White Space

by Ilsa J. Bick
2/5 stars
Egmont USA, 2014
550 pages
YA Horror Fantastical

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several Bick novels and appreciated how they were challenging unique titles that tackled topics not frequently seen in YA and didn't follow a cookie cutter mold. So while I knew to expect something out of the norm when picking up this latest release, I didn't really have any way to prepare myself for what was to come.

The book was very confusing in the beginning, purposefully so as we are introduced to a wide assortment of characters and their connections are not immediately obvious. As the book progresses, their narratives start to overlap and some things begin to make sense. Luckily the characters themselves explain a lot instead of just leaving it up the reader. If I had to piece together everything on my own, I would have understood far less. As it stands though, I spent much of the book confused and, because this is first in a series, I am still left puzzled by some aspects albeit with zero interest in continuing the series to find out more.

At this time in my life, it was a struggle to read this massive book with all of its meandering passages and seemingly unconnected plotlines. It did move faster as I got further in to the book but my attention span was not well suited for this story. Another hindrance for me was the extended horrific imagery. Some terrifying things happen in this book and Bick does not stint on the details. There is oozing and creatures of the dark and of the mind. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to sleep tonight but if not, I know what will be causing my nightmares!

Still I can point out some of its virtues. Generically it is very meta, looking at the nature of stories, writing, and characters. I can't provide any concrete examples for this because they might end up being spoilers so you will just have to trust me. Specifically it seemed to reference other works of literature, primarily HP Lovecraft, Charles Dickens, and Sylvia Plath. I am only familiar with Dickens so I'm not sure I got the full benefit of these allusions. In general the writing was more literary than my usual taste but that will be a good thing for some readers. And as I referenced above, it is quite unlike the YA I usually read and see around the blogosphere. These positives were not quite able to outweigh my early confusion and its horror genre but I can see there being a passionate audience for it.

Recommended: for the ambitious reader, well-versed in literature; the lover of horror stories; the patient reader who is in it for the long haul.

ARC Review: The Lure

by Lynne Ewing
2/5 stars
Balzer + Bray, 2014
288 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release February 11

Source: Received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Well. When I first saw this book, my immediate question was "Who (what) is the lure?" The synopsis answered immediately that it is a beautiful young woman who lures rival gang members so they can be taken down by those in her gang. This sounded horrifically brutal but also uniquely different so I decided to give it a try.

While it seems to be a look at gangs, the lure portion is actually very small in my opinion. Main character Blaise has long prided herself on being tough enough with her attitude and not needing to rely on physical appearance to make her way through the gritty streets. But maybe halfway through the book, after her brutal initiation into a gang (the other girls beat her for a minute), she accepts the offer and her date with destiny is set.

This book was so far out of my comfort zone, beyond anything I could imagine. I mean, is this real life for some people? It blows my mind. How did Ewing conceive of such a setting-has she a journalist background or did she grow up such surroundings? Furthermore Goodreads lists this as a "gritty, sexy novel"-I can easily see gritty but who thought sexy was an appropriate adjective? Brutal, disgusting, horrifying are far more apt in my mind.

Because I don't want to be completely negative, I can mention a positive of this book featuring characters very low on the socioeconomic scale. One of the criticisms I've read about YA is a tendency to focus on middle/upper-middle class white kids but that is not the case here. The characters depicted here are poor and caught up in endless cycles of violence, gang affiliation, and retaliation. No one seems able to break free and many don't even feel a longing to do so. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

Overall: I would not recommend this book to anyone I know-if, in general, we share taste in books, steer clear of this one!

ARC Review: Engines of the Broken World

Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee
2/5 stars
Henry Holt and Company, 2013
262 pages
YA Horror
Scheduled to release November 5

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not entirely sure why I decided to give this a read as I'm normally someone who assiduously avoids horror, being quite the scaredy cat. But I must have seen something intriguing to get it on my review calendar.

The book was very hard to get into and I found the plot a bit difficult to follow. Merciful and her brother Gospel Truth have just seen their mother die. As the world ends, they say goodbye to their two remaining neighbors, wrestle with the Minister, a preacher in animal form, and deal with the fact that their dead mother's body still seems to be moving around singing a haunting lullaby.

In fact the mother's body seems to be possessed by someone else and that is where my difficulty lies as I became confused about the rules of the possession. There also is a deadly fog and the disintegration and depopulation of earth so that only these four people are left alive (and not all of them even make it to the end.) So I would also classify this as a darker book, not just as in the horror genre but also for the themes it brings up and wrestles with. I think there were supposed to be some questions about faith and God especially in a Christian context but though I am Christian, I didn't really follow these conversations. I really did find the writing style confusing and distancing.

Well, what about the characters? They're okay-I don't see many unique personality traits to distinguish them among the sea of other characters I've read so don't go looking here for a character-driven narrative. I feel like this one is maybe a bit more philosophical, which may be another reason for my distaste.

Overall I respect what this book is doing and its very different writing style and subject matter; however it is very much not my kind of book and I did not enjoy reading it nor would I recommend it to people with similar reading taste.

Taste Test

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore
2/5 stars
Walker Childrens, 2013
334 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adore cooking shows despite not being much of a chef or gourmet eater. But as a reader, I also love reading about cooking so discovering that this book was about a competitive cooking game show (in my beloved YA category) had me very excited!

Right away I found myself drawn into Nora's world of cooking, eating up all the setup before she arrives at the competition. However once she's there, the takes a turn for the worse when Nora instantly finds herself disliking fellow competitor Christian. Now I'm not saying he gives the best first impression but her instant hate seemed extreme to me. Their relationship continues to be filled with childish bickering and put-downs as the competition heats up.

There have been times when I've really liked characters that other bloggers/readers find unlikable; those characters are difficult people often flailing in a world where they feel misunderstood. That is not the case here as I felt both characters were supposed to seen as charming and appealing by the reader, while I was increasingly turned off. I was especially exasperated by Nora's frequent use of "ho-bag" and such words to describe her roommate (who is certainly mean but does not warrant the other terms). Nora is just so judgmental and it really wore on me; Christian is really no better and since they take up the majority of the page space, the fact that I couldn't stand them substantially lowered my rating.

The other characters don't add much either. Sometimes a great secondary character can save the day but Gigi, Nora's friend and competitor, while cool, ultimately fails to do so for reasons that would be full of spoilers to spill. No other character gets enough page time to make up for Nora and Christian's sniping.

On the bright side, I love the bright colors of the cover and that recipes are included at the back. I'm not much of a cook but I do love looking at recipes (if only there were pictures!)

Overall: A solid start quickly deteriorates with extremely unlikable characters ruining an interesting premise.

Other Opinions:
Finding Bliss in Books
Princess Bookie
The Bookshelf Sophisticate

The Winter Prince

The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein
2/5 stars
Open Road Media Young Readers, 2013
Originally published 1993
292 pages
YA Historical

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After adoring Wein's Code Name Verity (my favorite 2012 release and still highly recommended), I was thrilled to see this older release from her. My excitement only grew after reading Liviania from In Bed With Books' enthusiastic review!

Unfortunately I ended up strongly disliking this book, I think largely because of my expectations. The Arthurian legends I am most familiar with are ones involving Merlin or are light like Disney's The Sword in the Stone. They are not dark with unfamiliar names, disorienting passages of time, and a confusing narration. With character names like Artos, Ginevra, and Medraut (I was expecting Arthur, Guinevere, and Mordred), I think this book harkens deep to tradition but it wasn't what I wanted. And the novel is written as a letter from Medraut to his godmother Morgause with frequent use of "you" that kept making me think he meant me even though that made no sense.

Most of the book is about Medraut's jealousy and anger of and toward his half-brother Lleu who is a legitimate son of Artos and heir to the throne. Medraut's hatred has been nursed by Morgause and leads him to take a dark path in regards to his relationship with Lleu. Though I can understand how Medraut would have those feelings, I didn't always follow why he took the actions he did and when I was able to follow, I often found them despicable. Basically every character is pretty awful and while I don't expect characters to be perfect, I want to be able to like at least one of the important ones and that didn't happen here.

Overall: I just could not connect with the writing or characters here; it was a slog to complete and I will definitely not be finishing this, instead preferring to focus on Rose Under Fire, which will hopefully completely enthrall me.

Other Opinions:
In Bed with Books
Susan Hated Literature
The Book Geek

Forevermore

Forevermore by Cindy Miles
2/5 stars
Point, 2013
279 pages
YA Paranormal Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Slightly spoilery*

Of all the kinds of paranormal stories out there, ghost and witches tend to be my favorites so when I realized that this was a new addition to the former category, I was pleased and requested it to read. As the time grew near to read and review this, I was also pleased to see its short length, hoping to read it quickly.

I was correct in that it read very fast...unfortunately it didn't really please the part of me that loves ghost stories (and yes, has a soft spot for human/ghost love stories). Overall I found it very bland with nothing speaking to me except for slight confusion over something that I'll discuss in a second that may be considered a spoiler.

The plot for this is that Ivy and her mother are moving to Scotland to live in a castle with Ivy's new stepfather and his grandmother. Upon arrival, the grandmother takes an instant dislike to Ivy and the girl's violin floats in mid-air. Other occurrences and talking with new friend Emma confirm for Ivy that there's a ghost, who graciously reveals himself to her as Logan Munro. But he's not the only ghost around as another malevolent spirit seems to be threatening Ivy's safety-can she solve this puzzle?

As I wrote above, I found this book pretty bland though it had many elements I like. For example, Ivy plays violin which spoke to my viola-playing heart. Scotland is the beautiful setting with many examples of Gaelic to enhance the authenticity. And there's the ghost. But all together, this book did nothing for me. It was easy enough to read and not too infuriating except for the part below.

Okay, this is the spoiler part. So what I found confusing is that after a storm the grandmother has an abrupt personality change and yet no one does anything for 30 years. Her grandson doesn't even seem to have noticed! I just thought that was rather a long period of time and I feel sad for how long she made people miserable with no one daring to say anything.

Overall: I have linked to some reviews below of people who enjoyed the book but for me, this was very unsatisfying.

Cover: Love the accuracy-Ivy is blond and has a pink streak! I didn't see the pink here at first because I was looking at a thumbnail on my nook but now that I look more closely, I am very impressed with how this captures the story.

Other Opinions:
Bookdictive Reviews
In Bed With Books
Just Another Rabid Reader
Small Review
The Book Monsters

ARC Review: September Girls

September Girls by Bennett Madison
2/5 stars
HarperTeen, 2013
256 pages
YA Contemporary Magical Realism
Scheduled to release May 21

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't really on my radar until I noticed that Maggie Stiefvater had praised it, which immediately got my attention and made me want to check this out. Then the negative reviews started pouring in and I got nervous. I felt like I owed the publisher and author a chance though so I picked the book up and tried to look for the "magical realism" aspects I had read about and find some redeeming features but I am going to have to go in the negative category for this book as well.

The publisher is HarperTeen, an imprint with which I have had much success, finding their offerings compulsively readable. This title is more literary than commercial in my opinion and to my dissatisfaction. I could barely get through its boring non-plot. Adding to my distaste is how it conforms to my reductive view of a lot of modern literary fiction: to wit, a white male is obsessed with his magical penis because that is weirdly at the heart of this story. Compounding the plot problems was the language, which is extremely profane.

I did find some parts of interest like the strands of the relationship between the main character's parents but it was so haphazardly woven in that it was easy to glide right past. There is a bit of a love story but it's unlikely to appeal to romantics-I find it spectacularly unengaging.

In conclusion, do not pick this book up expecting a fun summer beach read as it is nothing of the sort despite what the cover might suggest. I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone although I am sure there will be people who have the exact opposite taste of me and love it (to each her own!) Somehow I managed to finish reading this book, probably due to a doggedness that does not let me quit easily.

Other Opinions:
Novel Sounds-discussed the magical realism aspect
Finding Bliss in Books-excellent negative review (also links to other great pannings)
Blkosiner's Book Blog-managed to come up with some good things about the book

The Program

The Program by Suzanne Young
2/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
405 pages
YA Dystopia

Source: Received a copy through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

This title has been on my radar for a long time as an intriguing take on teenage suicide although I wondered how it would be drawn out and built up into a full-length novel. As I was reading, I told some people about how weird this reading experience was and I struggled to formulate my thoughts. I hope to do better in my review here with the caveat that there are some spoilers.

I think my first problem is the world. In this future world, there is an epidemic of teen suicide. The solution seems to be to put any teen who cries a lot or may be depressed into the program which strips them of their memories and emotions, leaving them alive but as empty shells. All of the adults think this program is the best thing ever: it keeps their children alive. I didn't believe that everyone would be so in favor of this program because the way the kids return renders them vastly different. What parent would be happy with that outcome? I don't see how they would think it was worth it.

The second problem was the overall point of this book. I expected exploration of depression and reasons for suicide. I never really felt like I got that and the ending seems to turn this book more into a rising up against the evil government kind of dystopia. It was a rapid change of pace to me and I didn't think that the previous pages had spent enough time setting us up for this kind of story. For the most part, it felt like a meandering contemporary romance.

As for that romance, well that's the third problem. The main character Sloane begins the book in a relationship with James. Both are sent to the program where their memories are stripped and their relationship is forgotten with Sloane starting up a new relationship with someone else. Yet those memories are not fully excised, setting Sloane up to fight to get those memories back through rebellion. I didn't feel the romance either way but the second guy is pretty sneaky and repulsive.

Overall: I found myself unable to connect with this book, kept back by banal characters and nonsensical plot turns.

Other Opinions-I seem to be in the minority for this one:
Blkosiner's Book Blog
Heise Reads & Recommends
Katie's Book Blog
Princess Bookie

ARC Review: The Book of Broken Hearts

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
2/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
357 pages
YA Contemporary Romance
Scheduled to release May 21

Source: Received an e-ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I must say that I adore this cover! Before I started this book, I was telling my coworker about it as my next read and I mentioned that I couldn't remember what the plot was supposed to be about; however the cover was beautiful. If you do bookish manicures, I think it would be really cute to have eight nails purple and then two orange.

Unfortunately that is probably the element about which I can be most positive as this book irked me in a similar way as Bittersweet did. My strongest memory of Bittersweet, after almost two months, is that main character Hudson pushed aside her friend ostensibly in pursuit of a larger goal but mostly because of some cute guys who ran hot and cold. Similarly in this book, Jude pushes aside her friends, justifying it to herself as wanting to spend more time with her father who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease but moreso because of the cute boy who has entered her life. I found Jude fairly insufferable due to this and as she is the narrator, that made reading this book difficult.

In a weird way though, I felt like the romance wasn't that front and center despite what the summary seemed to suggest with family taking up more space on the page but with nothing sinking into my consciousness and heart. I also found Jude a bit naive. She has just graduated high school and is all set for a great summer before heading off to college. But her father's loss of facilities (diagnosed by the doctors) dominates her thoughts instead and for some reason, she seems to think she can reverse it if she can just restore his old motorcycle (with the aid of Emilio Vargas, youngest brother of the boy who broke the heart of one of Jude's sisters). I understand not wanting to accept the negative prognosis from a doctor but I thought Jude just seemed really stupid not to recognize what was happening. Her dad was not going to magically get better because of this ill-conceived plan. I think that added to my frustration along with how Jude pushed aside her friends while grabbing every opportunity to hang out with this new boy.

As I continue to think about this book, I recollect that it is not only the cover I liked. I loved the cultural heritage of the characters. Jude's family is of Argentine descent and Emilio's is from Puerto Rico with food, music, and language references to these heritages. I don't know how much that added to the story but it was a unique element.

Overall: This contemporary did not wow me at all-it felt pretty familiar although the diversity of the characters is new and appreciated.

Other Opinions:
Angieville
Anna Reads
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
Rather Be Reading

Sinners and the Sea

Sinners and the Sea by Rebecca Kanner
2/5 stars
Howard Books, 2013
303 pages
Adult Historical Bible-Inspired

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy retellings of biblical stories but have never read one about Noah or his wife so that is what grabbed my attention in this instance. Then I saw comparisons to Anita Diamant's The Red Tent, a book I read but did not review two years ago. I hated that book so it did not get me started auspiciously.

But I tried to be optimistic. However I almost put the book aside when the main character is almost raped in the first chapter. Luckily the next chapters revealed a surprisingly tender father/daughter relationship that made me a little teary until the daughter is given in marriage to Noah. They journey to Sorum where he preaches to the sinners around the area to repent. As the pair have three children who grow to manhood, Noah struggles to build an ark to bring the family to safety while the rest of the world is flooded.

I feel like the comparison to Anita Diamant is apt because I had a similar reaction to this book, i.e. not positive. I liked the beginning (before she marries Noah) and the very ending (after the flood, when they're back on land) but the bulk of the book was just awful for me. I didn't care about the characters, I hated the portrayal of religion (I was under the impression that this was a Christian inspirational novel-it is not), and this was just so dark. I think that if it had been a Christian novel, I would have ended feeling inspired and more loving toward humanity but instead I felt more separate and dejected about the state of the world.

Overall: I cannot recommend this book to people who share my reading taste nor to Christians. It might be good for people who like dark historical fiction (be warned there is a lot of fighting and sexual immorality).

Small Damages

Small Damages by Beth Kephart
2/5 stars
Philomel Books, 2012
288 pages
YA Historical Realistic

Source: Library

After having some mixed experiences with Kephart's previous works, I had decided to swear her off, sensing that we just did not click. But then in the year end wrap-ups, I saw some of my favorite bloggers praising her latest (see below for links) so I gave in and picked this up at the library. As you can see from my rating, I ought to have abstained.

After her father's death, Kenzie discovers she is pregnant by her Yale-bound boyfriend (realized that my opening may have made this sound like an incest book, which it's not) and she insists on giving birth to the baby. So her mother arranges for an adoption and for Kenzie to reluctantly spend the summer in Spain where the adoptive parents reside. There she meets people and discovers things.

While I can see the beauty in Kephart's writing, I just found the entire experience of reading this so dull and unengaging. I felt dropped into the story without necessary contexts; I spent most of the story thinking it was set in 2012 (it's not; it's 1995-why 1995? I don't know); I think there might have been a new romance blossoming for Kenzie with a boy in Spain but I'm not sure; I'm not entirely sure when and how she got pregnant beyond knowing in my head the mechanics of human reproduction. Was it a reaction to the death of her beloved father? I didn't get a good feeling for their connection (and that's bringing all the feelings about my dad into this story-I know I would have been devastated so why can't I imagine Kenzie as devastated? She didn't feel real to me.) There were some very emotional moments for the characters in the book but I just felt nothing beyond boredom and wondering if I could still count this as a book read if I skimmed to the end (I decided that it does.)

Suffice it to say that I can recognize the skill in the writing here but it all left me cold. I wanted to feel something, I should have felt something considering the themes touched on and yet nothing.

Other Opinions-all positive so you can get another perspective on this book's merits:
Forever Young Adult
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
My Friend Amy

In Honor

In Honor by Jessi Kirby
2/5 stars
Simon & Schuster BFYR
235 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Borrowed a copy from the library

I didn't love Kirby's debut Moonglass but thought it showed a lot of promise so I was interested to pick up her second book especially knowing that it was related to the military. I've had a deep thirst for such books and I was excited for that one.

This book opens with Honor mourning the loss of her beloved older brother Finn who died in Iraq. Soon after learning of his death, she receives his last letter with tickets to a concert (a Taylor Swift-esque singer) and the instructions to go see it. So she blows off her orientation week at college and sets off, picking up Finn's estranged best friend Rusty and making a journey from Texas to California with many mishaps on the way to moving through her grief process.

Soon into the road trip, I was reminded very strongly reminded about why I don't often like road trip books. Honor sets off with barely a plan, unsure of even how to get where she wants to go (are there no maps in Texas? Don't most teenagers have smart phones with GPS functionality? Sidenote: I love the GPS on my Droid-so helpful! I do know that not everyone has such a phone but she could have at least consulted Mapquest or something before setting off.) Soon after she talks about how they only have four days to get to their destination. Yet on their first night they pull over and accept alcoholic beverages (Honor's reasoning is because the girl who drinks is cooler than the girl who passes-um, what? Not comfortable with that message!)

I know I'm more of a planner (and always have been) as well as good at assuming responsibility but it was just baffling me that in the first twenty-percent of the book, she was already so derailed from her plan. If I was traveling with someone else on a frantic road-trip, we would alternate driving and get it done.  Now I realize that my plot would make for a much shorter book but it would also be more sensible.

A character element to mention is Rusty, who other reviewers have compared to Tim Riggins from the amazing TV show "Friday Night Lights." Many have swooned for him but he is definitely my least favorite guy (I mean, I would rather have Billy than Tim is how little I care for Tim). I know that many readers will fall for his bad boy act but I very rarely swoon for the bad boy and this was no exception.

Overall: Definitely not a book for me but if you like road trip books and/or have a thing for the bad boy, this might be more your read.

Cover: Super accurate-it is mentioned that Honor wears a dress with red boots and drives a black Impala (I assume that the car is an Impala but I don't know anything about cars so that could be false).

 

This Scarlet Cord

This Scarlet Cord by Joan Wolf
2/5 stars
Thomas Nelson, 2012
303 pages
Inspirational Historical Romance

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After enjoying Wolf's retelling of the story of Esther in A Reluctant Queen, I eagerly anticipated her next book especially as I've read some other retellings of Rahab and enjoyed them. I really do love reading about the women who are listed in the genealogy of Jesus.

BUT. I really struggled with the first part, which is titled "First Meeting" and introduces Rahab and Sala (Salmon being a name that has unfortunate connotations for most modern readers as Wolf explains) as young people. I was not sure why this was included as it is never shown that the two had met before their story is told in Joshua and it seemed like a weird padding to the story. I also found it very slow-going, which meant it took me longer than usual to finish this book.

However despite my misgivings, I decided to plunge ahead only to dislike more and more. Now obviously there are going to be changes when taking a short story and expanding it to novel-length, adding elements to appeal to a contemporary audience. But I didn't like that Rahab and Sala already knew each other from childhood and basically had insta-love; I also didn't like that Rahab was not a prostitution but merely considered one due to her culture by the Hebrews. The other ding against this novel is how much I loved Pearl in the Sand, a different retelling of the story of Rahab. Because of the strong impression it left on me, I constantly compared this book and whenever something was different, thought it was "wrong."

I don't want to sound completely negative because there were some things I liked. First was the political maneuvering of Jericho's royal family and the presentation of their belief in Baal, deeply entwined. I found this fascinating to learn about. Second was that I really liked Rahab's sister-in-law whose longing for a child and pain over her barrenness sends her into the arms of Yahweh.

Overall: Shaky beginning and my mental comparison to a different retelling left me decidedly not in love with this book.

Park Lane

Park Lane by Frances Osborne
2/5 stars
Vintage Books, 2012
320 pages
Historical Fiction

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited about this book since the publisher blurb compared it to Downton Abbey, a beloved TV series for me. However that excitement was dampened when I glanced at the goodreads reviews beforehand and saw that they were decidedly negative.

First this book was very difficult to get into. It begins in 1914 and goes to 1923 for an epilogue, alternating between Grace, a maid, and Bea, the young lady of the house. Grace is just settling in to her new position and the writing style, instead of smooth and inviting, was ragged and rough. There were a lot of passages where I was kind of confused about what was happening or what the relationship between the characters was. I don't want everything to be spelled out for me but I would have appreciated more smoothness and clarity.

Second it presumes a certain level of familiarity with British history with the battle for women's suffrage playing a huge role in the early chapters. One of the main characters Bea has a mother and an aunt (her father's sister) on opposing sides of the battle. But not because one opposes giving women the vote. In fact, both are in favor but the aunt prefers more radical actions while the mother is more conservative, trying to patiently push it through her Parliament connections. This was *so* confusingly presented and not explained until the Historical Note at the end.

And third this book was overall very depressing. Grace is in service as her dreams of being a secretary were dashed and lowered her earning potential. Then Bea was jilted by her love and seems on the brink of spinsterhood. Add in more ruined relationships and the tragedy of WWI and this is just not a happy book. I can handle sad books of course but I guess I was hoping for more of the happiness that balances out Downton Abbey. It is not present here and quite frankly I only finished this book through pure doggedness.

Cover: I find the cover misleading-if the insides were as cool as the cover, this book would have been more my taste.

A Beautiful Dark

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davis
HarperTeen, 2011
225 pages
YA; Paranormal; Angels
2/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the cover of this was very striking and the premise had promise. And the beginning was good. Skye had great camaraderie with her three best friends even as they ignored her wishes to throw her a surprise birthday party. It was fun. But then...

Then two guys show up; two polar opposites who each appeal to certain parts of Skye although the bad boy playboy flirt/jerk speaks to insides just a bit more. And that's where the book lost me. As soon as she meets Asher (the jerk) and Devin (marginally better), the good things about her mostly disappear. She can no longer concentrate on anything, she's irrationally jealous of other girls, and she deserts her closest friends even as they need her.  I mean, I feel a little bad for her because she was orphaned and she seems to have a dark destiny coming for her. But does that mean she has to suck in the meantime?

Additionally while the pull of her toward each guy is strong, she seems to like the aforementioned playboy/jerk more which is just unfathomable to me. Yeah there are other reasons to prefer Asher to Devin (that Devin seems to be promised to another woman) but why did she like either beyond the fact that there is a mysterious connection?

I was also really uncomfortable with the mythology which is that the two sides attempted to secure Skye for their side by appealing to her lust. They each sent someone to take on the appearance of a hot young guy who it seems was supposed to get Skye to fall in love with him and thereby secure her potentially majestic powers for their vision of the world. They are relying on her teenage hormones, rather than her brain to win her loyalty!

Overall: Promise of the first chapters is squandered on yet another YA paranormal love triangle, which soon overtakes the interesting elements of friendship and mythology.

Prada and Prejudice

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
Razorbill, 2009
328 pages
YA; Time-Travel
2/5 stars

Source: Library

I was really excited about this book but in the end I felt way too old for the characters and misled by the title. Main character Callie is young, self-conscious, and has been made an outcast by the popular crowd. Now I think you're supposed to feel sorry for Callie because she only has one friend. But maybe she only has one friend because she gossips about people behind their backs-I certainly wouldn't want to be her friend! Then she decides to buy an expensive pair of Prada shoes in order to get in good with the in-crowd while on a school trip to London.

Then seconds after walking out the store in the shoes, she trips and wakes up in a forest. Turns out she has traveled back to 1815...into a world of lords and ladies, servants, and corsets.  Now I'm willing to accept the time travel but there were so many other things that I felt Callie ought to have known. For example, dukes are referred to as "Your Grace." Has she not seen Cinderella? Or read any historical fiction? She doesn't understand any etiquette (of course this is a girl who gossips behind people's back so...) and she makes so many gaffes that had me banging my head against the wall. Now admittedly I am a long-time reader of Regency romance and historical fiction, which has certainly helped with my understanding of behavior and decorum for the times. But Callie seemed to have no understanding of how things change over time and the fact that she may have to moderate her behavior.

Did I applaud her stands for woman's equality? Yes. Did I love the scientific facts she dropped on the unsuspecting crowd? Yes. Did I like how she unconditionally supported her newfound friend? Yes. But I kept thinking she was a moron and needless to say that really detracted from the story.

One other annoyance was the title which hints at a much stronger resemblance to Pride and Prejudice than I received. The setting is similar although I think Austen's work is supposed to be set a little earlier. Another similarity is her meeting with an incredibly arrogant guy who it turns out is very upstanding and honorable, a la Darcy.  Her first impression of him was wrong.  But while I liked this guy Alex, Callie is no Lizzie.  Happily she has some character growth but I don't think she had enough sense smacked into her by her time travel.

Overall: May be a better fit for a middle-grade reader as this is very clean and there are some wacky hijinks.

Be the People

Be the People by Carol M. Swain
Thomas Nelson, 2011
230 pages
Non-fiction
2/5 stars

Source: Received a free copy from Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit skeptical about this book which seemed very conservative in comparison to my more moderate politics.  In general, it seemed VERY right-wing with little moderation and little subtlety.

My skepticism especially increased when Swain talked about leaders who manipulate the truth and criticize those who are not elites. She followed that by holding up Sarah Palin as someone who is not a cultural elite (I agree) and it seemed to me that she is implying that Palin stands for objective truth and just truth in general. This is laughable to me when Sarah Palin is the progenitor of the idea of "death panels," Politifact's Lie of the Year for 2009.

Additionally studies and polls that announced an outcome that differed from Swain's views were subjected to skepticism and accused of bias while those that agreed with Swain were held up as trustworthy. If the former are susceptible to bias and falsities, then why wouldn't the others?  Some of her comments by Obama similarly made me sniff. She presents a poll that stated that about 18% of Americans believed Obama was a Muslim; that doesn't make it true and speaks more to other people's ignorance than anything else, in my opinion. Other rumors are given space and treated as if there is a grain of truth.

I did appreciate the chapter on illegal immigration; not that I agreed with everything presented in it but that it is an issue which I know little about and I do want to learn more. And I think it's great that she included the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution; I own pocket versions of those but many other people seem unfamiliar with them despite claiming status as an American Christian.

Overall: Rather well-written if extremely ideologically biased.

Possession

Possession by Elana Johnson
Simon Pulse, 2011
404 pages
YA; Dystopian
2/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

I knew this was dystopian but I didn't know what the parameters of the society were.  Even now, I'm not entirely sure.  I will attempt to explain what I undestand but that won't take too long-SPOILERS?

Violet is "matched" with Zenn but ends up in jail with bad-boy Jag (not a fan of the names for the boys) and spends much of the book alternately questioning who she is interested in.  Zenn's her best friend and they were supposed to get married but Jag apparently attracts her.  He attracts her because he is "bad" and she has always been called "bad."

Together they seem to have various powers that involve mental manipulation.  The most annoying part was Jag repeatedly promising not to use his power of voice manipulation and saying that Vi can trust him and then turning around and betraying her.  I did not count how many times that happened but it was enough for me to want to yell at the book.  There is also some relationship that connects the three but I'm not entirely sure I understood it.

The other problem was I didn't understand the dystopian society.  I think the "Thinkers" brainwash the citizens but I don't know how society degenerated to that point, I don't understand how the current leadership works (over what parts do they have jurisdiction; how is their hierarchy structured?), what powers are possessed by people, etc.

The part I did like was the ending, which completely shocked me.  I kept reading, not expecting much but that blew me away and actually left me NOT desiring a sequel unless said sequel would explain the world more clearly to me.

Overall: Very confusing

Read for YA Debut Author's Challenge and E-book challenge.

Promise

Promise by Kristie Cook
Smashwords, 2010
264 pages
YA; Contemporary; Paranormal
Read for Ebook challenge
2/5 stars

Source: Free ebook

Summary from goodreads: "Alexis Ames decides to learn who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their secrets closely. After meeting Tristan Knight and discovering that he s not normal either, the secrets begin to unravel. Their union brings promise to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy. Because they are a match made in Heaven and in Hell."

I think the simplest way to sum this book up would be that it is very like Twilight which, coming from me, is not a compliment.  If you like Twilight, you would probably like this book.

However I thought there were too many points that reminded me negatively of Twilight:

• Multiple descriptions of the incredible attractiveness of the guy and the comparative plainness of the girl
• Guy far older than girl; he looks between 19 and 24 despite being born in the 1700s
• Girl's attainment of powers will render her very powerful but until then, she's pretty vulnerable
• Girl unaware of most of the mythology and thus reader is also unaware
• Long lead-up to the action-filled parts
• Youthful marriage and strenuous honeymoon 
• Repetition of certain words, in particular "promise"

I started off intrigued but once she meet Tristan, I thought the book went way downhill quickly.  I think these kinds of books are not to my taste; I prefer straightforward contemporaries without the paranormal aspect in general.

Cover: I like the purple of the flower but not the cover as a whole.

Brilliant

Brilliant by Rachel Vail
HarperTeen, 2010
249 pages
YA; Contemporary
2/5 stars
3rd in Trilogy

See review of Gorgeous from early days of the blog.

Source: Library

Summary: The conclusion to the Avery sisters trilogy, focusing on eldest sister Quinn and her learning to let go and accept their new life.

Thoughts: I enjoyed the first two books of this series so I was thrilled to pick this up, especially because I love the cover.  I want those shoes even though I don't think I own a dress to go with them.

The first problem was that I couldn't really remember either of the first two books but I figured that was okay because they can be read as stand-alone books. The next problem was that I found Quinn to be so immature despite being the eldest of the daughters.  She's so invested in being "perfect" and "brilliant" that when she realizes that doing that is impossible, she breaks down and annoyed me to no end.

Second was her crush on Oliver, her piano teacher who was apparently nineteen despite having taken a year off before his junior of college.  I think that was made as well as her being a junior despite being almost 17 (about a month) so that it was less creepy.  Instead I found it inaccurate and unlikely-most of my classmates were definitely 16 for the majority of their junior year of high school and twenty for their junior year of college.  Their age difference, while not that big if they were 24 and 26, is a big deal for people who are still trying to find themselves.

 I really wanted more information about what her mother did at her job that caused them to lose so much but I didn't feel like there was much time spent on that because I had to read Quinn be whiny and annoying.  I also didn't like the descriptions of the sisters because I'm sure that I loved them when I read their respective books.  To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I bothered finishing the book because it was not good.  The first two were but this was a crappy conclusion.

Overall: Disappointed.

Cover: I love this cover; the shoes are gorgeous and the colors work so well together.  In fact all of the covers are absolutely beautiful.