Thursday, 28 June 2012

The Luxe

Title: The Luxe

Series: Luxe #1

Author: Anna Godbersen
Genre: Historical Fiction, YA
Format: Paperback, 448 pages

Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Published By: HarperCollins Canada, HarperTeen

I was given a recommendation to read The Luxe by a coworker, and I have to admit I was a little hesitant. The cover depicts a chick lit book that contains no substance, at least that is what I thought the first time I saw it years ago. I agreed to give it a shot, and I have to say that I was a little surprised. I am not going to say that I loved this book, because I didn't. There were some problems that I will address later on, but first I would like to say that not only does the cover hinder the readership of this book, but limits its readership.

When I started reading this book I was pleasantly surprised at the level of prose that I was reading. Not only does Anna Godbersen know how to write historical prose, but she knows how to do it for a Young Adult audience. I loved the beginning of the book the best, with the prologue being a sneak peak into the end of the novel. It was a quick read, but not as quick as I am used to. I have to admit that it took me a long time to get into this books, and at times I wondered if I should put it down and let it sit for a few days. But I kept going, and I finished it.

The issues that I wanted to discuss were mostly to do with the flow of the novel. I found that although the prose was beautiful and very well written, I found at times that it got too descriptive and a little dry. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for that type of prose when I started reading The Luxe, but I wasn't a fan of it by the end. I liked that Anna chose to write from different perspectives throughout the novel, but I found that there were too many. I wanted her to stick with two or three people and stick to it, because it got distracting and a little frustrating especially when I was trying to get to the character I liked the most.

There were many characters in this novel that I disliked immensely, I didn't have an ounce of care for them, and found myself not wanting to read their parts because of the way they came off in the novel. I do have to say that Anna did the love story angle very well, and that is what kept me reading until the very end. In all, I give this book a 3/5 because I liked the genre, and most of the prose, but the characters lacked a certain something that made me care about them.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Series: Mara Dyer #1
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Romance
Format: Hardcover 452 pages
Publication Date: September 27th, 2011
Published By: Simon & Schuster Children's

Hauntingly real, and unbelievably well written, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is Michelle Hodkin’s debut YA novel that will leave you breathless until the very end. From the very first page we are sucked into the mystery that is Mara Dyer.

Mara’s life comes crumbling down on top of her–literally. She is the survivor of a horrific and questionable accident that involved her and her three closest friends. It is this accident that begins to define her life, and how she copes with the loss of so many people. This is mirrored in the new life that she ultimately decides to live. She begins to see things, people that should not be around, and the question then becomes…are they real?

Michelle Hodkin has a fluidity to her prose that allows us to experience Mara’s trails and her very real emotions that begin to overcome the life she so badly wants to reclaim. Michelle has the ability to put us inside Mara’s mind, and makes us feel what she feels, and makes us feel for her–even if we don’t quite understand the emotions she is dealing with.

This novel is incredibly powerful, and has stayed with me for weeks after I have finished reading it. There is an amazing love story weaved beautifully into the story, it is by no means minimalist love but it is powerful and advances Mara forward into a new beginning. There is a bit of language, and a few steamy scenes–which are my favorite :)

Michelle, thank you for creating a novel that is so creatively fresh and different. And for creating a character like Mara; very real, very damaged and ultimately strong in her own right.

I very strongly recommend this book. It was absolutely fantastic.

Once

Title: Once
Series: Eve #2
Author: Anna Carey
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Romance
Format: Hardcover 320 pages
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Published by: HarperCollins Canada, Harper Teen
Source: ARC provided by publication for review

Recently I have been having very good luck with sequels, and I sometimes find that when reading a sequel there tends to be high expectations and in the end I feel a little disappointed. But thankfully, Once by Anna Carey delivered, and there was no disappointment registered. In Once we continue to follow Eve on her journey to save Caleb from The City of Sand. I will not divulge anymore than that because Anna gives us a very large plot twist VERY early in the book, so anything I say will ruin the surprise, and I am all about surprises. To be honest, I can usually see a surprise coming, especially in YA. But this time it was quite different, what Anna told us seemed to come out of left field for me, I don't know about you, but I totally did not see it coming. I think I actually stopped reading for a few minutes just to let the information sink in. I was shocked, in a good way of course.

