Review: Torn by Cat Clarke

Torn by Cat Clarke
Release Date: 22nd December 2011
Publisher: Quercus 
Source: Bought for Kindle
Reason for Reading: UK author loved by everyone

Goodreads description:

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares… 

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down. 

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

A compelling story of guilty secrets, troubled friendship and burgeoning love.

My thoughts:

I've sat back and watched the love that exists in the blogosphere for Cat Clarke. I've seen the release of each of her books with their intriguing premise and evocative covers and I've thought to myself "one day". Unfortunately, when the day finally came for Torn, I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to. 

My main issue with Torn is that it made me feel uncomfortable. Some people, I guess like isn't the right word really, but that sort of uncomfortable, tense feeling is something they look for/appreciate. A lot of people watch cringe comedy for instance, which is similar. I just cannot tolerate that feeling at all. So that feeling being present, all the way through this book, really impacted my enjoyment of it. It's good that a book can affect me so much, but when it is causing such an adverse reaction it isn't that great. 

At first I thought the plot was a bit far-fetched but when I thought about it, I could totally see it happening. A prank gone horribly wrong, scared girls panicking and making totally the wrong call and then leaving it too late to come clean. It made me totally suspicious of the disappearances we see in the news. 

I thought the characters were totally authentically teenage which was really great; Cat Clarke captured that teen voice perfectly and they were so diverse. I didn't really connect with any of them that much though, which didn't improve how I felt about the story. Rae was probably my favourite character and I really felt for her throughout this whole story. I really liked Jack as well he was so sweet and kind and caring and I just felt so sorry for him all the way through. I wanted him to know what happened but at the same time I didn't want anymore pain caused. 

The ending happened the way it had to happen and whilst I know it was an intentionally ambiguous, make-your-own-mind-up end I couldn't help but feel that it had to end there simply because there was nowhere else to go with the story.

TL;DR: I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately I just...didn't. I can see why it has such appeal though, it was a really good book, it just wasn't for me. So if you're into a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, this is the book for you. 

Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever (Fever #1) by Karen Marie Moning
Release: 28th August 2007 (This UK edition)
Publisher: Dell (This UK edition)
Source: Library
Reason for reading: Nearly due back!
Rating: 3/5

Goodreads description:

"My name is MacKayla, Mac for short. I'm a sidhe-seer, one who sees the Fae, a fact I accepted only recently and very reluctantly.

My philosophy is pretty simple - any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately. Not since the walls between Man and Fae came down. But then, there's not a sidhe-seer alive who's had a good day since then."

When MacKayla's sister was murdered, she left a single clue to her death - a cryptic message on Mac's cel phone. Journeying to Ireland in search of answers, Ma is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she possessed - a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae...

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysteriou Jericho...while at the same time, the ruthless V'lane - an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women - closes in on her. As the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: to find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book - because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control both worlds in their hands....

My thoughts:

I requested this a month ago in the midst of my urban fantasy kick. It's clearly very popular because by the time I got it I had moved onto historical fiction. Not wanting to return a book I'd specially requested unread, I decided to give it a go. I knew barely anything about it aside from that it was urban fantasy and very popular and therefore wasn't sure what to expect.

The first thing that grated on me was the writing style. I hate that sorta omniscient looking-back-from-the-future style (please tell me there's a better name for that?) where the narrator starts sentences with ominous phrases like 'Little did I know' and 'Later I would come to realise'. I find it pulls me right out the plot and makes me feel like I'm reading an author's work rather than a character's story. That perpetuated throughout the whole novel and I did not like it. 

The other thing I was not a fan of was that at first, the characters seemed very cookie-cutter. There was the naive, sweet girl who knew nothing about the world she'd blundered into and the dark, brooding, give-nothing-away, borderline-abusive man she meets and inevitably exchanges barbs and information with.

Mac...annoyed me. I tried not to dislike her. I'm doing this new thing where I try really hard to like female MC's cause sometimes I feel like we're all so women-hating, especially when we are them...but I couldn't help it. She was so silly and stupid and vapid and childish. Blundering around this world she knew nothing about, talking about things she knew nothing of and I wanted to hit her. A little bit.  I felt the plot mirrored its main character in that, for a while, it didn't really seem to go anywhere. I was starting to get disappointed.

