Book Beginnings on Friday (7)

Book Beginnings on Friday is a new meme hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you'd like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

Before I Fall

By Lauren Oliver

They say that just before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me.

Before I Fall is the story of a popular young teen who dies and then relives her last day over and over for a week, realizing things about herself and others and receiving the chance to do things differently. I love how the story starts right away with Samantha's death and then goes back to share her last day. From the first sentence I was drawn into the story. I actually started and finished this book today because I couldn't put it down.

Book Blogger Hop (7)

Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. It is like Friday Follow but specifically for book bloggers to find other book blogs. If you'd like to participate, visit Crazy For Books.

Here are some of the blogs I discovered last week through the hop:

Book Faery

Bookworm With a View

Fragments of Life

A Blog About Nothing

I hope you'll take the time to look around my blog. Since last week's book hop, I've posted reviews for The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting and Soulless by Gail Carriger.

If you found my blog through Book Blogger Hop, leave me a comment and I will visit your blog too!

Review: Soulless

Soulless

By Gail Carriger

Publication date: October 1, 2009

My rating: *****

My review:

Soulless is set in an alternate Victorian England where vampires and werewolves have revealed their presence and are members of society. Alexia Tarabotti is known for being a half-Italian bluestocking but very few people know that Alexia is also preternatural. She is considered "soulless" because she can nullify the powers of vampires and werewolves by her touch. This interesting ability puts her in harms way as someone is attacking rogue vampires and werewolves all over the country. When Alexia accidentally kills a vampire, she is brought to the attention of Lord Conall Maccon, a werewolf Alpha and head of the investigation into the disappearances. Sparks fly between Alexia and Conall as she sets out against his advice to find out what is going on.

This is a delighful novel with plenty of wit, mystery, and romance. Alexia is a fantastic character. She is very intelligent but at the same time she isn't perfect-she thinks poorly of herself and feels unnattractive because of the attitude of her mother and stepfamily. She is also stubborn which lands her in some hot water at times. Alexia's family is annoying and they are mostly mean to her, relegating her to spinster status and treating her badly. Her mother reminded me of Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and her stepsisters were not unlike Kitty and Lydia Bennet. Lord Maccon is a great romantic interest for Alexia. He is her equal and he respects her intelligence and abilities. I also loved the verbal sparring between them. There are some other really likeable characters such as Professor Lyall, Lord Maccon's Beta who is kind of a Dr. Watson character and Lord Akeldama, a vampire with a penchant for fashion who is a loyal friend to Alexia.

The mystery behind the disappearances is interesting. The villains are truly horrible and ruthless and I enjoyed the suspense as Alexia and Conall tried to solve the mystery. I also liked the worldbuilding and enjoyed finding out about the way the vampire hives and werewolf packs worked. I definitely preferred the werewolves to the vampires because with the exception of Lord Akeldama I found them to be really creepy while the werewolves seemed likeable and more like humans.

I thought Soulless was a fantastic paranormal romance. I enjoyed the historical setting and the humor.  I would suggest this to those who enjoy paranormal romance and historical romance. I can't wait to read more about Alexia and the other characters in Changeless, book two in the Parasol Protectorate series.

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme to discuss upcoming books we can't wait to get our hands on. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I am waiting on:

 

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Publication date: July 13, 2010

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything—the dark, heights, the ocean—but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is, until Justine goes cliff-diving one night near the family’s vacation house in Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day. Though her parents hope that they’ll be able to find closure back in Boston, Vanessa can’t help feeling that her sister’s death wasn’t an accident. After discovering that Justine was keeping a lot of secrets, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor, hoping that Justine’s boyfriend might know more. But Caleb has been missing since Justine’s death. Soon, it’s not just Vanessa who’s afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes host to a string of fatal, water-related accidents in which all the victims are found, horrifically, grinning from ear to ear. Vanessa turns to Caleb’s brother, Simon, for help, and begins to find herself drawn to him. As the pair try to understand the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance—and will change her life forever.  A seductive paranormal romance full of unexpected twists, Siren is certain to make a big summer splash.

I think this sounds like a fantastic book. Water is the theme for this year's summer reading program so this book couldn't come at a better time.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesdays (12)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My teaser this week:

"The nightmares had started out chaotic, little more than random images of gore. More recently, however, they had begun to coalesce into a narrative dominated by a river, a knife-and a girl's pale, vulnerable throat."

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

p. 25 (ARC)

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules – especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship. To better her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything – even Tristen’s love – just for the thrill of being… bad.

