Release Date: December 11, 2012
(Thanks to ATWT for allowing me to participate on this tour!)
Published by: Razorbill

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects’ lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.

Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword...

The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

This book and I did not get along. It's pitched for fans of George R. Martin and Kristin Cashore. I did not see a single element of Kristin Cashore in this book. A watered down version of George R. Martin was there too. I would not suggest you read this review if you are a fan of this book.

Before I rant, I would like to celebrate the good elements. It was fast-paced and full of action. I take issue with almost everything else--the characters, the writing, the world, the romance, etc. etc.

Everything else:

• The Writing.  Cliched and emotionless -- that's how it felt to me. Flashing eyes and lots of modern thoughts and phrases that made me doubt the historical feel to the world. Maybe it's a matter of writing style / reader incompatibility, I don't know.

• The Romance.  Insta-love?  I don't even know how to describe this.  Cleo realizes how attractive her personal guard is in one moment, and the next she suddenly cares what he thinks--though make no mistake, Cleo is a girl who always gets what she wants and acts accordingly, even when she thinks Theon will be angry with her--and is also in love with him. Magnus is in love with Lucia - incest starting to become a YA trope now, isn't it? - and Aron and Nic may be in love with Cleo and Emilia in love with a dead guard and on and on.... Like a teenage soap opera, and I didn't believe in any of it.

• The Characters. What makes the Game of Thrones successful is that you can't help but care about the characters even when you're told not to 'cause they could die at any moment.  When characters died here, I didn't care one whit. Cleo's a spoiled brat who makes a huge mistake in the beginning and "feels bad" about it. She cries and throws a tantrum when her father denies her something because of the political consequences of her mistake. Oh, and don't forget, she's unbelievably beautiful so plenty of men are in love with her, and she doesn't realize and/or exploits it. And of course her sister Emilia advises her to tell their father that she'll commit suicide if she doesn't want to marry a spoiled lord, because that's what Emilia did, you know, because she was in love with someone else and "dying for love" and all. Lucia just does whatever her father tells her to do even though he's been keeping secrets from her and has harmed Magnus, who she claims to care about, and though he is freaking known as the King of Blood. How she still trusts him, I don't know. Is she that sheltered and unwilling to look beyond the walls of her room? She seems really ignorant and naive and dependent. Magnus? Sometimes I wanted to like him, because he's going through this play between trying to please his father and what his conscience tells him to do... but he's also vicious and cruel, and I didn't feel like I knew enough of his personality to find the good there. I understand that this was all probably meant to be a way of showing that there are no hard lines between evil and good... but every character felt one dimensional to me so that didn't work. The only one I did like was Jonas, and that was because he was the only one who seemed to think and realize what was going to happen next, though he too had some pretty bad qualities.  Also King of Blood? Why not call him the Mad King and call it a day?

• World-building. It has the fantasy cliches like magic long forgotten and a prophecy about it coming back etc. etc.. And since I didn't feel the stakes for the characters, I definitely didn't feel the stakes of the world, and what would happen if so and so was the one who got the power and met the Kindred and whatnot.

Release Date: February 13, 2013
(Thanks to ATWT for allowing me to participate on this tour!)
Published by: Philomel

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Known amongst locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than The Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan to get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld, New Orleans lures Josie in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as her international bestselling novel, "Between Shades of Gray," Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

Ten Likes/Dislikes:

1. (+) Josie, the protagonist - Josie's smart, kind, and sometimes too naive even though she has plenty of street smarts. She knows how to defends herself and carries a gun for her own protection. She works in a prostitute house and a bookstore and reads one hundred and fifty books a year. She has a dry humor. This girl is my kind of protagonist - she's strong in the way you never expect until confronted with it. Also, her situation is incredibly easy to sympathize with. How many of us have wanted to get away from our pasts?  Josie is always judged for the actions of her mother--she wants her own life and tries to take charge in her own way.
2. (+) World building - So I haven't read / don't know much about the time period, but Ruta Sepetys does a great job at making the setting come alive.  I loved reading about the subtle interactions between the police, the mob, the prostitute house (and its influence), the way New Orleans functions around Mardi Gras... The way the rich, uptown people treat and judge the poor, though they're no better, and everyone's just trying to escape if only for a little while. I would've like a little more details about the 1950s beyond the hair part and lipstick, but I'm not sure that would've fit in with Josie's character.
3. (+) Romance - It's definitely a side plot to Josie's growth, but I love how Josie and her romantic interest take the time to become friends before anything happens. Josie needs someone truly solid in her life before she can commit and having that kind of trust build in their relationship first made it seem nice and realistic. It was a really sweet romance, nothing with lots and lots of passion but something that might make you smile days later when you're thinking of it.
4. (+) Character Cast - The best part of this whole book. That last paragraph of the summary?  Completely true. And better yet that Ruta Sepetys doesn't give her characters the easy way out. Patrick, who's Josie's best friend (adorable friendship; they manage the bookstore together), Willie, the other prostitutes, Jesse (romantic interest), Charlie (Patrick's father), Cincinnati (oh, I'll leave you to find this one out), etc.--everyone has a hard situation and their own motives and struggles, and nothing brings that out more than death and how each of them handles the next hurdle.
5. (+) Villain - Not the villain of other books. More of an average villain who's in our lives every day but who we never confront until we're forced to -- that's the type in this book, and that's what made the villain so realistic, and the threat posed so much worse and heartbreaking. The villain creates both internal and external struggle in Josie's world.
6. (+) Secrecy - A good part of the plot forces Josie to come out of her naive shell. Someone says something nice about her and she holds onto that like it's a kernel of truth because that is the person she wants to be... and she lies to get there. With each lie comes more and more secrets until she no longer knows who exactly she can trust and who knows which secrets of hers.  Jo lives in the constant fear that Willie knows what she did, and eventually, with a domino effect, everything comes toppling down.
7. (+/-) Plot - This plot is more skillful and subtle than fast-paced and full of action, so if you're looking for the latter, you're not going to find it here. That being said, I couldn't shake a lingering sense of disappointment at the end. I felt that everything kept building up, and yes it all came crashing down, and there was character development, but there was something else there that just felt a tad unsatisfying for me. Like I expected more out of Josie, or maybe I just hoped for more.
8. (+) The Writing - Skillful. I can't remember reading something and thinking it was out of place, or too modern, or long or cliched, etc. etc. It fit Jo's voice and the time period.
9. (+) Pacing - As I said before, it's not fast paced, but I never got the feeling that something wasn't happening--whether that be more secrets, Jo wondering/discovering more about the murder, or something to do with her friends, and what's happening in their lives. It was a constant build until the end.
10. (+) The Cover - What a great cover to give a historical feel and to portray that feeling of being trapped. Love it.

I don't generally read historical fiction, but this one grabbed my attention from the start. You won't regret checking it out. Great characters, great writing, great research for her world-building.

Release Date: September 18, 2012
(Thanks to ATWT for allowing me to participate on this tour!)
Published by: Little Brown

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."


When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Ten likes/dislikes:

1. (+) Evie, the protagonist - Not going to lie, Evie can be hard to like sometimes. She's that headstrong, rebellious teen who you know has a good heart but who will let her own impulses (to party, to be unforgettable, etc.) get the better of her, even lead her into traps. Sometimes that means acting like the chick in the horror movie who you want to shake some sense into... She also has a secret power that's brought her difficulty in the past, and watching her struggle with it, and the way people judge her--they say that she's "too much" for Ohio and causes too many scandals--that's what I thought brought the most edges to her character and made me like her. She handles herself well when it matters the most.
2. (+) World Building - So when I started reading this, I thought there would only be paranormal elements but there's some steampunk in there too, and I love that Uncle Will's museum is also known as the museum of creepy crawlies, 'cause that's a great way to describe the underlying danger. You find out about all the powers each Diviner holds, whether they're a main character or not. There are mysterious government projects and hints that there's a reckoning to come. There's an end of times cult with its own version of the Bible. Libba Bray even develops different parts of NYC - where Memphis lives versus where Evie lives in privilege... though one thing that did bother me were the names. Memphis, Jericho, Theta?  Those are the names of the other main characters, and it kind of sounds like they were just pulled out of a random book because they sounded cool.
3. (+) Romance - One of the things I loved about Bray's Gemma Doyle Trilogy was that though the romance was there, it was more of a side plot, and Bray didn't let it overwhelm the rest of the story. The same goes with The Diviners. Evie's got a little something going on, maybe even a love triangle in the making, and Memphis and Theta are beginning to get to know each other. All of it's sweet and a way of letting the characters get their guard down before shit really happens (or that's my impression, at least -- enjoy it while it lasts).
4. (+) Villain - You know how they say the scariest villain is one who believes the most in his causes?  Yeah, so you won't be sympathizing with Naughty John, since he doesn't to be entirely human and he's acting upon the beliefs of a cult re: the rising of the Beast and the end of times, but who cares? He's creepy as hell, and the scenes interspersed between the other characters' adventures remind you of the danger he poses.
5. (+) Character Cast - One of the best parts of this novel is that it has multiple POVs so you get to learn more about the other characters who take more of a main role in the next novels. You're not just stuck in Evie's head - you get to hear from Jericho, who's tortured by his past and what other people did to him, what that means for his future; Memphis, who too has a gift but whose gift seems to be leading to him to tragedy with his family; Theta, who's on the run from her past and has only found shelter in "her brother" Henry; and several other characters like Sister Walker and Ruta whose perspectives add mystery and suspense to the series plot and plot of this book.
6. (+) 20s Vibe - I don't know much about the 20s beyond flapper dresses, but Bray starts off the story in a way reminiscent of Fitzgerald, with the distanced tone and characters calling each other 'old sport,' and there's this frenzied energy of who's going to party the hardest, of the city that never sleeps etc. etc. imbibing everyone. There are plenty of Prohibition jokes, and I didn't know what speakeasies or who the Ziegfield girls were before this but I know now. I never once felt like I wasn't in the 20s with the characters.
7. (--) Fluff - There was a part of me that wondered if everything that was there was necessary. I can tell that some of the fluff is because Libba Bray is foreshadowing and setting up events for the rest of the series, but the story takes so long to get started, and not all of the plot and character lines have converged yet so that makes reading them now a bit frustrating. Sometimes I had to push myself to keep at this monstrous, 600+ page novel.
8. (+) The Writing - It's Libba Bray. If you've read any of her other work, you'll probably like the writing style here too. If you haven't anything of hers, trust that you're in accomplished hands.
9. (+/-) Pacing - The other negative also has to do with the length of this novel -  I mentioned before that it took the story a while to start, right?  And the fact that there are multiple POVs sometimes means that the flow gets interrupted.  Towards the end, the pacing picks up for all the characters, but again 600 page novel where stuff is sometimes happening, but not necessarily to advance the immediate plot. It's hard to maintain the momentum.
10. (+) The Cover - It's obvious that whoever designed the cover actually read the novel. The eye and the symbols around it are seen in a dream and represent the Diviners as a whole.  Plus, there's that hint of the city beyond, and a bit of the darkness too, with that shade blue.

A fun start to a promising series from the talented Libba Bray that's sure to bring her a legion of new fans.

Release Date: October 2, 2012
(Thanks to ATWT for allowing me to participate on this tour!)
Published by: Feiwel and Friends

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible. 

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything... until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.

Ten Likes/Dislikes:

1. (+) Evening, the protagonist - it's pretty hard not to like a protagonist who manages to keep her snark even after she's been hit by a car. She had a funny perspective to read from. Eve's strong and aware of her own faults, and I applaud her that. Sometimes she was a bit dramatic, but given the situation she was put in, it didn't seem too much.
2. (--) Names - Evening Spiker?  Solo Plissken?  The names in this book were so ridiculous it was distracting.  I'm not usually one who gets caught up in those details, but I found it hard to not to care. Why name someone Aislinn if it's a sci-fi book?  Evening, if you want to associate it with Eve?  Evening would've been fine on its own but with Spiker? As my friend put it, too "My Little Pony." Then there are ordinary names like Tommy. I couldn't understand the confusing mix of generic and mythology related names in a sci fi thriller. I wasn't sure how to take this book - on one end, it was funny and light, and then with these names, it was trying to get me take it seriously (same situation, btw, with the villains of this story too), and I just couldn't.
3. (+/-) Romance - This book has alternating perspectives. At first, I was a little off put by Solo's observations of Eve because I thought the book would focus on Adam and Eve more than this other guy... and because Solo seemed so stereotypical in the beginning... But then I got over that. It was kind of cute to read about their tentative awareness of each other... Very YA-he's-cute-she's-cute I want to get to know her/him better but I don't have the guts to admit that I think (s)he's hot... However, when it was supposed to be something deeper, I was really, really skeptical. They didn't really know much about each other, and suddenly they were trusting each other with far too much.
4. (+) Pop Culture References - It's very obvious that this is a book that needs to be read now, or if not now, sometime in the next five or so years. There are a lot of pop culture references, some of which I found pretty amusing i.e. likening one guy to a Just for Men ad.  They fit in well with the snarky commentary from both Eve and Solo.
5. (--) Science Fiction? - If you call this book a sci-fi thriller, you might be kidding yourself.  There are no explanations behind this mysterious science. Of course that could add to the "mystery" of it all, but it also made it less believable and less real for me. Sometimes they reference genetics, and there's a bit of that scientists playing god theme (even in the title, Eve & Adam), but I never felt like this book took that theme to the next level. I didn't really felt like I was reading a scifi thriller so much as a remaking of some sort of paranormal soap opera.
6. (+) Cut the Crap - At the same time, the writing had a very no nonsense type of describing things. Here are the buildings. This is what they look like. No excessively long descriptions and whatnot. That fit it in nicely with the fast pace and almost reminded me of the Hex Hall trilogy, given that Sophie was snarky and had the pairing down of descriptions.
7. (--) Requires a lot of Suspension of Disbelief - There's not much more I can say on this one without giving away a lot of the books details / spoilers... But there were several times when I had to put the book down for a moment and just breathe before returning to the pages.
8. (+/-) The Writing - Sometimes it felt more like it was middle grade than young adult to me. There were a lot of short sentences and putting one sentence on the next line to build momentum and drama but it was done so often that it lost its effect for me. So while there was this no nonsense type of describing things, there was also an immature feel to Eve, Solo, and even Adam's perspectives. The kind of immature feel that I get whenever I think that adult authors are dumbing things down for YA (except these aren't adult authors, so I don't know. I haven't read any of their other work, so I can't compare this to them either.).
9. (+) Pacing - one thing that this book has going for it is that there is never a dull moment. Something is always going on, and the book pushes forward with its fast-paced plot.
10. (+) The Cover - The perfect cover.  I love it.  Feiwel and Friends does a really good job with that kind of stuff.


This book wasn't what I expected it to be, which is really disappointing because I thought the premise of Eve creating Adam was awesome. It had a weird mix of funny and serious, and too often I put the book down because of how unrealistic everything was.

Last and final book to the Firelight trilogy is up for grabs!
My review is coming soon :D.  More info. below / watch out for spoilers.

Release Date: 09/11/12
Source: RT Convention
Published by: Harper Teen

Open internationally!  Ends in ~ a month.

Hidden (Firelight #3) by Sophie Jordan

Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.
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Release Date: August 7, 2012
(Thanks to ATWT for allowing me to participate on this tour!)
Published by: Philomel

Rift (Nightshade Prequel #1) by Andrea Cremer

Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

Ten Likes/Dislikes:

1. (+) Ember, the protagonist - Ember's another smart and strong female protagonist who's willing to fight for what she wants. Her father has been trying to / wants to marry her off to another nobleman so he'll gain more land and influence elsewhere but Ember doesn't want to marry, she doesn't want to serve another man; she wants to serve herself. She wants to have her battles with straw figures she's made be real ones -- she doesn't want to weave and manage a household. That's not to say that she doesn't get scared during her fights, but when she's confronted with danger, she acts admirably, and in general, there's always something about a girl who craves adventure and wants more from her life than is given to her life that's easy to sympathize with.
2. (+) World Building - There are some of the original Nightshade elements like portals, wraiths, and connecting with the earth but there's more - like making weapons, a host full of creatures like redcaps and kelpies, and lots of medieval setting - whether that be the clothing, the dialogue, or the view on womanhood. There was a lot more of church / magic conflict than I expected from the summary -- it's actually very central to the plot, which is interesting because the Searchers in the Nightshade novels don't really mention that, do they?  Conatus gets likened to the Templars, who had trouble with lay people assuming they were witches as they fought evil. Either way, it was really nice to see how Cremer built another world that fit within the Nightshade one but that still had conflict of its own.
3. (+) Romance - One of the best parts of the novel was the romance between Ember and Barrow. It's not the major plot of the book - the third person alternates between the two of them and Eira & Cian as they grow more distant - but there were times when I would wish that I got to read more scenes with them than of the Eira/Bosque Mar alliance. Barrow is exactly as he's described - he's charming, loyal, the strong and silent type except for the part where he still laughs and enjoys himself in Ember's company.  The one thing I found strange was that it hard to believe he fell in love with her - he definitely acted like a man in love, but when I think of what Ember did and said to him, I didn't see what made her irresistible in his eyes. It's easier for me to see why she would've fallen in love with him.  On another note, it was also nice to see how they fought their attraction, and to read about Ember's blossoming sexuality in itself.
4. (--) Confusion - Honestly, I didn't understand some of the context behind the dialogues. Mostly, I mean  Eira's motivations for continuing with Bosque Mar. She knows it's wrong and doesn't want to hide it from her sister, but there's something else driving her there... At first, I thought it would be because she has to consistently hide the fact that she's a woman when it comes to the public and her being a knight... and the church's corruption and the Papal Schism does add an extra layer of frustration ... but to suddenly lose your moral fortitude? Towards the end is when you get one of the more solid explanations for why Eira was acting the way she was, but by then it had already happened, her falling into Mar's clutches..
5. (+) Progression - What I did think was particularly well portrayed was the way Eira acted on her spiraling descent -- the more secretive she became, the more in debt to Bosque Mar she became, the way she became more manipulative, more like a strategist preparing for a war once she'd cast her lot with Mar.
6. (+) Villain - Bosque Mar was incredibly smart in this novel.  Where he failed to impress me in the Nightshade novels he definitely impressed me here with his cunning plans and the way he engineered it so that Eira had very few agreeable choices.
7. (--) Too... Perfect - What bothered me about the novel was that Ember caught on too quickly to swordsplay. Granted, Cremer only has two novels to tell this story... and the focus isn't on Ember becoming a skilled warrior but she'd been practicing on straw figures... even if she has natural talent, it too needs practice before she becomes this person who surprises everyone with how good she is. I would've appreciated it more had she failed and not just been a courageous, talented warrior from the start.
8. (+) Writing - Andrea Cremer is queen of capturing that blossoming sexuality... It's very sensual writing, even in third person. I would actually say that I prefer this style over her first person Nightshade novels.
9. (+/-) Pacing - The pacing is kind of choppy since it's essentially two stories folded into one - the romance and the betrayal - and each has its own pacing - the growing sense of secrecy / the rise and fall in that, etc. vs. the slow burning fire between Barrow and Ember.
10. (+) Cover - It's fierce like Ember, with her swords and shows some of the medieval hints... but they really need to stop printing those cheesy tag lines for the Nightshade series...

Andrea Cremer's writing is as gorgeous as ever in this story of the rising sexuality of the daughter of a nobleman and a warrior woman's descent to secrecy and lies.

Release Date: October 16, 2012
(Thanks to ATWT for allowing me to participate on this tour!)
Published by: Hyperion

Beta (Beta #1) by Rachel Cohn

In a world constructed to absolute perfection, imperfection is difficult to understand—and impossible to hide.

Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to be created.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air there induces a strange, euphoric high that only the island's workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia's new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, the most privileged people in the world who should want for nothing, yearn. And, she comes to realize that beneath its flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent amongst Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia's one chance at happiness is ripped away from her with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

Ten Likes/dislikes:

1. (+) Elysia, the protagonist - Elysia is the epitome of the smart and strong female protagonist who goes through tough times and emerges better for it. It's easy to sympathize with her from the start (though mostly, I felt that was because of her situation, and the writing in the beginning is excellent for that purpose, cutting off scenes to maximize the emotion). Her character development is portrayed very realistically through the story - as my friend put it, she goes from being "an innocent clone" to becoming a hardened woman who would do what it takes to secure her freedom and survive (truly interesting part will be to see how far Elysia will have to go in the next books--will she ever get as bad as the society she escapes?) The only thing was kind of bothersome was that Elysia was smarter than what I'd perceive of a sixteen year old clone.
2. (+) World building - Rachel Cohn really makes it into her own story, one in which you can imagine your place in society. Though it was a futuristic world, it had a lot of issues relevant to today - wealth and social status mattered a lot to the people of Demense, and there's a distinct class inequity. As my friend, who also read the book, says, the book's world dealt with real issues which made it believable. The island is very disconnected from the real world, and you get hints that the rest of the world don't agree with the cloning process which sets the stage for an interesting conflict in later books. I almost wish there was a map, though, because I lost track of where the other cities and islands were. 
3. (+) Romance - To me, this was the most predictable of all the elements, but I still felt that it was well done. There are two distinct romantic interests but no love triangle. In fact, I'm getting the hint that one of the characters will be a foil for the other in the later books (though I wonder if it will be a love triangle later...).  Both romantic interests have distinct personalities and character conflicts that fit in nicely with Elysia's character growth -- to me, it didn't seem as believable because it was kind of quick but I did believe in the self-discovery Elysia finds through each of the guys. The romance is much more of a side plot than anything else (though there a few chapters dedicated to it).
4. (+) Themes - I loved how the themes in this book had historical resonance. It was a darker book than a lot of YA novels that I've read recently. My friend told me that she liked that it explored slavery, sexual abuse, and prejudice.
5. (+) Action packed - There's constantly something happening -- even in the lull periods, you get the sense that there's something brewing beneath the surface. Even if I could predict was some of what going to happen, I still wanted to see it unfold.
6. (--) Science Fiction? - The ARC summary implied that this book was the first in a science-fiction series, and I feel compelled to say that the science is very, very minimal. You don't learn about the process of making a clone or how the environment of Demesne is scientifically engineered. The book focuses more on the themes and the dystopian element.
7. (+) Villains - One of the best parts about this book was that there was no one specific villain, that instead the book pointed out the bad seed in human nature.
8. (+) Writing - The writing was very succinct and mostly believable when it came to Elysia being clone-like and without emotion in the beginning. There were a few times where it seemed like Elysia's narrative was not as bot-like as it could have been, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.
9. (+) Pacing - Great pacing -- even when it stops and slows for you in the middle so you can catch up with everything, there's still something going on.
10. (+/-) Cover - Nice cover, with the tattoo and the colors and her eyes, but still... still another cover with a girl's face on it.

A well written and fast paced story that delves into human nature and what it means to be alive.

I'm reaching that point in the month/year where I need to take a break from YA and expand into adult fiction. I've read a few YA books recently (Throne of Glass, Team Human, Endlessly, Beta, Rift) and will be writing and posting those reviews here -- so yes, this site will still focus on YA.

But expanding into adult literature is kind of daunting.  I know the really, really, really big name authors but I don't generally know many other adult authors. I recently read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and its sequel, Shadow of Night, and loved both books -- the science/paranormal/philosophy/history/etc. + developed characters + believable romance + author who isn't afraid to make the reader work -- though they were a bit slow for me too. I own The Night Circus and am planning on reading that one soon as well as Melissa de la Cruz's Serpent's Kiss. Can you recommend me a book that you've recently read & enjoyed?

Some of my recent favs in YA have been: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter, The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead, Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer, & For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.

Please help a girl out :D.

[No non-fiction please!]
[Preferably book has romance!]

Release Date: September 4, 2012
(Thanks ATWT for letting me participate on this tour!)
Published by: Penguin

Origin by Jessica Khoury


Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home—and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin—a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost. This is a supremely compelling debut novel that blends the awakening romance of Matched with the mystery and jungle conspiracy of Lost.


Firstly let me state the reasons why I was interested in this book, because they might not be the same as yours and that might be one reason why you would like the book when I did not. I thought it would have some cool science fiction - a girl who was immortal and raised by scientists?  Hell yeah! - and I thought the setting would be cool too - the Amazon?  How many YA books have you read which are set there? - but... no. I think having high expectations was not a good thing.  The marketing says something like "a breathtaking tale on the age-old desire to never die" - something along those lines... The problem is that I feel like this book did not add anything at all to the legion of books that already discuss this very subject.


Why this book and I did not get along:


1. (--) Pia, the protagonist - It's not very often that I'll continue reading a book if I dislike the protagonist but that's what I did for Origin.  Pia is a product of her upbringing - that is to say, a lot of people tell her she is perfect, so she is incredibly conceited and arrogant and spoiled and throws tantrums when someone dares hint otherwise. Yes, she is also observant and smart (how can she not be - her memory is superb), but all of those other qualities make it hard to sympathize with her, even when she eventually does the right thing. I couldn't find it in me to care about her at all. 


After I finished, I looked at Goodreads to see if others had felt the same way. This review sums up my feelings for Pia: "How has Pia reached her 17th birthday without ever questioning her existence or her relationship to the outside world? Pia is surprisingly incurious and unintellectual for someone raised by with a cadre of brilliant scientists. Her passivity and naivety keeps the novel from delving deeply into some thought-provoking questions."


2. (--) World-building - When I saw the book summary, I thought that the world-building would involve some scientific means of immortality - I don't know what exactly that would entail, but something about altering her genes or her vision or bodily functions to ensure that she aged slower than the normal human. There are scientists who work on reversing the effects of aging, after all... but the story felt more like a fairy tale or paranormal romance than science fiction. And the world building regarding the Amazon, Eio's tribe, and Little Cam was lacking. Some details were clearly there more for the advancement of the plot than because they'd actually happen. Sometimes there are really great descriptions of the places, but I didn't feel like I was there with Pia. Some things were randomly brought up - like the corporation that funds Little Cam - without ever being mentioned again, or rather not in a threatening way. It made me wonder if there was a sequel to this book or if there were just these random details. I also didn't find Eio's tribe to be very believable. And the "secret" to immortality - saw it from miles away, and was rather disappointed with it.


3. (--) Marketing - This is a supremely compelling debut novel that blends the awakening romance of Matched with the mystery and jungle conspiracy of Lost. <-- No... I love Lost. Do not compare this to it.  I could see the resemblance to Matched, and some of the writing is poetic enough that it reminded me of Cassia and Ky, but nothing in this book reminded me of Lost... well, except for the fact that it's in the jungle.  If anything, this book reminded me more of Avatar than Lost.  It has that same indigenous vs. settler feel.


4. (--) Romance - I'm sorry but since I couldn't care for Pia, I couldn't see why Eio did. Nor did I understand how he could proclaim such intense love for Pia after they had hung out four times?  He wanted her to stay with him, even though she hadn't exactly been the kindest person (and he too had prejudices against some of the scientists... Prejudices that she too had, and he commented on -- so what makes her so more endearing than them to him? [Besides the fact that she's "beautiful"]). Eio was a nice character and romantic interest but he also lacked depth for me.


5. (--) The Message - Okay, I don't usually care that much about the message, but again because it deals with science, it bothers me. Who are the villains in this story?  A bunch of scientists because they are trying to play God.  Okay, first off: cliche. Complete cliche.  And this book does nothing for it. But what really, really pisses me off is that there's not one "good" scientist (it's hinted that some of them might not have much of a choice, but that isn't really developed either.). Some of them do help Pia (and I'd say more about those people but that'd be a spoiler)... but in the end, most of them are okay with this? The kind of "science" going on at Little Cam? Are you serious? And are you seriously going to pass along the message to teenagers that scientists are bloodthirsty and evil and will do everything in their power to fulfill their ambition????


In short, this book wasn't a DNF for me because I kept hoping that the premise, which seems incredible to me, wouldn't be wasted...  But harsh as this sounds, I didn't find anything in this story to hint otherwise.

Release Date: September 4, 2012
(Thanks ATWT for letting me participate on this tour!)
Published by: Harper

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

Ten Dislikes/Likes:

1. (+) Mallory, the protagonist - Even though this story is told from multiple POVs, Mallory seems to be the focus of this book.  Mallory's a pretty easy protagonist to sympathize with -- she's been on the run her whole life because of the circumstances of her birth, and her father, Adam, has taught her how to fight off daimons should she run into them. What makes it even easier to sympathize with her is that Adam spells her, essentially takes away her will, and you're just waiting for Mallory to come into herself and be allowed to make her own decisions.
2. (+) The Characters - I feel like it's almost obligatory to want to read a Melissa Marr book because of the characters. The multiple POVs let you not only see the world from different perspectives but also let you see each character in a different light than what you'd get from his/her perspective.  It helps make them multi-dimensional. And it's hard not to sympathize with the three main POVs you get (there are some others, but they're not as constant) -- you have Mallory, who's on the tail end of danger without ever knowing it because her father keeps her very, very sheltered and who wants more from life than running away; you have Kaleb, who wants to be more than a lower class daimon who has to constantly fight the others just to prove himself and gain their respect; you have Aya, who wants to help run the City and improve it but cannot because she is a woman whose primary purpose is to mate with another daimon and breed more daimons.  There's a lot more to them than this, and there are more characters too, but I don't want to spoil it for you guys.
3. (+) The World-Building - There's a lot more to this world than what's revealed in this book, and I love getting that feeling but also having some sense of how things work.  There's a rigid class divide among the daimons, enough that it can determine one's destiny (last line in the summary). The Carnival offers the chance to fix that, and to become a part of the ruling class where one can help rule the City. The different types of masks as well as what separates the classes are described, and I remember a reflection on a ladder in the City? There's a lot telling you about the former war between the witches and the daimons and how things ended up the way they are now. One thing I wish there had been more of was a description of the Carnival itself - I feel like I had an idea in my head of what it should be but knowing what the world was like, it didn't match to what I was picturing.... Other than that, I can't wait to find out more details.
4. (+/-) The Romance - The romance has got a lot of the same elements that Wicked Lovely does - the couple that loves each other but can't be together because of a world-building detail separating them, and the couple that has really intense interactions because of a world-building detail but they aren't in love... yet. There is no love triangle, as there was in Wicked Lovely, but I found the romance here to be less sensual. Mallory and Kaleb have a little thing going on, but because the book is set a month after they meet, you don't get to see the interactions that brought them together. It's harder to understand their intense reactions to each other without labeling it as insta-love. I'd say more about that but I don't want to spoil anything... On the other hand, I found it easier to understand that Aya/Belial situation, and that romance was nice, and I'd like to read more about it.
5. (+/-) The Plot - This is very much the plot of a first book in the series. For a lot of the characters' actions, there are no repercussions...yet.  I can't say that things aren't happening but that feeling is still there because a lot of the long lasting consequences will affect the rest of the series.  Carnival of Souls has its own plot - what seems to be the "initiation" stage of a hero's journey for Mallory - but a lot of the conflict, the rising stakes, are postponed.
6. (+) The Villains - The leaders of both the daimons and the witches remain pretty mysterious and cunning. They're powerful and clearly can inspire their people to do work, but you don't get to see them really in action - you do get the perspective of the witch leader on occasion, but it's still kind of isolated, though definitely also disturbing. I can't wait to see them at their worst (and best).
7. (+/-) Predictability - Again I think this comes from the fact that the plot is for the first in a series, but there were a lot of elements I could predict.  The ones I couldn't were the best, and those generally came from world-building details Marr hadn't yet introduced to us.
8. (+) The Writing - She has a very distinct writing voice. If you've read another Melissa Marr book and enjoyed it, then you'll still enjoy it here. If you haven't one... here's the way I've seen it. Sometimes at the beginning of a chapter, there's a telling phase. Telling you of the world in a sort of conversational way, because you're entrenched in that character's POV, but there's no masking that the fact that it's a telling phase preparing you for the rest of what happens in the chapter. It's been a while since I read this one but I'd say maybe 1/2 of a usual chapter is narrative/world telling while the other half is dialogue and action.  The writing itself is sensual and edged with danger and desire and longing.
9. (+/-) Pacing - The pacing remains pretty constant throughout, but my issue with it is because it's a first book in the series.  There was a climax at the end, but it didn't have much of an effect on my perception of the pacing, because I'd already accepted that event would happen.
10. (+) The Cover - This cover is beautiful. I don't know the word for the effect, but when you touch the mask, it's sort of embossed? you feel its image and the fire around it.  All in all, really nice of way of capturing your eye and representing the world within the book.

Carnival of Souls has the romance, danger, and character and world-building detail of the first book in a sure to be exciting series.