Sophie Reads YA: October 2016

monthly summary

October summary

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October

Stacking the Shelves: October 29th 2016

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#RockMyTBR 2016 Challenge

Review: The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray

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The Gilded Cage
Series: None
Author: Lucinda Gray
Published August 2nd 2016 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Goodreads Synopsis
After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen-year-old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper-class England in the 1820s, is shattered when her brother mysteriously drowns. Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident.

A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumor, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham. Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too?
Goodreads

Review
I ordered this book because of the period it's set in. The early 1800s are one of my favourite historical periods to read about, especially when set in England. I had seen some negative reviews, but still wanted to read it, to see what I thought. Unfortunately, I probably would've been better off not getting this book, or at least waiting for my library to get it instead.

The Gilded Cage begins in Virginia, USA, when Katherine Randolph discovers that she and her brother are the heirs to the Walthingham country estate in England, and skips forward four weeks, to their presentation ball. Katherine and George are starting to settle into the stuffy life of British aristocracy, when a terrible 'accident' happens, and George is found dead in an icy lake. Everyone believes it was just an accident, a slip in the icy after a drunken night; everyone that is, except for Kat. After rumours of a beast of Walthingham start to circulate, she believes there was something shady at hand, and won't stop at nothing to find out the truth.

I liked Kat, I did, but she wasn't anything special. There wasn't really anything about her to make her memorable, and I'll probably forget about her soon enough, if I'm being really honest. Like many women of that time, she's treated like a frail, young thing, often sent to bed or excluded for conversations, so as not to disturb her delicate sensibilities. No one really takes her seriously, and she is helpless, even though she's now the sole heiress to the large estate.

I did like the tiny romantic aspect between Kat and Mr Simpson, the estate's lawyer. He was the only one to see Kat as a real person, capable of thought and reason, and not some vapid socialite who needs coddling.

Because Kat is only 16, and unmarried, she needs to be under the guardianship of her two cousins, Grace and Henry, who I disliked from the beginning. There always seemed to be something off about the pair, and the further you get into the book, the more and more this feeling grew.

I liked the mysterious aspect, of whether there was a 'beast' or not roaming the grounds, and because of that, the book is a 3 star read. However, it dragged on at times, and then the ending was so rushed, it was unbelievable. Honestly, parts of the middle section could've been completely scrapped, if the ending would've had a bit more care taken, it would've been more enjoyable to read.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book, if I'm being really honest. If you want a good book from this era, I could give you a few other options that are so much better.

Dates Read:
August 22-23, 2016

Rating
3 Stars

A Million Worlds with You

Waiting on Wednesday: A Million Worlds with You (Firebird #3) by Claudia Gray

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4 Stars

ARC Review: Did I Mention I Need You? (The DIMILY Trilogy #2) by Estelle Maskame

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Did I Mention I Need You?
Series: The DIMILY Trilogy #2
Author: Estelle Maskame
Published March 1st 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire

Goodreads Synopsis
Love has no rules.

It's been a year since Eden Munro last saw Tyler Bruce: her stepbrother...and secret love. Although they swore to ignore their feelings and put their family first, Eden can't help but feel excited when Tyler invites her to join him in New York City for the summer.

But it's not like anything is going to happen. Eden is happy with her boyfriend Dean, and she knows gorgeous, green-eyed Tyler must have moved on as well. But as they spend the long, hot summer in the city that never sleeps, it becomes obvious that those old feelings are still there...simmering beneath the surface. Will Tyler and Eden be able to resist temptation?

Did I Mention I Need You? is book two in Wattpad sensation Estelle Maskame's DIMILY trilogy: three unforgettable summers of secrets, heartbreak and forbidden romance.
Goodreads

Review
See my review of book 1, Did I Mention I Love You?.

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

I had some issues with book 1, which you'll see if you take a look at my review, but I found myself still wanting to read this book, and am glad I did, because I really enjoyed it.

Did I Mention I Need You? takes place a year after the events of DIMILY, Eden hasn't seen her stepbrother, Tyler, since last summer, and is glad for it. Her relationship with her boyfriend Dean is good, but she can't forget about her love for Tyler, so when he invites her to New York, she knows that it'll be extremely hard to resist him. When they're together, all the feelings they've been trying to repress just come flying forward, and nothing can stop them this time around.

Like I said, I really didn't like book 1. Tyler and Eden had annoyed me then, but now that I know more about them, I can see why so many people like them, and I found myself really enjoying reading their story. I read this book in a day, and couldn't put it down once I'd started. Eden and Tyler, both a year older, have come to terms with the consequences of their romance, and though it'll mean lying to their loved ones, they're willing to do that. Being in New York, without all their old friends and family around them, made it more viable, and they could see what a proper relationship would be like, without the stigma of being step-siblings.

The ending of the book left me desperate for book 3, and luckily I was able to start it asap, otherwise I don't know how I'd have coped. I would definitely recommend this series now, even if you struggled with the first book, because DIMINY? made up for it completely.

Dates Read:

August 31, 2016

Rating
4 Stars

October

Stacking the Shelves: October 22nd 2016

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#RockMyTBR 2016 Challenge

Review: Into the Dim (Into The Dim #1) by Janet B. Taylor

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Into the Dim
Series: Into The Dim #1
Author: Janet B. Taylor
Published March 1st 2016 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Synopsis
When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing.
Goodreads

Review
Just before Christmas, last year, I decided to preorder a ton of books, and many of them were ones I'd seen on GR and Twitter, loved by bloggers I trust. This book was one of them, but by the time it arrived in March, I was going home for Easter, and then had assignments and revision to contend with. So the first chance I got to read this, was after my exams, and I flew through the book.

Set mainly in Scotland, Hope is sent to her aunt's house, more like castle, and discovers that her mother's disappearance may not simply be because of the earthquake, when she was presumed dead; in fact, her mother is trapped in 12th century England, at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Now that Hope knows about her family connection to a secret group of time travellers, she finds herself having to journey back in time, and save her mother, in less than 72 hours. She's alone, apart from other two teenagers, Collum and Phoebe, and gets drawn to Bran, someone she met in Scotland, in the present day. Now that she's falling for someone from the enemy group of time travellers, she's not only at risk of losing her mother, forever.

I love time travelling books, especially ones that explore historical periods I love. British monarchy is one of my favourite aspect of history to study, and Eleanor of Aquitaine is my favourite queen consort, of all time. Really, it would've been so much better if she just had the crown in her own right, but, let's be honest, she ran the country anyway. I felt as though the period was researched really well, and seemed realistic as you were reading, especially the whole animosity between Eleanor and Thomas Becket.

The main reason why this book isn't a 5 star, is because of the characters. I wasn't too keen on most of them, and they seemed sort of flat. There's a sort of love triangle brewing between Collum-Hope-Bran, but Collum has a lot of work to do, if he wants to be taken seriously. The only time that Hope really seemed to have something about her, was when she was with Bran, and we find out why this is towards the end of the book. I can see that the characters are likely to improve in the sequel, and I am really looking forward to that.

Though I have my reservations about the characters, the plot was really good, and I felt like it has set the series up to be really good. The synopsis mentions being a sort of YA Outlander, and I could see the connections - which was great for how much I love that show. Book 2 can't come soon enough.

Dates Read:

June 20-21, 2016

Rating
4 Stars

Bad Blood

Waiting on Wednesday: Bad Blood (The Naturals #4) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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4 Stars

ARC Review: All Laced Up (Breakaway #1) by Erin Fletcher

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All Laced Up
Series: Breakaway #1
Author: Erin Fletcher
Published October 10th 2016 by Entangled: Crush

Goodreads Synopsis
Everyone loves hockey superstar Pierce Miller. Everyone except Lia Bailey.

When the two are forced to teach a skating class to save the rink, Lia’s not sure she’ll survive the pressure of Nationals and Pierce’s ego. Not only can’t he remember her name, he signed her bottle of water like she was one of his groupies. Ugh.

But if there’s one thing Lia knows better than figure skating, it’s hockey. Hoping to take his ego down a notch—or seven—she logs into his team website under an anonymous name to give him pointers on his less-than-stellar playing.

Turns out, Pierce isn’t arrogant at all. And they have a lot in common. Too bad he’s falling for the anonymous girl online. No matter how much fun they’re starting to have in real life, she’s afraid he’s going to choose fake-Lia over the real one…

Disclaimer: This book contains a swoony hockey player (and his equally swoony friends!), one-too-many social media accounts, kisses that’ll melt ice, and a secret identity that might not be so secret after all…
Goodreads

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

The other day, I was browsing through NetGalley and the cover of this book caught my eye. I don't think I've ever read anything about figure skating, but loved the Disney movies Ice Princess and Go Figure when I was younger. I started this book one morning, and was finished with it in just a few hours.

The main characters, Lia and Pierce hate each other. One's a figure skater, the other a hockey player, and they just clash one just about everything. When they are forced to work together to teach a class to youngsters at their local rink, they realise that their original issues might just not be important. However, Lia anonymously ridiculed Pierce's game performance, but rather than get angry, he replies with thanks for the criticism, and a online relationship grows. Lia starts to realise that she's falling with him both in person, and on the computer. Pierce, on the other hand, falls for Lia, and his mystery online penpal.

When I saw the aspect of a online, anonymous romance, I was apprehensive, as I'd read another Entangled book that didn't do that well, at all. However, Fletcher wrote this book perfectly, and both characters actually spoke with each other about their issues, and didn't just ignore them and let them fester.

Also, the characters got together before the end of the book, so we saw how their relationship could grow, and not just the very beginnings of the romance. I found myself swooning when reading the book, and hope that this is the beginning of a series, because I can't wait to read about about them.

Dates Read:
September 17, 2016

Rating
4 Stars

October

Stacking the Shelves: October 15th 2016

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#RockMyTBR 2016 Challenge

Review: Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W. Petty

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Lock & Mori
Series: Lock & Mori #1
Author: Heather W. Petty
Published September 15th 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Synopsis
In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.
Goodreads

Review
I've read a few different Sherlock retellings recently, and even though I've had this book since January, I've kept putting it off for some reason. Now, I don't know whether to be happy or sad I waited so long to read this amazing book. It's quite a small book, but packed full of plot, and I read it in just a few hours, and now think that the wait for Mind Games might kill me.

The other Sherlock retellings I've read, A Study in Charlotte and the Every series, have had Holmes and Watson, in whatever form, as the main characters. Lock & Mori, as you can probably guess, used the Holmes and Moriarty characters, instead, though they weren't enemies. James 'Mori' Moriarty is the only daughter of police DS James Moriarty, and is taking care of her three younger brothers since the death of their mother. Since losing his wife, DS Moriarty has been a vicious wreak, and Mori knows how to read the signs on when best to avoid her father. After a few chance encounters with the reclusive Sherlock Holmes, Mori becomes involved in a sort of 'game', investigating a recent string of murders in Regent Park. As they delve further into the deaths, they find that the truth may be closer than they think.

Firstly, I loved that this book was still set in London, with both Lock & Mori living 6 doors apart on Baker Street, Sherlock at 221, obviously. The geography of London, and the transport system, were used really well in the book, and though I've only been to London 4 times, I could picture the main sites in my head.

Secondly, the characterisations of Lock & Mori seemed perfect. Both characters were a thrill to read, and even though we only got Mori's PoV, you could kind of see Lock's feelings and thoughts throughout the book. I think that if there had been dual PoVs, it wouldn't have been such a good read. Because Mori is more tied to everything, the reading experience of seeing her discover everything for herself makes the reader feel as though we are Mori, and we care for her more. I couldn't have asked for a better protagonist, and can't wait to see her growth throughout the series.

The romance that there is, is angsty and shippy at the same time. Neither of them have much experience with other people, especially Lock, who's more of a loner, and seeing them trying to read each other's social cues, body language, etc., was amazing. Because of how hard hitting the book is at times, especially towards the end, the romance does go through a distinct rocky patch, that I can see continuing into Mind Games.

Since finishing the book, I've read the synopsis for Mind Games, and am even more desperate to get my hands on that book, though I know that it'll likely take all my emotions, and mess them up. This may be my favourite Sherlock adaptation I've read!

Dates Read:
August 21, 2016

Rating
5 Stars

Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Waiting on Wednesday: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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3 Stars

ARC Review: And I Darken (The Conquerors Saga #1) by Kiersten White

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And I Darken
Series: The Conquerors Saga #1
Author: Kiersten White
Published July 7th 2016 by Corgi Childrens

Goodreads Synopsis

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwyla likes it that way.

Ever since she and her brother were abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman sultan’s courts, Lada has known that ruthlessness is the key to survival. For the lineage that makes her and her brother special also makes them targets.

Lada hones her skills as a warrior as she nurtures plans to wreak revenge on the empire that holds her captive. Then she and Radu meet the sultan’s son, Mehmed, and everything changes. Now Mehmed unwittingly stands between Lada and Radu as they transform from siblings to rivals, and the ties of love and loyalty that bind them together are stretched to breaking point.

The first of an epic new trilogy starring the ultimate anti-princess who does not have a gentle heart. Lada knows how to wield a sword, and she'll stop at nothing to keep herself and her brother alive.
Goodreads

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

Like most other people, I was dying to get my hands on this book. A retelling of Vlad the Impaler - who's actually a girl - sounded like the best novel ever. Lada Dracul is the daughter of Vlad, and knows that her sex automatically makes her worthless to him. She'll do anything to prove that she is as strong as he is, and a better heir than any of his sons, particularly better than Radu. Because of this, her relationship with younger brother Radu has always been problematic, but it grows worse as the book progresses. The politics of the world leads of Vlad having to leave his children in the Ottoman Empire as prisoners. While they're there, they meet the sultan's son, Mehmed, and though Lada hates in on principle, she falls for him as time progressed.

One thing I disliked about this book was how slow it was. It took me three weeks to get through, and I'll tell you, there were many times I thought about just DNFing it, because I wasn't connecting. For the first book in the series, it was dry, as it set the scene. And, it went through a lot of time jumps, so I don't really know how the rest of the series will go.

Lada was an interesting character. There were times I liked her, and times I found her so, so annoying. The time period that this book is based in is my favourite to study, so I understood her issues with her gender and lack of opportunities, but felt she sometimes went a bit too far. Radu was a bit wet, and it took a long time to grow to him. I did like him, but wouldn't say I loved him. Same with Mehmed, tbh. All the characters had some positive things about them, but also negative aspects.

I did enjoy the book, but definitely didn't love it. I'm glad I read it, but I sometimes think I must've read a completely different book from all the 5 star reviews I've seen. I'll probably read book 2, but don't think I'll be in a hurry to do so.

Dates Read:
August 3-23, 2016

Rating
3 Stars

October summary

Stacking the Shelves: October 29th 2016

Review: The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray

Waiting on Wednesday: A Million Worlds with You (Firebird #3) by Claudia Gray

ARC Review: Did I Mention I Need You? (The DIMILY Trilogy #2) by Estelle Maskame

Stacking the Shelves: October 22nd 2016

Review: Into the Dim (Into The Dim #1) by Janet B. Taylor

Waiting on Wednesday: Bad Blood (The Naturals #4) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

ARC Review: All Laced Up (Breakaway #1) by Erin Fletcher

Stacking the Shelves: October 15th 2016

Review: Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W. Petty

Waiting on Wednesday: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

ARC Review: And I Darken (The Conquerors Saga #1) by Kiersten White

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