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Book Challenges Book Reviews Books

Marie Lu Books I’ve Read: What Makes Her Worlds So Easy to Get Lost In

Sometimes just one series can make you a fan of many other books, that was Legend with Marie Lu for me. I’ve read a few of her books now, so let’s see how they all hold up.

Stars and Smoke

marie lu

Fun ride. Basically like that movie “I Spy” but instead of a boxer, it’s a singer, and instead of a buddy cop drama it’s a romance… sort of.
I actually really liked the story and how they folded in the characters together. Some of it had to suspend my disbelief, but what else is new 😂
There were parts that felt like even in the world of these characters wasn’t realistic or believable. For me, I also felt the flashback memories of the characters pulled me out of the story and slammed me back in just by saying “the memory faded” over and over. I would have liked maybe a smoother way to bring these across.
It was quite witty and I did like the dynamic of the two main characters. I actually appreciated the ending (don’t come for me!) but there was also a bitter sweet feeling across the entire book. Lots of grief and traumatic background to propel the characters forward.

Legend

marie lu

I LOVED Legend.
(The only reason it even took so long to get through was because I was moving, and super busy – otherwise I would have finished it in a day!)

First – the premise.
Loved it. Can’t wait to continue unraveling the mysteries and secrets in the next book.
Second – the world.
It was introduced to the reader in a seamless way. It felt natural, part of the story, no info dumps and was just beautifully done.
Third – the characters.
I found not only the main characters, but the secondary ones as well, so intriguing. I loved all of the interactions, the development, the exploration of each characters stories – just all of it.

The writing style flowed so well, and the story was filled with fascinating turns, dialogue and world building.

Overall, an amazing YA book, and I can’t wait to read more!

Prodigy

I really enjoyed the continuation of this story!

It’s interesting timing for me to pick this book up in 2020/2021… but I’m going to leave that thought right where it is and ignore it for the purposes of this review.

I loved the characters of June and Day in the first book Legend, and they didn’t disappoint in book 2!
There was a beautiful depth to these guys this time around, and like in the first book, we got to see some of them together, and some of them apart.

Being able to see how these characters wrestled with the world shattering news of the first book was fantastic. The more they got to know about the world they thought they knew, the more we got introduced to new elements, characters, and an incredible world that spanned bigger than you ever thought.

I loved the way that Marie Lu went about sharing the world she has built for these characters. It all flowed so seamlessly, and was jam packed with action and adventure as the fight for these characters lives continued.

My mind, and what I thought I knew about this story, was blown over and over. Even though some things you may have suspected along the way, it didn’t matter. Some chapters, I couldn’t even turn the page fast enough.

I am so glad I have the next book ready to go, because I couldn’t imagine having to wait too long for the conclusion.

Champion

What a conclusion!

I am still a little shell shocked writing this review, but I’m going to try and find the right words.

The whole Legend trilogy has been fantastic. So well written, with characters so easy to connect with. The plot was fascinating, the world incredible and easy to be enveloped by.
This final part of the story was the most exciting, dramatic, tense, and jam packed part!

It left me clutching my book until my fingers were white, crying into my pillows, and throwing things around my house!

Worth the read

Rebel

This was a nice way to see some endings for the Legend story line and get an insight into the Antarctica world we saw a glimpse of in the trilogy.
I liked it, but it did feel like an excuse to rewrite the ending of the original story to a more satisfying end.
Overall, it was good, but not as satisfying as the books that came before.

Warcross

I LOVED this book.
It was nice to have a fantasy/dystopian that wasn’t all magic and superpowers, but technology based (that had subtle links to the Legend trilogy – supposedly set way in the future from Warcross).
The characters were great, plot very interesting and unpredictable (for me) and I love Marie’s writing style.

Wildcard

marie lu

Not as good as the first book, but still interesting. Not enough to read right after the first book, but months later.
A bit more techno babble that was skin worthy. I didn’t mind the twists and where the story went. Characters were just as interesting.
Pretty middle of the road.


See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Book Reviews Books Genre Reading Great Reads

A List of My Favourite Fantasy Books

Estimated Reading Time: 4min

Fantasy is becoming more and more popular, and I am not exempt from the craze! I LOVE a well written fantasy story, but I do have caveats… There are some fantasy stories that I just don’t read, and probably won’t.

If a story has too much magic, or almost any serious witchcraft I will NOT pick that book up. I try to be careful with what I put into my mind, and this is something I don’t mess around with. So for the most part, if there is a magic system, it is pretty tame and not really wizard-ess… BUT, there are plenty of fantasy stories that don’t have too much creepy or too much smutty, and those are the books I’m about to share with you now in my FAV Fantasy books!

The Hadley Academy For The Improbably Gifted (Conor Grennan)

grennan

This is kind of like a Professor X Academy story, and is SO MUCH FUN! I loved this book, and desperately want it to have more, because let’s be real – a world where anyone could have powers at any time and use them to make the world a better place…. everyone wants to believe in that. High stakes, fun characters and twists that shake your view on what’s real, and what isn’t.

