Review: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Defiance
By: C.J. Redwine
Pub. Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 315
Source: Edelweiss

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

From the first moment I heard about Defiance I knew that I wanted to read it, and boy does this book not disappoint! From page one I was captivated with this story and it's characters.

In the city of Baalboden, the Commander rules his people with an iron fist. On one hand, he promises to protect them from the cursed one, but on the other hand, he kills those who do not follow his law. One of those laws being that every female must have a male protector. They are not allowed to even leave their house without one. When Jared, Rachel's father, does not come home from his courier mission, the Commander pronounces him dead. Her fathers will states that Logan, the boy she proclaimed her love to two years earlier is her new protector. This makes things very awkward since Logan did not return the favor. Rachel, convinced her father is still alive, will do anything to find him, with or without Logan's help. This is when the action starts, and it is non stop until the end!

I loved Rachel! Her father raised her to be strong and independent. She's kick ass and can protect herself in any situation. Because of everything that happened to her in such a short amount of time, I can understand the reasoning behind some of her choices. Some were stupid, but again, they were understandable.

Logan was absolutely amazing! He is definitely the broken type-orphaned and lonely, he became the apprentice to Jared when he was younger. After watching his mother be murdered at the hands of the Commander, he was labeled a social outcast. He was starving and living on the streets when Jared took him in. He owes his life to Jared and takes his job as Rachel's protector very seriously and also cares very deeply for her. What's not to love about him? He's a sexy nerd who can fight like no other. He's also sweet and loyal and would do anything for those he cares about it. If I participated in the book boyfriend meme, Logan would definitely be my top pick!

I loved the romance between Logan and Rachel. They have known each other for years but ever since Rachel told Logan her feelings, and he did not reciprocate, their friendship has been on the outs. Now they are forced to be together again, and I think the way their relationship was written was perfect. It made complete sense how it all came together. Rachel and Logan are hands down, one of my favorite YA couples!

The Commander is a terrifically written villain. He's scary and brutal! The things that he has done to people are heartbreaking, especially when you learn the full story of what happened to Logan's mother. Rachel was determined to get revenge on the Commander for all of the terrible things he has done in his life. I admired Rachel for not giving up on that revenge, no matter how difficult it seemed at times.

Defiance is so easy to get into. It's fast paced and action packed. There was never a dull moment and I literally could not put this book down! The writing was captivating and interesting, and I thought the story was very original. I also love that it was written in the POV of both Logan and Rachel. It was just perfect and made me understand these characters so much better!

I also thought the cover was perfectly simplistic in a big way. Does that make any sense? I really got a sense of the story from the cover. The artistic department at Harper are geniuses!

I would HIGHLY recommend Defiance. I can not wait until I can have a finished copy of this book on my shelf!

Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Girl of Nightmares

(Anna # 2)

By: Kendare Blake

Pub. Date: August 7, 2012

Publisher: Tor Teen

Pages: 304

Source: Southern Book Bloggers ARC tours

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

I absolutely loved Anna Dressed in Blood, the first book in the Anna series. I read it in one day, and was completely enthralled with Anna, Cas, and the rest of the cast of characters. I was very excited to receive an ARC of Girl of Nightmares through the Southern Book Bloggers ARC tours. Girl of Nightmares did not disappoint and I thought it was a perfect ending to the Anna series!

Six months ago, Anna saved Cas, Thomas and Carmel by sacrificing herself, and Cas can't stop thinking about her and what she did. When Cas starts to see her in random places he knows something is wrong. She is beat up, she has cuts all over her body and she looks scared. Cas knows exactly what he has to do, he has to save her, even if that means him dying in the process. Even when everybody else tells him to let her go, Cas still will stop at nothing to help her.

I loved Cas so much Anna, and in Girl of Nightmares, he has same sarcastic humor that made me fall in love with him and kept me laughing out loud. For example, when Cas said "He smiles at me like he's Yoda and I'm just a dumbass without the force", I nearly fell off my bed I was laughing so hard! Cas has grown since the first book and for the first time, he has friends who go along with him on his hunting escapades. I love how loyal and protective he is of Thomas and Carmal. The three of them really care for each other.

Anna is not as prominent in this book, but she is always in the background. When we do see her, we see the fierce ghost that she has always been, the ghost that would do anything for Cas.

Girl of Nightmares is about a lot more then just ghost hunting and I was interested to see where the story was going to take us. We learn more about the history of the athame and the secret society that created it.

The ending was absolutely perfect! Everything made so much sense and I was very happy with it. I don't think I could have asked for anything better.

Side note: When I first saw a picture of the cover for Girl of Nightmares, I was not impressed, but seeing it in person, I think it is amazing! I wish they would have kept it completely red on the finished copy.

Overall, the Anna series is a creepy, fun and original read. I would highly recommend it!

