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<![CDATA[Deltay added 'Hush, Hush']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62792671
to: Hush, Hush (Hardcover)byBecca Fitzpatrick bookshelves: own
Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush is like a caressive whisper laced with dark allure, painting a deliciously paranormal picture. With an enchanting cover and a captivating synopsis, Hush, Hush ensnares the prospective reader and creates an atmosphere of temptation - which fits in with its contents of fallen angels.
The setting of Hush, Hush is definitely one of its fortes. Modern and immediate, there's a sort of credibility to it, like this could very well be scene-next-door. And then - shhh, shhh - the paranormal aspect kind of sneaks into it subtly, melding in believably. The places this book goes, the locations described - they all add an air of daring danger of the delicious variety. The atmosphere at times is dark, murky, but simultaneously seductive. Tossed in with the prickling sense that something is wrong is the desire to find out what happens next.
For the most part, characterization was interestingly done. The main protagonist Nora Grey is certainly different, but at times some of her reactions were a little odd and unreasonable. (Personally, I wonder if it would have been better to situate her as a junior, rather than a sophomore.) Her sudden turn of affections for Patch was a little sudden - found myself flipping back to see if I had somehow missed a chapter (nope), which seemed to steer more in the direction of lust than love. Patch has been receiving much attention as a bad boy of YA - and in that aspect, it is definitely conceivable why.
The interactions between Patch and Nora are one of Fitzpatrick's more impressive successes in Hush, Hush. The emotions, the tensions, the restraints - Fitzpatrick creates a lovely atmosphere by playing with these. It really comes alive off the page. Once these started occurring, the draw of the book becomes that much stronger. As the plot progresses, it becomes harder and harder to put down. The last paragraph of the synopsis, "ancient battle, etc. etc." sounds like a bit of a melodramatic overstatement in retrospect, but nevertheless, the way it plays out does not disappoint. It'll definitely be interesting to see how the sequel, Crescendo, plays out.
Like its stormy cover, Hush, Hush has "Grey" (Nora) and dark allure (Patch). (Hush, Hush, Crescendo - what brilliant titles!) With lush writing and an intriguing premise, Hush, Hush is a tempting read.
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<![CDATA[Deltay added 'Gone']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78601254
Gone (Dream Catcher, #3)
byLisa McMann bookshelves: own-arc,
to-read
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<![CDATA[Deltay added 'The Unwritten Rule']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78601229
The Unwritten Rule (Hardcover)
byElizabeth Scott bookshelves: own-arc,
to-read
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<![CDATA[Deltay added 'Nothing Like You']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78601188
Nothing Like You (Hardcover)
byLauren Strasnick bookshelves: own,
to-read
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<![CDATA[Deltay added 'Willow']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77701981
to: Willow (Hardcover)byJulia Hoban bookshelves: own
Julia Hoban's Willow is an absolutely brilliant masterpiece. With an interesting perspective, haunting subject matter and controversial panache, Willow captures teen tragedy and conveys it in an achingly beautiful way.
On the surface, it may seem that Willow is a book about a girl who cuts. Which it is - but it's also so much more than that. This is an issue that I've had personal connections to, so on that basis as well it was really interesting to see it portrayed in literature, because it doesn't get that much coverage. Hoban went above and beyond expectations (which were relatively high to begin with, considering the amount of rave reviews it's received so far). [Cutting:] isn't just straight-up judged here - it's surrounded by context, by reasoning, by motivations. And that changes everything. Controversial and thought-provoking, Willow brings a refreshing jolt of reality to the realm of YA.
The perspective of the book - third person present tense - may seem a little odd at first, considering that with that comes a slight level of removal. But as the story progresses, wouldn't have it any other way. Simultaneously offering insight into Willow's mind and giving a little space for neutral (or biased) thought, it works. Hoban's writing style and voice are really something as well. The descriptions, the actions, the narrative itself are all told in a very captivating manner - Willow is definitely exceedingly difficult to put down. Hoban has also managed to capture the teenage voice remarkably well. Every once in a while, there was a phrase here or there that seemed a little out-of-sync age-wise, but then again, even among teens there is a lot of variation in speech.
The characterization was a masterpiece in and of itself. The characters really come alive, fleshed out with complex motivations and insecurities and thought-processes. (And of course, Guy is a rather sweet, well, guy.) One scene his actions seemed to progress a little oddly, but beyond that character traits and actions were highly credible and realistic. Seeing Willow metamorphosize throughout the course of the story was very poignant and beautiful. The reader is carried along on this journey of self-realization along with Willow, which is super-cool.
Hoban attacked a pretty tough topic here, which is always bound to draw some controversy. In this case, it'll be good to shine some light on the issue of teenagers and cutting. Don't want to give away too much, but basically, Hoban's Willow pushes the envelope in a brilliant way. One of the best books of 2009, this review hardly does Willow justice.
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<![CDATA[Deltay added 'The Ghosts Of Ashbury High']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76776247
The Ghosts Of Ashbury High (Hardcover)
byJaclyn Moriarty bookshelves: to-read,
want,
wishlist
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<![CDATA[Deltay added 'Devoured']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71830302
to: Devoured (Paperback)byAmanda Marrone bookshelves: own
With Devoured, Amanda has brought a whole new facet to the concept of the fractured fairytale - and is it ever refreshing! Disregarding the apple on the cover/spine, the lack of mention of fairytale roots otherwise might have one not even making that connection initially. And in this case, it seems to work best this way - for those who are fans of Snow White, it adds a little extra zing; for those who aren't, it still works great as a stand-alone YA paranormal/romance/mystery/and so much else.
I'll admit, the paranormal mysterious aspect of the premise is what intrigued me at first. But then, having read the book and going back to the synopsis on the back - it doesn't really do the story justice. From that description it sounds like a more contemporary type of tale, but it's really not as superficial as the middle section makes it out to be.
In the case of Devoured, I would say that incorporation was definitely one of Marrone's fortes. The way that threads of the Snow White were intertwined with the story, the way that contemporary elements were incorporated, the way that the paranormal elements were injected - it all made for a fun read. Remy's appearances and spooky prophetic warnings were definitely one of the strong points; they added suspense, spookiness, and intrigue. The only thing that could've been introduced a little more smoothly would've been one of the foreshadowing symbols, as it seems a little too sudden and hard-hitting.
Although there are tragic elements to it, overall as a novel, Devoured is a pretty fun read. And in keeping with that, most of the principal characters had interesting traits. Ari, Megan, Remy... they were all very interesting and well-portrayed. It might've been nice to get a little more insight into some of the minor characters as well though, but that's not a major factor. The pacing could have been a little smoother, but at the same time, as it is contemporary, things don't always happen on a linear, constant, timeline, so it could make sense that way. Once you get into it, the story moves along nicely though.
With an intriguing premise, beautiful incorporation of Snow White and chilling elements, Marrone's Devoured is a spooky fun read. And what great timing, especially with Halloween right around the corner?
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<![CDATA[Deltay
is on page 36 of Devoured
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http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71830302
Deltay
is on page 36 of
Devoured