AD 30 (Ted Dekker)

dekker

A woman in A.D. 30 is a princess in the middle of the Arabian desert, but when her family betrays her and she is cast out, she has one chance to survive. Meanwhile, she hears about a teacher not too far away who is claiming some incredible things that might just help her to reclaim her throne, and win the day – with some romance along the way. This story is part Arabian princess/adventure, and part discovering Jesus while he was walking on the earth from an outsiders perspective… yeah, it was mind blowing and incredible.

Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir)

andy weir

Waking up in the middle of… well nowhere… with no memory of how you got in this spaceship with two corpses beside you. Yup, that’s pretty much most of this book. Figuring out why the heck our main character is there, and what he’s supposed to do. It was equal parts hilarious and life threatening… the flashbacks help explain, and quite honestly my fav character is just all about that music babe! (If you know, you know).

Steelheart (Brandon Sanderson)

sanderson

What would happen if only the BAD guys had super powers? This. This would happen. A world where the ones that were mysteriously given power beyond what you could imagine basically rule with terror and fear. The only potential way to get out from under them, are the Reckoners – humans without superpowers that are willing to try and take out the power! So good, like a superhero film but without any chance of winning… or is there?

Legend (Marie Lu)

marie lu

Dystopian world where an outlaw threatens the rule of current power, a mysterious plague stretches through the lands, and a teenager is basically in charge of fixing it all. Yup, that’s pretty much it. This one has it all, revenge and love, power and rebellion & corruption and comeuppance. The ultimate Young Adult fantasy… if you ask me.


That’s just a few, but let’s be honest there are SO MANY MORE! Pop your fav Fantasy book in the comments and we can compare notes…

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Book Challenges Book Reviews Books Unfavourited Books

These Books Were Trash… ok that might be a bit harsh

Estimated Reading Time: 4min

A little harsh of a title, but I am talking about books that I have recently DNF’d. If you don’t know what that means, it’s just “Did Not Finish” – so the books that didn’t make the cut, couldn’t make it to the end;=, wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.. etc

Books and stories are subjective, something I love will be despised by others and vice versa. I end up DNFing for various reasons, so I’m going to share some of the recents with you and the WHY.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

mafi

Woman who touches people and bad things happen tries to escape captivity and figure out what’s going on…

This book was by no means a bad read. This was one of my outliers for a DNF where I just wasn’t in the mood in the time that I picked it up to read it. I actually still own this book, and would love to actually get to it one day (hopefully soon) – but for the time I tried it was not the one for me. Here’s hoping it will be soon!

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

cosimando

Writer is mistake for a serial killer and gets drawn into a murder for hire…

Okay, so this book started out quite funny and was definitely an interesting concept. There was a bit too much of certain aspects in this for me – a drawing to various things that I didn’t appreciate. It was a completely PERSONAL reason for putting this book down. Nothing to do with the writing or characters really at all, just preference and for my own mind to be protected.

Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

sutanto

Girl accidentally kills somebody and calls her interfering family to help her out of it…

Again, this one was a really great concept. It was actually HILARIOUS! I loved the writing style and the characters were awesome. The reason I didn’t finish this one, was simply a supernatural element that for me personally, didn’t gel well. There wasn’t anything outright crazy about it – just the mention of a family curse – but for me it was enough to put this one down.

Wildcard by Marie Lu

marie lu

Video game reaches into the real world to try and destroy life as every free willed human knows it…

I LOVED the first book in this duology – Warcross. Absolutely LOVED it! The world and characters were amazing and complex and I just loved every minute of it. The follow up however, fell flat quite quickly for me. I think some of it came from being saturated in the world already and needing a break (which I am hoping to come back to another time). I also wasn’t a fan of where the characters were going and did read the spoilers online. I am hopeful though, that I can revisit this when I feel like delving in again.

Will by Will Smith & Mark Manson

will smith

Movie star recounts his life in surprisingly LONG detail…

Okay, I am not usually a biography person so let’s put that out there right now. There are very few “famous person” life stories that I am interested in. I did pick this one up post slap (and didn’t really care) but felt it dragged on a bit too much for me. There was too much detail and story that I frankly just didn’t care about. I sent this one back to the library and never felt the need to return.

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

dent

Woman takes the place of her friend as wine expert overseas and tries to fake her way through the job…

I didn’t make it very far in The Summer Job but it was enough for me to realise it wasn’t my kind of book. There were too many reference to things I didn’t care about or wanted to know, and the characters hadn’t drawn me in quickly enough to overlook that for the sake of the book.

The Hawthorne Legacy & Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

lynn barnes

Billionare dies, leaving his money to a teenage girl and the family have to figure out why…

Okay. I’m ready to tackle this one – though I did leave it last for a reason. I read the first book “The Inheritance Games” and really did enjoy it. The reason I only read a few pages of the second book (and none of the third) before reducing the entire series to my unhaul pile are few, but important.
Too many occult references for my liking, and something about these books drew me in too much. There is liking something, and then there’s obsessive – this one felt too much of the latter. It made me feel icky after reading a few pages, but I felt drawn to come back too easily and quickly. There’s something on these books (and if you aren’t spiritually inclined that’s okay) that for me, it was a hard no to continue on.
I did finish the first and really liked it, the puzzle was fun and the characters interesting and challenging…. but overall it just wasn’t worth it for me to keep going.


