The Bermuda Triangle Is NOT a Vacation Spot!

Expected Publication:  June 18th, 2013
Triangles
By: Kimberly Ann Miller
Spencer Hill Press
ISBN-13:  9781937053369

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

Review

 

     Autumn Taylor's life completely sucks.  She works at an auto-mechanic shop with a guy who is practically stalking her, her Mom is in a coma that she's pretty sure is her fault, her sister has decided that she's in charge of Autumn's every move and she's pretty sure she'll never save up enough money to leave New Jersey for good.  She's excited when her sister tells her that they're going on a cruise their Mom had planned before her accident.  Maybe Autumn can get away from Joey (stalker-boy), her crazy & depressing life and let herself relax for a change.  But when Joey and hot, local playboy Marcus are both on the ship with her things are bound to get crazy - especially when they're passing through the Bermuda Triangle!  Each day in the triangle has Autumn living an alternate reality and trying to figure out the meaning of her real life in comparison.  Can she get back to her own reality or will she be trapped in another version of her life?
     From the synopsis, I expected a little more mystery about the Bermuda Triangle and it's strange effects to be present.  If that's what you're looking for TURN BACK WHILE YOU STIILL CAN!!!  What I got instead was a book full of rom-com fluff (if you can call man-whore playboys and stalkers romantic), mixed with some moments trying to emotionally heavy and 'important' to character development.  The feel of this book is distinctly New Adult hormones/actions/language, mixed with middle-grade maturity levels.  In other words, at times it is a serious train wreck.  Autumn has had a lot of bad stuff happen in her life and I can understand how that might make her unreceptive to other peoples' attempts to connect with her.  But other than when she wants something from others, Autumn is a complete and total rude, unfeeling, manipulative, spoiled, selfish, little bitch to everyone.  Including her sister, who is doing her best to take care of an uncooperative teenager who refuses to act like a human being.  And yes Joey was pretty much the epitome of a creepy stalker, but Autumn uses him when she feels like it and treats him like dirt while she's doing it!  Then when she wants him to go away, Autumn completely ignores him!
     The alternate realities are an interesting idea and the fact that they take place in the Bermuda Triangle is a fresh concept for a YA book.  The first alternate universe had Autumn with playboy Marcus, in a 'committed' relationship and Joey doesn't even know who she is, plus her dead Dad is alive.  The next time Autumn is married to Joey, has an infant daughter and her sister is with Marcus.  The third time Autumn is sick with cancer and dying (Joey is her step-brother).  As she goes through the different realities, Autumn learns to appreciate the things she has in life, the people around her and everything else she's taken for granted.  That said, I feel like even being guided by the mysterious ship's Doctor (who is otherworldly in some way...) that Autumn still didn't understand the fact that the entire universe didn't center around herself by the time the end of the book rolls around.  I enjoyed this book overall, but in spite of the main character and not because of her like I would have preferred.  As a character driven reader, this book's extremely unlikeable characters were a letdown.  But the plot kept me going, even though the ending was a little too clichéd for my tastes.  I would have preferred more scientifically-supernatural material to be included based on the Bermuda Triangle connection.  The fantasy execution of that plot point is respectable but not anything new or extremely interesting.  Overall, not something I will read again and I might recommend it but only to very specific people. 

VERDICT:  2.25/5 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. This book's expected publication date is June 18th, 2013.*

Dark Side of the Moon

 

Expected Publication:  June 5th, 2013

Spike: A Dark Place (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9: Spike)

By: Victor Gischler, Paul Lee (Artist), Joss Whedon (Executive Producer)

Dark Horse

ISBN-13:  9781616551094

 

Fresh from his latest attempt to get Buffy to act on her feelings for him, Spike has fled to the dark side of the moon. His trip leads him to a group of dangerous demons and a rude awakening from his reverie, which in turn leads him on an unexpected adventure to . . . Sunnydale! Collecting Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike—A Dark Place #1–#5.

