This year has also been pretty vicious with reviewers facing negative responses to their reviews by detractors that paint them to be mean, and unprofessional. Apparently, reviewers live to bash authors and live to hate.

We have and will continue to come across books that do not live up to its promise because it subjectively didn’t work for us. And there will be books which have flaws and issues that will bring out strong emotions. Authors who publish books do so knowing it’s out in the public sphere. It is a business, not a romantic idealised notion where an author has to be dealt with cotton wool and gloves. And I don’t understand why this issue has cropped up again and again because some authors aren’t able to handle a negative review.

Yesterday, there was a blowup over Jennifer Armintrout’s recaps of 50 Shades of Grey, where commentators felt she had no right to review or comment on another author’s book. Jamie Mcguire (who had own recent issues with negative reviews) used this as an opportunity to highlight and confuse the issue of an author’s right to review, to reviewers who apparently live to bash authors, and love to be haters. What I found troubling is that commentators were complaining and blasting Jennifer Armintrout because she was an author, and had no right to review a book especially since it was snarkily written.

I just want to share a few examples of authors and critics from the literary field who have slated books. Please take note that I’m citing and QUOTING these quotes below, taken from The Huffington Post, and Flavorwire.

“Every time I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin bone.”
- Mark Twain on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice *

“Never have I read such tosh. As for the first two chapters, we will let them pass, but the third, the fourth the fifth the sixth – merely the scratchings of pimples on the body of the boot-boy at Claridges.”

- Virginia Woolf on James Joyce’s Ulysses *

“I HATED [Catcher in the Rye]. It took me days to go through it, gingerly, a page at a time, and blushing with embarrassment for him every ridiculous sentence of the way. How can they let him do it?”
-  Elizabeth Bishop on J.D. Salinger  **

“Nobody can be more clownish, more clumsy and sententiously in bad taste, than Herman Melville, even in a great book like ‘Moby Dick’….One wearies of the grand serieux. There’s something false about it. And that’s Melville. Oh dear, when the solemn ass brays! brays! brays!”
- D.H. Lawrence on Herman Melville **

Well, they seem influential, and authors who wrote classical literature should be deemed to be unprofessional and haters because they were just as harsh and bitchy towards their peers.

Critical discourse can be brutal and unrelenting, and book reviews is part of that territory. Some people feel comfortable in not writing critical reviews — and that’s ok, but there are those who feel strongly and have written critical pieces. Some use snark and sarcasm, and others use gifs and humorous pictures to describe what they feel about the text. It seems to be the case recently that anyone who writes a snarky book review are attacked for being mean and too harsh. It’s one thing to disagree with a book reviewer about a book, but another to call them out for being mean and an author basher. I have disagreed with my fellow pushers about books, but we’ve never called ourselves bashers.

Using emotive language such as cockroaches, sheeple bitches and bashers are ways to raise the emotional ante. This was used in the thread where Jennifer Armintrout was attacked for her snarky recaps over 50 Shades. And because of this, Jennifer L Armentrout, who has a similar name, was caught up in the fray and got backlash too.

Books like Twilight, 50 Shades of Grey, even The Hunger Games, have reached a certain point of success which will garner a much harsher critical response. That thread I linked to with Jennifer Armintrout’s recap was… interesting. People were confusing the issue of reviewing, to an author bashing another author unprofessionally. Authors have blurbed fellow author’s books, and that’s an opinion about the book because they liked it. If authors can’t have a professional opinion, then the positive aspect to blurbing on a book shouldn’t be allowed. There have been those who refuse to blurb for books or authors because they disagreed with them.

For me this week has shown a common factor that keeps cropping up all the time: the issue of BE NICE. The comments that stood out to me regarding The Story Siren were comments about her being too nice to steal content. Then there was the victim blaming the bloggers who were innocent. That wasn’t nice, and because of her fan following they didn’t see the hypocrisy and double standards of what The Story Siren did by stealing other people’s work. Kristi had a vocal stance against plagiarism which makes everything so incredibly ironic. She failed in her apology, and even more so by not asking her followers to stop attacking the bloggers and to stop sending hatemail to the victims. That would be the responsible thing to do.

BE NICE is used by people who attack bloggers and reviewers for having negative opinions, especially if it’s a favourite author of theirs. There have been cases of some authors rallying followers to stifle criticism over 3 star reviews. Being nice, for me, is not to personally attack the author, their appearance, or be personal about their lives. Actually, that’s just what a decent person does. Being nice is not to paint the negative reviewer and their supporters into cackling harpies who love to bash the poor downtrodden author. As an author there will always be people who will dislike their books, and it is a fact of life in publishing that you won’t change their minds.

What worries me the most is the message that any kind of critical response is wrong. This BE NICE message offers a safe and sanitised way to not offer any real opinions, especially if it’s a critical one. We need critical responses because if you don’t learn how to be analytical and to raise issues that concern us in a text, how can we transfer that in other aspects of life such as politics and religion? YA reviewing seems to be facing a lot of these backlashes because the message to young readers is not to state your negative feelings about a book — even if you feel strongly. YA literature deals with serious issues and why should teenagers shy away voicing a critical response? If an author can’t handle a negative response then she shouldn’t be publishing books.

We hope this post will garner a good discussion because this issue won’t go away. There won’t be any deletion of posts or blocking of people if they want to talk about these issues.

(Addition from Lou: We won’t tolerate sock puppets and trolling like what I saw on Goodreads the other night. Any of that, and I’ll call you out publicly in the comments for it.)

Quotes taken from articles posted by  *The Huffington Post and **Favorwire about authors and critical reviews.

When Being Nice Becomes Mean is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—the ones she doesn’t want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

When Hunter, the mysterious new kid in town, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all…
This blurb came from the author’s website here.

Storm kept appearing in my Goodreads recommendation list. I had read the back cover blurb and thought that it might be interesting since I tend to enjoy books that involve elemental powers but decided I would wait to look at a few reviews. But then we were offered a chance to review it and since I was already interested I volunteered. Storm is certainly not a lighthearted YA. The characters have to deal with several of the negatives that go along with not fitting in with the other high school students, divorce, the loss of parents through violence, and also the paranormal aspect.

After the initial punch of the opening things slowed down for me. I didn’t like Becca, the heroine, nor did I like any of the Merrick brothers and how they treated Becca. I kept reading and I am glad that I did. As their back-story unfolded and I got to know what shaped those characters before their initial ending I went from reluctantly reading to eagerly flipping the page wondering what was going to come next. Becca stopped letting things happen to her and decided that she was going to stand up for herself. Despite how some of the Merrick brothers acted towards her, she still persisted in warning Chris whenever she spotted some of the guys who initially attacked him.

There were several things I liked about this book. The first thing that I liked is that not ALL of the parents were the absent uncaring types as is so prevalent in YA today. Becca’s mom cared and did the best she could as a single parent. Apparently she also worked hard not to turn Becca against her father after they were divorced. She also mothered Becca’s best friend Quinn who did not get along with her mother. I also liked how being able to use the elemental powers wasn’t without a cost. You could only control them to a certain extent and when they got loose bad things happened. Then there was also the threat of death for possessing that ability.

I did have some quibbles with Storm some of which might have been due to the need to establish the world and key personalities since this is Book 1. I found it hard to believe that all of these “elemental” events had occurred without anyone outside the two groups thinking that something strange was happening. I would have thought that the oldest of the Merricks would have dealt with Becca differently when she brought their brother back to the house after he was attacked. There were a few coincidences that I found a little hard to swallow which were key to the conclusion of this particular installment. I also have some questions remaining about Becca’s father.

Despite my quibbles once I got past the slower section towards the beginning I was invested in this story. I wanted to know how Becca and the Merricks were going to handle their death threat. I wanted the bad guys to get what was coming to them. And I wanted Becca to reclaim her life since her ex-boyfriend spread vicious rumors about her. Given that this is the first book not everything was answered and new questions have been raised. I am interested in seeing what develops in Spark, Book 2.

I give Storm a C+

Links to purchase

Nook

Review – Storm by Brigid Kemmerer is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Where did you get the book: E-arc from Netgalley

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: Out now

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger–a boy who seems to fade like smoke–appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know– about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

*Blurb taken from Goodreads*

Children have recently gone missing in the village of Near, but their disappearances are blamed on the arrival of a mysterious pale boy who is seen around the surrounding areas. However, a young girl, Lexi, suspects that this isn’t the case and that a darker force that lives in the moors is to blame and that the stranger, Cole, is the only person who can help the villagers. But when Lexi’s sister is the next child to go missing, there is a hunt against time before the Near Witch can claim her next victim.

Within the first few pages of The Near Witch I really enjoyed the lyrical prose which really stood out and helped to create a tense and haunting tone. However, I did find it hard to get into the story and the characters. I wished there was more explanation on the setting and the surrounding lands around Near. Although there were mentions of other villages, there wasn’t much of an explanation on the outside world and I was left wondering how could Near survive without much contact from other villagers, especially since they were so mistrustful of outsiders. And there was no sign of trade or intermarrying with other villagers and the village was pretty small, and to me this didn’t make much sense. I did get the atmospheric feel which was creepy and claustrophobic and in a lot of ways it felt that it had almost like a purgatory feel, especially how it related to the legend of the Witch on the surrounding moors and how she had affected the villagers of Near for such a long time.

Nonetheless, I felt when Cole first appeared the story started to get bogged down in pace and although I liked the mystery aspect to his character, there wasn’t much depth to his wraith like appearance — although I did like that aspect to the book because it did fit in with the haunting tone.  Lexi, on the other hand, was much more well developed and I liked her independent spirit, and her determination to hunt for the truth behind the disappearances of the children.  Lexi wants to become a tracker, and to follow her deceased father’s footsteps who also died mysteriously on the moors. But her desire to being a tracker and her fascination with the surrounding moors  is frowned upon by her uncle who sees it as unseemly for a girl and too dangerous. He also forbids her to join in on the search and investigation on the missing children. Lexi, though, disregards his orders and soon suspects that the legendary spirit of the witch — who died years before — is the one behind the missing children.

The weakest point of the story had to be the love story between Cole and Lexi. Like I said before, I found Cole to be pretty one-dimensional and I really felt disconnected to his characterisation. I also couldn’t see much of a connection between him and Lexi, although he is mysterious and different from the boys she knows in the village, and I could see that appeal. But the emotional connection was too quick to form between them and not enough focus exploring the romance. So much time was spent on the mystery aspect of his origins, and Lexi’s desire to track him down in the first book, which is another aspect on why I felt the pace was too slow in the first half of the book.  I felt that this was a lost potential because the love story was interesting because it did have an ethereal feel, but the romance didn’t fully work for me.

But the second half of the book picked up in pace and it was pretty chilling in tone. I was definitely creeped out by the tales of the witch and imagery that the characters and story conveyed. The prose really adds to this, for example: when Lexi gains help from two elderly sisters, who are witches, who warns Lexi about the Near Witch. It created a haunting and vivid atmosphere.

‘Again the sisters speak in their intertwining way.

“She climbed up and out onto the moor,” Says Dreska.
“Now her skin really is made of moor grass,” adds her sister.
“Now her blood is made of moor rain.”
“Now her voice is made of moor wind.”
“Now the Near Witch is made of moor.”
“And she is furious.”

The Sisters’ words echo through the cottage, winding like steam around us. ‘

Despite the slow half and vague world-building, The Near Witch is beautifully written with a haunting and stark tone filled with memorable imagery. I just wished the first half was much stronger in pace and more time spent on expanding on the romance.  I did enjoy it although expect a slow start and pace to the story. But the elements of dark chilling horror and almost fairytaleque tone gives this book a different feel to a lot of fantasy romance YAs that I have read.

I give The Near Witch a C

Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Logan Quinn was trying to kill me. My Spartan classmate relentlessly pursued me, swinging his sword at me over and over again, the shining silver blade inching closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes practically glowed with the thrill of battle…

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Academy, and I have no idea how I’m going to survive the rest of the semester. One day, I’m getting schooled in sword play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gorgeous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invisible archer in the Library of Antiquities decides to use me for target practice. And now, I find out that some one at the academy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword…
This blurb came from Goodreads.

While I tend to think of myself as a voracious reader, I have mostly stayed away from the newish crop of YA (Young Adult) books and authors. I was glad to see an upswing in books that inspired people to read even if they didn’t work for me. I do read YA but those authors I was introduced to either in school like Robin McKinley and Roald Dahl or were writing it when I was going through school like Tamora Pierce. What those authors have in common is they did not — and those that are still writing — do not contain the levels of “emoness” that seem to be prevalent today. I also watched the huge increase in adult authors who decided to make the leap over to YA and wondered about the different skill-set required. When I read a YA, yes like always, I am expecting a good story but I don’t read them expecting to see chronologically younger versions of the same characters but different mentalities/viewpoints etc.

So why you might ask given all of that did I agree to review Kiss of Frost which is certainly a YA and the second novel of the series. What had happened was, I already liked Ms Estep’s Elemental Assassin series and I was reading Entangled for a joint review last fall when I stumbled upon her novella Halloween Frost and I got sucked in. As a result I bought the prequel novella, the first novel and then accepted the request for this review.

There will be spoilers for the previous stories in this review but I will attempt to keep them as minimal as possible. Kiss of Frost picks up shortly after the events of Touch of Frost, reviewed by Lou here, with Gwen actively trying to learn how to use the various weapons provided in gym class. Gwen knows that she will be a target for the Reapers but compared to the majority of the other students who all have some magical skill in the art of self-defense and weaponry, she thinks she is fighting a losing battle. Not to forget that her primary instructor happens to be the boy she has a crush on who is very involved with someone else. I liked how Ms Estep highlighted Gwen’s feelings and reactions without taking them to an extreme level. They seemed appropriate for someone her age and temperament.

It was rather enjoyable watching Daphne drag Gwen kicking and screaming into a friendship that also meant Gwen ended up participating in some things that were outside her normal comfort zone as she started to find her place at Mythos Academy. As the novel continues Gwen also starts learning that everyone is not as they seem and that her powers of psychometry — even though she sees them as comparatively insignificant — can produce some pretty amazing results. She learns some things about herself and about dealing with other people as she continues to realize that some myths and legends are real and still around today. Gwen does find out some rather disturbing information that caused her to doubt her entire world but I loved her reaction. It was so in character and went along with everything else she had demonstrated before.

