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January 30, 2013

Review: Othermoon by Nina Berry


Title: Othermoon (Otherkin, #1)
Author: Nina Berry
Publisher: K-Teen
Publication date: January 29, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Paranormal)
Source: Publisher
Format: Physical ARC
Pages: 320
Everyone has secrets. I had no idea mine would lead me into shadow. Dez has found the place where she belongs. With the otherkin. With Caleb. Or so she thought. As the barriers between our world and Othersphere fall, a wall rises between Dez and Caleb, leaving her fiercest enemy her only friend.

And maybe something more.

Now Dez must make a devastating choice: keep the love of her life, or save the otherkin from annihilation.
Othermoon is the second book of the Otherkin trilogy. Dez, the main protagonist, is a shapeshifter. In here, the characters shift into different animals, depending on what group they belong to. One of the major reasons I love this series is because I'm a huge fan of animals, and it's always interesting to read about them in detail. Othermoon starts off exactly where where Otherkin stops. The best thing is that Nina Berry does remind us about what happened in Othermoon, and that's definitely a bonus for people who have a short term memory, like me. The tribunal break into each of the other kin's houses, and take a piece of object. Wanting to figure out why that is. the other kin decide to meet. That's where we get to reunite with the other amazing other kin; London, November, Siku, and Arnaldo. Let's not forget the objurers; Caleb, and his sister, Amaris.
Another thing I really love about this trilogy are the characters! It's not only concentrated in one or two, but the whole group. In this book, we did get to learn more about Arnaldo's family, and Siku, November, and even London. What's also very interesting, was Lazar. The bad boy from the Tribunal. Many shocking things happen, and we also learn so many things about Lazar, that I kind of prefer him more to Caleb now. *sorry* The action in this book is kick butt. Though I do have to admit, sometimes it was a bit too detailed, that I had to skim through it and get to the exciting part. As usual, the writing style is great, Nina berry always making us want to read more and never wanting to put the book down.
Overall, I really did enjoy Otherkin. The characters were absolutely great to read about, there was a new twist to the romance that made it 10x exciting, and the action was totally awesome! I definitely cannot wait to read the third, and final book in the trilogy. For now, I'm most excited to see about where the romance will be headed, because the cliffhanger is killing me. I really do recommend this trilogy to all paranormal readers out there!

January 29, 2013

Review: Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Breaking Point (Article 5, #2)
Title: Breaking Point (Article 5, #2)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication date: February 12, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Dystopian)
Source: Macmillan
Format: Digital ARC
Pages: 400
After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?
Breaking Point is the sequel to the popular dystopian novel Article 5. When I read Article 5, I couldn't help but love the different take Kristen Simmons took for her dystopian world. She was able to combine road trip with dystopian and I loved the developing relationship between Chase and Ember and that they already had a past together. Breaking Point takes us to the hub of the revolutionaries who want to overthrow the current corrupt government. I thought we would get much more action and thrilling scenes in Breaking Point unfortunately we mostly get a whining Ember and a detached Chase. 
It took me a while to warm up to Breaking Point, I was used to the fast momentum and filled action scenes of Article 5 but we take a step back in this novel and concentrate more on Ember, her emotions towards Chase, and her constant internal whining that I honestly couldn't take anymore. I understood Chase's detachment, at least his made sense, and I felt sorry towards him for Ember's indecisiveness towards everything. Moving on from that, we learn more about the ins of the revolutionaries and we meet more characters, some I liked, while others I found to be very suspicious. You get most of the action towards the end of the book and this seems to be a recurrence in many dystopian sequels so I won't dwell on that. 
I always have a soft spots for dystopians so even with all of its flaws I still really enjoyed Breaking Point. I just love the whole government conspiracy that went on in Breaking Point and that we are finally close to fighting the system and that just brings excitement. I can't wait to find out how everything will be resolved and for Ember to finally end her doubts, insecurities, and whining. 

Other books by Kristen Simmons: 
Article 5 (Article 5, #1)


January 28, 2013

Review: Shadowlands by Kate Brian


Title: Shadowlands (Shadowlands, #1)
Author: Kate Brian
Publisher: Hyperion (HBG Canada)
Publication date: January 8, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Mystery)
Source: Publisher
Format: Physical ARC
Pages: 336
Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?
My first reaction after finishing Shadowlands: "AAAAAAHHHH SIHDKJSJDKHAKJ DHJAHDJAHS HDSAJDAH;!!!! How can this happen to me? WHY? OH GOD WHY? WHERE IS THE SECOND BOOK? GIVE ME NOWWWW!" Yes, it was crazy. Now, let me start off by telling you how awesome this book is. Shadowlands has always been a book that was high on my TBR pile. Being a huge fan of mystery novels, I was so excited about it! The book starts off with the main protagonist, Rory, being chased in the woods. Apparently, the chaser turned out to be her school math teacher, who also turned out to be a genius serial killer. *goose bumps* Thankfully, Rory somehow manages to escape from him. After the FBI comes, and identify him as this major serial killer they are hunting for more than ten years, Rory's family is sent to Juniper Landing to go into "hiding".
For me, it's probably the first time reading a book that made me extremely creeped out. I was reading it at home, and everyone was out, and it was dark, and it TOTALLY scared me!! When Rory, her sister Darcy, and her dad drive for 7 hours to reach Juniper Landing, they are welcomed by weird stares from the locals. While reading Shadowlands, there were SO many things that confused the hell out of me. When Rory meets Lauren and Olive, she starts learning more about the "locals". We also meet Joaquin, Bea, Fisher, and the guy who always seems to be staring at Rory, Tristan. (Did I miss anyone?) Rory is usually overshadowed by her sister Darcy, but this time, the local guys and girls seem to have an interest in Rory, and not her sister. That's when conflicts between the two start developing. Now despite the mystery, it was refreshing to read about sister relationships. Anyways, Rory seems to be convinced that there's something fishy about that group. Not only them, but the island itself is a bit weird. 
I can't say much about the book without having a bit of spoilers, so I'm going to stop here. I will say that the characters were very interesting to read about. Kate Brian also did a tremendous job in the mystery of this book. There were also a bit of shockers, like how there's a bit of fantasy in this book when I thought it was completely contemporary. Anyhow, I definitely enjoyed reading Shadowlands, and just thinking about the second book makes me want to jump up and down. The cliffhanger is killing me, which rarely happens. I totally recommend this to all you readers out there, ESPECIALLY if you're a fan of mystery books! You will not be disappointed!

January 27, 2013

Review: Uses For Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Uses for Boys
Title: Uses For Boys
Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: January 15th, 2013
Source: NetGalley
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer.
Don't judge a book by its cover... or synopsis. That was the lesson learnt in reading Uses For Boys. Are you expecting a short and cute contemporary? well I must warn you, this book is not for you. What started off as an innocent girl who never fit in anywhere, soon dramatically escalated into a girl jumping from one boy to another in a disturbing pace. Uses For Boys, in my opinion, is mislabeled. I do know some people who would appreciate the underlying point the author wanted to make through this book, I know I got it, but it was an uncomfortable experience, especially knowing that young teens might pick this up and read it. 
The writing of this novel is different. It isn't really told from any POVs, first, second, or third, and there is barely any dialogue, which I usually find annoying, but I actually enjoyed here. The writing style of Scheidt is different and unique and I found myself immersed in it and flipping the pages at a fast rate.. then we get to the disturbing over explicit scenes. I do not know why these scenes were needed, what point they were trying to make, reinforce the plot? I honestly wished these scenes were omitted. Also, throughout most of the novel there is this very discomforting feeling towards Anna and her daddy issues. I was also enraged at her mother's behavior; maybe because I could never imagine my mother being anything but selfless towards her children, I couldn't stand her mother's lack of interest towards her only child. 
Even with all of that, my confused feelings towards the book, I still wanted to continue reading it to find out what happens in the end. Anna does mature and grow up towards the end of the novel, salvage whatever was left of her daughter-mother relationship, and finally accept herself for who she is and become confident in her independence and her not needing a guy to define her. I give Scheidt points for keeping me interested through it all. I would recommend it to mature teens and ones who want to read something different. 

January 25, 2013

Review: How To Get Over Your Ex by Nikki Logan


Title: How To Get Over Your Ex 
Author: Nikki Logan
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication date: January 22, 2013
Genre(s): Chick Lit
Source: NetGalley
Format: Egalley
Pages: 224
fter her on-air proposal is turned down by her commitment-phobe boyfriend, Georgia Stone must learn to survive singledom. Unfortunately, thanks to a clause in her contract, she has to do it under the watchful gaze of brooding radio producer Zander Rush. And so begins the Year of Georgia! Lurching from salsa classes to spy school, Georgia discovers a taste for adventure. Her biggest thrill so far? Flirting with danger-aka the enigmatic Zander. But admitting she's ready for more than just a fling...? Definitely Georgia's scariest challenge yet!
How To Get Over your Ex was the perfect book to take me out of my reading slump and at the same time remind me why I read so much Chick Lits back in the day and why I loved it s much. I know many people think chick lit books all have the same old story and happy ending but you know what? if it keeps me engaged, entertained, and happy then why not? The saying "if it isn't broken, then why fix it?" suits this situation. 
The story begins straightaway with the main protagonist proposing to her boyfriend of one year... on LIVE RADIO, and guess what? He rejects her on LIVE RADIO. Georgia is so embarrassed she runs off to the elevator but someone goes in with her, and instead of ogling and giving her pitiful looks, he actually shields her from other people's pathetic need to indulge in people's embarrassment. He hustles her out of the parking lot so she won't face the people in the reception and gets in his porsche and drives away. Now why couldn't she have a caring man like that? one who wouldn't have embarrassed her on live radio or at least rejected her in private? the man turns out to be Zander, the boss of EROS radio. He is the person behind this valentine's promotion of "giving a little push to the one you love". And I was so glad that we see a lot more of him after this encounter 
Georgia's life turns upside down. Somehow all of London has heard of her story, even tracked her boyfriend, and started taking sides. Another problem is that her boyfriend works in the same place where she does and somehow she ended up left friendless because they all sided with him. Now, because Georgia signed a contract for an all expense paid wedding, and since there is no wedding Zander created a "The year of Georgia" where she could do whatever she wanted with fifty thousand pounds for one year. This is when Georgia and Zander start getting close together. I loved how their relationship progressed and how each of them needed this year to get over an event rom their past to move on. The activities Georgia did were fun and I loved their initial denial towards each other and how closed off and misunderstood Zander was. I especially loved how Georgia was a scientist with a good job and enough money to be independent. 
How To Get Over Your Ex was such a relaxing and entertaining read. I think Nikki Logan is a great writer and she has restored my love for Chick Lits. I wished it was longer but its only around 200 pages. It kept me from my studies and reminded me that the chick lit genre is a non-YAgenre that I need to start reading from more often. 