 

Review

 

     So, I did not realize that this comic was set during Season 9 of Buffy or that there even was a Season 9!  I haven't quite caught up on 8 yet and this threw me into the deep end of things without any real clue what was happening.  All I know is that Spike is somehow Captaining a spaceship to the dark side of the moon (literally) and in charge of his own army of buggy, alien minions.  The artificial sun-room on the ship was awesome and Spike trying to drown himself in alcohol was definitely in character.  He has some wonderful sarcastic and smarmy remarks, but the bugs are pretty funny too especially head bug, Sebastian.  I especially love when he's willing to commandeer the ship and get Spike away from a very suspicious (but hot) succubus who is trying to play him like a fiddle.  The later part of this story arc is about Spike trying to prevent her and from opening up the Hellmouth with a shard of some alien seed.  And some other characters from his past are also after the shard, for the power and magic that it will bring them the use of.  My least favorite thing about this other than the slow burn of the plot is the weird, and overblown infiltration of straight sci-fi into the Buffyverse, which is strictly fantasy in my mind.  There is a fine line between the two, and I definitely prefer demons/magic to aliens/spaceships.  As much as  I love Spike, this whole plot just felt like unnecessary filler and I reveled in his wonderful Spike-ness which I've missed.  But overall it was a disappointment and if that's the direction Season 9 is going I'm not even going to bother catching up.  It does get major points for kick-ass art and great action sequences, plus some truly funny remarks.  Not highly recommended to fans of non-comic Buffy though unless you're diehard and have to read/see everything Buffy ever created.  Otherwise I say you should just skip it.

 

VERDICT:  2/5  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 is June 5th, 2013.*

This Is A Hopeless Case of Sickness

Expected Publication:  June 11th, 2013
Plague In The Mirror
By: Deborah Noyes
Candlewick Press
ISBN-13:  9780763659806


It was meant to be a diversion — a summer in Florence with her best friend, Liam, and his travel-writer mom, doing historical research between breaks for gelato. A chance to forget that back in Vermont, May’s parents, and all semblance of safety, were breaking up. But when May wakes one night sensing someone in her room, only to find her ghostly twin staring back at her, normalcy becomes a distant memory. And when later she follows the menacing Cristofana through a portale to fourteenth-century Florence, May never expects to find safety in the eyes of Marco, a soulful painter who awakens in her a burning desire and makes her feel truly seen. The wily Cristofana wants nothing less of May than to inhabit each other’s lives, but with the Black Death ravaging Old Florence, can May’s longing for Marco’s touch be anything but madness? Lush with atmosphere both passionate and eerie, this evocative tale follows a girl on the brink of womanhood as she dares to transcend the familiar — and discovers her sensual power.

Review

 

     May is going to Italy this summer with her best friend Liam and his travel guide writing Mom, to be her research assistant.  It should be the adventure of a lifetime, but all May can focus on is the fact that back at home her parents are on the verge of a messy divorce.  So when a girl named Cristofana, who is identical to her, shows up in her room one night and starts a confusing game of cat and mouse, May finds herself being drawn in against her better judgment.  Drawn into fourteenth century, plague ridden Italy May becomes infatuated with soulful artist Marco and gets invested in living Cristofana's life instead of her own.  But in a time when deadly disease is raging through the city, can they even possibly have a happy ending?  And will May ever return to her own time and life? 

     I don't know how much I've mentioned this on this blog, but I am going to tell you a secret about myself: I am a complete and total SUCKER for anything involving time-travel, portal jumping, alternate dimensions and wibbly-wobbly, timey wimey stuff of any kind.  So I wanted so badly to like this book, which chose an interesting time period and was supposed to have a great romance in it as well.  I should have known better than to go in headfirst like I did.  The writing style of this book was atrocious.  It reminded me of an elementary/middle school aged kid's writing assignment.  It was full of prose and descriptive language, along with whiny emo inner-monologues from May who got on my nerves almost immediately.  I only made it about 100 pages into this one before I had to quit and save myself, which I try to do very rarely when reading review books out of courtesy to the publisher and author for being generous to me.  But the lack of dialogue or true character interaction really tanked what little interest I ended up having in this book.

