Mandi
I was disappointed to find that that this book targeted a younger audience than I expected. The main character is only 12 and the supporting characters are between 12 and 14 (unless they're an adult).
I'm accustomed to being in the heads of teenagers – high schoolers – not pre-teens.
When you want one thing and get another, it certainly colors your perception.
I never managed to become fully invested in the story or the characters. I believed that the kids were in danger, but I wasn't really sure I cared. When one of the ancillary characters was found murdered (by the kids, even) I had no emotional reaction whatsoever.
Overall, this book was a very solid “meh.”
Ed Note: Spoilers ahead. It's hard not to give things away when the story is only 21 pages long.
First of all, when you sell something as a novella – make sure it's a novella. When I hear “novella” I expect around 100 pages. Not 20. But perhaps that's a personal failing of mine in misunderstanding what a novella consists of.
Second, when you write something don't fill it so full of cliches that the reader gets whiplash from watching them fly by.
The premise of this “novella” had so much promise! A woman has been made to feel ugly and not worthy of love from a past relationship, so a makeover is in order to make to turn her from the (not) ugly duckling into a beautiful swan before a big blind date. It's the stuff of fairy tales.
But Bridget spends the entire time she's in the salon chair worrying about the man touching her hair but then deciding it's okay because “he must be gay” (because all male stylists are gay amirite?).
I think that's what really tanked the story for me. I couldn't get past the “it's okay because he's gay” commentary in her head every few seconds.
Oh my, I'm attracted to him. I'm FEELING THINGS WHILE HE'S TOUCHING ME. But... surely he's gay. So it's okay.
Seriously.
And then there's the BIG PLOT TWIST (that you see from a mile away). Her big blind date? OH MY GOODNESS IT'S WITH THE (SURPRISENOTGAY) STYLIST.
And they live happily ever after.
After 21 pages of angsty he's-touching-me-but-he's-gay-so-it's-okay commentary and then a brief interlude of oh-he's-not-gay-but-he's-sexy-and-into-me-too.
-Fin
This book was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting some sort of chick lit or romance novel. Instead, I got a kind of heavy literary fiction novel that broke my heart.
And I loved every page of it.
I don't often read real fiction. Yes, I understand that was an oxymoron – but typically I read fiction of the paranormal variety. Supernatural or mystical books that have no basis in reality.
The Bookstore was real. Esme's story was harsh and breathtaking and beautiful.
Her boyfriend Mitchell was the douche-baggiest of assholes (don't worry, though, I promise).
And The Owl? I wish it really existed! I would live there forever.
This story really had no beginning and no end. It was a snapshot of a period of time in Esme's life.
And it was... beautiful.
I was intrigued by the idea of this book, but to be honest – I really didn't have high hopes that I would enjoy it. I mean c'mon – a female football player who falls for the bad boy?
But I was oh so wrong.
I couldn't stop reading!
Wild Cards had just the right amount of drama, angst, and swoon-worthy love.
At it's core, this is really a fairy-tale romance told within the context of a Contemporary YA.
You've got a bad-boy who is deeply hurt and needs to be “fixed” by the love of a woman.
You've got the tough girl exterior that's just hiding the fact that she wants to be held and loved and taken care of.
The two butt heads and spend a lot of time fighting their undeniable chemistry.
And in the end – well, it's a fairy tale romance. It ends exactly the way you would expect it to.
It also appears that this is the beginning of a series. I'm not sure if that means we'll get to see more of Derek and Ashtyn in the next book or if it will be more like Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series – where each book is about a different couple. I expect it's probably the latter. We might even get a book about asshole Landon! I'd like him to get a chance to redeem himself.
I am saddened that so many of the books I've read lately have been rated 3 or less.
This one was particularly frustrating for me. The main character lost her memories and had no idea who she was, where she was from, or what she was supposed to even look like (her face was surgically altered when she entered the witness protection program).
As a reader, I was as clueless as Eve was. Except more so. Because she knew where she was and why. She at least knew the reasons she had been told (off-page) for the things that were happening to her. I had no such luxury. I was thrown into the middle of a story with a main character prone to memory loss.
It was maddening.
I nearly put the book down many times out of sheer frustration.
I believe it was probably written that way on purpose to help the reader feel the same confusion Eve felt, but it was too confusing and unenjoyable.
It was impossible to know which characters were trustworthy and which were not. And to be honest – it still wasn't entirely clear right up until the end.
The big reveal surprised me, but I didn't like it. It was horrifying to me. And then the way she was treated after the reveal – by those who were protecting her – it just horrified me.
Overall, I simply didn't like the book. It was confusing and frustrating and gave me bad feels.
When the World Was Flat (and We Were In Love) I really really dislike how this book ended.
And I mean really. And that means this review is going to have spoilers. When I rant, I spoil. Sorry!
This book had so much potential. The story, while not wholly unique, was refreshing when it seems that every other book out there is about vampires (while I don't dislike vampire stories, I do like other things thrown into the mix!).
But the execution? The execution was very poor.The love story portion of the book is similar to that of The Immortals series by Alyson Noel. It spans centuries and multiple lives. The Lillie that we know and love is not the first Lillie that Tom has fallen in love with.
It's also similar to Twilight (but then, what isn't these days?) in that Tom tries so very hard to stay away from Lillie. But they keep being drawn together. Even when he's rude to her. He's forced to save her life (not from an a van skidding on ice, but from a train that hits the car she's a passenger in when her friend decides to play chicken). Okay - so maybe he doesn't save her life so much as pummel the “friend” for putting her in danger.
And the entire book - after he shares the secret and they end up together - he spends it dedicated to not giving in to the call of the secret - to not taking life (I know that doesn't make sense - but I am trying not to be too spoilery here. Some people will think that this was a brilliant book).
But in the end? He makes the easy decision for love.
And they all lived happily ever after.
EXCEPT THEY SHOULDN'T.
I wanted to throw the book - except I was reading on my iPad, so I couldn't.
I was so angry at the way he chose the easy out after preaching against it the entire book. And for what? So he could have love?
I'm not even convinced he got love!
Think about it this way - who did Rose Tyler end up with? Did she end up the Doctor? She ended up with a Doctor yes - but not her Doctor. And the choice that Tom made at the end of the book ensured that Lillie ended up with a Tom - but not her Tom.
But that's not even the worst part! The worst part is that Tom didn't even have a guarantee that his choice would end up the way it did. It could have ended up as murder instead of suicide (because, let's be honest - that's what it was). And after spending the book swearing he wouldn't murder - to give in the way that he did, as quickly as he did, it just didn't make sense and it was too easy and was just a quick way to get to HEA.
And I didn't like it one bit.
This was the strangest romance novel I have ever read.
And it was entirely unrealistic. (Ed note: this will be a spoiler-filled review because I have to tell you what happened in order to tell you why it was strange and unrealistic).
Shannon is a Presbyterian minister's daughter and she has chosen to run far from home as an act of rebellion. While still trying to maintain the good girl image, she has intense fantasies of being a bad girl (which, in this context, means she has lots of sex with someone her parents wouldn't approve of).
So when the opportunity arises for a fling with a bad boy, she takes it, certain that it will only ever be a one time thing.
Rick is a cop who lives adjacent to Shannon. When they meet, the first words out of pure, demure Shannon's mouth are “Boxers or briefs?” because she just thinks he is oh-so-attractive while simultaneously looking like a thug (at this point, she doesn't know he's a cop).
He, of course, thinks she's drop dead gorgeous. And he eventually propositions her. She doesn't immediately agree, so he tells her to give him “the signal” – leave her bathroom blinds up and the light on (because he can see her house from his).
She, of course, gives him the signal.
And it's the best sex she's ever had.
But eventually – and here's where the strangeness comes in – sex isn't enough for him. He starts trying to find out more about her, her family, where she's from, etc. But she shuts him down every time. He gets angry because she's using him for sex.
Yes, you read that right. The male protagonist in a romance novel gets angry after starting a fling with clear boundaries because she is using him for sex.
