Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (Spolier-FREE)

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. Orion Children's Books, 2016. 536 pages. Hardcover.

*This review will contain abosolutely no spoilers for Crooked Kingdom.*

Where am I even supposed to begin with this gorgeous, epic masterpiece of a book? The Six of Crows duology in general has become the series I never knew I absolutely needed in my life. The characters are brilliant, the plot is captivating, and the writing is stunning. I could honestly just end my review right there, because that's all you need to know about this book. But I won't, because this book deserves a better review than that.

Crooked Kingdom takes places after the somewhat disastrous events of Six of Crows, and it does not miss a beat of the action or thrilling nature that was present in Six of Crows. Bardugo's writing is simply flawless, and I don't say that lightly. She brings such life and intensity to every single page, which makes it impossible to put down. I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately - more like reader's fatigue, actually - but Crooked Kingdom was such a breeze to get through and really made me excited to read.

So, where to begin? One of the strongest components of this book is its characters. The entire core crew that works together - Kaz, Nina, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias - have some of the best chemistry in any book series I've read. I could not get enough of the banter and witty comments made among one another, including the various inside jokes between the group. (I strongly considered adding some quotes as examples, but then that would include me actually picking among the many great lines, and that just wasn't going to happen.) I can't get over how well Bardugo has executed each of their distinct, strong personalities. And while I don't always love alternative POVs, especially when there are a lot of them, Bardugo executes this style perfectly and I truly cherish each person's perspective, even when it's not one of the main characters. And while I love all of the character, Inej still somehow remains my least loved, and I'm not quite sure why, though I think it is because it doesn't seem as if her character has been developed to quite the same extent as the others, but this is just my own opinion, of course.

I'd also just like to inset here that I love Nina's passion for food, because that is one of the most relatable aspects of the entire book. And it made my want food (but what else is new?),

One small thing that seemed off to me was Kuwei's participation in this book. I won't go into much detail so as to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say I was surprised he didn't have a larger role in this book considering he was pretty much the main motivation in Six of Crows.

I loved the pacing of this book, and I am so pleased that Crooked Kingdom ended up being just as perfect as Six of Crows and didn't lose any of the charm or brilliance. It was a perfect companion and despite the fact that I never want to leave the story or these characters, the ending was perfectly fitting.

Overall, Crooked Kingdom obviously gets five star and all of my recommendations! I even convinced my mom to read the series and she is loving it, so go out and recommend this to everyone you know!

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First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Zero K by Don DeLillo

First Chapter Tuesday is hosted every Tuesday by Diane over at Bibiophile by the Sea. Join the fun by making your own post and linking up over at Diane's blog, or simple check it out to find more new books to read!

Zero K by Don DeLillo

Scribner, May 2016. Hardcover | Kindle | 288 pages

Even though I'm request #18 of 35 for this book at my library, I am continuously dying to read this. DeLillo is an extremely talented writer and I have heard wonderful things about his latest release. I hope I can get my hands on this one soon!

First paragraph:

Everybody wants to own the end of the world.

    This is what my father said, standing by the contoured windows in his New York office - private wealth management, dynasty trusts, emerging markets. We were sharing a rare point in time, contemplative, and the moment was made complete by his vintage sunglasses, bringing the night indoors. I studied the art in the room, variously abstract, and began to understand that the extended silence following his remark belonged to neither one of us. I thought of his wife, the second, the archaeolgist, the one whose mind and failing body would soon begin to drift, on schedule, into the void. 

What do you think? Would you keep reading? (And feel free to make your own post!)

If you're interested, be sure to check out the full synopsis on Goodreads!

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Source: Zero K online excerpt from Wall Street Journal.

The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale

The Wicked Boy will be published Tuesday, July 12th!

The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale. Penguin Press, 2016. Ebook. 352 pages. 

**I received a copy of The Wicked Boy courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Press in exchange for an honest review.**

Despite its fascinating premise, I'm sorry to say that The Wicked Boy did not live up to my expectations. The story setup is fascinating: an investigation of the child murder case in which Robert Coombes murdered his mother, was found guilty, and was sent to an infamous criminal asylum. Was Robert mentally insane when he killed his mother? Was he influenced by the world around him and the 'penny dreadfuls' he was so fond of reading? What caused this horrific murder?