     The characters are cardboard cut-outs and the Mary-Sue tendencies of May had me wanting to chuck her off the Empire State Building or something.  She goes along with Cristofana, who is obviously very crazy and up to no good, with little or no thought/fighting to do the right thing.  She instead decides that she's rather follow her nutcase doppelganger into a portal of which she has no clue as to the end point.  All because Mommy and Daddy won't be together anymore when she goes home again!  Oh yeah, and also because of that 'dreamy' guy she saw when Cristofana portal-napped her the first time!!!  WTF!!!  I'm sorry, but you want to take over someone else's life in a PLAGUE-INFESTED 14TH CENTURY ITALY FOR A BOY???!!!  Screw you, I don't truck with insane and brainless hos!  And on that note I will say to read at your own risk and against advisement.  But I guarantee that many people will love it, so it could just be that I'M crazy.  I guess find out at your own peril.

 

VERDICT:  0/5  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. This book's expected publication date is June 11th, 2013.*

Burning Down the House

Published:  May 16th, 2013
Firecracker
By: David Iserson
Razorbill
ISBN-13:  9781595143709

Being Astrid Krieger is absolutely all it's cracked up to be.

She lives in a rocket ship in the backyard of her parents' estate.

She was kicked out of the elite Bristol Academy and she's intent on her own special kind of revenge to whomever betrayed her.

She only loves her grandfather, an incredibly rich politician who makes his money building nuclear warheads.

It's all good until...

"We think you should go to the public school," Dad said.
This was just a horrible, mean thing to say. Just hearing the words "public school" out loud made my mouth taste like urine (which, not coincidentally, is exactly how the public school smells).

Will Astrid finally meet her match in the form of public school? Will she find out who betrayed her and got her expelled from Bristol? Is Noah, the sweet and awkward boy she just met, hiding something?

Review

 

     From all of the reviews that I've read about this book, it seems to be one that you either REALLY like/love or one that you straight-up hate!  I am more in the truly like camp of feelings for this particular book.  Astrid Krieger is a truly messed up individual.  She comes from a very rich family, where everyone except for her crazy Grandfather pretty much ignores her and she's been taught that power is everything, that to need anyone else is the worst kind of weakness imaginable.  So when Astrid is betrayed by one of her minions and kicked out of her boarding school, she is determined to find out why exactly they got her kicked out and how they managed it.  In the meantime, she's stuck in public school with the unwashed masses but a boy named Noah might just make things more bearable until Astrid can regain her rightful place at Bristol Academy.  When all Hell breaks loose and her life becomes more of a mess than even she ever imagined, can Astrid pick up the pieces and learn to let someone else into her world finally? 

     I liked the premise of this book and there were a lot of extremely interesting characters.  This whole book centers around Astrid learning that she can't keep everything and everyone distanced from herself forever.  She is a complete and total asshole to everyone around her, the only person being an exception to that is her Grandfather.  Astrid has never truly had friends, only co-conspirators.  She can't stand anyone in her immediate family and refuses to call the exchange student who's obsessed with her by his actual name, instead calling him Pierre.  But when she meets Noah he starts to break through her shield of sarcasm and rudeness.  I loved that she lived in a rocket ship on the property instead of in the house with her family.  I loved the therapy sessions with her former headmaster and thought that his assignment for her was pretty genius.  The way she tries to enact a change in her life, while still being an aggressive, truth-telling bomb of human being was heartbreaking at times and absolutely hilarious at others. 

