I Don't Like You That Way

Published:  September 1st, 2014
The Opposite of Love
By: Sarah Lynn Scheerger
Albert Whitman Teen
ISBN-13:  9780807561324

Rose is the wild girl nobody really knows.  Chase is haunted by his past.  Both are self-proclaimed "disappointments," attracted to each other enough to let down their defenses.  When Rose's strict, adoptive parents forbid the relationship it only makes things more intense.  But Chase can't hide from his own personal demons, and Rose has secrets of her own.  After they're wrenched apart, a cryptic email arrives in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, beginning a desperate pursuit and a look back over their tumultuous romance.  Will they find each other before the night is over, or will they be torn apart forever?

Review

       Rose has been with her parents since she was really young and they adopted her.  But she remembers her "real" mother and refuses to be the obedient, docile daughter that these people want her to be - she's going to do things her way.  Chase's father was a violent, abusive bastard.  His mother is not very maternal, to say the least, and he pretty much takes care of running their lives (and making sure his sister is taken care of).  When the two of them actually meet one another, sparks fly and trouble seems to be on the horizon.  After they are forbidden to see one another things come to a head with a mysterious email Cahse receives on Christmas Eve.  Can Chase and Rose find their way back to one another?  Or are both of their self-destructive tendencies too much to handle?

       I could not stand Rose.  She was a complete and utter, spoiled brat.  Yes, she has reasons to be upset with the strict and over-the-top way that her adoptive parents treat her all the time.  But she definitely invites it, with her completely outrageous behavior.  And yeah, it's sad that she lost her real mother, but her real mother had apparently been a down on her luck prostitute.  So, as much as she loved Rose, she had no business trying to take care of a child when she couldn't take care of herself.  Plus, it's obvious to see that her adoptive parents love her (even if I don't agree with their methods - the police?  Really?!).  Chase on the other hand, while being from the wrong side of the tracks, was a fairly sweet boy.  I didn't mind him quite so much.  I did think that him deciding to pursue Rose, who obviously was in self-destruct mode, was a dumb-ass thing to do.  Not to mention, it could ruin his life right alongside hers, which would just be a waste.  

       It's kind of hard to truly like a book though, when you feel like the author is cramming issues down your throat.  I also had a hard time with the "romance," seeing as I hate one half of the romantic couple.  Then the author had that so-called "twist" happen near the end of the book.  Really?  That's how she chooses to end this book, and make the two dumb teenagers grow up?  Cliched and overall, I've seen it so many times as a reader that it just makes me tired.  Overall, nit my cup of tea and not something I'd recommend.  I was skimming near the end, cause I just frankly didn't care.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published September 1st, 2014.*

Deadly Inside, Somewhere REALLY Deep Down...

Published:  December 18th, 2012

Deadly Little Lessons (Touch #5)

By: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Hyperion Book CH

ISBN-13:  9781423131625

Camelia Hammond's trying junior year of high school is finally over...but her troubles aren't.  After she discovers a painful truth about her family, she escapes to a summer arts program in Rhode Island.  Determined to put family - and boyfriend - drama behind her, she throws herself into her artwork.

At art school, she gets caught up in the case of Sasha Beckerman, a local girl who is missing.  Even though all signs suggest that the teen ran away, Camelia senses otherwise.  Eager to help the girl, she launches her own investigation.  She finds a blog by someone named Neal Moche, a psychometric who might have clues to Sasha's whereabouts.  There is something familiar about Neal, and Camelia realizes how much she misses Ben, despite being committed to Adam.

But time is running out for Sasha, and Camelia will have to trust her powers if she's to save her.  Will the lessons Camelia has learned in the past give her the strength to do so?

Review

     The last book in a series.  One that I started reading in 2011, a few months before book four was released.  So I didn't have to wait from book to book, like many other readers (I know the agony from other series though).  However these were just a fun, no pressure series (my version of book junk food) to read in between heavy hitters.  That said, I had been enjoying the series but felt like book four was too much  rehash and way too much romantic angst.  I was hoping that this one would get back to the roots of the series, which started out fairly interesting and decently well-written.  Yeah, access denied on that particular dream world/alternate reality.

     So, the synopsis is a big fat liar.  In the first paragraph, it says that Camelia goes to Rhode Island for a summer art program, to get away from her problems.  In reality she goes to Rhode Island to find out what really happened to missing teen Sasha Beckerman, because she has gotten obsessed with the case in the wake of some major family problems.  Her parents have been keeping a pretty big secret from Camelia and she finds out entirely by accident, when her Grandma calls the house looking for her Aunt Alexia.  It was understandable that Camelia was freaked out, upset and angry about the secret and what it meant for her personally.  My first WTF moment was when she went out of her way to hide it from Adam (her "boyfriend" - more on that later) and Kimmie & Wes (her two "best" friends who really are just there to play a part in all her drama).  Yeah, so she bottles it all in and is a dick to everyone.  Plus, she keeps taking Wes' car without his permission when he follows her to the art program and investigating the kidnapping on her own, with no help.  She has no self-preservation instincts and doesn't like to think ahead, just so you know.

     Probably my biggest issue with this book is the love triangle between Camelia, Adam and Ben - more specifically the resolution that Stolarz comes to after five books of angst and uncertainty.  The issues has always been that Ben and Adam are both seriously good guys, with no real asshole tendencies that allow Camelia to make an easy romantic decision.  Somehow in this book Adam becomes an insensitive asshole, who just wants Camelia to just get over her problems.  After all, she should be focusing on their relationship and never giving anything difficult in second life.  What the actual fuck???!!!  And then later in the book, while she's still stringing along Adam knowing it won't ever go anywhere, Camelia reunites with Ben and they get together.  This is less than an hour after finally deciding to cut Adam loose.  After all, he was only her back-up plan.  Also, the way she blew off her classes and assignments for the art program was really spastic.  She acted like a complete moron to her teachers, skipped most of her classes and overall just didn't give a flying fuck about actually doing, y'know, art.  Hence why the synopsis is so laughable!  

      Overall, the ending was predictable and all the plot twists were really uninspired.  The romance and reunion of Camelia and Ben was so sickly sweet and goopy it makes me gag just thinking back on it.  Camelia spent most of the book treating everyone like dirt, making stupid decisions and acting like a brat in general.  Not the worst book I'ver ever read, but if you're new to the series I'd say don't even bother reading it.  The "ending" (which gives more questions than real answers) will just piss you off.  The payoff wasn't really worth the effort.

VERDICT:  2/5  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.**

"It" Is a Million Times Better Than You

Expected Publication:  February 5th, 2013

Me, Him, Them and It

By: Caela Carter

Bloomsbury

ISBN-13: 9781599909585

When Evelyn decided to piss off her parents with a bad reputation, she wasn't planning to ruin her valedictorian status. She also wasn't planning to fall for Todd-the guy she was just using for sex. And she definitely wasn't planning on getting pregnant. When Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn's not sure where to go. Can a distant mother, a cheating father, an angry best friend, and a (thankfully) loving aunt with adopted daughters of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?With the popularity of Juno, Teen Mom, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, this novel has a built-in audience. Gripping, heartfelt, and responsible, Me, Him, Them, and It is not to be missed.

Review

*SPOILER ALERT!!!*

     Evelyn was really a good girl, just playing at being bad to get back at her parents.  But the only one she ended up hurting was herself, when unprotected sex landed her at Planned Parenthood - trying to decide between abortion, adoption and parenting as a junior in high school.  With her parents being supportive, although still messed up and fighting, Evelyn goes to live with her Aunt, her partner and their adopted daughters in Chicago for the duration of her pregnancy.  But can she face up to the reality of the situation in time to make a decision that will affect her for the rest of her life?  And will it be the right one?  I was expecting this to be like every other teen pregnancy book that I've ever read.  It definitely was something different, but not always in a good way.  It was super realistic, and Evelyn's lack of common sense in her scheme of getting back at her parents rang true to me.  But she came off completely unsympathetic for the most part, refusing to acknowledge the fact that she was even pregnant and not meeting the adoptive parents before signing the papers - then regretting it afterwards.  Evelyn was a brat for the majority of the book, using her somewhat boyfriend Todd for sex and to up her bad girl image, than being pissed when he's less than thrilled about her being pregnant.  Then when she gives the baby up she freaks out, because she's regretting it, after nine months of referring to the baby as it and blaming him for her screw-ups!  Overall, I can appreciate the fact that Evelyn was a dumb kid and DID make the right choice.  But I hated her bratty ass, all the way to the end of the book.  For as smart as she supposedly was, she reminded me a lot of those dumb girls on 16 & Pregnant.  Not a book I would read again and I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone.  But I do admire the fact that the author got me to read it through to the end.

