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May 26, 2015
Jun 01, 2015
it was amazing
The moment I read the blurb for The Vampire's Mail Order Bride I knew it was a book I absolutely had to read. One of my favorite paranormal series bac The moment I read the blurb for The Vampire's Mail Order Bride I knew it was a book I absolutely had to read. One of my favorite paranormal series back in my twenties were the Argeneau Vampire books by Lynsay Sands. Unfortunately, those books have taken a shift in tone (they're still 'good'; just not necessarily at what I originally bought them for) and I have waited a long, long time for a series to come along which could capture and rekindle the humor I felt had largely gone missing from the paranormal romance genre.
So, was the book laugh out load funny, or was the joke on me? Read on to find out.
My Thoughts:
The first thing I will tell you, since it's the first thing that drew me to this book, is that the humor does not disappoint. Where else can you find a kitty named Captain Underpants who does "cat yoga"? Where else have you heard of characters in a PNR novel breaking the fourth wall and poking fun at the cheese factors of vampire romance? Where have you, or when have you, ever heard of anyone doing these things well?
A large part of why the humor likely worked so well was the lovely contrast between our heroine, Delaney, and our hero, Hugh. The concept of a mortal helping an immortal get a second lease on life (as in re-learning to enjoy it) is an old trope, but it was handled very well here. And Hugh isn't the way he is just to be the way he is; he has very good reasons and I really felt for him. I also like the underlying message that simply going by 'type' doesn't always work. Sometimes the right person is someone you would never have expected. (I also like the fact that it did not take the entirety of the novel for this point to be made, as there were other, far more intriguing, things to be explored.)
The next thing I will tell you is that this book, while hilarious, was no joke. It's filled with interesting and memorable characters who all seem to have their own unique stories and lives going on. The set up of the town, Noctourne Falls, is a perfect balance between our world and a supernatural "world" or society within our world that runs on its own timetable and with its own agenda. I never felt confused or lost, nor did I ever feel that I was being cheated out of learning something I wanted to know. That's the hallmark of good world building, right there. At least to me.
For a book that's only about 250 pages long, The Vampire's Mail Order Bride took me on one heck of a ride. What do I mean? Well, every time I thought I had something about the plot figured out, something would happen to turn everything upside down. Considering that I've read this genre for years, I'd like to think it's not always easy to keep me on my toes.
The story also did a beautiful job of blending a rather exciting heroine in jeopardy external conflict with a very guilt driven internal conflict on the part of the hero. Both of these were handled well. The jeopardy plot was exciting without stripping the book of its fun and whimsy, whereas Hugh's backstory never got pressed on me so heavily that it overburdened the book.
Finally, I will commend the author on making any conflict between the hero and heroine, Hugh and Delaney, -not- the center of what was happening to them. There were a few places where they had problems. But ultimately, this is a story of how can / how will they get together, not why would they want to. I found it very refreshing to see two characters be drawn together and (for the most part) stay that way with relative consistency throughout the course of the novel. It let me enjoy them together longer and thanks to the quality and depth of the conflicts they were facing it never got in the way of the forward momentum of their story.
Last, I want to address the sexual content of this novel since it is technically an adult PNR novel. What I will tell you is that for the vast majority this novel is very clean / tame / mild. Don't misunderstand: the passion and attraction between the characters practically sizzles! But we don't get a play by play of them together in bed; just some really great kisses and an excellent romance set in an interesting take on the supernatural world.
Purchase or Pass?:
If you are looking for a fun (and funny) PNR with memorable characters, solid world building and an interesting story, The Vampire's Mail Order Bride is the book you need. This book sucked me in from page one and absolutely did not let go! ...more
Notes are private!
Jun 2015
Jun 02, 2015
Jun 01, 2015
Jan 01, 2013
Oct 01, 2013
it was amazing
*I received a copy of STAINED in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley. Thank you!
Why I Wanted To Read STAINED:
Having read and loved Cheryl Rain *I received a copy of STAINED in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley. Thank you!
Why I Wanted To Read STAINED:
Having read and loved Cheryl Rainfield's novel Scars, I was extremely excited when I was contacted to take part in the tour for Stained. With Scars, which I stumbled upon in a rather roundabout way, I was drawn in immediately, and I was eager to find out whether Stained would have the same type of effect.
Despite knowing I liked Cheryl's writing style, however, Stained also represented a departure in genre for me. While it is still in many ways a contemporary novel, Stained also has suspense and thriller elements. It was very interesting reading something that both delved so deeply into its core characters and moved at a frantic pace, using in-novel timestamps to move everything along.
So, are you curious to find out what I thought of Stained? Read on and I'll share my thoughts. Hopefully I'll also convince you of why you should really sit down and check Stained out, regardless of what genre(s) of fiction you normally settle in with.
My Thoughts:
There is part of me that wands to skip writing a review all together and just go "Read it! Read it now!". But that would do both me as a reviewer, and this absolutely mind shattering book, a disservice.
The first thing I must tell you all is that while Stained is beautifully written, it is not a book for the faint of heart. Many books about abduction, violence, abuse and rape within YA take place after the trauma to the main character has occurred. We deal with the aftermath, the overwrought emotion, the 'what happens next'.
In Stained we live the experience, which is something that I found very gripping as a reader, but which I am very aware my cause triggers for some people. I'm extremely glad that Cheryl decided to take her book this route, as she is brutally honest and does not romanticize this the way I've seen a few other writers do. This is a journey into the depths of the heart of darkness. There are things that happened in Stained that made my skin crawl. But the important thing here isn't how horrible what happens to Sarah is. What matters is that despite being trapped in this living nightmare, we see a girl with the strength to not only survive, but also have the strength and desire to live by novel's end. (How she gets there and what, exactly, happens along the way? You'll have to read Stained to find that out.)
Stained is both a very tense, emotional novel, and a very meticulous, character driven one. I loved both Sarah and Nick. I think that Sarah is a fantastic main character and I really appreciated the fact that we see both her strengths and weaknesses, and then see these things effect her during her abduction. I think that there is a great deal of challenge in creating a character who can balance having both strength and vulnerability. With Sarah, Cheryl succeeded in striking that balance time and again.
As for Nick? I loved, loved, loved Nick. Nick is not your typical YA hero. He's fat. He's a nerd. He's a little out of the main stream. Yet he is oh so very real, and I loved his feelings for Sarah--both romantically and as a friend. I also really loved how his perspective was used to break up sections of the novel, both to increase and break points of tension, and to give the reader a glimpse of what was going on in the outside world. Further, with the amount that he (and her family) cared for Sarah, the amount they stood to lose if she was not found, my dread increased tenfold. I think that it was vital to show us that Sarah had things to live for, people who loved her. By sharing Nick's perspective, the reader will get that message loud and clear.
The last thing I want to give a nod to is that this is another book I've read this year that has the theme of super heroes being incorporated into showing the progression of a character's awareness of her own self worth. This is an idea that I find really fun and inspiring, and I loved the idea that if Sarah could somehow get out of this mess, she and Nick might be able to make comics together. When things were at their hardest, remembering how much she valued the ideas of her heroic character, Diamond, was one of the things that gave her the strength to keep going... I've never been in the situation Sarah faces in Stained, but as a lover of comics, video games and fantasy novels, I could immediately relate to this aspect of her personality and how it served as both her passion and a method to cope with the challenges in her life.
Purchase or Pass?:
Stained is the kind of book that I wish everyone would sit down and read. From the beauty of the writing, to the depth of the characters, to the importance of the message, to the absolutely gripping plot... There is so much here that was brilliantly done that it's honestly very hard to get it all into words for you guys without going too far and risking turning this review into a novella.
Just trust me (provided something here didn't flash a warning off in your head)... This is one of the must-read books of 2013 and I'm certain that even as we pass into the new year, it will undoubtedly keep that must read status. Stained is a story of love and loss, hope and despair, sorrow and survival. Above all, it is a story of courage, hope, and the will to live that will stick with you long after the final page has been turned.
5/5 Hearts -- Awesome! ...more
Notes are private!
not set
Sep 2013
Sep 28, 2013
Oct 04, 2012
Oct 04, 2012
it was amazing
Just in time for Halloween, Robert Bevan presents a new Caverns and Creatures mini-adventure (short story) featuring Tim, Dave, Julian and (of course) Just in time for Halloween, Robert Bevan presents a new Caverns and Creatures mini-adventure (short story) featuring Tim, Dave, Julian and (of course) everyone's favorite half-orc, Cooper where they fight zombies!
As with each previous C&C novel / short story, Zombies Attack!! is filled with a wonderfully constructed world where people who thought they were "just playing a game" got sucked into the game world quiet literally. It also contains much of Robert's usual humor, and I'm pretty sure I laughed aloud at least ten times while reading this, which is quite impressive for something of this length. (I think Amazon estimates it at 36 pages?)
If you are looking for something fun, different and funny, Zombies Attack is yet another tale that comes highly recommended. Fans of old school tabletop gaming and comedic fantasy are in for a real treat with this one.
Please note: This book is *not* YA. ...more
Notes are private!
not set
Oct 06, 2012
Oct 06, 2012
Kindle Edition
Apr 16, 2012
Apr 16, 2012
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I discovered this book because Merri Hiatt is one of the people who talks a lot on the Absolute Write My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I discovered this book because Merri Hiatt is one of the people who talks a lot on the Absolute Write boards that I like to visit when I am stuck in my edits. The theme of women who had the names of seasons for characters caught my attention since I use elements tied to seasons in my own work. Different concepts? Yes. Still got me curious? Yes.
Last night I finally had a pause in my edits for Moon Dance (read: I'm stuck!) so I figured I might as well read something. Today's review was suppose to be Vision in White by Nora Roberts but that's going *slow* because the book's print is obnoxiously tiny and giving me a headache. So my apologies to anyone who is like, "Where's the Vision in White review?" -- it may be a while yet.
I didn't go into Summer Love with a million expectations. Instead, I downloaded the sample for it and for Autumn Love and liked them enough that I decided to buy Summer Love and give it a go. Ready to hear what I think of Summer Love? Read on...
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
Summer Lansing is used to reading about love in books, keeping her at a safe distance from heartbreak. Mike Duncan doesn't know the meaning of the word safe. He's spontaneous and thrives on taking risks. When the duo cross paths, searing kisses soon follow and Summer finds a real-world passion she never knew existed.
Summer Love is contemporary romance. To me, this means that the characters are going to drive the plot, and they are going to determine whether the book is interesting. Summer Love had a totally wonderful cast, and since this is part of a series I am looking forward to catching up with them all again in the other books.
"But Kat, this is the plot section..." Yeah, I know. I really liked the stuff that we get to see her plot wise. The book club meetings are fun, the interactions at Mind Travels are great... But this is all placeholder. It's the characters and what is going on within them that counts.
Summer's need to have a plan and her struggle learning to listen to her heart outside the confines of a book. Winter being given a hard time by her boss. Autumn's determination to succeed as a country singer. And of course the nearly electric chemistry between Summer and Mike. (Can't forget that, can we?) Those are the things that immediately come to mind when I think of Summer Love.
The Characters:
Summer seemed to have all her ducks in a row, perhaps even a bit more then was good for her. I could definitely relate to her love of escaping inside the pages of a book and her need to have things planned out. She had layers and I appreciated that. She felt this need to have it all together and to succeed, but she also had a warmth about her -- the way she is friends with the people she works with, for instance -- that kept her from being unrelatable.
Mike is Summer's polar opposite. He likes to live by the seat of his pants and I think the effect he had on her was definitely for the better. Let me be clear: Mike wasn't some lazy freeloader or anything like that. He had a job, knew tons about various aquatic subjects (surfing, scuba diving, etc.) ... But he wasn't out to become #1 boss or anything like that. I think that this parallel brought out the best in their characters.
The rest of the cast is really what made Summer Love stand out from other great romances I've read. I really grew to love the characters of Port Townsend. I felt like I got to have a glimpse at a whole little community, not just our hero and heroine. And yet this was done in such a way that it never took away from the central romance. If I had to give a favorite character outside of Mike and Summer, it would likely either be Kitty or Winter.
The Romance:
I'm not gonna lie: the attraction between Mike and Summer takes off like a bat outta hell. The characters have lived in the same town for a while, and Summer seems to have had a crush on Mike for a while at the book's start. But the evolution of their relationship was definitely fast and furious. This probably won't sit well with people who are anti insta-love, but I was fine with it personally. By the end of the book this is addressed and the characters and relationship grow from it.
Merri Hiatt did a great job of capturing the chemistry and intensity of how these two felt. I was really able to get behind what was going on with Summer, both when things were going good and when problems arose. I was rooting for them to get together, but I both understood and respected her desire for caution and her fear or being hurt or left behind.
In General:
The only other thing I can really say about Summer Love that might be a deciding factor for anyone is that there are some POV changes in this book and they can happen pretty quick and last short periods of time. This is not a constant thing and once I knew it was going to happen I was fine with it. But I know this might not be cool for everybody, so I figure its probably best to point it out. On the plus side, in my opinion, it allowed me to connect with the cast better since there were a lot of people coming and going. It made me very eager to read the rest of the books in this series.
Summer Love is a fun quick read that I zipped through effortlessly. I read about 90% of it in one sitting and likely would have finished the whole thing in one go if it hadn't been 4 a,m. and I hadn't been tired. A quaint little town full of quirky characters and a book club I'd love to join if the place was real and I lived there served as a lovely backdrop for a wonderful romance between two characters who had totally sizzling chemistry. This is the kind of book that tempts me to turn around and read the next in the series immediately. Highly recommended! ...more
Notes are private!
not set
not set
May 23, 2012
Kindle Edition
Mar 27, 2012
Mar 27, 2012
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*A recipient of the Kat's Meow Award for Amazing Storytelling.
There is a certain feeling I get sometim My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*A recipient of the Kat's Meow Award for Amazing Storytelling.
