The Friday 56 (4)

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.  This is a fun and simple meme, just follow the rules! It's a great way to connect with bloggers and share new or favorite books with them.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Add your name to the link up at Freda's Voice

In honor of Suzanne Johnson's new book coming out on the 21st, this week's Friday 56 comes from the first book in her Sentinels of New Orleans series, Royal Street. 

DJ is a young wizard living in New Orleans with her mentor and protector, Gerry. When Hurricane Katrina storms through, everything is turned on its head and all hell breaks loose. It is up to DJ and her new sexy partner Alex to set things right and prevent a war between good and evil. They are out to protect both the magical world and the delicate reviving New Orleans that is still reeling from the destruction on the hurricane.

"I sat in the Pathfinder on Magazine Street after a junk-food run, drumming my fingers impatiently while stewing over my new position in the Elder's doghouse. After his phone call, Alex had told me Willem Zrakovi was furious at me for summoning Marie Laveau on my own. Then Elder Zrakovi called and told me himself. He was deeply disappointed in my insistence on taking things into my own hands. That stung. 

You'd think the Elders would appreciate knowing a bigger conspiracy might be afoot, one that went beyond a missing sentinel, some voodoo symbols, and an angry pirate. But no. I had disappointed them. Deeply."

I really do love these books and Pirate's Alley (book #4) is looking like it will be really good. Suzanne Johnson is one of my auto-buy authors and I'm looking forward to this next installment. Her characters are sassy, snarky, tough and incredibly sarcastic.

Hopefully I have gotten someone interested in this! Has anybody else read this series? What did you think?

Book Reivew: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season has so much going for it, it's amazing.

Let's start with a warning though and maybe a bit of constructive criticism for the author. There is a lot of information in this book and it is a big amount to process. You will be confused at times. You will feel like you're not getting all of the information but I assure you, all the terms aren't especially important and you'll be fine. At the beginning of the book, there are a couple of pages that help as far as terms and hierarchy goes and a map. Unfortunately, these are very small and hard to read. It would be awesome if there was a printout available for these so I don't have to keep flipping around in my kindle!

I tried to find a hi-res image of the information pages but was unable to. I am a big fan of maps and spreadsheets and it will not harm the success of the book if one is put out. Hell, it could probably be a marketing tool. It would even encourage a more in depth reading if the abilities of each individual person is more easily understood.

I'm not much into post-apocalyptic/dystopian books most of the time. I've gotten burned out on the plot lines where a single girl/guy with special abilities is able to save the whole human race and is regarded as a hero. These characters are rarely humble and largely obnoxious to me. I understand that it wouldn't be interesting to read the story of a normal character just struggling to survive but I wanted a little something different in this book. And it was achieved. 

There is true desperation in these characters and Paige, while she doesn't exactly live a terrible life, knows fear and knows that there are consequences. The people are oppressed in a tangible way and many times, that's missing from these books and I don't know why. It's easy to write about bad things happening to people (at least in my opinion) and I wish more authors would do it.

“Then there was that awful slogan: no safer place. More like no safe place. Not for us.”

Paige is a strong young woman living in what used to be London. Now it's controlled by Scion and she makes a living in the criminal underworld, working form Jaxon Hall (also known as Jax) and gathering information. This information keeps her and her friends safe from enemies and the controlling government that determined to wipe her kind out.

She isn't a mind reader but she can break into peoples' dreams and steal their thoughts. She isn't supposed to exist and keeps her life a secret from her family. But she is captured and taken to Oxford, a place that isn't supposed to exist anymore, and held captive by a race of super beings. Her new Master is a Rephaite called Warden who she is beholden to obey while he trains her to be a good servant. She is desperate to escape but she knows that in order to do so, she has to learn more about her abilities and the only way to do that is to be patient and suffer for a little while.

Paige is an incredibly relatable character. She thinks that she is all that and a bag of chips at the beginning.


Jax has been blowing hot air up her skirt for years. Sure, he pushes her to do more but she sees herself as a special snowflake that deserves to be protected. Paige has weaknesses, like needing life support in order to use her abilities, but is inherently valuable. But when she gets captured, she realizes that just because you're special doesn't mean you are going to have a better life than everybody else. She is going to have to work for something and more importantly, she is going to be treated like trash by people who should fear her. It's hard going from senior to freshman and she experiences that in a way that is easy to relate to. We've all thought that we were the best at something and then someone comes along and takes that all away from us.

Paige is humbled and that makes this special snowflake (usually a kiss of death) more palatable.

“They'd branded me like some kind of animal.
Lower than an animal.
A number.”

I feel like a lot of Paige's experience could be inspired, at least partially, by the Jews during WWII. She is taken from her home where she was successful and respected and placed in a camp where she is expected to serve her masters and is entirely disposable. She is given a number and a job and expected to do it. There aren't feelings involved. She is a tool and that is all. I feel like this book may have more depth than most YA because of situations like this. It's happened before and it can happen again in history.

The other main character is Warden. Usually, when I read about Wardens, I imagine something between the Warden from Holesand the one in O Brother, Where Art Thou?



I want a sadistic overlord whose word is law. But that isn't this Warden. While he has duties to fulfill and does them with relatively little emotional input, he is not just a one dimensional character and that was wonderful. He puts on a front and while he sees humans as tools, he is also aware of their suffering and does his best to mitigate it in some way.

The fact that he is the ultimate forbidden fruit is nothing to be ignored either.



Warden and Paige aren't allowed to touch skin to skin. Talk about frustration. If I was told I couldn't do something, even if I wasn't inclined to do it in the first place, it would make me want to do it anyways. It's a "Don't touch the button" type thing.

Their relationship isn't insta-love and it takes trust and understanding to build. Paige initially hates him and it isn't just a "I really don't like the popular guy at school because he's a jock and I'm the intellectual one among the sheep here." He has enslaved her. He controls everything about her existence. She isn't supposed to be attracted to this man and it rings a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome. I've seen some reviews say that their relationship wasn't believable but I found myself rooting for them the entire book.

Paige has gone from a somewhat autonomous and respected life among peers to a slave to a man who will not have any contact with her. Imagine going from a normal relationship with others, where casual touching is accepted and friendships are encouraged to a situation where you aren't even allowed to touch skin to skin. It would be a big change and one that would be difficult to get used to.

“No, Paige. I am trying to help you."
"Go to hell."
"I already exist on a level of hell."
"Exist on one that isn't near mine.”

She is fully within her rights to never trust him but Paige realizes that she is not all powerful and has to learn to rely on others, despite really not wanting to.

The Bone Season isn't your typical dystopian love story. It has fantasy elements to it and it isn't just about a girl finding her own strength. It can be compared to The Hunger Games and Divergent easily. But I think Paige is more vulnerable than both Katniss and Tris. She isn't all hard edges and abilities. Paige fails regularly. She has her walls built up but she isn't all hard edges and come backs. She tries to help others and doesn't only do it for selfish reasons. Deaths hit her hard and she feels responsibility.

This book is an overall solid read and I'm looking forward to the next one. It would be a full 5 stars if it weren't for the obnoxious flipping around for information (there's also a glossary in the back) and the dead puppy element of it.

Book Review: Cracked by Eliza Crewe

Lost in a YA wasteland of characters that all think and act alike, where the bad boy is ultimately good and the girl is pining after some unrequited love...there is this book.

Where the girl doesn't give a flying shit about what boys think about her and there is no male love interest to bog things down. Where she is dangerous and nosy, a potentially horrible combination. Where her big secret actually has EFFING CONSEQUENCES and she has to learn how to deal with things from her past quickly and does so without moaning about it.

Ok, first, the cover. How beautiful/crazy looking is that? While it may not have the characters or the setting on it, it is still wonderful to look at. It's great. Not every cover needs to have the almost kissing couple. Not everything needs the heroine with the guns/swords/random weapons standing dramatically against a fiery background. This cover's simplicity works, especially when considering the madness contained within.


Cracked by Eliza Crewe is a breath of fresh air, to say the least. Meda is delightfully twisted. She has depth that you wouldn't expect from someone so bloodthirsty but she has reasons for being the way that she is. She eats souls and she has to kill to feed. The ghosts of the past come to her and beg her for help and she is usually more than happy to oblige. Until one night, Meda finds out that she isn't the only big bad and scary to go bump in the night.

“Samson's tapping feet come closer, but again he pauses and knocks on a door. I don't mind. The pauses make it better. They make me wonder whether he's going to come to me, like the anticipation before a kiss. Will he or won't he? 

But this is not a love story.”

Chi, Jo, and Uriel come to her rescue and they believe her lies about not really knowing what is going on. They take her to exactly where she shouldn't be, an academy filled with people who are trying to rid the world of evil like her. Meda has to hide her true self but that's becoming more and more difficult with the ever observant Jo watching her like a hawk.

Meda learns more and more about her past and what she finds out is shocking. She has to make choices and struggles to know if she is making the right ones.

It's paranormal without the vampires and werewolves. It's creepy and scary without things jumping out of closets. The bad guys are really bad and the good guys are really good and then there's Meda trapped in the middle. There is so much more to this than the YA label gives it credit for. 

The amazing part about this book is that...hell, everything was amazing. But the point I was going for is that it isn't just a one trick pony. This is a book you can read again and again and still get something from it every time. This is the book that is breaking the mold of the YA genre because it is complex enough to give it life but streamlined to the point where you aren't dragging on with meaningless prose. And it's funny.

“I'm pretty sure Jo couldn't talk about the weather without somehow including a threat. Forecast today: cloudy with a chance I'll kick your ass.”

I was laughing out loud reading this. Jo and Meda's relationship is built out of sandpaper and they annoy each other perfectly. They are the friends that never wanted to be friends in the first place but circumstances push them together and they realize that their particular brand of sarcasm and hating each other work well together.


Chi is an interesting character as well. He is loved by all and everybody worships at his feet as the best and brightest. But his focus isn't on everybody else and I think he is one of the few genuine good guys in YA that you end up liking. He is not perfect but Chi is the foil to all of Jo's prickliness.

Then there's Uriel. Oh my goodness, Uriel. I want to pack him up in a little box and take him home with me like a puppy. He has a bit of a hero worship problem but he is just too sweet to be left behind and has good intentions.

Character growth in this book isn't one dimensional. Sometimes (often), with YA books, only the main character learns something from their actions. Their choices either affect their family or the whole effing universe with nothing in between. But all of their relationships and friends are just background noise to their awesomeness in those books. They are the supporting cast and love interests and that's it. The other characters in this book have purpose and grow as well. Chi learns that he isn't all that he is made out to be and has to rely on someone else for a change. Jo has to smooth her quills down and accept the things that she cannot change. Uriel comes to find that hero's can fall and aren't perfect. Their relationships between each other that have been there for years only grow stronger throughout the book and while they may not make the best decisions, they support each other well.

It's good to have a friend that will back up all of your stupid mistakes while calling you an idiot in the process.

Cracked also made me cry. It's such an interesting mix of bloodbath, fighting, sarcasm, helplessness, and heart wrenching sadness. It has a great balance and is one of the few YA books that I can say that wasn't just sad for the sake of being sad. There is purpose behind everything and it is well composed and thought out.

Just go get this book. Do it. Right now. It's worth it. I could sing its praises all day long and not be done with it. I will willingly break my heart over and over every time I read this book, just so I can have the experience of reading it again.

Book Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #2)

Every once in a while, you run into a series or a book that dares to be different in this world of homogeneity, How many young adult books are out there where the problem is self inflicted or menial? How many paranormal books are there that only use worn out worked over cliches that rarely feel like there is something unique happening? I'm personally a little bit sick of vampires, werewolves and demon hunters. I've heard it all before.

The Raven Cycle is a series that is entirely unique in its genre and is beautiful to read.

First, let's start with the cover. I'm drooling over it to be honest. I love that this author puts the characters on her cover and uses them in a recognizable and interesting way. Ronan and Chainsaw are the pivotal players in this book and there they are... Ronan looks absolutely unapproachable and the multiple birds suggest later plot elements. It's wonderful. And the colors are perfect. This is how covers should be done. 

I'm a sucker for books written in the South and this series is no real exception for me.  This book is set in some of the most beautiful country out there. 

Can't you see all of this mystic stuff happening here? Can't you see a family of psychics thriving in this beautiful isolation in the mountains? The Dream Thieves and the other books in the Raven Cycle incorporate the setting in a seamless way, such that you truly believe that the characters are interacting with the landscape and that this town could really exist.

But what really drives this book are the characters. And not just Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah but also the supporting characters. Kavinsky has depth. He has motivation and he has reasons for the way he acts. The same applies for The Gray Man. It gives the characters life outside of the plot and that is what makes them believable, at least for me. 

Secrets and cockroaches-that's what will be left at the end of it all.

Ronan is wonderfully tortured throughout this book. You come to understand his desperation and angst over everything. Ronan is not just some stereotypical hard edged rich young man.  I mean, can you imagine the emotional scarring of not only losing your father but also your mother and your home all together? But he is also gentle, if need be. He isn't all glares and tattoos. The character growth that Ronan goes through in this book is monumental and the reader gets to watch him transform. And his little revelation at the end? Perfect. It doesn't change the character in my eyes but it gives another element of explanation.

And Ronan was everything that was left: molten eyes and a smile made for war.

Adam is another character that shows his stripes in this book. He tries so desperately to be independent but he comes off as whiny sometimes. Sometimes, you have to have someone else to lean on but he sees every favor that someone does for him as a handout. Adam broke away from his family and lives alone in a church. He can't take what he perceives as charity from his rich friends. I can understand that but it is overwhelmingly frustrating when just being a little less proud would benefit him a great deal.

Sometimes Ronan thought Adam was so used to the right way being painful that he doubted any path that didn't come with agony.

 The development of the romance between Blue and Gansey is subtle and perfect in this book. It isn't one of those books where the characters fall in love and everything else, including the plot, disappears in the background. Blue is independent, strong and first and foremost, wants to be friends with the boys.

In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys. 

She acknowledges their flaws and accepts them, just like they accept her and her unconventional family without question. They don't treat her like a girl when they are out and about in the fields and helicopters. She is just as much part of their adventure as they are. Adam and Gansey's relationships with her do not affect her quality of character but rather, enhance it.

I wish you could be kissed, Jane,' he said. 'Because I would beg just one off you. Under all this.' He flailed an arm toward the stars.

And finally, Noah. My favorite out of all of them. He wants so much what he cannot and will not ever have. It's so easy to take being alive for granted but he is their ever present reminder that life is fleeting.  That doesn't stop them from doing stupid things but it at least reminds them that they are indeed mortal. I loved his interaction towards the beginning with Ronan and it actually made me laugh out loud because Ronan would do that. And the way Noah pouts afterwards is absolutely perfect. Noah's interaction with Blue nearly had me in tears because it is so sad and yet so liberating for both of them. Both of them gets to experience something that they otherwise wouldn't and that's bittersweet for both of them.

Come here Noah...let me give you a hug!

There is a subtle humor in this book that doesn't have you laughing uproariously but rather chuckling at the play of words or simplicity of it all. There isn't snark and played out one liners. There is beautiful prose with a thoughtful plot line as well as humor and that's important.

The fantasy elements of this series is so unique that is almost impossible to compare it to other books. Has anybody else encountered something like this? I loved how the ley lines are close to being tangible but one little change in the system makes it so they are disrupted. Adam treats the lines like water where one dam or diversion can cause a massive effect downstream.

It's marvelously well planned out. It's unique. It has strong characters. What more could you want?

I can't stop talking about this book.  This review could go on for pages and pages but I still wouldn't be done with it.  So overall, wonderful.

I can nitpick about the Gray Man and his absolute necessity to the plot but it doesn't take away from the book itself. When you can disagree or dislike a major character but still enjoy the book, that means you are reading something great.

Go out and get this series. Right now. I'll be reading the final book right away because I have to know what happens next. 

Book Review: Vampire Academy

Sometimes, it amazes me how much a book can influence my mood. Some books are able to drag me out of a funk and get me excited about turning the page. Despite whatever crap has gone on that day, I find myself smiling while reading a good book.  I crave those days where I can fully immerse myself in wonderful prose and deep characters. 

Vampire Academy by Rachel Mead felt...shallow.  There was a world but we've seen it before. Yes, there are vampires out there in paranormal books/series. There's no real connection with anything else in this book. It just felt plopped down in the middle of nowhere where the outside world really can't interact. Which I get...but it felt like a cheap way of doing things.

I'm not a big fan of the cover either. That's not to say that simple covers are bad but this feels like a cop out in some ways. I would have liked it with just the letters. I would have liked it with just the girl in the background. But both feels like the artist couldn't make up her mind. And really? Red cover for a vampire book? It's been done. Do something else. 

Rose and Lissa have been on the run for a long time. Running from their pasts and obligations but also running from danger. Rose is desperate to keep Lissa safe, a Moroi vampire who helps sustain the regular population of vampires. When they are finally caught and brought back to their special vampire school, they are expected to catch up and attend classes like normal students. But the threat seems to follow them wherever they go.  Add in boys, forbidden romances and dead things that randomly crop up and you have a recipe for an interesting school year.

The differences between the different vampires was never fully explained, in my opinion. The why aspect of it seemed to be missing. Like the "why should I care" and "what impact does their own classification have on normal humans aka the vast population of the world". I hate it when authors ignore the fact that their books have to exist in a full world, not just a little bubble.  It makes it so there are very few real world consequences for their actions.

Also, what do they do? How do they make money? How can they afford to keep feeders alive and run a school and purchase expensive gifts?  It this like Vampire Knight where everybody is a model and an actress or whatever? Was this explained but only briefly so I found myself not caring?

Lissa was absolutely helpless in all things. She didn't even flail or freak out. She just turns inwards, hurts herself and expects someone to rescue her.  She is the definition of a helpless main character. Lissa is supposed to be protected in all things but why not have a way to protect yourself, besides relying on other people? I mean, most kings and princes in medieval times trained with a sword, even if it was just for show. Give them a gun! Give them poison darts or tasers or something! The Moroi are the epitome of sitting ducks in this series. I can't stand it when people don't even try to take basic cautionary measures to protect themselves. It's the same as not locking your car doors because one of your neighbors might see the thief and tell them to stop.

Rose was a bit more entertaining to read but I found her mostly unrealistic. It's hard work getting into shape and 4 or 5 hours of training each day would be enough to make it so that you are so tired, you can't even get in the shower. 

There was not any of that. You never get used to working out. If you stop getting sore, then you are doing something wrong and you aren't making yourself any stronger. If you are no longer hurting after combat style training, then somebody is going way too easy on you and you aren't learning anything.  Rose also has a reputation of a town bicycle and she acts like it is somebody else's fault in some ways. She never owns up to her past and confronts it.  She just hopes that she can let it die. No wonder there are rumors about them. You have to tackle your history and prove people wrong, not just ignore it when they trash talk you.  It is really hard for me to get on the side of someone that never seems to own up to her mistakes.  It makes her look more childish than she is. 

Christian was the only character that had depth to him.  He has a history and a reason for being the way he is.  I like the idea of an outcast coming to help people and he is a good character for it. He is strong and has good morals, despite his familial problems. I sympathized with him and I wanted him to have more of a role than the girls. 

Dimitri was basically a big hunk of man flesh that played the role of stoic love interest. It's not that I didn't like him, but I've seen him before. I got sick of the "comrade" jokes pretty quickly and he seems like an underdeveloped character that was there out of convenience. "Oh...I need a male complication to throw in!" *hurls a buff Russian man into the plot*

Also, there was no real threat of danger. The Strigoi are never truly scary in any of it and by leaving a significant portion of your population defenseless, the author is telling me that they aren't scary to her either. It's like being scared of tarantulas. Pretty logical in principle, but never an actual problem. 

Maybe I'm not over being a grump and I'm being ridiculous about this.  Maybe I have seen too many books like this. Maybe this is fallout from the Twilight books but this has definitely set me back a few steps when getting over my thing about vampire books. They have to be unique and if they aren't, I find myself being super critical and not liking them at all.

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I went into The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer thinking "Oh, it's just going to be some silly cutesy romance with a little bit of paranormal thrown in for flavor." Boy, was I wrong.

And I loved being wrong! (But just this one time. The family motto is "Seldom Wrong, but Never In Doubt")

I'm completely obsessed with this cover. It's something different and unusual. It shows some of the emotion of the book and the desperation of the book. She seems so close to drowning but he is there to help. It works well contextually and on a artistic level, it is absolutely lovely. This is the photograph that is the highlight of a session. I love how his hands are gripping her like he is afraid to let go. That's Noah for me in a nutshell.

Mara is an awesome protagonist. I can't imagine how traumatic it would be to wake up and find that not only is your best friend dead, but also your boyfriend and your boyfriend's sister. Talk about Survivor's Syndrome. It's amazing that she is as together as she is. She doesn't really inflict her fear on anybody else but rather internalizes to the point that she is about to burst at the seems. Think about it. You are the only one that is left. You are the only one with answers. Their parents would probably be all over you, asking questions and demanding some sort of resolution. Parents these days would probably sue or try to prosecute her for just surviving. That has to be the most stressful thing that an author can imagine.

And then the hallucinations start. And dreams that are more like nightmares. Mara is more than just a silly girl who got hurt. These are real problems.

You see, a lot of the time with YA books, you end up with a stupid conflict. It can be self inflicted or over a boy or whatever but I frequently find that eye rolling is appropriate. Oh, she stole my boyfriend and betrayed me in front of the football team so I called her a slut and now she is trying to get me expelled from school and ruin my chances at college! What.freaking.ever. I hate high school drama. This had none of that and that was cause for celebration!

When the weird stuff starts, Mara thinks that she is being paranoid or simply going insane. These aren't normal dreams or hallucinations and people are dying around her. She imagines bad things happening in horrible graphic ways and the writing frequently gets close to the grotesque. These scenes were wonderfully written in such a style that it is easy to get into the mindset of Mara.

Her mother is the definition of a helicopter parent. Mara can barely sneeze without her mother hovering over her and monitoring just about everything. I once heard a woman like this called a "smother". It would be absolutely exhausting to be that child where you never had a moment's peace but it is so easy to sympathize with the mother who nearly lost her child. I freak out whenever Tara gets a little bit lethargic and take her to the vet. If I had to deal with a child that I had nearly lost, they would probably never be allowed out of my sight. So it's understandable on a parenting level but extremely smothering (to use the word again) for the child. Mara wants to get past it and move on but her mother constantly reinforces that something bad happened.

Moving onto Noah...

Perfect. Book. Boyfriend.

Perfect Noah. Look at those cheekbones!

Not your typical angsty over the top YA male protagonist/love interest. He is a genuinely nice guy who wants to help. Try to find a teenage boy like that these days. If they are nice guys, they get friendzoned in a bad way and they don't have the confidence that Noah has. And that's one of the better things about Noah. He has all of the confidence that you could possibly want in a male protagonist but he is still grounded in reality and isn't a cocky asshole.

He doesn't act like a jerk just to be rude and he is focused on problems other than high school drama. Noah reaches out and actually helps Mara with her problems.

That's been something that seems to happen a lot. Boys don't help problems. They make things worse. (I'm looking at you Twilight) You haven't improved her life. You have made it infinitely more complicated. Books like that make it seem like having a boyfriend or being in a committed relationship is *the* most important thing that can happen to a girl, but it isn't. Those plot lines are overplayed and ridiculous.

But that's not this book. He isn't a perfect human and has his own problems but he isn't just a space filler. He doesn't have flaws just to make him imperfect which is a personal pet peeve. Everybody is screwed up in some way, don't just make a character clumsy and act like that is a character flaw.

And he is just as scared as Mara. His emotions work in the context of the book and his fears are natural. Noah isn't some weird emotionless male protagonist that keeps everything inside just so he can be strong and cold. It is incredibly refreshing to run into a character like him.

The plot line is amazing too. To a certain extent, I saw the twist coming. I sort of expected it and was hoping for it in some ways but it was well written. It felt well thought out and planned. I hate it when books just throw some crap in at the end just to hook you into another book. This was appropriate and it made sense all the way through.

This is a paranormal thriller that doesn't make you sit and reread everything just to get the context. It is a deliberate book with just enough details to get you hooked but not so many that you are wading through infinite info dumps. Things aren't jumping out of closets for cheap thrills and there aren't bones in the backyard that come to life. This really is a well written more psychological thriller type of book.

I struggled to put it down and made sure that I read it thoroughly but I still was able to binge on it without feeling like I was missing significant plot points.

So go read this book. Or save it for Halloween.

Another 5 star book! How rare!

What did y'all think of this one?  Creepy? Awesome? Fun? All of the above?

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Sargent isn't leading what you would call a normal life.  Every year, she goes with her mother to a church yard to watch the soon-to-be-dead file past.  Her mother and all of the people that live in her house have some sort of sixth sense but Blue is outwardly mundane.  She has always been used like an amplifier, hiking up all of the readings that her family does around her but she is otherwise unremarkable.  She has before never seen the dead in these night time visits but this year is different.  A spirit of a boy shows himself to her and speaks to her before disappearing.

All her life, Blue has been told that if she kisses her true love, he will die.  She therefore has removed herself from feeling anything for anybody that isn't in her family.  So when she finds out that this boy that she sees in the church yard is not only alive but also handsome, wealthy and from her town, she finds herself drawn into his world.

Just for reference, this is the sexy ass car

Richard Gansey lives the perfect lifestyle in all appearances.  He goes to a private school where he is surrounded by other boys who live in the same way.  He drives a freaking sexy ass car and his friends are strikingly loyal.  An obsession drives him though and his life is not as simple as it might seem.

Gansey and his friends, Adam, Ronan and Noah, are all searching for something paranormal and Blue might be the one to help them find it.  She helps amplify otherwise subtle paranormal events and once she gets to know the boys, she decides to help them against the wishes of her family.

Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah are all out to find the remains of a long dead king, one who can grant them wishes and bring them power. Adam is a determined scholarship student who hates all of the opulence that his friends are blessed with.  Ronan is all black Irish and a dangerous fighter with a dark personality.  Noah observes quietly and only speaks when necessary.  Gansey is outrageous and persuasive and holds all of them together.

The only problem is that they are not the only ones searching for this king.  And everybody else wants to be the first one to find him.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is absolutely captivating.  Her world building is superb and her characters are all well developed.  So many times, these YA/NA fantasy/paranormal books are all about two characters and their relationship only.  That is not the case with this book.

While there is a lot of emphasis on the relationship between Blue and Gansey, it isn't the only focus.  Their romance is not simple mostly because there is none.  It is a hidden attraction and the readers play this game of "will they or won't they" throughout the entire book.  It isn't insta-love and it is not hot and heavy right from the get go.  It isn't really anything when you think about it and that lack of distinction makes it unique.

Adam, Ronan, Noah and even such characters as Barrington Whelk have personalities and driving forces in their lives.  Nobody is perfect in this.  They are all wonderfully flawed and their flaws make sense.  Adam doesn't like the opulence that surrounds them because he is ashamed that he doesn't have it.  Ronan is angry because of what happened in his past.  Noah has reasons for being the way he is as well and even the bad guys get their place in the spotlight.

This is how good books are written.  I remember that one of the writing rules of Kurt Vonnegut.  Everybody needs something and everything that happens moves the plot forward in a significant way.  Nothing is wasted and the writing is beautiful for that.

If someone was to come up and ask you what this character was doing in the book and why, it would be easy to answer that.  The suspense does not come from the characters' motivations but rather the search for something lost.  I'm sick of books that withhold important character details just to be coy.  The Raven Boys lays it all out flat and makes you accept that these characters are human and will act like regular people with fears and joys that we can connect to.

I honestly cannot wait to read the next book.  I have a few ahead of it that I have to read or finish but it's on my list.  This definitely makes my favorites list and it is one of the only truly suspenseful books that I've read in a while.

If you haven't read it, go out and get it.

Five stars all the way. 

Book Review: Facade: A Vampire Love Story (Immortal Memories #1) by R.M. Webb

Guess who is back! I finally got my computer back from the repair shop. Turns out that the DC jack had basically separated from the battery and they had to order the part and solder everything back together. I'm glad it was an easy fix and not a reason to replace this laptop.

Moving onto a book review! First one in a while and the first one of the New Year.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Facade by R.M. Webb is a great first book from this author.

I usually struggle a lot with vampire books. I think Twilight and that whole fiasco sort of turned me off books that are centered on vampires but this was really well written.

It follows the story of Claire, a young woman who, due to some unfortunate events, can no longer do the one thing she loves most: ballet. Instead, her friends dance while she plays piano for them, never really being able to look up from the keys. She only remembers the last 7 years of her life and she cannot connect with people easily like others seem to.

So Claire puts on a brave face and tries to mimic as best she can. She seemed like she was half a step behind with her reactions to things that normally wouldn't faze people at all. Laughs a little late, takes an extra second to figure out what emotion or reaction she should have. She feels extraordinarily lost and vacant among her friends a lot of the time.

Then, William enters the picture. He is strong. He is demanding. And he knows all about her past and wants to help her in any way that he can. What follows is a whirlwind adventure with revenge, betrayal, lust, love, confusion, and blood. This is not an easy road but it is what it will take to make everything right again.

I felt so sorry for Claire at the beginning. It is difficult to be in her position. I know how it is to watch all your friends do what you love and you are physically unable to participate anymore. It is heartbreaking. It kills you slowly and people will still try to be nice about it but it feels like a huge chunk of you is ripped out.

So she is already feeling lost without dance then add onto that not knowing anything about her past and she is looking at a lot of loneliness. I can't imagine what that must have felt like. Clair is a strong character though and she is remarkably resilient. Her friends don't get how depressed she is and they act like nothing is wrong. Josh is clearly all about her but he doesn't step up and assert himself.

William steps up though and shows her what she truly is. Unfortunately, her best friend Josh gets wrapped up in this whole thing and he suffers the consequences. It was hard not to sympathize with him throughout the book because he friendzoned himself real bad. Poor lamb.
The conflict in this book was compelling as well. There is nothing as juicy as revenge really.
Facade has helped heal this rift I have with vampire books.  I usually find them whiny and over dramatic with that whole prey/predator-but-I-love-you thing. But since this is the story of two vampires who love each other and eventually figure things out, it works better. There is no "I'd die for you but I can't die unless someone really wants to kill me and oh, there is someone that wants to kill me" crap that tends to ruin vampire books.

It was a unique plot line throughout and there were freaking consequences for their actions.  People die. Bad things happen.  And nobody fucking sparkles.

Overall, a solid read.

Book Review: The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden

I read this book a while back but I just reread it, trying to put a bit of a buffer between spending money on new books.  I love to come back to books over and over again, trying to discover new bits and pieces that I missed the first time around.

The Casquette Girls follows the story of a young girl and her father after they return to a decimated New Orleans after what was called "The Storm of the Century". Adele comes back from France where she had been sent in shelter from the storm to live with her estranged mother and snobbish grandmother. Her beloved city has been ripped apart by the storm and amid the recovery, there have been strange happenings and even stranger murders...

"Time after time, I have seen secrets tear people apart."

Look at that cover. Isn't it creepy? I should have read this over Halloween. A significant amount of this book is spent in attics and I believe that's what this cover depicts. It shows a girl that seems to be trapped, looking out into the world beyond. So much about this book is about being stuck and about witnessing events and being powerless. This cover evokes this feeling with the dark negative space in the front, drawing the eye to the "hope" of the light through the cracks.

The Casquette Girls is a mixture of genres in a way. It has a little bit of historical fiction, a good bit of urban fantasy/paranormal and a healthy dose of modern disaster.  It was filled with wonderful world building and unique compelling characters.

Adele sees the destruction and horrors that have wrapped around her city and is struck by the stillness of it all. She keeps saying that she has never heard it so quiet and how eerie it is. The creepiness factor is in the book from day one and it really set the tone. People are dying, the water lines on the houses are high and there is mold everywhere. You go on a tour of the broken New Orleans with Adele and you can truly feel her despair. The South loves the grotesque, the freaks, and the broken souls and this book celebrates them.

I find it interesting that every book that I read about New Orleans, there is this deep unrelenting feeling of possessiveness from the characters.  It is rarely addressed as a city but rather as their home or their city.  There is so much pride when talking about the resilience of the city and all of its culture.  Rarely do you find a book that doesn't celebrate the good aspects of New Orleans while also acknowledging its deep underlying problems as far as infrastructure, government and humidity go.   There is such romance in the city that ties in with poverty, strength and desolation.

Ok, the characters. Adele is, in many ways, a typical teenager.  She is frustrated with her parents, is très désolé over leaving her romance in Paris and is struggling to deal with going to a new school and making new friends.  She speaks French frequently and it honestly made me want to learn French. (I mean, I speak Spanish fairly well but French is such a pretty language. I wish I had studied it in high school.) Her father, Mac, is a typical dad in that he wants to protect his baby girl but he struggles with his parental duties since he also runs a nightclub and is a metal sculptor. Alcohol and hot metal are great for parenting, right? Isaac is somewhat of an enigma.  He initially shows up as sort of an odd bystander as Adele gets her feet underneath her in the beginning of the book but proves to be a loyal and steadfast friend.  And really attractive. Desiree comes off as the typical high school bitch but grows beyond that role quickly. The handsome Italian brothers, Niccolò and Gabriel, are initially the good guys but also change throughout the book.  Nothing is as it seems in this book.

"Every species has their monsters."

The modern market has been inundated with stories where the vampires and other preternatural beings are no more terrifying than a puppy. They may have a hint of danger and show their teeth but you never really feel threatened. These characters are different. They are vengeful and have lived far too long to not be bitter and disenchanted with human lives. They are manipulative and calculating.  Talk about patient hunters. One character seemed to plan his return for decades, not letting his anger get to him.  The hurricane coming through was just the opportunity they needed to burst free and start terrorizing the villagers, so to speak.

Another part that I really enjoyed was that Adele was never really alone in her fight. There was always someone there, even if she hardly knew them, to help. Her new relationships are strong while the old ones seem to fizzle out. Adele definitely grew as a person in a perceptible way throughout the book. She was not the only one that changed as well. It seemed that everybody grew up as they confronted their wrecked home town and the creepy-crawlies that were out to get them.  This book does not have any stagnant main characters.  All of them grow and make progress as the city recovers around them.  In the climax of the book, New Orleans is having its first big celebration of strength and recovery as the main characters flex their muscles for the first time.

Finally, the part that really hooked me with this book and kept me reading was the historical aspect of it. Written like a diary, it captured so much more than flashbacks or secondhand stories or accounts. I had never heard of the casquette girls of New Orleans but it was a wonderful way to introduce history and flavor into the story. It made it so much more than just a modern fantasy story but took it back in time as well and gave it a past.

5/5 stars. I can't wait for the next one to come out.

Book Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #1.5)

I am often drawn to books with broken characters in them.  For me, it emphasizes the idea that we, as humans, have good and bad in us and the distinction comes from how we treat others.  Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi is a novella in the Shatter Me series, in between book 1 and 2.  It focuses on the character of Warner who is the antagonist in the first book.

Another beautiful cover from this author.  The head text fits perfectly.  There is no debate in Warner's mind that he is the one that Juliette will choose in the end and this shows it perfectly.  The eye is closed, showing that he is reflecting internally and not considering the rational suggestions of those around him.  He goes above and beyond what would be normal for an escaped prisoner for Juliette because he feels like they have a connection which is rare, to say the least, for Warner.

This cover reminds me of a friend from college.  She had been out drinking and engaging in other self destructive habits and had basically hit rock bottom.  She came to me with her mascara running down her face, just like how this cover looks, asking for help.  That event looks eerily similar to this image on the cover.

Why it is such a wonderful novella...

This novella delves perfectly into the mind of someone that has been beaten down to the bottom and dragged himself up. Warner is so damaged.  His father has shown up after he was shot by Juliette in her escape. His father is really the root of all of his problems to begin with.  I love that the bad guy in this book is not Warner as we were led to previously believe.

Have you ever seen a tempered glass window shatter?  All of the glass is still there and the window is still standing up in its frame but the cracks in the glass make it impossible to see through.  It is still functional to keep the elements out but it is obviously broken.

That's Warner to me. He reached out to Juliette because he related to her.  He is obsessive, demanding and has a deep need to be in control.  He is a truly pathetic character but he is one that I want to fix and tell him everything will be okay.

I'm on Team Warner now.  I'll go ahead and fangirl about this one because it is so rare for me to sympathize so earnestly with the bad guy.

4.5/4 stars

Book Review: Redemption by Donna Augustine (The Alchemy Series #4)

The grand finale...

One of the reasons that I have mentioned for really liking this series is because it ends.  Sometimes, you read this dystopian stuff and it ends up being a crap ending because nobody knows what to do with the heroes when it is all over.  Should you kill them? Should you have them walk into the sunset?  Redemption is a conclusion and a beginning.  The characters have a lot of work to do in their future but you aren't worried about them anymore.

Let's talk about that cover.

This is the only cover from this series that I didn't like. That's not to say that it isn't a pretty cover but it feels like a cop out. If I were the publisher or writer, I would have had that same blonde model on it but just in a different capacity.  

That tree has a lot to do with the plot of the last book, probably being Burrom's tree. (Even though that was a maple and this one looks distinctly oakey) But that girl has been on all of the others and she could have fit on this one too.  This cover gives no real hints about the 4th book, but rather shows the grayness that I imagine when the post-apocalyptic world is described. It's a good cover. It just doesn't match at all.

Moving on.

I got so angry with Cormac at the beginning of this book.  I mean, he leaves Jo in the middle of this angry impossible world.  But it is true to who he is as a character.  He is willing to sacrifice (and on occasion, force others to sacrifice) for their own good and for the greater good of others.  I believe that he never gave Jo anything she couldn't handle and it forced her to grow up which she desperately needed to do.

Jo was a selfish girl and only really looked out for herself.  She throws grand pity parties and is horribly flawed. She drinks too much. She acts out and has an attitude.  But you know what? Cormac loves her anyways and that is beautiful.

The way I feel about you doesn't come with a set of restrictions. There are no rules that say if you do this or you don't do that, I won't care anymore. This is just an aspect of who you are and I love you for the entirety of you, not for the different pieces I can pull out.

That quote practically makes the book for me.  That's how love is! It isn't instant most of the time and it isn't easy.  You have to take the good and the bad of the person and accept them for who they are. Cormac does that perfectly and it takes Jo a while to wise up.

Cormac is protective and domineering but that's what Jo needs in so many ways.  He is the rock that she doesn't want to lean on. He is strong for her when she is tired of pretending to be Super Woman.

This book isn't, of course, just about their romance.  The Senator has finally mobilized and battle to end things is near.  Jo comes to the realization that something has to give.  A change has to come in order for things to balance out.  She recognizes that she has to be their champion and the one that fights for all of the people that are left.  She takes so much responsibility for what has happened and she is the one that fixes it.

The ending of this book is wonderful as already stated.  It is not a happy ending.  It is not a nice redeemed world wrapped up in a pretty pink bow.  There is still a lot of work to do to repair all of the damage that has been wrought.  But there is peace.  There is a sense of everything being ok.  You get the sense that this is what these characters were created to do.  They weren't created for drama or angst.  They were made to save the world.

So despite the problems that the series has, I still rate it all as 5/5 stars overall.  I'm sad to part with Jo, Cormac and Burrom but I still believe that if the world was to end as we know it, this is how I would want it to go.

Book Review: Shattered by Donna Augustine (The Alchemy Series #3)

Shattered by Donna Augustine is the third installment of the completed Alchemy series.

Chaos, doom and gloom

Jo really loses herself in this book and in many ways, I think she is well within her rights to do so.  She has caused an apocalypse.  Life as we know it is over.  Millions are dead because of her.  I would drink too.

This book shows a slow collapse of a character.  She has to go through a "break me down to build me up" process where she realizes that she cares about other people in her life enough to despair when she ruins everything.  Many other reviews have called her whiny and self serving in this book but I think that she has an appropriate response to what has happened.

People are whiny and horrible.  They play stupid games to get pity and self destruct.  The human reactions in this series is what really makes it for me, despite the occasional sub par writing.  You just want to reach out and shake the characters and knock some sense into them.

Otras personas

More characters are introduced or developed in this book as well.  Burrom is wonderful and hilarious.  He is one of the few that doesn't look at Jo like she is broken, merely like she is going through something necessary.  He asks her for help and shows confidence in her.

Dodd and Buzz grow as well.  They both started off as henchmen and have now developed into real people.  Dodd goes from vain playboy to someone that is willing to sacrifice for those he loves.  Buzz becomes a rock for Jo and Cormac and is always there when he is needed.  He is the perfect employee and friend, in this.

So after everything, I still love this book and will still give it 5/5 stars.  I know it is a short review but hey, what can you do.

Book Review: Keepers & Killers by Donna Augustine (The Alchemy Series #2)

Keepers & Killers is the second book in the Alchemy Series by Donna Augustine.  It picks up a few months after the first book ends and this is where the shit really hits fan.

It starts with another pretty cover, showing Jo again, this time in what I call her "poker outfit".  She has been working at the casino for a few months now and has picked up the habit of gambling with the high rollers.  She makes money by operating a wormhole into the other worlds in the basement of The Lacard which she is now pretty good at, despite her rough start.

The Bad Guy

The character of Senator Core was introduced in the last book but he becomes the real villain in this one.  He is not what he seems on the outside, a classy suave politician and is something much worse.  Nobody knows what though.  I like how the author gives the reader someone to hate.  In the last book, it wasn't exactly as cut and dry since Jo was still learning so much about the world she had been dragged into. Senator Core is the perfect evil man.

He causes a lot of heartache and pain in Jo's life, something that she never thought she would feel again.  She had cut herself off from everyone and pushed Cormac away emphatically but Core manages to cut her deep.  He goes after her past and her old friends and foster families.  Since he can't hurt her physically, he attacks her emotionally.

Moving on

Things escalate quickly, especially after a prophecy from the last book becomes startlingly relevant.  Even then though, Jo and Cormac have time to bicker and ignore the sexual tension between them.

"Are you calling me slow?" "More like idiot savant"

I honestly love the immaturity of it all.  Cormac is above that and is hundreds of years old but he still loves pushing Jo's buttons and she is just as bad.  She insults him, pushes him away, yells at him, insults him some more and yet still finds him incredibly sexy.  He is obviously attracted to her but there is no force behind his affections.  He is controlled and doesn't push her beyond what she can handle and he lets her make her own decisions.

"Between the shooting and now the hitting, I'm starting to harbor some suspicions about what era you people really come from.  Chemists, my ass."

 I mean, he steals her trailer.  He basically imprisons her just to piss her off (and really to watch out for her. He is after all, a good guy.)  Cormac shows that he has a little bit of the gentleman in him and a little bit of the caveman too.  He always seems to be constrained by having to act like he is normal but as Jo points out, he has a somewhat uncivilized manner to him and that is what makes him so strong and intimidating.

Jo grows a lot in this book and I appreciate that this is sort of like a coming of age story inside of a science fiction novel.  She realizes that she is the only person that can really fix what is going on with the wormholes malfunctioning and the weird prophecy about her.  Jo has to come out of the her bunker against other people and accept that she is part of something bigger than herself.  She has a moral responsibility to help.  This growth is necessary because she has to overcome her inclination to avoid feelings and move forward with her relationships, not only with Cormac but also his henchmen, Buzz and Dodd, who become close friends and her old friend, Lacey, who Cormac is using as a weapon against her.  Jo feels her walls crumbling and finally sees that she has to let them fall.

Action and Adventure

Keepers & Killers does not fall to the second book syndrome and takes a massive step forward with the plot.  It almost turns into a horror story by the end when everything starts falling apart.  The characters do not remain in Las Vegas and the readers can see whole scale destruction in a new way.  I frankly haven't read anything like this as far as apocalypses go.  It's a good one.  But this is only the second in the series and the worst is yet to come.  The character building that happens in this book is necessary to support all of the chaos that is to come, foreshadowed by the ending here.

"Welcome to our new universe."

5/5 stars.