The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

The Moon and More

Sarah Dessen

4.5/5

Summary

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

My Review

First off, I have to say, wow. I really enjoyed The Moon and More. I think what caught my attention more than anything (other than your talent for telling a story) was the fact that this isn’t your typical “summer changes everything” book. It’s not so much about this great romance that has a cosmic impact on the MC’s  life, but more of a subtle growing up and Emaline finding out who she is through a couple different summer romances and complicated family dynamics. I loved how there was so much going on in her life, but not in an overwhelming and confusing way. Everything fit together nicely. And even though it wasn’t your classic romance HEA, I was okay with that.

The feel of Colby, the small island beach town when Emaline has lived her entire life, was very real and quaint. And the story was addicting. I’d be reading for a few hours straight, would take a break, and do nothing but think about what was going on while I wasn’t there, and would have to pick the book up again.

Dessen has an amazing knack for telling a story. It’s smooth, effortless, and wholly organic. It’s hard to believe that it’s just a story that’s been written and not experienced by a living, breathing person.

Rating

4.5/5. This book was addicting and so well-written. A great story to lose yourself in

--Me

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure
Julie KagawaYA Dystopian

Publisher’s Summary:
Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

My Take:

Katanas, blood, revenge, and betrayal. What more could you want from a YA vampire dystopian?

“Eternity Cure” picks up right where “Blood of Eden” left off and keeps the momentum going until the very last page. I have to applaud Ms. Kagawa, once again, for her talents in writing and storytelling. Taking an overworked storyline, like vampires, and making it new, and fresh, and serious, is a hard thing to do, but she does not disappoint.

Just like “Blood of Eden”, “Eternity Cure” is filled with fights, blood, revenge, and betrayal. There’s even a bit of forbidden love to keep those romantics happy. But in the end, it’s a tough book with an even tougher female lead. Allie is everything a protagonist in a post-apocalyptic, vampire-run world: Brave, smart, leery, and rough; but not without a dark sense of humor and a little bit of humanity still intact.

I’ve said it before, this is, hands down, my favorite vampire series and my favorite of Julie’s books. Definitely worth the read.

Rating: 4.5/5, and a strong PG-13 for the amount of violence and blood between the covers.

Read more here: http://blogs.idahostatesman.com/katanas-blood-revenge-and-betrayal-what-more-could-you-want-from-a-vampire-dystopian/#storylink=cpy

--Me

The best in the series, so far

Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer
YA Sci-fi
Coffee Beans: 4.5/5
Content Rating: PG for kissing and fighting
Instalove factor: From Marissa? Pffft, please!
The Cover: In love
Spoilers: Nope
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for this honest review


I had been on the prowl for an ARC of Marissa Meyer's latest installment in the Lunar Chronicles for a long time. Keeping a sharp eye on Shelf Awareness, Edelweiss, Net Galley--all the usual suspects.

Nothing.

It was a couple of weeks before the book was due out, and I was loosing all hope at getting an early copy when, low and behold!, an email in my inbox from her publicist asking me if I'd like to have a galley!

Um, yes?!?!?!

So my wish was granted, and I was not disappointed.

Publisher's Summary:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Review:

I have to say, that out of the two books, this one is by far my favorite. There was so much more action and drama and the relationship between Scarlet and Wolf is my favorite so far of the YA literary sci-fi/paranormal world. They hate each other in the beginning, and it's a reluctant alliance until about a little bit past half-way through the book.

I love how Meyer is introducing new characters and stories in the fairy tale vein and tying their stories into Cinder's. As you can guess, Scarlet is about Little Red Riding Hood and the big, bad Wolf. The majority of the book focuses on her search for her grandmere, but the book also jumps around to what's going on with Cinder and her goofy and very likable, Captain Carswell Thorne, her new sidekick; and twists and turns until the two stories meet up and finally, so do the characters. And don't worry, Levana is still around, and as evil as ever. Poor, poor, Prince Kai.

This is a must read. Enjoy!

--Me

I laughed so hard, I cried.

Serriously, though, I'm writing book reviews like a fiend!!

Sam Cruz’s Infallible Guide to Getting Girls

Author: Tallulah Darling

Genre:YA

Content Rating: R for “strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of "’bow chicka wow wow’”

Coffee Beans: 4.5

Favorite Line: Holy crap, there were so many.

Personal Recommendation: Read it. Now

Cover Appeal: So awesome it’s beyond words

Instalove Factor: None

Spoliers: No

Publisher’s Summary:

Why the hell can't chicks be more like guys?

That question plagues high school senior Sam Cruz. Sam is perfectly happy being a player. He just wishes girls wouldn't change the game from sex to relationships. It makes him look like an asshole. But when Sam's best friend, Ally Klinger, gets dumped, she begs him to transform her into someone who can screw around then screw off. No risk of heartbreak that way. It's Sam's chance to create the perfect female AND cheer up his best friend. Armed with Sam's Three Step Guide to Backseat Success, Ally gets the game better than Sam thought she would and before long, Sam has his wish: the female version of himself. Too bad it's driving him nuts. Told from Sam's and Ally's alternating POVs, Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls is a fast-paced romantic comedy that follows these teens as they navigate the minefield of sex, love, and friendship.

This book contains strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of "bow chicka wow wow."

My Review:

Holy hell. Was this book funny! I’m not talking, “Yeah, I cracked a smile a few times” funny, but “I laughed out loud and got strange looks from strangers” funny. Like, on every page.  I loved the hilarious banter between Ally and Sam. Their one liners and inside jokes. The scenes and situations that Tallulah wrote I could picture in my head at every second, which made the hilarity of what was going on even more real. I mean, this should be a movie. Granted, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate for the kiddos out there because of all the bow chicka wow wow.

So, here’s my warning to you about this book if you’re thinking about reading it: If you go into this with the mindset that this is supposed to be some serious, profound book, you’re going to be disappointed. Possibly even disgusted. But, if you go into this book with the mindset of “it is what it is”, you’ll appreciate what Ally’s trying to do and Sam’s struggle with turning his best friend into himself. That’s how I was able to enjoy this book as much as I did and read it in less than a day.

The book, obviously, is about sex. And while that’s a vulgar topic for a YA book to be about, Tallulah does it in a way that somehow, is completely un-vulgar. She has mad skill in the dialogue department and the setup of the relationship between Ally and Sam right from the beginning. I think it’s because alternating chapters are told from either Sam or Ally’s POV.

Which coincidentally was also a problem I had with this book.

There were several times I thought I was reading Ally’s POV only to remember it was Sam’s head I was in. Talk about confusing. The only other thing I had an issue with, was when a certain secret was spilled, suddenly everyone knew, but I don't remember ever reading a scene where the friends were told about said secret. It just all of a sudden, was.

I especially enjoyed the relationship development between Ally and Sam. Given their history and backgrounds, the pace in which the evolution happened was totally believable. Especially the end. Which I won’t spoil for you. But I'll for sure be on the prowl for more of Tallulah's books. 

Some funny lines:

“Yo, fry Ninja, step down.” --Ally

“Monkey humping credit card baller,” I mutter. “I don’t think so.” --Sam

“Having just gushed like chicks in a tampon commercial, I feel I need to get this speech back on a more manly track. ‘So deal with it.’ There. Balls back.” --Sam

I want you to go and read it for yourself, laugh until your sides hurt and you get cautious looks from strangers, and then pass the book on to a friend.  

Now.

Like, seriously.

AND the book trailer is pretty kick ass. :) 

Happy reading, my friends!

--Me

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince

By: Julie Kagawa

Genre: Awesomeness (Although some people might call this YA fantasy)

Rating: PG-13 for some kick-ass kali

Spoilers: I’m gonna try not to

Coffee Beans: 5

Cover: Pretty good. Not particularly enjoying the half naked Ethan, since nowhere in the book does he show up that way

Instalove Factor: zilch                                                                                    

My Personal Recommendation: Please sir, can I have some more?

Opening Line: My name is Ethan Chase. And I doubt I'll live to see my eighteenth birthday.

Favorite Line: So many

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for this honest review

Publisher’s Summary

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My Review

Awesomeness, awesomeness, followed by some brilliance and more awesomeness.

The end.

For realz, though. Julie became one of my favorite authors after reading The Immortal Rules. I own the Iron Fey series now, but haven’t read them yet, and when this book came up for grabs from NetGalley, I jumped all over it (and probably mauled a couple people in the process).

Oh, keep in mind that this review is based on only the Lost Prince and not the Iron Fey series (as I haven’t read those yet). So any spoilers as to the first series are completely unintentional.