And then they both end up miserable (because of course she wants more too, she's just scared of her parents).
Yeah, really.
Of course, it wouldn't be a true romance if there wasn't an HEA – but I'll leave some mystery and let you read it for yourself to find out how it happened.
Just This Once by Trish Jensen was simply too unrealistic for me to seriously enjoy.
If you like soap operas, you will love this book.
Holy hell.
Honestly, I should have been prepared for what I was getting into based on the publisher's blurb - but it was almost as bad (or good, if you like that kind of thing) as a tele-novella.
Like whoa.
THE DRAMA. OH MY GOD THE DRAMA.
I'm 99% sure it is statistically impossible for one person to endure the level of sheer drama that Madeline “Twigs” Henry went through over the course of this book. If it wasn't so sad it would have been laughable!
To recap...
You will love this book if:
-you ride the drama llama to work each day
-someone has ever thrown hair dye at you
-you too are stuck with an unfortunate nickname you're desperate to be rid of
-you are vertically challenged and want to read about the lives of others just like yourself
Otherwise... you might want to skip this one.
Curse of the Broomstaff My attention is starting to wane with this series.
That's disappointing because I was really looking forward to finding a really good Middle Grade series.
In this installment, Spencer has been reunited with his dad – but something is off. Spencer is frustrated and his attitude frequently shows. Daisy is more and more nonsensical. Rather than growing up, she seems to be regressing.
These kids are in elementary school – it's not quite time for the angsty teen years!
We got to take a trip to an enchanted landfill and finally meet the 13 Aurans. They were not what I expected. I don't like most of them.
The Rebel Janitors are really no closer to stopping the BEM than they were before this book. I just can't really see what the point of this book was – it didn't do a lot to further the story. Unless it was just needed to introduce a lot of characters. But that's kind of a waste of a whole book, if you ask me.
Just One Day I went to the library this past Friday to pick up two very specific graphic novels. But when I saw Just One Day on the shelf, I knew I had to read it. There's been a lot of hype surrounding the book, and I thought it was high time I found out why.
And now I completely understand.
Note: This will be one of my more spoilery reviews, though I don't give away anything from the main part of the story. I am re-telling a portion of the beginning only.
Allyson Healey has always set out on the path that was laid in front of her. And when that path was chosen at a young age, it can be very hard to distinguish who set the course of the path. Are these Allyson's hopes, dreams, and goals? Or are they her parents? Allyson has never questioned these things before – until a single day in Paris changes her life.
After she graduates high school, her parents send her on a tour of Europe with her best friend. Everything is planned and chaperoned, but Allyson never strays from the itinerary to join her friend Melanie and the others in the evenings while they party where the legal drinking age is only 18. Allyson is too reliable for that.
Then she meets Willem.Willem is an actor in a traveling troupe called Guerrilla Will – a group that performs Shakespeare on the streets (without permits) so that anyone and everyone can see them. And something about Willem – his voice or his eyes – causes Allyson to make her first adventurous decision on the trip. She and Melanie ditch the pre-planned showing of Hamlet with the group and watch Willem's troupe perform Twelfth Night. It is unlike anything Allyson has seen before. She knows she caught his attention – he tossed a prop coin to her during the show – but afterwards, he disappeared.
Allyson and Melanie are scheduled to leave for London the next morning to spend their last few days in Europe with Mel's family. But Allyson finds Willem on the train.
And Lulu is born (Willem thinks Allyson looks like Louise Brooks, so rather than ask her for her name, he calls her Lulu, short for Louise).
Willem discovers that Lulu didn't get a chance to go to Paris on her trip, and he offers to take her for a single day. Something about being given a different persona causes Allyson to jump at the chance, something she would ordinarily never do. She begs Melanie to cover for her for the day and she goes with Willem.
For Just One Day.
I won't tell you what happened that day. Or the year that followed it. But I will tell you that a single day altered the trajectory of Allyson's life. It made her find herself – her true self.
It's an emotional journey many of us find ourselves on. Which path do we take? Is this course mine or am I just trying to please someone else?It's not easy. But it is definitely worth it.
Allyson's journey was heartbreaking and beautiful and honestly, I didn't want it to end. I could see myself in her.
“But still, that whole day, being with Willem, being Lulu, it made me realize that all my life I've been living in a small, square room, with no windows and no doors. And I was fine. I was happy, even. I thought. Then someone came along and showed me there was a door in the room. One that I'd never even seen before. Then he opened it for me. Held my hand as I walked through it. And for one perfect day, I was on the other side. I was somewhere else. Someone else.”
That's a revelation that everyone should have at some point. And then they need to find a way to keep that door open.
Just One Day by Gayle Forman has skyrocketed to the top of my favorites list. I can't wait to read the sequel, Just One Year.
At it's core, The Lies We Tell is your run of the mill New Adult romance.
It starts with some drama [Todd hates Sia because he believes she caused his father's death].
There is inevitable chemistry [Todd flirts with Sia before he realizes who she is].
The initial drama is resolved, thereby creating even more drama [the chemistry is too much to stand and Todd finally realizes it wasn't Sia's fault. Sexy times ensue].
And there are of course the sub-plots of Sia's abusive father and the mystery surrounding the real cause of death of Todd's father [I did mention drama].
But a full star was added to the rating because of the way Sia and Todd's sexual relationship was handled. Sia was no meek and demure virgin. She knew what she wanted and she wasn't afraid to tell her partner.
“Some things you should know about me,” she said, running her hand up and down Todd's erection. His eyes widened, his nostrils flared, the muscles of his thighs under hers contracted. “I love to give and receive head. A little bit of bondage and smacking goes a long way and I get really turned on by sex with a possibility of someone walking in on it.”
And no – this wasn't erotica or BDSM themed. This was an NA novel about a normal couple with a normal sex life. It was so refreshing to read about a couple that's frisky and a bit kinky and feels no shame in enjoying their sexuality within the context of a healthy relationship. I don't know why that doesn't happen more often.
Because of that, I will definitely be on the look out for the next book by Elizabeth Dunk.
Bachelor's Special This was, overall, a fun romance to read.
Jill and Chet meet and have an instant connection. Sparks fly and kissing among total strangers occurs.
It costs Jill her job.
A year later, they meet again on a “blind date” – except Jill knows who he is going into it. Chet figures out who she is pretty quickly.
The same chemistry as before hits them and... through circumstances, Jill agrees to live with Chet for 8 weeks as his live in chef and personal caterer.
I found myself drawing parallels between this book and Runaway Groom by Sally Clements. Both are essentially stories where the main characters end up living together instantly and cultivating a relationship with one another.
But this one had some very funny one-liners.
It was frustrating, though, to watch them tip-toe around one another. They had great sex and then – whoops! Can't talk to each other! Oh, Jill wants a baby? One day in the future? Nope! Can't talk anymore! These two lived together but it was like pulling teeth to get them to talk. Or do anything really, except kiss. I just wanted to shake them!
In the end, it was a fun, entertaining, light romantic read. And it gets bonus points because it will make you laugh.
Dear Ms. Havard,
Why must you hurt me so?
When I first started reading this series, I had no idea what to expect. I certainly didn't expect to fall in love. But through your words and the voices you gave your characters – especially to Sadie – I did fall in love. I love this world. I love the experiences I've shared with Sadie, the Winters, and the other Survivors.
But now I find that my heart is broken.
A choice was made. A step backwards, in the wrong direction. After so much progress over the course of these three books.
And I simply don't understand.
When I finished the final chapter, I found myself flipping back and forth between the final pages and rereading because I didn't understand what had happened.
I still don't.
I find myself in a position I've never been in before. For the first time, I have a need to see inside a character's head*. To understand her so completely that I no longer question her choices. You have put me in that position and for that, I say bravo. It is incredible writing that leaves me in such a state – a state of love and confusion and longing and sorrow.
I hope, Ms. Havard, that Book 4 offers some resolution and relief to these feelings I am having. I don't need a happy ending if it's not time, but I do hope that I can begin to support and understand what transpired at the end of Body & Blood (events that have overshadowed the entire plot of the book in my thoughts here!).
Thank you for writing a new series that turns the paranormal genre on its head. And thank you for not being predictable. But please try not to break my heart in the next one.
Love,
Mandi Kaye
I first heard of this series last year at BEA. I picked up the ARC of the second book in the series and met Amanda (very briefly) while I was perusing the exhibit hall. But it was the second book in a series, so it languished on my shelf for... well ever. I had the best intentions of picking up the first one and reading them both, but it just never really happened.
Until Amanda's awesome marketing for book three happened this year, that is. I couldn't look at Twitter or Facebook without being reminded that I had Book 2 and that meant I needed Book 1 so that I could buy Book 3 when it came out!
Awesome marketing job Amanda.
And then Bout of Books 8.0 rolled around right after Book 3 came out. What a perfect opportunity for me to read all three books! What I didn't expect was to sit down and read all three in two days.
Because I couldn't put them down.
If you follow me on Twitter, you saw incessant gushing.
I had no idea guys. NO IDEA.
You all know how much I hate publisher blurbs. That means I never read this one in its entirety. I went into the story mostly blind. I knew it was about the survivors of those accused during the Salem witch trials. I knew it was paranormal. That's about all I knew. I didn't read far enough down to get into “vampire” or “mythological creatures.” I didn't realize she had created an entire world with new creatures and its own mythology.
And this world is fascinating.
Sadie is, to me, the most fascinating of them all. I want inside her head. Seriously – I want to know how she ticks! We get some of it, but I want more! She's such a fascinating character study to me. She is an immortal who wants to die.
She is the only one, in more than 300 years, to choose to leave the “family” and live among humans as a human. And because she made that choice, it was the catalyst for the rest of the series. She learns that nearly everything she had ever been taught was a lie.
She learns that her family is not the only group of non-humans in the world.
And this knowledge only makes her quest to find mortality even more important in her eyes. What if one of these “new” immortal Survivors is evil? How do you kill someone who can't be killed?
A few things of note:
-Yes, there is a love triangle. But it's a necessary one. (Yes it's necessary. Read the series to find out why!)
-Yes, there are vampires. “Good” vampires – but they still feed on humans. How? Well, read the series to find out how.
-Okay, there may be some obvious parallels to Twilight – but take them with a grain of salt. The world building and character development in this series are just so phenomenal and complex that it's like comparing skim milk to whipped cream.
And perhaps the best thing I can say about this book? I finished it around 9PM. I thought to myself I can start the next one and read for an hour before bedtime. Yeahhhhh, no. Three hours later, I finished the sequel. And I was very grumpy at work the next day.
Book hangovers. Amanda Havard causes them.
Sadie has come home.
And to be honest, I cringe inside for her because I understand why she doesn't want to be there. But I also understand the loyalty that brought her back.
She loves her family, even she doesn't want to be what they are.
Even when they hate her.
Somehow, they believe that she is responsible for the things have happened to them since she left the family. And all she wants to do is save them.
In Point of Origin, Sadie tries to find out where the Survivors came from. Who created them? Why? She believes if they can find those answers, then they can find out how to kill the ones who seek to kill them.
And Sadie faces so much opposition that my heart just breaks for her. It's no wonder that she feels like she's going crazy.
She makes many decisions that drive me crazy – I just want to reach through the pages and shake her – but she does stay true to herself.
And the cliffhanger at the end of this book made me want to throw the book. If I had had to wait for the next one – someone would have gotten hurt. That's all I'm saying.
There is absolutely no Sophomore Slump here, as is the case with so many series. We are taken on a journey that builds this world so much more than the previous book and the character development is insane. All of the characters grew, in some way (good or bad – it doesn't matter – growth is growth).
The first 2/3 I still hated. Cat drove me crazy! Her decisions and her actions were NOT those of someone who loves Bones. Argh, don't even get my started.
But by the end, once all of that craziness was passed, I really started to enjoy the story. And the world is an interesting one. So I started the third audiobook this morning. :)
Since I started posting reviews of the books I read, I've found that I'm a lot more critical than I used to be. I used to be able to just sit back and get lost in the story, regardless of the writing or any continuity issues. Now, I notice them and it can be somewhat distracting – even when the story is fantastic.
This book was somewhat affected by this curse. It's not until two-thirds of the way through the book that we even find out what the Syndicate actually is and who/what the Hybrids are. And frankly – I'm still not entirely positive of that story. It seemed to go “Once upon a time there was a creature that infected humans with something that made them change into killers and now we kill them.” The whole thing is really very vague.
That being said, I truly enjoyed the story. I'm really hoping it's the start of a series and not a stand-alone novel. The premise is fairly unique – a family organization that protects humans from the creatures that go bump in the night – but not vampires or werewolves or witches.
Vasile, despite the odd name, is the best kind of a hero for a story. He's very loyal but not to the point of blind obedience. Though he's trained to kill, it's only to take down the Hybrids. When his new assignment – to kill a human girl – seems to fly against the face of everything he's ever been taught, he fights it – unwilling to taint his family's history. And when he meets his intended victim, sparks fly.
Vasi must find out what's true and what's a lie – before it's too late.
Enter below to win a copy of The Syndicate – and remember to follow your intuition!
Beauty Queens I'm going to be honest: I hated this book when I started listening to it. It grated on my nerves and made me cringe.
Then I figured out it was satire and was supposed to (thanks to some nudging from Amanda).
Once I embraced it for what is was... it was epic y'all.
EPIC!
I couldn't get enough of it. Let's not even talk about the story yet- I'm talking about Libba Bray's narration. It was flawless. It was stupendous. It was freaking amazing. Want a taste? Check this out (watch the whole thing, but the audiobook portion starts at 2:20):
[click through to my blog to watch the video]
How can you not fall in love with that kind of performance?
Story-wise, I absolutely fell in love with all of the characters by the end. Yes, even Taylor. I must admit, I think my favorite parts were Tiara's one-liners at the end of the chapters. Even though at first they thoroughly creeped me out because of her voice.
I really don't have anything bad to say about this one. I'm not sure my opinion would have been quite as favorable if I had read it instead of listening to it, so I'm definitely glad I listened to it. There are footnotes. And commercials. And it's just... epic. Seriously, there's no other word for it.
And really- they need to make it into a movie. Yes, I really think that.
I left this as a comment on someone's review before I was finished with the book, and I'm posting it here because after finishing it... I find it's still how I feel.
“At this point in the book, I still really dislike Eve. She's whiny, annoying, spoiled, and has virtually no redeeming qualities. She is quite naive. I even want to call her stupid in many places.
But at the same time, this world that Anna Carey built is fascinating. Even through my dislike of the main character, I have bonded with supporting characters. I want to know that the world will get better for Arden, Benny, and Silas. So I will finish this book. And I will read the next one.
But man. I really dislike Eve.”
This is my first zombie book.
Our story opens where countless stories have ended in the last twenty-six years: with an idiot - in this case, my brother Shaun - deciding it would be a good idea to go out and poke a zombie with a stick to see what happens.
lot
Governor Tate is a man who cares so much about freedom that he's willing to give it to you at gunpoint. He's a man who cares so deeply about our schools that he supports shutting down public education in favor of vouchers distributed only to schools with with government safety certifications.
Do your research. Do your homework. Learn what this man would do to our country in the name of preserving a brand of freedom that is as destructive as it is impossible to secure. Know your enemy.
That's what freedom really means.
“You said the only way things could've gotten as bad as they did was if people were willing to take the first easy answer they could find and cling to it, rather than doing anything as complicated as actually thinking.”
“And you said that was human nature and I should be thankful we're smarter than they are,” Shaun said. “And then you hit me.”
Our ancestors dreamed of a world without boundaries, while we dream new boundaries to put around our homes, our children, and ourselves. We limit our potential day after day in the name of a safety that we refuse to ever achieve. We took a world that was huge with possibility, and we made it as small as we could.