Gretchen C. Hohmeyer's Blog, page 45
February 3, 2016
Worth It Wednesday: The Bandia series by Talia Vance
Worth It Wednesdays is a weekly post where I feature my favorite YA titles. Find out more about it here!
Titles: Author: Talia Vance
Goodreads Description (Silver): “As I step into the room, a silver flash blurs my vision. Before I can take a breath, the world falls away.”
Brianna has always felt invisible. People stare right past her, including the one boy she can’t resist, Blake Williams. But everything changes at a house party where Brianna’s charm bracelet slips off and time stands still. In that one frozen, silver moment, Blake not only sees her, he recognizes something deep inside her she’s been hiding even from herself.
Discovering she is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth, Brianna finds herself questioning the truth of who she is. And when she accidentally binds her soul to Blake, their mutual attraction becomes undeniable.
But Blake has his own secret, one that could prove deadly for them both. Bound together by forbidden magic, Brianna and Blake find themselves at the heart of an ancient feud that threatens to destroy their lives and their love.
Why it’s worth it: So here’s the thing about Silver. It sounds very … generic? Like, the kind of story that you’ve read before. While it most certainly is NOT when you finally read it, it’s also why I couldn’t JUST say Silver for this post. My favorite is actually Gold, because this romance does NOT go where you think it’s going to. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
First things first: if you love Celtic mythology, stop reading right now and just find a copy. The mythos of this novel is done so well, and so thoroughly researched, that I loved that aspect in both books. I thought I knew a bunch, but I learned a lot more.
Silver, to be honest, does go in most of the ways that you would expected. Blake and Brie are from two separate worlds, but they love each other despite of it, their love makes them stronger … etc. One of the great pluses was that when Brie falls into insta-love with Blake, Blake steps back and is like WHAT and that jump to insta-love is actually PART of the plot instead of something we’re supposed to believe is true and everlasting love. That, honestly, should have been my clue that these books were not going to immediately fall into every trope I thought was coming. As you might guess from my original 4 1/2 star review, it totally did not. I was very pleased.
But then it gets even better with Gold, wherein Vance takes any expectations you had left and smashes them. I was absolutely blown away how Vance’s already strong writing and great storytelling ability didn’t stop there, but then ALSO tackled some of the more realistic aspects of the “two different worlds” trope along with the romance in general. I find it hilarious now that I rated Gold 4 stars where I rated Silver 4 1/2, because I can’t remember the last time I re-read Silver but I re-read Gold all the time. I think, especially in a world where I’m just getting more and more disgusted with tropes, the second book keeps standing out more and more to me.
Honest to goodness, after Silver I was prepared for Gold to continue on the story of another pseudo Romeo and Juliet that had a love triangle involved–but I loved the characters and story so much that I didn’t care. In the end, Vance rewarded me with something SO MUCH BETTER and something VERY worth reading!
Read it if you’re looking for: Celtic mythology, anti-insta-love, not another love triangle, swoon worthy romance, realistic romance, strong female characters, books set in Ireland, books that make you laugh out loud, books that tug at your heart strings
February 2, 2016
Betwixt the Books: The Winter Book Tag
Last week, for the first time ever, Michaela and I were tagged to do a tag video. WE FREAKED OUT. That tag was actually the Blizzard Book Tag, which is over on Michaela’s blog, but because our tags always come in twos, we did this one as well! Both of them are well worth it, with a very different selection of books, so we hope that you enjoy!
February 1, 2016
From the Notebook: Top Ten Series I Won’t Be Finishing
From the Notebook is back with some potentially unpopular opinions! I have the top ten series that I have cleared out of my Goodreads because I won’t be finishing them, from reasons ranging from outgrowing the writing to actual dislike. Be forewarned that I might say something not so nice about a book series you like! I’m sorry about that! However, I would love to have a conversation about why you think I’m wrong–or if you agree, of course! Let me know if I’m about to miss something at all, or if I’ve made the right call!
Posts mentioned in the video:
Review: Matched by Ally Condie
Review: Crossed by Ally Condie
Bibliomancy for Beginners: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Bibliomancy for Beginners: The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Top 5 Disappointing Reads of 2015
Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Bibliomancy for Beginners: City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster
Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
January 31, 2016
Weekly Wrap Up + What We Read 1/31/16
It goes without saying that we are BACK with another weekly wrap up with what we read! Besides all our great posts, Michaela also out-read me by about 200%–though I do give you a sneak peek at a recent ARC I read!
