I wanted to start a new feature about hyped (and, potentially, over-hyped) books, and so this thing was born. I love introducing new features to the blog, so yaaaay! I’m really excited to try this out. In this new feature, I’ll be talking about some really, really popular books and series and sharing my thoughts on them, and whether or not I think they are worth the hype. We’ll be kicking off with a beloved book, a massive new release, and one that people loved before its release.
Is The Hate U Give worth the hype?
If you don’t know about this book yet then you’ve been living under an actual rock and I don’t think there’s any hope for you. But I can try to enlighten you. THUG tells the story of Starr who is in the car with her best friend when he is shot by a policeman. It addresses racism and police brutality, and it’s an incredibly thought-provoking and topical book. It took me a few chapters to get into the book because the dialect was a little difficult for me, but I loved the entire thing nonetheless.
There’s no excuse for not picking this one up. The Hate U Give is topical, emotional, thought-provoking, and really well written. It was one of my favourite reads of 2017, and I would recommend it to absolutely everyone. I can’t wait to read Thomas’ second book, On the Come Up, when it’s released next year.
Verdict: Yes. 100%.
Goodreads Rating: 4.57 (131,825 ratings)
Is Caraval worth the hype?
If you were in the book community last year, you’ll remember the huge amount of pre-release hype that Caraval was getting. I was dying to read it, but couldn’t get an ARC, and then I kind of forgot that I wanted to read it so much until once again everyone was raving about it on release day. Caraval is a YA fantasy, in which a girl called sister has to play a weird game to find her missing sister. It had promise, but ultimately the world building was lacking, the main character showed no growth which was frustrating because she had no common sense, and the plot kind of tripped towards the end.
Verdict: No. It’s pretty average.
Goodreads Rating: 3.94 (62,743 ratings)
Is Everless worth the hype?
While I thought the plot of Everless was quite generic and lacking anything to make it stand out, it was still a very captivating read. It’s set in a world where people’s time is used as a currency. You can add or remove time from your own or someone else’s life in exchange for just about anything. I love the world building the most, as it was unique and intriguing enough to make up for the basic YA fantasy plot. I was enthralled by the ending, and I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Verdict: Almost. I liked it, and the world building was original.
Goodreads Rating: 3.9 (10,512 ratings)
And that’s all for now! Do you agree with me? Did any of these books disappoint or surprise you?
Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity says
Love this no feature, there are a whole heap of hyped and overhyped books out there in the world so it’s always good to see people’s verdict over whether or not it’s actually worth the hype. I was a little worried when I saw THUG because that one is totally worth the hype so glad you agree, it’s such a powerful book. I disagree slightly on Caraval. It may not live up to all the hype but I really enjoyed it. I did think some of it was a little obvious but I enjoyed the twists in the story and am definitely glad I gave that one a read. As for Everless? I’ve still not read it. I got an ARC and everything but never got around to it. Maybe I’ll give it a shot.
Amber says
Thanks! I’ve got a massive list of books and series that I’d like to cover with this feature, so I’ll probably be posting it quite regularly.
Will you be reading Legendary any time soon? I’d be curious to see how it shapes up compared to Caraval. I’m not too eager to read it, but it might be a good one to read if I want something easy.