Gretchen C. Hohmeyer's Blog, page 97

Waiting on Wednesday: "Spell Bound" by Rachel Hawkins

Waiting on Wednesday is a feature hosted over at Breaking the Spine that highlights upcoming releases that we really, really can't wait to read!

Title: Spell Bound

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: March 13, 2012 (Yes, I know this was yesterday and this is a little bit cheating BUT, read on for me to make sense.)

Summary from Goodreads: Hailed as "impossible to put down," the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that's what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn't as confident.

Sophie's bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it's too late?

Why I'm Waiting: BECAUSE I HAD TO ORDER FROM AMAZON. Anything other than that, you guys clearly haven't lived life correctly because you haven't read these books. These books have EVERYTHING, I love to read. Great plot? Check. Great main character who also happens to be a real teen girl who's not afraid to stand up for herself? Check. Hot guy(s)? Check check. Humor that STILL makes me laugh out loud, multiple rereads later? Check. This is a third in a series and the end of a trilogy, and AMAZON NEEDS TO MOVE FASTER BECAUSE AAGGGHHHH!!

Ahem. I'm … I'm going to move away from my keyboard slowly now. If you want to see me making MORE of a fool of myself about these books and others, the Hex Hall series was also mentioned in my Books are the Best Medicine – Here's My Preferred Prescription! post a while back, and Spell Bound made my list of Books I Can't Wait to Read in 2012.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Historical Fiction Books

Over at the lovely The Broke and the Bookish blog, they run a feature called "Top Ten Tuesday." Because I have been meaning to get in on this for AGES, I finally managed to set down and get myself to DO it. I decided to take the prompt and do my Top Ten Historical Fiction books, because I just recently found myself back on this kick. It should be noted that I read mostly Egyptian and Tudor England books, hence the lack of variety on the list. (All links will go to the book's Goodreads page so you can read more about them.)

1. The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

If you enjoy Egyptian historical fiction and have NOT read this book, there is something seriously wrong with you. Not kidding. This one deals with Nefertari, the beloved queen of Ramses the Great. It also postulates a few things that could have been possible to make the history more interesting, which will only make sense to you if you read…

2. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Self explanatory as to which Pharaoh and Queen this one deals with. This was Moran's first book, and the one that really got me interested in the Armana period in the first place. Gorgeously done, as always.

3. The Queen's Governess by Karen Harper

I'll admit, I was tentative about going into a book narrated by Queen Elizabeth's governess Kat Ashley, but this was a surprise find I was very happy with.

4. Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Okay, yeah, I kind of hero-worship Moran. This one was her last Egyptian novel in a while, sadly, but it opened my eyes to a whole new story I had never realized existed: the story of Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene, and the rest of Cleopatra's kids. I don't know why this was a group of figures I never looked into before, because these poor kids were the only people left to deal with the fallout of their parents death and the Roman's anger. Seriously. Read it.

5. The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby

I had never really been a fan of Catherine Howard, and in fact she was my least favorite of Henry VIII's 6 wives. However, this book was done really well, and I actually started connecting with her. As always–and probably truthfully–she is depicted as vain and vapid, but she had other characteristics in this book that make her into a real, young girl who was placed in a powerful, dangerous situation.

6. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

To this day, I have no idea why I picked up this book, since I usually avoid Roman history, but I'm glad I did. Not only was this a different kind of story, but it was also a historical with a real STORY hidden beneath all the layers. Some historicals read like a history book, especially when dealing with well written characters, so this was a refreshing read with a new story for me.

7. The Red Queen's Daughter by Jaqueline Kolosov

Mostly recommended for young readers, this was another story I had never thought to look into. Catherine Parr's young daughter with Thomas Seymour is thought to have died around the age of three or so, but this imagines what if she didn't. PLUS, it adds in some elements of witchcraft and magic, which was equally awesome.

8. Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter (this link goes to my review)

This is another retelling of the story of Cleopatra's daughter Cleopatra Selene, which I found to be quite different from Moran's version. This version of Selene is even more kick butt, and–since the facts surrounding her and her brothers are so few–Shecter was able to imagine a whole new story plotline that was engaging even though I'd read Cleopatra's Daughter before.

9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

I've never been a fan of Weir's writing style for the most part, or really cared about Jane Grey, but this book just had me feeling everything for the "Nine Day Queen." I had never really thought about what she thought, or what she went through, but this book really connected me.

10. The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

I'm usually a sucker for Gregory's books, but the Queen's Fool is definitely one of my favorites. Few people are ever really sympathetic to Mary Tudor, so I found that really interesting. Also, usually Gregory goes from the point of view of a well-known historical figure, but this time she uses the POV of a made up girl with the power of Sight (seeing the future) which made it doubly interesting. Gregory connected the story to Mary and Elizabeth, but also let the main character tell her own.

So now you know MY top 10 – what are yours, and do you have any recommendations for me?

Dear YA Authors: I'm getting sick and tired of love triangles!

So, this post has been almost a week in the making, ever since I posted up my review of Jodi Meadows' Incarnate. I felt almost ridiculous that I had to say I adored this book half because the main character had a real relationship, and not a love triangle. Then, OTHER people started agreeing with me, saying that they had been caught on the book when I made a point of saying that there was no love triangle, but an actual couple who falls in love for real reasons.

Wait, I had to say WHAT?

Okay, cool your jets, I'm fully aware that there are some YA authors who rock this love triangle thing. I also read plenty of love triangles myself. I don't want to start burning every one of them that includes a love triangle, I just want to ask … why?

It's probably horrible for me to blame Twilight, but I'm going to blame Twilight just a little bit. Love triangles certainly existed before Twilight, but not in this quantity. After all, love triangles ARE a great way for interaction with fandom. "Team That Guy" and "Team This Guy" competitions can get pretty heated. I've been known to engage in one or two myself, and HELLO. I think I ship a couple hard, and then some other person on the internet scares you with their ferocity. So, okay, I get why publishers want to publish it after Twilight's success, but the better question is why is it being written?

Okay, I've seen it done well when it's essential to the plot. That I can get. When it's done well, I don't even mind it. But I always thought that one of the things that makes YA novels so successful is how well the reader can connect with the protagonist. Perhaps I'm an anomaly, but I have never once in my life had two guys ready to battle to the death over my heart, as seems to be the norm these days in teen lit. Having believed myself to be extremely lucky to find myself ONE guy, female protagonists who spend the entirety of a book (or, worse, multiple books) taking away precious time from the actual plotline to fret over which guy to choose can come off really vain. Also, This Guy and That Guy, if the girl is taking that freaking long to make up her mind which one of you to choose, chances are she's not really in love with either of you and there are plenty of other fish in the sea who actually might like you. When the love triangle is written to the point where the girl seems ridiculously vapid and the guys feel like doormats, I can't take the book anymore no matter how good I think the book is.

Call me old-fashioned, but sometimes I think that the real reason I can't stand love triangles is because I really want to read about a real romance. Sometimes it feels like love triangles are shoehorned in to cause tension in a relationship, and there are so many other ways to do that. People can fall in love for REAL REASONS, not just see each other and be instantly attracted to each other. I understand that a lot of people shortcut that bit because it takes TIME, but when authors do take that time I love them forever and consider the book to be a cut above. It gets even better when these relationships begin to have real issues. Trust me, if there is any level of age where freaking everything has issues, it is the teenage years. There is no way that the only way authors can think to throw in romantic tension is to add another guy to the mix. Love can be REAL, the issues can be REAL and the couples can be REAL.

Let me say, once again, that I do read and will continue to read love triangles. I adore several series where that occurred, and I'm not ashamed to say so. But I AM getting tired of them, just because I miss the real romance of a real couple with real issues. Publishers, teens WILL read that, I promise. Authors, I SWEAR it's worth the time. Maybe I'm an anomaly, but hey! I can't be the only girl who doesn't have two hot guys fawning over her all the time. …right?

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Four 1/2 stars

NEWSOUL

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, millions of souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana's own mother think's she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies–human and creature alike–let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Guys. Guys. THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK. I'm still quite gaga over it, I'm not going to lie, and I purposefully waited until I'd calmed down a little to write this review. I guess this is as calmed down as I'm going to get. To be fair, I HAVE finally sat back enough to realize there were some issues with this book, but what book doesn't have those? We'll brush over those down at the bottom there. But first…

GUYS THIS BOOK. I was willing to give it 5 stars by sheer originality. I thought I was actually one of the worst offenders of the paranormal addiction that's taken over the YA shelves–and was glad of it–but GUYS. Read that blurb. This book is JUST AS INTERESTING AS IT SOUNDS. And more. Much more.

Let's just discuss the world for a second, forgetting the characters. Meadows' world is almost overly ambitious, given that it does leave room for a lot of plot holes if you want to ask questions. If you're willing to just sit back and let the author explain in her own time, it's not that bad. (Given that this IS a first in a series of three, I'm giving Meadows some leeway time to answer questions in coming books.) It's NEW, its INTERESTING and it totally reverses ideas of death and mortality currently held in our society onto it's head. The souls thing would have been awesome on its own, but throw in some sylph, dragons that spit acid and a possible God-who-is-maybe-not-a-God and the world is so full to bursting with so many things it's not surprising Meadows' world building isn't as on the nose as it could have been. THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON, I was giddy off it, not going to lie.

Now, the characters. The main character, Ana, is pretty much awesome. Her emotions are a bit swingy, but I found her equally strong and vulnerable, which isn't easy to do. I knew she could stand up for herself, but she certainly wasn't "all-powerful" either. I thoroughly appreciate and love how her character was handled, and look forward to how the character is going to further develop. Plus, her sarcastic quips. I basically fall head over heels for characters that can quip well. I'd be friends with Ana any day.

The other most important character beside Ana was the love interest (of course), Sam. But you know what is AMAZINGLY AWESOME? These guys ACTUALLY FELL IN LOVE. FOR REAL REASONS. And then they're relationship had REAL PROBLEMS. And there is NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Did I feel like the romance might have taken up a little more of the book than it needed to? Yes, sometimes, but I'm willing to forgive it because it WORKED. I believed these two were in love, I felt for their problems and plus Sam is the sweetest, cutest boy ever, who is ALSO equal parts strong and vulnerable. Meadows' let's us see why they need each other and how they compliment each other, and I love it. YA authors, take note! Real love is deeply appreciated. The only thing that ever felt off about these two to me is how old they FELT they were. The book reminds us several times that they are technically, physically of the same age, but of course Sam is really 5,000 years older than Ana is. While I understand the contrast was important, it got to the point where I pictured Sam older than he was and Ana younger than she was, which made some of the later scenes a little awkward til I got my head back on track.

SPEAKING of love in this book, let's give Meadows some bonus points her theories on love. One of the central scenes of the book was a masquerade that took place at a rededication ceremony (basically a wedding) for a pair of souls who had been in love for FIVE THOUSAND YEARS. Why the bonus points? Well, Meadows took the opportunity to slip in the idea that love transcends gender. The two souls getting married were both women in this life, but Meadows made a point to show several different photographs of the couple throughout time, and in some they were a man-and-woman couple and in others they were a man-and-man couple. I know some people have been turned off the book by this, but personally I liked it.

Okay, now, I've already touched on the world building issue and the characterization issues, so here is my only final issue with the book, which is most of the reason I docked half a star from this review: the ending. Meadows gives us hundreds of pages of awesomeness, but then…that happens. (I'm really trying to not give things away here, ) Basically, the ending doesn't feel finished. It's confusing.  I understand that we're being set up for another book, but even books in series need to find a way to at least have their end point make sense.

This review has ended up sounding a little more critical than I meant it to be, but that's probably for the best. After all, I couldn't put in paragraphs of GUYS GUYS GUYS GAGAGAGAGAGA! No matter my issues, I adore this book. I ADORE THIS BOOK. This book is certainly going on my favorites list, and I will absolutely be getting the next two, which are slated for 2013 and 2014 releases. (No titles yet, I'm afraid.) I am SUPER HYPED for those books because if Incarnate was THIS amazing, Meadows is only going to get better. I know they tell you not to judge a book by its cover, but in Incarnate's case, don't listen. This book is just as beautiful as it's cover.

On YA books that make abusive, stalkerish, horrible relationships seem like they're okay–HERE ME ROAR

WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS EXTREME OPINIONS, EMOTIONS AND IS BASICALLY A RANT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Recently, I picked up a copy of a book called Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey. I was really excited about it, not going to lie. The premise seemed awesome, and the beginning of the book really just came right at you without any preamble. I really, really wanted to like this book, I did–I bought the hardcover over two other books I really wanted to pick up. Let's just say it turned into $18 wasted.

Shattered Souls has a cool premise, but it's basically on the back burner as the main character, Lenzi, struggles over feelings for two boys: her boyfriend Zak and her Protector for a thousand years, Alden. I guess Lindsey was going for that YA cliché love triangle in which the readers see too hot specimens of male knights in shining armor and begin to argue about which one Lenzi should be with.

The answer is NEITHER ONE.

I could not finish this book for this very purpose. I could not read page after page of Lenzi agonizing over her conflicting feelings for two boys who were the two most awful specimens of everything wrong with the male population I had ever read about. Zak, well, he's an angry drunk, to say the least. In the very BEGINNING of the book, he gets drunk, tries to get it on with Lenzi OVER HER FATHER'S GRAVE, ABANDONS her in a CEMETARY in a BAD PART OF TOWN–all of this taking place ON HER BIRTHDAY. The rest of the book gets progressively worse, if you can believe it.

Alden? Well, besides being a creepy stalker who won't go away even though Lenzi orders him to SEVERAL TIMES, is just…awful. Just try this quote on for size:

He fidgeted and then ran his hands through his hair. "Okay. Your fear is a turn-on. Protectors are stimulated when their Speakers are afraid. It's what makes it possible to put you in harm's way. Otherwise, our instinct to protect you would trump everything and we'd never allow you to do your job…"

Well, that certainly wasn't what I expected. "Get out! You're turned on by fear?"

"And by pain to some extent." He winked and pulled his hand away.

NO. THAT IS NOT OKAY.

But the worst thing? Lenzi is perfectly okay with this. When she is not being lazy or whining or otherwise annoyingly passive, she is STILL DEBATING which guy is hotter and twisting herself around in ways that are NOT good for her just because her entire existence seems to revolve around one of these hot guys accepting her. She seems like she's in such a constant state of self loathing that she doesn't believe she is worthy of HEALTHY love.

And that would have been okay, if it were ever addressed. If it were ever mentioned. If there was ever a speck of feeling throughout the book that THAT IS NOT RIGHT. BUT THERE WASN'T. Instead, the entire book seems to be telling its readers that if your boyfriend is an alcoholic, abusive, dysfunctional, sociopathic and sadistic, well, that's okay.

IT IS NOT OKAY. ON NO LEVEL IS THAT OKAY.

I'm fully aware that these kinds of relationships happen in real life; that they are a fact that real women struggle with every day. That isn't right either, of course, but I'm not being harsh to those women. I'm angry at YA literature that tells young girls that kind of relationship is okay when it really, really isn't. Being a teen is hard enough. For a lot of us, books are supposed to be an escape. We see strong characters and we try to be like them. But if these books–if our little havens–are telling us that these kinds of relationships are okay, what are we supposed to think? Well I'm just going to take a stand right here.

THEY AREN'T, LADIES. NONE OF THIS IS RIGHT.

Quite frankly, no matter your age or gender or anything at all, we all deserve happiness and real love. We are all stronger than we think. But when YA books write about relationships and even teen girls in this manner, it almost takes a little bit of that strength away. It makes it seem like somewhere, there is this group of adults–from the writer to the agent to the publisher and everywhere in between–that is telling us that these kind of relationships are okay and even normal when they REALLY ARE NOT. I'm picking on Shattered Souls right now because it was the book I was just reading, but it's hardly the only book like it. I'm sure you guys can give me at least one example of the book you've read that made it seem like some kind of teen behavior–whether it be related to relationships or not–was treated without the care and respect that it deserves, and made out to be okay when it wasn't. Dear Writers, Agents and Publishers of Teen Literature:

THIS IS NOT OKAY.

Believe it or not, this post is a lot calmer than I originally planned it to be. Shattered Souls made–and still makes–me legitimately angry. Let me just say, one more time, a few words for the teens reading these types of books:

Abusive boys are NOT OKAY.

Sadistic boys are NOT OKAY.

Drunk boys are NOT OKAY.

Stalker boys are NOT OKAY.

Sociopathic boys are NOT OKAY.

And you know what?

NO GIRL is dependent on a guy.

NO GIRL needs to have her self-worth determined by a guy.

NO GIRL is weak.

We are all talented, beautiful, smart and strong. Just like you don't listen to any haters, don't listen to these books. Make your own choices. Let's all show these writers, agents and publishers that these kinds of messages in writing are NOT OKAY.

(If you were interested in reading more about the horribleness of Shattered Thoughts, check out blogger Lea's review over on Goodreads here. Her rant is even more impressive than mine.)

Review: Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

4 1/2 stars

"Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.

"Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven's warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who is really is has come out, so have Hell's strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

"She's been warned.

"Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian's new plan to destroy Ellie's soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian's schemes, the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything–including herself.

"She'll be betrayed.

"Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be Hell to pay."

Where do I start? WHERE do I start? Guys: THIS BOOK. This book kept me up until ONE THIRTY in the morning after a long night of work.  It NEVER STOPPED moving. I finally finished it, put it down, and tossed around for a while because I needed to breathe. Not kidding.

When the first book in this series came out, I was instantly hooked. I loved the world, I loved the characters and I loved Ellie. Finally, HERE is a girl who can take care of herself and make quips while being pummeled to death. Angelfire was fast paced, funny and included a guy that I actually crushed on because he wasn't another one of those Edward types. (Ew)

Wings of the Wicked is a lot like the first book, except it's darker, somehow even MORE fast paced and–hold your hearts, Will fans–a heck of a lot sexier. Don't worry: Will and Ellie can't even stay apart correctly, and once they get together SOMEONE GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. (Nono, nothing like a romance book or anything. The book is firmly PG-13.) Yet they also continue to be adorable around that. Go figure. Nice one, Moulton.

You also learn a LOT more of about the world of angels, who Ellie really is–and when I say a lot, I mean it. Sometimes it felt like Nathaniel was facilitating an info dump, but I ate it all up. And then there still managed to be MORE questions that were opened up. I was so totally sucked into this world that I was literally wailing "No EXPLAIN IT!"

The main thing that I keep coming back to with this book is the pace. You read it, and you feel like the Roadrunner. You just CAN'T stop. If you could, I'd be a little more rested than I am right now. Ellie literally never catches a break; when she gets a chance to breath, you can't even breathe with her because you know the next big thing is right around the corner of the next page and you are always right–and somehow it's ALWAYS worse than you imagined. The book reads like a rapid fire shotgun. Just the way I like it.

Ahem. Now, I guess I ought to get technical instead of gushy to try to retain some semblance of credence. Alright. There WERE a few things that caught me as off. The first had to do with the pacing: with so many things happening, of course you're in danger of not letting Ellie properly deal with what's happening to her. The biggest events were dealt with beautifully, but sometimes it felt like she didn't have reactions to some of the smaller things because she just didn't have the time. The second thing: the relationship with Cadan. The whole thing just felt off to me, and got worse by the page. For one, he seemed to only show up when Ellie needed something explained to her, which just made him feel like a foil. Plus, the whole why-he-loves-her thing? That seemed…off. Perhaps it's going to get expanded in the next book; I hope so. The third thing: what Bastian is to both Cadan and Will. I'm sorry, but if you ask me that just seemed like a whole plot event meant to facilitate a love triangle and WHY MOULTON WHY. I enjoyed that she tried to have Ellie shut Cadan down right away, but it still doesn't sit right with me.

Still, overall, this book is AMAZING. I picked up Angelfire on a whim when it first came out and I am SO GLAD. I did. I've heard this book recommended for fans of Lauren Kate's Fallen series and the Unearthly books by Cynthia Hand (both of which I've reviewed on my blog, go check out My Reviews!) but I disagree. The only thing that they have in common is angels. Ellie is more like Buffy Summers: kick butt, sarcastic and can totally take care of herself. So what are you waiting for? GO READ THEM.

The third and final book in the Angelfire series, Hymn to the Fallen, is slated for a 2013 release.

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Four stars

"For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

"Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

"In this compelling sequel to UNEARTHLY, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are."

Suggestion: If you haven't read it, read my review of Unearthly. I'm going to be referencing it!

Now, once that's done, you'll understand what I mean when I say that I wasn't that impressed with Unearthly. I liked it for sure, but it was fairly boring all things considered. I was left with hope, however, that Hallowed would be better than the first book. Going into it, though, I was worried. I'd too recently had my hopes crushed by Crossed by Ally Condie.

The beginning didn't exactly assuage my fears quickly. I halted about 50 pages of the way in, terrified I was looking at ANOTHER slow start. For everyone's reference, things ALMOST happening are not the same as things ACTUALLY happening. You need more than a few "cry wolf's" for me to be hooked.

And then the rest of the book HAPPENED.

Sure, it had its faults (which I'll get to be in a minute) but MAN things happened. I'd gotten an inkling of how wrapped in the book Hand could keep a person at the end of Unearthly, and now she was USING that power the way it was meant to be used. New characters, new issues, new answers, new questions. Take note, Crossed, THIS is what a 2nd book in a trilogy should look more like. Tucker and Clara continued to be cute, the angel lore/world continued to get more and more interesting–all the things I liked got expanded, which was nice.

Now, of course, the big thing here is the death expected in the book. I don't want to give away who it is, so I'll try really hard to just explain how I feel about it without mentioning a name. I was worried about this premise, because the whole "oh someone's going to die" thing always seems to be taken so melodramatically. Hand handles it quite well, I must say. There is a certain level of melodramatic-ness that just has to be there because that's what this plot convention is about, but it didn't rule the situation. I'm not one to get overly emotional at books, but the last scene made me take a sniff or two. It was excellently done and I applaud.

Most of the things that I took issue to in this book were nitpicky, so I'll just run through them quickly:

A) The whole love triangle thing. Don't get me wrong, Hand deals with it MUCH, MUCH better than I've seen anyone do lately. I'm still impressed, even after reading this book. However, I do feel that it got to be a bit much in Hallowed. There is only so much you can discuss a love triangle issue before you start falling into cliché just because it's what a love triangle lends itself too. Hand does it well, but I don't think she needs to do it so much.

B) Clara's mother's purpose. Um, what? Pardon me, but I feel that it just seemed a little … trite? That's not the word, but I hope you understand. Something about it didn't sit with me, but that's possibly because it's going to be retroactively explained in the final book.

C) Jeffrey's purpose. You can't just throw something like that into the last few pages of the book like that, people! After all the big reveals and sadness and everything, I felt like this just got tacked on and didn't get the importance it deserved. Obviously it's going to be a big part of the next book, but the little that was in Hallowed was … hollow.

D) Samjeeza. Two books later, I'm still not really any closer to understanding this guy. While I feel that's the point–it's obviously intentional how kept in the dark we're supposed to be–it's still rather annoying. He's attacking, then he's sorry, then he's nasty, then he's upset–and there is no explanation of why.  Why in the world Clara did what she did at the graveyard still confuses me. Even Clara didn't seem to understand the plot move she was making.

Clearly, those four issues just need one thing to resolve them: the next book. And you can bet I'll be reading it, without a doubt. Hallowed was a solid, interesting and always moving. The best part? I can't already predict how this is all going to end. Sure, I can formulate, but I can formulate multiple scenarios and that is exciting. I can't even tell you if I'm Team Tucker or Team Christian, because Hand has made me love them both in so many ways. I liked Unearthly, but it wasn't as good as I thought it could be. Hallowed is a definite, visible improvement that makes me almost more excited to read the third book than the actual plot.

The third book in the Unearthly series is yet untitled and slated for a 2013 release.

Books are the Best Medicine – Here's My Preferred Prescription!

Today's post is going to be a little bit of a shorter one, because as you may have guessed I'm so ill as to be seeing stars and hanging out all day in bed. Of course, hanging out in bed all day DOES come with the awesome upside of having a lot of quality time to spend with one's bookshelf. Therefore, I decided today's post would be all about those books of mine that I just read over and over and over again when I'm feeling down. After all, who needs meds when you've got books? (Let it be noted that the following are just a sample. My books number in the thousands. ) If you have a book that helps YOU feel better, let me know in the comments! My cough tells me I'm going to have a loooot more time to kill before I get much better. ^.^

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is probably the newest book I've added to this list, but I just can't get enough of it. You can check out my initial review of the book here–it still shows how I feel about this book quite well. I just CANNOT get enough of these characters or the story or … anything. I actually reread it just the other day and discovered that–despite how many times I've read this–I still have to be careful while I'm reading, because I STILL laugh hysterically at the jokes that always happen to show up every time I want a drink.

Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins

Yes, Hex Hall too, but at the moment I've been reading Demon Glass a bit more with the reason that the third book IS coming out March 13. These books are action packed AND include cute guys and awesome one liners. I'm not one who easily laughs out loud at books, but when I'm STILL doing that on my one gajillionth reread, I know I've got something special that I just refuse to let go.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

I COULD have titled this entry "anything by Cassandra Clare" and still be telling you the truth, but I really have a thing for City of Glass. Probably because of all the Jace/Clary-ness but whatever. I just had a new urge to reread the entire Mortal Instruments series (if you want to know just what these are, check out my article here) again after going through Clare's section of Goodreads quotes and laughing so hard I tipped over my chair. All that goodness undiluted can kill, I swear. These books are also so awesome and widely appealing that my brother read them, so we have quote wars. It's amazing, let me tell you.

Squire by Tamora Pierce

Now, throughout this post you're going to notice I have a thing with rereading the final books in series. If you know anything about Pierce's Protector of the Small series, however, then you'll know Squire is actually the 3rd of 4 books. Don't ask me why, but I just adore this book like nobody's business. I actually broke the spine of the library's copy before I realized I should prooobably get my own. But hey, how can you go wrong with Kel, Raoul and a baby griffin? (The answer is, you can't.)

Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

Alright, here we go, back to the "last book in the series" trend. Well, I'll be honest, any time I name one book in a series it's a good bet I just spend all day rereading the ENTIRE series, but this is just my favorite. You've got the Shang Dragon AND George AND Thom AND Jon AND her friends AND–erm. Everything. This book has everything. I better just leave it at that…

The Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Full disclaimer: I usually don't reread the entirety of this book. In fact I usually don't read the entirety of this series. I reread all Rose and Dimitri sections and flip through the rest. Don't get me wrong, I adore the other characters–Adrian especially after Bloodlines–but…AAGH. Rose and Dimitri. Never have I shipped a couple so hard. Seriously. (Although Sydney and Adrian are coming up close second.) I have reread this book quite a few times, but I have mauled the end pages that include Rose and Dimitri's "happily ever after." I may be a sucker, but you can't tell me it isn't reasonable with this two.

Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Four stars

"Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion but haven't outrun the danger. One the outside, they encounter a landscape as mysterious and threatening as the one they left behind. Despite the perils, the two are determined to get to Manhattan and to relative safety with Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men to age twenty-five, time is precious. Even worse, they can't seem to elude Rhine's father-in-law Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion … by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano's harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is with the price–now that she has more to lose than ever."

(This book review is from an Advanced Review Copy, won from Goodreads)

First off, let me just extend a thank you to Goodreads, Simona & Schuster and–of course–Lauren DeStefano for getting this book into the world and then gifting it to me early. This is the first ARC I've ever gotten and the first early review I've ever done, so I'm just going to do my best and also try not to spoil anything. It is going to be freaking hard, because I want to squeal SO MUCH. Where to start…

The beginning is always a good place to start! Let me tell you, Fever is aptly titled. The first part of this book–until about Chapter 9 or so (out of 27 chapters)–reads like a haze. DeStefano has a very lyrical way of writing, and its infused with a sort of haze all throughout the beginning that gives the book a sense of surrealism. Usually, I hate that kind of thing. Hey, have you seen my review of Shatter Me? Usually lyrical writing–overdone like that–really turns me off. But it works rather well with the surrealism of Rhine's current situation, somehow. It still doesn't completely jive with my particular taste in style (part of the reason this isn't a five star review), but I found myself stuck reading…and reading…and reading. After Chapter 9, the book falls into the saner rhythm, with the lyrical phrasing and such more interspersed–the way Wither was written, basically. There is still a tinge of the "fever," though, which helps to connect the switch.

Another thing found in those first few chapters? DeStefano's other magical ability, to take on a situation that has such a bad stigma to it and make it work for her story. It was polygamy in Wither, and it's prostitution in Fever–neither of which are small change! You clearly don't get the feelings of approval or anything, but… Well, it's hard to describe. Anyone who's read Wither knows what I mean. (Wait a sec. If you haven't read Wither, what exactly are you doing here? Go check out my review of the first book and check back in here later! )

The pace of the entirety of the book is FAST. There are a few moments of peace for the characters, but even then there is hectic undertone that makes you keep reading and reading until the book is all gone and you go WAIT GIVE ME MORE. Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. Fever was also great about answering a few questions but then opening up a hundred more. (Read "great" with AGH I WANT TO KNOW accents.) I, for one, prefer fast paced books where things are just hitting me one after the other because it's the only way I can keep my interest in it, and this book delivered.

I wish I could go into my other reasons for docking a star from this review, but in my efforts to stay spoiler free I must say rather little. Actually, they are a lot like the issues I had with the first book. Most of them came from character development, nominally Rhine and Gabriel, whom I've had issues with since Wither. There is an aspect of falseness to their relationship still, though events in Fever suggest this might be intentional. (Though I am still completely befuddled by the whole Rhine-Linden dynamic.) Also, the tempo. Despite being fast paced, I was never utterly and completely invested in characters such as Rhine, yet I found myself liking the characters of Lilac and Maddie (don't worry, you'll meet them soon) right away. Thus, when things happened to Rhine, my heart wasn't pulsing like it should have been. As I said in my review of the first book, perhaps DeStefano's way with words is one reason the plot never got to my heart rate, but I refuse to put too much blame there because she has a way with words.

Fans of the first book, of course, just want to know one thing (besides the entire plot and all the spoilers that they can't get til Fever hits shelves, but you know): Does Fever measure up to Wither? The answer is yes. Totally and absolutely yes. If you were having sequel anxiety, worry not! If you loved the first book, you'll be heading head over heels for the second one. Your unbearable wait for February 21 will be worth it, I promise.

Now, Goodreads, you've got the expected release date for the third book set as April 1, 2013. How sweet do I have to be to get an early copy of that?

My New WIP: A Mental Challenge in Not Thinking and Having Too Much Fun

Well, if you guys know anything about me, it's that I'm always, always coming up with new ideas and writing too many books at once. (Right now, it's four. I think. Are we counting thought processes?) Anyways, after a fifty billionth breakdown over "WHY I HAVE NO PLOT?" and "WHY THESE CHARACTERS NO WORK?" and "WHY IS THIS THE SUCK?" I finally called it quits. Not on writing, mind you. THINKING.

Yes, I've talked about this before, especially during NaNoWriMo. But this is a level even I've never reached before. As it turns out, this is the first book I've ever written where there is a certain time when I can write it: when I'm flat-out, drooling, giggly tired. Sound whacked out? Possibly. But I bet you're jealous of all the fun I'm having.

If I were to read this WIP while sane awake, I would know–as I know now in the back of my head–that this book is rather plotless. In fact, the entire beginning of the book doesn't make any a lot of sense. Best part? At the moment, I don't care. I introduce two new characters in situations where I can't name drop without making it sound force, and in all seriousness they go through the chapter being called "Scaly-face" and "Gandalf Guy." My MC is actually crazy enough to make that work for me, which is awesome. I'm not even 3 chapters or 10,000 words in yet, and she's already referenced Disney, Pocahontas, the Wizard of Oz and the Lord of the Rings. She says things that I doubt are going to be funny to anyone but me. But I DON'T CARE.

Maybe this book will never be anything. That isn't the point here. The point is that I'm fed up with taking writing so freaking seriously. This started as fun, didn't it? So I want to keep it that way. Sometimes you just need to break away from your real, serious WIP and write something that makes you laugh at yourself. I think of it like a writing exercise–and also somewhere to store all those jokes that I think are hilarious but no one else seems to. The greatest thing is? My short attention span is actually remaining excited about this project. So at least if I'm not writing anything that will ever get me anywhere, I'm WRITING. And that's the important thing.

And who knows? Maybe this'll turn into something that is better than any WIP I've ever tried to think about!