January 23, 2013

Review: Return To Me by Justina Chen Headley

Return to Me

Title: Return To Me
Author: Justina Chen Headley
Publisher: HBG Canada
Publication date: January 15, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Paranormal)
Source: NetGalley
Format: Digital ARC
Pages: 352
Nothing is going as planned for Rebecca Muir. She's weeks away from starting college--at a school chosen specifically to put a few thousand miles of freedom between Reb and her parents. But her dad's last-minute job opportunity has her entire family moving all those miles with her! And then there's the matter of her unexpected, amazing boyfriend, Jackson, who is staying behind on the exact opposite coast.
And if that isn't enough to deal with, mere days after moving cross-country, Reb's dad drops shocking, life-changing news. With her mother and brother overwhelmed and confused, Reb is left alone to pick up the pieces of her former life. But how can she do that when everything can change in an instant? How can she trust her "perfect" boyfriend when her own dad let her down? Reb started the year knowing exactly what her future would hold, but now that her world has turned upside down, will she discover what she really wants?
Justina Chen Headley wrote a very dear novel to my heart, North of Beautiful. I found her writing to be powerful and her characters and plot to portray the lives that many people nowadays go through, so when I found out she had a new novel, I immediately picked it up. However, Return To Me, even with its soul-searching and signature writing of Headley, did not impress me and in the end I passed it as a good, but not great read. 
Rebecca Muir's life comes crashing down when she discovers something about her father and ends up doubting every single person in her life, especially her boyfriend. In the beginning, I found Rebecca's attitude towards her mother, sneering and condescending, to be a bit of a turn off to the novel. My mother and I are very close and I acknowledge all of her sacrifices for me, so I didn't understand how Rebecca could only look at her mother's need to be organized and in control as something to snicker about with her father. Something else that I found out of place was the paranormal aspect of this novel. I am not a big fan of when contemporary novels have a hint of paranormal to it, and Return To Me had that. I found myself disregarding anything paranormal in the novel and just focused on Rebecca's relationships with everyone around her and how she is dealing with the drastic change in her life, something Headley is good at conveying to the readers. 
I did enjoy Return To Me but I would have enjoyed it so much if the author focused on the contemporary part of the novel. I just didn't know where to direct my attention towards, plus I'm not that big of a paranormal fan and I entered reading Return To Me thinking it will be the same emotional ride that I took with North of Beautiful, a novel that I recommend to everyone to read. As for Return To Me, I recommend it to fans who like a mix of genres in their novels as well as a down to earth novel that centers around family, relationships, and emotions surrounding them all. 
 
Books by Justina Chen Headley: 
North of Beautiful

January 21, 2013

Review: The 13th Sign by Kristin O'Donnel Tubb

The 13th Sign
Title: The 13th Sign
Author: Krisin O'Donnel Tubb
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: January 8th, 2013
Genre(s): Middle Grade (Fantasy/Adventure)
Source: Macmillan
Format: Digital ARC
Pages: 352
What if there was a 13th zodiac sign?

You’re no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign.

Your personality has changed. So has your mom’s and your best friend’s.

What about the rest of the world?

What if you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this world-altering change—and infuriating the other 12 signs?

Jalen did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send the signs back where they belong. Lives, including her own, depend on it.
I started reading The 13th Sign thinking it is a young adult novel, however soon enough I found out it was a middle grade novel. I don't read much Middle Grade novels but I continued reading The 13th Sign because the synopsis sounding interesting, plus I am a sagittarius, just like the protagonist. Jalen somehow unlocks the 13th sign, Ophiuchus, and as a consequence, the personalities of everyone in the world shift depending on their new star sign. Logical, fair judges turn into emotional ones, diplomatic and rational presidents turn into hotheads and declare war; basically the whole world is crumbling and the only way it could be saved is if Jalen defeats all 12 signs and meets with Ophiuchus within 24 hours. 
Thus, Jalen, along with her best friend and her best friend's brother, embark on this journey. The whole book passes by with Jalen fighting each zodiac and defeating him or her using her judgement of the star sign itself with the help of the Zodiac book she unlocked. In all honesty I found it a bit repetitive, different zodiac sign but same fight, and same result in the end, her winning. I know that is how it is supposed to go but I felt that is too simplistic, which is why I tend to not read Middle Grade books often. I didn't get much depth from the characters and I just hoped there was a bit more complexity in the end solution and some sort of shocking ending. 
I do understand that this is a middle grade book and I would only recommend it to middle grade readers, because while I did enjoy this book, it isn't one I would recommend to strict YA readers. If Tubb ever writes a YA novel, I would definitely be interested in reading it because she is a great author.