Book: Tampa by Alissa Nutting

Published July 2013 by HarperCollins|223 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: None

Genre: Adult Literary Fiction

You can find Tampa on goodreads & Alissa Nutting on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Celeste Price is an eighth-grade English teacher in suburban Tampa. She’s undeniably attractive. She drives a red Corvette with tinted windows. Her husband, Ford, is rich, square-jawed, and devoted to her.

But Celeste’s devotion lies elsewhere. She has a singular sexual obsession—fourteen-year-old boys. Celeste pursues her craving with sociopathic meticulousness and forethought; her sole purpose in becoming a teacher is to fulfill her passion and provide her access to her compulsion. As the novel opens, fall semester at Jefferson Jr. High is beginning.

In mere weeks, Celeste has chosen and lured the lusciously naive Jack Patrick into her web. Jack is enthralled and in awe of his teacher, and, most important, willing to accept Celeste’s terms for a secret relationship—car rides after school; rendezvous at Jack’s house while his single father works late; body-slamming encounters in Celeste’s empty classroom between periods.

Ever mindful of the danger—the perpetual risk of exposure, Jack’s father’s own attraction to her, and the ticking clock as Jack leaves innocent boyhood behind—the hyperbolically insatiable Celeste bypasses each hurdle with swift thinking and shameless determination, even when the solutions involve greater misdeeds than the affair itself. In slaking her sexual thirst, Celeste Price is remorseless and deviously free of hesitation, a monstress driven by pure motivation. She deceives everyone, and cares nothing for anyone or anything but her own pleasure.

With crackling, rampantly unadulterated prose, Tampa is a grand, uncompromising, seriocomic examination of want and a scorching literary debut.

What I Thought: 

I have no idea what to think about Tampa.  It’s a bizarre, unsettling and disturbing book that you want to stop reading all while feeling compelled to keep reading.  You want to look away and stop reading, and there was a point where I strongly considered abandoning Tampa, and yet I found myself unable to stop reading.

I definitely could have gone without quite a few things- it’s definitely…descriptive…and while I could handle Celeste masturbating, the sex scenes with her student was way too much, and the reason why I almost walked away from the book. She really is calculating and selfish and doesn’t care about the consequences of what she’s doing.  At the same time, though, it really does show how far Celeste goes and it really does give you insight into who Celeste is, and she became a middle school teacher.

While some of the scenes were really hard to read (at least for me), I don’t think Tampa would have worked if they weren’t in the book.

Celeste does get caught in the end, and not surprisingly, she takes the plea bargain offered to her: meaning she sees no jail time for statutory rape.  Tampa does such a wonderful job at showing a double-standard: she gets off scot-free because her 14-year-old students had “consensual sex” with their gorgeous 26-year-old teacher.  And yet, if things were reversed, with a male teacher and a female student, all hell would break lose.  It really made the book frustrating, because what she did was horrible, and gets away with rape because what teenage boy would pass an opportunity to be with the young, hot teacher?  And it makes me so sad for her students.

Which is why the reader really needed to get in Celeste’s head.  As uncomfortable and unsettling as it was, it really does make what’s going on that much more effective.  And it really does make you think about how differently sexual violence is seen depending on who is committing the crime and who is the victim.

Let’s Rate It:

To be honest, I’m not sure how to rate Tampa.  How on earth do you rate a book like this?  It definitely got me thinking, and while it’s definitely on the graphic side, I’m also glad Nutting didn’t tone it down, because it really gave you insight into Celeste’s world.  I really do think it made the book a much better book, even if it was unsettling and uncomfortable and even a bit disturbing.  Nutting really does have a way with words.  Still, Tampa gets 4 stars.  Not because I liked it, but because it really is different, in an odd sort of way.

Book: The School For Good And Evil by Soman Chainani

Published May 2013 by HarperCollins|331 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: The School For Good And Evil #1

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

You can find The School For Good And Evil on goodreads & Soman Chainani on Twitter, Facebook and his website

Goodreads Summary: 

At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are . . . ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

 What I Thought:

The School For Good And Evil is such a different take on fairy tales.  I do enjoy fairy tale re-tellings, and this book is the most unique of the ones I’ve read.

I love the idea of a school for good and a school for evil, and their village, and how kids are taken every few years.  And naturally, we find out why as the book goes on- they’re the Readers, and they have a different take on fairy tales, having read them for their entire lives.

I also love that Agatha and Sophie don’t end up in the schools they expected, and how much Sophie wants to go back to the School For Good, because she’s a princess, and how much Agatha wants to go home.  I felt like the two friends-turned-enemies ending up in the schools they didn’t expect was a good thing.  As the book went on, it became really clear that both girls really were in the right school, and that there is beauty and good in someone that doesn’t appear to be good, and that even the prettiest of people may have evil simmering beneath the surface.  And that we’re all both good and evil, and not just one or the other.

I was actually kind of surprised by the darkness in the book.  There are some hilariously funny moments, and in a way, it reminds me of how Shrek pokes fun at fairy tales.  Especially as both girls go against all of the images and stereotypes that people have for villains and princesses.

I really liked seeing both girls deal with everything that comes their way, and I liked the setting and characters so much. There’s very much a medieval-fantasy feel to the book, and the characters felt like they were right at home in such a vivid world.

Let’s Rate It: 

The School For Good And Evil is such a unique take on fairy-tales!  I can’t wait to read the next book, and where things are headed for Sophie, Agatha and their classmates.  I didn’t love it as much as I was expecting, but I still liked it!  The School For Good And Evil gets 3 stars.

Book: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Published March 2011 by Simon & Schuster|245 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: The Chemical Garden #1

Genre: YA Dystopic/Post-Apocalyptic

You can find Wither on goodreads & Lauren DeStefano on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary:

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive.

Will Rhine be able to escape–before her time runs out? Together with one of Linden’s servants-Gabriel-Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

What I Thought:

I’ve been wanting to read Wither for a while, and it’s been on my TBR list for so long that I knew it was time to read it!  And I’m glad I finally did, because it’s really different.  There’s definitely something about Wither that makes me think of Children Of Men (the movie, not the book).

I thought the idea of girls being kidnapped and sold as brides to have children so that someone can figure out how to keep the world going and even figure out to put an end to the really short life spans for everyone. Sadly, it’s something I can see happening, and I really hope it doesn’t happen in the future.  It’s kind of scary to think about, but it also makes for an interesting story.

Everything going on with Rhine and her marriage to Linden…their story is far from over, but I don’t particularly like them as a couple.  I know they were forced to get married, which would explain the lack of chemistry between them.  On the plus side, they didn’t fall in love at first sight, and she is very much insistent on making sure her brother knows she is alive, even if it means pretending to be interested in Linden.  And she doesn’t seem to be falling in love with Linden at all in Wither, which works really in this book, because of being kidnapped and getting married off.

Actually, I’m not completely sold on Gabriel and Rhine either.  Something about part of the population dying at 20, and the other part of the population dying at 25 just doesn’t scream romance to me.  But I have the feeling romance is inevitable, so it shall be interesting to see how the love triangle will play out.

There is so much we don’t know about this world, and I can’t wait to learn more!  Like what Vaughn is really up to and if a cure will be found.  Like I said before, I was really reminded of Children Of Men, and part of it is how people are dying young and trying to find a cure so they’re having kids young.  There’s also something about the way everything is described and the mood of the book is really atmospheric and dark.  It’s definitely different than a lot of the other dystopic books out there (that I’ve read) and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Let’s Rate It:

I love the premise and feel of Wither, and I think it could be an interesting read-alike for Children Of Men. I’m not completely sure about the romance, but it’s also possible I’ll get more into it as I continue reading the series.  Wither gets 4 stars.

Book: Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Published March 2012 by Harlequin|210 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: The Goddess Test #2

Genre: YA Paranormal- Greek Mythology Re-Telling

You can find Goddess Interrupted on goodreads & Aimee Carter on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

What I Thought:

I liked Goddess Interrupted, but not as much as The Goddess Test.  I liked seeing what new obstacles came up in Goddess Interrupted, and what it means for all of the gods/goddesses.

I didn’t like Kate as much in this one, because she seemed to be complaining a lot.  Which I totally understand, what with Henry still being in love with Persephone, and trying to figure out her abilities.  But she still got to be pretty irritating by the end of the book.  And I still feel like I don’t really know much about the characters.  They just don’t feel real to me, and I wish they did because they seem so interesting!  Still, Ava did something unbelievable at the end of the book.  It seems in-line with her as Aphrodite, but I’m also not sure since I feel like I don’t know her.  And Hera also surprised me, but I’m not sure how I feel about that either, since I feel like I don’t know much about her.

As for Persephone: I’m not getting why Henry has such strong feelings for her.  I’m less interested in Kate/Henry as a couple because of Henry’s feelings for Persephone and how Kate has growing feelings for Henry.  I think it’s a big part of why she acts the way she does, and it certainly complicates things for Henry and Kate, to the point that she wants to leave Henry.  I just don’t find their relationship believable or interesting.  After everything Kate went through for Henry, you’d think he’d appreciate her a little more than he seems to in the book.

I do like how Carter takes on Greek mythology, and it’s one of the more interesting and different takes on Greek mythology I’ve seen.  I think it’s why I kept going and why I want to read the last book.  Because I really want to see where things go!

Let’s Rate It: 

I liked Goddess Interrupted, but I also found it hard to care about the characters.  I feel like I don’t know anything about the characters, but I like how Carter is re-telling Hades and Persephone.  Goddess Interrupted gets 3 stars.

Book: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Published March 2014 by HarperCollins|277 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Panic on goodreads & Lauren Oliver on Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

What I Thought:

I’ve been looking forward to reading Panic since I first heard that Lauren Oliver had a new book coming out.  Panic wasn’t what I was expecting, but I am intrigued by it at the same time.

The idea of Panic is what really intrigued me.  A game played by seniors to earn quite a bit of money and a game where the game gets more dangerous as it goes on is really interesting given the book is a YA contemporary.  I think a lot of why the book wasn’t what  I was expecting was because I wasn’t expecting a contemporary book.  For some reason, I was picturing something along the lines of a Hunger Games-style game in a dystopic/futuristic/post-apocalyptic setting.  So I was definitely surprised, to say the least.

I thought the characters really interesting, but realistic, and I felt like I got to know them really well by the end of the book.  I definitely understand where they were coming from, and why they all decided to get involved with Panic.  The desperation to get out of Carp and the need for revenge really come through in this book about a really small town.  Panic definitely gives you something to think about: friendship, sucky families, and proving yourself, to name a few.

While there are some interesting ideas in Panic, I also couldn’t completely get into it.  I know this is lame and really non-specific, but there’s something unsettling and off about Panic, and I don’t know why.  The adults do seem really clueless, and given that people seem to get seriously injured during Panic, you’d think they’d do more to stop it.  Especially because it doesn’t seem that secretive, and because Carp is such a small community.

I don’t think the setting quite worked for me.  Panic itself is interesting, but it seemed a bit disorganized, and it didn’t come together for me, especially with Carp as a back-drop.  Perhaps something futuristic/sci-fi would have worked better.  And oddly enough, it is a book I’d love to see as a movie.  Something about it would work really well on the big screen.

Let’s Rate It:

Panic turned out to be okay for me.  I was expecting something different,  but the game and it’s players were really interesting.  Panic gets 2 stars.

Book: The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Published January 2012 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers|183 pages

Where I Got It: the Nook Store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight on goodreads & Jennifer Smith on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it. 

