Book: Nil by Lynne Matson

Expected Publication is March 4, 2013 by Henry Holt & Co|Expected Number Of Pages: 383

Where I Got It: I got the e-ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Sci-Fi Thriller

You can find Nil on goodreads & Lynne Matson on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary:

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that she has to find a way to beat the clock, and quickly.

What I Thought:

I’ve been looking forward to reading Nil, and it’s definitely different and strange…but in a good way.

I mean, Charley somehow ends up on this strange island where you have a year to get off the island. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to why some people end up on the island- other than everyone being in middle school or high school.

Here’s the thing about Nil: you get thrown into this world, with no explanation of what’s going or why people end up there or why there are rules.  Seriously, by the end of the book, you still have no clue what the deal with this island is.  And normally that would bother me, because I want to know so many things about the world I inhabit when reading…but not knowing much of anything about Nil actually worked well for the book.

You only know what the characters know, and even the one who have been on the island for a while don’t have the answers.  They just try to make do with what they have and seem to make the best out of a really strange situation.

The book itself is narrated by two different people- Charley, who is a newcomer to the island, and Thad, who has been on the island for almost a year.  I did like that you had the two of them narrate, because you got two very different perspectives on the island. I find it interesting that you know very little about their lives before Nil and their lives after Nil.  But that also worked for me, because their lives become all about Nil.  You only see Charley going to Nil and what her life was like after going home, but there is part of me that wants to know what happened to the other kids on Nil after Charley and Thad left.  And how they deal with not being on Nil anymore.

Let’s Rate It:

Nil is definitely different and strange but in a good way!  I liked that we don’t know much of anything about the island and the people Charley and Thad left behind.  I didn’t love Nil, and I’m not sure why, because there are so many great things about it.  I just don’t think it had that special something to make me fall in love with it.  Nil gets 3 stars.

Book: Me Since You by Laura Weiss

Expected Publication is February 18, 2014 by MTV Books|Expected Number Of Pages: 370

Where I Got It: I got the e-ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Me Since You on goodreads & Laura Weiss on her website

Goodreads Summary:

Laura Wiess captures the visceral emotion of a girl’s journey from innocence to devastating loss and, ultimately, to a strange and unexpected kind of understanding—in this beautiful and painfully honest new novel.

Are there any answers when someone you love makes a tragic choice?

Before and After. That’s how Rowan Areno sees her life now. Before: she was a normal sixteen-year-old—a little too sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived.

If she had known, on that Friday in March when she cut school, that a random stranger’s shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother, grandmother — and herself — from the endless replay of heartache and grief.

Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simple, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again?

What I Thought:

When I first started reading Me Since You, I wasn’t sure about it.  But as I kept reading, I found that it was a hard book to put down. I got so wrapped up in Rowan’s story, and one choice changed her entire life, and I really felt for her.

If I had to describe Me Since You in two words, it would be ripple effect.

Rowan skipping school set off a series of events that led to do her dad’s suicide.  We see a little bit of her life before it happens, and you really see how much it changes her and the effect that it has on her. Rowan struggles with guilt and blames herself.  I don’t blame her- in fact, I would probably feel the same way if I were her.  I couldn’t help but cry, and I was a sobbing mess by the end of the book.  I could relate to Rowan so much, and I really liked seeing her start to come to terms with everything that happened.

This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read about a teen grieving.  Something about Rowan’s story rang true- whether you’ve lost someone to suicide or not, I feel like her grief is something everyone can relate to.

One thing that frustrated me was Rowan’s best friend Nadia.  She pretty much told Rowan that she needed to get over her dad’s death a few weeks after it happened, and pushed Rowan to go to parties, only to be really frustrated when Rowan doesn’t enjoy herself at said parties.  I really wish she were more understanding of what Rowan was going through.  I suppose it can be hard to understand when you haven’t been through it yourself, but I was just irritated and frustrated and angry that Rowan’s “best friend” thought she wasn’t getting over her father’s suicide fast enough.

I did like Eli and Daisy, and I’m glad Rowan had a friend in Eli.  He really did understand what she was going through, and I’m glad Rowan had him as a friend.

Let’s Rate It:

I loved Me Since You so very much.  One moment can change everything, and Rowan’s life is so very different because of it.  I found Rowan really easy to relate to, and I really felt for her.  Me Since You is a really special book- I couldn’t help but want her to be okay.  Me Since You gets 5+ stars.

Book: Queen Of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

Expected Publication is February 14, 2014 by Sparkpress|Expected Number Of Pages: 222

Where I Got It: I got an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: Queen Of Hearts #1

Genre: YA Fantasy/Re-telling

You can find Queen Of Hearts on goodreads & Colleen Oakes on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Not every fairytale has a happy ending.

This is the story of a princess who became a villain.

A Father’s Betrayal. A Kingdom with a Black Secret. A Princess Slowly Unraveling.

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.

When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinahs furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath.

Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

What I Thought:

I am so glad I read Queen Of Hearts!  It’s such an interesting take on Alice In Wonderland.  I was a little surprised that it’s on the dark side, but it also worked so well for the book.  It’s been a few years since I’ve read Alice In Wonderland, and even longer since I’ve seen the movie, so I’m really fuzzy on the original.  Still, I found myself figuring out who the characters in this book matched up with some of the characters in Alice In Wonderland, because a few of the references were really obvious…but others were more subtle.  But I liked that Queen Of Hearts is all about Dinah and her future as Queen, and how she got be who she was.

We have yet to see Alice, and I’m really curious as to whether we’ll see her at some point in the series. Something about Dinah’s half-sister really reminded me of Alice, and I think it’s because of how her half-sister is described.

I really like Wonderland, and it’s such a dark place.  It does seem different than Carroll’s Wonderland- from what I remember of Alice In Wonderland- and something about it made me think of Once Upon A Time In Wonderland.  It’s very vivid and memorable and feels very much like a real place.

I do have a soft spot for her brother Charles- otherwise known as the Mad Hatter.  And I really liked Dinah too!  Sure, she was annoying at times, but I really felt for her.  I definitely felt like you could see hints at her transformation as the Queen Of Hearts, but there were also times when I wanted to know how that transformation took place.  Her father, the King Of Hearts, is one evil, horrible man, and I did not like him at all.  As for his discovery of Vittiore (Dinah’s half-sister), there’s something up with that, and there is definitely something shady about her.  Things are definitely happening in Wonderland, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he’s really up to.  And it’s the same with Vittiore.

Let’s Rate It:

I really liked Queen Of Hearts, and it’s such a different but also dark and twisty take on Alice In Wonderland.  I can’t wait to see where things go!  Queen Of Hearts gets 4 stars.

Book: The Drowned Forest by Kristopher Reisz

Expected Publication is February 8 by Flux|Expected Number Of Pages: 263

Where I Got It: from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal/Contemporary

You can find The Drowned Forest on goodreads and you can find Kristopher Reisz on twitter and his website

Goodreads Summary:

Holly and Jane have jumped off the bridge over their Alabama reservoir hundreds of times. But one day, Holly’s jump goes wrong. Her body never comes up, but something else does—a sad creature of mud, full of confusion and sorrow. Jane knows it’s Holly, somehow, trapped and mixed up with the river. But Holly doesn’t know she’s dead, and that anything she touches will die, too . . . even those she loves the most.

Meanwhile, Jane’s family doesn’t believe what she knows about Holly. They are threatening to place Jane in a mental institution, and her pastor thinks she is crossing over into the Devil’s playground. In spite of her community’s doubts, Jane can tell it’s Holly, and she has to put her to rest.

What I Thought:

I’m not sure where to start with The Drowned Forest!  Parts of it were really interesting, but I also found parts of it confusing.

So Jane’s friend Holly dies, but it’s a while before you even figure it out.  You know something happened to Holly, but it honestly took me awhile to figure out what happened to her.  The book definitely felt a little confusing at first, because Jane kept thinking about Holly and what happened to her, but I had no clue who Holly was or what happened to her.  Granted, I didn’t read the summary before reading the book, and that could have helped a lot in terms of what was going on.

Still, something about the beginning seemed confusing, and it was really hard to get into at first.  I love the idea that Holly doesn’t realize she’s dead, and kills everything she touches.  There’s this folklore or whatever surrounding this forest in a lake, and that was really intriguing, especially because of Jane’s beliefs and how she deals with the death of her friend.

I felt like The Drowned Forest could have been a lot more creepy and haunting, and it definitely had the potential for creepy and haunting and gothic.  That aspect of the book just wasn’t there for me.

Jane is an interesting character, and I liked that she stuck to her beliefs while also meeting some people who challenged them.  She was very determined to figure out what happened to Holly, which I appreciated.  But something about it didn’t click with me.  So, Jane runs away from home, and I find it weird that there’s little mention of her parents after she leaves home.  As for the other characters, they didn’t make much of an impression.

Let’s Rate It:

The Drowned Forest was an okay read.  There was something confusing and jumbled about The Drowned Forest (well, to me) and I definitely thought it could have been a lot creepier.  But I did like the folklore surrounding the lake and the things and people in it. The Drowned Forest gets 2 stars.

Book: Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout

Expected Publication is February 4, 2014 by Entangled Teen|Expected Number Of Pages: 304

Series: None

Genre: YA Paranormal/Mythology Re-Telling/Shakespeare Re-Telling

You can find Such Sweet Sorrow on goodreads & you can find Jenny Trout on twitter, facebook, her blog and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo…

But true love never dies. Though they’re parted by the veil between the world of mortals and the land of the dead, Romeo believes he can restore Juliet to life, but he’ll have to travel to the underworld with a thoroughly infuriating guide.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not have inherited his father’s crown, but the murdered king left his son a much more important responsibility—a portal to the Afterjord, where the souls of the dead reside. When the determined Romeo asks for help traversing the treacherous Afterjord, Hamlet sees an opportunity for adventure and the chance to avenge his father’s death.

In an underworld filled with leviathan monsters, ghoulish shades, fire giants, and fierce Valkyrie warriors, Hamlet and Romeo must battle their way through jealousy, despair, and their darkest fears to rescue the fair damsel. Yet finding Juliet is only the beginning, and the Afterjord doesn’t surrender souls without a price…

My Review:

I have no clue where to start with Such Sweet Sorrow!  This is the first time I’ve read a re-telling of Shakespeare- well, one that I’m aware of, because it’s entirely possible I’ve read one that was a lot more subtle.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, and the last (and only) time I’ve read either play was in high school, so it’s been well over 10 years since I’ve read either one, so I knew it would be an interesting read.

The reasons for Hamlet and Romeo for meeting up is interesting and really believable.  I thought their adventures in the Afterjord were pretty action-packed, and I liked the connection to Norse mythology, given that Romeo meets up with Hamlet.  While I remember the basics of both plays, there is quite a bit that is still fuzzy to me.  Still, I thought she did a great job with making them her own, while still staying true to the characters.

Trout did a great job keeping me interested for the entire book.  It did move a bit slow at times, but I didn’t mind, because I wanted to see if things would work out for Romeo and Juliet.  I can’t say I was surprised by the ending, even though a part of me was hoping it would work out differently.

As far as I know, Such Sweet Sorrow is a stand-alone, but there is something about the ending that makes me feel like there’s potential for a sequel.  While things are wrapped up, I was also left with the feeling that there is more to Hamlet and Romeo’s story.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Such Sweet Sorrow!  Shakespeare isn’t my thing, but I was definitely interested in how Trout would manage to put Romeo, Juliet and Hamlet together, and I thought she did it really well!  It’s definitely a great book for Shakespeare fans.  Such Sweet Sorrow gets 3 stars.

Book: Scintillate by Tracy Clark

Expected Publication is February 4, 2014  by Entangled Teen|Expected Number Of Pages: 304

Where I Got It: I got an advanced review copy from Entangled Teen, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: The Light Key Trilogy #1

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

You can find Scintillate on goodreads and Tracy Clark on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary:

A mighty flame follows a tiny spark

Cora Sandoval’s mother disappeared when she was five and they were living in Ireland. Since then, her dad has been more than overprotective, and Cora is beginning to chafe under his confines. But even more troubling is the colorful light she suddenly sees around people. Everyone, that is, except herself—instead, she glows a brilliant, sparkling silver.

As she realizes the danger associated with these strange auras, Cora is inexplicably drawn to Finn, a gorgeous Irish exchange student who makes her feel safe. Their attraction is instant, magnetic, and primal—but her father disapproves, and Finn’s mother orders him home to Ireland upon hearing he’s fallen in love. After a fight with her father, Cora flees to Ireland, both to follow Finn and to look for her missing mother.

There she meets another silver-haloed person and discovers the meaning of her newfound powers and their role in a conspiracy spanning centuries—one that could change mankind forever…and end her life.

My Review:

I’ve read quite a few paranormal books but Scintillate is definitely one of the more interesting and unique ones I’ve ever read! What makes Scintillate so interesting is that Cora can see auras after ending up in the hospital.  Add in her  thinking something is wrong but being dismissed by her dad, and you have a girl who is determined to figure out what is wrong with her on her own.

I’ll admit that when her dad dismissed her vision issues, I got annoyed!  Your daughter gets out of the hospital and tells you she’s seeing weird things, and you tell her you’ll take her to the doctor in a few days if it doesn’t clear up?  I know he’s a scientist and all, but I felt like he wasn’t concerned about it. Which is weird, given how protective he is of his daughter.  For a good chunk of the book, it doesn’t fit, but when you find out why she can see auras…I get why he’s protective, but if he had taken her a little more seriously, things might have gone a little differently.

Still, that her going to the hospital and then being able to see auras…I liked that there was something to trigger her ability.  And that having a rare aura is dangerous, given there’s another group with a pure white aura who the silver aura people are at odds with. What’s especially different is that those who have a pure white aura are the “bad guys” while having a silver aura means you’re one of the “good guys.”  If you were to look at things that way.  But it’s different, because it’s not what you’d expect in terms of colors and what they symbolize, but in Scintillate, it actually makes perfect sense.

I really liked how everything is introduced!  It felt very natural, and you weren’t overloaded on the bits and pieces of this world. I feel like there’s so much to learn about the world that Cora lives in, and I can’t wait to read the next book so I can learn more about the ability to see auras and everything that goes along with it.

I really liked Cora, and how determined she was to figure everything out.  She does seem pretty sheltered, which I can understand, given that her dad’s pretty protective because of her own aura.  I also thought Giovanni was interesting, because he knows so much more about this world than Cora does.  I’d actually like to see more of her two best friends, because I felt like they were only there to get her to Ireland.  And I’d really like to see her grandmother, because of her grandmother’s abilities.

As for Finn…I am not sure what to think of him!  He’s cool, and then he’s not, but then he kind of redeems himself, and so my feelings towards him are conflicted and slightly muddled.  Hopefully, my feelings toward him will become a bit more clear in the next book.

And speaking of Finn and Giovanni…I’m not sure how I feel about either of them as a romantic interest for Cora.  Giovanni, because we don’t see a lot of him, and Finn because of my conflicted feelings.  Still, I have the feeling Cora will end up with Finn.

Let’s Rate It:

I really liked Scintillate and how it was all about auras!  While I’m not sure about the romance or how Cora’s dad initially dismissed her ability to see auras, I think it’s one of the more interesting and unique paranormal books out there.  Scintillate gets 4 stars.

Book: Doing Harm by Kelly Parsons

Expected Publication is February 4, 2014 by St. Martin’s Press|Pages: 305

Where I Got It: from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: Adult Fiction

You can find Doing Harm on goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

Steve Mitchell, happily married with a wife and two kids, is in line for a coveted position at Boston’s University Hospital when his world goes awry. His over-reaching ambition causes him to botch a major surgery, and another of his patients mysteriously dies. Steve’s nightmare goes from bad to worse when he learns that the mysterious death was no accident but the act of a sociopath.  A sociopath he knows and who has information that could destroy Steve’s career and marriage.  A sociopath for whom killing is more than a means to an end: it’s a game.  Because he is under a cloud of suspicion and has no evidence, he knows that any accusations he makes won’t be believed. So he must struggle to turn the tables, even as the killer skillfully blocks his every move. Detailing the politics of hospitals, the hierarchy among doctors and the life and death decisions that are made by flawed human beings, Doing Harm marks the debut of a major fiction career.

My Review:

Doing Harm is definitely one of the more interesting books I’ve read in a while!  It’s a really interesting look at life at a hospital, and things are explained pretty well.  It wasn’t tedious or boring, and all of the medical stuff was explained in a way that was easy to understand.  It does get a bit descriptive when we see Steve performing surgery, so if you’re squeamish, that might be something to skim over. Parsons is also a surgeon, which really gives the details a certain authenticity.

It definitely feels realistic, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised by the sociopath that Steve comes across.  The idea of a doctor-in-training killing patients to further their own career is frightening.  Steve seemed really smart with some things…but with other things, he seemed not-so-smart.  Still, he always managed to put everything together at the right time, and everything seemed to work out in the end. I did find myself having trouble putting it down at times, because I couldn’t wait to see if Steve would figure everything out in time.

Doing Harm did start off slow, because we get a really good look at what Steve’s everyday life is like. But once things got going, it moved pretty fast.  And knowing what Steve’s day-to-day life was like gave certain events in the book a good reference point, because you could see how much things changed for him.

Steve is definitely ambitious, and while I didn’t connect with him as a character, I still felt bad for him because of the situation he found himself in.  Overall, I didn’t care for the characters, but I was so interested in what was going on that I didn’t really mind that I didn’t particularly care for the characters.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Doing Harm!  It’s definitely a good book for Dan Brown fans, but if you like thrillers of any sort, I think you’d also like this book.  It did start off slow, but I liked the details in the book, and how well everything was explained.  Doing Harm gets 3 stars.