Getting Into New Adult Fiction

Recently I've found myself in a bit of a YA slump. Not many young adult books I have read recently have been impressing me and even the new releases coming out have not really sparked my interest. I noticed this mostly because I have a lot of Chapters gift cards and went online to the YA section to see what I should spend my money on, and I found myself feeling... underwhelmed? This is not to say that the books coming out recently are bad or boring, it's just that for me personally, no YA has stood out to me. So then I got to wondering, why is YA always my default genre, when there are so many other books in the new adult and adult category?

My heart will always stay true to YA books. I am a YA book blog and YA books are generally the books I am most comfortable reading, and most relate to. However I feel as if I may be sheltering myself from trying books from the adult category, simply because I have only ever read YA.

The truth is, I can probably count the number of new adult and adult fiction books I have read in the past four years on one hand. I am eighteen years old now, and while no age is too old to read YA books, I do feel like I should be branching out more.

Now don't get me wrong, the YA books that have been coming out these past few years have been more daring, more mature, and have pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable to talk about to teens. And that has really made the genre flourish for me. But the truth is, I do find myself curious about what's out there in the adult fiction category, and I am willing to start giving it a go. All I need now are some good recommendations.

Do you read New Adult/Adult Fiction? Please give me some rec's of books you loved!

Emily @ Paperback Princess

The Upside of Unrequited by: Becky Abertelli

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: April 11, 2017 by: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 336
Rating: 4/5 stars

Molly Peskin-Suso has experience unrequited love exactly twenty six times. She crushes often on boys, but has never worked up the courage to tell them her feelings. When her twin sister Cassie gets a girlfriend, Molly begins to wonder if she is losing her best friend, who has now become lovesick and so utterly annoying. But Cassie's girlfriend has a super cute hipster best friend who may be perfect for Molly, if she can get over her crush for her awkward co-worker Reid. Now Molly finds herself crushing on two boys, what's a girl to do?

This was a really sweet book! It was easy to get through and absolutely filled with diverse representation. I loved and can relate to the character of Molly, who is very shy and introverted, and I rooted for her all the way. While this book wasn't particularly anything complex or spectacular, it definitely was a good read.

There was great diversity in this novel! Molly has two mom's who were literally the sweetest couple ever, a lesbian twin sister and also adopted siblings of various ethnicity's. A main feature in this book is also the fact that Molly is a plus-sized girl, and this book highlights the struggle she goes through with her confidence in herself to find love.

Like I said before, the plot was very easy to get through, it just wasn't anything special. I could definitely predict what was coming, which made this book just pretty good for me. I think it's great for anyone looking for a fluffy, diverse read.

Have you read The Upside of Unrequited? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

A Little More Information on my WIP

Hello all! Today I thought I'd give more insight on my WIP, as I have been working on it for a really long time but have never really shared a lot about it. If you recall, a while ago I shared what was in my writing portfolio, one of which was a snippet from my current work that I'm writing. It is a YA fantasy novel, probably going to take forever to finish, but I am slowly but surely completing chunks of it. I haven't come up with just the right title for it yet, so for now it's being know as Gray Palace. This will probably change.

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Published: Probably Never
Pages: Too many to count
Rating: To be determined

Synopsis: Ely belongs to a group of mystical fortune tellers known as the Aquarys, social outcasts that are seen as valuable only for their ability to tell the future and are otherwise banished to a small village in the shadow of the tyrannical Nuvian empire. King Kyle of Nuvia is a ruthless king, who has killed countless Aquarys and starved his civilians without remorse. His elusive castle, Gray Palace is a threat to anyone who approaches it. When Kyle requests for a fortune teller to be brought to Gray Palace for a summer party, Ely will risk every possible danger by jumping at the chance, seeing it as an opportunity to use her hypnosis powers to seduce, and kill the king. But Ely will find that Gray Palace holds secrets that she should have never known, and her murder plot will prove to be a lot more difficult once Kyle takes it upon himself to try and get into her head.

That's pretty much it! I would share a snippet but I have an irrational fear of sharing my writing so you all will just have to deal with a synopsis for now LOL. But maybe with a lot more time and editing I will share down the road. I'm still happy to have shared the synopsis :)

Have you got a WIP?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns #1) by: Kendare Blake

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Published: September 20, 2016 by: HarperTeen
Pages: 398
Rating: 4/5 stars

On the island of Fennbirn, triplet girls are born to every generation, each possessing a powerful gift that they will use to kill the others once they come of age in order to become queen. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to control the weather to her advantage. Katharine is a poisoner, trained to consume deadly poisons without even a stomachache. Lastly, there's Arsinoe, the naturalist, who is said to be able to control the fiercest of animals, however her powers have not come yet. Mirabella is the favourite to win the crown, but Katharine and her mentors will not go down without a fight, and Arsinoe is determined to prove her worth to herself, and to her sisters.

This book was wild!! It captured my attention straight away, and I was in love with the concept. I thought it was such a unique book overall, with beautiful writing that didn't seem overly descriptive. While it took a slow turn, I was fully into it from the start.

I loved the concept of this book. The fact that this is a fight to the death situation and each girl has a gift they find most powerful was so cool. I found myself wanting to read more because I was so captivated by the writing and wanted to see if the girls would start fighting yet.

The problem is, that by the middle of the book, things slowed down!! I wanted so badly for the big fight for the crown to begin, and they built it up so much, but by the middle things lagged so badly and I was just itching for some more action. It seemed to me that a lot of the focus was put on Arsinoe, who in my opinion was not the story I was most interested in, and I wanted to get some more content with Katharine and Mirabella.

That being said, I will be continuing the series because I have got to see what happens next! I am so into these girls' stories and I hope this next book will contain more of their fight. I need more action.

Have you read Three Dark Crowns? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

The Odyssey by: Homer

Genre: Greek Epic Poem
Published: November 30, 2006 by: Penguin Classics
Pages: 541
Rating: 4/5 stars

Years after the Trojan War, the Greek hero Odysseus is making is journey back to the island of Ithaca, where he is king. Along the way, the spiteful god Poseidon will make his quest difficult, and Odysseus will gave to battle the ferocious Cyclops and rough seas to Ithaca. Meanwhile, his wife Penelope longs for his safe return, and it is only when they are reunited that all will be at peace.

I was really excited to read The Odyssey. I actually got the book way back in the summer but my mom wanted to give it to me as a Christmas present and so I waited until December to read it. While it didn't give me quite as much as the thrills from The Illiad, this poem is a classic that all lovers of mythology will love.

I always found the character of Odysseus fascinating in The Illiad, and so I loved a more in-depth look at him, as there definitely was more story to tell. I also loved the allusions to the deceased characters of The Illiad, such as Achilles' ghost. Achilles is my all time favourite Greek hero so I loved that he still made an appearance in The Odyssey. I also loved that more women got stories in The Odyssey, such as Penelope. I loved reading about her.

I don't think this "wowed" me as much as The Illiad did. The battles were just a little toned-down, and I didn't feel as emotionally invested in it as I was in The Illiad. While I obviously prefer The Illiad to the two, I do think this is a must-read for people who love Greek classics.

Have you read The Odyssey? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Month in Review: March

Well this was a busy March! There were definitely some ups and downs, and I also feel like I wasn't as "in" to reading as I have been before, but now I am in my last month of school and exams are coming!!

What I Read: 

The Lady of Shalott by: Alfred Lord Tennyson: 5/5 stars
The Dead by: James Joyce: 3/5 stars
Discoucia by: Nicholas Lovelock: 3/5 stars
Station Eleven by: Emily St. John Mandel: 5/5 stars
Three Dark Crowns by: Kendare Blake: 4/5 stars

I had to re-read Station Eleven to prevent a reading slump so that was obviously my fave of this month, and overall I just read a lot of poetry and stuff for English class.

What I Blogged:

My favourite post of this month was What Being a Writer Means to Me. I thought it was a good time to reflect on writing pressures and the meaning of the word: writer.

Favourite Blog Posts: 

Cee talks about Pressures and Not Feeling "Good Enough." 
Veronika talks about Stuff that Pisses Her Off in Books 
Amy shares What She's Currently Writing 

Life Stuff: 

Well, I failed my driving test for the third time. That wasn't fun. But on a positive note, I did get a job!! I'm actually more nervous than anything to be honest because I have a huge fear of screwing up and this is my first proper job. Hopefully all will go well. Now I'm also into exams as well which will surely take up a lot of my time.

What did you get up to in March?

Emily @ Paperback Princess