This book picks up 15 years after Megan has left to become the Iron Queen in Nevernever. Ethan has been trying for that long to forget the Fey even exist and live a normal life. Sucks to be him, because that ain’t happening. The fey know he can see them so the follow and torment him where ever he goes and as a result he’s switching schools constantly and just started another one, midterm.

Enter school newspaper editor and resident cutie, Kenzie, and resident Halfbreed, Todd. Of course Ethan tries to keep himself away from those two, but it’s a losing battle. The Fey know he’s there and start to harass him. Maintaining as low of a profile as he can, he discovers that outcast fey and halfbreeds are disappearing from the real world, and no one knows why.

When mysterious and deadly Fey come after him and Kenzie, Ethan has no choice but to escape with her to the Nevernever. And so begins his journey.

This story really is kickass. Like I said, having not read Megan’s story, I really had no idea about the world or Ethan’s history. But that didn't matter. This book was a standalone story and everything was explained to me outright or in context ad was easy to pick up on.

As always, Julie’s plots are detailed and sound, her world real, and I’m particularly in love with her dialogue and the fact that all her MCs know how to fight (which comes in handy in her books, obvs.). It always feels like I’m there with the characters and I want to hurry up and get to the end to know what happens, but then am always so sad when it’s over.

For sure pick up a copy and read it for yourself. If you’re a fan of awesome writing, good plots, engaging characters, and the Iron Fey/Julie Kagawa, this one will be another book added to your Favorites list. 

--Me

Lincoln’s Alternate History is Entertaining and Educational…Sort of

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Seth Grahame-Smith
Alternate Historical Paranormal
PG-13 (Gore, some of which made me cringe. Well done.)
4.5 Coffee Beans
Any man who has seen the face of death knows better than to seek him out a second time. (pg 59, ebook) I have no more fear of hell, for I have this day seen it with my own eyes. (pg 268, ebook) Let us pray now for the future dead. Though we do not yet know their names, we know that there shall be far too many of them. (pg 269, ebook)
Publisher's Summary:
Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

My Review:
I'll admit, I read this book because the movie was coming out and I was eager to start the Book Addicts first Book-2-Movie Night. So, I started reading it. Though I have a confession: Had I recognized that it was written the same author who wrote Pride, Prejudice & Zombies, I probably wouldn't have picked it up.
But this book stands apart from the other's he's written. This one, in my opinion, is so much better than the others. Abe Lincoln: Vamp Hunter is a LOOOONG book. It's a heavy 400 pages. The reason why is because it's basically a biography. Now, I haven't done any in-depth research on how ____ wrote this book, and all I know of Lincoln's history is the limited amount kids are taught in school, so I'm relying on my friend Tiff's word when she said she did research on the book and found that the biographical part of this (which is probably 85%) is all true.
Given that piece of gospel truth, I really enjoyed reading this book. Abe has always been one of my favorite presidents and I think he's one of the smartest, bravest men that ever led America. That being said, I loved every minute of this book. Learning about Lincoln's life, how he grew up, how he got started in politics and law, presidency, etc—it was all very interesting. I loved the way the author wrote parts himself and inserted already existing, historical texts to add to the believability of the novel.
As for the vampires…I thought the author did a brilliant job of subtly placing them in the plot and in Abe's life. Yes, at times it was comical, but as far as the story goes, it was all very believable. I won't say much because I don't want to spoil it for you if you're planning on reading the book (which I recommend you do), but the motives for Abe becoming president as well as fighting the Civil War were very different than what we've been taught in school.
Pick it up and read it, but don't expect to get through it quickly and without much thought.
Happy Reading, my friends!

Zero Book Report

Zero
By: Tom Leveen
YA Contemporary
April 24, 2012
Rating: I have to give it an R because of the open-door sex scene that happens. Otherwise, it would have only been a strong PG for language
Coffee Beans: 4.5/5
Spoilers: Some, but in order to protect the innocent, character names have been omitted
Favorite Line: Ever notice how much thing guys can eat? So not fair. (ebook, pg 108) When you're painting, you can see noise. Taste sound. Ten trillion neurons fire in your mind and trigger the fine muscles in your arms to do. (ebook, pg 128) Ain't that the truth. Boy howdy, I tell ya, when I decide to make a shit situation shittier, I commit. (ebook, pg 236) 
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review
 
Publisher's Summary:

For aspiring artist Amanda Walsh, who only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, the summer before college was supposed to be fun—plain and simple. Hanging out with her best friend Jenn, going to clubs, painting, and counting down the days until her escape. But when must-have scholarship money doesn't materialize, and she has a falling out with Jenn that can only be described as majorly awkward, and Zero's parents relationship goes from tense to relentless fighting, her prospects start looking as bleak and surreal as a painting by her idol Salvador Dali. Will life truly imitate art?
Will her new, unexpected relationship with a punk skater boy who seems too good to be real and support from the unlikeliest of sources show Zero that she's so much more than a name.


 
Here's the thing:

I REALLY pretty much loved this book. Discuss.

Tom Leveen does an epic job of writing this story from a seventeen-year-old girl's perspective (which is actually somewhat unsettling), creating a believable and genuine voice for Zero and a rollercoaster of emotions. It's so good in fact, that it took me a little while to get into it. I know, that sounds a bit conflicting, but I don't know how else to describe it, other than, after a few chapters, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. The voice is so fluid and natural throughout the entire story. The Conflict artfully constructed,
and all the relationship dynamics unfold so naturally and they have such an organic flow from one to the other, it's like I'm living through high school all over again. And the fact that it's a male author writing from a female's perspective so dang well is impressive. There's also some really fantastic dialogue.

This book is first and foremost about relationships. And how dysfunctional and broken and confusing and wonderful they can be. Tom writes these relationships so realistically; I experienced them right alongside Zero. The betrayal and confusion from a best friend. A first love. The cloudiness about your future and how you thought it was going to unfold. These are all powerful and well executed. When I was shown the relationship between Zero's parents, my heart broke and I was sick to my stomach. The source of the fallout between Zero and her best friend, Jenn, (which the MC tells you about in the beginning so I'm not spoiling anything here) was so completely out of left field, I just kinda sat on the couch saying, "Wow."

Leveen has the typical teenage angst (I hate using that word) and attitude down pat. Everything Zero says and does and how she reacts towards her parents is spot on. I kept nodding and laughing as I was reading, recognizing myself in some of those scenes (sorry mom for being the typical teenager and all that grey hair I'm now convinced is my fault).

And the author's funny. Zero's inner dialogue had me laughing out loud. The cynicism and sarcasm and humor is well-placed and well done. The plot is engaging and fast moving (only a few days to read the book), and so REALISTIC (I can't say that enough about this novel) I really did find myself sucked in, wanting to know how Zero's story would turn out.

There was only one thing I didn't care for: a scene between two characters that took place the parking lot of a coffee shop (you can pretty much guess where I'm going with this).

Here's the thing:

YA books are awesome on so many levels and for so many reasons. Discuss.

They're stories filled with characters discovering the world, love, hurt, pain, yada-yada-yada. YA books are able to broach topics that would otherwise be iffy or off limits in other genres, but we just barrel in, full steam ahead. Many books deal with drugs and alcohol and abuse. And sex (because, let's get real here, people, kids are experimenting and discovering that, too). Pretty much anything goes in YA.

But there's one rule, and it's a consensus with pretty much every literary agent, author, and publisher I've talked to: sex is okay to have in YA novels as long as it's behind closed doors. What does that mean? It means the reader knows what's happening but the author isn't taking us through the act with the MC. They typically take us up to the point of no return and then shut the door. Leave the rest up to the imagination (And I say typically, knowing there are some books out there that don't do that, Breaking Dawn, for example).

This book didn't do that, and it was somewhat disappointing for me. I'll say this—it didn't feel awkward or dirty or anything like that when the scene came about, it was a naturally progressing plot point, but it still was like—whoa. Um…pretty sure that door should have closed a long time ago. Don't get me wrong, it's an event that needed to happen because it's the foundation of several events, actions, feelings, and outcomes for the rest of the book. But that doesn't mean I had to be in the car with them, whistling awkwardly as I stared out the window, pretending I wasn't actually there while this was going on.

That's the only "negative" comment I have to say about the book.

Overall, I REALLY liked it. It was a great story about characters that were made real from the very beginning and about the everyday relationships in our lives.

Pick it up, read it, and decide for yourself, but I have a strong feeling you'll love it as much as I did. I will for sure be picking up Tom's first novel, Party.

Happy reading, my friends!

The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls Book Report

TUBC4UG, for short
By: Julie Schumacher
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pub Date: May 8, 2012
Rating: PG
Coffee Beans: 4.5/5
Spoilers: Nope
Favorite Line: Oh, so many. See the section below. :)
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review

 
Publisher's Summary:

I'm Adrienne Haus, survivor of a mother-daughter book club. Most of us didn't want to join. My mother signed me up because I was stuck at home all summer, with my knee in a brace. CeeCee's parents forced her to join after cancelling her Paris trip because she bashed up their car. The members of "The Unbearable Book Club," CeeCee, Jill, Wallis, and I, were all going into eleventh grade A.P. English. But we weren't friends. We were literary prisoners, sweating, reading classics, and hanging out at the pool. If you want to find out how membership in a book club can end up with a person being dead, you can probably look us up under mother-daughter literary catastrophe. Or open this book and read my essay, which I'll turn in when I go back to school.


 
I held off doing this BR for a few reasons. One, I read this book pretty fast and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to let it sink in. Two, I was busy (any surprise?). And three, I wasn't sure if I was going to use this BR in a new project that's *hopefully* going to start in May (more details to come as they become available. But let me just say, I'm uber excited!).

So, without further ado, let's begin.

This book was a fun, fast read. Very entertaining and engaging. Very funny. The voice of our MC, Adrienne (I can't help but channel Rocky Balboa's voice every time I say her name, so, from now on, I'll refer to her as A like CeeCee does in the book), is sarcastic and witty.

The main thing I want to know is this, how the heck do I become friends with CeeCee? This character is G.R.E.A.T. Not even kidding. She's the "queen bee" from school and has decided to honor A with her friendship, even though A doesn't want it. Her personality is entitled, snooty, snarky, funny, and stuck-up without being a putt-off (hence my friendship request).

Julie did such a fun and wonderful job making each of the four girls real and complex and deep. Their interaction together over the summer because of the book club is 100% what I remember from my high school days. Even the way they disbanded when it was over natural.

Wallis is a bit of a creepy yet ambiguous character. I never quite got the feel for her, I thought one thing, but then that never played through. That happened a few times during the story.


 
Did I mention I really love CeeCee? Cuz if I didn't, I do.

Good descriptions. Funny lines all over the place. Fast-moving plot. Loved, loved, loved this book.

Great lines:

• When I turned toward her she smiled a closed-lipped smile, making me think of an alligator sunning itself on a riverbank. (ebook pg 11)
  
• If a bear could be trained to talk, I thought, it would sound like Wallis (ebook pg 42)
  
• My mouth was a saliva-filled marsh, boggy with pockets of vomit and gin (ebook pg 123)
  
• Listening to the noise of the pool in the background—the shouting, the whistling, the general commotion—I thought, I am a lonely person. That's why I read books. (ebook pg 189)
  

A is a great example of strong female character without being strong in the stereotypical sense. Even though she doesn't know who she is and she's experimenting, deep down she's consistent and the same reliable, unbending (constant) person.

One thing I was unsatisfied with, though, was the fact that Willis kind of felt like a throw away character to me. I mean, I know the mystery of her character was there to push A into discovering deep down who she was, but I also wanted to know about Willis, and we never got that far. I felt a bit cheated, I'll be honest. We were never given a picture at the end of the book about what actually was going on with Wallis, which, I guess, is okay, but really, I'm not okay with it.

Okay! What's my usual disclaimer? That's right! Pick it up and read it for yourself. :)

Happy reading, my friends!


 

 

The Book of Blood and Shadows Book Report

The Book of Blood and Shadow

Robin Wasserman

YA Suspense/Thriller

April 10^th, 2012

Rating: PG-13 (strictly for the violence)

Coffee Beans: 4.5/5

Spoilers: Nope

Favorite Line: "But things don't just fall apart. People break them." (pg 16, ebook), "Gone is gone." (pg 89), "The sound that ripped open the night was the sound of my heart, screaming his name." (pg 440, ebook)

Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review

1. Awesome Book
   
2. REALLY long book
   
3. Awesome Book
   
4. Worth the time to read the 450 pages
   

It's amazing how quickly a 450 page book can read. I remember first seeing the synopsis for this book on NetGalley and thinking, "If only I would be so lucky to get this book!" Low and behold, here we are. The synopsis that grabbed my attention:

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.  When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love.  When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead.  His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

The book starts off with a brief page of the MC – Nora – Looking back on how everything started, giving us hints about what's to come. Now, I don't like it when books do that. It lays the groundwork for me to potentially over think things and continually flip back to that page as I'm reading along, going, "What did that say again?" Anyway, it's a small annoyance. One that can be easily overlooked.

Things I liked:

• Wasserman is a superb storyteller, and I could tell right off the bat, she'd done her research for this book. Man, was their detail and history and facts under everything she gave me! I was impressed, and intrigued. The writing was well done, with a fun, somewhat snarky air to the protag. The characters were stong and believable, the only one I wish I'd had more of was Chris, and he was the one who murdered.
  
• I immediately connected with the voice of the narrator, Nora. She was real and entirely human. Her reactions, thinking, actions. All were things a real person in that situation might do.
  
• The delivery of backstory was delivered very smoothly and in a layered way.
  
• A character's line about college. It made me laugh. Here it is: "Young man, no one else is going to tell you the truth, so allow me. Your education is a joke. Your classes lack quality and depth, and even if you were learning from the Athenian masters themselves, do you really think the world needs yet another term paper on the themes of proto-feminist rage in Macbeth or the structural causes of World War One? IT's busywork, son. It's a scam to trade your tuition money for a piece of paper that will let you go work at a bank or some company for the rest of your life, pretending that because you once read Plato, you can call yourself an educated man." (pg 70, ebook)
  
• Coining the phrase "like at first sight"
  
• There's a scene where Nora's sneaking around someplace and she's on the verge of getting caught. But she has her cell! Oh, no!!!!! Nora takes it out, covers the speaker and carefully turns the volume down. One point for team Thank-You-For-Addressing-The-Obvious!
  
• Her great descriptions and imagery
  
• There were parts (pg 323, ebook) that made me laugh outloud
  

What I didn't Like

• The cover. Besides the fact that it really has nothing to do with the story, t looks amateurish. Based on the cover alone, if I'd seen this in the bookstore, I would've thought: A) middle-grade novel B) Not a thriller. It makes me sad because looking at her website, at her books' other covers, it could be so much more.
  
• There were some reactions that Nora had (though not many) I felt she compartmentalized too easily. I would have liked to have seen some emotion before she locked it away in an attempt to survive.
  
• It was really long for a YA book. Yeah, I know, there are plenty of books out there that are around this length (Twilight, City of series, etc), but for the most part, those are drivel, mindless reads that you can just breeze by because there's not very much substance there (don't get mad, you know it's true. I still like those books, but it's true). At times, Book of Blood almost felt too long. But I couldn't imagine it being any shorter. Everything that was said, needed to be said(okay, maybe she could've done without some of those philosophical monologues towards the end there. I skimmed those). Anyway, I breezed through 121 pages in just a couple of hours.
  
• There were a couple of events (one in particular, page 169 ebook for those of you who've read the book, BUT DON'T SKIP AHEAD TO FIND OUT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE YET! You'll ruin a huge plot point and I don't want you crying to me because you ruined that part of the story. :)) that seemed to come out of the blue, and I was convinced there were pages missing from my ebook preparing me for what I'd just read.
  
• The really long sentences
  

Now, as always, heed my advice and go forth and read this book yourself. As for me, it was a good investment of time and I'll be recommending it to friends for sure.

Happy reading, my friends!

Dying to Know You Book Report

Dying to Know You
By: Aidan Chambers
Genre: YA Contemporary fiction
Coffee Beans: 4.5/5
Spoilers: No
Rating: PG

I've always loved contemporary fiction, especially in YA. You seem to get that little something extra that stops and makes you think. Not necessarily about big things, but just think. It's no surprise that I fell in love with Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers from the very first page.

It's not a prolific book. The meaning of life isn't discovered. But the change that happens in the lives of the narrator (an unnamed old man) and Karl (an 18 year-old boy) is so real and moving in a very....I'm trying to come up with the exact words...in just a very natural and simple way. It's beautiful, really.

I can't pinpoint exactly why I liked the novel so much (probably the writing style, the characters, the voice of the older man, the story line, the character development--I could go on). It was fresh. It's written by an English author (and I admit, this is the first one I've read in YA fiction), so that was a unique experience. Their writing style is so different from ours in the US. For one, they love exclamation points! Like, a lot! There's a few other grammatical and punctuation differences, and the fact that they use an "s" instead of a "z" or "c". And I loved reading new words and hearing new sayings.

One of my favorite things Chambers did was turn real-life situations, that were pretty subtle, into extremely hilarious scenes. I think it was the fact that I could actually see them happening in my head and know that events would really play out the way he described. Now, I was going to go back to my Nook notes I took to give you more examples, but the lending period has expired and I don't have them anymore. :( So take my word on the fact that this is a book worth your time. It's a beautiful story that was stunningly written.

I don't know if I agree wholeheartedly with the categorization of this book being YA. Yes, there is a YA in it, Karl, and his girlfriend, but the voice/narrator is that of an old man. The more I read, the more I started questioning if it really should be labeled as YA. I don't want to tell you too much because I don't want to spoil it for you, but the way Chambers uses Karl's faults and story/character arc to shape the narrator's and bring him back full circle was simply brilliant. I will be picking up more of Aidan Chamber's books, that's for sure!

That was a little jumbled, but I really didn't want to spoil anything for any of you. As always, pick it up for yourself when it comes out in April and decide for yourself. :) Happy reading, my friends!






--Me

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Dulstlands trilogy (Rebel Hearts is the second installment, but I couldn't find any more information on it)

YA Dystopian

Rating: 4.5/5

Spoiler Alert: Only a little

I loved this book. But I grew to love it. It's one of those books that I started to read and didn't like, then enjoyed it immensely. It's a story that sits with you well after you've finished reading it, and still calls you back to think about it. I had seen it around everywhere. I passed over taking it as an ARC, even though it piqued a slight interest in me. I finally purchased it at one of Border's closing sales. It was the last copy on the cluttered shelves. 


It was meant to be.

Here's the official summary from the official S&S page: "Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's find by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives bearing four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on a quest to get him back. 


"Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And shehas the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.


"Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story."


Stumblers What the heck are the first three pages? An intro? A prologue? Looking back, I understand it; and it's perfect. But starting off, it was a bit disjointing. 


Accents in the author's spelling *groan*


What?! No quotes for dialogue?! I have to admit, that when I first started and realize these two things, that was a showstopper. I put the book down for about a week and reconsidered even reading it. I mean, I didn't want to invest the brain power trying to figure out what the characters were saying through their accent, who was saying what when, and the lack of punctuation was jolting. But, after a week, I decided to give it another shot. Just one more page, I'd say. Then I got to the end of the book. 


Good and addictive, but hard to get into because of the formatting. But a REALLY great book. The storyline was well told--and I agree 100%, had "a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story." Saba loves and idolizes her twin brother, Lugh, and despises her little sister Emmi. I cringed a lot at some of the things Saba said and did to Emmi. Saba goes after her brother and Emmi follows. Emmi never does what she says. It's great. 


The thing I truly enjoyed about this book was the fact that every character present (Not Lugh, because he was kidnapped) grew and changed in this story. Saba realized there was more to life and family and relationships than the sun rising and setting on her brother, She came to value and love her sister Emmi, and Emmi grew as a person, too. Matured into a smart, independent little lady. Saba let down her guard and let Jack in, and vice-versa. 


I really enjoyed the relationship Young created between Saba and Jack. You knew that they liked each other, but that they were holding back (for various reasons). There were parts where I laughed aloud and cheered and cried and screamed because their path to each other wasn't taking the straight one I wanted. But it was their perfect path to each other (crap, did that sound as cheesy as I thought it did?).


Life happened in this book, the good, the bad, the funny, and the ugly. And I think that's what I appreciated so much about it. There's tragic heartbreak that befalls characters I really cared about. There's selfish decisions that are made that will forever scar someone. But it's okay. Because that's life, and when is life ever perfect, and beautiful, and without tears?


This is definetly a story that I'll read again (and probably soon) and recommend to others. The story is real and true to itself and its characters. I love it when an author and a book do that. 


There's no official BRR or Moira Young website out there (just the S&S and the fb page) and that's sad. In a world like today's, you can't not have those things. BUT! I was able to find that the book was optioned by Scott Free Productions to be made into a movie (decision announced May 13^th, 2011) which makes me all sorts of happy inside.