Oh My Goth: Gena Showalter

A fiercely individualist Goth girl wakes up to discover that the whole world has gone Goth and she's actually -- gag -- popular.

Jade Leigh is a nonconformist who values individuality above all else. She has a small group of like-minded Goth friends who wear black, dabble in the dark arts, and thrive outside the norm. They're considered the "freaks" of their high school. But when Jade's smart mouth lands her in trouble -- again -- her principal decides to teach her a lesson she'll never forget.

Taken to a remote location where she is strapped down and sedated, Jade wakes up in an alternate universe where she rules the school. But her best friends won't talk to her, and the people she used to hate are all Goth. Only Clarik, the mysterious new boy in town, operates outside all the cliques. And only Mercedes, the Barbie clone Jade loathes, believes that Jade's stuck in a virtual reality game -- because she's stuck there, too, now living the life of a "freak." Together, they realize they might never get back to reality...and that even if they do, things might never be the same.
(Goodreads) 

So! This book had been on my TBR shelf for a hot minute and I finally decided to take the plunge and read it. I had a small idea what I was getting into... But boy was I wrong.
At its base, this book is about redemption, letting go of loss and pain. Accepting others, accepting mistakes. It's kind of profound in that way.
But the way Showalter wrote it... Really fell kind of flat. Her stereotypical use of Goth vs. Prep to show that we're all equal while maintaining out differences just didn't work out in the best way. She tried to be trendy and use hip words and slang and it was seriously so cringe-y I couldn't focus on the message of the book. Mind you the book was published in 2006... and as a goth at the time, I swear to god we did not say ANY OF THESE THINGS... To a certain extent.
But! Don't get me wrong, the book definitely had moments that were truly profound for this crappy book

“Dude. That’s because girls can’t win. If she accepts a compliment, she’s automatically considered a conceited witch. If she denies a compliment, she must have low self-esteem or she’s playing coy. If she ignores a compliment because it makes her uncomfortable, she’s got to be a total snob.” He opens his mouth, closes it. Opens, closes. “You’re...right.”

Take this quote for example, this was talking about Mercedes, resident popular girl. Rival to Jude for some unknown reason other than being a cheerleader and popular. It talks about how hard it is to be a girl because literally everything we do gets nitpicked.

Though the book wasn't the absolute best... it wasn't the absolute worst either. It was absolutely stupid at times, and then very emotional at others.
The book also deals heavily with depression, at times it was highly exaggerated, but other times it was like looking at myself. It was kind of a contradicting book. It was weird.
In the end Jude realizes she's been missing out on so much in her quest to be this goth or die person. That after experience in the alternative world she realizes she has so much to do and fix. Which was actually pretty refreshing.
Overall... Not the best, could be better.
Until next time readers <3

Love Kat 

A Heart so Fierce and Broken: Brigid Kemmerer

Find the heir, win the crown.

The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
(Goodreads)

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." 

Lets just say that this quote is a wonderful representation of Rhen. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself since Rhen really isn't all that important in this book.  It's more like the idea of him that is important? I guess? The question of what kind of ruler he'll be... Anyways...
This book is all about Grey, and a new character Lia Mara why two names?? I don't know but her sister and mom have a two name thing going on too Now I fully admit, I didn't like Lia Mara very much in the beginning, I truly didn't care for her part of the story until she got to the palace. And boy does it get better.
Just like the first book, I totally struggled with the beginning. The pacing felt a little off but then everything changed when Rhen's guards killed an innocent man accused of magic. All on a man hunt for the magesmith, the true heir, who just so happens to be GREY. He's been hinting at this terrible secret he's been keeping to help protect Rhen and the reason why he ran away from the castle. Because it obviously had to happen, Grey get caught when he decided to be an awesome dude and sub for the actual fighter. The royal guard recognized his fighting style and called him. It was all very tragic.
Anyway he ends up back at the castle beaten and bloody to kneel before Rhen and it's this emotional affair. Did I forget to mention that Grey likes Harper? Because Grey likes Harper and I totally ship it now but only for like a second We all remember Rhen being this amazing prince, he's different and would never stoop to torture considering he suffered torture at the hands of evil enchantress for decades. And yet this rat bastard has the audacity to whip a child to get information out of Grey. He whips them both saying it's for the greater good. To protect them all from magic. And Grey notices that this isn't for the safety of his kingdom but for his fear of what could happen if someone used it against him again.
Meanwhile: remember how I mentioned this new character named Lia Mara... She's really not that important until she escapes from her gilded cage. Quick back story: she's the oldest, mom doesn't like her very much because shes "weak." Chooses her sister to be the queen, she has a plan to marry said baby queen to Rhen to have access to better trade. Didn't happen they leave, Lia Mara has a plan because she saw something different in Rhen, so she runs away to the castle to convince him to change his mind. Doesn't work out, he kills her guard and locks her up. She becomes important when Grey just so happens to be caged in the room next to her, which is connected by a wall in the fireplace that moves. He sees her and is like "okay interesting."
Flash forward again: Lia Mara is free because they underestimated her and Grey absolutely enraged by the whipping of this innocent child somehow unleashes magic and knocks everyone out. Lia Mara appears and helps them escape. And thus the book really starts.

Everything that happens from this point on in the book is what truly made the book incredible. The action, the romance, the character growth. The power struggle. Grey coming to terms with his birthright, becoming a better king than Rhen ever could. It's literally a wild ride.
And it gets crazier when you find out that Rhen has been working with THE EVIL ENCHANTRESS WHO HAD THEM CURSED. WHO TORTURED HIM, AND KILLED ALL HIS FAMILY.
What the hell is Rhen thinking working with evil incarnate.

And now I have to wait for the next book because I finished this book a little too fast.
Until next time readers <3

Love Kat 

Crown of Coral and Pearl: Mara Rutherford

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.
(Goodreads)

So when I read the premise I knew exactly what I was going to read. I just didn't expect it to flop as hard as it did.  I know, I know that the new fad in writing is princesses taking back their kingdom, being badass, falling in love with someone they shouldn't. The typical story right now. But this one was just an absolute disappointment. The idea of using vanity was interesting, until it became too much. For a good chunk of the book all they would talk about was beauty. The worth of the females because of their beauty. The shame that Nor had but a small scar because she saved her sister from drowning. And yet all they could focus on was her supposed jealousy because Zadie was more beautiful and pure and blah blah blah. 
I get it, the author wanted to be different to all the other books that all share the same premise. But her use of beauty in this book honestly was not a wise choice. If she had possibly written the book better, maybe I would have liked it more. But it just fell flat.
It was shallow and the plot honestly didn't do much. Nothing really changed when Nor took Zadie's place. And that whole exchange and the events that happened were ridiculous. God I could barely read it, the shallowness of the village was incredible. Lets talk about Zadie for a second here, because literally this whole thing started because of her selfishness. Like I get it, she loves her boo, it's sweet and cute. But to literally get angry and jealous because her twin is being FORCED TO MARRY SAID BOO, AGAINST HER WILL. BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS SAID SO  and ignore her sister, was honestly so petty and shallow I was almost done with the whole book there... 
But then it gets worse because stupid sister forces Nor to brutalize her body to make her ugly and undesirable to stay with the love of her life and it was hinted at that the only reason he kinda liked her was because of her beauty... nothing else 
And thus the village turns on them and its all supposed to be sad and important, but really it was just vain and shallow with no lasting impact.
The rest of the book is mediocre and really nothing important happens, she meets her new soon to be husband. The beach girl now lives in a mountain away from the light, people are plotting murder, she falls in love with the prince's half brother. You know, the usual 🤷
Overall, the book is severely underwhelming and nothing of importance happens in the book to make it stand out against the others of its kind. I felt like it was doomed from the start because of how beauty focused it is, it just made the rest of the plot very shallow and lacking of real depth.
But if you liked it, awesome! Personally not my favorite, and I will not be reading the next one.
Until next time readers <3

Love Kat 

Carry On: Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen.

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Carry On - The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story - but far, far more monsters.
(Goodreads)

 Okay.... so I finally started this book because a friend encouraged me thinking I'd like it so much more than I did,since it's based on Harry Potter, my absolute favorite book series. I was also interested because I loved Fangirl so much and her love for the series... Anyway lets get this review underway!

First and foremost, this book is obviously based on Harry Potter, not only that, it's FANFICTION FOR DRARRY. Mind you I really don't care for that ship... So this was interesting to read someone who thoroughly enjoys Drarry write about it. Still not my favorite ship.

Second: if you're going to base something on such an amazing book.... don't ruin it with your ridiculous magic style. Let me explain; their magic was based around a system that words hold power. Okay, I get that and it can be a valid form of magic. But then she tried to make it mainstream and relevant to the currant time (which is going to seriously date this book in a few years) by adding popular books, movies, and songs (i.e. 'to be or not to be' 'do or do not there is no try' 'these are not the droids you are looking for' 'don't stop believing' I could go on)…. And it make the book sound so dumb. Here they are in a serious situation spouting YOU KILLED MY FATHER PREPARE TO DIE or something along those lines totally ruining the serious moment. And I know, I know its supposed to spoof Harry Potter... But that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

Third, the plot. God the plot was a mess. It all started with the author assuming we know more about the world of Carry On than we actually do. There's too much that has previously happened in "previous" years for us to be able to truly understand the book and connect to the characters 100% . The plot focuses on Simon being the worst chosen one ever I'll get to that in a bit, because I am SALTY. How bad at magic he is, the fucking HUMDRUM the stupidest fucking villains name. In the history of the world. The twists weren't all that exciting, especially if you consider that its like four characters merged into one. And the story was honestly very mediocre.

Fourth: the characters. God the characters were so bad I could cry. When I first read it was I so mad. I was angry how she twisted my favorite characters into these pathetic shadows of the original. Simon Harry Potter is the worst chosen in the history of the world. He also sucks at magic and is a total fucking idiot. That's it, that is the character. Does he get any character growth? No. Does he learn how to use his magic and be the great wizard he's destined to be? No. Does he ever do anything of importance? Also no. God Simon was this sad whiny character that Rowell decided to make the worst of everything. He's literally the total opposite of Harry. Unless he's obsessing over Baz like in The Half Blood Prince and what he's doing, or if he's plotting his murder. All very original. Now Baz, Baz is Draco obviously. The Draco we never got to know because Harry Potter is only in his point of view. Baz had a bit more potential solely because she didn't have anything to casually mess up copy. Baz was more original because she had to fill in the blanks. You could tell that he was based on Draco, but he was still his own original character unlike Simon. Next we have Penelope, Penny...Whatever her name was. She was obviously Hermione, if Hermione was a pureblood. She lived and breathed magic, was the best at it. A total annoying know it all. All things we've seen in Hermione. She was honestly very boring, though a little bit more annoying like Hermione in the first book. Then we have Simons girlfriend.... Whose name I cannot remember for the life of me. Anyway, she was more like Cho Chang, than the amazing spitfire that is Ginny Weasley. She was whiny, was pinning for another guy cough that was Baz's gay ass and utterly useless. Lived in a world of her own and didn't want anything to do with magic. Then we had the weird Goat Lady that was a cheap Hagrid knockoff, if Hagrid liked ghosts and was good at magic instead. And finally, we have the headmaster dude. Who was a mixture of: Dumbledor, James Potter, Sirus Black, Voldemort, and maybe a little bit of Remus if you squint. One of the major plot twists is that good sir, headmaster is actually Simon's dad and he killed Lily his wife in the name of creating the chosen one. He was a total Dumbledor for not telling Harry Simon anything and abandoning him to orphanages fucking orphanages instead of TAKING RESPONSIBILITY OF HIS SPAWN. Anyway this character was a mess and a total psychopath

I basically didn't like this book at all. The final and most important twist was that the HUMDRUM was Simon. That every time he actually performed magic he siphoned said magic from areas that were bursting with magic rip to Baz's family home. And this was all because of Good sir Dumbledor trying to make him the Chosen one.
And that's the end. That is the end to this tragically written fanfiction.
I kind of want to read the next one... but I  also don't. So we'll see what happens
Anyway!
Until next time readers <3

Love Kat