Month: July 2013

Top Ten Beginning and Ending Lines

Posted July 30, 2013 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 9 Comments

 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at the other blog I write for, The Broke and the Bookish.

I’m a huge fan of amazing sentences. Haha. That sounds so weird, but my two favorite sentences in a book, if done right, are the first one and the last one. I love opening a book and being sucked in immediately, and I love ending a book with an amazingly awesome feeling of closure or a thought-provoking message.

Today, I’m going to select my five favorite beginnings, and my five favorite endings. And don’t worry! I won’t pick spoilery endings. Promise. However, right under my beginnings, you will find a list of the book endings I mention. If you have read them already, don’t care to read them, or don’t mind reading my non-spoilery choices, then keep going! If you’re worried, then just don’t continue reading. This way you don’t have to worry!

Beginnings:

“It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure.”
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

“They called the world beyond the walls of the Pod ‘the Death Shop.'”
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

“My life was a mistake.”
Asunder by Jodi Meadows

“What if Shakespeare had it wrong?”
Just One Day by Gayle Forman

“Locked in darkness that surrounded me like a coffin, I had nothing to distract me from my memories.”
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

 

Ok, I’m giving you the last lines of Shadow and Bone, Lola and the Boy Next Door, Time Between Us, Pandemonium, and Unremembered. Proceed at your own risk!

 

Endings:

“When the tears came, he pulled my close and held me, until there was nothing left but ashes.”
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

“And I hold my head high toward my big entrance, hand in hand with the boy who gave me the moon and the stars.”
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

“And we walk down the beach toward something he’s never seen before.”
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

“Alex.”
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (WHAT!?!?!?!)

“We take one step toward the edge and then, together, we leap.”
Unremembered by Jessica Brody

 

So, what do you think? Link me to your posts, and I’ll come visit! 


Divergent by Veronica Roth (Book Review)

Posted July 26, 2013 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 14 Comments

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Book Review)Divergent by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on February 28, 2012
Genres: Dystopia
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I finally did it, guys! Wooo! Well, I really must credit Daisy with this one because she came up with the awesome idea of reading Divergent together. I rarely give myself the time to read books that I have not been sent for review, so it was a lot of fun to get the chance to read it! It was a bit slow-going for me at first, but I ended up really loving it, and can’t wait to get my hands on Insurgent!

1. I was really worried that Divergent would not live up to the hype. I’ve been hearing about this book for almost two years now, so I was pretty scared of it. Honestly, though, it deserves all the recognition it has gotten! And finally we have a book that does not pale in comparison to The Hunger Games

2. I love Veronia’s storytelling, and her way with words. She has written some beautiful passages and thought-provoking one-liners. A huge part of Divergent deals with simulations that mimic reality, placing characters in uncomfortable situations. Not only did I feel transported to these alternate realities, but I felt everything the characters felt. I loved being so submerged in these peoples’ lives, as I got to learn so much about them as a result.

3. I really like Beatrice/Tris. She comes from the selfless faction, where life is easy but dull. It took a lot of courage for her to choose Dauntless, and I really liked following her through her initiation. She grew so much, and learned a lot about what the world is like. She ate her first hamburger! She got to experience new things, feel new emotions, discover her fears and learn to conquer them, develop new desires for her life, and strengthen herself physically, mentally, and emotionally. The girl who wore her shirts buttoned up to the neck, no make-up, and her hair in a bun is getting tattoos, wearing tank tops and eyeliner, sticking up for herself, and fighting like a boss! I was so proud of her.

4. Four. Hello. I love this guy (and he’s front and center because there’s no love triangle!! Yay!!). He’s brave and fearless and mysterious, yet tender and romantic at the same time. And, oh man, parts of his story just killed me! KILLED ME. He says some of the sweetest things:

“I might be in love with you.” He smiles a little. “I’m waiting until I’m sure to tell you, though.”

5. SO many feelings. I love many of these characters, some more than others. And the things they do just KILL me! There’s bullying, hate, fighting, murder, attempted murder, abuse. Yet I love these people, even if I actually love to hate them. And I just want to smack all of them for being such idiots sometimes! With all of this brings the drama and the growth, though, so I know it has to happen. But yeah, I felt everything. And I would be so sad and then so happy! I was all over the place with this one, but it was great!

6. Yes, I did have a hard time in the beginning. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was, but things really picked up for me as I went further along!

Wow, that was a short review. All in all, I loved Divergent! I can’t believe I waited this long, but at the same time I’m glad I did because Insurgent is already out and Allegiant will be out SO soon. So I don’t have to wait long to finish this trilogy at all! I love Tris and Four, I love all the action and emotions, and I am SO excited to see what happens next!


Top Ten Words/Topics That Make Me Pass on a Book

Posted July 23, 2013 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 14 Comments

 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at the other blog I write for, The Broke and the Bookish.

If I see any of these words on a book’s cover, in its summary, or mentioned in reviews from reputable sources, I get scared and usually run away!

Heartbreaking: Seriously. I read to escape from reality, not get heartbroken.

Erotic: 50 Shades of Ick.

Cancer: I just can’t guys! I get toooooo sad!

Animal Violence/Death: You hurt/kill an animal, and I’ll punch you in the throat and burn your book.

Ugly Tears: See my reason for heartbreaking.

Abuse: You hurt my peeps, and I’ll punch you in the throat.

Cheating: Cheating as a plot line just sucks. I don’t condone cheaters, so why promote a book about them? Plain and simple.

Zombie: I don’t understand the attraction. They are ugly and smell like death.

New Adult: I have yet to find a NA book I like/am interested in. For some reason, authors portray people in this age group as heartbroken sex maniacs. Anyone else noticed this? Almost every summary talks about a character with a sad/dark past who finds someone who lights their fire. It’s just not my thing. PLEASE show me a YA that does not do this.

Angels/Fallen Angels: I’ve come to the conclusion that I just do not like books about angels. I just don’t.

I also hate it when books are compared to other books I like. Like, how many books out there say they are like The Hunger Games? I LOVE that book, and I’ll pretty much be disappointed by anything that is “just like it”.

 

So, tell me what you’re thinking! Agree? Disagree? Do you know of any books that I just HAVE to read despite my feelings? I wanna know!

*Disclaimer: And aw man! I wanted to make a pretty graphic today, but I ran out of time! I guess a simple list will just have to do.


Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland (Book Review)

Posted July 16, 2013 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 7 Comments

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland (Book Review)Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Published by Disney Hyperion on May 7, 2013
Pages: 294
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

I’m not typically a fun of summer romances with a little meat on their bones. Typically, I go for the light and fluffy summer romances on the beach. I was a little scared going into Nantucket Blue for this reason, but I ended up enjoying it, even though it fell a bit short. As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. My absolute favorite part of Nantucket Blue was the setting. I love the descriptions of quaint, little Nantucket. This is the kind of small town environment I love–where everyone knows each other, nobody locks their doors, and there are more bikes than cars driving down the stone streets. Secluded beaches are abundant, and the perfect place to fall in love. This book made me want to visit Nantucket, and I hope to find more books that take place there!

2. Cricket. This is the summer she’s going to find herself, and after losing her second mom suddenly, the companionship of her best friend, and the admiration of a boy she was crushing on, she’s definitely in need of a summer of soul searching. After the invitation to spend the summer with Jules on Nantucket is retracted, Cricket finds a job that brings her to Nantucket anyway. After a twist or two, she ends up taking a job at the local Cranberry Inn (I love this place) as a chambermaid, and becomes an intern for a journalist. She cleans rooms, tries not to fall in love with her ex-best friend’s younger brother, assists the injured journalist, jumps out of her comfort zone, and makes a few new friends. I’m not sure how I feel about Cricket. She’s kind of a pushover, and I was hoping to see some major growth throughout the book, which I didn’t really get.

3. I have a really hard time seeing people push away all the good in their life in the face of tragedy. I’ve seen it happen with numerous friends and acquaintances in my life, and it makes me sad. Why not grab hold of the things you love as you grieve the things you’ve lost? That’s why I had a hard time with Jules. She changed into an unrecognizable person, and got so snotty and rude. I felt awful for her when she lost her mom, but this transformation made me not like her very much. She just did not seem to be a very good friend, and I was frustrated with Cricket for fighting so much to keep her in her life.

4. This book is just not happy. There were a few sunshiney moments, which were nice, but there was the constant sadness weighing on me. It felt like everyone was hiding behind a facade, and it made emotions and thoughts feel less genuine. Characters are at least supposed to open up to the readers.

5. I LOVED the supporting characters at the Cranberry Inn: Liz, Gavin, and George. They made this entire book for me, and are the reason I kept reading. Liz is a quirky Irish girl, who wants so badly to bring Cricket out of her shell. She’s so funny! Gavin is like a concerned dad type, and George is the journalist who was the funniest, most genuine character of them all. They became a supportive family to Cricket, and they all meshed so well together.

6. I’m iffy on the romance. It seemed kinda insta-lovey, with no real build-up. I liked the guy ok, but there was an age difference that rubbed me the wrong way. He’s 16 and she’s 18… and I just wasn’t feeling it.

7. Leila’s writing drew me in and kept me there. I loved her descriptions and her writing style.

Overall, this was kind of a “meh” read for me. I loved the setting and the secondary characters, and everyone else was jut ok. I feel like the ending was rather lackluster, but Leila Howard’s writing throughout the rest of the book kept me going. I never considered not finishing the book, but I was not entirely invested in the story. Still, though, I am now in LOVE with Nantucket. I want to go find the Cranberry Inn and hug everyone there!


Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne (Book Review)

Posted July 11, 2013 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 8 Comments

Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne (Book Review)Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on July 2, 2013
Pages: 262
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin. When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

Oooooo. I really love creepy mysteries, and I’ve been reading very few as of late. Anyone else noticed that plain old suspense, without paranormal or magical elements, is pretty rare in the YA book world? Or am I looking in the wrong places. Anyway, I was SO excited when I read this book’s summary. And it was a lot of creeptastic fun!As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. So, Sawyer is being stalked by some secret admirer who wants her complete and undivided attention. And honestly, I think she handles things really well… until this admirer starts framing her for all the tragic mishaps that have happened in town. She has no idea who this person is, who she can trust, where they will strike next, and how to stop them. This person sees her every move. This person has, unbeknownst to her, been in her house. She feels completely alone, with nobody to confide in. So she hides in fear, pretty much dealing with things internally. This situation would make anyone freak out, and she does. Not only is she secretly recovering from an abusive relationship and the death of a guy she loved once, she’s now being targeted by a psycho. As she tries to figure out what’s going on, flashbacks from her relationship with Kevin keep bubbling up in her mind. I was in an abusive relationship once, so I really identified with her. She knew she was worth more than she was being treated, but it was so hard to stand up for herself. And then he died. Everyone thought he was so amazing, and that they were an amazing couple. Everyone kept checking in on her and consoling her, all the while not knowing she was almost relieved to have escaped the violence from him. This girl has baggage, and I’m not sure I’d be able to handle everything the way she did. I’ve noticed a few reviewers mention that they really did not like Sawyer because she was weak, and lacked a little in good judgment. I didn’t feel that way at all. Sawyer gained strength as she dealt with all this, and I think she learned a lot about herself. Her weakness was believable, and sometimes it’s nice to see a heroine act human. 

2. Hannah Jayne’s story-building was so exciting. There were so many ups and downs as Sawyer received more and more cryptic notes and more “accidents” happened to the people she knew. I was glued to the pages!

3. I grew up reading mysteries, yet the ending of this book completely blindsided me. Usually I have a pretty good idea who the culprit is. I seriously had no clue things would wrap up this way. And I’m kind of unsure as to how I feel about it.

4. I think my biggest criticism is the fact that major elements of the book fell to the wayside in order to make room for the mystery. We get very little character analysis and development, and very little focus is made on Sawyer’s home life (her parents split, and the new woman lives with her and her dad… and she’s pregnant). Honestly, I can’t remember the names of anyone in this book and I actually had to look up Sawyer’s name before I started my review.

All in all, this book is a wonderful mystery. I enjoyed the suspense and the creepiness, so I was ok that the characters lacked memorable qualities. As a result, my review is rather short and vague, but that’s ok too. If you’re looking for a plain old, bare bones scare, this book is for you! It’s a quick read that will keep you up at night and make you jump 4 feet high when your cat pushes your bedroom door open and climbs in bed with you.