Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

- Graceling Realm #1
Release date: October 1st 2008
Published by: Harcourt
Genre: Young Adult/ Fantasy
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

In a world where people born with an extreme skill - called a Grace - are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.



I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't have high expectations when it came to Graceling. I've seen some really good reviews around lately, people loving this book to death, but for me, it wasn't all that good. I'm not saying that Graceling is a bad book (far from it!) but it didn't hold my attention the way I wanted to. It took me nearly three weeks to read a 400-page book, and that's too much for me. 

The world-building and the characters are really solid, and when I say solid, I mean it. They're consistent, and complex enough for you to understand their motivations, but still know that there's more to it than it looks like. I've learned to read Katsa's point of view and think of her like a real person, not a character. That's pretty damn impressive. Kristin Cashore has a way with words, and because of that, she can create realistic scenarios and beautiful descriptions that are as detailed as possible without being boring. 

I had no idea what to expect from Po and Katsa's relationship - on the summary it says that they become friends, but I've seen a lot of people saying that they're cute as a couple, so I didn't know what to believe - and I was incredibly satisfied when Kristin Cashore took this aspect of the book down to a whole different road. I can say for sure that their romance, and their friendship, are intertwined, and it's as perfect as it can possibly be. I'm happy about how this turned out. 

However, I had a hard time connecting with everything in Graceling. I could see how the descriptions were beautiful and could be very engaging, but it failed to capture me. I wasn't enthralled by Katsa's awesome fighting skills - they were very cool, though - and while I understood and liked Po a lot, I didn't fall for him, not the way I wanted to. Graceling was pretty entertaining, but I'm afraid I can't say it's one of my favorites. I will continue reading this series, though. It has a lot of promise, and I still hope that Cashore will manage to wow me and show me what she's really capable of doing with her readers. 

Innocent Darkness, by Suzanne Lazear

- The Aether Chronicles #1
Release date: August 8th 2012
Published by: Flux
Genre: Young Adult/ Steampunk
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon


Wish. Love. Desire. Live.

Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.





This book was everything I thought it would be, but at the same time it surprised me. I was expecting a great - but not awesome - book about faeries and a great world-building, and Innocent Darkness was exactly that. However, some other aspects of it caught me by surprise, like the love triangle and Noli herself. 

Maybe it's because I'm used to reading books about faeries that have a strong heroine (I only have Eugenie Markham and Meghan Chase as a reference, come on!), but Noli's delicate, insightful nature was completely unexpected, and pleasant all the same. She was different, wild and still feminine, and this balance of personality fit the world-building perfectly. The mythology surrounding faeries is dark and alluring, and Noli was a perfect main character. A bit naive sometimes, but not enough to make me angry. Put it in a simple way, she was a remarkable heroine, and I really liked her. 

What I'm feeling torn about is the love triangle. I loved V, Noli's best friend - he was cute, caring, and fierce at the same time when it came to her - but throughout the book, he fell into the same category as every other guy of a love triangle that I have ever read about. Dark, flat, and silent most of the time, without a deep personality or reasonable motives, who thinks that making a decision that affects the main character without consulting her is okay. All right, this is a historical fiction, and back in the 1800s, men did make decisions without asking the women first, but I'm tired of reading a love story that doesn't have equality. I get it that V has more experience than Noli, but for once, I'd like the guy not to fall in the same Edward-esque cycle of brooding and being mysterious without a reason to. 

I didn't like Kevighn at all, and I really hope Noli won't run after him. Please, give me a break, the guy tried to confuse Noli and use her as a sacrificial lamb, and I'm supposed to feel for him? Okay, he changed and suddenly fell in love with Noli, but he still tried to kill her - and even after admitting that he was in love with her, he was still thinking about her as the sacrifice... as if Noli being the girl he loves was nothing more than an unfortunate issue! Yes, faeries are supposed to be heartless, but this won't work for me. If Noli has to end up with someone, please, let it be V. He's way better than Kevighn. At least he genuinely cares for her. 

The world-building was interesting, if not amusing. I have a certain familiarity with faerie books, and it was fantastic to see these creatures through a different point of view, a different story with another essence altogether. Innocent Darkness was a very good debut, and I look forward to its sequel. I hope the story will impress me more; it certainly has the potential to do so!

 

The Thing About the Truth, by Lauren Barnholdt

Release date: July 10th 2012
Published by: Simon Pulse
Genre: Contemporary (YA)
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Kelsey’s not going to let one mistake ruin her life. Sure, she got kicked out of prep school and all her old friends are shutting her out. But Kelsey’s focused on her future, and she’s determined to get back on track at Concordia High.

Isaac’s been kicked out of more schools than he can count. Since his father’s a state senator, Isaac’s life is under constant scrutiny—but Concordia High’s his last stop before boarding school, so Isaac’s hoping to fly under the radar and try to stay put for a change.

When Kelsey and Isaac meet, it’s anything but love at first sight. She thinks he’s an entitled brat, and he thinks she’s a stuck-up snob. So it surprises them both when they start to fall for each other. Kelsey’s happy for the first time in months, and Isaac’s never felt this way about anyone before...But nothing’s ever completely perfect. Everyone has secrets, and Isaac and Kelsey are no exceptions. These two may have fallen hard, but there’s one thing that can ruin it all: the truth.

They say "Don't judge a book by its cover", and sometimes, that really does prove itself true. Unfortunately, The Thing About the Truth doesn't fall into this category. I've never been a fan of this cover, but the summary looked so interesting and just plain entertaining, that I decided to give it a try, regardless of the specifics. And yes, Lauren Barnholdt's newest novel is plenty of fun and very enjoyable, but... it wasn't memorable. At all.

My problems with this novel is related to the main character, Kelsey. I will be honest with you; the entire time, she looked like a brat to me. She fought with Isaac for no reason at all, only to spite him and - at least that's what it looked like - to prove how mature and sure she was of herself, when really, her actions spoke of the opposite. She mistreated Isaac over nothing - he helped her countless times, and all she did was turn her back on him, and I hated that. I hated how self-righteous she was, and most of all, I hated how she didn't care about anyone else, only her grades, in a difficult moment. If someone were crying her eyes out in the bathroom, or passing out in front of Kelsey, all she did was think about how late she'd be to her meeting with the principal. I mean, really?

Also, the big "truth" that was supposed to come out and destroy Isaac and Kelsey's relationship wasn't shocking at all. Sure, I understand why it was difficult for both of them to face this omitted truth, especially Isaac, but even then, it wasn't serious enough to do that much damage. Maybe I just never went through that sort of thing, but really - after I learned what big secret Kelsey was keeping, I was expecting a simple fight between them, not something epic like that.

The romance, however, was incredibly cute - if you forget Kelsey's ridiculous decisions - and since that's what I was looking for, basically, I was left with a feeling of satisfaction. The Thing About the Truth did its job as a light contemporary novel - it entertained me and gave a lot of swoon-worthy scenes - but as a romance book with a deeper meaning, it failed to impress.

Timepiece, by Myra McEntire

- Hourglass #2
Release date: June 12th 2012
Published by: EgmontUSA
Genre: Young Adult
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon 

A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...

Kaleb Ballard's relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb's powers expanding, or is something very wrong?

Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devastating results.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...

Hourglass proved to be the most refreshing time-travel novel I read in 2011. When the cover for Timepiece came out, I was excited to see more of Emerson and Michael... and then I read the synopsis, and I found out that the story was going to be narrated by Kaleb. Well, that didn't go well. It took me a month to be brave enough to read it. It's not that I don't like Kaleb, but his POV wasn't exactly welcoming, either.

Surprisingly, though, seeing things through Kaleb's eyes was a hell of a ride. This character has a lot more depth than Emerson lets on, people, and that really showed on this novel. I related to Kaleb's - and Em's - fragile state of mind a lot more than I thought I would, and that fit the tense setting in which Timepiece takes place. The Hourglass is issued an ultimatum, and a single decision can either save everyone's lives, or destroy them. It's up for Kaleb and the rest of the gang to solve everything, and it'd be unrealistic if there wasn't some personal drama thrown in the middle. Myra McEntire delivered this well enough, and I got a pretty good sense of all the characters, including Lily, Em's best friend.

However - and that's where the negative points of this review start - the writing worked only when it came to the subjective. When Kaleb was suffering, or using his power, or thinking something over, the writing was smooth, and very thoughtful. When it came to dialogues, and action scenes, everything fell apart. Things appeared out of nowhere without a good reason, and disappeared just as abruptly. For example: Kaleb would be talking to Lily, and Michael would suddenly appear. I could've used a lot more details - how did he appear? Did he just materialized out of thin air, or he just came around the corner, too slow or careful for you to notice? It may look a little weird, but those things bothered me. I never got a really clear picture of what was happening in my head, because there wasn't enough description. 

