Tag Archives: 2013 books

Book Review: Beautiful Chaos

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Beautiful Chaos CoverBook: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Narrated by Kevin Collins

Published October 2011 by Hachette Audio|Run Time: 16 hours, 15 minutes

Where I Got It: Audible.com

Series: Caster Chronicles #3

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Kami Garcia’s Website|Margaret Stohl’s Website|Series Website

Goodreads Summary: Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, “strange” and “impossible “have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena’s Claiming. Even Lena’s family of powerful Supernaturals is affected – and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What – or who – will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin? 

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He’s being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn’t by Lena – and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself – forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn’t know why, and most days he’s too afraid to ask. 

Sometimes there isn’t just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there’s no going back. And this time there won’t be a happy ending.

Beautiful Chaos is easily my favorite book in the series, and it’s because the story is so much more interesting than the first couple.  The series really has improved since Beautiful Creatures, but Beautiful Chaos really exceeded my expectations!

We see the impact of Lena’s claiming and what a broken Order really means.  We also see the fall-out of Liv’s actions in Beautiful Darkness, with everything going back to Marion for not doing anything to stop Liv.  We learn of the Far Keep, and who they are, and what they do. And we learn that there is a book called the Caster Chronicles, which has a record of all casters.  The series name makes much more sense now.  I always thought it was because of Lena being a caster and the books being her story, so the book adds another layer of that.  At least, it does for me.

The not-so-happy ending wasn’t that big of a surprise, and I had a really vague idea of what was going on with Ethan.  What I didn’t know was how we’d get to the ending, or why Ethan was acting the way he was.  It was interesting and unexpected enough that I didn’t care that I figured parts of it out.  There was a lot of mystery, and I liked that the mystery (for the most part) wasn’t obvious, because I was left guessing by so much!

I just loved Ethan’s aunts, and I just love their appearances throughout the book.  I also have such a soft spot for Amma and Marion in this book.  Liv is still around (which surprised me a little) and I really liked Ethan.  I’m still not sure how I feel about Liv, since we didn’t see a lot of her in this book, and while Lena was more bearable/likeable in Beautiful Chaos than she was in Beautiful Darkness, I’m feeling pretty neutral about her.

There was a point where I couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed.  Even though I knew it was coming, actually listening to it is completely different than just knowing it was going to happen.  I’m really liking Kevin Collins as the narrator, and he really brings Ethan to life.

Final Thoughts:

I like that the Caster mythology gets more and more interesting as the series goes on, and that there’s always something new to learn about the Caster world.  Beautiful Chaos, for me, has the most interesting storyline, and it will be interesting to see how everything ties up in the last book.  Beautiful Chaos gets 5 stars.

Book Review: The Heavens Rise

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The Heavens Rise CoverBook: The Heavens Rise by Christopher Rice

Expected Publication is October 15, 2013 by Gallery Books|Expected Number Of Pages is 338

Series: None

Genre: Adult Horror

You Can Find The Heavens Rise On Goodreads|You can find Christopher Rice On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: It’s been a decade since the Delongpre family vanished near Bayou Rabineaux, and still no one can explain the events of that dark and sweltering night. No one except Niquette Delongpre, the survivor who ran away from the mangled stretch of guardrail on Highway 22 where the impossible occurred…and kept on running. Who left behind her best friends, Ben and Anthem, to save them from her newfound capacity for destruction…and who alone knows the source of her very bizarre—and very deadly—abilities: an isolated strip of swampland called Elysium.

An accomplished surgeon, Niquette’s father dreamed of transforming the dense acreage surrounded by murky waters into a palatial compound befitting the name his beloved wife gave to it, Elysium: “the final resting place for the heroic and virtuous.” Then, ten years ago, construction workers dug into a long-hidden well, one that snaked down into the deep, black waters of the Louisiana swamp and stirred something that had been there for centuries—a microscopic parasite that perverts the mind and corrupts the body.

Niquette is living proof that things done can’t be undone. Nothing will put her family back together again. And nothing can save her. But as Niquette, Ben, and Anthem uncover the truth of a devastating parasite that has the potential to alter the future of humankind, Niquette grasps the most chilling truths of all: someone else has been infected too. And unlike her, this man is not content to live in the shadows. He is intent to use his newfound powers for one reason only: revenge.

I have pretty mixed feelings about The Heavens Rise.  I was expecting something super-creepy and mysterious, and while there is a mystery and a sense of creepiness at the beginning, it also didn’t have the super-creepy mystery I was expecting.

It was creepy and mysterious at the beginning, but unfortunately, the unraveling mystery didn’t do much for me.  And the creepiness of Marshall and what was going on was really creepy at the beginning, because you don’t know what’s going on.  But as you figure everything out, the creepiness factor got a little lost.

I did like how Nikki’s journal entries were scattered throughout the book, and how her story connected with Marshall’s and Ben’s story. The novel also jumps between past and present, and the different perspectives and times worked better than I was expecting.  You get such a clear picture of the different elements and how they all come together.  Still, it did make the book feel like it was all over the place at times.

New Orleans is the setting for The Heavens Rise, and while it seems like Rice really knows the city (as he apparently grew up there), it didn’t completely work as a setting for me.  I mean, the swamps and stuff lend to the parasite and everything, but I think I was expecting more of the creepy side of New Orleans.  It seems like it would lend itself to paranormal creatures/humans that are a result of a parasite in the water, and while we get a little of it, I think I was slightly disappointed that we didn’t see more of it.

I don’t have strong feelings for any of the characters, but Nikki was easily one of the more interesting characters, as was Marshall.  Marshall, because of his obsession with Nikki and Nikki, because we get to know her through her journal entries and through the memories of Ben. I think part of why she’s so interesting is that we slowly get to know Nikki over the course of the book.  I do wish we knew more about Nikki and her family.

Final Thoughts:

I did like The Heavens Rise, and thought the overall premise to be really interesting.  I liked how the paranormal elements blended so well with the “real” world, and I wish we got more of those elements.  The character didn’t particularly stand out but there were a couple that were a little more interesting than the rest.  The Heavens Rise get 3 stars.

Book Review: This Much Is True

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This Much Is True CoverBook: This Much Is True by Katherine Owen

Published August 2013 by The Writing Works Group|Pages: 469

Series: None

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

You Can Find This Much Is True on Goodreads|You can find Katherine Owen On Twitter and Facebook

This Much Is True is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, and this hasn’t influenced my review in any way!

Goodreads Summary: Fate brings them together
Fame & lies keep them apart
One truth remains…

She’s become the Paly High girl with the most tragic story…
At 17, Tally Landon just wants to graduate and leave for New York to pursue ballet. Her best friend Marla convinces her to attend one last party—a college party—where she can be among strangers and evade the whisperings about her heartbreaking loss of her twin that follows her everywhere she goes. She meets Lincoln Presley, Stanford’s famous baseball wonder and has a little fun at his expense—when she lies about her age and who she really is—intent on being someone else for the night and escaping her tragic story.

His only focus is baseball, but he can’t forget the girl he saved on Valentine’s Day…
At 22, Lincoln Presley’s star is on the rise—about to finish at Stanford and expected to be taken early in Major League Baseball’s upcoming draft—his cousin’s party serves as a welcome distraction. But then, he sees the girl from Valentine’s Day that he saved from that horrific car accident and can’t quite hide his disappointment when she appears to look right through him and not remember him at all. He vows to learn her name at least before he leaves. What’s the harm in getting to know this girl? What’s the worst that can happen?

They share this incredible connection, but fate soon tests these star-crossed lovers in all kinds of ways…
And yet, despite the lies being told to protect the other, and the trappings of fame that continually separate them, and in lieu of the deception by those they’ve come to trust the most; one truth remains.

This much is true.

I absolutely loved This Much Is True, and yet I’m not sure how to properly express how I feel about this book.  It’s just so heartbreaking, and I just wanted Tally and Lincoln to have a happily ever after.  Which they did, but it took quite a bit for them to get there.

They just have so many obstacles to overcome and there were times when I felt like I wasn’t emotionally stable enough for this book.  But in a good way, because Owen really puts her characters through the ringer.  They have their moments of angst and pain and their own baggage, and I couldn’t help but root for them.

There’s definitely the element of them belonging together but life gets in the way, and he saves her from the car accident that killed her identical twin.  There are definitely soap opera-ish elements, but don’t let that deter you, because it didn’t feel like I was reading a soap opera at all.  There are also some happy moments, and it’s definitely a roller coaster of emotion.

I really liked Tally, and I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose a twin sister.  I loved her dedication to dance, and what it cost her.  I also loved her with Lincoln, and it took so long for them to get it together.  They balance each other so well, and they both have that dedication to something they love, even if it means making sacrifices in other areas.

There’s so much I want to talk about, but I don’t want to give anything away, because there are some things I didn’t see coming.  This Much Is True spans several years, and things didn’t seem drawn out, which was nice because everything seemed to happen for a reason. The ending wasn’t as emotional as I was expecting, given that most of the book was pretty emotional.  It also seemed a tad rushed. but it didn’t take anything away from how amazing and beautiful this book is.

Tally and Lincoln narrate the book, and I really liked that they both narrated.  Tally is the one who narrates most of the book, but every once in a while, you’ll see a chapter narrated by Lincoln to get a sense of what’s going on with him.

Final Thoughts:

This Much Is True is pretty amazing, and I loved Tally’s story.  So many things in This Much Is True were totally believable. This Much Is True gets 5 stars.

Book Review: Me, Cinderella?

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Me Cinderella CoverBook: Me, Cinderella? by Aubrey Rose

Published June 2013 by eXessica Publishing|Pages: 194

Series: Not that I’m aware of, but it seems like a sequel is in the works

Genre: New Adult Romance

You can find Me, Cinderella? on Goodreads|You can find Aubrey Rose on Twitter and Facebook

Goodreads Summary: One kind deed can change your life forever…

Brynn Tomlin could never afford to follow her heart. But when she sees a stranger shivering in the snow outside of the college library, an inexplicable urge leads her to buy him a hot cup of coffee. It’s just a small act of kindness, a few words of conversation. Brynn should be focusing on her finals, after all, not on the man who looked up at her gratefully with piercing blue eyes. 

He could have been anyone – a janitor on break, a graduate student, a bum. But the man standing outside in the cold turns out to be Dr. Eliot Herceg, one of the most brilliant minds in mathematics and heir to a fortune. After years of reclusive isolation, he now finds his heart awakening to the kind girl whose name he does not know. 

Brynn has spent her life trying to forget her desires, and Eliot’s deep wounds have taken nearly a decade to heal. After so much hurt, will either of them be able to open their hearts again?

Me, Cinderella wasn’t what I was expecting, but in a good way!  I liked that Brynn bought Eliot some coffee, which started something they didn’t imagine.

I was pleasantly surprised with both Brynn and Eliot, who are really into math. Naturally, he ends up being in charge of the internship that Brynn gets, and romance (naturally) ensues.  I liked that math was so important to the both of them, because I feel like you don’t see a lot of math majors in books set in college.  You see Brynn work on some math-related things, but math jargon and math problems don’t take over the book.  They’re mentioned, but there’s no need to worry about math going over your head.

They certainly have an interesting relationship, given certain life events.  All Brynn wants is to go to Hungary to visit her mother’s grave, and Eliot is still dealing with the death of his wife, a good 10 or so years after her death.  I’m not completely sold on their relationship, which is pretty much because I didn’t feel like there was a lot of chemistry between them.  It just felt lackluster to me, even though I get why it took them so long to get together.  Overall, Me, Cinderella seems like a romance and has a lot of the elements of romance, but unfortunately, it just didn’t do anything for me.

