Daisy's Mini-Review of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Title/Author: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury USA Children's, May 3rd 2016
How I got this book: bought myself a nice shiny finished copy :)

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES***

I LOVE Sarah J. Maas' writing and OMG I NEEDED this book because ACOTAR was AMAZING and I just love Feyre and Rhys and everybody. So yeah. There was flailing when this finally arrived in my home.

And I have to say that this was even better than the first one. I loved that we explored more of the world Sarah J. Maas created and we get to know some characters better and meet some fun new ones and get so much more backstory! I LOVED it!

And YOU GUYS! SO MANY SWOONS! I really don't want to give anything away but there's just SO MUCH YES! I ship it so hard, I cannot even. Seriously.
Do you ever have that feeling that the book you're reading was written just for you? Cause that's how I felt reading ACOMAF.

I'm not sure how I'm going to survive that ending though OMG the wait will quite possibly kill me. Mind was blown several times and then some. If you're not already in on this action, you're going to want to hurry up and get on that. I'm not really a fan of fae novels, but this is everything. Go and read it.

My rating: 5+ stars

Daisy Talks About Venturing Into the World of Manga

So, you guys remember how our Jana asked for YA manga recommendations? I basically stalked that post because I'd been interested in starting to read manga myself, but had zero clues as to where to start and which series should definitely be on my list.
And you guys were AWESOME! I added a decent amount of manga series to my TBR list and then blissfully dived in. And I'm loving it! The ones I've read so far have been a refreshing change from the usual books I read, the storylines are quick, it's fun and I love having a visual along with the dialogue.

Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba
I've read the first two volumes and I'm REALLY enjoying this! I love the worldbuilding and seeing how Light uses the notebook, it's very intriguing! Obviously it's a little darker as it deals with a Death Note, but it's also funny and it makes me think about what it would be like to actually have the power over life and death at your fingertips, there are a lot of moral dilemma's attached to it.

Maid-sama! by Hiro Fujiwara
This series came highly recommended by my friend Debby @ Snuggly Oranges and it is SO MUCH FUN! It's light and quirky and I love Misaki in all her I am woman, hear me roar-ness and she definitely is a force to be reckoned with! I love the idea of a maid café and it's fun to see Misaki navigate everything that comes with working there. And then there's Usui. And I totally ship it.
It's a lucky coincidence that my interest in this series developed at a time when they're re-releasing the volumes, so YAY!

The Demon Prince of Momochi House by Aya Shouoto
I came across this one in an Edelweiss catalog and the main thing that attracted me to it in the first place are the beings that are on the back, which you sadly can't see on the cover, but they remind me of Pokemon. And I LOVE Pokemon, I used to watch it religiously and have spend hours and hours playing the games, and the little things on the back just looked SO CUTE. So yeah, I totally bought the first volume and it was really fun! There's a lot of build-up and then the first volume leaves us with a cliffhanger that makes me itch to read the next one, which should happen soon cause it's sitting on my shelf :)



So basically what I'm saying is THANK YOU for all your enthusiastic recommendations and I'll definitely be reading more manga this year. Also, if you have more recommendations for me, please feel free to tell me, cause I love adding this to my TBR pile :)

Jamie Talks About The Last 3 Books She Read

Hey all! September was an awful reading month for me as I've mentioned on here earlier in the month (great month otherwise!). I only read 2 books and, while that's great compared to probably the rest of the world, it's so bizarre to have read so few books for me. But October is here and I've already read one book so hopefully I'll get back into the swing of reading!

Let's talk about the last 3 books I did read though!

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman: 

This was such an adventurous romp through the Wild West! Definitely digging the Western setting -- gold mining, shootouts, lots of horse riding, gangs, etc. I enjoyed this book but it didn't quite make me LOVE it because I just didn't feel much for the characters. The main character is someone I felt badly for -- she lost her mother early on in life and now her dad just got murdered by a notoriously awful gang and she is driven by revenge to go find them and settle the score. But the problem was I didn't feel like she ever became more to me than a girl who was hellbent on exacting revenge. You see hints of other aspects of her character but I never felt anything except this revenge. There were some surprises in this book and I thought as far as the action and adventure went it was compelling but it was lacking in the character department for me.
I received this book for review consideration and this did not affect my opinion in any way.

Rating -- 3/5 stars

 

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: 

 This book was soooo hyped so I added myself to the library request list and waited until like literally 500 other people read it before me. FINALLY I received it! And guess what? It was JUST AS GOOD AS EVERYONE SAID. I loved it so much! I'm always a sucker for a WWII setting (probably one of my favorite settings for historical fiction) and I loved both POVs so much. I love the way it flipped timeframes and how that allowed their stories to unravel as we awaited how their path's would cross. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Worthy of the praise!

