Book Review Blog

The Midnight Star Book Review

Posted on March 6, 2019March 6, 2019 by H. J. Ortiz

The Midnight Star

by Marie Lu

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $24.50 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu was published in 2016 by SPEAK.

Page Count: 368 pages (paperback) 336 (hardcover) 330 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 09 hrs 07 mins

Chapters: N/A (Not separated by numbered chapters)

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish, French, and German)

Summary of Book:

“Adelina Amouteru has turned her back on those who have betrayed her.

Her reign has been a triumphant one. But with each new conquest, her cruelty only grows, threatening to destroy all she has gained.

When a new danger appears, Adelina is forced to put not only herself but every Elite at risk.

Now Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest in order to persevere her empire–though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.” -SPEAK

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Young Elites, as well as the blockbuster bestselling Legend series. Warcross is her newest book. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis -SPEAK

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

When I picked up The Midnight Star, I was hesitant. The Rose Society already had me questioning Adelina, so to some extend I was already confused about what I really wanted. I didn’t know if I was going to like or dislike Adelina in this final installment in The Young Elites series. I had to take some time to think after reading The Rose Society before picking up The Midnight Star. This series had me questioning so much.

Once I started reading this novel, my fears came to life. Lu created a narrator that I did not like whatsoever, and I think this is a very tricky thing to do. The way she creates this narrative, one will either support or be against Adelina. I grew myself disliking her as the story progressed. However, my disliking her did not make me want to stop reading any less. This is why this series confuses me. I don’t know how Lu does it, but she somehow created a series that had me questioning my alliance to the narrator so much! Yet, I still want to keep reading more. Perhaps it is my wanting to know if my alliance to change that kept me so invested in this series.

However, I will admit that I did not change my alliance. I disliked Adelina throughout. Now I can see how others would have liked/disliked her at times but in the end be satisfied with her. But to me, I don’t know. I guess she didn’t meet up to the standards Professor Snape set. I mean he’s the only character I know that I dislike the whole series until the end. Adelina’s actions in the end did not (in my opinion) reach enough of a redeeming quality to have me change mt mind in the end. I HIGHLY recommend your reading this final novel in the series to make your own judgement. To me, the ending was satisfying enough, but my dislike for Adelina reigned through the whole series.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Carla Corvo and Lannon Killea

Corvo and Killea do an amazing job in bringing this third novel to life. I really enjoy when the same narrators tell the same series. I form such a connection from the original narrator that it kind of throws me off when different narrators are used in the same series. Corvo and Killea do excellent narrating the entire series. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 2.0 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 3.0 speed to be the best speeds. 3.5 speed was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

Legend
Prodigy
Champion

The Young Elites Series

The Young Elites
The Rose Society
The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

Warcross
Wildcard

Book Review Blog

The Rose Society Book Review

Posted on February 20, 2019March 1, 2019 by H. J. Ortiz

The Rose Society

by Marie Lu

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $24.50 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

The Rose Society by Marie Lu was published in 2015 by SPEAK.

Page Count: 395 pages (paperback) 416 (hardcover) 412 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 11 hrs 07 mins

Chapters: N/A (Not separated by numbered chapters)

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish, French, and German)

Summary of Book:

“Now Adelina Amouteru is turning down the bitter path of revenge. Knowing and feared as the White Wolf, she searches for other Young Elites to build up her own army. Her goal: strike down the Inquisition Axis who nearly killed her.

But make no mistake–Adelina is no heroine. Her powers are growing beyond her control and she trusts no one.

Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her.

But now can she be good when her very existence depends on darkness?” -SPEAK

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling series the Young Elites, the blockbuster bestselling Legend series, and Warcross. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis” -SPEAK

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I was very excited to read this novel. After reading The Young Elites, I could not wait to jump into the second book in the series. I could not wait to see what was in store fore Adelina at the end of the first novel. I could tell something big was going to happen to Adelina in The Rose Society. The ending of The Young Elites signaled the beginning of Adelina’s revenge and journey to discover her power to become the powerful leader lurking inside.

Lu once more takes the reader into Adelina’s dark mind as she forms new alliances to take on the forces against her. There is an interesting twist in the story that I will not discuss to avoid any spoilers, but all I can say is that it took by surprise. I was not expecting that to happen in the novel.

I’ve stressed my fascination with Marie Lu’s writing before. This novel did not disappoint. However, I did find myself having conflicting emotions. I did not know how to feel in the end toward the fate of Adelina at the end of the novel and am fairly worried to see what happens in the third novel, The Midnight Star.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Carla Corvo and Lannon Killea

Corvo and Killea do an amazing job in the second part of The Rose Society series. I enjoyed their first collaboration for The Young Elites and was excited to find out that the same narrators would be narrating this one as well. As with the first novel, I was completely satisfied with their narration of the second book in the series. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

Legend
Prodigy
Champion

The Young Elites Series

The Young Elites
The Rose Society
The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

Warcross
Wildcard

Book Review Blog

Wildcard Book Review

Posted on February 15, 2019March 1, 2019 by H. J. Ortiz

Wildcard

by Marie Lu

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $13.48

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $18.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $32.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Wildcard by Marie Lu was published in 2018 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Page Count: 352 pages (paperback) 352 (hardcover) 352 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 51 mins

Chapters: 35

Languages: English

Summary of Book:

“Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems-and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

In this explosive sequel to the New York Times bestselling Warcross, Marie Lu delivers an addictive finale that will hold you captive till the very last page” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling series The Young Elites, as well as the blockbuster bestselling Legend series. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her illustrator/author husband, Promo Gallanosa, and their dogs” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Wildcard was a novel I anticipated to read after having read Warcross. After the amazing first part to Emica’s story, I was interested to see what Lu would do next for this character and how she would utilize her video game technology in this novel. The novel was full of interesting and unexpected revelations, and i was intrigued to know more and more about the characters and the fate Lu had for them.

I read this novel in a hurry, as I did with Warcross, in order to have enough of the novel read for Marie Lu’s author signing event. I got through over half of the novel in the span of three days. I did not want to stop and wanted to continue listening to this story on Audible. I did not finish this novel until after the signing event but was surprised near the end. This novel gave an ending to the characters’ story in a way that the reader/listen does not expect a third novel. It may not be a satisfying ending for some, but I found it to be just right.

Both Warcross and Wildcard were novels that I extremely enjoyed and will be revisiting them and re-reading both of them when I have more time and I am not in graduate school. I want to re-visit both these novels and spend more time with these characters. I want to relive the adventure these characters have to offer. Once more, I recommend both these novels to anyone interested in novels that incorporate video gaming technology.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Nancy Wu

Like Warcross, Wilcard is narrated by Nancy Wu who does an excellent job in portraying the second part of Emika’s story. Wu’s narration captivates the characters and their encounters very well, and I am eager to re-listen to both novels one after the other to get the full adventure all at once. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

Legend
Prodigy
Champion

The Young Elites Series

The Young Elites
The Rose Society
The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

Warcross
Wildcard

Book Review Blog

Warcross Book Review

Posted on February 8, 2019March 1, 2019 by H. J. Ortiz

Warcross

by Marie Lu

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $15.51 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Warcross by Marie Lu was published in 2017 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Page Count: 416 pages (paperback) 368 (hardcover) 366 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 12 hrs 30 mins

Chapters: 31

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish and French)

Summary of Book:

“The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships–only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times best selling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling series The Young Elites, as well as the blockbuster bestselling Legend series. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and one Pembroke Welsh corgi” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Warcross was a very interesting novel. I was fascinating with the way Lu portrays her video game background into her writing. This novel is full of futuristic video gaming technology and extremely resonated with me because it reminded me of an early writing project I did. This novel brought the video gaming industry to life in a way that made me want to revisit my own project and make something of it.

I read this novel in a hurry because I was working on finishing it before the release of Wildcard. I had no trouble getting through this novel and enjoyed every bit of it. Lu’s characters are carefully crafted and the chemistry between the characters adds on to the rising tension of the novel. I was nervous and and anxious of the outcome of these characters and shocked at the ending of this first part of their story.

I have mentioned my fascination with Marie Lu’s writing before, and nothing has changed. Al of her novels are amazing to me, and I really enjoyed seeing how different this novel is from The Young Elites series. Warcross is a must read for aspiring authors who want to write stories that incorporate video gaming technology. This story has allowed me to see how a bestselling author successfully did just that, and I recommend this to other writers going down the same track.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Nancy Wu

Wu’s narration’s is really good if listened to at more 1.25 speed. Her narration at 1.0 speed sounds as if it is slowed down a bit. Wu narrates the novel effectively and in a way that really captivates the story. I enjoy how Wu captures Emika’s sarcasm and snarky attitude. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

Legend
Prodigy
Champion

The Young Elites Series

The Young Elites
The Rose Society
The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

Warcross
Wildcard

Book Review Blog

The Young Elites Book Review

Posted on January 18, 2019March 1, 2019 by H. J. Ortiz

The Young Elites

by Marie Lu

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $12.98

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $29.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

The Young Elites by Marie Lu was published in 2014 by SPEAK.

Page Count: 355 pages (paperback) 368 (hardcover) 370 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 03 mins

Chapters: N/A (Not separated by numbered chapters)

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish, French, and German)

Summary of Book:

“A decade ago, a deadly blood fever swept through the nation. Most of the infected perished, but some survivors were left with strange markings, rumored to signify powerful gifts for those who possess them. And though their identities remain secret, this group of survivors has come to be called THE YOUNG ELITES.

The Inquisition Axis seeks to destroy them. The Dagger Society aims to find them before they Inquisition Axis. And Adelina Amouteru just wants to be left alone. But two truths will soon surface: ADELINA’S POWERS ARE FAR MORE ORDINARY . . . AND SHE IS NOT TO BE CROSSED” -SPEAK

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling Legend series, and Warcross. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis” -SPEAK

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

This was a very different read for me. I was warned before starting the novel by a friend who stated that it was “dark.” I was interested just how “dark” this novel was and was very surprised from the very first chapter. The opening chapters made me feel so many different emotions that it took me a while to actually attach myself to the main character, Adelina Amouteru. I could not decide if I liked her or if I should keep my distance from her. I do admit that I was not fully drawn into the story until about twenty to thirty pages in. I believe that that is the result of reading such a different story than I am used to.

I read The Young Elites after having read Lu’s Legend series and Warcross duology. Be warned that The Young Elites is indeed a “darker” novel when compared to Lu’s other novels. However, I do not say that in a negative tone. I loved the difference! I enjoyed reading something different, not only from what I had recently read but also different from the same author.

Marie Lu is an amazing author, and I love all of her novels so far. I may be biased in this review, but her writing simply fascinates me. The Young Elites was not a disappointment whatsoever, and I am eager to read the next part of the series, The Rose Society. I cannot wait to see what more Marie Lu publishes and will anxiously await her next projects.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Carla Corvo and Lannon Killea

Corvo and Killea do an amazing job in bringing this novel to life. I really enjoy the switching in narration and their voices compliment each other in a way that draws the listener in. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

Legend
Prodigy
Champion

The Young Elites Series

The Young Elites
The Rose Society
The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

Warcross
Wildcard

Writing Blog

2019, Reading, Editing, and Writing

Posted on January 2, 2019March 1, 2019 by H. J. Ortiz

Happy New Year Everyone!

photo of fireworks — Photo by Anna-Louise on Pexels.com

We are once more beginning another year full of promise, goals, and ambition. First and foremost, I wish everyone a happy beginning to the year and hope all your goals are accomplished this year. Let’s make this year better than the last and strive to do more good and get closer to our dreams.

I tend to avoid making any resolutions each year because let’s be honest, most resolutions go unaccomplished. How many of us strive to get in shape this year or be healthier? That was always a common resolution I set for myself and ended up not only not accomplishing the resolution but actually feeling like a failure when I gave up. To me, resolutions do more harm than good. For that reason, I tend to shoot for smaller, short-term goals that will lead to bigger long-term goals.

For example, this year I want to read at least 50 books. I know that is a goal I can accomplish because I did it in 2018. However, to accomplish that goal, I must start with a smaller goal. I will start with striving to read one book a month. Twelve books seem more manageable than fifty. I’ve joined a book club that has a monthly reading, so that will only help accomplish this smaller goal. I have already purchased the January’s book and am ready to kick of my reading. The reason I reduce my actual reading goal with a smaller one is because I have found that one book just isn’t enough when I actually get going and start reading. I always end up wanting to read more and more and more. I don’t let the big 50 scare me and overwhelm me, so I reduce the goal and slowly, through the enjoyment of the books I read, I accomplish smaller goals until I eventually surpass my reading goal! This past year, I set out to read fifty and ended up reading around sixty-eight! That is the success of short-term goals.

pen calendar to do checklist — Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com

Another short-term goal I have for myself is to write and edit more. I have set a goal to edit a chapter of my current project a week. That is a very simple goal to accomplish, and I already know that once I get going in my editing, I will eventually start editing a chapter a night! The fear of a new year and the fear of failing my goals has always petrified me and kept me from actually getting anything done. But these short-term goals have helped so much, and I encourage others to do the same.

Whether you want to read, write, or edit more, start with a paragraph, a page, a sentence a day, and then work your way up to more and more! Start with small goal you know you can do. Doing so will motivate you to keep going, and you’ll find the process more enjoyable and soothing when you surpass all of the expectation you placed on yourself.

Here is a simple writing, editing, and reading goal I have set for myself that many can follow if they are doing all three at once, as I am:

Reading: 5 pages a night or a chapter a week
Writing: 1 page a night
Editing: 1 page a night

This is a very simple goal for each area and can easily be accomplished. So I encourage you to set very easy goals and surpass them as much as possible in order to prove to yourself that you can do it!

January Reads:

10786582384_IMG_0911 — Photo by H. J. Ortiz

I assume that as readers, we all have a pile of To Be Read books in our rooms/offices and more in our shopping carts ready for order as soon as our next paycheck hits! The picture above, shows only a portion of that list that I have. My priority is to read Eve of Man, as that is a book that I will be posting a review of by the end of the month and will be discussing it in a book club. After that one, my next priority will be The Rose Society, as I am loving the series. Those two novels are my priority reads of this month. After those, I want to follow up with the third book in The Young Elites Series and then any of the others in the list. I have such a hard time deciding what to read next. There simply too many amazing books out there; I want to read them all!

H.J. Reads Reviews:

I have decided to start up a small review segment to this blog that will take place every Friday. Since I enjoy reading so much, I decided I should go ahead and fill you guys in on what I am reading and what my thoughts are. For the month of January, I will be posting reviews of the four books above: Scythe, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Young Elites, and Eve of Man. Therefore, for the time being, every Friday at 5:00 pm, Central Time, I will be posting reviews. For January, I will post the reviews in the order that I listed the novels above. I have already read three of the book above. I finished reading them this past month and am eager to read the fourth and final book I will review. Stay tuned for those reviews and for the review announcement for the month of February.

January Editing Project:

This month I will be continuing my editing of my YA science fiction novel The Exiled. I started this project in a creative writing course a couple of years back and am currently on my fifth draft. I have enjoyed the editing of this project from the very start and will be editing this project for what I hope will be the last time before beginning my hunt for publishers and agents. I am excited to see what 2019 will have in store for this novel!

January Writing Project:

person holding white paper and typewriter — Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

As I am working to edit my first novel, The Exiled. This month’s writing project is to work on a different project than anything in The Exiled series. This other writing project is currently untitled and is very different than anything I have done before. This project is a fiction novel (not my typical writing genre: science fiction) and will likely be a stand-alone novel. I do not usually tend to take on multiple writing projects at once, but since I am not doing much writing at the moment, given that I am editing The Exiled, I tend to aim to edit one project and write another and keep that cycle going. I do not usually write two stories during the same writing period. That is a writing/editing task I can actually take on without getting confused and mixing up the stories or characters.

Stay tuned for more updates! For now, I plan on posting my H. J.’s Thoughts posts on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm, Central Time, and my H. J.’s Reads book reviews on Fridays at 5:00 pm, Central Time. My H. J.’s Thoughts posts will feature information regarding my writing and editing and will include any information I have regarding what I am reading or what to expect in upcoming posts. They will serve as my way of communicating what I have planned for you guys. I’m hoping that in the future to separate all of my posting updates for editing, writing, and reading, so keep an eye out for those changes. For now, I wanted all of you to see what is planned for the first month of 2019. Next week, I will be sharing more on my writing and editing process, so stay tuned!

Best Regards,

H. J.