Review: Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Title: Glimmerglass
Author: Jenna Black
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 05/25/10
Summary:

It’s all she’s ever wanted to be, but it couldn’t be further from her grasp...

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl -- she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.


Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with... until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again...

Plot: 5 Stars
The idea of the mortal world and the faerie world intersecting in a specific point, Avalon, was a very interesting take on faerie lore. Up until now, I've only read about the two worlds existing completely together or completely apart. I really enjoyed how the two races could co-exist in Avalon, but humans couldn't venture into the faerie realm, and vice versa. The magic that the fae possess was also unique. It involved more energy manipulation than the more common glamour.

Pace: 5 Stars
Dana just couldn't catch a break once she reached Avalon. She barely got a chance to stop and take a breath. As much as I felt for her, I also really enjoyed reading the crazy chain of events that took place. The pace was go-go-go without being completely rushed. In fact, all of the events flowed together to make a wonderful story that was never boring.

Characters: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed Dana. I really felt for her as I was reading. She dealt with the hand life dealt her in a very mature manner. Ethan and his sister were very interesting characters. They played off of each other quite well, and gave the reader a very intimate glance into life in Avalon and life as a fae teenager. I would've liked Dana's parents to have played a slightly bigger roll in the book. I don't feel like I got to know them quite as well as other characters.

Cover: 5 Stars
I fell in love with this cover the first time I saw it online, but seeing it in person was a hundred times better. What looked like gray spots, turned out to be a shiny silver. And they even repeated onto the spine. The text and spine were an unusual pink that really complimented the navy blue. But my favorite part is the image of the cover model. The image and it's opposite image are striking in their unique angle.

Overall: 5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Waiting on Wednesday (29)

This book blog meme is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Young Adult
Release date: 07/20/10
Summary:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past... and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves... and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Teaser Tuesday (34)

This weekly book blog meme is hosted by Misb at Should be Reading.

Here are the rules:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others.)
- Share the title & author too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Title: Deception
Author: Lee Nichols
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 06/08/10

I wasn't ready to start my homework, but I wanted to stay in the sanctuary of the house. I was afraid if I ventured into town I'd see those scary shadows again. So I wandered around aimlessly. First I paced the library. Then I knocked the pool balls around in the billiard room until I felt a familiar tingle. It was probably Nicholas, looking for a gameto play, but I didn't want to face even him, not right now. -- pg. 151

Review: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Title: Unholy Ghosts
Author: Stacia Kane
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 05/25/10
Summary:

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

Plot: 4 Stars
The way every aspect of Chess's life get wrapped together into the intricate plot of the novel was done very well. Her work life with the Church and her secret life of drugs cross paths and she dealt with it the way one would expect: with lies and drugs. The ghosts and their history in Downside were a very interesting take; it's not very often the ghosts are specifically mean or violent. The magic could have been explained a little more in depth, but was still unique to the story. I really enjoyed following Chess throughout the book as she balanced the good parts of herself against the bad, her work against her addiction.

Pace: 4 Stars
I enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. They really helped explain the church without Chess having to pause in the action to explain everything. The story flowed really well with the quotes and Chess just giving bits and pieces about the church throughout the story. There were a couple points throughout the novel that were a bit slow for me. A few times, I wanted to shake Chess and tell her there were more important things going on than her drugs, but her addiction really became just another part of the story. The end seemed a touch rushed, but was otherwise a great ending to a very interesting story.

Characters: 4.5 Stars
Chess was a very unique individual. I've never before read about a main character that was also addicted to drugs, and it was a very fresh idea for the urban fantasy genre. In a genre full of kick ass bounty hunters and assassins and law enforcement officers, it was a breath of fresh air to read about a less than perfect, flawed character that read almost like an anti-hero. I also enjoyed the difference in speech between the more shady characters and the members of the Church. Although it took a bit getting used to, once I did, it really gave me a better picture of the characters.

Cover: 4 Stars
The color contrast of blues and yellows on each half of the cover model's face depicts the good and bad that wars within Chess. I also really liked that the cover model's tattoos were relevant to the story, although we never get a clear picture of what Chess's tattoos should look like while reading. The cityscape background really gives the dark and gritty feel of Downside. And I absolutely love the font chosen for the title.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

In My Mailbox (37)

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



Bought (used):

Blood Song by Cat Adams
Deception by Lee Nichols