Review: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Fateful

By: Claudia Gray

Pub. Date: September 13, 2011

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 328

Source: Library

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.
 
Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .
 
Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.
 
In Fateful, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray delivers paranormal adventure, dark suspense, and alluring romance set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic’s first—and last—voyage.

 Can I just start by saying how hard it is to read a book when you know from the beginning that half of the characters are going to die!! When the setting takes place on the freakin' TITANIC, you know there is going to be pain and heartbreak. This did not stop me from loving this story though! It was AMAZING!!

Tess is a servant girl for the Lisles family and when she arrives in New York she plans on quitting and starting a new life for herself. This is the best thing for her because Lady Lisles is a horrible women to work for. The night before the Titanic deports, Tess is attacked by a werewolf and then she finds out those same werewolves are on the Titanic and one of them wants her dead!

When Tess meets Alec, she finally feels safe, only to learn that he too is a werewolf. Oh, but Alec was wonderful and the perfect gentleman. He hates what he is and would do anything to not hurt a human being.

I loved both Alec and Tess. But I did have a problem with their relationship. All of a sudden they are madly in love and could not be apart from each other. It just didn't seem real to me. But George (an officer on the ship) and Myriam (Tess' roomate) had such a sweet, and I think, a much more realistic relationship. I would have liked to see more of them together.

Since this is obviously a story that you know how it is going to end, it didn't leave much to the imagination except knowing who was going to die, and who wasn't. I think Gray did a fantastic job showing the last tragic moments of the Titanic and the people on it.

I loved Fateful! It had a very refreshing spin on a werewolf story that has been told over and over again.   

Review: The Glass Collector by Anna Perera

The Glass Collector

By: Anna Perera

Pub. Date: March 1, 2012

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Pages: 352

Source: Netgalley

Fifteen-year-old Aaron lives and works amid the garbage piles of Cairo.
His job?
To collect broken glass.
His hope?
To find a future he can believe in.
  Today in Cairo, Egypt, there is a city within a city: a city filled with garbage--literally. As one of the Zabbaleen people, Aaron makes his living sorting through the waste. When his family kicks him out, his only alternatives are to steal, beg, or take the most nightmarish garbage-collecting job of all.
  Anna Perera's richly detailed second young adult novel transports readers to the heartbreaking world of the Zabbaleen.

When I saw The Glass Collector on Netgalley, I requested it right away. I read Anna Perera's other work, Guantanamo Boy, which was a heartbreaking, but very real story, and I knew The Glass Collector was going to be the same.

Aaron is a 15 year old boy who lives with his abusive step family. With no one on his side, he spends his days collecting garbage, mainly glass, so that his stepfather could sell it. He dreams of an education and a better life but no there is no way out of his situation. He's hungry, dirty and lonely. It is a very sad situation, and to think that there are young boys and girls in Cairo dealing with the same things is horrific. We don't realize how much we take for granted until we read something like this.

Despite everything that Aaron has been through and experienced, he is still such a sweet kid. All you want is for his situation to get better, but as the story progresses, it just keeps getting worse.

I love that Perera isn't afraid to speak the truth. She writes about real subjects and doesn't sugar coat anything. She is passionate about what she does, and you can see that in her writing. 

Review: The Future of Us By Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us

By: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Pub. Date: November 21, 2011

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 309

Source: LibraryThing Early Reviews

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.

Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM.

Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.

Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

Anyone who grew up in the 90's could appreciate how cool this book sounds! I remember I was in the 9th grade when we got our first family computer. It had Windows 98 on it and it was slow and took FOREVER to load onto AOL. Like the main character, Emma, I was only allowed to use the internet when my parents weren't using the phone, or were not expecting a call, because being on AOL would tie up the phone line. This book brought back so many memories and those parts I really enjoyed!

When Emma's dad buys her a computer, her neighbor and best friend, Josh brings over a trial run of AOL. When she loads it to her computer and logs in, her facebook account appears from 15 years into the future. Having no clue what facebook is or why the hell so many people would put so many details about their lives on the internet for all to see, Emma and Josh look at their profiles and see their spouses, where they live, and even who their children are.

Emma, who isn't all that happy with what she sees decides to make changes in her life today, and then looks to see how that decision changed her future. I really enjoyed 1996 Emma, but 2011 is so annoying. She is one of those people that I can't stand on facebook, always complaining and putting ever single detail about their life on their status. I liked Josh. He was happy with what he saw, and didn't agree with playing with their futures.

My favorite parts of the book was the 90's references-AOL dial up, Dave Matthews Band, even people wondering if Ellen was gay! All of it brought back to many memories for me.

Overall, I enjoyed The Future of Us, I was expecting a little bit more though, but I thought the concept of the story was so original! Definitely a must read for any 90's child! 

Review & Giveaway: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge

By: Kimberly Derting

Pub. Date: November 15, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 320

Source: GalleyGrab

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

 At first, I didn't have much interest in The Pledge, but I decided to read it because I am a huge fan of Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder series. Now that I read it, I am so glad that I did! I loved it. It was very original, I thought the plot was interesting and I really enjoyed the characters.

In the world of The Pledge, the Queen rules. Her word is final and her subjects are frightened of her. In the Queen's land of Ludania, there is a class system. No one is allowed to look into the eye of someone in a higher class then them. Every class has their own language, and no one under that class should know that language. But Charlaina (also known as Charlie) can understand every single language she hears, and she has no idea why. This is very dangerous and if anyone ever found out, she would be executed.

I really enjoyed Charlie's character. There wasn't much growth between the beginning and end of the book, but I don't think Charlie needed it. She was very mature and it has been extremely hard for her to hide her powers.  She would do anything to protect her family and friends but she is still a teenage girl at heart.

Charlie's best friends are Brooklynn and Aron. I thought both of them were really interesting, but I would have liked to know more about them. With Brooklynn we definitely see another side of her, but I still didn't think it was enough.

Charlie's love interest was Max. He is a very complicated character with secrets of his own, but he was a really good guy. I didn't think the connection between Charlie and Max was very realistic, but I still loved them together.

I also loved Xander!! I hope we learn a lot more about him in the second book. Now he was one complex guy!

The Queen is merciless and terrifying. She will kill whoever stands in her way.  She is definitely an evil character, but also very interesting!

Overall, I really enjoyed The Pledge. I can't wait to read the second book, because the ending of this one was absolutely insane!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

For two lucky winners, I have a passport (every single subject of the Queen's have to carry their passport around) signed by Kimberly Derting herself! I will also send The Pledge bookmark and stickers. The below picture shows the back and front of the passport with the other goodies you can win!

Please fill out the form to enter. Giveaway ends November 28, 2011.

Giveaway ended. Thanks to all who entered!

In My Mailbox (29)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share with everyone the books they bought, borrowed, or received for review.

~Review~

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan (via author)

Fairy Metal Thunder by J.L. Bryan (via author)

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
The Bastard by Brenda Novak

(all via Netgalley)

That is all for me this week. What did you guys get in your mailbox? Leave your link in the comment section so I can check it out!

Review: The Moon and the Tide by Derrolyn Anderson

The Moon and the Tide

(Marina's Tales # 2)

By: Derrolyn Anderson

Pub. Date: March 28, 2011

Source: Author

Just when things seem to be all figured out, Marina discovers that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than she ever imagined. When a terrible accident exposes her secret, she discovers that her whole life has been one big lie, and has to cope with more than one kind of betrayal.

A dangerous enemy arrives on the scene, putting her bravery to the test and forcing her to use all of her new-found talents to protect her family. Will good win out over evil? Can love triumph over jealousy?

 The Moon and the Tide is a great second novel in the Marina's Tales series. In the first book, Between the Land and the Sea, Marina learned that she is a mermaid and she has a limited amount of time to choose to become a mermaid forever, or stay human.

Marina is still going out with Ethan, who was perfectly amazing in the first book, but in this one is dealing with the fact that Marina could get hurt. He wants her to stay away from the ocean and the other mermaids. This caused a lot of issues in their relationship, and I felt the two of them spent the entire book arguing. I missed the old version of Ethan from the first book. Marina's cousin Cruz is still the same though! I loved him in the first, and he just gets better and better.

In The Moon and the Tide we learn more about the mermaid mythology and we also learn that there are many evils out there for mermaids and their human children. We also learn secrets about some very important characters.

Marina is still a very strong female protagonist and I love her for that. She knows who she is, and cares about her friends and family. Even when things are at their worst, she won't ever let them down.

My only issue was I thought the plot did not flow at nicely as it did in the first one. For me, the book didn't start to pick up until the middle of the story, but once that happened I couldn't put it down!

Overall, I really enjoyed The Moon and the Tide and I am looking forward to reading the third book in the series, The Fate of the Muse! 

Read my review of the AMAZING Between the Land and the Sea! 

Winners of the Raven by Nuayma Jeggels Giveaway!!

The three winners of the Raven ebook by Nuayma Jeggels are:

1. Laura from The Zealous Reader
2. Rie from Mission To Read
3. Leannz0r

Congratulations! I have emailed the winners and I hope that they enjoy the book!