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Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated None of the Above in Books
Jan 30, 2019
This book took my world by storm. From page one of None of the Above I was captivated. The characters latched onto my heart any wouldn’t let go. The fluid writing style had me flipping pages faster well into the night. I wasn’t expecting to love this book or these characters so much but I couldn’t help but love everything about this story.
Kristin’s story of learning that she is an Intersex Individual was both poignant and moving. The questions and thoughts rolling around in Kristin’s head really have us questioning what it means to be male or female, and Physical Gender vs. Gender Identity. Kristin’s story become exponentially more devastating when the entire school finds out that she is intersex. Kristin finds herself in the middle of an identity crisis all while losing her closest friends, her boyfriend, and truly questioning who she is. Throughout her crisis she finds there is an unexpected constant; the son of her father’s ex-girlfriend Darren who goes to school with Kristin. When her friends and peers turn their back on her Darren shows increasing support of Kristin and befriends when she needs him most.
There are points throughout this story where Kristin is a bit whiny and wallowing in her sadness, and it can get a bit old. To be honest I can’t really say that I would be any different had I been in her shoes. She goes through a monumental change and morphs into a strong, resilient, and empowered young woman. I couldn’t be prouder of this character and her growth. The author did a tremendously fabulous job creating Kristin and developing her character throughout the story.
The supporting characters are all great in their own ways. Kristin’s father and Darren are my two favorites of the supporting characters for that specific reason that they are supportive of her and what she’s dealing with. They are patient and kind and are willing to help her work through and process the changes she’s going through.
This book needs to be shared, loaned, and spread around. The teachings of acceptance, patience, and resilience is so valuable in todays society where there is so much intolerance. If you’ve read this book and enjoyed it I recommend reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; or if you’ve read that book and enjoyed it I recommend None of the Above.
Kristin’s story of learning that she is an Intersex Individual was both poignant and moving. The questions and thoughts rolling around in Kristin’s head really have us questioning what it means to be male or female, and Physical Gender vs. Gender Identity. Kristin’s story become exponentially more devastating when the entire school finds out that she is intersex. Kristin finds herself in the middle of an identity crisis all while losing her closest friends, her boyfriend, and truly questioning who she is. Throughout her crisis she finds there is an unexpected constant; the son of her father’s ex-girlfriend Darren who goes to school with Kristin. When her friends and peers turn their back on her Darren shows increasing support of Kristin and befriends when she needs him most.
There are points throughout this story where Kristin is a bit whiny and wallowing in her sadness, and it can get a bit old. To be honest I can’t really say that I would be any different had I been in her shoes. She goes through a monumental change and morphs into a strong, resilient, and empowered young woman. I couldn’t be prouder of this character and her growth. The author did a tremendously fabulous job creating Kristin and developing her character throughout the story.
The supporting characters are all great in their own ways. Kristin’s father and Darren are my two favorites of the supporting characters for that specific reason that they are supportive of her and what she’s dealing with. They are patient and kind and are willing to help her work through and process the changes she’s going through.
This book needs to be shared, loaned, and spread around. The teachings of acceptance, patience, and resilience is so valuable in todays society where there is so much intolerance. If you’ve read this book and enjoyed it I recommend reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; or if you’ve read that book and enjoyed it I recommend None of the Above.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Sky Throne in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.</i></b>
I haven't been on a blog tour in so long, it's weirddd. How do I format things again?
Honestly, I'm starting to trust Chris Ledbetter's ideas because all of the books I've come across/read that are by him all have one thing in common: they're different, they're unique and they refreshing take on something. <b>Please don't ever let me down with bookish concepts. I'm picky now, and I'd probably cry.</b>
Ledbetter doesn't disappoint, of course. Well before the demigods of Mount Olympus and Percy Jackson existed, there were the Titans and the Olympians. "<b>WAIT, you ask. DOES THIS MEAN IF I LIKE RICK RIORDAN'S BOOKS, I MIGHT LIKE <i>THE SKY THRONE</i>."</b>
And let's be honest: the Olympians probably didn't spring into adulthood straight from birth, so they have to start somewhere, even if it starts with Hyperion attacking young Zeus and killing his best friend in the process. <b>This would be a highly tragic way for Lupe to die because she IS my best friend.</b> He is then sent to Mount Olympus Preparatory, which if we're putting two things together, all of the students who go there will later be known as the Olympians.
Considering the fact Greek mythology is vast, there is a large cast of characters - anyone who knows little to nothing about Greek mythology might end up lost keeping track of all the characters and who they are. We've got the major players: Chronos/Kronos, Rhea, Zeus, the rest of the Olympians, the Titans, etc. - most of them have nicknames that are remotely similar to their original name, but it may be difficult to keep track regardless. <b>Or maybe I'm very strange and have a shabby memory. My brain cries when I try to remember too hard.</b>
"Okay, but the Olympians and Titans usually bicker like nobody's business. Is that included and will it give me headache (aka make me want to throw the book against the wall)?" Despite the somewhat large cast of characters, Ledbetter has a great balance between what <i style="font-weight: bold;">we</i> as readers know about Greek figures depicted in media and a personality each character has of their own. The Olympians have their bickering and putting each other down sometimes, but it's a lot less bickering and more familial than what I know of, which is 10 tablespoons of bickering and 1/2 teaspoon of actually getting along. <b>Yes, Percy Jackson. I'm eyeballing you, even if I loved you in my middle school days.</b>
<i>The Sky Throne</i> brings back great middle school reading memories without trying to replace them - fans of Rick Riordan's <i>Percy Jackson and the Olympians</i> and <i>The Heroes of Olympus</i> will most likely find themselves enjoying the first book in Ledbetter's new series.
<b>
</b> And lo and behold, Ledbetter has confirmed! There is a sequel in the works! Secretly I'm dancing around. Shh.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-sky-throne-by-chris-ledbetter/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I haven't been on a blog tour in so long, it's weirddd. How do I format things again?
Honestly, I'm starting to trust Chris Ledbetter's ideas because all of the books I've come across/read that are by him all have one thing in common: they're different, they're unique and they refreshing take on something. <b>Please don't ever let me down with bookish concepts. I'm picky now, and I'd probably cry.</b>
Ledbetter doesn't disappoint, of course. Well before the demigods of Mount Olympus and Percy Jackson existed, there were the Titans and the Olympians. "<b>WAIT, you ask. DOES THIS MEAN IF I LIKE RICK RIORDAN'S BOOKS, I MIGHT LIKE <i>THE SKY THRONE</i>."</b>
And let's be honest: the Olympians probably didn't spring into adulthood straight from birth, so they have to start somewhere, even if it starts with Hyperion attacking young Zeus and killing his best friend in the process. <b>This would be a highly tragic way for Lupe to die because she IS my best friend.</b> He is then sent to Mount Olympus Preparatory, which if we're putting two things together, all of the students who go there will later be known as the Olympians.
Considering the fact Greek mythology is vast, there is a large cast of characters - anyone who knows little to nothing about Greek mythology might end up lost keeping track of all the characters and who they are. We've got the major players: Chronos/Kronos, Rhea, Zeus, the rest of the Olympians, the Titans, etc. - most of them have nicknames that are remotely similar to their original name, but it may be difficult to keep track regardless. <b>Or maybe I'm very strange and have a shabby memory. My brain cries when I try to remember too hard.</b>
"Okay, but the Olympians and Titans usually bicker like nobody's business. Is that included and will it give me headache (aka make me want to throw the book against the wall)?" Despite the somewhat large cast of characters, Ledbetter has a great balance between what <i style="font-weight: bold;">we</i> as readers know about Greek figures depicted in media and a personality each character has of their own. The Olympians have their bickering and putting each other down sometimes, but it's a lot less bickering and more familial than what I know of, which is 10 tablespoons of bickering and 1/2 teaspoon of actually getting along. <b>Yes, Percy Jackson. I'm eyeballing you, even if I loved you in my middle school days.</b>
<i>The Sky Throne</i> brings back great middle school reading memories without trying to replace them - fans of Rick Riordan's <i>Percy Jackson and the Olympians</i> and <i>The Heroes of Olympus</i> will most likely find themselves enjoying the first book in Ledbetter's new series.
<b>
</b> And lo and behold, Ledbetter has confirmed! There is a sequel in the works! Secretly I'm dancing around. Shh.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-sky-throne-by-chris-ledbetter/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Becs (244 KP) rated After The Shot Drops in Books
Feb 10, 2020
Trigger Warnings: talk of death, violence, shooting, threats, blood, hospitals, gunshot, prison, underage drinking, underage party
Representation: POC, LGBTQ+, own voices, poverty
I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t have truly liked this book as it was a sports related young adult contemporary book, and I just am not that into sports fiction. Boy, was I completely wrong!! I read this entire book in one sitting and I just could not get enough of it. I, no joke, devoured the entire thing and was flipping through pages like my life depended on it.
After the Shot Drops starts off at a rather typical pace for a young adult contemporary book. It was neither rushed and boring nor screamed at me to keep going. It lied in that perfect middle ground of – you should definitely keep reading as you’re not going to want to miss this story. The plot follows a multi POV setup with Bunny and Nasir being the main POVs. Bunny is a high school junior who decided to leave Whitman High to go to a prep school as he wanted more out of his life and basketball career. Nasir was Bunny’s best friend before Bunny decided to up and leave without saying anything to anybody until the last minute.
There were other minor characters as well that really added parts to the story, so we can’t forget them. Wallace, Nasir’s cousin and close friend after his friendship with Bunny fell through. Wallace was one that couldn’t seem to ever make the right choices in life. And in the end, karma bit him back real hard. Then there was Keyona, who was Bunny’s girl and the long time crush of Nasir. She was constantly there for Bunny since his friendship with Nasir was non existent.
Can we take a moment and talk about the representation that was packed into this book? Because holy cow. This is my first five star read of the year and it did not disappoint one bit. There was multiple of POC (person of color) rep, a bit of LGBTQ+ rep, and this novel really focused on showing the different sides of poverty and a bit of the wealthy side as well. It also had the “don’t judge a book by it’s cover as you don’t truly know what someone is like behind the facade they have up” trope and I was living for it every step of the way in After the Shot Drops.
For me to rate this so highly, was honestly really surprising as I was not expecting such a high star rating! As I read and the more I read, I grew to care for each of the characters. I was saddened and heartbroken that some characters were living extremely rough and happy when moments of happiness popped through. This novel really hit home to me as I grew up in a poverty stricken household. I was almost brought to tears multiple of times within this novel as well. I was into this story for the characters and the plot, not the sports – but those did add an appealing nature to the story.
Randy’s writing was music to my ears. It was easy to comprehend every little thing that happened, every little detail, every heartbreaking moment, and every plot twist that befell this remarkable story. The writing was just what I needed to pull me out of my reading slump. It was crisp, beautiful, well thought out, and an instant adoration on my part.
This is one story that I will not only highly recommend to middle and high school students, but also to adults as well. As the story is not only something everyone needs to read, but also the meaning behind every action taken within this novel is something that everyone needs to reflect on. The build-up will leave you wanting more of Randy’s writing and will leave your emotions in shambles. Please, please, please, read this one!!!
_____________________
<a href="https://bookingwayreads.wordpress.com">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://https://www.instagram.com/ernest.bookingway/">Bookstagram</a>; | <a href="https://https://twitter.com/bookingwayreads">Twitter</a>;
Representation: POC, LGBTQ+, own voices, poverty
I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t have truly liked this book as it was a sports related young adult contemporary book, and I just am not that into sports fiction. Boy, was I completely wrong!! I read this entire book in one sitting and I just could not get enough of it. I, no joke, devoured the entire thing and was flipping through pages like my life depended on it.
After the Shot Drops starts off at a rather typical pace for a young adult contemporary book. It was neither rushed and boring nor screamed at me to keep going. It lied in that perfect middle ground of – you should definitely keep reading as you’re not going to want to miss this story. The plot follows a multi POV setup with Bunny and Nasir being the main POVs. Bunny is a high school junior who decided to leave Whitman High to go to a prep school as he wanted more out of his life and basketball career. Nasir was Bunny’s best friend before Bunny decided to up and leave without saying anything to anybody until the last minute.
There were other minor characters as well that really added parts to the story, so we can’t forget them. Wallace, Nasir’s cousin and close friend after his friendship with Bunny fell through. Wallace was one that couldn’t seem to ever make the right choices in life. And in the end, karma bit him back real hard. Then there was Keyona, who was Bunny’s girl and the long time crush of Nasir. She was constantly there for Bunny since his friendship with Nasir was non existent.
Can we take a moment and talk about the representation that was packed into this book? Because holy cow. This is my first five star read of the year and it did not disappoint one bit. There was multiple of POC (person of color) rep, a bit of LGBTQ+ rep, and this novel really focused on showing the different sides of poverty and a bit of the wealthy side as well. It also had the “don’t judge a book by it’s cover as you don’t truly know what someone is like behind the facade they have up” trope and I was living for it every step of the way in After the Shot Drops.
For me to rate this so highly, was honestly really surprising as I was not expecting such a high star rating! As I read and the more I read, I grew to care for each of the characters. I was saddened and heartbroken that some characters were living extremely rough and happy when moments of happiness popped through. This novel really hit home to me as I grew up in a poverty stricken household. I was almost brought to tears multiple of times within this novel as well. I was into this story for the characters and the plot, not the sports – but those did add an appealing nature to the story.
Randy’s writing was music to my ears. It was easy to comprehend every little thing that happened, every little detail, every heartbreaking moment, and every plot twist that befell this remarkable story. The writing was just what I needed to pull me out of my reading slump. It was crisp, beautiful, well thought out, and an instant adoration on my part.
This is one story that I will not only highly recommend to middle and high school students, but also to adults as well. As the story is not only something everyone needs to read, but also the meaning behind every action taken within this novel is something that everyone needs to reflect on. The build-up will leave you wanting more of Randy’s writing and will leave your emotions in shambles. Please, please, please, read this one!!!
_____________________
<a href="https://bookingwayreads.wordpress.com">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://https://www.instagram.com/ernest.bookingway/">Bookstagram</a>; | <a href="https://https://twitter.com/bookingwayreads">Twitter</a>;
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Life of Glass in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Melissa’s father died almost two years ago. She has been struggling, but is surviving with the help of her best friend Ryan. But through a series of events, her world gets turned upside down. A new girl comes to school and befriends her immediately, for some unknown reason. Ryan gets a girlfriend. Melissa’s mom is dating some guy. Ashley, her older sister, is… well just being an annoying older sister with problems. And in the middle of it all, Melissa still has unsolved mysteries about her father, her desires, and herself.
The Life of Glass is a fast read—I tore through it in a matter of hours. I wasn’t particularly sure why I couldn’t stop reading it. Maybe it was the easy language, maybe it was the characters, maybe I was just in the mood for a good romance novel and that was what was on my shelf. Either way, I didn’t stop reading until my sister turned the light out on me.
I liked the characters a lot (though some of them I despised) and others remained mysteries until later in the book; they were those “oh I had no idea they were that kind of person” characters, and I liked the mystery of their personalities. They were relatable and likeable.
That being said, there was nothing hugely spectacular about The Life of Glass: nothing that will make it a long lasting fantastic memory or escape for me. I enjoyed it and I won’t forget it, but it won’t be one of those “second reads.”
This was part of the 1 ARC Tours for Bloody Bad.
The Life of Glass is a fast read—I tore through it in a matter of hours. I wasn’t particularly sure why I couldn’t stop reading it. Maybe it was the easy language, maybe it was the characters, maybe I was just in the mood for a good romance novel and that was what was on my shelf. Either way, I didn’t stop reading until my sister turned the light out on me.
I liked the characters a lot (though some of them I despised) and others remained mysteries until later in the book; they were those “oh I had no idea they were that kind of person” characters, and I liked the mystery of their personalities. They were relatable and likeable.
That being said, there was nothing hugely spectacular about The Life of Glass: nothing that will make it a long lasting fantastic memory or escape for me. I enjoyed it and I won’t forget it, but it won’t be one of those “second reads.”
This was part of the 1 ARC Tours for Bloody Bad.
Becs (244 KP) rated Forever (Changers #4) in Books
Mar 19, 2019
Fun and amazing read (2 more)
Loads of representation
Easy to read
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
I received Forever (Changers Book 4) from LibraryThing to read and review. I have not read books 1 - 3 yet but this little novel is such a hidden gem! The beginning was basically a recap of what happened in the first three books and the authors do such an amazing job with the writing that I was able to read Forever (Changers Book 4) with no problem. So, just because this is the fourth book in the installment doesn't mean that you can't read it as a stand-alone as well.
There is LGBTQ+ representation along with ethnic representation throughout the entirety of the novel. This was seriously a jackpot of a book to get. I enjoyed every second of it and my attention was grabbed and never let go until I put the novel down. As I was reading, I couldn't and didn't want to stop reading. I ended up devouring it in a matter of a 3 day period.
I loved how this was a middle-school grade, young adult, contemporary fantasy but also had hints of sci-fi. Due to the fact that some people changed each year into new individuals. It makes me want to get books 1 - 3 and reread the entire series.
Reasons why I rated it 5 stars:
1. Amazing read!
2. Multiple of different representations.
3. My attention was maintained on the entirety of the novel.
4. Writing was well-done, no grammatical or spelling errors that I saw.
I received Forever (Changers Book 4) from LibraryThing to read and review. I have not read books 1 - 3 yet but this little novel is such a hidden gem! The beginning was basically a recap of what happened in the first three books and the authors do such an amazing job with the writing that I was able to read Forever (Changers Book 4) with no problem. So, just because this is the fourth book in the installment doesn't mean that you can't read it as a stand-alone as well.
There is LGBTQ+ representation along with ethnic representation throughout the entirety of the novel. This was seriously a jackpot of a book to get. I enjoyed every second of it and my attention was grabbed and never let go until I put the novel down. As I was reading, I couldn't and didn't want to stop reading. I ended up devouring it in a matter of a 3 day period.
I loved how this was a middle-school grade, young adult, contemporary fantasy but also had hints of sci-fi. Due to the fact that some people changed each year into new individuals. It makes me want to get books 1 - 3 and reread the entire series.
Reasons why I rated it 5 stars:
1. Amazing read!
2. Multiple of different representations.
3. My attention was maintained on the entirety of the novel.
4. Writing was well-done, no grammatical or spelling errors that I saw.
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