Sorry this post is so late, but here's what I read in December.
by Victoria Schwab
Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
by Mindi Scott
by Katja Millay
by Lisa Kleypas
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Review of Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
***THIS IS THE FINAL BOOK IN A TRILOGY AND MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES. TO CHECK OUT MY REVIEWS OF BOOKS ONE AND TWO, PLEASE SEE THE LINK BELOW***
Book One: Nightshade
Book Two: Wolfsbane
Calla has always welcomed war.
But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.
You guys, I was pumped when Bloodrose first came out. I utterly adored Wolfsbane, and I had to know how this series ended. Even though it came out in January of last year, I had to put it off until August because graduate school kept me so busy. Although Cremer touched on one of my pet peeves in Bloodrose, it was still a solid ending to a great trilogy.
Cremer’s books are known for being fast-paced and just a little bit steamy. Bloodrose is no exception to that rule. It’s the type of book where even if you sit down meaning to read just a few chapters, you’ll look up to see that several hours and hundreds of pages have gone by. Cremer packs a lot of action into this volume.
Bloodrose is an especially enjoyable read if you enjoyed a lot of the side characters. They play a more prominent role in this book, and I loved how they’re all written. When you consider the major characters, though, my pet peeve comes in. I won’t tell you what my pet peeve is as that would spoil the book. I will say, however, that it has to do with the love triangle and its resolution.
Although Bloodrose is not a perfect ending to its trilogy, it comes close. I wanted to see a few things end differently and perhaps a bit more character growth in Calla, but I’m still pleased with what I got. That said, I think this trilogy has showcased what an utterly brilliant world-builder Cremer is. I cannot wait to pick up and for the release of , because I imagine that they will be exceptional.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.
Other reviews:
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
While You Wait (3): Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Okay, so I'm a little late with this month's While You Wait. I know, I stink. That whole moving and starting a full-time job thing kept me really busy. However, I'm loving being a real adult thus far. Anywhoodle.
I'm very excited to be featuring Scarlet by Marissa Meyer this week. I'll be the first to confess that I still have not read Cinder, but I've heard nothing but phenomenal things about it and even better things about Scarlet, so I'm not too concerned about whether or not I'll love it. For those who don't know, Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella, and I believe Scarlet is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Early winter is a great time to read fairy tale retellings because Misty of and Bonnie from will be hosting Fairytale Fortnight in late March and early April.
I'm very excited to be featuring Scarlet by Marissa Meyer this week. I'll be the first to confess that I still have not read Cinder, but I've heard nothing but phenomenal things about it and even better things about Scarlet, so I'm not too concerned about whether or not I'll love it. For those who don't know, Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella, and I believe Scarlet is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Early winter is a great time to read fairy tale retellings because Misty of and Bonnie from will be hosting Fairytale Fortnight in late March and early April.
Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-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 and 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 has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Release date: Feb. 5, 2013
So, what do I think would probably good for readers who are also interested in Scarlet?
Cinder seems like a pretty obvious bet. For those of you who don't know, Cinder is a futiristic retelling of Cinderella set in China. Obviously, one would need to read this before Scarlet.
Personally, I still need to read Sisters Red, but I can imagine that for a lot of people, it would satisfy while they wait for Scarlet.
Princess of the Silver Woods is another Little Red Riding Hood retelling. Jessica Day George has written tons of other fairy tale retellings as well, so you should definitely take a peek at GoodReads if you just can't get enough.
I can tell from the premise of Cinder that's a very unconventional take on the Cinderella story. Ash is an LGBT retelling, also of Cinderella, so my guess is that readers who love Meyer's books may want to give this a shot as well.
Bound sounds fascinating to me. This one is set in historic China, whereas Cinder is set in New Beijing. It'd be great to see someone compare both of the books in one post.
Of course, maybe some of you don't just want Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood stories. Maybe you just want all kinds of fairy tales conveniently mentioned in one book. If so, you definitely need to pick up Cloaked by Alex Flinn.
And that's it. Those are the books I recommend picking up while you wait for Scarlet. What suggestions would you add to my list?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Review of Dear Teen Me
Dear Teen Me includes advice from over 70 YA authors (including Lauren Oliver, Ellen Hopkins, and Nancy Holder, to name a few) to their teenage selves. The letters cover a wide range of topics, including physical abuse, body issues, bullying, friendship, love, and enough insecurities to fill an auditorium. So pick a page, and find out which of your favorite authors had a really bad first kiss? Who found true love at 18? Who wishes he’d had more fun in high school instead of studying so hard? Some authors write diary entries, some write letters, and a few graphic novelists turn their stories into visual art. And whether you hang out with the theater kids, the band geeks, the bad boys, the loners, the class presidents, the delinquents, the jocks, or the nerds, you’ll find friends--and a lot of familiar faces--in the course of Dear Teen Me.
