Review: Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Publisher: Rasorbill
Published: August 17 2007
Pages: 332
Source: Bought
Goodreads

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

I know, I'm the last person on the planet to start this series. I suppose the surge of not-so-awesome vampire books a few years ago made me weary. I've had this book on my shelves for quite a while and decided to pick it up on impulse. I know that these book have gotten a lot of great reviews, I'm glad I enjoyed this book.

Vampire Academy reminded me a lot of the Covenant Series for several reasons. The school atmosphere seemed very similar to that in the Covenant series. The main characters both have very similar snarky, rebellious attitudes. The characters both spend a lot of time working on hand-on-hand combat, and both have very... out of reach love interests. I found so many similarities between these two books it was a bit unsettle, and I couldn't help but compare them. Despite how similar they are I do enjoy each series separately- I just hate how easily I can can relate the two books.

I loved the personality of the main character, Rose. I love characters that aren't afraid to speak their minds and question the rules (to an extent). I love how she almost always knew what to say to anyone, and how she was so dedicated to her work. 

Like I said before, there is a love interest. Though I wasn't super obsessed with him I did think that they might be good together. I love how they act around one another, and how they are so unintentionally attuned to how the other one acts, it's so cute!

I loved the strong friendship between Lissa and Rose. There aren't many books out there that contain really good friendships. Their relationship was really realistic, they had their ups and downs and they weren't perfect but the worked it out in the end.

I really enjoyed the book and I wish that I hadn't been so hesitant a few years ago. I am currently on to the next book in the series, and I'll see where it takes me. 

Review: Splintered

Splintered by A. G. Howard 

Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: January 1st 2013
Pages: 371
Source: Library
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Goodreads

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

This book took me about a week to read, which is much longer than it usually takes me to read a book. I had heard so many good this about this book that I was confident I would like it when I grabbed it off of the library shelves. The book started out great and then it very quickly changed for me. I'm not going to get very deep intor this review because I really have very little to say. This book confused me beyond belief, and I just can't help but not like this story.

When the story takes place in the human world I thought the book was great because I understood it. But as soon as the book goes down the rabbit hole something in my mind just stopped understanding about 50% of what was going on in the story at all times. I love fantasy, and this usually isn't a problem for me, but the world that is wonderland completely disoriented me. I knew what was going on in the moment most of the time, but whenever something was explained, or some greater plan was exposed it just went right over my head. This happened so much that I don't really know what the whole point of the story was or how thing ended up the way they did.

This book was pretty jumpy in general. One thing would happen and then another thing would happen and on and on and I just couldn't keep up.

The characters in the book I felt were pretty plain. Facts were thrown out about them, but I really didn't see much of a personality in any of the characters. I liked how Alyssa and Jeb both had very arty styles and both skateboarded, but that was pretty much the only major fact that was revealed about who they were. They were both supposed to have the typical 'broken' background, but neither character's background was revealed enough for it to be relevant to either character.

The only thing I really liked about the story is how the author went about the romance details. It was very cute, though I did think Jeb was quite over protective of Alyssa.

Keep in mind that most people don't have these opinions about this book. I think this book just isn't mean for me, or I just wasn't reading it at the right time. I encourage you to look for other review of this book before you make a decision. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Once We Were

Once We Were by Kat Zhang
Publication Date: September 17th 2013

Eva was never supposed to have survived this long. As the recessive soul, she should have faded away years ago. Instead, she lingers in the body she shares with her sister soul, Addie. When the government discovered the truth, they tried to “cure” the girls, but Eva and Addie escaped before the doctors could strip Eva’s soul away.

Now fugitives, Eva and Addie find shelter with a group of hybrids who run an underground resistance. Surrounded by others like them, the girls learn how to temporarily disappear to give each soul some much-needed privacy. Eva is thrilled at the chance to be alone with Ryan, the boy she’s falling for, but troubled by the growing chasm between her and Addie. Despite clashes over their shared body, both girls are eager to join the rebellion.

Yet as they are drawn deeper into the escalating violence, they start to wonder: How far are they willing to go to fight for hybrid freedom? Faced with uncertainty and incredible danger, their answers may tear them apart forever.

Review: Boundless

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 22nd 2013
Pages: 438
Source: Library
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Oh, Boundless. I started reading this series about the time I started my blog, about two years ago, liked it, but not overmuch. I read Hallowed a few months ago and started to really get into the story, and now I just finished Boundless. It took me a long time to read this book, but not because I didn't like it, just because of life. I really did like this book, it felt like an ending to the story, an ending this book needed.

Of course this series has a love triangle, which you might know from the other two books. This is probably the most conflicting love triangle I have ever read in my life. I liked Tucker in Unearthly, and then started edging toward Christian in Hallowed, and now I really don't have a preference. I felt like the romance really wasn't a very big part of this book and I really liked that. The relationships just sort of fit in when they were necessary, and that was it.

Boundless takes place in many different locations, and I liked that for the most part. It was a nice change for the book to have a different setting, but at times the scene changes were a little disorienting. Sometimes the new locations were hard to get into due to all of the description and action going on at once in the book, but not too often. I really liked that part of the book took place in Clara's home in California, and Stanford. Both locations made this book a lot more interesting in emotional in some ways.

Sometimes I felt like Clara had her priorities messed up, and that kind of bugged me. It's been a little while since I read Hallowed, so some of the details I had forgotten. Things would just be normal and then all of a sudden something huge would be mentions, like the fact that her  brother ran away, and she didn't really seem that concerned. That just seemed weird to me.

I love the resolution this book left us with. I like how this book really didn't have a huge BANG fight seen at the end, and the end drama was more spread out. It made the book a little easier to chew. The epologue was also... just adorable. I'm glad that the book ended the way it did, and that Clara chose the once she chose.

Goodbye Clara.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry
Publication Date: June 11th 2013

“Take her out back and finish her off.”

She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

Review: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: February 26th
Pages: 325
Source: Library
Genre: Contemporary (1980s), Romance
Goodreads

"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

This book.

Source

This book.

Source

I would add more gifs but I think I might get yelled at. I don't usually do gifs. I just don't know how to express myself at the moment. This book might have killed me a little inside. This book was just... perfect. There is just something about this book that just seems so real, I can't even comprehend this not being a true story.  Eleanor and Park... Please be real.

Elanor and Park is told in alternating perspectives in the 3rd person, showing just enough of each character's lives for them to be real, but keeping enough hidden to help the story progress in a way that the reader grows as the story does. I love this element of the story. There was never a point in the book in which I felt like I knew the right path to take, it was like I was struggling along with the character.  No one was perfect, they would fight, they would make mistakes, and they would have moment when all felt lost, but they would pull it together, and make it through together. They where human.

Eleanor's character was the one of the two perspectives that seemed to be more dominant towards the middle of the book. She has such dysfunctional life at home, and this was really emphasized in the middle of the book when she started to deal with balancing her troubled life with her new relationship with Park.

Park's character was more dominant in the beginning and end of the book when Park's evaluations of Eleanor begin, and as the book comes to a close. His perspectives give a very human picture of how different the two characters are, and how their lives create conflict in their home town.

The story begins on Eleanor's first day at a new school, where she is introduced to Park by force, when she has no other place to sit on the bus. Their friendship grows slowly, first without words between them, and then later their friendship becomes a relationship in the most innocent way. I love the gradual, innocent way their love grows for one another, and how they never intended to fall for one another in the first place. I wish there were more books that followed this trend because this seems like such a natural way to fall in love.

The ending was so terribly sad. Oh Eleanor & Park....

Review: White Lines

White Lines by Jennifer Banash

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication Date: April 4th 2013
Pages: 304
Source: Author
Genre: Contemporary (1980s)
Goodreads

A gritty, atmospheric coming of age tale set in 1980s New York City.

Seventeen-year-old Cat is living every teenager’s dream: she has her own apartment on the Lower East Side and at night she’s club kid royalty, guarding the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in the city. The night with its crazy, frenetic, high-inducing energy—the pulsing beat of the music, the radiant, joyful people and those seductive white lines that can ease all pain—is when Cat truly lives. But her daytime, when real life occurs, is more nightmare than dream. Having spent years suffering her mother’s emotional and physical abuse, and abandoned by her father, Cat is terrified and alone—unable to connect to anyone or anything. But when someone comes along who makes her want to truly live, she’ll need to summon the courage to confront her demons and take control of a life already spinning dangerously out of control.

I was so excited to read this book when I first heard about it. So, so excited. I really don't even know why, I just was. I jumped at the chance to get a copy of this book when it was available to me. After reading it I'm left with love/hate feelings I really can't choose between. There were so many reasons why I liked this book, but at the same time I also had a hard time liking it due to some of the same things.

This book was very deep and dark. I knew from the start this would not be a fun, fluffy book, there is no way a book with that synopsis could be. The main character, Cat, lives a nightmare, having to live on her own due to an abusive mother and an ignorant father, working night clubs to escape from reality. The one thing I really did not expect from this book was how often drugs were present in the story. Obviously I don't know very much about clubs, but I really was surprised how often Cat and the other characters were on various drugs. The whole scene of the story was extremely sad and scary. I don't often read books that involve clubs and drugs, so this was quite an eye-opener to the scene. I really understood how the character felt like she was drowning, it seemed like everywhere she turned there was bad news, and this story helped me understand why she would have chosen the life she was living.

The synopsis of this book hints that romance is a big aspect in this book, and that's really a misleading line. I really didn't feel like the romance that was hinted was really as major or as life changing for the character as the synopsis makes it sound. I also don't think that Cat's brief interaction with the boy is what caused her to try to change her way of life. I feel like there were multiple things that happened all at once that made Cat start to realize that there could be more to her life, such as a run in with her mother, and some scary things that happen at the night club. I really hate that the relationship was emphasized when it really wasn't much of the story. 

This book took awhile to get into, but once I did I found it really pretty good. It's one of those books you have to be prepared to read. If you are not in the mood for deep and dark, do not pick this book up. If you are, it's a great read.

Review: The Ward

The Ward by Jordana Frankel

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: April 30th 2013
Pages: 384
Source: Ebook For Review From Publisher
Genre: Dystopian, Magical Realism/Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure.

However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface.

The Ward was a book I knew very little about when I started reading. Pretty much my expectations were based on the cover and I was very surprised in the end. The ward had it's goods and bad parts, in the end, this is going to end up a mostly negative review.

In general, the writing didn't really captivate me. The writing style seemed to go back and forth in this story, some parts were written the way the character thought and spoke, a more 'slang' version of English I suppose. When the book suddenly broke out into this 'slang' version of speaking, I was often caught off guard because the writing style was not consistent. The book would go between slang and formal English and it really bugged me.

This book was quite confusing in general. While I was reading I often did not know exactly what was going on. There would be points in which she was doing *insert random action here* and then all of a sudden it was like she was doing something else. I have no idea why this was happening, it might have been me, but because it happened  multiple times, I highly doubt that. There are also major parts in this book that take place in a futuristic type of car thing (I know, really descriptive Erika) and I could never tell exactly what they drove on. It seemed like at times they would be like boats on the water, and then I thought that they were underwater, and then the seemed like hover cars or roof jumping cars I HAVE NO CLUE, I'll just leave it at that. 

There are several instances of Magical Realism in this story, and some of them edge more to the Paranormal genre. I'm really not a big fan of Magical realism, I just can't get into it and I find it really weird in any book.

I know I really haven't written anything about any of the characters yet, but I really don't feel like I connected with any of them enough for me to want to write about them. The only character I really had much of an opinion about was Derek. For some of the book I was just 'eh' about him, and then when he started to have a bigger role I was just confused about where he stood. He was in and out, up and down and pretty much just a very confusing character.

Are you ready for my praises for this book? Of course you are. Despite all the 'eh' I felt for this book, there were some REALLY good lines in this book. Like- quotable quotes. I would share them for you but I'd have to compare them to a final copy and I don't have one of those at the moment. Maybe one day.