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Book Review: The Sea Of Tranquility

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The Sea Of Tranquility CoverBook: The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Published November 2012 by Atria Books|Pages: 450

*The Sea Of Tranquility is an e-book from netgalley.com*

Series: None

Genre: YA

Goodreads|Katja Millay On Twitter

Summary: I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

All Josh Bennett wants is to be left alone, and everyone allows it because they all know his story: each person he loved was taken from his life until at seventeen years old there was no one left. When your name is synonymous with death, people tend to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, a new girl in town who won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

I initially picked up The Sea Of Tranquility because I’ve heard really good things about it.

I liked The Sea Of Tranquility, but it didn’t grab my attention the way I thought it would.  I found myself not caring about Josh’s story or Nastya’s story for most of the book, and I found that I couldn’t connect with the book for a good chunk of it.  300 pages in, I found myself starting to get interested in what was going on.  There’s also the fact that I found myself bored and wanting to skim parts of the book.

I will say that the last 50 pages were so beautiful, and turned an okay book into a book I liked.  Initially, I decided to read those last 50 pages at home, because I had the feeling I would start crying.  And yet, I found myself finishing The Sea Of Tranquility when I was on break, trying not to start sobbing like an idiot…for the most part, I managed to not sob like an idiot, but I might have cried the teensiest bit.

So…there were certain things about Nastya that were interesting.  Like, her not talking when she remembered what happened.  And her changing her name to Nastya and going to a school where no one knew her was also interesting…particularly the name change.  I remember being confused about who Emilia was a couple times, and it wasn’t until the end that a lot of the book made sense.

So.  The ending.  I spent so much of the book not caring that when I started to care 300 pages in…it was a case of too little too late.  Was the ending heartbreaking and beautiful and made me FEEL ALL OF THE THE FEELINGS?  Yes, but at the same time, I wondered where this beauty was several hundred pages ago.

Overall, the characters were great, and they were really well-round characters.  They all had their own problems and I liked seeing how they all connected with each other, and how things resolved themselves.  I especially liked how Josh and Nastya formed an unlikely friendship that turned into romance.  In general, I really liked the random friendships that we saw throughout the book.

There is something about the way The Sea Of Tranquility was written, and overall, I suppose it was all very beautiful.

It’s just…the ending is the main reason why I like The Sea Of Tranquility.  I think this is a case of me going in with really high expectations and the book not matching up with those expectations.  It really is me and it’s just not my cup of tea.

Final Thoughts:

I liked The Sea Of Tranquility, but I didn’t connect with it the way everyone else seems to be connecting with it.  The ending was absolutely beautiful, but this isn’t the book for me.  The Sea Of Tranquility gets 3 stars.

Book Review: The Eternity Cure

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The Eternity CureBook: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Expected Publication is April 30 2013 by Harlequin Teen|Pages:

*The Eternity Cure is an e-book advanced review copy from netgalley.com*

Series: Blood Of Eden #2

Genre: YA Dystopic/Paranormal Vampire

Goodreads|Julie Kagawa’s Website

Summary: Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

I really enjoyed The Eternity Cure, and found it a lot more intriguing than The Immortal Rules.  I think it’s because we’ve moved past the world-building and were able to get into the world of New Covington.  I found the new strain of the Red Lung virus really interesting, particularly with the potential cure for it.  I liked how I was completely surprised by it.  It was so unexpected, but also intriguing…and I’m curious about how that cliffhanger ending will change things, because I’m pretty sure that it will.  I was taken off-guard by it, so it will make things very interesting in the next book.

I’m still not sure about Allison as a character.  I still haven’t connected with her the way I thought I would, but she is interesting…and her reaction to…things…will be interesting to see.  We also Kanin and Zeke and Sarren, and their stories are an odd mix of okay and interesting.  I know that might seem weird, but it really is the best way for me to describe it.  Sarren unleashing a strain of the Red Lung Virus to start over and destroy things…I liked it, and it’ll be interesting to see how everyone tries to work against Sarren to cure the Red Lung virus.  Zeke is still an okay love interest, and Kanin…I wanted to care about Kanin, but I found myself not caring about him in The Eternity Cure.

The two characters that I really liked were Jackal and Stick.  Jackal was, well, himself, but him making Allie believe that he was working with Sarren in order for them to get the cure was interesting and unexpected and expected all at the same time.  Plus, Jackal was really entertaining at times, which I didn’t expect.  I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him, so I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Stick’s story…I loved Stick’s story in The Eternity Cure.  We don’t see him after he rats out Allie, and seeing him was a surprise.  He’s now an aide to Salazar, the Prince in New Covington, and we learn why he did it.  He’s a much different character and I do want to see if he’ll make an appearance in any future books in this series.

And because I need to go back to the ending…I won’t spoil it for anyone, but holy cow!  Totally not expected, given something that is promised earlier in the book, but at the same time…I shouldn’t have been surprised by it, and yet I was.  I can’t wait to see what Kagawa does with this…like I said earlier, it will make the next book really interesting.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed The Eternity Cure- I think I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed The Immortal Rules, but for very different reasons.  There were quite a few interesting twists, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!  The Eternity Cure gets 4 stars.

Gilmore Girls 2×12: Richard In Stars Hollow

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Richard In Stars Hollow originally aired on January 29, 2002.  This episode was written by Frank Lombardi and was directed by Steve Gomer.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

We open this episode with another weird Friday night dinner, in which Emily is asking Lorelei if she’ll ever get married, because there’s only enough room for Emily, Richard, Lorelei and Rory, and if Lorelei gets married, they’ll have to move someone to the annex that Emily wants to buy.  They decide to move Cecile in the event that Lorelei gets married.

Friday night dinners are some of my favorite scenes because they’re usually entertaining.  This one, however, has me confused.  I get that mausoleums have limited space, and the Gilmore’s have used this one for years, but…wouldn’t Emily take into account that Lorelei might get married someday?

Moving on, dinner continues with Lorelei telling Rory to not ask Emily what they’re eating before asking Richard how retirement is going. He’s been unusually observant and has noticed things he’s never noticed before.

We move on to a meeting of the Franklin, where Paris isn’t happy about the fact that she and Rory are the only ones who care about the paper and winning the Oppenheimer award.  We then find ourselves at Emily and Richard’s house, where Richard is telling Emily how he wants to go on her errands with her.  She suggests going to the club, even though it’s a Wednesday afternoon.

Lorelei and Rory are having a movie night, and while Rory is picking out a movie, she sees a couple kids looking at a movie that’s a little too old for them, and tells Kirk while Lorelei is talking to Emily about how Richard is driving her crazy.  She wants Lorelei to take him off her hands for a day and Lorelei agrees.  The next day, Lorelei is trying to get Rory to skip school so she’s not alone with Richard for the day.  When Richard arrives, they read the paper before going to Luke’s, where Lorelei ends up ordering a grapefruit because Richard thinks it’s the best way to start off your day.  Lorelei heads to work while Richard wanders around town, and it turns out that they are short on linens.  Richard stops by, having seen the town, and he asks her where her work jacket is before going to sit down.

Richard tells Lorelei there are no tablecloths, and overhears Lorelei talking on the phone with Manny about the linens, and just needing something to get through the night.  He’s not happy with how she handled a business call, because flirting isn’t an appropriate way to handle things.  He goes on about proper procedure, and how he’s telling her this for her own good.  Lorelei needs to listen, because Richard knows how to properly conduct himself in a position of authority.

As much as I like Richard- I think I’ve critisized him the least- he was really frustrating in this scene!  I mean, hospitality and insurance are two very different fields, and just because he acted a certain way doesn’t mean it’s going to work for Lorelei.  Lorelei can be a flirty character, but I didn’t get that sort of vibe from her, so Richard and I clearly have different definitions of what flirting is.

While this is going on, Rory and Paris are trying to find something for their article about the seedy underbelly of Stars Hollow, and don’t find anything until we learn of the Rory curtain…and that most of the movies in the store have been moved to the section behind the movie curtain.  Paris is glad they finally have an article, while Rory just wanted the movie on a higher shelf.

