Genre: YA


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Review: Darkest Fear by Cate Tiernan

Posted by 23 Comments

I received this book for free from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Darkest Fear by Cate TiernanDarkest Fear by Cate Tiernan
Series: Birthright #1
Published by Simon Pulse on January 7th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, YA
Source: Simon & Schuster
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
two-stars

Vivi’s animal instincts are her legacy—and maybe her downfall—in this start to a romantic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of The Nine Lives of Chloe King.

Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but a freak knowing that it’s in her genes to turn into a jaguar?

Now eighteen, Vivi’s ready to break away from the traditions of her heritage. But all of that changes with the shocking, devastating deaths of her parents and the mysteries left behind. Vivi discovers family she never even knew she had, and a life open with possibility. New friends, new loyalties, and even romance all lay ahead—but so do dangers unlike anything Vivi ever could have imagined.

From lack of excitement to a protagonist I despised to a very bizarre romantic arc, I was happy to be done with this one. To paint a quick picture: the only interesting part of this book is in the blurb.

Darkest Fear starts with an intriguing Jaguar Shape-shifting lore that, for the most part, is well crafted. The narrative when in Jaguar form is particularly clever. I was certain it was the promising start of an impressive series, especially when only a few chapters in, something monumental happens. Something ominous that proposes an epic mystery to come. However, once this scene passes we get a whole lot of mundane happenings, from Vivi finding a job, to her day to day life, to detailed scenes of her baking various things. How positively dull! Perhaps its purpose was to make us bond with the characters. Unfortunately none of them were made to be compelling.

For one, with such a large secondary cast, these characters needed more personality and distinctive voices to avoid blending together. For another, Vivi herself is not very likeable. She’s always hated the Jaguar part of herself; never learning about or accepting her world, basically hoping that by ignoring it it would go away. While this is understandable – I would be freaked out too if I learned I could grow fur – as the story progresses, her constant rejection, even disgust, of it all became too much. For instance, she would get into a dire situation due to her shifting ineptitude, this would push her to decide it was time to learn and finally accept that side of her, only to chicken out and be back at step one. It was very frustrating. There are also other quirks like how she repeatedly commented on her boss’s hotness (and I mean, punch-book-in-its-book-mouth excessive), or how she would often say “gosh” – urgh! Obviously I never connected with her in any way.

As for the romance. I don’t even understand the point of it being in the book for how bizarre and short of a spotlight it got. In a few words, she got a couple of offers for sex and that was that. No passion, no chemistry, no nothing. It felt incredibly random. The only responses it got from me were cocked eyebrows and flared nostrils. It was very attractive-making.

Now, I have a big pet peeve when it comes to shape shifters and realistic clothing… repercussions. This book did well with shredded clothes and nakedness, except for that one time. One out of the 5+ times she shifted, when it was, of course, hugely inconvenient for her to appear naked, her clothes were magically waiting for her in the bushes unscathed. I read this twice to make sure I didn’t miss her removing her clothes beforehand, but the shift was unexpected and unplanned. I’m honestly hoping this is just an editing slip-up that will be fixed in the final copy because it deserves a removal of a star for that alone.

I’m always looking for the next epic paranormal series, and I really had hoped this one would fit the bill so it’s unfortunate that it failed to impress me to such degree. In the end, I was just very, very fed up. Also, we get no answers on anything! None! Here’s to hoping you have better luck with it!

two-stars

2 Hot Espressos

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Posted by on 11/15/2013 • 33 Comments

Guys! This is not a story about a girl flying in space in a dress! That’s only in the first chapter. I swear!

Actually, most of this book is a survival story. After a crash land on an anonymous planet, Tarver and Lilac have to find a way to get along and stay alive amongst the wild animals and Lilac’s questionable state of mind. It’s not a fast paced read, but rather a slow trek on this mysterious planet full of whispers, visions, ghosts, and other bizarre happenings. This is what keeps it completely enthralling. You get that constant need to read just one more chapter to try and get some answers as to what exactly is happening in this weird place. Is Lilac going insane, or are the voices…

Crash Into You Tour Stop: Interview + Giveaway!

Crash Into You Tour Stop: Interview + Giveaway!

Posted by on 11/14/2013 • 45 Comments

I’ve got the wonderful Katie McGarry on the blog today for an interview as part of the Crash Into You blog tour. I’m very excited to have her over, I love this series! You can read my review of Crash Into You here if you missed it!

Interview with Katie McGarry

HI Katie! I’m so happy to have you over! I’m a big fan of this series – Crash Into You being my favorite so far actually! 🙂

Review: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

Review: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

Posted by on 11/12/2013 • 18 Comments

I’ve come to expect a super sweet, romantic, and character oriented read when I pick up a Kenneally book and this is, again, exactly what I got from Racing Savannah. This one has its own charm that separated it from the others as it’s kind of like the “new generation” of this series. We see glimpses of our beloved characters from the other books who have now gotten a bit older and their relationships are moving ahead which was very exciting to see, and bittersweet because it made me miss them! 🙂

This time our wonderful protagonist is Savannah. She has a passion for horse racing – well horses in general – and a take-no-crap attitude that I loved. As a girl, she unfortunately get the expected chuckles and odd…

Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Posted by on 11/07/2013 • 26 Comments

This was such a beautiful read! I literally had goosebumps when I turned the last page. It’s one of those all encompassing stories that leaves you to ponder your own past experiences, your own hopes and dreams – past, present, and future.

Do you often read back through your diaries or journals and reminisce on your high school days? In Golden, one teacher gives all his students just that opportunity. The class assignment is to fill a journal with everything you’re hoping for yourself, then in 10 years this journal is sent back to you. I loved this idea – almost wishing we had this teacher at our school. It had me both wondering and cringing at what I would have written in there myself. Golden combines a coming-of-age story…

Waiting on Wednesday (99)

Waiting on Wednesday (99)

Posted by on 11/06/2013 • 23 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week:

This is the same author who wrote Charm and Strange that I really enjoyed earlier to year so I’m excited that she’s got a new book coming out. It sounds dark and creepy – you know me, right? 😀

What are you waiting on, this week?

Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Posted by on 11/05/2013 • 20 Comments

To be perfectly honest, by the time I read this book I had completely forgotten what it was about. I thought it was a book about the end of the world – and okay in a way it is, but very different from what I had envisioned. Nevertheless, it’s a solid story in a lot of ways, and with 400+ pages it could have become an intensely powerful, in-depth read, but instead it felt overcrowded at times with topics like rape, mental illness, and ex best-friend drama (as well as ex-boyfriend) that felt rather directionless. On the other hand, it does offer a slightly different perspective on alternate dimensions, or at least it worked on delivering it in a highly suspenseful way.

The main reason why I wasn’t able…

Review: Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Review: Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Posted by on 11/04/2013 • 25 Comments

Isaiah has been a favorite character of mine since book 1. He’s got a badass look but the kindest heart and most gentle soul. Crash Into You, written in his POV, made me adore him even more. We get to see what’s going on in that hard-to-crack head of his. Having had a difficult childhood in the foster care system, he’s developed a rough edge, but to give a big eff you to stereotypes he’s positively one of the most generous and loyal person I know (yes I have met him in real life – be jealous! >.