Review: Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Title: Kill Me Softly
Author: Sarah Cross
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 336
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository
Read from April 8 - 9, 2012

My rating:  + 

Summary: True love’s kiss just may prove deadly…. Mirabelle’s past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents’ tragic deaths to her guardians’ half-truths about why she can’t return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined. In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who’s a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again. But fairy tales aren’t pretty things, and they don’t always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy-tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy-tale curses of their own … brothers who share a dark secret. And she’ll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

Grimm fairytales come to life, curses and gifts are awakened, and Mira is destined to meet her fate...

Kill Me Softly is the first fairy tale retelling that I've ever read. To me, it's really unique and intriguing and extremely amazing. It falls into the category of books whose synopsis you shouldn't read first, but should just dive right in for full effect. That's what I did, and I was glad that I entered the world of Kill Me Softly without a clue about what it is about and what's possibly going to happen. When things do happen, it totally blew my mind! But if you've already made the mistake of reading the summary, it's still totally fine. Now you know what this book is about, but you're still going to be knocked off your feet anyway.

Girls became victims and heroines. 
Boys became lovers and murderers. 
And sometimes... they became both.



We're first introduced to Mirabelle Lively, or Mira for short, just a week before her sixteenth birthday. She lives with two godmothers, Elsa and Bliss. Mira's godmothers are very protective of her, and insanely strict. They don't allow her to ride in a car unless an adult is driving; shave her legs; date; and most importantly, they refuse to let her visit the city where she was born. This she can't accept. While they are excited and planning the party for her, Mira is distracted. She can only think about leaving them and running away to Beau Rivage to find her parents' graves.

Of course, she doesn't know what she's walking into. In Beau Rivage she encounters a lot of strange things like places named after those in fairy tales, and meets strange people who will become her friends. Mira's always been aware and self-conscious about the mark that looks like a wheel at her back, and she is shocked to see that these people she now hangs out with have marks too, only different ones. She asks around and finds out what the marks are for, and what they represent, and then she knows everyone's destiny, including her own. And then she also realizes the reason why her godmothers don't allow her to touch anything sharp.

Sarah Cross' Kill Me Softly is absolutely breathtaking. I don't normally enjoy dark novels, but this one's an exception. It's just amazing. This book wastes no space in giving you what you're looking for in a good book: well-developed story, appropriately-paced story telling, awesome characters, and beautiful writing. Moreover, this book is packed with mystery and suspense and secrets and surprises that keep you on the edge of your seat (and keep me up until 4 am in my case)! How can you not love it? How? How?

This novel has a very well-developed story. Every information given is relevant at some points. No nonsense. I love how Sarah Cross drops hints and clues while building up the story but you don't know what they mean until they come together with something else later in the book! And you can't help but be like, I should've seen that coming! This book also has a good pace. It's not too long, and it's not too short; it's not too fast, and not to slow; it's just right. Just exactly how it needs to be. Not many books are like that, you know. This is brilliant.

I also love that Sarah Cross takes the Brother Grimms' originally and exceptionally dark fairy tales and blend them together to create such a wonderful book. Unlike Disney that softens everything, the author remains true to the original tales and makes them work. Bravo!

The characters in this novel are all great. None of them feels flat. Normally I'm not a fan of books with too many characters, but again, this is an exception. Every one of them adds up to the book very well, spicing it up and all that. Mira has a strong voice. She's different when she's with different people. I especially love when Mira and Blue are together. Either they're always bickering, saying sarcastic remarks, fighting, or they're being all sweet and honest and sweet and did I say that already? Well, yeah. If you read this book, you'll know what I mean. Blue's constantly warning Mira to stay away from Felix, acting like a jerk to keep her from liking him (for a reason), and all the while he's falling in love with her. Ah, the tension between these two! Love, love, love it! I'm pretty sure you'll like other characters as well. Someday-my-princess-will-come Freddie, Layla the Beauty, white-as-snow Viv, etc.

Other than a fantastic story and incredible characters, this book is also beautifully written. It can't get any better than this. Sarah Cross' writing had me going wow a lot of times. See this and you'll know what I mean:

It was hard to be honest, to open up, and reveal something that sounded crazy. Because once you told someone the truth, that person had a piece of you--and they could belittle it, destroy it. The could turn your confession into a would that never healed. 

That's my favorite quote from the book.

Also Mira and Felix' love scene (about 43% far into the book) had me melt into a puddle of goo. Seriously.

And now, we've come to the end of this review. I don't think I can say anything more about this book without praising it. Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross deserves 5 shiny stars for its brilliance (there I said it again). Read this book. You won't be disappointed. You have my word. :)


------------------------

This review is also posted on Goodreads.

I received the ARC of this title from Egmont USA for review.

Review: The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies by Ammi-Joan Paquette

 

Title: The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies
Author: Ammi-Joan Paquette
Illustrator: Christa Unzner
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Pages: 32
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository
Read on March 19, 2012
My rating: 

Summary: Children learn to spot the tell-tale signs of fairies in residence in this delightful mix of photos and illustrations. Then children can take their tracking skills outside to discover the magic in their own backyard and celebrate nature. Full color.

A very cute book!

The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies isn't a story book. It doesn't have main characters or any stories at all. It's just, as the title suggests, a "guide" to tracking fairies. So you shouldn't expect to read a story about a little girl trying to catch fairies or whatever.

However, this book is still very fun to look at! There are pictures on every page, and there's also some text. The text only acts like a guide which talks about places where fairies are found. What I really like is that there are usually two to four pictures of the same place. In that case, the first picture is always a real photo taken with a camera which shows children's fingers pointing to something like a rock or a pile or grass, and then the next pictures will be the that of the same place zoomed-in, in different angles, with colorful little fairies edited in.

I especially like the drawn fairies! The colorful illustrations are very well done and blend in perfectly with the real photographs. Details are extraordinary.

I guess this book tries to tell us that fairies or magical things are everywhere around us, we just have to "really look". ;) I really like it!


------------------------

This review is also posted on Goodreads.

I received an e-copy from NetGalley and Tanglewood for review.

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at TheStorySiren to let bloggers share books they've got each week. 

My blogging hiatus took place from March 4 until April 5. During the period of March 4 to 29 I bought 32 books, and that was very out of control. Such a wrong thing to be obsessed with in the exam month! This week (April 1 - 7) I welcomed 9 books to my shelf! That's still pretty out of control, but anyway. 

Penguin Clothbound Classics: 
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 
Emma by Jane Austen 
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Borrowed from library: 

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

I'm loving the Penguin Clothbound Classics, though they're not exactly perfect. 

I'm back to blogging! 

Happy reading, everyone! 

Review: Wolf Camp by Katie McKy

Title: Wolf Camp
Author: Katie McKy
Illustrator: Bonnie Leick
Release Date: April 15, 2009
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Pages: 32
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository
Read on March 18, 2012
My rating:

Summary: Maddie's mother agrees to send her daughter to a new camp - Wolf Camp. But when Maddie returns, she seems, well, changed. She snaps at flies, howls at fire trucks, and chases squirrels - on all fours. She quits eating candy and starts eating meat - only meat. And the dog is now afraid of her when she lifts her lip and shows her teeth. What child hasn't fantasized about being an animal? And what parent hasn't exclaimed over the transformation in their child when picking him or her up from camp? This book intertwines these two themes in a hilarious story of a very different kind of camping experience.

WOLF CAMP is a children picture book about a girl named Maddie. One day Maddie shows her mother a flyer for Wolf Camp. It says: "Put your child in the wilds." And then Maddie is gone for two weeks. The first day she writes home a letter saying that it's weird at the camp. On the second day she writes again to tell her parents that she likes it there. After that her parents don't receive any letters again, so they assume she's having fun at the camp!

When Maddie gets back from the camp, her behaviors have changed noticeably, such as when her dog, the collie, sniffs her, she sniffs back! She also growls and runs after a squirrel and howls. She's not herself anymore!

