Willing to Sacrifice Our Love

Expected Publication:  October 21st, 2014

Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2)

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Harlequin Teen

ISBN-13:  9780373211340

Every touch has its price.

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life -- no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who's pretty sure things can't get worse.  Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss.  The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets.  And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning.  Because suddenly Layla's powers begin to evolve, and she's offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden.  Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever.  She's finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay.....

Review

       When we left her at the end of the first book, Layla's relations with her Warden guardian and his brethren were, at best, strained - at worst, glacial.  Not to mention her devastation at the loss of her boyfriend to banishment (and probably torture) back to his old home - Hell!  Now all Layla has is a snake familiar named Bambi, her best friends Stacey and Sam, and the one Warden who still believes in her, Zayne, her once-upon-a-time crush and fantasy.  When Layla's powers begin to malfunction she has no idea what could be wrong.  No longer able to see auras, she starts freaking out.  Especially when they find out a Lilin (or Lilim, can't remember the exact term/spelling) is in the area infecting people and killing them.  Layla begins opening up to Zayne, but is left reeling when Roth returns, seemingly indifferent to their past relationship.  Can Layla, Roth and Zayne work together to stop the Lilin and will she be able to stop her dark heritage from destroying them all?

       So, what can I actually say without giving so many spoilers you all will hate my guts???!!!  Layla, as in the first book, is still very relatable, strong, kick-ass and yet with a vulnerability that makes it impossible to dislike her.  The whole Layla/Roth/Zayne love triangle still managed to rise above the cliches and anger-inducing triteness.  At the beginning of the book, Layla is grieving for Roth still and she's kind of a mess.  Then Zayne starts to make a move on her, which she wasn't expecting at all.  Not to mention, the whole "powers go wonky" thing gives them the opportunity to actually test the waters.  She can kiss Zayne for the first time ever without stealing his soul!  It definitely changes the rules of the game, and confuses poor Layla even more by making the impossible actually possible.  The chemistry between the two of them is RED HOT.  Then when Roth comes back to help find the Lilin, poor Layla becomes even more of a mess.  There are some kick-ass actions scenes, some great one-liners and overall dialogue.  

        Also, we get to see Layla bonding with her former "nemesis," Danica (who actually turns out to be a truly sweet girl who has the short end of the situation).  The witches were an interesting touch, and I feel like it added another dimension to the paranormal mythology of the overall story.  I really enjoyed witches, for the first time in quite awhile.  That ending though!  I kind of saw it coming, but I really didn't think JLA would go there.  Rest assured, she did!  Overall, I highly recommend this to fans of the first book and as usual, Jennifer manages to avoid the dreaded sophmore syndrome that destroys so many sequels.  Solid writing, enjoyable plot, great action, and truly awesome character development.  I think fans of Team Roth OR Team Zayne need to be prepared to ship both though.  I have no clear favorite at this point!

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 October 21st, 2014.*

The Animal I've Become

Expected Published:  January 28th, 2014

Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter #2)

By: Megan Shepherd

Balzar + Bray

ISBN-13:  9780062128058

To defeat darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping from her father's island - and the secrets she behind.  Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau's horrific legacy -- though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father's creations may have also escaped the island.  She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger.  Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer -- Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

Review

     Juliet thought that she might be able to have some semblance of a normal life after she left the island behind - along with all its twisted 'experiments', the creatures and her now dead father.  She is starting to become part of polite society again and has been taken under the wing of Professor Von Stein, her father's former colleague, who is now her guardian.  But Julitet is still unable to let it all go, because her illness is steadily killing her.  Without a cure soon Juliet will die, so she's been studying her father's diary and notes looking for an answer - for a serum that will end her suffering.  Keeping a secret appartment and selling hybrid roses to buy ingredients, Juliet is horrified when people with a connection to her begin to turn up murdered.  They have a signature mark, three clawlike scratches, that are familiar to Juliet.  Turns out not everything died on that island and something is more obsessed with her than ever.  If he can't have Juliet, no one can.  Can Juliet find the killer before Scotland Yard does?  And will the situation turn out to be even worse than she ever dreamed?

