Book Reviews Archives - Page 38 of 114

Book Review: Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi | Blog Tour

Jan 15, 2019

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

Pages: 400
Publish date: January 1, 2019
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Australia
ISBN: 9781534425934
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

Emergency Contact:

I received an arc of Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi from Simon and Shuster Australia as apart of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I was really excited when I first heard about this one. It seemed exactly like the book that I would love and easily be able to fall in love with. However, it really didn’t go that way.

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi follows protagonists Penny and Sam as life throws all it’s curve balls. Penny is just starting college in a new town away from her mother and the life she went along with. She’s studying writing, has a roommate that might end up her friend and then she meets Sam.

Sam is a little complicated. He has dropped out of college, working at a cafe and living in the spare room upstairs and sleeping on a mattress on the floor. And then he meets Penny. When the two find out they have more in common then they thought, they become each other’s emergency contacts. They will be there for each other via text when every they need someone.

Alexandre Godreau

From the beginning of the novel, Penny really rubbed me the wrong way. At first, I couldn’t figure out why, but as the novel went on I found that it was how she treated and thought about people. Penny was very judgemental especially through the first half of the novel. It was just so hard to get into Emergency Contact when you don’t like the protagonist. Her thoughts on people also hinder her from making friends, there were people there wanting to be here friends.

In saying this, I felt that Penny and her group of friends acted much younger than they were. I don’t know if it was just me, but I don’t think I acted the way that Penny and friends did when I was 18. I felt that they were more around the ages of 14/15, then 17/18. Don’t get me wrong, if I know that characters are going to be younger I go in knowing that. But I just felt that they acted so much younger for their age.

Sam was much easier to get along with. I felt that I was able to connect with him more, and throughout the novel, I grew to like him more and more. He felt more real than Penny. He made mistakes, but he was able to stand up to his problems and he was prepared for his life to change.

It also took me a long time to get into the novel, I felt that the first half was really slow and nothing really motivated me to continue reading. When reading I felt that there was nothing really that motivated the characters. Nevertheless, as soon as I hit the second half of the I really go into it.

The second half I was able to connect more with both Penny and Sam and the plot was able really moved the story along. Penny was able to really find herself in this second half and it was really nice to see her characterization and character arc. While it didn’t redeem all the things that made me dislike her in the first half, it did make me like her in the second half.

I really liked Penny and Sam together, I liked that they were friends first and they took the time connecting with one another before anything more happened. I really enjoyed the concept of an “emergency contact.” Someone being there when you need them most. And both Sam and Penny were great to each other for that. I do the romance was present a little more. But I still really enjoyed being about to see Sam and Penny become friends and then slowly fall for each other.

Kaitlyn Baker

Penny relationship with her mother is also really strained throughout the whole novel. There were times where I understood Penny’s hostility, but there were also times where I didn’t. She didn’t even give her mum a chance to change things. While yes her mother was free-spirited, it felt that Penny couldn’t care less and that was really hard to read. The reader is able to see that her mum was trying to be there for Penny and be a better mother, but Penny wouldn’t give her a chance.

Overall, I liked Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi for the most part. While I did struggle a lot reading the first half, I really enjoyed the second half. The protagonist becomes more real and I was able to connect with them a lot. The plot also started to move forward in the second half and things started to come together. I also really enjoy the slow-burning relationship of Penny and Sam. Throughout the whole novel, Sam and Penny were able to confide in each other and as the novel goes on their relationship changes. Emergency Contact explores the notion of finding yourself and those around it. It’s about family, friends and finding new paths.

About the Author

Mary H.K. Choi is a writer for The New York Times, GQ, Wired, and The Atlantic. She has written comics for Marvel and DC, as well as a collection of essays called Oh, Never Mind. She is the host of Hey, Cool Job!, a podcast about jobs, and is a culture correspondent for VICE News Tonight on HBO. Emergency Contact is her first novel. Mary grew up in Hong Kong and Texas and now lives in New York.

Have you read Emergency Contact? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat! Also, don’t forget to check out the rest of the blog tour this week.

Unearthly Series Review by Cynthia Hand

Jan 11, 2019

At the start of the year, I decided that I should finally start this series – and I have no idea why I waited so long. I adored this series, it was fun, heartbreak and I couldn’t stop reading it. So today I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the series.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Pages: 432
Publish date: January 4, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780732292607
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Clara has known she was part-angel ever since she turned fourteen two years ago. But only now is her Purpose – the crucial rite of passage for every part-angel – becoming clear to her. Clara′s Purpose leads her family to Wyoming, where, amidst terrifying scenes of a bush inferno, she finds the boy of her visions, Christian. He is everything she could wish for – so why does she also have feelings for her enigmatic classmate Tucker?

Clara discovers that her Purpose is only a small part of a titanic struggle between angels and their destructive counterparts, the Black Wings. And when the fire of her visions erupts and both Christian and Tucker are in danger, who will she choose to save?

Unearthly:

Like I said before, I don’t know why it took me so long to pick this series up. I was hooked from the very first chapter of Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. I’ve read a lot of Angel books, especially those that came out around 2009 to 2012. It’s what I read a lot of. I think that is why it took me a long time to read it, I thought it would be the same. But I was so wrong.

I loved Clara as a protagonist. She was charming and really likable. From the start, I was able to fall into her voice and just go with her. I’ve been struggling recently with that, but it worked so well here. I adored the way that Clara cared about her loved ones and tried to do everything in her power to keep them safe.

The relationship with Clara and her mum was very tense at times. And I did like being shown that dynamic, but it was annoying to read at times because I wanted them to get along easier.

The romance in this one was interesting. I’m not a massive Christian fan, but I didn’t hate him. I just like Clara with Tucker better. It felt more natural to me. Normally I hate love triangles, but it worked really well here, and it was something that I could get on board with.

Overall, Unearthly was a really great start to a new series. There wasn’t much info dumping, but the world building was spread throughout the novel. This really helped with the pacing of the book and just moved things along nicely.

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Pages: 395
Publish date: January 1, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
ISBN: 9780732292614
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Clara Gardner knew that as a part angel she would one day have to fulfill her purpose. Rescuing Christian from a forest fire…what she never considered was what might happen if she were to fail.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend Tucker, Clara must deal with the repercussions of what happened the day of the fire as the two boys vie for her heart. And, as she is drawn further into the world of angels and part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings. Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain after a shocking revelation, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning…

Hallowed:

Things are getting intense now. After the ending of book one, I didn’t know where this was going to go. But not long in and wow. Everything jumps to another level in this one and I didn’t know what to make of it. There were some parts that were predictable, however, it didn’t stop me from loving the book. It drove me to find out more.

Again, I really enjoyed Clara in Hallowed. She not only became more independent but there was a lot more she had to consider. And I really think that made her more likable. Clara had to make some decisions that were questionable but also drove her in a way that moved the story along.

The love triangle was much more intense in this one. And will I still didn’t love it, I think that Cynthia Hand wrote it in a way that really worked. In saying that I really didn’t like Christian in this one, the way that he pushed to be with Clara, really put me off. I adored Tucker. He was thrown into a world that he knew nothing about. Into a world he didn’t think was real. And he tried, he tried to understand what he could for Clara.

Friendship was a really big theme throughout Hallowed and I really enjoyed it. At first, we see Clara struggle with keeping her human and Angel friends separate and even harder keeping them together.

Overall, Hallowed was a really good addition to the Unearthly series. The tension between Clara and the Angel world is intensifying and that just adds to the novel so well. A really good middle book to a series.

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Pages: 448
Publish date: February 1, 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
ISBN: 9780732292621
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seemed like the best option, so she’s headed back to California—and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must choose her fate once and for all.

Boundless:

What an amazing way to end a series. I knew from the first page of Unearthly, that I was going to enjoy these books and I certainly did. And Boundless was the perfect way to wrap it all up.

Everything comes together in this novel, everything this series has been building up to. The world building of this series is fantastic and as the reader is always finding out new things. I enjoyed that through Clara, the reader finds out about new things to do with the world. It really worked and I didn’t feel lost.

I’m really happy with who Clara ends up with, even if it took some time. It really worked for me and just made me like the series even more. The path wasn’t easy and that was enjoyable. It showed that even though there was a lot of things going on, they came back to each other.

Again, I was able to predict certain things that happened throughout the novel, but it worked out really well. And it didn’t take away from me enjoying the novel. I was just one step of Clara at times.

What I also enjoyed about this one, was the college setting. You don’t see that much in YA, especially early YA like this one is. And it makes me question, why isn’t there more like this? It worked out so well here and the transition from high school to college in this series was nice to see.

Overall, I really enjoyed Boundless, it was a fantastic way to finish this series. The world building was great, the romance was adorable, the characters engaging. I read this whole series in about 4 days and I have no regrets.

And that is it! Overall the Unearthly series was entertaining, engaging and kept me guessing. The romance was surprising and exciting. And I still can’t believe I waited so long to pick this one up. Have you read the Unearthly series? What did you think? Are you planning on picking it up? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh

Dec 26, 2018

The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh

Pages: 492
Publish date: October 29, 2018
Publisher: Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9780143785095
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Severine Kassel is asked by the Louvre in 1963 to aid the British Museum with curating its antique jewellry, her specialty. Her London colleagues find her distant and mysterious; her cool beauty the topic of conversations around its quiet halls. No one could imagine that she is a desperately damaged woman, hiding her trauma behind her chic, French image.

It is only when some dramatic Byzantine pearls are loaned to the Museum that Severine’s poise is dashed and the tightly controlled life she’s built around herself is shattered. Her shocking revelation of their provenance sets off a frenzied hunt for Nazi Ruda Mayek.

Mossad’s interest is triggered and one of its most skilled agents comes out of retirement to join the hunt, while the one person who can help her – the solicitor handling the Pearls – is bound by client confidentiality. As Severine follows Mayek’s trail, there is still one lifelong secret for her to reveal – and one for her to discover.

From the snowy woodlands outside Prague to the Tuilieries of Paris and the heather-covered moors of Yorkshire comes a confronting and heart-stopping novel that explores whether love and hope can ever overpower atrocity in a time of war and hate.

The Pearl Thief:

I didn’t know what to think of this book before I went in. I had heard lots of amazing things about Fiona McIntosh through work before, but none of her books ever stood out to me. But The Pearl Thief stood out like a shining star, it’s a historical fiction novel that includes flashbacks to world war two as well as a little crime and romance. It was the perfect combination, and I’m so glad that I did pick up The Pearl Thief because I adored it.

The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh follows Severine Kassel as she tries to navigate her life after the war. It’s been nearly 18 years, but she is still haunted by everything that went down – and I would be too. When she is asked by the British Musem to look at some pearls that have come in – she is taken back and everything that she thought was safe isn’t anymore. The Pearl Thief explores harrowing tales of Severine survival of world war two and the heartbreak that she had to endure. At times it was very hard to read. But it was also powerful, engaging and I could not put it down.

I really enjoyed Severine as the protagonist of The Pearl Thief. From the very start, her strength was heartbreaking, but also so powerful. As the novel goes on the reader is able to see everything she had to endure during the war. And gosh did it tear me apart. Severine tried to forget her past, but when she sees the pearls again, everything comes back. And while she might be revisiting her past, it’s also a chance for her to find strength in herself and put right all the wrongs that her family had to endure.

Severine’s characterisation throughout The Pearl Thief was so well done. She is taken on so many different paths. But, then they all meld together and make her not only a strong character but also a strong protagonist. When Severine was first introduced, she does come across as cold and very distant. It’s like she is there to work and go through life. But as the novel goes on and Severine has to face her past, she becomes real and tangible.

One of the many things that I always see when people are talking about World War II books is that saying ‘the stories already been told’ or ‘haven’t we had enough.’ And The Pearl Thief proves both theses sayings wrong. WWII has so many different layers that books just scratch the surface. You think you might know all the stories, but you don’t. I learned so much more from reading The Pearl Thief. I had no idea about the Kindertransport system and after I finished the book, I had to delve deeper. The reader is also able to see the impact that WWII had on Prague and Czechoslovakian which is so fascinating and intriguing.

Throughout the novel, the reader is also introduced to many different characters that play a role in Severine’s life. They are not just supporting characters. But also have so much depth in themselves and each has their own story. Along with this, McIntosh is able to create place is such a vivid and immaculate way. Not only is the reader traveling to the past, but also from Prague to Paris and London.

Bryan Minear

One of my favourite things about The Pearl Thief is that Severine saves herself. She went through a lot! And I mean a lot, but she saves herself and she does it with purpose. While she has people helping her along her along the way, she is not only determined but thrives to try and make the best the of things. To be the one who is on top when it’s all done and dusted.

Overall, The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh is a powerful novel about a young women’s survival when her whole world is torn apart. It’s about sheer determination, heartbreak, and the power that a small group of people has. It’s about survival, death, and fighting for what is right. If you are looking for an insightful, page-turning, historical fiction novel, then this one is for you.

Have you read The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What is your favourite book that is about WWII? Let’s Chat!