Not only did Anna shock us early, she also wrote a sequel that is full of action and desire, something that most sequels seem to lack. I have to say that I was surprised when I came to read a certain scene in the book. I will not spoil it for anyone who has not read the book yet(considering it does not hit shelves until early July), but what I will say is that it is a scene that most YA authors shy away from, especially at this point in a series. I find that a lot of authors don't have the guts to fully describe this scene the way it deserves, and I give Anna two thumbs up for doing an amazing job. She had the guts to describe what every reader wanted to see, and I commend her on that. It was amazing to see something different in a Ya novel, and it made the connections between the characters stronger and more realistic.

I read this book in one sitting, which I regret now because I wish I had let myself savor the story and take in everything at a slower pace. It probably would have made enjoyment of the book that much more concrete. The end, I thought, was well done for a sequel. It left me wanting more without a huge shocking moment that left me hanging. Sometimes I am all for cliffhangers, some books need them, but then again not every book needs to end on one. The shock and awe effect can only last so long in a series and I feel Anna addressed this well, and gave an ending that was simplistic, believable and shocking enough to make me want to read the last of the series.

Speaking of the last book in the Eve saga, Anna recently released the cover and title of the last installment of the series. She has called it Rise, something that makes you think what the title means. When thinking about her titles I am always stumped as to what they mean. But we will know soon enough, when Rise is released. So without further ado, here is the gorgeous cover of Rise:

Isn't gorgeous! I just love it :)

Until I Die

Title: Until I Die
Series: Revenants #2
Author: Amy Plum
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Romance
Format: Hardcover, 357 pages
Publication Date: May 8th, 2012
Published by: HarperCollins Canada, Harper Teen

In Amy Plum's sequel to Die for Me, Until I Die continues to follow Kate and Vincent on their quest for a normal life. What I loved about this book was its character development. I loved the fact that Kate grew as a character the further you read into the book. She no longer relied in Vincent to fight for her, she decided that she needed to train herself so that when the time came, she wiould be able to defend herself.

The connection between Vincent and Kate grew a lot stronger in this book, making me care for them much more than I did during the first novel. Throughout this series I have said that the secondary characters do make a difference in the perception of the book and helps readers connect more with the surroundings and the main characters themselves. And I have to day that in Until I Die, the secondary characters are amazingly well done. They are smart, sarcastic and a little flirtatious which makes for good dialogue between characters.

I am not one for cliffhangers at the end of books, I feel they only create more frustration for the reader, but the one at the end of Until I Die, I found very appropriate. Although many of you might be a little upset with the end (I will not divulge it here), I do feel that it was necessary and will be a good lead into the next book. Amy had created characters that many love and relate too, and I cannot wait for the ext book, and the next chapter in their adventure!

Dreamless

Title: Dreamless
Series: Starcrossed #2
Author: Josephine Angelini
Genre: YA, Myth, Supernatural, Romance
Format: Hardcover, 487 pages
Publication Date: May 29th, 2012
Published By: HarperCollins Canada, Harper Teen

I really don't know where to start when trying to explain how I feel about this book. Josephine Angelini took me on such a roller coaster of emotions from beginning to end that I didn't notice myself becoming emotionally attached. From the moment I read Starcrossed, the first novel in the series, I fell in love with Helen and Lucas and there fated loved story. The tension that Josephine created between these two characters was absolutely amazing, and it did not stop in Dreamless. All you could do from the beginning of the book was route for these two characters, hoping that they would find a way to be together. And THEN Josephine hands you a curve ball...a love triangle. Before I go on, let me explain what this book is about. Helen, the reincarnation of Helen of Troy, is a Descendent. She is the only living person able to descend into the Underworld to stop the furies from tearing her family apart. But its taking a tole on her emotions and her health. Soon, she turns to Lucas who seems to be pushing her further and further away, claiming that their attraction is wrong since they discovered that they were cousins. Left to her own will, Helen tries to find the furies on her own, to no avail. Then a mysterious boy shows up to help her named Orion and he makes her rethink her feelings and the direction of her mission.

Now, all I really want to do right now is scream and yell about how much I loved this book. I read it in two sittings, I was enthralled by the description of the Underworld and all of its loop holes and destinations, they were just as I imagined they would be. They were harsh and supernatural and a little bit frightening. Helen grew so much as a character in this novel, she no longer relied solely on Lucas for help, she figured things out on her own and I loved that.

Now, about that love triangle. When I went into this book knowing about the inclusion of another love interest I was a little skeptical. Josephine created a immeasurable bond between Lucas and Helen, and when that bond is threatened by a mysterious boy named Orion, one has to wonder what the author is thinking. But I have to say that I thought this twist brought out a different side of Helen and allowed for her and Lucas' relationship to sustain a few blows before the next book. As readers we have to see that they are not perfect, that their love can be tested, and that it will survive. We will have to wait and see in book three what Josephine has in store for them. But what I do say is that I really liked Orion as a character. He was sarcastic and fun, with a little bit of mystery and intrigue. He was the perfect guy to compete with Lucas, and I cannot wait to see where this triangle goes and how it develops. Please do not make the hasty decision to not pick up the book because of this Triangle, it adds so much more depth to the already amazing story. I loved it.

Tiger Lily

Title: Tiger Lily
Series: None
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Romance
Format:Hardcover, 304 pages
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Published By: HarperCollins Canada, Harper Teen

I went into this book with high expectations, and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. In this version of Peter Pan we follow the story of Tiger Lily and Peter before Wendy arrives. They create a strong love connection yet she has family obligations, therefore Tiger Lily struggles with the needs of her family and the needs of her heart.
Jodi Lynn Anderson is an amazing writer, her writing is so poetic and lyrical that sometimes I forgot about the plot, and the fact that not much happens in the book. I feel like I wanted too much out of this book. I wanted a stronger love story, I wanted to feel the connection between Peter and Tiger Lily, but I felt a disconnect with both characters. Peters character is not meant to be very likeable, that part I thought was done well because that was his character in the original tale. But I didn't feel anything for Tiger Lily, which surprised me a lot. I wanted to like her stubborn nature and her need to keep everything inside, but at times i wanted to scream at her to say whats in her head.
The narrator of this novel was my favorite by far and that's because it was Tinker Bell. I found that by making Tink the narrator, Jodi allowed herself to delve into not only the two main characters but Tink as well. And as the story develops, we see the progression of her character and how she got the bad reputation she had in the movies and the book. But, what I loved the most about this adaptation was its inclusion of not only the Disney classic and the book, but also the movie Hook. I don't know if everyone will agree with me, but there are some sense at the end of the novel that scream Hook to me. Overall I gave this book a 3 out of 5 because although there were aspects about the book that I loved, there were also many parts that I didn't like as much. If you like Peter Pan and adaptations of the classic tale, then I do think this book will be enjoyable.

The Pleasures of Men

The Pleasures of Men was one of those books that I thought would be very interesting. Not only because the author was a well known non-fiction writer, but also because the story line seemed different from everything that I was reading so far this year. I love the cover. Not only does it depict the time of novel but also the plot as well (with the insertion of the knife). But sadly, my love for the cover was as far as it went. As I started reading, I found the language to be very appropriate, that did not bother me, but Kate Williams' style of writing did. Her chapters were excessively long and seemed to ramble in places, and her characters were not very well developed.

In The Pleasures of Men we follow a young girl named Catherine who becomes obsessed with a serial killer named the Man of Crows. Now, the best part of this book to me was the murders, and Catherine's obsession. What threw me off completely was the way Kate chose to change perspective many times. I have read novels previously that had this element and it did not bother me, and I believe that the abruptness of the change and the lack of fluidity made this part of the novel very hard to read and to follow. Kate went from Catherine's perspective, to the killers, to the maids, to the neighbors' and back to Catherine again. The other issue I had with the perspective was the lack of acknowledging which character we were reading. At one point I was reading a chapter and had no idea who was speaking until a reference of another character showed up. This made reading this book very difficult for me.

While reading I always found myself wanting more action. When Kate would describe a death or the murder scene I found myself engrossed in the book, but then it would end and Kate would go back to describing the scenery and Catherine, along with her delusions and her weird ability to see the women that have been killed. As I have said before, the writing style was very Victorian and true to its time, but I found the plot unraveled too slowly for me and the revelation at the end did not give me the satisfaction I desperately wanted. This was a valiant effort for Kate Williams to proceed into the world of Historical Fiction, but to be completely honest, I think she should stay where she shines; in the world of Historical Biography.