Red, White and Royal Blue by: Casey McQuiston

Genre: New Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: May 14, 2019 by: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 421
Rating: 5/5 stars

Alex Claremont- Diaz is the quintessential golden boy. He is handsome, charming, and his mother just also happens to be president of the United States. There's only one problem though, and that is that Alex has an extreme distaste for England's golden boy, Prince Henry of Wales. When Alex and Henry get into a controversial fight at a high-class gathering, the US and UK both agree to stage a friendship between the two boys to ease tensions. However, this pretend friendship soon blossoms into something more, and with his mother searching for re-election, Alex must decide if this love is truly worth it.

This book was on my radar as soon as I realized it was coming out. I needed a fluffy romance in my life, especially during the summertime. Mix that with my interest in the British royals and American politics, and I got myself a great read!

This book has the classic enemies to lovers trope. I absolutely love this trope because the romance tends to be slow-burn, and thus means so much more in the end. I really got to see Alex and Henry's relationship develop, and it was really adorable to see. Also because they're enemies at first, there are a lot of sarcastic quips throughout the novel that just makes their relationship so darn lovable.

The secondary characters are also awesome throughout the book. Alex's sister, the vice-president's daughter, and even Henry's sister were all so iconic! There are some strong female characters throughout this book that I really enjoyed reading about.

This book is extremely diverse. There are bi-racial characters, bi-sexual characters, gays, lesbians, the whole works! I think these details make the book so awesome, because every character has something unique about them. This isn't a cookie-cutter romance. It is an adorable novel that doesn't fetishize gay relationships. It's also more NA than YA, so it's a little bit more mature and realistic to the stage in life that I am in right now. Overall, I loved every second of it.

Have you read Red, White and Royal Blue? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Slayer by: Kiersten White

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Published: January 8, 2019 by: Simon Pulse
Pages: 404
Rating: 4/5 stars

Nina has constantly lived in the shadow of her twin sister Artemis. Growing up in the Watcher's Academy, the girls are taught to be guides for vampire Slayers. However, Nina has never been interested in the craft like her sister is. Instead, she stays in the background, and uses her caring nature to be a healer. That is, until everything changes. Suddenly, Nina discovers that she is the Chosen One, the last Slayer. With her watcher-in-training Leo, she will be forced to battle demons and all forces of darkness, all while dealing with the Watcher's Academy's resentment for Slayers, especially the most famous one: Buffy

When I heard that there was gonna be a YA Buffy the Vampire Slayer story from Kiersten White, I was very excited. That show remains in my top three favourite tv shows of all time, and I just knew I had to give this book a go. It did live up to my expectations (though my reading slump made me take forever to get through it). Still, I thought it did the tv series justice.

I really liked the setting of this novel. The prestigious boarding school of the Watcher's Academy had a very regal feel to it, and I enjoyed reading about all the different characters who live in it. I thought Nina was a great protagonist. I could relate to her in a lot of ways, and I found her to be resilient, but also very humorous. The book has a lot of sarcastic quips in it which I enjoyed.

I liked that this book had some Buffy easter eggs in it to keep me entertained. It more focuses on the history of the Watcher's, and goes a bit into the family tree of some notable ones, such as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and of course, Rupert Giles. That being said, I think I would have liked a bit more info on the main notable characters from Buffy. Besides expressing multiple times the Watcher's distaste for Buffy, I wanted to know what these characters thought of Faith, Willow, and other important characters. My favourite character of all-time from the series is Spike, and a bit from him in there would have been awesome!

Overall, I was expecting this book to have more recognizable stuff from the Buffy world, but at the end of the day, this is not a re-telling. It is simply placed in the same world as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think that it did satisfy my love for the series, through some great character development and an awesome setting. I think that this book is perfect for the Fall time, as it has enough supernatural elements to keep an interesting plot and a creepy atmosphere. However if you are a big fan of the series, don't expect it to be crawling with your favourite characters.

Have you read Slayer? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

The Grateful Boys by: Francoise DuMaurier Blog Tour

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Published: October 1, 2019 by: Clink Street Publishing
Pages: 328
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

*thank you to Clink Street Publishing for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hailey is a bi-racial teen, who has just recently moved to the small country town of Corpus, Georgia. What she doesn't know, is that Corpus has been the site of some strange, mystical happenings, including some gruesome murders. When residents start seeing strange, winged creatures, the town's first African-American sheriff must start laying down the law. But Hailey is growing increasingly close to a mysterious boy named Percy who just happens to be a vampire, and she grapples with this new found love, and her own identity during a time of racial unrest.

I didn't really know what to expect when going in to this book. I thought it would be really high fantasy, with little realistic elements. However, I was very impressed with the author's ability to weave real life issues into a fantasy-like setting.

I labelled this novel as urban fantasy because the supernatural elements take place inside the real world. I actually really do love urban fantasy because I find that supernatural figures often serve as metaphors for reality. I loved DuMaurier's intertwining of racial issues in the deep South, along with the issue of the threat on the town. It was a great balance between fantasy vs. reality.

The characters were also quite lovable. I loved Hailey, her little brother Mason, and her love interest Percy. I thought that Hailey was a very relatable character. She seemed like a normal teenager to me, and wasn't overly mature or "done up."

I found the novel to have a lot of Stranger Things elements to it, which was very much appreciated. The whole small town setting, with a frustrated sheriff and some really creepy happenings, really worked. I thought that this novel was perfect for the current spooky season we are going in to right now, and I am always down for a novel that takes place in small town. I think the smaller the setting,  the more interesting things get!

The only thing I think could be improved for this book, is that I just wanted more romance between Hailey and Percy! I am a sucker for a good romance in stories like this, and while I found the two to have great chemistry, I would have liked even more from their relationship. That being said, it was a great addition to the story that didn't feel like insta-love.

Overall, this novel is perfect for Halloween, as it is perfectly spooky, but also semi-relatable at the same time. I will also add that it is #ownvoices, which is a huge positive element for me. Even if you don't like vampire stories, there are enough real-life issues in this book to grapple with.

Thanks to Clink Street Publishing for the copy, and be sure to check out the other posts in this blog tour!

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Children of Blood and Bone by: Tomi Adeyemi

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Published: March 6, 2018 by: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Pages: 544
Rating: 2/5 stars

Zelie was born to a Reaper, a magical woman with powers to summon souls from the dead. But now, Zelie's land of Orisha has no magic, as a tyrannical king killed all those possessing power. Determined to avenge her mother and bring back her rightful magic, Zelie embarks on a journey through Orisha with a rogue princess by her side, while she attempts to find herself, and tap into her own maji powers for help.

I know, I know, this book was hyped up. And, it had potential. I was very excited to go into this novel, and it seemed like a very unique concept with a beautiful setting. However, I found it to be lacking any kind of interest for me, and overall I was just very bored.

Let's start with one positive thing though, I did love the setting of the novel. I think Adeyemi sets a scene very well, and her world building was incredible. I enjoyed reading about the scenery, and I found her descriptions of setting to be beautiful. But that's pretty much where my love for this novel ends.

I just was so unbelievably bored. I found the story to take too many twists and turns that I was confused. I didn't find myself connected to the characters, and I wanted more from the magic. I don't know if it was just me, but I didn't find the plot to have much substance and everything seemed very character-driven, it was just: meh.

I know I have had a love-hate with fantasies in the past, but I really was ready to give this book a fighting chance, due to all the hype. However, I think it just fits into the category of fantasies that are way too confusing, and need more action. I skimmed pages, and everything just fell flat. I'm sorry Book Twitter :(

Have you read Children of Blood and Bone? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Crazy Rich Asians by: Kevin Kwan

Genre: Fiction, Romance
Published: June 11, 2013 by: Doubleday
Pages: 403
Rating: 5/5 stars

Rachel Chu is a successful university professor, who agrees to accompany her boyfriend Nick to Singapore for his best friend's wedding. While there, Rachel soon discovers that she doesn't know all she thought she did about Nick's life. His family are members of the Singapore elite, and Nick's mother is less than thrilled that Nick has brought home an American girl who knows nothing about the lavish lifestyle they lead. As Rachel starts to get to know Nick's family, divisions of class and a crazy family tree could threaten their relationship.

This book was AWESOME. I did not see the movie before reading it, but after I flew through this book I watched it immediately and found it just as good. The story is so lovable; full of cute, fluffy moments, hilarious family banter, and an incredible setting. All 403 pages went by so quickly for me.

I think one of the main things I liked about this book was Kwan's footnotes. As there is an extensive family tree in this book, as well as a ton of various Asian (and just general rich people) references, his footnotes were so well received by me. I found them not only to be informative, but they also added such humour into the story and it was a great way for me to get more information.

The characters were so lovable. I want a Nick Young of my own, and Rachel was hilarious as well. I understand some people critique her and find her naive, but I found her to be so relatable and resilient. I can also totally relate to the extensive family tree that the Young's have, so the whole family dynamics was so fun to read.

I have pretty much recommended this book to everyone in my life. I think the setting is so lavish and so incredibly detailed, and the plot was captivating from start to finish. I now need to get my hands on the sequel!

Have you read Crazy Rich Asians? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Month in Review: August

Hello all! Long time no see. I know we are already in September, but I finally have some free time and I feel as if a lot happened in August that I would like to wrap-up. So, here is my month in review:

What I Read: 

Heretics Anonymous by: Katie Henry: 4/5 stars 

That's all. Technically I started Helen of Troy in August as well, but the combined over 600 pages and my reading slump didn't help me get through that one quickly. I just finished it yesterday. But, with school starting, I am oddly starting to get back on track with reading! I have already finished two books this month!

What I Blogged: 

My favourite blog post I posted this month was My Struggle to find a Blog-Life Balance. I know, no surprise there. But I recievied a lot of tips and insights from you guys that I hope I can put to good use! 

Favourite Blog Posts: 

Veronika talks Losing Interest in a Favourite Author 

Shayna discusses Uncomfortable Recommendations 

Lais writes to Her Favourite Bloggers

Life Stuff: 

A lot happened in August. The first half was consumed by work, but then I had an entire three weeks off for vacation. I went to the Finger Lakes with my family, which was so fun and I am still sad that it went by so quickly. I was even able to pick up a gorgeous copy of Greek Tragedies from a vintage bookstore while there. 

I also went to The Jonas Brothers concert. I have loved The Jonas Brothers for 11 years and I always knew I would go back to their concerts if they reunited. It was easily the best concert I have ever been to. 

Some sad stuff happened at the end of the month. My parents revealed to me and my sister that they are selling our house, which was really anxiety-inducing because I hate change and I have lived in the same house all my life. But, I am slowly coming to terms with it. 

Overall, August was more hectic than May, June and July combined. But I did feel like it made up for the somewhat crappy summer I did have, and I spent a lot of time with family which was nice. Now I am in the first week of third year, and am drowning in first assignments. However, I am excited to get back into a routine and some of the courses I am taking seem really cool. Hopefully this year doesn't kick my butt. 

So that was my August. I know this is late, but did you do anything fun over the month? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Paperback's Pondering's: My Struggle to Find a Reading/Blog- Life Balance

As I have mentioned in many posts before, I have struggled for some time to post regular blog posts, and even keep up with reading. It is common for people to have more time to read and blog in the summertime, as school is obviously out. However, I find it ten times harder to keep up with blogging when I'm not in school. I suddenly become bombarded with social activities, and of course, work. I find it a lot easier to set aside time during my study hours in school to write blog posts, then it is to sit down at home when I'm super busy during the summertime.

Then there's the reading issue. I am, for the first time in years, behind in my goodread's reading challenge. It's actually become somewhat of a joke now, because I just keep seeing the number of books I am behind by get higher and higher. If you didn't notice, I didn't even do a July month in review because I literally had nothing to talk about reading-wise.

I'm finding it very hard to keep a reading/blogging-life balance. I look at other bloggers who are able to post multiple times in a week, where I'm lucky if I crank out one post a week. I used to post regularly on Wednesday's and Monday's, but the thought of posting more than once a week seems like a distant memory now.

Some good news though: I have been able to post three consistent weeks in a row, by writing posts in the evening's after I come back from work. It is not my ideal time to write, but it has allowed me to not drop off the face of the earth. It does scare me to abandon my blog, because I love this community so much and I never want to quit. I'm just worried that I'll never find the time.

I'm writing this post because I wanted to elaborate on some of the things I have said recently, but I also want tips. How do you find time in the day to sit down and read, and write. I'm hoping that once school starts again I will once more have the time, but I don't want to feel like I'm abandoning my blog once summer comes around again. I also want so badly to get back into reading again! Got any tips?

Emily @ Paperback Princess