Macmillan

Sky On Fire | Emmy Laybourne | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Are you looking for a book that will keep you riveted during a reading marathon, like Bout of Books or the 24 Hour Readathon? Are you a few books behind on your goodreads goal and in need of a boost? ARE YOU DYING TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THE KIDS FROM MONUMENT 14? Did you answer yes to any of those questions? Well, Sky On Fire by Emmy Laybourne totally has your number. It is the exciting sequel to Monument 14 and so because it’s impossible to talk about it without spoilers, from here on out there will be Monument 14 spoilers discussed in this review of Sky On Fire which you guys, I am pretty sure I read in about an hour and a half, this book is SO FAST, but I actually quite enjoyed my time with it.

Sky On Fire by Emmy Laybourn | Good Books And Good Wine

Sky On Fire opens exactly where Monument 14 leaves off. Basically, the kids have split into two groups. One group stays in the store because Astrid is pregnant and also because they have the type of blood that turns them into those fast zombies from 28 Days Later. The other group commandeers the bus and begins the drive to Denver airport because that is where the safe zone is, and they also leave in hopes of mounting a rescue mission for the people still in Monument 14. Sky On Fire is narrated in alternating chapters by brothers Dean and Alex. As you may remember from Monument 14, Dean was the main narrator and the one who had the crush on Astrid and Alex was his technologically adept younger brother. Essentially, this sequel gives us a glimpse of what’s going on in the outside world and shows that the kids are not the only people left in the world. It also shows just how widespread and bad the ‘apocalypse’ damage whatever you want to call it is.

Out of the two narrators, I liked Alex the best. It’s probably because he isn’t nearly as creepy as I find Dean. Also, he comes across as levelheaded and useful. While it sounds kind of bizarre, I quite like reading about useful characters during dystopias. I also thought Alex’s part was more complex because he’s treated as a child or a little kid, and yet he knows he is more mature than a child, intellectually. So, there’s sort of a struggle for him to be taken seriously and to actually be considered by the other kids. As for Dean, because he stayed back, he is considered the de facto leader of the group at the Monument store. Dean and Astrid also hook up and become a couple. As a reader, I am not entirely sure how I feel about that because Dean was kind of a creep show in the first book. Anyways, I just found myself sort of biding my time to get back to Alex’s chapters because they were much more interesting.

As for the side characters, I still really love Batiste, the religious little kid, Ulysses, the little kid who is Hispanic and Niko, the leader boy scout who brings the splinter group to Denver. There is not a crazy amount of character development for the minor characters or supporting characters I guess that’s the term, BUT I thought that was fine. Yo, Sky On Fire is only 212 pages so it is not like you can throw the entire kitchen sink in there. Plus, I read Monument 14 so I knew what to expect. I knew to expect characters with quirks and affectations, but not to expect some treatise on coming of ages and changes and what not. Hell no, I knew to expect PLOT PLOT PLOT.

That’s the thing, Sky On Fire is totally plot driven and not very character driven. I felt that the writing was alright, I mean I wasn’t highlighting the pages or anything. A need of mine was fulfilled though, the need for entertainment. Of course, there’s going to be a lot that you will have to suspend your disbelief for. I will say, there’s a ton of interesting coincidences as the characters venture into the outside world. Like, to the point of being unbelievable, which obviously duh, this is fiction so it’s not like it will be realistic. Still, I had to suspend a lot of my disbelief while reading and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

To be one hundred percent honest, I sort of wish the end of Sky On Fire by Emmy Laybourne had wrapped up better, but it totally makes it so there can be a sequel. There is not a huge cliffhanger or anything, you can close the book and basically be done with the series without a whole existential crisis of wondering what happened to the characters. Yet, the door is still open for a sequel. Personally, I didn’t think too terribly hard about while reading. Sky On Fire is a pure popcorn read, know that going in and you will be fine.

Disclosure: Received for review.

Other reviews of Sky On Fire by Emmy Laybourne:

Scott Reads It – “I definitely enjoyed it more than it’s predecessor.”
Chick Loves Lit – “a definite must read for fans of MONUMENT 14.”
Reading Teen – “I love the constant sense of danger in these books.”

Books by Emmy Laybourne:
Monument 14

Furious | Jill Wolfson | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Straight up, I will forever and always love books about the Furies, the avenging Greek goddesses, because I LOVE reading about stories of revenge and people getting their just deserts. YET, not all of the stories starring the Furies are created equal. Furious by Jill Wolfson fell flat, despite my exuberant excitement for it. While I did connect with the main character somewhat, because she has a sad backstory, I felt that something was off with the writing style.

Furious by Jill Wolfson | Good Books And Good Wine

Meg is a foster kid and pretty much a victim of the system. She’s in and out of awful homes, finally landing in one that’s tolerable, but still the lady she lives with, Ms. Leach treats her cat better than she does Meg. School is even worse. Meg was quiet, but then one day she takes it into her head to ask one of the popular guys to mini golf with her. Embarassment ensues. Even worse… Meg nods off in class and wakes up chanting about how she hates everyone. So, people pick on her for a reason. HOWEVER, she has a gay BFF named Raymond who clearly has his shit together and is pretty much above the high school drama thing. But, Meg is an idiot and not content with her awesome BFF, so she’s easily “seduced” by the powerful Ambrosia. Ambrosia is one of those girls who might as well be perfect, anyways, she is hell bent on revenge and brings together Meg, Alix – a tough surfer, and Stephanie – a white girl with dreads, to be Furies. Supernatural things happen. Pandemonium ensues. And so, Furious explores how we define justice – is it an eye for an eye, or is it something more?

