The Wandering Fangirl

Review: Shut Out, by Kody Keplinger

2012-03-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

Shut Out
Author: Kody Keplinger
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling...

Review:
While it seems totally superficial and maybe a tiny bit ridiculous at first, I enjoyed Shut Out enough to read it in one full sitting. It was a breezy, fun way to spend a couple of hours, and I was totally immersed in Lissa's world and what she was doing for herself and for the girls at her school.

Lissa is a smart girl, full of neuroses but still popular and surrounded by friends anyway. She's tired of a stupid feud between sports teams because it means her boyfriend makes her feel used, and her brilliant idea is to propose a sex strike. So much of this is plucked from the play Lysistrata, which Cash even points out to Lissa. (Juuuust because you point it out in the book doesn't mean you didn't yank the idea wholesale from the play, Keplinger. Just saying.)

Keplinger is a decent writer, but maybe not quite as fantastic as she could have been for writing this book. It didn't really need flowery prose or navel gazing, but something a little stronger would have made the book have more of an impact than it did when I finished reading. At times, it felt like Lissa was simply Keplinger's soapbox as she ranted about sexual stereotypes and patted herself on the back for questioning them and having Lissa's fellow classmates begin to find their own sexual identities along the way.

It was still a whole boatload of fun, however. I had my problems with parts of it, but I have to at least shake Keplinger's hand for writing a YA novel all about sex -- and not just about sex, but girls talking about and discussing what sex means to them so openly.

Hounded Read-Along

2012-03-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Hounded read-along is hosted this week by Geeky Blogger's Book Blog. Head over there for more info, discussion and links to others taking part in the read-along!

I've put the questions and my answers behind a jump for those who haven't read yet.

1) Kevin Hearne had the most perfect beginning for this book: "There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and formost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius." If you were to live for centuries what do you think you would be excited to see?

Everything! I'd love to stick around to see how computers and the internet develops, as that's my passion. Though I think in a century everyone would be living in virtual realities or something, and that would probably suck.

2) In the 2nd chapter we learn about the amulet and its protection powers! Do you think having met the Morrigan and heard about Aenghus Og that it will be enough to protect Atticus? I mean the Morrigan has a point about hot chicks coming after him and his defenses might be down! He is very male!

Haha, Atticus seems to be too aware of everything and the constant danger he's in to really let anything get to him. I think he'll totally kick ass where and when he needs to.

3) The literary world's coolest dog is introduced in this chapter! Did you love Oberon immediately? Show me a picture or describe the type of animal you would love to have as a talking companion! (Cat, Dog, Mouse, Sloth, Horse---what is your pick--pictures please)?

YES, I fell in love with Oberon right away. It's hard not to, when he's funnier than Atticus. If I had an animal talk to me, it'd probably be a cat. Or maybe a dog like Dug from Up, he'd be adorable to talk to from time to time.

4) In this chapter Flidais asked Atticus what his name is and then precedes to ask if anyone actually believes he is Greek? He says nobody pays attention to names here. Do you know what your name means and where it comes from? Or do you have a name you wish had? Let's talk names!

My name is French, and it's supposed to be spelled Chantal but my mother wanted the extra A in there to emphasize the way the second syllable sounds. Her side of the family is mostly southern, and I guess it helped a little when I grew up with only 20% rather than 80% of people thinking my name is Shantel or something. :P It means stone, or boulder, and I wouldn't change it.

5) We learn about Atticus' lawyers in this chapter, a rather unique combo! Without jumping ahead, would you hire a lawyer combination of two supernaturals who on the surface would appear to be natural enemies or at the very least two very Alpha attitudes? What would be the positives and negatives of that decision.

Yessss, I totally would. I'd be happy no matter what they are or how they act as long as they get my work done and pull me out of any scrapes I might get into.

RAK: February 2012 Wrap-Up

2012-02-29T23:19:00.000-08:00

This was my first RAK ever, so I didn't expect to be picked out of the giant shuffle of bloggers taking part in this, which was just fine with me. In fact, I was happy to send out at least one book!

I gave Possessions by Nancy Holder to MaryAnn at Chapter By Chapter, and making someone's day like that (as well as finding a new blog to follow!) was pretty awesome. Here's to next month's RAK!

Hounded Read-Along!

2012-02-29T23:05:00.003-08:00

I'm sure if you've been here some time, by now you know of my love for the Iron Druid Series by Kevin Hearne. A few bloggers are getting together for a read-along of Hounded, the first book in the series, with Kevin Hearne answering questions and being generally awesome at the end of it all! For more info and to sign up, check out the intro post over at Geeky Bloggers Book Blog.

Since I had so much fun doing the Some Girls Bite Read-Along AND Hounded features one of my favorite characters ever (sorry, Cal Leandros, but my love for Atticus is a burning fire of emotion~) I jumped on it excitedly.

It helps that today I started my first day at a new job and I got an email confirming me as a volunteer for Comic Con 2012. THUMBS UP FOR LEAP DAY 2012!

Also I decided to re-read The Hunger Games in anticipation for the movie, and I read the first book in about two hours. MY LOVE FOR YOU IS A WARM OVEN, PEETA MELLARK. Or something, idk, just look at how cute Josh Hutcherson is.

Review: The Mockingbirds, by Daisy Whitney

2012-02-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

The Mockingbirds
Author: Daisy Whitney
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:

Some schools have honor codes. Others have handbooks. Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds. When Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

Review:
I had really high hopes for this book since the first time I read the summary, and I'm really, really glad it lived up to my every expectation.

First off, I think the subject of Alex's date rape is handled with obvious care, but Daisy Whitney doesn't pull punches or try to pretend it's anything but what it is: a horrifying, disorienting, self-doubting experience that no girl or woman should ever have to go through. From the first page I was right there with Alex, and I felt for her in a way I haven't with any other female character in a long time.

The plot itself is fairly straightforward, with enough secrecy surrounding the Mockingbirds and how everything is handled to keep it from getting boring. Every character surrounding Alex seemed real and thoughtfully drawn out, each with their own lives going on but there wholeheartedly to support her when she needed it. I loved seeing a novel in a school setting where there weren't any Mean Girls for no reason at all, which happens way more than I'd like it to.

The Mockingbirds is a great read, something I recommend wholeheartedly, especially to teens. This is one of those books that is more important for the teen set than it is for us adults who love YA.

In My Mailbox (4)

2012-02-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, featuring the books I've received in some way, shape or form this week. For more info, check out the introduction post.

Tiny week! The last two books of my Amazon haul came in, and I got two more from the libarary. Not much else this week.

Bought:
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
Queen of Camelot, by Nancy McKenzie

From the Library:
Ashfall, by Mike Mullin
The Dead of Night (Tomorrow #2) by John Marsden

Mini Reviews: I Read Too Much

2012-02-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

Going through my list of recently read books on Goodreads, I realized A) I read way too much, and B) I haven't written reviews for a lot of them. So many blank spaces makes me sad. So, rather than write up a bunch of posts that will sit in my drafts forever, have a bunch of mini reviews!

Austenland, by Shannon Hale
Rating: ✮✮
Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

I had incredibly high hopes (okay, not incredibly, but they were up there) for this novel, but it seemed to fall flat for me. It was cute in a way, but it was hard to relate to Jane, our heroine, on her journey of self-discovery and determination to rid herself of a fantasy she could never hope to achieve. The idea of Austenland, a place where you can play at being in the Regency-era seems fun, but it came across as boring and stuffy, nothing like I expected. Not even Jane's adventures throughout could have brought this to life for me.

The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

What a hilarious, delightful little book. Gratuity Tucci has to write an essay discussing what the true meaning of Smekday, the day aliens conquered Earth, means to her. Thus begins the hilarious and often sweet story of Gratuity's journey to find her mother, accompanied by an alien who calls himself J.Lo and her mother's cat. The adventure is huge, the aliens hilarious, the action thrilling, and every picture and drawing littered about made this an incredibly charming read. I totally recommend it to everyone.

Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

I am never, ever messing with Australian teens, man. I've heard so many good things about this series for a while, and when I picked up the first book, I could see why. I read it in one sitting (with a caffeine deprivation headache) and enjoyed it thoroughly. Seeing how the teens adapt and grow into tiny adults as they struggle with the enormity of what's happening is wonderful, and seeing them go into action in the small ways they can made me cheer for them. I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series -- I already have book two from the library.

Friends with Boys, by Faith Erin Hicks
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Originally a webcomic, this graphic novels collects the strips in one easy to read format. I really loved Friends with Boys, which follows Maggie McKay as she leaves homeschooling for high school for the first time. The secondary cast around her is fantastic, from her rambunctious brothers to the few friends she makes in school. Oh, and Maggie sees a ghost or something, no big deal. I really loved how true this felt to all of us who spent most of high school feeling invisible until we made those friends and had adventures that would last us for life.

Blood Rights, by Kristen Painter
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

A really nice, lush vampire novel. The world building in this was fantastic, and I've gushed about the cover before. Though at times I felt it seemed to drag a bit under the weight of what Painter was trying to do with her characters and her world, Blood Rights was exactly the vampire novel I needed at the time. I could have done without the sexual tension between the main characters, but I enjoyed them both on their own. (Even if the angsty vampire who can't/won't drink blood is so overdone at this point.) I enjoyed it, and I'll be picking up the rest of the series when I can.

Shelf Candy (3)

2012-02-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

What's Left of Me
By Kat Zhang

Why I chose this cover: This book won't be released until September, but the cover is just so striking that I had to single it out among the recently released covers I've seen in the past week or two. Usually this sort of effect freaks me out (because it's almost never done right), but it absolutely works for this cover. The book has to do with two souls sharing a body, and in that regard, this is a perfect cover. The blending work is amazing, and I love how the silhouette of one face seems to trap the second. So, so well done.

Synopsis: Eva and Addie live in a world where everyone is born with two souls, but where only the dominant one is allowed to survive childhood. Fifteen years old, and closer even than twins, the girls are keeping Eva, the ‘second soul’, a secret. They know that it’s forbidden to be hybrid, but how could they ever be apart?

When a dramatic event reveals what really happens to hybrids if they are discovered, Eva and Addie face a dangerous fight for survival, neither wanting to be the one left behind…

Review: Darkness Falls, by Cate Tiernan

2012-02-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

Darkness Falls
Author: Cate Tiernan
Series: Immortal Beloved #2
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to get any better. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River's Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River's Edge, despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won't allow herself to have. But just as she's getting comfortable, her family's ties to dark magick force her to leave.

She falls back into her old, hard partying ways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Or will it be her first step to embracing the darkness within her?

Review:
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Immortal Beloved, and was anxious to have Darkness Falls live up to it -- which it totally did.

We continue with Nastasya's emotional journey as she's in immortal rehab, and while at times it felt like the first third of Darkness Falls was treading the same ground Immortal Beloved did, new ideas and revelations in Nastasya's life keep it from being the same old thing. I loved Nastasya as much as I did in the first book, and while I was so-so on Reyn at first, he skyrocketed to Book Boyfriend status in this one. His sexual tensions with Nastasya is amazing, and while there are plenty of reasons either would produce for not being together, I wanted to lock them in a room and make them have adorable Nordic immortal babies.

Nastasya's regression is done pretty well, from the reason she finally falls back into her old life to the allure of Innocencio and the darkness that seems to surround her. I spent the last thirty or so pages clutching the book in anxiety on Nastasya's behalf, and I loved the ending.

Here's to waiting forever for Immortal Light.

Review: Fracture, by Megan Miranda

2012-02-19T18:51:00.000-08:00

Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine - despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Review:
Fracture promises something chilly, a ride through the life of a girl who survives a should-be-fatal accident and ends up with some kind of weird power. When thinking of just those points, it did exactly what it set out to do; I was caught up in everything poor Delaney goes through, from her confusion about living to the despair and loneliness she feels as a result of being that miracle girl. She changes and grows, and not only because of the new power she has to sense death.

Delaney is a pretty decent protagonist, if you remember that she isn't meant to be someone who's all sunshine and roses the entire time. I found her friendship and sexual tension (That's a little much. Relationship tension?) with her best friend Decker really believable, which makes the creepiness of Troy's motives for befriending Delaney even worse.

The break from her family and friends that Delaney goes through is believable and I felt for her. I just wish the book had been a bit warmer in general, though that's an entirely personal opinion.

In My Mailbox (3)

2012-02-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, featuring the books I've received in some way, shape or form this week. For more info, check out the introduction post.

A bit more of my Amazon Haul came in, and I think I have one or two books left I'm waiting on. Yay!

Amazon Haul:
The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss
Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeiffer
My Soul to Take, by Rachel Vincent
Austenland, by Shannon Hale
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield

From the Library:
The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex
The Dead of Night, by John Marsden
Ashfall, by Mike Mullin

Shelf Candy (2)

2012-02-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Dust City
By Robert Paul Weston
Goodreads

Why I chose this cover: Not everything has to be pretty and colorful to be amazing, and I love the mood of Dust City's cover. Everything about it is great, from the perfect text size and placement to the clouds interwoven throughout the letters, creating a gloomy, wary atmosphere. I love the slight touch of color in the wolf's eyes and the author's name, and the way the wolf's pelt seems like the glitter of stars over the city skyline at first glance. It's so moody and drew me in the first time I laid eyes on it.

Synopsis: Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

His son, that's who.

Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves . . . until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.

Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone-and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.

Can Henry solve the mystery of his family's sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf?

Review: Paranormalcy

2012-02-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Series: Paranormalcy #1
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Review:
Paranormalcy is one of those books that is just plain fun, with a cute, sassy heroine and a plot chockful of vampires, faires and weres, oh my! While it wasn't the best of the YA paranormal genre, there was enough fun and sass to keep things light.

Evie, our heroine, is a tiny, pink-loving paranormal sort-of-cop, raised without parents by an international agency that polices paranormal creatures. She's a wonderful, fun protagonist, and she's the life of the entire book. I really enjoyed reading about her, and felt for her the entire time. The other characters are pretty decent as well -- Lend is kind of adorable, through Evie's eyes. I loved her best friend Lish, the mermaid (selkie? I forget) and her mother figure, Raquel, the head of IPCA, the paranormal agency that raised her.

The integration of all the paranormal creatures was great, and I loved that the fae folk aren't entirely the best to work with. I love fiction that shows the fae as dangerous as they really are, and Paranormalcy totally delivered on that end.

It's a great little book with a larger than life main character in Evie, and I can't wait to get my hands on Supernaturally.

Review: Letters in Cardboard Boxes

2012-02-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Letters in Cardboard Boxes
Author: Abby Slovin
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Goodreads

Summary:
Letters In Cardboard Boxes tells the story of an eccentric grandmother and her granddaughter alongside a series of fantastical letters they once exchanged. Their letters once traversed the East River to help Parker escape the loneliness of a childhood without her globe-trekking parents and communicate during her turbulent teenage years. Now, nearly a decade later, Parker begins to rediscover the evidence of this letter writing tradition, as well as the family’s untold stories and, unexpectedly, letters from her grandmother’s own youth that paint a very different portrait of the woman who raised her.

Review:
I feel like the summary doesn't entirely encapsulate what really made this book work for me.

The letters are an important part of it, as they show the threads of Parker and her grandmother's relationship. Seeing the bond the two had anchors the novel before we begin to truly delve into who Parker is. She's a lonely, tired, going-with-the-motions woman on the verge of thirty, and she's hasn't got much to show for her life. Her grandmother is a wonderfully eccentric woman, but she's fallen ill to Alzheimer's (or something similar) and the struggle Parker goes through as she deals (and doesn't deal) with starting to lose the only person in her life who matters is agonizing and wonderful to read.

It was slow going at first, but I loved reading about Parker, from her initial denial to her depression to her slowly beginning to understand and deal with everything. She doesn't just deal with her grandmother's disease, she has her own mid-life crisis to deal with, and she's just -- she's a mess. I've never found myself wanting to walk into a book and hug the character more than I did with Parker.

Letters in Cardboard Boxes is a slow read going in, but it's so worth it for the character work alone. Parker isn't the liveliest or most interesting of people ever, but reading everything she goes through is just...fascinating.

Review: This is Not a Test

2012-02-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

This is Not a Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Release Date: June 19th, 2012
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads
Received this from NetGalley for review; this didn't affect the outcome of this review.

Summary:
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Review:
ZOMBIIIEEEEES!

I do a huge amount of my e-reading in bed at night while my boyfriend sleeps, which is the worst idea when reading something that involves zombies. As much as I love the zombie genre, I know how to terrify myself when it comes to the creatures, and This is Not a Test fit the bill.

However, This is Not a Test doesn't entirely focus on the zombies themselves. Most zombie fiction these days focuses on how the humans try to keep on living through the end of the world, and we follow Sloane, who doesn't want to live. Not really. She's stuck in a school with five other teenagers, who try to figure out how to survive. The only question is what surviving really means.

The book explores the relationships between each of the survivors, how they react to each other, how they begin to find themselves or crack under the pressure. Being stuck in a school with only each other, surrounded by the undead brings out the best and worst in them, and it's fascinating to read. Each of the characters seemed well thought out, and though I disliked one or two, I felt as though I was meant to -- and it's not as though they're entirely bad kids. They are what the apocalypse made them.

This is Not a Test is a fantastic, heartbreaking entry into the zombie genre, and I totally recommend it to anyone.

Reader's Progress (6)

2012-02-14T15:09:00.000-08:00

Reader's progress is a bi-weekly post of what I've read, what I'm reading, and what's up next to read.

Currently Reading:
My February reading goal was to finish up all the open books I had on my e-reader, and I'm almost done! I've got just one left, which is why my currently reading list is so teeny.

Blood Rights, by Kristen Painter
Now that I've jumped back into this book I'm enjoying it even more. I like the world built so far, and the vampire lore isn't to bad either.

Fracture, by Megan Miranda
A good read so far, and a nice, mysterious, little bit creepy YA.

Next Up:
Library books!

Darkness Falls, by Cate Tiernan
The Probability of Miracles, by Wendy Wunder
Wrapped, by Jennifer Bradbury
Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden

Recently bought e-books I can't wait to read!

Catching Jordan, by Miranda Kenneally
Harbinger, by Sara Wilson Etienne
Incarnate, by Jodi Meadows

Everything I'm getting from my Amazon haul and other books I've recently bought are going to be my March reading, since I'll be road tripping across America with my sisters. Good times.

Recently Read:
Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White (review to come)

This is Not a Test, by Courtney Summers (review to come)
Letters in Cardboard Boxes, by Abby Slovin (review to come)
Don't Breathe a Word, by Holly Cupala
Sweethearts, by Sara Zarr
Hallowed, by Cynthia Hand
Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi
Choker, by Elizabeth Woods
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson
The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe
Immortal Beloved, by Cate Tiernan

Gave Up:
The Space Between, by Brenna Yovanoff
The Pledge, by Kimberly Derting

Review: Don't Breathe a Word

2012-02-13T15:58:00.000-08:00

Don't Breathe a Word
Author: Holly Cupala
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

Summary:
Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words - tender words, cruel words - until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe... if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

Review:
This is one of those novels I knew was going to be rough going in, and when it met every one of my expectations...I'm not sure how to feel

Joy suffers from incredible emotional abuse from her boyfriend, and when she finally reaches the last straw, she believes running away (making it look like a kidnapping) is her only option. I appreciated that Holly Cupala managed to create such a suffocating life for Joy before her breaking point, that you could completely understand why she came to the choices she did.

From there on Don't Breathe a Word delves into the live of homeless teens as Joy learns to become a street kid. She meets Creed, a boy she believes understands her, and he and his friends become her new street family. Each one of them is equally messed up, doing whatever they can to survive, no matter what.

For all the careful attention to the reality of homeless kids on the street and the emotional intricacy, Don't Breathe a Word didn't sink its hooks into me. I felt bad for Joy and Creed and the others, and I truly appreciated the message Holly Cupala is trying to send, but I couldn't connect with all the characters as much as I wanted to. I wanted to connect to Joy so much more than I did. With everything she goes through, I wanted to be torn up with her, to cry for her or cheer her on as I read, but none of that really happened.

There is a good book here with a rare theme in YA these days, with a good look at emotional abuse and homesless teen life, but ultimately, I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I wanted.

Review: Sweethearts

2012-02-12T13:19:00.000-08:00

Sweethearts
Author: Sara Zarr
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts. They were also one another's only friend. So when Cameron disappears without warning, Jennifer thinks she's lost the only person who will ever understand her. Now in high school, Jennifer has been transformed. Known as Jenna, she's popular, happy, and dating, everything "Jennifer" couldn't be---but she still can't shake the memory of her long-lost friend.

When Cameron suddenly reappears, they are both confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken.

Review:
Oh, that cover is so deceiving. Look at those pretty pinks and blues, against that calm grey background, as though saying "there's nothing bad inbetween these covers, here, have a delicious pink frosted cookie, it'll be good for you."

And then you get about a third of the way in and you're punched in the face with ALL THE FEELINGS.

The story's not even about Jennifer being a popular girl faced with her unpopular past. It's about the incredibly deep bonds that are formed when you meet your soulmate -- and it doesn't have to be romantic. When you meet your best friend, that one person who knows you most, and still knows you even though you haven't seen them in nearly a decade and you've changed. Jennifer and Cameron are soulmates, and the ripples his return creates in Jennifer new, better life are huge and so interesting to read about.

This was my first Sara Zarr book, but it definitely won't be my last. It's a really great novel about friendship, knowing those you love and knowing yourself, above all.

In My Mailbox (2)

2012-02-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, featuring the books I've received in some way, shape or form this week. For more info, check out the introduction post.

Boooooooooooks! The first half of my Amazon haul came in this weekend, which I was thrilled about, and I got a few other books from other places.

Amazon Haul:
The Way of Shadows, by Brent Weeks
Liar, by Justine Larbalestier
Angefire, by Courtney Alison Moulton
How to Archer, by Sterling Archer (SO EXCITED)
Darkfever, by Karen Marie Moning
Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch

From Giveaways:
The Last Nude, by Ellis Avery - from a giveaway at The Unabridged Chick.
Charmfall, by Chloe Neill - from a giveaway at Supernatural Snark.
Give Up the Ghost, by Megan Crewe - from a swag pack Megan Crewe gave out during her The Way We Fall virtual launch party.

Bought from Goodwill:
The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood

From the Library:
The Probability of Miracles, by Wendy Wunder
Wrapped, by Jennifer Bradbury
Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden

Awesome, awesome week for books for me, and I expect some more in the next week and a half from my Amazon haul. Yay books!

Review: Hallowed

2012-02-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #2
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Review:
Unearthly was my first review kicking off this blog, and I really enjoyed it. Cynthia Hand's intro into the paranormal YA world was a great one, a great take on angels and a romance (even love triangle!) I could truly get into. Hallowed follows up on all the things I loved about Unearthly, but it doesn't quite hit the same mark Unearthly did for me.

It's still a great second book in a series, don't get me wrong. We focus on Clara and her visions of her new purpose, a vision of a funeral. Someone she loves is going to die, and that sorrow she feels in her vision permeates the entire book. For that reason alone, I had to read this slowly; I couldn't take the constant sadness that Clara has to deal with. I loved her too much to read it in one go.

We do get a lot more information on the angels, which I really appreciated and enjoyed, as it picked up the book and gave it some of the energy it was missing in the first quarter. New characters were delightful, and the secret Clara and Jeffrey discover are pretty good.

As for the love triangle...I'm still not sure how I feel about it in this installment. I appreciated it in the first because there were reasons why Clara would fall for Tucker or Christian, and they're both really good guys. It felt like the love triangle was amped up a little in Hallowed, but it never went too over the top. It was still balanced and kept me invested in who Clara would end up with.

Hallowed does really well at what it set out to do. I might not have enjoyed it as much as I did Unearthly, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great book. I simply prefer not to cry into my pillow without trying to wake my boyfriend at one in the morning because the last 30 pages kept me in tears.

Can't believe I have to wait forever for the next book.

Shelf Candy (1)

2012-02-11T00:53:00.000-08:00

Shelf Candy is a weekly meme created by Steph at Five Alarm Book Reviews. Each week I'll feature a book cover I find gorgeous, evocative or interesting in one way or another. For more info on the meme, check out the introduction post here.

Blood Rights
By Kristen Painter
Goodreads

Why I chose this cover: It's absolutely gorgeous. The degree of detail work in the framing of the model, the gold painted onto the model's back (even if done digitally, it's amazing), her gown and her hair. The detail involved is incredible. I love the grey color scheme with red and gold as the only colors coming through because of their importance in the book. Honestly, this cover was the only reason I even noticed the novel, and while I still have it open and half read on my e-reader, I'm glad I did.

Synopsis: The lacy gold mapped her entire body. A finely-wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.

Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

Review: Under the Never Sky

2012-02-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi

Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Review:
As soon as I turned the final page on Under the Never Sky, I had the immediate thought that I've read this before. And, for once, it wasn't a bad thing. When you read enough of a certain genre (in this case, YA dystopian with a romance angle) you start to see the patterns and tropes that emerge. Most books take the tropes and work within them to produce something good.

Then there's something like Under the Never Sky. It doesn't quite break new ground, but it does so well with all the dystopian romance tropes I've seen in the past that I didn't mind them one bit. The books that work the same themes to their advantage are just as great and important as the books that break new ground in their genres.

And on top of all that, I really freaking enjoyed it.

The world building. Oh my god, the world building. In this post-apocalyptic future, humans have been driven into giant pod shelters by something called the aether, which has replaced the blue sky with an ever-changing, ever dangerous, constant electrical storm that could touch down and destroy what it touches at any moment. To keep humans from going insane in the confined spaces, they're able to live and play in virtual realities called Realms. Our heroine Aria is one of these sheltered humans, and it isn't until she's tossed out of the shelter and into the real world that her story truly begins.

Aria is the sort of heroine that can make or break this book for a reader. There were times I could see how easy it would be to tire of her, how hard it could be to like her. Eventually I fell hopelessly in like with her, and was glad to follow the enormous emotional journey and maturity she goes through.

Then there's Perry, who splits the POV of the novel with Aria, and I absolutely adored him. Peregrine (his full name) is a Savage in Aria's eyes, descended from the humans who ended up living outside the shelters. He's a hunter, a brother, an uncle, and a man determined to do whatever he can to fix what he's wronged. I found his and Aria's growing alliance a slow, lovely read, and I didn't mind one bit when the friendship that grew between them finally blossomed into romance. The slow build up is exactly the sort of thing I love, not the insta-love so many YA novels fall back on these days.

In the end, Under the Never Sky was a really enjoyable read. It's like Blood Red Road and Divergent somehow made a not-as-perfect but still kinda kick-ass baby.

Amazon Haul!

2012-02-09T00:44:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it earlier, I won a $70 Amazon gift card from Steph at Five Alarm Book Reviews (through her Follow Me to 1000 Followers giveaway, which I have linked on my sidebar). Great excitement! Agonizing book choices! But after an hour of adding and taking things out of my cart and trying to decide which books I wanted and trying to find the best deals, I finally settled on a good haul, and I'm actually quite pleased.

Plus, I got a trial of Amazon Prime (whiiich I'm cancelling before that $79 monthly fee, yeesh), so I expect the bulk of my books to arrive on Saturday. Yay! Anyway, Steph asked to see what books I picked out, so here's my haul, all under the cut!

How To Archer: The Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and also Cocktails Ever Written, by Sterling Archer

Lying is like 95% of what I do. But "believe "me: in this book, I'll let you know exactly how to become a master spy just like me. Obviously, you won't be as good at it as I am, but that's because you're you, and I'm Sterling Archer. I know, I know, it sucks not being me.

But don't beat yourself up about it, because I'm going to show you all the good stuff--what to wear; what to drink; how to seduce women (and, when necessary, men); how to beat up men (and, when necessary, women); how to tell the difference between call girls and hookers (hint: when they're dead, they're just hookers) and everything about weapons, secret devices, lying ex-girlfriends, and turtlenecks. In a word? "How to Archer."

My Soul to Take, by Rachel Vincent

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Queen of Camelot, by Nancy McKenzie

On the night of Guinevere’s birth, a wise woman declares a prophecy of doom for the child: She will be gwenhwyfar, the white shadow, destined to betray her king, and be herself betrayed. Years pass, and Guinevere becomes a great beauty, riding free across Northern Wales on her beloved horse. She is entranced by the tales of the valorous Arthur, a courageous warrior who seems to Guinevere no mere man, but a legend. Then she finds herself betrothed to that same famous king, a hero who commands her willing devotion. Just as his knights and all his subjects, she falls under Arthur’s spell.

At the side of King Arthur, Guinevere reigns strong and true. Yet she soon learns how the dark prophecy will reveal itself. She is unable to conceive. Arthur’s only true heir is Mordred, offspring of a cursed encounter with the witch Morgause. Now Guinevere must make a fateful choice: She decides to raise Mordred, teaching him to be a ruler and to honor Camelot. She will love him like a mother. Mordred will be her greatest joy–and the key to her ultimate downfall.

The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch

An orphan’s life is harsh–and often short–in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains–a man who is neither blind nor a priest. A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected “family” of orphans–a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead the Bastards, delightedly pulling off one outrageous confidence game after another. Soon he is infamous as the Thorn of Camorr, and no wealthy noble is safe from his sting.

Passing themselves off as petty thieves, the brilliant Locke and his tightly knit band of light-fingered brothers have fooled even the criminal underworld’s most feared ruler, Capa Barsavi. But there is someone in the shadows more powerful–and more ambitious–than Locke has yet imagined.

Known as the Gray King, he is slowly killing Capa Barsavi’s most trusted men–and using Locke as a pawn in his plot to take control of Camorr’s underworld. With a bloody coup under way threatening to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the Gray King at his own brutal game–or die trying.

Liar, by Justine Larbalestier

Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them—and herself—that she’s finally come clean, Liar is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly.

Angelfire, by Courtney Allison Moulton

First there are nightmares.
Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.
When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.
Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

First published in 1892, The Yellow Wall-Paper is written as the secret journal of a woman who, failing to relish the joys of marriage and motherhood, is sentenced to a country rest cure. Though she longs to write, her husband and doctor forbid it, prescribing instead complete passivity. In the involuntary confinement of her bedroom, the hero creates a reality of her own beyond the hypnotic pattern of the faded yellow wallpaper – a pattern that has come to symbolize her own imprisonment. Narrated with superb psychological and dramatic precision, The Yellow Wall-Paper stands out not only for the imaginative authenticity with which it depicts one woman’s descent into insanity, but also for the power of its testimony to the importance of freedom and self-empowerment for women.

Darkfever, by Karen Marie Moening

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae.

The Way of Shadows, by Brent Weeks

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

Austenland, by Shannon Hale

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime- ridden city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes: to read this book is to be the hero.

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield

Biographer Margaret Lea returns one night to her apartment above her father's antiquarian bookshop. On her steps she finds a letter. It is a hand-written request from one of Britain’s most prolific and well-loved novelists. Vida Winter, gravely ill, wants to recount her life story before it is too late, and she wants Margaret to be the one to capture her history. The request takes Margaret by surprise–she doesn’t know the author, nor has she read any of Miss Winter’s dozens of novels.

As Vida Winter unfolds her story, she shares with Margaret the dark family secrets that she has long kept hidden as she remembers her days at Angelfield, the now burnt-out estate that was her childhood home. Margaret carefully records Miss Winter’s account and finds herself more and more deeply immersed in the strange and troubling story. In the end, both women have to confront their pasts and the weight of family secrets. As well as the ghosts that haunt them still.

And that's it! I did also pick up a couple of books from Goodwill and received one or two in the mail this week, but that'll wait for In My Mailbox this weekend. :)

Five Alarm Book Reviews = Awesome!

2012-02-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of a giveaway lover. I enter wherever possible, and I've actually discovered tons of new book blogs that way (to the detriment of my poor RSS reader). Well, today I discovered I won a $70 gift card to Amazon courtesy of Steph at Five Alarm Book Reviews!

I'm super excited about it, and after receiving the gift card, I kinda stared at Amazon blankly and tried to remember what books I've been wanting most, and if I should spend it all in one go or spread it out or something.

Anyway, so much thanks to Five Alarm Book Reviews. Go check it out, it's a great blog and Steph is obviously an incredibly cool person. :)

My Book Boyfriend (3) - Atticus O'Sullivan

2012-02-08T01:02:00.000-08:00

Hosted by The Unread Reader, My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme where you write a post about a book character that makes you swoon, makes you weak at the knees and fall in love. For more information and how to contribute, check out the My Book Boyfriend introduction post.

“I didn't respond, because naked people never win arguments.” - Clan Rathskeller

I can't believe I haven't done him yet, but considering this is only my third MBB post and I'm going through all my favorite male leads, it was inevitable we come to this: Atticus O'Sullivan of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, which I love to death.

Atticus is a 2100ish Irish druid who looks around 21 and has a mouth that quips more than Buffy Summers ever did. He's a delight to read, from his entanglements with Irish goddesses to his fights with witches, demons and gods, oh my!

- He was born Siodhachan O Suileabhain
- He has an awesome pet dog named Oberon, who is pretty much my favorite UF sidekick ever
- Owns Fragarach, a powerful and magical sword from Irish mythology
- Has curly red hair, fair skin and a goatee
- Is a druid who uses Earth magic
- Spent 750 years making a magical amulet necklace
- Made a deal with the Morrigan for his immortality, but makes an herb tea to keep his youthful looks

“Brighid’s eyes flashed with a blue flame, and I wondered if she had learned to do that just so she could compete with the Morrigan’s red flashes. Maybe I should try to figure out how to make my eyes flash green so I could freak out the baristas at Starbucks. “No, you foolish mortal,” I’d say as my eyes glowed, “I ordered a nonfat latte.”- Hexed

My Atticus is played by none other than Richard Madden, Irish actor with a perfect head of curly hair. I want the Iron Druid Chronicles to be a TV show just so he can play Atticus. Sigh, in my dreams. I do have to give a shout out to the model on the cover of Hounded, however:

Yeah.

“<This guy is an epic douche. Kick his shiny ass, Atticus,> Oberon said.

I compartmentalized his comment and resolved to enjoy it later. I glared at this would be usurper and said in my most authoritative voice, "Aenghus Og, you have broken Druidic law by killing the land around us and opening a gate to hell, unleashing demons on this plane. I judge you guilty and sentence you to death."

<Amen, Atticus! Testify!>”

- Hounded

Review: Choker

2012-02-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Choker
Author: Elizabeth Woods
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria.

Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in.

But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?

Review:
Choker is one of those novels I've been longing to read ever since reading the summary of it (and I absolutely love that cover, it's a gorgeous color scheme, with the ring of trees bearing down as if to choke the reader), and I was ecstatic when I finally noticed it (totally by accident!) at my library. It was the first of my picks to read, and I breezed through it in a day.

I was a tiny bit disappointed in the novel itself, but it's actually a pretty damn decent addition to the mystery/thriller area of YA fiction.

The novel focuses on Cara, who lives one of those awful teen lives as the butt of many jokes from the bitchy, popular girls. And honestly, she has nothing in her life that would make her stand out as a YA heroine. Yes, the story is about her, but there's so little to Cara as a person that we could have been reading about anyone else and the story would probably have progressed in the same manner. I wish there'd been a little bit more to her, that she could have stood up for herself once or twice. I did like that she slowly began to connect with school friends and developed a nice sort of budding romance with Ethan, her crush.

The addition of Zoe in Cara's life leads to a bit of a pick me up for Cara, but more importantly, Zoe added a bit of a kick to the plot. Once she was in the picture things took a turn for the interesting, and I spent half the time I was reading boggling at her crazy behavior and wondering if my own thoughts on whodunit were right.

(I was wrong, by the way. I can usually figure out the answer to the mystery before I'm done reading, but the reveal kicked me in the face and then laughed about it.)

In the end, Choker is a well done mystery with a character I would have liked a little more color from, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

In My Mailbox (1)

2012-02-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. This is my first one, and since I just made a fruitful trip to the library (which is where I get most of my books, woe is my wallet), I figured I could finally start doing this myself. Yay!

From the library:

My library has an amazing YA section (to the detriment of the adult section, but I'm okay with this right now), so I got some recently released books as well as Choker, which I've been wanting to read forever.

Don't Breathe a Word, by Holly Cupala
Choker, by Elizabeth Woods
Sweethearts, by Sara Zarr
Darkness Falls, by Cate Tiernan (Immortal Beloved #2, I am so excited!)
Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi
Fracture, by Megan Miranda

Recently bought:

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale

E-books:

Catching Jordan, by Miranda Kenneally
Harbinger, by Sara Wilson Etienne
Incarnate, by Jodi Meadows

I have a new weekly video post I'll be doing soon that I'm pretty excited about, so look out for that soon!

Mini Reviews: The Adoration of Jenna Fox, The Way We Fall, The Pledge

2012-02-05T00:49:00.000-08:00

The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

I'd heard so many good things about this book, and I was excited when I finally got it at the library. Though I had a vague impression of what the book was about, it turned out to be so much more, one that examines what it means to be human.

When Jenna Fox wakes up a year after a horrible accident, she has to piece together her life and figure out who she used to be and who she is now. It's her examination of her life and her family that really makes this book stand out among the YA sci-fi crowd. It's compelling, it's mysterious, it's heart breaking and hopeful all at once. Amazing, amazing, reading.

The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

What would you do if your town slowly began to fall to a plague? Would you hide? Would you do your best to help others? Our hero Kaelyn has to face the life she's known falling apart when a plague takes most of the people she knows, and the fear that comes with facing death day after day.

The journal format was a little hard to get used to at first, but I really came to love Kaelyn and everything she goes through. She tries so hard to be a good person even though she's slowly being torn down with every day and death that passes. A great start to a series I'll definitely be looking forward to.

The Pledge, by Kimberly Derting
Rating: Didn't Finish
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

I gave this a good try, I really did, but when I hit page 100, I realized I wasn't connecting with our heroine or her friends at all. The dystopian element was interesting (a world where people are separated in class by what language they speak) but it wasn't enough for me. I can forgive not connecting with a character or weak world building, but I can't do both. Maybe I'll give it another try in the future since it had the misfortune of following an amazing stretch of books.

Review: Immortal Beloved

2012-02-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

Immortal Beloved
Author: Cate Tiernan
Series: Immortal Beloved #1
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

Review:
When I picked this up from the library, I didn't have a real idea of what it involved. I just knew it was an interesting sounding paranormal romance novel, and it's been on my TBR list for a while.

Holy cow, I did not expect to be as enraptured by Immortal Beloved as I was in the last day.

I didn't expect it to be a complete character journey. Sure, Nastasya is an immortal and lot of what she does is learning to control and use magick, and sure, there's a bit of a romance aspect to it, but none of that compares to the journey of self-discovery Nastasya goes through. There could be no paranormal aspects about it at all and I'd still enjoy every single page.

If you were truly immortal, how would it change you? How would the weight of hundreds of years of mistakes, joy, pain and indifference change you? What would you do to change yourself for the better, and would you be strong enough to do it? The work Nastasya does to answer these questions (and many more) and to uncover the emotions she's hidden is so interesting and insightful, and while it felt at times that she went in circles with certain ways of thinking, it all felt true to what she was doing.

This was definitely a delightful surprise, and I'm totally grabbing Darkness Falls (book two which just came out last month) as soon as I possibly can.

My Book Boyfriend (2) - Lord Conall Maccon

2012-02-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Lord Conall Maccon of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. (If this were My Book Girlfriend, it would be Alexia Tarabotti, hands down.)

Conall is a werewolf, the alpha of his pack and an incredibly sexy, grumpy man to boot. I love everything about him in the series, even when he's been an ass and Alexia rightfully smacks him down. Especially the smack downs.

Lord Conall Maccon, Earl of Woolsey, was yelling. Loudly. This was to be expected from Lord Maccon, who was generally a loud sort of gentleman – the ear-bleeding combination of lung capacity and a large barrel chest. -Changeless

Conall has dark brown hair, tawny eyes, and hails from Scotland, though his home with his pack is in London. I really have nothing much else to add because he reduces me to nothing but gibberish as I'm reading.

Alexia suspected Lord Maccon's handling was a tad more than was strictly called for under the circumstances, but she secretly enjoyed the sensation. After all, how often did a spinster of her shelf life get manhandled by an earl of Lord Maccon's peerage? She had better take advantage of the situation. - Soulless

Yes, Alexia. Yes.

Though Gail Carriger herself has used Sean Bean or Gerard Butler for her idea of Conall, he's always been a grumpy looking Richard Armitage circa North and South in my head.

Review: Ship Breaker

2012-01-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

Ship Breaker
Author: Paolo Bacigalupi
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:

Set initially in a future shanty town in America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being dissembled for parts by a rag tag group of workers, we meet Nailer, a teenage boy working the light crew, searching for copper wiring to make quota and live another day. The harsh realities of this life, from his abusive father, to his hand to mouth existence, echo the worst poverty in the present day third world. When an accident leads Nailer to discover an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, and the lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl, Nailer finds himself at a crossroads. Should he strip the ship and live a life of relative wealth, or rescue the girl, Nita, at great risk to himself and hope she'll lead him to a better life?

