ARC Review: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things - Ann Aguirre

Title: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things
Author: Ann Aguirre
Pub Date: April 7th, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

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Featuring instalove, awkward pacing and info dumps, this book should've sent me on rage. However, I found myself in some instances not caring about these problems. - Nova @ Out of Time

I'm in a reading slump and I really thought this book would be what would get me out of it. I saw the decent reviews on Goodreads and it only raised my expectations. Perhaps that's why I didn't like this as much as I should've? We get introduced to a girl called Sage and very early on, I'm able to figure out who she is. I didn't connect to her but I didn't hate her either which is pretty good, considering my mood. What I didn't like was how I felt like her life story was being shoved down my throat within the first twenty pages. I ended up skipping over a lot of the background details simply because they bored me. I did, however, have a huge amount of respect for her because despite what happens a few times, she does have good intentions and a good heart.

What I didn't like was the pacing. In my perfect contemporary, there's perfect pacing between the encounter and love blossoming. This book defied the rules weaving instalove with some alright development. Like what how can I rate something like that? It was both disastrous and wonderful at the same time.
The beginning starts with her instantly falling for him. By page fifty, she's having trouble getting her "urges" in check. But then after there's a relationship, it felt so flat. I wish there had been more development in how they got together, that way it would feel more real. The middle was alright but it lagged a while. The ending, however; that was great. It was a little quick, because the middle made it look rushed, but I liked it.

I was really on the fence about Sage and Shane's relationship. On some occasions, it was cute. So cute that it was feels inducing with some flailing and maniacal giggling. However, on the other side, I was a little weirded out. Sage's character is very kind and very loving. She kept insisting on taking care of Shane and not in the girlfriend. In some instances, she was so doting, she was pretty much his mom. That comparison made it an INSTANT mood killer. I tried to ignore it as best I could, but it kept showing up!

In the end, it was the characters' personalities that won me over. Even though Sage had a lot going on, I found her enjoyable. What could've been better were her personal demons being more of the focus. Aguirre had some really good ideas but they were never really elabored, which is a shame.
My favorite character was Lila. I felt like she just brought a lot of life to the story. She had an attitude that I could connect to. But again, like everything else, there was something I didn't like. For Lila, I felt like her introduction to the story was disjointed and awkward. It didn't make sense and felt really random and weak.

Overall, this book didn't get me out of my slump but it didn't make it worse. It wouldn't be the first book I'd recommend to others, but I don't in any way hate it. [Note: it would've been two stars but I had feels.]

Ann's Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults.

 

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Book Review: The Girl from the Well - Rin Chupeco

Title: The Girl from the Well
Author: Rin Chupeco
Pub Date: August 5th, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Page Count: 267

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story.

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I wanted to DNF a couple times but I stick with it. The ending was the action and thrill that should've been present throughout. While there was a lot this book could've improved on, I'm left with slight satisfaction. - Nova @ Out of Time

I expected a horror vibe from this story. "I am where the dead children go." Obviously, that's contemporary, right? Anyway, the writing style kind of felt like a fairytale, which was odd. There was a lot of repetition where something would be stated and restated like "she had blond hair. Yes, her hair was blonde and her face beautiful like the moon." I just made that example up, but you get what I mean.
However, there were aspects of the writing that I adored. The writing for description was more than basic similes. There was depth to them, chill and even though I felt like they were overdone in some places, I could see that the author really wanted to make the horror feel as genuine as possible.

What really bothered me was how simple and boring this plot was. It's about a ghost girl who wants to exorcise the demon from a boy. That's it. There could've been so much more in this story. Instead, the girl kind of gave off a creepy [like, stalker] vibe because she's narrating but no one can see her [with some exceptions, but spoilers!]
Most of it wasn't main idea related and while I found it intriguing, it was almost like the same event happened [with the whole creepy descriptions that got old after a while.]

But I do LOVE the culture! I don't think I see Japanese culture [or any culture that isn't American] in YA and I love that it's changed. The whole Japanese legend and how things went to Japan was wonderful! I think it was portrayed very well, even though I don't know much about Japanese culture.

But maybe around seventy-five percent in, things started to get interesting. I'm really glad I didn't DNF because in that last quarter, the story managed to make a pretty good turnaround. Things finally started connecting, there was action and I really loved the way things ended. It almost felt nostalgic.

Including characters that felt real but not over the top, Girl From The Well incorporated elements of storytelling that I enjoyed but felt incomplete due to what felt like a boring plotline.

Rin's Goodreads | Twitter | Website |

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching.

Her work, The Girl from the Well, is a YA psychological horror novel due out in Fall 2014, pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge". She is represented by Nicole LaBombard and Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency.

 

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ARC Review: When Reason Breaks - Cindy L. Rodriguez

Title: When Reason Breaks
Author: Cindy L. Rodriguez
Pub Date: February 10th, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Page Count: 304

13 Reasons Why meets the poetry of Emily Dickinson in this gripping debut novel perfect for fans of Sara Zarr or Jennifer Brown.

A Goth girl with an attitude problem, Elizabeth Davis must learn to control her anger before it destroys her. Emily Delgado appears to be a smart, sweet girl, with a normal life, but as depression clutches at her, she struggles to feel normal. Both girls are in Ms. Diaz’s English class, where they connect to the words of Emily Dickinson. Both are hovering on the edge of an emotional precipice. One of them will attempt suicide. And with Dickinson’s poetry as their guide, both girls must conquer their personal demons to ever be happy.

In an emotionally taut novel with a richly diverse cast of characters, readers will relish in the poetry of Emily Dickinson and be completely swept up in the turmoil of two girls grappling with demons beyond their control.

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Although it had a promising start and kept my attention through a well paced middle, the ending wrecked a lot of what I expected from this book. - Nova @ Out of Time

When I first opened When Reason Breaks, I was a little confused. Both characters are called Emily and they're studying Emily Dickinson. Then we get clarification that one of the girls goes by Elizabeth [this is the girl with the attitude. Which yes, is how I remember her.] The characters in this book felt a little reminiscent of the ones in the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The premise too, if you think about it.

In Speak, there is an emotionally damaged girl who cannot reach out for help. But with the assistance of a teacher and the subject he teachers, the main character finds it inside her to, well... Speak. This is pretty similar to When Reason Breaks. The teacher, Ms. Diaz uses her class to teach the girls things that they relate to their own problems. Having loved Speak, I was a little let down by how this book didn't compare.

I really enjoyed the characters. They didn't give me heavy feels, but I wasn't getting nothing either. Emily and Elizabeth are so different and yet I could see so much connecting the two. The way they talked, acted and their point of views had something that I can't pinpoint, but it made me realize how people of any personality, any background can hurt over their own traumas.
I also really enjoyed the slight romance. I felt like it was executed well and didn't take from the story. Rather, it made the characters come to life and if the suicide had been written more to my taste, the romance aspect would've made it all the more crushing.

Bringing up that thought, yes, there is an attempted suicide. Unfortunately, I hated the way it was written. It was almost... random. I understand what the author was going for. When someone kills themselves, it feels random because you don't realize that they've been planning it for some time. Unfortunately, this gave me no time to sympathize. I was caught off guard, confused, barely knowing what was going on. It repelled me, which is sad because it was meant to be such a crashing reveal.
[Also: in the summary, this book is compared to Thirteen Reasons Why and that actually irritates me. Just because there's a suicide in a book does not mean that should automatically be compared to Thirteen Reasons Why. If anything, it should be compared to Speak.]

As a last note, there's an interesting way that Rodriguez writes. It's almost as if present and future [or past and present, if you want] merge. There are suicide notes right off the bat and after, that's when the story really begins. I really liked this style. It was easy to follow, drew my curiosity and if not for that horribly executed ending, this book would've received four stars.

Cindy's Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website |

Hi! I’m Cindy L. Rodriguez, the author of WHEN REASON BREAKS, a young adult novel that will be published by Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books (2/10/2015). I am represented by Laura Langlie. I teach middle school reading and college-level composition. I live in Connecticut with my daughter and rescue mutt.

 

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Book Review: Rush - Eve Silver

Title: Rush
Author: Eve Silver
Pub Date: June 11th, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Page Count: 361

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game — her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos.

In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

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This one was a strange one to review and the best part is that I mean this in a completely neutral way. Seriously. That's why it was so strange.
Usually, I feel one way or another with a book and that's how I am. It's pretty easy to review books when things are black and white. Rush, however, was not.

I really liked the idea of the game that wasn't just a game. It intrigued me because I'm not really a gamer and I like books that explore past what my extent of knowledge is. It's also something I haven't really seen before, except maybe, Spy Kids. (I'm sorry, I had to.) I also really liked a lot of little things like how if a gamer gets 1000 points, they get to leave. What I didn't really like was how it seemed like a great segway to bigger idea but was never really elaborated on.

That's a lot like how Rush was. Silver threw a bunch of exciting ideas and wrote them down but only really elaborated on half. By the end of the book, I was puzzled, unsatisfied but still want to read the next one. When I closed the cover, I thought to myself, is that it? While this story is full of plot building and unfolded secrets, I didn't feel like it really accomplished as much as it could have. I'm still so in the dark about so many things and maybe it's Silver's intention, but to me, it's kind of a waste.

I do really like Silver's writing. It was gorgeous and the dialogue was just so real to me. I think it really brought everything to life and because it's about a place outside our world, writing needs to have a balance between description and dialogue, which Eve Silver mastered.

Something else that I was really on the fence about were the characters. While I was definitely satisfied with the main characters, the rest were very blank to me. Because they're so mysterious, I never really got to connect with them until the ending and by then, it's kind of late. Also, I felt like the relationship between Miki and Jackson felt... weird. Like, I don't even know how to explain it.

So to sum up, it's definitely a great book and I would say start reading! But if I could do anything differently, I would binge read the whole series at once so I don't have this feeling of unsatisfaction that I have because I don't have the sequel, PUSH.

Eve's Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website |

Eve Silver lives with her gamer husband and sons, sometimes in Canada, but often in worlds she dreams up. She loves kayaking and sunshine, dogs and desserts, and books, lots and lots of books. Watch for the first book in Eve’s new teen series, THE GAME: RUSH, coming from Katherine Tegen Books, June 2013. She also writes books for adults.

 

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Book Review: Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Pub Date: October 17th, 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen
Page Count: 316

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life.

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With a very distinct voice, Kendare is to be applauded for her storytelling skills making [Anna Dressed in Blood] a great read, especially during Halloween! - Nova @ Out of Time

I read this for the spirit of Halloween, but I really enjoyed it and I'm pretty sure I'd like it no matter what time! The first chapter started off with a bang, that drew me in very quickly. I realize how much I love Blake's descriptive skills. I felt like I was part of this story. Because it's got so much to do with supernatural, descriptive writing is a must. How are readers supposed to know what the ghosts look like? And Blake nailed it! That was great!

I also really enjoyed Cas' voice. It's narrated by him. To be completely honest, I don't read many books from a male perspective. It's not because I deliberately seek out reads that are female POVs, it's just how things go when I get review copies or when I buy. So, this was definitely pretty refreshing. Also, this one line, Cas goes: "You f___- you ate my cat!" and I was laughing for like five minutes because it's totally something I would say. My God.

Her comes the bad news. What's above pretty much sums up all the good about this book. The sad part was that I was really split halfway with this book. Because while Cas was so dynic, everyone else seemed quite static. I didn't really like the other characters because as Cas said, after he was done with his job, he'd be moving on, leaving no space for development in the other characters.

This leads me into the instalove. Anna and Cas are a couple? What? I read the first bit during the conclusion and I didn't get it at all. It seemed so random. Like the two haven't even been on a date or anything! Like what? He literally declared his love to her and she's like "okay." This was one of the things that were rushed. Heck, the entire ending seemed so rushed. So much of the book was focused on Anna, and that was fine, but then there was a shift in the plot. Suddenly it became about something that I can't even remember because it was that random. All I know is that I heavily disliked the ending. It didn't feel well thought out at all.

Because I'm split down the middle, you can predict the rating.

Kendare's Goodreads | Twitter | Website |

So, I write books. Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares are horror, The Goddess War books are mythology, and Sleepwalk Society is contemporary. Different genres, because the world don't move to the beat of just one drum. Love to read, too. Fiction, philosophy, good books, bad books, because you take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have a stack of books and stuff. I mean, you've got to be adventurous. There's more to life that what you're living, so take a chance and face the wind.

There's more coming soon like Slasher Girls and Monster Boys and Ungodly in 2015, so don't waste another minute on your cryin. We're nowhere near the end.

My likes include animals, food, and nostalgia. I mean, whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, the evening TV? Used to be everywhere you look, there's a heart, a hand to hold on to.

Anyway, I love to hear from readers so drop me a line here or at my website and we'll talk about friends to know, and ways to grow, and great authors to be in charge of our days, and our nights.

We can also talk about all the sitcom theme songs in this bio. Sha la la la.

 

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Book Review: Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
Pub Date: December 23rd 2008
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 357

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created 'perfect' life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for: her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect.

Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Buy Links

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My Thoughts

Don't name a book Perfect Chemistry and then expect me not to judge it. Trust me, this book isn't perfect chemistry at all. I didn't swoon as much as I wanted to; I swooned, but it was a little half-hearted.

This is one of those "two people from different worlds" love stories. Brittany is a popular, rich chick while Alex is trying to scape by and is in a gang. How can I say this in a way that doesn't sound cliche? They tried to kill each other the first time they met and Alex might've tried to hit on Brittany. The point of me telling you this is that personalities were shown in the very beginning.

We knew of the danger that surrounded Alex and the fluff that seemed to follow Brittany around everywhere. 

The personalities are built strong, but still cliche. Brittany was all like "I'm not dumb" and then she totally acted dumb where as Alex was all like "I'm dangerous, but I don't want to be" and yet flaunts his gang status around. It's these little things that didn't make sense.

In terms of the writing, it was definitely worth reading! I loved the way Simone wrote things. It kept me interested and focused on their story. The story is actually really good to read about. Alex and Brittany go through so much only to conquer in the end which made me sigh in contentment. I am skeptical over "HEA" endings, but this one ended nicely with a hint of nostalgia that turned the whole rating around for me. 

This book deals with topics that are edgy. It deals with drugs, gangs and how society in that particular place is split between the upper East and West side. It's a real book that's a lot more gritty in story than in romance.

The romance is a strong part of the story. I can't decide whether I liked it or not. There are so many books that make me go "aw!" and then I turn red from how cute it is. This was not one of those books. I felt the romance, but I didn't feel it as strongly as I think Simone wanted me to. So really, it wasn't "perfect chemistry" it was cute but that's it. Meh. 

If you're looking for gritty romance, you may not like this because I didn't like it as much as I should have. If you're looking for gritty in plot and content, try it out! The plot was great and entertaining, but as it's a debut, it needed some polishing.

Author Info

Simone's Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website |

Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of novels for teens. Simone’s books have won many awards including being YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, being named to the YALSA Popular Paperbacks and Teens Top Ten lists, and added to the Illinois “Read for a Lifetime” Reading List. Simone also won the coveted RITA award from the Romance Writers of America for her book Perfect Chemistry. Simone is especially proud of the fact that the Illinois Association of Teachers of English named her Author of the Year.

Simone was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, where she still lives today. Simone went to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and received her Bachelor’s of Science there in Psychology in 1992. She continued her education at Loyola University-Chicago where she received her Master’s of Science degree in Industrial Relations while working for a manufacturing company creating diversity programs for their employees.

She loves animals (she has two dogs – a labradoodle and a German Shepherd), kids (she also has two of those) and her family. In her spare time she’s the Hockey Mom for her kids hockey teams and is an active Girl Scout leader specially trained in outdoor education. She also spends time mentoring other teen and adult authors. (She also loves sushi, which you can probably tell by reading her books.) Simone writes about teens because she was a teen in the 80’s (when spiked hair and blue eye shadow were “rad”) and she loves writing about those exciting teen relationships and romances.

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