Tag: cori mccarthy

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Now a Major Motion Picture – Book Review

Title: Now A Major Motion Picture

Author: Cori McCarthy

Pages: 400 (paperback)

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Published: April 3, 2018

Summary:

Iris Thorne wants to blaze her own path. That’s easier said than done when you’re the granddaughter of M. E. Thorne, famous author of the Elementia series, hailed as the feminist response to J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. And with a major motion picture adaptation of her grandmother’s books in the works, Iris can say goodbye to her dream of making her own way in the music industry.

So when Iris and her brother get invited to the film set in Ireland, she’s pretty sure the trip will be a nightmare. Except Iris can’t deny the rugged beauty of the Irish countryside. And brushing shoulders with the hot, young cast isn’t awful, especially the infuriatingly charming lead, Eamon O’Brien. Iris even finds the impassioned female director inspiring. But when the filming falls into jeopardy, everything Iris thought she knew about Elementia—and herself—is in question. Will making a film for the big screen help Iris to see the big picture?

Review:

Now a Major Motion Picture was such a fun read, and had me dreaming of going to Ireland and exploring all of the beautiful places that are described in this book. Iris Thorne wants nothing to do with her grandmother’s famous fantasy novels, or the film adaptation that’s in the works. Her little brother desperately wants to go, and their father decides Iris will go and chaperone him, much to her dismay.

Throughout the book, Iris grows a lot, and learns what it means to be Iris Thorne on her own terms, and not based off of her father’s expectations for her. Iris meets a lot of strong women who help her to come into herself, and learn who she really is. The cast of characters in this book is really strong, and so diverse, which is always a positive in my book. The world needs ALL of the diverse books.

NAMMP does a great job of showing the other side of fandom and fan culture. The fans of Elementia are extremely passionate, and they have no issues making their thoughts known. I think a lot of people can relate to the fans in this book, wanting an adaptation of a book to be just right, and scared that it won’t live up to their expectations. I’d never even thought about what that would be like from the actor’s perspectives until I read this book. It was an interesting perspective that I had never considered.

One of the things that I love most about Cori McCarthy is that their books are all so different. There’s Breaking Sky, which follows group of badass pilots, and You Were Here, about a girl who goes through a tough time after her brother’s passing. Cori’s writing is so versatile, and everything they write captivates me and keeps me flipping the pages. I really loved Now a Major Motion Picture. I give it 5/5 stars, and you should definitely go pick it up when it hits shelves.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

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2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge May Update

So it has been quite a while since I originally posted the reading challenge that I am aiming to complete this year, and while I would like to overwhelm you with the number of books that I have finished off of the list, that is simply not the case. With that being said, I have some very lofty summer reading goals, as this semester of college is almost over and I will soon have three months to devote to reading. So I have planned out a lot of the books that I will be using to fulfill many of the categories on the reading challenge, without using a single book to count for multiple categories. So here’s where I am so far:

2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge

What I’ve finished:

  • A YA bestseller: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
  • A romance set in the future: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
  • A book that’s more than 600 pages: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
  • A book that is published in 2016: The Truth by Jeffry W. Johnston
  • A dystopian novel: Breaking Sky by Cori McCarthy

So out of the 40 categories on the list, I have completed 5, or 12.5% of the list. Not so great, but I’m hopeful that I will come much closer to finishing the list over the summer, as I have planned to read many books. Here are the categories that I hope to tackle during June, July, and August:

  • A book based on a fairy tale: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
  • A book you haven’t read since high school: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
  • A book set in Europe: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
  • A New York Times bestseller: Looking for Alaska by John Green
  • A book that’s becoming a movie this year: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
  • A science-fiction novel: Legend by Marie Lu
  • A book recommended by a family member: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • A book with a protagonist who has your occupation: Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
  • A book about a road trip: Paper Towns by John Green
  • A book that takes place on an island: The End by Lemony Snicket
  • A book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy: Harry Potter (I haven’t decided which one yet!) by J.K. Rowling

If I am able to complete all of these over the summer, which I have no doubt I will, that will bring my total up to 16/40, or 40% of the way through the list. I hope to get to more than just this, but this will be my starting point as I still have other books that I would like to read over the summer, like the entire A Series of Unfortunate Events series.

I will post updates at the end of each month (May, June, July) as to what I have accomplished and if I have found any more books to complete other categories. If you have any recommendations of books that I should read, please let me know in the comments!

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Book Reviews

You Were Here – Book Review

You Were Here - Book Review

Plot:

Jaycee is dealing with her brother’s death the only way she can- by re-creating Jake’s daredevil stunts. The ones that got him killed. She’s not crazy, okay? She just doesn’t have a whole lot of respect for staying alive.

Jaycee doesn’t expect to have help on her insane quest to remember Jake. But she’s joined by a group of unlikely friends—all with their own reasons for completing the dares and their own brand of dysfunction: the uptight, ex-best friend; the heartbroken poet; the slacker with Peter Pan syndrome; and…Mik. He doesn’t talk, but somehow still challenges Jayce to do the unthinkable: reveal parts of herself that she buried with her brother.

Review:

I. Loved. This. Book.

Sometimes, having multiple points of view can come off as though some characters aren’t quite developed enough to have a main focus. That is not the case with this book. Every single character has depth and as a reader I was intrigued by each of their motives for completing the “dares” that Jaycee believes her brother left her. We get to see these characters grow and change throughout the book as they discover who they are and overcome obstacles in their lives.

Perhaps most interesting of all was the portrayal of the point of view of Mik, who is a selective mute. Seeing as though Mik chooses not to speak, we see his side of the story in comic-like drawings, which was unique and different and worked so well.

Perhaps what I love the most about this book is its’ author, Cori McCarthy, who also wrote Breaking Sky, which I also loved (see my review here). Something about her writing catches my attention and keeps me turning the pages until there aren’t any left. She is definitely an author that I am going to keep my eye on.

I give this book 5/5 stars and a definite must-read. You can order it by clicking on the book’s cover above.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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Book Reviews

Breaking Sky – Book Review

Breaking Sky - Book Review

Plot:

Chase Harcourt, call sign “Nyx”, isn’t one to play it safe. America is locked in a cold war — and the country’s best hope is the elite teen fighter pilots of the United Star Academy. Chase is one of only two daredevil pilots chosen to fly an experimental “Streaker” jet. But few know the pain and loneliness of her past. All anyone cares about is that Chase aces the upcoming Streaker trials, proving the prototype jet can knock the enemy out of the sky.

But as the world tilts toward war, Chase cracks open a military secret. There’s a third Streaker, whose young hotshot pilot, Tristan, can match her on the ground and in the clouds. Chase doesn’t play well with others. But to save her country, she may just have to put her life in the hands of the competition.

Review:

Let me start this review off by saying that I am not a huge fan of military-type settings in books. However, something about this book’s short description drew me in and I just had to read it. And I LOVED it. Like a lot.

This book puts a dystopian spin on Top Gun, and it works in the best possible way. Chase Harcourt, or Nyx, is one of the top pilots in the Air Force’s new training program for planes called Streakers. The planes go so fast and exert so much g-force on the body that pilots and their navigators must be in peak physical condition.

As with practically every book ever, there is some romance going on, though it definitely is not the typical love triangle. Chase flits around from guy to guy, never allowing anyone to get too close to her for fear that she might actually tell them the truth about herself. This of course means that Chase holds in a lot of things that she wouldn’t otherwise if she actually trusted anyone.

I ate this book up so fast. The way that the writing flows made it incredibly easy to just sit down with it and get lost within the pages (or in my case, the screen because it was an ebook, but you know, potato, potahto). I especially loved the chemistry between Chase and rival pilot Arrow. So. Much. Tension.

I give this book 5/5 stars. You can order it by clicking on the book’s cover above.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.