Lorelei and Richard get back to Lorelei’s house, where they decide to get Chinese food from Al’s, and Richard sees Rory’s room. which has a ton of books and a board full of Harvard memorabilia.  Rory and Lorelei have a menu full of food to order.  Richard believes that Rory is learning how to be wasteful, even though Lorelei says they’ll be eating the left-overs for a week.  He’s also not happy that Rory wants to go to Harvard, and that he can help Rory get into Yale.  He thinks it’s ridiculous that Rory wants to go to Harvard, and thinks that it’s because Lorelei wants her to go there.

Dean arrives with Rory’s car, but Richard insists that Rory can’t have it because it’s not safe.  He and Dean go to have Gypsy check it out, and Richard finally says it’s safe for Rory to drive.  Rory goes to get the food, and Lorelei and Richard talk about how Richard wasn’t offering constructive criticism and how he doesn’t have to think Rory’s car is safe because it’s her decision, and he just has to deal with it.  Richard knows he’s there because Emily asked Lorelei to invite him over, and how he never thought about retirement.  He feels like he’s gone from a productive member of society to being a decrepit old man going to the club on a Wednesday afternoon.

He goes home to tell Emily that his day was good, and that he’s going to organize his stamp collection.  The episode ends with Richard sitting in his study.

So, I found this part really interesting.  Lorelei does have a point when she says that it’s not up to Richard to think the car is safe, but at the same time, I see where Richard is coming from.  I mean, Dean did build the car with the help of father, and Richard is concerned about Rory’s safety.  As for the Harvard-Yale thing, I know there’s this huge rivalry between the two schools, but it’s a little unfair to say going to Harvard is ridiculous just because he went to Yale.  He does have a point when he says that he can help Rory get into Yale and set things up, and it seems like Lorelei doesn’t want to consider it because Richard went there.

Favorite Line Or Scene:

None for this episode

Pop Culture:

Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde

Final Thoughts:

This was an interesting episode- I feel like I’ve said everything I wanted to say, which isn’t much.  It did show a different side of Richard, and how much of his identity is wrapped up in work.  It can’t be easy being retired when it’s something you never wanted.  This episode gets 3 mugs of coffee.

Book Review: A Shimmer Of Angels

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A Shimmer Of Angels CoverBook: A Shimmer Of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

Published January 2013 by Month9Books|Pages: 263

Source: A Shimmer Of Angels is an e-book from netgalley.com

Series: Angel Sight #1

Genre: YA Paranormal- Angels

Goodreads|Lisa Basso’s Website

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can’t admit to seeing?

I have to say, I love the title of this book!  I can totally see a group of angels being called a shimmer- it really does fit, so it’s unfortunate that they are not known as a shimmer.

A Shimmer Of Angels is really different from a lot of the other paranormal Angel books I’ve read.  Sure, you have the good angels and the bad angels, and Rayna is caught in the middle, and has a set of gray wings.  But the fact that she is the only person who can see angels makes it really interesting, and we’re most certainly gearing up for both sides wanting her for themselves.  You add in the fact that she’s spent a lot of time in and out of therapy and institutions because people think she’s crazy…and you have the story of a girl who realizes that she hasn’t been hallucinating and that what she’s been seeing has been real this entire time.

I liked seeing Rayna and how she’s trying to hold onto her sanity when life keeps getting in the way.  She’s definitely focused on trying to stay out of therapy, especially when she learns that she hasn’t been hallucinating, and that there’s a connection between her ability to see angel when no one else can and with several mysterious deaths.

One of the more interesting aspects of the novel is that seeing angels isn’t normal, which is really different than a lot of the paranormal books out there, where the paranormal does exist, and seeing paranormal beings is considered a normal part of life.

What I didn’t think about until now was how there wasn’t much in the way of angel mythology, and I didn’t mind that we don’t know a lot about the world of angels in this book.  I really am okay with that because A Shimmer Of Angels was more about Rayna’s ability and the mystery surrounding several suicides.

I couldn’t quite connect with Rayna, which is surprising because I usually connect with characters like her really well.  I still find her an interesting character, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her in the next book.  Cam and Kade are also interesting characters, and they both represent two very different sides.  I did get a love triangle vibe, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.  I can’t wait to see more of them and learn more about them as angels.  I also found her dad and her sister particularly interesting, and I think it’s because of Rayna’s issues.  It can’t be easy for them to see her slowly lose touch with reality, and it’s understandable that they’d be concerned when she starts seeing angels again.

I’m looking forward to the next book, because I’m really curious as to what Rayna’s ability means for herself, those around her, and for the angels.  Things really could go in any direction.

Final Thoughts:

I’m pretty impressed with A Shimmer Of Angels.  I didn’t connect with Rayna as much as I expected but I still found the book to be an interesting twist on angels.  I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!  A Shimmer Of Angels gets 4 stars.

Book Review: Temptation

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Temptation CoverBook: Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

Published June 2012 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 304

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Temptation #1

Genre: YA Contemporary

Learn More Over At Goodreads

Summary: Your heart misleads you. That’s what my friends and family say. 

But I love Noah. And he loves me. We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other’s arms. It should be ROSE & NOAH forever, easy. 

But it won’t be.

Because he’s Amish. And I’m not.

I liked Temptation, and the more I think about this book, the more I like it.  There are some things that are really refreshing about this book.  Like, it’s refreshing to see an Amish boy and an English girl fall in love, instead of it being the other way around.  Noah and Rose take turns narrating Temptation, and it works so well because you see how very different the two are.  There’s a lot of conflict, which is highlighted so well throughout the entire book.  You have Rose, who loves to dance, and you also have Noah, who’s from this really strict Amish community.

We’re talking no Rumpsringa, courtship pretty much ends in marriage, there’s no kissing or hand-holding during courtship and men and women very much have traditional gender roles.

So…Noah expects Rose to give up her entire life- school, career, her love of dance- at the age of 16, pointing out that there are some cultures where she’d be married and (at the very least) pregnant.  He briefly entertains the idea of leaving behind his family and everything he’s known, but…it’s never really an option for him.  When Rose says she’s going to marry 18-year-old Noah, her family doesn’t take it well.  Her dad doesn’t like how anti-feminist this Amish community is (his words, not mine, for anyone who might be wondering), and he most certainly is not happy that she wants to join this cult.  We even see Rose being bothered by the divide between men and women, because the women in that community should know how hard the fight for equality was.  Her dad does let her be a part of the Amish community because he seems to think she won’t last very long with all of the rules, and will come running home when she realizes how hard it will be.

I’m hesitant to mention this, but I think it is important to note that if you dislike women in literature giving up everything to be with someone, particularly if it’s a 16-year-old girl in a book written for teens, this book probably isn’t the book for you.  I think this is a book that people are going to love or hate, and I think it’ll be because of how Noah’s community is structured and because of Rose, who’s willing to not go to college or have a career in order to be with Noah.

I actually think Rose wanting to become Amish and Noah being from this really strict Amish community is brilliant.  The differences between the two…it’s really well done and Hopkins does a great job with showing where both characters are coming from and how their own lives and beliefs are at odds with each other.  Rose is definitely the one who’s more willing to give everything up, and I honestly think there’s more of an impact with Rose making the decision.  For me, I don’t think it would have worked nearly as well if it were Noah giving up his entire world.

It’s interesting when you think about it too, because with Noah leaving his Amish life behind, there’s no turning back, while Rose always has the option of going back home if she realizes it isn’t what she wants.  Plus, if it were Noah, I don’t think I would have found as believable.  As much as he cares for Rose, I don’t think it would have worked as well if Noah left his Amish life behind.

And honestly?  I think how Rose’s dad reacted is another reason why Rose’s decision works.  I mean, Noah’s parents, while not happy, are also pretty straightforward with what they expect of Noah.  I’m not quite sure I can explain why her dad’s reaction makes her decision work…it just does.

Final Thoughts:

Temptation was a hard book to review, mostly because I was being hard on myself for liking Rose making the decision she did and for going to a community that is so completely different than her own.  I really felt like I should have issues with it, to the point that I tried to make myself have issues with it and majorly failed.

I really enjoyed it, and there was so much about this novel that worked.  I liked the assortment of characters and how different Noah and Rose were.  I didn’t love it, but it was still refreshing in a lot of ways.  Temptation gets 4 stars.

Book Review: Desires Of The Dead

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Desires Of The Dead CoverBook: Desires Of The Dead by Kimberly Derting

Published February 2011 by HarperCollins|Pages: 384

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: The Body Finder #2

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Kimberly Derting’s Website

Summary: The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she’d turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

I have no idea why it took me a while to pick up Desires Of The Dead.  I’m wishing I started this one months ago, because I am really liking this series!

I find Violet’s ability to sense the echoes of those who have been murdered really intriguing, and it didn’t come as a surprise that there are others who have their own abilities.  I’m really curious as to how this is going to play out in the rest of the series, because I have an inkling that it will become more important in the books to come.  Also interesting is that Violet has caught the attention of the FBI when she discovers the body of a missing child…which is how we learn about others with abilities in the first place.  I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Violet help out with cases, especially since her ability can be a pretty useful one.

I love Jay and Violet together, and their relationship was definitely interesting.  I’m not sure how I feel about Mike’s sister hating Violet and Jay as a couple- it felt too random and a little out of place.

Speaking of Mike and his family…I get their role in the book and how they were important to Violet deciding to work with FBI Sara.  They are pretty important but thinking about it now, it also felt really random.  Still, I loved how Derting is able to tell Violet’s story and have the occasional chapter highlighting the thoughts of her stalker.  There’s the same sort of creepiness in Desires Of The Dead that you saw in The Body Finder.  That mysterious creepiness wasn’t as strong as it was when I read The Body Finder, but it was still there.

I just love all the mystery, and it’s just so fun to see what happens to Violet.  It was a hard book to put down, and Derting does a great job at making you want to know what happens next!

Final Thoughts:

I absolutely LOVED Desires Of The Dead!  It was a fun read that was hard to put down, and Derting does a great job with keeping the story going.  I wasn’t at all bored, and I totally understand Violet’s reluctance to tell people what’s going on.  I’m really excited to read the next one in the series.  Desires Of The Dead gets 5 stars!

Book Review: A World Away

Posted in Audiobooks, Books by

A World Away CoverBook: A World Away by Nancy Grossman|Narrated by Jessica Lawshe

Published July 2012 by Listening Library|Run Time: 10 hours, 41 minutes

Source: Audiobook|Audible.com

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|Nancy Grossman’s Website

Summary: A summer of firsts

Sixteen-year-old Eliza Miller has never made a phone call, never tried on a pair of jeans, never sat in a darkened theater waiting for a movie to start. She’s never even talked to someone her age who isn’t Amish, like her.

A summer of good-byes

When she leaves her close-knit family to spend the summer as a nanny in suburban Chicago, a part of her can’t wait to leave behind everything she knows. She can’t imagine the secrets she will uncover, the friends she will make, the surprises and temptations of a way of life so different from her own.

A summer of impossible choice

Every minute Eliza spends with her new friend Josh feels as good as listening to music for the first time, and she wonders whether there might be a place for her in his world. But as summer wanes, she misses the people she has left behind, and the plain life she once took for granted. Eliza will have to decide for herself where she belongs. Whichever choice she makes, she knows she will lose someone she loves.

A World Away was such a beautiful story!  Every time I read (or in this case, listen to) a story involving the Amish, I always want to read more, because every single time, I find myself completely pulled in.  I don’t know what it is about a coming of age story when it involved an Amish girl, but I always get sucked in!

In a lot of ways, A World Away is a predictable story.  Eliza has a boy she likes at home, and meets a new boy when working as a nanny, and has feelings for both of them.  She experiences things that are completely new to her, and sees how different life is in Chicago.  She has to decide if she wants to stay in Chicago, and leave her old life behind, or if she wants to go back to her Amish life, and leave everything in Chicago behind.  She learns family secrets, and meets a long-lost aunt she never knew she had.

And I didn’t care.  AT ALL.  A World Away is written so beautifully that I didn’t care if I predicted things before they happened.  There were times when I was trying so hard to not start crying, because I don’t want people to think I’m weird when I start crying in public because of a book I’m listening to.

