Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: 04/24/12
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked -- and given the ultimate choice. Die... or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend -- a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what -- and who -- is worth dying for.

Plot: 4 Stars
I've been reading a lot of dystopian novels lately, but I find myself wishing they had paranormal elements, since that's mostly what I read. This novel was exactly what I have been looking for: a dystopian world filled with vampires. I liked the idea of the vampire cities, and human citizens being forced to donate blood. My favorite part of the vampire lore in this story was that the vampires would go mad if they went without blood for too long. The one aspect I wish could've been elaborated on is the rabids. They came across as zombie-like, but are made when a human is changed by a lesser vampire. They were creepy, but I wish more details had been shared about them. I assume they're going to tie into the possible cure for the disease that caused the vampires, and hope to learn more in the next novel.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
This was a long book. For the most part, the length of a novel will never keep me from reading it. Although I prefer short chapters, long chapters will also not keep me from reading. But this novel could've been a bit shorter in some parts. In the first half of the novel, there were a couple of scenes that could've been a bit streamlined to move the plot along a little better. A few scenes had a bit more details described than absolutely needed. Normally, I enjoy the first book in a series the most, because I love the world-building. I guess this novel was an example of a bit too much world-building too fast. Once I hit the second half of the novel, the pace sped up quite a bit and I gobbled it up. Hopefully the next novel will jump right in and keep up this pace.

Characters: 4.5 Stars
This novel would full of great, well-rounded characters. Allie was a great main character. She was strong and independent given her circumstances. I really enjoyed her journey in becoming something she abhors: a vampire. It was something she struggled with, especially when pretending to be human while travelling with nomads in search of Eden outside of the city. Zeke was an interesting character that I immediately wanted to know more about. As Allie got closer to Zeke, I found myself both rooting her on and hoping something would happen to keep them apart in fear of him finding out her true identity. I also really enjoyed Allie's vampire sire and mentor. He intrigued me, even if he wasn't present for a lot of the book. I hope to learn more about him and his motivations in the next installment.

Cover: 3 Stars
Everything about this cover works... Except for the cover model. There are a number of instances in the novel in which Allie is described as having Asian features, and yet the cover model does not appear to be of Asian descent. There are three things I'd like to see more of: main characters that are college student, LGBT characters that play bigger roles, and covers that accurately depict the main character, especially when said character is a person of color. That being said, everything else about the cover is great. I love the little bits of red against the blue cover. It gives the cover a very dark feel that works well with the book. The font choices are great, and I especially love when a cover included the series name. Normally I find covers that zoom in on the cover model's face a little boring, but the bloody tear sparked my interest and made me want to know more.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I received an eARC via Netgalley.

Mini-Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend #1
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release Date: 11/29/11
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths -- until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

Mini-Review: This novel is definitely a must read for anyone who needs more dystopian YA after seeing the Hunger Games. My favorite part of the novel was the alternating points of view. Each chapter switches between Day and June, giving the reader a look at both sides of the Republic simultaneously. Sometimes POV switches can slow the plot down, but it did the exact opposite in this novel. Day and June were equally strong and interesting. They really balanced each other out throughout the novel, even before they met. This cover conveys the feel of the novel very well (and looks even better in person). But for a book as fantastic as this, I wish there was just a bit more detail in it.

Plot: 4.5 Stars
Pace: 5 Stars
Characters: 4.5 Stars
Cover: 3.5 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel as a Christmas gift.

Mini-Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Series: Chemical Garden #2
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release Date: 02/21/12
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

The second book in The Chemical Garden Trilogy reveals a world as captivating -- and as dangerous -- as the one Rhine left behind in Wither.

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but they’re still in danger. Outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they left behind.

Determined to get to Manhattan and find Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan, the two press forward, amid threats of being captured again... or worse.

The road they are on is long and perilous -- and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and men die at age twenty-five, time is precious. In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price -- now that she has more to lose than ever.

Mini-Review: I really enjoyed the messed up carnival aspect of this novel. Although it's only a portion of the tretcherous trip Rhine and Gabriel make, it gave a much needed perpective into the world outside of the mansion. The trek the characters made up the coast allowed for a lot of details in regards to world-building that the first novel didn't. And it was a very quick read. Normally, stories including a lot of searching or running tend to bore me, but the many roadblocks Rhine and Gabriel ran into made for some great twists and turns. Plus, the ending left me craving the third novel immediately. Rhine and Gabriel are both sick during different times during the novel, and this allows each to take turns leading the way. There were numerous new characters introduced, many of which were interesting. The cover, although not nearly as striking as the first, was still very eye-catching due to the little details. Plus, I really enjoyed that the colors were very complimentary to the first since so many things about the novel were very different from the first.