Well, there you have it. The books that I just couldn’t get through for one reason or another.

What about you? What are some of the books you have hated and put down, just couldn’t get through or refused on principle to read? Share in the comments.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Book Reviews Books Great Reads Life Movie/Pop Culture

Fantasy Book Recommendations

Sometimes we all need to just escape from the world we live in, to see just how bad pretend people, in a fantasy world really have it. 

Estimated Reading Time 2min

There are so many amazing fantasy books out there, but here are five that I’ve read, and would recommend you add to your pile also!

The Reckoners Series by Brandon Sanderson: 9781524766320 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

The Reckoners Series (Brandon Sanderson)

In a world where superpowered humans rule as ruthless tyrants, a determined group of ordinary rebels known as the Reckoners risk everything to bring them down. Brandon Sanderson’s action-packed series blends explosive battles, clever strategy, and shocking twists in a high-stakes fight against corrupted heroes.

The Legend Trilogy Collection by Marie Lu: 9780698172616 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

The Legend Trilogy (Marie Lu)

In a fractured future America divided by war and control, a military prodigy and the nation’s most wanted criminal uncover dangerous secrets that could change everything. Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy is a fast-paced dystopian series filled with rebellion, betrayal, romance, and political intrigue.

The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted :HarperCollins Australia

The Hadley Academy For The Improbably Gifted (Conor Grennan)

At the mysterious Hadley Academy, students with extraordinary and unusual abilities are trained to survive a world filled with secrets, danger, and hidden power. Conor Grennan’s adventure blends humour, heart, and fast-paced mystery into a story about friendship, courage, and discovering where you truly belong.

The Outlaw Chronicles Trilogy: Books 1-3: Dekker, Ted: 9781683971382: Amazon.com: Books

The Outlaw Chronicles (Ted Dekker)

In a brutal post-apocalyptic world ruled by fear and corruption, a band of outcasts must fight for freedom, truth, and survival against overwhelming darkness. Ted Dekker’s Outlaw Chronicles combines intense action, spiritual themes, and high-stakes adventure in a gripping dystopian saga.

The Hunger Games (novel) - Wikipedia

The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)

In a deadly televised competition where only one tribute can survive, Katniss Everdeen becomes the unlikely face of rebellion against a ruthless regime. Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games series is a gripping dystopian story of survival, sacrifice, resistance, and hope.


What other “Fantasy” books did I not include that you have LOVED? Share in the comments for us all to enjoy… If you want to read my book, head to the link >>>here for the KIDNAPPED Entanglement eBook

See You in The Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Life

Prodigy by Marie Lu | Book Review

A world where a plague is wreaking havoc, the country is split and at war within itself, and teenagers who are the only chance for survival… It’s a YA book of course!

Estimated Reading Time: 3min

I really enjoyed the continuation of this story!

It’s interesting timing for me to pick this book up in 2020/2021… but I’m going to leave that thought right where it is and ignore it for the purposes of this review.

marie lu

Prodigy

I loved the characters of June and Day in the first book Legend, and they didn’t disappoint in book 2!

There was a beautiful depth to these guys this time around. Like in the first book, we got to see some of them together, and some of them apart.

Being able to see how these characters wrestled with the world shattering news of the first book was fantastic. The more they got to know about the world they thought they knew, the more we got introduced to new elements, characters, and an incredible world that spanned bigger than you ever thought.

I loved the way that Marie Lu went about sharing the world she has built for these characters. It all flowed so seamlessly, and was jam packed with action and adventure as the fight for these characters lives continued.

My mind, and what I thought I knew about this story, was blown over and over. Even though some things you may have suspected along the way, it didn’t matter. Some chapters, I couldn’t even turn the page fast enough.

I am so glad I have the next book ready to go, because I couldn’t imagine having to wait too long for the conclusion.


Have you read the Legend trilogy? Let me know what you thought in the comments.

See You in The Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Book Reviews Books Great Reads Life Unfavourited Books

Best and Worst Rated Books of 2020/21

I went over all the books I’ve read in the past year (July2020-August2021) and found the BEST and WORST rated ones! 

Check out the video below:

I hope you enjoyed the video. Let me know if you’ve read the books I mentioned, and if you agree with my rating or not…


See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Books Goals and Wrap Ups

August Reading Wrap Up

I actually got through my August TBR list this month! 

Thanks, I’m sure, to the lockdown and my inability to work, I was able to actually get through the 5 videos I had on my list this month.

They included Sherlock Holmes and the Needles Eye, Airborne, Local Poet, Our Life in A Day, and Champion (Legend Series)… So, what were my final thoughts on those books? Check out the video to see:


I hope you enjoyed the video, and I can’t wait to get onto my next TBR for September. Something cool is coming for next month, so WATCH THIS SPACE for more!


See You in The Adventures!
Christy Grace