      I think that my favorite character was a toss up between her Grandfather and Lucy, her hair-chewing friend that she accepts into her life reluctantly.  Both had a certain vulnerability (Lucy's was more obvious) that made Astrid actually stop and think about her actions at times.  Yes Astrid does horrible things to people with practically zero reason: trying to sell the local police station to China, robbing convenience stores, the way she treats Pierre, smashing a Twinkie into a bitchy girl's hair at school.  But she also does good things like giving away burgers at the Dairy Queen, going to Lucy's birthday party and roller-skating when no one shows up, saving her sister's wedding by getting the groom to the church when it looks like he's gonna run for it.  By the end of the novel she is still herself, but has learned that to be an awesome person she doesn't have to alienate everyone.  My main complaint would be the meandering plot that seems to go in a million directions and gets slightly ADD as it moves along.  It takes way too long for Astrid to figure out the mystery behind being kicked out of boarding school, especially who was really behind it.  I had figured out by the halfway point at the latest.  And Astrid's self-monologues did get somewhat repetitive at times.  Overall, it was a seriously amusing and funny book that had memorable characters and a decent plot.  I would recommend it to fans of the more recent run of crazy comedies like Pineapple Express and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, who enjoy an edge reminiscent of that T.V. show New Girl, for which the author is a writer.

 

VERDICT:  4/5  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 May 16th, 2013.*

It Was All An Illusion

Expected Publication:  June 11th, 2013
Born of Illusion (Born of Illusion # 1)
By: Teri Brown
Balzer & Bray
ISBN-13:  9780062187543

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived.

But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Review

 

     Anna is in one of the most exciting times of her life so far.  The stage show she performs magic in, while her Mother does work as a medium, is really gaining momentum and their private séances are attracting richer patron.  Making ends meet is becoming easier and Anna's Mother wants her to act like a respectable young lady.  But Anna has been keeping a dangerous secret - while her Mother only pretends the ability to contact the dead, Anna actually can.  She is also able to see visions of the future and has witnessed some great disasters, such as the Titanic and the Spanish Influenza, firsthand.  Now with a mysterious young man named Cole moving in down the hall and some suspicious things happening, can Anna keep herself and her Mother out of danger?  And can they keep their show going when Houdini's quest to expose false mediums starts to encroach upon their best methods?  Also, will Anna ever find out once and for all if she really is Houdini's illegitimate daughter? 

     Anna is a wonderful character and so easy to identify with as a reader.  She's growing up and after an unsteady childhood, with no real home and her volatile Mother as the only person constantly in her life she wants a sense of permanence.  But at the same time, Anna longs to be a true magician and be recognized for her town great talents instead of as her Mother's opening act and possibly being the daughter of Houdini.  Most of the book revolves around the mystery of who is trying to hurt Anna and her Mother after Anna has a vision where they are both in mortal jeopardy.  Her relationship with her Mother is rocky at best, but Anna loves her and is loathe to actually do anything to hurt her in any way.  The way she treats Anna became a source of serious frustration throughout the book, as she uses her for whatever is convenient and then tries to get her removed from the show when she upstages her, tries to fix her up with an obviously slimy/untrustworthy young man, etc.  It got on my nerves and only served to make me feel even sorrier for the heroine - which I suppose was the author's intention! 

     The romance was cute but I felt like Anna and her cute new neighbor Cole should have just stayed friends.  Also, the manager's nephew was an obviously not-so-good guy.  And it made things all the more obvious when the author kept getting Anna into situations where he keeps proving this fact over and over again.  It got very anvil on the head, un-subtle and it began to annoy me slightly near the end.  To make a comparison, verging on those old movies where the girl goes with the handlebar mustache guy who ties her to the train tracks and the hero has to save her.  Yeah, that sums up that aspect for me personally.  I did like the historical details that snuck into the story, like the silent Houdini movies with the piano/organ in theater, the cute 1920s clothing (everyone say 'cloche hats') and the ever present shadow of Prohibition.  But I also felt like by isolating Anna from the rest of the regular world so completely in her upbringing and current living situation, that the author missed out on some fun opportunities.  There were no speakeasies in this book and as someone who loves that sort of thing, I found that disappointing.  Extra points for the mafia presence near the end of the book.  Definitely added to the historical resonance for me and made things fun during the blackmail portion of the mystery. 

     Favorite character award definitely goes to Mr. Darby, who Cole lives with, and is a grumpy, old-man inventor.  He has a funny banter thing going with Anna and they occasionally have breakfast together.  Mr. Darby is absolutely hilarious and the fact that he can never invent anything that hasn't already been thought of definitely endears him to me even more.  With a somewhat predictable mystery and a plot that drifts for some of the book, overall this was still an enjoyable and decent read.  I just wanted more from it than I got.  But maybe there will be some more answers in the sequel than there were in this initial installment (a.k.a. is she Houdini's DAUGHTER???!!!)  But I'm not sure if it will be something that I'll read.  I know a good many people who would love this book to pieces and I highly recommend it for fans of Libba Bray's latest book, The Diviners. 

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  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 June 11th, 2013.*

I Do Have A Name and I Am Someone

Published:  April 4th, 2013
Nameless (A Tale of Beauty and Madness # 1)
By: Lili St. Crow
Razorbill
ISBN-13:  9781595143570

When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

Review

 

     Camille Vultusino isn't really one of the New Haven royalty, a daughter of the most powerful of the seven Families that rule the city.  She is just a little girl, found by Enrico Vultusino, head of the family, wandering in the snow broken by abuse and unable to speak.  Now she is on the verge of turning sixteen years old and Cami is starting to ask questions about who she really is, and where she appeared from as a child.  With Papa Vultusino making the change into full-fledged vampire and her adopted 'brother' (with not so brotherly feelings) is busy taking the reigns of the family and his place among the Seven, Cami is feeling lost and alone.  When Tor shows up with sacrs like hers and a mysterious past, she starts taking dangerous risks to get some answers.  But the truth may be far more horrifying than she ever could have imagined.  With a secret that might consume them all can Cami, Nico, along with her friends Ruby and Ella, avoid total destruction in the face of pure evil?  Or will it take them over completely?
     I have seen so many negative and lukewarm reviews of this book that I really was unsure what to expect.  But when I began to read it, I was immediately sucked into the story and found myself attached to the characters.  Cami might be taken by some readers to be whiny, manipulative and annoyingly weak.  I found her to be just another human being, struggling to heal from hurts in her past and become a better person.  Yes, she plays the victim and the martyr in this book which got on my nerves.  But I thought the author also managed to give her quite a good sense of humor in the internal musings and narrative that belong to Cami for the most part.  I think pretty much everyone can identify with feeling like you don't fit in and wanting to find somewhere that you do.  But Cami does do some pretty stupidly-impulsive things while trying to accomplish this very common goal. 
     The dystopian/steampunk type world that the author creates did get slightly confusing at times, as the world build wasn't slowly and carefully done - as a reader, you get tossed into the deep end immediately.  The supernatural aspect and alternate history (focus on Tesla versus Edison being one point, of many) was fascinating.  The world in the novel retained an almost Victorian aspect due to the Revolution of the supernaturals shortly after the first World War.  There is a mixture of magic and technology that for the most part is hinted at, but never really focused.  The only history the author really ever focuses on is Camille's.  Romance when it is well done can really add to a novel, especially in a fairy tale retelling and that floats my boat when it happens.  But this was not one of those times.  Honestly with a confused and volatile 'hero' like Nico and his competition being Tor who turns out to being something COMPLETEY DIFFERENT from how he is initially represented, I felt like it was just a convenience romance build on the part of the author.  Just because Camille and Nico have known each other forever doesn't mean they have to end up together and that Cami has to make the choice she does in the end of the book.  It made sense for her character, but still felt like the easy way out.  The truth of  Cami's birth and early childhood is truly horrific and the stuff of nightmares.  It was some of the best horror writing that I've encountered in the YA world since I finished reading The Devouring series by Simon Holt which terrified the Hell out of me, incidentally! 
     But my favorite characters in this novel with the most promise were Cami's friends Ruby and Ellie.  They were most obviously the incarnations of Red Riding Hood and Cinderella.  I am super excited to read their individual novels, because the author managed wonderfully rich characterizations in this book for them, which rarely happens with secondary characters in YA fairy tale retellings.  It made me happy!  Ruby made me laugh and smile with her rebellious, smart ass but loyal as a tiger ways.  Ellie made my heart bleed with the abuse she was suffering and the haunted life she was living.  Overall, this was an inventive retelling of a classic fairy tale (even with some flaws).  Rarely is a book 'perfect', or even close so I can honestly say that there was nothing overwhelmingly annoying to me as a reader in any of the flaws listed above.  It's a fairy tale and the characters in the originals weren't exactly 3-D and living color either.  I would highly recommend this for hardcore fairy tale fans and people who want something fresh and new.

VERDICT:  4.25/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

If You Find Me, Save Me

Published:  March 26th, 2013
If You Find Me
By: Emily Murdoch
St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN-13:  9781250021526

There are some things you can’t leave behind…
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

Review

 

     Carey and her sister Jenessa have been living with their Mother for as long as they can remember, in a camper deep in the woods of a National Park.  They have been neglected and abused, with Carey taking care of Jenessa mostly by herself.  Than one day after their Mother has been gone for longer than ever before, a social worker and Carey's long lost Father come to get them.  Carey and Jenessa are taken home with Carey's Dad and brought back into a confusing, new world full of things they don't understand.  Both girls are forced to adjust to public school and normal life with their new Dad, Stepmom Melissa and jealous, angry stepsister Delany.  But they are holding onto a secret that is causing them both pain and suffering, and has made Jenessa completely silent with it's harshness.  Can they trust someone enough to let go of their old life and tell their heartbreaking secret? 

     This book absolutely broke my heart to pieces.  Carey is only fifteen but has spent the last ten years living with her volatile, mentally unstable Mother and caring for her younger sister pretty much like her own child.  The girls are both malnourished, socially ignorant and Carey has viewed her years of abuse as something that's just a fact of life.  Watching Carey and Jenessa, who refuses to speak, try to understand and become part of the world around them is devastating.  They have to get used to normal food after a unrelenting diet of beans, a family after only having each other and Carey especially has to face up to how the abuse of her Mom and a stream of others has changed her in unavoidable ways.  My main complaint would be the ugly behavior of their new stepsister Delaney, who takes to Jenessa but immediately hates Carey and does everything she can to make her life difficult.  Another thing that bothered me was the switch from friendship with Ryan, to romance.  I felt like it didn't really fit with the story and was awkward for me as a reader (especially the scene where they interact at Carey's first-ever party).  Just felt out of place in a story where the main focus is abuse, neglect, and trying to get past it.  I loved Carey's friend Pixie, who has skipped a (couple) grades and feels out place.  She has such a gigantic personality and becomes a person for Carey to hang onto when things get confusing or a little rough. 

     Carey's dialect was well-represented in the writing and I loved the fact that she eventually picked up her violin again, not letting all the bad things take away something beautiful from her for good.  The constant way everyone is always telling Carey how 'beautiful' she is had me rolling my eyes and sighing.  Why was that in any way necessary?  Yeah, she's such a special person and has done some extraordinary things in the name of survival.  So why the focus on her looks?  That did irk me more than a little bit.  But the transitions that Carey and Jenessa went through while trying to adjust were very realistic and well written.  I didn't quite entirely guess what the big secret was but I had an idea and I wasn't really that far off.  It didn't make it any less horrifying, but it wasn't as shocking as it could have been.  I felt like the clues throughout the novel were definitely less than subtle.  I liked the ending and overall it was a beautiful and haunting book that I'd recommend without hesitation!

 

VERDICT:  4.5/5  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 was published March 26th, 2013.*