This book must have been written at the height of Twilightdom.
In the immortal words of Georgia Nicolson, this is a facsimile of a sham. I've 2.5 stars
This book must have been written at the height of Twilightdom.
In the immortal words of Georgia Nicolson, this is a facsimile of a sham. I've read a lot of YA books copying the Twilight playbook, but Carrier of the Mark is the most blatant Twilight clone of them all. I won't get started on specifics because I would exceed the word count allowed for this review, but trust me on this one--just change some names and you've got Twilight (minus that addictive, guilty-pleasure-inducing quality Stephenie Meyer's writing has). I was forgiving at first because a fluffy instalove story is a nice respite at times, but by the time this book went all Breaking Dawn talking about what crazy babies our two just-met-you-a-few-weeks-ago-and-we're-already-talking-kids-and-forever lovebirds would have, I'd had enough.
And you know, this book would be a thousand times better if it stopped trying to ride on the coattails of the Twilight magic and came up with it's own characters and plot. The mythology is brimming with potential (although Fallon makes it a bit of a convoluted mess at times with all this gene nonsense) and the setting is IRELAND with all that gorgeous scenery, history, and magic to tap. There is so much possibility here, folks, but the author goes all Twilight with it and ruins what she has.
I will say, though, that's a gorgeous cover, and this book is highly readable. I breezed through it in just a few hours.
P.S. And for the record, I like Twilight. But it's been done. Enough with the Twilight clones already....more
A.J. Whitten's The Cellar is supposed to be a mix of zombies and Romeo and Juliet. I could have done with more Romeo and Juliet and less zombies. The A.J. Whitten's The Cellar is supposed to be a mix of zombies and Romeo and Juliet. I could have done with more Romeo and Juliet and less zombies. The horror in this book isn't very "I'm going to have nightmares for weeks because of this"--it felt more just gratuitous. However, for the segment of young adult readers who enjoy horror lite with a smattering of Twilight, this will be enjoyable.
Personally, I would have liked if this story stayed with a third-person narrative. The switch between first-person and third-person narration felt jumpy and interrupted the flow of the novel.
Additionally, the dialogue felt forced--like it was trying too hard to sound like teenagers (which is strange since the author's teenage daughter helped her write this). It was like the author felt that if she said Facebook and Hollister enough, the writing would seem more young adult. To me, it just felt unauthentic. I mean, I think I was in junior high the last time I heard someone say something and then end it with "not", and this book did it more than once.
However, The Cellar does offer some unique twists to today's tired young adult storyline. Although it's another "love at first glance from across the school hallway" story, the hot stalker guy...really truly is a baddie. Usually, it turns out he's misunderstood and trying to overcome the evil of his species, but Adrien really truly is a baddie. When he left Meredith in the cellar near the end, I knew he hadn't really reformed. You can expound about how his love for Heather redeemed him at the very end, but when he didn't save Meredith and wanted to FEED MEREDITH TO HER SISTER, he was every bit the selfish, creepy, obsessive baddie we met on his first day of school. He tells Heather not to judge him and to see him for what he wants to be, but then he didn't even free her sister. Yep, I'm going to judge him right there.
And can we please stop telling 16-year-olds that it's okay to be engaged and obsessive about marriage...as a junior in high school??? What was Heather thinking? (And wouldn't it be so gross to kiss a zombie? I mean, he eats people with that mouth. I couldn't stop thinking that every time he drew close to her.)
So, fans of horror have a nice, sanitized young adult horror novel that will appeal to many teens. There's nothing in this book to give you crazy nightmares--just a lot of zombies eating people again...and again...and again, but it just feels so detached that it's not even scary.
And Meredith? Points for NOT falling for the creepy guy. That's my favorite part of this book....more
I freely admit that reading this book while stranded at the Dallas airport for hours due to an end-of-the-world lightning storm that was rattling the I freely admit that reading this book while stranded at the Dallas airport for hours due to an end-of-the-world lightning storm that was rattling the windows fully affected my opinion of this book. The prose seemed like it was trying too hard to be pretty, or maybe that was just my grumpy mood speaking.
P.S. A drama teacher SOOOO could not get away with what "Dave" did. Not ever. That was just...strange.
P.P.S. Does a heroine named Abby make anyone else think of a toddler? That name only came into fashion in the last ten years or so, so my mental picture of an "Abby" is always of a litte kid....more
When I think of rating Wither, I feel so conflicted. The premise is too disturbing, the world building so muddled that I just cannot recommend this boWhen I think of rating Wither, I feel so conflicted. The premise is too disturbing, the world building so muddled that I just cannot recommend this book.
But then I remember that lovely, lovely prose. If I rated this book on the prose alone, I would certainly give it five shiny stars.
Lauren DeStefano's words evoke such strong images and emotions, and within a few pages, I was hooked. (I read this book in one sitting, finishing at 3:00 a.m. It was so haunting that I ended up reading it again over the course of a few days.) I needed to let this one settle for awhile to decide how I felt about it. How did DeStefano make me care about and maybe even like Linden? How did she make me overlook the gratuitous attempts to be shocking (did she really need to make Cecily 13?) and the anemic world building? It was that beautiful, sweeping prose that drew me in and kept me reading. I became so invested in her characters that I couldn't stop reading until I knew their fates. (Strangely enough, the least developed character in the book is someone with a most important role--Gabriel. How did DeStefano make me care about Linden of all people, but she couldn't make Gabriel someone readers could connect with?)
Wither is disturbing and often gratuitous, and the science makes no sense, for which I give it one star. But, oh, that lovely prose! That exquisite prose earns five stars for sure, for an average of three stars....more
The premise for Katie Kacvinsky's Awaken is very timely with today's technology-minded culture: Imagine a world in the future so technology-obsessed aThe premise for Katie Kacvinsky's Awaken is very timely with today's technology-minded culture: Imagine a world in the future so technology-obsessed and fearful that people no longer leave their homes. How would people interact? How would they learn, live, and love? I admit that I love dystopian romance, and Awaken has some beautiful passages and quotes that I wanted to immediately write down. However, the world in Awaken lacked consistency in its design, which overshadowed other positive aspects.
The whole premise of Awaken is that the world got so bad, so violent that a safe life became a digital life led mostly from the isolated comfort of your home. This premise has so much promise--I love it. However, the novel begins with Maddie riding a train to play real soccer with a friend. If the world has become such a scary place, why does Maddie later also ride a public train by herself at night (something I won't do even in 2011)? The novel says the world is so awful that everyone lives a digital life and shuns face-to-face interaction, but then it contradicts itself throughout with parties, benefits, and public appearances. It felt very incongruous at times.
And what supposedly lead to the downfall of society? Online school. Seriously? School violence became so bad that Digital School became mandatory, and somehow that lead to the destruction of personal interaction. I just was not buying that this is how we got there. The protestors (or terrorists) all want to bring down Digital School, but I failed to make the connection of how Digital School is responsible for the supposed woes of the world. Yes, everyone seems a little too obsessed with their computer, but is free online school really responsible for all of this? Will bombing Digital School really make it all better?
And then there are the main characters, one of whom I like (Maddie) and the other, not so much (Justin). I liked seeing Maddie awaken to a "real" life again. She was intelligent and caring. I wished the author had explored more about Maddie being a super hacker to give her a little more depth, but overall, she was likeable and didn't automatically cave to the demands of the "good guys."
Justin, on the other hand, has emotionally barricaded himself, which I guess is supposed to be a necessary part of the love story to explain why he and Maddie can't be together. However, writing a character to be emotionally distanced does just that--not only is he distant from Maddie most of the time, he's distant from the readers, too. How can I make a connection and care about a character who's so detached and aloof? He keeps telling Maddie to trust him, but it's obvious he's using her. He claims he was waiting to tell her about his ulterior motives until she trusted him, but why should she trust him? It's obvious from the first few chapters why he's interested in her, and it's to further his cause (that felt very terroristic at times). His recruiting efforts verged on creepy at times.
However, there were some moments of really beautiful writing in Awaken. I could pull out a dozen quotes from Awaken that I genuinely found moving. The pacing was good and I definitely kept reading past midnight. I especially appreciated the slow build of the romance.
The premise of Awaken is full of promise and should be explored, but the lack of consistency in this dystopian world drew me out of the story too many times. However, it was a well-paced novel with some thoughtful quotes, and I loved that it made me think about where our technology-obsessed world may be heading. (After a few of Justin's preachy speeches, I felt bad that I was reading this book on my iPad!) ...more
The Vespertine is a haunting blend of romance, mystery, and the supernatural. Saundra Mitchell's writing is rich, and her imagery swept me away to anoThe Vespertine is a haunting blend of romance, mystery, and the supernatural. Saundra Mitchell's writing is rich, and her imagery swept me away to another time. Her Victorian setting creates the perfect mood, and her descriptions touched all of my senses--it was like I could smell the scent of the apple, feel the touch of the silk, hear the music from the ball. Gorgeous writing, a lush atmosphere, and a forbidden romance combine into a heart-aching, intriguing novel.
I adore how a Victorian setting can make your heart ache at even a brush of a hand. Saundra is a master at setting your heart aflutter with a longing look or a glancing touch. She makes even a kiss on the hand so beguiling. The delicious flirting and tantalizing brief touches between Amelia and Nathaniel had me reading at a feverish pace to get to the next moment when they'd be together again. However, I grew tired of Amelia's teasing games and bossy orders to Nathaniel. At times, she seemed too capricious and prideful, and she didn't seem quite penitent enough at the end for everything that had happened.
In addition to creating a captivating forbidden romance, Saundra brilliantly develops a touching friendship between Zora and Amelia. So many heroines in young adult books seem to be loners or have terrible friends, so the admiration and support Zora and Amelia offer each other is refreshing.
Where I feel The Vespertine falters is in the supernatural aspects. Amelia and Nathaniel's gifts are fundamental to the story, but we receive no explanation or exploration into the origins of these gifts. The characters seem to accept their gifts with no questions asked, and I wanted much more asking. It was like the paranormal aspects were presented, we were all supposed to accept them, and there were to be no questions about where it all came from. Who is Nathaniel exactly? Perhaps the sequel will delve into the origins of these gifts and provide some answers.
The underdeveloped paranormal aspects aside, Saundra Mitchell's The Vespertine is lush and romantic with beautiful imagery and lyrical prose. Prepare to be swept away by a story that will touch all the senses. ...more
I don't give a lot of one-star ratings, but WOW. WOW.
I wanted to scream, I get it! Daniel and Luce are in lust love. BUT WHY? WHY???
I'm still at a losI don't give a lot of one-star ratings, but WOW. WOW.
I wanted to scream, I get it! Daniel and Luce are in lust love. BUT WHY? WHY???
I'm still at a loss about what I was supposed to learn from this book. That Daniel and Luce are the most selfish couple of all time? That instalove trumps all?
You think it's bad reading about ONE Luce? Trying reading about a dozen Luces through the centuries. And hello? The gargoyle? What was Luce thinking?
Ugh. That's all I can say after slogging through this book....more
Reading Halo was like drinking straight from the syrup bottle. This book has got to be the most self-indulgent, overworked drivel I've read in a long Reading Halo was like drinking straight from the syrup bottle. This book has got to be the most self-indulgent, overworked drivel I've read in a long time. I'm no literary snob, but this book was unbelievably sacchrine and cliche (and this is coming from someone who liked Twilight).
Please, give Alexandra Adornetto a word limit for the next book. There is no reason for this book to be almost 500 pages long. Where was the editor? I think we have a new purple prose queen. This book drips with page after page of overwrought descriptions of places and people of no importance. Luckily, I figured this out about 20 pages in and started reading faster. Trust me--you're not missing anything important if you speed read this. A fourth of the way in, I wanted to scream, "We GET it already! Xavier is perfect! You are so in love! He has almond-shaped turquoise eyes and nutmeg hair! Enough!"
Finishing this book was tortuous...the Beyonce quote on the opening page should have been the first clue.
Cliche, cliche, cliche. From the characters to the plot to even the names, this book is one big cliche. Xavier is painfully perfect, as Adornetto reminds us every few pages. "But wait!" Adornetto might say. "I gave Xavier a flaw! He didn't believe Bethany about the dance!" Nope, doesn't count. She'd already written his character to be too perfect at that point so that didn't even seem believable. Besides, it was resolved five pages later, after Bethany wanted to DIIIIIIIE because her boyfriend wasn't talking to her. And in case Jake's snake tattoo and black wardrobe didn't clue you in, Jake Thorn's going to be bad. Can you get any more cliche?
Please, editor, reign in this self-indulgent writing and make Adornetto actually develop a plot besides Bethany and Xavier's obsessive love (and limit it to 300 pages). The premise is good--I like the whole "good angel trying to help the world and falls in love with a human"--but the execution here...felt like an execution....more
If you're okay with reading page after page about a pining teen girl...
I know I shouldn't, but I kind of liked Fallen in a strange can't-look-away-butIf you're okay with reading page after page about a pining teen girl...
I know I shouldn't, but I kind of liked Fallen in a strange can't-look-away-but-I-know-I-should way. The book is riddled with problems--the plot never really goes anywhere and it turns out to be page after page of a teen girl pining for the "hot-cold-hot-cold" guy (why are there so many of these obnoxious guys in teen literature these days?)--but I found myself devouring Fallen in one sitting. I can't even explain why I'm giving it three stars (because there are so many reasons why it was terrible) except to say that at the end, I felt interested enough to want to read the sequel. I give Lauren Kate credit for an amazing prologue--it had me HOOKED!--and then I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to see what would happen between Luce and Daniel. And then, as I read, I met Cam, and he ended up being the most intriguing character in the book. He was charismatic and charming, and he genuinely seemed to care about Luce. I found myself cheering for him and thinking Luce should just quit her stalker-like obsession with "I'm pretending I hate you but I love you" Daniel and get to know Cam instead! I think Cam's what kept me reading--you know from the prologue that he's probably not going to end up with Luce, but he was by far the most captivating character.
Fallen has a lot of issues--it's a whole lot of teen girl angst and boy obsession, and that's pretty much what happens for 3/4 of the book. If you're looking for a strong plot with lots of action, this isn't the book for you. Read this only if you're okay with a lot of "Does he like me? Does HE like me? He hates me but I love him anyway. I know he's being a jerk to me, but for some reason I can't explain, I just know we're soulmates." Lather, rinse, repeat, repeat, repeat. Luce is pretty weak and love obsessed in the mold of a lot of today's teen heroines (and again in the mold of the previously mentioned heroines, you're left wondering, "Why are all of these guys crazy about her???") but I couldn't stop reading. I am a sucker for a good boarding school setting, but I couldn't figure out WHY these angels were all hanging out at dumpy reform school in the middle of nowhere. Lauren Kate also keeps most the secrets safely guarded, so you're still a little lost at the end about why exactly Luce is so important and how this whole mess got started in the first place, but again, I kept reading. (Do you see a pattern here? I was HOOKED! I'm not sure why--it defies explanation!)
I put off reading Fallen for a long time because of the mixed reviews, but I finally couldn't pass up such a beautiful cover. Do I get all of the negative reviews? Yes! I agree with all of their points regarding the many issues with this book...but again, I kept devouring page after page. It was like bingeing on mint M&M's and knowing it's not good for me but I couldn't stop....more
I was so excited to read Falling Under after I won a copy on Goodreads First Reads. The concept of meeting a mysterious, "devastatingly handsome" guy I was so excited to read Falling Under after I won a copy on Goodreads First Reads. The concept of meeting a mysterious, "devastatingly handsome" guy from your dreams sounded captivating, but Falling Under was too much of the worn-thin "I'm a jerk to you but you love me anyway" romance, and the parts that were original were too dark for me. I'd recommend Falling Under to those that love the darker side of paranormal fiction (not me).
Theia, Theia, Theia. The author tells us things about her, but Theia's actions show us a completely different story. She puts herself in danger. Again. And again. She's supposed to be this incredible musician and smart and rational, but she makes so many TSTL choices that I gave up. Haden even tells her why he's there--and it involves Theia in a horrible way--and yet she still comes back for more. WHY??? Why can't we ever get a heroine who tells these kinds of guys where they can go? Read the back cover--Theia doesn't want to resist Haden, even if it costs her her soul. Ugh.
And Haden? My tolerance of the "I'm hot so you love me even though I'm a jerk and treat you abysmally" guy must be all used up. (Again, this theme in young adult fiction is getting REALLY old.) The whole "hot/cold" guy thing has been done before and done a lot better. Haden became more tolerable as the book went on, but I wanted to infuse some rationality into Theia for 3/4 of the book for making STUPID, STUPID choices involving Haden. Why couldn't Theia go for a charismatic, thoughtful guy like Gabe?
Falling Under is dark. It has the TSTL heroine, the jerk bad boy, and the idiot parent that we see in so many books these days. It wasn't for me, but if you like dark paranormal fiction with a smattering of Twilight, you may like it.
I picked up the sequel, Secrets and Shadows, and I realized I remembered almost nothing from 13 to Life, so I thought I'd read it again. What a mistakI picked up the sequel, Secrets and Shadows, and I realized I remembered almost nothing from 13 to Life, so I thought I'd read it again. What a mistake. Rereading 13 to Life only reminded me of the three things I hated about it when I read the book the first time.
1. LAMEST. PLOT. DEVICE. EVER. Jessie likes Pietr. Pietr likes Jessie. So Jessie "unselfishly" tells Pietr to be with her best frenemy, Sarah, because that's the "honorable" thing to do. What is honorable about telling the boy you love--and who loves you--to be with your psychotic friend and then kissing him behind her back? YA books seem to have to find a way for the lovers to be star-crossed--a reason why they can't be together--but this is the WORST excuse I've ever seen. I can't be with you because my friend likes you. Even though you don't like her. So pretend you like her and I'll kiss you when she's not around. Ugh.
2. The events of this book take place over, like, two weeks. I added up the days the first time I read 13 to Life, and the book spanned something like 2-3 weeks. Love like that doesn't happen in two weeks. I mean, Pietr's passionately kissing Jessie at the football game after knowing her TWO DAYS. The love and attraction between Pietr and Jessie (as claimed by the book) would be much more powerful if the story actually let them GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER FIRST. They meet. They're immediately in love. With barely even any conversation.
3. Pietr's secret isn't revealed until the final few pages, even though it's obvious to the reader within the first few pages. This created really strange pacing. So much of the plot is wrapped around Pietr finally revealing his secret to Jessie, but the author drags this plot point out for the entire book, and I grew impatient. This should have been revealed much, much earlier--the secret is TOO OBVIOUS to the reader, and I grew frustrated with Jessie for not realizing and with Pietr for not telling her. I felt the story couldn't move forward until Jessie knew, but the big reveal didn't occur until the very end. Much too late.
Despite these issues, I will read the sequel. Let's hope the author dumps the sham Pietr/Sarah relationship and moves the story forward now that Jessie knows Pietr's secret....more
I have to admit, I'm glad I got this one from the library. I'd heard some buzz about it and was excited to read it, but it ultimately felt really flatI have to admit, I'm glad I got this one from the library. I'd heard some buzz about it and was excited to read it, but it ultimately felt really flat to me. I love a good teen paranormal read, but this one felt underdeveloped with boring characters that I couldn't bring myself to really care about. I found the lack of parental supervision when something so horrific had just happened to be completely unrealistic, and I was bothered that Vanessa, who had never kissed a boy before, went from kissing her friend Simon to sleeping with him in practically the same paragraph. Frankly, the romance was just flat and pretty lifeless.
And let's talk about the ending. It felt really rushed and left me wondering what had just happened. And sirens? I'm still not totally clear on them, either. The mythology was never really explained or developed, so I'm lost there, too.
And just a side note, did anyone who's read Carrie Jones' Need series (which was written first) see a lot of quirky similarities? Both stories had a major character named Zara (an unusual name) with a Grandma Betty (seriously, same name). Both stories had the characters driving a Subaru and a red Mini Cooper, and they were both set in Maine with a main character who's afraid of everything. I mean, lots of stories take place in Maine, but it was strange how the characters drove the same unique cars and had the same unusual names. I know it's minor, but I was just wondering if anyone else noticed the strange similarities.
Anyway, I know a lot of people enjoyed this novel, but for me, I wish I'd skipped it and read something else with my time like Sophie Jordan's Firelight. Now THAT was worth spending an evening reading....more
Loading...