[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

[Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway] A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers

 

(Check out the rest of the tour stops HERE!)

 
Title: A Little Too Far
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Goodreads

Have you ever gone just a little too far?

Lexie Banks has.

Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound, and it’s more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situation. But still, he’s been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years … and is so off limits. It’s a good thing she’s leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome.

But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can’t seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt … and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon … only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro’s signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn’t know what to think. She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either way.

THOUGHTS:

After reading the blurb for the first time, the first thought that came into mind was something about how the female MC probably crossed paths with dozens of black cats during her lifetime. Realizing you have feelings for your stepbrother is bad enough, but come on, having another realization that you just MIGHT love a priest (after you make a decision that you would fight said feelings you have for your stepbrother) is... um... well, I don't really have words for how darn unlucky our poor Lexie is. Talk about the universe dangling two things over your head that you know you shouldn't want (but still want anyway)!

One of the main reasons why I wanted to give this book a shot is because of the plot itself. It's pretty obvious that Desrochers wanted to push the envelope and try something new, and I wanted to see how the story will pan out. No matter which way you look at it, there is just no easy way of tackling this story, and I was interested in how Desrochers will tell it. I'm not going to lie though - I couldn't help but be a little cynical - I was afraid that this book would only be about the shock value (given that two male interests pretty much spell taboo) and I really wanted to see for myself that the fuss (because I've been hearing about this book for a long time now) wasn't just about the forbidden themes, but maybe something else.

This was a pretty easy read - other than the setting (which I'll talk about later), I liked that it was apparent from the get go that there would be no mind-boggling twists (because let's face it - most of these are forced beyond relief). The story is straightforward - Lexie finds herself torn between two guys, both of whom are unattainable. That's it. No crazy parents or siblings, no mysterious past, no whackjob of an ex all set to ruin everything... and I honestly found this aspect to be really refreshing. Hey, you might say, the female MC is engaging in taboo relationships - that's as crazy as you can get! Honestly, I prefer to think of Lexie as a victim of circumstances, simply put. She didn't exactly choose to form close relationships with said guys - they just happened. Like any other couples out there, Lexie didn't get to choose who she fell in love with it. So yes, while A Little Too Far revolved around the forbidden relationships, the story touched on so much more than the taboo topics, and that made for a great read

I wasn't exactly able to connect with our female MC, Lexie, but that didn't distract me from the entire reading experience. While not exactly relateable, her voice is loud, strong, and you can't help but be enraptured with her story. Another thing I like about this story is that it wasn't just about the romance - Lexie also wanted to learn more about herself, and that she did. She was able to discern a path for herself that she wanted to take after college, and I love how Desrochers explored that. Also, I have mentioned earlier, Desrochers did such an amazing job writing about Rome. Only a few chapters occur in the US - most of the book is set in Rome, since Lexie spends a year studying there, and wow, I truly felt like I was there in Rome soaking in the culture with her!

I do have a gripe with this novel though - I felt that Desrochers didn't spend enough time showing exactly how Lexie and Trent, her stepbrother, realized that there was something more to the relationship. Throughout the novel, it was always 'tell' rather than 'show', and I didn't exactly enjoy that. Given that Lexie was in Rome almost all throughout the novel and Trent was in the US, we didn't get that many scenes of them together. What we got were minute flashbacks, text message exchanges... and yeah, that's pretty much it. Suffice to say I never felt like I got to know Trent, and all that I can do is believe Lexie when she talks about how great of a guy he is and how he is the person he trusts most in this world.

I loved how Desrochers explored Lexie and Alessandro's budding relationship. To those gasping in outrage (he's a priest!), I vaguely remember from my years of studying about Catholicism that deacons spend a few months living regular lives - this is essentially the time they can change their mind about their incoming ordination - and we meet Alessandro at this point in his life. We had a lot of scenes with Lexie and Alessandro just getting to know and trust each other. Nothing was rushed, it wasn't lust at first sight oir anything like that. I can say with no qualms whatsoever that the two are friends (and I can't really say the same for Trent and Lexie, even though Lexie tried to tell me so many times.) Also, I just adored that it was through each other's help that Lexie and Alessandro managed to learn more about themselves and about their future. Simply put, I loved Alessandro - LOVED him. There was a bit of religion in this book, given that Alessandro was only a few months away from priesthood, but I never felt like it was getting shoved down my throat, so that's definitely a plus.

Another qualm is the ending - now this was rushed. Everything was wrapped up too quickly, and I was kind of disappointed. A few more chapters would have been great, though a part of me can understand why Desrochers chose to end the story at this point (since Lexie did end up realizing who she really loved). I'd love to talk more about Lexie's choice, but I'm afraid I can't do so because I will end up inevitably posting spoilers. Believe me, I've tried  (And the most frustrating thing about this is I WANT TO TALK ABOUT LEXIE'S CHOICE OKAY. Whoops, sorry for the capslock!)

All in all, A Little Too Far surprised me. I was half expecting a read revolving too much about the taboo aspect of the novel, but that wasn't what I got. Instead, what I got was an engrossing read about a young woman struggling - just like any of us, I might add - with what the universe threw her way, and in the process, she finds out who she really is. After all the talk about this 'out of the box concepts' that her book has, I'm happy to note that this isn't a book which only aims to shock readers. Desrochers has truly impressed me with how she told Lexie's story, and I can't wait to read the next book in this story. (Oh, and PS, no cliffhanger!)

Rating: 4 Stars

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The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

 

Title: The Elite (The Selection #2)

Author: Kiera Cass
Release Date: April 23, 2013

Published by: HarperTeen
Source: An ARC was sent by the publisher in exchange of an honest review

Goodreads

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

THOUGHTS:

What made me a fan of The Selection was the fact that it was a book that I wasn't to take too seriously. It didn't set out to be the next ground-breaking literary work, but it promised an entertaining read, and that it delivered. At least half of it focused on a contest similar to The Bachelor, with thirty-five ladies competing for a prince's heart, and being the reality show maven that I am, I immediately selected my favorite girls, and fervently wishing that those I dislike to be sent packing. America, while not exactly a heroine I immediately connected to, made for a rather enjoyable MC, and while I did roll my eyes at her thoughts and antics sometimes, I still rooted for her to find her own happy ending. So really, can you blame me for expecting The Elite to be along these lines?

So yes, let me spit it out - The Elite isn't what I would consider a breezy read. As a matter of fact, I actually had to put it down a few times because it was starting to get a little too emotional while reading it. There were times wherein I found myself wanting to chuck my copy at the nearest wall because I was thoroughly exasperated with America's indecisiveness, yet at the same time, there were also many instances wherein my heart ached for America and I just wished that I could give her my shoulder to cry on. She's not an easy character to read about, and I honestly can't blame people if they find America's constant flip-flopping between Maxon and Aspen grating, but what stood out to me was America's desire to be loved for who she is, and that just tugged at my heartstrings. I wouldn't exactly say that America's character developed by leaps and bounds in this novel, but she did take some necessary steps into discovering just who she is as a person, and that's enough to make me continue to believe in her.

I was originally a huge Maxon fan, but after reading The Elite, I realized that there is so little that I know about his character. In fact, I would even go as far to say that I ended up disliking him severely in several parts of the book. I had a difficult time gauging his honesty and sincerity, and there were moments wherein his decisions left me both confused and disappointed. In The Selection, I loved how apparent it was that Maxon had America's best interests in heart, but I couldn't see that in this book. He kept on pushing her to choose between him and Aspen (though he still has no idea that Aspen was the other guy in the picture), and when he couldn't force America to make a decision, he immediately sought out the company of the other girls who make up The Elite. In contrary, we have Aspen who's been nothing but patient and respectful, and can't help but compare both guys.

I know, I know, America isn't exactly a saint either, given that her affection switches rapidly between Maxon and Aspen, but America's confusion always proved to be genuine to be me. She honestly had no idea who would be the better fit for her. Maxon, meanwhile, never seemed like he truly cared about the other girls - he simply needed a distraction from the emotional whirlwind that is America, and that's why he started spending more time with them. Also, he clearly liked messing around, and I hated reading about that. Although I have to say that I did like how Maxon dealt with the Marlee situation, so that gets him points in my book.

