The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison - (Mini) BOOK REVIEW

Title:  The Butterfly Clues
Author:  Kate Ellison
Publisher:   Egmont USA
Release Date:  February 14, 2012
Hardcover, 336 pages
ISBN 10:     1606842633 / ISBN 13:  9781606842638
The Book Depository / Amazon /Goodreads


My Quick Take: 

Lo (Penelope) has OCD - she has to do things in multiples of threes (count, tap, brush her bangs back) and she can't go through any door without a tap, tap, tap, "banana".  She also feels compulsions to take items that she feels calling to her.

Her family has moved a lot due to her father's job as a consultant, and her brother Oren died (we find out when and why in small pieces).  After Oren died, her mother withdrew and her father spends almost no time at home, so Lo finds herself wandering far from home at times, trying to retrace Oren's steps or visit places she thinks he may have visited.  During one of these trips (to a very bad neighborhood), she hears gunshots in a house near her spot in the alleyway.  After reading an online crime blog, she finds that a stripper named Sapphire was shot and killed while she was just feet away - thus begins a new compulsion - to find out who killed Sapphire.

This novel brings the reader fully into the strange compulsions that form OCD - there were points where I really felt the desperation that Lo felt as she tried to get away from dangerous situations and was thwarted by her need to follow her rituals.  Flynt is an artsy, homeless teen that befriends Lo and tries to warn her away from pursuing Sapphire's murder and the reader wonders how much he actually knows about the crime and/or the perpetrator.

Although the depiction of Lo's OCD is enough to draw the reader in, there were quite a few situations that didn't ring true for me.  Lo's situation at high school, her interactions with the police, even at times her friendship with Flynt - I just thought to myself, "THAT would never happen."  Even so,  the underlying story kept me reading. 

Not a typical YA book in many ways, but well worth reading if only for the deeper understanding it provides of OCD impulses.

Writing:  4 out of 5 stars

Plot:  3 out of 5 stars

Characters: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   3out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   3.4 out of 5 stars

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary eGalley of this title from the publisher through NetGalley to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook - Mini Review

Title:  Unraveling Isobel
Author:  Eileen Cook
Publisher:   Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon and Schuster
Release Date:  January 3, 2012
Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN 10:    1442413271 // ISBN 13:  9781442413276
The Book Depository / Amazon / Goodreads
 
My Quick Take: 

A fun, witty, sometimes creepy tale of a girl whose mother meets a man on the Internet and marries him 12 weeks later, her move to her new stepfather's "estate" on isolated Nairne Island from Seattle, and the ghosts she meets there.

Richard (Dick, as Isobel calls him) Wickham's wife Sylvia and daughter Evelyn died in a boating accident seven months ago, and Isobel now has a "hot" stepbrother named Nathaniel who treats her like the plague.

When Isobel moves into what used to be Evelyn's room, strange things start happening which lead her to believe that Evelyn's ghost wants to tell her something.  With the rumors floating about that Richard had his wife and daughter murdered, Isobel's research informs her that strange disappearances and deaths seem part and parcel of "Morrigan", as Richard calls their home.

Very fun read with lots of exclamation marks in my notes, including what SHOULD have been a red flag to Isobel's mom:  What kind of man has a huge portrait of his mother in his bedroom and an attic full of his dead mom's clothes?

QUOTE (from an eGalley; may not be the same in final copy):

I had the sense it was better to come across as in charge when dealing with the undead, or the next thing you know they'd be haunting you like they owned the place.

Writing:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Plot:   4 out of 5 stars

Characters:  3 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:  4 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   3.6 out of 5 stars

Sensitive Reader:  Some saucy language.

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary eGalley of this title from the publisher through their Galley Grab program to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Cinder 
Author:  Marissa Meyer
Publisher:   Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan
Release Date:  January 3, 2012
Hardcover, 387 pages
ISBN 10:    0312641893
ISBN 13:  9780312641894
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

My Take: 

Judging by the comments I've read when I mentioned reading this one, it has LOTS of buzz!  Since I try my darndest not to read other reviews before I'VE had a chance to read a review book, I can only go my own feeling on this one and say, "Well deserved!".

I read this in one LONG sitting (which left me very tired the next day - I should learn not to start a new book for my nightly read).

