Fathomless: A tidal wave of emotions in this novel

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce was a truly magnificent read, 5 out of 5 stars. The only real detail I think it missed was that I was never quite clear if they were supposed to have tails because of the covers or not. The ocean girls in the book are described to have beauty, but their legs are usually left out of the picture. So, for the sake of my gifs, let's pretend they do.

This book was hard to put down. It's a thrilling tale about Lo, a girl who once was a human named Nadia. She can not remember her human self and can feel herself being lost to the ocean entirely. I have to say that the ending made me sad, but it was at least realistic. Lo struggles with her identity as an ocean girl, and as Nadia, the human girl she was. Cecilia is a triplet who can see the past, her sisters can see the present (people's thoughts) as well as the future.

 One night a boy falls over the railing, and Molly, another ocean girl, tries to drown him. There is a legend that if you can force a human to love you and drown them then the ocean girl will claim the soul and walk out of the ocean human once more. Molly and Lo want this. 

Jude is rescued by Lo and Cecilia as well, letting their lives intersect. Lo struggles to find her identity, as an ocean girl, as a human named Nadia that Cecilia helps her remember, and that the fact that one day she may turn into an angel. But what are these angels really? Is the person who made them ocean girls, taking away their humanity, angels or monsters? What will happen to Lo? Will she forget Nadia all together? Will Lo die and become another person entirely? Will Cecilia be able to help and will Jude ever be able to love Lo so she can have his soul? This book is full of suspense. 

The best thing about this book is that I could never guess the ending. The struggle to be who you are, finding your own identity, for both Cecilia and Lo are incredible. They grow as characters right before your eyes, giving you wonderful insight to their motivations and fears. I recommend this book for all of these reasons. Really, it was just beautifully done all around. 

Drought: A Captivating Novel full of Mystery

Drought by Pam Bachorz was a beautiful novel that I enjoyed to the very end. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. This book is a cult book, one of the very few I have ever read. Ruby is a slave. Every day she and the others that live there, unlike the overseers, are to collect water with spoons from the dew drops. They have a quota that they must reach or be punished. However, Ruby has the thing that makes the water so special, her very own blood. It's kept these people alive hundreds of years.

This water keeps them young, yet the endure such agony every day. I believe this book was compelling because it details the life of the cult, why they believe in their savior Otto who disappeared a long time ago, and how desperately they believe Otto will come back. Not all of them are the same, some like Ruby want freedom to go look for Otto. Then, Ruby falls in love with a new overseer.

Sadly, one of the reasons I only give it 4 stars is that it doesn't really explain why she loves him. The magnetism is apparent, however. This thrilling cult-like novel had me captivated the entire way, but it left questions unanswered. There were parts I wanted to cry, parts where I couldn't stop gushing at the subtle romance, and times that I was shocked at the cruelty in the book. I highly recommend it.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan was well done, and one of the very few zombie books that I actually enjoyed. I'll give it a 3 out of 5 however because I believe that there was still more that could be done with this book. Mary grew up in a village that has a secluded, old time feel to it. The Sisterhood protects the villagers, the unconsecrated (zombies) are the enemy, and the Guardian's powers are their way of life. This is all put into question.

Mary dreams about seeing the ocean, and she truly believes that there is life outside of the walls. Choices are presented to her, a love triangle is formed, and then she's forced out of her only home. She goes with those she cares about, fighting the zombies all along the way. Mary just hopes to see the ocean. That is the main plot to this story, a trip to the beach. It bothers me entirely. That's why I'm giving 3 stars. Most everyone will end up dying for a trip to the beach. 

I don't care what people say it really bothers me. A lot. The story is beautiful, the zombies instead of bringing simply fear bring tears to my eyes because of the sadness. Those they love are forced out, forced to walk the earth with no peace, to crave flesh. 

That doesn't matter in this book. The zombies must die. Humanity has fallen, and this book is full of suspense. Despite the lack of plot, I couldn't put this book down. I loved it until the very end, where I was disappointed. That is why this book gets 3 out of 5. It's beautifully written, but it's still slightly lacking. 

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter I'd give 3 out of 5 stars. It's a good book, but I feel like it brushes over important detail and topics.  There are many girls across the world that know despair, abuse, and rape. When Luce, at the age of 14, is assaulted by someone she trusts one night, she gives into despair, falling into the icy waters at the bottom of the cliff, but she does not die.

It's not a happy event. There are others like her, girls who have given into the ocean despite the will to live, despite despair. They will live like this, now. Sinking ships and being together, surviving in the ocean's depths.

All but Luce feel no guilt for doing what they did. The abuse they've suffered has hardened them. They are now killers. They are now loving only to each other. They feel very little towards humanity.

Luce is different because she still feels guilt for what she's doing. The book is beautifully done, but brushes over important topics when I believe more time should be spent on them. It's saddening because I believe this book had a lot of potential. The characters don't seem to grow, and very little is said about Luce's thought process. I believe the author could do so more with a concept like this, and I hope to be able to rate the sequel a lot better.

Harbinger: Ending the World...with confusion...

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne is a book that is about the end of the world. I found it plain confusion, 1 out of 5 stars at best. Honestly, I had a hard time getting through it. The real reason I had a hard time getting through it because it's just ...

I know that it was trying to be a psychological thriller, but it fell so far short that it was almost comical if I didn't feel like it was killing my brain cells to try to read it.

That's pretty much how I felt throughout this entire book. The main character has some sort of powers to end the world. A world which the book decides to tell you very little about. From what I can understand it's supposed to be our future where pollution has truly ruined everything. I think that there was a moral here but it was hidden behind such bad writing and character development that I couldn't tell if it was accidental or purposeful. The main character's name is Faye and she struggles internally to come into her powers, find out what is going on with her as she's left at a boarding school for troubled kids, and trying to figure out if she should destroy the world or not. What's worse? The weight of this world is in the hands of a character that has NO character development. She doesn't change.

Overall this book didn't build on itself. The psychological thriller turned into something that literally had a plot line lost in the head of a deranged girl. It felt like someone wrote this during a sleepless night and never edited it. It follows Faye through her time at this school and her decision on to destroy the world. They're forced into "families" and the kid she's paired with don't grow as people during it either. They had a small development later on in the book, and if you read it you'll see, but truly it's a waste of money and time.

So my overall opinion?

Graveminder: Death, Responsibility, and Intrigue

Graveminder by Melissa Marr is a beautifully written story about minding the graves of the dead. I'd have to give it 3 out of 5. I believe a lot of questions go unanswered, but it's still excellently done. I feel there's no need to talk about the main characters in any length, because they are forgettable when the story is not. Respect for the dead is something I believe society has lost. We no longer go to keep our dead company, and we certainly do not tend their graves. 

Suffice to say that Rebekkah is stuck tending graves like her grandmother before her, and she finds out there is a reason for it. If she does not give them story, drink, and food then the dead will rise again to take the living equivalent of flesh, blood, and breath. They will become zombies and killers at that. Rebekkah is the graveminder, the person set to go between worlds. The land of the dead isn't what you expect, they still move around as if they're alive, just waiting on the other side for us..and they can still do this...

Though, this is a somber book about responsibility and keeping the dead and the living seperate, it has it's funny moments. I was captivated by the handsome Death, and look forward to seeing more of him. Sadly, I haven't heard of a sequel yet. So, even though I've only given this 3 stars, I'm hoping a sequel will come to fill in all the burning questions it left me with. However, I'm giving up hope. If anyone has any news of one, please do share. 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns: Challenging what a princess is

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson is a beautifully written novel that has wonderful character development. Truly, for me it was the most striking feature of the novel. We all hear wonderful stories about princesses who are beautifully, model thin, tall as the heavens, with long flowing hair, well...not this main character. Elisa, the youngest of the two princesses, is a heavy set girl who's considered homely, but she's the chosen one. She has a god stone in her belly, saying she'll accomplish great things. However she feels like this...

Elisa is a wonderful girl, but she is a princess that lacks beauty nonetheless she is a princess. We all know that a princess has a duty, which most books would like to overlook, but this book does not. Elisa is married off to a handsome king for the sake of relations.

I think both of them feel this way. However, this isn't the worst of dear Elisa's problems. She's unhappy, and she's hunted. She has the god stone and people with dark magic are looking to use the power she has, though she's no idea how it can help anyone.

(wrong book but you get the idea)

So, I won't tell you how or why our dear Elisa changes, or what will happen to her dear husband, who's lands are also in turmoil. Suffice to say, she does. She goes from an awkward girl to someone who is strong and a wonderful female lead. The character growth in all the characters are remarkable, but hers is by far the best. I love the book because of it's settings and it challenges the idea of what a princess is or should be. It also helps that our dear Elisa goes from the overweight girl she is to something like you see below, but she does it by no magic but hardships and determination.