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Collide (The Collide, #1)
Hannigan, J.C. *
Allie's rating
Fall of Knight
Cross, Steven *
Cross delves into the psyche of the mentally ill like a pro: he's either crazy, gifted, or both. The sane will be to unnerved to put it down; the insa Cross delves into the psyche of the mentally ill like a pro: he's either crazy, gifted, or both. The sane will be to unnerved to put it down; the insane will just smile. It is delightfully horrifying.
**I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity
Vonnegut, Mark *
The Dress Shop of Dreams
van Praag, Menna *
For a die-hard fan of Sarah Addison Allen and Alice Hoffman myself, I felt as though marketing this book for fans of these authors was a huge risk. Lo For a die-hard fan of Sarah Addison Allen and Alice Hoffman myself, I felt as though marketing this book for fans of these authors was a huge risk. Lots of people say that there books are like Sarah Addison Allen's, but they never are. Which is part of the appeal. Her novels are, truly, one-of-a-kind.
My anxiety about such a build-up notwithstanding, The Dress Shop of Dreams delivered on all expected fronts and more: love, family, intrigue, and of course, magic that is never overdone. van Praag writes in such a way that pulls you in from the very first page, but not in a heart-stopping, fall-off-your-seat type of way at all. It's a warm tug, surrounding you in the vibrant colors of its world and inviting you in. van Praag's style is as beautiful as it is brilliant, and I can't imagine any fan of Allen and Hoffman not devouring it instantly. The whimsical cover is a perfect match for the surreal feel of this novel that creates an afterthought of comfort in the reader that is unmatched in so many contemporary novels today, that it sets it apart from the mediocre. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more of van Praag's work. ...more
Ryan, Shari J. *
Another beautiful piece of art from Shari Ryan.
I am a grand fan of this author, starting with her Schasm series, for her gorgeous pen and her suspens Another beautiful piece of art from Shari Ryan.
I am a grand fan of this author, starting with her Schasm series, for her gorgeous pen and her suspenseful style in the romance genre. Tag delivers on all fronts, and then some.
The novel's opening gives the reader no time to catch up, and never lets up from there. Like all of Ryan's novels, the tension is artfully crafted, leaving a burn of anticipation at the edge of every chapter. Falling into Tango and Cali's dark story is as easy as breathing.
Ryan is a superb storyteller and existence-weaver, and her presence thus far in the NA genre has been refreshing and exciting. I can't wait for her next title. ...more
The Witch of Painted Sorrows (Daughters of La Lune #1)
Rose, M.J. *
There is something that all my favorite historical romance authors have in common -- gorgeous style -- and Rose nails it in The Witch of Painted Sorro There is something that all my favorite historical romance authors have in common -- gorgeous style -- and Rose nails it in The Witch of Painted Sorrows. The setting demands attention, surrounding you in its immense beauty without a second's notice. It is written in this enchanting kind of way that draws you in but also warns you of what is around the corner at the same time. For such a beautifully written book, it is fast-paced, taking you on an adventure in the most beautiful place. I've never been to Paris, but it is books like this that keep my dreams alive. The style is just stunning.
Similarly, the turn of events that pull you along the story feel expertly produced, the world that the author has created captivating the reader as the pages are turned. There's not much you can say without spoiling it, but I can assure historical fans who look for a twist of the paranormal will love this book. It is quite unputdownable. ...more
A Thirty-Something Girl
Gott, Lisa M.
I feel like I read this book in like five minutes.
I'm typically a very fast reader, but this is one of those books that you read while you're cooking I feel like I read this book in like five minutes.
I'm typically a very fast reader, but this is one of those books that you read while you're cooking with hazardous chemicals and when you have 3.7 minutes before your appointment and you consider how safe reading at a stoplight would be. It's unputdownable.
Stull captures you with her engaging, literary style from the first pages, and develops her characters via these multi-layered lyrics of all different colors: light to dark. I love the believable friendships she forms, the hope that Hope gives her reader, and the collective weave of survival and how we attain it.
When I see a potentially wonderful novel with the label "Romance" or "Women's Fiction" attached I tend to cringe based on the negative rap these genres have and the books I have read in them, but this book isn't like that. This is a powerful literary, romantically-written tale that strikes the stigmas of a good romance down. It is packaged beautifully with a gorgeous cover and solid storytelling, and it has achieved favoritism amongst my shelves. Hope is relatable, and she has a beautiful mind, and she makes you cry because in certain moments you are kind of her and her best friend at the same time, and you just want to take care of her as you would take care of someone you love. She is lovable, and I don't think that's because I'm a thirty-something girl myself (almost), but because she just is, and I think that the men who read this novel would fall in love with her a little bit too, and I think that's sort of the point: that this book can be enjoyed by everyone.
