Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

     

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
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Series: Newsoul (#1)
Pages: 384
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: January 31st, 2012
IBSN: 9780062060754

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

In Heart, the same souls are reincarnated over and over again, keeping their memories and personalities. And then Ana is born -- a newsoul, a stranger -- and an old soul vanishes. She's treated apprehensively, allegedly having no soul at all, but decides to find out the truth about herself, with the help of Sam, the only person who's ever treated her like a person.

Incarnate was a pretty idea -- of a new girl in a world of people who've been together for hundreds of years, of the promise of reincarnation, of safety from a mystical world behind city walls -- but it felt too often like that was as far as it went. Like whenever you asked the guide if the show was starting soon, they'd distract you by pointing somewhere else like "have you seen this yet? This is interesting!".

Ana travels to Heart with the intention to figuring herself out -- both in search of the answers to her questions about her mystery soul, and to try to find who she is without the influence of her abusive mother treating her like less than a person. But post-arrival, her mission is only at the forefront of her mind when she isn't with Sam, which -- as his guest and with most citizens wary of her -- isn't often. I'm finding that the stories with the most potential are doing themselves a disservice by focusing majorly on the token romance (The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer, anyone?). Sweet as Ana and Sam were, their burgeoning relationship would have served better as a complement to the plot rather than a stand-in for it.

Though, to the author's credit, she manages to make Ana learning to play the piano or talking to Sam mostly compelling, only later noticing there was something missing once you find that piece near the end.

This very readable quality can be accredited to Meadow's writing style, subtly otherworldly and setting appropriate without being alienating, and though with its few inconsistencies (occasionally poorly articulated, and occasionally beautifully descriptive) it was mostly pleasant and smooth and didn't stray too far into inconsequential details.

Overall, Incarnate was a unique idea that felt like it succumbed too much to the existing YA market -- it focused more on an intriguing premise than an intriguing plot, and the romance dominated. The plot was squeezed and condensed so late that it was almost an afterthought, but it what of it was unexpected and twisting and had so much potential. I won't set my hopes so high come book two, but I'll most definitely continue this series.

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

     

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
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Series: Everneath (#1)
Pages: 384
Publisher: January 24th, 2012
Published: Balzer & Bray
IBSN: 9780062071132

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

After being tempted into the Everneath, an underworld where immortals feed on human emotion, in a moment of weakness, Nikki Returns. She gets just six months before she's pulled back. Six months to explain, to apologise, to say goodbye again. Or six months to figure out how to cheat fate.

So Everneath was intriguing in the way it focused less on the paranormal lore -- which was well-realised and well-implemented itself -- and more on the contemporary themes of letting go and accepting consequences. I'm sure fans of both PNR and contemporary novels will find this compelling.

Nikki returns to give a proper send-off to her family, but hardly mentions them. So much transition scene is skipped over that she probably does spend a lot of time with them, but it's hardly referenced. Ditto Jules. What could have been so touching was pushed aside to make room for romantic relationships, when more platonic relationships are still vital to fleshing out a character.

But apart from the occasionally twinge of annoyance when her neglected loved ones were mentioned, I liked this book much more than I expected to.

Nikki's narration was very readable, with a voice that was quiet but not passive. She was constantly growing from all of her trials. Between the her that we see past tense snippets of and the present her, she's matured so much. She took the easy way out almost a year ago, and now she understands that was the absolute wrong way to approach her situation, but doesn't dwell on it. She's learned to accept her mistakes, but is also determined to avoid them now. 

And although a romance featuring as the main plot has always rubbed me the wrong way, that of Everneath wasn't just designed to add a swoon factor. Cole and Jack were the difference between her staying easily complacent with herself and her trying to grow into the version of herself she'd like to be. Their dynamics were realistic and reflected these roles they played. It was never about who she loved more (barf) but who she wanted to be.

The pacing was smooth and fast, skilfully portraying how quickly time passes with a frightening deadline looming. The plot twisted, and the denouement really was the best part of the story. The ending was impressive, foreshadowed but not expected, and left the story open to continuation but still with a sense of resolution.

Everneath is a novel I'd recommend to most fans of the Unearthly series -- it's a paranormal story with more weight on the realistic. Ashton created dynamic characters you could become invested in and a story well worth the time you spend reading it. Don't dismiss it like I almost did based on the cover that in no way reflects the contents.

Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

     

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
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Series: Gone With The Respiration (#1)
Pages: 451
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: December 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9780857530004

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

Nora's always been too rebellious for neo-Victorian etiquette, but her father also supported her insubordinate nature. At least, before he died. Left in the care of her overbearing aunt, she can't imagine life getting any worse, until she's abducted by a group of people with sickly skin and crooked gaits claiming to know things about her father she never did.

Dearly, Departed featured an initially daunting genre mashup: a steampunk/dystopia/paranormal/romance. The premise is of survivors of a detrimental ice age reverting to Victorian customs in an effort to resuscitate the beauty of the world. It felt rather haphazard, as though the author liked all of the genres but couldn't choose which one to write first.

The tangled mess of genres made the story much busier than it needed to be. For instance, the entire dystopia theme seemed of little consequence. Rather than just setting it in a steampunk Victorian era, it was set in a future modeled after the Victorian era. The former would have even been more believable and less of a stumbling stock for critical readers. Occam's Razor, the simplest way is usually the best way.

The language wasn't consistently setting-appropriate either. In this futuristic world, little memory of our current popular culture has survived. Nora has a vague idea of what vampires are, but none about zombies. But by the end of the story she's making self-aware jokes about the unexpected humanity of these zombies without the context of background knowledge. I remember a Spiderman reference, "my bull-senses are tingling", that she couldn't possibly know. Suspension of disbelief already needed to be high, and these inconsistencies certainly didn't help.

Otherwise, though, the Victorian language and customs seemed well-researched, although not as well portrayed in some places than others. I gathered from the author photo that Habel has a passion for the steampunk, and while it showed, I figured it would translate into a much more fleshed out element of it.

The story was told through the perspective of five different characters, to effectively give a thorough look at the many sides of the plot, though only our two leads were smoothly developed. The inclusion of the other three minor characters' narratives are vital to the plot, and as vital characters, I was disappointed by how unbalanced the effort fleshing them and the leads out was.

Aside, though, Dearly, Departed was very much enjoyable. The romance, if hasty and confusing (he's an animated corpse!), had believable chemistry and the pair were created likable and sympathetic enough to predispose the reader to support it. The plot had unexpected twists and was mostly fast-paced, making maintaining interest easy.

Lia Habel's debut, though a little ambitious and busy in setting, will appeal to older readers of YA. A fun and entertaining story, but intermittent with darker and more emotional moments than your average dystopia/paranormal.

Review: The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

     

The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
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Pages: 224
Publisher: Headline
Published: January 5th, 2012
IBSN: 9780755384020

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Say Hadley had gotten to the airport just four minutes earlier and made her flight. She wouldn't have met Oliver, and may have had the exact miserable experience at her father's wedding that she anticipated. She was lucky. But in another stroke of luck, the two of them are separated after their flight without so much as a last name.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight has built up a lot of early buzz as a breezy crossover romance. The quirky mood of the story is matched by its title, though while I love long titles as much as anyone else, the whole time I was bothered by how little correlation there is between statistics and probability and how it just didn't work. But onto points of the book that matter more.

The Statistical Probability is barely 200 pages long, short in a way that reflected the story's span of less than 24 hours. Plain prose suited the simple romantic premise and kept to the point, making for a very fast, one-sitting read -- apt for readers also on aeroplanes.

The characters were likable and with definite chemistry, though with voices that didn't distinguish themselves from hordes of other romantic leads. I guess that helped them, though, in a way, adding a familiarity to them that made investing in their story easier. Though without any real development from their either lead, the novel couldn't be called affecting.

The plot also follows the typical structure of romance closely: the couple meets and hits it off, something splits them up, and they reunite. In this case, the something that split them up was airport routine completely independent of them, so their reunion didn't involve any character development or personal demons conquered. Still, while there was little depth, Statistical Probability was very fun to just stop thinking and read.

