Book Review: Delirium

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I've felt so passionately about a book's ending.

WITHER's ending annoyed me. DELIRIUM's ending infuriated me.

It was an ending that made me feel like the 400+ pages that came before it were all pointless. Here we are, in a society where love is considered a dangerous disease, and, of course, the MC, Lena, falls in love. Though at first she is just another sheep following the government's edicts, she falls in love and begins to realize just how horrible and wrong the government is. She risks discovery, death and ostracism to be with Alex. And when her disease is finally discovered, there is almost a whole chapter devoted to how she would rather die than be cured . . .and therefore be without Alex.

Ah, melodrama, right?

But I'm okay with that. In fact, I love melodrama, sappiness and doomed romance. But then there was the ending. An ending where Lena not only abandons her love, she doesn't even LOOK BACK. Alex tells her to run and there is no arguing, no second guessing, no great exclamations of "I won't leave you," she just runs. And that soured the whole book for me, and, in fact, made me feel like the whole message--that love is worth everything--was completely undermined.

I've given this ending a lot of thought, mind you, and I didn't miss the whole "love is sacrifice" theme going on. But Lena did not sacrifice. She ran. She saved her own skin and let her love die. The coldest act in a love story possible. Seriously, WTF? Babble to me about how it works all you like, but I will never believe it was love that made Lena run. It was self-preservation. I don't care what my significant other told me to do, I would not leave him to be gunned down, captured, tortured and/or cured. I just wouldn't. THAT is the sacrifice. Sacrificing your own safety/well-being/life to be with the one you love. Sacrifice is NOT running because your boyfriend tells you to.

In the end, I simply believed that the only love that existed was the one Alex had for Lena. And she didn't deserve it.

There, now that I've gotten the ending out of the way (grr), there was another thing about this book that REALLY bothered me.

The pets.

In a world where love, affection and caring is frowned upon, why do they have pets? I can see livestock or guard dogs, but there is one neighbor who has a dog that seems to serve no purpose other than being the dog (who we get to watch die in such a heart-breaking way--thanks for that, Ms. Oliver). It makes no sense. Why do people have pets? Because they want to have something to CARE for and LOVE. I see this as a major flaw in the story. Such a flaw, in fact, that I spent a great deal of time frustrated about it and even more time appalled that this poor animal (yes, it's fiction, but sue me) served no other purpose than as a plot device so the main character can ruminate on how WRONG everything is becoming. Grr.

Okay, I will have to admit that I didn't hate the whole book (just the ending). In fact, I really enjoyed most of the book. Lauren Oliver is an amazing wordsmith. She brings a rare, fresh beauty to her writing and her descriptions seriously make me curl my toes in pleasure. Her first novel, BEFORE I FALL, is one of my all-time favorite books, and while I can't say that I will ever think of DELIRIUM with anything less than aggravation, it didn't completely spoil my love for the author. Instead, I look at my impression of the book as just that: MY impression. Some readers might love the ending. They might think it is the best thing in the world. I just can't say the same. Which is why I gave a potentially 5 star book only a 3 star rating.

P.S. If there is a sequel, I will read it in hopes that Lena redeems herself.


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Book Review: Entwined

Entwined by Heather Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ENTWINED by Heather Dixon was like Beauty and the Beast meets Harry Potter meets Pride and Prejudice--romantic, magical and quirky.

As far as plots go, this was one of the most well-written I have read in YA literature in a long time. All the events entwined (pardon the pun) in the most beautiful, elegant and exceptional way. While I might have seen some of the "twists" coming, they came in such a way that didn't make me roll my eyes or feel like the author was treating me like someone with minimal intelligence. (Instead, I just felt very self-satisfied and smug.)

Another thing I found interesting and refreshing about this story was the way it was written: it has a Victorian feel to it. More so, I thought, than that of a fairy tale, though there were of course those elements. The writing was very polite and proper, which made the moments that weren't that much more sparkling. The descriptions were vivid and a few phrases even had me chuckling at their cleverness (the rug at the end had me laughing out loud).

The more I think about this book, the more I admire it--the humor, the imagery, the characters. It feels so FRESH in a YA world of regurgitated ideas and plot devices. I will definitely keep this author on my "to watch" list.

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Book Review: Wither

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book opens with the quotation from T.S. Eliot "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper." I felt that same quote could apply to the ending of this book. I won't reiterate a summary . . .that's easy enough to find either through goodreads.com or Amazon, so I'm going to discuss how I thought this book fell short of its potential.

All throughout Rhine's story, there are hints of dark and horrible things happening within the mansion where she is imprisoned--the unwilling bride of a rich, sheltered boy, and sister-wife to two other girls. There is Housemaster Vaughn, the House Governor Linden's father, who is obsessed with finding a cure for the virus that takes male children at 25 and female children at 20. It is hinted that he dissects and experiments on corpses of those who've succumbed to the illness, including his son's first wife, Rose. There are even hints that he is a sadistic, cruel and evil man who would stop at nothing to ensure that his son is happy, which includes making sure his wives stay compliant. When they don't, he kills them or their babies.

But that's never actually proven.

And, really, as far as villains go, Vaughn didn't scare me. Not even a little. The wives and servants were terrified of him, but I was never given a significant reason. Sure, Jenna dies prematurely. Maybe he did something to her because she was troublesome, but that's still not proven. When he discovers that Rhine has feelings for the servant Gabriel, he removes him to the basement . . .but doesn't actually do anything horrible to him. I went along with it, however, because I was so sure there was going to be a culmination of Vaughn's atrocities, where all his evil-doings were revealed and Rhine faced him in the ultimate showdown, which, upon victory, would grant her her freedom.

Pffbt. Vaughn's horrible crimes are never proven, and Rhine never faces him. Instead, she and Gabriel escape into the snowy Florida night with the help of a nameless attendant. No pursuit follows. No life-or-death scenarios. It's such a simple escape, that it makes me wonder why it was such a big deal to escape.

I get that this is a trilogy and that the possibility for a showdown with Vaughn still exists, but it annoys me when such a promising book doesn't deliver.

Granted, I liked the book. I'll even pick up the next in the trilogy just to find out what happens. But if the second book doesn't show more depth, I'll probably stop there.

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Book Review: No Mercy

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon was one of those spur of the moment buys. I'd read a book or two by Sherrilyn Kenyon a while back, vaguely remembered liking them, the blurb sounded interesting, and I needed something to keep me from going crazy on our weekend camping trip.


According to the blurb:

Live fast, fight hard and, if you have to die, then take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and it was one Samia lived and died by. Now in contemporary New Orleans, the immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there’s a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she’s ever faced before. 

Shapeshifter Dev Peltier has stood guard at the front of Sanctuary for almost two hundred years and in that time, he’s seen it all. Or so he thought. Now their enemies have discovered a new source of power--one that makes a mockery of anything faced to date. 

The war is on and Dev and Sam are guarding ground zero. But in order to win, they will have to break the most cardinal of all rules and pray it doesn’t unravel the universe as we know it.

Let's start off with the fact that I liked this book. I liked the characters (who were funny and spunky) and the context was definitely interesting. I'm a pretty hard sell when it comes to paranormal romances anymore, but I still found myself enjoying Kenyon's mix of Greek mythology and modern-day paranormals. Demons, Daimons, Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters, and more! I enjoyed the book, even if I snickered a little bit on just how boy crazy the writing seemed (if you want descriptions of rock-hard, drool-worthy bodies, then Kenyon is a good bet for you), but since it was a romance, I let it go. 

However, I had my nitpicks: EVERYONE is beautiful. I seriously hate that. And they weren't even beautiful in their own unique way. They were just lovely and lust-inducing. Yes, I get that they're "not human" but does every stinking nonhuman have to be drop-dead gorgeous? (The only exception were minor-minor characters.) And the ending. I would have been more than happy if Ms. Kenyon did without the epilogue. The epilogue took a sweet, emotional ending and turned it into disgustingly-sweet-OMG-seriously?-overkill. Yes, I wanted Sam and Dev to have their happy ending, but I'm also of the mindset that it's OKAY for that ending to be imperfect. 

(WARNING: I am going to totally ruin the book for anyone who hasn't read it.) 

So, Dev and Sam couldn't have babies because she's technically dead, and she was still in danger of having Artemis come kick her ass, but that was cool with me. And then Nick delivers Sam's soul (no clue as to how he gets that from Artemis . . .must have to do with him sleeping with her) and what's-his-face (S-something; he only appears in the book twice, so it's easy to forget) comes in with some BS excuse that he hates the Fates so he's going to make it where Sam can get pregnant just to piss them off. Baby-making ability does not equal happily-ever-after-perfect romance. Or maybe it does. But it seriously made me want to rip those pages out. Do I have anything against the desire for a lovey-dovey couple to procreate? Not at all. But I DO have a grudge against dues ex machina. And that's what brought this book from a four star to a three star review.

Book Review: Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums

Being a spec-fiction writer, I thought that it was pretty awful of me not to have read anything by Anne McCaffrey, so I searched for her name at my local library, picked a title and reserved it. The first title I reserved was Dragonsong. The blurb sold me. An outcast girl with fire lizard (dragon-like) friends? Yes, please! And I liked it. It was a pleasant little story set in an interesting world. And I liked it enough that I decided to finish the series and reserved the other two books, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums.

But the further I got into Dragonsinger, I started getting the inkling that something wasn't right. That there was something MISSING. And it wasn't until I forced myself to finish Dragondrums Sunday that I realized what it was:

There was no "all is lost" moment. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how incredibly easy the characters had it. Just when you started thinking that MAYBE things were starting to go downhill, something happened to make their life invariably better. In real life, I would be more than happy. But in a book, it makes me bitter. Disappointed. And it leaves me with the feeling that nothing happened. Which isn't true; loads happened. Menolly goes from a Sea Holder's outcast daughter--punished for singing and writing music--to arguably the most talented Harper ever. Not to mention she has nine fire lizards that love her . . .and very powerful friends.

And then we move on from her to Piemur, her mischievous friend, and his misadventures. (Why, I want to know, do we not stick with the same character for the duration of the trilogy?) Piemur eavesdrops on important conversations, steals a fire lizard egg, and ends up in the less-friendly South where he escapes Thread (some sort of devouring death-ray) three times. Despite all this, I still felt as if the bigger story was taking place somewhere off page, which frustrated me to no end. What's the point of overhearing important conversations, confronting Oldtimers (dragonriders from another time), and being transported to a mostly hostile territory if nothing comes of it? Eh?

So, to sum it up, I think Ms. McCaffrey is too nice to her characters. At least in this series. But I also got the impression that maybe this was the fluff reading of the bigger Pern stories. And that's what all the hinting at a bigger (unresolved) conflict was about. But, really, it's just disappointing that she couldn't take that conflict and make her characters a bigger part of it.

Recommended: For fluff reading.
Rating (out of five stars): 3.5

Book Review: Wintergirls

Laurie Halse Anderson tackles another tough topic in Wintergirls: Anorexia. But, as if that wasn't enough, she adds self-mutilation to the mix.

According to the book's blurb:

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether. 

I went into this book expecting to be disturbed, but never so poetically. If the image of anorexia and Lia's life doesn't stick with you, how the author paints it will. I haven't been so powerfully moved by the tragic beauty of a book since reading The Sky is Everywhere. While I enjoyed Anderson's Speak, Wintergirls rocked the foundations of my world. If I had to describe it in a word it would be: unsettling.

I've never suffered from an eating disorder, but I think that at some point in our lives, every girl considers it. We all feel that pressure to conform the stereotypical image of beauty, and hope that by being thin it might give us an ounce of self-worth. It's that very relatable aspect of this story that makes it so potent.

Yet Wintergirls goes a step further and shows the glittering, bloody edges of what happens when a girl goes too far for her perfect body.

But Anderson does it perfectly. We see everything from Lia's perspective and never through the author's lens. We see how RIGHT it is for Lia to do what she is doing, all the while recoiling because we know it's wrong. Lia is one of those girls whom you like despite what she's doing to herself. She's endearing. She tries so hard, but can't help but feel out of control. Her only way to have control is to starve and cut herself.

This book will make you wince, cry, shudder. But you won't be able to stop reading. And even when you're through, you won't be able to stop thinking about it.

Recommended: Absolutely.
Rating (out of five stars): 5 -- A perfect book, in my opinion.

Book Review: The Iron King

Have you ever read one of those books that you never want to end, it's so good? The Iron King by Julie Kagawa was like that for me. I literally could not put it down. Every scene made me shiver with delight. I devoured this book and enjoyed it so much that I immediately put it on my TO BUY list.

According to the book's blurb:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Now, there are quite a few YA Paranormals out there involving faeries. Wicked Lovely and Paranormalcy come to mind. And while I enjoyed their different take on faeries for different reasons, neither one made my toes curl or make me exclaim, "YES, this is EXACTLY what faeries should be like!" And not just the faeries themselves, but their world. Kagawa's faerie realm has the same dark magic as Anne Bishop's dreamscapes in Sebastian or Belladonna (both highly recommended books). It's like entering a place that you've never been before, but some part of you is able to recognize it. Places where good and evil aren't so easily distinguished, and it's so beautifully wrought that you feel disappointed when you come back to the real world. In a couple words: deliciously dark.

My favorite character was, of course, Robbie. I have a soft spot for tricksters and goofballs, but Kagawa crafts him perfectly, showing glimpses of more than just a carefree "friend." And all the other characters, even the minor ones, hold endless surprises.

Awesome setting and great characters make this book darn near perfect. Highly recommended!

Gah, I have to go buy all these books now!

Rating (out of five stars): 5!

Book Review: The Shifter

The Shifter by Janice Hardy is another one of those books that I've had on my to-read list for a while. It was worth the wait. Hardy creates a world and a character that immediately draw us in--one that reminds me of a weird mix between the Everglades, the Amazon and Venice. Her islands are richly detailed, and she even provides us with a map at the beginning of the story to help us keep everything straight (though I never found the need to refer to it).

And the characters themselves and the situations they are in are pretty fascinating which helped move the solid plot along at a fairly swift pace.

According to the book's blurb:

Nya is an orphan struggling for survival in a city crippled by war. She is also a Taker—with her touch, she can heal injuries, pulling pain from another person into her own body. But unlike her sister, Tali, and the other Takers who become Healers' League apprentices, Nya's skill is flawed: She can't push that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it into another person, a dangerous skill that she must keep hidden from forces occupying her city. If discovered, she'd be used as a human weapon against her own people.

Rumors of another war make Nya's life harder, forcing her to take desperate risks just to find work and food. She pushes her luck too far and exposes her secret to a pain merchant eager to use her shifting ability for his own sinister purposes. At first Nya refuses, but when Tali and other League Healers mysteriously disappear, she's faced with some difficult choices. As her father used to say, principles are a bargain at any price; but how many will Nya have to sell to get Tali back alive?

I found the plot thrilling, the setting satisfying and the Taking intriguing, but I never really connected with Nya as a character. I'm not sure if it's the author's fault or mine here, but I found Nya to be all action, not much reflection. True, not all characters are soul-searchers, but I felt like she was too concerned with doing for others to think about herself. Oh, sure, she has moments where she considers taking the "bad" guys up on their notorious offers, but as a reader you know that she won't because she is the "good" guy. But even KNOWING this, I would have liked for the author to make me second-guess myself and the character as well. It's extremely hard to do with first person POV, so I can understand that of all the lovely, glowing things about this book, this was the one to sort of fall flat. However, I just couldn't get over how convenient things became for Nya. She has to make some hard decisions, maybe even do some bad things, but she still comes out of it without nary a scrape. Call me cynical, but I wanted to see Nya make a really tough choice and, for once, not come out so intact.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't LIKE Nya. I did. I rooted for her and I wanted her to win. I just wanted her to suffer more. Yeah, twisted of me. :P

But the book, like I said, has a lot going for it. The world-building is excellent. The culture was well-described but not so much that it seemed like an info-dump. And I still cannot get over how fascinating the Taking and healing is. I look forward to reading the second in this series and, who knows, maybe I'll finally connect with Nya.

