Genre: Fantasy


Friday, September 27, 2013

Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

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

Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefanoPerfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Internment Chronicles #1
Published by Simon & Schuster BfYR on October 1st 2013
Genres: Dystopia, Fantasy, YA
Source: Simon & Schuster Canada
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three-stars

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

Perfect Ruin has a fantastic concept with the same easy flowing writing from DeStefano’s Chemical Garden series. Constrained on this island the size of a fist, we’re taken into the life of Morgan who’s been starting to wonder what’s over the edge. The one thing that is forbidden to all residents of this floating city. Oh did I forget to mention that part? Yes, the city is floating somewhere above earth. This lone city. With people. Living there!

Not only is this place the size of a cracker, but now people are being found dead. Murdered. And not nicely either – if there is such a thing. Not only do I love the fitting name – Perfect Ruin – but this story had me captivated from the get go. It has a gripping claustrophobic feel to it all, though the best part is the unknown. My imagination was on overdrive! Everything about this this confined life is so mesmerizing in an almost shocking way, and you’re absolutely craving to know what the heck this place is really about. There is definitely more to it than the “a God created it all” explanation from their history books. Since it’s told in Morgan’s perspective we can’t know more than she does, however – which is not much. We quickly learn that anyone who gets too close to the edge goes mad – as in mentally. Also, if anyone actually jumps they just get thrown right back on by some force of nature (or something)…usually dead. We’re never made entirely sure of anything but we’re told all of these compelling rid-bits that make us want to plow right through. The questions running rampant in my head kept me completely engrossed. Eventually… this made me cry, because we get no answers AT ALL. *throws book in toilet* It ends on an exciting cliffhanger (which I’m a sucker for) that promises tons of answers in the sequel, but as for this first installment we’re left hanging on every angle. If only it had been a bit longer, or the middle cut shorter, it would have made room for just enough progression. I feel like this was more of an introduction.

With that said, this book focuses on developing the world in an internal sense. We learn plenty about the inner workings of this floating rice cake. How it’s governed, how they live and get schooled, how population is controlled and such. The city was very much in the foreground of the novel. By the end I could clearly picture every corner of it – physically and governmentally. It’s intricately designed. I guess it would be reminiscent of how she built the world in her other series. She meticulously crafted the house and its vibe in Wither before heading into the real world in the following books. Ample attention is also given to her characters. When I turned the last page I knew Morgan inside and out. How she thinks, what she believes in, what she questions, her strengths and flaws. The secondary characters, however, could be a hit or miss for me. I loved her brother, her best friend, and Amy. Their personalities are addictive. It’s the love interest, Basil, that I found less interesting. He’s a complete mystery to me, still. Judas is more or less the same, but he seems to have better potential with a more vibrant personality. Although, his presence feels like the works of a love triangle…

From page 1 I was dying to know more about this immensely intriguing world, and after the last page, my curiosity was annoyingly left to its own desperate devices. That aside, Perfect Ruin is an engaging read with an exciting concept and a lot of promise!

three-stars

3 Hot Espressos

Review: Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz

Review: Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz

Posted by on 08/27/2013 • 34 Comments

I haven’t read a book I could describe as truly terrible in a long time. I was surprised at every turn of a page that I was still reading it. I’m not really sure why I kept reading. A fruitless hope that it would suddenly turn into a good book? Or catch fire? Either way, this book has taken hours of my life I will never get back! ROBBERY! This is a book that, if read drunk… would still be terrible. Beer goggles can never be thick enough – well I guess once it blurs the words so much you have to make up your own…

Ok moving on.

How did I go about hating this book so much? Mostly the fact that this whole world is filled with nonsense…

Waiting on Wednesday (88)

Waiting on Wednesday (88)

Posted by on 07/31/2013 • 30 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:

Did you read that blurb? There’s just something about it that calls to me. It’s so vague, yet so intriguing! I also hear this author is pretty great though I haven’t read any of his other work.

What are you waiting on?

Review: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Review: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Posted by on 07/23/2013 • 41 Comments

Adorable and adventurous, The School for Good and Evil is a fun escape from reality. When beautiful Sophie and weird Agatha end up in the wrong school – perfect Sophie can’t be evil now, can she? – they’re determined to fix this unforgiving mistake.

This is a magical adventure through and through; the book is set at this School of Good and Evil, a wonderfully imaginative school that trains future fairy tale characters. Meaning when you graduate, you’ll be in a fairy tale book; whether a princess, a villain, a gremlin, or even a tree, your faith will be determined by how well you do at this school. This idea kind of blew my mind a little; I found it so unique and incredibly fun. The girls, each clearly…

Fresh Batch (New Releases July 21st – 27th)

Fresh Batch (New Releases July 21st – 27th)

Posted by on 07/20/2013 • 12 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Stacey’s Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Stacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with three pen names, two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can’t think of anything she’d rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor (for real) and yoga instructor.

Other releases this week: *In no particular order* *Click on title links for Goodreads*

–  Sizzle (Bad Boy Rockers #1) by…

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Posted by on 06/11/2013 • 31 Comments

Siege and Storm continues the enchanting story of Alina, Mal, and the Darkling, in their world full of danger and secrets. Starting with a bang, we’re reacquainted with Alina and Mal trapped in a less than stellar situation on the Darkling’s ship. This is sure to immediately captivate any fan of the series, pulling us again in this magic-filled story of the Sun Summoner. It didn’t take long until the characters carved their way into my heart again. I wasn’t as impressed with this sequel as I was with Shadow and Bone, but the characters are still as charming as ever, and the world building is simply fantastic.

In an action packed beginning, we meet a new mysterious character that becomes quite a big part of this sequel. However, I…

Review: Doll Bones by Holly Black

Review: Doll Bones by Holly Black

Posted by on 05/06/2013 • 30 Comments

Holly Black is one of few who can write something as cute as it is creepy!

Doll Bones is a Middle Grade novel that is full of adventure and friendship–really the only type of MG books I read and enjoy. It’s the story of Zach, Poppy, and Alice who have been friends for such a long time that their friendship feels familiar even to us. I immediately felt attuned to their mutual trust and support. Not giving in when the other kids laughed at them for playing with action figures. But then one day the game got a little bit more real, and it involves a creepy devil doll who is made of little girl bones!

“Her clay was made from human bones. Little girl bones. That hair threaded…