NICOLE'S REVIEW: Shadow of the War Machine by Kristin Bailey

Title: Shadow of the War Machine

Author: Kristin Bailey

Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: February 3 2015

Publishing House:  Simon Pulse

ISBN: 144246805X

Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary: 

Meg has come a long way from her days as a lowly housemaid, driven to learn the truth behind her parents' murder. She's since discovered that they were part of the Secret Order of Modern Amusementists - an underground society of inventors. Determined to reclaim her heritage, she joined the Amusementists as an apprentice, but that hasn't brought her closer to the person responsible for the loss of her family: the man in the clockwork mask.

Now he is coming for her. But Meg is tired of being hunted and intends to become the hunter. With help from Will, the boy who holds her heart, Meg embarks on an adventure that takes them far from the cold London winter and into the heart of France.

But the City of Light is filled with dark shadows. There's a plot afoot that could turn the tides of a terrible war, and cost the lives of millions - that is, if it doesn't take the lives of everyone Meg holds dear, including her own.

        (Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review: 

Before I even begin to review this book I just want to say sorry for being MIA the past few months. I've recently moved to Vancouver and it was a bit hard for me at first, having to uproot myself from friends and family but it was something I needed to do. Thank you to everyone who's still checking out the blog and for not abandoning us. You guys rock. Anyway, now that that's over with it's on to the review! (Hopefully I get to blog more often now.)

It's time for the hunted to become the hunter. Meg is sick and tired of living in constant fear and worry, she's determined to put an end to the man in the clockwork mask's diabolical scheme and his reign of terror. 

Let's cut to the chase. The ending? Lacklustre. Anticlimactic. I seriously did not expect it to end this way. The villain turned out to be textbook, a little boring and one-dimensional. I mean having read the first two books and finding myself quite invested in the story, this is just incredibly disappointing.  

The romance? Meh. The truth is, after the first book the romance kind of just sizzled out and I couldn't bring myself to cheer for the Meg and Will any longer. It was like now that they're together the tension and sparks and heat between them just disappeared. Woohoo! Together forever, who cares about keeping the sparks/love/lust alive? Don't get me wrong, Will is Meg's rock, her pillar of strength, but he kind of had more similarities with a rock than with an actual human being. He was that boring! I can't even remember what role he played anymore.

The characters? I would have liked them to be fleshed out more. I mean it's the last book in the series! Better end it with a bang, right? But as I was reading this, I found myself slowly losing interest in everyone.

One thing I might have slightly enjoyed were the twists the author introduced in the story. And the battle scenes. Although truth be had the battle scenes were kind of wrong, like they didn't quite fit the story. It's like when you're playing tetris and you get the Z shaped block and you're going all "This should fit here but somehow it doesn't ohmygosh I don't get it!!!!" Well. That's just me probably but seriously there was just something strange about the battle scenes, like they were somehow forced so characters could be killed off and voila! They lived happily ever after.

So to sum this review up -the last book in The Secret Order series was very disappointing. I wish it would've ended with a bang, but I guess not. The characters were boring, the villain was textbook and everything was wrapped up in a cute little bow. 

Thank you to Simon Pulse for the advanced copy.

Rating: 

 

                       

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: Nihal of the Land of the Wind by Licia Troisi

Title: Nihal of the Land of the Wind
Author: Tricia Troisi
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: May 27, 2014

Publishing House: Mondadori

ISBN: 9781497648
Source of Copy: Netgalley

Summary:

Nihal lives in one of the many towers of the Land of the Wind. There is nobody like her in the Overworld: big violet eyes, pointed ears, and blue hair. She is an expert in swordplay and the leader of a handful of friends that includes Sennar the wizard. She has no parents; brought up by an armorer and a sorceress, Nihal seems to be from nowhere.

Things suddenly change when the Tyrant takes charge. Nihal finds herself forced to take action when she is face with the most difficult mission a girl her age could imagine.

(Image, summary and information courtesy of Goodreads)

Review:

Nihal has no idea why her hair is blue, or why she is unique. She's never known her mother, and thinks that her father is an armorer. 

She's wrong. 

Nihal is the last of her kind, the lone survivor of the race that the Tyrant has wiped out from existence.

And she will make him pay.

Nihal's story spans her childhood to her being a fierce young female warrior. It encompasses the people she grew up with, people she has unique interactions with in her journey into becoming a young woman who almost always defies everyone's expectations of her.

I must admit that Nihal, while being bold and defiant, could have appealed to me, and her being rash and, at times, irrational may have endeared herself to me, she didn't. There was a detachment from her I could not place. It seems that Nihal of the Land of the Wind was originally written in Italian, which could probably be the reason why some scenes just didn't make much sense to me. Some paragraphs and scenes felt stunted and cut too short, while others were much too drawn out to be desired. Nihal of the Land of the Wind had a lot of characters as well that I didn't care much for, given that their appearances in the storyline were too short-lived. I get that this is a fantasy novel and that maybe Troisi was angling for a pretty massive world, but it just seemed a bit too crammed for me. The world the author created didn't really span a huge territory in my head, only that it was full of characters that Nihal would have to have an encounter with.

I also didn't quite get Nihal's fascination with Fen, the older dragon knight who is in a relationship with Sennar's aunt. He rides his own dragon and is one of the best combatants around, but I didn't really get why she gets all moony-eyed, even knowing that Fen couldn't and never would be hers. Maybe I'm coming across too serious and seem hellbent on crushing every teen girl's fantasy of the dreamy older guy, but come on. All throughout the novel, all she did was worry about Fen and think of him so pardon my French, but ughhhh. 

While the novel held its own with an intriguing premise and an ambitious young character bent on proving everyone wrong, Nihal of the Land of the Wind lacked depth and further explorations of the psyche of the characters that could have made a deeper and more lasting impression.

Rating:

          

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: Devil in the Corner by Patricia Elliott

Title: Devil in the Corner
Author: Patricia Elliott
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: March 6, 2014

Publishing House: Hachette Children's Books

ISBN: 9780340956786
Source of Copy: Requested from publisher via NetGalley

Summary:

Penniless, and escaping the horrors of life as a governess to brutal households, Maud seeks refuge with the cousin-by-marriage she never knew. But Juliana quashes Maud's emerging friendships with the staff and locals - especially John, the artist commissioned to restore the sinister Doom in the local church. John, however, is smitten with Maud and makes every effort to woo her.

Maud, isolated and thwarted at every turn, continue to take the laudanum which was her only solace in London. Soon she becomes dependent on the drug - so is this the cause of her fresh anxieties? Or is someone - or something - plotting her demise?

Is the devil in the corner of the Doom a reality, or a figment of her imagination?

(Image, summary and information courtesy of Goodreads)

Review:

Maud's life takes a turn for the better when a letter from an estranged relative appears out of the blue to offer her a warm bed at Windward House. Unsurprisingly, Maud finds herself as an companion to Juliana Greenwood, her sometimes overly dramatic, sometimes compassionate relative, who is only a bit more manipulative than Maud at times. Maud can't help that she sees and/or feels that there is something out there that's bent on getting her: the laudanum helps her sleep, helps her cope with her nightmares. But as the devil slowly makes its presence known as it terrorizes Grenville, has she unleashed her nightmare out into reality?

I actually don't like being omniscient when it comes to Maud's thoughts. Instead of being grateful for being offered a place to stay without wandering, entitled grown men passing by for a grope, she also cultivates a dislike for Juliana for inheriting Windward House. It's not Juliana's fault that Maud's father was rather loose with money - which Maud herself constantly turned a blind eye to. And to cap it off, she had laudanum dependency problems, so she was always paranoid and accusing people of the strangest things (like following her, because Maud is pretty self-obsessed) so no matter how John Shawcross described the loveliness of Maud, she was probably the ugliest protagonist - inside and out - I have ever come across. Some trials in life have made people stronger, and maybe a bit bitter; Maud 's tribulations in life only makes her resentful and calculating. I wanted John Shawcross to find himself a lovely girl who was not Maud, or that equally dreadful girl from the pharmacy, because even if he first fell in love with the hauntingly empty beauty of Maud, he did love her wholly, and I didn't think that Maud deserved that.