Hope's life is sad yet she herself is funny and the novel has the darkly beautiful quality that makes you want to read it again in an effort to capture the artistic air it has in your own life. It's the kind of book that envelops your existence until you're done and it takes a while to get it back.
It is the epitome of a book hangover. I would highly recommend it. ...more
Sharpe, Dennis *
I've read -- and praised -- Sharpe's work before, but nothing could have prepared me for Wednesday, both the book and the girl. She is sharp and she i I've read -- and praised -- Sharpe's work before, but nothing could have prepared me for Wednesday, both the book and the girl. She is sharp and she is witty and she doesn't care. She is a lot like me, actually, except she doesn't hold anything back.
The plot -- seemingly flawless -- makes for an adventure that is impossible to put down. It took me much longer than I ever would have wanted to pick up this book (hello, review-TBR), and a blink of an eye to read it. I'd have papercuts if I didn't read it on a tablet.
The author uses yarn of brilliance to tie Wednesday and her world at large together, and everything falls into place page after page effortlessly, it would seem. It is suspenseful in a way that steals your breath, your heart, and your sleep, all at the same time. Either Sharpe is a genius or Sharpe is a genius.
Love love love this book. I am very eager to see where Sharpe's career takes him -- wherever that place may be, I can't imagine it being anywhere else but the top. He is a stunning writer. ...more
Palahniuk, Chuck *
One would think that I would think, when I saw "dystopian Palahniuk + sex" or something along those lines, I'd be like oh fuck, you know, in order to One would think that I would think, when I saw "dystopian Palahniuk + sex" or something along those lines, I'd be like oh fuck, you know, in order to prepare myself.
All I remember saying is holyshitthisisbrilliant.
But, seriously: what the fuck did I just read.
The whole thing is in fact 1. brilliant and 2. very Palahniuk. Reading Palahniuk is kind of required for me since Lullaby, even though I haven't read all of his books and despised Choke; I actually didn't think I'd be into this one because of my reservations with Choke. Definitely would have enjoyed it more if someone told me if you are going to read Palahniuk don't read Choke first, but they didn't, so I did, and I'm telling you now, if you are going to read Palahniuk, don't read Beautiful You first (or Choke). Read like...Fight Club.
Anyway. As usual, through a crazy mindfuck of a backwards literary accomplishment, Palahniuk challenges us to test if all the Twilights and the Fifty Shades of Greys have plummeted our brains into stupidity forever, and Beautiful You soars. It's a fucked up The Devil Wears Prada situation, wherein the girl who wanted to make a difference being a girl ends up contributing to the most intense anti-feminism ideal ever, in a very profound way. The story that opens up with a girl being raped in a courtroom, whilst everyone stands by and watches, proceeding to the medical assisters that make jokes about 'who' this girl is, and beyond; this novel is brilliant because through classic Palahniuk Show Without The Reader Knowing They Are Being Showed, the author mirrors the current state of society for the world to see in its dark, satirical reflection. The platter of pleasure his setting offers, and the cannibalistic way in which his characters eat it up is stunningly creepy.
Beautiful You is a classic Palahniuk book that, like each and the next, is unlike any Palahniuk Book: a dystopian masterpiece that brings everything to the table including real current events that are happening now to produce an ideal that yes, this could really happen.
It is brilliant and seriously fucked up.
***I was provided with a complimentary copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
My Fluorescent God
Guppy, Joe
My issue with memoirs is this: they are boring. They are not boring because they are boring, but because people who are typically writing memoirs are My issue with memoirs is this: they are boring. They are not boring because they are boring, but because people who are typically writing memoirs are not writers and all of the editing in the world could not make them unboring.
Not My Fluorescent God. Guppy's story and the way it is written could not be boring if it tried really hard.
When I was introduced to this memoir through Guppy's absolutely stunning book trailer (it gave me chills), I basically started reading it the same day. It's one of those books where you read the first couple pages and wonder what the fuck you just got yourself into, and decide you can't stop reading until you find out what happens next, and so forth.
"Count backwards from 100 by sevens," he says.
If he is Satan, then that proves this is Hell.
You know when you go take your kids to a Disney movie and the entire adult audience is laughing at the dirty jokes, because they are subtle enough that the kids won't get it? This book is kind of the opposite, though very similar in subtlety. Our narrator has an innocence about him - as all the non-violent mentally ill usually do - that produces this essence of mind that is the likeness of that of a child that doesn't understand much about the world. Throughout Guppy's journey into the land of the insane, though, he maintains his sense of humor and manages to hold on to this dark, satiric humor he must utilize in real life, without even knowing he's doing it. Jokingly, I told my boyfriend once that I was funnier when in psychosis and that I was going to start a show called Schizophrenia: The Stand Up Project. He gave me this weird look until we sat there for a bit and talked, and he was laughing, and he said, "you are funny today." I wasn't fucking around, and neither was Joe Guppy.
He leads us back to the ward. We leave behind the gum crisis and my chance to run off.
It's funny to the reader, that, throughout the story, Guppy insists that he has lost his sense of humor and jokes are lost on him whilst he is being funny himself, and that makes the reader laugh, but also kind of sad, too. To someone who has experienced psychosis and continues to do so, though, the descriptive lyrics with which he explains his mental state are so accurate it hurts. He brings this ability to show how any little event that even has the potential to cause stress or anxiety can completely send a mentally ill person over the edge, and the contrast of normal and insanity against this gray-colored mindset is stunning.
I see Grace and mumble to her that I can't stand the smoking. She gives me a placid look. The unfairness of the smoke is too much. It's time to leave and kill myself. But escape doesn't seem possible. This deflates the hope created by my imagined death.
Through his interactions with all of the people in his world, including other patients, Guppy is able to look outside the bubble of his own experience and show the mental health industry that is our current reality.
"I've been depressed for years," she says. "Jimmy and I know each other from the hospital circuit."
Even though I know that this is just how it is - people walking among us who are in and out of institutions for their entire lives, including me - the author's words hit us hard in the chest. Do people with medical illnesses 'know each other' from the 'hospital circuit'? Guppy writes a memoir that shows and does not tell and he does it intelligently, which, in my reading career, is the first time that has ever happened. Beyond the embarrassing and unacceptable state of our mental institutions, with realistic detail Guppy goes into a number of things via his driven prose, including paranoia and the lack of effective medication that is available.
Dr. Hardaway keeps fiddling with my meds. He says different people respond differently to different medications and eventually he'll get the right mix. I imagine he sees my brain as a beaker, into which he pours different colored bubbling liquids. I can't believe that peace or happiness comes through chemicals, and I wonder why no one seems to have found the right mix for the chronics. I worry I'll end up like one of them forever.
Not to mention the chilling journal entries that offer the reader the opportunity to watch an individual unravel into psychosis from the outside. The whole thing is astonishing and enlightening, dark and satirical. It's one of those memoirs that would be just as heartbreaking and powerful if it were fiction because it is written so well. Guppy is an inspirational human being, to be sure.
My new favorite literary piece about mental illness. Not that there are very many of them, but we're getting there. Bravo.
***I was provided with a complimentary copy of thie e-book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed for ORGANIC COFFEE, haphazardly
Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century
Thompson, Hunter S.
"The brutal reality of politics would be probably intolerable without drugs." -Hunter S. Thompson, Kingdom of Fear
Since I caught sight of the Fear and
Since I caught sight of the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas poster on my older brother's wall when I was in high school, I knew I had to get my hands on everything HST wrote. It's taken me longer than I would have liked, and I'm still working on it, but I kind of have that take-your-time-with-the-good-stuff outlook on literature, and I love that I have saved some of this stuff – HST, Kerouac, Cohen – for a time when I can really get lost in it. I've read Fear and Loathing, The Rum Diary, and have seen their film-adaptations, which are both amazing (thank you, Johnny Depp). My ex-husband is not much of a reader, which I couldn't have in my household, obviously. So when I started to ease him into Palahniuk and stuff (ha, does anyone really ease into Palahniuk? is that a thing?) he found this and practically yanked whatever book I had in my hands and replaced it with this one.
"I knew a Buddhist once, and I've hated myself ever since." -Hunter S. Thompson, Kingdom of Fear
I could honestly write this entire review in quotes and it would be meaningful and tell you exactly what you need to know, because that is exactly what makes HST as great as he is, but someone already did that, and, well, I once wanted to write a book sans punctuation, but my name wasn't Cormac McCarthy, so.
Hunter S. Thompson cared about this country. The title is so fitting for this novel that is a work of art because he was a star-crossed child in the final days of America as we know it, as he knew it, and he was a star-crossed child in his final days, but not because America was failing him and everyone else – which it was, and still is – but because he felt he was at the peak of his career with perfect friends, and that suicide in that moment would not be a dishonorable thing.
"If he quit now, he would feel he was a champion." -Anita Thompson, to CBS, five days after Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide
And that is the point. Hunter S. Thompson was a creator. He was mysterious and he was unpredictable and he made it appear that he didn't care so that he could, genuinely, be one of the last artists that could, actually care. I imagine that such a contention would make the man himself vomit, but to me, what HST created was art, because it made you feel something. I know that to be true because the reviews of this book and all other works of HST are at every end of the spectrum from love to hate to brilliant to genius to idiot; his works are controversial, and therefore Hunter S. Thompson is controversial, and if that's not art, I don't know what is. And, Kingdom of Fear, HST's 'Memoir', is the epitome of that, because it's not really a Memoir. I mean, on the surface, it is; Kingdom of Fear tells the painfully entertaining story of the most loved (and hated) journalist of our time from the mouth of the Gonzo himself, but, in his revered style and dark, lyrical flow, HST tells of the ways of this country (and of the world) through his witty childhood, hilarious adventures, and ridiculous endeavors with Johnny Depp.
"Sane is rich and powerful. Insane is wrong and poor and weak. The rich are free, the poor are put in cages. Res Ipsa Loquitur, amen. Mahalo." -Hunter S. Thompson, Kingdom of Fear
Everyone is a writer, or everyone's mom is a writer, or everyone knows a writer, it would seem, but there are very few who find the opportunity to use their intelligence to hide an underlying meaning beneath a veil of hilarious, ridiculous stories tied together with a transparent thread, but Hunter S. Thompson did it, and he did it well. In Kingdom of Fear and everything he writes, he is brilliant, not because he says he's brilliant, but because he resonates with humanity from all walks of life, and they say he's brilliant. His satire mind and his literary couldn't-give-two-you-know-whats heart come together to dance in the middle of the most violent hurricane you have ever seen, and, like in some sick, twisted Cinderella story, it is magic.
"I understand that fear is my friend, but not always. Never turn your back on Fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed. My father taught me that, along with a few other things that have kept my life interesting." -Hunter S. Thompson, Kingdom of Fear
Memoirs Aren't Fairytales
Mann, Marni *
Scars from a Memoir (The Memoir Series, #2)
Fissure Free (Schasm #2)
Ryan continues her beautifully idiosyncratic series with Fissure Free. The primary element that I noticed about Schasm was how unique it was; how, by Ryan continues her beautifully idiosyncratic series with Fissure Free. The primary element that I noticed about Schasm was how unique it was; how, by its setting and chronological events, how it stood out in a colorless crowd wearing a bright red shirt and throwing a peace sign or something. In both the YA and NA genres, I have never come across a fantastically beautiful romance with equally developed world-building such as this, and its presence alone makes me happy as a reader and as an author. We need diverse books.
In Schasm, Chloe's lack of ability to make one informed decision kept me from loving her. I didn't classify this as a fault in character development, though. Quite the opposite, actually. Chloe had been sheltered all her life in a way that can be closely compared with a prison, and the reality that she couldn't make a proper decision due to the fact that she was missing an entire lifetime of experience and growth contrarily contributed to her development as a character, not took away from it. That being said, due to this developed personality trait, I do have to say that I had my reservations about Chloe in Schasm. Like, she's definitely not someone I'd be friends with. I wanted to shake her. Having had that experience with the first book, I was SO glad to see Chloe growing up a bit! She still has a long way to go, but her life with Alex has taught her a lot, and she has learned much from life and what it means to actually be older than a two-year-old. I enjoyed her character defiantly more in Fissure Free than I did in Schasm, so that just further contributed to my enjoyment of this series.
Ryan is known for her eloquent writing style that she brought to the table in Schasm, and it only gets better in the sequel. She paints a picture of the drift, of the gorgeous world you want to live in in comparison to the dark, murky one you don't. It is just stunning. It is too often that a series that boasts world-building transitions to emotions from one to the next, losing the element you loved most about it. Such is not the case with this sequel, and I can't wait for When Fully Fused!
**A complimentary copy was provided to Geeks Unleashed from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed for Geeks Unleashed ...more
Pulled Within (Bar Harbor, #2)
B00JG8TRGA
I loved Pulled Beneath, but Seductive Shadows is my favorite Marni-book, which is shelved as erotica, so I went through some withdrawals jumping from I loved Pulled Beneath, but Seductive Shadows is my favorite Marni-book, which is shelved as erotica, so I went through some withdrawals jumping from that to New Adult (not that I'm complaining; Mann does New Adult correctly).
I found the author again who has achieved favoritism amongst my already favorite authors in this book. It was beautiful. Mann writes books that guarantee darkness, that guarantee survival, gorgeous storytelling, and great sex, and Pulled Within delivers. It is brilliant because no one reads Pulled Beneath and wants to read about evil-ish Rae (at least I didn't) and then you pick up this book and you definitely want to read about Rae. Mann reverted to that tortured soul I found in Charlie in Seductive Shadows - the survivor - and made it happen freshly with a twist that I never saw coming. Her lyrical style pulls you in like a slow burn, and her damaged characters break you down. Rae makes you cry, tears you to pieces, and gives you something else that I can't describe other than if I said
In darkness I look for the stars
With every book, Mann achieves this magical air in realistic fiction: it's like she knows you and is all like
I'm gonna write a book for that one person
She's a literary sorcerer as far as I'm concerned. I've always wanted to write a book wherein the protagonist fell in love with the reader. I haven't done it yet, but reading a Marni-book is kinda like that, and probably as close as I'm ever gonna get. ...more
When Fully Fused (Schasm #3)
You know those memes going around on Facebook where there's a photo of a cute girl reading with her coffee and it says something like, that awkward mo You know those memes going around on Facebook where there's a photo of a cute girl reading with her coffee and it says something like, that awkward moment when you keep turning the pages of a book to look for more of the story but there is nothing there. The epic conclusion to the Schasm series, When Fully Fused, is like that. And it's not even because the ending was not satisfying or anything like that, but really just because you feel like you have lived a lifetime beside these characters, and you don't want it to end. You want to cry because it's over, and they're over, and what the hell are you going to read now.
This series is known as a romantic suspense, and, like it breaks from the YA and NA genres, I love that it defines that genre as well. So often romantic suspense focuses on the romance or the suspense and not enough of both, but When Fully Fused finds what I believe is the perfect balance. Chloe and Alex's romance is such a story of epic love, and it is defining for them, in a life they make up for themselves. Simultaneously, the events of this story is moving along at a very fast pace, such that you can't put it down, because nothing is what it seems. I don't feel like this is one of those books where many people would say I saw that coming from a mile away because there's just no way; the storyteller's deceit is mind-boggling. It is very suspenseful and shocking and the whole time you're just like holy shit. It's like an action movie for lovers of romance; the whole thing is just brilliant.
The ending is so classy in literature, and, while it gives you closure, it leaves these characters in your memory. They do touch you with their own world. It was a beautifully written series, and though I am sad that it is over, I commend Ryan for writing such an epically dramatic series of books that never lets you go.
Reviewed for Geeks Unleashed
Please Pretty Lights
Zajac, Ina *
Man, I have been really lucky with books lately. This never happens, but every book I've read in recent weeks has been stunning. Zajac's heartwrenchin Man, I have been really lucky with books lately. This never happens, but every book I've read in recent weeks has been stunning. Zajac's heartwrenching debut is one of them. Please Pretty Lights is one of my favorite books of 2014.
Most characters that make mistake after mistake, you want to shake and scream at until they listen. Via is not one of those characters. Via does not make decisions to benefit the plot or say what needs to be said to get the author's message across.
Via is not a character. Via is a person. A real person.
Every person in this book is a real person. The development is outstanding. The dialogue believable and the events relatable. This author's gift for bleeding emotion onto the page lends the story a surreal quality.
It's been since A Visit with the Goon Squad was released since I came across a readable book with the element of music to guide it along, and Please Pretty Lights trumps all. To those of us nearing our thirties, it introduces the music of our teens like a staple of our very existence. If you're like me, it solidifies a dream of moving somewhere cold and far away. It is gorgeously dark, and heartbreakingly hopeful.
This book will touch you harder if you've been there. Not necessarily there there, but there in the sense that you have been somewhere dark and fucked up (and can stand to read this book ie *trigger warning*)--a place that most never go--you will get it, and it will hit you hard. It will teach you that you are not the only one. Not that that makes it better or rational or makes it hurt any less.
But, still.
I am seriously in love with this book.
***I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Taxicab to Wichita
Asselstine, Aaron Louis
It would seem that the majority of my five-star reviews contain some applaud about writing a unique book that doesn't exist, but that's just my thing, It would seem that the majority of my five-star reviews contain some applaud about writing a unique book that doesn't exist, but that's just my thing, and I can't point it out enough when it happens. Someone once told me that we are all just retelling the same stories with different voices, and so many times that is true, so I seek out these books that are unlike anything I have ever read before.
In Taxicab to Wichita, Asseltine redefines the consensus of what a suspenseful, somewhat thrillerish novel is. And that's really what this book is to me, a somewhat thrillerish thing, mostly because I don't even know what to call it. Genres be genres, I don't really know what it is, other than a literal take on dark fiction about two damaged souls that feed off one another on the road to self-destruction. It is tragic and hard to read through the surreal perspective of a person that is not necessarily seeing reality the way the typical human being in that situation - or in any situation really - might.
Asselstine is an inventive storyteller, and I'll be watching for the next genre-defining piece of literature he puts out.
**I was provided with a complimentary copy of this e-book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)
Black, Holly *
it was ok
This book was defiantly better than Tithe (which I hated), but on a grand scale, just okay. I liked the idea of the Curse Workers and the independent This book was defiantly better than Tithe (which I hated), but on a grand scale, just okay. I liked the idea of the Curse Workers and the independent premise of this novel, but I just can't get past Black's writing. It doesn't offer anything to me as a reader. I can't picture her setting and I can't connect with her characters; there is no imagery, no setting, no nothing for me. Her books have been empty shells thus far, and I just can't get into them. ...more
Scan (Scan, #1)
Jury, Walter
really liked it
I wasn't quite sure what to think about a novel written by someone who hails from the film industry when this book was brought to my attention, but I I wasn't quite sure what to think about a novel written by someone who hails from the film industry when this book was brought to my attention, but I have great respect for Sarah Fine, and just because writing is not necessarily your primary trade doesn't mean you can't write.
Needless to say, I am so glad that I read this book.
There are many elements worth discussing when reviewing such an exceptionally uncommon novel in the YA genre, but I think the important thing to note is the fact that it is so uncommon. It has unfortunately been my experience that romancey "alien" books are just not up to par with the rest of my favorite YA's (with the exception of I am Number Four, which I loved), but Scan is such a tour de force of a novel that it makes me think that the other alien books I have read in this genre have just been doing it wrong. That being said, the only thing I wasn't a fan of in this novel was the romance itself. I thought the whole relationship between Tate and his girlfriend was kind of awkward and unnecessary; it's almost if it was thrown in there to entice YA fans that are not necessarily science fiction fans and require romance in their novels. Thankfully, I was able to move past it pretty easily since it didn't ring as the focus to me.
I commend both authors for making Tate's girlfriend and his mother such an important part of his journey; the reader gets the sense that Tate really needs them and instead of trying to be Mr. Awesome all the time, for the most part he embraces it. This lended a great enamorment towards Tate as a character on top of everything else that makes him wonderful. You know that somewhat-handsome, somewhat-cool kid in your high school? The guy that was not part of any clique or group but kind of got along with everyone? That's Tate. He's charming and he's intelligent in a roundabout way; the guy is super likable. The air of his emotional state that he didn't try to mask made the book for me; he is honestly one of my favorite YA characters.
Romance and top-notch character development aside, this book is an absolute thrill ride. It doesn't have this overly suspenseful nature that makes you roll your eyes because you just found another cliffhanger and you feel like the author is patronizing you as a reader, but paced in such a way that keeps you engaged while dangling you on the edge of your seat; it walks the line of being over the top, but isn't. Annoying cliffhangers being discussed, this book has one (not necessarily annoying, but it is there), but it's the kind that makes you want to read the next book because you genuinely want to, not because you just want to know what happens and get it over with.
I was pretty impressed with Scan. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
**I was given a complimentary copy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing
Luna, Steven *
I can't say I was surprised by how amazing this novel actually was, having been prepared somewhere between its outstanding reviews and my distant expe I can't say I was surprised by how amazing this novel actually was, having been prepared somewhere between its outstanding reviews and my distant experience with Steven Luna in Joe Vampire. Luna's work comes highly recommended by some Artists of the Written Word that I respect more intensely than I respect my parents for their responsibility of my existence, and Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing is a thought provoking work of art.
Tyler Mills is my kind of character and Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing is my kind of book, mostly due to Tyler himself. I'm a character-driven reader, and Tyler takes us on a tour de force journey from internal self-destruction to discovery. The themes in this book are tough to bear, especially when a seventeen-year-old boy is involved, but fans of dark fiction will appreciate its lyrically woven style. Tyler's beautiful musical gift couples with Luna's intense voice, and this novel soars. It captures the mindset of a damaged teenage boy in a tragically realistic way, and inventively shows his learning curve towards a mend through forgiveness, not without all the emotional longing in all the right places.
It takes a special kind of author to encompass the essence of diversity in literature, but Luna does it with one work to the next from funny to poignant with ease. For the reader, there is nothing deliberate about it; it just flows. I love this novel.
**I was provided with a complimentary copy of this e-book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed for Geeks Unleashed + Interview with the author ...more
The Artful (Shadows of the City, #1)
Stanton, Wilbert *
liked it
This is one of those books that you absolutely want to love based on the cover, the synopsis, the premise, and the reviews from some friends, but you This is one of those books that you absolutely want to love based on the cover, the synopsis, the premise, and the reviews from some friends, but you just...can't.
Overall, it's a good YA dystopian novel. I didn't have issues with the world-building like some other readers did - I thought it was rather brilliant with its idiosyncratic build through the lines of its Dickens-reminiscent spirit - but I had some other consternations with it.
Predominantly, the person in my head was incapable of getting along with the characters. Unfortunately for me I am exclusively a character-driven reader, so if I don't like a character, I don't like the book. That being said, I'm all for intelligent, witty characters of the male persuasion in YA novels - see Tate in Scan who is one of my favorite YA characters ever - but Dodger takes it over the top. Instead of being intelligently witty in a fun, roundabout way, he comes across as overly sarcastic, mean, borderline mysogynistic, and sort of a bully. Gia annoyed me, but I'm not sure if it's worth mentioning that a female character in a YA novel was annoying. Because that's never happened before.
To build on The Bad News, this novel was so, so, slow. Not exactly something you expect from a YA dystopian; it's not a contemporary romance and shouldn't read as such. I expected it to open with a bang and lay on the action/adventure - again, a little more like Scan - but it really did take a while to get moving.
Just because The Artful wasn't my favorite, doesn't mean Stanton made a non-reader out of me with this book; on stylistic principle alone, this author wrote a beautifully dark novel about children just trying to survive, which is an important addition to the YA genre no matter which way you spin it. In addition to that, he does not censor the savagery or barbarity of a novel in a post-apocalyptic setting just because it is written for the YA genre, which is something I respect highly. Beyond one-dimensional characters, YA authors that do intentionally wrap their themes in pretty shiny tape is the number one no-no for me, so I appreciated that very much, just like the first time that happened to me, when I read The Hunger Games.
Enjoyable versus Annoying, as a whole, it was somewhere in the middle. It was okay.
**I was provided with a complimentary copy of this e-book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The City & the City
Miéville, China *
Warning 2-star DNF policy ahead:
Alright so this book was just really weird. It was another one of those books that I would have never heard of/picked Warning 2-star DNF policy ahead:
Alright so this book was just really weird. It was another one of those books that I would have never heard of/picked up/read if it wasn't for that hipster-ish online book club I was in that one time. I read like half of it, I think, and I don't know if I was not in the right frame of mind or too young or too immature of a reader or if this author is just really not for me, but I found it strange in a negative way, and little bit too foreign to my culture to be relatable to me, and all you Reading Hipsters probably are rolling your eyes into the back of your head so hard that they hurt now, but that's fine, fucking hipsters (I'm just kidding hipsters, I like you; you are generally good-looking). Point is it was just too weird at the time that I read it for me to get into, but I did try, and I know most of you love this dude so, I'm sure it's awesome for those of you who feel you can get through it.
Kerouac, Jack
I have a 2-star policy on books I DNF so:
This book bored me. It was boring and the characters were boring and uninteresting and the writing was choppy I have a 2-star policy on books I DNF so:
This book bored me. It was boring and the characters were boring and uninteresting and the writing was choppy and immatureish, I thought. I was bored, and so I stopped reading before one-hundred pages and I still haven't seen the movie like however many years later.
That's not to say that Kerouac sucks or I didn't like it like I didn't like some other classics like Anna Karenina or 80% of Austen's works because I love The Dharma Bums but eh. Couldn't get into it. ...more
The Dharma Bums
I'm sort of laughing reading the reviews of this book, seeing its average rating of 3.93 compared to Meyer's 3.73 on Eclipse. (In case you've been liv I'm sort of laughing reading the reviews of this book, seeing its average rating of 3.93 compared to Meyer's 3.73 on Eclipse. (In case you've been living in a cave, everybody fucking hates Stephenie Meyer). I love the fact that Diversity of Reading exists and that there are so many different perceptions in the world on the exact same piece of literature, but it would seem that authors are sometimes treated unfairly (Kerouac being the one being treated unfairly in this case, obviously).
I enjoyed The Dharma Bums defiantly more than I enjoyed On the Road, which, admittedly, I didn't finish. But that could have been because (1) I (tried to) read On the Road after the movie came out and my version had Kristen Stewart on the cover and well, you know (holy crap I really need to get Twilight references the fuck out of my Kerouac review) or (2) because one of my besties literally snail-mailed his paperback copy of The Dharma Bums after I commented on his Facebook post WHERE DID YOU GET THIS or something or other.
Unlike On the Road, I found The Dharma Bums to be lyrical without being too wordy or hard to follow, and frankly, not boring. I find myself reading classics not because I'm necessarily interested in their stories but for more banal reasons like I want to be well read or I want to know what all the buzz is about. Nine times out of ten (see my Austen and Tolstoy reviews) I am either bored out of my mind throughout the entire book or I DNF them at like 15 pages. Such was not the case with The Dharma Bums. I totally want to be the characters in this book - I always have - they are adventurous and unpredictable and funny and they are dicks to each other (okay I at least have one of those down). The stylistic, somewhat airy voice that Kerouac sings onto the page just made it a favorite (I don't do books without style).
That photo that you found on Pinterest of that medium-build guy with a beard and a backpack sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere writing in this little journal - this book is him. Except he wouldn't fall in love with you because he's way too cool for that shit. ...more
Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga, #1)
Randall, K.M. *
I don't say this often, but Fractured Dream is kind of an Allie book. The number one reason that I started writing and ultimately ended up publishing I don't say this often, but Fractured Dream is kind of an Allie book. The number one reason that I started writing and ultimately ended up publishing my own paranormal series was because I was looking for a book that I couldn't find in the bookstore and Fractured Dream is one of those books. There isn't really anything out there (that I've found) that is like it.
This debut novel reads as ten colorful strings woven together. From the first page, I was enticed by this story. It's one of those situations when you find that book that feels written just for you, a bit, and you start reading and you're like oooooh pretty!
The romantic element weighs in thickly, but is not overbearing and does not overpower the storyline. Something to be noted is the methodically built world that Randall introduces. Fans of romantic fantasy know that more times than not, you have to choose one or the other: romance or world-building. Such is not the case with Fractured Dream It is a beautifully written novel that weaves magic and adventure into the darkness and danger that is the essence of telling every good story. What surprised me about this novel was how highly-charged and fast it went. It is a long book, but you barely notice (especially for those who prefer your books short like me).
Fans of reality versus fantasy and how humanity strives to adapt somewhere in between, I'd watch Randall's career with interest. She has brought dedicated readers of magical stories an outstanding debut.
**A complimentary copy of this e-book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Midnight Crossroad (Midnight, Texas, #1)
Harris, Charlaine *
This is one of those books that you enjoyed but that you forget about five minutes after you've finished reading it.
I was chatting with a few book blo This is one of those books that you enjoyed but that you forget about five minutes after you've finished reading it.
I was chatting with a few book bloggers on Twitter who said they weren't wowed by it. I found myself discussing the reality that Charlaine Harris is very successful due to her wildly popular Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) books, but that she is one of those authors that writes a bunch of okay, solid, popular books instead of a few great ones. And I think that's what I have to say about this book. The characters are not overly developed (which has become somewhat of a must for me for me to really love a book) but they are there in solid form. There are some definite paranormal elements that border on eccentric, a trait in a novel that I can highly appreciate due to my love for all of Sarah Addison Allen's books. And, as with most all of Harris's novels (except maybe the Harper Connelly series which was a bit more serious), Midnight Crossroad has moments where it makes you laugh out loud, so I appreciated that as well.
There wasn't anything necessarily bad about it, but my feelings about it are sort of neutral: didn't love it didn't hate it kind of thing. It was good, but now it's over, and I'm ready to move on to something else a bit more interesting.
That being said, Charlaine Harris a great writer, obviously, based on the popularity of her books. She does have a great ability to bring something a bit different to the table of paranormal and horror, even if that trait alone doesn't have the capacity to wow its readers.
**Geeks Unleashed received a complimentary e-book copy of Midnight Crossroad from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
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