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Book Reviews: Walker Edition: Truth or Dare, The Hate U Give, Honor Girl and Release

* I have received this book for review from the publisher but this in no way affects my review *

Truth or DareTitle: Truth or Dare
Author: Non Pratt
Source: From Publisher 
Publisher: Walker
Rating: 4/5 stars













Book Review:

Non Pratt is quickly becoming one of my go-to UKYA authors as I find her books so enjoyable and entertaining. Truth or Dare is no exception being a fast-paced and all round enjoyable read.

I had been anticipating Truth or Dare for a long time before its release and when it came out I picked it up in an evening knowing that I was going to have a good time. Saying this, although I knew that I would enjoy the story I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. 

I was captivated by the first part of the story and I ended up reading the whole book in one evening because I was so invested in the story. I did, however, find that I wasn't as in love with the second part of the story as I don't think that it went the way that I thought it would. This did not hinder my overall experience.

The really liked the characters in the book and found them relatable and fleshed out. I also love that this book features an asexual character in Seren and it was a good representation as this is something that I like to see in books being ace myself. 

I did really like the plot it did keep me interested and I especially like that it was centred around a Youtube channel that did magically blow up overnight because I am pretty sure that this would not happen in real life. I do also like how this was handled in the book. 
The Verdict:

Truth or Dare is a great UKYA novel that is a standout and reflects the digital age perfectly.



The Hate U Give
Title: The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Source: From Publisher 
Publisher: Walker
Rating: 4/5 stars

(Goodreads|Amazon)













Book Review:

The Hate U Give is the book that everyone has been talking about this year and for good reason, The Hate U Give is a great read that everyone should read as the hype is real. 

The Hate U Give is a really good debut that talks about the Black Lives Matter Movement after Starr witnesses her friend get shot by a police officer. He was unarmed. I really enjoyed the story and found that it was equal parts enlighting than it was funny which was a good thing as it balanced them well. 

I also really enjoyed the characters in this book, they were all fleshed out and the family dynamic was also really lovely to read in the book as this was something that you don't tend to read about in YA. 

Although there was a lot that I did like in this book, other things did bother me like the fact that it did seem quite long, in my mind it did drag a little bit and some things that happened maybe didn't need to be included in the story. This, however, did not take away from the story. 

I also spent a lot of time reading the book but this could be because I was quite busy and therefore affected my reading experience although I still did enjoy this book but maybe not as much as other people did. 
The Verdict:

The Hate U Give is a book that reflects our climate perfect and is a book that everyone should read at least once. 


Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir
Title: Honor Girl
Author: Maggie Thrash
Source: From Publisher 
Publisher: Walker
Rating: 4/5 stars

(Goodreads|Amazon)













Book Review:

I had been hearing good things about Honor Girl for the longest time so when I got the chance to review it I jumped at the chance. I really enjoyed Honor Girl and would definitely recommend it. 

Honor Girl is the graphic memoir of Maggie Thrash after she goes to summer camp and falls for one of her mentors. It details her relationships and states what happens. I did really enjoy this and it was nice reading what happens although the story didn't feel complete at the end which was slightly disappointing. 

I also did enjoy the art style which was almost not polished but I feel like this added to the story and I did like this unfinished feel to it. 

The Verdict:

Honor Girl is a great graphic memoir about sexuality and is worth a read for anyone who loves graphic novels and those who don't.




ReleaseTitle: Release

Author: Patrick Ness
Source: From Publisher 
Publisher: Walker
Rating: 4/5 stars













Book Review:

Patrick Ness is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors and I really love his books and this is no exception. Release is a good YA that does a great job of intertwining magical realism with contemporary. 

The idea of Release was to link the ideas of Miss Dalloway and Forever to make a new and interesting story which is true as it is a unique YA story that is enjoyable to read about. This idea combines Adam's story in one day of his lie and a magical realism story that I didn't really understand. 

Had this just been about Adam's story, this book would have easily got 5 stars, however, I feel like the magic realism part of the story let it down and I didn't really understand this. I did somewhat like the story and I feel like this was the Miss Dalloway part of the story but yeah it did let it down.

I do absolutely love Adam's story though, with it especially being set over one day, it can show just how much can change which is something that I have not seen in books and would love to see more of. 

This book also features a sex scene which although I don't tend to like reading about this was really important to read about and I feel like in the right hand this would be very helpful. 

The Verdict:

Release reinforces that Patrick Ness knows how to consistently how to knock it out of the park with this YA releases and is definitely worth a read.

Have you read any of these books? If so, did you like them?

See you soon,

Amy

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