Book Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Every Other Day
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre(s): Paranormal/Fantasy
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 329 (Hardcover)
Perspective: First Person (female)

Summary: Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

Review: I've heard of Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I've just never read her. If this book is any indication, that was obviously a mistake on my part. Every Other Day was amazing. Simply, flat out, amazing.

I don't typically like books where there are all paranormal/fantasy creatures together - faeries and witches and vampires and werewolves all at the same time are just a little bit too much for me - but in this book, it made it almost better than if it was just one species. Of course, it incorporated many creatures I hadn't seen used in an "every paranormal species" book, and others that have been used way too much that weren't even mentioned in here. The many different species added mystery and suspense as to what some creatures were, or what they would face next.

Kali and her voice in this novel made for an extremely enjoyable read. Kali was absolutely kick butt, and I can't think of another character that could rival her for the title of Best Badass. Maybe Tris, from the Divergent trilogy, but that's it. And that, my friends, is a pretty amazing accomplishment. Her voice was funny, interesting, and didn't let the reader go for one moment. If I hadn't had the annoying thing called "life" getting in the way, I would have happily devoured it in one sitting, and would still have yearned for more.

The supporting characters were just as interesting and well-written as Kali. They each had unique personalities and qualities and quirks that made them believable and enjoyable. I laughed every time Skyler said "We can call up [brother's name] for that!" or drew in a quiet breath every time Zev spoke.

Another thing was, I felt this book. I grew concerned every time one of Kali's friends was in danger, I shared Kali's sense of victory whenever she won a fight. I shared the character's sadness when one of their friends - and an important, wonderful character - died. And that is how, in my opinion at least, you separate the great from the best.

Why did this have to be a stand-alone?

Rating:

Quotes:

"That's what life does. It knocks you down and it breaks you and you either get back up or you don't... you let the bad things win, or you don't." - Page 236

"Sometimes there aren't any good choices. Sometimes making the right one is hard." - Page 266

Book Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson

Title: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Morgan Matson
Genre(s): Realistic Fiction, Romance, Hard Topics
Age Level: YA
 Page Count: 344
Perspective: First Person (female)
Summary: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

Review: This book was a good realistic fiction book. It wasn't anything major, but it was a good summer read (a little too late for that, but...), the type of thing that's fun to read by the pool or hanging out on a lazy day.

The sadness and death part of this book was better written than other books I've read, and I was glad to not have to suffer through cliches. Roger's situation was different than any other book I've read, and it was a good compliment to Amy's own pain and sadness, though it wasn't so heavy it dragged the book down into a pity party. And while it wasn't so well-written that I felt empathy for the characters, I did feel sympathy, which is more than some books have managed.

On the other side of things, this book also managed lighthearted- and funniness, in the situations Amy and Roger found themselves in, and the conversations they had as well. I was laughing and smiling just as much as I was frowning in sadness, and few books have managed that.

A good realistic fiction book I would definitely recommend!

Rating:

Quotes:

"Someone had etched into [the diner table] 'Ryan loves Megan always'... I wondered how anyone could have been so sure about a concept so tenuous and impossible as always that they'd be willing to carve it into a tabletop." - Page 199

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"You've got to have pride in your home. You are where you're from. Otherwise, you're always going to be lost." - Page 174

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"I understood in a flash why, on the Greyhound sign, Arrivals and Departures were right next to each other. Because sometimes, like in that moment, they can mean exactly the same thing." - Page 321

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"Someone just told me that you can't let things stop you because you're afraid." - Page 249

Book Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Title: Nevermore
Series/Sequel? Nevermore #1
Author:Kelly Creagh
Genre(s):Horror, Paranormal, Hard Topics
Age Level:YA
Page Count:543 (Hardcover)
Perspective: Third Person (female)

Summary: Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

His life depends on it.

Review: You need three things to read this book: stamina, a decent fear threshold, and a deep love of/interest in Poe.

This book is unlike anything I've every read. And I feel that it is so unique, it has not been given the recognition it deserves.

Nevermore was, in one word: clever. Ms. Creagh incorporated many of Poe's works into this novel in a way that was clever, interesting and enjoyable. Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven - they were all in there, incorporated in a way that made me nod my head and give a little laugh. It was extremely well put together, and I loved reading Poe's works remade to fit the story.

This book is long. 543 pages long. And when I picked it up, I was concerned it was going to be boring and slow at parts. That fear went unfounded. It was put together perfectly, the scary parts and the slower parts spaced out so the scenes flowed seamlessly from one to the next.

This book is considered a Horror book, and that also concerned me. I don't consider myself having a very high fear threshold (which is strange for a fan of Poe, I realize), and I didn't want to be having nightmares for months. But it turned out to not be that scary. Yes, I will probably never look at shadows and big black birds the same way. And never again will I underestimate the powers of dreams. But unless you faint at the word 'death' or 'blood', I think you'll be okay.

I didn't think I was going to like Isobel very much. Reading the description, she sounded like a stereotypical cheerleader - blonde, stupid, and narrow-minded. But she turned out not to be like that. She was brave and intelligent, and didn't run away screaming when things got tough. She had integrity and morality, and she dropped her 'friends' when they proved to have a loose moral code. And I really respect her.

With this book, I was hoping for a great ending. The type of ending that takes your breath away and leaves you thinking about it for days. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly work out that way. It ended in a way that was probably really cool and amazing... except I didn't get it. So I can't rave about the presumable awesome-ness, because I don't understand the presumable awesome-ness. So, I was disappointed... until I realized that this isn't a stand-alone - it's the first of a trilogy. Now all I've got to do is pester my librarian into buying the sequel...

Rating:

Why I Love Mab from the Iron Fey Series

One of my favorite series ever is The Iron Fey Series, by Julie Kagawa. Julie has come out with a compilation of 3 novellas from the series, which she is giving out to anyone who writes a post about who their favorites character is from the series and why. You can check out the full rules here, on her blog. Of course, I couldn't possibly pass this chance up, so I have written a post about why I love

Thanks to my best friend Rachel for drawing this! Don't you love the
snow piles and icicles?

I know, I know, all of you that have read the series or know any faerylore are probably flipping out because Mab is typically  portrayed as evil. Yes, she eternally suffocates people by freezing them in blocks of ice. Yes, she rules through fear. Yes, she doesn't believe in love. Yes, she exiled her own son because he was in love with a half-human from the other court. And while those things may be inexcusable, while I don't think any of those things are right, I still love her. Here's why:                 

She was the first feminist. 

I know she's a fictional character. I get that. But she started out as a character from the myths of the British isles, and I can't help but think that she gave some hope to the restricted women who were forced to stay home and cook and clean instead of doing anything interesting, because the men couldn't seem to get their heads around the fact that women were just as intelligent (if not more so) than them. Even though Mab rules through fear, she has ruled for presumably millennia over her court, without a man by her side. She has managed to keep a court of thousands of fey alive and prospering. She has managed to keep them protected. She knows what she's doing, and she does it perfectly fine. And she doesn't need a guy to help her. She doesn't depend on anyone else. To be brutally honest, she's badass. (Pardon my language.)

Many people say that women's rights movements didn't start until very late in the course of human history. Women today are still trying their very hardest to get equal rights. But suffrage started much earlier than anyone realizes. It started with Mab. 

So, that's one reason. One major reason, and probably the biggest reason why I like her. But there's more to it than that. People don't like her because of the above reasons, and because she tried to keep Ash away from Meghan. She taught him that love is the worst thing, that you shouldn't love. People think it's because she's just a mean, cruel person. But did you ever think it was because she was trying to protect him?  That maybe she was burned by love in the past, and she loves Ash too much to see him be hurt in the same way. Maybe her love for him is kinda convoluted and hard to see, but it's there. Her mother instincts are there, and they love him, and they want to protect him. 

So you people can call Mab cruel and mean and awful and evil. But I think she's just a woman doing what she can to survive in a crazy world. 

*To read more about what Mab's past was like, you can read a fanfiction I wrote here.

Book Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me, by Jess Rothenberg

Title: The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Genre(s): Romance, Hard topics
Age Level:YA
Page Count:375 (Hardcover)
Perspective: First person (female)
Summary: Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Review: Books about death - and the afterlife - are very interesting, but they are often hit-or-miss. This was definitely a hit.

First off was the voice. Rothenberg managed to create a character with a funny, enjoyable voice who had just the right measure of funniness that she seemed like a typical high school girl, but wasn't cliched, shallow, or just pathetic. Brie dying of a broken heart could have easily made her seem all three, but Rothenberg managed to have such a cause of death be believeable and stir our sympathies, instead of our disbelief. Adding Brie's preexisting heart condition and the fact that her father was a cardiologist, and Brie dying of a broken heart was absolutely perfect.

There were three subsets of supporting characters in this book, and each subset was beautifully realistic and relateable:

Brie's best girl friends added a layer of supporting characters that all girls will be able to relate to: the absolute best friends that know you better than yourself, those that always have your back no matter what. In her friends, I could see some similarites in my own best friends, lending to their believeablility.

Brie's family was wonderful as well: even if they're a little to-good-to-be-true at first, they are ultimately a believeable, well-written family.

And then, of course, we come to the boys. The characters that the book is really formed around. And of course, you can't mention the boys without mentioning the title. Both Patrick and Jacob seem like believeable boys - maybe too-good-to-be true, but each had one major fault that made them human and made them more believeable. The title also changes because of the boys. At first, you think the title is referring to one thing, one pair's history, but then at the end you realize that the title is referring to a different thing completely. I find that really clever and intelligent and I applaud the author for being able to think of such a thing.

An amazing, wonderful book. Put this one at the top of your 'to-read' list!

Rating:

Book Review: This Dark Endeavor, by Kenneth Oppel

Title: This Dark Endeavor
Series/Sequel? The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #1
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Romance
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 304
Perspective: First Person (Male)

Summary from Goodreads: Victor Frankenstein leads a charmed life. He and his twin brother, Konrad, and their beautiful cousin Elizabeth take lessons at home and spend their spare time fencing and horseback riding. Along with their friend Henry, they have explored all the hidden passageways and secret rooms of the palatial Frankenstein chateau. Except one.

The Dark Library contains ancient tomes written in strange languages and filled with forbidden knowledge. Their father makes them promise never to visit the library, but when Konrad becomes deathly ill, Victor knows he must find the book that contains the recipe for the legendary Elixir of Life.

The elixir needs only three ingredients. But impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.

Victor knows he must not fail. Yet his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science and love—and how much he is willing to sacrifice.

Review: I've never read Frankenstein. I mean, I know the basic story; everyone does. But I just thought I'd tell you that I have never read Mary Shelley's classic, so I may not understand all the allusions to the original.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book very much. I only read it because the cover looked simply amazing and there were a couple of really cool quotes in the summary and on the back cover.

How wrong I was.

I loved the characters in this. Victor was a very interesting character, a personification of the animalistic characteristics of human nature: passion, violence, instinct, pride. On the other end of things, his twin Konrad seemed to be a personification of the qualities that make humans human: intelligence, charm. And then Elizabeth seemed to be caught in the middle, a mix between the human and animal natures, between Konrad and Victor. I also loved how independent and strong Elizabeth was, so unusual for a woman of that time period. (During the French Revolution.) All the other characters were well developed also, but those three, as the three main characters, really stood out to me.

I loved reading about the alchemy involved in this, and how the alchemy (and science) was influenced by the time period, and vice versa. I've never really been able to find any (good) books about alchemy, and it was really well explained and interesting to read about in this book.

This book was really well-written, there was no turn of phrase that needed editing. I greatly respect Mr. Oppel!

I greatly recommend this book to fans of alchemy, Frankenstein, male protagonists, and/or historical fiction!

Rating:

Book Review: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Title: The Dark Divine
Series/Sequel? The Dark Divine #1
Author: Bree Despain
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 375 (Hardcover)
Perspective: First Person (Female)

Summary from Goodreads: Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

Review: This book was very well-written and perfectly plotted: a breathtaking romance, paranormal creatures, and a mystery that kept you on your toes make a for an amazing,wonderful book.

Religion, God, and the church were main points in this book, as Grace was the pastor's daughter, and went to a religious school,and so very involved in her religion, religious beliefs, and the church. I normally dislike fiction books that talk a lot and have to do with religion, because a lot of the times, it seems to me as if the authors are trying to shove their beliefs down your throat. However, this book wasn't like that. Religion played a major part in solving the mystery and the plot point finding a resolution, but there wasn't really any of the characters' beliefs being talked about or argued over or even brought up. And I like the book (and the author) just that much more for that.

The romance was fantastic. You were able to see the relationship grow and blossom between the characters naturally as the plot continued, grew, and changed. And, I must say, Grace and Daniel make a perfect match.

The characters were very well-written, each person having there own special niche and personality, making it easy to distinguish between them. Each person was unique, and with the number of characters in this book, that makes it hard to do.

As I said, the mystery kept you on your toes as well, with numerous twists and turns that you couldn't have possibly seen coming. Completely satisfying!

A wonderful, amazing book that I would recommend to fans of Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series.

Rating: