Frostbite

Publisher: Penguin (Razorbill)
Pages: 327
Publication Date: April 10, 2008
Type: Paperback, received as gift

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose... 

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory. 

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...


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Some Reasons Why This Book Earned Me Glares From Nearly Every One of My Teachers in the Past Two Days, or, alternately, Some Reasons Why This Book is Absolutely Fantastic:


When the heroine acts like an asshole, people don't just brush it away!


When Rose acts stupidly, says something cruel, does something she most certainly shouldn't have, it isn't simply ignored, or excused.  People call her on it. Even better, she calls herself on it.  For once, a heroine who won't completely refuse to admit they've ever done wrong!  You can't believe how wonderful that was to see.


Also, while her words or actions are very frustrating at times, there is a reason, though it's only hinted at in this novel.  Part of it's just Rose and her fiery temper, but part of it's . . . not.


There are fascinating new characters!


Quite a few of them, actually, but the most notable being Tasha, Adrian, and Janine, Rose's mother.  I loved all of them in their own way; Tasha for her fiery independence so uncommon in Moroi, Adrian for being intriguingly assholian (as well as just plain intriguing), and Janine for being an emotionally stunted badass who still tries despite it all.  They were all wonderful additions to the cast, and I'm interested to see the roles they'll have in the rest of the series.


There are real, complex relationships!


There wasn't one relationship in this book that didn't ring true.  Not only Rose's relationships, but side relationships such as Lissa and Christian, Dimitri and Tasha, even Lissa and Adrian.  Many times, in YA fantasies or paranormals, I've seen "They're supernatural creatures!" or "It's not like our world!" used to dismiss ludicrously unrealistic relationships.  Not so with Vampire Academy.  Despite the heavy influence their supernatural world and origin has on this cast, their interactions and emotions are so brilliantly believable that I can't help but love them.

Holy character development, Batman!

Seriously.

There's our protagonist, Rose, who's come so far from the rebellious, impetuous teenager we first met at the beginning of Vampire Academy.  There was some growth in VA, but in Frostbite, it is a million times more extensive.  She emerges from this novel with a gravity and maturity that one could scarcely even glimpse in her younger self.  Yes, she's still a spirited, snarky teenager, but she is also more, and I love it.

However, Rose isn't the only one to see some fantastic character development.  There are a lot of characters that get expanded upon--in fact, I can think of very few that didn't see some development in this novel.  The most notable example, aside from our heroine, would most certainly be Mia.

Man, am I glad those VA fans were right.  Her characterization in VA was by far my biggest critique, and in Frostbite, Richelle Mead delivered, just as all the fans promised she would.  I don't want to spoil much, but I'll just say that Mia becomes far more than the flat schoolgirl antagonist, and it was a great thing to see.  I expect her character will be developed even further in the books to come.

And, perhaps best of all: The emotion.

I'm going to be frank here: it is very rarely that a non-contemporary novel makes me cry.

Even when characters die, it often just does not affect me in the same way; I may be distinctly sad, but it does not often touch me to the point of tears.

But while there was no sobbing or dramatic animal noises, at one point, I did tear up.  Because the emotion was so raw and genuine and painful that for a moment I was certain I'd lost someone, too.

That, above all else, is why I salute Mead for this novel.  

It's technically 4.5 stars, but I enjoyed this novel far too much not to round it to a 5.

Vampire Academy

Publisher: Penguin (Razorbill)
Pages: 332
Publication Date: August 16, 2007
Type: Paperback, received as gift

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.


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I liked this quite a bit.


I've seen crazy hype for this one.  Vampire Academy is one of the few series that earned gushing not only from my online friends but from numerous real life friends who'd read the books and absolutely adored them.  Considering how many of these friends were also staunch supporters of "Twilight," and The Daily Beast's blurb on the back cover, I was more than a bit wary.  But eventually, the positive reviews became too much, and I caved.


I'm glad I did.