Eventually though, just as I was about to abandon all hope, the plot did get going. I liked the whole mystery aspect of it; the dual story of finding out what happened to Alina and also finding out more about the whereabouts and the story behind the Book. There was more action towards the end which I liked, culminating in the obligatory female main character being completely pulverized and put back together by the male main character. Suddenly, it wasn't easy to hate Mac anymore and I found myself starting to like her and her determination and, whilst she still blundered around, at least she never fully trusted anyone she encountered, which is totally smart. 

I'll admit, I did expect Mac and Barrons to get together. The introduction of V'lane did make me anticipate a love triangle and I rolled my eyes at the hate-hate relationships, waiting for the chapter when one of the stories evolved into the love it was inevitably going to. I was pleasantly surprised by how that element of the plot progressed and I enjoyed the little half-moment between Mac and Barrons near the very end. 

TL;DR: Whilst this book wasn't all I expected it to be and whilst I am a little apprehensive about the treatment of women in the story; namely the abusive behaviour that came  from all angles, the ending was intriguing enough to make me get the second one for my Kindle. Whilst its far from my favourite urban fantasy first book, I have high hopes for the rest of the series. 

Review: A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
Released: Bebruary 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow books
Source: Won
Reason for reading: Have seen good reviews/have vowed to get my TBR down
Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads description:

Eden didn't expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.
So long, happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.

And that's only the beginning of the end

My thoughts:

A Touch Mortal really was a book of 2 halves for me. I was a little hesitant about the angel aspect, NOT my cup of tea, but I went in with an open mind and actually really wanted to enjoy this one and to a certain extent I did.

One thing I found a total pain was the lack of exposition. Now I moan when we get chapters and chapters of explanation, but I also hate the opposite and I did feel a little lost and overwhelmed in parts of this book. Like, what exactly was Touch, really? And do all people who commit suicide turn into Siders or just the young pretty ones? What really aggravated me beyond the lack of exposition though was the fact that Kristen was actually supposed to explain stuff to Eden but she never really explained much. And it was just like "OMG STOP STEALING DRESSES FROM DEAD PEOPLE, AND JUST TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON PLEASE". I felt a little bit overloaded by how fast Eden and Az got together and how quickly everything after that happened. It was kinda like being spun around then being spun again in the opposite direction before you've had time to get your bearings. I'm not sure whether the author intended to keep everyone in the dark or whether she just wasn't very good at explaining her own idea or whether I was just being a bit dense.  

Having said that, once Eden moved out of Kristen's the story really settled down for me and became much more readable. I kinda liked how everything worked with her and the Siders she lived with and interacted with. I did have my suspicions about one or two which unfortunately kinda proved correct. I did find the plot interesting and I liked how even though I found it really predictable I wasn't 100% sure about anything until it actually happened, so I never found myself feeling too bored. It was an interesting take on the angel mythology, I liked how there weren't too many actual angels involved and the feel of the 'Upstairs' being really distant from what happened on Earth, and I can kinda see how aspects of the  overarching plot might work out which is pretty cool.

Character-wise I can take or leave pretty much all of them. The boys I felt were fairly nothingy, typical tropes really which was a bit of a shame. Kristen was my favourite character by far; she was interesting and layered and sorta tragic in a way. Eden I found a bit sappy and annoying in places and I didn't like how the author constantly emphasised how 'alternative' she was. Everyone kept talking about how she was in charge but most of what I saw was her blundering about making terrible choices and generally keeping her foot in her mouth, being shouted at by the men in her life or sulking in her bedroom. 

This feels like a really negative review but I liked it more than it seems....sometimes you know how you have those books that you liked well enough, but the only things you can think to comment on are the aspects you didn't like? That's pretty much this book for me.

TL;DR: A Touch Mortal was a bit all over the place and predictable for me to be a true fan of it, but it was an enjoyable read, slightly above a 3 but not quite a 4.  I wanted to like this book more than I actually did.

Review: Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik
Released: 2nd August 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 3/5

Goodreads description:

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Cast in point:

- As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school - not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
- As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

My thoughts:

I am a tiny bit obsessed with Pride and Prejudice. Last year, I went through this phase of watching the film (the Keira Knightley one, not a fan of the BBC adaptation...I know, you're all looking at me like I've just kicked your child right now) every single night for about a month. Not kidding. Every.Single.Night.  So when I saw a book that's a modern retelling...it had to be mine. 

I thought LaZebnik did a fantastic job of capturing the sisters...though she left Mary out for some reason, the other 4 were fantastically similar to the Bennett sisters. I really liked Elise, I think Elizabeth would've approved of her attitude and outlook.At times she did let her insecurities get to her, more so than Lizzie would've, but I figured this was appropriate for the time, I think even Lizzie Bennett would've felt somewhat intimidated in the situations Elise found herself in.  Her relationship with Webster was so close to that of Mr Wichkham, and the whole situation with him was given a modern twist that really worked, yet stayed true to the spirit of P&P. I thought Juliana was really similar to Jane, in terms of her personality and attutide towards Chase (MR Bingley) and the two sisters who were Kitty and Lydia were pretty much perfect.

In fact, I thought overall it was a fantastic modern interpretation. I felt the plot and the characters were brought bang up to date, and for the most part it followed the story faithfully without being a word for word rewrite, which I liked. The only aspect I struggled with was the parents. The elder Bentons were....odd. They had the whole 'don't quite fit in with society air' that worked, but while Mrs Benton was obsessed with the idea of her daughters getting boyfriends just like Mrs Bennett is obsessesed  with her daughters getting husbands....she was also strangely strict about the weirdest things like no cellphones, what her daughters wore etc, and the combination of the two characteristics felt bery jarring. I also wasn't a huge fan of Mr Benton which is a shame as I love Mr Bennett.


The romances were where everything fell a little flat for me. The relationships in P&P were so complicated, many layered and involving so  many factors, and I didn't feel that aspect was fully replicated in Epic Fail. The relationship between Juliana and Chase started out well, it had the same sweet feel from P&P, but it was just a little too simple and easy for my tastes. The relationship between Derek and Elise was equally promising at first. Derek seemed like he would be a wonderful Darcy, brooding and moody and rude, but I missed the chemistry between them that I felt should have been there. 


I felt Epic Fail was a little too short to truly capture the nuances of P&P. Whilst I really enjoyed this super-cute, lighthearted and humourous read, I think I would've enjoyed it more had it not tried to emulate such a fantastic story. While Claire LaZebnik did a fantastic job of bringing the plot up to date, certain elements did fall just a little flat for me.

Today Liz is posting her review of The Debutantes!

Review: Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Released: June 2007
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 3/5

Goodreads Description:

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

My thoughts:

Me and Two Way Street got off to a bad start. I didn't really like either Courtney or Jordan much and I never really warmed to them. I found Courtney a bt precious and whiny, too controlling. Jordan was just a bit of a jerk really. I didn't like him at all, he's the sort of boy I absolutely detest. A massive tool who treats women as his playthings, has no respect for them and doesn't treat them with dignity. I get that he 'changed' because of Courtney but still, I really didn't like him.

I really liked the idea of this book, going on a road trip with your ex is possibly the most painful thing ever. Being trapped in a confined space with them, for hours, with very little to do.... I kinda liked how they both wound each other up, pretending to speak to people on the phone that they knew would annoy the other and things like that. They were both kinda manipulative and a bit bitchy. I think that's how we'd all be, in the situation, though we'd like to think we wouldn't be.

There wasn't that much of a road trip feel to this book, in that they wanted to get from point A to B and there wasn't much stopping in between.It didn't feel as road trippy as I anticipated it being, which was a bit of a shame, but I still enjoyed the tension between the two and the road trip elements we did have.

