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.

Showcase Sunday #3

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren. Its aim is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week.

So, it's been a while since my last Showcase Sunday post, but to be honest, I wasn't in the mood. I did get a couple of great books this week, and I'm excited to share what I got with you :D

   

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #0.1)

The Assassin and the Desert, by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #0.2)

The Assassin and the Underworld, by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #0.3)

The Assassin and the Empire, by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #0.4) 

Shadows Cast by Stars, by Catherine Knutsson

So Close to You, by Rachel Carter

For Darkness Shows the Stars, by Diana Peterfreund

Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo

Darkness Before Dawn, by J.A. London

The Golden Lily, by Richelle Mead

Something Like Normal, by Trish Doller

The Demon Catchers of Milan, by Kat Beyer (from Netgalley)

I really can't wait to read all these titles, especially the Throne of Glass novellas. I recently heard they were all out, and I had to read them. Hopefully I'll get to know the characters better before Throne of Glass comes out. 

Unfortunately, I can't say I'm that excited to read The Golden Lily. Vampire Academy is one of my favorite series of all times, but Richelle Mead disappointed me in Bloodlines. The story was so... so boring, and I disliked Sydney as a main character. I really hope I'll like The Golden Lily better, but I'm not very optimistic. 

Anyway, what did you get this week? :D

My Life Next Door, by Huntley Fitzpatrick

 Release date: June 14th 2012
Published by: Dial Books For Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary (YA)
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

A lot of contemporary novels came out this year, but I didn't love any of them - except, maybe, Catching Jordan. I had high expectations for My Life Next Door, because of the lovely cover, and the simple, yet very eye-catching, synopsis. I can't say this novel was absolutely fantastic and that I loved every part of it, but it was as close to being my favorite contemporary novel of all times as possible.

The premise of a rich girl that's been fascinated by her neighbors' big family her entire life was, perhaps, what really caught my attention. And, fortunately, the story delivered exactly what I looking for - a cute summer romance, a reliable main character, and a swoon-worthy, sweet boy. Samantha and Jase were great to read about. They had distinct personalities that, despite their financial differencies, fit in a way that I hadn't seen before. They had chemistry, yes, but there was also that unmistakable air of reality that allowed me to love them, but not forget everything else about the book, like the secondary characters and their respective plotlines.

While that can be a good thing, it didn't quite work for me, in a way. Had I been falling head over heels in love with Jase and Samantha, I wouldn't have noticed Nan's lack of characterization, and so, I would've enjoyed this novel a lot more. But I did notice it, and it was a big fail. You see, Nan is Sam's best friend, and Tim is Nan's brother. He's on drugs, and his parents want to send him to a military school (why they didn't send him to rehab, that's something I'll never know). Nan is, of course, hesitant to let her brother go to such place. I understood her, really... but when she started to cover up everything that Tim did, it felt like she was crossing a line I would never cross.

And she didn't cover up something simple... oh, no. She covered up the fact that Tim almost got her and Sam killed in a car crash, because he was stoned. And when Sam tried to talk to her about it, maybe make her see reason and tell her parents what had happened to them, how Tim couldn't go on and do these things without horrible consequences (like, say, wrapping his car around a tree and getting himself killed), you know what Nan said? That there was no way she'd do that, because he was already on so much trouble, and military school would destroy him. Are you kidding me? Not to mention that when Sam asked how Tim was, here's what she said:


“He’s fine. Let’s talk about what really matters. Which wasn’t important enough to tell me. Why?” --- (Refering to the fact that Samantha was dating Jase and didn't tell Nan about it)


I can't even put into words how much this bothered me. Nan was a brat. She was supposed to be Sam's best friend, and while I understand that she envied Sam because of her "easy life" and her money, Nan doesn't care about her brother and Sam at all. At all. I kid you not. She spent her whole life pretending to love Sam, when she only cared about herself. I hated this girl so much she could've died and I wouldn't have cared. Look, I used to envy one of my best friends. She had everything I wanted, and she didn't ask for it. She had the perfect life and the perfect hair and the perfect parents, and I didn't. But that didn't stop me from loving her, and from supporting her and rooting for her. Despite my personal feelings, she was my friend, and I never abandoned her. Ever. But Nan?

So... my fierce hatred for this selfish character notwithstanding, I loved the romance, and I loved the twist in the plot towards the ending. It was realistic (though a little convinient) and it added a ton of tension in the story. It offered me a view of who the Garretts really were, and how much they struggled to sustain their huge family. The author used a lot of stereotypes (especially regarding Southern people, and rich mothers), but they didn't feel forced. In fact, it fit Samantha's world.

My Life Next Door was an enjoyable read, one full of fluff and romantic scenes, but also filled with realistic problems, and reliable situations. Huntley Fitzpatrick created a fine balance between what's right and what's practical. She dealt with issues that I wasn't expecting, like drugs and pregnancy and sex, that added a deeper layer to Samantha and Jase's story. Overall, an enchanting debut. I'll finish this review with one of my favorite quotes:

"The right thing to do is so easy to see when you are seventeen years old and don’t have to make any big decisions. When you know that no matter what you do, someone will take care of you and fix everything. But when you’re grown up, the world is not that black and white, and the right thing doesn’t have a tidy little arrow pointing to it. Things happen, adults make decisions, and that’s the bottom line.”

Waiting on Wednesday #12

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm anticipating:

Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas
Publication date: August 7th 2012
Add it on Goodreads

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Words can't describe how freaking anxious I am to read Throne of Glass. I read the first and second chapters, and now that I saw how it's gonna be like, I'm even more impatient. This book just looks so good. Fantasy mixed with magic and a little romance thrown in the middle... what's not to love about that? ^-^ Fortunately, it's going to be published a few weeks from now, so I don't have to wait a lot of time. I've read a lot of good reviews about it, so hopefully I'll love it :D

What about you, what are you anticipating this week?

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman

- Seraphina #1
Release date: July 10th 2012
Published by: Random House Children's Books
Genre: Fantasy (YA)
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

It certainly wasn't easy to read Seraphina, especially the first and second chapters. The writing was sloppy, full of short sentences and weird phrasings and expressions, and most of all, the narrative was as confusing as one can possibly be. I almost stopped reading right there. However, I had read several positive reviews last week, and all of them mentioned Rachel Hartman's beautiful and thoughtful writing style. As the story progressed, and we, as readers, get more comfortable in the world Seraphina lived it, the writing abruptly changes. It transforms, indeed, into a narration as beautiful and delicate as the main character herself. I had to keep a dictionary at my side, for Rachel's use of vocabulary was... eccentric, to say the least.

You know that protagonist that feels human, and is so solid it's like she's close to you at all times, when you're reading a book? That's Seraphina. She's intelligent, talented, compassionate, caring, and most of all, smart. She makes mistakes, of course, but none that made me want to pull my hair out. Phina, though a half-breed, was the most human character in this book - and that's saying a lot, since all the characters created by Rachel Hartman, from Phina's father to Lucian Kiggs and the Queen herself, are solid and well constructed.

A fantasy novel - especially one that deals with creatures such as dragons - has to have a dense world-building, enough for me to create in my head a layout of what the author intended. That, in my humble opinion, was the only aspect that was missing in this book. Of course, we get to know everything about the city, the races, the dragons, the characters, the Treaty between humans and dragons... but what about the world itself? What's it like? Many times I simply had to imagine it, and though it worked (kind of!) it was a gap in the story that was never fulfilled. This is the first book in the series, and I sincerely hope Rachel Hartman will offer us a deeper insight of her novel in the next installment.

As for the romantic element in Seraphina... well. It was subtle and suave, consisting of smart dialogues between Phina and Lucian that began to deepen more and more as the story progressed - and as Phina's secret almost surfaced. The romance developed slowly, and by the time I was on the last chapter, I was begging for more. One of the things I liked most about it was that the author didn't write one single cliché. It wasn't like Lucian fell to his knees and said "I can't live without you". The characters were so well constructed it would've been ridiculous, had something like that happened. This particular quote jumped at me: 


"If we were to go forward from here, we would proceed not rashly, not thoughtlessly, but Kiggs-and-Phina fashion. That was the only way it could work."


If everything I said in this review wasn't enough, here it is: I loved Seraphina. It was refreshing, and at the same time incredibly complex. Christopher Paolini saying great things about it should've been a tip of how unique this novel is. After the Inheritance Cycle (that's still my favorite series about dragons, hands down), Seraphina is the best fantasy novel I've read. It has the writing, the characters, the mythology, and the story necessary to grab thousands of readers out there and never let go. 
 

Once, by Anna Carey

- Eve #2
Release date: July 3rd 2012
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Dystopia (YA)
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

*This review will probably have spoilers of the first book in the trilogy, Eve.

When you're being hunted, who can you trust?

For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.

But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.

Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.

I read Eve last year, a couple of months after it was released in the USA, and though it was an enjoyable story, I didn't quite love it. Anna Carey tried to captivate me with her characters, especially Eve, but it just didn't work. It took me four days to finish it, and that rarely happens. However, Once captivated me in ways I can't explain. 

I should start with Eve, of course, since she's the main character. In Eve, I hated her, to be honest. She was so naive, so innocent and reckless that it infuriated me. Her actions hurt so many people, mostly friends and allies, throughout the novel, that it was hard to sympathize with her decisions. In Once, though, she was a different person altogether. It's crystal-clear how what happened to her in the wilds affected her, and that really shows in the way she speaks, how she cares for her friends in a deeper way, and how she stands for what she thinks it's right. I actually grew fond of Eve, and I was surprised to see that by the end of the novel, I wanted her to succeed.

The romance is also developed. In Eve, I had a feeling that part of Caleb and Eve's relationship was pure insta-love, but in Once, that changed. As much as I loved Caleb, I started to see him in a different way, just like Eve did. Instead of thinking about how hot he was, Eve thought about how he held her, how he understood her, how they talked about so many things that would've been weird with someone else, but that just felt right with Caleb. I loved this aspect of their relationship, and I think the fact that they're together relying not on lust, but on comfort and love (and that they show this affection with a touch, a conversation, and a kiss, and not only on make-out sessions), says a lot about how much Anna Carey changed the romance, and how this enhanced the feeling that Once really is a sequel to Eve. 

As always, Anna Carey's secondary characters are enchanting, each one looking just as real and solid as Eve. Her writing flows really well, even with the slow-paced scenes, and that's part of my liking Once. Not all of it was action, and Anna's writing held the plot together as weeks passed around Eve, and nothing new happened. I was never bored while reading Once. Also, I felt like the world-building was a lot more solid in this installment. With Eve growing up and becoming a mature woman, she gave us a new perspective of what was happening in the society itself, and while in the first novel, I felt like I was diving in the dark, without knowing where I was going or what to expect, in Once it was like I was just looking through a binocular, simply expanding what was already there.

To say that I liked Once is an understatement. I loved this novel, and I'm glad I picked it up. Without reading a few positive reviews, I'd never feel encouraged enough to buy it and continue this trilogy. Now, however, I'm dying to get my hands on Rise, the last book. Anna Carey proved to be a very talented author.

The Last Princess, by Galaxy Craze

Release date: May 1st 2012
Published by: Poppy
Genre: Young Adult 
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Happily ever after is a thing of the past.

A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless.

When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year old Princess Eliza manages to escape. Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope-and love-once more.

Now she must risk everything to ensure that she does not become . . 

I must begin this review by saying that I had high, huge expectations when I started reading The Last Princess. The premise sounded absolutely beautiful, though a little eerie. A princess determined to kill the man who'd murdered her family and took over her country, with (hopefully) a little romance thrown in the mix. Who isn't captivated by that? I certainly was, and now, I want to kill myself for it.

Like I said, the premise of this novel is wonderful, but the book itself doesn't live up to its hype. Eliza's story is set in the future (when, exactly, it's never mentioned), and England is falling apart. People are starving, there's not enough safe places to hide, and the monarchy is the only thing still left intact. And why, for God's sake, is England falling apart, you may ask? Well, that's something I never really understood. Eliza talks about the Seventeen Days, when everything was destroyed, but how the hell that happened is something I just didn't understand. If you're gonna create a dystopian society, then explain it. I need a context, I need a world-building solid enough for me to understand what's happening. And in The Last Princess, I got neither of these things, and that pissed me off.

The lack of a very important element in this book wasn't the only thing that put me off this story. The characters were just so unrealistic and flat, especially Eliza. She just lost her entire family... her situation should've made me sympathize with her, but instead, I wanted to shake her all the time. Your parents have been killed, and your siblings are prisoners... it's obvious you want to destroy this guy with your bare hands, and that's pretty understandable. But why the hell would you join this guy's army? Why would you go through the extremely difficult process of becoming a soldier, one of his pawns, knowing that only officials, and sergeants, have access to him?

Eliza is a princess. She spent her childhood playing in the garden and riding, learning how to behave properly and have manners. She's never starved. She doesn't know how to kill someone. Eliza's not tough enough to succeed in a army, to become a general, a high position in which she could have access to Cornelius and then kill him when he was unprepared. Eliza, of course, go through with this fantastic plan, and when things go downhill for her, and she really begins to see what it's like to be in the army, she just runs away. It was just so unnecessary for her to be there to begin with.

But that's not the only thing that made me dislike her. When you're in the middle of a battle, and your friend gets hurt, you try to aid her, of course, but... do you get off your horse, kneels near your friend, and starts to scream for help? In the middle of the freaking battle, in which you're fighting for your country's freedom, literally??

And don't even get me started on the romance. Holy crap, this was one of the worst love stories I have ever read. Eliza is in Cornellius' army, like I previously mentioned, and this certain Sergeant starts to pay attention to her. Wesley helps her when she goes off hunting, he saves her life, he gets her out of the army when she tries to flee... that's okay for me, really. They just met, he knows who she really is, and he's helping her. Then Wesley kisses her five pages after that, and this is what Eliza thinks when she wakes up and abandons him to continue her quest of revenge:


"Somehow, the memories already felt far away, but they gave me the strength I needed. They gave me the hope that love still existed in this dark world, that it would exist even after I was gone."

 Love? She doesn't even know him. She barely talked to him. It just doesn't make any sense! This, to be precise, is the entire romance in this novel. In the ending, he saves her again, they stay together, and that's it. The whole thing is so raw and poorly developed, I wanted to kill myself.

The writing is another thing that bothered me. It screamed "self published novel" everytime there was a transition of scenes, or the passage of time. Not to say it's also completely devoid of emotions at certain parts, and it was full of repetitions. Also, everything was just so convenient for Eliza. If she wanted to see her siblings one more time before she was killed, of course the guard would've been kind enough to take her to them. If Eliza were freezing, of course a homeless person would give her some clothes. If she were about to die, of course someone would appear just in time to save her. This kind of thing happened all the time, and it was so unrealistic that it gave the sentence "damsel in distress" a whole new meaning.

I feel like The Last Princess had a lot of wasted potential. The story would be amazing if the author knew how to execute it well enough, but sadly, that didn't happen. I don't like to write negative reviews, and I tried to do it without offending anyone, but to be honest, I had to put all of this out of my chest. My ebook is full with angry notes and ranting. However, I do know a lot of people loved this novel, and maybe, if you give it a shot, you may like it too. For my sake, though, I'll stay away from The Last Princess.