From the Stacks: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Sorry for the picture guys...it is a library book and is covered with that plastic covering that makes it nearly impossible to get a good picture. There is always a glare or reflection of some sort.

Summary:

"Kami Glass loves someone she's never met...a boy she's talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn't silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn't suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return. 

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not the only one to shy away from the unknown--in fact, she's determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Sarah Rees Brennan brings Gothic romance kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century with a heroine who can take care of herself, a boy who needs to be saved, and the magical forces that bring them together and tear them apart."

My Thoughts:

Okay, so I had been hearing about this book for months from people on Twitter and based on the buzz and the people discussing the amazing cliffhanger ending, I had to pick it up. And...I wasn't disappointed. 

The concept of having an imaginary friend who doesn't go away and you talk to all the time, only to one day discover that that person is actually properly real is pretty awesome. The tangled web of the relationships between all the characters was fascinating and I was drawn into the world completely. With the arrival of the Lynburns and their mysterious actions, I admit that I was really curious as to what they were and that made it to where I didn't want to stop reading.

Kami and Jared and Ash and the whole twisted plot was wonderful. Having a Gothic style romance that is actually set in modern times was great, especially as I have enjoyed reading books such as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Northanger Abbey, and The Mysteries of Udolpho. 

While I don't necessarily agree with the multitudes of people saying that it was an incredibly shocking cliffhanger ending, I do agree that it is enough of a cliffhanger to make the wait for the next book feel like it is far too long. Oh, and I'll just say that I saw the book cover for the paperback version, and I don't know exactly but I may like it better than the hardcover. It seems to fit in more with the cover for the second book.

So yeah, this book was definitely a 5/5 for me and I look forward to reading more by Sarah Rees Brennan.

Unspoken at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unspoken-sarah-rees-brennan/1112860089?ean=9780375870415

Unspoken at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Lynburn-Legacy-Book-1/dp/0375870415/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369754733&sr=1-1&keywords=unspoken+sarah+rees+brennan

From the Stacks: Lullaby by Amanda Hocking

Summary:

"Now that Gemma Fisher has inherited Penn, Lexi, and Thea's curse-and all the strange new powers that come along with it-she has no choice but to run away with them. Devastated that she has to leave everyone she loves behind, she's still determined not to give in to the unspeakable hungers that plague her. Unfortunately, they're growing stronger every day, and she's not sure how much longer she can resist.

Harper won't give up on finding her sister Gemma, vowing to get her back no matter what the cost. The search draws her closer to too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good Daniel, and tests her fiercely guarded independence like never before. She's always been the strong one who everyone else depends on...Can she let herself depend on Daniel?

As Gemma and Harper plunge deeper into a magical world they barely understand, it becomes painfully clear that Gemma's old life may be lost forever. But can she still hold on to her humanity?"

My Thoughts:

I find all of Amanda Hocking's books to be incredibly quick reads. It could be the way they're written, or it could be because the stories usually draw you in, much like a siren song, and you have to finish reading them as quickly as possible. It is quite nice that not a long time passes between books, because if she were a one book per series per year author, it might get quite a bit frustrating.

I really love Daniel, and honestly I relate to how Harper feels about being the strong one and not really allowing herself to fall for someone or to let herself depend on someone else. It is difficult to admit that you are not strong enough to handle something on your own, but this whole situation with Gemma is one that cannot be resolved by working alone.

I have to admire that Gemma leaves home in order to save the people she cares about and then to see how hard she works to not turn into the same kind of monster as the other girls. It doesn't matter how absolutely hungry she is; Gemma wants to retain her humanity.

Seeing the strength of the sibling bond was great, and I also liked seeing how the relationship between Gemma and Alex strained with the separation but he was determined not to give up on her. Of course, my favorite relationship is that of Daniel and Harper, and hopefully there will be happy endings all around by the time the series is finished.

The mythology of the sirens is woven well into the story, and I don't know whether to hate Penn, Lexi, and Thea, or to feel sorry for them...maybe it's really a combination of the two. I realize the struggles they have with this curse, and how they have to do things a certain way, but they seem to take things too far a lot of the time. Perhaps living for so long and killing for so long has destroyed basically all of their humanity. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how the last two books play out.

There isn't too much longer until Tidal is released, but I'll have to wait a while before I can buy my copy since I have the paperback versions. Oh well, that's why we have libraries. Another 5/5 for Amanda Hocking.

Lullaby at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lullaby-amanda-hocking/1111298381?ean=9781250005656

Lullaby at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lullaby-Watersong-Amanda-Hocking/dp/1250005655/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358823153&sr=1-1&keywords=Lullaby+Amanda+Hocking

From the Stacks: Origin by Jessica Khoury

This was an absolutely outstanding read. I don't think there's anything to which I can really compare it.

