This one is actually getting 1.5 stars NOT 2-- THAT'S how much I loath you Kelsey Hayes-- you can take your dumb "love-p **WARNING:** RANTING AHEAD....
This one is actually getting 1.5 stars NOT 2-- THAT'S how much I loath you Kelsey Hayes-- you can take your dumb "love-plant" and SHOVE IT.
**
What would you do if someone offered you an all-expenses-paid trip to India with a mysterious white tiger who also happens to be a handsome Indian prince? Eighteen-year old Kelsey Hayes is faced with just this offer after spending 2 weeks working as a hired hand at a local circus one summer-- and her life will never be the same.
Soooo.... I had pretty much been *dying* to read this book for ages, and after reading review after raving review, I FINALLY picked it up off the shelves. I was so positively sure that I was going to absolutely love this book, that by the end, I would be in raptures and stumbling over myself trying to say enough good things about it.
I don't know what the hell happened, but this book turned out to be an absolute joke.
I KNOW, and I hate saying this, but I have to be honest. There were some things I liked about Tiger's Curse, but they were all completely overshadowed by some of the worst characterization I've ever encountered in a book. OK, here we go...
So first, let me talk a little about Kelsey Hayes, the main character. At the beginning, I actually liked her. Laid-back, down-to-earth, and slightly quirky, she was a fun character to follow in the story.
But then things started to go down hill-- rapidly.
I noticed about a hundred pages in that Kelsey's way of talking and thinking could be *extremely* juvenile at times-- juvenile and annoying. I don't know if anyone else thought the same thing, but as I made my way through this book, I just didn't feel like I was reading from an 18-year old's perspective. Some of the expressions she uses (my FAVE was when she exclaimed, "You wily scoundrel!" when Kishan tries to kiss her- DUDE. FIND ME SOMEONE WHO TALKS LIKE THIS), the way she addresses people ("oh hey there Mister!" -- seriously? Is your main character from The Little Rascals?), and just her whole way of thinking seemed more like that of an immature little kid than an adult...
And things only went from bad to worse when Ren the Prince stepped into the picture. If Kelsey was slightly childish and annoying to begin with, it was nothing compared to the infantile monstrosity she turns into in the last half of the book. The immaturity levels reached astronomical proportions. How you ask? Here are a few examples:
1.) She pouted and threw tiny tantrums when she was displeased about pretty much anything-- and rather than be an ADULT and communicate with Ren about how conflicted she was feeling, she turned into a cold and standoffish little biotch. Then, when the poor guy asks her what's wrong, she says "nothing" (in that way where it's obviously something) and goes right back to being Ice Queen Supreme. Clearly, this is an awesome way to treat people.
2.) She had the *exceedingly* annoying defense mechanism of needing to make sarcastic quips every 5 seconds, and the more defensive she got, the less likely it became for her to be serious or mature at crucial points in the story. I mean, the girl almost dies and the first thing she does upon waking up is crack a few dumb jokes-- well I'm sorry, but I don't want to read about a main character who acts like she's constantly auditioning at a comedy club (and failing miserably, I might add)-- I want her to have a grown-up, serious side too! It was just too much. There is no way in hell this chick was 18-- maybe 12? Maybe.... even that's pushing it.
3.) I just love how Kelsey was absolutely shocked and appalled when she sees Ren the Tiger-version and his brother hunt for food. She does realize that "hunting" involves killing something right?? And that tigers have a tendency towards being carnivores? And that tasty meat often comes from cute animals? I mean the girl had to actually sing herself to sleep to get over it-- no, I'm not making this up, she sings herself to sleep ("happy songs" from The Wizard of Oz) because the tigers killed an antelope. Then she has nightmares about it. And she's eighteen ÌýÌý-³å-
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4.) Kelsey just LOVES to continually tell us about her little "love-plant" for Ren-- because you know, normal people talk like this. By the end I wanted to take some pesticide spray and a blow torch to Kelsey's freaking love-plant and incinerate the damn thing into the ground...
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(I won't even get into the fact that she was dumb as a brick and could barely tie her own shoes without Ren holding her hand. But wait, you say! The book says she loves reading Shakespeare, well then she MUST be a total rocket scientist, no?? Give me a fa-reaking break Colleen- sorry my dear, but saying that your main protag reads Shakespeare does NOT make her smart and clever and oh-so-different from everyone else, because she comes across as a complete dumbass in everything else she thinks, does, and says. Need I mention how she nearly gets herself killed near Kishindha? Because she goes to grab a pretty sparkly diamond out of the water, moments after she and Ren nearly died because DUH the prophesy TOLD you not to believe your eyes and that things weren't as they seemed! GAWD she's like freaking Abu the monkey in Aladdin, literally that is who she reminded me of! **slaps forehead in total frustration**)
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But I think that out of all the things that bothered me about Kelsey, the VERY WORST was the fact that she made such a snap judgement about Ren-- without even giving him the chance to prove that he was a good guy-- and then proceeded to treat him like total crap for the rest of the book, all for absolutely NO REASON other than her own stinking insecurity that "she wasn't good enough for him." Kelsey Hayes, you were to put it bluntly, one of THE most immature characters I have ever read about, and you need to go find yourself a therapist. Pronto.
So... Let's just say that by the end of this book, I had never wanted to punch a main character in the face quite so badly as Kelsey "Boo-Hoo I'll Never Be Good Enough So I'll Just Act Like a Bitch 24/7" Hayes.