Plot: 4 Stars
Pace: 4.5 Stars
Characters: 4 Stars
Cover: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I bought a copy of this novel for my own reading pleasure.

Thoughts on The Hunger Games (Books)

Today, I'm going to ramble on about some of my thoughts regarding The Hunger Games series. I will try to be as spoiler-free as I can, but I really can't guarantee anything. So read at your own risk.

I originally read The Hunger Games in the fall of 2010. Mockingjay has somewhat recently released, and I finally gave in to all of the buzz. I hadn't delved into the world of Dystopian YA at that point, so it was something completely new for me. I remember finishing the novel thinking that it would make a great movie (although I don't know if I knew there was going to be a movie at the time), but wasn't overwhelmed by it's awesome-ness like everyone else seemed to be. Since then, I've read and enjoyed a couple other Dystopian YAs (and had a couple disappointments), and now include it as one of the genres I enjoy to read.

Two weeks ago, I decided to re-read The Hunger Games in preparation for the movie. The more I saw the trailers, the more I realized that I didn't remember a lot of the details. After reading it a second time, I am now totally in love with it. I was able to enjoy the book so much more this time around since Dystopian YA wasn't new to me anymore. I was originally going to wait until after I saw the movie to start book two, so that it didn't cloud my enjoyment of the movie, but that lasted less than 24 hours. I stayed up until 3:30am when I finally picked up Catching Fire, and finished it by the next afternoon. It is officially my favorite book of the series.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else until I finished them all, I dove straight into Mockingjay. At first, I was a little thrown off, because of how different it was from the other two. The first two each included a game, so it was weird for the plot to be so different. I don't like change. Come to think of it, the last Harry Potter was my least favorite for the same reason: after six book of them going to school, book seven brought them somewhere else. I just really don't like change.

I'm not going to review or summarize or dissect these books. But I am going to ramble about a few points that I just need to get off my chest. (I can't talk with Christen about all of them because she hasn't picked up Mockingjay yet, so I came here.)

1. The wolf mutts at the end of The Hunger Games seemed out of place to me. I don't know why exactly, but they just didn't fit into the rest of the game in my head. I realize they aren't much different from Tracker Jackers and Jabberjays, but something about their sudden appearance threw me for a loop. I understand that there were other circumstances that were controlled, such as the fire, but these just seemed like it was overreaching what we knew about the Gamemakers. (Although they made a little more sense while watching the movie because we got to see the Gamemakers in action.) After reading book two and learning about all of the different traps and mutts in that game, the wolf mutts weren't nearly as off-putting.

2. I went into this series knowing there was a Team Peeta and a Team Gale. When I finished book one, I was totally confused. How could I be Team Gale when he had barely any face time? Although we did learn about him through Katniss, I still felt like I barely knew him. And when I finished book two, although I felt like I learned more about all three main characters, I still didn't understand how anyone could be Team Gale because I still barely knew him. Granted, I wasn't necessarily Team Peeta. I don't think I picked a team until the middle of Mockingjay, and I'm not really sure why I ended up on Team Peeta. I can't pinpoint what it is about Gale, or what he did, but I found myself rooting for Peeta.

3. I can't imagine my 14-15 year old self reading these books like so many teens are. I was reading YA when I was a teen, but there were not a lot of choices and there weren't nearly as many risks being taken by authors. It wasn't until I was around 19 or 20 that the YA market took off. I was basically reading Harry Potter, Harry Potter, and more Harry Potter. And we were only up to book five. I'm not saying these books would've been too violent for 14-15 year old me, but I was a pretty sheltered kid. The deaths in Harry Potter didn't affect me the way I think the death in The Hunger Games would, because of the magic. Although The Hunger Games is science-fiction, there's nothing magical about a bow and arrow or a knife.

4. Was I the only one that forgot Katniss and Peeta were still kids in Catching Fire? There were so many other adults around, and no one looked down on them due to their age. I kept having to remind myself that they were still 17 (I think). It didn't bother me, because these had to grow up too fast given their circumstances.

That's all for now. I'll probably ramble about the movie in the next couple of days. I'll give you a hint: best book-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen.

