Dissonance and TSTL Syndrome

Published:  July 22nd, 2014
Dissonance (Dissonance #1)
By: Erica O'Rourke
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13:  9781442460249

Delancey Sullivan has always known there's more to reality than what people see.  Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one.  Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left or right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed - all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not travelled and makes the opposite decision.  As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del's job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony.

Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency each world emits as clear as a bell.  But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council.  But Del's not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds.  Something strange is connecting them and it's not just her random encounters with with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane.

But Del's decisions have unimaginable consequences, and as she begins to fall for the
Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide - a secret that threatens the fate of the entire mutliverse.

Review

     Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a nut for anything involving alternate universes or time travel.  Basically, anything that lets us explore the greatest mysteries in the universe, all beginning with the words: "What if?"  But I felt like that potential was wasted in this particular book.  I seem to be in the minority, with so many glowing reviews on this one floating around.  But I honestly found the world-building, mythology and technical terms to be really convoluted.  I may not be the most scientific person ever, but generally I can follow along in these types of books.  The way things were explained about the Walkers, the dissonance, the alternate worlds, etc. was kind of a mess.  I felt like at the end of the book I still didn't get exactly why Del was able to "cleave" worlds, or why the Council was after her and what all Simon had to do with it.  The connections were not clear between any of the key points of the conflict.  

     As for the characters, Del was an arrogant brat.  Yeah, her parents were pretty absent and her sister was a bitch.  But Del acts without thinking, has no thought for consequences and basically trys to elbow around them when they happen.  She's always pouting and sneaking out, walking through other worlds even when she's not supposed to.  Her crush on Simon seemed more like an obsession, as she uses more and more of her walks to find and hook up with alternate versions of Simon, under false pretenses.  There were a lot of filler scenes that seemed to lead nowhere, and really weren't necessary in the grand scheme of things.  I found myself flipping through pages and skipping a lot, mostly out of sheer boredom.  This book was about two-hundred pages too long, and those pages did nothing for the plot.  They gave no clarity, development or resolution.  It needed a lot more editing, that unfortunately it didn't receive.  

     The love triangle between Del, Simon and Del's friend Eliot was disgusting to me.  She's totally leading on Eliot and using him the entire book, until he calls her on it, all under the excuse that she "didn't know" he had feelings for her.  If that's true, Del's even stupider than I thought she was (better than cruel, I guess).  The outright lack of reasoning capability on the part of the protagonist and the lack of direction in the plot (which led up to a big reveal that made even LESS sense to me personally), leaves this one as a do-not-recommend for me.  Not a fan, and I feel like I wasted my time.  It only gets the rating it does because I got through it and it had potential, even if it was unrealized.

VERDICT:  2/5  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 was published on July 22nd, 2014.**

I Dream of a Genie

 

Published:  April 20th, 2012

Three Wishes (Originally Published as: "Karma Beat")

By: Juli Alexander

CreateSpace

ISBN-13:  9781475141092

 

Not every seventeen-year-old girl works part time for the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E., but when you’re a genie, you have obligations. I’d rather spend my time rocking with my older brother’s band. I’ve been waiting years to replace the last drummer. Just when it’s looking good for me, Leo Fuller shows up, and this bad boy genie’ s after more than just my drummer gig. Male genies are dangerous, volatile, bad-boy types, and I’m finding him way too attractive. If we’re caught together, we could both lose our powers and be banished to the other realm. I know helping Leo will be a really bad idea. What I don’t know is why I’m doing it anyway.

 

Review

 

     Jen just wants to have something normal in her life, now that a good portion of her time is spent working and granting wishes on behalf of the genie U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E.  So when the drummer in her brother's band quits, all Jen wants is a chance to replace him.  She's understandably pissed off when her brother goes behind her back and fills the spot before she even has a chance.  When it turns out that Leo is not only her replacement as potential drummer, he's also a male genie, Jen is in deep trouble.  Because it's against the laws of the genie authorities for male and female genies to be around each other and have contact.  They could both lose their powers and be banished to the other realm for good if they're caught.  Leo desperately needs Jen's help though, so that he can clear his Dad's name before he gets banished for crimes he didn't commit.  Sneaking around in through her Mom's office, reading classified documents and going on spy missions together only brings Jen and Leo closer together.  Can they solve the mystery, save Leo's Dad and not manage to get their hearts broken when it's time to say goodbye?

