BOOKREVIEW: I Want Superpowers by Steven Bereznai

Hello bookdragons! 

Welcome back to my blog!

First of all, I'm so sorry for disappearing! I was just a bit more busy than I usually am, because I was hosting another super fun #stefansreadalong and there's also a giveaway I'm hosting on instagram for my next #stefansreadalong so make sure to join! Any way, I'm back now with another SUPER review for another SUPER novel named I Want Superpowers, which is by Steven Bereznai! This review is non-spoiler, but it will include a mini section with some of the plot twists I did not see coming (so spoilers, duhhh), but it will be labelled "Spoiler Section blah blah", *still haven't decided how to call it, oops*!

“It’s like the lovechild of 1984 and The Chrysalids.”

-Joe Pedro, Passport magazine

If you don't know anything about I Want Superpowers:

• It's a YA Dystopian book, hopefully to be expanded and become a series.
• Highly recommended to fans of comics and super heroes! I'm not a huge fan of comics, but this book made me want to buy them all and read them haha!
• Reminds me a lot of The Hunger Games and Divergent. Specially the beginning with all the dress and styling scenes, but afterwards the book follows its own unique path.
• It's action packed and super-fast paced from the beginning!
•  It's really cool how this feels like sci-fi and dystopian. I've read a lot of dystopian books, but none like this one. Like, this is supposed to be XMen with The Hunger Games, but I can't confirm about the XMen part since I haven't watched it (well, except cartoons, I think) *I know, shoot me*.
• Interesting fact: our main instead of not wanting to join the "enemy", actually wants to join them, so wow.
• Goodreads: 

The Genetic Wars that turned most of the planet into a wasteland are over. The so-called “dregs” (short for “DNA regulars”) and superpowered “Supergenics” now live separately from each other: the Supergenics in the shiny towers of Jupitar City, the dregs across the river in the squat concrete buildings of the boroughs. But Supergenic children are still born to dreg parents, and under repressive laws must be sent to live with their own kind. To find these special few, every teen faces their Testing Day. When her turn comes, socially isolated Caitlin Feral is determined to Manifest superpowers. If she fails, she faces a lifetime of loneliness and drudgery in the boroughs. But how much is she willing to sacrifice to be the supergirl she’s always wanted to be? And when she uncovers dark secrets kept by both sides, does she dare start another war to reveal the truth?

✨ Before we start the review, I'd liket to thank Mr Steven for providing me with a SIGNED first edition of his book! I trully appreciate this and I'm extra grateful!
✨ Fisrt of all: NO, this is not cheesy at all! YES, the title sounds like it, but once you read the actual book, you'll find the hidden meaning behind the title!
✨ I've already spoken of the beginning, so let's continue with the rest of the plot. I really like how realistic the book was, and how the teacher was portrayed as a mean lady, who only cares for her image, because let's face it: that's how people act in real life too. Also, Liliane's character as the rival of our main character was kind of predictable, but still good. 

✨ The relationship between Caitlin and Bardie was a bit unnatural. (MINOR SPOILER: I get that they faced something dangerous and kissed and Bardie was flirting and that kind of stuff, but that's not love, well at least not love at first sight from how Caitlin's POV shows us. It just isn't genuine.

✨On the other hand, I loved Caitlin's friendship with Normand! It took time to build and felt more real!
✨ The characters were cool most of the time (MINOR SPOILER: well except Trenton, who got weird but okayyy). I say most of the time, because sometimes they just felt flat. Like there was nothing going on and it just felt awkward and weird. Also, they were taking kind of reckless decissions when there was no reason at all.

✨ Last about the characters: I love how Caitlin overcame her struggles and found her own hero in herself by the end of the book! This sends such an empowering message towards everyone who is struggling!

✨ Now, more on the plot: This was quite unpredictable. There were a lot of plot twists which I was not expecting at all.

✨ The book was fast paced and it had a ton of action, which I absolutely love and actually, that's what I expect from dystopian/sci-fi/fantasy novels! So yes, this did meet my expectations!

✨ Though I enjoyed the book a lot, it obviously did have some holes that need filling, (if you've read it, you'll know what I mean) *hopefully will be filled in book 2, crosses fingers*.

✨ I need to read the sequel, which I hope will be written and published soon, so that I'll see if Mr Steven's writing improves (it's actually already really good) and if the characters get better! 

 ✨ The ending was really satisfying, but as I've said: I need the sequel to answer my questions haha! 
✨Overall, I did enjoy the book, and the small flaws I've pointed out are, as I've said, really minor, but they might seem a bit bigger right now because of my explanation of them. 
✨ I definitely recommend this book. It's a great choice if you're looking for something fresh in the dystopian genre! Specially if you love comics, superheroes, action, quick-reads and... PLOT TWISTS!
✨ Final Rating: 4.5/5s.

✨Recommend it? HIGHLY!

Mini Spoiler Section:
✨Wow, Eel Man turned out to be with the resistance, which I did not see coming (I think I should have, but I probably was so sucked in the main story, and so my brain did not have time to predict things lol).
✨And Liliane?! I didn't see that coming either! Omg just wow!

✨And omg! Normand's self-sacrifice!!! *sad face*

✨Paperbacks and ebooks are available on bookdepository, amazon, ibooks and kindle unlimited!

✨Stay tuned because I have more amazing giveaways coming soon here on my blog!

BOOKREVIEW: Vinyl by Sophia Elaine Hanson

Hello bookreaders!
Welcome back to my blog!

Today's blog, as you might have gathered from the title, is another bookreview! I'm going to talk to all of you about Vinyl, by Sophia Elaine Hanson! This review containts 0 spoilers, so feel free to read this! It will have references to pages of the book, but again 0 spoilers!

"May your song guide you home", she whispered.

If you don't know anything about the Vinyl Trilogy:

• It's a YA Dystopian trilogy
• I'd say there's a small dose of magical realism too (but I'm not sure if anyone else would say so)
• It's fast-paced and action-packed
• It has a ton of talk about music and its meaning to humans who have lost it
• Goodreads:

Legend meets Leviathan in this gritty dystopian fiction by debut author Sophia Elaine Hanson. All citizens within the soaring black walls of Revinia have metal Singers grafted into their skulls at birth. The parasitic machines issue a form of auditory hypnosis called The Music, which keeps their minds malleable and emotions flat. All artistic expression—especially real music—is strictly prohibited.

On the edge of the city, nineteen year old Ronja struggles to support her cousins and disabled mother. A chance meeting leads to her kidnapping by an underground resistance striving to preserve the human spirit. Violently severed from her Singer by the brash young agent Roark, Ronja revels in her newfound freedom until the consequences of her disappearance begin to unfold.

✨ I'd also like to let you know that I hosted a readalong on instagram for Vinyl, and it was super fun! If you'd like to check out the participants' and my posts check this hashtag: #stefansreadalong

"You know they're all dead?"

"The stars?" she prompted.

"Yeah," he confirmed, switching his gaze to her face. "They've been dead for millions of years. Their light is just reaching us now."

Ronja mulled this over for a time, then spoke. "At least they left a mark."

✨First of all: I'd like to thank Ms Sophia for sending me her book for review! I'm glad I had this opportunity! However, the full review and rating are all mine! This does not affect my review.

✨I like the fact that Sophia didn't give away too much from the beginning. For example, she mentioned the word "mutt" and from the text you obviously realiaze that that's something bad, but she still doesn't explain what a mutt is, so you have to keep reading to find out! And that's really cool because the author manages to keep you into the story and also keep you interested.

✨The book also has humour, because: page 44 middle of the page #sorrynotsorry + page 93 the "liar - kidnapper" line

✨I also like how Ronja is sassy and sarcastic. The latter doesn't always do her good, but her responses remind me of myself and how mean I can be lol (page 97, "feels like... to me").

✨ Remember the sassy part I mentioned above? Page 99 " "Family?" "Fractured." " lol.

✨ I love the fact that Ronja's character felt so real. She wasn't just afraid of the people in the Belly, and then the next second she wasn't. I don't know if that makes sense, but for example here: when she broke that pot or clay or whatever it was the man was carrying, you can practically feel the fear and horror radiating off her.

✨And also, Sophia showed us Ronja's past in a very interesting way. She chose to make us meet Ronja and her past slowly slowly, and added her backstory in, as a part of the plot of the book. She didn't just make Ronja lie down in bed during a random night and just say things like "I'm so not worthy of all this, when I was younger and blah blah blah" which would have been a total (and also annoying) cliché for a YA book.
✨However, I did not like how quickly she trusted Roark. Like one minute he tortures and cuts your ear, and the next one you're all besties. I mean yes, Ronja did throw the occasional shade towards him, but I still feel like some more time before she completely trusted him would have been better! 
✨The rest of the characters: Evie, Iris, Henry and Roark were really nice! I was glad that they all had backstories and didn't, just you know, end up being there. All of them, including Ronja have a major improvement. They were also relatable, which made it more fun!
✨Some things were definitely unpredictable, and I can't mention them as I did with other parts because: spoilers (duhhhh). But once you get to the ending, you'll know what I mean (insert a sad and crying emoji lol).
✨Another thing that I usually mention in my reviews is my love for short chapters. Sophia's chapters were really short and that was a great thing! First of all it makes the reader feel like he's reading more, since he can be on chapter 10 but still on page 50 or something like that!
✨I like the fact that during the ending, a lot of things happen. Yes, some or more likely most, you did see coming but that did not stop you from going into a state of shock. Others, you could not have predicted! 
✨Oh and the book has also got diverse characters (ex. Iris-Evie).
✨Most of my questions were answered by the end of the book, so I'm really curious about what happens next!
✨Just know that this book was so worth it! The cover is gorgeous too! 
✨I can't wait for Radio! Make sure you read Vinyl so that you can join my Radio Readalong which is coming soon on instagram! (Keep an eye on the hashtag: #stefansreadalong).
✨Final Rating: 4.5/5 STARS ✨✨✨✨✨
✨Recommend it? HIGHLY!

"....And Ronja... maybe the stars are alive after all."

Radio's release date is set for March 2017!

✨Paperbacks and ebooks are available on bookdepository, amazon, nook, ibooks and kindle unlimited!

✨P.S: When someone tells you to not ask questions, you shouldn't ask any. Look at what happened to Ronja! Lol

✨Stay tuned because I have an amazing giveaway coming soon here on my blog!

Extra Credits: The last photo was borrowed from Sophia's own instagram! The rest were taken from my personal IG account: @stefansbooks

BOOKREVIEW: The Red Sun by Alane Adams

Welcome to my first ever blog book review!

Today I'm gonna talk about my thoughts on Alane Adam's first book of  the "Legends of Orkney" series!

If you don't know anything about this series, then here:

• It's a middle grade series (like Percy Jackson)
• It's based on Norse Mythology
• It belongs to the genre of Fantasy
• Goodreads:

After meeting a strange dwarf in his garage and finding out his substitute English teacher is a witch, twelve-year-old Sam Baron travels through a stonefire to the magical realm of Orkney where he finally learns the truth about his past: his mother is a witch and his father is a descendant of Norse god Odin.

So hang on tightly 'cause here comes the review: 

✨  "back to their pathetic life of grammar lessons and homework..."

   If even witches from another realm think this, then who are you to disagree? This is the reason why aliens will never visit us! (lol okay, now that that's out of the way, let's continue)

          

✨ General Thoughts: This book was absolutely amazing! It was sassy and hilarious and sad and adventurous with its dose of darkness to balance the funny parts out.

      ✨ First of all, I'd like to thank Ms Adams for sending me her book for review! This, however does not affect the way I reviewed and rated the book!

      ✨At first, everything was happening so quickly I couldn't even understand what was actually happening. I was so confused and also worried because I thought that this was gonna last for the entire book (fortunately, it didn't). 

          ✨Side Note: Fast paced books are amazing, but you know, too fast can also be bad, because it often prevents the reader from getting to know the characters better and so we can not get attached to them easily.

✨ The book got better and better by each passing chapter. As I mentioned at the beginning, it was so fun and full of adventures! 

✨ Another good thing about this book is that the chapters are really short, so it's very convenient for anyone who has a lot of things to do, but would also like to sneak in reading a few pages once in a while!

✨The book was really educational too, because even though the author did mix real mythology (well as real as mythology can get lmao) with her imagination, anyone who hasn't got a clue about Norse Mythology got to learn a ton about it!

✨Even though this book belongs to the Middle Grade category, at some points it felt like a YA book. Now, I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing, but I personally did not mind!

✨My favourite character was Mavery! All of the characters were likeable, I mean sometimes Sam was too childish and annoying (so I had to remind myself that he's 12).

✨ I found really fascinating the way Odin was portrayed, and how Asgard was pictured!

✨I wanna see more of Sam's mother though, so I hope that we get to see more of her on book 2 (Kalifus Rising, is also out).

✨It did have some plot twists that were unpredictable!

✨Last thought: some parts of the book were sooo good I couldn't even put it down long enough to write my thoughts on my journal (yes, I keep a bookjournal lol).

✨Do I recommend this book? Of course and I do! 

✨Final Rating: 4.25/5 STARS! ✨✨✨✨✨

You can get The Red Sun and Kalifus Rising on bookdepository, amazon, B&N, kindle & ibooks!

The Raven God, Book3 in the Legends of Orkney series will be out by September 2017!

Stay tuned for more reviews and blog posts! 

    Hint: There's a giveaway coming soon so watch out!!

Extra Credits: First and 1st to last photos were borrowed from Alane Adam's own website! The rest were taken from my personal IG account: @stefansbooks

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

Welcome to my blog everyone!

My name's Stefanos and I'm from Cyprus! I love talking about books and so, I decided to start my own bookish blog! Here, you can see and read anything from book hauls, book recommendations to bookreviews! 

You can contact me for bookreviews here: tvdreignto@gmail.com

I also have a bookstagram account so definitely check that out: @stefansbooks 
& a goodreads account!

Now: Some Facts About Me

1. My favourite book colour is blue (well, any hue of blue, I'm not that picky haha).

2. My favourite book genres are: 

• Fantasy
• Dystopian 
• Anything YA (tbh)
• Action/Adventure
• Selected Sci-Fi
• Contemporary (Depends on what kind;) )

3. My favourite book trilogies/series are:

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (duhhh)
• Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling (duuuh again) (except book 8 which I refuse to accept as book 8)
• The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (which became a series?)
• The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (idrk what to say about the last book, it was weird okay?)
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 
• The Young (FREAKING) Elites by Marie Lu
• Sphinx Series by Raye Wagner (3rd book was just released, definitely check that out)
• The Shannara Chronicles by Terry Brooks
• The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (ONLY TID, that does NOT include TMI)

4. My favourite stand alones are:

• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
• The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver
• No And Me by Delphine de Vigan
• Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

5. Favourite Social Media: Obviously, Instagram (bookstagram)

6. My favourite tv shows are:

• The 100
• The Elfstones of Shannara
• 12 Monkeys

Well, I don't really know what else to say, so that's it for now! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know about me? 

Stefanos