ARC Review: Something Real

by Heather Demetrios
3.5/5 stars
Henry Holt and Co, 2014
403 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release February 4, 2014

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

I believe this book caught my attention because of its unusual synopsis which had the trademark symbol after the main character's name. What was going on with that? Then there was the fact that it looked to be exploring the psychological effects of reality shows. Though the closest I get to reality TV now is watching the mocking The Soup, for some reason I find it difficult to resist books that feature them.

In this case, Bonnie™ Benton has grown up in front of television cameras; in fact she was born on film, the only one of her twelve siblings to be so. She has two older siblings and the rest are younger, adopted from around the world due to her mother's desire to have a baker's dozen of children and the muscle and money of corporation MetaReel who have subsequently filmed every year of Bonnie™'s life until her thirteenth year when her suicide attempt shut production down. However it has been four years and they're restarting it to Bonnie™'s intense dislike. Her struggle to cope and escape from the hell of this filming comprises the narrative of this novel.

The book actually opens with Bonnie™incognito as Chloe tense over something as seemingly simple as getting a yearbook photo taken because of her years in the spotlight. This anxiety only increases when she discovers that the reality show is starting up again much to the delight of her mother, stepfather, fame-seeking older sister, and the younger kids. The only one who seems to understand is her beloved older brother Benton™who has his own reasons for wanting to stay off camera (underaged Benny drinks and smokes and is gay with a very much in the closet boyfriend.) Adding to her angst is a blossoming romance with Patrick, her long-time crush who she doesn't think will want to be a part of the media frenzy that is her life.

One element I thought was handled very well was the growing up as one of thirteen children. Because most of them are so young, we really only get to see Benton™, Lexie™, and Bonnie™(all seniors) express themselves and I could not name the rest of the children but the chaos of such a life is well conveyed. At one point Chloe/Bonnie™remarks that such an upbringing is excellent birth control and I must agree. I was also pleased with how Chloe and Lexie™bond and move toward rapprochement after years of tension. I guess in general I just loved the relationships between the siblings.

I also appreciated the exploration of growing up on camera (particularly apt as I just saw the People magazine about Kate Gosselin and her twin daughters-what is life going to be like for them as they get older?) I highly value my privacy (notice how I don't tend to share that much about my life? Of course I'm also pretty dull so there's that too :) and can't imagine being on camera that much in addition to having it broadcast for millions of people to see. 

In the end, I feel like I should be rating this book higher but I'm just not passionate about it. There are so many great points: beyond the aforementioned investigation into a highly relevant issue and the complex family relationships explored, there are two great romances, some strong friendships, and some plot twists. But I am not left with the urge to push it on people. You can't click with everything you read and that is the case for me with this book.

Ramblings and the Week to Come 19JAN14

Ramblings:
One week back at work and it is getting crazy! This is our busiest time and it seems that every time I think I might have a second to rest, something else is popping up. However that's pretty much how I like it. It actually kind of sucks that we have tomorrow off as I know my department would put it to good use. But it also means some more reading time so that's good!

Movies:
I had the chance to see "American Hustle" yesterday which I was incredibly excited about seeing because I enjoyed the director's "Silver Linings Playbook" so much. Well this one did not live up to my expectations at all. I thought it was pretty boring except for Jennifer Lawrence's part-she electrified the screen whenever she was on it. Was anyone else underwhelmed? I know the critics have heaped it with praise but my family and I were disappointed.

Week to Come:
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan, author of my beloved "Firelight" trilogy
Something Real by Heather Demetrios
Anyone But You by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes, third in their "Twisted Lit" series which I've enjoyed so much so far.

I have more titles potentially for review but we'll see just how much reading I can get done!

ARC Review: Five Came Back

by Mark Harris
5/5 stars
The Penguin Press, 2014
444 pages
Adult Non-Fiction Cinema History
Scheduled to release February 27

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

Some years ago I spotted an interesting sounding book in Entertainment Weekly and promptly put it on hold. When it came in at the library, I devoured it and got my parents to read it as well with them both loving it as well. What book was this? Well as you might have guessed, it was by Mr Mark Harris called Pictures at a Revolution about the five Best Picture nominees of 1967 and it inspired me to attempt to watch all five (still haven't managed as some are boring *ahemdoctordoolittle*) as well as sparking an interest in classic Hollywood. Thus it was a no-brainer to request his next book about cinematic history. While I recognized the five director's names (John Ford, George Stevens, John Huston, William Wyler, and Frank Capra) that are the focus of this book, I didn't know that much about any of them and certainly next to nothing about their experiences during World War II.

The book opens in 1938 following the five men in their Hollywood careers, some at the height of their popularity while others were just beginning their career until the United States entered the war and all five joined up, bringing their knowledge of film making to aid in the production of films about the war for both a military and civilian audience. Harris skillfully weaves in a discussion of propaganda and the impact of war while tracing the activities of the men.

As I shared, I didn't know much about the personal lives of these men so everything in this book was revelatory. My personal favorite sections did relate to actual movies I knew (such as a look at the excellent postwar film The Best Years of Our Lives) bringing back my enjoyment of Harris' previous book but I liked all of the other sections too. The five men had such experiences journeying to the Pacific and the European theaters and serving in different branches. But they also knew each other and were united by a Hollywood background and similar challenges while in the military that help keep the thread of the story moving.

Overall: I just click with his writing-now I want him to explore the anti-Communist movement in Hollywood during the fifties as we get hints of that in this book!

Diamonds and Deceit

by Leila Rasheed
4/5 stars
Hyperion, 2014
424 pages
YA Historical Drama

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

Who had forgotten almost everything that happened in Cinders and Sapphires? This girl! What I remembered most vividly was Lady Ada and her affection for Indian Ravi, a love rendered impossible by their vastly different stations in life. I personally found it baffling as I never thought the reader got enough insight into their relationship to care about them but apparently something about the romance made it stick in my brain (probably my irritation at it.)

Thus I opened this book and panicked over my inability to remember the important characters, let alone their complicated relationships to each other. Luckily as I kept reading most everything came back and was further elaborated upon. As before Ada and Rose are our protagonists, navigating a difficult season with romantic complications. Ada continues to be in love with someone who would be deemed unsuitable (and who I think is dull) and Rose struggles with prejudice against her background. Meanwhile we also jump around to peek at the various other characters, both upper-class and servant, that surround these young women. Disappointingly we don't get very much about Sebastian and his romantic travails nor did I feel that women's suffrage played the role it did in Cinders and Sapphires. Furthermore I didn't really like any of the characters tending to find most of them petty; however this was balanced by the writing which completely sparked with me and found me flying through the pages.

I think the ending was my favorite part as it really got my heart pounding because (finally) England has declared war on Germany, meaning that book three is going to reveal a huge shake-up. I don't know what characters will be sent to fight, who might volunteer to nurse or what but it's going to bring big changes to daily life for the lords, ladies, and servants.

Waiting on Wednesday: Ask Again Later

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

For 2014, I wanted to try posting some more memes so I'm planning to participate in at least a few WoWs a month, starting with today's pick:

Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

Published by Harper Teen

Releases March 11, 2014

Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?

Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests--even if he wants to share all his feelings?

Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all...

I love YA contemporary romance so obviously this book got my interest because it fits into that category. I also adore books following two possible outcomes like last year's Pivot Point. I have a copy downloaded through Edelweiss so will post a review closer to that date. Have you heard of this one? Is it something you'd want to read?

Taste of Darkness

by Maria V. Snyder
4/5 stars
Harlequin Mira, 2013
458 pages
Adult Fantasy Romance

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

I've eagerly followed Snyder across many worlds including the one of this Healer series and while I adore her introductions and the exciting worlds they set up, I've tended to have problems with the second book and especially with the conclusion. Thus it was no surprise that I adored Touch of Power and had some reservations about Scent of Magic. I hoped this finale would be the one to prove me wrong though. And happily it was as I felt this was a very strong conclusion to the Healer trilogy.

At first I worried. I didn't really remember what had happened at the end of the second book and basically the only two people I remembered were main character healer Avry and her lover Kerrick. Many of the other names mentioned flustered me but thankfully as I kept reading, most of the characters came back to me especially the lovable jokers who have been present in this series from the start.

I can't go too in-depth for fear of spoilers so I will just mention some elements that seem notable. For instance I think I can reference two moments that had a big impression on me. One is when Avry sets out to do something small and ends up doing something much bigger that has huge repercussions on Prince Ryne's mission. The other is Avry getting entangled with cannibals. The former was more of a fist-pumping moment while the latter horrified me for obvious reasons.

One of the biggest threads for the book has been Avry's connection with the evil Tohon. I'm not sure I liked the way it was handled as I have been consistently uncomfortable with the manipulations he performs on her, making it difficult for me to read some sections. In this case I thought the final confrontation with him was a bit easy though the very last pages made up for it presenting me with just the ending I wanted.

Another point to mention is that Scent of Magic left me disappointed with the separation of Avry and Kerrick. These two certainly do not live in easy times so it is certainly no surprise that they don't get to spend nearly enough time together in this book but what parts they did were intensely romantic. I really wanted them to get a happy ending :)

Overall I think this has been Snyder's strongest trilogy throughout and I am eager to see what she has in store for us next!

ARC Review: Going Rogue

by Robin Benway
3.5/5 stars
Walker Childrens, 2014
320 pages
YA Contemporary Caper
Scheduled to release January 14

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

I was absolutely enchanted by last year's Also Known As and was thrilled to continue the series with this sequel. There are two big changes for this go-around: Maggie's best friend Roux and boyfriend Jesse know about her life as a spy and the Collective are no longer the good guys Maggie always thought they were with everyone becoming a potential enemy.

For me this book was split in to two parts though not formally. In the first half, Maggie is learning about the threat to her way of life and continuing to adjust to outsiders knowing about her and in the second half, everyone is on the run. I far preferred the second half as things actually were happening. The first part still had the same engaging writing that I expected in this series but it took so long to build to anything. Instead Maggie is having arguments with Jesse and Roux as well as her parents and though Angelo is positioned as a good guy, I was getting some sketchy vibes from him. Previously people who were thought to be trustworthy were proved otherwise and I didn't want that to be the case for Angelo (I'm not going to spoil you about where his loyalties lie.) There were some great moments when Maggie dives back into the spy's life including having to stay frozen for hours in a bad guy's apartment but mostly I was waiting for something exciting to happen.

The second part seemed significantly shorter though I didn't keep track of the page count. This is when Maggie, Roux, and Jesse go on the run, ending up in Paris and falling in with a whole new crew. We did not get to spend much time with these people so I don't really have an opinion about them at this time. They seemed okay but I liked Maggie's high school hijinks more and wasn't interested in meeting so many new people this late in the game. Also I may be a bit paranoid but I kept suspecting them of nefarious motives as well.

Overall I didn't feel the two parts cohered well together as each gave me a fairly different tone. I am definitely less enthusiastic about this second installment than I was about its predecessor. This book just seemed a bit on the slow side for me and I wanted more excitement throughout.