Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Title: Altered
Author: Jennifer Rush
Series: Altered, book #1
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 1, 2013
Source: DAC ARC Tours
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Smokin' hot cover ALERT!  Okay, soooo...yeah, maybe that's what got my attention -- props to the pub -- but the premise also intrigued me.  Four boys who don't remember a thing before waking up in an underground lab where they are continually tested and experimented on, without their consent?  Now they've escaped and they're taking Anna with them?  Yeah, count me in for that ride.

What a remarkable debut from Jennifer Rush!  I mean, I expected to like it, what with the action, the chase, and the promise of romance, but I'm kind of blown away with how MUCH I liked it.  Like stayed-up-until-the- wee-hours-of-the-morning-reading-it liked it.  Hot boys are hot boys are hot boys, but when you consider the genetic alterations and the personalities of each boy and then throw in an innocent girl who's been their friend for the duration of their captivity, you get an awesome cast of characters and a group dynamic that almost becomes a character itself.

All of the boys are around 18, though they've all looked 18 since Anna met them five years ago, and they are all beautiful.  Nick is, as one character describes him, "all brass and balls."  He assumes that whatever came before the lab isn't worth remembering, so he doesn't even want to try.  And he is very distrustful of Anna, with seemingly no reason to be.  Cas is the joker of the group, the one who can make light of any situation, and nothing seems to be able to hold his attention for very long...except Anna's cookies.  Trev is Anna's best friend  -- remember, she's very sheltered because of the Branch operations, so these boys are all she knows -- and he has a finesse for remembering things, especially famous quotations.

Sam is the leader of the group.  He is stoic and mild-mannered, but he's caught the attention of Anna.  Anna, who is under the assumption that these boys are being trained as the ultimate soldiers for our country.  Although the boys can't remember anything of their past lives, they seem to know that this is not true.  Without alerting Anna or her father to the plan, the boys formulate a means of escape.  You could feel the urge to leave emanating off of them through the pages, especially Sam, but it caught Anna unawares.

The resulting cat and mouse game between the boys and Anna and the Branch agents is exciting and exhilarating as the boys and Anna race to unlock the secrets of their past before they are apprehended.  But just as they find one answer, more questions are brought to the surface.  As the situation becomes more dire, it becomes evident that they can't trust anyone, maybe not even each other.

This fast-paced thriller kept me glued to the pages, turning them faster and faster as more clues were uncovered.  Some aspects were a tad predictable but for the most part, I found myself surprised time and again as I read.  And although this is the first book in a planned series, it read as a stand-alone and ended on a note that only hinted at future goings-on.  So, you don't have to commit to reading past this first book, but I don't know why you wouldn't want to.  =)

Rating:   1/2

Favorite Quotes:

"An unremarkable green, like river water, his eyes were nothing to look at, but they were something else to be watched with."

"Hope is a waking dream. I let the words echo in my head. The quote reminded me of that feeling you get when you start to wake from a dream you don't want to leave. That crushing sensation in the center of your chest, like you are losing an important piece of yourself you won't ever get back."

"You're the only person I trust. That's not something to waste."

Read More

Labels: altered, arc tour reviews, dac 2013, hachette, jennifer rush, psychological thriller, reviews, sci-fi

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: 

Read More

Labels: arc tour reviews, colleen clayton, contemporary, dac 2012, hachette, reviews, southern book bloggers, 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: 

Read More

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

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: 

Read More

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

Read More

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

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

Read More

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

Review: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  Enchanted
Author:  Alethea Kontis
Series:  n/a
Publisher:  Harcourt Children's Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date:  May 8, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.  

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

I love a good fairy tale retelling as much as the next girl. I enjoy reading fairy tales to my four-year-old daughter, as well, and I’m already stock-piling a few YA/MG titles to read with her when she’s a little older. Enchanted will definitely be going on that pile, probably sooner than most. I say that because it felt like it was written with a younger (or a young-at-heart) audience in mind.

Enchanted was cute and fun and completely harmless. There might be a few moments that are a tad scary for little ones, but when my daughter is capable of reading this book, I assure you I would have no problem giving it to her to read on her own. The romance is sweet and adorable and prudent, but that kind of goes along with the territory. It was shocking in those times to see two young people holding hands, let alone making out. I’m glad this retelling did not stray from those ideals.

My only real issues with this novel were the initial pacing and the sheer number of characters. This was a rather short novel – at least, compared to most I read – at 305 pages and the first 80 pages or so were spent on back-story. Add to that the fact that I practically had to draw a family tree to keep all of the characters straight, and I was a little put out.

However, once I saw how all of the characters fit into the story, it made sense. This wasn’t simply ONE fairy-tale being retold, and so all of the many characters were indeed necessary. I loved seeing how so many of my favorite fairy tales from childhood were brought to new life and incorporated into Kontis’ retelling of The Frog Prince. It was a pleasant surprise revisiting some of my old favorites.

This was a light, fluffy read, and I’d recommend it to anyone who adores fairy tales, retellings, or enjoys returning to some old friends every now and again. I can’t wait till my daughter is old enough to experience this book for herself!

Rating:  1/2
 
Book-A-Likes:  Entwined by Heather Dixon, Beastly by Alex Flinn
 

Read More

Labels: arc tour reviews, book-a-likes, fairy tales, hmh, reviews, southern book bloggers

Review: The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  The Last Echo
Author:  Kimberly Derting
Series:  3rd book in the Body Finder Series
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Publication Date:  April 17, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour

In the end, all that's left is an echo...

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye...

