Review: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

     

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
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Series: Hush, Hush (#3)
Pages: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: October 4th, 2011
IBSN: 9780857072283

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

Silence's blurb's beginning gave me the impression that now that Nora and Patch troubles are over they're having relationship issues, which make me snicker. "The noise between Patch and Nora is gone." Like noise being akin to the 'spark'. With the cover snicker-worthy itself, it took me a while to muster up the courage to begin this.

And then I finished it a couple of hours afterwards.

Silence felt like a large improvement on earlier books Hush, Hush and Crescendo, neither of which I'm a fan of, with the faster plot driving me from the story without stopping to pay much mind to qualms I had with the writing. I definitely found Silence to be an entertaining read, on the surface, and I tried to stay on that level and just continue to enjoy it.

That didn't always work, however. Post-reading all of the issues that I didn't spend time dwelling on while speedily flipping pages began to bother me. My major problem thus far with the series has been protagonist Nora Grey, and despite whatever kinship I may have felt with her at the beginning (given we were both thoroughly confused about her situation), I eventually got into the routine of repeatedly asking her why she thought doing that was a good idea.

In three books, I don't think she's developed at all from the naively dumb girl who followed Patch to a sketchy bar at night for a school assignment way back in the beginning. She's still takes good intentions to the extreme (a gas station is being held up by people with superhuman strength, and you want to stay to testify to the police who aren't even on their way yet?), and she's still clingy and possessive.

Nora's poor characterisation made for an unconvincing romance, following the trend of supernatural love interests portrayed as the protagonists' image of perfection falling for them inexplicably. 

So the characters and their dynamics remained exasperating, but aside from that, I was beginning to see improvements in Becca Fitzpatrick's overall style, especially in the pacing. Her writing style even seemed to be striking a tentative balance between distraction and descriptive. But the ending, unexpected and almost contrived in an effort to continue the story, put me off pursuing future books in this series just when doing so started to seem like a good idea.

Silence should appeal to -- and even perhaps, impress -- established fans, and convert readers on the fence, but while many aspects of Silence improve from Hush, Hush and Crescendo, especially action-wise, other factors held it back.

I give Silence a 2 out of 5.

Review: Wherever You Go by Heather Davis

     

Wherever You Go by Heather Davis
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Pages: 320
Publisher: Harcourt Children's
Published: November 14th, 2011
IBSN: 9780547501512

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

After the death of Holly's boyfriend, Rob, she's despondent. But there isn't time to mourn alone with her mother working two crappy jobs to support their crappy lifestyle leaving her to care for her younger sister and now her senile grandfather. Rob's best friend, Jacob, falls for her, and hopes they can both move on and be together.

I'd heard of Heather Davis before, from her novel Never Cry Werewolf that I read an extended excerpt of a few years ago. It was, like you'd guess from the title, a light paranormal romance, so the premise of this confused me a little. And intrigued me. Could a writer of paranormal romance pull this off?

My answer is no. I found Wherever You Go, in a word, boring. It was about grieving and moving on, with a surprisingly large portion reminiscent of The Bucket List, but without the depth of emotion that would have made it interesting. The best way I can think to describe the story is by comparing it to the plot soap opera but without extremes that give it the can't-look-away kind of badness.

Plus, I can't for the life of me figure out why Rob's perspective was necessary. The revelation about his death felt like it was there simply there for shock value, when it wasn't in the slightest characteristic and it added nothing.

Heather Davis' writing style was smooth enough, and expressive, but even with three perspectives -- one in first person, one in second, and one in third -- no distinct character voices were created, and none sympathetic. The tone would sway from its natural slight sadness to sappiness often, giving spiels about love that could has easily been implicit instead and saved the gagging. Most notable was the line "Holly shut the door, rattling the birdhouse wreath and his heart." And his heart.

The romance between Jacob and Holly, which I guess was the main feature, felt completely devoid of chemistry, and Jacob's advances irritated more than they wooed me. He tried much, much too hard, and his almost obsession with her apparent in his perspective was -- did he talk about anything else? Even conversations with his friends and parents all came back to her -- strange.

Overall, Wherever You Go is something I'd recommend to those much more romantic than myself. Still, the story dragged, the emotions were not well-portrayed, and the sticky smarminess of some parts had me rethinking my decision to read this.

I give Wherever You Go a 2 out of 5.

Review: The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

     

The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
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Series: Mara Dyer (#1)
Pages: 452
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: September 27th, 2011
IBSN: 9781442421769

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.  It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Mara Dyer wakes up in a hospital, curiously unhurt, with no memory of what put her there. Slowly memories return to her, of freak accident in an abandoned building that killed her friends, but not her. Eventually she begins to wonder, what role did I play in it?

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer opens with a prologue set after the plot of the book, basically in which Mara tells us that her story is a confession and a warning. "This is what I remember", she begins with. But the majority of what she remembers isn't important to the mysterious paranormal plot, but her relationship with Noah. I was hanging out for the point where he becomes important, but the hundreds of pages about him felt like a waste by the end.

Much about the writing got on my nerves, particularly the dialogue. The characters spoke with language unnaturally sophisticated for teenagers, and narrated in regular style. It would have been smoother if the 'big words' were saved for narration rather than speech. Also, I was getting the impression constantly that Mara was saying contrived things specifically to segue to some apparently clever remark from Noah. It was as though Noah had things Hodkin wanted him to say, and Mara's purpose in the conversation was the work around that.

On Mara and Noah, their romance, apart from being mostly inconsequential, was irritating. Mara turned to mush whenever he was around and let herself be walked all over. All of her interactions with him were "despite herself", and her whole fascination with him was founded on his good looks.

The whole mysterious paranormal aspect was predictable after not too far in, and the eerie atmosphere wasn't maintained. Only certain moments had an appropriately dark tone. It was clear where Mara was freaked out, but the writing didn't extend to us feeling freaked out as well.

The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer was mostly disappointing, with it not living up to the hype it received for apparently great mystery and romance. But now that the scene's been set, maybe the sequel will be better, and maybe have a major plot.

I give The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer a 2 out of 5.

Review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

     

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
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Pages: 273
Publisher: Poppy
Published: September 5th, 2011
IBSN: 9780316175562

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.
Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling...

The girlfriends of the football players at Hamilton High are fed up with the soccer-football rivalry distracting their boyfriends, so they go on a sex strike. What starts out as a manipulative plan only declines further after Lissa's boyfriend cheats on her and the motivation behind the strike seems less and less influenced by the rivalry.

With subject matter so sketchy (I don't mean the sex. I love when books that don't shyly tiptoe around it, even if this one seemed to be shouting it repeatedly), I can say I only decided to pick up Shut Out because I figured it would be like her first book, The DUFF, in that some things annoyed the hell out of me but I still really enjoyed it. I figured mostly right. I enjoyed reading it, but didn't like it. (Is that possible?)

Much of the feminist themes come through like the author preaching. Kody Keplinger is quite vocal on her blog about gender double-standards, and it really shows in Shut Out. Plus, I couldn't take female characters trying to combat misogyny seriously when so much of their dialogue is rife with misandry. For example, Lissa and her friends complain that she's called a 'tease' for being a virgin, but they call Cash a tease right back. It isn't okay to empower women by putting down men.

I couldn't say I liked Lissa. I never fully understood her character. The sex strike was her idea, and that didn't make much sense after the twist around halfway through. Her anal-retentiveness never felt natural, but awkward. It just felt like something carelessly thrown in to take her development further.

Shut Out is fans of Kody's first book, The DUFF, provided they don't mind being preached at. It has the same fun, breezy tone, but it's a lot heavier on the feminism.

I give Shut Out a 2 out of 5.

Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

     

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
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Series: The Witches War (#2)
Pages: 390
Publisher: Atom Books
Published: July 26th, 2011
IBSN: 9781907410307

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended. Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. 

But then the Searchers make her an offer,one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack and the man she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Wolfsbane is the sequel to Andrea Cremer's unique and imaginative debut, Nightshade, and it picks up immediately after its predecessor's conclusion. I read the last chapter of Nightshade before beginning Wolfsbane to refresh my memory, and they fit together seamlessly.

The first third of Wolfsbane read like the 'Last time on ____' at the beginning of TV shows, showing clips that conveniently remind you of all of the plot threads that'll be continued in this episode. After that, it read like a history lesson. Calla, now with the Searchers, spends a considerable amount of time being told in depth (punctuated with plenty of meekly accepted "we'll tell you later"s) about their history with the Keepers.

Much of the focus of Nightshade was Calla slowly discovering things that contradicted her idea of the Keepers and her gradual realisation that the people she's looked up to her whole life are lying to her. In Wolfsbane, that's all replaced with info-dumps delivered by characters the Calla I came to like wouldn't have trusted so easily.

Many of the things I admired about Calla in Nightshade didn't hold up in Wolfsbane, with her feeling like an almost completely different character. She acts self-centered without her pack around to think for, when after her escape is when they needed their leader the most. She's safe with the Searchers to the point of boredom, and she resigns to spending her time lamenting about her love life when there were much more pressing things to address.

The only character I can say I actually felt for is Ren, whose ordeal motivated terrible decisions but still had me feeling sorry for him.

The real action is saved for the near-end, and the whole plot of this installment felt to me like it existed to bridge the gap between Nightshade and Bloodrose and prepare for the overall plot arc of the Witches War. I've never understood 'second book syndrome' before, but I think Wolfsbane has helped me with that.

Though I really do like the image Cremer painted to leave us on, Calla standing outside the house that would have been hers if she stayed with the Keepers.

I feel like I've read a completely different book to many of the people who've reviewed Wolfsbane and have nothing but glowing praise. I still plan to finish this series, but my excitement for the release of Bloodrose is mostly residual from reading Nightshade.

I give Wolfsbane a 2 out of 5.

Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

     

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler
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Pages: 256
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: October 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781402261039

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever? 

Jasmine catches mother's boyfriend making out with her best friend just after finding out about her mother's pregnancy. With her own issues with being abandoned by her father, she's caught between exposing her dirtbag almost-step-dad and keeping it from her already stressed-out mother.

It's not as much of a daytime TV drama as the blurb makes it out to be. Now that's out of the way...

Jas has a lot on her plate, certainly, but sympathising with her isn't easy. I couldn't become emotionally attached to her -- or any other character. The narrative voice felt...bland. Jas is reserved, and the voice dedicates itself to portraying that trait without combining it with a compelling or interesting tone.

Jas's issues with her race didn't seem realistic. The only people who bullied her did it such unnatural dialogue ("Who says that? WHO?") that I didn't take their taunts seriously. The setting, a supposedly close-minded town, didn't come across how it was intended. We were told several times that the place was typically close-minded, but we weren't shown it in any depth. But then again, I live in a very mixed-races town and no one really cares what you are here, so I don't know anything much about this. I just wasn't convinced.

For me with contemporary novels, connection to the characters is one of the biggest aspects. They aren't typically plot-driven, but character-driven. I didn't feel anything for the characters of If I Tell, so I didn't feel much for the book overall.

The plot couldn't redeem it for me, with so many chaotic sub-plots I couldn't see what the characters' goals were. This book attempted to tackle many issues, but it just created this tangled plotline.

I'd recommend If I Tell to fans of Janet Gurtler's first book, I'm Not Her, but not to any devout contemporary fans.

I give If I Tell a 2 out of 5.

Review: I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

     

I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler
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Pages: 320
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: May 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781402256363

Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?

Tess pales in comparison to her popular, athletic, perfect sister. You know the type -- it's a common trope. But her sister, Kristina, is diagnosed with cancer, and suddenly Tess has to adopt a new role in her family as her mother grows more useless each day and her father grows less present each day.

It's not exactly an original premise, no. You've already read the story about the outshadowed sister coming into her own. I'm not going to try to convince you that I'm Not Her is a refreshing take on it, but I will submit that several themes and plot turns were unexpected, but not enough to make the story stand out.

The characters fell kind of flat, and in the end, I didn't care for them. Some were at unnaturally extreme ends of stereotypes, but I didn't dislike any of them per se. I just didn't become emotionally attached to any of them. While they were going through struggles, I was wondering which book I should read next.

The writing style was smooth and adequately detailed the events and Tess's feelings, but it doesn't lend to a compelling character voice.

I'm Not Her doesn't break any new ground in the genre. It's for fans of contemporary novels who don't mind a plot reminiscent of much else out there.

I give I'm Not Her a 2 out of 5.

Review: The Hidden by Jessica Verday

The Hidden by Jessica Verday

Pages: 400
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: September 6th, 2011
IBSN: 9781416978978

A love that knows no bounds.

Abbey knows that Caspian is her destiny. Theirs is a bond that transcends even death. But as Abbey finally learns the full truth about the dark fate that links her to Caspian and ties them both to the town of Sleepy Hollow, she suddenly has some very hard choices to make. Caspian may be the love of her life, but is that love worth dying for?

The Hidden is the final book in The Hollow trilogy, a series that I've had mixed feelings about but wanted to reach the end of.

The trilogy is basically about Abbey's relationship with Caspian, a ghost. The Hollow was about Abbey meeting Caspian and realising that he's a ghost. The Haunted was about Abbey trying to stay away from the ghost she loves because he's a scary ghost but ultimately failing. I happen to be an optimist, so I thought these two slowly-paced, 400-odd page books could lead to a dramatic and intense conclusion.

While the pace does pick up slightly in The Hidden, it's the result of a melodramatic villain with little motivation who'll make you roll your eyes every time he speaks. But just as things with him begin to get almost intriguing, some new friends of Abbey and Caspian are all too eager to protect them around the clock.

The dynamics between characters -- between Abbey and these new friends and Ben, Beth, and even Caspian -- feel hackneyed. Ben was the cliched jokester; Beth the perky, girly friend. Abbey and Caspian's relationship feels almost completely free of chemistry, they were heavily dependent on each other, and even during the entire chapter dedicated to them getting hot and heavy, I wasn't feeling the romance. The romance was the main plot, and it was lack-luster.

Abbey didn't prove to be an admirable, strong, or even at times likeable protagonist. Her voice wasn't distinct, but the tone of her narration was always gloomy. Her ugh, dress shopping and ugh, school dance attitude reminded me of one Bella Swan.

The twist at the ending felt like a too-convenient way to conclude the trilogy. It had little to do with the villain plot, and it didn't address Abbey's concerns about whether she really wanted to give up her life. A whole trilogy led up to this ending where 80% of what happened was irrelevant.

Overall, this book won't disappoint fans of the first two books, but the series isn't for you unless you don't mind taking a sieve the writing -- you'll need to filter out a lot of details pointless to the story.

I give The Hidden a 2 out of 5.

Review: Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

Pages: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: April 5th, 2011
IBSN: 9780061834585

Every ghost has a story to tell.

The last place Tansy Piper wants to be is stuck in Cedar Canyon, Texas, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of small-town kids. But when her mother decides to move to the desolate West Texas town, Tansy has no choice but to go along. Once there, Tansy is immediately drawn to the turret of their rickety old house, a place she soon learns has a disturbing history. But it's the strange artifacts she finds in the cellar—a pocket watch, a journal of poetry, and a tiny crystal—that have the most chilling impact on her.

Tansy soon finds that through the lens of her camera, she can become part of a surreal black-and-white world where her life is intertwined with that of mysterious, troubled Henry, who lived in the same house and died decades earlier. It seems their lives are linked by fate and the artifacts she found, but as Tansy begins spending more and more time in the past, her present world starts to fade away. Tansy must untangle herself from Henry's dangerous reality—before she loses touch with her own life forever.

I wasn't hooked on Through Her Eyes in the beginning. The introductory "hello new town! Hey, readers, let me tell you about all my old towns!" sequence is overdone and more than a little boring.

This boredom was more or less constant throughout the rest of the plot. There are moments when real drama seemed imminent, but wasn't. The main complication we experienced second-hand -- not happening to Tansy, but to someone else who's story she's invested in.

Tansy felt fairly flat, not developing so much as spiralling and then picking herself back up. The background characters didn't feel real, given stock personalities -- concerned mother; weird, outcast best friend; good-looking hot-and-cold love interest inexplicably attracted to our protagonist.

The writing style, however, was nice. It was easy to get into, even if it didn't really evoke Tansy's voice and help me connect with her. It wasn't the characters or the plot that kept me reading, but the creepy tone and subtle paranormal themes.

The paranormal aspect was intriguing in that it wasn't defined. You had to figure out what was going on as the characters did, which helped maintain the spooky vibe. Though, it was left kind of unresolved, with the characters mostly just deciding/pretending it was all in their heads in the end.

Overall, a book I'd recommend to fans of unique paranormal themes but not anyone who's into very character or plot-driven novels.

I give Through Her Eyes a 2 out of 5.

Review: Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick

Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick


Pages: 216
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: June 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781742374598

How about we toss a coin? Heads, it's west and a lift. Tails, it's still west, but no lift.'

James is heading into the country on his first teacher-training round when a mysterious girl asks him for a ride. Sophie has him all worked out: 'You live with your parents and they bought you this car, and a very nice car it is too...' At first James can't see past her wild hair and attitude, but then Sophie trusts him with a secret she's been keeping too long. 

I really wanted to love this book. I mean, it has an Australian author and road trips. What's not to love?

I can answer that question now: the cliches. I would have loved this book if not for the cliches. James and Sophie were a pair from teen movies: him, shy and nervous, leaving home for the first time; her, unabashed and confident, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl showing him how to live. From one of their first moments together, where she starts guessing his life story, I was frustrated.

I couldn't like either character. Neither character really developed. James didn't develop, he just suddenly changed. He was quiet and anxious until Sophie told him to get a backbone, and voila, he suddenly had one! Sophie looked like she was going to grow up and go home, but that was a bust.

The subplot about James' parents learning to be less protective of him seemed unnecessary and slightly boring (probably only because I'm a teen, and I don't relate to adults in books.), though it may have made for the only real character arc in the book. 

I was constantly trying to figure out if this was intended to be an issues book or a fun, breezy one. I figured if it were the latter, I'd have gotten bored less often. But the issues brought up in this book are as minor as having clingy parents.

I give Black Painted Fingernails a 2 out of 5. Though I haven't seen a fellow bad review of this book yet, so it's still worth giving it a shot. To each their own!

Review: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Pages: 384
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: June 28th, 2011
IBSN: 9780373210305

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

I remember reading Spellbound because I thought it sounded different. But I've just reread the blurb, and ask myself, "Skye, how could you have expected something refreshingly unique from that?" I sheepishly look down at my feet in response.


Immediately, in Spellbound, you're introduced to the stock characters. There's the inexplicably cruel and bitchy popular girl, and the stupid, aggressive jock who teams up with her. There's the flamboyant gay guy who befriends our lead, and the social-outcast who fills the other friend position. And then, of course, the profoundly attractive, kind, over-protective jock who's destined to become the love interest. They're named Kristin, Anthony, Cisco, Angelique, and Brendan respectively.

And then the protagonist: Emma's the new girl; orphaned, shy, sarcastic, and 'drawn to' Brendan (note to self: if at any point in the blurb the phrase 'drawn to' is used, there will be insta-love.). Her past was traumatic, but that didn't seem to affect her in the slightest. Her future promised to be even more traumatic, but she doesn't do anything about that but ignore the warnings.

Moreover, her relationship with Brendan made me dislike her. Even as he begins to ignore her, the world still revolves around him, and she's as desperate as ever to get back into his good books (See what I did there? No? Okay). Plus, she's flattered by his over-protectiveness.

The writing style wasn't anything impressive, but it was by no means unenjoyable. It evoked the character's voice effectively, although I was constantly confusing the book with other's I've read in the past because of the token character traits.

The plot was...strange. But not strange in the good sense. There's an overall complication that isn't revealed for an irritatingly long time, and once revealed the characters choose to ignore it. Meanwhile, there's a smaller plot provoked by blown-out-of-proportion villains that conveniently ties up the larger plot with it's denouement.

I can best describe Spellbound as the kind of book that's fun if you don't think to hard, or aren't familiar with common paranormal romance tropes. 


I give Spellbound a 2 out of 5.

Review: Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Pages: 400
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: July 26th, 2011
IBSN: 9781442421172

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

I couldn't find myself connecting with, or even liking, any of the characters in Wildefire. I blame this somewhat on the writing style: third person, flowery and decorated excessively. While that kind of writing could appeal to some people, to me, it only took away from the story by describing things in excess that weren't relevant to the plot.

The paranormal aspect of the book was played down. It took around half the book to reach it, and then, the news that they were gods/goddesses was just dropped on them without much explanation. And then they just accepted that, and took next to no time to get accustomed to the fact.

The pacing also provided a problem for me. The beginning 75 pages gave an in-depth backstory to Ash that wasn't proportionate to how important it was to the plot. And then, while the main drama was foreshadowed, it didn't occur until the very ending.

I sketched you a graph of drama against time. Note major complication tacked onto the end. Also note the hook on the end. Cliffhanger. 

Another thing that annoyed me about this book was how things would happen that should prove a big problem to the protagonist didn't even develop into subplots, or even get mentioned again. I guess they're introduced to be expanded upon in further books, but it felt like those events were just ignored.

While I liked the premise, and the fact that Knight incorporated mythology from so many different cultures, I couldn't like the execution.

I give Wildefire a 2 out of 5.

P.S. I think I might make Drama vs. Time graphs for everything I review now.

Review: Slice Of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Slice Of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Series: Portero (#2)
Pages: 512
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: January 4th, 2011
IBSN: 9781416986201

Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.

It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities…

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

I really liked Dia Reeves' first book, Bleeding Violet. While it was gory and violent, it felt almost justified in the world it was set in, and was counteracted by the romance and character development.


Slice Of Cherry was violent, too, but not justified like it was in Bleeding Violent. Our main characters, sisters Kit and Fancy, were obsessed with killing people, usually in creative and sickening ways. They didn't even need a reason to abduct and torture people, and those aren't the kind of characters I'm going to connect with, let alone like. Especially Fancy, who felt like an overgrown and clingy child.

Plus, I didn't buy into the notion that psychopathic tendencies could be inherited. I don't think that the children of The Bonesaw Killer have to be or will be killers as well.

The romance between either sisters and their boyfriends felt incredibly unrealistic. The dialogue between the couples just felt awkward in some instances to me. For instance, I think telling your significant other that you want to cut them open and kiss them all over their insides as well is crossing the line.

I was really disappointed by Slice Of Cherry. I thought this companion novel to Bleeding Violet could flesh out the world better and give a insider perspective to Portero, but I heard almost nothing about how the town worked and the characters were annoying as well as messed up.

I give Slice Of Cherry a 2 out of 5.

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter


Series: The Goddess Test (#1)
Pages: 297
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: April 19th, 2011
IBSN:  9780373210268

Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn. 

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. 

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. 

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. 

If she fails...

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

I originally read the blurb to this book, thinking it'd be some crazy-intense read with the 'tests' being almost impossible feats, literally twitching out of anticipation of reading this epic mythological debut. And I was kind of disappointed.

The book was slow in building to the paranormal aspects, and then it was dumped on Kate so quickly that it was unrealistic that she believed it straight away. I did like how the myth of Persephone and Hades was adapted into a modern context, though.

I didn't feel any chemistry between Henry and Kate. He essentially blackmailed her into spending time with him, which to me, doesn't seem like very good basis to fall in love with someone upon. And I think I missed the point where Henry got over Persephone and onto Kate.

The tests weren't as hard as I thought they'd be. I assumed they'd be difficult and seemingly impossible, a la in Impossible by Nancy Werlin. Also, there were too many "you failed. LOL jk, you passed" moments in the plot that didn't really build up any tension for me.

The writing style was good, though. There was a flow to it that made it easy to read. I think I'd consider reading other future books from the author outside of this series.

I give The Goddess Test a 2 out of 5. Though, most of the other reviews I've read of the book have been uber-positive, so I wouldn't disregard it just yet.

Review of Hexbound by Chloe Neill

Hexbound by Chloe Neill

Series: The Dark Elite (#2)
Pages: 224
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 20th January, 2011
IBSN: 9780575095434

Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia’s School for Girls, but she’s already learned that magic can be your best friend…or your worst enemy.

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers. 

Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

What's been happening to me lately is that when reading a sequel to book I read and liked a while ago, I'm underwhelmed because my taste in books has completely changed. I liked Firespell (the first book in The Dark Elite series), but I can't say the same about Hexbound. Though, if I reread Firespell, I probably wouldn't like it anymore either.

I'll start with the good thing about this book: its premise. Lily's recently discovered she's an Adept - a teen who has a magical talent, but a temporary one. The Adepts mainly work to keep the city safe from things that go bump in the night, but also work at keeping the Reapers at bay - Adepts who aren't content to give their powers up, and resort to evil means to keep them. The premise is unique and has the potential to be really captivating, but to me, the characters really let me down.

The characters all felt cliched to me. Our main character is the new girl; she quickly finds herself at odds with the school's 'brat pack' (a subplot that adds nothing to the story); she makes friends with a sassy, alternative schoolmate; she has an mysterious, overprotective love interest with a dark secret. All the male characters seem to be hot, and everyone drops one-liners (which irks me because not everyone in real life is funny).Their personalities didn't feel genuine, and I couldn't connect with Lily.

The plot feels rushed, with tension leading up to a quickly-resolved and anti-climactic conflict. The book was so short that there wasn't a lot of suspense, either. Like in the last book, a lot of subplots are introduced that could have had something to do with the big picture, but are left hanging for further books in the series.

I give Hexbound a 2 out of 5.

Review of The Pace series by Shelena Shorts

I won both The Pace and The Broken Lake from a Goodreads giveaway, and they arrived around a week ago. I decided that I'd review the series together; or at least these two together, because I don't see myself reading the next book in the series, The Iron Quill (1st of August, 2011).

__________________________________________

Weston is a one-of-a-kind immortal, thanks to an experimental blood transfusion. Sophie is an anti-social online student. The unlikely pairs' worlds will collide - literally - when she crashes her car into his.

After she finds out about his nature, she thinks things can't get any weirder, but that's until she realises that she belongs in his world.

The Pace never really hit the spot, for me. I've read rave reviews for this semi-obscure book, and so, had high hopes.

The premise - or at least Weston's situation - was unique, I admit, but sadly, that's where my praises stop.

I didn't like the writing style. I was being told everything that Sophie was doing, all the time, where half of it didn't feel relevant. She woke up, had breakfast, did some homework - sure, but none of that was vital to the story. Also, the dialogue between characters felt unnatural. In speech, it felt like the author was avoiding contractions. Do not, she is, etc.

The story was slow in building to the complication, which tacked on the end felt like an afterthought to the story. The ending was abrupt - I found myself flicking for a conclusion.

I couldn't identify with Sophie. She didn't feel like a teenager, but more middle-aged. Some of the secondary characters had more stand-out personalities, but I didn't really feel for any of them.


The Broken Lake picks up shortly after where The Pace left us.

The plot in the second installment to the series is better, in that several events throughout the middle of the book are important to the conflict, but otherwise, a lot of it felt pointless. If there were dramatic tension, I could handle the build up, but what's dramatic about Sophie and Wes hanging out on a lake, or having fun unchaperoned at a Ski Chalet?

I still couldn't really find myself feeling for any of the characters. I just found myself not caring about them or their ordeals.

The cliffhanger ending to this book didn't feel all that dramatic, and it didn't leave me aching to read the next book like they usually do.

I give this series 2 out of 5 and maintain that just because this review is less-than-favorable does not mean that you won't enjoy it either. If you liked Twilight, you might like this series.

Review of Entice by Carrie Jones

Entice is the third book (and not the last, as I thought when I started reading) in Carrie Jones' Need series, and came out several weeks ago.

Entice picks up where Captivate left off - Nick's dead (sort of), a war with the evil pixies residing in the forest seems imminent, and Zara's now a pixie queen.

The only solution to the brewing war seems to be getting Nick back from Valhalla to help them, but they haven't a clue how to get there. And will Nick even want to come back, considering Zara's recent change of species?

I found the first two books in the series okay, but Entice kind of irritated me.

Firstly, Zara came across as incredibly selfish in this book. It's not enough that she was risking her own life to find a way to Valhalla, but she risked everyone else's lives, too. I'd like to say that she was selfless in trying to save Nick, but it felt like the only reason she was doing it was because she couldn't stand to be alone.

The plot was also weird - there are evil pixies in the forest, kidnapping kids, but instead of tackling that issue, they try to bring back their friend from the dead. By the end of the book, there were over 20 kids missing.

The writing style was quirky, though it didn't feel appropriate given the life-or-death serious plotline.

From what I can gauge from other reviews, people who liked the start of the series loved Entice, but people who weren't that hooked to begin with were let down. I fall into the latter category.

I give this book 2 out of 5, though I still recommend it to anyone who liked the first two books.