Review: RADIANT and BOUNDLESS by Cynthia Hand

*WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS for Books 1 and 2.*

Proceed at your own peril. 

Titles: Radiant and Boundless

Author: Cynthia Hand

Series: Unearthly #2.5 and #3

Why I read it: To finish the trilogy and find out what happens!

Thoughts: I liked Radiant, but Boundless was my favorite book in the trilogy.

First of all, I'll briefly discuss Radiant. This novella is the bridge between books 2 and 3 in the trilogy, and it follows the POVs of both Clara and Angela as they spend their summer between high school and college in Italy with Angela's family. I really enjoy Angela as a character, but I didn't like being in her head. For most of the series, I questioned her intentions, but this glimpse into her mind doesn't really lend itself to continue that speculation. \

In my opinion, the best novellas for series change your perspective on something, whether that be a plot point or character. Take for instance Destroy Me, the first novella from the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. Since Destroy Me is written in Warner's POV, we see a completely different side of him than we saw in the first book, and it changed how I reacted to him in the second book. We also got to see events in Destroy Me that are important to the plot, but would have been impossible to learn about in the main trilogy since Juliet wasn't there to witness them.

With that in mind, I don't think Radiant is a successful novella. The Angela and Phen plotline is essentially summarized in book three, so I don't think this novella offers anything new or important. It also didn't really change my opinion on Angela very much; if anything, it made me like her a little less, but I don't think that's what Cynthia Hand set out to do; I just didn't like being in her head at all.

My official recommendation would be to skip this one and save your two dollars.

Boundless, on the other hand, I absolutely loved. I loved seeing Clara's relationships with Angela, Tucker and Christian, and how they all developed in different ways. One of the things I love the most about this series is the way it deals with morality, and good vs. evil. For a book about angels, there are few characters who are entirely good or entirely bad. Sometimes good people make bad decisions, and sometimes bad people can be influenced by love and sympathy. I loved it. I also loved the way the angel-bloods mythology is even further developed and utilized within the story.

This book, more than the first two, really twisted in unexpected ways, especially toward the end. I was not expecting that ending at all, but I think it fits the story beautifully. And I am more than pleased with how it ended. I think I even cried there in the last few chapters.

I admit that I had been hesitant to read this for a while, but I am so glad I decided to pick it up. For anyone who is wary of angel books, I would recommend giving this series a try!

Ratings: 

Radiant: 3/5 stars

Boundless: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read this book yet? What was your opinion? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: DOROTHY MUST DIE STORIES by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die Stories
Author: Danielle Paige
Series: Dorothy Must Die #0.5

Why I read it: I hadn't planned on continuing the series so fast after reading Dorothy Must Die, but then the sequel came out and I decided to go ahead and marathon the beginning of this series, so I picked up the prequel novella bindup!

Thoughts: I really enjoyed these novellas!

This book is a bindup of the three prequel novellas that were originally published as ebooks. So I will review each novella individually, then give the bindup an overall rating!

No Place Like Oz

Rating: 5/5 stars

This was, by far, my favorite novella of the three. No Place Like Oz is from Dorothy's POV, and it chronicles her journey back to Oz and how she came to be its new (evil) ruler. It was so intriguing to be in Dorothy's head, and not entirely pleasant. It shows us how Dorothy's first adventure in Oz has changed her, and how she could become the evil witch we see her as in Dorothy Must Die. But there is even more to this novella, and it shined so much light on the first book and things in the background that we didn't know yet. I loved it!

The Witch Must Burn

Rating: 3/5 stars

This was an okay read. It was slightly interesting, but nothing terribly new to be honest. This novella was all about Jellia Jamb, who is just an awesome character and it was interesting to see a little bit of her background. But considering how Dorothy Must Die ended, this felt a little pointless. But oh well. It was still fun! 

The Wizard Returns

Rating: 3/5 stars

This was another average novella. We see how the Wizard ended up in Oz once more, and we definitely learn a lot about his true intentions. And I really enjoyed the ending! But the bulk of this novella was just so-so, and once again, felt a little pointless in the grand scheme of things. But the end made up for some of that!

Overall, this was a fun prequel read for Dorothy Must Die, but I wouldn't say it's an essential must-read of the series. 

Overall rating: 4/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read these novellas? What were your thoughts? Do you think they're necessary reading? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: A DAWN MOST WICKED by Susan Dennard

Title: A Dawn Most Wicked
Author: Susan Dennard
Series: The Spirit-Hunters #0.5

Why I read it: I was bored late at night and I realized that I still hadn't read this yet. I have it on my Kindle app on my tablet, so I just opened it up and started reading. Then I finished it over the next couple of late nights!

Thoughts: I love Susan Dennard's writing, and I absolutely LOVE her Spirit Hunters trilogy. And I thoroughly enjoyed this novella! It was great finding myself back in the world of the Spirit Hunters and seeing some of the characters once again.

This novella is centered around Daniel, the sarcastic inventor and member of the Spirit Hunters. A Dawn Most Wicked explores Daniel's backstory and how he ended up in a team with Joseph Boyer and Jie. In the original trilogy, this past was hinted at, but we got a much deeper understanding of Daniel's character in the novella.

The novella is a lot longer than I had expected, but that definitely works in its favor, because we have time to really explore Daniel's history, as well as his relationships. None of it feels rushed, and everything seems necessary.

While I loved reading this novella, I admit that the story wasn't exactly what I was expecting, though it definitely makes sense for Daniel's character. I was just expecting to be much more emotionally invested in Daniel's relationship with Cassidy, especially after finishing the trilogy last summer. But I still loved the writing, and the action scenes were so fast-paced.

My only other problem isn't with the novella itself, but rather how it is marketed. It is listed as the #0.5 installment in the series, meant as a prequel. However, the beginning and end of the novella take place at the end of the first book, and contain major spoilers for that book. Therefore, I would strongly suggest waiting to read this until you've read at least the first book, Something Strange and Deadly, otherwise you'd be spoiling yourself.

I highly recommend this novella if you're a fan of Susan Dennard's trilogy. It might not be crucial to the story, but it definitely is enlightening and entertaining.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read this novella? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: PLEASE REMAIN CALM by Courtney Summers

Title: Please Remain Calm
Author: Courtney Summers
Series: This is Not a Test #2

Why I read it: This is Not a Test was on my top books I read in 2014 list. Seriously, if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? If you love dark contemporaries and/or zombies, go read it right now. One of the most beautiful, heartbreaking books I've ever read. You can read my gushing review here. So when the e-novella sequel came out, I immediately downloaded it...and then chickened out of reading it. I had to psych myself up for a couple of days before I was brave enough to read it through in one sitting. (Also on an unrelated note: Courtney is a marshmallow, and is totally the reason I started watching Veronica Mars. So if you haven't started that yet, either, GO DO IT. One of my new favorite shows.) (This may be the longest paragraph I've ever written for the "Why I read it" section...)

Thoughts: For as long as my "Why I read it" section is, this may be the shortest review I've done so far. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, because really, This is Not a Test and Please Remain Calm really need to be read to get the full feel of it. The feeling you get after reading these books is not easily explainable via review.

What I will say, is that Courtney Summers truly excels at pulling heart strings. Making you feel like the world is bleak and awful and nothing good, and then providing you a tiny glimmer of hope. And the nine times out of ten, she pulls that glimmer away from you. And you want to scream and cry and rail against the world for doing this to you, but it is one of the most exquisite feelings of heartbreak.

That's what Courtney Summers does. This book is short, and easily digestible in one sitting. In fact, that's how I recommend it. Because you can't stop turning pages, racing to the finish line, desperate to see how it all turns out.

Just like This is Not a Test, Please Remain Calm is fast-paced, character driven, and heart-wrenching. Highly recommend. Cannot recommend it enough.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read this e-novella sequel yet? What were your thoughts? Were you as emotionally distraught as I was? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: FRACTURE ME and IGNITE ME

Titles: Fracture Me and Ignite Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me #2.5 and 3

Why I read it: DUH. 

Thoughts: Fracture Me is the novella that comes between books 2 and 3 in the Shatter Me series. I liked it, but definitely not as much as Destroy Me. (Then again, how could I? Destroy Me blew my MIND.) Fracture Me is from Adam's perspective, which was interesting, though by the end of Unravel Me, I was already starting to lose interest in him. But hearing his thoughts on the situations they were in was still helpful in understanding his character. 

