Recent YA Releases: Week of April 7th-April 13th (4 NEW Titles!)

Here are four (4!) titles that are going to be released within the next week:

If you are looking for sequels...

 

I am actually currently reading Miss Mayhem, and it is as light and fun as it's first title was. I am having some issues getting acclimated to the new romantic relationship, but overall I feel like I am back on Sunnydale with a brand new gang. I have Empire of Night on my reading queue and I cannot wait to start it! Specially after that ending from Sea of Shadows. Not everybody was a fan of Sea of Shadows, but I totally was! I loved the characters most of all, and the world was also very dark and magical (just like the Empire of Night cover). I totally recommend both these series.

If you are looking for a stand alone title...

 

 Zeroboxer may or may not be a stand alone. Right now I have heard no plans for a sequel, but I've also heard that the ending would allow for one to come to fruition if necessary. Zeroboxer is described as a sci fi thriller, and I am all into that, and this is why I want to read it:

As his fame grows, Carr becomes an inspirational hero on Earth, a once-great planet that’s fallen into the shadow of its more prosperous colonies. But when Carr discovers a far-reaching criminal scheme, he becomes the keeper of a devastating secret. Not only will his choices place everything he cares about in jeopardy, but they may also spill the violence from the sports arena into the solar system.

The Earth has fallen behind, we have prosperous colonies in the far reaches of the galaxy, conspiracy, danger, maybe space fights? Sign me up!

If you are looking to start a brand new series...

 

 

I actually already read Lies I Told, the story of a con family and what happens when the jig is up. I adored the easy dialogue that the main character Grace provides. I loved reading about the con and the ways that they planned to pull it off, I also loved the whole undercover side of the story. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the romance, I just didn't feel sparks for the main romantic boy (he was way too vanilla, not interesting enough) but everything else makes up for it! Would definitely recommend (and the review will be up soon!).

Currently Reading:

 

Reading Queue (list of books I WISH I could read at the same time):

   

For even MORE upcoming releases please visit my Pinterest at: TaschimaCullen.

In it I have individual boards dedicated to YA Releases from 2014- onward by month of release. I update it daily :)

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YA Review: The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows

Title: Orphan Queen
Author: Jodi Meadows
Series: The Orphan Queen
Book #: 1
Pages: 400
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 4.10
Published: March 10th, 2015

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

Taschima's POV:

"I was Julianna, a general, and occasionally the orphaned Princess of Aecor. I was anyone I needed to be."

I like many other bloggers received an e-copy of this title for reviewing purposes months ago, only to find out the e-copy was just an excerpt. I am glad I didn't read the excerpt because it does not do justice to the book as a whole. The first part of the Orphan Queen is the least exciting part, the part that almost feels like every single other YA fantasy title out there. After Part two is that it starts getting real good.

"When the Indigo Army invaded Aecor almost ten years ago, every adult living in the palace was slaughtered, and the highborn children were brought to Skyvale, the capital of the Indigo Kingdom. We escaped the orphanage a year later and named ourselves after the national animal of our conquered homeland.
The Ospreys, these children, were my life. Without them, I had nothing.But with them...
With them, I would take back my kingdom."

What makes Orphan Queen special is its brand of magic, the conflict between the kingdoms (because there is no black and white easy answer, it is very complicated and everybody is a little at fault), the vigilante that takes it upon himself to cleanse the kingdom of its problems, and the one girl who is supposed to save a kingdom and a world from the plague of magic with the help of a small group of orphans.

"Regardless, they're our way into society. Try to be polite."
"I'm always polite."
You're [Wil] always eyeing people's valuables. That's hardly polite."

Wil is the orphan daughter to the King and Queen of the Aecor kingdom. When the rival kingdom attacked her home she was spared, but only because she pretended to be someone she was not. Now she is just a kid trying to survive and keep those under protection alive. Her and the Ospreys have trained in order to be formidable when trying to get their kingdom back. She goes into the rival kingdom's palace under the identity of another dead royal in order to get valuable information that might help her save her kingdom. She also harbors the secret of her magic. She commands inanimate things, tells them what to do, and they do it (like for example she would tell a rope to untie itself). She might be future queen, but she is not the leader of their group. Because of this she doesn't feel worthy of the crown and is willing to do anything in order to earn her throne. She is likable and under the circumstances a very real character. I liked her immensely, specially since she was willing to do things nobody else was in order to save not only herself and hers but the entire world. Also she has snark, and I love myself some snark.

"Magic was forbidden in the Indigo Kindgom, and Black Knife didn't care how it was used."

At the beginning Black Knife was a little too black and white on his approach. Magic is what brought forth the Wraith, the toxic by product of magic which warps whatever it takes over, so Black Knife figures everyone who even dares to use magic must be in the wrong because they are putting their individual needs before the entire world. So he bags and tags them like any other criminal. After he meets Wil, and she asks him the hard questions, he starts to realize not everyone is bad and some just use whatever tools they have at their disposal to survive. Black Knife is interesting, and kick ass, and awesome, and charming... I am a little in love with him myself. He and Wil have this connection, this spark between them, that cannot be denied, and their chemistry sizzles off the page. Also he always wears a mask so no one finds out his real identity, how very super hero of him (and hot, definitely).

I enjoyed how the writer treated the conflict between the kingdoms. Nobody is inherently evil or good, they all have their reasons for doing what they did (even though some went a little too far with their choices). There is no evil King who just WANTS to take over every single part of the world, there is no time for that with the threat of Wraith in the horizon. The only real enemy is the left over magic and what it is doing to the world. I am curious to see how this "Wraith" came to be, and I am really hoping we get answers regarding it on the next book.

Because I am totally picking up a sequel, and I sure recommend this one. If you only read the excerpt I say give it another shot, get into the story, really into it, and then it shall be worth it. Recommend for fans of Throne of Glass and A Darker Shade of Magic.

YA Review: Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Title: Solitaire
Author: Alice Oseman
Series: n/a
Book #: 1
Pages: 368
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 3.95
Published: March 30th, 2015

In case you're wondering, this is not a love story.

My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that's all over now.

Now there's Solitaire. And Michael Holden.

I don't know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don't care about Michael Holden.

I really don't.

This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and all unflinchingly honest writers.

Taschima's POV:

**DISCLAIMER; Yes I gave this book two stars, but that doesn't mean anything. This is one of those books that is not for ME, but it is still a good book. For me it might have been an pretty fine read, but for you it might be a 4-5 star read.

"All this time, I've just been sitting around, moaning about how shit everything is, not bothering to try and make things better. I hate myself for that."

What can I say about Solitaire, other than it was figuratively a roller coaster ride. I spent the first 25% of the book bored out of my mind, just passing the time wishing the plot or whatever would move a little faster, that something interesting would happen. But then interesting things did start to happen, and I thought that would save the book, certainly give it a 3 star, but after another 25% I was bored again, and so on. Down, UP, down, UP. 50% of the book was interesting and dealt with interesting thoughts and things, the other 50% was full of teen angst and melodrama and bullshit. Is the good 50% worth it? Well, you be the judge...

"My name is Victoria Spring. I think you should know that I made up a lot of stuff in my head and then get sad about it. I like to sleep and I like to blog. I am going to die someday."

Victoria, or Tori as she likes to refer to herself, is a huge downer. Everybody around her knows this, her best friend knows it, and even SHE knows it. This girl has some serious issues going on all around, and to be honest she almost made me want to put the book down. She is a sad girl who is all sad and alone and emo, and judges everyone around her. She thinks people are just wasting their time, going through the social motions, and she doesn't understand this. I sympathize with her on this aspect because I have often times also believed this, but still to read such pessimistic thoughts from your main character and have nothing to justify it (in the beginning) makes it hard to  want to continue to read the title (specially when she just keeps repeating herself).

"I can't think of anything to say because that is what my answer would be, really. Nothing. I am a vacuum. I am void. I am nothing."

People try to be friends with Tori, but she just pushes them away. She is flawed, she is a teenager who doesn't know any better and is dealing with some heavy issues at home. At one point things are revealed about her home life that help shine some light into why Tori is the way she is, this helped me sympathize with her because if I had gone through what she went through I may be a bit broken inside as well. I understand her stance and her character, but that doesn't mean I have to love her.

One aspect I really enjoyed about Solitaire was how its characters were never stereotypical. They all have so many layers to them, it is a little baffling.

"It's weird how you see someone who smiles all the time and you assume that they are happy all the time. It's weird how someone is nice to you and you assume that they're a wholly "good person." I did not think Michael would be so serious about something, or so angry."

All the characters have something. Michael is trying to become Tori's friend, he really really tries. He is weird and doesn't fit inside a box. He is sporty, but is not that much into sports as a whole. You don't know if he is straight, or gay, or bi. He doesn't put much value to labels. He has a lot of interests, he is hyperactive, weird, some might say insane. I liked him because of this, he has many facets to his personality, he is authentic, and perfectly flawed. Even the other characters, like Becky (who is Tori's best friend) and Lucas (who is Tori's old best friend) are like that. You may want to say something particular about any of them, but then they turn around and prove you wrong.

The whole "Solitaire" situation (Solitaire is this online blog that does pranks at Tori's school) gave the book a much needed distraction from Tori's ongoing self deprecating state of mind. While the mystery of "who created Solitaire?" is very easy to figure out, the reasoning behind creating Solitaire is one that makes you appreciate the book more and all its characters.

Solitaire is like that indie teenage story. It kind of reminds me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, only way more melodramatic. Tori often finds herself thinking deep thoughts about human nature, societal rules, suicide and depression. Solitaire was very well written (even though it has one of the longest run on sentences I've ever read--which I liked), has a nice eclectic cast of characters, and it is an "edgy" read. Maybe Solitaire is not my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it can't be yours.

"As far as I am concerned, I came out of the womb spouting cynicism and wishing for rain."