The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet {Review)

Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens

Publish Date: January 3, 2012
Source: Library

Goodreads

On their first day in Paris, Maya and her little brother, James, find themselves caught up in some very old magic. Houses with bronze salamanders for door handles, statues that look too much like Maya's own worried face, a man wearing sunglasses to hide his radiant purple yes...nothing is what it seems. And what does all that magic want from Maya?
With the help of a friendly boy named Valko, Maya discovers surprises hidden in her family tree -- grandmothers who walked in magic, a cousin so unremarkable she's actually hard to see, and a terrible family habit of betraying one's brother. And now the shimmering glass Cabinet of Earths, at the heart of all these secrets, has chosen Maya to be its new Keeper. As she untangles the ties between the Salamander House, the purple-eyed man, and the Cabinet of Earths, Maya realizes that her own brother may be in terrible danger. To save him, Maya must take on the magical underworld of Paris...before it is too late. 

Honestly, I’m desperately sad I didn’t like this one more.

I was attracted to The Cabinet of Earths because it sounded like a new and unique idea with a good heaping helping of adventure. I did end up experiencing a really new idea, but the adventure just kind of fell a little flat. I liked the Paris aspect of it, but it didn’t play into the story as much as I’d hoped.

There are mysteries that make you want to flip forward as fast as you can to find out what happens next and there are mysteries that make you want to flip backwards because you constantly feel like you missed something. I felt like I spent ¾ of the book with my forehead creased in confusion! Confusion definitely has its place in books, but this one just didn’t work for me.

The story wasn’t all bad. I really appreciated Maya’s love and commitment to her family. The cabinet and all its elements were pretty fascinating as well. I wish it had been in the story a little more.

The Nutshell: All in all, The Cabinet of Earths wasn’t a win for me, but it had a few good elements. The fantastical elements with the cabinet and earths was interesting, the Paris setting was good, and Maya was a good protag who loved her family more than anything. My biggest complaint lies in the fact that the story simply didn’t draw me in.

Pages: 272

Series: Maya and Valko #1

Rating: 3 stars

Crossed by Ally Condie {Review}

Publisher: Button Juvenile

Publish Date: November 1, 2011

Source: Library

Rules are different outside the Society.Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky -- taken by the Society to his sure death -- only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.

I really wanted to love Crossed, but it just didn’t happen that way. I still enjoyed it overall, but it certainly wasn’t my favorite. So, let’s do this thing list-style.

Dislikes:

1. Cassia and Ky’s relationship. Somehow it just didn’t seem real. It was almost like more of a learning experience than real love.

2. Even though most of the story was spent as a journey, it often felt like it wasn’t really going anywhere.

3. It seemed as if Cassia had taken a step back in her growth since Matched despite all the risks she took.

4. We didn’t actually learn that much more about the Society or the world’s past.

Likes:

1. Xander. Crossed completely solidified my stance as Team Xander! I really admired him for not completely giving up on Cassia and trying to win her affection in a respectable way.

2. Though it seemed Cassia had taken a step back in growth through most of the book, she took leaps and bounds just in the last chapter or so, in my opinion.

3. The duel narratives. Sometimes this bores me, but I really enjoyed hearing the story from both Cassia and Ky.

The Nutshell: Though I didn’t enjoy Crossed as much as Matched, I’ll still be finishing the series when the next one comes out. The duel narratives add a new dimension to the series and I found it quite enjoyable. Also, Team Xander. Just sayn’.

Pages: 367

Series: Matched #2

Rating: 3 stars

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway {Review}

Publisher: Razorbill

Publish Date: April 10, 2008

Source: Bought/Own

When her ex writes a break-up song about her that rockets up the charts, Audrey is suddenly famous--she can't go out without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi. Readers can take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, confronts her ex on MTV, and shows the world who she really is. It's the song everyone's singing. And it's about her! But for Audrey, becoming famous overnight equals total, life-changing disaster.

You wouldn’t think the hype monster would be a problem for an older book, but that’s precisely what happened here. Sadly, Audrey, Wait! didn’t blow me away like it seems to have done for so many people. Don’t get me wrong, it was funny, but I wasn’t rolling on the floor laughing or anything of the sort.

One thing I really did enjoy was Audrey’s best friend, Victoria. I loved that she basically wasn’t afraid of anything and didn’t mind giving anyone and everyone a piece of her mind. Plus, you almost never see characters in serious relationships in YA, especially when it comes to the best friend, but Victoria and Jonah were pretty cute.

For some reason, Audrey herself just wasn’t a hit with me. I understand the crazy situation she was put in, but man, did she have to be so whiny all the time? It seemed like she was just complaining for a good ¾ of the book.

The Nutshell: Overall, I did enjoy Audrey, Wait! but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as all the hype would lead me to think. If you’re looking for a quick, fun read though, this will definitely fit the bill.

Pages: 320

Series: No

Review: 3 stars 

Frost by Wendy Delsol {Review}

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publish Date: October 2011

Source: Library

After the drama of finding out that she's a Stork, a member of an ancient and mystical order of women, and that her boyfriend, Jack, is a descendent of the Winter People able to control the weather, Katla LeBlanc is delighted when all signs point to a busy and peaceful Christmas. That is, until the snowstorm Jack summons as a gift to Katla turns into the storm of the century, attracting Brigid, a gorgeous scientist who, in turn, attracts Jack. Between the school play, a bedridden pregnant mother's to-do lists, and keeping an eye on her aging grandfather, Katla doesn't have time to question Brigid's motives or deal with Jack's increasingly cold behavior. But Katla's suspicions mont when Jack joins Brigid on a research expedition to Greenland, and when the two of them go missing, it becomes clear that Katla is the only one who can save her beloved Jack from the Snow Queen who holds him prisoner.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about Frost. On the one hand, I enjoyed Katla’s growth as a character and the epic journey that occurred, but on the other hand, the story moved much too fast. At times, I felt as if some pages were missing or I somehow missed them because we’d seemingly jumped from one thing to another completely.

So first, the characters. Kat seemed to grow quite a bit since Stork. That’s not to say she didn’t show growth before, but this time it was just a little different. I can’t put my finger on exactly what the difference was, but this time I actually liked her. Her fashion sense wasn’t so much an obsession this time as it was just part of her personality.

Jack, I was not such a fan of this time. I know it was crucial to the plot (pardon the vagueness, but I’m trying not to spoil anything), but Jack was kind of a lameo with barely any personality.

Brigid was basically the perfect villain. Gotta love when an author can make you love to hate someone.

I super loved the journey in this one. It was epic and awesome. Lots of different landscapes and crazy new bits to the world’s mythology. What I didn’t love was how it seemed to be all over the place. Sometimes I honestly thought I’d skipped some pages or something because I was so lost. There could have definitely been a little more description at times and better transitions  to keep things on track.

Final Thoughts: Though Frost wasn’t a favorite read, I still really enjoyed it and will be awaiting the next book in the series. If you like your romance with a good dose of mythology and epic journeys then you should definitely give this series a chance.

Pages: 384

Series: Stork #2

Rating: 3 stars

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody {Review}

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux

Publish Date: June 2011

Source: Library

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment. Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure. But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated! Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever. But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

My Life Undecided was like a teen movie you might see on ABC Family or Disney Channel, but that’s not a diss since I’m a total sucker for those kinds of movies.

I love the whole idea of having other people vote on what decisions get made in your life. Generally, I wouldn’t let strangers (or people I know even) dictate my life for me like that, but sometimes it’d be nice if someone else would just take the wheel for a while. Although, after seeing how that worked out for Brooklyn, it’s not looking quite so appealing…

Brooklyn drove me a little insane. I liked being able to see her character grow throughout the story, but darnit, did she have to be so blind sometimes? I almost pumped my fist in the air when she decided she wasn’t going to be obsessed with her looks anymore, but a few chapters after that, she was right back at it.

It seemed like some characters (her sister) were in the story simply to get it from point A to point B which was pretty lame.

Final Thoughts: Overall, My Life Undecided was really cute. I laughed out loud a few times and even almost teared up at one point. If you’re looking for a quick, lighthearted read, this is definitely a good choice.

Pages: 320

Series: No

Rating: 3 stars

Vanish by Sophie Jordan {Review}

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publish Date: September 2011

Source: Library

An impossible romance.Bitter rivalries.Deadly choices.To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: she betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again--and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will's memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.
Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family's. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride's heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on--that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

When Vanish came out a few months back, all I heard was how awesome it was and how this was a love triangle done right and all that good stuff. Sadly, I’m going to have to say it just didn’t do it for me.

I didn’t feel connected to the characters at all like I did reading Firelight. Neither Cassian nor Will were the tender, loving guys I remember. Instead, they were like angry hyenas defending their territory throughout the story and the territory just so happens to be Jacinda. They acted in this annoying cycle throughout the story that went a little something like this: “Oh, Jacinda, I love you so much and we’re meant to be together.” “How could you do that, Jacinda? I’m so angry I could punch a tree!”

Jacinda really wasn’t much better either. I can understand being torn between two guys to a degree, but to go around making lovey googly eyes at both of them is just wrong. Plus, I got pretty tired of hearing about her inner turmoil in trying to decide between the two. I’m not generally a hater of love triangles, but this one certainly didn’t do it for me.

One thing I did really enjoy about Vanish was the development of Jacinda and Tamra’s relationship. I liked seeing the dynamic change since there’s just something special about sisterly love. It was also really fun to learn a little more about Tamra and watch her grow.

I was hoping to learn a little more about the drake powers, but sadly, that was barely touched on. Maybe there’ll be some more about them in the next book.

Final Thoughts: I’m still looking forward to the next book, but I ended up not enjoying Vanish as much as I’d hoped. I was never hanging off the edge of my seat in the action scenes, but they did hold my interest enough to keep flipping the pages. The characters annoyed the crap out of me, but there were certainly some redeeming qualities in the story.

Pages: 294

Series: Firelight #2

Rating: 3 stars

Far From the War by Jeffrey David Payne

Publisher: Roche Harbor Books
Publish Date: July 24, 2011
Source: Publisher (for honest review)

Economic ruin and partisan rancor have pushed America to the brink of a new civil war. Esther is caught in the middle, serving as a page in the United States House of Representatives when rogue politicians and military leaders stage a modern day coup d'etat. When the coup turns violent, she abandons Washington D.C. for home. She must learn to survive on her own as transportation and financial networks fail, as the war disrupts food and water supplies. The result is a cautionary tale about political extremism and the true cost of war.

This took quite a while to catch my attention. All the parts before the actual war kinda bored me. Instead of feeling like a setup for the story, it just felt like we were watching Esther's fairly mundane day-to-day life and then BAM there's a big fat war going on. The flow definitely wasn't there for me.

I loved the concept of the story though I wasn't sure about the political aspects. The first third of the book is pretty full of political jargon fulfilling my fears and leaving me pretty lost, but after that it petered out for the most part. Another thing that I felt alienated the reader a bit was all the references. Everything from movies to people most of which I'd never heard of. The civil war concept was really good though. It was a bit hard for me to follow along with which side was which but it didn't matter all that much since the devastation affected everyone.

As the story went on it drew me in a bit more but I still wasn't able to quite feel it with the characters. I didn't feel the emotional connection I usually get although I did like Esther's personality. I liked how she was pretty no nonsense and had that edge of sarcasm about her even if she herself seemed to be a little emotionally detached at times. I was a little confused at times as to why Esther kept stopping and waiting around only for the war to catch up again, but it's believable when trying to wrap your head around a war in your own country.

Final Thoughts: I'm not sure that I would recommend this to just anyone, but if you can handle politics and like the dystopian side of war it could definitely be worth the read. It has a slow start, but really picks up the pace all at once.


Pages: 366
Series: Far From the War #1
Rating: 3 stars

Passion by Lauren Kate

Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publish Date: June 2011
Source: Library

Luce would die for Daniel. 

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn't need to be that way... 

Luce is certain that something -- or someone -- in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime...going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel...and finally unlock the key to making their love last. 

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history. Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames...forever.

Yes, I've heard the bad reviews, but I quite liked the first two books, Fallen and Torment, and thought I'd enjoy this one as well. Sadly, it just didn't do it for me.

First of all, the whole story just kind of left me a little muddled and confused. It wasn't one of those stories where you're on the edge of your seat wondering what loop it's going to throw you through next. It was just a bit confusing and didn't seem fully thought out. Luce kept "realizing" things that I thought I already had figured out or I simply didn't understand at all even after she "explained" what she learned.

Luce. Luce, Luce, Luce. She drove me absolutely nuts! She was selfish and idiotic. She kept meddling with her past lives for her own benefit never once bothering to think she was intruding. She just HAD search through her past live's not willing to just accept Daniel's love. Every time she sees Daniel in a past life, though, she loses her head like a sex-starved teenage idiot. It's was beyond annoying.

The one thing I really like about Passion as compared to the other two was Daniel's POV. We got much more of it than the meager glimpses we've seen before. It was almost every other chapter this time. I liked to see what was happening from his end of things as opposed to everything being all about Luce.

Final thoughts: If you've read the other two in the series, then this one might be worth picking up since it's necessary if you plan on finishing the series. If you've never read the series, I definitely wouldn't recommend it simply because Passion doesn't have much going for it.





Pages: 420

Series: Fallen #3
Rating: 3 stars

XVI by Julia Karr

Every girl gets one. An XVI tattoo on the wrist - sixteen. They say they're there for protection. 

Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay. 

Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help - and he just may hold the key to her past. 

But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure... 

for Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet.

I'm sad to to say I did not love this book. There were a few good aspects about it, but overall I really wasn't a fan of XVI.

First of all, it took what felt like FOREVER to get through this. I kept glancing at my progress and seeing I hadn't really made any. I'm pretty sure I was bothering my fiance to no end with my constant "this book is SO boring!" and "I'm never going to finish!" I know you're probably thinking "then why did you finish?" but I'm always really hopeful when it comes to these types of things. I simply want to book to better and hope by finishing it it'll be so. In this case, it definitely wasn't so.

When I first started I felt like I'd been dropped into an alien world without being given any sort of direction. Some things cleared up a bit as I got further into the story, but I was left in the dark about many things. I never did get a picture of what trannies or elports looked like so I ended up having to imagine up something all on my own. I was very disappointed in the world-building here. Karr built a whole new future world but didn't bother to explain much to the reader.

Another disappointment was Nina herself. She was so annoying! She sits there and accuses Sal of using her and then continues to be friends with someone who's acting no different than the way Sal had been acting. She goes on and on about not wanting to be "sex-teen" to the point that she treats Sal badly. Speaking of Sal. He wasn't a fantastic love interest or anything, but he really wasn't that bad either. He was nice and a teensy bit mysterious, but that's about all I know about him.

The writing just made the story feel a bit forced, as well. The dialogue was often odd and awkward and it felt like things popped up out of nowhere just to keep the story going. There was basically no flow at all.

For all that ranting, there were a few things I liked about XVI. Karr tackles the issue of teen sex in a new and unique way. It felt like she wasn't afraid to get in there and get her hands dirty. And while nothing was particularly explicit, it felt like she wasn't watering down the issue for the teen audience either. And another little random thing I enjoyed about the story was the fact that everyone ate vegetarian in this future world. I like this because 1) I'm a vegetarian and 2) it's actually a real issue people don't normally think about.

Final thoughts: I wouldn't actually recommend this to anyone, but I also wouldn't tell them specifically not to read it. There are some interesting ideas and issues worth taking a look at in this book.


Publisher: Puffin/Speak
Publish Date: January 2011
Pages: 325
Series: XVI #1
Rating: 3 stars

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

The small town of Cryer's Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn't that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain. 

When a second student goes missing - someone close to Kendall's heart - the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendall's not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she's losing her grip on reality. 

But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school - messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there - Kendall decides that crazy or not, she'd never forgive herself if she didn't act on her suspicions. 

Something's not right in Cryer's Cross - and Kendall's about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

Sadly, this book was pretty boring for most of it. I didn't have incredibly high expectations or anything, but I was at least expecting a little something as suggested in the synopsis. The story didn't even reach the most intriguing part of the synopsis until halfway through. I was really losing hope at that point too. And though it was a bit slow-moving when it comes to catching my interest, the actual story seemed to move much too quickly. Things went from nothing to sinister in about two sentences.

The story ended up being rather original and quite creepy. That's about as good as it gets though. I was incredibly unimpressed by the writing. "But" seemed to be nonexistent and was instead replaced by disjointed sentences that made me want to cringe. The language didn't really seem to suit the characters. It was much too "stereotypical farmer" while the characters didn't seem to fit that sentiment at all.

The characters themselves were hard to get into and relate with. I found myself not caring about trying to put details with the character and instead just imagining them as generic images to help move the story along without any effort.

Final thoughts: The story was pretty good though it took quite a bit to get into. Nothing is spectacularly great about this book but because of its size it's a pretty quick read.


Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publish Date: February 2011
Pages: 233
Series: No
Rating: 3 stars

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

When a flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and wants to know, like , now if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you:  a) run b) faint c) say yes!

For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite c) - that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent, Meredith, explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge," she can transform temporarily into the exact look-alike off any princess who needs her subbing services.Dream come true, right? 

Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don't know? Or when a princess's conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off - and your sure she would want you to change his mind?

First of all, I'm not quite sure how this is a YA book and not an MG book. I got it out of the YA section in my library and until I was reading it, I didn't realize that the main character was going to be 13. Normally I don't read real-life-esque MG books because I just find it a bit odd. This one wasn't too bad, though.

There were quite a few funny and hart-warming moments, but overall, I wasn't that impressed. For much of the book, I found Desi to be overly-dramatic and self-centered. She was absolutely obsessive about her crush but not at all in an understandable way. The absurdness of her crush had me wanting to punch her in the face a few times. I know a crush isn't really enough to go off of for a review, though.

I enjoyed the new spin on princesses. The lives weren't too glamorous (though I'm hoping for some glamour in the next!) and you got to see the nitty-gritty of the real princess's lives instead silly little surface problems we normal see when it comes to royalty.

In all, though, while this book wasn't bad, it wasn't remarkable either. The fist-pumping "You go, girl!" moments didn't outshine Desi's annoying obsession and inability to look past herself (even when helping others), but it was good enough to pick up the next one and continue in the story.

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Publish Date: March 2010
Pages: 239
Series: 1/3*
Rating: 3

* = Not a final count

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met a mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen. Sometimes life-ending.Together Ethan and Lena can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan't eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

I am pretty unimpressed by this book. I finished because it wasn't bad and I prefer to finish whatever I start unless it's completely unbearable. The problem with this one was the character changes. I know they're important when it comes to a series, especially the second book. I also take issue with the fact that every second book seems to always be about problems in a relationship. I know that can be a big help in making the story go somewhere, but man, it's getting pretty old.

I really didn't like Lena much throughout the book. In fact, I enjoyed the parts she wasn't in quite a bit more. She was pulling the same ol' tricks as last time and her attitude was quite annoying. I liked Ethan pretty well, but I just wanted to scream at him "Hello! Can you please stop letting Lena treat you like garbage?!" I can say that I really liked Link's character and we got to see quite a bit more of him this time. I was also quite interested in the new twist in his story.

There were a few surprising and interesting parts that will help me want to read the next book, but overall I wasn't that impressed. Somehow, it managed to be predictable and confusing at the same time. I found myself  just wading through to the end. An end which I wasn't that impressed with, but was just intriguing enough to make me go pick up the next book.

Overall, I wasn't too impressed but it really wasn't bad either. Just slow. Most of the good parts are so intertwined with the story that I can't really mention them.

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: October 2010
Pages: 503
Series: 2/4
Rating: 3 stars