     I really enjoyed this book!  It reminded me of everything I like about fantasy-infused, contemporary YA lit.  It was absolutely fun and every once in a while it's nice to just stop overthinking and read a book that reminds us to love life.  Jen was the typical teenager, just wanting to hang out with her friends and have fun for a change.  Her parents were somewhat overprotective, but you could tell they really loved her and both her brothers with all their hearts.  Their lives were very average American, even with Jen's Mom working high up in the genie regulation business conducted by the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E.  Also, her Mom is (if I remember right) the Vice-President of the cover for the genie higher ups, a booming cell phone business.  Jen's older brother is kind of a douchebag and it would've been nice to see some deeper emotion behind him.  Her younger brother hacking into her chattroom cracked me up, but I LOVED her parents' punishment for him to only be allowed to read "girl" books like Esperanza Rising and writing book reports.  I laughed so hard over it!  All the family interaction in this book was a refreshing change to me, upon the heels of so many books where the hero/heroine's family is MIA or just completely awful or bland.

      The explanation of the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. might have been kind of vague, but I was kind of glad that with the light-hearted tone of the rest of the book, that Ms. Alexander didn't bog down us readers with an overload of detail.  I got the basics:  if you get enough karma points you get three wishes, Jen was genie through her female heritage (skips every other gen.), male and female genies are too volatile together and the rulers of the genie organization were famous dead people.  I thought it was quite interesting.  It created a believable jump off point for the romantic tension between Jen and Leo, the somewhat R&J vibe and the awkward hesitancy of it all.  I did think that Leo going to Jen for help was a little bit farfetched, but it fit in well enough with the rest of the plot that it wasn't majorly out of place.  I really wasn't surprised at who the perpetrator of the frame job was but I did like the conclusion to the mystery and how it was carried out.  The ending leaves things wide open for a sequel.  I truly would love to read one.  I had a blast and I highly recommend it to those who would like a fresh take on genies, a mystery and a nice sitcomy type romance/family comedy story.

 

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 was published on April 20th, 2012.*



Wings To Touch the Sky

Published: July 9th, 2013
Raven Flight (Shadowfell # 2)
By: Juliet Marillier
Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13:  9780375983672

Neryn has finally found the rebel group at Shadowfell, and now her task is to seek out the elusive Guardians, vital to her training as a Caller. These four powerful beings have been increasingly at odds with human kind, and Neryn must prove her worth to them. She desperately needs their help to use her gift without compromising herself or the cause of overthrowing the evil King Keldec.

Neryn must journey with the tough and steadfast Tali, who looks on Neryn's love for the double agent Flint as a needless vulnerability. And perhaps it is. What Flint learns from the king will change the battlefield entirely—but in whose favor, no one knows. 

Review

 

     Neryn is finally with the rebels at Shadowfell, but now she must prepare to leave and seek out the four Guardians for her training as a Caller.  It is imperative that she be trained in the ways of her gift, especially when it becomes clear to everyone that the war will come sooner than they had originally hoped.  With the companionship of gruff and reluctant Tali (who would rather stay behind to guard and guard the leader of the rebellion instead) traveling with her and the intermittent help of the Good Folk along the way, things still are harsh and dangerous.  Can Neryn manage to keep momentum until her task is complete or will she fail and bring down the cause with her?  Also, Flint is still playing double agent to evil King Keldec and with the annual 'festival' approaching his loyalty will be called into question - with potentially devastating results.  Can Flint and Neryn both survive long enough to make it back to each other?

     I thought the first book in this series was decent, so when I spotted this up on Netgalley I requested it.  Just to see if there was a chance Marillier could make me fall in love with this series.  I honestly feel just as ambivalent as ever about everything to do with it.  This book spends most of it's time with long-winded description, little action can be found in the plot and even with an especially big cliffhanger/shocking plot twist near the end I still felt like saying, 'so what?'  Neryn doesn't get on my nerves quite as much as she did in Shadowfell, but I still don't like her enough for her to carry an entire book for me.  This novel didn't have the harsh strength of Flint as her counterpoint to balance things.  Instead it introduced Tali, a guard from the rebel camp who slowly by the end of the book becomes a friend and comes to play a more important role in the uprising.

     I just felt like this book had next to no conflict, in terms of moving forward the plot.  Most of it meanders dreamily with a feeling of disconnect.  The few big events (the encounter with Enforcers, the grisly 'festival' and the surprise violence near the end) do little to break up the monotony of the book, which is mostly a really boring travelogue with a semi-interesting account of a friendship that develops between the two girls.  The Good Folk were another disappointment, with their lack of any real resistance to being enlisted into the troubles of men.  After the conflict within their own ranks over whether or not to help Neryn in the first book, in this one they pretty much agree straightaway.  It felt like Marillier didn't want to bother with giving any more of them TRULY distinct personalities as Neryn's friends (excepting a couple she names close to the end) and having to spend more time on them in the future.  It all came across as very stilted and forced to me as a reader.  And yes, the Neryn and Flint relationship felt somewhat contrived as well.  In the first book I never pegged him as having the same depth of feeling that Neryn did - in this one her borders on reckless desperation during his scant scenes in the book.  Overall, mediocre at best and boring with a touch of annoying at worst.  I probably won't be reading the third book (unless I decide to torture myself, like I do a good majority of the time anyways) and would only recommend to die-hard Marillier fans.

 

VERDICT:  2.5/5  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 on July 9th, 2013.*

The Birds Aren't Really There...Are They?

Published:  April 2nd, 2013

In The Shadow of Blackbirds

By: Cat Winters

Amulet Books

ISBN-13:  9781419705304

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Review

     The year is 1918 and the entire world seems to have gone mad.  Between the chaos and utter destruction of World War I (The Great War) and a deadly outbreak of Spanish Influenza that is killing millions of people, everyone is desperate to believe in something more.   Mary Shelley Black is just like everyone else, feeling the hardships of life to their fullest extent, with her Dad being sent to jail and having to move in with her Aunt in another state.  Her only consolation is the letters she receives from her first love, Stephen, who is away at war.  But when she's at his family's photography studio and his ghost shows up beside her in a 'spirit' picture, Mary Shelley is devastated.  When things begin to not add up in regards to his death and the events before it, and Stephen himself begins haunting her, Mary will stop at nothing to find out the truth behind what happened to the boy she loved.  Even if it means being thrown into a deadly situation, where she may not walk out alive...

     So, I went into this expecting a straight-up paranormal romance book, at least from the synopsis.  What I got instead was historical fiction, with a major suspense plot and a tragic romance.  Mary Shelley Black is a stubborn, witty, intelligent teenager who doesn't believe in spirits really - until she experiences one at a seance she goes to with her Aunt Eva, after being struck by lightning!  And then when Stephen shows up in her picture she's devastated.  It definitely wasn't hard to sympathize with her, especially since she refuses to play the victim and does everything in her power to solve the mystery of his death.  The shining thing in this novel though, were all the historical details.  The photographs definitely added something to the story, but the author's rich descriptive language made it so that I could picture everything in my mind.  This could be kind of unnerving, what with the streets full of dead influenza victims and a horrific war going on.  Also, I felt like I was really walking the city streets with Mary when she finally gets out.  

     My favorite scene was the heartbreaking one at the hospital for wounded soldiers.  It broke my heart in half, but was entirely realistic in a way I didn't think possible.  The relationship of Mary with her Aunt Eva is antagonistic, tentative and truly volatile because of their warring personalities - that said, they are unfailingly loyal to each other.  When her Eva sees that the opium addicted guy she kind  is crushing on harassing Mary (bordering on hurting her), she boots his ass to the curb! :)  When Mary is struck by the lightning, the scene where she is outside of her body was so creepy it gave me the shivers.  The way it changes her and forces her to think unscientifically definitely provided for some interesting character development.  The rambling from Stephen about the 'bird' attacking him had me convinced this was going to transform into a paranormal romance at any second.  So when it was revealed what was really going on, it surprised me for sure (but in the best way).  Probably the most disturbing character in this book was Stephen's spirit photographer brother, Julius.  He's so focused on making money off the pain of others, plus his interactions with Stephen (beating him up, destroying his photographs) should make you hate him as a reader who gets to see the badness in him.  But he has a charm that kind of ensnares the reader alongside Aunt Eva, until he begins to go off the rails.  

     My only complaint would be the slow pace for the first half of the book.  And also, didn't they ever eat anything other than onions?  Yeah, they thought they'd drive off the flu.  But seriously, I got almost as much description of onions as anything else!  Enough to drive me kind of bonkers anyways.  The twists and turns of this book, along with the wonderfully drawn characters and the descriptive prose combined to make it one of the best books I've read so far this year.  I highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction, romance, and suspense who want something fresh and set in an era often ignored in favor of others (i.e. Civil War, WWII, etc.).  

VERDICT:  5/5  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.**

W.A.R....What Is It Good For?

Expected Publication:  July 2nd, 2013
This Is W.A.R.
By: Lisa Roecker & Laura Roecker
Soho Teen
ISBN-13:  9781616952617

This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms.  Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost.  Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice.  Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all.

Review

 

     Everyone knows that James Gregory murdered Willa Ames-Rowan, but no one is willing to speak out against the most powerful family in town.  Those who go against the Gregorys tend to disappear or have bad things happen to them.  But Willa's best friends have had enough and are determined to exact justice for themselves, if the police won't take any real action.  Rose wants to help because she regrets not letting herself really be Willa's friend and also, she is feeling guilty from lying to her police detective Father about what she happened to see.  Rose joins forces with Lina, Sloane, and Madge to punish who they believe to be guilty - but when the truth is exposed what decision is truly the one to honor Willa's memory? 

     I feel like this one was a mixed bag for me personally as a reader.  I actually had originally thought this book sounded like a modern interpretation of An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.  It seemed like more of a cross between that book, the Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard and with a hint of John Tucker Must Die.  The beginning gives the last moments of Willa as she is being drowned and then cuts to Rose's narration of the aftermath (for some reason Rose's voice reminded me of the unnamed second wife in Rebecca - in the best way possible) scene at the exclusive Club they all frequent.  Rose's point of view caught me the most because she was completely on the fringes, with only a slight connection to Willa.  Her Mom is a club employee and her Dad is a cop.  But her interactions with the other girls made her my favorite character by far.  Lina is a complicated, tattooed girl with no one who cares about her, except for her friends.  Madge, Willa's stepsister, is the most vengeful and zealous of all the girls when it comes to waging W.A.R. and avenging Willa's murder.  Her intensity and overall bitchiness for a major portion of the novel kept me waffling as to whether or not I liked her character.  Sloane is basically the stereotypical smart Asian girl, except she got there by faking it and cheating in school.  Willa was the only person who believed in her enough to help her try to do things the right way.

     Plot in this novel starts out intriguing and full of wonderful ambiguity, but quickly devolves into something more teen 'movie of the week-esque.'    The girls' revenge ideas for James and his demented brother Trip are juvenile at best and completely ridiculous at worst.  They have $75,000 at their disposal and the best they can come up with is hormone therapy, nude picture scandals, and stealing Cartier watches to auction on eBay.  And they naively seem to think that these things are enough 'bad behavior' for the brothers to be disinherited based on a morality clause in their Grandfather's will.  Yeah, whatever!  I could barely suspend my disbelief on that part.  Also, a lot of the girls' plotting sessions, interactions with each other and thought patterns were extremely shallow and didn't move too far past the clichéd 'killing for the money' trope.  Some of the conversations between James, Trip and their Grandfather (any combo thereof) were pretty chilling though.  It was entirely predictable, but had a very nice tone to most of the novel.  My only real confusion was over the ending.  I won't give any details, but suffice it to say that the prose was beautiful, but nonsensical in relation to the plot (at least in my opinion).  The characters were decently developed, but my favorite was a tie between Lina (who was a truly good person) and Rose, who was completely loyal to the girls who became her friends.  Sloane's emphasized stupidity really bothered me though.  It's like the authors felt it necessary to emulate all the stereotypes in one fell swoop.  Overall a decent read that keeps you guessing at the details of the ending, even if you know most of it already.  This would be a good beach read for the summer, nice and relaxing with more fluff than anticipated.

 

VERDICT:  3.5/5  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 July 2nd, 2013.*

Might As Well Go Eat Brains

Published:  July 3rd, 2012
Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues (White Trash Zombie # 2)
By: Diana Rowland
DAW
ISBN-13:  9780756407506

Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she’s beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend is involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, that’s right—the zombie mafia.

Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel’s going to need all of her brainpower—and maybe a brain smoothie as well—in order to get through it without falling apart.

Review

 

     The first book in this series, My Life As a White Trash Zombie, was one of my favorites of 2011.  I thought it was smart, had great characters and more emotion than a lot of other books I'd read - and that's saying a lot seeing as how I usually avoid books with zombies in them!  So when I realized that the sequel had been released, I definitely wanted to read it and see how our favorite white trash, zombie felon, Angel Crawford, was doing.  The book starts off a little bit slow, with Angel still adjusting to her Dad's attempts at getting sober, her own steady work at the morgue and dating her cop boyfriend - oh yeah, and being a zombie who eats brain smoothies for a snack!  Just when she thinks her life can't get any more complicated, Angel is forced by the terms of her probation to get her GED within a certain time-frame...or else.  And then a body is stolen from the morgue at gunpoint and on Angel's watch no less.  Determined to find out what's going on, Angel is led down a trail involving the zombie mafia, men who die twice and odd government experiments on the living dead.  Add in the fights with her boyfriend and there's never a dull moment for Angel.  But can she make it away from a truly psychotic and dangerous enemy with her undead life intact?  Or will she end up rotting away for good? 

    I liked how confident Angel became over the course of this book.  In the first book she basically values herself at '0' and it's pretty obvious she thinks she's dumb, trailer trash.  In this one, the first thing I noticed was when her boyfriend Marcus began coddling her and ignoring Angel's opinions completely, she called him on his shit and told him it was going to over if he didn't change.  The idea of Angel solving crimes was interesting, but I felt like where the first book was mostly uncharted territory, this one fell into a cozy mystery mold - only with triple the swearing, violence and sex due to the zombie presence.  My favorite scene in the book was after Angel and Marcus separated, and she was sitting in the dinner eating comfort food.  The plot about the experimentation and dead man who died twice was definitely confusing, but in a good way.  It kept me guessing the entire time as to what was really going on.  Overall, it wasn't as funny or innovative to me as the first book but for a second series book, it held up extremely well and I'd highly recommend it to fans of the first.  I'd recommend this to anyone who is hesitant about zombie tropes and wants something interesting and very different! :)

 

VERDICT:  4/5  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.**

The Smart and Capable Daughter

Expected Publication:  January 1st, 2013

The Tutor's Daughter

By: Julie Klassen

Bethany House

ISBN-13: 9780764210693

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.

When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame... and which brother to trust with her heart?

Review

     Emma Smallwood is the only daughter of a newly widowed Father, whose academy for young boys whose parents wish them to learn away from home is floundering due to his disinterest.  Emma writes to the Father of two former students, an Earl with two young sons of an age to be tutored.  The Earl replies with an invitation for Emma and her Father to come live with the family for a year and educate the twins (spoiled, coddled teenagers who are smothered by their Mother).  They accept with some hesitation, but thinking that a change of scene will do them good.  But then strange things begin happening upon their arrival.  Mysterious music late at night, someone being in Emma's room while she's asleep and belongings going missing.  Plus, Emma is wrestling with her conflicting feelings for the eldest son, brooding Henry and the middle son, charming Phillip.  But are first impressions what they seem to be?  And will the secrets of the noble family be more deadly than a simple tutor's daughter could ever have imagined?  This was a decent book.  I felt like Emma was little too smug and 'perfect' for a good heroine, she was definitely no Austen character that's for sure.  But I liked her all the same, even though she was completely naieve and devoid of most common sense/forethought.  It was pretty obvious who the better brother was, for all Emma's stupidly made observations and Henry would have been an interesting character - of not for his creepy stealing of Emma's things as a teen and hidden obsession with her as an adult.  The odd relationship between Phillip and Lizzie Henshaw (who is hiding something very huge), Lady Weston's ward, is creepy and not very believable.  I did like the plot development, as there were a couple of mild surprises.  But for the most part it was entirely predictable.  And I should have checked publishers beforehand, because I didn't realize it was Christian fiction until it go extremely preachy in the last 20% or so of the book.  That REALLY annoyed me beyond belief.  Especially since the rest of the book was so devoid of serious religion on the part of any character.  Overall, only recommended to serious fans of Christian romance, who like a little bit of history and mild mystery thrown in the mix.

