Review-The Disenchantments

I picked this book up because it had a blurb by Nova Ren Suma on it, and I just loved her book Imaginary Girls and because it was half off (it had been slightly used, but you couldn't really tell).  I finally picked it up because of two things, one: Trish Doller said it was amazing, and I loved Trish's book and I now look for her to contemporary book knowledge, and two: Nina is coming to Seattle this month for a tour with Gayle Foreman and Stephanie Perkins!  It really reminded me of a modern The Perks of Being a Wallflower which I enjoyed.  This book has so many great lines in it, and when I say this next part I really mean it.  This book is life.  No, I don't mean that it's my life or that it's the best thing I've ever read, I mean that it's one of those books that captures what it's like to be a teenager perfectly.  There were so many parts that just really struck me as being right just like when it came to Perks.  Nina's book is just beautiful, and what makes it even better is that it's from a boy's point of view, which you never really see, especially when it comes to contemporary novels.  The blend of music and love and life in the novel is just right, I don't know what else I can say to make you want to pick it up.  It's a coming of age book that I think everyone should read because it makes you think about your life, but it also lets you know that it's okay if you don't have it all figured out right now.  It touches on friendship and love, sex and music, it's also a great road trip story.  It's a fun, quick read that will make you laugh and make you nod your head in agreement because Nina knows what she's talking about and writes it so real it's almost scary.  I'm so glad I decided to read this book before I meet Nina and I'll be looking into her other book as well as any further books she publishes.  To say this book is a masterpiece is just about right and if you liked Perks or contemporary books in general you should pick this one up.

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Something Like Normal

Trish is my debut author to interview for June so I wanted to read her book before it came out. I think she's the only contemporary author I have in the line-up so far but it really doesn't matter. You know those books that pull you in and make you go "Woah"? This was one of those books, and the more amazing part of it is the fact that Trish is a debut author and she's writing a contemporary novel. Travis was SO great, because he wasn't too over the top. He wasn't extraordinary and he wasn't perfect,but that's what made him all the better. If you've read any of the Perfect Chemistry books then I think you'll really enjoy this one, because it has that same style.  The other part I loved was that it was told entirely from Travis' POV.  There are not enough books out there that are told from a Male POV, and even though this book is a little girly I still think that guys could enjoy it.  I read this book in less then 24 hours, and I was so pleased with it.  Yeah, there were vulgar parts (I mean, we're inside a teenage boy's head [no offense to all the teenage boys out there]), and yeah, there were war parts, and yes there was kissing (squee), but there was also depth to it.  It made me think about all of those teens coming back from the war and how they have so much to cope with.  Part of this book is about love and finding something normal in your world when it's been turned upside down, but the book is also about grief and about being a solider who has to come back to the real world for a while.  The book was so real and so good.  Those last few pages almost made me cry, and I can't wait to see what Trish comes up with next.  I'll be buying myself a finished copy of this book and I suggest that you all do the same.  Trish is yet another debut author I'll have my eye on from now on, and I hope that that book she teases us all with on Tumblr will be her next book on the shelves.

Out June 19, 2012

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Hemlock

Kathleen is my debut author to interview for May, but I really wanted to read her book because Kimberly Derting blurbed it.  As you all know I love Kim's books and Kathleen's debut novel was a lot like Kim's in style and mood.  This book was so good, I loved pretty much all of it.  The idea that werewolves are now something that everyone knows about and everyone fears was such a great plot line because it's so fresh and new.  Of course you have the classic love triangle (well, in a way), the murders/dead people that I love in a novel, and of course some awesome kisses.  The action is really great too, my heart was pounding the last fourth or so of the book, and the very last page just left you wanting the next book in the series, but unfortunately it's not out until some time next year (poo).  I'm also a huge fan of crazy medical diseases as well as a good mystery, and I was very pleased to say that this book had me guessing up until the last few pages.  Kathleen has such a great book right here, and if you're a fan of Kimberly Derting or Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series I think that you will really enjoy this book/series.  I feel like it's the perfect blend of The Body Finder and Shiver that keeps the reader intrigued until the very end.  I dare you to figure out the mystery before Mac does, because Kathleen writes it in a way that makes it almost impossible, unless of course you're Sherlock Holmes.  A stunning debut that will leave you breathless and pining for more.  Hemlock blew me away with the romance, the paranormal aspect, and the mystery.  Hopefully all of the characters that make it out of book one alive will be in book two (for some reason I have a sense that book two is going to be even better), and I'm so glad that I picked Kathleen as my May debut author.  Keep an eye out for this book when it comes out and if you don't want to buy it definitely pick it up at a local library or request it if you think you might even remotely like it.