This is a novel that illuminates a world where oil has been replaced by necessity, and where the gap between the haves and have-nots is now an abyss. Yet amidst the shadows of degradation, hope lies ahead.

Review:
Sometimes I feel like I give a lot of dystopian YA fiction higher marks because I enjoy the genre so much, but Ship Breaker earns every bit of the high four star rating I've given it.

We're thrown right into this future world alongside Nailer, our hero, who does backbreaking, dangerous work for little gain. He's a fantastic teen to get to know, from his determination and goodness to his worries about becoming as bad a man as his father. Nothing about him is straightforward expect for his growing morality, and it's a joy to watch him navigate the world and to cheer him on from sequence to sequence.

There's plenty of action that, at times, make the book feel like it's moving at breakneck pace. The action is tempered by Nailer's characterization as well as the inclusion of Nita, a rich girl who may be the answer to all his problems. (And what of the inevitable romance, you ask? We go the entire book without one scene of instalove. Miracle of miracles.)

Along with Nailer and Nita are a fantastic cast of secondary characters, from Nailer's horrible father to a half-man (genetically modified human/canine hybrids), a ship's captain, and the crew Nailer works with and sees as family. Even if I didn't enjoy this genre and the constant action sequences, I'd be all over this book for the characters themselves.

Oh, OH, and my favorite part: the last quarter of the book turns into a sea battle like something out of a C.S. Forester novel. I have a great, great love for the Hornblower books, so anything resembling them gives me little thrills of delight.

Ship Breaker was all-around good fun, and if I didn't have a million books on my to-read list, I'd re-read it again right now.

Reader's Progress (5)

2012-01-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

Reader's progress is a bi-weekly post of what I've read, what I'm reading, and what's up next to read.

Currently Reading:

Hallowed, by Cynthia Hand
Yay, sequel! Excited to get through this, as I really liked Unearthly. I'm a little wary it might end up being all about the romance (who am I kidding, I love Tucker), but I think I'll enjoy it all the same.

The Space Between, by Brenna Yovanoff
Picked it up at the library because I've been coveting the cover for a long time now. It was slow going at first because I was reading other engrossing books, but after putting attention and time into the book, it's become interesting and sort of unlike a lot of paranormal YA I've been reading.

This is Not a Test, by Courtney Summers
Got this from Net Galley, and it seemed the most interesting of all the galleys I have to read so far. Zombies, yay!

Still reading: Paranormalcy, Green, Blood Rights, Gone

I really need to stop starting new, interesting books when I still have to finish those. I've been reading Green for over a month now.

Next Up
(Nothing definite, but books I'm really interested in reading soon)

Letters in Cardboard Boxes, by Abby Slovin
Choker, by Elizabeth Woods
Burn Bright, by Marianne de Pierres
The Soldier's Wife, by Margaret Leroy
Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeiffer

And I'll finally be starting in on Lord of the Rings for my annual re-read, which will probably take most of the year.

Recently Read
(Linked where reviewed)

The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe (Review to come)
Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi
Deadly Cool, by Gemma Halliday
Some Girls Bite, by Chloe Neill
Awkward, by Marni Bates
The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson
One For the Money, by Janet Evanovich
Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins
White Cat, by Holly Black

Review: Deadly Cool

2012-01-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Deadly Cool
Author: Gemma Halliday
Series: Deadly Cool #1
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Summary:
Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

Review:
Deadly Cool is one of those light, easily read YA novels that always seem to go down quickly and disappear from your mind a week after you're done. Hartley Featherstone (I know, what a name) refuses to do that, and remains a kick-ass, smart heroine for the YA set. While teen mysteries always have to take some liberties when it comes to teenagers solving murders and the like (it wouldn't be a great book if they actually told the police what they knew and let them solve it, would it?), it doesn't feel like the adults are made out to be idiots, nor are the teens super sleuths after working only a few hours.

Hartley is an incredibly likeable protagonist, and it's great to see the feelings she's at war with as she investigates a murder on behalf of her cheating ex-boyfriend. She's never stupid about it, nor does she immediately fall into instaluv with the bad boy who helps her out. Everything is balanced and makes for a read without any of the YA trappings that annoy me to no end.

The mystery itself is pretty well done, and at the end of the day I found myself wishing I could be as awesome as Hartley is.

Follow Friday (3)

2012-01-27T12:38:00.000-08:00

For more info on Follow Friday, check out Parajunkee or Alison Can Read. If you're here via the blog hop, please let me know in a comment and I'll follow back.

Q: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?

I don't necessarily avoid genres themselves, there are just those I've discovered I don't enjoy as much as others. Well, one. I can't do anything non-fiction. Believe me, I've tried - from Supergods to On Writing to Bossypants, if it isn't fiction, it doesn't hold my attention.

As for fiction...probably Westerns. I like the occasional Western-themed post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel (see: Blood Red Road) but if it's a straight out Western it's not my thing either.

The Way We Fall

2012-01-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

I’ve been infected by Megan Crewe’s THE WAY WE FALL!

The Way We Fall has been a book I've been looking forward to for a while now, and that much more so now that I've had time to experience how awesome Megan Crewe herself is on Twitter and in a chat party on launch day for her book. I always like it when authors turn out to be as awesome as I imagine.

Anyway! Head on over to the virtual launch party at Megan Crewe's blog if you bought the book as well, there's some awesome stuff going on.

I just bought the book myself, so I'm going to start reading it tonight. Which is probably a bad idea considering this deals with a plague, but I terrified myself reading World War Z at 2am and survived, I'm sure I will with The Way We Fall.

It's just bad timing that I still have a bit of a cough from the cold I had over a week ago.

Some Girls Bite Read-Along: Conclusion

2012-01-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

This week's read-along is being hosted by The Unread Reader, so head there for links and info. Questions and my reactions are under the more tag to keep from spoiling those who haven't read yet.

First: Thanks for this read along, girls! I've had great fun doing this, and I love reading the occasional book in a fun, book club atmosphere. I really enjoyed Some Girls Bite, and will probably have a full review for it up soon.

On to the questions!

Chapters 13-15 + Epilogue

1. Chapter 13 opens with Merit describing her new job routine as House Sentinel. Considering that every job Cadogan House is important in helping to make the house run efficiently, which job do you think you'd like to have (guard, cook, social director, gardener, etc.) and why?

I'd love something simple that didn't involve guarding the house, because I would suck majorly at it. I don't know, sous chef? Game night director?

2. In the supernatural world of Chicagoland Vampires, politics seem to play an important role in the way the Houses are run. Now that you've been introduced to the Rogues, do you think it's better for vampires to be a part of a House or to live outside of one.

I actually really like how the Houses are set up, despite the politics involved. It's a great way of keeping vampires together and controlled, and in all my vampire-related reading I've realized I like it when vampires try to work with humans instead of eating them all up. Though I think Rogues shouldn't be treated as social pariahs, either.

3. After Morgan openly asks to court Merit, she feels betrayed when Ethan commands her to accept for the show of alliance it could bring to Cadogan House. Do you think her reaction was warranted?

Ohhhh yeah. Poor Merit. Putting her confusing feelings for Ethan aside, to have him just be all, "yep, go possibly bone that dude, it's for the House" SUCKS.

4. When Ethan meets with the perpetrator of the murders, were you surprised to discover who it was? If you suspected someone, were your suspicions correct? What did you think of the perpetrator's motive?

I was reeeeeally surprised to see Amber was involved, mainly because she'd been relegated to random Mean Girl behavior. I wasn't so surprised to see Celine there, and not because I figured it out. She just seemed like the sort of character who would be behind it all.

5. What was your favorite/least favorite parts of Some Girls Bite?

I really loved all the world-building. Some Girls Bite has an incredible vampire world. The politics, what it means to be a vampire, all of it is great. I'm not sure I had least favorite parts. The explanations could get bogged down a little, but I chalked that down to world building and this being the first in a series, so I could give it some leeway.

6. What do you think is coming up next for Merit, Sentinel of Cadogan House? Will you continue reading this series, and if so, what do you hope to see happen in the next book?

I'm not sure what's next for Merit, but I'm definitely picking up the next book and the rest of the series as long as it stays up to par. It's fantastic.

Review: Awkward

2012-01-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Awkward
Author: Marni Bates
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:

Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she's the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous - not to mention unwelcome - attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that's when life gets really interesting...

Review:
I was really lucky with high school. Lucky, because my class was only about 120 kids, and we all knew each other. Then I went to a high school in a different state for senior year in a class of about a thousand kids, and I got to see first hand what real cliques were like. When I went to that new high school I became an Invisible, as Mackenzie Wellesley describes in Awkward. I like to think I wasn't as bad as she was, at least, and I got along just fine with the jocks or nerds or whomever when I had cause to talk to them. I was content being an invisible as long as people left me alone. So when I read a book like Awkward, I sort of get what the unpopular high school kids are going through, though I can usually only sympathize with them at best.

Awkward excelled at punching me in the face with what life would be like as a girl like Mackenzie, who was not only an invisible at her school, but totally...well, awkward.

I can't even deal with how much second hand embarrassment I got from Mackenzie as I read, but after the first few ordeals it actually began to be charming. It was just another part of Mackenzie as I got to know her, and I really began to love her. She's a fantastic character, and it's great to watch her evolution as a person as the novel goes on. It's especially great to see her pull up her big girl panties in the last third of the book and become the sort of girl she wants to be. She's still a babbly, awkward mess, but she's taken control of her life and her choices, and it's awesome to watch.

The romance was actually quite adorable, and I loved Logan. Mackenzie's friends were great (loved the LGBT inclusion, yay!). And while I felt parts of the book were very self-indulgent (friends with rock stars who she records a song with, a whole segment of her on the Ellen DeGeneres show, etc) they didn't take away from my feelings on the book as a whole, which were positive. I read Awkward in one delightful two hour sitting, and I don't regret it one bit.

P.S. Awkward is not even a real word to me anymore after writing this review. Awkward awkward awkward awkward awkward. Such a strange sounding word. Awwwwwkwaaaaaard.

Review: The Name of the Star

2012-01-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Shades of London #1
Rating: ✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Review:
The only Maureen Johnson I've read before this one was The Bermudez Triangle, a really well done YA LGBT contemporary novel. So, when I picked up The Name of the Star, I wasn't expecting much, but I didn't expect to be so underwhelmed by it, either. This is clearly a case of a fantastic story idea not being executed as well as it could have been.

I mean, a ghostly Jack the Ripper killing again? And our heroine Rory gets all caught up in it because she can see the ghost? There are so many directions to go with it, but the book spends half the time with Rory describing the minutiae of her boarding school life, her friendships, her budding relationship (sort of), etc. It's actually a really good portrait of a teenage girl being thrust into a new school and culture, but the book isn't only about that. Half way through the plot finally announces itself by inserting one of the most annoying characters I've read in a long time, "Boo". Seriously. Her nickname is Boo.

It's obvious where and why Boo comes in, and as the plot begins rolling along, it doesn't get too much more interesting. I really wish it were, because it's such a good premise, and I really liked Rory despite her being such an unassuming, borderline uninteresting character.

That's mostly what I've taken away from The Name of the Star: it could have been so, so much better.

Review: One For the Money

2012-01-20T17:54:00.000-08:00

One For the Money
Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum #1
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

Review:
I picked this up because A) I needed a break from all the paranormal/YA I've been reading, B) the movie trailer is cute despite my aversion to Katherine Heigl and C) it was time for a pure popcorn book.

One For the Money totally hit the spot for me; that sort of light, fast read that tends to clear the book-reading part of my mind. I liked Stephanie Plum for her can-do attitude, her sort of adorable bumbling way of doing things, and the slow growth we see in her as a person and a not-so-kickass bounty hunter by the end. Actually, I really liked that she was still dorky and all by the end of the book, despite going through everything Evanovich puts her through.

I enjoyed the secondary cast of characters, especially Grandma Mazur in all her kookiness. I mean, I'll never get the image of her wearing hot pink bike shorts out of my mind any time soon. Joe Morelli is a great romantic foil, one of those guys who would drive me absolutely insane in real life but I love in fiction. Ranger's pretty cool as well, and though I finished the book just yesterday, you'd be hard pressed to get me to remember the names of any other characters.

Oh, and I loved how dated the novel is, considering it was published in 1994. All those bike shorts, the cars, the car phones. It makes me wonder how we'll see the books of 2000-2010 in another ten, twenty or thirty years.

As for the negatives...it's not negative so much as a personal preference, but ugh, we could have done without the stalker/rapist side plot. I applaud Evanovich for remembering that having her main character be attractive in certain places means she'll be attracting the wrong sort of attention, and nobody understands that sort of fear like other women do, but I felt it was taken a bit too far in this.

Thanks to the Stephanie Plum case files or whatever in the end of the edition I have, I know what happens in books 2-8 and I don't have to read anymore! Woo! (Not that I would have anyway, this was a one-shot kinda deal. I liked Stephanie, but not that much.)

I give my popcorn reads a lot of leeway because I don't expect much of them. They hit the spot when I need them to, and after a while, the effect they had is gone. One For the Money was a perfect popcorn read.

Mini Reviews: Lola and the Boy Next Door, White Cat

2012-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

I don't have too many thoughts on the following books, mainly because I'm A) sick, B) reading 7 other books and C) sick sick sick. But I wanted to at least have some of my thoughts on them down for posterity, or something.

Or I just like seeing posts on the blog, that too.

Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

I really loved Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins's debut, so when I heard of Lola, it immediately went in my to read list. It's hard not to compare Lola to Anna (St. Clair and Anna even show up in this one as secondary characters, and yay, their love!), so I'll get this out of the way first: Lola is just as fun, but I enjoyed Anna more. (And I think it's kinda telling, to see why people enjoy one over the other.) But Lola and the French Kiss has a style and flair all its own, owing to Lola Nolan and her ever changing fashion, quirky love-crush Cricket, and the genuine teen anguish she goes through. What works here is that it Lola doesn't just start liking Cricket when she's still with her current boyfriend, punk rocker Max, but she's always liked him. That her feelings are established and thus get all churned up when Cricket comes back keep it from being shallow. Plus, she's got two gay dads, an awesome best friend, lives in San Francisco and works on a full on Marie Antoinette dress for a school dance. Lola might be a little too quirky for me in real life, but in print she's great, and so is this novel. Yay for good YA chick lit!

White Cat, by Holly Black
Series: Curse Workers #1
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

First off, I really, really like the idea behind White Cat. Magic being prominent and just another thing people do, the idea of curse working and magic blow back, the mystery of it all and a pretty cool con-man protagonist in Cassel Sharpe.

I was just totally not on board as I read, and I have no frigging clue why. I swear, I got to page 200 and realized I didn't know where I was in the plot, what was happening, or why Cassel was doing anything he was. Well no, that's a lie, I got a lot of it, and as the book finished I got that, but in my memory the middle of it is all muddled. I get that the nature of the mystery itself (which -- damn, that was a good twist) led to a bit of an unreliable narrator, but I'm still baffled.

And that's not a bad thing! I'm just gonna sit here and say that what I got out of the book I enjoyed, and I'll be checking out the next in the series, but WTF, self.

This is the lamest review ever, look at some pictures of Tom Sturridge, who is the perfect Cassel based on the book cover alone and forget this ever happened:

Some Girls Bite Read-Along

2012-01-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

This week's read-along is being hosted by Books in the Spotlight, so head there for links and info. Again, questions and my reactions are under the more tag to keep from spoiling anyone.

Chapters 9-12

1. Catcher and Ethan share some personality traits. What makes Mallory, Merit, and even us readers attracted to these guys? Would you date/mate with someone like these guys in real life?

Guys like Catcher and Ethan are intense. Whatever they have -- the confidence, the charm, etc -- they have it in spades, and it's easy to be drawn to something so attractive like that. I don't blame Mallory or Merit one bit. Annnnnd maybe I'd mate with Catcher. Once. Ethan, nah.

2. In Chapter 9 we learn of another murder. Do you see any patterns with the previous murder and Merit's attack? Do you have any guesses as to who is responsible and the motive behind the murders?

Well, the theory I'm most keen on is that it's a vampire trying to take down the House system, someone who was burned by it in the past. I'm not sure if it's a Rogue, or a House vamp nursing a longtime grudge.

3. The commendation is my favorite moment in the book and a significant event in Merit's life. She has finally come to terms that she is a Cadogan vampire. Were you surprised at all that Merit resisted Ethan's call and that he made her a Sentinel? Do you think she'll do well in this position? Why or why not?

I wasn't entirely surprised she resisted the call, but I didn't see her being named Sentinel coming. I mean, it makes sense that something this huge happens to Merit because the book is about her, but damn. That's some big vamp mojo.

4. Loyalty is a reoccurring theme throughout the book and much of this series. Why is it so important to Ethan that he needs Merit's allegiance? Is it solely a Master and Sentinel thing or does it imply something else?

I think to Ethan, Merit's been resisting everything about being a vampire since day one, and he just wants her to be loyal. There's something more to it as well, maybe Ethan was aware something like this would happen with Merit, maybe not.

5. If you had the opportunity to sit down with Ethan, Merit, Mallory, and Catcher for a bite to eat like in the beginning of Chapter 12, what questions would you ask them at this point of the story?

Ethan, what is your end game? Also, stop being so hot.
Mallory, Catcher, I think you guys need to like, tape some of your sexy times, it'd benefit the rest of the world.
Merit...girl, what have you gotten yourself into?

Reader's Progress (4)

2012-01-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

Reader's progress is a bi-weekly post of what I've read, what I'm reading, and what's up next to read.

Currently Reading

Reading:

White Cat, by Holly Black
I finally picked this up after seeing the gorgeous cover remakes for this series, and while I find it interesting, I'm still not entirely sure what is going on. Maybe it's the fact that I've read it entirely while dealing with this cold and constantly drugged up, who knows.

Blood Rights, by Kristen Painter
I picked this up just for the gorgeous cover art, and I'm liking it so far. A lush, interesting vampire novel.

Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White
This has turned into my read while exercising book for now, which means I get through a few pages every other day. It's a fun, light read to distract myself with while huffing away on the elliptical.

Some Girls Bite, by Chloe Neill
Reading this for the Some Girls Bite read-along, which is proving to be lots of fun so far.

Shattered Souls, by Mary Lindsey
Got a few pages in and my attention was immediately taken away by other books. I'll come back to you, Shattered Souls! I promise!

Stiiiiill Reading:

Green, by Jay Lake
Gone, by Michael Grant

Not because I don't like them or I'm not interested, but I just keep getting distracted by other shiny books.

Gave Up:

Firelight, by Sophie Jordan - I got about 50 pages in, realized all I'd read so far was angst, angst, entitled teenager whining, insta-love, angst, and decided I wasn't going to put myself through it.
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, by Alison Goodman - I can appreciate that this is actually a really good novel, but I found it was one of those things where it just didn't click with me.

Next Up:
(aka I want to read more than I have the ability to, why can't we have like, three heads and brains?)

Recently Read:
(Linked where reviewed)

Angelfall, by Susan Ee
Cinder, by Melissa Meyer
Demonglass, by Rachel Hawkins
Blood Red Road, by Moira Young
New Girl, by Paige Harbison
Hushed, by Kelley York
11/22/63, by Stephen King
A Class Apart, by Stephen Henning
Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King

Review: Angelfall

2012-01-14T00:52:00.000-08:00

Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #1
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary:
It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Review:
Angelfall has been getting tons of good reviews as Goodreads users discovered in the last few months, and for good reason.

It's a post-apocalyptic, survival of the fittest, angels are killing everyone paranormal story, something darker than most paranormal romances flooding the market these days. Penryn is a great heroine, with skills that are actually explained as she does her best to fight her way to finding her little sister, Paige, who was taken by angels for nefarious purposes. Along the way, she rescues Raffe, an angel whose wings are cut off in a battle, and she saves him from near death because he's her only chance of getting Paige back.

This seriously has everything going for it, and while we dive straight into the action from the start, Penryn's narrative is the emotional core of the book. She's smart, she does what she needs to, but at the same time, she's still a young girl in a world where the freaking apocalypse happened.

And then they get to San Francisco and the last third of the novel turns into something bizarre. Delightful, intriguing, interesting, unique, horrifying...but bizarre all the same. I can't say more at the risk of spoiling the entire end of it, but take my word for it. This is not your typical paranormal romance/urban fantasy novel, and it's a breath of fresh air (well, for the most part, I'm not sure post-apocalyptic air is good for you...) in a crowded genre.

Follow Friday (2)

2012-01-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

For more info on Follow Friday, check out Parajunkee or Alison Can Read. If you're here via the blog hop, please let me know in a comment and I'll follow back.

Question of the Week: Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

Music is a huuuuge part of my life. I'm always listening to something when I'm on a computer, usually my entire library put on shuffle. I could come up with two dozen of my favorite bands/songs to flood this post with, but you could just take a gander at my Last.fm to check out what my music tastes skew toward.

As for my two top favorites:

Muse

Everyone's heard of Muse by now, but they're my favorite band ever. EVER. I've seen them live three times, each time more awesome than the last (even when I was in nosebleed seats in a 30k arena), and they always get better. They're a hard rock group that dabbles in electro and classical symphonies, which is the easiest way for me to describe them. Mesh those three genres together and you've got Muse.

Beirut

On the opposite end of the musical spectrum is Beirut. They're a folk band led by the startlingly talented 25 year old Zachary Condon, who is one of my personal heroes. His voice digs deep and rips my heart out sometimes, no matter how much I listen to a song or album. Cherbourg (below) is easily my favorite song of all time.

Review: Cinder

2012-01-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl...

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Review:

First off, I really love that cover. It speaks to my simplistic, splash of color, negative space loving heart. I'm a little concerned that the shoe's a little too big for her, but that's the price you pay for a heel that gorgeous.

The twist on the Cinderella fairytale as a futuristic sort of dystopian cyborg fantasy adventure is brilliant, but for all the awesome things Cinder has going for it, not all of them quite live up to their potential. I mean, I enjoyed it. I really, really did. But my bread and butter when it comes to fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian stories is the world building, and Cinder falls short.

There's so much going on, so many threads begun and barely worked through or tied off, and I blame that mostly on this the first novel in a series, and the world building took back seat to all the storylines and awesome ideas Marissa Meyer had to include:

- Cinder is a cyborg, obviously.
- There's a plague ravaging the Earth.
- There are people living on the moon who like, have magic powers and stuff. (This is explained scientifically, but MOON PEOPLE WITH POWERS!)
- The romance. Which I didn't hate! Yay Cinder!
- A plot twist/cliffhanger that I (and probably you) called early on.
- And of course, the awful step-mother and step-siblings
- Oh, and Cinder's BFF, an android that gets a shout out because I loved her.

There's enough of a base in Cinder to definitely make it an enjoyable read. I had tons of fun. But there's too much going on all at once, and the plot barrels on so fast -- like that train that took both Denzel Washington and Chris Pine's combined powers of awesome to stop in that one movie -- that there's no room for much of anything else.

Bottom line: fun, could use some work, still totally picking up the next book.

Some Girls Bite Read-Along

2012-01-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

I missed last week's discussion questions, as I was pretty wrapped up in a whole lot of stuff, but I finally cracked open Some Girls Bite a few days ago and I'm loving it. The world building and vampire politics speak to me, as well as Merit's reluctance at becoming a vampire. There's a whole lot of exposition so far, but I forgive it because I love this stuff. I'm a little so-so on Ethan (hot as he is) and I kinda love Catcher already.

I'm throwing in last week's discussion questions as well, just to catch up with everyone, and I'm putting the rest of this post behind a jump, to keep from spoiling anyone who hasn't read it yet.

For the discussion questions and links to other posts, check out Tina's Book Reviews.

Chapters 1-4

1. Let’s say tomorrow a “vampire manifesto” as Merit calls it runs in newspapers across the country announcing their existence. How do you think you would react? If you were hesitant to believe initially, what would it take to convince you they were real?

Noooot much, honestly. I'd believe it right away, mostly because I've been reading too much fiction not to. :P

2. Since being turned into a vampire means complete removal from your former life and a new job serving your House in some capacity, what do you think you would miss most about the life you live now?

My boyfriend, my friends. THE SUN. I'm like Sookie Stackhouse, I love the sun way too much to give it up for a life in the night. I'm that person who loves baking under it no matter how tan I get. I turn about ten shades darker in the summer.

3. What are your first impressions of Merit and how she’s handling all the changes in her life?

I'm totally with Merit. She's having all these changes thrown in her face -- not by choice -- and I think she's handling it with grace. Most of the time, anyway, but I think any outbursts of anger she has are totally, er, merited.

4. When you first read the description of Ethan, what actor/model/person you know pops into your head as the perfect embodiment of him? Feel free to include pictures ;-)

I've been watching too much True Blood, because all I see is Alexander Skarsgard, the perfect hotass vampire. Every time I read about a hot blond vamp, no matter his eye color or stature, ASkars pops into mind.

5. Do you think Merit’s anger at Ethan himself, not the situation, is justified?

Ohhhh yeah. I totally get both sides of the story, I understand why Ethan changed her and I understand Merit's anger. If she wants to focus it on the dude who changed her against her will, then go for it, girl. Let it all out.

Chapters 5-8

1. In what is a make you blush, steamy scene in the book- Chapter 5 has Ethan and Merit sharing a few hot moments after Merit's hunger strikes...that is until Ethan becomes a total cad! What do you think of him so far? Strong, masterful vampire, conceited playboy.....lover boy in disguise?

All of the above. He's the master of a House and all the vamps under his command, of course he's conceited and thinks he can treat Merit the way he wants. No that I approve, but I totally understand. I think there'll be a lot more to him -- saving Merit's life when she could have died, for one -- but right now, I'm totally fine with lusting after him while wanting to kick him in the shins.

2. Merit and Mallory begin some major training in these next few chapters, resulting in cool Katana Sword facts and Ninja moves. What is the most physically challenging or adrenaline fueled event/activity you have participated in?

Hahahah, um. Actual gym exercise? Soccer matches when I was a kid? Coming from behind to win a track meet and then collapsing after I finished because I'd pushed myself to far? Which were all about 10+ years ago, I'm a big lump of lazy right now, but it's okay because I spend most of that time reading. And I've started exercising and reading at the same time, so there!

3. Mallory and Catcher have sparks so intense they almost fly off the page.....what do you think of this cozy couple? Did you like the insta-love between them? Do they add to the story?

I'm a little wary about the insta-love, but I love that it's focused on secondary characters and not throwing a ton of guys at Merit. I do love that they literally have sparks flying, and their loud sex makes me laugh.

4. Lets talk Bff's....Mallory is hands down a terrific friend to Merit, the girls relationship is real, down to earth and fun....not to mention hysterical. What is your favorite memory or favorite thing to do with your bff? Feel free to share pics!

I live with my BFF, so I we do a lot of things together. Our biggest house tradition is watching really awful movies together, which is more fun than it sounds, I promise. Even better if the movies have accompanying Rifftrax.

5. Things are starting to heat up in the mystery department...the set up at Red, Morgan's flirty appearance....Catcher's vague answers......as correlation day gets closer for Merit do you think someone is out to get her...or maybe recruit her to another house? Or PS- feed her some more food...because goodness this girl likes to eat!!!