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 January 1st, 2013.*

The Best Version of a Girl

Expected Publication: March 12th, 2013

Mila 2.0 (Mila 2.0 # 1)

By: Debra Driza

Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN-13:  9780062090362

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Review

     Mila is just trying to fit into her new school, while trying to grieve for her Dad, who died recently in a fire. All she wants is to fly under the radar, for things to go back to normal.  The only problem is Mila doesn't even remember what normal is - almost everything before the fire is a blank.  When strange things start happening to Mila, her life is thrown out of balance even further than she ever dreamed.  It turns out that Mila is an android, created by a secret government agency and stolen by "Mom" so she could have a normal life, as a teenage girl and not a weapon.  But now the government is catching up with them and as they try to escape, Mila and her Mom are caught.  Now Mila will have to try and fool the scientists who created her into believing that she's not a failed experiment.  Otherwise termination might be a real possibility.  Can Mila and her Mom manage to stay alive long enough to break free?  I really liked the idea that this book tries to carry through.  But I feel like none of the characters were all that developed.  I thought the book was going to be set at Mila's high school, with more romance and that it would definitely take Mila longer to figure out that she was an android.  I feel like that revelation was rushed into.  I would have liked a little bit more set up and world-building.  I felt like this book tried to hard to jump into the action right away.  I did like the scene where Mila's arm is gashed open and they realize that she doesn't bleed.  That was a good way to have her discover the truth.  I also felt like "Mom" didn't have a good enough reason to have stolen Mila - or at least the author didn't develop her enough to make me feel like she did.  I felt like Mila did about her Mom, that she only saw her as an object of interest.  Supposedly she took Mila to give her a normal life, but she treats her like a machine the same way everyone else does.  I liked the cliffhanger at the end and I probably will read the next book, but I really hope it had a lot more character insights and build-up.  Otherwise what's the point?

VERDICT:  3.5/5 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 12th, 2013.*

My Feelings For You Died of Exposure

Expected Publication:  January 18th, 2013

Exposure (Twisted Lit # 2)

By: Kim Askew & Amy Helmes

Merit Press

ISBN-13: 9781440552618

Double, double, toil and trouble. Sometimes, the quest for high school royalty can be deadly! In this emotionally-charged twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a self-conscious shutterbug named Skye Kingston navigates a treacherous school year in Alaska fraught with unspoken secrets and tragic twists of fate. Along the way she encounters three strangely prophetic BFFs; one social-climbing, sociopathic cheerleader; and a heart-stopping hottie named Craig McKenzie: the man who would be Prom King. Can Skye save the boy she loves — and herself — before they get caught in the crosshairs?

Review

     Skye Kingston has had one hell of a year.  It has been filled with murder, intrigue, family issues and romance.  She just wants to put it all behind her now that she's at USC studying photography like she always dreamed of.  But after her roommates start spreading rumors about her and talking about her while she's there like she's invisible, Skye decides to set the record straight once and for all.  So she tells them the tale of Craig, the boy she secretly loved, and his psychopathic ex-girlfriend Beth covering up the accidental homicide of Duncan, captain of the hockey team and how it almost destroys them all.  Who is really to blame and will Skye and Craig ever get their happy ending?  This has all the set-up of a Macbeth re-telling and the lines are clear cut as to who represents what character from the original play.  The only one without any real place in things is Skye, a shy photographer for the school newspaper, who is secretly in love with hockey heartthrob Craig (a.k.a Macbeth).  Honestly, Skye came across very pathetically to me.  When Duncan dies, she overhears Beth telling Craig that they need to cover up their part in it.  Even after they find out that he died of exposure and didn't drown, still neither of them comes forward to confess what really happened.  And yet Skye is still making excuses for him and blames everything on Beth.  Oh yeah, she also doesn't tell the authorities that her classmate was probably MURDERED and she knows who did it!!!   All because she 'lurves' Craig so much and he's really a good person.  Honest, he is!  *Gags*  I thought that I would like this as much as the first book in the Twisted Lit series, but by the end I was so disgusted with all of the main characters that I hoped they all would get locked up in prison.  Overall, a very good book if you enjoy abusive relationships, where the female has no sense of self-worth.  It does get a star for the fact that it managed to keep me reading just to see if anyone would even get punished - they didn't, at least to my satisfaction! :(

VERDICT:  1/5  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 January 18th, 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.*