I love the concept behind Dear Teen Me. I think some of the mistakes I’ve made throughout my life are ones I’ve learned from, but sometimes one just looks back and cringes or wishes one had done things differently. That is precisely what the authors in this book talk about.
Every letter in this book has a different tone. Some are sad and somber, some are funny, and others reminded me a lot of my teenage self. I wish I could say every latter in this anthology is a standout, but I only really loved a select few. Regardless, even the ones that I didn’t love helped me see things from a different perspective, or understand how drastically different the experience of growing up can be for everyone.
I could go on for a few paragraphs about Dear Teen Me, which is what I normally do, but instead I’m going to write a letter to my teen self.
Dear Teen Me,
You’ve got a lot going on. For a seventeen-year-old girl, you’ve got it pretty together. You get good grades, participate in extra-curriculars, eat well, and are well read. You’ll get into a good college, and so far, your adult life is off to a solid start.
Regardless, there are two things you can fix, and the sooner you do so, the happier you’ll be.
Start by being a better person. You’re nice enough to the kids at school, and you have decent manners. Still, you can be hard to get along with. Some of the things you say are downright tactless. Or awkward. It makes it challenging for you to make friends. I know you’ve got friends now, but people will see you as a nicer and more well-rounded person if you make this change. And let’s be honest—in some respects, you do care what others think of you. When you get older and start applying for graduate school and looking for work, it will matter what other people think of you, because they could decide whether or not you get that scholarship.
Also? Try being a little bit less judgmental of your peers. Even if you don’t voice your opinions, ask yourself this question: is it really your place to judge them? Because it probably isn’t.
The second item on our agenda is a bit more shallow, but just as important: your appearance. Right now you’re willing to settle for clothes that look okay and are only kind of flattering. The outfits you put together are sometimes mediocre and unoriginal. One day, you’re going to decide to that you need to spend just a little bit more time shopping for clothes. You’ll pick out a few things that are really nice instead of a lot of cheap clothes. You’ll put just a little bit of extra thought into how you can wear the clothes you have. I’m not, however, saying that you need a full face of make-up and super styled hair every day. Just pick out clothes that enhance your natural beauty, and the rest will figure itself out.
It doesn’t sound like a big deal, I know. However, when you put in just a little extra effort, more people you notice you and comment on how nice you look. Your confidence will skyrocket. Suddenly, guys will start to notice and actively pursue you. It’s strange, but decidedly a change for the better.
Overall, you’re doing great. I’m mostly proud of the person you are, and I know that you are going to grow a lot over the coming years, especially in college. Just keep my suggestions in mind. You’ll be in a much better place when you do.
Love,
Adult Liz
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!
Other reviews:
Monday, January 21, 2013
Giveaway: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Hey everyone! I've got something special for you guys today. I have a copy of Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes to give to one lucky reader. I've got this one loaded onto my iPad and can't wait to dive into soon. For those of you who don't know much about this title, check out the synopsis below.
In addition to receiving his or her very own copy of Nobody, the winner will also receive a paperback copy of Every Other Day, also by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.
That’s why they make the perfect assassins.
The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.
Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.
In addition to receiving his or her very own copy of Nobody, the winner will also receive a paperback copy of Every Other Day, also by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Every other day, Kali D’Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She’s human.
And then every day in between . . . she’s something else entirely.
Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.
When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her, and unfortunately she’ll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive . . . and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.
Interested in winning? Check out the rules and fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
*One winner will receive two books: a copy of Nobody by Jennifer Lyn Barnes and Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
*Open to U.S. and Canadian readers only. Sorry, international followers.
*The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on February 4th.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Review of Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, is a story of breaking down and growing up.
(Summary from GoodReads)
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Look at that cover. It makes Uses for Boys look like a read that will have rough spots, but also be very sweet, which is what I expected going into this book. In her review, Jen of compared this book to the movie , and that is spot on. From my perspective, reading the plot and character arc of Uses for Boys was like watching a train crash. Uses for Boys is an important book of acceptable literary quality, but not one I particularly enjoyed reading.
Before we go any further, I should clarify a few things. I was raised in an upper middle class home. My loved ones have been teaching me about feminism and healthy relationships from an early age. I understand that even though I’ll start have to paying back student loans soon, the benefits of my education, both college and graduate school, far outweigh the costs. If this doesn’t make sense now, it will after you read Uses for Boys.
I expected Anna to have grown up in a home without a lot of money. Although this was the case when she was young, her mother is actually fairly well off. Anna’s mother goes through several marriages—at least three are mentioned in the book—and has a lot of boyfriends. Thanks to the men in her life, Anna’s mother acquires nice things such as jewelry and new clothes. She’s never around, but she’s happy to give Anna the money to procure what she needs. Of course, as Anna becomes a teenager, she thinks that she has to perform certain favors in order to receive love from others.
The plot of Scheidt’s debut is lacking in purpose, and this is a personal pet peeve for me. I can see why some teens would want to read this story as Scheidt has written it, but I kept thinking of different ways the plot could go. Guys, Anna is an incredibly painful character to read about. Her personality isn’t as well fleshed out as it could be, and she makes a lot of poor decisions. When I got to the end of the book, I felt as though her character had not come as far as I’d like to see, and that was especially disappointing. I also don’t understand where Scheidt was going with Toy and her story.
As many problems as I have with this story, I have to admit that it belongs on teen shelves. Scheidt’s novel showcases that being privileged in one way does not mean that a person is privileged in ever way. For example, Anna’s mother has plenty of money, but Anna has unhealthy interpersonal relationships as a result. While I understand as an adult that being rich does not automatically mean your life is perfect, some teens may not, and this book will be eye-opening for them. Girls who have personally experienced slut-shaming will relate to Anna’s character, and Scheidt manages to show how negative slut-shaming can be without preaching to her reader.
Uses for Boys was a wash for me. I thought it needed to be longer with a better plot and more well-developed characters. Some readers, however, will appreciate and connect with Anna’s story much better than I did. I hope this book finds its audience.
Disclosure: I received an eGalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!
Other reviews:
Friday, January 4, 2013
Review of Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.
Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.
(Summary from GoodReads)
Since you can log onto GoodReads and read loads of one star reviews for Why We Broke Up, I’m going to be straight with you: this is a book that you will either love or hate. Why We Broke Up is rather character driven, and Min is an incredibly distinct character. I am one of the few I know who adored this book.
The concept of Why We Broke Up is quite original. Min is writing a letter to her ex-boyfriend. The letter accompanies a box of objects that Min considered somehow significant throughout their relationship. This isn’t really a book that you read for the sake of the plot, as the title kind of reveals how it’s all going to end. It’s a book you read if you want to get to know two unique characters and see how they unfold.
Min spends a lot of the book referencing film, and I found a lot of her references to be pretty obscure. She’s a very mature and thoughtful character, and I know some people said that her voice didn’t sound like a typical sixteen-year-olds. I honestly don’t see that at all—even as a high schooler and now as an adult, I knew/know a lot of teens who have niche interests and are strikingly mature for their age.
I feel as though a lot of quirky books get mixed reviews because they aren’t for everyone, yet I often find them brilliant (Chime is another example of this). Why We Broke Up is a well-crafted story that will satisfy artsy teen readers. As some bonus material, here is Daniel Handler and Maria Kalman’s Printz award acceptance speech, which is essentially the greatest thing ever.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.
Other reviews:
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Review of The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
basis, n.
There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you’re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.
If the moment doesn’t pass, that’s it—you’re done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it’s even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover’s face.
How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.
(Summary from GoodReads)
For those of you who don’t know, I have a sappy side. A side that likes happy endings and sometimes cries over chick flicks. Being the sap that I am, picking up a book with the title The Lover’s Dictionary seemed like a no brainer to me. I have to admit, the writing in this book is gorgeous, but the plot isn’t what I was hoping for.
Boy Meets Boy was my first and thus far only other David Levithan book. In addition to being a sweet high school romance, this novel showcases Levithan’s ability to create atmosphere and characters. The Lover’s Dictionary is actually written for adults, however, and is filled with lyrical prose. I’ve come to always expect quality from Leivthan, but given how different this is from Boy Meets Boy, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.
The format of this book is quite literally like a dictionary, just without all of the words a regular dictionary would have. It’s quite an inventive idea, and I can see why it took off. There is a connecting plot throughout the novel, although the definitions almost read like vignettes. When I got to the end, I was expecting a different tone, and it felt as though Levithan suddenly decided to take a sharp turn in terms of tone and leave us hanging. It wasn’t awful, but I would have liked it better if either the tone was different or the definitions were actually vignettes and not part of one story.
I just didn’t get this book. It had it’s beautiful moments, but I don’t understand why it ended the way it did. I wanted to adore The Lover’s Dictionary, but it turned out to be another title to add to list of books that’s good, not great.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.
Other reviews:
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