Recommended: Yes, for those looking for an interesting world and a fast plot.

Rating (out of five stars): 4

Book Review: Speak

Speak  by Laurie Halse Anderson has become one of those notorious novels that you either love or loathe. Since it was so hyped up, I expected to be in the latter category, but there's a reason this story was a finalist for the National Book Award. It's powerful. Anderson doesn't waste time with pretty words or purple prose. We get it straight, realistic, right from the mouth of the 14-year-old girl living it.

According to the book's blurb:

Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...

I confess, I already knew what traumatic event the MC, Melinda, went through before I read the book. But it made me more intrigued. It was one of those sensitive subjects that usually is overdone or underdone. To get it just right is difficult and, some would say, impossible. I think Ms. Anderson nailed it.

Melinda comes across as tormented by what happened, but I found that reasonable and not overly indulgent (as some people have argued). I liked how Ms. Anderson entwined her inability to voice her protests during the traumatic event with her declining willingness to speak, and (just to show you how skilled a writer Ms. Anderson is) Melinda is also given the chance to regain her voice in the perfect way.

The book made me hurt, wince, cry. Especially in the scene where Melinda faints in biology. It was so powerful. Wrenching. That scene, more than any other, pulled my heart out of my throat and crushed it.

I can understand why this is becoming recommended reading for teenagers.

Rating (out of five stars): 4
Recommended read: Most definitely. For victims of sexual assault as well as for people who think they "get" what it's like to be sexually assaulted.

Book Review: Some Girls Are

Once I find an author who rocks my socks off, I tend to pick up all their books and devour them like a pint of Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream. That's what led me to Courtney Summers' Some Girls Are. I read Cracked Up To Be and LOVED it. It was powerful, it was unique, it was so utterly YA and yet completely NOT what most YA delivers (a cheesy romance that would never last IRL). Summers' stories are about girls trying to find themselves in the midst of inner and outward turmoil. Discovering the best and worst facets of their personality and, ultimately, growing up.

But there are still boys. Of course there are boys. What teenage girl can live without a boy, right? But Summers' romance is like the chocolate drizzle on a sumptuous sundae (okay, I want ice cream now). It's not all about the lusty moans and starry eyes (if at all). Summers' romance is--OMG--REALISTIC.

Realistic romance! What a concept!

According to the book's blurb:

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard--falling from it is even harder.  Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around.  Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.  If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day.  She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully.  Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Since I'm a character junkie, this book was totally right for me. Regina is so REAL. I started off not liking her, not feeling sorry for her, but just sort of pitying her. But one thing Summers does well is flesh out her characters. No one (not even the antagonists) are shallow, superficial or one-dimensional. No one is wholly evil or wholly good. It's like--say it with me--REAL LIFE.

The one thing that kept me from giving this book five stars was the ending. It almost seemed too easy. But I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and now I'm not sure if it was as easy as I thought or if it, too, was just realistic. After all, some things (even feuds) just sort of lose steam after a while, right? But, bloodthirsty wench that I am, I wanted a few more cat-fights before things settled. Sigh.

Rating (out of five stars): 4.5
Recommended: Yes. Please, please, please read this if, like me, you're sick of emo vamps, brawny werewolves, sexy faeries and CONTRIVED LOVE TRIANGLES. Here's a dose of real life for you.

Book Review: The Devil Wears Plaid

I'll admit, only my love for Teresa Medeiros stories enabled me to pick up this book. The title, The Devil Wears Plaid, makes me cringe. It's cheesy and unoriginal and, really, Medeiros could do so much better.

But, I'm a diehard fan, so I tried to ignore it the best I could and get into the story.

According to the book's blurb:

Emmaline Marlowe is about to wed the extremely powerful laird of the Hepburn clan to save her father from debtor’s prison when ruffian Jamie Sinclair bursts into the abbey on a magnificent black horse and abducts her in one strong swoop. Though he is Hepburn’s sworn enemy, Emma’s mysterious captor is everything her bridegroom is not—handsome, virile, dangerous . . . and a perilous temptation for her yearning heart. Jamie expects Emma to be some milksop English miss, not a fiery, defiant beauty whose irresistible charms will tempt him at every turn. But he cannot allow either one of them to forget he is her enemy and she his pawn in the deadly Highland feud between the clans. So why does he still want her so badly for himself? Stealing his enemy’s bride was simple, but can he claim her innocence without losing his heart?

Okay, the blurb made me cringe a little, too. And the first chapter made me cringe again. (Not a very promising start.) The first part was pretty good and a bit funny, but as soon as the male love interest entered, I ended up rolling my eyes every other sentence. Yes, it's a romance, but would a girl who thinks she's about to be killed, kidnapped, raped, maimed etc? really notice her potential kidnapper's brawny forearms to such detail? It made the whole scene (which would have been a good one) feel forced and the attraction more than contrived. It started to feel as if someone was beating me over the head and screaming, "This is romance novel! Get it? Get it?"

But I had faith in Ms. Medeiros, so I kept reading.

The story got better, if a bit predictable (but, let's face it, I don't go into historical romance without EXPECTING the predictable). As more of Jamie's (totally coincidence that I'm reading two books set in the Scotland of old with male MCs by the name of Jamie, I swear) motives are revealed, the story picks up speed and a little more depth and soon I became just another reader along for the ride.

The ending, and Emma, pleasantly surprised me and left me with the happy afterglow (um, yeah) of a good romance novel. It's an enjoyable fluff read, and definitely not one of Medeiros' best. Still, it gave me what it promised.

Rating (out of five stars): 3
Recommended read? For those looking for a story with entertainment value, but not necessarily one that delivers anything exceptional or thought-provoking.

Book Review: Positively

I was positive I was going to love Positively by Courtney Shiemel (har har) but, sadly, it wasn't love. I'm not sure it was even like. If anything, it was a very gentle form of tolerance.

According to the book's blurb:

Since the day Emerson Pressman and her mother were diagnosed as HIV positive, nothing has been the same. When her mother dies of AIDS, Emmy has to go live with the father and stepmother she barely knows, and she feels more alone than ever. Now she has to take pills by herself, and there is no one left who understands what it's like to be afraid every time she has a cold. But when her father decides to send her to Camp Positive, a camp for HIV-positive children, Emmy begins to realize that she's not alone after all, and that sometimes, opening up to other people can make all the difference in the world.


Sounds great, right? I thought so, too. And when Lydia Sharp gave it such a great review, I knew it HAD to be good. And therein lied the problem: I hyped myself up over it so much, that it was doomed to disappoint me.


Am I saying that Positively is a bad book? Absolutely not! It's a very good book and a very interesting tale. I've never known anyone with AIDS, so I enjoyed the personal glimpse into Emmy's life, I enjoyed learning what it was like to be her. I did not, however, enjoy her personality.


I think it's because I've read too many of them lately: the girl whom no one understands feeling sorry for herself. Granted, Emmy has a lot more reason to feel sorry for herself, and a heck of a lot better reason to feel different from everyone else, but it got to the point where I just wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up. Which makes me think that maybe this book wasn't written for me because A) I'm a bit too jaded B) The MC was too young for me to connect with (though I greatly appreciated how much she described stuff as "stupid" (I recall doing the same thing when I was a tween)) and C) Her time moping seemed too long and her "growth" period too short. I wanted more growing/understanding, less time whining.


I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters, to be honest. I liked Whitney, I guess, and I was honestly sad (spoiler alert) when she got sick and had to leave camp. But, other than that, I just felt like I was watching everything from a distance. Emmy wouldn't let any of her family/friends in, and at times I felt she wouldn't let the reader in either. 


However, the writing was excellent, stark and poetic. Overall, a worthwhile read. 


Rating (out of five stars): 3.5
Recommended: Yes. Especially if you're like me and have never had any personal experience with HIV/AIDS.

Book Review: OUTLANDER, My Thoughts So Far

So, I started reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Usually I save my thoughts on a book until after I read the entire thing, but this book is A) extremely long and B) thought provoking so I thought I would share my provoked thoughts, as it were.

Outlander is labeled a historical romance. Well, I'm on page 200-something and its not really sending me romantic vibes. If anything, I feel like I'm involved in a very interesting history lesson about Scotland 1945 and Scotland 1743. Since I love history and Scotland, this doesn't bother me too much, but I'm also an avid romance reader and was looking forward to some good mushiness, so I'm a bit disappointed by the lack thereof. (And no, it's not just because we get the curtain drawn over the sex scenes either.) But at the same time that I'm disappointed, I'm also a bit relieved that it doesn't follow the same constraints as some of the more recent romances I've read (sexual tension from page one, obvious ending from page one and a half). This could be because A) the MC is already married to a likable (if somewhat dull, in my opinion) man B) she's not really looking for romance C) she's OLDER than the "love interest" (I use that term loosely) in 1743. So, it's pretty unconventional. And even when she marries the handsome, scarred and very sweet Jamie, it's not so much about lust, attraction or even affection as it is about keeping Claire (the MC) safe.

And maybe I'm just too used to reading YA and its overwrought emotions, but I would like to see a bit more into Claire's head (and that's really odd considering the story is told from first person POV). She has SEX with her 1743-husband, for goodness sake, therefore CHEATING on her 1945-husband, and merely thinks, "I don't want to bring another man's memory into a marriage bed..." even if she's already married to the other man? Really? And the other thing: she hasn't given up on the possibility of getting back to her own time, so it's not like she's resigned herself to a life in 1743. But she doesn't feel the slightest bit guilty or disgusted at herself? And maybe I could excuse her actions if she'd been blinded by lust and had been wanting Jamie since she met him, but she mostly thinks of him as a "nice kid" and even tries to play matchmaker between him and another girl. So, I'm just having a hard time buying into this whole scenario. I get that Jamie and Claire are friends and that friendship is continuing to grow, but not all friends marry and then have sex with each other (especially when one is already married (though, to Jamie's credit, he doesn't know that)). So, it's just weird to me and I'm having a hard time buying into the little romance that Ms. Gabaldon is building here. If you're going to be unfaithful to your husband (Claire had been married to Frank for 8 years, separated by the war for most of that time, and still never screwed around, so she shouldn't be too twisted up about being away from him for a month, in my opinion), you'd better have some emotional benefit. Not just "Oh, he's going to keep me safe...that makes me horny."

Maybe I'm missing something. After all, Gabaldon is a subtle author. Maybe I missed all those lustful glances, attributing them to concern or something, and should have seen this easy slide into adultery coming like a runaway horse. But...it's really bugging me that Claire is so...secretive about what she really feels. She's all action, not a lot of introspection, and in a situation like this, I'm going to need some introspection or else she's going to come across as a wishy-washy adulteress (times two, now).

I'm still reading. I haven't given up hope. Everyone raves about this book, and not usually for the historical factor...so I'll keep at it and maybe at the end I'll rave, too. Crossing fingers.

(BONUS) Book Review: Matched

(All right, I goofed. This was supposed to be for the Wednesday after next, but well, I'm frozen and un-caffeinated, so here you go. Happy Unbirthday!)


Matched by Ally Condie is getting a reputation for being either one of those books you either love or love to hate. Which is why I found it weird that I only ended up "in like" with the book.

According to the book's blurb:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Maybe it's my post-Twilight caution distancing me. After all, Matched was a really, really good read. There was emotion. There was tension. There was a love story that was actually believable. But there was also the fact that I wanted MORE to happen. More physical action, that is. I also wanted MORE of a revelation on Cassia's part because when she realizes (SPOILER ALERT) that the Society has been using her in an experiment, she still fails to wonder (at least enough to satisfy me) why she was more interested in Ky than Xander. Which left me a bit disappointed. Not enough to jerk me away from the story or completely ruin the Ky-Cassia love story, but enough to make me take a step back.

Ms. Condie, however, can write. Her prose is fresh, unadorned, and direct, and puts me eerily in mind of the Society she is depicting. She crafted a page-turner, making this book a hard one to put down...but (maybe it's my busy lifestyle) I didn't find it too difficult to leave down once it got there. I don't think this is Ms. Condie's fault. It's probably mine because I'm just a little fed-up with the love triangle thing in YA. Maybe I'm putting too much judgement on something that A) obviously works and B) is every teenage girl's fantasy (okay, every FEMALE's fantasy to some extent), but I would like a different wrench for the plot if you know what I'm talking about. It's not that I HATE them, it's just that they are so abundant nowadays that they all read the same. (So, whoever can direct me to a love triangle-free story...I will love you to the ends of the earth.)

Despite the love-triangle dilemma, I liked all the characters. Xander was well-rounded and interesting in spite of just being "the match." Ky reminded me a little too much of a guy I knew in high school, which is pretty cool because rarely do characters remind  me of actual PEOPLE, and even Cassia surpassed the pretty-girl-caught-in-the-middle stereotype by a long mile.

I loved Ms. Condie's incorporation of poetry ("Do Not Go Gentle" by Dylan Thomas is one of my favorite poems) and the arc of the story. But it still just felt like the first act. It ended with me wanting more. And, bloodthirsty wench that I am, I wanted a physical fight.

I'll hold my breath for Crossed, which I hope gives me a battle.

Rating (out of five stars): 4.5 stars
Recommended: Yep!

Book Review: Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely  by by Melissa Marr is a prime example of a book that has it all. Another good cover. Another good concept. Another good author.

Except, for some reason, I couldn't really get "into" it, you know?

According to the book's blurb:

All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends' obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What's a 21st-century girl to do when she's stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? A debut fantasy romance for the ages; superlative summer read.

It didn't sing to me. Probably because almost right off the bat, I didn't like any of the characters. And maybe that was the point. They're pretty "human" with their flaws and failings, but in the end it seemed like they were just so flawed that I didn't have any interest in them. I didn't root for any of them. Honestly, it took me a long while into the book before I even cared if they lived or died.

The one exception was Donia. But the story wasn't really about her. It was more about Aislinn and Keenan and Seth. I remember thinking when I read the first scene from her POV "Why isn't this book about her?" She's the interesting one. She's the one who's suffered. Who's given up everything to be with someone who may or may not have loved her.

Instead it was about Aislinn, AKA the Summer Queen. Which, really, is never in any doubt. Even the characters find it out a little too easily, in my opinion. So, that tension, that plot, sort of fell flat. And, call me bloodthirsty, but the villain was terminated just a little too easily.

What DID appeal to me was the gritty, urbanity of the story. I've read quite a few urban fantasies, and the only one that surpasses this one in its "real-world" hardcore appeal is the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Very seldom do we see the girls like Aislinn taking center stage in a YA. It's either the cruel popular girl or the artistic outcast. Aislinn falls somewhere solidly in-between, reminding me of my own status in high school. I liked the setting: the railroad tracks, the concrete, the secret "green" places. I liked that the main love interest had multiple piercings. I liked that there was a realistic (though not flagrant) view of sex (and foreplay). I liked how very "teenage" Aislinn was. Spontaneous, strong-willed, passionate, but not always making the best decisions.

So, you see, there were a lot of good things about this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Book Review: Firelight

Firelight by Sophie Jordan is another book I've long anticipated reading. The cover is awesome (there's been a slew of awesome covers lately) and just saying the word "dragons" pulls me in. What can I say? I'm a sucker for fire and scales.

According to  the book's blurb:
Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki--a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away--if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

The story flies off the page in the beginning. The imagery is brilliant, the plot interesting. But, unfortunately, it's not a strong bird (or draki, take your pick). Halfway through, things became repetitive. The same inner turmoil is repeated and re-explored page after page. Jacinda's half-hearted vows to "stay away from Will. No, be with him" weren't intriguing enough to keep the story soaring. And Jacinda's indecisiveness drove me crazy. Are teenagers indecisive? Yes. But you can only take so much of it in a book before indecisiveness becomes drudgery.

In the entire story, I don't think Jacinda EVER makes a permanent choice. It's like she's afraid to take the leap. In real life, that's fine. In a story that needs an arc, it's not. In the end, this felt like just the first act (and a long-drawn one at that) to a much more complicated story. And given its cliffhanger ending (seriously, I've never been so miffed at an ending), I'm sure there's more to come.

It was a well-told story, but it stalled out and didn't go anywhere for the longest time. (Yes, the kissing scenes were stimulating, but I'm not that easy.) Which is disappointing, because this story brims with potential. I hope that the second book delivers a more satisfying story, and, for the love of God, Jacinda actually makes a decision--and not let them be made for her.

Recommended: Yes. It is, after all, a pretty intriguing tale and worth the read. I would recommend waiting until the sequel is out, however, so you would have a more complete story (let us hope).
Rating: (out of five stars) 3.95

Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is the perfect example of a gripping, evocative title. Just by reading it, you know that there are going to be some exceptional things going on in the story, maybe even some fantastical things.

But for it's magical title, this story isn't a fantasy. It's post-apocalyptic. Right there with The Hunger Games and I Am Legend. Sure, it has an old world feel to it (the people in it could have stepped right out of the Middle Ages, their life is so rudimentary) but it felt realistic. After all, if most of the population suddenly turned into mindless, flesh-craving zombies, I don't think the modern conveniences would last long.

It's been a while since I've read a story that's made my heart pound and my palms sweat, forcing me to turn the page to find out what happens next, sometimes even tempting me to skip ahead to make sure that all ends well.... But this story is anything but a happy one. I think it's the darkest thing I've read all year. Dark in the way that it disturbs you. Dark in the way that you're not sure what to think about the characters or their dreams...whether you might prefer it if they die. Dark in the way that it keeps you up at night thinking about it.

Despite all the heart-pounding and page-turning and mind-commandeering, I'm not sure if I liked this book. The MC is a teenager and probably one of the most accurately portrayed teens ever. She made me remember why I hated being a teenager and why I hated other teenagers. She's self-absorbed. Foolish. Impulsive. Wishy-washy. Yes, she has her moments of sorrow and regret, but she doesn't LEARN from them. She still continues on her quest like she never felt those things at all. She never GROWS. Well, I guess she might when (spoiler alert) Travis dies and she finally decides that she would rather have him than her dream of going to the ocean. But too late. Pointless. And guess what? She still decides to go for the ocean (for him, she says...but she's not fooling me). She sacrifices EVERYONE for her dream to see the ocean, even though she has been told that it's just like the forest. Even though she's been told that there is nowhere free of the Unconsecrated (zombies). Towards the end of the story, I couldn't understand her motivations at all. She was like a zealot: full of passion and fire for her dream, but little else. I couldn't understand why two guys, both decent sorts, would love this stupid, petty girl. It made me want to kick all of them in the head.

But that's teenagers for you, I guess. Idiot ones.

Ms. Ryan can write an adrenaline-inducing scene like no one I've read, but sometimes I felt like she jumped from scene to scene with no logical transition, leaving me confused and annoyed. And her character arcs leave a lot to be desired. Probably the only person who grows in this story is Jed, and he gets killed for it. Since I read more for the characters than the story, I can't say that I liked this story. But I didn't NOT like it. It had many redeemable qualities, and Ms. Ryan certainly knows how to craft a page-turner. I just wish she could craft an MC I could cheer for. Apparently her other books in this series follow different girls, so I have hope.

Recommended: Yes, for the thrill junkies. No, for the character lovers (or yes if you like characters who annoy the heck out of you).
Rating (out of five stars): 3.75

Book Review: Brightly Woven

This book's cover stopped me in my tracks. You know that saying: Never judge a book by its cover? Well, it's bull. I've found that a good cover is a very good indication of a good book. But I read the blurb first. And then a paragraph or two of the first page before I'm sold.

I was sold. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken is just as magnificent, as colorful, as astounding as the cover. For someone who's been reading a lot of YA urban fantasy, or just strictly YA, this was a refreshing read. Giving me new expectations. New hopes. New scenery. And, perhaps the best part of all, completely NEW characters.

According to the book's blurb:
 Just as the rains come after ten long, dry years, a young wizard, Wayland North, appears, to whisk Sydelle Mirabil away from her desert village. North needs an assistant, and Sydelle is eager to see the country--and to join him on his quest to stop the war that surely will destroy her home. But North has secrets--about himself, about why he chose Sydelle, about his real reasons for the journey. What does he want from her? And why does North's sworn enemy seem fascinated by Sydelle himself?

Through a journey that spans a country, magic and hard-won romance are woven together with precision and brilliant design by a first-time novelist.


I'll admit I've become a little fed up with angsty teenagers and this was a perfect escape. Sixteen-year-old Sydelle has her problems and insecurities, sure, but she doesn't spend the whole book feeling sorry for herself. (OMG, no one understands me!) She's a go-getter. She's one of those people who makes her own destiny. One of the better female characters I've read in fantasy in a long time.

And the romance? It made me chuckle. A romance built on a foundation of mistrust and disdain, it kept me entertained throughout the book. But what's more, it felt REAL. It was like watching two people in real life fall in love. Never forced. Never contrived. Just real. This book made me smile, made me cheer. I just really, really enjoyed it.

And the world? The magic? Awesome. I loved the concept of wizards using talismans to manifest their power (North's colorful cloaks, the bad guy's string around his dagger). It felt like a breath of fresh air. And coming from a first-time novelist? So envious. I really can't give Ms. Bracken enough acclaim.

Book Review: Beautiful Darkness

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is the second of the Caster Chronicles about Ethan Wate, an average sixteen-year-old boy from the small Southern town, Gatlin, S.C., who falls in love with a supernatural Caster girl, Lena.

According to the book's blurb:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.
Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

I really enjoyed Beautiful Creatures and this book held up to the standards its predecessor set. Actually, it went deeper, darker. With many twists and turns. The world that Ms. Garcia and Ms. Stohl builds is truly amazing and three-dimensional. Characters were constantly surprising me, and in ways that stayed away from feeling contrived (which is always a bonus). Though Ethan's dilemma got me thinking (spoiler alert). If he were a girl and thought the way he was thinking about Lena (if Lena were a boy), as in: I'll give up everything up for her. My dreams are no longer important, yadda yadda. I would have thrown the book down in disgust. It disturbed me a little bit. I hate the "ideal love" where complete sacrifice is necessary (reminds me a bit too much of Twilight and Romeo & Juliet). And it got to the point where I was literally asking WHY he even wanted to be with Lena when she's treating him like dirt. But he starts asking himself that, too. He even is tempted by/interested in another girl. So, redeemed. But, still, it's an interesting question. And since it's a love story, we know that Ethan and Lena are going to live up happily ever after (I hope I didn't spoil that for you) but my irritations were allayed a little bit by how difficult and imperfect that happily ever after is achieved. So, kudos to the authors.

The ending was a cliffhanger of the best sort, making me just want to pull my hair out and scream, "OMG, what happens next?!"

And Ridley? The most awesome minor character I've read in a while. She's almost more interesting than the MCs. Almost.

Recommended? Yes. For those who would like a more realistic view of teenage love and dark, deep magic places.

Rating (out of five stars): 4.25

Book Review: The DUFF

When I first saw the title of The DUFF by Kody Keplinger, I laughed. I think every girl has felt like the Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) at one point or the other. That alone was enough to intrigue me. And then the book's blurb reassured me that this was a book worth reading:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

I admit, I have a softness for hate-turning-to-love relationships, so I thought this book would be right up my alley. But now, uh, I don't know. In fact, I feel like I have a love-hate relationship with this book.

I loved the situation the MC is in. Every girl can relate to being a Duff, or at least feeling like one. Every girl knows that sleazy man-whore whom she is attracted to despite herself (even if she won't admit it) and every girl has issues at home. The set-up felt pretty dang real to me. Even the way Bianca deals felt real to me (if something I could never see myself or anyone I know doing).

Bianca as a character was interesting and dynamic. I liked her little oddities (like finding folding clothes relaxing) and liked that she also had the tendency to keep her emotions bottled up (something I can relate to). But, for all that, I'm not sure if I really liked HER. In some books, that's okay, but in this book I should have been on the MC's side, and I was for the most part, but there were so many things she did that I disagreed with that at times I just wanted to smack her and say, "Really?"

Wesley, at the end, made me smile. I liked how he grew and we got to see the true guy underneath all his BS. It gives me hope for all a-holes out there.

BUT, the author almost lost me when Wesley tells Bianca, to her face, that she is the DUFF. It just seemed so unrealistic to me. The whole reason why he's talking to her is to come off as the nice, sensitive guy so he can sleep with her friends (he says so) so WHY would he admit that? That's just stupid. Creeps are creeps and ones with his reputation would be a little smoother than that. Now, if it had ended up just being a play for Bianca, i.e., to get her attention even if it was negative attention, I could see why he would say it. But that's never suggested. Which left me disappointed and feeling like it was all contrived. Bleh.

And I think that's what REALLY bothered me about this book. For all the difficult situations and obstacles Bianca faces, everything resolves a bit too nicely. Everyone is a bit too honest, a bit too willing to change and make everything right. And the story ends so neatly. Wrapped in a pink, shiny bow. Cherry Coke all around!

And that, to me, felt contrived.

I'm not saying that the book was completely unreadable. There were moments when I was so wrapped up in the story that I didn't care how easy the resolutions seemed. I was just happy that the characters were happy. So, all-in-all, I had the exact same attitude toward this book as Bianca does towards Wesley. I'm pretty sure I don't like it, yet I can't bring myself to say I hate it because of all its redeeming qualities.

Recommended: Partly yes, for an easy, semi-emotional read. Partly no for its "too-neat" ending.

Rating (out of five stars): 3