Books in the series: 

Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Altered

By: Jennifer Rush

Pub. Date: January 2, 2013

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Pages: 323

Source: Borrowed

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. Anna’s father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

I was intrigued with Altered the second that I saw the ARC at TXLA. How can you not be instantly attracted to that cover? Then I read the synopsis and knew that I wanted to read this book ASAP. I wasn't able to score a copy at TXLA, but the lovely Stephanie, from Steph's Book Corner sent me her copy. I started it right away and had a very hard time putting it down.

My favorite part had to have been the characters. Sam, Trev, Cas, and Nick have been prisoners in a lab for the past five years. They have no memory of their lives before the lab, and the only person who makes their lives bearable is Anna, the daughter of the man who runs the lab. She provides them the things they want, such as books, foods, and even the special type of conditioner that Nick uses. I instantly wanted to know as much I could about these boys. Who are they? Why were experiments done on them?  I so needed to know the mystery behind the boys captivity.

It was hard not to love each boy, even Nick who was always acting like a jerk. There is Sam who was their leader. Sam is secretive, smart, and hides every part of himself to those around him. Trev, who loved reading Classic literature and was Anna's best friend. Cas, outgoing, fun, and always brought light to every situation and lastly, Nick who is basically angry all of the time. I didn't learn as much as I would have liked to learn about the boys in Altered, but I am hoping we will in future books! I think out of the boys, Cas was my favorite. I can't wait for his back story!

When the boys escape from the lab, Anna goes with them on their search of trying to figure out what the hell happened to them. I liked that she helped the boys, but she was a little naive for her own good. I actually couldn't stand her for most of the story, she was too annoying for me. Even when Sam was the biggest jerk to her, she didn't even question it, which really angered me.

Altered was very fast paced and I loved that about it! The writing was very good and I never knew were the story was going to go next. Once you think you have something figured out, Jennifer Rush goes into a completely different direction. Altered was very original and full of action.

I think Altered is a book that would appeal to both teenage boys and girls. Described as a mix between Prison Break (a show that I loved!) and Dollhouse, I can definitely see the comparisons!

Altered is not to be missed and worth checking out when it releases. 

Meet the boys of Altered: (Click on the name to be sent to Jennifer Rush's website!)

                  Cas                   Trev                  Nick                  Sam

Review: Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle

Kissing Shakespeare

By: Pamela Mingle

Pub. Date: August 14, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Source: Netgalley

Pages: 352

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school's staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide.

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she'd like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he's a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen's really from. He wants Miranda use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright.

Miranda isn't convinced she's the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it's her only chance of getting back to the present and her "real" life. What Miranda doesn't bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

Kissing Shakespeare is a fun, cute and quick read that I really enjoyed. The main character, Miranda, loves all things Shakespeare. She knows all of his plays, sonnets and poems. On the night of her HS production of The Taming of the Shrew, student Stephen Langford tells her that he needs her help right away. Turns out Stephen is from the year 1581 and needs Miranda to save William Shakespeare from joining the priesthood or else all of his classics will be gone forever. Meredith, of course, thinks that Stephen is crazy until she is transported to 1581 and meets Will.

I think what I loved most about Kissing Shakespeare was the relationship between Stephen and Miranda (who is now pretending to be Olivia, Stephen's younger sister). They were so cute and sweet together and I could not get enough of them. I really enjoyed Miranda's character. She was part of something that she would never believe was possible and I think she handles it very well. She was so real and funny. While I did love Stephen and Miranda together, I still thought that that Stephen was a stupid boy. He had no idea how to deal with girls! I also loved young Will. Before he was a famous writer, he was just a boy trying to figure out what his path in life should be.

I also enjoyed the historical aspects of Kissing Shakespeare, specially how much religion was apart of life back then, and you could be persecuted for believing in something different. The Jesuits were a real thing and I think Pamela Mingle did a good job incorporating them into the story.

What first drew me to Kissing Shakespeare was the cover. I love the pink and even though I don't think the cover fits with the story, it still holds your attention to want to read the synopsis. The story is filled with mystery, romance and history and I was very pleased. The ending was bittersweet but I think it had to happen that way. I just hope it means that there will be a book two eventually!

Overall, I think Kissing Shakespeare is worth reading. I enjoyed it very much. Sometimes you need a light, fun read and Kissing Shakespeare is perfect for that!

Blog Tour: Review, Guest Post & Giveaway ~ Want by Stephanie Lawton

Want

By: Stephanie Lawton

Pub. Date: June 7, 2012

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

Pages: 318

Source: Publisher

Julianne counts the days until she can pack her bags and leave her old-money, tradition-bound Southern town where appearance is everything and secrecy is a way of life. A piano virtuoso, she dreams of attending a prestigious music school in Boston. Failure is not an option, so she enlists the help of New England Conservatory graduate Isaac Laroche to help her. She can't understand why he suddenly gave up Boston's music scene to return to the South. He doesn't know her life depends on escaping it. Julianne must face down madness from without, just as it threatens from within. Isaac must resist an inappropriate attraction, but an indiscretion at a Mardi Gras ball-the pinnacle event for Mobile's elite-forces their present wants and needs to collide with sins of the past. Will Julianne accept the help she's offered and get everything she ever wanted, or will she self-destruct and take Isaac down with her?

