Hover by Melissa West

Summary (from Goodreads):

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted.

Review:

I loved the first book, Gravity. And after that ending, I was highly anticipating this sequel. I knew it would take place on a different planet (the planet of the people Ari has been training her whole life to fight). And I was excited to see it. Also, I was super interested in seeing how things would go down with Jackson.

I kind of wish I actually got to see and learn more about the aliens and their planet. I kept getting glimpses from Ari’s new training as a soldier for her “enemy.” And there were so any interesting aspects. I loved the healers and I wish I got to know them better. I loved the way the alien society was divided by people’s skills –kind of like a the factions of Divergent mixed with a communist society, with a fascist dictator.  But, again, I felt like the world building was minimal –and I never truly feel like I got to see it.

The love story improved drastically. I love that it took a very long time for Ari to forgive Jackson. And because she didn’t jump right back into the into the insta-love romance with him, she was able to learn more about him as a person. She was able to see similarities they shared and differences that bugged her like crazy. And I fee like she actually had time to get to know him, which I wish she did in the first book, but still, it was nice to see.

The bad guy was pretty bad. He beat up his own mother, routinely. He enslaved humans that were supposed to be rescued. He was planning on setting up other humans to work as a shield against the humans of earth. He killed people with pleasure, in public. And he really had it in for Jackson. There’s death, torture, rebellion, and so many kick-butt dystopian elements. I literally couldn’t put the book down. I kept wanting Ari to rebel. I kept shipping her and Jackson. And I seriously wanted Zeus, the evil dictator, to go down.

I think I liked the first book more though, despite it’s insta-love. I liked the world-building in the first book. And I liked the sci-fi elements. For some reason, this book felt less sci-fi and more dystopian, even though it takes place on another planet…I guess it could all go back to the lack of world-builing here. There was so much about the planet that I never learned and never got to see. And I understand some of this is intentional and maybe there will be more on this in book 3, but still. I really think a little more sci-fi world building would have made me like this book more than book 1. Because the plot in this one has definitely been intensified since book 1.

All in all though, this book was suspenseful, fun, rebellious, and full of some sizzling YA romance. I give it a 7/10. And I am looking forward to book 3.

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Summary (from Goodreads):

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Review:

I’ve been having a bit of a reading binge…I really want to hit my goal for the year, and I kind of read two books in a row yesterday. Needless to say though, it is so easy to binge-read when you’re reading Miranda Kenneally.

It took me a while to read her stuff because despite a lot of positive reviews, the religious backdrop for all of the stories was a little off-putting for me. I’m not saying I won’t read books with religion in them (it would be impossible to do this); it’s just a lot of times these books make me feel uncomfortable, or preached to, and I really like to read for fun and for escape, and not for over-the-top lessons or high moral purposes, which can sometimes happen.

However, I love reading about powerful girl main characters who aren’t afraid to do things, like play football with guys or star in softball games. And I did enjoy Kenneally’s first book Catching Jordan. So, I put some stuff aside, and dived into Kenneally’s other work. And I am so glad I did. Her books aren’t about religion so much as they are about growing up and believing in yourself.

And this book didn’t actually paint the church, or at least Parker’s church in the best light. Parker’s mom left her family (to be with a woman), and Parker’s church pretty much treated Parker and her family terribly because of this. Parker’s best friends (from school and church) left her when she needed them most. Apparently the church Parker went to, taught everyone that it’s not good to spend time with sinners.

And poor Parker then has to deal with the rumors that she is just like her mom. And her sort of over-the-top rebellious response to this is to give up a sport she loves to play, loose weight, and make out with almost any boy that wants to. She’d rather be known as a slut, then a lesbian.

And while it took me a while to like Parker because she seemed to agree with her church about her mother –she refused to speak with her at all after she left– I grew to love her because she is so capable of learning and loving despite all the pain she’s been through.

And of course, I eventually learn that she’s not really mad at her mother for being gay, but she’s mad at her for leaving. And while I didn’t agree with any of Parker’s coping mechanisms, particularly the one that involved hooking up with a teacher (!), it still all rang as true for me. I could see a teen girl resorting to this. And Parker is so genuinely a good person. The more I read, the more I kept hoping for her to realize things and get healthier.

Despite her evil church, she doesn’t loose faith. She just finds another church –one that accepts people’s differences instead of punishing people for them. And despite how mean her old friends are to her, she never really does anything mean back to them. Part of her feels she deserves what she’s getting because it’s like how can so many people (so many people who she’s spent her whole life with) all be wrong, and her (just one person) be right? And while you see Parker at these all time lows, you also see her slowly climb back to herself. She gets to know a friend of her best friend better. And she starts to see that she can be herself again.

This book dealt with some serious stuff. There’s a lot about homosexuality (with her mom and a friend), there’s inappropriate relationships, there’s faith and there’s doubt, there’s bullying, and there’s love. And throughout it all, I never felt preached to. I never felt like the book was telling me to believe a certain way. Instead, it really seemed as though the author was saying: everyone believes differently and that is okay. It was more about believing in yourself. And I loved this.

I loved watching Parker grow as a person. I loved her relationship to baseball and her relationship with her friends. I loved how she was there for her friend who came out of the closet, even though she was going through a rough patch with her mom’s situation. I loved her growing relationship with Will. This was just such a fun feel-good book that covered a lot of issues, and I loved every second of it. It gets a 10/10 from me.

Across a Star-swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Summary (from Goodreads):

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

Review:

I have been a fan of this author ever since her killer unicorn days. I’ve gotten to the point now where I will buy any book with her name on it. For Darkness Shows the Stars was one of my favorite books of 2012. It’s not always easy to sell me on an Austen retelling, and Peterfreund more than sold me. She got me to re-read Persuasion and then even to re-read her book again. To say I was looking forward to this companion novel is an understatement.

I wish I were as familiar with The Scarlet Pimpernel as I was with Persuasion. Unfortunately, I’ve never read this classic. I do remember seeing the movie in my A.P European History class in high school, years ago. I don’t remember too much even about the movie, besides that it was full of spy missions, extravagance, romance, and the French Revolution.

And like how the French Revolution was all about the separation in the classes, so is the start of a war of sorts in this book. This book takes place on a whole other side of the world to the book in the series. And in this part of the world the reduction has long been a piece of the past, that is until a certain character is able to aid the revolutionaries by creating a pink pill, which when taken can cause any human being to loose their senses, and become “reduced.”

And this new reduction is worse. Not only is it used as a weapon, but it brings people to a state submissive dumbness that can’t always be cured. It can permanently destroy brains. The revolutionaries are people that used to be lorded over by the aristos. They seem to be using every opportunity they have to use the pills on the prior upper class.

Persis, the main character (aka: the Wild Poppy) goes on routine spy missions to rescue aristos from permanent brain damage. And her best friend, the queen, is doing all she can to prevent an all-out war. Between the dangerous spy missions she goes on risking her brain, the faked disguises, the ill family member, the protection of her people, and the all the lies Persis is anything but boring. She is one intelligent, brave, remarkable character.

Besides her characters, what Peterfreund really nails in this novel, is her writing style. She writes in the style of the story: slightly over-the top, definitely extravagantly, and somewhat humorously, despite the tough issues covered. There’s plenty of talk of fancy parties and wardrobe choices. There’s also a lot of witty humor.  And I love that this author can get this all across, while simultaneously covering the real issues: class division, war, torture, gender equality, and strategy.

This book came off as a little lighter than the first one, but by all means I think this was intentional. It was the style of the original (or at least form what I remember of the movie). And Peterfruend masters this style with finesse. However, I didn’t like it as much as the first book in this universe.

Mostly, it just felt too long. There was a little too much repetition for my taste. I felt like every aside that Justen had was the same. How many times did I have read about how confused he was about Persis. I got it. You like her even though she comes off as shallow. I don’t need to hear it 20+ times. And likewise I thought a lot of the dilemmas Persis kept thinking about were also on repeat. We probably could have cut this down 100 pages by getting rid of the repetition.

I also kind of wanted to see more spy missions. A lot of the focus was at home for Peris, and a lot of focus was on the “pretend” relationship. I kind of loved the “pretend” relationship and how it developed. And I kind of loved the parties and the playacting. However, again, I felt like it was a lot of the same stuff repeated over and over. Persis acts stupid on a boat, she acts stupid in a house, in a palace, in a party, and all the time she wishes she could be her normal self for Justen (when she doesn’t think he’s the bad guy). It was a lot of the same story but in different locations on the island. And I would have loved to have seen more stuff with Justen’s sister, or even with the visitors at the end. I would have liked to have seen more stuff off the island.

All in all, the writing style defined this book. Peterfreund has a unique, amazing voice that comes across differently and amazingly in everything she writes. I love her characters. And I loved the idea of this retelling. I did think the book could have been cut down a lot. There was a little too much repetition for me, and not enough action. The ending was fabulous and shock-full of action, and I kind wish the whole book read like the beginning and the ending. I did still love the book. It gets an 8/10.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Summary (from Goodreads):

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Review:

So I was not quite expecting what I got from this book. I thought it would be more about learning to love music. I had no idea that a character’s life would actually be saved. This book is so much more than music. I’d go as far as calling this monumental in the leaps and bounds it takes in covering teen bullying and even teen cyber-bullying. This is a book about a girl who is so bullied at school that she really comes to think of herself as a failure, as someone who doesn’t believe she deserves to live.

The book deals with suicide, bullying, divorce, and fitting in at school like no other contemporary I’ve ever read. This book was not easy. I actually cried while reading about what some of the people at Elise’s school were doing. I cannot believe the extent of the bullying that was going on for such a long time with no adult intervening, and yet I also could believe it.

Elise’s character has so much pain. But she’s also a character with so much intelligence. Her grasp on her many projects and her ability to learn any task set before her was so interesting to read about. And despite her suicidal idea in the beginning, I found her to be so strong. She’s strong enough to take over the music of a dance club. She’s strong enough to fall for a guy another girl has already fallen for. She’s strong enough to know when said guy is being jealous and ridiculous. And she’s strong enough to fight for what she wants, once she knows she wants it. She never gives up on acceptance, even after the world tells her and over and over that she can’t have it.

The music references in the book were amazing. I knew most of the bands/songs mentioned, and the ones I didn’t know, I wrote down to explore later. The whole idea of the night club/dance party only happening on certain days was just kind of magical. And I loved the characters there. The security guard, the owner, the cute dj, were all such characters. And they added to the world-building of this lifestyle.

And while my high school experience was absolutely nothing like Elises’ I found her character to be so relatable. I honestly believe any teen could relate to her loneliness and her inability to be understood.  And while I connected with her, I also simultaneously worried for her, because I am an adult. I know that it’s not a good idea to go on all those night-time strolls, to go alone to a stranger’s apartment, to fall for a guy who so clearly uses other women, etc. And while I feared for the main character and the decisions she was making, I was also full of so much hope for her.

It was amazing seeing how the music and the djing transformed her. And it was nice that this book, while dealing with intense stuff, never got to be preachy. It wasn’t a lot of therapy or caring individuals who saved Elise. It was this new world she found on her own that did. And this was just so beyond powerful to read.

I feel like 2013 has become the year of the contemporaries. Seriously, I’ve read some amazing YA contemporaries this year (and picking the best for my top books of the year will be crazy hard), but I know for a fact that is one of my favorites. It gets a 10/10.

Waiting on Wednesday (73)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating.

This week I am waiting on Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater (7/1/14):

Description (from Goodreads):

A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy.

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?

"Legions of fans -- myself included -- have wanted Maggie to return to the world of Shiver, and now she's found an ingenious, sexy, utterly compelling way to do it," says David Levithan, VP/Publisher and Editorial Director, Scholastic Press. "This isn't so much a re-visitation as it is a reinvention, with Maggie taking readers to many places they've never been with her before. There is nothing quite so amazing as Maggie Stiefvater at the top of her game."

Author Maggie Stiefvater says, "For me, finishing the Shiver trilogy was a bittersweet moment -- I knew that I wouldn't be returning to Mercy Falls once Sam and Grace's story was over. But Cole and Isabel still lurked in the back of my mind. Both of them were only half-fixed at the end of the trilogy, and I wanted to know if they could be fixed the rest of the way."

Why I’m Waiting:

Oh my goodness. Cole. He was like my favorite part of that series…Words cannot begin to express my excitement for a whole book on him. And I know Stiefvater can write guys well after Dream Thieves. I just can’t believe it’s taken me this long to realize this book exists (or will exist). I’m so excited I like can’t even type.

What are you waiting on this week?

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Summary (from Goodreads):

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

Review:

So, I absolutely love this author. At first I wasn’t sure about my love of this new series, but by the second book, I knew it would be a match made in heaven. I have come to love Sydney and her ability to learn, change, and grow over time. I love the side characters. I love the cameos of past Vampire Academy characters. I love the addition of magic to the plot. I am fascinated by the alchemists. And most of all, the romance has me swooning (every time).

The good reviews for this installment have been piling up and a lot of reviewers think this is the best book in the series so far. I really got into this book, but unfortunately it’s not my favorite in the series so far. And it took me a week or so (4 books later) to really come to my conclusion as to why this one wasn’t doing it for me.

It does have all of the good things the other books had. The romance is even more swoon-inducing then ever before. Seriously, it was sizzling. And the plot was super interesting too. Sydney spent a lot of time using her magical abilities to come up with a sort of cure to help other alchemists from being controlled by their tattoos. She hit a huge breakthrough both magically and scientifically.

And wow, the ending was intense. I don’t think I’ve read such an intense and scary cliffhanger in years. Seriously, I read this book four or so books ago, and I still can’t get the ending out of my brain –book hangover to the extreme.

So what was my problem? There’s two things I was not a fan of. Number 1: the whole classic annoying little sister story arc. And 2: the point of view shifts switching between Sydney and Adrian. I get why Sydney’s sister was there and this certainly added a whole new level of stress for all of the characters, but I’m just so tired of this storyline. And the only thing that would make this storyline somewhat more acceptable would be if the sister was at least a little bit redeemable. She was not. She was rather terrible. And I was rather bored of the story arc, even going as far as comparing this character to Dawn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And the one thing that took me a while to place as something I didn’t like was the Adrian point of view shifts. I liked not being in his head. I liked seeing the world as Sydney did and learning with her and this was harder to do with Adrian who just knows so much more than her in regards to the world (but not as much as her in everything else). Also, I was so disappointed to get all the romantic scenes in his head. I feel like after 3 books of suffering with Sydney and learning with Sydney that I deserved to experience the sizzling moments with Sydney too. I was kind of looking forward to the awkward moments and the realistic falling in love scenes. And yes, the scenes still happened. But they happened in the eyes of someone who’d already experienced things. This was just not what I wanted or what I was looking forward to.

Also, I think I kind of liked Adrian better when I was not in his head. He came off as being way softer, and nicer than I ever saw him. And while in some respects, I found this incredibly appealing, in other respects all of his mysterious charm is replaced with self conscious fear. And I love a flawed character. I really do. Adrian is already flawed with his drinking problems, his eye for beautiful women, his depression, and his spirit issues. Does he really have to be so self-hatey too? I kind of grew to not like him as much. I liked that he was cocky and confident in past books, and seeing inside his really depressed mind was well, really depressing.

All in the all, the story was still nail-bitingly good. The romance was insanely good. The characters are still fantastic. I just hated the whole annoying little sister story arc. And I really did not like being in Adrian’s head so much. I love nice guys and I love guys who are flawed. But guys with so much self doubt are just irritating to read about. And I know I might be the only one who feels this way about the point of view shifts, but I’m just kind of sad they happened and neglected to let Sydney be in control of any of the romance scenes. The book gets an 8/10.

A Good Week in Books (63)

So I received some awesome finished books for review this week. Thank you, Hyperion. I actually almost bought two of them (not too long ago), so I’m so happy to be getting them for review! I have a lot of good reading ahead of me.

Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

How was your week in books?