Under Different Stars by Amy A. Bartol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars Isn't the cover gorgeous? It's really what drew me to picking up this book. I've been trying to branch out from my usual genres, and I've also been wanting to read more science fiction. Under Different Stars fit the bill. Its a YA science fiction romance novel but really heavy on the romance. The book starts off great and I was immediately engrossed with the story. I really like main character Kricket. I liked her sass and attitude. I also felt for her situation of growing up as an orphan and just trying to get by in life. My biggest issue with the book is that as a feminist I was a tad disappointed that the advance world of Ethar was so backwards in their way of thinking of women. It was basically Kricket left earth and went into medieval times. Everybody wanted to consort (marry) her but without her permission. WTF? At least Kricket kept her wit cause if she didn't it would have been over for me. Overall, I liked the story and do plan on reading the next book in the series. I just felt this was a 3 1/2 platypire/stars book for me. View all my reviews |
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This week I read Under Different Stars by Amy. A. Bartol. Check out my 3 1/2 Platypires review below.
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Earlier this year I got to meet author Matt de la Pena and got to hear about his book The Living. I finally got a chance to read it and below you can read my review.
Synopsis:
Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he'll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different passengers, after all. But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy's only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed. The earthquake is only the first disaster. Suddenly it's a fight to survive for those left living. My Review:
Synopsis:
There is no light without shadow, no truth without sacrifice, and no way to keep us all from harm. Aska wants more out of life than being a temple girl in the St. Brandan Convent of Brandaris. Her life-long service to the Baeles-Weards is the only reason she wasn’t killed immediately after birth – she is atoning for the sins of her parents. Her Anglian mother and Skylger father were never supposed to love each other and have children, and Aska is reminded of her low status and illegitimacy by her fellow temple girls every day. But then she meets Tjalling, a young, mysterious, and charming Skylger fisherman who doesn’t seem to care that he is not supposed to befriend her. Soon after they meet, the island falls prey to the largest Siren attack in the history of Skylge and Aska is beginning to doubt the wisdom of the priests. If the Light in the Tower really keeps the people from harm, why are the Shriekers taking more and more lives each day? Adding to her inner turmoil is a secret meeting with Royce and Enna, who want to recruit her into their resistance movement, an unexpected confession from her best friend Melinda, and Aska’s realization that she likes Tjalling a bit too much for her own good. Soon, she is going down a road there is no turning back from, forcing her to make choices that shake the foundations of her world. For Aska, there is only one true choice – to bring the truth to light. My Review:
Synopsis: When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author ofBittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer. Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one. Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas? Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong? Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking. My Review:
I became a fan girl of Matt de La Pena and recently got to meet him at an author event last month. ( for more info about my visit, click here. ) The event was wonderful and I picked up my personalized sign copy of "We Were Here." Well, last night I decided to finally read it and lost a lot of sleep. I just couldn't put it down. Yes, readers of this page. It was ONE OF THOSE BOOKS. *sigh Below you can read my review. Synopsis: When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live. But Miguel didn’t bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting to the border to where he could start over. Forget his mom. Forget his brother. Forget himself. Life usually doesn’ t work out how you think it will, though. And most of the time, running away is the quickest path right back to what you’re running from. From the streets of Stockton to the beaches of Venice, all the way to the Mexican border, We Were Here follows a journey of self-discovery by a boy who is trying to forgive himself in an unforgiving world. My review:
I have made no secret that I wish I were a mermaid. Get to swim all day, never have to worry about clothes or bills. Get to sing when I want and then I get to prey on unsuspecting humans. OH YEAH! Now that's the life. *sigh but I was born with feet and not fins. At least once a day I am sad about it. No joke. In order to combat this sadness I will read books about mermaids. I have a soft spot for any mermaid tale so when I saw Sound Of Sirens by Jen Minkman up for review, I instantly signed up. Below is my 3 platypire review.
Sometimes its just great to read a fun romantic read that isn't filled with heartache and tears. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy those drama-filled roller-coaster books but sometimes it just nice to have an escape. The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris hits the right spot. I just completely adored the characters and would recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun romantic YA book. Plus doesn't it have the cutest cover?
This isn't the first book I read from Rachel Harris. Last year I had met her at an author event in Houston and I thought her books were right up my alley. Taste the Heat was the other book I read and it falls in the genre of contemporary romance. Below is the review I wrote for that book last year.
In case you didn't catch the memo I run the best book club in Houston. Don't believe me? Well Google it! I dare ya! Okay... Okay... I know there were a few eye rolls and maybe a few people clicked away from this post. I understand but HEY, I can't help but be proud of my book club. I started it almost 6 years ago and I have met some great people. Folks I call my dearest friends, so don't hate me for having some pride. Running a book club takes some work and I do it because I love it. Now that being said, today we had a special book club meeting. Our special event book club meetings are when we decide to read a series and have a meeting on a day we typical do not see each other. We previously had meetings for the Hunger Games & Divergent trilogies. This time around we read The Testing Trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau.
Back at the meeting we all were excited to talk about the trilogy. It seemed everybody enjoyed the books but felt they were very similar to other dystopian books we've all read like the Hunger Games and Divergent. We also felt the ending was lacking and felt let down by it. Either way we still thought it was a good series and would most likely read more from the author. I would like to add that some members listen to the audio books and found the narrators voice to be annoying therefore I would recommend reading the books. Below are my reviews to The Testing and Independent Study. I want to give some blog love to Julie from Chapter Break, she's a fellow member or NW Houston Book Club., Click here for her review for the 3rd book, Graduation Day.
This is my first book review for the Platypire Reviews and it's a free awesome book. Plus I just added another book to my nerdy shelf on Goodreads. More on that in a future post. Hope you enjoy.
The Story of Awkward by R.K. Ryals
My rating: 5 of 5 stars “Love isn’t roses. It’s those little square caramels and a root beer from the gas station because he knows that’s your favorite snack. It’s watching a musical with you without groaning. It’s handing you your glasses at night because he knows you’re too blind to find your way to the bathroom without them. Love is awkward.” Well,I started this New Year reading, "The story of Awkward" and I couldn't have picked a better book to start the year with. It had a lot of good stuff that I like; nerdiness, fairy-tales, romance and quotable quotes. I really got sucked into the story because I related so much with the main character Perri. Perri, the artist who drew a completely different world where awkwardness was accepted. Seriously, who hasn't thought of another world to escape to when real life got to be to tough and hard. I really enjoyed reading this story and I'm glad I read it. I couldn't help but smile when this book ended but also kinda sad that there wasn't more. Anyways, I can't wait to read more from R.K. Ryals. This year I am starting to rate books based on diversity. I give The Story of Awkward a C+. Without giving a way spoilers a minor character has a mental illness. But I do want to add that this story is all about acceptance of people who are different. I feel that by that alone should give the story at least a B for diversity. For more information on the diversity grade, click here View all my reviews |
Sofia's bookshelf: read
This was a very cute adorable read. We've all seen those movies where the romantic leads pretending to be dating but are in fact falling for each other. Well as a chick-flick fan this book hit the right spot. Yeah the story-line was a t...
tagged:
2015
by Andy Weir
I don't know whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars. It was pretty damn good. My only complaint is that I got kinda lost in all of the space jargon. Seriously, I felt kinda dumb because everything sounded so smart that I'm just gonna as...
tagged:
2015 and nwh-bookclub
This year I'm planning on rereading some of my favorite books. I'm glad I started with one of my favorite authors. This book is still really good. This time I listen to the audio book instead of actually reading the book. My only complai...
tagged:
fave and 2015
by R.K. Ryals
“Love isn’t roses. It’s those little square caramels and a root beer from the gas station because he knows that’s your favorite snack. It’s watching a musical with you without groaning. It’s handing you your glasses at night because he k...
tagged:
2015, fantasy, nerdy, and 2015-reading-challenge
by Kay Kendall
I want to first start off that I got to meet the author at Houston author bash earlier this year. I was immediately drawn to the cover of this book. I just think it's a beautiful cover. This was the only physical book that I bought at t...
tagged:
houston-author-bash and 2014
About ME!I was born a long time ago in a hospital in Houston At least that's the story that was told to me. I can't recall these details so I can't say with 100% accuracy that its true. Archives
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