Mini Reviews: Dear Martin (so impactful!) and Juliet Takes a Breath (so queer!) // two incredibly powerful and diverse books

Guess who’s back with another post about mini-reviews!

I’ve come to really like writing mini reviews because it takes SO MUCH LESS TIME AND EFFORT and it’s quicker to format.

And I also prefer READING mini reviews nowadays for the same reasons! Quick and easy to read through and more options to comment on!

GO MINI REVIEWS.

Today I’ll be talking about two diverse novels who deal with very differing topics, but overall are both incredibly impactful, educational and SO real.

Spoiler alert: I gave both of these books 5 stars.

5 Reasons Why YOU Should Read Warcross by Marie Lu RIGHT NOW // EPIC, DIVERSE AND MIND-BLOWING

Have you ever had exceedingly high expectations for a book and then it ended up letting you down???

Oh.

BECAUSE I HAVEN’T. At least not with Warcross.

As we all know, Marie Lu is a freaking LEGEND (hA, get it????!!!?!)* and I had no doubts that I would love Warcross. And boy did I loveit!!!

I decided to switch up my reviewing style for this post and give you 1000 reasons (actually, it’s only 5-ish) why you should read Marie Lu’s Warcross (including loads of Gifs!) to make this post a lot more fun!

There will be no spoilers for the book (as always, but I just thought I’d mention it again) SO KEEP ON READING AND ADD WARCROSS TO YOUR TBR IMMEDIATELY.

*I swear I’ve made that joke like 50 times now kill me

Mini Reviews: Cinder, Blue is the Warmest Color and Unfiltered // I read so many good books recently!!

I have recently read and enjoyed various books and I loved them so much that I feel the need to share them with you!

But instead of writing the longest reviews (usually like 500 1k 2k words) that end up being rambly and all over the place, I decided I’d write some cute and short mini reviews to share my thoughts (and love) for these books!

The other reason may be that I’m too lazy/busy/exhausted to write said long and extensive reviews hehe and I didn’t take notes while reading (which I only ever do for books that I HAVE to review aka ARCs) so I don’t really have that many thoughts on these anyway.

And I have the worst memory lol. So no notes = short reviews because Jackie’s brain isn’t capable of remebering things long-term.

I am the real-life Dory

The Tiger’s Watch by Julia Ember // A GENDERFLUID CHARACTER WHO HAS A SPIRITUAL BOND WITH AN ANIMAL? SIGN ME UP + Giveaway

Hello friends and welcome to my stop on the The Tiger’s Watch Tour!!! I’m so so so excited to be participating in this tour and being able to promote such a great book!

If you’ve been following me for a while you might remember that I mentioned The Tiger’s Watch in my #ARCstravaganza post a few months ago and I TOTALLY FREAKED OUT ABOUT IT BC JULIA EMBER HERSELF SENT ME THE BOOK.

AND IT’S JULIA EMBER!!! THE WOMAN WHO WROTE UNICORN TRACKS AND THE SEAFARER’S KISS (I haven’t read either of them but I know that they’re brilliant).

So when I heard she’d come out with a book about a genderfluid main character???? I KNEW I HAD TO GET MY HANDS ON IT.

Please enjoy my review and check out the giveaway below! It’s international!!!

You can follow the rest of the tour here.

Review: The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova – FANTASTIC AND SO UNDERRATED

“Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.“

Review: One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus – SO GOOD!

“One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.”

Review: Future Leaders of Nowhere by Emily O’Beirne | 5 Stars | Spoiler Free

Title: Future Leaders of Nowhere

Author: Emily O’Beirne

Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBTQ+

Published: March 15^th 2017 by Ylva Publishing

Pages: 270

*Thanks so much to Ylva Publishing for contacting me and sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way!*

(via Goodreads): “Finn’s solid. Not in body, but in being. She’s gravity and kindness and all those good things that anchor.”

“Willa’s confusing. Sometimes she’s this sweet, sensitive soul. Other times she’s like a flaming arrow you hope isn’t coming for you.”

Finn and Willa have been picked as team leaders in the future leader camp game. The usually confident Finn doesn’t know what’s throwing her more, the fact she’s leading a team of highly unenthusiastic overachievers or coming up against fierce, competitive Willa. And Willa doesn’t know which is harder, leaving her responsibilities behind to pursue her goals or opening up to someone.

Soon they both realise that the hardest thing of all is balancing their clashing ideals with their unexpected connection. And finding a way to win, of course.“

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Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

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Future Leaders of Nowhere is about a leadership game which takes place in the Australian bush. In the camp game each group is assigned a political position; some are a democracy, a monarchy etc, some groups have resources like food and water and some rely on trade with other groups. Finn’s group is the one with no land, no resources and the ones seeking refugee. Every other day the camp guide gives them a scenario that affects the camps in a way ie. a storm that destroys the food cultivation and so on. These scenarios lead to changes that need to be made and alliances to be formed.

We follow the first half of the story from Finn’s point of view. I immediately took a liking to her after the first few chapters. She is funny, sassy and sarcastic. At her school, Finn is the intermediate captain. When the camp guide tells each group to choose a leader, Finn is the obvious choice for her team. He team mates are lazy shits but they trust her to make the right decisions for her team and get things done!

I loved the character development of Finn. At the beginning of Survival Camp (that’s what I’m going to call it lol) she feels very lonely and misplaced as her parents at home are fighting and she believes they are close to a divorce. She blames herself for it and these thoughts make her feel unsure of herself and she doesn’t feel like being the right person to lead her group.

As the story moves along and Finn and her team are faced with different challenges. While working as a team to solve these problems and meeting and getting to know Willa, she changes for the better. Finn said herself that she has turned into her old self again, the one she was before the almost-divorce of her parents. She becomes more confident and determined, she makes smart choices that help her team and she starts to believe in things AND herself again.

I also really like how the group dynamic changes. At the beginning everyone is very lazy and doesn’t feel like being part of the camp since they don’t really know each other or why they’re there. But they learn how to deal with their situation and start working together towards the goal of winning (even if they don’t know WHAT they’re going to win lol) and it binds them together.

Around the middle of the book the point of view changes and we see the story through Willa’s eyes. I didn’t really know what to think of Willa when we get to know her through Finn’s eyes but I really liked her after experiencing the story from her point of view.

Willa is the leader of another group in the Survival Camp. She was describes by Finn and her group as very intense and fierce, composed and a follower of rules, and sometimes even shy and innocent. Willa sticks to the game and her group but within the group she minds her own business. She distances herself from the others and doesn’t really share information about herself.

Willa is also going through some major character development. She used to be very distanced and composed, although always standing up for herself and others and  not taking shit from disrespectful boys (cough Drew, cough), but she still kept to herself. She was a combination of quiet, tough, genius girl. By the end of the book Willa has really opened up to the other girls in her group and learned how to rely on others and not just do everything alone! She found new friends in her team mates and members of other groups.

I loved how the relationship between Willa and Finn evolved.

Her and Finn coincidentally met at a clearing in the woods (I think?) one morning and agreed to meet there every morning and just sit and talk to each other. The only rule they have is not to talk about the game, strategics etc. Over the course of the game they share some private thoughts and they really get to know each other.

They’re both very strong personalities but completely different from each other. But still they fit together perfectly and they were really sweet together. The development of their relationship felt very realistic, it’s like the feelings for the other person creeped up on both of them and they didn’t realise they were slowly falling for each other. It was so sweet.

The writing flowed nicely and the chapters were short so it was very easy to read and breeze through this book! And I generally loved the whole idea of the survival camp. I kind of imagined the setting of the movie The Parent Trap with the camps and everything! I didn’t know what to think when I went into the book and I definitely didn’t expect to love it this much!

The one thing I really loved about this book was the diversity! Obviously we have Finn and Willa as LGBTQ+ characters but there’s also some PoC (we only really get to know the people from Finn’s group because that’s who we follow throughout most of the story). Craig’s dad is Polynesian, Jessie (a very sweet and funny character) is Chinese, we have the two inseperable best friends Hana and Zaki who are both muslim and Willa who is half-Indian.

I loved how it was “slipped in” so casually and naturally and how the characters weren’t portayed like something extraordinary or “exotic” (which happens in some books, ugh, I hate when it’s like being sensationalized). This was a very pleasant read and what I’m looking for in a diverse book!

Future Leaders of Nowhere is a book that is most importantly about friendship and teamwork with a sweet LGBTQ+ romance, loads of diverse characters and some kickass female leaders and group members who are all about girl power.

 (5 out of 5 stars)

Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston – RELEASE DAY!

Title: Geekerella

Author: Ashley Poston

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Published on: April 4^th 2017 by Quirk Books (today!)

Pages: 320

*I received a free e-ARC by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

(via Goodreads): “Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.”

“I thought you said that if someone likes something, then it’s not dumb.”

Happy Geekerella release day!!!!!!!!! 

I have been anticipating this book for WEEKS and I got so incredibly excited when my request on Netgalley got approved! Like you don’t even understand how happy it made me!

This was, hands down, one of the cutest books I’ve ever read! It gave me ALL. THE. FEELS. My heart almost couldn’t take it ❤

Just to let you know, this review will mostly consist of me geeking out, internally squealing and gushing about this book. Also, this must be the longest review I’ve ever written so that might give you a hint towards my feelings for this wonderful book 😉

Geekerella is a modern day Cinderella retelling about a nerdy geek girl called Elle. She lives together with her stepmom and –sisters who try to make her life as miserable as possible. The only happy thing in her life is Starfield, a TV show that she grew up watching since she was a little girl. The show is being made into a movie and there’s a contest that Elle desperately wants to win as it is her only chance to escape the unhappiness that she experiences at home.

The story is so intriguing right from the start and I couldn’t help but get lured in. I don’t know what it was, I just felt so incredibly connected to the story and the main character from the beginning!

Elle is such a loveable character and I could relate to her on so many levels! She is a proper fangirl and geeks out over her favourite TV show like any other person who is passionate about something! I can’t even express just how much I could relate to her! Personally, I am a part of a lot of fandoms, some book-related but mostly artists/boy bands and TV shows. What Starfield means to Elle is what One Direction (or The Vampire Diaries, if we’re talking about TV shows) means to me.

Let’s get real personal for a second… 😉 I have been a fan of 1D for almost 7 years now and they have played a big part in my life for years. I met some of the most amazing people through them, some of which I get to call my best friends :’) I still consider myself a part of the fandom and they will always have a special place in my heart, no matter what.

So when Elle fangirls and gets passionate about her favourite TV show, writing and reading fanfiction, being part of the online community and exchanging thoughts and feelings with other fellow fans, I TOTALLY GET IT! ❤

There were some sentences and scenes in the book that really made me tear up. There were times where Elle tried to explain to “outsiders” the sense of unity and community that you get when you’re in a fandom, alongside people who all love the same thing as you do and I could totally relate. More often than not people would look at me funnily or not take me seriously when I talked about online friends that I’ve never met and they wouldn’t even try to understand! Elle was bullied for her Starfield passion so often in this book and I could really sympathize and it almost broke my heart.

“Why does it have to be stupid or childish? It taught me a lot of things. Like about friendship and loyalty, and how to think critically and look for all sides of a narrative.”

Geekerella is told from two points of view. The first POV is Elle’s (obviously lol) and the second one is Darien’s.

Darien Freeman is a young, teen actor and heart-throb who just landed the lead role in the movie reboot of Starfield. In a way, you can compare his situation to Elle’s as Darien isn’t taken seriously a lot of the time either. For him, it’s the lack of respect from his actor colleagues and the media. Having successful parents, people think that he got everything handed to him on a silver plate. On set he is being treated like a kid by people who don’t feel like he deserved to play the lead role.

Darien has to take on the role of Carmindor, a character that is well-loved by the very passionate Starfield fanbase. The fans have very high expectations and being a young, insecure actor whose career is basically just starting out, it puts a lot of pressure on him.

I really liked Darien as a character. Since we see the story from his point of view, too, you really get to know who he really is and how he feels about the fame, the pressure and everything that comes with it. Deep down he is a normal boy, like you and me, who has been thrown into fame and is still trying to figure out how to deal with it. And what the media doesn’t know is that he is an actual Starfield geek himself! I have grown very fond of him, as he does and says some things that are just sooo sweet! ❤

Geekerella was your typical hate-to-love trope/story but I am a sucker for these kinds of tropes so I was bound to love this book.

I especially loved how the author incorporated all of the original Cinderella elements; we had the evil stepmum with her evil daughters, the pumpkin carriage that wasn’t a carriage but a food truck called The Magic Pumpkin where Elle was working with her newly found friend Sage, we even had the glass slipper that gets lost! (and later found by the prince himself). The retelling has been done in such an adorable way and I couldn’t help but get sucked into the story. It was very well done, in my opinion, and sooo cute!

What I also really liked is that Geekerella has some diverse characters. Our loveable prince Darien Freeman is a man of colour and there is a side-story involving two LGBTQ+ characters! Kudos 🙂

I will DEFINITELY purchase this book and read it again and again and again. It was my favourite read of the month!

I would totally recommend it to all the fangirls out there! If you are/used to be part of a fandom and/or like a good hate-to-love (fanfiction) trope or you’re looking for a super adorable, geeky contemporary read then Geekerella is the book for you! 🙂

 (5 out of 5 stars) and a special place in my ❤

The book is out TODAY so go out there and buy it immediately! 10/10 would recommend! Geez, I need to stop freaking out about it 😀

Goodreads /Amazon (US) / Amazon (UK) /  Barnes & Noble

Would you consider yourself a fangirl? Or did you use to be one? What did you fangirl about? Let’s chat in the comments, I’d be happy to meet fellow fangirls and fanboys, too! 🙂