I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

Author: Ally Carter
First Published: April 2006
Publisher: Orchard Books
Series: Gallagher Girls #1
309 pages (paperback)

Cammie Morgan is a student at The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. To the outside world, this is a school for rich young heiresses, elite and snobby young girls. But the truth is, the Academy is a school for training secrets agents -- spies.

Cammie's mother is the headmistress and her family (as most other girls' families at this school) have a long history with working for the CIA, MI6, Interpol, etc. Cammie's entire life has revolved around training to become a spy. She's not an ordinary girl, she lives no ordinary life, and she knows that.

During an exam in the field where she and her classmates must tail one of their teachers, Cammie is shocked to have a civilian boy named Josh who notices her and tries to talk to her. She's not supposed to be noticed when she's on a mission, she's supposed to totally blend in! At first, she and her classmates are freaked out that this and begin utilizing their secret agent knowledge to dig up all sorts of information about him. Is he working for someone sinister and trying to use Cammie in some way, especially since she is the headmistress' daughter??

But no ... actually, it turns out he is a very ordinary person. He talked to Cammie because he thought she was cute and wanted to ask her out! Cammie is suddenly in a completely new world -- boys? Dating? She has no idea what she's supposed to do, but decides to try out this new relationship anyway. Everything seems to be going well until she realizes she can never ever tell Josh that she's a secret agent in training, and not only because it, well, wouldn't make her a very good secret agent but because Josh and the rest of his friends hate the girls who attend the Gallagher Academy.

I randomly read book three years ago, when I didn't realize it was a part of a series. I don't really remember what happened in that book, but I think I liked it. Anyway, I recently acquired the entire series in paperback format so I'm going to read them all in order this time. I'm determined to read the entire series because I have re-fallen in love with Ally Carter's Heist Society series and wanted to read her other YA book series. To that end, I am a tad disappointed in this first book for the Gallagher Girls because I simply do not think it is anywhere as good as her Heist Society series. However, I liked it enough that I will definitely keep reading it (especially since I jumped the gun and  bought all 6 books already ...)

It's marketed more for young teenagers, and I thought the story was perfect for its age group (guess I'm a young teen at heart, hahaha). It was  a very solid story that was fun to read, and funny to boot. Whizzed through it pretty quick! This was a very cute story. I think cute is the right word for it. It is fairly short, it has a very simple story and concludes well. The characters all have their own personalities. Overall, I liked the story. The thing is, I'm not particularly impressed or in awe or whatever over any part of the story. Nothing really stuck out. At the same time, I don't have anything serious to complain about it either.

Well, this isn't really a complaint per se, but the book can be rather unbelievable. Not that I ever thought a secret spy school for teenagers was in the realm of reality, but sometimes it was really hard to believe these were 15 and 16 year old genius IQ girls who could take down a full grown man but can't handle socializing with a teenage boy. I think I aged them up in my mind. Anyway, have to go into this with an open mind and almost think of this story as a cartoon.

My Rating: 3/5

Crimson Bound

Author: Rosamund Hodge
First Published: May 2015
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
448 pages (ebook)


So, I misread and thought this was a re-telling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood story. Actually, what the synopsis-thingy says is that it is inspired. Not a re-telling! I must say though, it's pretty loosely inspired. Like, really really really loosely. Which was slightly disappointing only because nobody ever does retellings/inspirations based on LRRH (usually it's Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast or something). However, this is really a very nice novel on its own.

CRIMSON BOUND has a very unique world which I will attempt to explain but probably won't do it justice. The story centers on a teenaged girl named Rachelle, who is training to be a woodwife. A woodwife is a person who makes charms and simple things like that to ward against evil. In the world Rachelle lives in, there is this place called the Forest (with a capital F, mind you). It is both a physical location as well as a sort of evil force that is everywhere. For example, you could be standing in your living room and see glimpses of the Forest. Anyway, the Forest is home to all sorts of nasty creatures, woodspawn and forestborn and stuff, who go on a Great Hunt from time to time and basically hunt down humans for sport. The master of the Forest is called the Devourer, who has no real form (I guess the Devourer is the wolf from LRRH?)

When Rachelle was younger and being trained by her Aunt Leonie to become a woodwife, she accidentally strays from a forest path and becomes marked by the Forest. Once marked, a human has three days to kill another human. If you kill another human, you will live as a bloodbound (supernatural human) for a few years or so, then the Forest will claim you and you become a forestborn (non human, immortal Forest creature). If you don't kill someone in three days, well, then you die instead. Rachelle, in her desperate desire for survival, chooses to kill someone.

The current story takes place three years after Rachelle killed someone. She is a bloodbound, kept by the King. Usually humans want to kill bloodbounds but the King keeps some around because supernatural humans make excellent bodyguards and hey, when the time comes for them to be reclaimed by the Forest, the humans will kill the bloodbound then. In my opinion I am not sure that is the safest idea but whatever. Rachelle and another fellow bloodbound, Erec, work for the King, protecting humans from woodspawn and stuff.

Erec is completely resigned to his fate and actually looks forward to becoming an immortal being; if he has to work for a completely soulless evil creature, then so be it. Rachelle, on the other hand, is desperate to fight her destiny. She still carries immense guilt from having killed another human three years ago. Her only hope is to find the legendary sword, Joyeuse, one of two swords said to be able to defeat the Devourer. Furthermore, time is running out, as nights stretch longer and day time hours shrink. The Endless Night approaches. But it's all only legends, right?

Rachelle's quest to find Joyeuse is thrown in a loop though when the King assigns her to be the bodyguard for one of his (many) bastard sons, Armand. Armand is his current favourite, a teenage boy who was marked by the Forest but refused to kill another human being. Somehow, he survived and all he lost were his hands. Initially Rachelle hates Armand as she thinks he's totally lying about being marked and surviving -- that has NEVER happened before -- but she later realizes Armand is instrumental in locating Joyeuse.

This book's strengths: First of all, I think the story world is incredibly unique. I probably butchered my explanation of how the Forest works and you're thinking, "What the hell is she talking about?" but I love the Forest. I love how its sort of everywhere, and sort of isn't. It's an evil force and also a physical place. I just imagine an enchanted forest with creepy animals, monsters and twisted human creatures with antlers and stuff, blowing their horns and going on their hunts for humans. I like forests in general so maybe that's why I'm particularly fond of this concept, haha. Also, the whole idea of being marked and having to kill a person in 3 days or die yourself is pretty unique curse, in an angsty kind of way.

Another great strength of this book is the writing. Rosamund Hodge has a sort of whimsical/enchanted way of writing especially with the chapters explaining the Joyeuse legend (which is spread out throughout the novel). She's a great YA writer, I think, which is kind of rare 'cause there's a lot of shitty YA writers ...

And of course, I loved the plot of the story. It's kind of predictable and you kind of figure out very early on that, duh, the legends are all true (sorry if that spoils things for you, but it's kind of obvious to me), but I still wanted to see how it would all play out.

As for the characters, I think that's the weaker part of the novel. Okay, Rachelle and Armand are not particularly interesting characters. Rachelle is really angsty. Like, really really angsty. Which may be other people's cup of tea but it really wasn't mine. I get why she feels that way, but still. And Armand was just bleh. And for reasons I do not really understand, they fall in love. I hated how it was an AHA! lightbulb moment of realization too. Rachelle just goes, "Oh hey! I just realized I'm in love with you!" It was honestly kind of lame and I expected better, considering how the rest of the novel seems to be so awesome.

Oh and the one person I DO like -- Erec -- well, turns out I really shouldn't be liking him. Rachelle totally feels the same way, haha. I know, I know, Erec's totally evil and all that, but you gotta admire a guy who is utterly devoted to a girl. I mean, he never once turned on her (well, not completely anyway). Plus he's supposed to be swoon-worthy so of course I imagined Erec as the hottest guy ever. That's probably why he was my favourite.

Yeah, there's kind of a love triangle in this book, and a lot of people are burned out by love triangles in YA novels, but I think it was totally fine in this book. It's not forced like it is in some other books. Okay, well, it's a little teensy bit forced, but I thought it all fit the story nicely in this particularly book.

Anyway, I rambled long enough. Bottom line is, this is not really an LRRH book so if you want to read it ONLY because you think it's some sort of LRRH retelling, don't, because it's not. But if you want a good solid, YA fantasy novel, this is your ticket!

My Rating: 4/5

Air Awakens

Author: Elisa Kova
First Published: August 2015
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Series: Air Awakens #1
392 pages (ebook)

I'm totally guilty of picking up books based on their cover art, and this book has a gorgeous cover. I fell in love immediately! Plus, it was only like, $5 on my Kobo e-reader app, so I decided to read it. Luckily, I felt the story lived up to my expectations. Overall I had a wonderful time reading this novel and I'm so excited to read book two, FIRE FALLING (also $5 only!)

AIR AWAKENS takes place in a high fantasy setting, where the Solaris Empire is at war with some of its neighbors and is pretty much winning, conquering everyone. To be honest I don't really remember the names of the various kingdoms and cities, but that's not really that important. Anyway, our main character is Vhalla, a 17-almost-18 year old library apprentice who works in the palace. What does a library apprentice do in the Imperial library? They read, they organize books, they catalog new books that the Empire takes from the conquered nations, they re-bind and fix up old books, etc. It's a rather scholarly profession to be in. Vhalla loves books and reading and is very happy to be a library apprentice.

One day, Prince Aldrik returns from the warfront gravely injured. Vhalla, mistakenly thinking that it was Prince Baldair that was injured (she secretly crushes on him), frantically searches through the library for the books that lead to the clerics being able to cure the poison in his body. Unknowingly, Vhalla saves Aldrik's life, which is the beginning of her troubles ...

Saving Aldrik's life leads to the Tower of Sorcerers becoming very interested in Vhalla. The notes she took from the books to find the cure for the poison have little elements of magic clinging to them, which is how the sorcerers find Vhalla. Aldrik, a sorcerer himself, becomes interested in Vhalla and reveals to her that she is a sorcerer. Because she is a sorcerer and saved his life, they are now Bonded. However, she is no ordinary sorcerer -- she is a Windwalker, a sorcerer that specializes in manipulating the wind and air. And there hasn't been one in nearly 150 years.

Vhalla is conflicted because sorcery is something most common people fear. She doesn't want to be a sorcerer. She just wants to be an ordinary girl, work in the library, maybe marry a nice guy some day ... However, she is also curious about her magical side. The arrogant and "jerk" Prince Aldrik reluctantly finds himself mentoring Vhalla on her newfound abilities. Unexpectedly for the both of them, the two find themselves growing closer, though due to their vast difference in status, they are both very conscious of becoming too friendly with one another.

Vhalla must decide if she wants to pursue magical learning or not, or have herself Eradicated -- that is, to have all her magical inclinations removed and be a normal human being. At the same time, she cannot have anyone else find out that she is such a rare sorcerer, as Windwalkers are greatly feared for their power and the Empire may want to use her for their own purpose ...

If you watch anime or read manga, then you'll probably enjoy this book a lot. The story, the characters and the scenes in this book are all very reminiscent of anime/manga. Not that that's a bad thing -- I'm just saying, it's clearly influenced. For example, Vhalla seems like a very typical shoujo manga heroine (naive and cute) and Prince Aldrik the handsome, misunderstood jerk who secretly is really nice. Some of the scenes are very dramatic in typical anime/manga fashion. I personally rather enjoy anime and manga from time to time so I really enjoyed this novel. So, I guess, no this isn't a particularly deep story but it's definitely fun to read.

The characters aren't particularly complex, but I do love Vhalla and Aldrik's relationship. Okay, let's face it -- they're totally going to end up a couple. And that's okay. What I love about their relationship is that it's not like a lot of YA relationships where there's instant love and they can't live without one another and they're glued at the hip. By the end of the novel, Vhalla and Aldrik still haven't admitted to one another that they clearly like one another. They haven't kissed at all. They kind of hugged, which is probably the most intimacy they have in the whole novel. They feel like their relationship is up in the air. And I love this ambiguity the characters feel about their relationship because a lot of YA novels tend to rush the romance which cheapens it. This relationship  between Vhalla and Aldrik progresses at a more natural pace and therefore, feels more genuine. As the reader, I feel more emotionally invested in their characters and their relationship because of it.

The story is pretty good. It's not a story that's particularly unique or anything, but it's fun and I'm left eager to read the second book, so that's something. The thing with the story is that the pacing isn't the greatest. The beginning is pretty sluggish. Then there's some really fun scenes, followed by some more slow plot-moving. Then some fun scenes again. Anyway, it alternates. I mean, overall, I enjoyed the story, but I think it could have been improved a little. For example, there's a short paragraph near the end of the book where it's just describing how Vhalla is brushing her hair -- I mean, seriously? Do I care how she's brushing her hair? Or the paragraphs describing clothing and room decorations in great detail. Maybe some people like that stuff, but I just need a general idea to be satisfied with descriptions; I really don't need to know how Aldrik's outfit looks like exactly, down to each button or whatever.

My overall impression is that this is a solid fantasy novel. I've already got book two downloaded onto my e-reader app and I'm pretty excited to find out what happens next. If you like YA fantasy, YA romance, anime or manga, then I think you will find AIR AWAKENS to be a great read.

My Rating:

More Than This

Author: Patrick Ness
Publisher: Walker Books
First Published: May 1, 2014
480 pages (paperback)

Um, so, this is one of those weird situations where I'm done reading the book and I thought it was just okay. Then I go on Goodreads and see everyone and their mom and dog LOVES this novel and has given it 4 or 5 stars. Everyone's reviews are just gushing about how this book is the best thing since sliced bread. It has won freaking awards! And I just thought it was okay??? I mean, did we read the same novel? I usually have the same opinion as the masses (not really a hipster or anything), so I don't know what happened here. But I wasn't really as impressed as everyone else.

Okay, so what is MORE THAN THIS about? Well, this is the kind of novel where I can't tell you too much about what it's about because it'll actually probably just ruin the story. 99% of the fun of this book is finding out, little by little, what the heck is happening. Still, I will make an attempt. A boy wakes up in a seemingly random location. He has very little memory as to what has happened to him and he's pretty much naked. The only thing he knows for sure is that his name is Seth.

Seth wanders around this strange world that doesn't have anybody else in it. He seems to be the only person alive in the whole world. And the world seems like it has gone through an apocalypse or something; everything abandoned and dusty. He gets flashbacks of his life, his regular life, where he lived with his mom, dad and brother Owen in America. He remembers his friends and how they pulled stupid pranks together. But he doesn't know where he is now or what's happening. He begins to suspect that he's in hell, that this is the world after death. But surely there's more to this world than this endless wandering?

My first Patrick Ness novel was his most recent, THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE. I also thought that was just ok. I decided to try this one specifically because it got so many rave reviews. You see, I really want to like Patrick Ness' novels. I've heard so many great things about him, I want to join in on the fun! What the heck happened? Did something go whoosh over my head? I don't know. I totally understand the story, I don't think it's a matter of me not "getting" anything. People say this book is moving. But I didn't feel anything even close to being moved at all.

For the first third of the novel or something, Seth is literally alone. And don't get me wrong, Patrick Ness is a terrific writer, absolutely! However, the first third was pretty dull. I did like slowly discovering the world with Seth, but to be honest, he discovered everything a bit too slow for my tastes. The book later got interesting when the other characters entered the plot. Then there was the discovery of what's really happening (hint hint, it's kind of like The Matrix) and that got more interesting. But when I reached the end of the novel, I was just like, "That's it? This is the novel that got so many people in love with it?" I understand the story, but I don't get why people love it.

I think there's supposed to be something inspirational and hopeful about this story. But because it's science fiction and the fact that I didn't find the Matrix-style plot all that relateable, I guess the effect was lost on me.

I guess for the majority of the book, I kept thinking that there will be 'more than this' to MORE THAN THIS, hahaha. Lame jokes. It's not that this was a bad book. I guess I just got way too hyped up over it, and you know, I don't think this kind of novel is my cup of tea at all.

Should I just give up on Patrick Ness?? Maybe he and I just don't mesh. I don't know. We'll see ...

My Rating:

Perfect Scoundrels

Author: Ally Carter
First Published: February 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: Heist Society #3
349 pages (paperback)

I love the Heist Society series, and I'm ashamed to say, I didn't realize book three had been out for so long already. I didn't really remember a lot of the details of books one and two, so I spent a whole day re-reading Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals (which are still as fabulous and fun to read as ever) to prep myself for Perfect Scoundrels.

Perfect Scoundrels was a brilliant read, but it was definitely different from the first two books. The first two books had memorable, huge heists. The Henley job. The Cleopatra Emerald job. But in this book, I don't think there was a true heist, though of course, there's a lot of conning and thieving still. In book three, things get personal.

The story begins with Hale unexpectedly discovering that his beloved grandmother, Hazel, has died. To his (and everyone's) surprise, her will states that Hale Industries will be left entirely to Hale, with the family lawyer, Mr. Garrett, as the trustee until Hale becomes of age. As Hale copes with the loss of his grandmother and his new role as the CEO of a mega-corporation, Kat makes a startling discovery: Hazel's will was forged!

Kat's put in an awkward position. How is she supposed to tell her maybe-boyfriend that he might not actually be the CEO? That somebody is using him?

With the help of her usual crew, Kat tries to find the real will without alerting Hale's suspicions. The search leads to a much larger mission where the entirety of Hale Industries is at stake. One wrong move and Kat and her entire thieving family may also be exposed to the world for what they really are.

I personally feel that this story was less heist-y than the previous two. It was more like a mystery novel to me. Not that that's a terrible thing; I actually really enjoyed this book and it's sort of nice to have a different experience from the typical big heist stories. Also, Hale. My favourite fictional character ... heh. Enough said about that.

This book expanded on Kat and Hale's relationship much more, and each one as individual characters. Kat's not sure if the two of them are a couple or not for a majority of the story, but by the end, Kat and Hale have reached a firm conclusion on their relationship status. I really love how it took them three books to figure out whether or not they want to be with one another. In a lot of YA novels, the leading female and male just to get together way too quickly, way too much in love too fast. Usually it's unbelievable. But Kat and Hale's relationship is just perfect to me. Nothing too cheesy, nothing too quick.

I also loved how this third book finally brought Kat's entire family into the spotlight more. You know, in the first two books, you hear a lot about how the rest of the family are infamous thieves, legends even. But it's not until this third book that you see them in action. Really, it's quite touching, everyone banding together for one of their own. Oh I know, Hale is not really related to any of them by blood, but as the character reiterate over and over again, Hale's a part of their world; he is family. And yes, he also happens to fund a lot of their thieving adventures, but that's besides the point, haha.

As for the actual plot, like I said, this was not a true heist story in my opinion, but I did like the mystery and the chase. There's a lot more conning in this book, which is always fun. And the Henley makes a brief cameo again, haha. I was mildly disappointed that they didn't steal anything in this book, because that's what I've come to associate the Heist Society series with, but overall, I'm very satisfied. A fun, fast read.

Now I must go catch up with the rest of Ally Carter's books ... apparently she's also released an entirely new series while I was, I don't know, hiding under a rock or something.

My Rating:

Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella
First Published: June 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
288 pages (hardcover)

I love the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella (even though I haven't read them all, and the ones I have read, I read out of order, haha). So, when I saw this YA book by Sophie Kinsella, I was very interested in giving it a try. I ended up loving this book, though I am glad it is a stand-alone novel because I feel the story is stronger that way.

What is this story about? It is about a young teen named Audrey. Audrey has a diagnosed anxiety disorder. It all happened after an "event" happened at school. The book is in first person, and Audrey never feels comfortable enough to explain what the "event" was that triggered this anxiety; however, she provides enough hints and clues that you get a vague idea that she was bullied and humiliated in school. I really wish the book would just explain exactly what happened so I'm not left just guessing, but I guess since it is narrated by Audrey, it makes sense that she wouldn't want to talk about it.

Audrey has temporarily withdrawn from school and spends the vast majority of her time at home, venturing out only for her therapy sessions. She constantly wears a pair of sunglasses/dark shades, as the darkness makes it easier for her to cope with people. She has switched schools and will be re-doing her previous grade, since she has missed so much school. Audrey feels safe at home with her family, who are a collection of memorable characters themselves. Her mother is a bit of a helicopter parent but does her best to care for Audrey; her father kind of just does whatever the mom tells him to do and her brother, Frank, mostly keeps to himself but still cares about Audrey in his own way.

Audrey's brother, Frank, is a video gamer who is planning to enter a video game competition (the game he is playing is called Land of Conquerors or something like that, but it all sounds an awful lot like the game League of Legends, heh). It's a team computer game, and Frank invites his teammate Linus over to their house to practice the game. Audrey is initially freaked out about Linus being in their house. Linus is curious about Frank's sister, who is constantly hiding and wear dark shades over her eyes all the time. Carefully, he reaches out to her and gets to know her. Audrey finds herself wanting to see Linus more and more, but her anxiety prevents her from having a normal relationship.

This book is short, and I found it to be a very fast and very fun read. Despite the seriousness of having an anxiety disorder, this book is also very humorous because of Audrey's mother. Omigawd, Audrey's mother is something else ... Hopefully you have heard of the term helicopter parent, because that is what she is. Sophie Kinsella has really got the overbearing parent character down pat. Honestly, with a mom like that, it's not that surprising that Audrey is having a hard time dealing with her anxiety, because her mom babies her and treats Audrey like glass. Her mom is also a little gulliable/naive; Audrey points out that her mother believes everything she reads, which leads to some big fights in the house (for example, Audrey's mom thinks screens (cellphones, TV, computers, etc) are killing their brains and tries to ban them, which Frank, obviously, will not tolerate). Audrey's mom is a terribly annoying character, but in a good, well written way.

The other character that I want to give some kudos to is Linus. Or maybe I mean Linus and Audrey together. Linus is a lot like your typical teenage boy at first, but when he is around Audrey, he is just so darn nice and patient with her. I can totally see why Audrey would start liking him (which causes all sorts of internal strife for poor Audrey). And the way Linus gave Audrey her "first kiss" and said his first "I love you" was SO cute, my heart wanted to explode. I don't want to give away what happens in those scenes but it was so stupidly cute.

The thing I don't really understand as well is why the heck does Linus like Audrey? I totally see why Audrey would like Linus, but what Linus sees in Audrey, at least when they initially meet, is never understood by me. She's a reclusive young girl who constantly wears sunglasses indoors and scurries away whenever she sees Linus. Is that ... attractive to him? Who knows?

I loved this book a lot and definitely recommend it, especially if you are looking for something light and easy to speed through ;)

My Rating: 5/5

Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer
First Published: February 2013
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
452 pages (hardcover)

So, in 2011, I read the book Cinder, which is the first book in the series. I loved it, and knew I was going to read the rest of the series. But then, as it usually happens, the wait between installments causes me to forget (because I'm not very good at keeping up with book news). I was recently reminded of this series when I saw the fourth (and final!) book in bookstores and I thought, "Oh my gawd, the last book is already out?!"

So it's been 4 years and my memory is a little hazy on what happened in Cinder, but I still found Scarlet very enjoyable to read. I wonder if I would have liked it more if I read them back to back?

I did not know the Lunar Chronicles features a different fairy tale heroine in each installment. I think this is an awesome idea! In this second book in the series, the new fairy tale heroine featured is Little Red Riding Hood. Cinder (as in, Cinderella), the cyborg mechanic from the first book, is still a main character.

Scarlet begins with 18 year old Scarlet who is looking for her lost grandmother. Her grandmother has been missing for the past two weeks and the police don't seem to care. A chance meeting with a mysterious street fighter named Wolf brings her closer to locating her beloved grandmother. Wolf appears to know more about the whereabouts of Scarlet's grandmother than he is letting on. As Scarlet and Wolf investigate the disappearance together, Scarlet realizes that whoever took her grandmother, took her because her grandmother knows about the true identity of the missing Lunar princess, Selene.

In the meantime, Cinder is stuck in prison due to the events that happened in the first book. Reluctantly resorting to her Lunar capabilities of mind control, Cinder escapes with fellow prisoner Captain Thorne, a devilishly handsome rogue of a man who just so happens to own a large cargo spaceship. But escaping is just the beginning -- the entire world is looking for her, because the Queen of Luna, Levana, is furious that Cinder has ran away. If Cinder is not found in time, Queen Levana is threatening to war against the entire Earth.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Wonderfully written and a nicely paced story. A lot of my liking has to do with the fact that I am just a sucker for fairy tale retellings. I love this series because it is just by far one of the most imaginative fairy tale retellings I've encountered in my 'travels' (in the book world) so far. I mean, sci-fi fairy tales?! It sounds crazy but it works in this series.

Also, Little Red Riding Hood is not a fairy tale that usually gets the novelization treatment. There's tons of Cinderella retellings, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc. but LRRH is, I suppose, too short of a tale to flesh out into a whole novel. Well, I guess it's true, it IS a short fairy tale. But Marissa Meyer found a way to incorporate LRRH into the existing Lunar Chronicles world, and I just loved the way it all fit together.

If I may have a complaint though, it did bug me a bit how Scarlet and Cinder's paths didn't cross until near the end of the novel. It's a bit like reading two separate stories until that point. You have all the stuff that's happening with Scarlet and all the stuff that's happening with Cinder, and for a long time, I didn't even think the two characters were going to meet. They do, eventually, of course, but it was pretty darn near the end. Just a small complaint, I think if they could have met earlier it would have been fantastic.

Anyway, if you enjoyed the first Lunar Chronicle book, I am sure you will also like book two. I am really looking forward to the third book, Cress, which apparently features Rapunzel! And the fourth and final book, Winter, that was just released a few days ago, which features Snow White. Exciting stuff!

My Rating: 4/5

Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard
First Published: February 2010
Publisher: Orion
Series: Red Queen #1
383 pages (hardcover)

I'm kind of conflicted about how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I really wanted to like it; on the other hand, it didn't blow me away and was pretty unoriginal and predictable. Yet, when I finished, I wanted to read more. What?

Here's the lowdown: Mare Barrow is a Red -- an ordinary human who bleeds red blood. She lives in her little village called the Stilts, serving the noble Silvers, who are extraordinary humans with unique abilities (controlling fire, water, metal, reading minds, incredible strength, etc.) and they bleed silver blood. Mare despises the power imbalance between the Reds and Silvers. Especially with the never-ending war going on between their kingdom of Norta and other kingdoms, Reds are getting slaughtered by the thousands on the fields while Silvers command, safely far away from the battlefield.

Mare finds out she is going to be conscripted to the army soon. Desperate to get out of this predicament, she tries to get some smugglers to, you know, smuggle her out of the country. However, the price is very, very expensive. Mare doesn't have that much money. Her life is suddenly turned around though, when a chance meeting with a stranger winds up with her having a cushy (relatively speaking) job at the palace serving the royal family.

During the Queenstrial, in which the heir to the throne, Prince Cal, is to select his future wife, an accident happens in which Mare finds herself thrust into the spotlight in front of the most royal and noble Silver families in the kingdom, and she unleashes lightning and electric abilities she never knew she had. This is absolutely shocking to everyone because she's a Red and Reds aren't supposed to have any special abilities.

The royal family freaks out and makes up a cover story for Mare, saying she's a long lost Silver noble who has lived her entire life thinking she is a Red. For some reason, they decide she should be betrothed to the younger Prince, Maven (something about keeping a close eye on her)? Mare now is trying to live amongst the Silvers as one of their own. During all this, a rebellion called the Scarlet Guard is becoming a threat to the kingdom and of course, Mare finds herself caught up in that mess as well.

This book is like a mixture of a bunch of other books, and thus, I did not find anything original in it. We have some Hunger Games vibes, what with Mare shaping up to be the face of the rebellion a la Mockingjay style; some Pokemon or X-Men style abilities; Game of Thrones kind of world; and though I've never read Red Rising, I heard it's almost exactly the same story; and The Selection with their way of choosing a Queen. This story has NOTHING original about it. It's all bits and pieces of other stories sewn together. That's probably why it felt like there's some gaping plot-holes in the story.

The characters are very one-dimensional and suffer from a few overused YA tropes. Mare is a Special Snowflake, the "chosen one" to end a rebellion in an oppresive society -- definitely seen that before. There's also nothing likable about her -- she's stubborn, rude and not a nice person -- yet boys are falling for her left, right and center. Of course. We have the male leads who are all coincidentally gorgeous and perfect. And all the villains are absolutely villain-y. Like, are they even real people? They're always smirking and cackling with laughter that their evil schemes are going as planned. You know, evil people generally don't know they're evil ... Everyone in this book was just so cartoonish.

And yet.

Despite all my complaints and whinings, I kind of look forward to the next book. Seriously, I don't know why. Well, maybe I know why. I love all the elements of other books I mentioned above like Game of Thrones and whatnot. I like the pieces. I'm just not sure I like the way they were put together in Red Queen. But I want to keep reading, which is kind of weird. I'm pretty sure I'll know how the rest of this series will pan out though, because Red Queen is severely lacking in originality. Bet next book, which will slow down a lot in terms of pace, they're going to delve deeper in the Scarlet Guard organization and hunker down in the SG headquarters plotting stuff, and it'll be in the third book when they actually do anything.

Anyway, I'm not eagerly awaiting for the sequel, but I am awaiting it, haha.

My Rating: 2.5/5

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here

Author: Patrick Ness
Publisher: Harper Teen
First Published: August 2015
336 pages (hardcover)

This book has probably one of the most unique ideas I've come across. You know how in a lot of teen novels, the main character(s) are the 'chosen ones' to put an end to a terrible evil? Or they are the special snowflakes (female characters specifically) who get caught in cheesy love triangles and the girl just doesn't realize how beautiful and special she is? And so on ... Well, this is a book not about those main characters. Yes, they are in this book, saving the world and falling in love with impossibly handsome boys, but this book is about the peripheral characters. You know, just random people who the main characters might have seen on a bus ride or something. The characters who just live in that world.

Something paranormal is happening in the world, with the Immortals capturing human vessels in an attempt to take over the earth. The indie kids are all wrapped up in the latest plot, trying to save the world. But for non indie kids like Mikey, Mel, Jared and Henna, their biggest problem is not trying to overthrow the Queen of Immortals, but rather, dealing with the reality of finally graduating high school and going their separate ways after.

This is a story about the problems of humans without supernatural abilities ... i.e. everyone else. Mikey is in love with Henna but doesn't know how to tell her. He and his best friend Jared are planning to attend separate colleges two states away. His mom is running for a political position and not really paying enough attention to her children while Mikey's dad is a semi-functioning alcoholic. The stress of everything is triggering Mikey's obsessive-compulsive behaviours to return, a demon he thought he defeated long ago. He's washing his hands repeatedly again, until his skin is cracked and bleeding. He's meticulously counting objects. He's constantly checking and rechecking that he locked the door properly, although he couldn't tell you what 'properly' means to him. He feels like he's falling apart.

And yes, in the mean time, indie kids are dying and traveling between worlds to overthrow the Immortals, which are probably bigger problems, but these are Mikey's problems and this is his reality.

I have to admit, I was initially very confused by this book. I made it to chapter 6 or something like that before I felt I had to go online and do some minor research into this book. Afterwards, I restarted the book and everything made sense again. I didn't know what the book meant by 'indie' kids initially (I thought indie = independent?? But the book's definition is basically 'special snowflake'). And each chapter started with a short paragraph on what the indie kids were up to in their quest to defeat the Immortals, but I didn't realize that that's what the chapter openers were about so I was just puzzled. Once you understand the structure though, it all makes sense.

I've heard of lots of great things about Patrick Ness and I think I have a whole bunch of his books on my mental "I want to read" list. This is the very first Patrick Ness book I actually got around to reading though, probably because it's his newest and was easiest to find at bookstores at this point in time.

The book is very much a coming-of-age novel and I loved the unique spin on the characters by making them "minor characters". It's understanding that, yeah, there are bigger problems in the world out there, but my problems are my reality and this is what I'm trying to deal with. 'Ordinary people' problems, if you will. Mikey and the rest of his friends all felt so genuine and young and innocent. It's a book that I think young adults/teenagers will easily feel related to.

While I did enjoy reading this book, at the same time, it did not wow me. I mean, we are talking about the mundane problems of teenagers here. After I finished reading this book, I skimmed through some reviews and some people felt this was not the greatest "first Patrick Ness novel" to be introduced to. I'm inclined to agree, probably; but I am sure I will continue trying other books of this author's.

My Rating: 2/5 

Paper Towns

Author: John Green
First Published: September 22, 2009
Publisher: Speak
305 pages (paperback)

This is my first John Green book. I picked it up at the airport when I was going to Maui, thinking I could enjoy it on my flight over there. I had seen the trailers for the movie but never watched it. I ended up finishing it really quick because I was pretty engrossed in it. The last half of my plane ride was pretty boring because I had nothing left to do (no TVs on the plane, boo).

Paper Towns is about a boy named Q (Quentin) who has liked this girl named Margo (who also happens to be his neighbour) for a long time now. Margo is (to Q) a super interesting, mysterious girl. She's one of the popular girls but doesn't act like it. They haven't talked since they were little kids though.

Then one random night, Margo asks Q to join him in her revenge spree around town (she found out her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend). Q is hesitant, but goes along anyway. It turns out to be an amazing night with her. The next day, however, she's gone. Her parents report her missing, but they don't really seem to worry too much since she's been a bit of a problem child for them. None of her friends seem to care that much either. Only Q tries to look for her.

Overall, it was a pretty interesting read. Q seemed like a good guy and I liked his relationships with his friends. I enjoyed reading about the revenge spree and then the subsequent search for Margo. What made the book a little less interesting was the fact that I did not quite understand why Margo was so mysterious/attractive/interesting. She didn't seem like a particularly unique person, and she hadn't spoken to Q for years before the events of this novel. I figured Q just had a big crush on her, but to be honest I did not understand what made her special.

Not that that deterred me from enjoying the novel, but it did kind of hinder me from feeling as attached to the quest of finding Margo as Q did. Like, I didn't particularly care what happened to Margo, I was just curious where she went.

Lastly, the reason I gave this book three stars despite enjoying it a fair bit was because the ending was abrupt and I just did not like it. I don't want to spoil the ending, but basically I said, "Huh? That's it?" at the end.

My Rating: 3/5

Half a King

This post first published July 15, 2014.

Author: Joe Abercrombie
First Published: July 2014
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Series: Shattered Sea #1
400 pages (eBook)
 
Anyone who knows me, knows I am a sucker for all those books that have a review blurb by George R. R. Martin on the cover (I am easily persuaded to read a book that way). This book has one of those review blurbs, so … well, that’s how I came to read Half A King. Also, there isn’t a whole lot of epic/high fantasy that’s written for the YA crowd, so I was interested in checking this out for that reason. I have to admit, the beginning chapter or two didn’t really draw me in at all, but I’m glad I decided to keep going with it, because it ended up being an amazing read.

Half A King is a coming of age story set in a fantasy world. Our main character is Prince Yarvi, the second son of the king of Gettland. As he is the second son, he had been training to become a minister for his whole life (a minister is a sort of priest/healing guy … like maesters from ASOIAF, if that helps). Since he has one crippled hand, he can’t win glory on the battlefield, so this is the best choice for him. His whole life changes when his father, and his older brother, are killed. Suddenly, Yarvi finds himself king, a role he was never prepared for. It seems others would agree; his uncle attempts to kill Yarvi, which would make him king instead. Yarvi manages to escape the assassination attempt, but is captured and turned into a slave for a “merchant ship”. Though Yarvi never wanted the throne, he vows that he will avenge his father and brother, and claim his birthright.

Definitely a great read! The world was built wonderfully on so many levels. First, the characters: Yarvi and his people are very reminiscent of the Vikings, which I loved. Yarvi’s journey from a low confidence weakling, to a cunning young man, driven by revenge, was not rushed and felt real. And like the best coming of age stories, you realize the character had the strength within himself all along, he only had to discover it. Lastly, of course, it was just a good story. I liked how Yarvi had to start from the bottom as a slave, and work his way back up to try to become king (cue: ~started from the bottom, now we’re here~ … I’ll see myself out).

There’s also the history of the world and the culture. There is very little magic in this story (practically none, as I can’t remember any off the top of my head). The characters often talk about the elves who constructed many buildings and landmarks that are currently ruins right now, so we know there used to be some magical-esque folk around at some time, but they are no more. I used to love, love, love fantasy with tons of magic in it, but ever since George R. R. Martin’s ASOIAF series, I have come to love low fantasy level novels as well. I think Half A King did a marvelous job of incorporating just enough fantastical elements to give the world a mystical feel.

Lastly, it’s just a good story. Hey, even if you have the best writing in the world, being technical isn’t going to help you with the creative part of writing. This book had both.

My Rating: 4/5

Reached

This post first published June 23, 2014.

Author: Ally Condie
First Published: November 2012
Publisher: Dutton
Series: Matched #3
512 pages (hardcover)
 
If you’ve read my reviews for the first two books of this series, you might be wondering why I bothered reading book three, Reached, at all, since I didn’t really like the first two books that much. Well, my line of thinking was something like, “I’ve come this far, it’s the last book.” I didn’t really care about how the story was going to end, but I did want some sort of closure with the series. Well, I got to the end and it’s pretty much the same as the first two books, though somehow this one managed to be even more boring.

So, the Rising (the rebellion) is supposed to be up and fighting the Society in this final book.During all this, there is a Plague going around and our main characters are trying very hard to find the Cure for. Even worse, the Plague mutates, so that their previous Cure no longer works and they have to find a new one. And of course, during all these events, it is expected (as the third and final book in the series and all), that Cassia is going to finally make a proper decision between Xander and Ky, the two boys who are in love with her.

It all sounds very exciting, but it wasn’t. I thought book two was going to be the most boring book in the series, but I was wrong: book three is! The first 300-ish pages of this book, it honestly felt like nothing was happening. There is nothing that happens that sticks out in my mind. There was just so much “fluff” writing. It felt like the author wanted to be “deep” and thoughtful in her writing, but none of it was convincing. And while I normally like poetry, I don’t buy what this book (or rather, this series) has done with poems. They become almost like a form of currency, people trading bits of poems to get what they want. Why would a bunch of rebels who can’t even write decide that poetry was worth anything? I hardly think their Society mandated education would help them learn how to appreciate poetry, especially poetry that was written decades or even centuries ago. Maybe modern poetry … Anyway, I digress …

I kept expecting the Rising to finally do something against the Society. But there was no fighting, no nothing! I don’t NEED there to be actual fighting to be interesting, but I did expect something exciting to go down. Instead, I got this super anti-climatic realization from Cassia that the Rising and the Society are one, that the Society engineered the Rising to make people think there’s change and be satisfied. The reveal was not very exciting and the events that followed this realization were pretty boring!

The love story between Cassia, Xander and Ky ended very predictably too. I did not expect the “leftover” boy to find love too, but he did. That didn’t make me feel happy though. I feel that having the “leftover” boy find true love suddenly just undermines the “leftover” boy’s feelings for Cassia during the entire series. If he can love another girl so soon after Cassia makes up her mind about who she wants to be with, then he never truly loved Cassia at all, you know?

I don’t feel satisfied after reading this final book, but I can’t really say I’m disappointed either. I just feel nothing, like none of it mattered.

My Rating: 2/5

Days of Blood & Starlight

This post first published March 25, 2013.

Author: Laini Taylor
First Published: November 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2
406 pages (eBook)
 
I was so eager to read the second book in this series, but — if I may be perfectly honest — I feel really disappointed. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised since the second book in a trilogy is usually lackluster compared to the first or the final book. Setting up for the grand finale and all. Still, I didn’t think I would have been this … bored.

After Karou finds out that Akiva was responsible for the genocide of her chimera people, she breaks off  all contact with him and finds the remaining surviving chimera. She is their only hope now, their only resurrectionist, who can continue pumping out soldiers for the war against the angels. Despite her true intentions to help her own people, the chimera don’t trust her. They still see her as a traitor, and Karou can’t ever be sure that she is safe with them. Meanwhile, Akiva mourns the loss of Karou and deeply regrets what he has done. He is more determined than ever to end the brutal conflicts between chimeras and angels once and for all, but he is not sure how to begin such a venture, especially when he is hailed as the Beast’s Bane, a hero amongst his own angelic race.

I think my biggest problem with this book was that it simply felt like nothing much was happening. By the end of the novel, it’s clear that much of what happened in the story (which, to me, was not much) was a set-up for book three. Days of Blood & Starlight just doesn’t feel like much of a story on its own. While I can remember several memorable and series-defining events from the first book, there was only one or two significant events that occurred in this book. To put it plainly, I was simply bored by this book. When I was reading book one, I found it hard to put the book down (or rather, my tablet, heh). I had no troubles putting book two down at all.

There were also some chapters from the point-of-view of really random characters. For example, the Dama centaur chimera sisters Sveva and Sarazal and their escape story. There were a handful of chapters from them and then you didn’t hear anything from them again for the rest of the book. I found that quite odd …

A love triangle begins to emerge in this book, which I would not have minded so much if there was a hint of it in the first book. Karou and Akiva are more or less separated (for the time being, anyway), and we are introduced to Ziri, a chimera of the same race that Madrigal/Karou was. Cue intimate moments scenes. Insert a vague history between the two of them. See, all this was brand new information in book two, Ziri was never mentioned in book one, and it made it feel like this love triangle thing was an afterthought or something.

I also have to agree with my friend Paola that Zuzana had become super annoying in this book and I really hope she would be turned down a notch or two. I don’t know if she and Mik were supposed to be comic relief in an otherwise bleak and depressing environment, but they were not funny. They were irritating. Especially Zuzana, who came off as self-centered to me. A clashing of worlds is about to occur, your best friend’s life is going to be in danger, the entire WORLD is going to be in danger, and the only thing she seemed to care about was that she was in a dinky hotel room, away from all the action. Sigh.

I was happy with the direction of character development though. I feel Karou has grown up and matured a lot, enduring her trials and tribulations (unlike her best friend who seemed to have done the reverse of maturing), and Akiva also has gone through some serious self reflection. I like how they are not like two lovesick teenagers hell-bent on being together no matter the costs. They are level headed and realize there are greater stakes — worlds to save — and if they cannot be together because of this, then so be it, because it will be for the greater good. I do hope Karou and Akiva will resolve their issues with one another, but I feel it would be appropriate if they didn’t either. I guess either way, I will be content with their relationship.

Here’s hoping book three will be much better!

My Rating: 2/5

Shades of Earth

This post first published March 24, 2013.

Author: Beth Revis
First Published: January 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Series: Across the Universe #3
369 pages (hardcover)
 
The final book of the Across The Universe YA trilogy! In case you haven’t read my reviews of the previous two books, I am a big fan of this series and really enjoyed books one and two. Needless to say, I greatly anticipated book three, Shades Of Earth, especially since book two ended on such a cliffhanger! Because I found books one and two to be absolutely fantastic, I did have rather high expectations for book three and I’m happy to find that it completely lived up to my expectations!  (Sadly, I think the cover is really atrocious and doesn’t link itself to the first two books at all).

The first two books in this series are about a young teenage girl, Amy, who was cryogenically frozen aboard the enormous spacecraft, Godspeed, along with many other humans, to become colonizers of a newly discovered Earth-like planet dubbed Centauri-Earth. It is a 300 year journey, but Amy is accidentally unfrozen 50 years too soon by a boy named Elder. Elder is the leader-in-training of the shipborn humans, the ones who were born, lived, and died, on Godspeed all their lives in order to keep the ship operating for so long. Not to get into too much detail, but Amy and Elder discover a huge conspiracy/secret about the ship which takes up the first two books in the trilogy.

In book three, we have finally landed on Centauri-Earth! I have looked forward to this moment for a long time, ever since the very first book. I wondered if the new planet is going to as wonderful as the characters believed it could be, despite the unknown dangers they are also aware of. Seriously, I really, really looked forward to it! The book did a really good job dragging out my curiosity for as long as possible. Maybe some people will see that as a bad thing, but I loved it — I hung onto every word that I read, and kept telling myself ‘one more chapter, one more chapter’. Every chapter seemed to add more and more questions to my list, and I was just dying to know what this new planet was all about. This was the kind of book where once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

(The following paragraph contains spoilers!) One thing I wasn’t completely satisfied with was the new character of Chris and his role in the story. It didn’t really make sense to me why, when the Godspeed survivors landed, the Colonel (Amy’s dad) would let Chris into their colony and pretend to everyone that he was actually a part of the group the whole time. That just seemed farfetched and ridiculous to me. I don’t know about you, but if I was starting a colony on a new planet and ran across a strange human being who was not a part of my group, I wouldn’t invite him to simply pretend he was with us all along and not tell anyone. Wouldn’t you want to get more information from him? Anyway, that one part seemed off to me, but not enough to seriously distract me from the story. (End spoilers!)

I think it’s just crazy (in a good way) how Beth Revis keeps coming up with secret after secret for Amy and Elder to discover. The entire series has been such a roller-coaster ride. I enjoyed the direction Shades Of Earth headed towards in this book and I liked the happy ending as well. I don’t really have much else to say about this book because I enjoyed reading it so much — stayed up super late to finish it! — and found very little to complain about. I really, really recommend this YA series, hope you will like it too!

My Rating: 5/5

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

This post first published March 16, 2013.

Author: Laini Taylor
First Published: September 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1
391 pages (eBook)
 
I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while. When it was first released and the reviews started pouring out on blogs and Goodreads, the overwhelming majority that I read were very positive reviews. Needless to say, this book piqued my interest but I didn’t get around to reading it until now (an excuse I use for almost every book I read — “I didn’t get around to reading it …” Hah). I tried not to have my opinion of the book subconsciously swayed by the hype, though when it feels like EVERYONE loves this book, I feel pressure to love it too. Anyway, I definitely think this book is amazing, fun and creative, and I enjoyed it very much. I can totally understand why everyone loves it. I don’t think I love it quite as much as some other readers too, but I do think it is a very good book.

The story is about a young girl named Karou (pronounced ka-roo), who lives in Prague, alone in her own apartment, and attends an art school. She loves to draw and her friends love seeing the monsters she creates in her sketchbook. Little do her friends know, these monsters aren’t figments of Karou’s imagination; they are real. They are the monsters who raised Karou and Karou loves them as her own family.

Her “father figure” is Brimstone, who appears to be the leader of the four monsters. His life’s work is to collect teeth. All kinds of teeth, from humans to animals and even other fantastical creatures. Karou has no idea what Brimstone does with these bags and bags of teeth, she’s not allowed to ask. However, she runs errands for Brimstone and in return, he gives him small beads that allow her to make minor wishes, such as changing her hair colour to a natural blue, or giving her enemy caterpillar-bushy eyebrows.

When black handprints start appearing on doorways all over the world — the doorways to the world where the monsters reside — Karou’s world starts to change drastically. Suddenly, she loses all contact with Brimstone and the others and worse, she is being hunted by a beautiful but dangerous male angel named Akiva. However, little does Karou know, Akiva knows all about Karou’s true identity and how she is connected to him. Before she knows it, she and Akiva are embroiled in a forbidden love.

Before I say anything else, I want to make it clear that I did, indeed, fall in love with this book. I haven’t read a book this creative or imaginative since … well, it feels like a very long time. The best part of the creativity, for me, was the use of the teeth and wishes. I’m not going to spoil what Brimstone was using the teeth for, for those of you who don’t know, but I really liked that twist. Teeth! So simple, but so genius at the same time.

At its core, it’s still a pretty ‘common’ story. I would say the core of this novel is similar to the basic plot of Romeo & Juliet: two starcrossed lovers who cannot be together due to their affiliations. But in Daughter of Smoke & Bone, I feel Laini Taylor took that common story and re-imagined it on an epic grand scale, with angels and demons and an eternal war. The chronology of the story is also a bit different as well, telling the end first (although as the reader, you do not know it is the end) and then explaining the beginning, with how Karou and Akiva originally met and so on.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book (or the ‘end’ of the story). I was totally loving being in Karou’s world, her art classes, her secret visits to Brimstone and her monster family, her annoying ex-boyfriend doing stupid stunts to try to win her back and all the little, and sometimes petty, wishes she made. Where the book began to falter, for me, was when the story shifted and began to tell the tale of how Karou and Akiva originally met. It was very removed from the setting I was already used to, and I was really not expecting that at all. I went from being on a slightly magical/paranormal Earth to a completely different world altogether, one where angels and monsters fought a war on a daily basis. New city names, new geography, new culture to know. The problem wasn’t the newness, it was just such a sudden shift for me that it almost felt like a disconnect between the first half of the book to the second half. The more I read, the more far away I felt from everything I read prior. It almost felt like a completely different story I was reading.

I wasn’t too crazy about was Karou and Akiva’s relationship either. It’s very sweet, but as I mentioned earlier, it is at its core, a Romeo & Juliet kind of story. Even though I praise the author for being so imaginative with it, the relationship is still as simplistic as what you think a Romeo & Juliet story would have. Their relationship is powerful, deep and passionate — and also quite instant. Even though Karou and Akiva started off as enemies, they very, very quickly put that all aside and, well, fell in love. I know, I know — you are thinking, “Uh, did you not READ the book? There is a reason!” I’m perfectly aware but I think even when Karou and Akiva met originally in Karou’s past life, it was still a lot of, “Wow, he’s so beautiful” and “Wow, she’s so beautiful”, with some “I saved your life” mixed in. I’m afraid I just didn’t feel the same fiery passion that these two character felt whenever they were with one another.

Now, with all that said, I did love reading this book a lot though. It was very fun and I became victim to the “just one more chapter” syndrome that all good books seem to be able to inflict on its readers. I liked Karou’s character a lot — not so much her “alter ego” (or rather, her original form) because that personality seemed way too Mary Sue for my liking. But I liked Karou and how she interacted with her human friends and her monster family. I loved the idea of a monster hidden in a little shop collecting teeth — don’t ask my why, but I’m very attached to that idea and this book did a very good job driving me crazy with wanting to know what the heck Brimstone was using the teeth for! You do get to find out in the end, no worries. The book also did a good job driving me crazy with who Karou was in her other life, but that one became somewhat predictable and therefore, less mysterious once Akiva entered the story and you see how they’re interacting.

I certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA novels, I do think this is one of the better YA novels I’ve read in the last little while. I eagerly look forward to book two: Days Of Blood & Starlight!

My Rating: 4/5

Clockwork Prince

This post first published December 28, 2012.

Author: Cassandra Clare
First Published: December 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Series: The Infernal Devices #2
502 pages (hardcover)
 
Huh, I didn’t expect myself to pick up book two so soon after I finished the first one. I actually tried to read a different, unrelated novel after I finished Clockwork Angel, but found myself gravitating back towards this series. I know I made a number of complaints about the last book, and they still exist for me in this book, but overall, I do really like the story world so I guess I didn’t want to disconnect myself from it so soon.

Clockwork Prince focuses on the London Institute trying to find Mortmain, our villain who got away in the previous book. To raise the stakes even higher, they are given a deadline of merely two weeks to locate the bad guy, no thanks to Benedict Lightwood, who helped propose this condition. Benedict Lightwood wants to run the London Institute badly, as he has always felt Charlotte (our current head of the Institute) does not deserve the position. With the recent events that took place, Benedict challenges Charlotte’s competency and thus, imposes this harsh condition.

As they research and look into Mortmain’s history, Tessa (our main character), finds herself caught in a love triangle between Will and Jem. The two boys are also best of friends and sworn brothers to one another, making the situation kind of awkward for Tessa. Tessa loves both boys dearly, but as Will seems intent on pushing Tessa away and Jem puts his heart out on his sleeve for Tessa, the choice seems obvious.

For me, personally, I felt this entire book was focused on the love triangle between Tessa, Will and Jem. Finding Mortmain felt more like a secondary plot, which is totally okay with me. I didn’t find that aspect of the book particularly interesting anyway. In terms of the Mortmain portion of the plot, Clockwork Prince is the bridge that simply connects Clockwork Angel to the third book to be released, Clockwork Princess. (And on that note, what is with the titles?? They never really make sense with what the book’s plot is about. Clockwork Angel was ambiguous at best, while in this book, the so-called Clockwork Prince is supposed to be Mortmain, and it was only mentioned once. And like I said, Mortmain was not a big part of this second book, he wasn’t even actually in it, only mentioned).

Onto Tessa, Will and Jem. I loved the love triangle between them, I really do. I should also say it now — I’m a Jem fangirl. This book made me very happy because Jem got to experience a lot of happiness in his relationship with Tessa. HOWEVER, I also have a feeling of doom because it’s so obvious that Tessa will end up with Will in the very end, and Jem will either end up dead, alone forever, or given some random girl to fall in love with at the last minute (really hope it’s not the third. That would be just plain stupid).

(Warning: fangirl rant incoming): I mean, I really, really hope I’m wrong and that Tessa will realize that she truly loves Jem in the end. However, this isn’t my first rodeo with love triangles. I’ve read quite a number of teenage story love triangles and the more extroverted guy always gets the girl. In my experience so far, that has always been the case. Besides that, there’s tons of hints in the book that show Tessa and Will are the couple to be: they both have a geeky love for poetry and literature (Jem does not); Tessa can’t stop thinking about Will even when she’s with Jem (big hint there); Tessa and Will are clearly the main female and male leads in the book (main characters usually end up with one another). I really hope I’m wrong though. I mean, I don’t even understand why Tessa and Will love one another, and so deeply! Will has been nothing but a cheeky asshole to Tessa, how she ends up loving him is beyond me. In my own experience, you do not end up falling in deep love with a guy who’s a cheeky asshole even if he’s drop dead gorgeous. Jem, on the other hand, has been very kind to her. They’ve had outings together (like touring London) and had opportunities to grow close. And he is just as good looking! I guess what makes me such a big Jem fangirl is also the fact that I feel Tessa and Jem’s relationship developed more naturally, whereas Will’s and Tessa’s was too Insta-Love ish for my liking.

Ack. My point is, this love triangle is awfully predictable, and yet, addicting. I still hope I’m wrong though. Also, I hope Tessa becomes more likeable. She’s such a player, haha. It’s hard to like her when I feel like she’s playing Jem.

Clockwork Prince has a slower paced plot because it focuses more on the budding relationships between Tessa, Will and Jem. Love the relationship between the three of them, even if I’m totally biased in Jem’s favor. A lot of my previous complaints from book one still stand, but I do feel this second book was significantly better than the first and I am very excited to read book three, Clockwork Princess, when it is released.

My Rating: 4/5

Clockwork Angel

This post first published December 27, 2012.

Author: Cassandra Clare
First Published: August 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Series: The Infernal Devices #1
479 pages (hardcover) 
 
I have been wanting to read this book for a while! I enjoyed Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series for the most part, so it’s about time I give her Infernal Devices series a shot too. If you like her first series (or dislike), I can almost guarantee you will feel the same way about this second series as well. They are quite similar, but take place in a different time period. The Infernal Devices is sort of a prequel-series to the Mortal Instruments, although you can most certainly read the Infernal Devices series without ever having read her first one (although, I think, it would be better to start with the first series regardless).

Clockwork Angel is the first book in this series. It takes place in Victorian-era London. A young teenage girl named Tessa crosses the ocean from America to meet her brother in London, but is kidnapped and forced to practice and perfect her shapeshifting abilities to prep her for marriage to a mysterious someone named the Magister, the person who orchestrated the kidnapping. Tessa had no idea she had these strange powers. She is forced to go along with everything as the kidnappers say they have her brother as well and will kill him if she does not cooperate.

Finally, she is rescued one day by Shadowhunters who bring her to the Institute of London. Shadowhunters are, if you have not read the first series, a “race” of humans, if you will, who have angel blood in them. They are completely dedicated to protecting humans from Downworlders (faeries, vampires, warlocks and werewolves) and killing demons. The Shadowhunters promise to help Tessa find the whereabouts of her brother, as well as uncover a plot or conspiracy in which Tessa figures prominently in.

Like I said before, it’s pretty similar to The Mortal Instruments: Shadowhunters uncover conspiracies/plots and you know, fix them. I like the story, it’s fairly interesting and I felt it was packed with action. It feels sort of too familiar, in a way, because it follows the general “formula” of all Mortal Instruments books. I suppose it doesn’t really help that there’s not much setting it apart from its predecessor. Even though it’s set in Victorian-era London, the time period never really felt “real” to me. Many of the characters simply bypassed Victorian-era customs and behaviours, with the explanation that this is shadowhunter customs. Kind of felt pointless to put it in the Victorian-era if that’s the case, you know?

The characters were eerily similar to Clary, Jace and that whole gang. I mean, they’re not EXACTLY the same, but very, very similar, yes. Tessa was basically Clary, Will is Jace. That was really disappointing, to be perfectly honest. Not only were their personalities very, very similar, their entire relationship progressed in the exact same way. They started not really liking one another that much, there’s an intimate moment, their relationship becomes awkward, a declaration of love (more or less) and then angst because they cannot be together for some reason or another. I know it’s not unique to Clary and Jace, but I did expect the author to try a different relationship approach with her new characters, not reuse the same formula. As with Clary and Jace’s, I never felt fully convinced that Tessa and Will like one another.

Actually, what I wanted to happen was for Tessa to fall in love with Will’s best friend, Jem. I like Jem a lot, he’s my favourite character. He’s the only one I can’t think of a direct link to a Mortal Instruments character (the other teenager in the book, Jessie, is pretty much Isabella from The Mortal Instruments). He’s got an interesting background, and a completely different personality from Will. That’s why I would have liked Tessa to fall in love with him. I felt some love-triangle vibes from Tessa, Will and Jem while reading the book, but ultimately, it’s super obvious that Tessa and Will are going to end up together unless the author decides to seriously shake things up in later books.
If you are already familiar with The Mortal Instruments series, I feel Clockwork Angel may be a bit of a disappointment because it doesn’t feel that different from its predecessor. I wasn’t blown away, but it certainly was a fun read for me, and I do plan on reading the next book(s) in the series.

My Rating: 3/5