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  • Category: Reviews 2013

    • Book Review: “The Madness Underneath” by Maureen Johnson

      Posted at 11:13 am by Laura, on December 22, 2013

      The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson 17624010

      Publisher: Putnam / Speak
      Published: December 10 (originally February 23)
      Genre: young adult, gothic, paranormal

      ISBN: 9780142427545
      Goodreads: 3.86
      Rating: ★★★★

      Rory Deveaux has changed in ways she never could have imagined since moving to London and beginning a new life at boarding school. As if her newfound ability to see ghosts hadn’t complicated her life enough, Rory’s recent brush with the Jack the Ripper copycat has left her with an even more unusual and intense power. Now, a new string of inexplicable deaths is threatening London, and Rory has evidence that they are no coincidence. Something sinister is going on, and it is up to her to convince the city’s secret ghost-policing squad to listen before it’s too late.

      After three weeks of pointless therapy in Bristol, Rory’s parents are convinced to send her back to Wexford in London to attempt to catch up and finish her first term. As Rory struggles with her trauma on top of mountains of schoolwork, she is recruited by the Shades as a human terminus: a person with the ability to zap ghosts into oblivion with the touch of her hand. But sinister events are happening around Wexford, events that link ghosts, Rory’s strange new abilities, and a history of madness.

      madnessunderneath1

      Once again, Johnson brings forth a thrilling paranormal murder mystery to young adult fiction. Rory is witty and humorous, and her internal monologues kept me laughing even through the serious moments. The way she seemed to float through her week back at Wexford — aware she’s behind, stressing out and panicking, getting entirely distracted and researching the history of Wexford’s land and a historical madhouse, and then coming to terms with her own academic failure — felt so real. And surreal. She cannot focus, she knows her priorities, but her trauma and her desire for answers take over any rational thought she may have had prior to the Ripper accident. The whole first half of the book builds on this, and I was quite relieved — trauma can really disorient a person, no one can truly jump back.

      This book appeared to have two things going on: more murders by ghosts, which makes Rory go on a quest about the history of London; and another secret society of ghost-seers and their plans for Rory’s cooperation. I was very intrigued by the madhouse storyline, about the bodies of the insane thrown into graves just outside the London city limits before the Great Fire, the site of which is below Wexford property. But the second we were going somewhere with that storyline, Rory’s tricked and abducted by a group of people who claim to have something in store for her, and threaten her to be silent and cooperate else all those she loves will be harmed. I felt a little lost with this one, as it could have used more development, but that’s what the next book is for, I suppose!

      Because of Rory’s distracted mind, we rarely see Jerome, Jazza, Alastair, and other Wexford friends. Everyone is concerned with exams, and Jazza is desperate to pass German while Jerome is more concerned about Rory’s stability and openness for a relationship. Stephen, Callum, and Boo are back, thank goodness — and I loved seeing them working together and discussing “office dynamics.” We get a better feel for who they are as people rather than a police force, which is appealing for Rory.

      The ending — the cliffhanger — broke my heart. I must find a copy of The Shadow Cabinet the second it’s published!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: gothic, genre: paranormal, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Her Dark Curiosity” by Megan Shepherd (ARC)

      Posted at 6:31 pm by Laura, on December 14, 2013

      Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd 16182304

      Publisher: Balzer + Bray
      Publishing Date: January 28, 2014
      Genre: young adult, gothic, science fiction
      ISBN: 9780062128058
      Goodreads: —

      Rating: ★★★★

      As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

      As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

      With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.

      Juliet is back in wintery London, desperate to search for a cure that will rid the animal part of herself. But as Christmas fills the air, so too does the electrical spark of fear and scandal when a murderer begins his rampage throughout Whitechapel. Juliet notices a pattern: every victim victimized her, and every victim’s heart was clawed out similarly to Edward’s Beast on her father’s island. She begins her search for the murderer, for the cause and justification of the King’s Club’s involvement in her father’s dangerous experiments, and for a way to become fully human mind and soul.

      I thoroughly enjoyed this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde inspired novel far more than Shepherd’s first — and part of it may have to do with the setting and the novella. I was not familiar with Wells, nor am I a jungle-setting fan; I’m very familiar with Stevenson, and deeply love Victorian London. Once again, Shepherd dives into Juliet’s internal conflict of animal within human, human within animal. But this is on a more meaningful scale. Juliet must come to terms with not what’s instinctual and animalistic, but what’s moral and humane.

      Shepherd added another twist to this novel that was fun to read — ulterior motives of great and powerful men in London. Her father’s work was no secret, and they’re determined to replicate it. This is more than a Jekyll and Hyde scenario, but a book filled with political intrigue, global effects, and greater consequences. I liked that this layer was added. It drove the book into a new, fresh direction.

      It should be no surprise that Edward and Montgomery are back, of course. Edward is blatantly the two-sides-of-the-same-coin character, but every character within this novel encounters similar confrontations. Although not a fan of love triangles — they can be quite exhausting, and for me it is very clear that Juliet should be with Montgomery and Edward out of the picture entirely — Juliet thankfully comes to her own conclusion in this novel, with promises of conflict to come in the next book.

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: gothic, genre: sci-fi, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “And We Stay” by Jennifer Hubbard (ARC)

      Posted at 4:35 pm by Laura, on December 14, 2013

      And We Stay by Jennifer Hubbard 17797364

      Publisher: Delacorte Press
      Publishing Date: January 28, 2014
      Genre: young adult
      ISBN: 9780385740579
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: 
      ★

      When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self.

      Emily Beam transfers to an all-girls boarding school after her boyfriend Paul Wagoner kills himself in her old high school library. She and her parents believe it would be best for her to start fresh in a new place, away from everything that could remind her of that traumatic experience. But as Emily attempts to handle her grief, she begins to call upon Emily Dickinson’s works, and uses the poet as a guide to heal her wounds.

      The prose is simple, and the poems at the end of each chapter gradually grow from disjointed to lyrical. However, as much as I was hoping this book would be for me, it wasn’t. Emily and her friends K.T. and Amber were not characters I could relate to, possibly because they seemed to lack depth. Emily is an introverted but intelligent cheerleader who dated a boy who was exactly average yet everyone knew him well and he never once seemed like he’d commit suicide. Emily can also be quite hypocritical. Several moments in the novel she judges girls who sleep around, but she herself got pregnant. She at first doesn’t like Amber because Amber is “weird,” but Emily herself can be quite strange and off-putting around others.

      The portion that bothered me the most was the extreme stretches of comparison between Emily and the poet Emily Dickinson. Emily would make assumptions that Dickinson must have felt this way too, that she had these exact same experiences and she must have thought these exact things when she wrote poetry. The moments when Emily would visit the Dickinson house or read a book about Dickinson were attempts at bringing the supernatural into play, as if Dickinson were guiding Emily on a better path. I’m all for a good ghost story or a spiritual journey, but the connections were too thin, too stretched. I eventually became bored, as there was nothing for me to cling to when reading the novel.

      That being said, I think this novel does have a place for a certain type of audience. Unfortunately, that audience was not me.

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Delacorte Press for review.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “All the Truth That’s in Me” by Julie Berry

      Posted at 12:05 pm by Laura, on November 24, 2013

      All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry 17297487

      Publisher: Viking
      Published: September 2013

      Genre: young adult, historical fiction
      ISBN: 9780670786152
      Goodreads: 4.05
      Rating: ★★★

      Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

      Two years ago, Judith returned to her village after having disappeared without a trace. At first her friends and family were relieved of her appearance, but when they realized her tongue had been cut and she was made a mute, they begin to turn their backs on her. But after an attack on her village stirs up questions about her past and the boy she’s in love with, she is faced with a life-changing decision: remain mute about her experience in the woods, or speak the truth and change everyone’s lives.

      Berry uses a very unique technique in her writing: not only is the entire story told in second person — Julie’s thoughts are all directed at Lucas, the boy she loves — but it’s also fragmented. It’s just like reading thoughts, rather than reading a standard plot. It adds a whole new dimension to the story. The twists at the end — who captured Judith, what happened while she disappeared, what really happened to her friend, what happened at the battle at the beginning of the book — is so unexpected it made the entire experience worth the read.

      However, I’ll admit that what prevented me from giving this a higher rating is the mysterious setting. It bothered me throughout the novel that I could not place the location and time. It felt anywhere between 1650s, with the Puritans and their rigid society, and early 1800s, with the remote village setting and strong sense of community (like the Western frontier) over business (like the East). I asked the author if Roswell was the city in New Mexico, and if it was set in 1850s (settlers from Missouri set up in Roswell, NM around that time), and she said it’s not New Mexico and not 1850s, but the 17th century. Now, all of this would have been fine as an answer, but there were elements that just didn’t seem to work. Where were the Native Americans? Who were the homelanders? Why are they fighting battles? Why isn’t God a more prominent aspect in their society? Why does the clothing sound wrong for that time period? Some bits and pieces of this novel felt extremely anachronistic, and a part of it is because the time is never specified, nor is the place. I began to wonder if this was like The Village movie, because things just seemed off.

      I’m of the camp that thinks it’s incredibly important to give a time and place for your readers, fantasy or contemporary or historical fiction. Some sort of indicator needs to be addressed — it doesn’t need to be spelled out blatantly, but it does need context clues. All the clues we are given in this book point in different directions. Apart from this confusion, this story about a mute, about right and wrong, about captivity and abuse, was worth the read.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “The Promise of Amazing” by Robin Constantine (ARC)

      Posted at 4:30 am by Laura, on November 20, 2013

      The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine 17844678

      Publisher: Balzer + Bray
      Publishing Date: December 31, 2013
      Genre: young adult
      ISBN: 9780062279484
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: 
      ★★★★

      Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

      Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

      One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

      Wren, a junior at an all-girls private school, has been told time and again that she is too quiet for teachers to find her remarkable, and too average to be accepted into various honor societies. She is determined to break out of her passive streak and make a name for herself, but doesn’t know where to begin or what she wants to do with her future. Grayson, a senior, was kicked out of the all-boys private school just last spring for being a “term-paper-pimp,” his future at an elite college stripped and athletic skills kicked to the curb. He’s determined to set his life straight, to become a better person, but isn’t sure how to leave his past behind. But on the night Grayson attends a wedding and chokes on finger food, Wren swoops in to help, and their lives change forever.

      The Promise of Amazing is a typical good-girl-meets-bad-boy young adult novel, but without the cheesy lines or trashy love scenes or beachy setting. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the time when seniors are getting accepted into college and juniors are told their dream schools are out of reach. While Grayson is painted as a “bad boy,” he’s not the pot-smoking, heavy-drinking, sexed-up kind of guy in most YA novels. He does, however, commit crimes, is wicked intelligent and slipped up once — that’s how his term-paper matching-making business fell through — and, if a college were to discover such things, he’d be set for life working the cashier line at a grocery store. His life was on the fast-track to failure due to all his short-cuts, but once he was caught, his cocky behavior ended. And Wren truly is average. Not in personality, but she is such a relatable character for all decent girls out there: she works, she tries hard in class, she has good friends and a nice family, but she’s not quite up to par to be qualified for all these big societies high school says helps students get into college. I felt a kinship to her.

      The drama in the book is never between Grayson and Wren, per se, but Grayson’s friends trying to bring him back into his business and darker past. They keep attempting to break through the relationship, and it’s up to Grayson to end those connections and that part of his life. These are all aspects of a coming-of-age novel, and life in general: cut out the toxic people in your life in order to better yourself. Through these events, Wren develops courage and a strong voice. You begin to hope her life will turn around for the better as well.

      It’s a nice light read, especially around the holidays. If you’re in for feeling nostalgic about your first high school relationship, your first heart-warming experiences, this book is the ticket. The Promise of Amazing is sweet, with well-rounded characters to root for and true-to-life high school experiences.

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Letters from Skye” by Jessica Brockmole

      Posted at 9:13 pm by Laura, on November 4, 2013

      Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole 16127238

      Publisher: Ballantine Books
      Published: July 2013
      Genre: historical fiction, WWI / WWII fiction
      ISBN: 9780345542601
      Goodreads: 3.94
      Rating: ★★★★★

      March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.

      June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.

      When Margaret Dunn’s mother, Elspeth, up and leaves Edinburgh in June 1940 after a series of bombs, Margaret is left with only one clue as to her whereabouts and intentions: a letter written to “Sue” from “Davey” in 1914. As Margaret searches for her mother’s past, Elspeth is searching for David Graham, an American she corresponded without before and throughout the First World War. Told entirely through letters, these women face two very different wartime atmospheres, and are determined to uncover the past that may heal the future.

      The whole concept of a book written entirely in letters fascinated me. There’s something antiquated about it, something charming, and it brought me back to a time when a response from a loved one was never instantaneous. People were open and emotional and detailed in their letters — there were few forms of communication to truly and accurately keep up with friends and family. When David mailed an obscure Scottish poet, he didn’t expect a response — and she didn’t expect a letter from anyone outside of Skye or Scotland, for that matter. Their surprises, witty quips, slow exposure of their true feelings, and later their deep love and devotion through one another, all grip you and hold you from the first page to the last.

      Another technique I really liked was Margaret’s discovery of other aspects of Elspeth’s life that Elspeth would either never mention in the letters or it would be mentioned later by Elspeth or David. For example, Elspeth and David indirectly refer to an incident between David and her brother Finlay, but it’s Finlay who writes a letter to Margaret explaining what happened. Or, in another instance, Margaret finds a letter that was never sent, which then changes the course of the book.

      Like reading a friend’s diary, this book is deeply emotional, incredibly moving, and impossible to put down.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: history, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “The Secret Daughter of the Tsar” by Jennifer Laam (ARC)

      Posted at 8:21 am by Laura, on October 14, 2013

      The Secret Daughter of the Tsar by Jennifer Laam 17286831

      Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
      Publishing Date: October 22, 2013
      Genre: historical fiction
      ISBN: 9781250040916
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: ★★★

      Veronica is an aspiring historian living in present-day Los Angeles when she meets a mysterious man who may be heir to the Russian throne. As she sets about investigating the legitimacy of his claim through a winding path of romance and deception, the ghosts of her own past begin to haunt her. Lena, a servant in the imperial Russian court of 1902, is approached by the desperate Empress Alexandra.  After conceiving four daughters, the Empress is determined to sire a son and believes Lena can help her. Once elevated to the Romanov’s treacherous inner circle, Lena finds herself under the watchful eye of the meddling Dowager Empress Marie. Charlotte, a former ballerina living in World War II occupied Paris, receives a surprise visit from a German officer. Determined to protect her son from the Nazis, Charlotte escapes the city, but not before learning that the officer’s interest in her stems from his longstanding obsession with the fate of the Russian monarchy.

      Lena, a servant in the royal household and favorite of Empress Alexandra, is asked to help Alexandra conceive a boy after giving birth to four daughters. But in 1920, when Alexandra is delirious from the medication given during labor, Dowager Empress Marie threatens Lena and strikes a bargain to help save the Russian monarchy. Fast forward to WWII occupied Paris as Charlotte flees with her ex-husband and son Laurent to Spain to escape the Germans. Fast forward to the present day, where Veronica is working on her book for tenure and failing miserably. But suddenly a Russian man named Michael seems to be the key to her future with the Romanov family.

      I was a little skeptical about reading a book with three POVs, as they can sometimes be confusing, sloppy, and muddle. Laam, however, was very consistent with her chapters, clearly marked the years and locations, and each piece of the puzzle started to fit together perfectly. This book was in no way confusing with the multiple perspectives.

      The story was enjoyable and kept my attention. It was like a journey across Europe and time, an adventure across the generations. About halfway through the novel, though, when Veronica is visiting New York and meets another claimant to the Russian throne, the circumstances seemed elevated to ludicrous proportions. The other portions of the book, with Lena and Charlotte, maintained reality at least. But after Veronica’s visit to New York, the link between the three women was obvious. I raced to the end just to see how exactly they each reacted to their situations.

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book for review.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: history, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “The Last Enchantments” by Charles Finch (ARC)

      Posted at 8:32 am by Laura, on September 23, 2013

      The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch 17910101

      Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
      Publishing Date: January 2014
      Genre: fiction
      ISBN: 9781250018717
      Goodreads: —

      Rating: ★★★★★

      After graduating from Yale, William Baker, scion of an old line patrician family, goes to work in presidential politics.  But when the campaign into which he’s poured his heart ends in disappointment, he decides to leave New York behind, along with the devoted, ambitious, and well-connected woman he’s been in love with for the last four years.

      Will expects nothing more than a year off before resuming the comfortable life he’s always known, but he’s soon caught up in a whirlwind of unexpected friendships and romantic entanglements that threaten his safe plans. As he explores the heady social world of Oxford,  he becomes fast friends with Tom, his snobbish but affable flat mate;  Anil, an Indian economist with a deep love for gangster rap; Anneliese, a German historian obsessed with photography; and Timmo, whose chief ambition is to become a reality television star. What he’s least prepared for is Sophie, a witty, beautiful and enigmatic woman who makes him question everything he knows about himself.

      William Baker decides to pack his bags and head to Oxford to study literature for a year. His career in political campaigns has slowed and he feels like he’s stuck in a rut. Leaving behind NYC, job opportunities, a long-time girlfriend, Will looks forward to his adventure in England and putting off “real life” for the time being. As the weeks progress in school, he befriends posh Tom, adorable Anil, talented Anneliese, studious Ella, driven Peter, and the ever elusive Sophie. His journey into self-discovery, and navigating the many forms of love, is deeply moving and incredibly touching.

      I was originally drawn to this book because of the Oxford setting. I didn’t expect to like Will — the stereotype I have in my head of “poor little rich boy” is not a positive one — but little by little I began to see myself in him, my friends in him and his friends, our experiences quite similar. Will feels lost in the “adult world” and finds comfort in academia. Unsure of his future, he makes wild decisions to put off the inevitable. There are so many twenty-somethings out there who feel just the same: the desire to grow up and become someone, while at the same time terrified, unsure, and fearing failure.

      Will is conflicted throughout the book when it comes to romance. Every type of love is presented: the enduring love with a long-time flame, passion and obsession with someone new and out-of-reach, and lust after a friend. There is no clear-cut relationship, which is actually quite refreshing in a book because it’s true to life. Emotions, love especially, never have logical explanations.

      Everything you would expect from a graduate student is in this book: from studying in libraries, pubs, and cafes to parties in clubs, from sleeping with a friend to lazy walks in the park. There’s no sugar-coating or brushing over facts. It’s plain truth about one young man’s journey, all the mistakes and accomplishments, all the experiences, to the path of his future. It’s beautiful.

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from St. Martin’s Press for review!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “The Outside” by Laura Bickle

      Posted at 9:15 am by Laura, on September 13, 2013

      The Outside by Laura Bickle 16118166

      Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
      Published: September 2013
      Genre: young adult, horror, paranormal
      ISBN: 9780544000131
      Goodreads: 4.05
      Rating: 
      ★★★★★

      After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.

      And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?

      Katie, the Englisher Alex, and Englisher Ginger, are thrown out of Katie’s Amish community and placed under the Bann. The only way they can survive in the wastelands thronging with vampires is to find untainted holy ground, kill, or use holy relics and symbols to deflect attacks. As they journey north with a horse and a wolf, Katie struggles with her faith, the concept of humanity, and the power of God’s forgiveness as she commits every sin to survive. When she’s confronted with a scientific “cure,” she must choose her battles: to take the cure and become less human in the eyes of God, or live a life abandoned and on the run.

      Just as horrifying and gripping as The Hallowed Ones, this book promises everything and more for this struggle for humanity. The landscape is hauntingly bare, the night is filled with anxiety, and the day is filled with worries over food, sleep, and survival. Every abandoned home and store is examined thoroughly before entering, in hopes the food hasn’t spoiled, the home is warm, and the vampires have not created a nest. Every human is looked upon with caution, and even holy ground is considered unsafe.

      Katie’s internal struggles were absolutely fascinating to read. She’s confronted with all sorts of issues while she fights to survive Outside. First, there’s violence. Although it is in the name of self-defense, she struggles justifying it when her Amish faith says she must turn the other cheek. Second, there’s theft and vanity. She and Alex constantly steal from abandoned stores and homes, and she has to shed her Amish clothes for English ones. There are other issues, such as pride and greed, that she struggles with in her faith. Katie moves further and further away from her upbringing, and it distresses her immensely. Each move she makes, she gave careful thought, and frequently asks God for forgiveness for her transgressions.

      Alex and Katie’s love was beautiful. It’s not the all-consuming passion so often read about in young adult novels. Alex respects her, seeks her opinion on matters and treats her like an equal. Katie loves his commitment, his steady presence. All they need is a look, a hand to hold, a piece of food to share. Their bond was peppered with tenderness I have not read in ages. And I think that’s what makes this book great overall: it is the end of the world, a fight for survival, and the time on the run is spent treasuring every moment, the good and bad.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: horror, genre: paranormal, genre: post apocalyptic, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Cruel Beauty” by Rosamund Hodge (ARC)

      Posted at 9:27 am by Laura, on September 8, 2013

      Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge 15839984

      Publisher: Balzer + Bray
      Publishing Date: January 2014
      Genre: young adult, fantasy, science fiction, mythology
      ISBN: 9780062224736
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: 
      ★★

      Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

      With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

      But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

      Nyx’s purpose in life was decided before birth: destroy the Good Lord and free her people from him and his demons. She’s trained to find the hearts of the four elements and bind them, for no mortal weapon will kill the demon king. But once she’s trapped in his ever-changing castle, she begins to have doubts about her task, and wonders who, exactly, is the one at fault for her kingdom’s misfortunes.

      An interesting retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty will be one of those books readers will either love to pieces or, like me, find it to be too much. While it’s understandable for Nyx to be an angry, revengeful sort of character — destined for a life she did not choose — she comes across as stubbornly annoying. The anger she feels to her family seems unjustified, apart from her father, and the impulsive and rather silly things she does against Ignifex are childish and not at all calculating like her killer instincts would seem.

      I also had a difficult time understanding the world of this story. It combines mythology and fantasy and science fiction so much so that I lost track of what was considered a tale and what was considered real and factual for this world. It also felt like there were so many powers in this world, there was no limit. Every power needs a limitation.

      This book was not for me, although I wish it was. I simply could not get into it.

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review. 

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: sci-fi, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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