The midnight star (Marie Lu)

To keep this review spoiler-free I've tried to write the summary as vaguely as possible, so if you're interested in a more detailed summary of the series, check out my review for the first two books here.

 A year after the events of The rose society Adelina Amouteru is faced with the hardest decision she had to make so far: either to pursue her mission of seeking revenge or to ally herself with those who have betrayed her once again in order to save the only two people she cares about. 

"You cannot harden your heart to the future just because of your past. You cannot use cruelty against yourself to justify cruelty to others." 

I absolutely loved this book. I think it's the perfect ending to a fantastic series and there's barely anything I'd change if I could. Just like the first two books in the series, the tone of The midnight star is very dark and a bit melancholic and unlike anything I've encountered in a YA novel so far. An aspect that is a lot more prominent in this book than it is in the previous two is mythology, which I really enjoyed. I loved learning about these gods and their tales and I feel like this just adds another dimension to the story. My most favorite part however is definitely the ending. It's so beautiful and bittersweet, so once I started crying, I literally couldn't stop. It rounds up the story really well and leaves (most) readers quite satisfied. To be honest, it's quite predictable, but the point of the ending isn't to be extremely shocking. It's supposed to be the light at the end of this very dark tunnel, that The young elites series is, and end the story with a feeling of hope and the promise of a better future, and the ending of The midnight star does that perfectly. I also adored the short folktale at the very end of the book, that once again shows how different a story can be told depending on the different point of views and that a reader should be aware of all of them to fully understand the story and its characters. The only part I didn't like about this novel (and honestly the series in general) is how short it is. It has so much potential and a lot of that is just wasted by the books being only a bit longer than 300 pages. Another amazing thing about this book however is definitely Marie Lu's beautiful writing. It's so engaging and just doesn't let you go, so The midnight star was a pretty fast read for me. There isn't that much worldbuilding in this book, but since the first two already did a fantastic job at establishing this stunning world, I honestly didn't mind that the story focuses a lot more on the characters and their interactions with each other.
The characters are so amazing. All of them are extremely interesting in their own ways, and there is no character that I found boring, annoying or unnecessary. They are also really diverse, not just from their ethnicity, but also from their social background, which ranges from an escaped slave up to a queen. There are also LGBT characters in there, and I especially liked that two characters are lesbian since I don't think I've ever read a YA novel with queer female characters. I certainly would've wished to see more of their relationship play out in their own point of views, but I obviously enjoyed reading about a queer relationship nonetheless. In general I liked how the relationships are handled, since they are quite subtle and don't distract from the main plot. It's interesting to see a bit more of the character's backgrounds, especially of those we know barely anything about. I don't even want to go into too much detail regarding the characters because of spoilers, but I can definitely tell you that I love all of them and that they are some of the most complex and interesting characters I've ever read about.
I honestly can't recommend you enough to read the amazing The young elites series, simply because it's just so different from the typical YA fantasy novel and I'm sure a lot of you will love it as much as I do.

Rating: 4.5/5 ✹

I hope you enjoyed this review! I'm sorry if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes, but due to studying I just don't have as much time as I usually do to write a review, which results in me making a lot of stupid mistakes. Anyway, have a great day!

Leah

Amy & Roger's epic detour (Morgan Matson)

After Amy's father's death, her mother moved across the country and now wants Amy to join her and bring the car from their old home in California to the new house in Connecticut. The only problem: Amy hasn't been able to drive since the car accident that killed her father, so an old family friend named Roger joins Amy on her road trip across the country for his own reasons.

"The best discoveries always happened to the people who weren't looking for them." 

I know that summer is over again but I still need to catch up on reviewing the books I've read over the summer break and this book is perfect for the holidays. This year I've done a road trip (through Iceland) with my family, so this novel was especially fitting since that's the setting of the story. I absolutely loved the road trip aspect (come on, who doesn't love road trips?) and how the story tells you to take risks once in a while, because their epic road trip only happens due to Amy not listening to her mom and instead starting to plan their own route with Roger. I just think it's quite important to be dared to take a risk once in a while, especially for me, since I usually just take the safe route, and this story does a good in encouraging the reader to do something outside their comfort zone. It is so amazing that each stop is illustrated by the main character's travel diary, which is filled with photos, receipts and little doodles and playlists. These illustrated pages just help make the book a lot more exciting and special because, let's be honest, apart from that, the novel isn't that unique and is basically just like a lot of other YA contemporary books. I enjoy Morgan Matson's writing, but once again, it's nothing special. Nevertheless it's a fun and quick read that gives you such positive vibes and awakens your inner wanderlust.

I like how the romance is handled at the beginning and the middle part of the book, because it's not super dominant and plays out rather in the background than being the biggest plot of the story and it also doesn't distract the reader from the main part, which is the amazing character development of the main character. However, towards the very end the romance suddenly develops instantly and is just way too cheesy and stereotypical for my liking. Since that issue only concerns the last couple of pages, I overall suprisingly enjoyed the romance of this book a lot more than I anticipated to.
I liked the two main characters as well as most of the other characters a lot, but I couldn't really relate to any of them too much. Roger is just a way too perfect person to exist in real life and even though I feel super mean I just have to admit I often found Amy a pathetic character, who makes her problems seem so much bigger than they actually are. Both of them however, especially Amy, go through a big character development during their road trip and it's just so nice to see both of them grow into better people. Also, I genuinly really like the idea of wrapping this development into the concept of a road trip.
Over the summer I've read all of Morgan Matson's books and I can say that I enjoyed all of them a lot, so if you're in need of a summer read or in general just a cute contemporary novel, definitely pick up one of her books!

Rating: 4/5 ✹

I'm genuinly so sorry for not uploading these past few months. I've been lacking both motivation and inspiration as well as time, since the amount of work I suddenly have to do for school is ridiculously high. I hope that I can somehow still find the time to post at least two times a month, but I can't promise you anything, especially because all of my exams are coming up soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this review, I know it's not really fitting the current season, but I started it about a month and a half ago and just wanted to finish it. Have a lovely day!

Leah

The playlist book tag (part II)

Click here to get to part I.

Human by Gabrielle Aplin | Before I fall by Lauren Oliver

And you don't need to pretend that perfection is your friend
'Cause we're all broken
We all end up alone
Show me that you're human, you won't break
Oh, love your flaws and live for your mistakes

Coins in a fountain by Passenger | Uprooted by Naomi Novik

hate is a poison
love is a remedy
singin' out like the sweetest of melodies
hope is a ghost
in the deepest of memories
stronger than tenemy
fear is the enemy

Today by Willamette Stone | If I stay by Gayle Forman

Today is the greatest
Day I've ever known
Can't wait for tomorrow
I might not have that long
I'll tear my heart out
Before I get out





Winter sound by Of monsters and men | A dance with dragons by George R.R. Martin

You and I will not be shaken!
By the winter sound
But my voice is suffocating
In the winter sound

Come home by Jon Foreman | Looking for Alaska by John Green

The hope that you have
The dream that we were
Home feels so far away
You were made for more than just pain
Looking for reasons to try
A reason to live or to die

Only teardrops by Emmelie de Forest | The night circus by Erin Morgenstern

How many times can we win and lose?
How many times can we break the rules?
Between us
Only teardrops

Wasting my young years by London grammar | Love letters to the dead by Ava Dellaira

I'm wasting my young years
It doesn't matter
I'm chasing old ideas
It doesn't matter
 

Your soul by Rhodes | A thousand pieces of you by Claudia Gray

Oh you know when you're alone
I am holding on and on and on and on
Oh you know when you're alone
I am holding on and on and on and on
To your soul, your soul, your soul, your soul

This song will save your life by Leila Sales | Begin again by Kill the alarm

How do I face another day when I can't take it?
How do I turn another page when I'm faking?
How do I package up the pain when I can't shake it?
It's over now
How do I begin again?

I'm sorry for posting yet another book tag but I just need some time to get into writing reviews again, so I hope you don't mind too much. Have an amazing day!

Leah

The playlist book tag (part I)

For this tag you're supposed to listen to your playlist on shuffle and choose a book for every song, but since I want the songs to actually fit to the books, I picked the songs manually. All of the songs however are in one of my playlists and I do listen to them regularly and like them a lot, so you can also see this as some kind of a music recommendation. All in all, these are just some songs that remind me of books. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this tag!
Click here to get to part II.

Deep end by Birdy | All the bright places by Jennifer Niven

I don't want this to break you
but I've got no one else to talk to
I don't know if you mean everything to me
And I wonder, can I give you what you need?

 Home by Gabrielle Aplin | The geographie of you and me by Jennifer E. Smith 

As long as we're together
Does it matter where we go? 

Isaac by Bear's den | The goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Isaac I have never seen you look so afraid
with your head pressed so hard against the stone
You look so alone
 

Daniel in the den by Bastille | A storm of swords by George R.R. Martin

And you thought the lions were bad, well they tried to kill my brothers.
And for every king that died, oh, they would crown another.
And it's harder than you think, telling dreams from one another.

Let her go by Passenger | Just one year by Gayle Forman

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go

Young and beautiful by Lana del Rey | The great gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The way you'd play for me at your show
And all the ways I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul
Will you still love me when
I'm no longer young and beautiful?

Eavesdrop by The civil wars | A court of mist and fury by Sarah J. Maas

Let's let the stars watch
Let them stare
Let the wind eavesdrop
I don't care
For all that we've got, don't let go
Just hold me

White blood by Oh wonder | Sapphire blue by Kerstin Gier

I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go
Can't do it alone, can't do it alone
I'm ready to run through the heat of the sun
Can't do it alone, can't do it alone
I'm ready to hope, swing me out of the low
Wide awake in the glow, can't do it alone 

 Brother by Mighty oaks | A knight of the seven kingdoms by George R.R. Martin


And we had laugh through the night
Call the star's
By the fire shining on
Through the night
We will run
To the rising life and on
Through the night
Burn the flames
The world will know our names

I'm really sorry I haven't posted anything in such a long time, but over the past month I've been in Iceland for two weeks and the rest of that time I've been binge watching Arrow and The flash (both of these tv shows are amazing btw) and just didn't really feel like writing anything. However, I'm trying my best to get motivated again and hopefully I'll manage to post more or less regularly again.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this slightly different book tag. Have a nice day!

Leah

The unexpected everything (Morgan Matson)

Andie has planned her whole summer perfectly months beforehand, but right at the beginning of the holidays all her arrangements get destroyed because of her father's scandal. Suddenly Andie finds herself completely unprepared and has to make the best out of her pretty limited situation. Andie soon realizes that it's impossible to find the unexpected when everything's always mapped out and, for the first time in her life, dares to take risks instead of taking the safe route.

"I could do this. If whole galaxies could change, so could I."

I had really high expectations for this book since I've only heard very good things about this novel, but it still managed to surprise me with how amazing it actually is. It's everything you can ask for in a good contemporary read and even more. Due to the fact that a lot of the story is told through text messages and also due to the writing, which is really good, the book is very fast-paced and quick to read and you barely notice it's actually pretty long for a contemporary novel with a bit more than 500 pages. I liked how the story doesn't only focus on just the romance part but is also about friendship and family and even manages to connect these three aspects by having the main character's romantic interest interact a lot with her friends as well as her father. It's also quite nice that the main character is only kind of involved in a love triangle and the reader doesn't have to deal with the pathetic and constant struggle of the main character whether she should choose the first or second boy. Another thing I liked is that it's quite realistic in the way it portrays friendship and also shows that not every friendship is meant to last and if you've lost someone as a close friend, it can be better for both of you and there's most of the time a positive way to see the loss of a friend. I personally quite liked the plot because it wasn't too extraordinary, but still eventful enough for the book to not be dull. Especially interesting and unique is the political aspect that the main character's father brings to the story, as well as the excerpts out of a fantasy novel written by a certain character in the book. Now to be honest, I don't know exactly if the "plot twist" is meant to be shocking or at least suprising or not, because it is just that predictable. On the one side, the many (and quite obvious) hints make the whole thing seem pretty realistic, but on the other side, it just makes the other characters look so incredibly stupid for not figuring it out or at any rate suspecting anything. Also, I believe the main character Andie deserves a trophy for giving the dumbest advice in regard to the "plot twist". Anyway, the message of the book to be more spontaneous, to embrace the unexpected and to try new things is in my opinion great and the story definitely managed to motivate me to try to be a bit more adventurous this summer and to stop being scared of new stuff and it shows that sometimes not being in control isn't the worst thing.
For the most part I really liked the characters and they are, except for the annoying times (like I mentioned before) when they seem so stupid, pretty likeable. I'm not gonna go into any detail about the characters because even though there are quite a lot of them, which I enjoyed, none of them really stands out as a very special character or a new favorite of mine. However, all of them are relatable and they do create a nice mix of different personalities and interests. I especially liked the dynamics between Andie and her best friends Palmer, Bri and Toby and the development of the relationship between Andie and her father. I'm not gonna lie, the romance is quite sweet in this book, but not something special or outstanding.
Anyway, this is the second book by Morgan Matson I've read so far and after finishing The unexpected everything I bought her other two books instantly because I loved everything I've read by her so far. I have to say that I prefer her other novel Since you've been gone a bit over The unexpected everything because I personally just like the storyline and the characters a little bit more, so if you've enjoyed The unexpected everything I can't recommend it enough to pick up Since you've been gone and obviously the other way round.

Rating:  4.5/5 ✹

I hope you enjoyed this review. Have a lovely day!

Leah

Mid year freak out tag

I know I'm a bit late with this tag, but I wanted to give you a little update with my reading year anyway, so I hope you enjoy this book tag!

1. Best book you've read so far in 2016

This question is extremely hard to answer since I've read so many different books and nearly all of them are really good in their own way and it's difficult to compare them. Right now, I'd probably go with Lady midnight by Cassandra Clare, which is truly outstanding, but it's just so hard to choose only one.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2016

Definitely A court of mist and fury by Sarah J. Maas. I even preferred it over the first book in the series and can barely wait for the next one, because her books just seem to become better and better. A close second by the way is certainly The winner's kiss by Marie Rutkoski, since it does a fantastic job at ending The winner's trilogy and is in general just a really good book.

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to

I think I've caught up with all the new releases I've definitely wanted to read, but a book that's been recently released and sounds interesting is This savage song by V. E. Schwab, but before picking it up I'll definitely read her Shades of magic series.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

It's impossible for me to choose between Crooked kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and Empire of storms by Sarah J. Maas. It. is. honestly. not. possible.

5. Biggest dissappointment

Sadly, I have to go with Glass sword by Victoria Aveyard for this question. I just didn't like it at all, even though I really enjoyed the first book in the series called Red queen. (If you're interested in my specific reasons for disliking this book so much, you can read my review which I've linked below.)

6. Biggest suprise

I was really suprised I ended up liking The nothing girl by Jodi Taylor as much as I did, because it's just not exactly what I usually enjoy reading. I got this book as a present from my aunt and uncle and even though I'd never thought of buying a book like this myself, I liked it a lot.

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

I've read actually a lot of books by authors that are new to me this year, but the one that managed to suprise me the most is Brandon Sanderson with his work Warbreaker. Despite having read so many fantasy novels already, Warbreaker was a new experience for me and in some ways unlike any book I've ever read.

8. Newest fictional crush

I'm very sure I'm not the only one with this answer, but how can you not fall in love with Rhysand from the A court of thornes and roses series by Sarah J. Maas? We don't get to see him a lot in the first book, so I didn't really consider him a fictional crush until reading A court of mist and fury, where he plays a way bigger role, this year.

9. Newest favorite character

Two characters that quickly became some of my favorites are Alina Starkov from The grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and Adelina Amouteru from The young elites series by Marie Lu. Both of them are similar in the way that they are at least to some extent heroes who turn into antagonists, which I think is really interesting and it's great to experience their journeys.

10. Book that made you cry

To be honest, basically every book manages to make me cry, so I'm just choosing another new favorite, which is The night circus by Erin Morgenstern. It's such a beautiful and at some points heartbreaking story and I just can't recommend it enough.

11. Book that made you happy

The moon and more by Sarah Dessen did a pretty good job at making me feel happy and is in general a quite good contemporary book that puts you in the perfect mood for summer.

12. Most beautiful book you've bought (or received) so far this year

Does The world of ice and fire by George R.R. Martin, Elio M. García and Linda Antonsson count for this question? The cover isn't that pretty, but the artwork inside in return is truly stunning and spectacular. It's just amazing to actually see the places and events you've read so much about in the A song of ice and fire series drawn in such a beautiful way on the pages of a book.

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I don't think I necessarily need to read any books by the end of the year, but I do hope to have read American gods by Neil Gaiman by then, because the tv show premieres at some point in 2017 and I want to have finished the book before that.


In case you're interested in reading my reviews for any of the books I've mentioned, you can click below to get to each one:

Lady midnight
A court of mist and fury
The winner's kiss
Glass sword
Warbreaker
The grisha trilogy
The young elites
The night circus
The moon and more

I hope you've enjoyed this book tag, although my answers are pretty short and my english probably isn't as good as it usually is due to the fact that I'm just really tired and unfocused right now. Anyway, have a nice day!

Leah

The young elites (Marie Lu)

Adelina Amouteru is one of the survivors of a terrible disease called the blood fever that killed every adult who got infected and marked the few surviving children, making them malfettos. Malfettos like Adelina are despised and excluded from society, sometimes even hunted. Adelina soon discovers that the blood fever hasn't just brought her suffering, but also a gift: a magical and strong power, which makes her one of the Young elites and gives her the opportunity to seek revenge against all those who've wronged her.

"I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt."

When I started The young elites I had literally no idea what's it about and only picked it up because so many people said how amazing and unique this series is. Because of my high expectations I was a bit disappointed since the book is for the first half basically like every other YA fantasy novel and while that definitely doesn't mean it's bad, it just wasn't what I've expected and what I've wanted to read. But towards the ending, The young elites gets suddenly very dark very quickly, which I honestly absolutely loved. The concept of having the main character start out as a hero and turn more and more into a villain is just super intriguing. Since you tend to get attached to the main character in general as a reader, you are constantly questioning yourself during this series whether you really should support and root for the main character. It brings you in a bit of a moral dilemma and kind of forces you to think a lot about your idea of ethics. The plot in general is quite fast-paced and I felt at no point in any way bored. I liked the writing as well as the worldbuilding, even though I was a bit confused where exactly which character was at some points during the story (but that's probaly just because I was too stupid to understand the map at the beginning of both books). One thing I really didn't like however is how short both books are. The first one is about 350 pages, the second only slightly longer and at least in my opinion, that's just a bit too short for a fantasy novel, especially because I'm used to reading fantasy books with at least 500 pages. I usually wouldn't mind that much, but The young elites series has so much potential and it'd be simply great to have a longer story and to explore it inmore depth.
The best thing by far about this series are definitely the characters. All of them are super interesting and intriguing and actually feel like realistic characters since they all have some kind of backstory and none of them is completely good or evil. The main character Adelina Amouteru is a fantastic character. She's completely different and incredbly complex and something that makes her so special and interesting is her internal dialogue, that becomes even more present in the second book. What I really admire about Adelina is how she manages to turn horrible experiences into advantages. The abusive childhood she had to suffer through didn't break her, but only helped to make her stronger. Despite being sometimes afraid of the darkness inside her, she uses it for her power rather than pretending it's not there. I think these examples just show how much of a strong character Adelina is and honestly, I was in equal parts slightly terrified of her and also sympathised with her a lot. I won't go into any detail about the other characters to avoid spoilers, but I can definitely tell you that they're amazing and reading about them is truly phenomenal.
I am genuinely so excited for the third and last book in the series called The midnight star and can barely wait for October to get my hands on it. Hopefully I've motivated you to pick up this series and you'll enjoy it as much as I have!

Rating:
The young elites:  4/5 ✹
The rose society: 4.5/5 ✹

I hope you enjoyed this review. Have a fantastic day!

Leah