Review: A Need So Beautiful (A Need So Beautiful #1) by Suzanne Young

A Need So Beautiful (A Need So Beautiful #1) by Suzanne Young

Published: June 21st 2011
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Page Count: Hardcover, 267
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Blog, Twitter, Facebook
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...
Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.
But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.
Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences. - Good Reads

I've been enchanted by this cover since this came out and it's always sounded like it's right up my alley, and I've had in my possession more than a few times, but it always ended up going back to the library without being read for various reasons.  

A Need So Beautiful is about a girl named Charlotte who has "The Need", which are random compulsions to talk or help someone. It's definitely in the angel realm of books, which I really love! 

Charlotte's character was likable enough as were the supporting characters: her best friend, foster family and her boyfriend Harlin. I liked that she had an existing boyfriend. When I read books, I often expect a romance to unfold within the book - it bodes well for feeling invested in the romance, but in this one it did work well for the story. This is a story about Charlotte and the struggles she needs to overcome, not just Charlotte and Harlin and their love, even though he is a great addition to the book.  

I think that the biggest issue I had with this book is the length. A Need So Beautiful could have been much more fleshed out. It felt very short and rushed. Had it been longer, I think I could have rated it much higher. Despite feeling rushed though, it did bring me to tears towards the end and was touching.

I am definitely interested in reading the next book, A Want So Wicked. I'll be picking that up next. 

                                                 3 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

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

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Published: February 21'st 2012
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Page Count: Hardcover, 375
Source: ARC
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

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? - Good Reads

There were many things that I loved about The Catastrophic History of You and Me and a few things that I didn't love so much. 

• I loved that each new chapter was labelled with lyrics. It was fun getting to each new chapter and seeing if I could guess the song. 
• I loved that the sections of the book were broken down with stages of emotional healing that the main character Brie was going through.
• I loved Brie's family dog Hamloaf. I'm a sucker for animals, especially dogs and some of the scenes with Hamloaf even brought tears to my eyes, even though I wouldn't say I was particularly feeling very emotional in that way towards the story.
• I really enjoyed the base of what the story was about. A girl who dies unexpectedly and then dealing with the after effects of getting past it. 

But there were a few things I didn't like as much about the book. Like, sometimes the humour seemed a little immature and could be too repetitive. The love interest of the book Patrick went a little too far for my taste with cheese nicknames for Brie. And Brie went too far with the "Your Mom" jokes. They're really only funny the first few times or on occasion, not as much as they were used in the book. The ending held a lot of surprises that I didn't see coming, so it explained a lot about little hints throughout the book, but I really wasn't feeling the relationship between Brie and Patrick. It lacked the spark that I was looking for. Towards the end though it improved, but even so, it felt too rushed slash quickly explained. 

Overall though, it was a good read. I was definitely kept interested and despite my love of series, it was nice to read something that ENDED and was wrapped up without having to wait another year to figure out what happens next. 

                                                3 out of 5 Hello Kitties

Review: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Published: June 5th 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
Page Count: Hardcover, 358
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.
When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.
Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future. - Good Reads

This book started out and I was rolling my eyes. That's to be expected: there are A LOT of mistakes made regarding Russian culture and it honestly did bother me (Again! Her "inspiration" research reminded me a lot of...ahem, Richelle Mead!). Besides the lack of the a at the end of Starikov that would imply she was female and not a male... one of the male characters had a feminine surname. But I think what bothered me the most is how the author represented kvas. Which, by the way, is not a hard alcoholic drink that burns going down. Though my husband and I have been having fun pretending it is every time we drink some since reading this book. That was good for some laughs. 

Putting all of that aside though, which I was able to, I really started to enjoy the book. The world was fascinating and it really caught me. I found Grisha to be interesting, even though that is the name of my 3 year old brother in-law. 

The romance! It was GOOD! I was in loooove! And then Leigh Bardugo pulled a fast one. And I mean... a fast one! I was left with my mouth open and wondering where the hell THAT came from. I know I'm being cryptic here as I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I was sadly left disappointed in how the romantic development twisted towards the end of the book. Though I can't bring myself to believe that'll be the end of it and I want to see what happens, so I will definitely be awaiting the next book! With no patience. 

                                                           3 out of 5 Stars!

Review: Vanish (Firelight #2) by Sophie Jordan

Vanish (Firelight #2) by Sophie Jordan

Published: September 6th 2011
Publisher: Harper Teen
Page Count: Hardcover, 294
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone. 
Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love? 
In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever. 

I liked Firelight enough, but was a little disappointed with the love story. I wasn't feeling it as much as I felt I should, but the ending had a good cliffhanger and I knew I'd have to read Vanish. 


In Vanish we find Sophie back in the pride with some major problems. Everyone basically hates her and there are plenty of people out to get her. Sophie's attitude in this installment irritated me a lot and I felt hope that the love story might turn in a good direction, but ended up sorely disappointed. This series has a major love triangle and unfortunately, as usual, it looks like the heroine is taking the turn in the wrong direction. I felt Sophie was ignoring all the right signals and using her rebellious nature to make her romantic decisions rather than her heart. Unfortunately I think that if the author goes in the direction I'd want her to go it would somewhat go against what she worked for in this first book, which didn't exactly work for me anyway... 


I am curious to see what happens in the next book --- I need more Cassian! 


                                3 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

Published: November 21st 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Page Count: Hardcover, 309
Source: ARC [From a Friend]
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Romance
Find the Authors: Jay Asher: Blog, Good Reads, Twitter, Facebook // Carolyn Mackler: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog, Facebook
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.
Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM.
Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.
Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out. - Good Reads

The summary of this book caught my attention right away. I remember the days of AOL and dial-up. A lot of my growing up was in that era. Looking back at those times, the internet was such a primitive place and it's amazing to think of how much it's grown in just my little lifetime. I remember the first time I ever logged onto the internet in 1995! 


The Future of Us is a hard book for me to sum up. I liked the premise of the story. The fact that two teenagers log on to the internet for the first time and see their future on Facebook. I loved that and it was interesting to see how it affected them in their present and how their changes of attitude in the present would in turn change their future. But I can't say I fell in love with the characters or the book. I wasn't always satisfied with how the story was playing out... I really enjoyed the nostalgia factor the book offered though and I'm glad I read it. I received a copy from a friend, but this is something I would have mostly likely bought for myself and I can't say that I would have regretted it. I know that sounds confusing and a little contradictory, but that basically sums up how I felt about it. 


RECOMMENDED TO
Those who read the summary and know it something they want to read for the nostalgia factor!


                                    3 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1) by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1) by Beth Fantaskey


Published: February 1st 2009
Publisher: Harcourt
Page Count: Hardcover, 351
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

The undead can really screw up your senior year ... 
Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction. - Good Reads

Reviewing this book is actually one of the hardest reviews I've had to do. I typically fix up review posts with the book cover, links and summary and then go back and write the review a few days to a week later. And this has been sitting in my unfinished posts for quite some time now. Now before I go and give you the wrong impression, I'd like to say: I liked this book. It was not earth shattering by any means, but it was something I'm glad I read and I'm eager to read the next book Jessica Rules the Dark Side.


I think this is the type of book that some may love, some may like and some may dislike. Unlike many paranormal books I had a difficult time taking this seriously. I'm not exactly sure of the authors intentions with this book, but it felt very... fluffy? Lucius, the vampire love interest was ridiculously arrogant and hard to take seriously. I laughed a lot throughout this book and it was mostly while reading Lucius's letters to home, where he bitched and moaned about nearly everything, but in such an old fashioned and off-the-wall manner. At times this books DRAGGED. It was a little longer than it probably should have been, but I do have to say I like how Jessica had a difficult time believing vampires exist and jumped to the conclusion that they think they are vampires, but are obviously mentally deranged. Of course Jessica is eventually given enough evidence to finally believe, but it takes a long time to settle and I actually liked that quite a bit. I think whenever vampires or anything supernatural is involved it's realistic to check your sanity and the sanity of others before you go believing. Maybe that's just me... 


RECOMMENDED TO
This is tough. If you like the summary and think this is something you'd like to read, I'd definitely recommend trying it. I would probably check it out from the library though.


FAVOURITE QUOTE
Lucius smirked at me, raising one eyebrow. "Really? No suitors? How shocking. I would have thought your pitchfork skills would be attractive to certain bachelors here in farm country.” 


                                      3 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Published: October 25th 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Page Count: Hardcover, 240
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air. - Good Reads

The cover of Between the Sea and Sky is absolutely beautiful. I actually have the Kindle version of the cover pictured - the hardback cover is much more bluer than this one, but both are equally beautiful. I'm such a sucker for a beautiful cover!


I've read three mermaid novels now and I think I enjoyed this one the best out of the ones I've read so far, but I'm starting to feel worried that perhaps mermaid novels aren't exactly my cup of tea. This book was beautifully written though. With the third person perspective it did make me feel a little distant from an already distant feeling Esmerine. I did admire what I could see of her: she had a sweet disposition, a little on the innocent side, but she was strong willed and determined and had a fierce love for her family that I loved to see. 


The love story fell a little flat for me though. I think it warmed up more towards the end, but it still didn't grab a hold of me like I was hoping it would. 


Between the Sea and Sky basically was a story of a girl getting to know herself and the family and friends she thinks she knows and learning to live with her own expectations, not the expectations of others. I was definitely satisfied with the ending though. No cliffhanger and it looks like this is a stand alone. WOW, right? A stand alone!  


I definitely think Between the Sea and Sky would appeal to certain people. Especially those who love mermaids. There is a nice, clean romance, an interesting fantasy world and a sweet lesson as a reminder to stay true to what you want to do. 


                                    3 out of 5 Hello Kitties

A e-ARC was provided by NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA! Thank you!

Review: Between the Land and the Sea (Marina's Tales #1) by Derrolyn Anderson

Between the Land and the Sea (Marina's Tales #1) by Derrolyn Anderson 

Published: March 19th 2011
Publisher: Self Published
Page Count: Kindle Editon, 261
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads
Buy This Book: Amazon Kindle

Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

Something extraordinary is lurking in the deep ocean waters off the coast of Aptos, California. Just a few weeks after moving to the beach town, sixteen year-old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can manage to survive her increasingly dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might just be able to unlock the mystery of her past and learn how to appease the mysterious forces that seem to want something from her... and maybe even find true love along the way. - Good Reads

This was sent to me by the author for an honest review. 

I'd seen the covers of the Marina's Tales series floating around blogs for a while now and have read nothing but good reviews, so when Derrolyn Anderson e-mailed me I was excited that she invited me to read and review the series for myself. I'm interested in mermaids, but I haven't found a mermaid novel I've been able to really enjoy yet, so I was hoping this would be the one. And I'm happy to say I enjoyed it much more than I have enjoyed other mermaid novels I've read. 


The premise was interesting, the characters enjoyable, there was a sweet love story and there was an intriguing storyline. And I only saw two typos throughout reading, so those who have complaints about independently published books having a lack of good editing: this isn't one of them. Two typos is comparable with the typos I find in novels put out by the big boys. But there were a few issues I had:


1. The language sometimes felt very out of place and unnatural. Here are a few examples of quotes from the book:


"He was the handsomest boy I had ever laid eyes on."


"I had to find Lorelei, for now I was truly desperate to know more about my mother."


"The more I got to know Ethan the more impressed I was, for he was totally unlike any of the other boys at school."


"I felt terrible, for now he knew that I had lied to him. Lies of omission."


"I beamed at him, for his joy was infectious, and delighted me as if it were my own."


which leads me to what else bothered me:


2. Marina. She was a lovable character, but felt a little pretentious at times. I've lived in numerous countries and I've travelled to quite a few as well. When I was 16 I spent a summer in Thailand doing volunteer work, when I was 14 it was the Darien Jungle in Panama and the list goes on. I was also taught at home. It in no way caused me to talk like I jumped out of the 19th century like it was shown to affect Marina. The only way my life experiences have affected my speech are silly things, like I mix Arabic in quite a bit and my normal speech is a  mix between Russian and English or when I go to the supermarket and see the girl from Thailand we greet each other in Thai or I see the Turkish man who sells mobile accessories in the mall, I say "Marhaba!" My daughter started out with an English accent, but now has an American accent. I have an American accent, but I've been known to pronounce certain words the English way, usually because I learned to pronounce them that way. I also say things like lift instead of elevator, fringe instead of bangs, boot instead of trunk, etc. So, no, in my experience and from what I've seen of my other friends who grew up as expats: we do not talk as if we've time travelled out of another century. I actually even feel a little pretentious right now. 

But other than that, the book was actually good. The love story was very slow developing. It's funny because I always bitch about instalove and this time I was like GEEZ YOU GUYS, YOU LOVE EACH OTHER, YOU WANT EACH OTHER GOGOGOGOGOGO! -- It developed at a snail pace and I didn't exactly feel the sparks I hoped for, but the development did feel realistic and I still was able to enjoy it.


The mermaid side of the story moved a little slow throughout the book, but reared its head majorly towards the end. I really liked the descriptions and the background that we did learn in this installment of the series and I look forward to getting to know more about the world of the mermaids in future books and I definitely plan on reading more! 


I definitely recommend this for mermaid lovers or anyone who wants a clean, slow growing young adult romance mixed with some fantasy. It only costs 99 cents for the Kindle edition and I can honestly say that's a steal! 


                                           3 out of 5 Hello Kitties!