There is a certain feeling I get sometimes, when I know I have a story I need to tell, or that a song is going to be one that I need to learn how to sing, or that I might just win something before names are drawn in a raffle. I am not going to go so far as to suggest that I am psychic, but I think that anyone, if they have the courage to listen to their own inner voice, can pick up certain things.
I had that feeling when I first saw Wicked As They Come over at Xpresso Reads last weekend as part of Fresh Batch. I knew I had to read it. And it was a stubborn book that wouldn't leave me alone until I downloaded it to my Kindle, and zipped through its pages from start to finish.
I am happy to tell you that, as often seems to occur, my intuition (at least for me) was dead on. Wicked As They Come is an absolutely fabulous read that kept my attention from the first page to the last. I'm not sure how much this is going to be like a review and how much it is simply going to seem like a gushing river of praise, but as always I will do my best to tell you *why* I thought it was so good so that I can hopefully help you know whether this book would be right for you as well.
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
Have you ever heard of a Bludman? They're rather like you and me—only more fabulous, immortal, and mostly indestructible. (They're also very good kissers.)
Delilah S. Dawson's darkly tempting debut drops her unsuspecting heroine into a strange faraway land for a romantic adventure that's part paranormal, part steampunk . . . and completely irresistible.
When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy's electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she's coming to love?
Imagine a world that is just like ours ... except its not. The way that I heard people talking about the world of Sang, the land where the majority of the events of Wicked As They Come to place, was what began to increase my excitement when I started to dig around for information. When I got my hands on the book and started reading, this world building totally *did not* disappoint. I think that it is brilliant how Delilah mixed so many interesting concepts together to create a whole that is unique, fresh, interesting and yet completely easy to follow and get sucked into. Sang was both magical and believable to me at the same time, and pulling that off is no small feat.
Even better is the variety of creatures and species that filled this absolutely wonderful world. When I first heard the word Bludman I literally cringed. "Oh, God." I thought, "What a totally stupid name for a vampire!". But it's actually pronounced "blood-mun" and as I read the book I was impressed with how carefully Delilah took advantage of the average paranormal / fantasy reader's conceptions of the Vampire, threw them back at us and then showed us (and I do mean *show*, not *tell*) what the rules of Her universe were. Tip: Don't call a bludman a vampire. First, he won't understand what you're talking about. And second, he'll laugh -- a lot -- when you try to explain.
I have heard some people say that the story started out too slow, but since this is the first in a series and Delilah clearly had a totally fabulous world she wanted us to discover, the pacing did not bother me at all. I was intrigued as Letitia to get to know Criminy, explore the Caravan, learn about her abilities as a glancer, and come to understand the ways that Sang was different from Earth. I feel that a great deal would have been lost, in richness, character, substance and style, had the story not been told the way that it was. There is an epic quest awaiting you in the pages, I promise. But first, take the time to readjust your senses, and explore the world around you. Oh, and do mind the bludbunnies. They bite.
The dangers facing Sang, both from its environment and from its people, are real, interesting and well thought out. I love the fact that the story starts out giving our heroine, Letitia, just what she can barely handle, and then how it ratchets up the difficulty, the danger and the stakes to a point where I was gripping my Kindle for dear life. All the while, the book mixed this fabulous world building and steadily building danger with these awesome dashes of humor that had me laughing so hard that there were times I had tears in my eyes. It was a perfect combination that really fit the mood of the world and the nature of the characters I met there and I loved it.
The Characters:
Letitia was a heroine that I enjoyed getting to know, and through whose eyes I had a wonderful time exploring the fabulous world of Sang. Between the great world building I talked about earlier, and Letitia's mix of humor, good intentions and spunk, the narrative held my interest without effort. Considering her background, having recently left an abusive relationship, I found the issues that she struggled with real and interesting. I did have a little trouble when she would put her guard up around Criminy, but I would pause for a moment and have to realize that I needed to separate her and me. As far as the minor love triangle (which really isn't so much a love triangle as a road not taken deal) the only response I have (or had, during the book) is "Pffft!" I was rooting for her to be with Criminy from the first time she met him.
Oh, Criminy. I love, love, loved him! And before you guys laugh at the name (which I totally did) I am pleased to tell you that Delilah addressed the fact that it made me think of Jiminy Cricket. The fact that she realized this might happen and acknowledged it, much like with the Bludman thing, somehow made me totally able to accept it and take the character seriously. Which could be really hard some times, because Criminy Stain can be absolutely hilarious, both in his dialogue and in the wonderful magic tricks he can do. He was a delight as a romance hero, a refreshing change from most characters that I have read about in paranormal or fantasy romance. Whether he was being funny or totally serious, tender of ruthless to the core, I always found him interesting, likable and consistent. He walks a line between being a predator and a gentlemen, and he walks it very well.
The rest of the cast is equally interesting, though very large. Each character who did pop up had something interesting to do, but since the story moved with Letitia and Criminy and the other characters generally didn't, they definitely got the spotlight. The two characters I will say anything else in detail about are Casper (I hope he gets his own book) and the villain, Jonah Goodwill, who is a fine example of the idea that we humans will potentially destroy the world, no matter what world we happen to be in. He was chilling, cruel and utterly repulsive in his actions. I despised him with a passion. (I think that what happens to him by the end was absolutely genius, paralleled with everything Letitia was learning in Sang, and I did not feel one ounce of sympathy for him. At all. You'll need to read to find out what I'm talking about, though. ;) )
The Romance:
From their first meeting, I felt that Letitia and Criminy had totally awesome chemistry. But what happens between them goes so much deeper and is so much more interesting then that. As I said earlier, Letitia has been through an abusive, pushy, crappy relationship. She isn't looking for love. At the same time, Criminy is totally overjoyed, because Letitia showing up because of the locket means she is meant to be with him. Anyone else get the feeling that they're like two trains, heading in different directions, that somehow wound up on the same track? The question of whether, and how, these two would end up together was interesting and kept me on my toes, which isn't easy for a love story to do.
I think that one of the things that I really enjoyed about Wicked As They Come is how the theme of predator v.s. prey carries through as a theme on so many levels, and thanks to the situation I just described above the romance was no exception to this. It's an idea that has been done before, both the predator / prey theme, and the emotionally timid heroine who finds out she is 'destined' for someone who seems powerful and otherworldly. But I think that the way Delilah handles this in Wicked As They Come is refreshing. Instead of being some kind of caveman who drags Letitia places against her will, he quickly seems to catch on to what she needs and the two work as allies rather then being at each other's throats for the majority of the book. (So glad! That crap can get so old.)
I like the fact that Letitia needs to accept Criminy for the bludman he is and he needs to accept her need to stay connected to her human life. The whole thing does not end with a perfect red bow -- I love how that is handled, though you're not going to find out the details from me. Each of these characters grows stronger, more complete and whole, by being with the other. Its reciprocal, in no way a one way street, and I really appreciated that.
There are a few love scenes in this novel, hence my note at the top of the review. These were all well handled and each added something important to plot or character growth. They were tastefully sexy, detailed enough that I wouldn't count them as a black out but also not of the sort where I'd advise you to grab a fan, either. Personally, I liked them and they fit the story well. (The fact that I read them rather then skipping or skimming them should speak for itself; pointless sex bores me and what happened here definitely did not fit that category.)
In General:
If you are looking for a love story filled with memorable characters, magic, a fascinating world and terrific witty dialog, look no further. Wicked As They Come is like a fine wine, sweet, spicy and satisfying from the first sip to the last drop. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Honestly, if anything I'm almost afraid that my rabid enthusiasm for it threatens my credibility.
If I've grabbed your interest, if you've taken a look at it and think this could be for you.. run, don't walk, and get your hands on a copy of this absolutely amazing book. Wicked As They Come is an epic adventure, a touching romance and overall a rare treat for lovers of great storytelling everywhere. ...more
Notes are private!
Mar 29, 2012
Mar 30, 2012
Mar 29, 2012
Kindle Edition
Feb 28, 2012
Feb 28, 2012
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*A huge thank you to the lovely people at Random House for sending me this book as part of Blog It For My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*A huge thank you to the lovely people at Random House for sending me this book as part of Blog It Forward!
Sometimes as readers we need to read one of those special books that remind us why we read. Why we spend countless hours taking words on a page and allowing our mind to weave them into worlds filled with sights and sounds, textures and tastes. Why this crazy habit makes us feel more alive, even as we often slip into worlds that our day to day round would do everything in it's power to tell us are not real.
Likewise, for those of us who write, we sometimes need a reminder of why we allow ourselves to succumb to the madness. The random snippets of conversation that pop into our heads, the waking up at 3 a.m. to jot down a description for a 60 foot tower made of key lime pie. You get the idea, the point, I hope. It can be weird!
What happens to you when you love a book? Do you carry it with you when you go for a ride in the car? Do you bring it to the dinner table while you are waiting for the food to finish cooking? Do you start finding people who you want to loan your copy to when you are only 3/4 of the way through? I did all of that here.
For me, BZRK was a gigantic reminder of why I love both reading and writing. It does so many things that hooked me, fascinated me, terrified me and really made me think. It is written in a very interesting fashion with characters who are all true shades of gray. But I am getting ahead of myself here. Let me break this down and I'll tell you why you absolutely must read this book.
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
Time is running out for the good guys. But what happens when you don't know who the good guys really are?
Noah and Sadie: newly initiated into an underground cell so covert they don't even know each other's real names. Trained for combat on the nano level, they are thrust into a war they can barely grasp.
Vincent: feels nothing and cares for no one. Fighting a personal battle with Bug Man, the greatest nano warrior alive.
The Armstrong Twins: wealthy, privileged, fanatical. Are they the saviors of humanity or authors of the darkest conspiracy in history?
On one side: Charles and Benjamin Armstrong's Nexus Humanus. On the other: a group of teen hackers who call themselves BZRK.
Twenty-first-century warfare that takes place on the macro and nano level for the highest stakes: humanity's free will.
It's time to choose sides.
Yesterday I posted about not being able to get hooked on anything I've started reading. When the UPS guy came with BZRK I decided that I would flip it open and at least get a feel for the writing. Read the first chapter or two if they caught my interest. Well, I finished BZRK at 10:30 last night. After carrying it with me in the car and reading at the dinner table while I waited for dinner to finish cooking. So I think "interested" might be a bit of an understatement.
Basically, the big question in BZRK is: "What is more important, freedom or happiness?" The interesting thing is that it's not as straight forward as it sounds. Because the moment you have to make a choice between these two things, due to a need to fight for them, the question changes to "What will you do for freedom?" or "What will you do for happiness?" and when this happens, things can get very, very ugly.
I love the fact that the book drops us off at a mental institution on page one, showing us what happens when a member of BZRK is defeated. We immediately see the stakes of taking part in this war, up close and personal, before we even really know (from the inside of the book, at least) that a war is going on. We are then thrown into the final minutes of Sadie's (Plath's) brother and father's lives. What makes this whole introduction so awesome, is that we actually suffer with the characters through the things that make them able to become who and what they do by the end of the book. It grabbed me immediately, threw me into their corner, and had me moving through the book full steam forward wanting answers and seeking something -- justice? closure? I don't really know -- for these story people.
The book makes excellent use of third person multiple POV. We get into the action quicker then our 'main' hero and heroine do. (Although I think I'd personally say this is more of a cast book.) I think Michael did a great job of using this style of writing to its maximum effect. I also think, for the major changes at least, that he did a great job of making it clear who's head we were in. There were a few times that he did jump back and forth, or when he switched quickly because a character was no longer conscious, but it did not bother me. However, the most confusing thing, and I think this was partially on purpose, was getting use to someone describing the "macro" or "real world" happenings and then jumping to the "nano" or "inside someone's body" view. As I read further into the book this became less jarring but at first it definitely spun me for a loop.
The Characters:
The first thing I want to say here is that each member of BZRK chooses a new name when they join, and these tend to be names of famous people who had various issues throughout history. I'm telling you this so that when I talk about characters you won't be left scratching your head.
The next thing I want to say, was that these are some of the most interesting characters that I have encounted in a long time. The "good guys" aren't necessarily good, and the "bad guys" motives and desires are not always instantly evil. I love this in a story. It's possibly my favorite thing and I am always delighted to find a tale where an author is not afraid to explore it.
Noah (Keats) and Sadie (Plath) both essentially want revenge. Noah's brother was a member of BZRK and was taken out, and therefore went crazy. Sadie's brother and father are killed by someone from Armstrong Fancy Goods Corp. (AFGC) I thought that it was clever how these two were paired up, and how they immediately caught onto this fact. I liked the fact that we got to see both of them at their "low" at the start of the book, and then basically watched them take a hero's journey as they learnt what was going on and became part of it as the story continues. Further, I liked the fact that they did not go from being innocent to doing a full 180 and going "Let's kick butt!". Instead, they actually faced fear, doubt, sadness and frustration.
Vincent really intrigued me. Unable to feel pleasure because of a medical condition, yet he still has no qualms in getting involved with Dr. Anya Violet, and despite the fact that I never fully got the feeling there was anything between them (that was real -- and I will get to that.) he did want to protect her. Vincent was also largely responsible for Noah and Sadie's training and is generally considered the leader unless orders come from Lear (the actual leader of BZRK, whose identity is still a total mystery!).
My favorite character, though, is Caligula. He's the BZRK enforcer, the guy you don't want to have drop by for a cup of tea if you've done anything that might be considered a breach of trust or a flat out betrayal. Why did I love him so much? Because Michael Grant built him up to be a major bad ass, and on that account he delivered in every way. That alone wouldn't do it for me, though -- Caligula seemed to have a sense of humor and a very tongue in cheek sense of style -- who doesn't love a guy in a purple velvet top hat? He also doesn't seem to be one of the people actually fighting at the nano level, so it leaves me very curious how he got involved with BZRK and what his deal actually is.
Lastly, my gushing about characters would not be complete if I didn't talk to you about the Bug Man. The Armstrong Twins might be the one with the vision, but Bug Man is the guy a lot of the key characters have an actual ax to grind with. Thing is, he's a sixteen year old guy who happens to be a bit too good at games and who got scooped up to be part of Nexus Humanus. Does he buy into the "in the name of happiness" stuff? No way. Does he want to be The Man and have fame, influence, a hot girlfriend, etc.? Hell yeah. Bug Man was not always a likable character, but he was one with motives I could understand. They came from roots that were, of themselves, not evil. Rather, it is how he took action to achieve his dreams that has him in hot water. That makes for a terrific antagonist.
The Romance:
While I do not feel that this book is a "love" story that I would anxiously recommend to readers who like the kinds of books I normally review, I feel that the take that Michael Grant spins in the romance department is interesting and worth a few words. Is there chemistry and interest between Sadie and Noah? Yes. Does it seem instant and caused by immediate stress and circumstances beyond their control? Yep. But are they aware of this and do they address it? Absolutely. Which is something that I do not feel is common in your typical YA book.
But wait, it gets better. One of my favorite things about BZRK was the parallel between Bug Man and Jessica v.s. Vincent and Anya. Bug Man thinks Jessica is gorgeous, but he's kinda 'eh' looking with a not so fabulous personality. In short, he figures there is no way that he could ever get with her through normal means. So what does he do? He uses his abilities with nano tech to wire her to think that everything good leads to him. He essentially makes her his slave.
Vincent, on the other hand, needs research and facilities that Dr. Anya Violet can get him access to. He is not certain that she will help him willingly, though, so he uses his abilities to begin wiring her brain. Remember: Vincent is suppose to be fighting to preserve people's ability to have free will. And unlike Jessica, where the deed is fully done, with Anya we see a woman who is going through the process of having this done, and who is smart enough and knowledgeable enough to realize that Vincent is doing it, yet who has no power to stop him.
Bug Man wishes Jessica would choose him, but he ultimately made her choice for her. Vincent is using his abilities to strip someone of free will, all the while fighting to preserve humanity's right to have free will rather then being turned into a hive mind by Nexus Humanus.
Take a moment. Breathe. Now, try to wrap your head around all of the implications of that. I am impressed and eager to see how these things continue.
In General:
This is what I love most about being part of Blog It Forward. BZRK is not a book I would likely have picked up on my own, and I would have missed out on something totally awesome. I need to point out that there is a fair amount of actual science in what is being discussed in this book, but it is not bogged down in terminology and never takes away from the story. I also want to praise the fact that Michael Grant did such a great job at describing things at the Nano level. He did so in such a way that it would be relatable and able to be 'seen' by a reader, and at the same time had it make perfect sense why gamers would be drawn to it.
BZRK isn't just a great book, it is a totally mind blowing experience that will leave you lying awake and thinking long after you turn the last page. If you haven't read it yet, I'd highly recommend checking it out! ...more
Notes are private!
not set
not set
Mar 15, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I downloaded this oh, say, ten seconds after I first heard about it. I had no idea prior to receiving My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I downloaded this oh, say, ten seconds after I first heard about it. I had no idea prior to receiving an e-mail that Greta was planning to publish something. But as has been the case before, the moment one of my friends does publish something I have to read it. I have to weigh in. As a fellow writer, I feel like there is no better I can do then to read their creation and share what I think.
Well, this certainly went beyond that. I love fairy tale retellings. Little Red Riding Hood has certainly been done before, but it's not the most common story chosen. (That honor tends to go to the princess stories -- Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc.) Not to mention the fact that this looked like it was going to have an absolutely brilliant trio of twists. (1) Riding hood became Ryder -- a boy. (2) The wolf is a fourteen year old girl, and she and Ryder fall in love. (3) Oh yes, I should mention she's a werewolf, too. Can you see why I was so anxious to dive in? Not your mother's fairy tale, is it?
Long story short, how could I not read this? It's the type of story I would have read regardless. I want to make that abundantly clear. Regardless of who something is written by, either I can pay attention, I want to keep going, I am enchanted, entranced, enthralled. Or I am not. With regard to Ryder, I absolutely could not put this down. If I hadn't been tired last night I likely would have finished it in one sitting. Read on to hear my thoughts on this beautifully written and unique take on a timeless tale...
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
Everyone has a secret.
You're lying if you don't.
Fourteen year old Piper has tried to keep her secret hidden.
Everyone who finds out always winds up dead.
Only the man in the dark suit knows the truth.
A man she only met once.
The man who made her what she is today.
The man who bit her.
But that's all about to change.
Piper Glendale is on the run from the moon as her secret Sister Wolf wars with her. Fighting for control, Piper tries to keep her buried deep inside. But sometimes her sister breaks free.
Escaping from an institution, The Sister Wolf claws her way out. On the run her powerful body runs dry. The sun has finally risen. Piper has regained control.
Awaking in a cemetery, she prowls through the grave stones in search for food and shelter. Overlooking a hill, Piper sees a boy. A boy who is about to change her life. A boy in a faded red hood.
Based on the beloved children's classic Little Red Riding Hood, "Ryder" is a modern retelling with a twist.
The first thing that I want to say, and I'm going to get to it right away since it's right there in the summary, is that I thought the blend of extremely descriptive and vividly image driven writing paired very well with the random sprinklings of freeform poetry that were used throughout the book. The writing style chosen for Ryder felt fresh and different, and was always used to enhance what the characters were experiencing; never to simply draw attention to itself. It caught me off guard at first, but as I made my way through the book it blended in very well.
Another thing that stood out was that the aspect of Little Red Riding Hood which Greta chose to keep was the relative sense of poverty that the story evokes when compared to many other fairy tales. So often in fairy tales (once again mainly refering to the princess ones, I suppose) we see characters surrounded by a setting of great splendor. This is also often the case in YA love stories. Ryder deals with a homeless girl who has a wolf living within her, itching to break free under the strain of the full moon, and a boy and his grandmother who are barely getting by. At the same time, though, I feel that Greta did a great job of showing that despite the issues that might make their life seem imperfect, she also showed that regardless of this fact, they still had something worth fighting for. I connected deeply with Ryder and Piper and I genuinely wanted to see them happy.
I liked the blend between the dull grays of a very stark reality that most would not instantly want to inhabit blended against a very sinister magic that seemed to merely be counting down the hours to Piper's demise. There was no fairy godmother here who was going to make everything magically better for these two regardless of what they did. There was also no woodsman who was going to come by and make their problems disappear. Red Riding Hood, by it's own nature, is a passive fairy tale and I think that Greta did a great job of turning this on it's head. If her characters wanted to survive they would have to make that happen for themselves.
The Characters:
Piper was incredibly intriguing. One one hand, she is a fourteen year old girl, homeless and wracked with guilt over the deaths of her parents. On the other she is a werewolf, possessing a dual nature that makes her capable of changing her form under the light of the full moon. She struggles with the duality of what she is. She questions where she ends and her Sister Wolf begins. While she is ultimately a heroic figure, at times I could not help feeling that this was what it might be like to see the events of Frankenstein from the point of view of the Creature, or of The Tempest through Caliban's eyes. Every story needs some form of antagonist, some opposition or conflict that drives the plot. While Piper's Sister Wolf was not the only issue in the book, she is a situation that is far closer to home then most people -- real or fictional -- will ever get to their personal demons.
Ryder takes the basic concept of Riding Hood and basically makes it explode. Aside from a certain amount of innocence and trust and a red hood, the role is very much open for interpretation. Greta took hold of this and ran with it. Where Red Riding Hood is a very basically constructed character (as most storybook characters are) Ryder was deep and complex. While he did not have something living inside of him like Piper did, he had his own struggles, his own past issues that he had to deal with, that made him real and memorable. The grimly realistic and mundane nature of Ryder's issues contrasted beautifully with the more darkly whimsical nature of the things that Piper faced. I think that gave the book a very balanced pace and a very stark feeling, making it a little frightening in both a supernatural way and in a way that reminds us that this world is not always a pretty place.
Marti, Ryder's grandma, was also well fleshed out. I have a feeling she knew that Piper's life was not easy and that she was doing her best to help even if she didn't simply take Piper under her roof. (You must realize that her circumstances would not allow that, and that it would have broken the symbolism of the source material. The fact that Piper either snuck in or was brought in by Ryder is very important.) I really enjoyed the story of how she met her husband; it added a layer to her character and because of something related to it became important to the overall plot.
The Romance:
As with most fairy tales, the love and attraction between the main characters came quickly and easily. That was fine with me, because the question of when would he love her was never the real issue. Rather, it was at first would he continue to love her after knowing the truth, and then would he survive loving her once that decision had been made.
Now, sifting all of those questions that center around Piper's issues aside, I also liked the fact that we got to see a very clear picture of what life would be like for these two if they could get past the problems that life was throwing at them. This story took place over the span of several months so we got a clear image of these two characters not only growing together, but also of the fact that they had staying power outside of the supernatural issues that could have separated them. People don't need to have a werewolf inside to have trouble in the love department. The fact that Ryder and Piper wanted to be together, period, was really important. And I think Greta did a good job at making their feelings for each other feel sincere and natural.
In General:
I know that I have already given this book praise for its vivid descriptions. I also want to take a moment to tell you that these can be gory, shocking and quite horrific. This did not overly bother me, but not everyone is the same and since this stood out to me that tells me it is something I should make sure people are aware of when they pick this book up. The way that the story is written is definitely to it's benefit. But it is what it is, if you get what I am saying.
If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, beautiful writing or werewolves then you must read Ryder. It's gripping, it's original, and it will stick with you. ...more
Notes are private!
Feb 24, 2012
Feb 25, 2012
Feb 24, 2012
Kindle Edition
Apr 01, 2006
Mar 28, 2006
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
When Darkfallen & Greta from Paranormal Wastelands came here to I Write, I Read, I Review last No My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
When Darkfallen & Greta from Paranormal Wastelands came here to I Write, I Read, I Review last November as guests for Saturday Spotlight (really need to get back to that, but that's another subject...) one of the books that they talked about was Kresley Cole's A Hunger Lke No Other. I went to their blog and looked at their review for it while putting the post together. I laughed. A lot.
I've been interested in checking the book out since. That was back in November, though. Why did I wait until February? Well, some of you might know that my birthday was on Thursday and I turned 30. It's been a while since I sat down with an adult paranormal and considering that I was feeling a little glum about starting a new decade I figured perhaps it would be a good idea to read something that was about characters a little further along in life then what I normally do.
But enough babbling about how I found the book and me questioning whether turning 30 and reading YA makes me feel a little "old" -- (I don't think it's a serious issue; I think I simply wanted a change in pace) -- that's not why you're here. Did I enjoy A Hunger Like No Other? Read on and find out.
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her . . .
After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.
A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy . . .
Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents -- until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae -- and their notorious dark desires -- ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.
An all-consuming desire . . .
Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?
The first thing that I immediately recognized as I started turning the pages here is that this book gives a much larger focus to the romance then the majority of the stuff that I read now. Even books that do tend to have romance in a starring role in YA tend to rely heavily on other plotlines and issues to balance things out. It's not that there was nothing else to A Hunger Like No Other. But there was no denying why the reader was here and the book wasted no time in getting things set up straight out the door.
I liked this and found it refreshing.
Don't let it fool you into thinking that's all there is here, though. Kresley Cole does a fantastic job of blending various supernatural beings together into one overall collective called the Lore, creating her own mythos and rules for each so that they take on a fresh new light and creating issues that will allow them to interact in interesting ways, both with regard to romance and with regard to dealing with each other. Mistrust to outright hatred of other species is one of the things that has been carefully etched into the world building, is a huge theme within this book, and is something that I would wager is going to rear its ugly head time and again as the series continues.
Another thing that I really liked about A Hunger Like No Other is the contrast between ancient traditions, rules and ideals and trying to survive in the modern world. Watching Lachlain learn to adapt to the times after being imprisoned for 150 years was pretty amusing and allowed for some very interesting situations. And Emma's need and enjoyment of modern things made her relatable to me. I especially liked her reliance on her iPod to escape situations that she found aggravating.
The Characters:
I liked the contrast between Lachlain and Emma. I feel strongly that the book would not been nearly as good without it.
Emma is a 70 year old vampire / valkyrie "half breed". She has been raised by her Valkyrie aunts her entire life, since her mother died when she was very young and she never knew her father (or even who he was). She's seeking that when we find her. I've read some reviews where people have complained that Emma is too weak. But honestly, that is the point. Emma's growth in A Hunger Like No Other is to go from being someone who is naturally timid and kind and gentle to finding a way to gain strength and achieve respect without losing the good parts of her initial characterization. Plus she cries pink tears. How neat is that? I'm not one to enjoy a character's misery, but I'll give credit for originality where it's due. I've heard of blood tears before, but pink tears? Really?
Lachlain has spent the last 150 years being tortured by vampires. He cuts off his own leg in order to escape when he scents Emma, only to discover that she, the one his instinct is claiming is his mate, is a vampire. Needless to say, Lachlain is not thrilled. If Emma's growth is to become strong, Lachlain's is to learn tolerance, to make some semblance of peace with his past and to realize that people are individuals -- one's species does not instantly or immediately decide how a person will behave, what they think or feel. I think Kresley Cole did a fantastic job here, especially as
I loved and hated Emma's aunts. As individual characters whom I hope get their own stories I thought each was unique and interesting enough to warrant it. As a collective force trying to control Emma's life, they annoyed me -- quite possibly because I see my own family there so strongly. Like Lachlain they had their own prejudices and ideas that made them less then ideal. This was good because it showed the reader that is not an isolated trait that is "his" but rather a way in which the world these characters live in works. If anything Emma is the unique one in this regard. Anyway, I also loved the irony that in many ways it is their actions that were responsible for Emma's "weakness", the very weakness they were trying to get rid of. This all seems to have been very well thought out.
The Romance:
Let's get right to why I have that note at the top of my review for this book. Here there be sex. Lots of extremely hot, makes you want your own Lykae to show up and claim you as his mate, extremely well written and plot / character developing sex. Yes. You read that last part properly. The intimacy, as a whole, was in no way wasted in A Hunger Like No Other. (Note: I recognize that 'sex' and 'intimacy' are not the same thing -- to make it clear, this book succeeds on both levels.)
