Torrent

Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
David C. Cook, 2011
388 pages
YA; Time-Travel
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received from the author

My reviews of the previous books: Waterfall and Cascade

SPOILERS-SERIOUSLY SPOILERS!

I did end up preferring Cascade to Waterfall except for the ending which found Gabi, Lia, and their mom going back in time to rescue their father/husband from an early death. I was appalled at their continued meddling in the timeline. It wasn't enough that they were diverting Marcello from marrying that woman, extending Fortino's life, and creating the legend of the She-Wolves of Siena. Now they are adding a fourth modern person to medieval Italy and erasing him from the contemporary timeline.

Additionally I'm kind of over all of them being so fluent in the language and having the fighting skills necessary to survive. It just made it seem too easy. And I was not thrilled with Gabi getting married and the rest of her family deciding to stay in the past with her; so uncomfortable that she was making such a huge change largely for a guy. But that wasn't her only reason; her other reason was...

That life is lived more fuller there-wtf? If you're not living life to the fullest in modern times, that's your fault. It's not because of what life is like here. However to be perfectly honest, I think it really depends on what you prize. While I love my family and my God (and would no matter what time period), I also love modern conveniences such as electricity, indoor plumbing, penicillin and other pharmaceuticals, automobiles and planes, and computers (and more). I also love being literate (I don't know that time period well but I do know that only a tiny percentage of all people were literate and that went double for women) and our improvements in communication (even as I wrote this in California, you are reading it anywhere). I guess what I'm saying is that I thought Gabi's decision was stupid and the author didn't sufficiently convince me otherwise. Thus the book became far too fantastical for me (even beyond the whole time travel thing).

Overall: This book just conflicted too much with my personal opinions about time travel and what I would do in such a situation.  I was intensely invested in the characters and their decisions, such that I had a bit of a pain in my stomach while reading some parts. However the conclusion pissed me off. I wish all the best as the series is continued but I will not be reading them.

Cover: He is so gross looking; I want to give him a bath, a shave, and a haircut. I much preferred the girls from the other book covers.

Vanish

Vanish by Sophie Jordan
HarperTeen, 2011
294 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Bought

I really enjoyed Firelight starring one of my YA boyfriends, Will. His romance with Jacinda kept me reading even as other aspects bothered me. Sadly there wasn't as much of the romance as there was lots of other stuff instead...very compelling stuff as this book took me about two hours to read. I just could not put it down!

However there actually was a lot of stuff I didn't like. The love triangle continues with Jacinda feeling very torn between draki Cassian and human with draki blood Will. One is the "right" decision in that it would make her life very easy but the other is the right answer, she just knows in her heart. At least sometimes she does; girl cannot make up her mind! Of course, both boys end up being super possessive of her and I am now less Team Will (although I'm still not team Cassian and there's also the addition of the super creepy Corbin). I will however cherish my memories of him in Firelight. The rest of the draki clan are extremely mistrusting of Jacinda and are huge jerks to her. I am sympathetic to their concerns about being hunted by humans but I feel like some of them went a bit far.

This annoying stuff took attention away from other exciting things such as her relationships with her best friend Az and her sister Tamra. I wanted so much more of that instead of Jacinda angsting. Both have so many complications and yet they don't get that much attention. Her mother also becomes an alcoholic who is completely checked out from her daughters' life to my sadness, adding to Jacinda's isolation.

Still I am excited about the third book Hidden as we should get an epic confrontation between drakis and draki hunters. There's a lot of possibility for a breakout from the hunters' compound and for Will to win back my affections.

Overall: Enthralling story despite the many aspects I didn't like.

Cover: She looks like Taylor Swift; kind of weird after the lovely red hair of the first book is what I thought at first. However the change in appearance is quickly explained in the book.

Spring for Susannah

Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond
Thomas Nelson, 2011
343 pages
Christian Historical Romance
4/5 stars

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

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book as it's another western story, which is not my favorite setting. And while I don't rank this among my favorite books, there was an outstanding aspect of this book.

Namely, the romance. Main character Susannah grew up with warped ideas about gender and marriage as instilled in her by her parents and enduring mean and petty comments from her peers. Consequently, she is shy and embarrassed when she arrives in the Dakota Territory married to a man via proxy. Jesse is practically perfect, prepared to love, honor, and cherish this woman he's never met. Although he is frustrated with her inability to share an opinion, he continues to pray to God that they can build a real marriage.

And over the course of the first book, they do so. As they fell in love, I fell more in love with them. Susannah feels unworthy but Jesse draws out and is proud of her veterinary skills.  They begin to know each other's little likes and dislikes. And she starts to share her opinions, which he is happy to hear even when they disagree. They also suffer hardships together as life on the prairie is difficult with hardly any neighbors.

However the book goes off the rails after a plague of grasshoppers devours their crops. Jesse decides that the only solution is for him to leave Susannah and find work elsewhere to support them. During his futile journey to find work, he gets separated from his companions and ends up the guest of Native Americans during a brutal winter. Meanwhile Susannah ends up fending for herself and missing Jesse terribly. As Jesse is feared dead, many men end up vying for Susannah's hand. I did not like these segments; all I wanted was for them to be reunited and facing challenges together.

Overall: A beautiful romance that is sidetracked by separation, displeasing to this reader.

Tuesdays at the Castle

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2011
232 pages
Middle-Grade; Fairy Tale
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon's Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed previous Jessica Day George books so I felt confident requesting this book and I was right! This is a fun book with a great heroine and lots of magical happenings. It is set in the Land of Sleyne inside the Castle Glower, under the reign of King Glower the Seventy-Ninth and a magical castle that changes at will and seems to possess its own mind about how thing should be.

The current King Glower and his wife have four children. The youngest is Celie, aged 11, and she is the main character with a special affinity for the castle. She is delightful with a deep love for the castle. Unfortunately tragedy soon strikes. While her parents and eldest brother are away from home, they are ambushed and declared dead, leaving the other three children to defend Castle Glower from rapacious foreign princes.

Celie and her siblings Lilah and Rolf rise to the occasion, using every trick and aid of the castle to oust the invaders, with many amusing instances. There are also their loyal friends and the villainous Kletch, who made me think of a Gail Carson Levine character; high praise indeed! Although not everyone is well-developed, they served their purpose and I hope all of the good characters will return for more adventures around the magnificent Castle Glower.

SPOILERS:
I was pretty sure the parents were not dead because what a brutal book this would have been! I hope sequels come with more about the parents. It looks as if Celie could get into plenty of mischief with or without her parents around to supervise or interfere.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending. The castle seems to be dead, or perhaps just sleeping, until it all of a sudden comes back; not sure if it's Celie's profession of belief or the danger she is in that brings the castle back to life but it was a little too easy for me. Not too big of a deal.
END SPOILERS

Overall: A delightful journey through an amazing setting with sweet characters; excited about future books!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Greenwillow Books, 2011
422 pages
YA; Fantasy
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon's Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

Garnering comparisons to Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce as well as rave reviews throughout the blogosphere, I was very excited to dive into this book as I hoped for a fast read in an atmospheric world with an outstanding main character.

Unfortunately the beginning was very slow with a main character who is very convinced of her unremarkable personality and who left me convinced of same. Still she is a princess with a gem in her belly button, having been chosen for a mysterious duty, as have others in previous centuries according to an ancient prophecy. The jewel marks her as the hope for many but also puts her in danger as she learns when she embarks on a new life, secretly married to a king of a neighboring country.

When Elisa arrives, she is comfortably ensconced but unfulfilled as some scheme against her, openly and secretly. After a frightening event, she is pushed far beyond her limits and begins to dig deep into her inner resources to discover great strength and to save her people.

Actually once that event occurred, the book became a lot more interesting to me because that's when Elisa finally starts doing stuff. I understand the need for setup and how those earlier scenes paid off later in the book. But Elisa was so passive and boring at the beginning. I guess it's hard for me to care when a character is so convinced of her worthlessness; I tend to start to agree. But thankfully she does start to kick butt, using her physical abilities, her brain, and her kind heart to help.

At the beginning the other characters interested me more but as Elisa, rightfully, overshadowed them, I didn't become any less interested in them. I became invested in most of them, shocked at some of their actions, and grieved by some of their goodbyes.

The other really fascinating element of this book is the focus on religion. Elisa comes from a very conservative, rigid variation while she marries a king whose country is a bit more liberal in their interpretations of texts for the same religion. Then there are their opponents who are considered barbaric but also seem to worship in a similar fashion. I loved the incorporation of religion and the importance of faith for Elisa and the other characters. I am also fascinated by interpretations and translations of the Bible so seeing some of the characters here engage in the same work with their sacred texts was delightful and really helped distinguish this book from some other fantasy.

Overall: A slow beginning that does pay off with lovely prose and exciting action. Not a cliffhanger but still leaves you eager for further adventures.

Turnabout's Fair Play

Turnabout's Fair Play by Kaye Dacus
Barbour Publishing, 2011
315 pages
Christian Contemporary Romance
4/5 stars

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

Kaye Dacus is one of my favorite authors although I've had some mixed experiences with her books. Still I picked this one up with high expectations as it brings the Matchmaker trilogy to its conclusion.

The focus this time is on Flannery MacNeill, book editor extraordinaire, whose longing for a deep romantic relationship is heightened by the pending weddings of her two best friends, whose romantic adventures were detailed in the previous two books. Although she's dated quite a few men, she's always asked God to have her fall in love with a dork. Jamie O'Connor's good looks and confidence disqualify him, especially as everything he says seems to offend her. But after he loses his job, he starts questioning the man he has become and what God wants of him. On top of these two souls are their grandparents who want to make a match but find themselves making a match first!

One of my favorite things about Dacus's books are that while romance is the primary thrust of the story, there's also so much character development. Flannery and Jamie start and end the books in completely different places, having learned to rely more on God and falling in love. They reveal their guilty pleasures (Arthurian legend) and the hurts they've experienced from family and friends over the years. They seem like such real people and I really liked them!

However there were a couple of things that niggled at me. First I'm not a fan of the meddling grandparents so desperate to have grandchildren that they involve themselves in their lives. I feel like their motives were softened over the books, to show that they just wanted happiness for the grandkids but I didn't love them as much as the younger characters.  The other part was how Flannery and Jamie felt they needed to keep their love of Arthurian legend under wraps. I don't think that interest is that geeky; admittedly I'm a Star Wars nerd and I have a book blog so I'm probably not the best judge of what is or isn't geeky.

Overall: A fine conclusion to the Matchmakers trilogy; can't wait to find out what Dacus has planned next!

October Stats

Looking Back at October: October was a very successful Netgalley month for me with 11 titles read and a lot of organization going on. I deleted the titles that were archived and I've planned out my reading for 2012 titles. I'm hoping to read at least 5 in November and at least another 5 in December so I feel like I'm in a good place. I'm still waiting to hear back on some requests (*fingers crossed*) but otherwise I'm at about 50, which isn't too bad as I was close to 100 earlier this year!


This was not my best reading month with only 24 done but it was also really busy. I had two orchestra concerts, which was so exhausting and I've just been involved with other things.

Looking Forward to November: I'm SO excited about this month. I have a few library books and a few Netgalley books to read and then I'm embarking on a special week: Anne of Green Gables week! Last year I read Anne and adored it. I asked for a boxed set of eight titles for Christmas, received it, and then never read them. They just sat there collecting dust. Thus before another year has past, I am going to read the other seven works. Five of them are about Anne and I think the other two are more about her children. I'm also going to write a birthday post in honor of LM Montgomery on November 30. I'm just looking forward to being swept away by the lovable Anne. I guess it might make more sense to wait for an anniversary of her birth or death but I'm too excited to wait!

Monthly Stats:

Books Read This Month: 24
Pages Read This Month: 7901 pages  
Average Length of Book: 329 pages
Average Rating of Book: 3.85

Favorite Book: Liesl and Po, Lauren Oliver's entry into middle-grade fiction

Longest Book: Death Watch by Ari Berk at a long 523 pages

Shortest Book: The Grace of God by Andy Stanley, a mere 217 pages
 

Year Stats:

Total Books Read: 359

Total Pages Read: 107,432 pages

Average Length of Book: 299 pages

Average Rating of Book: 3.85

By Genre:
Mystery/Thriller-1
YA/MG-12
Romance-3

Classics-1

Science Fiction/Fantasy-0

Non-Fiction-1
Historical Fiction-4
Short Stories-1
Other-1

Challenge Updates:

Cozy: 0 read, 5 total

British Books: 1 read, 41 total

YA Debut: 3 read, 54 total

Ebook: 13 read, 125 total

Source:

Home Library-3

Own/Borrowed/Won-4

Booksneeze-1

Netgalley-11

Other ebook source-2

Audiobook-0
Amazon Vine-3

Stats for Previous Months: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September

Books Read:
336. Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
337. You Are My Only by Beth Kephart
338. Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
339. Jane Austen Made Me Do It ed. Laurel Ann Nattress
340. The Maid by Kimberly Cutter
341. Ambitious by Monica McKayhan
342. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
343. Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love
344. A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf
345. Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason
346. The Grace of God by Andy Stanley
347. Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond
348. Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen
349. Turnabout's Fair Play by Kaye Dacus
350. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
351. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
352. Vanish by Sophie Jordan
353. The Dead Kid Detective Agency by Evan Munday
354. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins
355. Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
356. Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
357. Must've Done Something Good by Cheryl Cory
358. Death Watch by Ari Berk
359. Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown