Review: Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali & Raphaelle Barbanegre

Title: Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs

Author: Davide Cali and Raphaelle Barbanegre
Publisher: Random House CA
Publication date: April 14, 2015 

Genre(s): Children (Picture Books)

Source: Publisher

Format: Finished Copy

Pages: 32

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Snow White is on the run from an evil witch when she comes across some dwarfs in the forest. They agree to take her in and keep her safe if she will help them with their chores. She soon realizes she's taking on a lot more than she bargained for. 77 breakfasts to make, 77 lunches to pack (don't forget the juice boxes!), 77 pairs of pants to mend and a whole lot of dishes. Eventually Snow White decides to take her chances with the witch. There's a surprise ending... well, it may not be so surprising. This is a hilarious retelling of the classic tale, with bright, energetic illustrations featuring busy dwarfs, and the even busier Snow White.

I am in university, and I am not ashamed to say I enjoyed this picture book. It is a children's book, so no doubt there was very minimal text. BUT, the drawings/graphics/pictures were so interesting and fun to look at! I absolutely loved the art, and I would be scrutinizing every page trying hard not to miss anything. Every page was so full of context and color, it was seriously beautiful to look at. There was also a hilarious twist to the original Snow White story that really had me laughing at the end of this book. Definitely recommend this to any children out there, or anyone who is a fan of art and the Snow White stories.

The jacket of the book also happens to be a poster! How cool is that!

Early summer book haul

This is the April/May book haul. Have already gotten several books in June but I will definitely be making another post at the end of June for that one! 

Received every one of these from the lovely ontario blogger friends! thank you so much to Brittany, Giselle, and Marina for all of these beauties! I actually ended up getting Burn for Burn signed when Jenny Han came here in early June! YEAY! plus I loved the movie Love, Rosie so I want to give the book a chance. The other books are either contemporaries I've been wanting to read or paranormal/sci fi books I have had on my to acquire list for a while! 

Feast your eyes in this beauty! I had to snag it when it came out to be around $45 canadian dollars from Amazon.com! now all I do is stare and pet it whenever I'm not feeling great

Some fantastic review books from the publishers! I love love loved finding audrey as well as the wrath and the dawn! two huge thumbs up for those! still haven't read the bottom three yet, though I'm super excited for Most Likely to Succeed and Everything, Everything! 

Fantastic cook books from Random House Canada! those above and the one below (that one is a salad book and it is oh so delicious!) Also the Snow White and the 77 dwarfs is the cutest coffee table book (or children's book) you could ever get your hands on! 

These are all the beautiful books I acquired over the past month or two. Let me know which ones caught your attention and which ones you recommend I read!

Review: The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs

Title: The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A handbook for Geek Girls

Author: Sam Maggs
Publisher: Qurik Books
Publication date: May 12, 2015 

Genre(s): Non-fiction (graphic novel)

Source: Publisher

Format: Finished Copy

Pages: 208

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Fanfic, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more—it’s never been a better time to be a girl geek. The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is the ultimate handbook for ladies living the nerdy life, a fun and feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes for everything from starting an online fan community to planning a convention visit to supporting fellow female geeks in the wild.

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy isn't you typical graphic novel. It is a weapon. It is a little handbook that includes everything a Geek Girl would need to know about the Geek World. From the fandoms available (Are you a Potterhead? Or a Startrekker?), to the best comic/anime/gaming cons available. You name it all. Sam Maggs (the author, duh) even gives us a description of everything, and anything we might need to learn about. She even teaches us how to properly prepare to a comic con! Tips included! This book was just absolutely fantastic, and I loved how Sam was able to fit everything that defines being a geek girl into this tiny 208 pages handbook. Really, from games, to ya books, to anime, Sam did not miss anything. Reading this book, it really reminded me how awesome it is to be a fangirl.

Now, not only did the book have writing, but it also had DRAWINGS! As any graphic novel out there, this book had awesome and adorable graphics that seriously added to the humor of the narrator. I was able to relate to a lot of the things that were mentioned, and laughed a lot at the inside jokes only fans would understand. It was a great experience, talking and joking about what you love with someone who truly understands it. Only of course, I would be laughing with myself like a weirdo but who cares.

I would totally recommend this to any fangirl out there! Keep in mind this is not a fiction (therefore no actual story with characters and whatnot), so it's not a book you might finish in one sit. It's a book that introduces you to the Geek world (if you're not already in it) and reminds us girls how awesome it is to be fangirls. I also really liked how this book mentioned feminism! It's so important for women and girls to feel equal and awesome and to understand that we are individuals who can rule the world! So pick this book up and let it remind you and show you how truly awesome you are! 

Review: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #2)

Title: Shadow Scale

Author: Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House Canada 
Publication date: March 10, 2015 

Genre(s): Young Adult (Fantasy)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 608

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The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways. 

