The Moon and More

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
4/5 stars
Viking, 2013
435 pages
YA Contemporary

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

I am a huge Sarah Dessen fan; I've read all of our books and thus was thrilled to receive an early copy of her latest release. With the gorgeous cover, I was expecting my usual Dessen comfort read. Could it live up to the impossibly high standards set by This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever? Probably not but it would still be good. I was right to predict that this would not be my favorite Dessen but for different reasons than I expected.

For me, I think my love of Dessen relates mostly to her amazing writing that builds fantastic characters, rich and complex yet realistic contemporary worlds, and sawoony romances (see Remy + Dex and Macy + Wes). Well those first two are present here but the last one is mostly missing. Although I had felt Dessen's novels were becoming a bit formulaic (especially noticeable to me in What Happened to Goodbye and the reason I thought I might not like this one), this change still didn't entirely please me. I don't want to spoil anything but you can email me to discuss :)

The book opens with Emaline in a relationship with Luke, possibly the hottest young guy in town. But as the summer before college progresses, Emaline finds herself drawn to something new, maybe something more with summer visitor Theo. Sounds very romantic, right? Well, that relationship never really flourishes like the two I previously mentioned as Emaline grapples with family tensions and with trying to figure out her own desires in comparison to how Theo plunges ahead. Her mother has always wanted "the moon and more" for her but what does that mean to Emaline?

As I said, the romance wasn't as dreamy as previous relationships in Dessen novels with Theo trying way too hard and Emaline tolerating his try. There were some awkward parts to me although I believe that was intentional on Dessen's part. On the family side, I wish we had gotten to know Emaline's older sisters a bit better (I'm thinking of the family dynamic in Just Listen especially) but at least we have her friends Morris and Daisy whose colorfulness certainly brightened my day.

Overall: For me, this book was mostly a victim of my expectations: I appreciate every Dessen book I get even though I don't always love them. I still think this is a great summer read and I definitely recommend it to fans of Dessen's previous novels as well as those looking for a great summer contemporary read.

Other Opinions:
Candace's Book Blog
Clear Eyes, Full Shelves
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
The Midnight Garden

Siege and Storm

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
4/5 stars
Henry Holt and Co, 2013
432 pages
YA Fantasy

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

No spoilers for Siege and Storm but some light spoilers for Shadow and Bone (possibly)

When I was choosing a book to read on the plane for my vacation, I thought Siege and Storm would be the perfect pick. Highly anticipated and already receiving rave reviews from the blogosphere. But when I tried reading it on the plane, I was confronted with the fact that this is a fantasy and I really struggled to concentrate on the world, eventually putting it aside until I landed where I promptly devoured it.

I can't share too much about the plot but I will remind you how Alina has an amplifier and is on the run from the Darkling in the company of Mal. This book picks up with them still on the move and quickly escalates from there. No moments of piece for the young couple but new and ever more difficult challenges keep arising, both external and internal.

Although Shadow and Bone received a decidedly meh review from me, the more reviews I read around the blogosphere and the more I mused on the book, the more excited about it I became. Now that I have completed Siege and Storm, I still have similar feelings. There is just something about this series that fails to captivate me like my favorite books do.

Yes, there are some great moments like the introduction of Sturmhond, a privateer with charm to spare who is quite the trickster. Every moment with him sparkles although his flirtation with Alina pissed off the Mal fan in me. Speaking of Mal, he is kind of a gloomy Gus in this book as he feels increasingly stifled by the decisions he and Alina have made and how that limits his future. I just wanted him to give his all to Alina but then I guess he wouldn't have been the kind of guy he is. As someone who quite liked the Darkling despite a long-time dislike of the "bad boy," I was disappointed that he didn't have more page time. When he's there, he's there-he takes over everything and he's always in the background of Alina's thoughts but he didn't have the presence he did last time.

And then we come to Alina who is probably my biggest problem with the book. I just don't click with her. There's nothing particularly objectionable about her to me but we don't have the easy camaraderie that I've had with other heroines (say Alanna of Tamora Pierce's series). It's as simple as that.

Overall: I would still definitely say this is a must-read for fantasy fans and those who enjoyed the first book; it's also a good read for people who want to stay abreast of what's popular in the YA category as these books have inspired a lot of love.

