A Strong Female Cast // ARC Review: Girls Made of Snow And Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Title: Girls Made Of Snow And Glass
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
Publication Date: September 5th 2017
Publisher: Flatiron Books (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan  International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale
At sixteen, Mina's mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

Use the words ‘feminist,’ ‘fairy tale,’ and ‘retelling’ AND YOU KNOW THAT I WILL BE A READER OF THAT BOOK, REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING ELSE.

After Frozen (GO SISTER POWER!) the new Cinderella movie came out, I was so disappointed that it wasn’t more… feministic. I expected Disney to have seen the pure joy that women around the world faced when true love’s kiss didn’t mean Prince Charming’s and to have changed Cinderella, but it was the absolute same as before. *continues weeping*

In any case, it was after that that I began STRONGLY BELIEVING that all Fairy Tales SHOULD BE MORE FEMINISTIC so that little girls will grow up knowing how to be strong, independent women.

And so when I first read the description of Melissa Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass, I KNEW I WOULD HAVE TO READ IT. And when I got approved to read an advance reader copy, I was OVER THE MOON.

Surprisingly, this book took me a really long while to get through. The book was slow paced and filled with introspection and I found myself skipping the long LONG descriptions that came after a few exchanges between characters.

Let’s break this down:

THINGS I REALLY LIKED:

1.       A FEMINISM AND LGBT FILLED FAIRY TALE RETELLING: Did you get all of those words? A FEMINIST. LGBT. FAIRY TALE. RETELLING. Really, can you ask for more? I already read one Snow While retelling earlier this year, Forest of A Thousand Lanterns and I LOVED IT for its Asian cast and anti-heroine but this one WITH MAGICAL POWERS SOUNDED JUST AS GOOD. I was so happy that this book turned the traditional fairy tale into a feminist book because WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THAT?

2.       STRONG FEMALE CAST: Most of the book was centred around strong female characters trying to find their way or themselves, and I loved it. Mina (the Queen/ Stepmother), Lynet (the Princess) and even Nadia were all characters that were so well done.

THINGS THAT REALLY COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

1.       THE PACE: THIS BOOK WAS VERY SLOW. It took me days and days to get through it purely because of how utterly slow paced it was. Like I mentioned before – there just wasn’t much HAPPENING in the book and it was filled with introspection from both Lynet and Mina about the SAME THINGS.

I found myself skipping parts of the inner monologues as I got to the latter half of the book because they were the SAME and I wasn’t learning any new information from them

I honestly felt that if the pace of this book had been different, the book itself would have been so much more enjoyable.

2.       DID I ALREADY SAY THE PACE?

3.       T-H-E -- P-A-C-E:

And that’s it. I absolutely love what Melissa Bashardoust’s book did for feminism in fairy tales considering HOW MUCH we need it, but I would be giving this book a lot higher of a rating if the book was faster paced. 2.75 stars.

Melissa Bashardoust (pronounced BASH-ar-doost) received her degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where she rediscovered her love for creative writing, children’s literature, and fairy tales and their retellings. She currently lives in Southern California with a cat named Alice and more copies of Jane Eyre than she probably needs. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is her first novel.

As much as I appreciate you all, I'm not active on Goodreads, so if you'd like to get in touch, please see the contact page on my website above. Thanks and happy reading!

Wow! My second Snow White Retelling Review this week! :O

What's your favourite fairy tale, and what's your favourite retelling of that fairy tale? 

Do you think that faity tales, especially ones with Princesses should have a more feminist touch to it?

I'd love to hear from all you lovelies! 

 

Unconditional Love and Cookie Dough // REVIEW: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Title: The Upside of Unrequited
Author: Becky Albertalli
Publication Date: April 11th 2017
Publisher: PUFFIN Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love-she's lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can't stomach the idea of rejection. So she's careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.
Then a cute new girl enters Cassie's orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly's cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness-except for the part where she is.Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny, flirtatious, and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.
There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's an awkward Tolkien superfan, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right? 

I’ve seen people on the internet RAVING about this book. I’ve seen the hype surrounding its predecessor, both the book and movie version. My closest friend read this book and described it as a book that changed her life and made her fall in love with it.

So when a lovely manager at Penguin India said this book would be coming my way, I FREAKED OUT. I was VERY EXCITED, to say the least.

I finished reading this book on a long distance car ride just yesterday, and while it wasn’t Earth shatteringly good, this book was one of the cutest and most accepting books I’d read in a while. ALSO, IT MADE ME WANT TO JUMP INSIDE AND EAT MOLLY'S COOKIE DOUGH. Who could even resist?

Let me explain it in further detail:

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       WHY DO WE NOT SEE MORE FAT GIRLS IN YA BOOKS? Fat girls, like me, exist, and I’m SLOWLY (Very slowly) coming to terms with my body. Why is every protagonist out there “thin with legs for days” and “skinny and lanky?” I love the fact that Molly was a fat girl. I love that I SAW WHAT I FEEL ABOUT BOYS AND MY BODY REPRESENTED IN MOLLY. I love that I saw the insecurities, the comparison to other, thinner girls, the ever present shame that nobody could like because of your body. It summed up what fat girls feel like in a world where people are scrambling towards size zero and it did it perfectly.

2.        Another thing I loved was how accepted everyone was in this book. There was no coming out or acceptance curve that books are usually about, the instead, things just were. Gay? Anywhere on the LGBT Spectrum? Good for you. Life your life. Love who you want to love. WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT and it created such an open, comforting environment.

(Side Note: HOW DO WE MAKE THE ENTIRE WORLD LIKE THIS?)

Image from my bookstagram, A Thousand Words A Million Books

3.       I LOVED REID. I also loved Reid and Molly together. They were two smol adorable humans made of cookie dough and nerdiness and well, they were perfect together.

4.       One of my biggest drawbacks in the book was Cassie, Molly’s sister. This surprised even me because when I started reading, she was my FAVOURITE Character. She was bold and fearless until that turned into her bring pushy, annoying and expecting everyone to bend around her will. She said things like: “Like, you know she’s my girlfriend, right?” and “You need a boyfriend to understand, Molly” and IT PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH.

5.       I wish there was more parental supervision. I’m all for liberal parents, but these girls were SIXTEEN? Or seventeen? I’m not really sure but they were mostly allowed to do whatever they wanted which has never been my experience with parents. I LOVED THEIR PARENTS, I just wish they were more involved in the plot rather than the occasional dinner and good morning.

And that’s it. I read my first Becky Albertalli book. FINALLY.

The Upside of Unrequited is an adorable, diverse book filled with unconditional love, sisterhood and cookie dough. A MUST read.  

 Becky Albertalli is a clinical psychologist who has had the privilege of conducting therapy with dozens of smart, weird, irresistible teenagers. She also served for seven years as the coleader of a support group for gender-nonconforming children in Washington, DC. Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novels Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat. A former clinical psychologist who specialized in working with children and teens, Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.

Have your read Becky Albertalli's Books? 

Which one did you like better? Simon VS The Homo Sapien Agenda or The Upside of Requited? 

Are you an Oreo eater? Do you prefer the Golden ones or the Original?

I can't WAIT to hear from you!

Sunday Street Team: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee - Review

Hi All you lovely BookDragons and welcome to my stop on the Sunday Street Team Blog Tour for The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee.

I've had an AMAZING time organising this tour as a part of my SST Co-Host duties and visiting all your lovely blogs up until today. If you're a blogger and would like to sign up for the Sunday Street Team, you can fill out this form on Nori's Blog and we'll get back to you!

Title: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Author: Mackenzi Lee Publication Date: June 27th 2017 Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone I Got A Copy Through: Edelweiss for the Sunday Street Team Tour Buy Links: Amazon- US || Amazon - UK || Barnes & Nobles || The Book Depository || Wordery | Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Witty, romantic, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a sumptuous romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.

I first heard about this book a year ago from an author on my blog who, while writing a list about the books she was most excited for also cheated a bit and introduced me to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

As soon as I read they synopsis almost a year ago, I KNEW that this was one book I would DEFINITELY read.

So, now that I’ve finished it, let’s break it down.

WRITING:

Writing in the eyes of a 18^th century boy who has lived his whole life as the privileged son of an earl, Mackenzi Lee managed to capture him spot on. If you’ve read any reviews, most people say that Henry Montague (Monty) took a while to warm up too, and it is the truth, but that’s because of who boys like him used to be back then. For the place in history this was set it, I absolutely loved Mackenzi’s authentic writing.  

“The great tragic love story of Percy and me is neither great nor truly a love story, and is tragic only for its single sidedness”

IDEA:

ALL POINTS TO THE IDEA because combining history, a Grand Tour across Europe, two GORGEOUS gay and bisexual best friends and throwing in the idea of feminism into the heads of boys in this time? SIGN ME UP. I was so on board with everything about this book from the minute I heard it and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

“The shift in the gravity between us and suddenly all my stars are knocked out of alignment, planets knocked from their orbits and I’m left stumbling without a map or heading, through the bewildering territory of being in love with your best friend.”

PLOT:

I’d read a lot of reviews before I started reading this book – some of them while I made the rounds on the SST Tour and the others as I saw them on Twitter. This helped me go into the book EXPECTING Monty to be sort of unlikeable, at least for the first part. Since I did, it didn’t really turn out to be a problem for me until Monty ran away from a girl he’s left half naked and then shouted to his sister that, “She wanted it.”

Apart from that, I LOVED THE PLOT. Equal parts history and culture in Europe during that time, this book was SO WELL CONSTRUCTED, throwing all the carefully made plans of the Grand Tour out of the Window as they entered their first leg. I LOVED IT.

"You might be the only person left on Earth who thinks me decent." Between us, I feel his knuckles brush mine. Perhaphs it's by chance, but it feel more like a question, and when I spread my fingers in answer, his hand slides into mine. "Then everyone else doesn't know you."

CHARACTERS:

It was very easy to like both Percy and Felicity. They were kind, compassionate, warm and smart. Monty I was indifferent too, mostly, but I did warm up to him nearing the end of the book. I liked the undying chemistry between Monty and Percy but I do with that Felicity and Monty had more bonding moments because WHY SHOULD THESE TWO UNCONFORMING CHILDREN NOT BOND?

I adored Felicity. She was totally the Hermoine of this book and I just wish she lived in a world kinder to her.

CONCLUSION:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. A tour across Europe, a biracial and a bisexual boy falling for each other wrapped in history and beautiful places with a sister who can’t live her life the way other women do? Only the best book of 2017 so far!

Mackenzi Lee is a bookseller, history nerd, and the author of THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE, THIS MONSTROUS THING (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins), and the forthcoming SEMPER AUGUSTUS (Flatiron Books, 2018). She holds an MFA from Simmons College in writing for children and young adults. She loves Diet Coke, sweater weather, and Star Wars. On a perfect day, she can be found enjoying all three. She currently calls Boston home. 

Website || Twitter || Goodreads || Pinterest || Facebook || Instagram

What are some of your favourite historical YA novels?

What are some of your favourite LGBT YA Novels?

Have you heard about/ are excited for The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue? 

Geek Overload // REVIEW: Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Title: Queens of Geek

Author: Jen Wilde
Publication Date: March 14th 2017
Publisher: Swoon Reads (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: When BFFs Charlie, Taylor and Jamie go to SupaCon, they know it’s going to be a blast. What they don’t expect is for it to change their lives forever.
Charlie likes to stand out. SupaCon is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star, Reese Ryan. When Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.
While Charlie dodges questions about her personal life, Taylor starts asking questions about her own.
Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about the Queen Firestone SupaFan Contest, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Before I begin describing what was actually inside the book, I feel like that ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUSLY PINK MARVEL OF A COVER NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED. It is so fun, perfect and AAH. It honestly feels like a privilege to own books with beautiful covers and Queens of Geek was one of those.

Also, this book was set in a fictional version of San Diego Comic Con which is the ONE CON my two best friends and I have been DYING to go to for years, and this book felt like I was living vicariously and I LOVED THAT.

THOUGHTS:

1.       This book tried to take on a LOT of topics – Anxiety, Sexuality, Body Shaming and Fame among others in a very small space. All of them were handled really well, and the intended message WAS put across, but in a book that is BARELY 300 pages, it felt rushed. Body Shaming got a chapter, Sexuality or rather Bisexuality was mostly given one conversation. I think it’s AWESOME that so much was there, I just wish it was all talked about more.

2.       THIS WAS SET IN A CONVENTION. WITH THREE BEST FRIENDS. And I really really loved it. What’s better than a bunch of real best friends who are all geeks at the biggest convention in the world geeking out and falling in love? THE BEST THANK YOU!

Graphic by Paper Fury

3.       While I thought that this book, and the issues it handled could have been dealt with in more depth, Anxiety was handled absolutely perfectly. More than anything else, I understood what Taylor was going through when the book was told in her viewpoint. I loved how it was explained to those of us who don’t suffer from Anxiety, I love how STRONG Taylor was at Supa Con. Basically I loved Taylor, and the writing that created her.

4.       Taylor and Jamie are my new OTP. HONESTLY. Best Friend Romances are my ACHILLES HEEL or plot lines and while I’d love them on principle, I ADORE the chemistry that Jen Wilde manages to create between them. They were both suck adorable geeky humans and so easy to love.

5.       I really liked Charlie as a person. She was strong and had her own insecurities and her voice was so powerful. She wasn’t just a pink haired movie star, she felt like a real person and I connected with her oh-so easily. 

Would I recommend reading this? UHM YES. If you’re a fangirl that loves reading books about Fangirls and best friends and Conventions, THIS IS SO FOR YOU!

An important geek filled ride that will leave you smiling, swooning and booking tickets to the con you’ve always dreamed of going too! 4 stars.  

Jen Wilde is a writer, geek and fangirl. Her debut into fiction, THE EVA SERIES, reached over three million reads on Wattpad and became an Amazon bestseller. 

When she’s not writing, she loves binge-watching Netflix, eating pizza, and going to pop culture conventions cosplaying as Marty McFly. 

Jen lives in a beachside town in Australia with her husband and their troublesome pug, aptly named Heisenberg. 

What are some of your favourite fandom based novels? 

Do you like reading books about cons and with fangirls, or do you feel like they're never good enough? 

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS GORGEOUS COVER?

I can't wait to hear from you!

Exceeded Expectations // REVIEW: As I Descended by Robin Talley

Title: As I Descended
Author: Robin Talley
Publication Date: September 6th 2016
Publisher: Mira Ink (Harper Collins)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Harper Collins India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—even if no one knows it but them.
Only one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey.
Golden child Delilah is a legend at the exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. She runs the school, and if she chose, she could blow up Maria and Lily’s whole world with a pointed look, or a carefully placed word.
But what Delilah doesn’t know is that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to make their dreams come true. And the first step is unseating Delilah for the Kingsley Prize. The full scholarship, awarded to Maria, will lock in her attendance at Stanford―and four more years in a shared dorm room with Lily.
Maria and Lily will stop at nothing to ensure their victory—including harnessing the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school.
But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what is imagined, the girls must decide where they draw the line.
From acclaimed author Robin Talley comes a Shakespeare-inspired story of revenge and redemption, where fair is foul, and foul is fair.

I’ve only read one Robin Talley book before I started As I Descended, and that one holds great personal value to me. I live in India where being with someone of the same gender is considered illegal and LGBT people are highly discriminated.

When I read my first Robin Talley book, What We Left Behind, and my best friend saw what I was reading about, he found it in him to come out to me.

Which brings me to the fact that I had HIGH expectations going into this book that were because of a) past experiences and b) that this was a Macbeth retelling.

“Wicked things this way come.”

My Thoughts:

1.       I’m not a believer in ghosts – I never have been. When I was a kid and everyone around me thought it would be cool to tell ghost stories, I listened to be a part of the group and not because I believed. I loved how As I Descended had a mixture of those who believed and those who didn’t. I also LOVED how REAL Robin Talley made ghosts seem in this book.

2.       To elaborate the last line above, I loved the how spirits were handled in this book. They were this menacing background presence and even spoke in another language. I loved all the ghost stories and the noises everyone heard. THIS BOOK DID GHOSTS WELL. I’ll never believe, but this was still a GREAT story.

3.       I LOVED THAT THERE WAS A F/F (and also an M/M) RELATIONSHIP. Equal to that, I also loved the girls (and boys) in the relationship. They were such different people, but the way they were together, the way they were always on the other’s mind made this so much better and the ending that much harder.

4.       I ADORED THE MULTIPLE POVs IN THIS BOOKS. I loved learning what each of the characters was like – Lily, Maria, Brandon, Delilah and Mateo. The POV switch was so insightful, and kept the entire thing from being monotonous. I also loved that the *ahem* fatal scenes WERE TOLD FROM THE POVs OF THAT PERSON, BECAUSE HOW DIFFERENT AND COOL IS THAT?

5.       Basically, this book EXCEEDED my expectations and I’m going to be adding Robin Talley to my list of auto-buy authors.

A fast paced, spirit filled perfectly executed diverse book that I couldn’t recommend more. 

I live in Washington, D.C., with my wife, our baby daughter, an antisocial cat and a goofy hound dog. Whenever the baby's sleeping, I'm probably busy writing young adult fiction about queer characters, reading books, and having in-depth conversations with friends and family about things like whether Jasmine's character motivation was sufficiently established in Aladdin.

My website is at http://www.robintalley.com, and I'm on Twitter and Tumblr.

Have you read any of Robin Talley's books? 

What are some of your favourite LGBT Books? Who are some of your favourite LGBT Couples? 

I can't wait to hear from you!