Hello readers! Welcome to Lovebird Book Reviews where I, Avary King, review/recommend the latest and greatest of everyone’s favorite genre: romance. This is a spoiler FREE zone!
Strap in and get ready to join me on this LoveBird time machine! The playlist for this week’s article is “Only Girl in the World” by Rhianna, “Break Your Heart” by Taio Cruz, and “Your Love Is My Drug”{ by Kesha. If you don’t already know where I’m going with this, would it help you to know that on our LoveBird time machine trip, we will be wearing brightly colored skinny jeans, flower crown headbands, and a chevron shirt that says YOLO? You’re probably thinking, Avary, what in the world are you talking about? Well, friends, I am happy to inform you that my LoveBird time machine has brought us back to the not-so-near past of the 2010s.
I recently did some bookshelf purging in order to make room for all the books I got for my birthday and Christmas. During this time, I was dusting and re-organizing all my books, and it was like I was on a trip down memory lane. I found so many books that I hadn’t even thought about since 8th grade. So, I did what any normal person would do; I began flipping through the pages and I was shocked at how much I remembered from these books that I hadn’t touched in over a decade. But as I was reading, it was like I was suddenly transported back into my 13-year-old self. I swear I could taste the Baby Lips chapstick and smell the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume. An additional perk of reading older books is that they are often cheaper or completely free at your local library! Join me in this blast from the past!
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DISCLAIMER: Read at your own risk! Some of the books that I recommend mention or talk about sensitive subjects that could be considered triggering for some individuals.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Lani Taylor
Page Number: 418
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Genre: Fantasy, fiction
Read the description for Daughter of Smoke and Bone here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=gv7lt1SAo6&rank=2
I would literally give anything to read this book for the first time. I have re-read this book before and each time it gets better and better. Of all the books I re-read for this article, this was the only one where the writing didn’t feel dated in some way. Lani Taylor is a prose-genius and I am so happy that this book only gets better with age. This book has it all; a complex fantasy world and an amazing story. The plot twist at the end still got me, even though I knew it was coming- a sign of a good book if you ask me. Definitely still a 5/5 stars for this one! If you only listen to one of my recommendations at all, please let it be this one.
Deep Blue
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Page Number: 340
Release Date: May 6th, 2014
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Fiction
Read the description for Deep Blue here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18601430-deep-blue?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OeMdYxQaR2&rank=2
There is just something so 2014 about this book. This book was everything to me in 8th grade. The thing I remember the most vividly about this book is that Bea Miller (remember her?) had a song that I believe was written specifically for this book. Definitely fact-check me on that, but this song was called “Open Your Eyes”, and there are some horribly animated 2014 book trailers you can find on YouTube so definitely check those out. Truly, is this book the best book you’ll ever read? No. However, this book was magical to me at 13 years old. Mermaids, friendship, magic, and romance; there is nothing else 13-year-old Avary could have asked for. While 22-year-old Avary recognizes this book is a little basic, there is just something about middle school nostalgia that makes it hard not to enjoy this book. If I’m being honest I have read books published recently with even worse plots and characters (I’m looking at you, Colleen Hoover). If you are looking to relive your childhood summers of playing mermaids in the pool, this might just be the book for you!
Ruby Red
Author: Kerstin Gier
Page Number: 329
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Release Date: January 6th, 2009
Read the description for Ruby Red here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8835379-ruby-red?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=8gCm7lMCVt&rank=1
The writing in this book is definitely dated, which is to be expected considering it came out 15 years ago. (To clarify, when I say dated I mean that the book seems to have a certain writing style that has changed over the 15 years since it came out. I’m sure a linguistic expert could pinpoint the differences in the styles but little ole me can only recognize it, not explain it.) This book truly has one of the best concepts I’ve ever read. I will die on this hill!! The complexity with which the author builds the storyline and magical systems in this book is astounding; especially for a YA book. I have read a lot of time travel books in my life, and Gier really knocks it out of the park on this one. The romance definitely takes a backseat in this book, but it grows throughout the series. I think one of my main issues with female MCs in this era of books is that they all seem “I’m not like other girls” coded. Or they have some kind of massive traumatic storyline that never seems to be relevant to the story at all. But our female MC in this book, Gwyn, is like a breath of fresh air compared to some of the other female heroines of the time. She’s normal!!! I loved hearing her perspective and overall I think this series is still worth the read for my YA fans out there!
