Review: Wither

Book: Wither (Chemical Garden #1)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: 3/22/2011
Pages: 356
Source: Publisher
Date Read: 2/23/2011

Summary:
What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

Yani's Analysis:
Wow! Just WOW! I didn't know what to expect from this book and I was completely taken in by the story and the characters. In fact, I finished this book a week ago and have still been thinking about it. This has to be my new favorite dystopian novel. How did Lauren Destefano win me over, I'll tell you...

1.   Relatable, yet very deep characters
Rhine is a strong, compassionate girl who can't help but be taken in by the nice new life her husband has set up for her. If she didn't know what else was out there outside her imprisonment of a marriage, she would be content to live the last four years of her life in Linden's manor. But she has a twin brother out there, anxiously wondering what happened to her.

She and her sister wives, yes sister wives, grow to become a real family. Even Linden, grew on me towards the end so much so I began to pity him. None of the characters are perfect, they all have their flaws and that what made the story even more real for me.

2. Thought-provoking themes and a realistically cruel world
This novel is about many things: life, death, humanity, science, genetics, wealth, love, family.... it touches so much and paints a picture of real life issues in this drastically different world than what we live in. Time, there is so little of it for these people growing up in this world where almost everyone is an orphan and the rich treat people like property. I don't know how to explain how well Lauren creates this world, so realistic and genuine despite never having dealt with anything like this ourselves. I almost felt like out there somewhere this was really happening and I wanted to go and do something about it.

3.   Mystery and Suspense
Is there or will there ever be a cure for this disease? Is Linden genuinely loving or a tyrant captivator? Will Rhine ever escape? Lauren keeps the reader intrigued the whole time with mysteries and suspense galore. Even though it is a long book, I only stopped reading once.

4.   Heartbreak and Hope
Throughout the novel you'll come across these two more than once. Just prepare yourself to tear up and feel for these characters. Tragic lives, with hopeful hearts.

5.   A satisfying, yet open-ended conclusion that makes the reader wonder... What comes next??
I loved everything about this book, even it's design -which I was able to see in e-reader format- and I can't wait to see what comes next. Not just for Rhine, but for Linden and other characters as well.


Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Next Two Weeks

So there is no In My Mailbox this week, but I just wanted to let everyone know I will be away for the next two weeks, but my co-blogger Jude will be taking over. There will be a giveaway! Yay! and more reviews to come. Also, later today look forward to my Wither review. Seriously, pre-order that book now! It was sooooo good. =)

Review: Ten Miles Past Normal

Book: Ten Miles Past Normal
Author:  Frances O'Roark Dowell
Publisher: Atheneum
Release Date: 3/22/11
Pages: 256
Source: ARC
Date Read: 2/21/11

Summary:

Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation--and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much. It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. 

So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in "like" with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment. Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. 

In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.

Yani's Analysis:
All Janie wants is to be a normal teenager. It is a couple of days into freshman year and she is already known  as the girl that walked around with hay in her hair. Why did her 10 year old self ever think that living on a farm was a good idea?Ten Miles part normal is a book about growing up and fitting in. While other books I have read to live in a fantasy, this book was like returning to my past, minus the farm. I was an insecure freshman once, too.

Janie loves the farm, but lets other's opinion dictate how she feels. Whats funny is she wants to be normal, but her role model is one of those rebellious against the grain types. I don't think Janie realizes she doesn't want to be normal, she wants to be noticed.

A cute story about growing up and learning to be yourself, Janie takes my back to my high school years. This isn't my usual type of book... a little too young and way to country for a twenty-something city girl like me... but I think people will appreciate this book and enjoy reading Janie's journey.

Ratings:

Plot: 3/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 3/5

Similar Titles:

Other Memorable Quotes:

"...wondering why some people could totally be themselves and still be accepted by everyone, while other people- people who did everything in the world to fit in - were shunned like the runts of the litter."

Review: Save the Date

Book: Save the Date
Author: Jenny B Jones
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: 2/01/2011
Pages: 320
Source: ARC
Date Read: 2/19/2011

Summary:


When Alex and Lucy pick out wedding invitations, they wonder if they can be printed in vanishing ink.

Former NFL star Alex Sinclair is a man who has it all--except the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancee in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn't quite what he seems, Lucy will find her heart on the line--and maybe even her life. When God asks Alex and Lucy to scrap their playbook and follow his rules, will they finally say, "I do"?

Yani's Analysis:
I don't usually read christian romantic novels, they are a little too preachy for me, but I really enjoyed this book. Most adult romantic novels are passionate and erotic, sometimes losing the friendship, longing, caring part of the relationship. That is why I liked this story. Both characters where relatable and you can feel the connection from the moment they meet.

I also really like the side stories of the secondary characters. Usually I want them to go away and go back to the love birds, but this book was about more than that. It was about family and forgiveness, about caring for others, and about letting go of your doubts. While I never did forget this was a christian novel, I was still touched by it. I would even be willing to give other christian novels a shot if they are like this one.

Ratings:

Plot: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Characters: 4/5

Similar Titles:

Review: The Ghost and the Goth

Book: The Ghost and the Goth (Book #1)
Author: Stacey Kade
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Release Date: 6/29/2010
Pages: 281
Source: Bought
Date Read: 2/14/2011

Summary:

Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

Yani's Analysis:
As soon as I finished this book, I just could not wait to get my hands on more. Alone Dare is the girl you love to hate, but secretly you would love to be her. She is confident and brutally honest, yet not as insufferable as other characters (see Here Lies Bridget review). It was a cute read, but it also had some depth and mystery. I would say this book is a cross between the seriousness of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot.

If you loved the Mediator series as I do, you will really enjoy this book. Told in alternating viewpoints, Alona and Will describe their adventure fighting off ghosts, mean principals, a money grubbing psychiatrist, a dark and scary cloud-like energy ( a la Lost), and their attraction to each other.

This is a refreshing funny take on paranormal romances today, with a side moral lesson of learning to be a nice person. I really really really liked this book and I can't wait for the next one.

Why did I give it 5 stars? While it might not be the deepest, it changed my life type of book, it DID keep me turning the pages anxiously wondering what would happen next.
Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Characters: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Other Memorable Quotes:

"My popularity was frozen forever at its peak. I felt like I'd crossed the finish line of a race I hadn't even known I was running" Alona

Waiting on Wednesday #5

WOW is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

From Goodreads:
Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean's become a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?

After finishing Elizabeth Scott's new book, Between Here and Forever, I realized how much I missed her as well as Sarah Dessen's writing. I read the first chapter of this book and it sounded really interesting. Find the first chapter {here} and see for yourself.

Can't wait for this book coming out: May 10, 2011.

Review: Between Here and Forever

Book: Between Here and Forever
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: 5/24/2011
Pages: 256
Source: ARC
Date Read: 2/22/11

Summary:

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

Yani's Analysis:
In the first couple of pages I was already fighting back tears. Typical Elizabeth Scott. Reminiscent of Bloom and Perfect You, Scott writes a beautiful story of romance, family issues, tragedy, and personal growth. Every time I read one of her novels I feel like I am drowning inside a beautiful story, and when I turn the last page I can finally breathe again. Its like I'm holding my breath the whole time, wishing to know what happens, but never wanting it to end. From the first line I was immersed into the main character's mind. I felt what she felt. I saw what she saw.

Abby just lost her sister, though she won't admit it. While Tess's body is in a strange hospital bed, her mind has yet to return. And though Abby wants her sister to wake up, because well she is her sister, the majority wants her to wake up so Abby doesn't have to spend the rest of her life living in the shadow of her perfect sister.... someone she could never be. This story isn't just about loss. It's about insecurity and letting those around you affect how we see ourselves. It's about want, wanting and being wanted. It's about LIVING our lives, and not letting things pass us by.

Deeply real and moving, everyone in this novel has a secret and as you turn the pages more and more is revealed. My only gripe is that it ended too soon and I just can't wait to be drowning in Elizabeth Scott's work yet again.

Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Other Memorable Quotes:

Teaser Tuesday #3

If you are a new follower or an old one there is one thing you should know about me, I have a huge weakness for tear-jerker love stories. It all started with Lurlene McDaniel, then moved on to Sarah Dessen, Elizabeth Scott, and some Nicholas Sparks novels. So I am super duper excited to be reading this week, Elizabeth Scott's new book, Between Here and Forever.

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

I am just on the first chapter and already I have an excellent line to share...

Between Here and Forever comes out May 4, 2011.

Review: The Chosen One

Book: The Chosen One
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 5/12/2009
Pages: 213
Source: Library
Date Read: 2/17/2011

Summary:

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father’s three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.

Yani's Analysis:
This book was crazy good! I was instantly hooked into Kyra's life. I felt the love for her unusual family and her passion and self confidence in trying to determine what was right.I loved the writing style, told in snippets of the present and the past, jumping from one to the other with little detail/description and full of emotion and turmoil. It honestly opened my eyes to what growing up in such a community would be like, and made me realize how judgmental I am about people such as Kyra and her family. I honestly don't know what else to say about this book, it felt too short and I wish I could know more about what happens to Kyra.

Ratings:

Plot: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5

Review: Hush, Hush (Take Two)

Book: Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1)
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: 10/31/2009
Pages: 391
Source: Bought
Date Read: 2/13/2011

Summary:
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Yani's Analysis:
I am having a very hard time trying to review this book. Why might you ask? While there where things that I just loved about this book, there was so much more potential for it. My notes for this book review are much like the book itself: sporadic yet intriguing with bits of potential brilliance in few places. I wrote many snark comments while reading this book, but I won't be writing them here as they will give too much away. So lets try and start at the beginning...

Nora's biology teacher decides (in the middle of April no less) that they need a new seating chart. The hot new guy is her partner and even though he's been there all year, she still doesn't know his name... SERIOUSLY??? Also, her teacher's lesson plans are completely off the wall. The week's topic is sexual reproduction and the assignment, get to know your lab partner. REALLY??? Where are all these high schools with hot biology partners and lesson plans that include getting to know hot guys? All of this is a little is a little too unreal and although paranormal books are just that, I read somewhere -and completely agree- its up to the day to day activities description to center the books in a real place for the reader.

This book felt very Twilighty to me. Whereas in Twilight, Edward was a danger because of his nature, Patch has a very real dark side. Nora was/is in immediate danger and you can feel it in this book. It was dark, mysterious, suspenseful and yet oddly enough romantic. One moment your scared of Patch, the next you want to rip his clothes off. Fitzpatrick was trying to convey Nora's confusion in her writing, but for the most part she just left me confused.

I kept reading because I really wanted to know what happens, but I kept stopping and writing scathing notes about either Nora's idiocy or my frustration with the writing. I think once I let go of how odd and unreal the story was, I was able to enjoy it more. However, after finishing it I was like with a bitter aftertaste, the kind you get from drinking diet when all you want is the real thing. I know many people loved this book and I wish I could have been one of them, but as it is I am still unsure on whether I will pick up book two.

I don't usually add additional links to my reviews, but since I was so on the fence about this book, here are two other review examples...

Loved it: Jude
Hated it: Misty

The Twilight Argument...

yes Edward can be seen as a stalker
yes Bella might not be the strongest female in books
yes I still loved that book

It is one of my favorites since I first read it when I was 16... maybe if I read it now as an adult I would see all these things that people don't like twilight for. All I saw was passionate and deep love story. So maybe had Hush, Hush come when I was younger, I could appreciate it more. Which is why I have had a hard time rating this book... It was something I could have loved, but all I feel is annoyed.

I found this on goodreads and thought it was hilarious
Ratings:

Plot: 2/5
Writing Style: 2/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 3/5

Similar Titles:

Other Memorable Quotes:
About Humans...

"Your bodies are wild and undisciplined. One moment you're at the peak of joy. the next you're on the brink of despair."

so true

Review: Here Lies Bridget

Book: Here Lies Bridget
Author: Paige Harbison
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 1/18/2011
Pages: 224
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 2/12/2011

Summary:
Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough….

Yani's Analysis:
Bridget is a really spoiled brat - I wish I could use another word for her, but I keep my online writing clean - who never does anything wrong and nothing is ever her fault. Even when she knows something is wrong, she continue to do it. She claims she is transparent, that people can she how she is feeling through her facial reactions. Well others may see her clearly, but she clearly doesn't. She never thinks of others and is beyond selfish. And although I love these second chances stories, I feel the author went overboard with the character making her almost irredeemable in the reader's eyes.

What kept me reading was Liam and the writing. Harbison is the daughter of another writer and you can tell. Her writing style is quirky and funny; she is really in tune with the YA generation. I like how Bridget talks to the reader, as if in a conversation. But no matter how much I enjoyed the writing style and quality, having a main character I couldn't connect to dampened this book for me.

A lot of people are going to compare this book to Before I Fall, but they are very different. In BIF, you don't see so much of the main character back-story, more of the process of change she goes through. What I liked about that was it was very realistic. The main character tries to be nice and that still doesn't change the outcome of her life. It was about being a better person, unselfish. In this book, her change came from a superficial place. She didn't like how people saw her and although she was in their shoes (literally), she never understood them.

Maybe its because I liked Before I Fall that I couldn't see this book with the proper eyes, but it was still an interesting read.

Ratings:

Plot: 3/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Characters: 2/5

Similar Titles:

In My Mailbox #6

In My Mailbox {aka IMMB} is hosted by The Story Siren.

Galley Grab:

 

ARC Book Tour: 

none =(

Bought: 

 

Library:

 

I am really excited about these books, especially Elizabeth Scott as she is one of my favorite authors! And all the other books are ones I have been wanting to read for a while, it just takes a lot of time to start reading and reviewing a new series, so have patience with me please and the reviews will be up as soon as possible! PS I really recommend The Ghost and the Goth, I thought it was such a cute read... the review will be up tomorrow!