Quite simply, this book is refreshing.  From the wonderfully unique concept that makes vampires sympathetic characters without turning them into sparkling fairies, to the snarky, kick-ass heroine who embraces her good looks and sexuality, this book was different and fantastic and I really, really loved it.

Mead's plotting was excellent; not only is the base idea incredibly new and intriguing, but the plot itself is creative and addictive.  There were no lulls, no sections where I felt my interest slowly waning.  This book captured me from start to finish, and it was almost a physical pain to set it down.

Even more than the plot, though, I enjoyed the characters and their relationships with one another. As mentioned above, I absolutely adored Rose; she's strong, confident, sarcastic, imperfect.  She's gorgeous, others know it, and she fully accepts that.  She's extremely flawed, others know it, and she accepts that.  No one's trying to pretend Rose is anything close to perfect, and that makes me love her all the more.

Perhaps even better than Rose's characterization, though, were her relationships with others. First of all: her friendship with Lissa.  It was fantastic.  So often in YA nowadays, "best friends" are either included for the sake of a) encouraging the protagonist to make bad decisions, b) giving them a makeover, or c) making the reader want to beat their brains out with a blunt spoon.  This is not the case with Lissa.  Lissa is absolutely crucial to the plot, and more importantly, her relationship with Rose is entirely genuine.  Even aside from their bond, these two just had such a fantastic, believable chemistry with one another.  They felt like actual best friends.  Major kudos to Richelle Mead for handling the best friend dynamic so wonderfully.

Second of all: her relationship with Dimitri.  That, that is how you build a romantic relationship.  No instantaneous swooning.  No completely forgetting every other person in the world.  No dramatic declarations of love.  Just two people with a mutual physical attraction and mutual respect that gradually grows into something more.  I know many were troubled by the age difference, but frankly, when you compare this to most vampire-human romances, or angel-human romances, or really any supernatural-human romance, is a seven year difference really that huge a deal when many YA heroines are tackling a difference of several hundred years?

I, at least, did not think so.

I also really loved the central antagonist of this story.  He was twisted, misguided, but not entirely wrong.  I could understand him. Did I disapprove of his methods? Most certainly.  But I understood his goals, and why he might feel like this was the only course, like this would all be for the greater good.  Fucked up antagonists with legitimately good intentions have always been the most fascinating to me.

The only thing I didn't like about this novel was the characterization of Mia.  For most of the novel, she was painfully two-dimensional, an annoying high-school-level antagonist to stir up drama.  At one point, I thought Mead was going to go a bit deeper, give Mia some actual depth, but then that fell flat. (No pun intended.)  However, I have heard from several fans that Mia's character does, indeed, get fleshed out throughout the series, so I'll be interested to see how that goes as I read on.

Overall, this was a very, very enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it, even to those who aren't typically a fan of vampires. You might be surprised.

4.5 stars.

Immortal City

Publisher: Penguin (Razorbill)
Pages: 336
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Type: ARC, won

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.

He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.


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This will be a fairly short review, because I really don't have much to say about this novel.  In fact, my opinion of the entire book can essentially be summed up in one sentence:  I loathed almost every single character, but it still managed to entertain me.


The characters were insufferable.  They were all selfish, annoying, idiotic assholes, or so ridiculously one dimensional that it was impossible to take them seriously.  Maddy and Jacks are textbook examples of a PNR romance, and Maddy in particular fits the Mary Sue qualifications to the T.  She's quiet, thinks she's nothing special, is convinced that her great dashing supernatural hero could never love her, yet everyone fawns over her looks and adores her for no evident reason, and the love interest is completely smitten (and must spend the entire book assuring her of this).  Don't even mention Gwen to me.  If you needed any more of a sign that this novel was written by a male, Gwen is all the proof you could ask for.  I won't go into the details, but let's just say that if real girls said "OMG" as frequently as Miss Gwen, I'd have stabbed myself in the ear long ago.


Honestly, the only character I liked was David Sylvester, because he was just a badass.


