Judging a Book By Its Cover #15: A Kid's Perspective on The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

Okay, so I totally stole this idea from Sara at Forever 17 Books, who got the idea from an article on Babble called Judging a Book by Its Cover: A 6-year-old Guesses What Classic Novels Are All About.  I just discovered her lovely segment, and I immediately requested forced my own four-year-old daughter Katie to provide me with some of her own cover art artwork and then asked her what she thought the book was about.



This week, Katie gave me her take on the following book:

"It's about a girl picking up a button with a happy heart on it and there was magic that made it come to her."

Cover Art

The Boyfriend App as envisioned by Katiebug

Katie was drawn to the "happy heart" on the cover when she saw this ARC sitting on my desk, but I just like the simplicity of it.  I don't think there's any magic in this book, not the real kind, anyway, but I love that she thinks pretty much everything I read contains magic.  But we are talking about the kid who turns everything into a wand.  =)

Have you read this book?  What do you think of Katie's guess at the premise?  Did your little darling create a work of art based on a book this week? If so, be sure to link up with Sara over at Forever 17 Books.

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Labels: contemporary, cover art, judging a book by its cover, katiebug, the boyfriend app

Review: City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

Title: City of a Thousand Dolls
Author: Miriam Forster
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

I am going to be completely honest here.  The sole reason I added this book to my TBR was because of that exquisite cover.  It's so reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood movies ever that I knew I'd read it, no matter what it was really about.  But with a gorgeous cover like that, there's little chance the book will be a big ole fail, right?


The story wasn't a failure...not really.  It only failed at being the epic fantasy novel indicated by the cover, and the author even admits as much in her acknowledgements at the end of the book.  Even the book trailer makes this book seem infinitely more epic than it is.  But despite the fact that the novel didn't quite live up to the amazing cover, I still found it relatively engaging, full of murder and intrigue.  However, the rather slow pacing and the not-so-mysterious mystery both left something wanting.

Nisha is an orphan, as are all the girls in the City of a Thousand Dolls, henceforth known as the City in this review.  But somehow, Nisha is different.  Unlike the rest of the girls in the City, she is not trained for a specific house, to be purchased by the highest bidder at the Redeeming.  Nisha learns what she can from a couple of the houses, including wielding a weapon and dancing, but what she excels in is collecting secrets for Matron, head of the City.  She is already not very popular with the other girls, but this skill leaves her even less so.

Her only true companions are the cats that follow her around the City and speak to her in her mind.  At first, I was afraid that the presence of these feline friends was going to annoy me, but the spotted cats actually ended up being one of my favorite aspects.  The murder mystery and the romance both took a backseat to these creatures who seemed to know way more than they were letting on.

This is a book full of secrets, just waiting to be uncovered.  Sadly, though, by the time Tac made his first appearance -- could that subplot have been any more glaringly obvious? -- I had every secret and mystery sorted out and compartmentalized until nothing surprised me anymore.  All of the deceptions and trickery were very obvious and not at all subtle, at least not to this avid reader.  Had I not been able to guess literally every element of the ending ahead of time, this might have been an even more enjoyable read.

As it stands, I liked it.  I wouldn't recommend it to those who get bored easily or who are expecting high-action fantasy.  But if you love a multi-layered plot full of mystery and intrigue, or if you just love cats, this might be a good fit for you.  I'm definitely interested enough in the characters and the storyline to continue it should this turn into a series, but I'm also happy with the material presented and the way it ended.  I'm game either way.

Rating: 

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Labels: book trailers, city of a thousand dolls, fantasy, harper-collins, miriam forster, reviews

YA Paranormal Giveaway Hop {US}

Young Adult Paranormal Giveaway Hop

February 21st - 27th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

Co - hosted by YA Between the Lines

**Featuring Young Adult Books with Paranormal Elements**

I have so many books I'll never get to read, the books I'm including in this giveaway included, so I've started making a stack of the ones that I am less likely to read.  There is nothing wrong with these books.  I just believe that they deserve a better home than I've given them.  Namely, I hope they go to a place where they will be read and loved, not sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

Here are the books I've decided to find new homes for, under the guise of the YA Paranormal Giveaway Hop:

ARC of The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
ARC of After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel

Rules:

• This giveaway is US only, sorry.  But I do have other international giveaways going on now and planned for the near future.
• One entry per household.
• All entries will be verified.  Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant.
• Winner will be notified via email.  Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected.  Please check your SPAM folders!
• I am not responsible for lost packages.

And now on to the fun stuff!  You only have to follow my blog to enter, but all other entries/follows are appreciated!  :D

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now that you've entered here, be sure to check out the 150+ giveaway stops on this blog hop:



Thanks for entering & happy reading!

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Labels: giveaway hops, giveaways, paranormal

Waiting on Wednesday: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...

Title: The Book of Broken Hearts
Author: Sarah Ockler
Series: n/a
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 21, 2013

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Why I'm waiting:  I'm on a bit of a contemporary kick lately, and this book sounds awesome.  I mean, c'mon....there are definitely going to be consequences to swearing an oath not to date a certain boy or boys.  ;) Regretfully, I haven't read anything by this author to-date, but I do have Bittersweet on my shelf.  It sounds equally as cute, so while I'm waiting on this book to release, I'm hoping I can play a bit of catch up and finally get to Bittersweet.

What are you waiting on this week?  Feel free to share it in the comments or leave a link so I can stop by!

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Labels: contemporary, sarah ockler, simon schuster, the book of broken hearts, waiting on wednesday (wow)

{Audiobook} Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Title: Article 5
Author: Kristen Simmons
Narrator: Jenny Ikeda
Series: Article 5, book #1
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: February 10, 2012
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

I managed to avoid reading this when it first released last year.  It's not that I wasn't interested in reading Article 5...I'd just had enough dystopians at that point and didn't want to add yet another to my TBR.  Well, technically, I did add it to my TBR shelf on Goodreads, but not my physical shelf, so it wasn't something I had to read at that point.  But I knew Breaking Point was releasing soon, so I snatched up the audio a month or two ago.  And still it sat on my phone, not being listened to.

I even started it a couple of weeks ago, but other audiobooks soon captured my attention (Scarlet and Unravel Me, I'm looking at you) and it took me a bit to get back to this one.  And even once I got back into this world, I never felt fully invested in it.  If it was ever mentioned why the world was in this state, why it ever became acceptable for the government to enact Moral Statutes determining who was moral and who wasn't, thereby deciding who was fit to be a regular citizen and who should be punished for immorality, I don't remember it.

It also doesn't help that I detested Ember as the protagonist.  She reminded me so much of Eve from the series of the same name by Anna Carey, always making terrible judgment calls and constantly in need of rescue because of it.  Ember was always jumping to conclusions, and she never gave Chase a chance to explain, let alone wonder if he even had anything to explain.  It was always about her and finding her mother, with no regard for what Chase or anyone else may have given up for her in the process.  This type of selfish heroine makes me want to pull my hair out and can completely ruin a book for me if given the opportunity.

Luckily, there were other characters in this story who did take the time to think beyond themselves and their own wants and desires, those who saw the bigger picture and wanted their existence to mean more.  It's characters like Chase and Shawn and Rebecca that were the saving grace of this novel.  Chase was by no means my favorite love interest, but he had his moments.  And Shawn and Rebecca were but bit players, but that was quite the steamrolling they took for Ember.

I'm kind of fascinated by books like this.  I didn't love or even particularly like the story, but I know my curiosity will get the best of me, and I will still end up picking up the next book in the series, as I've continued to do with the Eve series.  Morbid curiosity, maybe, but I can't help myself.  I just have to know how it's going to turn out.  It's kind of like my inability to DNF a book.  Sure, it may take me awhile, but I will get the job done eventually.  And I may not have the best things to say about it, but dammit, I finished!

I usually really enjoy any book narrated by Jennifer Ikeda, but even she couldn't completely save this one for me.  I hate to make the comparison yet again, but it's like how even Tavia Gilbert, who I love as a narrator, couldn't save the Eve audiobooks for me.  I guess I shouldn't expect a story that isn't resonating with me to be any better simply because of the narrator, though.

Yes, I'll probably listen to the audio for Breaking Point whenever it's released, but I'm definitely not nearly as excited about it as I was prior to listening to Article 5.  Based on all the great reviews from friends, I guess my expectations were just greater than they maybe should have been.  At least with Breaking Point, I can take that into account and enjoy the book for what it is instead of what I've been told it is.

Favorite Quotes:  

“He was my anchor in the hurricane, yet at the same time, the hurricane itself, so that I nearly always felt safe and afraid simultaneously. There was nothing in the world as confusing and powerful as being close to him.”

“You married me while I was sleeping?”  I asked in amazement. They sky was beginning to bruise with the purple haze, and in it, I could see Chase's face glow a little deeper copper.
“You hit me for kissing you. It seemed in my best interest to marry you while you were passed out.” 


Rating: 

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Labels: article 5, audiobooks, disappointments, dystopian, kristen simmons, reviews, tor teen