My main problem with this novella is that the first half takes place at the same time as the end of Unravel Me, just from Adam's POV instead of Juliette's. So while we get a few insights into Adam's personality, it is mostly just a rehash of the same events. The second half, after they are separated, is better, because it delves into events that we don't get to see in either book 2 or 3. So that was great, but there wasn't enough new content for my liking. 

But then, I moved on to Ignite Me, which...whew. The writing remains beautiful, as is normal for Tahereh Mafi, but the strikethrough passages are a thing of the past, since Juliette has finally come into her own and become more confident in who she is. And that character development is just so on point. 

But really, all of the characters are amazing in this book. I know I've pretty much said that about every book in the series, but in this book, all of the characters have much more interaction with each other. I love the dynamic between Juliette and Warner and Kenji and all of the other Omega Point members. 

But the real star here, for me at least, is the relationship aspect. I was rooting for them the entire time, and there was SO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION it killed me. But in a good way. Seriously. If you need a lesson in sexual tension in YA, read this book. Because it was so amazing, it left my stomach in knots the entire time. 

I love the conclusion. The ending felt abrupt at the time, but I realize that was just because my heart was racing about a million miles an hour when I read it. And my mind continues to race even now, a month later, thinking about what happens now in that world. And if a book can make me think about it that long after I finish it, I know it's a good one. 

Definitely one of my new favorite series. Absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian worlds, teenagers with powers, and delicious romance! Look for a overview series review in the near future!

Ratings: 

Fracture Me: 4/5 stars

Ignite Me: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read these books? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: DESTROY ME and UNRAVEL ME

Titles: Destroy Me and Unravel Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi 

Series: Shatter Me #1.5 and 2

Why I read them: DUH. 

Thoughts: Destroy Me is the novella that comes between books 1 and 2 from villain Warner's perspective. This is really the first novella I've ever read for a series, but I absolutely LOVED IT. I don't think I've ever read something that so completely and quickly changed my opinion on a character. I had heard enough booktubers talk about how much they loved Warner to know that change was coming, but I didn't think it would hit me this hard. I nearly cried reading this novella, and this was only the second thing in the series I had read. So if you're one of those people who doesn't read novellas for series, you need to amend that for this series. Because this novella is can't-miss information for fans of the series. 

Now moving on to Unravel Me!

If you'll remember from my review of Shatter Me, the only thing holding me back from giving it 5/5 stars was the act that the beginning was a little slow for my liking. This book did not have that problem. There were no parts of this book that felt slow to me, so I flew through this book in two days. I stayed up until nearly 4 A.M. finishing this book because I just couldn't bear to put it down. 

The characters continue to grow. I loved watching Juliette battle with herself, and with others. After so much time spent in isolation, she finds it hard to interact with others in a healthy way. I still love the strikethrough passages, though they begin to happen n ot nearly as often as Juliette becomes more comfortable with who she is. 

Juliette and Adam's relationship is so believable. As is her relationship with Warner. The latter is what really kept me hooked. After reading Destroy Me, we have already had a chance to see Warner's inner character. But throughout Unravel Me, Juliette gets insights into his true personality as well, and their interactions were the highlight of this book for me. 

Well, that and Kenji. I LOVE Kenji Kishimoto. He is sarcastic and cocky but genuinely caring, and I absolutely love that about him. His interactions with Juliette were definitely my other favorite parts. 

We also get major plot developments, and I have to admit that I saw one twist coming. But Tahereh Mafi handles it in a way that never felt contrived. The characters react to it in a very realistic way, and it was so interesting to see those reactions. Even into the third book. 

The writing is still gorgeous here. Mafi really has a way with words. She makes them not only tell a story, but also invoke emotions through words alone. It's absolutely brilliant. 

This book definitely doesn't suffer from the sophomore slump! Still highly recommend the series to anyone interested. 

Ratings: 

Destroy Me: 5/5 stars

Unravel Me: 5/5 stars 

Tell me: have YOU read these books? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!