Category: Book Review

Firefly (Cicada #2) by Belle Whittington (Mini Book Review)

Posted April 3, 2013 by Jana in Blog Tour, Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 2 Comments

Firefly by Belle Whittington
Series: Cicada #2
Also in this series: Cicada, Monarch
Published by Self on February 2, 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Science Fiction
Pages: 510
Format: eBook
Source: Author
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“The darkest days are ahead of us,” Andrew whispered as the drape of shadows slipped away, allowing Blair to awaken. And in her heart of hearts she knew it was true. The unmistakable signs were all around her, growing within her. She was becoming something more than human. All she could do was accept the inevitable.

“I’ve become a freak … an alien. I no longer belong to the human world,” Blair told her true love, and he held her close, determined never to give her up.

“I’d stay in this darkness forever as long as I could be with you. Wherever you are … that’s my home.” Everett meant every word. In fact, he’d willingly give up his own life to protect the girl he’d always loved.

But there was a storm brewing … a firestorm so strong and catastrophic that it could keep them apart forever.

That storm roared into town wearing a brown leather bomber jacket and riding a motorcycle.

Ash was like a secret in human clothing … a dangerous secret. Everything about him was mesmerizing – right down to the swirls of ink that flowed over the smooth muscles across his chest and around his arms. Being with him was like playing with fire.

Blair knew all about playing with fire.

She knew something else, too. A small quiet voice deep within whispered that she really would be separated from everyone and everything she’d known and loved.

Because some secrets run too deep.

Welcome to my stop along Belle Whittington’s Firefly blog tour, hosted by Books and Broomsticks! I’m pleased to be a part of the festivities, and add my review to the pile of reviews, guest posts, and interviews. If you’re new to the series, check out my review of Cicada, book #1.

I had been anticipating Firefly after really enjoying Cicada last year, so I was delighted when I was invited to join the tour! Firefly is an exciting new installment in the trilogy, and did answer some of the questions we were left with at the end of Cicada. I’m going to try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but it’s going to be tricky because SO MUCH HAPPENED in this book!

Firefly picks up right where Cicada left off, and Belle gives the reader just enough information about Cicada to stir their memory, but not so much that it feels like we’re being told the same story all over again. Everett, Blair’s boyfriend, and Andrew, Blair’s brother, are not in this book as much as they were before, and I missed them! You might remember me gushing over both of them in my review of Cicada. They were off discovering themselves, though, and learning what was necessary to add their pieces to this crazy puzzle they are involved in. We did get to see them some, and they ended up being exactly where they needed to be at exactly the right time. And with their absence, we are introduced to a little telepathy and dream traveling, which was a really cool addition to their (and Blair’s) mysterious abilities. I still really adore Andrew. I wish I had him as my older brother!

The love triangle is introduced in this book, with Mr. swoony-Ash. I started out liking him, but as he got more possessive and stalkerish, I was definitely glad that Everett was still the amazingly loyal and sweet former nerd I loved in the first book. I had a lot of fun watching him morph into this new version of himself. Bug boy to bad boy, if you will. One aspect of the love story left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. This book seemed to be a lot more sappy and lovey-dovey than the last one. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love love stories. I eat love stories for dinner AND dessert. I just felt like this one was almost Disney princess sappy, though, with Blair pining away for her “true love” countless numbers of time. She could not handle having Everett gone, and she moped and complained a little too much for me. And when she did see him, she spent more time climbing into his lap than talking to him. It made Blair seem weak, and with the role she has in this book, you would expect her to be anything but.

I really enjoyed Blair’s transformation into something less than human. I also liked the history behind why all of this is happening to her. And I really liked watching her experience all these changes and new abilities. A lot of magic and mystery surrounds her, and it was fun discovering who she is right along with her. I loved her relationship with her mom and her grandparents. It’s refreshing to see such strong family bonds in young adult literature.

There’s a twist that we find out about partway through the book regarding Blair’s memory of the past, and I loved that twist. I swear, the creativity behind this trilogy is amazing. I love the unique take on aliens and other worlds. I also really like Belle’s writing style and attention to detail, even though there were several typos throughout the book. There are some gorgeous passages that I actually re-read, involving dreams, galaxies, and even descriptions of the changing seasons. You can tell Belle is very talented, and is extremely invested in her books. I’m really excited to see where the next book goes, as yet again, I’m left with a lot of questions!

—

Disclaimer: About a quarter of the way through the book, something happens that upset me a great deal, to the point where I almost DNF’d the book. It involves the mutilation of a beloved animal. As many of you know, I’m very against this theme in books. I wrote to Belle and her daughter, the tour host, and explained my feelings. I was informed that this is actually a common practice among alien hoaxes and crop circles. Once I learned this, I was still horrified, but it was easier on me knowing that this aspect of the story is based on true events, rather than a creative author. I appreciated the explanation, and thought I would mention it here in my review to help soften the blow on other sensitive readers. I’d like to thank Linda for explaining this to me.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (Book Review)

Posted March 20, 2013 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 11 Comments

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
Published by Razorbill on April 10, 2008
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
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California high school student Audrey Cuttler dumps self-involved Evan, the lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders. Evan writes, “Audrey, Wait!” a break-up song that’s so good it rockets up the billboard charts. And Audrey is suddenly famous!

Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can't hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.

Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.

Audrey, Wait! is one of those hidden gems that hardly anyone seems to know about. I know I have heard very little about lately, what with all the buzz for new releases lately. This story is hilarious and so much fun, and I am so glad I read it!

1. The idea behind the story is magical. We’ve all dumped someone, but I’m pretty sure not all of us became a band’s muse because of it. I’m also confident in saying that not all of us have a hit song written about us. This is Audrey’s life, and her story is so funny.

2. I love how the entire book is Audrey talking to the reader. She wants us to hear her side of the story, since we obviously read all about it in People magazine and saw it on the news. As she is telling us her story, she adds additional parenthetical thoughts like “(I’m sure you’ve heard The Song by now.)” I really liked the fact that we were included. I felt like I was hearing about this over junk food at a sleepover.

3. Audrey is someone I would have been friends with in high school. She is down to earth, funny, a little eccentric, a music lover, and she marches to the beat of her own drum. And honestly, she handled this overnight fame like a pro. All she did was dump her boyfriend! That’s it! And all of a sudden she’s being asked for autographs, hit on by celebrities, stalked by the paparazzi, and ripped a part by teeny boppers on online message boards. I loved, loved, LOVED her voice. She is just so funny! This is my favorite quote, and sums her up in as few words as I can think:

“Oh Jesus, they had heard the song. They had heard the song and listened to the lyrics and then got totally paranoid and hacked into my email account and figured out that Evan and I had slept together, and now I was going to have to sit through some intervention where my parents talked about sperm and condoms and responsibility and teenage pregnancy statistics. And then they’d probably ship me off to one of those wilderness camps where they give you a name like Little Running Bear and make you scavenge for food to build up your self esteem until you swear to be abstinent for the rest of your natural life.

I’ll tell you this right now: me and nature? Not so much.”

Perfect, huh? I read this quote two or three times, and laughed each time.

4. Really, I loved all the characters, except for snotty Sharon. Evan is the typical boy band boy, but we get to see him grow up and change with his fame. It was refreshing to discover that I liked him more after he became a famous musician than before. Usually that goes the other way. Victoria is Audrey’s best friend, and the kind of person I need in my life to push me into adventures. She’s spunky and a lot of fun. She’s in total contrast to Audrey, and it was so much fun to read about their friendship. I also love Audrey’s new love interest, James. He’s a nerd and he’s shy and sweet, and he says some of the most swoonworthy things. I love how he adores Audrey. I just want him all to myself!

