Something Strange and Deadly Review

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TITLE: Something Strange and Deadly

AUTHOR: Susan Dennard

PUBLISHER: Harper Teen

PUBLICATION DATE: 7/24/2012

PAGES: 400

MY RATING:

BACK COVER BLURB: Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to anyone with a pulse. As if things couldn't get any worse, the Dead are rising in Philadelphia! Eleanor knows her brother is somehow involved, and she enlists the Spirit-Hunters to help find him. But her growing attraction to Daniel, one of the Spirit-Hunters, threatens to derail her efforts. With her reputation on the line and her life hanging in the balance, can Eleanor find her brother and manage to stay alive? Vividly imagined scenes and a perfectly proper Victorian setting create a wonderfully entertaining backdrop for horror and romance, making Susan Dennard's debut a great pick for fan of Clockwork Angel.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I had some trouble with this book. I went back and forth between really liking it and being bored. The beginning of the book had a slow start. I didn't really start getting into the story until about a third of the way into the book. I think one of the reasons why I didn't enjoy this book was because I was confused for a lot of the first half of it. I didn't really understand why everything was happening and what Eleanor was trying to accomplish.

I got about halfway through the book before I decided to take a break from it and read something else for a little while. When I picked it back up I enjoyed it so much more. I found myself rooting for the characters at the end.

The ending of the book left me satisfied. Things were cleared up, but definitely left open for a sequel. I'm not sure if I'll be picking it up if it does get published, so we'll have to see.

CHARACTERS: I didn't connect a whole lot to any of the characters. There just weren't many characters that stood out to me. The only exception to that is Jie. She is one of the spirit hunters. She has a lot of spunk and does what she wants. I feel like she is a strong woman and not afraid to go after what she believes in.

COVER: I'm in love with this cover. It's the main reason the book caught my attention in the first place. I love the colors, I love the creepy tree in the back, I love the girl's dress and her hair. I also really like the title font.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book for my honest review.

Embrace Review (ARC)

 

TITLE: Embrace (ARC)AUTHOR: Jessica ShirvingtonPUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire PUBLICATION DATE: 3/6/2012PAGES: 369MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (From Goodreads): It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden… 

 

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I really liked the concept and the story line, but on the other hand, it was a little too complex for me. Shirvington does a great job explaining everything as there is a huge amount of backstory and history in the book, but for me personally I had a hard time following. I found my brain wandering when I would read the long descriptions and I wouldn't be able to focus on the explanations. So if you like detailed explanations and the history behind things, especially angels, then I would definitely recommend this book for you.

On page 69 of the book, there is discussion of a map being drawn. I don't know if it's in the final copy of the book as I only have the ARC, but I think that would be a neat thing to be able to see.

On a final note, the book says that this is for ages 12+ but I disagree with that. I feel that it should be rated 14+. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like there is a huge amount of very strong sexual tension that should be read about by a slightly older reader.

 

CHARACTERS: Lincoln. I fell in love with Lincoln. There's just something about him; he's kind, sweet, caring, everything perfect! Phoenix is kind of the bad boy of the book. Since the moment we are introduced to him, I just didn't really connect with him. I felt like Violet (the main character) was with him just because she didn't want to be alone and she thought she was supposed to be with him. 

 

COVER: Love it! Purple is my favorite so that right there makes me love the cover. I really like the way the wings look and the feathers scattered around. And the back of the girl's dress is really cute! 

 

*I received this from Amazon Vine for a review. 

Slide Review (ARC)

TITLE: SlideAUTHOR: Jill HathawayPUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins) PUBLICATION DATE: 3/27/2012PAGES: 256MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth -- her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes.  She's slide into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class.  She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police.  Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must fine a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a pretty good book. The first chapter really sucked me in and got me interested in the story. As the story got closer to the end, the excitement kind of dropped off for me, but the book still held my attention. The ending was sweet and satisfying.

CHARACTERS: None of the characters in particular jumped out at me as being extraordinary, but there weren't any that I disliked either. They all seemed to be typical, average people, which made it easier to relate to everyone.

COVER: The cover is okay, not the greatest, but I like the color.

*I received this from Amazon Vine for Review