Review: Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

 
Publisher: Egmont
Pub. Date: April 10, 2012
Source: Library
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Rating: 2 Stars
Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns. (Goodreads)

Being the lover of fairy tale stories that I am, I had high hopes for this book. Mira runs away from her two godmothers to go to the town where her parents died so she can find their graves. As the story continues we learn that many of the people in that town (the people who Mira get' caught up with) were cursed. All of their curses are from old fairy tales or folk tales. The main characters in the book will all one day do the same things as the fairy tale characters they were cursed as (like the girl cursed with the snow white curse will eat and apple and fall asleep and a guy will be the woodsman and try to cut out her heart). The concept was really cool, I liked that instead of the characters actually being the fairy tale characters, they were just cursed with... I guess you would call them attributes of their fairy tale counter parts.

Like I said the concept was cool, but I couldn't connect with a single character. I found myself reading, then just staring at a page because I just couldn't connect. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Mira is really freaking annoying, and ungrateful, and I didn't like how she just accepted that they were people running around with fairy tale curses, but she couldn't accept the fact that the guy she was falling, a 20 year old man to her 15 named Felix, for was no good. None of it made any sense. I had such high hopes and they were dashed. I'm going to go read Cruel Beauty now to clear my mind.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•  Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teasers!

My Teaser

"What am I doing here? And, while we're at it, where is here, anyway? She looked at the door as if she could see the headmistress through it. Why would they tell her about Christopher? That's none of her business."

Pg.17 Night School by C.J. Daugherty 

Sorry, sorry, sorry

 

Sorry for the sporadic posts guys. So here's the deal. Grad school has been a bit of a... problem, and in more than the normal ways I'm afraid. I've just finished week 1 of a 5 week class, the teach actually broke it all up so we see how she's squeezing in the 15 weeks that this class would normally take. Needless to say the blogging is going to slow down. I'm not going away, I'll still be reading posts, and tweeting, and reading. I'm just not going to be able to keep up with the 5 days a week like I want to. But I'll defiantly still be around, I'm doing that awesome Book n' Blogger Swap. I'm slowly accumulating the things I want to assigned send to my book swap buddy Sarah over at The Rooster and the Sunflower. So if you don't see a post every day, don't give up on me. In fact, cross your fingers for me because I'm probably hyperventilating in a corner somewhere trying to write some paper about being a Reference Librarian.

Review: Party Games by R. L. Stine

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

 
Pub. Date: Sept. 30, 2014

Format: Paperback 

Source: Publisher (via Connecticut Library Association Conference)

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller, Mystery




Teaser premise by R.L.Stine:

It’s about girl named Rachel, who Brendan Fear invites along with a bunch of other people to the Fear’s summer house on Fear Island, in the middle of a lake. They’re 17, in high school. It’s Halloween time, and they’re reopening the summerhouse just for this party. Brendan invents games, he loves games, and one by one the guests start getting murdered—every murder is attached to a game. One girl is found all folded up and there’s a note that says, ‘Twister, anyone?’ They’re trapped on an island, and there’s a killer there who wants to kill everyone. (Goodreads)
 
I got this book when I went to an event called the Connecticut Library Association's annual meeting. One of the seminars I went to was on upcoming YA books and the publishers of this book was present and were handing out galleys.

I haven't read an R. L. Stine book since I was in middle school reading Goosebumps, and reading this book I felt like I fell right back into that time. The book is fast pace, action packed, and "scary". I put quotes around the scary because (spoiler alert)people keep dying, which is kind of scary, but not really. When people were dying =, I had a hunch, which turned out to be correct, but then we were thrown a curve ball that I didn't see coming.

There isn't a ton of character development in this book, but I don't think there is supposed to be, there never is in these Goosebump type books. There's action, a little scary, then it's over.

I give this book 3.9 stars because it's not for me, but this is another book that I will thrust upon the reluctant readers who are pushed into the library. It's rated YA but with the exception of like three kisses, there's not much going on that I would deem inappropriate o=for middle grade kids.

Not for me R. L. Stine, but good job. Keep up the good work.

Books 'n' Blogger Swap

Book 'n' Blogger Swap is hosted by Chaotic Goddess. I'm so excited to do this. It sounds like so much fun!!! 

Your Swap Objective

Send your partner THREE books:

1. A book you love
2. A book you haven't read but are interested in
3. A book from your partner's wish list

Dates to Remember:

• Sign-Ups Start:  Monday, June 2nd at 12AM
• Sign-Ups End: Monday, June 9th at 11:59PM
• First Post MUST be Posted by: Tuesday, June 10th at 11:59PM
• Partners assigned: Wednesday, June 11th
• Packages Shipped: Friday, June 27th & Saturday June 28th
• Show-Off Linky Opens: Wednesday, July 2nd
• Show-Off Linky Closes: Friday, July 18th

Books 'n' Bloggers Swap Rules

• After being accepted, you must post on your blog saying you're participating.  Post must include the button/link back to the sign-ups and must be posted before June 11th.
• Packages must contain 3 books that fit the criteria stated in the Swap Objective.
• Send books that fit your partner's genre preferences.
• You must respond to emails from the swap hosts within a timely fashion.
• Books MUST be mailed on or before June 28th!
• You must send a tracking number for your package to your partner and to us at Chaotic Goddess Swaps.
• You MUST post and link up your swap reveal post. This is non-negotiable.

Review: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

Publisher:  Roc Hardcover

Publishing Date: march 4. 2014

Format: Audio Book

Source: Audible

Genre: Fantasy





After winning the trust of the terra indigene residing in the Lakeside Courtyard, Meg Corbyn has had trouble figuring out what it means to live among them. As a human, Meg should be barely tolerated prey, but her abilities as a cassandra sangue make her something more.

The appearance of two addictive drugs has sparked violence between the humans and the Others, resulting in the murders of both species in nearby cities. So when Meg has a dream about blood and black feathers in the snow, Simon Wolfgard—Lakeside's shape-shifting leader—wonders whether their blood prophet dreamed of a past attack or of a future threat.

As the urge to speak prophecies strikes Meg more frequently, trouble finds its way inside the Courtyard. Now the Others and the handful of humans residing there must work together to stop the man bent on reclaiming their blood prophet—and stop the danger that threatens to destroy them all. (Goodreads)

Aaaaaand, I still love Anne Bishop. You know why I love her, I'll tell you why. I love a good romance as much as the next person. But I also love a good story/ mystery. Anne Bishop manages to tell a good story, with just enough romance to make you happy, but it's done in a very realistic way that doesn't overshadow the actual plot of the story.

In this story humans are beginning to revolt against the control that the others have on them. A man has been sent out to hunt for Cassandra Sangue, and we watch Simon try to figure out why he's so ridiculously possessive of Meg. While all of that is happening, Meg's abilities seem to be growing and she's unconsciously formed a pack of human females around herself.

I don't want to say too much about the book without spoilers. Basically I love watching Simon and Meg, their tap dance is amazing. I wish we saw more of Sam because he's adorable. I'm kind of a fan of Nathan, he's hilarious, and I can't wait until book 3 comes out.

5 stars Read this!!

Feature and Follow #13

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee.

Question of the Week: What are your non-book guilty pleasures? Like TV shows, food, websites, hobbies, etc.

I don't even have cable but I'm obsessed with Once Upon A Time and Switched at Birth. I love going out with my friends to de-stress and when we go out, our biggest guilty pleasure is karaoke and I'm not afraid to admit it :) Oh and Tumblr will eat your soul.

Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: March 4, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchase from BN
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most. (Goodreads)

I'm not sure what to say about this book... I liked it. This little town in upstate New York (I think it's upstate), holds this competition every summer for graduating seniors called Panic. Throughout the summer competitors have to do crazy scary things like walk across little wooden beams hundred of feet in the air and play russian roulette. The winner get's all of this money that had been collected throughout the year. It seems like everyone in the tow knows about it, but it's this hush hush mafia type thing. Our main characters are all involved in one way or another, and chaos ensues.

One of my favorite things about this book is that we bounce between Heathers POV and Dodges POV. Baby spoiler, but not really, those two are not the love interest in the story. Typically, we have the girl and in addition to handling the issues of the story, she's also trying to get a handle on her male counterpart. Then we bounce in the male's head and how he's in love with the girl, but woe is me, something something, I'm going to mess everything up by not being honest and not communicating. We are the readers are shaking the book and yelling JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY, because we know for a fact that they both like each other (don't get me wrong, I LOVE that stuff when it's done well, that's just not what happened in this book, okay actually it is, but it's not the main focal point of the book). We have Dodge, who's in love with Nat for goodness only knows what reason. She called him Dave for goodness sake. To be honest, I think that was one of my biggest issues with this book. Why in the heck did he like her so much. She was 5 foot nothing, and pretty. So freaking what. (Can you feel my bitterness readers??) I guess I identified more with Heather. Kind of an amazon when having out with my friends (she was 5'10" I think and I'm 5'9", all my friends are around Nat height), and she's surrounded by these short cute, doll like people, and doesn't feel like she fits on belongs. Yup, that can be me in a nut shell, except Heather is 18 and I'm 26. Hmmmm, weird. Whatever, I just like that for once, we had a protagonist who was a pretty plain person in the looks department. In other books we have those girls who think of themselves as nothing special, but we know that it's actually a lie and she's beautiful. That wasn't the case with Heather, she was plain and normal and she burped the alphabet. End, of, story.

I enjoyed the fact that this book took place in some out of the way, small, beat up town. It was also interesting how different all of the main characters living situations were. I don't know, it added a little something.

There were some serious character changes at the book developed. Heather, was almost like a different person . She was still Heather, but she wasn't going to let life walk all over her anymore, she was going to fight back. Poor Dodge, it was like his whole life collapsed in on him. He had the saddest reason for entering Panic, in my opinion, and by the end, I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. It was pretty freaking intense. Nat... well, you've heard how I feel about superficial, pretty, short people so, enough said. I loved how much she loved Heather, but she was just so full of herself.

All in all, I give Panic a 3.9, I liked it, and I will suggest it to my teens at the library but I wasn't floored by it.

Review: Portrait of Us by A, Destiny and Rhonda Helms

Publisher:Simon Pulse
Pub Date: May 8, 2014
Format: Paperback
Source: Barnes and Noble
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

First crush, first love, first kiss;in this addition to the sweet and clean Flirt series, art may be the common ground between opposites Corinne and Matthew in their summer class.

Corinne is looking forward to a perfect summer taking classes at a local art studio, where a famous artist-in-residence will be teaching. She's always wanted to focus more on her art, and the related competition (and grand prize) would be a perfect way to end the summer.

Her dreams become muddled when she finds out she has to work with Matthew;the arrogant, annoying jock whose postmodern style seriously clashes with her classic aesthetic.

But what she expects to be a total nightmare turns out to be something different when she finds that maybe, just maybe, Matthew isn't as bad as she thought. Underneath that jock exterior, he might be someone Corinne could tolerate. Or possibly even like.

The question is…does Matthew feel the same way? Or is this all just a summer fling? (Goodreads)

*Sigh* Without going into too much of a rant this is exactly the kind of book I've been looking for. It's a book about a girl and a boy. There is plot, conflict, interest, and intrigue, and it ends in a Happily ever after as the cover tells us it will and the main female character happens to be African-American. End of rant and on to the actual book.

I enjoyed this story and not because I've finally found a normal, average, every day character that kind of looks and acts like me. Corrine is an artist, she enjoys finding classically beautiful things in the world and creating an exact replica. It easy to see that art is her passion, but her parents believe that her future is in academics, and push her to be the best. Corrine has a limited view of the world around her, which is interesting because artists are suppose to see the world in a unique and interesting way.

Enter Matthew.

Matthew is also an artist. However, where Corrine is considers models, flowers, and landscapes beautiful (typical), Matthew uses modern art techniques to show the beauty in confusing metal work, newspaper strips, and barbie heads. He's a jock, but we are the readers are quick to pick up on the fact that there's more to him than that.

I was very impressed with Corrine's character development in this story. Her life was structured, and typical, but Matthew forced her to see that you can find beauty and inspiration in everything around you, Through that process she was also able to stand up for the kind of future she saw for herself, and not bow down to her parents wants. Although there were times when I wanted to shake the stubbornness out of Corrine (if I heard her talk about how different she and Matthew were one more times, I though I was going to freak) it was kind of okay. Matthew was new and different and he scared the heck out of her. I feel like Corrine's reaction of Matthew hit perfectly with her character type.

I'm not sure why no one has reviewed this book yet, but I think that's silly. Is this some overbearingly fabulous work of literature akin to someone like Ellen Hopkins, no. (I know their writing styles are nothing alike but I was speaking to the impact the story leaves). However that doesn't mean that this isn't a good book. I'll be ordering this for my library and recommending it to others.

4 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

The romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them.

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

Release Date: February 3, 2015

Loved the first book, can't wait for the second book!!!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•  Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teasers!

My Teaser

"For weeks now, the guy in the apartment across the courtyard has sat on his balcony and played and played for at least an hour. Every night, I sit outside and listen."
Pg.13 Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Making up For Monday #6

Making Up for Monday is a weekly meme hosted by An Avid Reader, A Wannabe Writer

This weeks question: We are all readers but, who owns a TV? Why, or why not?



I own a TV. I love reading, but sometimes, I just don't feel like it. I just don't want to read, I know... crazy. I also like to go to sleep to background noise and I prefer my TV, I want to sing to music, and I hate when I fall asleep during my audio books, so I turn on a random show and fall asleep. It just works for me. However, I don't have cable, I just use Netflix. Does that count as TV??