At first I read this book on my Kindle, and thought it was totally weird. On the Kindle, the pictures are black and white and very small. But when I opened the file on my computer to read, it's different! Two pages on each side are connected and the story suddenly makes more sense and becomes easier to follow. With full-color everything is better too! I didn't like the illustrations when I saw them on the Kindle but now I do. They're quite nice. I especially like the coloring. It looks like watercolor on some pages, but I'm not sure. The colors really makes the pictures stand out and seem real.

A cute book!


------------------------

This review is also posted on Goodreads.

I received an e-copy from NetGalley and Tanglewood for review.

Review: The Princesses Of Iowa by M. Molly Backes

Title: The Princesses Of Iowa 
Author: M. Molly Backes 
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Format: eBook
Pages: 464
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository
Read from March 3 - 6, 2012

My rating:  + 

Summary: Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash , everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can't fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear.

What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.

This book was a love at first sight as well as at first read for me, meaning it is as good as it looks! I was hooked from the very first page where Paige talks about last spring and the accident that changed everything in her life. It's told in such an honest clarity that I fell in love with the voice of Paige Sheridan aka Princess Paige or Perfect Paige.

After the accident, Paige is exiled to Paris. Her mother cleans up the mess that was the accident during her absence. When Paige comes back to Iowa, she expects to see her two best friends, Lacey and Nikki, and her boyfriend Jake, waiting to welcome her back at the airport, but they don't show up. She meets them all later at Jake's barbecue party (if I'm not mistaken), that's when she realizes things aren't exactly the way they were before. Lacey, now crippled from the accident last spring, is mean to her and avoids her. Nikki spends all her time trailing after Lacey and sucking up to her. And Jake doesn't even have time for Paige anymore, always saying something like Lacey's going through a tough time right now and he has to be there for her. 

Apparently Paige and Lacey are having a fallout. You'd think that if Lacey's s having it so tough she'd turn to her best friend and tell her what was wrong. But no, that's not what she does. She, in fact, barely says a word to Paige at all since she got back, if not a sarcasm or something mean. That annoys Paige. And the fact that her other best friend and her boyfriend are practically taken away from her by Lacey also annoys her even more. 

I totally felt for Paige. I hate people like Lacey. I hate it when best friends turn their backs on each other. I hated Lacey so much. I wanted to smack her head on a goddamn stone. I wanted tattoo "bitch" on her friggin forehead. I wanted to run a car over her. Using her own private misfortunes to manipulate people like that disgusted the hell out of me. It was also no excuse to be a bitch. You know the feeling when you hate someone so much you want to scream and break things? Yep. My hatred for this character was so strong I thought my head was playing tricks on me, but then I realized it was the book. It could make you feel so much. Good job, Backes!


I think the greatest thing in The Princesses of Iowa is the Creative Writing class. I've never had a creative writing class before. High schools where I live don't have this class, which sucks, because it's the one I want to take most, rather than stupid math and frustrating Thai I could never ace. Anyway. Paige takes Creative Writing (which is an elective Jake was supposed to take with her but he changed to Film Appreciation or something because "Lacey needs a friend". Yeah right.). There is a new teacher, Mr. Tremont, who's totally gorgeous and also a great teacher. In this class, they interview a partner, do free writing starting with "I remember...", and do a workshop where the selected few write something for the whole class to analyze and criticize. This is so cool, guys. I never knew what a Creative Writing class is like, 'cause apparently I've never taken one, so it's nice to read about it. Mr. Tremont is awesome. Through this class, Paige slowly discovers things about herself and about other people. She realizes that she's happy when she's with Shanti and Ethan, two new friends she makes in the class, as well as feelings about certain things she never knew she feels that way about before until the free writing. It dawns on her that maybe Princess Paige isn't who she really is, but who she wanted to be, who everyone expects her to be. And maybe she doesn't want to be a princess anymore.

I love that The Princesses of Iowa starts out with the day the accident happened last spring which leaves some questions in our heads, like who was driving, and what happened exactly. I thought the author would leave it at that, and I was prepared to say that I didn't like it that way. But this book goes on to surprise me when near the end, things are finally revealed. Memories start coming back to Paige in vivid details. Love it!

Now, as I already mentioned my hatred for Lacey, let's talk about other characters. I really really do like Paige for her down-to-earth-ness and her honesty. She might seem kind of snobby at first, being the perfect girl everyone looks up to and all, but her character develops and she evolves to become a very likable character indeed. I also like Shanti and Ethan very much. Shanti is this opinionated person who isn't afraid to say just what she's thinking, no matter how unvarnished it is, and takes no crap from no one. Ethan is a funny and sweet guy. A total cutie! He likes to joke and every time he does, I felt myself falling a little bit more for him. At first, Paige is slightly held back with them, but then she relaxes and then she's happy when she's with them. Awww. They really have fun together.

Paige's family is a little bit weird. She rarely ever mentions her father who's actually there. I often found myself convinced that she has no dad or something. Her dad's really nice, from little information we have about him. However, Paige's mom is such a pain in the butt. I mean, what kind of mom insists that her daughter wears only a tiny dress and no sweater although the day is cold as hell, just because the sweater doesn't look good with the dress and that Paige has to make a good first impression because she only has that one chance? Please. She's trying too hard to keep Paige's image perfect that she doesn't really have time to care about the real Paige. I understand why Paige's little sister, Miranda aka Mirror, is so against her in the beginning of the story. Paige is her mom's favorite daughter, I guess, because she's pretty and has a shot at becoming Homecoming Queen. Mirror was practically a bitch to Paige, but then it changes when she sees that Paige has changed. The sisterly love is between them is cute.

Paige's boyfriend Jake and the other best friend Nikki are okay characters to me. Jake seems very endearing at first, but when the Lacey thing happens again and again, he started to bug me. However, he does some really sweet things for Paige, like writing her poems. That's extremely sweet, okay. Another part I like is when Jake accepts it when Paige says it's over, and graciously steps back. Although he's a bit of a jerk, you can't say he's that bad a boyfriend. Clean-cut ending, yay! Nikki similarly bugs me too. She's like a dog trailing after Lacey, always trying to please her. She's also kind of dumb. She hasn't been a great friend to Paige after her return to Iowa, so I can't really say I like Nikki much.

Mr. Tremont = fantastic. Enough said, really. I hope my to-be Creative Writing teacher will be like him.

I didn't have any problem with the length. I didn't think it's too long or much longer than it needs to be. The characters and the story both need time to develop. Honestly I think it's good the way it is, although it really is long. It's so fun to read and so addictive that time just flies by. I really did enjoy Backes' writing. There are some parts where she created fast-paced narrations using no full stops. She just let Paige talk. It's these parts that I really enjoyed reading, because it gave me such excitement and the feeling like I was on top of the roller-coaster going down as my eyes quickly followed the words. She did a great job with both the characters and the storytelling here. Fantastic.

The Princesses of Iowa deals with teen problems such as drinking and driving, friendship falling apart, and self-discovery. Told in a clear and honest voice, it's the kind of book you want to read again. At least for me. I'm definitely going to pick up a copy when it hits bookstores on May 8, 2012.


------------------------

This review is also posted on Goodreads.

I received the ARC of this book from NetGalley and Candlewick Press.

Cover Reveal: Simplicity by Valia Lind

Hey there! I'm still in the middle of my final exams, in case you're wondering. But right now I'm thrilled to have my first Cover Reveal post (yay!). Here's Valia Lind's debut, Simplicity, with a re-released cover! Check out the pretty cover below:

Simplicity by Valia Lind 

Re-release date: April, 2012

Synopsis:

Driven, beautiful Alexis Sinclair lives her life to the fullest, following her dreams of running a big company. But when her world is torn apart by a storm, everything she has ever known disappears. Now, marooned on an island with a group of men, Alexis must learn to live in a world made up of simple things. Letting go of every known convenience, she realizes how insignificant her life has become. Filled with unrequited love for her rescuer she must battle the demons buried deep inside and she must look within herself and to her faith to find the strength needed to survive. Strong and influential, Jacob Peterson, has done all he can to survive. When the fate turned its tables on him, he learned to cope with the inevitable. Plagued by his past and secrets buried there, Jacob exerts a rigid control, refusing to succumb to the joys, and torturous pain, of strong emotions. Without considering love-a gift he may never receive, he believes--he chooses to live by strict set of rules. But when a strange beautiful woman washes up on his beach, the walls that he has put up long ago begin to crumble. Is she a punishment sent from God to torment his weary soul? Or is she a gift, sent from above, there to teach him how to trust? Who is this woman? And how will he stop himself from losing his heart? Will he learn to forgive the past in order to save the woman he loves?

Simplicity is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and be sure to add it on Goodreads!

Find Valia on these social platforms:

http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/ValiaLind
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067029.Valia_Lind
http://acupofsplendid.tumblr.com/

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at TheStorySiren to let bloggers share books they've got each week. 

Febraury 26 - March 3, 2012.

I only bought one book this week. :-) Yay for self-control! Haha. Well, the truth is I've been so busy reading that I haven't got time for book shopping! That sounds hard to believe, but true. I only went to the bookstores 3 times to look around.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

I finished 4 books this week and reviewed three.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Now, I have an announcement. Due to the approaching final exams at the end of the month, and the lesson I learned from my inability to study everything in time for the midterm last January which caused daily mental breakdowns, I hereby announce a HIATUS for this blog until the first week of April. That's a month away, I know. I have to have enough time to study, and I don't mean just a week or two to cram. If I start studying right now, technically I'll have about 3 weeks, and that should be okay. But there will be the days I'll have to take off to go to a camp, do homework and projects, I'll actually have something like two weeks. That's risky enough. I can't risk having my grades any worse if I still want a shot at the Honor Program in my sophomore year!  (I have to get a 3.98 GPA this semester because I sucked the first one. That means I have to get all A's. Ugh.) That's the most important thing for me right now!

I might drop by to post some reviews, but that won't be happening often. I've gotta cram, cram, cram! 

I'll be back before you know it!

Happy reading, guys! <3 Wish me luck? :-)

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Title: Wanderlove 
Author: Kirsten Hubbard 
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 338
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository
Read from February 29 - March 2, 2012

My rating: 

Summary: "Are you a Global Vagabond?" No, but 18-year-old Bria wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a tour of Central America--the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. So when Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspoken sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel through Mayan villages and remote Belizean islands, they discover they're both seeking to leave behind the old versions of themselves. The secret to escaping the past, Rowan's found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria realizes she can't run forever. At some point, you have to look back.

Honestly, I wasn't very impressed with this book. I didn't like it as much as I first expected.

Prior to the beginning of Wanderlove, Bria was with her boyfriend Toby. They're both artists, though Toby thinks he's better than her. They applied for an art school together and promised each other that they were going to this school together no matter what, but when the results came out, it turned out only Bria was accepted. Toby took it personally and said out loud for her to hear that he thought there must be some mistake, that their portfolios must have been swapped. Ouch. But that wasn't the first offensive remark Bria's heard from his mouth. There were lots of them, in fact, but she was just too in love to see them clearly. Eventually, Toby told her that he was going to another art school which Bria didn't apply for and broke up with her.

Bria was shattered. She believed completely that they were going to that art school together, so she didn't apply for anywhere else. Toby kept it a secret that he did. So art became something she avoided. She gave it up. To get away from art, Toby, and her dysfunctional parents, Bria sets off on a journey to Central America with Global Vagaband tour group... Only the tour group isn't exactly what she had in mind. When she meets a backpacker boy Rowan (whose religion is Wanderlove) in a market who invites her to dinner where he's staying, she's immediately fascinated by the bohemian backpacker looks and decides to go. There she meets his sister Starling (who sat beside her in the plane). Knowing Bria is disappointed with the tour group she comes with, Starling asks Bria to ditch the tour group and join her and Rowan on a backpacking tour of their own!

I find the story of Wanderlove enjoyable but not exactly interesting. I can say that wanderlust is something that flows in my veins, so I highly expected myself to love this book. I always want to go away and explore places, but I have specific places in mind. And Central America isn't one of them. I guess the reason I don't find this book interesting is because it's set in Central America. I don't really care about it, so any descriptions about spectacular places there don't really help.

I'm trying really hard to recall what the climax of this book is... I can't think of anything. Yeah, I feel like this book has no climax. It just goes on and on from this place to another. There was no tension anywhere.

Also, I don't think Bria is a very likable character. I think she's sometimes too whiny and annoying. I don't like the way she gave up something she loved just because a boy happened to make it a bad memory for her. It makes me feel like she didn't really love art herself, but did because of Toby. It was kind of unbelievable to me how she avoided art because of him in the first place. I didn't buy it. It sounded over dramatic and not really realistic to me. On a positive note, I kind of respected her for trying to get away and travel on her own. That's a brave act. I don't think I will ever have to guts to do it on my own.

However, I do like Starling. I think she's the best character in this book. She's cheerful and impulsive. She outshines every other character. I'm okay with Rowan. I don't feel like the author gives much opportunity for us to get to know him. So I can't really say I like him. In the end, Rowan decides to give up his Wanderlove and go back home with Bria, and says he'll open a dive school there. I don't buy it AT ALL. It seems too forced a happy ending to me. I didn't feel like Rowan is that much in love with Bria to give it up. No likey.

The author's writing is good. I don't find it particularly amazing or anything. I, however, really like her drawings, which are inserted here and there in the book. They really add up to the story. Kirsten Hubbard is a travel writer. I really like it that she wrote a book about things she knows about.

Now that I've finished this review, I think I like it even less. Sigh. Sorry. I wish I'd loved it, I really do. It just wasn't for me.

Wanderlove comes out on March 13, 2012.


------------------------

This review is also posted on Goodreads.

I received the ARC version of this book from NetGalley and Random House Children's Books.

Review: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Title: Someone Else's Life
Author: Katie Dale
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pages: 464
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository (Hardcover) | Bookdepository (Paperback)
Read from Febraury 25-28, 2012
My rating: 

Summary: When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die. Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.

Well, I'm a sucker for sad stories. This one is it. This book made me cry big time.

Someone Else's Life is sad, dramatic, and tense. Heavy stuff, you might say. I enjoyed it very much, although it's kind of too long for my taste. The writing is enjoyable, the story rich and powerful. 

Rosie Kenning, 17, decides to have her DNA tested to see whether she's inherited Huntington's Disease that took her mother Trudie away from her. This disease is hereditary and the offspring has 50 percent chance of inheriting it. Sarah, Trudie's best friend and midwife, tells Rosie that she doesn't need the test, because she definitely doesn't have the disease. The reason Sarah is so sure is that Sarah swapped Rosie with another baby. She meant well. That night, two mothers gave birth to two babies. One was Trudie, the other a 17-year-old girl who wanted to give her baby up for adoption. Trudie's husband was driving to the hospital to be with her but got into a car accident and was killed that very night. The baby Trudie desperately needed was extremely weak and it looked like it wouldn't survive. The other girl's baby who was named Holly Woods, on the other hand, was healthy, and in no way wanted by the mother. Sarah thought she wouldn't be able to stand watching Trudie suffer anymore that she already did, so she swapped these two babies, believing it was the right thing to do, since Trudie's baby was going to die, and the other wasn't wanted. When Rosie hears this, she is devastated. Then everything begins to make sense -- the way Trudie's hair color was chestnut while hers is dark, etc. It's around then that Andy, Rosie's ex boyfriend, comes around again. Together they try to search for Rosie's biological mother, only to find out that she's working as an actress in America. When Andy says he's going traveling, Rosie sees it as a perfect opportunity to look for her, as America is the first destination. It starts out as a quest to only find her biological mother, but little does Rosie know how many lives she will be affecting, how much pain she'll be causing... It is much more than she bargains for. 

Such a powerful story! WHOA WHOA WHOA! Seriously. I remember crying my eyes out for such a long, long time, and I wasn't even half way through yet. I have to admit I have never heard of Huntington's Disease before I read this book. It was heart-breaking to read how greatly and horribly a disease can affect you and the people around you. I personally find the story very rich and complex. Kind of complicated, too, but that's what makes the story so interesting. There's always something that keeps you from putting the book down. Always some sub-plots and twists and turns that are constantly thrown into the story.

If you plan to read this book, know that you just sign up for an emotional roller coaster ride. A good one, too, I might add. There's sadness, confusion, anger, jealousy, guilt, shock, surprise as well as love and hatred. It was overwhelming for me in a good way. To feel all these emotions within an hour or something. I was feeling sad and sympathetic with Rosie for a moment, and then the perspective switched and I was extremely angry at Rosie, cursing her, hating on her. I was really into the story. It has a way to suck you right in. 

I like how the characters are portrayed. But to talk about them here is like showing you spoilers, because there are many more characters involved in this than you might imagine. So, no, not gonna do that. I only have a few things to mention about the main characters that you already know about: Rosie and Andy. 

Hmm... I don't think there's a gentler way to put this... but I kind of hate Rosie. I don't know... I guess some things are better left alone, especially when it's too late to change anything. But of course, she has to try to find her mother, and when she does, that should be the end of it, accept it and move on. Except that it isn't and she doesn't. She has to make her way into other lives and shatter them with all this I-have-to-tell-them thing. Really? I don't think so, Rosie. You think you're doing them a big favor by showing up and changing everything, but darling, I think they're better off before you came around. Sorry. 

And Andy. Ugh, dear God. He annoys me. This guy keeps leaving her and keeps coming back. He keeps demanding the truth and promising to understand and can't take it and keeps getting mad. If it's just once or twice, it would be fine with me. But it was more than that. If I'm not mistaken, it's around 4 or 5 times. What an ass. If a guy kept leaving you and coming back and saying sorry, would you always forgive him and then everything would be okay like Rosie and Andy here? No for me! Make up your mind, Andy, it's either leave or stay! Ugh! 

Anyway, enough with the rant. Those were the only problems I had with this book, along with the length,  which in my opinion is much longer than it really needs to be. Other than these, this book is great. If you like sad and dramatic and heavy stories with powerful emotions, this book is definitely for you!


------------------------

This review is also posted on Goodreads.

I received the ARC version of this book from NetGalley and Random House to read for review.

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi

Series: Under the Never Sky, #1

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 376
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository
Read from February 20 - 23, 2012

My rating: 

Summary: Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse. Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

First of all, GORGEOUS cover! If you swoon over pretty book covers like me, this one is a must-have. :D And also the title! I love the title for some reasons. It sounds kinda poetic and deep and all that to me. Me likey!

I didn't know what to expect before reading UNDER THE NEVER SKY. I've read some reviews and seen that it's a dystopian book -- something that is very popular at the moment which I have very little to no experience with. Needless to say, the first chapter was totally confusing for me. All those weird names like Ag6 and Pod and Dweller and Savage and Outsider and Smarteye. At that time I was pretty sure I could never understand the world building. But surprisingly, I did understand it! I guess I'm somewhat heavy-headed so it had to take some time for all the details to gather inside my head and sink in and make sense. Once the world building became clear to me, I could see that it was AWESOME. Like, WHOA, AWESOME. And unique. I can't explain it. It's way too complicated for me to break it down. If you want to know how awesome it is, you have to read it!


For another thing, I loved the romance between Aria and Perry, alright. I'm a sucker for cute romance.  SQUEE! Although this one isn't cute from start to finish, it seems very real and believable to me. At first Aria is scared of Perry and thinks he's disgusting because he's an Outsider, a Savage. Perry thinks Aria is a weak, fragile, snobby Dweller who doesn't know how to survive out in the real world. Obviously, this isn't an instant crush. I loved how they slowly fall in love with each other because they need each other's help and all the things they've been through together make them closer.

I also love the sub-plots. They're quite mind-blowing. Things that never crossed my mind happen and I was always stunned, like WOW stunned. Lots of surprises! The story is written in the third person point of view with shifted perspective on both Aria and Perry. And the ending kills me. Seriously, it's a very impressive ending. I don't know. I really love how it's written. Got me squeeing big time!

I think this book is very well crafted and written, indeed! Fantastic read! I can't wait for book two!


------------------------

This review is also posted on Goodreads.
I received a digital copy from NetGalley and the publisher for review.