What I Thought:

This is one of the cutest books I’ve ever read!  I know a lot of people really like this book, so I was a little nervous about reading it.  But I didn’t need to worry, because I absolutely loved it!It’s quite the mouthful as far as titles go, so I’ll likely shorten it to Statistical Probability so I don’t have to type out the entire title.

It really is a fun, cute, sweet story!  I love the relationship between Oliver and Hadley, and how they form a connection in an airport.  I love that it takes place over the course of one day.  And while Statistical Probability is under 200 pages, it didn’t feel like the book was too short at all!  Which sometimes happens with books under 200 pages, but not this one.  I think it’s because the book takes place over 24 hours, and while part of me wanting to know about Hadley and Oliver after meeting by chance in an airport, I’m also glad that there isn’t more.  Because I like that I can imagine what happens after.

There was a point where I couldn’t help but cry, and there are some heart-warming scenes at the end.  I’m glad Hadley started to come around to her dad and her new step-mother, and that she wanted her mother to be happy too.  She definitely had one crazy day, and I have the feeling that everything has worked out just fine.

Let’s Rate It:

I don’t have much else to say about Statistical Probability, other than it’s a wonderful book to read any time of the year.  It’s a fun, sweet story, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading her other books!  I just can’t believe it took me so long to read it! Statistical Probability gets 5 stars.

Book: The Homecoming Masquerade by Spencer Baum

Self-Published in August 2012|499 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Girls Wearing Black #1

Genre: YA Paranormal Thriller

You can find The Homecoming Masquerade on goodreads & Spencer Baum on his website

Goodreads Summary: 

In a posh suburb of the nation’s capital, at the most exclusive high school in the world, the vampires who secretly run the government have created a game for America’s daughters of privilege. Show up to Homecoming in a black dress and you’ve entered yourself in a contest where the winner lives forever, and the loser becomes the winner’s first meal.

Only the wealthiest, most connected students can hope to win, so when new girl Nicky Bloom wears a black dress to Homecoming, everyone assumes she has a death wish. They don’t know that Nicky has her own agenda. As the dance continues into the night, they will find out that Nicky Bloom is far more than she seems.

What I Thought:

I have so many thoughts on The Homecoming Masquerade!  I do have mixed feelings about it, but overall, I found I liked it.

I actually really love the premise of the book!  It’s really unique as far as paranormal goes, and I love that it’s a paranormal thriller.  It’s such a random combination but it works really well!  Washington D.C. and an exclusive high school work perfectly as a backdrop for the book.  I have the feeling there will be a lot of intrigue.  Wearing a black dress to homecoming, and getting entered in a contest for immortality, and tasks that are not yet known to the reader…I’m definitely interested to see what’s in store for the girls.

Speaking of girls, I find it interesting that it seems open to only girls.  Why is it only open to girls?  And is there something similar for guys?  I really wish we knew more about why vampires are the ones who secretly control the government, and why this contest is only open to female half of the population.  Because in all honesty, I don’t associate women with vampires, so I’m really curious about it.  There are so many things I want to know, and they aren’t answered in this book. Maybe in the next one, but who knows?

It’s interesting that there aren’t a lot of details in terms of a girls-only contest for immortality, because the book has a lot of history about the different characters.  This is not an action-packed book at all, and the entire book takes place over the course of a few hours.  The Homecoming Masquerade is pretty much a set-up for the rest of the series.  While that’s what first books do, The Homecoming Masquerade takes it to a completely different level.  And even though we get these very detailed back-stories, I feel like I know absolutely nothing about the characters and at this point, I feel like there isn’t one girl I’m rooting for.

The book moves really slow, and it makes me wonder if the following books are going to be just as slow. Hopefully, the back story stuff is out of the way, which might help with pacing.  But it does make me nervous to keep going, because I am worried I’ll lose interest at some point because of too much detail in some areas but not enough in other areas.

Let’s Rate It: 

I liked The Homecoming Masquerade, and it’s such an interesting premise for a book!  At the same time, it moved really slow, and takes place over the course of several hours.  And there’s too much back story on the characters, but not enough detail about the world they’re living in.  I’m interested enough to keep going, but I might wait a while to pick the other books.  The Homecoming Masquerade gets 3 stars.

Book: The Chaos Of Stars by Kiersten White

Published September 2013 by HarperCollins|199 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: YA Paranormal- Mythology Re-telling

You can find The Chaos Of Stars on goodreads & Kiersten White on Twitter, Facebook & her blog

Goodreads Summary: 

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy, is back with The Chaos of Stars—an enchanting novel set in Egypt and San Diego that captures the magic of first love and the eternally complicated truth about family.

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you’re the human daughter of the ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of living with crazy relatives who think she’s only worthy of a passing glance—so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there’s no such thing as a clean break from family.

What I Thought:

I loved Paranormalcy, and when I saw The Chaos Of Stars, I knew I had to read it!  What I think surprised me the most was how I liked it, but not as much as I thought.

I really want to start off with the setting: my hometown of San Diego!  I loved that Balboa Park- and the Museum Of Man, in particular- was the setting for a good chunk of the book!  I actually used to work at one of the museums in Balboa Park several years ago, so it’s a place that’s very familiar to me.  I really could picture everything so well, and I’ve been to the Museum Of Man a few times, so I knew exactly which museum White was referring to without her having to name it. I kind of wish we saw more of Balboa Park, but I also understand why it’s limited to the Museum Of Man.  And I wish that it didn’t take White so long to name which museum Isadora was volunteering at.

And it actually works really with Isadora’s story and how she was the human daughter of Isis and Osiris. There’s this ancient Egypt exhibit that’s been there for as long as I can remember, and I loved seeing Isadora’s reaction to volunteering there, given her connection to ancient Egypt and its mythology.  Her reaction to the resident’s Free Tuesday was absolutely hysterical and pretty spot-on.  It took me a while to stop laughing, because I still have some very interesting memories of resident’s Free Tuesday.  I don’t think it was meant to be funny, but to someone who’s worked 3 years worth of Free Tuesday, it’s absolutely hilarious.

Side Note/Explanation: Balboa Park has 13-ish museums and the San Diego Zoo, and every Tuesday, some of the museums are free to San Diego residents.  It rotates every week, so different museums are free every week, and every museum has one free day a month. Except for the 2 or 3 museums that are already free.

As much as I loved that San Diego was the setting for a good chunk of the book, I was kind of surprised that San Diego was the other setting…because I don’t typically associate us totally awesome ancient Egyptian artifacts that other cities might have.  Don’t get me wrong, Balboa Park is a really awesome place, and there’s is some really cool exhibits in the museums, but it seems like things tend to go to places like New York or L.A. or London.  I know it’s away from her parents, and she kind of needs to be away from them in order for the ending to happen (and really, getting artifacts like the ones that Isadora has seen her entire life would be great for the Museum of Man), but it’s still slightly weird.

Speaking of Egyptian mythology, I love that The Chaos Of Stars focused on Egyptian mythology, with only a hint of Greek mythology.  I haven’t come across too many stories focusing on Egyptian mythology, and there’s maybe two or three other books that have done Egyptian mythology re-tellings that I can think of.  It’s definitely different, and it’s an interesting take on Egyptian mythology.  It was slightly confusing in the beginning, which made it hard to get fully into the book, but once Isadora got to San Diego, things seemed infinitely less confusing.

Her crossing paths with the Greek mythology version of herself was interesting, and I liked the idea that all mythologies have human children out there, and that the different gods and goddesses are real.  I kind of wish that the mythology White added were explained a little better, but it did make sense by the end of the book.

And this is random but I had to say that I love the cover!  It’s so pretty and simple and goes with the book so very well.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked The Chaos Of Stars, but not as much as I was expecting or hoping.  I love that it was set in San Diego, and in a place that’s really familiar to me!  I was slightly confused in the beginning, but the fact that it’s a re-telling of Egyptian mythology is pretty unique.  The Chaos Of Stars gets 3 stars.