Random House

Liar And Spy | Rebecca Stead | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I love middle grade books, and I seriously say that on every single middle grade review that I write, but honestly it totally bears repeating. When I saw that Liar & Spy by acclaimed author Rebecca Stead was on that PW (I think) list of books to look for at BEA, I knew that I had to have it. I KNOW I WAS ONE OF THOSE. But seriously, I got kind of lucky because I was just wandering around and a nice Random House person kind of pressed it into my hands and I was like SCORE. Y’all, I read Liar And Spy during the October 2012 Readathon and let me just say that while it’s been awhile, it was the perfect readathon book.

Liar And Spy Rebecca Stead Book Cover

Georges moves from a house that he loves to an apartment in Brooklyn because his architect dad lost his job. Also, his mom has to work overtime at the hospital just for their family to make ends meet. Unfortunately, he does not love the apartment — how could he, the bedroom is not nearly as cool as the one his dad made for him. Anyways, he ends up becoming friends with another boy, homeschooled, named Safer after answering a flyer to join Spy Club in the laundry room. Georges must spy on a man code named Mr. X as part of his assignment from Safer. So, anyways, Georges is also having a tough time at school because he’s being bullied by the popular kids.

Y’all, I just want to adopt Georges. He’s so awkward and awesome and sad and earnest. And ugh, bullies are seriously the worst, so I could empathize with Georges. Also, he’s an only child, and he came across as so lonely. Anyways, I really loved Georges and thought his relationship with his mother was awesome — they communicate via Scrabble tiles when she’s working long shifts, how brilliant is that?

Honestly, after gobbling up Liar And Spy by Rebecca Stead in like an hour and a half, I knew I’d definitely be reading her other books. I loved that Stead has a writing style that trusts the reader. As an adult, I never felt beat over the head with the obvious. Instead, the book is quiet and kind of unassuming. I like that. I like that it isn’t in your face. I like that it’s smart. I like that it’s quirky. The characters are so unique, like Safer’s sister Candy who like her name, is obsessed with candy. Actually, I just loved Safer’s whole family. I thought her writing flowed very well, even in the uncorrected copy.

Frankly, this isn’t a super long review because it has been an incredibly long time since I’ve read Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead. Yet, I didn’t want to go without reviewing or talking about the book here on Good Books And Good Wine because it’s legitimately a great read, regardless of whether you like middle grade or not — and I just LOVE talking about great reads whether it’s with 1000 words or 500 words. So, if you’re into unassuming reads with great characterization and some quirks along the way chances are you will enjoy Liar & Spy.

Disclosure: Received for review at BEA 2012.

Other reviews of Liar And Spy by Rebecca Stead:

There’s A Book – “one I cannot wait to not only read again, but pass down to my own kiddos.”
Beth Fish Reads – “so full of wonderful”
Devourer Of Books – “a wonderful, realistic middle grade novel”

Strands Of Bronze And Gold | Jane Nickerson | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I am almost always down for fairy tale retellings. Seriously — if a book has just a whiff of being a retelling, I will get my hands on it, most especially if the book is young adult. So it follows that I would be BEYOND excited for Strands of Bronze And Gold by Jane Nickerson, a debut author. For the most part, I quite liked this retelling of the Bluebeard fairytale, but I had a few quibbles mainly because other people brought some issues up and on reflection — yes I agree. ALSO! You guys, I totally had to go wikipedia the Bluebeard fairytale because for some odd reason I was thinking pirates and Treasure Island but LOL that’s BLACKbeard not BLUEbeard. Okay, that aside I am sure you totally want to know what Strands of Bronze And Gold is all about. Read on, friend, read on.

Strands Of Bronze And Gold Jane Nickerson Book Cover

Sophia Petheram’s dad dies — leaving her and her siblings orphans. Unfortunately he doesn’t leave them a fortune but tons of debt. However, lucky for Sophie, her godfather Monsieur de Cressac steps in to take guardianship over her. Cressac is fabulously wealthy, FYI. And so, Strands Of Bronze And Gold opens with Sophia making the journey from Boston to Mississippi. Also? This book is set in the antebellum South — meaning Monsieur de Cressac has slaves. This comes as a culture shock to Sophia. Upon arrival Cressac lavishes all these gowns and jewels upon Sophia — she loves them at first but gradually becomes more and more uncomfortable. As de Cressac as the only person who is really suitable for Sophia to socialize with — she starts to get a crush on him. OH OH and he totally isolates her and won’t let her talk to anyone and punishes the slaves if they get friendly with her. ALSO! ALSO! All of de Cressac’s previous wives have died. So, yeah, as we all know he’s totally hiding a secret and it’s up to Sophia to find out that secret and get the hell out of dodge.