That's possibly a consequence of the writing, but the plot was also never even. There wasn't a slow beginning, an engaging "middle", and a climax scene. Everything was blend in, thrown together with random action scenes, and slow dialogues that took forever to end. Because of that, Timepiece didn't give me a sense of finality - but then, neither did Hourglass, so that was... fine. The romance was greatly developed, though, and that was a relief, something I could hold on to as the writing ironically got worse. Kaleb and Lily's witty remarks and banters felt natural, and that really added up to the story as a whole.

Timepiece was an enjoyable read, but not a flawless one. I could probably point a few more things that bothered me, but frankly, I think I've done enough. I won't rant, and I tried not to be harsh, because despite these aforementioned flaws, Kaleb's story was great... just not as good as I was hoping. If you have read - and liked - Hourglass, then this is definitely a must-read.

Mirage, by Kristi Cook

- Winterhaven #2
Release date: June 5th 2012
Published by: Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Violet McKenna is back for her senior year at Winterhaven, and thrilled to be with Aidan after a long summer apart. But when a violent and disturbing vision begins to haunt her, Violet suddenly feels unsure of everything: who to trust, if she is in danger, and—worst of all—whether she and Aidan are really meant to be together.

It wouldn't come as a surprise to say that Mirage was one of the most anticipated books in 2012, for me. I almost died with excitement when I found out Haven was going to have a sequel. I mean, come on. Haven was original - though full of clichés - and refreshing in a way that made you forget your problems and focus on the story enough to enjoy it. However, and I don't say this lightly, Mirage was a disappointment for me, due to the story itself, or my lack of interest in it. To be honest, I haven't been able to read a single book since Inheritance, and I thought Mirage could get me out of this crisis. It didn't. 

What really bothered me as I was reading Mirage was the non-existence of action scenes. A book requires more than a few training sessions and troubled dreams to entertain the reader, especially since Haven did have its good moments of action. That said, I was bored. The plot consists of endless dialogues without apparent meaning, and clichés from Haven that didn't need repetition. It wasn't original, it wasn't exciting, and though the romance was good, it sure as hell wasn't enough to make me enjoy it after reading Inheritance. 

I know I'm probably being too harsh in this review, and it's obvious that any book will seem pale in comparison to Inheritance, but... come on. Give me something else. I didn't finish Mirage - It took me more than a week to get to the middle of the book, and I gave up by then - but unless Aidan finds his cure, I won't pick it up again for a few months. My expectations were high, and I was sorely disappointed. I will give it one more shot... but not now. 

Lover Unleashed, by J.R. Ward

- Black Dagger Brotherhood #9
Release date: March 29th 2011
Published by: NAL
Genre: Adult Fiction/ Urban Fantasy
Rating: 3/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is - was - one of my favorite urban fantasy series. The first three books were wonderful, the characters were engaging, the romance fierce, and J.R. Ward knew how to write a fantastic story. But then Lover Revealed came, and with it, a deep sense of hatred for the characters grew on me. I didn't like Butch, and I hated Marissa. The fifth book was better, but not as good as the first ones. And so on and on. The quality of this series has gone downhill ever since, and Lover Unleashed was no exception.

One of the most disturbing things I've realized as I was reading this book is that there is no plot whatsoever. J.R. Ward creates a lot of issues for the characters to deal with, we go along with them throughout the book, and that's it. The focus of this novel isn't on the characters and in the story, and that creates a huge problem: after a couple of chapters, it gets boring. So incredibly boring. I wanted some action, some kickass scenes and more development when it came to the romance. The author, however, focused this novel on a lot of characters, and I was lost. I didn't know who the main character was anymore.

I'm not saying Lover Unleashed is awful, and I'm not going to continue with the series. If anything, I'm more determined to prove that J.R. Ward is a good author, and that BDB can be fantastic even after 10 books. However, I'm disappointed with Lover Unleashed. The romance didn't hold my attention, Vishous and Jane did, and that's not good. I'm still reading Lover Reborn. Tohr is one of my favorite characters, and I wouldn't miss his book for anything.

--

Ps: I'm sorry I was so absent lately. I've been dealing with some personal issues, and I just wasn't in the mood to read anything, much less write reviews. I'm better now, but still, writing this review was incredibly difficult, so I apologize beforehand if I disappear mysteriously again o.O

Switched, by Amanda Hocking

- Trylle Trilogy #1
Release date: January 3rd 2012
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads,  Amazon











When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

My thoughts:
  
Have you ever read a book that alarmed you, in some way, after Chapter One? Have you ever felt angry after a couple of pages, enough to set off your alarms and make you want to stop reading it? That's what Switched did to me. The premise was interesting at first, a girl whose mother had tried to kill her, based on some crazy instinct, when she was six. Same girl finding out her mother was right, years later. Finding out that she isn't human, but a different race, a changeling. Yeah, the synopsis picked my curiosity, but after 20 pages or so, my eyes were bleeding. 

What bothered me most about Switched was the romance. Now, you're probably thinking, "But a book has more to it than just the romance". And I agree with you. But when the author decides to write a romance novel, it has to have some depth. I, personally, like to see the main character's personality developing a little, to give me a sense of what she would or wouldn't do in certain cases. To give me a sense of who the main character is. Only then, the romance is welcoming. That didn't happen in Switched, at all. Finn, the love interest, is introduced to us in the tenth page or so. How, God Almighty, am I supposed to understand Wendy's attraction to Finn, if I don't even know her?

As the story goes on and on about what changelings are (not much of an answer provided there, either), and what Wendy is supposed to do in order to fit in the changeling society, I just couldn't connect with her at all. It was like I was watching a soup opera, a bunch of characters interacting with each other without depth. I couldn't see past Wendy's narration, I couldn't understand why she liked Finn so much, and what the hell was so special about her. Apart from her powers, she's ordinary, painfully so.

Not to mention that their romance is ridiculous, in the beginning. The guy stalks her, and even though she actually wonders if he's a psycho... she gives him access to her room, in the middle of the night, right after he treated her like dirt. What is wrong with this girl? I was outraged by this, and other parts in which her self-preservation is absent. That's why I was so angry. However, their romance began to work a lot better after a 100 pages or so.


I guess I would've enjoyed Switched a lot more if I had liked the characters. There wasn't a single character in this book that I mildly connected to. They were flat, not interesting, and though I can see why a lot of people loved this book, the story itself didn't feel appealing to me. Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate Switched. I just wasn't drawn by it. I may even read the next book in the trilogy, Torn. Who knows!

Perfect You, by Elizabeth Scott

Release date: September 21st 2010
Published by: Simon Pulse
Genre: Contemporary (YA)
Rating: 3/5 stars

-- Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon











Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast.

Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate's invisible.

And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she's sure she's just his latest conquest.

Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen -- but only if she lets them...

My thoughts:

After Anna and the French Kiss, let's just say I spent a couple of months looking for a good contemporary novel. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare was a complete disappointment, so I went straight to one of the most famous authors of this genre: Elizabeth Scott. I now know why she's this famous. Perfect You had an interesting premise: Girl who's a nobody at school, ignored by her best friend, harassed by family issues, and constantly wondering if the boy actually likes her, or is only trying to add her to his ranks.

 Pretty cliché, right? I thought so, too. But Elizabeth Scott involves not only teenager's problems, but realistic family issues, which only makes the story solid. Kate's father quit, and decided to sell Perfect You vitamins. However, pursuing a dream is hard when you have a family to support, and bills to pay. Kate's family getting poorer and poorer while Steve turned his back on reality and focused on video games and vitamins was tough even for me to read. I felt bad for Kate and her mother and brother.

 However, as much as Kate's situation was complicated and acceptable, her frequent whining was not. I couldn't understand her half the time, to be honest. If your family is out of money, and working with your father is not making things any better, why not look for another job, one that would actually provide some money? But no, all that Kate did was cry and complain like a child about the lack of freedom and happiness and go after Anna like a dog. 

Yes, I said it. Kate acted like a dog around Anna. If your best friend forgets about you, makes fun of you behind your back with people you hate, and doesn't look at you not even once... well, it's bye-bye for her, honey. I understand that Anna's friendship was very important to Kate, but really, some self-esteem is in order these days. Anna didn't want to be Kate's friend, she just wanted someone who supported her above all else, and would always be there for her. Like, you know, a dog. Or, in this case, Kate.

The romance was pretty cute, I admit that. However, it would've been perfect if Kate hadn't acted like she was so superior around Will. She didn't even let him finish a sentence - literally - and always thought the worst of him, even before he began to speak. It bothered me immeasurably how Will always respected Kate's wishes and treated her right, but Kate crushed him under her shoe whenever possible. It's wasn't a balanced romance, with mutual respect and acceptance. That's the only bad aspect of it. 

The writing was great, though, and I liked how some things were left unresolved at the end. I would've loved to see more of Kate and Will's relationship, since their last conversation didn't really give me much of a closure. Despite the narration on the last chapter resuming how it all went after that, I still thought it was left incomplete, somehow. Good plot, good ending, non-remarkable characters, and an enjoyable romance. I say if you're looking for a quick contemporary read, go for it.