Out May 8, 2012

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Unraveling

I've heard great things about this book, and just look at the cover, how cool is it, right?  When I finally got around to reading it, because Liz is my debut author for April, I was so pleased with it.  I'm a nerd/geek, whatever you want to call it, and Liz has added such a great spice of nerd into her book.  From chapter one the book starts off with a bang and it just goes on from there.  I was so pleased when there were references to Ebola made, as well as references to Firefly and the like.  This book even made me start watching The X Files.  The romance in this book was hot, the danger in this book was great, and the plot even caught me off guard once or twice.  The whole book was just so amazing.  It took me a while to read the whole book, yes, but that doesn't mean that it was a bad book at all.  On the contrary, it was an amazing book that's a very different then anything out there.  It was also such a great book for me to read because I connected with it.  No, I didn't die and then get brought back to life by some cute loner (but if it were this loner I wouldn't really mind), but Janelle was a junior, I'm a junior.  Liz used to be an English teacher, so she definitely knew all about the curriculum, which made the book even creepier.  Janelle was talking about The Great Gatsby, I was reading The Great Gatsby, and it was crazy how these things just matched up while I was reading them.  Alex was such a great character too.  He's the best friend that we all want, that we all need, and that you would think you would end up with, but that's always the case.   I really related to Janelle as well, she and I are, I would like to think, a lot alike when it comes to the way we think, the way we act, ect.  The other great thing about this book is the fact that you see the world end.  Most books show the world before or after it ends, but few show it as it's falling apart, and even fewer give the characters a chance to save it while it's falling apart.  That line from The X Flies "I want to believe", this book makes you want to believe.  I can't wait to see what happens next, because gosh, I'm not sure how Liz can make a sequel any better then this book already was.  If you're a fan of apocalyptic novels, action novels, those books where a girl saves the world with just a little help, this is a book you should check out.

Released April 24, 2012

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Cinder

I bought this book when it came out because Marissa is a local author and she was doing a signing here, but until last week I hadn't picked it up.  There were so many people talking about this book and how amazing it is, but I had other books I needed to read.  Now I'm very glad I picked it up.  It's such a magical book.  I'm sure you're all going "it's just a retelling of Cinderella, how great can it be?" But let me tell you, this is not your ordinary Cinderella story.  First, Cinderella (although her name is just Cinder, hence the title) is a cyborg.  The other thing I'm sure you're all thinking is "if it's about Cinderella how come there are going to be four books?  Cinderella's story can not possibly take that long."  But Marissa has put such a lovely spin on it (that I guessed all the way through, mind you) that it WILL last that long, and it will be even better then the Cinderella story you know and love from Disney.  I was so enchanted by every part of this story.  The way that it slips into the future, and not the past, the way that Marissa designed the story, all of the twists and turns that make it a surprise, and the fact that she didn't really stick to the original story at all.  Cinder was so much more fierce then Cinderella ever was, and the cast of characters? Move over mice we have a robot thank you very much.  Iko was one of my favorite characters in the book because she was such a funny little robot.  I keep imagining her to look like Eve from Wall-E but that's not actually what she's supposed to look like, if you read the description given of her.  There was so much emotion in this book, so much mystery, and even a plague!  And yes, there was kissing, gosh, you think I would forget the kissing?  There was even a wicked queen, an evil step mother (well...an evil guardian), people on the moon, and one or two pretty ball gowns.  If you have this book pick it up now, if you don't have this book go buy it ASAP, and once you finish it I dare you not to be mesmerized.  I can't wait for Scarlet, 2013 seems like such a long ways away.  Basically what I'm saying is this book is amazing and the world better not end in 2012 because I need to know what happens to Cinder and all of her friends.  Bravo Marissa, you have crafted a truly magical story that will stay with me for quite a long time and I can't wait to see what happens next.

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Pandemonium

If you've been with me since the beginning you'll know how much I enjoyed Delirium, so when I got an ARC of this book I was very happy.  Delirium was so amazing, whenever I describe it to someone I call it "lyrical" and that's really what it was, and as excited as I was to get the sequel I was a little afraid to read it.  Because the first one was so good I was afraid this one would let me down, but it definitely did not.  Yes, it was different from the first one, and it wasn't exactly lyrical it was still such a good book.  The formatting was also different, switching between present time and right after Delirium ended, and you think that would be a confusing but I actually liked it.  Oliver uses such grace and has so much skill it doesn't seem like there's a difference, and it really doesn't matter which time you're in the story is gripping either way.  There was also some worries about having a new boy in the series, but I like the new boy as well.  As a sequel this book really doesn't disappoint in any way.  The new Lena is even better then the old one, and the new characters are perfect for the setting.  The lies run even deeper, and the stakes are even higher as things spiral out of control for Lena again.  There was more adventure in this whole book, it really starts out from the beginning, then there was in Delirium but given the circumstances and where she is I think that this was the perfect thing to do.  The ending will leave you screaming for more, just like the first one did.  I can't wait to see how Lauren will end the series, but this is a worthy sequel if I've ever read one.  If you've read Delirium you should pick this book out when it comes out, and if you haven't read the series I highly recommend it. 

Out March 28, 2012

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Clockwork Prince

First off, I love Cassie's books. She's one of my favorite authors and there is not a book she has written that I don't like.  People have said many things about this book, that it left them heart-broken, it made them cry, it was the best book she's ever written, and while these all may be true to some people only one of them is true for me.  This is, by far, the best book Cassie has ever written.  I can see how some people might cry and how some people might be left heart-broken, because Cassie writes in such a way that plays with your emotions, like a roller coaster of feelings shoved at you in such a way you just have to hold on to them for the time being.  People are also steadily on a side, Team Jem or Team Will, and to begin with I was Team Will, but now I'm Team "Cassie Break My Heart and You Will Die".  I think there's a good way to end the series, a reasonable way to end the series, and a way that will leave half of us broken for the rest of our lives, and based on this book I'm guessing it will be the last one that ends up being written.  The book only takes place between a two week period but I feel that so much is squished into that two weeks, so much happens, we learn so much, and it's just so magical.  Dare I say that this series is shaping up to be BETTER then the Mortal Instruments (although I am still rather partial to Jace).  I wish I could say that the reason I took so long to read this book was because I was savoring every moment of it, but I was sick, and didn't want to read when I was sick, but once I got better it was SO good.  Somehow I just seemed to find myself in Tessa's London, and I was worried for all of the character's safety, even the main ones, because we all know Cassie isn't afraid to kill of a main character.  If you haven't read the first book in this series I highly recommend you pick it up, then grab this one.  If you haven't read anything by Cassie at least pick up ONE of her books, either of her series will do, but this one really does stand out against other books in the genre at this time.  Bravo Cassie, Bravo.

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Daughter of Smoke and Bone

This book, THIS BOOK!!!  People have been raving about this book and NOW I see why.  Laini crafts an AMAZING story that's just so...so...there are really no words to describe this book, but I'll try my best.  Let's start with the beginnings of each section, goodness I could read those over and over again, so beautiful.  The characters? Exotic. No really, their names, I think I pronounced almost all of them wrong, but do I care, NO! Although I will be asking Laini how to ACTUALLY pronounce them, then I'll let you guys know.  Karou, oh Karou, she's amazing.  I mean, there are some great female characters out there, but Karou is right up there with Clary from The Mortal Instruments series.  And THE WRITING!? *dies*. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I LOVE this book.  Did you get that, I LOVE it.  It almost seems lyrical in a way, beautiful and harsh at the same time.  Somehow it just hits you right in the middle of the chest and leaves you speechless.  You think you know how it's gonna end? Yeah, no, think again.  Taylor has crafted such a beautiful world it's almost ugly...I SAID ALMOST!  Think The Mortal Instruments meets Hush, Hush meets The Sky is Everywhere and then you'll have a small idea of what this book is going to be like.  Take my word for it this book is DEFINITELY gonna be the next big thing.  Yes, there are going to be a FEW of you who don't like it, and in my head I'll just be going "yup, can't talk to them anymore, they're crazy." (only not really, don't worry, I'll still talk to you even if I think you're nuts) but I'm pretty sure 99% of you who read this book are gonna look like this at the end O.O .  Personally I can't WAIT for the second one, which Laini said she's working on RIGHT NOW because I'm sure it's gonna be EVEN BETTER, if that's even possible.  Now excuse me while I go out and find Laini's other books, because I must read them ASAP because, well, I mean, they're her books, and she wrote THIS BOOK so they MUST be AMAZING too.  Go read this book!  That is all.

Released September 27, 2011

I need more dust spirits for this book, but I only have five so 5/5

*Please excuse my insanely long rant about how amazing this book was but if you go out and buy it and read it, I think you will see why I sound so crazy.  Now go read!

Review-A Need So Beautiful

To start out I just have to say that there are very few books that have made me cry, and even fewer paranormal-ly books that have made me cry, but this book was one of those very few.  I think it takes a great author to make a reader cry, and an even better author to make a reader cry when the whole idea of the book is not something that people have gone through before (i.e. more fantasy than contemporary) so in this case Suzanne Young is truly a great author.  Not only did this book make me tear up but it also had some great parts to it that I think will definitely make people think.  Not many fantasy books now a days make people go "wow, what would I do if that happened to me, and how can I make the world a better place" but this book really does.  Maybe it's the idea of the book but in step with the title Beautiful is exactly the right word to describe this book all together.  The last 30 pages or so are definitely going to make you emotional if you have EVER cried because of a book before, so make sure you're not in public (or you don't care what other people think of you), you've been forewarned.  Now, other than making me cry (and not in a bad way) this book was really amazing.  I honestly hadn't heard of Suzanne Young before this book even though she's written some other books that were published before this one but now I need go read those ones because, man, she is some writer.  The story was amazing, the characters were impressive, and the idea was just phenomenal.  I can see how some reviewers might see Charlotte as winy and somewhat of a poor character, but in my eyes that's not the way it is at all.  Yeah, there are some characters like that, but I don't think she is one of them because if you were to put yourself in her position I'm not sure you would be much better, so if you think she's a bad character put the book down, because it's obviously not for you.  This book was so amazing and I feel that everyone should read it because even though it does have that fantasy air about it I think that everyone could learn something important from Charlotte and take something away from the book.  I can't wait to see what happens in the next book and I hope that Charlotte and Harlin are in it because I want to see what happens next.

5/5/ dust spirits