Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa
Published July 2nd 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Source: ARC from the publisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads syynopsis: When is a game not a game?
Tyler MacCandless can’t focus, even when he takes his medication. He can’t focus on school, on his future, on a book, on much of anything other than taking care of his older brother, Brandon, who’s in rehab for heroin abuse… again.
Tyler’s dad is dead and his mom has mentally checked out. The only person he can really count on is his Civilian Air Patrol Mentor, Rick. The one thing in life it seems he doesn’t suck at is playing video games and, well, thats probably not going to get him into college.
Just when it seems like his future is on a collision course with a life sentence at McDonald’s, Rick asks him to test a video game. If his score’s high enough, it could earn him a place in flight school and win him the future he was certain that he could never have. And when he falls in love with the game’s designer, the legendary gamer Ani, Tyler thinks his life might finally be turning around.
That is, until Brandon goes MIA from rehab and Tyler and Ani discover that the game is more than it seems. Now Tyler will have to figure out what’s really going on in time to save his brother… and prevent his own future from going down in flames.

I've read three gaming-related novels within a month (Ender's Game, Playing Tyler and Ready Player One) and may have accidentally spoiled Playing Tyler to myself by reading it immediately after Ender's Game. Ah, well.

One reviewer described Playing Tyler as "Ready Player One meets Ender's Game", and I can somewhat agree with that. Truth be told, Playing Tyler doesn't have the fascinating writing and characterization of Ender's Game or the geeky kick I got out of Ready Player One. Playing Tyler is more reality-bound, and the game Tyler plays is more of a trigger for the moral issues laying in the core of Costa's novel.

Tyler is rather anti-social teenager with ADHD to whom the world of video games makes more sense than real life. It's also an escape from a messed-up situation at home. Costa uses a specific way of writing (no commas or periods, run-on and broken sentences) to illustrate Tyler's way of thinking. I warmed up to Tyler instantly, so much so that I decided to forgive him committing the deadly sin of YA: a bad case of insta-love.

Costa does something ...interesting, and I don't know how to approach it without spoiling something in the plot for you. In the broadest of terms, both Tyler and Ani are participating in something that gets real people killed, and both of them are living with the consequences and 9/11 and its aftermath. It makes them rather conflicted characters, yet I don't know how I feel about it. There was too little meat to it and I failed to see some stance, some solid opinion. Maybe Costa was afraid of burdening a YA novel with politics? Don't know.

In the bottom line, I was slightly disappointed because I entered the book with very high expectations. Nonetheless, it grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge for most of the time. Give it a shot.

Blog Tour: An Endless Summer by CJ Duggan

Welcome to my stop on the An Endless Summer blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

An Endless Summer (Summer #2)

by C.J. Duggan

Release Date: 07/17/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his  expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study. “Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.” I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.” A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”

After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:

Boarding School.

Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past. How had her dad let it come to this? With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.

In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy.

The Boys of Summer is on sale this week only for $.99!  Get your copy now!

MY REVIEW:
Sean Murphy, ladies. I couldn't get enough of him in the first book. If I had to give you one reason to read An Endless Summer, this hot guy would be it.
There's also everyone's little Amy, now a young woman, and she is determined to restore the Onslow Hotel to it's former glory. I completely sympathized with Amy's frustration watching Onslow going to waste because I enjoyed the energy of the place in the first book. The destiny of the hotel kept me intrigued till the very end.
And so did the developing romance between Amy and Sean. It made for quite a few laughs and heartaches. There's chemistry from page one and some history from four years ago, so I couldn't wait to see them together. I also tremendously enjoyed their constant banter. Two explosive characters as Sean and Amy, you bet there's some hilarious and sizzling situations.

 Just like The Boys of Summer, An Endless Summer was romantic and cute.The Boys of Summer was walking the thin line between YA and NA, which was why I had some mixed feelings about it; some characters appeared too young, while being placed in more mature situation. An Endless Summer is fully a NA novel, for which I could connect to the characters more easily than in The Boys of Summer.
CJ Duggan's Summer series is not to be missed if you're looking for a sweet summery romance and characters that you'll want to have as close friends in real life too.

About the Author

C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.
Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

1 Signed paperback copy of either The Boys of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT) and 5 ebook copies of The Boys of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT).

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Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: PODs by Michelle Pickett

Hello, darlings! Welcome to my spot in the PODs blog tour. Many thanks to Spencer Hill Press for the invitation and sending me the ARC for review. They have also prepared an awesome giveaway for you!

PODs

by

Michelle Pickett

Publication Date: June 4, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.
After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.
Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure. 

 Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

My review:

I read PODs in less than 12 hours (partly because it was good and I didn't want to stop reading, but also because I received the ARC yesterday morning, half freaked-out that I wouldn't manage to read it before my blog tour stop.)
PODs had me by the throat within the first few pages. The virus is spreading; a lucky few are selected to be put in secure underground chambers and wait for a year for the virus (and all hosts) to die. Eva is one of them. She has to say goodbye to everyone she loves, knowing that they would be obliterated by the mysterious virus. I was going through that part with a lump in my throat. Michelle Pickett made me feel all the sadness and fear that Eva experiences. There is an overwhelming atmosphere of loss for the greatest part of the book as we also get to meet Eva's POD roommates and hear their sad stories.
I loved most of the characters and their interactions. They were all young people holding on to what little hope is left for a normal life once they're out of the PODs. There was some laughing, some crying, developing romances, great friendships. All the time the danger is still there, as well as the horror of the government dealing with even a slightest possibility of the virus within the PODs.
There is more action once they resurface and find out that there is a new danger lurking in the aftermath of the virus. Eva and David are faced with tough choices, not to mention the zombie-like mutants.
I enjoyed that part just as much, though I felt that some scenes were repetitive; Eva insisting that she is able to fight, David insisting that she shouldn't. Too many hot moments interrupted, and ending in the same conversation. I would have also liked some more details on the world outside the POD or the 'safe' villages established for survivors.

Overall, I liked PODs. It has the right amount of terror, action, romance, and heartbreak, great characters. Recommended to fans of Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick.

Meet the Author:

I'm a wife, mother, author, reader, although not always in that order. I've been an avid reader since a young child. I began writing for personal enjoyment in college, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting. Why I chose a degree that didn't encourage creativity is a mystery to me.
I'm addicted to Reese's peanut butter cups and eat way too many while I write. I have a weird obsession with hoodies and can't write without wearing one. I hate to cook, but love to watch cooking shows.
I'm an unabashed romantic and love swoon-worthy happy endings that give me butterflies for days.
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, I now reside in a small community outside Houston, Texas with my incredibly supportive, not to mention gorgeous, husband, three amazing school-aged children, a 125-pound lap dog, and a cat that thinks she's queen.
I write adult and young adult Sci/Fi, urban fantasy and paranormal romances.
I love to hear from readers and other authors, so drop me a note and say "Hi!"

website | Twitter | Facebook

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Adult Review: Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu

Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu
Published December 4th 2012 by Wild Child Publishing
Source: review copy from the author
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

I accepted this book for review based on its promising synopsis; a ghost story that spans five centuries is not something I wanted to pass on. It was nice, the way the past was connected to the present was interesting, tapping into reincarnation and curses. Intrigued?

Still, I had a major problem with the characters. Genevieve wasn't that bad since we get to see enough of her difficult childhood, but Anne and Neil (our contemporaries) I found very bland and uninteresting. The dialogues were stiff an unnatural. One thing I particularly disliked was Neil's reasoning behind cheating on Anne. The poor thing has absolutely no idea how it happened that he got in bed with Anne's (former) best friend. Poor poor guy. I wasn't convinced. Sure, people make mistakes, I could see why Anne was willing to forgive him. But that explanation was laughable.

Overall, with more blood and flesh to the characters I would have enjoyed it more, but I liked the mystery surrounding the remnants of the covenant and the resolution to a tragic love story from five hundred years ago. Shadows of the Past is an adult novel, but very innocent when it comes to romantic situations.

YA Review: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Published January 26th 2010 by Dial (first published January 1st 2007)
Source: library
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: A thrilling, high-concept fantasy for fans of Garth Nix and Nancy Farmer. 
Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.
And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

Incarceron had me at hello with it's opening and good writing style, and it only got better as we got to know each other closer. I am impressed with the wordbuilding and detailed descriptions of the holographic reality. Claudia is a good character that I didn't have troubles connecting to, and more than anything I needed to know more about Incarceron, the perfect prison.

That said, I have a fair share of problems with this book. Characters other than Claudia are rather uninteresting, even Finn, whom I expected to have a bit more blood. Despite my initial enthusiasm, this book turned out to be quite predictable. The political "intrigue" is a common one, and the greatest mystery of all turned out to be a no brainer at all if you've seen Men In Black. I was hoping it wouldn't be that obvious, but eh, I was disappointed.

These problems aside, Incarceron still managed to pack a few punches and keep me intrigued. It is a suspenseful read and its excellent steampunkish setting is why I'm looking forward to reading Sapphique.

YA Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
Published March 5, 2013 by Tor Teen
Source: publisher via NetGalley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.
Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.
Then Eli’s dream comes true.
Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

There are several reasons why I was drawn to this book. First, look at that gorgeous cover. Second, the summary that reminded me of Hex Hall, which I enjoyed a lot. And last-and most important- how often do you see nightmares featured in YA paranormal lit? That's right, never. Million coolness points for originality in that department.

I clearly remember when my granny told me about the folk tale that, if you sleep on your back and leave the window open, the Nightmare comes to sit on your chest and suffocates you. Creepy much? I don't remember having nightmares until after she told me that...but I digress. I assumed that the Nightmare in this book would have at least some of the creepiness of the folk tales. I did like Dusty for her sarcasm and imperfections, but I was largely underwhelmed by the paranormal aspect of it. I found the whole story to be rather predictable and unexciting. The appearance of a certain mythical persona was a nice touch...but sadly, too little too late.

Another problem I had were the characters. Dusty and her mother aside, they lacked depth and dynamics. I appreciated that the focus was not on the romance. There was a budding love triangle, none of it that I really felt due to the above mentioned lacking character development.

Now, before you assume I didn't like this book, let me say that I did. It was great entertainment for a rainy evening and I never felt the urge to pick up something else or stop reading altogether. It's just that many things were too flat to make this book stand out or to make it memorable. If you're looking for an easy and quick read, The Nightmare Affair is definitely a book you should check out.

Blog Tour Review: Writing Scary Scenes by Rayne Hall

Non Fiction - Writing Craft

Title: Writing Scary Scenese

Author: Rayne Hall

Date Published: 7/06/12

Are your frightening scenes scary enough? Learn practical tricks to turn up the suspense. Make your readers' hearts hammer with suspense, their breaths quicken with excitement, and their skins tingle with goosebumps of delicious fright. 

This book contains practical suggestions how to structure a scary scene, increase the suspense, make the climax more terrifying, make the reader feel the character's fear. It includes techniques for manipulating the readers' subconscious and creating powerful emotional effects. 

Use this book to write a new scene, or to add tension and excitement to a draft.

You will learn tricks of the trade for "black moment" and "climax" scenes, describing monsters and villains, writing harrowing captivity sections and breathtaking escapes, as well as how to make sure that your hero doesn't come across as a wimp... and much more.

This book is recommended for writers of all genres, especially thriller, horror, paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Review: Winning The City by Theodore Weesner

Winning the City Redux by Theodore Weesner
Published March 1st 2013 by Astor + Blue Editions LLC (first published July 17th 2012)
Source: review copy for blog tour

Goodreads summary: It’s Detroit, 1961. Fifteen-year-old Dale Wheeler, the son of an unemployed, alcoholic autoworker, has big dreams of leading his team to the City Basketball Championship. But his dream is shattered when Dale, the co-captain and top point guard, is cut from the team to make way for the son of a big-money team sponsor. His life in a tailspin, Dale finds a helping hand in Miss Furbish, the beautiful homeroom teacher whose well-meaning kindness gradually builds into a potentially dangerous passion. And in his lowest times, Dale gets a final shot at his dream with a hardscrabble team of street-ballers that may have what it takes to win the City Championship. Winning the City Redux is now reimagined for a new generation of readers to discover. A perfect follow-on to Weesner’s classic hit The Car Thief, Redux entertains as it examines new dimensions of classism, corruption, youth angst, and dangerous passion.

My review:
Winning the City completely succeeds in capturing what's most important to me in YA novels-that coming of age moment. Finding yourself and your spot in the world. Facing and getting over issues (successfully or not). Overcoming old habits and grudges and turning another direction. I loved Dale, the main character, because he embodies everything mentioned before. Weesner implements raw emotion, true heartbreak and rendering disappointment, and provides Dale with one of the most genuine voices I have had the pleasure of reading.

I stumbled over the dialogues, though, in particular the conversations between Miss Furbish and Dale. Over the course of the novel, they lead the same conversation several times coming out of it none the wiser. It might be partly due to Dale's adolescence and confusion, but Furbish sent mixed signals from her side that I wouldn't normally expect from a middle-aged teacher. The repetitiveness made the middle sag heavily.

I liked this book, its urban feel, the exhilaration of a good game, the sincerity. The book reads like a modern classic, and if you prefer coming of age tales with a literary touch, try Winning The City.

Review: In The After by Ashley Mackler Paternostro

Goodreads

In The After by Ashley Mackler-Paternostro
Published October 16th, 2012
Source: from the author for review
Goodreads | Amazon 
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary: There is a reason fairy tales end when they do ... because happily ever after is just the beginning of real life.
Once upon a time in the quaint, forgotten coastal town of Joyce, Washington Emmy Burns existed in the middle of an inconsequential life that resembled a small-town fairy tale; days filled with caring for her daughter Avery, running her small but thriving pottery store, married to the only man she had ever loved.  But all of that changed when the fog rolled out one beautiful morning, leaving emptiness where Emmy had stood only the day before. She had seemingly and without a sound vanished into the thick misty air of the Pacific Northwest, taking with her a lifetime of secrets.
In the aftermath Stephen Burns is content telling the police his wife must have simply chosen to walk away from him and their daughter.  But Sidney Ruth, Emmy's closest friend, knows the truth. Sidney is the one person who had watched as the vines grew around the dark forest that was the Burn's marriage trapping Emmy inside and keeping everyone who loved her out.
Years of abuse has to lead to this moment.  As the days unfurl so do the secrets Emmy kept walled away, leaving the people of Joyce wondering: What really happened to Emmy Burns in her happily ever after?

