Misfit Review

Author: Jon Skovron
Release Date: August 1, 2011
Pages: 384 (HC)
Publisher: Amulet
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: From the library

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

Author Jon Skovron takes on the dark side of human nature with his signature funny, heartfelt prose.

You may or may not remember how much I enjoyed Skovron's '09 debut, Struts & Frets. So when I heard he was venturing into paranormal, I was a bit apprehensive about it, but was still willing to give it a try because I enjoyed Struts & Frets so much. Well, it didn't live up to my expectations.

Misfit puts a whole new spin on demons and even some stories from the bible. While I think it was brave of Skovron to do such a bold thing and sometimes a very cool concept, I thought a lot of it went over my head when it really shouldn't have. I ended up very confused and frustrated by the plot the more Skovron explained it.

Each of the characters were annoying. Jael was your run-of-the-mill stupid protagonist that doesn't listen to anyone and tells guys she barely knows that she's a demon because it feels right. Her dad's consistently cold personality annoyed me to know end; Britt was so self-absorbed it was torturous; and her uncle...well, he was there, I guess. I enjoyed Rob's character, but not his and Jael's relationship. It felt unnatural and...weird.

The best part of the book was the ending (no, not because it ended. I am not a Simon Cowell). Jael finally--for lack of a better term--grew a pair and kicked butt and took names and all that. Skovron's writing was also another part of the book that kept me reading. While not perfect, it was pretty good.

I guess my expectations were too high, because I really thought I'd love this one, but sadly I just didn't.

Plot: Interesting, but slow-moving.

Characters: Rob was okay, but overall...eh.

Writing: Pretty good.

Ending: Predictable but good.

Kind Friendly? There was swearing, multiple mentions of sex, and violence.
Should I read it? If it's more up your alley than it is mine, give it a go I guess. If it's not, then...

Overall:

Ultraviolet Review

Author: R.J. Anderson
Release Date: June 2, 2011
Pages: 330 (egalley)
Publisher: Orchard
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review through Netgalley

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

If I was asked to only review the first two hundred pages of Ultraviolet, then this would be a much more positive review.

But THOSE LAST HUNDRED PAGES. UGH.

Sorry. Anyways:

Ultraviolet grabbed from the first page. The whole "am I crazy orrrr..." plot-line kept me on the edge of my seat. Even when I failed to connect to any of the characters, I kept reading because I still had to know what happened next and because I found Alison's "illness" fascinating.

Another thing that I loved about it was that it was so original. Reading about the way Alison sees things is an experience in itself, one that I was really enjoying.

And throughout the book, we have a mystery that obviously has something to do with something supernatural. The mystery builds throughout the book, and when the answers we were looking for are finally revealed, I was left feeling so...

Upset. I mean, seriously? WTF just happened?

I don't want to give you any spoilers, but basically, I thought the big conclusion was--I know this sounds mean but it's how I feel--stupid. And unoriginal. I can't even properly review it because I was just sort of skimming through the last hundred pages, only reading the dialogue.

But it's not like I completely hated this book. It started strong, and just ended poorly. Alison's abilities were new and fascinating, and I was interested by the whole mental-hospital-thing. If you're looking for something different and don't mind weird endings, maybe try it?

Plot: Different. Until the end...

Characters: Eh...
Writing: Good.

Ending: NO.

Kind Friendly? There was swearing, sexual harassment, and mentally disturbed teens.
Should I read it? Check out more reviews of it on Goodreads and see for yourself if you think you'd like it. I seem to be one of the few that had major issues with it.

Overall:

My Superhero Sister Reviewed By Me and My Sister

Author: Toni LeTempio
Release Date: January 25, 2011
Pages: 190 (e-galley)
Publisher: self-pubbed
Most Appropriate For Ages: 9+
Where I Got It: For review from author

Holly Hamilton's always felt invisible in her family. How could she not when her older sister Ellen is the co-captain of the cheer squad, a star student, and her town's favorite superhero?

After Anti-Villain robbed the sister's dad of his powers, he had to hang up his cape and retire his superhero alter-ego, Invincible Man, and Ellen took over as Suprema. Now, Anti-Villain's escaped from prison, and is out for revenge. Anyone could be working for Anti-Villain, even the new hunk Tad that Holly has her eyes on.

The Hamilton family quickly realizes that time's running out...and this time, it seems like not Suprema or Invincible Man will be able to stop Anti-Hero. Who will?

I've always had a thing for Super-people. So when I was contacted to review My Superhero Sister, I was super excited (no pun intended). And while it was a decent read, I don't think it was quite old enough for me.

My biggest complaint about the novel might've been Holly. She was very whiny and woe-is-me and I-have-to-prove-myself-to-get-the-guy-cause-just-being-myself-is-lame. Not to mention self involved. When her sister is in trouble, she usually thinks to herself something along the lines of:

"I didn't want Ellen to get hurt, even if we did have our share of problems. Who would help me with my English homework?"*

And she doesn't jokingly tell her friend this. No, this is her inner dialogue, and she thinks similar to this more than once. I'm sorry, but when my sister ever appears to be in trouble, I don't question how it will affect me. It just struck me as very odd.

So, yeah, Holly. Not my favorite character. In fact, I never really liked any of the characters. They were all very flat.

In fact, I think my favorite characters were the villains, Anti-Hero and his sidekick Rodney Beaver. And my favorite part of the novel was the ending. While the rest of the book read more like an unoriginal cliche, the ending was cliched as well, but more in a way like it was parodying the average comic book villain.

Oh, and they kept using the word "fabbo", an abbreviation of the word "fabulous". Maybe this is just because I'm not hip to the young people's new slang, but this bugged me. Lots.

Occasionally, character's Eureka Moment seemed really, really obvious. And it was kinda predictable (but, then again, so is every hero story). Yeah, My Superhero Sister didn't quite click with me, but I have a feeling the younger crowd will like it more.

Book Report:

Plot: Cliched, but well-paced enough.

Characters: Not my favorite.

Writing: Good, though there was sometimes dialogue that I found too stiff.

Ending: Favorite part.

Kid friendly? Very. There's a tiny bit of language, but this one's pretty clean.

Should I read it? Depends.

Overall:

*Not an actual quote. But pretty close, I think....

And now, I've got a review of My Superhero Sister from my little sister Allison.

I had a hard time putting My Superhero Sister down from page one. I thought it was a good, fast read and that it was definitely aimed for the younger crowd. Some of the characters could get pretty annoying, but the ending of the book made up for any of my complaints because it was SO FLIPPIN' AWESOME.  My favorite characters were the villains and Eddie Mcgee. Overall I thought this book was awesome!

Book Report:

Plot: Good.

Characters: Most of them were very annoying.

Writing: I thought it was good.

Ending: LOVED IT.

Kid friendly? Very.

Should I read it? YES DEFINITELY.

Overall:

Wolfsbane Review

Author: Andrea Cremer
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Pages: 390 (ARC)
Publisher: Philomel
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: For review through tour site
Other titles in series: Nightshade

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended-Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer-one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack-and the man-she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

I had such high hopes for Wolfsbane, since I absolutely loved Nightshade. Unfortunately, I ended up very disappointed with pissed at Wolfsbane.

I knew something was off in the first chapter. I don't know about you guys, but I am a forgetful person, especially when it's been a couple of months since I've read a sequel's predecessor. So I like to have a bit of a recap. Well there is none of that in Wolfsbane. I felt so confused for the first fifty pages just trying to remember what happened.

"But Jessica," you say, "at least the fabulous characters from Nightshade are still there!" Um, NO, Voice. No, they're not. We spend a good 75% of the book with Searchers, trying to keep up with their different connections and personalities, when really I just wanted the pack back, who didn't make an appearance in the novel until the last 90 pages.

And that wasn't my only annoyance with the characters. Shay and Calla seem to be completely different from how I remember them. (Whether this is because of me or Wolfsbane I'm not sure, honestly.) Shay seems to be evolving from the boy Calla first met in the woods. I remember him as this sweet, slightly rebellious boy. Well, he is gone, folks. He was replaced by some annoyingly possessive and horny boy that I spent half of the book wanting to slap.

But he's not the only one! Nope, I wanted to slap Calla as well. Not only did she follow the Searchers--who have been her enemy for her whole life--without an ounce of skepticism, but she was stupid too! ("Why would he call himself a fool?" OMG I almost threw the book at the wall. Seriously? How blind can you--UGH.)

My problems with Calla don't end there, though. What I don't get is why this love triangle is continuing. In Nightshade, the love triangle made sense; she's supposed to be with Ren and has almost gotten used to it, when this new guy comes along and their love is forbidden. But in Wolfsbane, Calla is free to be with whomever she chooses. So you'd think she would actually choose then, right? Especially since she's this strong, powerful, alpha, she should be able to pick between two guys, right? Um, WRONG. Calla is as annoyingly indecisive as ever. She would be heavily making out with Shay, then think about Ren, then decide she needed to be alone. I can almost excuse Shay's butt-cheese-iness (sure, it's a word) cause the poor guy has to put up with the Calla's constant mood swings.

Just, GAH! WOMAN. MAKE UP YOUR FREAKING. MIND.

As if that wasn't enough to turn me off of Wolfsbane, the pacing seemed so slow. Wolfsbane is a 400-page book that takes place in two days. Two incredibly long, boring days. There was an action scene or two thrown in just to appease the reader, but the build-up to them seemed way longer than it had to be.

This feels like the worst review I've ever written. It might've been because I know that Wolfsbane could've been stellar, and because I expected it to be stellar, and it was just so far from that.

Having said all of this, it might've been me, too. I have grown much pickier since I read Nightshade, so I guess things I didn't notice while reading Nightshade I noticed when reading Wolfsbane. Though luckily, not everything was wrong with Wolfsbane. I still love the unique world Cremer has created and what she's added to it, and her writing is still pretty impressive. I know that I'll be reading book 3, Bloodrose, because I need to know how this story ends. But hopefully it's as good as Nightshade.

