Sunday 21 August 2016

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers, May 26th, 2015
Pages: 375
Source: Hardcover, borrowed (library)
Genre:Thriller/Mystery
Rating: 5/5

How I Felt: Oh my gosh, this was so good!! I did not expect to love this book at all. I assumed it was going to be another cheesy, predictable YA thriller but boy, was I wrong. This is one of the best mystery/thriller books I've ever read.

If you're looking for a main character who is a villain/antihero and seriously messed up in the head this is for you. The main character is just so morally gray and crazy it's so intriguing and I couldn't help but be drawn into her story. Her moral indecisiveness made reading this a game of tug of war. One minute I could see her good side and I was rooting for her and the next she was completely diabolical and I wanted her arrested.

There are scenes that hint at her being redeemable but then she would do something just completely messed up and wicked and I was like woah nevermind... 


The writing in this was just so brilliant! It was genius! Carrie Ryan has definitely made me want to pick up her other books now based on the way this one was written. She is able to paint such vivid pictures of the setting and the mood of each scene it was perfect!

Also, the use of foreshadowing in this was on point. The best part of this was that after you know the revelation, you can clearly see now how everything was building up to this moment. Like those paintings where you can't tell what it is if you stand really close to it, but once you back up a bit everything becomes clear. All the puzzle pieces lock into place. Some obscure fact would be mentioned early on in the book and I'd think nothing of it, assuming it was just the character taking in her surrounding's and stating facts but noooo that was wrong. As the story progressed I was able to realize that was a clue and then I'd be all OHMIGOSH MY BRAIN IS ON FIRE IT ALL MAKES SENSE.


This was just the perfect revenge book. Everything you could ever want is here. Mystery, murder, poison, suspense, a sunken ship, a main character with a seriously messed up past and head. I have been trying to read different YA books recently trying to find one that satisfies all my dreams for a good thriller revenge story, and this one does just that.

If you've been wondering why I haven't said the main characters name yet it's because that's a touchy subject and the main source of her problems. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away but... The main character, Frances, was involved in a sunken cruise ship tragedy along with her friend, Libby. Libby didn't survive and since her father was devastated and Frances looked similar to her...well, he asked her to pretend to be Libby. This makes Frances really confused about who she is and also makes being in her head WEIRD. She doesn't think she's Frances or Libby; she calls herself a hybrid of both. So much so that she refers to herself in the third person. It was so creepy but really worked well. For example, she would say something along the lines of: "I could feel Frances rioting inside of me, fighting to take control. I decide to let her. Just this once."

The side characters were also brilliant. They all helped to showcase different sides of Frances. Morales, Shepherd and Grey. On their own, I cared so much about each of them. And the way they interacted with Frances just really helped to show how broken she was and how much the tragedy affected her, despite what she might say.

Even though the epilogue was really short, I really enjoyed it and thought it was a perfect way to wrap up everything that happened and still leave a bit of mystery in the air.

Overall, I really loved this book and I highly recommend this if you're looking for a great thriller (that isn't too scary) and mystery books with an untrustworthy character this is for you! I really enjoyed this and it's definitely one of my favourites of the year so far!


Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca 
 

Tuesday 2 August 2016

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Published: Henry Holt and Company, September 25th, 2015
Pages: 465
Source: Hardcover, purchased
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5

How I Felt: *runs in circles screaming*

OH MY GOSH WHAT EVEN IS THIS BOOK??? I cannot right now. Don't touch me.

I listened to this alternating between reading the physical book and listening to the audio and I loved this experience so so much. I really enjoyed connecting the voices of the narrators with the character's voices in my head.

This has got to be one of the best heist stories I have ever read. It was full of suspense and twists, and as the reader, the characters don't let on as to what they're doing right away and the mystery is so wonderfully frustrating because once you figure it out everything falls into place and it feels amazing. (So much rambling at this point ha!)

Okay, this took me a little bit longer to read because I kept putting the book down towards the beginning. The set up of Kaz and the Dregs and the world building was a little slow going at first because of all the new information and I was a little impatient. But once everything clicked together and we got to talking about the heist I diD NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF MY PRECIOUS CHILDREN.

The suspense in this book, my goodness. I couldn't breathe I was literally holding my breath hoping everyone would make it out alive.

I loved how we thought the world was falling apart and everyone was doomed and then Kaz would say "Haha psych! Part of my plan succahssss" Too many emotions, please don't do this to me.

I really liked the crew. I loved how diverse and unique each of them were. I could clearly tell who's perspective I was reading from and I loved each of the characters in their own way. When a book with multiple perspectives is written poorly, the characters' voices tend to blur together but that was not the case here and it was perfect.

Honestly, this book is just a masterpiece. Pure genius. There are so many layers of mystery and it's full of twists. GAAAHHH



While you don't have to read the Grisha trilogy to understand this one, there are a few nods to what happened in those books and I enjoyed every single one of them. Precious Nikoli.

I love Kaz so much. But my heart broke for Inej. And I will say that I ship Nina and Matthias so hard it's not even funny. I swear if anything happens to them I will lose my MIND.

I also loved getting to see each character's backstory. I thought the flashbacks were timed well and didn't interfere with any tense action sequences. It made me love my new children more.


Now how does one choose a favourite character? How do I choose between my children?? I love them all so much but I do love Matthias. Always the brooder.

The writing was beautiful, it all connected, every little detail is important, twists and twists and awesomeness and heists and tears and stress and perfection. That is what this book is. I enjoyed this immensely. I want an infinite amount of books like this.

Overall, I (obviously) loved this book so much. Definitely worth the hype and worth the read. I highly recommend you read it if you haven't already. Leigh Bardugo is a genius and has ruined my life in the best way with this book. I need the second book right this second. (I'm so excited for that Wylan P.O.V.) Just fantastic!



Favourite Quotes:
  • “The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.”
  •  “I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”
  •  “When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”
  •  “It's not natural for women to fight."
    "It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”
  •  “No Mourners. No Funerals.”
  •  “I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath.
  •  "If you can't beat the odds, change the game."


 Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca 

*Quotes taken from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Goodreads.com 

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