While we're sitting in on How to Make Your Characters As Unlikable as Possible 101, let's take a look at Ren. Overall, the guy wasn't too bad when you stand back and see him over the course of the book-- but I still couldn't stand him. And the thing is, he wouldn't have been such an unlikable character if the author hadn't set him up to be totally unlikable. To prove my point, here are just a few of the phrases used to describe Ren's actions in this book:
-Laughed "acerbically" -Smiled "mockingly" and "malevolently" -grinned "maliciously" -scoffed and smirked -was "annoyingly happy"
Now you tell me-- would you like a character whose behavior is described this way?? The guy is annoying even when he's happy for crying out loud, and the rest of the time he's described as being a total ass-hat, and I'm supposed to be falling in love with him?!? I mean he sounds like a complete douche, amirite?? There's only two explanations for this kind of character portrayal:
1.) Ren is, in fact, a douche-- in which case I can't stand him and hope he jumps off a cliff, or
2.) Ren is actually a good guy and all of this is Kelsey's perception of him-- in which case Kelsey is *psycho cray cray* and I hope she jumps off a cliff.
In either case, I'm really not rooting for your characters.
Then there's the fact that Ren is-- according to the story-- hundreds of years old. And it seems like in every YA story where one of the characters has been around for a long time (Twilight, Fallen...) we're just supposed to forget this fact and think it makes total sense for them to act like immature teenagers and have character dialogue that's somewhere along the lines of "Ohemgee totally!!." I mean here we have this 300-year old Indian prince and he's referring to Kelsey as "Kells??" Are you freaking kidding me??? So yes, this made Ren even MORE obnoxious as a main character, if that's even possible.
(And oh, hey-- let's not even get into the glaring "ick" factor that this kind of plot point brings up: a 300-year old guy is flirting and trying to get with an 18-year old girl.
Really. THINK ABOUT IT.)
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I also felt like the pacing of the plot was slightly off. Overall, I thought that the story itself was pretty good-- I loved the Indian setting and the adventurous element it had going on-- but there was just a lot of superfluous description that got in the way for me. For example, when Kelsey gets on the plane to go to India, I thought we were never going to hear the end of all the luxurious details of the plane's interior and the food they ate. Don't get me wrong, I think that adding vivid description to your story is wonderful and sets the backdrop for all the action, but I also think there is a way to describe a scene while still leaving something up to the reader's imagination! I mean, do I *really* care what color hair ribbon Kelsey ties in her braids every day? And by the by, how many 18-year-olds do YOU know who tie hair ribbons in their braids? Or walk around with their blanket like they're freaking Linus from Charlie Brown?? JUST SAYING.
Besides plot pacing being off, many parts of the plot made ZERO SENSE. Tell me, how many foster parents do you know, who seem to be fairly sensible and, oh I don't know, **SANE** let their foster-daughter go off on a trip to INDIA with a strange older man and a tiger, after meeting said man ONE TIME?? This is basically how things played out:
1.) Kelsey works 2 weeks as a hired hand at a circus (WHICH she got from some super-shady work placement company)
2.) Kelsey reads Shakespeare to the tiger at said circus (Hmm yeah, that's totally normal) and then a strange Indian man shows up and tells Kelsey she is PERFECT for taking care of the tiger, if she can only GO TO INDIA to put tiger in a nature reserve (***RED FLAGS GOING OFF HERE***).
3.) Kelsey's parents AGREE TO LET HER GO TO INDIA with strange older man after meeting him once, and within a WEEK Kelsey has all her documentation, passports, vaccines, etc. taken care of and is on a plane to India to take care of a rare white tiger species because 2 weeks of sweeping up crap at a circus has turned her into an animal GENIUS.
**Insert dumb-founded expression HERE 0_o**
Also-- and this is something I didn't even fully realize until awhile after I finished reading it-- but this book is BEYOND RACIST. It basically portrays Indian people as pathetic simpletons with horrible broken English (Ummm guess what Colleen? Many Indian people know how to speak English, and those who don't aren't idiots who you can write about as though they're incoherent monkeys...) Mr. Kadam, the Indian man employed by Prince Ren, basically spends the entire book kissing the ground Kelsey Hayes walks on, waxing eloquent about how amazing she is. WHY?? What the flying you-know-what is so awesome about Kelsey Hayes?? She's a vapid, lazy and stuck-up wish fulfillment device who is glorified by everyone for no good reason. Pretty much everyone in this book who is NOT WHITE AMERICAN is ignorantly and disrespectfully portrayed like a cartoon, exaggerated to the point of being comical-- except that it ISN'T FUNNY because it's straight-up RACISM. Then we have Kelsey- the White Girl Who Saves the Day- someone with absolutely no qualifications or connection to Indian culture, who we find out is actually the "Chosen One" of the Indian goddess Durga. YEAH YOU HEARD ME RIGHT. Kelsey, the most ignorant and brain-dead character ever conceived for YA fiction, the lazy American white girl who acts like a spoiled whiny little brat for 400+ freaking pages- is the savior of the Indian people. Excuse me while I very loudly exclaim:
As far as the romance goes, well if you're a fan of train wrecks, you're going to be in 7th heaven because this was just about as dysfunctional as they come. It was like watching two cars heading for a straight-on collision, and not being able to do a damn thing about it, so you just sit there with the same horrified expression on your face that you'd have if you accidentally swallowed a mouthful of spoiled milk. Three-month-old spoiled milk. I've already described Kelsey's emotional constipation and total lack of ability to do anything remotely mature, but I also didn't like how possessive Ren got of Kelsey as the story went on. Protective tiger-- awesome, Possessive love interest-- HELL to the NO. Not a fan. I was also pretty annoyed at the good ol' YA ploy of presenting the main character as Ms. I'm-Totally-Average-But-Every-Guy-Who-Sees-Me-Falls-Inexplicably-Yet-Madly-In-Love-With-Me-Tee-Hee!-- because it's been done SO many times. In fact, it's gotten to be about as cliche as being Disney-Princess-Perfect. Which brings me to...