My review:

Ashley Mackler-Paternostro paints a painfully accurate portrait of a domestic violence victim whose own prince turned out to be something different from what she envisioned. From one moment to the next, Emmy is gone without a trace, and her life-long best friend Sidney, knowing what was going on behind the closed doors of Emmy's home, cannot accept the fact that Emmy would simply walk away and leave her daughter behind. A race with time begins to prove that something happened to Emmy, something horrible, but everyone continues to turn a blind eye, even the police.

Books about domestic abuse are never easy reads. When I started this novel, I didn't really know how harrowing it would become. I was hooked by the premise that promised a lot of mystery and heartbreak, and the dark side of a fairy tale gone wrong. Nevertheless, something in the execution fell short of capturing me emotionally. It took me a while to become invested in the story, mostly due to the character of Sidney. While Emmy grew to become a person I love, Sidney was a tough nut. I was put off by her tendency to engage in long monologues that broke the otherwise smooth and easy-flowing narrative. The length she goes to help her friend is admirable, but as a person, I just couldn't connect with her.

Though the emotional pay-off came a bit late, I found myself reading the rest through a veil of tears. It is hard not to, seeing that Emmy is a woman who sacrificed her own well-being in favor of her daughter. I can't imagine any mother staying cool at that. There's a twist too, though I'm fairly certain that you've seen this sort of twist in TV dramas. Still, it comes as a surprise, and the closure is, if tough for all parties involved, a very satisfying one.

All things considered, this is a well-written and powerful family drama, and my complaints are completely based on personal biases. So please do consider giving this book a chance.

Review: Ghostwriter by Lissa Bryan

Goodreads

Ghostwriter by Lissa Bryan
Published October 11, 2012 by The Writer's Coffee Shop
Source: publisher via NetGalley
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary: After being laid off from the newspaper where she worked as a journalist, and losing her boyfriend in rapid succession, Sara Howell is looking to downsize before her dwindling savings run out. Things are finally starting to look up when she lands a job ghostwriting the biography of a popular politician and rents an isolated island house which turns out to have once been the home of her favorite author, Seth Fortner, who mysteriously disappeared in 1925.
But when strange things start happening, as objects break, or go missing, and terrifying visions appear, Sara begins to wonder if Seth ever left, or if she is losing her mind.
What happened to Seth is a secret closely guarded by the family to this day, a family that seems to exist under a terrible curse. Through an old trunk of letters she discovers in the attic, Sara unravels the mystery and becomes caught up in a tale of greed, lost love and the horrors of WWI.
When Sara realizes she is not going crazy and that Seth Fortner’s spirit still haunts her new home on the isolated island, she begins to draw him out of his shell bit by bit. She will discover what happened to the idealistic young writer who went to the battlefields of France to save lives, and to his beautiful bride to destroy the love between them, and what led Seth to make a terrible choice which would have consequences
that would echo for generations.
They gradually fall in love in their world of dreams, dreams which swiftly become more attractive than reality, as Sara learns from a ghost how to truly live. Will she be the one to break the “Fortner Curse” by helping Seth conquer his demons, and heal both of their hearts in the process?

My review: 
To be completely fair, there were parts of this book that deserved more than 3 stars, but looking at the complete book, and the few bumps on the road, 3 stars seem like a fitting rating.

Ghostwriter starts out rather slow as we get to know Sara in midst of the mess that her life has become: she's unemployed, she broke up with her boyfriend, is on bad terms with her mother and struggling to ghostwrite a biography of a rather dull politician. She accepts the offer to cheaply rent a cabin on an isolated island, only to find out that it was the previous home of her favorite author who died under mysterious circumstances a century ago.

Even though the pace remains slow throughout the novel, this is where things start to get more interesting. I loved the atmosphere of the island, a true heaven for a loner and writer like Sara. Sara finally comes to life and we get to see the real her, not the monotonously grey character that she was in the beginning. The introduction of Seth happens slowly, and gave me goosebumps more than once. He provided me with some of my favorite moments of this book, especially when the final third rolls around.

The final part felt like reading a completely different book, and it's a great pay-off for the slow and long build-up. I was mesmerized not only with the sweet romance, but also the entire ghost background that Lissa Bryan creates. The grand finale was a whirlwind of emotions, a beautiful tale of love between soulmates, and a story that I wanted to be a part of for at least a little bit longer.

It's hard to pinpoint why the beginning didn't really work for me. Maybe because Sara is not an exceptionally interesting character? The slow pacing? The not-so-memorable writing? Need for a more tight prose? Whatever it is, I am grateful for the big twist that made the story not only take a turn for the better, but also stick with me for days after I finished reading this book.

Review: Wanted: Dead or Undead by Angela Scott

Goodreads

WANTED: Dead or Undead by Angela Scott
Paperback: 225 pages
Published March 30 2012 by Evolved Publishing
Source: won a copy in giveaway hosted by the author
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: Trace Monroe doesn’t believe in luck. He never has. But when a fiery-headed cowgirl saunters through the saloon doors, wielding shotguns and a know-how for killing the living dead, he believes he just may be the luckiest man alive. Trace wants to join "Red’s" posse, but she prefers to work alone—less messy that way.
In order to become her traveling companion, Trace has to agree to her terms: no names, no questions, and if he gets bit, he can’t beg for mercy when she severs his brain stem. He agrees, knowing only that Red is the sharpest shooter he’s ever encountered. The fact she’s stunning hasn’t escaped his attention either.
What he doesn’t know, is that Red has a very good reason to be on top of her game. She not only has the answer for how they can all outlive the plague taking over the wild, wild west, she is the answer.

How can you not be curious about a book that combines zombies and western? Both are quite out of my comfort zone; I haven't read too many zombie books, and I definitely can't remember if I've ever read a western, but blend these two and it sounds like a deliciously twisted story that I enjoyed more than my reading habits would have led me to believe. Angela Scott has done a nice job bringing these two together to create an entertaining and enjoyable read.

Wanted: Dead or Undead is a zombie story with lots of gore and bites and dissected limbs, set against the backdrop of saloons, poker, horses and revolvers. Our main character, Red/Elisabeth is fierce in fight, a master gunslinger, a loner with a horrible past, a girl who doesn't trust anyone (with good reason). In the course of the novel, she will find out that one can't survive a zombie plague alone, and eventually shares her secrets with Trace, who himself has ulterior motives to stay in her vicinity.

Parts of this novel were completely horrifying, while others made me laugh out loud. It's interesting that both are down to Red and her conduct with the zombies and Trace. The ending (and the preview of the sequel) made me shiver.There's a promise of an even more blood-curling course of events and I'm at the same time anxious and afraid of what happens next.

If you're new to either of these two genres, this book is a nice introduction to both. It's a fun and quick read (I finished it in two days) and it has enough horror, humor and romance to satisfy even the pickiest reader. It's a little slower in pace than I prefer. Still I found myself turning the pages feverishly to find out what terrifying surprise awaits behind the corner.

Many thanks to Angela for sending me a signed copy of her book! I've a been a long-time follower of Angela's blog. It's a great feeling holding a finished copy in my hands having witnessed its road to publication and Angela's hard work and determination!

Review: The Beach Holiday by Anita Hughes

Goodreads

The Beach Holiday by Anita Hughes
Paperback, 302 pages
Published: July 19th 2012 by Ebury Press
My rating: 3/5

Goodreads Summary: Have you ever wanted to escape?
When Amanda finds her French husband wrapped around his sous-chef, her perfect life comes crashing down. Worse, Andre seems to think she should just accept his infidelity and carry on as normal for the sake of their young son, Max. Devastated by his betrayal, Amanda accepts her mother's offer of an holiday and runs away with Max to an exclusive resort in Laguna Beach. The St. Regis Hotel is heaven on earth and Max is having the time of his life. But while Amanda knows she should be using the time to think about what she wants, her life gets more complicated by a meeting with a handsome older man...

When you look at that pretty cover and read the synopsis, you pretty much know what to expect-a quick and easy, more or less entertaining beach read. While I did have some slight problems with it, overall, it was fine.

The Holiday Beach follows the maxim "what you see is what you get". The synopsis promises some drama, some romance and some high life, and it's all there. Amanda Blick finds her French husband wrapped around his female staff. She's devastated, having given up her dreams and invested ten years into being a support to her ambitious and charming husband and raising her son. Amanda's mother convinces her to join her in on her vacation in the St. Regis in Laguna Beach where it's all about luxury, Bentleys, room service, designer clothes and-you guess-a new man.

Amanda is a great mother. That's the one thing I can say about her. Maybe the life of this woman is too far removed from the sort of life I live. If one of the first things that the man who proposes your hand tells you that adultery is a normal part of life where he comes from, would you still marry him and be shell-shocked when he follows up on his word? Amanda is bounced around like a ping-pong ball, taking instructions from her friend, her mother, she is even guided-coerced-into the new relationship. The one thing she's adamant about is getting a divorce form her husband, and eventually she makes a big decision that I desperately wanted to see earlier. I was actually yelling, "You go girl!"

I am never impressed with brands and luxury, not in real life, not in books. Hughes doesn't overdo it; labels are inserted strategically, like small reminders that Amanda does belong to the créme de la créme of the society.

And then, the thing with Edward...ah, I don't know, I found him quite pushy from the beginning. Not my favorite character in the book. But I did love Stephanie very much for making me laugh out loud several times and for being so supportive when she was not a character to expect it from in the beginning.

I read this book in one afternoon. I don't really know what else to say about it; it's take it or leave it. The Beach Holiday is definitely not a miss, but I've read better.

Many thanks to Ebury Press for sending me a review copy!

Find the author online:
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Review: One Moment by Kristina McBride

Goodreads

Kindle Edition, 272 pages
Expected publication: June 26th 2012 by EgmontUSA

Source: NetGalley

My rating: 3/5



Goodreads Summary: This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it’s the one she’d do anything to forget.
Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below—dead?
As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

The latest novel from the author of The Tension of Opposites, One Moment is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.




My Review:

I was in the mood for some contemporary YA and having seen One Moment around the blogosphere I requested it from NetGalley. One Moment is what you expect it to be-a sad story of teenage love and premature loss, but I'm not sure it worked that well for me as did, for example, Before I Fall or If I Stay (both of which deal with similar issues and which I adored).

The thing that moved me most didn't have anything to do with Maggie or even Joey's death. Maggie was not one to easy relate to. She tells about her pain and sadness, but I didn't feel it. Joey...well, it's someone you'd hate at the end of the book, and not particularly like even when you don't know what happened. (Hm. Yes, that sounds vague, but I don't want to spoil anything). What really got to me was Adam. The emotions were running high whenever he was in the scene. Desperately trying to be there for Maggie, but torn inside and harboring a secret that could shatter Maggie's world. Whenever he cried, I was at the verge of tears too.

One of the main complaints I've read about this book was that it's predictable. It sure is. You can guess early on in the book what the big secret is. Frankly, I was surprised that Maggie didn't see it. But my conclusion, after I finished the book, was that maybe that wasn't the author's intention. Maybe it wasn't about big shockers, but rather about coping with things like...that (avoiding spoilers here). Do you hold on to the memory of someone you knew and loved and chose to ignore the bad? Can you ever really get to know someone completely? Are there things that, though they are plain in front of your nose, you'd rather not see?

One Moment wasn't a life-changing read, and for the most part it didn't really touch me, but it has some strong points, nice writing and some heartbreak. For me, it's somewhere in the middle; I wasn't crazy about it, but I'm glad to have read it.

Review: The Iron Quill by Shelena Shorts

Goodreads

Paperback: 293 pages
Published: August 1 2011 by Lands Atlantic Publishing, LLC
Source: author
My rating: 3/5

Goodreads Summary: With Weston's self-imposed forty-eight hour deadline having already lapsed, Sophie's patience is pushed to the max—especially with her realization that his concern is not for his own well-being, but for hers. Just when they embrace a reconnection, she'll learn that her greatest threat is not necessarily something that might happen in the future, but something that’s happening… right now. And this time, Sophie and Wes will need the help of more than one person to fix it—even if it means giving up his secret.With time forever moving, and the dark cloud at its lowest, the third book in the Pace Series stays true to its signature grace and determination as Sophie and Weston take the biggest detour so far.

I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed with the third book in The Pace series. Despite the fact that there is much more going on in terms of plot, somehow it didn't grab me as the The Pace and The Broken Lake did. I couldn't feel the suspense and never actually worried about what's at stake, even though the stakes are pretty high in Pace #3. There was something enticing about the first two books that this installment lacked, so much that for the first half of the book I would read a few pages a the time, then move on to something else. Too much waiting, so much build up. Things became more interesting after that first half, but even then, I can't say it was a page turner.

Now to the positive: One of the things that distinguishes this YA novel from many others is that A) you know how there's always the fear that someone will find out about the paranormal abilities of our heroes? Say, the government? But never do? And it drives me crazy sometimes that it's so easy to avoid it when in fact someone was bound to know something. Almost as if an author is afraid to go into that territory. Here you have the opposite.

*screaming spoiler*

Military abduction and facilities conducting dubious experiments and attempt assassins of unwanted witnesses.
and
B) I like novels where the parents aren't conveniently away (dead, missing, absent every single day etc.)  or completely unaware of what their kids are going through. The mother here is very much present and involved. I mean...yes, I was a teenager not so long ago and kept many things to myself. But no, I don't think that, now being a mother, I wouldn't know something was terribly wrong in my kid's life and god help me if I wouldn't pry it out of him by hook or crook.

More than the previous books in the series, this one reminded me most of Twilight. Shelena listed Stephenie Meyer as one of her favorites, and it shows, so Twilight fans will be delighted with this series. I'm not too crazy about the Twilight echoes in any book. But if you ask me, Shelena can tell a better story, is a better writer and creates better characters.

This is the third book in the series, and the final book, The Hour of Dreams, is coming this year (no set date). Considering the events in The Iron Quill, Shelena will have some tough decisions to make regarding her characters' fate.

