Tag: Review

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket

by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Dear Reader,

You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages. I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats. It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children’s lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Book Overview:

Author: Lemony Snicket | Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events | Format: Audiobook | Narrated by: Tim Curry | Length: 4 hours, 20 minutes | Publish Date: April 24, 2001 | Genre: YA/Children’s Fantasy | Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ | Recommend: Yes

“It was a curious feeling, that something could be so close and so distant at the same time.” 


This is the farthest that I’ve ever gotten in this series, and I’m so proud of myself! Honestly, this series just keeps getting better and better, you know besides all the unfortunate events that keep happening to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. But of course, that’s how you know what book you’re reading: there are rarely any happy events that happen and even though it looks like things are going to get better, they always end up getting worse.

The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” definitely comes into question in this book. Instead of being sent to a specific guardian like in the previous books, the Baudelaires are sent to a certain village, one that has signed up for a program where the entire village helps to raise orphans in need. So of course, they choose the village that they think will lead to some sort of clue as to what happened to the Quagmire Triplets, and the mysterious fire that killed their parents. At first, they feel like they came to a dead end, but that’s not always the case. We find out what one version of VFD means, but is it the one that we are looking for? Does Count Olaf end up finding them again this terrible and vile village? Spoiler alert: Doesn’t he always?

These books really just keep it interesting enough that I want to find out what the heck happens at the very ending. I want them to finally kick Count Olaf’s scrawny butt and not have to deal with terrible guardians that are crappy adults. I want that to happen so badly, but I feel like it’s not going to end that way. I just have to keep going to find out.

Stay tuned.

Don’t forget to check out Lemony Snicket’s Author Spotlight here.


New World: Rising by Jennifer Wilson

New World: Rising by Jennifer Wilson

by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Worlds collide in debut author Jennifer Wilson’s graphic dystopian series where Divergent meets Mad Max. 

Since witnessing her parents’ murders at the age of eleven, Phoenix’s only purpose in life has been to uphold her mother’s dying words – to be strong and survive. But surviving outside of The Walls – outside of The Sanctuary – is more like a drawn-out death sentence. A cruel and ruthless city, Tartarus is run by the Tribes whose motto is simple, “Join or die.” 

Refusing to join and determined to live, Phoenix fights to survive in this savage world. But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself…

The first of a trilogy, New World Rising is an epic tale of survival, instinct, trauma, and the extraordinary power of human connection.

“Savage and raw, Jennifer Wilson pulls no punches in this blood tingling dystopian.” Kimberly Derting, award-winning author of The Pledge Trilogy

Book Overview:

Author: Jennifer Wilson | Series: New World | Format: Paperback | Length: 350 pages | Publish Date: January 5, 2016 | Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopia | Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ | Recommend: Yes

“Even the most gentle people have a dark side you know.” I was trying to warn him.“I know,” he said handing me the other bowl of soup. “It’s how you control that darkness that defines you.”


*****TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE*****

There seems to be a trend on YA dystopia books lately, with the popularity of books like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. It seems like everyone wants to know how the world would be if society, as we knew it today, went through such a drastic war that almost everything was destroyed. It’s a fascinating subject, and I’m glad to know that there are so many different takes on the question of “what if”.

In this world, there really isn’t a reason for why the world is in such disarray. However, we do know that in the “bad” part of the city, it is overrun by groups of people called the Tribes. Each Tribe has their own characteristics, but all of them are extremely deadly in their own way. One of the Tribes, known as the Ravagers, are considered the most dangerous, as they are thought to be the most violent. The Ravagers were the ones that killed Phoenix’s parents, right in front of her eyes. If her parents hadn’t hidden her in a sewage grate, she would have been killed too, and this book wouldn’t have happened. This was when she was eleven years old, and for the past six years, she has had to learn how to survive on her own in such a perilous city.

For six years, she had never made any friends or other relationships. She was a recluse. She kept to herself unless she needed to make a trade for survival. She even went to great lengths to make sure that she didn’t sleep in the same place for more than one night in a row. One night, everything changes when she sees a group of Ravagers hunting a little girl, and she does the unthinkable thing of trying to save her.

From that point on, she finds herself in a secret society, a group hidden from the rest of the Tribes, where defectors from both the Sanctuary and Tartarus (the city that Phoenix survived in for the past six years) are working together to accomplish… well it depends. Some of them want to take over the city from the Tribes, while the others want to take down Sanctuary. So either way, someone is going down. But who?

Phoenix is broken. She not only watched the vicious murder of her parents, but she had to watch her mother get raped by the Ravagers before she was killed. To make matters worse, another Tribe called the Scavengers tainted the bodies by stealing from them after the Ravagers were done from them. She has been traumatized so much, that she can’t even allow herself to feel, to care about anyone, even though the alternative has been really lonely. I’m just so glad that by the time the book was over, she opened her heart to two people, and she learned to love again.

Author Spotlight
Courtesy of Goodreads

Twitter: J_KayWilson
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy
Goodreads Member Since: August 2014

As a child Jennifer loved getting lost in the stories of others, but struggled greatly with reading. A notoriously slow reader who stumbled with words and spelling, Jennifer shied away from books, leaning heavily on musical theater and movies to get her inspirational fix.