Summary:

"Pia has always known her destiny. She is meant to start a new race, a line of descendants who will bring an end to death. She has been bred for no other purpose, genetically engineered to be immortal and raised by a team of scientists in a secret compound hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. Now those scientists have begun to challenge her, with the goal of training her to carry on their dangerous work.

For as long as she can remember, Pia's greatest desire has been to fulfill their expectations. But on the night she turns seventeen, she finds a hole in the seemingly impenetrable fence that surrounds her sterile home. Free in the jungle for the first time in her life, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Unable to resist, she continues sneaking out to see him. As they fall in love, they begin to piece together the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, electric new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever. But is eternal life worth living if you can't spend it with the one you love?"

My Thoughts:

Okay, so, before I get into most of my thoughts, there was one quote from the book that really stood out to me and I feel that I have to share it here. I think it really sums up the book in a nutshell.

"They don't see things as we do here, Pia. They would put you in a box and never let you out, don't you see?" - Uncle Paolo, pg 30

Uncle Paolo is talking about how other people would perceive the livelihoods of the scientists who live in the compound and what experiments they perform, and how they would react to discovering that Pia is immortal, and how they would want to put her in a box and study her and she could never truly be free. What is ironic about all of this is that her whole life Pia has been kept solely in the compound, unable to leave or to learn about the rest of the world. Anything that doesn't have to do with her particular science projects or life outside of the compound has been redacted. So, all of these scientists are already keeping her in a box and not letting her out.

It's interesting to see how a scientific idea can start off as so pure, so innocent, so hopeful, but then the longer  attempts are made and the longer they spend in such an isolated area, and the more success they start to see, the more everything starts to become twisted into something almost unrecognizable. They develop sort of a superiority complex bordering on a God complex.

The descriptions of the tropical rain forest were so vivid and it is remarkable that Jessica Khoury hadn't actually been to a rain forest until after she wrote this book. It is amazing that such realism can be achieved even with never having been to a region before.

In some ways this reminded me of stories like Pocahontas or the Jungle Book or Tarzan or something, with Pia finding a way out of the scientific compound and then learning more about the world and herself by meeting the native peoples of the area.

Origin is like nothing else I have read and I absolutely cannot wait to read more by Jessica Khoury. It had a romance, a mystery, was sort of like a thriller, and definitely about life and nature and science and progress, and the benefits and consequences of pursuing certain paths. Sometimes it is difficult to list all the reasons why you love a book or believe it to be amazing, so all I am going to say here is that it is a definite 5/5 and I highly recommend that you go out and read it for yourself.

I definitely plan on buying my own copy sometime soon.

Origin at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/origin-jessica-khoury/1108931150?ean=9781595145956

Origin at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Jessica-Khoury/dp/1595145958/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369759200&sr=1-1&keywords=Origin+Jessica+Khoury

Camp NaNoWriMo April 2013 Progress Report

(6:15 a.m.)

I feel like I am failing right now...I am not making the progress I would like and it is quite frustrating. At the same time, I understand that right now my body and my mind are trying to adjust to my new job and all the stresses that go along with it. But, that is still no excuse for not sitting down and spending at least 30 minutes to an hour working on Souls Unknowing.

What I can report right now in regards to a word count...164 words. I managed to write out a summary. I mean, I've also written 3 book reviews this month, but I'm not counting those in my word count because they have nothing to do with the story.

Also, I have been making some changes in regards to some character names and such and a few of my main characters are actually currently without names, which somewhat makes it difficult to write.

Anyway, my goal is that this afternoon, once I get home from work, to at least get down the prologue. We'll see what happens.

(9:30 p.m.)

Still not really making much progress. I'm doing plenty of thinking about the story and possible ways to write certain scenes, but I'm not spending much time sitting at my computer (or sitting with a pad of paper and pen) and writing. Some of you may recall that during the first session of Camp last year my grandma caught a really bad virus and we thought it looked pretty grim. I can honestly report that true to her nature, she fought back and is winning, though it is a slow and steady recovery. We moved her out of the nursing home she had lived in since last July and now she's at home with us. I feel compelled to spend a couple hours with her when I get home each day.

By the time I actually head up to my room every evening, I have to go about setting out my clothes for the next day, gathering my pajamas up, and head to take a shower and get ready for bed. Then, if I'm lucky I can get on the computer for a few minutes so I can check my e-mail, do a little job hunting since I'm still not where I want to be, and working in a factory is not all that great for a librarian, seriously.

So, when I do pull up Souls Unknowing, I just stare at that nearly blank Scrivener page and my mind seems to go as blank as the page. My goal for right now is to just try to jot down a scene or two before/during work and then make serious progress this weekend, where...hopefully...I will have more time to focus on writing.

Souls Unknowing

Something has caused the spirits of Rolling Acres Boarding School to grow extremely restless, and it is up to a small group of mediators to discover long buried secrets to prevent such a tragedy from occurring once more.

Unfortunately there are a number of hurdles to overcome and there are more secrets than just what happened preceding the fire that destroyed the school 50 years earlier.

Tru Martin struggles with accepting her true place as one who communicates with spirits due to a desire for normalcy. Veteran mediators Megan, Allie, and Ian all seem to have different opinions on how to proceed with crossing over the spirits. And the arrival of another mediator who has a history with one person in particular may lead to the greatest shock of all.

With time running out and graduation coming around the corner, can this friendship formed out of a shared ability survive all the discoveries, spirits, and dangers, and solve a mystery before everything goes up in smoke?

Well...this is what I have right now for the story summary/back cover blurb. I still might do some tweaking, but what do you guys think?

From the Stacks: Worlds of Arthur by Guy Halsall

Okay, so this is sort of a different area for me to review, but I usually enjoy books about King Arthur so I took a chance. This is my first academic style book since I graduated with my Master's degree in December 2011. Welcome to my first completely random "non-fiction"/historical/academic research NetGalley review.

Summary:

King Arthur is probably the most famous and certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages, to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times, the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed and multiplied. And in more recent times, there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to unlock the secret or the truth behind the "once and future king."

The truth, as Guy Halsall reveals in this fascinating investigation, is both radically different--and also a good deal more intriguing. Broadly speaking, there are two Arthurs. On the one hand is the traditional "historical" Arthur, waging a doomed struggle to save Roman civilization against the relentless Anglo-Saxon tide during the darkest years of the Dark Ages. On the other is the Arthur of myth and legend, accompanied by a host of equally legendary people, places, and stories: Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad and Gawain, Merlin, Excalibur, the Lady in the Lake, the Sword in the Stone, Camelot, and the Round Table.

The big problem with all this, notes Halsall, is that "King Arthur" might well never have existed. And if he did exist, it is next to impossible to say anything at all about him. As this challenging new look at the Arthur legend makes clear, all books claiming to reveal "the truth" behind King Arthur can safely be ignored. Not only the fanciful pseudo-historical accounts--Merlin the Magician, the Lady in the Lake--but even the "historical" Arthur is largely a figment of the imagination. The evidence that we have, whether written or archeological, is simply incapable of telling us anything detailed about the Britain in which he is supposed to have lived, fought, and died.

My Thoughts:

Okay, so this may actually be a fairly short review, and I apologize for that, but I'm really trying to figure out what to say about this one. In the beginning it was a lot of history of Britain and only very tiny mentions of a person who might have been the Arthur of history who became the Arthur of legend. As might be expected, this is one of those reads where some people would groan, their eyes would glaze over, and they would feel like they were being forced to read a text for a college assignment.

Now, that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it...just that my brain went to that place when I was about 50 pages in and was trying to make myself continue to read. For the past year and a half I have only been reading fun (and occasionally long, like Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey) fictional books, so reading this detailing of the facts and stories of history that could help to prove or debunk the existence of Arthur felt a little dry.

This is a fact I found to be ridiculous because I absolutely adore Arthurian legends. Regardless of whether or not Arthur actually existed with Guinevere and Lancelot and the Round Table, I feel like the story of him and how he ruled his kingdom and the valiant behavior by the Knights of Camelot are inspiring and wonderfully imaginative. So, if it's all just an elaborate fantasy, that's fine because I read a lot of those. But I still like to imagine that he truly did exist.

I thought the book was well-written, and while part of me liked that the whole thing wasn't inundated with numerous footnotes, and instead include a chapter by chapter reference list at the end, the scholar in me was not pleased by that. I wanted to know exactly which ideas and details were taken and/or inspired by other texts. Yes, it was easy to tell when a lengthy comment was borrowed from another text because it was centered and sectioned off from the rest, but still, I wouldn't have minded some footnotes.

This book did mostly satisfy my scholarly side, so I don't imagine I'll be running to another non-fiction or scholarly type book for a long while...unless it is one of my writing resource books. I have to give Worlds of Arthur a 3/5, again, not because it was bad, but because it wasn't as enthralling as I expected it to be. Because when I found this book on NetGalley it was in the Fantasy/Sci-Fi section...so I was actually somewhat expecting a historical fiction-ish novel.

Worlds of Arthur at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/worlds-of-arthur-guy-halsall/1112760405?ean=9780199658176

Worlds of Arthur at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Arthur-Facts-Fictions-Dark/dp/019965817X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364865858&sr=1-1&keywords=Worlds+of+Arthur

From the Stacks: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

This was a very enjoyable NetGalley read for me, and I'm so glad that I've already been granted access to the sequel because I really didn't want to wait to find out what happens next.

Summary:

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normalwould become forever out of reach.” 

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

My Thoughts:

I very much enjoyed this book, and I thought it was an excellent read, filled with just enough historical detail and description to make everything quite believable. Having Lora as the only scholarship aka poor student at this all-girls boarding school definitely cast her as an outsider, but I feel that it also gave her the freedom to get away with a number of things the other girls might not have.

Now, I will admit that for about the first third of the book I really wondered how long I would have to wait to find out who/what Lora is, and discovering that she is a drakon (a dragon) definitely increased my interest in the story exponentially, and I feel that the pace really picked up from that point. 

The romantic leads in this book were quite interesting. I definitely loved Jesse and the connection he and Lora had. With the way it was written I definitely felt pleased about the two of them being together, and I never really saw Armand, or Mandy as he likes to be called, as an honest romantic interest. I could see him as a friend though. But, considering how the story ends, Armand may actually be stepping up to the plate in the sequel to become a true contender.

Speaking of the ending...it actually surprised me and I did cry. I was not expecting the sacrifice that was made and I honestly wonder how the story will play out now. I am very intrigued and will be diving in to the sequel rather soon.

Oh, I really did also start to like Lady Sophia, one of the other girls at Iverson with Lora. Though yes she was a bit snobby and elitist at first, I feel like she actually gave Lora a chance, even if it was for slightly petty reasons, and she may actually turn into a good friend for Lora, so I'm excited for that.

I'm sure that there's plenty more interesting story to tell and I can't wait to read it. The Sweetest Dark is a 5/5 for me, and is out in stores today. The sequel will hit the shelves this August, so there won't be long to wait, which is really nice.

The Sweetest Dark at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sweetest-dark-shana-abe/1108022933?ean=9780345531704

The Sweetest Dark at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sweetest-Dark-Shana-Abe/dp/0345531701/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364864881&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Sweetest+Dark

From the Stacks: Spellbinding by Maya Gold

Today's review was an extremely quick read, and yet another book I received from NetGalley.

Summary:

Salem is the bewitching backdrop to this lush, fast-paced tale of one girl discovering the source of her powers.

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on. 

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth.

My Thoughts:

Okay, so I think it maybe took me a total of 2 hours to read this book so it at least reads rather quickly, and the story pretty much moves at a good pace. I don't know...I'm sort of conflicted about how I feel about this book. Generally I love stories that have to do with witches, and for some reason it is even more interesting when tying in historical events such as the Salem Witch Trials, but I honestly feel that this story wasn't my absolute favorite YA witch-themed novel.

Abby did feel mostly realistic to me. I mean, upon discovering that you are a witch and actually have the ability to cast spells and move objects, I would probably try using it for personal gain myself, which Abby does, which is very realistic teenage girl of her...she uses it to help pass her driver's test, get a parking spot, get her jock crush to pay attention to her, etc. At one point I was actually concerned that her desire for personal gain and her desire to get payback to those who have basically bullied her would actually make her turn to the dark side. 

So, let's talk about the other characters. First, there's Travis, the jock Abby has a crush on (and has since elementary school)...he seemed to be sort of lacking in personality to me. He's supposed to be this really nice guy who is gorgeous and does things for charities, etc. but really the only big interactions between him and Abby are after he's under her spell and he basically seems like a puppy searching for her approval. It bugged me.

Then there was Megan, Travis's girlfriend, who is a gorgeous mean girl who walks around with her two "friends" who are not as attractive as she is, probably on purpose, and who picks on Abby and calls her Big Bird and all sorts of other things. Really, could this story add some more cliched characters to the mix? There's even the whole prom scene where Megan and her cronies spray paint Abby's dress and chop off her hair. Really? To me that feels mostly like something you see in books and movies. I certainly never saw anything remotely close to that in school.

I did enjoy Rem, though his on-again, off-again attraction/feelings/whatever towards Abby did start to grate on me. Abby spending all that time thinking about Travis, who was unavailable) when Rem was there just made me groan and shake my head. I mean, Abby seemed like a smart chick...didn't she realize that there was practically no chemistry with her and and jock-boy, especially when there's Mr. Hottie Rem around. I really liked him.

Also, based on how this story ends, I'm going to guess that it's a standalone novel. If there's an attempt to turn this into a series, I don't know if I'm likely to read it. The ending seemed to wrap up a lot of things, including the romance story and the witch story. Now, that being said, if Maya Gold wanted to sort of maybe go with a prequel novel that details the events in Salem from the trials then I would probably be okay with that. 

All in all, I think this book was about a 3.5/5 for me.

Spellbinding at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spellbinding-maya-gold/1112090670?ean=9780545433808

Spellbinding at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Spellbinding-Maya-Gold/dp/0545433800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364863797&sr=8-1&keywords=Spellbinding