Plot: The world is good, but the pacing was off.

Characters: The ones I loved weren't there, and the main characters were annoying. Some of the Searchers were pretty cool, though.

Writing: Good.

Ending:  Open-ended, but not a huge nail biter.

Kind Friendly? There was some heavy making out, violence, death, and swearing.

Overall:

Reviewers who liked this book more than I did:

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XVI Review

Author: Julia Karr
Release Date: January 6, 2011
Pages: 325 (ARC)
Publisher: Speak/Penguin
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: For review from ATWT 
Challenges it count toward: 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world - even the most predatory of men - that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past - one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

I really wanted to like XVI more than I did....

I'll start with the positive: I loved the concept of the government controlling the media and the media working to keep everyone in "their place". It's something that pretty much happens on a lesser scale today, and it's frighteningly easy to picture the future looking similar to this.

Aside from that, however, everything just fell kind of flat for me. The writing and the world-building especially... I just never connected to the story as much as I'd like. It didn't stay with me very well either; the day after reading it, the time I normally use to digest a book and appreciate it wasn't needed for XVI because I barely thought about it.

I guess I enjoyed the characters a decent amount, though. Nina was a very strong, level-headed teen in a society where other teen girls wear practically nothing and see sex as more of rite of passage. I also liked the love interest Sal...well, at first. Towards the end, he got too mushy for my tastes... I think I ended up preferring her musician friend, Derek. And Wei was pretty cool. But I didn't really love any of them.

I guess XVI just wasn't the book for me. However, I've heard some other bloggers loved it, so if it sounds like something you'd enjoy, I wouldn't tell you not to pick it up.

Book Report:

Plot: Loved the concept. Was unimpressed by the execution and pacing.

Characters: Most were pretty good...

Writing: Unfortunately, I found the writing to not be descriptive enough.

Ending: Kind of rushed, but it wrapped things up nicely.

Kid friendly? One of the main themes in this novel is sex and women's rights. Sex, rape and sexual slavery are mentioned, as well as some swearing.

Should I read it? If you think you'd enjoy it more, go ahead.

Overall:

 

Reviewers who liked this book more:

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Anxious Hearts Review

Author: Tucker Shaw

Release Date: April 1, 2010

Pages: 272 (ARC)

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: Around The World Tours

“Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.”

Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.

A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.

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I was not impressed by Anxious Hearts.

The book alternates between two stories, and I never connected to either one. Perhaps it was because the entire book is very rushed. The events, the romance, it was as if the author only had a certain amount of pages.

As I said, I never connected to either stories, or the characters. Eva was an OK protagonist, and I didn't really like Gabe. He didn't treat Eva very well and was very vague, making me question their relationship. I liked Gabriel, the protagonist in the other story, and Evangeline wasn't bad, but I didn't love them.

Tucker Shaw's writing was decent, but not enough to keep me enjoying the novel.

The ending...it was an ending. Nothing spectacular. All in all, not the book for me. I don't know if I'd recommend it, but if you really think it's something you'd like, give it a try.

How kid friendly is Anxious Hearts? There's very little language or violence, however there are two sex scenes, neither going into much detail.

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising Review

Author: Jason Henderson

Release Date: May 3 , 2010

Pages: 256

Publisher: HarperTeen

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: From Around The World Tours

Fourteen-year-old Alex has no idea that he's descended from the world's most famous vampire hunter, but that changes fast when he arrives at Glenarvon Academy and confronts two vampires in his first three days. Turns out Glenarvon isn't the only school near Lake Geneva. Hidden deep underground lies an ancient university for vampires called the Scholomance. And the deadly vampire clan lord known as Icemaker? You might say he's a visiting professor.

When two of Alex's friends are kidnapped by Icemaker, it's up to Alex to infiltrate the Scholomance and get them back—alive. Assisted by the Polidorium, a top-secret vampire-hunting organization with buried ties to the Van Helsings, Alex dodges zombies, bullets, and lots—and lots—of fangs on his way to thwarting Icemaker's plans and fulfilling his family destiny.

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Vampire Rising sounded like it could have been Maximum Ride - the wings + vampires and a male main character, which sounds great to me since I'm very obviously an action (and Maximum Ride) junkee. But Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising fell flat for me.

The plot was...decent. I followed it, but action scenes would pop out of nowhere along with some new supernatural creature that didn't get a good entry at all and then I'd feel lost. I think this may be a problem with the writing, or even possibly me, but it definitely took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

I never really connected to the characters. At all. None of them had a lot of personality...or any personality, really. I didn't have a favorite or a least favorite.

The writing was decent, except for what I've already explained above. Jason Henderson has already written some comics, I believe, and you can tell by his storytelling.

The ending was OK. Overall, this wasn't the book for me. I managed to finish it but never really got into it. I'm pretty sure there will be another but I don't think I'm going to read it. If it sounds interesting to you, then give it a try. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.