ARC Book Review: House of Ivy & Sorrow by Natalie Whipple

Title: House of Ivy & Sorrow
Author: Natalie Whipple
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions:  Very pretty.  I love the title, though it is a little misleading.  I do feel like the cover is missing some focal point and I find myself trying to figure out if there is some pattern to the image behind the writing.

The Gist: Josephine Hemlock is a young witch in training living with her grandmother in their mysterious and powerful house.  The last of the Hemlock line, she is constantly in fear of the curse that took her mother and the witch that cast it.  When a mysterious stranger comes to town covered in a darkness Jo has never seen before, she realizes that it is time to stop hiding and time to start fighting.  But, the spell is stronger than she ever realized and fighting it may not only put her in danger, but also all the people that she loves. 

Review:

First off, a disclaimer.  In order to enjoy this novel, you have to realize that, despite the gothic title and the fanciful cover, this is not a dark and sorrowful tale.  I believe this was poor marketing as it is setting readers up for one type of story and leaving them disappointed when they get another.  If you can accept that this is not an author attempting to give Poe a run for his money, you can settle in and enjoy a fun story with some interesting world building and enjoyable, if not all that well developed, characters.

The best part of this novel was the world building.  It had an interesting take on witches and magic where nothing came without a sacrifice.  This led to some pretty gruesome scenes where characters yanked out handfuls of hair, chopped off pieces of flesh or even (YUCK!) pulled out their own fingernails.  I really liked how the witches had to sacrifice for what they wanted and that it made them think about how much they were willing to give up, as opposed to many other books where the witches cast spells willy nilly. 

I also really enjoyed the relationship between the three girls.  So many books today show the catty side of teenage girls and allow the story to get bogged down with nastiness and jealousy.  I was happy that in House of Ivy and Sorrow Jo, Kat and Gwen showed an intense loyalty and a willingness to sacrifice for one another. 

While the novel was relatively fast paced, with one disaster following another, it did suffer slightly in that I didn't quite understand how the curse worked and the twists were a tad predictable.  Where it really got waylaid was in the puppy love between Jo and Winn.  Their sweeter than sugar romance became more than a little nauseating as the novel wore on and I could never see (other than the fact that he was handsome) what Jo actually saw in Winn.  There was also the fact that Jo was constantly being proclaimed as the most beautiful creature in the entire world and that everybody immediately wanted her.  I believe we could have gotten a more well rounded character and relatable character if we were not told over and over again how drop dead gorgeous she was, as if that one defining characteristic eclipsed all others.  

I actually liked this book and had a fun time reading it, despite its downfalls.  I don't think that this is meant to be a series, but I would definitely pick up a sequel if it were offered, if only for the interesting witchy world that this one presented. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Girls
Sex: Kissing, Making out - nothing particularly racy.
Violence: Self mutilation: removal of hair, skin and fingernails
Inappropriate Language: Piss, Shit, Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse: None

In Anticipation: April 2014

Time to leave the cold, blustery March behind and move into rubber boots and rainy, reading days.  There are lots of great titles being released this month.  Here are just a few of the ones that I am highly anticipating.

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

In the epic sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel, The School for Good and Evil, Sophie and Agatha are home, living out their Ever After. But life isn’t quite the fairy tale they expected.

When Agatha secretly wishes she’d chosen a different happy ending, she reopens the gates to the School for Good and Evil. But the world she and Sophie once knew has changed.

Witches and princesses, warlocks and princes are no longer enemies. New bonds are forming; old bonds are being shattered. But underneath this uneasy arrangement, a war is brewing and a dangerous enemy rises. As Agatha and Sophie battle to restore peace, an unexpected threat could destroy everything, and everyone, they love—and this time, it comes from within.

Soman Chainani has created a spectacular world that Newbery Medal-winning author Ann M. Martin calls, “a fairy tale like no other, complete with romance, magic, and humor that will keep you turning pages until the end.”




Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick.

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared

Sleep No More by Aprilynne Pike

Oracles see the future but are never supposed to interfere. Charlotte learned that the hard way. If she hadn't tried to change one of her childhood visions, her father would still be alive. Since the accident, Charlotte has suppressed her visions to avoid making the same mistake. But when she receives a premonition of a classmate's murder, she can no longer ignore her powerful gift.

Then Charlotte meets someone who not only knows her secret but who also has a way for her to stop the killer. He offers to teach her how to manipulate her visions to change the future. But doing so will put Charlotte in the path of the murderer.…

Aprilynne Pike's bestselling Wings series was called "remarkable" by Stephenie Meyer, bestselling author of the Twilight Saga. And her most recent novel, Life After Theft, was cheered as a "whirlwind adventure" by School Library Journal. Now Aprilynne returns with this exhilarating departure from her previous novels. Sleep No More is a psychological thrill ride that is sure to keep readers' hearts racing until the very end.

 The Break Up Artist by Philip Siegel
Some sixteen-year-olds babysit for extra cash. Some work at the Gap. Becca Williamson breaks up couples. 



After watching her sister get left at the altar, Becca knows the true damage that comes when people utter the dreaded L-word. For just $100 via paypal, she can trick and manipulate any couple into smithereens. With relationship zombies overrunning her school, and treating single girls like second class citizens, business is unfortunately booming. Even her best friend Val has resorted to outright lies to snag a boyfriend.

One night, she receives a mysterious offer to break up the homecoming king and queen, the one zombie couple to rule them all: Steve and Huxley. They are a JFK and Jackie O in training, masters of sweeping faux-mantic gestures, but if Becca can split them up, then school will be safe again for singletons. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date and wiggle her way back into her former BFF Huxley’s life – not to mention start a few rumors, sabotage some cell phones, break into a car, and fend off the inappropriate feelings she’s having about Val’s new boyfriend. All while avoiding a past victim out to expose her true identity.

No one said being the Break-Up Artist was easy.

Stacking the Shelves (29)

 

Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

A few really great titles this week  Don't Look Back promises to be a great suspense story.  I haven't read anything by Armentrout before, but I have heard great things.  I am really excited about the premise behind The Break Up Artist - a teenage girl who, for a price, can break up any power couple.  I am hoping for a little Veronica Mars-esque shenanigans.  How to Fall is another thriller.  There isn't a whole lot in the synopsis, but Jane Casey appears to have written some pretty successful adult mysteries and I am hoping she will bring the same to her YA writing. 

ARC Book Review: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

Title: A World Without Princes
Author: Soman Chainani
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions:  I love, love, love the cover art for this series.  The expression of distrust and wariness on the girls' faces is perfect and the colors are just stunning.  There is so much detail that I keep picking up on things that I never noticed the first time around.  Anyone know who the artist is?

Review:
Sophie and Agatha are back at home, but things have not ended so happily ever after.  Sophie is fighting to stay the centre of attention as her father plans to re-marry and Agatha is secretly dreaming of the price that she left behind.  When she secretly wishes for a new ending, Agatha re-opens their story and re-writes the rules of their fairy tale world.  Back at the School for Good and Evil, girls are fighting against boys and no one is getting a happy ending.  Agatha and Sophie must steal the Storian and finish their story once and for all, but how can they work together when they don't really want the same things?

I really love the premise behind this series.  Fairy tales are even more fun when they are turned on their ear and Chainani does an excellent job of re-writing the rules for a new generation.  I was so dismayed to see what had happened to the school, standing on the brink of war between the genders and so thrilled to see that the Three Witches were the only ones not taken in by the new roles.  Still, I NEED MORE WITCHES, Hester, Anadil, and Dot were my favorite part of the first book and, though they play an important role in this one, there is still just not enough.  Can I get a side story or novella that just features them??  I am also a big fan of how the evil in this story did not take on the traditional form and came from a more unexpected place.

The story itself was fast paced and fun.  It was frustrating to see Sophie and Agatha mistrust each other so much but it added some great conflict that had nothing to do with the traditional love triangle and everything to do with their own relationship.  Though there was an aspect of romance, the story did not get bogged down with this story and instead explored the friendship between the girls and their own struggle with good and evil.  The character did fall a little flat for me this time around.  I found Agatha's suspicion of Sophie without proof more than a little annoying and her desire for a boy that wanted to murder her best friend, more than a little unbelievable.  How can Sophie show that she is loyal if you never give her a chance?
She seemed like such an intelligent character the first time around and I am not sure where that girl went.  The one thing that I appreciated much more in this book was getting some backstory on the girls' parents and the issues surrounding their town.  There were some unanswered questions about Sophie's parents' relationship and I am hoping the answer will be found in the third book, shedding some light on why Sophie is the way that she is.

This novel also featured some amazing illustrations.  I love middle grade novels that have illustrations.  It adds so much to the book to see how someone else is picturing a particular character or scene and I got a little thrill every time that I came across one. 

I have to say, there was one aspect that threw me off a little.  It almost seemed like the plot being centered around Sophie and Agatha's "mistake" and the dangerous circumstances that result was a criticism of women who don't "need" men.  There seemed to be a lot of pressure for Agatha to make the "right" choice - which just happened to be reuniting with her prince (a man and attempted murderer). 

The only people who seemed genuinely happy in the girls being one another's soulmate, were being hoodwinked by the BadGuy.  I found this theme very distracting as I kept wondering where exactly the author was going with this.  I certainly didn't see this in the first book, and am very much hoping that it will be resolved in the third.

The book ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, ensuring that I will be back for the third installment, even if it is just to see what secrets will be revealed about Sophie's parents and the fate of the School for Good and Evil.  

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 10 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Swordplay
Inappropriate Language: Ass
Substance Use/Abuse: None

Waiting on Wednesday: House of Ivy & Sorrow

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: House of Ivy & Sorrow by Natalie Whipple which is due to be released on April 15th.

Josephine Hemlock has spent the last 10 years hiding from the Curse that killed her mother. But when a mysterious man arrives at her ivy-covered, magic-fortified home, it’s clear her mother’s killer has finally come to destroy the rest of the Hemlock bloodline. Before Jo can even think about fighting back, she must figure out who she’s fighting in the first place. The more truth Jo uncovers, the deeper she falls into witchcraft darker than she ever imagined. Trapped and running out of time, she begins to wonder if the very Curse that killed her mother is the only way to save everyone she loves.

I love ivy covered houses.  As a young girl I begged my mother to stop trimming the ivy creeping up from our foundation so that mine could be a house like out of a book.  I have also always had a thing for books about witches and this one has the potential to live up their with my favorites.  I can't wait to Whipple's take on magic and curses. 

Audio Book Review: World After by Susan Ee

Title: World After
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Brilliance Audio/Skyscape
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions:  The cover works very well with the one for the first novel.  I love the difference of the bat wings this time and am hoping that is an indicator that we will get lots of Raffe this time around as well.

Review:
World After picks up directly where Angelfall left off, with Penryn back with her family - but paralyzed and left for dead.  As she begins to stir, the member of the resistance are shocked to find her alive and wary of both her, her taser wielding mother and her stitched and strange baby sister.

When the hunger drives Paige to unspeakable acts, a mob chases her away and Penryn sets forth once again to reunite her family.  This time, without Raffe.  Her search takes her deeper into the Angel's territory and reveals their nefarious plans for human beings and the world.

The world, this time around is especially bleak.  I couldn't seem to find any hope that the human race is going to survive and it is made the book a little difficult to get through.  There were very few moments of triumph or even simple success, compounded by the fact that any gains made by the human race in the last book are quickly revealed to have had no impact whatsoever.

This novel is incredibly dark and has some really disturbing scenes of violence.  I found it particularly difficult, as a mother, to listen to the scenes involving parents being separated from their children.  About halfway through, another blogger mentioned that this series is meant to be 5 books.  I am entirely sure that I could handle this level of hopelessness for that many more novels.  I feel like the battle between angels and humans is like a man and a mosquito and I seriously need a win on the human's side before I die from frustration.

Despite its darkness, or perhaps because of it, the plot is quite exciting.  There is very little downtime between action scenes and Penryn continues to be a no-nonsense, get-it-done kind of girl, so that whining about Raffe's absence is kept to a minimum.  That being said, he doesn't REALLY show up until quite near the end of the book.  This allow time for Penryn to develop as a character and for the author to explore the new relationship between the two sisters.  However, I did miss that element of sexual tension which provided at least a momentary break from the bleakness and violence of the situation.

I really enjoyed how the sword became like another character and how she had a real impact on the plot.  She shows Penryn dreams and visions which not only allow Raffe to be present in some form and to reveal his history but also serve as a very clever way to have Penryn learn to use the sword proficiently in a rather short period of time.   

I would like to note that this is not a novel for the faint of heart.  It has some truly horrific scenes of violence that can be incredibly disturbing for some readers.  There are unwanted and unnecessary surgeries, violent riots, dismemberment, disembowelment and cannibalism.

There are scenes where angels are the monsters but also ones where humans are.  I would certainly never recommend this series for anyone on the young end of the young adult spectrum but it may be right up the alley of a reader who already enjoys a serious touch of gore.

In the end, it didn't really feel like World After accomplished much.  Paige is back, again.  Penryn and Raffe are back together again.  A few of the Angel's secret plans are revealed, but it doesn't feel like anything really changed from the last book to the end of this one.  We are left just as uncertain about the fate of the human race and no real battle was fought.  At the end of Angelfall we had a huge explosion at the Aerie.  It was big, loud and brightened the mood of the reader rooting for the downtrodden humans.  This book had not such pay off and I actually found myself questioning whether or not this book was necessary.  I get it, the whole point was allowing Penryn to grow and accept Paige and for her and Raffe to find one another again, but I can't help wondering if this could have been accomplished in a novella instead.  As it is, this book just felt like unnecessary filler.

I will definitely stick around for at least one more book but I can't say that I have high hopes of finishing all 5.  The bleakness will probably do me in long before the conclusion. 


Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Swordplay, Gunplay, Knifeplay, Violent Riots, Dismembering, Disembowelment, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Torture, Unwanted Surgeries, 
Inappropriate Language: Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse: None

Waiting on Wednesday: Far From You

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Far From You by Tess Sharpe which is due to be released on April 8th.

Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick.

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared.

 I haven't heard much about this book, or about its author.  But, I am excited for a debut novel with what sounds to be a great mystery.  I am intrigued by the secret they share and how Sophie's addiction will play out in the plot. 

ARC Book Review: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Sea of ShadowsAuthor: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  I noticed, just before reviewing this book, that a new cover had been released.  The first one, I believe, will be the hardcover and the second, the paperback.  I have to say, I much prefer the second book.  The first has some strange swirling mists that may or may not form an image.  The second has a fierce image and the coloring is just perfect. 

The Gist: Moria and Ashyn, the Keeper and the Seeker are charged with calming the spirits of those condemned to the Forest of the Dead.  This year, however, something has gone wrong.  The spirits will not be soothed and strange magics allow them to rise and attack the villagers.  With their people slaughtered and themselves separated, the sisters must travel over the wasteland in search of their village's lost children and each other.

Review:

I have been a big fan of Kelley Armstrong for a very long time.  Many moons ago, I devoured her Women Of the Otherworld series (preferring the witch side to the werewolf one).  When she started releasing YA novels, I was slightly disappointed in the quality but still buoyed up by the fact that we were still dealing with the Otherworld and the that I was already familiar with.  I had hoped, by the time Sea of Shadows was published, that the kinks would be ironed out with her YA writing and that this could be an enjoyable new series.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, I was incredibly and unequivocally wrong. 

 

Very quickly, I encountered a problem with the worldbuilding in this novel.  By the time I was 50 pages in, I still had no idea how this new mythology worked and was getting tired of all the rules that I had to be told about.  Despite being constantly reminded that the twins were super special snowflakes, I never really saw anything that was the least bit impressive. 

Yes, they can hear spirits, but this power was rarely mentioned and, when it was, the spirits didn't actually tell them anything that was anywhere near useful.  Yes, Moiria is supposed to be some famed warrior protector, but she needs just as much rescuing as her sister and is constantly being told that she isn't as strong as the men around her.  I was particularly annoyed that the author felt the need to set each girl up with a nice strong man to protect them and to serve as a love interest.   This is such an old fashioned way of writing and I am surprised that Armstrong hasn't grown out of this yet. 

There was also something strange about the pacing in the beginning of this book.  It jumped, almost immediately, into violent scenes of death, one after the other, without any time to get to know the characters or the setting.  Since I was not emotionally invested in any of the characters, their deaths had no impact and, with barely any downtime in between massacres, reading it just made me tired. 

A few deaths, spaced out, might have added to the sense of suspense; jumping in head first in this way was just overkill.  It almost felt like this was a second book, rather than a first.  In second books we have already gotten the worldbuilding out of the way and have gone through some character development so the author is able to skip right over those steps and throw the reader into the meat of the story.  It seemed like Armstrong was more interested in the blood drenched battles than in easing the reader into this new world.

Once we got through the awkward beginning, things did pick up a little.  I enjoyed the time in the wasteland and the addition of more mythical creatures to battle.  During this time, we get to know each of the girls separately and they have time to develop their connections to their male counterparts.  I have to say, my absolute favorite part of this book was the connection with their sacred animals, Tova and Daigo. 

I loved the connection between them and how the animals showed their personality.  This is a particular skill of Armstrong's as she has spent a great deal of time writing about shifters communicating in their animal forms.  The only time I found myself really invested in the story was when the fate of one of the animals was in jeopardy.

As the plot wore on, I got really tired of the twins being separated time and time again and began skimming through these parts.  By the time I got to the BIG REVEAL, I had already lost interest and was unimpressed by the attempted plot twist.  In the end, this book left me in a very "meh" sort of mood and has turned me off from reading any more of Kelley Armstrong's YA.      

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Very Violent Death Scenes, Swordplay, Talk of Rape
Inappropriate Language: Whore, Bastard, Vulgar references to sex with minors.
Substance Use/Abuse: None

ARC Book Review: Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Title: Far From You
Author: Tess Sharpe
Publisher: Disney - Hyperion
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Rating: 4.5/5

Cover Impressions:  The cover is pretty, but I don't really see the connection to the story itself.  There isn't really anything to make it stand out on the shelf. 

Review:
Sophie Winters is a survivor.  She survived a car crash that left her with a limp, physical limitations and a crushing oxy addiction.  She survived getting clean with the help of her family and she survived a brutal attack that left her best friend murdered and her locked away in rehab.  As she returns home she must face a new reality without Mina and with all eyes on her.  Under this intense scrutiny Sophie is determined to find out what actually happened that night and bring the killer to justice. 

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the book.  I don't read a great deal of mystery but, when I do, I tend to find them fairly predictable.  Far From You, however, kept me guessing for quite some time.  The mystery was solid and the plotting was well done, with tidbits of information keeping the story moving.  Sophie was a great narrator who was aware of her own limitations, but did not whine about them.  I was happy that this choice allowed me to see Sophie's struggle with her addiction in a very realistic way.  She avoids certain triggers and fights through cravings with breathing and mantras.  I have never read anything else that so thoroughly understood the constant struggle of addiction.

Where this novel really shines is in the story of love and friendship between Sophie and Mina.  It is not your conventional love story and was actually not something I was expecting.  Despite being the character who as died, Mina is not portrayed as a flawless saint as we so often do of our dead.  She is shown to be a girl who had some serious trust issues, who was childish and tempestuous and who may have put herself into a very dangerous situation.  Yet, as a reader, I truly liked her sense of fun and her unwavering loyalty to Sophie in her time of need.

The story plays out by jumping through time to points in and around several key events: the car accident and recovery, the development of Sophie's drug addiction, Sophie getting clean, The lead up and day of the murder, and the present day.  I had thought, upon starting, that this would quickly get confusing but each shift is marked by how long ago it was and what age Sophie was.  This allowed me to follow very easily and, if a reader were so inclined, you could even make a timeline of the events.  This approach actually worked very well to allow the secondary story to be fleshed out as well as to create a sense of suspense in the primary storyline.

This novel does have some adult themes and a considerable amount of swearing.  While it certainly didn't take away from the story, I would be careful about recommending this to readers who are a little too young.

Tess Sharpe has created a fan in me.  I am signing on for whatever else she has in the works.       

Notable Quotables: 

"Sometimes we were downright ruthless to each other.  For once, it isn't some cotton-candy idea of her; it's who she was, in all her maddening, heart-squeezing truth."

"I'm too in love with the idea of more and numb and gone."
 
Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing, Sex between teenagers
Violence: Statutory Rape, Gunplay, Hand to Hand Combat, Attempted Strangulation, Murder by Gunshot
Inappropriate Language: Ass, Whore, Fuck, Piss, Bitch, Jesus Christ, Shit, Dyke
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking, Abuse of Prescription Medication

Waiting on Wednesday: A World Without Princes

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani which is due to be released on April 15th

In the epic sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel, The School for Good and Evil, Sophie and Agatha are home, living out their Ever After. But life isn’t quite the fairy tale they expected.

When Agatha secretly wishes she’d chosen a different happy ending, she reopens the gates to the School for Good and Evil. But the world she and Sophie once knew has changed.

Witches and princesses, warlocks and princes are no longer enemies. New bonds are forming; old bonds are being shattered. But underneath this uneasy arrangement, a war is brewing and a dangerous enemy rises. As Agatha and Sophie battle to restore peace, an unexpected threat could destroy everything, and everyone, they love—and this time, it comes from within.

I LOVED School for Good and Evil and I can't wait to jump into that world again.  I mean, just look at that cover.  How can you NOT pick it up?  I am seriously hoping for a lot more villain action this time, especially if that involves Sophie's roomates: the three unforgettable witches.  I also have high hopes that the title means the princes are taking a backseat and the girls/women are going to be the real heros in this fairy tale. 

ARC Book Review: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer

Title: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy
Author: Kate Hattemer
Publisher: Knopf/Random House
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  This cover is interesting, but I am not sure that I love it.  The colors are a little bland and the two characters on the front are trying far to hard to look cool.

The Gist: The students at Sewlyn Arts Academy have been invaded by reality TV.  The new hit show For Art's Sake is being filmed in their halls and is pitting student against student for a once in a lifetime chance at a scholarship that could change their lives.  Mediocre student Ethan, and his friends are appalled at the changed that this has caused in their school and the way that Ethan's crush, Maura, is being portrayed.  Inspired by Ezra Pound's long poem, they decide to write one of their own - to protest and bring down For Art's Sake, even if it means losing one of their own. 

Review:
I had a difficult time with this novel.  I feel like this book was written for a reader that is far hipper than I am and I found the overly adult dialogue being spouted from the mouths of teenagers to be more annoying than refreshing.  I actually found myself finding other things to do and other things to read, rather than to finish this novel.  

This book had a bit of a strange structure.  At the beginning, there were 3 "opening" chapters that jumped around in time.  I found this to be a bit disconcerting as I was concentrating more on figuring out the time structure than in relaxing into the story.  This is repeated at the end with three "How it could have ended" chapters which did not allow me the sense of closure that I was hoping for.

My biggest problem came from the fact that there was no real sense of urgency in this story.  Yes, their school was hosting a reality show competition but, I never really felt like this impacted their life in any meaningful way.  It had to be annoying, sure, but other than having a few classes interrupted or having to avoid certain hallways, school appeared to be continuing as usual.  Instead, the characters just felt like overprivileged children that were desperate to find something to rage against.  The whole idea of protesting through the use of a long poem was so inauthentic and it turned me off the characters immediately.  I teach teenagers and even my brightest student would never find this idea the least bit appealing nor would they have any chance getting their entire student body to read it.

The story could easily have been saved if the characters had been a little more interesting.  I saw hope, the triplets were wonderful.  I loved how funny they were and the sweet way that Ethan's relationship with them was portrayed.  I found myself daydreaming about my son playing Candy Land with a (yet to be conceived) younger sister.  These moments gave me real hope for the story and the characters because they were so well written, cute and funny.  They showed a unique view of the teenage boy's personality and made for some very amusing interludes.  I actually found myself very unhappy to see them end and the "real" story pick up again.  The other characters were flat and boring.  Other than their particular talents, they didn't seem to have any personality.  Ethan's ridiculous crush on Maura was maddening, even more so when he was blind to see that he actually did have a shot with her, and self deprecation and dependence on Bacconaise in every situation became more and more annoying as the story wore on.

In the end, I was treated to a predictable plot twist and ending.  What I was not expecting was how preachy things would get.  Clearly the author has some issues regarding reality TV which, quite honestly, may be founded in a great deal of truth.  However, I was not prepared to listen to a soap box lecture on the woes of commercialization.  

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 14 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Electrocution of an animal
Inappropriate Language: Piss, Ho, Slut, Bitch
Substance Use/Abuse: None

Stacking the Shelves - (28)

Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

EBOOKS I GOT:

Lots of pretty ebooks this week!  Sometimes I go for weeks without finding a single book that I want to request or spend ages waiting on replies from publishers and then there are other weeks - like this one - where there are tons of books I want to read and snappy publishers who get back to me within hours!  I think I am most excited about Creature of Moonlight, I just love that cover!  I also just HAD to pick of Monsters and Madness as I am a sucker for anything Poe related. 

ARC Book Review: Salvage by Alexandra Duncan

Title: Salvage
Author: Alexandra Duncan
Publisher: Greenwillow/HarperCollins
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Rating: 1/5

Cover Impressions:  The cover is pretty, if a little boring.  I do appreciate how the dry and dusty print within the color font stands in juxtaposition with the blue background.

The Gist: Ava has spent her entire life aboard a merchant ship.  As the head daughter in a polygamous family she spends her days working and overseeing her sisters in the menial day to day tasks.  Bound as bride, she is led to a sister ship as the marriage negotiations seal her fate.  After a fatal mistake, she is forced to flee for her life or risk being turned out into the void.  Ava finds her way to Earth and, for the first time, sees what options may lay before her.  Options that she, as a daughter and woman, never dreamed were possible.

Review:
Salvage is one of those frustrating books, not because of what it contained, but because of what it didn't.  The element that drew me in was the whole Polygamists in space angle.  Polygamous families here on Earth are pretty fascinating all on their own.  Combine that with a community that tries to cut their children and wives off from the outside world, and things start to get scary. 

Picturing that same thing happening on board a ship where it was actually possible to live your entire life without knowing that other people have freedoms that you never even conceived as possible - now that had the possibility of being downright terrifying.  This is where my hopes went with Salvage and why I wanted to review it in the first place.  In the beginning, that is just what I got.  The sexist nature of the family/community on board the Parastrata was disturbing and the thought that it was the only way of life left (as the first few chapters led me to believe) was even more so.  However, this quickly changed as Ava was forced to flee.

My first real problem came when sweet, obedient Ava who had never stepped out of line except to secretly fix a few machines, suddenly forgets everything she has ever been taught and every secret shame that has been imbeded in her and has sex with someone that she THINKS she is going to marry and whom she barely knows.  This seemed completely out of character and, instead of getting involved in the romantic nature of their tryst, I spent this scene yelling at her to stop, and think about what she is doing. 

This theme continues as Ava escapes to earth.  The speed with which she picks things up is more than a little unrealistic and certainly did not help me relate to her.  She accepts her new life wholeheartedly, despite never even knowing that this type of life was a possibility and without any surprise or shock that she had been lied to her entire life.  She learns to read and navigate a ship in what, a few weeks?  Months?  All the while she remains flat and boring.  I understand some desire to make her this way since she was born into a society that valued blandness, but even the other characters were flat and uninteresting.  None of them seemed to have any personality quirks and their backstories were left untold.  The characters motivations confounded me especially when faced with personal tragedy and simply accepting it and moving on without so much as a moment to mourn.

Confession time: I am not the greatest lover of Science Fiction but it seemed like this one had a lot of new terminology simply for the sake of throwing it in.  I found it distracting, particularly how Ava marked time, and rather than enjoying the story I spent a great deal of time simply trying to figure out what the heck she was saying.  I will admit, this might be an issue with me and Sci-Fi rather than just with this novel but I just can't handle being bombarded with invented language at the expense of clarity.

This new language came with no explanations of the Sci-Fi elements, how the ships work, why some people are on earth and some living on ships, etc.  This was particularly frustrating because, with Ava having lived confined to a ship for her entire life, the author had a fantastic, legitimate reason for other characters to explain to her (and subsequently, the reader) how these things actually worked.

Two things forced me to give up on this novel.  First, a great character died and it didn't have any emotional impact.  Instead, it was used as a cheap ploy to move the plot along (however sluggishly that occurred).  At this point I started skimming, awaiting the event that would signal a shift in the plot, spoiler - it never came.  Instead, I was treated to a love triangle.  This is the point where I stopped.  I was interested in the life of a girl raised in a polygamous bubble who escaped to the outside world - I was NOT interested in listening to her whine about her romantic feelings. 

I don't think I will be coming back to this author again, unless the next book has a kick ass idea and some really awesome reviews....

Teaching/Parental Notes: These are just for the half of the book that I read, there may be other issues further along in the novel.

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing and Sex
Violence: Severely sexist attitudes, Physical Violence towards Women
Inappropriate Language: Whore, Bitch
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

Waiting on Wednesday: Sea of Shadows

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong which is due to be released on April 8th

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

Kelley Armstrong has always been a favorite author of mine.  I read her entire Women of the Otherworld series when I was younger and I am currently watching the TV show based on one side of that series: Bitten.

I didn't enjoy her earlier YA series nearly as much as the adult books, but I am hoping that by the time we got to Sea of Shadows, all the kinks have been worked out.  It also seems, based on the synopsis, to be a very different series from those that she has written before and I am hoping that works in her favor.  

ARC Book Review: Going Over by Beth Kephart

Title: Going Over
Author: Beth Kephart
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: April 1st, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  The cover is cute and, having read the synopsis, most of the elements make sense.  However, I don't particularly feel this would jump off the shelf at anyone.  To be honest, the reason I stopped to take a second look was because of the National Book Award Finalist tag from an author that I had not yet encountered. 

Review:
I will admit, I got sucked in by the award nominated author tag.  I had never heard of Beth Kephart before and certainly not read any of her books, but the National Book Award is a big, prestigious silver sticker - and she was a finalist!  Perhaps, there is a reason the committee passed her over and I probably should have as well.

Going over is the story of two teenagers stuck on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall.  Full disclosure: that is not a part of history with which I am entirely familiar.  I started the book, hoping for some sort of explanation or perhaps a story that started when the wall first went up (incidentally I would love to read a book about waking up on that morning, suddenly cut off from family and friends whom you had embraced just the night before - get on that authors) but instead, I got thrown right into the midst of the story and actually had to go do a little online research before I felt qualified to read this novel.  Ada lives in the East with her mother and grandmother.  At night she sneaks to the wall to capture the images of famous escapees with her paint cans.  By day she works at a daycare and dreams of the day when her boyfriend, Stefan will make the leap of faith to join her.

I did find this novel rather difficult to follow.  There were no explanations of certain unfamiliar words or customs and I did not understand the mechanics of the wall.  Were people actually allowed to visit from the East?  Weren't they afraid that they wouldn't be allowed to return?  I realize that the West was meant to be a place of suffering and anguish, but the author didn't make this particularly clear.  Stefan never spoke about his hardships, other than have had a job chosen for him, while Ada constantly mentioned hers.  Speaking of which, it seemed particularly selfish that while the family lived in very poor conditions, Ada was spending money of spraypaint to cover the wall.  Perhaps I am reading all of this wrong and it might be different for a reader that is more versed in the time frame and circumstances in which the book takes place.  

Part of the narrative is written in the third person, which takes some getting used to and I am still not entirely sure that I liked it.  Neither of the characters is particularly moving and I did not relate to either of them.  This had a serious impact on my enjoyment of the novel because I simply did not care what happened to Ada and Stefan.  Ada was loud, impetuous and pushy.  She constantly talked to Stefan of escape and would not listen to his concerns about leaving his grandmother behind, not to mention the serious chance that he would be killed in the attempt.  As a result, Stefan did not make many arguments and seemed like a complete pushover.  He was flat and boring with nothing to define his character other than an interest in astronomy.  I was actually far more interested in the story of the little boy who ran away than I was with the two teenagers. 

This most interesting part of the novel, for me, was the snippets of stories of people who either made it over the wall successfully, or died trying.  A particular heartbreaker was

"Giuseppe Savoca, six years old, who wasn't even trying to escape.  Giuseppe was a kid playing with a friend.  They were looking for fish along the riverbank and he fell.  The guards did nothing; they let him drown.  He was six."

These stories were moving and painful and made me even more angry at Ada for pressuring Stefan into something with such real danger behind it.  

The novel itself was pretty slow paced.  I didn't see any real excitement until the very end.  By this point however, I was not emotionally invested enough in the characters for it to have any real impact.  I think this novel had great potential but, for me, it simply was not realized.  


Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Gunplay, Knifeplay, Murder, Rape
Inappropriate Language: Bitch, Shit, Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse:

First Lines: February 2014

The first words you read can often set the tone for the entire story.  I thought it would be fun to keep track of the first lines of the books I read each month and share them with you.  Below are the first lines for all the books I read in February.

 Fog Magic by Julia L. Sauer

"From the time she was a baby in her cradle, Greta had loved the fog."

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

 "The wet night air bounced against the electric street lamps, giving off tiny sparks like flint."

World After by Susan Ee

"Everyone thinks I'm dead."

The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty

"Maximillian Reisman can stand on his head for thirty minutes if he wants to."

Going Over by Beth Kephart

"We live with ghosts."

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan
"The morning before our ship, Parastrata, docks at the skyport, I rise early."

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

“Please tell me that's not going to be part of my birthday dinner this evening.”

Cress by Marissa Meyer

"Her satellite made one full orbit around planet Earth every sixteen hours." 

My favorite this month is a toss up between Lost Lake's  "The wet night air bounced against the electric street lamps, giving off tiny sparks like flint." and The Cracks in the Kingdom's "Maximillian Reisman can stand on his head for thirty minutes if he wants to."

I love the magic and beauty of Sarah Addison Allen's line and the sheer ubsurdity of Jaclyn Moriarty's.  

My least favorite line was Salvage's "The morning before our ship, Parastrata, docks at the skyport, I rise early."  It isn't that there is anything in particular that is WRONG with this line, it just isn't particularly interesting.