Review: Wondrous Strange (Wondrous Strange #1) by Lesley Livingston

Wondrous Strange (Wondrous Strange #1) by Lesley Livingston

Published: October 6th 2009 by HarperTeen

 Rating: 3 out of 5

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Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow thinks that playing the role of the fairy queen Titiana in a production of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream could be her lucky break - if she can pull it off.

But when she meets the handsome Sonny Flannery, Kelley has to face the shocking truth that the world of Faeries is all too real - and that she an unwitting part of it. Sonny warns Kelley that she is no mere mortal, and that she is being haunted by powerful forces from the Faerie realm.

Now, Kelley must come to terms with her heritage - and her growing feelings for Sonny - if she wants to save not only herself, but also the human world that she holds dear.

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Review:

For me, its very hard to beat Julie Kagawa's The Iron King series, however Wondrous Strange does a good job.

Kelley is launched into a world of Season Courts, Seelie and UnSeelie, and learns something about her past while she's about it.

While the story is quick and is brought along by great dialogue, and quirky happenings along Kelley's adventure, it must be noted that there wasn't really anything new or greatly original about the story.

Most of the unpredictability happens closer to the end, and around two thirds of the way through I was getting a little bit bored. The romance was slow burning, a nice change from the insta-love bunch, but still was a little too tame with a lacking of passion.

Regardless, I did enjoy it, and will pick up the next in the series, but I wasn't blown away by it.

-CBx

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About the Author

LESLEY LIVINGSTON is a writer living in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of twelve books to date. Her first novel, WONDROUS STRANGE, was winner of the CLA Young Adult Book of the Year 2010, a White Pine Honour Book, shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Speculative Fiction, and in 2015 was named one of CBC’s “100 YA Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian”. DARKLIGHT, the second book in this series was a finalist for the Indigo Teen Read Awards. The concluding volume in the trilogy, TEMPESTUOUS, was a finalist for the Monica Hughes Award. These books have sold to more than ten countries to date, and WONDROUS STRANGE has been optioned for film/TV by Shaftesbury Films. Her other trilogies have both won the Copper Cylinder award for Young Adult fiction.

You can find Lesley Livingston here:

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Dusty Reads #5. Meridian (Fenestra, #1) by Amber Kizer

Meridian (Fenestra #1) by Amber Kizer

Publishers: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Published Date: August 11th 2009
From: Bought
My rating: 4 out of 5

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads where we spotlight a book sitting in our TBR pile. My twist is that I actually, finally, read them!

Synopsis:
Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.

Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.

Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

Review:
After 18 months I scooped Meridian off my shelf to finally read. The top was coated in dust but the pages inside were perfect, still untouched. I should have read it sooner. The sequel is now out and the third one is available as an ARC. The time was right to give it a go. Finally!

For starters the story is simple. We don't get bogged down with lots of characters. The tension is throughout and the main character Meridian is extremely likable. The enemy is known from about the middle of the book and there are many surprises that come at Meridian from the start.

Auntie and Tens are an unusual combination. Tens is Auntie's man-Friday. As Auntie is 106 years old it surprised me how capable she still is, but as she shares Meridians angelness she becomes an excellent teacher of all things worldly, and not just with the otherworldly stuff. Tens comes over as stubborn and intense. Meridian is unsure if he likes her, even as a friend. But soon they share adventures that draw them together as much more.

And there's nothing better than an evil Church cult coming to town. The cult convince the townsfolk that Auntie is to blame for the bad things that have happened in their lives. Pretty soon Auntie is being shunned from her normal society and things turn really hairy when the leader starts intimidating Meridian. Only a few people come to the rescue but they are worthy.

While all this evil is happening Meridian is learning about her gift, her craft. She's a window that allows souls to pass through to the other side. Its tricky, and she doesn't get it right in the beginning. But Tens is there to help her through it.

I loved the freshness of this story. It's not like anything I've read before and I really enjoyed it. Even Tens, who I couldn't like in the beginning, changed my mind. Auntie is wonderful too.
The ending leads us on a path to the next book and I'm excited for the start of this series!
-CBx

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Review: Moon Rise (Unbidden Magic #2) by Marilee Brothers

My Rating: 4 out of 5
THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND BELL BRIDGE BOOKS  FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION

Synopsis:
Her mom's still dating losers. Her boyfriend's gone back to Mexico. Dad still hasn't told his wife and kids that she exists. At school, the drama queens and bullies still rule. But worst of all for Allie Emerson--aka the Star Seeker of an old Gypsy prophecy--is that her powers have taken a hike. She can't read minds anymore. She can't move stuff just by looking at it. The other Star Seekers are counting on her psychic gifts more than ever, and the evil Tri-marks are closing in, eager to snatch her magic moonstone necklace while she's helpless. The hot new guy at school is ready and willing to fight her battles, but he comes with some wicked baggage. Dear Diary: I'm a little worried. My new BF is a demon. Welcome again to Allie Emerson's funny, scary, amazing, and always unpredictable life, as the girl voted least likely to save the world from evil.

Review:
I had so much fun reading Moonstone that I had to follow straight on to Moon Rise. Again this book is quirky, funny with great humour moments but Moon Rise brings a darker side to Allie's life. The Trimarks are proper evil, no doubt about that, and her biggest danger is not only the lose of her powers but also who to trust.

With her boyfriend Junior making a quick exit prior to the start of this sequel, we feel Allie's pain as she's let down again by someone close to her. Her mother still drags home the obnoxious loser boyfriend and disregards her feelings on the matter, and her father still holds her at arms length. But things turn out more terrible when Allie finds out that the only person who can help regain her powers is the hot new guy at school with his own secrets and a weird stare. He's half-demon with a twin sister who looks at Allie like she's puddle mud.

The secrets come out and Allie begins to experience new adventures, especially when she's near Beck Bradford. His psychic healing involves a lot of touching, not something she's comfortable with. He can daze people with his amber eyes and draw in their emotions, turn them around and project a sense of calm. But does he only affect Allie this way because she's the bearer of the Moonstone. He says not but she's unsure.

An old enemy comes back to school which turns everything on its head in a bad way. Can anyone rescue her in time?

Again Brothers pulls it out of the bag. The romance and the boys are hotter, the emotions are more acute and Allie still treats us to her quirky life full of twists and turns. I loved this one a little more than Moonstone and will continue with Moon Spun to discover whats next in Allie's quest for the Moonstone secrets. Will she fulfill the prophecy? I can't wait to find out!

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Review: Deadly Little Lies (Touch #2) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very "mysterious" gift--pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?

Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her.

But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past--and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who--before it's too late.

My Review:
This book was so much better than the first. The mystery and intrigue gets better and better throughout the book, and towards the end I had no idea who was the bad guy. Camelia is still being secretive with her parents, some thing I'd hoped she'd get over. But her parents have enough on their plate with Aunt Alexia being in hospital, then wanting to meet with Camelia's mum finally.
Kimmie and Wes prove to be true friends still but I was surprised how little they helped Camelia out. Apart from school lunches where they discuss pending doom and disaster, neither of them openly offer to walk Camelia home or stay with her in case of danger. Again, after the kidnapping in the first book I thought her friends would be a little more vigilant.
Camelia and Ben still have a very strained relationship. The new guy Adam is pushing Ben's buttons from afar and vise versa but little does Camelia know the true story from them.
The ending was a happy one though, and all loose ends tied up nicely. Even a glimmer of hope awaits our heroine....
CBx

Review: Deadly Little Secret (Touch #1)
by Laurie Faria Stolarz

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Review: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Synopsis:
When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.

Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

Review:
I loved all the charcters of the first book so I had to find out what was going to happen with Kayley, Nash, Tod and her family considering the end of the first book pretty much left all of that high and dry.

Firstly Kaylee is now living with her father, which she gets on with even though he now puts down rules for her which she didn't really have before. He tries to act like a father should except he hasn't been around for thirteen years so this scenario would have driven me crazy but Kaylee handles it well.

Kaylee herself develops such an understanding of herself in this book. She steps up every time and takes the lead. And everyone else follows her, which considering she wasn't aware of her Banshee background until a few weeks before is great. The only thing she has issues with is self-confidence when it comes to Nash. She constantly asks herself if he'll leave her once they get further in their relationship (and by further I mean sex). In one way this is her immaturity showing through, she's not that experienced when it comes to boys and we all know that Nash is more experienced when it comes to girls.

No matter how many times these two charcters try to bond more in their love there are always complications or interruptions. Mostly from Reaper brother, Tod, who in my mind would have had a frying pan in the face if he carried on those antics. Either Tod is trying to intervene in some way or just being downright annoying, I don't know but he does prove that he's a valuable friend in this book and clearly thinks alot of Kaylee (more than he should? we'll see).

The premise of the story is rescueing Addy from dying and entering the Netherworld because she sold her soul. There's always a hidden message in Vincent's stories and this comes out loud and clear. Nothing is worth selling out for, and fame and fortune doesn't come easily. You have to work for it through hard graft and determination. Any shortcut is going to have side effects.

While Kaylee battles with new baddy Avari, we also have Emma join us in the know-how of Banshee and otherwordly life. She understands that more is going on than she realises but is happy with the 'Don't ask - don't tell' arrangement with Kaylee.

Overall, I liked this book. Not as much as the first but it comes up with a good plot and great twists and turns. The characters have all developed more since the first book and I know that alot is being left for the third to continue with.

A great book of the series.

Here's the book trailer! Enjoy!

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Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Review:
Wow! Kaylee is one of those heroines who you just want to be like. She's smart, funny, completely adorable, and has the most awesome friendship with her best friend, Emma. Plus, brand new boyfriend, Nash, is so devoted I almost have a crush on him myself.

This book takes on the Banshee element of Paranormal and its not one I've read about before. The whole premise of Irish Banshees was fully covered, and understandable. Wrapped into a likeable story and realistic situations this action packed adventure is definitely one to get your hands on.

Here's the book trailer! Enjoy!

You can reach Rachel Vincent here:

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Review: How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation by Simone Elkeles

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
Guess who's jetting to the Holy Land this summer!

Remember me, Amy Barak-Nelson—a.k.a the queen of disaster? In case you forgot, my boyfriend Avi is in the Israeli army. A visit is definitely in order.

Somehow my grandmother convinced me to sign up for two weeks of pure hell in a military training base. Getting up before dawn, peeing in a hole, and playing war games in the desert isn't my idea of fun. But what's worse? Our team leader turns out to be Avi!

Review:
This time Amy's adventure takes her to Israeli Defence Force boot camp. And she has her friends with her also. But her motives are far different from theirs. She only wants to see Avi and spend time with him. Except he's a soldier now and can't just drop out of duty just to be with his girlfriend ( he has no idea she's arriving, I might add).

For the most part, again, this story was fun and Amy was as witty as ever. However she's taken a turn for worse by becoming a little too ignorant and whiny. She doesn't get why Avi can't spend time with her, or why they can't just make out like a boyfriend/girlfriend. She's naive to the max and it does become annoying after a while. She also gets a little too self-centred when it comes to her friends. Her whole world suddenly revolves around seeing Avi, speaking to Avi and getting Avi into trouble.

But by the end she does redeem herself and all loose ends are tied up. The ending didn't seem like a proper finale so I do hope the Elkeles thinks about writing a 4th.

Overall, not as good as the first two but heartwarming, funny and lighthearted.

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Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a tough review for me as I'm currently sitting on the fence about a few issues with this book. Firstly, here's the ...

Synopsis
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review:
So. Firstly I liked Nora. She's a well grounded, inquisitive sixteen year old. Her friend Vee is a little OTT with all the sexual innuendo. Certainly if she was my friend I'd be telling her to shut up and accept me as I am. Vee Sky acts a little bit manipulative on occassions which I didn't think a best friend would really do. She certainly didn't treat Nora's opinion with grace.

Patch, as a leading male, is who I'm on the fence about. I've read a few reviews and LOTS of reviews gush about him. But I think he's a little bit too manipulative also. For most of the book I couldn't work out (through the authors descriptive writing) whether he was a good guy or bad guy. The switching of minds and opinions really through me. Even at the end I wasn't sure what EXACTLY was going on. So it troubles me that Nora could fall for a guy who chased her around a car in the car park, and then was rough with her at the motel. That kind of roughness doesn't sit well with me, nor should it have a place in a Young Adult book unless it holds a deeper warning for teenagers.

There were lots of religious references which didn't really come to much. But the actual Prologue and development of the story didn't really materialise until the end which I think could have been utilised more during the filler part of the story.

I'm giving this book a 4 but I think it's really a 3.5. There were a few unanswered questions that have been left hanging and I'm fine with that. But what really let this book down was the ending. To gloss over the whole 'what happened' when she finds herself back in her bedroom took away the whole flow of what could have been a gripping finale. Shame.

I'm reading Crescendo now. Review will be soon!

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Review - Blood Promise (Vampire Academy 4) by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

by Richelle Mead

Synopsis:

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

My Review:

This book wasn't really up to the standard of the last 3. Rose disappears to Siberia to trace Dimitri's family and for my liking spends a little too much time dallying than getting on with what she must. We meet the Alchemist, Sydney, who shows that while she finds dhampirs, moroi and strigoi all unquenchably vile she's willing to accept Rose for what she is.
Rose eventually finds Dimitri but of course he's Strigoi. More time passes as she's kept prisoner by him. All he wants to do is awaken her. All she wants to do is kill him.
For me this is the ultimate in any love story and I can truly understand why Rose doesn't act immediately. She's still drawn to him even though he's the enemy. We see that her understanding of Strigoi changes as she tries to dampen her feelings towards Dimitri but cannot. 
Rose also delves into Lissa's mind and finds her friend has been picking up bad habits from a newbie at school. Lissa is suffering and needs Rose's help. This part of the story spoilt it as I think more should have been focused on Rose.
We're left with another cliff hanger which will lead straight on to book 5. 

Review - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

3 out of 5

Synopsis:

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol. Catching Fire maintains the adrenaline rush of Suzanne Collins's series launch.

My Review:

I'm pretty sure I've developed a love-hate relationship with this series. These books aren't bad, not at all, they just can't manage to capture me! I got into the first book a lot quicker than this one; after half the book had passed I still didn't feel that need to finish it so I actually had to take a break for a while. And while the first book felt original--one of the reasons to why I did end up really enjoying it--this one felt more as a repetition of the same story. I know that it didn't end up the same, far from, but that was during the last 30% and when I actually became glued to the pages.

After that ending though, I have to read the final one. Have to, not really wanting to. Don't get me wrong, I do want to know what to happens to the characters. Very much! I just don't want to read the books. There's something about the way they're written that just feels so drawn-out and slow that I don't want to drag myself through another one. I want to read because it's fun and not find reasons to get out of reading. But I really can't leave the characters without knowing what will happen now and thus I will get the final book as well. See; love-hate relationship.

I have to say that the last part of this book did bump it up from a 2 star rating to a 3 one though. I can say one thing; even if I don't like actually reading them, there's nothing wrong with the plot and characters!

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance

Review:
This book had so much hype I had to read it. I've never read Stiefvater before so really didn't know what I was getting in to.

First off, the characters were too ordinary. Despite the fact that Sam is a wolf he's just a half-human/half-wolf. He has no flair or excitement about him. No real back story except oh yeah he happens to be a wolf. Grace is a little too dull for my liking. And the friends seem to be too stereotypical friends. The bitchy one (Isabel) then the fun one (Olivia). Grace has parents who again, stereotypically, don't particularly like the new boyfriend etc etc.

It's a really slow read, not a great storyline, too many parallels to Twilight for my liking, and random poems thrown in to make it a little bit arty.

The book did make me shiver, but not in a good way.

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Review - Fallen by Lauren Kate

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her

My Review:

My motto stands. Always read a book more than once to truly 'get' it.

First read: I loved the story of Luce and Daniel. I thought the push and pull of their character's made for great reading. As Luce goes through trying to piece her life back together after a horrific accident that claims the life of a friend of hers she is sent to a reform school. Luce didn't expect Swords & Cross to be the place where she finally figures out who she really is.

When Luce lays her eyes on Daniel she has a weird sense of De ja vu. Trying to figure out the connection with Daniel she sets out to find out everything she can about the elusive Daniel Grigori.The plot of Fallen was entrancing. I was enthralled with all the character's. Each one of their quirky personalities made them excellent side character's.

Second Read: While I still had the thrill of the first read the second time around was different. I began to see the characters for what they really are. Luce is a little bit shallow. Her life revolves around her. She finds a friend in Penn but all they do and talk about is Daniel and what Luce wants from a relationship with him. She also flicks between Daniel and Cam a little too often, leading Cam on a little too much, surely she's in love with Daniel? 

Luce also really doesn't have much else going for her apart from her infatuations. She doesn't easily make friends or have any interest in their lives other than for her own benefit.

Daniel also becomes too soft. Surely he's supposed to be this bad guy considering he's in a reform school but his actions (with the exception of a fight scene with Cam) are just way tooooo gushy. No backbone.

When I left the story the second time I couldn't help wondering the following two things.

1) What were a bunch of Angels doing at the reform school in the first place - was it just to find Luce (when Daniel pointedly said that she always just 'shows up' and he doesn't look for her any more). Surely these Angels have better things to do with their eternity?

2) If Daniel is the leader and the victim of the whole 'fallen' thing why isn't he more manly in his actions rather than the dull, gushy, wistful, no personality boy he appears to be.

Hmm. Lots to think of.