Waiting on Wednesday (42)

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

Title: The Shadow Reader
Author: Sandy Williams
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release date: 10/25/11
Summary:

A Houston college student, McKenzie Lewis can track fae by reading the shadows they leave behind. For years she has been working for the fae King, tracking rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn't her only secret. She's in love with Kyol, the King's sword-master -- but human and fae relationships are forbidden. When McKenzie is captured by Aren, the fierce rebel leader, she learns that not everything is as she thought. And McKenzie must decide who to trust and where she stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.

Month in Review: August

August was a record for the year. Not only is my total of 12 books for the month the most I've had all year, but the four DNFs is also a record for me. I tend to hold on and try to finish a book (especially if it was highly anticipated for me), but this month I tried the "50 page rule" in which I put a book down if it didn't grab me by page 50. Of the DNFs, two were YA and two were UF. The other eight novels included four YAs, one MG, and three UF (one being a graphic novel). There was a lot of YA this past month because a lot of recent releases were available at the library, and I only brought library and used books on vacation so that nothing happened to my books. I'm weird about my books. I didn't realize that there were no PNRs for August and will try my best to read more of those. Christen tends to read more PNRs, so at least we'll still have some reviews.

August: 12

First Frost by Jennifer Estep (4 Stars)
Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson (DNF)
Demonkeeper by Royce Buckingham (2.5 Stars)
Possession by Elana Johnson (4 Stars)
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris (3 Stars)
Key to Conflict by Talia Gryphon (DNF)
Entwined by Heather Dixon (DNF)
Heist Society by Ally Carter (4 Stars)
Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux (DNF)
Blood Rights by Kristen Painter (4.5 Stars) review coming soon
Blood Work by Kim Harrison (3.5 Star)
Surrender the Dark by L.A. Banks (2 Stars) review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in August?

Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society #1
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Release Date: 07/06/10
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre... to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria... to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own -- scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history -- and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Plot: 4 Stars
Normally, I'm not a fan of Contemporary Young Adult, but this novel stood out against the rest of the genre and intrigued me. The idea of a group of teenagers pulling off a heist that even seasoned adults think is impossible sounded like it would be a roller coaster ride. The author definitely didn't disappoint. The twists and turns in this novel were on a much grander scale than many novels because they brought the characters all across the globe in search of answers. The progression of Kat's re-entry into the world of heists was accomplished in a great way. As she runs into more and more characters from her former life, we get to see glimpses of the past and learn more about Kat and her world. The reader is left guessing until the very end, unsure of whether or not Kat and her cohorts are going to make it out scott-free or in handcuffs.

Pace: 4 Stars
I really liked how the novel was split up between each day, counting down until time was out. It also gave the reader a better feel of how much time was elapsing and where the characters were travelling to over the course of the two weeks. It helped keep the timeline in perspective. The author also did a great job making sure the amount of travel and action in each day wasn't excessive and unrealistic for a twenty-four hour period. Due to the time constraints of the heist, there was never a dull moment throughout this novel. Whether Kat and her friends were travelling to another country on a lead, or plotting their next move, there was never a point in which the plot slowed down or became boring.

Characters: 4.5 Stars
My favorite part of this novel was the progression in which the reader gets to learn about Kat's past. Many questions are answered, and we learn a lot about her and her family. But there are also some things that are only hinted at, which will hopefully be addressed further in the next novel. Her cousin was her complete opposite, which made for a bit of humor. Hale was a very interesting character, and I hope he continues to have a large role in the next novel. I also hope that Kat isn't as oblivious to the signals Hale sends her way in the next novel. I also hope that we learn more about the rest of Kat's crew because they were very interesting characters.

Cover: 3.5 Stars
This cover was a bit straightforward and simple. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I just think it needed something added to help grab the attention of someone browsing since it kind of blends in to the novels around it on the shelves. The image could've been zoomed out a little bit and possibly included some details of the background. I do like that Kat is wearing large sunglasses, because it gives off a secretive vibe that fits the novel very well. My favorite detail of this novel is the painting reflected in the sunglasses, which I didn't notice at first. It was a great hint as to what the plot of the novel involved without being too blatant. The bold red chosen for the title definitely stands out against the cover model, and the font was a great choice.

Overall: 4 Stars

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

Review: Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Title: Bad Taste in Boys
Author: Carrie Harris
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: 07/12/11
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

Someone’s been a very bad zombie.

Super-smartie Kate Grable gets to play doctor, helping out her high school football team. Not only will the experience look good on her college apps, she gets to be this close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds out that the coach has given the team steroids. Except... the vials she finds don’t exactly contain steroids. Whatever’s in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating... zombies.

Unless she finds an antidote, no one is safe. Not Aaron, not Kate’s brother, not her best friend... not even Kate...

It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school.

Plot: 3 Stars
My favorite part of the novel was the twist on zombies. I liked that the zombie virus was spread via a steroid given to some of the football players. I really enjoyed the internal struggle Kate had in regards to actually admitting what was happening was indeed zombies. She often referred to it as the "z-word" and didn't want to say it. Aaron, Kate's crush, gets caught up in all of the mayhem as Kate is trying to figure it out, and it felt like he accepted what was going on a bit too quickly and without enough questions. The ending of this novel definitely caught me by surprise, but I felt like a few things wrapped up a little too nicely.

Pace: 4 Stars
I read this novel in one day, while on vacation, so I think it's safe to say that the pace was pretty good. The novel was on the shorter side, but it didn't feel rushed. There was no downtime for Kate once the steroids were given to the football players. A couple scenes, including the pancake breakfast at the high school, added a bit of much needed humor as the zombies were going around biting everyone. This was one of those rare novels that sped by as I was reading.

Characters: 3 Stars
Kate was a very interesting character. I liked that she was a bit more of a nerd than the typical Paranormal Young Adult heroine. Her love of science was a very interesting character trait, and ended up helping once the zombies were loose. Her seizures also added some depth to her character. I've never read about a character that suffers from seizures before, but I really enjoyed Kate. Other than Kate, the rest of the cast of characters in this novel were a bit flat. Kate's brother added some humor when he was around, but we didn't get to learn much about him. Her friends at school didn't have big parts and we only learned what Kate tells us about them.

Cover: 3 Stars
This cover confused me a bit. I would have never guessed it belonged to a zombie novel without reading the jacket. The main focus is a set of lips that is covered in what looks like sugar. While the zombies in this novel do bite each other, sugar-covered lips never come into play. There was never a point in which any character's lips were focused on for any reason. But it is a striking image that makes you want to know more. I really enjoyed the title. The font was a great choice because it kinda looked like it could've been Kate's handwriting. I also liked how the color of the title echoes the color of the lips behind the sugar.

Overall: 3 Stars

Disclosure: I borrowed this novel from the local library.

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.