Hate to Love Trope

Unlike most tropes, the hate to love trope is one that I actually like. Personally, it's one of the only tropes that I do actually enjoy if done right. It's something that can really show off an authors ability to pull off seamless shifts and it's something that never fails to bring me joy.

First of all, it shows a ton of character growth. You can see them go through these different stages of their life and how they change through time. It means that they don't stay the same throughout the story, they are capable of making changes to themselves and how they view others. Character development is arguably one of the most important aspects of books. What better way to show off a character's growth than to change their views on things such as other people.

Second, it shows off the author's abilities to develop relationship. If the author can pull off the hate to love trope well, then it just makes you appreciate the authors writing abilities. They can shape these relationships into different things and when it works it's amazing. The hate to love trope is on the other end of the spectrum from instalove. You guys know how much I hate instalove, it's one of my biggest book no nos.

Third, it's entertaining as hell. The bickering, the fighting, as long as it doesn't go too far it's something that will no doubt keep me on the edge of my seat. Because hate to love relationships take so long to develop I am invested in their relationship longer than if they just get together right away. I tend to stop caring that much when the characters are already together and don't have to go through that initial trial period.

Fourth, it makes the characters more relatable, because there is no way that you've liked everyone you've ever met right away. You've probably been wrong about that sort of thing before. I know I have. The characters seem more down to earth if they don't just fall right into each others pants and "fall hopelessly in love" right off the bat. There is something rather endearing about two people having to face off the odds and eventually finding the other person was not who they thought they were, or they found that the other person was exactly who they thought they were but liked them anyway. Now while I do believe that sometimes books have to be a bit unrealistic as they are fiction, I do still love those small bits of relatability.


What are some of your thoughts on the hate to love trope?

Why I Loathe Sterling Lane Spoiler Free Review

Why I Loathe Sterling Lane 

by Ingrid Paulson

Release Date: June 6th, 2017

Purchase Links:

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

Synopsis:

Per her 537 rules, Harper Campbell keeps her life tidy—academically and socially. But the moment Sterling Lane transfers into her tiny boarding school, her twin brother gets swept up in Sterling’s pranks and schemes and nearly gets expelled. Harper knows it’s Sterling’s fault, and to protect her brother, she vows to take him down. As she exposes his endless school violations, he keeps striking back, framing her for his own infractions. Worst of all, he’s charmed the administration into thinking he’s harmless, and only Harper sees him for the troublemaker he absolutely is. 

As she breaks rule after precious rule in her battle of wits against Sterling and tension between them hits a boiling point, she’s horrified to discover that perhaps the two of them aren’t so different. And maybe she doesn't entirely hate him after all. Teaming up with Sterling to save her brother might be the only way to keep from breaking the most important rule—protecting Cole.

My Thoughts:

***I received an ARC through Netgalley***

I gave this book 4.5 stars.

I really did not like the main character in the beginning. She annoyed the crap out of me, just making really bad choices. Let me put it this way, it was like she was playing poker and everytime she got a decent hand she would say "Oh, there's no way you'll beat me!" and flash them her hand so they all end up folding and she gets nowhere. That's what this reminded me of. She does get better, she loosens up and I found her a lot more relatable after she stopped doing that. 

Sterling was a wonderful character. He was fun, smart, and really good for Harper. She needed to let loose a bit and I think he really helped her with that. I loved his chemistry and Harper, it didn't feel forced at all, it came really naturally and I couldn't seem to look away when reading their scenes together.

Kendall was such a dynamic character. She proved us all wrong over and over again in this book. She was not a stereotype. She was this pretty popular rich girl, but she wasn't mean or vapid. Maybe a little bit vapid, but only a little, either way, she did have a full blown personality that was actually very lovable. She too had lots of hopes and dreams and aspirations. She also had natural talent, she didn't have to worry about her parents having to buy her into things, because she proved she could do things herself.

The sibling dynamic between Cole and Harper was another fantastic piece of the story. I liked how they looked out for each other no matter what, they wouldn't let the other person fall. Whenever I read a book with siblings that are boys and girls, I feel like it's almost always the boy who is constantly being over protective of the girl, that was flipped in this book. No cliche to be found.

The story was something fun to read. It was fun to see an uptight character have a bit of fun here and there. I feel like she just might have exploded if she didn't do anything other than follow her rules and study all the time. Reading books with pranks is one of my favourites. It eases all the seriousness from the situation and reminds you to have a good time while reading.

The writing style in this book was average. It wasn't so awful that I had to put the book down and never read another books by the author again, but it was not Taherah Mafi level of beautiful writing. I actually really enjoyed it. It was straight forward, the characters could be related to, and things seemed, for the most part, realistic.

Overall, I think this book was well written and completely enjoyable. I'm definitely going to be reading more of this authors works.

AUTHOR INFO:

Ingrid Paulson does not, in fact, loathe anyone. Although the snarky sense of humor and verbal barbs in Why I Loathe

Sterling Lane might suggest otherwise (and shock those who think they know her best).

Ingrid lives in San Francisco with her husband and children and enjoys long-distance running, eavesdropping, and

watching science documentaries. She has always loved books and writing short stories, but was surprised one day to

discover the story she was working on wasn’t so short any more. Valkyrie Rising, a paranormal girl power story was

Ingrid’s first novel. Expect another humorous contemporary romance to join the list soon.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Giveaway:

Why I Loathe Sterling Lane Prize Pack, including:

* A tote bag

* A mug

* Some stickers

a Rafflecopter Giveaway

Vicious Review

Vicious

by V. E. Schwab

Spoilers

Synopsis:

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. It satisfied the totally vindictive side of me that longs for revenge against everyone. It was written perfectly, the characters were morally grey, but not completely bad, they all had their points, whether those points were right or wrong is up in the air.

I've been sitting on this review for months now and I just haven't been able to figure out the perfect words to describe this book. It was amazing on so many levels, it had the perfect revenge fantasy, it had so much action, betrayal of the worst kind, bonds between people growing stronger, while other bonds broke. It was a rollercoaster of the best sort.

This book was described as being similar to X-men and after reading it I can definitely see that resemblance. The explanation for their powers and how everything worked made so much sense. The explanation was well worked out and had some back to it. It wasn't just you randomly got powers that had no significance. No, you had to die and your power would stem from your death, like some sort of defence mechanism. I loved this idea and I honestly have no idea how I never thought of this before.

Another bonus for this book was the dog. I am a sucker for any animal and that includes the fictional kind. When the dog originally died I was honestly about to lose it. Whenever an animal dies in a  book that is a clear cut way to make me cry. If you doubt me, go read my review on A Dog's Purpose. 

The fact that the lines were so blurred between what was good and what was bad just made this book that much more worth while for me. I loved that I couldn't really decide who's side I was on at first because both of the options didn't seem that great. I did settle on Victor because his mistake was more of an accident. Eli legit seemed crazed and I can't side with crazy.

Sidney added this whole other dynamic. She was a whole other case, she didn't try to become what she was like Eli and Victor, honestly she was one of the more innocent players in this game. It gave me this whole other insight on what these powers were. She no longer felt like herself which really explained why Eli and Victor were acting so outrageously, they weren't themselves. Then add in the fact that her own sister was trying to kill her, that has to be pretty brutal. What I'm saying is that I think Sidney added in more dimension to the story. She may have been different, but she still cared. She brought a dog back from the dead several times, which means I can't hate her.

Overall, I think this is a book everyone should read. Just don't think about it, read it.

Quotes: 

“And Victor, who was so good at picking things apart, at understanding how they worked, how he worked, looked at the photo, and felt … conflicted. Hate was too simple a word. He and Eli were bonded, by blood and death and science. They were alike, more so now than ever. And he had missed Eli. He wanted to see him. And he wanted to see him suffer. He wanted to see the look in Eli’s eyes when he lit them up with pain. He wanted his attention.” 

“Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens.” 

“It was like cooking, not baking. Baking took a sense of order. Cooking took a flare, a little art, a little luck.” 

“Victor Vale was not a fucking sidekick.” 

Finding Kyler Spoiler Free Review

Finding Kyler
by Siobhan Davis

Synopsis:

Two fractured hearts and a forbidden love they can’t deny.

You shouldn’t want what you can’t have…

Faye Donovan has lost everything. After her parent’s tragic death, she’s whisked away from her home in Ireland when an unknown uncle surfaces as her new guardian. 

Dropped smack-dab into the All-American dream, Faye should feel grateful. Except living with her wealthy uncle, his fashion-empire-owning wife, and their seven screwed-up sons is quickly turning into a nightmare—especially when certain inappropriate feelings arise. 

Kyler Kennedy makes her head hurt and her heart race, but he’s her cousin. 

He’s off limits. 

And he’s not exactly welcoming—Kyler is ignorant, moody, and downright cruel at times—but Faye sees behind the mask he wears, recognizing a kindred spirit. 

Kyler has sworn off girls, yet Faye gets under his skin. The more he pushes her away, the more he’s drawn to her, but acting on those feelings risks a crap-ton of prejudice, and any whiff of scandal could damage the precious Kennedy brand. 

Concealing their feelings seems like the only choice.

But when everyone has something to hide, a secret is a very dangerous thing.

My Thoughts:

*** I received an ARC through Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review***

I gave this book 3.5 stars. It was a total whirlwind of a book. I was completely caught off guard at every turn during this book, I really don't know what to think now.

To start off, I'm weirded out because they didn't act like cousins. Not even a little bit. Even though they knew, most of them didn't even find their behaviour to be strange. Honestly it was terrible, and made me really uncomfortable throughout the book. 

I originally picked up this book because it sounded like the Paper Princess series by Erin Watt. It did have it's similarities I could draw quite a few parallels between the two books. They weren't the same story though, they had a lot of differences, some good some bad.

The main relationship of this book, Ky and Faye, makes me really uncomfortable. I feel like it won't always be like that, hopefully it will be like a Clary and Jace sort of situation, but as of now I'm really stressed out about this. 

I've grown a bit tired of the vicious queen b trope in books. I know it's good for the plot and it does happen in real life sometimes, but I just don't care for it at all. I can pretty much already see where it's heading. The Queen B and the protagonist will either call a cease fire or the Queen B is going down. There really is no other option.

The different brotherly dynamics in this book were something that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved seeing how different they all were and I really hope to get to know them better in the next couple of books.

As of right now I really don't trust James. He gives me bad vibes and I like to trust my readers intuition. I'm, for the most part, pretty good at being able to tell when a character is full of shit. I really love Alex though, I think she is a fantastic parent and she deserves better than James.

 Overall this was not a bad book, I will definitely be continuing on in the series. 

Lord of Shadows Review

Lord of Shadows
by Cassandra Clare

Spoilers

Synopsis:

Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. Like every Cassandra Clare book I've ever read, this was a hit. The size of this book was a bit daunting at first, but I realized while reading this that if I took my time and didn't try to finish it as quickly as possible I would enjoy it more, which is why it's taken me almost 2 weeks of reading it on and off that's just made this whole experience worth it.

The relationship between Cristina, Mark, and Kieran was so stressful to me throughout the book. I just felt like I was being pulled in all different directions, like I love Kieran and Mark together, but I felt like the author really wanted me to ship Mark and Cristina, but at the same time I loved the friendship between Kieran and Cristina. Also Mark's own emotions were so confusing because one minute he hates Kieran for what he did in the first book and then the next he can't stay mad at him and I don't know, the relationship felt really one-sided with Kieran liking Mark more than Mark liked Kieran until the end neared when the tables turned. I just find the whole thing to be a weight on my shoulders.

On the other end of the spectrum was Kit and Ty. I have very, very strong feelings that those two are going to be together. There were so many hints, like, at first Livvy seemed to be into Kit, but then soon after she decided she didn't feel that way about him and said they would be better as friends. I feel like she was stepping back because Ty really likes Kit and kit is just too oblivious to notice. Plus Ty usually never wears his headphones because he wants to hear everything Kit says. The innocence of their relationship is refreshing and I like how it evens out the darkness of the previously mentioned love triangle.

Now, as much trouble as Julian and Emma get into with their own relationship, I feel like they're endgame. No matter what bad things happen to them, they are going to end up together, so I'm really not all that worried about them. This is probably because of all the other books Cassandra Clare has written, the two character who have the worst odds of ending up together always end up together. It's going to happen so we should just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The more Cassandra Clare books I read, my enjoyment level gets higher each time. I know a lot of people don't want to read her books because they think the ideas are unoriginal or whatnot, but Cassandra just has the best writing voice that she makes all these different ideas her own. In fifty years if Cassandra Clare is still writing I will still be buying her books because her voice is something I will never get tired of.

Getting to know Dru was a surprising highlight of the book, I didn't really think that much of her at first because she wasn't one of the main characters, but I was wrong about her. It would seem she feels very forgotten and that is why I'm glad that Cassie gave her a more important role in this book. We seem to always forget about the younger characters that no one lets in on the secrets, and I liked that different aspect of this book. As a younger sibling myself I can see her point of view on this.

Cassandra Clare better not hurt Clace in the next book. I will actually go buy a pitchfork if she dares harm them. I entered the Shadowhunter world with Clary and Jace, and if they die in the next book I will be exiting with them. Those two are my babies and all I want to do is protect them, I would honestly sacrifice any of these other characters on an alter to save them. That was a reference to the contents of this book by the way. Completely intentional.

The ending of this book was completely devastating. I thought there was still more to the book and I flipped the page and there were the acknowledgments, just sitting there, taunting me. I hope that this is just a trick and in the next book they'll use the Black Book of the Dead to bring Livvy back or do something to save her because I really do love all those Blackthorns and I don't want them to die, not matter what I said about sacrificing them on an alter.

I don't even know if I should do a recommendation. At this point you've probably already decided whether or not you wish to read the series or not. I would highly suggest that you do read the books int he Shadowhunter Chronicles because they really are good. They get better as they go along. Please do give them a shot.

Quotes:

“Lex malla, lex nulla,” said Julian with a regretful wave of his hand. It was the Blackthorn family motto: A bad law is no law.“I wonder what other family mottoes are,” Emma mused. “Do you know any?”“The Lightwood family motto is ‘We mean well.’ ”“Very funny.”Julian looked over at her. “No, really, it actually is.”“Seriously? So what’s the Herondale family motto? ‘Chiseled but angsty’?”He shrugged. ‘If you don’t know what your last name is, it’s probably Herondale’?”Emma burst out laughing. “What about Carstairs?” she asked, tapping Cortana. “ ‘We have a sword’? ‘Blunt instruments are for losers’?”“Morgenstern,” offered Julian. “ ‘When in doubt, start a war’?” 

“I need to be whole again. Even if it doesn’t last.”“It can’t last,” she said, staring at him, because how could it, when they could never keep what they had? “It’ll break our hearts.”He caught her by the wrist, brought her hand to his bare chest. Splayed her fingers over his heart. It beat against her palm, like a fist punching its way through his sternum. “Break my heart,” he said. “Break it in pieces. I give you permission.” 

“He grinned, and the grin changed his face completely. Ty when he was still and expressionless had an intensity that fascinated Kit; when he was smiling, he was extraordinary.” 

“And if we don't have Energy runes, we'll have to get our energy the old-fashioned way."Mark looked puzzled. "Drugs?""Chocolate," Emma said. "I brought chocolate. Mark, where do you even come up with these things?"Mark smiled crookedly, shrugging one shoulder. "Faerie humor?”

“What’s the Nephilim motto again?”“ ‘We are dust and shadows,’ ” said Ty, not looking up from his book.“Some of us are very handsome dust,” Jace added”

OMG This Song Tag

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, I was incredibly busy this week and couldn't find the time to blog, but I'm back. More on and off this week, but soon it will all be over and I will hopefully be blogging at least once a day. Now, onto the actual blog! I know this tag is meant for book tube, but I feel like doing it. Also, if you don't know how this works, you get a prompt and for each you need to name a song and a book for the prompt. Easy.

1. MY JAM - a song you MUST listen to every time it comes on, no matter how old or how many times you’ve listened to it / a book you’ll never get sick of

Careless Whisper by George Michaels, not only will I never skip this song, but I have to sing along. I legit know every word.

A book I'll never tire of is Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater. I love that book so much.

2. THROWBACK - a song that reminds you of the cringest time of your life / a book that also reminds you of this time (or just something you wouldn’t like as much if you picked it up for the first time now)

Really any song covered by Glee ever. That is not a time in my life that I like to remember.

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, I loved this book as a kid, but I honestly don't know if i would still love it if I read it now.

3. REPLAY - a recent song you have on repeat right now / a recent favorite book

Dancing with Wolves by All Time Low, this song is amazing. I've had this song on repeat for a billion years.

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare, which I am still currently reading, but I'm almost done and I'm loving it.

4. GETS ME - this song IS ME / this book is me in book form

Creep by Radiohead, I could have gone with any self deprecating song, but this is the self deprecating song.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, this may seem a bit basic, but it's who I am. I'm a socially awkward fangirl with really bad anxiety, which is why I have a blog and not a booktube channel.

5. WUT - weird but I like it? – a unique book that stuck out to you for whatever reason

Internet Friends by Knife Party, this is a weird guilty pleasure of mine. I just think it's really funny, so I'll listen to it when it comes on.

All my Friends are Dead. This was a good book. You should totally read it.

6. LET’S GO - best pump up song (for workouts or just life) – a book that inspired you

Trenches by Pop Evil, when I played Rugby in high school I would always listen to this song after practice or after a game because I had such a high after playing that I needed a pump up song to match my mood. This was it.

A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron, not so much inspire me as make me go and hug my dog and shower her with even more treats after reading it. 

7. CHILL - fav chill, relaxing song / a book you’d curl up with and read on a rainy day

Breathe by Matt Corby, this song is so chill and slow. It helps me unwind and it's something I really get into.

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, I want to read it so badly, but I just need the perfect day to read it. 

8. ADDICTING - guilty pleasure song – one that’s catchy and addicting but not a whole lot of substance / guilty pleasure/trashy/fast/light read

Living’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, if you've ever heard this song you know what I'm talking about. This song is a masterpiece.

Paper Princess Series by Erin Watt, I just read this and literally finished a book a day. So good.

9. NOSTALGIA - throwback you look back on fondly / a book you read forever ago that you look back on fondly or reminds you of a happy childhood time 

Thrift Shop by Macklemore, this was my song back in the day. Back in the day was only about 4 years ago, but it was still a while ago so it stays.

The Frog Princess by Erin Baker, I adored this series when I was a kid. Not enough to read as a normal thing, but enough that I no longer hated reading. Good times.

Anyway, thank you all for baring with me and feel free to do the tag too! 

Picture This Spoiler Free Review

Picture This
by Lena North

Release Date: June 29th, 2017

Synopsis:

Life just keeps slapping Mary in the face.

She had it rough growing up, and when it finally looks like she’s getting her life firmly back on track, breaking up with her boyfriend starts a string of events that threatens to bring Mary to her knees.

Fortunately, there are good people in her life who will do everything in their powers to help her when she needs it. Mary’s girlfriends, Jinx and Wilder are there for her, and after she’s rescued from being kidnapped, Carson and Bo take her into their home, becoming the family she always wanted but never seemed to get to keep. 

As the group around Hawker Johns hunt the men who wanted to trade Mary for the valuable crystal from the mountains, she slowly recovers. Then life throws her another few curveballs, and it looks like she’ll lose everything yet again.

Mary is resilient and used to restarting her life from nothing, but when it looks like she’ll also lose the man she loves, maybe the happy girl has just had enough?

Picture this is the third book in the Birds of a Feather series, a young adult/coming of age series with paranormal elements, full of laughter, mystery, and romance.

My Thoughts:

*** I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

I gave this book 5 stars. I was waiting for this book to go on Netgalley for so long. Every day I would ritualistically check to see if it was there yet, and low and behold, finally it was there and it was just as good as I had hoped it would be. There is something about this series that I find incredibly addicting, the characters are relatable and the situations gain my sympathy. If you've been wondering if you should read this series or not, then rest assured, it's amazing and you really should read it.

In the past two books Mary was kept as a bit of a secret, we didn't know much about her other than she was one in the trio of friends; Wilder, Jinx, and Mary. And the other thing being that's she's kind and sweet. I feel like it might be one of the authors tactics for character development to keep the characters that will have their own books as more of a secret. This is also how I felt about Jinx after reading Wilder. I didn't know all that much about her other than she was smart and Wilder's close friend. Now the same thing with Mary, I have to admit it really is a genius tactic, made me want to know more.

What came as a surprise, was that this book wasn't the most plot filled book, I mean there's a bit of action and mystery, but not as much as there was in the last two books, yet I still loved it. I was never bored and all I wanted to do was read it in my spare time.

The romantic match up in this book was honestly the most surprising of the series. I never even would have guessed that Miller and Mary would end up together. And before anyone get's upset that this may be a spoiler, rest assured, it starts in the prologue. No spoilers here.

Another thing I love about this book series is that, although, it is a series, if you really wanted to you could just read one book. It makes a lot more sense to read the books as a series in order, but if you really wanted to there wouldn't really be a problem in starting in the middle. I would recommend reading it from the beginning though, it helps ease you into meeting all the characters.

My only issue with any of the books in this series is that it doesn't go that deep into the paranormal explanation. There's magic, but we really get no explanation for how it works or why it happens or even what they are. It doesn't really bother me while I'm reading, but when I think about it in the grand scheme of things, it really bothers me.

I like how each of the girls has a different place in their friend group. Wilder is the fighter, she's ready to cut anyone who messes with her friend; Jinx is the brain, she knows how to get things done, she makes the plans and people follow them; Mary is the peacemaker, she is there so that no one ever feels alone or unhappy, she's there to make sure everyone is living their best life and is taken care of. Their friendship is very well rounded and evens itself out.

I recommend this to anyone who loves a good romance and relatable characters of the YA and NA kind. 

Paper Princess Series Review

Paper Princess Series
by Erin Watt

Minor Spoilers

Synopsis:

From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone. 

Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.

My Thoughts:

I gave this series 5 stars. If you've noticed at all, I haven't posted in a few days, this is because I was completely caught up in this series. It was meant to just be a casual read so that I could see what all the hype was about, but oh boy, this series took me by surprise.

I started reading this series a few days ago and I've basically dedicated every spare minute I've had to reading these books. I even got so desperate for more that I started reading the unfinished serial about the some of the other characters that the author has on their website. I also finished that and now i pretty much don't know what to do with my life.

Starting off, the romance was hot. I loved the chemistry that the leads had, it was burning so bright in the first two books. I feel like it diminished a bit in the third book, but it didn't completely bore me out of my mind. The first book was most definitely the best chemistry wise.

Plotwise, the third book was probably the best. The first and second were more of the high school drama kinds of books, pretty much about mean girls and douchebags. The third one though, there was some murder plots and a mystery to solve and I loved that. Nothing I love more than a good old fashion murder mystery.

The characters in this series were very well flushed out, except maybe the twins, I could definitely use more of them. They didn't speak all that much in the series, all I really got from them was that they could not cook at all, and they shared a girlfriend. I would definitely like to get to know them better hopefully in their own book. The rest of the Royal boys though, they had lots of depth and character that I've grown to love. I feel like I know them and that's a really important part of the reading experience. Knowing the characters. 

Bonus, I didn't hate the protagonist. I mean she did occasionally make questionable choices but she is a teenager. Teenagers will do what they want even if it's a bad idea. It's part of the teenage experience. I can't really be mad at that. Plus, she really does, for the most part, have common sense. She could tell pretty much right away that something wasn't right with her father.

I do think that Reed got into too many fights though, no one needs to fight that much. Just make passive aggressive comments and make them shut up another way. If you keep going around punching people, it's not going to look good. Be sneakier about it. This reputation of his did not help him at all the third book because he always went around punching people.

Callum is a sweetheart. Usually, the parents are really made into the bad guys in romance novels, and a lot of YA novels, but I liked how he was someone that they could go to for help. He wanted the best for them, but he wasn't ultra strict, he gave them freedom to live their lives. Maybe a bit too much freedom, but I still think he was a good parent overall.

Anyway, if you love romances of the edgier kind, most definitely give this one a read. 

Quotes:

“You’re poking a tiger.”I shrug. “He poked me first.” Callum shakes his head. “And I thought raising five boys was an adventure. I haven’t seen anything yet, have I?”

“Look, I like you. Didn’t think I would but I do, and because I like you, I feel the need to warn you that we Royals are pretty fucked up. We’re good in bed, but out of it? We’re like a stage four hurricane.” 

“I’m only seventeen. Sometimes that feels too young to have lived the life I have. Sometimes I look around at my surroundings and think, I don’t belong here” 

“You want me to say it?” he whispers. “Fine, I’ll say it. I want you. I fucking want you.” 

“Nuh-uh, you’re not getting off that easy. I want you to say it. Tell your big brother about your crush on your other big brother.”“You’re imagining things. I’m not crushing on Reed,” I lie.“Bull.”“I’m not,” I insist, but Easton sees right through me.“Shit, Ella, I need a smoke every time you two are within five feet of each other.” 

Top 10 Middle Grade Books

This list was surprisingly hard to make. I didn't think I actually read that many middle-grade novels, but apparently I forgot that I was once a kid. This list is a mix of books I've read recently and books I loved as a child. 

10. The Underneath

I read this one in the second grade. It took me forever to finally finish it and it made me sad at parts, but overall I was really happy with the ending and I'm pretty sure that was the very first time I had ever happily read a book.

9. Inkheart

Once again, I had to read a book for silent reading so I just pulled this off the shelf in the classroom, it was a classroom copy, and I dove in. I loved it so much that, when we had winter break and I couldn't read it, I went out to the bookstore and bought my own copy so that I could continue reading it. It was that good.

8. The School for Good and Evil

I loved the first book, the other two were okay, but this first book was just magical. There is nothing quite like being introduced to this world for the first time.

7. Charlotte’s Web

I feel like this book is just sort of a given for any child to read in Elementary school. You have to read Charlotte's Web as a child or your childhood is incomplete.

6. Heroes of Olympus

Still haven't actually finished this one yet, but I'm loving it. I love seeing Percy and Annabeth older and in love, having more adventures with new friends. I'm loving these new friends. 

5. The Iron Trial

I started this series about a year ago and it was so refreshing. It did have a bit of a Harry Potter-esque feeling, but it wasn't just some shitty copycat. It's written for really young people which means that they need to keep the audience engaged for as long as possible which is why I couldn't put any of the books in this series down for too long because I needed to know what would happen next.

4. Mr Popper’s Penguins

I originally only read this book because I had to read something for silent reading in the fourth grade. I was absolutely captivated by this story and I haven't actually reread it since then, but I have a strong feeling that I should.

3. Percy Jackson

I actually didn't read Percy Jackson until high school because I was a bit late to the reading game. I had such a good time reading this series though and I hope to do a reread of the series soon.

2. The Frog Princess

I read this series back when I didn't like reading and I became obsessed. It was just interesting enough to keep me engaged. I continued reading this series for years.

1. Harry Potter

Harry Potter is basically the end all be all of my existence and is the series that started my reading addiction back in the fifth grade. Nothing can top this series for me.

Which middle grade books are your favourites?