Book Review + Author Word Associations: Body and Soul by Stacey Kade

I've got both an author word associations list and a review for you guys today, celebrating the recent release of the final installment in the Ghost and the Goth series! I love this series, it's definitely a favorite of mine, and I'm so excited the conclusion is finally out! Since my review for this one is admittedly shorter, since it's really hard to talk about the reasons I fell into this book without spoiling either it or the previous two books, I'm combining everything into this one post.

First up is a round of Word Associations, where I sent a list of random words/phrases to Stacey, and she had to give me the first thing that came to mind for each!

Vindictive: evil

Cheerleader: red and white (the cheerleading uniforms at my high school were red and white, as, of course, was Alona’s)

Okapi: cute (I’ll admit I had to look this up to find out what it was. So really the first thing that came to mind would have been, “Huh?”)

Persephone: Meg Cabot (her new series is based on that myth and I love her books).

Monkeys: baby orangutans

It's a Dog's Life: A Bug’s Life (the ride at Disney. One of my favorites when we visited a couple of years ago.)

Piglet: red shirt (Piglet wears a red shirt in the Pooh cartoon, right?)

Bug in a Rug: snug

Aloe: green

Bones: safe (I have no idea. Maybe that no further harm can come to whoever that was? Yes, I know. Occasionally, I’m weird and morbid.)

Ocean: waves

Pink: Bright

Penguin: publisher

White Out: mistakes

Laptop: doorway

OPINION: 4 STARS

With the same charm and mix of wit and emotion that was present throughout the first two books, Body and Soul is a well done and engaging finale to a fun series. Picking up not long after book two closed, and keeping a steady pacing to it, this one will definitely have readers enthralled and rooting for both Alona and Will. Kade throws in some great twists, and has an undercurrent of the unknown driving this one, and wraps everything up in a way very fitting of the series.

Will and Alona continue to grow and change, needing each other in some big ways but also relying on themselves. Their little battles and nitpicks with each other continue to build their charm and relationship, while having a few bigger things thrown in that makes them relatable, and understandable. I love these two together, from the way they test the other to how they just really make each other better all around. While their final installment is certainly not an easy one, it’s well worth it.

As with the previous two installments, there is a plot specific to just this book, yet pulling in long running elements as well. Kade does a fabulous job of pacing everything and keeping her readers interested, not to mention leaving them guessing. I truly love the challenges the pair faces, and the decisions then end up having to make. Still switching perspectives in a smooth way and written in an easy to fall into style, and having some rough elements to it, Body and Soul is a great book and a perfect ending to a favorite series.

Details:

Source: Netgalley 

Reading level: Ages 12 and up 

Hardcover: 320 pages 

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Cover Reveal: The Collector by Victoria Scott

I am so excited to take part in the cover reveal for Victoria Scott's YA debut The Collcetor: A Dante Walker Novel! I am so excited for this book - I mean, come on, cocky, sexy, badass male POV? YES Please! Not to mention, Victoria truly is one of the nicest and coolest people you will ever meet.





So let's get to it, and celebrate Victoria... and Dante!

Um. Rawr? This is definitely a cover that I would nab off the shelves. But ignoring the hot form on the cover, I seriously love the entire lay out of it. The background, and then the text overlay. But okay, mostly I just like staring at Dante. So. Again. Rawr.

And in case you've missed the summary of the book, check it:

He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Yep. I want this book so freaking bad. You guys know this is right up my male POV, bad boy loving ally. I mean, the more broken and damaged, the more conflicted and twisty, the better. So bring it, Dante.  




The Collector is coming March 2012 from Entangled Teen. You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here, and don't forget to follow Victoria on twitter!

Book Review: Reunited by Hilary Weisnman Graham

SUMMARY:  
1 Concert
2000 Miles
3 Ex-Best Friends

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.

Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.

But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.

Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show.

Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. Good thing Alice’s graduation gift (a pea-green 1976 VW camper van known as the Pea Pod) is just the vehicle to get them there.

But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?


OPINION: 4 STARS
 
I love road trip books, and I love books about trying to rekindle past friendships, even if they ended for a specific reason rather than simply drifting apart, so when I first hard about this one, I was all in. Shifting between the perspectives of all three girls, readers get an all access past to who they are and who they used to be. Though the voices didn't always sound too distinctly different, and the pacing lagged in a few places, Graham does a great job blending the whole overcoming the wrongs we've done to each other thing with an awkward yet fun road trip. 

Looking at the three girls at the start of the book, it's hard to picture them friends, even if it was several years ago. They are all so drastically different, from straight and narrow, almost boring Alice to popular yet somewhat depressed Summer, to Tiernan, the girl who just goes with it and doesn't seem to mind what people think of her. They've each settled into their own lives, yet it's clear that at least in some way, each of them holds on to their past friendship. While it was kind of annoying to know that something big happened between them, and have to wait most of the book to find out what it was, something that felt partly out of convenience rather than purely because the characters just couldn't say it yet, the actual reason their friendship fell apart is so simple, so... trivial, almost, that it adds a great realistic note to the book. By itself, it doesn't seem enough, but set into the changes already happening to the girls, and it's sort of like the final straw. Still, each of them goes their own sort of change and development, and Graham does a fantastic job of portraying each girl, yet bridging them together as well.

 Reunited is a mix of serious and funny, of laying things out there and keeping other things close to your heart. Though sometimes the funny parts were a little too forced for me, there was also a basic realism to them, and an overall feel good kind of thing going on, that it worked out in the end. Graham throws in some great scenes to set this apart from other road trip books, and keeps a strong character and emotional tie the entire time. Though the voices didn't always come across as different, the writing itself has an easy flow to it and a nice flair of humor and feeling added in. Overall, Reunited is an engaging, amusing and enjoyable read, and perfect for the summertime. 

Details: 

Source: ARC received from publisher/author in exchange for an honest review 

Reading level: Ages 12 and up 

Hardcover: 336 pages 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Publication Date: June 12, 2012

Book Review: Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London

SUMMARY: This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters....

Darkness Before Dawn is a fresh new story with captivating characters, unexpected plot twists, a fascinating setting, and a compelling voice. Written under the name J. A. London by a talented mother-son team, the trilogy is perfect for fans of True Blood and the House of Night and Morganville Vampires series.


OPINION: 4 STARS

With an interesting twist on vampires in a post-apocalyptic setting, Darkness Before Dawn merges the best parts of fantasy and dystopian, while also infusing hints of our reality into it. There are some stunning twists in this one, and an overall steady pace that leads to a great climax of an ending, and leaves things set up perfectly for the next installment. Bringing in some rougher elements, and adding in gentle romance and humor as well, this one is definitely one to not be missed.

Dawn is a stunning character, one with an immense amount of internal strength and drive. Still pained over the loss of her parents, the former delegates to Lord Valentine, and not over her brother’s death several years before, she has her wounds and holds them close to herself. The moments when she lets them go, shows the deeper parts of things, however, are stunning and poignant, and will draw readers in. She goes through a tremendous amount of growth, not just in who she is but the way she views the world as well, and each driving moment for it is handled smoothly. Standing up for herself when she needs to, yet also understanding of others, she is an easy character to get behind.

Victor is an equally well done character, very multifaceted and enamoring. Though a vampire, there is a strong bit of humanity in him, which goes far to challenge Dawn’s views on things. With a slow burn between the two, and a deep connection that forms between them, their budding romance is both sweet and heated. Going beyond just human/vampire, with other things to stand in their ways, this one has hints of the forbidden romance without being the outright draw of it. Victor really is a great guy, quietly intense and incredibly perceptive, and several of the best moments in the book included him.

Tegan, Dawn’s best friend, had hints of stereotypical in her, yet she was, overall, a loyal friend. Though Dawn couldn’t always be completely open with her, and Tegan definitely pulls Dawn into some not so great situations, there is still a great friendship and understanding between them. Then there’s Michael, Dawn’s boyfriend, who left me with a sour taste in my mouth a few times. Though seemingly perfect at the start, Michael is a little too testosterone and pride driven at times, with a reckless and skewed view of things. What seems to be a petty fight to me as a reader ends up being much more to him, leaving me less than impressed with him. At times, I felt like his reactions were simply a tool to drive Dawn closer to Victor, rather than anything too true to his character. Still, there were some sweet moments between Michael and Dawn, and overall, I fully appreciate and understand the way these two rely on each other, yet also are starting to verge apart. The history behind them makes this difficult, and overall, despite my few personal gripes, I think London navigated the trials of their relationship smoothly.

I loved the plot of this one, especially the unexpected twists thrown in. Though a few things can be potentially guessed, or at least readers will have an idea that something is off, there are some things that pack a huge punch when they’re revealed. With just the right amount of clues dropped at perfect moments, the reader figures things out at about the same pace, for the most part, as Dawn does, bridging a stronger connection there. Filled with intrigue, smoothly written and a great voice to it, this one straddles the genre lines in a great way. With a beautifully crafted world ruled by vampires, and the confines and laws of it showcased throughout the book, yet also being a world that can easily be understood, Darkness Before Dawn pitches a new tale on vampires and does it remarkably.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author in exchange for an honest review 

Reading level: Ages 14 and up 

Paperback: 368 pages 

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: May 29, 2012

Book Review: Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker

SUMMARY: Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life.

Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now.

Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart?

Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.


OPINION: 5 STARS

With a strong emotional atmosphere, and delving beautifully into a gray area of relationships, Unbreak My Heart is a solid romance built into a coming of age. Easily switching between the past and the present, and building Clem’s character steadily through both, this one takes common elements and threads them together in a new way. With a well described setting centered on the boat, and cutting off much of the usual methods of communication, Walker leaves her mark with this one.

Clem is a highly relatable character, a girl who is a mess at the start of the book with a rough view of herself. Broken up over losing her best friend after she fell for said friend’s boyfriend, but also hurting at losing the boy who she felt such a deep connection with, Clem’s broken heart and shattered feelings are beautifully showcased, and smoothly navigated. While simultaneously watching her fall apart and put herself back together, readers will have an all access pass to who Clem was before, is now, and is becoming. Clem has a strong family support system, even if she actively tries to push them away, and a little sister that is full of life and is in, truth, quite an inspiration. While her parents do push some, they also give her space, trying to let her work things out on her own while making it clear they are there. Admittedly, Clem is selfish and bratty at times, but when set against the horrible view she has of herself over what’s happened, it’s easy to look past and understand.

Notable about this book is the way Walker handles the almost particular situation that Clem found herself in with Ethan and Amanda. With strong feelings she can’t help tainting her judgment, and in truth, egged on by the boy who should only be giving that sort of attention to Amanda, it’s easy as a reader and a person to understand why Clem did what she did. There is an inherent emotional air to this, and while the natural reaction is to dislike Clem for seemingly going after her best friend’s boyfriend, Walker has explained things without excusing them in the most perfect way. Leaving readers with mixed feelings towards not only Clem but Amanda and Ethan as well in regards to this, and likely drawing up emotions from their own past, Unbreak My Heart has a rawness to it that shines.

Then there’s James, the boy who helps Clem sort through everything. Always with a smile, and a different sort of view on life, James is quietly charming and outwardly fun. Not necessarily the standard view of hot, but definitely cute, James is one of those guys who has such a strong personality that the other stuff just doesn’t matter as much. The building romance between James and Clem is sweet, with a friendship growing as much as stronger feelings.

This one has a steady pacing to it, and despite taking place entirely on a sailboat or in marinas, there are plenty of things going on. Focused heavily on Clem, and with stellar characterization, this is an emotionally driven book yet has a vividness to it that will keep readers engaged. With a strong voice, and smooth writing, Walker will keeps readers thinking of her book long after the pages are done.

Details: 

Source: Netgalley 

Reading level: Ages 12 and up  

Hardcover: 240 pages 

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Publication Date: May 22, 2012

Book Review: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

SUMMARY: When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.


OPINION: 5 STARS

Raw, aching, beautiful, thrilling, enamoring, sweet and funny. This book goes through such a range of emotions, and shifts between them so fluidly. I cried reading this one, and I’m not someone who cries easily. But Doller has such a way with words, putting so much into so few words, packing a powerful punch. Something Like Normal gutted me and put me back together, and left me a better person for it. This is a book that has challenged me and opened my eyes, and one that is truly a must read for everyone.

I adore Travis. Okay, so he’s a jerk sometimes, and he definitely has his flaws. But he is so loyal and devoted, so determined and intelligent. I understood him so well, every step of the way and without having to try. Doller has built him so fabulously, showing us this brash young man at the start who keeps everyone and everything at arm’s length and changing him into something else, yet still being the same overall person. His motivations, reactions, and drives were all perfectly scripted, yet lurking underneath the bigger stuff. Even when he couldn’t see it, as a reader, I could, and yet I stayed right beside him and in his head the entire time, never really feeling as though I had access to some extra information he didn’t. His entire character arc is one of the best I’ve read, stunning and passionate and intense.

Then there’s Harper, a girl who I admit I have a girl crush on. She is amazing, the kind of girl who will put herself first in terms of not being a doormat or taking the hit for something just to avoid confrontation, yet she is also far from selfish or someone who will let others hurt needlessly. Needing time to herself to work through things, but not requiring major apologizes when someone’s done her wrong, Harper is the kind of person I think so many people should strive to be like, at least partly. Definitely someone who makes Travis want to be better, and a total asset to those who know her, Harper is one of my favorite characters ever. Add in the romance that grows between her and Travis, the way they interact and change and effect each other, and this is a pairing that I will always hold dear and remember fondly.

There is an unabashed honesty to this one, both in Travis’ view of the world and mindset, and in the unflinchingly realistic look into not only life in a war zone but what it’s like to come back as well. With stunning imagery, fabulous descriptions, and an emotional intensity that was infused in the words because of the actual writing without relying on an overly emotional narrator, this one had me gripped and engaged from page one and didn’t let go. From the perfectly timed lines of comedic relief to wrenching and sorrow filled scenes to electric and sweet ones, this one has an authentic feel to it both in style and voice that is hard to accurately describe.

Particularly when it comes to the war aspects of this book, Doller has done her research and honed her descriptions. Things that I didn’t think were a big deal are cast into a different light through Travis’ eyes, and watching him struggle with trying to get back into his old life, fit in with his own family, and endure the memories of what he’s been through has an amazing depth and progression to it. Such care has clearly been taking with the Marine lifestyle of this book, and Doller has done it right. Despite the overall set up being something I in no way have experienced, I related to Travis so instinctively, and was able to see things the way he does without any issue. Absolutely a book I will reread, and one that I will think back on plenty, Something Like Normal is a stunning and poignant debut from a majorly talented author.

Details:

Source: Netgalley 

Reading level: Ages 14 and up 

Hardcover: 224 pages 

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Publication Date: June 19, 2012