduced, how the action is quick and flows so well you just don't want to stop reading because you just have to know what happens next. It helps that her and her friends are like their own little family and you just don't want to miss out on reading about them. Like, I just got really into the characters. I even admire Mary, because even through the haze of the change, she was able to think of her friends long enough to tell others where they were to cure them.

I just really enjoyed it, despite the short length, and I’m really excited for the rest of the books. I mean, I prefer longer books, but I could definitely get into the rest because the content is pretty great.

Full of strange, odd, brilliant characters and situations, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children instantly grew close to my heart. It is the perfect mix of strange and odd and normal and creepy and everything one should love in a book.

See my full review here: https://libraryofbooksblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/review-miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children-by-ransom-riggs/

*I received the ebook version of this from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Broken Lies is full of strength, bravery, survival, growth, deceit, friendship (there's some seriously strong bonds), and even a dash of romance (perhaps a little too much for my taste, the way it was written, but even so it wasn't so bad). We mainly follow a group of four friends, also considered as two couples: Lake and Ash, and Ava and Ralley. All four are very important characters, and then add Thomas to spice things up a little, and suddenly you have more humour, a love triangle, and growth in a certain character.

See my full review here: Library of Books

*I’m posting this as part of the XpressoBookTours An Absence of Light Blog Tour. I recieved a free ebook copy of this in order to do so.

An Absence of Light is a book full of action, growth, bravery, romance, and perhaps even horror. I honestly didn’t find it scary, however if I were to deal with something like that in real life, then yeah, I’d be pretty terrified. We follow Leah in the beginning after the tragic death of her family, and then she runs away and stumbles upon a man who can also see the shadows. It all begins unraveling from there, learning more of her special abilities, of the shadows, and of how to possibly solve the problems the shadows’ mere presence create. In the midst, there’s romance, action, and a whole lot of twists.

See my full review here: Fishing For Books.

*I received a free copy of this from a giveaway on Goodreads.
**This is also posted on my blog: Library of Books.

Elijah, a young Jewish teenager, adores and idolizes his “Uncle” Poxl, a long time family friend. Poxl makes time for him, usually taking him to museums and plays and every time Poxl divulges and discusses his life during the war. However, you should know that this is a story within a story, and saying much more on the plot or structure could possible ruin this book for other readers.

I will admit that the beginning was slightly boring, some parts intriguing me and most others leaving me to feel like this book just wasn't for me. It took me a while to actually get through the beginning, but when I did it was definitely worth it. The last half of the book I ate up, I was enjoying it so much. There is just something so tender and raw about the writing that really allowed me to immerse myself in the story. I saw a pattern in Poxl, the hurt in Elijah, and even the guidance from Elijah's Hebrew teacher.

The characters were all very likeable, each with flaws but the knowledge that they weren't perfect. And yeah, at first Elijah saw no fault in anything, not really, but you could tell as he grew and as certain situations happened that his mind and eyes were opening, that his perspective was growing. And as he grew, as he learned and saw more, you see how maybe at one time, someone you knew or even yourself felt as he did. But you grew. It made him a more connectable character, and I definitely loved his parts played. And then you look at Poxl and you learn of his faults, of his troubles and how he is a rough edged person, someone who can't let go of the past but can move forward even if only a little. You see how much passion he had, how his pattern continued even after the war, even after his first love, his second, his mother. And maybe you see yourself in him too, even if only a little. Because while Poxl's experiences were his own, memories and relationships and emotions are everywhere, in everyone. Regret plays a huge part in this book, as well as mistakes. We can all connect with that, and maybe that's why I enjoyed this book so much.

I don't know. It's hard for me to really say why I enjoyed this book as much as I did in proper words. So I'll just leave it at that. If you like stories of war, of male coming-of-age stories, or even just books that will make you think, then I recommend The Last Flight of Poxl West. It's a great read.

*I received a physical ARC copy from a giveaway on Goodreads.
**This will also be posted on Goodreads.

Rating: 4.5/5

In Undertow, we follow sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker and how her and her family and everyone around them deal with the new appearance of the Alpha, a new [to them anyway, they're actually ancient] species. Or, well, it's been three years but they're only going to school together now, so they are only interacting now. But anyway, we read about their meetings, the situations they get into, how their enemies react, what happens to the humans who befriend or are nice to the 'fish heads', and how drastic measures have to be taken more than once. We also read about who Lyric really is, how she plans to save her parents [or, well her mom when she has to go to a trial based on Alpha terms] and how she plans to help the Alpha.