I tried really hard to feel more than pity for Meg, but alas, that did not happen. Like, I get that Meg’s life is THE WORST, but I thought it didn’t go the full nine yards as to how bad foster life can be, and again, I say that as someone who has heard plenty of stories about what goes on locally, and I am sure, what goes on everywhere. I also thought Meg was pretty idiotic about the whole situation and never once stopped to consider why the popular girl was all of a sudden interested in her and two other misfits. Like, she just did not have that skeptic instinct. I guess, I just thought Meg was a bit naive for someone with her background. She also gets very emo, and okay I KNOW I KNOW she has a reason, but still, I just had a very hard time really empathizing with her instead of feeling pity.

To be one hundred percent honest with you, I thought the writing in Furious felt as though it trying too hard to sound relevant to teens, but sort of failing. HOWEVER, I could be wrong, because I am an old so what do I know about what is relevant to the youths. I just spent a lot of time rolling my eyes. I guess the prose just really fell flat to me, not because it’s awful or overly descriptive, but because it’s not really anything too special ya know.

There IS a romance in Furious. There is kissing. But, lol, the romance doesn’t entirely make sense to me. Well, I guess it sort of does, BUT I never wanted to ship the characters or anything. I wasn’t like oh yes these characters just have to make out or I shall die. Nope. The chemistry just did not seem to be there between the two characters, instead it came off as kind of cheesy.

Because pretty much every book has it’s audience and because I probably sound like I hated Furious by Jill Wolfson, I just want to put out there that I did not hate the book. I read it very quickly, like the pacing is legit and fast and it does not get boring. I was never feeling the need to put it off to go do other things, so keep that in mind. Furious is not at all AWFUL or the WORST, you guys. If I was to recommend this to a specific sort of person or situation, I would say this book would probably work well for actual high schoolers who might not be in the ‘in-crowd’ and also, I think this book would be great to read if you are on a vacation and looking for something light, but not contemporary.

Disclosure: Received for review from publisher

Other reviews of Furious by Jill Wolfson:

Book Brats – “simply fell short of my expectations”
IceyBooks – “slowly dies down to a boring mess of words”
Midnight Book Girl – “Bring it on, Jill Wolfson, I will read all your books!”

If you liked Furious, you might like Fury by Elizabeth Miles.

The Silver Linings Playbook | Matthew Quick | Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Why Did I Read This Book:

I was curious about The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick mainly because of the movie coming out — I love Jennifer Lawrence and will pretty much see anything with her in it. Also, one of my interns said it was both a great book and a great movie – and you guys, I try pretty hard to read things that I am recommended in real life. I was also in dire need of a break from young adult books, which I love dearly but just need some space time to time.

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick | Good Books And Good Wine

What’s The Story Here:

Pat Peoples is finally out of the bad place – a mental ward- and living with his parents in New Jersey. He is patiently waiting for away time from his wife Nikki to end. Pat spends his days bulking up, because Nikki likes strong men. He also sees a therapist named Cliff. Anyways, one day he is out for a run and sees his old friend Ronnie. Ronnie invites Pat to dinner with him and his wife, Veronica. At the dinner, which is fancy, Veronica’s widowed sister Tiffany is there. Pat and Tiffany do not immediately hit it off. Philadelphia Eagles football games, dance competitions and family issues weave together in The Silver Linings Playbook to create a story essentially of hope and new beginnings.

What Did I Think Of Pat Peoples:

The thing about The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick is that it is narrated by one of those unreliable narrators. The entire book is first person and we only get Pat’s perspective. We start out only knowing that he went to a mental ward for doing something bad, but have no idea what that thing is, because Pat won’t tell us. Frankly, it took me a bit to warm up to Pat, but once I got over his quirks, I thought he was a character worthy of compassion. We see how he’s changed from being a bit of a jerk to being someone who genuinely cares about other people — especially during a scene that takes place while tailgating at the Philadelphia Eagles game. I also really LOVED his interactions with Tiffany, even the quiet ones where they just run and don’t talk. There’s definitely some trust building that happens between Tiffany and Pat over a LOT of time, but it seems natural the way that it plays out. Also, I love that even though Pat had a mental break, he wasn’t portrayed as a bad person or as someone who is in any way deficient.

How Is The Writing:

I found that Quick used a lot of repetition and I think they are called motifs in his writing. Like, there’s this cheer that they kept doing over and over and over that starts with AHHHHH and then goes E-A-G-L-E-S. And they spell the letters with their bodies. That’s repeated a lot, which is fine. There’s also a lot of football, but more the experience of loving a sport than the actual game itself. I also liked the way that Quick is able to capture a scene and actually make me feel emotions during the scene. For example, there’s another tailgating scene that involves a giant bus called the Asian Invasion, kebabs and games – it’s sort of heartwarming and awesome and just gave me hope. I know, that’s bizarre to say, BUT you have to read it to understand.

Let’s Talk About The Narration:

As you know, I listened to The Silver Linings Playbook and it honestly was a great listen for the most part, except the AHHH E-A-G-L-E-S cheer grated on my ears after a while. This audiobook is narrated by Ray Porter. I thought he really embodied Pat Peoples and definitely got into it with the cheering. I wasn’t a huge fan of his female voices, it just sounded kind of awkward, BUT I got over it, ya know? I just thought he was the perfect voice for Pat’s thoughts and storytelling. Plus he sounds like someone from New Jersey. The audiobook is a fast listen, it’s only 7 hours and 22 minutes long. It is produced by Blackstone Audio, which is a publisher I don’t have much experience listening to. Either way, I really liked this audiobook and thought The Silver Linings Playbook provided a nice break from YA.

Sum It Up With A GIF:

Thumbs Up | Good Books And Good Wine

Two thumbs way up, y’all, for surprising me and for some superb writing.

Disclosure: I purchased my own copy.

Other reviews of The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick:

My Friend Amy – “one of those books that manages to be comedic and light hearted without ever being false”
Book Goonie – “The narrator, Ray Porter, made this book for me”
Ex Libris – “I was surprised by how poignant and funny this book was.”

Jerusalem: A Family Portrait | Boaz Yakin | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Graphic novels based on history are pretty much my favorite. I mean, straight up, I love most graphic novels and comics and if you put one in front of me, I won’t exactly say no. When I saw Jerusalem: A Family Portrait by filmmaker Boaz Yakin illustrated by Nick Bertozzi on Netgalley, I knew I had to immediately download it as the book covers a part of history that I honestly do not have much knowledge about. We didn’t spend much time on this era in high school history and none of the classes I took in college covered it as well. So, what better way to get a stronger understanding than by reading a book? While I am not exactly an expert on the Israeli-Palestine conflict after reading Jerusalem: A Family Portrait, I do feel more educated.

Jerusalem A Family Portrait by Boaz Yakin | Good Books And Good Wine

Jerusalem: A Family Portrait is about the Halaby family. Two brothers emigrated to Israel. One brother, Yakov ends up fairly prosperous and wealthy. The other brother, Izak ends up fairly impoverished and his family struggles to make ends meet, as the book pretty much opens with Izak’s apartment being raided by bill collectors so that they might pay rent to Yakov who owns the apartment. This really sets the tone for Yakin’s book. Jerusalem: A Family Portrait is definitely an epic, weighing in at 400 pages and it spans 8 years. There’s a lot going down in the book, which makes this read almost as complex as the issues within it’s pages.

My whole take on the whole Israeli-Palestinian thing has always been ‘why can’t they just chill out and get along?’ Obviously, this opinion fails to consider all of the deeper complications and issues involved with that. And so, in Jerusalem: A Family Portrait we see how the British are total douchebags to the Jews. We see how some Jews actually get along with the Muslims in the area. We also see how strife happens between the two groups. We see the rise of the Zionist movement in this book — which okay, I also still don’t entirely understand. And you know what, I am okay with that. I am okay with admiting that I do not entirely get the complexity of an issue. And you know? There’s nothing wrong with that. What I do know is that Yakin works in The Tempest and the Biblical story of Jacob and Essau into Jerusalem: A Family Portrait, thus putting the socio-political implications and the very micro family issues into terms that a book worm like I could understand.

While I was not IN LOVE with the art in Jerusalem: Family Portrait, I did think that Nick Bertozzi did a competent job as illustrator. My thing is, I kept getting confused as to which character was which. I suspect this is more the medium that I read it on — Adobe Digital Editions, so I couldn’t exactly quick flip to the family tree diagram of all the characters at the beginning when I was confused. I will say, there are certain parts that are ‘graphic’, yeah totally a pun, and hard to see. Yet, I think that it just adds right to the punch of the book.

I found Boaz Yakin’s graphic novel to be immensely readable. I was a tiny bit worried it might go over my head or be too scary/graphic – because you know, real life things scare me more than monsters/horror books. Yet, those fears thankfully did not come to fruition. What I ended up reading was a tale of two brothers reflecting two great works of literature - The Tempest and The Bible. While my religious leanings remain something I keep to myself, I do think that the ‘good book’ is beautifully written, and so I liked how it was incorporated into Jerusalem: A Family Portrait. It actually really made a lot of sense.

In all, I’d consider Jerusalem: A Family Portrait a must read for anyone interested in a more personal story about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As for age recommendations, I can’t really see this book in a high school classroom as there’s illustrations of sex and death and bodies. But, that’s not to say teenagers shouldn’t read it. By all means, this is an awesome read and definitely one that teens would like. This book though, is likely best suited to an adult audience, but again I’m not going to be like teens don’t read this, at all. If you’re looking for a new graphic novel to check out with serious and deep meaning, get your hands on Boaz Yakin’s Jerusalem: A Family Portrait.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of Jerusalem: A Family Portrait by Boaz Yakin:

Graphic Policy – “a piece of history presented in an easy to digest form.”

Midwinterblood | Marcus Sedgwick | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I am positive I do not read intelligent, multilayered books enough. Granted, there’s nothing wrong with a nice popcorn book but there’s something awesome about a read that really gets your brain going. Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick is an incredibly smart read featuring multiple plot lines over quite a long timeline. I’m not entirely sure how to class it, as there is a paranormal element, but it reads as realistic — the paranormal does not overwhelm at all. Further, I also spent sometime after reading questioning whether I would consider this book YA or adult fiction.

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick | Good Books And Good Wine

The plot of Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick is super hard to describe. Basically the book opens up in the year 2073. Eric Seven is a journalist visiting Blessed Island for an article. The island is all mysterious and might as well be a fountain of life, except there’s no children (basically it is my version of paradise). There’s this other guy on the island, Tor who is super sketchy. Anyways, ritual murders abound. OH OH and there are a few stories that interweave, but they are all connected because it’s like past lives that go on and on.

It’s so weird, usually I cannot shut up and go on and on and on in these reviews, but Midwinterblood is so smart and layered that I can’t just write a sentence about how kickass Merle is or how persistent Eric is. You see each life that Merle and Eric live is different. There are changes in their characters. Although, Merle does seem pretty maternal in most of her lives. And I suppose Eric seems kind of mysterious in most of his. I guess, it’s hard for me to explain. Just trust that the characters are interesting and I could definitely see how the interest was sustained over many lifetimes.

As I am an idiot, I did not really read the synopsis before starting so I didn’t realize just how interconnected the various stories in Marcus Sedgwick’s Midwinterblood would be. Also, I did not realize there would be a paranormal element. However, I liked how it was done. It felt tasteful and not ostentatious at all.You know how some books beat you over the head with their otherworldly elements? This one did not do that. I liked that Blessed Island was subtly creepy — like the scary stuff was lurking below the surface. I liked that there was a ghost and a vampire but they didn’t feel like the ghosts and vampires I read about in YA. ALSO! There was a ton of Scandinavian influence in this book with vikings and it was AWESOME.

I think I am a fan of Marcus Sedgwick’s writing style. Midwinterblood is a sparse book. Legit, there is not a word wasted. While I inhaled it, I was also pleased at exactly how many layers there were. I loved the themes of love and sacrifice. Maybe I really am sappy but it was interesting to see love manifested in various forms over various lifetimes. Like, not all of the love between Merle and Eric was romantic love, as you’ll see when you read the book.

I also think Midwinterblood is the sort of read you hand an adult who is skeptical about YA reading. I guess this book is classified as YA, I’m not entirely sure why. For much of the book, Merle and Eric are adults. Sure there are a few sections where they are younger, but mostly they are adult. What I am really driving at is that I think Midwinterblood really has a lot of potential crossover appeal — it’s got something for literary lovers who are all WHOO HOO layers and something for people who like action and then even more for people who just plain like words. If anything, I know I’ll be picking up my copy of Revolver soon as I was very pleased with my first foray into Sedgwick’s work.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick:

Alexa Loves Books – “the greatest draw of this book: the clever method of telling this story”

Amaterasu Reads – “story telling filled me with awe.”

Book Brats – “the more I read this story, the more I found myself racing through the pages”

The 13th Sign Kristin O’Donnell Tubb Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I can’t be the only person who has ever been suckered by horoscopes. You guys, I went through a stage where I actually believed they were real and kind of a big deal — you know those horoscope predictions. Granted, I am a Cancer and I am very emotional and kind of a total home body — however, sometimes I really like going out. Just because I have not checked my horoscope in months does not mean that I’m not interested in astrology as a theme, though. Like, you guys remember in 2011 when there was talk of adding another sign to the Zodiac? No? Okay well it was totally in the news. Anyways, I found this bit of the news quite interesting and followed the story. Seems like maybe Kristin O’Donnell Tubb did too, because her latest middle grade book The 13th Sign postulates just what would happen if there was a new sign added. ALSO SIDEBAR, isn’t that cover EXTREMELY gorgeous! I love it. Moving on…

The 13th Sign Kristin O'Donnell Tubb Book Cover

It is tradition for Jalen to go to this weird fortune teller shop and buy something on her birthday with her Nina or, her grandmother every year. Unfortunately, Nina is battling breast cancer and cannot go with Jalen. So, instead Jalen goes with her best friend Ellie. The two find a mysterious book and are totally drawn to it, so they buy it. The book is locked up you guys, like under a lock and key. Jalen figures out how to unlock it and happens to unleash all of the zodiac signs including The 13th Sign, Ophiuchus. Unfortunately, this means that every single person’s personality changes with the shifting of the zodiac. It is up to Jalen with the help of Ellie and Ellie’s brother Brennan to defeat the 13 zodiac signs in order to put the universe back in order.

Jalen is actually really not annoying for a thirteen year old girl. Like, she starts the book as a Sagittarius, but after she unleashes the thirteenth sign, becomes an Ophiuchus, or a leader and basically awesome. Like, Jalen stops second guessing herself and just does things. I love that. I mean, okay there are some things that she sits and thinks about like — a dilemma concerning Ellie. Speaking of which, Jalen is a totally awesome friend, like she will do whatever she can to help her BFF out. Also. Jalen doesn’t spend the whole book mooning over some guy. Yay middle grade. YAY.

I quite liked the setting of The 13th Sign. It’s set in New Orleans, which I’ve never been to, unfortunately. Anyways, the tasks to save the world take the trio all over New Orleans and they come into contact with quite the interesting melting pot. I loved that, also I got really hungry while eating because food was described several times. I am also under the impression the New Orleans has good eating. Can any of you confirm or deny that? ALSO! The worldbuilding is fairly cool. Like, I enjoyed the magic involved. I liked that each of the signs embodied the personality traits ascribed to them and that the traits had something to do with the challenge. Seriously, big yay for quests.

The 13th Sign by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb is a pretty decent middle grade book. It’s easy to follow. The plot doesn’t go into confusing territory. The concept is interesting. And seriously? Awesome setting. However, The 13th Sign isn’t exactly a book that reached down into my soul and left me feeling changed. I’d recommend it to actual middle school students as well as to people who’ve been through the whole hey baby what’s your sign phase.OH and I did like this one as a palate cleanser sort of read.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of The 13th Sign by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb:

All Things Urban Fantasy – “The intriguing premise was squandered by poor execution.”

Ashley Loves Books – “A lot of the resolutions to the battles were abrupt”

The Housework Can Wait – “It’s the whole “don’t judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree” thing”

Scarlet Marissa Meyer Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Obviously there will be spoilers for CINDER ahead. So if you have not read Cinder yet, do me a solid click here and read this instead.

#Thatmomentwhen the second book is even better than the first book. OH MY GOODNESS YOU GUYS! Okay, so last week I went to a book signing and promised a friend I’d mail her my copy of Scarlet by Marissa Meyer which meant I had to read Scarlet asap. Y’all, I was kind of nervous because what if it was this huge time investment that would take me forever. Clearly, I am an idiot, because legit I pretty much blinked and finished Scarlet and then was super sad that I didn’t have Cress on hand. The Lunar Chronicles is a series that provide a perfect vehicle for Marissa Meyer to deal her word-drugs, because for reals, I could not set this book down and when I did have to go teach and present, Scarlet was in the back of my mind the whole time. Like, I wanted to just say okay let’s put class on hold for 30 minutes while I find out what happens to Scarlet and Wolf, etc.

Scarlet Marissa Meyer Book Cover

Remember when Cinder ended and there was all that drama at the ball over Kai who might as well be a pawn in Queen Levana’s evil plan to kill him and take over New Beijing? Yes? OKAY WELL! Scarlet starts out with Cinder who is in jail — but she uses her Lunar powers to escape with one of my new favorite characters — Thorne who is a total ladies man and the best ever. And oh my goodness, there is another layer added, another storyline! Weaving with Cinder’s story is that of Scarlet Benoit, who lives in Rieux, France on a farm. Scarlet’s grandmere has gone missing and she is freaking the hell out about it, like any normal person. A mysterious stranger who goes by Wolf kind of walks into Scarlet’s life and y’all he may have some answers, but still he’s super sketchy. OH OH and Queen Levana is off being a douchebag and decides to give Kai an ultimatum. Awww yeah. SO, action, there is PLENTY of it in Marissa Meyer’s Scarlet.

SO! Characters! I know a lot of you come here to listen to me prattle on and on about the characters of the books I read because they’re kind of the most important part. I’ve decided to give each main character their own paragraph because I have THINGS TO SAY. So Cinder. She’s back but not like the number one main only character. Instead, she shares the spotlight with Scarlet, and oh goodness I love how their stories intertwine. ANYHOO! So, Cinder is all no more Missus Meek! Instead, she learns to use her Lunar powers to get what she wants and comes out a-blazing. Like, girl goes for the gold in this book and the whole time I’m like GET IT. PLUS! She kind of gets a male sidekick and he is the best ever and really highlights how pragmatic Cinder is. OH OH and we get to learn more about how she came to Earth and all of that. It’s totally FASCINATING. None of the bores or the yawns when it comes to Cinder’s character.

Scarlet is the other main female character, right. As you could have probably guessed from the title and the cover and using your brain, because you have one and it is awesome and big. I hope. RIGHT SO. Scarlet mirrors Little Red Riding Hood. Only she’s a total badass. Like, she knows her grandmere has been kidnapped and instead of waiting around for the police, who have decided Grandmere was a crazy old lady, Scarlet is all I SHALL PREVAIL and goes searching for her Grandmere and does all sorts of cool things like jump off trains (she’s a secret Dauntless, holla!). Anyways, Scarlet has this temper and a smart mouth and I am like, perhaps we are sisters from another mother because I also have a temper and a smart mouth and I of course began projecting myself onto Scarlet, because she’s my new favorite of all time. Seriously, I am so glad girl got a book of her own and gets to appear in the next two because she’s the bomb diggety and I know that makes me sound old to say, but OMG I LOVE HER SO MUCH THANK YOU MARISSA MEYER FOR GIVING ME THIS CHARACTER TO HERO WORSHIP AND CAPSLOCK ALL UP IN THIS BLOG.

Of course, Kai the love interest is back and lol you guys the whole time I was like Cinder, you should kiss someone else just for fun and to make Kai mad because I am an awful human being. ANYWAYS Kai is between a rock and a hard place. His lady love is a cyborg and a Lunar, Queen Levana is all GIVE ME CINDER OR DIEEE MWAHAHAHAHA and oh yeah, Kai’s people are dying. So yes, his life sucks a whole lot. In Scarlet, we don’t get to spend as much time with Kai, but okay, he’s kind of hardened his heart towards Cinder and it is sad and emotional. But yes, I didn’t find Kai quite as swoonworthy in Scarlet.

However, I did not find Kai devastatingly swoony because ALL OF THE SWOONS were for Wolf. As much as I say I like a nice guy, sometimes I am secretly lying to myself and pretty much the whole internet because there is just SOMETHING about a dangerous dude and oh my goodness THE INNER TORMENT. I know, I know I am a walking talking cliche in writing this. Seriously though, I loved the character of Wolf and like with every scene with him and Scarlet I wanted to mash their faces together to get them to kiss or something. I know, I know face mashing is awkward but you guys, it’s necessary in this case. Anyways, Wolf has kind of knocked Kai out of my reader’s heart, because he’s all full of dimensions and such.

The world Meyer has built makes my imagination soar — because of how the map has been redrawn. Also because of all of the robots. AND TECHNOLOGY! And space ships. Like you guys, space ships tend to really turn me off as do robots, but some how Marissa Meyer pulls a Tim Gunn and makes it work.I guess a big part of it is that Scarlet doesn’t get so bogged down in the mechanics, like sure we get a page or two of ship operations but it’s nothing where I think to myself oh hey this is just like reading a technical manual. ALSO! Iko is back and that helps because she has this super cool personality and I did not know robots could have personalities.

Of course, Marissa Meyer still has a writing style that I can get behind. Scarlet is a quick read and like you would think at over 400 pages it would take FOREVA! Nope, the characters and the plot are so compelling that I’m like omg omg WHAT IS UP WITH GRANDMERE. OMG OMG WILL THEY ESCAPE IN TIME. Pretty much I was using up my ration of OMGs with Scarlet. FURTHER, I thought that Meyer handled the POV shifts quite well. There wasn’t a point where I was all hmmm who am I reading – Scarlet or Cinder? Because both characters have strong and unique voices. Seriously, multiple PoV books can be a crapshoot, but it actually really helped this book out — with pacing and plot.

Y’all, obviously I am just going to wave my arms around and keep yelling until you either preorder or if you are super duper lucky read an ARC of Scarlet. It is SUCH a fantastic read that I think if you’ve already got a copy in your presence there is absolutely zero excuse to be waiting on Scarlet. F’realz, it’s got your favorite characters from Cinder and NEW CHARACTERS WHO ARE EVEN BETTER. And yes, it makes me want to keysmash all kinds of words of love, it is that good.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of Scarlet by Marissa Meyer:

Anna Reads – “Wolf. Oh, Wolf! I lurve you.”

Stacked – “It’s terrifically fun, accessible, well-written science fiction”

Cuddlebuggery – “I was bleeding love”

Books by Marissa Meyer:
Cinder

Because It Is My Blood Gabrielle Zevin Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Note: There’s going to be spoilers for All These Things I’ve Done, so if you’ve got concerns about being spoiled, click All These Things I’ve Done and read that review instead.

Friends WHY DO I WAIT FOREVER TO READ SEQUELS? Seriously, I just don’t let myself read the sequels of books I loved immediately and that is a travesty. Y’all, I just gobbled up Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin a few days ago and now I am kind of questioning exactly why I waited so long to read. It’s full of awesome elements — like the mob, chocolate, coffee, Mexico, and tough decisions. Plus, main character Anya Balanchine continues to be fascinating and interesting as she decides between duty and desire. I actually almost loved Because It Is My Blood as much as I loved All These Things I’ve Done, but there were a few things preventing me from full on love.

Because It Is My Blood Gabrielle Zevin Book Cover

Because It Is My Blood picks up right where All These Things I’ve Done leaves off. Anya is in Liberty serving her sentence as part of the deal made with Win’s father, Charles Delacroix. She’s preparing to get out and readjust to life on the outside. Anya is left feeling cynical about the chocolate business because of all the drama and how it leaves people dead all over the place. And so, when she gets out she has to find a way to go back to school, she also meets with her newest family member, Sophia Bitter who plays kind of a big role. Anyways lots of things go down and Anya ends up in Mexico seeing how cacao is farmed and made. PLUS there’s a new male interest in the form of Theo and he’s the best you guys. ANYWAYS a whole lot more drama and omgwhatjusthappened goes on in the plot and in the interest of you not being spoiled like I was by some goodreads reviews, I am just going to keep it at hints. ANYWAYS, Because It Is My Blood really does feel like a page turning roller coaster ride because there’s death, hiding, romance, family, rivalries and more.

Anya Balanchine is definitely one of my recent favorite YA characters. I love that she sacrifices so much for the safety of her siblings. I love that she wears the mantle of responsibility. Plus, she’s a YA girl who is smart enough to realize that just because you are into someone at the age of 17/18 doesn’t mean you’ll love them as an adult. Seriously, it’s such a realistic and awesome view to take. I mean, okay yes it might be a little painful to realize that in many cases the person you date in high school is not the person you marry as an adult, but that’s reality. ANYWAYS, other things I loved about Anya: she’s no nonsense. She doesn’t whine constantly about how hard her life is, although she actually has good reason to. She’s strong and totally fierce. I just love her as a character and I love her voice.

Gabrielle Zevin’s writing style is actually quite appealing to me. Her words have a certain cadence to them, and I guess while reading, I just kind of imagined a girl with a Russian accent talking to me about her story and it really worked for Zevin’s wording. The pacing of Because It Is My Blood is quite fast. I thought there were no unnecessarily long and drawn out segments. Instead the book pretty much speeds to the end which is exactly the sort of pace I want for an end of the year must exceed my challenge number goal. I’m sure many of you know exactly what I mean.

Because It Is My Blood does an interesting job of examining the idea of duty versus desire. Anya has a duty to her family and to the chocolate business. Yet, she also has a desire to break free and leave the business. However, her duty is going to follow her no matter what she does. I liked seeing how much self control Anya has and how she’s more self sacrificing than most people I know, but at least it’s for good reason — because protecting the ones you love does absolutely matter. However, I was rooting for homegirl to get what she so deeply desires the whole time.

There’s also romance within Because It Is My Blood, like we see Win again and meh, he did not totally win me over. He’s sort of –dare I say it — a douchebag for much of the book. Who I was really rooting for was Theo, the guy from Mexico. You’ll see why when you read Because It Is My Blood. Like there’s no making out or anything between them, but the commonalities and chemistry made Anya and Theo a better fit in my mind than Anya and Win. So, take that as you will.

In all, I think that Because It Is My Blood is a great sequel to All These Things I’ve Done. I wish that there had been a little bit more on the romance/love front, BUT I did like all of the action. I liked the conspiracies. I liked the way it ALL SHOOK OUT at the end. Actually, I really did love the ending and found myself looking forward to the third book, actually no, desperately wanting book three is much more accurate.

Disclosure: Received For Review

Other reviews of Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin:

The Book Rat – “I loved this new facet to the story”

The Reading Addict – “Anya is an incredible character.”

Book Brats – “I dove into BECAUSE IT IS MY BLOOD and was not disappointed”

My Book Of Life By Angel Martine Leavitt Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Some contemporary books let you drift into complacence before hammering you with the theme and message, if there is one. Others take you right by the throat in a chokehold from the very beginning, not letting go until you turn the very last acknowledgements page. My Book Of Life By Angel by Martine Leavitt is one of the later, a gritty chokehold sort of book set among the urban grime of an unnamed city. My Book Of Life By Angel does a bang up job raising awareness of the plight and the exploitation of teenage sex workers.

The narrator is a teenage prostitute named Angel, so I think you can take a few guesses as to the mode and tone of the book. My Book Of Life By Angel is a book told in verse. Angel runs away from home after stealing some shoes from the mall. She ends up seduced by this smooth talking guy named Call who then takes advantage of Angel by pimping her out. Angel’s best friend, Serena, has gone missing. She suspects Mr. P, an unidentified serial killer who has been murdering other sex workers. To make matters even worse, Call brings in an 11 year old girl named Melli and expects Angel to take Melli under her wing and teach her how to be a sex worker. Angel, also trying to kick a drug habit, is at her wit’s end trying to find a way to save Melli. Martine Leavitt’s book not only is a fast read because it’s a book in verse and thus a lot of blank space, but because the plot is utterly engaging.

My heart definitely went out to Angel. The girl tries the best she can with what she has. Her life is rough. While her life prior to the streets was not all that awful, I can see why she is at a certain stage in life in the beginning of My Book Of Life By Angel. Although I have never been and will never be a sex worker, I felt an outpouring of sympathy for Angel. What she deals with is awful. It really bothered me how the men in the book fetishized little girls and so Angel would have to pretend to be younger just to turn more tricks. However, Angel is optimistic in that she can turn things around which prevents the book from being completely depressing and makes it ultimately uplifting. You see, despite the world trying to beat her down and trying to beat the heart out of her, Angel retains what makes her a good person despite all that she has been through.

Martine Leavitt does a fabulous job portraying sex workers as humans. She does not demonize them, but merely portrays them as people who fell into a bad situation. Instead, she villainizes the pimps and the johns for taking advantage of homeless girls and naive girls. Yet, she does not shy away from the grit. Characters die. Characters need drugs just to get through the day. Characters experience not only sexual abuse, but physical as well. This is a hard book to get through, especially if you do not have much exposure to the darker side of human nature.

I thought the verse style really suited the story in My Book Of Life By Angel. All of the poems in the book are written by Angel as she recounts her story to us, the readers. Each word felt as though it was crafted with care. When you write a verse book, there’s really no space for the superfluous, so you really have to have your word choice down in order to be successful. Martine Leavitt exceeds the expectations as far as word choice goes. With each turn of the page, I felt as though I was hit in the chest.

Look, I am going to be honest and say My Book Of Life By Angel is no cake walk to read. But it is HONEST. It is REAL. It is gripping. It raises awareness of the issue of sexual assault, especially pertaining to prostitutes. It shows how hard life can be for those struggling with addiction, I know usually we want to condemn people with addiction and tell them to just get their life together, but it’s not always that simple, especially when a myriad of other issues are going on. If you’re looking for a book to show you life at it’s darkest, but also give you some hope read Martine Leavitt’s My Book Of Life By Angel.

Disclosure: Received for review.

Other reviews of My Book Of Life By Angel by Martine Leavitt:

Taming The Bookshelf – “While this wasn’t my favorite story, spreading awareness about this “hush-hush” issue of drug abuse and prostitution among young teens does take guts to write about”

In Bed With Books – “a good book for anyone looking for a contemporary dealing with the darker side of modern life”

Ms. Martin Teaches Media – “The lyrical language and gritty realism will not be easily forgotten”

Catherynne M. Valente on ‘Looking Glass Girls’

by April (Books&Wine)

Friends, in between each bloggiesta task this weekend, I had the pleasure of reading The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland And Led The Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente. I loved the brief moments of whimsy it gave me between moments of hard work. To me, Valente’s books about the intrepid young September have staying power, and in a way, remind me of Alice In Wonderland. I asked Catherynne a little bit about timeless heroines and she graciously took the time to write up a post for me. I do hope you all take the time to read it because it’s utterly fantastic and well written.

Catherynne M. Valente on ‘Looking Glass Girls’

I loved Alice as a child. But I was very specific about my love: not Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Alice from Alice Through the Looking Glass. I secretly thought they were two different girls—Wonderland Alice chased a rabbit, but she didn’t know what would happen. She didn’t choose it. It wasn’t on purpose. Looking Glass Alice spent a long time thinking about the possibility of another world on the other side of that mirror, and then she chose to leave her own house and step into that world. She wanted to be a Queen. She moved through Wonderland not because she was desperate to get home, but because she had a goal. I loved Looking Glass girls. I still do.

But you’re right when you say that Alice has something of an agency problem. Things happen to her, she doesn’t always interact so much as let Wonderlanders run roughshod over her, she experiences, rather than struggles or battles the way we expect modern heroines to do. She is wonderful, but so dreamy and proper, becoming all the more proper as her environment grows more bizarre. Alice is very much of her time. She is a Victorian child, a female one, with the weight of a whole empire’s worth of cultural expectations on her.

I could never claim to have equalled Carroll—Alice will outlive us all. But in the Fairyland novels I have often tried to counteract the things I found troubling in the classics I loved when I was young: that Wendy must be everyone’s mother instead of killing crocodiles with the boys, that Dorothy prefers the Dust Bowl and the Depression over Oz, that an adult Lucy and her siblings are forced to become children again, during the Blitz, during WWII. That the best adventures, the highest virtues, seemed to be reserved for boys. When I set out to write Fairyland and September, I wanted in some sense to mash up those stories, make them something different, make them something that would have made me feel brave and good when I was small.

September is a heroine—though she would never call herself that—because she wants to be a heroine. She wants to have adventures and be daring and see marvelous things like dragons and witches. She wants magic and wonder, and she’ll go after it. She doesn’t know everything, not even close, but she tries to piece everything together anyway, find solutions. She does not assume anyone will come to save her. She will have to do the saving, if saving is to be done. And some of this comes from having a loving, strong, and smart mother, a mother who builds airplanes and plays chess and taught her daughter to rely on her own abilities—especially since September’s mother isn’t often at home anymore, with the war on. That was a deliberate choice—the vast swath of dead mothers in Disney films and fairy tales always seemed so sad and upsetting to me, like mothers had to be erased before the story could begin. I wanted September to have quality parents.

In The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, September sees the consequences of her deeds in the first book, and immediately sets out to make things right. She ventures into Fairyland-Below to fetch her shadow—all the wild and wicked and unpredictable parts of herself in one trickstery girl. She has to decide what it means to be good and what it means to be bad. She has to see herself clearly, as through a looking glass. Most heroines have to do that eventually. Alice, Dorothy, Clara, Persephone, Inanna.

I don’t know if September is a timeless heroine. She is also very much of our time, an intrepid girl who takes care of herself and hates injustices and believes she can do what needs to be done without waiting for anyone else to come along and rescue her. I suppose only time will tell. I know that I have always tried to make her a real girl, one who fights bravely and finds solutions and likes odd things like engines and books of fairy tales—and who also gets frustrated, impatient, says the wrong thing, gets lost and doesn’t know if she is strong enough for everything that happens to her. I have always tried to make her someone readers could see themselves in, someone who happens to Fairyland as much as Fairyland happens to her.

I would like to think she and Alice would get along, if ever they met in some distant forest, with a White Rabbit on one end and a Wyverary on the other.

Thank you so much, Catherynne. Dear readers, you can check out my review posting a little later today, but until then, why not enter for a copy of both Fairyland books. These are US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maybe you want to get signed copies? Well, you can check out Catherynne’s tour schedule here. Can’t get enough of Fairyland? Why not take a glimpse at this short story: The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland — For a Little While by Cat Valente: In which a young girl named Mallow leaves the country for the city, meets a number of Winds, Cats, and handsome folk, sees something dreadful, and engages, much against her will, in Politicks of the most muddled kind.

Follow Catherynne on Twitter.

Also, be sure to check out Cat’s website.

For more chances to win, why not check out the rest of Cat’s blog tour? There are some AMAZING blogs on that tour.

You can check out the book trailer which is VERY well done: