Book: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Published by St. Martin’s Griffin

Purchased for my Nook (371 pages)

Genre: YA: Dystopic

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Heather Anastasiu

Goodreads Summary: In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse. In Heather Anastasiu’s action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

I was really intrigued by Glitch.  The idea of a computer chip that makes you not feel anything and essentially puts you on auto-pilot is a really interesting idea, and is something I could see as a possibility sometime in the future.

But something about Glitch didn’t work for me.  I didn’t care for the relationships, the characters weren’t particularly interesting, and it felt like things were thrown in just to be there.

I thought Zoe was just okay, and I get her desire to turn herself in…but I also get why she didn’t.  I totally get wanting to help others like her, but in a society where people are just cogs in a machine, but can get reported for showing anomalous behavior, it’s risky.

That could have been really interesting, but it turned out to be more boring than I expected.

The one character I couldn’t stand was Max.  The way he just keep pushing Zoe was really annoying and I wanted to punch him in the face because he was so annoying.  Adrien was okay, and I kind of liked him.  Until the end, and now I’m just not sure about him.  Although I will say that he’s a lot more likeable than Max, which isn’t saying a lot.

You do get a pretty good idea of why the Community is set up the way it is.  But for some reason, it didn’t feel like it was very developed.  And not just world-building.  But it felt like the characters were kind of not very developed either.

Glitch gets 2 out of 5.  Interesting idea, but it was just okay.

Book: Agorafabulous!  Dispatches From My Bedroom by Sara Benincasa

Published by William Morrow

Purchased for my Nook (272 pages)

Genre: Non-fiction: Memoir

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Sara Benincasa

Goodreads Summary: “I subscribe to the notion that if you can laugh at the shittiest moments in your life, you can transcend them. And if other people can laugh at your awful shit as well, then I guess you can officially call yourself a comedian.”

In Boston, a college student fears leaving her own room—even to use the toilet. In Pennsylvania, a meek personal assistant finally confronts a perpetually enraged gay spiritual guru. In Texas, a rookie high school teacher deals with her male student’s unusually, er, hard personal problem. Sara Benincasa has been that terrified student, that embattled employee, that confused teacher—and so much more. Her hilarious memoir chronicles her attempts to forge a wonderfully weird adulthood in the midst of her lifelong struggle with agoraphobia, depression, and unruly hair.

Relatable, unpretentious, and unsentimental, Agorafabulous! celebrates eccentricity, resilience, and the power of humor to light up even the darkest corners of our lives. (There are also some sexy parts, but they’re really awkward. Like really, really awkward.)

Agorafabulous! was a delightful read.  Sara’s very relatable, and it was fun to read her take on what it’s like to be agoraphobic and her struggles with anxiety and depression.  There were times when I couldn’t stop laughing, and it was great to see her (mostly) humorous look at what she’s been through.  It was pretty light-hearted, which I really liked, because it’s a nice change from a serious look at your past-type of memoir.

It was great to see that she made it through something that was so crippling for her, and it is inspiring to see her go from a student who’s scared to go to the bathroom to someone who leads a successful life and is able to manage any anxiety that comes up.

You get a look at why she didn’t leave her home- for her, staying home was the sensible decision because if she left, she’d die.  And honestly?  Her thought process makes perfect sense to me, and it really does show how horrible and debilitating anxiety can be.

I liked that you (briefly) saw what life was like before her crippling anxiety and life after.  It’s pretty focused on a specific time period time.  I liked that because you don’t get a long story about everything leading up to her college years and how getting treated for it was this life-changing event.  But a little more context would have been nice too.

Agorafabulous! was a fun read but also a little inspiring.  It gets a 4 out of 5.

Book: Coexist by Julia Crane

Published by Valknut Press

Purchased for my Nook (151 pages)

Genre: YA: Fantasy

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Julia Crane

Goodreads Summary: Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends–she’s an elf, descended from a long line of elves that live in secrecy alongside humans. 

In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen. Against tradition, Keegan’s brother Thaddeus told her Rourk’s name because his visions warned him she’d need Rourk’s protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan’s side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known.

An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan’s family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle…without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?

I liked that Coexist is about elves who are living alongside humans.  I like that they all have different gifts.  And the fact that they don’t meet their soulmate until they’re both 18 is a really interesting idea- one I can envision elves sticking to.  I loved what she did with elves, and it was nice to see them take center stage for once.

But there were a few things that didn’t work for me.  Like, all of her friends knew she was an elf, but didn’t say anything until the battle?  That’s awfully convenient.  And she could sense a dark elf, but couldn’t sense her friends weren’t completely human?  It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, and I wish it was explained more.  Plus, anything we learned about the characters came out of nowhere, and only when we needed to know it.

The Great Battle was pretty lame, and it seemed like it was going to be a really  big deal.  Only it wasn’t.  All of that build-up, and it turned out to be pretty boring.

Let’s see…characters!  Keegan was annoying, especially when she found out she wasn’t the only non-human.  I get wanting to be special, but at the same time, wouldn’t it be nice to know you’re not the only one?  I thought Rourke was boring as well.

But Keegan’s brother Thaddeus was really interesting.  He had a lot on his shoulders, and I think I would have preferred him as the narrator because he seemed a lot more interesting than any of the other characters.

I also wasn’t a fan of the ending- it ended pretty abruptly.  Almost like Crane forgot to end the book.

Overall, it was just okay.  It’s an interesting idea, but a lot of it didn’t work for me.  It gets a 2 out of 5.

Book: Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Published by Penguin Group

Purchased for my Nook (256 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal- Vampires

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Rachel Caine

Goodreads Summary: When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy. 

Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

So far, this is my favorite book in the Morganville Vampires series.  It’s not saying much, because I’m only on book 3…and 10 more to go until I’m all caught up.

So, we learn that the vampires are dying, and Claire is determined to find a cure.  Which is so Claire, by the way.  But since she’s Protected by Amelie, she gets assigned to help Myrnin.  It’s definitely a little sad, seeing the end of the sickness they have, and it was interesting to learn about why Morganville was founded.  Hopefully, we’ll see more of Morganville’s history.

And of course, we learn that Claire’s parents have moved to town…and are living in a Founder’s house.  This definitely complicates Claire’s life, and I really look foward to seeing how she deals with it.  I liked how we met Myrnin in The Dead Girl’s Dance but don’t know that we’ve met him.

The characters are still the same, although we see what it’s like since Michael turned vampire.  Eve just kind of goes with it, as does Claire, but Shane, of course, isn’t happy with what Michael did.  And Claire, of course, has to deal with signing the contract with Amelie.  I’m starting to get slightly irritated with Shane, but I kind of get why he acts the way he does.

This is the first time we really see things start to move along, which is fine because the first couple books were setting things up.  Still, I’m glad we’re starting to see where the series is going, because Morganville is a pretty creepy yet interesting place.

We also learn of a resistance of sorts, and that’ll add something interesting to the series too.  I don’t think it’s the last we’ve heard of them.

Midnight Alley gets a 5 out of 5.  This is such a fun series to read, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Book: My Soul To Save by Rachel Vincent

Published by Harlequin Teen

Purchased for my Nook (280 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Rachel Vincent

Goodreads Summary: The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for an 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….

My Soul To Save is the 2nd book in the Soul Screamers series, and I really liked it.  I really love how she uses Reapers and banshees, and I just love how she keeps introducing new things.  Like trading your soul to have a lifetime of fame and fortune.  And how they’re tortured for all eternity by a demon.

Kaylee’s not the type to go looking for trouble…well, she sort of is.  But she wants to help people, even if it means she could die.  She’s learning how to control her abilities, and I can’t wait to see what she can do with them.

Nash and Kaylee- I just love them together, and the fact that they need to work together is seriously cool.  Plus, they really are in this together, and it’s partly because they need each other to do their job, but also because they really do care about each other.  As for Nash’s brother, Tod, I love how he just loves to get on Nash’s nerves.

While they don’t save Addie, I get why she did what she did.  She was annoying at times, but she really did redeem herself at the end.  I loved the descriptions of the Netherworld and how dangerous it is.  It’s a place I think we’ll be seeing more of, especially if Tod sticks around.  And the corporation that Addie’s with?  It kind of reminded me of Disney, and how they get a lot of their stars when they’re 12 or 13 and how they kind of fade away once they hit 17 or 18.  I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but that’s what came to mind.

I’m really starting to love this series, and I’m not at all bored reading it.  I can’t wait to see what happens next.  My Soul To Save gets a 4 out of 5.  

Book: Queen Of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore To The Revolution by Caroline Weber

Published by Henry Holt And Co.

Purchased for my Nook (432 pages)

Genre: Non-fiction: History/Fashion

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Caroline Weber

Goodreads Summary: In this dazzling new vision of the ever-fascinating queen, a dynamic young historian reveals how Marie Antoinette’s bold attempts to reshape royal fashion changed the future of France

Marie Antoinette has always stood as an icon of supreme style, but surprisingly none of her biographers have paid sustained attention to her clothes. In Queen of Fashion, Caroline Weber shows how Marie Antoinette developed her reputation for fashionable excess, and explains through lively, illuminating new research the political controversies that her clothing provoked. Weber surveys Marie Antoinette’s “Revolution in Dress,” covering each phase of the queen’s tumultuous life, beginning with the young girl, struggling to survive Versailles’s rigid traditions of royal glamour (twelve-foot-wide hoopskirts, whalebone corsets that crushed her organs). As queen, Marie Antoinette used stunning, often extreme costumes to project an image of power and wage war against her enemies. Gradually, however, she began to lose her hold on the French when she started to adopt “unqueenly” outfits (the provocative chemise) that, surprisingly, would be adopted by the revolutionaries who executed her.

Weber’s queen is sublime, human, and surprising: a sometimes courageous monarch unwilling to allow others to determine her destiny. The paradox of her tragic story, according to Weber, is that fashion–the vehicle she used to secure her triumphs–was also the means of her undoing. Weber’s book is not only a stylish and original addition to Marie Antoinette scholarship, but also a moving, revelatory reinterpretation of one of history’s most controversial figures.

Queen Of Fashion was a really interesting read.  I don’t remember much about Marie Antoinette, other than a few details from a podcast the History Chicks did on her.  And her dying, of course.  There aren’t a lot of details about her childhood, and the book mainly focuses on her life in France.

I loved the focus on clothes and how her style really changed things.  One thing that stood out was the corset reserved for princesses and other high-ranking royalty.  Marie had to wear it on a regular basis, while the everyone else only wore it on certain occassions.  It was definitely more restrictive than the standard corset, and it was much more restrictive than the corsets Marie used to wear in Austria.  Even pregnancy didn’t exempt you from wearing it, and they felt the effects of it more than anyone else.  Fainting, heart palpitations and asthma were among the symptoms.

Appearnce and clothes were really important over in France, and it really signified a lot.  Etiquette and ritual was also important, but clothes really signified the structure of society in France.  Certain people wore certain things, and if you deviated from that…it was not good.

I was surprised to learn that there were people who didn’t like Marie from the very beginning.  I knew that people really didn’t like her towards the end, but when she first arrived- that was definitely surprising.

I did like the descriptions of the clothes she wore, although it did become tiresome by the end of the book.  People definitely copied her fashions for a while, but what once earned her respect would soon work against her.  It seemed like she didn’t get what her clothing represented to her subjects.

It was interesting to see Marie through the clothes she wore, especially since I never associated her with clothes for some reason.

One thing I thought was a little odd was how Weber referenced Antonia Fraser’s work several times.  I did enjoy the one book I read by Fraser, and it’s clear that Fraser’s work was very important to Weber’s book.  But in comparison to other authors mentioned, it was almost as if Weber didn’t use any other sources.

I will say that it is pretty well-paced, and it has a lot of details without getting bogged down with them.  It’s also pretty straight-foward and fairly easy to read.

Queen Of Fashion gets a 4 out of 5.

Book: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Published by HarperCollins

Purchased for my Nook (256 pages)

Genre: YA: Contemporary

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Meg Cabot

Goodreads Summary: What? A princess??

Me??? Yeah, right.

Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there’s nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra.

Is she ever in for a surprise.

First Mom announces that she’s dating Mia’s Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn’t have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance?

I completely forgot how much I loved The Princess Diaries until I read it for the first time since high school.

I love how it’s told in diary form, which fits Mia so well.  I just love Mia and how awkward she is.  I can relate to unruly hair and not doing well in math and a crush on a really cute guy.  Her reaction to finding out she’s a princess and her dealing with everyone finding out was interesting to read.  It’s very her, but it’s hard not to smile (or laugh) at her thoughts about what’s going on.

This was so fun to read, and I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to my memories of it.  But it did, and it’s nice to know that it holds up really well.  I feel like we get to know Mia really well, and I love her relationship with her mom.  There is a bit of role reversal, in that Mia’s making sure that everything’s okay.  But it’s nice to see that her parents are involved in her life.

Lilly is a little overbearing, but at least Mia made a new friend in Tina.  I definitely liked how Mia realized that Tina wasn’t as weird as she thought.

While I didn’t absolutely love The Princess Diaries, I still really enjoyed it.  It gets a 4 out of 5 for being funny, honest and real.

Book: Masquerade by Cambia Hebert

Published by Otherworld Publications

Purchased for my Nook (392 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Cambria Hebert

Goodreads Summary: Before. Everything was so much better Before. I wasn’t haunted by nightmares, my place at school was secure and my face was flawless. Now, I’m a freak and everything has changed. The worst part is that I can’t remember the night I was sentenced to the shadows. The memory has been stolen from me and I just can’t shake the feeling that someone, something is out there -watching.

Just when I think I have my life handled, Sam, with his intimidating golden stare and shiver inducing voice, makes me realize that I don’t know anything. He makes me see that my scars don’t matter. That they never mattered. I can’t help but fall for him, completely unknowing that he knows exactly how I got this way. Not knowing he was involved.

Heven has no idea how closely death stalks her. She has no idea what I have done to keep her alive. I fear the day she learns my secrets, finds out what I really am. But even then I cannot stop, I vow to make things right. Finally her hunter will be hunted, Heaven and Hell, faith and sin will battle, and we will be victorious. But first, Heven must learn to be what she never imagined. I know her strength is there – I feel it. If we are to overcome all odds, she must push past her flaws – her frailties – to become much more.

I really liked Masquerade.  There’s a sense of mystery for most of the book, and I really liked that.  We know that Heven has an accident, which left her with some pretty nasty scars, but what no one knows is what happened.  Until the end, of course, when we learn about who attacked and why they did it.

I loved the chapters where we see “the hate” and “the hope.”  You know they’re the one’s who know about what happened to Cambria, and while the hope, who turns out to be Sam, is totally obvious, it worked really well.

One of the things I loved was that Sam is a hellhound.  Definitely cool, and I liked that Heven is a Supernatural Treasure.  Of course, Sam has to protect her, and they are given a mission that they’ll complete in the books to come, which isn’t a big surprise.  But it’s also a pretty original idea, and I can’t wait to see if they complete the task that’s been given to them.

I wish we had more glimpses of Heven’s life before.  It’s referred to, but we don’t actually see it.  Still, we do get just enough to see how things play out.

I thought the characters were interesting, although I don’t particularly care for Heven’s mom or her friend Kimbra.  Her grandma is pretty awesome.  As for Sam and Cole’s dislike of each other…I think there’s more to this, and I’m not sure why.

No story is complete without romance, and I really liked it.  More than I expected, considering that it was fairly predictable.  But I still really liked it, and they are cute together.

Masquerade gets a 4 out of 5.  It is predictable but I really enjoyed it because I loved Sam as a hellhound and Heven as a Supernatural Treasure.

Book: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Purchased for my Nook (234 pages)

Genre: YA: Fantasy/Paranormal

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Jodi Meadows

Goodreads Summary: New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Incarnate is really interesting.  I love the idea of everyone being reincarnated, except for Ana.  Ana, interestingly enough, took the place of Ciana, and no one knows how or why this happened.  Everyone is suspicious of her, because she took Ciana’s place, and she’s seen (by some) as a bad omen.

It really is an interesting idea, and I loved seeing Ana comes to terms with who she is.  She struggles with being different, but by the end, she’s more okay with it.  I didn’t like her mother, who kept her from society.  I also didn’t care for her father, who makes a surprise appearance before dying.  The characters, in general, were really interesting, and you have a whole cast of them.  Everyone has thousands of stories to tell, because they’ve been around for so long, and I wished we heard more of those stories.

I also loved the setting.  For some reason, I was picturing Asia as the setting the whole time.  It sounds like such a pretty, interesting place, and the details were described really well.

I thought the society was interesting, and I loved what Meadows did with reincarnation.  There are so many possibilities with this society, and it will be interesting to see what Meadows does with Heart in the next book.

And of course, I have to mention the romance!  I just love Sam and Ana together.  They are just so cute together, and I’m glad they finally got together in the end.

Incarnate gets a 4 out of 5.  I didn’t love it, but I still really liked it.  It’s so creative, and I like that it so many different genres.  It didn’t feel like one cliche after another.

Book: Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender

Published by Disney Book Group

Borrowed from the library as an e-book (346 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal- Ghosts

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Kate Alender

Goodreads Summary: When Alexis’s little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.

Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey’s shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?

I enjoyed Bad Girls Don’t Die.  I haven’t read too many books featuring ghosts, but I think this one is my favorite.  Lexi’s sister is possessed by a ghost hell-bent on revenge, which is definitely interesting but not all that unusual for a ghost story.  I like how there’s something weird going on, but you’re not completely sure what it is until later in the book.  It’s definitely creepy, so it all comes together for this really interesting atmosphere.

There is a little bit of everything- romance, mystery and friendship are all in there, but it could have had a little more paranormal activity.  In all honesty, there’s too much going on in this book, so it really felt like Alender couldn’t make up her mind about what she wanted to include.  There are also some things that aren’t resolved in this book that will probably be resolved in one of the other books in the series.

It was definitely predictable, but it seems like there is a lot more to what’s going on.  I have a feeling there’s more to come, and other things will pop up.  The characters are also predictable, and what I expected, but it was still fun to see their reactions to what was going on.  I did like that it was a normal family going through something paranormal.

It started off slow, but once things got going, it was more enjoyable.

I give it a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, and it was a fun yet creepy read.