The Alpha are pretty much a variety of species who can breathe [and lived] under water. There's Sirenna, Nix, Selkie, and Ceto. There's probably more but I can't recall them at the moment, and I'd rather not say anything about the Rusalka because when Undertow is published next month and you read it [I hope you'll read it, anyway] you'll realize who, and what, they are. I think you should go into the book unaware.

Moving on now. I love the writing. Everything just flowed really well, the language wasn't complex, and we learned so much about the Alpha without getting fact-dumps or boring fillers with information about who and what the Alpha are. Every flashback, all the foreshadowing, it was all done so cleverly and smoothly. The whole time there's mention of the wild thing, and in the end it all becomes clear, and you look back and realize how well it was put out there but hidden at the same time.

The characters are pretty great too. I love how different the Alpha are, how alike they are at the same time, how whenever characters fell in love it wasn't instant but fairly slow and very likable. My only problem with the romance, is that Lyric obviously falls in love with the Prince of the Alpha. The predictability of that, when everything else was pretty unpredictable, just make me a little sad. I do love their relationship though, so it wasn't much of an issue for me. And then you have Bex and Shadow. Bex is the outgoing, strong type of best friend every girl wants. She goes through so much and yet no one would know; no know does know except for those she tells or sees it themselves. She's a character I wouldn't mind seeing more of in the next book. I won't say much on Shadow, other then he impacted many lives, mostly Lyric and Bex's. I won't say much about any of the Alpha either because I really think you should find out about them for yourself.

All in all, I seriously love Undertow, and would recommend it to all of you. There's romance, action, a new species, rebel groups and strange characters. The writing is brilliant and the story is great. And I know I didn't say a whole lot, but you should definitely pick up this book when it comes out.

*I won the ebook ARC version of this in a giveaway on Booklikes.
**This will also be posted on Booklikes.

Loose Changeling follows a young woman named Nicole whose world is changing and becoming rather insane. First she finds out her husband is cheating on her, then a strange mouse keeps bothering her, a strange man claiming to be a divorce lawyer shows up, and then sh*t gets real.

I love how quickly the action gets started, how soon all the troubles arise and come into place. I love the flow of the writing and the story, and how much Nicole's character developed and changed. I like the mysterious aspects and the danger and the thrill, and how you get so immersed in the story you find yourself rooting for Nicole and then realize you're trying to solve the mysteries as well.

I also really like the characters. They grow so much and they're just overall very likeable. I would share more, but what I have in mind only consists of spoilers.... Just know that they're likeable and grow a whole lot in the duration of the story. It's like watching you're child grow up. I'm just kidding, I don't actually know how that feels. But you get the point. I hope.

Anyway, although I liked the book and enjoyed the characters and action, what I wasn't a huge fan of was the love triangle. I get that Nicole and Owen are divorcing, but her feelings for Kailen seem too quick to form. After everything they went through together on their journey, there wasn't really any explanation for her to fall for him. At least to me there wasn't. I just wish their feelings were slower to develop, and that there was more to it to make said feelings form.

Overall, I liked Loose Changeling and I can't wait for the second book! I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read books containing fantasy, action, romance, and great character development.

*I won the ebook version from a giveaway on BookLikes.
** This review will also be posted on Booklikes.

First, I just want to say that I love how all of the characters in this military Sci-fi novel (with 3 novellas all in one), no matter who they are, are strong. They all sacrifice things in their lives to fight for what they believe is right, [the drones sacrifice their whole lives, basically] even when they know not all of their actions are the best. And they all are courageous, being able to take the truth and still move on, as Andrew and Orem said a lot, “Truth is the best defence, and offence,”, and fighting a war that could have ended a lot sooner. They are strong enough to realize what they have to do when the time comes, to stand up to their enemies, and to merge together in the end to save lives.

I also really like how the author isn't afraid to kill off important characters though, like Orem and Andrew, and how there was nothing romantic in the writing expect for that one kiss Matt and Kara shared, and how there is a lot of action. I mean, I know it's a war and actin is to be expected, but other books I have read like this did not have as much action, and I love action. So this satisfied me. Like, there was action everywhere, and it was pretty fast-paced and there was a lot death, and it was just seriously brilliant.

For me, this is definitely worth a re-read, and I don't re-read books often. Anyone who likes action, distopian, or sci-fi novels are sure to enjoy this tale immensely.