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

Oh Seraphina, where do I begin with this book? This is a massive 600 page ending to the Duology and it took a LONG while to finish! So much has happened and some of it was so good yet some of it was also just as disappointing. Seraphina is a historical fantasy novel, and although it isn't my favourite genre, I truly enjoyed the first book. Shadow Scale, however, was a completely different story. It started off quite slow yet there were so many things going on its hard to see that this was all fit into one book, which could've easily been fit into two. 

Normally, any book starts off slow and usually gets better as the book progresses towards this main goal at the end. This was also the case in Shadow Scale, yet I felt like the book just kept going downhill from where it started. What really frustrated me in the first book was that there wasn't much of a romance going on, so I went into Shadow Scale thinking ok we should at least get to see what would happen between these two characters. This however, never happened. Sure there was character development, yet it just seemed like the main lead was going through all these adventures with no real reasoning behind her goals. There is also the aspect of cheating in this book which I absolutely cannot tolerate and if you've read the book and know how it ends, then you should know how truly upset I was with it. I was willing to give this book about a 3/3.5 stars up until about the last 100 pages when everything just flopped. The characters I wanted to see more of, just disappeared, and there this was this constant battle between two characters that was just really really annoying. Just when the conflict looks like it's going to resolve, oh hey another problem arrises! This to me is just a sign of the author wanting to extend the length of the novel yet adding no strength to the story.

I do feel that this book should've been condensed to about half its size and definitely would've rather preferred a different route. It was a miracle getting through it, and although I love the writing of Rachel Hartman, I do have to say that to me, this book was a flop.

Double Reviews: Daughter of Deep Silence & The Summer After You and Me

Title: Daughter of Deep Silence 

Author: Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Penguin Canada
Publication date: May 26, 2015

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Revenge)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 384

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I’m the daughter of murdered parents.
I’m the friend of a dead girl.
I’m the lover of my enemy.
And I will have my revenge.

In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she’ll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.

Daughter of Deep Silence had so much promise initially with its Revenge (tv show) like setting. I love revenge plots, especially ones that don't end in a happily ever after where the girl falls in love with the enemy and the enemy turns out to be this misunderstood guy who isn't at fault at all. I hate those type of Revenge books and it seems most YA books have that exact plot progression. Unfortunately Daughter of Deep Silence, while in the middle had some great schemes going on, turned out to be exactly like the typical YA revenge plots that I really could do without. 

The beginning of the book was rather enticing and gripping. However as I continued reading the book, many plot holes emerged that I just couldn't brush off or ignore. I kept on going back and forth trying to see if the author explained the plot hole previously but I just missed it but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Being able to formulate a revenge plot and build up the premise for that requires detailed planning that I felt the author left us out of.. and I sometimes felt she glossed over many of them just because the details where never actually thought of. I wished so badly for the main protagonist to be like Emily from Revenge, where even if her emotions started getting in the way, she squashed them because she had a revenge plan that was years in the making. Unfortunately for Frances, the first sign of emotional turmoil had her breaking down and second guessing everything. The psychological and mental state of Frances was odd to be honest. Anyone who spent years trying to avenge their parents and went to such drastic measures like Frances did, wouldn't second guess and break apart at the mere glimpse of her ex crush who actually could be at the centre of the conspiracy.  

I still enjoyed the few planned dangerous escapades she pulled off, but I wish we got more details and they were a bit more thrilling. Daughter of Deep Silence turned out to be a disappointment mainly because of how weak the main protagonist was. I ended up skimming through the last one hundred pages because it turned into a typical cliche YA story and I really wished the conspiracy was better explained and explored. 

Title: The Summer After You and Me

Author: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski 

Publisher: Raincoast Canada

Publication date: May 1, 2015

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 320

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Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it's not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.

Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

This is another book where the main girl already has a loving significant other but enters this other guy that apparently opens up her eyes to the world or reminds her of the good old days and in the meantime she is STILL Stringing along her boyfriend. I just don't understand people like this. If you are not satisfied with your current relationship, either work harder to make it better or just end it. You going behind anyone's back just to hang out with another guy isn't right, especially when you really have no emotional attachment or anything complicated keeping you from ending your former relationship. I always feel bad for the other person and it turns the heroine into a hateful character, especially if the author wants us to root for her to end up with the other guy. I'm totally OK with hateful characters, only when the author actually makes them hateful for the purpose of the plot. In here we're supposed to cheer her on? hell no. 

End of rant. I'm sorry but lately I've been somehow reading more and more contemporaries with that same plot device and it drives me mad. However for The Summer After You and Me, even taking out the whole annoying romance, I honestly did not find anything interesting. I love Doktorski's debut novel but this one failed to deliver for me. I didn't find myself immersed in the story or even the least bit interested about the outcome. I basically skimmed through the second half of the novel and didn't really miss much by just doing that. The story had potential to hit home emotionally for many people but it missed the mark. I will definitely be picking up more books by the author because I loved the first one, so I'm hoping this one is just a fluke for me

Review: Nearly Found by Elle Cosimano - Fantastic thriller

Title: Nearly Found (Nearly Gone, #2)

Author: Elle Cosimano 
Publisher: Penguin Canada
Publication date: June 2, 2015 

Genre(s): Young Adult (Mystery/thriller)

Source: Author

Format: ARC

Pages: 384

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The sequel to the highly praised and intricately plotted Nearly Gone--a YA urban mystery that's perfect for fans of Bones, Numbers, and The Body Finder

When Nearly Boswell starts working as an intern at a crime lab, she's hoping it will give her an advantage when it comes to college applications. But on her first day, a girl from her trailer park turns up dead. Then the corpse of a missing person is discovered, buried on a golf course, with a message for Nearly etched into the bones. When Nearly finds out the corpse is the father of Eric, a classmate of hers, she starts to worry that the body is connected to her father's disappearance five years ago. Nearly, Reece, and Nearly's classmates--Vince, Jeremy, and Eric--start a dangerous investigation into their fathers' pasts that threatens Nearly's fragile romance with Reece, and puts all them in the killer's path.

This was the sequel to Nearly Gone, my favorite young adult mystery thriller that I read in 2014. Nearly Found picks up right where Nearly Gone ends, with more trouble following Nearly Boswell. You would think after what she was put through, from people she knew being murdered as a revenge plot for her to almost getting killed herself that she would finally be able to catch her breath and get a break? no. Boswell gets thrown deep into another mystery that seems to be connected with what happened to her before. This mystery also found a way to hit home for Nearly, and I just felt so bad for the girl. All she wanted was to finally be able to spend the rest of her school year under the radar without any more mishaps but her father's past is catching up to her. 

Nearly Found isn't only about the mystery but also the struggle of Nearly with being in a relationship. Her and Reece seem to be keeping so much from each other just in order to protect their feelings when all I wanted to do is force them to sit down and just talk. Talk about their insecurities, about what is bothering them, and to also tell the truth about what is going in each of their own lives. I liked that they didn't have the happily ever after once they got together. They sometimes remind me of Veronica and Logan from VM and I just ship those two so hard. Their relationship and romance was so realistic and had its ups and downs, something I appreciated from Cosimano yet again; her portrayal of a realistic relationship.   

As for the mystery, it was as exciting and creepy and mysterious as the first one. Elle Cosimano sure knows how to write them and I honestly hope she continues writing more YA mysteries because her realistic way of writing and brutal honesty of her description of some scenes are what really eleviate the quality of the mystery as a whole. Having a level headed protagonist who makes logical and sane decisions and choices also never hurts. I had a theory about who the killer is but the actual revelation was much bigger than what I had in mind. I definitely recommend this book to all mystery/thriller fans, whether adult or YA because this will not disappoint in the least bit. I can't wait to find out what is more to come from Elle Cosimano. Here's hoping it is another thriller! 

Review: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Title: Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Random House Canada
Publication date: June 9, 2015 

Genre(s): Middle Grade (Contemporary)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 288

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

This was such a fun book! I honestly didn't expect any less from Sophie Kinsella but I was a bit hesitant because of two reasons, one being that this is her first try at writing middle grade books, and another being that I never really enjoy middle grade books. The first reason is that I really hoped Kinsella's humor will translate through such a young protagonist (and oh boy, did it ever!) and the other is that I often find MG characters too immature for my taste, but Kinsella's magic did it again and totally made this book and character relatable, fun, and all with an important message delivered to the readers. 

Anxiety disorders are actually more common than what we think. Unfortunately many people aren't aware of the actual clinical term and brush it off as a personality defect. Mental and psychological illnesses are unfortunately treated as a second class citizen in relation to physical illnesses. I really applaud and admire Kinsella for picking such an important topic and simplifying it and relating it to young teens. Audrey went through a traumatic event in her school that caused her to develop severe anxiety. She wears sunglasses at all times and now never leaves the house (she is in the middle of transferring to another school). 

The story isn't just Audrey's story, but it is her whole family's story. One thing Kinsella did brilliantly is the family dynamic and relationship. Audrey's older and younger brothers will remind you of your own siblings. Her mother worries constantly and her dad backs her up in the parenting department just to keep the peace. We all have the bad cop good cop labels for our parents right? I just liked how relatable the whole family dynamic was. Also, A Kinsella book isn't one if it isn't laugh out loud funny, which Finding Audrey totally is. Her brother plays an online RPG game that he's preparing with his friends to enter a global tournament.. and that requires countless hours of playing, something that has turned red flags for their mom... and commence the crazy acts, from finding inventive ways to get around the ban from playing, to restoring to the most extreme actions, like his mom throwing a €1,100 laptop out the window to finally get her son's attention (This isn't the spoiler, the book opens up with this exact scene). If I could choose one word to describe Finding Audrey, it would be fun. I can't wait for Sophie Kinsella to venture more into the non adult world (YA book next? please?), as well as more adult books. Basically I will read anything Sophie Kinsella writes. I definitely recommend it to all Sophie Kinsella fans as well as readers who want to try her writing but aren't interested (yet) in her adult books.