     This book was a slight bit of a slow starter, with Juliet by herself trying to hybridize roses, and come up with a cure for herself - in secret.  I enjoyed the quite obvious allusions between Shepherd's story and the original tale of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  It's really hard to write a comprehensive review that compares the two though, unless I want to give out some pretty major spoilers!  The murders were pretty gruesome and the identity of the killer, while pretty obvious from the start to people who read book #1, still had some puzzle pieces missing in regards to motive, etc.  There is a really great camraderie between Lucy and Juliet, who have renewed their frienship now that Juliet is back in the city and society.  They are both involved with the murderer (knowingly and unknowingly), have connections to the experiments of Juliet's father and are connected to up and coming Scotland Yard Detective John Newcastle.  Probably my least favorite part of this book was the love triangle.  It carried over from the first book, and while I could understand it somewhat, it did make Juliet loose some backbone when making decisions for herself.  There are some points where she gets downright pathetic about it too.  Probably the least historically realistic to me was Juliet engaging in premarital sex.  It's the Victorian Era!!!  And she absolutely NEVER struck me as the type to do something like that, even if she was a societal outcast.  Just way out of character for me.  Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and it was an extremely strong follow up to The Madman's Daughter.  The plot twist at the end of the book was completely unexpected, had me shaking in surprise and slapping myself on the forhead saying D'oh! for not realizing it sooner!

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, Balzar + Bray (Imprint of Harper Collins), via Edelweiss.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is January 28th, 2014.*

The Heart of a Dragon

Published:  September 3rd, 2013

Scorched (Scorched #1)

By: Mari Mancusi

Sourcebooks Fire

ISBN-13:  9781402284588

Trinity

Don't leave me here...It starts with a whisper.  At first Trinity thinks she's going crazy.  It wouldn't be a big surprise -- her Grandpa firmly belives there's a genuine dragon egg in their dusty little West Texas town.  But this voice is real, and it's begging for her protection.  Even if no one else can hear it...

Connor

He's come from a future scorched in dragonfire.  His mission: Find the girl.  Destroy the egg.  Save the world.  

Caleb

He's everything his twin brother Connor hates: cocky, undisciplined, and obsessed with saving dragons.  

Trinity has no idea which brother to believe.  All she has to go by is the voice in her head -- a dragon that won't be tamed.

Review

     Trinity Foxx has been living with her Grandpa and struggling to make ends meet ever since her Mom died.  Then her Grandpa goes and blows all their money on what he believes is the last real dragon egg in the world for the museum he curates.  Trinity is understandably angry and thinks that they're going to lose their home and everything else because of this.  But then imagine her surprise when Connor shows up and trys to steal the dragon egg.  Trinity might not want the thing, but if he takes it they can't get the money back either.  So she goes with him and finds out that it really is a dragon egg!  Connor wants to destroy it to stop a future dragon-scorched apocalypse from happening.  On the other side of things is his twin brother Caleb, who wants to save the egg and dragons from destruction.  With new things coming to light at every turn, who can Trinity trust?  And how can she decipher the feelings she is developing for both Connor and Caleb?

     I wanted to like this book, as I have been a fan of Mancusi's Blood Coven series for quite some time (since sometime between books 2 & 3 to be more precise).  But I started out feeling fairly bored.  Also, Trinity seriously got on my nerves!  She goes off with a guy that she only just met.  Even when proof of the existence of dragons is given to her, Trinity doesn't believe it until she has absolutely no other choice.  Plus, when her Grandpa first tells her about the dragon egg, the thing she's most worried about is that they might have to return her Christmas present - an expansion pack for her favorite computer game.  None of the plot twists really surprised me, the least of which was who the "good guys" and "bad guys" were.  Probably the single truly awesome part of this book was when Trinity went into like an alternate zone where she could fly with her dragon and talk to it, etc.  I liked the ending as well.  

     But for the most part this book's plot structure, action and climax was extremely jumpy.  The characters weren't very well developed and I left this book feeling no greater connection to or interest in Trinity, Caleb or Connor then when I started it.  Overall, this one just wasn't my cup of tea personally.  To be honest, it kind of reminded me of the teen books published by MTV back in the day.  Interesting, largely forgettable and only ever truly good to a young teenager!  If you like dragons though (i.e. are obsessed with them) maybe it might be worth giving this book a shot.

VERDICT:  2/5 Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published September 3rd, 2013.*

Goodbye Crewel World, Hello Earth

 

Expected Publication:  October 29th, 2013

Altered (Crewel World # 2)

By: Gennifer Albin

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

ISBN-13:  9780374316426

 

Life. Possibility. Choice.
All taken from Adelice by the Guild—until she took them back.