I'm reeeeally curious about what plans Ethan has for Merit after admitting she's not a mere foot soldier, and Catcher says she could be House master one day. Was the attack set up, or was it luck for Ethan? Just how powerful and pivotal a position is Merit in? So many questions!

Review: Demonglass

2012-01-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

Demonglass
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall #2
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Review:
I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the first book in this series, Hex Hall, because I was delighted once I dove back into Sophie's world. She's a great character to follow along as the world of the Hex Hall series is expanded, and she's one of the easiest, least annoying first person POVs I've had the pleasure of reading in a while.

What I appreciate most about Demonglass is how smart Sophie is about things -- the boy she really likes is a bad guy? Don't meet up with him in secret! (The first time, anyway.) Doing something dangerous and you get advice that changes your mind? Change it! She does everything a smart teenager should do in a series like this, and I've never once yelled or groaned because Sophie did something that just begs her to be offed, unlike some other YA paranormal heroines I won't name.

Even the inevitable sort of love triangle didn't bother at all, because it wasn't shoved in just for the same of having a love triangle. Sophie's caught between two guys she genuinely likes - one who she knows she should stay away from (and does, for the most part), and the other who is a pretty great guy. Neither of the guys fight for Sophie in an unhealthy way, neither professes their stalkery love for her, and it's just. So. REFRESHING.

I felt a few of the secondary characters in this one, from the new demon teens to some of the council members were drawn a little thin, but I did enjoy getting to know Sophie's father, and her gay vampire best friend Jenna is always a delight.

I can't wait for Spell Bound to come out, especially after that doozy of a cliffhanger ending Demonglass.

Review: Imaginary Girls

2012-01-08T16:38:00.001-08:00

Imaginary Girls
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

Review:
(Originally written on Goodreads 11/01/11.)

I'm still struggling to decide how I feel about Imaginary Girls. I enjoyed it. I liked the story, the mystery was engaging enough that I had to know how it all ended, and the writing was very...let's say...poetic. It never quite reached that other P-word, but it got close.

The relationship between the sisters is an entirely different animal, despite it being central to the novel. Ruby and Chloe have the sort of co-dependent relationship that doesn't make me happy the way it does in Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros series, or in the television show Supernatural. It's the sort that made me uncomfortable, made me squirm as I read. It's unhealthy despite the love the sisters had for each other, and ultimately, my personal feelings on that matter are what's so conflicting for me about this book. I also sort of hated Ruby at times. I'm still not sure whether that was intentional or not, because despite the really shitty things Ruby does to other people (except her sister, of course) and despite Chloe being aware of them, Ruby is still a goddess in her sister's eyes. It's one thing I have to credit the author for; seeing Ruby through the eyes of a worshipful younger sister and still being incredibly uncomfortable about her (as I think was the intention) is impressive.

Impressive. That's the word I wanted. Imaginary Girls is an impressive novel. It might not have the same impression on everyone, but it does leave one.

Follow Friday

2012-01-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Two memes for the price of one! Hope 2012 is starting off just the way you guys want it.

Q: Go count the number of unread books on your shelf right now. How many are there?

Ohhhh lordy. Um, I try not to buy physical books at all because I've moved across the country twice and had to learn to live light. But since I got my e-reader I've gone a bit crazy. I've got about 200 books on there, and my TBR shelf on Goodreads is just shy of 500 (including the 200+ on my e-reader).

I have very high aspirations, okay. And when you're (sadly still) unemployed, there's not much to do but hang out online or read.

For more info on Feature and Follow Friday, check out Parajunkee or Alison Can Read. If you're here via the blog hop, please let me know in a comment and I'll follow back.

Favorite Book of 2011: A Monster Calls

2012-01-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

I wrote this short review on Goodreads a couple months back, and as I was trying to come up with 2011 favorite lists and all, A Monster Calls was on the top of the list every time. It's a book I think can appeal to everyone, and is a great teaching tool for younger kids dealing with grief. It's the best middle grade/YA book I've read in a long, long time.

A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:

The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming... This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

Review:
The best sort of YA novel is one that isn't meant just for the young demographic. It's the sort that adults can read and still relate to as well, because there's no emotion so profound and so shared as that of loss and grief, and the struggle to come to terms with it. There are so many different layers to this book, though what's on the surface is just as important and entertaining as what lurks below it.

The book itself is boasts some absolutely gorgeous art, dark sketches and scribbles, moody, evocative, scary and as much a part of Conor's story as the words themselves are.

I read A Monster Calls in a single sitting because I simply couldn't put it down, too engrossed in the monster, in Connor and his story, and the stories told within. This book is so good. I want to shove it in everyone's face and tell them to read as if their lives depended on it. Because this is what a good book is, to me. It's the combination of story, character, emotion so deep anyone can relate.

Review: Blood Red Road

2012-01-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

Blood Red Road
Author: Moira Young
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Review:
Blood Red Road is an epic adventure from start to finish. While I count it in the dystopian and post-apocalyptic genres, it feels much more like a real western. I kept picturing the TV show Firefly as I read, minus the tech.

Our heroine is Saba, who starts her journey when her twin brother is kidnapped. What I love most about her is that she starts off as a determined, no-nonsense, almost unlikeable person. And what I love more, is that she doesn't change entirely. She's still determined and no-nonsense, but she can kick more ass and is a bit more likeable. She changes for the better in the areas that she needed to grow, but she's still the same girl at the end of it all. Everything she does and says as the book moves along always makes sense, even if they're the sorts of things you don't want to see from a heroine.

The secondary characters are great as well, from Saba's little sister Emmi, to the group of warrior girls she (reluctantly) befriends, and Jack, the love interest. I can see why Jack would be an appealing interest, but this was where the novel lost me for a bit, because it's one of those 'destined to be together because our eyes met and I feel warm about it all the time' sort of romances. I still enjoyed the sort-of flirting and their back and forth feelings for each other as their friendship grew, but the start of it bothered me.

Also fun was the writing itself. It was a little jarring at first ("would/could of" is one of my biggest pet peeves), reading Saba's mispronunciations and misspellings, but once I got going it made picturing Saba and her world that much easier.

I really enjoyed Blood Red Road for the departure from most teen dystopian/apocalyptic novels these days. It's a fun ride from start to finish, and, joy of all joys, it wraps up at the end despite this being the first in a series.

Review: New Girl

2012-01-02T02:42:00.000-08:00

New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Review: ✮✮✮
Release: January 31st, 2012
Book Depository | Goodreads
Received for review from NetGalley; this has no effect on the outcome of this review.

Summary:
They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderley Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

Review:
New Girl is...interesting. I found it hard to put my thoughts together once I was through because there were different layers to it, half of which I loved, half of which drove me nuts.

We have two narrators; New Girl, who is a Floridian sent to a Northeastern boarding school in her senior year, and Becca Normandy, the giant shoes she has to fill, no matter how much she doesn't want to. New Girl's chapters are a practice in confusion and loneliness - the kids at school aren't particularly nasty to her at all, they just really loved Becca, who has gone missing. Becca's chapters are the typical spoiled brat determined to be popular trope, but as we move along we realize she's a girl with so much doubt and no idea what she wants, which anyone can relate to.

Weighing these characters against each other, it's easy to root for New Girl and hate Becca simply for the legacy New Girl has to live up to, but the book isn't that simple. Becca is a trainwreck of a girl, and though the simplistic bent of her narrative bugged me at first, it's hard not to sympathize with her. I might not have loved her at the end, but I knew who Becca was and why she was.

The romance here is actually pretty damned good. It's not your straight up boy meets girl, crushes ensue, everyone ends up happily ever after type of story. It's much more complex and messed up at times, which is easy to say of the entire book.

New Girl is a pretty good read at the end of it all, a complex, interesting novel highlighting two very different girls and who they are and choose to be.

Review: Hushed

2012-01-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Review: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads
Received from NetGalley; this has no effect on the outcome of this review.

Summary:
He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Review:
First off, I have to say that this book is definitely not for everyone. There are some heavy themes involved, and it reminds me a lot of the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay, simply because we focus on Archer, who is something very close to a sociopath, but so sympathetic that it makes the book work.

What makes Hushed work so well is how Kelley York works through not only Archer dealing with being a monster and a killer, but explaining how his extremely toxic, co-dependent relationship with Vivian works. Everything Archer does or has done is explained and while it's never justified, we still understand.

Then Evan comes along just as Archer's relationship with Vivian (who jumps from bad boyfriend to bad boyfriend) starts to unravel, and the addition of someone new in his life brings a whole new level to the novel. The romance here is fantastic, as we see it entirely from Archer's perspective; Archer, who's never known someone who simply wants to be with him, wants to know him, doesn't want anything but his company. The development of the relationship juxtaposed with the pain of his and Vivian's friendship coming apart is fantastic.

I recommend Hushed for anyone who might find it interesting, but with the warning that it's a very either/or sort of novel.

2012 Reading Goals

2012-01-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all rang in the new year the way you wanted and had a good time.

I've been trying to think up some good reading goals for the year, and while my list is short and sweet, it's good to have it up somewhere so I know I'm accountable somehow.

2012 Reading Goals:

Read 200 books. Thanks to really keeping up with Goodreads in 2011, I surpassed my 125 books goal, reading 149 books by December 30th. I think I can easily hit 200 this year!
Branch out. I'm very fond of my YA dystopia and adult paranormal, but I want to read more. I definitely want to dip my toes in more historical fiction and more mystery novels, as well as contemporary YA and straight up high fantasy.
Read Lord of the Rings. I was 10 when I first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I have this very clear memory of my late grandfather putting a giant copy of the LOTR trilogy in my hands at the bookstore and telling me I would enjoy it, and I did. I've read it every single year since, without fail.
More challenges! I find challenges are an excellent way for me to pick and choose what to read, since I'm horrible about wanting to read everything that looks even remotely interesting. (My Goodreads to read shelf is out of control.)

That's it! I have reviews for Hushed and New Girl coming in the next day or two, so look out for those. Happy New Year!

Reader's Progress (3)

2011-12-30T16:42:00.000-08:00

Reader's progress is a weekly post of what I've read, what I'm reading, and what's up next to read.

Currently Reading:

Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White
This is turning out to be pretty good fun, and I love Evie. Her sass reminds me so much of Buffy Summers, and I really like the variation in paranormal creatures. Can't wait to finish this and get to the next in the series.

New Girl, by Paige Harbison
Received via Net Galley for review, I'm really enjoying this. It's a bit of a change from what I usually read (nothing supernatural, no apocalypses or dystopian governments involved), and I find I'm genuinely loving the main character.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, by Alison Goodman
I haven't read any pure fantasy in a while (I'm still slogging happily through Green despite starting it weeks ago), but Eon is a really great entry into the genre, specifically for the YA set.

A Class Apart, by Stephen Henning
I received this one to review for Girls Read Comics Too. It's a middle grade superhero novel, the sort that's a simple, fun read. I'm only a few pages away, so a crossposted review should be up soon.

Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr
Faeries! YES! I'm really enjoying this a whole lot, and maybe a little more than I did The Iron King. (It's hard not to compare fae novels when I read them so close together.)

11/22/63, by Stephen King
I finally cracked into this about a week ago, and I'm loooving it. Stephen King's one of my favorite authors, though, so that's no big surprise.

Hushed, by Kelley York
Deliciously moody and morally twisted, straight up 'killing people for the one I love but I'm still relateable' with a LGBT twist. Love it. I'm going slowly just because I don't want it to end.

Next Up:
(aka I need to stop going to the library when I'm still reading other books)

Recently Reviewed:

Legend, by Marie Lu
A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb
The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan
How to Host a Killer Party, by Penny Warner
Shine, by Lauren Myracle
The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa
The Vast Fields of Ordinary, by Nick Burd
Pretties, by Scott Westerfeld
24 Girls in 7 Days, by Alex Bradley

Mini Reviews: Legend, A Certain Slant of Light, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, How to Host a Killer Party

2011-12-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

Legend, by Marie Lu
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Another recent entry into the field of dystopian YA, Legend breaks from the mold slightly by focusing on action and adventure, with a touch of romance and the inevitable government betrayal. The novels follows two very different character that come together: Day, a notorious teenage criminal, and June, a famous child prodigy working her way through college and into the military. Day and June are interesting characters on their own, and we get a great glimpse into who they are as the narrative splits between them. There's a bit of stretch in belief when they meet and spend some time together, as certain events and gestures and things said have to happen a certain way for all of it to come together, but I didn't mind it at all because I really enjoyed Legend. Even with the romance. I feel like I say this a lot, but not every YA novel needs romance. Day and June and their burgeoning friendship and the way their fates are tied together could have been enough without having them become romantic partners.

Ultimately, Legend was good fun, and I can't wait for the second installment. Also, props to Marie Lu for wrapping up the first novel in a series instead of leaving it with a cliffhanger.

A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

In A Certain Slant of Light we follow Helen, a ghost who cleaves to an unwitting person and haunts them. Nicely, of course. Helen just wants to stay close to her humans, reading over their shoulders and experiencing their lives. Until she meets a boy who can actually see her, and she's propelled into a whirlwind romance with the only other person she's met like her. This novel is...interesting. On one hand, it's a very well written (Helen's narrative is so polite at times), moody, engrossing book. On the other, you get about half way through and it starts to veer off into unexpected places, and none of them all that good, in my experience. I did enjoy the idea of it, the execution of most of it, and if it weren't for the fact that things just got worse and worse (and worse) in the most melodramatic way before the end, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan
Rating: ✮✮ (Didn't Finish)
Book Depository | Goodreads

The premise of this is right up my alley: dystopian YA fiction set in a post-apocalyptic zombie future, in a small, religious village with secrets, surrounded by a forest where the zombies live. In a manner of speaking. The ingredients are all there for a great novel, but they just don't come together. The problem is our protagonist, Mary. We start off with Mary already an orphan and her brother turning her back on her as she joins the Sisterhood, the village's religious organization. All Mary does is think about how she wants to leave the village, whine about not loving the boy she's betrothed to, but his brother, and wonder what's beyond the forest when all evidence of an outsider is erased by the Sisterhood. Once I hit a hundred pages I realized nothing had happened. All I had read about was Mary doing dumb things and whining about her life, and not even the promise of answers for all the mysteries of the Sisterhood was enough to keep me going. I really wanted to like this book, too.

How to Host a Killer Party, by Penny Warner
Rating: ✮✮ (Didn't Finish)
Book Depository | Goodreads

I figured I could use some light, fun reading among all the ghost/dystopian books I've been reading, but I reeeeally picked wrong this time. I don't take my popcorn books as seriously as the others I read, so I give them a lot of leeway. But I got about halfway through How to Host a Killer Party and realized I didn't care about what was going on. It was cute, sure, and Presley Parker is a fun protagonist, but this is a case of the book just not being for me.

Review: Shine

2011-12-28T01:52:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a happy week, whatever you celebrate (or don't)! I had such a quiet Christmas that I ended up reading quite a bit. It was sort of wonderful. I was going to make this a mini reviews post, but I ended up rambling on about Shine so much that I wanted to split it off. There'll be a few more reviews in a mini review post coming up soon!

Shine
Author: Lauren Myracle
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

Review:
This book was absolutely gorgeous. I wasn't so sure of it at first, as the plot reads like something that could go terribly wrong, but it ended up being so much more than that, and I'm so glad I pushed through my initial discomfort to get into it. Shine is a dark, moody portrait of a smart, confused, shuttered girl who begins to emerge from her self-imposed exile. Cat is a great protagonist, and what struck me most about her taking on the mystery, to get it out of the way first, was that she didn't do anything overly brilliant or stupid. She simply asked questions, followed where the answers took her, and found the answer.

While the hate crime against her former best friend Patrick is what propels the story, it's what it does to Cat as she solves the mystery that really made me love the book. Years before, Cat completely severs her connections to everyone, including her best friend; an event in her life leaves her unable to deal with people and she withdraws into herself. (I figured out the event pretty quickly, but that doesn't take away from the reveal when it comes. While it's not as disturbing as some might expect to make Cat react so deeply, it still impacts and traumatizes her in such a way that I understand why she did.) Seeing Cat finally begin to interact with the world she used to belong to is what makes this book so wonderful. It's books like these that remind me why I love reading YA fiction.

Cat isn't the only great character in the book, however. So many YA novels don't develop secondary characters that well, but Shine has an amazing cast of them. Some didn't get as much time as others, some were only around for a single conversation, but in that single scene there's enough in what they say, how they act and what Cat thinks of them that you get a vivid portrait of who they are, the life they've led and where they'll go once the book is through. Her brother, her aunt, the townsfolk and my favorite, a quirky kid named Robert, are all vividly drawn, to the point where I could picture them walking around their little town. Even Patrick, who is in a coma for the novel, is as fully realized a character as Cat is.

The only thing I didn't enjoy about the book was the romance sub-plot. It was good to see Cat have some light in her life and Jason did have some helpful moments, but it felt shoehorned in, as if to fit some sort of YA novel romance quota. But Shine is a great enough book that I can forgive it and recommend it wholeheartedly.

Mini Reviews: The Iron King, Pretties, The Vast Fields of Ordinary, 24 Girls in 7 Days

2011-12-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

Another batch of mini reviews, as my reading list fluctuates. I need to stop starting new books when I'm still reading a bunch of others, it's kind of a problem.

The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

I've been getting into lots of fae-related books lately (two books from my last library trip are fae stories), and I really enjoyed The Iron King. It's a great romp through well-known fairy tales with a dash of wonderland thrown in, and I especially loved the sorta steampunk addition in the iron fae. At times I felt the story went a little too fast, at the expense of our heroine Meghan. She does some selfless things (going to save her brother, making deals to make sure she can), but ultimately the book ends up being cycle after cycle of Meghan stumbles into danger, someone bails her out. I enjoyed Robin Goodfellow (though I prefer Rob Thurman's much more adult take on the puck) and Grimalkin, similar to the well known Cheshire Cat. What I didn't particularly care for, and what bothers me in most genre YA, is the romance being slotted into the book. It felt out of place for Meghan suddenly falling for someone in the span of, what, two days? Three? (I lost track with all the action going on.)

There's enough good about The Iron King to make up for the issues I have with it. I'm not particularly rushed to get the next book in the series, but I'll eventually pick it up because I did enjoy the world Julie Kagawa has built.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary, by Nick Burd
Rating: Didn't Finish
Book Depository | Goodreads

I have a low tolerance for angst without reason, and The Vast Fields of Ordinary hit that button repeatedly. Dade's crappy job, his parents divorcing, his borderline emotionally and physically abusive, secretive gay relationship and his apathy about life did not speak to me. There were so many things Dade could have done -- don't sit with the homophobic jocks when they accuse you of being gay, don't be an asshole and continue to talk to your sort-of boyfriend, tell the girl who has a crush on you that you don't like her that way instead of just running away like she's got cooties -- that it makes his angst about his life feel manufactured. I couldn't relate to him at all.

Pretties, by Scott Westerfeld
Rating: Didn't Finish
Book Depository | Goodreads

I really loved Uglies. It was in the first wave of books I read when I began to read dystopian YA in earnest, and I was completely sucked into Tally's world. She was interesting, I loved the world building, I wanted to know more about all the secondary characters she met along the way. We even got to interview Scott Westerfeld about the manga accompaniment to Uglies at Girls Read Comics Too, and I'm excited to read it. So, when I finally cracked into Pretties, I was crushed at how much I didn't enjoy it. It makes sense that Tally would be a bit changed after going through the pretty surgery, but it was just so jarring -- she wasn't the same girl I'd come to love. On top of it all, the increased pretty-talk really got to me, and I had to stop reading before I saw another "bubbly" and punched myself in the face like a "crim" until I was "brain-less." Maybe I'll give it another chance some day, now that I know what I'm getting into. I just knew that when it was time to take it back to the library and I hadn't finished it yet, I didn't care enough to get the book renewed.

24 Girls in 7 Days, by Alex Bradley
Rating: Didn't Finish
Book Depository | Goodreads

24 Girls started out strong, but as I reached the half way point, I realized that I'd slowly begun to care less and less what happened to our hero. It's a really interesting premise, where a likeable guy's best friends post a joke ad for a prom date and he gets a list of possible girls, all of whom are not right in some way because he's been talking to someone called FancyPants online and we all know where that's heading. As much as I enjoyed the opening, it lost steam after the first third and I really didn't care anymore. I skimmed the last part of the book just to find out who FancyPants was.

My Book Boyfriend (1)

2011-12-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

This is my first post taking part in the My Book Boyfriend meme hosted by The Unread Reader! It's a weekly meme where you write a post about a book character that makes you swoon, makes you weak at the knees and fall in love. For more information and how to contribute, check out the My Book Boyfriend introduction post.

I'm kicking my part in the meme off with someone I've loved for a while now; Caliban Leandros of Rob Thurman's kickass urban fantasy series. You'd think hot, blond, older brother, ninja Niko Leandros would be the pick, but nope. I love Cal and his foul mouth, his horrible attitude, his love for his brother and the incredibly hilarious things he thinks and says.

Stats:

Is half human, half auphe, the nightmarish demons of their universe. (He'd call himself half-human, half-monster, all attitude.)
Never sleeps without his favorite gun.
Described as incredibly pale, with storm grey eyes and long dark hair.
Has an incredible relationship with his older brother Niko, who would rip the world apart to save Cal, and vice versa.
Works as a bartender in a supernatural bar, where his auphe-half is feared by most and his attitude isn't a problem.
Has a razor sharp wit that can cut anyone to pieces -- even as he's kicking ass and taking names.

“He tried to turn me into a buffet?” I gritted my teeth. “Before he killed me? He couldn’t kill me first and then eat me? That’s just fucking rude.” - Blackout

"I was alone, and I was lost. I didn’t know where I was; I didn’t know who I was. It doesn’t get more lost than that. Knowing what I knew and not knowing anything else at all, why would I want to be in the darkness where monsters hide?Because killers hide there, too..." - Blackout

My Cal is played by Ian Somerhalder. (The cranky, non-vampire version.)

Check out other MBB posts at The Unread Reader!

Five Alarm Book Reviews 1000 Follower Giveaway!

2011-12-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

Check out the incredibly awesome Follow Me to 1,000 Followers Giveaway at Five Alarm Book Reviews, a great book review site. There's a prize at every 100 followers, and Stephanie's a pretty great blogger herself, so you won't be disappointed.

Review: The Maze Runner

2011-12-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Series: Maze Runner #1
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Review:
ALL THE DYSTOPIAN YA EVERRRRR.

This is a little different from my usual fare, in that it focuses on a young boy trapped in a hellish maze with other boys, and romance is non-existent. Thomas is new, and we learn of the world of the Glade and the maze through his eyes.

What works for this book is that it throws us straight into the mystery without trying to build up a true dystopian future. Hints and guesses are all we get of the world outside the maze, and we spend the entire time learning its terrifying secrets with Thomas. And holy crap, is this book terrifying in parts. Dashner doesn't skimp on the horror, creating half robot, half slug-like creatures that patrol the maze every night and kill every kid who gets stuck outside the Glade. I was genuinely creeped out at the description of them, and the tension only gets worse as the book goes on into the epic end.

However, most of the characters other than Thomas are very thinly drawn. There were only about five boys we really get to know, and I still have no real idea of who they were except for Thomas's friend Chuck. As for the girl, she shows up, is a catalyst, and things happen.

That's pretty much all The Maze Runner is, but I think Dashner has an amazing hand at driving up tension and creating such a terrifying, mindless villains that it overshadows the major lack of characterization for the supporting cast.

And the cliffhanger was excruciating. Totally checking out book two, The Scorch Trials, once I have time to fit it into my reading schedule.

Reader's Progress #2

2011-12-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Reader's progress is a weekly post of what I've read, what I'm reading, and what's up next to read.

Currently Reading:

The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa
I'm really enjoying all the various forms the fae take in different novels lately. I'm only 50 pages in, but this has the right balance of mystery, adventure and creeping fear as we move along. Plus, there's a Puck. Love it so far.

Gone, by Michael Grant
I've been meaning to start this YA all-the-adults-are-gone series for a while, and I finally skimmed the first few pages only to get totally sucked in. It's not a top priority, however, so I don't know how long it will be to get through it. I do like it so far, however.

And I'm still a bit way through Witch Eyes and Green (mentioned in my last reader's progress), though they haven't been as high a priority as other books.

Next Up:

I love my library so much. They have the best YA selection for a small town, and I always end up with five or more books than I intended to get whenever I visit.

Pretties, by Scott Westerfeld
I really loved the first book in this series, Uglies, and have been meaning to read Pretties for a while. I'm excited to crack into it.

24 Girls in 7 Days, by Alex Bradley
This looks really light and fluffy, and the title caught my eye at the library. I thought it seemed kinda silly at first, but I need a light, silly book every now and then.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan
One of the many YA novels I've heard about that I felt the need to read as soon as I could. YA dystopia with zombies? Yes please.

Shine, by Lauren Myracle
I only heard about this recently, but it sounds interesting (and heartbreaking) enough for me to pick up when I spied it by chance on the shelf.

Sweetly, by Jackson Pearce
I wasn't too enamoured by Sisters Red, the first of this fairytales re-imagined series, but I'm still interested enough to check this one out.

Recently Finished:
Reviews are all linked where posted!

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver
Saving Francesca, by Melina Marchett
Between the Sea and Sky, by Jaclyn Dolamore
Let the Right One In, by John Adjvide Lindqvist
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
Hexed and Hammered, by Kevin Hearne
The Maze Runner, by James Dashner - review to come!

Review: Iron Druid Chronicles

2011-12-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hounded, Hexed & Hammered
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #1, #2, #3
Rating: ✮✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
Atticus O’Sullivan has been running for two thousand years and he’s a bit tired of it. After he stole a magical sword from the Tuatha Dé Danann (those who became the Sidhe or the Fae) in a first century battle, some of them were furious and gave chase, and some were secretly amused that a Druid had the cheek to defy them. As the centuries passed and Atticus remained an annoyingly long-lived fugitive, those who were furious only grew more so, while others began to aid him in secret.

Now he’s living in Tempe, Arizona, the very last of the Druids, far from where the Fae can easily find him. It’s a place where many paranormals have decided to hide from the troubles of the Old World—from an Icelandic vampire holding a grudge against Thor to a coven of Polish witches who ran from the German Blitzkrieg.

Review:
Atticus O'Sullivan is the new love of my life, and The Iron Druid Chronicles are officially my new favorite urban fantasy novels. Sorry, Cal Leandros. It had to happen eventually.

SO LET'S TALK ABOUT URBAN FANTASY DONE RIGHT.

- Awesome main character who is equal amounts of bad ass, funny, relatable and easy to fall in love with? Check.
- Sidekick solely there for comic relief that is actually funny? Check.
- Romance/sex that doesn't disrupt the forward thrust (I couldn't resist) of the plot? Check
- A plot that is actually entertaining? Check.
- A truly formidable enemy? Check.
- All the various supernatural elements you can stomach without seeming to go overboard? Check.

I'm sure there are other points, but those are the things I love most in my urban fantasy, and when even one of these isn't done right, the book doesn't work for me. Atticus O'Sullivan TOTALLY WORKED FOR ME in more ways than one. I kinda want him to be real, or at least to be made a TV show so Richard Madden can play him in all his delicious red-headed Irish glory.

Atticus and the Morrigan in my dreeeeams

Hounded, Hexed and Hammered are a fantastic trio of novels to spend time with, and I ate them down like the delicious, delicious candy they are. They're a great mix of urban fantasy and mythology, which makes my toes curl in the best way possible. They don't just focus on Irish mythology, though it's a big part of the Hounded; in Atticus's world, all the gods and all the pantheons exist in some form, which I love.

This isn't to say the series doesn't have flaws; Atticus is a big Mary Sue sometimes, having sex with goddesses and killing dudes with hilarious quips. There's also some problematic sexism, which I attribute to the genre more than this book itself. I think the fact that I love this series so much makes it easy to overlook the flaws.

Anyway, yes. New favorite series and character ever. I'm going to be rocking in place every night until the next three books come out next year.

Review: Wither

2011-12-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Chemical Garden #1
Rating: ✮✮✮
Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:
By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Review:
I'm not sure what it is about the YA dystopian trend right now, but I love reading all the novels I can find, no matter the content. Good or bad, I try to get my hands on them. The great ones (such as The Hunger Games, which is what everyone is aiming for right) know how to create a terrifying, if believable, future, and how to make us connect to the characters as they navigate their worlds. The bad ones focus on boring romances and love triangles and shoehorn the plot in. Then there are the novels like Wither, which fall somewhere in between.

I will forgive a novel or TV show a lot if the world building is fantastic. There's nothing I love more than a new world to explore. I love reading how things got the way they did, I love experiencing new societies. I love maps. Holy crap, do I love maps. But I digress. I'll also forgive a novel a lot if the characterization is great, or I'm drawn into a world despite it all.

Wither's world building falls apart if you think about it too hard. This great review on Goodreads highlights everything I found wrong with it -- from the gene therapy to the class discrepancies, the details don't make sense when you add them up, and if it weren't for the writing and character work, I would have abandoned this after a hundred pages in.

Thankfully, Lauren DeStefano's writing cloaks you in our heroine Rhine's world the way the rest of the world is cloaked from those living in the house of her new polyamorous husband. Seeing everything through her captive eyes and her heart makes the book bearable, even makes it good, because DeStefano has a beautiful way with words. Rhine is fully believable, from her unwillingness to fall for her new life to the occasional bouts of sympathy she may have for Linden, her husband. Her longing for the twin brother she misses and her new attachments to her sister-wives -- the quiet, older Jenna and the eager Cecily -- are written well. And, for once, I didn't mind the inevitable love triangle. It's treated as more like a building friendship, which makes me roll about in glee. So many dystopian romances are built on the boy simply being wrong for the girl, and while Gabriel, one of the house servants, is taboo for Rhine, he's a friend first.

Wither is a breath of fresh air in a crowded genre, and I'm looking forward to the second book.

Tempting Tuesdays: A Some Girls Bite Read-Along

2011-12-16T01:56:00.000-08:00

Starting in January, Supernatural Snark, Tina's Book Reviews, Books in the Spotlight and The Unread Reader will be hosting a weekly blog hop/read-along of the vampire YA novel Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill, and I'll be taking part!

Some Girls Bite has been on my to read list for a while, so I'm excited to take part in this once January rolls around. For more info about the read-along (and a giveaway once it's over), check out the post at Supernatural Snark.

I've also just finished up Kevin Hearne's Hexed, book two of his Iron Druid Chronicles. I was going to do a review post, but realized I'm diving into the next book (Hammered) so quickly that I'll just review the books in one post once I'm done. So in love.

Mini Reviews: Between the Sea and Sky, Let the Right One In, The Thief

2011-12-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

A few mini reviews of books I recently finished up but haven't had a chance (or the inclination) to write out full reviews for:

Between the Sea and Sky, by Jaclyn Dolamore
Rating: ✮✮✰✰✰
Book Depository | Goodreads

I give every book I read a hundred pages to hook me. If I'm still not interested by then, I drop it and move on, because my to-read list is ridiculously long and I don't have time to focus on something I'm not enjoying. Between the Sea and Sky didn't do it for me. There are so many places a book about a mermaid siren and a romance with a flying boy could have gone, but nothing really happens. There's no emotion to the book, and it never delves into the depths of what could be in a world inspired by the darker origins of The Little Mermaid.

Let the Right One In, by John Adjvide Lindqvist
Rating: ✮✮✮✰✰
Book Depository | Goodreads

So much more than just another vampire novel. I watched the Swedish film over a year ago, and loved the chilly, quiet, terrifying mood the director infused into it. When I started reading this, I realized it wasn't just the director, but Lindqvist's writing that sets the tone. There's nothing overtly scary about this at first, and at its heart it's not really a vampire novel. It's a story about lonely people making their way through the cold before they, ahem, let the right person in.

There's also creepy vampirism and serial killer insights and pedophilia and bullying and vaguely connected side stories about other people that are probably more terrifying than Eli the little vampire that could and her human friend Oskar. Reading this mostly at night before bed was a bad idea, but I still enjoyed myself.

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
Series: The Queen's Thief #1
Rating: ✮✮✮✰✰
Book Depository | Goodreads

I've heard nothing but good things about the second installment in this series, so I read the first with slightly lower expectations, and wasn't disappointed. It's a great set up novel, introducing us to Gen, who is delightful, and its his narration that keeps the book moving even though it's very Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in the fact that its a book about people walking somewhere. Seriously.

There were some aspects of the very end I found a little abrupt, and would have probably enjoyed the reveals a little more if I'd realized from the start that Gen was the most unreliable of unreliable narrators. He is a thief, after all.

Makeup Look of the Day, Current Music Faves

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Decided to get out of my frumpy slump this week by playing around with makeup after going down a YouTube tutorial rabbit hole. (That's always how it starts.) I tried out a few smoky tutorials by Shiobhan at Letz Makeup, but ended up with a simple winged eyeliner look and neutral browns. Please forgive my hair, it's in that awkward growing out stage.

Then I went out, wandered around Sephora sighing at all the makeup I wanted but was too broke to buy, and bought myself an adorable make up tote by Caboodles at Target instead.

IT'S SO FREAKING CUTE.

I think I also want to start sharing music, because this blog was meant to be for everything I fangirl at the time, not just books. Though it will probably stay mostly books, because I read so damn much. Anyway, a few songs I've been loving lately, in helpful playlist form, and I bid you all a goodnight.

Review: Saving Francesca

2011-12-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

Saving Francesca
Author: Melina Marchetta
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
Book Depository | Audible | Goodreads

Summary:
Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastians, a boys' school that's pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas who specializes in musical burping to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop thinking about.

Then there's Francesca's mother, who always thinks she knows what's best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, along, and without an inkling who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself. [Goodreads]

Review:
This is one of those times I'm supremely grateful for the friends I have on Goodreads, because I very nearly passed this over without a second thought until I saw the four and five star ratings people whose recs I trust gave it. On the surface, there doesn't seem to be too much to this book; Francesca is in one of the first girl classes at a formerly all-boys boarding school. Yawn, right?

Saving Francesca turned out to be so much more beautiful and intricate than that.

The boarding school and Francesca's struggles within are the supporting players to the turmoil, the loneliness, the sadness and occasional happiness she finds. I don't suffer from depression and I don't know anyone who has had a breakdown the way Francesca's mother has, but I found I could truly understand what she was going through. I could almost relate, I could sympathize, I was right there with her every step of the way, and it made the normal teenage things -- the crush, the new friends, finding out who she truly is -- feel so much more than the sum of their parts.

And sad as it may be at times, it never drags you down into the depths, but instead shows you enough of a glimpse to understand what it's like.

This is a gorgeous novel, one I would highly recommend to anyone. After reading On the Jellicoe Road last month and having finished Saving Francesca, Melina Marchetta has become one of my favorite YA authors. I'll be reading everything of hers I can get my hands on.

Review: Delirium

2011-12-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #1
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
Book Depository | Audible | Goodreads

Summary:
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Review:
When you read a lot of a certain genre, you start to suss out the familiar tropes and themes that crop up in every novel. In the latest crop of dystopian YA that's popped up since The Hunger Games, it's been easy: young girl in a dystopian future, a populace that's brainwashed somehow, girl looking forward to whatever landmark she's about to hit, boy shows up, romance and having her eyes opened to the horrors of the world around her ensue. Sometimes a good boy/bad boy triangle pops up. Sometimes, books like Delirium come along, and while it does deal in many of the familiar themes, it does so in a way that feels a little fresher, a little different from the rest of them.

The fact that the entire novel is based on a romance threw me off at first, but it's the development of it that really hooked me and kept me reading. Yes, it's because of a guy that Lena starts to wake up to everything around her, but the emotional growth she experiences as the book progresses is lovely to watch, something a lot of dystopian romance novels miss when trying to hit their plot points along the way.

I think I'm mostly just glad there isn't a damn love triangle.

Reader's Progress #1

2011-12-10T00:24:00.001-08:00

Starting a weekly post of books I'm currently read, have recently read, and what I want to read soon.

I have a big ol' library pile and way too many e-books on my e-reader to count, but with a couple books due in just two days, these are the books I'll be focusing on this weekend.

Currently Reading:

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver
I love me some YA dystopia, even the romance and love triangles that inevitably make their way into every YA genre ever. Delirium is doing this right so far, and I really like our protagonist, Lena. I'm about half way through, and this book is already on a three-star course for me, might even hit four if it keeps going the way it is.

Let the Right One In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist
I've seen the Swedish film based on this book, and while the film was very close to the original text, it doesn't take away from my first reaction to the book. There's a real chilly, creepy feeling that seeps into you while reading, and I'm seriously enjoying it.

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
A pretty decent fantasy so far, with some good world building and a pretty fun protagonist. I'm not so in love with it yet, but I've heard the second book in this series is much better and worth sticking through for, so I'll read this and dive into the next soon.

Green, by Jay Lake
Really amazing fantasy epic so far, and I'm not even that far into the growth of the protagonist yet. She's a headstrong girl taken from her land, and reading as she adapts and grows is good enough that I can't imagine what the rest of the book will be like when she actually begins to do something.

Witch Eyes, by Scott Tracey
Book of the month for the YA LGBT group on Goodreads. My first real LGBT paranormal romance, and I'm excited to get further into the story.

Next Up:
(AKA due really soon at my library)

The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey
YA horror that sounds right up my alley.

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, by Thomas E. Sniegoski
I got the most hilarious look from my boyfriend when he saw the title of this, and had to reassure him that it wasn't a ridiculous high-fantasy romance with a dude who just had more clothes on than normal. At least, that's what I've heard.

Between the Sea and Sky, by Jaclyn Dolamore
My first dive into the new mermaid/siren trend! Gorgeous cover, too.

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
Highly talked about YA dystopia that I've been meaning to read for some time now.

Saving Francesca, by Melina Marchetta
I really enjoyed Marchetta's On the Jellicoe Road, and I'm looking forward to this one.

Hexed and Hammered, by Kevin Hearne
Atticus O'Sullivan, two thousand year old Irish druid and the new love of my urban fantasy life.

Recently Finished:

Unearthly, which I already posted a review of earlier this week.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: 2/5, sort of uneven and bothered me more than I enjoyed it, totally overrated.
Across the Universe: 3/5, dystopian YA in space that has an interesting premise and great execution.
Hounded: 4/5, urban fantasy with a great male lead, my new favorite series).

I'll be posting reviews of pretty much all these books as I finish them, but until then, feel free to follow me on Goodreads!

Review: Unearthly

2011-12-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #1
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
Book Depository | Audible | Goodreads

Summary:
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart. [Goodreads]

Review:
I've been reading a whole lot of YA recently, most of which seems familiar and uninteresting. Unearthly is leaps ahead of the pack simply because Clara, our heroine, is insanely likeable and easy to relate to. She's not perfect, but she's not so imperfect, either; she falls squarely in the middle somewhere along with the rest of us readers, and that's what I relate to the most. She's that girl who is unsure of where she is in life or what she's doing, but she's trying her best with it all.

As for the love triangle that's become so prevalent in YA fiction lately, I found it was done pretty well here. Both boys (Christian and Tucker) aren't as filled in as they should be, but there's still enough about them to see why Clara falls for both. The book summary, which tries to market the romance as good boy vs bad boy, doesn't do the triangle justice. Christian is the sort of boy all of us fell for in school once upon a time. Tucker is the boy we probably had as a friend and never thought of as romantic potential. Each has their own merits and faults, arriving at certain thoughts/plot points in what seems like a natural fashion.

That's what makes Unearthly so successful, in my eyes: it's all so natural, despite the decidedly fantastical power Clara has. I also appreciated that for being an angel, the book doesn't come down heavily on one side of religion or another. It simply shows us the world through Clara's eyes.

Blast Off! | Newspaper Nails

2011-12-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

Blast off!
I kept trying to figure out what I would do with this blog, how I'd do it, and kept putting off my first post. But you know what? Screw all that, I'm just going to kick things off with some girly talk and see how everything goes from there. Welcome to The Wandering Fangirl, I'll figure this out somehow. (I swear there'll be some other talk on here eventually, but yes, there will be make up talk along with all the comics and book reviews. I geek out about everything.)

Newspaper Nail Art
I've been getting into nail art for a while now, and have slowly been trying out new things. I did a Captain America shield design for Comic Con 2011, and tonight I finally tried out the newspaper nails trend that's been going around. There are dozens of how-to videos on YouTube for this design, and it was easier than I could have imagined. The end result is kiiiiind of fantastic.

My webcam sucks, but look! It's neat!

Used:
Base/top coat: Sally Hansen's Continuous Treatment Base & Top Coat
Color: Sally Hansen No Chip 10-Day Nail Color in Infinite Natural (17)
Witch Hazel instead of rubbing alcohol
Newspaper

Next nail art experiment: MOUSTACHES or ADVENTURE TIME?