Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Published: January 24th, 2012; HarperCollins
370 Pages

From Goodreads:
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

My Rating:
5 stars

My Thoughts:

Let me put it frankly; This is a great book. Whether it was the awesome characters, the mythology, or the amazing plot, I had no trouble finishing Everneath.

                Nikki has made some bad choices, which have changed her life drastically. While she could have just curled into a ball and sulked for the 6 months she had left, she didn't, she got out and started mending the broken relationships she left behind. Yes, some of that mending was pretty painful to read (her interactions with Jack start off slow , and they left me wanting more every time), but you get to see Nikki's growth as she goes from an empty shell back to an actual human being. And the story didn't just center around the love triangle between Nikki, Jack, and Cole - Nikki also had to repair her relationships with her father, little brother, and her best friend, all while trying to get over the grief of her mother's death. She was a heroine with depth, so I wasn't annoyed by any of the choices she made. An amazing main character is always the first step to a great story, and was just that kind of character.

                 Jack was another great character in the story. Jack, Nikki's (sort of) ex-boyfriend who has changed since Nikki left. She thinks he hates her, but as the story progresses, you slowly learn more and more about the adorable relationship Jack and Nikki had before she left. Jack seemed like a jerk at the beginning of the story, what with him being described as a jock and a ladies' man. I didn't think my opinion of him would change so much, since he just seemed like one big cliché when he was first introduced. You eventually get to see that Jack never did anything to hurt Nikki - it was just a series of misunderstandings that led her astray. By the end of the book I loved Jack. Yes, he still was a bit of a cliché, but in a good way. He grew along with Nikki, and you could tell their relationship was built on something other than mutual lust.

                Surprisingly, I was a fan of Cole too (I usually only like one of the main male characters). Brodi Ashton did an amazing job of making Cole an antagonist while also being a sympathetic character - even though he wasn't always nice, there were still times I wished he was real so I could hug him.

                The backdrop of mythology that tied this whole story together was another reason I loved this book. I've always found the Persephone myth interesting, so I loved how it was tied into Everneath. It wasn't a verbatim reproduction of the myth - Ashton took it and made it her own.

                I won't go into detail about the end of the book, but I'll just say I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

                Overall, Everneath was a fantastic book. Brodi Ashton created characters that were real, and a story that made sense and had actual depth. I will be reading the rest of the Everneath series as soon as I can get my hands on it (and I suggest you do too).  

Review: Arise by Tara Hudson

Arise by Tara Hudson
Published: June 5th, 2012; HarperTeen
404 Pages

From Goodreads:
New Orleans
Saint Louis
Number One Cemetery
A night there can change a life . . . or a death.

Increasingly worried that dark spirits will carry out their threats and hurt the people she cares for most, Amelia is ready to try anything to protect them. And for his own very different reasons, Joshua has come to this cemetery at midnight to join her in a powerful ritual.

Both know that once Amelia steps inside the Voodoo circle and the beautiful girl from the Conjure Cafe begins the ceremony, everything will change.

Tara Hudson's enthralling sequel to "Hereafter" escalates the danger and excitement, bringing a new dimension to her already mesmerizing story of a haunted love.

My Rating:
4 stars

My Thoughts:

After reading Hereafter, I was somewhat disappointed in the outcome. The first book in a series is supposed to pull you into a rollercoaster ride that leaves you wanting more once it's finally over. I didn't really feel that after reading Hereafter, so I was hopeful that Arise wouldn't fall completely flat.

                I can't say that Arise completely made up for what Hereafter was lacking, but it was a bit better. I liked the setting of New Orleans, since it seemed to be more detailed than Hudson's description of Amelia's hometown in Oklahoma. The original setting was pretty stagnant for me, so a change of scenery was welcome, no matter how random it was.

                Gabrielle was also a breath of fresh air from Amelia's helplessness, I just didn't like how the author sort of shoved her into the story. It was too sudden for Gabrielle and Amelia to go from strangers to friends in all of a day. She was kind of a pro and a con to me; she was the right character, just not at the right time in the story.

                My main problem with both Arise and Hereafter is that they have little to no depth. The story is original, but the characters and the plot were flat to me. The first half of the book was Amelia worrying about leaving Joshua so he wouldn't get hurt by the evil demons that were following her (which, frankly, didn't seem all that evil). When she finally "left" it was for a day, which she spent moping over how much she missed Joshua. Joshua and Amelia win my award for sappiest couple; I would welcome a bit more dysfunction.

                 I really hoped Amelia would grow a bit more in Arise, but she was still fumbling around blindly. Her story could really use some more direction, instead of Amelia simply reacting to situations.

                Don't get me wrong, I liked this book, but it just has some hiccups that made it harder to finish. The series could use some more continuity with the antagonist, since I have a feeling Hudson is going to recycle the same thing that happened in the first two books (but I would be incredibly happy if she didn't!). The demons haven't really been explained enough for them to be menacing - they're just creepy looking people who are supposed to be evil.

I'll probably give something away if I go on, so I'll end this review here. Let me just say that Arise was definitely an improvement over Hereafter, but the series still has a long way to go before it'll be one of my favorites. Tara Hudson wins on originality and her writing, but the flimsy plot and flat characters made it hard to finish. I gave it four stars, because the good outweighed the bad, and I was able to finish it. If you read Hereafter and liked it, I would definitely recommend reading Arise.

Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Published: June 7th, 2011; HarperTeen
404 pages

From Goodreads:
Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life--or her actual death--she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but "will" him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, "Hereafter" is a sensation you won't want to miss.

My Rating:
3 stars

My Thoughts:

Hereafter is the story of Amelia, a ghost that wanders the streets of a small town  and has no recollection of her past, other than that she drowned. Everything changes for her when she rescues a boy from drowning, and her whole world is turned upside down.

                I was first drawn to this story because it's plot sounded so unique - I haven't read many books where the main character is a ghost with no memory of her past. I read it with high expectations, and while I can't say it completely let me down, I wasn't totally enthralled by it either.

                The book started off well enough, with Amelia rescuing a handsome boy named Joshua - who can see her -  from drowning in the river where she died - she doesn't pull him out of the water or anything, she just wills him to live. That seemed sort of strange to me, but still, the romantic in me (I try to keep her locked away as much as possible...) was swooning at their chance encounter.

                Their romance heats up as the story goes on, and I thought Hudson did a good job with building romantic tension between Amelia and Joshua, which included a fireworks-and-electricity reaction whenever they touched. But at the same time, their interactions were extremely cheesy. Joshua was the perfect hero, with his dark hair, blue eyes, and innate ability to compliment the heroine and make her feel all tingly. And I had to roll my eyes every time Amelia's voice cracked/squeaked when she was talking to Joshua. I'm pretty sure it happened every time she spoke to him, and it made her sound like a middle-schooler talking to her crush. Their interactions became a constant repetition of Joshua being perfect, and Amelia swooning at how perfect he was.

                And Eli wasn't very menacing as an antagonist. Amelia went back and forth between whether or not she could trust Eli, and Amelia's final "battle" with him was pretty anticlimactic (in my opinion). I would definitely preferred an antagonist with a bit more menace. Joshua's grandma posed a bit of a threat, but even she was more like an angry kitten.

                My main problem with Hereafter was the ending, which lacked an amazing cliffhanger that would have made me run out and buy the next book ASAP. There was a final showdown and everything, but no setup for the next book. In my opinion, a lot of events were rushed, so the author left little setup for events that could happen in the next book.

                I liked Hudson's writing, but Amelia wasn't really deep enough for me to feel like I could relate to her, and Joshua was too much of a cut-and-paste YA "hottie" for him to be believable. I didn't hate this book, but it could have used a bit more work. The plot had promise, but it went downward from there. I will be reading the next book in the series, and I'm just hoping the characters develop more and become more than just their relationship. I really have no idea what's happening in the next book in the series, but I'm hoping for the best.

                I know I've pointed out a lot of negatives about this book, but Hereafter wasn't a horrible book. I don't regret reading it, but it doesn't stand out from other run-of-the-mill YA novels. I would recommend reading it, since it has an interesting plot, and Tara Hudson's writing is pretty decent. I wouldn't put this on the top of my list, but it was still a good read.     

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie
Published: November 30th, 2010; Dutton Juvenile
366 pages

From Goodreads:
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

My Rating:
4 stars

My Thoughts:

                I have been wanting to read Matched for quite a while, so you can only imagine my excitement when I finally found it at the library. I know I'm pretty behind on reviewing it, since it came out in 2010, but I wanted to share my opinion anyways. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, but Matched was still an amazing dystopian story. I might be a little bit biased because I'm obsessed with anything dystopian, but I haven't read a single dystopian novel (as of yet) that has let me down completely.

                Matched had some rough edges, but it was overall a good book. Cassia seemed shallow at points, but - in my opinion - that's what happens when you're brainwashed to sit back while someone controls your entire life for you. She was raised to follow instruction, not think for herself, so you can't expect her to be a strong-minded, independent person just yet. I'm hopeful she grows into a stronger personality in the next book, because she had just begun to change by the end of the first book.

                I thought Condie did a great job creating the society - it was detailed, and the government seemed like a menacing force. But there really wasn't much background on how the society formed in the first place. The Society didn't seem loosely thrown together, but at least a little more past info would have helped, such as why the country is divided as it is, and if all of the changes happened gradually over time, or if there was a war that caused sudden changes. I have a few questions, and I hope they're answered in the next book.

                My final problem is that I would have enjoyed a bit more "fireworks" between Cassia and her men. It was simply stated that she and Xander were best friends, but their interactions didn't make it seem that way. Even when they acted like a couple it reminded me of grade school puppy love. Cassia's relationship with Ky was a bit more dangerous and forbidden, but there was a lack of romantic tension built up between them (other than Cassia saying she wanted to kiss Ky). It seemed a little lacking; once again, I'm hopeful to see them develop more in the next book.

                Aside from the things I DIDN'T like about this book, there were plenty of good parts to it, and I expect the problems will be ironed out in the later books. I loved the addition of the poetry in the story, and the way it inspired Cassia to act. And (as I said before) I thought the concept of The Society was original (it just needs to be explained a bit more). This book was really good. It had imperfections, but not so many that I had to set the book down and stop reading it. I enjoyed it, and I would totally recommend reading  Matched, whether you're dystopia obsessed like me, or you just want a good book to read. 

Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

Chime by Franny Billingsley
Published: March 17th, 2011; Dial
361 pages

From Goodreads:
Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

My Rating:
2 stars

My Thoughts:

To some, Chime might be the perfect gothic masterpiece. To me, it was confusing, childish, and an overall struggle to finish. The first chapter started off well enough, with Briony telling a judge that she was a witch, and she deserved to die. It was a good hook, but the story went downhill from there.

I was confused from the start by the vague setting of the story (a swamp in England called the swampsea. Where?). And Briony’s inner monologue didn’t help either; she spent so much of the book talking about how horrible of a person she was, that there wasn’t much story there other than that. And Billingsley’s writing style left me with no idea what the setting or the characters looked like. I had to re-read entire sections because of their strange wording, which made me fall out of the story, and made the book an ordeal to finish.

The plot wasn’t confusing, but that was only because it was so simple that I could tell what was going to happen at the end of the book. I didn’t feel like I could relate to anything that was happening because it all seemed so made up.

And the relationship between Eldric and Briony was barely even there. When Briony and Eldric spent time together, it was in their “bad-boy club” which involved Eldric teaching Briony to box, and the two of them speaking in their own made-up version of Latin. And every description of Eldric from Briony’s point of view described him as a lion. I couldn’t see him as a good hero because I kept picturing a man with whiskers and cat ears. And then Briony would go on about how she was lusting for him, for no reason. To put it in short terms; they had zero chemistry.

This absence of chemistry seemed to be because Briony (and the story in general) was so childish. Sure, Briony made a few clever witticisms, but her behavior made her seem like she was ten, not eighteen. And the names she had for the “old ones” sounded like they had been pulled out of a children’s story (take “mucky face” for example). I felt like I was reading a children’s book.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this book one star (I know I haven’t said anything good about it) is that Billingsley’s writing style wasn’t bad in a seemed-like-a-first-grader-wrote-it kind of way. Her writing was detailed and even fancy, but in such a way that it seemed overdone. If the author had spent more time developing her plot and characters (instead of using fancy words and creating pretty sentences) I might have liked this book.

I feel kind of bad about giving Chime such a low rating, but I just couldn’t make myself enjoy reading it, no matter how hard I tried. Certain passages were kind of poetic, but that didn’t make up for the bad plot and flat characters. I liked Rose at certain points, but that was it. Billingsley’s writing style might be an acquired taste, but it’s definitely not for me. Unless you like vague stories with little to no romance, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book.

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Published: January 17th, 2012; HarperTeen
403 pages

From Goodreads:
For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

My Rating:
5 stars

My Thoughts:

Let me just start off by saying, I finished this book in one sitting. I get bored easily, so if a book doesn’t capture my attention and keep it I eventually put it down and take a break. If it’s a pretty good book, I’ll probably pick it up again later on the very same day. If it’s bad, I’ll agonize over whether or not to finish it at all. In the case of Hallowed, I had no problem finishing the second book in Clara’s story.

The book started off great, was great in the middle, and ended amazingly. There weren’t any epic battles in this book (which, for a YA paranormal book is pretty strange) but that didn’t matter, because the story was emotionally charged enough as is.

It seems like Cynthia Hand has a talent for writing secrets into a story and systematically dropping them like bombs. The thing I loved most about Hallowed was that many of these secrets were revealed by the end of the book, to maximum effect (but not all of them, since there is a third book). Some of them I kind of expected, but others were a surprise, one of the main reasons I could not put this book down.

I also really liked that we finally got to see Christian as a real character, instead of the boy Clara had dreams about, and then spent the next few weeks obsessing over. This time, he’s no longer a superficial popular boy, so we get to learn more about him, and less about how darn hot he is (not that I have any complaints against the hotness). I was sad that Tucker didn’t play as big of a part in the second book, but Christian’s larger role was a fine alternative.

My other reason for giving this book a five star rating, is that it almost made me cry. I had to keep myself from bawling because I would have had one of my family members pounding on my bedroom door and asking me what the heck was going on. The only book that has made me actually cry was Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, but that was mostly because I was just sitting there like “WHAT?!?” as soon as I was done reading it. When it comes to being sad, Hallowed comes in as a close second (but good sad, not everyone-is-dead-and-the-series-is-over sad).

All in all, this book was AMAZING. Angels are a popular theme these days, and I think Cynthia Hand does an incredible job with their back story. It’s original, heart-wrenching, and every single chapter sucks you in and leaves you wanting more. I will be purchasing the third book (Boundless. It has a title! But it doesn’t come out until 2013 D:) as soon as it comes out, so if you haven’t read Hallowed, or it’s prequel, Unearthly, read them ASAP. They’re amazing.  

Review: The Savage Grace by Bree Despain

The Savage Grace by Bree Despain
Published: March 13th, 2012; EgmontUSA
488 pages

From Goodreads:
 A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle.

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.

With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.

The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.

My Rating:
4 stars

My Thoughts:

In the final installment of the dark divine series, Grace Divine is still the somewhat angsty teen she’s always been (no thanks to the homicidal werewolf possessing her), but she’s faced with bigger problems than she ever had before; Daniel is stuck in wolf form, her mom is in a mental hospital, Caleb Kalbi has escaped, swearing revenge on his son and the Divine family, and Sirhan Etlu (leader of the Etlu clan of werewolves) is dying. If I was in the same situation, I’d probably be a ball of nerves as well.

The relationship between Grace and Daniel is one of the high points in this book. They had moved past their high school relationship and were more of adults when they were together (Daniel kept Grace from going crazy, and vice versa). They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other from time to time, but ultimately, the relationship they shared helped each of them grow, so I enjoyed that aspect of the book. Also, Daniel – post wolf transformation – was no longer described as skinny, or lanky, which was something that had kept me from being a huge fan of his in the first two books. He was a full on “beef cake” this time around, which I was a big fan of.

Talbot, on the other hand, made me sad. I liked him in the second book – sure he was a little intense at times, and we found out he was Caleb’s right hand man, but still, I’m a sucker for the tall dark and handsome types. With Grace and Daniel’s relationship on steady ground, Talbot was shut out. I felt bad for him, but to resist spoiling the book, I won’t say any more than that.

The pack of boys who recognized Daniel as their Alpha at the end of book two returned in the final book, and the “Lost Boys” (as Grace calls them) were good comic relief at points in the book, and they also showed Grace maturing as she mothered them and thought about their welfare, as if they were her own children (awwww!)

My definite favorite part of this book was the awesome fight scenes. It’s a given that there was going to be a final battle between Daniel and Caleb, and the way Bree Despain set up the climax of the book made it a ton more awesome than a father and son going at each other in hand-to-hand combat. The final 50 pages of the book were pretty epic, let me just say that.

My problems with this book, however, kept me from giving it 5 stars. I’ll try not to go on about them for too long, since this was a really great book, but they also kept me from being completely absorbed while I was reading.

First off, parts of the book seemed to drag. It’s kind of long at 488 pages, but that’s mainly because the author can be very descriptive times. This is kind of a neutral thing to me, because I would rather read a well-written descriptive book that’s really long, than a 200 page book that has no detail. I really enjoy Despain’s writing style, so I don’t feel like I wasted my time with this book. I just couldn’t get completely into it.

Also, certain characters in the book annoyed me. I haven’t liked April from the start of the series; she was a sad excuse for a best friend, and I didn’t really see her as a necessary character. Sadly, Grace was also annoying from time to time. When she said she didn’t have a life if they couldn’t change Daniel back into a human, I could practically see the blank pages in Twilight when Edward left Bella. Yes, most of the books I read are about romance, but a heroine should have an identity outside of her relationship with the hero.

My final problem was that the book was pretty predictable at times. I like a book that surprises me, and this one really didn’t.

Overall, The Savage Grace was really good. I like Bree Despain’s writing style, and most of the characters she created. Some parts of the book could have been better, but I would still recommend reading this book if you enjoyed the first two books in the Dark Divine series.