tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45390539534614144972024-03-14T05:56:17.069-04:00Still Waiting for Books to Come True(even though it's probably not going to happen anytime soon)Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-46424887426980215162012-08-16T08:00:00.002-04:002012-08-16T08:00:17.845-04:00The Disenchantments<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Penguin (Dutton)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">307</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">February 16, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Hardcover, bought</span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200951l/11699055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200951l/11699055.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Morris Award–finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.</span></span> <br />
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</span></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I could say something deep. Something about love and epiphanies and growing up and being a teenager on the brink of everything just wondering what the fuck you're going to do with this whole entire life. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">But I don't want to say that. Here's what I want to say:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Nina LaCour has the most honest writing I've ever read.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7x3gAPvv5TyRTewa_eLveOUWzu_Im8kFRuOuzE790egH0fKVM2j-HwlYFQpsUgNWyuxG8-ZhOgHPZ_7kxBdoIzBIzdNvBMYNqaAftxbB41pCjLLpTIDKbRGkLSt7yGl0N4O6VC1t-4/s1600/five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7x3gAPvv5TyRTewa_eLveOUWzu_Im8kFRuOuzE790egH0fKVM2j-HwlYFQpsUgNWyuxG8-ZhOgHPZ_7kxBdoIzBIzdNvBMYNqaAftxbB41pCjLLpTIDKbRGkLSt7yGl0N4O6VC1t-4/s320/five+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-5861317757611748162012-08-14T08:00:00.003-04:002012-08-14T08:00:06.933-04:00Black City<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Penguin (Putnam)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">373</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">November 13, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">ARC, won</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330526140l/12568505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330526140l/12568505.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Similarly to its fellow Breathless Read, <i>Origin, </i>Black City had a lot to love and a lot to hate. There were a number of things I enjoyed, and a number of things that put a bit of a damper on my reading experience.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">It certainly wasn't a bad read. Some of the concepts were exceptionally unique; despite having many marks of a typical dystopian or vampire novel, Richards took a new spin on a lot of the classics, and I enjoyed watching her world unfold. The treatment of the Darklings was strongly reminiscent of the Holocaust, but the differences between these two events raised quite a few moral questions. Because the Darklings are a legitimate threat, does that in any way excuse the despicable treatment? Do <i>you </i>want the walls to come down, knowing it could end in a human massacre?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">There were also a few very genuine moments that touched me, quite unexpectedly. Oftentimes these occurred between family members, which was perhaps even better; there aren't enough complex familial relationships in a lot of YA fiction today.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">And, deep matters aside, one of the greatest things about Black City is that it's what reviewers like to call "intensely readable." Despite the plot not really picking up until about two thirds of the way in, I never found myself bored. I <i>wanted </i>to read on, wanted to unravel the mysteries and see what would happen next in this dark, horrifying world. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Unfortunately, despite its readability, Black City was still a let down in more ways than one. The writing could best be described as . . . amateur. It's somewhat understandable, considering this is Richards's debut novel, and there's definitely potential--throughout the novel, there were the occasional flashes of brilliance. But the overall quality of writing was lower than I expect from a published novel. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And that leads to my second issue, which is that the characters simply weren't real or likable. Both their dialogue and actions were awkward and cheesy, more like </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">caricatures</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> than three-dimensional, <i>believable </i>people. Not even likable caricatures at that. They were at turns bratty, petty, idiotic, cruel, and a bunch of other negative adjectives that I'm too lazy to list. I don't mind flawed characters when it's acknowledged that they aren't exactly the greatest of people, but I was supposed to believe that these guys were just the shit, and I couldn't buy it. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Despite my troubles with the characterization, if the romance--the main plot of the novel--had developed nicely, over a logical period of time, I might have learned to love them. Unfortunately, the dreaded insta-love struck once again in the form of--wait for it--<i>soul mates. </i>(Soul mates, Blood Mates, close enough.) The time-tested excuse for a complete lack of any real connection or chemistry. At one point, Ash tries to give a dramatic speech about why he <i>really </i>loves Natalie, y'know, for <i>her, </i>and all he can come up with are her annoying/endearing physical habits, because there is absolutely nothing between them but mystical lust and pretty words.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">While most of this review would seem to indicate a strong distaste for the novel, the fact of the matter is that, when it comes down to it, I enjoyed this book. Some parts of it irritated me to no end, but it was a quick, entertaining read, and I know many will like it far more than I. Three stars for enjoyment.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-31423160750100062482012-08-09T08:00:00.000-04:002012-08-09T08:00:04.735-04:00Clockwork Prince<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Simon & Schuster (Margaret K. McEldberberry Books)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">502</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">December 6, 2011</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Hardcover, bought</span></span></span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339605943l/10025305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339605943l/10025305.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">I didn't cry, but I was close.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Man, I really did <i>not </i>expect it to be the love triangle. Deceit, imminent death, actual death, end of the world, those I was prepared for. I didn't think the love triangle was the heart-breaker.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">And that, that right there, is probably why it's so completely and utterly fantastic. So often, love triangles are simply a plot device. Something to cause drama, waste pages. And often, it's clear from the start who's the favored of the two. One of the reasons I'd never been a fan of the TMI love triangle was that it's so painfully obvious. Clary never cared for Simon that way. It was always Jace. Without question.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">But that's not the case here. That's not the case here, and it never will be, because Tessa loves them both so, so much, and they love her as much if not more, and they love each other, making this one of the few true love triangles in existence. Perhaps they don't love each other that way, but it doesn't really matter, does it? Because it's still the cause of all the heartbreak. There was no real sadness in the love triangle of TMI--Simon wanders merrily into his new love dilemmas, Jace and Clary have their happily ever after, etc. etc. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">And we all know that can't happen here.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Because they both love her, but they both love each other so much that they could never willingly cause one another harm; that they'll sacrifice their own happiness for one another, even if it means everything.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Unlike so many love triangles, there is no happy ending to be found here. Either way the scale tips, everyone's hearts will be crushed, and mine will go with them. It's a horribly sad thought, to be honest; that no matter how Tessa ends this story, she and her partner will be haunted by the memory of a third. There's no simple happily-ever-afters in a love triangle as real or painful as this, and as much as it kills me, kills them, I applaud Cassie Clare for that. I applaud her.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">I'm going to be crying in Clockwork Princess. That I can assure you.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">5 stars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7x3gAPvv5TyRTewa_eLveOUWzu_Im8kFRuOuzE790egH0fKVM2j-HwlYFQpsUgNWyuxG8-ZhOgHPZ_7kxBdoIzBIzdNvBMYNqaAftxbB41pCjLLpTIDKbRGkLSt7yGl0N4O6VC1t-4/s1600/five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7x3gAPvv5TyRTewa_eLveOUWzu_Im8kFRuOuzE790egH0fKVM2j-HwlYFQpsUgNWyuxG8-ZhOgHPZ_7kxBdoIzBIzdNvBMYNqaAftxbB41pCjLLpTIDKbRGkLSt7yGl0N4O6VC1t-4/s320/five+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">P.S. I didn't think she could excuse the assholian behavior, but she did it, goddamnit. She did it.</div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-89427323331716829712012-08-08T08:00:00.000-04:002012-08-08T08:00:17.550-04:00Cold Fury Giveaway WinnerApologies for the lateness! I've been away at a summer program, but that's no excuse--I should've made this post a while ago. In any case, the winner of an ARC of Cold Fury is . . .<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alexis N.!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lexi, e-mail me at nerdfighterwriter@gmail.com with your address. Thank you to everyone who entered!</div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-33598291623330754982012-08-06T08:00:00.003-04:002012-08-06T08:00:12.655-04:00Clockwork Angel<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Simon & Schuster (Margaret K. McEldberberry Books)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">479</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">August 31, 2010</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Paperback, bought</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327137475l/7171637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327137475l/7171637.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I'll be frank with you all. Our air-conditioning broke. It is hot as fuck, I'm sweating balls, I got two hours of sleep last night, the dogs are throwing a fit, and I do not, in any universe, have the attention span to write a long, thoughtful review. So this will be concise.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">A number of people whose opinions I trust told me that if I enjoyed the Mortal Instruments series, even as simply cheap entertainment, I would probably enjoy these novels even more. Well, they were right. The plotting is better, the writing is better (FOR ONCE, NOT A SIMILE EVERY OTHER PARAGRAPH!), and the characterization is better. Tessa is an improvement on Clary, though I can't say I'm necessarily her hugest fan, and the love triangle is a million times better because there's no petty hatred between the boys. Will and Jem love each other, and I think that's fantastic. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Of course, to compensate for that, Will is a million times more assholian on a regular basis. I know many dislike Jace for that same reason, but he had enough charm, genuine kindness, and vulnerability that I could make up for his occasional bite. Will was funny, yes, attractive, yes, but flat-out cruel, and I simply don't understand how Tess could like him better than Jem--still funny, still attractive, ridiculously kind. It just doesn't compute.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Anyways, love interests aside, I really enjoyed this; and, unlike TMI, I don't feel guilty for it. I have nitpicks--some plot points were very predictable, some writing was a wee bit awkward, etc. etc.--but for the most part, this is an impressive novel. Onto CP!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">4 stars.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbH3JWKNsF8bCZ2hXs8TfXysJLZK9auVQIKkwrD2iT5p65uDf3JhPJhnqAYwxVUrDPksbRx1lEx69NU84ymKONEgZmWirSyCvB6ZZXxUTMVOQMupEJ5UJb64hltHq6Mq32m4hBAkEqxk/s1600/four+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbH3JWKNsF8bCZ2hXs8TfXysJLZK9auVQIKkwrD2iT5p65uDf3JhPJhnqAYwxVUrDPksbRx1lEx69NU84ymKONEgZmWirSyCvB6ZZXxUTMVOQMupEJ5UJb64hltHq6Mq32m4hBAkEqxk/s320/four+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-76667049776053853292012-08-04T06:29:00.000-04:002012-08-04T06:29:00.286-04:00Origin<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Penguin (Razorbill)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">372</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">September 4, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">ARC, won</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335206578l/13455112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335206578l/13455112.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home—and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin—a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Origin</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost. This is a supremely compelling debut novel that blends the awakening romance of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Matched</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> with the mystery and jungle conspiracy of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Lost</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I wanted to love this, and there was a lot to love, but there was also a lot to stop me from really falling for this novel.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">On the one hand, there are many things to commend: </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">It's clear Khoury did very extensive research; she didn't just decide, <i>oh, well, I think a jungle would be all </i>cool <i>and </i>mysterious.<i> </i>She researched it <i>very </i>thoroughly, and it shows. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">As part of the Breathless Reads, this is labeled <i>Breathless Beauty, </i>and I can see why. At times, the writing was exceptionally beautiful; dramatic or poignant or just plain enchanting. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">While some of the mysteries verged on predictable, they were enough of a pull to keep me turning the pages well into the early hours of the morning, and some of their reveals were genuinely horrifying. They made for a very intriguing, very complex plot.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And as several blurbs and the synopsis itself imply, at times, this <i>is </i>very introspective. It did genuinely make me think, and I love when a book can do that.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">But despite all of that, there were just too many things that soured my reading experience. There's insta-love at its finest; though they don't kiss till the very end, there's dramatic declarations of love and <i>I-can't-live-without-you's </i>within days of knowing each other. I'm sorry, but that's not love, that's <i>You're attractive and different and I think we should swap saliva. </i>I might have been slightly more forgiving of it if I'd really adored Eio, but . . . I didn't. He was cheesy, melodramatic, and occasionally misogynistic. He had his moments, but he never really found a place in my heart. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Also, I could never tell exactly what sort of significance the romance was supposed to have. It was as though Khoury couldn't decide whether she wanted it to be a side plot or the main story line; even after finishing, I'm still not entirely sure which it is.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Along with the heavy dose of insta-love, there were also a number of other problems. The dialogue was exceptionally unrealistic. Certain parts were so forced and melodramatic that I could only cringe. While the writing could be beautiful, at times it grew awkward and juvenile. Pia was sometimes really fantastic, but most of the time she was very naive, wishy-washy, and oblivious. And all the villains of this piece were painfully one-dimensional. That was perhaps the most disappointing, because I think with this concept there's the potential to create exceptionally complex villains and raise some very morally ambiguous questions, but all of the antagonists were just . . . bad. Plain and simple. The novel was a field of black and white, without a shade of gray to be seen. The evil scientists vs. the moral natives. I wanted some more depth.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Overall, this novel was enjoyable, but there were just a few too many things dragging it down. However, I think Jessica Khoury has a boatload of potential, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for any future novels.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">2.5 stars.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1lBWi6KarEqNTfyjDEmbxL5WrG0cCtRdEIooxmZuWCHLZzEYLo-OkhbuyQ2MmztTygEVwv_bVH9-WP2bmyoHxjOy2EIqBHajym3lGqbSccEh4XeMtpb5l2X3dHgfUUkBrErOGY-cvLI/s1600/two+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1lBWi6KarEqNTfyjDEmbxL5WrG0cCtRdEIooxmZuWCHLZzEYLo-OkhbuyQ2MmztTygEVwv_bVH9-WP2bmyoHxjOy2EIqBHajym3lGqbSccEh4XeMtpb5l2X3dHgfUUkBrErOGY-cvLI/s320/two+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-28216563609384764872012-07-25T07:00:00.000-04:002012-07-25T07:00:05.741-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (25)<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">"Waiting on Wednesday" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15px;">is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3d9d8b; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15px;">This week's WoW is . . .</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330527579l/10576365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330527579l/10576365.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Darkest Minds </b>by Alexandra Bracken</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have been cursed with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Now sixteen, Ruby has spent nearly half her life desperately trying to hide the fact that she’s outwitted the camp’s sorting system—that she isn’t powerless, or safe. She’s one of the dangerous ones… and everyone knows what happens to them.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of teens who escaped their own camp, pursued along the way by terrifying bounty hunters. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close to him. Not after what happened to her parents.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Before the end, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I love, love, love the sound of this.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The sense of danger and adventure is so tangible in the synopsis alone. It sounds like a fast-paced, romantic, wild ride of a story, and I am <i>always </i>up for that. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't even heard of this until BEA; then everyone kept saying how awfully excited they were for this, how desperate they were to get their hands on a copy, and I thought, <i>Well, perhaps I should check this thing out. Y'know. Perhaps. </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And when I did, it took about .2 seconds for me to decide I needed this to be mine. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">What are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-65325552198916284562012-07-18T07:00:00.000-04:002012-07-18T07:00:09.882-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (24)<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">"Waiting on Wednesday" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">This week's WoW is . . .</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336424966l/7728889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336424966l/7728889.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b>The Diviners </b>by Libba Bray</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4f372f;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Libba Bray and the Roaring Twenties.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">That's all you had to tell me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4f372f;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-80224013622132950012012-07-11T07:00:00.000-04:002012-07-11T07:00:18.529-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (23)<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">"Waiting on Wednesday" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15px;">is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3d9d8b; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15px;">This week's WoW is . . .</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span></span> <br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Nobody But Us </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f372f; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">by Kristin Halbrook</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two teenagers who, in search of a better life, run away to Vegas, but realize they can't run fast enough when they end up wanted by the police, out of money, and out of options, pitched as a YA Bonnie and Clyde.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">YA Bonnie and Clyde, guys.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><i>YA Bonnie and Clyde. </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">That, combined with the hysterical cover remakes and heartfelt reviews by fellow YA Highway-ers, convinced me that this book needs to be mine.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">What are <i>you </i>waiting on this Wednesday?</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-66971429715571972512012-07-04T07:00:00.001-04:002012-07-04T09:36:56.160-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (22)<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">"Waiting on Wednesday" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">This week's WoW is . . .</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340037644l/12291438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340037644l/12291438.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b>The Madman's Daughter </b>by Megan Shepherd</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Juliet is accompanied by the doctor’s handsome young assistant and an enigmatic castaway, who both attract Juliet for very different reasons. They travel to the island only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: he has created animals that have been vivisected to resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape the island, even though her horror is mixed with her own scientific curiosity. As the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.</span></span> <br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Yes, this has a love triangle.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Yes, I'm not too fond of those.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">But this sounds so eerie and beautiful and ridiculously unique that I'm willing to bet I will still adore it, and I would totally sell an arm to get my hands on an ARC. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-62003839760532235832012-07-02T22:49:00.000-04:002012-07-02T22:49:57.660-04:00The (Is)Land of Palm Trees and SunscreenHello, everyone! So, yesterday I returned from an eight-day-long trip to Hawaii. It was really fantastic and really exhausting and I really, <i>really </i>wish I hadn't had to return to the Land of Deciduous Trees and Cows, but such is the way of things.<br />
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Here is a (sort-of) summary of my trip, complete with photographs.<br />
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<b>I saw some beautiful beaches.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">One of the only black sand beaches in the world!</span></b></td></tr>
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<b>I snorkeled.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sea turtle!</b></td></tr>
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<b>I saw some dolphins pass a few feet from me.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This one actually turned to smile at me, but sadly, I was not able to capture that.</span></b> </td></tr>
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<b>I hiked in the rain forest.</b><br />
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<b>Shira and I had dramatic beach photoshoots, one at 2 in the morning, one at a more decent hour. But no pics of The Sister, because she is shy (ha).</b><br />
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<b>I saw <i>The Black Pearl.</i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEgkGR7_TGkzDyP0SEZk870Gm0UHa2GZUtn43Y_OMMvxlq3qY0R0zWtq8C9gxuugau0AwVf1iUg0QXQysL3jo-iTWPgnIrtLMwzdKIUQTxOEx7AUqtUvQf3j11sJRNqQHKQKL6Byjqhg/s1600/Hawaii+2012+230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEgkGR7_TGkzDyP0SEZk870Gm0UHa2GZUtn43Y_OMMvxlq3qY0R0zWtq8C9gxuugau0AwVf1iUg0QXQysL3jo-iTWPgnIrtLMwzdKIUQTxOEx7AUqtUvQf3j11sJRNqQHKQKL6Byjqhg/s320/Hawaii+2012+230.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b><i><br />
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<b>And finally, things not captured by camera: I a) swam with sharks, but could not take pictures because I was too busy clinging to cage bars for dear life, and b) got a really spectacular sunburn on my ass. </b><br />
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That's about it! I can't properly summarize my trip, and those pictures can't properly express the ridiculous beauty that is Hawaii, but this is as close as I can get. And now, after an eight-day trip and fourteen-hour flight . . . I get to leave for a month-long writing camp!<br />
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P.S. Apologies for the formatting issues. Blogger is being rather stubborn.<br />
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</b>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-70438052854034607152012-06-29T06:41:00.001-04:002012-06-29T06:42:44.701-04:00Joint Follower Appreciation Giveaway WinnerThe winner of the Joint Follower Appreciation Giveaway hosted by myself and <a href="http://teenagefiction.org/" target="_blank">Teenage Fiction</a> is . . .<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Christina Torres-Salas!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Christina, we'll be e-mailing you about your choice of books. Congratulations, and many thanks to everyone who entered!</div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-57887730099910240472012-06-28T03:59:00.001-04:002012-06-28T03:59:00.278-04:00Insurgent<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">HarperCollins (HarperTeen)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">525</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">May 1, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Hardcover, bought</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1325667729l/11735983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1325667729l/11735983.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Since I'm often that sourpuss who dislikes the well-loved novels, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this novel, despite the negative reviews.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I think your opinion of this novel and its predecessor will depend on your type of read. If the main reason you enjoyed Divergent was the crazy action and non-stop badassery on the part of the protagonist, then Insurgent may not be for you. But if you can enjoy a slower, more thoughtful sort of read than the whirlwind that was Divergent, I think you'll be a fan of this novel.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">That's not to say there isn't action. There is, and plenty of it. But this novel is much more introspective, and spends a fair amount of time on its characters--not only Tris, or Four, but numerous side characters. While I enjoy a fast pace, I think I enjoyed it even more that Insurgent took the time to add a new layer of depth to the characters we came to know in Divergent. In some dystopians, so much time is spent on developing the plot and the world that the characters sort of . . . fall to the wayside. It was wonderful to see such a painfully realistic cast of characters, even in such an unreal setting.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I know many were irritated with Tobias's treatment of Tris, and their relationship as a whole, but personally . . . I loved it. I really, really loved it. I love that he was willing to call her out on being an idiot. I love that he refuses to treat her like she's made of glass. So many love interests nowadays seem to think it's their job to protect the heroine from the world, to shield her, and they end up treating her like more of a valuable than a human being. Tobias treats Tris like a person; a person with faults and mistakes and a mind of their own.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Also, despite acknowledging that Tobias was right to call Tris out on being an idiot--despite acknowledging that yes, she <i>was </i>acting very foolishly at times--I didn't hate her. In fact, I wasn't even bothered by her. Not the slightest bit. Many reviewers were sad that the kick-ass Tris of Divergent seemed to be somewhat missing, but . . . I feel like that's to be expected. Sure, it's wonderful to have a heroine who can take care of herself, rescue those around her, save the world, etc. But after everything she experienced in Divergent, her reaction was completely, 100% realistic. Every bit of it. I think that in many action- and death-heavy novels, authors fail to acknowledge the impact these events would have on the protagonist. The protagonists just carry on. Tris doesn't. Tris is haunted. Tris is reckless. Tris is very, very lonely. And that's exactly how I'd expect her to be.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">While I absolutely adored the character development and surprising depth to this novel, I can't bring myself to give it five stars. The plot occasionally seemed rather confusing and haphazard; certain stereotypes near the end were incredibly grating; and the ending, while certainly a shocker, verges on nonsensical. Also, I wanted a bit more complexity to the villains of the piece. Roth does explain their motivations to a certain extent, and I appreciate that, and there are very few who are so awful it's cheesy, but some antagonists were so flatly evil that I had some difficulty really believing in them, or fearing them.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Overall, though, I was very impressed with this novel. It was powerful and captivating and just genuinely enjoyable. It's safe to say I'm excited for the conclusion to this trilogy.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">4 stars. Or, well, more like 4.25 stars, if we're getting very technical.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbH3JWKNsF8bCZ2hXs8TfXysJLZK9auVQIKkwrD2iT5p65uDf3JhPJhnqAYwxVUrDPksbRx1lEx69NU84ymKONEgZmWirSyCvB6ZZXxUTMVOQMupEJ5UJb64hltHq6Mq32m4hBAkEqxk/s1600/four+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbH3JWKNsF8bCZ2hXs8TfXysJLZK9auVQIKkwrD2iT5p65uDf3JhPJhnqAYwxVUrDPksbRx1lEx69NU84ymKONEgZmWirSyCvB6ZZXxUTMVOQMupEJ5UJb64hltHq6Mq32m4hBAkEqxk/s320/four+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-15752889806065926622012-06-27T07:00:00.002-04:002012-06-27T07:00:03.547-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (21)<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">"Waiting on Wednesday" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">This week's WoW is . . .</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337693826l/13401993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337693826l/13401993.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b>Dualed </b>by Elsie Chapman</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Would you live through the ultimate test of survival?</em><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.</span></span> <br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I don't know about you, but I think this sounds fucking AWESOME.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Unique. Fascinating. Action-packed. Powerful. Romantic. A million other positive adjectives.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I'm so in love with this premise that I immediately added it to my TBR list before there was a cover or even a full synopsis. It has a crazy amount of potential, and if the book is half as fantastic as that concept, I suspect it'll be one of my favorite reads of 2013. (Or 2012, depending on when I read it. Okay, so that might be my wishful thinking speaking. Your point is?)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Also, Elsie is such a sweetie that I would've wanted this even if it didn't sound so insanely cool.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Really, though, I need this book in my life.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">What are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span></span>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-29127595704180888902012-06-25T07:00:00.001-04:002012-06-25T07:00:07.440-04:00Giveaway: Cold FuryHey, all! So, as I mentioned in <a href="http://stillwaitingforbookstocometrue.blogspot.com/2012/06/stacking-shelves-1.html" target="_blank">my first Stacking the Shelves post</a>, I somehow ended up with two ARCs of Cold Fury. Since I obviously have no need of two ARCs, I'm giving the second one away! I read and enjoyed this novel. You can check out my review here (insert link to review). While this did come off as more of a middle grade than a young adult novel, it was a fast, entertaining read with an awesome protagonist, and hopefully something one of you will enjoy!<br />
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Sadly, this is US only. I'm sorry, but I can't afford international shipping. :( Apologies to my non-American readers!<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rc-0de7953">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
</script>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-16777307823688219112012-06-24T07:00:00.005-04:002012-06-24T07:00:02.680-04:00Cold Fury<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Penguin (Putnam)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">313</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">July 24, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">ARC, received for review</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327173303l/12849229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327173303l/12849229.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Jason Bourne meets </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The Sopranos</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> in this breathtaking adventure</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Sara Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a budding romance--until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the mob).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It's a quest that takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies--a city hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old tattered notebook might be her best defense--hidden in its pages the secret to "ultimate power." It's why she's being pursued, why her family was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing, </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Cold Fury</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> is a riveting and imaginative adventure readers will devour.</span></span> </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">If I look at this objectively, I can say that I enjoyed it.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">It was fun. It was interesting. It was fast-paced and intriguing. I never forced myself to read on, even through the info-dumps--despite the pages-long barrage of information, it was interesting enough to hold my attention.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And I really, really liked our heroine. She was courageous, intelligent, cunning, relatable, imperfect. She was thoughtful and witty, and her commentary on all that had happened--as well as this whole crazy world in general--was a pleasure to read. Also, she kicked ass. Yes, she did tend to take the approach of brute strength over reasoning, but it was refreshing to see a heroine who could and did try to handle her own problems.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">But here is the problem: despite its marketing, despite the character's ages, I spent this entire novel feeling as though I were reading a middlegrade.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I have nothing against middlegrade. Not at all. Some of my very favorite reads are children's books. But I was told this was YA, and the character is 16, so I came into this expecting a more mature novel. One where side characters were created with real depth and attention, not made to be one-dimensional stereotypes. One where the dialogue was sharp and captivating, not impossibly cheesy and unrealistic. One where the plot was complex and thrilling, with actual stakes and actual obstacles, not a simple, random, tension-less creation where everything always works out. One where the sixteen-year-old characters acted like teenagers, not elementary schoolers.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Also, while I won't go too in-depth for fear of a ramble/rant, I was very troubled by the way the subjects of bullying, suicide, and depression were handled in this novel. It seemed as though all of it were created to be a superficial sub-plot, and the author seems to think that this can all be shoved away in an instant. That someone who was genuinely contemplating killing themself will be A-OK once they find their "purpose" or "fate" or some bullshit like that. It was yet another thing that stressed to me the overwhelming middlegrade tones in this novel; I know in many children's novels, authors are reluctant to get into the nitty-gritty of issues such as these, for fear that children won't be able to handle it/grasp the gravity of it. While I disagree with this, I do recognize that it's common in novels aimed at a younger audience. Since this is a novel geared towards teenagers, I see no excuse.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Overall? It's not a bad book. It's really not. The concept was great, the MC was well-developed and intensely likable, and the book itself always managed to hold my interest. It just did not meet my expectations for a novel in this genre.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">2.5 stars.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXaUWNfPSqCTbmpruyXJJp4wktSshyphenhyphenR1D9gKHB54FjB6UdluuM0ofjj5IX90nmOcCHMR1-ETBkeuuTS05ilD6waDjDd61uZoQhdFWar2cCAAzUYaxm0A2nJIhhZFQGkss0mdOZ6J7G4s/s1600/three+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXaUWNfPSqCTbmpruyXJJp4wktSshyphenhyphenR1D9gKHB54FjB6UdluuM0ofjj5IX90nmOcCHMR1-ETBkeuuTS05ilD6waDjDd61uZoQhdFWar2cCAAzUYaxm0A2nJIhhZFQGkss0mdOZ6J7G4s/s320/three+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-70619707250776861162012-06-23T00:00:00.000-04:002012-06-23T00:00:07.461-04:00Stacking the Shelves #3<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a>, in which we showcase the books we received in the past week.</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Now, I may or may not have an internet connection by the time this is posted--that remains to be seen--but I received so many insanely fantastic books this week that I couldn't <i>not </i>make a post. Or, well, a vlog.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Books I've bought/received in the past week:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12425532-of-poseidon" target="_blank">Of Poseidon</a> by Anna Banks</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12432229-struck" target="_blank">Struck</a> by Jennifer Bosworth</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11699055-the-disenchantments" target="_blank">The Disenchantments</a> by Nina LaCour</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12716010-rapture" target="_blank">Rapture</a> by Lauren Kate</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455112-origin" target="_blank">Origin</a> by Jessica Khoury</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13513071-the-innocents" target="_blank">The Innocents</a> by Lili Peloquin</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9999795-venom" target="_blank">Venom</a> by Fiona Paul</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12568505-black-city" target="_blank">Black City</a> by Elizabeth Richards</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12954620-falling-kingdoms" target="_blank">Falling Kingdoms</a> by Morgan Rhodes</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10861195-level-2" target="_blank">Level 2</a> by Lenore Appelhans</span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-50963361197409505732012-06-22T06:53:00.000-04:002012-06-22T06:53:21.673-04:00Shadow and Bone Video ReviewAs I am composing this about a minute before I'm scheduled to leave for the airport, I think I'll simply leave this here for your viewing pleasure. My first video review! Exciting!<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-bBJd3mr8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-bBJd3mr8</a> <br />
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Also, since this is not on my main channel, I am not allowed to embed it. Apologies.Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-55227888414717507542012-06-21T07:00:00.000-04:002012-06-21T07:00:08.101-04:00Bikinis and Writing Camps and Extended HiatusesHello, all!<br />
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So, I've got news that is both sad and exciting: I will be on a semi-hiatus from now until August 4th. Tomorrow, I leave for Hawaii (hence the bikinis); I'll return next Sunday, and then two days later, I'll leave for a month-long writing camp. Now, I'm crazy excited for these. I mean--Hawaii! Sleepaway writing camps! I don't doubt that I'll have a shitton of fun. However, my internet time will be extremely limited. I will most likely have a laptop in Hawaii, and I'll have access to computers on the college campus, but I won't have anywhere near the amount of time it takes to be fully active in the blogaverse. <br />
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Now, that's not to say I will completely disappear; I will still try to have several posts a week, and I will attempt to do some commenting. But there are no guarantees. Some days I may not be on at all. <br />
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I don't like leaving you guys (even though I won't be ENTIRELY cut off), but it can't be helped. I will be back in full come August 4th, but until then . . . see you whenever I can! <br />
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Much love, and have a wonderful end of June/month of July.Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-75965977506064727652012-06-20T07:00:00.003-04:002012-06-20T07:00:06.710-04:00Recent Cover RevealsHello all! So, recently, there've been quite a few mind-bogglingly awesome covers revealed on various websites. While I probably COULD include all of them and make this post exceptionally long, I'm going to focus on those of <a href="http://fridaythethirteeners.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Friday the Thirteeners</a> bloggers, because . . . well, because these guys are fantastic, their covers are fantastic, and their novels most certainly <i>sound </i>fantastic.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Prophecy </b>by Ellen Oh</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340037558l/10129062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340037558l/10129062.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms . . . is a girl with yellow eyes.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope. . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.</span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Madman's Daughter </b>by Megan Shepherd</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340037644l/12291438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340037644l/12291438.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Juliet is accompanied by the doctor’s handsome young assistant and an enigmatic castaway, who both attract Juliet for very different reasons. They travel to the island only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: he has created animals that have been vivisected to resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape the island, even though her horror is mixed with her own scientific curiosity. As the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.</span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b>Taken </b>by Erin Bowman</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340110014l/11044367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340110014l/11044367.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends...and he’s gone.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">They call it the Heist.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">If you can look at those covers and those summaries and say you don't want these novels more than life, I may have to question your sanity.</span></span>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-55637616323978721412012-06-18T13:58:00.003-04:002012-06-18T14:11:21.756-04:00The Fine Art of Truth or Dare<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Penguin (Speak)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">380</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">February 16, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Paperback, received as gift</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1310841888l/11698943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1310841888l/11698943.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><em>Pretty in Pink</em> meets <em>Anna and the French Kiss</em> in this charming romantic comedy</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">A lot of good and a lot of bad.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">This book has a fair amount going for it. The writing is good; intelligent and cute and clear. The premise is intriguing and adorable. Both the concept and the execution of the Truth or Dare games were fantastic--it added a really wonderful dynamic to the trio's friendship, and to the story as a whole. And as for the trio itself, I was <i>very </i>pleasantly surprised by our protagonists's best friends. When they were first introduced, I cringed quite a bit; they seemed destined to be nothing but flat, irritating stereotypes. However, as the novel progressed, the two became shockingly three-dimensional, likable characters--more likable than the protagonist herself. Also, I really enjoyed the strong presence of family in this novel, even if Ella's relatives occasionally bordered on stereotypical.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And, since this <i>is </i>a romance at heart, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the love interest himself. I expected Alex Bainbridge to be the typical rich, hot jackass, so I was again pleasantly surprised when he turned into quite the likable character. While at times his behavior really irritated me, he was funny and sweet and even a bit nerdy, and I grew quite fond of him.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Sadly, that's where the positives stop. And sadly, my very first and biggest negative is the protagonist herself.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I did not like Ella. I did not connect with Ella. I did not sympathize with Ella. And that made this novel significantly harder to enjoy. There were a few occasions where she acted admirably, or said something witty, and I would smile and nod and think,<i> perhaps there is some hope! </i>But then she'd go back to being shy and self-deprecating and creepy, and the positive feelings would all bleed away.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Ella brings nothing new to the table, not even her disturbing obsession with a dead guy named Edward--it's all been done before! She's quiet, awkward, self-conscious, constantly belittling herself, constantly wondering <i>oh-why-oh-why could someone like </i>him <i>ever want someone like </i>me. And worst of all, she's obsessed with an artist that died over a century before. When I say obsessed, I don't mean she really loves his artwork and is fascinated by his life story. I mean she imagines that she holds conversations with him, and even thinks of him in a romantic light.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I think that was supposed to be cool and quirky, but it just creeped me the fuck out.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And that sort of leads into my other major problem with this novel: we were supposed to think she was the absolute coolest. We were supposed to think that /quirky/ Ella and her friends are just the absolute best and all these hot, bitchy, completely one-dimensional popular kids are the worst thing to ever grace this earth. I mean, G-d forbid you actually give the popular people . . . <i>personality. </i>Or . . . <i>complexity. </i>What kind of book would that be? Clearly, popular people are only popular because of their money and sense of fashion. Clearly, the /artsy/ and /intelligent/ and /wonderful/ people are a million times better than those who dare to care about their appearance!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Ella didn't outright think these things--because of reasons called low self-confidence! this is something I've never seen a YA novel before!--but it was the attitude of the entire novel, that we were supposed to find Ella and her friends so superior to these poorly-characterized, stereotypical popular ilk. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">My dislike for Ella and this attitude as a whole made it difficult to truly feel the romance, much as I may have liked the love interest. It's hard to root for a couple when you hate half of it, and since the romance was a rather large part of the plot, my failure to feel warm and tingly feelings put a bit of a damper on my reading experience.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Also, while this is a much more minor complaint, I think the use of French could've been handled far more skillfully; I wasn't too lost, considering that's the language I'm currently taking, but those less familiar with French might be left a wee bit confused.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Overall? It's not a horrible book. It entertained me, and even made me laugh aloud. It simply had too many distasteful aspects for me to properly enjoy it. However, I would recommend this to those looking for a fun, mindless read.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">2.5 stars.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1lBWi6KarEqNTfyjDEmbxL5WrG0cCtRdEIooxmZuWCHLZzEYLo-OkhbuyQ2MmztTygEVwv_bVH9-WP2bmyoHxjOy2EIqBHajym3lGqbSccEh4XeMtpb5l2X3dHgfUUkBrErOGY-cvLI/s1600/two+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1lBWi6KarEqNTfyjDEmbxL5WrG0cCtRdEIooxmZuWCHLZzEYLo-OkhbuyQ2MmztTygEVwv_bVH9-WP2bmyoHxjOy2EIqBHajym3lGqbSccEh4XeMtpb5l2X3dHgfUUkBrErOGY-cvLI/s320/two+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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</span></span>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-22151210098447729342012-06-17T21:09:00.000-04:002012-06-17T21:09:20.999-04:00This is not OkayI think most of you know what the <a href="http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/2012/06/ya-crush-tourney-20-nominations.html" target="_blank">YA Crush Tournament</a> is.<br />
<br />
If not, you can probably figure out by the title.<br />
<br />
I like this tournament, and its counterpart, the YA Heroine Tourney. They can be fun and interesting and cool, even if you know from the start who's going to win.<br />
<br />
But I have a problem with a nomination for this YA Crush Tourney. I have a very, very big problem with it.<br />
<br />
Before I go on, I'd like to add that <a href="http://zoeysuncreativelytitledblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/lets-have-talk.html" target="_blank">Zoey</a> has already blogged about this, and has probably phrased things better than anything I'll be capable of. But this is something I had to speak out about. This is something everyone needs to see. This is something that needs to be protested.<br />
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Sebastian, from The Mortal Instruments series, has been nominated as a YA Crush. He has gotten 98 votes.<br />
<br />
That is not okay.<br />
<br />
Sebastian is an incestuous, murderous rapist. He tried to rape his sister, Clary. He's killed numerous people and attempted genocide. He is a disgusting character, and has all the makings of a complex, horrifying villain; not the makings of a <i>crush</i>.<br />
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Understand me. I am not saying there's something wrong with his <i>character</i>. I'm not saying it's wrong for such things to exist in a book. I'm saying it's wrong for people to consider these <i>romantic</i>. I'm saying that Sebastian may be a great antagonist and a fascinating character, but he is not, in any universe, a character to <i>swoon </i>over.<br />
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This is not me complaining simply because I disagree with people's choices. Do I dislike some of the other characters on that list? Certainly. I think a fair amount of them are idiotic assholes. But I'm not going to raise a fuss about them, because while I think they're idiotic assholes, I can see how others might adore them.<br />
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I am complaining about Sebastian because putting a rapist as a crush <i>is not okay</i>.<br />
<br />
The YA Sisterhood has censored comments due to numerous people's complaints, and those that were let through and not deleted were given the same generic reply. Contacting them will likely not help. However, contacting Cassie Clare might. Cassie Clare wrote a brilliant post about rape culture and the scene in her novel, and I'm fairly certain she would not condone Sebastian being romanticized. I'm also fairly certain that, at the moment, she is not aware of his presence on this list.<br />
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Could you please, please try and contact her? Or if not that, spread the word, make a complaint, show people that this is not okay?<br />
<br />
Please.Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-10854873765806525382012-06-16T00:00:00.002-04:002012-06-16T00:00:00.827-04:00Stacking the Shelves #2<i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a>, in which we showcase the books we received in the past week.</span></i> <br />
<i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So, my week in books was insanely awesome (mostly due to a rather fantastic B&N trip), so I decided to do another vlog!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Books I bought/received in the past week:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10194157-shadow-and-bone" target="_blank">Shadow and Bone</a> by Leigh Bardugo</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11071466-second-chance-summer" target="_blank">Second Chance Summer</a> by Morgan Matson</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665671-please-ignore-vera-dietz" target="_blank">Please Ignore Vera Dietz</a> by A. S. King</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1902241.The_Adoration_of_Jenna_Fox" target="_blank">The Adoration of Jenna Fox</a> by Mary Pierson</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248704.It_s_Kind_of_a_Funny_Story" target="_blank">It's Kind of a Funny Story</a> by Ned Vizzini</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8428195-entwined" target="_blank">Entwined</a> by Heather Dixon</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8849382-gone-gone-gone" target="_blank">Gone, Gone, Gone</a> by Hannah Moskowitz</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455112-origin" target="_blank">Origin</a> by Jessica Khoury (Thank you, <a href="http://www.jessicakhoury.com/" target="_blank">Jessica</a>!)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">That's all for this week! Leave a link to your posts below and I will check them out.</span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-49325823127715221012012-06-15T07:00:00.003-04:002012-06-15T07:00:08.883-04:00Shadow and Bone<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Hachette (Little, Brown)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">359</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">April 3, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Hardcover, bought</span></span></span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339533695l/10194157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339533695l/10194157.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Books like this make me realize just how biased my ratings really are.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Because, objectively, this isn't perfect. And that's what five stars means, right? Perfect. 100%. Not a flaw to be found.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And objectively speaking there are flaws in this novel. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">There's scarcely a good female character to be found aside from our lovely heroine.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The plot contradicted itself several times.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Alina's last name should be Starkova and you can't get drunk on <i>kvas</i>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Etcetera etcetera.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">But the fact is, when I was reading this novel, I wasn't thinking about a lack in female representation, or a contradictory plot, or improper last names.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I was thinking about the dark, magical, fantastical world, the one that consumed me the moment I cracked open this novel. How marvelous and horrible and utterly entrancing it was; how wonderfully imagined, every last detail.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I was thinking about the romance, how it made my heart pound like a silly teenager (oh, right! I am a silly teenager!), made my stomach clench and made me grin like I was the one being kissed senseless. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I was thinking about the plot, the crazy, layered, chilling plot that I could never quite predict.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I was thinking about a villain so complex that while I recognized the evil of his deeds, his own inherent darkness, the fact that he would most likely always be a terribly awful, terribly dangerous person . . . I still wanted some redemption for him, some semblance of a happy ending.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I was thinking about how beautiful it was despite the horror. How I started this at 12 and finished it at 4 in the morning.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I fell really hard for <i>Shadow and Bone</i>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And whatever the objective side of me may say, the part of me that stayed up until an obscene hour of the morning just to turn the final page and share my exhausted ramble of a gush with the internet refuses to give this novel anything less than five stars.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7x3gAPvv5TyRTewa_eLveOUWzu_Im8kFRuOuzE790egH0fKVM2j-HwlYFQpsUgNWyuxG8-ZhOgHPZ_7kxBdoIzBIzdNvBMYNqaAftxbB41pCjLLpTIDKbRGkLSt7yGl0N4O6VC1t-4/s1600/five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7x3gAPvv5TyRTewa_eLveOUWzu_Im8kFRuOuzE790egH0fKVM2j-HwlYFQpsUgNWyuxG8-ZhOgHPZ_7kxBdoIzBIzdNvBMYNqaAftxbB41pCjLLpTIDKbRGkLSt7yGl0N4O6VC1t-4/s320/five+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539053953461414497.post-30077780982539094112012-06-14T07:00:00.001-04:002012-06-14T07:00:10.099-04:00Born Wicked<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Penguin (Putnam Juvenile)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Pages: </b><span style="background-color: white;">330</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Publication Date: </b><span style="background-color: white;">February 7, 2012</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Type: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Hardcover, bought</span></span></span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1332157702l/11715276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1332157702l/11715276.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.</span></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Let me start off by saying this was not what I expected.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">When I saw the premise of a novel set in the late 1800s, centered around witches, I expected it to be something ala the Gemma Doyle trilogy--set in a normal historical backdrop, with a fantasy element. That does not describe Born Wicked. Quite frankly? Born Wicked is a dystopian, all the way, from the conglomerate countries that have taken over various parts of the world to the oppressive regime and secret rebels. This was a dystopian with old speak and habits.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And as a dystopian, it was lacking in several areas. The world-building was scarce. Most of it is summed up in a few vague sentences. We get very little information about the rest of the world, or even about Cate's New England. I had a very blurry understanding of the setting, and that made it difficult to really place these events or put them in some sort of context.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Also, there was a simple lack of believability. In this novel, girls are treated like total scum. In fact, the Brotherhood's teachings center around just how awful and wicked girls inherently are, and how they must learn to be idiotic, docile creatures. Forget preaching about Heaven and Hell, charity, divine figures, belief in the Lord! All they preach about, all the time, is the wickedness of females. Girls are considered useless, foolish, and idiotic. They must either be engaged by their 17th birthday or declare their intentions to join the Sisterhood. They are meant to look pretty and sit around, holding teas and gossiping. If they act in any way that could be deemed scandalous--say, doing something <i>other </i>than looking pretty and gossiping--they can be convicted and sent to a mental institution or a prison ship.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And even aside from their awful treatment of the female gender, the Brotherhood restricts society as a whole; they've closed the borders, censored books, controlled the post. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">But despite all of this, not once, in the past 100+ years, has their been any previous resistance. <i>None. </i> At least not anything the author found noteworthy. And I simply didn't find that realistic at all. The fact that no one, in over a century, had staged a rebellion against this cruel, controlling regime? I simply couldn't buy it. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Also, I was disappointed in the portrayal of the Sisterhood. In novels where there's a group trying to rise against the restrictive government, I do like when the rebellious group is portrayed as more than just the wonderful saviors. I think it's important to remember that it's not a black-and-white portrait, that there are many, many shades of gray. Except . . . with the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood, it came off as more of a black-and-black, with Cate and those close to her being the only white in sight. That was a bit of a letdown, because I think a more complex group would've been more realistic, and provided more of a moral conflict.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">However, despite what it may sound like, I didn't really dislike this novel. I quite enjoyed the writing style, despite the occasional hiccup. It seemed suited to the supposed time period, and had moments of real loveliness.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I also liked the characters, for the most part. While I wish the antagonists of the novel had been given some more depth, for the most part, the characters were interesting, flawed, and fun to read about. While Cate did irritate me at times, I admired her spirit and her loyalty, and while at times I wanted to fault her for her selfish choices, I couldn't; because, honestly? In her place, I can't say I'd have done any differently. I enjoyed reading through her perspective, and I liked that her relationships with her sisters played such a crucial role in the plot.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The plot itself . . . was slow. Not much really <i>happened </i>until late in the novel, but despite that, it didn't really bore me. It was entertaining, even if it was fairly predictable and relied on the age-old plot device of a discovered diary. The romance was surprisingly enjoyable, despite featuring a love triangle; it really wasn't much of a triangle at all, since there's only one person Cate really has feelings for, and I quite liked him. Finn was sweet and adorable <i>and he reads</i>. That's a keeper, Cate. That's a keeper.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">While I had many critiques for this novel, when it comes down to it, this was a fun read. It kept me interested from beginning to end, and I'm curious to see where the next novels will take us. I would recommend it to fans of the dystopian genre, or to any who just really, really adore a man who reads.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">3 stars.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmWHrrk8LW9VuWVTRdsbGAVB3ClNJEQNQfs6YV_5fu1hn5nHjvg0L6HdERy3bBq_agSec7Z5hZeCteZzCcdwUEzRzJ8WIs2jmNTT9NuRsg-8c5Bmfxd5wxSn8xEu_RokAgnszDC32jVI/s1600/three+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmWHrrk8LW9VuWVTRdsbGAVB3ClNJEQNQfs6YV_5fu1hn5nHjvg0L6HdERy3bBq_agSec7Z5hZeCteZzCcdwUEzRzJ8WIs2jmNTT9NuRsg-8c5Bmfxd5wxSn8xEu_RokAgnszDC32jVI/s320/three+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Lexiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003410630121759370noreply@blogger.com8