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: 

 

                       

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Her Dark Curiousity by Megan Shepherd

Title: Her Dark Curiosity

Author: Megan Shepherd

Format Acquired: ARC

Publication Date: January 28 2014

Publishing House: Balzer + Bray  

ISBN: 9780062296641

Source of Copy:  HarperCollins

Summary: 

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island - and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau's horrific lefacy - though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father's creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she find herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer - Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

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

Review: 

Note that this is a sequel and a review for the previous book, The Madman's Daughter right can be found HERE. 

Juliet's back in London trying to make sense of things and make a new life for herself. Figuring out medicine to stay her illness is just one of her problems. There is talk of new murders around town and the killer leaving behind a calling card - three slashes on the victims eerily similar to what happened on her father's island. She's afraid that one of her father's monsters followed her back to London and she has no choice but to help put an end to it before another hapless innocent dies.

Poor Juliet, she has a new life - better than her last but things start going wrong when the murders start. If you're guessing it's Edward than give yourself a pat on the back. Juliet is torn between keeping him safe and finding a cure for his condition and ultimately destroying the creature that shares the same body as her beloved Edward. She makes a lot of stupid decisions which were born out of a mix of desperation and loneliness. But I suppose that's what I like about her. I mean we all make stupid decisions, why can't she? She never pretended to be perfect.

The Beast's obsession with Juliet is reason for the murders he commits - no one hurts the love of his life and the Beast will allow nothing to come in between them. I understand also her connection to Edward and why she's so adamant to save him and find a cure for him. She's desperate for a cure because if she cannot cure Edward, if he is not worthy of saving, then how about herself? 

I truly like Shepherd's writing. The story is dark, desperate and action packed filled with twists and turns and weird science that, if you think about it hard enough, doesn't quite mesh. So don't think too hard on it. Just go with it. 

Her Dark Curiosity is a step up from the first book. I liked this better. Probably because Juliet is toeing the line of her morality and seeing just how like her father she can be. I can only wonder what's going to happen in the next book.  

Rating: 

                       

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Blackbird by Anna Carey

Title: Blackbird

Author: Anna Carey

Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: September 16 2014

Publishing House: HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062299735

Source of Copy:  Edelweiss

Summary: 

A girl wakes up on train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn't remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

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

Review: 

A girl wakes up with no memory, watching a train hurdle towards her. She's got a tattoo on her wrist, money in her bag and instructions to call an unknown number while dodging the police. All she knows is that she's being hunted and she'll have to find a way to clear the blocks in her memory if she wants to survive.

This book had such an interesting premise so I thought I'd give it a try. Mind you, I wasn't a fan of Carey's previous series but I thought I'd give her another chance. Well, it obviously wasn't for me seeing as I'm giving this book a really low rating.

First of, I wasn't a fan of the second person point of view. And yes, I did check out Carey's reasons for writing in this POV but I'm sorry because it didn't work for me. It felt stilted and unreal. The atmosphere felt flat for me and the action? I was't amused. A lot of scenes seemed way too fortuitous for the protagonist. And the story basically felt way too unreal. How lucky is she that she has built in survival skills. Pick a lock? No problem! Run from the cops? Easy.

The other annoying thing in this book was the romance. What are the chances that the girl bumps into this dude in a grocery and he ends up being her love interest and the dude who shows interest in her because she's different and not like all the rest? I don't get why he wasn't the least bit cautious. I mean yeah, you bump into a girl who's got a nasty cut on her arm and it's natural to worry about her but to the point of actually slipping her your number "in case of emergency"? For all that idiot knew she could have been a serial killer. An escaped convict and a myriad of other nasty things.

All throughout the story there are snippets of memories and I wasn't surprised when it involved a guy too. I bet there's a love triangle in the works. Which is very, very irritating because she's got no memory, she's being hunted and all she can think about is kissing a boy? How about saving herself first, huh? I mean it's gonna be hard to kiss a guy when she's dead. 

Frankly, I'm not sure how I managed to finish this book but I did and I'm patting myself on the back right now because of  the effort. Just so you guys know, I was as confused as the protag for most of the story and until the end I couldn't even begin to picture her in my head - her personality, her character, nothing. So, even if the story might have picked up towards the latter portion of the book, it wasn't enough to redeem the overall. The ending had me wanting to slap someone.

Rating: 

                         

NICOLE'S REVIEW + Novel Nails #14: The Nightmare Dilemma by Mindee Arnett

Title: The Nightmare Dilemma

Author: Mindee Arnett

Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: March 4 2014

Publishing House:  Tor Teen

ISBN: 9780765333349

Source of Copy: Gifted by Louisse from The Soul Sisters

Summary: 

Dusty Everhart might be able to predict the future through the dreams of her crush, Eli Booker, but that doesn't make her life even remotely easy. When one of her mermaid friends is viciously assaulted and left for dead, and the school's jokester, Lance Rathbone is accused of the crime, Dusty's as shocked as everybody else. Lance needs Dusty to prove his innocence by finding the real attacker, but that's easier said than done. Eli's dreams are no help, more nightmares than prophecies.

To make matters worse, Dusty's ex-boyfriend has just been acquitted of conspiracy and is now back at school, reminding Dusty of why she fell for him in the first place. The Magi Senate needs Dusty to get close to him, discover his real motives. But this order infuriates Eli, who has started his own campaign for Dusty's heart.

As Dusty takes on both cases, she begins to suspect they're connected to something bigger. And there's something wrong with Eli's dreams, signs that point to a darker plot than they could have imagined.

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

Review: 

Note that The Nightmare Dilemma is sequel to The Nightmare Affair which was reviewed HERE.

When one of Dusty's friends is attacked and accusing eyes are cast on resident jock Lance Rathbone, Dusty is doubtful of Lance's participation in the heinous crime. She's all set to find out who the real perpetrator is but it's not as easy as it seems. The dreams she shares with Eli are no help either seeing as how they're more nightmare than prophecy. To complicate things even more Dusty's ex-boyfriend is back and he's all about trying to get back into Dusty's good graces just as Eli's all set to capture Dusty's heart.

The Nightmare Dilemma is as entertaining and enjoyable as its predecessor. The summary might be a little misleading - with Paul making an appearance, you'd think that a love triangle was in the making. Fear not because nothing really ever happens between Dusty and Paul, aside from making Eli jealous. Which is good; jealous Eli amused me.

Dusty is still as funny as she was in the first book. She's developing her powers as well as nurturing her budding relationship with Eli. It was glorious, really. I ship them so hard. Dusty is an amusing character, she's also real and human (as human as a nightmare can be) and she doesn't have a hero complex going on. She's got rad powers and wields a super sword but that doesn't mean she's going to jump in headfirst into danger, totally disregarding her life. No. She makes rash decisions sometimes but come on, don't we all?

In the second book she also has to deal with Eli and Selene keeping secrets from her. Selene and her nightly forays and Eli with his hot and cold attitude towards their relationship. It's pretty obvious that Eli wants her too. You're not fooling anyone Eli! Paul too is trying to get Dusty to trust him again. After the events of the first book, it's hard to not cast suspicion on everything Paul does but I feel like he's genuinely remorseful about his actions.

The pacing of the book was great with decent helpings of mystery and romance. But that ending? The way the romance was heading has me worried. Don't do anything to ruin my OTP please. I beg of you. All in all The Nightmare Dilemma is a solid sequel and I cannot wait for the next installment.

Rating: 

"Novel Nails" is a feature of the blog that showcases nail art inspired by books and their covers. Nail art will be created by either Michelle or Nicole and will be featured alongside their reviews.

Obviously this week's feature is The Nightmare Dilemma. I actually made nail art for the Nightmare Affair too and if you want to check that out you can visit my nail art tumblr HERE or my instagram HERE. 

Nail polish used: 

OPI Keeping Suzi at Bay

I used white acrylic for everything else. Freehand yo!

I would have used black but the blue base was a little too dark.

See Excalibur? And the castle? And the tree? Yeah. I like how they turned out. Not too shabby.

Here they are with the book.

Huzzah! Hope you liked this mani. I've been doing a lot of freehand designs recently and you can check out my recent work over at my Instagram. I did Divergent nails which I'm oddly proud of.

Novel Nails Designs

                       

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Dark Paradise by Angie Sandro

Title: Dark Paradise
Author: Angie Sandro
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: July 1 2014

Publishing House: Forever Yours

ISBN: 9781455554829
Source of Copy: NetGalley

Summary:

DARK LEGACY

Mala LaCroix has spent her whole life trying to escape her destiny. As the last in a long line of "witch women," she rejects the notion of spirits and hoodoo and instead does her best to blend in. But when she finds a dead body floating in the bayou behind her house, Mala taps into powers she never knew she had. She's haunted by visions of the dead girl, demanding justice and vengeance.

DEADLY SECRETS

Landry Prince has always had a crush on Mala but when Mala discovers his sister, murered and marked in some sort of Satanic ritual, he wonders if all the rumors about the LaCroix family are true. Yet after Mala uses her connection to the spirit world to identify his sister's killer, he starts to form his own bond to her ... a very physical one. As they move closer to each other and closer to the truth, Mala and Landry must risk everything - their families, their love, and even their lives.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads;)

Review:

Mala is in denial about her powers. She's been trying to escape her whole life but finding a dead body floating in the bayou near her house puts all those carefully crafted notions out of her head. Landry has always had his eye on Mala - hanging out where she works, looking at her, staring at her when in school - but when Mala is the one who discovers his sister's body floating in the water he's not sure what to think anymore. Satanic rituals? Hoodoo? Can Landry put his trust in a girl who's painted as a witch involved in blood rituals? Can Mala figure out what the malevolent spirit wants before she gets consumed by her own budding powers?

It's told in the alternating voices of Mala and Landry. Mala is a sort of pariah seeing as how she's a descendant of witch women and people with all their prejudice and preconceived ideas concerning witches treat her like she's got the plague. Mala's used to it though and spends her time at the police station helping out. She's over-dramatic sometimes and a little naive at others. She's also part of this confusing romance and torn between two boys - George and Landry.

George doesn't really have that much of a presence in the book. He's just this guy who Mala works with and fancies. He kind of sees Mala as this little girl or damsel in distress who needs to be sheltered and protected. I have no idea what Mala sees in him because aside from the pretty face there really is nothing to write home about.

Landry on the other hand is crazy. He's always had a crush on Mala but never really had the guts to go talk to her. When he finds out Mala's the one who finds his sister's body he is easily persuaded into believing that she's performing crazy blood rituals and his sister is an unwitting victim. And he expects Mala to fall at his feet? Expects that they could actually have a relationship together? From their first confrontation to their following interactions, Landry is either hating/angry at her or flirty and charming. Maybe if he were a little less psycho they might have a chance.

I did like the atmosphere of the book. It's creepy and mysterious and I don't know how I made it through because I am not good with ghosts. I mean just mentioning ghosts makes me feel tainted. I just kind of wished that instead of focusing on the romance because all that messy drama overshadowed the good horror/mystery vibe the book had going.

Nevertheless I'll be checking out the second book, mainly because I want to see where the author takes this series and also because Mala's powers are growing and I want to know if they're going to driver her crazy in the end. And Landry too because crazies also deserve a happy ending.

Rating:

                           

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

Title: Dear Killer
Author: Katherine Ewell
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Publishing House: Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN: 9780062257802
Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary:

Rule One - Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two - Be careful.
Rule Three - Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they're the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four - Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five - The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London's notorious "Perfect Killer" seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with "Dear Killer", and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life - the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit's convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

(Image, summary and information courtesy of Goodreads)

Review:

Kit is the Perfect Killer everyone is both in fear and in awe of. She doesn't leave a trace, which leaves the police force scratching their heads. But when she meets a police officer she thinks she can play cat and mouse with, Kit breaks some of her rules, and reveals the identity of the killer slowly... just because she can, and just because she thinks she can't get caught. 

After the first few chapters, I was so ready to quit this. Unlike her mother, Kit doesn't exactly kill because there's a passion for it. It's more like she gets off on people not knowing about the Perfect Killer's real identity, and she gets her ego stroked when people call her murders the perfect crime. Kit kills people based on demand, in the loo of a coffee shop where people leave her names of persons they'd want dead, and I have no idea why the police aren't checking this area out if some people know that this is the Perfect Killer's mailbox. Kit thinks she's invincible, so when her paths cross with Alex, who is on the investigation of the Perfect Killer murders, she's cocky enough to give him some clues, and offer her help with the investigation (because the fully grown police officers can only be too happy to accommodate a seventeen year-old, am I right?). 

I seriously don't understand why Kit even bothers to commit murder, since she obviously lacks her mother's passion for killing. She approaches murder methodically and scientifically, that the whole thing doesn't even come out as deserving of words like macabre or gore - just painfully clinical and uninteresting. There is just no motive. Kit just kills because it's what her mother taught her to do, so what cleaning our rooms is to us, is what Kit is to murder. 

If you're into books featuring teenage protagonists struggling with their darker side, you can do so much better than Perfect Killer. You don't need a cocky, confused teenager who doesn't deliver with much conviction. Dan Wells' I Am Not A Serial Killer and Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers are undoubtedly much better, and deliver characters who are believable, real, and who actually know what they're doing and why. 

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: Shadowplay by Laura Lam

Title: Shadowplay
Author: Laura Lam
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: January 7 2014

Publishing House: Strange Chemistry

ISBN: 190884440X
Source of Copy: NetGalley

Summary:

The circus lies behind Mica Grey in dust and ashes.

He and the white clown, Drystan, take refuge with the once-great magician, Jasper Maske. When Maske agrees to teach them his trade, his embittered rival challenges them to a duel which dould decide all of their fates.

People also hunt both Micah and the person he was before the circus - the runaway daughter of a noble family. And Micah discovers there is magic and power in the world, far beyond the card tricks and illusions he's perfecting...

A tale of phantom wings, a clockwork hand, and the delicate unfurling of new love, Shadowplay continues Micah Grey's extraordinary journey.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review:

Shadowplay is the second book in the Pantomime series. Check out our review for Pantomime here. This is a definite must read!

Shadowplay starts exactly where Pantomime ends - with Drystan and Micah on the run, leaving behind the circus and seeking refuge with an acquaintance of Drystan's. Jasper Maske. He takes them in and teaches them magic thrusting Micah and Drystan into a world of illusions and deception and bitter rivalry.

And I thought Lam's world building couldn't get any better... I was wrong. Shadowplay is amazing, it's exciting and magical and wonderfully atmospheric. Shadowplay is where I was able to glean more information on the Phantom Damselfly and her connection to Micah Grey - his odd powers and her history and how they both intertwine. Lam's attention to detail and her vivid descriptions of the theater and the illusions Drystan and Micah carried out were the absolute best it's hard not to get caught up in the story and impossible to NOT picture them in your head. 

Lam has a wonderful cast of characters that feel so real it's impossible to not feel what they feel. Micah's matured in this book, he's more confident in his own skin, and his budding relationship with Drystan had me cooing at my iPad in the middle of the night with a silly smile on my face. Don't get me wrong though, the romance is not a major part of the story but it's there - the subtle looks and careful smiles - and it had Michelle and I clamoring for more. (Drystan and Micah forever!) I also like the fact that a lot about Drystan's past was revealed and how natural it all felt so we get to know him better.

To avoid any spoilers let's just say that Micah and Drystan and Cyan do a lot of magic tricks and illusions and perform for an audience - I was particularly into how Lam explained the tricks in such a scientific and precise way. In between performing, Micah has visions and speaks with the Phantom Damselfly and there are flashbacks that explain to Micah who she was and her purpose for seeking him out. And at the end of that roller coaster ride of magic and deception, Lam throws in a few plot twists that totally took me by surprise. That ending still sends chills up my spine. 

For fans of Pantomime, Shadowplay does not disappoint. For those who still haven't read this series - you must. What's not to love about books with beautifully written prose, characters that are so undeniably real you have to cheer for them and wonderfully detailed world building that makes me want to leave this world for theirs? 