* My Brief Bookish Rant *
Yeah so after all that, you're probably wondering what the heck else I have to rant about. (Do not underestimate my ranting skills *whahahaha!*) So here is my totally random gripe-- and trust me, this is random-- that I have to get off my shoulders. And I'm not trying to pick on this book specifically, it's more of a general trend that I see again and again in YA books-- and my slightly annoyed question is this:
WHY do authors always make a POINT of telling us that their main female characters never or seldom wear makeup?
I know, I know, this is such a dumb thing to rant about, but for *some reason* it bothers me. I mean, is there something bad about wearing makeup or doing your hair on a regular basis? Do they think that makeup makes their protagonist seem stupid or fake? Do they assume that readers won't relate to a character who wears makeup because... I don't know, people who read don't wear makeup? Like why does it even need to be mentioned? It's like they expect me the reader to go, "Ohh, she doesn't wear makeup! Well I can respect her a lot more now!" And then on the other side of things, the "mean girl" or the bitchy back-stabber is often described as wearing makeup or being super tan or having the latest fashions. WHY?? Is it a given that if a girl cares about her appearance she must be less of a person? If the main character is a frumpy Plain-Jane who's never worn heels and who thinks at best she's "average," am I supposed to like her more? What exactly are you trying to convey to me the reader when you tell me that your main character doesn't wear makeup? I just don't see what the heck this has to do with the characterization of someone, and personally I couldn't care less whether the main character wears makeup or not, so stop bringing it up like it's a determining factor in whether or not I'll relate to/like/respect that character more!
(I will mention that Kelsey does get dolled up a few times in the book, but what irked me was her complete inability to see herself as being attractive, no matter what. This is not a good character trait. Insecurity and false modesty are NOT attractive in anyone-- it's extremely immature and I CAN'T STAND characters that constantly use self-pity and self-deprecation to excuse themselves from acting grown-up. SO STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!)
OK, rant over. I feel much better now!
~Final Thoughts~
Tiger's Curse is one of those books that I think appeals to a large group of people because it has a lot of great things going on-- romance, adventure, travel, mystery, an ancient curse-- I mean, what's not to love about that? BUT-- and this is a big but-- none of them, in my opinion, were executed well. The romance devolved into two spoiled teenagers acting like juvenile brats, the adventure and mystery were bogged down by way too much description, and honestly, by the end I was so fed up with the main characters that I really couldn't care less about where the story was going-- I just wanted it to end so I didn't have to constantly fight the temptation to throw the book out the window of a 50-story building.
So my final word with this one is- proceed with caution. While I can see the appeal for many readers, if you are like me and can't stand pointless drama, immature dialogue, and characters who act much younger than their years, you might want to think twice before picking this one up. On the other hand, the ratings overall for Tiger's Curse are extremely good, so this may very well be a case of me just personally not liking it. Â Read what other people had to say about this book, you might end up loving it-- I, unfortunately, was not one of those people.
Belles was one of those books that pulled me in and wouldn't let me go until the very last chapter. From the first couple of pages, I was completely sBelles was one of those books that pulled me in and wouldn't let me go until the very last chapter. From the first couple of pages, I was completely sucked into Isabelle Scott's story and the world of Mira Monroe. I seriously could not get enough!
Isabelle "Izzie" Scott is just a down-to-earth kind of girl living in Harborside, a quaint although slightly run-down town full of surfers and pizza joints and not-so-well-off families. She loves to be out in the water, especially if it's with her hunky friend Braydon. But then everything changes-- her grandmother has to go live in a nursing home and Izzie finds out that her only surviving family is a rich uncle and his family who live in Emerald Cove. EC is the complete opposite of Harborside-- the wealthy, privileged families there spend more money on dinner than Izzie makes in a year. Learning how to fit into this new place is anything but easy, especially when Savannah, the Queen Bee of Emerald Prep, decides that Izzie is her most-loathed enemy.
Mira Monroe is Isabelle's cousin and she's been in the lap of luxury her entire life. One of the social elite at Emerald Prep, the only things Mira has to worry about is what expensive designer bag to buy next and where to hold the next fabulous Social Butterfly party. Having Izzie enter her life and live in her house is definitely not easy, but when her best friend Savannah decides to make Izzie's life a living hell, Mira has to decide between sticking up for her cousin or becoming a social outcast too.
The best thing about this book was the characters-- I pretty much loved each and every one of them, because they jumped right off the pages and came to life. I could totally feel Izzie's pain at having to be uprooted from her life in Harborside to go live in a place that doesn't welcome her and where she doesn't feel like she belongs. And I could also relate to Mira, Izzie's rich cousin who does want to do the right thing and help Izzie, but is afraid of losing everything that her society has taught her to care about. Heck, I even loved Savannah as a character-- yes she was downright horrible and I wanted to slap her into next Tuesday for being such a little brat, BUT she was interesting! The dynamics that played out between all the characters just had me dying to read more.
I also really loved the world that Jen created in this book-- it was vibrant, colorful, and I could picture every scene as I was reading it-- the sunny beach at Harborside, the pristine mansions in Emerald Cove, and the over-the-top, totally ridiculous Sweet 16 party that Savannah has-- it was all just so much fun to read and experience! On top of the settings, I really loved that the story was told from both Izzie's and Mira's points of view, alternating between each chapter. This didn't make the story confusing at all, and it allows the reader to get into the heads and see from the perspectives of two very different girls-- I loved that!
The ending was totally unexpected for me, and because I didn't read the summary on the back of my ARC before reading it (hint, hint, if you have the ARC DON'T read the back because it has a huge spoiler in it!) I was completely surprised by the major secret that is revealed. I only wish that the ending itself hadn't seemed quite so rushed, or like there were some strings that still needed to be tied... maybe this means there will be a sequel?! I'm hoping so!
Altogether, Belles was bright, funny, glamorous, and girly, not to mention totally addicting and perfect for the start of my summer-time reads. I thought the characters were awesome, the story was unique, and every chapter ended on some major cliff-hanger that just begged me to keep reading. Light and refreshing, Belles is definitely one you'll want to add to your TBR lists!
CAUTION: RANTING AHEAD. (Not the whole thing, but I had a lot to get off my chest lol)
First I need to say just how much I love the covers for these boCAUTION: RANTING AHEAD. (Not the whole thing, but I had a lot to get off my chest lol)
First I need to say just how much I love the covers for these books so far-- I really liked Firelight's, but I think I like Vanish's even more-- and when you put the two side-by-side, it's just like, **wow.** Love them! So now we know what Jacinda and Tamra look like, I wonder who we will be seeing on the third cover?!
Alright, so now onto the actual story.
The number one reason that I enjoyed Vanish so much more than Firelight was because I accepted some basic truths about the series before I started reading:
Truth #1.) It is a teenage love story-- therefore yes, there will be teen angst, love triangles, whining-and-pining, hormones galore, and lots o' drama.
Truth #2.) It will be cheesy as all get out-- embrace it and enjoy.
Truth #3.) It will not be a high-fantasy adventure with lots of battles a la Lord of the Rings. Deal with it.
Now with Firelight, I had assumed that this series was going to be something totally different than what it actually was, which led to a lot of ranting from yours truly. But I wanted to give the series another chance. So as I started reading Vanish, I told myself: "OK, I'm just going to enjoy this story for what it is instead of trying to turn it into something its not. Embrace the teen angst and love triangles and Mary Sue-esque main character!"
And you know what? Once I did just that, I started to appreciate the series a lot more. That is not to say I won't be indulging in some mild ranting here-- like with Lauren Kate's Fallen series, I liked reading Firelight and Vanish, not so much for their literary merit, but more because they're purely entertaining. Maybe that's unfair of me, but I'll try to fill you in as best I can on what I did and didn't like about this latest draki drama-fest.
So Vanish begins with Jacinda, Tamra, and their mother being taken back to the draki pride after the whole face-off with the hunters at the end of the first book. Jacinda-- the pride's only fire-breathing draki-- is in deep trouble for not only revealing herself to hunters, but also for falling in love with Will, one of the hunters who kill draki for their skins. Once taken back to the pride, Jacinda is treated like an outcast and her mother becomes depressed for making the mistake of leaving in the first place. And Tamra, Jacinda's twin sister, is revealed to be-- oops, I'm not saying, that would spoil the BIG surprise in the beginning!! You'll just have to read it for yourself ;)
~Likes~
First of all, I think that most of the characters seemed slightly more multi-dimensional in this book than the first one, and we really get to see their strengths and weaknesses and more interaction between them. Cassian became a lot more vulnerable and likable while Will became a whole lot more of a controlling and manipulative jerk-wad. I really can't decide which I like or dislike more to be perfectly honest, but I don't understand at all why Jacinda is so convinced that Will is "it," when there is nothing there between them but physical attraction-- Cassian cares about her just as much, if not more than Will does. Sorry, I just don't get Jacinda's head-over-heels fascination with Will. He's kind of a creep-- and the only major connection they shared in the entire book was a make-out session that I'll talk more about in just a minute...
Second, the relationships in Vanish became a lot more interesting-- Tamra is still in love with Cassian, but Cassian only has eyes for Jacinda, and Jacinda only wants to be with Will-- she thinks! Love triangles abound, and I found that if I just accepted the whole love triangle plot line instead of getting annoyed with it, I actually started to enjoy seeing the dynamics play out between all the characters. I was also really happy that this story took place in the draki pride and not so much in the human world, like the first book did (this was my biggest beef with Firelight).Ìý
Finally, this book transitioned extremely well from the first one-- I never felt lost or confused about what had happened in Firelight and thought that the plot ran very smoothly and was easy to follow from one book to the next.
However...
Oh yes, that is a big however.
I have some things I need to discuss about this book-- some large, glaring things that just beg to be addressed.
~Dislikes~
I know I said I accepted Jacinda, the Mary Sue draki, but still, I'm going to rag on her a little. C'mon now, I swear it's all in good fun.
Why, you ask?
Because I have no clue why everyone is so in love with her.
Cassian's obsessed with her, Will's obsessed with her, Corbin's creepy-stalker obsessed with her--Â and do we know why? Nope! Not really. She's a fire-breather, but other than that there isn't anything terribly special about good ol' Jacinda. She's whiny and angsty and pretty darned selfish. She likes to fly, which doesn't seem too out of the ordinary, considering the fact that she has wings. The only other thing she does in her spare time is sit around and watch TV and occasionally cook dinner. Oh, and fantasize about Will. No other hobbies, special talents, desire to help others... I wish we could see something interesting or fierce or noble about her, but really all we have are endless angsty descriptions about how she wants to live her own life and be free and independent, while in the meantime she makes incredibly stupid decisions that get her and everyone else in deep trouble.
Oh yes-- and she whines and pines about Will.
A LOT.
Also, the draki pride really, really annoyed me. As a group, they make zero sense to me. I mean, first they're dead set on clipping Jacinda's wings off with a pair of garden shears because she's put everyone in danger so many times, and next thing you know they're leaving muffins on her doorstep when she does what they want by "bonding" with Cassian. Kind of ridiculous in my opinion. Oh, and Cassian and Jacinda living together? Awwkwaarrrrd!! That's all I'll say about that-- you could cut that tension with a plastic butter knife. (I kind of feel sorry for poor Cassian- that's one draki who won't be getting any action any time soon...)
ALSO, despite my great attempts to start loving this series, I have to mention my numero uno MAJOR dislike-- which goes for any book-- and it's called the "Too Much Information Love Scene."
Yes, I know that Sophie Jordan writes adult romance novels-- complete with your run-of-the-mill covers featuring shirtless guys with rippling muscles (oh yes, they ripple) and doe-eyed gals who look like they're about to pass out...
I just wish she left all the hot-and-heavy action OUT of her teen books, because I'm seriously not interested in reading detailed accounts about people getting it on. If I wanted to do that, I'd go pick up some 99-cent Harlequin Romance in the check-out line at the grocery store, you know?? Lines like "his warm palm a rasp on my cheek as he swallows up my moan" and "the mere texture and taste of his mouth completely devastating me" just make me want to vomit. **Blech!** Please, spare me the details, this is waaayyyy more than I want to know!Â
Oh, and it only gets better...
"My body cradles his, instinctively welcoming him. I breathe a greedy sound, not even thinking we might be moving too far, too fast. There's only need. Hunger. I'm tired of being denied." ~p.202
Oh good lord, seriously?!? Gag me with a freaking spoon. Dearest fellow readers, if you're like me and can't stand the TMI love scenes, I recommend just skipping chapter 20 altogether... I mean really, Jacinda actually starts growling while they're making out. And then Will starts growling right back.
Yup, growling.
Not speaking-- growling.
And breathing greedy sounds.
I'm not making this up, so please humor me here and tell me this is freaking weird. Growling??? Is this supposed to be sexy or romantic or something? Because it just makes me think Jacinda and Will need to go to the doctor's, maybe get on some meds. Not hot. Just ridiculous and hilarious to read about. Sorry, maybe it's just me-- but I don't want to hear about moaning, growling, swollen lips, tender spots-- just yuck.
In fact, you know what?? I'm taking a whole star off just for the TMI make-out sessions. Yup, sorry, it's my review, and that's how I roll.
That's what you get for grossing me out Jacinda.
I think for the heck of it I'm going to actually practice breathing greedy sounds a little later today and see what happens-- I'm guessing I'll probably scare the living bejeezus out of some random people...
And holy crap, repeat yourself much?? There have got to be like half a dozen recycled lines in these books that are re-worded but basically stating the same darned thing over and over (and over) again.
I can think of a few right off the top of my head!
"I could feel my inner draki." "I tensed and had to release my inner draki." "About 300 more interchangeable lines about MY INNER DRAKI." "I could sense Will nearby." "I missed Will. He loved me for me." "I missed Cassian. He loved me for me." "Don't leave, he growled."
Shall I go on? No, OK I'll spare you.
And last but not least, I thought the ending was frustratingly anti-climactic. The last half of the book was building up to some big, action-packed event (which I won't give away) and then in the last few pages we learn that, oh sorry! You'll have to wait to see what happens in the next book because CLEARLY two books just can't contain THIS much awesome.
So we'll end this one with Will and Jacinda sitting around a campfire eating Twinkies.
No, I'm not making this up.
Will and Cassian roll on the ground for like 15 minutes and a less-than-menacing black bear makes a brief appearance for about 2 paragraphs-- and that's pretty much the extent of the action in this book.
Alright, so now that I've gotten all that out of my system (and have tried numerous times to erase the memory of Jacinda and Will growling at each other), I will conclude with this-- When you approach a book or series with preconceived notions about what it "should" be-- and then it turns out to be something totally different-- I think it's important to re-think what the book is trying to accomplish. Otherwise, you'll probably end up annoyed and disliking it because you tried to force it into a genre that it's not even in. But if you can appreciate the book simply for what it is and not for what you think it should be, it becomes a lot easier to just enjoy it.
So I embraced the cheesiness.
I embraced the angst-iness.
I embraced the Mary Sue-ishness.
Yes, I still ranted about it, but making-out aside, Vanish was still a huge improvement over Firelight, with greater character development and a refreshing change of scenery.
And yes, I am looking forward to the last book in this trilogy!
I'm also dying to get my hands on Rapture by Lauren Kate. Such are my guilty pleasures and cheap thrills in reading.
Fateful was a retelling of Titanic's story combined with a unique paranormal twist-- it had my heart Hands down, this book was absolutely incredible.
Fateful was a retelling of Titanic's story combined with a unique paranormal twist-- it had my heart racing and left me speechless by the end. I burst into tears at multiple parts of the story, because it was that good at drawing me in and making me feel emotionally invested in the characters-- even the minor ones. The writing was both beautiful and powerful, and the story, despite being paranormal, was very true-to-life and accurately followed historic accounts of Titanic's fate. Altogether, Fateful was one amazing book!
The romance between Tess and Alec was done so well. Their love was genuine and not superficial, and I loved reading along to see their relationship develop, despite the fact that there were so many barriers between them. Not only is Tess a third-class servant and Alec a first-class heir to a major fortune, but Alec also happens to be a werewolf who has no control over changing into a monster every night. These two things work against Tess and Alec being together, but Claudia Gray had me totally convinced that their love was strong enough to overcome all odds. By the end, like I said, I was crying so hard I could barely read, I kid you not! It was just a very touching and beautiful story.
The historical account of the doomed voyage of the Titanic was done perfectly-- you really felt like you were actually there on board. The whole time I was reading, I knew that the inevitable was going to happen eventually, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wondering when it was coming. Just like when watching the movie Titanic, (which, by the way, I LOVE, so this review *might* be a little biased!) every character and every relationship became that much more important and special, because you know in the back of your head what they're all about to go through...
Claudia Gray notes at the end of the story that all of her characters, except a few famous ones who make "cameo appearances," were fictional, because she didn't want to be disrespectful towards those who went through the unforgettable disaster. I loved that she did this. Even though it is an alternate history with a paranormal twist, I thought that nothing was ridiculous or took lightly the actual story. And the account she tells of how the Titanic sunk, and what those people went through? Once again, I was bawling.
Finally, the ending was spectacular. Crying aside, I actually gasped out loud at one point, I was so freaked out-- I won't give it away and tell you, but I will just say, the ending was totally unexpected and I could not put the book down for the last 100 pages or so. I stayed up until almost 2am to finish!
***Because I am a big history nerd, I DO have to state however, that if Tess had been on board Titanic as a servant to a first-class family in real life, she would have had a cabin close to the first class rooms, and not have stayed in Third Class-- Titanic was simply too big for servants to be stowed in Third Class, since it was too far away from First, so rooms were reserved for them near the families they served for convenience sake. But I can understand why Claudia changed this factual detail, since it gives us a look at all parts of the ship and all aspects of life on board for the different classes!
I will just end this review by saying that this is one book I highly recommend to all my fellow book-lovers. If you love paranormal romance but want something different than vampires or fairies, or if you love historical fiction that is done really well-- get Fateful and make it your next read! It definitely was one of the best books I have read in a long time, and I'm so happy I discovered it!
OK, so.... This was one of those books that I had a difficult time reviewing, because there were things I both liked and disliked about it. Lost VoiceOK, so.... This was one of those books that I had a difficult time reviewing, because there were things I both liked and disliked about it. Lost Voices was definitely a creative and captivating story with beautiful underwater worlds, but at the same time I became so incredibly annoyed and frustrated with the characters that it was slightly painful at times to get through.
I did like Luce, the main character. She was really sweet and someone who you could immediately sympathize with from the very beginning. I was so happy when she became a mermaid and was finally able to escape from her hellish life that consisted of being friendless and humiliated at school, and then abused and terrified at home with her alcoholic uncle. I really felt for this shy, scared, vulnerable girl, and felt almost triumphant when she transformed into a strong, new, beautiful being...
But then there were the other mermaids. I didn't like them at all. First there was Catarina, the queen of the mermaid tribe. At first I liked her because there was an air of mystery surrounding her-- she was complex, contradicting and definitely creepy all at the same time. But as the story progressed, I just started to get annoyed with her. First, she was the biggest hypocrite, and second, she was a complete failure as a leader-- all because of her blinding pride and vanity. I can understand that that was all part of her character and how her past life as a human had damaged her so badly, but how was she queen for so long when she was so easy to manipulate? Why did she just let the other mermaids go and do whatever they wanted, endangering their very existence? Just because of her petty jealousy of Luce?
And then there were the 14 mermaids that Luce saved. When they were still human, I liked them and felt sorry for them. But after they turned into mermaids, they became so incredibly dumb, vindictive and selfish that it was a wonder the tribe lasted for as long as it did. Everyone was just so gullible, blinded, stubborn and back-stabbing that at times it was hard to keep reading without wanting to knock some sense into them! I seriously couldn't even believe how dense everyone was-- yes, it forwarded the plot and created conflict, but it also made me want to bang my head against the wall in total frustration. At times I even got annoyed with Luce for not having more backbone to stand up for herself and tell everyone off before things got completely out of control. During the scene where Luce saves all of them, I just wanted her to shout at Jenna and Dana, "Stop being so slow! You're mermaids!! Now get your arses back to safety before you become tasty whale snacks!" Jenna managed to become even more exasperatingly dumb, and then turned extremely mean and condescending to Luce after Luce had saved her life. Could not stand Jenna.
And speaking of characters I couldn't stand, let's talk about Anais for a moment. Seriously, I just wanted to fin-slap this girl into next week, she was that horrible and annoying. She wouldn't stop bragging about her designer jeans or her birthday parties or her Manolo freaking Blahniks-- which she humorously wore on her head because she didn't have feet anymore once she turned into a mermaid! Then she pretty much single-handedly turned every TSTL (To Stupid To Live) mermaid against Luce with lies and empty arguments and got away with murder-- literally. Seriously, if it was this easy for one bratty mermaid to poison the whole tribe, why hadn't it happened long before? And why did Luce think she was the one who had ruined everything when it was obviously not her fault?? Argh!! Somebody help me out here!
I get that these mermaids were the products of human cruelty-- that they became mermaids at the very darkest moment of their lives, after being abandoned, abused or otherwise forgotten. Therefore, the way they think and behave is a reflection of all the painful memories and emotions stored inside them. I guess I just wish that their characters were portrayed with a little more optimism, instead of coming across as so dismal and hopeless. Honestly, I wanted to like Catarina, and I wanted to find something redeeming in Anias-- but in the end, they were both disappointingly one-sided.
The ending was also extremely abrupt-- it was one of those endings where you're on the second to last page and wondering how on earth the whole thing is going to wrap up in a couple paragraphs. I had thought that this was a stand-alone book-- but lo-and-behold-- Lost Voices is the first in a trilogy! The next book is Waking Storms, and it is set to be released in July 2012. The third book will be called The Twice Lost, and is still in the process of being written. I will be looking out for both of these, in the hopes that the characters will mature somewhat-- which I know is asking a lot considering that Luce is only 14, but I do hope she learns to become more confident, assertive, and strong-minded.
*** One last thing: I do think that the cover for this book is beautiful, but I wish, wish, wish that the mermaid shown wasn't so stereotypical with her long, wavy, blond hair and pale skin-- this is not Luce! In the book, Luce has a dark, short pixie-cut and olive-toned skin-- even as a mermaid. I thought that this was so refreshingly original, to have her be different! Why didn't the cover portray this individuality?? I really wish it did!
All in all, I would recommend this book because the story was original and the characters were memorable, even if they did get on my nerves. There was, in the end, a reason behind their actions and the plot made sense. Also, Sarah Porter is truly an amazing storyteller, able to put you right in the middle of the action and paint watery worlds with lyrical descriptions. Even though there was no cheerful, optimistic ending with strings neatly tied, this book does set you up for the rest of Luce's story, and leaves you wondering what will happen next!...more
This really was a great book, and I loved it from the first few pages. Girl Wonder was a realistic coming-of-age story, both charming and flawed at thThis really was a great book, and I loved it from the first few pages. Girl Wonder was a realistic coming-of-age story, both charming and flawed at the same time. Charlotte was an amazing main character and it was very easy to relate to her, while also seeing both the good and bad pieces of yourself in her personality. She was slightly sarcastic, cynical, and insecure. But she was also endearing, and her narration of the story made you want to keep reading. Honestly, I couldn't put this book down.
The author, Alexa Martin, did an awesome job of describing the world inside a public high school, and how hellish it can be for a new student. The stereotypes weren't blatantly forced down your throat like they are in some other YA books, but you can still see the strict social structure of the school and all the cliques that exist there. All Charlotte wants is to fit in-- unfortunately, she's never been to a public school before and she suffers from a learning disability that makes her have difficulties with reading numbers.
The dynamics of Charlotte's family were just as intriguing to read about as her school life- her dad has just become a successful published author, but he's having an affair on the side with his young publicist. Charlotte can see the strain wearing off on her mother, while her over-achieving brother James Henry, destined for an Ivy League School, eclipses her in almost everything. Charlotte has to not only make her own way in school-- she also has to learn how to be her own person and be happy despite all the high standards her family has forced on her.
Then there was Amanda-- AKA "Girl Wonder." She's the Popular Girl, but she was actually a lot different than your typical Queen Bee. She has neon-pink hair, for starters, and she's the star of the debate team. She has everything and yet she cares about nothing. It was very hard to sympathize with her, and I was so glad that Charlotte was able to make peace with herself in the end and not depend on Amanda anymore.
Neal was the biggest jerk-- but then, I guess we have all had experience with them. (If not, then we're lucky!) Basically, Charlotte is highly vulnerable and she falls for the wrong guy. She gives up nearly everything to be with him and ends up... well, I won't give it away! Fortunately, Charlotte is able to come to terms with what happens to her and find a sweet guy who is worth her time and appreciates her for who she is!
Girl Wonder was a touching book that made me laugh and cry at different points. I thought the narrative told through Charlotte's perspective was both original and familiar at the same time. This was a great coming-of-age story that was a lot of fun to read, but made me happy that I'm no longer in that awkward teenage-high-school phase! ...more
Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously?? I LOVED this book!! I almost feel guilty for how much I loved this book, because I honestly thought I would hate it. But herOh. My. Gosh. Seriously?? I LOVED this book!! I almost feel guilty for how much I loved this book, because I honestly thought I would hate it. But here I am, could not put it down, read it in about 2 sittings, and am dying to get my hands on the next in the series. Now, this was unexpected!
I know, I know. This is one of those controversial books that everyone has drawn a line on, and then takes love or hate sides. And honestly, I went into this book *slightly* biased (Lauren Kate's Fallen series sort of turned my stomach against the fallen angel genre) and then lo and behold, it totally suckered me in and didn't let me go until the last pages-- I loved it.
What's more, I loved pretty much all of the characters, and was absolutely on Nora's side the entire way through the story. Some people have said that Nora Gray is worse than Bella Swan. I beg to differ-- I thought she had an intelligent voice, she had courage and vulnerability, and she had an interesting point of view to read the story through. I didn't even find her internal struggle about her feelings for Patch to be annoying, in fact, I completely sympathized with her. Finally, I loved the fact that she was just your regular, everyday girl but she wasn't flat or boring. I really liked Nora.
And obviously, I need to spend a few minutes talking about Patch Cipriano. Holy Moly. I cannot even describe how freaking hott Patch was. And trust me, I am not one to go all gaga-eyed fan girl on lots of boy love interests, but I make an exception for Patch. Ah, Patch... He's so wrong, he's right. (Wow, that was cheesy lol). He's the quintessential mysterious bad boy who you just can't help but swoon over. And boy, did I ever. Loved Patch!
The story itself had me so that I literally could not put this book down until I finished-- I started it yesterday, got about three quarters through last night, and finished it first thing this morning. The whole thing took a few hours to read, and I loved every minute of it. There was steamy romance, mystery and suspense, action, drama and pretty much every other amazing thing you could cram into a YA novel. It wasn't Shakespeare by any means, but there was never a dull moment and like I said, I really loved the characters. Hush, Hush totally took me by surprise and was definitely one big guilty pleasure from start to finish!
So, if you read my last review for The Luxe, you know that it pretty much left me swimming in a puddle of my own drool, it was that freaking amazing. So, if you read my last review for The Luxe, you know that it pretty much left me swimming in a puddle of my own drool, it was that freaking amazing. I LOVED it! Well, true to form, Anna Godbersen has come back again and she definitely does not disappoint-- Rumors was everything that I was hoping it would be-- with all the scandalous intrigues, rich descriptions that make you feel like you've been transported back in time to another world, and characters that are so completely realistic that you wonder if they were actually once alive.
It is December, 1899 in New York City, two months after news of the tragic death of Elizabeth Holland, one of high society's most respected and famous young starlets. However, her story is more than it seems, and Diana Holland-- Elizabeth's younger sister-- knows all about it. So does Penelope Hayes, Elizabeth's former best friend (Note: she's the one on the cover of this book). Ruthless and scheming, Penelope longs to be married to NYC's most eligible bachelor, Henry Schoonmaker. However-- as luck would have it-- Henry had been engaged to the unfortunate Elizabeth just before her death, and he's now desperately in love with Diana...
And finally, there is Lina Broud-- Elizabeth's former housemaid. Lina is in love with Will Keller, the Hollands' former coachman. Will was once hopelessly in love with Elizabeth, but now that she's dead, Lina will stop at nothing to become a member of high society and win Will's heart over. That is, until she is completely seduced by the new life she's worked her way into.
Elizabeth, Diana, Penelope and Lina-- 4 very different young women, all connected within the same world of wealth and privilege, and all victim to the dictates of 19th century society. Reading like an Italian operetta, Rumors picks up with these 4 different lives where The Luxe left of. The plot probably sounds super confusing, but the story is so well-done that it is surprisingly easy to follow all of the interwoven plot lines and get to know all of the different characters.
AG's writing, in my opinion, is incredible. It flows like music, it's descriptive down to the last detail, and it's just a lot of fun to read. Rumors once again completely brings to life the characters and the world that they live in-- it was almost more like watching a movie in my head than reading black and white words on a page... I could see every detail of every room, the facial expressions on the characters' faces, and the interactions they had with each other. I don't know how she does it, but this story is not only well-researched for historical accuracy, but it is written in such a way that you can cruise through 200 pages without even realizing it.
This series has completely gotten my attention, and I am now moving into Envy, the third book. I really can't seem to praise this author and these books enough! I can only hope that the next two installments are as good as the first two, with all the delicious drama and intrigue I've come to expect from The Luxe series!
Wow. Now this was one sexy, exciting, and suspenseful book! Hmmm... what did I like most about it? The sizzling hott characters? The completely addictWow. Now this was one sexy, exciting, and suspenseful book! Hmmm... what did I like most about it? The sizzling hott characters? The completely addicting story line? The irresistible drama? I can't decide! Vampire Academy was pretty much just one big guilty pleasure from beginning to end.
Rose Hathaway was an awesome main character-- snarky and funny, she definitely added humor to the story, and it was interesting to read from her point of view. (After all there's nothing worse than having to read from the POV of a boring character!) I also loved Rose's loyalty to Lissa. Yes, she's her guardian, so it makes sense that she's protective, but they're also best friends, and you could tell that Rose genuinely cared about Lissa and worried about her self-destructive tendencies.
Speaking of, Lissa was another great main character-- she kept the story interesting because she was so unpredictable. First she was very kind, loving and sweet, but then she also had this very dark, scary, out-of-control side to her-- these two warring sides made Lissa a complex character who you want to read and learn more about.
OK, and can we spend a small moment here talking about Dmitri?? **swoon!** I mean girls, like-- whoa, talk about hottest book character EVER, I totally have the biggest book crush on this guy lol. He's Russian, he's apparently got an amazing body, he's sensitive, aaaaand he kills evil vampires for a living-- what's not to love? Yep, definitely looking forward to reading-- and gushing-- more about Dmitri in the future! ;)
So my only one small complaint about this book was all the typos in it. I know, I know this has nothing to do with the actual story and is more about final editing and all, but I just find it to be so distracting, I literally stopped at one point to have a small internal rant about why someone didn't proofread before publishing! This just bothers me to no end. One or two typos, not a big deal, but having over a dozen blatant typos in one book, that just seems sloppy. OK, I'm done with that rant, we can continue.
Vampire Academy really was one of those books you can just eat up, fly through in a couple sittings, and be ready for more when you get to the end. Everyone told me I had to read this book, and I'm so glad I did! It had everything you could ask for-- characters you care about, romance, suspense, humor, and twists at the end. This is a series I will definitely be continuing in the future!
Told from the five perspectives of five different girls, you would think that Popular was just another Mean Girls knock-off. But before you write it oTold from the five perspectives of five different girls, you would think that Popular was just another Mean Girls knock-off. But before you write it off-- there is something in this book that will completely throw you for a loop. I can't say much more without giving it away, but the Fidelity High Clique is not what it seems. While all the other girls just want to get away from Hamilton and be themselves, Hamilton is scared to death of the end of high school and what lies beyond. There is something very dark troubling Hamilton, and she will do whatever it takes to cling to the present, to feel safe, where her dreams can't be shattered.
My first impression of this book was, "here we go again, another cheesy high school drama." But then things started to get interesting, and then-- I'd say around page 215-- the book totally knocked me upside the head. I'm not going to give away the insane twist in this book, but let me just say that it was such a crazy spin that I physically reacted to it and actually said, "Ohhh myyy god what the...??" out loud! Yes, it was that good. If you can get through some of the more tedious and cheesy sections of Part 1, trust me when I say it is well worth the wait to find out how the entire thing goes down...
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