Review: Across the Great Barrier

Across the Great Barrier (Frontier Magic Book 2)
Patricia C Wrede
339 Pages

Eff is riding west, away from the safety of the frontier city she's always known.... 

Eff could be a powerful magician if she wanted to. Except she's not sure she wants that kind of responsibility. Everyone keeps waiting for her to do something amazing--or to fail in a spectacular way. Worse, her twin brother, Lan, a powerful double seventh son, is jealous of all the attention she's been getting.

Even as Eff protests that she's just an ordinary girl, she's asked to travel past the Barrier Spell with one of the new professors at her father's school. The land west of the Barrier is full of dangers, both magical and wild. Eff will need to use all her strength--magical and otherwise--to come safely back home.
-description taken from goodreads

This review contains no spoilers for this book or the first in the series.

There's an unfortunate trend in trilogies called "The Second Book Slump". Unlike the first installment where the world and characters are fun and new, the second book is often drier and just a stepping stone for the author to get to the finale. Although an experienced author, Wrede falls into this trap with her second in the Frontier Magic series.

For those who haven't read the first in the series (The Thirteenth Child), Patricia Wrede sets up a unique, alternate history of post civil war America where magic is taught in universities and western expansion means contending with dangers such as steam dragons. It's a fantastic world, but the novelty of it wears off  after one volume. In this one I wanted to learn more about Eff, the protagonist who, although possessing a great talent for magic, has had the stigma of being an unlucky thirteenth child following her all her life. Instead of this, I had to sit through about two hundred pages of Wrede listing off various magical plants and animals. There wasn't any real development at all, and all the main action was cornered off into the last quarter.

Although there were parts that should've been suspenseful, but because I had no reason to care about the characters I couldn't get invested in their problems. Reading this book was like drinking a flat soda; there was still some flavor, but all of the fun bubbles from earlier had fizzled out.

I will pick up the final installment, which comes out this August, eventually. I do believe in Wrede's skills as an author, and it's clear from the hints dropped throughout this volume that she's planning something big. 

Review: The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus Book 1)
Rick Riordan
Pages: 553

Jason has problems. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and his best friend is a guy named Leo. They’re all students at the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids,” as Leo puts it. What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly? Jason doesn’t know anything- except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret. Her father, a famous actor, has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp-Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out, whether she wants to or not.

Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too- like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them- including Leo- is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason’s amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?

~description taken from book jacket

I’m a long time fan of Rick Riordan. I started his Percy Jackson series when it was first released, as proven by my copy of The Lightning Thief which has the hideous first edition cover before the publishing company decided to redesign it. I’m happy to say that the first installment of The Heroes of Olympus is just as good as the Percy Jackson books, if not better.

Before I start, I should give a caveat to readers- it’s probably not a good idea to start this series unless you’ve read the Percy Jackson books first. A ton of names and plot points from the Percy Jackson series are mentioned in quick succession at the start of The Lost Hero. Even as someone’s who’s read them but hasn’t picked them up in a couple of years, it was confusing. It’s definitely still possible to thoroughly enjoy The Lost Hero without this background, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

The Lost Hero alternates between the three new characters Jason, Piper and Leo. Each one is given two chapters and then the point of view switches to the next in line. Riordan doesn’t deviate from this pattern, which causes some problems in the first half of the book. For example, events from Jason’s sections will be recapped in Piper’s. Then Piper’s experience will be told again in Leo’s chapters. For a large chunk of the book I felt like I was just rereading the same thing over and over again, and it could have been fixed with some editing. Considering this book is exceedingly lengthy these passages would not have been missed. However, Riordan picks up his stride later on and this problem dissolves by the second half.

One thing I love about Riordan’s books is that he fills them with memorable, quirky characters. Normally when I read books that rotate narrators I find that I attach to one more easily than the others and often want to skip to that character’s next chapter. In this case, I loved all of them. I’m especially happy that the author included a female narrator in a series marketed predominantly towards boys. Riordan has always creating strong, smart female characters in his books, but writing about one in the first person takes it one step further. I’m sure a lot of middle school girls will be happy to read the story from Piper’s own perspective rather than just experiencing her through a boy’s eyes.

The Lost Hero is a fantastic start into a new series, and I’ll be first in line when the sequel comes out in October!

4/5 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm waiting for Lola and the Boy Next Door!

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

~description taken from goodreads

I finally got around to reading Anna and the French Kiss a week ago and I'm already craving more! NEED IT NOW. RAWR.

Review: Clarity

Clarity
Kim Harrington
Pages: 242

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

~description taken from goodreads

Normally I don't pick up mysteries, so Clarity was a bit of a whim. Overall it makes for a nice afternoon read- perfect to bring to the beach or, for those wary of the ozone layers, to cozy up with on a comfy armchair.

Clarity is short and sweet, a trait that's refreshing in the sea of increasingly lengthy YA installments. Harrington dives right into the story and keeps the pace running quickly. We're told upfront that Clare and her family all have paranormal abilities that they use to attract business from tourists, but they make Clare an outcast at school. However, Clare is soon recruited by her town's new detective to help figure out the culprit behind a recent murder. Along the way Clare has -cross that- GETS to deal with two romantic interests, the detective's son and her ex boyfriend.

Since I'm not a big mystery person I was surprised at how easily I figured out the ending of this book. For something advertised as a 'whodunnit' I expected a larger twist. However, Clarity has enough going for it that this doesn't really matter. Kim Harrington writes immediately likable characters. It's easy to fall into Clare's story and empathize with her. This goes as well for all the secondary characters. I found myself loving Clare's eccentric mother and wished there had been more scenes with her. The only problem is the two boys in the story are both so well developed that I don't know which one I'm rooting for!

I'm not sure what genre I'd peg Clarity down as. It's advertised as a paranormal mystery, but it seems more of a romance than anything else. This isn't a problem per se, but it's deceptive in the marketing. It means a lot of people might come into Clarity expecting one thing, and then getting another and being disappointed (which would explain some of the negative reviews on goodreads). It's a shame, because Clarity is a really fun book. I know I'll be looking out for the sequel when it comes around!

3.5 Stars

Review: Sing Me to Sleep

Sing Me to Sleep

Angela Morrison

Pages: 320

THE TRANSFORMATION

Beth has always been “The Beast”—that's what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth's only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she's selected to be her choir's soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.

THE LOVE AFFAIR

When Beth's choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek's untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek's eyes? She's not The Beast, she's The Beauty.

THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE

When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?

THE HEARTBREAK

The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek's been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything.

I just couldn't finish it. Even though Beth spent pages and pages complaining about girls becoming pretty too easily in movies, her 'transformation' was pretty dull. A new haircut, lasik and getting rid of acne scars are not major procedures nowadays. The fact that Beth went from 'scaring small children' to 'supermodel gorgeous' without any major plastic surgery was unbelievable to the point of outright stupidity. I mean, the classmates that used to taunt her didn't recognize her without her thick glasses? I just can't suspend my disbelief that far.

Gaping plot holes aside, I found Beth entirely unbearable as a narrator. She spends all of her time lamenting over her looks, which might be why she's doesn't notice all the boys who take an interest in her. I'm sick of authors who think it's charming for a protagonist not to recognize obvious flirtation. It just makes the narrator seem all the more stupid and drags the book on for an extra hundred pages.

I didn't get far enough to get into the real romantic turmoil of the story, but I'm going to presume that if I'm not interested in either of the suitors after 200 pages of a 320 page book, I'm not going to be.

All this said, Sing Me to Sleep is not the worst I've ever read. I can see where some might find appeal, especially if they don't share my pet peeves. However, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone and won't be reading anything else by this author.

The one star rating is automatic for every book I can't bring myself to finish but read more than half of.

Review: Wildthorn

Wildthorn
Jane Eagland
Pages: 350

Louisa Cosgrove is Louisa Cosgrove- not Lucy Childs. Or, is she?

A horse-drawn carriage takes her to the wrong place: Wildthorn Hall, an asylum for the insane. This must be a great misunderstanding. They strip her naked, of everything- undo her whalebone corset hook by hook. They take her identity. But she is still seventeen- still Louisa Cosgrove- isn't she?

To untangle the mysterious, wretched present, she remembers the past.

I wished I were a boy.

Locked away in the dingy bowels of the hall, she feels a fire burn inside her. She remembers her cousin. She remembers Papa.

I want to be a doctor.

She is determined to escape- and only love will set her free.

~description taken from book jacket

I got this book out from the library on the whim, vaguely remembering a review of it I'd read somewhere. I only decided to actually read it because I just signed up for a reading challenge that this book fits. I AM SO GLAD I DID.

Wildthorn steps right into the drama- Louisa is admitted into an asylum under the name Lucy Childs. For the first part of the novel, the author switches between Louisa's time at the institution and her childhood, where you learn about her studious nature and desire to become a doctor. Normally, when an author skips around with points of view or timelines like this this I find myself aligning more with one storyline than the other. Here I was equally interested in both of them, which is due to the intense emotional attachment I felt with the Louisa. In most of the books I read, I read about the protagonist, but here I became her. Reading Wildthorn was simply an amazing experience, one you shouldn't miss out on.

Another aspect of the novel that made me really happy was the discussion of sexuality. It's rare to encounter LGBT characters in historical YA fiction, so that alone was interesting. However, the main thing I liked was how well it was handled. I've noticed that when some authors write gay or lesbian characters that tends to be their defining characteristic, which annoys me. In Wildthorn it was definitely treated as an important detail, but not so much that it took over the story.

5/5 Stars

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

I've never entered a reading challenge before, and since it's a new year I figure it might be fun! Maybe it'll keep me motivated to read during my free time next semester instead of watching youtube videos!

I'm entering the YA Historical Fiction Challenge over the blog YA Bliss. It's open to anyone and everyone (ie. you don't need a blog to enter). So check it out!

I'm going to try for level 2, which is ten books. I might have to fall back to level 1, but hopefully not! Here's a tentative list of books I want to read, more to be added later:

A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson

Review: Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska
John Green
Pages: 221

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (Francois Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly stable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

~description taken from book jacket

Well, most people reading this blog will have already read this one. For good reason- it's kind of amazing. I figure I'd review it anyway, if only to get the word out!

Last summer I read An Abundance of Katherines, one of John Green's other books. Looking for Alaska follows the same formula: Nerdy guy with a quirky interest decides he needs something new in his life, goes to a new location and meets an equally quirky girl who changes him. Generally, it annoys me when an author does the (almost) exact plot twice, but in this case I didn't really mind. This is because John Green is simply a really, really funny author. It takes a lot for me to laugh aloud when I'm sitting alone reading, but Green had me doing so several times throughout the course of Looking for Alaska. Also, the amount of obscure information he packs into his books is mind-boggling. He seems like one of those people who must have read every book ever printed. If I ever get the chance I want to hear him speak.

As a whole, Looking for Alaska is a bit of a heavy read, but not depressingly so. I think this is because you're meant to figure out what event separates the 'before' and 'after' of Miles' life, so it lessens the blow somewhat. The large doses of comedic dialogue also help with this. However, if you're looking just for a 'light' read I'd recommend An Abundance of Katherines. Actually, never mind that. Read both of them. John Green is excellent and I want to help spread the love.

4.5/5 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Breaking the Spine. It's where bloggers can showcase the yet to be released books that they're most excited for!


The Vespertine
Saundra Mitchell
Release Date: 3/7/2011

It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

This sounds like a mix of my two favorite genres- historical fiction and paranormal romances. Definitely one to jot down on your release calendars!

Review: Forest Born

Forest Born (Books of Bayern #4)
Shannon Hale
Pages: 389

“Growing up in the Forest, Rin always turned to the trees when she needed peace or reassurance, even direction, until the day they seem to reject her. Rin is sure something is wrong with her, something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest, keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all.

When her brother Razo returns to the city after a visit home, Rin accompanies him to the palace in hopes of finding a new sense of herself. But a mysterious threat haunts Bayern, and Rin joins the magical girls she thinks of as the Fire Sisters –Isi, Enna, and Dasha- as they venture into the woods toward the kingdom of Kel... where someone wants them all dead.”