But amid the splendid ruins of Earth, Adelice discovers how dangerous freedom can be. Hunted by soulless Remnants sent by Cormac Patton and the Guild, Adelice finds a world that’s far from deserted. Although allies are easy to find on Earth, knowing who to trust isn’t. Because everyone has secrets, especially those Adelice loves most. Secrets they would kill to protect. Secrets that will redefine each of them. Torn between two brothers and two worlds, Adelice must choose what to fight for.

In this thrilling sequel to Crewel, Adelice is about to learn how tangled up her past and future really are. Her parents ran to protect her, but nothing can save her from her destiny, and once she uncovers the truth, it will change everything.

 

Review

 

     At the end of the first book, Adelice, Jost and Erik found themselves in a place they'd been told no longer existed - Earth.  When they discover that Earth is still inhabited, with a stronger connection to the past than Arras could have ever hoped for, their lives are thrown into deep turmoil.  Standing on the brink of destruction and with little time left, the trio must get beyond a number of obstacles and find their way back to the very place they sought to escape.  With the horrifying new additions of the soulless, cannibalistic people known as Remnants, complicated family secrets and extreme romantic tension, it's not long before things explode for Adelice.  Not everyone is left standing in one piece, but will they find their way back together in the end?

     So, unlike in the first book where Adelice was a strong protagonist who did what seemed like minimal whining and where the love triangle was far from in-your-face-pushy, this book took things to another level.  Being set on Earth, things were obviously going to be very different from Arras, the home world of Adelice, Jost and Erik.  The dynamic between the three of them has shifted and their roles in each other' lives are becoming different while they fight for survival.  The main focus of Jost shifts away from Adelice, towards getting back to his daughter.  Especially when they find out that time passes differently on Arras and one Earth month is equal to about one Arras year.  This makes for an interesting plot line in regards to a mysterious guy named Dante, who has a much deeper connection to Adelice than she ever imagined. 

     I did feel like Albin managed to world build with the destroyed, but not dead shell of Earth just as spectacularly as she did in Crewel.  The descriptions were gorgeous and I really felt like I was seeing it as I was reading it.  That is the best kind of reading, though I do like being able to imagine things as well.  But having them given to you for inspection is just as nice to me, as a reader.  The creepiest character award goes to Kincaid, a young-looking guy who is cheating death and is basically the revenge obsessed counter-part to Cormac.  Adelice left Arras looking to get away from Cormac and Kincaid is just as twisted, if not more so.  The scene that left me cringing with it's grotesque brilliance was the one where he puts on a play for Adelice and the boys, but does it with actors who have had their life threads altered to look like famous 1940s film stars.  I enjoyed all the action, and the fast pace of the plot.  I think where Albin lost me was the search for the "Whorl" and the identity of famous scientist who led the 'rebellion.'  I just felt like the revelation of his identity came completely out of left field.  Nothing else really suggested to me that she was going to use a real historical figure and I found it really jarring.

     One thing I will say is that with the developing of the love triangle, and Adelice's inability to make a coherent decision I got pretty annoyed as a reader.  I really dislike the love triangle trope and ESPECIALLY dislike the whole two-brothers-and-one-'perfect'-girl thing.  It makes me gag.  But I did like that Gennifer put a lot of tension and drove a believable wedge between Adelice and one of the guys, before easing her towards the other one.  At least the complications were believable, if really eye-roll inducing and overall annoying to me.  Plus it made for some swoony romantic action between Adelice and my favorite brother (no, I won't say which one!).  Overall, a good follow up to the first book in the series.  I would recommend it to those who enjoyed Crewel, but advise them to expect a major shift from almost straight fantasy, with a little sci-fi to the complete opposite end of the spectrum.  It makes for an interesting read!

 

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.  This book's expected publication is October 29th, 2013.*



I Don't Wanna Go To This Crazy, Messed Up School

Expected Publication:  May 21st, 2013
Night School (Night School # 1)
By: C.J. Daugherty
Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN-13: 9780062193858

Allie's world is falling apart...

She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn't know a soul.

But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she's happy there. She's making friends. And then there's Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.

Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets.

Review (BEWARE OF SPOILERS)

 

     Mysterious boarding school, dangerously hot boys, good girl gone bad - what's not to love?  Unfortunately, a lot of things in this particular book.  First issue being the inconsistencies in Allie's character.  She goes from acting out and being arrested repeatedly, to doing what everyone tells her to and believing anything they say, even when things aren't adding up.  The synopsis pegs this as a book with a major mystery.  That mystery being what exactly Night School is, who is in it, why and what they are trying to gain in life from it.  Instead of being answered slowly bit-by-bit, this is jumbled and shoved together in answer format in the last 10 percent or so of the book.  Most of this book is spent on Allie's decision between mysterious, charming, hot French boy Sylvain and not-so-bad boy, 'womanizer' Carter.    A lot of time is also spent on Allie's friendship with unstable, but fun and sweet Jo who I found myself more interested in than Allie herself.  That is, until Jo was turned into a complete moron by her treatment of others (namely Allie and Carter) and becomes a complete cliché in the last third of the book.  The whole book spends its time having mysterious animal attacks, students not being allowed outside after dark and the separation of the Night School kids being waved in the reader's face like a big, fat paranormal clue.  It is a tease and a liar peoples!  In the big revelation at the end, we find out that the secret is a Skulls type of secret society (like the movie from 2000 with Joshua Jackson) that is made up of rich douchebags who indoctrinate their children and basically rule the powerful positions of the world!  WTF??? 

     Also, at the Summer Ball that Allie and friends become obsessed over at the halfway mark of the book, she is practically date-raped by Sylvain (who is supposed to be a nice guy) and we're made to think he's trying to mind control her through supernatural means.  This is never explained to my satisfaction (or probably anyone else's, really).  Also, there is a horrific fire and another student in murdered - which everyone then pretends was a suicide and no one calls the police.  At this point Jo goes completely off the rails, does stupid shit and then blames everything on Allie!  Things only devolve from there till the ending.  The romance between Allie and Carter is set up from the beginning of the book, but when it actually happens it felt very staged to me.  He's a sweet guy, but she spent most of the book hating him and going for Sylvain (which doesn't say much for her taste).  And Allie's long-lost brother Christopher who disappeared and is the reason for her bad behavior/sadness, is suddenly spotted in bad-guy Nathaniel's army and thrown into the ending like loose change no one knows what to do with, cause there's not quite enough for a candy bar.  Again, WTF???  All in all, not what I was expecting and very deceptive in the way it was marketed and tried to court me as a reader.  But for all that, I still managed to finish it and really liked/enjoyed the slow burn and funny dialogue of the first 2/3 of this book.  Which made it all the more heartbreaking when it crashed and burned.  It was a world of no at the end and that made me very sad.

 

 

Some memorable quotes:

 

(From when Jo teaches Allie to play chess)

 

'Allie held it up and made a neighing sound.  Jo gave her a withering look.

     "Pony," said Allie weakly.

     "Get serious Allie," Jo said.  "This isn't a game.  Not really.  Because chess is really war.".........

Trying to look serious, Allie placed her knight where she was told, but shooting Jo a rebellious glance, she murmured, "Good horsie" under her breath.

 

(About going back to school and leaving the chapel open behind her and Carter)

 

"We'll get in trouble if it's left open," she reasoned.  "And I really don't think it would be great for Jo to be quizzed by Zelazny right now.  Besides, what if a fox gets in and eats Jesus?"

 

(Worst passage in the book, during the fire at the dance, starts with Jo speaking about her boyfriend Gabe just leaving her when the fire starts)

 

"Eloise says everyone's fine, so he's fine.  It's just...he just left me there.  In a fire." 

     "Oh, babe."  Allie reached out to squeeze her arm..."He made sure you were safe first, right?...And you know what?  He has faith that you're tough, and can take care of yourself.  And that's kind of cool."

 

 

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

 

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is May 21st, 2013.*



Stay In The Shadows, Where You Belong

Published: February 12th, 2013

Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows # 1)

By: Yelena Black

Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

ISBN-13:  9781599909400

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . .

Review

     Being a completely uncoordinated, average schmuck I have a secret addiction to books or movies involving ballet - especially teen ones!  Center Stage and Save The Last Dance are my life's blood people (especially the soundtracks, which are awesome!) and I revel in them! :)  So I went into this thinking that it would be a dark, paranormal version of one of my favorite movies.  I was wrong in the extreme.  The book started out promisingly creepy and devolved very obviously into something subpar and disappointing.  The main character, Vanessa, is dealing with disappearance of her sister Margaret from her ballet academy months earlier, after which Vanessa vowed to find her - which she spends the book not really doing at all.  The idea that a demon could literally be abducting ballerinas and stealing their souls is a very interesting and original one, but when done with someone as bland as Vanessa being the searchlight it died for me.  She makes pretty much no attempt to find her sister (even though it's what she's supposedly there for) and is described as dancing with supernatural ability and being almost perfect.  Yet she never PRACTICES and shows some serious disinterest in dancing!  When girls start to disappear, one of them being a girl Vanessa is friends with, no one ever calls her parents to find out if the school's story about her going home is true.  Vanessa's two guys, Zep a.k.a Zeppelin Black and Justin, were both paint by numbers and the ways the author described them read like something out of a twelve year old's Twilight fan fiction story - only less believable at times.  The plot dragged because it was predictable to the very last 'twist' at the end.  All of the side characters were cardboard cutouts.  Their personalities were waiting to be delivered and never arrived.  I was unimpressed with the constant stupidity of everyone in the book (especially Vanessa) to see what was right in front of them.  Seriously, I knew who the villain(s) were less that halfway into the book and the constant overlooking of something smacking these people right in their faces just made me mad.  Just because they're teens doesn't mean they're complete and total oblivious morons!  I will say that in the last 15% or so the author redeemed it a little bit for me and I did like the ending.  But I won't be moving on to the next one because I'm sure that it will be just as badly written.  And a cliffhanger is not a good enough reason to read a sequel no matter what anyone says...  Not recommended to anyone except possibly fans of the Tiger's Curse series by Colleen Houck, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and Fallen by Lauren Kate.  In other words, just say no.

VERDICT:  1.25/5  Stars

**I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published February 12th, 2013.**

She's So High Above You

Expected Publication:  April 9th, 2013

The Rising (Darkness Rising # 3)

By: Kelley Armstrong

HarperCollins

ISBN-13: 9780061797088

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

Review

     Lets just start off with this statement: I am Armstrong's biggest fan for her other YA series, Darkest Powers.  That said, the first two books in this series had filler syndrome and mostly failed to impress me in any real lasting way.  I went into this one kind of fuzzy on the characters and happenings of her last novel, but it wasn't too difficult to refresh as it started right where the other one left off.  Maya, Daniel and Corey are still on the run from the St. Clouds and all of the rival Cabals who would like to use the kids to their own advantages.  With the rest of their friends either missing or kidnapped, time is running out for Maya and the boys to think up a solution and finally get some answers once and for all about who/what they are.  But can they all survive the journey to the answers?  I thought that this book wrapped up the series quite nicely and tied up all the loose ends.  My only major complaint stems from all of the terminology involving Cabals and their people.  I felt like I'd been dropped inside of a series I hadn't been reading from the start and while fans of her adult novels may have been familiar, I wasn't.  It was jarring to say the least.  Maya still seemed pretty cold as a character to me and the resolution to the love triangle between her, Daniel and Rafe surprised me but didn't make me jump for joy like in Darkest Powers with Simon, Chloe and Derek.  Speaking of my fave characters from the other series, it was wonderful to see them get some play in this conclusion because they way their series ended was fairly abrupt.  I know I felt like they still had stories to be told.  The action in this one is non-stop, which was a nice change from all of the build-up in the other two that left me antsy and bored as a reader more than once.  Overall, I wouldn't recommend this series to anyone who isn't a die-hard fan of Armstrong's but at the same time it was far from the worst I've read.  And this last book was definitely the strongest.  If you've read the other two books, you should finish the series to get some true closure! :)

VERDICT:  4/5  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 April 9th, 2013*

Oh, Sweet Child Of Mine

Published: April 17th, 2012
The Springsweet (The Vespertine # 2)
By: Saundra Mitchell
Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN-13: 9780547608426

Heartbroken over the tragic death of her fiancé, seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart leaves Baltimore for the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going. There she discovers that she possesses the astonishing ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a "springsweet” to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land. Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.

Review

   Zora Stewart stops caring about life after her fiance Thomas and her cousin Amelia both die.  With her Mother determined to shove her back into her old life, Zora takes drastic measures.  After almost publicly ruining herself, her Mother finally agrees to send her to live with her widowed Aunt Birdie(not much older than her) and her cousin Louella in West Glory, Oklahoma.  Once she gets there, Zora finds out that she is a springsweet, able to sense water underneath the parched surface of the Earth.  This is a really valuable talent on the dry frontier land, so her Aunt Birdie starts hiring her out to the neighbors.  Meanwhile Zora is resisting the attentions of Theo De La Croix, the man from back home that she used in scheme to get sent away.  She is undeniably attracted to Emerson Birch, a man regarded as trashy and a problem waiting to happen by the other townspeople.  Can Zora make a decision that will allow her to follow her heart or will she be unable to let go of the past?  I honestly was iffy about reading this book after being disappointed by the mediocrity of The Vespertine.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  I really liked Zora in the first book and watching her grow as a person, become even stronger and move past the heartbreak she'd suffered was wonderful.  I honestly didn't particularly care for Aunt Birdie all that much.  I felt like she was too pushy and not a deep enough character.  While I liked Theo, I felt that Emerson was definitely the right match for Zora.  Theo was too much like her old life, while Emerson was part of the frontier world Zora joined.  The supernatural abilities that Zora and Emerson possess were unique.  I've never read of anything like Zora's water sense before in YA.  My major complaint is that this book was far too short.  I would have liked another 50-100 pages to allow the story more time to develop and the characters more time to get into my heart.  All the same, this book stands alone pretty well but the ending would be a little confusing without the backstory of The Vespertine.  Other than that, I'd say skip the first one and dive right into this interesting and fun novel.

VERDICT:  4.25/5  Stars

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

Glowing With Some Serious Craziness

Published: September 13, 2011
Glow
By: Amy Kathleen Ryan
St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN-13: 9780312590567




What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Review

   First thoughts: Haven't I read this before?  This book sounded very interesting and the concept was definitely new, although dystopia has arguably become the new vampire (genre-wise).  It grabbed me in from the first page and it read sort of like a cross between Across the Universe and Wither.  Waverley was an engrossing protagonist and her friend Samantha (who before the incident she wasn't all that close to) was very sharply intelligent.  Also, 'Pastor' Anne Mather of the 'New Horizon' ship is a fairly complex and chilling villain.  Now that the positives are out of the way I'll get to the negatives.  After the first third of the book I became bored.  I started skipping the parts with Kieran, Seth and the other boys who were left behind to an odd Lord of the Flies type existence on the 'Empyrean.'  You know why?  Because I just didn't CARE.  Which brings me to the downside of the third-person narrative: I was majorly disconnected from the characters and because the action happened so quickly, I had no time to really understand or even like Kieran.  To be honest, I'm surprised I even cared about Waverley at all.   The story was so drily written that it just felt like cardboard to me.  It was mainly exposition (badly done mind you) for the rest of the series, which I will not be reading.  It felt contrived and just like a waste of time.  I didn't hate it and it deserves some credit for keeping my interest for as long as it did.  But that's about it.

VERDICT: 1.5/5  Stars

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

It's In the Way You Shift

Published: October 19th, 2010
Nightshade
By: Andrea Cremer
Philomel
ISBN-13: 9780399254826



Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice? (synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.com)

Review

   Calla Tor has always know that her future holds arranged marriage, guiding a new pack as the female alpha and a life guided by the laws of her kind.  But when she is leading a patrol of the land she saves Shay Doran from a grizzly bear and defies everything she's ever been taught.  This starts a downward spiral of broken trusts, rules and secrets that get revealed.  Turns out that maybe the Keeper's laws aren't quite as sacred as they claim...

  So this book was non-stop action!  So much was happening from the very first page onwards that you never quite know where the story is going. Calla was a very strong heroine and she makes it easy to root for her happiness.  You as a reader never quite know whether to be Team Ren (arranged match) or Team Shay (human boy...at least for awhile).  To complicate things further, Calla and Ren are supposed to unite two packs of shifters into one and makes their subordinates/friends get along.  Calla is in charge of the Nightshade pack and Ren is in charge of the Banes.  Both packs have Keeper overseers who use magic and control all wolves as a race in general.  Supposedly for the greater good.  When have those words EVER meant smooth sailing.  While trying to integrate the two packs with Ren, our heroine is feeling attracted to Shay and torn between fighting for her independence and submitting to the rules she thinks are right.  This book was really fun to read and moves quickly.  My only complaint was that while I understand Calla's confusion, she seems to jerk Shay and Ren around unnecessarily.  I loved Ansel (C's brother), Bryn, Fey, Sabine, Xander, and Nev as supporting characters.  All of the Keepers have major creepiness quotient and I never quite knew what to feel about the Searchers.  The ending was a huge cliffhanger and I'm definitely reading the next one!

P.S.  This is book one is a trilogy.  Book Two is already available and Book Three is released in January 2012.

VERDICT: 4/5  Stars

*No money was exhanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores and online.*