I really enjoyed reading this installment of the Mythos Academy because it provided me with everything I could ask for. I got to enjoy mystery, death threats, mythical creatures, talking swords, building friendships, character growth, some fascinating world building and a great story. I can’t wait for Dark Frost to come out later this year!

I give Kiss of Frost an A

Links to purchase

Barnes & Noble |

Review – Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone – one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship – tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

*blurb taken from Goodreads*

*This review contains some spoilers*

For those who know me, I’m not a huge lover of sc-fi type books as I really find all of the descriptions of ships and whatnot to send me off to sleep. So even though I’ve read good things about Across the Universe, I wasn’t that tempted to pick it up. But after finding myself with nothing to read the other night, I downloaded a sample from Amazon and low and behold, there was my evening (sleep actually) gone for the night when I bought the book and I was up until 3am finishing this story.

Across the Universe started off very strong, and I loved that Amy’s love of her parents made her follow them as ‘frozen cargo’, which meant she left all that she knew behind on earth. And I say this because it’s so rarely often you see a loving relationship between the protags and parents in YA. So when Amy is frozen, you would think that the next chapter would be when she woke up in 300 years with her parents, and throughout that time period Amy would not feel, dream, or imagine. But that’s not the case. Amy is in a half life dream state where she has semi-conscious thoughts, and I found that to be terrifying and it was the stuff of nightmares because can you imagine being like that for over 300 years?!

But Amy doesn’t wake up 300 years later, she wakes up much sooner and she’s lucky she didn’t die or drown when the frozen liquid unfreezes with tubes still down her throat. And when Amy wakes, she vaguely and with blurry vision sees Elder, the second in command of Godspeed and who is the male protagonist. Elder is in training to become Eldest who is in charge of the people upon Godspeed. The current Eldest is training Elder, and they butt heads quite often. There are different levels upon the ship and within each of these levels are people who have their own purpose. It’s the job of the Eldest to make sure that the people are run literally like cattle. Elder in most ways is quite immature and boy-like in his feelings and responses, and when he discovers the frozen cargo which has been hidden from him and everybody else on the ship, he looks upon Amy as if she was a new toy. So when Amy wakes up and realises how Godspeed is run, this is actually the stuff of nightmares for her.

I’m finding it hard to write this review because there are so many plot twists and explanations about how Godspeed is run that if I did that alone, the review would probably be over two pages long. Whilst there is a subtle romance between Amy and Elder, Across The Universe is not romance centric, and it’s more about the people, and how for so long — since a Plague took hold and killed off so many people — they are controlled right down to their DNA and hormones on board the ship. And mixed in with that is the other sub-plot of the frozen people being killed off.

And Elder is very different from the Eldest who comes across as a psychopath as when he sees Amy, his first thought is to chuck her out of the hatch into space. And Elder slowly begins to see that the way of life upon Godspeed is so terribly wrong, and he clashes with Eldest but doesn’t have the courage or the conviction yet to set upon a change. Yet when he gets to know Amy and he sees through her eyes what Earth used to be like, and how this is not how humans behave, he becomes more rebellious against Eldest, and the more he learns more about Godspeed the ship, the more horrified he is.

Again, there are so many subplots to talk about that I just can’t name them all, and this is where I have a problem with the book. There is just way too much going, and whilst I think it’s definitely a strong debut, I found myself confused so many times. Even writing this review, there is so much to talk about that I can’t fit it all in. But what I thought was conveyed so well was Amy’s loss and grief of being alone on this ship without her parents. And Amy contemplates waking up her Father so she won’t be alone because she thinks that in the future, they won’t need him. But she never does it, and I’m really looking forward to the next book in seeing how Amy adapts to her new role. Again, I know I’m vague and I apologise, but spoilers .

The book has it’s strong points in Amy and Elder, and it’s told in alternating chapters from their POV. And there is a revelation at the end that really took me for surprise, and I hope we get to see more of that revelation in the second book and how Elder and Amy deal with it.

Overall, Across The Universe is a fascinating read and I enjoyed it, but there were too many plots for me to follow and it ends up being somewhat of a confusing read. But I would definitely pick up the second book in the series and see how the story follows.

I give it a C+.

Amazon Book | Kindle eBook | Barnes & Noble

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket—a gifted inventor—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

*Blurb taken from author’s official website*

The day finally came. I was literally counting down the months for this release because how I so loved Stephanie Perkins debut novel, Anna and The French Kiss (click here for the review). Stephanie Perkins is such a talented author, and I couldn’t wait to see how her second novel panned out. Lola turned out good, but not great for me, so it’s with a tiny bit of sadness that I’m going to have to write some things I didn’t like about Lola. But it’s still a very enjoyable read, and I still have no hesitating in book pushing Lola onto others. Lola is the companion novel to Anna, and whilst it has no direct story that relates to the first, Anna and St Clair feature which was fantastic. I don’t want to go straight into the blurb again, so I’ll crack straight onto the review.

