DUOLOGIES | Recommendations

Hey all, it's Yingchao here! One thing I’ve noticed this year in Young Adult literature is the sudden rise in duologies. Now don’t get me wrong, there are still bunches and bunches of trilogies and series in the works, but right now, let’s talk about duologies.

These two book pairs/companions/partners, whatever you prefer to name them, are great (and for several reasons). They’re somewhere in between a stand alone and a trilogy- well I guess the number two is also in the middle of one and three. But that’s not what I mean. I like to think of a duology as a stand alone, but a stand alone in which the story wasn’t fully complete, but so near completion that a third book would have been unnecessary. Duologies are also great because they don’t require much commitment- you get a sweet and hopefully satisfying conclusion after the cliffhanger from the first installment (which left you hanging on for dear life), without having to plow through 5 other tomes. However, do I wish a lot of duologies continued? Yes. GIVE ME ALL THE BOOKS :D Now that you’ve heard why duologies are so awesome, here are some of my favorites (in no particular order):

Eon + Eona by Alison Goodman

One word. DRAGONS. Three words. BADASS FEMALE PROTAGONIST. Are you convinced? If not, then hear me out. This epic tale follows a young boy named Eon, who is training to become the next Dragoneye -or master of the celestial dragons. However, Eon has a dangerous secret that is destructive to the Empire of the Celestial Dragons. Between the political maneuvering, mythology, constant plot twists, and intense action sequences, this book sets the basis for the astonishing finale. The world that Alison Goodman built is so vibrant and rich that once you read the first few chapters, it’s near impossible to stop.

The Wrath and the Dawn + The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh 

This lovely duo is based off the legendary tale: A Thousand and One Nights. Similar to the original tale, there is a royal figure who marries a young girl from the village each night before killing her the next morning. When Sharazad’s best friend becomes the victim of the mad boy king, Sharazad makes it her task to personally end her best friend’s murderer. However, things aren’t always what they appear to be and as Sharazad learns more about the secrets behind the deaths of the young brides who came before her, the story heightens to a crescendo. Renée Ahdieh’s writing is so beautiful and the romance made me want to physically tear my heart apart while dabbing at the endless stream of tears. If you’ve been with the Book’s Buzz for a while, you’ll know this is one of Alex’s all time favorite series, and after reading it for myself, there’s no reason why anyone should doubt that.

Reboot + Rebel by Amy Tintera

Nowadays, it seems that ALL young adult dystopian is told in the form of a trilogy. But not Reboot. Amy Tintera brings on a different take of the classic zombies that we’re used to from the Walking Dead and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. These are zombies, sans the gore and flesh eating qualities. In this futuristic tale that takes place in dystopian Texas, when people die, they can come back to life as a Reboot. Reboots are faster, stronger, more immune, and don’t have emotions; and the longer someone is dead, the more lethal they become when they are Rebooted. I would highly recommend this read if you’re stuck in a reading slump (or if you’re feeling some Dystopian). The story is fast paced, and you are almost immediately thrown into action. While this duology seems like its like every other YA Dystopian out there, don’t let its genre fool you into thinking it’s not worth the read! 


Six of Crows + Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

THIS BOOK. THIS. BEAUTIFUL. WORK. OF LITERATURE. IS ONLY A DUOLOGY? This is the sort of book where I want more- not another book of sorrows and mishaps- but a third book where the entire cast of characters has found their happy endings and nothing good goes bad for them because these baby cinnamon rolls have just been through TOO DAMN MUCH for more suffering.

But anyways, moving on from my mental breakdown thinking about the Dreggs, and Kaz, and Ine-nope, not gonna go there again. Ever since I finished reading Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, I have been so enthralled by the universe. The Grishaverse is so vast, yet so intensely described that I could almost go to my travel agent and ask for a ticket to an alternate Russia where people are both feared and revered for practicing Small Science. Six of Crows is the tale of an impossible heist. It’s so impossible that even you -the reader- will go into the story not knowing what’s at the next turn or how the squad is going to get themselves out of the next tangle of turmoil. This book is best going into not knowing anything about the plot, and just being pleasantly and mind-blowingly surprised at every plot twist. It being high fantasy, I do suggest giving this book around 70 pages before you decide to put it down. But I guarantee you, once you decide to finish this book, there truly is no going back from the emotional wreckage you are about to experience.

Crooked Kingdom (the anxiously anticipated soon-to-be stunning sequel and finale) will hit be hitting bookstores near you on September 27th, 2016!!

Passenger + Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

I will be truthfully honest, I purchased this book because of its cover. But you know that saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover?” Yep. It applies to this book. This cover is only a shell for the MAGIC that is hidden inside. There is time travel and romance and mystery and adventure and magic and so so so much more. Time travel is a concept that can be extremely difficult to construct and explain, but Alexandra Bracken does this with ease. The time travel makes this book truly a unique read, and like Six of Crows, its better not knowing the full synopsis to Passenger. And like Etta, you’ll be thrust into a world in-between worlds, learning the mysteries of the past, all while sailing on a ship with the handsome Nicholas Carter ;)  

Look out for Wayfarer (the long anticipated sequel and finale) at the very beginning of 2017!

Let me know some of your favorite duologies!

The Last Star by Rick Yancey -- Expectations, Theories and Predictions

NYT Bestselling Author Rick Yancey's final installment is soon to release and with it, the prediction of what's going to happen to an amazing cast of characters and a thrilling adventure. One can only hope to guess what will happen with Cassie and gang. We hope for the best but the end of the world is impossible to predict. Working with Penguin Teen to celebrate its release, I'm here to tell you what I think is going to happen in the third book (and I hope I'm right).

**Please refrain from reading on to avoid spoilers**

What happened: The Infinite Sea? **important info

• The book picks up a few days after Cassie and the gang have escape Vosch's camp, but Evan wasn't able to make it out to meet them. Cassie is now reeling over the realization that he may not have made it out of the blast alive. 
• Ringer and Teacup get separated from the group and captured back with Vosch.
• Turns out, Evan got out safe and he is rescued by another enhanced being named Grace, who is just like him. Grace also has some inquiries about her existence and the foreign meaning of love. He soon escapes from her and meets up with Cassie and Ben.
• Vosch decides to experiment on Ringer and gives her an enhancement serum. 
• He reveals to Ringer that there were never any aliens. Evan and Grace have just been enhanced by other humans and were thought to believe that they were aliens. 
• While Ringer is captive she meets her caretaker, Razor. Razor tells Ringer he is going to help her escape but tricks her when she comes to realize that she is meeting Vosch again, who has Teacup. Vosch leaves Ringer with Razor. The two fall in love. 
• Ringer, who is so keen on saving Teacup, goes back to Vosch to get her. Vosch wants Ringer to become his secret weapon and he threatens her by saying he'll kill Teacup if she won't. Razor shoots Teacup and tells her to run. Vosch shoots Razor. 
• We're back with Cassie as she and Ben discuss a plan to end this once and for all. 

**Taken from RT Book Reviews

Thoughts + Predictions

• Evan will die in the next book. Sorry Evan-shippers but if we learned one thing in The Infinite Sea, it's that Rick Yancey has #noregrats when it comes to killing characters. We did, in fact, see many character deaths in the 2nd book and all very hard and painful to read. 
• Ben will die. POINT IS, SOMEONE WILL INDEED DIE. I pray to the book-gods that Ben won't be the one to die. 
• Ringer will be the one to kill Vosch. After reading TiS, it's clear that Vosch sees something in her. He sees her determination to keep her friends safe and loyalty, it's admirable. Vosch might even see Ringer as a leader and a good candidate of brainwash. If Ringer is feeling anything from being held captive by him, it's hot, seething anger for him. After all, he did kill Razor. 
• Let's hope for a Ben + Cassie ship but I doubt it at this point. Now that Razor's gone, Ringer will need someone to learn on. And we all know who that will be...
• Evan remembers what happened to him before being brainwashed by Vosch and taking the enhancement serum. It'd be most helpful if Evan could recall all that happened to him. He could explain it Cassie and Ben.

MY THEORY!

• Here's how I imagine the whole story going down: These sadistic and sick scientists (Vosch included) had a dream of making humans smarter, faster, stronger and better. So they made this enhancement serum to test it on human subjects. What better way to test a human's ability to survive than with an apocalyptic disaster that would wipe out everyone but the strongest players? What Vosch and his sick scientists didn't work out is the aspect of love. Love conquers all and it's one thing they'll never have over the humans because enhancing someone doesn't mean you take away their ability to love. It only enhances it.  

To read an extended sampler for the final installment, click here! 

Will happen in The Last Star? Find out May 24th! 

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson -- FREAKING BEST SERIES EVER

Title: Calamity
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Pages: 421 pages
Published: February 16th, 2016
Source: Pre-order from Amazon
Genre: Dystopian, Futuristic Thriller, YA
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born. David’s fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night. Steelheart killed his father. Firefight stole his heart. And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy.

David knew Prof’s secret, and kept it even when Prof struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers. But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much. Once the Reckoners’ leader, Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny. He’s disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there’s no turning back... 

But everyone is wrong. Redemption is possible for Epics—Megan proved it. They’re not lost. Not completely. And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back. Or die trying.

The last book in the series.

Buy it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

**Spoiler free for all of you who've never heard or picked up this series before**

Review for Steelheart (Book 1) --> here!
Review for Firefight (Book 2) --> here!

No one can say that they've actually read a fantastic book until they've picked up one of Brandon Sanderson's books. He is a gift to all of us here on earth and his writing is a blessing from the gods. Every time I open up one of his books I have to take a deep breath and tell myself that.... IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZINGLY FUCKING AWESOME.

Calamity beats every single series finale I've ever read before. That includes Winter by Marissa Meyer. Although The Lunar Chronicles finale got me tight, the ending of this trilogy got me even tighter. I was up at 2 a.m. in the morning flipping pages like wildfire and my mouth was open the entire time. 

If you didn't already know The Reckoners trilogy takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting where Calamity, a burst in the sky, has caused ordinary men and women to receive super-human powers. Now what these people choose to do with these powers is entirely up to them. This book ultimately tests the true mannerisms of mankind when given immense power and what the world would look like if such a burst in the sky were to actually occur. The people with powers, renamed as Epics, have powers that are beyond belief. Some can turn you to dust with just a thought, turn things to steel, create illusions, have unlimited ammunition or always get a shot on its target no matter how sloppy it is.

I loved Brandon Sanderson's unique take on the word "superheros". Instead, his series seems to fall upon the super villains and their responsibility to shape the world back together after chaos has reigned in several different parts of the world. His story does not take on the classic superhero, DC Comics or Marvel tropes. He is extremely creative in the way he sets up his world and how he creates his villains/heroes, even though some may be slightly reminiscent of the heroes we know so well.

FUCKING SUPERB WORLD BUILDING AND MAGIC SYSTEM. My god! What's with all the obscenities? Excuse my French but this book cannot be discussed lightly. If I was a book pusher (which I'm not) I would push this book to the far ends of the earth. Sanderson has a knack for visualizing a world that's obviously not real but seems like it could exist or already is in existence. He also creates these incredibly complex magic systems that follow a set of rules. For example in this series, one rule is that ALL Epics have a weakness. It is possible to kill an Epic and there isn't one that cannot be killed or defeated. I loved how this rule was consistent throughout the entire series and played a huge role in the plot and story line.

Can we talk about character names for a second? Or more importantly, Epic names!!! When these people become Epics, they basically wanted to choose a new name for themselves. These names were not at all cheesy or lame. Some examples include but are not limited to: Steelheart, Firefight, Regalia, Calamity, Larcener, Loophole, Coppermind, Conflux, Nightweilder, Faultline, Obliteration, Mitosis. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON AND ON. Sanderson said in an interview that he didn't want his Epic names to be similar to anything ever seen before. Their names also described a little bit about their powers (i.e. Steelheart had the ability to turn things into steal and had invulnerability).

The main character, David, oh my god. Let me just tell you, I wish I had a David Charleston in my life, okay? He's a super cute nerd that loves making (bad) metaphors. Sanderson brings a YA character that is relatable and one that makes the best jokes even in the face of danger. Romance is subtle but still blush-worthy and butterflies-in-the-stomach-inducing. 

Okay before this review becomes my college essay, go pick up the first book in this series, Steelheart. This series is like my favorite series of all time and Brandon Sanderson is UGHHH OHH AHHHH *fangirl*. It's my life goal to meet him in person and give him a huge damn teddy bear hug. What are you doing here still reading this post? GO GO OFF YOU GO. PICK UP THIS INSANELY GOOD SERIES! People with super-human abilities, romance, interesting settings and an ending you'll never see coming, not in a million years.

OMG... Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Unravel Me (Shatter Me series #2)

Author: Tahereh Mafi 

Pages: 461 pages 

Published: February 5th, 2013 

Genre: YA Dystopian 

Source: Paperback from Barnes & Noble 

Rating: 

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it's almost

time for war. 

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her-- people with gifts-- and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance. 

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch. 

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible. 

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involved choosing between her heart- and Adam's life. 

Buy it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

This series is just mocking me... MOCKING ME! It's getting and better with each book and by every minute because I can't stop thinking about it! Why didn't somebody warn me about the feels and the huge book hangover I would get after this one. And the worst part is that I don't have time to read Ignite Me when I have so many review books to catch up on. I was working on it :D

The whole series revolves around the story of Juliette, this girl with a lethal touch that can kill just within single contact to someone's skin. The start of Shatter Me begins with Juliette in an insane asylum where she is put for her own safety and for the safety of others. The events of Unravel Me follow where Shatter Me leaves off so I will tell you once and only once before I get into the spoilers... 

If you have not read Shatter Me and don't want to be spoiled for it or the next book, leave immediately! 

So back to the plot. Unravel Me took the aspect of Juliette's lethal touch and refined it by adding in more dynamics. I felt like she took us over that speed bump in Juliette's life and instead, now we're getting an inside scoop on how it has affected her relationships and the way she feels about herself. She is self-conscious, always scared that she's going to hurt people and always looking out for others before herself.

This book is about what happens at Omega Point, and I loved how the author thought of creating this place in the first place. Who would have ever thought that there were going to be more people with powers? I didn't. In fact, I had no idea!

Before we jump right into talking about Juliette, let's talk about Warner. Warner is a character that really begins to grow on your through this series. In the beginning, he is this evil, manipulative man that seems to only want Juliette for her power but it's ironic that while she was captive there, he fell in love with her and from then on only wanted to protect her and (selfishly) have her for himself. But I felt like that just really emphasized how much Warner loved Juliette than how much Adam does. Adam was more like a whiny character in the sequel, always sad about how their relationship was dwindling. Okay yes, I do feel bad that you can't touch the girl you love but hey there are a ton of fish in the sea, don't just keep hanging your bait over this one girl!

Juliette is as kickbutt as ever and her badassery level just rocked the house. The sequel really emphasized the idea of powers because at Omega Point she wasn't the only one with powers. However, I still think this girl has got some issues because she's really self conscious about her powers. I understand you have a dangerous power sweetie, but you're never going to learn how to control it if you're just going to cower away scared all the time when you most need it. It's like the entire book was her corner and she was sitting there in the dark. I really hope her character dynamic changes throughout the completion of the series.

BEWARE OF LOVE TRIANGLES

GO NO FURTHER!

Yes there's a love triangle. I don't remember who told me that this series was infamous because of its love triangle but I know that they weren't lying at all! The triangle is gritty and intense and plus it's between two guys that completely hate each other, which I have to give credit for the author for making it such a hard decision for the main character. There's Adam who is Juliette's first love and the one that at first can touch her but then she realizes that her power just conflicts with his and she's actually killing him by touching him. Then there is Warner who helps his dad with the Reestablishment so a bit of a bad guy. His power is one that allow him to touch Juliette and therefore there are no complications in making out or doing other nastay things. But there's also a problem there because although she is free to touch Warner and actually get close to them, her feelings for Adam are unwavering. 

What I didn't like was the fact that this love triangle was the only romance ever mentioned so far in this series. In some other great series I've read, there was always other romances going on and then there was the main character with his/her love story. I didn't like how the book was so focused on the romance 90% of the time and there was only Juliette, Warner, and Adam. Why doesn't Kenji have any love interests? What about Castle? Where are the other girls and boys!!??!?!?!?!? 

This series has yet to disappoint me in some areas, and you know I love a good, fast-paced YA dystopian. I highly recommend these books and they're great for those who want to read a trilogy but don't want to run the risk of being left unsatisfied after each book. 2 finish, 1 more to go! 

Okay you've read the review. Now please fangirl with me!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me 

Author: Tahereh Mafi 

Pages: 338 pages

Published: November 15th, 2011

Genre: YA Dystopian 

Source: Paperback from Barnes & Noble 

Rating: Solid

I have a curse

I have a gift

I am a monster

I'm more than human

My touch is lethal 

My touch is power 

I am their weapon

I will fight back 

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. 

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. 

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul and stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now. 

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or to be a warrior. 

Buy it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

OH MA DAMN! 

It has taken me 2 years to finally be interested enough to pick up this series. This summer I was honestly in the mood for just a fast-paced dystopian series, other than the Hunger Games, which I still haven't finished. I needed a gutty romance that would pull me apart and then piece me back together. My good friend Isabelle, who I met at Bookcon, mentioned that she wanted to read this book and figured it was time to read it to. I couldn't be happier with the results of reading this. Shatter Me makes my list of top dystopian books ever! 

Juliette has been in an asylum for 264 days with no one to talk to and only eating the food she's been given. One day a guy is thrown in the cell with her and she thinks he's there with her to torture her. Adam Kent, the mysterious young man that is thrown in the cell with her, is put in her cell to extract information from her. Unlike Warner's uses for Adam, he is here on his own terms and for his own reasons- to reconnect with the girl he's known since they were young. Together they both escape Warner's grasp to use her as a weapon. But the story doesn't just end there...

I was drawn to this book mainly because it was about a girl with a lethal touch. I loved the idea of an innocent girl with such a poisonous power. It's almost contradictory! THE STORY WAS AMAZING, AWESOME, ORIGINAL! I especially thought it was written to be a fast-paced novel and was easy to read.

I'd heard rumors of the poetic writing of Tahereh Mafi before from other bloggers and reviewers. Her writing is fluent and easily flows off the tip of my tongue, like reading poetry.

"Killing time isn't as difficult as it sounds.

I can shoot a hundred numbers through the chest and watch them bleed decimal points in the palm of my hand. I can rip the numbers off a clock and watch the hour hand tick tick tick its final tock just before I fall asleep. I can suffocated seconds just by holding my breath. I've been murdering minutes for hours and no one seems to mind."

- Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me 

The imagery and the pictures she paints are so beautiful. I'm so tempted to read the next few books right away just to get another taste of her writing style and poetic language. The story seems to fall away from the idea of Juliette's touch. I went into this series thinking that the book would revolve around the destruction of herself and her ability, keeping herself up from becoming evil with her powers, or even struggling with using her powers for good. I could 70% call this book a romance contemporary because it was all about the romance! Why call yourself a dystopian book if you're going to stray away from all the dystopian-y elements? 

Juliette, the main character, was always the person I was rooting for, from beginning to end. Adam and Juliette make the perfect OTP as they've known each other since they were little and finally reunited a few years later. Adam Kent, what a dashing young man! He's my current book boyfriend right now. And I do feel like I keep saying that but it's inevitable that a new book boyfriend would come as I invest in a new series. 

Warner, I hated....... AT FIRST. You'll see what I mean. In the beginning of Shatter Me he was a total (excuse my Hebrew) asshole. He wanted to selfishly use Juliette for her powers and then gets all touchy and feel-y with her at times. When I was reading, I often forget that he's like the same age as Juliette. Warner thought he was so powerful and he isn't even the leader of the Reestablishment. It's like, "who do you think you are trying to control Juliette??? HUH??? GTFO!" 

THEN... After reading Destroy Me, the novella told from Warner's point of view, I began to fall in love with him. Warner is fragile and his only intent on using Juliette as a weapon, was to put on a facade for his father so that she could get closer to her. He loves her and I think his true intent and passion can only be seen from this novella. I believe it's imperative to read this novella after reading Shatter Me if you really want your view on Warner to change. Warner is a tortured soul but he's beautiful in every way. I love him so much!! 

Read Destroy Me for a look into Warner's POV

THIS IS A MUST-READ to garnish the series! 

A love triangle... DUN DUN DUN. I hate love triangles. I do. I really do. But I didn't particularly hate this one. Two guys, Adam and Warner, roughly the same age but with different intentions all together. Adam and Juliette went to the same school together when they were little and Adam, being so fascinated with her kindness and beauty, he fell in love with her. Warner was intrigued by her ever since she arrived at the asylum and to get close to her, The love triangle didn't particularly annoy me only because I think I had grown to love the two men who were involved. 

Found on deviant art: LINK

I'm excited to see how this series goes for Adam, Kent, Warner, and Kenji. I'm diving right into Unravel Me because I need to know who Juliette ends up with and what happens to Warner!! SOOO DAMNN EXCITEDDD FORR THE NEXT BOOKS IN THE SERIES! 

Have you read the Shatter Me series? SOMEONE FANGIRL WITH ME! PLS PLS

The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons [NO SPOILERS]

Title: The Glass Arrow 

Author: Kristen Simmons

Pages: 336 pages 

Published: February 10th, 2015 by Tor Teen 

Genre: Dystopian YA (I consider this dystopian)

Rating: 

The Handmaid's Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder. 

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year-old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya's luck runs out and she's caught by a group of businessmen on hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning. 

Buy it now! 

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository Affiliate 

It's that time again when I'm in one of my many horrible, nasty reading slumps, and I just can't seem to get out of it no matter what book I try and read. Well let me just say ladies and gents, that The Glass Arrow is my life saver and book-slump picker-upper. I am in shock by how awesome this book is. There seems to be really two sides of the story for this book- those who have absolutely loved it and those who didn't enjoy it. Sit down and grab a cup of coffee because it's going to take a while to get all of my feels out for this book! 

Now this book was very reminiscent of the book The Walled City by Ryan Graudin in ways that the dystopian societies of both books were similar. In both societies, women are "hunted", for a lack of a better term and auctioned off to potential buyers who either want to impregnate them or keep them for pleasure. I get so emotional when I read books with these types of story because sometimes I wonder what would happen if I was in their shoes, however the writing and characters continue to bring me joy time and time again. Our main character Aya really is a fighter and just like the MC in The Walled City, she was desperate to do just about anything to escape. And I liked, for the most part, that she teamed up with the most inconspicuous of characters. Be prepared to find a lot of running and fighting in this book because it was all action and fun! Never a dull moment and I had no excuse to put the book down.

Silly YA romances? After finishing this book I didn't feel like the author focused on the romance between characters, and that's not necessarily a bad thing! She excelled in creating at least some romantic tension between characters Aya and Kiran. Ohh boy Kiran was mysterious and intriguing. Kristen Simmons is full of surprises and after every chapter, she left me clutching onto my reading chair, scared and worried about the character's well-beings. 

Throughout the beginning and the middle of the book I was so confused as to why this book was called "The Glass Arrow". It wasn't mentioned till, maybe, I was like about 300 pages in the book and then the light bulb appeared over my head as to why. A very peculiar title at first glance if you ask me, but as I continued I'm glad it made more and more sense.