It was not until in her mid-teens, when a persistent friend convinced her to read the Harry Potter series, that Jennifer found her love for the written word. J.K. Rowling’s books opened doors not only to the fascinating world of a young wizard, but to a life filled with a multitude of literary friends and fantastical worlds. Once a timid reader, Jennifer now devours books and loves getting lost in a new series.

Jennifer had wanted to write her own novel since her early twenties, but unfortunately inspiration doesn’t always strike on command. Her first book, The Chosen, was completed in 2013. But as most first attempts go, it was a flop. While looking through a multitude of rejection letters, inspiration struck again, putting Grace’s story got on hold as Phoenix’s began.

New World: Rising began to fill Jennifer’s brain, flowing like a fully opened valve from her fingertips. What was once such a struggle in her early years suddenly became a passion.

When Jennifer is not writing, she is enjoying life in Colorado, rock climbing, camping, exploring new foods, playing with her golden retriever, Duke, and sharing her life with her handsome and wonderful husband.
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

“Heart-fluttering, honest, and hilarious. I can’t stop hugging this book.” —Stephanie Perkins, New York Times bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss

“I have such a crush on this book! Not only is this one a must read, but it’s a must re-read.” —Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’

From the award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda comes a funny, authentic novel about sisterhood, love, and identity.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back. 
There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker, Reid. He’s a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. 

Right?

Book Overview:

Author: Becky Albertalli | Series: None | Format: Audiobook | Narrated by: Arielle DeLisle | Length: 7 hours, 58 minutes | Publish Date: April 11, 2017 | Genre: YA Contemporary, Romance, GLBT | Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2017) | Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★| Recommend: HECK YES

Because I have to admit: there’s something really badass about truly, honestly not caring what people think about you.



This was one of my favorite books of all time. That’s so rare to me, to find a book that is contemporary that I actually enjoyed, but this one completely took my breath away. I think listening to it made it even more enjoyable for me because Arielle DeLisle completely convinced me that she was actually Molly – the main character and protagonist of this book – and not just a narrator. She really made me feel like I was in the mind of a seventeen-year-old girl. Becky Albertalli did such an amazing job of encompassing what goes on in the mind of a teenage girl, and all the little quirks and inner dialogue that she would have during certain situations would have come out of my mouth at her age. Actually, I probably would have thought some of the same thoughts even now, and I haven’t been seventeen in a little while.


Even if he likes me, I’m not sure he’d like me naked. I hate that I’m even thinking that. I hate hating my body. Actually, I don’t even hate my body. I just worry everyone else might. Because chubby girls don’t get boyfriends, and they definitely don’t have sex. Not in movies—not really—unless it’s supposed to be a joke. And I don’t want to be a joke.


Molly is amazing. She has never been in love before, even though her twin sister Cassie has had her fair share of hookups and whatnot. Molly thinks it’s because she’s fat, and no guy would want to date a fat girl. Trust me, Molly. That’s how I feel to this day, and I definitely had that fear when I was your age. But there are two guys that are now in her life, one that she thinks she likes, and the other that she thinks she doesn’t. One is considered a hipster cool guy, Will, and the other is a nerdy guy on the bulkier side, Reid. When Cassie ends up getting a girlfriend, this really hipster cool Korean-American hottie named Mina, things start to change between the twin girls, and drama ensues. And yes, I did say that right. Cassie has a girlfriend, not a boyfriend. I love the feminism and acceptance of love in this book. Did I mention that Cassie and Molly have two moms also? The acceptance of all kinds of love in this book is great, and so normal as opposed to being such a big deal. Two girls or two women falling in love is not something so insane that it shouldn’t be mentioned, and Albertalli does a great job of showing that people should be more accepted by the masses.

I can’t say more about the book, only because I feel like I will spoil it. I wouldn’t want to do that. But oh my gosh, I absolutely loved everyone in this book. Well almost everyone, but I’m not going to mention that. The girls in this book are so sure of themselves and do not take shit from anyone – boy or otherwise – about what they can do with their bodies. Cassie even stands up to their grandma when their grandma starts to bring up Molly’s weight yet again. I love that about this. They aren’t afraid to tell people when their thought process is wrong – from racism, sex, and lesbian relationships – and their relationship with one another can withstand even the worst of arguments. There isn’t any girl on girl hate in this book, which is so refreshing! Yes, there are some damning thoughts from Molly when she thinks that one of her best friends likes the guy that she’s crushing on, but that’s typical seventeen-year-old behavior. She never acts on it, and even realizes that she was being a terrible person. She learned from her mistake, and that’s what matters.

I have so many emotions about this book. I loved it so much. I was cheering for Cassie and Molly. I was screaming about Reid. I was just all over this book like white on rice. I wish it didn’t end. I wish there was a sequel, but I feel like it ended perfectly. I just loved this book so much. Go read it. Go listen to it. Go find out more about Molly’s world! You won’t regret it.

Author Spotlight
Courtesy of Goodreads

Born: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Goodreads Member Since: December 2013

Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novels Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (film: Love, Simon), The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat. She is also the co-author of What If It’s Us with Adam Silvera. A former clinical psychologist who specialized in working with children and teens, Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.