Every Body Talks

Published: October 17th, 2012 (first published 1999)
Body Bags (Body of Evidence #1)
By: Christopher Golden
Daring Greatly Corporation
ASIN:  B009SLYJ4A

When Jenna Blake starts her freshman year at Somerset University, she's not only living on her own for the first time, she's moving closer to the father she never really knew.  It's an exciting time, filled with new faces and new challenges, not mention parties and boys and...corpses?

Jenna is torn about her future.  She'd like to be a doctor like her mother, but she can't stand the sight of blood.  Her father, a criminology professor, thinks he has the answer -- and sends her to interview for a job with the Medical Examiner -- an interview that takes place in the middle of an autopsy!

When a congressional aide goes violently insane, and then drops dead, the pathology team at Somerset Medical Center discover that his brain was ravaged with disease -- and loaded with insect larvae.  When Jenna takes on her new job, she is drawn into a web of terrifying disease, dangerous politics, and intriguing mystery.  And when one of her professors ends up dead, she starts making connections even the police haven't seen...which will bring her face to face with a pair of killers, one medical, and one all too human.

Review

       I didn't feel disappointed after reading this, like so many of the other reviewers here on Goodreads.  You want to know my secret?  Extremely low expectations, and the prior knowledge that Golden tends to be the master of the pulpy, Alloy-series type of book.  It was a story centered around Jenna Blake, an incumbent college freshman, who is unsure what she wants to do with the rest of her life.  All she knows is that her mother would love for her to be a doctor like her, but Jenna can't stand the sight of blood.  Her Dad gets her an interview with the local Medical Examiner, who hires Jenna as a pathology assistant.  The first big case is a man who was infected with a mysterious illness, of unknown origin and it becomes a priority to find out exactly what happened, when a teacher on campus dies of the same sickness.  Coincidence or murder?  That's what Jenna will have to find out, especially once her and her dad's lives are endangered.  Can she survive her first week at college?
       This book is extremely short and I didn't really expect too much, since it is the first in a ten-book series.  Also, it's original publication was sixteen years ago, in 1999.  Some of the language, situations, etc. are kind of culturally dated (not as bad as most though, surprisingly).  This type of book is the kind that people who are unfamiliar with YA, and it's ever-widening, reach like to cite when they malign it as all being unmitigated "trash."  It's pulp fiction, pure and simple.  I will say that it reminds me of Nancy Drew, in the sense that Jenna is pretty much just a cardboard cut-out, meant to move along the plot.  Hopefully she and her friends (roommate Yoshiko & southern-boy Hunter) will be better characeterized/fleshed-out in later books.  I do wish that the mystery had been more murder/crime and less of a politically driven, thriller type.  I liked it enough to continue and see if the next couple are any good, but overall I wouldn't recommend it unless you like the type of book that's pure, time-wasting cotton candy.  If you want a really great, plot and character-rich series by Golden, try his Hollow series, co-written with Ford Lytle Gilmore.  Now THAT is an awesome series! :D

VERDICT:  2.5/5  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.*

Two Girls, A Guy, and...the SATs?

Expected Publication:  April 21st, 2015

Wrong About the Guy

By: Claire LaZebnik

Harper Teen

ISBN-13:  9780062252302

As the stepdaughter of a TV star, Ellie Withers has it all: an amazing house in LA, a devoted friend who loved her before she even knew who Ellie's stepfather was, and a burgeoning romance with handsome Aaron Marquand.  But Ellie isn't the kind of person who's content with simply having it all -- the people in her life have to be equally happy.  And, of course, she knows exactly what they need.

When Ellie's plans for her family, her friends, and even her love life don't turn out the way she imagined, she begins to wonder if maybe she could stand to learn a thing or two after all.  Most surprising, though, is that the perfect person to teach her is the last person she'd expect.

Review

       Ellie has a charmed life with her Mom, famous stepdad Luke and little brother in an LA mansion.  But she thrives on getting things to go her way, whether that means sharing her infuriating SAT tutor George with her less motivated best-friend Heather, getting her Mom and Luke to honeymoon where she wants them to, or planning the future of her own love life.  When Luke's best friend's son moves back to LA for his senior year, Ellie thinks this might finally be the time to jump start her own romantic life.  But there doesn't seem to be any chemistry to speak of between the two of them.  With fake girls at school giving her trouble, fights with Heather over college (and surprisingly, a guy) putting a crimp in their friendship, and Aaron not being quite what he seemed on the surface, is it finally time for Ellie to admit that she needs to spend some time on her own life instead of everyone else's?

       I am a sucker for Jane Austen retellings and had previously read Epic Fail and The Trouble With Flirting by this author, and really enjoyed them.  That said, Elizabeth Bennet and Fanny Price were likeable heroines inherently and I was rooting for them in the original stories.  Emma was not really a favorite of mine.  I will say that Claire definitely managed to make the characters more approachable.  I especially liked Emma's Mom and her stepdad in this book, and the overall family relationship (a great one).  Heather was okay, but I do feel like she was dumbed down quite a bit to make the whole SAT situation more believable.  I honestly felt like Emma didn't even need an SAT tutor, but it was a good way to bring George (aka Knightley) into the story and lessen the originally FAR more creepy age difference between him and Ellie (Emma).  The were a few subplots, such as the one with Aaron's true object of affection, the one with a weird girl at school trying to get to Ellie's stepdad through her, and one with the slow development of Ellie's little brother/what could be responsible for it medically.  Overall, a sweet and fluffy retelling of Emma that I enjoyed and would recommend, even if I didn't quite love it.

VERDICT:  3/5 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's expected publication date is April 21st, 2015.**

Spark Rising (Progenitor Saga #1) by Kate Corcino BLOG TOUR: Excerpt & Giveaway!!!

Spark Rising by Kate Corcino
Publication date: December 15th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

All that’s required to ignite a revolution is a single spark rising.

Two hundred years after the cataclysm that annihilated fossil fuels, Sparks keep electricity flowing through their control of energy-giving Dust. The Council of Nine rebuilt civilization on the backs of Sparks, offering citizens a comfortable life in a relo-city in exchange for power, particularly over the children able to fuel the future. The strongest of the boys are taken as Wards and raised to become elite agents, the Council’s enforcers and spies. Strong girls—those who could advance the rapidly-evolving matrilineal power—don’t exist. Not according to the Council.

Lena Gracey died as a child, mourned publicly by parents desperate to keep her from the Council. She was raised in hiding until she fled the relo-city for solitary freedom in the desert. Lena lives off the grid, selling her power on the black market.

Agent Alex Reyes was honed into a calculating weapon at the Ward School to do the Council’s dirty work. But Alex lives a double life. He’s leading the next generation of agents in a secret revolution to destroy those in power from within.

The life Lena built to escape her past ends the day Alex arrives looking for a renegade Spark.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22705139-spark-rising?ac=1

Purchase:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00R0AT93C

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spark-rising-kate-corcino/1120911400?ean=9780990732808

AUTHOR BIO:

Kate Corcino is a reformed shy girl who found her voice (and uses it…a lot). She believes in magic, coffee, Starburst candies, genre fiction, descriptive profanity, and cackling over wine with good friends. A recovering Dr. Pepper addict, she knows the only addiction worth feeding is the one that follows the “click-whooooosh” of a new story settling into her brain.

She also believes in the transformative power of screwing up and second chances. Cheers to works-in-progress of the literary and lifelong variety!

She is currently gearing up for publication of Ignition Point and Spark Rising , the first books in the Progenitor Saga, a near future dystopian adventure series with romantic elements, science, magic, and plenty of action.

Author links:

http://katecorcino.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8381085.Kate_Corcino

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKateCorcino

https://twitter.com/katecorcino

EXCERPT!!!

       Spark Rising’s Lena Gracey does things her way, with few apologies, even as Alex Reyes uses her need for vengeance to draw her into a revolution. Frustrated, angry, and tired, all she wants is a physical release, and she turns to the one man she thinks can give her that with no strings attached. But the strong chemistry born of hard-won friendship and the electrical power that seethes in both of them guarantees they both get more than they bargained for…

“I know you want me.”

Alex growled and narrowed his dark eyes. “We all want you, because you’re special.”

“Then give me fifteen minutes. You want to fix it. That will. Give me that.”

“Fifteen minutes of tension relief? That’s what you’re asking for?”

This isn’t about feelings, she told herself. No feelings.

Lena lifted her chin. She wouldn’t play by anyone else’s rules. “Yes.”

“Yes?” Alex nodded. “It’s not me, then. Not personal.” He looked past her, his eyes hooded. When he brought them back to her again, she could see the decision he’d made. “Sounds like something I can live with.”

She leaned in as he reached to slide his hand up her jaw.

His palm cupped her face, fingers tangling in her hair as it slid forward. His thumb moved across her lips. Lena slid her knees up onto the seat to either side of him, straddling him as he pulled her mouth to his.

Like the first time, the contact was more than lips meeting, the electric flare deeper and brighter than it had been with Jackson. But this time, the only thing soft about his kiss was his lips.

Energy surged between them. As his tongue traced the inside of her lips, a blazing trail of shocks flared in her skin and exploded like bright lights behind her eyelids. He sucked at her lips, first one and then the other, and energy welled up from her. As he pulled and coaxed, the rising flow felt like fingers stroking deep inside. Each time he drew her lip into his mouth to suckle at the energy, those fingers of power slid up inside of her, moving toward him, leaving a quivering, electrified trail behind. He drew her power into himself.

Lena pulled away, and the electricity crackled white energy between their wet mouths. It hurt, little sparks popping against nerve endings. Alex’s eyes were glazed. He wanted more. But it was her turn.

She lowered her mouth again, pulling the energy from him this time as she darted her tongue between his lips. She framed his face with her small hands and tapped the energy deep within him to draw it up into her through his nerves, his skin, his lips, and tongue.  exploded like bright lights behind her eyelids. He sucked at her lips, first one and then the other, and energy welled up from her. As he pulled and coaxed, the rising flow felt like fingers stroking deep inside. Each time he drew her lip into his mouth to suckle at the energy, those fingers of power slid up inside of her, moving toward him, leaving a quivering, electrified trail behind. He drew her power into himself.

Lena pulled away, and the electricity crackled white energy between their wet mouths. It hurt, little sparks popping against nerve endings. Alex’s eyes were glazed. He wanted more. But it was her turn.

She lowered her mouth again, pulling the energy from him this time as she darted her tongue between his lips. She framed his face with her small hands and tapped the energy deep within him to draw it up into her through his nerves, his skin, his lips, and tongue.

Alex groaned and wrapped his hands around the backs of her legs. He slid them up, cupping the curve of her bottom, fingers caressing the crease that led him to her inner thighs. He drew her to him.

She allowed it, pressing against his body. She wanted more of him. More pressure. More skin against skin. Her hands sank down from his face to slip between them, pulling on his shirt. She pulled it up and off, tearing her mouth from his for an instant to yank the shirt over his head.

He worked the buttons of her shirt, fumbling at them in his hurry. He freed the last of them, spreading her shirt open and back and pushing it off her shoulders. He sat back to look at her.

She followed his gaze to his hands. They spread wide across her ribcage, his sun-darkened brown 

skin stark against her pale freckles. Above his hands, her skin curved into the slight swell of paler 

skin and peaked nipples. He slid his hands up to palm her sensitive breasts, and she pressed into him, 

sliding her hands up to cover his.  His thumb circled her nipple then slid away as he pulled her up.

         He drew her into his mouth, the power slicking electric hot up her nerves.  She arched her back, 

melting into him, already shuddering with the force of the energy surging through her as he licked at 

her.  He slid his hands around her back, pulled her closer, holding tight.  Everywhere their skin met, 

the searing flux of energy wove between them.  Each time their skin parted, a white arc of heat 

spanned the distance and danced along their skin, joining them.

         Lena sank lower, pushing her hand between his waistband and his skin.  She slid her fingertips 

along his lower belly before dipping lower.  The soft, almost delicate skin she found was a contrast 

to the rigid flesh it covered.  She wrapped her hand around him and pulled energy along the length of 

him.

         

         Alex's hands and mouth stilled and his eyes closed.

         

         Like that, do you?

GIVEAWAY!!!

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Henge (Le Fay #1) by Realm Lovejoy BLOG TOUR -- REVIEW, GIVEAWAY!!!

Henge by Realm Lovejoy

(Le Fay #1)
Publication date: November 11th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.

Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.

But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

_________

“Camelot meets Hogwarts meets Panem in this intriguing, well-written beginning to a planned YA series.”–Kirkus Reviews

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23151530-henge?ac=1

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qoGAE2s8RE

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Henge-Fay-Book-Realm-Lovejoy-ebook/dp/B00PBV1HKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416855764&sr=8-1&keywords=Henge+Realm+Lovejoy

AUTHOR BIO:

Realm Lovejoy is an American writer and an artist. She grew up in both Washington State and the Japanese Alps of Nagano, Japan. Currently, she lives in Seattle and works as an artist in the video game industry. CLAN is her first book. You can find out more about her and her book at realmlovejoy.com

Author links:

http://www.realmlovejoy.com/index2.php#/home/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7339930.Realm_Lovejoy

https://www.facebook.com/authorrealmlovejoy

https://twitter.com/realmlovejoy

Review

       It's hard to find a good Arthurian retelling these days - even harder to find one that's a MODERN retelling of the well-known legends.  Realm Lovejoy's Henge, the first in a series about a teenaged Morgan Le Fay, is both of these things.  I started reading this book and was immediately drawn in by Morgan who seems like such a good girl, living in an isolated area with her overprotective father Gorlois, who has been told to hide her elemental ability with fire most of her life.  At least, she's been hiding her abilities ever since her mother was executed for the murder of her husband using her abilities.  But it's Morgan's dream to one day be Maven (basically main advisor) to Arthur once he's on the throne, like her Grandfather was to the Prince's grandfather.  So Morgan sneaks away to compete for a place in the trials for Arthur's Round, whom the Maven will ultimately be chosen from.  Even competing with a forged license and against her father's wishes, Morgan is chosen to participate in the competition.  But does she even have any chance of winning when the man who convicted her Mother, the current Maven, Mordred, seems to be blocking her at every turn?  And when some very fishy incidents involving the other candidates (including her friend Guinevere, and rival Merlin) and near death experiences seem to point towards illegal magic usage, Morgan may be fighting for more than just Maven - she might be fighting for her very life...

       Morgan was such an easily connectable main character.  She loves her father and still misses her mother, even after all these years.  She just wants a chance to prove that she's not going to make the same mistakes her mother, Morgause, did and to renew her family's legacy.  Morgan starts to really come into her own once she's competing in Arthur's Round, really learning to control the fire and do things with it she never imagined.  I liked that Lovejoy put Mordred in a position of power, and in opposition of Morgan, especially considering that in the legends he's her son!  It was an interesting dynamic, almost verging on complete role reversal.  Morgan's the one trying to take over Mordred's position of power, instead of helping him depose Arthur.  The take on elemental magic was interesting and the conspiracy involving some of the other candidates, along with the iffy-ness of Merlin's honesty/innoncence in the incidents makes things even more interesting.  But probably my favorite things about this book were: Morgan's friendship with Guinevere, who has a healing ability (I have NEVER seen them represented as friends before in ANY retelling!), the twist near the end about what really happened the night Morgan's mother murdered her husband (never saw it coming) and the prophecy/visions Morgan has for her future.  Not going to say anymore because I don't want to spoil it, but I really enjoyed this book!  Can't wait to read what happens next and I'm really excited for Morgan's further adventures.  I highly recommend it!

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*An ebook copy of this book was provided via the author and Xpresso Book Tours, in exchange for an honest review.  No money or favors were exchanged.  This book was published November 11th, 2014.*

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Batman and Robin Vol. 1: Born to Kill -- Mini Review

Published:  July 4th, 2012

Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill (Batman and Robin Vol. II #1)

By: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason (Illustrator), & Mick Gray (Illustrator)

DC Comics

ISBN-13:  9781401234874

Batman begins battling evil with his son, Damian, at his side and now realizes that the hardest part of the job may be trying to work together.  As Batman and Robin try to adjust to their new partnership, a figure emerges from Bruce Wayne's past: his name is NoBody, and he's not happy that Batman Incorporated is shining a light on his own shadowy war against evil...

Review

       For those of you unfamiliar with Damian Wayne's back story, here is the short version: Damian is the product of a drug-induced night of passion between Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) and Talia Al Ghul (daughter of the head of the League of Assassins).  When Talia decides it's time for Damian to learn the bat-legacy from his father (who doesn't know he exists), she drops him off in Gotham.  Unsure in his new relationship with his son, who is a miniature assassin and the exact opposite of Batman, they try to forge a connection despite their differences.  In turn, they clash at every possible crossroads between good and evil, black and white.

       Damian is still struggling with who he wants to be, his mother's son or his father's. As someone who has never read a Batman & Robin title before (including Batman and any of the other four Robins before Damian!), but being aware of Damian's origin story etc., I didn't have much confusion about the contention in his relationship with Bruce. I liked that this shows Bruce attempting to bond with Damian in a fatherly way as well, such as buying him a dog (a Great Dane that Damian eventually names Titus), and playing catch in the backyard. But when they're out in the field as B&R, I felt like I wasn't necessarily convinced that Bruce would even allow Damian to work as Robin. It's kind of like he didn't learn his lesson with Jason Todd. Yes, Damian's a trained assassin, but he's still an angry ten-year-old boy and often refuses to follow orders. In the fight scene in this book we get to see the consequences of Damian's borderline reckless behavior and the ways it brings him closer (and yet further in principle somewhat) from his father. The connection with Bruce's own past to the villain, NoBody, was interesting if somewhat contrived to display the dynamic of good vs. evil between father and son. Overall, a decent read. But definitely NOT my favorite of the New 52's so far.

VERDICT:  3/5  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.*

You Can't Choose Your Family

Published:  March 18th, 2014

Wonder Woman, Vol. 4: War (Wonder Woman Vol. IV #4)

By: Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang (Artist), Goran Sudzuka (Artist), Tony Akins (Illustrator), Dan Green (Illustrator)

DC Comics

ISBN-13:  9781401246082

Wonder Woman's father, Zeus, has disappeared.  Her family - aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, gods and demigods - form a pantheon of the most powerful beings in the universe.  Intent on seizing Zeus' throne, they will destroy anyone who can stand in their way -- including Zeus' infant son, who might just have the power to ignite the apocalypse.

But even as Wonder Woman and her few remaining friends scramble to protect the life of her youngest brother, her eldest has arisen.  Known only as the First Born, he has spent an eternity in exile, his might and malice growing by the millennium.  Now he will burn Earth and Olympus alike if it means he can be king of the ashes.

Reviews

       Not my favorite of the series. I really enjoyed the last couple of volumes (iffy artwork aside, especially Hades the person-candle and Poseidon the talking-fish dinner) and have been wondering how they were going to resolve the whole magic, world-destroyer baby plotline. In the last volume they brought in Zeus and Hera's son, the first-born of all the gods' children. He was banished from Olympus and buried beneath the Earth. His sister Cassandra unearthed him and got him started on the path to taking his birthright - Olympus. Of course all those idiots up on the Gods' Mountain Resort (that's what it's drawn like anyways) are still focused on the baby. In the last volume War helped Wonder Woman, Zola, Hera and Lennox get the baby back from Demeter and Hermes. In this one it's more of the same band-on-the-run bullshit.

Substitute Dawn's name for Zola's and you've got the picture.

       Some cool moments, such as the boom tube trip with Orion (who also pops back in from the last volume), a character death I wasn't expecting and one that was supposed to surprise me and didn't. Gotta say that ending was anti-climactic for me. I guess I was expecting more of a battle or something to resolve that storyline. The whole thing with Hera at the end was nice. But then again, it's always nice to see that our favorite bitch-queendoes have feelings, no matter how much she hides them. All in all this was very mediocre for me story wise and I'm really hoping that the next volume focuses more on Diana's newfound responsibilities and NOT the freaking baby or the power struggle for the Olympian throne!

VERDICT:  3/5  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.*

I Fought the Law & the Law Won

Published:  November 13th, 2012
Red Hood and the Outlaws, Vol. 1: Redemption (Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1 #1)\
By: Scott Lobdell, Kenneth Rocafort (Illustrations)
DC Comics
ISBN-13:  9781401237127

No sooner had Batman's former sidekick, Jason Todd, put his past as the Red Hood behind him than he finds himself cornered by a pair of modern day outlaws: Green Arrow's rejected sidekick Arsenal, the damaged soldier of fortune, and the alien Starfire, a former prisoner of intergalactic war who won't be chained again.  As a loner, Jason has absolutely no interest in this motley crew of outlaws.  So what's he going to do when they choose the Red Hood as their leader?

Review

       For anyone unfamiliar with DC Comic lore, Jason Todd was Robin #2.  That is, until the Joker beat him to death with a crowbar!  But don't worry, Talia al Ghul (daughter of that crazy fucker Ra's al Ghul, head of the League of Assassins) threw him in the magical Lazarus Pit, which holds a liquid that restores people and can bring the dead back to life.  Only, he's quite a bit fucked up now.  Arsenal, also known as Roy Harper, was the sidekick for the Green Arrow - until he became a drug-addicted mess that even the villains wouldn't fight with.  Now that he's clean, he's trying to make it on his own, without Arrow/Oliver Queen to help prop him up.  Starfire, also known as Princess Koriand'r, has been in slavery since childhood when her sister sold her to appease the inavders that conquered their planet and destroyed their parents.  Now that she's free, Kori will never be a slave again and life will always be on her own terms.  Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, the three must go on a mission together.  But can they become a team?  And what happens once the job is over?

       Ugh.  I just cannot even with this one.  Probably the only reason I gave it more than one star was the scene where we get to see Jason's "best" memory (I loved the cute Robin/Nightwing brother moment) and the fact that I actually kind of liked Jason, despite him deciding to have sex with Starfire, who he knows has memory issues.  And on that subject, yes she's been a victim, but man what a bitch!  She sleeps with them both and from what I got her memory issues are mostly just that she can't "be bothered" to remember who is who (though I think she's lying about that, honestly).  She even jokes about not knowing Roy's name one time, calling him Ray instead.  At least, I think it was a joke (she doesn't seem to have a sense of humor, so I could be horribly wrong).  In all honesty, yes what was done to her is absolutely horrific.  But I don't feel like she was exploited in the comics like a lot of other readers do.  I feel like she used sex as a weapon, to keep the guys from getting close to her and to hurt them preemptively.  She used it to be in control (which someone as "confused" as she purported to be probably couldn't manage).  So my sympathy is minimal for Starfire's portrayal.  Watching Roy Harper, aka Arsenal mug his way through each panel as the comic relief was painful for me (it was too much like watching the dumb guy/comic portrayal of Flash, on the Justice League cartoons).

       At least Jason seemed kind of pissed off/horrified that he was "sharing" Starfire with Roy, but good ol' boy Roy seems to think it's no big deal!  And yeah that may be the more "adult" of the attitudes displayed, but if being an adult means being a swinger -- NO THANKS.  It's not like I hate Lobdell either, because I just started Teen Titans Vol. 1 and I'm liking it so far (I didn't think I'd like Tim Drake either, after his horrible SUPER SECRET ORIGIN!).  This just didn't work for me and it's one I have no regrets about not continuing with.

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.*

Reflections of a Small Town Family

Published:  September 1st, 1991

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

By: Peter Hedges

Simon & Schuster

ISBN-13:  9780671038540

Just about everything in Endora, Iowa (pop. 1, 091 and dwindling) is eating Gilbert Grape, a twenty-four-year-old grocery clerk who dreams only of leaving.  His enormous mother, once the town sweetheart, has been eating nonstop ever since her husband's suicide, and the floor beneath her T.V. chair is threatening to cave in.  Gilbert's long-suffering older sister, Amy, still mourns the death of Elvis, and his knockout younger sister has become hooked on makeup, boys, and Jesus -- in that order.

But the biggest event on the horizon for all the Grapes is the eighteenth birthday of Gilbert's younger brother, Arnie, who is a living miracle just for having survived so long.  As the Grapes gather in Endora, a mysterious beauty glides through town on a bicycle and rides circles around Gilbert, until he begins to see a new vision of his family and himself...

Review

       I did not even know this was a book until I ran across it by chance on Goodreads, on some list or another.  If you don't like personal reviews, abandon ship now because this shit's about to get real up-close-and-personal -- because this book was super-personal and self-revelatory for me as a human being.  That doesn't mean I will necessarily be gushing about it to everyone who asks for book recommendations, because I think this is a book that not everyone will understand.  Thank you Peter Hedges, you freaking bastard, for that unwanted look in the mirror.  I have a confession to make: I am Gilbert Grape.  We might not have the same name, live in exactly the same circumstances, or feel exactly the same about everything, but we are the same person where it counts the most.  We are the one who stays, the one who takes care of everyone else.  

       Gilbert Grape is someone who has gotten sucked into being the breadwinner and pretty much SOLE provider for his family, whom he both loves and hates at the same time.  He lives with his mother Bonnie Grape who is so obsese that the floor is caving in under her, his sister Amy who is selfless and good (and who deserves better than wasting her youth being mother to her siblings), his younger sister Ellen who is a pretentious brat (verging on slut at times) and his brother Arnie, who is mentally handicapped, never seeming older than five or six years old mentally.  Gilbert works at the local grocery store, that is slowly going under due to the new superstore in town.  He's worked for the owner Mr. Lamson for seven years, and believes in loyalty to the man (and the business) who has been a father figure/oasis for him in the midst of his family issues.  Also, Gilbert has been in a sexual affair with Betty Carver, the insurance man's wife, for about the same amount of time.  He feels trapped in by his family, his dumb-ass friend Tucker, his job, and Endora in general.  

       Things are building up and feelings are coming to head, as Arnie's thought-to-be-impossible eighteenth birthday draws nearer and the rest of the Grape siblings make their way home.  The Girl from Michigan also shakes things up for Gilbert, making him think of his life in new ways, even if they're not always pleasant or easy.  Can the Grapes begin to let go of past hurts and move on, or will they continue to stagnate, with Gilbert "shrinking," as Arnie puts it?  This was uncomfortable to the max.  I saw myself at the age I am now (24) working a dead end retail job, supporting my family because no one else can/will.  I am also not perfect.  In the moments Gilbert calls his brother a "retard" I see myself with my mentally ill mother, and I'm ashamed.  Not to say that I'm a monster, but I lose my temper too.  I am "shrinking," letting things go unsaid and being everything for everyone.  I also see myself in Momma & Amy, eating all of my feelings and multiplying in size.  But this novel is also hopeful, because as the ending tells us, nothing lasts forever.  Things, people and hardships cycle in and out of life.  A beautifully harsh portrait of the American Dream dying in the Midwest, only to be partially re-invented by the time the book ends.  A story that'll stay with me, but I don't see myself revisiting it often.  Highly recommended if you're brave and daring.

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.*

Favorite Quotes

"I'm told women scream when they give birth because of the intense pain.  And I think about how easily life can slide away, like thawing ice.  And how it's only the living that scream."

"You can tell the idyllic nature of a family by the upkeep of its picnic table.  Ours is its own indictment.  We are splintering and peeling.  We rot."

Positively Worthwhile

Expected Publication:  March 3rd, 2015

Positively Beautiful

By: Wendy Mills

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

ISBN-13:  9781619633414

16-year-old Erin is a smart if slightly dorky teenager, her life taken up with her best friend Trina, her major crush on smoky-eyed, unattainable Michael, and fending off Faith, the vision of perfection who's somehow always had the knife in for Erin.  Her dad, a pilot, died when she was very young, but Erin and her mom are just fine on their own.

Then everything changes forever one day after school when Erin's mom announces she has breast cancer.  And then there's even worse news to come.  Horrified, Erin discovers that her grandmother's death from cancer is almost certainly linked, the common denominator a rare gene mutation that makes cancer almost inevitable.  And if two generations of women in the family had this mutation, what does that mean for Erin?  The chances she's inherited it are frighteningly high.  Would it be better to know now and have preemptive surgery or spend as much life as she has left in blissful ignorance?

As Erin grapples with her terrible dilemma, her life starts to spiral downwards, alleviated only by the flying lessons she starts taking with grumpy Stew and his little yellow plane, Tweetie Bird.  Up in the sky, following in her dad's footsteps, Erin finds freedom chasing the horizon.  Down on the ground it's a different story, and facing betrayal from Trina, humiliation from Faith, and a world of disappointment with Michael, Erin knows she must discover the truth about herself.  Sure enough, she's positive for the gene that's slowly killing her mom.

Suddenly, Erin's life has turned into a nightmare, and the only person she can truly talk to is a girl called Ashley who she meets online.  But when, in a moment of madness, Erin flies away with Tweetie Pie to find her new friend, she finds herself on a journey that will take her not only through shock and despair -- but ultimately to a new understanding of the true meaning of beauty, meaning, and love.

Review

       Why is it so much harder to write a review for a book you loved, than for one you hated?  All I know is that this one particularly resonated with me.  Erin is someone who just coasts through life, not wanting to take any risks.  Her Dad was a stunt pilot and died in a plane crash when she was little.  Ever since then, Erin has taken a page out of her overly cautious Mom's book, reveling in the status quo.  She thinks life is enough with her unacted-upon crush on Michael, her close friendship with the loud/unique Trina, and the good relationship with her Mom.  Then Erin finds out that her Mom has breast cancer and that because of a gene mutation, she might eventually get it (or some other cancer) as well.  On top of this, after a couple quasi-dates with Michael (courtesy of Trina), mean girl Faith has started bullying her and turning the entire junior class against her.  The only thing keeping her going is her flying lessons and the online communication with her gene-positive friend Ashley.  When Erin finds out from an online genetic test that she's postive for the mutation, it's the last straw.   Erin goes on an unsanctioned journey to meet Ashley and get away from the harsh realities of her own life.  But will Erin find what she's looking for?  And will it be in the way that she wanted?

        Let me just get this out of the way: Erin is kind of a selfish brat for most of this book.  Yes, she has a lot to deal with and maybe I'm just too far into the adult perspective to understand a teenager's angst sympathetically anymore.  But the way she just disregards the individual situations of Chad, Trina, her Mom, and even Ashley, kind of got on my nerves.  Plus, the whole 'romance' with Michael was so childish and viewed through rose-colored glasses (at first, anyhow), that I couldn't help but roll my eyes.  He was such a douchebag, pretending that he was so deep when really he was just afraid to keep living.  And that's what this whole book comes down to, really.  How do you go on living when you don't know for sure how long you have left, or if a horrible disease will take you down?  Erin's relationship with Ashley (which was something unexpected), her closeness with her Mom, the possibility of a new romance, and the flying lessons are all things that have the power to take  her away from her self-pity.  Is it better to know if you have the mutation, or to live without knowing?  I won't say anything more to avoid spoiling the book, but I was on the verge of bawling at the end and I can't remember the last book that made me cry!  Overall, a beautiful and thought-provoking read that I'd recommend to adults and teens alike.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  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's expected publication date is March 3rd, 2015.**

The Comeback Kid

Expected Publication:  February 17th, 2015

The Return (Titan #1)

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Spencer Hill Press

ISBN-13:  9781939392626

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off...

It's been a year since Seth made a deal with the gods that pledged his life to them.  And so far, the jobs they've given him have been violent and bloody - which is kind of all right with him.  But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth.  He's got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy's deal might be, but it's a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home about to be thrown in an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree.  Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

Review

       I was really kind of disappointed by how much I didn't love this one.  Not to say that I love EVERY book that JLA writes, but the good majority of hers that I've read have been four or five stars for me - pure enjoyment.  I kind of feel really bad about even reading it, cause once I realized it was a sister series to her Covenant books (which I have no interest in reading), I knew I wasn't going to be gushing about it's wonderfulness.  The funny part is, I liked Seth well enough.  I think that surprised me, but Jennifer definitely knows how to write a misunderstood, bad-boy hero sympathetically.  It's kind of a trademark of hers at this point (in a good way).  I even liked the way the story was going, with his mystery mission from Apollo and the whole "Titans on the loose" thing.  It was shaping up to be a great read, especially as I'm a mythology nut.  Then some things started to fizzle for me, until this turned into a mediocre experience.

       The first thing I didn't love was Josie, the heroine of the story, who is "special" and must be protected at all costs - the world depends on it!  Yup, felt really "speshul snowflake" to me and unfortunately for her, she reminded me of a slightly more competent Bella Swan.  Especially considering the fact of the insta-attraction/bordering-on-love that her and Seth share for each other.  Yes Seth, I get it.  You think she's hot, innocent and so much better than you.  Guess what: you've known her like two days.  Josie got on my nerves with how easily she accepted everything that was happening to her (I won't say exactly what her circumstances are so as not to spoil anything); girl, kick and scream!  Question "authority," even if that so-called authority (that you just met, btdubs) is a VERY hot guy that you want to get it on with!  Don't take everything at face value!  Even when some big, very grief-inducing and life-changing stuff happens later in the book, she STILL acts like its all okay.  There's autopilot and denial modes, but this came off to me as robotic and over it way too soon.  Didn't make me like her any better.  

       The double point of view didn't help either.  The plot was very slow moving, and the two of them spent most of them time trying NOT to jump each other's bones,while thinking about it 24/7.  Josie's thoughts were really shallow and I kept wishing JLA would pick a POV and stick with it (just Seth would have made more sense, because he IS the established character from the last series).  Also, the comparisons everyone makes between Josie and the girl from the Covenant series (Seth's unrequited love, Alexandra) got annoying.  Supposedly this can be read as a stand-alone, but I wouldn't attempt it.  Yes, you'll be able to understand the plot (what little there seems to be) but the allusions to past events might frustrate the un-indoctrinated reader.  Overall, not fun for me personally.  I think fans of the first series will enjoy it though, as it seems to be mostly written for them.  To me it was poorly written, with an annoying heroine and the plot moved glacially until almost the end of the book when it was setting up for the next one.  Honestly, it reminded me of a New Adult version of Twilight, mixed with Vampire Academy.  

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars (Most of this is for easy readability and Seth, who I really liked)

**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's expected publication date is February 17th, 2015.**

The Road Not Taken

Expected Publication:  March 17th, 2015

Everything That Makes You

By: Moriah McStay

Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN-13:  9780062295484

One girl.  Two stories.  Meet Fiona Doyle.  The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago.  Fiona has notebooks full of songs she's written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon.  If she can't even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn't brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public.  But something's changing in Fiona.  She can't be defined by her scars anymore.

And what if there hadn't been an accident?  Meet Fi Doyle.  Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride.  She's got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who's been different ever since the kiss.  When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can't define her anymore.  When you've always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up.  Can Fi fight back?

Hasn't everyone wondered what if?  In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different.  Maybe luck determines our paths.  But maybe it's who we are that determines our luck.

Review

       I am a sucker for anything that has an alternate reality involved in the narrative.  There's just something about the road not taken that seems to appeal to me on a deeper level.  Does one event really change our lives as much as we think it does?  Moriah McStay helps us try to figure that out with a dual narrative of the same character.  The main difference between the two being that in one reality her face was horribly scarred in an accident when she was five years old.  In the other, that never happened and now she's the local high-school's (girl's) lacrosse team's star player.  She's still the same person though, right?  Not so much, actually.  Meet Fiona Doyle, an introvert who writes songs about all her anxieties and feelings, especially the ones for the boy she secretly likes.  Her counterpart, Fi Doyle, is best friends with the afore-mentioned boy and a star lacrosse player who can't be bothered to do more than the bare minimum with school or any other extracurriculars - lacrosse is her life.  Then Fi has an accident and is sidelined for an entire season.  In that time, she's forced to discover who she is without lacrosse to define her; while Fi is becoming someone else, so is Fiona, who is deciding whether or not to have her scars surgically removed with a skin graft.  Will she still be who she is, when the scars that have defined her for most of her life are almost completely gone, as if it never happened?

       My favorite thing about this book was that while both Fi and Fiona have common threads (people, places, likes/dislikes) in their lives, things ultimately end up differently.  They ARE different people, even romantically.  They end up with different career paths, love lives and family issues.  Fi has to figure out who she is without sports and in doing so, meets the love of her life.  But she lets it consume her and when things go wrong, she downward spirals into destructive self-pity.  It takes some harsh wake-up calls for Fi to pull herself out of the darkness of being alone - by choice.  I had a harder time relating to her than to Fiona, who is struggling to accustom herself to being liked and noticed for any reason other than her scars at first/in spite of her deformity.  She has such a difficult time putting herself on display with her music, even after the scars are gone as an excuse.  Because yes, she was using them as an excuse to not let anyone get close.  Both Fi and Fiona are dealing with huge changes in their lives and ultimately they have to discover a way to rise above it.  

       I loved the writing style, the dialogue and the interactions between the characters.  This book punched me in the gut and it was in the best way.  That said, I do think it was semi-unrealistic for Fi to pull out of her downward spiral so easily.  And her Northwestern problem would NOT have been so easily resolved in the real world.  With some minor believability problems aside (and yes, with an alternate-universe as the lynchpin, that is an oxymoronic statement!), I really enjoyed this book.  I highly recommend it for people who enjoy messing with events, reality and reading about different versions of people.  Also, there is some super-sweet romance in this book.  I have to say, I liked Fiona's romance a lot better than Fi's though.  I was swooning a little bit! :D

VERDICT:  4.5/5  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's expected publication date is March 17th, 2015.**