Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss
Simon Pulse 2012
401 pages
YA; Contemporary; Faith
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

When I originally read the official summary for this book, it looked like a cute contemporary romance from the point of view of the boy rather than the girl, the perspective I usually read. But after skimming more reviews, I saw that it was more about boy meets religion; while some reviewers felt misled (understandable), it only made me more excited about reading it. Most of the novels I read that involve faith are from a Christian writer and publisher so I thought this would be an interesting change.

And in that regard I was right. The parts with main character Phillip investigating religion (as prompted by the "unconventionally hot" Rebekah) had some parts that resonated so strongly with my experiences from when I first began my exploration of Christianity and eventual acceptance of Jesus. His feeling of bewilderment at church services, general unease and confusion, and awkwardness with people in his life who are not Christians-these were all experiences that rang true with me and helped me immerse myself in the story.

Of course he also had a lively sense of humor and that combined with Klauss' engaging writing style kept the book moving. I flew through this over the course of a lovely evening, enjoying being kept a little off-kilter and not entirely able to predict what would happen next.

Saying that I had some problems with the book as Phillip is a bit of a sad sack with little motivation; I was able to feel a little bit for him but I didn't fully identify (also possibly because he is male). There were also some extremely painful parts as Phillip has awkward social skills and has basically no idea how to handle a romantic relationship; there were also parts with his friends, with his family, with other adults that made me cringe. He pushed and pushed at Rebekah and it was so wrong of him and yet so understandable.

Warning: Language and underage drinking (something I did not like)

Overall: Mostly enjoyable mix of pleasure and awkwardness over the course of a teenage boy's encounter with Christianity and his first relationship.

Legacy

Legacy by Molly Cochran
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
418 pages
YA; Paranormal
3/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab program in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I thought this book was messy. Half-formed characters and concepts thrown together with abrupt changes and insufficient background beyond knowledge of YA cliches. Main character arrives at a boarding school that seems to encourage special talents, which she may or may not possess. She is not at all taken aback to discover that she does in fact possess them and is soon wielding power as if she's always known she's a witch. Katy is remarkably blase about the whole witchcraft angle, spending most of her angst on her father, his new girlfriend, and her mother's death years prior.  While I understand those feelings, I do think more time could have been spent acclimating her to being a witch instead of it appearing so suddenly.

Then there's the male love interest who is super popular and immediately reviles her upon first sight, leading to her ostracization by her schoolmates. Then he quickly reverses his position and fights their being together despite their mutual attraction. It was A. so cliche and I didn't feel like he was interesting enough to overcome that and B. only understandable due to the many other YA books with this trope.  Most of the books I've read don't have that many random personality changes.

There are a lot of other aspects packed in to this book too: the history of their version of magic and treatment of witches, within their community and from outsiders; single father-only daughter dynamics; the intrusion of a new girlfriend for the daughter; the pain of losing one's mother so young; what a person will do for family; fighting against chaos. But the book jumped around and pulled me this way and that without capturing my attention or giving me any reason to suspend disbelief.

Her father especially frustrated me as he is painted as just awful, under the sway of his new girlfriend and ignorant of anything about Katy. And it's not just Katy rebelling against parental interference; I really thought he was a bad dad. Then he seems to have a personality transplant and becomes more of a decent person. Again these huge shifts in personality and motivation are standard for the text and created a disorienting effect.

Overall: Poor writing and an abundance of YA cliches led to confusion about characterization and a general indifference to the story. It's not a bad book but it could have used some editing to tighten up the story and a bit more insight into the characters.

Death Watch

Death Watch by Ari Berk
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2011
523 pages
YA; Fantasy
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

I've really struggled with writing this review as I'm not entirely sure the best way to convey my thoughts. I'm also not sure how much you'll want to know going in. I knew very little when I picked up this book, which left me to marinate an atmospheric read. While somewhat dark, dealing as it does with death, there were moments of lightness that really sustained me through the slog.

I guess we'll start with the bad, which is not a long list. For me, this book just felt a little too long. There are many descriptive passages and nothing much seems to happen in about the first two hundred (my estimate) pages except for introducing characters and the various plot threads. But then they do start to come together and more of the world makes sense. I was in for the long haul; I just wish it hadn't been so long. Onward to the good!

The setting of this book is kind of hard to describe as it seems contemporary in many ways but there are also elements of myth, fantasy, and historical. It could almost be said to be set in a version of our world and yet not quite. The main difference is the relation to death. Although people die in that town, the dead aren't necessarily like our dead. Some who have died decide that they still have other things to do. Some don't leave peacefully and need help. Others just need the proper respect and tribute before they leave for all time. That's where Silas Umber's father comes in.

Through his long absences from home, Silas believed that his father was simply an undertaker. After his father's presumed death though, he discovers a great many secrets contained in his parents' hometown and even in his ancestral home where his uncle brings Silas and his mother to live. But Silas rebels against living under his uncle's thumb and begins to explore his father's legacy including the mysterious Death Watch, a watch that allows the owner to see the dead (this explains the title, which I had originally assumed related merely to keeping a watch over the dead).

While in general I didn't feel much for Silas, I did like the supporting characters, especially Silas' great-great-great grandfather, whether they were interested in helping, encouraging, or thwarting Silas in his mission to discover his father's whereabouts

Overall: I thought it was a little slow and given the length of the book, I felt every page of that slowness but there were some interesting descriptive passages and the book did pick up toward the end. I just wish some of the earlier passages could have been excised so that the action could have started sooner. Once you're immersed in the book, the magic really comes alive and the world-building is truly fantastic.

The Pledge

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011
321 pages
YA; Dystopia
3/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

After seeing the buzz in the blogosphere and having enjoyed Derting's The Body Finder, I was thrilled to see this in the GalleyGrab newsletter and promptly downloaded it for my NookColor.

What I found was a fast-paced novel that found me frantically flipping through pages, dying to know what was coming next, trying to piece together the crumbs dropped by Derting about this unique fantastical dystopia. And yet the characters didn't burrow under my skin and capture my attention and affection as Katniss and crew did in the Hunger Games trilogy for example.

Charlie lives in a class-divided society, where everyone is divided by language. The upper-crust have their own distinct language, which only they can know and use. And yet Charlie, despite being in the low merchant class, can understand every language she hears. She must keep this secret for it might prove deadly if anyone learns of it. One night her best friend Brooklynn drags her to a club where she meets the mysterious Max and Xander, in separate encounters, and she overhears a language she has never heard before.

This leads to secrets uncovered, violence erupting, and rebellion ongoing in plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat (although I did guess correctly at a few!) The action was pretty intense as Charlie must become more of a leader and learns shocking family secrets. And the ending is mostly great with an intriguing tease at what will come in book 2.

But the characters! I felt no connection with Charlie; she was just there. Her love interest is Max and I really disliked him, although on the surface there's nothing too bad about him. I would have to say that I enjoyed Brooklyn and Xander more; her for her lighthearted frivolity and Xander for his serious leadership and dedication.

The villain is the Queen, who rules over this country and who is grasping onto her life and power with every ounce of strength in addition to possessing tremendous magical powers that make facing her difficult. I actually found her more interesting than Charlie; what strength of will she had! And her sly plotting and knowledge! The little tidbits we received of her what were really grabbed my attention.

Overall: Read this for suspense and story, not for character development as the former is where its strengths lie.

Virtuosity

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Simon Pulse, 2011
288 pages
YA; Contemporary
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

I was really excited about this because I play viola but haven't read many books where characters play instruments, let alone ones where that is the focus. Carmen is the main character here and she's a brilliant violinist who is preparing for the most important competition of her life so far. If she wins, she'll get to borrow a gorgeous violin, earn significant prize money, and perform around the world. But to win, she'll have to power through her stage fright, her reliance on pills, her stage mother, and face down the competition in the form of hot Jeremy.

I really liked parts of this book. Carmen's performance anxiety was wonderfully described as were her performances. When the music clicked and flowed through her, I felt so happy for her and elated for the audience that got to listen to her.  I also loved her struggle with taking pills for stage fright-both whether it was morally right and then through her decision to stop taking them, although I think she should have struggled more as she was dangerously dependent on them.

But my very favorite part was Carmen's conflict with her mother, a soprano whose voice was destroyed and now has all of her hopes and dreams pinned on Carmen's success-what pressure! Her mother micromanages everything about Carmen, going so far as to commit an unthinkable act that is the final push for Carmen to uproot her entire life.  As a former teenage girl, I know that the relationship with your mom during that time with can be difficult; but their relationship had even more difficulties than most. There were some painful scenes as Carmen rebels and tries to think for herself while her mother becomes ever more controlling.

There was something that blindsided me though. Based on my skimming in the blogosphere, I thought it was mostly about Carmen's interaction with violin and performance but there is actually a significant component involving a romance with a male competitor. This can be seen from the actual synopsis which I didn't read. The synopsis asks: "But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?" And as someone who has read this book, I say that Jeremy is not better. I didn't think much of him and his character for the most part is not good for Carmen. I thought he was scummy and her innocence allowed her to fall for him. A more experienced girl would have past him by and not wasted any time with him.

Overall: Some unique subject matter for YA with decent writing in this debut marred by a lame love interest who comes to dominate the pages.

Past Perfect

Past Perfect by Leila Sales
Simon Pulse, 2011
303 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

I largely enjoyed Sales' debut novel Mostly Good Girls for its focus on female friendships, so important to me and others during our teen years and yet something that is often overshadowed by the romantic elements in YA novels. And again I thought that was an area of strength in this book as well as the history elements and analysis and the humor.

I mean this book was hilarious! In just the first two chapters, I laughed out loud so many times and the humor continued throughout. Admittedly not everything was hilarious as main character Chelsea makes fun of people who care about historical accuracy-they are not losers. They are heroes fighting a never-ending battle against oversimplification and misunderstandings of our history! Moving on though, the plot is that Chelsea is a re-enactor at a Colonial Times site across the street from a Civil War site. There is an ongoing battle against them waged by the teenagers who work at each site. Additionally Chelsea's ex-boyfriend who she kind of wishes was still her boyfriend is around.

Then there was the friendship with Chelsea boring her friend with incessant reminisces about her ex-boyfriend, hiding things from her, and generally sucking. Happily Fiona is the bigger person and forgives Chelsea for her sucking. They manage to have some good times, whether plotting against their rivals at the Civil War site, test-tasting ice cream, or just laughing together and being silly.

The big weakness for me was one aspect of Chelsea's character and then the budding romance. Chelsea was so into Ezra that she was willing to overlook his flaws (which he most definitely has) and moped almost all the time that they were broken up. She tried to keep getting his attention and this drove me crazy. I just wanted her to get over it. However the new romance didn't really thrill me either. I loved that the guy worked at the Civil War park (btw, Colonial Times > Civil War; yes they had Lincoln but founding America and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness come out on top) but I didn't think much of him. So I guess the other parts were stronger for me than the romance.

Overall: A really funny look with some surprisingly deep thoughts on history and memory-on a macro and micro level.

Goliath

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
2011
543 pages
YA; Historical; Steampunk
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

Although I loved the previous books Leviathan and Behemoth, I was disappointed in this book as will be discussed later in the spoiler section because it's potentially a big spoiler. The things I did like were continued incorporation of real-life events but with a twist. The inventor Nikolai Tesla plays a big role in this book as do movie pictures, the Mexican Revolution, and American neutrality during this alternate history steampunk version of WWI. The stakes are getting higher for our intrepid heroes Alek and Dylan (really Deryn) Sharp.

They are still on the Leviathan but are attempting to prepare for their imminent farewells as Deryn continues in service to the British Army while Alek pursues the Austrian-Hungary throne and attempts to end the war.  There are many exciting adventures in and around the Leviathan as they travel from Istanbul to New York City with stops in Russia, Japan, California, and Mexico.  There are only a few new characters but some of those introduced in Behemoth resurface. Additionally many secrets are uncovered and Alek and Deryn's friendship is strained by some of those secrets.

Again for me the lovely illustrations were a highlight, helping me visualize the distinctive world created by Westerfeld.  As someone not interested in the action scenes, I did feel like there were a few too many featuring Deryn doing something daring aboard the Leviathan. But I just skimmed those and got on with the story. Unfortunately it was harder to skip the part I didn't like as it increasingly took up page space-see the spoiler below.

SPOILER:
I was so sad that Alek and Deryn fell for each other! I was really excited about a book where a guy and a girl were just really good friends without the romantic interest.  Additionally I guess I'm kind of a snob because I wanted Alek to marry a princess. Not that she'd necessarily understand him like Deryn does but I was so happy about a YA novel with opposite-sex best friends who weren't romantically involved that it crushed my spirits a bit to see that not-at-all-desired ending occur.
END SPOILER

Overall: Although I was not very pleased with the ending, I mostly enjoyed the ride and heartily recommend at least the first book to readers of YA, even if they don't read much historical.

Witchlanders

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011
400 pages
YA; Fantasy
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-galley through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

I've really been wanting to read more fantasy so I thought a melding of YA and fantasy could be really interesting. I usually have trouble with fantasy because of the weird names and the slow beginnings, both of which were present in Witchlanders. However I kept going, buoyed by the generally positive reviews I was seeing.

And I'm glad I did because I did grow to care about the story even if the characters didn't grab me as much as I would have liked. I was originally caught off-guard by the fact that this is told in alternating third-person POV focusing on two males-how rare is that in YA!  The first boy is Ryder, a Witchlander who despairs of his mother's addiction and her persistent belief that she can foretell the future. All he wants to do is harvest their crop before winter comes and thereby feed his family. However something entirely different happens when a mysterious stranger's coming is foretold.

That stranger is Falpian, from the border state of Baen, the great rivals of the Witchlanders. The two lands have already suffered a devastating war and signs point to another one brewing. He is secluded, mourning for his twin brother and the fact that hoped-for magic never manifested in him.  But the two boys do meet and discover a special bond between them, that they may need to exercise in order to save their lands.

Although Ryder is introduced first, I ended up feeling more for Falpian, a sensitive boy who never seemed able to live up to his father's expectations.  But I'm so accustomed to first-person that the third-person was a little bit hard for me and I felt at a distance from all of the characters. My favorite parts were when they were exploring their connection and figuring out how it works.  I also loved the history aspects as they discover some shocking secrets about the Witchlands and the Baens. Interestingly there isn't really any romance in this book; instead there is a lot of emphasis on family, magic, action, history, religion, and destiny.  At the moment, there doesn't seem to be a sequel but room is left open. Hopefully we will get to learn more about the other land.

Read for YA Debut Author Challenge and Ebook.

Fury

Fury by Elizabeth Miles
Simon Pulse, 2011
330 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-galley through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

This book brought up a lot of different emotions for me. At first, I was wondering where it was going to take me and yet I wasn't bored but instead I remained content to wait and see where Miles was heading.  I sped through this book in a matter of hours, frantically turning pages and ignoring my family in order to get more pages read.

Second I am uncomfortable with the basic concept of the furies, as described in Greek mythology. They are a trio who wreak vengeance, giving you exactly what they think you deserve; in this case, alternating narrators Em and Chase have done some bad things. But worse things than anyone else in the book or the world? Doubtful. Furthermore as a Christian, I believe that we don't get what we deserve because we are saved by Christ. Obviously I'm aware of other belief systems but the unrelenting force and righteousness of the Furies was hard for me to cope with.

Third I was frequently surprised by the twists and turns. Some things were expected but in general Miles did not hold her punches, upping the tension and surprising me with how far she was pushing the story. Admittedly this didn't happen until maybe two-thirds of the way through when the Furies begin doling out their punishments but once it did, the story was high-octane.

I didn't love either of the main characters who have very poor judgment and morals. Emily tries to steal her best friend's boyfriend while Chase was kind of whiny and defensive about his poor background although I was able to buy into their emotions as written by Miles. They alternate telling the story and I liked the way that was presented, especially seeing their impressions of each other. My favorite character though was JD, Emily's next door neighbor who, unlike most of the high school kids, is pretty comfortable in his own skin, dressing extremely flamboyantly and truly caring about Emily.

Going in to the second book I have some questions. Why are the Furies present in THIS small town? There's one character who knows about the Furies-why the interest and how was that information discovered? Will the second book be narrated by these characters or move on to different perspectives? And is this supposed to be a trilogy?

Content: Some sexual situations; multiple uses of the f-words: the curse word and the gay slur.

Read for YA Debut Author and Ebook Challenges.

Wildefire

Wildefire by Karsten Knight
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
393 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program

In some ways this reminds me of the typical boarding school novel filled with privileged kids who easily drink underage, hook up frequently, are incredibly good looking, break curfew constantly, and receive very little punishment.  Main character Ashline and her friends at prep school fulfill all of those, living larger than life.  But they also have a twist in that they are reincarnations of gods from various mythologies.  And that makes all of the difference.

Ashline is Pele, Polynesian volcano goddess, and her friends come from other mythologies (Haitian, Egyptian, Japanese, Greek, and Nordic), creating one of the more diverse YA books I've ever read. The book began jarringly with Ash beating the crap out of a girl who made out (or more) with Ash's boyfriend and the first section concludes with that girl being killed by Ash's older sister.  The novel then jumps ahead four months to see Ash in boarding school where she begins to uncover their hidden pasts along with the other secret gods and goddesses.

Although the first section was difficult to read, I was immediately drawn in and I sped through this book.  Despite being a goddess, there are a lot of reasons to sympathize with Ash.  She feels abandoned by her sister, that she can't live up to her parents' expectations, boy troubles, and general teenage angst.  She's very far from perfect but she does want to help people and she can step up when it's necessary.  The other characters were also interesting if somewhat indistinguishable; almost everyone is pretty snarky, which is funny to read but it does mean that characters can run together.  And while many of their actions and responses seemed unrealistic to me (meaning almost the complete opposite of what I'd choose to do in a given situation), these kids are gods and goddesses and they need to be larger than life with outsized passions and behaviors.

I guess I mostly disliked the sense of meandering that I felt. I believe that Knight has an end goal for the series and of course a specific end for this book but at times, I wanted the story to be a bit tighter and more focused. However, it was very lighthearted and as I said, I flew through it, which means the writing is engaging. I also want to warn people that it ends with a pretty big cliff-hanger; if that'll bother you, then you might want to hold off on reading this.

Content Warning: Violence; Language; Sexual activities

Overall: A gripping unique YA paranormal story; recommended for older readers.

Read for YA Debut Author and E-book challenges.

Love Story

Love Story by Jennifer Echols
Gallery Books/MTV Books, 2011
243 pages
YA; Contemporary
3/5 stars

Source: Received a free egalley through Simon and Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

So conflicted! While I've loved Echols' writing for a while now, I've increasingly disliked the characters and plots of her books.  Forget You had the incredibly stupid Zoey and Love Story has Erin and Hunter, incredibly dysfunctional and manipulative people.

The book opens with an excerpt from Erin's creative writing story, which is a loosely fictionalized version of her life with herself cast as the heiress to a horse farm and Hunter as her hunky stable boy.  Then he actually shows up in her class and their backstory is revealed: Erin was supposed to inherit her grandmother's horse farm but she was disinherited for wanting to major in English rather than in business.  Instead Hunter gets everything: the farm, the money for college, everything that Erin had expected for herself.  She's understandably upset and spends about eight chapters hating on Hunter while still feeling attraction until she starts to soften.  This is a very quick change and I barely had time to warm up to Hunter because he continually does hurtful things.

Yes, Hunter's hot (seriously Echols can write steamy YA scenes like no one else I've read) but he's pretty cold, controlling, and extremely manipulative. And Erin herself was so hot and cold about him.  I think I could have been more sympathetic if the story were told in alternating perspectives between Erin and Hunter because then his side of the story would have been told and I probably wouldn't have found him so cold.  Because Erin was narrating, I like her more but I also thought she was pretty whiny and that she thought she knew way more about what everyone else was thinking than she actually did.

Besides the main characters, there are lots of fun classmates, notably Erin and Hunter's roommates, who I loved.  Summer, Jordis (don't know how to make the slash), Brian, and Manohar were not the focus but they added a lot of humor to the story.  I wonder if the story could have been stronger if we had actually met Erin's grandmother.  Erin sees her but never confronts her or talks to her after the disinheritance, leaving a bit of a gap in the understanding of Erin's life.

Overall: Yay on the writing, nay on Erin and Hunter.

Read for E-book challenge.

All the Things You Are

All the Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
258 pages
MG; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program in exchange for an honest review.

One day thirteen year old Carly's mother is arrested for embezzlement and conspiracy, throwing a wrench into her pretty enjoyable life.  She attended a private school, was friends with the most popular girl in her grade, loved her mother and her cool job as a wardrobe mistress on a soap opera, and enjoyed their life with Faux Pa, her stepfather.  However the arrest of her mother causes troubles in all of those places.

Her best friend shies away causing Carly no end of bewilderment and eventually resignation about Anna's fickleness.  It also affects her friendship with most other kids as they don't know how to handle the awkwardness.  Her home life is even more fraught as Faux Pa can't believe the lies perpetrated by her mother and their relationship deteriorates.  Carly is of course confused about how the person she knows is also the person who broke the law, resulting in anger and a whole bundle of emotions toward her mother.

One fun theme running through the book is talk about Carly Simon who is Carly's namesake and especially about the lyric "clouds in my coffee." I don't really know Simon's songs but I do enjoy "You're So Vain" so that was cool.

Overall: Quiet, sweet book about a young girl in a very difficult situation.

Cover: I feel like the girl's pose is very awkward but that otherwise it's an okay cover.

Cleopatra Confesses

Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/Paula Wiseman Books, 2011
278 pages
YA; Historical Fiction
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received an uncorrected galley via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not a big Egyptian fan but I loved Carolyn Meyer's Tudor historical fiction novels so I thought I'd give this a try.  I really don't know much Egyptian history other than Cleopatra and her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, which are among the few verified facts about her life, as shared in the author's note.

I had some annoyances with young Cleopatra, who was kind of dumb and annoying.  I mean, intellectually, she's a smart girl with command of multiple languages and to the delight of her tutor.  But she makes the same stupid mistake twice in regards to her scheming older sisters, thereby jeopardizing her safety.  Furthermore she didn't seem to have much of a grasp on how people work, which just made me want to shake her.

But the characters who supported her were fascinating: her tutor Demetrius, her dancer friend Charmion, and captain Mshai were sympathetic characters who I enjoyed reading about.  The political situation was also interesting; as I mentioned, I don't really know Egyptian history so the reign of her two older sisters completely surprised me.  I also learned more about the Egyptian economy. I had assumed that it was strong and rich but there are frequent famines and money troubles that belie that assumption.

Overall: A nice look at Cleopatra, elaborating on the little we know about her. Does not cover her entire romantic relationships but goes from age 11 to 21 as well as mention of her death.

Cover: I actually find this cover pretty creepy and not very appealing; however I knew that I had enjoyed Meyer previously so I chose to read this.

The Day Before

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Simon Pulse, 2011
307 pages
YA; Contemporary; Verse
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

I've long had attitude about books written in verse form; I hadn't read many and I didn't have a very high opinion of them despite largely enjoying the few I had read.  But I wanted to give Schroeder a try after seeing some positive buzz and I want to read all of the books in the Contemps Challenge.

The result was me pleasantly surprised by the emotional punch packed within this book.  As someone who ordinarily loves a page crammed with text, the layout of this book is very sparse with unique spacing and plenty of white space in stark contrast to the books I normally read.

The plot itself is pretty simple; Amber is going out on her last day before...something, which is slowly revealed through the book.  Although she starts the day by herself, she soon meets Cade, who is also having his own day before.  There could be tears aplenty for the both of them (and I got a bit misty-eyed due to the writing) but they focus on this last day, largely avoiding the unwanted topic of the next day.  It's pretty simple but the level of the writing elevated this book, making an imprint on my heart.

Cover: I think it kind of looks like she's dead, which is not actually what the title refers to (it's not The Day Before I Died).  The grass is really pretty though.

Read for Contemps and E-book challenges.

The Lost Crown

The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011
427 pages
YA; Historical
4/5 stars

Source: Recieved a free ARC via Simon & Schuster's Galleygrab program in exchange for an honest review.

This was a hard book to read.  It covers the years 1914-1918 from the alternating perspectives of the final four Russian Grand-Duchesses: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, daughters of Tsar Nicholas II and brutally murdered by Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. As I read, I kept waiting for the girls to realize the danger they were in and although they knew it was not good, they didn't, they couldn't have known their final outcome.  It was absolutely heartbreaking.

The writing was fantastic; I felt completely immersed in their world.  Traveling from peace to their nursing work to their days in increasingly cramped living quarters, I liked being with the girls.  They each had a distinct personality but I found their chapters difficult to differentiate as their voices were similar.  Luckily each started with a picture and the name of the girl so I could keep track.  They were sweet girls if somewhat naive and uneducated, which only made my feelings of foreboding worse.  I mean, I felt physically sick from worrying over them.  I wanted to change the course of history to protect them but I could only read on.

Thus I recommend this for those already familiar with the Romanovs and for the stouthearted.  I barely made it through (and yes it does end with their execution) so if that sounds like too much for you, then stay away! But it really is a good book, just a tough topic.

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.

The Summer Before Boys

The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
196 pages
MG; Contemporary
3/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-galley via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab in exchange for an honest review.

Why haven't I read any other books with the main character's parent deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan? I prefer contemporary YA and yet I don't think I've read any other books that touch on this war. Any recommendations?

Anyway Julia and Eliza are best friends and family.  While Julia's mother is deployed overseas, Julia is spending her summers with Eliza.  Both girls are twelve and share many similar interests.  But Julia's interest in a boy and fears for her mother disrupt their usual harmony.

I enjoyed following the story but there didn't seem to be a main conflict or point to the story.  It's not entirely in chronological order as Julia would narrate something and then go back in time to explain the events.  She's a pretty mature twelve-year-old and the two girls have a fun friendship.  They liked to pretend the lived in the olden days, although the shifts to accommodate that perspective were awkward.  The boy who Julia likes isn't very well-defined and the other characters don't have much personality either.

The other side of the story is Julia's anxiety over her mother's tour.  Throughout the book, information about women serving in war are included, focusing on the deaths as Julia fears that most of all.  She also shares these fears with a boy from her school Peter, whose dad is also serving.  I liked their scenes.

Overall: A sweet meandering story of pre-adolescence.

Cover: The girls should probably be wearing shorts given that they are summering in humid New York state but it's okay.

Wrapped

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011
309 pages
YA; Historical
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-galley via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab in exchange for an honest review.

Agnes Wilkins is surprised to find a jackal brooch when she participates in a mummy-unwrapping party at Lord Showalter, her prospective husband and the most eligible bachelor in London.  As she seeks to uncover the message within, with the assistance of the surprisingly dashing Caedmon at the British Museum, she realizes that it might have more modern repercussions than just ancient Egypt.  For there is a spy who is working so that Napoleon just might receive supernatural benefits during his return from Elba. (I worked hard on this summary because the Goodreads summary for the kindle edition has a major spoiler in it!)

What a cute book! Just about all I knew going in to this book was that the cover was gorgeous and it hooked me right away as the main character Agnes Wilkins adores Jane Austen's writing.  That is my kind of heroine!  Besides her appreciation for "A Lady's" writing, Agnes is also learned in ten languages with varying degrees of fluency and possessed with a strong sense of adventure and a keen intellect.  Her partnership with Caedmon begins uneasily but they quickly form a rapport as they seek out threats to England.  Although most of the supporting characters do not play a big role, I was able to create images of them in my head to complement Agnes and Caedmon's story.

The pacing of the story is pretty good although I felt there wasn't much suspense over who the spy might be.  There was a good mix between Agnes attempting to be a proper debutante but also puzzling out the mystery with Caedmon.  I believed in their relationship and rooted for them to be together.  The writing is fine; there were a few funny moments and the language seemed formal enough for the time period.

A point of interest is that issues of gender and class pepper the book.  Agnes is piqued when her father consigns her to the ladies area at one point and makes the decision to NOT tell him about the message despite the fact that she had said she would.  She bristles at being looked down on by men although in general her father is a man committed to gender equality.  She also laments her position in life that prepares her only to be the wife of some lord without being able to travel and study as she'd liked to do.  Caedmon is a lowly duster for the British Museum who wants to be so much more, especially in the heart of Agnes, but finds structures stacked against him.

Overall: A fun mystery with dollops of history and romance!

Cover: Beautiful-this is what originally intrigued me.

Between Here and Forever

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Simon Pulse, 2011

252 pages

YA; Contemporary

4/5 stars


Source: Received an e-galley via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab.

Summary: Abby can hardly bare it that her perfect older sister Tess languishes in the hospital.  In a desperate attempt to pull Tess out of the coma, she enlists hot guy Eli to speak with Tess.But as she single-mindedly pursues that plan with Eli, her world is rocked by revelations about Tess, Eli, and herself.

I flip-flopped on this book as I read it.  Some parts were achingly beautiful, grabbing me by the gut and making me feel more intensely than other books I've read recently.  Other parts made me want to grab Abby and shake her though as her constant putdowns of herself drove me crazy.  Because one guy wanted Tess more than Abby, she views herself through that prism resulting in constant self-pity that she tries to say is her being realistic.

She also is very unaware of the secrets of Tess, some of which I uncovered before Abby confirmed them.  Abby persisted in the belief that her sister was perfect, blinding her to the pain Tess caused both to herself and to those she loved. Tess was cruel, compromising her own happiness but Abby begins to learn to separate herself from Tess for her own sake.

Meanwhile, Abby is kind of slow to recognize those truths.  It was SO obvious that Eli liked her from the very start and she kept pushing him off toward Tess. She also learns about how everyone has something about themselves that marks them as “different” even if outsiders can’t tell. My description sounds trite but I thought Scott’s writing was beautiful and it made me a little teary-eyed. Those parts were the standout to me; Scott's writing is fantastic although it could not rescue my opinion of the annoying Abby.

Overall: I didn’t love the plot or the characters but I loved the writing and that’s what made this book for me.

Read for Contemps Challenge and e-book challenge.

Shift

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
Simon Pulse, 2011
367 pages
YA; Paranormal
4.5/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC via GalleyGrab in exchange for an honest review.

My review of the first book, Shade.

SPOILERS FROM SHADE.

I enjoyed the first book and thus was pretty excited to see it in GalleyGrab.  I was nervous because sometimes the middle book in a trilogy is just filler.  However I ended up liking this book even more as Smith-Ready just made everything better: more intense, higher stakes, faster paced.

The book opens with Aura still calling for Logan after he shaded at the end of the first book.  Finally he reappears as a ghost instead of a dangerous shade and for about fifteen minutes, he even solidifies, freaking them both out.  Unfortunately his reappearance throws some wrinkles into the budding relationship between Aura and Zachary (who I think got even hotter).  They had cautiously been negotiating something but with Logan back, there's conflict.

A lot more is revealed about the Shift, the abilities of Aura and Zach, and Aura's parents.  It is still not all explained but a lot more pieces have fallen into place. We receive a lot more information than I expected, which I think helped make this an exciting second book instead of just a place-holder.

I felt like this book is more tightly focused on the two of them (plus Logan), so while almost all of the secondary characters from the first book are back, none receive much more character development.  Some new characters are also introduced such as Nicola, from the DMP, who is trying to help repair their reputation by helping Logan in his new quest to form a band with and for post-Shifters.

The love triangle (which as a general plot device is still not a favorite of mine) becomes a sort of pentagon, when Aura and Zach make some hasty prom invitations.  There is also a lot of making-out (which I enjoyed when it was Aura and Zach, less so when it was Aura and a guy she should not be kissing) and discussion of sex, which I include as a warning to those who prefer a cleaner read.

The ending is a cliffhanger, promising one thing in the third book but probably going another way until everything's sorted out. Can't wait!

Overall: A second book better than the first with great pacing and some steamy times!

Cover: I don't like Aura's positioning and pose but the red around the title is great.