It was an emotionally exhausting task to read this book, and even writing this review is emotionally draining. I hated up hating most characters at one point or another; I wanted to stab myself every single time America skirts around finally making a decision; my throat actually clogged up whenever I felt America's frustration at Maxon's complete 180, but you know what? I still had a grand time reading this novel, and I enjoyed every bit of it. The drama was enough to keep me hooked, but I also loved how Cass revealed some important details about both the origin of Illea and the royal family. Best of all, I loved reading about America's journey (but what a long, treacherous road it was, and it's not even remotely close to being over) of self-discovery.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: November 15, 2011
Published by: HarperCollins

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

THOUGHTS:

Honestly, I hate myself for taking so long to buy myself a copy of this book. Once I finally did, I then let it sit on my shelf for how many weeks before I even picked it up. So why did I do just that, you may ask? Simple.. Bloggers have been positively raving about Shatter Me since I started blogging (that was six months ago!) and it had somehow become engrained in my brain that books that are hyped aren't good. Crazy analogy, huh? (This is the reason why it took me forever to pick up The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer as well.) Too hyped - it can't possibly live up to the hype!, I couldn't help but think. And if it's not adamantly obvious by the very first statement of this review, Shatter Me lived up to the hype surrounding it. In fact, I'm going to go one step further and state no-holds-barred that this novel blew me away.

First and foremost, I loved how Mafi didn't try to make her dystopian world so utterly complicated. Plenty of authors make that mistake - they suddenly throw out all of these names and terms that make no sense to first-time readers on the first few pages - no background whatsover, I might add - and they don't realize that most often than not, they lose these readers due to the fact that their worlds are too perplexing to grasp. I love how this world portrayed in Shatter Me is so simple, yet Mafi made sure that we had enough background to know just why the world we live in came to be the world she built. I found it easy to lose myself in this particular fabricated world - every single detail about it was absorbing, and I honestly couldn't read about it enough.

I loved the writing. I loved how unconventional it was, and it fit Juliette's personality to a T. I know that some people found it to be a bit too exaggerated, but that wasn't the case to me. It perfectly showcased Juliette's loneliness, desperation, and self-hatred. Labelled a murderer because of her fatal touch, Juliette is deemed too dangerous to be amongst other people, and she was thrown into isolation. Via the writing, you see how 264 days in isolation affected her - she had no one to talk to but herself all those days, and Juliette merely had a pen and notebook to keep herself company. Furthermore, we were also privy to the difference between how Juliette herself wants to think, and how she was taught to think by those around her. As a matter of fact, in my opinion, Juliette is a step or two away from complete and total insanity, all because of what she went through in life. After such a long time living in her cell by herself, Juliette is thrown into a loop when she is suddenly joined by another prisoner by the name of Adam.

I think it couldn't be more obvious that a relationship, a connection, would develop between Juliette and Adam. What else could you expect between two people locked together in confinement? What I was interested in was how Mafi would write about this said relationship - how exactly would she develop it? I'm not going to lie - I was expecting insta-love, but that couldn't be further from how Mafi portrayed Juliette and Adam's budding relationship. A lot more things are at play between the two. Well, sure, there is a bit of insta-love from Juliette's side of things, but hey, can you blame her? How long has she been without another person beside her? However, just because Juliette is attracted to Adam, that doesn't change the fact that she's almost forgotten how to act around another person, and that she is wary of other people, simply put. Their initial interactions were minimal at best. That of course changes as time goes by, but you get my drift. I appreciate that Mafi's writing was true to Juliette's character and background through and through.

Okay - this review would be in no way complete if I don't talk about Warner. Warner, Warner, Warner. Pretty much all my friends who have read Shatter Me are gaga over Warner and want him to end up with Juliette, but I really can't say the same. It's not that Warner isn't an intriguing and fascinating character (because he IS, and I want to learn everything I can learn about him), but I just don't think he's a good match for Juliette.Warner is TOO infatuated with Juliette, and this infatuation seemingly stemmed from merely his admiration of her power, and I do not like that (of course, I could be wrong, given that I haven't read the sequel). He's practically obsessed! Besides, Juliette is (for the lack of a better word) broken. In my opinion, a guy like Warner - power-hungry, domineering, sly and dangerous, amongst others - can't possibly help Juliette love herself more in the long run.

All in all, I LOVED this novel. (And I just love Tahereh!) I can't wait to see how Juliette will continue to grow as a character, and I'm positively excited to know more about both Adam and Warner. I don't usually like dystopia, but this one sets itself apart from other books from its genre. I'm definitely following this series to the end!

Rating: 5 Stars

Requiem by Lauren Oliver (Delirium #3)

 

Title: Requiem (Delirium #3)

Author: Lauren Oliver
Release Date: March 5, 2013

Published by: HarperCollins Children's Books

Source:  ARC from publisher 

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

THOUGHTS:

Well, this is a first - I have no idea how to begin a review. I have no idea how I want to kick things off, because I was just shellshocked - flabbergasted, really - after reading Requiem. I in no way did I expect that ending. I remember blinking rapidly, and just whispering "Ohmygod. That's it?" to nothingness (I'm not being overly dramatic, okay, I was alone, for one), and I remember sending out a semi-hysterical tweet. If I were to base my rating on my initial reaction, I'd probably be giving Requiem around two to three stars, but I forced myself to wait a few days before penning my review. I wanted to let the events that happened throughout the final book sink in, and I'm glad I did.

The thing is, I understand why some people were disappointed with how Requiem ended, and I can't blame them for feeling that way. While I consider myself a huge fan of open endings, a part of me still feels that that the way this trilogy ended is too vague. Readers will always want answers, a definitive ending, and an idea on how the characters will fare after the final page of the novel, but we don't exactly get that with Requiem. The final pages of the novel - while beautifully written, as Oliver truly has a way with words - still felt a bit rushed, and I remember feeling apprehensive when I realized that there were barely any pages left and yet the story didn't feel finished.

However, I soon realized that gripping stories don't really end per se - we only witness a few chapters of a character's life throughout a particular novel or series after all, don't we? Though we can't help but feel like we've been part of Lena's life all throughout, we weren't - our journey with Lena started when she began to value the concept of freedom and realized that love isn't a myth. We weren't with her before that. With this thought in mind, Oliver did end this particular chapter of Lena's life, and gave us a glimpse of what's to come for her. The ending may not be thoroughly detailed, sure, but it's still an ending,and I thank Oliver for giving me that.

Despite all the hoopla with the ending, I enjoyed reading Requiem. Requiem picks up where Pandemonium left off - Lena managed to rescue Julian with the help of the Resistance, and she now calls the Wilds her home. However, Alex's return throws Lena off, and she now must decide who she truly loves between Alex and Julian. This isn't your typical love-triangle set-up though - first and foremost, Alex is obviously scarred by the events after his arrest, and he's not exactly paying attention to Lena. Julian, meanwhile, is doing all that he can to show Lena his love. Also, unlike Delirium and Pandemonium, in Requiem, the romance takes a backseat to the Resistance's efforts to overthrow the current government, and it took a bit of getting used to.

While reading this novel, it was so apparent to me who Lena truly loved. The way she acted around him, the way she always thought about him, the way his every action - every single thing he did - affected her... It was just obvious to me that there was only one guy who Lena wanted, and needed, in her life. Moreover, he also showcases his undying love for her in a particular scene (I wish I could tell you guys which, but alas, this should remain a spoiler-free review). I loved how Oliver had their story unfold in this novel - the two's journey wasn't all fun and rainbows, and while we don't exactly find out whether the two have a definite happy ending, Lena's choice made sense to me, and I was ultimately satisfied with it.

The dual POVs enriched the story-telling too. While a part of me would have preferred that Lena tell the entire story, the chapters chronicled by Hana were gripping, to say the least. It was interesting to see how related events unfolded through Lena's - who was a vital member of the Resistance, and Hana's - who was marrying the mayor - eyes. Moreover, I particularly enjoyed reading through Hana's chapters for they proved to me how powerful some emotions are.

My feelings for Requiem as a whole are complicated. I enjoyed the main plotline, the character development, the dual POVs, and the beautifully written final chapter. However, like most of you, a part of me still yearns for something more. I wish we could have been given more. I'd love to be able to read about Lena a few months after the events of Requiem, just to know how she is faring. I'd love an epilogue. I just can't help but feel sad that my part in Lena's story has ended, and yet I feel like there are still plenty left for me to discover. Nonetheless, the Delirium trilogy remains to be a favorite of mine, and I urge everyone to read these novels.

Rating: 3.5 Stars