Linh Cinder is a 16-year-old mechanic at New Beijing's weekly market.  Her guardian, Adri, relies on Cinder's income to pay her own bills and those of her own two daughters, Peony (14) and Pearl (17).  Adri's husband Garan adopted the orphan Cinder when she was five and soon after contracted letumosis, a deadly "plague" for which there is no cure.   Adri resents Cinder and, as in the old fairy tale, finds reasons NOT to allow her to go to the royal ball.   Peony is Cinder's only human friend, but she also has a great sidekick named Iko, a witty android/

Kaito (Kai), the Crown Prince of the Eastern Commonwealth, the heartthrob of many a teenage girl, comes incognito to Cinder's market stall to ask her to fix his android Nainsi.  Kai's mother died of the plague, and now his father, the Imperial Majesty Emperor Rikan, has contracted the disease.  Cinder is not starstruck like most girls, and Kai takes a liking to her.  Cinder knows it would never work, because she is a cyborg as a result of the hovercraft accident that killed her parents.  Cyborgs are considered less than human, treated as property, and there is even a draft for cyborgs for testing for a plague antidote.

Then comes a tale that mixes a bit of steampunk with a bit of dystopia and science fiction.  A kick-butt heroine, a handsome prince, an abusive adoptive mother, a doctor determined to find a cure for the plague, villains in the form of "Lunars" who evolved from an Earthen moon colony centuries ago and now have the power to manipulate people's minds - all combine to create this wonderful roller coaster of a ride through a wonderfully-drawn, realistic world.

I seriously wanted to SLAP Adri in so many places throughout this book.

I figured out a central theme early on, but that didn't stop me from reading on.

The villain, the Lunar Queen Levana, is spot-on creepy and manipulative.

The romantic aspects are appropriately timed, which, sadly, doesn't happen in a lot of YA.

Cinder is a girl that will make you root for her.  You'll smile at Iko's sarcasm, gnash your teeth at Adri's actions, hope against hope that Cinder will be on time for ... (oops, can't tell you, THAT would be a spoiler for sure).

In short, even if you're not a YA/sci-fi/steampunk reader, you'll still like this book, because it's a story about a girl who doesn't fit in, but has not let her spirit be broken.  She has dreams and the will to make them happen, as well as the smarts to figure out how to do it.

This is the first in a series by a debut author, and will likely be on my list of 2012 faves at the end of the year.  Buy it, borrow it, definitely read it.

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):

And the prince did know her now, sort of.  He had been kind to her at the market.  Perhaps he would ask her to dance.  Out of politeness.  Out of chivalry when he saw her standing alone.
The precarious fantasy crashed down around her as quickly as it had begun.  It was impossible.  Not worth thinking about.
She was cyborg, and she would never to the ball.

They said she'd murdered her older sister, Queen Channary, so that she could take the throne from her. They said she'd had her own husband killed too so that she would be free to make a more advantageous match.  They said she had forced her stepdaughter to mutilate her own face because, at the sweet age of thirteen, she had become more beautiful than the jealous queen could stand.

Cinder stared at the holograph and imagined watching herself die.  In real time.
"How many different batches of antibodies have you gone through?"
"Med?"
"Twenty-seven," said the med-droid.
"But," said the foreign voice, "they die a little slower each time."

Writing:  4 out of 5 stars

Plot:   5 out of 5 stars

Characters:  5 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:  5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   4.75 out of 5 stars

OTHER REVIEWS:

Susie Bookworm

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Chapters 1-5

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

One of my listed titles for the 2012 ARC Reading Challenge

One of my listed titles for the 2012 150+ Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher through Shelf Awareness to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

Paradise Rules by Jimmy Gleacher - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Paradise Rules
Author:  Jimmy Gleacher
Publisher:   Simon and Schuster
Release Date:  July 12, 2011
Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN 10:     1451608454
ISBN 13:  9781451608458
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

TRUE OR F A L S E ? 


It’s only a week into summer break and already seventeen-year-old Gates has . . . 

a) Hustled millionaires on the golf course
b) Tried to stop his mother from having a(nother) nervous breakdown
c) Promised to lose his virginity with his girlfriend, Mel . . . which would be great if he hadn’t already lost it to his forty-year-old godmother
d) Almost killed a man 

Yeah, Gates has a lot of secrets, but he’s determined to keep his heart true. When he’s not swinging golf clubs like a pro, he reads pulp fiction to old folks at the retirement home. And despite his occasional slip-ups—drinking before noon and sneaking glimpses through his sexy godmother’s open negligees—Gates only has eyes for Mel. But she knows he’s hiding something, and she’s beginning to lose her patience. 

Just as Gates is about to spill his shameful secrets, he gets tangled up in a golf club scandal that jeopardizes his dreams of a normal life. He’s never been a fighter, but this time he finally pushes back at the world—which could have been a breakthrough but turns into an epic fail. Probably because Gates fights back dirty. Now his life is on the verge of ruin, and he’s got no one to turn to for help. 

Or so he thinks. Because what Gates is about to discover might hit him with the most amazing shock of his life.


My Take: 

First Sentence:  I wish I could say I was a victim but I willingly played into the devil's hands.

Gates is a self-described sexual deviant, 17 years old, working as a caddy at a country club.  His mother had a nervous breakdown two years ago, and he was molested by his godmother Alicia, a child psychologist and his mom's best friend.  Since they still live with Alicia, the molestation continues, and it's causing Gates problems with his girlfriend, who would like to sleep with him.

