Book Review: Dead to You, by Lisa McMann

Title: Dead to You
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Lisa McMann
Genre(s): Hard Topics, Realistic Fiction, Relationships
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 243 (Paperback)
Perspective: First Person (Male)

Summary: Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It’s a miracle…at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there’s something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

Review: The one thing to say about this book: it's an extremely quick read. I was finished in one sitting of two hours. The page count itself is pretty short, yes, but also just the way it is written lends itself to be finished quickly.

I think the urgent quality of the plot is definitely a part of that. Things start off seemingly with the ending: Ethan De Wilde, who was kidnapped from his suburb when he was seven, has been reunited with his family after nine years through the Child Protection Services. But then he goes home, and things go from bad to worse, relationships build and break, and then BAM! it's finished.

And the ending... I've seen a lot of people on Goodreads complaining about the ending and how it was too abrupt and left too many questions unanswered. And I agree with that, to some extent. It was an extremely abrupt ending that slapped you in the face and left many questions unanswered, unless you were intelligent enough to piece together small clues throughout. Too-small clues, in my opinions. Who is Ethan, then? is everyone's question at the end. I had no idea either, until I went to the book group in which I read this book for, and the people who understood it told us that Ethan is actually David, Ellen's biological child. I didn't get that until they told me and explained it to me multiple times. And even now, I'm still not sure I like that twist and that explanation.

I thought that the summary was somewhat misleading. With the last line "But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable." I thought that it was going to have a paranormal twist of some sort, even a small one. And that kind of threw me off as I was actually reading it and found that it was pure realistic fiction.

I feel like I should probably forewarn you about how dark this book is. It's extremely dark and scary, and it's not for someone who gets scared easily. It's for someone who wants to think, and who wants some well-written realistic fiction and real-world problems to do so.

Realistic fiction is not my genre by any means, but realistic fictions and dark, thoughtful story fans will definitely enjoy this one!

Rating:

Book Review: Nightshade, by Andrea Cremer

Title: Nightshade
Series/Sequel? Nightshade #1
Author: Andrea Cremer
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 452
Perspective: First Person (Female)

Summary:Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Review:I've never liked werewolf books. Ever. Every single werewolf book I've read, I've been less than impressed with. I'm not typically an animal fan, and so I guess I don't see the attraction of a human turning into an animal. So I didn't think I was going to like this book. But I did, much more than I thought I was.

The summary doesn't really do this book justice. It doesn't make it sound as interesting or well-written or just as great as it actually was. This was a great, interesting, riveting, amazing, fantastic, addictive, wonderful, etc., addition to an over-saturated genre. And maybe I've read too few werewolf books, but I though the way the myths and rules of the werewolf world were entirely unique as compared to everything else I have ever heard of or read.

But of course, this is a YA Paranormal Romance book. And of course, that means that it contains a love triangle. Shay, the mysterious new human boy who doesn't act human, vs. Ren, a werewolf who has been Calla's preordained mate since they were tiny. And though it was still a love triangle, with all the necessary parts, including sexual tension, confusing, fights (physical, mental, and emotional), and some (okay, more than some) make-out sessions. And yet, it didn't feel like the stereotypical love triangle. Andrea Cremer, it seems, is one of those authors who can put new life into a WAY overused plot point. And I loved it.

All in all, a great book I would definitely recommend for someone looking for some great Paranormal Romance! I can't wait to read the next book!

Rating:

Redesigning - Your Opinions?

 So, I'm looking to make some changes to this blog, including the blog name and the title image. So, I thought up one blog name, and made several images for it:

Yes, the blog name I came up with was Dressed in Poetry. But I was wondering if all of you other interesting, intelligent people can think of any good names for this blog. Maybe Royal or Regal Reviews? Or, if you like Dressed in Poetry, which of the blog images is your favorite?

So, blog name ideas? Or, if you like Dressed in Poetry, which of the blog images is your favorite?

Anastasia

Book Haul (1)

Things I borrowed/received this week:

Borrowed (from assorted libraries):

 

Clarity, by Kim Harrington (Clarity #1) 

This is one of those books that I've seen a lot on other book blogs, and so I'm interested in reading it. 

Fury, by Elizabeth Miles (The Fury Trilogy #1)

The cover and the title drew me in originally, and then I found that it sounds like my type of book: 

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...
Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.
On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.
Em and Chase have been chosen.
Doesn't that just sound amazing? I'm really excited to read this book!

The Juliet Club, by Suzanne Harper
I really have no concrete reason for picking up this book. It was more one of those "Well, I've only checked out five books, I need more" cases, and so I saw the word Juliet in the title and figured that this maybe just a cute, light book to read.


The Forsaken, by Lissa M. Stasse (The Forsaken #1)
Even though this book sounds something like the typical dystopian book, I'm actually really excited to read it.  Hopefully it lives up to my excitement!

UnWholly, by Neal Shusterman (Unravel #2)
I loved Unravel, and wished at the time I had read it that it had a sequel. And then I learned about this. Needless to say, I'm extremely excited to read this book!

Lucid, by Adrienne Stolz and Ron Bass
This is another book that I picked for absolutely no reason. I'm not even sure if I'll end up reading it, but I did pick it up and take it home.

Received:

Dead to You, by Lisa McMann
I received this from a book group that I'm in. I must say, I loved reading Lisa McMann's Wake series, and this sounds like a very dark, heavy book - just the type of stuff I love! I hope this turns out to be great!

Book Review: The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Series/Sequel? The Body Finder #1
Author: Kimberly Derting
Genre(s): Paranormal, Mystery, Romance
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 327 (Hardcover)
Perspective: 3rd Person (Female)
Summary: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

Review: This book was great. I was pretty indifferent going into it, and then when I saw that it was in third person POV - which I typically dislike because I don't feel as connected to the characters while reading third person - I felt a bit of foreboding. Like an "Oh no, I'm not going to like this book" feeling. But despite the fact that it was third person, I still really liked it.

This book can fall under a few different genres: romance, mystery, paranormal, even some could count it as almost realistic fiction. Because everything in this book was very subtle: it wasn't a paranormal book, or paranormal romance or paranormal mystery. It is a variety of genres, with emphasis not being placed on a particular genre, but just the story as a whole. And because of this, it can attract a variety of readers with a variety of tastes.

And looking at the genres as separate, they were each written very well in themselves. The romance was definitely both swoon- and aw-worthy, the mystery was wonderfully laid out, and the paranormal portion was explained well. And no matter your preference, the suspense and addictive quality of this book will keep anyone reading!

This is the first in a four-book series, but I'm intrigued to see what is coming next, because the way that this book was neatly tied up at the end would make me think it was a standalone, if I hadn't know better.

No matter your tastes, I would definitely recommend picking up this book!

Rating:

Sorry, Technical Difficulties

Obviously, I'm having some technical difficulties with the look of this blog. Sorry! I'm still pretty new to Blogger, so I'll try to figure it out ASAP! Hopefully it'll be fixed soon!

Anastasia

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Title: Prodigy

Series/Sequel? Legend #2
Author: Marie Lu
Genre(s): Dystopian
Summary: June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

I loved the predecessor, Legend. It was just so awesomely amazingly amazing. Either 4.5 stars, or a 5. And I ordered Prodigy and Legend from Barnes and Noble. And it's shipping January 29th. Which means I should have it by February 6th. And I'm just can't wait! Legend ended and I felt like I automatically needed the next book. Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on this book!

Leave your WoW in the comments and I'll check it out!