Review: The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie
Series: The Abyss Surrounds Us #2
Published: April 18th, 2017
Publisher: Flux
320 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters/Indigo}

Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to the ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she’d been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it’s not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It’s being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart.

But Cas has even bigger problems when she discovers that Bao is not the only monster swimming free. Other Reckoners illegally sold to pirates have escaped their captors and are taking the NeoPacific by storm, attacking ships at random and ruining the ocean ecosystem. As a Reckoner trainer, Cas might be the only one who can stop them. But how can she take up arms against creatures she used to care for and protect?

Will Cas embrace the murky morals that life as a pirate brings or perish in the dark waters of the NeoPacific?

It’s been almost a year and a half since I read The Abyss Surrounds Us, but within a few pages of The Edge of the Abyss, I was sucked back into Cas’s world of pirates and sea monsters. This was a fantastic conclusion to a well-written, action-packed sci-fi adventure in a world that’s easy to imagine.

Picking up shortly after where the first book ended, Cas has left her life as a Reckoner trainer and sworn allegiance to the totally badass pirate queen, Santa Elena. As one of Santa Elena’s chosen few, she’s in training to one day take over as captain of the Minnow. Her one advantage is an extensive knowledge of Reckoners, which puts her at the forefront when the crew discover the rogue Reckoners that are swimming free in the NeoPacific and could cause irreparable damage in many ways.

I loved how The Edge of the Abyss built on The Abyss Surrounds Us. In this book, we get to see more of the pirates themselves and learn about pirate politics, which was fascinating. We get to see more growth from Cas, and we also get to see more of the secondary characters, which I liked. They became real people for me in this book, a true supporting cast.

I have slightly mixed feelings about the romance in this one. On the one hand, I understand Cas’s hurt and anger and being unsure whether she can forgive Swift for the things that came to light at the end of the first book. She and Swift are finally on equal footing, but so much has happened that seems impossible to get past. Their relationship was always complex, and I appreciated the slow burn of it, but there was almost too much back and forth. Cas has a lot to deal with besides her feelings for Swift - guilt over leaving her life and family behind, uncertainty over her future, trying to figure out a plan to deal with the Reckoners - so while I would have easily understood the romance not being a main focus of the plot, the way it was handled makes the plot feel choppy at times. That being said, the emotions were realistic. Their romance was never hearts and rainbows, full of mushy sentiments and pledges of eternal love, and that made it more realistic than a lot of other YA romances because young love is often rocky and uncertain and confusing. I was ultimately satisfied and I appreciated how things ended, but the rocky ride was a bit tiresome at times.

The Edge of the Abyss is fast paced, engaging, and full of thrilling action and great characters. I’d love to see this duology turned into a movie or TV series. 

{My review of The Abyss Surrounds Us}

Have you read The Abyss Surrounds Us or The Edge of the Abyss? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? Do you have any recommendations for books featuring pirates?

{Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

Review: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
Series: The Abyss Surrounds Us #1
Published: February 8th, 2016
Publisher: Flux
288 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water.

There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.

But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop.

Pirates and sea monsters and kickass girls OH MY! The Abyss Surrounds Us was my first read of 2016; it’s rare to start the year with a book that’s so amazing and sets such a high standard you’re afraid all other books will pale in comparison, but that’s what this book has done. It’s been a long time since I read something that captured my complete attention the way The Abyss Surrounds Us did. The story played out like a movie in my mind with every detail sharp and real and larger than life.

This book is full of great characters. I was surprised how quickly and easily I was sucked into the story and then I realized it was Cas’s voice. There’s just something about her, and I spent the entire book feeling like I was hanging on her every word and action. She’s strong, smart, passionate, and funny, and she felt so real. She started out seeming like a regular girl - mind you, a regular girl who risks her life every day dealing with sea monsters - and then morphs into this badass girl living among ruthless pirates and doing whatever it takes to survive, even when it means crossing into a grey moral area. The other characters in the book were equally real; I was immediately intrigued by Swift and terrified by Santa Elena. Every character served a purpose.

The romance wasn’t as much a part of the story as I’d expected/hoped, but it was done so perfectly I didn’t mind. Cas’s sexuality was another part of this story that made it unique: she was gay, but there was no coming out, it wasn’t an issue or an obstacle, it was just part of who she was, and I loved that so, so much. Don’t get me wrong, I will always support coming out stories, but I’ve been desperate for books where a character is gay and out and their orientation isn’t part of the story’s conflict. Cas and Swift’s relationship was complicated for so many reasons, but they had sizzling chemistry, and there were moments that were sweet and funny and achingly beautiful. I loved the push and push, the will-they-won’t-they, the tentative alliance, then friendship, then budding feelings.

The Abyss Surrounds Us is a pretty damn near perfect debut from Emily Skrutskie. It’s original, compelling, and had me gripping my ereader in a white-knuckled grasp through at least half the book. I can’t wait to see what happens in the second book!

Have you read The Abyss Surrounds Us? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you read science fiction? Have a favourite book about pirates or sea monsters?

 {Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || Author blog}

Review: No One Needs to Know by Amanda Grace

No One Needs to Know by Amanda Grace

Series: Standalone

Published: September 8th, 2014

Publisher: Flux

240 pages (eARC)

Genre: Contemporary young adult/LGBT

Acquired this book: From the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

Olivia's twin brother, Liam, has been her best friend her whole life. But when he starts dating, Olivia is left feeling alone, so she tries to drive away Liam's girlfriends in an effort to get her best friend back.

But she meets her match in Zoey, Liam's latest fling. A call-it-like-she-sees-it kind of girl, Zoey sees right through Olivia's tricks. What starts as verbal sparring between the two changes into something different, however, as they share their deepest insecurities and learn they have a lot in common. Olivia falls for Zoey, believing her brother could never get serious with her. But when Liam confesses that he's in love with Zoey, Olivia has to decide who deserves happiness more: her brother or herself?

I really enjoyed No One Needs to Know. Olivia and Zoey were both complex characters, and I enjoyed their separate stories, and also how their lives intertwined. There was a part of me that knew I should be upset because cheating isn’t okay, and a love triangle involving twin brother and sister should be weird, but…I just couldn’t get too upset over it. I knew it was wrong, and I wouldn’t condone it in real life, but somehow it worked for the purpose of the book.

Olivia and Zoey weren’t what they seemed - to each other or to themselves. They were stuck in the roles they thought they had to play, for whatever reason, and didn’t know or think they could be anything different. They seemed like the typical snotty rich/mean girl, and the ‘charity case’ with a chip on her shoulder. And while they did fit into those roles at times, they were both so much more. They learned a lot about themselves and each other through the course of the book, and I really enjoyed watching their growth. I loved seeing how they surprised each other, and how that surprise turned into admiration and then something more.

No One Needs to Know had a bit of everything. There were sweet, touching moments, funny moments, romantic moments, moments that made me mad (usually on behalf of one of the characters), and moments that made me nod my head in approval as I watched the girls evolve. This book won’t be for everyone - I’ve already seen people saying they had major issues with the love triangle - but I found it entertaining and compelling. 

 

 

{Read my review of The Truth About You and Me}

  

Have you read No One Needs to Know? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? How do you feel about love triangles? What's your favourite LGBT book?

 

 
{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog}

Review: The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace

The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace

Series: Standalone

Published: September 8th, 2013

Publisher: Flux

229 pages (eARC)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: From the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Book Depository || Chapters/Indigo}

Smart girls aren't supposed to do stupid things.

Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she's so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennett. He's cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she's endured - and missed out on - in order to excel academically and please her parents. Now, for the first time in her life, she's falling in love.

There's only one problem. Bennett is Madelyn's college professor, and he thinks she's eighteen - because she hasn't 
told him the truth.

The story of their forbidden romance is told in letters that Madelyn writes to Bennett - both a heart-searing ode to their ill-fated love and an apology.

 

When going into books about student-teacher relationships, you never really know what to expect. Is it going to be a sexy clandestine affair? Is it going to be full of drama and tension and misunderstandings? Is it going to be a romantic but doomed love affair? Will they find some way to make it work and have a happily ever after? The Truth About You and Me was all and yet none of these things. It wasn’t what I expected at all, and while many of my blogging friends didn’t enjoy this one, I actually did.

I loved the style of this story. It was told through letters written by Madelyn to Bennett after they’d been caught having an affair. People had said Maddie was a victim, that Bennett had seduced her using his position of power, and Madelyn wanted to set the record straight by telling not only Bennett the truth about her feelings and actions, but also the authorities if they read the letter. It was basically an account of their entire relationship from her perspective, and I thought it made for a really unique story. 

One of the things I liked best about the story was how it shows that age doesn’t always matter. Bennett thought Madelyn was about 7 years younger than him, and while that freaked him out a bit, it didn’t affect their relationship. They talked about anything and everything, and with the exception of Madelyn’s huge secret (her real age), they were real with each other. It was nice to read a book where the love interests connect emotionally with very little physical contact. For weeks, they didn’t kiss, and they touched but not that much. It was all a mental and emotional connection, and it was nice to see a relationship built on something other than the physical stuff. Plus I thought the anticipation was really sexy and added nice tension.

I also liked that through the whole ordeal, with Bennett’s help and the new-found independence of being in college rather than high school, Madelyn learned a lot about herself and what she wanted out of life. Her whole life had been planned for her and laid out by her parents, and she always went along with it. It was nice to see her gaining some independence and thinking for herself. I enjoyed watching her journey of self-discovery.

I guess my only real issue with the story was how Madelyn dragged things out. She kept saying she was going to tell Bennett, she meant to tell him, she had opportunities to tell him, she’d tell him after a certain date, etc., etc., but she never did. She let Bennett think there was a future for them, let him get close to her and become vulnerable, but all that time she was lying to him about something huge. And yet, on the other hand, I can understand her point of view and why she was so afraid to tell him. Also, the climax was a little anti-climactic; through Maddie’s letters, it seemed like something earth shattering had happened, so when things finally happened, I found myself thinking ‘Oh. That’s it? Hmm.’

The Truth About You and Me is a bittersweet love story, but it’s also a poignant coming-of-age story. Told in a unique and compelling way, from a strong, relatable female character, it’s a book that will likely appeal to many fans of contemporary young adult. 

 3.75 stars

Have you read The Truth About You and Me? What did you think? If you haven't, does it sound like something you'd be interested in? Have you ever read a book told through letters?

{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog || Personal/photography blog}
{Subscribe to my author newsletter}

Stacking the Shelves - Book Haul - April 21st

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Hello beautiful book lovers! I'm back with another ebook edition of Stacking the Shelves. These are the ebooks I've received for review, bought, or won in the last few weeks. 

FOR REVIEW:

Dare You To by Katie McGarry {GoodReads}

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi {GoodReads}

The Truth About You & Me by Amanda Grace {GoodReads}

True by Erin McCarthy {GoodReads}

Winter Queen by Amber Argyle {GoodReads}

The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard {GoodReads}

Game. Set. Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli {GoodReads}

BOUGHT:

Waiting For You by Shey Stahl {GoodReads}

Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry {GoodReads}

The Boys of Summer by CJ Duggan {GoodReads}

Afterlife Academy by Jaimie Admans {GoodReads}

If You Stay by Courtney Cole {GoodReads}

Impossible by Komal Kant {GoodReads}

Unpredictable by Eileen Cook {GoodReads} - FREE this weekend on Kindle!

*As you can maybe tell, I have an obsession with collecting new adult books on sale...the thing is, most of these are for Kindle, and while I've had my Kindle for about 11 weeks now, I don't have WiFi and I haven't left the house much because of a back injury so I haven't been able to set up my Kindle...so I keep collecting all these books but haven't been able to read any of them!*

WON:

Falling for Hadie by Komal Kant {GoodReads}

From Mickey at I'm a Book Shark 

*A huge thank-you to Harlequin Teen, Sourcebooks Fire, Flux, Penguin, Amber Argyle, Laura Howard, Jennifer Iacopelli, and Mickey*

What books did you get this week? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday, etc. Happy reading! <3

{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog || Personal/photography blog}
{Subscribe to my author newsletter}