I was so excited to dig into this intriguing historical case, but I had an extremely difficult time even finishing this book; most of the time while reading it I found my thoughts starting to drift off, which is never a good sign. Her writing is rather matter-of-fact, which wasn't actually the entire problem, but it certainly contributed to it. On the one hand, this rather blunt writing style fit the eeriness and cruelty of the story of the murders, but on the other hand it made what could be a fascinating story somewhat lifeless and forgettable.

There's not really any mystery to the story since the crime is admitted and we know how it plays out. Because of this, the story itself needed a bit more intrigue and suspenseful writing, which it lacked. Similarly, I feel like there was a great deal of padding throughout the story, particularly in the latter half. Now, if you're someone who is interested in historical and/or criminal cases and don't mind reading a more academic-style narrative, then you might really enjoy this and find it quite fascinating, so I would encourage you to pick it.

What I did really enjoy was the information itself: the mental health system, the culture of the period and location, and the profiles of those involved with the story. It is clear that Summerscale performed thorough research and put a great deal of time and effort into this, which I certainly commend her for. If the information had been written in a slightly more appeal or captivating manner, I think this book would have easily been much more enjoyable, but unfortunately it lacked the intrigue I needed.

Overall, I'm giving The Wicked Boy two-and-a-half stars, because despite the intriguing premise and well-researched information premise, the book lacked any drive or passion and thus made this quite a slog to get through.

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And I Darken by Kiersten White

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**I received a copy of And I Darken courtesy of NetGalley and Delacorte Press.**

And I Darken by Kiersten White. Delacorte Press, 2016. 498 pages. Ebook.

This is a very difficult book for me to review, largely because I really can't decide how I feel about it. On the one hand, it is a gorgeously written, intriguing story that I found myself always wanting to dive back into, but on the other hand, I somehow never truly felt like I understood exactly what the plot was, and I felt as though I was moving exceptionally slowly through it.

The first thing I would like to get out of the way is that describing this book as "fantasy" seems to be a rather loose, incorrect definition in my personal opinion, so don't dive in expecting to find many magical elements. It is definitely historical fiction - I'm not sure why it has so many fantasy tags.

And I Darken tells the story of siblings Lada and Radu, the daughter and son, respectively, of Vlad Draculesti, the current vaivode of Wallachia. The two are essentially abandoned by their father and their native home of Wallachia to be raised in the Ottoman courts, where they meet and befriend a young boy named Mehmed, the son of the current Sultan. Neither child is welcomed much on their birth: Lada, being a girl - and apparently an 'ugly' one at that - is of no use to Vlad, and Radu is a weak, (not strong) boy. The controversy lies in the fact that the enemy of Wallachia, and thus lada and Radu, is the Ottoman city in which they now live, which thus sets up our basic plot.

Lada is not your average badass; she's heard-headed badass taken to a whole different level. She is brutal, angry, and not about to mess around. Her biggest struggle  appears to be the fact that she was born female. Since her birth, she has been dismissed as unwanted and unnecessary, and this is what seems to help fuel Lada's fire to prove her worth and also to prove others wrong. In my opinion, Lada truly fits the definition of a dynamic character, and I applaud White on her character development skills. Lada starts out feeling completely unwanted and lost and thus spends her time fighting and struggling with the world around her. Within the pages of And I Darken, Lada truly seemed to find herself and her place in this world. She becomes a tough woman who knows what she wants and is bold enough to make her feelings heard. She embraces her womanhood by not really embracing it: she technically refuses to acknowledge herself as a woman and desires to be considered equal to all the men around her. Lada isn't the most charismatic or immediately likable character, but she is captivating. She is also apparently based off of Vlad the Impaler, so I am interested to see how "dark" she becomes throughout the rest of this series.

Radu is Lada's foil. He is beautiful, reserved, and soft-hearted. He does not like violence or rudeness, and instead prefers to be friendly with those around him - the complete opposite of Lada's own approach to people. Radu understands the art of befriending one's enemies to gain advantages, whereas Lada follows a more violent and harsh approach. Radu is such an interesting character, and I loved getting to see his own transformation and realizations throughout the story. Radu is also protected or saved by Lada many times throughout the book. In fact, Lada even goes as far to say that no one else will (or can) kill Radu because he must remain only Lada's to kill. Aw, sibling love - though, surprisingly, I understand this: no one gets to hurt my sibling but me.

Mehmed is a character introduced a bit later in the book, and I'm not sure how I feel about him. There are things I like, but also things I don't. I feel like he is a character that you have to decide for yourself how to interpret, so I'm going to skip over my own description and analyses of him for now.

I think my biggest problem with And I Darken is just that I'm still not completely sure what the plot was. It's still a solid, interesting story, but I can't really come up with any particular goal or purpose, other than to tell the story of Lada, Radu, and eventually Mehmed. If you're not a huge fan of books with no major overarching plotline running through it, this may not be your favorite. However, this is a still a solid, entertaining book that I would recommend you pick up and at least give a try. For all the reasons mentioned throughout this review, I am giving And I Darken four stars.

And I Darken will be released next Tuesday, June 28th!

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Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman
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The Academy Alignment by David Davis and Andra St. Ivanyi

The Academy Alignment will be released Wednesday, January 17th!

The Academy Alignment by David Davis and Andra St. Ivanyi. 2016, The Phoenix Organization. 285 pages. Ebook. 

**I received a copy of The Academy Alignment courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Oh, where to start.

I had some issues with this book. When you first start the book, you will be confused. You will wonder in the world you are reading, but hang in there, you'll get to normalcy soon. Eventually the author will bring you into more familiar and somewhat understandable territory and this is when I started to think that this was going to be a fun, unique take on the whole 'mysterious boarding school' genre. In ways, it really was, but in other ways... not so much.

Most reviews that I've perused since I finished seem to be quite positive, stating that the beginning was indeed a bit confusing, but that it eventually worked itself out - which, in ways is true, but not in a very satisfying manner. And some things were still left unexplained. I just felt disoriented. As odd as this may sounds, it is still an entertaining story that can be enjoyed if it's not examined too closely.

First off, I am really not a fan of present narration (this is a peeve that I also mentioned with Legacy of Kings, so at least I'm consistent). I didn't like the number of different of points of view either, as they really just lent to quite a bit more confusion. I felt that Peter, Dr. Linden, and Dr. Browning should have been the max points of view. I understand the use of other characters, but quite frankly it just became a bit too much for a book of its size. If this were a larger, more developed story, then I could understand the multiple POVs more.

In regards to the characters, I felt as though they weren't quite as developed as they could have been, and it was disappointing to see them remain in a somewhat two-dimensional form. When it came to the multiple points of views, it was difficult to distinguish one from another - each rich student seemed to have been molded into the same form. Peter started out as a rather promising character, but I quickly found that his actions just didn't make sense to me. His random photographic memory (what was the point of that?) and great computer skills just seemed to be thrown in to make him look better and conveniently move ahead in the plot. He seemed so indirectly involved in the entire story that I almost could't understand why he was even a part of it.

There's a unique take on the use of/influence of light and dark, which was one area of the book that I actually thought could have been a really interesting concept if it had been developed a bit more (or if we heard about it sooner than the end of the book). Perhaps there will be more in subsequent books, but to be honest i'm not sure if I'll be reading them.

The idea was there, but I just felt like it needed to be expanded so much more. I understand what these people do (leaving it vague so as to have no spoilers), but I didn't fully understand why or how. I kept feeling like I missed a couple pages or chapters. Things also felt a little bit too easy for Peter to decipher or figure out; he struggled, but not that much to find the answers he needed. Things seemed to go from zero to hundred in almost no time, and suddenly the end was there and I couldn't figure out what had really happened.

Overall, I am giving this book two-and-half-stars. Two seems a bit too little, but three seems slightly too generous. I would recommend this for someone who wants a new, unique take on a boarding school story and is interested in taking a chance on a new book.

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