Monday:
Gretchen’s Favorite Books to Re-Read
Michaela’s Response to The Art of the Asshole
Tuesday:
Betwixt the Books Review: Paper Towns by John Green
Wednesday:
Gretchen’s Worth It Wednesday: Splintered by AG Howard
Michaela’s Review of Low Vol 1
Thursday:
Gretchen’s Thesis Thursday: Why I Can’t Finish Writing My Novel
Friday:
Gretchen’s Review of The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresun
Micheala’s Review of Alternate by Ernie Luis
Saturday:
Michaela’s Book and Movie Review of Carol by Patricia Highsmith
January 29, 2016
Review: “The Twentieth Wife” by Indu Sundaresan
The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy #1) by Indu Sundaresan
Published February 18, 2003, by Washington Square Press
An enchanting historical epic of grand passion and adventure, this debut novel tells the captivating story of one of India’s most controversial empresses — a woman whose brilliance and determination trumped myriad obstacles, and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal Empire. Skillfully blending the textures of historical reality with the rich and sensual imaginings of a timeless fairy tale, The Twentieth Wife sweeps readers up in Mehrunnisa’s embattled love with Prince Salim, and in the bedazzling destiny of a woman — a legend in her own time — who was all but lost to history until now.
Three stars
Random historical fiction alert! This is for my Pop Sugar Reading Challenge and also happens to be a re-read. I haven’t read this since high school, but I remembered really liking it. I took my original review down from four stars, for reasons I’ll explain, but I think I’m still really excited to read the next book in this series, The Feast of Roses.
First things first, if you’re looking for a love story … try elsewhere, or skip right to the next book. This is less about Salim and Mehrunnisa and more about all the historical events that kept them apart until they got married in their thirties. Honestly, this blurb is really misleading, because Mehrunnisa herself is absent for about half of this novel because her life was not nearly as exciting as Salim’s. But now that that’s out of the way…
This novel covers a LOT of ground. It starts when Mehrunnisa is born, and goes all the way until the marriage to Salim. There is certainly a lot of information and description of historical events that occur. I especially like that every chapter begins with an excerpt of a historical document from Mehrunnisa’s time that is incorporated into the upcoming chapter. Sundaresan is literally bringing these historical documents to life.
On the reverse, however, this historical document approach may be why very few of the characters feel very developed. The focus on the novel is on historical events, not people, and the character development suffers for it. You get only 2D impressions of most of the main characters, and 1D of all the supporting cast. Even the love story, which is supposed to be a big deal in this book, takes a backseat for a majority of the book. It’s very factual and interesting, but at times I started skimming because it felt like I was reading a nonfiction story. There’s nothing wrong with nonfiction, but that wasn’t why I was reading this novel.
I did like the book. I did. But I went into it thinking that it was something else other than what it actually was. The Feast of Roses might be the book that I was really remembering, since it actually gets into how Mehrunnisa controlled the throne. She was who I came to read about, but not much happened to her–when she was even on screen. This was really a novel about Salim, his struggle to ascend to the throne, and all the historical events that happened along the way. It’s a prequel to their love story, not the beginning of their love story, really.
If you enjoy historical fiction that is told more through facts and events than character stories–more like creative nonfiction, in a sense–then this is a really good book. But if you want a love story with good characters, this might not be the book that you want to read. They are really well written, so if you’re into the story I suggest just skipping right to The Feast of Roses. That’s probably what I’ll do in the future.
January 28, 2016
Thesis Thursday: Why I Can’t Finish Writing My Novel
Thesis Thursdays is a weekly(ish) feature where I rant, love and talk about young adult books I’m reading because I’m conning my college into thinking this is all for academia! Find out more here!
Okay, nobody panic. I’m not saying that I will NEVER finish the novel that I started last semester. I’m going to. But the sad truth is that I promised myself that I would finish it over winter break, and I haven’t. And I can’t blame that on anything or anyone but myself.
I could blame the holidays taking up a lot of my time. I could say that I’ve been working really hard at my job while I’ve been home. I could say that having to get my wisdom teeth out didn’t really help anything either. All of this is true. But I also know that I have had time I could have spent writing that I didn’t.
I’m really close to the end. Maybe even ten chapters away, give or take what happens. I have a rough idea of what’s going to go down. I know for sure how it ends. I even have ideas for the second book. But I keep dragging my feet.
I’ve written maybe two chapters. They’re rough, and I’m not pleased with them. That’s fine, though–par for the course on a first draft. It’s not that the fervor I had during NaNoWriMo has died or anything, because I still think about this novel all the time.
I just don’t want to deal with what comes next: editing.
I would really like to do something with this story. I think that it has a lot of potential, and I’m in love with it like I have never been in love with a story before. But I hate editing. I hate it. I like writing. Writing, however, is the easy part. And I don’t want to leave the nice and easy. So here I am, stalled out, so close to the finish line but standing at a dead stop.
I want to be writing. Writing is, for me, a physical necessity. If I haven’t written for a 
while, then I’ll play learn to type games or doodle on multiple sheets of paper just to get the itch out of my fingers. Maybe I’ll write a blog post. Or seven. I NEED to be doing something with my fingers and words. Right now, though, I’m physically blockading myself.
This novel needs so much work–as first drafts always do. In my more naive moments, I thought that I might be excited to do that work. Of course I was wrong. Editing is that moment where you rip into everything that made you excited and you say I DID THIS BADLY. At least, that’s how it always feels to me. It feels like a figurative equivalent of stabbing myself multiple times with scissors while cutting off my fingers. I don’t like it.
I also, however, don’t want to cop out and just start writing something new after this. I could write the second novel I have planned, for example. If I write about doing that a few weeks from now, then please feel free to shame me for succumbing to such weakness. That’s what it would be, and I know because that’s what I’ve always done. I write a draft, call it done after I run a spellcheck and move on to the next thing. That’s not how you get better as a writer. It’s the easy way out.
I don’t want to take the easy way out. But I really, really hate editing. So, for now, I’m at an impasse.
January 27, 2016
Worth It Wednesday: “Splintered” by A.G. Howard
Worth It Wednesdays is a weekly post where I feature my favorite YA titles. Find out more about it here!
Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Goodreads Description: This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.
Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
Why it’s worth it: This post is shamelessly inspired by me and Michaela’s recent video about our favorite fairy tale retellings, during the filming of which I was reminded about this book. Listen, I hate the original Alice in Wonderland–book, movie, whole shebang. Splintered came out in a time when there was a lot of Alice retellings being published, and I really wasn’t a fan. But, I was intrigued by this book’s blurb among all the others–and I was not disappointed.
I think my favorite thing is that Howard isn’t TRYING to re-do the original tale. This is a book that deals with the consequences of the original Alice’s trip into Wonderland on her descendants. Then, when Alyssa finally gets to Wonderland, it is amazing how many creative ways Howard came up with to say “Well, Carroll wrote this but actually it’s like THIS.” For example, the White Rabbit is really called the White Rabid and he’s part skeleton. SO COOL.
To me, this version of Wonderland is much more creepy and visceral and amazing than the original story, and really twists the world into something for the more grown up mind. Howard’s writing is also really strong–to the point where I fell in love with a story related to Alice in Wonderland, which I thought would never happen.
In my original ARC review, I rated this book 4 1/2 stars–the half was docked for the love triangle, as you can see in the blurb. All in all, though, I wouldn’t let the presence of a love triangle keep you from checking out this great book!
Read it if you’re looking for: Alice in Wonderland stories, fairy tale retellings, fairy tale retellings for an older audience, strong world building, a creepy and fantastical world, love triangles, plot twists
January 26, 2016
Betwixt the Books Review: “Paper Towns” by John Green
Look who’s here for our first joint video review! Today, Michaela and I are discussing Paper Towns by John Green! It also happened to work for our PopSugar challenge, though for different sections!
Paper Towns by John Green
Who is the real Margo?
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew…
My overall rating: 3 stars | Michaela’s overall rating: 3 stars
January 25, 2016
From the Notebook: (Some) Favorite Books to Re-Read
From the Notebook videos are back! This week I’m talking about all the books I re-read while I was home. I spent a lot of winter break sick or feeling awful after getting my wisdom teeth out, so this is really a list of some of my favorite books of all time. A lot of these are the books I always return to and that make me smile and make me happy. Enjoy the last video I filmed at my house for the foreseeable future!
Posts mentioned in this video:
30 Seconds to Disagree: First Test by Tamora Pierce
Review: Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
January 24, 2016
Weekly Wrap Up + What We Read 1/24/16
Hello again! It is time for Betwixt the Book’s weekly wrap up. Once again, we’re talking about all our context this week, from The Pied Piper Calls to My Life is a Notebook to the YouTube channel. Also per usual, there is some sneak peeks about what’s coming up this next week AND a bonus mini-haul from Gretchen!
Monday:
Gretchen’s PopSugar Challenge TBR
Michaela’s Top 5 Anticipated Reads of 2016
Tuesday:
Betwixt the Books Discuss! Spoilers
Wednesday:
Gretchen’s Worth It Wednesday: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Michaela’s ARC Review of the Uncommon Bodies anthology
Thursday:
Betwixt the Books Reads! Fairy Tale Retellings
Friday:
Gretchen’s ARC Review of Annabeth Neverending by Leyla Kader Dahm
Michaela’s Book and Movie Review of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
