Book Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Pages: 384
Author: Jodi Meadows
Add It: Goodreads
Series: Newsoul (#1)
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Rating: 3/5

I am a big fan of the world that Jodi Meadows has crafted in her Newsoul series. With so much dystopia on the shelves I didn't realize how refreshing it would be to read about a utopia.

In a world where people die only to come back in a different body to different parents there is much opportunity for fascinating relationship dynamics. There is also an opportunity for the exploration of what it is like to have lived life in both a woman's body and a man's. The novel also discusses what might happen if two lovers come back as the same gender and that wasn't their physical preference. I thought that raising these sorts of questions made this a very smart book and let it stand out among other YA books on the shelves today.

My complaint is that I think too much time was spent on the romance and not enough time exploring these very interesting ideas. I did enjoy Sam as a character. I think he may be one of my favorite male leads. I just wish the romance had taken a bit more of a backseat. I also thought it was sweet that their relationship grew with music, but beyond that I didn't see much between them that would have built a romance, other than the fact that Sam was her first friend and that she was the only new person in the entire world he hadn't met yet. That made the relationship seem less real to me. In fact, I kind of think it made it sort of unhealthy given Sam's actual age and power over Ana from the start, even if he didn't seem to be trying to use that power.

Ana's personality is very combative and at times irrational. I thought that it was very realistic given the abusive environment she grew up in and I really respect Jodi for not creating another bland and likeable character who is loved by everyone. I know from personal experience that Ana's behavior after leaving her abusive childhood is realistic. Mental abuse (and physical) leaves its mark. It colors the way you perceive the world and other people. It takes years to recover from that type of abuse, and I'm not sure that you ever completely do. I hope that Ana is able to grow throughout the series and learn to trust people. I am excited to go on that journey with her.

Another wonderful thing about this book is the addition of dragons and sylphs. I love fantasy and am immediately drawn in by books that include magical creatures. I thought they added extra enjoyment to the conclusion of the book. I was a little disappointed with the other answers provided at the end so I was happy the dragons and sylphs were present to keep the ending exciting.

I would recommend this series to others while admitting that it is very much a first book and doesn't quite reach the potential of the questions it raises. I do think that given time to grow the series can be very worthwhile and I think it should be given a chance. Jodi has created a very original world and I'm eager to see where she goes with it as she continues to build Heart.

Book Review: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

"Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.

Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.

Once upon a time, I didn't know how lucky I was."

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over. Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her. This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Pages: 170
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Add It: Goodreads
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 3/5

Living Dead Girl is an extremely hard novel to read and rate. No one could call this book enjoyable. The subject matter is extremely rough and there is no easy or comfortable way to approach it. Kidnapping, rape, and child abuse are things that crawl under the skin and a book written about them has to unnerve you. It has to make you cringe and ache, because we live in a world where these things really happen, and that is impossible to stomach. This novel is very short but it felt like it took forever to read. I wanted it to be over. I recommend reading it in one sitting so that you do not have to think about going back to it, because you won't want to.

I've watched a lot of Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit and all of those episodes combined didn't affect me as badly as this one little book did. That just speaks to the power and possibilities of literature as a storytelling medium, I think, because it placed us inside the head of the victim herself, and that is a very terrifying and ugly place to be. Years of abuse will change and reshape the brain of anyone and make the victim's actions seem almost incomprehensible to outsiders because they haven't been in that situation. They haven't been forced to do things to survive. I thought this book did a very good job of showing what it is like to be inside the head of someone who has been through these sorts of horrific things.

In the end, I wished there had been more hope, but we live in a world where sometimes there is no happy ending or resolution, and that's just the sad truth.

I'd recommend this book with a great many trigger warnings.

Book Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Finished: January 27, 2012

Pages: 279 (Paperback)

Author Rachel Vincent

Add It: Goodreads

Series: Soul Screamers (#1)

Publisher: Harlequin

Source: Gift

She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

Quote: “So what does Tod look like? Whitewashed skeleton skulking around in a black cape and hood? Carrying a scythe? 'Cause I'm thinking that would cause mass panic in the hospital." ..... "Do you chase after a funeral processions in a long, dirty dress, hair trailing behind you in the wind? I shot him a mock frown. "Have you been following me again?”

Read the prequel to this series for free on Goodreads.