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 date is February 5th, 2013.*

Kinfolk, But Not By Blood...

Published: July 31st, 2012

Otherkin (Otherkin # 1)

By: Nina Berry

Kensington

ISBN-13: 9780758276919

I thought I knew myself. Then I met Caleb.

Dez is a good girl who does as she’s told and tries not to be noticed.
Then she rescues a boy from a cage, and he tells her secrets about herself.
Now inside her burns a darkness that will transform her.

Everything is about to change -- and neither Caleb, nor the Otherkin, nor those who hunt them are prepared for what Dez will unleash.

Review

   Desdemona (better known as Dez by her friends and family) has a loving Mom and Step-Dad, great friends and a safe home.  Plus the boy that she's been crushing on has just noticed her, although her back brace makes it kind of humiliating on top of the excitement she feels.  Then Dez shapeshifts into a tiger for the first time and all Hell breaks loose.  She's shot, kidnapped and stuck inside a cage by an organization called the Tribunal who wants to eliminate all shifters.  But she manages to escape, rescuing Caleb the boy in the cage next to hers on the way out.  It turns out that Dez is Otherkin and is able to tap into her shifter form due to an alternate dimension known as the Othersphere.  Forced to go into hiding at a special school for Otherkin teenagers, Dez and Caleb (who is actually able to call up the shadow in other objects and control it, but not shift himself) slowly begin to make ties with the other shifters, even though their clans are very stand-offish and self-serving.  But when the Tribunal attacks the school itself and the school's leader, Morfael, is wounded and other students captured it will be up to Dez, Caleb and the others that are left to face the Tribunal head on for a change.  Can they work together in time to save the clans from starting a war on each other?  And what explosive secrets is Caleb hiding that will change everything?

     I have been trying to steer clear of shifter/vampire/werewolf/fairy/angel, etc. fiction as of late because it always seems to disappoint my expectations.  This book pleasantly surprised me!  I liked Dez from the start, even if she is a little bit whiny about the back brace.  But the book got into the action right away pretty much, with Dez being forced to deal with a supernatural world underneath her own.  And yes, she's pissed off and bewildered.  But she's also strong, kick-ass and take names which lends to my liking of her.  She rolls with punches very well, especially with a tradition of wishy-washy YA heroines trailing behind her.  I liked that this book had some major set-up for the rest of the series, but also had a lot of action sequences to break up the monotony.  The tentative friendships between the kids from each Clan, who had been pre-conditioned to dislike and distrust each other their whole lives, very realistic.  When the shit hits the fan, those beginning steps almost get thrown from the window until Dez steps up and decides to take on the Tribunal.  It had a Percy Jackson vibe, but with shapeshifters.  The one thing I could have done without was the unnecessary romance between Dez and Caleb.  But it was easily ignored and for that I was grateful.  I just hope the next book bypasses the usual Supe love triangle.  Here's hoping! :)

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 July 31st, 2012.*

Kiss Me In the Milky Twilight

Expected Publication: September 25th, 2012
The Mephisto Kiss (The Mephisto Covenant # 2)
By: Trinity Faegen
Egmont USA
ISBN-13: 9781606841716

The eyes never lie. No one’s eyes are darker than Eryx. Not even the Devil’s.

When Jax and Sasha first see Jordan Ellis, they know she is no ordinary teenager. She’s the daughter of the President after all, but she’s also Anabo – a descendant of Eve.

