Review: What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

Title:  What Happens Next
Author:  Colleen Clayton
Series:  stand-alone
Publisher:  Poppy
Publication Date:  October 9, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tour
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.

What Happens Next is a poignant, raw, and intensely heartbreaking story.  And sososo brutally honest, yet it still manages to bring the lulz and even coerced a smile out of me a time or two (or ten).  I remember reading that synopsis for the first time and thinking to myself, This is going to be a sad book.  But I am going to give it a chance because I just have this feeling that it's going to surprise me.  And you know what?  It did...it really, really did.

I've never been in Sid's situation; I've never been sexually assaulted.  But I was in an abusive relationship as a teenager, one that lasted into my very early twenties...much, much longer than it should have.  And though I can't liken my experience to Sid's, I was able to identify with her decision to keep things secret because I've been there.  I thought that the shame and guilt and pain was mine alone to bear, as did Sid.  In the beginning, I shouted at the book, at Sid, "Why won't you tell anyone what he did to you?!?"  And then I thought about how I would've handled the situation at that age.  And, yeah, there's a very real possibility that I would have reacted the same way.

And that's one of the reasons why I think this book is so great, why I loved it so much, even though it made me feel all the things...because it made me feel all the things, and if given to the right girl, it might help her to feel all the things and might help her better handle a situation like this.  Because as much as we'd like to believe that this would never happen to us or someone we know, it does and it could.  And girls should know that they did nothing wrong...it's not their fault and they should tell someone who can help them, someone they trust.  I wish every young adult would read this book, boys included, because they could learn a thing or two about what it's like to be objectified by their peers on a daily basis and what it does to a person.

I loved Sid's voice.  She's quirky and sarcastic and, eventually, pretty honest with herself.  Sid's in denial for the better part of the novel, but not in complete denial.  Every once in awhile, she lets the psychotic part of her brain (her words, not mine) slip and admit to the rational part of her brain that she's not dealing with this well.  She realizes that she has an eating disorder, that she might need counseling, and that she should tell someone what was done to her.  And yet she remains silent.

Even though her friends have turned their backs on her and she's been kicked off the cheerleading squad, there's still a bright spot in all of this.  Sid ends up in the AV room with Corey, which she has severe reservations about because of his reputation as a total slacker/stoner type.  But they eventually become friends.  And then more than friends, and as Corey proves again and again why he is one of the best-written love interests I've ever read in a YA novel, Sid falls hard for him and puts aside all of her previous prejudices as she discovers who Corey really is.

This novel is so multi-faceted, so jaw-dropping realistic and true to life.  I gasped in shock.  I blubbered and read through tears.  And I cracked up because Sid is seriously funny when she's feeling up to it.  I wish I could unread this book so I could experience it all over again for the first time.  Yes, it's sad.  Yes, it's dealing with tough subject matter that deserves some serious attention.  But I wouldn't have it any other way because this book is as real as it gets.  And the author deserves kudos for going above and beyond and writing such a tragic yet beautiful story featuring real characters dealing with real life in a less than perfect way, but dealing with it all the same.  This is a book that I definitely want my daughter to read when she's ready.  I hope it touches her the way it did me.

Favorite quotes:

"I spend the whole day shoveling.  First the driveway, then the sidewalk, then the neighbor's porch.  Every two hours, the snow is back.  The menial nature of the job is a relief from having to think too much, and I enjoy the backbreaking pain of it.  I look over at Mr. Snowblower three doors down and stifle the urge to yell "Hey, pussaaay!  That all ya got?"

"Far southwest corner.  He's over there.  With her.  Don't point."
I scan the yard.  The crowd is getting bigger by the second.
"Southwest corner?  I'm not a park ranger, Kirsten.  You mean by the hot tubs?"
"No. By the fire.  Sitting on the picnic table."

"And I never thought I'd ever be sitting here with you like this.  In my wildest dreams I never dreamed it.  I sat in that AV room for eight weeks, watching Deadwood so I wouldn't have to look at you, so that I wouldn't grab you and kiss you and thank you for getting me through something that was really, really awful.  I would watch you out of the corner of my eye, though.  God, I wanted to kiss you so bad it hurt.  I've always, always thought you were beautiful, Sid.  Always."

Rating: 

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Labels: arc tour reviews, colleen clayton, contemporary, dac 2012, hachette, reviews, southern book bloggers, tough subject, what happens next

Teaser Tuesday #30: What Happens Next

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser comes from the following book:

Title:  What Happens Next
Author:  Colleen Clayton
Series:  stand-alone
Publisher:  Poppy
Publication Date:  October 9, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tour
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.

My teaser:

"We are no longer Former Cheerleader Turned Gingerbitch Slut and Drug Dealer Turned AV Shop Rat.  Now, we are Sid and Corey, official human beings, guests at a farewell pastry party, breaking bread, and In This Together Now.  We are two people who actually have some things in common and could possibly even be (gak!) friends." -- p. 131 of ARC

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to get my hands on this book.  I stalked the ARC tour page to see where it was headed next and when I was going to get it.  Sure, I could have bought my own copy by now, but the anticipation is undoubtedly going to be worth it.  I just know it.  =)  I already love what I've read.  It's a tough subject, but the writing is brills!

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Labels: colleen clayton, contemporary, dac 2012, southern book bloggers, teaser tuesday, tough subject, what happens next

Review: Venom by Fiona Paul

Title:  Venom
Author:  Fiona Paul
Series:  Secrets of the Eternal Rose, book #1
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Date:  October 30, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tours
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

Venom started out as a very difficult read for me.  If it hadn’t been for a slew of reviews raving about this book, I might not have felt compelled to finish it, even if I did request it on an ARC tour.  But I am nothing, if not determined, and so I forged on…and I was handsomely rewarded with a tale of mystery, romance, and intrigue that twisted and turned more than a corkscrew.

The hardest part of this story for me, aside from the pacing in the very beginning, was the speech patterns of the main character.  I love historical fiction, and I knew Venom was set in Renaissance Italy; the research the author did on that front shines through.  Even the behaviors remarked upon in the book seemed relative to the time period.  It was simply the dialogue (mostly between Cass and Falco) and Cass’s own inner monologue that did not seem cohesive to the Renaissance era.  It just didn’t seem formal enough, especially considering Cass is a member of nobility, and maybe it has something to do with the fact that Falco is not.  But maybe I’m also expecting too much because I recently read My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, and though that was a fluffier read than Venom, it grabbed my attention from the very beginning and really made me feel as if I were walking the streets of Renaissance Italy as I read.

Cass was not my ideal protagonist, either.  She wants her independence, her freedom to choose who she loves and where she goes, but her efforts are thwarted time and again by her stodgy aunt or her maidservant.  But even with a murderer on the loose, Cass constantly puts herself at risk to seek the answers she so desperately craves regarding her friend’s missing body, the odd hours Falco keeps, and the many secrets of Senore Dubois and Dottore de Gradi, in addition to actually trying to find the murderer.  Sure, Falco is her near constant companion on her quest for the truth, but even he seems dangerous.  And she’s putting others’ well-being at risk with her endeavors, including the maidservants who are covering for her in her absence.  I guess my biggest problem with Cass’s character is her faltering sense of honor.

It would be careless of me not to mention that there is a love triangle in this novel, though it isn’t truly present until much closer to the end of the book.  Falco is that cocky, arrogant, enigmatic son-of-a-bleep that you don’t want to fall for, that you try your hardest not to fall for, and then what do you do?  You fall for him.  Well, most girls will anyway.  He was definitely swoon-worthy, but I’m faithful to a fault.  And distrustful as all get out.  Why was Cass seeking out Falco for secret, steamy moments when she’s engaged to the doggedly faithful Luca?  Even if she doesn’t love him and it’s only an arranged marriage, there was such a thing as honor back in those days.  Sure, the gallivanting behind Luca’s back is more fun to read about, but for shame, Cass.  For shame.  But, and this is a small concession, I never truly trusted Luca either.  For all of his undying faithfulness, his character isn’t as straightforward as he’d like everyone else to believe.  But this book is built upon secrets and lies and seduction, after all, and where would the fun be if both male points of this love triangle were the perfect guy?

As I was reading this story, I was fully prepared to rate it at three stars.  It was simply an "okay' read for me.  But then the proverbial stink hit the fan, if you know what I mean.  Another murder.  Luca comes home.  Mada's wedding.  And once that pacing picked up, it did not slow down.  And as sure as I was that I had everything all figured out, every piece of the puzzle where it belonged, I was thrown off course again and again.  Not many books come across my reading pile that can throw a serious curveball that I don't see coming, but Venom managed to do just that.  Fiona Paul is a whiz at misdirection, in addition to her ability to create such a picturesque setting.  The open ending left me a little wanting, but I'll definitely be picking up future installments in this series because I am sooo curious about the Order of the Eternal Rose.  I just know the story behind that will keep me glued to the pages!

Favorite Quotes:

"How terrible it must be to be a member of the noble class. So many rules. Such restraint. You must feel like a caged bird, battering its wings against the sides of its golden prison."

“Cass felt torn in two, like the sky split by lightning. One side guilty. One side wanting. She froze, statue-still, as Falco’s lips brushed against her earlobe and then moved down and across her jawbone. His mouth hovered in the air, a parchment width away from hers. Eternities came and went.”

"I know you want this as much as I do," he said. "You aren't going to report me. And even if you did, I'm inclined to think a night with you might well be worth imprisonment."

“Everyone else was apologizing to God for their sins, and here she was dreaming up some new ones.”

“He described marriage as much like a cage full of birds, where the unmarried struggle to get in and the married struggle to get out.”

Rating: 

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Labels: arc tour reviews, dac 2012, fiona paul, historical fiction, murder mystery, penguin, reviews, secrets of the eternal rose, southern book bloggers

Teaser Tuesday #27: Venom by Fiona Paul

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser comes from the following book:

Title:  Venom
Author:  Fiona Paul
Series:  Secrets of the Eternal Rose, book #1
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Date:  October 30, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tours
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

My teaser:

    "Cas felt torn in two, like the sky split by lightning.  One side guilty.  One side wanting.  She froze, statue-still, as Falco's lips brushed against her earlobe and then moved down and across her jawbone.  His mouth hovered in the air, a parchment width away from hers.  Eternities came and went.
    Slowly, Cass tilted her lips to meet his."  -- p. 187 of ARC

*fans self* Whew!  I sense some major chemistry!  Too bad she's already engaged to some bookish type.  :(  It's taken me a bit to get into this novel because the dialogue doesn't really fit the time period, but the murder mystery aspect is compelling.  And obviously the romance is off to a great start.  :P

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Labels: dac 2012, fiona paul, historical fiction, murder mystery, penguin, secrets of the eternal rose, southern book bloggers, teaser tuesday

Review: Winter White by Jen Calonita

Title:  Winter White
Author:  Jen Calonita
Series:  Belles #2
Publisher:  Poppy
Publication Date:  October 9, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tours
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe are still reeling from the revelation that they share more than just the roof over their heads. The media has pounced on their story and the girls are caught up in a flurry of talk-show appearances and newspaper interviews. They've put on a happy public face, but someone is leaking their true feelings to the press, and while it seems like the world is watching their every move, at least they have each other.

But with cotillion season right around the corner, Izzie and Mira have barely had time to process their newfound sisterhood. Mira has dreamed of making her debut in a gorgeous white gown forever-now, if only she could find an escort. Izzie, meanwhile, is still struggling to find her place in Emerald Cove and it's seeming ever more impossible with EC mean-girls, young and old, doing their best to keep her down. As cotillion preparations heat up, though, there are dance steps to learn, manners to perfect... and secret initiations to complete? As if sophomore year wasn't hard enough!

It's time for the gowns to go on and the gloves to come off.

I was really hoping Winter White would redeem the Belles series for me.  But it’s books like these that had me believing for so long that I wouldn’t ever enjoy a contemporary novel.  Sure, I now know that isn’t true, that there are some really superb YA contemporary novels to be had.  I’ve even reviewed some of them here.  But the Belles series simply continues to fall short for me.

First of all, it feels like these books lay on the Southern drawl just a tad too much.  I’m from Texas.  We have a bit of twang and drawl in our regional dialect, but there are only a few of us who sound anything remotely similar to the characters in these books.  I thought that maybe it was a fluke with Belles because I listened to the audio for that novel, but it’s still ever-present in Winter White and therefore not the product of whimsical narration on the audiobook.  It was cute at first, but after awhile, it begins to wear on one’s soul.

Also, I understand that these girls lead privileged lives and money is no matter, etc., etc.  But all of the brand name-dropping and product shilling is reminiscent of the House of Night series, and it’s just too much.  I read the first book in that series and the first chapter of the second book before I called it quits.  So, I guess that says something for the Belles books…that even though so much of the story perturbed me, I was able to read till the end of the second novel and not throw the book across the room.

So, on to the actual story.  It mostly focuses on the family’s troubles after the revelations at the end of Belles and how it all affects their father’s campaign and vice versa.  I think what troubled me the most was the fact that what Bill Monroe did, what information he withheld from the family, he did so at the behest of his imprudent campaign manager and out of his own misguided belief that he was doing the right thing.  And yet the girls simply can’t forgive him.  He’s been a pretty great father and uncle up to this point, and yet they just can’t let it go, can’t see it from his perspective.  Ah, to be an arrogant, selfish teenager again.  Well, I guess when I look at it like that, maybe the author did get that particular outlook correct.

I wanted to read Winter White because Belles left me curious at the end.  But just like Belles, Winter White was terribly predictable.  I had already anticipated the twist and how it would all turn out by the time I was a third of the way into the book.  And just like in Belles, just as everything seems to be wrapping up nicely at the end…blammo!  There are a couple of curveballs thrown in the last chapter, just enough to make you curious for the next installment.

There’s quite a bit more I could say, most of it of a derogatory nature, but I don’t want to rag on this novel any more than I have since I know plenty of people who enjoy this type of book.  Pretty much, this book wasn’t for me, but it might be more your style.  Regardless, I contemplated giving this novel only two stars, but the fact that I still kinda want to read more (assuming there is another book -- couldn’t find anything on Goodreads or on the author’s website) of Izzie and Mira’s story forced me to tack on another star.  Damn my curiosity!

Rating: 

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Labels: arc tour reviews, belles, contemporary, hachette, jen calonita, reviews, southern book bloggers

Review: This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  This is Not a Test
Author:  Courtney Summers
Series:  n/a
Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date:  June 19, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

I don’t know if I can adequately explain how brilliant this book is, but I’ll give it a try.  I knew better than to expect an average zombie novel, based on the buzz This is Not a Test was already getting before I picked it up.  What I did not expect was how the book would affect me personally.  I finished reading this book almost a week ago, and I’m still dwelling on it, trying to collect my thoughts.  But I’ll try to keep this short and spoiler-free.

This is Not a Test was poignant, sad, disturbing…the end-of-the-world at its most real.  It was about the aftermath, not the before, not the cause.  This story is about what remains when the world collapses around you.  How you survive.  How you cope…or don’t.  It’s about six kids who become unlikely allies (or enemies in some cases).  The story follows these kids, through the eyes of Sloane, and it shows us just how little we know the people in our lives. This novel is full of deep characters with consciences but questionable morals, and they’re all trying to survive as best they can. 

This book was so raw and it felt so authentic.  So much so that it makes one wonder if Courtney Summers survived the zombie apocalypse in a former life.  It may not be a full-on zombie novel, but I still don’t recommend it if you’re squeamish.  The zombies ARE scary as hell when they’re around, but you don’t see much of them for the majority of the novel.  The threat of the walking dead is enough to be scary, in and of itself.  But what makes this story truly revolting is the choices that have to be made.  How do you kill someone who is infected but not yet turned?  How could that NOT affect you?  How do you go on living when everyone you knew and cared for is dead and gone?  The dilemmas faced in this book were far more terrifying than the zombies…at least until the kids are faced with the zombies once again.  Then all bets are off.

The author has created such a realistic portrayal of human behavior in the aftermath of an apocalyptic nightmare.  I fully expect to still be thinking about this one for weeks.  It's definitely not for the faint of heart.  This was my first Courtney Summers novel, though I have Fall for Anything on my shelf, but after This is Not a Test, I want to read everything she's ever written or even thought about writing.

Rating: 

Book-A-Likes:  The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

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Labels: arc tour reviews, contemporary, courtney summers, favorites, macmillan, must-read, post-apocalyptic, reviews, southern book bloggers, zombies

Teaser Tuesday #10: This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser comes from the following book:

Title:  This is Not a Test
Author:  Courtney Summers
Series:  n/a
Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date:  June 19, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

My teaser:

"Baxter studies us.  I'm hoping for something but I don't know what it is.  I want him to handle it the right way.  I want him to make it easier on all of us.  In a way, he does.
He does the most condemnable thing ever.
He tries to run." -- p. 177 of ARC

I actually just finished this one last night, guys, but it SLAYED me.  So raw.  So sad.  Such a realistic portrayal of human behavior in the aftermath of an apocalyptic nightmare.  I fully expect to still be thinking about this one for weeks.  It's definitely not for the faint of heart.

This was my first Courtney Summers novel, though I have Fall for Anything on my shelf, but after This is Not a Test, I want to read everything she's ever written or even thought about writing.  I'll be posting my full review in the very near future.

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Labels: contemporary, courtney summers, macmillan, must-read, post-apocalyptic, southern book bloggers, teaser tuesday, zombies

In My Mailbox #34

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.

For Review:

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers, courtesy of SBB ARC Tours
Sovereign Hope by Frankie Rose, thanks to the author
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard, thanks to the publisher

That's it.  Another week without requesting a Netgalley title.  I am proud of myself.  But I can't promise it will last too much longer.  I'm feeling the itch.  *insert delirious laughter here*

What'd you find in your mailbox this week?

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Labels: in my mailbox (imm), southern book bloggers

Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  Hemlock
Author:  Kathleen Peacock
Series:  1st book in the Hemlock trilogy
Publisher:  Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date:  May 8, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

Hemlock isn’t your average werewolf story.  In this book, the existence of werewolves is common knowledge, though the creatures are still feared, as one might expect.  These werewolves are not mythical but exist because of the spread of Lupine Syndrome.  And once a person is discovered to have contracted LS, they are shipped off to internment camps and never heard from again.  The ones who aren’t caught either hide what they are, or they wreak havoc on the humans, further spreading the disease.

I wasn’t immediately grabbed by this book.  I found the first 100 pages or so very tedious, and if I hadn’t received this book for review through an ARC tour, I might have given up on it at that point.  I’m glad I didn’t, though.  It wasn’t the best werewolf-based novel I’ve read, but its unique storyline intrigued me, and once I got past all the angsty, hormonal stuff, the pacing picked up and I was able to enjoy the book.

Unfortunately, Hemlock does stumble into a lot of the plot pitfalls that so many YA novels seem destined for:  a love triangle, cringe-worthy dialogue (at one point, one of the bad guys calls a werewolf sympathizer a “twerp”), and  another case of the love interest running away from the heroine in order to protect her.  Toward the end of the book, when things have hit the proverbial fan, Mac thinks to herself, “It was official:  my life belonged on the CW,” and I couldn’t help thinking how apt her observation was.  Normally, I really dislike those kind of pop-culture references, but in this case, I really could see Hemlock being made into a series on that network.  And I’d watch it, too.

Speaking of the CW…anyone remember Veronica Mars?  I loved that show.  I still watch it in re-runs.  This book reminded me a lot of that show, with Mac super-sleuthing it up, trying to figure out who really murdered her best friend.  I mean, that’s exactly how the show started off:  murdered best friend, killer on the loose, cute girl trying to solve the mystery.  But that’s not the reason I bring it up.  If you remember Veronica Mars, you probably also remember that yummy on-again, off-again boyfriend of hers, one Logan Echolls.  I liked all of the characters in Hemlock well-enough, but I felt like I already knew Jason, the murdered best friend’s boyfriend.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that this character felt so familiar because I’d seen him before…in the form of Logan on VM.  Let’s do a little comparison for demonstration purposes:

Logan Echolls	Jason Sheffield
wealthy son of a famous actor	wealthy son of one of the most powerful man in Hemlock
attractive and cocky	attractive and cocky
murdered girlfriend	murdered girlfriend
hooks up with murdered gf’s best friend, after the fact	declares his feelings for best friend of murdered girlfriend, after the fact
wannabe bad boy	wannabe bad boy
drinks a lot	drinks a lot
always looking for a fight	always looking for a fight
played by Jason Dohring	named Jason

The resemblance is startling, no?  Not that I’m really complaining.  It just seemed so glaringly obvious where the author drew some of her inspiration from.  Just as obvious to me was who the killer was.  Almost as soon as the character was introduced, my hackles were raised.  I found the story to be rather predictable, but that fact didn’t keep it from being entertaining.

If you proceed with caution and don’t expect to be completely wowed by Hemlock, I think you’ll end up pleasantly surprised.  The story covered all the bases:  romance, humor, action, and mystery with a little violence and heartbreak thrown in for good measure.  There’s no cliffhanger, but the ending definitely left me curious enough to pick up the next installment.  Final verdict:  not half bad for this author’s debut.

Rating:  1/2

Book-A-Likes:  Slide by Jill Hathaway, the Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer

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Labels: arc tour reviews, harper-collins, hemlock, kathleen peacock, murder mystery, reviews, southern book bloggers, veronica mars, werewolves

In My Mailbox #33

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.

Not too much this week.  I'm trying to be good.  LOL.  I was able to go without requesting a Netgalley title for an entire week, so I consider that an accomplishment.  :P

For Review:

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock, courtesy of Southern Book Blogger ARC tours

Purchased:

Easy by Tammara Webber, ebook for $3.99

The Calling (Darkness Rising #2) by Kelley Armstrong, audiobook

 

And that's my haul this week.  Nothing impressive, but I'm excited about these books, regardless.  I've wanted to read Hemlock and Easy since I first heard about them.  And I just finished up the first book in Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising series on audio yesterday, so of course I had to download the audio for the sequel.  I usually wait till an entire series is available on audio before starting it, but I got the first book in an Audible sale a little while back and couldn't resist starting it this week in my downtime at work.

Now I want to see what books you got your hands on this week.  You know the drill.  :)

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Labels: audiobooks, ebook deals, in my mailbox (imm), southern book bloggers