Other Opinions:
Beauty and the Bookshelf
Candace's Book Blog
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
Supernatural Snark
The Midnight Garden

Peregrine Harker and the Black Death

Peregrine Harker and the Black Death by Luke Hollands
3/5 stars
Sparkling Books Ltd, 2013
149 pages
MG Historical Adventure

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

I'm not entirely sure what attracted me to this book but I thought it sounded like an exciting adventure story and that sure was the case! This book isn't very heavy on characterization or world building but every chapter ends with suspense, propelling you forward to the next one, much like the penny dreadfuls that are the preferred reading material of the titular character.

Peregrine Harker is a Victorian London orphan whose head is easily turned by the fearsome mysterious dangerous adventures of fiction, something that hinders his ability to truthfully report at the newspaper. His last chance is to investigate the disappearance of tea on its journey from India to England. Although the assignment seems straightforward, it is actually a tangle of conspiracies that may send Peregrine to his death.

As I said, this book is very heavy on plot and adventure, which will appeal to some readers but was not what I wanted. Although the title "Black Death" may imply the plague to some of you, it actually has a different meaning, which is promptly revealed. I wish it had had more to do with that as I find the time period absolutely fascinating but the Victorian era has its moments too especially when exploring new kinds of technology.

My big wish for this book would be for the characters to have some more depth. Instead it was all very surface level as Peregrine frantically moved from place to place, trying to track down the evildoers. He meets a host of people, some good, some with evil intentions but they are also very shallowly drawn.

Overall: I think this will be a fun read for some younger readers but I don't see it having much appeal to older readers.

Ramblings and Week to Come 02JUN13

Interview:
Krystianna of Downright Dystopian interviewed me-go find out a bit more about me :)

Personal: 
What? How is it June already? As I shared last week, I am still in Hawaii but I'm flying home later today. I have done sporadic commenting this past week but will dive back into the blogosphere with gusto once I'm home. Luckily vacation was a prolific reading period and I am still on track for 300 books read this year!

A less nice day in Hawaii (but it's still pretty dang beautiful)

Ways to follow Bookworm1858:
In light of the coming end of Google Reader, I just wanted to check in with you about ways to stay connected with me. Here are all the ways I know of to follow Bookworm1858.

Feedly-visit this page to learn how to add new pages to your feedly
Bloglovin'-click the button in my sidebar
RSS-In my sidebar, you can subscribe via Netvibes, Newsgator, My Yahoo! or Atom; I honestly don't know much about any of these options but maybe it's what you use.
Google Friend Connect (GFC)-I've heard a lot about GFC disappearing along with Google Reader but from what I've read that is not the case. I believe if you start following a blog through GFC, it will automatically update in your feedly but I've been trying to
Email-just type your email address in the sidebar widget (this is actually how my mom reads my posts :)
Twitter-You can follow me @bookworm1858; I automatically tweet my blog posts and one of my goals for summer is to tweet more and interact with other bloggers.
Goodreads-I am behind on adding reviews to goodreads but I always mark what books I'm reading and want to read so this is just another way to connect with me.
Facebook-I am not on facebook as Bookworm1858 and have no plans to be.

Is there another way you like to follow blogs? Let me know and I'll do some research to add that method.

Week to Come:
Peregrine Harker and the Black Death by Luke Hollands
Siege and Storm by Leigh Berdugo
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn
Proxy by Alex London

What is up with you? Happy reading :)

War and Peace, Volume II, Parts 3 and 4

Hosted by My Friend Amy

It's the first of the month, which means it's time for an update on War and Peace! Per usual, I read this all in about two days because I am bad at planning ahead for these readings. On the bright side, at least I completed it and am still on track. I wrote this ahead of time as I am currently in Hawaii so I don't know if Amy posted any questions but here are my (brief) thoughts on this section.

I was so pleased that we didn't have any "war" sections this time, getting to spend many more pages with our female characters although not really enough for my taste. I really don't like the way Tolstoy has drawn most of the ladies. In fact, I don't think I like the sound of any of these women although I desperately want to like Natasha.

As for other, less satisfactory scenes, there is a fox hunt. Firstly I find fox hunting disgusting so while I know that the aristocracy does it, I loathe it. Secondly I found all the movement very confusing. It reminded me of the war sections and that's another reason for my disliking it.

It has been suggested to sit back and let the story flow over me and I am definitely doing that. I am not stressing about all of the characters and their eventual outcomes but am trying to relish the panoramic story even though it stubbornly resists my efforts to treat it like I'm used to treating a novel.

Next month is the halfway point! We are completing Volume II, Part 5.

Nantucket Blue

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
3/5 stars
Hyperion, 2013
294 pages
YA Contemporary

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

I had originally planned to read this before I went on my vacation but time got away from me so I was actually able to read it on the beach, which was great because the cover screams out that it is the perfect beach read. I think that is true although this book is a bit on the heavier side than my preferred beach fare.

Cricket is looking forward to a beautiful lazy summer in Nantucket with her best friend Jules, an invitation that is suddenly rescinded after the death of Jules' mother. Nonetheless Cricket makes the trek out to Nantucket just trying to be there for her, something that is complicated as Cricket embarks on a secret summer romance that could hurt Jules if discovered.

This is a difficult review for me because while I liked most of the plot lines and characters in this book, they were definitely more than the whole. My overall impression of this book is decidedly neutral-I wouldn't warn you off of reading it but I'm not going to insist that you run out and pick it up. I think the main reason for that is just the way everything is tied together, that is to say not very tightly. Cricket had a lot of cool moments (most notably to me were her job as a maid with the hilarious Liz and her internship with a writer) but they weren't quite one cohesive whole for me.

The cover seems to hint at a big summer romance, to my mind, and to some extent that is true as Cricket experiences a giddiness from being with that one boy. But it does not overwhelm the other plots nor is it instalove. I actually found it to be a pretty accurate and realistic love story although toward the ending, it sort of explodes into melodrama. Communication is important people!

There is also parental drama as Cricket's mom has completely withdrawn from the world following her divorce while her father has fully embraced his new wife and child, possibly to the exclusion of Cricket. The father plot line is not at all resolved to my extreme dissatisfaction but at least the mother's story ends on a moment of hope.

Lastly there is the friendship arc, which was so sad to me. I have lost friends over the years (sometimes reconnecting with them later) but that was because I moved-not because of the reason detailed here, which absolutely broke my heart. Jules is kind of a crappy friend and I wish we had a bit more understanding of her history with Cricket to justify why Cricket kept trying.

Overall: Yes, there are a lot of good points to this book but the whole just didn't add up to much for me.

Content: Some language, quite a bit of alcohol use, and lots of sexual content make this probably better for the older YA reader.

Other Opinions:
Alexa Loves Books
Book Haven
Book Labyrinth
Candace's Book Blog

Without a Summer

Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal
4/5 stars
Tor Books, 2013
364 pages
Adult Fantasy Historical Austen

Source: Library

This is the third book in the Glamourist Histories series following the adventures of Sir and Lady Vincent in Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass during Regency times. Although the first book drew heavily on the works of Jane Austen, the second moved away and this third book continues the trend expanding on the historical and magical foundations of this world.

The year is 1816 and it seems like the winter will never end with crops failing and increasing unemployment with returning soldiers from the Napoleonic wars.  A convenient target is the coldmongers who, in small doses can manipulate glamour to keep things cold; the general public considers them the reason between the freezing and the situation gets tense. On a more personal level, Jane and her husband have a commission in London and they take this opportunity to bring Jane's sister Melody along so she can potentially acquire a husband. But her number one choice seems very unsuitable especially as he may be involved with something very shady.

My favorite aspect of this book is actually one I didn't mention above: Sir Vincent has been estranged from his family ever since he pursued glamour as a profession but the possibility of reconciliation is dangled, introducing many new characters including his cold and cruel father. I also really liked the historical elements-I didn't even know about this cold summer until I read this book.

The part I didn't really like was the romantic subplot-I didn't think much of Melody's suitor, which coincides with Jane's assessment of his character. When the main character is so anti-someone, it is hard to persevere in liking him. Luckily Jane and Vincent have some really cute moments as they fight for their marriage despite many challenges. They are starting to know each other so well and have great banter.

Overall: Fun magical world incorporating lesser-known historical facts (there's a fun discussion guide at the end to peruse) and ever deepening its characterization.