the_ya_book_talk

     Beatrice Hartley is an outcast among her friends. A year since graduation, and she's nervous about rejoining them for the weekend. After spending a night out together, they are driving back to the mansion they are calling home for the weekend when they just barely avoid crashing into another car. Once back at the mansion, a strange man knocks on their door. This was made even more strange by the fact that a terrible storm was occurring at the time. The man says it is now their job to participate in the vote where they must make a unanimous decision on the one among them that will live. Naturally, they are creeped out, but they do not take him seriously. That is, until they wake up the next morning and find out they are living the same day over. They live this day over and over again, losing track of time. Each replay gets a little but worse- secrets are uncovered, fears are brought to life, and past events twist in odd ways. The friends are officially a part of the N...

     I want to start this off with an apology. This review was supposed to be uploaded here quite a while ago. Apparently, when I uploaded the post and the review on Goodreads, I forgot to do it here and just realized it was still in my drafts, so now the reviews are out of order :( I am so sorry about this! Just to clarify, this is the FIRST book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy.        Alina Starkov is a soldier doomed to be sent to the Shadow Fold- an area of land that is pitch black and contains monstrous creatures. While traveling through the Shadow Fold, her and her regiment are attacked, and Alina releases a power buried deep in her. Now she will train with other military who have powers- the Grisha. Their leader, the Darkling, thinks that if Alina can learn to control her magic, she can destroy the Shadow Fold and save their country. While learning about her past and her magic, the threat keeps growing and Alina discovers something that could des...

     This short story takes readers into the Darkling's past. You will learn about him before his reign and before he was the Darkling. He once was like any other little boy, with the exception of a very unique gift. What happened in his past that acted as a catalyst for him to become the Darkling we know now?        Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only  my opinion , and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Let's begin:     This review will be extremely short because there is not much to say on it. It was a very short story, so there is not a lot of material to work with for a review.     I really enjoyed reading this and getting a bit of information about who the Darkling was before he was the Darkling. Throughout the trilogy, he was very fascinating because of how morally gra...

      The Sun Summoner cannot Summon, the tracker is disgraced, and the Second Army is in tatters, all the while the Darkling reigns from his throne of shadows. Alina must recover from their latest battle, so she goes underground under the care of The Apparat and his followers who all believe she is a Saint. In order to finally win the war, she must find the final amplifier and hope that her prince ally is still alive. The war is coming to a climax, and only Alina can prevent the darkness from consuming Ravka. In order to do this, though, she may face her own ruin.      Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion , and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Let's begin:     I kind of went back and forth for what rating I was going to give this book. I felt like it was not quite a four or fi...

       Kate Connelly is only seventeen, but she has the life experiences of someone much older. After her mom passes away, she practically gets put in charge of raising her two little brothers, maintaining the family ranch, bringing in an income, and going to school thanks to her mostly absent father. While working a shift at the town diner, two guys come in and make her night more difficult. She chooses to move past it and then runs into them in an alley, unsure of their intentions. There are many other things filling her mind such as the elite military academy that is after her eight year old brother, so she again puts the men out of her mind. However, one of those men who happens to be a cadet from the military academy enrolls in Kate's high school. He immediately causes numerous issues. She has to trust herself and protect her little brother, but how can she when she cannot think straight round Cadet Davenport?      Keep in mind that everyone has t...

       Alina is now the Sun Summoner, the cost of growing her powers. She and Mal have fled Ravka, trying to escape from the people hunting her. However, the Darkling is determined to take her back and use her powers for his own gain. Alina is forced to receive help from a privateer and, with his help, plans to take command of the Second Army. As more truths come out though, Alina gets sucked further into the Darkling's schemes, not out as she wishes to be. She will be forced to choose between love and power in order to save her country. She is the only one who can- and winning this war will be costly.      Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion , and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Let's begin:      My warning from the first book stands: in order to read this, you will hav...