The Raven Boys Review

The thing about Maggie Stiefvater is that her writing has a weird way of drawing you in and making you connect with events and characters you normally wouldn't. That was what happened to me with The Raven Boys, only it didn't draw me in quite enough to make me forget about it's problems.

Blue doesn't have an psychic abilities, which is weird because she comes from a long line of psychics. Still, she's definitely gotten used to dealing with the unusual. So has Gansey, but only because he's thrown himself into it for years to try and find Glendower, a dead Welsh king. In Virginia. He drags his friends, Adam, Ronan, and Noah, along with him to follow all kinds of clues that only lead to dead ends.

When their paths cross, they stop hitting dead ends and start getting answers. Answers they may not actually like. And as Blue gets closer to Adam, it gets harder to not kiss him, which is a problem, because all of her family have told her for years that the if she kisses her true love, he'll die.

As you can tell, there's a lot going on in The Raven Boys, and sometimes it got to be a little too much for me. The characters blended together and the plot seemed to be going nowhere. That's when I put it down to read a different book. When I came back to it, I found it to be a lot more enjoyable and a lot less confusing.

But plot-wise The Raven Boys still didn't do anything for me, even after I set it down. It seemed like very little actually happened and what did happen only somewhat mattered to the plot of the overall series, in my mind. It made this a very easy novel to set down, unfortunately.

And yet I connected with the characters in the end. I found Adam to be a wonderfully dreamy/angsty love interest. I found Gansey to be a fascinating and unique character. I found Blue to be a quirky and easy-to-relate-to protagonist.

In the end The Raven Boys was a mixed bag for me, and I'm not sure if I'll be reading the sequel or not.

Plot: Interesting but didn't really move.

Characters: I liked them.

Writing: Really good.

Ending: Meh.

Mature content: Maybe some swearing but I think that was about it.

Overall:

Somewhere in the middle.

I wasn't blown away by this book but it definitely wasn't the worst book I've ever read either.

Meant To Be Review

Author: Lauren Morill
Release date: November 13, 2012
Pages: 256
Publisher: Random House
How I got it: For review from Netgalley 

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.  

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be"). 

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

Meant To Be was such an adorable debut. While it won't go down in my favorites or anything, it was so cute and fun and I think chick-lit fans will adore it.

If I had to pick my favorite thing about Meant To Be, it might be Julia. She was level-headed, kind of neurotic, and she very much valued reading, something we can all appreciate. Despite her various mistakes and mishaps I couldn't help but be invested in her character.

Or it might be the banter between Julia and Jason. It felt so natural and light-hearted and wasn't overly intense. I hate intense conversations like the ones on TV shows when they just stare into each other's eyes for an hour. How is that supposed to show me you value each other? It just makes it look like you're both stalkers. Anyways, yeah, I loved the way Morill handled the banter.

Though, it might also be the setting, so vivid and exciting yet not bogged down by too much description.

Basically, there were lots of things to like about Meant To Be.

However, there was one thing that really bothered me, and that is Jason. While sometimes he did things that made me smile and gave me the butterflies, I felt like he didn't grow at all, and I never got to know him as much as I would've liked to. I kept expecting it to happen, but when it didn't I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Plot: A little slow to start, but once I got into it I though it was fun but predictable.

Characters: Julia rocked, and Jason sometimes rocked.

Writing: Good.

Ending: Pretty good.

Mature content: There was drinking and mild swearing.

Overall:

Definitely kept me interested.

Despite some minor issues I had with Meant To Be, overall I really liked it and I'm interested in reading more from Morill.

The Curiosities Review

Authors: Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff
Release date: October 1, 2012
Pages: 304
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
How I got it: For review from Netgalley 

From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories. 

- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).  

These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction. 

But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors. 

So, are you curious now?

Let me start off this review by saying that there are little notes the authors made in the pages, but I was unable to read them on my e-reader, so I might have missed some stuff.

Stories I Liked

Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton

A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater

The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff

The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater

Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff

Puddles by Tessa Gratton

The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff

Death-Ship by Tessa Gratton

Cut by Brenna Yovanoff

Philosopher's Flight by Maggie Stiefvater

Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton

Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff

The Summer Ends In Slaughter by Tessa Gratton

Berserk by Tessa Gratton

Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff

Stories I was "Eh" About (Most os these ended up confusing me)

Blue As God by Brenna Yovanoff

Thomas All by Tessa Gratton

The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff

A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater

Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff

Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater

Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater

Stories I LOVED

Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater

Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton

Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff

The Deadlier of Species by Maggie Stiefvater

The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater

Ash-Tree Spell to Break Your Heart by Tessa Gratton

Overall, this was a really cool look into three awesome author's creative process, especially as the stories were mostly uneditied. I'll definitely need to be buying this one for my shelves so a) I can read the notes and b) I need to re-read the ones I loved. Because I really did LOVE those. I would definitely recommend this one.

Top Ten Halloweeny Books

I freaking LOVE Halloween, because:

1. Costumes!
2. Attempting to scare children in said costume and then feeling guilty when you do!
3. Peeps! (Meaning companions.)
4. Horror movies and horror books!
5. PEEPS! (Meaning the candy.)
6. Sweet decorations!
7. Haunted houses!

So, naturally, I have put together an excellent list of Halloweeny (YES IT'S A WORD) books to get you as excited for this glorious event as I am.

Anna Dressed In Blood
This book has gore, a cool cast of characters, AND it plays on the classic ghost story in a way I can't help but love.

I Hunt Killers
Jazz's memories of his serial killer father can be legit creeptastic, and Jazz's inner struggle to be less like him is so captivating in the strangest way.

Family
This one's just plain SCARY. Like SWEET KEVIN BACON these people are cray.

The Devouring
I don't remember loving this one very much because the characters were flat, but I also remember thinking that the concept was really cool.

The Near Witch
This book reads like a fairy tale your parents read you when you're very young on a cold winter day that captures your interest, imagination, and makes you just a little bit scared.

Grave Mercy
There's nothing in this book that's going to keep you awake at night BUT it has killing and it's really really good and I demand you read it.

Shade
I love the world Smith-Ready creates with this series and I think this was the best book in it.

Cryer's Cross
This book is SO deliciously maniacal. Seriously, if you want a story of loss, making out, and mysterious supernatural killings...do this.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
I LOVE THIS BOOK. There's nothing scary about it in the slightest, but it has werewolves, dead things, more dead things, and fantastic humor.

The Body Finder
Dead bodies and hot make out scenes! What whaaatttt.

Chopsticks Review

Chopsticks is a novel made up of pictures, not words. I was drawn to it because of this but for me it ended up being it's downfall.

The novel focuses on Glory, a piano prodigy, and Frank, an artistic and rebellious boy. They quickly form a strong relationship, and soon after that Glory's career takes off and she goes on a world tour. Soon, she begins to crumble--both as a person and as a musician.

Not a lot about this book made sense to me, so please forgive the lame synopsis. Seriously, though, I felt lost for at least half of the novel. If I'd enjoyed it any more then maybe I'd go back to re-read it, but I don't think I will.

 I feel like this book was a really interesting concept but had a really rocky execution. The rise and fall of relationships and events got lost somewhere in the pages of photos and IM conversations, and for me those kinds of elements of novels is the while reason I read.

Some of the pictures are visually stunning, and I think it's a neat idea that could definitely be improved on, but overall this was not the book for me.

Plot: N/A

Characters: N/A

Writing: N/A 

Ending: WTF even happened?

Content: Um...I think there was sex, because there was one pencil sketch that had boobies.

Overall:

Meh.

I read this book in like an hour a half, so there's that, but it wasn't the innovative storytelling I was hoping for.

Chopsticks was published by Razorbill early this year and is available now. I purchased my own copy (for a frigging steal I might add, luckily).

Far From You Review

Author: Lisa Schroeder
Release date: December 23, 2008
Pages: 355
Publisher: SimonPulse
How I got it: Bought 

Lost and alone...down the rabbit hole. 

Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can by writing her music, losing herself in her love for her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife. 

But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful 

Perhaps she's not so alone after all....

I am a self-proclaimed Lisa Schroeder fangirl, and this is my last book of hers that I hadn't read. It definitely didn't let me down, though it probably was my least favorite of Schroeder's books.

Alice is dealing with two big issues: her mother's death, and her father's new family. Luckily, though, there are some good moments in her life, especially the moments she spends with her boyfriend Blaze. We saw a lot of Alice's personality in those moments, and it really made the book that much better. Also, I love that Blaze was not a jerk like the normal first boyfriend in books.

My main issue with Far From You would have to be how suddenly and totally Alice changes her mind on so many things she once shunned. I understand that any stressful experience can do that to you, but it felt very rushed and unnatural in Far From You's case.

Even with that, Far From You was still a fast, gripping read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Plot: Emotional and gripping.

Characters: We really only got to know Alice, but I liked her.

Writing: Very good.

Ending: Like I said, kind of rushed and unnatural.

Mature content: Mentions of sex, and some swearing.

Overall:

I'd probably just point at the book and hope you knew what that meant.
I quite liked Far From You. I'm very sad I'm now out of Schroeder books, though.

Easy Review

I went into Easy with decent expectations due to some rave reviews of it and ended up very disappointed and feeling very, very confused by said reviews.

Easy's protagonist Jaqueline followed her high school boyfriend to college despite everyone telling her she can do better. Still, she goes, and a few weeks into school her boyfriend dumps him because he's quite a jerk who enjoys sleeping with random women. Then, after a college frat party, a guy she thought she knew attempts to rape her when out of nowhere a mysterious tattooed guy beats the crap out of him and saves the day. That guy is Lucas, who Jaqueline can't help but be drawn to afterwards so she can finally get over her ex. What better way to do that than with a fling starring a bad boy? Or is it just a fling? (I swear I'll get better at writing synopses.)

Sounds full of melodrama, right? Trust me, it is.

That's not to say that Easy didn't have some things going for it. The rape storyline was handled very well and I loved how the women came together--no matter their "clique" or whatever--to do what they all knew was right. It was definitely one of the better "girl power" stories I've read.

But really the contemporary genre is entirely character driven, and I simply did not click with any of the characters in Easy. Lucas is supposed to be all swoony or something, but to me he was just a guy that could punch things and do the nasty really well but had the sensitivity to own a cat too. And the main character Jaqueline was so so bland. They lacked the depth and authenticity I crave and as a result I found myself losing more and more interest in the story.

Oh and BY THE WAY, in my opinion this book should not be considered YA. I've heard it called New Adult but seen it categorized in YA, but really it should be adult because it was straight up PORNY. I was reading this on a plane and had to keep sitting awkwardly just to be certain the stranger sitting next to me wouldn't see anything embarrassing on my ereader.

In conclusion, Easy was just not for me. I continue to hear good things about it though, so if you're looking for a cheap contemporary with some sexytimes, then go for it, just don't go into it expecting greatness like I did.

Plot: Pretty cliched.

Characters: Not for me.

Writing: Eh. Not much was developed and it didn't flow as well as I like.

Ending: Predictable.

Mature content: LOTS. Most graphic sex scenes I've ever read, hands down. There was also lots of mentions of sexual harassment, as well as some drinking, and swearing.

Overall:

I put this down pretty easily, and refused to tell anyone the name of it when they asked.

This book has hit the right chords with a lot of people, but sadly I was not one of them.

Easy is a self-published novel by Tammara Webber, that is available now on e-book and paperback.