75 Books...More or Less! discussion

1. Night Road by Kristin Hannah - 1/1/12

I really enjoyed reading this book; it's one of those cry-til-you-feel-better books, and man, did I cry (though it's not that hard to make me, to be honest). If I look at the individual elements of the book however, I do find some lacking. Like - Jude was such a whiiiiny, kind of unbelievable character (is there really a mother that involved but also not involved at all??). Zach character was so... flat. In fact, all of the male characters in the book were archetypes. The loving, patient father - the handsome, faithful boy-next-door. I like a little more UMPH from my men. But oh, the story... the story moved me along to the aforementioned tears, so I forgive the boring male characters... 4 stars.

2. Angelfall by Susan Ee - 1/2/12

Honestly, I don't expect much from the cheap 99 cent books I download on my kindle. I also don't expect much from YA paranormal angel novels (I mean, did you read that Hush, Hush book? No, me neither. I couldn't make it through the first three chapters without wanting to gouge out my eyes). So to say I was pleasantly surprised by Angelfall is a gross understatement.

I loved the main character - who could actually explain why she was able to kick ass so nimbly and brutally, and who took an active role in her fate instead of being carried away by an oh-so-hot bad boy (or good boy, for that matter), and whose paranoid-schizo mother named her for an exit on the freeway. Yes, Penryn, you heard me - I love ya, and I have been waiting for a YA heroine like you since The Hunger Games.

I loved the romance that didn't hit you like a ton of bricks. To be honest, it barely even surfaced (in a good way), which was fine with me, because I prefer the action to take precedence over the ooey-gooey-melt-in-his-arms shtuff (did you hear that, Maggie Stiefvater? I'm talking to you, and Sam, and Grace).

Oh, did you hear me say action? Uh-huh. And a little horrific gore (though not out-and-out carnage, which I was also thankful for. Swinging heavenly swords against zombified scorpion baby-angels? Yes, please, give me more!

I could gush on, but I have a deadline here. But you get the picture - loved this (especially for 99 cents). Loved it doubly when I thought about it for a while after reading it. Triple loved it when I found out the author published INDEPENDENTLY but her writing was better-edited than most of the YA paranormal circling as of late. Love love love. And di I mention it was only 99 cents?? 5 stars.

3. Last Christmas by Kate Brian - 1/3/12

Do I have to admit I read this book? Oh, fine then. But in my defense: it was for a stupid task in the current Seasonal Reading Challenge, and I really had no other choices (do you know how many non-romance Christmas books there are that are part of a series? No? Well let me tell you - none. It was a bodice-ripper, a YA bodice-ripper with some murders, or nothing at all. I thought the YA angle would save me. I was wrong).

I feel sorry for the little girls who read stuff like this and don't realize it's crap because they watch Gossip Girl and read TMZ and think "this is what makes the world go round". Oh, how I want to rip the Justin Bieber albums from their ipods and shove some Libba Bray in their hands. But I digress.

Don't read it. Don't let it sit on your bookshelf, lest people think you may have read it. Don't let it sit on your bookshelf next to another, better book, as it's very presence will taint the literary right out of it.

Oh, and to complete the challenge task, I have to read another book from the same series. Sigh.

Can I give 0 stars?

4. Right Behind You by Gail Giles - 1/3/12

Have you ever read a book and thought - wait, haven't I read this before? And then you realize, no, you haven't, the author just recycled several story lines and melded them together with some mediocre metaphors and then published it with an eye-catching cover and an ambiguous title. Whelp, that's what happened with me and this book.

It truly wasn't bad. It was just... boring. A wounded boy who did something horrible leans on the stable adults in his life to eventually forgive himself and find love. Nicholas Sparks for kids.

If you miss this one, don't worry, I'm sure there will be another one out soon. Two very vanilla stars.

5. Private by Kate Brian - 1/4/12

I told you I had to read another in this series. But to be honest - I liked this one slightly better. Still only one star, but at least the main character wasn't so --- pretentious and evil.

Hey Meghan! Nice to see you back around :)

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth - 1/5/12

See, Veronica Roth gets it. She gets it like Suzanne Collins gets it, like Susan Ee gets it. She knows I like my heroines a lot kick-ass, and a little flawed. She knows I like my love interests to be a lot intelligent, a little bad boy. She knows that when it comes to action I like it, but I want to know why we're doing it and how we know how to do it. I need a little purpose, people, that's all I'm asking. And Divergent delivers on all of the above, plus. It's what I've been searching for after The Hunger Games, all those years ago.

Tris is our heroine. Four is our love interest. There's a big, bad dystopian political machine that, in its attempts to make a perfect world, have led our heroine and her man into a not-so-great situation, but have also provided her with the tools to overcome not only the situation but the big, bad political machine as well. This, coupled with some terrific writing and spot-on characterization, made me loooooove this book. Have I gushed enough? Okay - the one flaw...

In Tris' training (view spoiler)[there are some hard-core fighting scene. I'm talking nose gushing blood, bashed in head, knife through an eye kind of fighting scenes. And they go on for pages. And pages. Now I get why I had to know it - the politics of the world has turned Tris' faction blood-thirsty, Tris is indeed a bad-ass fighter if she can withstand it, etc. etc. etc. However, I have to admit I skimmed through a lot of it because I was kind of... over the violence. But I get why it was there. (hide spoiler)] So, I would take off, like, 1/8th of a star for not editing this down a bit.

So yes... loved loved loved. In Goodreads world, this is definitely a five star book (Well, 4 and 7/8ths of a star, but who's counting?).

Wow, you're off to a really strong start! I'm enjoying your reviews so far.

7. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - 1/7/11

Know why I liked this one? And I mean the only reason... because I want to do this. I want to go on an adventure through Europe, unplanned, unlimited funds, on my own. It is one of those things I feel like I should have done ten years ago, but now I'm thirty and supposedly responsible and I don't have the money now any more than I did ten years ago.

But other than that. Other than that. This book left ... well, everything to be desired. Our heroine - if we should deem to call her that - didn't seem to change much. I mean, you take a life-altering, all-expenses paid romp through Denmark and Paris and Greece and Rome and London (not in that order, by the way)... and you are unchanged? Not in YA lit you're not - or at least you shouldn't be. So where's the character development, Maureen? Did I miss it somewhere in the way-too-detailed descriptions of Harrods? And then you get out of it... (view spoiler)[ a fortune from your aunt's paintings that have nothing to do with you or any talent you might have, whatsoever (and we don't even know if you have nay, because the whole trip you were just scared and shy. And boring. Oh, and a famous artist inks their work on your shoulder, and you don't get it tattooed there? REALLY?!?!? (hide spoiler)].

Sigh. Maybe I'm just angry because I feel like if I had that opportunity... I would have gone for it. I mean really GONE for it. But alas... here I sit, typing furiously at my computer, no European adventure in the works. A very tepid three stars.

Hi, Meghanly! Like Barb, I am really enjoying your reviews. Keep 'em coming.

8. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson - 1/7/12

I have to tell you, I didn't have high hopes for this one. Despite the raving YA fanatics on this here website who claimed it the best thing since American Idol went on hiatus, I wasn't necessarily sold on the idea of a love triangle in which one point is your dead sister's boyfriend. Not a spoiler by the way, read the jacket cover. Anyway, I had misgivings, but I decided to trust the raving fanatics and give it a go.

I was pleasantly surprised.

First and foremost, Jandy Nelson is a phenomonal writer. Her turns of phrases - putting words together I have never seen but fit everything so exactly - were poetic, eerily beautiful, yet sparse, concise. I was never overpowered, but kept stopping to think - wait a minute, that was gorgeous.

And though the story wasn't gripping (wasn't even necessarily inventive), it was raw, and messy, and right. It stung, bitterly, at times, and sweetly, at others. I was enraptured.

Oh, and the main character's name is Lennon. As in John. Could I love this any more??

So why only four stars, you ask? OK, here comes the real spoiler, kiddos. (view spoiler)[ While the story was messy, the ending was not - a happy ending tied up in a big red bow with a sloppy puppy kiss to boot. While it was interesting that she kept the mom out of the picture and didn't tell us who Grammy's crush was (yes, you got that right, I said grammy), Lennon seriously gets a big happily ever after with Joe? No way. And their reunion scene - it was so stick-my-finger-down-my-throat-sappy-sweet that I kept thinking, "Jandy, did you let someone else write this part?" Weeeeird. And not appreciated, at least not by me. (hide spoiler)]

So where does that leave us? With me, wishing I could write like Jandy Nelson. Except for that end part. That part kinda sucked.

4 stars.

9. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - 1/8/12

Believe the hype. This book is really as good as everyone claimed it to be. And it was a nice diversion from all the YA I have been reading lately (not that YA is a bad thing, but I needed to cleanse the palate).

The magic of Diffenbaugh's writing thrives in her characterization. Deeply flawed, the characters in these books are ones to whom you want to scream, "NOOOOOO, don't do that! What are you thinking!", even though you know they will... and even though you know why they will. Much as in real life...

I also adored learning about the language of flowers and the beauty of cooking. Clearly, the author did her research, but wove it into the story with such dexiterity that I didn't feel lectured; instead, it made me want to craft bouquets and start pots simmering on the stove.

And the ending - ahhh, the ending - it is just what endings are in life... the beginning of something else, with multitudes of loose ends that have the potential to fray away until forgotten or to become intertwined again into the fabric of our characer's daily lives.

An enthusiastic five stars.

10. The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge - 1/9/12

I don't get it.

This book was long. Really super long. And I kept thinking... they really should have left this whole scene out. I am reading it for no reason. No reason at all.

And I didn't like the characters - not Aoife, who was too wishy-washy and besides, I can't pronounce her name. Not Cal, who was nice and then mean and preachy and then nice again, and then (view spoiler)[turned into a friggin' GHOUL and I had no clue (hide spoiler)]. And not even Dean, the love interest, who was too much swagger and coolness and smokin' cigarettes for me.

But I do kinda want to know what happens.

Humph.

3 stars?

Meghanly wrote: "6. Divergent by Veronica Roth - 1/5/12

See, Veronica Roth gets it. She gets it like Suzanne Collins gets it, like Susan Ee gets it. She knows I like my heroines a..."

Thanks for this review! This book keeps coming up in my recommended list, and I was on the fence as to whether I wanted to read it or not. I think I am definitely going to have to read it this year.

11. Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork - 1/10/12

In my list thus far, there has been a lot of female-protagonist YA dystopoian novels... this is not one of those. In fact, this is about as far from that as you can get - and that is a beautiful thing. Marcelo is a young man with a high-functioning form of autism close to Asbergers (I possibly spelled that incorrectly - forgive me). At the age of seventeen, his big-time lawyer father wants him to experience "the real world", so Marcelo reluctantly begins work at his father's law office for the summer, in the mail room. His journey that summer is tough, and tender, and highlighted by profound moments of clarity and wisdom.

The beauty of this story is in Marcelo's voice. I tell you what, it takes a talented author to capture the unique inflections, characteristics and insights of a character with autism, without passing over the line of stereotyping or cliches. Stork does it to perfection. The insights about love, about life, about relationships, that Marcelo shares with us are so richly captured here, but in Marcelo's voice - not Stork's. It was literary perfection.

I also am a sucker for some amazing symbolism. (view spoiler)[ The girl with half a face - half beautiful, half destroyed - was a sublime representation of what Marcelo discovers about human nature. And his internal music? Splendid representation of internal hope. And the biblical references? Briliant. (hide spoiler)]

I also loved that the adults in Marcelo's world weren't caricatures, like most YA literature. There were some real role models there - not just the evil parent, the doting mother, etc. Each adult was flawed, yes, but each also had tremendously redeeming qualities, and Marcelo was able to depend on them for solid advice.

We are lucky that Francisco X. Stork is a YA author; our young adults need to read a book like this. Then again, so do our adults.

5 stars.

12. The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner - 1/12/12

This was a fun little piece of Middle Grades brain candy. A lot like the Pendragon series, but with less action and more brain teasers. While I was engaged for the first 250 pages or so, there was definitely momentum lost as the waiting of the character for his next clues dragged on... and on... and on. I think the climax was also a bit lacking - (view spoiler)[ Annika's death meant nothing to me because her CHARACTER meant nothing to me, the reader... though it obviously meant something to the main adult characters, who cried on and on. Very odd for an author to do such a thing. And very convenient to the plot that we now have no idea how a spy was planted there in the first place. And very lucrative for the publishers, who will probably publish a prequel featuring Annika and how she came to be a spy in the Lemon Fortress. But I digress. (hide spoiler)]

Nothing new and innovative. But not bad.

3 stars.

Tiffani wrote: "Meghanly wrote: "6. Divergent by Veronica Roth - 1/5/12

See, Veronica Roth gets it. She gets it like Suzanne Collins gets it, like Susan Ee gets it. She knows I lik..."

Yes! Read it! I definitely enjoyed it.

13. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner- 1/13/12

This book was long on action but short on answers. I mean, literally, I don't understand anything more than what I did after reading The Maze Runner. I am still massively confused. And I feel like if Thomas passes out or gets knocked unconscious one more time, his brain is literally going to turn to jell-o. I mean, seriously, I don't think anyone's skull can take that much jostling and still be the same.

But all in all - I am checking out the third one as we speak. Must. Know. What. Happens.

3 stars - but I still want to keep reading the series.

14. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - 1/13/12

Maureen has really come into her own with this book. I promise you, I didn't even realize she was the same author as that little blue envelopes book until after I enjoyed the last page. This is a whole different kind of novel - laugh out ooud, but with a creepy suspense and sense of purposeful movement that was lacking in that envelopes book.

And to be perfectly honest - you can't go wrong with a Jack the Ripper story.

4 stars, for its thrills, for its chills, for its side-show romance and its cliffhanger ending. Thank you, Maureen! I can truly see you as an evolving writer now.

15. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - 1/16/12

This is what gives YA literature a bad name. This. This drivel. I can't begin to tell you how much I detested this book. In fact, about 100 pages in, I started making a list of why I hated this book so much. Literally, it's written on the back of a piece of junk mail from H&R Block that happened to be sitting on my kitchen counter. Here it is:

Oh, and beware. I'm not leaving out the spoilers. Because I want to spoil the book for you, because you should never, ever, ever waste your time reading it like I did.

Top 10 Reasons I Hated This Book:
5. As a fellow reviewer stated, sentences are not mini vans. You can't just load adjectives and adverbs and clauses onto them and expect them to hold everything while still making sense becuase oh my god, what happens then is run-on sentences with holy crap holy crap holy crap stupid expletives clogging up your plot line because the author isn't adept enough to SHOW you instead of TELL you what is going on, I gasped. And yes, it was hard for me to actually type that sentence.

4. You should spell out numbers instead of writing them in a sentence. In fact, that isn't a suggestion, it's an English grammar rule. So tell me why I read - over and over again - numbers where they should not be. 2 knocks at the door startle my emotions (pg. 8) or 6 more feet until the wall goes from rough to smooth (pg. 15) or I was dragged away exactly 7 years after (pg. 31). Notice that's in the first couple chapters. Need I go on?

3. Speaking of rules. It is not cute, or ironic, or interesting to cross out words that the character is really thinking and then put something mild and unassuming in their palce. For example: "Please don't let go of me put me down," I tell him. (pg. 66) To me, that's a cheap trick used by a talentless author who (again) can only TELL US instead of SHOWING US. Weak, weak, weak. But let me try it. "I thought this book was a piece of crap different." Nope, I think I will just tell you... it's a piece of crap.

2. Stupid tricks aside, let's get into some character development discussions. As in, why isn't there any at all in this book? How does our main character change and grow due to the plotline and climax of our book? Let's see, she starts out as a scared girl afraid of her own feelings and of herself. And, oh yeah, she ends up a scared little girl afraid of her own feelings and of herself. I'm so glad I read 300+ pages to figure THAT one out.

1. But there are other characters, right Meghan? What about the guys? Oh yeah. There's a hero - who conveniently has been in love with our main character becasue she has always been so kind and nice. And how do we know this? Oh yeah, because he tells us about it. Do we see her being kind and nice throughout the novel, however? Nope (there is one scene where she throws a toddler around by his diaper to avoid big metal spikes in the ground... but that's hardly a choice, correct?). SO really, we just have his word for it. Again I say - WEAK.

I could honestly go on and on... how a girl who can bust through concrete walls with her bare hands and kill people by touching them should be KICKING ASS, not being carried out of danger (three separate times) by her loooooooove. Or how it is an insult ot my intelligence to play the "love at first sight" card, and have that explain why two characters are now willing to die for each other after knowing each other for two weeks. Or how this ends up being a GLORIFIED X-MEN REMAKE in the last 50 pages when they come to a "secret compound" where people with "special powers" gather to rebel against the government, led by Professor X a mysterious man who has the ability to move things with his mind (see, I can do the cross-out thing, too).

Negative 2 stars.

16. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (1/17/12)

I adored this book for so many reasons. It took a very, very familiar YA genre - angel paranormal romance - and completely turned it inside out and upside down, until you don't even remember that's what you are supposed to be reading about. The story... and oh, the story is gorgeous... is suspenseful and purposeful, and there are these moments of tranquility folded within the story that just make you breathe out and say, wow. This Laini Taylor lady... she knows what she is doing.

I will warn you, there are two stories in one here (view spoiler)[when you find out our main character, Karou, is actually another character brought back from the dead (hide spoiler)]. And I was a little disappointed when the second story took over... hence the 4 instead of 5 star rating. However, looking back, I think I was disappointed going to the second story because I was so entranced with Karou's world in the first... traveling in and out of portals, adventuring through tropical and foreign bazaars, exploring hidden goth bars with quirky friends... I adored her.

Completely looking forward to the next book. Highly recommend.

17. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (1/18/12)

There is absolutely nothing about this book that will make you remember it a year from now. It was cute. The relationship was cute (if a little forced). The characters were cute (if a little flat). The plot was cute (if a little predictable). The writing wasn't by any means offensive, but it certainly never blew me away. To be honest, the most interesting thing about this book was the cover art.

3 stars just because it was better than Shatter Me.

18. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn (1/18/12)

This was fun fluff, humorous and absorbing in a not-too-believable way. I enjoyed the hell out of the premise - two teenagers form a relationship by passing a notebook full of clues back and forth - and I truly don't believe a better city exists than NYC (this book could LITERALLY have taken place nowhere else but that beautiful city). So yes, Dash was a little unbelievable - a little too cool in that trying-too-hard-to-be-ironic kind of way - and Lily was a annoyingly naive sometimes - but I had fun reading this.

Three stars.

19. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr (1/20/12)

This book wasn't bad, I promise. In fact, the writing was relatively decent and the characters were believable (even if Jill did get on my nerves with all that self-pity). But again... I just feel like I've been here before. Like I've read this same story a million times, like those heartstrings have already been plucked with the same sad but uplifting story, and that I've already wrapped it up with the same pretty bow at the end. I dunno, maybe realistic YA fiction is just not my bag.

2 stars. Because it was just ok.

20. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan - 1/21/12

I have to admit, I am a huge Percy Jackson fan. Whatever. He is funny, and heroic, and loyal, and his girlfriend Annabeth is like a Hermione who can fight. I refuse to justify my love for him any further!

5 stars. Of course.

Meghanly wrote: "20. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan - 1/21/12

... and his girlfriend Annabeth is like a Hermione who can fight..."

That is soooo perfect! And why I love her ;)

21. Crossed by Ally Condie - 1/22/12

The downfall of this novel was the author's inability to switch effectively between two first-person narrative voices. Any suspense that might have been built was inevitably lost as the reader tried to figure out who the hell was speaking. If Condie had a decent editor, they might have at least printed the alternating narrative voices in different fonts. But alas, by the time you figured out who was talking this time - Ky or Cassia - you really didn't care anymore. I skimmed the last 50 pages because I was so over it.

One star.

22. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan - 1/23/12

Rick Riordan tells a fun tale. I have to say, the Egyptian upload of information in this one was a LOT... lots of telling, telling, telling... but there was enough action to keep me interested. He also did a great job of distinguising Carter's voice from his sister's - and this is a difficult writing technique to master. So kudos. But something was missing that made the Percy Jackson sparkle... and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe a lack of sense of humor? Not sure. But still a fun little romp into mythology.

3 stars.

23. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson - 1/23/12

I wasn't blown away. No surprises here. Just some mediocre writing, a barely there YA romance and a lot of Thoreau quotes.

2 stars.

24. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr - 1/24/12

This novel was beautiful in its simplicity. Truly a slice of life, from the point of view of a very, VERY insecure high school girl. I loved that it was REAL - it didn't end the way it was "supposed to", it just carried on, as life does, with our protagonist growing up a little ... a lot... along the way.

25. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay - 1/26/12

I really should have read this BEFORE I watched all the seasons of Dexter of Showtime. Though I loved Dexter's self-deprecating humor... there was no suspense for me. Um hello, I already know who the Ice-Truck Killer is. And the end of the book was a little... muddled. But all in all, strong writing and an enjoyable character. 3 stars.

26. The Peach Keeper: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen - 1/26/12

I was duped by this one. I was so excited when it first started out: a mysterious old house, old Southern secrets, and a sprinkle of magic (I adored the scene where all the women in the Social Club start spilling their secrets). I was also really looking forward to when all the symbolism and hints about little black-and-yellow birds would come to fruition within the plot. It never did.

And then, it got worse.

It turned into a romance. A mushy one. And it tried to pour in a dose of Ya-Yas, with two women who instantly become the best of friends, forever and ever. Blech. Too sickly sweet for my blood.

But I thought it was going to be so good!!

3 stars, merely because the beginning was so magical.

27. Shine by Lauren Myracle - 1/28/12

Meghanly wrote: "26. The Peach Keeper: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen - 1/26/12

I was duped by this one. I was so excited when it first started out: a mysterious old house, old Sou..."

Hi Meghanly, I absolutely agree with you on this one and it started off with such high promise. Major missed opportunity to take it somewhere fantastic.

28. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - 1/29/12

I was prepared not to enjoy this book. After a string of pretty bad YA dystopian forays, I was becoming disillusioned with the genre, to put it mildly. And to add in a serious romance? It's risky. But let me tell you - Lauren Oliver did it pretty darn well.

The pacing of this book was really superb. A lot of times, especially with a YA novel that's working on limited page-length and a teenager's short attention span, both the romance and the action goes zero-90 in 3.7 seconds, leaving you as the reading thinking... no way. Not buying it. NOT SO with Delirium! The main character, Lena, really grew into her own rebellion, slowly, believably, as if she really was coming out of a brainwashed state that the government put her under. And the romance grew naturally, fluidly... I liked it. I really, really liked it.

My only complaint is the ending. And I suppose, in this post-Twilight and Hunger Games era, I should have known it was coming, but I hate cliffhangers. I know, I know, everything's a triogy nowadays, but geez. Can I get a HINT of satisfaction? Please? But hey - I WILL be reading the next in the series, so I guess it did its job.

4 stars.

29. Organize for a Fresh Start: Embrace Your Next Chapter in Life by Susan Fay West - 1/31/12

30. The Death Cure by James Dashner - 1/31/12

Blech. I just got so tired of these characters. I didn't care about them by this time (so WHINY, this lot) and I just wanted to know what was going to happen. I would suggest not getting invested in this series... it's not worth it!

2 stars.

31. Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer - 2/1/12

This was a fast read, with a lot of information presented in a straight-forward, accessible for kids manner. My only issue with this book is that I could sense the author's religious bias - nothing concrete, just a general "read-between-the-lines" sense that I don't think kids would pick up on, but would certainly influence them.

Three stars.

32. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George - 2/1/12

It was very middle-grades cute. I love the idea of a castle that changes on a daily basis, depending on its mood and what you need (if it likes you, that is. The rebellion of the young prince and princesses was a little too "Home Alone-y" for my tastes (Manure on shoes? Really?) but all in all it was in good fun.

3 stars.

33. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

Really gorgeous writing and story-telling in this one... it unravels like the slow Mississippi drawl of all of the characters. It's not much of a whodunnit, just a whenyagonnafindout... but still kept me intrigued.

4 stars, for the masterful storytelling.

34. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan - 2/6/12

Give me Percy Jackson any day. This series just doesn't have that magic... Can't put my finger on why.

3 stars.

35. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi - 2/6/12

I really liked this book... but if I had given up on it in the first 50 pages like I had WANTED to, I never would have known it. The first setting of the book - the "pods" and the "realms", is shoddy work. The world seems sketchy at best, and the reader is thrown facts that they have no way to possibly understand. Oh, you wear an eyepatch thing? And it's surgically attached to you? Oh, and you don't like this boy, but you need information so you lured him here? Really? When did that happen? I don't know, it was such a confusing jumble of manufactured action combined with sloppy world-building, I felt like the author was in way over her head.

But then. (view spoiler)[ The pod throws Aria out ... (hide spoiler)]and the magic begins. I LOVED the "real world" the author creates. I loved the odyssey taken together by the two characters. I loved the romance that gradually builds. It turned into something I really, really enjoyed. Stayed up way past my bedtime enjoyed. My only concern is that #2 in the series will put us back in the awful pods. Ugh. Don't do it, Veronica!

4 stars.

Meghan, you are going to need a goal of 300 at this rate!