The thriller was exciting at first, but in the end, it fell flat. I myself couldn't settle for the paltry convenience of what actually happened, but maybe I'm a bit biased because I really didn't like Maud. While Juliana wasn't the easiest patient nor the kindest relative, I hardly think that it was enough justification for Maud to think of the inheritance she would undoubtedly come into even before Juliana has passed. Juliana may be selfish and manipulative, but then she is also unloved. And while this may not be enough to justify her actions, I just wished that Maud would have been more understanding to that. (Which I now realize, is hard because Maud is self-obsessed, so thinking of anyone besides herself would be challenging.)

While the writing of Devil in the Corner is solid, easy to read, and that it may suck you in, I just came away hollow from the whole book. There was no love lost, nor love found, but neither would I say that this is a book that I'd remember or forget.

Devil in the Corner may appeal to fans of Gothic work, if they aren't put off by the heroine's hideousness as a being, and often lack for human empathy.

Rating:

         

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey

Title: Legacy of the Clockwork Key
Author: Kristin Bailey
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: March 2013

Publishing House: Simon Pulse

ISBN: 9781442440265
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

When a fire consumes Meg's home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key - a key only Meg can use - that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg has no choice but to follow. She has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect, and that Meg alone can destroy.

Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

After a fire ravages Meg's home and kills her parents, she's forced to work as a maid in Lord Rathford's home - she takes that opportunity because it's certainly better than being tossed out onto the streets. Meg takes her grandfather's pocket watch with her only to find out that the pocket watch is actually a key. A key that will unlock truths and lead Meg into the secret society of the Amusementists - brilliant men who invent dangerous and wondrous machines like a game, hidden from the prying eyes of society.

I like steampunk but I'm sad to say that I wasn't really happy with this book. The characters were boring and flat and the romance was totally nonexistent. I couldn't feel Meg's attraction to Will even from the get-go when she would always make it a point to run to him every time she needed help. Will, on the other hand, was slightly better but not really, he's got a better head on his shoulders and isn't as rash as Meg but ultimately he's as boring as she was.

The one thing I actually wasn't indifferent to were the inventions, or Amusements as they're so called, because they were undeniably elaborate and well-crafted. But it would have been interesting to know how the Amusementists managed to hide these inventions, which are all on the huge side, from wandering eyes. I mean large metal structures that rise out of the ground? A battle between a giant metal ship and a man-made Leviathan? How do you hide such huge hulking things from people? Surely someone would have noticed.

Aside from that, the book gets a little repetitive after a while. Meg and Will and their new found allies run off to different Amusements to collect things needed for their final goal - stopping this machine which has the power to destroy life as they know it. While the Amusements are intricate and detailed and interesting, the fact that they go to each and every one and do the same things over and over and over again kind of dragged and bored me to tears. I suppose the fact that a murderer was out to get them would have added some suspense but I found myself uncaring.

That ending wasn't very spectacular either and this book is actually quite forgettable. A book where I had to wonder how in the world this secret society manage to stay a secret at all. It wasn't bad, it's just boring and I don't know if I want to read the next book. I'll think about it.

Rating:

    

                           

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney

Title: The Brokenhearted
Author: Amelia Kahaney
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: October 8, 2013

Publishing House: Harper Teen

ISBN: 9780062230928
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

Prima ballerina Anthem Fleet is closely guarded by her parents in their penthouse apartment. But when she meets the handsome Gavin at a party on the wrong side of town, she is immediately drawn into his dangerous world. Then, in a tragic accident, Anthem falls to her death. She awakens in an underground lab, with a bionic heart ticking in her chest. As she navigates her new life, she uncovers the sinister truth behind those she trusted the most, and the chilling secret of her family lineage... and her duty to uphold it.

(Image, summary and information courtesy of Goodreads)

Review:

Daughter of the elite of the elite, Anthem Fleet is tired of the same old routine. There's got to be more to X, the land her parents own but go to lengths to protect her from, than just school, ballet, and the prison she calls a home. When she goes to a rave with her best friend, she meets the mysterious and charming Gavin, who soon makes her detest her predictable life. When Gavin is abducted right before her very eyes, Anthem is more than panicked. She's angry, she's hurt, and she's got a bionic heart that makes her impossibly better in all aspects than regular human beings. Anthem wants Gavin back, and she's not going to back down until she saves him.

How many people with bionic hearts do you actually know? Yeah, that's what I thought - which is why I snagged a copy of Amelia Kahaney's The Brokenhearted just as soon as I spotted it on bookshelves here (after making an obnoxious gasp and a muffled squealing and dancing combo, of course). I had high expectations for this one, only to go through it with a mild interest. 

Anthem is bored. She's been a good girl for far too long, doing ballet and only ballet that her deceased sister was good at, and trying to pretend that her family life is perfect, empty-eyed pill-popping mother and super busy land god father and all. This all changes when she meets Gavin, who makes her feel like somebody important, someone worth getting to know, someone not measured by her family's immense wealth, and most of all, someone not boring. But Gavin gets taken hostage, and on her way home, Anthem dies... Only to live again with a bionic heart that makes her some sort of enhanced human being. With the help of Ford (who is just adorable), Anthem begins to learn how to combat, and to be a vigilante. (Yes, a ballerina vigilante. Don't judge.)

My interest wasn't really piqued when she met Gavin. He sounds like a dream, sure, but he just didn't really do anything for me. It wasn't until the book was almost ending that made me sit up and pay attention, because - Okay. I can't say it because that would be giving the whole thing away, and you would probably stone me if you were actually interested in reading this book. 

Was The Brokenhearted boring? At times, sure, but you can get by. If you're in the mood. While The Brokenhearted does have a story, albeit a bit half-baked, it just makes me wish that I could take Anthem a bit more seriously. Anthem's not afraid to get dirt under her nails, and she grows to know how to stand up for herself as time goes by. It's just that her making this decision to be a lovelorn vigilante that really threw me off. 

Rating:

               

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: Forever by Karen Ann Hopkins

Title: Forever
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: January 28, 2014

Publishing House: Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 9780373211067
Source of Copy: Requested from publisher via NetGalley

Summary:

All I want is my happily-ever-after.

That's all I've wanted since meeting Noah Miller.

From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I'm carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there's a storm on the horizon, and it's sure to cause serious devastation.

If we can get through this, we'll finally be Rose and Noah; a family, forever.

But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:
*Edited on Feb. 3, 2014 due to grammatical errors.

(This is the final installment in the Temptation series so there are bound to be some little spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first books. My reviews for the first and second books, Temptation and Belonging can be found here and here.)

Noah knows that the only way he and his family can get back into the good graces of the Amish community is by giving them time to recover from jilting his Amish fiancee, especially when the father of said ex-fiancee blocks their every move and is making their life difficult. But Noah doesn't know that what he needs most is the one thing Rose can't give. Rose is pregnant with his child, and it's high-time that both of them took a final stand in order for them to finally be together.

I don't know how and I don't know why but every Noah and Rose I know seem to be walking disasters. In the second book, Noah got into an accident, and a psycho was after Rose. In this one, Rose has an accident, Noah and Rose get caught between a tornado (because hey, dramatic stand-offs) and hey look, psycho neighbors. Considering that Rose was pregnant most of the time in this one, to say that the couple has been through A LOT, cultural differences and forbidden romance aside, is an understatement. In truth, I didn't expect anything less because the second book, Belonging, was already rife with drama, and the only way to really end the series is to pile that drama on. 

Rose and Noah seem to finally get the idea that this couple thing is beyond the both of them. Everyone around them is affected, especially Sarah, Noah's younger sister, who seems to be falling for Constance's brother Micah, yet another tricky relationship. In Forever, Noah finally let go of his stubbornness and this is what really makes me sag in relief. Noah was actually pretty tough on compromising, but I guess he finally grew up and realized that they both needed to be in this together if they were really starting a family. While I am happy for Rose and Noah finally ending up together (come on, that wasn't even a spoiler), I did hope that they had more time before finally committing to each other. While their chemistry was there, I hoped that the readers were clued in as to actually why and how they deemed that they were perfect for each other. I mean, Rose and Noah are hot and they love each other, but that's all I really observed from them. 

Forever does include a little side-story and I thought that that was a pretty nice touch, but then Hopkins does the unthinkable and pulls the rug out from under us. Seriously, I thought that that would have made a pretty cute spin-off.

Even though Forever was quite cheesy and, given the disaster-thing I've mentioned, quite ludicrous, it was a pretty fitting ending to the series. As soon as I found out that I was given access to the title, I immediately downloaded the title and finished it in one sitting. Despite being over-the-top with its drama, Forever is engrossing and it was very hard to look away. I would recommend this series to people who are hardcore romance enthusiasts, and I do quite wish that there would be a spin-off to this series. 

Rating:

             

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Of Triton by Anna Banks

Title: Of Triton
Author: Anna Banks
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: May 28 2013

Publishing House: Feiwel & Friends

ISBN: 9781250003331
Source of Copy: Purchased from FullyBooked

Summary:

Emma has learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As A Half-Breed, she's a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm. Syrena law states all Half-Breeds should be put to death.

As if that's not bad enough, her mother's reappearance in the Syrena world turns two kingdoms - Poseidon and Triton - against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen's request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself - and her Gift - to save a people she's never known.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

I found myself unable to resist this book mainly because of the cover. I mean, that photo right? I've always been a sucker for books that use underwater shots for cover photos. Too pretty.

My review will probably be on the short side, like the book which is 246 pages long. So short! In Of Triton, the story now shifts focus to the Syrena world. The struggles between both Houses - Triton and Poseidon and the power hungry Syrena who want to control them. I wasn't that big of a fan of the world building, but it's entertaining all the same. 

In the second book we also meet Nalia, Emma's mother, and from the get-go I didn't like her. Frankly, her reasons for hiding on land for the longest time were the worst. What kind of a pathetic excuse is that? Emma herself was actually very childish, I mean yeah I get that your mom's relationship with your father was iffy in light of the fact that she's pretty much in love with Grom but seriously, I'm pretty sure Emma's got bigger problems than her mother's love life.

Emma and Galen are actually pretty boring and their romance didn't see to progress into anything deeper. I think I liked Galen better in the first book. Actually, I think I liked Emma better in the first book too. I was pretty sure they were going to end up together no matter what and the tension about mating and Syrena laws and stuff were unnecessary plot devices. 

There was also that little thing about Paca and Grom being mated and the slew of problems that surface because of that stupid mating. I don't know guys, the Syrena seem pretty dumb to me to fall for that Paca's fake powers. I'm totally not buying the whole they've-forgotten-what-the-gifts-of-the-generals-look-like spiel. 

And that ending? It was totally anticlimatic. It was wrapped up neatly enough that I wonder what the third book could possibly be about. Will I be reading the next book? Maybe.

Rating:

   

                         

The Twins on Thursday: Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

"The Twins on Thursday" is reserved for the Twins' joint reviews. It is a special feature of our blog that discusses books that we either both like, dislike, or have mixed feelings about. This is also the day where we post reviews for books (and ARCs/Galleys) that have been sent to us by authors/galley sites/publishing houses. And because we don't believe much in uniformity, we'll be trying to mix things up a bit by adding random stuff in relation to our review (well, mostly for books we purchased anyway).

Title: Indelible
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: July 30, 2013

Publishing House: Harlequin

ISBN: 9780373210732
Source of Copy: Requested from publisher

Summary:

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room - right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as a property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world - a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink's chosen one - his helper, his lover, his something for the foreseeable future... and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies... THE TWIXT.

(Image, summary, and information courtesy of Goodreads)

Review:

When Joy gets her eye injured by a creepy guy with black eyes, it inadvertently marks her as his. Joy's oblivious to this of course, so when strange creatures pop up all over the place insisting that she deliver messages to Ink, she's at a loss. Because who is Ink and what the heck do the messages mean? It's hard enough that she's been dragged into a totally different world that involves tattoos and magic and otherworldly creatures giving her a fright, but Joy also has to deal with these new feelings for Ink, especially when the lines between pretend love and real love begin to blur.

Joy's afraid of being abandoned. Her parents have divorced and her brother has left for college which leaves her feeling not a little bit left out. Even her best friend Monica has a new guy and she's not one to intrude on her friend's happiness. Enter Ink, he's strange, mysterious, alluring and when Joy starts accompanying him on assignments she can't help but be drawn to him. Inq doesn't even have a normal human body, as he doesn't even really have a body, per se. He can morph into other forms, which is totally awesome except for the fact that he doesn't use it that much. Boo. But as Ink teaches Joy about his world, she shows him how to embrace emotions and live for once, which you know, gives us all these "Aww" moments.

Ink also has a sister named Inq. She's his opposite - outgoing, loud, a little bit obnoxious, and a bit of a troublemaker. We especially liked when she introduced her cabana boys, her harem in short, consisting of beautiful male specimens of the human race with broad shoulders, killer smiles and well-defined abs. 

Briarhook reminded us of Moblin, this narcissist and irritating mini pig boss in Legend of Zelda, that they could in fact, pass for twins, although Briarhook would still be the more annoying one.

Despite how adorable Ink was at times, as well as the inclusion of cabana boys, Indelible began to come apart at the seams when the "twist" was introduced. The latter part of the book became a big jumbled mess, and soon we were both getting confused as to who did what and what did to who, to the point that we finished the story all dazed and disoriented.

Indelible has a beguiling concept, but the way it was executed may confuse and lose its readers along the way. While it does have its charming points, they're hardly enough to tip the scales to its favor.

Rating:

   

    

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland

Title: Vengeance Bound
Author: Justina Ireland
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: April 2 2013

Publishing House: Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 9781442444621
Source of Copy: Fully Booked

Summary:

Revenge is not always sweet.

Amelie Ainsworth had no choice. She prayed for help. The Furies were the ones to answer her call.

She owes Them her life.

But They are too powerful. Amelie can no longer justify giving in to Their dark urges.

Can she ever be normal with Them in her head?

Starting fresh at yet another school, Amelie meets new people. Good people like Niko who could offer her something more than vengeance.

But They are not finished with Amelie and They do no handle rejection well.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

I should have known to be wary of  book that's being touted as "The Goddess Test meets Dexter". I never really hit it off with the Goddess Test but I decided that that shouldn't be reason for me to shy away from this book.

When Amelie cries out for vengeance, she never really expected an answer. Especially not from the mythical Greek Furies with their bloodlust and thirst for revenge. A number of kills later and her stint at a mental facility, Amelie finds herself wondering if she's truly capable of controlling the Furies or will she soon crumble to their needs of death and destruction one human soul at a time.

One thing I was really looking forward to was the prospect of blood and gore. I mean sharing your mind and being a conduit for the Furies has got to be an interesting experience despite the little mishaps and all that. But despite the promising concept and the infusion of Greek mythology I found this book sadly lacking.

Amelie or Cory as she's called has been through a lot, crazy men locking her in a basement, loony doctors and a crazy friend who's way too clingy and stalkerish. I mean I think Amelie would be an interesting character if only I could connect with her. Which I couldn't. The story lacked characterization which didn't please me at all. The secondary characters were like stiff props meant to fill a certain role; the mean girl, the pothead friend, the crazy best friend and so on. They never felt real to me.

As for the romance...well Amelie's infatuated with Niko from the get-go and their romance is fast paced and instant. I would've liked to see a little more romance or passion and some sparks or maybe fireworks but I just couldn't feel a thing. I mean sure, Niko's a good boy, a little worse for wear but a good boy. Aside from that? Nothing. 

I would have liked more action, more vengeance and a whole lot more blood. And maybe a better resolution to the story because that ending felt a little bit too abrupt. 

Now if you're a fan of Greek myth and you like your stories jam packed with ancient lore and whatnot, this one isn't for you. But if you're looking for a fast paced read that's a little violent and involves the Greek Furies then yes, you could always pick this one up.

Rating:

      

                        

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: Parallel by Lauren Miller

Title: Parallel
Author: Lauren Miller
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: May 14, 2013

Publishing House: Harper Teen

ISBN: 9780062199799
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice - taking a drama class her senior year of high school - changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past had been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel self is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

I love the idea of parallel universes. In fact, if we didn't start the blog, I would be over at Tumblr, creating comics mostly revolving around parallel universes (I already occupied the URL too.) When I read the summary of this one on GoodReads, I was naturally very excited. There aren't many books that revolve around parallel universes after all.

Abby has it all mapped out: go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and nab a much coveted spot at a local newspaper. So when she finds herself and her other parallel self caught in a cosmic collision, her plan pretty much gets skewered. Whatever Parallel Abby does inevitably alters with her future, so Abby finds herself waking up to different realities. With all the possibilities spread out before her, Abby must take control of her destiny and decide for herself what she really wants.

In fairness, Parallel started off pretty interesting. Abby was in location in Los Angeles for a movie, and all it took for her movie career to take flight was when she chose Drama over Astrology back in high school. But when a global earthquake messes up with the dimensions of reality and starts creating a parallel dimension for Abby, Abby's life isn't the only thing in haywire because the plot kind of weakens its initial stronghold as well. Abby wasn't immensely likable or anything like that. She was just 'eh', the heroine you have to tolerate because the whole story revolves around her and is told from her perspective. I thought her best friend Caitlin took the whole thing too casually, like, "Hey, you have a parallel self? No biggie, happens all the time." and so the whole approach felt off and unbelievable.

I was really disappointed that the novel didn't actually center around the science of the parallel universes. Since I am morbidly curious about the whole aspect and how Miller would deliver it, I was kind of waiting for a blow-by-blow account from. Miller did employ someone to explain the parallel universe existence, but it wasn't enough, so while Parallel showcases the alternate realities opening up for Abby and her parallel self, I couldn't help but feel short-changed. The novel actually focuses a lot on romantic relationships and how these can affect the others, so you can understand my hang-ups about this one. The interspersing POVs between Abby and Parallel Abby were quite confusing that I just gave up trying to figure out who's who and who-did-what. The ending was very frustrating and it just felt like nothing significant about Abby had changed. I don't really enjoy roundabout endings to my books.

I expected more fascinating science-y stuff, so I didn't really enjoy Parallel what with its stronger overtones of romance. But if you're not much of a science fiction fan and just want to dip your toes in the water, then maybe Parallel would be right up your alley. 

Rating:

           

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher

Title: Obsidian Mirror
Author: Catherine Fisher
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: April 23, 2013

Publishing House: Dial Books

ISBN: 9780803739697
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

THE OBSIDIAN MIRROR

Its power is great and terrible. Men have been lost in it, the dead brought back to life through it, and the future annihilated by it. That's what will happen, unless the mirror is destroyed. Someone has been sent from the future to do just that. But someone else will protect the mirror at all costs, obsessed with its power. And yet another needs the mirror to find a murdered father and save his life. 

 Only one can succeed.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

Jake had to resort himself to extreme measures to make sure he gets kicked out of his Switzerland boarding school - the school paid for by his father's best friend and killer, Oberon Venn. He wants answers, and he's pretty sure that the only one who can answer him is Oberon, who has seemingly put him far from sight, far from mind to evade from Jake's relentless pursuit concerning his father's whereabouts. Accompanied by his teacher, Jake makes it to Wintercombe Abbey determined to get to the bottom of things once and for all. But things are not always as they seem. Determined to get back his dead wife, Oberon has run several tests with the obsidian mirror, a curio that enables time travel. Oberon isn't the only one who has plans for it, however. Because the obsidian mirror has a rightful owner, and a person from the future who will need to destroy it before someone else becomes obsessed with its power.

I'll be frank and say that Obsidian Mirror more or less disappointed me. The first chapter got me all excited about the book because it was what I was really expecting, only to have the next chapters bore me to the point that I had to reach for another book from time to time. While I do appreciate how Fisher managed to include a LOT of different story elements in this one, I didn't like the fact that some chapters, even when they were supposed to be the more exciting ones, just didn't deliver.

What I do like about this book is the fact that there is no forced romance (Cue inner fist pump.) and that the story seemed to have a mind of its own. Like I said, the story incorporated a lot of story elements/genres that would arouse the inner skeptic in you, but Fisher makes it somehow work. There weren't really any illogical events, per se - just boring ones.

While I didn't harbor any sort of attachment to the characters, the characterization was decent. The pace was initially slow, and would probably put off some of the more impatient readers. Admittedly, I do like this a little more than Fisher's Incarceron series, but I think I'll pass on the next book.

Catherine Fisher's Obsidian Mirror has a great plot in theory, but the execution will probably disappoint readers who are expecting kickbutt protagonists and killer twists. I know I was.

Rating: