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March 15 is the Ides of March, so today's Top 5 Wednesday topic asks us to talk about the books or characters that betrayed us the most. 

To try and avoid major spoilers, I'm going to keep my answers relatively short. However, BE WARNED: Number 2 contains a big spoiler for "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins, so skip that one if you haven't read it. There was really just no way for me to explain my answer without outright stating what happened. 

1) "The Heart Goes Last" by Margaret Atwood

I was really excited about reading this when it first came out: a blogger I like had raved about this, and it had been several years since I had read anything by Atwood. I actually received an advance copy of this and dove right in...but was quickly shocked at how much I had to force myself to keep reading. This had been marketed as an adult dystopian novel with elements of romance and survival. But honestly? This book is about: Sex. Robots. Unfaithful spouses. More sex. Jail. 

"The Heart Goes Last" feels very jumbled and forced, like it's trying to be "Edgy" and "Jarring" but it simply spiraled out of control to me. It really turned me off of picking up anything by Atwood anytime soon. 

2) "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Let me clarify- it wasn't this whole book I felt betrayed by, but rather a very specific moment. So basically right after Katniss shoots Coin instead of Snow like she is supposed to, she passes out. And a lot of stuff happens after she passes out but we as readers don't get to see all that action!! Conveniently, Katniss wakes up after everything has been dealt with and gets an easy-peasy summary of what occurred. 

So really, the betrayal is really from Collins! I think having a character pass out during a pivotal moment it just laaaaazy writing. I enjoyed "Mockingjay" as a whole, but this scene (or rather, lack of) just always gets under my skin.

3) Edmund Pevensie in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"

I mean, come on! What Narnia-loving child didn't feel a little angry at Edmund after he sold out his siblings for a bunch of Turkish Delight? First of all, Turkish Delight is the nastiest kind of candy and Edmund clearly had no taste. Second (and I'm repeating myself here) he sold out his siblings for candy. Really, Edmund was a first rate noob! I'm glad Edmund got some great character development later (he's actually one of my favorite characters now) but man, rereading the first Narnia story always irks me a little bit because of Edmund's selfishness. 

4) Jesper Fahey in "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

So I'm not going to go into detail on this one because of, again, spoilers, but there is a moment in "Six of Crows" when something about our favorite sharpshooter is revealed and I audibly gasped when reading it. Bardugo wove such a busy and elegant story with so many layers that I truly did not see this moment coming, but in hindsight, it totally made sense! *applause to Bardugo* Jesper is by far one of the most complicated characters in this duology, and I loved seeing him shift about in his various roles. 

Ah, my little criminal children never fail to disappoint me. :) 

5) "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

Confession time: this book came out summer of 2016, and it is now March 2017 and I've yet to finish this book. I keep trying, but just can't get past the first few scenes. And it's not the play format; I actually rather like plays and dramas. It's the writing. Storyline. All of it. I've seen reviews where people write about "Cursed Child" seeming like just fanfiction, and so far, I agree with that. Sure, I'll read the whole thing at some point...someday...not soon. I've really tried to read this three different times but there's an obvious lack of Rowling in it. I'm not feeling the magic with this. 

So there you go! Hope you enjoyed reading this week's T5W- if you'd like more info on the group and upcoming topics, check out the Goodreads group here. 

Until next Wednesday! 

Sci-fi and fantasy books (especially fantasy!) were really my first true book loves. This genre was definitely what made me love reading so much, and to this day, a large portion of what I read are still SF/F novels! Everything from middle grade fantasy to adult sci-fi epics, I adore a good fantastical read, preferably with dragons. 

For the purpose of sharing books that aren't super well known, I decided to exclude three series from this list because basically every reader has heard of them before. So "The Lord of the Rings", "The Chronicles of Narnia", and the "Harry Potter" books are not on my list, despite the fact that I love them! I just wanted to talk about a couple books that are not quite as famous (although some are pretty close)...

1) The Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

This trilogy kicks off with "These Broken Stars", a YA sci-fi book that follows the story of Tarver and Lilac, two passengers aboard a giant starship. Although two very different people, Tarver and Lilac find themselves together in a way they could have never predicted. The two young adults end up in a drastic situation and uncover a phenomenon that could threaten the entire universe. 

One of the best parts of this series is the way each book builds upon the previous book with brand new characters but weaves the plots and people back together in unexpected ways. The series as a whole is focused on unraveling the phenomenon discovered in the first book; however, Kaufman and Spooner tie in new narratives which address other issues, too. My favorite book in the trilogy is book two, "This Shattered World"- the narrative on war and the effects of war is incredible and deeply moving. I would highly recommend this series to anyone looking for some epic sci-fi adventure, romance, and great character development! 

2) "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells

A classic! I read this for the first time in a British Literature college course. I thought I would enjoy it, simply because it seemed liked a quirky little science book, but I didn't guess just how much I'd like it! While part of my enjoyment of "The Time Machine" certainly stemmed from having been studying it at the time of reading, it's a whirling read even without academic knowledge of it.

 The story is about a man in Victorian England simply referred to as the Time Traveler, who is telling his dinner guests about the fantastic machine he has. Later, the actual time traveling occurs and the Traveler is thrown into the year 802,701 AD and meets two races known as the Eloi and the Morlocks. These creatures act as a symbol for the upper and working classes of Victorian England, and the text is saturated with Well's narrative on his opinions of such. 

"The Time Machine" is a short and deceptively simple read; a novella that is a must read for any sci-fi fan. 

3) The Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull

Right after LOTR and Narnia, this middle-grade fantasy series was the one that had the greatest impact on me as a young reader. Full of vain fairies, shadowcharmers, ancient artifacts, dragons, enchanted preserves, and an utterly delightful cast of characters, "Fablehaven" is a marvelously crafted series that is certain to entertain. Seriously. 

The basic premise is this: two youngsters, Kendra and Seth Sorenson, are stuck staying with their rarely-seen grandparents while their parents are on a cruise. Turns out that the acres and acres of land the Sorenson's grandparents live on is actually a preserve for magical creatures. Chaos and spells ensue after the discovery of this hidden supernatural world. 

Although the first book is fairly simple, each consecutive book builds greatly upon the last to culminate into a whirling series finale. Along the way, Mull crafts a storyline that is unpredictable and addictive. I also want to shoutout his "Beyonders" trilogy, which has some of the best world building I've seen in a middle-grade series. I will read every one of Mull's books without question!

4) "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

This YA fantasy combines two of my favorite things- first: a Roman-inspired atmosphere and world, and second: a high stakes competition. The reason "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is my fave HP book is because of the TriWizard Tournament. I love books with competitions or hunts like that (see also: "Ready Player One") and "Ember" is no exception. Told in a dual perspective narrative, Tahir's stunning debut novel tells the story of Laia, a lower class girl who has just lost her family, and Elias, a soldier in a harsh training facility. The two of their stories begin to clash together as they each try and hunt for answers and truths- Laia thinks she may be able to get her brother back, and Elias is questioning his loyalty to the realm.  I don't want to say too much about this and spoil it, but I will say that it is an epic, rich, and exhilarating story that had been reading late into the night. Heads up: this one is a little bit intense with the violence, so just take heed. This is a good choice if you liked "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo or "The Valiant" by Lesley Livington. 

5) The Inheritance Cycle (aka "Eragon") by Christopher Paolini

Step aside, George R.R. Martin- when it comes to massive fantasy books that involve dragons and spells and treachery, I prefer Paolini's sprawling saga of magic. These books were like crack to me as a teenager. My Tolkien-loving self was delirously happy whenever I immersed myself in the land of Alagaesia, the land in which the Inheritance cycle takes place. This story begins with a boy named Eragon finds a mysterious blue rock in the forest. Well, the "rock" turns out to be a dragon egg, and Eragon just hatched himself something he never expected. 

As I alluded to, this series is very Tolkien-y in my opinion. There are dwarves, elves, long treks, a wonderful magic system...Paolini is a masterful storyteller who builds the world up slowly but surely, and gives readers a host of characters to root for and curse at. Don't let the massive size of these books put you off, either. If you like "traditional" fantasy and strong characters, pick up "Eragon"! 

That's it for T5W this week! Thanks for reading! :)

Trend #1: Author names being bigger than book title

Okay, I know this one is  little weird and nitpicky, but it's T5W so I get to be a little picky. :) I noticed this trend with a lot of David Baldacci books (no shade at DB, just pointing out the book design)- the first thing you see when looking at the book is the author's name written in a HUGE font at the top of the book, towering over the actual title of the book.

And I do understand this- there are big name authors whose names are so well known that someone looking around a store will see the name and have a tendency to gravitate towards said name. 

But I personally think this makes the books look more like an ad or too "loud". I just don't think it flows as well visually!

Trend #2: "Major Motion Picture" labels

It's generally well known that many book lovers (especially those who collect books) don't like stickers on their book covers. To be honest, removable stickers don't both me too much. But what really gets under my skin is when publishers re-release a book right before/after a book has been

(photo from Penguin Teen)

adapted into a film with a GOSH DANG BUILT IN LABEL THAT CAN'T BE REMOVED. 

For example: I read JoJo Moyes "Me Before You" as a library book, and didn't buy a copy right away. I loved the book but decided I'd wait to buy it until I wanted to do a re-read. 

Aaaaaand then the movie was announced. Which, by the way, I also loved, but every single copy of the book after that had a label across the top that proclaimed the movie's impending release.

Again, like Trend #1, it's just a visual and marketing thing for me. I don't think it looks nice, and it feels like part of what I'm buying is an advertisement. 

Trend #3: YA Retellings

It just seems like every other YA book hitting the shelf nowadays is a retelling. And that's not to say that these retellings are bad; I've read a few and some are great (see: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer). But it's getting to the point where I think the YA section is just oversaturated with another Alice in Wonderland or Beauty & the Beast "revamped" story. If someone new to YA came browsing for a retelling, it's almost a little overwhelming at this point! Part of me feels like writers are jumping onto some sort of bangwagon of cheap writing instead of coming up with fresh ideas. Again, I'm sure a lot of these stories are great, but I'd much rather see some more original content.

Trend #4: "Dystopian Girl Is the CHOSEN ONE and Must Overthrow Evil Government"

@DystopianYA Twitter account is the BEST young adult parody account ever!

I mean, that basically says it all?
Dystopian books can be really fun, and I definitely have some on my favorites list. But time and time again, I'll crack open a new one to see that it follows this same basic formula without much deviation from the norm. Some people have argued that many fantasy books also do this by taking a Tolkien/CS Lewis plot and just moving things around. I won't argue that Tolkien and Lewis really laid some much-followed groundwork in their books. BUT I think overall, YA dystopian works, while they might introduce new dystopian settings and races, rarely offer a plot that doesn't involve a young protagonist ending up on a mission to Destroy Evil Leader.
And yes, I'm saying specifically YA dystopian here, because adult books seem to have a more broad selection (check out "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel).



Trend #5: Superimposed faces on book covers

"Delirium", ilu but this cover is awful

I thought this trend died with the old covers of Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" series?? I guess not. This one is pretty self explanatory: it's aesthetically disturbing and usually feels like a lazy design choice to me. I also don't like seeing someone's idea of a character until after I've read about the character myself, because then I have the book model's face in mind the whole time. Some of these covers can be fairly close to how I picture the character- but usually, they're not!

For anyone who wants more info about the T5W group, click HERE. You can post your T5W's in blog, video, or photo form, and the topics are always fun! Check it out!