Review: The Vow by: Jessica Martinez

The Vow by: Jessica Martinez (Oct. 15, 2013)

432 pages

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Source: I won a free ARC of this book from Goodreads First Reads! Thanks to goodreads and the publisher!

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository 

Goodreads Summary: No one has ever believed that Mo and Annie are just friends. How can a guy and a girl really be best friends?

Then the summer before senior year, Mo’s father loses his job, and by extension his work visa. Instantly, life for Annie and Mo crumbles. Although Mo has lived in America for most of his life, he’ll be forced to move to Jordan. The prospect of leaving his home is devastating, and returning to a world where he no longer belongs terrifies him.

Desperate to save him, Annie proposes they tell a colossal lie—that they are in love. Mo agrees because marrying Annie is the only way he can stay. Annie just wants to keep her best friend, but what happens when it becomes a choice between saving Mo and her own chance at real love?

My Review

                                                              

The Vow is a little above average book. It was nothing overly unique and nothing overly memorable. It was a good read but that's about it. It just fell a little flat to me when it came to the story and the characters. 

The two bests parts about The Vow, what really made it good, was that it was about friendship and its complexity, especially when dealing with that friendship and the idea of friends getting married to keep one of them in the country. Mo and Annie are friends through and through. I love their friendship and I love the cute BFF moments when the reader gets to discover how they became friends in the first place. I really did love this uniqueness aspect of the novel, what I didn't love was that it was really the only unique thing about it. It was really nice to get Mo and Annie’s POV. Although I liked them I didn't love them. These two teenagers and their not great decision/choice making skills made me completely frustrated with how they handle the whole marriage situation and don’t realize how many repercussions will follow. I know they are teenagers and I know this is a young adult book, but they were just too annoying for me to really love. This made it harder for me to really get into the story and care a whole lot about the situation they were in. Hence why I think this book was just a little above average and not as unique or amazing as I thought it would be.

I wish I had more to say but I’m out of words for this one. I don't know if it's because I didn't love the book or if it's because it has been a little while since I read it. Either way I apologize and hope this short review gives you a little insight on what I thought.

If you are looking for something with a strong focus on friendship and one that touches the subject of deportation then this one is probably a good choice for you. 

** I won a free ARC of this book from Goodreads First Reads! This did not affect my honest review. Thanks to goodreads and the publisher!

MY RATING 3.5/5 

Library Loot #11

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Forgive me for my lack of posting as of late but man has it been crazy around here this month. I have been in two different weddings, I have family visiting, extra shifts at work, and this weekend I get to meet Veronica Roth! I'm exhausted and therefore haven't had a lot of time to blog. On the other hand, I'm ready to rock it in November with a whole bunch of awesome reviews and discussion posts coming your way!

So I want to start my return by sharing with you my awesome (if i do say so myself) library loot! Have you read any of these? Did you get any interesting books from the library as of late? Share in the comments below!

My Library Loot

        

Blog Tour: Allusive Aftershock by: Susan Griscom (Review & Giveaway)

Allusive Aftershock by Susan Griscom (Dec. 2012)
Genres: YA/Contemporary

274 Pages
Source: I received a free copy of this book as a part of Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Synopsis: What happens when a major earthquake changes life as you know it and the boy you thought you hated ends up saving you? Three times!

Courtland Reese is the guy everyone hates and makes fun of because … well, he is weird. He communicates with animals. Strange or interesting, seventeen-year-old Adela Castielle can’t quite figure out, but when he saves her from being trampled by her own horse, she begins to understand him a little better and wants to learn more about him.

But, Max–her best friend/dream guy/someday-to-be-her-husband-only-he-doesn’t-know-it-yet–hates Courtland with a passion. Adela wants to know why, except neither boy is talking.

When Max leaves her stranded in his parents’ wine cave with his worst enemy, Courtland, after what the experts are calling a “megathrust” earthquake, Adela starts to question her loyalty to Max as steamy kisses in a dark damp cellar only fuel her emotions with more conflict.

But does she really have time to worry about that when fire, destruction and mayhem surround her?

My Review

Allusive Aftershock was an emotional roller coaster that I don't regret riding. Allusive Aftershock surprised me in a delightful way. I'm a sucker for survival stories and I don't see a lot of those dealing with natural disasters so I was really excited to read this book. Earthquakes, survival and a somewhat awkward yet cute romance makes this book a great read.

The plot offers something new to fans of young adult contemporary novels. It's heartbreaking, shocking, intense, and is filled with really great descriptions. It's jam packed with a lot of survival scenes (the author isn't afraid of making people get hurt making it more realistic since a big earthquake has hit) and some romantic ones as well, not to mention a few light-hearted moments that keeps the book from getting too depressing.

Adela is a strong character but also slightly annoying. I can't quite put my finger on it but there is just something about her that rubs me the wrong way towards the beginning of the book. She does become pretty awesome though and really handles the crazy situation she finds herself in rather well. Courtland and Max act just like typical teenage boys, but also grow as the story unfolds.

I may have mixed feelings on how the romance was handled considering it was pretty awkward and comes about pretty darn fast, but it was also really cute and given the circumstances the characters were in it was pretty believable. 

When it comes down to it I think you should read this book snuggled up under a warm blanket or by a fire because it's just that kind of book, a great read for a Fall night.

** Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and Susan Griscom for a free copy of this book! This in no way affected my honest review.

Author

Susan Griscom daydreams often. And sometimes her daydreams interfere with her daydreams not to mention real life. Because, let’s face it, her character’s lives are so much more exciting. Sometimes it’s young adult or new adult or just plain old mainstream fiction and sometimes it’s paranormal romance, where her playing field delves into a different milieu than the usual vampires and werewolves. Some day she might write about fangs and fur, but for now she prefers sticking to strong heroes and heroines confronted with extraordinary forces of nature, powers and abilities beyond the norm, mixed with some steamy romance to get the blood boiling.
Susan lives in the Sierra Foothills in Northern California with her very romantic husband, her small yippy dog, Riley, and her humongous black cat, Saké. Her family consists of his and hers; four wonderful sons and one beautiful daughter, and seven grand angels.
Susan loves when a story takes hold and pulls her into the fantasy, that’s magic.
You can visit Susan at http://susangriscom.com or email her at susangriscom1@gmail.com. She loves hearing from her fans.

WEBSITE | GOODREADS | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

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Review: Eat, Brains, Love by: Jeff Hart

Eat, Brains, Love by: Jeff Hart (Oct. 1, 2013)

352 pages

Genre: YA/Horror/Comedy
Publisher: Harper Teen

Source: I won a free ARC of this book from Sara over at Medusa’s Library. This in no way affected my honest review. Thanks Sara!

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: Two teenage zombies search for brains, love, and answers in this surprisingly romantic and laugh-out-loud funny debut novel with guts.

Jake Stephens was always an average, fly-under-the-radar guy. The kind of guy who would never catch the attention of an insanely popular girl like Amanda Blake-or a psychic teenage government agent like Cass. But one day during lunch, Jake's whole life changed. He and Amanda suddenly locked eyes across the cafeteria, and at the exact same instant, they turned into zombies and devoured half their senior class.

Now Jake definitely has Amanda's attention-as well as Cass's, since she's been sent on a top-secret mission to hunt them down. As Jake and Amanda deal with the existential guilt of eating their best friends, Cass struggles with a growing psychic dilemma of her own-one that will lead the three of them on an epic journey across the country and make them question what it means to truly be alive. Or undead.

Eat, Brains, Love is a heartwarming and bloody blend of romance, deadpan humor, and suspense that fans of Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies will devour. With its irresistibly dry and authentic teen voice, as well as a zombie apocalypse worthy of AMC's The Walking Dead, this irreverent paperback original will leave readers dying for the sequel that's coming in Summer 2014.

My Review

Now is the perfect time to read Eat, Brains, Love, a funny, no ex that, hilarious teen novel about the life of two newly turned teenage zombies and the agency out to get them. It is definitely original and definitely worth reading. 

I refuse to put spoilers in this review because I want people to read it and give it a chance all on their own. With that being said, there are several things I can’t discuss because of this so hang in there if the review seems a little vague.

Why this non-zombie blogger devoured Eat, Brains, Love:

• Considering Eat, Brains, Love is a book about zombies it is scarily realistic at times. 

• I love that the author wasn't afraid to have the main characters actually use real curse words when they were in horrible situations. 

• The characters were pretty relateable and very interesting. Getting inside the head of a teenage boy with hormones who just so happens to also be a zombie and feels bad for eating his classmates is definitely unique. Jake was a hoot and I loved his POV. As readers we also get the story from Cass’s POV, a very interesting and likable female lead who happens to be hunting Jake down as part of a secret government agency. There is also a handful of minor characters that are all just as interesting and all just as intense as the main ones.

• It’s extremely funny. If my copy wasn't an ARC I would share so many amazing quotes with you, but I'm really not supposed to since it is an ARC copy.

• It’s got the right amount of gore for all you zombie fans out there. There is also one scene that was so creepy it turned my blood cold.

• There isn't a huge info dump. Who doesn't love that?

A few things that didn't impress me:

• There is going to be a sequel and I wasn’t warned about this in advance. (I know it states this in the synopsis I gave you earlier from groodreads but I don't always read those thoroughly or pay attention with they start mentioning "this book is like this movie/book/show etc.") This frustrates me beyond belief. Don't get me wrong, I’m going to read the next book, but I little warning would have been nice so I knew what to expect when the book came to a close. So I guess this isn't really anything with the actual book that bothered me but oh well.

• There are a couple of small stereotypes that I can’t go into without spoiling the book, but lets just say they were annoying.

• The romance wasn’t all that great. This was disappointing because the word love is even in the title. Luckily I think the next book will be even better with the romance aspect of the novel. In the end, this in no way kept me from really liking this book.

Bottom Line: Read it. You won’t find a better time to read a Zombie novel than right now. Eat, Brains, Love was an enjoyable read that was hard for me to put down. 

**I won a free ARC of this book from Sara over at Medusa’s Library. This in no way affected my honest review. Thanks Sara!

Thorsday Review: The Lost Sun by: Tessa Gratton

The Lost Sun (The United States of Asgard #1) by: Tessa Gratton (2013)

350 pages

Publisher: Random House

Genre: YA/Mythology

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: Fans of Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Holly Black's The Curse Workers will
embrace this richly drawn, Norse-mythology-infused alternate world: the United States of Asgard.

Seventeen-year-old Soren Bearskin is trying to escape the past. His father, a famed warrior, lost himself to the battle-frenzy and killed thirteen innocent people. Soren cannot deny that berserking is in his blood--the fevers, insomnia, and occasional feelings of uncontrollable rage haunt him. So he tries to remain calm and detached from everyone at Sanctus Sigurd's Academy. But that's hard to do when a popular, beautiful girl like Astrid Glyn tells Soren she dreams of him. That's not all Astrid dreams of--the daughter of a renowned prophetess, Astrid is coming into her own inherited abilities.

When Baldur, son of Odin and one of the most popular gods in the country, goes missing, Astrid sees where he is and convinces Soren to join her on a road trip that will take them to find not only a lost god, but also who they are beyond the legacy of their parents and everything they've been told they have to be.

        

My Review

I wanted to love this book with every fiber of my being. I love mythology, I love quest novels, and the synopsis sounded so promising. Alas, it was a disappointment. I still enjoyed it and I will probably read the next book, but the idea behind The Lost Sun wasn’t really well executed.

I want to mainly tackle the world building. I want to give you a big heads up that The United States of Asgard is an alternate world – not set in the future. I was a little confused by this at first. I found The United States of Asgard to be unique and fun and pretty darn cool. The big problem, I was utterly and totally confused for a good while when reading. I will say that I really don’t have any background on Norse mythology except for the movie Thor, so that may have contributed to my confusion. I just felt like things were not explained that well, sometimes not at all until mentioned later in the book, and this to me was frustrating and turned my reading into a chore, which I really didn’t want it to be. I seriously think that if the author is going to be vague about a lot of the background of Norse mythology then there should have been a glossary. Percy Jackson has one, nothing wrong with that and it is helpful when I can’t remember a certain character.

The main characters were fine and likeable but not overly memorable. They were just kind of there for the most part. I did however enjoy getting the male POV in this book. Those seem rare in young adult novels. The Norse Gods didn’t have a lot of page time but when they did they didn’t disappoint, Gratton described them with great detail and they were drastric and over the top, it worked.

The plot stuck to the basic quest novel outline, but that was fine by me. There were some predictable scenes but some not so predictable so they evened out. It was a good adventure story, but it could have been more complex. I will say that I am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series, and maybe I’m comparing this one to that just a little too much. The Lost Sun is more serious than Percy Jackson and a little more gorwn-up.

The Lost Sun should be approached with caution. I’m sure many of you won’t be as confused as I was when reading, which is good, but I just wanted to warn you in advance. This book had so much promise. Sigh. I’m hoping now that I have read the first one and understand the world better that I will be able to enjoy the second one more, because I do plan to read it.

I say get this one from the library just in case you don’t love it. If you do love it than that is awesome and I’m jealous because I wanted to love this one.

RATING 3.5/5 

Scary/Creepy Books For Your Freezer

I couldn't help myself. I had to start this post off with a little FRIENDS. The whole episode is better but I couldn't post that. :) It's that time of year again... the time to read all the scary dark twisty and creepy books you can in honor of Halloween and the fall season where the days get shorter and the nights get longer. Therefore I have compiled a list of a variety of young adult and adult books for the spooky season. There are only a couple of books on these lists that I have yet to read but I've heard great creepy things about them. Click on the book covers to find out more about each book!

YA Scary/Creepy/Dark Reads

     

YA Horror Authors (Oldies But Goodies)

Lois Duncan

R.L. Stine

Caroline B. Cooney

Alvin Schwartz

Adult Books With A Creep Factor

   

**If you really want some more recommendations check out Girlxoxo's blog post where she shares several different resources for those of you trying to find a scary book to read this October. Or check out all of the bloggers that are participating in Bloggers Dressed in Blood for more reading ideas! 

What scary/creepy/dark books do you plan on reading this month? I always love new reading recommendations. 

Review: When the World Was Flat (and we were in love) by: Ingrid Jonach

When the World Was Flat (and we were in love) by: Ingrid Jonach (Sept. 2013)
312 pages
Genre: YA/Sci-Fi
Source: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
**This review may contain some small spoilers.

Goodreads Summary: Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.

But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in love.

When she at last learns the truth about their connection, Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also discovers that once you finally understand that the world is round, there is no way to make it flat again.

An epic and deeply original sci-fi romance, taking inspiration from Albert Einstein’s theories and the world-bending wonder of true love itself.

My Review

When the World Was Flat (and we were in love) was an okay book, but it could have been amazing.

Jonach took on the challenge of writing about parallel dimensions and scientific theories and sadly didn’t quit make it out on the other side unscathed. I would have enjoyed this book more if it focused more on the science side of things and less on the semi insta-love crap. I know I should have gathered from the title that this would be more of a romance than a sci-fi book, but I wouldn’t even call it a great romance book and there sure wasn’t enough sci-fi in it to satisfy me. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book but I was just hoping for more.

The beginning of the novel reminded me a little bit of Twilight and way too much of the Fallen series by Lauren Kate, which I really didn’t like. Although it started off kind of slow it really started to pick up and slowly I began to appreciate the story more and more, until I got to the ending of course. The ending didn’t seem right and didn’t really fit. I can say that there is a great secret reveal in the book that was handled excellently. The last half of the book was better than the first half by far, but I’m really getting tired of books that take so long to captivate me.

The characters were okay, nothing too outstanding but at least they did seem realistic. Lillie was kind of rude and her friends were stereotypes but they were okay. Tom is frustrating and not really all that unique of a character, he is just typical and reminds me a lot of Edward (Twilight) and Daniel (Fallen). Lillie did grow on me and so did the other characters, but they still were not legendary. There was also a a good amount of slut shaming which was aggravating and not needed.

Overall, When the World Was Flat (and we were in love)  wasn't the best well written novel and could have been a lot better, but I did still like it. I do love how it is a stand-alone because we just don’t get a lot of those in young adult books, too bad it wasn’t fantastic.

This is one that I recommend you borrow from a friend, get from the library, or buy cheap on your reader, it isn’t one I would go out and buy at full price because it just wasn’t that good. Also, I just want you to know that because I enjoyed the reveal and other small things so much in this novel I may have given it a slightly higher rating than maybe I should have, it was just hard to decide on a rating.

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.