Given the title, I was expecting something a little more fairy tale-ish.  The connection to Cinderella is there, but not in the way I expected!  I get Brynn doesn’t feel like Cinderella for pretty much the entire book, but in the end, the title and Cinderella connection makes a lot more sense by the end of the book.

I liked that a majority of the book is set in Hungary, which is definitely a different setting than what I’m used to seeing.  I wish we saw a little more of Hungary, but perhaps we’ll see a little more of Hungary in the next book.  I think this is a good time to bring up the fact that the book is on the short side, and I think more scenes in Hungary and more scenes with Brynn and Eliot could have made Me, Cinderella come to life a little more.

Final Thoughts:

I did like Me, CInderella, but I thought the romance was lackluster, and I wish it were a little longer.  I like that math brought them together, and I like that they have their own issues they need to work through.  I am looking forward to reading the next book, because I am curious to see where their story goes.  Me, Cinderella? gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Aberrant

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Aberrant CoverBook: Aberrant by Ruth Silver

Published April 2013 by Patchwork Press|Pages: 137

Series: Aberrant #1

Genre: Young Adult Dystopic

Aberrant is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which has not influenced my review in any way

Goodreads|You can find Ruth Silver on Twitter and Facebook

Goodreads Summary: In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government’s match in marriage and “The Day of the Chosen”, a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn’t existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she’s arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from “The Day of the Chosen.” The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system. 

With Joshua’s help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

Aberrant is definitely different, and I definitely liked it.  For me, the best way to describe this book is Matched meets Children Of Men with maybe a touch of The Hunger Games.  Matched (or even The Giver) because of the rules that Cabal has in place.  Children Of Men, because Olivia is the last person on the planet who might be able to have a child naturally.  And something about the rebels and fighting the government because they’re out to destroy Olivia made me think of The Hunger Games.  Even though there are elements of Aberrant that reminded me of other books, I felt like Silver did a great job in making the story interesting and fast-paced.

I’m not sure how I feel about Olivia, who was likeable at some points, and not so much at other points.  I totally get that being the last person on earth who can get pregnant naturally was a bit of a shock and that different groups are going to want to destroy it or exploit it or whatever.  But there was a point where she seemed a little bit ungrateful for what people were trying to do help her.  I understand not liking some of the rules put in place to help her, bu she could have been a lot more grateful. Olivia and Josh blended into the background, and while they are the main characters, I also felt like they were just there.

I felt like Aberrant could have been longer.  I know it’s part of a series, but there were things that I wished were explored a little more.  I am curious about the Shadow settlement, and I wish there was more time in Haven.  You get the basics of what this world is like, and what’s going on, but I felt like things and people weren’t as developed as they could be.  I’m still curious about what happens next, and if Olivia gets pregnant in a future book.

Final Thoughts:

I liked Aberrant, and I think the premise of it is really interesting.  I do wish Aberrant was longer, and more details about the government and the world Olivia lives in would have been nice.  Still, I can’t wait to see what happens next. Aberrant gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Will In Scarlet

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Will In Scarlet CoverBook: Will In Scarlet by Matthew Cody

Expected Publication Is October 8, 2013 by Alfred A Knopf Books For Young Readers|Expected Number Of Pages: 198

Series: None

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction/Re-telling

Will In Scarlet is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which has not influenced my review in any way

You can find Will In Scarlet on Goodreads|You can find Matthew Cody on Twitter and Facebook

Goodreads Summary: Will Scarlet is on the run. 

Once the sheltered son of nobility, Will has become an exile. While his father, Lord Shackley, has been on the Crusades with King Richard, a treacherous plot to unseat Richard has swept across England, and Shackley House has fallen.

Will flees the only home he’s ever known into neighboring Sherwood Forest, where he joins the elusive gang of bandits known as the Merry Men. Among them are Gilbert, their cruel leader; a giant named John Little; a drunkard named Rob; and Much, an orphan girl disguised as a bandit boy.

This is the story of how a band of misfit outlaws become heroes of legend – thanks to one brave 13-year-old boy.

Will In Scarlet is such a cool book!  I really liked it, and it’s a great take on how Robin Hood became Robin Hood.  We all know the story of Robin Hood, and while I never thought about how Robin Hood came to be, I thought Cody did a great job at showing one such take on the Robin Hood story.

I’m super-fuzzy on the whole Robin Hood tale, and only remember the basic story, so I actually had to do a quick refresher on Robin Hood. I liked that Will In Scarlet focused on Will, and what it was like for him to go from being part of the nobility to being a bandit.  I honestly didn’t remember Will, and was interested in Will as a character.  I liked that when he fled the castle he lived in, he saw what things were really like, and Will being sheltered was pretty obvious because he seemed pretty surprised by what was out there.  I also liked that Will decided to stay in England even though he had the chance to go to France and be with his mom and her family until things got sorted out.

I liked the historical backdrop of the book, and Cody did a great job of showing what things were like while also making seem interesting and even a bit fun at times. There’s a lot of action, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.  You learn things throughout the book, and all of the details make the book come to life.  I don’t know anything about the time period in which the book is set, but I loved the feel of the book, and the very vague recollection I have of this period seems accurate.

The historical details are explained really well, especially since they relate so much to what is going on with Will and at Shackley Castle.  I think this would be a great book for required reading, and I also think it’s a book a lot of teens would like.  I think it’s better suited for the younger end of the YA spectrum, since middle grade-ish, but I also think it’s something people of all ages would enjoy too, especially if you like Robin Hood re-tellings.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Will In Scarlet!  It’s a great take on the Robin Hood story, and I like that it focuses on how Robin Hood became Robin Hood through the eyes of Will Scarlet.  Will In Scarlet gets 4 stars.

Book Review: The Cutting Room Floor

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The Cutting Room Floor CoverBook: The Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Klehr

Expected Publication Is October 8, 2013 by Flux|Expected Number Of Pages: 327

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

The Cutting Room Floor is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which has not influenced my review in any way

Goodreads|You Can Find Dawn Klehr On Goodreads

Goodreads Summary: Behind-the-scenes secrets could turn deadly for Desmond and Riley

Life in the Heights has never been easy for seventeen-year-old Riley Frost, but when she’s publicly dumped and outed at the same time, she becomes an immediate social outcast at her high school. So Riley swears off romance and throws herself into solving the shocking murder of her favorite teacher, Ms. Dunn.

Riley turns to her best friend, budding filmmaker Desmond Brandt, for help. What she doesn’t know is that Dez has been secretly directing her life, blackmailing her friends, and hoping his manipulations will make her love him. When his schemes go too far, Dez’s web of lies threatens to destroy both of their lives.

There is a lot going on in The Cutting Room Floor!  The Cutting Room Floor seemed like it would be super-creepy and mysterious, but it wasn’t as creepy as I thought.

The Cutting Room Floor turned out to be an okay read for me, and a big part of it is how much is going on.  You have Dez’s obsession with Riley, who is dealing with being outed and trying to figure out her sexuality and solving the murder of her favorite teacher.  Things just didn’t come together as well as I was expecting.  Ms. Dunn’s murder is brought up at the beginning, only to disappear for most of the book, and then reappeared at the end of the book.  Also, certain details brought up in regards to her murder were never resolved, and didn’t have anything to do with who actually killed her, so I’m not sure why they were introduced to begin with.

As for who killed Ms. Dunn, it felt really random- even though I figured out who it was pretty early.  The clues became obvious to the characters at the end, and I was left wondering what these clues were, and why it was so obvious to the characters, even though I managed to correctly figure out what her killer was.  In all honesty, I was kind of hoping for more of a connection between Dez’s obsession with Riley and the murder of Ms. Dunn.  It would have made a lot more sense instead of the person who actually did it.

Also: Dez’s obsession with Riley.  Totally creepy, and he’s really manipulative.  He does his best to ruin her audition into a performing arts college because he wants them to go to school in the same area., and he does everything he can to break up her relationships.  I just couldn’t like Dez, and there were times when it seemed like we were supposed to like him and feel bad for him because Riley wasn’t interested in him.  I was also REALLY irritated that Dez kept trying to convince her that she was straight, even though she was still in the process of figuring out her sexuality.

I actually really liked seeing her struggle to figure it out, because that’s not a perspective I’ve come across in YA before, and it was refreshing to see it.  But I also felt like it wasn’t addressed as well as it could have been, especially since the possibility of Riley being bi seemed to be hinted at, but was never acknowledged or brought up.  I actually thought this story line was the most interesting one of the book, and while it was a pretty good chunk of the book, it wasn’t as interesting as it could have been.  Still, I thought Klehr did a really good job at showing what Riley was going through and some of the things she had to deal with.

I also liked that Dez and Riley are really into movies, and that film was really important to them.  It was really cool to see parts of the book written as a screenplay, and how Dez remembered things as scenes from a movie.

Dez and Riley takes turns narrating the book, and while I usually have strong thoughts on multiple narrators, I don’t have strong thoughts either way.  It wasn’t done horribly, but it wasn’t amazing either.  It was nice seeing both of their stories, but overall, it was okay.

Final Thoughts:

The Cutting Room Floor was just okay, and I wasn’t sure what kind of story Klehr was going for.  The different elements of the story didn’t come together for me.  The different elements just didn’t seem to be developed as well as they could have been. While there were a couple really interesting and refreshing things about this book, it wasn’t enough to grab my attention.  The Cutting Room Floor gets 2 stars.

Book Review: The Trial Of Dr. Kate

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The Trial Of Dr Kate CoverBook: The Trial Of Dr. Kate by Michael E. Glasscock III

Expected Publication Is October 8, 2013 by Greenleaf Book Group|Expected Number Of Pages: 238

Series: Round Rock #2

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

The Trial Of Dr. Kate is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which has not influenced my review in any way

Goodreads|You Can Find Michael E. Glasscock On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: In the summer of 1952, Lillian Johnson was found dead in her home, slumped in the wheelchair that had become her cage due to multiple sclerosis. An overdose of barbiturate had triggered a heart attack, but the scene was not quite right. It looked as though someone other than Lillian herself had injected the fatal dose.

Dr. Kate Marlow, Lillian’s physician and best friend, now sits in the Round Rock city jail. The only country doctor for miles, Kate cannot remember her whereabouts at the time of Lillian’s death and the small Tennessee town buzzes with judgment.

As Dr. Kate’s trial approaches, another woman is determined to uncover the truth about the night of Lillian’s death. Memphis reporter Shenandoah Coleman grew up in Round Rock on the wrong side of the tracks, but unlike the rest of her unsavory clan, escaped her destiny. Now, back in the town she grew up in, she’ll have to turn every stone to keep Kate from a guilty verdict.

The Trial of Dr. Kate is the second novel in a four-part series from Michael E. Glasscock III that explores the intricate social cloth of Round Rock, Tennessee. Though each story stands alone, readers who enjoyed Glasscock’s first Round Rock tale, Little Joe, will delight in the cameo appearances in this one.

Not only am I a fan of this series, but I’m also a fan of Michael Glasscock!  He’s created such a unique story in his Round Rock books, and I just loved The Trial Of Dr. Kate.  I liked seeing characters from Little Joe make random appearances throughout the book and catching up with them.  I also loved Shenandoah’s story and how it intersected with Kate’s story.

I wasn’t surprised to learn of what happened the night of Lilian’s death, but I loved how the story unfolded and how much Kate meant to the community.  And how much distrust there was between different people in Round Rock.  They all have a history with each other, and some of it is not good.  I liked how Shenandoah was reminded of her past and her family everywhere she went in Round Rock, and how she was able to overcome it, while also reconnecting with her hometown and her family when she returned home.

I love how real the book feels, and everything seems so real and authentic.  Everything feels like it actually happened, and I love that Round Rock seems to represent the time and place and people of that time and place so well.  The characters are so memorable, and are very hard to forget.

The Trial Of Dr. Kate has so much going on, and really captures the essence of Round Rock and its inhabitants.  Really, I cannot gush enough about this book!

Back to Lilian’s death for a minute: You have so many people divided on whether or not Kate did it, and all of the different opinions are pretty well represented.  You get such a good picture of who Kate is and you’re wondering what happened the night Lilian died, and then you find out, and it’s not that surprising, but it’s also a little surprising, because you’re trying to figure out who Kate really is, and if she’s really the sort of person who would help her friend die.  I don’t necessarily think of doctor-assisted suicide as something that happened in the fifties, but I really liked how Glasscock wrote that element of the story.

And I feel like I’ve barely talked about Shenandoah, even though she’s the main character.  I thought she was interesting as a character, and how she wanted to get of Round Rock.  I think it’s something a lot of people can relate to, and I like that she realizes that Round Rock isn’t such a horrible place, and that some of her family aren’t how she remembered them.

Final Thoughts:

I really loved The Trial Of Dr. Kate!  Round Rock really comes to life in this book, and I liked catching up with some of the characters from Little Joe while meeting new characters in The Trial Of Dr. Kate.  I’m looking forward to reading the next book, which I’m sure will be as great as the first two.  The Trial Of Dr. Kate gets 5 stars.

Mini Book Review: Broken Beauty

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Broken Beauty CoverNovella: Broken Beauty by Lizzie Ford (as Chloe Adams)

Expected Publication is September 22, 2013 by Indie Inked|Expected Number Of Pages: 78

Series: Broken Beauty Novellas #1

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

You can find Broken Beauty on Goodreads and Lizzie Ford on Facebook and Twitter

Broken Beauty is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Goodreads Summary: **Contains graphic content and the sensitive topic of rape and its aftermath. Not intended for teens under the age of 18.**

Sometimes bad things happen to beautiful people.

When socialite party girl Mia Abbott-Renou wakes up in a garden she has little recall of the previous night — except that she is naked…hurt…terrified. Not only has she been raped, but she knows one of her assailants: the son of a wealthy politician who happens to be her own father’s political ally.

Mia wants and needs justice. Except this privileged boy has an alibi and her father forbids her from going to the police. It’s a critical election year, one that his party might lose if his image as a doting father is soured due to Mia being labeled a lush or worse, promiscuous.

Devastated at not having the support of her family, Mia finds herself in a tug-of-war with her conscience over what to do, especially since she can’t remember exactly what happened that night. Worse, the men who attacked her have hurt several other girls, and Mia may be the key to stopping them.

Mia tries to forget, until the unthinkable happens, and she’s left reeling once again, faced with a new challenge that will force her to take more control of her life.

Broken Beauty is so heartbreaking and beautiful, all at the same time.  I couldn’t help for feel for Mia, who has been through a lot in this novella.

Her father (and several other people) were really irritating- and I think they were supposed to be.  Her father, who is against birth control and abortion, believes that women who are raped can’t get pregnant, so he won’t give his consent for Mia to have the morning-after pill. Clearly, Mia’s experience won’t change his mind.  And imagine Mia’s confusion and anger when she gets pregnant, after believing that it’s not possible.  Also irritating was the “spin” that was put on her rape.  It’s pretty much being used as a way to make her dad look good with certain segments of the voting population, and that really made me irritated with him.  it’s pretty infuriating.  It also seems like he favors her step-siblings (especially her step-sister) and you have to wonder what his reaction would be if it happened to his other daughter.

Mia’s experience felt very real, and you’re with her every step of the way.  Almost like you’re right there with Mia- and I think it’s because of Adams’ own experience.  It made it hard to read at times, because it’s very haunting, and very, very believable.  It makes you wonder how much of Mia’s story mirrors Adams.

The one thing I didn’t like about Broken Beauty is that I read it expecting a complete story.  I wasn’t expecting it to be the first of 6 installments that will be released over the next year, so it ended pretty abruptly.

And I know this is sort of nit-picky, but I found that the “arrangements” for Mia volunteering at Saint Mary’s Women’s Shelter to be irritating.  I know appearances can be everything, particularly in an election, but to me, it seemed like it was implied that a woman’s shelter would turn Mia away as a volunteer because she’s Baptist.  It’s possible that I’m reading too much into it but that’s the impression I got from that scene.

Final Thoughts:

Broken Beauty is heartbreaking and infuriating and beautiful, all at the same time.  I was so irritated with some of the people surrounding Mia, and I couldn’t help but feel for her and I found myself wishing that it had never happened to her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t expecting Broken Beauty to be the first of six installments, and I found that it was hard to give Broken Beauty the higher rating it deserves because of that.  Broken Beauty gets 4 stars.

Book Review: Sky Jumpers

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Sky Jumpers CoverBook: Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddelman

Expected Publication is September 24, 2013 by Random House Books For Young Readers|Expected Number Of Pages: 176

Series: Sky Jumpers #1

Genre: Middle Grade Post-Apocalyptic

Sky Jumpers is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which has not influenced my review in any way

Goodreads|You can find Peggy Eddelman on Twitter and Facebook

Goodreads Summary: 12 year old Hope lives in White Rock, a town struggling to recover from the green bombs of World War III. The bombs destroyed almost everything that came before, so the skill that matters most in White Rock—sometimes it feels like the only thing that matters—is the ability to invent so that the world can regain some of what it’s lost.

But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to cliff dive into the Bomb’s Breath— the deadly band of air that covers the crater the town lives in— than fail at yet another invention.

When bandits discover that White Rock has invented priceless antibiotics, they invade. The town must choose whether to hand over the medicine and die from disease in the coming months or to die fighting the bandits now. Hope and her friends, Aaren and Brock, might be the only ones who can escape through the Bomb’s Breath and make the dangerous trek over the snow-covered mountain to get help. For once, inventing isn’t the answer, but the daring and risk-taking that usually gets Hope into trouble might just save them all.

One really cool thing about Sky Jumpers is that it’s a middle grade post-apocalyptic story!  I don’t read a lot of middle grade, and this is the first post-apocalyptic one I’ve come across, so I knew I would have to read it!

The whole of green bombs and Bomb’s Breath was really interesting, and it’s definitely different.  I also liked seeing how inventing is really important to White Rock, and how Browning, a nearby town, has a completely different focus.

I really liked Hope and how adventurous she was.  She was also willing to take a risk that no one else wanted or could take.  I felt for her, because she felt like a failure for not being good at inventing like everyone else in town.  But the one thing I LOVED about Sky Jumpers was how it took Hope going to a neighboring town for help for them (and more importantly, Hope) to realize that while inventing is important, people have other, great qualities, and that there are many ways to contribute.

Sky Jumpers is definitely world that is totally possible, even if it is a slightly scary future.  The idea that inventing is so important because a lot of technology has failed since World War III is a really cool idea, and I think it’s something that could draw in some kids.  Also: Bomb’s Breath changing the properties of the antiobiotics…I liked that it was discovered on accident, and it’s another really cool/interesting idea.

The book, which is the first in the series, is a pretty complete story, and could work so very well as a stand-alone.  At the same time, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Hope and her friends.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Sky Jumpers!  It’s a great middle grade book, and you can’t help but get pulled into this world and root for Hope and her friends.  Sky Jumpers gets 4 stars.