Lauryn April's Blog: April Books, page 19

Review for Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

A Fun Read with a Twist on Norse Mythology

4.5 Stars. This book took a little while to suck me in, but when it did I discovered a really intriguing storyline and wonderful characters. Paulson takes a few chapters to set up this story, but once Ellie gets to Norway things start to pick up and they continue to get more interesting once Graham and his best friend Tuck arrive.

Ellie was a likeable character. She was sweet, but toughens up and learns to stand up for herself as the book goes on. I loved the dynamic of Ellie and the boys around her. Other than her grandmother and the Valkyries all the other main characters are guys. Seeing Graham, Tucker and Kjell all being territorial over her was entertaining. I also liked Tucker a lot. He pushed Ellie’s buttons and could be a bit of a bad influence, but he was also a loyal friend and on the inside a really sweet guy.

Tucker’s jealousy was cute, and I liked his relationship with Ellie. She’s his best friend’s sister and they’ve spent a lot of time together growing up. Now that they’re older they realize they have feelings for one another, but to act on them would mean changing and potentially destroying the way things have been since they were kids.

Ellie has always lived in her big brother’s shadow. His overprotective ways have labeled her as “Graham’s little sister” and all she wants is to be able to make her own decisions. I think what this book is really about is Ellie growing up and becoming her own person. When she visits her grandmother, who lives in Norway, we see her wanting to do her own thing, but she has a hard time talking to her brother about this. Graham tends to just assume what she wants and isn’t a very good listener.

After Ellie and Graham get in a fight the plot really picks up, and Ellie is thrown into a dangerous situation that she has to deal with without the help or guidance of her brother or grandmother. There’s a lot more to Ellie than just being Graham’s little sister and she discovers some of these things and has to learn how to deal with them in a short period of time.

I liked the twist on Norse mythology in this book. There were some familiar faces, like Loki and Odin, but the storyline felt completely new to me. One thing that I was disappointed in with this book was that we never got to see Valhalla. We hear a little bit about it, but the characters never actually make it there.

Also I felt like the fight scene at the end was too easy. There were families fighting against their sons, it just felt like it should have been more emotional. But, instead it ended peacefully and without any casualties and then the whole town’s memories were wiped as if it never happened. I would have liked that scene to have been a little more meaningful.

I did like the little bit of drama at the end with wondering if Tuck was under the same spell as Kjell, and the scene with Tuck and Ellie on the roof made me smile.

Overall this book had nice imagery, an interesting plot and well developed characters. It was descriptive, but in a way that was fun and whimsical. It was a really fun read.

Rip-offs, Inspiration, and Coincidences

Lately I’ve noticed a number of reviews that focus heavily on comparing one book to another, instead of focusing on the pros and cons of that book alone. For example, I’ve read a number of blog posts and reviews, from people who obviously disliked Twilight, who point out all the ways a story is similar to Meyer’s vampire series. But “Twilight Copy-cats” aren’t the only books being labeled “rip-offs”. Have you heard these….

Image by AZRainman
Hunger Games rips off Battle Royale?

Harry Potter rips off Star Wars?

Percy Jackson rips off Harry Potter?

Eragon rips off Lord of the Rings?

LOTR rips off Harry Potter? (Which makes no sense since LOTR was written in the 50’s and Harry Potter came out in the late 90’s – but it’s been said)

And of course all the books that have been considered to be “Rip-off’s” of Twilight including Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout, Promise by Kristie Cook, and Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.
 
Then again Twilight could easily be considered a rip-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and if you read The Vampire Diaries just like Buffy? you may wonder if Buffy ripped off The Vampire Diaries (which was written before Twilight and BtVS). So then is every comic book hero ripping off Superman? Is every vampire novel a rip off of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (which wasn’t even the first vampire novel)? Is every love story ripping off Romeo and Juliet?

My answer: No.

As readers we should stop focusing on these similarities, many of which are coincidences, and others are simply an author finding inspiration in another’s work, and we should start enjoying the stories we read.

In my opinion, everything has been done before. And as authors we are inspired by what we read, watch, and experience and we incorporate those things into our own works. That’s what writing is, taking something we know and twisting it to make it our own. That’s not ripping something off that’s being inspired. Even E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey, which was surrounded by controversy when it was discovered that it was originally written as Twilight fan-fiction, is an original piece of work. I personally have problems with how James wrote it, as her characters were originally written to be someone else’s, but in the end her finished story is her own. (Read more about this in The Legality of Fanfiction a Grey Area)

T.S. Eliot once said, “Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal.”

Some of my favorite books lately are stories that take a classic fairy tale and twist it into something else. Are these books just ripping off the classics? No. They’re taking something wonderful and creating something new. After all, there are only so many master plots out there.

At the bare bones structure of any story you will find similarities with something that came before it. If you try hard enough you can find parallels between any two books, but unless a book follows another word for word (which would be plagiarism) there is going to be something different about it that makes it original. Maybe some stories are too close for your liking, maybe some stories feel cliché because of the concepts they borrow, but personally, I think if we could all stop comparing one book to another we’d all enjoy reading a lot more.

Even if a certain scene in a novel, bit of dialogue, or even the entire book was purposely inspired by another piece of work this does not mean that book isn’t its own original story. For me, unless a book copies another in a way that the entire story is spoiled by my knowledge of that book – which has never happened to me – As long as it’s a good book, I’m going to be happy with that read, regardless of similarities. In fact some similarities between a book I loved and a book I’m reading are a good thing.

Now I want to be clear, I’m talking about authors borrowing ideas in plot structure, concepts, character development, phrasing…I’m talking about pieces. To copy a story word for word, or so closely that you only make small changes is plagiarism, this is illegal and not what I’m talking about. (This is also not what T.S. Eliot meant by his above quote) But, I would like to think that we all learned the different between plagiarism and putting something into our own words by 8th grade English.

So writers, don’t shy away from writing that vampire novel that’s been eating away at you because you’re afraid it’ll be called a Twilight rip-off. Write what you love and work your magic to make it your own. You can’t appease everyone so at least write something you enjoy.

 For more information about “stealing” ideas check out this blog post Why Do Great Writers Steal

I hope reviewers will stop complaining that something rips off something else. Reviewers should feel free to comment on the similarities one book has to another, but they shouldn’t post nasty reviews demeaning an author of his or her creativity. Doing this only makes the reviewer look unprofessional and their review petty and unreliable. So please, reviewers, I rely on what you write to help me decide what to read next. And, those reviews that are 1-3 stars are sometimes the most telling about whether or not I would enjoy a story. But please, take the time to write a quality review that discusses the story and what you liked and disliked about it, don’t just a compare and contrast with the latest “it” novel.

What do you think? Are you sick of rants about rip offs? Are these books stealing from other stories or are these similar ideas inspiration creating transformative works?

Hidden Beneath Teaser (Into the Deep 2)

My first novel "Into the Deep" ended with Ivy Daniels coming to terms with her telepathic ability. The sequel "Hidden Beneath" will be out this summer and it picks up roughly a year and a half later. Ivy's junior year of high school has come and gone, but mysteries and dangerous situations havn't completely left her behind. Now as Ivy prepares for college she'll find herself pulled into a whole new adventure.

 For more information on the first book of this series, "Into the Deep" check out it's Goodreads page here. And, for a (unedited) sneak peak at "Hidden Beneath" keep reading.



TEASER:

Before I knew it my feet were wet and I was shivering. The water felt like needles against my skin. Step by step I made my way deeper into the water. Waves splashed at my legs and the tide tugged at me. I was shaking and with each pull of the ocean I grew more and more unbalanced. It pulled me down like the physical embodiment of my guilt, and gained strength as I moved deeper. I had to save him.

I heard Brant’s voice again. “God, Ivy, I’m so sorry.”

I kept walking. The water was up to my waist now, and my teeth were chattering so hard I thought they might chip.

“This is all my fault, please forgive me.” Brant’s voice echoed behind me.

Forgive me, forgive, I realized then that I’d done exactly what I’d been trying to prevent Brant from doing. I spun back around. I searched for Brant on the beach, but he was gone. The ocean surged around me and the salt water got into my mouth. I suddenly realized I was chasing after a dead man because I couldn’t stop blaming myself for his death.

I was hit by a heavy wave. It knocked me off balance. I reached my arms out to try and regain my equilibrium but I still stumbled. The tide pulled at my legs and uprooted them from the sandy ocean floor. As I sunk beneath the surface of the violent waves the last thing I saw was the empty, dark, beach.

Suddenly the world was calm. I swayed back and forth with the tide. Underwater I couldn’t hear the violent roar of the storm or the crashing of the waves. Submerged, everything suddenly began to still and I swam. Bubbles trailed from my nose and I swam underwater toward the beach.


For more information on Hidden Beneath check out its Goodreads Page.
To read another teaser click here.

Review for The Elite by Kiera Cass

A Wonderful Mix of Fantasy and Dystopian Concepts

5 Stars. I absolutely loved The Selection and The Elite had me hooked just as much as the first book. It was a wonderful mix of fantasy and dystopian concepts.

America is a really tough character but she gets scared of what the end of the selection will mean for her, and that’s really what this book is about. Either she wins and then she’s the future queen and she doesn’t know if she can handle that responsibility – if she can be a leader when so many of her ideals conflict with how the country is actually run, or she loses which would mean Maxon never cared for her like she did for him, and she really does love him. And then there’s always the third option of dropping out to avoid becoming queen, and heartbreak from Maxon, and returning home to be with Aspen.

America has a lot of doubts about Maxon in this book, partly because he keeps some things from her, and there were times when I was frustrated with America’s paranoia and rash decisions. But considering her situation I think these emotions were perfect. She does lash out and in turn make some bad decisions – decisions that she doesn’t think through or consider the consequences of, but I think it would have been unrealistic had she done anything else. It was obvious to me that Maxon wanted her the most, but being in that situation where she’s competing with all of these other girls for his attention I believed that she would feel unsure at times and question his motives.

I also enjoyed that we got to see so much more of Maxon’s character. He can be this perfect gentleman, caring, and wholesome, even a little naive at times; but there’s more to him than that. We see in this book that he’s not perfect, that he makes some questionable decisions as well, and that his life hasn’t been as easy as America has thought it was. This competition is wearing on him as well.

I was glad to see America work out her feelings by the end of this book. The love triangle in the first book didn’t feel that strong to me and I was glad to see that America wasn’t going to continue to string someone along in the third book. She does give both Maxon and Aspen mixed signals throughout the book, but I could understand why.

Like in the first book I liked the relationships between the girls, and I’m particularly interested to see how America and Kriss’ relationship continues in the third book, or if we’ll see more of Marlee.

Overall I cannot wait for the conclusion of this trilogy, The One, and highly recommend this book.

Read my review of The Selection.

Review for Darkness Kindled by Samantha Young

A Captivating Conclusion to a Wonderful Series
4.5 Stars. I have loved this series from the very beginning and this book did a nice job of wrapping it up in a satisfying way. I could also tell that Samantha’s writing has grown in some wonderful ways which made the experience of reading this book all the better. As usual Samantha Young does a wonderful job of including twists and turns. There were more than a few unexpected moments that kept the story moving for me. I also loved the way she described the fight scenes in this book.One thing that I wished this book had gone deeper into were the relationships between the characters. The first three novels in this series sucked me in to Ari, Charlie and Jai’s lives, but I felt this book didn’t pull me in as deep as the first three. For example, the sexual tension between Ari and Jai was great in the beginning. I loved that this book started out with them in a fight, but it felt like both their fight and the sexual tension between them got resolved too quickly. Also, in the first book in this series, Smokeless Fire, I was captivated by the love triangle between Ari, Charlie, and Jai. By this book it was pretty obvious that Ari and Jai were going to end up together, and for some reason that made me want Ari to have more time with Charlie all that much more. His story has been heartbreaking from the very beginning and there are some great moments between him and Ari in this book. I really loved all the little flashbacks where Ari remembered life with Charlie when she was young, but I couldn’t help want a few more. For me, it felt like this book had the best writing out of the series, and it really did wrap up all the loose ends. I did feel a little like Ari was a little too impulsive when it came to cashing in her deal with Azazil. I wished she would have taken more time to think about what the consequences could have been, even though I do believe she would have made the deal regardless. However, I loved the direction that this story took after the consequences of that choice were revealed. I also loved the ending with Asmodeous, and the moment Ari gets with the White King. By the end of this book you truly understand exactly who all of the characters are and all of the battles they’ve been fighting in their lives come to a conclusion.Overall I greatly enjoyed this series and will be looking into more works by Samantha Young.To read my reviews of the first two books of this series Smokeless Fire, Scorched Skies or Borrowed Ember click here. 

Into the Deep Dream Cast

With "Hidden Beneath" in the end stages of publication I thought I'd look back at the first book in the Ivy Daniels series, "Into the Deep".

Lately it seems like every movie being made started as a book. (The Hunger Games, Warm Bodies, City of Bones, and the list goes on...) So, it's not a stretch as a writer to daydream about who would play my characters if my book were ever adapted to the big screen. Granted the liklihood of this happening is slim, but it doesn't hurt to dream. So, just for fun, here are my picks for the cast of "Into the Deep" if it were ever made into a movie or TV show.
Ivy Daniels - Diana Argon

Brant Everett - Chase Crawford

Charlie Olsen - Gia Mantegna

Tiana Bello - Keke Palmer

Eliza Hall - Megan Fox

Christy Noonan - Bridget Mendler

First Look at Hidden Beneath (Into the Deep 2)

My first novel "Into the Deep" ended with Ivy Daniels coming to terms with her telepathic ability. The sequel "Hidden Beneath" will be out this summer and it picks up roughly a year and a half later. Ivy's junior year of high school has come and gone, but mysteries and dangerous situations havn't completely left her behind. Now as Ivy prepares for college she'll find herself pulled into a whole new adventure.
For more information on the first book of this series, "Into the Deep" check out it's Goodreads page here. And, for a (unedited) sneak peak at "Hidden Beneath" keep reading.


TEASER

My chest felt weighted as my breaths grew more labored. I ignored the heat that raced up my calves, ignored the frightened shivers that traced down the back of my neck, screaming to turn and run the other way. I hadn’t had the dream in months, and in truth I thought that I was free of it. Maybe it was having my emotions running high that brought it back out, maybe it was seeing Brant again, but for whatever reason as I napped in the car, the memory of that day at the school morphed into a horrific nightmare, and played over in my head.

I was running. The hallway seemed endlessly long, as if it were being stretched out with every step I took, as if I could never reach the other end. My heart was pounding, my lungs heaving, and a bead of sweat rolled from my hairline to the tip of my nose. I could see the gym, it was just ahead of me but I felt like I’d never reach it. I needed to run faster, I was too slow, it wasn’t enough. Panic pulsed through my body and I tried to run faster. My shoes squeaked against the tile floor. I tried to do better. The smell of basketball rubber, and wood floor cleaner reached my senses.

“Wait,” I shouted, and for a moment the distance between me and the gym door lessened. I had to get there, I had to get in. He was in the locker room, and I had to stop him. I had to save him. I pushed forward. My hand was on the door to the gym. Then with a deep breath I pushed it open.