I've read reviews of people who feel that books like these encourage sexual abuse. *shakes head* This, to me, takes the core of the story out of context. Humans do not view the whole mating thing, nor behave in the same way regarding it, that the Lykae do. It's really that simple. It's a question of suspension of disbelief, and if you tell me you couldn't do that I've got no qualms with ya. But saying an author is advocating abuse here? I'm going to have to disagree with you there.
We know how Lachlain is feeling, just as well as what Emma is, throughout the entire story. Are there times he does stuff that is totally out of line? Absolutely! At first I would wager that while one half of his brain is going "Hey genius, here's your mate!" the other half looks at her and all it can think of is excruciating burning agony because it was vampires that tortured him, and initially when he sees Emma that is *all* he sees. Kresley does a great job at showing this, because for the first chunk of the book he does not actually *think* of her as Emma, but rather as vampire.
Emma is terrified of him in the beginning. And who can blame her? I'd be freaking out too if someone kidnapped me and told me I was going to drive them to Scotland! (Especially since I can't drive, but that's beside the point...) The first section of the book is pretty rough. But c'mon, that's pretty much what you're signing up for with a plot like this. It's moot, a given. The real question as far as whether the romance is good ends up being "Can the author convince me that these two WANT to be together by the end?" For me, the answer here was...
Yes! For me this is the makes it or breaks it aspect of a romance novel and this is an area where I feel A Hunger Like No Other excelled. All while we are watching Emma become stronger and more independent, we are also watching Lachlain struggle with the situation fate has put him in. And as he accepts that it is really happening, as he realizes what he has done to his mate, the man's remorse coats the pages. Yes, he *needs* her. But as the book moves along simple possession is not going to be good enough. He wants to love and be loved in return. He becomes focused on trying to make Emma happy.
And sometimes Emma pretty much wants to tell him to shove it. And I thought this was good. Because if she had given in too easily after all that had happened, if she pulled a complete 180 on me, I wouldn't have been able to buy it. Is there a fairly clear turning point? Yes. It ties in with the mythology Kresley created very well and within the context of the story it makes total sense. But even after this point, both characters must take action in order to ensure what they could have is what they will have. Sorry if I am confusing you! Just trust me, the flow of the romance is completely dead on and this will definitely be a book I'll be looking at as a writer while trying to work on my own stories because (at least to me) it made this aspect of romance writing -- which I feel is absolutely crucial -- finally make sense to me.
In General:
I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful new obsession. You have no idea how tempted I am to click three buttons and get the next book on my kindle. (My brain is currently screaming: Now!) But I know better then that. I read as I go, and this book / it's review isn't going to be for everyone, so that wouldn't be fair. What I will say is that it has made a strong case for the idea that "Man cannot live on (insert item here) alone." I loved and enjoyed paranormal romance long before I got into YA and there's no logical reason I shouldn't be reading both. Even comparing a YA paranormal to an adult paranormal, they both cover different concepts and themes that I'm interested in exploring, both as a reader and a writer. (And for the record, this goes beyond being about sexuality. Sex, all by itself and with no reason, is boring to me. That's actually how I lost interest in adult paranormal in the first place. It has to be enhancing something -- plot issues that have already been started, character development or growth, a theme of the book, etc.)
So, do I think A Hunger Like No Other is worth your time? Absolutely! I really loved this book and I thought that it was very interesting, well thought out and well written. If you were curious about it before my review (or became curious from reading my review) and still want to check it out now? Run, don't walk, and grab a copy of this. It's absolutely brilliant and I'm honestly shocked it took me this long to read it. ...more
Notes are private!
Feb 19, 2012
Feb 20, 2012
Feb 19, 2012
Kindle Edition
Apr 17, 2011
Apr 30, 2011
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*A copy was provided by the author for review.
I've done quite a few events with my friends Darkfallen My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*A copy was provided by the author for review.
I've done quite a few events with my friends Darkfallen and Greta over at Paranormal Wastelands. I've also never been lead astray about a book by these two. So, when they invited me to be part of the Miss World blog tour, I took one look at the summary and went "Hell yes!".
I'm very glad that I did. I have a lot to say about Miss World -- starting with the fact that this book is definitely not for everybody -- but I personally really enjoyed it. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind and start at the beginning, shall we? Read on to find out my thoughts about this extremely original and unique book...
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
It's 1993. Kim Ho wishes she were Courtney Love, instead of the chubby 16-year-old who clashes with her traditional Chinese parents. Her very own Kurt Cobain arrives in the form of Kevin, a 26-year-old failed musician. But Kevin uses Kim's rock-star dreams to exploit her, and those dreams die along with the real Kurt Cobain.Too scared to tell anyone, Kim conjures up a cross-dressing imaginary friend and dates Walter Riordan, the cute boy from special-ed. Walter helps her recover, but after a joke snowballs into a plot to murder Kevin, Kim's forced to choose between revenge or her sanity. This is a truly daring and original coming-of-age novel about one girl's quest to reclaim her power from those who've stolen it.
I love it when I can say that a book "took me back". I've always had a thing for history, and when a book explores a part of it that I have actually lived through it leaves me with this really weird and wonderful feeling. Now, first up I need to tell you. I wasn't part of the whole Nirvana thing. But that really didn't matter as I read this book. I had my own bands that I followd at the time, and while I would likely have been a bit younger then Kimmy is here one of the things this book made me immediately want to do was go back and listen to the songs I personally recalled from this time.
Music, and it's power to heal, is a huge part of Miss World. Music is also often a huge part of one's identity during the teen years, regardless of what time period you are talking about. This is one of the things about the book that I think makes it just as applicable today as it might have been if it had been available to those at the time it is taking place. In music we seek self, solace, understanding, safety, a voice to speak for us when we can't necessarily speak for ourselves.
But Kimmy's silence is far more profound then simply needing music because her life is filled with the general "sense of suck" that most of us think our lives are as a teen. Kimmy has a very pushy and unforgiving mother, struggles to walk the line between Chinese traditions and being an American teenager, battles her own insecurities with regard to her self esteem and must rise above the ashes created as she experiences and must come to terms with sexual abuse.
There are several words that immediately come to mind when I think of Miss World, but as far as plot and substance, I think the most immediate would have to be "fierce". Randi Black does not hold back in any way, shape or form. She looks every thing she aims to tackle straight in the eye and makes no attempt to sugar coat it.
I've seen a lot of people questioning how old someone should be to read Miss World. Before I tackle this, and I feel I must tackle it because it's come under some controversy, a quick background on me. My mother bought me my first "adult" romance novel when I was in high school -- to be turned into a report for my grade 11 English class. My family has always had a very open door policy about entertainment -- my parents preferred talking about things and knowing what was going on, rather then "forbidding" things and having us hide them instead.
Here's the bottom line on Miss World, in my opinion: the sort of girl who is going to be drawn to this novel is likely to also be the type who does not need her family's permission to read it. She likely has a mind of her own and is going to do her own thing one way or the other anyway. There is some very, very graphic stuff here and it's very straight to the point. But it really all tied together to enhance this book and make everything seem very real. And the "realness" of Miss World is one of the things that compelled me to keep reading it for the entire day it spent me to finish it, when I had only intended to read a chapter of it to see what it was about.
The Characters:
I really liked Kimmy. She was flawed but fabulous. I feel that Randi really captured the depths of a fully developed character here; one who possessed traits that were endearing and issues that ensured that she truly had a story that needed to be told. I enjoyed accompanying her on her journey and felt very close to her despite the fact that our backgrounds -- relationship with family, culture, etc. -- were vastly different. I was a little worried when I first got the book and wondered whether there would be much for Kimmy to say to me, but by the end I truly felt that I had made a new "friend" as far as this character goes, and I am very anxious to see her story continue.
I also really like Walter. And yet again, he is far from perfect and definitely has issues. I thought it was really cool seeing him and Kimmy get to know one another, discovering the things that they did share (particularly music; which can be such a powerful binding force) and how they drew them together despite things they did not share (academics, for instance). I think Walter's role in the story was very important and that he added a great deal of depth and a great vantage point from which to see Kimmy's growth, which was very needed.
Joey. I must, must, must talk about Joey. Because I *loved* Joey. I have never seen someone so perfectly capture the wonder, limitless insanity and whimsical joy of an imaginary friend -- especially when the need for that friend comes from absolutely heart wrenching pain the way Kimmy's did -- as Randi Black managed to convey with Joey. He had some of the best lines in the novel, he was an absolutely brilliant instrument through which to show what Kimmy was enduring and his moods and behavior were a great doorway through which to show us how Kimmy was handling the things that had happened to her. I can't say enough good, or give enough praise, here.
The last character I want to talk about in detail is Kimmy's mother, Yan. I think that a fine line was walked here. I could never totally put my finger on whether Kimmy's mother totally hated her, thought she was doing what was best (and for *who*?) or whether she had some kind of illness and was mood swinging between these two extremes. Regardless she was an extremely interesting character and her issues, and the issues her issues caused for Kimmy, created a fertile ground for the issues that Kimmy faced making them understandable, if not acceptable, to the reader. When you see what Kimmy has been through, the "why?" of what she is going through becomes abundantly clear.
The Romance:
I'm not sure if this is really the right way to talk about Walter and Kimmy, but for the sake of avoiding confusion, and since I can't come up with a better term, I'm going to leave it as is. The thing is, what happens between these two characters is so much more then a typical boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, situation.
Walter, in some ways, is a stepping stone to Kimmy being able to stand on her own two feet. He represents her ability to reconnect with the real world. He is the one she confides what happened to her to, which is absolutely essential to her ability to heal. He likes her the way that she is, which is a strong contrast to her mother's constant attempts to alter everything about her. Yet he is ultimately flawed in his need to avenge the wrongs done to her, and despite how sad it is to see the two begin to fall apart because of this, it is absolutely vital.
Kimmy's understanding that she does not need vengeance to move on, and that Walter is wrong for wanting it for her, is a huge part of seeing how she is healing. Also, the way that the book ends (...you're not getting that from me) is amazing in how it takes everything it has built up and leaves it hanging by a thread. There are at least three different ways I can see things going from here and I am absolutely dying to see which road it will take. (Probably one I never consider, actually. ;) )
In General:
Miss World is not necessarily a book that everyone is going to love. But I think it is the kind of book that everyone should at least read. Regardless of your reaction to it, you *will* have a reaction. I'm fairly confident in saying that this is the sort of book where you aren't going to come out of it feeling num. Be prepared to face some issues that might make you squirm, but realize that everything in the book is there for a reason and the book would not be the same without it.
Miss World is an always fierce, at times funny, and absolutely fabulous novel. It's a flashback to a time when for many teens, music was what we had to connect. It's a story of losing and then learning to love oneself. It's honest. It's real. It makes no apologies for what it is. But if you've got the guts to give it a go, it's a story you won't soon forget. ...more
Notes are private!
not set
not set
Dec 31, 2011
Jan 11, 2011
Jan 11, 2011
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
This book was recommended to me by Joanne over at The Fairytale Nerd. When I went to Chapters and pick My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
This book was recommended to me by Joanne over at The Fairytale Nerd. When I went to Chapters and picked it up I had two thoughts. One: Oh, pretty cover! and Two: God help me -- if this makes me mad and I throw it at a wall I'll have to get it redone.
My walls need not have feared. I didn't just like Tiger's Curse. I actually loved it so much that I ordered Tiger's Quest and Tiger's Voyage even though I wasn't done with the book yet. This is my kind of story and I really loved getting wrapped up with Kelsey's adventures in India with Ren and Mr. Kadam. I also loved meeting Kishan. (Pssst! Can I keep him?) But now I'm rambling. Let's get this review underway so I can share all the details.
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that's exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger's Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.
As much as I loved Tiger's Curse I must tell you that the book starts slow. This is likely Colleen Houck's way of gently letting the reader get to know Kelsey before the adventure begins. As with all fantasy novels that use a call to adventure, this may work for you or it may not. Personally, I found myself drawn to the book right away, although I will admit that the speed I read at and the amount I read in a sitting definitely went up as the story progressed.
The next thing that needs saying is that Colleen Houck is a "details" writer. She has a very descriptive style of storytelling, which coincidentally is probably the only way this book would have worked. With Ren the way he is, and he and Kelsey traveling many places as a pair, having the book be more dialogue driven would have been a problem. The fact that the book is really descriptive actually worked for me here, too. I know I've given other authors a hard time about this, but Colleen succeeded in getting me to care about what she was describing, recognize it as being of value and pay attention.
This is a book with a tightly knit cast, and one of the major characters can only be in human form (and therefore speak) for twenty four minutes every day. In setting up her tiger mythos this way, Colleen presented herself with a challenge as a writer and I feel that she handled it admirably. I also want to commend her on how she balanced the tiger aspect of Ren and Kishan. There are definitely some things about them that do not match up with actual tigers, but since they are under a spell, seem capable of thinking in a human way even when transformed and the changes serve the story, I was good with this.
One complaint that I have heard about this book, and that I did notice to a certain extent, is that Kelsey seems to be a bit of a passenger in her own adventure. I am not going to weigh in on this here, since I know that this is book one of a series and there is a possibility that this well be addressed at a later time. We all know how I feel about passive heroines. However, for the *most* part (I'm going to ignore the "hunt" scene) Kelsey seemed like a relatively smart character who had her head on her shoulders where the adventure was concerned -- she was determined but believable and vulnerable as someone who is not use to the presence of danger should be.
The Characters:
I really like Kelsey. I found her compassion, courage and optimism in most things very admirable. I found her biting sarcasm fun too at times, although I think we may have seen a bit too much of it directed at Ren. I'm hoping we'll see more of Lokesh in the future -- the series needs an actual villain figure in my opinion. If Kelsey wishes to douse him with some of those acidic words that will go over well. I felt that on a general front that Kelsey was likable and well done. On a romantic front we have a few issues, but I'll get to those soon enough.
Ren is absolutely charming and totally swoon-worthy. I loved how kind he was to Kelsey, how he always looked out for her safety and comfort, and at the same time, how he didn't take her crap when she had her pain in the butt moments later in the book. It's clear that Ren is head over heels for her, but he generally exuded an air of confidence that kept him appealing from book start to book finish. Part of me does not get why he wants Kelsey at the moment, but if she *is* what he wants, I wish him all the best. Seeing him unhappy or in any way mistreated broke my heart because he seemed so sweet.
Kishan is my kind of guy. I loved his attitude and the clear differences between him and Ren. I also liked the fact that despite the fact that they are different, it was still clear that Kishan has a good heart underneath all of the more scoundrel-ish tendencies. I definitely hope we get to spend more time wish Kishan in the upcoming books because I think he was actually my favorite character. I also hope that even if he ends up caring about Kelsey that Colleen will eventually let him find someone who will love him, because I'm about 98% positive that Kelsey and Ren will end up together by series end.
Last up, this section wouldn't be complete if I didn't talk about Mr. Kadam, who was another total sweetheart, albeit of the more grandfatherly variety (thank goodness -- two guys is enough!). I liked hearing about his past and feel that he was a great choice as a character from the ancient world who had grown with the modern world. I also feel that his loyalty to Ren and Kishan, as well as the affection he feels for Kelsey, is very sweet. It kept him a strong and noble character, as opposed to one who regrets the path that he took in life.
The Romance:
This was both the best and worst part of Tiger's Curse. Lets talk about the good first. The pace of the love between Kelsey and Ren is set up well. The book practically can be broken into four sections: "Tiger", "Hey, Kelsey! I am a man", "we are interested in each other", and "oh crap, I'm scared he'll break my heart!". Three of these I liked. One of these made me want to strangle Kelsey. Repeatedly.
I think that the tiger section is good because it gave the reader time to get use to Kelsey, get a feel for the normal and be invested before things went crazy. I think I said that earlier.
The part where she finds out that he can become a man and they are getting to know each other is absolutely vital. This let me see how things were growing between them and built up tension so that I wanted them together.
And that totally paid off when they finally kissed. The chemistry between Kelsey and Ren is absolutely scorching and I think they are totally fantastic together. The contrast between the trust and caring they built through their adventures and the obvious attraction between them was great.
Which is why "Oh, no!" really was such an "Oh, no!" for me. The before and after did not line up. There was no logical reason for the way that Kelsey behaved toward Ren for the last hundred pages or so. We are told that Kelsey has never been in love / dated before and while I could understand her fear that her first love might not work out, the level of cynicism she showed, as well as her eventual reasoning that hardened her resolve, made no sense given this background.
I had a very hard time reading this part of the book and while Colleen *did* make sure to smooth a bit of the ending out so that it did not end blazingly angry, Kelsey is still going to have to work hard to convince me why I should want her to wind up with Ren after this fiasco. (When I said I was cheering for him earlier I very literally meant him.)
Since this is the first in a series I am able to forgive this somewhat. But now my guard is up and I'll be on the bookout for this kind of craziness going forward, which is going to make it a little tougher to reel me in.
In General:
Colleen Houck is very good at evoking emotions from the reader. (Or at least from this reader?) I laughed, I cried, I yelled and I gripped the book with fear when characters faced dangerous situations. When the emotions were sweet or scary or exciting this was great. When the romance was ticking me off this gift became a bit of a curse. Overall, though, I think this is an area in which the book excelled. I don't get to praise an author for this very often and praise is definitely needed and deserved here.
Another little thing I want to mention are all of the cool little notes and clippings that are scattered throughout the book. While stuff like this can be a pain for me and make me dig out a magnifying glass, I always appreciate these little touches because they help in making me feel that I was part of the adventure.
And I think that's how I'm going to sum this up. Tiger's Curse is a truly epic adventure and I felt like I got to be a part of it. I really loved this book and I totally can't wait to continue this series. As long as you are able to forgive Kelsey for being a bit of an idiot at the end, and realize that on the romantic front you're dealing with a Fellowship of the Rings type ending, I'm sure you'll have a good time.
Like this review? Want to read more? Visit me at I Write, I Read, I Review. ...more
Notes are private!
Dec 15, 2011
Dec 16, 2011
Dec 15, 2011
Nov 2011
May 08, 2012
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*I was sent a copy of this book by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest revie My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
*I was sent a copy of this book by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think I've featured Obsidian three, maybe four times here on I Write, I Read, I Review. It's on my Christmas Wishlist. It was one of the four titles in my "What I Want Santa to Bring" Follower Friday and it was a Waiting on Wednesday selection. Point being: I've been really hyped up about this book for a while.
So when I saw a tweet looking for people to review it via NetGalley I was in another tab and requesting within ten seconds. I hadn't planned on reading anything last night. I'd actually planned to spend the evening doing revisions on Moon Dance. But I was too excited about having Obsidian on my Kindle not to check it out. I'd just read a chapter or two...
Yeah, right. I started the book around 9 p.m. and finished around 5 a.m. Apparently I'm a much slower reader then I ever realized I was. But that's not the point. The point is that this book totally wrapped me up in it's story, presenting a fascinating take on aliens, a great heroine and a hero that I kept changing my mind about whether I wanted to kiss or kill. Want my final verdict? Read on...
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.
I was hooked right away, yet Obsidian was actually a story that paced its action and tension in a very slow and deliberate way. Jennifer did a great job of getting me to settle into the characters' worlds and care about them as individuals before she let things get really crazy. Katy already has some legitimate issues coming into the book as it is. She's the new girl. She needs to adjust to a new town and make new friends. She's grieving over the loss of her dad three years ago. And she is currently without internet. (*gasps in horror*)
The way that things unfold allow the reader to be curious about exactly what is going on in this book. Thanks to the back blurb, we know that there are going to be aliens involved. But it's not until a good chunk of the way through that this becomes a front and center fixture. There are a good amount of hints and clues leading up to it, but we don't get thrown face first into the "Hey! I'm an alien!" situation.
I felt that Kat's reaction to what she leans was admirable and believable. I also felt that the way that the Luxen felt about her knowing made a lot of sense, and created a lot of tension, too. I also want to say that the way the Luxens' powers, situation, etc. were handled and described were well done. i was never confused, I never felt cheated and I was never bored.
The Characters:
I totally loved Katy / Kat. (I must say, it sort of felt like the girl got a name change. Not in a necessarily "bad" way, but I'm not sure which name I'm actually suppose to use here.) She was a very level headed and down to earth character who was thrown into some pretty crazy circumstances. It's always a little odd for me when I read about a character who has my name, and that was definitely prevalent here. Some of the things that people said to her in this book were harsh and I sat there, mouth totally agape on several occasions.
Daemon ... I have never loved and hated a book boy so much at the same time. Seriously. He almost made me *throw* my Kindle. On multiple occasions. And it's not that he was poorly written -- it's that he was so well written for what he was. As a Luxen, Daemon feels that he is superior to humans in every way and this condescending attitude flavors his character from beginning to end. At the same time, though, we do see glimpses of a truly sweet and vulnerable person underneath. I have to applaud Jennifer on how well she wrote him. She walked a fine line between making sure that the reader would be interested in him, and having the guts to truly create an alien being who had some mannerisms, attitudes and ideas that seemed legitimately alien.
I also liked a lot of the supporting characters. Dee was a great friend, despite the fact that she did have moments where she acted strange because of the situation that she was in. I feel that she made a great contrast to Daemon and that they played well off each other. The other Luxens at the school were all interesting in their own way, although I don't necessarily feel we spent enough time with them to build strong connections. This is understandable; I appreciate the fact that Jennifer did not let Katy and Daemon get overshadowed by a huge cast. I also really liked Lesa and Carissa. I felt that their differing personalities and the dose of 'normal' that they brought to the story was needed to keep things balanced.
The Romance:
Forget: "He loves me, he loves me not." Instead, we are faced with "I like him, I hate his guts." *laughs* These two had so much heat / tension / chemistry that it could fry bacon. But they fought like cats and dogs. Some of the things that Daemon said to Katy really ticked me off and I sat there thinking "Oh my God, if a guy said that to me I'd throw something at him. Or want to crawl into the woodwork. Or both." Katy has more guts then I do. She stands up to Daemon, even when she is hurting on the inside.
I really had to question what was going on between Daemon and Katy at times. I think I get the point -- that actions speak louder then words and what Daemon *does*, as opposed to what he *says* is what I'm to focus on. But wow! I know I keep coming back to it, but he could be such a total asshole. I recall actually sitting there and thinking "If you feel like *that*, why do *this*?) (Leaving that and this blank to avoid spoilers.) Fortunately, Katy calls him on this, too, which helps ensure she is not being pushed over by him.
The last thing I want to say about the romance here is that Jennifer once again shows that she is a writer willing to take risks because she actually breaks the most basic rule of romance writing. (Seriously, just read to the end of the book and you will immediately get what I am saying.) If this was a single title I would consider this an extremely bad move. However, this is the beginning of a series and the move that she makes here is what sets up the next book ... And it is ***brilliant***. I loved and hated it. Which, in this story, made total sense. I'm very impressed.
In General:
Is Obsidian worth a buy? Absolutely! I could not put this book down. The pacing, the chemistry between Daemon and Katy, the overall sense of tension that threads through the book, the laugh-out-loud funny dialogue... There is so much here that is worthy of praise. The only thing that I will say is to buy this one as a physical copy. I'm serious, guys. Kindles do not make good frisbees. Daemon will push all the right *and* wrong buttons and I don't want to be responsible for anyone having a damaged e-Reader.
Obsidian is a fantastic beginning to a new series that I am already eager to read the next book in. It grabbed me and did not let go. It was original, fresh and fun. I cannot wait to see what happens next! I've nagged about him all the way, but I already need another Daemon fix.
For more review, visit my blog I Write, I Read, I Review. ...more
Notes are private!
Nov 23, 2011
Nov 24, 2011
Nov 23, 2011
Jan 05, 2012
Jan 17, 2012
it was amazing
Notes are private!
not set
not set
Nov 03, 2011
Aug 01, 2011
Aug 16, 2011
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
So I've had Chain Reaction on my shelf for a while now. Considering how much I love Perfect Chemistry My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
So I've had Chain Reaction on my shelf for a while now. Considering how much I love Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction, you'd think I'd rush and read it as soon as I finished those books. After all, I had it here ready to go.
But no. I didn't do that. And it's not because of any of the usual suspects. By this point Simone Elkeles has my confidence that she will provide a great story and a memorable romance. The reason I stalled here is because I didn't want the series to be over.
But all good things must come to an end. Chain Reaction continues the awesome storytelling present in the first two books and serves as a fitting and satisfying conclusion to a great trilogy. Now let's talk about why.
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers' lives. But that didn't stop him from taking risks—whether he's scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can't stop looking for the next thrill.
Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don't trust a boy who says "I love you," and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor's daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex's wedding, and suddenly, she's tempted to break all her rules.
Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis's biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis's family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he's ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?
Chain Reaction starts out differently then the other two books. We actually get to meet Luis and Nikki earlier in their high school days, while Luis is still living in Boulder. This is very important, because it sets up the background and history between the characters that carries throughout the rest of the book.
It also draws on one of the strengths of the Perfect Chemistry series as a whole -- the fact that characters reoccur and that fragments of past couples lives together get woven in to what is happening with the current couple. It was cool to get to "see" Brittany and Alex's wedding, and later to "be there" as Carlos proposes to Kiara. Luis' and Nikki's presence at these events, and what happens because of them, ties back in to the story that is mainly occurring. I felt it was very smart writing and pretty cool as a nod to fans of the other books.
I liked the fact that the book did such a good job at dealing with the way that different people feel about and present their nationality, as well. The contrast between Nikki and Luis despite the fact that both have parents who were born in Mexico was pretty interesting. So was the "secret" regarding Luis and the LB (Latino Blood). In regards to the gang aspect of the book, as usual it was interesting and added conflict and situations that ensured the balance that has been set for this series continues and that Chain Reaction is a page turner.
The Characters:
Simone Elkeles continues her tradition of creating characters who are exciting, easily related to and worth cheering for. Nikki was a great heroine. Her struggle to trust was well motivated and the situations she faced throughout the book were moving. She is under some pressure to continue the strides of success that her parents began and she does not take it well when things she decides to do divert her from that. I also loved how her warmth as a character was shown at the animal shelter. I love dogs and any character who is nice to them will tend to win me over.
Luis shares some traits with his brothers -- he's confident, charming, a total flirt and ultimately a great guy. Yet he has certain things that are all his own. He is incredibly smart and has been encouraged by his family to pursue this from a young age. He wants to be an astronaut. He also wants to do the right thing and generally tries to showcase his rebellious streak through high adrenaline activities or risk taking. As Luis learns about his past, though, he has to make tough choices and decide whether he will accept the truth of what he learns or create his own path.
The other thing, and I'm pretty sure I praised this in Rules of Attraction as well, is that all the characters readers have grown to love throughout the series make appearances and these actually tend to be important in some way to the story being told. In the acknowledgements Simone Elkeles calls the series the "books of my heart" and the attention to detail and vivid imagining of not only what happens now, within the context of the story, but also of what she shows happen in the futures of her characters, both through cameos and her epilogues for each book, make me believe that this is genuine and true.
The Romance:
I liked the variety of conflicts that Luis and Nikki had to deal with. Not only did they face parental concerns since both Luis mother and Nikki's parents want their children to have great futures academically, they also have unique personal issues that come into play as the story progresses. Nikki has extreme and well founded trust issues that make it hard for her to think of being in a relationship. Not only does this effect what is happening with Luis, she also interferes with her friend Kendal's relationship with her boyfriend Derek, constantly telling them that they are wasting their time.
Luis conflicts romantically change as the story progresses. Initially he is actually in a certain level of agreement with his mother He does not want to get too involved because of his dream of becoming an astronaut. As the story progresseses, new and less desirable reasons become a problem for Luis and jeopardize both his goals for the future and the relationship that he begins with Nikki.
One of the other things that I must commend Simone Elkeles for in this particular novel is that she actually has Nikki be a true hero by the end of the book. Her actions are certainly of the do-not-try-this-at-home variety, but I felt that the resolution to what was happening was very fitting within the actual story and within Nikki's character and her relationship with Luis as a whole.
In General:
Chain Reaction is another great example of a book where all the lights in the house are on. Everything lines up -- great characters, great plot, great pacing -- to make a book that I simply did not want to put down. I read this in spare moments over the course of several days because I had company and the wait between each 'sit down and read' session was torture. I constantly found my mind wandering back to the story and wondering what would happen next.
A stellar conclusion to an absolutely awesome trilogy, Chain Reaction deserves its place alongside Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction. If you have not read the Perfect Chemistry trilogy, what are you waiting for? And if you've read the other books, have no fear: Chain Reaction is the fantastic and satisfying conclusion that we have all hoped and waited for. In short: a book that is not to be missed. ...more
Notes are private!
not set
not set
Sep 08, 2011
Apr 13, 2010
Apr 13, 2010
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
After reading Perfect Chemistry there was no doubt in my mind that I would be reading Rules of Attract My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
After reading Perfect Chemistry there was no doubt in my mind that I would be reading Rules of Attraction. I had to know Carlos' story, plus the reviews I read on other blogs assured me that this series was not a one trick pony.
I'm here to tell you that Rules of Attraction is the best of both worlds -- everything that was great about Perfect Chemistry is great here, too. But this is its own book, with its own plot and its own main characters. And there story is distinct, unique and completely worth reading.
Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn't talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos' wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she's too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.
If Alex's story was about trying to escape, Carlos' story is about learning that he wants to escape. Carlos has long ago accepted the fact that he needs to be in a gang to take care of his family. He knows he needs to be tough and guard himself so that no one will ever leave him again -- his father did this by dying and Alex did this by choosing a new life that could include Brittany.
The contrast between Alex, who wanted to succeed and (for the most part) had to pull himself up, and Carlos, who wanted to be who he was and yet desperately needed help even though he struggled with it, makes this book avoid being a repetition of Perfect Chemistry. I enjoyed watching Carlos' interactions with the Westfields, at his new school, dealing with the members of REACH and ultimately freeing himself from Devlin, gangs, etc. so that he could have a shot at a real future.
I'm having trouble talking about plot here. Can you tell? That's because, to me, these books are so tightly knit between plot and character that separating the two is almost impossible. I liked watching the Ultimates game, seeing Carlos' and Kiara help Kiara's mom at Hospitali-Tea and watching them go to Homecoming. The scenes with Brittany and Alex will also likely be appreciated by fans. Also, please understand that I tend to define these books by the guys because each brother gets a book. It's not that Brittany, Kiara, etc. aren't as good -- the boys just make better sign posts, so to speak.
I found myself more able to relate to Kiara, although I don't mean that to make Brittany any lesser. Kiara is not high up on the social foodchain. She has her best friend, Tuck, her family and that's about it. Until Carlos enters her life and everything kinda goes crazy. I liked the fact that Kiara was her own person and that she stood true to this regardless of how difficult it was or how scared she might be at any given time. I liked her for walking a fine line between caring about Carlos and realizing when he was real v.s. when he was talking absolute crap.
I thought that Carlos made for a very interesting hero. From page one we get that Carlos is a rebel and that he does things his own way. Yet Elkeles does an amazing job of making sure to show glimmers of the person Carlos can be. I think that is really important; she showed us that the good parts of Carlos have always been there. It's not like he goes through some type of 180 degree transformation at the end of the book. I found myself admiring Carlos, laughing at some of the things he said or situations he got into ("What's a labrodoodle?") and overall sympathizing with his situation. I wanted to see him succeed just as much as I wanted to see him end up with Kiara.
I also want to make certain that I give a bit of praise for the entire Westfield family. I think that the way these characters were handled was very well done. It's always refreshing to see an author have an active family life for the teens in their story rather then having mom / dad / siblings disappear like they were abducted by aliens. In this case, the family was actually very important to the story.
The Romance:
This is definitely a case where opposites attract. Kiara is shy, smart and follows her families rules most of the time. Carlos' brand of smarts is more about survival, he is cocky and he is rebellious. I like the fact that neither character's differing traits were made to be something that should be looked down on. I also liked the fact that they were shown to have things in common -- they like to fix cars, they like sports, they like to dance, etc.
In doing this, Elkeles makes her story accessible to a wide variety of readers and she avoids the pitfall of having two people fall in love because the guy was hot, with no further explanation as to why the girl was attracted to him. There was definite chemistry between Kiara and Carlos and I feel that the reader was not left in the dark about that fact, which is vital in this kind of book.
In General:
This was a page turner. I stayed up way too late reading it and didn't want to put it down. Once again, Elkeles' decision to switch her pov from Carlos to Kiara allowed her to show the story off to its best effect and she also successfully used it as a tool to keep the pace of the tale from ever faltering from moving in fast forward. There were some real issues tackled here but also some genuinely funny moments that had me laughing out loud, which is always welcome.
This is a must read for fans of Perfect Chemistry. And if you haven't read Perfect Chemistry yet, what are you waiting for? Each novel can be read independent of the other, but I feel the overall effect is better together. Rules of Attraction is a welcome and worty addition to what is shaping up to be an awesome trilogy. Highly recommended! ...more
Notes are private!
not set
Sep 10, 2011
Sep 08, 2011
Sep 05, 2011
Sep 05, 2011
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I found out about this book about a week ago, over at The Underground. I just finished The DUFF last m My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I found out about this book about a week ago, over at The Underground. I just finished The DUFF last month and really enjoyed that, so Shut Out ended up pretty high on my must read list. It looks to be pretty high on the want-reviewed list, too, if my first Book Wars poll is any indication. So I am happy to tell you that Shut Out did not simply meet my expectations -- it exceeded them in every way possible.
I can't believe I had to wait this long to read it. I've had it since Sunday. Someone needs to give me a medal. :p Because resisting the temptation to open it and get started was hard.
Anyway, let me tell you why you must read this book...
The Plot: (Summary from GoodReads)
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.
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. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.
Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance, rivalry and sexuality.
Okay, first up: for those who don't know I am a Greek Mythology nut. This book does not have anything to do with Greek Myth, but it does have to do with an ancient Greek comedy. I studied it in university for a Greek Theatre course that I took. So I loved seeing it used here.
Lysistrata is not something that people generally study in high school via regular classes. I liked the fact that Keplinger was careful not to go that route. Considering that Cash and Lissa both seemed to enjoy working in the library, it felt believable to me that he would suggest she read it and that she would agree. It must also be noted that Lysistrata is not what gives Lissa the idea to do what she does and that Keplinger's story does not hinge on whether a reader has actually read the play. (That would have been disasterous, in my opinion. Its not the sort of thing most people are going to just pick up and read.)
There were some really interesting threads that all wove well together to create the plot of Shut Out as a whole: problems between Lissa and Randy, Lissa's family life, Lissa's friendships with the girls, the importance and problems of the unwritten rules of female sexuality, and (of course) Lissa's feelings for Cash.
Unlike my complaints with The DUFF, I feel that Keplinger did a far better job of making sure that the plot threads all built up well and that each resolved in a satisfying way. I also feel that each tied carefully into the two main things going on: the sex strike and the chemistry between Lissa and Cash. There did not seem to be any fat or filler here. I never found myself wishing Keplinger had skipped a scene. Everything had a purpose and fulfilled that purpose well. I made the mistake of starting the book late at night and by the time that I finished I could see the sun coming up. Bad for my health? Yes. Good for Shut Out? Absolutely!
The entire cast of Shut Out was good. There were a lot of characters, but so many of them stood out in their own unique way. Jenna and Logan falling in love. Lissa's dad telling her that he'd accept any boy who will make her happy and her concern for his health, the bonds of friendship that she builds with Chloe, Ellen, Kelsey and Mary (among others), how carefully Randy was constructed so that the reader could understand why Lissa was with him, and then why she didn't take him back.
And then, of course, we have LIssa and Cash, who are going to get their own moments in the spotlight:
I absolutely adored Lissa. She was quirky, compassionate, complex and strong. She had real issues to deal with and she might not have always handled them perfectly, but she handled them in ways that were true to her character. She was equal turns neurotic and caring when it came to her family. She hates how bossy Jenna is at the library, yet Jenna mirrors Lissa perfectly. She is vulnerable enough to feel hurt when stuff happens in her love life but she did not spend the book wallowing in self pity. And I loved her obsession with counting things. It was unique and memorable. (By the way, anyone besides me see the connection between Lissa and Lysistrata?)
Cash. Is. Awesome. There, I said it. I usually like the more edgy, dangerous brooding type of guy. Yet Cash seemed so totally sweet, romantic and sincere that I could not help feeling my heart turn to mush and butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I read about him and Lissa together. If one of Keplinger's goal was to show a parallel between a "meh" guy (Randy) and an awesome guy (Cash) she got it dead on. Cash is the kind of guy every girl should be dreaming of -- kind, considerate, funny and caring. He's definitely way up there with guys like Joe Fontaine and Alex Fuentes on my list of favorite male love interests.
The Romance:
Or more appropriately, "how they got together". This is another example of a slow building romance done well. There is a twist here, though. At the start of the book we get to see Lissa with Randy. We get to see how their relationship works and what she is going to "lose". Then we start to see Cash and what she could gain.
Keplinger does a great job of making the reader question whether Lissa and Cash will get together. She also leaves a bit of a mystery surrounding what made Lissa and Randy break up over the summer. That situation fits into one of the themes of Shut Out -- becoming comfortable with your sexuality, rather then feeling trapped by it -- extremely well.
One of my issue with some of the slow building romances I have read is that either the characters outright hate each other or they do not interact for a large portion of the novel. While Lissa does have mixed feelings about Cash, they are explained very well and are actually used in a way that makes the reader like him all the more even while they add fuel to the "Will these two get together?" fire.
I've heard a few people grumbling that Cash is a little too perfect. It is true that he is definitely an idealized character, but considering that he is designed to go parallel against Randy it makes sense here. Plus, it's nice to see a nice guy have a shot at finishing first for a change, in my opinion.
In General:
I couldn't put this book down. My clock hit 6 p.m. (the end of the poll), I started reading Shut Out, and I didn't stop reading until the book was done. As always, I'm aware that this book will not be for everyone. But for me it's one of those rare books that exceeds the five hearts that I can give it. (You know what that means, right...?) The dialogue and situations were laugh out loud funny, the pacing was excellent and the plot tied together well, making sure that all of the threads that were started were resolved by the time that the story ended.
I loved reading about Cash and Lissa. I loved watching Lissa become a leader for the strike. I loved watching Lissa deal with the situations that came up with her family. I loved watching Lissa realize that she deserved better treatment then she got from Randy. This was one of those books where, as the characters walked off hand in hand, I wanted to yell: "Hey! Where are you going? Wait up!" I didn't want it to end. As I said when reading The Sky Is Everywhere, I felt the same kind of connection to the characters in Shut Out that I strive to feel with my own characters when I write.
Smart, funny and real, Shut Out is the kind of book I love to review. Wait, you're waiting for my verdict? Why are you still here? If you haven't read Shut Out yet, do yourself a favor and grab a copy. Highly recommended!
1. A heroine I cheered for and a hero I loved.
2. Deals with real issues in an honest and entertaining way.
3. Laugh out loud funny.
4. I didn't want to close the book.
5. A book that reminded me of moments from my own teen years. ...more
Notes are private!
not set
Sep 08, 2011
Sep 01, 2011
Apr 26, 2011
Apr 26, 2011
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I discovered Bumped while looking at books on Amazon. I was bored and reading a ton of samples for fun My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I discovered Bumped while looking at books on Amazon. I was bored and reading a ton of samples for fun. Because of its interesting premise, quirky jargon and slogans and the way that the twins stories are told in alternating chapters, it piqued my interest. I'm glad that it did. Bumped covers some very interesting topics: the value we place on our ability to reproduce, the ways that religion or societal expectations can effect behavior and self worth and the need to discover who you are for yourself and hold onto what you find with both hands.
Melody and Harmony are identical twins who were separated at birth. Melody was raised in Princeton by her adoptive parents, Ash and Ty. They have groomed her all her life to one day become pregnant with a specified partner so that the child conceived can then by sold for money, college funding, etc. Harmony, meanwhile, grew up in the religious community of Goodside, where thirteen year olds become wives ... and Harmony and Melody are now sixteen. Clearly, something is amiss.
Everything the girls knew is thrown into chaos when Harmony decides to break the rules within her community so that she can find Melody and try to save her soul. But is Melody the only one who needs saving...?
This book is told in alternating narratives and McCafferty does an awesome job of weaving the two plots, which start close together, branch out and then reconnect. Each "chapter" (they are named, not numbered. I would have liked numbers for 'setting the book down for two minutes' purposes, personally) is generally only a few pages long. We are never with either sister long enough for one plot and point of view to overshadow the other. That's a good thing.
I felt that Melody and Harmony both had distinct and interesting voices. There's never any question who's head you are in because their world views, ways of speaking, etc. are both totally distinct. (Personally, I liked Harmony more, but Melody slowly grew on me as she grew as a character.) The events of the book take place over only a few days, but McCafferty carefully avoids the pitfalls that could be associated with this. There is no 'insta-love' (romantically) between Harmony and Jondoe, and when Zen and Melody express how they feel eventually, it feels natural since their shared history is set up throughout the book.
There were no characters here that did not bring out some form of emotion or questioning for me. Harmony was probably my favorite, since I've studied somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty different religions. Watching her struggle with what it means to have faith, why people might choose not to have faith, and realizing that she can set the terms of her own faith, fascinated me.
Zen cracked me up. He's the kind of smart, sweet, funny guy that any girl would want to date. He's an extremely loyal friend to Melody. For a certain chunk of the book I sat there wondering if she really deserved him, but McCafferty did a good job at making their friendship -- and the tension between them because of their society -- become something I wanted to see them sort through more and more as the book continued. By the end I was overjoyed for the realizations these two came to and very satisfied with where we left them.
Jondoe was a mystery in the beginning, and remains one throughout the course of the novel. Can he be trusted? Does he really care about Harmony? Personally, I'm rooting for them (sorry, Ram.) but as it is, who knows? I've never been less certain about a couple. I like that. It makes me want to pick up the next book when it releases.
A Note About Jargon and Slang:
This book has a lot of made up words. I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those things that a reader either loves or hates. For me, it drew me in. I had no trouble figuring out what was going on as I read Bumped and did not find that the terms slowed down my enjoyment of the story. Your mileage may very, though. I strongly recommend reading the sample on Amazon.com to see how you feel about this before you decide to make a purchase.
In General:
This was another well paced, quick and interesting read. McCafferty has done a solid job at letting us into her world without turning her world building into something that bogs the story down. While the book does explore some pretty heavy questions and themes, this is not a book that is going to make you have to put it down so that you can breathe. There are a few moments where a gasp might escape or a tissue might be needed, but for the most part, Bumped is like a light, fluffy pastry that has no qualms hiding the rich filling that lies within. By turns deeply thought provoking, laugh-out-loud funny and simply delightful, I eagerly await the sequel. I must know what happens next!
Fun, well written and briskly paced, Bumped held my interest from the first page to the last, and is a book that I am certain that I will be reading again. ...more
Notes are private!
Aug 12, 2011
Aug 13, 2011
Aug 11, 2011
Apr 25, 2011
Apr 25, 2011
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I had a lot of people recommend that I read Divergent. I would like to thank all of them, because I re My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I had a lot of people recommend that I read Divergent. I would like to thank all of them, because I really loved this book. Also, those who told me that I would like Four -- you were absolutely right.
With that said, it can be daunting to read something that is receiving so much praise. I'm not the kind of person to deliberately dislike a book for this, but I am the sort of person who likes to reach my own conclusions. In this case the truth is simple: Divergent deserves all the praise it is getting. Now let's talk about why...
Now that she is sixteen, Beatrice Prior has to make a choice: will she remain with her family in their faction, abnegation? Or will she join one of the other four factions in her world. It's no small thing -- choosing her faction will determine not only who she is, but what kind of job she will have, what she will value and who her friends will be. Faction over family. Can she really leave her mother, father and brother behind?
I love books where a character is learning to become something new. The largest portion of Divergent dealt with Tris (the name Beatrice chooses for herself when she joins Dauntless) going through the testing that will determine whether she will pass initiation and become a member. I liked a lot about this: watching her make new friends, deal with the kids who weren't so friendly, go through her training... I felt like I was with her every step of the way. I cheered when things went well, I bit my nails when they went wrong.
I also like how Roth carefully constructed the other plot points that will lead to the next book so that they were being prepared from the very beginning and made perfect sense by the time that Tris passed initiation and we discovered the major conflict that happened at the end. My only concern with this portion of the story is that at the end of the book there were a lot of deaths. While I felt that they were handled well enough and that their depictions were appropriate for the situations, it makes me wonder how dark the other two books in this trilogy will end up being. Tris lives in a very scary world.
The stars of the show were definitely Tris and Four.
I loved how Tris constantly struggled with being brave and being selfless. The balancing act that she went through kept her from being too vicious for me to connect with her. I also really liked the fact that it was her need to be selfless and help others that tended to bring out her best.
The thing I really liked about Four was that as we watched Tris get stronger and become tougher, in contrast we learnt more about Four and it allowed him to be viewed in increasingly softer light that made him easier to relate to. To me, Four represented the ideal that Tris needed to achieve -- a realization that strength and cruelty are not one and the same. (Which was something that Roth carefully contrasted through the rivalry of Four and Eric.)
The other character that really impressed me was Al. For a moment here, I am speaking as a writer rather then a reader. Al represented everything that can go wrong when we listen to someone else's expectations rather then being who we truly are. I'm not sure what faction Al was meant for, but as we watch him fail physically and morally a clear contrast between what is going 'right' for Tris and what could go 'wrong' is shown through him.
The Romance:
Tris and Four are awesome together! I loved the buildup between these two. It was not insta-love in my opinion. He was her instructor first and as they experienced things together their interest in each other carefully and gradually grew from what was happening to them and around them.
Another thing I really liked was the thought Tris had where she realizes that whether they were dressed in their black Dauntless clothes or had they remained in Abnegation and been dressed in gray, nothing would have changed the fact that they would have found and been right for each other.
There was no love triangle, which is a refreshing change. Tris wasn't an idiot once she and Four got together, which (yet again refreshingly) happened part way through the book. One of her friends, Uriah, offers to let her sit on his lap at a time when she and Four cannot be sitting together and she turns this down despite all of the seats being taken because she does not want to have Four see her sitting with a guy like that. She also turned down Al earlier in the book when she wasn't interested rather then stringing him along. She knew what she wanted (or didn't want) and she remained true to that throughout the entire book.
In General:
Divergent is a pretty long book at 486 pages. I read the whole thing in one sitting. So I think it's pretty clear that I felt the pacing was solid. I also found Roth's writing to be really good -- this was one of those books where I read quickly yet was still able to see the story in my head like a movie was playing out in full color.
Divergent is a well written book. It is a satisfying story in its own right and the beginning of what I hope will be a really awesome trilogy. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? ...more
Notes are private!
not set
Aug 19, 2011
Aug 11, 2011
Dec 23, 2008
Dec 23, 2008
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
This book was recommended to me by friends on Absolute Write. I was looking for books that depicted a My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
This book was recommended to me by friends on Absolute Write. I was looking for books that depicted a well done YA romance. The book I'm writing is urban fantasy / romance, but I wanted to read some books that had a more slow building and believable relationship. Perfect Chemistry did not disappoint. It fit the bill... perfectly. I'll do my best to tell you why I think this book is so amazing.
The Plot: (from GoodReads)
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created "perfect" life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.
This book was fascinating to read because of how carefully the ties between plot and character were built. At the front, you obviously have the slow building relationship between Alex and Brittany, which moves from "I can't stand you" to the two being deeply in love. At the same time, you have the struggles of a girl trying desperately to live up to her parents unreal expectations. (Spoiler: So that she can keep them from sending her sister, who has Cerebral Palsy, away.) You also have the story of a young man who has committed his life to a gang, rather then to following his dreams, so that he can protect his family.
This only barely scratches the surface of what goes on in this book. Every character we meet is that for a reason by the time that the story draws to a close. The pace is quick, the dialogue is by turns funny or touching and the use of two first person narratives allows the reader to see into both Brittany and Alex's worlds. The contrasts between these two different lives, and the distinctness of each character, allows Elkeles to weave a story that is hard to put down because the reader wants to know either how the other character is going to react to what is happening, or what is happening to the other character while Alex and Brittany are on their own. In a word: addictive.
Brittany and Alex were both complex, well rounded characters. I felt that the voice for each was clear and distinct and that the way they were written enriched the way that the reader connects to them. I also like the fact that we get to see Alex's softer side and Brittany growing stronger and standing up for who she really is rather then continuing to be what people want or expect. Through their actions throughout the book, it slowly becomes apparent that these two seeming polar opposites actually bring out the best in each other.
I thought that the other characters were generally well done, too. I liked watching Brittany become friends with Isabel. I thought that Doug and Sierra were an interesting couple. And Paco was just plain amazing. (Read the book and you'll understand why...) I also thought that the contrasts in Brittany and Alex's relationships with their parents was an interesting situation. Both had either absent or absentee fathers (for very different reasons) and strong mothers (although the results of their 'strength' in the lives of their children were very different as well.)
The Romance:
I really liked how this was done. It took time for them to become interested in each other, and then time for them to be together. We actually get to see what they are like as a couple, and get to see them evolve from Brittany being worried who seems them, to a point where she is willing to risk her perfectly crafted reputation in order to be with the one she loves.
Alex is no slouch in the sacrifice department either. Elkeles sets up the story with Alex taking a bet. But by the end of the book, he redeems himself for that decision in ways that range from shocking to utterly heartbreaking. Despite any actions he make have taken in the past, by the end of the story there is no doubt that Alex is worthy of Brittany and that the love the two share is absolute, solid and real. Alex is the kind of hero that I fell in love with alongside the heroine. In a romance, I cannot give higher praise then this.
I thought that the double ending was sweet -- both the Five Months Later as well as the epilogue. It covered everything that needed to be said and left my with a warm happy feeling, which is generally what I am looking for when I read a love story.
In General:
Perfect Chemistry hit all the right notes for me. I cared about the characters, I cheered for Alex and Brittany to get together. I laughed when they laughed and cried when they cried. The pacing was perfect, showing both the slow progression of two people falling in love and the hectic craziness that can happen as days go by. I never found myself bored or skimming. In fact, I really had trouble putting the book down for any reason.
Perfect Chemistry is a story I know I will read again. If you are looking for a story of true love, one where you can fall in love right beside the characters, this is the book you need. Highly recommended! ...more
Notes are private!
Aug 28, 2011
Aug 30, 2011
Aug 11, 2011
Mar 09, 2010
Mar 09, 2010
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Who names the love interest in their book Joe? That's what I was thinking as I added The Sky Is Everyw My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Who names the love interest in their book Joe? That's what I was thinking as I added The Sky Is Everywhere to my cart on Amazon. I think I clicked and unclicked this book three times. I decided to go for it since I got some great recommendations for this on Absolute Write. I am so glad that I did. I am going to attempt to tell you with words how much I love The Sky Is Everywhere, but there is no promise that I will succeed. I loved it that much.
At the start of the book, it's been one month since the death of Lennie's older sister Bailey. Lennie, her Gram and her Uncle Big are pretty much going through the motions, but now it's time for Lennie to go back to school. Even if summer is just around the corner.
It is while at school that Lennie first meets Joe Fontaine. She is interested in him, but feels guilt that she feels anything. Surely she shouldn't feel anything -- she should be grieving Bailey. At the same time, she is growing closer to Toby, Bailey's boyfriend. As the book blurb puts it -- "one boy takes her out of her grief and one comforts her in it." What I will tell you is that until Lennie gains the strength to face the pain of losing her sister on her own two feet -- and realizing that she's not the only one hurting -- she is on a collision course with disaster.
I could not put this book down. This is not an exceptionally long book at 272 pages, yet it took me just as long to read as the books in the Hunger Games trilogy. Why? Because the writing was so beautiful and the whole damn book so interesting that I constantly found myself re-reading parts of it because I wanted to experience them again. (And again, and again...)
The plot weaves together beautifully, combining love, grief, understanding one's past, questioning one's future, love of family, taking center stage in your own life, and just a pinch of the strange and superstitious to create something truly unique, soul shattering in it's realness and yet coated with little touches that give it a slightly magical quality. I think the best way to describe this might be: "Extraordinary moments captured within an ordinary life."
Let me put it this way: Although The Sky Is Everywhere ended perfectly (in my opinion) I sat there, having finished it, going "Wait. I don't get to follow you any further? Why are you walking away? Come back!" Not because I felt any part was incomplete, but rather because the world these characters inhabit and the joy, sorrow ... everything ... that they feel felt so real to me that I did not want it to be over.
A large part of the magic I am describing above is because of the absolutely wonderful group of fascinating, kooky characters that pepper the pages of the book. Gram, with her ritual to get rid of bad luck and her roses that are rumored to make people fall in love. Big, who despite his strangeness seems to have no trouble finding women who want to marry him. Toby: part skater, part cowboy, all awesome. Now I'll talk about our main couple...
Lennie is a girl standing on the cusp of greatness. She has spent her whole life hiding in her sister's shadow and suddenly finds herself throwing onto the stage and into the spotlight. Watching her fumble to find her place in the world, sharing her ups and downs, was wonderful. Lennie makes mistakes, but what I really like about her is that she does eventually pay for them, learn from them, and become all the better for having experienced them. The girl we meet on page one is not the same girl that we leave on page 272. Her capacity for growth is both wonderful and believable.
Joe... Oh, man. What can I say about Joe? First up: I have a new favorite romance hero. Joe does not possess any of the usual suspects that draw me to a male lead in a book -- he doesn't have super powers, he isn't a supernatural being -- what he does have is a beauty of character that runs to the depth of his soul. A warmth, passion ad light that Nelson captures so splendidly in her description and portrayal of him that I wished I could somehow crawl inside of the book, become seventeen again, and witness for myself. And yet, Joe is not perfect. His family has issues, he has had his trust shattered in the past and he knows that he sucks at forgiving people. Joe's realness -- both the good and the bad -- is actually what makes him stand out so brilliantly, like a comet flying by in the night sky. Words cannot describe how much I loved Joe.
The characters in this book are so awesome that I felt like they could enter my head the way that my own characters do. I didn't feel like I was reading, or even watching, their story. I felt like I was living it with them. They felt that real to me.
The Romance:
For starters, this is not insta-love. There is a bit of instant attraction, sure, but to me that's not the same. Nelson takes her time and makes certain that we share Lennie's journey as she gets to know Joe. We watch their romance build and see the joy that he slowly works to bring back into her life. We watch her cling to and struggle with this joy at the same time.
In contrast we see what is happening between her and Toby. Every time stuff with Joe gets better, brighter, happier, what is happening with Toby filled me with more dread and fear for her. And it's not that she is an idiot who does not see what she risks, either. She learns about Joe's past and wants to end what is happening with Toby. Yet her grief and the rollercoaster of emotions that come with it seem to make this impossible. Watching Lennie and Toby began to feel like watching cars crash into each other in slow motion. I knew somehow, someway that something terrible was happening, and yet I could not look away.
I've been harsh on romances where cheating has been done in other reviews (most notably Anna and the French Kiss), so why am I singing the praises of The Sky Is Everywhere?
1. Lennie is not dating Joe or Toby. Her relationship with Joe is in its infancy.
2. What Lennie does with Toby happens out of grief and it makes her feel horrible.
3. When Joe finds out what Lennie has done, Lennie "pays for her crime" so to speak.
4. When Joe eventually forgives Lennie, it is on his own terms and happens after he has struggled with it for a while. The story sets Joe up with good reasons for being upset, Lennie up with understandable reasons for screwing up, and goes from there.
5. The resolution to what has happened ties together the love that is built in the first half of the book and the loss that is felt in the second half perfectly.
I also want to say that I love how the love story parallels what has happened to Lennie's family from losing Bailey. Whereas with Bailey we are looking back and seeing glimpses of what Lennie has lost, with Joe we watch something beautiful be built and then (at least in my case) cheer as Lennie tries to put the pieces back together.
I think that it is important that we see the contrast between Toby and Joe. I think it's important that we see Lennie "with" Joe and "without" Joe. I think it's important that we see Lennie beginning to stand on her own feet during the time where she and Joe are not together. Lennie is sad without him. Yet it is during this time of solitude that we see Lennie grow stronger, both for herself and for those who surround her. (I particularly liked how her relationship with Gram deepened here.)
I like the fact that Nelson never villainizes Toby. We do see Lennie's anger about what keeps happening between them, her shame and guilt and fear. But any time that she stops to try and measure out who is responsible, she never fails to put at least some of the weight squarely on her own shoulders. I also thought it was good that Toby tries to help Lennie fix the mess that he helped her end up in.
All of this would be for nothing if the way that Lennie and Joe get back together wasn't handled properly, but I felt it was beautiful in all ways: setting, sentiment, and a sense of stability -- a feeling that these two characters have gone through something like this and made it out together. That they can make it through anything.
In short: I loved the love story here.
The Handling of Grief:
I like the fact that at no point during the novel does the sadness that Lennie feels about losing Bailey suddenly, totally disappear. I like the fact that what Lennie learns and realizes is that learning to live with her grief is not the same as forgetting her sister. I like the fact that while grief can make us sympathetic toward the trials that Lennie faces in the book, the characters in the book do not allow it to absolve her (and this includes Lennie herself by the end.) of responsibility for the choices that she makes. In short, I think that this was handled beautifully.
In General:
There are so many things that I could praise in this book, but this review is already really long. The writing is fantastic. The pacing was solid; I never felt myself getting bored. I absolutely loved the little poems found throughout the book, even though with my crappy eye sight they made me dig out my magnifying glass. Trust me: You'll love them too once you get to the end and understand what they are telling you. They tied everything together in a way that words simply could not. The story wouldn't be the same without them.
There are tons of great, even awesome, books out there to be read. Yet this rises above even the best of the best in my opinion. I've spent a lot of words trying to tell you how great that I feel The Sky Is Everywhere is, and yet I still don't feel that a thing I have said can truly capture or explain how deeply I was moved by this book; how deeply I loved it. I'm always careful not to claim that something is my favorite book. Yet I will say that The Sky Is Everywhere is among my favorites. I know that I will be visiting these characters again.
If you value stories of love, of loss and of life, then you owe it to yourself to read The Sky Is Everywhere. I am confident that you will not be disappointed. ...more
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Aug 15, 2011
Aug 15, 2011
Aug 11, 2011
Jun 28, 2011
Jun 30, 2011
it was amazing
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
In his debut novel Summer on Fire, Kevin Craig successfully captures the passing of life within an Ont My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
In his debut novel Summer on Fire, Kevin Craig successfully captures the passing of life within an Ontario town in the early 1980s and what might happen were that town to suddenly be struck by tragedy. This is not my typical type of book. I put my name in for a giveaway drawing over on Absolute Write and won. So there was no way for me to predict what I would think of it. I was very pleasantly surprised.
When a fire is accidentally stopped at Zach, Jeff and Arnie's hangout in Mr. Henderson's barn by a stray cigarette butt falling into a bale of hay, the boys must rush from the burning building and put space between it and them to avoid being in trouble. Afraid already because of their involvement with the destruction of the barn, they are horrified to discover that Mr. Henderson's house also burnt down -- with him in it. Surely they didn't kill him?
This book picks up from the start of the troubles that Zach, Jeff and Arnie find themselves in and does not let go. The thing that impressed me about the plot for Summer on Fire is that the build up of what was happening and the deepening consequences that accompanied it was very much like a fire itself. It mirrored the start of all the trouble and then continued to blaze brighter until it reached its conclusion.
This book was constantly moving forward. It stayed with an event as long as the event was interesting and then moved to the next thing the reader would want to know. The pace of events was excellent. I had to go out and run a few errands with my family and as we drove back I was sitting in the car thinking of how much I wanted to get home so I could continue reading.
There are no wasted people in Summer on Fire. Every character in this book has some interesting piece of history, personality, etc. to share with the reader. From Arnie's mother with her almost "manic" behavior to Jeff's struggles to be his own person, to Marty proving that he wants to be more then a miniature version of his father, every character shone in his or her own way.
I particularly liked the fact that we have interesting teens and interesting adults. The bond between Sherry and Zach and its parallel to the (surprising) bond formed between Marty and Jeff when trouble strikes was brilliant. The bond of friendship shared between Arnie and his mother when things go bad for him was touching, as was her defense of her son when the 'friends' she constantly praised ultimately failed him. The guilt that Zach felt for some of his actions and the ways that other characters made him take responsability. The behavior of Sherry that leaves us wondering if she, like Marty, is ultimately misunderstood as well. I could go on and on. In short, I'll just tell you the characterization is excellent.
The Excellent Use of Not-So-Distant History:
In 1983 I would have been one year old. Thanks to an aunt with a love of 80's video weekends, memories of my early school days from the late 1980's and a general interest and appreciation for how things can change drastically over a short period of time, though, I feel I was able to find a deep satisfaction with Craig's attention to detail in depicting the world his characters inhabited.
From the music they listened to, to the freedom the kids had to run around (aside from the fear when there might be a killer on the lose) to the actual word choices... Everything reflected that, despite the fact that the story took place less then 30 years ago, this very much felt like a very different time and place. The history and its effect on world building, character choices and behavior, family dynamics, etc. made it almost feel like it and the setting it evoked were a character in and of themselves.
In General:
This book was absolutely fantastic. I can already see that this will be making the round among family and friends. It tells a great story and for many that I know, it will likely evoke memories of a different time because of the wonderful attention to detail. I'm very glad to have had the chance to read this.
I would highly recommend this book. It's not an extremely long story, but it has a very interesting, well paced tale to tell. I am confident you won't be disappointed. ...more
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not set
Aug 07, 2011
Aug 05, 2011
Sep 14, 2008
Sep 14, 2008
really liked it
I tried to avoid this book, successfully, until last week. I have never had any desire to read Dystopian fiction. I am a happy person. I usually read I tried to avoid this book, successfully, until last week. I have never had any desire to read Dystopian fiction. I am a happy person. I usually read Fantasy, Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romances. But I had just finished the rough draft of my first novel Moon Dance and the creative "gas tank" was empty. The next book I'm working on is going to require not pulling any punches, so I told myself "Okay, I'll get the *first* one. One won't hurt me.", since there was nothing else at WalMart that caught my attention.
I finished this book in one sitting. It held my interest that well. I was confused at first. What's up with the beauty treatments and the interviews and all that jazz? I had fun reading it, but in the back of my head I was going "Aren't they basically playing Gladiator with 12 - 18 year olds? This is sick."
And I think that was the point. It's suppose to be "sick". But what really caught me about it -- what really kept me turning pages -- was the connection between Peeta and Katniss and the fact that, in the back of my head I kept going: " Oh, Peeta, you kind hearted idiot. Don't you know she's in love with Gale back home? It's obvious. It's 'The First Boy Rule'. ".
And sure enough she does tell him she is faking by the end -- although she does not mention Gale directly. It looks like I'll be able to see if my guess is right, though. I made the "mistake" of passing the book along to my brother and he picked up Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
Will I like those? We'll have to wait and see. But The Hunger Games was a good read. And if I'd pass it along to my brother -- who proudly refers to himself as a "picky" reader -- then I have no hesitation in recommending it to any of you. If you haven't read this yet, why are you still here? Go grab a copy and check it out. :D ...more
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not set
not set
Jul 22, 2011
Aug 24, 2010
Aug 24, 2010
really liked it
My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3
Fifty pages into Mockingjay, I wanted to quit. It's not that the plot was dragging, the characters were poorly My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3
Fifty pages into Mockingjay, I wanted to quit. It's not that the plot was dragging, the characters were poorly developed or the writing suddenly sucked. No, Collins had brought her A-game to the table in all of these areas. The problem was that what I was reading was so harrowing, so totally and utterly heartbreaking, that it threatened to rob me of breath.
From what I've been told, this is where a lot of people give up on Mockingjay. It's just too much. Seeing Katniss trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of self-loathing and utterly soul crushing despair is bad enough. Having it conveyed with such beautiful, powerful mastery of language makes it almost unbearable.
The good news is that just when it becomes too much it gets better.
Mockingjay picks up shortly after the spot that Catching Fire left off. The people of district 13 want Katniss to become the Mockingjay. But Katniss is still furious and heartbroken that Peeta was left at the mercy of those in the Capitol. After seeing Peeta in a Capitol broadcast, Katniss realizes that she must take action. The cease fire that Peeta is suggesting can help no one. And with the rebel forces viewing Peeta as a traitor, Katniss demanding he be given immunity if she takes up the role of Mockingjay may be her only hope to ensure his safety. When and if they can get him back.
Okay. I admit that I am focusing on the plot from the angle that I most care about: what will happen between Katniss, Gale and Peeta? There is plenty of action, political intrigue and fascinating twists and turns within Mockingjay's plot that it should keep a wide variety of readers happy. Whatever you've been reading the series for, I'm fairly confident in saying that Collins has you covered.
The ways that district 13 behaves differently then district 12 or the Capitol are described in an interesting manner that enriches everything that is happening. From word go it is questionable whether ot not district 13 can be trusted. (Sorry, folks. You won't get that answer from me.) Collins has a natural talent to know when to switch gears -- how long to focus on action, or switch to something more personal or emotional or when something might warrant some form of description. Her style retains the brisk pacing that made it so easy to finish her first two books.
I told everyone on Absolute Write that I would not finish Mockingjay within 24 hours because of how much the beginning was effecting me. I lied. I finished the book in less then twelve hours -- and at least six of those I was asleep.
THere are many fascinating discoveries to be made regarding the characters in Mockingjay. New characters range from likable to absolutely chilling. Old favorites, such as Haymitch, Gale, Finnick, Johanna and Peeta return as well, each with something important to add to the story.
I loved watching the relationship between Finnick and Annie, as well as when Finnick exposed secrets that he knew about the Capitol. Johanna and Katniss continue to have a complicated alliance / friendship / something, and when something bad happens to Johanna, Katniss' gesture to help her is moving. We learn more about why Haymitch ended up as he did, which is always welcome in my opinion.
The Romance:
You didn't think I was going to skip talking about this, did you? Collins does something brilliant here: she turns everything upside down.
In the first two books we have Peeta as the active guy in Katniss' life. He's the one who's there. The one she can count on. In Mockingjay, Gale gets a shot at this since Peeta is either unable or unwilling to do this for her for the majority of the book. I find it very interesting how the choices they make during a situation are so drastically different, as well. (Wait 'til you see what Gale proposes they do about "The Nut" in district 2. I won't spoil it for you. But I'll ask you to consider: Would Peeta have done this?) I also like how their respective ways of thinking end up effecting certain parts at the end of the book. Just trust me on this one.
I also liked the fact that in Mockingjay, it's Katniss who has to reach out to Peeta, rather then the other way around. (I won't spoil why that is.) We don't just see how she feels about him -- or even what she thinks she feels -- we tangibly experience it from the opening where he is missing to the end where... (you'll need to read the book.). The same is true for Gale: various situations throughout the book demonstrate what is going on between him and Katniss and how they differ.
Overall, I was pleased with how this aspect of the trilogy ended. I found Collins' handling of it to be classy, real and heartwarming without being a slap in the face to everything else these books have been about.
In General:
As with the last two books, I had a fairly easy time getting through Mockingjay (excluding the beginning, as I said earlier.) At no point was I bored. I didn't feel the need to skim passages or pages. The book was very interesting and the plot moved quickly from beginning to end. If I have any major complaint aside from my struggle emotionally at the start, it is about the reasoning or execution of two deaths of characters. One because it was pointless and carried less weight then it should have. The other because though I ended up understanding the point of it, I felt that it was not given enough weight -- that only it's consequences mattered, rather then the character.
But you're not here to listen to me rant about character death. It's something I'm touchy about and it's definitely a personal thing. What you want to know is this:
This was a good book. Real or not real?
Now go and read Mockingjay, so you'll understand what I'm talking about. ...more
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Aug 09, 2011
Aug 10, 2011
Jul 22, 2011
Sep 2009
Sep 01, 2009
it was amazing
Two words: Absolutely Fabulous!
I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. It made me tear up in a couple spots and go "Awww..." in Two words: Absolutely Fabulous!
I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. It made me tear up in a couple spots and go "Awww..." in several others. I have Mockingjay sitting on my shelf to be read but I know better then to start it tonight. I need some sleep!
I bought the original Hunger Games and passed it to my brother to read. He bought this and Mockingjay the next day and has finished all three books.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting tale, a bit of action and a touch of blooming romance. Katniss & Peeta all the way. :D They are beyond cute together. (Sorry, Gale. You just don't compare to Peeta, in my opinion...)
Anyway... Fantastic book. Loved it. Will be recommending it.
If you haven't read it yet, what's keeping you? Though you might want to read The Hunger Games first. Don't worry, though. It's really good, too. ...more
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not set
Aug 06, 2011
Jul 22, 2011
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