Review: F*ck Love by Tarry Fisher

Title: F*ck Love
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Publication date: December 31st 2015
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



Helena Conway has fallen in love.
Unwillingly. Unwittingly.
But not unprovoked.
Kit Isley is everything she’s not—unstructured, untethered,
and not even a little bit careful.
It could all be so beautiful … if he wasn’t dating her best friend.
Helena must defy her heart, do the right thing, and think of others.
Until she doesn’t.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

My thoughts:

When Tarryn Fisher announced that she was writing a novel called F*ck Love, my curiosity was immediately piqued. Combining that with the insanely vague blurb, angsty cover and mysterious release date, I was yearning for this book. So when Tarryn Fisher randomly released the book on December 31st, I devoured it in a span of a few hours, only to find out that F*ck Love would introduce me to a whole new aspect of Tarry Fisher and her writing.

I'm going to be honest and admit that the farther I got into the book, the more apprehensive I became of it. I was shocked by the difference of Tarryn Fisher's writing style from her other novels; but half-way through F*ck Love was when everything clicked for me. The writing truly embodied and fit Helena Conway's character (kind of like method writing, I guess). Tarry Fisher's prose changed from angsty, dark and seductive to a more whimsical, odd and trippy style of writing. Being in Helena's head was crazy (which is really typical Tarry Fisher), she made a lot of analogies with Harry Potter (which I loved), took even more selfies with insanely awesome names and her chapter titles were all in hashtag form. But more than her craziness (and her awesome yet confusing topknot), she was genuinely a great person. I adored seeing things from Helena's perspective and I honestly felt that she was under appreciated (especially by her friend, Della). I absolutely loved seeing a whole new side to Tarry Fisher and her writing, it was fun and such a great experience.

It all started with a dream... literally. The whole romance between Helena and Kit (#Kitena?) started when Helena dreamt her future life with Kit and then everything got all kinds of weird after. I liked Kit, I didn't love him because I felt like he was too typical sweet, kind of mysterious book boyfriend but he was a great guy to Helena. He was kind of her rock, in a way. He pushed her to find herself and even if it was the Dream Kit that influenced Helena, it still counts (haha). 99% of the time, I just want to smack him and tell him to go and break up with Della, but really, things weren't that simple.

While majority of the book was quirky and fun, it wouldn't be written by Tarry Fisher if it didn't have some semblance of angst, so yeah, it did. I have no particular comment on it other than I'm sad it happened but fine that it did. #karmaisabitch

All in all, I really enjoyed F*ck Love. I was unused to this new and happy style of writing but Tarry Fisher definitely knows how to make a novel her own by reminding you, in some way, that this book is still hers and you shouldn't get too comfortable. I had fun, I laughed, cringed, laughed even more, giggled a bit and got my heart a little broken but I survived (which is more than I can say when I read Mud Vein). F*ck Love is a great read and I recommend reading all of Tarry Fisher's other books before reading this one because you'll depress yourself, in a good way, reading them and this one will definitely make you feel better.

Rating:

{Blog Tour} Review: Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

Title: Anna and the Swallow Man

Author: Gavriel Savit

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication date: January 26th 2016

Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

A stunning, literary, and wholly original debut novel set in Poland during the Second World War perfect for readers of The Book Thief.

Kraków, 1939. A million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. This is no place to grow up. Anna Łania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father, a linguistics professor, during their purge of intellectuals in Poland. She’s alone.

And then Anna meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall, a skilled deceiver with more than a little magic up his sleeve. And when the soldiers in the streets look at him, they see what he wants them to see.

The Swallow Man is not Anna’s father—she knows that very well—but she also knows that, like her father, he’s in danger of being taken, and like her father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. She follows him into the wilderness.

Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgment, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous. Even the Swallow Man.

Destined to become a classic, Gavriel Savit’s stunning debut reveals life’s hardest lessons while celebrating its miraculous possibilities.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

My thoughts:

My Sociology professor once told us that language colors the way we see the world, we use varied words to describe how everything looks and feels. Gavriel Savit used his words beautifully and created a curious and wondrous world through Anna's eyes. It's been a while since I last read a great Middle Grade, especially one that managed to capture my interest for an impressive amount of time. I was actually reading Anna and the Swallow during my finals because I could not stop until I unearthed all of its secrets, and highlighted every gorgeous passage there was (trust me, there were a lot of great lines).

Seeing through Anna's eyes, sifting through her memories and going through her experiences was a very interesting journey. Especially when she would recall things her father did and how the people he brought into Anna's life affected her. Even though Anna is supposed to be a child, her mind has  very beautiful and with clear trains of thought. It was a unique experience for me and it allowed me to grow from witnessing Anna's different events in life.

While the book was lovely, I will admit that there were moments when it got a bit too slow for me; but I am not too surprised because there's a lot of discussion and depth. Anna and the Swallow Man's relationship was fascinating to me, there was a distinct bond between the two but also, no promises of being together forever. They were shrouded in mystery (and a bit of luck) and everything seemed to fall where they belonged. However, there were moments in the book (mostly in the latter part) that constantly nagged me as to what significance of the Swallow Man played in Anna's life, there were a bit of questions that were left unanswered, in my opinion.

All in all, Anna and the Swallow Man is a wonderful novel that will give you all kinds of emotions and different perspectives in life. The story is a contradiction: simple yet complex, warm yet unbelievably cold, and dull yet extremely bright. Gabriel Savit has written a lovely novel that will be sure to warm everyone's hearts but also leave you somewhat confused (haha).

Rating:

.5

Waiting on Wednesday (51)

Waiting on Wednesday/s are hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine in which you choose a book or books that you're excited and waiting for.

This week's Waiting on Wednesday book is...

Title: The Forbidden Wish

Author: Jessica Khoury

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication date: February 23rd 2016

Pre-order the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Arabian Nights from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

Reasons for why I'm excited for this book:

1) I am seriously cover-lusting so many books now. The original cover of The Forbidden Wish was already gorgeous as heck but the newer one is beautiful too! The play on colors and gradients make the cover so alluring. I 101% approve.

Original The Forbidden Wish cover

 2) Loosely based on "Arabian Nights"??? Yes. Please. I am already so there. (Genies! Wishes! Betrayal! Drama! Romance! And a guy named Aladdin, you can only go right with this combination.) Also, I am super loving Jessica Khoury's Pinterest page for The Forbidden Wish, it is glorious. Check out its prettiness HERE. The aesthetics are just adding to my excitement for the books.

3) One of my mottos in life is: Trust in Maas. So when Sarah J. Maas tells me that a book is "... a rare, glittering jewel", I am definitely going to listen. (Now, gimme.)

What are your WoW pick/s for this week? Let me know in the comments and I'll check them out!

ARC Review: Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Title: Black Widow: Forever Red (Black Widow #1)

Author: Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Marvel Press

Publication date: October 13th 2015

Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Enter the world of the Avengers’ iconic master spy…

Natasha Romanoff is one of the world’s most lethal assassins. Trained from a young age in the arts of death and deception, Natasha was given the title of Black Widow by Ivan Somodorov, her brutal teacher at the Red Room, Moscow’s infamous academy for operatives.

Ava Orlova is just trying to fit in as an average Brooklyn teenager, but her life has been anything but average.The daughter of a missing Russian quantum physicist, Ava was once subjected to a series of ruthless military experiments—until she was rescued by Black Widow and placed under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection. Ava has always longed to reconnect with her mysterious savior, but Black Widow isn’t really the big sister type.

Until now.

When children all over Eastern Europe begin to go missing, and rumors of smuggled Red Room tech light up the dark net, Natasha suspects her old teacher has returned—and that Ava Orlova might be the only one who can stop him. To defeat the madman who threatens their future, Natasha and Ava must unravel their pasts. Only then will they discover the truth about the dark-eyed boy with an hourglass tattoo who haunts Ava’s dreams…

Black Widow: Forever Red features all the heart-pounding adventure readers expect from Marvel, written by #1 New York Times best-selling author Margaret Stohl. Uncover a new side of the Marvel Universe that will thrill loyal fans and newcomers alike, as Stohl reveals the untold story of Black Widow for the very first time.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

My thoughts:

When I found out that Margaret Stohl would be writing a YA novel about the Black Widow, I was really apprehensive about it. I wasn't a fan of her Beautiful Creatures series (the books were dull and boring, in my opinion) and Icons series (I read the first one and it was just a confused mess). I didn't want to set my expectations too high but dammit, I really wanted a badass superhero book worthy of the Black Widow and her awesomeness. Unfortunately, that wasn't what I got...

The story mainly focused on Ava Orlov and her insta-love (yes, insta-love) interest, Alex Manor and their shenanigans without the Black Widow when all I wanted was the Black freaking Widow. I would have been totally fine without the romance aspect in the novel because it would have left extra room for the more exciting bits to be developed; and the romance wasn't even done well. One look then BOOM love, love, love. (Even Natasha Romanov noted how quickly their relationship progressed.)

The characters in Black Widow: Forever Red had zero personalities. Majority of the characters were so stiff and the dialogues felt forced. I couldn't enjoy their quips and comebacks without pausing to see if it was meant to be a joke or not, the aura was just so serious. I felt that if Margaret Stohl wanted the book to be serious, she should have stayed consistent and not forced the humour. However, I will give .5 for Agent Coulson because even though his interactions with Natasha were awkward at best, he did make comments that made me smile; and I will give another .5 for Tony Stark because even though Margaret Stohl didn't capture Stark's dry humour and natural snark, she did try and it was an okay effort.

If you expect for there to be some heinous villain in this novel, you will be sorely disappointed. About 90% of this book revolves around Ava and Alex, another 5% dedicated to Natasha and the last 5% to Ian Somodorov (the guy they're suppose to go against). It was like Margaret Stohl forgot what her own story was about, got sidetracked and then saw a random Post-it on her desk that said "main characters must beat up Ian Somodorov" leading her back to the initial plot but went "eh" and decided to keep what she'd already written even though they were just filler chapters. Whatever fight scenes this book had lacked excitement and that made it so hard for me to enjoy them. Everything just felt so boring for me. I will give another .5 to this novel because Margaret Stohl did her research well (at least it seemed that way), this book was filled with so much scientific jargon that I just decided to believe whatever the heck it said (quantum entanglement? Okay).

All in all, this book was no good for me. This is the third strike for Margaret Stohl and I definitely won't be reading any of her future books.

Rating:

.5

Waiting on Wednesday (50)

Waiting on Wednesday/s are hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine in which you choose a book or books that you're excited and waiting for.

This week's Waiting on Wednesday book is...

Title: Seven Black Diamonds (Untitled #1)

Author: Melissa Marr

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication date: March 1st 2016

Pre-order the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



This riveting fantasy marks Melissa Marr’s return to the world of faery courts that made her Wicked Lovely series an international phenomenon.

Lilywhite Abernathy is a criminal—she’s half human, half fae, and since the time before she was born, a war has been raging between humans and faeries. The Queen of Blood and Rage, ruler of the fae courts, wants to avenge the tragic death of her heir due to the actions of reckless humans.

Lily’s father has always shielded her, but when she’s sent to the prestigious St. Columba’s school, she’s delivered straight into the arms of a fae sleeper cell—the Black Diamonds. The Diamonds are planted in the human world as the sons and daughters of the most influential families and tasked with destroying it from within. Against her will, Lilywhite’s been chosen to join them...and even the romantic attention of the fae rock singer Creed Morrison isn’t enough to keep Lily from wanting to run back to the familiar world she knows.

Melissa Marr returns to faery in a dramatic story of the precarious space between two worlds and the people who must thrive there. The combination of ethereal fae powers, tumultuous romance, and a bloodthirsty faery queen will have longtime fans and new readers at the edge of their seats.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

Reasons for why I'm excited for this book:

1) I will literally read anything Melissa Marr writes, I pretty much author worship her. (Her Wicked Lovely series is still one of my most favourite books of all time. Still rooting for Niall and Irial, heeheehee.)

2) I am so excited about the fact that she's decided to dabble in faerie lore again. Melissa Marr's faeries have always been sexy, dangerous and immensely exciting so I'm looking forward to meeting a whole new set of characters (the blurb is looking real good too, the Black Diamonds sounds like such badass, I swear).

3) That. Cover. It seems so simple but I see the beauty in its brutality (re: the shard piercing the flower). It's captivating and actually very cool.

What are your WoW pick/s for this week? Let me know in the comments and I'll check them out!