I liked Lola, but her see-sawing emotions became annoying for me when it came between her boyfriend Max, and her sort of ex Cricket. When Cricket and his twin sister arrive back next door to live, Lola’s old feelings for him return and she’s very confused as Cricket seems the same, but so different. I think Lola has a much younger tone in the story, and more young teenager angst compared to Anna, and Lola’s reactions are that very much of a confused teenager as she sort of plays both Max and Cricket on — but not in a malicious way.

Lola was very much a creative spirit, and her family life was just fantastic with both her dads, Andy and Nathan, a gay couple, who were such delightful characters. It was so cute and funny seeing them be so protective over Lola when it came both to Max and Cricket. For me, I never saw what Lola saw in Max, other than he was older, and a ‘rocker’, and he was pretty much an ass as far as I was concerned. Cricket on the other hand was such a sweetheart, and he was such a little oddball but in a inventive and eccentric way. His little contraptions that he built just added to his character, and he really was so sweet that I kept mentally shouting at Lola, how could you lead on sweet Cricket when he was trying so hard to stay away from you because he was honouring the fact you had a boyfriend. The fact that Lola wasn’t doing it in a purposeful or malicious way stopped me from disliking her, because she owns up to the realisation of what she was doing.

The secondary characters in Lola I don’t believe were strong, except for Lola’s parents Nathan and Andy. Lola’s best friend, whilst there, seemed to fade in the background, and other than being told they were best friends, I didn’t feel the connection between them. The same goes for Cricket’s twin sister, who at first was so snotty, but really was quite protective of her brother. I didn’t know quite what to make of Cricket having to sacrifice his childhood for his twin’s professional career as a skater, and I thought it was quite heartbreaking that his parents never put that much effort into his ambitions and happiness. And again, Nathan and Andy saw this and they were so sweet when they started inviting Cricket over so he wouldn’t feel so alone.
Lola and Cricket when they were together were so cute, but for me personally, I disliked that Lola was with Max through most of the novel because there was just too much teen angst for my liking. And it’s the first time where I felt that this book is definitely suited more towards teenagers. I did like that Lola’s reaction to Max towards the end was quite grown up, and she did think about her actions and feelings. What I found fascinating was her relationship with her birth mother, Norah, and how Lola was so mature about it, and that whilst she cared for her, she never had an inclination of wanting Norah to be her mother. And Norah had no inclination of wanting to be a mother, but they still both cared for one another.

Lola and Cricket towards the end of book were just fantastic, and how I so wished that it happened on earlier in the story because Cricket whilst innocent, is not so lily-white when it comes to Lola *grins*. And again, I loved that we saw Anna and Etienne again and whilst they featured in quite a few scenes, they never took over the story of Lola and Cricket.

All in all. Lola is a very good read with a very strong heroine, and a sweet cute beta-hero in Cricket. I didn’t love it compared to Anna, and because I found the tone to be younger, and I couldn’t get into the story as much as I would have liked. And yes, once again, I’ll be counting down the months until the third companion novel is released by Perkins.

I give Lola and The Boy Next Door a B.

B&N Nook | B&N Hardback | Book Depository | Amazon Book | Kindle eBook

Review: Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

My personal favourite is the Immortals series that is set in the Tortall Universe. I’ve been meaning for a while to do an overall review, and this past week, I’ve done a major re-read of the series so I thought it was the perfect time.

I’m going to do a review of each book through out a time period. I’ll try and not totally gush and express my total book love of the most awesome mage EVER, Numair Salamin *grins*.

“Young Daine’s knack with horses gets her a job helping the royal horsemistress drive a herd of ponies to Tortall. Soon it becomes clear that Daine’s talent, as much as she struggles to hide it, is downright magical. Horses and other animals not only obey, but listen to her words. Daine, though, will have to learn to trust humans before she can come to terms with her powers, her past, and herself.”

Our heroine of the series is young Daine, a 13 year old girl orphan who has the most extraordinary gift which allows her to communicate and talk to animals. In Wild Magic, it’s the story of Daine’s introduction to the Tortall Kingdom and her learning about her abilities and finding a place to call home. We meet again characters we grew to love from the Alanna series who make appearances quite often — not only in Wild Magic — but throughout the rest of the series. If you’re a big fan of animals, you will enjoy this series a lot. What Tamora Pierce is best at is her ability for world building, her imagination for creating magical beasts and gods, and for creating characters that are unique and so full of personality that you’ll remember them for a long time to come.

Wild Magic I don’t believe is the best book in the series. It’s a little slow to start with, but once it gets going, it goes to strength to strength. Daine for the past few years has had a terrible and traumatic time after raiders killed her mother. She’s never had a father and doesn’t know who he is, and except for her horse, Cloud — who she can communicate with — she’s been alone for a long time, expect for when she was with the wolf pack. When she meets horsemistress Onua, and becomes her apprentice, it’s a lifeline for Daine. She tells a few porky pies, but Onua likes what she sees and hires Daine. From there, the two begin a friendship, and it’s not long into the journey they encounter trouble from monsters, they meet my book crush, Numair. *happy sigh*

Daine is very much young and naive despite the horror she had to endure, but there is also a core of strength in her that is similar to Alanna when she was young, but in a much quieter way. Daine can seem perhaps to others as ‘too perfect’ but she is a major contrast to Alanna and I think having another strong and in your face character as Alanna would have been overbearing. Daine though is thrust quickly into using her gifts when terrible creatures from the Immortal world, the Divine Realm, have escaped. Daine is forced to use her gifts to battle these terrible creatures, and there is a realistic amount of violence that doesn’t escape into graphic territory. I loved the scenes when they travelled to Pirates Swoop, and it’s there where a big-ass battle commences where animals, monsters, sea monsters and a dragon appear in scenes that showcases the awesome world building. I think said it before, but I would have LOVED to have read this series when I was kid. I think I would have loved it even more back then. Not only is the world building so solid, the dialog and characters and just as fantastic. There is wit and humour that makes reading Wild Magic so engrossing.

Wild Magic is more of an introductory piece than anything as the subsequent books go into a lot more depth. But it’s one that invokes such imagination that you’ll find it very hard to put down. I give Wild Magic a B+.

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REVIEW: Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Every girl who has taken the test has failed.

Now it’s Kate’s turn.

It’s always been just Kate and her mom–and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld–and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he’s crazy–until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails…

*Blurb taken from author’s official website*

The Goddess Test is based around Greek Mythology, where our heroine, Kate, makes a deal with Henry (Hades) in return for saving her friend’s life, and to spend more time with her mother before she dies. Kate must past the seven tests of the council to becomes Henry’s wife, otherwise her memory will be wiped, and Henry will fade into nothing.

I enjoyed The Goddess Test, but I did have my problems with the world building, the romantic relationship, and some of Kate’s reactions, but otherwise I found it to be an enjoyable read where I stayed up until the early morning finishing it.

What I liked was the external plot surrounding the gods, because throughout the story, surprises were thrown in the way that I didn’t expect, and that’s always a good thing. It wasn’t predictable, and the reveal of the council took me completely by surprise. It was a great twist, but Kate’s reaction to it all was way too accepting. If I was her, I would be feeling pretty screwed up, but she seemed to accept it all easily — especially the revelation surrounding her mother. It’s very hard to explain without going into spoilers, but what I’ll say is that some things were left unexplained and without the world building rules.

This is called a YA, but I don’t believe Henry is a Young Adult. He’s a god, but has the body of a boy whose only a few years older than Kate. So even though he was the hero material, I found there to be a disconnect because he was acting like a late teen, but in reality, he was a big ass god who should have had a LOT more maturity than he did. Henry also didn’t have a lot of personality, and towards the beginning, I pretty much thought that James had a lot more going for him. Henry’s and Kate’s romance wasn’t an instant I love you, and that made for a nice change. I felt though that Kate fell too easily for Henry, and Henry’s moping around after Persephone, his first wife, got on my nerves.

I’ll definitely be picking up the second story in the series to see where it leads with Kate and Henry, and I hope the world building is much stronger.

I give The Goddess Test a B-

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REVIEW: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Blurb taken from goodreads:

“Agnes Wilkins is standing in front of an Egyptian mummy, about to make the first cut into the wrappings, about to unlock ancient (and not-so-ancient) history.

Maybe you think this girl is wearing a pith helmet with antique dust swirling around her.

Maybe you think she is a young Egyptologist who has arrived in Cairo on camelback.

Maybe she would like to think that too. Agnes Wilkins dreams of adventures that reach beyond the garden walls, but reality for a seventeen-year-old debutante in 1815 London does not allow for camels—or dust, even. No, Agnes can only see a mummy when she is wearing a new silk gown and standing on the verdant lawns of Lord Showalter’s estate, with chaperones fussing about and strolling sitar players straining to create an exotic “atmosphere” for the first party of the season. An unwrapping.

This is the start of it all, Agnes’s debut season, the pretty girl parade that offers only ever-shrinking options: home, husband, and high society. It’s also the start of something else, because the mummy Agnes unwraps isn’t just a mummy. It’s a host for a secret that could unravel a new destiny—unleashing mystery, an international intrigue, and possibly a curse in the bargain.

Get wrapped up in the adventure . . . but keep your wits about you, dear Agnes.”

Lou: When I first saw the buzz about this title, the first thing I noticed was the beautiful cover. It really is memorable, and it’s one you won’t forget anytime soon. It also has a tone that represents the plot of the book. I’ve been somewhat stuck in a rut with YA lately. I’m not a fan of the paranormal romances that are coming out lately with the mysterious boy, and the girl that he needs to save. Wrapped brings something entirely different to the YA genre; wrapped up in mystery, ancient Egypt, mummies and a sweet romance. Whilst it had all of these great things, and I enjoyed the book, I had issues with it. Firstly, I wasn’t sure if it was because I was tired, but when I first started reading, I had trouble getting into the story. The sentence structure felt awkward to me, and felt as if I was tripping over my mental tongue. It also had a slow beginning, and I was wondering when the action with Agnes would get moving so we could actually see what Agnes was like as a heroine.

Has: I totally agree with you about the cover and the theme of the story. It was also very refreshing to read a YA with a different setting and not the usual mysterious boy saving the girl or hidden magical abilities. I did think the opening scenes were great and I loved how it captured Agnes’ character and her skills with languages. But I think the lead up to the mystery was a tad slow and it didn’t get going until she was fully introduced with Caedmon and their discovery of a conspiracy.

Lou: I agree that the mystery was quite slow going. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it was when Agnes finally meets Caedmon that I started to enjoy the story. Their interactions with one another really brought out their personalities, and I think without their interactions, their personalities wouldn’t have been as strong. I liked that Caedmon wasn’t part of the ton or higher society. I really liked Caedmon (what an awesome name) and I must admit, I did like him more as a character than Agnes. I felt he was more fleshed out, and was a much more interesting character in terms of his knowledge. I’m a big fan of ancient Egypt stories — whether it be films, documentaries or books set around Egypt. And Wrapped certainly managed to infuse the setting and theme of Egypt whilst still being in London, England.

Has: I thought they were perfect together! Their chemistry was great and I have to say that Agnes’ intelligence and curiosity really shines and it was a perfect foil to Caedmon’s dedication to his studies in Egyptology. I especially liked how they rebelled against their social stations, as they were confined by expectations and class. It really fits into the title again and the main theme of the book — being wrapped into events, or confined by social class or expectations. The Egyptology theme was also the main reason why I picked up the book and I agree, even though the setting was in Regency England, the author really highlighted this aspect well, and I loved that there were hints of curses and magic, but that it was up to the reader’s imagination if this was true or not.

Lou: I like Agnes, and she was definitely smart, but I was annoyed that she didn’t end up telling her Father about what was happening when she knew that he was able to help her — especially when her life was at danger. I felt the author manipulation of the story where the most sensible thing was avoided as it enabled Agnes and Caedmon to solve the mystery themselves. I was wondering which route the magic curses would go down, and I think Bradley set that up great by not going either way of the spectrum. The actual mystery and villain of the story, I wasn’t that surprised by who they turned out to be. It was almost a simplistic conclusion, and I think the actual mystery of the amulet and the clues Agnes and Caedmon solved was the strongest part of the story.

Has: I definitely agree with you about Agnes not telling her father, but I thought that would have ended the story rather abruptly and there wouldn’t have been the discovery at the end which I think really worked. I also agree about the identity of the villain although I do think he was effective and I liked their interactions with Agnes which created an interesting dynamic. Another aspect that I really like was the portrayal of Agnes’ family and the insights we had — most especially with her brother Rupert which I found really interesting. And again the themes of being constricted on expectations he has to abide by — although we get to see he’s willing to break them because he’s unhappy too with the plight of his own future. Just like Agnes’ own fears about settling down with a suitable husband but yearning for more. It really made the characters standout here, and it was definitely realistic.

Lou: Anges family dynamics worked very well, and Rupert was…an interesting character . An annoying dandy of a brother, but a person who is very unhappy. I hope this is a start to a series, because I can see so much more potential in Agnes family — both in Rupert and her older brother David. I wonder also about her best friend, Julie, and if she is a potential love interest for Rupert, or perhaps for someone else. Talking about love interests, I do think Agnes and Caedamon were so sweet. There were both so hesitant, and sometimes snappy at one another, but they were always quick to forgive one another, and their hesitant romance was adorable.

Has: I hope there is more to come from these characters, and I hope there is some resolution for Rupert – I really felt for him in the end and that was surprising especially how his character was portrayed in the beginning. The ending feels like there is a lot of potential to explore especially with Agnes and Caedmon. I think their romance was definitely a delight and it was a nice change from the emo/forced angst that some recent YA books have at the moment. I think that helped not to overpower the story too.

Lou: I do so hope there is more to come from these characters. I think Wrapped was a great introduction to a YA series that is quite fresh in tone and theme. Despite the issues I have with Wrapped such as the slow beginning and slow mystery, I would recommend this for anyone who is looking for some fresh blood so to speak in the YA genre. I would love to give it a B, but because of the struggle I had at the beginning, I give Wrapped a C+

Has: I think Wrapped is a refreshing and delightful story with an engaging and fun heroine. Despite a very slow middling, it has well developed characters and a strong mystery that held some surprises which drew me into the story. I also hope there is more to come. I also give Wrapped a C+

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Joint Review: Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Where did you get book.: S&S galleygrab

Publication date: Out now

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That’s fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba’s world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she’s a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.
Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

*Blurb taken from Goodreads*

In a desolate and desert like world where people are clinging on the edge of survival, Saba — despite these hardships and struggles — is content with the insular world she and her family have on this barren land, and most especially with her bond with her twin brother who is her touch stone.  However for Saba, one fateful day tears her family apart  and so is her world when she witnesses the murder of her father and the abduction of her twin brother who is to become a sacrifice for a mad king. She embarks on journey  to save him and along the way she learns new insights about herself and knowledge about the people she meets as well as the ones who she is close to.

When I picked up Blood Red Road, I had heard it would have an unusual prose because it’s written in a short and snappy vernacular style with no speech marks, and I do find it difficult to read books like that because I really had to use my inner translator. I am not a huge fan of this type of prose; I tried reading Girl in the Arena and gave up.  Nonetheless, with Blood Red Road, the prose did connect well with the tone of the book as well as fleshing out Saba’s narration and her character. I felt that the prose also had this ancient story-teller sense, which really reflected well with the theme of fate  and destiny which is written in the stars in the book.  Due to this, I really think the language and prose was rich despite the short, and snappy style and even though it took me a longer while to finish the book, I did enjoy the writing style

Along with the rich prose, I loved the rich imagery that is presented in the book. One of my favourite scenes is when Lugh, Saba’s twin brother, is kidnapped by four men on horseback. It is very reminiscent of biblical prophecy and again connects the themes of fate and invoking  the imagery of a post apocalyptic and barren world. Her response was gut-wrenching and I have to quote an excerpt from the aftermath of her brother’s kidnapping and death of her father because it emoted such strong feelings. It was really poetic and raw and from that point, I got lost in the story.

I cain’t speak. Cain’t breathe.
Lugh’s gone.
Gone.
My golden Heart is gone.
I kneel in the dust.
The tears roll down my face.
An a hard red rain starts to fall.

From this point the story and pace really kicks up a gear when Saba goes onto track and follow the strange men who she later finds out to be the Tonton who enslave people with drugs for a mad self proclaimed King. Yet along her journey she finds herself having to take care for her younger sister Emmi who refuses to be left behind with a friend of the family and tags along with Saba who reluctantly agrees. Saba’s cold attitude towards her sister doesn’t make her likable, in fact, in the beginning of the book, she is pretty self centred and insular with her outlook and  views.

Yet when Saba and Emmi are tricked and captured and enslaved by the cruel and eccentric couple, the Pinches, they force Saba to become a cage fighter, which is pretty reminiscent of Mad Max’s and the Thunderdome. I loved this aspect of the book because it was gritty and earthy. Saba’s character was also enriched and developed when she has to go through this harsh ordeal to survive. I loved how she learns to relate and empathise with others in the same predicament but at the same time not submitting to defeat because of her determination to escape and save her brother and sister.

I loved that during the course of the book — and with her experiences with her own enslavement and new relationships with friends she has made, and the evolving relationship with her sister Emmi — expanded her character. Blood Red Road is also a coming of age tale. In a lot of ways, Saba’s experiences with all of those ordeals she suffered — emotionally and physically —  helped to shape and form her own identity which has always been linked with her brother. Saba feels that she is the shadow and he is the light.

The book also had a wonderful rich cast of supporting characters, such as the rebels, who help out Saba, the Pinches, the mad King, and the mysterious Tonton second in command who I hope we get to see in future books because he really livened up and added colour in a stark world. I also ADORED Jack who is the love interest for Saba, who she saves from being enslaved as a cage-fighter. Their interactions with each other was fun, and sparkling. Jack is also rogue, and I loves the rogues! I also loved how the theme of destiny and fate was intertwined with their romance, and I hope this is explored later too. The romance was one of my favourite aspects of this book, although I wished Jack was introduced a bit sooner because he really enlivened the story and definitely was a great catalyst for Saba, who he challenged in a lot of ways which I liked.

Saba was hard to like in the beginning, but I loved that during her quest to look for her twin brother helped to bring out her vulnerable side which made me relate to her more. The supporting characters, who were quirky, scary and some completely psychotic  were really vivid and stood out for me, especially with the stark contrast of the dry and sterile landscape.

Blood Red Road is a compelling  book that was a tense and pacey read and filled with rich themes and imagery. The world-building and characters, was fantastic and for me definitely slots into what I think a Post Apocalyptic world can be like.  I know some people will have issues about the prose. I had trouble getting into the book initially and reading it took longer than I was usually accustomed to, but the language is rich and evocative and I think it really adds to the plot and tone and most especially the characters. I definitely look forward to the next book. I need my fix for Saba and her siblings and to see what happens with Jack!

I give Blood Red Road a B+

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Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter