Replica by Lauren Oliver

I am a huge fan of Oliver's and when I was lucky enough to grab a ticket to her signing at BookCon, I jumped on it! Halfway through the line is the counter to purchase her books if you need one for the signing, and thats where I picked up Replica. I had no idea what the book was about but the cover was pretty cool so I took the chance.

  

  There is an author's note about the book when you first start reading it, stating that you can read each character through, chapter to chapter, or alternate one chapter at a time switching back and forth between Lyra and Gemma. The book flips over like a reflection, so if you go that route, be prepared to read one chapter and flip and twist the book to read the same chapter, but through the other characters POV.

  I went this direction because I thought it was fun and unique and I have to say I'm glad I did. It was nice kind of reading the same thing through different eyes, scene by scene, chapter by chapter. Some people may not like it and get annoyed; to each their own.

  Now, about the book! I have to say it is a awesome plot line and thought fully through. I understood each person that was mentioned and the environment they were in. The basis is that there is this place called Haven on an island that makes replicas of people to test different incubations and variations of mad cow disease. There is Gemma, who feels like she doesn't belong in the world, has only one friend and is trying to understand her place. Gemma is a heavy set girl and Olivers talk's about what thats like (in Gemma's eyes) which I think is great because in so many stories the main character is skinny and mysterious and has something unique about them that the author many times tries to portray as mysterious, but you sympathize with Gemma and can try to imagine what it's like to live her life. Then there is Lyra, who's whole story is told mainly from Haven, until she meets Gemma ( I don't want to give spoilers ) and my oh my where do I even begin with Lyra.

  Lyra is probably hands down one of my favorite characters I've ever read about. She is so raw and pure and I think what makes me love her so much is how she is portrayed in regards to her love interest,72. The whole point of the replicas in Haven is that they are science experiments. They breathe and bleed and have the same bodily functions as humans do, but they arent allowed to really learn, to read or have feelings/emotions, and the way Oliver describes Lyra's feelings and her thought process as her feelings develope for 72 are so beautiful. It brings me back to my first love. What it was like to actually feel that love grow and have yourself think to yourself from time to time "wow, so that's what this feeling is like!" It is so genuine and many times when I read Lyra's POV chapters, I found myself pouting my lip and wanting to hug Lyra. It really got to me unlike any other character has in a while. 

  I tolerated Gemma because I understood her vital role in the book, but I fell in love with Lyra's character so much, that I wish the whole book was just from her POV. I wanted more of her.  If I could turn Lyra into an emotion, it would be nostalgia. 

  I won an ARC of Ringer in a Goodreads giveaway, and am looking forward to reading it and writing a review for it so I can get more of Lyra's character. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel love again for the first time all over again.

  

Zenith by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

I want to start off by saying this review is written from an ARC of Zenith that I was fortunate to get during my experience at BookCon 2017.

  During my time at BookCon, Zenith was the one book that seemed to be the most talked about book and most wanted. I was lucky enough to not only get my hands on a copy, but to also have it signed by both authors. I felt like I had won the lottery. At the time I was currently reading another book, but once I finished it, I immediately grabbed Zenith and was ready to experience the amazingness that was hyped up for it. Well, I wasn't totally happy with the outcome.

  Zenith has a plot line that almost seemed force to me. As a reader, I want to dive into a book and be completly immersed into it. It should flow and keep you captivated and wanting more. Description is so important in a book, it's what brings words on a page to life and create a world in your mind, but every paragraph and every chapter was overly described. Many times I found myself spacing out and wondering why certain things had an explanation and why it just went on and on and on. Because of this, I felt like the dialogue and thought process behind each character was severly lacking. 

  Talking about characters, one thing I really loved about this book was the sense of female empowerment and unity amongst a group of friends. Andi, the protagonist of the story, has a rough past and is now a space pirate with her group of friends Lira, Gilly and Becker. They are more than just friends, they are a family and each serve a strong and meaningful purpose not only on the ship but in Andi's life. The con about the characters? Was the matter of having too many POV's (Point of Views) Seriously, why is there more than 2 maybe 3 max point of views that arent necessary at all. We have:

             - Androma (Andi)

             - Dex

             - Valen

             - Lira

             - Nor

             - Klaren

             

  It is just way too many. Even during someones chapter, a new paragraph would start, but it would be in the point of view of a different character. It got so confusing trying to understand who and what was happening. In my opinion, the book should have two parts, and at the start of each part should be Klaren's story. It could easily be broken down in a short story at the start than having it as segments of years as a whole chapter. That would help tie in Nor's whole plot line easier and create a smoother flow of the story line. I also think Valen as a character shouldn't have had the impact that he did, he could have made a full chapter appearance from his POV towards the end of the book maybe once or twice. I wouldn't have made him the prologue of the story. Lira is a main part of Andi's life and I totally understand her importance as a character but again, didn't see the reasoning behind her POV chapters. Why make Andi's core group three friends that all seem equally important, but then highlight only one of them and neglect the other two? This whole story should have been from Andi and Dex. Everything that was said from the other characters could have been described easily through them and It was kind of happening through Dex a bit towards the end and I really liked it a whole lot better compared to the way it was throughout the whole book.

  I understand creating a whole outerspace world is difficult. There are different planets and solar systems and what not, but it got so overwhelming and confusing that it came to the point where I gave up trying to understand most of it. That's what I think the biggest problem with this book is. There is too much effort trying to create all these mini deatils to create a world where it should be about choosing the most important aspects of this world and really developing it in explanation. What I mean by that is, for example: pick three major planets and focus on them. If those are the planets the main characters or problems occur, create the world around that. It's okay to add detail about a neighboring moon or planet, but get descriptive about the environment on that planet (which I loved about Adhira but that's the only good example I could give) and what makes it prosperous or destructive etc. The authors wrote about too many planets and moons and systems that it seemed cluttered and just thrown out there. The reader knows that the setting is set in outer space, you can leave some things to our imagination to make up.

  I know that this review is a bit harsh, but it's only beause of the hype this book has gotten. I was expecting so much more and feel let down and disappointed. I understand that an ARC isn't a finished piece, and that there will be grammatical errors ( but I love editing so I don't mind ) and let me say, there were a lot of them, but this story needs another look over and more editing and correcting. It is a solid story and I understand the basis of it and it's enticing but it need's a lot of cleaning up. Andi's thought process is too repetitive, Dex gives up too easily and for how he is described and his love for Andi, it doesn't make sense. 

  I love reading and I am only being tough because I see the potential in this book and want it to be great and hope my words are taken as constructive criticism and not hate.

The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes

  Moyes became recognized over her book "Me before you." I saw the movie and then read the book and I was a fan of both (literally sobbing at the end of the book on a bus with a ton of people giving me the side eye) Moyes is a fantastic writer. Her stories seem to drag on for me a little bit but that's only because she pays so much attention to detail that it gets explained a little TOO much.  You really get inside the characters minds and feel what they are feeling.

  In The Horse Dancer, you have 3 major plot lines. Natasha; the work-a-holic who has to be the best at everything, Mac who is the almost ex-husband who is trying to find a balance in his life post breakup and lastly, Sarah. Sarah is one of those 14 year old girls who is completely misunderstood. She is dealt a hand of terrible news, one after the other.

  I connected with Sarah most of all because I understood her reasoning behind everything she did. I think it's amazing that Moyes could write in the POV of a 14 year old girl and actually make me cry (multiple times) There is no stronger bond than between Sarah and her horse Boo. All her decisions are made with Boo has the primary focus in her mind, regardless of the consequences they will have on her own life. Sarah is a mature and selfless being at the age of 14 and I'm still shocked by how well written her character was.

  I only give this review 4/5 stars because I felt that towards the end, there was just too much extra wording that wasn't needed. The story could have been shorter and at times I felt myself thinking "why is this taking so long?" But other than that this book is another amazing piece of work by Moyes and her style of writing will continue to stand out amongst all others.

My BookCon Experience!

    It has certainly been a long time since I last made an entry, but part of why I am starting again is because of BookCon. To start off, this was my first year attending BookCon. I have wanted to go for many years, but either I forget to buy tickets or something comes up. This year I wasnt going to let that happen! Even though I was late to buying the tickets and didnt get to reserve a spot to meet any authors I wanted, I still decided to just go and have fun and experience the event.

  Leading up to the weekend of BookCon, I cant even begin to count how many blogs or articles I read for first time visitors. I wanted to be as prepared as possible and be able to experience every single amazing thing it had to offer. But if I'm going to be honest, they weren't much help. I only say that because actually experiencing the event was a whole different beast. Yes, wear comfortable shoes and bring snacks because you will wait on lines most of the time you are there and they come in handy, but nothing could have prepared me for the insanity of BookCon.

  I started my day waking up at 6am. Then I made the 45 minute train commute into the city. From there you get on line and just wait until the doors open at 10am. Those hours waiting on line were the most calm moments from my experience. As soon as the doors opened I had no idea what to do, so I did what everyone else was doing, I ran like hell to get to the show floor! Everyone was pushing and shoving to get a spot on line for either a ARC, a tote bag or goodies you win from spinning a wheel. I was so overwhelmed by the energy I just walked up to the staff member holding the underlined totes and asked if I could have one. She handed me an ipad and told me to sign up for their newsletter and I could have one. So I did and I do have to say, I am really sorry for anyone I skipped or got infront of, I really didn't know what all the fuss was and was kind of stunned and just simply asked for a tote. I can say since then, I made sure to get on line and figured out the flow of things.

  After I got my tote, I walked around the whole show room floor. I went and looked at each booth and what they were offering, picking up a book/item here or there if it was offered on display. I had no clue on who was doing signings or what giveaways were happening. I kept checking the BookCon app though which I do have to say was a total life savior! During both days, I managed to pick up a couple of unwanted signing tickets. I got to meet Scott Westerfield, Veronica Roth and Lauren Oliver!

  My first day was a success in my opinion, especially for being a newbie. I cannot say the same for day 2. My sister came along with me on the second day and was very tired from the moment she woke up. I though sunday would be calmer and not as packed but boy was I wrong! I tried to prep my sister and what to expect and where we should go first. I had all the papers with giveaways and times at booths, but in the end it didnt matter. Day 2 was total mayhem! I understand everyone was free things and ARCs but that is not the sole reason to go to BookCon. I was pushed and shoved and had someone even go in my tote and steal one of my posters. I caught her when she tried taking a second one but she pretended she picked it up off the floor and then ran away! My sister got sick and decided to go home only 1 hour since the doors had opened. She couldnt stand seeing the chaos of everything. I felt super bad but decided to make my day a mission to get the best of whatever I could to bring it home for her to enjoy. Shout out to the lovely ladies who I met on some of the lines who made sure I got a spot to grab a book for my sister, and also the young ladies who gave me their extra ticket for the Zenith line. That was my number one goal.

  To wrap this post up, BookCon was a crazy experience. I met some of the nicest, friendliest people and it ignited the spark in me to write on my blog again, to pick up a book and spend hours in a new world. My body is crazy sore still and I can't stop thinking about next year's BookCon and how I will grab that bull by the horns and make it the best experience it could possibly be. I think everyone who attended feels the same way.