The romance was sweet, unmushy, and a believable whirlwind that I'm a sucker for. The characters were likable, and occasionally funny, and the story progressed quickly. It's the classic feel-good rom-com translated to paper. It's the exact story you predict from the adorable edition cover. It's the quick cure to a miserable day.

Overall, The Statistical Probability was a cute and entertaining read, if a little generic. It should definitely appeal to fans of YA romance.

Review: Smoulder by Brenna Yovanoff

     

Smoulder (The Space Between) by Brenna Yovanoff
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Pages: 368
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: December 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9780857070784

Being the youngest daughter of the Devil has never been easy. Daphne's father has no time for her, her mother no interest, and her status in the upper echelon separates her from the working-class demons that populate Lucifer's metropolis. When her brother and only confidante goes missing, life in the restrictive city of Pandemonium becomes intolerable. Now, in an attempt to find him, Daphne sets out for Earth - and finds it larger and more chaotic than she imagined: a dazzling expanse of noise, dirt and random violence. Despite her bewilderment, she navigates the mortal world with growing fascination, gaining an ally when she saves a dying boy from her father's minions.
For Truman Flynn, the last year has been one long downward spiral, but when Daphne arrives just in time to save his life, he finds himself unexpectedly glad to have another chance. Together, Daphne and Truman go in search of her brother, braving the hazards of Las Vegas and the perils of first love, even as it becomes increasingly clear that her brother might have had a secret and compelling reason for leaving. Lucifer's agents aren't the only creatures on the prowl, and Daphne soon finds herself the target of a plan to rid the world of demons for good. Now she must evade a demon-eating monster, rescue her brother from an angelic zealot, and save the boy she loves from his greatest enemy - himself.

Daphne's never been as comfortable as her sisters with her existence as the daughter of a fallen angel and a demon, but she has a loving half-brother Obie that makes it some shade of okay. Until he tells her he's leaving for the human realm. But his plans go awry, and Daphne's mother sees a vision of him pulled away in a trail of blood. Daphne travels to the human world for the first time, enlisting the help of the self-destructive boy who saw him last, to bring him home.

The prose was ornate and lovely, in a somber mood appropriate to the protagonist's melancholia. Brenna Yovanoff's style of writing is rather spare, yet very effectively builds a vivid atmosphere. Daphne's voice -- full of a kind of naive determination -- was clear, and all of the settings were described in perfect (but not overbearing) detail. It's easy to feel as though you yourself are in them beside the characters; in the Pandemonium terminal, or in a cramped bathroom trying to resuscitate your only hope.

The base idea was unique and imaginative, and the execution lived up to it. Like in the Merry Sisters of Fate short stories of Yovanoff's that I've read, Smoulder features tragic and compelling mythology -- dark and gritty in the style of the originals. This mythological premise is the antidote to the straight-forward, dumbed-down versions of regular mythologies that so many YAs feature. The eerie and dark mood of the story and the initial hardship didn't promise an eventual happy ending that you mostly can assume from the cheery-toned majority, and the uncertainty made the story so much more enthralling.

Brenna's first novel,The Replacement, I found lacking only in its dispassionate nature, and so, I was very pleased with how emotionally compelling Smoulder turned out to be. The characters were fleshed out and developed and entirely sympathetic. Through their perspective, and in their head mingling with all their clearly portrayed feelings, you'll become invested in their story.

The conclusion was wonderful, with unpredictable and gasp-inducing twists. The story's resolution was satisfying, while still leaving something to the imagination and maintaining the mysterious and eerie mood. A devastating climax is followed by a slow, unwinding denouement with a certain softness to it, bringing you to the end gently.

Smoulder I recommend to fans of Maggie Stiefvater's faerie books, Holly Black's Tithe series, and Laini Taylor's latest two novels. And if you're on the fence about whether you want to try Brenna Yovanoff's books or not, you should definitely check out her Merry Sisters of Fate short stories. Smoulder was a dark and mysterious paranormal romance that broke the typical PNR mould.

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

     

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
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Pages: 376
Publisher: Harvill Secker
Published: September 15th, 2011
IBSN: 9781846555244

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

The Night Circus -- entirely black and white, comprised of too many tents to visit in one night, each holding seemingly impossible acts -- appears without notice, and opens only at night. But behind the beautiful and mysterious facade of the circus is a competition with an inevitably tragic result and a fate irrevocably intertwined with that of each and everyone at the circus.

The Night Circus was a gorgeous and magical debut -- one part The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone, one part Water For Elephants, and the rest product of Morgenstern's brilliant imagination.

The perspective was from an omniscient third-person, my favourite when executed well, which this of course was. The focus slipped from character to character often, but never confusingly, and even to an entirely objective point of view. Close to the circus, it's possible to forget how extraordinary and innocuous felt to outsiders. Each part began with a section in the second-person view of a circus-goer that reminded us of the obliviousness of the general public to the dramatic and all-consuming issue the characters privy of the competition.

The characters were enigmas, the premise mysterious. Perspectives would switch after giving us the bare minimum amount of information to appease us, keeping us on the outside. The Night Circus didn't throw us into the middle of the situation as much as it showed us the story as one would see from the outside. Like circus-goers ourselves, watching curiously but rarely fully knowing. Omissions never felt awkward in attempt to develop this feel, but completely natural.

Morgenstern's writing style was elegant and lovely, and the work that went into crafting the prose was clear. Each perfectly chosen and positioned word felt laboured over, and the effort was not wasted. Stopping to reread and admire phrases was involuntary, though not a burden. The story and drama encouraged me forward, to find and take comfort in the denouement, but the writing slowed me, though I wouldn't complain about that. The Night Circus, took me several wonderful days to finish.

The imagery was beautiful, particularly the descriptions of the Reveurs (as depicted on this edition cover) in their unofficial uniform -- all black, with a stark flash of vivid red. The language evoked clear images of the events and the elegance and dreaminess of the settings of the novel.

The story has this incredible emotional pull: the defeated and almost melancholic mood of the two leads' perspectives was almost impossible not to share. The characters, all of them, even and especially the antagonists, were fleshed out even through minimal exposure, and feeling for them was an inconvenient (I can't say moping for these fictional people helped me any prepare for my exams)(though the allure of a book that makes you genuinely feel things is undeniable) inevitability.

The chemistry between Celia and Marco was so skilfully portrayed through limited glimpses at their time together. Morgenstern struck a balance between attractions heavily based on an intense, ethereal bond and a relationship that felt natural. Their romance was fast, but not in a contrived way, and it was strong enough to realistically motivate the characters without tedious and lengthy scenes together.

The Night Circus concluded with a bittersweet compromise; a very clever twist that held onto the unpredictability and promised tragedy of the plot while not having all of the characters' struggles end up being in vain. Emotions were running high by the suspenseful finish, and by the bottom of the final page, I was left in a sober sort of mood, wondering a) why I put myself through such emotional stories and do this to myself, and b) how I will possibly ever be able to go back to my usual line-up of light, young books.

The Night Circus, it was clear from the beginning, would become a favourite of mine by the end, and it did not fail me. It's a historical fantasy YA-adult crossover that everyone, regardless of your preferred genre, I'm sure would find an element to enjoy. Erin Morgenstern's debut displays a talent well worth keeping an eye on.

Review: Between The Sea And Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

     

Between The Sea And Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
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Pages: 240
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: October 25th, 2011
IBSN: 9781599904344

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Esmerine is excited to finally be a siren with her sister, Dosinia, protecting the seas together. But on the first day, Dosinia disappears. The two of them always shared a small fascination with the land, but Esmerine would have never guessed her sister would leave her for it. She ventures on land herself in search of her, with the help of the winged boy from her childhood that stopped visiting without warning so many years ago.

Jaclyn Dolamore writes a story reminiscent of a fairy tale, a romance with a soft plot, set in a magical world of mermaids and flying people and the space between.

Dolamore's writing style remains charming, and the tone still perfectly appropriate to the setting. The language had an ethereal, fantasy quality to it; a fairy tale-esque softness and simplicity. But beyond the fantasy aspect, the setting was also historical, and that was clear as well. The setting may have been the most appealing aspect of the story. I was completely taken with the human town that served as a buffer between the two worlds, and the interesting way their lifestyles intertwined.

The romance was sweet, in way childhood friends reuniting, but not with any striking magnitude of chemistry. There was a certain amount of distance between placed between us the characters, but their emotions were still clear, and though becoming truly invested in Esmerine's journey was difficult, she was always a pleasant enough person to read about.

Though, the book-loving theme was inconsequential and a very see-through attempt at increasing relatability. Protagonists who love reading are common, and each time I snort a little in response (I mean, great authors can make me relate to anyone, no matter our differences), but never has it felt as contrived as this time.

Between the Sea and Sky was a very light-hearted romantic fantasy, and though it certainly didn't live up to Magic Under Glass, it was enjoyable and has not taken any excitement away from the upcoming release of Magic Under Stone.

I'd recommend this specifically to fans of YA that also read MG, given the youthful tone and the very simple plot that YA readers accustomed to high-suspense stories may find boring.

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: Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

     

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
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Pages: 272
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine
Published: October 1st, 2009
IBSN: 9780545055857

A girl who’s always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her. Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risk killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real. And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging — literally belonging — to another world entirely, full of dreaded creatures who can transform into animals, and whose queen keeps little girls as personal pets until they grow to childbearing age.

From a writer of unparalleled imagination and emotional insight, three stories about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch.

Laini Taylor teamed up with husband Jim Di Bartolo, illustrator, to create three short stories about the power of a kiss, each emotionally wrenching and magical and imaginative.

Lips Touch: Three Times seemed to improve on what felt initially perfect with each new story. Goblin Fruit, Spicy Little Curses Such As These, and Hatchling, they were named respectively, and also in order of my favourites.

Goblin Fruit was of Kizzy, with longing for something more so tangible that even obvious malicious intent cannot dissuade her. Spicy Little Curses Such As These told the overlapping stories of Estella, liaison between worlds, and Anamique, the girl given the opposing gift of the most beautiful voice and the curse to kill whoever she lets hear it. And the last, Hatchling, introduced a world of rich imagination that I couldn't match with 20 more of me sitting down to brainstorm. The world of the Druj and their human pets and the redemption they find through them was so beautiful and bittersweet.

Each are of my favourite kind of fantasy: breathtakingly unique and teeming with tragedy and temptation (though I do hate myself after reading them for the amount of emotion they evoke that I don't know what to do with. I'm essentially useless after reading such emotionally exhausting books, but I can't stop myself). Kizzy's total abandon, Estella's painful compromises, and Mihai's perseverance all got under my skin.

Laini Taylor writes with a unique flair and a poetic style, perfectly executing otherworldly ideas and bringing characters which tug on the heartstrings to life:

"She was a girl and she was a queen and back in the mists she was a woman who had seized the moon from the sky and drunk its light so that she would never die."

All of this was furthered by the beautiful illustrations to accompany, detailing backstory in the beginning that will have you letting out an understanding "oh!" when you reach the point where that same story is woven in. I've already returned this book to my library (with more than one ignored "due soon!" notice  beforehand), but the image especially of Esme's mother suspended in the cage, rich red hair flowing outward and concealing her face, has stuck with me.

For Lips Touch: Three Times, Laini Taylor has crafted three worlds of contradictions: beautiful and dangerous; romantic and eerie. Three stories in anticipation of kisses that change everything feature fantasical settings that will have you wanted to pack up and move to them despite their malevolent lining.

I give Lips Touch: Three Times a 5 out of 5.

Psst. If you didn't notice, Laini Taylor's newest book, The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone (also brilliant!), is my current book of the month, and you can find your way to a giveaway up top.

Review: The Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn

     

 Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn
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Series: Siren (#2)
Pages: 352
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Published: June 21st, 2011
IBSN: 9781606840757

Nothing has been normal since Vanessa Sands learned that her sister was murdered by sirens—femme fatales of the watery depths—and that everything she believed about her family was a lie.

Her boyfriend Simon’s been the only person Vanessa feels she can really trust. But now there are some secrets she can’t tell even him. And when Vanessa finds herself in the sights of Parker, Hawthorne Prep’s resident charmer, she needs someone to confide in more than ever. Doubting her relationship with Simon, unsure of Parker’s intentions—and of her own—and terrified by what she’s learned about herself, Vanessa has never felt so alone.

But personal problems must be put aside, because the Winter Harbor sirens are back for revenge. Now, Vanessa must face her past and accept that she is just like her enemies—every bit as alluring, every bit as dangerous.

The ice over Winter Harbor is melting and the sirens Vanessa thought would stay under and slowly resurfacing. But their return might not be the most frightening thing right now, with secrets Vanessa would rather pretend she doesn't have driving wedges between her and everyone she cares about.

Undercurrent held onto what I loved so dearly about Siren: the eerie, alluring tone. The book itself was akin to its featured paranormal creatures, so captivating I couldn't leave it for a second.

Rayburn has genuine writing skill. The tone is effortlessly created, and the mysteriousness was enticing and justified. Vanessa's voice is clear and suitably melancholic, which helps a lot with feeling for her. She was the kind of narrator I could get behind, far from perfect but constantly seeking out a compromise between what she needed to do and what was right.

The paranormal side to the story was also woven into the contemporary setting remarkably well, with local history tied seamlessly into history of sirens. Characters privy to the sirens' existence had realistic reactions to developments (which is to say there weren't any naive and shocked characters, but rather, pragmatic thinkers).

Tricia Rayburn crafted another intriguing ending in Undercurrent, one where everything is left in a realistic balance between tension and calm, and enough drama remains that I'm anticipating the sequel. In a time where a commonly assumed attitude is that cliffhangers are necessary to hold onto reader interest, good endings like these are few and far between, and I cherish them all.

The Siren series is dark and different and definitely for any fans of upper YA looking for paranormal romance that breaks the mold.

I give Undercurrent a 4 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: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

     

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
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Series: Iron Fey (#4)
Pages: 386
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: October 25th, 2011
IBSN: 9780373210367

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn. 

I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

Meghan's ordeal was long. Fighting to find her kidnapped brother stolen away to the realm of fey turned into a fight to save the second world she was tied to by blood. At the end she took her throne as the Iron Queen, ruling over a place lethal to her Ash. Determined to see her again, he's seeking out mortality. His journey, of course, won't be easy either, but he'll find that the most trying obstacles aren't the physical ones.

The Iron Knight is the unexpected fourth book in the Iron Fey series, one I first saw as tacked awkwardly onto the end of an established and successful franchise. Though this first impression was diminished as I continued and it became clear that Ash's story is a necessary addition to the saga and I wasn't giving Miss Kagawa nearly enough credit.

The writing style was fluid and descriptive enough to create a vivid image of the ethereal world. Her characters were created with distinct personalities, though sometimes it feels like they lacked depth. Much of Puck and Ash's interactions read in the exact same way, with Ash entirely stoic and Puck steadfastly energetic. I got tired occasionally of their stereotypical personalities.

The major appeal to me in Julie Kagawa's narrative style, however, is the plot and pacing reminiscent of children's epics. There is a series of complications on the way to the solving the overall problem. If the plot were a mountain, regular stories would be of characters climbing it. Kagawa's plots are like large step pyramids, with heights and heights to scale.

The ending disappointed me slightly, though. I felt like the issue Ash found with the mortality he was seeking wasn't addressed properly. He essentially ignored the problem and hoped for it to go away -- and it did. I liked the place where we parted with the characters, but it felt like some things were overlooked in order to get them there.

The Iron Knight should appeal to fans of earlier books in the series, and to those who miss the adventure stories of their younger years.

I give The Iron Knight a 4 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: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

     

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
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Pages: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: October 18th, 2011
IBSN: 9781442420526

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better? Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.
Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall...

Carmen's entire life has revolved around her violin career. It hasn't been so bad, until recently. Performance without anti-anxiety medication seems impossible and her mother's trying to continue her own prematurely-ended career through Carmen. Her budding romance with fellow prodigy Jeremy seems to be the only good thing about her violin now, but her mother won't even allow for one distraction.

Virtuosity was an impressive debut, skilfully written. Music books usually aren't my thing, but this story wasn't exclusively about violin. It was about family and romance and seemingly insurmountable pressure. Martinez captured a teenage voice with deftness and created trials for her that led to stunning character development.

The prose was spare, but it very much captured Carmen's voice. I became invested in her story early on, and I was feeling alongside her anxious, excited, worried, whatever emotion. She was likable, with her earnest and kind personality. I also admired the way she began to stand up for herself eventually.

The romance definitely hit the spot as well. Carmen's story wasn't dominated by her burgeoning relationship with Jeremy, but it was important to her development, rather than just an obligatory subplot. Jeremy and Carmel changed and grew so much because of each other, and though their romance felt slightly rushed, there was much chemistry.

Though sometimes Carmen feeling so sorry for herself verged on annoying, it was easy to see where she was coming from. I can't say that I appreciate melodrama, but I can understand it. Carmen's lived a fairly smooth life, with a talent and a family who loves her (and some that doesn't, but that's not too big a deal) and a comfortable home. I could understand how the events of Virtuosity had her overwhelmed.

The ending was sappy and a little too dragged out, but overall, Virtuosity was a promising debut. The prose lended to three-dimensional characters, and the themes were universal.

I give Virtuosity a 4 out of 5.

Review: Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

     

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
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Pages: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Published: August 9th, 2011
IBSN: 9780385740166

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

William Shakespeare's tragic Romeo And Juliet was a lie, but the real story is tragic also. Juliet did kill herself, but rather, Romeo did, after finding that taking the life of a soul mate grants immortality. Now, thousands of years later, they're on opposing sides. She, with the Ambassadors, fights for love, and he of the Mercenaries fights to destroy it.

Juliet Immortal surprised me. It's definitely not something I would have read on my own, considering the cover and blurb give off a Not For Skye vibe. But my friend came to school halfway through this raving about it, and even if she does have questionable taste, she doesn't often get that enthusiastic about books, so I gave it a try.

And like I said, I was surprised. Sure, this book had its issues with cliches and sappiness and deus ex machina, but it reminded me of reading The DUFF in that I had so much fun despite so many little things frustrating me. I actually read this book several weeks ago, and I remember very much enjoying it. But now I'm looking back and noticing objectively bad things about it.

Stacey Jay's writing style was smooth, as was the pacing until we hit the story's climax and her conveniently hidden mentor begins dropping hints to lead her to and guide her during the complication. The plot was engaging, though, and Jay succeeded at creating a plot that is exciting at least.

Juliet was determined, but so much so that she was blind to the obvious occasionally. She herself was an interesting enough character to follow, but the quasi binary opposition she had going with Romeo was the real dynamic that had me intrigued. Scratch that, just Romeo. His chaotic goodish, bipolar nature had me seeking out his appearances especially.

With an unexpected and slightly contrived conclusion, Juliet Immortal was a unique spin on the original tale. It was well-paced and enjoyable, but it had problems too to balance the positives.

I give Juliet Immortal a 3 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: Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

     

Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
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Pages: 272
Publisher: Egmont USA
Published: October 11th, 2011
IBSN: 9781606841730

A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.

As soon as I found out there was an upcoming retelling of Tristan & Isolde, I added it to my wishlist. I was crazy-excited for this one, but was actually disappointed.

The writing style was simplistic and not particularly engaging. The basic language seemed to evoke a young, naive voice from our main character, which didn't help me at all warm to her.

The characters' personalities were annoyingly extreme, and their actions much the same. Their interactions and dynamics felt unnatural, like actors hired to play characters that they weren't given any background on. This was especially obvious as the characters play Musical Chairs but with love interests in lieu of chairs.

The major complication came with a strong sense of deja vu. In Tris & Izzie, Izzie discovers she has powers in elemental magic inexplicably stronger than anyone's ever seen before. A giant, evil serpent which terrorises Tintagel -- the home of magic wielders -- is sending monsters to kill her because of her talent, so she and Tristan go to fight him with her untrained but apparently strong magic skills.

The villain was that classic overconfident and mouthy guy who says things like "stupid humans!" and has no real motive. But what I found more annoying than that was that our main character had little motive to travel so far from her comfort zone and slay a beast tormenting people she doesn't know in a place she's never been to. She was irritatingly Mary Sue-esque.

Overall, Tris & Izzie is something I'd recommend to people who aren't phased by cliches and not to people who enjoyed the movie.

I give Tris & Izzie a 1 out of 5.