Book: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Published March 2013 by Bloomsbury|Pages: 310

Where I Got It: Bought the hardcover!

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|Lindsey Leavitt’s Website

Summary: When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars).

The List:

1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous

But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Going Vintage was adorable!  I thought Mallory giving up technology was really unique, and one of the more interesting aspects of the book.  I mean, people are texting her and freaking out that she’s not responding right away.  One of her teachers thought she was odd when she told him she couldn’t use technology for an assignment…she had to do research the old-fashioned way, and go to the library and try to hunt things down without an actual card catalog and use a pay-phone to call her parents if she needed a ride home because she wasn’t using hers.

While I could talk about how technology plays a big role in our lives, I won’t, because Going Vintage is more about Mallory trying new things and connecting with her grandmother.  I liked that Mallory learned she would be okay, no matter what happens, and no matter what’s going on with technology.

I kind of expected Mallory to go completely vintage.  It did seem like she found some vintage-ish clothes to wear, and she was inspired by this list her grandmother made, but I was expecting more of a connection to the past.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked that Mallory found some peace, but I think I was expecting something a little more public.  Something a little more obvious.

Still, it was a cute, fun read, but you can’t help but think about technology and the role it plays.  I liked seeing people react to her experiment.

I loved her sister Ginnie, who has this huge personality.  She balances out Mallory so well, and she’s pretty freaking awesome.  I didn’t really like Mallory’s mom, who kept her blog a secret.  She even talks about Mallory’s break-up, and when Mallory finds out because of a technology relapse, she’s not happy.  I don’t blame her because she broke up with Jeremy because he cheated on her with someone online, and then her mom talks about it on her blog.  But…Mallory doesn’t explain why she’s going vintage to anyone- except for Ginnie, of course- which kind of made me wish that Mallory did talk about why she did it.  Plus, everyone was really forgiving of her mom, which was annoying.  But since the book is more about Mallory becoming more comfortable with herself, I get why her mom’s actions were glossed over.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Going Vintage.  There were times when I wished Mallory went more vintage, but overall, I really liked her journey and what she learned about herself.  Going Vintage gets 4 stars.

Book: Defending Jacob by William Landay

Published January 2012 by Random House|Pages: 432

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: None

Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery/Thriller

Goodreads|William Landay’s Website

Summary: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life, his wife, Laurie, and teenage son, Jacob.

Then Andy’s quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in a leafy park. And an even greater shock: The accused is Andy’s own son—shy, awkward, mysterious Jacob.

Andy believes in Jacob’s innocence. Any parent would. But the pressure mounts. Damning evidence. Doubt. A faltering marriage. The neighbors’ contempt. A murder trial that threatens to obliterate Andy’s family.

It is the ultimate test for any parent: How far would you go to protect your child? It is a test of devotion. A test of how well a parent can know a child. For Andy Barber, a man with an iron will and a dark secret, it is a test of guilt and innocence in the deepest sense.

How far would you go?

Defending Jacob…I have mixed feelings.  There were things I thought were interesting, but there were things that I didn’t like.

One interesting thing is that Andy (Jacob’s dad) is very insistent that his son didn’t do it, and that it was someone else.  He’s very much convinced that his perfect little angel could never kill someone.  At the same time, you have Laurie (Jacob’s mom) has the complete opposite reaction of Andy.  She’s open to the possibility that her son could have done it, especially when she starts reflecting on Jacob’s entire life, and wonders if he could have done it because of how he acted as a kid.  I’m not surprised by their reactions or surprised by how different they are.

Also interesting is the idea of a murder gene.  Andy’s father and grandfather ended up in jail for murder, and while it wasn’t explored as much as it could have been, it was really nice to see a bit more focus on the genetic end of things.  The author could have focused on how the media is to blame, but instead went with something completely different.  It was nice to see something that could have been passed down from generation to generation, and how Andy, Jacob and Andy’s dad ended up so different, even though they all have the same “murder gene.”

More than anything else, Defending Jacob is about the lengths a parent will go to in order to protect their child.  Andy doesn’t even want to face the possibility that his son could have committed murder that he’ll do most anything to prove his son’s innocence.  Laurie, on the other hand, is much more willing to believe Jacob could have killed someone, and it really breaks her heart.  How far will you go to keep a loved one out of jail?

This actually brings me to what I didn’t like about the book.  I didn’t like the mysterious courtroom transcripts, and I didn’t like Andy as a narrator.  I felt like he was really detached from what was going on, and despite his insistence that Jacob what innocent, I felt like he didn’t show any emotion regarding what was going on with his son.  I didn’t like the random flashbacks to Andy’s childhood and I COULDN’T STAND the vague “if only I knew then what I know now” comments.  It made it totally obvious that there something else going on, and so I wasn’t surprised to find that Laurie snaps and does something…extreme.

I found it fairly predictable- especially the ending, which didn’t actually resolve anything.  Were the last few paragraphs creepy?  Sure, but I was expecting loose ends to be tied up.  A lot of stuff was introduced but for me, they didn’t go anywhere, and you’re never completely sure if Jacob actually did it or not.  Plus, there’s absolutely no resolution to what Laurie does, which was most frustrating. I just wanted to know why, and that is something we have to guess.  I normally don’t mind open-ended endings, but this one was just annoying.  Let’s just say the ending was one big WTF-moment.

Final Thoughts:

The ending was the most frustrating part of the book.  Throw in a bunch of characters who didn’t seem to show a lot of emotion and plot points that don’t really go anywhere, and you have a book that was as interesting as it could have been.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, and there’s quite a bit to think about.  But everything combined leads to a 3 star rating for Defending Jacob.  

Book: Firestorm by Rachel Caine

Published September 2006 by Penguin|Pages: 320

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Warden #5

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Rogue Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is racing to New York to warn her former colleagues of the impending apocalypse. An ancient agreement between the Djinn and the Wardens has been broken, and the furious Djinn, slaves to the Wardens for millennia, have broken free of mortal control.

With more than half the Wardens unaccounted for in the wake of the Djinn uprising, Joanne realizes that the natural disasters they’ve combated for so long were merely symptoms of restless Mother Nature fidgeting in her sleep. Now she’s waking up—and she is angry…

If there’s something Caine does well, it’s writing a book that I cannot put down.  Firestorm is no exception to that. I’m probably going to say this in all of the reviews for the rest of the books in this series, but things are getting crazy!  Mother Earth is starting to lose it, a bunch of Wardens are dead/missing/have demon marks, Imara (Joanne’s daughter) is quite interesting, and we finally see the Oracles mentioned in Outcast Season.  I think we all meet Cassiel, but I’m not sure, because she’s not mentioned by name.  We do see an angelic-looking Dijinn, which seems to fit her.  I’m pretty sure we’ll find that out later though.

Imara.  I like her, and she’s a pretty interesting character.  She’s more grown up than you’d expect.  She also grew up fast, so creating a Dijinn- even one who’s part Dijinn, like Imara- is definitely different.  Plus, she has the knowledge of Joanne and David, and while I have a fuzzy idea of how things turn out for her, it’ll be great to see how she gets there.

Random Note About Things That Don’t Really Have Anything To Do With This Book: This would probably be a good time to mention that I’ll probably be talking more about Outcast Season as I continue this series.  At some point, we’ll see the events of Outcast Season, which should be any book now, because there’s only 4 books left for me to read.

Now Back To Firestorm: Seeing how things are getting really bad, and how there are a lot of Wardens who are not accounted for.  And the broken agreement with the Dijinn, and Mother Earth losing it, and everything is GOING COMPLETELY BONKERS.  Especially because there’s something about Joanne that makes Mother Earth want to listen to her.  I like this whole idea that there are a lot more earthquakes and other natural disasters because Mother Nature is trying to heal herself.

Even with impending doom, there were still a few funny moments.  Mostly when Joanne was flying to the Southwest.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is when one of the pilots told them to enjoy their food because they’d be vomiting later.  I have no idea why I was amused by this, but I was.  It also a great scene because you learn that Weather Wardens and flying are two things that should not be combined.

I just really like where things are going, and how Joanne’s doing what she can to help.  Things are crazy, and they can only get worse.  Mother Nature is not a happy camper, and I don’t blame her.  The Dijinn aren’t really helping, particularly Ashan.  I thought his “relationship” was interesting.  They’re definitely at odds with each other in Firestorm, and while I’m not surprised he managed to end up with Imara, I think part of me was wishing he wouldn’t.

I just have this feeling that she’s somehow going to be used against Joanne.  We’ve seen it with her sister- which also makes you wonder what the deal is with Eamon- so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ashan (and any other villain) use her loved ones against her.

Final Thoughts:

I love the concept of the series, and how each book focuses on different weather patterns and elements.  Fire seems particularly appropriate at this point, but I honestly couldn’t tell you why.  Firestorm gets 5 stars for being another great book in a really addicting series.

Book: Punished by Kira Saito

Self-Published by Kira Saito in March 2012|Pages: 223

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Arelia LaRue #2

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Kira Saito’s Blog

Summary: Down in New Orleans, Arelia Larue’s once ordinary life has quickly transformed into something truly extraordinary.

As her ability to communicate and work with Les Mysteries (spirits) grows, so does her attraction for Darkwood’s secretive owner Lucus LaPlante.

However, Arelia soon discovers that Darkwood’s shiny and seemingly extravagant exterior holds secrets that may put her very soul at risk.

In the intoxicating world of New Orleans voodoo/hoodoo, expect the unexpected.

After really liking Bound, I was really expecting to like Punished.  Which I liked, but not as much as I thought I would.

One thing I really love is the focus on voodoo/hoodoo, which is something I haven’t come across.  So it’s pretty freaking awesome that a paranormal series set in New Orleans actually focuses on one of the things that come to mind when I think of New Orleans.  I liked seeing Arelia work with more spirits, and how she got pulled in to the history of Darkwood.  We see a bit of Lucas’ life back in the 1800’s, and we also meet Louis, a slave who was at the plantation before the curse trapped Lucas there.

As it turns out, Louis is also trapped at Darkwood.  But while Lucas is in his own body, Louis is in a different one.  It was pretty obvious who it was pretty early in the book, and I just can’t believe I didn’t figure it out in Bound!  I think Arelia feels sympathy for Louis after seeing what his life was like.

Sabrina and Ivan got really tiresome in Punished, and I felt like they were just…there.  Sabrina seemed even more shallow than she did in Bound, and Ivan…his character does make sense, but he’s still the same guy he was in Bound.  I did like his story, though.

So, the thing that’s sort of annoying about Punished is that…it just ends.  It was something I noticed with Bound, and I’m a little disappointed that it continues with Punished.  I’m really starting to feel like Saito is just randomly deciding where to end, and just going with that, because Punished ended kind of abruptly.  I like the series enough that I’m willing to overlook it for now, but I’m hoping it doesn’t continue.

Final Thoughts:

I liked Punished, and I think the whole idea of a curse and the voodoo/hoodoo and the setting of New Orleans is different from a lot of other paranormal ideas out there.  Some of the characters are still the same characters they were in Bound- even ones who have more of a backstory- and I’m not liking how the books seem to randomly end.  Punished gets 3 stars.

Book: Protecting Truth by Michelle Warren

Published September 2012 by Kristine Michelle Preast|Pages: 314

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy #2

Genre: YA Paranormal with a dash of time travel

Goodreads|Michelle Warren’s Website

Summary: Seraphina’s keeping a secret from her Wandering team: she’s perfecting her fighting skills. But telling Sam and Bishop the truth would only alert them to her plan: to go back in time, save her mom, and finish what she started. With the help of Turner, Bishop’s handsome twin, she progresses toward her goal but plummets deeper into dangerous territory where the lines of friendship and romance are blurred. One passionate kiss changes everything, leading Sera to unravel a shocking web of family secrets, heartbreaking ulterior motives, and sinister agendas. Love and lies collide in a haunting climax, where the truest souls may not survive.

Protecting Truth was a great book.  I really enjoyed it.  We learn more about Wanderers and their history and that they have a capitol.  We learn there’s an oath they take when they finish their schooling and that there are a ton of perks that come along with that oath.  I really felt like this society of Wanderers existed alongside our world.

I was intrigued by the family secrets that came out in Protecting Truth.  The whole thing with Mona not really being her aunt, and two possible protectors was not expected.  Twins are apparently not a good thing, but it’s not surprising, because then you end up with someone having 2 protectors.  I thought this part was interesting, and you have to wonder how many times it’s happened before.  Especially because it seems like they have a plan in place.  While you don’t really get what the point is, or why there’s a need for a team, I still like the idea of people working together to time travel.  Maybe there is no point, and it just so happens that there are people who have these abilities.

It really is the details that Warren works in that make the series, because there’s so much more to this world than what we see.  With the Underground getting more interesting and taking on the Society Of Wanderers.  I can’t wait to see where things are headed, and what’s really going on.  You know there’s something there, but it really hasn’t come up in the way I was expecting, so it would appear that everything is going to come out in the last book.

I thought the characters were great, and some even surprised me.  There’s part of me that wants to talk about them, but at the same time, I’d be giving away major plot points, and I don’t want to do that either.  Let’s just say that Sera hasn’t even scratched the surface of things that she first learned about in Wander Dust.

Sera’s definitely an interesting character, and I thought her training with Turner, Bishop’s twin, was interesting.  I get why she wants to train, but what’s the point of having a protector if you’re going through additional training?  I didn’t care for the secrets she kept from her team, because they work in teams for a reason (whatever that reason may be).  I get why she kept secrets, but it still sort of irked me.

Final Thoughts:

Protecting Truth is a great follow-up to Wander Dust.  I like all of the details that Warren has, and it really feels like its own world.  There’s so much going on, and I can’t wait to read the next one!  I really liked it, and while I didn’t love it, it was still a fun read.  Protecting Truth gets 4 stars.

Book: Feedback by Robison Wells

Published October 2012 by HarperTeen|Pages: 320

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Variant #2

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Dystopic/Thriller/Mystery

Goodreads|Robison Wells’ Website

Summary: Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs. The worst was over.

Or so he thought.

But now he’s trapped on the other side of the wall, in a different kind of prison. A town filled with familiar faces. People from Maxfield who Benson had seen die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.

They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. And while Benson struggles to figure out who, if anyone, can be trusted, he discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are darker than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.

I have mixed feelings about Feedback.  After really liking Variant, I knew I wanted to read this one.  It just…didn’t grab my attention the way Variant did.

Feedback lost all the creepiness and mystery that I loved about Variant.  There’s still some mystery and some creepiness, but…I don’t know, it just didn’t seem as there.  I think it’s because we learned more about the people who run the school, and there’s the whole thing with the androids, and you sort of learn more about what’s really going on.  I liked that we learned more about the school. but we never got why they’re running Maxfield and creating androids.

I’m still not sure what to think.  I mean, I liked learning more about Maxfield and everything, but at the same time, the mystery surrounding Maxfield was lost.  Here’s the thing with Feedback that’s sort of frustrating.  Things are resolved enough that there really doesn’t need to be a third book.  But the door is also open for a third book.

Feedback really felt like an afterthought sometimes.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book and all, and I am glad I read it but I think I  would have been just as fine not reading it.

I’m not completely sure what to think of Feedback because Variant worked so well on its own.  In all honesty, Feedback probably wasn’t going to meet the expectations I had going in.  It’s such a strange sequel.  Strange in that it’s a sequel that works well on it’s own.  You could probably read Feedback on it’s own and have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.  It picks up where Variant left off, but both books work so well on their own that it’s weird to think of Feedback as a sequel.

I’m feeling pretty neutral about the characters.  They did what I expected but I also didn’t care about them either way.  Plus, it was hard to picture where everything was.  It’s not that you don’t know where things are or what they look like, but with Feedback, I just couldn’t picture the setting in my head.

Final Thoughts:

I did like Feedback.  I liked learning more about the history of Maxfield Academy, and I wish we knew why someone wanted to replace people with androids.  But Feedback was also frustrating because I would have been just as fine not reading it.  Feedback gets 3 stars.

Book: With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

Published March 2013 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 384

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #7

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

Summary: What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America?

It’s time to kick some hellion butt…

After not really surviving her junior year (does “undead” count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She’s going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath and understands that she’s closer to the edge than she’s ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can’t save everyone she loves without risking everything she has…

I am so sad that Soul Screamers is over!  I’ve really come to love this series, and With All My Soul is such a great ending for this series!  I wasn’t expecting to cry…but I did.  That ending really did me in…

Kaylee…I am so glad everything worked out okay.  For a while, I thought that things might end up going horribly wrong, and seeing her experience what she did made me cry.  While I’m not surprised Kaylee sacrificed herself, it was still so dang sad!  With All My Soul being YA, everything works out in the end, and all because of a well-worded negotiation.  Thanks to Ira, of course.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad things worked out because everyone deserved to have some peace from all of those hellions.

I love that Kaylee was willing to make such a big sacrifice in order for things to end.  Seriously.  For a page or two, things seemed so HORRIBLE, but I’m glad that there was a happy ending.  Everyone deserves the happiness that they seem to find, because they’ve had a rough time throughout the series, and it is SO NICE to see them have a more peaceful, normal life.

I’ve grown to love Sabine, and it’s so weird that I started out HATING her…only to love her in the end.  I actually like her with Nash, and I’ve warmed up to them as a couple.

We totally need to talk about Tod and Kaylee, who are so adorable together.  I love that Tod is the one to get Kaylee out of the Netherworld and away from Avari.  You see Kaylee missing out on 4 years of everyone’s life, and how much has changed in the time she was gone.  Especially since they’re unaware of the sacrifice she made, and because they all just…moved on.  Which does make sense, because they weren’t completely aware of everything she did for them, but it was also a little sad, seeing that life for them went on while she was in hell so they could go on with their lives.

It really is bittersweet.  But I can’t imagine a better ending for the series, because it all came together in the end.

I wish we saw Alec one more time, and I am curious about what happened to Thane and the 2 hellions Avari was “working” with.  I mean, we know what happens with Ira and with Avari, but not the others.  I thought Kaylee summoning Ira was interesting, and how nobody seemed to know it was possible.  But the Netherworld is never what it seems, and it would make sense that you could summon a hellion.

Random Thought: I love the title, especially having finished the book (and the series). I love how well it fits with the book.

Final Thoughts:

With All My Soul was such a perfect ending for the series.  Kaylee has changed so much since the beginning of the series- I know this is sappy, but I’m glad I got to go on this journey with her.  With All My Soul gets…5+ stars!

Book: Fall Of Night by Rachel Caine

Published May 2013 by Penguin|Pages: 352

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Morganville Vampires #14

Genre: YA Paranormal- Vampires

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble…

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane.

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires.

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make…

Is it November yet?  Because I totally want it to be November.  It’s going to be quite a wait.  Just when you think things are getting in THE BALLPARK OF NORMAL…you realize you are nowhere near normal.

Claire finally goes off to MIT.  It’s her chance to figure out if Morganville and Shane are really what she wants.  Morganville is never far for Claire, and trouble (naturally) follows her to MIT.  Professor Anderson isn’t what she seems, and we learn that others know of vampires- and that they want vampires either contained or gone.  I have to say, the title of the next book totally makes more sense, and I have never wanted to know what happens next more than I do right now.

Why?  Because Claire and crew arrive back to Morganville to find that the human population of Morganville have taken control of the town with the help of The Daylight Foundation.  I have the feeling we’re going to learn more about them in the next one, and I was totally taken off guard by a super-secret group that hates vampires.  I WAS TOTALLY NOT EXPECTING THAT.

Like…are the vampires going to be destroyed or used as lab rats or something equally horrible?  Because Michael’s not that bad.  And Amelie and Myrnin have their moments.  Even Oliver doesn’t seem that bad sometimes.

(Super glad Oliver made an appearance because I thought we’d never see or hear from him again.  It was totally silly to think he’d completely disappear).

I sort of get why the Daylight Foundation wants to be rid of vampires, but…I’m very fond of the vampires in Morganville.  I don’t want bad things to happen to them!  I want things to work out and for everyone to have their happily ever after!

I’m going back to Claire at MIT.  I liked her at MIT and seeing her be all paranoid because she’s so used to things being weird and needing to constantly look over her shoulder.  I liked that Shane followed her to MIT because he was worried about her.  I especially loved Claire not taking long to realize that Morganville is where she wants to be, because Morganville is home.

Claire’s project at MIT: I really shouldn’t be surprised that it gets used for…something it wasn’t intended to do.  And yet I found myself surprised.  Mostly because I wasn’t expecting things to go the way they did.  Things (sort of) work out, and I get Claire’s guilt over what happened.

What amazes me is that I’m still surprised after 14 books.  Caine always manages to keep things fresh and interesting- all while being really consistent.  I like that I don’t completely know what to expect.

Final Thoughts:

Fall Of Night might just possibly be my favorite book.  If not my absolute favorite, then it’s definitely up near the top.  I wasn’t expecting The Daylight Foundation and I certainly wasn’t expecting them to help the human segment of the Morganville population to take back the town.  It’s definitely action-packed, and hard to put down.  Fall Of Night gets 5 stars.

Book: Lovely, Dark And Deep by Amy McNamara

Published October 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers|Pages: 352

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|Amy McNamara’s Website

Summary: A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything—and the connections that force you to rejoin it.

Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somewhere she can be alone.

Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.

Holy cow!  So…Lovely, Dark, And Deep…how I loved thee.  I am impressed.  Very impressed.  Lovely, Dark And Deep was so beautiful that I WAS STILL CRYING 5 MINUTES AFTER FINISHING IT.  Me crying is sort of rare, but even more rare is me crying for a few minutes after finishing it.

McNamara doesn’t waste a single word, and it felt like every word meant something and was carefully thought it.  It was very poetic, and I wasn’t surprised when I learned that McNamara has written poetry, because that really comes through.

I thought Wren was an interesting character.  She was really easy to really to, and was a pretty sympathetic character.  Her relationship with her dad, her mom, and her former best friend were all really different, but I loved her relationship with her dad, with Mary, and with Cal.  Her dad’s pretty awesome, and was much more willing to let Wren deal with things in her own way.  It’s too bad Mary was only there for part of the book, because she balanced out Wren in a lot of ways.

Her mom and her best friend.  Good God, they were irritating.  They pretty much thought Wren was selfish because she put off going to college and moved in with her dad and isolated herself from people.  It really seemed like Wren wasn’t grieving the way they wanted her to.  Which is a little sad because everyone grieves differently, and Wren went through a lot.  I mean, she went to a party, broke up with her boyfriend, who was drunk at the time because she was pregnant, had a car accident, and lost both him and her child.  And she had to deal with people wondering how she made it out okay, while he ended up dead…and them not knowing she was pregnant and miscarried.

Lovely, Dark And Deep was so heartbreakingly real and honest, and it’s such an emotional read.  Wren just wants to be in a place where she can JUST BE and grieve in her own way.  It may look like she’s running, but I saw a girl who needs a chance to breathe and let go and process things in her own way.  Was Wren selfish?  Maybe, but grief…it can make you do strange things.

I don’t know how I’ve gotten this far in my review and haven’t really talked about Cal!  I’m not completely sure about his relationship with Wren, but I’m glad he and Wren have each other, because they both really need someone.  They both needed a friend, and they definitely found more than that in each other.  I really am glad they found each other, because with everything they were going through, they needed to have that one person to help pull them out of it.

There’s just something so quiet and reflective about Lovely, Dark And Deep.  As strange as this may seem, it was a nice way to break up a lot of the lighter stuff I’ve been reading…and even stranger is that this book is exactly what I’ve needed.

Final Thoughts:

Words cannot express how I feel about Lovely, Dark And Deep.  I just feel so strongly about it that…5 stars doesn’t seem like a high enough rating.  It’s so FREAKING BEAUTIFUL, and every minute I cried was totally worth it.  I’m totally adding a new rating to the blog: Lovely, Dark And Deep gets 5+ stars!

Book: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Published June 2012 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 304

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #6

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

Summary: I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.The good news? He didn’t get it.

The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school….

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent “recovering,” she’s back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.

But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won’t keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn’t just gambling with her own life….

The more I read this series, the more I love it!  Where else are you going to get a story about a girl who’s now trying to struggle to fit in with her human friends.

I think my favorite part was seeing Kaylee adjust to life in the human world.  She really has to concentrate on staying visible in school, and I liked that she’d randomly start disappearing in the middle of class.  While Kaylee doesn’t always want to go to her dad when stuff happens, in the end, she does end up telling him, which I really like.  I mean, a lot of times, parents are totally absent, and I like that Kaylee seems to have the good sense to go to him when things get weird…well, weirder than normal, anyway.

I kind of wish we saw a little bit of her training, because I’m super-curious about her training actually entails.  Especially when you learn that Kaylee, her boss and a necromancer are the only people left in her department.  Add in Avari being able to cross over to the human world while borrowing the soul and body of people.  Especially if it’s someone Kaylee knows…because Avari is one twisted hellion.

Kaylee and Tod are so adorable together, and they make a great couple.  It’s nice seeing them together.  The stakes are getting higher with each book, and while the ending wasn’t what I was expecting, I can’t say it was all that surprising.  I’m almost nervous to see who’s going to be next- hopefully, no one, but I doubt everyone will survive.  If they do, I’ll be surprised.

At this point, Before I Wake is tied with If I Die for my favorite book in the series!  Seriously, Kaylee coming to terms with being dead, and the guilt she feels over a certain event in the book, and trying to hold onto her humanity…I loved that part of it.  I’m sort of amazed at how different Kaylee is now, and how much she’s changed since the beginning of the series.  Her struggle with her immortality was great to see.

Final Thoughts:

I totally can’t wait to read the next (and last) book.  I can’t wait to see where Vincent takes things after the events in Before I Wake, because things have gotten a lot more interesting.  Before I Wake was completely awesome, and gets 5 stars!