Review: Possession by Elana Johnson

Title: Possession (ARC)
Author: Elana Johnson
Series: Possession #1
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release Date: 06/07/11
Reviewed by: Sara
Buy the Book:

Summary:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn... and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them... starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Plot: 4 Stars
Once I got the hang of the tech and its vocabulary, I really enjoyed the world that the author built. The technology and terms for said technology could have easily been confusing, but the author's choice of terms weren't too complex. The technology also wasn't too out there; many of the devices described may not be that far from existing for real. The different areas of the city were also interesting, and I liked how the reader got to learn about each as Vi did. Vi spend the majority of the novel being pulled in different directions; between the voice in her hear, the Thinkers trying to catch her, and the resistance, it was amazing at times that Vi could think and make decisions. There were some aspects to her rule-breaking and abilities that I figured out, but there was also a lot to this world that took me by surprise.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
I could not put this novel down. And considering I was on vacation at the time really tells you something. We were at the beach for a week (and I'm not the biggest fan of the beach), but I could have been a bit more social. Instead, I had my nose in this novel for about three days of the vacation. I even brought it with me to the beach when my friends dragged me out there. Vi takes the reader on a wild journey as she is on the run and trying to escape, all the while figuring out who she is and what she can do. I was often blindsided by the turns this novel took, and couldn't wait to see what was around the corner.

Characters: 4 Stars
Vi was a very strong character, but her flaws made her a great character. She didn't follow the rules as well as other teenagers, but as you learn about her past you realize that may not be a totally bad thing. Vi is faced with some big decisions in this novel, and she does her best to do what is right for her. From what we learn about Zenn through flashbacks, he seems like the perfect boy for Vi, but the Zenn we actually meet is not the same boy. I wish we could've seen a little more of the past Zenn before he becomes brainwashed. I absolutely loved Jag from the moment he was introduced. He had an attitude that fit his character's past, and he gave Vi a hard time while she was adjusting. There were a large amount of smaller characters to keep track of, and there were a couple points in which I got them muddled a little. But in the end, it didn't affect the story for me and I figured out what was going on.

Cover: 4 Stars
The best part of this cover is the bright, saturated teals and purples of the butterfly. The image of the butterfly in the ice cube is striking, and it's symbolism makes you think without giving anything away. I also like how the colors of the text match the butterfly without taking the eye away from the image. I'm not the biggest fan of large amounts of white on covers, but when I saw a finished copy on the shelf I liked it more because the white background is slightly glittery and shiny. There is a lot of empty space around the main image of the cover. It may have been a little more balanced if the ice cube and butterfly were a bit larger, but I can understand not wanting the image to be too large and overwhelming.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I won an ARC of this novel from The Apocolypsies.

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release Date: 05/03/11
Buy the Book:

Summary:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue -- Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is -- she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are -- and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves... or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series -- dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Plot: 4 Stars
The idea of the five factions was a very interesting take on the dystopian genre of Young Adult. I admit that I haven't read that many dystopian novels, but the idea of classifying all people into one of the five virtues was very interesting. The interactions between the factions, and learning which ones got along and which ones did not, were very interesting and helped when describing the different factions. The technology used within this novel was one of my favorite parts. I enjoyed the simulations that were used both to help the teenagers choose a faction and for training. It also played a pivotal role in the conflict at the end of the novel that caught me completely by surprise. There were a few hints here and there throughout the novel, but I was still surprised by the turn that the novel took and really look forward to the next installment. My one tiny criticism is that I wanted more information about what happened in the past that shaped society into these five factions. I also wondered if the whole country followed these ideals, or just Chicago. Hopefully the next novel will include more history to help round out the series.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
For such a large novel, it blew by so quickly. I actually stayed up past one a.m. the night before we left for Memphis (and had to get up at five a.m.) because I had to finish it right then. This novel grabbed me right from the start and didn't let go. The author had a way of giving just enough detail or a small hint of something to come that left me unable to put the book down. I kept telling myself "one more chapter" instead of going to sleep or making dinner. It's been a while since I've had to force myself to put down a book in order to feed myself or sleep. And I chose not to read on my breaks at work so that I wouldn't lose track of time and forget to clock back in. There was never a dull moment as Tris and her fellow initiates dove headfirst into their future.

Characters: 4.5 Stars
One of the best parts of this novel was the great cast of characters. There was a large number of characters, and we get to know each and every one. There are transfer initiates, the non-transfer initiates, trainers, and family members. But each of these characters we meet along the way feel very real. Although we really get to know a large number of characters, there is never too much information given at one time. We get to know these characters as the story progresses. Tris was an awesome main character. She was strong and brave, but still vulnerable, and all around likeable. Christina was also a great character, although she did occasionally talk down to Tris due to her small stature. There was also a group of initiates that were enemies to Tris' group, and they were pretty evil for sixteen year olds. The trainers were complete opposites, so you never knew how their training was going to go. Four was my favorite character, even if he was a bit too mysterious at times. I liked that he was tough on the intiates without being a jerk. I wish we could've learned more about Tris' family, but there's always future novels.

Cover: 4.5 Stars
Normally, cover similiar to this one don't really do much for me, but the boldness of this particular cover continues to draw my eye in (which is obviously the point). The title is very large and very bold, and the font choice really fits the society we are introduced to within the novel. The symbol in flames on the cover immediately drew my eye, and I wanted to know what it stood for. I won't give it away, but I will say that we do learn the meaning for both the title and the symbol. The cityscape at the bottom of the cover, when mixed with the title and symbol, help convey that this is a dystopian novel. The sky blue of the cover is a great color, but the royal blue of the actual book once the jacket is removed was a nice surprise. I assumed it would be black. The symbol is also on the actual book, which is a nice touch. While it would've been nice to see Tris on the cover, including the model probably would've muddled the cover a bit.

Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher through Authors on the Web.

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release Date: 02/01/11
Buy the Book:

Summary:

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 Haloway 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.

Plot: 2 Stars
I wanted to love the idea of love being a disease. It seemed very fresh and interesting and exciting. But unfortunately, this novel lacked a lot of information about a very key element: the deliria. Most of the information given about the deliria is in bits and pieces taken from different documents. The actual disease is barely talked about as more than an idea. If it wasn't for the bits and pieces at the beginning of every chapter, I wouldn't know anything about the deliria. There was also a point in the novel in which the idea of homosexual relationships was brought up as a sort of special case, but it was never elaborated on. In a world that fears love, I think that fear should be of all love. But the idea of homosexuality was brushed under the rug, almost like the author was afraid to talk about it. I did enjoy the bits and pieces I learned about the Invalids and the Wilds because I love to root for the rebels.

Pace: 1 Stars
This was one of the slowest novels I've ever read. I could not believe that it took over one hundred pages to meet the love interest, Alex. But it wasn't just that it took so long for Lena to meet him, it was that nothing much really happened before she met him. This novel struggled in the smaller scenes between the larger, more important scenes. They were mostly spent inside Lena's head, thinking way too much about the upcoming cure. And don't even get me started on the ending. I won't spoil anything, but after investing over four hundred pages in this novel, the ending made me want to throw the book into the wall. I could not believe that was how it ended. Then I found out today that this was book one in a planned trilogy, and now I'm totally confused about where the story could possibly go.

Characters: 1.5 Stars
Lena was very wishy-washy throughout the entire novel. She see-sawed between thinking the world was good, and maybe the world wasn't as good as everyone thought. She also acted very contradictory throughout the novel. She'd often worry about saying the right thing or acting a certain way, but then she'd sneak out to see Alex all the time without a second thought. Alex, being an Invalid from the Wilds, didn't really do much to make Lena see the world in a new light. She may have been less wishy-washy if he had told her a bit more about what the Invalid and what they did. Instead, they mostly just talked about themselves and started a tentative relationship. Lena's best friend was probably my favorite character. She actually rebelled, as compared to the sorta rebelling that Lena did. She went to the parties and downloaded the illegal music. But as Lena and Alex grew closer, she grew further apart from her best friend. They were always told that they would forget about each other after they received the cure, but that's no reason to shut each other out beforehand.

Cover: 2 Stars
My biggest problem is that this cover doesn't tell you anything about the novel, and it doesn't catch the eye. The face hiding behind the text is chopped up in an awkward way that involves a second look in order to understand what the image actually is. The choice of light blue to be the rest of the cover does fit the feel of the novel in a way, but it's a way that was never explained in depth in the novel. My biggest problem is with the actual book itself. Normally, I love to take off a hardcover book's dust jacket to see what color the actual cover and text on the spine are. Instead, I was surprised (and not in a good way) by the cover having a picture of the cover model sans the overlaid title on both sides of the cover. It was really strange, something I had never come across before, and I didn't really enjoy it. I realize it's not that much different than a paperback book with a large photo of the cover model, but this was really weird.

Overall: 1.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel for my own reading pleasure.

