The Kingdom of Oceana (Charles Mitchell)

The Kingdom of Oceana

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: Fantasy & Action

Length: 222 pages

It's the last Friday of January and I somehow managed to post every single Friday this month. Not too shabby considering I hadn't posted at all in November and December! From this point forward, the pacing will likely drop to every other week again for reviews, but I might add some different book-related posts in between. Speaking of different, this book is unlike anything I had read before and clearly that paid off based on my rating. I couldn't put the book down! Thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Five centuries ago, on the island now called Hawaii, there was a kingdom filled with adventure, beauty, and magic. When 16-year-old Prince Ailani and his brother Nahoa trespass on a forbidden burial ground and uncover an ancient tiki mask, they unleash a thousand-year-old curse that threatens to destroy their tropical paradise. As warring factions collide for control of Oceana, it sparks an age-old conflict between rival sorcerers that threatens to erupt-just like Mauna Kea, the towering volcano. With the help of his ancestral spirit animals, his shape shifting sidekick, and a beautiful princess, Prince Ailani must overcome his own insecurities, a lifetime of sibling rivalry, and a plague of cursed sea creatures brought forth by the tiki's spell. Can peace be restored to the kingdom? Can Prince Ailani claim his rightful place as the future king of Oceana? Only one can rule. (From GOODREADS)

What I found fun about this book was the use of native language, because it added an element of education and immersion to the story. I've never been to Hawaii but it's a place that's always been on my bucket list due to the nature and the culture. Charles Mitchell's novel captures both of those things really well and combines that with an ancient legend that could threaten the beauty of the Kingdom. The plot is intricate and filled with unexpected twists and turns. Once you hit 1/3 of the way into the book, it's like you become entranced by a spell that makes you want to finish it in one quick sweep.

The two brothers in the story are so real to how I feel brothers usually are: competitive. Though they have grown up together in a loving family, they still fight for the inevitable battle of who will be King; something they both have different views upon in terms of style. In was such a captivating dynamic that made you feel like you knew these two brothers really well.

Overall, I would highly recommend The Kingdom of Oceana 

Happy Reading!

Children of Eden (Joey Graceffa)

Children of Eden

Rating: 4.5/5
 

Genre: Science Fiction; Distopian

Length: 278 pages

I don't often buy books - instead I'll borrow from a library - but this book was most definitely one I wanted on my shelf. Joey's choice of artwork is incredible and the texture of the front cover is a nice added bonus. This was the only book I pre-ordered in 2016 and I'm so glad that I did!

Rowan is a Second Child in a world where population control measures make her an outlaw, marked for death. She can never go to school, make friends, or get the eye implants that will mark her as a true member of Eden. Her kaleidoscope eyes will give her away to the ruthless Center government. Outside of Eden, Earth is poisoned and dead. All animals and most plants have been destroyed by a man-made catastrophe. Long ago, the brilliant scientist Aaron al Baz saved a pocket of civilization by designing the EcoPanopticon, a massive computer program that hijacked all global technology and put it to use preserving the last vestiges of mankind. Humans will wait for thousands of years in Eden until the EcoPan heals the world. As an illegal Second Child, Rowan has been hidden away in her family's compound for sixteen years. Now, restless and desperate to see the world, she recklessly escapes for what she swears will be only one night of adventure. Though she finds an exotic world, and even a friend, the night leads to tragedy. Soon Rowan becomes a renegade on the run – unleashing a chain of events that could change the world of Eden forever. (From GOODREADS)

First off, I absolutely fell in love with Rowan within a few paragraphs of reading about her. She has a spunk to her despite being hidden away in one location for her entire life. I mean, let's be honest, if any of us were locked inside our homes for 16 years we would probably be miserable; but not Rowan. She still has faith in her chance to live among society, even if it means a few risks. 

The plot was also very enjoyable and was paced well, until the final 50 pages or so; then it became too rushed and abrupt. Despite that discrepancy in pace at the end, the entire book was well thought out and even had a few plot twists that I did NOT see coming at all. Some of those twist had me close to tears and others had me mentally yelling at my book. Good job Joey... well played!

If you haven't read this yet, definitely pick up a copy
 

Happy Reading!

Kitty Hawk (Iain Reading)

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold

Rating: 4/5 
 

Genre: Mystery & Adventure

Length: 336 pages

Welcome to the first review of 2017! This is a book that I was approached to read in exchange for an honest review; they kindly sent my a physical copy and it's a gorgeous book. There are illustrations and maps to help the reader understand the locations of events that occur during the plot.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush. (From GOODREADS)

 I was extremely excited to start this book, mainly because it takes place in Canada. Being a Canadian, I was happy to see that an author wanted to showcase the beauty found along the Western coast. The second reason I wanted to read and review this novel was because it has an independent, female lead. I love books that let females use their own mind and take nothing from other people.

The plot and characters for Kitty Hawk were unique, as I can't say I've ever read a book that uses the history of the Yukon gold rush in a modern story line. The plot followed a logical order and timeline which I definitely appreciated. The only downfall to this novel was that a chapter consisted of no more than four pages; I find excessive chapter breakage to be disruptive to the flow of the story. I wish the author had of decided to create longer chapters instead.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold


Happy Reading!

A Year In Review: 2016

Good Morning Bookworms!

I figured the best way to start off the year would be to look back on the books I reviewed last year, that way if you're new then you know what I've recommended in the past year; gives you a sense of the types of books I enjoy. So let's get started!

5 Star Novels

Weeping Water - JT Ruby

Exhaled - Isabella Rogge

4+ Star Novels

 In Real Life - Joey Graceffa

Rebellion Project - Sara Schoen 

HP And The Cursed Child - JK Rowling

3+ Star Novels

War Of The Worlds - HG Wells

Foundation - Isaac Asimov

Stake Out - Lily Luchesi

2+ Star Novels

In Vitro Lottery - Ed Ryder

One Person's Craziness - RT Ojas

1+ Star Novels

Visions Of My Heart - Garikai Nhongo

Overall, 2016 was a pretty good year for books and my only regret is that I didn't find time to read more of them. As mentioned in the 2017 update post, there are 3 more reviews for 2016 to go live but then after that, it's onto 2017 reading. I've set myself a Goodreads goal to finish 15 books this year. 

What's your goal for 2017?

2017: A Fresh Start

Happy New Year!

It's now 2017 and I think it's time for a fresh start for this blog. My posting fell off the rails last year, especially in the last two months where I didn't post anything at all. I guess I got caught up in the whirlwind that is the end of the year but I want to come back stronger for 2017.

There are a few reviews I need to post for books that I read in 2016. You can expect to hear my thoughts on:

Children of Eden - Joey Graceffa

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold - Iain Reading

The Kingdom of Oceana - Mitchell Charles 

After those three reviews go live, I plan to get back into actively reading with more emphasis on books of my choosing. If you followed me on Instagram, then you'll have seen my post about a lost interest in reading because it began to feel like a "job" rather than a hobby. Therefore this year I will still be taking author requests, however I won't be saying yes to every single one like I did in 2016. I hope you'll understand!

If you sent me a request last year, I will still try my best to read and post about it, but no guarantees. The exception to that is if you sent me a physical copy, in which case I will most definitely read and review it. I promise!

Let's make 2017 a good one :)

Until next time, 

Happy Reading Bookworms

One Person's Craziness (R.T. Ojas)

It's been a while but I really am trying to get back to posting. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I had mentioned my lack of time for reading due to returning to school and being in a reader's block mindset. It's been a while since I picked up a book of my choosing (with the exception of Cursed Child) and I think it's effecting my enthusiasm unfortunately. Despite that, I will continue to slowly work through the novels that have been sent to me before taking a break from author-requested reviews. Without further ado, here's a new review!

One Person's Craziness by R.T. Ojas is a science fiction novella about Amoli and his unusual history. Amoli grew up on an isolated island among the Sarato people, where no one ever left the island's edges to the potential beyond the waves. During the annual Mazota festival, a strange event occurred that changed that: everyone disappeared except Amoli and his brother... or so they thought. The novella describes the events thereafter through the police investigative interview of which ends on quite a twist. Is Amoli crazy for thinking these events occurred or is the detective the one with the mind in make believe?

I read this novella during my co-op work placement this summer and I'd like the thank the author for providing me with something to help pass the time at work. The story was written quite well and the plot was definitely thought out. I loved the characters that Ojas created because each one had a different outlook on the mysterious events happening on their island. As the novella progressed, I'll admit that it made a turn in a direction that I did not expect and am still unsure as to whether I liked it or not. Minor spoiler: aliens. Now, I've watched movies with them and read other novels with them, but I'm truly not a huge fan of them. With that in mind, I guess you could say my opinion is slightly skewed towards a negative viewpoint; however, the novella did hold my attention.

Rating: 2.5/5

Reason: The writing was solid and the characters were believable; however, the plot ending is not something I can say made me dive into the novella even more.

Find a copy here

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting author-promoted requests.

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

HP and the Cursed Child (JK Rowling)

I'm back so soon with another review because yesterday was a big day in the book community: we have an eighth Harry Potter story to read and love as much as the others! I originally had not planned to go out and buy the book on release day, but I happened to be in the right place at the right time so I couldn't pass by without grabbing a copy. Shout out to Cole's for giving away special Harry Potter book bags with the purchase of the book because I am in love with the bag. As a final note before the review, I will say this: I am a huge Harry Potter fan so you may think I'm bias (which is possible) but I am trying to write this review as objectively as I can for you readers. Now on with the review!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a novel composed of the script from the West End stage play written by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. Since this is Harry Potter, and I know I wouldn't have wanted any spoilers if I didn't have the book, I'm not going to provide much of a synopsis. What I will say is that the script begins where the epilogue of the original series leaves off. You are immediately thrown into Kings Cross station and then into Platform 9 3/4 where you get to follow Albus as he journeys to Hogwarts for the first time. Since this is a story of the next generation, the focus is on Albus and his friend Scorpius, who both manage to find themselves in some trouble.

The writing style is different so I will preface my review by reminding you guys that the book doesn't read as a regular novel. Since the entirety of the story is explained through dialogue, with minimal descriptors presented as stage directions, you don't necessarily get the full "Hogwarts experience" as with the main series. This concept was difficult in the first couple scenes as I had to adjust my way of reading to recognize the dynamic of the conversation so that I didn't have to read the name of who was talking; however, it soon started to read as a normal book once you get past that small detail.

The plot is definitely something I would never have come up with on my own and it's definitely better than anything I had thought or predicted for the epilogue. I will say that the first quarter of the book feels slightly rushed since we see snippets of Albus' first few years at Hogwarts. With that said, I do recognize that this is a play and those productions have time constraints; there would be no way to include stories of each year without writing another 7 book series. Another exciting thing about the plot is that JK Rowling addressed some of the questions that I've had for years. I know a lot of people had questions about the Time Turners and why they were not used more extensively to "fix" certain events. For those of you that had wondered that, definitely read Cursed Child for some more insight.

The characters made me so happy because you have the old ones you know and love mixed in with the new ones you grow to love quite quickly. Since the plot is quite fast paced, you don't gain as much character development as we did with the original series; however, as mentioned before, certain things are incomparable because you have a West End play versus a 7 book series. One thing I will say is that the dynamic between Albus and Scorpius, as well as their relationships to their respective fathers, is familiar and new all at the same time. I loved the chemistry that exists there and how easy it is to cheer them on in their adventures.

Rating: 4.5/5

Reason: It's Harry Potter and I loved revisiting the Wizarding World, but the script means the story lacks descriptors and a more flushed out story.

Find a copy here

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting requests as my list is quite long!