Description taken from book jacket

First off, I want to say that I adore Shannon Hale. She’s a fantastic writer, and follows what I think is the perfect philosophy with YA books- write what you think is a good story, not what’s easily marketable. As a result, she’s produced numerous solid novels that I’d recommend, which includes her previous Books of Bayern. However, all good things must end in order to remain good things and, unfortunately, the Books of Bayern have hit that point.

Forest Born, the fourth in the series, includes enough background information that you could come into the series a stranger and not be terribly confused. Although, it would be easiest to read them in order since the events happen sequentially. This installment follows Rin, who makes a delightfully insecure heroine. She is ‘forest born’, as the title points out, and you (re)discover the world of Bayern along with her as she heads out to work at the castle. There’s intrigue right from the start when Rin suspects a lady in waiting of wanting to kill Prince Tusken and suspicious fires start up at Bayern’s boundary with the neighboring country Kel.

While the characters and humor are great, like in all of Hale’s other books, Forest Born remains plagued by mediocre plot twists. One character pulls a Gandalf, but it isn’t done properly. Instead of having the shocked reaction you’re supposed to, you realize that Hale’s hit the bottom of the idea barrel for the series. As a result, the entire second half of the book has a very forced feel to it. Even though I got attached to Rin and wanted to hear more about her, the plot just wasn’t interesting anymore.

I still love Shannon Hale, but I hope Forest Born is the last in her Bayern series. While it’s a solid read, and much better than the work of other authors, I’m disappointed because it doesn’t measure up to her other books. Hale’s writing itself is absolutely magical- she just needs better storylines to work with.

4/5 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Title: Entwined
Author: Heather Dixon
Release Date: March 29, 2011

Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou.

Description taken from Goodreads

I love fairy tales, especially when they're retold in the form of a novel, so this book sounds right up my alley. The Twelve Dancing Princesses also happens to be one of my very favorites. I've already read Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier (which happens to be amazing, in case you're looking for a quick recommendation), so I want to see what perspective this author will take on the story.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Breaking the Spine.

Review: Never Cry Werewolf

Title: Never Cry Werewolf
Author: Heather Davis
Pages: 224

“Shelby’s summer plans go totally awry when her horrible stepmother sends her off to “brat camp” as punishment for one too many broken curfews. Camp is full of spoiled rich kids, obnoxious counselors wanting Shelby to talk about her feelings, and a totally inhumane “no cell phones” policy.

Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star) Austin Bridges III. But soon she realizes there’s more to Austin than crush material—his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby’s help guarding it. Shelby knows that bad boys get her into trouble…but who is she to turn her back on a guy in need, especially such a good-looking one?”

Description taken from Goodreads

I don’t know where to start with this one. It just wasn't very good. I mean, normally when I dislike a book I can see some reason why it was published, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. I didn’t like Hush, Hush, despite its tremendous popularity, but I can at least understand why other people enjoy it so much. Not so much with this book.

Lets talk about characters. Mainly, how I wanted to line them up and systematically punch every single one in the face. Shelby, the generic angst-riden teen, is nothing more than a whiney brat with no reason to hate the world as much as she does. Her –OMG- evil stepmother wants her to focus on her schoolwork and not stay out late at night? The abuse! Her father made Shelby move homes? Surely no child in history has had to deal with such trauma! The list goes on. Shelby is so annoying that it actually becomes painful to read about her. Usually when this happens there are side characters that carry my interest throughout the book. Not here. All the other campers are taken directly from bad afterschool specials, including the jerky son of a paparazzi photographer and the legions of stuck up girls who only care about their makeup. If you’re going to use stock characters in your book (which isn’t a bad thing, necessarily- Meg Cabot makes it work) you need to make them interesting.

You would hope that Austin Bridges, the love interest, would rise above this. In a way, his personality less obnoxious then his fellow cast members, but his dialogue is so ludicrous that, once again, it becomes painful to read. You see, Austin Bridges is –OMG- British. Apparently, this means that it is not physically possible for him to utter an entire sentence without at least two separate usages of British slang. Sound annoying? You better bloody believe it is, mate.

The one thing I did like is the writing style Heather Davis employs. Never Cry Werewolf is a breezy, quick read. I don’t think it took me much longer than a couple of hours to go through it, and I’m a slow reader. However, some aspects of the plot were just too ridiculous to swallow. Mainly, Austin confiding his deep-dark-secret in Shelby less than 48 hours after meeting her. Yes, teen romances happen quickly, but come on. It was like the author got bored of writing and wanted to speed things up.

Overall, Never Cry Werewolf was a disappointment. Although it’s far from the worst book I’ve ever read, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone and will avoid this author in the future. If you’re looking for a werewolf romance try Shiver.

1.5/5 Stars

A quick update

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted anything recently. The last couple of weeks have been a bit hectic for me since I was wrapping up my summer job and internship. Trying to relearn several hundred kanji hasn't helped things either. BUT. I am now back at school now and classes start tomorrow, so I'll be on a more defined schedule and able to update regularly again.

I also noticed that in my absence a couple of people actually gave me blog awards! That's super nice of you guys, and I'm really sorry that I haven't thanked you sooner. I'll be doing a *proper* thank you post soon, and spreading the awards around then.

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Title: Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Pages: 384

“Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica’s Senior Year “get-a-life-plan".

Enter a bizarre new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu who claims that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he’s her long-lost fiancé. He’s arrogant, officious, embarrassingly overprotective, and well, incredibly hot.

Armed with a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health and Emotions, Jessica tries to imagine the transition from an average American teenager to a glam European vampire princess. But just when things tart to heat up with Lucius, a devious cheerleader sets her sights on him.

Soon Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war- and save Lucius’s soul from eternal damnation. All of which leaves her to wonder: Wouldn’t life be easier if she could just fall for a nice mortal boy?”

~description taken from jacket cover

For those of you skimming, I'll say it now: Go out and buy this book. I made the mistake of getting it from the library, and now I have to wait a few weeks to have my own copy. Do yourself a favor and get your own.

Jessica, also called Antanasia, is one of the most appealing narrators I’ve ever encountered. She’s smart, honest, and most importantly, you really feel for her. When something goes right for Jessica, you cheer, and when something goes wrong you cry with her. I was entirely enthralled with the storyline, only putting it down when outside circumstances necessitated it. Even the ‘normal’ moments that weren’t especially climactic seemed it, simply because I was so interested in what happened to Jessica. This raw, emotional tie is incredibly difficult to pull off, and is what, in my opinion, truly makes a book great.

However, Jessica isn’t the only reason I love this book. I also attribute it to Lucius (or Luscious, as I like to call him... terrible pun). Lucius is nowhere near a perfect hero, but he is perfect for Jessica. He makes plenty of rude remarks about the American farmland Jessica’s grown up in, but she refuses to take any smack and hands it right back to him. Even from their first encounter in Jessica’s barn, you can literally feel the chemistry popping in the air when she stabs him in the foot with a pitchfork.

Seems a bit extreme? Just wait until you experience Lucius- you’ll understand then (and yes, he isn’t just a character, but an experience). Some of his lines are hilarious but others make you want to punch him in the face. But after you do that you want to snuggle with him all night long. Basically, he’s irresistible. One of the few heroes who you know you’ll still be fantasizing about months after you flip the last page.

The bad with this book? I couldn’t find any hints towards a sequel. There’s a brief epilogue story on the author’s website that I’m saving for when I’ve had a terrible day. Other than that, I’m not sure if there’s any planned continuation. The only consolation is that the author has published another novel, Jekel Loves Hyde, that I'll be picking up as soon as possible.

Grade: 5/5

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Title: Extraordinary
Author: Nancy Werlin
Release Date: September 7, 2010
Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's ...more

Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe, but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon she'll discover the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt.

Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Pheobe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself?

I think this one sounds really cool! Plus, the cover design is absolutely gorgeous, which always recommends a book to me. ;D

Master Review List

A
Academy 7
Across the Great Barrier (Frontier Magic Book 2)
Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex

B

C
Clarity

D

E
Everlasting

F
Forest Born

G

H
Hush, Hush

I
The Iron King

J
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

K

L
Looking for Alaska
The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus Book 1)

M

N
Never Cry Werewolf

O

P
Princess Ben
Q
R

S

Sing Me to Sleep

T

U
Un Lun Dun

V

W
Wildthorn

X
Y
Z

Read-a-Thon Update

Technically the read-a-thon started yesterday, but I haven't had time to do an official starting post until now. Here's a pic I took of the books I want to finish this weekend:

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

I had started Dracula before the read-a-thon started, but haven't finished it. So, I won't count that one towards any contests, but I still want to get it under my belt. And btw, did you notice I said the word 'contests'? It's because there's quite a few going on. Check out the picture at the top of those post and enter the read-a-thon yourself. It's not too late!!!

Blog Hop & Follow Friday (3)

It's Friday, which means it's time for my (usually) weekly Blog Hop/Follow Friday post! Both are great ways to find other book blogs out there so I recommend going to visit them and looking around. I'm quite serious- 99% of the blogs I follow I've found through these memes.

The weekly question for this is:
How many books do you have on your 'to be read' shelf?

Ha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA. adfkljashdfldk. Seriously? I'm going to go with well over a hundred. I can count of one hand the number of times I've visited a bookstore and haven't bought anything IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I'm also a library addict (it's like my own personal store!) so I usually don't get around to reading the books I've bought for a long time. So... I'm not going to try counting. It would take too long and just depress me. -_-

Review: Everlasting

Title: Everlasting
Author: Angie Frazier
Pages: 329

“Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: Marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous –and alluring- magic.

The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who –and what- matters most.”

~description taken from book jacket

Everlasting is an example of one of those books that are perfectly nice and enjoyable, but overall lack that intangible “it factor” that makes it memorable.

Camille, the heroine, is fun to read about, but just doesn’t stand out from the hoards of other YA protagonists. It’s not that she’s annoying or I had any problems with her- she was just generic, making it nearly impossible to empathize with her. The same can be said for Oscar, the man she loves. He’s perfectly nice and attractive, but forgettable. I only finished Everlasting last night, but I’m already having difficulty trying to scrounge up details about his personality. Because I can’t bring myself to care about either of the two, the romantic aspect of the book (which is quite large) falls flat.

Another problem I have regarding characters is Ira- the ‘funny sidekick’ as China Mieville would put it. He is by far my favorite in the novel, but is eerily similar to Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean. I don’t want to throw around the word plagiarism lightly, but there are enough similarities between the two to be concerned about. They’re both criminals, have an affinity for wenches, mention alcohol –specifically rum- multiple times, use the exact same wording and phrases, and overall possess the same general attitude. The only real difference is that Ira isn’t as developed as thoroughly.

Similar to how the romance feels lackluster, the plot is equally unenthralling for the same reason: I couldn’t care about the characters and therefore couldn’t be concerned about what happened to them. This is a bit sad since the events of the novel are actually put together quite well- everything works and remains within the suspense of disbelief. It’s for this reason that I’m annoyed at the unsubtle hints of a sequel near the ending. I think it would be more beneficial for Miss. Frazier to drop the characters, take it as a loss and move onto a different storyline.

Ultimately, there’s not much that’s technically wrong with Everlasting, but there’s not much right about it either. It is a fun, light read and I did finish it to the end. However, I cannot actively recommend it since there are so many other, better books out there. One example is Juliet Marillier’s Cybele’s Secret. It also features a seafaring romance and a search for a magical artifact, but features that ever illusive “it factor”. I’d recommend picking that up instead of Everlasting.

Grade: 3/5

Read-a-thon This Weekend

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS POST.

This weekend I'll be participating in my first ever read-a-thon! With hyphens and everything! It's being hosted by the Bibliophilic Book Blog, and you can check it out by clicking on the picture

RIGHT HERE!!!

It takes place starting this Friday at 9 AM and ends the following Monday at 9AM. The theme is to read books you already own, so no cheating with library books! This will be especially good for me because I've had a backlog of books going since middle school...