“Ivy, wake up,” a voice said.

I felt pressure on my arm and then quickly the dream vanished into a blur. My eyes opened and I realized I was in the Camaro. The smell of warn leather floated into my senses and my head was slumped against the window. Shooting pain coursed through my neck as I straightened myself out. I was in desperate need of a good stretch and rolled my shoulders back and cracked my neck to try and make up for not having enough room to do it properly.

Looking around I saw that we were parked outside a small motel. Endlessly tall trees shot up out of the ground and pine cones littered the dirt parking lot. It was called the Fernwood Motel, and while it appeared to have a fresh coat of paint on its surface nothing could hide the retro 70’s architecture with its tilted roof and small windows.

“I figured we’d rest for a bit here, get cleaned up then maybe get a bite to eat?”

I nodded. “Yeah, okay.”


Find out more about Hidden Beneath, and add it to your "to read" list on Goodreads.

 Purchse "Into the Deep" at...AmazonBarnes and NobleKobo

The Vampire Diaries just like Buffy?

The Vampire Diaries has been giving me some serious dejavu. I’ve heard a few remarks comparing TVD to Twilight, but these days anything with vampires in it is being compared to Twilight, which I don’t understand. Vampires existed in literature long before Twilight, not every vampire story that comes out is a Twilight rip-off, and certainly not TVD. There is no honest comparison that can be made between Twilight and TVD in my opinion, other than to say they are both vampire love triangles (and really Twilight is a “love-V” since there’s no love between Edward and Jacob). But there are some crazy comparisons to be made between my new favorite vampire drama, The Vampire Diaries, and my favorite show of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Now, to be completely fair TVD predates not only Twilight by over a decade, but also Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So, I’m in no way saying that L.J. Smith has ripped of Buffy (although I am comparing the shows here, not the books – so it may be possible that Buffy inspired some of the changes that have been made to the small screen version of the story). What I really want to point out is how these two shows were set up and that maybe in their similarities is a formula for success.

Blonde, cheerleader, just some girl who seems insignificant but turns out to be extraordinary…Elena/Buffy: Both Elena and Buffy were spunky school girls who fell in love with vampires. Neither wanted to become vampires themselves and they dealt with all the drama of loving a man who would never die. Damon even called Elena “Buffy” in one episode, and while the Elena we know from TV isn’t blonde, her counterpart in James’ books is. Both Elena and Buffy put their friends and family first. They’re strong female leads willing to fight and at times even sacrifice themselves for the ones they love.

What makes Elena different: Evil Elena has been fun to watch on the show, and while Buffy had her bad moments even during her brief stint as a vampire she was good to the core. Elena’s character has been taken to a darker place than Buffy’s ever was and I enjoy that about TVD.

What makes Buffy different: She’s The Slayer. Elena was just a girl and often in need of saving whereas Buffy was the one doing most of the saving on BtVS. However, new vampire-Elena is stronger.

 
 Dark, mysterious, brooding, vampire who turns into a psycho maniac if he loses control…

Stefan/Angel: Both Stefan and Angel were vampire protectors for the human girls they fell in love with. They both had dark histories they were trying to make amends for, both fighting against their very nature to be good. But, they also both slipped up at times. For Angel it was losing his soul that turned him into a deranged killer, for Stefan it was his overpowering bloodlust and shutting off his humanity.

What makes Stefan different: He’s not crippled by a curse that prevents him from ever being happy. He’s often brooding and serious but what I love about him is that he’s capable of having fun and being happy. This makes his character a little lighter and his relationship with Elena a little easier than it was for Buffy and Angel.

What makes Angel different: Stefan’s whole world seems to revolve around Elena whereas Angel was a bigger picture kind of guy. In the end Angel was going to do what was best for the whole world, in one episode he’s even cured of vampirism and made human, but he gives it up and gives up a chance to be with Buffy knowing he can make a bigger difference in the world as a vampire. Stefan on the other hand would gladly take the cure with Elena and be human with her so they could live out the rest of their lives.

