Between Here and Forever Review

Author: Elizabeth Scott
Release date: May 24, 2011
Pages: 250
Publishers: Simon Pulse
How I got it: For review from publisher 

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible. 

Until the accident. 

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her. 

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen. 

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

Full of sadness, hope, and complexity, Between Here and Forever definitely proved Scott's abilities to me that I've heard so much about. Of course, I still had some issues with it, but the good outweighed the bad.

My main issue was definitely Abby. She was constantly down on herself because she wasn't pretty enough, wasn't charming enough, wasn't fun enough, etc. I understood where Abby was coming from and it felt realistic most of the time, but Abby's constant put-downs of herself started to become too frequent and too repetitive after a while.

Eli, however, I loved. I love it when there's more to a character than I initially thought, and that was definitely the case with Eli. In fact, it was the case with a lot of the characters, like Tess and Claire. Both of the characters ended up surprising me in the best way.

This impressive story of not letting your worst things or past define you was both touching and entertaining. Definitely recommended to those looking for a good, fast contemporary read.

Plot: Very Lifetime-movie-esque, but it was handled in a classy way.

Characters: Didn't love Abby, but I liked Eli a lot.

Writing: Very light and easy to read.

Ending: I wanted more closure, but it wasn't bad.

Mature content: Very brief mentions of sex, some swearing.

Overall:

I might've put this down once or twice, but not just for anything.

Between Here and Forever will not go down as one of my favorites or anything, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Other reviews:

Good Books and Good Wine

Addicted 2 Novels

Reviews of Young Adult Literature

Into The Storm Review

Author: Karen Metcalf
Release date: February 11, 2011
Pages: 88
Publisher: Self-pubbed
How I got it: For review from author 

Abandoned by the world around her, Carly believes she is fated to a life of torment at the hands of her stepfather and is desperate for an escape. When she can bear the abuse no longer and gives in to a thunderous rage, she suddenly finds herself in an unfamiliar, yet beautiful, storm world. This limbo between dimensions appears to be her private sanctuary, but it may just be her purgatory.  

No one escapes fate without sacrifice, but is the price more than Carly is willing to pay?

At a mere 88 pages, Into The Storm is a fast read with a really cool concept. Despite how cool it was to finish this in about an hour, I can't help but feel that some more length was what this book needed.

Into The Storm deals with dimensions, something that's intrigued me for a long while. While other things lacked due to the novella's short length, the world managed to be striking and interesting.

Most of what did suffer is the characters. The only thing I found relatable or likable about the main character, Carly, was her love for her brother, probably because it pretty much defines her. That and her atrocious home life, which left me feeling like I was supposed to be pitying her instead of anything else. Personally, I like to have a more solid connection to a main character than just pure pity.

Oh and also there was insta-love. There was a decent enough excuse for the insta-love I suppose, but even with that it felt sort of forced and unnatural. And so very insta.

So basically I found Into The Storm to be a decent read, but its lack of develoment kept me from becoming involved with the story, leaving me with the sad knowledge that this will not be be one to stand out from the crowd. However, if you're interested in different dimensions and have an hour or two to kill, this is something you may want to check out.

Plot: Unique and interesting, though it did move a tad too slow.

Characters: Didn't connect with any of them like I was hoping too.

Writing: Pretty good.

Ending:

Kid friendly? Some intense scenes dealing with an abusive step-dad, as well as mentions of sex, and some swearing.

Overall:

I would've had a conversation with someone while reading.

Into The Storm was by no means a bad book, it just didn't capture my heart like it had the potential to.

The Duff Review

Author: Kody Keplinger
Release date: September 7, 2010
Pages: 280
Publisher: Poppy
How I got it: Stole from mom 

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.  

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. 

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

"This," I thought as I started The Duff and read about Wesley for the first time, "is not going to work. He is far too much of a jerk too EVER give me the swoonz."

Wrong.

But NOT ONLY did The Duff give me the swoonz, it also came with a really important message that I think everything can take something away from.

Immediately I liked Bianca. Her sarcastic and pessimistic view on high school had me smiling straight from the get-go. Her friends seemed like the kind of girls that make me want to pound my head against a wall, but hey, at least I liked Bianca. And, much to my surprise, I liked Wesley, too...well, after a while.

And their chemistry was something REAL. It was definitely some of the more er, detailed, sex and make out scenes I've read, but not overly detailed.

The cover and description makes The Duff seem like a light-hearted book, and while at times it is, it also deals with some heavier issues. I very much appreciated this. It's very rare that I find a book with that kind of balance, but I found it in The Duff. It's safe to say I'll be reading more from Keplinger.

So yeah, in a nutshell, The Duff rocked. It has nearly everything I look for in a contemporary novel, and I highly recommend it to fellow contemporary lovers.

Plot: Predictable but I liked it.

Characters: Loved Bianca and Wesley, but I kinda wished there had been more awesome side characters.

Writing: Really nice.

Ending: Loved it.

Mature content: Language, drinking, and sex.

Overall:

I would for sure roll my eyes if anyone tried to stop me from reading.

I'm glad I had a solid chunk of spare time, because this is not a book I'd want to stop reading for long. If you haven't picked this one up already, remedy that ASAP.

Top Ten Books I Wanna Read This Summer

This week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by Broke and the Bookish) was a freebie, so I picked Top Ten Books I Wanna Read This Summer, because a) it is timely and b) maybe publicly posting it will help me actually get these read.

Freefall by Mindi Scott

I've had this checked out from the library for about a year and a half, and it's about time I actually read it.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Bought this one a while back and I keep hearing things about that make it sounds like an awesome summer read.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Only have this one for a little while from the library so. Also SERIAL KILLERS WOOO.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Sounds like this one will give me the sadz but also be worth it.

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci

I've had the sequel to this to review for forever, and I'm done putting this series off.

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Bought a while back and SERIAL KILLERS WOOO.

The Gathering by Kelly Armstrong

This one showed up randomly in my mailbox around its release date, and if I don't read something by Armstrong soon my family may murder me.

Stay by Deb Caletti

Again, showed up randomly around its release date.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Sad I haven't read this one yet, right?

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Ghosts! Yay! Also I have the sequel to review.

Read-a-thon Update #1

My first day of the Once Upon a Read-a-thon was amazing!

I've read:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (started this before the read-a-thon, but finished during)

The Alchemy of Forever

Between Here and Forever

I'm now reading:

Enclave (the audiobook)

Glimpse

Only 3 books left after Glimpse! I decided to go out on a limb and read review books this time around. So far it's worked in my favor. I'm also reading my little brother Sideways Stories from Wayside School and I'm hoping to finish that by Wednesday.

Anyways, time to get back to reading! Are you participating in the read-a-thon? How're you doing so far?

Exile Review

Author: Anne Osterlund
Release date: April 28, 2011
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 304
How I got it: From author for review
Other titles in series: Aurelia 

Crown princess Aurelia is a survivor. She survived attempted assassination. She survived the king's rejection. She survived her mother's abandonment. And now, in exile, she must survive her kingdom-from hostile crowds to raw frontier to desert sands. But even as unknown assailants track Aurelia and expedition guide Robert, she knows her greatest risk is falling in love...

------
Exile was a lot like its predecessor, Aurelia, in that it could've been great but fell completely flat for me.

In Exile, there is a lot of unnecessary talking and then more talking and not much doing. It felt very drawn out for me, and if I enjoyed the romance the author was trying to focus on then maybe I wouldn't mind that. However, I cannot say I enjoyed the romance. I was told that these two characters felt something for each other, but not once in the entire novel did I feel any kind of romantic tension between them. It all felt very forced.

I do wish I liked the romance more, because I do like Aurelia. She's damaged but soft-hearted and vulnerable in a unique and compelling way that most main characters are not. Robert is also nice, but he is so driven by his "love" for Aurelia that it was his main characteristic.

This series is not my favorite despite its heaps of potential. If it sounds like something you would like, then I wouldn't tell you not to read it, but I would suggest checking it out from the library instead of buying it.

Plot: Rather boring.

Characters: I like Aurelia but that's it.

Writing: There was no TENSION. I need my SEXUAL TENSION.

Ending: Fine, though not exciting enough to make me want to read the next book.

Kid friendly? Very. There's a brief mention of sex but it never happens, and their swear words are about crowns.

Overall:

Kinda had to force myself to get through this one.

This is just not the series for me, plain and simple. 

Other thoughts on Exile:

Reading Vacation

Bookworm1858

Maxine Matthew

Spell Bound Review

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Release date: March 13, 2012
Pages: 327
Publisher: Hyperion
How I got it: Bought 

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted. 

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident. 

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Holy craaaaaap guys. Even with my relatively new book-snobby, contemporary loving ways, Spell Bound still left me a mess. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to this series.

Even in the first five chapters in Spell Bound there are TWISTS. Twists that totally slapped me in the face! And then there were more! And then when I thought there were twists they twisted into non-twists! Let me reiterate: TWISTS. However, despite the book's twisty nature, it never got confusing or annoying. I'm telling you guys, this Hawkins lady is a witch. A witch with mad writing skillz who needs to write faster.

Sophie, why can't you be in ALL THE BOOKS? Your snarky humor and determination should definitely rub off on more characters. Archer, I know my mom and sister hate your guts, but I've ALWAYS loved you. You play off of Sophie's humor SO WELL and add a little mysterious broodiness to the series. Cal, Jenna, you two just...just GAHHH.

There's not much more I can say without spoiling anything, so I guess I will end the review with this: I love this series, and this book--full of revelations, emotions, and wicked cool magic--wrapped it up near perfectly.

Plot: Awesome.

Characters: Awesome. 

Writing: Snarky and fun.

Ending: Both happy and sad.

Mature content: Not much, if any.

Overall:

I'll miss yooooouuuuu.

I really will.