Cover Love: I chose to display this cover because while I really do not like the US cover of this book the UK cover is on my Goodreads shelf of favorite book covers. I just like how different it is. The girl screaming really fits the novel. It's about Banshees after all! I would love to own this version. I actually own the Omnibus of the prequel and the first two books which is lovely as well.

Thoughts: The Soul Screamers series approaches supernatural beings that I haven't yet encountered before in my reading. The concept of Banshees (Bean Sidhes) is new to me and so it was definitely a refreshing subject to read about. I absolutely love the world Rachel Vincent crafts here. I was initially drawn to this series by the prequel, My Soul to Lose, and if I'm being honest, I enjoyed the prequel even more than I enjoyed this first book in the series. The prequel introduced us to Kayleigh's need to wail when someone near her was about to die. I was fascinated and excited to pick up the first book. Unfortunately, as I kind of expected, the first book was bogged down by an instant romance, taking away from the world that Rachel Vincent was building, which is a shame since the mythology only gets even more involved and interesting here.

The Grim Reapers and Tod as a character were really great additions to this story. I love the explorations into death and learning about the details of the involvement of the Grim Reapers and the different parts male and female bean sidhes can play. The plot was fast moving and the ending was satisfying. It did not feel like a cliffhanger but a complete story, which is very important for a series, but it still managed to leave me wanting more.

The one thing that I really didn't like about this novel was a prominent enough part of the book to affect my rating. The romance between Nash and Kayleigh was formed too quickly to be believable. Kayleigh found herself wondering if Nash only had feelings for her because of what they have in common, and I did too, because what else was there? Kayleigh spends much of the story getting distracted by Nash's arms, hands, mouth and the swirling depths in his eyes and it caused me to roll my own non-swirly eyes on several occasions. She also frequently wonders what he could possibly see in her because of course he is ~beautiful~ and the most popular guy in school. Do we really have to keep writing heroines this way? Heroines who spend the entire day thinking about a boy and wondering how they could possibly deserve him? Can't our supernatural heroine have a little more confidence and focus on the much more important things she has going on without constantly thinking about a boy's "gravelly chuckle" and how it sent a "bolt of heat" blazing through her? At this point when it comes to a lot of YA romance I am hoping someone does a follow up. Can we look in on these romances a few years down the line when she's had to listen to him snoring at all hours and watched him forget to wash his hands after pooping a few times? Because I think the inner monologues would really align with reality then.

I will definitely be continuing on with this series. Romance aside, the story is one of the most original I've come across in the paranormal genre lately. I hope that future books focus more on everyone's abilities and the Reapers instead of pretty boys.

Recommendation: Anyone in the mood for some paranormal candy that ventures away from the usual vampires/werewolves.

Rating:

Three out of Five Coffees

My Soul to Take is on sale now in paperback. You can purchase it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository and other retailers. There are already four more books released in the series and another on the way this year. There are even a few novellas available.

Extras: Looking for other books similar to this one? You might also like The Body Finder or Fracture.

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Finished: January 14, 2012

Pages: 264 (Hardcover)

Author: Megan Miranda

Add It: Goodreads

Publisher: Walker & Company (Bloomsbury)

Source: Purchased

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine —despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Read the first two chapters of Fracture here. 

“I hadn't known that a light could be a feeling and a sound could be a color and a kiss could be both a question and an answer. And that heaven could be the ocean or a person or this moment or something else entirely.” 

Cover Love: I think this cover fits the story. I like that Delaney is wearing her red coat. I almost didn't notice her reflection.

Thoughts: Fracture is a quick read and is sure to please anyone who enjoys a darker YA novel, but this debut is most certainly not without its flaws. For this review I'm going to break the positives and negatives into sections.

Positives: Fracture tells a gripping story and the story is fast paced enough that it is never boring. Megan Miranda's writing flows nicely and is enjoyable to read. She approaches some darker questions pertaining to whether or not it's ok to end someone's life if they're suffering, and even goes so far as to question whether or not it's ok to make that decision for someone. I like that the novel focused on these questions and didn't get so bogged down with romance that it distracted readers from the issues it was exploring. I like the use of "To love another person is to see the face of God." throughout the story, and thought the relationship between Delaney and Decker was sweet and genuine. I loved Delaney's mother's story. I also liked that Troy wasn't made to be a sexy bad boy type. I imagine him being played by Ian Somerhalder and acting just like Damon on The Vampire Diaries; messy hair, abusive personality, pouty emo face and a death wish.

Maybe that appeals to some people but certainly not to me. I liked that he wasn't really romanticized or made to be the hero, and I applaud Megan Miranda for that decision. It's nice to see the stalker not turn out to be the main character's true love. I think it's unfortunate that books ever go in that direction.

Negatives: My main gripe is that Delaney was inconsistent as a character. One minute she is hiding from Troy in a locked room shaking in fear. The next she is hopping into cars with him. One second she is making sure her window is locked because she knows he is outside stalking her. The next she follows him alone on to thin ice. I'm glad that her decisions weren't based on romance (elated!) but it still seemed off to me. Delaney was also very inconsistent in her interactions with Decker. Her reactions to things often felt melodramatic and frustrated me. I mean, she did have brain damage, but a lot of the drama felt unnecessary. Another thing I took issue with was the character of Tara; clearly created to be your typical pretty/evil nemesis of our nerdy heroine. I had the same problem with The Body Finder, and I thought the stereotype was handled at least a little bit better here, but not by much. I thought her character was a bit cliche, and do not like to see slut shaming in novels. I wish she would have been given more depth or not been included at all. In fact, most of the side characters, even Janna (who the author clearly tries to give more depth to but doesn't include much of an ending for her character), were pretty flat. The ending of the novel felt abrupt, with too many characters left dangling, and the main issue of the novel (Delaney's mysterious new power) is never really explored. It felt a bit like wasted potential.

Fracture was an enjoyable read even if it leaves a little bit to be desired. I thought that as far as the romance was concerned it was a breath of fresh air for the YA genre. I'm glad this was my first choice for the Debut Author Challenge and can't wait to read more debut books this year.

Recommendation: Those longingly searching for an enjoyable standalone novel in a sea of series.

Rating:

 Three out of Five Coffees

Fracture is on sale now in hardcover. You can purchase it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository and other retailers.

Looking for other books similar to this one? You might also like If I Stay or The Body Finder.

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Finished: December 18, 2011

Pages: 363

Author: Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Series: Iron Fey (#1)

Synopsis: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Read the first chapter of The Iron King here.

Quote: “Those who have songs, ballads, and stories written about them never die. Belief, worship, imagination - we were born of the dreams and fears of mortals, and if we are remembered even in some small way, we will always exist.”

Thoughts: Where to start? I suppose I’ll just jump right in and say that the negatives in this novel outweighed the positives for me. I was hoping to branch out and read a book about faeries, and seeing this novel is so well received led me to purchasing this particular book. Why three stars then? Well, the faerie parts of the story were actually enjoyable to me. I really liked the world, some of the characters, and the ideas presented. Let’s talk about those first.

The novel dives right in and takes us to faerie land in a relatively short time frame, which is fortunate because life with Meghan at her home and high-school, wasn’t terribly interesting. This is because Meghan isn’t very interesting. Then we get to Nevernever! Yay! There are talking cats there; ice princes and sirens. I really enjoy Puck/Robin as a character, he and Grim (a talking cat), were definitely my favorites. They made me laugh out loud a few times. Also, the packrats! Fantastic. I think I got a little teary-eyed during some of their scenes.

I thought the land of Nevernever was well described. The concept of Summer Faeries and Winter Faeries was very cool as well. I also like the idea that technology taking over our world is having an effect on the Faerie realms. In fact, this concept played a big part in why I liked the book despite such a large part of it bothering me. Speaking of things bothering me…

Meghan, why do you trip and fall into Ash’s arms so much? Do we need to get you new shoes? Would you like to borrow a pair of my sneakers? Meghan’s random moments of cleverness did nothing to dissuade me from disliking her; not for more than a moment at least. In fact, they made her character seem almost inconsistent. Meghan’s main reaction to things was to scream and let the boys handle it. While I think there is a place for more… fragile… heroines in literature; they just aren’t for me.

Tying in with that is the huge case of InstaLove. I liked Ash as a character but his character would have been better served if he’d been given more interesting things to do than fall in love. The romance didn’t even seem to have any development. Some romances that happen Insta-ntly can still include some development after the fact. In this case, Meghan fell into his arms a few times and locked eyes with him, then next thing you know, they’re kissing! I guess you could say that this book also commits the Love Triangle offense, but I’m not going to call it a love triangle, since Puck clearly never had a chance. The moment Ash told Meghan he would kill her if the faery courts went to war, she was clearly putty in his badboydangeroustrope, hands.

The later editions of these books say on the cover “Fans of Twilight will love this!” or something of that nature, which makes me flinch, because I don’t want that for Grim and Puck. If I could take Alice and Jasper from Twilight, put them in Nevernever with Grim, Puck and the other interesting characters, I would do it. That’s a story I’d enjoy.

Recommendation: I’m going to continue with this series because the world and side characters meant enough to me to continue. I’ve also been told that Meghan develops a lot throughout the series. However, knowing my dislike of InstaLove and weaker heroines, I’m not sure I’d recommend this to someone who feels the same way about those things as I do, since it’s such a big thing in the story. Maybe this will change after I read the next books.

Rating:

Three out of Five Coffees

The Iron King is on sale now in paperback. You can purchase it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, and other retailers. The second, third and fourth books have also been released. The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight.

Extras: Want to check out some other perspectives on The Iron King? Find other reviews at Gone with the Words and Narratively Speaking.

Looking for other books similar to this one? You might also like Firelight, Shiver and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. None of these are books centered around faeries however, since I believe this is my first, and the heroines have a bit more backbone than Meaghan.

Review: Cold Magic by Kate Elliot

Finished: November 28, 2011

Pages: 624

Publisher: Orbit (Hachette)

Series: The Spiritwalker Trilogy (#1)

Synopsis: Cat Barahal was the only survivor of the flood that took her parents. Raised by her extended family, she and her cousin, Bee, are unaware of the dangers that threaten them both. Though they are in beginning of the Industrial Age, magic - and the power of the Cold Mages - still hold sway. Now, betrayed by her family and forced to marry a powerful Cold Mage, Cat will be drawn into a labyrinth of politics. There she will learn the full ruthlessness of the rule of the Cold Mages. What do the Cold Mages want from her? And who will help Cat in her struggle against them?

 

Quote: “If we prosper only through the suffering or death of another, then that is not prosperity.”

Thoughts: Cold Magic was an impulse buy for me. I was browsing Barnes & Noble and came across this book on display, side by side with its sequel, Cold Fire. I don’t make too many impulse buys anymore, what with the internet and my endless TBR list piling on top of me, but it’s one of my favorite ways to shop. How else are you going to discover those hidden gems? Admittedly, I was drawn in by the cover. Now that I’ve read this, I am happy that the girl on the cover looks a bit ethnic, just as Cat is described. If you know me, you know I’m still a little miffed that a certain olive skinned heroine is being played by a pale natural blonde, no matter how wonderful her acting talent may be. So the cover, in my opinion, is terrific. Beyond the cover, was Cold Magic a hidden gem for me? Yes and no.

I would be lying to you if I said that the first half of this book left me anything but disappointed. I enjoyed the characters and the building story, but felt the book was bogged down by too many information dumps, and they weighed quite heavily on the characters. Sixteen year old Cat would frequently recite large chunks of history in her dialogue with other characters, as if she were a traveling history professor, and not only did it make her voice feel less than authentic, but it was also a chore to read. While Kate Elliott does a great thing by trying to build up such a detailed alternate history for Europe, I feel that the history almost eclipses the current story during the first half of the novel.

Another complaint is that I often felt confused by the events unfolding in the story. I’m not sure I’ve ever faced this issue before, at least not recently, but it seemed as though the descriptions of the actions unfolding weren’t quite explained well enough, and left me confused as to how we got from Point A to Point B. Between that and feeling like I was in high school history class all over again, the first half was a struggle.

Fortunately, close to the halfway point, things picked up. More focus was placed on Cat’s story and less on the description of history. As a heroine, I found Cat easy to root for. She was strong but also forgiving. She had a bit of spunk to her but not to the point that she became egotistical. Her back story involving her parents really inspired me to relate to and feel something for her as a character.

Cat’s relationship and loyalty to her cousin Beatrice was also wonderful to read. I especially enjoyed their relationship during the second half, since Beatrice is given a chance to shine and develop. Her tendency toward ignoring tact is a nice balance next to Cat’s personality.

As for the romance, I didn’t know what to think. I’ve been burned by the “prisoner to love story” in the past. In this case, Andevai was almost as much of a victim as Cat, so the transition was easier to understand. I admit, I didn’t understand Cat’s attraction to him earlier in the story, so I wasn’t expecting much from their romance. I’m happy to report that Kate Elliott completely surprised me in the end. This is definitely a relationship I can learn to love in the later books. I particularly enjoyed watching Andevai develop throughout the story.

Another thing I enjoyed was the wide cast of characters representing many races. That is not something you see very often and it was refreshing to read.

During the first half of the book, I was honestly not expecting to read book two. Now I can’t wait to pick it up. Kate Elliott has won me over with her new series. Cold magic with a touch of Steampunk is obviously the way to my heart.

Recommendation: I would recommend this to Fantasy lovers who also enjoy a little Alternate History. Though, I don’t read a lot of it myself, and I managed to enjoy it despite how heavy the first half was.

Rating:

Three out of Five Coffees

Cold Magic is on sale now in paperback. You can purchase it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, and other retailers. Perhaps even at your local Indie store? The sequel, Cold Fire, was released September 26, 2011 by Orbit.

Extras: Want to check out some other perspectives on Cold Magic? Find other reviews at Fantasy Cafe and Dear Author.

Looking for other books similar to this one? I haven’t read anything quite like the mix here before. Though Game of Thrones comes to mind because of the mix of fantasy, politics and history. The narrator is a bit younger than most of the narrators in GOT, however.

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Finished: November 14, 2011

Series: Matched (#1)

Synopsis: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate… until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Read or listen to an excerpt from Matched at the book’s website.

Quote: “His lips move silently, and I know what he says: the words of a poem that only two people in the world know.” 

Thoughts: My relationship with Matched began last year before the book was released. I began to see the book cover floating around the blogging community and was very curious about it. I really liked the cover and immediately added the book to my to read list. I still really love the cover. Unfortunately, I don’t think that Matched’s contents live up to the expectations the cover created for me. On its surface Matched appears to be a beautiful package that cannot fail, but within the pages it fails to be great. It reaches “good” but kind of in the same way that you’d enjoy an ice cream flavor like vanilla if it weren’t your favorite. Sure, it’s good. It’s ice cream. Yet, it would be so much better if it were a nice scoop of that quirky Mint Chocolate Chip.

The ideas behind the story in Matched are not exactly new to the dystopian genre. In fact, as you will see a lot of reviews mentioning, the set up is very similar to the society in 1993’s The Giver. Cassia is living in a society that carefully controls various details of each community member’s life. What they eat, who they marry, even whether or not they have trees in their front yard. Personally, I think that a lot of novels with a dystopia setting are going to be similar to the earlier offerings of the genre, and I never mind a modern retelling. I just wish Condie had taken the idea and given a spin to it that would have made it shine as a story all its own.

The issue with this book certainly has nothing to do with entertainment value. Matched delivers a page turning story that is a surprisingly quick read. I finished it in a day. Looking back, I am not really sure what drew me to the novel. I would consider it literary candy; only slightly healthier. Condie’s writing never stands out, but it certainly isn’t bad or laughable in any way. Much like the rest of the components of the novel, Condie’s writing in Matched is good enough. It flows easily, but for the most part, isn’t all that memorable.

One enjoyable part of the novel was Cassia’s relationship with her grandfather and the poem he gave her.

"Do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light."

This is actually a poem by Dylan Thomas, which has been outlawed and destroyed (or so they thought) in Cassia’s society. I liked that Cassia’s rebellion was led by a poem, and her society’s choice to destroy all of the words that they thought might incite passion or cause chaos within the community. Because what is the point of living without passion? Without poetry? Are you really living? These are questions that Matched explores and it was a message I very much enjoyed.

Cassia as a narrator leaves a lot to be desired. Often, you wish she would stop letting life pass her by and instead reach out and grab it. I understand that she was raised in a society that does not allow for independence, but I do wish we had seen a little bit more fire in her earlier in the story. For example, why did she burn the poem? It had been kept hidden all of those years. Cassia never seemed like she had much of a backbone, so her inevitable rise against the oppressive society seemed forced and unrealistic.

It’s time to talk about the love triangle, isn’t it? I’m not sure that you can call it that when Xander is hardly given any development or page time; instead his character is left living in the shadow of Cassia’s doomed love affair with Ky, which is the bigger driving force behind her rebellion. There were moments of sweetness between Ky and Cassia that I enjoyed, but their affair was inevitably predictable from the moment Cassia saw him on the Matched chip. I think it would have been more interesting if she had fallen in love with Xander, and the novel explored what it meant for Cassia to accept that the society was right about certain things, but that accepting a life with Xander didn’t mean that she had to live on their terms. Ky seemed to be the obvious choice from the start and the tension remained notably absent. I am neither Team Xander or Team Ky. In fact, you could say I shipped Cassia with poetry most of all. I also loved Cassia’s relationship with her family members and found the ending to be rather heartwarming.

My hope is that Crossed provides more insight into the minds of Ky and Xander and finds its feet; perhaps throwing in some twists and turns and making Cassia, and the story itself, a little less predictable. In the end Matched seems like a book filled with easy predictions, predictions that the officials in Matched’s society itself could have made with a few simple tests.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to hardcore fans of the genre or younger and reluctant readers. Like I said, I found the novel enjoyable, even if it was a bit vanilla.

Rating:

Matched is on sale now in both hardcover and paperback. You can purchase it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, and other retailers. The sequel to Matched, Crossed, was released in hardcover November 1, 2011.

Extras: Want to check out some other perspectives on Matched? Read other reviews at Recovering Potter Addict and 365 Days of Reading.

Looking for other books similar to this one? You might also like Delirium, Uglies and Divergent.

Review: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Finished: November 24, 2011

Series: Healer (#1)

Synopsis: Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos. Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life…

Read Chapter 1 of Touch of Power at Maria’s website here.

Thoughts: Touch of Power is a magical new fantasy novel sure to delight readers of Snyder’s previous books… so long as they don’t expect it to be Snyder’s previous books. Like many others, I fell in love with Snyder’s writing during the first pages of Poison Study, the first book in her Study series. I loved the mystery, the grittiness of the story, the mix of medieval and magic. While all of that can also be found in this story, it’s true that the story of Yelena Zaltana is hard to top, and I see many reviews that say that this book can’t hope to match up to the books Snyder has previously written. Personally, I don’t think that it needs to. I think this book can stand on it’s own and be appreciated for its own weaknesses and strengths. Maybe we are too quick to compare books to their predecessors – in this way it feels as though people treat Poison Study as Touch of Power’s big sister – instead of viewing them individually. I think that is a mistake, because it prevents people from seeing the parts of this story that do shine, even if they don’t shine quite as bright as moments from the older series.

Touch of Power is the story of Avry of Kazan. Avry’s world is one touched by a plague so severe, that even she and her fellow Healers could not stop the spread. Avry is on the run, because she is living in a world where Healers are blamed for the plague, and hunted. Avry’s kindness toward others is her weakness, and she is soon captured and awaits her execution, but healers are hard to find, and her story isn’t quite over yet. Avry sets out on a brand new adventure – not quite one of her own choosing – with the character Kerrick and his group of loveable misfits.

The characters in this novel are well developed. Avry’s voice was sarcastic but kind, which is something I love and relate to in a heroine, and this made it easy to see the world through her eyes. Her friendships with Flea, Belen, Vinn and Quian were sweet, playful and believable. I enjoyed Flea and Belen’s stories in particular. I also found the “bad guy” in this novel to be an interesting character – though I wish we could delve a little deeper into why he is the way he is. Perhaps that is to come.

I really enjoyed the world building, even if I felt it was a little slowly done. Initially I was confused, the history was given too slowly, and I felt that it would have suited the novel better to have more explanations come toward the beginning. Despite that, I was very interested in this plague riddled world that Snyder created, and turned the pages quickly. There are many mysteries surrounding the plague that I am very eager to see unravel as the series continues.

Another wonderful thing about this novel was the multiple types of magic. The magicians can be of eleven different types– forest, earth, water, fire, air, life, rock, death, moon, sun and healing. I enjoyed Kerrick’s forest magic the most. I also thought the contrast of Life/Death magics was very interesting. They are so very similar – and yet so completely different at the same time – that it is fascinating.

Now that I’ve talked about what I enjoyed, I think it’s time to discuss the one part of this novel I found problematic. This is the part that kept me from loving the book as I might have otherwise; it’s the romance. While I’ll be the first to tell you that InstaLove is not my cup of tea, it’s certainly preferable to InstaAbuse. I don’t think that a man hitting a woman is acceptable under any conditions – no matter how stressful. It made me uncomfortable that Avry seemed to be making excuses for his temper throughout the story…

“He had such good control, no wonder when he lost his temper, he exploded.”

I don’t like the “hero” being the guy who starts the story by tying the girl to a tree because she refuses to do what he wants. That’s not a leading man that I can root for. It makes little sense that she would choose to so easily love and trust someone who has hit her and tied her to a tree night after night, without at least reflecting upon the circumstances or consequences of these specific acts, and not just casting them aside as part of his personality.

Another disturbing turn of events involves another magician in the story, who is able to use his magic to affect Avry’s emotions, so that when he is touching her she is helpless to stop him from doing anything he desires, and while under the influence of the magic she even wants him in return. What’s worse is that as Avry comes out of these magical stupors where she loses control of her emotions and body, she doesn’t seem to even feel violated, or have any emotional pain connected to the acts. As a woman, this does not feel realistic to me at all. Women are still fighting for full control of their bodies to this day, and it makes no sense that the character would not feel at least slightly traumatized after these incidents, where the magician’s hands and lips have been all over her.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book with a few warnings attached regarding the sexual and physical violence that occurs. I will say that the violence/romance is such a small part of the story that, for me, it didn’t keep me from enjoying the rest of the book. If you are looking for for a book that includes a medieval magical setting, deeply flawed but still loveable characters, and an intriguing magical system, and you’re willing to overlook smaller parts of the story that may be hard to stomach, then Avry’s world may be for you.

Rating:

Touch of Power will be released December 20, 2011. You can purchase it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository and other retailers.

I received an egalley of this title from the Publisher (Harlequin) via Netgalley. This has in no way affected or influenced my review. I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to provide an early review of this release.

Extras: Want to check out some other perspectives on Touch of Power? Find other early reviews at Girl about Books and All of Everything. 

Looking for other books similar to this one? You might also like Poison Study, Graceling or Fire.

Review: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Finished: November 21, 2010

Synopsis: Sixteen year-old Cheyenne Wilder is waiting for her step-mother inside an SUV as she runs into the store for Cheyenne’s medicine. Cheyenne is blind and she is also suffering from pneumonia. Without the medicine, she could die. A young boy climbs into the vehicle, intending to steal it, but gets much more than he was looking for when, too late, he notices a girl in the backseat.

Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed Girl, Stolen and read the bulk of it in one sitting. What initially drew me to the book was the cover art. I really like the symbolism of the little girl covering her eyes, most of us do it when afraid, but for the heroine of the story it is something she must live with every day as a blind person. Cheyenne does find herself in a terrifying situation, she is kidnapped and held captive by four men, but she has no need to cover her eyes since an accident has caused her to lose her sight. She must rely on her intelligence and her other senses in order to make it out alive. 

I think this is a very gripping young adult novel and young people will find a character they can relate to in Cheyenne Wilder. While I didn’t find this to be a life-changing novel myself, in my opinion this book is best suited for its intended audience of teenagers (some YA books can cross this line while others do not), it definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things that I didn’t know about blind people. I think it is a worthy read (for anyone) for the insight it offers into the life of someone who is living without their sight. 

Rating:

  

Three out of Five Coffees

Note: This review is of an ARC received for free from the publisher. This in no way shaped or changed my opinion of the book. This review was originally posted on November 29, 2010 (before the birth of this blog) at my Goodreads account. Hardcover editions are already in stores and can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository and other retailers. The Paperback edition of this novel will be released March 13, 2012. Coincidentally, my birthday!

Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Finished: October 28, 2011

Synopsis: Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate. 

Quote: “Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea? Oh no, said Merricat, you’ll poison me.”

Thoughts: We Have Always Lived in the Castle is my first book by Shirley Jackson and I will most certainly be picking up The Haunting of Hill House next. The story wasn’t quite what I was expecting. From the very first, you can tell the narrator is unreliable, and I figured out the “twist” early on, but perhaps I was meant to? I didn’t think it was all that subtle. Reading pages that delve into the unstable mind of a certain character, experiencing things from their perspective, definitely gives the right feel to this Gothic story. 

I was expecting a bit more from the end, some further exploration of what led to the murder of the family by arsenic, and how the day in question played out. We are left mostly with a few sentences between Merricat and Constance, and Uncle Julian’s rants about that day; which makes it a bit more chilling somehow, but leaves the reader wanting more from the story. Despite the few flaws I found in this book, it is not hard to see why this book continues to haunt readers almost fifty years after its initial publication.

Rating: 

Three out of Five Coffees