 

Impulsive vampire bad-boy who stars out wanting to kill every one of our main characters, but ends wanting to be good…Damon/Spike: Julie Plec called Damon their “Buffy” because of his snarky comebacks, but I think his character is much more in tune with another blue-eyed hottie – Spike, whose snarky commentary kept up with Buffy’s and created great sexual tension on the show. Much like what we see between Damon and Elena. Even the love triangle matches up perfect. Angel – Buffy – Spike, and Stefan – Elena – Damon.

The progression in character development of these two vamps followed a similar path. Both Spike and Damon were impulsive, selfish bad-boys who originally appeared on their respective shows as villains. Later they became allies with the good guys when it suited their needs, and then as they developed feelings for the heroine of the show they began to truly change their ways. Spike became a good man for Buffy just like Damon became a good man for Elena. It’s a story of redemption, and it’s our heroine’s love for them, and her trust and faith in them that changes them.

What makes Damon different: Damon is okay being the bad guy, and not that Spike wasn’t but Damon dealt with his guilt better. In Season 7 of Buffy we got to see a rather crazed, soul-full Spike who was ultimately being torn apart by his guilt. He truly wanted to be completely good. Damon has his guilt-ridden moments every now and then, but at the end of the day he accepts the bad things he has to do as necessary even if that means he’ll never completely be good. Damon never wanted to live up to anyone’s expectations, whereas Spike wanted to prove that he could be good.

What makes Spike different: Spike had an easier time connecting with the people around Buffy than Damon did with Elena’s friends. He quickly bonded with her mom, Joyce, and younger sister, Dawn, and put their protection and his care for them high on his list. Spike may have put all of Buffy’s friend’s lives in danger at one point or another, like when he kidnapped Willow and Xander, but he never actually killed any of them. Damon on the other hand didn’t even think twice about tearing into Elena’s circle. He turned Vicki, killed Alaric (multiple times) and even snapped her brother, Jeremy’s neck.




  Witch, and best friend to the main character, who’s bargained with the spirits to bring a person back from the dead…

Bonnie/Willow: Willow was Buffy’s best friend, and a witch, just like what Bonnie is to Elena. They were both usually the level headed influence of the show, but also both had their dark sides as well. Currently Bonnie seems to be falling off the deep end with her magic much like Willow did in season 6 of Buffy. After the death of a significant other both Bonnie and Willow got a little scary, for Willow her magic became addictive with time, and we’ve seen small pieces of Bonnie’s magic taking control with her. Also in the books Bonnie was a red-head, just like Willow.What makes Bonnie different: Bonnie quickly develops into her own independent person on TVD, whereas Willow struggled to figure out who she was for much longer. Because of this Bonnie is often the voice of reason. She still makes bad decisions, but she’s much more grounded and stable than Willow was.

What makes Willow different: Willow realizes in season four that she’s a lesbian which added to the complexity of the things her character had to deal with. 

Popular, blonde, airhead, turned vampire…Caroline/Harmony: In season 1 on The Vampire Diaries Caroline was just as conceited and self-involved as another blonde cheerleader, Buffy’s Harmony. Also the relationship that Caroline and Damon have in season 1 of TVD is very similar to the relationship that Harmon and Spike have in seasons 4 and 5 of Buffy. However, at times I think Caroline is more like Buffy’s Cordelia, especially when you look at how her character develops over the seasons.What makes Caroline different: Caroline grows up; she matures and becomes a more well-rounded person. Harmony on the other hand stayed pretty much an air-head through the shows entire run. She did grow some, but not to the extent that Caroline did. I loved that Caroline was a much deeper character than Harmony. No one ever really took Harmony seriously, but Caroline was a force to be reckoned with.What makes Harmony different: Harmony never had the depth that Caroline did which also made her more bubbly. She often came across as a bit of a comic-relief, but her ditzy ways made you smile.


 
Loving, brother figure to the main character…Jeremy/Xander: Xander may not have been Buffy’s brother, but he fell into a brotherly role with her as the series went on. Both Jeremy and Xander always wanted to be in the fight but Elena and Buffy were always trying to protect them. Even Jeremy’s relationship with Bonnie mirrors Buffy in regards to Xander’s relationship with Willow in season 3.What makes Jeremy different: Jeremy became a hunter, developing his own set of supernatural powers, unlike Xander who remained completely human through the entire show.What makes Xander different: Since Xander wasn’t Buffy’s actual brother the crush he had on her in the beginning of the series created an interesting dynamic. In some ways Xander may even be a little more like TVD’s Matt.





Mentor with a dark past... 
Alaric/Giles: Alaric isn’t quite as old and stuffy as Giles was at times, but he does fall into this mentoring role with Elena that reminded me of Buffy’s relationship with Giles. Alaric even starts training Elena to fight, just like Giles did as Buffy’s watcher. They’re both also occasional drinkers with bad luck in the romance department.
 
Out of control party girl…Vicki/Faith: Vicki’s untimely death means that we won’t know if her character will evolve like Faith’s did, but her careless attitude is very similar to the Faith from season 3 of Buffy. And both characters come from broken homes.
 
Villain who can take on the face of other characters to manipulate and confuse them…Silas/The First: The First was the embodiment of all evil, and somewhat confusing to understand. Silas is an immortal warlock. What they have in common is their ability to look like anyone (well, any dead person in The First’s case) which causes some really emotional scenes as the big bad pretends to be a loved one of our characters.



Other noteworthy similarities: Some of the dialogue in The Vampire Diaries closely resembles the quirky ways the characters of BtVS would speak.
-Elena: "It's the fog, It's making me foggy. And then back there, there was this - this bird, and it was all very Hitchcock for a second. That is the bird movie, right, the Hitchcock? . . . I'm Elena.
-Willow: "It's a doodle, I do doodle. You too! You do doodle too!"-Buffy: "I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire. It's not like I have all these fluffy bunny feelings for them, I'm just not going to get way extra-curricular with it." -Spike: “Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.”
-Damon: “You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure, and even a little danger.”

-Close your eyes --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4771fuz0AsM
 Obviously there are HUGE differences that remain between these two shows, but the connections between the characters is very similar, and if you have a complicated story you might want to look at the webs of characters for these two shows.



If you liked this post you may also enjoy Why We Love Vampires

or Finding Inspiration in TV's Sadest Moments


  

Review for The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor
5 Stars. The best way for me to describe The Selection is that it’s “The Hunger Games” meets “The Bachelor”, and I think if you enjoyed either of those then you would like this book. It has the same wonderful dystopian concepts seen in “The Hunger Games”, but with a more playful tone.

This book is a modern day fairy tale that had me hooked from beginning to end. It’s not as simple as a handsome prince whisking away a pretty girl from the hard life she’s lived to be pampered in a castle, although I did enjoy that part of it. It also looks at the complicated interworkings of politics as Prince Maxon is not only learning how to lead his country but how to make changes and better the lives of his people.

What bring our lead character, America, and Maxon together is a contest, similar to “The Bachelor”, designed to help the prince find his future queen. America makes it very clear from the very beginning of the book that living in the lap of luxury is not the most important thing to her. She looks at this competition that she’s thrown into first as a curse, but later she sees it as an opportunity to do some good. She doesn’t want to be the next queen, but if she could help the prince pick someone else who would make a good queen, and in the process do some things to help her family then, she realizes, that this experience would be worthwhile for her.

I loved the dynamic between these girls and Prince Maxon and how that affected how they were with one another. They all had their own individual personalities and seeing the friendships and animosities that formed between them as they all sought the attention of the same guy was endearing and entertaining. I loved that they still cared for each other, well most of them, when someone got rejected or sent home and, that they weren’t just constantly jealous or selfish. Though we did see those emotions emerge when they were appropriate. This really made these characters and their relationships feel real.

I loved all the characters in this book, especially America. She was outspoken and really a lot of fun to read about. Her competition and love interests were well written as well. You really want things to work out between America and Aspen in the beginning of this book, but Maxon will grow on you and by the end you’ll be torn between this choice that America has to make. I also want to say that I liked how America got into this love triangle. She doesn’t immediately have two loving admirers fighting over her, the relationships built up in a more believable way. I especially liked her relationship with Maxon and how her feelings for him changed as the book went on.

Overall this was a great read and I can't wait to pick up the sequel, The Elite.

Review for Cheating Death by Jen Naumann

Unique and Real
5 Stars. The beginning of this book sucked me in with a creepy hook, but it was the ending that made me love it. This is a very different story from the usual YA’s I like to read. It’s about something deeper and more real than what paranormal romances tend to deal with. I completely understand why Mrs. Naumann decided to make this NA, because while it starts out with the main character graduating high school it ends up dealing with some adult issues.

When Lysandra runs away with Aydin you sort of expect this story to go a certain way, and I loved that it completely veered off in a different direction. I feel like this book took a moment to look at some of the things that are often romanticized in YA and NA paranormal romances and give an honest and real perspective on them. Cheating Death is about growing up and learning to deal with life changing events in a responsible way; and, it makes some serious comments about teen drinking, suicide, rape, and second chances.

There seems to be a formula that paranormal themed books follow these days. Basically it comes out as human girl meets supernatural boy and against all odds they find a way to be together regardless of the consequences, even if that means the human girl has to give up everything in her life including friends, family and even her very humanity. Naumann completely breaks free of this trend and puts out a very different message with Cheating Death. She looks at how selfish these choices can be and how they affect all of the people in Lysandra’s life. This may be a paranormal book, but at its core it’s about something very real. This book isn’t about the undying love a girl has for a boy; it’s about life and the choices we make.

Lysandra has been a bit of a follower all of her life. She’s a little lost - as I think many people are at eighteen, wondering what she wants to do with the rest of her life. But, she has to grow up incredibly fast. One moment she’s a kid and the next she’s dealing with adult problems, and you really feel her loss over that middle part of her life. Her young adult years vanish. The way she deals with everything that happens to her is this downward spiral of events that tear her apart, and build her into a stronger person at the same time.

I loved Lysandra. She felt really real to me and I could understand her love/hate relationships with her friends. One thing that annoyed me a little with her, however, was that after she woke up in a stranger’s bed after a party that she couldn’t remember, she didn’t even wonder if maybe she’d been taken advantage of. Other people had to point this out to her. But, looking at her personality and the overall concept of the book I think that was just part of her immaturity in that stage of her life. She’s hard on herself because she doesn’t know who she is yet. And she blames herself for what happened because in her journey to discover who she is she makes mistakes and takes risks that aren’t true to who she is.

The ending of this book was incredible. It wrapped everything up nicely and in an unexpected way. You really see Lysandra’s growth in those final chapters. When she first realizes that she was meant to die, but didn’t, she doesn’t fully understand what this means or care about how it affects her friends, family and the entire world. Even when her very existence causes the deaths of innocent people she’s too selfish not to even consider that she’s not supposed to be there. In the end, it is a necessary thing for her to be willing to die for someone else for the greater good, for her to grow up. This is also a nice opposing force to Lysandra’s decision to die selfishly. Driving her car off the bridge had nothing to do with the greater good, only with easing her own pain. The end of this book really brings it all together and shows how Lysandra has learned to be not only self-less but a well-rounded person.

Jen was nice enough to do an interview for me where she talks about this book, which you can read here.