Graphic Novel Reviews and A Beth Revis Giveaway

   I don't think I've ever reviewed a graphic novel, like ever, so I thought that could change. I been in a terrible reading slump since school started, then NaNoWriMo killed me, and these helped. A little. Over the past week I read two graphic novels, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, and Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. They were both really good but I did definitely like Saga more. I'll also be talking about this huge giveaway, one of my favorite authors, Beth Revis (Across the Universe) is doing.

   Saga is about this couple, and their newborn baby running away from the man. During a war with different planets against each other. Alana, a broken winged, former-solider, with a wicked hair cut and her husband, Marko, a horn-bearing, magic wielder with a vow against violence try to find a safe place for their new family.

    First off, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples was a fantastic book. The story is like nothing I've read before and the drawing style is amazing. I laughed out loud at multiple points but the story was still touching and substantial. It's different for me, where I mostly read YA, and the main characters delivered their baby on the first page. It was however, very much a set up book, but I like those (I love myself a origin story). I think my favorite thing about Saga was the illustration. Every character was so distinctive and detailed, and everything looked real, like I could see them walking down the street, despite their wings and radio heads.  I will definitely be reading Saga Volume 2. Like, as fast as I can get my hands on it.

    Kamala, a Muslim,  New Jerseyite sneaks out to go to a party one night. After running home in embarrassment she gets caught in this fog, the Terrigan bomb, and recognized as a Inhuman is granted a wish by her role model, Captain Marvel. 

     Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona I didn't like as much for a couple reasons. I think the biggest reason was I had just finished Saga and my standards hadn't lowered yet. I wasn't a big fan of the style, it had a cartoony, lanky people, type of feel. I like usually either all the way cartoony (like Scott Pilgrim) or all the way realistic (like Saga). It did make me laugh too, but I didn't enjoy the characters as much. Okay, the more I write the less I like Ms. Marvel. I need to stop. Go read it, make a opinion for yourself.

   Finally, the giveaway. Beth Revis, author of one of my favorite series (if not my favorite), Across the Universe, is ding a giveaway that has over 20 books. There's three winners, with prizes for both American and International residents. And, they're good books. Not like those ones you'd find in the clearance section and has a bunch of ads in the back (no offense meant to those, authors got to get paid). I've read some of the ones being given out and they're really good. Revis' new book, The Body Electric, looks really good but i still haven't gotten my hands on it (Damn you empty wallet).  Anyway, enter the giveaway here. Thanks!

         

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Rating- 3.5 Stars
This is a sequel, book 2 to the 5th wave series, and will probably have spoilers for both books.

     I really, reallly, really enjoyed The Fifth Wave, the start of this series, but this one was kind of... boring. It had an amazing prologue but after that it took me a long time to get into it, then it would change books (chapters kinda) and it would take me forever to get into it again. I didn't (still don't really) remember any of the gang other than the main people, which left me very confused. It took me forever to read it and left me really confused. I'm not sure who's dead, who's where, who's almost dead, did we really find anything out in the book?? I felt like there was a aha! moment in this that I didn't pick up on.

Even though the story didn't do it for me, the writing, like it was in the last time was beautiful. All of his characters, especially the new one(s) are amazing (are they dead????). I think it was the characters who kept me reading (Even if I don't remember half of them, I still have ghost memories of caring for them).

I don't think i'm in the right place to tell you if you read it or not, I think i just read this in a really busy time and I didn't obtain the information in should have.(Is he dead??) I know however I will read the next one(s?) and hopefully reread both The Fifth Wave and this one by the time it comes out. (We all know that isn't going to happen)

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             This is the third book in The Raven Cycle, but there will not be spoilers, but a synopsis will probably have ones.  Rating: 4 Stars                      

   I really enjoyed this book. I love the characters, the plot is interesting, the villains complex. However, like the rest of the series I would always feel myself drifting off. I think it's the writing style as I heard other people have this problem. Like always, I loved the switching POVs. I think Piper, the main antagonist's wife, was my favorite character in this book. She made me laugh and loud and was very relateable. Another compliant I had with Blu Lily, Lily Blue is I feel like not much happened. I was really short, I finished it in a few hours and other than the last 50 pages nothing much happened. It still kept me entertained, but it makes me angry  have to wait another year for the next one. I'm not satisfied enough during this wait, unlike the last time, after The Dream Thieves.

  Overall, I think you should really check out The Raven Boys, the first book in The Raven Cycle. This series is very good and very original.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 4 Stars
The third book in the Throne of Glass series.

     I was really really really excited for this book. But, then it mailed a couple weeks late and school got in the way and I was reading the first half kind of slow, which once I really got in it I was confused and it was a whole mess. I read Crown Of Midnight a couple months ago and I didn't quite remember what happened which made me confused but I hope to re-read the whole story again which will probably make me like it more. Overall it was really good, it was my own fault for not liking it as much. Okay from now on, SPOILERS.
 

   Heir of Fire was definitely a transition book. It was all about getting Celaena to accept her crown, and along with it her powers. It had A LOT of world building and i'm soo excited for the next ones, Maas has set up something great. It had intertwining story lines, which I love, and here's my thoughts on  each one.

   Celaena: I love her, and all her badass assassin skills. And now her magic skills. It was obviously my favorite  She overcame so much and has embraced her role as future queen. My heart broke over and over for her, when Rowan calls he a coward, when the king kills all the slaves, when Sam and Nehemia whip her. The last two especially, they teared me up.

   Speaking of Rowan, I heard people loved him so I knew he would eventually warm up, but it didn't stop me from from hating him. His complete loyalty to her aunt and he was so cruel and oblivious to her past. I did eventually start to like him and I loved their relationship. It was such a great example of a platonic relationship and i really hope they dont get together. I can't deal with a Celeana-Rowan-Chaol-Dorian-Aedion love pentagon thing.

  Aedion: I really liked him, I wish we got more of Adarlan then how much of Manon we got. I was never fooled by his asshole persona, or a loyalty to the king. His complete worship of Aelin and how he was shameful of himself, and him she later revealed to be shameful. It broke my heart. AND how he would rather be imprisoned and maybe die than tell Celaena her lover was dead. Next book, I need a Aelin/Aedion reunion.

  Chaol: Okay. I've been "Team Chaol" since the beginning but Chaol really annoyed me in this book. He could never make up his mind between the King and Dorian and Celaena, when the answer was obvious. He also distanced himself so much from Dorian, which annoyed me. I don't have much else to say since he wasn't in it much.

  Dorian: Got the shortest end of Heir of Fire stick. We got little of his storyline, which wasn't that interesting. Instead of learning to use his powers he was just shutting it down, which wasn't anything super inciting. I didn't hate Sorsha, she was nice and I thought was good for Dorian. Although, I am "Team Chaol" I still like Dorian and want him to be happy. I did accidentally see Sorsha get decapitated but did not expect her to be a spy, which I thought was kinda out of the blue, useless, and then swept under the rug. But, Dorian's now a slave or something? I was a little confused and thought he was one of the prince thing Celaena defeated, until I heard differently. I just am very scared for Dorian.

  Manon: I liked her story line, it did a lot to make me hate the King more, which everyone needs, and did a lot for world building. I though she was really interested except she took her up way tooo much space. I thought that story-line would be the antagonist of the story, but no. Or that she would somehow intertwine with something in this book, but no. All she did was take away time from the Adarlan boys.

  Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was a great set up for the next on, I just read it wrong.