Speaking of audiobooks, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Jessica Lawshe as the narrator.  I can’t think of a better person to have narrated A World Away, and there were times when I felt like she WAS Eliza.  I’m not kidding when I say that PERFECT doesn’t even begin to describe how great she did narrating.

Random Side Note: Her voice really reminds me of Natalie Portman’s voice.

Listening to A World Away really made the book for me, because I really felt like I was experiencing things as Eliza experienced things, and I was right there with her when she learned the truth of why her mom didn’t want her to go away, and when she visited her Aunt Beth before knowing that Beth was her aunt, who was shunned, and that she was named after her aunt.

Final Thoughts:

A World Away is such a beautiful story, and I am so glad I listened to it!  Words can’t adequately express how much I loved and enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to see what Grossman writes next.  A World Away gets 5 stars.

Book Review: Mind Games

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Mind Games CoverBook: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Published 2012 by|Pages:

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Mind Games #1

Genre: YA Paranormal Thriller

Goodreads|Kiersten White’s Website

Summary: Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future. 

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

When I saw that Kiersten White had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it.  I liked Mind Games, but not as much as I expected.

I absolutely LOVE that there’s this school that uses girls who have these amazing abilities for corporate espionage and that there’s this corporation who has their hands in, like, everything.  And these powers are intriguing- I just wish we knew more about this school and powers and what people can do with them.

Fia and Annie have a really interesting relationship- Annie is the only one who can “see” Fia, which makes it easier for Fia to do what she’s told.  And if Annie doesn’t do what she’s told, especially in regards to Fia…well, let’s just say they’re in a very interesting situation.  What I find really intriguing is that they aren’t twins.  I know this might be a little random, but I’m glad they’re not twins.  Actually, I think them wanting to protect each other and keep each other safe is a lot more effective because they’re not twins.

Both Annie and Fia narrate the book, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.  It’s just…how the book was set up in terms of time didn’t work for me.  You have the past, which takes place over 2 or 3 years.  And then you have the present time, which takes place over the course of the week.  So, Mia gets 2 chapters- 1 for the past, and 1 for the present, and then it’ll switch to Annie for a couple chapters, 1 for the past, 1 for the present.  And it switches back and forth like that for the entire book.

In all honesty, the timeline was weird.  It really felt like 2 very different stories that didn’t quite work together, and I think that very much colored my thoughts on Annie and Fia as narrators- to the point that I spent more time paying attention to the timeline than I should have.  There were a lot of pieces, and for the most part, they work together fairly well.  I get understanding their past helps understand what’s currently going on, and the present makes a lot more sense when you understand how they got to that point.  And it is a thriller, with spies and whatnot, so I like that you have to piece things together, and don’t completely know what’s going on.

Mind Games does have White’s trademark humor, and there were a few times I couldn’t help but giggle.  It’s definitely different than her Paranormalcy series, but I’m intrigued enough to keep reading.

Final Thoughts:

I did like Mind Games, and even though jumping between past and present didn’t work for me, I’m intrigued enough to see what happens next.  Mind Games gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Whistling Past The Graveyard

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Whistling Past The Graveyard CoverBook: Whistling Past The Graveyard by Susan Crandall

Expected Publication is July 2, 2013 by Gallery Books

*This is an e-book received through netgalley.com*

Pages: 320

Genre: Adult Fiction: Historical Fiction

Goodreads|Susan Crandall’s Website

Summary: From an award-winning author comes a wise and tender coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old girl who runs away from her Mississippi home in 1963, befriends a lonely woman suffering loss and abuse, and embarks on a life-changing roadtrip. 

The summer of 1963 begins like any other for nine-year-old Starla Claudelle. Born to teenage parents in Mississippi, Starla is being raised by a strict paternal grandmother, Mamie, whose worst fear is that Starla will turn out like her mother. Starla hasn’t seen her momma since she was three, but is convinced that her mother will keep her promise to take Starla and her daddy to Nashville, where her mother hopes to become a famous singer—and that one day her family will be whole and perfect.

When Starla is grounded on the Fourth of July, she sneaks out to see the parade. After getting caught, Starla’s fear that Mamie will make good on her threats and send her to reform school cause her to panic and run away from home. Once out in the country, Starla is offered a ride by a black woman, Eula, who is traveling with a white baby. She happily accepts a ride, with the ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Nashville.

As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla’s eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Through talks with Eula, reconnecting with her parents, and encountering a series of surprising misadventures, Starla learns to let go of long-held dreams and realizes family is forged from those who will sacrifice all for you, no matter if bound by blood or by the heart.

I liked Whistling Past The Graveyard.  When I initially started reading it, I was reminded of both The Secret Life Of Bees and The Help.  And it was something that stayed with me throughout the entire book.  I think it’s the setting and time period, which makes for an interesting backdrop.  There’s just something about this time period that really piques my interest.

I found Eula’s story so interesting, and found myself connecting Eula a lot more than I ever expected.  My heart broke for her, and I’m so glad she found happiness in the end!

One of my favorite parts of the novel was when Eula and Starla became unlikely companions and started to see the other as family, showing that family can be more than people you’re related to.  I liked that Starla and Eula became friends with someone they never expected to.  There is an interesting contrast between Eula, who’s quiet and broken, and Starla, who seems to be really spunky.  Their characters, like so many of the other characters in the book, were well-rounded and memorable. From Starla’s grandma to her mom to Miss Washington…there’s certainly an assortment of characters who seem to fit into this period so well.   

It is a great coming-of-age story, and I like seeing Starla’s journey to Nashville and realizing that her image of her mother is not who her mother really is.  I really liked seeing her grow and want to make a difference.

I liked the setting and how authentic it felt.  I really felt like Crandall captured everything that was going on.

Final Thoughts:

Whistling Past The Graveyard was an enjoyable read, and I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Eula and Starla.  It’s a nice addition to the coming-of-age stories set in the South in the 1960’s.  I didn’t love it, but I did like it.  Whistling Past The Graveyard gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Requiem

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Requiem CoverBook: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Published March 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers|432 pages

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Delirium #3

Genre: YA Dystopic

Goodreads|Lauren Oliver’s Website

Summary: They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

Requiem.

Oh, Requiem.  Where to begin?

Here’s the thing.  I liked Requiem.

Requiem was also a disappointment.

I sort of liked the dual narration.  Multiple narrators can be hit or miss, but Requiem falls somewhere in the middle.  I LOVED Hana’s story, and how it was so very different than Lena’s story.  Their lives took very different paths in Delirium, and I did like how their stories came together.  It didn’t completely work for me, because I found Hana’s story so much more compelling, but I get why Oliver went with 2 narrators.

But…disappointment.  After Pandemonium, I was expecting A LOT more tension.  I was expecting more than what actually happened.  I liked seeing both sides, but I was disappointed that MORE didn’t happen.  I felt like there was very little conflict.  You have the Resistance and are expecting something HUGE to happen and for things to be resolved, and all you get is a glimmer of hope.  A seedling that things may be different one day.  I really was expecting so much more resolution.

And while I know that this is the final book in the trilogy, part of me feels like things are purposefully being left open…because of the lack of resolution I was just talking about.

That being said, the last few paragraphs were SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.  They really were.  Like, teary-eyed beautiful.  I mean, Lena talks about how you don’t know what happens when you break down walls, but living in fear is no way to live.  That taking the chance is worth it.

Maybe it’s all about progress.  These things don’t happen overnight, so maybe a glimmer of hope is all we really need.

Actually, at the end, when people are tearing down the wall around Portland- which I assume is Portland, Maine, because I never got the Portland, Oregon vibe from it- I was totally reminded of the Berlin Wall and its destruction.  I have no idea why, but I was.

In all honesty, I know I liked it.  I loved how beautiful the last few paragraphs were and I loved how Hana’s story was an interesting parallel to Lena’s story.  But other than that, I’m not sure why I liked it.  I just know I did.

Final Thoughts:

I think Requiem was a book that I went into with high expectations, which explains why I was disappointed with it.  OVERALL, I did like it, so it gets 3 stars.