Mini-Novella Reviews: Roar & Liv and Breathless

 

Roar & Liv (Under the Never Sky #1.5) by Veronica Rossi

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genres: Dystopia

Release Date: October 30th, 2013

Source: Bought

 

Synopsis:

Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital—and more brutal—than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

Set in the harsh but often beautiful world of Veronica Rossi's "unforgettable" Under the Never Sky (Examiner.com), this captivating prequel novella stands on its own for new readers and offers series fans a fascinating look into the character of Roar. Poignant and powerful, Roar and Liv is a love story that will "capture your imagination and your heart." (Justine on Under the Never Sky)

My Review:

It’s no secret that my love for Under the Never Sky has no limits. Somehow, this series has managed to capture my heart. So when I originally heard there was a novella, you can imagine all the book shimmying that occurred. I actually read this one before picking up Through the Ever Night (yes, I know, I probably should have reviewed this before TtEN, but it’s called laziness, ok?), and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit, even though it was a bit predictable.

This story gave us a ton of great insight into not only Roar and Liv, but Perry and his relationship with many key figures in the actual books. We get to actually see some events that were talked about a lot in UTNS. I loved learning so much about Perry, Roar, Liv, and Vale. Perry’s relationships with all of them was extremely intriguing, especially Vale, and it was great getting a better grip on his personality.

Another thing I must add is the wonderful humor. Because even though this is generally a serious book, the touches of humor between Perry and Roar had me laughing so hard. Like that scene when the two are talking about Perry’s future? I could not stop laughing, hahaha. It was a great relief in the pretty intense story.

Overall, this was a great addition to the story, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about our crew of characters.

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Breathless (Elemental #2.5) by Brigid Kemmemer

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Supernatural 

Release Date: April 30th, 2013

Source: Bought

 

Synopsis:

Too many secrets. Not enough time.

Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.

But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.

His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.

He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.

My Review:

It is also not a secret that I have so much love for this series, which again, comes as a complete surprise to me. Nonethless, when I heard that this series had a novella, there was also another series of book shimmying going on, this time with my sister, as she is also a die-hard fan of the Merricks! I must admit, while I guessed the major secret from the very beginning in this novella, I did end up liking this story.

We finally get to dive into the calm-appearing Nick Merrick. And can I just say I’m dying for the full-length novel now? There were some aspects of him that I related so well (no, not the whole plot-twist thing- more of the ‘figuring out who you are’ and ‘gotta keep the calm’ thing). I admired him so much, because I whole-heartedly know how hard it’s to be the one that’s got to put up with the fights, to bring the calm, and to try to maintain your own sanity as well.

While not overly surprising, I definitely enjoyed Breathless, and loved getting a great insight into Nick. Now I’m even more excited for Nick’s full length novel (which has such a great synopsis, fyi).

The Teen Talks (7): The Art of Commenting

The Teen Talks is a semi-regular discussion type feature here on the blog, that allows me to talk about a variety of things from my teen perspective.

It’s been far too long since I did a discussion post, which is kind of ironic, because discussion posts are hands-down my favorite posts to read. But anyways, today I’m talking:

Whaaat? you say. Why, there is no such thing!

But ahaha! There most definitely is.

When it comes down to it, there are really three kinds of comments that a person can get on their blog.

Exhibit A: The one-liner. (And yes, I recognize I suck at blurring).

Exhibit B: The mini-paragraph.

Exhibit C: The super-long.

Getting any sort of comment always makes my day, no matter what kind it is. The fact that someone took some time out of their day to read my work and leave a thought? Always makes me giddy. But when it comes to my own commenting, I find myself at a conundrum at times.

What type of comment do I leave?

Normally, my commenting style gravitates between Exhibit B and C, towards Exhibit C, except with a lot more exclamation points and caps. But as I discovered, my time for blogging- and especially commenting- seriously decreased when school started, and I found myself with barely even 20 minutes a day to get all my blogging done.

So because of this, I had a decision to make. It’s either shorter, Exhibit A-type comments, but more of them, or my normal style, but lesser of them. And this is where I find myself at odds on those days where I have little time. A longer comment never fails to make my day, and that’s what I want bloggers to feel. But if that means sacrificing other comments on other blogs, then what do I do? This was the problem I faced and struggled with (seemingly weird, yes, but these are the decisions a busy blogger must make!) .

Length isn’t the only factor in comments, of course. Content is probably the major aspect of a comment. When I first started out commenting in my early days of blogging, I wasn’t quite sure of what to say. Should I just put ‘Great review!’ and be done? Of course I wanted my comments to be longer, so I was stumped. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say, if I was supposed to agree/disagree, but then, how would I do that if I hadn’t read the book? As with everything, over time, I came up with a basic comment outline (similar to reviewing) that I follow for commenting. Basically, it goes:

1. General statement
2. One or two sentences about what the positives were
3. One or two sentences about what the negatives were
4. How this review is going to affect my thoughts/expectations/if I agree
5. Closing statement
6. A comment about their review overall, i.e. “Fantastic review!”

(A random note: For #6, I tend to use either the words ‘fantastic’ or ‘lovely’ for this, for some odd reason. But I’ve been trying to change it up….)

Of course, that’s just for reviews. I can get very creative with my comments on wrap-up posts and especially discussions. I normally find that the more unique a post, the more unique my comment will normally be. I find that those kinds of posts stimulate more creativity in me.

So you see, blogging really is an art. You’ve got decisions to make about length, and what you’re actually saying. An artist/writer/composer/etc. has the same basics for everything create, just as we have our same set of standards that we try to incorporate in each comment. But what they actually create is different, as is with us bloggers. It’s how it works.

It’s an art.

Have YOU ever stopped to think about your style of commenting? What’s your art of commenting?

Review: Spirit by Brigid Kemmemer

 

Spirit (Elemental #3) by Brigid Kemmemer

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

Release Date: May 28th, 2013

Source: NetGalley

 

Synopsis:

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust...

My Review:

When I first heard that Spirit was going to be told from Hunter’s point of view, I groaned. I didn’t like him in the previous books, and I was disappointed that we weren’t getting the POV of another Merrick brother. However, I ended up loving this book. I honestly don’t know how it happened, but it did. Spirit was everything that the previous two books were and more.

Of all things, my favorite aspect of this book had to be Hunter himself. I never thought I would even remotely understand a guy riddled with tattoos and swathed in lies, but I did. Even more than that, I related to him. I’m still shocked by this fact. I slowly enjoyed learning about him, and really enjoyed getting to see the great depth and complexity of his character.  Same goes for Kate. I never thought I would like a girl like her, yet somehow, I found myself really liking her. Somehow, Brigid Kemmemer has made the impossible… possible.

The romance was also another great aspect to this story. After reading the first two books, I simply assumed that the romance would be very similar to those. Yet, it was extremely different. It was perfect for the characters. Both had a ton of problems in their lives, and this was reflected in the romance. Rocky beginnings were slowly smoothed out, and we were left with a very sweet romance. It was so different from the relationships I’ve read, but it was still so perfect in its own way.

I can’t write a review for Spirit without mentioning the plot twists. Because, um, wow. Honestly, I was thinking that the author wasn’t that gutsy, but, yet again in this book, I was proved wrong. It just goes to show that the good ol’ adage of ‘Aneeqah is Never Wrong’ isn’t always true. There were some pretty crazy events that happened, and I never saw them coming. I have a new-found respect for Ms. Kemmemer (although my heart doesn’t quite agree…).

However, one of my small issues with this book was it was very back and forth. Whether it was the romance, or Hunter’s characterization, things were just a pendulum. When we think some progress has finally been made, things go backwards, and that was a bit frustrating at times. I wanted things to just keep moving forward, yet somehow, the characters kept falling into the same mistakes without ever learning from them.

Overall, this book was most definitely not what I was expecting. From the awesomeness that is Hunter Garrity (although I still think I like Michael better!), to an awesome romance, or crazy plot twists (and that’s not even to mention that awesome little bromance we had going!), Spirit was one heck of an adventure. Even with my minor issues, I can’t recommend this book, or this series enough. If you’re looking for a fun, new urban fantasy type series to spark your love of the paranormal genre again, then this is your series. It’s been storming the YA market lately. It has more than enough spirit to bring out your inner fangirl (don’t deny you love my terrible puns!!).

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Waiting On Wednesday (47)

Waiting On Wednesday is a meme where you basically share an upcoming book that you’re excited to read. It’s hosted over at Breaking the Spine by Jill.

The book I’m waiting on today is: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

If I’m being completely honest, the main reason I’m dying for this book is the reviews. Seriously. All of them that I’ve read thus far have basically said: OMG THIS BOOK, and many involved some sort of flailing. It’s not often that I base my excitement for a book mainly off the reviews, but not only does this book have the reviews going for it, but a gorgeous cover, but an equally appealing synopsis (albeit, slightly confusing). I know this one will live up to the hype (or rather, I hope- but I’m rather optimistic ).

This book will be released on September 3rd, 2013.

Review: Skinny by Donna Cooner

 

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Genres: Contemporary

Release Date: May 28th, 2013

Source: Won from Twitter Giveaway

 

Synopsis:

Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

My Review:

This book was... an experience to read, to say the least. I was battling with conflicting emotions for almost the entire book. One moment, I loved it, the other, I wanted to chuck onto the floor in frustration. To say I had a love/hate relationship with this book is an understatement.

One of the things I enjoyed was the concept. It’s not everyday we get to read a book about people that are seriously overweight, let alone a teenage girl. It’s amazing about how in a society where so many are facing this problem, at younger and younger ages, there are so few books that reflect this topic. I liked seeing the main character’s everyday struggle with being overweight. There were so many problems that come along with it, things I never would have even given thought to, like fitting into a chair at school. It’s interesting how a person’s weight can be at the center of the world when others don’t even give a second thought to it. It was such a different experience, seeing the world through a person’s eyes whose weight matters so much to them, and I liked being able to see this world in this new perspective.

Also, I really enjoyed the ending. I felt that it wrapped up things perfectly. It had that touch of hope that I was craving, and it was simply realistic. It really fit it with some of the overall concepts in the book. No, it wasn’t a fairytale type thing, but it was a start of something new. Everything wrapped up, yet there were still some things left open. I appreciated how it was done.

However, I seriously disliked our main character for pretty much the entire book. There were so many times where I simply wanted to empathize with her, but Ever just made it impossible to do so. She was stuck-up, rude, and completely blind for, like, three fourths of the book. It was excruciatingly irritating, to say the least. There were many times where I wanted to slap her. She essentially ruined what could have been a good book.

Also, this book gave me such a weird vibe. I feel weird saying that, but I got this huge ‘drab’ vibe from Skinny. It was a pretty bleak book, and so perhaps the lack of any sort of hope (at least, until the end) was what was giving me this vibe. Also, I was easily able to put this one down for a while and feel no urge to pick it up. It took some effort to slog through some parts of the book, due to that strange vibe I was getting.

Overall, this most definitely isn’t a terrible book. I quite enjoyed the concept and the ending, although the main character and the weird vibe were big downfalls for me. This book does have its fair share of ups and downs, although I can end with saying that I didn’t hate it. It was simply OK, with potential to be great. It just wasn’t.

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

 

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Genres: Contemporary

Release Date: May 28th, 2013

Source: NetGalley

 

Synopsis:

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

To be honest, my expectations were sky high for this book. Pushing the Limits was among my top favorites last year (this is coming from a girl who isn’t a very big contemp fan!), and I was expecting something just as good with Dare You To. And while I liked Pushing the Limits the slightest smidge better, I really did fall for this book.

The best part of this book has to be its characters. We have a dual POV again with this book, between Beth and Ryan. Surprisingly, I connected quite well with both of them. I really felt for Beth, and despite some of her not-so bright decisions, I understood her. Somehow, magically, the author made me fall in love with this character, who was so layered. Same goes for Ryan. On the exterior, he seemed essentially perfect. But he’s got his own layers that we get to see. Beth and Ryan were really so realistic, because of their depth. Both MCs really captured my heart, and had me rooting for them the entire time.

Also, I adored how our secondary characters got time to shine as well. It’s not often that we get to see secondary characters go through significant change, or even be developed at all, but we get both in this book. The subtle-yet-present character development that slowly occurred with some of the secondary characters was fantastic to witness, especially in Scott and Lacy. It was great seeing this, and it really enhanced the book for me, adding so much more depth and realisticness, which is just what I crave in a contemporary novel.

I can’t write this review without talking about the romance, of course. As with PLL, the romance here is the exact opposite of insta-love. Both characters have their problems, and it takes a while for even a tenuous friendship to build up. But after making mistakes, and actually learning from them, the romance does build-up. It wasn’t even near perfect, but that’s what made it all the more perfect and enjoyable.

However, I did have one tiny problem with this story. It was simply the beginning. There was a lot of set-up involved before the plot really began to move, and that made for a slow and not very enticing beginning. I understand that it was necessary to build up the gritty backdrop in which this story takes place, but I still wished for a bit more of a plot in the beginning and for things to actually start happening sooner.

Overall, Dare You To is one of those books that makes me fall in love with contemporary novels. The very definition of characterization and fabulous romance, I still can’t fathom how in the world this author can write such gorgeous romances that are alike, yet so different. I’m already anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, and to see what Katie McGarry has in store for us next. Honestly, I dare you to not fall in love with this book (yes, yes, I understand that pun has been used countlessly but still).

Freedom! + An Explanation + Goals

So this post was in the works for a while, as evidenced by the multi-part title. But before I say anything, it’s time for a bit of celebration…

Why?

Because school is officially OUT! (Ahem, at least, for me).

This was me right before the bell rang:

(Also, for the record- I totally sang High School Musical as I was leaving. Embrace it, people. summer, summer, summer…).

This was me when the bell rang:

And then this was me when I got home:

(If you couldn’t tell: basically, I’m really, really excited).

I’m finally done with all the stress and exams and competition! Freedom is here! Summer is officially mine, and I plan to enjoy with a huge stack of books, some (hopefully) nice weather, and blogging.

Speaking of blogging…

This brings me to the next part of the post- the explanation. If you’ve happened to notice at all, this blog has been pretty dead in terms of posting in May. I only had 4 posts in all of May, something I’m extremely disappointed about. But what I didn’t realize was how stinking stressful everything was going to be with SAT subject testing, AP exams, a vacation, and then finals to top it all off. So I just kept telling myself I was going to write a review the next day, then the next, which obviously lead to an unexplained hiatus. This was mis-planning on my part, but hopefully next year during this same time, this won’t happen again.

Nonetheless, I have some really great reviews to share with you all, along with some other features up my sleeve. I’m also going to two really awesome signings during the summer- the Fierce Reads Tour (!!) and the Beneath the Surface tour as well. Excitement can not even begin to cover my feelings! I get to meet rockstar authors. (Yes, yes, I know you are  jealous. The perks of living where I do are amazing, I suppose ).

And that brings me to the third part of this post- the goals. I’ve decided setting a few bookish related goals will really help me this summer, so here they are:

• Read at least 35 books. This equates to about a book every 3 days, and even with my decently busy summer, I think I can make this happen.
• Post at least 3-4 times a week, if not more. Consistency is something I have always struggled with, so I think settling in to a rhythm this summer will help me get my groove.
• Schedule posts ahead of time. I know laziness will be a problem for me this summer, not to mention my summer obligations, so I really do need to schedule things out in advance. This will also help me find a good routine, so everything will still run smoothly when I start school up in the fall again (just thinking that makes me shudder!).
• Stretch out of my comfort zone. I want to try more genres that I wouldn’t normally read, especially contemporary. It is summer, so I want to pick up more contemps instead of my normal dystopian/UF books (any suggestions?).

I have a few others as well, but those are my main goals that I’ll be focusing on, as well as relaxing! I didn’t realize how stressful school was until I was done. Although I most definitely had a great year and will miss not seeing my friends everyday.

That about sums it up for this already enormous post! Thanks for sticking with me lovely readers, and I can’t wait to give you all a ton of comment love this summer. =)

So, what are YOUR goals for the summer? Any specific books you plan on conquering first?