Pixels & Reveries

Genre: Young Adult Fiction and Contemporary Fiction  Publisher: Atria Books  Rating: 5/5  Goodreads Blurb → https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16151178-the-sea-of-tranquility Nastya and Josh meet each other in their senior year of high school after she transfers from a different city. Nastya does not talk to anyone and no one messes with Josh. They keep to themselves because it is the only way they cope with everything that happened in their lives till they reach each other. Character Discussion (including possible spoilers): Both Nastya and Josh are tragic characters who’ve loved and lost. Bad things have happened in their pasts and although we know Josh’s story, we are only given fragments of Nastya’s. Just like Josh, we are piecing her story bit by bit with the information she’s willing to give. We know that something terrible had happened and Nastya has not yet found the words to voice it. She is wounded and devastated but at the same time she is in...

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult and Poetry Publisher: Electric Monkey Publication Date: 8 th of March 2018 Rating: 4/5 Goodreads Blurb → https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33294200-the-poet-x The Poet X is beautifully written, empowering and relatable. It is written in verse and delves into Xiomara’s life as she navigates being a teenager. She is a first generation Dominican-American girl who deals with misogyny and sexual harassment and the book explores this in a way that is accessible to anyone. Those who have been in her same situation will feel less alone having read this book. The author explores Xiomara’s complicated relationship with her mother and the family dynamics. Her mother forces religion into rebellious Xiomara who questions her faith at every possible turn. Xiomara yearns to experience life and love unbeknownst to her mother and she feels like she’s committed a sin simply by falling in love. Her outlet for her trials and tribulations is through poetr...

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Thriller and Sci-Fi Publisher: Corgi Childrens Publication Date: 26 th of March 2015 Rating: 3/5 Echo Boy is a futuristic Sci-Fi thriller written from the alternate perspectives of the main characters Audrey and Daniel. They meet unexpectedly after Audrey's parents get killed by an Echo - a household robot programmed to obey humans. Daniel is not your average guy because he himself is an Echo, but he is also much more than that. Audrey is on a whirlwind journey trying to find answers to her parents' death while starting to live with her estranged uncle who happens to know when to help. He is however a leading manufacturer of Echoes and has his own agenda. Goodreads Blurb → https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23346777-echo-boy Thoughts: The ultramodern premise of the story pulled me in as there's so much new technology around and people live beyond the age of 100. Matt Haig's world building is fascinating. I have to s...

Genre: Fantasy and Young Adult Publisher: Orion Publication Date: 29th January 2019 Rating:  3.5/5 This book takes place 3 years after the end of Ruin and Rising where Nikolai has ascended the throne and is trying to juggle politics and his inner demons. It also follows Zoya who is one of the commanders of the Second Army and is always by Nikolai’s side helping to control the monster in him that has a penchant to come out at night. Their story runs parallel to that of Nina who is sent on a mission by Nikolai to Fjerda to find Grisha who are persecuted and send them to Ravka for their safety. Although Nikolai fronts that everything is under control, we find out that Ravka’s finances are depleting and they are losing allies. The only way to save the country he cherishes is through the prospects of marriage to a foreigner of noble birth. Synopsis → https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36307634-king-of-scars The good: ·       ...

Genre: Fantasy and Historical Fiction    Publisher: Harper Voyager Publication Date: 14 th November 2017 Rating: 5/5 The City of Brass was the best book I have read so far this year. It had everything I needed in a fantasy book: mystical beings, ghouls, flying carpets, swords that catch on fire and so much more. We are introduced to Nahri who is a street savvy swindler saving up money to escape Cairo as she yearns to become a physician in Istanbul. Her dreams crumble when she accidentally performs an exorcism which awakens a centuries old djinn, Dara. He is stunned by her ability to speak his language and the fact that she can heal instantly from injuries. This makes him think that she could be related to the Nahids who were a respectable clan of healers that reigned his land before the current rulers. Dara takes Nahri on an epic journey to Deavabad where his people are from to make sense of her existence and keep her safe from the Ifrit (rogue demonised ...