Rating:

                       

NICOLE'S REVIEW + Novel Nails #9: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Title: Paper Valentine
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: January 8 2013

Publishing House: Razorbill

ISBN: 9781595145994
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

Hannah's best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can it when Lillian's ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders linked only by a paper valentine? Hannah can hardly begin to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn't there to save her a place among the social elite.And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able to move o with her life - and it's up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

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

Review:

Paper Valentine is magical. I've been a fan of Brenna Yovanoff's writing ever since The Replacement. When The Space Between came out it was no surprise that I bugged the staff of my local bookstore to please save me a copy. I was there every week and every week I asked if my copy had arrived. Yes. I'm annoying when I'm desperate.

The book is wonderfully atmospheric and I love it. It's got a delicious blend of mystery and thrills and romance and the complexities of friendship. Yovanoff manages to talk about anorexia in a way that isn't preachy at all and I love her for that. I do. To top it all up, Yovanoff has a great cast of characters who are so real it's hard not to fall in love with each and every one of them.

I loved Hannah as a narrator. She's got a whole lot of substance and depth and it's hard not to feel her grief and her devastation and guilt. She wonders if there's something more that she could have done for her best friend. Hannah isn't all rainbows and butterflies, she's sad and broken because that's what losing someone close to you does. But she's not mopey or whiny or whatnot, she's just sad. It's a sadness that's just there; hidden behind the smiles and the laughter and her attempt at normalcy, and its so incredibly real I just wanted to hug her. 

I'll admit Finny Boone took a while to get used to. I thought he was going to be your usual jerk that Hannah inevitably falls in love with but he's not. He's got the bad boy look down pat but he's quiet and he's actually nice despite what everyone thinks. I loved how he and Hannah just fit together, he's not perfect, he's got his own issues but they fit. I like how their relationship wasn't just all fireworks and kissing and while they do have those, they also bonded over long stretches of silence.

As for the murders going around town, it was something else being kept in this state of suspense. I kept trying to guess who the killer was but I couldn't so I ended up just hoping and praying that it wasn't going to be Finny. Anyone but Finny, please. I loved how Yovanoff managed to blend the murder-mystery aspect with Hannah's ghost problem and touch on other subjects while she's at it. And while there a few questions left unanswered, and some loose ends that still remained loose I was all in all satisfied. Very. Satisfied.

For those who are looking for a book that's wonderfully atmospheric with undeniably lyrical prose, check Paper Valentine out. On second though, check out ALL of Brenna Yovanoff's books, they are wonderful.

Rating:

"Novel Nails" is a feature of the blog that showcases nail art inspired by books and their covers. Nail art will be created by either Michelle or Nicole and will be featured alongside their reviews.

It's been so long since our last Novel Nails post hasn't it. Sorry guys but now it's back! And this week's feature is, obviously, Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff. I love this book. I want to hug it, and cuddle with it and sleep with it. Yeah, not creepy at all right? Right.

So anyway, for this feature of Novel Nails I attempted another free hand nail art - sorry I'm a bit rusty - that I hope you guys will like.

The cover's just too pretty. Too. Pretty.

So for the colors I used:

Red: China Glaze Salsa

Black: Orly Liquid Vinyl

White: White acrylic paint 

(it's unbearably hard trying to freehand with white nail polish)

To start it off, I love my thumb, I really do. It was inspired by the vines creeping up the girl's throat. It's going to be so hard for me when I finally have to erase it.

Here's the rest of the manicure, sorry, the focus seems to be on the middle finger which was actually quite a challenge to draw since it's tiny.

Do you see that girl in the center of that heart? I tried copying her onto the heart I drew on my middle finger's nail. I might have gone a little cross eyed for a bit. 

As you can see, two of my nails have snakes and they were inspired by this part of the book cover. Sorry about the blurriness. 

Here they are! All matchy-matchy with the book. I definitely need more practice.

So what do you guys think? Yes? No?

If you want more nail art pics, you can always check out my instagram @nicolereadsbooks. I'll be posting more book related manis soon. I have a whole lot of books lined up.