Rave: Antiheroes

It's been so long since I've done one of these and that's because I made this Rant and Rave platform to let out everything I'm angry about and everything I'm absolutely crazy about, but it just hasn't been happening as much. I'm not as angry as previously and I guess that's a good thing.

Everyone loves a hero. Or almost everyone, however, heroes can be a bit tiring. They're just such upstanding citizens and can sometimes just be unrelatable.

There's a reason that Deadpool was so popular when it came out. People found him to be relatable, and funny, and the lack of rules made his story exhilarating. Deadpool wasn't a completely bad guy, there was a reason for what he did, but he didn't ever try to save lives when negotiating with villains. He had skewed morality, but he still had morality which kept him from killing people he deemed innocent. He isn't full-blown evil like a villain, but he definitely isn't a hero.

This is also why people love V. E. Schwab's Vicious so much. We had two characters that could easily have been villains and pitted them against each other without a sense of which side was right and which side was wrong.

Whenever I think of Antiheroes and heroes and villains one quote from Karen Marie Moning's Fever series always comes to mind because I feel like it really captures different alignments.

People like heroes, but they are never quite as popular as the characters that are a bit morally grey. It's because people don't like perfect characters. Speaking from my own experience, I like characters that are a bit flawed, that have issues, that don't always do the right thing because they're more believable. It's all about relatability. It's hard to relate to a character who always does things because "it's the right thing to do" and much easier to relate to a character that does things because of something more personal.

Thoughts? Do you guys love or hate antiheroes?


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City of Ghosts Spoiler Free Review

City of Ghosts
Victoria Schwab

Synopsis:

Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4.5 stars. It was like a cross between Casper the Friendly Ghost and Tim Burton films. It was the perfect spooky children’s book. Highly recommend reading it in preparation of Halloween.

The story follows a young girl who can see ghosts. Cassidy had an encounter with death that left her with the ability to see ghosts However no one believes her, not even her parents who write about the paranormal.

The book starts off with Cassidy finding out that her parents are going to be filming a tv show about the most haunted places on earth. This first book took place in Edinburgh, Scotland and I can only assume that each book in this series will be in a different haunted place. I’m into it. 

Cass pretty much only has one consistent friend throughout the book, Jacob. Jacob is the ghost of a young boy who intertwines himself into Cassidy’s life. He provides stability considering no one seems to believe that she can see ghosts. I enjoy their friendship, it goes both ways, it isn’t just one of them taking more from the other. 

I can’t help but compare this to Vicious, also written by Victoria Schwab. It had a bit of a similar premise to Sydney from Vicious, so if you liked Vicious and want to read a children’s version of that I would recommend this. I would suggest reading it anyway because it was really fun, but if you weren’t already sold, then I hope this does it for you.

Overall, if you are looking for a book that’s mature with complicated plots and heavy character development, this may not be for you. It’s very simple and good for its target audience: children. But if you are looking for something more simplistic and still has that spooky vibe then this may be for you.

Top 5 Books For My Younger Self

I feel like this prompt was actually about books you would want your younger self to read so it would help them in some way, but honestly, my list just books I think I would have appreciated a hell of a lot more when I was little.

1. Narnia

Spoiler alert: I never read Narnia as a kid. Not a single book. It wasn't even on my radar until I was maybe 11 and my cousin showed me the movies and I thought they were pretty cool. Still, haven't read them. Honestly, wish my parents read them to me when I was a kid.

2. Lord of the Rings

Another shocking revelation. Also never read this trilogy. I feel like I missed out on an integral part of my childhood by never reading these. It's like when my father never made me watch Star Wars and so I still haven't. One day.

3. A Series of Unfortunate Events

Not as big of a deal, but I feel like this would have been really fun for my little "doesn't like to read"child's brain.

4. Percy Jackson

I read this series when I was in the eighth grade and honestly, I was in a bit of a romance heavy phase of my life and I didn't really pay attention to the action and all the fun stuff because I just wanted some kissing to happen. Child me would never have cared about that. Just overall really bad timing.

5. A Wrinkle in Time

I didn't even realize this book existed until the three years ago. And I didn't realize it was this really well know, well-loved children's book and now I feel like I've been left out.

What books you would you guys want your younger selves to read?

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August Wrap Up

I'm getting really late with these monthly wrap-ups, someone slap some sense into me. I actually got a fair amount of reading done in August. Nowhere near as much as last year, I was a reading machine last year, but the month still went pretty well.

1. The Worst Witch - Season 2

I gave this show 4 stars. The Worst Witch is such an easy show to binge. It isn't heavy and it's full of all the magical elements that I love. If you're looking for something new to watch on Netflix I would recommend this one.

2. Feral Sins

I gave this book 4 stars. It was funny and sexy, two of my favorite traits in books. If you're looking for a werewolf romance, look no further.

3. La La Land

I gave this movie 2.5 stars. I just don't understand the hype. I was so looking forward to watching this but it just didn't do it for me.

4. Walk on Earth a Stranger

I gave this book 4 stars. I enjoyed this one in a slightly odd way. It wasn't one of those books that I had to binge, it was just one of those books I could calmly just read a couple chapters of at a time and be content. I liked the book and maybe I will read the sequel, i just haven't decided yet.

5. Eighth Grade

I gave this movie 5 stars. It was like watching myself five years ago. One day people are going to watch this film and be utterly fascinated because this is exactly what it was like to grow up in the age of technology, to enter high school in the age of social media. There's no sugarcoating and they actually had a teenager play a teenager. I have to give this one all the praise.

6. Ravensong

I gave this book 5 stars. This was dark. A lot darker than the first book. While Wolfsong started off happy and then got dark, this one was just dark all the way through. Would highly recommend if you loved Wolfsong 

7. It

I gave this movie 5 stars. I watched It again and I still love it. I've probably watched it at least 8 times now. Gonna keep going until the next movie comes out.

8. To All the Boys I've Loved Before

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I read this because I had been putting it off for so long and once I realized that there was a week until the movie came out I decided to finally get it together. I finished it the day the movie came out and it was amazing. Very cute.

9. P.S. I Still Love You

I gave this book 4 stars. I liked it a little less than the first one. It suffered from second book syndrome. Peter was pissing me off and Lara Jean was getting close to John Ambrose and I didn't want her too. Frustrating but had a good ending.

10. Blood Kiss

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I'm so close to catching up on the BDB and BDL series' and I'm so scared because I don't know what I'll do when I have nothing to read! 

11. The Darkest Star

I gave this book 5 stars. I do have a review for this ready and written, but I won't be posting until closer to the release date so you guys will just have to be satisfied by the fact that I loved this book.

12. All the Little Lights

I gave this book 4 stars. A bit slow at times, a bit heavy at others. Overall, not what you would expect. I won't say more than that.

13. Crew

I gave this book 4 stars. I'm really on the fence about Tijan's books. I enjoy them and I love books similar to them, but I don't think her writing is necessarily my favorite. I do generally enjoy them though and will continue reading them. 

What books and movies did you guys enjoy in August?

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Anticipated Releases of September

Ah, the beginning of the influx of fall releases. These are the first of many to come. I'm looking so forward to these next couple of months because there are so many awesome books coming out!

Two Dark Reigns September 4th

The way the last book ended off was crazy. I don't know if I'm going to like where it's headed, but I still want to read it.

Crossing Fire September 6th

I've waited years for this sequel. Lots of people have waited for this sequel and it's finally here.

Dirty Headlines September 7th

Just found out about this book, it was recommended by one of my favorite authors and I'm excited to read this angsty romance.

The Golden Tower September 11th

It's all coming to an end. I don't know how, but I trust these two authors to really do what they do best. You better believe that this is going to be epic.

Vengeful September 25th

I wasn't going to preorder this, but then I saw that there was a special Indigo edition that is also signed and I had to jump on board. I'm really excited to see where my morally gray characters go from where they ended.

What books are you guys excited to read this month?

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Sadie Spoiler Free Review

Sadie
by Courtney Summers

Release Date: September 4th, 2018

Synopsis:

A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind.

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this story 4.5 stars. It was a wild ride. One of the only thriller/mystery novels I truly enjoyed. It’s heartbreaking and exhilarating all at once.

One of the genres I have a harder time reading is mystery/thrillers. They can be pretty hit or miss for me. Sadie was a hit. The way the story was told, half through Sadie’s perspective and half through a podcast. 

True Crime is one of my favorite topics. I love watching documentaries and reading up on them, just looking at all the facts and trying to see if I can come to some sort of conclusion. Or just being along for the ride. If you are also interested in that kind of stuff, then I would recommend you read Sadie.

Our book centers around a girl, Sadie, obviously. Her sister has just been murdered, the investigation was botched, and Sadie is now on the warpath. She knows who killed her sister and she a plan, but first she needs to find him.

This book successfully did what a lot of other books like it could not. I felt a deep connection to the characters and their story, a lot of the time when I read thrillers/mysteries, the characters are all horrible and I have a hard time respecting any of them or feeling basic emotions for their stories. Sadie really had a very grounded feeling.

I personally don’t actually listen to podcasts, they just aren’t my thing. This story is written for people that do enjoy podcasts and even some that don’t. I’m not going start listening to podcasts, don’t get me wrong, but I did enjoy the freshness that the podcast brought. It added in many angles for the reader. It wasn’t just what Sadie had to say, it’s what everything looked like from the outside. It was these people that were affected by the story trying to piece together what exactly happened. It showed the after effects that Sadie never saw. 

The ending is really up for interpretation, but at the same time, I feel like we all know what happened. It really depends on if you’re more of an optimist or a pessimist.

If you're interested in reading this, it's out today! 

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All the Little Lights Spoiler Free Review

All the Little Lights
by Jamie McGuire

Synopsis:

The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.

Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.

Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.

My Thoughts:

I received a copy through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this book 3.75 stars. It was a ride. It took me a while to get into it. All the Little Lights is one of those books that starts off slow and just builds and builds rapidly at the end. It’s an adrenaline rush.

The moment the big mystery clicked in my mind was the biggest “how did I not see that coming?” moment in my entire life. I’m not going to say exactly what that whole thing was, you’re gonna have to read it yourself, however

All the little pieces of this book that never quite make sense really come together in the end. It’s actually a really cool plot. From reading the synopsis you would not expect the sheer amount of drama that happens throughout this book. It’s insane. It’s all really insane. 

This book isn’t like anything I’ve read from Jamie McGuire before. If you’ve read Beautiful Disaster, this isn’t like that. Not at all. Maybe the characters, but not the actual story itself. 

Now onto my feelings about the actual characters. I liked Catherine enough. She was one of those okay characters that didn’t really have any bad attributes, but she didn’t have a lot of personality either.

Now, Elliott, there were times when I loved that guy. He seemed so sweet and wanted only good things for Catherine. He wanted to take her away and give her the life he thinks she deserves. However, I can’t get over the door punching and the tree punching and the people punching. There is a difference between getting in a lot of fights and being overly violent. This guy had major anger issues and honestly, if he were real I don’t think I would be surprised if he was a suspect in a murder case. This guy just could not keep his cool. 

Now, the one relationship I was happy about was Mr and Mrs Mason. They started out the book getting a divorce and they just were not happy together and were supposedly moving on. One thing I remember reading was that marriage is about working at it. A lot of divorces happen when both parties just give up. The marriages that last are the ones where the two continue to work on their relationship knowing it isn’t perfect. Mr and Mrs Mason reminded me of that. They were on the brink of divorce, but they found that they still loved each other and decided to work through everything because they had been together so long and still continued to love each other. That I think is a good representation of a healthy relationship.

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