Between Earth and Sky By: Amanda Skenandore Review

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing a free copy of Between Earth and Sky By: Amanda Skenandore in exchange for an honest review. 

Between Earth and Sky is one of those books that make me so glad I started a blog and bookstagram. (Even though I can't keep up with it all very well at the moment haha.) If it wasn't for that then I may not have ever heard of this book. Between Earth and Sky is not a book that I would typically pick up on my own, but I am so thrilled that I got a chance to read it. 

#THRILLLLLLED!!

This is a well written, moving, beautiful, and tragic story based on historical facts. The setting is wonderfully vivid and I love how easily I could picture everything. I loved the characters as well, especially Alma and Asku. The book goes back and forth between 1906 and back in time to the 1880s when Alma was a child. I love how it was seamlessly written and you can really see Alma's growth and journey. I also enjoyed how there are a few small surprises in the book. Not twists exactly, but there are a couple of plot points that I really expected to go one way and instead they went another. I ADORE that in any book. 

#WonderfullyVividAndSeamlesslyWritten

I believe this is Amanda's debut book and it's practically flawless. I look forward to reading more from her! Overall I highly recommend Between Earth and Sky to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. 

#Flawless 

Connect with Amanda: 

Website/Facebook/Twitter

Purchase Links: 

Amazon/Books-A-Million/Barnes & Noble

Can't-Wait Wednesday- The Dark Descent Of Elizabeth Frankenstein

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted here at Wishful Endings. The idea behind it is to share upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on!

My pick for this week is The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein By: Kiersten White. A retelling of Frankenstein from Elizabeth's POV by Kiersten White? YES!!!! Gimmie, gimmie! That's all I needed to know to be sold on this one. Also, last week I believe was the cover release and I LOVE THE COVER! I can't wait until September for this one. I rarely do pre-orders, but I might have to pre-order this book. 

Expected Publication Date: September 25, 2018

 

Does The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein sound good to you as well? Have you read any of Kiersten White's books? I love her Conqueror's series and I'm anxiously awaiting Bright We Burn also. What are you Waiting on this Wednesday?

#TooMuchAlbert The Other EInstein By: Marie Benedict ARC/DNF Review

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of The Other Einstein By: Marie Benedict in exchange for an honest review. 

Short Review Summary: 

I wanted to know more about Mileva and her love of science.  

Before I heard of The Other Einstein, I had no idea who Mileva was. I didn't even know that Albert Einstein had a wife. So when I read the summary for this book I was really ecstatic to learn more about Mileva. I wanted to know who she was as a person and what her contributions (if any) are to science while being swept up in a fictional story. Sadly, this book was not at all what I expected. 

#MilevaWho?

I started off really enjoying the beginning of this book. I wasn't loving it, but I was liking it. I couldn't wait to find out more about Mileva and if she contributed anything to the field of science herself or if she assisted Albert Einstein at all. Instead the book is more about her and Albert's courtship. I feel like Mileva's brilliance is very overshadowed by the romance with Albert. I started to lose interest as the book went on and then a little before the halfway point I started to get really annoyed. Here we have Mileva, a woman who was outshined by her husband, and I was hoping this book would let her shine a bit. Too bad the book is still too focused on Einstein and their romance. 

#TooMuchAlbert

Overall I had to DNF The Other Einstein due to these issues. I did like the friendships between Mileva and the other scholarly ladies in the book, but that alone couldn't save the book for me. Basically, I really needed more Mileva in the story. Maybe things would have gotten better if I kept going, but if it hasn't happened by about the halfway point then I can't expect it to. Also if the writing isn't drawing me in by that point, then I have to be done. 

#IFeelGoodAboutDNFingIt

I can't recommend this one, but perhaps it's better if you really know first what you're in for. Also, maybe I just need to see if there's a nonfiction book about Mileva instead. 

#MaybeSomeoneElseWillLikeIt

#GreatIdeaBadExecution The Wonder By: Emma Donoghue Review

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of The Wonder By: Emma Donoghue in exchange for an honest review. 

Short Review Summary: 

Lots of boredom, very little wonder. 

The Wonder started off very slow for me. It took too long for Lib (and the reader) to meet Anna. When I first read the summary for this book I couldn't wait to see what Anna would be like. Would she appear healthy? What about her personality? What is this child like that believes she's living off manna from heaven? Well it took too long to get there for me and it was a little boring in the parts before she met Anna. 

#GetToItAlready 

Unfortunately, most of the book ended up being pretty dull for me. There is a lot going on that was being described that didn't seem to have any bearing on the story. I'm guessing that was just there for filler. I expected to feel for Lib and Anna's characters and I never did. Not only that, but I felt zero connection between Lib and Anna. Which not only did I really want a connection to be there, but a few things in the ending seemed forced due to the lack of a connection that I felt. 

#MaybeANovellaWouldHaveBeenBetter

Luckily The Wonder did pick up pace a bit near the end. Which I hated. :x Despite hating the ending, I was curious what would happen next and that gave me a little motivation to finish the book. I was so close to DNFing many times. Also, it says in the Goodreads summary "a powerful psychological thriller." I didn't get that at ALL and I think that's terrible marketing. I didn't get a thriller vibe at all for this one. 

#HateTheEnding

Overall I'm glad The Wonder is a fast read because I probably could have lived my life without reading this one. I am not impressed. I am disappointed since this is the first book I've read by this author other than room, which I loved. The only positive thing I can really say is that the overall premise is intriguing and there are a couple of thought provoking parts that I liked. 

#GreatIdeaBadExecution

I personally can't recommend this one since I was so underwhelmed. 

#Nope

The Girls By: Emma Cline ARC Review

As soon as I saw The Girls on Goodreads I knew I had to read it. So when I saw it on NetGalley I requested it immediately. Unfortunately The Girls was not quite as good as I was expecting, but it definitely held my attention since it's loosely based on the infamous Manson cult. The subject matter and the writing style were fantastic, but I can't help feeling a bit letdown by the lack of a wow factor in the plot and characters.

#LooselyBased

To start off the writing style is mesmerizing and the whole time I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. The Girls is really a captivating novel even though it wasn't perfect for me by any means. The inside look into the girls of the cult was very interesting and even a bit unsettling. However, the main character Evie annoyed me. She was very naive and I know she is meant to be, but it was a little overboard for me. I just ended up frustrated and irritated with her throughout most of the novel.

#OverlyNaiveCharactersAnnoyMe

I was more intrigued by Suzanne and perhaps the book would have been better for me if it was told from her POV or alternating between her and Evie. That could have been the wow factor that I felt was missing. I think that would have been a very cool dynamic. I kept finding myself looking forward to the parts with Suzanne and wanting to know what she was thinking. I find cults very creepy and I can't help but wonder how people get so caught up in them and why they buy into all the BS. I still don't get it (I probably never will), but the idea of wanting to find out is what held this novel together for me. 

#CouldaShouldaWoulda

Overall I think I just wanted MORE from The Girls. More of Suzanne, more of Russell (even though this is about THE GIRLS), and more of the novel in general. I felt like there were a few things that could have been explored even further. The Girls is a good book, but it wasn't a great book for me. 

#GoodNotGreat

I recommend this for anyone who is interested, but I recommend you borrow from the library instead of purchasing the book. 

#Borrow 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy of The Girls By: Emma Cline in exchange for an honest review.

Expected Publication Date June 14, 2016