Hi! For this post, I'm going to review Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin, which I received in my subscription box from Uppercase (see previous post for a review on that). I have to say that this was super exciting to get. It was my first one and I couldn't wait to see what was inside. This is one of the best books I've read all year, definitely up there with All the Bright Places and Mosquitoland (look under my name for respective reviews).
So this was an alternate history book. It's set in the early 1950s and written as if the Axis powers had won World War II. Each year Hitler and Hirohito hold a cross-continental motorcycle race. It starts in what was previously known as Berlin and winds down through northern Africa and eventually ends in Tokyo. Ten of the best racers from each empire compete to win this harrowing race and the winner gets to attend the Victor's Ball and has a private audience with Hitler himself. It's told from the perspective of a death camp survivor, Yael. Yael was relentlessly experimented on and can now skinshift which allows her to take on the features of any other female she sees. The resistance wants her to enter the race under the charming and ruthless Adele Wolf. Adele raced under her twin brother's name and won - revealing her true identity at the finish line. Yael must masquerade as Adele and win the race - ultimately to kill Hitler and allow the resistance to grow and overthrow his regime. A few curveballs enter when Adele's brother Felix enters and a former love interest of Adele's also competes.
This was an extremely gripping story. Right off the bat, the story opens with Yael entering the concentration camp with her mother. I love all the action and Yael's fierce character. She has to navigate her way through Adele's life without anyone suspecting her true identity. This is tough especially because Adele's brother knows Adele so well. Yael herself struggles to find who she truly is. It has been years since she has seen her own face because of the years of skinshifting that has helped her survive. The whole idea of a motorcycle race was very unique and fun. I like how they have to rough it in between check in spots and that anything goes out in the open. Honestly, Yael is awesome. She's extremely independent and strong but also isn't afraid to show her soft side. I love her. I also liked the idea of Felix and Luka (the love interest) entering the mix. It just made the tension 10x higher. They also proved to be very dynamic characters, too. I also liked Adele herself. Adele is the fearless girl that seems like she's up for any and every thing. Her spunk is something that is truly captivating. I couldn't put this down (I finished in 2 days - oops!) it was super good. I can't wait for the second book to come out!!
Alright, this is a pretty long-winded review so I'll finish where I am. I've said my piece and I'm pretty satisfied with it.
Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Showing posts with label Historical Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical Fiction. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
A Long Lost Book
Hiiiii! Okay so my sister ordered me this off Amazon for me and when it came in the mail I literally squealed. I have been waiting anxiously since the announced publication. Especially since I love Harper Lee. Enough to name one of my cats after her. (She's adorable btw.) Go Set a Watchman has been my long-awaited book for a long time now and I was so excited to read it. I had to bring it with me to band camp so I could finish it and I finished after lights out (I'm a hard-core rebel, I know) and it was so good. Except the ending I was a little let down about. Whatever.
Here's my overview:
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is twenty-six years old and on her way back to Maycomb for a visit from New York. Things are starting to stir up and trouble is brewing in her beloved town. During her visit she discovers things about her past she never knew about and has revelations about people she holds dearly.
Sorry for the short description but I don't want to reveal to much and that's about as much what the book jacket gives you.
I really am kind of undecided on this one. I really love To Kill a Mockingbird and my sister loves it so much she named her first daughter after Scout. This took the characters I love and my preconceived notions about them and turned them on their heads. Remember this is set in the 1950s so the American Civil Rights movement is just starting to stir up trouble, especially the NAACP. *Just a note; the NAACP was and is an African-American special interest group. They helped Rosa Parks with her case and took several legal cases to the Supreme Court like Brown v. Board of Education which declared separate schools were not equal in quality and started to upend segregation's mentality of "separate but equal." (Forgive me for the brief history lesson, I took U. S. History last year and thought a little background into the story might help.)* Anyway, back to the book! So Scout discovers things about herself and we are kind of surprised at her naivety at some things but I still liked her. I wanted to smack her in the back half of the book but nevertheless she absolved herself in the end. Two new characters are introduced in this book too. Okay, Uncle Jack isn't new but he is a more developed character and I liked that. He was a really cool old guy. We also meet a love interest for Scout but throughout the novel she refuses to marry him. Which was interesting to me but I could see her reasoning a bit but she was really hard on him. I am not exactly where their relationship is at the end of the novel and wish there was little bit more specificity in the matter. We also get to see Atticus again but as an old man. I actually liked the new facet of Atticus's character because it shows that we can't idolize people. As John Green says in Paper Towns, "What a treacherous thing to believe a person is more than a person." Very powerful words I would say, don't you think?
Okay, okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Here's my overview:
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is twenty-six years old and on her way back to Maycomb for a visit from New York. Things are starting to stir up and trouble is brewing in her beloved town. During her visit she discovers things about her past she never knew about and has revelations about people she holds dearly.
Sorry for the short description but I don't want to reveal to much and that's about as much what the book jacket gives you.
I really am kind of undecided on this one. I really love To Kill a Mockingbird and my sister loves it so much she named her first daughter after Scout. This took the characters I love and my preconceived notions about them and turned them on their heads. Remember this is set in the 1950s so the American Civil Rights movement is just starting to stir up trouble, especially the NAACP. *Just a note; the NAACP was and is an African-American special interest group. They helped Rosa Parks with her case and took several legal cases to the Supreme Court like Brown v. Board of Education which declared separate schools were not equal in quality and started to upend segregation's mentality of "separate but equal." (Forgive me for the brief history lesson, I took U. S. History last year and thought a little background into the story might help.)* Anyway, back to the book! So Scout discovers things about herself and we are kind of surprised at her naivety at some things but I still liked her. I wanted to smack her in the back half of the book but nevertheless she absolved herself in the end. Two new characters are introduced in this book too. Okay, Uncle Jack isn't new but he is a more developed character and I liked that. He was a really cool old guy. We also meet a love interest for Scout but throughout the novel she refuses to marry him. Which was interesting to me but I could see her reasoning a bit but she was really hard on him. I am not exactly where their relationship is at the end of the novel and wish there was little bit more specificity in the matter. We also get to see Atticus again but as an old man. I actually liked the new facet of Atticus's character because it shows that we can't idolize people. As John Green says in Paper Towns, "What a treacherous thing to believe a person is more than a person." Very powerful words I would say, don't you think?
Okay, okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Love Games
Hi, there! I was recently on a road trip, and what better way to pass the time (11 hours there, 12 on the way back) than to read, right?! I had been wanting to read this for a month or two so I got it from the library when I saw it: The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough. I was so excited, particularly by the concept behind it. (It kind of reminded me of Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.)
Alright, here is my overview:
Love and Death are locked into games that are, well, deadly, not only for the players but for the world, too. For years, each has chosen one player - Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Helen and Paris. Each time, Death wins and Love despairs at each tragedy.
Fast-forward to 1937 and Love and Death are back at it. The Game is reaching its peak and the players are getting close.
Flora Saudade is a strong, young woman, who can't seem to stay out of the sky. Flying is where she can be herself - no matter that she's African-American - and she is determined to be the next Amelia Earhart. In order to reach her dream, she must sing in the night club that she owns with her uncle.
Henry Bishop, a white boy, lives with a wealthy adoptive family amidst the Great Depression. He has his future ahead of him with a college scholarship and a prospective girlfriend that will secure him into his adoptive family and their society.
For Love to win the Game, they must choose each other above all else.
Okayyyy, enough of an overview? I thought so too. Long story short, I think it was an awesome book.
I really loved this book. Throughout the book I couldn't decide if it would be a cliche ending but it wasn't and that was awesome. I liked how Love and Death were very developed characters instead of just being narrators unlike The Book Thief (I love that book too, no hate). I especially liked the ending and seeing how they ended up. I wish I got to know for sure what happened to Ethan. But we can't always get what we want ya know?
Okay, happy reading!
Sophie :)
Alright, here is my overview:
Love and Death are locked into games that are, well, deadly, not only for the players but for the world, too. For years, each has chosen one player - Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Helen and Paris. Each time, Death wins and Love despairs at each tragedy.
Fast-forward to 1937 and Love and Death are back at it. The Game is reaching its peak and the players are getting close.
Flora Saudade is a strong, young woman, who can't seem to stay out of the sky. Flying is where she can be herself - no matter that she's African-American - and she is determined to be the next Amelia Earhart. In order to reach her dream, she must sing in the night club that she owns with her uncle.
Henry Bishop, a white boy, lives with a wealthy adoptive family amidst the Great Depression. He has his future ahead of him with a college scholarship and a prospective girlfriend that will secure him into his adoptive family and their society.
For Love to win the Game, they must choose each other above all else.
Okayyyy, enough of an overview? I thought so too. Long story short, I think it was an awesome book.
I really loved this book. Throughout the book I couldn't decide if it would be a cliche ending but it wasn't and that was awesome. I liked how Love and Death were very developed characters instead of just being narrators unlike The Book Thief (I love that book too, no hate). I especially liked the ending and seeing how they ended up. I wish I got to know for sure what happened to Ethan. But we can't always get what we want ya know?
Okay, happy reading!
Sophie :)
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