The revelation of the book was pretty heavily hinted at, even from the off which I found a bit surprising. I wasn't sure if it was the author's intention for the reader to know exactly why they broke up or not, but I did kinda like the dynamic it set up of knowing Jordan's motivations, knowing what Courtney thought and the discrepancy between the two. I did feel the pain at their break up was a little diminished by the fact they were only together about 3 months....I was a little sceptical of that and I feel the book would've worked better if they'd been together a little bit longer, though I could see why it had been written that way. I was also let down by the ending which I felt was a bit easy, a bit too rushed.

This review seems really negative, but it isn't. I did enjoy reading this book, but I did have some very specific issues with it as you can see above. Overall though, I did actually like it, just not as much as I thought I would or as much as everyone else seems to!

Today Liz is reviewing How to Be Bad!

Review: My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4) by Rachel Vincent
Released:January 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Source: Won from Rachel at Fiktshun (thanks Rachel!!)
Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads description:

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn't just an ordinary girl. She's a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people's fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn't above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants

My thoughts:

I was so proud of Kaylee at the end of book 3, she made a hard, but definitely right decision, and then in this book it seems like she undid most of her good work!  She became paranoid, desperate, irrational and, I’ll be honest, a little psychotic.  She fixated on Sabine and got all jealous and insecure and I just wanted her to remember how strong she was and that she did not need a man to make her complete!

Sabine on the other hand...I knew I shouldn't like her, but I really did. She had an attitude and she wasn't scared to go after what she wanted. She didn't play fair at all, but I liked her scheming ways, because really, I could see that her and Nash worked better than Nash and Kaylee. I just needed Kaylee to see that!! I did feel bad for Kaylee, she wanted time to come to terms with what Nash had done, to figure out if she could trust him again, and Sabine took that from her, made her fight for something she wasn't even sure that she wanted in the first place, and that definitely messed her up a bit. I could totally see her issue. But I felt she went at it from totally the wrong angle.

Nash...argh don't get me started on Nash. That guy. He's so weak and a total jerk, I completely wanted to slap him for most of this book! He messed EVERYONE around and he never seemed to be sorry about any of it! Tod on the other hand. Ah, Tod. Where have you been?? Why did I not notice you before?? Seriously, Tod was amazing in this book. So supportive and helpful to Kaylee, always there for her. He was less mildly creepy and a bit stalkerish and more of a good friend....possibly more of a friend, hmmm? I thought it was pretty clear how he felt about her, but poor Kay had so much going on she didn't seem to notice.

The plot of this was really clever, I was definitely fooled by what was going on, and you can see how Kaylee's obsession with Sabine influences her judgement on certain things. But how everything worked out was really clever, as I have come to expect from any novel written by Rachel Vincent. I missed out some of the dream sequences because I found them a little boring, and felt I could see their relevance to the plot without actually having to read them and I did figure out the whole thing with Alec early, but beyond that I was completely surprised by how everything unfolded.  I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the rest of the SS series, pretty much because I was a little disappointed in Kaylee, but also a little bit because I resented the idea that Nash was 'in charge' of Sabine,  I got why Kaylee had to appeal to him about her behaviour, but didn't like the idea that he could control what she did.

On the whole though, I adore this series, and cannot wait to see what If I Die brings!

Review: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Released: October 26th 2011
Rating: 3/5

Goodreads description:

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My thoughts:

Reading this, I couldn't help but think of that Buffy episode where Spike gets a soul. This is how I imagine that episode looking if it were dragged out and Spike had taken people with him. 

I finished the Iron Queen with, as I imagine most people did, an OMGG!!!!  and immediately bought this for my kindle. I settled down, prepared to fall back in love with all the characters, to get transported to a magical world and go on an epic quest to the very ends of the Earth...literally.

Unfortunately, this time, that didn't happen. I don't know what it was, but the story didn't grip me as much as the previous 3 did, and without that avid attention, I began to notice the flaws.

Ash's narration was a lot duller than I expected it would be. He was a lot less snarky, less witty than I imagined, instead coming across as bland. I disliked his constant asides, his musings about the past, his revisitings to events we've heard about countless times. I got fed up with all that and honestly, a little fed up with Ash too.

Puck as well, I found irritating, and even Grimalkin, the wonderful Grimalkin, lost some of his appeal. I've said it all this week but I don't actually think Julie Kagawa is that good of a writer, despire being an amazing creator of stories, and by this book we're seeing a lot of repetition in terms of conversations, banter and memories. I got fed up of hearing Ash referred to as 'ice-boy' or 'prince' or Ash moaning about Puck's inability to stay quiet, or still, or out of trouble. I don't feel like there's been much organic growth in terms of the characters and so I've struggled to make any lasting connections to them.

The plot seemed to be dragged out, I did get a bit fed up of the trip at a few points. Though I did like the final bit, with the tests, I thought that was clever though again I could see several points where Julia Kagawa has pulled inspiration from other things (the riddle, for example, hello Fifth Element?) and ultimately it was unshockingly predictable.

For me, there was a general air of not caring very much present throughout this. I felt a bit like Julie Kagawa was coerced into writing it because it'd sell loads of copies, not because she actually wanted to. I also had issues with the editing; at one point a character shows up knowin exactly what Ash wants to do and then later in the book asks him about his quest. Plus the constant repetition of words/phrases/actions etc really should have been addressed. I think reading all 4 in very quick succession (just over a week, I think) has really impacted my view of them. Having each one so fresh in my mind has really allowed me to draw comparisons and notice similarities more than I usually would. Whilst this is a shame as I think it has affected my enjoyment of this final book, I enjoyed reading a series in it's entirety in one fell swoop, not something I get to do often.

I really wanted to like this, having loved the previous 3, but ultimately I think I would have preferred it if this one hadn't been written, if we'd been given the tragic ending of The Iron Queen instead of this half-hearted attempt at a happily ever after. 

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (Jessica #1)
Released: February 2009
Publisher: Harcourt
Rating 2.5-3/5

Goodreads description:

The undead can really screw up your senior year ... 

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.


My thoughts:

This book leaps right in there with barely any build-up which I found vaguely confusing but adapted quickly. It wasn't what I expected at all, which is a shame, because I thought I would LOVE it and I didn't especially.


I found Jessica so annoying. She claimed to be all scientific and rational and yet she was in a constant state of denial for half the book. She refused to believe what was right in front of her, what people she trusted were telling her and I found that SO frustrating. She did eventually redeem herself, but for me it was too late. I also hated the fact she was called Antanasia as I kept thinking 'Anastasia' instead, but that's not really a valid criticism.


Lucius...I'm not entirely sure how I feel about him. He seemed to have a massive case of split personality syndrome because sometimes he was all high and mighty and at other times very sweet. I did like his transformation to typical American teen, I loved the idea that he succumbed to the freedom of America and shunned his old fashioned duty. I also loved the letters he wrote to his uncle which were hilarious. At times though his speech slipped and he went from charming foreigner to a native speaker through the use of a certain word or phrase and I didn't really like that. I could see what the author was trying to do with the way he spoke but it didn't always work. 


Romance wise, I'm torn. I liked that Jessica had enough self-respect not to throw herself on him, but I resented that she wasn't really prepared to give him a try, afterall, the whole thing was hardly his fault. And then, when it seemed she lost him, she decided she wanted him after all! Fickle girl. 


I did like the parents. If you read my discussion post a few weeks ago you'll know I'm not a huge fan of parents playing vital roles in books but these parents were pretty cool. I liked the role they had in story and how they interacted with both Jessica and Lucius.


The ending had promise, but I feel like the author got bored  with writing and that left it feeling anti-climatic. I'm torn between whether this should be a 2 or a 3 star read. I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this and I know it has some rave reviews, but it really wasn't for me.

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Released: 10th January 2012
Publisher: Dutton
Challenge: Contemporary challenge
Rating: 3/5


**I considered not posting my review of this book but ultimately, I don't believe in censure so here it is**

Goodreads description:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.


My thoughts:


It's hard for me to separate out my feelings about this book. Honestly, I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  Yes, it's sad and moving but...I just couldn't shake the feeling I was being manipulated. I mean, kids dying of cancer? Strong, intelligent kids dying of cancer? How can that NOT be sad? How can you not find that upsetting. It's upsetting. I felt like my emotions were a ball of string that John Green was shaping into whatever he fancied and, whilst I did feel those emotions, I didn't like it. It's effective storytelling, but it's not the sort of thing I'd want to subject myself to again. 


I liked Hazel. I liked the way she spoke and her love of  endless TV marathons (I'm a TV marathoner myself...Grey's Anatomy for 12 episodes straight? Yes please.) Augustus I felt the same way about. Again, the way he spoke appealed to me. I know a lot of people say that teenagers just don't speak like that....these people have never met my boyfriend. Or my ex boyfriend. I like the quirky writing style that John Green uses, the way he forms sentences and the feeling that every word has been carefully selected for maximum impact. I also really liked Isaac. He had the worst deal of all of them in my opinion and I liked that he wasn't afraid to be angry or upset. I've heard a lot of people say that John Green recycles his characters in every book but, having never read him before, I'm not really in a position to comment on that.


What I really didn't like was all the profoundness in this book. Why? Because it didn't feel all that profound to me. You wrap something up in big words and have a dying kid say it and suddenly it's this massively deep philosophy? No, I don't think so. Maybe the part of me that actually remembers my philosophy degree is the part speaking here, but I was totally fed up with all these big speeches with 'life lessons' in them and the bandying about of words like 'existential' and 'nihilistic'. It did my head in in a massive way. 


So yeah, I had a lot of ups and downs with this book...a lot of negatives and positives so my thoughts are all swirly. Ultimately, you'll probably enjoy it. Pretty much everyone else did, so you should read it. I wish I could've enjoyed it more, I hoped I would and I wanted to, I just...didn't. 

Review: Surrender by Lee Nichols

Surrender (Haunting Emma #3) by Lee Nichols

Release date: 6th December 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rating: 3/5

Goodreads description:

After a devastating battle at headquarters in New York, the ghostkeeping world is in shambles. When Emma and Bennett return home, they are determined to defeat the wraithmaster, Neos, forever. But it's not going to be easy. Bennett's parents kick him out when they realize he is still using drugs to enhance his powers. Emma is convinced her aunt has come back from the dead to warn her of a new threat. And worst of all, Neos is using wraiths to possess the students at Thatcher Academy. If the ghosts manage to take over the entire school, even Emma won't be strong enough to stop them. But if either she or Bennett sacrifice his or her powers, they might be able to save the ghostkeeping world once and for all-and break the "ghostkeepers lose their powers when they fall in love" curse. The question is: who will be the one to surrender all power?

Fast-paced and romantic, this conclusion to the Haunting Emma trilogy will thrill readers as it brings the ghostly mystery to a close.

My thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed the first 2 instalments of the Haunting Emma trilogy and so had high hopes for the final book, Surrender. Unfortunately, I was left feeling underwhelmed and a little dissatisfied.

The characters that I loved so much seemed to be missing their spark slightly, Emma wasn't as easy to relate to, her friends were less funny than I remember and the friendly ghosts weren't as present as I would've liked.I can't help but feel the introduction of so many parents muted the appeal of the book slightly. It's weird, because in a lot of YA books the absence of adults is unrealistic, but with this book the presence of them felt the same way.

I also grew tired of Bennett and Emma's relationship. It was so creepy and unfounded. It was definitely my least favourite part of the book and I found myself hoping something awful might happen to one of them, just to stop it. There was a lot of personal drama in this book, from all sides, which detracted from the main plot.

The ending was pretty inevitable, it couldn't have ended any other way which definitely added to my disappointment. Despite my moanings though, I did still enjoy this, just not as much as I enjoyed the previous two books in the series which I think lead to me looking upon it so unfavourably.

This is definitely a series worth reading, you connect so easily to the characters who are a diverse and well rounded bunch. The principle is really intriguing and well explored. It's just slightly let down by the final novel.

To read my glowing reviews of  Deception and Betrayal, go here and here

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Fracture by Megan Miranda
Release Date: 5th January 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Rating: 3/5


Goodreads description:


Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine 


—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? 


Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening? 


For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.


My thoughts:


Fracture started with a bang but sadly for me, it ended on a whimper. The story fizzled out to the point I wasn't really sure why I was still reading it. There was no real resolutions; it's almost as though Delaney shrugged off everything that made her and the book so interesting. 


Delaney is a fantastic YA heroine. She's real, she wasn't the 'perfect' girl we see a lot; mildly anti-social, overweight, riddled with quirks and habits she felt like someone I knew rather than someone I was reading about. Her crisis throughout the whole book was really interesting to be a part of and yet at the same time I felt it wasn't explored as fully as it could've been. It's almost as though the author wasn't sure which direction to take the book in--should it be contemporary, a thriller or paranormal and instead tried to work all three elements in with limited success, leaving none of the strands fully explored or explained. Delaney's mother was another character I liked, as fleshed out as her daughter--her reactions were as I would expect if the characters were real. 


It was the male characters that let the book down for me. They were awful cliches, almost as if the author didn't know how to write them. We had Decker, the boy next door, the best friend and love interest. Typical 'good guy' character. And Troy; damaged, emotionally scarred, unpredictable--the typical 'bad boy' and Delaney's father was so nothing-y I barely noticed he was there. 


As I mentioned, the plot started out well, with Delaney dealing with the extensive ramifications of her time under the ice and subsequent coma. Everything that happened after the mid-way point in the book was dead weight in my opinion. Her crisis seemed to right itself at the last minute, all her conflicts resolved and yet didn't and I was left feeling mildly dissatisfied. 


Despite that, it was an interesting read. The writing was fantastic and the main reason I actually finished the book. I enjoyed Delaney's thought processes laid out on the page, they were authentic and not too over-dramatic. The moral and emotional dilemmas added depth to the narration even though they were unsatisfactorily dealt with in the end.


If you're looking for something that bit different, this book's for you. It's unlike nothing I've ever read before and Delaney is a refreshing main character. As long as you don't mind a love story that feels like an afterthought, you'll enjoy this book. 

Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Released: 2nd September 2010
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Challenge: TBR 2012
Rating: 3.5/5


Goodreads Description:

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

My thoughts:

The concept was really intriguing, I liked how everyone under a certain age could see ghosts, and how they were now violet instead of normal coloured. The world-building was really effectively mixed in with the dialogue, ensuring there was no irritating info-dumps. I loved how ghosts could be called as witnesses, and were still bound by the law. All very clever.

Another thing I really liked was the feeling that this series will have a massive, conspiracy-theory-type twist in there somewhere, what with all the secret acronym'd governmental departments and mysteries. I love that sort of thing. I especially loved how it was sort of hinted at, leaving you wanting to read the rest of the series to find out what happens. One of my pet hates is when a book feels all wrapped up and then the author goes and writes a sequel anyway. So I was really glad Shade didn't fall into that trap.

I also loved how realistic the book felt. The dialogue never felt forced or un-adolescent to me, and the teenagers did actual things like have sex (or not have sex), drink, take drugs. I feel like too many YA books shy away from these things that ACTUAL TEENAGERS ACTUALLY DO. And pretending they don't in fiction isn't going to stop them, it's just gonna make your book less real.

Onto what I didn't especially like; the characters.  Logan was just an absolute idiot--I felt nothing for him beyond sheer annoyance, which I guess is how you're supposed to feel, but still, that annoyed me. Aura I could pretty much take or leave really, there was nothing exceptional about her. I really didn't like Zach either; I felt a bit like the author relied on him being Scottish to carry the hotness factor and didn't actually bother to create him a personality. Being British, I was unimpressed by the Scottish accent and therefore completely underwhelmed by Zach. I also didn't like how he treated Aura, I thought their whole situation was really unfair seeing as her boyfriend just DIED. What did he expect from her?

So the book kinda cancelled itself out for me, hence the middle score of 3. The extra .5 came from the realism of the whole underage drinking/sex thing. I really liked that that was included. 

Review (the Girl of) Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Published: 22nd September 2011
Publisher: Gollancz (UK)
Rating: 3/5


Goodreads description:


Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. 


Elisa is the chosen one. 


But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will. 


Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. 


And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. 


Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. 


Most of the chosen do. 


My thoughts:


First of all, I have to comment on the covers. I have to. I try not too, but on this occasion...well. What were you thinking guys?? Seriously, when you all had cover meetings for these books, HOW were these approved? The UK cover (above) makes it look like some bad movie about a desert trek and the US one makes me feel like I'm on an acid trip or something. Seriously...how did you all sign off on these? WHAT was the design brief??? /rant.


So, I was really torn over this book. I didn't really like Elisa, and whilst I did like the fact she was overweight, I'm not entirely sure that aspect was handled in a very good way. Especially her 'transformation' I dunno, I kinda felt it gave the wrong message? Having never been overweight I can't really judge, so I genuinely don't know what to think of this whole part of the book. 

The plot of this book was actually my favourite bit. I'm always a bit wary of books with religious elements but this one was completely unoffensive. I loved the journey in it, the mysteries and confusion, the battles, the different tribes, it was all really interesting to read. I liked that nothing came easily, everything was a fight, there were no 'easy' solutions and I really did not expect that ending! I also thought the world building was clever, there were definitely Moroccan and Spanish influences to this fantasy world which I really liked, it made it feel both more realistic and very exotic. 

What did let the book down for me was the characters. I didn't really like or care about any of them, so when something bad happened I was just like "meh". I thought some of what happened to the characters were really brave moves by the author, but at the same time I didn't much care about that, either.  It wasn't necessarily that they were two-dimensional, I think it was more because the story is told from Elisa's POV, who I didn't like, and therefore struggled to like anyone talked about by her...


I'm feeling very middle of the road about this book, so it's getting a middle of the road rating from me. I think if you're a lover of fantasy it's definitely something to add to the TBR, and I am glad I read it, it wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't a mind-blowing read either. 

Review: Blood Rights by Kristen Painter

Blood Rights (House of Comarre #1) by Kristen Painter
Published: 1st October 2011
Publisher: Orbit
Rating: 3.5/5


Goodreads description:


The lacy gold mapped her entire body. A finely-wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.

Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.


My thoughts:


I love the description. I love the cover. I had high hopes for this book. Sadly, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The worldbuilding was as fascinating as I imagined it would be, but led to alot of exposition that pulled me out of the story a bit. I didn't really see why it needed to be at all futuristic and dystopian as this does not feature at all, and it seemed like more of a set up for the later novels when the humans would eventually feature. I loved the mythology, it was so well developed, so rich and thought out that I do wish I could have enjoyed this book more than I did. Plotwise, it was an interesting mix of mystery and paranormal and whilst I felt the story drag at times, ultimately the plot was a good one. 


I really liked the writing style, it was creative and enjoyable but I wasn't at all a fan of the narration. I felt it switched POV's too often, sometimes in the middle of chapters which I found irritating. It's hard to really bond with a character when you're constantly being shoved out of their head and into someone elses. I'm all for mixed POV's, but less is definitely more in this case. Sometimes I feel it's used for lazy writing, to avoid having to find other ways to explain events/emotions and that bugs me. 


Characterisation was actually my biggest bugbear with this book. The characters were all well developed, with their own stories and voices, but the problem was none of them were really likeable. I didn't bond with or care much about any of the characters which meant I had no vested interest in their welfare or the outcome of the plot. I really like it when I can associate with a character, or at the very least care about them, and this just didn't happen here. I especially didn't like Tatiana at all, I couldn't even like her as a villain, she just sorta bugged me. Mal bugged me a bit too, I kept wanting to tell him to get over himself, and the hints at his past annoyed me. I hate those constant, mysterious references to traumatic pasts, they absolutely do my head in. Then, when his story was eventually revealed, I was just confused by it. That part of the novel wasn't at all well written for me. 


The main thing I did enjoy about this book was the relationship between Mal and Chrysabelle. It was realistic and tension-filled and left plenty of room for development. It wasn't toooo Edward-like, in terms of his reaction to her, and there was absolutely no insta-love which is always a plus.


Looking back, this review seems really negative, but I did enjoy reading this, just not an insane amount. It was an okay read; I don't regret it but I'm not clamouring for book two either.