Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication: 04/03/2011 by Speak
Pages: 352 Pages
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary
It's 1941 and fifteen-year-old artist Lina Vilkas is on Stalin's extermination list. Deported to a prison camp in Siberia, Lina fights for her life, fearless, risking everything to save her family. It's a long and harrowing journey and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?

My Thoughts
I want to start by saying that I had not heard about this piece of history before. I am very thankful that this book helped open my eyes about a part of history a lot of us don't know about. This book was very emotional and it's quite heartbreaking to hear Lina's story. I really don't know what to say about this book. The writing was simple but in it's own way it packed an emotional punch. It didn't hold back from the horrors that they experienced and saw. I listened to this on audiobook and I wasn't sure about tone the narrator read this story in. The story still came through but I am not sure if all of the events made me as emotional as they could have been if I had read the physical copy. Her voice just didn't suit the tone of the story and pulled me out of the story in a few places. I still highly recommend this book, especially if you are into historical fiction.

Review: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Genre: Fantasy
Publication: October 4, 2011 by Disney Hyperion
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #2
Pages: 521 Pages
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary
Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.


Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

My Thoughts
This was a really fun book. I don't know if I would listen to it again on Audiobook, but it was an adventurous story. I did think this instalment in the Heroes of Olympus was a bit slower than The Lost Hero but it was helping to build up for the next books in the series. I am excited to continue on with this series.

With the audiobook, I did find that I got distracted frequently but that has everything to do with me and not the book. There are a lot of characters to keep track of from across the series that it does require some attention to keep everything straight. I did really like that some of the book took place in Canada, as a Canadian it's fun when it's included.

I am excited to read The Mark of Athena, I foresee it being much more action packed and I can't wait for all the characters to be in one place again. This was definitely a story building book, setting us up for the rest of the series, which I hope to continue with soon!

Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication: 04/05/2011 by Reagan Arthur Books
Pages: 277 Pages
Source: Overdrive Audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary:
Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.

She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon -- from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.


Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

My Thoughts
Why haven't I read this sooner? I listened to this on a road trip and I laughed my butt off the whole way. I watched Tina Fey when she was on SNL and now in whatever else she does. She is hilarious and relatable. I laughed out loud so many times. Some of my favourite parts were when she was talking about being Sarah Palin on SNL. I remember those sketches so well it was awesome to hear some of the behind the scenes action.

Tina has some good insights into the world, and I can really relate to what she says. I love listening to hilarious book from other strong women. Being a comedian and being a women can be hard and Tina is really inspiring. If you like memoirs, especially funny ones, check this one out. It's awesome and I will always highly recommend.

Review - Anglefall by Susan Ee

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Angelfall is a post-apocalyptic novel that takes place after the world has been destroyed by Angels. The story follows Penryn and her family trying to survive in this new world. When her sister is taken, Penryn needs the help from someone she thinks could be her enemy to get her back. 

I was actually very surprised with this book. It was filled with action and the story never took a dull turn. However, it isn't your traditional YA. You were painted a picture of the violence and gore. The the author didn't hold back on the bloody and disturbing descriptions, which I appreciated because that is what a post-apocalyptic world would look like. I really liked the main character, Penryn. She was a girl that could defend herself and didn't need anybody to carry her through life. She was a strong female lead and I didn't feel like she made any unwise or unrealistic decisions. I also found that Raffe was a good male lead, but I still feel like his character needs more time to grow. I feel like there is still a lot of mystery surrounding him and the other angels which I am excited for in the further novels. The romance (or not so romance) I feel was handled perfectly. You could see how conflicted they were but couldn't help but have some sort of loyalty to each other after what they went through. I also enjoyed how Susan Ee handled the mental illness of Penryns mother which I think added more depth to the story and the characters. 

Conclusions: 2 thumbs up from me. Angelfall is exciting and action packed. Very good solid characters and the story didn't slow down during any part. However, if you are not a fan of violence or bloody scenes during your books I would avoid this one. It reads like YA but with more adult content. I will definitly be continuing with the series.

Rating: 4/5 (Perfect for fans of post-apocalyptic books)

Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me follows a teenage girl named Juliette who had a special power, her touch is lethal. Our story begins where she is locked up in a prison/mental institution and hasn't spoken to anyone in nearly a year. Juliette is broken and believes herself to be a monster. She spends her days looking out her window at the destroyed world outside. Which has changed due to environmental impacts caused by humans. When Juliette gets a roommate, her life is changed forever. 

Honestly, in the beginning I wasn't enjoying this book. I had a very hard time getting into the writing style. I found the metaphors were overused along with certain phrases being crossed out. However, as the story went along it grew on me and I did enjoy it at the end. Once you get passed the beginning and into the meat of the story, it takes lots of interesting turns and keeps you interested. 

One other issue I had was with the love story (because no book can go without a love story :s). There was a lot of love, and not as much action as I would have hoped. I like to read dystopian because of the world building; however, Juliette and Adam were the center of the story. I also found it annoying that they kept thinking about having sex while on the run. Who has time to make out and have sex while running for their lives. Nobody! 

Don't get me wrong I did still enjoyed this book. Warner is a great villain, he is powerful and persistent. I want to know more about him and about what his plans really are for Juliette. Another thing I really like is that I don't know who to trust. You think Warner is the bad guy but is that really the truth? We shall see in future books.

Conclusions: I did actually enjoy this book. It was hard to get into but worth it once you get into it. I see a lot of potential in the rest of the series. I already own them so hopefully I get to them soon. I can see why lots of people love this book, and how others hate it as well. If you want to read it I recommend you give it a shot! 

Rating: 3.5/5  (Anyone else getting an X-Men Vibe?)