Okay, I’m going to get right to it. If you haven’t read the first two books in The Body Finder series, beware that there may be spoilers ahead for those books. I’ll try not to include spoilers, but I can’t promise that something I don’t think is a spoiler for the other books won’t seem spoilery to you. My apologies in advance. You have been warned. :0)

I won my signed copy of Desires of the Dead from the author herself, but I hadn’t really heard much about the series until that point. Of course, I had to go out and buy the first installment because I’m neurotic and can’t read a series out of order. (I wouldn’t want to, anyway, but that’s beside the point.) Anyway, the books hooked me from the very beginning, so to say that this latest book is my favorite yet should really tell you something.

For one thing, the writing – and the story in general – just gets better with each new book this author releases. (If murder-mysteries aren’t your cup of tea, check out her dystopian series, The Pledge.) The writing isn’t fluffy, but it flows so smoothly and keeps you so enthralled with the story that you don’t have a chance to form any expectations about what’s going to happen next.

But Violet’s unusual gift does leave a lot of room for unpredictable situations. And so does her behavior. Violet has remarkable instincts, but she’s impulsive…always rushing into things, usually without a moment’s hesitation to collect her bearings. But she’s determined, resolute in her need to end the recently departed’s suffering by finding their killers. And now she’s working closely with a secret organization that wants to put her skills to good use.

I was afraid for Jay and Violet’s oh-so-sweet relationship, knowing that Violet would be working closely with Rafe on the cases, especially since there seems to be something electric between them, but I needn’t have worried so much. Admittedly, there is still the potential for a love triangle, but it’s not seedy and off-putting like so many out there. The Last Echo gives the reader a much better view of Rafe than the few short glances we were given of him in Desires of the Dead, and from what I saw, I generally liked the guy. Don’t get me wrong…I still love Jay and hope that things remain carefree and lovey-dovey between him and Vi, but should Violet give Rafe more than a cursory glance and decide to take a chance on him, I wouldn’t be distraught. Rafe is deep and troubled and I honestly believe he needs Violet to make him whole again.

Speaking of troubled, the case in this installment is probably the creepiest Violet’s encountered yet, and she’s seen a lot of weirdness already. This time around, she’s trying to help catch a serial killer called The Girlfriend Collector and prevent him from killing again by determining his next target. But, as per usual, Violet’s involvement in the case has put her directly in the line of sight of the murderer, and if Violet doesn’t figure him out quickly, she may become his next victim.

I love all of the characters in this series, but Derting has a real knack for creating sinister, disturbing villains with well-developed motivations and backgrounds. I love the dual narrative of these novels, as well, switching the perspective from that of Violet to the inner-workings of the killer’s mind. Seeing things through the eyes of a murderer really increases the creep-factor.

Fast-paced and hair-raisingly intense, this novel kept me engrossed and inspired any number of frightening dreams. And I’ll never look at lilac nail polish the same. The author has set the bar high for herself and for the next novel in the series, but I have no doubt she’ll surpass my expectations.

Rating: 
 
Book-A-Likes:  The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, Slide by Jill Hathaway



 

Read More

Labels: arc tour reviews, book trailers, book-a-likes, harper-collins, kimberly derting, reviews, the body finder

Review: Black Heart by Holly Black

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  Black Heart
Author:  Holly Black
Series:  Curse Workers
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry, an imprint of Simon Schuster
Publication Date:  April 3, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

 

I read the first two books in the Curse Workers series on my Nook, but when Random House offered up the audiobook for White Cat for free last year, I couldn’t pass it up. And I loved it. But while I was reading Black Heart, the final (*sniff*) book in the series, I couldn’t help but hear Jesse Eisenberg as Cassel Sharpe in my head. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Honestly, it’s probably more of a reason for you to listen to the audio yourself. ;0) Eisenberg really added a layer of nerdy hotness to the character of Cassel, and after hearing the audio, I saw this character in a whole new light.

Black Heart got off to a bit of a slow start for me, but once those two brothers were back to their conning, manipulative ways, I was back on board. Even though there’s still some animosity between Cassel and Barron because of the events that transpired in Red Glove, they’re still up to their old tricks, and I loved it. I loved seeing them working together again, even if they are both overly suspicious of each other.

I also adore Cassel. He is so self-deprecating and hard on himself, and you just can’t help but hope that he gets his happy ending after all. He may not be taking bets from his classmates at prep school anymore, but he’s definitely still playing the game. He’s just out to catch much bigger fish in this book.

The world of the curse workers is still dark and criminal and, well, creepy, and there is still so much Cassel has to learn, especially with Lila’s mob boss father courting him and his alliance with the Licensed Minority Division. But Cassel’s not stupid. He knows that both sides of the law want him for one thing: the unique nature of the curses he can work. Now he just has to decide which side is the right one for him.

The open-endedness of the novel was perfect and left me wondering if Black might consider writing more to the series one day, but I won’t hold my breath. Even with the hints she dropped, and some of the twists she threw into the story, and even considering the things she left unresolved, I still feel like this book was the best possible way to end this series.

Here’s a quote from p. 179 of the ARC – subject to change, as is the nature with ARCs – that I think just about sums up Cassel. It’s a conversation between Cassel and Daneca, one of his school chums:

   “Maybe it’d help if I put my cards on the table. Tell me what Barron said, and I’ll tell you the honest truth. This is a one time offer.”

   “Because tomorrow you’ll go back to lying?” she asks.

   “I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow. That’s the problem.” Which is one of the truest things I have ever said.


Rating: 

And now a short trailer for your viewing pleasure:



And now here's the part where I get to gripe about the cover makeover the series underwent between books two and three.  I liked the old covers better.  The End.  :0)

Read More

Labels: arc tour reviews, book trailers, cover redesigns, curse workers, holly black, reviews