I did not mind the main character of Strands Of Bronze And Gold because she shows growth. Sophia starts the book as a kind of petulant, vain and silly girl. Yet, she matures and realizes there are more important things than fashion and dresses. She also is allowed to change her mind and grow — I like that she has a misguided crush but then actually is allowed to have a realization about how much her crush sucks. Sorry y’all, but he totally does suck. I liked that Sophia was clever. I also liked that she had an inner strength and we saw moments where she has a spine and doesn’t back down to Monsieur de Cressac. So really, what I am trying to say is that Jane Nickerson wrote a main character who didn’t annoy me. Way to go.

I think my very favorite thing about Strands Of Bronze And Gold was the mood the permeated the pages. Nickerson does mood very, very well. You see, as I read I just got this sense of suffocation and the walls closing in — much like Sophia. As a reader, I started off much like Sophia – digging on all the new clothes thinking for an old, Monsieur de Cressac is kind of hot. BUT THEN. He starts to act totally sketchy and you start to see him isolate her and it’s like WHOA HOLD THE PHONE THIS GUY IS BAD. And as he takes away her chances to communicate with people who don’t live at Wyndriven Abbey – you start to feel oppressed. Or at least I did, vicariously. The mood was so strong and overwhelming in this book that I often wanted to stop reading and catch my breath. And no, I am totally not over exaggerating — I just have a lot of feelings y’all.

As for the setting and the time frame of antebellum era Mississippi — I didn’t really think much about it until I saw the Book Smugglers tweeting about how this book portrays Black people. So, because I don’t read in a vacuum, I started to think a lot more deeply about the book as I was reading it, and do concur that it is a problematic element. I realized that one of the people of color mentioned, Anarchy totally falls into the Mammy role. She is super protective and nurturing of Sophia and puts herself at risk to protect Sophia and is totally stereotypical. So, yeah, definitely not cool about that. And I think it’s stupid on my part to not even be aware/think about those things — obviously because of my privilege I don’t think about stuff like that and it really is something I need to work on as a person.

So anyways, on the merits of writing and mood, I very much enjoyed Strands Of Bronze And Gold by Jane Nickerson. I thought Sophia was an interesting lead character and someone I empathized with. However, it’s definitely not okay to rely on stereotypes when writing characters of color and so, that definitely took away from my enjoyment of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I am open to checking out future books by the author, but I think that it’s good to go in with an awareness of what might be problematic.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson:

The Book Smugglers – “Unfortunately all of it was hugely disappointing.”
Bunbury In The Stacks – “reflects with frightening accuracy how any young woman can become ensnared in an abusive relationship”
Great Imaginations – “It’s creepy, disturbing, unsettling, full of gothicky goodness”

The Sweetest Dark | Shana Abe | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

There are quite a few elements that I absolutely love to read about: dragons, historical fiction, boarding schools, and romance. The Sweetest Dark by romance writer Shana Abe contains these elements, yet it did not entirely deliver on it’s interesting premise. I felt that this young adult book was bogged down by very cheesy writing, thus not living up to it’s potential.

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe | Good Books And Good Wine

Lora, an orphan, is found mysteriously wandering around London at the age of 10 with no memory of her previous life. She is sent to live in an orphanage. While at the orphanage, a mysterious voice tells her to jump out the window, which then lands Lora in a mental asylum. Meanwhile World War I is raging on. As London is not safe, Lora luckily wins a scholarship to the elite Iverson boarding school on the coast of London. Unfortunately, her wealthy classmates do not take a liking to her. However, Lora catches the eyes of groundskeeper Jesse and the aristocrat Armand. A love triangle plays out in this boarding school setting while Lora tries to unravel her Drakon heritage.

Lora is actually a pretty interesting heroine. She has gumption and does not take mistreatment lying down. She is also quite intellectually curious, given her awful upbringing in the orphanage. I quite liked reading about Lora discovering her Drakon heritage and coming into her powers — which also involve a bit of a sacrifice. She’s someone I can respect in that she keeps her head held high and her pride in tact despite the taunts of her classmates. Lora was not at all a weak heroine, except when it came to the romance bits of The Sweetest Dark.

Unfortunately, where The Sweetest Dark lost me was with the love triangle. Lora has intense connections with both Jesse and Armand for different reasons, that I won’t reveal because I don’t want to spoil you. Unfortunately, I didn’t really care for either of her love interests. One was a total protector and super sappy — and I felt that he made Lora seem a bit weak. The other love interest was a jerk to Lora and haughty and insulting toward her.

I, personally, was not a huge fan of the writing style. To me, it felt a bit like purple prose – meaning the writing was overly flowery. The descriptions within The Sweetest Dark are over the top ornate and I would have liked it more, had it been dialed back a bit. Typically I love romance and kissing scenes, but those bits within this book made me roll my eyes.

If you are into interesting heroines, don’t mind love triangles and can get past cheesy writing, then you should definitely check out The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe if it appeals to you. The plotting is pretty good. However, if you’re really just interested in the dragon-people aspect, then I would recommend you read Firelight by Sophie Jordan instead as it is more well-written. Unfortunately, The Sweetest Dark was a bit of a disappointment to me, but I wouldn’t tell you do not read this book. If it sounds up your alley, I say go for but don’t walk in expecting the writing to be similar to Libba Bray, as mentioned in the official publisher blurb.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine

Other reviews of The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe:

A Reader Of Fictions – “It definitely falls into the category of really weird books.”
Candace’s Book Blog – “This was so much perfection within it’s pages that I nearly cried at the beauty”
Read Breathe Relax – “Abe’s writing is filled with so much emotion.”

Unleashed | Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Reader friends, I actually still really like paranormal books even though the trend is over. While I tend more toward vampires than werewolves, I still love reading books about paranormal creatures that live right under our noses. I came into Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié with a few expectations — namely that it would be an absorbing, darkly romantic sort of read. Unfortunately, Unleashed failed to deliver on that front, which is unfortunate because I really liked the previous book I had read by this author duo, Crusade.

Unleashed by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie | Good Books And Good Wine

Katelyn McBride’s mother dies during an earthquake. Katelyn is then uprooted from everything she knows in LA and sent to live with her grandfather in Wolf Springs, Arkansas, right by the Ozark Mountains. It’s kind of culture shock for her. However, Wolf Springs isn’t quite so bad and isolated as it seems. She even manages to make friends with this Russian guy who goes by Trick and a girl named Cordelia, who also has a lot on her plate. Yet, there’s something strange about Katelyn’s new digs. She’s not even allowed to go outside when it’s dark out. Turns out, Wolf Springs is a town of many secrets. Chances are that you as the reader can easily guess the secrets as it shows you right on the cover and also you can infer it from the name of the town. While the plot summary of Unleashed is interesting, it’s a rather long and drawn out book that upon closing left me feeling as though nothing had really happened.

Unfortunately Katelyn is not a very compelling heroine. When the book opens, she’s actually quite interesting, so much so that it seems like her potential was squandered. At the beginning of Unleashed, Katelyn is a gymnast and she’s very dedicated to her sport and to excelling. I was excited by the prospect of a character with a hobby. Yet, when she goes to Wolf Springs, we do not hear another word about Katelyn’s sport. Instead, she mopes about living with her grandfather in the middle of nowhere which is understandable. Then she spends an awful lot of time trying to figure out why she can’t go out at night. Also, Katelyn ends up in a love triangle of course. Rather than being swoon worthy, it’s all kind of boring. It felt like ground that’s already been tread with nothing new or interesting added. As a reader, I was not invested or engaged by Katelyn as a character.

As one would expect, Wolf Springs is a lupine obsessed town. The school’s mascot is the wolf. In fact, in the school there are actually stained glass windows that depict wolves, which is kind of interesting. Further, some of the town folklore focuses on this creature called a Hellhound. Yet, whenever Katelyn tries to get more information on the Hellhound, she ends up getting the brush off. I liked how the lore was woven into the store, but I wish that it was less shallow. It is done in a pretty superficial way and it seems like we never really get to explore Wolf Springs’ deep dark secrets aside from the various girl being eaten by wolves (this happens twice in Unleashed).

On the upside, I was unable to tell where Nancy Holder’s writing ended and Debbie Viguié’s began and vice versa. That is probably the only positive thing I can say about the writing style. The dialogue in Unleashed comes across as very stilted. I thought the interactions between Cordelia and Katelyn were painful to read, even though the two are friends. The pacing of the book really drags. This young adult book took me forever to read and usually I am the type who happily gobbles up paranormal reads. I just feel that the interesting elements were muddled in a story that basically went nowhere.

