Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston
Release Date - September 17, 2013
Publisher Website -  Penguin
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  336 pages
My Rating - 2/5
**obtained for review from publisher via BEA**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

An ice covered world, a New Vegas that is still an enticing place, and a hint of magic. Frozen seemed to have all the elements that would make me immediately want to read it. Sadly, this novel turned out to be not a book for me.

The writing felt disjointed. I am not sure if it's the result of two writers with very different styles trying to mesh together, or something else I can't put my finger on. It felt stilted and not fleshed out. It felt like a draft that needed more information added in to connect everything properly together.

I found myself lacking a connection with the characters. I've mentioned many times that I am a very character driven reader. I need to be invested in some way. I need to understand their motivations. I don't have to like them, but I certainly have to feel SOMETHING for them. I found myself disconnected, and often pushed away by them.

There are female characters who are not confident. They tend to have problem fathoming why the cute love interest would be interested in them. They consider themselves plain, and not noticeable. These types of characters are often given grief for this by readers. The flip side are the characters who are aware of how attractive they are, and their effect on the love interest. This character is also given grief but for different reasons. This character is Nat. She makes a comment referencing the fact that half the guys on the ship probably have a crush on her. We are to take that she is teasing the person she is saying this to. She may not believe it fully, but she has the confidence in herself to say it. I found this to be a nice change from the 'plain but actually gorgeous' YA trend. It's one of the few character traits that I found refreshing.

The entire plot, and the characters themselves felt very formulaic. It read, to me, like the characters were created by giving them characteristics that they would be expected to have, rather than because it was pertinent to the character. The twists and turns the story took also felt expected, rather than the natural course for the story.

A few inconsistencies were found throughout the novel. As I was reading a unfinished copy, they might be corrected in the final version. The biggest seemed to be a character who supposedly unable to read does just that a little later on the book. I tend to let these slide in uncorrected proofs, and hope that any of them would be corrected in the final draft.

There are some promising plot elements. I enjoyed the magic aspect, and the hunt for 'the Blue' had some exciting moments. Overall though, these were not enough to turn the novel around for me. I ended up unsure if I will continue with the series.A premise with a lot of promise, but for me, failed to meet that promise. A book that, sadly, was just not meant for me as a reader. I do hope you check out some more positive reviews before deciding to read it. Goodreads has some 4 and 5 star ones that will offer a different perspective.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date - September 17, 2013
Publisher Website -  Scholastic
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  448 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**obtained for review from publisher via BEA**

**SPOILERS FOR THE RAVEN BOYS**

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE DREAM THIEVES**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

Maggie Stiefvater has created a magical world that drew me in completely while reading The Raven Boys. The Dream Thieves takes the world she's created and adds to it, but also turns it upside down. She adeptly avoids the dreaded "second book syndrome" and leaves you spellbound, and breathless.

The writing in this novel is some of the best I've read this year. Maggie Stiefvater ignites feelings with ease, and brings forth her character's personalities effortlessly. She manages to up the ante from The Raven Boys by creating dangers that are not just outside influences, but personal demons as well. Each of our beloved characters is grappling with something, and Maggie never lets you forget that a ticking clock around them is pressing as well. This novel is an unraveling of sorts. The characters are becoming increasingly unstable, just like the ley line. More and more power is coursing through the town, and the inevitability of something big happening is suffocating not just the reader, but the characters as well.

The characters have fully worked their way into my heart, so much in fact that this book left me a mess of feelings. The connection as a reader is effortless. You naturally want to embrace these characters, flaws and all. You want to protect them from themselves, and most importantly, you want to join them. You want to take this journey with them, regardless of how much it hurts sometimes.

Ronan is the primary focus in this novel. I knew his tough exterior hid a much  more broken center. We learn a lot about him, his family, and what is hidden underneath his bravado. After Ronan's admission about Chainsaw at the end of The Raven Boys, he was the one I was most interested in getting to know more about. The Dream Thieves does not disappoint. I finished with a deeper understanding of Ronan's motivations, and secrets.

Allowing us to see a different side to these characters is something Maggie Stiefvater does extremely well. In this novel, Gansey especially shows different sides to himself. The complexity of all the characters is stunning. The attention to detail, the research, the plotting, and the way everything weaves together is mind blowing. The foreshadowing that allows clues, but still manages to keep the novel's secrets until the author is ready for you to know them is another testament to Maggie Stiefvater's talent.

Blue grapples with her curse. She doesn't want to fall in love. Doesn't want to be responsible for the kiss that would kill her true love. She grapples with the secret she has - that Gansey will be dead before the next St. Mark's Eve. The ways in which this impacts her are heartfelt and authentic. She is quickly becoming one of my favourite female characters.

The romance in this is not what I anticipated at all. Maggie Stiefvater throws what could be a possible romance triangle and shows us why she doesn't need them to create drama. She uses other means to rip her reader's hearts out. Kisses (and almost kisses) have never been more devastatingly heart crushing than in this novel. Each kiss, and almost kiss is destroying for different reasons.

A stunning series filled with magic, heartbreaking kisses, and more danger than anticipated. Finding Glendower will not be without sacrifice, and I for one can't wait to join Blue, and her Raven Boys on the rest of this twisted journey.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews). 

A total surprise arrived in my inbox. An eARC of Kresley Cole's Endless Knight! A huge thank you the marketing department that liked my review of Poison Princess enough to send this my way. Excited to get started on it!

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole (Goodreads)

Happy Reading, and Happy Weekend!

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:

BOOKS

Third Book In The Royal Circle trilogy by Katherine Longshore

We have a title!! BRAZEN will be the final book in the trilogy, and I can not wait for more details. Details, and a synopsis will be coming from Penguin shortly, and I can't wait. I am curious to learn more about the main character, and what events may be woven into the story based on the timing. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads to get all the details when available.

Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

The Castor Chronicles is getting a spin off! Ridley and Link are taking centre stage in this New York City set companion series to Beautiful Creatures. I am excited to see what's next, and this gives me an excuse to finish the first series ASAP! You can add this to your Goodreads, and check out the full synopsis.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

A Wizard of Oz where Dorothy is not the hero? SIGN ME UP! Deadline, who announced that the CW has optioned this for a TV Show described the  book/show this way

the magically-ever-youthful Dorothy has stayed in Oz, presiding over a now fascist fairyland with her perfectly manicured iron fist and the help of her henchmen - the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. But when another young woman from Kansas is swept up in a tornado and magically dropped into this war-torn Oz, our hero discovers a revolutionary underground of witches and enchanted beings only to learn that she is destined to lead their people in the fight to reclaim Oz from a power-hungry Dorothy's ruthless clutches.

Yup, pretty much LET ME HAVE IT NOW! I am going to be really excited when this comes out in April 2014. This one has flown under the radar a little, but I expect that is about to change. Also, keep an eye out for this in my 2014 Most Antcipated Reads event *wink* . If you haven't already, be sure to add it to your Goodreads.

Cover of Sisters' Fate by Jessica Spotswood 

I love this series, so much. The last book ripped my heart out, and left me a mess when all was said and done. I am dying to get my hands on this one. The last little bit of the synopsis? SHIVERS! *Obvious spoilers for the first two books in the series in the synopsis, so tread carefully*. I am also in love with this cover. The colours are so pretty.

TV/MOVIE

Dexter Series Finale

We're saying goodbye to Dexter. This makes me sad. Watching the following teaser for end made me anxious and terrified as to what is going to happen.


 
Dexter saying "This is all my fault" and the FBI closing in on Hannah! EEEP! Poor little Harrison better have a happy ending in all of this, that's all I am saying. 

So what are you obsessed with this week?

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date - September 17, 2013
Publisher Website -  Harper
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages - 368 pages
My Rating - 3.5/5
**obtained for review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

The grass is always greener, or so we would like to believe. 3:59 explores the notion of lives we wished we lived, and how they aren't always what they appear to be.

Josie is your typical highschool student. Her life has hit a bit of a rough patch, and she's instantly drawn to the allure of having a 'do over'. I might of over sympathized with the situation with her boyfriend, and so she instantly appealed to me. Something about her life will strike a cord with the reader. They'll either relate directly, or it'll remind them of someone. This creates an instant bond with the character, and I felt it added to the story.

Jo on the other hand wasn't as developed as I would have liked. This is Josie's story, but Jo has a LARGE part in it, and I wanted her version. Everything we learn about Jo is from Josie and her perspective. It's tainted. As we know there are two sides to every story, and I felt that Jo had more to tell.

The science fiction aspect of the story was exactly what I hoped it would be. Gretchen provided enough details to allow the reader to follow along, and yet kept it open enough that your imagination could fill in the blanks. The descriptive nature of the portal that allows the swap to take place made imaging it all too easy. She raised the creepy factor by having the portal close rather rapidly and the descriptions of the portal's 'in between' stage was chill inducing. Comparing it to hardening concrete brings to mind horrors of being buried alive, and it was captured by Josie perfectly.

The romance is going to be hit or miss for some. I can see both sides of this. It does come across as rushed, but there are factors that would lend themselves to a quick attraction. By the end of the story I was invested in it enough to care, and that is what matters to me. I wish we had a little more to go on, because this relationship does have it's sweet (and not so sweet) moments.

The meshing of horror and science fiction is a perfect blend. Some may be surprised by the inclusion of something decidedly not science fiction based, something that is semi paranormal in nature. This inclusion felt warranted to me, and it added an element of danger to a story that needed some higher stakes.

The ending will be debated, and perhaps disliked. It's not the ending one may hope for, or like. It, for me, ends the only way this story could. The build up, and nature of the story dictated that certain events had to happen, and this is the follow through.

Gretchen once again shows she can scare and captivate. I wanted a little more from this book, but still found it's writing and presentation enjoyable. Fans of Gretchen's previous novels will want to grab this one.

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends. This weeks question is:

It is up to you to do a Kickstarter campaign for your favorite book!!! Who are you casting for the main characters?

Um...This is hard because I have a lot of books I really like. I am going to have to go with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I would cast Kaya Scodelario as Mara, and Max Irons as Noah Shaw.

Happy Weekend!

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Release Date - September 3, 2013
Publisher Website -  Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  432 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**obtained for review from publisher via BEA**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Imagine a world where vampires are the ultimate celebrity, death is alluring, and living forever may not be as long as you think. Holly Black has taken something classic, and paid it the respect it deserves in her own, unique voice.

A vampire novel being sexy and sensual may not be surprising. It meshes the allure of living forever, with the brutal truth of death that surrounds these immortal beings. The world Holly Black has built takes center stage, and seduces us. It's mesmerizing, and addicted. It excels where the characters didn't. I got lost in the world, and that is what kept my interest. The Coldtown itself, and the image shown to the outside world contrast in a way that created intrigue and drama. She captures the wickedness, the decedence, and the loneliness of these immortal beings. She showcases why, time and time again, we are drawn to stories about them.

The lore, and backstory to vampires is a mix of the usual. Holly Black's version of how you become a vampire is filled with the horror these creatures are known for. It's also fairly unique. The blood lust that consumes a newly born vamp is terrifying, especially deadly to those unfortunate to be near them. The blood flows and coats everyone's hands in this novel, it almost becomes a river, but it's a nice change. These vampires are monsters. They feed, kill, and have little or no remorse for what they do. It takes you back to the original stories that left nightmares dancing in your head.

Tana is not the hero of the story, far from it. However she is resourceful, resigned, and shows a tremendous ability to judge people by their actions. She wants to save everyone, which is immediately endearing. She's someone who doesn't mind walking on the wild side, and at the same time would do anything for her family. She's much more complex than I anticipated and first. She follows a decision through, and is quite determined. Even at her most overwhelmed she is able to rally herself, and go on. Her past haunts and drives her in a way that almost consumes her.

Some of the characters felt like they were there to fit a certain role, and nothing more. Winter and Midnight, two vampire obsessed kids Tana meets along her journey, fit such a description. They show the allure these Coldtowns posses and are the embodiment of the notion of 'everyone wants to live forever'. They are naive, and sadly, unprepared for the truths that come with being part of this world.

Creepy, disturbing, but at all times mesmerizing, Holly Black has expanded her short story to a fine novel that could stand on it's own, and yet there is the possibility of a series too. Her writing talent is evident and on par with her previous works. It's the little details that make this novel, from the celebrity like fever of the vampire craze, to the haunted past that keeps Tana on her path. Holly Black knows caring about characters, even if it's just one, in a sea of madness will humanize the whole story, and she does it to great effect in this.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a love letter, and homage to classic vampire tales of years past. It's a twist on a tale that is both familiar, and loved. Holly Black fans will be sure to devour this one, and hope for a revisit to Tana's world, even though she ends this particular story in a perfectly imperfect place.