Illuminated

Illuminated by Erica Orloff
4/5 stars
Speak, 2011
244 pages
YA Romance

Source: Library

I remember seeing this book come out at the end of last year but since it was December, I feel like it got a bit overshadowed by end of the year wrap-ups and holiday times. So I never heard much about it but remained interested in the story based on the lovely cover.

When I read the summary, I was skeptical because it's supposed to be an epic love story against the tragic love story of Heloise and Abelard (wikipedia page if you're not familiar with it although by reading this book, you would get a pretty good basic understanding) and in my experience, I tend to find those kind of YA stories unpalatable and unable to live up to the mythical passionate society-defying love stories of the past. And well I would say I was right in this case but this book is not without its charms.

First it was a delight to read about history loving Callie who is spending the summer with her uncle while her father is off on business (her mother being deceased). While examining a manuscript for auction, they find a palimpsest and begin investigating its legitimacy eventually leading to the story of Abelard and Heloise as well as a trip to France.

Second, the inclusion of the story of Abelard and Heloise was great. Although I think it's a pretty famous story, it's not the most famous and I've never read a YA story incorporating it (unlike say Romeo and Juliet, which is also referenced on the back cover). The couple were separated in life until resuming a passionate letter correspondence, cementing their intellectual connection as their physical connection had already culminated in a son. There's an optimism around the story that made me smile.

What I ultimately found most interesting was Callie and August's fears stemming from their parents' many mistakes but choosing to still believe in themselves and their love. Neither set of parents is still together and toxic is a word that could describe both of those relationships. Callie only learns about the bitterness of her parents' relationship during the course of the book, adding a double whammy with its new revelations in addition to navigating her own romance. Both of the kids worry that they could repeat the mistakes, could hurt the other the way their parents hurt each other. But they take a leap of faith and pledge to each other, aiming for that kind of epic love.

As I said though, the love story isn't quite up to par. Callie and August fall almost immediately and seem to just know. I like seeing a couple fall for each other, the ways they complement each other like no else has; it's those details that really make a romance for me and in this case, the book doesn't meet my demands although I was not expecting it to be able to given the brevity of the novel.

Overall: A slight sweet love story-very fast-moving for a lazy afternoon but without a knockout emotional punch to really resonate.

Cover: I love the warm colors that feel very inviting and the stars along the outline of their skin (this made be a little hard to see in the picture but it can be seen on the cover in person.)

Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
5/5 stars
Hyperion, 2012
333 pages
YA Historical

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

I was so scared to pick this book up! Although it has received near unanimous praise, I've been really picky lately and have found myself disappointed with books that the blogosphere has raved about. Happily that was not the case for this book as I absolutely loved it!

Like other reviewers, I will not share too much about the plot. This initially frustrated me when I was deciding whether or not to read it but I was very glad for their closed lips. You do not want anything spoiled for you. I do few comfortable sharing a few things though.

First the book is divided into halves. Although I have not bought my own copy yet, I am planning to because the second half illuminates the first half in a most kick-ass way. Upon finishing, all I wanted to do was go back and reread the whole thing again (couldn't because I needed to get up early the next day but very much wanted to). Thus I highly recommend buying your own copy so that you can do that.

Second the book is set during World War II from the Allied side-primarily Scottish, English, and French people make up the cast. It's mostly young women who are our focus, which is very exciting. I love getting to read about women doing what was traditionally considered men's work and, as Wein shares in her author's note, the things they do, while not common, are plausible.

Lastly I found this book incredibly affecting and powerful. I was still thinking about it a day later and managed to make myself cry a second and third time (that third time is just now as I write this review-it is highly possible that I will cry again thinking about this book as the days go back).

So that's about all I feel safe sharing. Is there anything stopping you from checking this book out? Please let me know and I will do my best to convince you otherwise as this has probably been my favorite read of the year so far and will definitely be a contender for best read overall of 2012.

Timepiece

Timepiece by Myra McEntire
3/5 stars
Egmont, 2012
325 pages
YA Paranormal Time Travel
Hourglass #2

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

Last year I read McEntire's debut Hourglass and was fascinated by the time travel aspect in particular as well as liking heroine Emerson who was going through some difficulties. I thought the secondary characters were lackluster and the romance unpalatable but I had a lot of questions left over so I picked up this sequel.

Unfortunately instead of continuing in Emerson's voice, this time our narrator is Kaleb, someone I didn't particularly like the first time as I found him too overbearing and grossly possessive while also being a giant man-whore. Plus he's tattooed and is an alcoholic. So not my dream guy at all. He lusted after Emerson from the get-go but she was already heads over heels for Michael, his best friend. While he still thinks about Em, he still has time for other girls and becomes involved in his own romance this go-around.

That romance is with Em's best friend Lily, who I liked in the first book although she didn't make enough appearances for me and I liked her again here. What I didn't like was the lack of chemistry I felt between the two. Neither this romance nor Em and Michael's really works for me, probably due to the insta-love or at least lust felt by three of the four people (Lily seems to be a bit of a holdout).

Another problem was my inability to remember some of what had happened in Hourglass. If possible, I would highly recommend reading these back to back. While most events came back to me, there is probably still stuff I missed. Therefore I spent some time in the beginning not only adjusting to the shift in narrator (it was very disorienting to read Kaleb's perspective on what Em was doing instead of her own) but also trying to feel my way back into the world.

Then there are the paranormal elements, something I really loved in the first book. Besides everything that occurred then, there is a lot of new information thrown at the reader. I appreciated every little tidbit we got but I still myself a little convinced, largely due to the time jumping nature of one of the villains. Turns out this character can remove memories from people, leaving them empty and confused while also not telling the audience

Overall: Characters I couldn't connect with, aggravating romance, and confusing timeline; just not the book for me. However I can see that a lot of other readers love Kaleb so don't let my distaste put you off.

Cover: Trying to figure out if this is supposed to be Em or someone else? I did prefer the black dress of the first book but I think the shadow is really cool here.

Death by Petticoat

Death by Petticoat by Mary Miley Theobald
3/5 stars
Andrew McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2012
126 pages
Non-fiction; American History

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

I love the idea for this book-it is right up my alley as a history major who specialized in US history. I love collections of truths and myths that break them down in easy-to-read ways and this looked like the perfect quick read for me.

And it was a quick read. Each entry is only about one page and includes a picture to further illustrate the point. The writing was easy to read and due to the shortness, you can very quickly read this book. I think it would be fun to pick it up and read an entry or two at a time. It looks like a nice book to support The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and its missions of preservation and education.

However I ended up being disappointed on a few counts. First the focus is mostly on colonial times (which is forecast by the collaboration with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation but which I didn't notice). I thought it would cover a longer period of time and be more mixed. But most of the myths come from colonial times with just a few from later days. Second was the myths themselves, most of which I had never even heard of-two separate mentions of room taxes as a for example. I guess these are questions that tourists ask when visiting Colonial Williamsburg, which makes me very worried for our school system if in fact American-educated people are thinking these things are true. My expectations were that I would have at least heard of the myths even if I knew they were false from my more specialized studying.

Overall: Good for some light reading but not recommended for history scholars.

Week of 10JUN12: Be Awesome Instead

I had some disappointing news this week-not too terrible but it made me want to cry. After a few hours though I was kind of sick of myself and I thought of this "How I Met Your Mother" quote, which I first saw on Pinterest but can be found here:

So to be awesome, I started thinking of cool things to anticipate, such as my upcoming 3rd blogoversary! Okay, it's not actually until November but I'm glad I started planning now so that it can hopefully turn out the way I want it to and so that everyone can have a lot of fun (hint: expect multiple giveaways :)

Plus my Saturday was very enjoyable. My car went in for maintenance (just its annual check-up), I learned how to crochet, rediscovered a latch-hook project, and had a great Zumba class (my teacher found out that I love to punch the air and had a couple of routines that incorporated that).

Also I read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, which I was pretty sure I would love based on the description but lately I've just been in a bit of a rut and not loving books as much as I want to. Um, not the case here. 5/5 stars and rave review to come this week-hopefully I can write something to do justice to this amazing book.

How has your weekend been? Hope the reading is going well!

The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
4/5 stars
Scholastic Press, 2011
407 pages
YA Fantasy

Source: Library

Having enjoyed Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, I was eager to try out more of her work including the highly praised The Scorpio Races, which sounded incredibly different and unique. I feel like the mythology is definitely different from anything I'm personally acquainted with, being based on dangerous fairy sea horses and a climactic race that the whole book builds up to.

I don't want to share too much about the book because I enjoyed the unfolding of the plot. I would characterize this book as fairly slow filled with detail but occasionally punctuated by bursts of action or huge crowd scenes. As someone who appreciates the buildup, that worked for me but I know it is not to everyone's taste. After all this book is just over 400 pages. Admittedly I do think it could have been trimmed a bit but I pretty much liked every second.

The book is narrated in alternating chapters by Sean Kendrick, returning champion of the race who is racing for the opportunity to buy his beloved horse and gain more independence from the man who owns the horse and most of the island. The other narrator is Puck Connolly, whose parents died in the sea, leaving her with two brothers and very little money. She races as a last gasp to keep her family together even when she realizes its futility. Over the course of the book, they meet and fall for each other while also battling prejudiced old-timers, malicious peers, and the dangers of the horses themselves.

While reading, I felt immensely for both characters, caught in extremely difficult situations and with reactions very different from what I suppose mine would be in such circumstances. This made it a bit hard for me to feel connected but it didn't seem to matter in the moment. Now as I think back on the book, I'm not quite as enchanted but during I was enthralled.

I do have a confession to make though-for much of the book, I thought the race was from the main island to another island. For those of you who have read the book, you can understand why this was a little bit confusing especially in regards to who main character Puck decides to race. The race is actually on a beach very close to the sea.

Recommended for lovers of Stiefvater's writing and people who love horses with the caveat that there are some violent scenes.

Along Came a Duke

Along Came a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle
4/5 stars
Avon Books, 2012
362 pages
Historical Romance

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

Elizabeth Boyle books are pretty much must-reads for me so the title, cover, and plot didn't really matter to me. I saw her name and that was sufficient. However if it did matter, I think the duke part would be very enticing. I once read that romance books with duke in the title sold better and I believe that; I know I like books when the man is of high rank, not that a mere mister can't be a good hero, of course...

Anyway on to the book itself: I suffered some confusion in the beginning just with the pacing and tone. On the one hand, there is Miss Tabitha Timmons, a confirmed spinster living with her cold uncle and aunt who assumed responsibility for her when her father died in exchange for a better position as vicar. They took the opportunity to improve their social standing while also gaining a free maid of all work. Yet Tabitha's spirits are bright especially because she has her two best friends Daphne and Harry. They are all spinsters and happily so in the small town of Kempton that is filled with many legends about the famous spinsterdom. Many names are thrown around but not all are important.

Then we meet her love interest, the Duke of Preston, although Tabitha does not realize this for a while. Because she does not know of his exalted status, she is fine lashing him with her tongue, immediately intriguing him. He is an awful rake, having ruined several ladies this season while also betting exorbitantly. My confusion stemmed from the relationships in his life. He has an aunt and uncle (twins) who are only about six months older than him as well as a friend Roxley. I was confusing the friend and the uncle, who I believe will be receiving their own stories with Tabitha's friends to complete the series (hopefully Preston's aunt will also receive a mate as she is widowed in this book).

The basic plot is that Tabitha must wed the eminently respectable Mr. Barkworth in order to inherit a sizable fortune. Problem is that she's in love with Preston and well he realizes he's in love with her. Tabitha's greedy relations will go far to keep Tabitha's inheritance in their hands but they are no match for true love.

Once I had sorted out the relationships in this book, I was enchanted. My ARC has a blurb from Julia Quinn that is just so true, "Wit, passion, and adventure, Elizabeth Boyle has it all." I loved the humor so much-I feel so in sync with Boyle because she always brings it for me. In particular, I enjoyed Preston's mocking of Mr. Barkworth. However the main reason I fell for both of the main characters though wasn't because they said some great lines; it was the way both suffered from losing their family and wanting to build one together. Serious tragedy in their pasts helps them appreciate the importance of family and gave them a very real connection. I appreciate the balance of serious with humor.

Overall: Perfect for fans of Julia Quinn and lighter romance-this is a humorous sweet story with two people eager for a deep connection and who have to battle base knavery to achieve their happily ever after.