Review: No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige and Men Who Wish to Drown by Elizabeth Fama

Title: No Place Like Oz

Author: Danielle Paige

Publishing Information: November 12th 2013 by HarperCollins

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling

Series Information: Dorothy Must Die 0.5

Format: eBook 196 pages

Source: Bought for my personal library

Recommended For: Readers who are not complete Oz enthusiasts like myself.

I picked up No Place Like Oz because I am a HUGE Wizard of Oz fan. I actually collect different editions of the novels as well as anything else Oz related. Perhaps that is why I had such a hard time with this novel, I wanted to get a glimpse of the world to see what Danielle Paige was working with and I don’t know how to feel about it. On one hand there were some aspects that were reminiscent of Baum’s Oz, and those parts I really loved, the imagery could have been taken directly out of the original novels. Unfortunately, there were so many aspects of the novel that had me rolling my eyes. I didn’t like Dorothy, and not in the “she’s the villain and we aren’t supposed to like her” way, but I found her incredibly annoying. Though the idea behind this series is a really great concept, I was not enthralled while reading. Instead I found that I just wanted it to be over, and it didn’t make me excited to read the upcoming novel at all. How disappointing. Continue reading

Review: Cress and The Lunar Chronicles Novellas by Marissa Meyer

I’m back with some more mini reviews! In case you were wondering if The Lunar Chronicles are worth the hype, they absolutely are! Read on to read my thoughts on the novellas of the series and of course, the newest addition, Cress!


Title:
 Glitches

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publishing Information: December 5th 2011 by Tor

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Series Information: 0.5 in The Lunar Chronicles

Format: ebook, 32 pages

Source: Free on Tor.com

For those of you who are curious about the series and wondering if you can believe all of the hype, or for readers looking for a deeper look into Cinder’s background and her relationship with Iko, definitely give this one a go. It is somewhat bittersweet as we see how hard it was for Cinder to adjust to her new life as part cyborg, but when you continue on with the series, you see that Cinder comes into her own!

Continue reading

Review: Of Neptune and The Syrena Legacy novellas by Anna Banks

Back for some mini (spoiler free) reviews! I always find that novellas help me to determine whether or not I would be interested in a series so here a little taste for you guys to decide whether or not to give The Syrena Legacy a chance!

Title: The Stranger

Author: Anna Banks

Publishing Information: June 18th 2013 by Tor

Genre: Young Adult, Mermaids, Romance, Fantasy

Series Information: Novella 0.4 in the Syrena Legacy

Format: ebook, 32 pages

Source: Available for free on Tor.com

Recommended For: Readers interested in “dipping their toes” (hehe) into this series, or fans of the series who want to learn a little bit more about Galen and Rachel’s relationship!

I loved this novella! It was adorable seeing Galen when he was little and it was so endearing to see how the bond between Galen and Rachel began. Definitely give this a shot if you are unsure of the series but want to get a feel for the characters. Rachel is absolutely hilarious in her no nonsense way, I loved learning more about her. Continue reading