What is your book teaser this week?

It's Monday What Are You Reading (13)

It's Monday What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. I still feel like I am really behind on my reviews but I did get a few more completed. I am still not reading as many books as I usually do but maybe that is a good thing.

Books I finished last week:

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

Books I gave up on:

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (a little too odd for me)

Books reviewed:

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

The Sheriff's Surrender by Susan Page Davis

Currently reading:

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Books I might read next:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

The Plague by Joanne Dahme

Witch Child by Celia Rees

 

What great books have you been reading?

Review: The Sheriff's Surrender

The Sheriff's Surrender

By Susan Page Davis

Publication date: December 1, 2009

My rating: ****

My review:

Fergus, Idaho used to seem like a safe place to live until the sheriff is murdered. While Ethan Chapman is appointed to be the temporary sheriff the women in town are still worried about their safety. Gert Dooley is known as the best shot in the area and when she agrees to help another lady learn how to shoot it is the beginning of the Ladies Shooting Club. As other townspeople are attacked more and more women flock to join the shooting club so they can defend themselves. Then Gert and the other ladies decide to try to help Ethan catch the killer with or without his agreement.

The Sheriff's Surrender is an enjoyable Christian historical fiction novel. Gert Dooley is such a fun character. Gert has always been overlooked and considered plain but she doesn't really notice her outward appearance. She may not be like the other ladies in town who wear frilly dresses and observe social niceties but she is brave, smart, and she has a good heart. When her brother Hiram's wife died in childbirth, Gert moved out west to take care of him and she has been there ever since. She helps him out both with his work, test firing the guns he repairs, and she cooks for him and his best friend Ethan. I like how Gert is willing to teach any of the ladies in town to protect themselves, even strange and smelly Milzie or the local prostitutes. She befriends them all regardless of how the other townspeople treat them. I really found her to have many admirable qualities. Newly elected sheriff Ethan Chapman is a good love interest for Gert. Ethan at first only sees Gert as his best friend's sister. He appreciates her skills with a gun and I liked that he was open to Gert's shooting club and their help with his investigation. He sticks up for her even when prominent townspeople disapprove. The romance is not a huge part of the story but it is sweet to see them realize their feelings for each other.

There are a lot of characters in the book and a number of potential suspects. The mystery of who is behind the attacks kept me guessing. I liked that it took me awhile to figure it out because there were some red herrings. I particularly enjoyed how the killer was caught. I did wish romance was more developed but overall I liked The Sheriff's Surrender.  I look forward to reading more about Gert and her friends in the next book.

Review: The Body Finder

The Body Finder

By Kimberly Derting

Publication date: March 16, 2010

My rating: *****

My review:

Violet Ambrose is a girl with an unusual ability-she can sense echoes of violent deaths. This disturbing ability could prove useful when there is a serial killer targeting young women in her town. With the help of her best friend Jay Heaton, whom Violet is developing feelings for, she sets out to find the killer before he strikes again.

The Body Finder may have some paranormal elements in it but it is really more of a YA romantic suspense novel. The tension from the serial killer plot is matched by the romantic tension between Violet and Jay. I liked Violet's character and her determination to help stop the serial killer even though it puts her in danger. Her ability could have kept her from truly living her life but she doesn't let it. She is very uncertain about how Jay sees her but it is clear that she loves him and she is too scared to chance their friendship by admitting her feelings. Jay on the other hand definitely cares about her but at times when his actions are viewed through Violet's eyes it does appear that he may only see her as a friend. Then at other times it is obvious that he loves her and he shows it through his support of her. He makes a fantastic love interest for her and he is a great character.

The suspense was increased by showing us glimpses of the killer's thoughts and actions. It is especially creepy as he lures his victims to him. I didn't figure out who the killer was and I really liked that. The ultimate showdown between Violet and the killer was handled really well. I found the story to be gripping and I was sad when it was over. The Body Finder is a fantastic page turning novel and I am so glad that there is a sequel in the works. I loved that there was a combination of suspense and romance in this novel. I do wish that we had more explanation of Violet's ability but she is just now starting to explore it so hopefully we will learn more about it in the sequel. I would recommend this to fans of romantic suspense. It is another new favorite of mine and I can't wait to read Desires of the Dead next year.

In My Mailbox (13)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren to share what books you received for review, purchased, or checked out from the library during the past week.

This week I received an Amazon.com gift certificate so I got an e-book I've been waiting on for a long time. I also went to the library today only planning to return some books and maybe pick up one or two. Instead I walked away with a huge bag of ARCs as well, courtesy of the YA librarian who doesn't have time to read them. Thanks Deb!

For review:

 

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

 

Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simner

 

 

Deception by Lee Nichols

 

A Field Guide For Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy

 

 

Nomansland by Leslie Hauge

Addicted To Her by Janet Nichols Lynch

 

Romancing Miss Bronte by Juliet Gael

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

 

Purchased:

 

 

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
 

From the library:

 

The Plague by Joanne Dahme

 

 

Witch Child by Celia Rees

 

Book Beginnings on Friday (6)

Book Beginnings on Friday is a new meme hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you'd like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

The Dead Tossed Waves

By Carrie Ryan

The story goes that even after the Return they tried to keep the roller coasters going.

I liked this first sentence because of the sad feeling it evokes. The Return is this horrid event where an illness that turns people into zombies infests the world's population. Throughout the book we hear in this futuristic America about the wonder that the teens feel when they think that people used to fly in airplanes or ride on rollercoasters or explore space. Since the Return, all they can do is band together and try to survive, fight the zombies and avoid infection themselves. The Dead Tossed Waves is the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I thought the first book was excellent and so far I believe the second is just as good.

Book Blogger Hop (6)

Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. It is like Friday Follow but specifically for book bloggers to find other book blogs. If you'd like to participate, visit Crazy For Books.

Here are a few of the great new blogs I found last week through the hop:

Proud Book Nerd

Candace's Book Blog

The Plum Bean Project

Minding Spot

This week my blog is officially considered "old" since I just passed my three month blogoversary. I hope you'll take the time to look around my blog. I just recently posted my reviews of A Match Made in High School, The Iron King, The Unwritten Rule, and Perfect Chemistry.

If you found my blog through Book Blogger Hop, leave me a comment and I will visit your blog too!

Review: The Bad Queen

The Bad Queen

By Carolyn Meyer

Publication date: April 12, 2010

My rating: ****1/2

My review:

The Bad Queen is a fictionalized account of the life of  Marie Antoinette starting from her early teens in 1768 when her mother Empress Maria Theresa of Austria is trying to arrange an advantageous marriage for her to her doom during the French Revolution. The novel is written like a journal of her life from the perspective of Marie Antoinette herself and then later on from the point of view of her daughter. Each chapter begins with a rule that Marie Antoinette is supposed to follow for her success. Two of the rules that describe her situation perfectly: "You are born to obey, and you must learn to do so" and "All eyes are upon you-there can be no mistakes". 

I thought this novel would be incredibly sad reading because Marie Antoinette did have a tragic life but there is a surprising amount of humor and I loved the historical details about clothing and day to day life. One interesting tidbit involved all the rules of etiquette at the French Court and how she couldn't even reach for a cup of water. There was someone specific to hand it to her as well as a person specially chosen to hand her the different garments she is supposed to wear including her underwear. How mortifying! I was pulled into the story right away when the young Antonia finds out that she has to change her name to Antoine, learn French, and have her teeth straightened-a horrible process that made me thankful for the advances in dentistry since the 18th century! Marie Antoinette faced a lot of criticism from her mother and perfection was demanded of her from a very young age but she never believed that she could measure up. I really felt for her and liked her character throughout the book even when I shook my head at her bad decisions. Her husband Louis XVI is somewhat likeable too although he had some strange behavior and caused her a lot of sadness in the early years of their marriage. It is interesting to see what he was like as a young prince. He really wasn't cut out to be a king so I felt sorry for him that he had to inherit that responsibility. The final portion of the book is told through the eyes of Marie-Therese, a daughter of Marie Antoinette and I think it is the best way to describe the final period of her life. Marie-Therese witnesses a lot of heartache during the French Revolution and the historical notes at the back of the book reveal her fate.

Other major historical figures are also portrayed including King Louis XVI, his famous mistress comtesse Du Barry, and Count Axel Fersen, the Swedish man who is thought to have been Marie Antoinette's lover. The author here portrays their relationship as only stolen kisses, secret letters, and verbal declarations of love. We also get to meet members of the Austrian and French Court. Reading about these people made me want to look for an actual biography about Marie Antoinette and thankfully Carolyn Meyer lists some useful books that she used for her research while writing the novel.

The Bad Queen is one of the best historical fiction novels I've read this year. Carolyn Meyer presents the story of Marie Antoinette in a way that allows readers to empathize with her and understand her better. It may be a YA novel but adults who enjoy historical fiction would also find much to like. 

Review: The Naughty List

The Naughty List

By Suzanne Young

Publication date: February 4, 2010

My rating: ***

My review:

The cheerleaders at Washington High are called the Smitten Kittens. This cutesy nickname hides the fact that the girls are also operatives in S.O.S., an agency devoted to investigating boys who cheat that was started by a former captain of the squad whose boyfriend cheated on her. The Smitten Kittens use high tech and low tech means to gather incriminating evidence. Current captain Tessa Crimson is feeling depressed because every boy they've investigated has been guilty. Tessa herself seems to have a perfect boyfriend in Aiden but now a handsome new student is flirting with Tessa outrageously and his sister can't seem to keep her hands off Aiden. Tessa is sure he is loyal but then Aiden's name appears on the list.

The Naughty List is a good book for beach reading. There is plenty of humor throughout the book, especially the S.O.S. reports between chapters and their efforts at espionage. Tessa and her friends at times seem very silly but they genuinely care about the other girls at their school and they want to be good role models, especially Tessa. She has the best interests of the other female students at heart but it is really hard on her to hide S.O.S. from Aiden and it is also hard on her trust in him when she sees so many other boys cheat. I felt for her during those moments and I liked that she considered the ethics of spying.

While I liked some aspects of Tessa's character, she could be really annoying sometimes. She has the habit of replacing swear words with terms like "fudge ripple" and while it is admirable that she wants to avoid swearing I still found it incredibly irritating to read. I thought it was slightly strange that a girl who had no problems with a physical relationship with her boyfriend would be so offended by swearing. I also didn't care for Tessa's boyfriend Aiden. He seemed to be kind of dumb and though he could be nice to Tessa he didn't always show the best judgment. The new character Christian was rather interesting and complex and his sister was a classic mean girl. They both added drama to Tessa's life which helped to move the plot along.

Overall I liked The Naughty List but I was just a little disappointed. On the plus side I enjoyed the humor and the unexpected plot twist but I couldn't fully connect with Tessa or her friends. I think I was expecting them to be a little bit more like Cameron Morgan and the other Gallagher Girls from the Ally Carter spy series. Instead Tessa and her friends were like the characters of the film Bring It On and its many sequels. The Naughty List isn't a bad book at all. It just didn't live up to my expectations when it came to the characters. This is the first book in a series so perhaps I would like the next book better and I did like how The Naughty List ended. If you are looking for a lighthearted funny book to take with you to the beach this summer, consider The Naughty List.

Review: A Match Made in High School

A Match Made in High School

By Kristin Walker

Publication date: February 4, 2010

My rating: ****1/2

My review:

Thanks to the divorce of the high school principal, Fiona Sheehan and her other senior classmates must pass a class on marriage in order to graduate. The unhappy teens are paired up randomly as "couples" in a marriage experiment where they have to earn real world money, deal with budgets, and other scenarios.  Fiona wouldn't mind being paired with Gabe, the guy she has a crush on but Gabe is matched with Amanda, Fiona's nemesis. Fiona's best friend Marcie is paired with Johnny Mercer, a guy known for his big size while poor Fiona is matched with Todd, Amanda's popular boyfriend who humiliates Fiona in front of the whole school at their "wedding". How will everyone survive senior year? As Fiona and her classmates participate in the horrible marriage class though they learn some rather surprising things about themselves and each other.

I have to admit that I thought of  the TV show Saved By the Bell when I heard of this book. Saved By The Bell had episodes (I believe there were more than one) where the students were paired up as couples to discuss how they would handle communication and other challenges in marriage. Usually the episodes were pretty silly and predictable. However A Match Made in High School was an unexpectedly thought provoking novel and it took me by surprise. There were humorous moments-Fiona does a great job playing pranks and her journal entries are a hoot, but there were also plenty of serious moments like when Fiona is able to help the girl she babysits for deal with some family issues or when Fiona herself has to mend damaged relationships. At times I thought that Fiona behaved like a brat and she annoyed me but at other times I felt sorry for her, especially at the beginning when her nemesis makes fun of her. I truly enjoyed seeing Fiona grow and learn to look past her stereotypes. I also liked that all of the main characters had flaws and depth, even someone like Amanda. Something else I enjoyed was seeing Fiona's romance develop. I thought that it was really sweet.

I did find it a little unbelievable that the principal would be allowed to use her own personal problems and pain to implement this program but it is dealt with in the book (Fiona's mother herself spearheads the campaign to try to end the program) so you can see that even the parents realistically do not approve. I think it made for an interesting premise and Kristin Walker took it way past the level of a Saved By The Bell episode to a story with an important message about how we treat other people.

One of my favorite quotes: "You think you know everything about people, but you don't. If you stopped for one second-just for one second-and considered how things might be for someone other than yourself, you might not be such a snob."

A Match Made in High School was a fun reading experience and I look forward to great things from Kristin Walker. I would recommend this to fans of Carolyn Mackler, Elizabeth Scott, and E. Lockhart or really to anyone who enjoys a humorous story with depth.

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme to discuss upcoming books we can't wait to get our hands on. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week, I am waiting on:

Sea

By Heidi Kling

Publication date: June 10, 2010

Still haunted by nightmares of her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father's relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn't do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward. But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn't think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.

This sounds like an amazing book. I am particularly interested in reading it because of the tsunami angle. Sea is Heidi Kling's debut novel.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesdays (11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week:

"She stumbled recklessly, no longer following the echo of a lost soul, but evading a killer. She was afraid now."

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

p. 202

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

What is your book teaser this week?

It's Monday What Are You Reading (12)

It's Monday What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This week I have been trying to catch up on writing reviews so I didn't finish as many books as I normally do. I also received more books that I've been waiting on from the library so I may not read some of the books I got at the library last week.  I am also putting off some of my books for review and the books I own so that I can get the library books back on time for all the people waiting to read them too.

Books I finished last week:

Jane Slayre by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin

The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Books reviewed:

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview

Jane Slayre by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Currently reading:

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Books I plan to read next:

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

What does your reading week look like?

Please leave a comment, I'd love to know what amazing books you've been reading!

Review: Perfect Chemistry

Perfect Chemistry

By Simone Elkeles

Publication date: 2008

My rating: *****

My review:

Brittany Ellis and Alex Fuentes are from two very different worlds. Brittany is a daughter of privilege with a bright future ahead of her and Alex has to fight for survival, joining a gang to protect his family. When their chemistry teacher pairs them up for a class project, insults and sparks fly. Neither of them expected to fall in love and the consequences for both of them are explosive.

Perfect Chemistry is more than it appears to be on the surface. I picked up this book expecting a hot romance (which there was) but what I also found was a moving story about two hurting teens with a lot of depth. Alex is probably my favorite character. He can be a mouthy, hotheaded troublemaker but he really cares about his family and his friends. He is a very smart young man who has been dealt a tough life and he wants something better for his brothers. His involvement with the gang is for the protection of his younger brothers and his mom. His dad was shot and killed in a drug deal when Alex was only six so he's had to be the man of the house all those years. Brittany's home life is not so dangerous but she also has difficulties mostly due to the high expectations that her parents have placed on her to be the perfect daugher since her older sister cannot. Brittany's sister has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheel chair and Brittany's mother hires help to take care of her while she runs off to the country club. Brittany has to act as a barrier between her sister and her parents and at school Brittany feels that she has to have top grades and be as successful as possible to please her parents.

I enjoyed watching Brittany and Alex's mutual loathing turn to respect and then love. They both had so much going against them so I really wanted things to work out for them. I also found myself caring about some of the side characters like Isabel, a girl who bridges both worlds and reluctantly befriends Brittany, and Paco, Alex's best friend. The gang life portrayed was gritty and felt realistic. I thought that Alex's world was the best drawn and I enjoyed the chapters from his perspective the most.  

Perfect Chemistry is one of my favorite books that I've read so far this year. It is the first book I've read by Simone Elkeles but it certainly won't be the last. The sequel, Rules of Attraction, is about Alex's brother Carlos and I can't wait to read it. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy romance as well as a really good story.

Review: The Unwritten Rule

The Unwritten Rule

By Elizabeth Scott

Publication date: March 16, 2010

My rating: *****

My review:

At a party, Sarah's dream nearly comes true when her long time crush Ryan hangs out with her. Things are going well but unfortunately the moment is interrupted when Sarah's beautiful friend Brianna shows up. By the next day, Brianna and Ryan are a couple. Sarah and Brianna have been best friends since kindergarten and she's always been fine living in Brianna's shadows and being there for her when Brianna's parents reject her. Now she has to stand by and watch Brianna get the one thing she's wanted-a relationship with Ryan. One night everything changes when Sarah and Ryan realize they are both attracted to each other and share a kiss.

The Unwritten Rule is a story about unhealthy friendships and relationships. Sarah is caring, smart, artistic, and a loyal friend to Brianna for most of her life. She puts aside her own wants to cater to Brianna's need for love and attention. Brianna has a terrible relationship with her divorced parents. Her mother is incredibly critical of her and Brianna unknowingly mirrors that criticism with Sarah, constantly putting her down. Because Brianna does not have that love and support at home she looks to Sarah to fill that void as well as a long string of boys she dates. She has a tendency to leave them before they can leave her, which is really sad. I didn't really like Brianna's character but at the same time I felt for her. I also became angry towards Sarah sometimes for the way she became a doormat around Brianna. She felt that Brianna rescued her when they were little and she recalls the times that Brianna has shown her kindness and in a way it is because of Brianna that Sarah feels she has a place to belong at school so she puts up with the negative aspects of their friendship. Ryan is a really sweet guy and he does care about Brianna but he comes to have feelings for Sarah. I found myself hoping for their relationship to work out even though Brianna would be devastated.

The Unwritten Rule could have been just a light fluffy YA romance but it was not. The friendship between Brianna and Sarah was really well written. The novel is not very long but the characters are given depth. I liked how we got to see both Sarah and Brianna's home life because the girls come from very different places and that affects how they behave. Sarah's parents are fantastic and so supportive of her. It is nice to see positive portrayals of parents in YA literature and they served as a major contrast to Brianna's parents. I also liked how the story played out in the end-it felt very believable to me. Elizabeth Scott has written another fantastic YA novel. If you've never read one of her books before, give The Unwritten Rule a try. I would recommend this book to fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Maureen Johnson.

Review: The Iron King

The Iron King

By Julie Kagawa

Publication date: February 1, 2010

My rating: ****1/2

My review:

On the day that Meghan Chase turns 16, she finds out about the existence of faeries, that her best friend Robbie Goodfell is actually the faery commonly known as Puck, and her little brother Ethan has been kidnapped by some evil fey. To get Ethan back, Meghan follows Puck into the Nevernever where she crosses paths with King Oberon, Queen Titania, Queen Mab, and the handsome and dangerous Prince Ash. It is at the court of King Oberon, the Summer King, that Meghan finds out the truth about herself-she is in fact his half-faery/half-human daughter. The stakes are higher than ever as Meghan continues her search for Ethan and a new danger to all of them is revealed.

I decided to read The Iron King after reading a fantastic review and finding out that characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream were in the book. I was expecting something like Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston but I was pleasantly surprised to find this was a very different book. The world that Julie Kagawa creates is populated with some familiar characters from literature as well as some I'd never encountered before. I really liked the glimpses of the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court. Meghan was a strong but flawed protagonist. There were times that I really liked her character's strength of purpose and times when I just wanted to shake her because I thought she was being stupid, particularly when someone would tell her to hide or run and she just stood there. She does improve through the book and I really liked how devoted she was to saving her brother even when it looked like there was no hope. She shows a lot of courage and she even has a big showdown with the enemy at the end of the book. Ash is an intriguing love interest for Meghan and he is kind of an anti-hero. We are never really sure where his allegiance lies but we see glimpses of an honorable young man. It doesn't hurt that he is devastatingly handsome either!

Puck is probably one of my favorite characters. He is mischievous and he plays some great pranks at Meghan's school. He is very devoted to Meghan and even though she feels that she doesn't really know him when she finds out what he is, Puck is still her loyal friend. He also has some great powers that come in handy in a fight! The other character I really enjoyed was Grimalkin, the wise talking cat who makes a lot of great quips throughout the book. Grimalkin may have ulterior motives for helping Meghan but he is a good friend to have on your side in a tough spot. The villain in this book was not quite what I expected and I thought it was a very creative plot twist. I am eager to see where the story is going. The Iron King is the first in a fantastic new series, The Iron Fey, and I would highly recommend this to fans of YA fantasy.

Thanks to Christina at Confessions of a Book Addict for your awesome review that made me want to read The Iron King in the first place!

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren to share what books you received for review, purchased, or checked out from the library during the past week.

From the library:

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Book Blogger Hop (5)

Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. It is like Friday Follow but specifically for book bloggers to find other book blogs. If you'd like to participate, visit Crazy For Books.

If you found my blog through Book Blogger Hop, leave me a comment and a link to your blog and I will visit your blog too!