I know that many readers would find this book hilarious.  I'm not one of them.  Most of the adults here do nothing but take advantage of and/or ignore the teens, with the clubhouse owner using Gates to win illegal bets, a clubhouse patron who gives Gates the nickname of "Fun Buns" because he can't keep his hands off his bum, and more.

Gates is likeable (he even volunteers to read to seniors at the local retirement home); his bestie named Timmy is a model with OCD who repeats the final word of every sentence three times; and his girlfriend Melanie is a jock and his best friend.  Unfortunately, almost every single adult in the novel is eminently unlikeable or at best, definitely not in the realm of "normal".

I've seen this one described as "irreverent", "provocative",  and "bold", but for this reader, molestation is not a funny subject.  Here is a teen whose life is in the crapper, and there is really no one there to help pull him out.  There's a bit of a surprise at the end, but it wasn't enough to redeem the rest.  If it were billed as an adult book, I might give some of it a pass, but it's billed as YA.  In my opinion, this is an adult novel written about a teen, and is definitely not one I'd encourage for the younger YA set.  Again, my disclaimer is that certain readers will LOVE this - it IS different.  I never felt a connection to the characters, and much of what happens was not funny or even interesting to me.

QUOTES (from an eGalley; may be different in final copy):

Anyway, I was actually very attracted to Melanie but I couldn't sleep with her until she knew the real me but the only problem was as soon as she knew the real me she wouldn't want to sleep with me anymore.


Mom spoke the words in a way that suggested she knew but I convinced myself this wasn't possible because I didn't want to believe Mom would ignore her best friend molesting me.

Sensitive Reader:  This one is not for you.  Profanity and sexuality abound.

Writing:  4 out of 5 stars

Plot:   3 out of 5 stars

Characters:  2.5 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   2.5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   3 out of 5 stars

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Browse Inside

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer here.


BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

 

This book is a listed title for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary eGalley of this title from the publisher through their Galley Grab program to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

Girl vs. Ghost by Kat McMurry and Marie August - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Girl Vs. Ghost (Misdirected Magic Trilogy #1)
Author:  Kate McMurry and Marie August
Publisher:   Blazing Star Press
Release Date:  April 10, 2011
Paperback, 242 pages
ISBN 10:     1613400004
ISBN 13:  9781613400005
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Girl vs Ghost is a young-adult, paranormal, romantic comedy suitable for all ages.

Isabel Lindley doesn’t believe in magic, but her best friend is obsessed with witchcraft. Strictly as a favor, Isabel agrees to help with a spell and is shocked when the ghost of a teenage boy splat-lands in her bedroom. Her friend is thrilled—even though only Isabel can see or hear the ghost—but Isabel is horrified. She’s the most ordinary sixteen-year-old girl on the planet. What is she supposed to do with a ghost who doesn’t know his own name, how he died, or why the heck he’s tied to Isabel with a psychic chain? Her only hope to take back her life is to help him solve the mystery of his demise so he can go to the Light. Or wherever. She’s not particular, as long as the ghost is gone.

My Take: 


Isabel's best friend Tripp is always getting into something new.  Her grandmother Alora, has a New Age shop, and right now, Tripp's interest is witchcraft.  One night while Tripp is practicing "witchcraft" at Isabel's house, Isabel feels as though someone is watching them.  As Tripp finishes her summoning spell, someone falls into Isabel's lap. 

The problem?  Only Isabel can see this someone, and worse, he doesn't even know that he's a ghost.  On top of THAT, he doesn't know who he is, or how he ended up as a ghost at all.

With the help of Alora, an angel named Uriel, and a 16th century Irish stableboy named Finnegan, Isabel and Tripp must find out what happened to the ghost in order to send him on.

This was a rather cute, fun read.  If not for a spot or two of cursing, I would even have said it would make a good middle reader.  There were some spots of funny, and even a little bit of romance, as well as the mystery behind how the ghost became a ghost in the first place. 

QUOTES:

"Quest?" Isabel said after Alora has channeled Uriel.  "I'm supposed to go with the ghost, uh, Marc, on a quest?  What am I, Sancho Panza to his Don Quixote?"

Adding insult to injury, his sister had walked through him twice while she'd kicked Isabel out the door.
He hated it when the living did that to him.

Writing:  3 out of 5 stars

Plot:   4 out of 5 stars

Characters: 3 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   3out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   3.25 out of 5 stars

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Book website

Read the first chapter (PDF)


BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.  You can even get the Kindle version right now for only $.99!

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary eBook of this title from the author to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

eGalley Wednesday - August 3, 2011 - Mercy by Rebecca Lim, The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross, The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed

It's Wednesday!  Time for another chance to link up our eGalley reviews!  The linky stays open all week, and the only requirement is that your review(s) must be of eGalleys (Galley Grab, NetGalley, etc.)

Grab the button below, place it in YOUR eGalley review and join in! Link up throughout the week!  And don't forget to visit the other participants!

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Up for review this week are three titles:  Mercy by Rebecca Lim, The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross and The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed. 

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Title:  Mercy
Author:  Rebecca Lim
Publisher:  Hyperion
Release Date:  May 17, 2011
Hardcover, 288 pages / ISBN 10: 1423145178  / ISBN 13: 9781423145172
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads


First Sentence (from a galley - may be different in final copy):  There's something very wrong with me.

Mercy doesn't KNOW exactly who or what she is.  All she knows is that she never knows when she will wake up in someone else's body-in someone else's life.  Today she is Carmen, a talented high school singer who is living with a host family while a number of area high schools come together to practice for a regional performance.

Lauren, the daughter of the host family, was also a talented singer; she has been missing for two years.  Rebecca, unaware of this, feels the father's deep grief when she touches him.  She teams up with Ryan, Lauren's brother, the only person who still believes Lauren is alive.  Together, they search for clues, hoping to find out what really happened.

This is a very good read  - there's  wonderful mix of light romance, high school rivalries, suspense, well-written characters and a mystery that keeps you guessing right up until the very end, all twined around glimpses and clues of Mercy's true identity.  Billed as YA (ages 13 and up), this would also appeal to many adult readers who like a good mystery.  Who and what Mercy actually is does not get spelled out for us, but from some of her dreams and visions, the reader is able to formulate a good guess.  This first-in-series ends with a bang as well.

QUOTE (from a galley - may be different in final copy):  

As I look down at the grey and dark weave of the skirt I am inexplicably wearing, I wonder what disaster I am headed for as I try to figure out who the hell I am supposed to be today.

Book Rating:    3.75 out of 5 stars

Browse inside

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer  here.

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Title:  The Girl in the Steel Corset
Author:  Kady Cross
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Released:  May 24, 2011
Hardcover, 473 pages / ISBN 10:   0373210337 / ISBN 13: 9780373210336
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

First Sentence (from a galley - may be different in final copy):  The moment she saw the young man walking down the darkened hall toward her, twirling his walking stick, Finley Jayne knew she'd be unemployed before the sun rose.

From the reviews on Goodreads, this is apparently a love/hate book.  I liked it quite a lot.  Finley Jayne just wants to be able to perform her household duties and not be bothered, but in Victorian London, a pretty girl who is a member of the household staff is fair game for the young (and not-so-young) lords of the manor.  Bad for them, because Finley has a very dark side.

When Finley finds herself running from the scene of an attempted assault on her person, she runs right into the path of Griffin King, the Duke of Greythorne, and his friend Sam Morgan.  When Griffin takes the injured girl home, Finley finds herself in a world far above her station, but where she tentatively feels acceptance.

With automatons, mysterious organisms called "organites" that mimic the body's cellular behavior,  smart characters, an unknown villain who uses automatons to attack, and a guest appearance by Queen Victoria herself, this is a fun ride into a Steampunk adventure/mystery, as well as a story of friendship, self-discovery, all touched with a bit of romance and a wonderful mix of personalities.

QUOTE (from a galley - may be different in final copy):  

Lights danced in the darkness of her eyes as pain shot through her skull.  But she did not pass out.
It would have been so much better for Lord Felix if she had.

Book Rating:   4.5 out of 5 stars

Sensitive reader:  There's some profanity.

Read an excerpt

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Title:  The Summer We Came to Life
Author:  Deborah Cloyed
Publisher: Mira Books
Released:  May 31, 2011
Paperback, 400 pages / ISBN 10:  0778312917 / ISBN 13: 9780778312918
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

First Sentence (from a galley - may be different in final copy):  Birth and death are the two occurrences in a person's life that seem to say one thing; we are not the ones calling the shots.

Samantha and her friends have lost one of their friendship circle.  Of the four friends, Mina was the one Sam felt closest to, with both of them growing up motherless with rather remote fathers.  As Mina fought her battle with cancer, she kept journals specifically geared towards each of her friends:  Kendra, Isabel and Samantha.  The friends had a tradition of meeting once a year and spending a period of time together in a mini-adventure along with Isabel's and Kendra's mothers Jesse and Lynette.  Samantha wants to beg off this year, but the moms insist, telling her that everyone is on the way to Honduras, where Samantha now lives.  The twist this time is that Mina's father Arshan and Kendra's father Cornell will be joining them.

As the friends (minus Kendra, who begs off at the last minute citing work-related causes) get together, we learn about each of their lives, and more importantly, we learn about their parent's lives.  Most of us don't take the time to learn our parent's stories, and in this book, their stories become one of the most interesting pieces.

Samantha is a physics grad, and she and Mina discussed the "Many Worlds" theory in their efforts to find a way to stay in contact after Mina's death.  This ends up playing a (somewhat confusing) role later on in the book, in a sequence that turned a bit too mystical and murky for this particular reader.

In the end, though, I came away with a good feeling and a connection to the characters and their personal stories.
QUOTE (from a galley - may be different in final copy):  

He slipped into the past like an egg sliding into water to be poached.  Arshan regularly boiled himself alive for his mistakes as a husband and a father.

Book Rating:   4 out of 5 stars

Read an excerpt

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That's all for this week.  As always, you can click the Amazon or Goodreads links to find other reviews.  





Link up!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary eGalleys of these titles through the publishers to facilitate my reviews.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post  positive reviews.

 

These books are listed as titles for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

RELEASE DATE! - Wildefire by Karsten Knight - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Wildefire
Author:  Karsten Knight
Publisher:   Margaret K. McElderry, a division of Simon and Schuster
Release Date:  July 26, 2011
Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN 10:    144240339X
ISBN 13:  9781442403390
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Every flame begins with a spark. 

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

My Take: 

First sentence: Ashline Wilde was a human mood ring.

Ashline Wilde and her sister Eve are adoptees, both kickbutt Polynesian girls who don't quite "fit" into the rarefied atmosphere at Scarsdale High School.  As the book opens, Ash is giving the beatdown to a girl named Lizzie who hooked up with Ash's boyfriend Rich.  When Eve, who has been expelled from school and took off on her own three months ago,  comes riding up on her motorcycle, things go from bad to worse.

When Ash gets home, her parents, who are really good and loving, decide to go searching for Eve, leaving Ash, who decides not to go, home alone, where a prank is pulled on her that ends in tragedy, leaving Eve with yet another arrest warrant.

Cue forward eight months, and Ash is now in a boarding school that she chose - clear across the country in northern California, a place where she actually has friends and is dating Bobby, captain of the soccer team.  One evening, she and some friends are out at a bar (where they are not supposed to be), and a scream that only a few hear results in a foiled kidnapping attempt.

I won't go into much more of the plot, because it would contain lots of spoilers, so I will give quick summaries of the good and bad instead.

Bad:  The novel is kind of loosey-goosey in places; could definitely use some tightening up and fleshing out here and there, but many readers won't quibble about that.
Eve - well, she's a little TOO psycho - I like a good villain as much as the next reader, but her character is a bit overdone, and we really don't find out why and how she ended up so different from Ash
Speaking of villains, who/what exactly ARE the Cloak?  Are they good or bad or somewhere in between?  Maybe I'm slow, but I just didn't really get it.

Good:  Ash is seriously kickbutt - an irreverent type of character with a good soul
I love mythology and folklore - and there's such a great mix of different gods and goddesses here that it kept me wanting to read on.

Mixed:  The ending - seriously, there's a twist that most won't see coming (I kind of saw it, but not early, which was great) - it's kind of a cliffhanger, though (not "Who Shot JR"-like, but almost).  I can't really figure out if I liked the ending or not.

Summary:  I think that Mr. Knight has a winner here; many will love it and most will like it.  It's original, and even exciting and witty in many places.  I will be looking for the next-in-series.

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):

One second Ashline was standing in the middle of the circle.  The next second Rich was curled in the fetal position on the ground, howling in pain, holding his tennis bag in front of him like a shield to prevent further irreparable injury to his groin.

"Eve, that monster made out with my a**hole ex-boyfriend.  For something like that you put peanut butter between the pages of her textbooks or . . . or spread a rumor that she has herpes.  You don't . . . you don't . . ."  But she couldn't finish the sentence because her nose had discovered the scent of burned flesh.

On her way toward the office, Ashline leaned over the receptionists desk.  "Quick question - are there any prizes for having two visits to the headmistress's office in one week?  Like you hang a monogrammed coffee mug on the wall for me?"
The girl glanced at the headmistress's door, before she allowed a slight smile to break across her face.  "Like a frequent flyer program?"

Sensitive reader:  Some profanity.

Writing:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Plot:   4 out of 5 stars

Characters:  4 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   3.5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   3.75 out of 5 stars

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer  here

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Browse Inside

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

 

This is one of my listed titles for the 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the publisher facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

eGalley Wednesday - July 13, 2011 - Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt and Dreams of the Dead by Perri O'Shaughnessy

It's Wednesday!  Time for another chance to link up our eGalley reviews!  The linky stays open all week, and the only requirement is that your review(s) must be of eGalleys (Galley Grab, NetGalley, etc.)

Grab the button below, place it in YOUR eGalley review and join in! Link up throughout the week!  And don't forget to visit the other participants!

<a href="http://www.knittingandsundries.com/search/label/eGalley%20Wednesday" target="_blank"><img alt="eGalley Wednesdays" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FQDjol4TLo/TZNJLJrth-I/AAAAAAAABd8/7uEBtvPU_g4/s1600/egalley+button.png"/></a>

Up for review this week are two titles:  Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt, and Dreams of the Dead by Perri O'Shaughnessy. 

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Title:  Sometimes It Happens
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Publisher:  Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon and Schuster
Release Date:  July 12, 2011
Hardcover, 320 pages / ISBN 10: 144241314X  / ISBN 13: 9781442413146
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher
Age Range:  Ages 14 and up

My Take: Hannah is just a regular teenage girl, with a regular teenage life.  She constantly works to please her boyfriend Sebastian, but there's one line she won't cross - "everything but".  When she walks into a "school's out" party and sees him with another girl, her best friend Ava and her boyfriend Noah are quick to call in a guy for her to be seen with in order to save face.

Ava is always there for her, and this summer they both agreed not to get jobs, but as Hannah is still recovering from her broken heart, Ava tells her that she will be spending the summer in Maine as a camp counselor - it's all last minute, and only because another counselor dropped the ball, and they needed someone in a hurry.  Hannah ends up taking a job at the diner where Noah works, and becomes friends with Lacey, the other girl who works there.

By the time school starts back (which is where the book opens), Hannah is nervous and scared - she and Noah have shared at least one passionate kiss (not a spoiler, as this is in the description), and she dreads facing Ava, Noah, Lacey, AND Sebastian.

Ms. Barnholdt does a great job of capturing an authentic teen voice in Hannah, who alternates between true teen heartache, insecurity, and humor.  I love how Hannah eventually comes to terms with herself and takes blame for her actions, and the way the story progresses allows the reader to understand how things "sometimes happen".

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

Lady Gaga wore that meat dress to the VMA's, so I should be able to dress in garbage bags.  I'll get black ones to symbolize my current state of mind, like performance art or something.

Book Rating:    4 out of 5 stars

Browse Inside

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Title:  Dreams of the Dead
Author:  Perri O'Shaughnessy
Publisher:  Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster
Released:  July 12, 2011
Hardcover, 352 pages / ISBN 10:  1416549730 / ISBN 13: 9781416549734
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

My Take:  In Lake Tahoe, the body of a killer is dumped from a boat into the water.

Nina Reilly, a 38 year old criminal defense attorney, receives a visit from the father of the man who killed her husband.  Philip Strong owns the Paradise Ski Resort, and his son Jim has been missing and presumed dead for over two years, having disappeared shortly after killing his wife, his brother, and Nina's husband.

Philip is now trying to sell the property, having gone into the hole when a large amount of money was embezzled prior to Jim's disappearance, but a letter has arrived from Brazil that can put a stop to the sale, leaving the remaining family bankrupt and unable to pay off the debts of the resort.  The letter is from Jim, stating that he does not approve of the sale, and demanding his share of any proceeds.

Now Nina is being asked to investigate the letter, and to do what she can in court to allow the sale, which has a tight deadline, to go through.  Her friend Paul, who is also a private investigator, had assured both her and her son Bob that Jim had been taken care of, and now there's a letter from this supposedly dead man showing up, a man who, for obvious reasons (arrest warrants), can't come up from Brazil in person to prove his existence?

Meanwhile, one woman ends up dead in a hotel room, and the housekeeper who saw her killer finds herself in danger as well.

If Jim is still alive, how?  If he isn't, who is impersonating him?  Who stands to gain from having the proceeds of the sale go to an escrow account?  Who in the family was the actual embezzler? Who is the new killer?

I haven't read the prior Nina Reilly books (but I will now), and I'm happy to say that this one works well as a standalone novel - the author gives you enough background into prior history to keep you from being lost.

Nina is extremely likeable and believable, with a love of expensive high heels and a wonderful assistant named Sandy Whitefeather who keeps everything in the office running smoothly.

There is wonderful character development, romantic love interests, mystery and suspense.  There are many mysteries to unravel, and what appears to be more than one bad guy (or gal).  I was surprised at who ended up being the villain or villains, and equally as surprised at who ended up being NOT a villain.  If you like a well-turned, suspenseful story with touches of humor and romance, this is the one for you.


First Sentence (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

The dreams of the dead are unimportant to the living.

Book Rating:   4 out of 5 stars

Browse Inside

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That's all for this week.  As always, you can click the Amazon or Goodreads links to find other reviews.  





Link up!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary eGalleys of these titles through the publisherto facilitate my reviews.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post  positive reviews.

 

These books are listed as titles for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

eGalley Wednesday - July 6, 2011 - Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly and In Front of God and Everybody by KD McCrite

It's Wednesday!  Time for another chance to link up our eGalley reviews!  The linky stays open all week, and the only requirement is that your review(s) must be of eGalleys (Galley Grab, NetGalley, etc.)

Grab the button below, place it in YOUR eGalley review and join in! Link up throughout the week!  And don't forget to visit the other participants!

<a href="http://www.knittingandsundries.com/search/label/eGalley%20Wednesday" target="_blank"><img alt="eGalley Wednesdays" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FQDjol4TLo/TZNJLJrth-I/AAAAAAAABd8/7uEBtvPU_g4/s1600/egalley+button.png"/></a>

Up for review this week are two titles:  Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly, and In Front of God and Everybody by KD McCrite:

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Title:  Angel Burn
Author:  L.A. Weatherly
Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Release Date:  May 24, 2011
Hardcover, 464 pages / ISBN 10: 0763656526  / ISBN 13: 9780763656522
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

Age Range:  14 and up

Willow Fields has always been a bit different - she can fix cars and does psychic readings on the side.  She and her mom Miranda, who suffers from catatonic schizophrenia and needs a caretaker, both live with her Aunt Jo, whose charitable acts does not come without complaint (lots of complaint).

When Beth Hartley, one of the popular girls at school, comes to Willow for a psychic reading, her vision of Beth's future is not a rosy one, and when Beth quits school to join the Church of the Angels, Willow feels responsible and wonders what she can do to get Beth back.

Alex Kylar has been an Angel Killer since he was seven.  After his mother was killed by an angel, his father Martin joined up and took Alex and his older brother Jake with him (picture the television show "Supernatural", only with a larger band of hunters).  Now that Alex is on his own, he receives his kill orders via text directly from the CIA, and one of these texts sends him to Willow's town.  When Willow is put in danger, they end up on the run together.

In this book, the angels are BAD angels (mostly).  They feed off of human energy, and the effect is called Angel Burn.  Angel burn causes insanity, MS, cancer, Parkinson's, AIDS, and a host of other illnesses in humans.  The feeling that the victims get, however, is one of euphoria and devotion, and has spawned a religious following (The Church of Angels).

Although there are some slow points (especially a bit after the middle of the book as Willow and Alex hide out), there is plenty of heart-pounding action and good character development.  Both Willow and Alex are wonderful protagonists, completely believable (Willow coming to terms with what she learns, for example - she doesn't just jump in with both feet saying, "Oh! Well then, let's go kill some angels" - she has the perfect amount of skepticism and self-doubt).

The ending of this first in a trilogy is perfect; tying together many of the elements in a satisfying way, but letting us know that there's more story to come.

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

"Not all of us feel that we have a divine right to use humans as cattle."

Book Rating:   3.5 out of 5 stars

Parents:  There is a romance, but a well-paced one, not the typical, "Oh, you're so hot; I think I'm in love; let's hit the sack together" romance that seems to typify much of YA romance.

Read an excerpt (PDF)

View the trailer (Flash)

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Title:  In Front of God and Everybody
Author:  KD McCrite
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson Publishers
Released:  May 10, 2011
Paperback, 304 pages /  ISBN 10: 1400317223 / ISBN 13: 9781400317226
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

April Grace Reilly is eleven years old and lives in Cedar Ridge, Arkansas.  She's had her share of snooty city folk looking down on her and her family, and when a couple in a shiny car pull up the drive and are rude, she goes inside the house and lets her 14-year-old sister Myra Grace (who LOVES city folk) deal with them.  THEN she finds out that they're her new neighbors, and her mom finds out that she was rude, and then she has to go with her mother to apologize, and it doesn't matter that they were rude first. 

What a fun and hilarious book!  I LOVE April Grace; she's sassy and smart.  Her parents are wonderful; her Grandma has a new, irritating beau that April Grace has well-founded suspicions of; her sister Myra Grace is big-sister irritating.  As April Grace is taught lessons of kindness by her mother and father, she also finds a way to learn from her new neighbors, and sees that they aren't the only judgmental ones.

I smiled throughout this one.  April Grace is a wonderful character.  Her example of sibling love:

I gave serious thought to sticking out my foot and tripping her so she'd fall face first into some dirty underwear, but if she fell down the stairs and ended up breaking her head or something important, I'd be blamed for it.  Plus, I'd have to do all her chores.

The next April Grace book, Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks, is due to be released in December, 2011.  It is already on my to-buy list!

QUOTES (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

"Come here, dear," she said.  "These people want to meet an actual little hillbilly."

I'll tell you one thing:  Isabel St. James was no prize to look at the day before, when she had her makeup on.  But after she'd been bellowing like a newborn calf for half the morning, it hurt my eyes to look at her.  She'd do the rest of us a world of good if she'd wear a bag over her head.


Book Rating:   5 out of 5 stars

Buy		Read

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That's all for this week.  As always, you can click the Amazon or Goodreads links to find other reviews.  





Link up!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary eGalleys of these titles through the publishers to facilitate my reviews.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post  positive reviews.

 

These books are listed as titles for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

eGalley Wednesday - June 15, 2011 - Shine by Lauren Myracle AND Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

It's Wednesday!  Time for another chance to link up our eGalley reviews!  The linky stays open all week, and the only requirement is that your review(s) must be of eGalleys (Galley Grab, NetGalley, etc.)

Grab the button below, place it in YOUR eGalley review and join in! Link up throughout the week!  And don't forget to visit the other participants!

<a href="http://www.knittingandsundries.com/search/label/eGalley%20Wednesday" target="_blank"><img alt="eGalley Wednesdays" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FQDjol4TLo/TZNJLJrth-I/AAAAAAAABd8/7uEBtvPU_g4/s1600/egalley+button.png"/></a>

Up for review this week are two YA titles:  Shine by Lauren Myracle, and Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott:

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Title:  Shine
Author:  Lauren Myracle
Publisher:  Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams
Release Date:  May 1, 2011
Hardcover, 350 pages / ISBN 10: 0810984172  / ISBN 13: 9780810984172
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

My short take:  Welcome to Black Creek, NC, population 743, where the morning's headline is:  Bloody Sunday:  Teen Brutally Attacked

When Cat's friend Patrick is brutally beaten outside of the convenience store where he works, Cat, who is in a self-imposed isolation due to a traumatic event when she was 13, comes out of her shell to work to find out who hurt him and why.   She has her own idea who was responsible, and she doesn't trust the Sheriff to follow through, since a lot of his campaign money comes from her suspect's father.

In a self-described redneck town, Patrick is singular in that he is openly gay.  Cat feels a lot of guilt for being so self-absorbed that she neglected him as a friend, especially when his grandmother (Mama Sweetie) died and left him on his own.

Although billed as YA, this mystery will pull even the adult reader into this small town, with its intrigues, gossip, and insularity.  The secondary characters are richly portrayed, and the poverty and small-mindedness of the townspeople is fully fleshed out.  There's even a bit of romance mixed in, and you'll be guessing the "who" in whodunnit almost to the very end.

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

Because Patrick wasn't a child anymore, but he wasn't yet a man.  Because someone beat him up and jammed a gas nozzle down his throat.  Because on top of everything he'd already lost, he was 17 years old and more alone than I'd ever been, trapped in the deep sleep of a coma.

Book Rating:   4 out of 5 stars

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer  here.

Author website

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Title:  Between Here and Forever
Author:  Elizabeth Scott
Publisher:  Simon Pulse, a division of Simon and Schuster
Released:  May 24, 2011
Hardcover, 250 pages /  ISBN 10: 141699484X / ISBN 13: 9781416994848
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher


My short take:  Abby is 17 years old and her 20-year-old sister Tess is in a coma from a New Year's Day car accident.  Abby visits her every day, but it seems to be less out of sisterly love than more like, "You have to wake up, because I'm tired of being compared to you and coming up short.  When you're awake, no one pays attention to me and I like it that way."

When a gorgeous guy who works at the hospital happens to be in Tess's room, Abby swears that she sees Tess respond when he speaks, so she asks him to start visiting Tess with her in hopes of Tess waking, seeing Eli, and wanting to stay awake to be with him.   As Abby gets to know him, she finds out that he has OCD.

There are things that Abby doesn't know about Tess, and these secrets begin to come out as Abby questions the whys of Tess's unpredictable behavior, including dropping her best friend like a hot potato and refusing to speak to her .. ever .. after the best friend became pregnant in high school.

I liked the story a lot; there's quite a bit of irreverent humor, and Eli comes across as a sweetie.  But .. Abby .. she is too insecure for words.  She doesn't think ANYthing of herself, and there's no apparent reason for it.  She has loving parents and a decent home, but she browbeats herself into nothingness.  I guess I don't have a soft spot for totally weak protagonists, and I just wanted to reach into the pages and smack some sense into her, so that brought my rating down a bit.

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

Clement laughs so hard he chokes on his coughdrop, causing the reception area people to come running with water and offers of Help.  Sometimes I think he gave more money to the hospital than even rumor says, because normally the people at reception don't and won't move unless someone's bleeding all over the place.  Or if it's time for their breaks.

Book Rating:   3.5 out of 5 stars

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer  here.

Read an excerpt

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That's all for this week.  As always, you can click the Amazon or Goodreads links to find other reviews.  





Link up!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary eGalleys of these titles through the publishers to facilitate my reviews.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post  positive reviews.

 

These books are listed as titles for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge