Review: As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Pages: 304
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: September 1st, 2009
IBSN: 9780061661525

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Viola, since her boyfriend came out, has felt broken and empty and like she doesn't belong. She spends her time wishing, until one day her wishes summon a jinn - a genie - who is bound to her until she makes three wishes. From there, it evolves into your average star-crossed romance. Viola and Jinn fall in love, and Viola has to be careful: if she makes her third wish, he's gone forever.

As You Wish opens with Viola sitting in English class with Shakespeare teaching her that "sometimes you have to fall in love with the wrong person just so you can find the right person", but she doesn't believe that. She knows, from experience, that "a more useful lesson would've been: sometimes the right person doesn't love you back. Or sometimes the right person is gay. Or sometimes you just aren't the right person." (Page 1)

Viola's an average teen: insecure, plain, not-popular-but-not-unpopular. She's easily relatable, but not exactly interesting to read about. Plus, her whole "I don't belong. I don't feel whole" mantra got on my nerves.

The plot is light and predictable: unlikely couple meet and fall in love, face some kind of obstacle, overcome it. Though, I don't want to sound like it was painful to read, because it wasn't. It was enjoyable and sweet, but I usually like my stories more intense.

Jackson Pearce's writing style is simple, sometimes humorous, and engaging. She devised a unique premise and executed it well.

The short version: As You Wish is a light, sweet paranormal romance, but without a whole lot of depth.

I give As You Wish a 3 out of 5, and recommend it to fans of light paranormal romance.

Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

Red Glove by Holly Black

Series: Curse Workers (#2)
Pages: 320
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Published: April 5th, 2011
IBSN: 9781442403390

Source: Galley Grab

After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov's retribution and finding out that Lila, the girl he has loved his whole life, will never, ever be his now that his mother has worked her, Cassel is trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life. That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family tied to one of the big crime families and a mother whose cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is also coming to terms with what it means to be a transformation worker and figuring out how to have friends.

But normal doesn't last very long--soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past. A past he remembers only in scattered fragments and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Red Glove is, like White Cat, set in a world where curse magic is illegal, and curse workers either become con artists or mobsters or hide their abilities from everyone. Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of criminals: his grandfather's a Death Worker, his mother's an Emotion Working con artist, and his brothers Work for a crime family. Cassel spent his whole life thinking he couldn't Work at all, and recently learnt that his brother was Working his memory so he had no idea he was the most rare kind of Worker of all, and no idea that they used him as an assassin.

After reading White Cat, I was expecting even twistier plots and higher stakes from Red Glove, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Red Glove's plot is clever, complicated and entirely compelling. There's a twist or new revelation around every corner, and I couldn't put it down.

Cassel was a dynamic character, with flaws interwoven into his personality that made him realistic. He was clever, brave, and I felt genuine compassion for him.

Cassel and Lila's relationship was complicated and difficult, yet I found myself looking forward to every scene they had together, hoping for the best.

The ending satisfied the major complications and opened new trials to be faced in Black Heart, the next book, coming out next year.

Holly Black's writing style is simple and dark and captivating. I give Red Glove a 5 out of 5 and recommend it to anyone who likes a paranormal mystery. Look out for it on the 5th of April.

The Aussie Swap

I'm sure pretty much every other Aussie book blogger out there knows the disappointment of the "US only" rule on every second giveaway, book tour, and swap in the blogosphere.

So when Brittany from Nice Girls Read Books and Kylie from The Talking Teacup teamed up to create The Aussie Swap, a book swap run by Aussies for Aussies, you can imagine I was excited.

Joining in is easy - just contact Brittany, asking to be added to the participants list, and then make a list of books you're willing to swap on Goodreads or on your blog. Through Goodreads is the simplest way to go, though. Just join their group and post a link to your swap shelf (though don't make it private, like I did at first)!

The Aussie Swap has just begun, though, and you can imagine it works much better with more participants. So, Aussie book bloggers, get involved!

For more information, you should definitely check out the Swap page.

Waiting On Wednesday (15)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, in which we highlight an upcoming book release we're eagerly awaiting.

This week I'm waiting on The Name Of The Star by Maureen Johnson, the first book in her new paranormal series, The Shades Of London. It's no secret that I adore Maureen's books, especially her other paranormal release, Devilish, so I'm expecting great things from this one. It's due for release on the 29th of September, 2011. Luckily I have a shiny ARC of The Last Little Blue Envelope to help me endure the wait!

A modern-day thriller about Rory, an American high-school student who enrolls at a London boarding school for her junior year. Soon after her arrival, a series of murders begins to take place across the city—on the exact dates and in the exact style of Jack the Ripper. Rory’s ties to the killer bring her in contact with a secret paranormal branch of the British police, as they attempt to stop the mysterious killer.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Feel free to leave a link to your own Waiting On Wednesday post in the comments, and I'll be sure to have a look.

Review: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Pages: 211
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: January 4th, 2011
IBSN: ISBN13: 9780374193683

autonomy, n. ‘I want my books to have their own shelves,’ you said, and that’s how I knew it would be okay to live together. 

A nameless couple meet, 
fall in love, 
move in together, 
and then the hard work of loving each other begins. 

Told as a series of dictionary entries, The Lover’s Dictionary is an intimate portrait of a relationship in all its guises; a compelling, deeply romantic story of two people loving each other: passionately, imperfectly. 

Through these short entries, Levithan opens an intimate window into the couple’s space, giving a name to their everyday struggles, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time. 

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

The Lover's Dictionary is written unconventionally through dictionary entries detailing the relationship of a nameless couple out of chronological order. The entries aren't definitions, per se, but a passage relating the relationship to the word.

I'm no stranger to David Levithan's amazingly poetic writing style, but he completely blew me away with The Lover's Dictionary. The main characters are the only ones in the book not given names yet I felt so invested in their story.

The story is pieced together cleverly. Under the entry for 'circuitous' on page 55, the main character says that:

We do not divulge our histories chronologically. It's not like we can sit each other down and say, "Tell me what happened," and then rise from the conversation knowing everything. Most of the time, we don't even realize we're dividing ourselves into clues.

 And the narration is the same: not chronological and in clues. We need to take each new entry and think about where it goes in the grand scheme of the story. I like stories like that - where everything isn't laid out plain and obvious.

The ending is bittersweet, the same as the rest of the story. A realistic ending to a story about a highly realistic relationship dynamic.

The Lover's Dictionary is short (I read it in an hour's sitting) and sweet and beautifully written. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Series: Mistwood (#1)
Pages: 304
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: April 27th, 2010
IBSN: 9780061956997

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them. Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Mistwood was at first a little confusing, since I couldn't remember the blurb and had no inkling what it was about. But once I understood what was going on, I was captivated. I loved the premise: there's a Shifter living in the Mistwood bound by magic to protect the kings of Samorna. She resigns back to her woods when her work is done, but always come back when she's needed.

Mistwood is predominately about Isabel's - the Shifter's - struggle with her loyalties. The Shifter's entire purpose is and always has been to protect the king, but she's faced a dilemma: which one?

I loved Isabel - cold, distant, and kick-ass. That on top of a third person perspective, I can imagine some reader's would have trouble connecting with/feeling for her, but I love my heroines unsentimental and badass.

The plot was fast-paced and to the point. The book didn't as much focus on physical action as I thought it would, but was more about Isabel's slowly figuring out the mystery surrounding why she left last time. Something new is revealed in almost every chapter, and the final twist was so unpredictable yet explained so much.

Mistwood is also incredibly well-written. The author's style was tense and serious, and entirely compelling.

The ending was satisfying, foreshadowed by Isabel's angst about who to side with, and maintained the story's tone. It tied up all of the loose ends with a realistic denouement.

I give Mistwood a 5 out of 5, and recommend it to fans of Graceling and other epic fantasies.