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release Date: 03/22/11
Buy the Book:

Summary:

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb -- males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape -- to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

Plot: 3.5 Stars
I was never really interested in dystopian Young Adult novels until I read the blurb of this novel. The idea behind this books was fabulously intriguing, and left me wanting to know more. I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this novel as much as I did, since it does not include any paranormal aspects. It was refreshing to read about viruses or genetics without it going down the zombie road. Although many parts of the novel were gruesome and uncomfortable it still felt real, like this could possibly happen in the future. The one part of this novel that left me wanting more detail was the world-building. Many aspects of what the world has become are only half-explained. We are told, as readers, that North America is the only continent left and that the others are underwater, but it is never explained how this happened. The weather was also a bit of a problem for me, being from Florida. The fact that it snowed during the winter and no one thought it was strange, or explain why it was no longer strange, left me wanting to know what happened to the planet to change the weather patterns. I was truly interested in why the author chose to make it snow in Florida, but with no explaination it feels like there was a lack of research. Hopefully these small issues will be address in future novels.

Pace: 4 Stars
Although the novel doesn't end with a cliffhanger, it still leaves you wanting the next novel immediately. The story has a conclusion, but there are still many loose ends that need to be tied in future novels. The story flowed very well. There were only a few parts in which the actions of some of the characters seemed repetitive. But it's only natural that life would get a little repetitive at the mansion, with so many constraints put on Rhine and her sister wives. While I guessed the ending of the novel about halfway through, the events leading up to the ending were a complete mystery full of twists and turns.

Characters: 4.5 Stars
My favorite part of this novel was the well developed characters and their relationships and actions. I grew more attached than usual to Rhine and her sister wives. Rhine was a very deep characters. She had many layers that she tried to balance. It was very interesting to see how she handled the situation at the mansion, especially when things stopped being so black and white. Cecily was interesting because she gave you a glimpse into what Rhine's life could have been if her circumstances had been just slightly different. Jenna was often kept to herself, but she was there for Rhine when she needed her. I really enjoyed learning more about Linden, their new husband. Not everything is as it seems in regards to Linden, which makes the story more complex. I enjoyed Rose for the short period she was in the novel. Gabriel and a number of the maids and cooks gave a bit of humor and humanity to the story right when it was needed. The father-in-law was very creepy, although I would've liked a bit more detail into his experiments.

Cover: 4 Stars
This cover is absolutely gorgeous. The cover model is styled to perfection. Although this hairdo didn't make an appearance within the novel, it's very eye catching and fits my image of Rhine. The cover model does a great job of conveying the emotions of the novel, really drawing you in. You want to know why she looks so sad. The birdcage, on the other hand, confuses me a little. Although it could be symbolizing the fact that Rhine is trapped throughout the novel, it just left me waiting for a bird or birdcage to be introduced into the plot. Maybe I'm a bit too literal sometimes. My favorite aspect of this cover is the geometric designs around the title, author's name, and cover model's head. This theme is continued throughout the novel with these shapes appearing at the corners of the page, near the page numbers. The colors of the cover were also great choices. The different tones work well together, and the pink used for the title stands out in a great way.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel for my own reading pleasure.

In My Mailbox (62)

Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week.

This was a very interesting week for me. First, I received a few review copies from SQT over at Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews. In exchange, my reviews for these novels will be posted over there, but I'll link to them on here once they're posted. I purchased my first dystopian YA novel since reading Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series years ago, after contemplating it for a while. It's not a genre that really calls to me, but I decided to give it a shot. Plus, the cover is sooo pretty. Finally, last night, Debbie Viguie (co-author of the Wicked series and Crusade with Nancy Holder) was signing at my local Borders (she's a local to the area). I brought in my copies of Crusade, which I started reading this afternoon, and The Eternal Kiss, which she was surprised to see. I also bought a second copy of Crusade to be signed that I will be giving away in my Holiday Giveaway that I will be posting soon. She even personalized it to "The Lucky Read of Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog" which I thought was cool. Anyway, on to the books I received this week:



Review:

Amazon Queen by Lori Devoti
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes (ARC)
The Silent Army by James Knapp
Thanks to Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews!



Won:

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
Thanks to The Book Smugglers!



Bought:

Right Hand Magic by Nancy A. Collins
Matched by Ally Condie
Demon Underground by S.L. Wright



Library:

The Silent Army by James Knapp
Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin
Another One Bites the Dust by Jennifer Rardin
Biting the Bullet by Jennifer Rardin