If I am being honest, I probably would not recommend Unleashed. It’s not very exciting. The romance is boring. The characters are uninteresting. There are definitely better paranormal young adult books out there.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine

Other reviews of Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié:

Feeling Fictional – “I did feel that it was a little slow getting to the supernatural part of the story”

Xpresso Reads – “I didn’t feel any sort of chemistry between the characters”

Reading Teen – “Ok. I loved this book.”

Velveteen by Daniel Marks Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

It’s unfortunate that Daniel Marks’ YA debut Velveteen didn’t get quite the attention it deserved when it first came out. Velveteen takes a walk on the macabre side and feels quite unprecedented in the YA market. It mashes up horror with paranormal, as the machinations of the residents of Purgatory are explored in this novel. While I am not usually one who LOVES weird books, I have to say that I was totally won over by Marks’ world building and prickly characterization. I definitely would like more people to read this, especially because it’s one of those books that could use a sequel.

Velveteen by Daniel Marks | Good Books And Good Wine

Velveteen opens with the sixteen year old main character, also named Velveteen but Velvet for short, haunting this super creepy guy. Turns out the creepy guy is Bonesaw, a serial killer who brutally murdered her. Now, Bonesaw has another girl. As Velvet is a ghost she can’t really do much except mess with Bonesaw’s things. I have to come right out and state that the opening chapter is one of the most exciting openings for YA in a long time. Yet, the book takes on a whole new direction in the chapters to come. Velvet is currently trapped in Purgatory, which is this run down sort of parallel universe where people go if they have unfinished business. Residents of Purgatory do not get a free ride though, each person must perform a function or a job. Velvet serves as part of the salvage team, which basically means she is a member of the elite. Yet, all is not entirely sunny, you see, there’s a faction of revolutionaries known as Depaturists who want to change the way Purgatory is run, among other things. Finally there’s a new guy in Purgatory, Nick, whom Velvet is undeniably attracted to. As you can see, homegirl has A LOT going on.

If you like prickly characters who are kind of guarded, chances are you will love Velvet. She’s very compelling. When we meet her, she’s hellbent on extracting vengeance and fortunately this does not change for much of the novel. She’s consistent and I liked that. Velvet is the kind of girl who seems to hate everyone except her very close friends. She also does not let guys get very close to her. ALSO. She is the leader of her salvage crew, so she’s actually quite competent and capable and far from the simpering too stupid to live sort of paranormal heroine. Further, Velvet has a healthy dose of teenage angst. When all of these elements combine, it’s like the ideal main character for me to read about is created. Not everyone will love Velvet, but I absolutely did.

Daniel Marks definitely is a great wordsmith. I really liked the images he conjectured of Purgatory. It’s a world where paper is extremely valuable and used to craft birds. People enter via train/subway. Residents live in these really weird looking dormitories constructed of whatever the collectors could obtain from the living world. The station masters are the ones who are in charge. It’s actually an intricately constructed world, and one that I definitely would not mind revisiting. Further, while Velveteen is very long, it’s actually quite the page turner. I found myself utterly engaged by the two plot threads — that where Velvet hopes to extract revenge on Bonesaw, and that where Purgatory is besieged by revolutionaries. It’s very dark and creepy and wholly fascinating.

The romance adds a bit of a nice light touch to Velveteen. I liked that Nick the love interest has a bit of a devil may care debonair sort of attitude, although he is also a teenager like Velvet. He’s incredibly confident and maybe comes off as a little arrogant, but it strikes a nice balance with Velvet. She’s the sort of character where it would only make sense that she engage in a relationship with someone who is just as headstrong as she is. I thought their mutual attraction totally made sense and did not come off as contrived or forced. Plus, their kissing scenes are totally adorable and do add a bit of swoon to this dark young adult book.

After finishing Velveteen, I actually hopped onto goodreads to see if there was going to be a sequel. As of now, it doesn’t look like there is, but my fingers are crossed. If you are looking for a book that leaves you wanting more of it’s strange, fascinating world then you absolutely should read Velveteen by Danny Marks. Velvet, Nick, and the rest of the salvage team are definitely worth meeting and spending almost 450 pages worth of time in their company.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.

Other reviews of Velveteen by Daniel Marks:

A Reader Of Fictions – “the whole of the story was so delightfully fresh and funny”

Alice Marvels – “Atmospheric and superbly written”

Hobbitsies – “something different and weird and original and creepy.”

The Tragedy Paper Elizabeth LaBan Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I wish there were more literary young adult books out there. While I certainly do not mind the more commercial YA books, I just LOVE curling up with a good literary book, especially on a cold evening. The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan is an evocative contemporary novel set at a boarding school in the Hudson Valley during winter. It is the ideal read for a January evening. The characters are tragic and compelling. The story is intense. LaBan does a fantastic job reminding me exactly why it is that young adult is my go-to genre.

The Tragedy Paper Elizabeth LaBan Book Cover

Duncan is psyched for his senior year at Irving School, a boarding school in the Hudson Valley in downstate NY. It’s the year when seniors get their own rooms and the previous occupant leaves a treasure behind for the new occupant. Duncan, however, is disappointed to find that he has Tim Macbeth’s old room and a pile of CDs. The CDs come with a letter from Tim stating it is the best present he could leave, because the CDs will help Duncan to write his tragedy paper. The tragedy paper being an English thesis all Irving School seniors must write exploring the meaning of tragedy and weaving in literature. Skeptical, Duncan begins to listen to the CDs and immediately finds himself transported by Tim’s words to the events leading up to last year’s tragedy. The Tragedy Paper alternates between Duncan and Tim.

Duncan is the main narrator of The Tragedy Paper, in that he’s the character existing in real time. He has his own narrative which basically center around him listening to Tim’s discs and also trying to get the girl named Daisy. As Duncan listens to Tim’s words, he learns from Tim’s mistakes and acts on his newfound knowledge. I thought Duncan was interesting, in that we got to see his reaction to the central story and his very minor role in that story. However, to be 100 percent honest, I read Duncan’s bits really fast because I just wanted to get back to Tim’s narration as Tim is infinitely more engaging.

Although Tim is not the main narrator, he is the character that truly drives Elizabeth LaBan’s debut. Tim is an albino, thus he’s always been treated in a less than compassionate manner by his peers. He decides to go to Irving for the final half of his senior year due to the school’s motto – ‘Enter Here To Be And Find A Friend’. Instead of finding a friend, Tim becomes infatuated with a very popular girl named Vanessa, who happens to be dating the big man on campus, Patrick. Yet, Tim and Vanessa see each other on the low, and there is a definite attraction between the two. Ultimately though, as is inferred from the title and the summary, that attraction is doomed to be a tragedy. Through Tim’s storytelling on the CDs we get to slowly unravel what exactly happened. I very much enjoyed Tim’s voice. It felt authentic and honest and utterly unflinching from the eventual heartbreak.

I really do like books that explore first love, especially when that love is doomed. The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan felt different from the typical YA books that I read in that it is heavy. There are plenty of emotions to be had from hope to anxiety to sadness. Yet, there was never a whole lot of swoon going on. I think The Tragedy Paper is quite serious in comparison to say, Anna And The French Kiss, not to diminish either book because they are both fabulous reads. However, if you’re looking for a light contemporary read about boarding school hijinks, look elsewhere.

If you are looking for a readalike to Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, as far as narrative structure goes, definitely read The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan. There are some very big differences between the two books, however the methods of telling the story are quite similar. Only, unlike Clay, Duncan does not need to pass on the CDs when he is done with them. I thought LaBan did an excellent job instilling a sense of place and time within the novel. Like, you can feel the chill of campus and the snow as you read. Also, I ended up really wanting to go back in time and go to a boarding school instead of public school because Irving School sounded so awesome.

The Tragedy Paper is an emotional, heartfelt read that reminds me why I love books. It is artfully written with an utterly compelling character – Tim. I definitely did not see some of the twists coming and usually I’m pretty good at making predictions. If you’re the sort of reader who wants a serious contemporary read that does not beat you over the head with issues, Elizabeth LaBan’s debut novel is the book for you.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine

Other reviews of The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan:

It’s All About Books – “Duncan was great too, but it was Tim I really fell for.”

Hobbitsies – “a debut that kind of snuck up on me”

Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf – “once you start it, it’s hard to let go”

The Twelve Justin Cronin Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

You know how sometimes it can feel like you are reading a book for pretty much forever because it’s a book that is SUPER long and outside of your usual genre of choice? That feeling totally happened to me while I was reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin, sequel to The Passage which I actually really enjoyed and read within a matter of days instead of months. Unfortunately, The Twelve did not quite compel or immediately hook me the same way that The Passage did. I was just not that into The Twelve.