Review: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers

Source: NetGalley
Published: April 3rd 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
My rating: 3/5

Author Website | Twitter | Facebook

Summary: 

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

This book falls into the category 'Oh, I so wanted to like this one more than I did'... Grave Mercy was refreshing, to start with. I mean, a convent of nuns that trains their novices to become assassins? If that doesn't scream action-packed mystery, what does? The first-person present tense narrative sucked me in immediately. It starts out great, with Ismae escaping the arranged marriage to a brutal pig farmer to be taken to the convent and to find out that she was sired by Mortain, the god of death. In fact, I loved everything about the first act: Ismae as the main character, frail and vulnerable, but will-strong and refusing to be the victim; the beginning that promised a great action; the writing, compelling and edgy.

Possibly mild spoilers ahead:

But after that, when Ismae is assigned her first mission, I lost interest. I was able to tell who the rat was early on, so the greatest part of the book made me hmpf and umpf in irritation about the court intrigues. What they did around the court at times felt like flogging a dead horse. Even the nuns disappointed me, so did Gavriel Duval and Ismae. I didn't feel the romance, mostly because Ismae is quite cold and detached to the very end. Of the poison-mistress, by the end all we are left with is the mistress. What she shows at the court is a far cry from what we know she is capable of. I loved the authors opinion of the convent, and how Ismae decided to part ways with them. It came as a relief.
After the blind obedience, Ismae accepts that what the convent demands may not be what the god really wants done.

The ending was rushed. When we eventually learn who the traitor is and the motivation behind his deeds, there's no resolution to that plotline. Also, I wanted to know more about Sybella, as she's constantly mentioned in Grave Mercy and appears only for a few brief moments. Luckily, the sequel, Dark Triumph, will revolve around her. And the plot seems intriguing as well (I have my guesses who the knight in question might be), and I'll be on the lookout for it when it comes out.

La Fevers created an interesting concept and a set of characters that seem capable to kick your ass. Why they didn't...I don't know the answer to that. This book had its moments of greatness, laugh-out-loud, swoony and teary moments, but overall, I feel like it didn't live up to its full potential.

Have you read/reviewed Grave Mercy? Leave the link in the comments and I'll come to read what you thought!

Review: The Look of Love by Judy Astley

• Paperback: 384 pages 
• Publisher: Black Swan (5 January 2012)
• Source: copy from the publisher
• My rating: 3/5
• Summary: Bella has given up on men. Happily divorced for ages, her latest boyfriend just omitted to tell her about his wife, so she’s back on her own again. She agrees to house-sit for friends who have rented the place out to a television company for a makeover programme. Against her better judgment Bella finds herself taking part in the programme, and learns a little bit too much about the behind-the-scenes truth of ‘reality’ TV. And as if that weren’t bad enough, her ex-husband has re-entered her life and seems to want to be on friendlier terms…

In the early stages of this book I feared this was not going to work out for me. With the somewhat slow beginning and thin story that didn't really grab me, I really thought I'd trail off and pick up something else. Eventually it grew on me, mostly because of the characters. Each one of them is interesting, colorful and well-developed. Bella is a completely normal, down-to-earth woman, someone every one of us may know.  I laughed out loud many times, and usually that's a good indicator of "it was a good book" for me. I'm not a big fan of make-over kind of shows and luckily it was not heavily featured in The Look of Love. Besides, it's a different concept of show, and those were probably the funniest parts of the book.  

Anyway, it was quite predictable and unchallenging. You know with whom Bella is going to end up with the moment he enters the stage, that the house issues will pan out, that the whole thing with Molly and her boyfriend isn't all that dramatic. The bumps that Bella encounters don't really present an obstacle or they are too easily resolved, all for the sake of the happy ending. The relationship issues between Bella's daughter Molly and Giles....I didn't know what that was for. In the course of the novel, it really didn't bring out a point. As for the relationship of Bella's mother-that did make a point. Older people have sex. Accept it.

It was a nice read, but I wish the author pushed it a bit further. What if the house was really sold? I believe Bella would have found her way to deal with it. With a cup of tea, of course.

Review: Daughters-in-Law by Joanna Trollope

• Paperback, 328 pages
• Published March 1st 2011
• Source: finished copy from publisher
• My rating: 3/5

• Summary: Rachel has always loved being at the centre of her large family. She has fiercely devoted herself to her three sons all their lives. They are, of course, devoted to her - she and Anthony, their father, hold the family together at their ramshackle house near the coast of Suffolk. But when Luke, her youngest, gets married, Rachel finds that control is slipping away. Other people seem to be becoming more important to her children than she is, and she can no longer rely on her role as undisputed matriarch. A power struggle develops which can only end in unhappiness; her three daughters-in-law want to do things their own way, and so, to her grief, do her sons .. 

Daughters in Law turned out to be less melodramatic and more insightful than I could have guessed from the summary. There's not much swerving with a story about a mother who considers all women on this world unworthy of her precious boys. It's either the mother or the daughter in law that's being obnoxious. In Joanna Trollope's book, no one is guilty and no one is totally innocent either. I loved how she accomplished to provide different perspectives on some issues by switching perspectives. I guess most of us have had these situations in our lives, being confronted with in-laws who seem to be sticking their noses where they shouldn't. It takes a tremendous amount of maturity (and patience, god, patience) to handle these situations. I experienced a pang or two of familiarity while reading it. You can't live your own life while making everyone else happy, and there's no taking sides. A mother wants the best for her kids, the kids have their own ideas of how they should live their lives, and more often than not, chaos ensues.

That said, I was terribly annoyed by the character of Rachel. She's biased and a control freak, worse than being simply a matriarchal figure. Another set of characters that made my blood pressure skyrocket were Petra and Ralph. Petra is like a doll, with everyone pampering around her, bordering on autistic whenever it's time for her to utter any wish or need. No wonder there's a crisis between her and Ralph since the two of them never seem to talk. Ralph conveniently walks out of the scene and Petra goes walking on the beach. I really didn't see why the two of them would be a good match or marriage material at all.

It's mostly due to the characters that I didn't like this book more. I found very little in them that made me feel sympathetic. Concurrently, many things about them made me angry. Otherwise, Trollope deals well with the subtleties between couples and in-laws.

IBBMP 2010 REVIEW #3: The Unit

by
Ninni Holmqvist

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Other Press (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590513134
• ISBN-13: 978-1590513132
• Source: received it from Lenore
  
• My rating: 3/5 

One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised a nicely furnished apartment inside the Unit, where she will make new friends, enjoy the state of the art recreation facilities, and live the few remaining days of her life in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over sixty–single, childless, and without jobs in progressive industries–are sequestered for their final few years; they are considered outsiders. In the Unit they are expected to contribute themselves for drug and psychological testing, and ultimately donate their organs, little by little, until the final donation. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others, and Dorrit finds herself living under very pleasant conditions: well-housed, well-fed, and well-attended. She is resigned to her fate and discovers her days there to be rather consoling and peaceful. But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, the extraordinary becomes a reality and life suddenly turns unbearable. Dorrit is faced with compliance or escape, and…well, then what?

The Unit is a gripping exploration of a society in the throes of an experiment, in which the “dispensable” ones are convinced under gentle coercion of the importance of sacrificing for the “necessary” ones. Ninni Holmqvist has created a debut novel of humor, sorrow, and rage about love, the close bonds of friendship, and about a cynical, utilitarian way of thinking disguised as care. 

 The trouble with this book is that I can't make up my mind whether I love it or not. During the course of reading it it's had so many ups and downs. When I finished it, I was quite impressed, and terribly angry at the same time. I'm still trying to figure out where I stand so please bear with me while I try to explain (mostly to myself) what's wrong/great about this novel.

First and foremost--when you read a dystopian novel, like this one is supposed to be, you expect thrill, excitement, tension. There is NONE in this one. It's too slow in pacing and narration, told in a pretty dull,  passionless, monotonous voice. It felt as if the walls of the Unit started to close down on me and it was not the writers purpose to make it feel this way. Whenever there is a spark of emotion, it's done very shallow, leaving you emotionally unsatisfied.

Second thing. The MC. I've expected her to be more rebellious, more aware of the moral issues concerning the Unit. Basically, it's a human slaughterhouse, where "dispensable" people are kept happy and healthy to donate organs, tissue and stuff for the "needed". Dorrit's voice is too silent, she does absolutely nothing but accept the things as they are. Even when she gets her chance to escape, with a hell of a reason to stay alive (yes, I'm trying to avoid spoilers), she subdues herself to the idea of the Unit. That part made me feel cheated. Even if the purpose was to show the dominance of social rules, it's done slackly because I don't understand her motifs to remain a part of the project.

Problem number 3; I don't see where the author is standing concerning the issue of being forced to donate yourself away bit by bit. Throughout the novel there are extremely juxtaposed opinions are expressed, from justifying to degrading the concept. At one moment Holmqvist is full of praise for the system as a beneficial, fair one, next moment she shows the other side of the medal, how it affects the rest of the society... I understand that it's a slippery slope, but I would have liked some more resoluteness.

Now the fabulous things. The Unit raises millions of questions about the morality of organ donation, freedom, love, aging, democracy. Is it fair to "force" single people to be dissected in favor of someone who has "better" reasons to live? What makes an individual a worthy member of the society? Who has the right to decide that maybe I'm not? Is it a free choice if we're not forced to do something, but there's no alternative, and so we have to accept what we're offered? Do the faults of a system devalue the benefits and vice versa, do we tolerate the bad stuff to exploit the good ones? And just how easily does it all get out of hand?

And there you have me confused on issue # 3. If you asked me what I personally thing of this kind of social  arrangement, I'd have no idea what I'd say to you. So Holmqvist is forgiven for that.

Obviously, this book is perfect for book clubs and discussions. It IS a good book with a good story and depth, if it only weren't for the wee bit sloppy and clumsy execution.