Tag Archives: ya book

May Wrap-Up

Hiya! Today I bring you my May wrap-up. I must say, this month was very busy for me, and I’m sure June will be the same. Nevertheless, I still tried to read as much as I could. Enjoy!

Novels I Read

Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario: (3.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was really sweet, but also quite sad. You can read my review here!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vicious is well, interesting, but it was a bit too emo for me. Review to come!

Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson: This was somewhat infuriating, but it was also kind of wholesome?? Maybe I’ll give it three stars. Review to come!

The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Sky Blues was really cheesy, but also unlike a lot of contemporaries. Review to come!

Graphic Novels and Manga read

Seven Secrets Volume 1 by Tom Taylor: (4.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I did not expect to love this the way that I did. The story is incredibly unique, and features a variety of diverse characters. It’s a must read for all action fans!

The Princess Who Saved Herself by Greg Pak: (3.75 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was super cute and uplifting!! I absolutely adored the whimsical and messy setting too.

Just Pretend by Tori Sharp: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This memoir was adorable, and had such a beautiful message. Author interview to come!

Blue Flag Volume 4 and 5 by Kaito: (4.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Blue Flag is so incredibly emotional and gripping. It’s definitely a must read for all contemporary fans!

The Color Collector by Nick Solis: (4 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a super cute! The story is quite unique too.

A School Frozen in Time Volume 1 by Mizuki Tsujimura and Naoshi Arakawa: (3.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐ It’s quite an eerie and whimsical read perfect for fans of Your Lie in April.

Ao Haru Ride Volume 13 by Io Sakisaka: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s sad that I have now finished the series. Ao Haru Ride does shojou very well. I definitely recommend it to any manga lovers.

Early One Morning by Lawrence Schimel: (4 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was the PERFECT morning story for kids. Bedtime stories are so common in children’s literature, so I am delighted to see that this is a book is set in the morning. 

The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and Hatem Aly: (4.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was so cute! If you’re looking for a hijab-positive book to read to your kids, I highly recommend The Proudest Blue. It’s both an empowering and educational read that oozes out with sisterly love.

Total Number Of Books Read: 10

Total Number Of Posts Published: 8 

Average Rating: 7.5/10 or 3.75 out of 5 stars

First, let’s recap! Last month I said I’d read five novels, read all my netgalley ARCs, and drink more water. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet any of those goals.

Some of my goals for June include…

  • Finish three netgalley ARCs, and review them
  • Read 4 novels
  • Drink lots of water

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed reading about my May in books, I’d love to read about yours too! If you’d like, you can read last month’s wrap up here. Have a lovely day!

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Rogue Princess | A Review

Hey everyone! I hope you’re doing well. Today I’ll to be reviewing Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers. Before we get into it, I would like to point out how gorgeous this cover is! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers

(Synopsis from goodreads)

A princess fleeing an arranged marriage teams up with a snarky commoner to foil a rebel plot in B. R. Myers’ Rogue Princess, a gender-swapped sci-fi YA retelling of Cinderella. Princess Delia knows her duty: She must choose a prince to marry in order to secure an alliance and save her failing planet. Yet she secretly dreams of true love, and feels there must be a better way. Determined to chart her own course, she steals a spaceship to avoid the marriage, only to discover a handsome stowaway. All Aidan wanted was to “borrow” a few palace trinkets to help him get off the planet. Okay, so maybe escaping on a royal ship wasn’t the smartest plan, but he never expected to be kidnapped by a runaway princess! Sparks fly as this headstrong princess and clever thief battle wits, but everything changes when they inadvertently uncover a rebel conspiracy that could destroy their planet forever.

First, let’s talk about the plot. The original premise sounded so cool! A steampunk genderbent Cinderella retelling? Um yes!! The execution was done fairly well. However, I feel like the story was subject to bad writing. The story was all over the place, and there were too many mini plots. I didn’t know what direction the story was taking until page 220 or so. There was also a certain event that was used as a plot device even though it barely added anything to the story. Luckily, one thing that allowed me to raise my rating was the plot twist. I was definitely not expecting it.

Additionally, the main character Delia was underdeveloped. There was so much that happened in Delia’s life, yet she still stayed the same at the end of the book. She also didn’t have much of a personality aside from not wanting to marry a prince. Then again, it’s not like Prince Charming had much of a personality in the original Cinderella. Fortunately, Aidan was a very likeable character. He was passionate, fun, and his snarky remarks never failed to make me crack a little chuckle.

“If you love anything in this world, fight for it. Otherwise what’s the point of anything?”

―B.R. Myers, Rogue Princess

The side characters were definitely a hit or miss. The princes felt very comic book like, which made them seem extremely one dimensional. Prince Quinton really caught my attention though. He was mysterious and kind, and I really enjoyed reading about him. I only wish he was a little more developed though. Same goes for Prince Felix. Moreover, Delia’s sister Shania did not stop talking about men. It was literally all she would talk about. I’m not going to lie, it did annoy me quite a bit. Thankfully, the pirates were actually very cool. I loved the way the author worked them into the story too! Overall, the majority of the characters felt very one dimensional, which is unfortunate.

Furthermore, the dialogue was consistently done well. It was most certainly the highlight of the story. The dialogue really added to the enjoyment of the novel. From Delia and Shania’s interactions, to Aidan’s sassy remarks, the dialogue was undoubtedly very enjoyable.

“There is no greater power than the power of choice.”

―B.R. Myers, Rogue Princess

The writing style is where I had a lot of issues with. It was extremely dragged out at times, and felt overly repetitive. It was too blunt and the metaphors made no sense. I simply could not get into it. Due to the writing, so many moments that where meant to seem beautiful or symbolic did not make me feel any emotions. The story was also very confusing and I found myself struggling to imagine what was going on. There was also little to no world building. This led me to being heavily confused throughout the story. Luckily, despite being in third person, the story read like a first person story. I was very happy about that since I’m not a fan of third person writing.

The overall enjoyment level of Rogue Princess was pretty average. It was a good story that simply wasn’t impactful. As mentioned previously, the writing and underdeveloped characters made the story less enjoyable. Nevertheless, the original concept was very unique. Rogue Princess opened my eyes to a completely new genre of books that I will certainly explore more of!

If steampunk or science fiction are genres that interest you, I highly recommend you give this book a read!

Age Rating: 15 and up

TW: manipulation, death of a loved one, violence

Final Rating: 7/10 or 3.5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

Have you ever read any steampunk or science fiction novels? Let me know in the comments down below. Have a fabulous day!

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A Pho Love Story | An ARC Review

Hiya! Today I’ll be reviewing ‘A Pho Love Story’ by Loan Le. It’s actually my first ever eARC/ARC, and I am so happy I was approved to read this novel! Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Publishers for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. (Please note that the synopsis provided is from goodreads.) Without further ado, here is the review!

A Pho Love Story: Le, Loan: 9781534441934: Books - Amazon.ca

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.
If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.
For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.
But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember. Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories? 

First let’s talk about the plot! The original premise sounded very promising, and the plot was executed pretty well. The readers were able to get lovely descriptions of Phở and other delicious Vietnamese foods, which made me, admittedly, very hungry. Unfortunately, I felt as though we didn’t get much time in the restaurants. It would have been so cool to see all the steps it takes to establish a restaurant.

The characters were a delight! Bao was snarky and always made me laugh. He was honestly just a really kind and caring character towards everyone really. I loved how the idea of not knowing what he wanted to do in the future was executed in the novel. Uncertainty about the future is a very real that people go through, so it was definitely cool to see! Linh on the other hand knew she wanted to be an artist. It’s wonderful to see young people pursuing the arts, and I loved how Loan Le incorporated Linh’s family into her art. Linh’s inspiration for creating art was very beautiful and I found myself liking her character. However, she wasn’t as memorable as I thought she’d be. Moreover, Linh and Bao had a very healthy relationship. They were so cute together, and made a fantastic team! There was some miscommunication, but it was worked out throughout the novel!

Since the version I read of A Pho Love Story was an ARC, there won’t be any quotes in my review. Instead, take this cute cat!

The side characters were unique as well. I loved how the cast was almost all Vietnamese. It was very refreshing to see! Linh’s friend Ally, and Bao’s friend Viet, where great supporting characters. They were both helpful, and funny. I only wish the author went more in depth into the lives of the side characters. I also absolutely adored the family dynamic. The tension between the two families felt raw and realistic. Another character I enjoyed reading about is Chef Le and his family’s hilarious cameos. It was nice to see a very wholesome relationship between the Mai sisters. Evie and Linh have a lovely sibling dynamic that I wish was explored more in the book. A Pho Love Story is gorgeously done in terms of creating a sense of community within families, and I fell in love with that. Having a loving family is something very special, so I am very happy it was explored vividly throughout the novel.

The dialogue between Linh, Bao, and their friends felt pretty average, nothing ground-breaking was said. It was the dialogue between the main characters and their parents that really intrigued me. I haven’t read many YA novels where the parents and children had intricate relationships. Furthermore, it was very interesting to see Vietnamese spoken throughout the book. I love learning about different languages and cultures, so this only added to the enjoyment of the novel!

I unfortunately struggled with the writing style. The point of view switches from Bao to Linh, and vice versa every 10-15 pages or so. I found myself struggling with trying to understand if the we were in Bao’s head, or in Linh’s. At other times, the story felt repetitive and boring. In my opinion, A Pho Love Story didn’t need to be over 400 pages long. If it was slightly shorter, I’m sure I would have loved it even more.

As mentioned previously, the book seemed to drag on at times and felt a bit repetitive. That did affect the overall enjoyment level a lot. Nevertheless, it was still an incredibly refreshing read that I totally recommend!

Age Rating: 13 and up

TW: Stories of war and death

Final Rating: 7.5/10 or 3.75 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

So, will you read A Pho Love Story? Have a great day!

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