Book: Where She Went by Gayle Foreman

Published April 2011|Published by Penguin Group

E-book|Borrowed from the library|168 pages

Series: If I Stay #2

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Gayle Forman’s Website

Summary: The highly anticipated sequel to the “New York Times” bestselling and critically acclaimed “If I Stay” 

Picking up several years after the dramatic conclusion of “If I Stay,” “Where She Went” continues the story of Adam and Mia, from Adam’s point of view. Ever since Mia’s decision to stay – but not with him – Adam’s career has been on a wonderful trajectory. His album, borne from the anguish and pain of their breakup, has made him a bona fide star. And Mia herself has become a top-rate cellist, playing in some of the finest venues in the world. When their respective paths put them both in New York City at the same time, the result is a single night in which the two reunite – with wholly satisfying results.

After listening to If I Stay, I knew I had to read Where She Went to see what happened to Mia.  And while I really liked If I Stay, I just LOVED Where She Went.

Where She Went takes place 3 years after If I Stay.  We see what life is like for both Adam and Mia, but Where She Went is seen through Adam’s eyes and we learn what happened after Mia decided to stay.

I just…I loved that we learn about Mia’s recovery through Adam’s memories.  Life has taken them in very different directions, and at the start of the novel, they are no longer a couple.  In fact, they broke up several years earlier, and that’s another thing we learn as the story progresses- why they broke up…and the happy ending for them…because they end up getting back together!

It’s such an emotional book- in some ways, it’s just as emotional as If I Stay, because you see the aftermath of Mia’s decision and Adam’s promise.  And in some ways, it’s even more emotional because you see how much things have changed.  Just thinking about Where She Went is making me all teary-eyed!

I’m kind of feeling like nothing I say can describe how heart-breaking but completely amazing this book is.  Where She Went has some similarities to If I Stay, and it’s pretty much in the way both stories are told.  You see Adam reflecting on the last few years, and past and present are woven together really well, in the same way you see Mia reflect on memories of her family and struggling with the decision to live or die.

It’s so hard to believe that Where She Went takes place over 2 or 3 days, because so much happens.  But it didn’t feel like everything was crammed together- everything just worked so well and unfolded so naturally.  I really do love how we learn things in bits and pieces.

And I SO COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY LOVED all of the songs at the beginning of each chapter.  They’re from the fictional Shooting Stars album and they…I can’t even begin to describe how much I FELT just reading them.  I so wish they were real songs…and knowing me, I’d be a complete mess if I listened to them.

It’s so weird that I got a lot more emotional reading Where She Went.  I mean, it’s pretty much about an angsty musician, and you’d think the one where a girl is in a coma and loses her parents and brother would have me crying throughout the book.  That’s what you’d think, right?  And yet Where She Went…there’s just something about the pain Adam’s in- the despair, the sadness, the anger- you feel it all, and you just can’t help but FEEL for him.

I totally wanted to dislike Mia in Where She Went.  Y0u see how confused Adam is, and that he has no clue as to why Mia broke up with up him, or what’s going on with her.  It all makes sense in the end, and while I understand why she acted the way she did, I just didn’t like her as much as I thought I would.  Don’t get me wrong, I like her, and find her interesting, but there’s something so much more interesting about Adam’s story.

Final Thoughts:

Is it obvious that I loved Where She Went?  Because I do!  It’s a little weird to me that I loved Where She Went SO MUCH MORE than If I Stay, but I really did like it a lot more.  If I were to do a favorite books of the year list right now, Where She Went would most certainly end up on that list.  It’s an emotional roller-coaster, and I just love that we see past and present and how the characters got to where they are.  And the songs really added to Adam’s story and made it more heart-breakingly real.  Where She Went gets 5 stars.

Book Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Published January 2012|Published by HarperCollins|448 pages

E-book|Purchased from the Nook store

Series: Unearthly #3

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Angels

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Cynthia Hand’s Website

Summary: The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seemed like the best option, so she’s headed back to California—and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must choose her fate once and for all.

I absolutely loved Boundless!  I was so looking forward to it, and yet sad to see it go, but it was also worth the wait to see what happened to the characters I’ve come to love.

So, Clara goes off to Stanford with Angela and Christian, still heart-broken over Tucker but determined to protect him.  It seemed like Clara and Christian would end up together, so anyone who’s Team Christian will be disappointed…and those who love Tucker and Clara (myself included as far as Team Tucker goes) will be very, very happy.  But before that happiness, there were some tears that were preceded by me wanting to know WTF just happened!  I’m really glad I didn’t read that particular part of the book in public…because I’m pretty sure people would have thought I was insane.

We finally learn Angela’s purpose, which is to tell her former boyfriend, Phen, that the 7th is ours…meaning her child is the 7th Triplare belongs to the good guys.  7 is pretty important because there are only 7 on earth at any given time, meaning 3 are on the side of black wings and the other 3 aren’t…meaning Angela’s son is super-important!  And we learn that Clara’s purpose- for the entire series- was to come to Wyoming so she could meet Angela and save her son from the clutches of the Black Wings.  Looking back, it was never about her ending up with Christian, but with her meeting Angela.  And it’s honestly cool that the entire series has built up to her real purpose, instead of a different one each book- we just thought it was incomplete or a different purpose each one because we didn’t know how things were going to turn out!

There was an epic battle, and as was expected, it turned out fairly well for Clara, Angela and Christian.  Okay, so maybe Angela ended up in hell, and Christian and Clara had to go save her (with the help of Sam) and maybe Jeffrey ended up in hell too, with Clara needing to save him too.  That was a pretty intriguing part of the book, because it mirrored Palo Alto.  It felt much more like an alternate reality than anything else, but still intriguing all the same.

So…there was definitely a point where I was all “OH MY GOD, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN, PLEASE TELL THAT’S NOT REALLY JUST WHAT HAPPENED, PLEASE LET EVERYTHING BE OKAY, YOU NOT JUST JUST DO THAT TO ME!”  And then there were sad tears, and then I was all, “OH THANK GOD EVERYTHING WORKED OUT,” which was followed by happy tears.  So Kleenex is a must if you haven’t read Boundless yet, because you’ll need it!

And because I have this need to go back to Tucker and Clara…I am so, so happy they ended up together!  They seriously belong together.  There was quite a bit of squeeing when they got back together!

It really is good I didn’t finish this book in public…but acting like a total fangirl can be so much fun!

What else am I missing?  Oh, this was such a great ending to this trilogy, and I really can’t imagine a better way to end it.  Everything really fell into place in Boundless.  Angela and Jeffrey did get some rolling of the eyes (and their fair share of my shaking my head at them) and while Jeffrey’s thing was never completely resolved, Angela’s storyline made a lot of sense, especially because it’s so connected to Clara’s story.

Final Thoughts:

It really should be obvious that I LOVED Boundless.  Do I wish there was a bit more resolution to Jeffrey’s storyline?  Yes, but overall, this was such a great ending to the series.  I wasn’t disappointed at all, and be sure to have some Kleenex handy if you just happen to read it.  Like, I just couldn’t put it down, because I read it in a day…that is how much I loved it.  Boundless gets 5 stars.

Book: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Published May 2012|Published by HarperTeen

E-book|Purchased from the Nook Store|305 pages

Series? Yes, Starcrossed #2

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Greek Mythology

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Josephine Angelini’s Website

Goodreads Summary: 

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only Scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling STARCROSSED delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds expectation.

Dreamless was such an interesting, enjoyable read!  After reading Starcrossed, I knew I had to continue the story, and I’m really looking forward to the final book, Goddess, which comes out this year. So, Dreamless.  I started it, and had completely forgotten what happened in Starcrossed, so I decided I should probably re-read it.  I did, and started on this one…and we really do see the aftermath of Starcrossed.

The island is completely weird, people are out to get Helen, and she and Lucas need to avoid each other, because it’s too hard for them to be near each other and it t doesn’t work out too well.  What they don’t know- but the reader does- is that they really aren’t related.  But with the introduction of Orion, we see what I’m absolutely sure will become a love triangle, especially whenever Helen and Lucas find out that they aren’t related and that Helen’s mom lied to everyone about that.  Then again, their inability to do math just adds drama and conflict to their relationship.  We don’t see much of her mom, and I’m really curious as to what’s going on with her, because I JUST KNOW there’s something fishy.  And since we don’t find out what it is in this book, it’s sure to come out in the next one.

Mythology time!  Angelini has built on the Greek mythology and added to it!  Helen’s wandering the Underworld, manages to free the Furies with Orion’s help, and also manages to free the gods in this super-secret master plan to get them out of their prison.  There’s a lot of chaos and destruction, but things sort of work out okay.  Key words being sort of, because it feels like the calm before the storm.

I really need to brush up on my Greek mythology, and I like that Automedon had an evil minion in Zach, who manages to figure out that the reason why Automedon was never killed in battle because no one thought to shoot him in the ankle.  I should have been able to figure that one out, but it was still a nice surprise, and a twist I wasn’t expecting.  She really does make Greek mythology really interesting and really cool.

Helen going into the Underworld was a bit boring because it was pretty much the same thing over and over.  She does keep trying (because she’s the only one who can) and Lucas does help her, even though he resorts to nefarious means to do so.  Well, sort of nefarious.  Either way, he does help her.

I’m going back to Orion for a second.  I just…I don’t think I like him with Helen.  Especially with the math that everyone should be able to figure out but aren’t.  I’m glad he could help Helen, because she really needed it and he was able to descend into the Underworld with her.  But really, she and Lucas belong together.  The whole Helen Of Troy thing hasn’t really been played up as much as I expected, so either Angelini has decided to not go in the direction…or we’ll see in the next one.  I’m betting on seeing it in the next one, but it probably won’t be on the level I’m hoping for.

Final Thoughts:

Dreamless is more action-packed than Starcrossed and it was a fun read.  I’m impressed with how Angelini puts her own twist on Greek mythology.  There are some things that are a little too weird (i.e. no one being able to do math) and things that we’re not getting the whole story on (like…what Daphne’s really up to).  But overall, Dreamless is such a good continuation of the story that I can’t wait to read the next book!  Dreamless gets 4 stars.

Book: Breaing Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Published April 2012|Published by Bloomsbury

E-book|Purchased from the Nook store|270 pages

Series? No

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Jennifer Shaw Wolf’s Website

Goodreads Summary: Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
 
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Breaking Beautiful…what to say about Breaking Beautiful?  I liked Breaking Beautiful and how she doesn’t remember what happened the night of the accident.  I thought the cover was beautiful and it’s really interesting- plus, it does go well the book!

Allie was interesting, and you can see how much her relationship with Blake affected her.  You can still see how much of a hold he has on her, because even though he’s now dead, she still doesn’t talk about the abuse.  I liked seeing her remember what happened the night of the accident and how she remembered Trip.  Wolf does a great job at weaving the past and present and I didn’t sense any predictability…until the end, of course.  The ending was an odd mix of abruptness and predictability, and didn’t quite fit with the rest of the book.

I have mixed feelings about her relationship with Blake.  She’s still dealing with her own issues, and while I can understand her going right to Blake, the thing I don’t get is why he has such strong feelings for her, even though she’s ignored him for several years.  Her parents seemed pretty distant- and not just because of the way Trip was isolating Allie.  Her father I can understand, seeing as how he was in the military, but her mother seemed really distant and too interested in making sure Allie and Trip were together, and that Allie stayed true to Trip’s memory after the accident.

One thing I thought was really weird was how the investigation was dropped and then opened up again.  Like all options weren’t explored the first time around, which you’d think the police would do.  Maybe it’s because she didn’t remember what happened, but we don’t really get a lot on that initial investigation.  And Trip’s dad had a little too much pull.  Why wait to have the case opened up again, when he could have pressured the police to keep it open?

I was slightly surprised by how well Shaw dealt with the abuse.  I thought it was done really well, and while Allie’s relationship with Blake leaned towards the predictable, Lifetime movie/Nicholas Sparks book end of things, it was still handled better than I expected (even if I do have mixed feelings about it).  I liked that we slowly learned about their relationship as the book progressed and that we see their relationship after Trip died.

Final Thoughts:

I liked Breaking Beautiful.  There were things that didn’t quite make sense, but there were also things I really liked.  Breaking Beautiful gets 3 stars.

Book: The Disreputable History Of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Published September 2009|Published by Disney Publishing

E-book|Borrowed from the library|208 pages

Series? No

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|E. Lockhart’s Website

Goodreads Summary: Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father’s “bunny rabbit.” 
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure. 
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Landau-Banks. 
No longer the kind of girl to take “no” for an answer. 
Especially when “no” means she’s excluded from her boyfriend’s all-male secret society.
Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she’s smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew’s lying to her. 
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way.

So…The Disreputable History Of Frankie Landau-Banks…that’s quite the title!  But I liked it, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to, because I’ve tried to read a couple of her other books and couldn’t get through them.  Upon finishing, I really liked it, but now I just have mixed feelings.

I liked seeing how much Frankie changed but I especially liked seeing all of the trouble she got into.  The pranks and the secret societies and boarding schools are a great combination.  She’s definitely clever, and I really liked that about her.

But…

I get why she infiltrated her boyfriend’s secret society- she wanted to be included and for him to trust her with it and she just wanted people to notice her.  But I think I would have preferred her to start her own secret society instead of infiltrating the one her boyfriend’s in.  I just couldn’t connect with Frankie and she seemed a little self-absorbed at times.  I get she wanted people to notice her- who doesn’t?  But the way she went on and on about it just irritating.

It’s just, the hint of girl power combined with people wanting to notice combined with infiltrating her popular boyfriend’s secret society didn’t really work for me.  I think it’s because they seem to be such different things that I couldn’t completely believe it.  Plus, the pranks, as clever and fun as they were, seemed a bit too adult.  At least in terms of what Frankie wanted people to get out of them.  Like, she’s all upset that her boyfriend didn’t get the political meaning behind them.  At 16, she seemed a little too aware of gender and political issues- her thoughts seemed more adult than 16-year-old girl.

Other characters!  I didn’t care for any of them, and to be honest, they didn’t really stand out.  I didn’t like Matthew and Frankie as a couple, and it really felt they were together just so Frankie could complain about how no one noticed her.

Final Thoughts:

An evil genius at a boarding school with a secret society and pranks is such a good combination!  I think Frankie taking over the Bassett  Hounds was supposed to be empowering, but I didn’t really get that at all…I mean, how is taking over a boys-only secret society supposed to be all girl-power-ish?  Assuming that’s what Lockhart wanted to get across.  Overall, the things I did like far outweighed the things that annoyed me, so The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks gets 3 stars.

Book: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Published April 2012|Published by Harlequin Teen

E-book|Borrowed from the library|351 pages

Series? Yes, Blood Of Eden #1

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Vampires

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Julie Kagawa

Goodreads Summary: In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked–and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend–a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what–and who–is worth dying for.

I have no idea why it took me so long to read The Immortal Rules!  I loved The Iron Fey series by Kagawa, so it makes sense I’d pick up The Immortal Rules at some point.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but The Iron Fey and The Immortal Rules are very, very different.  Julie Kagawa is just so amazing at putting her own twist on things!  The vampires are definitely in charge, and treat humans as cattle.  There’s just something about her vampires that are super-interesting.  And while I love a good vampire story, Kagawa gave them new life.  I was so fascinated by the idea of being Registered and the Rabids and a disease that killed off a lot of the human population.  It’s all futuristic and dark and not what I was expecting.  She did a great job creating this world and creating characters who are interesting and start to question everything they’ve believed in.

I’m not completely sure about Allison as a character.  It took me a while to warm up to her, and while I didn’t completely love her, I did sort of like her and understand where she was coming from.  Zeke was just okay but it was nice to see a potential love interest who shows up half-way through the novel.  Actually, the romance was set-up really well, and there are going to be quite a few problems they have to work through.  But I liked that we get an idea of what this world is like and how people see vampires.  It really wasn’t easy for Allison to be a vampire, and I liked seeing how people treated her before knowing she was a vampire and how they treated her after finding out.

Back to characters, Kanin was really interesting, and it’s too bad we don’t see more of him!  I think I like him better with Allison, but I have the feeling it’s not going to go that way.  There’s a lot of mystery as far as Kanin is concerned so hopefully, we see more of him.

It did start off a little slow for me, but once things got going, I found myself enjoying it more and wanting to know what happened!

Final Thoughts:

I really liked The Immortal Rules.  I don’t love it the way I loved The Iron Fey, but I love the way Kagawa takes vampires or fairies and makes them really interesting.  And I really need to mention the cover, which is really interesting and a nice change from the covers with the typical pretty girl in a pretty dress.  While I normally don’t pay attention to the cover and whether it goes with the book, I have to say that this cover really does go hand-in-hand with things that happen!  The Immortal Rules gets 4 stars.