Vicious

                Hello happy readers.  It’s Friday!  I know I’m excited.  I have my follow up orthopedic appointment later today where I hope to get good news that my finger is healing properly and then baring any unforeseen issues I will be attending a book event tomorrow at Little Shop of Stories to meet Nicole Castroman who wrote the amazing Blackhearts I read last month and loved (review).  I am going to key up the audiobook and drive, about as exciting as my plans tend to be.  But first today, I have finally finished my review for a book I read a few months back that caught me by surprise, Vicious by V.E. Schwab.

Rating: 4 Stars

                I have never read anything by Schwab before but have heard some of her other works praised highly and others practically salivating over her newest series so I was excited to give this one a try.  The story is about Victor and Eli and how they started out as roommates and friends but as powers are discovered, extraordinary abilities change their focus and they become enemies out for their own gain.  Ten years since parting ways, Eli has set out of a course to kill all others with powers, while Victor simply wants revenge.  When two superpowers fight against one another, both villains in their own right, who will be left?

                I went into this expecting a sort of anti-hero type book.  That and powers were really all I knew to expect.  What I found was a very interesting story that worked both in the present and in the past from how things were simple and friendly to out to kill.  How two genius level guys ended up with powers and on a war path.  The journey and seeing how things went so quickly from one to the other was brilliant.  The whole story is a smart and twisted idea that leaves you guessing.  Who do you root for?  Who is the hero?  Is anyone?  Are they all equally doomed?  Vicious was just so wicked in the best way.  Drawing you into this feud and revenge plot like it pulled in others.

                This ended up being shorter than I intended from all my notes but as I read them I don’t want to share because learning about each power and each detail as the story flushed out and you were given little tidbits here and there made the story.  Additionally, going in not knowing much about it I think made the discoveries all the better for me personally.  So there you have it a great story about an antihero, people with powers, and revenge.  Check it out!  Tell me your thoughts below I’d love to hear who your favorite character was.  Mine was Sydney.  Also if you’ve read other Schwab books I’d love to know what you recommend for me to check out next.

                Until next time…

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Fav Authors I Discovered this Year!

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The top today is:  Top Ten New-To-Me Favorite Authors (Authors I enjoyed but had never read before this year)

Leigh Bardugo- I know I'm so far behind.  I had all the Grisha books but I hadn't started them before this year.  I flew through them with a friend and the newest book Six of Crows is just….wow.  Plus she was super fun and sweet when meeting her for a signing!  Reviews: Shadow &Bone, Siege & Storm, Ruin & Rising, and Six of Crows. 

Alexandra Bracken- Again had the books just got to them.  I've only read the first in the Darkest Minds series thus far though I am over halfway through Never Fade and I really enjoy the story and her characters.  I'm excited to finish the series and I'm excited for the ARC of her new book Passenger I just started.

Leila Sales- I had the chance to meet her with Leigh and so much fun.  I had just finished her new book, Tonight the Streets Are Ours (review) then but since have read her other novel This Song Will Save Your Life (review).  I just noticed her titles are both on the longer side… 

Becky Albertalli- Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (review) was a fun and refreshing read for me this year.  I love a good contemporary and I was reading a bunch of fantasy at the time, which I also adore, so it was a nice little break and just filled with fun characters.

Jackson Pearce-I had one of her books and a couple anthologies where she had a story inside but I hadn't read any until I found out she was teaming up with one of my favorite authors Maggie Stiefvater for a middle grade book and I would get to meet them (Maggie again) that I wanted to have read one of her books before then.  I read As You Wish (review) which was super short and quick and just adorkable and made me want to check out the other stories and so far I've enjoyed the ones I've read.

 Sabaa Tahir- A book I was hearing lots about this year and as a debut as well was An Ember in the Ashes (review) and when I finally picked this up as a weekend read along pick with Bogdana the Booknerd I was so happy I did.  It drew me in right away and I loved the dual POV of both characters who are both so similar in some aspects but complete opposites in the other.  It left me begging for more.

David Levithan- I read Everyday (review) after his short story in My True Love Gave to Me anthology and hearing him speak at YALLfest 2014 and loved it.  I then was excited to check out more of his books, thus far I have bought several and read the sequel/companion Another Day (review).

Elise Kova- I am currently reading, and LOVING, her second book in the series Fire Falling.  I read Air Awakens (review) last month and was completely captivated by it.

C.J. Redwine- I'm almost finished with the Defiance trilogy.  I am reading it with a friend but we've been delayed due to some work/real life set backs but plan to finish the last book the first week of 2016!  Still so far I am just in love with the first two books.  I love how dark the world is and yet she weaves in the light and levity in different ways that make it perfect. 

As You Wish

                Trying to keep on pace with things even as real life is being stubborn, I have another review for you.  Also don’t forget to check my previous post, interview with author Sarah Negovetich and enter the giveaway that’s open until 4/29.  This post will also serve as a heads up of sorts if you live near the Atlanta, GA. area.  There is a cute book store called Little Shop of Stories; they are amazing for so many reasons, the best of which is that they usually host amazing authors there for talks and signings.  I live about 4 hours away but I’ve made the round trip drive for a few different events and have two planned for the start of May.  I’m mentioning this because, yes there is a point to my randomness sometimes, on May 12^th Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce are going to be at an event there!  I adore Maggie’s work and loved meeting her last year.  I am stoked to see her again but also to look up this new author, clearly cool in my book by association. 

 

                Turns out I had a book by Jackson Pearce.  I had bought it on sale because it looked cute but had not gotten around to reading it and as such the name didn’t click for me.  Looking up her books I saw a familiar cover and realized, “I have that.”  Then proceeded to read it.  So I’ll be discussing my thoughts on that book, AsYou Wish, with you today.

                As You Wish is a super-fast read.  I realize I can sometimes finish a book in a shift at work depending on how things are that day, grant it I do work 12 hour shifts, but this one was fast for anyone.  It doesn’t feel like the 304 pages it says it has.  I started it late in my shift thinking I wouldn’t be able to finish it but it only took a few hours, appx. 4-5 for me with work stuffs in between.  I found the whole thing captivating and engaging and I wanted to know what would happen next. 

                The basic storyline to give you a feeling for it focuses on Viola.  Her boyfriend broke up with her and she has spent her days since silently wishing to have someone love her again.  More than that she wants to feel she belongs again.  Then one day of mindless wishing she summons a young genie out of his world and into hers and he’s stuck there until she makes her three wishes. 

                Jinn is impatient to get back home to his world but he’s stuck with Viola, who is afraid she’ll wish for the wrong thing.  This forces them to spend time together.  After making her first wish she realizes that after two more wishes Jinn will disappear from her life forever.

                Doesn’t that just sound like a cute fun read?  It was!  First I’ve never read a genie book before and I like it.  I have always been caught up in the idea of the genie and being the one to grant wishes, I believe it’s all Robin Williams fault for being such an amazing Genie in Aladdin.  I just got a bit teary thinking about it now if I’m honest.  Like one of my childhood classics I still enjoy today, Viola and Jinn are special.  I respected Viola right off the back, even when she was down over a breakup.  The circumstance is worth being down over.  Plus the overall point of wanting somewhere to belong rings true to not only high school but in life.  We all want somewhere we can belong.  And Viola didn’t want to rush.  She wanted to think things through which is more than I can say for some people. 

 

                Overall the characters were interesting and though they had their moments, I overall loved them.  It was cute seeing Jinn spend more time on her world than he was used to and his freakish worry about aging by the minute.   The development between the characters grows as the story speeds along and while it was quick it wasn’t insta-love which would have detracted from it.  The whole journey through the story was really one of self-realization and to be with Viola as she discovers who she is and finds her place, even if it wasn’t what she expected, was sweet. 

                This book is not what I was expecting.  I went in expecting an average cute totally predictable book and I came out with a unique little tale witch characters I just adored.  This is my first Jackson Pearce book but I have a couple more on order now after enjoying this one so much and I can’t wait to meet her and hopefully discuss them with her in May.  I recommend this book for a super quick fun read. 

Rating: 4 Wishes

                You know the deal.  Please take a moment down below and share your thoughts.  What would you wish for if you had your own Jinn?  Also if you’re going to be at the Little Shop of Stories event let me know so we could maybe meet up, I know I’ll be meeting one book buddy there.  Enjoy.  Until next time; Keep Calm and Read On!