I’m excited to be a part of Penguin First Flights!
A few days ago, I received The Bellwether Revivals: A Novel
I’m very excited for this program, highlighting debut authors and listening promoting their work, I’m all for that. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen!
Source: bit.ly
Review: Model Spy by Shannon Greenland
Cute, light and fluffy
Cute would be the perfect word to describe Shannon Greenland’s novel, Model Spy. Kelly, a beautiful and gifted teenager, is caught breaking into a high security government system to help her crush David find information about his father. She is given the choice to either to join an elite group of teens who work as spies for the government or face a jail sentence, so Kelly decides to join the teenage spies. What Kelly finds there isn’t quite what she expected,David involved in the program, they have to do physical training, and she’s almost immediately thrusted into an operation that involves her going undercover as a Model with David as her photographer.
Model Spy is one of those quick, vacation-reads books. It’s light and fast paced but not overbearingly so. The characters are lovable, I’d have loved to see the other characters developed more, but, I guess the subsequent books will deal with that.
The plot itself was pretty simple if not a little predictable, however, I was found that this worked for the story. The one thing that I didn’t really like was the fact that, while enjoyable, it didn’t really leave an impression on me. I liked the characters but wasn’t able to love them as much as I would have liked.
If you’re looking for a quick read and something to satisfy the spy in you, this is definitely your book.
Publisher: Speak || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
Similar books that I’ve read → Allie Carter’s Gallagher Girls series
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Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Could have been great
Nightshade has the markings of a wonderful story, the plot was spectacular - wolves and witches, secrets, a mysterious ceremony and some very fun secondary characters. However, what made it quite the opposite were the main characters Calla and Shay.
From the very beginning of the story, Andrea Cremer set up her love triangle, Calla, an alpha, saves the human Shay - for reasons she cannot understand - and has strong feelings of attraction towards him, yet she’s promised to Renier the alpha of another pack with whom she will be forming her own pack. This is the beginning of the story’s downfall.
Calla (a wolf who can shift to human) is suppose to be a strong female lead, independent, smart, leader of her pack but she never shows this throughout the story. I almost feel as though she doesn’t care about her pack, she is mostly a selfish person who seems more influenced by someone she just met as opposed to people she has known forever.
Shay is annoying. He claims that Ren treats Calla like property while he basically tries to tell her what to do with her life. He does not understand her background and her culture, but he immediately assumes that everything she believes in is wrong and tries to changer her to someone he thinks is better, this is not love and it’s sad that this is what’s selling as love.
The other characters in the book - mostly the other wolves - behave much more like wolves than Calla. They were also much more interesting than Calla, and in a way I wish this was a story from one of their point of views rather than Calla’s. This is one book where I cared more about the secondary characters than I did about the protagonist. Even Ren - who, by the way, was suppose to be a bad boy, according to Shay and Calla - seems to be a stronger and more consistent character.
This book could have been a sophisticated novel, but in the end it was just fluff. It was a great story but it was tainted with the cheap thrill of a poorly constructed love triangle, and I don’t care enough about the love triangle or any of the main characters to carry on reading the rest of the trilogy.
Publisher: Philomel || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
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Review: Generous Justice by Timothy Keller
What does it mean to be just?
I’ve always loved listening to Tim Keller speak; I find his style very relatable. Generous Justice is the first book of his that I’ve read and I find that his writing style is very similar to his speaking and it made this a very good read for me.
From the very beginning he challenges our views of what is just and what is not. Each chapter builds on the other, but one of the themes that I saw strongly weaved through the text is God’s grace to us, and showing that grace to others.
He tackles what justice looks like (in relation to the Old Testament and Jesus’ teachings), why we should be just and how that looks in our community and beyond. I wouldn’t say this book is necessarily the end all of social justice texts, it reveals a way of thinking that I find different from the norm when it comes to social justice and it gives the reader a lot to reflect on when it comes to the topic of what it means to be just.
I enjoyed the way it was written and the smooth flow from one topic to the next. It was direct without being preachy and thoughtful. A quick and exceedingly engrossing read.
Publisher: Razorbill || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
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Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis
A futuristic space adventure
In her debut book, Beth Revis provides an entertaining, science fiction adventure. Sci-Fi novels, in the Young Adult universe, are few and far between, but Across the Universe stands on its own and will surely find a place in the hearts of many fans.
Amy, in present day, is frozen - along with her parents - and loaded on a ship launched for a new planet. Her parents are part of a crew that was deemed vital to securing and inhabiting the new planet. Amy is along for the journey.
Three hundred years later, aboard Godspeed, Elder is the next in line to lead the ship’s people. After centuries onboard, there is no diversity, no difference, and no uniqueness among the people on the ship.
The story is told from both Amy and Elder’s perspective. Amy’s story starts the day she is frozen and continues when she is awoken - fifty years before schedule. Elder’s story starts on Godspeed as he fights with Eldest (the current leader) to learn more about the ship for his future rule.
Across the Universe is definitely futuristic. We have a self-contained space ship, cryogenics and some advanced medical and scientific sub-plots that I will not get into least I spoil it for you. The characters are well rounded and endearing - Harley being my instant favourite. I wasn’t a fan of Elder in the beginning, but I loved the way Beth handled his characterization. He grew on me in the end, becoming more complex than initially presented.
The one thing I found lacking was that I failed to be wowed by the mystery. As soon as the villain was introduced I saw right through him - it was a little too obvious. A lot of time was spent trying to throw the scent off, but the actions of the villain were pretty transparent. However, the way the story progressed and the way questions raised were answered, helped in creating a good tension for the story and kept me quite engaged until the end. I find that I am curious to know what happens next in Amy and Elders life and am looking forward to the sequels.
Publisher: Razorbill || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
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Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
A wickedly juicy debut
Jessica Spotswood’s debut novel, Born Wicked, reads a bit like a cautionary tale of what happens when society allows itself to be ruled by fear. However, there is more to this story than fear, there is mystery and suspense, pretty dresses, bookish heroes and heroines and of course a splash of prophecies, oracles and witches.
Something terrible happened in the 1700s when a group, called the Brotherhood, rose up and eliminated all the witches they could find; burning all the texts and temples and striking fear into the hearts of the people against any woman who might be eccentric or learned or independent. Over a hundred years later, Cate Cahill and her sisters, Maura and Tess, are born into a world where women are treated as inferiors and the Brotherhood’s mission to eradicate witchcraft is still going strong.
Cate fears for herself and her sisters as they are witches. As her seventeenth birthday approaches, Cate finds herself in a difficult situation having to chose between a loveless marriage, a life in the Sisterhood - the female arm of the Brotherhood - and true love.
There were many things I loved about this novel, first, the history. I find that, in order to give the reader background knowledge, authors usually let the protagonist explain, in a dialogue, what happened. The things is, this works sometimes, but if overused, it causes the story to become monotonous. Born Wicked uses many different ways to inform the user of history - through dialogue, entries and Cate’s thoughts. At the end of it all there was a lot of information related, but nothing seemed boring or repetitive.
I enjoyed the pace of the story and the development of the characters - though I wish Tess had a little more page time; she was, by far, my favourite character. In the end, I figured out a few of the mysteries, however, the way the narrative revealed those twists was enough to keep me glued to the pages. I especially enjoyed the reveal about the sisters and the prophecy, it was not what I expected and I’m excited to see where this will take the Cahills in the future books.
There was one thing that I didn’t enjoy - the romantic subplot. There was a love triangle, which was handled well - no pinning over who to choose as the choice was very clear from the beginning - however, I did not see the purpose for it. Hopefully the future books will reveal the purpose that each part of the love triangle plays.
Born Wicked is set in one of my favourite time periods and Jessica Spotswood’s description of the customs and dresses transports the reader away from the present and into the past. I always appreciate it when an author can take me away into the world they created. I’m looking forward to reading more about Cate and her sisters.
Release Date: 7th Feb, 2012 || Publisher: Putnam Juvenile || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
[review based on ARC from Penguin via LibraryThing]
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Review: Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey
Dragons and Faeries and Witches … oh my!
Dragonswood, on Wilde Island, is a sanctuary for dragons and fey. Janet Lee Carey, continues the tale of Dragons and humans (with a bit of Fey) that she started in Dragon’s Keep. Several years after the events of Dragon’s Keep, we are introduced to Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter, who is accused of being a witch. The adventure starts right away and keeps you gripped until the end.
Tess and her friends friends are on the run when they meet Garth Huntsman, a stranger who helps them hide from the witch-hunters. Tess is suspicious of the stranger - with good reason - but has to work with him as she tries her best to keep her friends from trouble and repay them for disrupting their quiet lives.
Dragonswood is a fast moving story, you did not have to read Dragon’s Keep (which I thought was a little slow) to understand Dragonswood, Janet Lee Carey did a wonderful job of explaining the necessary pieces so the reader understands the history. The characters - human, fey and dragons - are very three dimensional and makes the reader care about what happens to them.
Though a lot happened, I never felt as though it was too fast or overwhelming. The story was well paced and exciting. The mystery - though I guessed a little of what was going on - was intriguing enough to keep me engaged. Garth and Tess, the two main characters, were lovable and relatable. I enjoyed the way Janet handled their growth and their personal “big reveals”. This book is for all the adventurers out there, go forth and read!
Publisher: Dial || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
[arc via Around the World Arc Tours]
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Review: The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
A tale of love and friendship
After reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes and The Last Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson, then being thrilled by her newest novel, The Name of the Star (not to be confused with her pal John Green’s novel, The Fault in our Stars), I decided to pick up some of her other works, which lead me to The Bermudez Triangle.
The story begins with three friends going out for dinner, simple enough. It’s the last time they will all be together until Nina, returns from her summer course at Stanford—Avery and Mel will be staying at home, working.
The bulk of the story really centers around relationships - from Nina and Steve, Avery and Mel to Nina, Avery and Mel, each relationship is different and complicated and I thought that Maureen managed to capture the emotions of each of her characters with perfection. As a reader, I felt the butterflies when Steve admits that he’s been trying to get Nina to notice him, the hesitance as Avery tries not to put labels to her relationship with Mel, the betrayal that Nina feels in the changing room when she walks in on Mel and Avery kissing, and so much more.
The great thing about this story is that it explores the fact that relationships can be messy. It doesn’t necessarily tie things up in a neat bow, but it explores the complexity of friendships, dating relationships, and even a bit of family dynamics - all in a very realistic manner.
The one flaw for me was that the story dragged a little in the middle, however, the relationships kept me intrigued enough to push through.
Publisher: Sleuth RazorBill || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
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Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
A witty tale of intrigue and adventure
Take an American girl from Bénouville, Louisiana. Relocate her to a boarding school in London. Throw in a couple of ghosts, a dallop of mystery and a dash of romance and you’ve got the page-turning, spine-tingling, keeps-you-up-at-night-to-finish-reading-it novel that is The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.
Rory, has a witty and spunky voice - which I found to be similar to Maureen’s Twitter-chatter style. The story opens up with Rory giving the reader a very brief background of her family and home, the reason she decided to go to Wexford, and her arrival at her new school. We meet Claudia, the house mistress, and Charlotte, the head girl - for some reason I blended the two characters in my head and had a bit of trouble sorting them out in the end, however, this isn’t pertinent to the tale. We are introduced to Jazza (Rory’s cautious roommate), and Jerome (Rory’s Ripper-addicted interest, of sorts); both were such fun characters to read that I found myself looking forward to seeing more of them.
The main plot is the ghost story/mystery that is weaved throughout. There is a killer on the loose, one who is copying the Jack the Ripper slayings. Yet, in a city with CCTVs everywhere, the killer seems to be invisible to the police; that is, until Rory thinks she spotted someone out and about, near the site of one of the killings. Once she tells the police her story, the plot picks up pace and takes you on a whirlwind adventure with eccentric roommates, mysterious strangers, and so much Jack the Ripper information that you come away feeling well versed on the topic - and a somewhat creepier for it.
I love reading Maureen’s novels because she is very descriptive about places and situations, so much so that you feel as though you’re walking next to the characters - The Name of the Star is written in this fashion. I also enjoyed the bits of family information that Rory litters throughout her narrative; funny little anecdotes to help describe the way she’s feeling. One thing that I appreciated about the story is that, compared to other protagonists who have supernatural abilities thrusted upon them, Rory reacts in a very normal and completely expected way. She experiences denial and disbelief in a believable way.
The Name of the Star is the first in a trilogy, and while this story ties up a lot of loose-ends, the ending leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction and curiosity as to what will happen next.
I utterly enjoyed reading it, and highly recommend this to anyone who is a mystery fan.
PS - there are no vampires.
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
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Review: Crossed by Ally Condie
A sequel that did not disappoint
In a society that dictates every aspect of a person’s life - what they eat, where they work, who they should marry, even when they die - Cassia, made her first non-society choice between a boy that society has chosen for her (her best childhood friend) and the boy that society deems an aberration; untouchable, but suddenly desirable to Cassia.
Ally Condie’s Crossed, written from the point of view of Cassia and Ky, follows soon after Matched. Setting-wise we are introduced to different districts and lands outside of Society’s rule. Ally isn’t very descriptive in her writing so it’s a little hard to imagine the setting unless you’re filling in the space on your own. This isn’t usually a problem for my imagination, but some readers might be put off by this.
The narrative, from Ky’s point of view, illuminates aspects of his personality that we didn’t necessarily get to see though Cassia’s rose-tinted glasses in Matched. It makes him more three dimensional and highlights flaws that were easily overlooked in the first book.
Xander hardly makes an appearance, however, more is revealed about his personality and background through the other characters. I enjoyed the layer of complexity this brought to the story.
The story was well-paced; I was hoping that Cassia and Ky’s paths would intersect early in the narrative and found the timing for this to be just right. Still, I wished there was more Xander, I’ve always found his character to be more interesting than Ky’s - from his introduction in Matched, Xander has always been the one I viewed as the bad-boy/risk-taker due to his citizen status.
While Crossed did a good job in setting up the final book of the trilogy, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. I’m curious to see how Ally Condie will tie them all up and am looking forward to the conclusion of Cassia’s story.
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile || Details →
Get the book on → Amazon
Similar books I’ve read→ Matched
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