"Influence" by David Bernstein (Review)

Influence is a dystopian novel that follows our protagonist, Kaylin who's on the run with her friend Amanda. She has the unique ability to "push" which makes her a target of The Magnus Order and Vernon Society.

Influence was a wonderful, intriguing novel. I like how the writing flowed all throughout the story making it more of a treat. Kaylin was a genuine protagonist, you could just feel her emotions and in a way understand her. Kaylin and Amanda, her friend, have a seemingly unbreakable bond which I personally appreciated. Influence is different from other dystopian books, the plot building made the book flow on by and keeps you wanting more of the bonds of friendship or the action in the adventure. For all those reason, I believe this reading is well written.

Now then, onto one of the more saddening parts, the problems I found. Personally I adored this book and read it fairly quickly yet it at times felt rushed for me. The beginning felt a tad bit slow and uneventful but that didn't really bother me at first. It wasn't until I was a little more than half way through the novel that I just wanted more action and excitement. In the end, there were some parts of the novel felt like it was rushed. Other than that minor issue, I found relatively no problems with the novel.

All in all, I genuinely would recommend this book to anyone and truly any dystopian fan. This novel does not disappoint. I'm intending to read the next addition in the series when it comes out.

I'm giving Influence a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Hope you enjoyed! Caio-

"Maresi" by Maria Turtschaninoff (Review)

Maresi is a strongly feminist novel where abused women are sent to an island where men aren't allowed to travel. The men are not even allowed to walk upon the island. In this novel, there are essentially two main characters, Maresi and Jai. Maresi essentially tells us the story of her life on the island while teaching Jai, the newcomer, as well as the trouble that follows her. Be careful of getting too attached as this is a fairly short read of 208 pages.

Maresi is a dystopian novel and while that made it rather immersive. The novel gave a more in-depth look at a world where women are second class citizens. Essentially, men are the antagonists.

l sincerely enjoyed the descriptive element in how Maresi explained all the activities that the girls could do on the island. It was enjoyable that they explained how and why the girls were on the island. In all reality, some were there due to their families wanting them to have a better life. I, as well, enjoyed the serenity and in many cases, difficulty of how their lives played out. Unfortunately that trouble that followed wasn't very interesting, if at all. The girls have to face their destiny and well you get the idea. This in turn just made the novel feel annoying or bothersome at times.

What I must say I didn't enjoy was how some of the plot played out. Even though I had enjoyed the majority of the novel. At times it felt slow lacking key elements that all stories are meant to have. I would warn those who are sensitive to violence against women or even rape to be careful when reading this.

All in all, I would recommend this book but be careful of the trigger warnings. I do recommend this though to feminists or even anyone though women will most likely enjoy this novel more than men. 

I'm giving this book a 3.7 out of 5. Caio!

"What's a Soulmate?" by Lindsey Ouimet (Review)

"What's a Soulmate?" is a creative novel exploring the possibility of soulmates. Libby, our main character, lives in a world where from the day you're born until you meet your soulmate, the world only consist of black, white and gray. It's natural, right? Or it was until Libby met Andrew, her soulmate. Suddenly she was thrown into a world of color, her hair vividly red as her personality.

I personally found this book to be magical in it's own way. The characters were well rounded in their development and not a detail was left unscathed. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the way the words flowed together. I as well enjoyed the detailed wording, it gave the book more feeling to it. It made the words flow off the page. All I truly didn't enjoy is how Libby treats Beth within the novel. Beth is supposed to be Libby's best friend but Libby can be very self centered irregardless of how her life is going. One more thing is just how the ending was, it was cute but I feel there could've been more detail and plot at the end.

"Maybe that's why I'm here," I say, realizing in this very moment what I'm about to say is the absolute truth. "To find out if you're better than this." 

There was a variety of emotions that created a bond absentmindedly between Libby and Andrew. While there are slow part encased within this book, it's excellent in it's own right. This book gives a different reality from ours.The atmosphere crafts this novel into a work of art, it's detail oriented in a way. The world Libby lives in is similar and yet completely opposing to ours. This is a novel that will pull you in, I guarantee you that.

I very much so look forward to more from Lindsey Ouimet. I'm giving this a 4.4 out of 5 stars- I definitely recommend this to all those romantic people out there. You won't regret picking this book up! Caio!

"A Bond of Venom and Magic" by Karen Tomlinson (Review)

This is not your stereotypical YA fantasy, the characters suck you in and you find yourself in a world you haven't known before. There's an action packed feel that keeps you moving through the book. 

I was blessed to get this as an ARC though it took a little bit to finish it, i must say I was impressed. This book shows an interesting side to the world of magic. 

I personally saw Diamond as a intriguing character who though she had flaws, was still a fantastic main character. She's relatable to any audience and that pulls you in.

While the book was fast paced, there are some areas that I wish it would've been slowed down a bit but altogether this was a riveting book!

So if you love fantasy, this is for you- I'm looking forward to the continuation of the series!

4 out of 5 stars would recommend- Caio for now-

"Configured" by Jenetta Penner (Review)

I couldn't help but enjoy reading this book, it was a true page turner. I enjoyed how it was fast paced and full of action. For me, the beginning felt slow but making it through was worth it. The characters developed smoothly. If you enjoyed Divergent or even dystopian books, this is for you! I'm giving this a 4.4 out of 5 stars because this book was honestly magical, it keeps you on your toes wanting more! I completely recommend you all read this book. Au revior!

"Surviving Gretchen" by Bonnie Daly (Review)

Hello friends! I'm back once more with a new review, this is a book I received as an arc.

This book is beautifully written, it shows an inspirational story about two inseparable best friends. When they meet Gretchen, everything changes. This is a story about trust, not only that but maintaining your friendships not matter how hard people will try to pull you apart.

I fully recommend this to book to teenagers and really anyone. It doesn't matter who you are, this story can show to inspire anyone and give you a new perspective on society and friendship.

I'm give this a 3.9 out of 5 for its beautifully written content! Have a nice night!

"Walking Disaster" by Jamie McGuire (Review)

In the follow up to "Beautiful Disaster," this sequel takes you on the journey of Travis Maddox's perspective, giving you the thrill of knowing he's not the person you would believe him to be in the first book. He shows more or less not much impulse control but Abby Abernathy helps him through it while he pushes her away. While this book is similar to the first, it is nothing alike, different situations evolve while we didn't know of them originally, if you enjoyed "Beautiful Disaster" this is the book for you- I'm going to give this a 3/5 because it's good  but there's not truly as much drama as the first book.

"Beautiful Disaster" by Jamie McGuire (Review)

This is an enticing romance book that follows Abby Abernathy is her newly begun college days. Abby and her friend went to have a new start, when Abby first meet Travis  Maddox, she doesn't see him romantically. They begin romancing and swooning over each other within the first 100 pages. 

It makes sense, Abby's the new girl in town after all, yet there's the issue of Travis, I got the idea he was more so afraid of commitment than not wanting to stay committed to one person. Many don't like this book as they see their relationship as abusive, while I don't agree, there are areas that I agree upon. For example, one night, while Abby is sleeping or trying to sleep in the other room, Travis brings home a couple girls and has sexual relations with them. I can see this as abusive as Abby is awake and knows it's happening, while it may be unintentional, it may be considered emotional abuse to some. It's all opinionated.

There are parts that make you want to scream and wish you could yell at all of the characters (Travis, Abby, et cetera) but this book is indeed a quick read- I do recommend this book to truly anyone who has a heart for romance all problems aside, it can be a very intriguing romance. It has some themes in it that can be taken in wrong ways but I genuinely believe this is an honest to good book-

All in all, I would rate this a 4/5 stars.