Please Crash and Burn

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2013

Let the Sky Fall (Let the Sky Fall # 1)

By: Shannon Messenger

Simon Pulse

ISBN-13: 9781442450417

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.

Review

     Vane Weston miraculously survived a tornado ten years ago that killed his parents, but he can't remember how he did it.  In fact he can't remember anything of his life before aftermath of the storm.  Now Vane is seventeen and has been adopted by loving parents and has a great life.  Other than the fact that some higher power seems to be sabotaging his love life.  Audra isn't a higher power, but she is a sylph (an air elemental) who has been charged with protecting Vane from Raiden, the evil sylph who killed his parents and now rules their world with an iron fist.  However, when Audra makes a serious mistake and gives away their location, she has no choice but to reveal herself to Vane and admit that he is a sylph like her - and possibly the only hope of saving their kind.  But will he submit to learn the ways of his people and can Audra resist his attempts at winning her heart, even though it is forbidden?  

     This book was horrible.  I only finished it out of courtesy to the tour site that graciously allowed me to read it.  For one thing, the minute the villain was revealed as being named Raiden, I couldn't think of anything other than Mortal Kombat for the rest of the book.  It made me laugh during parts the author probably intended to be very dramatic.  I couldn't stand Vane at all.  He was a spoiled, whiny, brat who only thought of himself.  He was constantly making things harder on Audra for his own amusement and I wanted to slap him for most of the book.  Audra was way too submissive and 'woe is me' to be appealing as a heroine.  The 'romance' that develops between them was entirely based on lies for about the first 2/3 of the book.  Then she finally tells him the truth and he doesn't care, so they stay together.  Yeah right!  Also, like the Gale Force would give up on their idea of Vane's arranged marriage that easily.  Vane's adoptive Mom gave a glimpse at why he was such an unfeeling prick.  I instantly disliked her and the way she treats Audra is unpardonable, unless she was deserving of it, and in those instances she wasn't.  The ending to the whole situation was not at all believable, but the twist about who was responsible for the death of Vane's parents was something I did NOT see coming.  So I can't entirely say the author completely bombed out with this one.  Overall though, not a book that I would ever recommend to anyone who likes to empathize and identify with characters and root for them.  I spent the whole book hoping Vane and Audra would get the Wicked Witch of the East treatment - and with the amount of high winds and tornadoes I am disappointed that they didn't. 

VERDICT:  1.5/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on March 5th, 2013.**

Are You Nobody? I'm Nobody Too...

Expected Publication: March 1st, 2013

Nobody's Secret

By: Michaela MacColl

Chronicle Books

ISBN-13: 9781452108605

One day, fifteen-year-old Emily Dickinson meets a mysterious, handsome young man. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem to know who she or her family is. And even more surprisingly, he playfully refuses to divulge his name. Emily enjoys her secret flirtation with Mr. "Nobody" until he turns up dead in her family's pond. She's stricken with guilt. Only Emily can discover who this enigmatic stranger was before he's condemned to be buried in an anonymous grave. Her investigation takes her deep into town secrets, blossoming romance, and deadly danger. Exquisitely written and meticulously researched, this novel celebrates Emily Dickinson's intellect and spunk in a page-turner of a book that will excite fans of mystery, romance, and poetry alike.

Review

     Emily Dickinson is always looking for a way out of helping with the numerous chores her Mother creates for her and her younger sister Vinnie.  On one such afternoon when Emily is hiding in the meadow, she strikes up an acquaintance with a young man who mysteriously refuses to tell her his name.  To each other they are Mr. and Miss Nobody.  So when she arranges to meet up with him again soon and show him about town, Emily is excited to have a secret.  Then Mr. Nobody is found dead in the Dickinson family's pond, with no obvious reason.  Everyone except for Emily assumes that he has drowned and they wish to forget him.  But she won't rest until they have a name to write on his tombstone.  However, more questions come along for each answer Emily does uncover.  When it starts to look like Mr. Nobody was murdered, for sinister reasons and probably by his own family Emily becomes even more determined to uncover the truth.  But will she walk away from her investigation with her life or will the killer seek to make sure she stays silent, no matter the cost?  This book was definitely different, but in a good way.  I have never seen another YA book about Emily Dickinson as a teenager.  That alone made me anxious to read it and see if the author did her justice.  I feel like she captured the right amount of adult Emily, with a necessary mix of teenage qualities and quirks.  The headstrong personality and inability to settle for less than the absolute truth made Emily a great detective and a wonderful heroine.  The historical details were very well researched and it came across in the descriptions and the life infused into the writing.  When the Dickinson sisters were doing chores and bickering, I was right alongside them.  The mystery itself was slightly predictable, but the murderer wasn't who I had been expecting throughout the entire book.  I was surprised at the end, but I did love that the author made it so realistic.   The usage of Emily's poems to highlight plot points throughout the book was pretty genius.  Each poem had a well-chosen placement and moved along the story convincingly.  I was very pleased and overall, I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of Emily Dickinson, or likes to imagine famous people as teenagers.  It's an interesting book and probably one of the better ones I've read this year.  I'll definitely be looking up other books by this author! :)

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via Edelweiss.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is March 1st, 2013.*

Madness Is In The Blood

Expected Publication: January 29th, 2013

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter # 1)

By: Megan Shepherd

Balzer + Bray

ISBN-13: 9780062128027

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

Review

     Juliet Moreau is just trying to survive, working as a maid among lecherous old men in the University she cleans for a living.  At sixteen, she still remembers the charmed life she shared with her Mother and Father, before the latter (a famous scientist and professor) was accused of heinous crimes and destroyed by scandal.  Forced to flee London, Juliet has always assumed that her Father, the infamous Dr. Moreau was dead.  Otherwise why hadn't he come to save her and her Mother?  But when she discovers that her Father has been living on a remote island, Juliet accompanies his assistant (their former servant boy) Montgomery back, to ascertain for herself whether or not the accusations were true.  With her Mother dead, she has no other family left and wants to believe in his innocence.  Did her Father practice the illegal vivisection, the dissection of live animals?  Or was he doing something far more horrific and with longer-lasting consequences.  With the help of castaway Edward, she is determined to figure out whether her Father is innocent once and for all.  Juliet is also torn between the passion she has for Montgomery and her interest in Edward.  But when the natives' restless natures explode, will any of them live long enough to escape?  

     This book was truly astounding.  My only complaint being that yet again, there is a FREAKING LOVE TRIANGLE!!!   So sick of them that I could scream.  Although, the ending definitely resolved the situation fairly quickly.  The moral issues in this book are ones that still make themselves relevant to me, a reader almost 150 years after the original story by H.G. Wells was written.  Juliet is a truly likable, feisty heroine.  I identified with her quest to believe in her Father's innocence and the mixed feelings/confusion she had about the origins of the natives on the island.  Dr. Moreau was completely insane - brilliant in an entirely twisted way.  The truth about Juliet's disease and injections made me completely revolted, but I still loved her.  That says something great for Shepherd's writing.  The dilemma of Montgomery was so epically drawn and still completely true to the split loyalties of someone doing something they know is wrong - but doing it out of compassion and love.  Overall, the shocking ending to the book, including the conclusion to the mysterious identity of a 'creature' slaughtering villagers and who escapes the island, had me gripped and practically howling in frustration.  In certain ways I am happy that this is going to be a series after the strong feelings it invoked in me, but I am also very hesitant to believe that another book would be as good as this one.  Highly recommended for readers who like a little science-fiction/horror fix, with a dash of classic literature thrown in.  A proclivity to Gothic romance can't hurt either.

VERDICT:  4.90/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on January 29th, 2013.*

Dear Book, You Smashed My Heart to Pieces

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2013
Eleanor & Park
By: Rainbow Rowell
St. Martin's Press
ISBN-13: 9781250012579

"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

Review

     Eleanor has just moved back in with her Mom and siblings after being kicked out by her Step-Dad a year ago for refusing to bow down to his authority - or his abuse and volatile moods.  She's got crazy red, curly hair, wears ill-fitting thrift store clothes and is overweight.  Park is just trying to stay unnoticed, which he's managing although it's not easy when you're half Korean and half White.  When Eleanor starts riding the same bus as Park and the other kids immediately begin to bully and reject her, he reluctantly lets her sit next to him.  At first they don't talk or even acknowledge each other.  Then she begins to read his comic books over his shoulder and he waits for her to turn the pages.  Park starts talking about music with her and making her mix tapes, giving her batteries for her un-used walkman at home.  It isn't long before they're defying the odds and starting to have romantic feelings for each other.  But with Eleanor's abusive Step-Dad always in the background waiting to strike and Park's disapproving Mom, will they be able to make things work?  And when Eleanor is forced to leave hom yet again and go live with her Uncle out of state, will they be torn apart for good? 

     I absolutely loved this book.  Those are the only words that I have for it, even if they aren't quite the right ones.  Eleanor's home situation was something that hit really close to home for me.  I grew up as the poor kid in class, rejected and bullied by my classmates for being different.  Luckily, while my Dad was a verbally abusive alcoholic, he wasn't physically abusive.  But I do know what it feels like to be afraid to go home and to have no one at school to turn to.  Park's life is normal and happy for the most part, but he's struggling with identity issues and the idea that his Dad doesn't understand him, or love him as much as his brother, Josh. 

     I felt like the gradual build-up of the relationship was very believeable.  Eleanor's prickly personality and relctance to accept help or 'charity' was very real to me.  It's all about pride, when you really have nothing else left.  Whereas in most books I read gushy romance rubs me the wrong way, I felt like Eleanor and Park were both so innocent and sheltered, that it rang true to me.  She was old in other ways, but romance was strange and new to her.  There was always a hint of cynicism that kept the "I-can't-live-without-yous" from getting to sickly sweet and unpalatable.  The ending and the way their relationship sort of dies and gets pushed away because of the distance really smashed me to pieces as a reader.  But it was so true that I couldn't help but nod my head and sigh in understanding.  I think this might be one of the best books I've read this year and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good, realistic teen romance, but doesn't mind some heartbreak along with it.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is March 5th, 2013.*

You're Not MY Snow White...

Published: December 11th, 2012
Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem
By: Melissa Lemon
Cedar Fort, Inc.
ISBN-13: 9781462111459

Stuck in her family's apple orchards, Kat's got plenty of work to do and only pesky Jeremy to help. But when Jeremy convinces her to run away, Kat will discover that nothing---and no one---in her life is quite what it seems. Wonderfully reimagined, this is the magical tale of Snow White as you've never read it before!

Review

     One thing that I hate more than ANYTHING is a misleading synopsis.  It's a good thing that I didn't read this one before I read the book, because it is totally misleading!  Katiyana is the Princess of Mayhem, but she has grown up in hiding at her Great-Uncle Barney's apple orchard, with no knowledge of her identity, or the fact that her Mother tried to have her killed before her Father saved her (and died in the process).  But Barney went blind when Kat became a teenager and with that blindness came anger, alcohol and violence.  Now the only person that Kat can rely on is the hired hand, Jeremy Simkins, who is rejected by everyone but her because of his family name.  When he convinces her to run away until he can marry her, Kat is taken in by seven dwarves, who come to love her.  But the Queen's magic mirror (which has a real person trapped inside) slips up and the Queen learns Kat is alive.  Will he be able to find a way to warn Kat of the Queen's evil plan to get rid of her once and for all?  And is the assassin sent by the Queen really all that he seems?  This was definitely different from any other Snow White re-telling that I've personally read!  I did like that the story was told from the magic mirror's point of view, and his connection to Kat was an interesting turn.  But Lemon didn't use that device to the fullest.  The mirror never really describes anything for us, but just gives us the barest insights into Kat's feelings and actions.  It's annoying and somewhat boring to read basics.  One of my favorite characters was Pokole, the dwarf, but really even he was two-dimensional as a character.  The romance with Jeremy was flat and the almost romance with the assassin (who has a secret identity) was so barely there, it isn't even really worth acknowledging.  The ending has a few great plot twists and reveals, but I felt like the so-called 'battle' with the Queen was too anti-climactic and very disappointing.  Overall, the twists at the end are the only thing saving this book for me as a reader, at all.  One thing I will say, is that for such a mediocre book the cover is beautiful.

VERDICT:  2.25/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published on December 11th, 2012.*

Hooked On A Feeling

Expected Publication:  January 29th, 2013

Hooked (Hooked # 1)

By: Liz Fichera

Harlequin Teen

ISBN-13:  9780373210725

Get hooked on a girl named Fred... 

HE said: Fred Oday is a girl? Why is a girl taking my best friends spot on the boy's varsity golf team?

SHE said: Can I seriously do this? Can I join the boys' team? Everyone will hate me - especially Ryan Berenger.

HE said: Coach expects me to partner with Fred on the green? That is crazy bad. Fred's got to go - especially now that I can't get her out of my head. So not happening.

SHE said: Ryan can be nice, when he's not being a jerk. Like the time he carried my golf bag. But the girl from the rez and the spoiled rich boy from the suburbs? So not happening.

But there's no denying that things are happening as the girl with the killer swing takes on the boy with the killer smile...

Review

     Fred Oday just wants a chance to get into college and off of the reservation, where the only thing waiting for her is a harsh life and a crummy minimum wage job like the ones her parents have.  So when the Coach at the high school in town offers her a spot on the Boy's Varsity Golf team, Fred sees an opportunity to maybe win a scholarship and do what she loves at the same time.  When Ryan's best friend is kicked off of the team so Fred can have his spot, he decides to hate her instantly.  But the more he gets to know her, the more Ryan just might want to change his life for Fred, be a better person for her.  But when Ryan's friend Seth takes the pranks and cruel hazing tactics too far, will he be able to break away and do what he knows is right?  And by then will it be too late for him to win Fred back?  I thought this book was going to be a cute, fun romance about a girl who joins the boy's team and gets into a romance with a teammate.  Instead it ended up being a story about a girl dealing with racial prejudice and cruel hazing, so she could play golf and have a chance at a better life - away from her alcoholic Mother and the reservation they live on.  The one constant bright spot in Fred's life is her Father.  Her brother is gone too much to really be a shoulder to lean one.  Ryan Berenger was a spoiled, rich, selfish brat who only thought of himself.  I spent most of the book with my mouth open in disbelief as he continued to justify his  'friend' Seth's horrendous, psychotic behavior and side with him over Fred.  By the end of the book when they got together, I really couldn't care less about the supposed romance.  I was cheering for Fred, who helped the team win and finally gained a place of her own.  But I was disgusted that she still got back with Ryan after he supposedly 'changed' (just because he helped her family when they had an emergency situation) for the better.  And Seth's last minute change of heart was cliched beyond belief.  Overall, a depressing and disappointing read.  Most definitely NOT what I was expecting from a Harlequin Teen publication! The best part about it was the heroine-triumphs-at-sports angle, but I felt like the romance was superfluous (it could have made a difference if better developed). 

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on January 29th, 2013.**

Not Close Enough to Downton Abbey For Me

Expected Publication: January 15th, 2013

Summerset Abbey (Summerset Abbey # 1)

By: T.J. Brown

Gallery Books

ISBN-13: 9781451698985

Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “underclass” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie.

Victoria Buxton 

Frail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret—Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever. . . .

Prudence Tate 

Prudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’s daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society—as lady’s maid to her beloved “sisters.” But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls. And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey.

Review

     Rowena and Victoria Buxton were raised along Prudence Tate and look upon her like a third sister.  But when their Father dies, the girls are thrown into the world of their less liberal Uncle (an Earl), who doesn't look upon Prudence favorably.  All he can see is that she is the daughter of a governess and as such, one of the servants.  So when the girls are forced to leave behind their home and live at Summerset Abbey with the Earl and his family, Prudence goes with them as their ladies' maid and nothing more.  Rowena, the oldest, is listless and unable to commit to any one goal.  She claims that she will try to help Prudence gain her rightful place, but treats her as sub-human like any other servant once in the Abbey.  Victoria is very frail and though she's open-minded, most times her attempts to be taken seriously are ineffectual.  But there is a deeper secret lurking in the Abbey's past - one that will reveal Prudence's true birthright and the identity of her Father.  Meanwhile, all three girls struggle with romantic quandaries and   

learning how to change along with the times.  But when the truth comes out, will it be shocking enough to tear them apart once and for all?  I went into this wholeheartedly excited about the comparison to Downton Abbey, which I am crazily obsessed with.  However even though the characters are somewhat similar they are infinitely inferior.  I did like Rowena, beginning to end.  Which was a surprising accomplishment due to how the author portrays her.  But she seemed so adrift that I couldn't quite fault her for her often  tactless behavior.  Victoria was annoying and babyish, with her temper tantrums and constant asthma attacks.  She used them to try and get her way, which was disgusting.  Victoria also wanted to play amateur detective with Prudence's heritage and Mother's past, which was insensitive to her friend.  She was a plot device and mostly an un-enjoyable one, for all the wit she was supposed to possess.  

     Prudence was the most disappointing because at first I liked her pretty well.  But as the novel moved along, she allowed herself to become bitter and used instead of taking charge of her own future.  On top of that, when she was falling for one of the Lords visiting the Abbey she treated him to a hot 'n cold display of affection.  Then when she finds out the secret of her parentage, she runs away and marries a servant boy she's not in love with and has been stringing along!!!  That made me want to strangle her for the carelessness she showed.  Overall, the plot had some holes and moved very slow.  It never quite caught the magic feel of Downton Abbey and the characters made me sad, because they had such promise.  I will most likely not read the next one (I say that now, but I most likely will anyways) as I do not want to watch the train-wreck that is coming from Prudence's poor choices.  Not recommended to anyone who likes self-respecting heroines.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

**I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via Edelweiss.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is January 15th, 2013.**