The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

Parts of this review were also posted on my Goodreads account, which you can follow here.

Photo from Goodreads

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Stephanie Oakes

Rating: 5/5

It is almost impossible to write a review without spoilers, but I'm gonna try.

This book is intense, straight outta the gate. I started the book late one night, and fell asleep at page 4.(nothing to do with the book, I was just tired.) The next morning I woke up and picked up at page 4, and then couldn't stop reading until I had finished it. I devoured SLMB. I just had to know what had happened to Minnow and what would happen to Minnow.


The story is told with an excellent balance between the past and the present. Minnow is a character whose motivations you understand and empathize with. Stephanie Oakes is amazing and I can't wait to see what is next. I can hardly believe that this is her debut novel.
 

Cinder

 This review was also published on my Goodreads account, which you can follow here.

Cinder
Marissa Meyer

Rating: 4/5

I didn't have high expectations for this book. I'm always dubious about retellings. Cinder takes a classic story and owns it, turning it into something original without destroying the story that it owes its orgins to.

I like that Cinder takes on a traditionally male role. I like that Cinder (as a book and as a character) can tackle minority issues without making them seem pitiable. Cinder is a strong character, who girls can emulate without losing what it is to dream of being a princess.

I can't wait to get my hands on Scarlet.

This book is also a Rebecca Caudill nominee for 2016. You shouldn't need anymore reasons to pick up this book. Now. Do it.

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster

Parts of this review were also published on my Goodreads account, which you can view here.

Photo from Goodreads.

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster
Deborah Hopkinson

Rating: 4/5

I throughly enjoyed this book. Although the beginning was a little slow, the ending more than made up for it. There was a lot of interesting information that I had never before read about the Titanic. Not to mention that all of the information is presented in a really interesting and easy to read format. (Excellent graphic design!)

I picked up this book because of its nomination for the Rebecca Caudill award. I've read many, many books about the Titanic, and never really thought I would need or want to pick up another nonfic about it.  I only grabbed this one because of its nominee status. I was very pleasantly surprised.

This book is a great starter book about the Titanic if you are one of those rare people who have never heard of it before. It tells information about each step of the voyage, almost from the moment it leaves its dry dock, to its discovery in the 80's.

An excellent read. Highly recommended.

Emancipated

Same review was posted to my Goodreads account, which you can follow here.

Photo from Goodreads

Emancipated
M. G. Reyes

Rating: 2/5

I was really excited for this book. Really, I was.

I was disappointed with the weak excuses for why each of the characters were emancipated. Their stories were so weak, and at times so scattered, I couldn't keep track of which character was which. I almost sat down and made a chart. Especially when the author wouldn't use a characters name to build suspense and intrigue. Didn't work for me at all. Instead it just confused me further.


Luckily that got more bearable and I figured it out slowly but surely. I was determined to finish the book and find out what had actually happened, but to my surprise when I got to the end, the stupid this is a series.

I've already forgotten who all the characters are and what their back stories are. I'll probably forget to ever go back and read the sequel. Really disappointed.