BOOK REVIEW: DNF Pile #2

Corine, the protagonist, really irritated me. I read about half of the book before I gave up because page after page Corine lamented about her failed relationship with Chance. She also repeatedly engaged in an emotional tug-of-war with herself over the decision of whether or not to give a romance with Chance another go. I lost track of how many times Corine flip-flopped between the desire to rekindle things with Chance and the need to push him away. Consequently, all of the never-ending relationship introspection combined with Corine's mercurial disposition distracted me from the rest of the story and made reading too tedious to continue through to the end.

Again the major turn off for me turned out to be the main protagonist. Despite being in her mid-twenties, Melina came off as a whiny, immature, ditzy teenager. There was no real depth to her, and I could not connect with her at all. In fact, all of the characters seemed very stereotypical and two-dimensional. On top of that, the writing felt contrived & formulaic, and both Melina's inner monologue and the dialogue between characters was often silly and shallow.

This is one of those YA books that seems solely geared towards a younger audience. It was overly simple, fluffy, and saccharine for my tastes. The main protagonist Lily was sweet, innocent, and naive, which isn't always a bad thing, but it felt a bit heavy-handed in this book. Moreover, the plot was rather slow paced, and I found the main love interest to be a creepy, obsessive stalker (Note: Authors, please, enough with the instalove predestined soulmate mush!).

WINNER: Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. There were 184 people who entered and a total of 372 entries. Using a random order generator, the following two winners were selected. Congratulations! I will be emailing the winners momentarily. Those who did not win, don't worry, there will be more giveaways in the future.

Winner #1: Orchid
Winner #2: Erinberry

MUSIC DISCOVERY: Sepiamusic

Sepiamusic is a Danish/American duo comprised of Erin Chapman and Michael Adler Miltersen. Their alternative melodies blend electronic, pop, rock, and classical sounds.

Artist: Sepiamusic
Album: Trenches (2009)
Genre/Style: Electronic, Trip Hop, Downtempo, Ambient
Listen/Buy: Myspace, Discogs, Amazon

BOOK VIEWFINDER: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

-The following future book release has caught my eye and stirred my interest-

Hardcover: 400 pages
Release Date: September 13, 2011
ISBN-10: 0385534639
ISBN-13: 978-0385534635

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

—Goodreads

BOOK BLOG: Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me Book Giveaway Contest

Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me is having an awesome book giveaway contest. Winner will choose from 11+ books. Contest ends May 5th. For more info and to fill out the entry form, Click Here.

CONTEST: Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway

Now that I've returned from my blogging hiatus, I've decided to spread some book love and take part in the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Yara from Once Upon A Twilight. There are over 200 blogs participating, so this is a rather huge event with lots of awesome books and prizes up for grabs. You can check out the full list of blogs at the end of this post.

For my contest there will be 2 winners. Winner #1 will choose 1 out of the following 6 books, and then winner #2 will choose 1 book from the remaining 5.

Luminous (ARC) by Dawn Metcalf
Chime (ARC) by Franny Billingsley
Delirium (ARC) by Lauren Oliver
Trickster's Girl by Hilari Bell
Awakened by Ednah Walters
Clarity by Kim Harrington

Contest Rules:

• Contest is for US residents only who have a valid mailing address
  
• You DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to enter the contest
• Optional Extra Entry - publicly follow my blog via GFC
  
• You must fill out the form below in order to be entered into the contest
  
• Contest runs from April 20th to April 25th (closes at midnight)
• Winners will be randomly selected and announced on April 26th
  
• Winners will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address; if I don't receive a response within the allotted time, I will select new winners

CONTEST CLOSED

BOOK REVIEW: Chime, Clarity, and First Grave on the Right

 
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 368 pages
Release Date: March 17, 2011
ISBN-10: 0803735529
ISBN-13: 978-0803735521
My Rating: 3 out of 5

This was a rather unique book that may not appeal to everyone's tastes. I will admit that it took me a bit of time to become fully engaged in the story and to appreciate the unique writing style and unusual characters. The writing was certainly of high caliber, and as I read on, I could see the thought and care that went into the crafting of each line.

As beautiful as I thought the lyrical/poetic prose was, I still had a bit of a difficult time immersing myself in the story, particularity for the first half of the book. Part of this was because of the pacing, which I think was a bit too slow in the beginning, and part of it was due to my inability to truly connect with the main protagonist, Briony. I liked how observant and intelligent she was, but her extreme self-loathing and biting criticism of those around her made Briony come off a bit too cold and aloof for my liking.

Nonetheless, I think the story is rich and very original with memorable characters. Chime is one of those books that gets better as the plot unfolds. So, despite a bit of a sluggish start, it is definitely worth checking out.

 
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Release Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0545230500
ISBN-13: 978-0545230506
My Rating: 3 out of 5

For the most part, this was a quick enjoyable read, but I did have some issues with the story. I appreciated the incorporation of family and exploration of those relationships. Too often in YA fiction, the family only exists in the far off periphery and plays virtually no direct role in the young protagonist's life.

Clare was a likable heroine, who was smart, sassy, and persistent in protecting & helping her brother. The mystery was entertaining, but not as suspenseful as I had hoped it to be. The love triangle was underwhelming and quite pointless. It was also cliched since it essentially revolved around Clare's dilemma of choosing between the mysterious bad boy with a tragic past and the sweet golden boy who's willing to do just about anything for her. I also wished the author had explored Clare's powers in greater depth. There was not enough description to bring Clare's visions to life and make the reader experience what she was experiencing.

Overall, I think this book was brimming with lots of great potential that just wasn't utilized enough in my opinion. The story was a little bit too short and underdeveloped to fully engross me.

 
Reading Level: Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Release Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 9780312662752
ISBN-13: 978-0312662752
My Rating: 2 out of 5

To be frank, the only thing that kept me reading this book was the humor. There were a lot of jokes dispersed throughout the story. Some of them were witty & well-thought-out and some of them were simple childish one-liners, but I still more often than not found myself laughing out loud. Unfortunately, everything else fell flat. Despite her entertaining snarkiness and never-ending wisecracks, Charley was ditzy and somewhat shallow. I could not for a second believe that she was a P.I., since Charley essentially just stumbled & fumbled around until trouble came and found her. The murder mystery that Charley was supposed to be solving was rushed through and often took a backseat to the second storyline that centered around Charley finding and saving her dream lover.

It's this second storyline that totally irked me; it was smutty and at times disturbing. Reyes, the love interest with zero personality, pretty much molests Charley both in her dream and waking states. And Charley lets him do whatever he wants to her because his energy/aura (or whatever) makes her all hot & bothered. On top of that, Charley initially falls for Reyes after meeting him once for a few minutes as a teenager in a dark alley where he proceeded to manhandle her and threaten her with rape. However, in some twisted way, Charley felt connected with Reyes after this encounter and ends up mooning after him for a decade or so. When he re-enters her life as the mysterious dream lover and repeatedly takes liberties with her body, Charley quickly ends up completely in love with him (going as far as saying something along the lines of "I can't imagine my life without him."), despite the fact that she knows virtually nothing about him and has had a total of one conversation with him. But it's okay because he's totally hot and gives her fantastic orgasms (ugh!).

BOOK REVIEW: Luminous by Dawn Metcalf

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 304 pages
Release Date: June 30, 2011
ISBN-10: 0525422471
ISBN-13: 978-0525422471
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers 

As reality slips and time stands still, Consuela finds herself thrust into the world of the Flow. Removed from all she loves into this shifting world overlapping our own, Consuela quickly discovers she has the power to step out of her earthly skin and cloak herself in new ones-skins made from the world around her, crafted from water, fire, air.

She is joined by other teens with extraordinary abilities, bound together to safeguard a world they can affect, but where they no longer belong. When murder threatens to undo the Flow, the Watcher charges Consuela and elusive, attractive V to stop the killer. But the psychopath who threatens her new world may also hold the only key to Consuela's way home.

—Goodreads

Book Review

The thing that I really loved and appreciated about this book the most is that it doesn't treat the reader with kid gloves. I have to admit that I often feel that paranormal/fantasy YA books are oversimplified. Luminous, on the other hand, isn't afraid to challenge the reader and throw them off balance. The writing and the story—both intelligent and fast-paced—are at times perplexing, strange, and somewhat grotesque. There were moments when I was forced to slow down (or even stop) and really think about what I was reading. I was forced to examine the details in order to grasp the bigger picture. Some readers may very well be put off by this, but I loved it. I found those twisty, confusing moments to be thought-provoking, and my curiosity was increasingly peaked. My mind wasn't just on auto-pilot enjoying the ride; instead, it was fully engaged actively analyzing and cataloging each event, character, and dialogue.

Another thing that made me fall in love with this book is its uniqueness. The story is comprised of some really interesting and original ideas. In regards to their purpose, the characters in Luminous are something akin to guardian angels, but the form they take, the in-between reality they reside within, how they function, and their manifested powers are nothing like what you'd expect. Some of it is wondrous & beautiful and some of it is ugly & disturbing. And I found all of it utterly fascinating.

I really liked the main protagonist, Consuela. She's strong, smart, observant, and caring. And as much as I tend to enjoy the spunky-snarky heroine archetype, I'm glad that Consuela breaks away from that mold. What I appreciated the most about Consuela, was her desire for a sense of purpose and the self-confidence that grows within her via her transformation into Bones. In the story, Bones is Consuela's guardian angel form. When she changes into Bones, Consuela quite literally strips herself of the confines of her human shell. Bones essentially represents the goodness, strength, will power, beauty, and confidence that Consuela always possessed within herself but wasn't aware of or didn't believe in prior to her transformation. There's a meaningful, important message behind Consuela's metamorphosis & growth, which is to believe in yourself—to recognize & embrace your individuality and ability to make a difference.

There was also a touch of romance that builds throughout the book but doesn't distract from the main plot. In fact, I liked the way the author handled the romance between Consuela and V. Yes, their attraction to each other simmers rather quickly and their circumstances undoubtedly help propel the development of stronger feelings, but the romance never seems forced or overly-dramatic. There's no cheesy proclamation of undying love because they're each other's destined soulmate or whatever (excuse me while I gag a bit), and there's no unrealistic love triangle (thank goodness!). I also loved that Consuela never loses herself in her attraction and feelings for V. There are instances when V touches her and her mind lingers a moment to enjoy the sensation, but then she quickly refocuses on the more serious matters at hand. Too often in YA fiction, the heroine becomes so enamored that her world shifts to revolve solely around the love interest, leaving all other priorities, interests, relationships, etc. by the wayside. On the contrary, Consuela stays true to herself and her purpose and doesn't lose sight of what's important to her.

The book did have some shortcomings. In particular, I wish to have gotten to know the other characters a bit more. I found them all to be very unique and intriguing, but not developed and utilized fully enough. I really would have liked to see Consuela develop deeper relationships with them and work more alongside them prior to the tragic events that quickly unfolded.

Book Rating

BOOK REVIEW: Black Wings by Christina Henry

 
Paperback: 304 pages
Release Date: November 30, 2010
ISBN-10: 0441019633
ISBN-13: 978-0441019632
Source: Borrowed from local library

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package.

Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with.

Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building. It's probably just a coincidence that as soon as he moves in demons appear on the front lawn. But when an unholy monster is unleashed upon the streets of Chicago, Maddy discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Powers linked to a family legacy of tarnished halos.

Powers that place her directly between the light of Heaven and the fires of Hell...

—Goodreads

Book Review

I liked the premise of the story that revolved around an agent of death—a good grim reaper. There were a couple of interesting twists, and I liked Christina Henry's take on fallen angel, Hell, Lucifer, and nephilim mythology. I also liked the protagonist's gargoyle sidekick, who provided some enjoyable comic relief. It took a bit for the story to hit its stride, but once it did, the plot unfolded at a fast pace with quite a bit of action.

Sadly, there was a lot about this book that really didn't work for me. First, I could not bring myself to care about or connect with the main character, Maddy. I found her to be very immature, shallow, and whiny. She acted more like a bratty teenager than a thirty-something-year-old woman. The thing that made this perplexing for me is the fact that Maddy was orphaned at the age of 13 or so and, with only the help of the gargoyle, she pretty much raised herself. Given that kind of responsibility at such a young age, it would be logical to expect Maddy to be forced to mature quickly and beyond her years...and yet, she apparently did not.

Then there was something that really infuriated and disgusted me. Very early on into the story, Maddy discovers that her new tenant (and future love interest) violated her mind and implanted a spell that compelled her against her will to accept him. As disturbing as I found the act to be, what made it worse is the way it was handled. Yes, Maddy was initially infuriated by what Gabriel had done to her and confronted him about it. However, her justified distrust and anger lasts maybe a chapter (if that). Within just a few pages, Maddy starts lusting after Gabriel and soon thereafter is pretty much in love with him.

Did Gabriel redeem himself and work hard to earn Maddy's forgiveness and trust? No, not really. Yes, he takes care of her when she gets beat up and heals her when she's injured on a couple of different occasions, but that's the duty he was tasked with—it was his job to protect Maddy. I don't think he did anything to earn her trust or prove to her that he knows what he did was reprehensible and that he was ashamed of it. He essentially raped her mind and yet there were no consequences to his actions and the matter was dropped in just a couple of pages and forgotten as though it never even happened.

Speaking of the romance, it was absolutely superficial. Maddy essentially falls for Gabriel for only two reasons: (1) he's really, really hot and (2) since Maddy's never been in a romantic relationship, she's very lonely and eager to get her lovin' on. There was no sharing of interests, no deep meaningful conversations, no getting to know one another...nothing. Plus, despite being devastatingly handsome, Gabriel had very little personality. He was quite flat and underdeveloped in my opinion.

Another major issue I had with the story was the development of Maddy's powers. What they were and when they manifested was unrealistically convenient. They were not really explained and popped out of nowhere just when Maddy needed to use them the most. Moreover, she didn't really know how to control them and didn't put much effort into trying to learn how to use them, and yet they were extremely effective in fighting/defeating the bad guy(s). It was all a bit too deus ex machina for my tastes.

Book Rating