|ARC REVIEW| The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

THE RUNAWAY KING (#2)
Review by: Kaede
Release Date: March 1st, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 331

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

*An advance copy of this book was provided for review purposes. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.* 

Warning: Spoilers for The Runaway King will be properly marked, but I would not recommend reading on if you have not read The False Prince for reasons you will understand if you read the fabulous first book. But if you are curious what I thought, if you were within distance from me I would force you to sit down and love this series because it is wonderful. 

I am quite fortunately not literally drowning in a puddle of feels (because that would be embarrassing since puddles don't reach very high), but I certainly feel like I am. I wish I could write my entire review in fangirly .gifs because it would be so much easier, but alas, it is impossible and not the reason you might think. So I shall have to go the old-fashion way with words. And I don't think my reading experience was fair. I was not mentally prepared for The Runaway King and nobody thought that warning me would be nice. Sure, go ahead and tell me how good the next book in this series is and how if I loved The False Prince, I'll love the rest of them but coincidentally leave out the mess I'll be in when I finish it and realize the next book is the last. There will be no more Jaron. No more. No more. No more. No more. I can't believe there's no more. I am obviously not handling this well. 

From the day I finished The False Prince, I knew that I was going to love this series. I didn't quite dawn on my how much I would love this series though, and if you haven't guessed, I love it a lot. I really enjoy reading middle grade books, but a lot of the times you can tell that the novel is written in a particular style because of it's targeted audience. There are a few select middle grade series that I do feel are written so well they can appeal to a wide audience of all age and The Ascendance trilogy is one of them. 

"I know you've got some heavy concerns," Mott said. "But we are friends. You can tell me everything."

I shook my head. "No, Mott. Not everything, because you are my friend."

I think we'll just get started on how much I love Jaron. I loved all of the characters in this book, the familiar faces and the new ones - except for the people we're supposed to hate. But I have a particular, special place for Jaron and his hilarious sarcasm in the worst situations. Jaron reminds me a bit of Ciel Phantomhive, in that he has seen a lot and knows perhaps a bit too much of how cruel the world can be. Jaron is very cleverly witty, so much so that the things he can't help but say end up getting him in bad situations. But then you realize that some of the things he says are very deep and can make you think. For me, the particular quote above actually made me put this book down - it was upsetting to do so, I promise - and think a little about how sometimes you don't share everything with a friend you value. And it's because you value you them that you don't want them to share the burden you have, or sometimes you just can't bring yourself to let them feel what you are feeling. For Jaron, who cannot call many people true friends, he'll do anything he can to protect the ones he has. 

I DO NOT CARE. I am adding him to my list of fictional boyfriends, and I would've done it just because he's damn awesome with a sword but of course I have other reasons too, because obviously my list isn't that easy to get into....

You know what they say: Honesty is the best policy.

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Spoiler: [Mild]
When Jaron defects Devlin's knife with the flat side of his sword so easily, OH MY GOD MY FANGIRL FEELS. Nothing says boyfriend material like easily defecting incoming dangerous knives from a pirate king, right? 
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Mott was my second favorite character because he has all of the wonderful traits. A certain protectiveness, an invaluable loyalty to his king and country, and a willingness to sacrifice himself for Jaron that I hope we will never need. I have a hard time picturing Mott as anything but a mid-20 year old man though, and when Erick mentioned that he was bald, I went

For a second I didn't believe he was talking about Mott, even though it made no sense for him to be referring to Harlowe. I knew that Mott wasn't in his 20s, but for some reason I was really surprised to hear that he was bald. 

I'm considering every character that isn't Jaron a secondary character, and the ones we were meant to like, I loved. In the beginning, I even liked one of the characters that didn't turn out to be very likable in end. I was a little hesitant to like Fink and Erick in the beginning, but I ended up really liking them. They were great characters who just needed the chance to do the right thing. I definitely wasn't much of a fan of Rowan at first, for obvious reasons, but when he makes a re-appearance I started liking him towards the end. And you know, he was pretty badass too so it didn't hurt. 

Because this is a middle-grade novel, the romance doesn't dominate as you would expect in young adult. The romantic aspects are there, but it's far from the main focus. I'm not in love with the romance, but I do like to see our main couple together because I think they complement each other well. 

"If he's the boy I knew at Farthenwood, then his people will follow him to the devil's lair and back."

In the beginning of The Runaway King, Jaron is no longer that boy who didn't have much of anything. He's a king with people who serve him, and he definitely doesn't hesitant when ordering people around, and I can definitely see how it might come off the wrong way to some people. For some reason, I personally wasn't very bothered by it. But even if you didn't like Jaron in the beginning, he goes through so much that by the latter half that I think most people will at least start really liking his character again. I definitely respected Jaron as well, for his extreme loyalty to his country, that in turn inspires loyalty from the people around him.

You know how much I seem to love drawing manga references these days, so I'll make another one. Whenever pirates come into play, the first thing that naturally comes to my mind is One Piece. And if you remind me of One Piece, then I automatically like you. And these pirates in The Runaway King aren't all show and no game, but I liked that they drew the line at women and children because it was interesting that even people like the pirates have a system of moral codes. 

There was a point where I felt like the way something was done was a bit strange, but Jennifer A. Nielsen definitely didn't let me down. There was a reason I had some of the minor problems I had, and that was surprising, but satisfying. 

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 Spoiler: [Mild]
When Jaron's attacked in the beginning of the novel and his Captain of the Guard sees his injury, his lack of much concern threw me off. I thought it was strange, but I certainly didn't attribute that to him being disloyal, because I'm picturing in my head this character that reminds me of Chaol from the Throne of Glass series that everybody loves. And if you're loved, you usually aren't evil, right? It was a bit sad at first to see his betrayal, but pfft, we all know Rowan will be a better Captain then you in time. :P I also really liked that Jaron becomes "Sage" again in this book too.
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“You wouldn't want to be king of my country," I said.

"Why is that?"

"Well, you're rather fat. I doubt you'd fit onto my throne."

There's great sarcastic humor in The Runaway King, and action to match. There are also fun characters to guide you on this journey filled with lies, pirates, and enemies to face. I definitely questioned some of the choices Jaron made, but Jaron is a very calculating and smart character, and some of the obvious mistakes I thought he made were planned from the start, which left me a bit impressed. If you are a fantasy, I'd definitely recommend this series for all ages. I'm not sure if I liked the first book more, or this one, but I think we all know the important thing here is that war is coming. 

5 coffee cups!

~♥~

BUY THE BOOK:

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

Review of Scarlet by Marissa Meyer + Audiobook Clip

SCARLET (#2)
By: Marissa Meyer
Review by: Kaede
Release Date: February 5th, 2013 

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 452
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought

 

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

I've been fairly certain for some time now that Meyer's retellings cannot be reproduced - with all of it's captivating characters and the futuristic world it is set in. Before I began Scarlet, I had realized that there was so much story that could be told in the Lunar Chronicles series. But I also wondered if perhaps there'd be too much story to be told, that the older characters might fade into the backgrounds as the new ones took the stage. However, as far as I could see with Scarlet, Meyer had no problem in making both Cinder's and Scarlet's story equally as prominent and likable in their own ways.

While Cinder started off a bit unsure of herself because of what she is, Scarlet is fierce and determined. She has her goal - to rescue her grandmother - and she'll do everything she can to see it through. Brave and just maybe a little bit deadly, I found myself really drawn to Scarlet's loyalty, and just her character in general. 

Queen Levana is still somebody you hate to love and love to hate. She is so evil and corrupted, and I just wanted somebody to wave that magic wand and make her disappear. We do meet a few new characters though, such as Thorne, that I did like and were quite comedic and entertaining. 

For those of you who are unaware, I love my romance as much as I love a good plot. That's why with Kai and Cinder separated, I missed a lot of their chemistry in Cinder, and looked to Wolf and Scarlet to fill that void. Honestly, it is possible not to love Wolf? He's that bad boy you won't be able to resist, with his charismatic personality and extremely good looks. However, Wolf is also caring on top of mysterious, which only increases my love that much more. 

To give you that final push you need to finally pick up Scarlet, the story is also set in France! Guaranteed to leave you wanting more, I'm extremely excited to see where the characters go next on their journey and down with Queen Levana. Here is one story (and one very charmingly hot guy) you won't want to miss! 

Macmillan was extremely kind enough to provide a clip from the audiobook of Scarlet for all you lovely readers out there! If you enjoyed it, I've also included a link to the Audible page where you can purchase the full edition! Don't forget to share the love in the comments! 

Purchase SCARLET by Marissa Meyer on Audible

5 coffee cups!

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

ARC Review of Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

by: Sarah
Author Website/Goodreads/Amazon
Release Date: September 11th, 2012
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 370 pages
Series: The Lynburn Legacy #1
Rating: ★★★★★/ 5 out of 5

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.
But all that changes when the Lynburns return.
The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Well well well. Where do I even begin? For a long time now I've been saying to myself that I wouldn't hand out a 5 star rating until a book really wowed me. I've been very picky, probably a little too picky, but here we are you're hearing straight from the horse's mouth this book is indeed a 5 star chick. Why? I thought you'd never ask!

Unspoken was quite a slap in the mouth as I went into it not really knowing what it was about. I saw ooh pretty cover and something about a girl loving a boy who exists in her head and  I was sold. Vital information: mind relationships really do it for me. Anyway, so the book starts out with a very quirky, funny and likeable heroine, Kami, and her persistently pessismistic best friend, Angela. You know how books and movies do that thing where they make the best friend character an insufferable asshole to make the main character seem all that much better in comparison? Yeah, Angela does not fall into that category. She is a fierce warrior princess and currently at the top of my list of favorite characters. And just when I thought she couldn't get any better SPOILER(highlight to read):it turns out she's a LESBIAN ....or at least is attracted to girls:SPOILER oh my GOD Sarah Rees Brennan I REQUEST THE HIGHEST OF FIVES! I literally had an out of body experience when that happened I rolled off my bed and collapsed in a heap on the floor. But I digress, back to the plot of the story. Kami Glass is just your average teenage girl trying to make it in this crazy world, aside from the fact that ever since she was a child she's heard a boy named Jared's voice in her head. She assumes Jared is a figment of her imagination until surprise! Turns out he's real and he happens to be related to the cute guy at school, Ash, who's been given Kami some unprecented attention. Both of which are members of the mysterious Lynburn family! The espionage! I can't!

Now at this point I was like euuuuuuuuhhm get outta here love triangle I'm not here for this. But it wasn't really so much as a love triangle but rather a love fucked-up-a-gon. There are several boys in Kami's life that care for her and instead of Kami being like oh woe is me which one do I pick she was more like I'm just gonna do me and see what happens. YES KAMI. KAMI YOU ARE GIVING ME SO MUCH LIFE RIGHT NOW. So Kami and our rag-tag group of supporting characters live in a lovely English town called Sorry-in-the-Vale, but creeeeeeepy stuff happens in Sorry-in-the-Vale. Animals are being sacrificed, Kami is being mysteriously targeted, somebody might get dead, and  it's up to Kami and her friends to solve the mysteries surrounding the town and their own family's secrets. But as Kami soon comes to realize, she doesn't know who she can really trust. Not even the people she thinks she knows the most.

You: Okay Sarah we get it, it was a good book I'll look into it okay

Me: 

This book is written superbly. I haven't been sucked into a story the way I was with this one in quite some time. The storytelling is lush and exciting. The characters are well developed and interesting, even the minor ones, and that is something that always gets a book on my good side. There's nothing I hate more in a story than throwaway characters. There are none in this book. Even the characters that were only there for a few pages brought something funny or a little bit interesting to the table. And can I just say how amazing it is to have a ~bad boy~ type male lead that's actually interesting, complex, and a little messed up but not a romanticized abusive or manipulative asshole? *Commence Slow Clap*

If I had to pinpoint one downfall of this book, it is that it does suffer from what I like to call Everyone Is Witty Syndrome. In this book, pretty much every character has the perfect quip or joke ready on hand 24/7, and usually that makes me so irritated I want to cry, but in this book the dialogue was just so on point and consistently funny that I didn't even care. And when I thought about it, me and my circle of friends are pretty hilarious all the time, so it's not completely unrealistic....right?

Another thing that bothered me was Jared's behavior toward climax of the book, but for the most part, I understood it was part of his character's journey, and I must say I am steadily aboard the good ship Kami/Jared. (Kared? Jami? Let's settle this now..I think I like Jami... Kared sounds like Carrot) Though sometimes their relationship did feel a little insta-lovey and inappropriately dramatic, the reader must remember that they've technically known each other their entire lives. They've formed an impossibly close bond. I'd probably be a little crazy over the thought of losing that person too. SPOILER(highlight to read): The end broke my heart! I was rooting for you Jared we were all rooting for you!!!! But whatever, be a sad bad boy. You'll get over it in the sequel.:SPOILER

Tl;dr: This book is a wonderfully refreshing and entertaining young adult fantasy/paranormal novel (not to mention the delightful elements of romance and mystery) with a cheeky contemporary feel. So much of my favorite things ever going on here. I already want to go back and read the beginning and giggle to myself because I know what's going to happen. I'm having a hard time expressing all my feels. Maybe I should just revert to primitive language at this point. Book. Good. Go. Buy. Now.

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Review also on goodreads

ARC Review of The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

★★★★★ - This thing is heaven in book form.

The Lost Prince
By: Julie Kagawa
Review by: Kaede

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 379
Star Rating: ★★★★★/ Go out and buy it now.
Release Date: October 23rd 2012


Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’s dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

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"For something to be given, something must be taken."

For me, the original Iron Fey series is irreplaceable. Try if you will. You can shower me with classics or dozens and dozens of newly released YA titles, but you won't be able to divert my attention should I be in the process of re-reading one of the Iron Fey books. They are my darlings. So when details surrounding The Lost Prince was up for the public, I was nothing if not skeptical. Spin-offs usually don't end well with me. If anything, they typically end up ruining the original story and the characters I'd come to love in it. But then I actually read this jem of a book. And while I still lived for the moments where Ash, Meghan, Puck, and Grimalkin showed up, Ethan Chase's tale is a story in it's own right.

Ethan is no Ash or Puck, but nonetheless, I couldn't help but love him all the same. He's certainly not without his flaws, but they only serve to endear him as a more realistic person. He does complain quite a bit, and often about his sister, but he has a good heart underneath. And for all the negativity he has stored up inside, he has Kenzie to balance him out.

And speaking of Kenzie, she's probably the most bubbly, full of life person I'll ever meet fictionally or even in everyday life. Kenzie is just the kind of person you wouldn't be able to hate. Her kindness, and just the fact that she doesn't back down when she's challenged was more than enough to win me over.

Now let us discuss the new characters that stood out most to me, and the twists and turns.

PRINCE KEIRRAN

In all honesty, Meghan and Ash's son, Keirran, was like a combination of a slightly less witty Puck who had the stubbornness that Ash had when he refused to give up Meghan and return to his rightful place as a Winter Prince. However, he was eventually able to make his place in my heart, if you exclude the ending. He just wasn't the Keirran we meet and love in the first half of the book anymore by then. And the sequel's title. WHYYY? I look forward to seeing Keirran in The Traitor Son. Righttt...yeahhh. *sniff*

THE FORGOTTEN

"We are forgotten. No one remembers our names, that we have existed."

Boy were those things creepy. I really don't see the appeal of them, I really don't. Perhaps that's why no one wanted to remember them. Maybe. I SAID MAYBE. IT WAS JUST A SUGGESTION SO DON'T KILL ME YOU CREEPY FEY.

I think that's just about it. Anymore and I'll just give in to the temptation of erasing everything I've written up to this point and just scream, "READDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! THIS THING IS HEAVEN!"

Mhm hmm. I tend to gush when I like things. You musn't judge me. The Lost Prince is enchanting and beautiful, romantic, yet still full of action. It has something for everyone. Pre-order your copy now. Mine is already on the way. Cheers.
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Review also found at: Goodreads

Contact Kaede: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Review of A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

 ★★★★★

A Midsummer's Nightmare

By: Kody Keplinger

Review by: Kimberly Ho

Publisher: Poppy

Pages: 304

Star Rating: ★★★★★/ Go out and buy it now.

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

"But as the clock ticked the hours past and Dad still didn't come up the stairs to see me, I really wished that I didn't know the truth."

You've read The DUFF, you've read Shut Out, now it's time for A Midsummer's Nightmare to take the stage! (Wow, that sounded lame.)

I absolutely adored this book. It was up there with Kody Keplinger's debut, and excels the level of Shut Out. I loved everything.

But I half expected to be disappointed with A Midsummer's Nightmare, just as I sort of was with Shut Out. I'd thought I'd dislike Whitley's cynical personality as I did Lissa's. Don't get me wrong, Shut Out was good, but it was too much like the author's previous work. I wanted something more. It seems like that's always too much to ask for.

But A Midsummer's Nightmare was that more. Whitley always had a good retort and that sarcastic sense of humor that I loved in Bianca. And speaking of Bianca, she and Wesley are back! But honestly, the moment Wesley made a reappearence, nothing clicked. I thought he was just another character with the same name and, as I'm sure Whitley can testify, the same figure that can make girls swoon. That's how perfectly everything fit. I didn't feel their comeback was out of place in the slightest, it felt they were just another part, a very good part, of the story. And for fans of The DUFF, didn't our beloved characters grow so much?

However, what I think made me connect with Whitley on a whole other level was the way this story was set up. Like Bianca, like Lissa, Whitley was dealing with the aftermath of a painful event and situation. But it wasn't just all talk and no show with Whitley's story, we got to experience it first-handed alongside Whitley herself as she learns that nothing is ever as it seems. I think this is a book that can, and will, appeal to teens and adults alike. Kody Keplinger sure doesn't shy away from any topic at all.

And for a idea of how I looked while reading:



I think that just about does it nicely. But seriously.

Buy. This. Now.

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Review also found at: Goodreads

Contact me at: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

YA Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

by Isabelle Doan

Website/Goodreads/Amazon

Random Information:

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 336 (Hardcover)
Series: No
My Format: Library
Time: 10 Hours
Rating: Library/Borrow/e-book/Paperback/Hardcover

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

This book... for me... ah.

Okay.

Well, when writing this review, I really wanted to give this book 4 stars, I really did. I bumped it up to 5 stars because:

1) I didn't want to die a slow painful death as all the fangirls came to my door and beat me to death with copies of City of Bones saying, "WHY DID YOU GIVE THIS CRAP A HIGHER RATING THAN THE FAULT IN OUR STARS?" (To that, I say that star ratings are objective. I've read quite a few cancer books, and this hardly brings something new to the table.)

2)Upon finishing the book, I realized that all the problems I had with this book had been acknowledged. I realized that in their purpose, they added to the story, however much they annoyed me.

Let me elaborate.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is about a girl named Hazel who has a form of lung cancer. She meets a boy named Augustus Waters, who has osteosarcoma, and they have an epic love story.

In typical John Green fashion, the book is about something you don't really expect it to be about. Also in John Green fashion, chapters and passages end where it may or may not have really deep meaning, or is just there. (Think of an analysis of text. Am I digging too deep, or did the author mean for this line break to have metaphorical purpose?)

For instance:

"Augustus and I timed it so that we started watching the same romantic comedy at the same time on our respective screens. But even though we were perfectly synchronized in our pressing of the play button, his movie started a couple seconds before mine, so at every funny moment, he'd laugh just as I started to hear whatever the joke was."

AND THEN THERE'S A LINE BREAK.

I really question if that's just there, or it has meaning. If so, does this metaphorical meaning mean that Augustus knows everything before Hazel? Or does it mean that Hazel can't laugh last, because the expectancy of laughter ruins it for her? Does my head hurt?

That brings me to another thing. Augustus Waters is somewhat pretentious.

He's not pretentious in the sense that he's arrogant (although I guess that's the meaning of the word pretentious) but in the sense that he over thinks everything and tries to joke around too much. (I suppose I do that, too, but I am a horrible human being, and somewhat of an asshole. Augustus Waters is not.)

However, an acknowledgement to these pretentious tendencies was made at the end of the novel, in a speech another character, Issac, made.

Though I had a few other gripes, they were all solved similarly. I though this other character, Peter Van Houten, was an idiot in his emails to Hazel. (Too much swagger.) I thought that it was wrong for Hazel to still like Van Houten, because I would be repulsed by these emails. However, Hazel realized this. All other problems were beaten down as well.

My last, and somewhat sad complaint, is that I love John Green too much. I wish authors weren't people, because there's a reason I was putting off reading this book.

I'm part of the Nerdfighteria and have been for a while, now. That being said, I know John and his bother Hank's wittiness, and I couldn't read TFIOS without thinking DFTBA, a slogan from their vlogs.

And then, while reading this, Hazel said, "I think forever is an incorrect concept." That's something John said on a very recent vlog. (June 1, 2012)

I kept hearing John in Hazel's voice, just in the sheer smartness of the dialogue.

Sigh.

Anyway, long story short, pretty good book, and  I think fans of Sad Things will like this.

YA Book Review Friday: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

by Isabelle Doan

Website/Goodreads/Amazon

Random Information:

Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 480 (hardcover)
Series: Yes, this is #1 in a trilogy
My Format: e-book
Time: 15 hours
Rating:Library/Borrow/e-book/Paperback/Hardcover

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

First Impression: Wow, nice cover. And it's by Lauren Oliver?

Seriously? Her book Before I Fall was simply amazing.

Second Impression (After reading back cover): Description's interesting, but I'm not sure I want to buy it... I'll just get in line for the Kindle-copy at my library.

Third Impression: What the hell is the Book of Shhh? Why is it quoted at the beginning of each chapter?

Fourth Impression: Oh, the Book of Shhh stands for the Safety, Health, and Happiness Handbook in this Utopian world? Okay. Cool. It’s like a Bible? It’s sacrilege if you deface it? Okay. Cool.

Fifth Impression: Love is a disease? What? It used to be called stress, heart disease, anxiety, depressions hypertension, insomnia, bipolar? That’s cool, but… I still don’t get it.

Sixth Impression: AHHHHH! This quote: “The deadliest of all deadly things: it kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.” This is going to be an amazing book.

Seventh Impression: Oh, that’s the love interest right there. It’s so obvious. Why else would Lauren Oliver describe his hair? And like Autumn leaves, no less. Hot right there. (Sarcasm not included with this purchase.)

Eighth Impression: Yawn. Why would Oliver write an eight page description of a run? I really don’t care that much, even if it’s written well. Hana seems like a kickbutt best friend, though. Time will tell for the main character, Lena.

Ninth Impression: I should’ve known that Hana was gonna do that to Lena. I guess the run did have a purpose. Although, I still don’t need an eight page description of what is used to segue into important parts. Oh well, at least we meet the love interest. Alex. (Common name, hmm?)

Nine-point-fifth Impression: Why do they still have radios? One would think, that this far in the future, they would become obsolete. Also, they have a cure for LOVE, but ibuprofen still exists? I’m not sure if this is set in the future, or is an alternate reality.

Tenth Impression: I’m pretty sure Lauren Oliver has a teeth fetish. Or a mouth fetish in general. She uses a lot of similes that involve the mouth or teeth. Other similes of hers are odd, as well. In fact, I’m pretty sure that there are at least two similes on each page of Delirium. 

Eleventh Impression: Lena likes making random words into proper nouns: sympathizers, Coldness, the Wilds, Regulator, Raids, etc. Meh. At least she’s a believable character. Lena buys into her world, and she doesn’t question what she doesn’t know. I also like that Hana is the maverick. Strong best friends are awesome.

Twelfth Impression: What is this, Before I Fall: Deleted Scenes? There are so many similar aspects: the high school name dropping, the frequent analogies and flashbacks, the main character thinking way too much for her health, the philosophical musings. Not that I don’t like it. I love it.

However, if you weren't a fan of Before I Fall like I was, this would not be enjoyable.

Tangent of the Twelfth Impression: At times, I feel like Ms. Oliver is borrowing from Before I Fall. I could’ve sworn that in the scene where Alex and Lena are together, it sounded like Sam thinking about Kent.

Cotangent of the Twelfth Impression: BEING LIKE A BIRD IS HOT, LENA. TOTALLY LISTEN TO ALEX. 

Thirteenth Impression: *Sees the sun rising* 

Crap.

Fourteenth Impression: SOOOO CUTE!!! I LOVE YOU ALEX. HAVE MY BABIES

Fifteenth Impression: At times this can feel like a chick lit, but it’s really good. Although I’m not completely sold on the romance (but Alex is adorable), Lena is a strong, believable main character that is not merely an author insert.

Sixteenth Impression: I think my love of this book is getting worse. I’m showing all the symptom of Amor Deliria Nervosa. And I’ve been quoting the book at people, much to my humor. 

Seventeenth Impression: My exam results came back. I put “Lena” instead of “Lisa” in my essay. I should probably put down this book.

Eighteenth Impression: I was just kidding. This is a really long book, but I need to finish it.

Nineteenth Impression: Damn straight, Lena. You go, girl.

Twentieth Impression: I’m going to recommend this to all my friends. Wait, I have fifty pages left.

Twenty-first Impression: What the…

Twenty-second Impression: ...........................

Last Impression: Hello? Amazon? Yeah, I need a replacement Kindle. Mine flew apart when I threw it across the room. Why? What do you mean that’s not a good reason? Ah, whatever. You suck. Oh, yeah, and can you order a copy of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver for me? Hello? Hello?

--

Here's the trailer for Delirium. I loved it, it was so beautiful. No, really. It takes a lot for me to say a YouTube video is beautiful.

YA Friday Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

by Isabelle Doan

Website/Goodreads/Amazon

Random Information:

Publisher: Feral Dream
Pages: 255 (Kindle)
My Format: Kindle e-book
Series: Yes, this is #1
Time to read: 7 Hours
Rating: Library/Borrow/e-book/Paperback/Hardcover

(I would say hardcover, but good luck getting your hands on one of those! Plus, the e-book is cheap.) Paperbacks were released!

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

So this book. Where do I start?

The only reason I picked up this book, or possibly even knew about it was because of Goodreads. It seemed to have a large following,especially of 5 star fanboys.

I didn't have high expectations for this book to begin with, mostly because it was self-published.

I'm not saying that all self-published books are bad. Heck, I read Smashwords books all the time!

But it was that, usually, when one hears the words "self-published"... it sounds more than a bit sketchy. Like fan-fic, you know?

That is why I was completely blown away by Angelfall by Susan Ee.

Angelfall is about a teenage girl, named Penryn, who is six weeks into an apocalypse that has completely ravaged her world. The apocalypse was onset by angels, who had come down to create chaos. While Penryn is on her last legs, her crippled sister (Paige) and schizo mother don't really help her situation.

When Paige is stolen by an angel, Penryn goes on this completely badass journey to retrieve her, along with this angel, Raffe. Raffe tags along because Penryn saved his wings, and he owes her.

Now, in books, when two characters are thrust together by circumstance, it's almost unbelievable. Most of the time. For some reason, I was expecting Penryn to completely forget that she hated angels and go all swoon on Raffe cuz he's hot.

She didn't.

And, you know what? That's reasonable, and I liked Penryn from the start.

Not only that, but the romance between the two is on the backburner. It's not like love at first sight, but more like a bonding that occurs by mutual needs. For that, Susan Ee can play out romantic tension, setting you and I on edge, coercing us to keep reading. The woman is smart, and I could see it in the writing.

For instance, some awesome quotes from the book:

“I've never killed anyone before. What frightens me isn't that I'm killing someone. What frightens me is how easy it is.”

“Asleep, he looks like a bleeding Prince Charming chained in the dungeon. When I was little, I always thought I’d be Cinderella, but I guess this makes me the wicked witch.
But then again, Cinderella didn’t live in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by avenging angels.”

“Why would you risk treason for a mud fight?”
“You have no idea how much I’d risk for an honest-to-God mud fight between two hot women,” says Dee.”

“My friends call me Wrath,” says Raffe. “My enemies call me Please Have Mercy. What’s your name, soldier boy?” 

Just to say a few.

Perhaps the only problem with this book is the timeframe. The end of the world happened six weeks before this book took place. Six weeks? Countries have been at war for longer than that. Furthermore, a military apparently gunned down Archangel Gabriel. If we can do that, who said all 7 billion of us thought the apocalypse was upon us after not even two months?

Also, Penryn is not precisely a 2D character, but she does have some rounding out to do, as do the other characters. Their actions were predictable in some cases, especially for the abundant archetypes littering these pages.

All in all, a great YA book which you must read.

Content: There's a lot of scary and horrific moments, but nothing I couldn't stomach. I probably wouldn't recommend this for kids under 15, though. Also, a little bit of swearing here and there.