Rating -- 4.5/5 stars

 

 

 

The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton & Liz Steinke: 

This was a quick and enjoyable read! It's about a woman whose marriage-to-be has fallen apart and she gets the chance to go back and change things. It had a supernatural sort of method like Landline by Rainbow Rowell for how she gets to go back and change things to make it better between she and her fiance though I found Landline to be more impactful and thoughtful for me. I also really enjoyed the conversation about social media and how it can be good but also how it can be deceiving. 

Rating -- 3/5 stars

 

 

Have you read any of these books? Thoughts? Tell me the last 3 books YOU read!!

 

 

For the Love of Everything Dystopian

Last month I posted of my first love, historical fiction. Now I have to show my affection for my second love, everything dystopian/post-apocalyptic. I still remember years ago, slowing filling my bookshelves with stories of survival, bleak skies.. characters enduring hardships that make me feel brave by just reading about them. Here are a few dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels that stole my soul.

Wool by Hugh Howey

An epic story of life, love and survival at all odds and one of the most-talked and anticipated books of the year. In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo. Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies. To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside. Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last.

I cannot express how much I loved this entire series. Wool is the first installment that kept me awake many nights. The world-building aspect of the novel is absolutely amazing. There are many characters to keep up with, but damn it was worth it. This is a lengthy novel, and so are the other two installments.. but I loved all the detail. It just made everything more realistic and believable. I urge EVERYONE to at least check out Wool, but I know if you do, you'll have to read the entire series!

The Passage by Justin Cronin

An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy - abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl - and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape - but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

This was another lengthly novel that I admit was a bit sluggish at times, but was once again worth it. I love how one of the main character completely changes his course halfway through the book.. and it felt completely genuine. A man decides to stake his entire life for one little girl. She may be the most special girl in the world, but to him, she was just a little girl in need of an adult. This story will always stay with me.

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

Set in the near-future, Into the Forest is a powerfully imagined novel that focuses on the relationship between two teenage sisters living alone in their Northern California forest home. Over 30 miles from the nearest town, and several miles away from their nearest neighbor, Nell and Eva struggle to survive as society begins to decay and collapse around them. No single event precedes society's fall. There is talk of a war overseas and upheaval in Congress, but it still comes as a shock when the electricity runs out and gas is nowhere to be found. The sisters consume the resources left in the house, waiting for the power to return. Their arrival into adulthood, however, forces them to reexamine their place in the world and their relationship to the land and each other.

I remember reading this book years ago. Two sisters stay in the same house hoping and waiting for the power to come back on, for people to show up alive and well.. for anything normal really. Years and years pass and the sisters learn to live off their small garden and stock of dwindling supplies. The world is bleak and honestly, this book is as well. I think the realism and how the author didn't force a happy ending or any kind of "coincidences" of good fortunes for the sisters on us.

Cross-posted at The Tattooed Biblio

For the Love of Historical Fiction

I am in love with so many genres, but historical fiction will always be my first love. Many people lump historical fiction and historical romance together and this to me is tragic. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking on romance novels, but these are two separate genres for me. These are a few historical fiction novels that captured my heart.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

An infected bolt of cloth carries a plague from London to a small isolated village, and a housemaid named Anna becomes an unlikely heroine and healer. The year is 1666 and Anna and her fellow villagers face the spread of disease and superstition. As more and more people keep dying, villagers turn from prayers to witch-hunting.

I read this book years ago and I still remember the bravery of the narrator, Anna. She saved so many lives in a small town and for this, people loved her and hated her. They believed her to be a witch. She had to choose.. keep saving lives and possibly burn at the stake or drop everything and hide. She chose the former. When I relate myself to the character, I believe I would do the same, but how do we know what we would do in a situation until that situation actually presents itself to us? 

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is Pope Joan, the woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the papal throne. When Joan is young, she exhibits the extraordinary ability to learn. Women were not allowed to read or write, so her brother secretly taught his younger sister and she just inhaled the knowledge of every subject under her dying breath. During a Viking attack, her brother is killed and she steals his identity to enter a simple monastery to live a life full of books and healing. Knowledge of Joan's medical expertise and passionate nature spreads far. She eventually becomes an advisor to the Pope, who dies and she is elected to take his place. She now holds the highest office in the Christian religion. She passes many new laws and changes even more for the good of mankind. I adore this book because I can once again relate, as a female. She achieves a role meant only for men and then excels in that role to a capacity that makes her loved by all. It may be the 21st century, but I can still sometimes feel the stigma of being female amongst a sea of powerful men that dictate society's future. Pope Joan was smart enough to use her knowledge to do what the men before her could not.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried, and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah is smart and curious. Even though mother and daughter have their different opinions, thy are forced to stand together against the craziness of the trials and the superstitious society that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Sarah sticks by her mother's side like most daughters would do, but she also knows to keep herself in check. This resonates with me because I love my mother, but I am not my mother and I do not have the same personality traits or opinions that she does. Somehow Sarah must protect her mother while also protecting herself. Another thing I have head to deal with in my life. I also enjoyed the new perspective on the Salem Trials. I feel like that part of history has been played out too much in novels and movies, but that this book achieves a new look and feel to that time period. 

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. The other power players hope that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods, gods that have always been worships by all of the Egyptians. He wants to introduce a new sun god for all to worship. As in most royal families, there is the pressure to conceive a son, an heir. While Nefertiti is is engrossed in the troubles of conceiving, she fails to see that the powerful priests and military are plotting to overthrow her husband's rule. The only person to recognize the coming shift in power is Nefertiti's her younger sister, Mutnodjmet. Mutnodjmet doesn't care for money or power. She wants a peaceful life with a military general, but Nefertiti is selfish and demands that her sister stay at court and marry someone to gain more political power. To gain her freedom, Mutnodjmet must defy her sister, while also remaining loyal to the needs of her family. 

I love every single one of Michelle Moran's novels. She does her research for each novel and knows her history. This isn't just another historical fiction novel about Egyptian royalty. I became so immersed in the novel and my love/hate for the characters was off the charts. You aren't bogged down by historical facts... the author simply completely immerses you in the time period. I felt like I should like my eyes with kohl and wear gold jewelry every time I picked it up to read. 


These are just a few of my favorite historical fiction books. You've probably noticed all of them have strong female lead characters who have major obstacles to hurdle. These women inspire me and I hope they inspire you as well. 

The Last 3 Books Jamie Has Read

 Let's take a peek at the last 3 books I read! All of them were YA contemporaries (no surprise) and my reactions definitely varied!

 

 

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre

MAN, I wanted to love this one more. My lukewarm feelings for it are definitely in the minority so take that for what it is. I thought it was cute and felt the swoons for the romance (though it went from insta-attraction to insta-love REAL quick but I wasn't super bothered by it). I liked the main character Sage and her Post-It note kindness that she spread around school. And I liked the idea of her story -- a girl with a hard past trying to become this happy, bubbly girl as armor to shove down that old self -- but I just never really felt much more for it. I never felt that those cracks of her old self were really there. I think that's the whole of the problem...I wanted to feel more and didn't. One technical issue I had was with the pacing -- sometimes I was racing to devour it and other chunks of it I was skimming. By the time I finished I felt like the only thing I had to say about it was, "well that was cute?" Read my full review of The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

 

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Oh this was my book club pick and there was so much to talk about! This was one of the saddest books I've ever read by the end. The sobbing just kept happening to the point I had to put it down. It deals with two teens who both want to commit suicide so it's a pretty heavy book but it was balanced with the quirkiness of Theodore and the relationship he and Violet had. This was a book I had to really digest. I couldn't wrap my feelings around how I felt about it.  Overall I think I really liked it but I have some issues centering around it that I'm still mulling over and they would be very spoilery. It's one of those times though when the blurb ACTUALLY kind of nails it -- Fault In Our Stars meets Eleanor & Park. I would actually really agree with that but it totally does its own thing.

Rating: Ah I can't in good conscience rate it quite yet while I'm still mulling it over. I do recommend it though.

All the Rage by Courtney Summers

Oh this book is so important!! I wish I could require all young people to read it. What I love about Courtney Summers' books that shines here is the raw and unapologetic way she writes about important things. It's honest and it made me very very emotional -- sadness, a whole lot of anger, etc. It weaves a lot of important things into this story -- slut-shaming, victim-blaming, rape culture, feminism -- without being too heavy-handed and when combined with the mystery of what happened to Romy and Penny made it SO hard to put it down.  Read my full review of All the Rage.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Have you read any of these? What did YOU think?

Jamie's Latest 3 Reads

Today I'm going to talk about the last 3 books I read and tell you a little bit about them/what I thought.

1. Written In The Stars by Aisha Saeed: I really enjoyed this one! One of the things I like most about reading is experiencing things I don't know anything about. Living lives that are so different than my own. Written in the Stars was about a girl whose family is originally from Pakistan but live in the US. She's not allowed to date or even be friends with males and they believe in arranged marriages. She's been secretly dating behind their backs and is SO CLOSE to being able to spend more time with him as her parents have agreed to let her go to college (where she will room with her best friend and the same college her boyfriend is going to). They find out about the boyfriend and they travel to Pakistan under the pretense of visiting family but really they are trying to find a husband for her right away. It was really interesting getting a glimpse into a cultural practice that I'm not familiar with. It was SO SO hard to know how much she loves Saif and to watch her parents try to marry her off to someone she doesn't choose. Could she learn to love him? Is it her destiny? Can she fight for her own fate? These are all things she explores.

2. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby: This one was SOOOO unique. Not quite like anything I've ever read. Magical realism? Fantasy? Contemporary with some fantastical elements? I DON'T KNOW. It was just very atmospheric and like a trippy dream in some ways? Bone Gap is an interesting town and the characters are all so eccentric. The mystery thread of Roza's disappearance just kept me turning the pages because the circumstances were so strange and then we got Roza's POV at times and her situation was so bizarre that I just HAD to know what was going on. Also, some major kickass females in this one and an interesting exploration of beauty and society which, I'll be honest, at times I felt like I was not smart enough to follow understand it all. A very literary book that I would recommend to YA readers but also to people who don't read YA.

3. Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman:  Historical fiction fans! You must check this one out! The setting is Munich in the 1930's. Hitler is not yet in power but he is on his way to be. The main character is a family friend of Hitler, who she refers to as Uncle Dolf, and her family is aligned with the Nazi movement. It's interesting to see Hitler as this person that is beloved by family and friends (though he never ever became likeable to me even humanized a bit). I love that the main character has to question everything she grew up believing when she finds out about a huge lie that has affected her whole life and the person who uncovers this lie is a Jew so she's also confronted with her prejudice against Jews. Her perception of everything she's been told changes and it was so interesting to watch her fight that. This book was INTENSE as she tries to uncover the truth and I cannot wait to the conclusion (it's a two book story though this one really did have a satisfying ending).

Tahleen gives two mini reviews

Tahleen here!

So I'm the worst and am only now getting my post up for today, and for that I'm sorry. I'm going to do a quick little review of the last few books I read, just enough to whet your appetites for some nice YA books.

The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston

This one is a Morris Honor book for this year (for those of you who don't know, the Morris Award is given to the most outstanding YA debut of the year). Dragon slayer, you think; must be a high fantasy of some sort. Well, kinda. Not really.  It's more like urban (rural?) fantasy, set in a small town in Canada outside of Toronto. Just, dragons are normal here. And Owen is the nephew of the most famous Canadian dragon slayer since St. George, and the son of two more dragon slayers. He doesn't tell his own story though; that is Siobhan's job, a girl who turns out to be his bard.

What I liked about this book was Owen was just kind of this scrawny kid, who happened to be super famous by association with his Aunt Lottie, and because he was also training to be a dragon slayer (as is custom; the job is hereditary). It's a school story, but with dragons. And maybe a little outside investigation of possibly true nutso theories about the surge in the dragon population. The world Johnston has created here is very clever, so kudos!

That said, this one wasn't my very favorite book ever, and it took me a loooooong time to get through it. Speaking of the end, though, it was pretty abrupt and part of me is wondering if another one is in the works. It could go either way the way this one ended, to be honest. I was also annoyed to see some typos in there, but what can you do.

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassins, Book 3) by Robin LaFevers

Yay, it's Annith's turn to get a story! Quick catch-up: This trilogy is about assassin nuns of the convent of St. Mortain, god of death, in 15th-century Brittany. These ladies are pretty intense.

 Annith, to escape the Abbess's plot to make her the next Seeress of the convent of St. Mortain, has escaped to the wider world and quickly gets caught up in a band of Hellequin, dead men who serve the god of death in order to atone for sins they committed in life. She falls for Balthazar, their broody dark leader, but worries they are indeed hunting her because of her choice to abandon the convent. So once again she escapes, and finds her way to her sisters Ismae and Sybella who are serving the Duchess of Brittany in their attempt to keep their country free and safe.

We get some doozy revelations here, so I won't say a whole lot, but I thought this was a fitting end to a well-written trilogy. This one did start to feel a little long toward the end, but everything wrapped up well, so I can't complain too much. I especially liked the author's note at the end, providing readers with fact vs. fiction has far as history is concerned. Gold star for that.

