Blackbird by Anna Carey

Blackbird by Anna Carey

Release Date - September 16, 2014
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages -  256 pages
My Rating - 2.5/5
**received in exchange for an honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

Blackbird caught my attention with it's mysterious premise, and it's promise for lots of action. Sadly, this one ended up not being for me. As someone who is a character driven reader, as I wanted more from pretty much every element of the story.

While reading Blackbird something felt off during the entire novel. I couldn't put my finger on it until I was almost done. I didn't connect to the characters. I wasn't connecting to the story. I didn't feel the pressure or the rising stakes. There is little to no character growth or development because the writing style prevents it. It quickly become apparent that the writing style, second person point of view, was not something I enjoyed. It creates an insurmountable barrier, at least for me, and prevented me from fully getting swept away by the story. I am sure others will enjoy this style more than I did, and I am sure it presents it's own challenges while writing, but I don't feel it worked in this scenario.

There are plenty of twists packed within these 256 pages. Some of them fun, and breathtaking, others felt unlikely and didn't mesh as well into the story. When the truth behind what is happening to the main character is revealed, it is chilling. It has all the making of a pulse pounding, consuming story. All the elements from romance, danger, excitement, action are all there. It's the execution that didn't quite pull together for me.

An unusual writing style left me unconnected to the story, and sadly, made the story hard to get into. There is an intriguing premise here, and it may have worked better, at least for me, with a different writing style. Those who love second person point of view may enjoy it better, so I do urge you to check out other reviews.

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week. It's heavy on the pretty covers because it's cover reveal time!

BOOKS

This was the week of cover reveals because Harper unveiled almost all of their Fall 2014 title's covers.

Cover for Amy Ewing's The Jewel

It reminds me a lot of the covers for The Selection. However, the synopsis makes it sound like an ever darker world. I do love this cover though. It's really pretty.

Cover for Anna Carey's Blackbird

The premise for this sounds really intriguing. It's told in second person which, from all accounts, makes you fully immersed in this story. The cover is okay, but the tagline immediately has me saying "whoa!".

Cover for Caroline Pignat's Unspeakable

I always love underwater photos/art/etc and this is no exception. I think it's really pretty. The synopsis has me wanting to read this immediately though! It not only takes place in Canada, but has a heartbreaking romance at it's center. Totally intrigued. 

Cover of Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Oh! I love this. It's beautiful. The mixture of magic with a touch of historical has me really intrigued. Plus Kiersten White mentioned there would be kissing. I enjoy kissing in books. Add it to your Goodreads if you haven't already.

Cover of Bethany Griffin's The Fall

I helped reveal this on this blog this week. However, I LOVE it. It captures the haunting, creepy vibe of the synopsis perfectly. Bethany's previous books are some of my favourites so I can't wait to get my hands on this one.

OTHER

Book Expo America

Tickets are purchased. Apartment is booked. Things are happening. Why is it not May yet? The big news that was announced is that Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, and Alan Cumming are the Master of Ceremonies for the annual breakfasts BEA hosts. This is obviously awesome! I am looking forward to the autographing schedule being released so I can attempt to plan my days.

So what are you obsessed with this week?

Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey
Release Date – October 4th, 2011 (some places Sept 26th)
Publisher – HarperCollins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 336 pages
My Rating- 6.5/10
**obtain at Book Expo America for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Eve starts out very promising. Our main character discovers the harsh realities of what is facing her upon graduation, and it’s not “college level” learning like she has been told. The reality really is quite chilling and makes perfect sense for this type of society. Eve, of course, wants to get out. She escapes, but leaves her two friends behind. This is where my disconnect from the novel begins.

I couldn’t relate to the main character. She makes bad decision after bad decision. She is often the cause of trouble and issues for others. She was not capable of taking care of herself at all. I get that she had been sheltered but I found it really hard to like her.

Her friends Pip and Ruby were quite interesting and I would hope they make an appearance in the next books. A fellow student who also escapes is Arden. She’s fantastic. She’s much more capable, and quite interesting. I am hoping to see much more of Arden in the second and third book.

People who dislike insta-love in novels may have a tough time with this one. Caleb is the love interest and it happens pretty fast. It’s made all the more apparent how quickly it happens when you factor in Eve’s schooling. Eve and the other girls at her all girls school take classes that teach them not to trust men (boys, etc). They are told that men only want one thing basically and that they will hurt them. Eve is terrified of men. She should want to run the other way as a result, but as soon as Caleb saves her the romance begins.

It appears that everyone wants Eve. Caleb, Lief (another boy she meets along the way) and the mysterious “King”. The “King” is the person running things after the virus has killed most of the population and he sends people out to find Eve when she manages to escape. The “King” does provide some potential in that we don’t know much about him, but he does seems like a real threat.

The ending was quite interesting and I am curious to see where this will go. I am interested to read the next book as I feel the potential is there and hope that the secondary characters that I enjoyed are more prominent.

I think certain people will love Eve, As I mentioned, there is potential here, and a few interesting characters that made the book much more enjoyable. I just wish Eve had been one of them.

Waiting on Wednesday - Eve

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is Eve by Anna Carey

Here is the Goodreads synopsis -

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

This sounds so interesting. I know that there is a ton of dystopian books coming out this year but this one sounds awesome. I do love the cover as well.

Expected release date is Oct 4, 2011.