Review: On the Come Up - Angie Thomas

On the Come Up
Angie Thomas
Genre/Age: Contemporary, Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

Review: Queen of Air and Darkness - Cassandra Clare

Queen of Air and Darkness
Cassandra Clare
Series: The Dark Artifices, #3
Genre/Age: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks.

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

Review: Now I Rise - Kiersten White

Now I Rise
Kiersten White
Series: The Conquerers, #2
Genre/Age: Alternate History, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

She has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself.

After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada Dracul is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won…and souls will be lost.

Blogiversary - Look Who's 5!!

Today is a special day here at WLABB. It's our 5th Blogiversary! In honor of this special day, the WLABBers want to share their thoughts on how their lives have changed since the birth of this blog.

Review: Love, Hate, & Other Filters - Samira Ahmed

Love, Hate, and Other Filters
Samira Ahmed
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Soho Teen
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

A searing #OwnVoices coming-of-age debut in which an Indian-American Muslim teen confronts Islamophobia and a reality she can neither explain nor escape--perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Jacqueline Woodson, and Adam Silvera.

American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems “suitable.” And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and maybe (just maybe) pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school, a boy who’s finally falling into her orbit at school.

There’s also the real world, beyond Maya’s control. In the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates alike are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.

Review: Genuine Fraud - E. Lockhart

Genuine Fraud
E. Lockhart
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Suspense
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Honestly, holy shit.

That's really the best, most nuanced reaction I have for you regarding this book.

If you're not familiar, Genuine Fraud is, according to author E. Lockhart, "a thriller about two girls who look enough alike to share a passport."

Review: Lord of Shadows - Cassandra Clare

Lord of Shadows
Cassandra Clare
Series: The Dark Artifices, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Honestly, I think it's w i l d how Cassandra Clare keeps getting better with every book she writes. Like, I'm pretty sure my order of favorites is just the order they were all released chronologically. How does one woman have so much power???

Anyway, I'm sorry I waited so long to write this review. I didn't even READ the book until July (I know, GASP) because I was busy with exams and then summer classes and then exams and then packing, and then I went on vacation, so I read large chunks in snippets of free time while romping around Pakistan until I finished and I realized my entire life was just over, ruined, deceased. At which point it took me until now to emotionally recover enough to get myself here.

Since I am a human whose thoughts (and life) are constantly scattered, especially when it comes to novels this dense, I will attempt to ~organize~ my thoughts for you via bullet points. I'm gonna be real with you right now, though, and say there wasn't really anything I didn't like, so if you're looking for a nuanced review painstakingly weighing the positives and the negatives, this is not that. Maybe next time. Anyway, here is a list of Things I Loved:

• faeries
• Faeries in general are one of my favorite subjects of lore. I think Cassandra Clare's faeries are a fantastic extension of that, and I would honestly just love some sort of expanded world piece on just the fae. This is the second book in the series so I obviously knew faeries were ~relevant~ here but man did she kick it up a notch, and man was I NOT expecting it. 
• If you read the last book (note: this is a spoiler-free review but Lady Midnight spoilers are fair game because homie, why are you reading the review for the sequel without reading the first book?) you remember Mark Blackthorn (half-faerie, half-Shadowhunter) and his faerie boyfriend Kieran from the Wild Hunt. Honestly, everything involving them had me #shook. I love them. My sons. 
• The Wild Hunt homies have such a cadence about them that I really wish they were around for like...the whole book. Petition for a faerie-focused sequel. Petition for a faerie focused series. Petition to turn me into a faerie.
• Also on a slightly more analytic note, I loved that this book really delved more into what it actually means not just to be a faerie in this world, but to be half-faerie, and the nuances of all these relationships. Lady Midnight kinda dealt it with (I talked about it a little in my review of it) but LoS definitely amps it up. 
• CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 
• ohhhhhhhhhh my god 
• I don't even know where to START. 
• Emma and Julian: God, it wasn't just painful reading their parts. I was eviscerated. And I just...wanted it? I wanted the pain. They wanted the pain. We are all masochists. You really see how young they are and how much they've been through in this book. Sometimes books can make young protagonists just be nonchalant heroes all the time, but the audience here is constantly reminded that these are children who watched a war happen, who grew up so suddenly, who have been acting as adults for so long. 
• Smol Blackthorns
• I was gonna talk about each one separately but it was gonna get reaaaalll long. I think it's not particularly necessary to talk about them all though. While I thought they were all amazing, each with their own stand-out personality traits, the ones who stood out the most were Livvy and Ty. I loved their whole twin thing and the fact that they kinda coerced Kit Herondale into being friends with them and that Livvy is super sassy to everyone except Ty, who she protects with her life, and that Ty is very clearly neurodivergent but Shadowhunters don't allow mundane medicine so they don't even know what autism IS and so not only did Cassandra Clare write a three-dimensional, essential-to-the-plot autistic character who is honestly amazing, she highlighted a flaw in her own universe in which this high and mighty behavior is detrimental to Shadowhunters themselves. 
• KIT HERONDALE
• A GEM
• Kit Herondale was 100% my favorite part of this entire book and probably my entire life. This kid was sassy, rude, an asshole, and 100000% in love with one of the characters and I am HERE FOR IT. Honestly, I loved that at first he REFUSED to be a Shadowhunter because it felt pretty realistic. If you know yourself as someone all your life, it's gonna take a little while to adjust to being someone else with an entirely different set of expectations. I also loved that he slowly, reluctantly made friends with Ty and Livvy but refused to acknowledge it as such. What a precious little child. Also, there is a SHIP BREWING involving Kit and I LOVE IT. I WANT IT. 
• DIANA
• I can't say anything that isn't a spoiler but trust me that not only was her story FANTASTIC just representation wise, but also a reiteration of my earlier point that I love that Clare lowkey is poking holes in her own world (even if that wasn't her intention and was just a byproduct) -- not in a way that makes her world bad!! However, some fantasy worlds are like, too perfect. In Diana's case, she's a character who should go under trial via Mortal Sword for some scenario but can't because it would reveal something about her past that the Clave would have to retroactively punish, even though she's basically perfect.
• Cristina
• I love Cristina. I am not a huge fan of Diego or Jaime but *shrug guy*
• This is all I will say. 
• ZARA
• insert *the worst* dinosaur emoji
• Honestly there are more characters but either #spoilers or they're not as relevant or I can't think of them right now. 
• Plot
• So many things happened. I'm not gonna lie, I have a LOT of questions and if I spend any more time thinking about them, I'm gonna become a person who thinks of potential plot theories before the next book comes out, which is fine if you enjoy that, but I have way too many responsibilities to devote myself to conspiracies full time. Like, it's 4am right now and I still have to do my readings for class tomorrow (today). I could never be a theorist.
• Some highlights that won't make sense to you if you haven't read the book but I can't elaborate because I don't wanna be a jerk and spoil the book:
• Cortana did something cool and I am shook 
• S e e l i e Q u e e n  
• The ending absolutely GUTTED me. I didn't think it was real, I thought there had to be more and there was no more, and then I thought I read it wrong and then I didn't. I am empty. 
• I love that Julian really explored his dark, vengeful side in this book because it is terrifying and so very different from what the children see and the juxtaposition of Home Julian and Scary Julian is super wild and super interesting. 
• I think I'm actually a little in love with Julian ngl. 
• I loved the character who returned from the last book. Super well done and I thought the pacing was on point. 
• Magnus was in this book was stressfully. As in he stressed me out. Rude. 

Overall, LoS was phenomenal. I'm glad Cassandra Clare decided to use this book to expand on the way identity is entangled with politics, and that she took a more introspective approach rather than a surface level one (not to say her other books are surface level! this one is just way more interested in the "why" and the "who" than the "what") Anyway, I'm sorry if my review was all over the place, but so am I. I'm probably gonna see this posted and realize I missed like 50 things I wanted to talk about. If you see anything you want to discuss, leave a comment, or hit me up on any of my social media links (the sidebar is to the right) and we can cry together. 

Pick a Blackthorn. 
Let us know in the comments!

Can't Wait Wednesday: This Is Not the End - Chandler Baker

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tessa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for This Is Not the End by Chandler Baker.

This Is Not the End
Chandler Baker
Series: N/A
Release Date: August 8th, 2017
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Waited on by: Noor
Goodreads

I wonder if for the rest of my life, I’ll be haunted by beautiful days.
On one cloudless, radiant summer afternoon, Lake Devereaux lost everything. The car crash claimed the lives of her best friend and boyfriend, the people who had become her family after her own fell apart. But she doesn’t have to lose them both.
The development of resurrection technology has changed the world. Under the new laws regulating the process, each person gets one resurrection to be used or forfeited on their eighteenth birthday. Mere weeks away from turning eighteen, Lake faces an impossible choice.
Envisioning life without one of the people she loves most is shattering enough, but Lake carries an additional burden: years ago, under family pressure, Lake secretly—and illegally—promised her resurrection to someone who isn’t even dead yet.
The search for answers about her future draws Lake more deeply into the secrets of her past until she begins to question everything about those closest to her. Betrayals and hurts both new and old threaten to eclipse the memories she once cherished.
Then Lake meets a boy unlike anyone she’s encountered before, who unflinchingly embraces the darkest parts of her life . . . and who believes that all resurrections are wrong.
Which path is the right one? And how can Lake start to heal when she can't move on?

There's a few things ~working for me~ here.

• I like the cover and the title and we all know I'm a shallow homie who loves instant gratification. 
• I love contemporaries but this is not just contemporaries but like soft sci-fi contemporary which sounds like it could be really cool? Honestly I'm into it. 
• I have seen pretty mixed reviews about this book and as much as I love to love a book, I also love to hate books, and there's definitely ~negative potential~ here -- how does this resurrection program work? how will the resurrected person react? what are the logistics? is this a romance book or a sci-fi book or both? Lots of variables!!!! 
• Note: This doesn't mean I want the book to be terrible or I will judge it more harshly or sth! I want Chandler Baker to succeed and be happy and write gr8 books as much as the next person!! There's also lots of ~positive potential~ too which is why I'm reading it to begin with!!
• It just seems like something really different from what I've been reading lately and like a really nice low-stress book to end the summer with (it releases around the time school starts for me).

What are you waiting on?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Wings and Ruin
Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

I can't tell if I'm overwhelmed writing this review because I haven't written one in so long (lol sorry I'm trash) or because this book was just a lot. I'm gonna go with the latter???

I just...have so many feelings??? Most of them are spoilery feelings, though, so, even with my ability to drag a two page paper into seven pages, this should be more concise than usual.

I'm going to start with some general conclusions and work my way into whatever specifics I can:

• I liked ACOMAF better, but that doesn't mean I didn't like ACOWAR!! Like, I liked ACOMAF a lot. I'm pretty I just sat there hyperventilating after I read it, rocking back and forth like I had nothing left to live for. Those were really high expectations to ask ACOWAR to surpass and just because it didn't doesn't mean it wasn't still a great book.
• It took me a while to read -- the pacing was very slow. The very beginning was tense and captivating but then the book settled into a rhythm of ~planning~ with not much happening for like half the book. While I understand that it's a book about war and the scenes were necessary, they made the book drag a lil and it took me a while to get through it. This wasn't actually entirely the book's fault, though, because if I'm really into a book and it's ~slow~ I'll still push through and read it fairly quickly, but my summer classes have been a time suck and I spent a lot of time away from the book. Anyway, my point here is: until things started happening, I wasn't sure I'd be into it but once it started picking up, boy did it pick up. 
• What ACOWAR lacked in pacing, it made up for in characterization. I think giving heart to characters is Sarah J. Maas's strong suit because the moments I found myself audibly laughing or crying were less because of the plot moving along and more because of little things the characters would do. Honestly, all I really want in my life is a TV show in the style of The Office written by Sarah J. Maas chronicling the lives of these characters as they go about their day to day business. Some highlights:
• NESTA. I can't believe how far Nesta has come???? Like, when she was introduced in ACOTAR, I was like "Who is this deadweight sister???" and assumed she would be collateral damage by the end of the first book because she was just so ANNOYING. And she was a little better in ACOMAF, but MAN, she really SOLD this book for me. Like, her entire arc just made this book so COMPELLING and INTRIGUING and I don't know if the future books about Prythian will have these same characters but if they do I hope my girl Nesta is one of them. 
• all the Old Gods and stuff!! In the last two books, characters like the Bone Carver and the Suriel and company were always fun to read, but definitely just gave Feyre/the audience exposition. I liked that they were in more of the book this time. I love characters who are Unknown and Fascinating (like Amren). Also, did not think I would ever cry real tears over ~plot device characters~ and yet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
• Lucien. He is my sad son and I love him.
• The whole inner circle TBH. I cried inside every time Azriel or Cassian did anything or said anything or breathed and I'm always cryin every time Rhys's name is mentioned even when it's not in a book so. Also highkey in love with MOR and AMREN. Basically I love my children. 
• (I have more but they're #spoilers so...bye)
• cool as HECK battle scenes
• by cool I mean DEVASTATING 
• Okay honestly I know I already talked about characters but some of the specific ACTIONS of the characters I am just not OVER like...wild...they did that
• There was some awkward dialogue/narration but like there were so many more amazing parts that it doesn't make me like the book less. I also feel like, in this book, while I was reading it really grated on me that SJM has a tendency to use certain phrases repeatedly but that's really a personal problem and honestly it didn't like ~take away from my reading experience~ or anything, so I won't dwell too much on it. 

Okay, I think that's all I can say without accidentally crying about some major plot point or something. To recap: 1. This book was DELIGHTFUL. 2. My favorite aspect was Nesta and her arc involving the cauldron. 3. Once the ~set up~ part was complete, it was a thrill ride. 4. I would die for all these characters. Okay, SORRY if this was all ramble and no content but I am STILL a Mess. Until next time, friends!!

What fictional characters would be in your inner circle?
Let us know in the comments!

Review: Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology
Neil Gaiman
Series: N/A
Genre: Mythology, Short Stories
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

The concept of mythology plays a strong role in our cultural narrative; whether Norse, Roman, Egyptian, or one of the myriad of other mythologies, people have been captivated by these stories for centuries. In his book, Neil Gaiman cherry-picks a few Nordic tales and weaves them together. It's pretty straightforward -- you get what the title implies -- but if you're even a little interested in the subject I highly recommend you pick it up.

The writing itself was very unembellished, in a way that felt like there was a narrator speaking to me directly, rather than an author gathering tales. You know in movies when the characters will visit an old person and the old person will start a story and it'll fade into the scene and you'll forget they're talking (like the beginning of Titanic)? It felt kinda like that. Like bedtime stories almost. Lulling, relaxing. (If I'm not making sense, I'm trying to say I liked the writing style and felt like it worked well with the tone of the book)

The stories were honestly so great too. Gaiman did a great job choosing stories. I'm sure there were sooooooo many to choose from and tons more great Norse myths that would have been fun to read but I wasn't bored reading a single one of these stories and I really loved how the characters made recurring appearances and how some of the asides made by the narrator kinda popped up as central focuses in other stories. It provided a kindof linking thread between the stories, making them not really part of a narrative but more than just a bunch of random myths thrown together from the same geographic area. Also, I loved the way the narrator kept leading up to Ragnarok and the way Gaiman wrote about it. All in all, the whole thing was really well done.

I'm beating a dead horse at this point by saying Neil Gaiman is my favorite author but I always have to mention it just in case someone doesn't know so here's my obligatory mention, and by reading this it was easy to remember why: it's easy to throw a bunch of stories that already exist together into an anthology but it's a lot more difficult to rework them into something cohesive and fluid while adding your own voice, which is what Gaiman did. (Let's not note that he did all that and I wasn't even capable of reading it for a month and a half after it came out because I'm trash RIP)

Where will you be on Ragnarok?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: The Rose & the Dagger - Renee Ahdieh

The Rose & the Dagger
Renee Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath & the Dawn, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Man, there were parts of this book that hurt. I started my review of The Wrath & the Dawn telling you I didn't know how to start talking about such an overwhelming book. That feeling returns with The Rose & the Dagger -- there's just so much: love and friendship and war and family and even more and more and more.

If The Wrath & the Dawn is the fun, flirty stage of a relationship, The Rose & the Dagger is where you commit.

I let a few (maybe more than a few) months pass between reading this and its predecessor because I am The Worst and I was really afraid I was just gonna be struggling to remember every event they were referencing (not that I forgot the plot, but some of the specific nuances might have become fuzzy -- it happens). Anyway, turns out Renee Ahdieh's writing is so evocative that just immersing myself into the world of this book brought back all the memories of the previous one.

I don't know how to talk about this book without writing long rambling paragraphs that sound straight out of a seventh graders diary so I'm going to make ~lists~

Things I Liked

• everything
• included but not limited to:
• everyone
• the minor characters 
• I think I've discussed (fawned over) most of the returning characters in my review of The Wrath & the Dawn that I linked in the first paragraph if you really would like to get a gauge on them, but for today we are focusing on: ~side characters~
• They all had so much personality and brought so much to the table and felt like such new, welcome presences and refreshing voices in the book.
• Irsa
• Shahrzad's sister
• can brew medicines and stuff
• The Cutest 
• has a secret boyfriend who everyone knows about 
• yelled at Khalid 
• Artan
• reminds me of Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender
• can do fire magic 
• also healing magic
• rides a horned serpent 
• is an asshole but in a cheeky way like Shahrzad 
• Yasmine
• not relevant until the end but still chill
• cute but angry 
• nice hair 
• ~princess~
• Jahandar 
• this is not necessarily a character I like himself but strictly the writing of the character, as well as the questions his incorporation asks the reader of what "family" really encompasses 
• Also, while we're on characterization, I loved the way a lot of the interactions with side characters tied multiple threads from the first book, while also working to resolve the narrative of this book, like Khalid and Shahrzad's meeting of Musa Zaragoza, who Khalid holds a grudge against. 
• narrative 
• I liked that so much of this focused on their ~war-time efforts~ and really showed how their entire kingdom was in disorder. The end of The Wrath & the Dawn was about a curse and this whole book could have just been about breaking it and magically restoring everything but it was so much more. Even Tariq, who was unsympathetic in the previous book, while not necessarily seeming nice, seemed understandable in that many of his decisions made sense when it came to the war efforts --> there was no reason for them not to go forward with any of those plans, as they had no stake in Khalid's business.
• The magic and curse stuff that was included was cool as heck and so well-written. I totally loved it and would honestly read an entire book on Renee Ahdieh's interpretation of mages. 
• Everyone was seen as three-dimensional. Many books have "good" characters and "bad" characters. Even I dismissed some of the characters in the last book as ones I didn't want to deal with. In this book, surrounded with war and magic, every person is complexly imagined, not just to the reader but to the characters. 
• writing + pacing
• writing: beautiful + eloquent + melodious 
• pacing: slow start (not in a bad way), picks up and maintains average pace, and then super fast!!!!!
• overall thumbs up for pace 
• Romance
• amazing
• Khalid's and Shahrzad's strength and maturity in this book versus the last is striking 
• They are a Real Couple
• something sad happens and I'm still sad about it

Things I Didn't Like

• nothing tbh
• I thought one or two of the plot aspects were expected but I still liked them
• Would also have liked to see more Jalal 

I'm sorry if none of this was ~cohesive~ but anyway I love this beautiful book so much!!! I love it from the stars, to the stars -- if you read the book, you will get that, so go read it and then tweet at me or something okay!!! I don't have anything to give you but I will validate you by favoriting your tweet and isn't that all we really need in life?

Are you a rose or a dagger?

Let us know in the comments!

Stuffed Animal Saturday: The Rose & the Dagger - Renee Ahdieh

Stuffed Animal Saturday is a meme that we post here at We Live and Breathe Books to showcase the book we're currently reading with one of our favorite stuffed animals and discuss our stuffed animal's opinion (well, it's really our opinion, but that's besides the point). We hope you enjoy our quirky feature as much as we enjoy writing it!

This Saturday, Moana and I are reading The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh!

So like, I know this is Stuffed Animal Saturday and Moana is cute and all but is decidedly not a stuffed animal but like...by the time I got around to taking this photo, I was already on my bed, which had no stuffed animals on it, and 0% of me wanted to go back down my ladder and retrieve one so...gotta do the best you can with what ya got, right????

So far: I actually have not started yet! I just ordered the book a few days ago (probably putting off a paper or something smh) and it arrived in the mail yesterday (along with two poetry books, which I read first since they were shorter, but that's neither here nor there). I'll probably start after this weekend -- gotta catch up on the school readings, ya know -- but I have high expectations because I absolutely fell in love with the first book (review here) and I know I say this all the freaking time but the second book is always the strongest (or like...90% of the time)!!!

Sneak peek: Like I mentioned, I haven't started so I don't know the juicy bits yet, but have the blurb -- straight from Goodreads.

The darker the sky, the brighter the stars. 

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever. 

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive. 

 I fully expect to devour this within hours like I did its predecessor and then cry for ten years about how there are only two books.

Are you and your stuffed animal reading anything interesting? 

Let us know in your own Stuffed Animal Saturday!

Review: Spare and Found Parts - Sarah Maria Griffin

Spare and Found Parts
Sarah Maria Griffin
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Rating: DNF // 2.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

I would just like to start out by saying that Sarah Maria Griffin's prose was so elegant that I had to give some stars to a book I DNF'd 40% of the way through. I didn't feel right not leaving it with a rating.

The writing was just so florid and poetic and really leapt off the page. Every word was so heavy with meaning. I think my favorite line was the very second one: "Never sure if it was just something your grief stitched together from the parts of her you remember and the questions still in your throat."

So why DNF? Even beautiful prose cannot make up for awful pacing.

I am going to back up a little. For those unfamiliar, Spare and Found Parts is the story of a girl -- Nell -- in a post-apocalyptic city where everyone has augmented biomechanical limbs. Nell's limb, however, is a little different from everyone else's in that it's on the inside -- her heart. And it ticks. While she goes through a whole existential crisis about this stuff, she's also gotta contribute to the rebuilding of the city -- which she does through a robot, using technology her people fear. Sounds cool, right?

Right. When I saw the blurb for this book I was immediately hooked. It seemed like such a unique, interesting concept. And then the first few pages were full of such beautiful writing, I thought I'd love the whole thing. The more I read though, the more bored I kept getting and the harder it was to stay focused. How could I be bored reading a story about a post-apocalyptic world rebuilding itself from nothing???

I actually started this book weeks ago and have been trying to convince myself to read it between classes every day, hoping one of these days I will push myself to power through and finish, or will read a bit and reach a really interesting part, but so far neither has happened. The book just moves so slowly. I've read 40% and so far nothing has happened and no characters have really developed much personality. The book seems like it's heading in a direction where it'll take like 70% of the book for anything to happen and then ~So Many Things~ will happen in the last 30% but I don't like that. It's really hard for me to read a book that doesn't have a consistent (or captivating) pacing.

Also, I mentioned that the prose was really lovely, but the dialogue is honestly hit-or-miss. There are some really powerful pieces of dialogue and I appreciate them but there are also some really awkward lines that I pray were removed between the time I got my ARC and the final copy went out.

Honestly, I think I probably will come back to this book eventually, because it's such a freaking cool concept and I do want to see how it plays out, but for now I have so many books to read -- including the ones I impulse-ordered from Amazon that'll be here by the time this post goes up -- that I do not have any more weeks to spend trying to read 250 more pages of Nell sitting around brooding and doing nothing.

If you could replace one part of yourself, what would it be?

Let us know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday: Now I Rise - Kiersten White

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on Now I Rise by Kiersten White!

Now I Rise
Kiersten White
Series: The Conquerer's Saga, #2
Release Date: June 27th, 2017
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Waited on by: Noor
Goodreads

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her. 

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?  
As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost

There are a lot of cool books coming out this year and when I started drafting this post, this wasn't the first one I had in mind, and definitely not the first sequel I had in mind, because I didn't think And I Darken was a perfect ~oh my god you have to read it this instant please~ kind of book for me. But, it was definitely a compelling book that was expertly paced and well-written, and whenever I think about it I find myself remembering the thrilling parts and Lada's expert characterization and wanting to know how this story plays out, so I really am eagerly anticipating this second book in the Conquerer's Saga and 100% intend to read it in a timely manner *insert tons of eyes emojis*.

What are you waiting on?

Let us know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: 2016 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To (But TOTALLY Plan To)

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Here at We Live and Breathe Books, two of us choose five books each week. This weeks topic is...

2016 releases I meant to read but didn't get to (but TOTALLY plan to)!

Kiersten's Picks

Three Dark Crowns
Kendare Blake
Series: Three Dark Crowns, #1
Publisher: HarperTeen

Goodreads

I was so excited about this book when I heard about it, but I just never got around to reading it. I'm a huge fan of fantasy books, and this one sounds wonderfully dark. I love the idea of alliances being formed and only one sister being able to take the throne. I've heard a lot of great things about Three Dark Crowns, and I really want to find out what all the hype is about!

Girl in Pieces
Kathleen Glasglow
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Goodreads 

I actually started reading Girl in Pieces during the summer but then never got around to continue. What I read of it, however, was absolutely amazing. I love the writing style of the book - it's so raw and it doesn't pull any punches. I also really like that this book isn't about self harm in itself and doesn't romanticize or sugar coat it - it's the painful truth of what happens after. I'm definitely going to finish this one when I get a chance!

The Forgetting
Sharon Cameron
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Goodreads

I was really interested in this book when I first heard about it, but I'm even more interested in it now that I've been watching the current season of Teen Wolf. Seeing the town Canaan in the synopsis got me really excited to find out about how this town works, and the mystery behind the main character not losing her memory.

The Female of the Species
Mindy McGinnis
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Goodreads

I wasn't exactly sure what to think of this one at first, but after seeing some reviews that refer to the character as a sort of feminist vigilante, I'm really interested to read it. I'm a huge fan of the show Sweet/Vicious, and this books sounds like it has a similar vibe.

The Delphi Effect

Rysa Walker
Series: The Delphi Trilogy, #1
Publisher: Skyscape
Goodreads

The Delphi Effect is another book that I started reading but didn't get a chance to finish. I'm really intrigued by the concept of a medium who sort of gets possessed by wayward spirits, especially given that this one has a mystery involved.

Noor's Picks

Real talk, there are like 5 million 2016 releases I haven't gotten around to reading. Just for reference, this top five is like "2016 books I keep thinking about and telling myself to read over and over but still don't because I'm a pile of trash,"

The Rose and the Dagger
Renee Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn, #2
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Goodreads

So, I was hella late to the party when I read The Wrath and the Dawn, and this had already been released by the time I did this past summer so I actually have no idea why I haven't read it by now. I felt such a high after reading The Wrath and the Dawn and I really wanted to continue that momentum so I remember going to Barnes and Noble specifically to buy this, but I think I impulse bought something else, and then my semester started right after and I slowed down on reading and I just never got around to it. I'm definitely gonna read it soon though because I almost always love the 2nd book in a series the most and with the first book being so beautiful, I'm excited to see how The Rose and the Dagger holds up.

Salt to the Sea
Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Philomel Books
Goodreads

I keep changing my mind about reading this one and I always think about reading it and then I think I don't really want to read a historical fiction book right now and then I think about how much people like it and I kinda flip-flop until I decide I'm not "in the mood" and pick something else. I feel like I actually will enjoy it, so I do want to read it this year, but I spent 2016 putting it on the back burner so I hope I finally get around to it!!

The High Mountains of Portugal
Yann Martel
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Goodreads

Yann Martel's Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil are two of my favorite books and show how expansive his skills as an author are. This story -- which is three stories, decades apart -- presents an intriguing premise and when I heard about it I knew it would be a book I'd be looking out for. As you can see by its inclusion on this list, I did not achieve my goal of "looking out" for aforementioned book. My only excuse is that this is who I am as a person and "organized tbr lists" are to me what garlic is to vampires. As I will say about every book on this list: I hope to read it soon.

Gemina
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Series: The Illuminae Files, #2
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Goodreads

This is actually probably the worst one because I was most anticipating this one. Like, after I read Illuminae I was so pumped for the next book and so stressed that I wouldn't be at BEA and have the chance to get an ARC and I agonized over the wait for this book and I literally bought it the day it came out and then I just didn't read it????? I wish I could tell you why. Like, why am I like this???? I swear I will read it. By the end of February. I promise. (Don't worry I hate myself too)

Heartless
Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Goodreads

Who doesn't love good old Marissa Meyer and all the fun stuff she does with our favorite stories? If you do not already know, Heartless is an Alice in Wonderland retelling. I seriously love Alice in Wonderland so much it's a little bit of a problem. I'm not as obnoxious about it now that I'm not like 16 anymore but the love is there, fret not. So deep down, it might be that I have not read this yet because I am overwhelmed at the prospect, but it also might be because there are so many books and so little of me. Who knows.

What 2016 releases did you mean to read?

Let us know in the comments!

SaveSave

Review: We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

We Were Liars
E. Lockhart
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

So do you remember like a year ago when everyone was obsessed with this book and then I bought it and then I kept putting off reading it and then like five people personally told me "hey Noor Azeem you should read this book" and then I still did not read it? Well, I finally read it a few months ago and it did not disappoint so if you are as out of the loop as I was, you should go entrench yourself in aforementioned loop because it's for sure worth it.

All I really knew about this book going in was that it was "wild" and had a crazy ending and that I should go into it not reading any reviews or knowing anything. I usually love spoilers because I'm a terrible person but I really did go in blind so I didn't even know what to expect from the basic plot, which turned out to be about Rich White Cousins and the private island they spend summers on. The Liars are the three oldest cousins -- Cadence (who narrates the story), Mirren, and Johnny -- and Gat, Johnny's close friend and the nephew of his mom's boyfriend. Cadence has a bad accident the summer before and comes back with a fractured memory, trying to piece together things she should know and things that have been kept from her and clear up some questions she has. I don't want to say too much else about what happens because, after all, the best way to read this book is to go in blind, but here are a few things I liked:

Cadence's narration was probably my favorite part of the whole book. Please excuse my pun but there was a certain cadence (ha ha ha) to the way she spoke, which was amplified by the way so much of it was done in this inflated metaphor or inflated hyperbole. Like, she took a trip to Europe and wanted to describe that she was having migraines through the trip so she wrote "...my brain liquefied and seeped out my ear, bubbling. Migraines left my blood spreading across unfamiliar hotel sheets, dripping on the floors, oozing into carpets, soaking into leftover croissants and Italian lace cookies." Sometimes it was obviously metaphor, like describing herself as "pure liquid loss" when finding something that belonged to someone who had died and describing herself as melting away, and sometimes the narration was more subtle, and it felt like it was actually happening, until a page later you realized it wasn't. Even the regular parts were well-written and compelling, in this raw and evocative way which, paired with the short length of the book (I think it's around 200 pages?) and the intriguing plot made it a super quick read.

The pacing of the book also held up super nicely. I definitely didn't get bored reading about their island life or feel like too many snippets of information were revealed too soon. The suspense and sense of intrigue really kept strong until the very end and the book finished with such a bang. I don't think the ending is like impossible to guess or anything which is why I feel like it's important to not think about the book too much before you read it or you'll just ruin it for yourself. Like, I'm the type of person who does not trust any human or any book so I'm always always looking out for anything shady so I kinda did figure out the end but like...I also think of wild conspiracy theories for every book I read as I read them so no author can take me by surprise so I don't think I really count as a legitimate "guesser." Anyway, the ending was done SO well and didn't feel like a cheap trick or anything.

If I have any grievances it's mostly just a small one about how I didn't really understand the dubbing of the main group as the "Liars" and I feel like it felt a little off. I still think it was an excellent book and definitely one I recommend you all read!!

What's a lie you've told to get out of trouble?

Let us know in the comments!

Best of 2016

As 2016 comes to an end, we decided to reminisce on our favorite releases this year. There have been so many great books, whether they were anticipated sequels, series endings, or new series beginnings. To celebrate these loved releases, (and especially since we were lame and didn't do a list last year), we've decided to share our best of 2016 picks with you!

Kiersten's Picks

So, below are the five books I picked for this post, but since no one else wrote down Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, I'd like to give that one a special shout out because it was AMAZING.

The Graces
Laure Eve
The Graces, #1
Publisher: Amulet Books
Goodreads

Since witches are my favorite paranormal "creatures," I was very excited to read The Graces, and I absolutely loved it. There's something really mesmerizing about the way it's written, with a narrator who hides things from both the reader and herself - in fact, starting from the beginning of the book, we don't know the narrator's real name. This book was so wonderfully creepy and mystical, and I can't wait for the next one.

Nevernight 
Jay Kristoff

The Nevernight Chronicles, #1
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books 
Goodreads

After loving Illuminae and Gemina, I was really excited to read Nevernight, and it did not disappoint. Summarizing this book as "stab stab stab" is both spot on and completely inaccurate. There is definitely a lot of stabbing and killing (it's a book about assassins, what did you expect), but there's also a lot of other interesting things at play. I really enjoyed the characters and mythology of the world. For more thoughts, you can check out my review here!

How to Hang a Witch 
Adriana Mather
How to Hang a Witch, #1
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers 
Goodreads

Another witch book, but extremely different in style! While The Graces is more about a girl trying to join a group, How to Hang a Witch is about a girl who is completely ostracized by the town and hated for her ancestry. This book was such a wild mystery from start to finish, and I really enjoyed it (full review here). I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Tell Me Three Things 
Julie Buxbaum
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Goodreads

Tell Me Three Things was one of those books that is just really relatable even if you don't relate to the exact circumstances of the book. There were so many wonderfully written quotes in this book, and I found so much empathy for the main character. This book made me feel all the feels. For more thoughts, check out my full review here!

Scythe
Neal Shusterman
Arc of a Scythe, #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads

I had a feeling I would like Scythe just from looking at it and reading the description, but I didn't expect it to pique my interest as much as it did. Set in a post-mortality world (that's right, people don't die naturally anymore), Scythes "glean" people to keep the population in check. The way the world was built was just so interesting and really said a lot about our society in general. Definitely a great read if you like dystopian books!

Noor's Picks

Okay, this was super hard because even though I felt like I read negative three things this year I went to narrow my list down and there were like...eight million books I wanted to choose. RIP.

The Unexpected Everything  
Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads

I did a full review of this where I basically rambled for 2000 words about Morgan Matson's insane ability to develop characters and define relationships and make a 600 page novel feel like it's flying by because you just care so much. If you haven't read this, it's a fantastic book to get you in a summery mood, and it was definitely one of the strongest books I read this year (and a book I'll be rereading time and time again).

Lady Midnight  
Cassandra Clare
The Dark Artifices, #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Goodreads

Lady Midnight totally killed me. I didn't think Cassandra Clare could top The Infernal Devices -- the writing was so beautiful and they're set in Victorian England, one of my favorite time periods -- but every single page of this book just unraveled me seam by seam. I honestly can't believe it came out in May because it feels like I've been waiting forever for the second book but it's only been like seven months. Wild. Anyway, you can read my review here and see me freak out!

The Sun is Also a Star  
Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Goodreads

I read this in July after Kiersten got an ARC for me at BEA, and skimmed through it again in November when writing my review, and both times it blew me away. Nicola Yoon has a gift for wordplay and storytelling, and after giving 5/5 stars to both this book and her debut, Everything, Everything, she's become an author whose works I'll be excitedly anticipating in the future.

A Court of Mist and Fury  
Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Goodreads

I'm sure ACOMAF made a host of Best Of 2016 lists this year and there's no reason I should disturb the status quo, right? Seriously, though, this series is the first I've read by Sarah J. Maas and it's blowing me away so far. I'm honestly a little bit afraid of what's to come in the upcoming third book (but not afraid enough to want it any less). Kiersten mentioned when discussing The Graces that witches are her favorite paranormal creature, and faeries are mine (tied with ghosts) and I think Maas does a phenomenal job with her faerie worldbuilding. Kiersten and I did a double review of this book that you can read here if you'd like!

Holding Up the Universe
Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Goodreads

The premise of this novel sounded super intriguing -- a boy with prosopagnosia (face-blindness) and a girl who was once "America's Fattest Teen" -- united through what else but the cruelness of high schoolers. Jack and Libby, the two protagonists, ended up being so complex and so well-written that they leapt off the page (which I mention in my full review, here) and the story was so adorable I know it's one I'll be rereading often.

Bonus Pick

Tales of the Peculiar
Ransom Riggs
Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children , #0.5
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Goodreads

I am trash and cannot go even one post without mentioning how much I love this series and I feel like this counts as a "bonus" because it's not a novel or anything and I was pressed for space as it was. Anyway, in my review, I explained that this is "to the Miss Peregrine's universe what Grimms' Fairy Tales are to this one." These short stories are so captivating and they're all written in such a fashion that they truly feel like an old, passed-down collection of anecdotes. This was definitely one of my favorite books to be published this year and something I quite enjoy reading often (in order or not).

Amrutha's Picks

The Memory Book  
Lara Avery
Publisher: Poppy/Hachette
Goodreads

Literally, what a phenomenal book. The Memory Book twists YA in a way that I've never read before. The premise of this novel is that it is a diary from the narrator to herself. Sammie McCoy has just been diagnosed with a disorder that causes her to completely lose her memory -- forever. The book is so honest and the story is so hard to tell but told so well. If you want to see me ramble on forever about this you can read my full review here.

Small Great Things
Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Ballantine
Goodreads

Has Jodi Picoult ever written anything I haven't loved? Honestly, I don't know how she does it but I always end up with some tears in my eyes flipping through the book as fast as possible so I can find out what happens at the end. The book is about a trial (this is Jodi, what else would you expect) and a nurse and race relations and all the good stuff.

Sam's Picks

Picking five favorites was a daunting task. 2016 was another great year in reading for me. According to Goodreads,

• Listened to 105 audiobooks
• Read 248 books
• Added 21 books to my “Favorites” shelf

Note: I tried to pick five books that would not overlap with my fellow WLABBers.

Bittersweet  
Sarina Bowen
True North, #1
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Goodreads

I went into this book as a solid Bowen fan, however, I was not totally sold. I mean, you don’t read a lot of romance books where the hero is a farmer, but after a few chapters, I was team Griffin all the way. There was just so much to love about this book. A second chance romance, fantastic MCs, so much food, beautiful family bonds, and spectacular descriptions that pulled me right into Vermont. (my review)

We Are Still Tornadoes  
Michael Kun and Susan Mullen
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Goodreads

First and foremost, this is an epistolary novel. I adored the format, and thought it really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. And talk about #friendshipgoals. I was so jealous of Scott and Cath’s friendship! This one just really warmed my heart and made me so happy. (my review)

Passenger  
Alexandra Bracken
Passenger, #1
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Goodreads

This was also one of my early 2016 reads. In fact, I read the BEA ARC, and therefore, it is not quite the same as the finished book, but I just could not bring myself to re-read, when most of the story is still the same. With that said, I loved this book. This was my first Bracken book, and I was quite delighted with the writing. She did such a beautiful job making me feel the emotions of the characters, and the characters were so incredible. (my review)

The Serpent King  
Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers/Random House
Goodreads

This one just blew me away, and that is not something easily done by a contemporary novel. The MCs were so special and damaged and I cared so deeply for them. I am getting a case of the feels right now just thinking about it. (my review)

The Love That Split the World  
Emily Henry
Publisher: Razorbill
Goodreads

This was one of my first 2016 reads, and it really set the bar high for me. I loved the characters, I loved the world, I loved the story. The ending was so beautiful, that I was left sobbing. So many emotions! (my review)

What are some of your 2016 favorites?
Let us know in the comments!