Review: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Book: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Series: No

Released: March 11, 2014

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 336 (ebook)

Stars: 1.5 stars

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review*

From Goodreads:

 Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).
We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

Snore. I was so bored with this book. Especially the beginning. It was just so vague. It kept alluding to SOMETHING that happened, but it seemed like it took forever to get there. Not that I'm opposed to mystery and intrigue, but it felt like every other page ended with a sentence that was basically saying "I'll tell you more later, I can't be bothered to tell you anything now."

There are some girls. And some guys. They have some names. Like Mackenize and Tess and a boy named Cooper. They live in New York and are quasi-rich. That's about all I remember. There were a lot of characters discussed and named. Honestly they pretty much all ran together.

So the high school students are all in the same homeroom. They develop the power to read minds. From a FLU SHOT. Then one of the girls (Mackenzie maybe?) freaks out because now her boyfriend (Cooper) will find out she cheated on him last summer. And that's pretty much the main part of the story. There may have been a few other minor things that happened, but yeah, that's about it.

So here's the deal. I know I should review the book how it was written, not review it over what I wanted to or thought should happen. But then the review would pretty much be blank, because NOTHING happened. There were a couple of minor conflicts, but nothing really worth noting. The worst thing that happened really didn't end up being that big of an issue. I feel like it was such a missed opportunity to really explore what people hide. Maybe something worse than a girl cheated on her boyfriend. Something like one of the girls had an eating disorder that no one knew about. Or one of the guys had been abused and had never told anyone. A REAL secret. But it was all so fluffy and had very little substance. Granted this is the first book I've read of Mlynowski's so maybe she tends to keeps things lighter? I don't know.

Also causing a problem was there were so many people. Maybe had the story focused on two or maybe even three, it would have had more of an impact. But as it was, they all kinda mixed together and I didn't really connect with any one particular character.

I probably would not rec this to anyone. In case you haven't figured that out by the rest of the review.

Review: The Seers by Julianna Scott

Book: The Seers by Julianna Scott

Series: The Holders #2

Released: February 14, 2014

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Pages: 430 (Kindle)

Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads

*I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review*

 

 From Goodreads:

After nearly being drained of her ability and betrayed by a man her father trusted, Becca Ingle was left with one clue — Ciaran Shea. He holds the key to the downfall of the power-mad Holder, Darragh, and can ensure the safety of both Holder and Human kind alike... but is he willing to help?

Becca, Alex, Jocelyn, and Cormac set out for Adare Manor to meet with the Bhunaidh, an aristocratic group of pure blooded Holders of whom Ciaran is a rumored member. However, when Becca discovers that they might not be the only ones after the information Ciaran has, everyone begins to wonder if Bhunaidh might not be as uninvolved with Darragh as they claim.

A race to uncover Ciaran’s secrets begins, where the line between friend and foe is blurred, and everyone seems to have their own agenda. Becca will have to call on every ability at her disposal to uncover the truth, all the while knowing that sometimes the answer is more dangerous than the question.

I'm going to try something different for my reviews for a while (or now on, depending on how it goes). I need a better way to sort my thoughts, instead of just rambling on, and on, and on... Let me know if you prefer this format, or the old one.

 Note: As will all series continuations, this review will contain spoilers for the first book. Ye be warned.

I rather enjoyed this book and its predecessor, The Holders. It's a good combination of paranormal and contemporary, all set in one of my favorite places that I've never visited, Ireland. The Seers picks up directly where The Holders left off. Which, if you've read my reviews before, you know I enjoy. I despise missing scenes between books. I don't like being left out of the action. I hadn't heard anything about it until I received it from Netgalley, which is rather a shame, because I liked it and I think others will as well.

Becca is back in full force. I love her as a MC. She's intelligent and snarky. I love her wit, and her fierce protectiveness over her friends and family. But she's not perfect by any means. She's stubborn, sometimes almost to her detriment. But she's strong, and willing to learn. She tries not to show weakness, even when I felt like she should. So basically, she's a fully-realized character, and I adore her.

Then there's Alex. How could anyone not fall in love with Alex? He's quiet and strong. Caring and protective. He's insecure and loving. He's most definitely a perfect match for Becca. I particularly enjoyed the back and forth in his relationship with Becca. Are they perfect? No. But they do compliment each other nicely. They have their ups and downs, talk about it with each other (YAY!) and come out better for each other in the end.

Also making appearances are Chloe (who I would really, really like to learn more about her in the 3rd book, okay?), Jocelyn (whose relationship with Becca is improving but still complicated. I'm enjoying the back-and-forth between them), Cormac (who is awesome and please tell me more about him, kthanksbye),a as well as a few of the other characters from the first book.

We're introduced to Bastian, whose parents are the leaders of  the Bhunaidh, an aristocratic group of pure blooded Holders. I couldn't get a read on Bastian at first-probably because Becca couldn't either. But by the mid-part of the book, holy moly, do I like him. He's great. There's lots more characters we meet while at Adare (Bastian's home), but no one really of consequence, other than his brother who does become a major factor.

The group from St. Brigid's head to Adare Manor to talk to the Bhunaidh to see if they will help them locate Ciaran Shea. Shea is, of course, the key to finding Darragh and thwarting his diabolical plans. While some places of the story were a bit slow, it still maintained a nice pace leading up to each twist and turn. To tell you more would be all kinds of spoilery, so you'll just have to read it for yourself.

There were definitely a few surprises, which I rather enjoyed. I love when I am legitimately surprised in books, as it doesn't happen as often anymore. If you read it, by all means, PLEASE tweet me or leave a comment. I desperately want to talk to someone about this book.

Absolutely. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes Harry Potter, the X-Men or any other book with a bit of supernatural flair to it. I can't wait to read the next one!

Happy dance

Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Book: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Released: February 25, 2014

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pages: 320 (Kindle)

Rating: 3.5

Goodreads

**I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review**

From Goodreads:

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

So this book. It's part Hunger Games. Part Survivor. And part The Amazing Race. All things that I enjoy. While there are definitely some similarities to the above mentioned movie & TV shows, there are some twists that make this book unique. Did it redefine the genre? No, but what really would at this point? Did I enjoy this book? Yes, yes I did. Sadly, there was no Jeff Probst though.

Come on in, guys

While there are some qualities of The Hunger Games to this book, ie: you have to fight to the death to win the prize, that's pretty much where it ended, and even so it's not necessary to kill everyone in order to win. There are people of all ages participating in the Brimstone Bleed (which, by the way, is a totally awesome name. I dig the alliteration). They are all there to win The Cure to saved a loved one.

That's what this whole Brimstone Bleed is all about. The winner will received The Cure, which will save their loved one who is sick and dying back at home. But to win, they must compete in 4 different landscapes: the jungle, the desert, the ocean and the mountains. In this book we only see the jungle and the desert, and boy are they brutal. In the jungle it rains all the time. In the desert it's oppressively hot during the day, and freezing at night. In addition to the environment, there are other threats, namely the other competitors and mysterious jungle men. The goal of each round is to find the blue flags which will lead them to the base camp... and safety.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The main character of our story is Tella. She's enters the Brimstone Bleed to save her older brother. Without knowing what she's getting herself in to, she leaves her home in Montana and drives to Lincoln, Nebraska. There she picks out an egg, which will be her Pandora. The Pandoras will help each Contender through their journey. I like the Pandoras, especially when you find out what they are, and what they can do. Tella's in particular is pretty awesome. 

In Lincoln is where Tella first encounters Guy. He then continues to make random appearances in the first half of the book, before staying for good. He's pretty rough around the edges and hard to figure out, that's for sure. Little by little information about him is given throughout the book. I liked the slow flow of information, it seemed more realistic that way.

Is it the clumpy way he walks? Or the grumpy way he talks?

There's a group of Contenders that Tella meets up with, and they each have their own story about why they are there. Some are revealed quickly, and some at the end. Each one serves a purpose in Tella's development as a person, and helps her to survive. While Harper comes off as prickly at first, I ended up rather liking her as a person. 

Then there's Titus, a/k/a the bad guy. He sucks and I don't like him. He's pretty much evil and reminded me of The Darkling from The Grisha Trilogy (except that The Darkling is not totally evil? Maybe?) in that he wanted Tella to join him for REASONS that I can't go into because SPOILERS sweetie.

I liked that there was so much action & adventure throughout the entire book. There's so twists and turns, and there were a few instances where it did manage to surprise me and keep me on my toes.

But there is one major thing that I most definitely did NOT like. There is some animal cruelty, which is one of my biggest book turn offs. I get that it was used as a plot device to show just how evil some of the Contenders are, but yeah, I was so not a fan. Even more so when it was a mandated act as part of the Brimstone Bleed. Not cool at all. 

But other than that, I really did enjoy this book. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series. I'd recommend it to people who like survival stories, and who don't mind conflict, adventure, and people being dirty. :)

Review: The Tyrant's Daughter by JC Carlson

Book: The Tyrant's Daughter by JC Carlson

Released: February 11, 2014

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 304 (Kindle)

Rating: 3.75

 

Goodreads 

 

*I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review*

From Goodreads:

THERE: In an unnamed Middle Eastern country, fifteen-year-old Laila has always lived like royalty. Her father is a dictator of sorts, though she knows him as King—just as his father was, and just as her ttle brother Bastien will be one day. Then everything changes: Laila's father is killed in a coup.

HERE: As war surges, Laila flees to a life of exile in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Overnight she becomes a nobody. Even as she adjusts to a new school and new friends, she is haunted by the past. Was her father really a dictator like the American newspapers say? What was the cost of her family's privilege?

Far from feeling guilty, her mother is determined to regain their position of power. So she's engineering a power play—conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to gain a foothold to the throne. Laila can't bear to stand still as yet another international crisis takes shape around her. But how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations?

 

 One of my goals for this year was to read more books outside of my favorite genre. So when I came across this book on Netgalley, I immediately requested it. I held off on reading it for a few weeks after downloading it to my kindle and piggy-backed it with the series my book club was reading (Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson). They were a great pairing together. Since I was already immersed in the culture of Middle Eastern countries,  it made the transition into this world much easier. 

This story centers around 15 year old Laila. She is forced to flee her home country with her mother and younger brother in the wake of her father's (who was the king) death during a coup. Carlson does not name a specific country, but rather describes the country in generalizations for that area of the world. Occasionally I tried to picture a specific country, but it really didn't affect my enjoyment of the story not having one named in particular.

 

Upon arrival in the US, Laila struggles, while her 6 year old brother adapted much more easily. Laila was surprised, and often disgusted with the American culture that was so much different than her own. I really enjoyed reading how Laila was dealing with the differences. Things that seem minor or not a big deal to us (shorts, tank tops, fast food lines, etc), were a totally new thing to her. 

 

One of the parts I enjoyed the most was her conversation with two of her friends about the differences in relationships between girls and guys in their respective countries.. In Laila's country, they rarely interact with the opposite sex, and discussion with other females is truly about friendship and camaraderie; whereas in the US, all the girls talked about was the boys.

Speaking of boys.... Laila meets the super cute and sweet Ian. He takes her to do all the fun, normal American things. And tries to teach her how to drive, which provided some great moments of discussion between the two. I loved the development of their relationship, including the ups and downs which is very indicative of high school students dating.

I also loved the developing and complicated friendship between Laila & Emmy. Emmy quickly adopts Laila in to her group and tries to show her "the ropes" in school and other parts of Laila's new world. I loved how Carlson wrote this friendship. Things weren't always easy, and they often clashed or had problems with each other, but that's how friendship is, especially in high school. It was an accurate portrayal of how each of the girls would have interacted together.

Even through all of this, Laila (and her brother) never truly feel comfortable and find their place in the US. Despite everything Laila learns about how the rest of the world views her country, she still yearns to return home. I was glad to see that Carlson didn't take the easy way out and just make the story about how impressed Laila was with everything and how she wanted nothing more than to stay in America. I felt it was much more realistic this way.

 

The journey Laila goes on through this story is great. From despair at leaving her home country, to trying to adjust to a "new normal," to uncovering things about her father and her country, Laila learns a lot during the course of the book. And still remains good. I definitely enjoyed her as a main character, and would read more about her in the future.

 

While this book was more political than what I usually read, I really enjoyed it overall. It definitely succeeding in making me see that part of the world in a different light. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about different cultures, in fact I immediately suggested it to my sister-in-law who particularly enjoys books of this genre.

Review: Lingering Echoes by Erica Kiefer

Book: Lingering Echoes by Erica Kiefer

Released: October 30, 2013

Publisher: Clear Teen Publishing

Pages: 278 (Kindle)

Rating: Uhhh 1? DNF

Goodreads

*Note: I received this free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

 

 

From Goodreads:

She's broken with guilt.
He harbors a chilling past.
It's safer if they keep their distance...
But, the echoes that linger connect them.

Returning to Hidden Pines is the last thing Allie Collins wants to do during her final summer before college. For her, the family cabin she spent her youthful summers in, now holds a dark memory that has haunted her every day for the last year.

While struggling to forget her past, Allie runs into Damien, a local rebel with secrets of his own. He's dark, dangerous and he keeps showing up when Allie least expects him to. She has every reason not to trust him. So why does she find herself opening up to him in a way she hasn't been able to with anyone?

As pieces of Damien’s identity emerge, answers to a rumored mystery begin to unfold. By the time Allie unearths the secrets of Damien’s past, she realizes just how intricately they are connected. Now she is caught in a dangerous battle that threatens her life and those she loves.

I don't even know where to start with this. For the first time ever (seriously), I DNFd a book. I don't know if it's because I had a review copy or if I'm just really not the target audience for this. I don't know. I do know that I did not enjoy this at all. Since I don't want this to be all negative, I'll start off with 3 things I enjoyed about the book.

1. It has a pretty cover.

2. The setting sounds nice.

3. I like the name Allie.

Okay. Now that that's over with, I'll go in to a little bit about why I DNF this one. First of all, there were some spelling and grammar errors (yes, I know it is a review copy) which totally took me out of the story. I know it's not a major thing to most people, but as a person who refuses to abbreviate, misspell or ignore spelling of words in texts and on facebook, etc, it seriously bugged me.

The story jumped around a lot to me. One page they would be doing one thing, then in the following paragraph they would be doing something completely different on a totally different day. It was jarring and I just couldn't get a grasp on the story, the world, or the characters.

Speaking of the characters, I know I was supposed to feel something for Allie, but I just couldn't muster the energy to care. Yes her situation sucked, but I didn't get the emotion behind it.While she had some issues, she also came across as slightly spoiled, although nothing like her friend Brooke who read rather vapid to me. Brooke appeared to only care about her looks and guys. Not my favorite. At all.

 

Even though I didn't make it extremely far into the story, I could see the makings of a love triangle that was already reminding me of Twilight and Edward-Bella-Jacob. I don't really need to read another story about a "nice girl" who falls in love with the dark and secretive "bad boy." It's just not really my cup of tea.

Maybe I should've given this more of a chance, but I couldn't bring myself to continue reading it. Not with so many other books on my TBR beckoning me.

Review: Intangible by C.A. Gray

Book: Intangible by C.A. Gray

Series: Piercing the Veil #1

Released: December 1, 2013

Publisher: Wunderlust Publishing

Pages: 307 (Kindle)

Rating: 3.5

 

Goodreads 

 

 

*I received this book from Netgalley*

Peter Stewart grew up on a unique version of the Arthurian legends taught him by his father, a harebrained quantum physicist who asserts that anything is possible. But Peter disbelieves anything which cannot be scientifically explained, despite a nagging sense that there is more to the world than meets the eye.

Lily Portman is an orphan with a secret: she can see creatures that are invisible to everyone else. These creatures control every human being she has ever met to varying degrees... until she meets Peter and his father.

When a mysterious stranger stages an accident which nearly costs Peter and Lily their lives, suddenly Lily learns that she is not crazy after all, and Peter discovers the truth of his father’s sto9

.ries… including the existence of Arthur’s ancient nemesis, one who calls himself the Shadow Lord, and a prophecy with implications so profound that it will alter not only the course of their lives, but potentially the fate of the world

 

I've always found King Arthur and his knights fascinating, even though I haven't read much about them since high school. Required reading can burn a person out on certain topics. So when I came across this book on Netgalley, I immediate requested it. It sounded so interesting! A mix of the Arthurian legends with magic and a current day setting? I'm in.

 

This book did not disappoint. Even though I typically read novels with female protagonists, I really liked Peter. He was geeky and interesting. I wanted to know more about him and his father, Bruce (who is totally lovable and nerdy). Peter knows science. Like REALLY REALLY knows science. He struggles in school because he's bored. He gets picked on by his best friend Cole's older brother (Brock) all the time. Life is rough for Peter.

 

The story starts off with a bang. Literally Peter and his friends are in a car crash. And he does something magical. He changes the outcome. But how?

 

We then go back in time to two days earlier. Peter meets a girl named Lily. Who is apparently just as crazy as his father, at least according to Peter. He doesn't know what to think of her. This part of the book is a little slow, at least for me. But it quickly picks up again when we get back to the car crash. For real this time.

Peter and his friends enter a mysterious place to escape being attacked after the crash. That place? None other than Camelot. Turns out all the stories Bruce told Peter growing up are true-to an extent. There's definitely some twists to the classic stories.

 

One of my favorite parts is trying to determine who the child of the prophecy is. Is it really Peter like everyone believes? I mean, he is a doppelganger of King Arthur. Or could it be Lily? Or maybe even the mysterious Kane? I have a theory, and I can't wait to see if its true.

 

A younger version of this guy, perhaps? I'll take it.

 I really enjoyed this story. It kept me on the ball and intrigued. I occasionally struggled with Peter's need to rely on science to explain everything. Especially complicated science like quantum and string theory. But it's easy to get around the more scientific aspects of the book as it moves at a fairly quick pace and the main story keeps you interested.

Also, the ending? The ending is wonderful. While I went back and forth during parts of the book on whether or not I would continue the series, the ending ensures that I will be back for the second book, Invincible.

Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson

Book: Defy by Sara B. Larson

Series: Defy #1

Released: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pages: 336 pages (Kindle)

Rating: 2 out of 5

 

Goodreads 

 

 

 

From Goodreads:

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

 

*First of all, thank you to Scholastic for sending me this book via Netgalley*

 

Sigh. I had SUCH high hopes for this book. It was even on my TTT for 2014 releases I was dying to read. On the surface this book had lots of things I like: Gender-bending, mystery, historical-like setting, royalty. Sounds like it would be a home-run for me, right? Wrong. So wrong. And I'm sad.

 

 This book reminded me so much of the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce, but uh not nearly as good. The love triangle in this story pretty much took over the entire story. While I love me some romance, I don't want it to be at the expense of the rest of the story, which is what happened here. It was so promising in places!

The book starts off which Alexa and her twin brother Marcel (hmm, sounds familiar... cough Alanna and Thom cough) seeing their parents die. To avoid being sent to the breeding house, which I'll discuss in a minute, they chop of Alexa's hair and call her Alex so she can join the army. The main story picks up 3 years later when Alexa Alex is part of Prince Damian's elite guard.  

 

Alexa is not as awesome as Mulan.

Let's jump back to the breeding house thing for a minute. I HATED this. And not just for the moral/obvious reasons. The breeding house is where all girls are sent to be raped until they become pregnant to produce more soldiers for the army. Ugh. 1) The war has only been going on for 10 years. This doesn't need to happen. There should still be lots of men to choose from before resorting to this. 2) Alexa needed something to be afraid of (other than snakes), and *this* is the thing you come up with? 3) Yes, it's evil and it conveys how awful King Hector is, but there's lots of other ways to accomplish this other than objectifying women. 4) There's no in-between on women. It's either the women being raped, or Alexa. That's it, really. Even the other somewhat strong women characters in the story have major weaknesses.

Alexa started off as a really strong character. I respected her decisions and her strength as a fighter. I even had sympathy for her during the death of a certain character, which was necessary, but I didn't like the execution. So then, THEN, the love triangle gets introduced, and overtakes the entire story. On one side you have Stefan Salvatore Rylan, who is one of the other elite guards with Alex, and on the other side is Damon Salvatore Prince Damian. How will she choose? There's lots of discussion of their eye color and how she gets lost in their eyes. Or their hot bodies. 

 

One of my favorite parts of gender-bending stories is the reveal. The "reveal" in this book sucked. Because SPOILER Both Damian and Rylan already knew that she was a girl and had been in love with her from the beginning. END SPOILER. I just, ugh. I hated this whole love triangle. Plus, it's totally obvious she likes one a lot more than the other, but won't be with him because of REASONS. Snooze. I stopped caring, especially when you talk about it every 10 pages. 

 

What I wanted to do upon the 3587475 mention of how she can't decide who to pick

 

The one shining part of the love triangle is when she's forced to sleep between the two of them. Awkwardness and hilarity ensue. I wish more of the book had been like this. It was a great scene.

Can I also say how much I despised some of the name in this book? Blevon is a horrible name for a country. And Tanoori? Blah. And General Tinso? Ick. 

So yeah. Totally disappointed with this book. The first 30% started off strong, and then they enter the jungle, the love story takes over, and it becomes fairly predictable. Even the BIG SECRET is totally obvious and I knew it the entire time. So yeah. 2 stars. And you should just go read Alanna because it's fantastic and does everything right that a gender-bending, love triangle, save the kingdom story needs to do. Or watch Mulan. Another solid choice.