Despite hating all the characters, though, it must be said that this novel did genuinely entertain me and demand my attention.  The beginning was a bit slow, but once I really got into this, I didn't want to put it down.  It's not that the plot was exceptionally new and complex, or that there was action at every turn, but something about this book made it intensely readable, and I respect that.  While I really despised this novel's casts, it still was, to some extent, an enjoyable read.


So this one earns 3 stars, and a tentative recommendation.  If you're looking for mindless entertainment and can stomach the typical PNR formula, I'd recommend you give it a try.

Deadly Little Secret

Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 252
Publication Date: December 23, 2008
Type: Paperback, won

Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.


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I'm going to be upfront here: I read this book because I expected it to be bad.


Typically, when deciding my latest read, I go for the ones that I think I'll genuinely enjoy.  The only exception is when I have just finished a really fantastic book, and I'm aware that any book I read after it won't be as enjoyable as it otherwise might have been; I don't want to do that to a book that I think I WILL be quite fond of, so I tend to steer towards books that I don't expect to be exceptional.  My friends' opinions of this one ranged from "meh" to "ich," and I already had a copy, so I thought, Why not? 


Well. I was looking for a middling to awful read, and I got one.

This book was far, far too short.  At 252 pages, it's exceptionally small for a paranormal read.  With a basis like this, you could do so much--delve deeper into the topic of psychometry, expand on the apparently troubling family issues, create real setting and mood and characters.

But this book does none of that.  The paranormal aspect is an afterthought, a little quirk to help the story along.  Random family drama is thrown in to explain why the fuck this girl isn't telling her parents about life-threatening danger, explained in a paragraph, and resolved in a few sentences.  I had scarcely any feel for the setting.  The stalking never instilled any real fear in me, even when read alone at night, and when the climax finally came, it was a few pages long, lacking any tension or thrill, and settled in such a ridiculously easy manner that I simply sat there and thought, that's all?

Worst of all, though, are the characters.

Where do I begin?  With Kimmie, the idiotic, boy-obsessed "designer" who narrowly loses to Haven for the title of Worst Best Friend in Extence?  With Wes, who seems to serve no purpose other than to make innuendos and be a scapegoat to explain away our MC's idiocy?  With essentially all the parents mentioned in this story, who were so ridiculously unrealistic that I simply sat there and giggled every time one of their scenes appeared?

Or perhaps Ben and Camelia, our love interest and our heroine.  I don't think, in all my days of YA PNR reading, I have ever found a couple less exciting or more devoid of any chemistry whatsoever.  Their relationship is based off of secrets, extreme mistrust, stalking, and ~sensuous touches~.  I find it hard to get behind a boy that the MC is somewhat terrified of for 90% of the book.  I find it hard to get behind a relationship between two people who know scarcely a thing about one another and are so very deep and attached because they talked about dead girlfriends and creepy stalkers and made out.  

Also, honestly, what was with the hand porn?  These guys would just sort of . . . stroke one another, and it was supposed to be very touching and romantic and wait I wasn't supposed to be laughing hysterically?

Oops.

Finally, perhaps my biggest pet peeve of all: CAMELIA. IS. A. MORON. A moron!  You get stalkerish pictures in the mail, someone mysterious calls you, threatens you, leaves you presents, and breaks into your house and shreds their present to bits.  You are told from the psychometric dude that this stalker will KILL YOU.

So you call the police, right? Or you at LEAST tell your parents and let them sort it out.  Right?

Wrong!

Camelia tells her friends. And that is it.  No parents because, oh no, we wouldn't want to worry them! It's not like your life is in danger or anything!  And no police, because a mysterious boy who you know nothing about  and who may possibly be a killer says he doesn't trust them!

I just could not with that idiocy.  I still don't understand how one manages to live their life with zero care for self preservation.

(Oh, right.  The hot boys save them.  Of course! Because clearly heroines aren't capable of rescuing themselves and need big, strong men to rescue them every time.)

After all my ranting, you probably expect a 1, but it didn't quite reach that level.  The writing, aside from a few awkward descriptions, was quite decent, and Stolarz clearly has a decent sense of humor, though the large majority of these characters' quips are nothing you would ever catch leaving a teen's mouth.

So 2 stars for this one, and a hearty recommendation to stay far, far away from it.

Sweet Evil

Publisher: HarperCollins (HarperTeen)
Pages: 441
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Type: ARC, received as gift

What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

A cross-country trip to meet her father forces Anna to face the reality that hope and love are not options for her kind. When she confronts her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?


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This book was a very quick, enjoyable read, but there were a few things that really soured my reading experience.


There were a number of things that I liked. I liked it's readability; I read the bulk of this in less than a day, constantly shunning my schoolwork in favor of reading another chapter.  I wanted to read on, and I love when a book keeps me invested enough for that to happen.


I really enjoyed the whole concept of this, with the Dukes, the Legionnaires, and the Nephs.  It was fascinating and unique and I loved every glimpse we got into this dark and crazy world.


I liked that family--whether it was the Nephs' parents or Patti--played a huge role in this.  I know I've said as much in several previous reviews, but I really do love when family is actually relevant to a book's plot and not simply shoved aside because they might interfere with the protagonist's doings.


I liked Kaidan despite myself.  I disliked the way he objectified Anna. I disliked his constant mood reversals. But the shallow part of me was attracted to him, and the not-quite-as-shallow part of me gave him a nod for effort.  There's something to be said about someone fighting their rules and their nature to do what's right, or defend what they care about.


Despite this, though, there was one thing that truly bothered me, and that ruined what otherwise would've been an enjoyable read: the messages this book sends.


Slut-shaming.  Scorning/looking with disdain upon/judging other girls because they have big boobs, they wear tight shirts and short skirts, they dare to flirt with the guys around them.  Clearly, they must be sluts and empty-minded, terrible people.  Anna has too much of a conscience to blatantly think something along those lines, but the narration constantly notes and belittles girls for their choice of clothing or behavior.  Furthermore, all the girls who flirt with Kaidan are made out to be lusty airheads.


I hate the message that this sends. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.  And it's most certainly not just this book; frighteningly enough, I've seen much, much worse.  But diminishing girls because they dared to wear the clothes they wanted and talk to boys? Not okay. Never okay.


And, along those lines, the idea that virginity somehow makes you a pure and beautiful soul.  Anna's virginity is considered disgusting to all the evil, lusty demons; it's suggested that she be deflowered as soon as possible, because this will lead her further down the path to sin.


Um, excuse me?


I'm sorry, but someone's sexual activities does not say anything whatsoever about a person's character.  You can be a fantastic person regardless of how many people you have or have not fucked, and the same thing applies to you being an asshole.  Being a virgin does not make you a beautiful unicorn.


Aside from the disturbing messages, there was also a fair amount of telling, both in dialogue and in narration.  Fortunately, it never became too overwhelming, and didn't seriously hinder the reading experience.  I just cringed a bit whenever I saw a few solid paragraphs of dialogue.


In the end, would I recommend this?  I suppose.  It was an entertaining read, and will certainly appeal to fans of angel and demon lore.  My personal issues with the messages this book contains hindered me from truly enjoying this, but I'll stick around for the sequel to see where it takes us.


3 stars.

Hallowed

Publisher: HarperCollins (HarperTeen)
Pages: 404
Publication Date: January 17, 2012
Type: Hardback, bought

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.


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Middle books are infamous for being the worst part of a trilogy; they're almost always a good deal slower, with a far less prominent and individual plot.  Oftentimes, they're mostly a link between the first book and the third.


That said, this is one of the best middle books I've ever read.


Things are slower.  Don't go into this expecting a crazy, never-ending ride full of nonstop action and drama.  There is action, there is drama, but there's far more focus on understanding relationships between the characters,  uncovering the secrets that were barely touched upon in Unearthly, and, to a certain extent, Clara discovering who she is along with it all.


I am going to say this upfront: I typically loathe love triangles.  To me, they often feel so painfully forced, an obvious plot device to add "drama" and "tension," etc. etc.  It's as if most authors think it's now expected of them, that there book wouldn't be whole without one.  There are many reasons that these bother me a good deal:

• I have literally never seen multiple guys chasing after one girl
• Oftentimes, the girl in question is unremarkable in every way, so the idea that several boys are interested in her is laughable, to put it mildly
• It is used as an opportunity for angst throughout the entire book/series
• It is often painfully obvious who the girl will choose, to the point that it's almost insulting the reader's intelligence to pretend they don't realize
• Typically, love triangle leads to shenanigans that result in me despising the main character

So, as you can see, I'm not a fan. But the thing is?

This love triangle is possibly the best I've ever seen.

I could detail all the reasons it defies the numerous problems I've listed above, but all I'm going to say is this:  I can understand perfectly how Clara could love them both, because I love them both.  I can understand perfectly how difficult it is for her to choose, because I couldn't choose.  I adore both of the boys, in all their loveliness and idiocy, all their macho acts and genuine sensitivity.  I truly love them both, and she truly loves them too.

Aside from beautifully tackling the dreaded love triangle, Hand also deals expertly with themes of family, rocky friendship, rebellion, and grief.  I think my favorite part of the novel was simply the emotions.  I can't really express their brilliance any better than this: Cynthia Hand gets it.  She gets people.  Sometimes, when I read about joy, indecision, wonder, crippling grief, I feel like they are pretty words on paper, a description of how these things are supposed to feel.  When I read through Clara, I thought, This is it.  This girl, in this situation, that is exactly how she would think, how she would feel, what she would say.  And that, above all else, is what really made this book for me.

It wasn't flawless.  There was a reveal that seemed almost like a repeat of the last book, a bit contrived.  There were some genuinely fascinating backstories that I think more time should've been devoted to, though I suspect at least some will be embellished in the final installment.  Occasionally, the descriptions would earn a raised brow.

But in the end, this is a book that made me laugh, and almost made me cry, and I really, really loved it.  4.5 again.  If Mrs. Hand keeps this up, I suspect the conclusion will earn a glowing 5.

Unearthly

Publisher: HarperCollins (HarperTeen)
Pages: 435
Publication Date: January 4, 2011
Type: Paperback, won

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.


Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.


As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?


Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.


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I didn't expect to love this so much.


I know, I know.  That's what everyone says!  The cover, the pitch, the genre itself--they're all so very, very misleading. But me, I read this over a year after publication.  I'd already seen the reviews claiming that this wasn't your typical angel book, that this was different, fantastic, sheer awesome, etc.  So I wanted to love it. I wanted to fall for this as hard as everyone else. 


But at first, I wasn't certain that would happen.  At first, it seemed fairly stereotypical.  Girl with supernatural abilities, new school, hot guy, the works.  I was nervous.  


Then, when I saw that I'd stayed up till two in the morning reading this, I realized just how very awesome this novel happens to be.


This book looks down at a sea of PNRs and laughs in their faces.  And why?


There is family.  No conveniently disappearing parents, an actual sibling with actual importance.  Real interactions with real relevance to the plot, family dynamics that are wonderfully realistic despite their supernatural abilities.


There are friends that you don't want to constantly punch in the face.  Friends that aren't the stereotypical I-just-drank-ten-lattes-and-I'm-also-ridiculously-gorgeous creatures one tends to find in YA today.  Friends that don't just disregard everything that leaves the MC's mouth, but also don't put up with their bullshit.


There is angel mythology.  You know, actual angel mythology?  Not just whatever random rules happen to fit your PNR?  So often nowadays, authors decide it's a good idea to just create their own versions of angel mythology, where fallen angels are good and hot and "good" angels have nothing better to do than fall in love within the span of three seconds.  Cynthia Hand doesn't make that mistake.  Her fallen angels make sense.  They can make themselves appear beautiful, yes, but they're evil, and weighed down by a constant grief that comes from disobeying god.  And the angel-bloods? They have a purpose, a reason they were put on this earth.  That is what angels are.  So thank you, Cynthia Hand.  Thank you very, very much.


There is an actual romance.  Not a guy and a girl who see each other, find one another insanely attractive, make googly eyes, and fall "in love" before they've even spoken five words.  I won't even attempt to deny that one of my favorite parts of Unearthly was Tucker and Clara's relationship, because I felt it.  Because I felt that they genuinely knew each other, cared for each other, fit together as a couple should, and when they finally kissed, the butterflies in my stomach just about exploded.


There is Clara.  Clara, who can be self-centered, brash, awkward.  Clara, who cares about her friends and her family and doesn't pretend she's anything close to perfect.  Clara, who felt more like a real teenage girl than almost any purely human MC I've ever read.


So, I adored this.  Because of the beginning, and the fact that the writing tripped me up several times throughout the book, I can't give this five stars, but it is most definitely more of a 4.5 .  Highly recommended.

Nevermore

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Atheneum Books)

Pages: 543

Publication Date: August 31, 2010

Type: Paperback, bought

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear that he'd rather not have anything to do with her, either. But soon Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her freinds and possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying shories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. 

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagned and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Can she save Varen from the madness taking hold of him? Or will they both be consumed by the shadows of his nightmares?

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*Disclaimer* I am writing this semi-blind, so if there are an abundance of typos, please inform me, and I shall go over this as soon as I receive glasses.  Also, it will be rather short.  My apologies.

I so wanted this one to be good.  It seemed to have gotten a much more positive response than the majority of YA PNRs in the market today, and it was based off of Poe. I absolutely adore Poe, so that immediately sold it for me.

I was a bit confused when I originally looked at the rating on Goodreads.  It was not a bad rating, certainly, but not nearly as high a rating as I'd expected, considering all the top reviews were four or five stars.  And then when I finished, I couldn't fathom how people might give this less than a four.  But then I realized.  While I certainly do not have proof of this, I'd wager a guess that the one or two stars came from those who read the first 100 pages or so and then just gave up. DNF. One or two stars.

I will admit that the first 100 pages or so are a bit of a slog.  It would seem that stereotypes and melodrama abound, and there is little-to-no supernatural to be seen.  I was a bit put off, but I reminded myself of the glowing reviews and the fact that this book had 443 pages left, and I pushed on.

I am so glad I did.

This book is everything I wish paranormals of today would be.  It is dark and haunting and ridiculously creative.  It is a book with real characters and real relationships and real emotion.  It doesn't just have a plot  -- it has a crazy, beautiful, ridiculously complex story spanning over 500 pages without dragging.  It is centered largely around the works of a literary god and does him justice.  It has a female main character that thinks for herself and doesn't need a guy to prove her self-worth. It is fantastic.

I could ramble to you for pages about the gorgeous descriptions and incredible characters and mind-blowing world, but I'd rather not, because I think you might get a little tired, and my eyes hurt.  Suffice it to say this book rocked my (nonexistent) socks.  It was not flawless--there were a couple characters, like Alyssa and Mark and Lacy, who did stray into the realm of flat stereotypes, and some aspects of the plot could've picked up a bit sooner.  But honestly, that didn't really affect the sheer awesomeness of this book.  While this is technically a 4.5, I have no regrets in rounding it to a 5.  August had better come soon (or an Enshadowed ARC had better come sooner).

P.S. My friend and I spent about half an hour trying to decipher the words on the cover, despite my sister insisting that the cover maker did not intend them to be deciphered.  We were only able to make out a few small words and phrases.  If anyone else managed to make out more, I would love to hear about it . . . *hint hint*

Cold Kiss

It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.

Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what she must do—is to bring Danny back.

But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.

Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I  would, but was still very let down by a few aspects of it.

The writing was lovely.  I'll say that right off the bat, because that was one of the things I really, really liked. You all know I'm a big fan of lovely writing.  It was lyrical and powerful but never strayed into over-written.  It drove the whole story and made it so much easier to connect to Wren and all the crazy things she was feeling.

But Wren herself I was a little iffy on.  Sometimes I loved her, sometimes I wanted to slap some sense into her.  I loved that Garvey didn't try and paint her as the perfect heroine,  how Wren acknowledged that she was selfish and reckless and just generally terrible at making decisions.  I loved that I could feel everything she was going through, all the pain and confusion and regret and loss all bundled into one small, powerful girl.  I loved the way the power was just sort of a part of her, and the way Aunt Mari had explained it; like electricity, and they simply knew how to tap into it.  

I didn't love how she swooned for the hot new guy as soon as he came on the scene, despite the fact that her dead boyfriend was still in her neighbor's garage.  I didn't love how she strung Gabriel along, using him but then freaking out at him for trying to help.  I didn't love how she asked the stereotypical heroine question about three times--"Why do you like me?"

You may notice that all my dislikes of her revolve around Gabriel. That's because my main problem with the book revolves around Gabriel.

I think this book could've been really, truly beautiful if he did not exist.  If it was not about sending Danny to heaven because a hot boi came along, but simply about Wren and Danny and their past and their present, about Wren coping with the loss of his death and the knowledge that he never really came back, about her reconnecting with her friends and her family and her life.  So, yeah, maybe the little teen fangirls thirsty for fresh blood (no pun intended) would've been disappointed by the lack of a supernatural hot guy.  But the genuine book lovers? The people who can appreciate a good story? No. Not at all. Not the slightest bit.  This book still had some depth to it, but not nearly the amount it could have had if Gabriel simply did not exist.

It's not that I hated Gabriel.  He was better than a lot of PNR guys that girls fantasize about.  But he was also the stereotypical hot, brooding, falls-for-the-girl-the-instant-he-sees-her even though she's "nothing special" love interest that we see far too often these days. He had his moments, but the two of them moved far, far too quickly, and I never felt their chemistry like I felt Wren and Danny's.

The flashbacks with Wren and Danny were lovely.  By the time the book is coming to a close, the reader has a very strong feel for Wren and Danny's relationship, and it was adorable and sweet and real.  I genuinely felt that she loved him and he loved her and her without him was like a puzzle missing a crucial piece.  The only thing I did not like was a quote at the very beginning of the book, where Wren talks about how her relationship with him became her entire life, and then how "that's the kind of love they write movies about."  This was not actually true--she didn't just shun her friends and family while she and Danny were in a relationship, we learn later.  But that is what the prologue said, and it really bothered me. Because no, that is not the kind of love they write movies about. That is not love at all. When one boy becomes more important to you than the family and friends you've known for your entire life, that is obsession, and should not be dressed up as anything else.

The only other thing that bothered me in this book was that the whole dad thing was never wrapped up.  I seriously respect Garvey for writing a stand-alone PNR, because these days that's almost unheard of. Most of 'em like to milk the cash cow for all its worth.  However, there wasn't any explanation as far as Wren's dad was concerned.  It's one thing to have an open ending and another to explain nothing whatsoever.

I debated between 3 and 4 stars for this one.  Settled with 3, but it's more of a 3.5.  It's a good read with good writing, just could've been a lot more powerful.

3 stars.

Carrier of the Mark

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

So, most of you know why I was so eager to read this.  For one thing, this is the first book published from inkpop, a site for young writers, a site I incidentally happen to be on. And for another, Leigh is awesome.  So I've been awaiting the release date for months.  When I heard I'd won an ARC in a sweepstakes, I was extremely happy, although, ironically, the ARC did not arrive until a couple days after the publishing date.

Carrier of the Mark was a quick read, and while it was by no means perfect, it was enchanting and unique and a lovely debut.

Writing

First, something I must address: the setting. Ireland! It's Ireland! I love Ireland, and I loved reading about it.  Leigh really brought it to life, both with descriptions of the surroundings and just the little words and phrases the characters would use that you wouldn't hear in America.  I loved that. The setting was perfect.

Setting aside, for the most part, Leigh's writing was very solid.  It was a fairly simple writing style, and it worked. The focus of this book was the plot and the characters, not the writing.  Also, I loved some of the scenes where they were using their magic--she had a great way of describing them.

However, I did have one major nitpick.  Dialogue info-dumping.  There were many times throughout the book when characters would suddenly launch into very long-winded explanations that left me very confused and that I had to read over several times to understand, or they would just begin these long stories about themselves.  While I understand dialogue is a convenient way to get these stories across, it just doesn't work. People really do not talk like that, and it was a bit hard to follow.

But despite my nitpick, I liked Leigh's writing. It worked for the story.

Characters

Carrier of the Mark has a pretty wide cast of characters. I'm going to try not to focus on all of them individually, so we'll see how I do.

Megan, our MC, was a pretty good protagonist.   Possibly the thing I loved most about her was that she is that normal girl that so many paranormal romances try to make their MC out to be, despite all the powers and magic.  Unlike a lot of the "normal girls" in PR, Megan actually seemed genuinely normal with the way she acted and reacted, and even just the way she thought.  However, that can also be a bit of a negative, because sometimes her thoughts about Adam made me roll my eyes a little bit.  But lusty/in love teenage girls tend to get gushy.

Adam, our love interest . . . I liked Adam. I didn't love him, but I liked him. There were some times that I really liked him, some times that he was just okay with me.  Nothing about him really bothered me, except for his appearance--I don't get why he had to be gorgeous.  It's not like part of being a Marked One is being extremely physically attractive.  I just wish there weren't so many gorgeous boys in YA today, because it sets a girl's standards extremely high and just lets her down in the end.

But aside from his appearance, I did like our love interest.  He was cute and sweet and sometimes even awkward, which was a nice change.

Other characters:

Fionn--Liked him, though his dialogue often seemed unrealistic to me and he liked launching into narratives. Still, he was a good father figure.

Aine--Liked her; she was funny and friendly and just generally a likable character. I did pronounce her name as "Ain" throughout the book, though, because my mind just wouldn't process the spelling and the actual pronunciation.

Rian--Really liked him. Felt bad for him, because he kinda got the short end of the stick, with his element and all.

Caitlyn--Sometimes I really liked her, sometimes she irked me with her gushing and girl-talk. But it's like with Megan; that's realistic as far as teenage girls go, it's just not always fun to read.

That's all I'm going to cover because I don't want to go on and on.  Overall, I liked the cast of Carrier of the Mark.

Plot

Hmmm.

On the one hand, Leigh has an incredible imagination.  This world, these legends and groups and magics she thought up are all so intricate and unique.  I seriously respect her for creating something like this; I know I definitely couldn't.

On the other hand, though, while the basis of the plot itself was very unique, the plot devices were not as unique.  A lot of things that happened rang familiar to me, just some typical plot devices that are a bit too overused.

My main problem with the plot, though, would be the speed of things.  At some parts things happen so quickly, and at others they take a long time to finally occur.  When we finally reach the big drama at the end, it lasts about 10 pages.

Although, despite its brevity, I did really like the drama that occurred at the end.  I've seen a lot of people compare this to Twilight, but the big difference here is Megan. Megan doesn't just sit around and get rescued.  Megan does something. Megan becomes badass when she has to.

Last thing to mention: the romance.  

A lot of people had trouble with the romance. How very fast it moved.  But to make my reading experience more enjoyable, I decided my own version of it.  I decided that for those first few days/weeks when they're all kissy-lovey, it's their elements attracting.  The real feelings slowly build over the months until, when they say that they love each other, they really mean it.  When you go with that explanation, it's not so bad, is it?

All in all, while it wasn't perfect, the plot was unique and never lost my interest.

Overall

The YA world needs more classic magic.  The setting of this story combined with the idea of it all makes for something really enchanting.  While it may not be for everyone, Carrier of the Mark is a lovely debut novel by a lovely author.  And if the reviews and summary don't convince you to buy it, look at the gorgeous cover.  You know you want to.