What they don’t know is that Eryx plans to kidnap Jordan and force President Ellis to pledge his soul. If Eryx’s plot succeeds, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But the Mephisto brothers do know about Jordan’s secret identity. And for one of them, she could be the match that leads to their soul’s salvation.

Now it’s a desperate race against time to save Jordan and prevent Eryx’s haunting eyes from discovering her true identity.

Review

 

   Jordan Ellis is the President's daughter and for quite a few years now has had very little say in her life.  She's used to people making decisions for her and is with her boyfriend Matthew because he doesn't use her for her status.  But in one horrific moment Matthew's life hangs in the balance and Jordan is being taken away by some very bad men to be used as leverage against her Dad.  One of these bad men is Eryx, the ultimate evil who is trying to dethrone the devil and take over control of Hell.  In order to further his goal he needs the President's soul.  But he didn't count on Jordan being Anabo, a descendant of Eve before the introduction of sin.  She is the redemption of one of his Mephisto brothers, if she can be rescued from him in time.  Can Jordan be the one thing that will save Key from himself and the hold Eryx still has over him?  I actually liked this book even more than the first book with Sasha and Jax.  To me Jordan and Key were more normal in an abnormal situation.  I adored the fact that they didn't suffer from a case of insta-love like most YA romances do nowadays.  In other words, Ms. Faegen didn't take the lazy way out.  I thought that Jordan being the President's daughter was a nice touch and added an urgency to the action the was slightly missing from Sasha's background.  I was happy that it seemed like Phoenix will be getting a second chance at romance and redemption, but was slightly dismayed at the cliched way in which it was approached.  I will say no more than that to avoid spoilers.  I also liked getting a look at the relationship between Key and Eryx before the latter turned evil and was cast out by the other brothers.  It gave some insight were there previously wasn't any.  The one thing that truly annoyed me in this book was how whiny and cry-babyish that Sasha seems now that she's part of the Mephisto.  I just wanted to smack her upside the head for most of the book.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it didn't seem to suffer sophmore syndrome the way most second books in series do in YA.  I would highly recommend it to fans of the first book.

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  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 September 25th, 2012.*

Into The Woods, Toward the Creepy Ice Palace

Published: Spetember 27th, 2011
Breadcrumbs
Written By: Anne Ursu, Illustrations by: Erin Mcguire
HarperCollinsPublishers / Walden Pond Press
ISBN-13: 9780062015051


Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else.

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

Review

   Hazel's life is not what it used to be.  She used to go to a liberal private school where the students calle teachers by their first names, her parents were happily married and she had a great best friend named Jack.  Now Hazel's parents are getting divorced, her Dad has seemingly no interest in her at all, she's stuck in public school where all the kids hate her and they don't have money for ballet lessons that Hazel wants.  The one thing she really has left is her friendship with Jack.  Together they imagine fantasctic worlds filled with magic, dragons, knights, superheroes and villains.  One day at school a piece of glass from a magic mirror (broken by a crazy imp) gets into Jack's eye.  It magnifies all that's wrong with the world and begins to destroy his friendship with Hazel.  Then a woman who is a lot like The Snow Queen from the fairy tale convinces Jack to return with her to a Palace of Ice, that's far away.  Hazel knows something is wrong with Jack, but everyone around her tries to tell her that he decided girls and boys just couldn't be friends.  When she finds out what really happened, Hazel will embark on an odyssey through strange, dangerous and magical lands to retrieve Jack from the icy, numb world he's trapped in.  Will Hazel make it to Jack or will she fall to harm by the evil surrounding her?  And will she be able to rescue Jack from the cynical view of the mirror once she reaches him?  More of a middle-school age kid or children's book, this was still compelling stuff.  I read most of it in one sitting, because even though I felt detached from the characters themselvers the plot never stagnated.  It kept moving in a way that was interesting and the illustrations were not overused, complementing the written words.  The illustrator of this book has a supreme talent, but some may not like her cartoonish style of drawing (I loved it personally).  The way the original tale of "The Snow Queen" was woven into the plot worked very well.  A couple other fairy tales were alluded to as well, most obviously "The Little Match Girl."  I loved the way Hazel took charge of changing the girl's destiny herself.  This was a good book but fell short for me, most likely because of my age and more mature perspective.  A lot of children under the age of 13 will fall head over heels for this one.  As for adults, it's worth the read.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

* No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

How To Save Yourself

Published: October 18th, 2011
How To Save A Life
By: Sara Zarr
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780316036061


Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.
Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?
As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or as difficult--as it seems.
Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about the many roads that can lead us home.

Review

   Jill MacSweeney is still grieving hard for her Father, who died very recently in a car accident.  So she is resentful when her Mother decides to adopt a baby, because she feels like she's trying to replace him.  Mandy Kalinowski just wants a way out of her messed up life.  She doesn't know if the baby is a result of a one-night stand at the county fair or the product of sexual abuse by her Mom's boyfriend.  Either way, she knows she can't take care of it and Robin MacSweeney seems like a good person to entrust the baby to.  When Mandy comes to stay with Jill and Robin for the last month of her pregnancy, will they manage to keep each other from breaking down or will they all fall apart completely?  Mandy begins to have second thoughts about the adoption, but will she keep her promise?  This book was heartwrenchingly beautiful.  I am not a huge Sara Zarr fan and I could take or leave her other books.  But this one was love at first sight.  I was glad that it was from Mandy and Jill's points of view alternately.  I really sypmathized with Jill's problems and she was a great girl at heart.  But being from the wrong side of the tracks myself, Mandy really tugged at my heart.  By my Aunt's husband I was voted most likely to be a teen Mom and I always wondered what my decision would be if I did become one (I never did BTW).  I loved the realistic relationships between the characters and the ending was awesome, but I'm not gonna say anymore for fear of spoilers.  I couldn't put it down and it's the best contemporary fiction book I've read so far this year! :)

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

We're Running These Streets...

Expected Publication: March 15th, 2012

Dark Eyes

By: William Richter

Razorbill

ISBN-13: 9781595144577

Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At fifteen, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets.

Now the sixteen-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is. She'll stop at nothing to find her birth mother before Klesko - her darkeyed father - finds her. Because Klesko will stop at nothing to reclaim the fortune Wally's mother stole from him long ago. Even if that means murdering his own blood. But Wally's had her own killer training, and she's hungry for justice.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens, this debut thriller introduces our next big series heroine!

Review

   Wally (Valentina) was born in Russia and lived in an orphanage for the first five years of her life.  Then she was adopted by a rich American couple and grew up in comfort, but with huge attitude problems that led her to live on the streets when she turned fifteen and her parents divorced.  Wally has been on the streets for almost three years and has a group of friends that she crashes with, who have each other's backs.  But she stumbles onto something big when one of her former friends is killed while carrying Wally's fake Driver's License.  It leads her on a quest to find her birth mother, who it turns out is in America watching over her under an assumed identity.  She has never contacted Wally because she ripped off Klesko, a Russian mafioso and Wally's Father, to finance her escape.  Will Wally be able to find her birth mother and get answers before Klesko does?  And who will die before it's all over?  I honestly enjoyed this book quite a bit.  I liked how tough and collected Wally was, even when her day-to-day was fairly uncertain.  I also loved the 3-Dimensionality of all the side characters and the double plotline that was working its way to the ending.  You can tell Richter is a screenwriter and it worked out in a good way.  That said, I always felt that Wally was kind of a brat for not appreciating what she had until it was really gone and not just waiting for her to come back.  How many homeless people have a home that they just refuse to live in, but occasionally do laundry at?  She came across as a fake on quite a few levels, pretending that she had it as tough as her friends kind of rubbed me the wrong way.  But I loved the mystery and the ending was so shocking, I NEVER saw it coming!  If you're into action and crime, this is the book for you (as long as you can suspend your disbelief).

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher, via LibraryThing. No money was exchanged for this review. The expected publication date is March 15th, 2012.*