The Twelve Justin Cronin Book Cover

Justin Cronin’s sequel opens just as the virus is getting off the ground. Instead of revisiting the characters from the end of The Passage we meet a whole new cast of characters. Most of the beginning of the book I was wondering what was going on with Amy, Peter and Alicia. The new characters are comprised of a war veteran, a teenage girl and her brother and a bus driver named Danny among others. These characters are the survivors after the virals have killed or infected most of the people around them, and so they are in desperate search of a safe haven and civilization. Eventually we do come back to the characters from The Passage, but The Twelve sort of takes a convoluted path to get back to Amy, Peter and Alicia, among others.

I was not at all attached to the new characters in the beginning of The Twelve. We get a brief amount of time with the characters and the chapters alternate between quite a large amount of people. I felt like I never got to intimately know Danny, the bus driver or April the teenage girl and what made them tick as characters. I did, however, enjoy the development once we got back to Peter and Alicia. Alicia is probably the most interesting character as she struggles with her humanity. She endures the worst possible thing for a person to go through and it changes her. It makes her tragic and vulnerable, yet her strength is still there. Even Amy gets to change quite a bit and the result is fantastic. She really comes into her own and it is definitely a game changer as far as the storyline goes.

I thought the world building in The Twelve improved upon that of The Passage – I mean, it was consistent, but added to the richness of the horrifying world Cronin has created. We get to see the worst and the very best of humanity in Cronin’s viral-filled world. We have the contrast of two societies — one society that is run by civility and order and equality. The other society is in thrall to viral overlords. It’s quite an interesting contrast, especially when the two societies overlap. I also enjoyed seeing how the virals adapted because of their dwindling food supply. It was quite an interesting touch.

The Twelve starts off a bit slow, the first 200 pages took me months to get through, honestly. I never really felt compelled or a pull toward finishing the book. However, once the book starts it’s cresendo and we really get down to the action I was unable to set it down. I found myself engrossed and repulsed. There are some very disturbing, very violent scenes. If you don’t have the stomach for it, that’s fine but I just wanted to put out there that The Twelve might make some people uncomfortable. Personally, I thought it was an interesting depiction of how brutal the world has turned in the wake of suck your blood instead of romancing you vampires taking over.

Personally, what prevented me from really loving The Twelve was all of the sexual violence. I know, I know grown up books have sexual violence. And I am not here to say yes, censor books. I just want to say that I thought it was kind of gratuitous. Like, it made me sick to my stomach and I skimmed through those parts because they honestly really bothered me.

Anyways, I did like the end of The Twelve and would have liked it to just resolve right there. However, there are threads left tangled, so it’s pretty obvious there’s going to be a third book. The ending though, does resolve quite a bit and it would have been a nice logical place to end. Alas, I know I’ll pick up book three but I’m not exactly on edge for it or anything.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.

Other reviews of The Twelve by Justin Cronin:

The Book Smugglers – “Sometimes, expectations can be a bitch.”

Coffee And A Book Chick – “I had this eerie and remote sense of detachment”

Kimba The Caffeineated Reader - “The characters in this trilogy have been superbly fleshed out.”

Other books by Justin Cronin:

The Passage

Allison Reviews The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell

by Allison L

When one of your closest friends suggests a book to you and swears that it is “TOTALLY BITCHIN’”, you know you must go out and purchase that book, right? Well that is what happened to me when April suggested that I check out The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell, and I can assure you that once again she knows exactly what she is talking about. Girl has amazing taste in books! I should probably mention that this recommendation came before I joined Good Books and Good Wine as co-blogger which just goes to show you how carefully I listened to April’s recommendations even before I entered the world of book blogging. Anyway, now it’s my turn to put my thoughts on this book down, and I am so excited to do so. Why you ask? Because truthfully The Aviary is simply divine!

The main character of The Aviary is twelve-year-old Clara Dooley. She has spent her whole life confined to the Glendoveer mansion where her mother is a servant to the very kind and elderly matron of the house. Clara has been confined to the grand estate due to a mysterious heart condition but normally she doesn’t mind it. It’s actually a pretty comfortable quiet life except for the creepy birds in that aviary out back that always seem to be squawking. Growing up, Clara never had any reason to question her life but now that she’s a bit older, she’s getting restless. She’s tired of being alone all the time. She wants a REAL friend that she can visit and share secrets with. She wants to go outside. Oh, and she wants to know WHY the birds are squawking all the time. Especially when she swears that one actually spoke to her saying the word “Elliot”. But birds can’t talk, can they? Or can they? How is this connected to the fact that the Glendoveer’s youngest child was named Elliot? WHAT does all of that mean?

The writing for The Aviary is gorgeous. I’m serious about this. It has a vibrant old school gothic feeling to it which you can become easily wrapped up in. Major kudos to Kathleen O’Dell. You are able to guess a few of the things regarding the mystery but, there are still a few twists and turns which you do not expect. It is all exquisitely woven together, and provides a very strong frame work for the characters to interact within. Speaking of the characters all of them have such a strong foundation. There is not a weak character in the group! They all have their own personalities, and sense of drive and direction, and they were wonderful to read about.

Another thing that was wonderful about The Aviary was the pacing of the story. I was never bored with this story. Even though it took me a while to read due to my work schedule at the time, whenever I did get a chance to read it, I never wanted to put it down because just like Clara I wanted to solve the mystery of the Glendoveer mansion and the birds and find out if she was able to set things right. Also, speaking of the Glendoveer mansion, I loved the description of the mansion and the surrounding area. It really left me with a gothic feel that resonated with me through out the entire novel.

If you’re looking for a magnificent middle grade book filled with mystery, magic, and a lesson on the value of a good solid friendship, I highly recommend The Aviary to you. I honestly feel that you will not regret picking this book up and giving it a chance. I know I don’t!

Disclosure: Purchased copy

Other Reviews of The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell:

April’s Review: “The Aviary is fan-fricken-tastic.”

The Book Smugglers: “Oh my, The Aviary is lovely.”

The Lupine Librarian: “The mystery at the heart of the story will keep you reading, but the book also brings up good points about independence and family and friend relationships.”

The Bookinista: “While many parts stretched the limits of imagination I still enjoyed my reading of the book.“

Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

It’s really hard for me to begin to write a review of a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Like, how do I perfectly convey the flaily arms, shouty voice feeling I got after reading Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill. Y’all, I totally ate this book up. Like, whenever I had a spare moment I would crack open my kindle and read. That’s rare for me lately, because I’ve been more in the mood for TV than reading or blogging.

Main character Julia is basically a Type-A personality, meaning she’s super organized, kind of judgmental and bossy. When her BFF has to bail on a class trip to London, Julia is stuck being partnered with class clown Jason, and honestly? It’s her version of Hell, as he deviates from the schedule and is quite the trouble maker. You see, Julia is very much a by the book kind of girl. Anyways, Jason convinces Julia to let loose at a party. The next day she wakes up to a pounding hangover and mysterious, romantic texts from someone named Chris. With Jason’s help, Julia runs all over London trying to track down love and her Meant To Be.

As a person, I am nothing like Julia or Jason. Like, are you guys kidding me? I consistently procrastinate instead of getting things all done ahead of time like Julia does. However, I also don’t act like a total idiot in public like Jason. That’s not to say that I didn’t like or was unable to relate to the two characters. I know some people thought Julia was kind of a pain in the rear, but I liked her. I love reading books about uptight girls who realize it’s okay to loosen up. Plus, you guys I had a lot of empathy for Julia. You see, her dad died when she was really young and she was left with this impression of a Meant To Be where basically in life each person has someone with whom it is meant to be and she won’t settle for less. Anyways, plenty of life lessons are learned.

Morrill is a competent writer. If you are a fan of Stephanie Perkins’ writing style, chances are you will be a fan of Meant To Be as well. The pacing is wonderful in that I was so sucked in to this world of London and mysterious text messages and annoying trip buddies, that the time spent reading Meant To Be passed very quickly. I was never bogged down by boring superflous purple prose or anything. And frankly, when I am in a tiny bit of a slump, getting sucked in is exactly what I am looking for. I know we don’t all deal with slumps the same way, but if your reading preferences and habits are similar to mine, chances are Meant To Be will be a great slump buster for you.

Y’all, if your primary objective when reading YA is to recapture that old school swooning feeling, THIS IS THE BOOK. Like, the entire time while reading Meant To Be I was rooting for the goofball, what can I say, I have a soft spot for class clowns. There’s a certain scene in Meant To Be that takes place in a field with some rain where I am pretty sure you’ll be with me on team Goofball and will totally be like YES THAT IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. YES SIR. As far as contemporary young adult romances go, I was very pleased with this book and it’s outcome.

If you’ve got a soft spot for the whole opposites attract trope, like reading about teenagers in a strange land (London HOLLA), and do not mind stick in the mud characters, you need to get your hands on Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill as soon as possible. For reals, I am feeling the need to purchase whatever Morrill comes out with in the future because I was so satisfied by Meant To Be and it definitely helped that slump.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill:

Bewitched Bookworms – “I am excited to tell that this book delivered everything it promised!!”

YA Librarian Tales - “For me, it was just an okay reading experience but that should not stop you from discovering it for yourself”

Rather Be Reading – “Book Licker. I fell in love with this book at the first mention of Book Licker”

The Traitor’s Daughter Paula Brandon Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Going from reading YA books to adult books can go either one of two ways: A) OH MY GOSH WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING or B) do ALL adult books meander like this?! Unfortunately, The Traitor’s Daughter by Paula Brandon was a book that didn’t exactly have me clamoring and proclaiming about how much I had been missing out on. I had been expecting magic, intrigue, romance and plagues, but wound up with a whole lot of wading to get to that point. Unfortunately, The Traitor’s Daughter, while fantastic in concept, doesn’t quite have the snappiness to it that I’ve come to expect with YA or the compulsive MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT that I get with a lot of adult epic fantasy.

The Traitor’s Daughter by Paula Brandon is about a world in turmoil. Set in a land called the Veiled Isles, humans live with an amphibious race called the Sishmindri. Society is extremely stratified, with the Taerleezis at the top, serving as overlords to the Faerlornish, who once had glory. There is a magic called The Source which is about to reverse polarity and cause the Veiled Isles to be uninhabitable for humans. The change in the Source causes a plague where the dead rise. The only way to fix it is for seven arcanists from the seven magical families to overcome their rivalries and work together as a team to stop the shifting of the Source. On a more micro level, there is a fierce hatred that boils throughout the Isles towards Aureste Belandor, whom some call the Kneeser. Aureste wrested power a long time ago from distant relatives and now leads the Belander family. Unfortunately, for his daughter Jianna, this serves as a catalyst for the rebels to abduct her. The Traitor’s Daughter explores Jianna’s time as a hostage among the rebels and how she comes to understand the rebel cause.

The world Paula Brandon builds is a bit confusing to follow. There’s towns and wilderness. There is magic, through the Source, that only certain members of the Seven families are allowed to use. The Sishmindris are treated as slaves, yet there isn’t exactly explanation as to why. It is a world where marriages are arranged. The people are ruled by a governor, yet members of the Seven families experience prominence as well. The technology includes gun powder, yet they also use swords. It’s a bit hard to place the world, because while bits are familiar — carriages for example, others such as the use of mental arcane magic are unique. As a reader, I had trouble picturing the world within The Traitor’s Daughter.

Despite reservations with the world building, the characters within The Traitor’s Daughter are interesting and multifaceted. Jianna, one of the main characters, begins as rather spoiled and naive, thinking her family name will open every single door for her. She refuses to acknowledge that her father might not be perfect. As the story progresses, Jianna’s character develops. While she is put into awful circumstances, she learns self reliance. Jianna discovers a talent for healing and helping in the sick room. She learns to think beyond the story her father has told her. I thought Jianna made for a compelling protagonist, and was disappointed whenever the point of view left her.

There is a lot of violent action within The Traitor’s Daughter which is sure to either attract or turn people off. Some of the scenes, particularly those surrounding Jianna’s capture are a bit stomach turning. Yet, the action just serves to highlight how gritty the world of the Veiled Isles is. There are a lot of fight scenes within The Traitor’s Daughter as well as scenes depicting torture and violence against women. If you have a weak stomach, you might want to pass on this.

The Traitor’s Daughter is a meandering sort of book. Bits feel very convoluted and it takes a bit of time to get through. If you are an impatient reader, you might not like this book. The writing made me feel as though I was being held at arm’s length from truly diving in, as a reader. There were a few stretches that I found boring, yet I was compelled to finish because I was curious about Jianna’s fate, and the synopsis mentioned a romance. There is a romance, but it’s barely there. It’s not exactly front and center. If you are a person who judges books based on the cover, don’t read The Traitor’s Daughter expecting to get swept up in an epic romance.

My reaction to The Traitor’s Daughter by Paula Brandon is that it is an okay book. It is not outstanding. It is not awful. I found myself compelled by the characters, but confused by the world. I would have liked more plague and less exploration of minutiae. I came into the book expecting to be swept away by magic and romance and intrigue, but find myself feeling rather lukewarm in the end. If you are a reader who is patient and doesn’t mind a micro exploration of bigger themes, then you will enjoy The Tratior’s Daughter.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.

Other reviews of The Traitor’s Daughter by Paula Brandon:

Fantasy Book Critic – “The novel has a detached – and quite dark on occasion – style that worked very well”

My Bookish Ways – “ I was riveted with The Traitor’s Daughter”

Wickedly Bookish – “The whimsy of this book caught me right away”