[Blog Tour: Review] Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

 

 
   Title: Eliza and Her Monsters

   Author: Francesca Zappia

   Publisher: HarperCollins
   Release Date: May 30, 2017

   Goodreads | Amazon

Eighteen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of Monstrous Sea, a wildly popular webcomic, but when a new boy at school tempts her to live a life offline, everything she’s worked for begins to crumble.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, smart, and friendless. Online, Eliza is LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of a popular webcomic called Monstrous Sea. With millions of followers and fans throughout the world, Eliza’s persona is popular. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves her digital community. Then Wallace Warland transfers to her school, and Eliza begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart. With pages from Eliza’s webcomic, as well as screenshots from Eliza’s online forums, this uniquely formatted book will appeal to fans of Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.

 

You've ever had the feeling like you want to cry after reading a book? Not because it's terrible or there's an intense cliffhanger, but because it's just flat-out amazing? And when I say cry, I don't really mean quiet tears streaming down your cheeks either - I mean loud sobbing complete with that tightness in your chest. And you don't want to cry just because you enjoyed the book either - rather, it's also because you find yourself relating so much to the main character. Well, folks, this all is how I feel about Eliza and Her Monsters.

The plot of Eliza and Her Monsters is pretty straightforward - high school senior Eliza is LadyConstellation, the creator of wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea (thus making her someone famous in the interwebs), but in school, she has become a master of keeping her head down, and making herself invisible around her peers. A tale of opposites, if I do say so myself. Also, other than Eliza's family, no one knows that she creates this comic and this story that has millions of fans because Eliza keeps her two worlds separate. This notion however gets challenged when Eliza meets Wallace, a transfer student who is a Monstrous Sea fan, and who quickly becomes her friend... and something more.

I feel like Eliza's story is something most of us living in the 21st century can relate to, with keeping your online activities separate from your day to day life. I don't think it's as pronounced now in 2017 as it was 15 years ago, but back then, practically no one on forums and communities you are a member of know what your real name is. You are known by your username, and while your username can be traced to to a blog, that one doesn't have your name either. The only people who know are those you consider your friends, and not just people you talk to every now and then on the forums. I remember being especially meticulous about this when I was younger - I wasn't a BNF (big name fan) by any means, but there were only a handful of people whom I met online who both know my username and who I also text or email. It's the same way that only people I consider good friends know my mobile number and my address. It's about being private and careful about personal details. I really understood where Eliza was coming from, and I related to her from the get go.

Another recurring plot line in Eliza and Her Monsters is how her parents may know about Monstrous Sea and her online life, they don't really understand it, and I would go as far as to say that they didn't try to understand it either. They're always encouraging Eliza to live in the real world, to play outside, and to spend more time with her family without the presence of her sketchpad or her smartphone. I get why they're concerned, and I do think that some of their worrying is valid, but I do believe that this is the generation gap rearing its head. Eliza's parents believe that she has no friends, and despite Eliza constantly telling them about her two best friends whom she met online, Max and Emmy, her parents don't consider the two Eliza's 'real' friends. This is something that really frustrated me. In our world today, we talk to most of our friends all over the world via different apps, so it really bothers me that there are people who don't think that people you meet on the internet are 'real' just because you don't bump into them when you're walking your dog or whatever. Eliza's parents' hearts are in the right place, however, and I like how they gradually started communicating with Eliza and actually getting to know who she is and what she does instead of subconsciously judging.

We have a handful of characters in the book, but the two I connected to the most are Eliza and Wallace. I truly feel like I've gone through what Eliza went through in the book (though I'm nowhere near a creator of something that has millions of fans) because I was immersed in fandom from a very early age. I also loved reading about how both Eliza and Wallace used fandom to help them through both everyday life and tragedy because I have done the same. Fandom is an important part of life for many people, and it truly was a pleasure to read about two people who feel the exact same way. From reading the blurb alone you know what's going to happen well into the book and to whom it will bring tension to, and reading how Eliza and Wallace's relationship progressed was elating, pain-inducing, relaxing, and frustrating at different points, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

I have yet to find a book that I've read this year that I have related to so much. This is YA at its best, and Francesca Zappia has made me a fan of hers for life. I recommend this book to everyone who has ever been in a fandom, and anyone who enjoys a good book, really. Oh, and if you're a fan of beautiful drawings? This book is for you.

Rating: 5 Stars

Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan

 
Title: Sword and Verse
Author: Kathy MacMillan
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: January 19, 2016

Source: eARC from the Publisher
Goodreads

Raisa was just a child when she was sold to work as a slave in the kingdom of Qilara. Despite her young age, her father was teaching her to read and write, grooming her to take his place as a Learned One. In Qilara, the Arnathim, like Raisa, are the lowest class, and literacy is a capital offense. What’s more, only the king, prince, tutor, and tutor-in-training are allowed to learn the very highest order language, the language of the gods. So when the tutor-in-training is executed for teaching slaves this sacred language, and Raisa is selected to replace her, Raisa knows any slipup on her part could mean death.

Keeping her secret is hard enough, but the romance that’s been growing between her and Prince Mati isn’t helping matters. Then Raisa is approached by the Resistance—an underground army of slave rebels—to help liberate Arnath slaves. She wants to free her people, but that would mean aiding a war against Mati. As Raisa struggles with what to do, she discovers a secret that the Qilarites have been hiding for centuries—one that, if uncovered, could bring the kingdom to its knees.

Of all the fantasy novels that I have read recently (and I have read A LOT), I have no qualms in saying that Sword and Verse has the most intriguing premise bar none. I mean, come on - a kingdom where literacy is banned? Where education is not a right but a privilege granted to only the most powerful? Where the one who will teach the prince and heir to the throne is a slave - a slave treated well, but a slave nonetheless? And if you're still not convinced... this book also has elements of mythology woven in to its storyline! Sounds amazing, right!?

I'm not going to lie - despite my initial excitement, the first few chapters of Sword and Verse were not the easiest to read. I found them a little bit boring, but more than that, it was a struggle making sense of the decisions Raisa and Prince Mati, our main characters, made. I initially found their characters immature, and I had a hard time believing that they were truly in love because they profess it so early on! I also found it difficult to like Prince Mati because feel like I didn't get to know him like Raisa knows him. The first 20-25% of the book read more like a love story than a fantasy novel, and not that there is anything wrong with that, but it's just not what I signed up for, if you get what I mean.

I'd like to point out, however, that the love between Raisa and Prince Mati isn't exactly insta-love though it may seem like it. It's just that I feel like their relationship started and developed (though they didn't exactly realize it) as they grew up and learned the Language of the Gods together as tutor-in-training and heir apparent respectively... and thus before the happenings of the book. As a result, we weren't exactly privy to it. I do think that it would have been much better if we got more of the 'before' - how Raisa and Prince Mati met, how they became friends, and how they learned to trust each other.

Okay, folks, so I know that the last few paragraphs might have made you decide to pass on this book, but DON'T LISTEN TO ME... because as I read on, well damn, the book GOT SO MUCH BETTER. (So much better that I needed to express myself in all caps!) Remember how I thought Raisa was an immature character? Nope, I couldn't be more wrong. She wasn't immature - she simply was just a young girl who was distracted in love. Also, my previous misgivings of how Sword and Verse seemed more of a love story than a fantasy novel? Uh-huh - I was proven wrong too! The latter part of the book gave due focus to this beautiful world she has created, and I also want to take a moment to laud how expertly MacMillan developed Raisa into a believable character that you root for and someone you want to succeed!

Raisa is not your quintessential fantasy heroine. She's not brash and outspoken; and she's not a skilled fighter. This doesn't mean that she isn't any less strong though - Raisa uses her intellect and her wit to win battles, and these are what make her a force to be reckoned with. The most difficult of decisions and tasks were thrust to Raisa, and since Raisa had no one who can guide her, everything she did she had to do herself - she stood up, dusted her hands, and took action. I also liked the fact that MacMillan portrayed Raisa as a girl that everyone she can relate to - she gets upset, she sometimes makes the wrong decisions, she sometimes lets her feelings get the best of her... her character is as realistic as they come.

Sword and Verse is not just your ordinary fantasy novel, nor is it your ordinary romance either. It's a tale of strength and courage; a tale of love and passion; a tale of growth and self-discovery, and most importantly, a tale of change... all these amidst political dissent. You might find the first few chapters bland, but I encourage you to continue reading because next thing you know, you'll be tearing through the pages because you cannot get over the world-building, the heart-pounding action, and Raisa's character development. Oh - and did I mention that Sword and Verse can be read as a standalone? And that it doesn't end as a cliffhanger!? (I KNOW!!!)

Rating: 4 Stars

[Blog Tour: Review + Q&A] Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen (Red Queen Trilogy #1)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: February, 10 2015
Goodreads | Read the first seven chapters

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard’s sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king’s palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood–those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard–a growing Red rebellion–even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

THOUGHTS:

Beautiful cover? Check. Intriguing blurb that piques your curiosity? Check. Hype? Check. Friends left and right recommending that you read this book? Check.

See, like almost everyone on the blogosphere, I've been wanting to read Red Queen for months now, and this is mainly because of the monstrous hype surrounding it.. Almost a year before its release, there were already talk about how it was going to be YA's next big thing. I remember downloading it off edelweiss on the existence of my friends and fellow bloggers (*waves at Kai and Leslie*), and the when I finally had the time to sit down and start reading, I was instantly hooked. Like, let me finish reading instead of sleeping because who really needs sleep anyway hooked. So yes, I bet you guys can just imagine how excited I was when I was asked to be part of the blog tour!

The main premise of Red Queen explores the relationship of the red-blooded - those deemed of low status and without magical capabilities - and the silver blooded who can do magic and are considered the most important members of society. Simply put, who you are and what you do in life is decided by the color of your blood. The Reds serve the Silvers, and while there is unrest at how unjustly the Reds are often treated, no one can really do anything about it because of the silvers' powers. All this changes, however, once seventeen-year-old Mare discovers that she has magic of her own... despite being red-blooded. To avoid political mayhem, the king and queen decide that Mare is to pretend to be a Silver, and is subsequently engaged to Prince Maven, second-in-line to the throne.

Those who know me know that I don't usually like fantasy and that dystopia is most often a miss rather than a hit for me, but what I really liked about Red Queen is that it straddles the line between the two genres. As a result, no aspect about each genre is too heavy - there aren't too many headache-inducing concepts, and since the book didn't just focus on the government and political unrest, it was easier as a whole to just.. go with the story, if you get what I mean. There were no moments wherein I had to turn back a page a or two because I could not for the life of me understand what was going on - instead, we have a book that is easy to lose yourself into.

Moreover, Mare, our heroine, is undoubtedly one of the best aspects of Red Queen. I love her determination, her sense of justice, her undying desire to right all the wrong she sees, and her unwavering love for her family. Things were never easy for Mare, but never did I get the sense that she was close to giving up and throwing all her dreams away. She knew that she was her people's only shot for a peaceful life without servitude, and that's something that was in the forefront of her mind with every decision that she made. She fought tooth and nail (and damn she fought hard) to achieve all that she she had set out to do. Mare's grit and persistence remained constant throughout the book, and that's something I really like. As a matter of fact, some of my favorite parts in Red Queen were the parts wherein she was being taught how to harness her magic properly, and how to be a fighter, simply because it was here where Mare's strength and firm resolve were showcased excessively.

I also loved seeing the story unfold through Mare's eyes. Here we have Mare, while possessing a secret that has the potential to topple the current political standing thrust into this world of power struggles and deceit. I loved how were privy to Mare's innnermost thoughts while she danced around the members of the royal household and all the elite families, attempting to find just who it is who she can trust. It was also a treat to see how Mare's relationships with Prince Maven, her betrothed, and Prince Cal, heir apparent and someone who has saved Mare in the past, evolved. Who can she trust between the two brothers - strong Cal who is already more than capable to lead the country, or kind Maven, who has always been in the shadow of his older brother?

Full of action and with its fair share of lies, deceit, and betrayal, Red Queen is a tale that will keep you guessing until the very end. There will be points in the book wherein you will think that you know the characters and what they're capable of, but trust me when I say that you don't. All in all an engrossing read that will make you want more, I can't recommend Red Queen enough!

Rating: 5 Stars

Here's an exclusive Q&A with Victoria for all of you as well!