Book Review- Caraval

I finished reading Caraval by Stephanie Garber for an Around the World ARC Tour.

 From Goodreads:

Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember that it’s all a game . . .Scarlett has never

left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their ruthless father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the legendary, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.Then, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation to Caraval finally arrives. So, Tella enlists a mysterious sailor’s help to whisk Scarlett away to this year’s show. But as soon as the trio arrives, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend.


Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nonetheless soon becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with her sister, with Legend, and with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.


 Ok, first of all, am I the only person who kept reading the word "Caraval" as "Carnival"?  I kept having to correct myself.


 Anyways, the idea of Caraval was interesting, but it was not at all what I expected.  It was all dark.  I thought there might be some lightness and fun to it but there wasn't.  A lot of it was confusing to me.  I mean, I guess that was the point of the game but I felt that there were twists and turns.  And then twists on those twists.  A lot of it left me thinking "huh?" 


 I'm not sure I really liked any of the characters.  Scarlett just didn't seem very exciting to me.  I didn't care about her. And Tella seemed too airhead and flouncy.  If I had to pick a favorite, it was Julian.
 
 The writing kind of bugged me too.  There were too many descriptions of things using colors.  All her feelings were colors and there were sensory words everywhere.  Sensory overload.


 I don't know.  I've read such great reviews about the book.  Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me to read it.


 I gave this book a rating of 3/5.


 Caraval will be released on January 31, 2017.


 *FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily

I just finished reading The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan are back with a life-affirming Christmas romance starring Dash and Lily.
 
Dash and Lily have had a tough year since readers first watched the couple fall in love. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition. 
 
With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the holiday magic of New York City in December. 
 
Told in alternating chapters, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lilyreunites two beloved characters and is bound to be a Christmas favorite, season after season.

Who doesn't love a good Christmas book in August?? (I know I read an ARC so it won't be released until closer to the holiday season).  I love the holidays so I'm up for a holiday themed-book any time of the year!

This book kept me entertained.  It wasn't necessarily deep but it wasn't completely light either.  It was perfectly somewhere in the middle.

I liked Lily more this go round.  I thought she was more real and more depth.  And Dash got on my nerves this time.  He didn't seem as invested as Lily and there were several things he did that made me question if he really was as into the relationship as she was.  

But all ends as it should and kept this reader quite happy.

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily will be released on October 18, 2016.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours. 

Book Review- Stealing Snow

I finished reading Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.

Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid--her true home--with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything...including Snow's return to the world she once knew.

This breathtaking first volume begins the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a queen, and ultimately a hero.

I've said it many times before and I'm sure I'll say it many times again...I love fairy tales.  And if there's a retelling of one, I'm going to want to read it.  Unfortunately, this retelling of the Snow Queen story just didn't do it for me.

I can't pin it exactly.  But something about the flow of the story or the plot didn't work for me.  Snow jumped from here to there and guy to guy.  And things were too convenient.  They weren't believeable at all, even in the realm of fairy tale.

Sadly, I didn't care for Snow at all.  Or any of the other characters for that matter. I mean, I didn't dislike her.  But I just didn't care about her.  And I want to care about the main character.  Or hate them.  Or feel something for them.  But nope.

Ehh...I think this is supposed to be a series, but I'm struggling with whether I'll continue on with it.

I gave this book a rating of 2.5/5.

Stealing Snow will be released on September 20, 2016.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.