Quick note on the audio version of this: I didn't think it was particularly good, but not awful. It wasn't as good as the second book's narration (excellently done), and it was not as bad as the first. So, whatever. It got the job done and I'm happy.

Did you read either of these? What did you think?

Disclaimer: I got these books from my local library (and you should too!)

The Hub Reading Challenge, and mini reviews from Tahleen

You might remember from my last post how excited I get by the Youth Media Award winner announcements. Well, now that they have been revealed for over a month, the YALSA Hub Reading Challenge of 2015 is here!

What is the Hub Challenge, you ask? Basically, the objective is to read 25 books published for young adults that were awarded something or other by YALSA. You can read all about how to participate and which books are included here. They also have a handy dandy checklist you can print out and use to keep track of your reading and listening!

Of course, every year I try to participate, though often I don't come anywhere close to completing the challenge. This year I feel like I'm doing an okay job, though! I've already listened to (almost) two audiobooks, and have finished reading one book that was given an Alex Award. Here are my brief thoughts on them:

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

Lots of stuff goes down on the weekend of the Statewide high school concerts in the Bellweather Hotel. All hell breaks loose when a young flautist prodigy disappears suddenly, and her roommate claims to have seen her hanging from a pipe in their room--and that she was murdered. All while a major snowstorm descends upon them. I loved this book. Full of quirky and sometimes downright awful characters and a rather large (and perplexing) mystery, this book will keep you turning the pages pretty much until the end.

Skink: No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen, narrated by Kirby Heyborne

If you've read anything by Carl Hiaasen before, you know how awesome and off the wall his novels can be. If you've read any of the books that contain Skink, you especially know. Skink is a one-of-a-kind ex-governer of Florida who takes justice into his own hands, sometimes (most times) not always legally. In this installment, Skink meets Richard, our narrator, whose cousin Malley runs away with her online boyfriend--but it soon becomes clear she is in over her head. So Skink and Richard set off to find and rescue her. Heyborne, as always, does a fantastic job with the narration, and this is a fun and wild ride.

 

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

I am not quite finished with this one yet, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. It's kind of a like a mix between a Victorian comedy of errors akin to The Importance of Being Earnest, and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. There's a lot of humor in this novel about seven girls at a boarding school for young ladies in the English countryside who try to cover up their headmistress's and her brother's mysterious deaths--by poison, as they come to figure out. There is also a nice little twist in the rising action that I SO wanted to talk to someone about, but no one I know is reading it! As always, Jayne Entwhistle's narration is just delightful. (You might recognize her as the narrator of the Flavia de Luce mysteries, which I also highly recommend.) Well deserving of its Odyssey Honor.

That's it for me so far! I'm going to work on getting some of those Printz winners read soon, and the Morris Award winner and honor books. Have you read anything on the list?

Disclaimer: I got all of these books from my local library, whether they were physical copies or digital.

Daisy's Mini-Review of A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Title/Author: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Publisher/Date published: Swoon Reads, August 26 2014
How I got this book: got it from Debby, who got an extra copy of it at BEA

Goodreads summary: The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common — they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out. But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship.

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together....

A Little Something Different is just as cute and adorable as the cover promises! And with all the different POVs, it is definitely something different!

Sandy Hall brings us a developing love story that EVERYONE (even a squirrel) has an opinion about and I enjoyed some POVs more than others. I really liked the squirrel, because basically it is the cutest. And the Starbucks employees and the lady at the diner. I thought their creative writing teacher was a little over the top, but oh well, it was still fun.

The only thing that I can fault with so many POVs, is that you never delve really deep into any of the characters, but for this story it served its purpose and was basically just pink and fluffy and yes to this couple who even orders the same take out without consulting the other first. I was REALLY wondering what was up with Gabe, cause like the summary says, he seemed to have issues. But it was a very good explanation and like always, I was just wishing for them to communicate!

But overall this was an adorable, quick read and if you're in the mood for fluff, you should definitely pick it up!

My rating: 4 stars

Daisy's Mini-Review of Hexed by Michelle Krys

Title/Author: Hexed (The Witch Hunter #1) by Michelle Krys
Publisher/Date published: Delacorte Press, June 10th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

So, to be honest, I kinda had to skim through the book again before writing this review, because it's been about 3 months since I read it and aside from knowing that I was kinda bored by it, I was drawing a bit of a blank. Which is not a good sign on itself.
Which is why this review will be short and maybe not really sweet, but oh well.

Basically, I really didn't connect to Indigo, she's shallow and kind of a pushover and just not my kind of girl at all. Also, she has this weird frenemy thing going on with her 'best friend' Bianca, who is most definitely not a nice girl. Indigo seemed more interested in climbing the social ladder and her date than anything and it was a bit annoying. And ugh, here boyfriend is a douche and the new love interest isn't much better, he's got this snobby doucheness going on that really rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, this is what he says to her:
“Just don’t do that anymore,” he says, gesturing to my tear-tracked face. “It’s terribly unattractive, and I do hate to be seen with unattractive girls. Bad for the reputation, you know?"

Just ugh.

It was pretty fast-paced and a lot seemed to happen, but for a book about witches, there's not a lot of witchcraft going on and I like my witchcraft in your face over the top there, but that's just a personal preference. The main problem I had with Hexed is that I wasn't invested in the story, I didn't really care about what happened to Indigo and the only character I liked was Paige, cause she seemed to be the only one who possessed a bit of common sense. I was hoping for it to get better, but I was just a bit bored and it didn't get past the 'meh' point for me.

My rating: 2 stars

Daisy's Mini-Review of The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno

Title/Author: The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, July 8th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now — now I am remembering.

For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led... and the love that she can’t let go.

So at first glance I thought this would be a paranormal read, but it's actually contemporary, which I was kinda glad to know about before I went in, because it's a bit of an adjustment in expectations.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a fast read, I breezed through it in a couple of hours and Katrina Leno's writing style made it easy for me to do this. It's interesting and I did want to know what was going on, but in the end I wasn't all that invested in the story. I really want to recommend another book if this is your kind of thing, but I'm afraid to spoil things for you, so if you do want to know, just tweet me and I'll tell you what book I'm talking about (@DBetweenpages).

There's a whole lof of confusion and a whole lot of stuff that is messed up and that I went WTF about, but it all adds up and I liked it. One thing I really liked was seeing how everybody else was handling Molly's blackouts (I don't really know what else to call them) and especially her sister, her sister is awesome.

I'm being cryptic, I know, but bottom line: I liked it, but it didn't blow me away, but it also took me no time at all to read it, so it was ok.

My rating: 3 stars

Daisy's Mini-Review of More Than This by Patrick Ness

Title/Author: More Than This by Patrick Ness
Publisher/Date published: Candlewick Press, September 10 2013
How I got this book: bought it for book club

Goodreads summary: A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this...

So it's been 3 months since I read this book and I'm still unsure how I feel about it. So here are some general thoughts on this book:

-I felt like this book had two different parts: the one in the 'now' and the one we saw through flashbacks. And I was kinda bored for a big chunk of the 'now' part, but the flashbacks were BEAUTIFUL. If the whole book could have been filled with the same level of awesome that were the flashbacks, that would have been perfect. It almost felt as if I was reading two different books just thrown together into one binding.

-There was something SO creepy about one of the characters! I really don't want to give anything away, but seriously, I wouldn't want to come across him even in broad daylight. Totally creeped me out.

-I LOVED the romance. It was beautiful and perfect and told in the flashbacks and it was just amazing.

-The end was just a whole lot of WTF??? I mean, some of the actions of one character just made no sense whatsoever and it was just WTF??

-There's a revelation about Seth's past and it was so infinitely sad and I can't imagine going through something like that.

So I'm torn. There were beautiful parts and sad parts and a whole bucketload of WTF moments, but for a big chunk of the book I was kinda bored.

Have you read this book? Any thoughts on it? Let me know!

A Bundle Of Mini-Reviews From Jamie

I decided to do a round-up of mini reviews for some of my latest 4 & 5 star reads for your reading pleasure.

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
5 stars

Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the best hands down. In YA and just in general. The Impossible Knife of Memory is the story Hayley -- a girl who has grown up on the road with her veteran dad who drives a rig for work and as a way to never settle down to try to keep his demons at bay. When her dad randomly decides to settle down and makes Hayley go to a traditional high school, she is nervous about the prospect of going to high school but also nervous for her dad as his PTSD seems to get worse. This book was kind of heavy but honestly was balanced because Hayley is such a firecracker and a guy she meets in school, Finnegan, is the sweetest. Their banter is hilarious and it really lightens the story as her dad's PTSD gets really bad. This story has a lot of depth to it, the writing is perfection for me and I got a wee bit emotional.  (read my full review of The Impossible Knife of Memory)

Love & Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
4 to 4.5 stars

I totally thought Love & Other Perishable Items was going to be a cutesy romance based on the cover but it totally wasn't and I actually REALLY enjoyed it. Add Laura Buzo to the list of Aussie authors I really love! This book was smart and so realistic and I loved it. 15 year old Amelia gets her first job at a supermarket and quickly falls in love with the 21 year old guy that trains her on the register. They become fast friends and can talk about anything and Amelia knows if he could just get over the 6 year age different they'd be perfect together. It's heartbreakingly honest as it explores relationships but it also is a great coming of age novel that definitely felt DIFFERENT than things I've read before. (Read my full review of Love & Other Perishable Items -- this book was also published as Good Oil in Australia)

Pivot Point by Kasie West
5 stars

I don't typically read a ton of paranormal but I LOVED this...probably because it felt mostly contemporary YA but I digress. Addie lives in The Compound which is a place where people with special skills (things like clairvoyance and mind erasing) live and it's a huge secret to the normal world. Addie's skill is that she can search two different paths when faced with a decision. So when her parents tell her they are getting a divorce and her dad is leaving The Compound she's forced to search the two lives she'd have if she stays or leave. Most of the book is alternating chapters of her playing out these two lives (something that only takes her a few minutes) and then she eventually snaps out of her Search to realize what she has to do as both situations are complicated and she knows she has to make the right situation. It got INTENSE and I just really couldn't put this one down. It ends perfectly enough to leave you satisfied but dying for book 2.  (Read my full review of Pivot Point by Kasie West)

Have you read any of these books? Tell me your thoughts!

Lori Writes Three Mini-Reviews

Title: House of Earth

Author: Woody Guthrie with an introduction by Douglas Brinkley and Johnny Depp

Published: Harper Collins, 2013

Where I Got It:  The publisher sent it to me for review

I was SO excited when I received the opportunity to review this book and I became even more excited as I read the extensive introduction and became aware of the personal connection with the book.  So...Woody Guthrie is a well-known Oklahoman who wrote many folk songs, including "This Land Is Your Land."  As a young adult, he moved to Pampa, Texas, an area that was heavily hit by the Dust Bowl during the Depression.  My grandparents actually lived about 30 miles from Pampa, so they were geographically very close to the action of the story.  Guthrie wrote the novel in the 1940s, after the events already took place.  The manuscript was lost in Irving Lerner's papers, recently discovered by the archivists at the University of Tulsa.  But as the content of the story shows, the world probably was not ready to read this novel during the Truman era.  However, as economic turmoil and the environment are becoming more and more central to today's discussion, the world was finally ready to read this book.   The story that Guthrie wrote was very touching and is one I will definitely read again in the future.

Guthrie lived in Pampa during the infamously horrible Black Sunday dust storm that occurred in April 1935.  As he survived the storm, Guthrie realized (as the introduction points out) that humans need three things to live--food, water, and shelter.  He chose to write on the third element.  Guthrie began researching the strength of adobe construction and concluded that that type of home would best suit those remaining in the areas afflicted by the Dust Bowl.  But these people rarely owned their own land, and were unable to build permanent structures.  The novel is a call to arms for people to turn on the evil business owners, the bankers who owned the land, and Big Agriculture that destroyed the land.

While Steinbeck wrote about those who gave up and left Oklahoma, Texas, and other afflicted areas, Guthrie wrote about those who were stubborn and brave enough to stay behind and tough it out.  The novel focuses on Tike and Ella May Hamlin, farmers who want a better life for themselves in the face of the Depression and the Dust Bowl.  Tike gets the idea of building an adobe house, but is unable to do so because he does not own his own land.  Central themes to the novel include undying hope in the wake of endless struggling, the abuse of the grasslands by man, and is a socialist call to arms against oppression--all themes still relevant today.  Guthrie explores these topics with a voice that shows his connection with the place and people he's writing about.

A wonderful read for anyone interested in the Great Depression, literature with a social conscience, or fans of Woody Guthrie.

Title: The Real Jane Austen:  A Life in Small Things

Author: Paula Byrne

Published: Harper Collins, 2013

Where I Got It:  The publisher sent it to me for review

This was a very interesting biography for fans of Jane Austen to read.  I'm not going to discuss the actual content of the biography because that could get out of hand.  Instead, I will comment on the approach to the biography.  Byrne takes a unique approach by exploring Austen's life and writing through various themes or moments, which range from her father's religious views to her life in Bath to her struggle to become published.  Each theme is tied to a particular object, such as vellum notebooks and a royalty check.  Byrne ties together Austen's life and her work throughout the biography, including many quotations from Austen's novels.

I am not sure how this biography compares to others on Jane Austen, but I think that this is a fantastic approach to writing a biography and should really set it apart.  It's really the approach that makes the work stand out--Jane's life wasn't exactly action-packed, after all.  

The main issue that I have with the biography is one that many of Austen's biographers have had--there was not a whole lot of documented primary evidence on which to base some of the claims about the author. This, of course, is not indicative of a weakness on Byrne's part.

I think that a good basis of knowledge on Austen is necessary to most fully appreciate the biography, but I think it would be a pleasurable read for anyone who was interested.

Title: Frances and Bernard

Author: Carlene Bauer

Published:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Where I Got It:  I bought this myself after a Twitter acquaintance recommended it.

I love, love, loved this book!  I read it in two sittings.  I devoured this book like I haven't devoured something in quite a while.

What's it about?  It's about two author--Frances, a novelist, and Bernard, a poet--who met at a writers' colony and started up a correspondence.  It's an epistolary novel, primarily comprised of the letters between Frances and Bernard, but with letters to their friends to flesh out the story.  What begins as a few letters between people who barely know each other quickly becomes a correspondence that can change the lives of the participants.  The story is based on Flannery O'Connor and Robert Lowell.

I loved the voices that Bauer created in this novel.  Frances and Bernard both spoke with such depth and individuality, which is difficult to do when creating characters of the opposite sex and when switching between speakers.  She does not let the voices of the two characters become confused or mixed up--they remain distinct.  Though a story about relationships on the surface, the story is more about human growth and the process of truly finding oneself.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves books about books.  So good!

Daisy's Mini-Review of Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title/Author: Splintered by A.G. Howard
Publisher/Date published: Amulet Books, January 1st 2013
How I got this book: bought it

Goodreads summary: 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.

I recently read Splintered and I just absolutely LOVED IT! For my full fangirling review of Splinter, go here. For now I'll just list 5 reasons why I can't stop gushing about it and why you should ALL READ IT:

-It's an Alice in Wonderland retelling, do you really need another reason to pick this up??

-It captured all the things I remember loving about Wonderland while managing to alter my perception of what happened in the original tale forever.

-Strong, quirky characters I found myself rooting for and I felt a little like I was saying goodbye to friends when I turned the last page. Alyssa is my kind of off-beat.

-THE BOYS, seriously, this was one love triangle I could fully get into! And A.G. Howard even had me rooting for the bad boy somewhat and that NEVER HAPPENS! I'm a good guy kinda girl through and through.

-Amazingly vivid writing that leaps off the page and just sucks you in until you turn the last page and all you want to do is READ IT AGAIN!

I could seriously go on and on but basically I'm saying: READ THIS BOOK! You will not regret it! The story is as stunning as the cover is!

My rating: 5 stars

Daisy's Mini-Review of The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Title/Author: The Treacher of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long
Publisher/Date published: Dial, August 16th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice - and not just her own."

I've never been a huge fan of faery books, but I decided to give this one a shot, because I became creepily fascinated with this one when I read 'the tree swallowed her brother whole'!
And was I ever RIGHT in picking this book to give the genre another shot!

Reasons why you should read this book:

-TREES SWALLOWING PEOPLE. Seriously.

-A determined, flawed and brave heroine that I could root for.

-THE BOY. Jack is a heterochromatic-eyed swoon-inducing boy who completely stole my heart.

-Smooth, beautiful writing with a pace that was just right.

-An introduction into the fae world that shows both the beauty and the cruel side of it without apology.

This book left me smiling and I just know it'll be one of those stories and characters that'll stick with me for a long time. Highly recommended, even if you're not into faery books!

My rating: 5 stars

Daisy's Mini-Review of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title/Author: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury, August 7th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley and also pre-ordered it cause I couldn't resist owning a shiny copy!

Find it on Goodreads

Why I believe you should all read this book:

*Assassins battling it out to win freedom while something sinister is going on in the castle. EXCITEMENT AND FIGHTING AND MYSTERY AND ROMANCE!

*Does anyone remember this Top Ten Tuesday post of my favourite characters back in 2010? Celaena Sardothien was already on it back then and reading the finished book now hasn't altered my opinion. Basically: awesome, strong female character, snarky, arrogant, flawed and very, VERY real.

*I loved this novel back when it was on Fictionpress and Throne of Glass is the shiny, polished, even more amazing version of the story I fell in love with about 9 years ago.

*EPIC YA FANTASY WIN!

*So many characters to fall in love with!

*Sarah J. Maas is an expert storyteller and once you pick this one up, you won't be able to put it down until the end. And not even then.

*GAH, just read it already or pre-order it or something, I need people to talk about this novel with!!

If you'd like to see me fangirl a bit more about Throne of Glass, check out my review on my personal blog Between the Pages!

My rating: 5+ stars