When I first saw the cover for Want, I knew I had to read it, so I was very excited to be asked to join the blog tour for it. Want is not your typical YA, there are a lot of very serious problems and complications throughout it.

Julianne has gone through so much in her 17 years of life. Her mother is mentally unstable and beats Juli on many occasions. To deal with it, Juli "scrapes" her arm, a form of self-mutilation. But there is some light in her life, and that is the piano. Juli is beautiful piano teacher and her dream is to play professionally. When her teacher has a stroke just months before her big audition, his nephew, Isaac, a piano genius, steps in and becomes her teacher. Isaac is 10 years older then Juli, and hides many secrets about himself.

Isaac was a very interesting character. He could be very sweet and generous, but he had a mean and controlling side in him as well. I could never figure him out. Even when we learn his secrets, I still couldn't understand him. I was a little disappointed with his character development, but I also understood his reasons for doing certain things, especially towards the end.

Juli on the other hand was a very strong and brave character. The scenes with her mother were heartbreaking and I just wanted to give her a big hug. Even though she had some admirable qualities, I couldn't stand other things about her! She was the biggest idiot in the world. Some of the conclusions she came up with completely baffled me. Despite this, I still wanted her to have a happy ending, she deserved it.

Juli and Isaac had a very complicated relationship, but they were both so broken, that somehow it worked. Isaac's best friend Dave definitely changes the dynamic between them, and it was nice to have at least one character be a happy person!

Want started off a little to slow for my liking, and I had some issues with the writing. I felt it was a little choppy at times. There were also many plot holes that I wished would have been answered. I don't like being left with questions.

Overall, while there were some things that bothered me about Want, I did enjoy it. It was an interesting story and very different from other stories out there. I would definitely recommend it. 

I also have the author, Stephanie Lawton visiting the blog today. 

From all the books you have read, have there been any stories or characters that changed you or made you see something in a different way?

First, thanks so much for having me and this is a great question, though I could probably write a dissertation on all the characters and books that have changed me!

One of the most recent reads that stuck with me is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky. A friend and YA blogger had been bugging me to read it, so I finally caved a couple months ago when they were filming the movie.

It was such a thin little thing with a weird yellow cover that I didn’t expect much. I thought the first couple pages were pretty simple, but I liked the epistolary format. Next thing I know I’m laughing, crying at the big reveal and turning the last page.

There are two other YA books that still haunt me: Sea by Heidi R. Kling and A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young (I’m dying to get my hands on the sequel!). Sea is an underrated hidden gem that gutted me then put me back together with hope for the characters’ happiness. It’s set against the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004, and left me both sobbing and smiling at the end.

A Need so Beautiful is unlike any book I’ve ever read. It’s so moving and spiritual, yet it doesn’t espouse any particular religion or denomination, nor is it preachy. It’s elegant, lyrical and wonderfully deep.

There are two non-YA “classics” that also stick with me years after reading them. The first is “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: First Series (1841). It’s a bit lofty, but I read it in high school at a time when I needed to hear those words—that my thoughts and opinions carried just as much weight as the next person’s. You grow up listening to everyone else’s opinion, the experts’ opinions, then you’re grilled on them so you can spit them back out for a test. Emerson’s essay made me realize that I could turn down the Kool-Aid everyone was trying to shove down my throat.

If you’ve read Want, you won’t be surprised that the final book I’ve chosen is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath because it is SO. MESSED. UP. It was the first book I read about major mental illness and completely fascinated me because it made me squirm. Written in the 1960s, it’s seriously outdated for a modern audience, but there’s a delicious twistedness that really translates to this generation. That it’s somewhat autobiographical, and the author committed suicide shortly after its publication, makes it all the more tragic and gripping.

Now, enough about me. What books are on your list of life-changers and why? 

Giveaway time! 

Want to win an e-copy of Want? Just fill out the form at the bottom to enter! Good luck. 

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Review: America, You Sexy Bitch by Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain

America, You Sexy Bitch

By: Michael Ian Black & Meghan McCain

Pub. Date: June 5, 2012

Publisher: Da Capo Press

Pages: 309

Source: Mandy's Blogger Book Club

In the summer of 2011, McCain and Black embarked on a balls-out, cross-country tour. Along the way, they spoke to politicians, gun lovers, abortion-rights advocates and opponents, gay parents, flag burners, Muslims, poker players, Tea Partiers, Minutemen, veterans, teen moms, bikers, fast food workers, and a hooker or two. They toured the White House. They fired semiautomatic weapons. They stopped and ate at every Olive Garden along the way. But mostly they talked to each other about their differences, their similarities. It’s Chelsea Handler meets Hunter S. Thompson in a political cannonball run across America.

Let me just start by saying that I would have never ever picked up this book if I saw it in the bookstore. Sure, the title is completely awesome, but it is something I would have never thought I would enjoy. I am so glad that I stepped out of my comfort level and decided to join Mandy's Blogger Book Club. Mandy has been blogging for a few years now on her very cool site, The Well Read Wife. One day she decided she was going to start a book club. A little while later she purchased 50 books of America, You Sexy Bitch and sent them out to the first 50 people who signed up. How cool is Mandy? Seriously pretty cool! Anyway, again I am so happy that I read this book, not only was it super informative and made me see things in a different light, but it was super funny as well. No just a little laugh funny. Full on, I'm about to pee my pants from laughing so hard funny.

One drugged out on Ambien night, Michael Ian Black tweeted Meghan McCain with "We should write a book together". Her response, "sure!", and thus America, You Sexy Bitch was born. Michael is the liberal, peace loving democrat and Meghan is probably the most modern republican you will ever meet. She owns guns, he's never fired one. She believes in freedom and America and the troops, and well, Michael doesn't really know what to believe when it comes to America and war. The two of them are the complete opposite in every sense of the word, but they decide to go on this road trip together and find out what really is happening to America. They talk to cowboys, soldiers, stoners, anarchists, politicians, and strippers. They get drunk, they get high, they go to strip clubs, they visit a Military Base, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Graceland. They saw so many different parts of America. Every single thing they did, I found interesting.

What was most interesting to me about this book was how much it made me think. I consider myself a liberal democrat, very much like Michael. I'm a New Yorker. I moved to Texas in October of last year and Texas is a very Republican state. As Michael states, "but that is exactly why I'm doing this road trip; my job, as I see it, is too confirm all the worst stereotypes about Republicans I hold so dear (p. xvii). This is exactly how I felt, maybe it's a Northern thing. But as Michael learns, and I learn as well, Republicans might not be so bad. I found myself agreeing with Meghan and what she was saying for most of the book, even more then I agreed with Michael. A book that can make you see politics in a different way is a genius book in my opinion!

I really enjoyed America, You Sexy Bitch and I am so happy that I gave this book a try. It was just all around a fun book, with a very interesting concept. Nothing is better then a road trip and a good time. Kudos to the authors for respecting each other enough to do this, and to respect the parts of America that not everyone gets to experience. I can't wait to read Meghan's other book, Dirty Sexy Politics. 

Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day

By: David Levithan

Pub. Date: August 28, 2012

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books

Pages: 336

Source: Netgalley

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

Every Day is one of those novels that you will be thinking about long after you reached the end. I finished it last week, and I am still thinking about A. A isn't a boy, or a girl. A just is. A has no gender, no sexuality and no body. Every day A wakes up in the body of somebody else. A has no idea why this happens or where he came from. Throughout the story, I always thought of A as a boy, so in this review, I will use he/him.

A is one of the most interesting characters I have ever came across in YA literature, maybe in adult lit as well. A has no friends or family and is not able to form attachments. A has been in love once, but he was only able to email the boy he fell in love with. They were never able to meet again.  All A has is memories of his past in other's peoples lives. A is such a good person. No matter what body A was in, he didn't cause any problems. I thought it was so interesting that despite everything and being a different person every single day, A was able to hold on to his own personality. In every person he was in, you could see he was still A inside. A sees humanity in a way that nobody else experiences and A's voice was so interesting because of this.

A's love interest in the story is Rhiannon. A met her when one day he woke up as Justin, the jerk boyfriend. When A met her, he threw away all of the rules, and didn't act like Justin, but as A would act. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. A realized he needed to continue to see Rhiannon, and in different bodies, met Rhiannon in different circumstances and places. Once Rhiannon knew the truth, it was beautiful that she knew who A was because she was able to see him in the eyes of the person he inhabited. I wasn't a huge fan of Rhiannon. At first I really liked her, but I didn't connect to her the way I was hoping I would.

I thought it was very interesting how A didn't consider himself gay or straight. He just was. He's kissed boys and girls, he's been in love with a boy before, and he fell in love with Rhiannon. What was interesting about this was I know many people who say they same thing. They don't consider themselves gay, straight or bi. They just are, and they fall in love with people, not their gender.

The ending of Every Day was bittersweet. I understood the reasoning behind it though. What A did for Rhiannon was so touching.

I would strongly recommend Every Day. In true David Levithan fashion, the writing is emotional and raw and I think this book will appeal to a wide range of readers. Be sure to add this to your bookshelves on August 28th.