5. Bendomolena, Audrey’s fat cat, is definitely one of my favorite characters in the book. And seriously what is with that name? I would love to hear the story behind that name. Anyway, Bendy is amazing. Even though she does not get to say anything, she says enough with her mannerisms. I am a major cat lover, and I think this is the first book I’ve read with a cat as a character. She made me smile.

6. My main complaint is all the swear words. I can not tell you how many f-words there were in this book. This young adult novel had more swear words in it than most adult novels I have read, and I started to get really annoyed. I also did not love the characters as much as I could have. I really dislike profanity in books.

Overall, this book was an adorable romp through the life of a teenage girl whose claim to fame did not get the best of her. When she finally got to confront the World she did it with style and panache that I could not help but cheer for. I loved it!

Unremembered by Jessica Brody (Book Review, Author Guest Post, & Giveaway)

Posted March 5, 2013 by Jana in Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway, Guest Post, Young Adult Fiction / 22 Comments

Unremembered by Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered #1
Published by Farrar Straus & Giroux on March 5, 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Survival, Suspense
Pages: 307
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
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When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

Welcome to my stop along the official Unremembered blog tour, hosted by Macmillan Kids! We’ve got a jam-packed post today with my review, The Who is Seraphina? clue #9, a special guest post about the things Jessica Brody hopes she never “unremembers”, and a chance to win a hardback copy of Unremembered!

First of all, happy book birthday to Jessica Brody! Unremembered hits shelves today, and I am SO excited for you all to read and experience this wonderfully exciting book! I love mysteries and I love survival stories. Unremembered is both, plus a little science fiction. You really can’t go wrong with this one! I’m keeping my review short because we’ve got Jessica’s post right after!

1. I love the mystery and frustration that comes with memory loss stories. I mean, OH MY. I was getting so terribly frustrated that Sera/Violet could not remember anything! But at the same time, I was tearing through those pages in the hopes that she would remember. And the intrigue and danger that came with not remembering was really exciting.

2. This story flows really fast, but not so fast that you can’t keep up. I loved that.

3. I really liked Sera. I thought it was really cool that, since Sera did not remember anything, we got to learn about her past right along with her. Sometimes an author throws you into a story and has to teach you what a character already knows about his or herself. That can sometimes end up being tedious and frustrating. With Unremembered, though, we get to experience everything with Sera.

4. I really liked the very little I got to learn about Zen in this story. I’m hoping he plays a more dynamic role as the trilogy unfolds, because I really like what I know about him so far. I hope we get more of his own back story, rather than his past with Sera. I want to know him. And I was hoping for more romance. We get glimmers of it throughout the story, so I know the potential… and I want more! I can see book #2 being amazingly good.

5. The sci-fi aspect is really cool and unique. I won’t give too much away, because I loved not knowing about it when I started the book. Let’s just say there are some evil people, associated with an evil plan, who go to great lengths to get back what they claim is theirs. It was so exciting!

Overall, I loved Unremembered. It’s definitely a step or two away from the books I usually read, and I loved this change. I’d recommend this to people who enjoy a little bit of everything in their stories: romance, sci-fi, mystery, survival. It’s the beginning of a promising trilogy, and even though I know we are all really beginning to tire of trilogies, but this one is worth investing the next 2-3 years in.

And now for today’s clue!

Jessica Brody: Five Things I Hope I Never Unremember

My memory is a pretty fickle thing. It likes to play tricks on me. It likes to make up stuff and convince me they’re real. It has a tendency to completely misplace things and then blame me for it. Basically, my memory is a really annoying younger sibling.

When Jana and I first got in touch to talk about post ideas for this blog tour she suggested two topics: The first was “5 Things You Hope You Never Forget” and the second…well, I don’t think I even read the second because I was too excited about the first and my mind was already churning with ideas!

This topic is so charmingly appropriate. In UNREMEMBERED, my character, Seraphina, thinks she has amnesia after she’s been rescued from the site of a plane crash and has no memories about who she is or where she came from. But she soon learns there’s much more to her past than simple memory loss. Someone has actually been erasing memories from her mind. No bueno. I can certainly think of a boatload of things I hope are never stolen from my own mind but since the topic of this blog post is “5 Things You Hope You Never Forget” and not “A Boatload of Things You Hope You Never Forget,” I suppose I will have to narrow it down.   So…here are the top 5 things I will cling to like a Krispy Kreme in a donut drought, should anyone ever try to erase my memories.

5. The way my dogs look at me after they sneak into the backseat of the car and hope I won’t notice and make them get out.

4. This perm at age 13. Because if I forget it, I may end up repeating it. *Shudders at the thought*

3. The girl who bullied me in the 6th grade. As painful as it was, as horrible as she made me feel pretty much every single day, I know her actions shaped who I am today. Remembering her means remembering that I survived it.

2. The day I signed my first book contract. I had been trying to get published for over 5 years and had a mountain of rejection letters (I still have them all!) Getting that first contract in the mail (all official in a Fedex envelope) was pretty much one of the best feelings in the world. I would never want to lose that.

1. And last but most important, I hope I never forget why I do this job. It’s not for money or acclaim or to see my name on the front of a book. It’s to tell stories. To bring make-believe worlds to life. To entertain people like you. Fortunately, I’m reminded of this with every fan letter I receive and every reader who takes the time to tweet me or leave a comment on my Facebook page. So thank you for making sure I never unremember.

Comments from me: Yay! Jessica, thank you SO much for stopping by the blog today! I loved your answers. Your dogs are adorable, your perm was out of this world (I secretly wish I had a crazy hair style when I was younger, because then I could tease myself…), and you look so happy signing your contract! It was so much fun getting to know you better today. :)

Try your luck at winning your own copy of Unremembered, which Mac Kids is so graciously providing! I hope you win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don’t forget to stop by the other tour stops! Here’s the schedule:

Monday 2/25 Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday 2/26 IB Book Blogging
Wednesday 2/27 Good Choice Reading
Thursday 2/28 Books with Bite
Friday 3/1 Book Sake<
Saturday 3/2 YA Book Nerd
Sunday 3/3 My Five Monkeys
Monday 3/4 The Irish Banana
Tuesday 3/5 You are here! (That Artsy Reader Girl)
Wednesday 3/6 Carina’s Books
Thursday 3/7 A Patchwork of Books
Friday 3/8 MacTeenBooks Blog

And in case I have not provided enough links for you, here are some other really important ones:

Unremembered Book Trailer
Read and download the first five chapters of Unremembered for free!
Become a fan of the Unremembered Trilogy on Facebook
Follow Jessica Brody on Twitter
Become a fan of Jessica Brody on Facebook
See Jessica Brody on tour!
Check out her website!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Book Review)

Posted February 14, 2013 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 36 Comments

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Also in this series: Cinder, Cress, Fairest, Winter, Stars Above
Published by Feiwel and Friends on February 5, 2013
Genres: Dystopia, Retelling, Romance, Science Fiction, Steampunk
Pages: 454
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (ALA)
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Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

I have been thinking about how much I loved Cinder for over a year now, and Scarlet picks up right where Cinder drops off. The exact day, actually. I loved that! We get to jump right back in and pick up where we were, while learning new things about this crazy world, the Lunars, and our favorite characters!

1. For some reason, I had no idea that Cinder was going to be in this book! I was delighted when I learned what a huge role she was actually going to play in it. And her android, Iko, was there… and we even got some Kai time! Yay! So glad to see them all again. :)

2. It was also so much fun learning about some new characters: Scarlet and Wolf. Scarlet is a strong, confident character who makes a great team mate for Cinder in this ongoing quest against the Lunar Queen. I love the emphasis placed an female heroes in this series. Marissa has created two equally feisty, brave, determined, charismatic, and smart ladies to drive the story on. Wolf is sexy and swoonworthy, and exactly the kind of bad boy this story needed. His sensitive nature and core instincts make him both a ticking time bomb and the most loyal companion you could ask for. Do not get on his bad side, though. Cinder has her own male counterpart, Captain Thorne, and he’s kind of hilarious. I just kept picturing this completely oblivious, clumsy, cocky guy who is always slightly drunk. He lightened things up quite a bit, and also became a character I really loved.

3. I enjoyed the balance of humorous dialogue and serious, sometimes heartbreaking moments. Scarlet’s banter with Wolf was utterly charming, while her discussions with her grandmother pulled at the heartstrings.

4. This is not your typical book 2 of a series, where nothing important happens. Scarlet has SO much going on! There’s space flights, running from the law, romance, Lunar attacks, kidnapping, fights, and NEWS. So much news!

5. Yet again, the world building is immaculate. Last time, Beijing. This time, Paris. Yes, people. Paris in the future is amazing.

Overall, Scarlet is just as wonderful and captivating as Cinder. Clearly, Marissa is not a one hit wonder. I can’t wait for the next book!

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black (Book Review/Blog Tour)

Posted February 7, 2013 by Jana in Blog Tour, Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 7 Comments

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black
Series: Dance of Shadows #1
Published by Bloomsbury Children's on February 12, 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance
Pages: 469
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . .

Welcome to my stop along the official Bloomsbury Triple Threat Blog Tour for Dance of Shadows! I’m so excited to be participating in such a fun tour! Expect reviews from me for the other two books in this tour over the next few weeks.

Wow. This story had so many twists and turns and unexpected elements. I was initially attracted to this book by the cover, shortly followed by the mysterious storyline… and the ballet. While I wasn’t expecting what I got from this story, I certainly enjoyed what I did. As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. The dance descriptions are my absolute favorite part of this book. I love ballet, and I was a clumsy little ballerina as a child. I remember and exercise my ballet teacher used to have us do in class. We would grab a flowy scarf, run as fast as we could, and then jump gracefully over her gym bag. I tripped over said gym bag. Needless to say, my career path did not include ballet. But Yelena wrote in a way that brought dance alive in my mind, and let me picture myself as graceful and swan-like as Vanessa.

2. The mystery was intriguing, and kept me guessing. Sometimes I enjoy dark, mysterious, sinister happenings, and this book really delivered that. I’m a total chicken, and this book creeped me out in a good way.

3. I was not a huge fan of Vanessa. She was a bit immature and narrow-minded to me. And Zep was just too mysterious, that he became unrealistic. The other characters… well… I don’t remember them. I really liked the guy I was supposed to not like: Justin. Haha. He was the sense of reason in this book, and he seemed to be the most developed and interesting. I really enjoyed the part he played, and hope he gets a more dynamic role in the next book.

4. Paranormal, huh? Haha. I totally was not expecting the paranormal twists that tied into the mystery. There were demons, for goodness sake! I had no idea! I liked it, though, and I’m not really a lover of paranormal stories.

5. I liked the ballet school element. It reminded me of the dynamic of Step Up. (The first movie. The others are not to be spoken of…) I liked reading about the practices, recitals, and performances. And I feel like a got a great picture into the life of a dance student.

6. I appreciated the minimal romance. If you blink, you pretty much miss the romance and I really liked that. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from it and see an author build a story around something else. Although… there was a bit of insta-infatuation. I won’t call it love because it never really developed into that. But a minor obsession does keep you on your toes.

All in all, I enjoyed reading about the world I almost ended up in, had I actually been born with the ability to gracefully leap over a duffel bag. The dance descriptions were lovely, and the story was very intriguing. I liked the mystery, and the paranormal twist made it more exciting and creepy. I’m definitely curious to see what’s in store for us in book #2.