Review: Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett

Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Source: ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
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Acclaimed author Mindee Arnett thrusts readers into a beautiful, dangerous, and magical world in this stunningly epic and romantic fantasy for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah Raasch.

They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime.

Cast out of the nobility, Kate now works for the royal courier service. Only the most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the drakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: She is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals.

And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormaine, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget after he condemned her father to death.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin must put the past behind them to face this new threat and an even darker menace stirring in the kingdom.

Review: 

Onyx & Ivory wasn't originally on my to-read list; however, the more positive things I heard about it as well as Mindee Arnett,  the more I felt as if I needed to read it. I wanted to see for myself if it would become a favorite of mine as well. 

The result? I'm torn. 

On one side, I love the premise as well as the world Mindee introduced. It was interesting as well as unique, and there's so much room to expand upon it all. 

On the other side, however, the length of this book as well as the pacing brought down my enjoyment considerably. There were so many times at which this book was so incredibly hard to get through, so many times in which I felt like the scenes could've been edited down. The middle, in particular, was rough for me. I wanted more action, more excitement, and by the time that was finally delivered, the book was just about over. 

Onyx & Ivory alternates between Kate and Corwin's perspectives, and I believe that Mindee did a great job of making them sound different. I liked both Kate and Corwin. I loved how independent and fearless Kate was; however, I also liked that she wasn't afraid to rely on her friends to get her through tough times. The bonds she develops throughout this book are a highlight. Corwin, on the other hand, was a tough one to read at first. I wanted to despise him for happened to Kate, but at the same time, I couldn't. There was something likable about him, something that I found endearing. I could see why Kate had such a hard time shutting him out as well. Together, Kate and Corwin meshed well. They start off as best friends turned enemies, but they slowly morph back into the best friends/slightly more area. I loved the back and forth between them as well as how they wouldn't let the other alter what they stood for. Sure, they liked each other but they weren't letting that change who they were and I respected that completely. 

The plot primarily involves the brewing trouble found in Rime and the re-formation of the bond between Corwin and Kate. I found both areas to be interesting, and I especially enjoyed when more was revealed about the shady things occurring in Rime. There were several times in which I was left feeling completely shook, and I appreciated the direction Mindee seemed to be taking things. She brought it together quite well.  

Despite my love of the plot as well as the characters, the pacing is what ultimately brings this down to a three star read. I'm all for a slow delivery; however, when it's so slow it almost causes me to DNF a book, there's something wrong. Additionally, I wasn't the biggest fan of how there was FINALLY action and then BANG cliff hanger. It was such a buzz kill. 

3 stars 

Review: All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor

All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Source: ARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
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In this genre-defying page-turner from Lygia Day Peñaflor, four teens befriend their favorite YA novelist, only to find their deepest, darkest secrets in the pages of her next book—with devastating consequences.

Miri Tan loved the book Undertow like it was a living being. So when she and her friends went to a book signing to hear the author, Fatima Ro, they concocted a plan to get close to her.

Soleil Johnston wanted to be a writer herself one day. When she and her friends started hanging out with her favorite author, Fatima Ro, she couldn’t believe their luck—especially when Jonah Nicholls started hanging out with them, too.

Penny Panzarella was more than the materialist party girl everyone at the Graham School thought she was—and she was willing to share all her secrets with Fatima Ro to prove it.

Jonah Nicholls had more to hide than any of them. And now that Fatima’s next book is out in the world, he’s the one who is paying the price...

Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying—and told as a series of interviews, journal entries, and even pages from the book within the book—this gripping story of a fictional scandal will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

Review: 

I've been following All of This is True since it was first announced. It sound unique. I mean, a story about a group of teens befriending their favorite author? I haven't seen that before! I was also excited about the mystery. As more details were revealed, the more excited I became. I couldn't wait to dive in! 

The result? All of This is True isn't exactly what I had anticipated, but it's still a juicy and addicting read. I've seen this book compared to Pretty Little Liars several times, and I think that comparison is spot-on. It contains the same addicting, I-can't-get-enough quality of Pretty Little Liars as well as a group of characters that are interesting but not exactly likable.  

One of my favorite parts about All of This is True is the format. It contains interviews, text messages, journal entries, and excerpts from Fatima Ro's book. I wish there were more books like this! Lygia did a wonderful job of bringing everything together, and I loved how she broke everything up. It's hard to describe, but it worked well, as the different medias lined up perfectly. I also appreciated that each character was represented - Miri and Penny through their interviews, Soleil through her journal entries, and Jonah through Fatima's book as well as the girl's portions. 

As I mentioned above, none of the characters in All of This is True are particularly likable. Miri, Penny, and Soleil live incredibly spoiled, opulent lifestyles, and their personalities reflect that. Throughout the book, I couldn't believe some of what they did and said; however, it didn't make me dislike the book. Instead, it made me even more addicted - I couldn't wait to find out what outlandish thing was said or done next. I will say, however, that Penny and Soleil were slightly better than Miri. It was easy to see that Penny just wanted to be loved for who she was not for what she had while Soleil just wanted an honest, healthy relationship with Jonah. I felt for them more so than I did for Miri. Fatima Ro was an interesting character. Some part of me couldn't believe that she would be so willing to hang out with high school students. Yes, she wasn't that much older than them, but it was still odd to think about, especially when you took into consideration her relationship with Jonah. Honestly, sometimes she gave off such a creepy vibe. I don't think I would've been as willing to be her friend as they were. So was the relationship between the four students and Fatima stretched? Slightly. It was hard to believe at times, but at the same time I don't think All of This is True was really aiming for a believable vibe. 

The mystery in All of This is True has been highly talked about; however, I didn't think that it was much of a mystery at times. I know some people have said that they thought the big twist was shocking, but I figured it out pretty early on in the book. It was hard to not see that there was more to what was going on than what was said. Sometimes I don't mind figuring out the twist early on in a book if there's still a good build up to the reveal, but that wasn't exactly the case here. I wish that there had been more twists and turns to it all, more oh-my-goodness moments.  Instead of a mystery, I feel that All of This is True focused primarily on the relationship between the four students and Fatima. I did find in interesting, and I appreciated seeing the start of the relationship, the build up to the end, and then the falling out. I also liked that all three girls had such differing opinions on it all - Miri was an absolute Fatima fangirl to the end while Penny and Soleil were done with Fatima. It was interesting to see how each girl viewed what had happened so differently. 

I was also slightly disappointed by the ending. I wish more details had been given, because I felt as if things were finally getting truly good. I couldn't believe that it ended where it did. 

In all, All of This is True wasn't everything that I had expected, but I still enjoyed reading it. If you love Pretty Little Liars, I think there's a high chance you'll like this one as well. 

3.5 stars!!