Saving June by Hannah Harrington

3 Stars (contemporary YA)

I have to say I was hoping this book would hit me hard. The context of the story had it all, the drama, the hope, the love, the loss, but ultimately it fell flat a little bit in the overall impact.

I couldn't help comparing it a little bit to Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. They're both road trip books but at the core they are both books about healing after a great loss. I feel like Matson achieved the core better than Harrington. I know it may seem unfair to compare one author to another but in this case I just couldn't help it. I felt like Harrington's book was darker in a way. The main character Harper has just lost her sister June after she commits suicide. We never really come to understand why her sister commits suicide - maybe that's the point, that an action like that really isn't understandable for those left behind. We really can't know at all what someone in that position would have felt or thought in the last moments. So the tone is darker I feel, but the rest of the story - the road trip to California in order to scatter June's ashes in the Pacific, in California where she always dreamed of escaping in what sets the whole story in motion. Jake, who has a mysterious connection to June tags along with Harper and her best friend on this road trip - for reasons again which I never felt I truly came to understand.

So they're on this road trip and the whole time I felt like Harper flip flopped between pleasant and engaging to moody and dismissive. I hated this and it made me dislike Harper more often than not. She was so up and down with Jake, at once attracted and interested in him and then antagonistic. It just didn't make sense to me, even if Harper was meant to be grieving and confused about her emotions. She'd get in a fight with Jake that was completely her doing and then turn it around on him the next day as if he were the one to start the whole thing. It got irritating and consequently I never felt like I truly understood Harper or sympathized with her.

There were some good moments for sure. Some cute and refreshing scenes, but I felt like I got bogged down by the mood swings. It didn't feel much like a road trip book in a sense. A lot of the scenes felt like they could have been taking place in the same area - like the setting never really changed or was described well enough to make a difference to the reader. Like we weren't really moving forward at all.

Jake was a nice character. He seemed to have depth and insight and the best friend was funny, but I felt like all the character could have been pushed just a little bit further.

Overall the read was entertaining in the moment but forgettable once the last page is turned. There were too many unanswered or maybe unexplored questions and the main character was confusing and annoying. 

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

This is going to be a tough one to review.

Better than Clockwork Angel for sure, but I'm still a bit undecided in a lot of small ways about this series as a whole.

3.5 Stars

First off I thought I'd list the things that bugged me a bit in this book:

1. The constant name dropping of Victorian authors and books. Added to this, the countless times Tessa compares herself to a heroine or hero in a books she's read. I know this is supposed to be a part of her character, the girls a book lover, got it, but still. It grated on my nerves after a while and I kept wondering how books could seriously be her only reference for things.

2. The way Tessa is somehow completely irresistible to both Jem and Will. The girl is cute, she has her moments of toughness and sassiness, but usually she's just insecure and way to proper for my liking. I've said this in a previous review of the Clockwork Angel I read historical romances and historical fiction, so I know well how girls of this time period would think and act, but something about Tessa's cluelessness grates on me. Honestly what I realized is that I don't really love Tessa all that much. She has her moments, but not enough of them to make me really identify with or appreciate her as a character. Not a fabulous thing when as a reader you want to be invested in what's happening in her life and want to believe that two eligible guys would desperately want her.

There were a few other smaller things that got to me, like a certain scene between Jem and Tessa - not because it was between them but because it seemed out of character for Tessa. If you've read both books you might understand what I mean.

I love Will. I'll make no bones about this. I think he's the best character in the series. He's dark and light at the same time. He's sarcastic and mean, but honorable and loyal. I love the push and pull with his character, the back and forth and the angst he has wrapped up in his character. Out of everyone I think he is the most interesting but all the best developed. I think I read these books mostly for him, to see how it'll all work out for Will in the end.

Because of the similarities of this series to Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities I think there are definitely ways this series could end. I'll be interested to see if Clare turns the predictability on it's head or sort of flips the developments of Dickens's classic on it's head a bit.

I liked the action in this book, the developments with the Magistar and the addition of more characters. Gideon was an interesting character and I really enjoyed Sophie more in this book. I hope more develops for the both of them.

Ultimately towards the end this book really picked up. I loved reading the scenes between Tess and Will, but what I noticed, which ultimately led me to give this a 3.5 star rating, is that I didn't feel that punch to the heart I usually do when I'm thoroughly invested in the characters, the drama and the angst playing out. I loved reading the scenes, but I didn't feel much while reading. I react heavily when I read books. When I'm invested I get worked up, just ask my best friend what I look like when I'm feel the heartbreak right along with the characters. She thinks it's pretty funny.

I thought this book was much better than the last one, it has lots of action, developed the overarching plot and the character were more interesting.

Definitely worth reading if you love Cassie Clare or have read Clockwork Angel but I have to be honest and say I'm not enjoying this series as much as Mortal Instruments.   

Below are my feelings about the whole Tessa, Will, Jem triangle. 

Read on only if you've read this book or don't mind spoilers...

It is plainly obviously that Tessa loves Will. She loves Jem as well, but the love she has for Will is the passion filled, desperate, forever, soul mates kind of love. With Jem, it's the comfortable, stable, tame love that will sustain itself through the years but really never be the love girls spend their youths dreaming about. It was obviously by the way the scenes between Tess and Will were written and then Tessa and Jem that every time Tessa kissed Jem she thought of Will. When you're kissing the guy you can't be without, there's never anyone else on your mind. It's obvious that Will is in Tessa's heart and always will be. She's marrying Jem, but she wants Will.

End of spoilers.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

4.5 Stars (dystopian YA)

A great read full or heart and amazing romance.

I haven't been giving away many 5 stars yet this year, in fact I don't think any of the book I've read yet have blown me away enough to get a flawless review. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi comes very very close though.

As far as dystopian-esque books go, this one is among the ranks of must reads. Although the plot isn't so much about a floundering world and doesn't concentrate all that much on the digression of society the book is an apt portrayal of the corruption of humans themselves and how the quest for ultimate power can lead us astray.

I'll start with the few things I had trouble with first, because they were very few. I wished that the world had of been built up a bit more. For the first half of the book readers are secluded with Juliette in a cell in an asylum. She hasn't seen or spoken to anyone in 264 days until a boy is suddenly thrust into her cell with no explanation. There is mention here and there about something known as The Reestablishment, who have since the "big bang" when society started to plummet, taken over and are intent of wiping out anything and everything that could lead society astray once more. All we as readers really know about them is that they are corrupt and are trying to annihilate any form of diversity. Diversity of all kinds, which means Juliette is targeted for a curse she doesn't know how to control. After a tragic accident, Juliette is sent away by her parents and locked away by the Reestablishment, until she is targeted for her power when it is seen as something that can be used in the fight between the government and those who hope to fight against it.
The little that we got of the outside world and the politics and the way everything works sounded so very interesting and I wanted to know more, but as readers we are so locked within Juliette's perspective - not a bad thing at all - except that we didn't get to learn much beyond the bare facts about the outside world and how it works. How did society falter? When did it happen? How do people live? We get a few hints at the changes but not enough. Hopefully this will all be more developed in the later books. 

The only other little nagging element I had was that some events seemed to transpire too easily. I won't give any details for fear of giving spoilers, but I'll just say that when things seemed really dire, something popped up and it made it just a smidgen to convenient.

Now, for the good. The prose is beautiful! It's poetic and heartwrenching and makes you as a reader, feel every emotion Juliette is experiencing. I loved that Mafi used the strike out lines to emphasis the difference between what Juliette was thinking and really wanted to say, versus what actually came out of her mouth. It was a unique and very well employed device. 

The characters were great, I loved Juliette, her scared, shy exterior that masked a deeper strength that I hope we get to see expanded in the next books. Adam was adorable and loving and everything swoon-worthy. I liked that he was a mystery in the beginning and then a past with Juliette was slowly revealed. This couple was lovely and so heart-warming. Loved them to bits and their relationship was easily one of the best things about the book.

I'm so excited to see where Mafi takes us in book 2 and 3. I'm a huge fan of these characters and the plot and can't wait to see where it all leads given the ending :)

A great debut novel!

 

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crawley

3.5 Stars. (Contemporary YA)

ARC provided by Netgalley

  

Hardcover, 272 pages

Expected publication: February 14th 2012 

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Really sweet with great characters.

I was really excited to read this book for months after I read the synopsis and was sad when I realized it was only out in the UK and would have to wait a while for it's release in the US and Canada. When I say this book available on NetGalley I was so so excited and jumped right into the story.

Graffiti Moon was a really quick read mostly because it was really easy to fall into the storyline and get swept up in the night.

The book opens on Lucy's last day of year 12 and her friends Jazz and Daisy have planned to stay our all night celebrate. Lucy is an artist and has been obsessed with a graffiti artist who goes by the name Shadow since she saw one of his murals years before. She has been desperately looking for Shadow, trying to figure out who he is because she feels like they are meant to be. It sounds cheesy but it ends up being really cute.

On the other side readers meet Ed, Leo and Dylan. Dylan and Daisy are a couple, but are on the rocks and spend the night trying to reconcile with each other. Ed and Lucy have a bit of a history, funny and touching when you learn Ed's side of the story. Leo likes Jazz and the two are very cute together from what readers get to see.

Overall this book was really amusing. It had some great witty moments and some moments that were sweet and tender. I especially liked Ed. He was quiet, thoughtful, insecure at times, and didn't have the greatest perception of himself but this was only more endearing to read. I can't say I loved Lucy (ha! no pun intended) she was cute and had her moments but there wasn't so much that really stood out about her and made me think - yes this girl is something special. I would have liked a bit more from her, for her to be a bit wittier or quirkier. Out of the girls I think I liked Jazz the best. She was funny, outgoing, a go-getter and had the quirkiness I wanted from Lucy. She wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind and I appreciated that.

The descriptions of the graffiti murals were really beautiful and I could see the images in my head which brought an extra dimension to the story.

I really like books that take place in one day and this one was a nice example of that. One day - or night as it were to discover loads about a person you either didn't know or had originally dismissed. Ed and Lucy learn a lot more about each other and I enjoyed that journey for them both.

The writing was nice and the descriptions really pretty.
I think overall I would have liked a bit more from Ed and Lucy, a little more depth to their individual characters, for their inner lives to be fleshed out a bit more so that their outside worlds, the ones they were sharing with each other over the course of the night would have had more of an impact. Sometimes this is an issue with books that only span one evening, because how much can you really fit it and make it believable, but Cath Crowley does spend a bit of time with Ed's life especially and I just felt like there could have been just a touch more done with everything she was revealing about him and his emotions.

A very nice read, with endearing characters and a touching story. 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

2 Stars. (contemporary YA)

I was so excited for the release of this book and had it on my TBR list for ages. When the book was finally released I was eager to get a copy and then quickly tore into it once the book arrived. 

Unfortunately, I can't say I loved the story as much as I was hoping I would. My 2012 reading hasn't started out as well as I'd hoped, none of the 7 books I've read so far earning a 5 star rating. 

Now, I don't want this review to become a list of all the things I didn't like, because in reality this was a decent book with a nice storyline. There wasn't anything that I really hated, no real negatives, but in the same token there was nothing that really stood out about this book either. Nothing that made me want to tear through the pages until it was done, nothing that I would really remember once I'd reached the end. 

Hadley is flying to London, England for her father's wedding to a woman she's never met. Her father and mother split up unexpectedly over a year ago and her father has since fallen in love with another woman. Her mother has moved on as well, but the sting of losing her father who decided to move permanently to the other side of the world has yet to lose its edge. Hadley is annoyed, unsure, emotional and dreading the wedding her mother forces her to attend. She arrives at the airport 4 minutes late and the plane she was meant to be on takes off without her, forcing Hadley to hop on the next one. She ends up meeting Oliver in the airport and the two strike up a conversation, they are seated together on the flight and so begins a beautiful friendship :p

The premise of the story is really cute. The execution could have been better. I just didn't get pulled in to the lives of these characters. They remained flat to me and no matter the turmoil they were each going through in their respective lives I just couldn't feel anything emotionally for them. I'm the type of reader to get really caught up in characters and if the story packs an emotional punch I'm a goner. I'll obsess, worry over them, want the best for them as if they were my own. I just didn't get there with Hadley and Oliver. I got where the author was trying to go with their story but it just didn't resonate. It's really as simple as that. 

Hadley was annoying. She spent most of the book being glum and in drama queen mode, she was also kind of selfish and in turn I felt depressed right along with her. Oliver was cute, but the cuteness could have really been amped up. He didn't hit me in any particular way.

The narrative voice was also and issue, third person limited, it sounded forced and very uptight. Did not make it any easier to connect with the characters. 

I would also really appreciate it if one of these days a YA writer actually wrote a parental figure who was responsible, in touch with their kid and able to handle emotions and upheaval's like - ooh say - AN ADULT. The constant dysfunction and drama is a good plot device, but has really gotten irritating as I read it time and time again in YA books. For once, I'd like to have a parent actually act their age and be parental. Enough with the annoying, clueless, emotionally inept parental units. 

As far as I can tell this book is getting mixed reviews, so I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in the story. You may love it, you may not. It's really up to the individual reader with this one.

Where You Are - Tammara Webber

Only read this review if you've read the first book in this series: Between the Lines.

3 Stars.  

 

A great follow up but sort of overloaded with a lot of game playing and exhausting manipulations. Not as good as the first but had some awesome moments!

Where You Are was a nice followup to Webber's previous book Between the Lines it followed all the same characters and opened at the exact same scene the first book closed so that was a great treat. In this book, although we follow the same characters, as readers we get two additional perspectives to shine light on the emotional turmoil and movie set drama and scheming. Graham, who I absolutely loved in book 1, opens book 2 and gives readers a sense of what all is going on in his head in terms of Emma, Reid and Brooke. Brooke is another character we get more of in this book although I have to say I hated her pretty much from her first segment. 

Girl is psycho and needs to get a clue!

I enjoyed the fact that we got a lot of Graham and Emma face time! It was great to see these two finally come to terms with their feelings for one another and try to make an honest go of a relationship. Given the bomb that was dropped on Emma at the end of book 1 I was really interested to see how it would all play out between Graham and Emma, what kind of problems if any it would cause their new relationship. For better or worse it didn't really seem to cause any, if anything Emma was supportive and understanding and very sweet which made me like her character more. I honestly would have liked to see more interaction between Graham and Emma and Cara or at the very least Graham and Cara, but the scenes we did get were great. In a way I thought that the author did drop this huge twist in the story and then didn't play it out to its full potential but I guess with all the others drama going on it was nice that the whole Graham's home life adage didn't get blown out of proportion.

Now for the Drama! Whew this book was full of it, emotional ups and downs, manipulations, scheming, fights, moments of mistrust. There were accusations flying all over the place and honestly it got tiring for this reader. Graham and Emma are just starting their relationship, they're happy and in love but have to get through the next four months of distance while Emma gets ready to move to New York for University in the fall. Until then they're doing long distance and blissful. Until Brooke sets her sights and scheming on Graham and enlists Reid's help to tear Emma and Graham apart. So what unfolds is chapter after chapter of manipulations spearheaded by Brooke and helped along by a semi-clueless Reid who at the end of the day only wants another shot with Emma. In a way I could understand and forgive his actions because he wasn't the master manipulator. He was following instructions - sort of - and in reality didn't do much more but flirt with Emma and show her he could be a good guy. There was one moment when he sort of stepped over the innocent line, but he was tricked by Brooke as well. I don't know maybe I'm being too understanding of the guy but I just couldn't hate him.

Brooke on the other hand was a downright - Beotch and I hated her just fine. She was clueless, selfish, manipulating, mean and just got in the way. I didn't get any more depth from her when the story was being told from her perspective like I did with Reid. There was nothing to tell me she was better than all that underneath, nothing to tell me she had her own demons to deal with, nothing that told me she was anything other than a spoiled brat who just wanted to get her own way. So I guess it was easy to hate her and not sympathize with her at all.

It was aggravating to me the way Graham and Emma so easily mistrusted one another. I know they're new and new relationships are hard especially when you throw in the distance they have to get through. But really, at the end of the day, if the trust isn't there what's the relationship built on. They both had reasons to feel insecure, Emma was being pushed into faking a possible relationship with Reid for the sake of the movie they were promoting, and given their previous history, Graham worried. Emma also had reason to worry as she started noticing all the ways Brooke was cosying up to her boyfriend - being too touchy, hanging out at his house, ingratiating herself in his life. Yes, there was reason both could feel insecure, but I still hoped that they would trust one another and talk it out and reassure the other. Instead, the communication failed and Emma for her part played the immature part by at one point choosing to ignore Graham and assume the worst. COME ON!
It got boring and tiring and frustrating and I felt so emotional overwhelmed with all the underhandedness going on, I can't imagine how the character felt.

Anyway, I think the fact that book revolved solely around Brooke's schemes and their impact on Graham and Emma is what brought the book down for me. There were some awesome moments between the two in the first bit of the book and I was squealing and clapping my hands for them like a fool. I want these to kids to be happy. You get invested in their story in book one and I wanted them to get their happy ending. Webber was great with their characters and I felt like I got to know Graham so much better in this book. He was tender and loving and sweet with Emma and who wouldn't want him as a boyfriend. I loved that he was the one thinking long term. I have to say that I think there could have been more emphasis on the two negotiating the distance, their personal lives, Graham's personal live and all that without the constant intrusion of Brooke and Reid. I think it would have been much more interesting to get into the heart of what is really going to matter to these two down the line when they start to make their lives together, and have all that developing on the backdrop of the movie premiere. But alas, it isn't my story to tell and although I had my issue with this installment I still found enjoyment in it.

On a final note, the ending was abrupt and even if the third book is about Reid, this was most definitely Emma and Graham's story and I didn't like that we didn't end off the book with them! Readers should have gotten just that extra bit to let us know they were happy and settled in New York in their new lives. For all that, 3 Stars.

Between the Lines by Tammara Webber

4.5 Stars (contemporary YA)

This book was great! I'm so happy I took the chance and purchased the ebook. I'll preface this whole review by saying that I hate reading books on line. I'm not a fan of the kindle or nook or any sort of ereaders and it's seriously rare that I'll go through the pain of blurred eyes and the uncomfortable placement of a computer perched on my lap for hours for anything other than a story I know I'll love.

I first read the description for Between the Lines months back, I think at the beginning of the summer, but when I realized it was only being released in ebook format I decided to forget it. It wasn't until this book popped up again on my Goodreads feed the other day and I read a great review from a friend who insisted this was a great read that I decided to give in a place my order. Honestly, I can say with certainty that I do not regret reading this book or perching the computer on my lap all night last night or having slightly blurred vision this morning. This book is worth reading.

It had everything good you could want in a YA book. Great characters with depth and emotion, a fun setting - hello movie set - amazing chemistry between the characters and laugh out loud moments of dialogue. I adored reading about Emma Pierce as she lands her first big break and gets set to star in a huge wide release re-make of one of her favourite books. She's apprehensive at first to take the film on, mainly because she's always had a stronger desire to do theater, but was pushed into film roles by her obnoxious and selfish step-mother. When Emma hears that Hollywood heartthrob Reid Alexander is set to play the lead male, she jumps at the chance to at least audition. The roles are all about chemistry and Reid and Emma have it. She's perfect for the role and lands the part. Emma and all the fellow cast members are shipped out to Autin, Texas to begin shooting and what unfolds is a great story about the starlet world as the characters deal with varying degrees of success and experience in the film industry and Emma realizes that once this movie hits the big screen, her life will never be the same. As she begins to understand that this role is her make it or break it moment, Emma also struggles with major decision about her own life. She's had a frustrating and disappointing relationship with her father, spent years playing the role of meek and mild daughter so she doesn't rock the boat and has sacrificed her own wants in the process. She's about to turn eighteen and discovers that what she wants out of life may just be possible - if she'd willing to dive in and go for it.

Like I said the characters in this story were great, not just the main cast, but the minor characters as well. Tadd was hilarious and provided some much needed comic relief, Jenna, Meredith and MiShaun, although sometimes interchangeable had their moments of cuteness and necessity. Brooke, a famous teen idol in her own right fresh off the tv show Life's a Beach where she plays the top bitch, has a complicated past with Reid and an interesting - if shadowed - relationship with Graham.
Graham - Graham, Graham, Graham. What can I say, loved the guy. Sweet, sensitive, funny, endearing, confusing, gorgeous, cagey - he was the seemingly perfect guy and you can't but love him from the start. His friendship with Emma was a key factor in this book and their developing feelings for one another provide some very interesting and confusing emotions for all involved when Emma also starts becoming enamoured of Reid. There were only a few moments - and they were slight - when I became a bit frustrated with Emma and her choices. Namely a pivitol scenes with Graham followed by a key scene with Reid and the fall out of her decisions. I can understand where she was coming from and how the two boys behaviour towards her would have been confusing for anyone - but as a reader, dramatic irony is a powerful thing. When you know something the characters don't you can't help but scream for them not to do what they're doing when you know better. Even the frustration was perfect though because it only ramped the emotional tension.

The emotions and tensions run super high in this book which is something I loved. You never quite know what's really going on as they book only fluctuates between Reid and Emma's perspective of things. I know from other reviews I've read that for some this narrowed POV was a bit of a problem. No one had an issue with Emma's POV, it's her story more than anyone else's, but Reid provided some difficulty for some.

People questioned what he brought to the story and why we needed to know so much about what he was thinking. I for one thought it was brilliant to have his side of things. For one, if we had been given Graham's perspective, we'd know way too much! He would have told us right off how he was feeling and thinking, what his secret rendez-vous with Brooke meant, what he knew about her past with Reid. We would have know it all and so the tension the book hinged on, the confusing emotions and setbacks in various relationship all would have been blown to hell within the first few chapters. With Reid's POV we only get to see what he thinks and feels about the character that surround him but not too much about the ones that matter i.e Brooke and Graham because he isn't close to either of them or in direct contact with either. It's better that everything is cagey, left unsaid and left for readers to wonder about. I think also, that readers needed to get Reid's perspective as the reigning star. He's Hollywood, he's the spoiled, selfish cad who thinks it's all about him. He thinks this way because this is all he's ever known. He's built a career based on adoration and loves it. He thrives on it. But he also uses his fame and all the things that come with it to escape the reality of what he feels and all he has to deal with at home. As readers we get glimpses into his 'real' life and it's not pretty. You can imagine that he would act and do the things he does because he's been brought up in the lap of luxury and coldness. He known nothing else and so thrives a casual hookups and moments of comfort to get by without really looking for anything meaningful or with any sort of depth. I can't say I necessarily liked him - he was an ass, and I definitely didn't like him with Emma - but I understood him character and why he was the way he was. Tammara Webber was spot on with his character. He is playing the role of tons of star we probably know and love but really know nothing about. Ultimately there was nothing predictable about this book - and with a story surrounding a bunch of actors the story could have easily become just that - predictable. Instead Webber constructed a unique and captivating plot where everything just seemed to fit.

Overall the characterization was great, the cast great, the story amusing and absorbing and I loved every minute. I was shocked by the ending, but it made perfect sense and ended perfectly. I can't wait to see what happens in book 2. I hear Graham does get a POV which I am more than happy about! BRING IT ON.

Read it, support Webber, her book is awesome and the fact that it's self published is another great factor. I hear she's trying to get these books printed and I for one would love to see these stories picked up by a publisher. They would get such a wider audience which they richly deserve.

Great story!

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

4 Stars. (Contemporary YA - Travel Premise)

ARC provided by Netgalley. 

Hardcover, 335 pages

Expected publication: March 13th 2012 

Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard was a surprisingly great read. 

I was enraptured from the first page and couldn't find a good place to stick my bookmark. I stayed up way too late reading this book, so drawn in by the descriptions of Central America and Bria's own experiences as she found her way in this new tropical landscape.

Bria Sandoval is trying to escape, she running and wondering and trying to discover a part of herself she's lost, or a part of herself she never knew she had. Ultimately she'd trying to re-invent herself after friends, family and an ass of a boyfriend have all let her down with their lack of support and understanding. Bria is an artist and along with her loss of sense of self, she's also lost her will to draw, something that had consumed her so lovingly and made her so happy for so many years. She spontaneously decides to sign herself up for a tour of Central America, to visit Mayan ruins and see something of the world. Unbeknownst to her, Bria signs up for the wrong tour and gets stuck with a stuffy tour group full of people twice her age, only intent on staying on the beaten path and sticking to the rules. Bria meets a brother and sister duo - Starling and Rowan - both experts at straying into the wild and they both take her under their wing. She's got potential as a backpacker and Bria is desperate to shake herself up.

What transpires is a great travel book full of fun moments, great descriptions of place and loving characters you can't help but latch onto. Even the characters you can't stand are well drawn and totally believable. I really enjoyed Bria as a character and liked seeing her evolution from the sad, mixed up and hurt girl she was at the beginning of the trip, into the confident, sensitive, happy and capable girl she became by the end.

Rowan was a really great balance for Bria, an experienced traveler with his own set of hang ups and mistakes he's trying to make up for, he led her into the wild and kept her from shying away from experiences and retreating into herself. One of the best parts of this book was the slow progression of trust and friendship between these two characters. They each had trust issues, experiences with people from their past that kept them from wanting to fully confide in one another, but ultimately it was a such a nice and loving friendship with developed.

The setting was a third character in the book. So rich and lush in the descriptions of the different islands, Kristen Hubbard did a wonderful job of giving readers the sense that they were traveling alongside Bria and Rowan and the rest. I felt like I was in Belize and Guatemala, I felt like I was sitting in the sand and swinging in a hammock and could clearly picture everywhere these two landed on their journeys. I think it was a really smart and unique choice to place the book in Central America. I love travel books, they always make me want to book a flight to somewhere exotic, but the books are usually set in either Europe or become cross country trips across the US. I love each of these settings to pieces, but I hadn't yet come across a book that took flight in a tropical setting. I realized that I loved it and it made me imagine myself far away in the wilds of Belize having the time of my life along the way.

A really great read and just what I needed. Kristen Hubbard gives readers an insightful, charming read with just enough depth to make the characters feel familiar and the place feel like a haven. 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

5 Stars.

Fabulous Fabulous Fabulous

Obviously this gets 5 stars considering how quickly I whipped through it. Utterly captivating from the first page and I think even better than the Hunger Games . A must read for dystopian fans!

What a wild ride. Never a dull moment in this dystopian world created by new author Veronica Roth. Stepping into this new Chicago was a wild ride and one I absolutely adored. From the first page readers a brought into the society of factions - 5 in total - developed to make sure society remained calm, content, orderly and problem free.
Based of virtues, the 5 factions are as follows: Candor - the honest, Erudite - the intelligent, Abnegation - the selfless, Dauntless - the brave and Amity - the peaceful.

Our main protagonist, Beatrice was born into Abnegation. Each year, all sixteen year olds are put through a simulation test to assess the faction best suited to them. They are then meant to choose between the faction they were born into and the faction they want to live in for the rest of their adult lives. This is Beatrice's year to choose and the result is both surprising to herself and the rest of her family.

Thrust into a new world, Beatrice renames herself Tris and must follow a rigorous initiation faze in order to prove that she belongs with the faction of her choice. What follows for the reader is a roller coaster of events that doesn't let up until the end. I was addicted to this book and seriously could not bear to put it down. There never seemed an appropriate moment to close the cover and I longed to keep going even when sleep was necessary. I wanted so badly to read about Tris's experiences and how she would fare against the devious and sometimes downright nefarious actions of her fellow initiates.

When I say there is action in this book I mean it wholeheartedly. There is never a moment when somethings isn't happening and readers are consistently on the edge of their seats.

Tris was a nice character to follow. She was young and sometimes naive, but also brave and tough. She was determined to succeed, even against the toughest of adversaries and there was never a moment when she backed down. That isn't to say she didn't have her slightly annoying moments. She is thrust into unfamiliar territory and is discovering the reality of her faction, as well as they other four in a very in your face sort of way. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll leave it at that. Tris is trying to find her balance and at some points she is insecure or uncertain, in other brash and unkind but all her emotions make perfect sense for her circumstances, especially given her upbringing and her desire to make herself and others proud. Although some of her personality traits and decisions were slightly aggravating, it is only because they are human and real which more often than not removes the gloss we readers tend to like in our stories. I actually appreciated that Roth took things to the edges, she didn't shy away from the tough moments or make her characters unbelievable. She didn't succumb to convenience which I found was sometimes the case in The Hunger Games series, which is this stories closest comparison.

Tris's burgeoning relationship with one of her instructors was well developed and very sweet and tender. I loved reading the bits devoted to them and the moments the two shared tempered the action and softened both their personalities. It made them each human underneath the persona they had to develop in order to survive within their chosen factions. The boy she fancies (I won't divulge his name in order to avoid spoilers) is both charming, cold and distant, but very tender and loving. His history was well developed and I loved that his true personality the one locked beneath his tough exterior, was slowly unraveled for the readers. It made me appreciate his character all the more.

The characters were great, the action full throttle and the developing and overarching story very interesting! I can't wait to read the next two in the series to see how and where everything revealed in book one will develop. Like I mentioned, if the next two installments are as good as Divergent , The Hunger Games will soon be ousted as best dystopian YA series.

Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

2.5 Stars (Contemporary YA)

Unfortunately the follow up book to Elkeles's Leaving Paradise wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the first book. Return to Paradise starts off in with Caleb getting busted for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and his former parole officer Damon steps in to make sure Caleb isn't sent back to prison. Caleb is forced to join the RE-START team, basically a group of teens hurt by drunk driving who go from school to school relating their stories to discourage any other teens from following in their footsteps. Of course, Caleb is reunited with Maggie who volunteered for the program. Neither is aware the other will be there so of course drama ensues as they deal with unresolved emotions and untold secrets.

What could have been a great read that would have resolved many things for readers and lovers of the first book felt, so rushed and amateurish in terms of the overall flow and pacing of the story. From the beginning it felt like Elkeles had been forced to write this book within a short time frame and didn't bother to put in the necessary effort she had with her other books to make it something great. The overall flow of the story moved way too quickly, with emotions and issues being brought up and then quickly addressed only to be unrealistically resolved.

Nothing between Caleb and Maggie seemed all that realistic, their emotions and desires and personal drives were all over the place, flipping from one thought to the next in every other chapters. None of their thought processes were consistent where the other was concerned. At once they wanted each other but then didn't, and then did again, but couldn't and then pushed each other away but still wanted each other. It was sort of annoying.

The book read really quickly, mostly because the dialogue was rushed, scenes flipped through and verging on cliche in some moments. What could have been a great story, meaty and worth reading ended up being a quick recap of events from the previous book with a whole lots of unnecessary drama thrown in to ultimately give the reader the satisfying ending they may not have felt they got with book 1.

I can't say I loved the book, but it read quickly and gave Maggie and Caleb's story the resolution it deserved.

Maggie had her annoying moments, Caleb was confused and inconsistent a lot of the time, the writing seemed like something a debut novelist who didn't know much about her writing style would put out, if only hit the YA motherload of angst and forbidden love. I'm not sure I'd necessarily recommend this book, but if you've read book one maybe you'd want to read this if only to see how Maggie and Caleb end up.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

3.5 Stars. Paranormal Young Adult

The ending was suitably cliffhangerey and now I really want to get my hands on book two...oh Ms. Clare how you toy with us all!

Obviously, as anyone who knows me well can attest to, I am a huge Cassandra Clare fan. I whipped through the Mortal Instruments series in a weekend and the proceeded to talk about the genius of the storyline non-stop. Still guilty of that sometimes I think. I had the pleasure of meeting her in Dublin when she was here about a month back for a book signing and the meeting only made me more excited to start the Infernal Devices series when she answered questions from the audience about the book and the release of Clockwork Prince.

So, knowing that the release date was coming soon, I decided it was time to finally pull Clockwork Angel off my shelf and read it. I knew it would end in Clare fashion, with a nice cligghanger to keep us all guessing, which is partly why I waited so long to read this one until I knew book two would soon be in my hands.

I was intrigued by the storyline, the way Clare managed to converge the world of the Mortal Instruments and meld it together with the Steampunk genre that has become such a craze lately. The villains were new but recognizable if you've read her first series. The characters were much the same, thrust into the Shadowhunter world but different given the time period they live in and the fact that they are at the beginning of a war and don't have the luxury of looking back on past events in the same way as Jace, Alec, Izzy, Clary and company do in present day.

The story begins when Tessa Gray arrives on the shores of England to reunite with her brother Nate after the death of their aunt back in America. She is abducted by the Dark Sisters, two witches intent on unleashing a power Tessa never knew she had. She is later saved by Will Herondale and brought to the London institute for safety. She is introduced to the rest of the cast of characters, Jessamine, a shadowhunter by blood and birth but a lady at heart who wants nothing more than to turn her back on the world she knows in favour of ignorance and marriage in the Victorian world. Jem, Will's best friend, delicate and gentle, caring and understanding, who hides a sickness that incapacitates him. Charlotte and Henry, the married couple who run the institute as well as Thomas and Sophie, two servants who have the power of sight and can see beyond the mist of the Shadowhunters into their underground world - much as Clary could in the Mortal Instruments series. The action takes off as readers come to learn that Nate has disappeared and is supposedly being held captive by the Dark Sisters, Tessa is being hunted for her power by an unknown villain referred to as the Magistar who is threatening the Shadowhunters with an army made of neither angel or demon and therefore cannot be killed by the instruments used by the Shadowhunters.

The overall storyline was interesting and kept me reading, the characters were good, although lacked a bit of the zeal and were less relateable than characters from Clare's first series. Tessa as the main female character had moments that really grated on me. She is American coming into an unknown Victorian England world and all she knows and understands about society or the customs she has learned from books. This could have been cute, but was mostly annoying because her views were so antiquated. Obviously it fits with the way society was in the Victorian era, but instead of seeming real or reliable, Tessa only seemed naive and her naivete was annoying. She insisted more than once that it was wrong for women to be Shadowhunters, believing that women didn't have the same blood lust as men. She learned a lot through out the book, but I'm still shy of loving her.

Will was my favourite character. He stood out clearly to me as the main male character. Whether this changes as the love triangle develops further between Tessa, Will and Jem, I'll have to wait and see. So far though, he is the character I am most interested in. He was caustic and rude, charming and flippant, caring and quiet, quick to anger but clearly wracked with some sort of guilt of self-loathing. I was fascinated by the way he could be so much at once and can't wait to learn more about him and the secret he's carrying as we move into book 2. The cliffhanger at the end of this book had much to do with Will - and that's all I'll say.
He and Tessa had chemistry, but I felt like his feelings for her came on suddenly - mostly because he plays his emotions off so well and hides his thoughts so cleverly that there was hardly a moment when as a reader you knew what he was really thinking or feeling where Tessa was concerned. Also, because I was annoyed with her at the beginning, I wondered what it was Will thought so lovely about her. She had her moments, and these moments were mostly in her interactions with Will, but I wanted to see a bit more lightness from her.

Jem was sweet and kind and clearly has a good heart. I'm never as fascinated by the 'good guy' the tortured souls are always much more interesting a read!

Sophie I liked, she has zeal and strength and I like that Clare is bringing her in, even if only in a smaller side role. She has a lot to give to the story I think and I'm interested by what was revealed about her feelings for a certain boy. I think it could makes things very interesting.

Overall, the story was a good introduction to the Infernal Devices. I am geared up to read the next books in the series, although I will admit it took me longer to get into this book than it did in book 1 of the Mortal Instruments. The book lacked a bit of action that would have helped the thrust of the story. But around page 320 or so, I was suddenly sucked in and the story took off until the end. It happens with first books in a series, having to set up characters and back stories and the world itself, so I understand the lack of action could have been because of this. I love Clare though and will pretty much always read anything she writes. She has a great knack for storytelling and I can't wait to see this series fly in book two.

 

Lola and the Boy Next Door

4.5 Stars. Contemporary YA

Finished in a day...must have been good! :)

Stephanie Perkins made a fan out of me with Anna and the French Kiss it was an unexpected treat how much I liked that story, so it was with lots of excitement that I finally sat down to read Lola's story. Right away it had what I've come to consider Perkins's trademark sense of humour and quirky characters. But the overall feel of Lola was very different when compared to Anna's story. Apart from the fact that Anna was set in Paris, Lola is a story unto itself about a girl who is trying to find her place in a world that doesn't always allow people to be different.

Right away I admired Lola's flair for the odd, or dramatic or quirky or just fun. She had a trademark style all her own and didn't compromise that style for anyone. It made her different, it made her stand out, it made her LOLA. I really liked her character, although I did have a tiny annoyance with the fact that it took her so long to see through the BS of some of the people - namely one - in her life.

Cricket was a treat, sensitive, equally quirky as Lola, although in a different way, long lean and sweet as sugar pie. He was the perfect boy to lift Lola up and let her be the star she is. I think the thing I may have loved most about Cricket was the fact that he wasn't suave. He's not calculatingly charming, he doesn't know how good looking he is, in fact he seemed rather oblivious to the fact that he was a hottie! He only had eyes for Lola and wasn't afraid to put himself out there and declare his feelings, especially worried about letting a good thing pass him by twice.

I loved the progression of their rekindled friendship that then slowly moved into something deeper and more real. Lola and Cricket complimented one another perfectly and I really enjoyed their interactions as they went from awkward, to timid, to friendly, to reliant, to caring, to love.

It was a great surprise to see Anna and Etienne make cameo appearances through out the story and nice to see where they are in their lives now. I hope Lola and Cricket will get to be a part of Isla's story.

The only thing I have to say that nagged at me just a smidge while reading is that because readers know that Lola and Cricket have had a past, that they have known each other since they were little and that Lola used to care quite a bit for Cricket, it made it difficult in the present as they are reconnecting to really truly believe that Cricket loves Lola so much. It may sound weird, but for the most part Lola is in a dark place in her life when Cricket returns. She is going through a lot and although he's there to support her and help her through it, readers only see THIS Lola, so it was hard sometimes to see why Cricket would have fallen for her - what was it about Lola that made her so special to Cricket, so desirable. The way he acted was brilliant and heartfelt, but I had a moment or two of wondering how he could be so devoted to a girl who was so mixed up for the most part. She had her moments of meanness and uncertainty and insecurity and it wasn't always attractive. This was probably my only negative about the book - but it wasn't even a big one, not enough to dampen my overall enjoyment.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is a must read for Stephanie Perkins fans and a great companion book for all those who loved Anna and the French Kiss It made me want to visit Paris all over again!

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

3 Stars. {Paranormal YA}

no major spoilers below - although for those who don't know what happened to Dimitri at the end of book 3, you may not want to read on - although I mention nothing explicitly.

Not my favourite of the series, but a necessary part of the story as a whole!

I still can't decide if part of my disappointment with Blood Promise lies in the fact that I hadn't picked up a Vampire Academy book in months or if it really was just a disappointing part of the series. I think in a way it was both.
The series is written young, I knew that from the beginning, the action takes over the plot, but it suits the books considering the characters and Rose herself, who is a tough cookie and will always step out to protect her loved ones. Blood Promise though felt written very young. It circle around itself so often that I got bored at points.
Rose sets off to find Dimitri and after several days of aimless wondering is brought to the Belikov house to meet his mother and siblings. Rose cannot stop thinking about Dimitri, however. Because we only really get things from Rose's perspective, through her eyes as she narrates the story, the excessive pinning for Dimitri started to grate on my nerves. I'd usually be all for it, but her pining felt empty and didn't really hit me emotionally. She's hurting, yes. She's grieving, yes. But did I feel any of that? Not really, I saw it through Rose's actions and her determination to find Dimitri, but I got annoyed because every time she mentioned Dimitri it was as if she was doing the obligatory - I miss him, I love him, my life is incomplete without him. Got tiring to read let me tell you.

I also missed being at the Academy. From other reviews I read, I know this was a big let down for readers. I thought going in that I would be fine with it, but then as we learn what is happening back at the Academy in Rose's absence, I thought the storyline there much more interesting to the one I was following with Rose. Her's felt repetitive and at a standstill for much of the book, while Lisa and Adrian and the rest were all in movement, their story progressing each time. I wanted Rose to get herself together and get back to the Academy as quick as possible.

Now, Dimitri. Oh the heart breaker - for one, he wasn't in the book (unless you count how many times he was mentioned) until about 200 pages in. When he did show up though, I felt like the action started to pick up. He was dark and dangerous and not the Dimitri I was used to, but like Rose, I couldn't bear the thought of her having to kill him. He was still Dimitri in some small way. I enjoyed the push and pull between the couple. The way neither could really let go of the other. It was very much like an abusive relationship at points - with Rose losing all of her strength and everything that makes her Rose, and Dimitri the cause of her retreat. I thought this was well played, but also hard to read given that I love Rose and wanted her to thrive.

The ending was perfect, I guessed some of the revelations, but the main one which will be the key in the coming books was a surprise and I am now anxious to see how all this information will play into the final books of the series. Some heavy duty drama is on the way.

Ultimately, this book was a necessary step in the series, although I did think it was dragged out much longer than it really needed to be. All the stuff we get at the beginning while Rose is staying with Dimitri's family could have bee hugely condensed, likewise with some of the action after she finds him. The book was really just too long and didn't need to be, which made me all the more anxious to just finish it.
We do find out some pertinent information by the end, so it is an important part of the series and must be read. We also meet several new characters in this book - Jill (Jail bait - loved that), Sydney, Abe, the list goes on, but I have a feeling these are the prominent characters in books to come.

All in all and okay read, by no means my favourite, but now that it's done I can move onto Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice ! Yay!