The Prickly Reader

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2012-01-10T23:05:00.000-06:00

Author: Marissa Meyer website | twitter
Published: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Format: Nook Ebook (275 pages)
Source: Purchased, $9.99

Cinder is set in a futuristic world where all of that lovely future tech you see in Hollywood movies really exists. Cinder is a young, teenage cyborg who is also a gifted mechanic. Because of her mechanical parts, she’s considered a second-class citizen and the property of her evil stepmother. Her life is nothing glamorous -- at least, until Prince Kai enters the picture -- but she is by no means a meek, subservient type of character.

Some of the things I love about Cinder are her: sarcasm, selflessness, bravery, and strength. There are insecurities that she struggles with, but she doesn’t let them get the best of her. The romance between Cinder and Prince Kai is one of the highlights of the book. He’s charming and kind, torn between duty and his own desires. No love triangle in sight.

The worldbuilding is fascinating, but I can tell this is a novel that aims to set the scene for more novels in the same world without giving too much away. Some of these questions, I believe, will be answered in upcoming installments in the series. The Big Reveal is very obvious and though I found myself guessing the outcome from the very first clue, I didn’t mind. It was still interesting to find out how the characters discovered things that the reader already knows and how they react to them. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series.

Extras
Prequel to Cinder: Glitches
Read the 1st chapter of Cinder: Chapter One FREE!

Do you like re-tellings? What are some of your favorite re-tellings or reboots?

Book Review: How to Date an Alien by Magan Vernon

2012-01-07T00:07:00.000-06:00

Author: Magan Vernon website | twitter
Published: December 5th, 2011
Publisher: Darkside Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Format: Nook Ebook (449 pages)
Source: Purchased, $2.99

Alex Bianchi hopes that interning at her dad’s classified military base will make her college application to Columbia stand out from the rest of the crowd. What she doesn’t know, but is about to find out, is that Circe Operations Center is actually an alien operation center where human and aliens live and work together on a daily basis.

At the beginning of the book Alex discovers that all sorts of different aliens live among us on Earth. There’s something of a hierarchy among the different alien races and the Caltians, the race of aliens that Ace is a part of, are sort of like the popular kids from high school. Throughout the book Alex spends increasingly less time with her fellow human interns and starts spending more time with her alien co-worker, Ace; the mysterious guy who keeps showing up to save her life.

One of the things that frustrated me throughout the book is that a lot of people kept telling Alex to stay away from Ace, amping up the forbidden quality of their romance, but their reasons were very vague and not convincing enough for me. The pacing was not something that appealed to me, either. After the excitement of the first chapter or two, the plot slows way down and continues to focus on the budding romance until the last 100 pages or so. For those who like a slow progression to their romance, this might appeal to you. While the attraction between them is clear from the beginning, they aren’t instantly confessing their undying love after a few chapters, which is always a plus in my book.

I have to say a few words about the cover. I think it is very effectively matched to the content inside of this book. Overall, I think this was a light, quirky read aimed at a younger audience and I believe the cover reflects that very well. It’s certainly one of the reasons I picked this up in the first place. This novel will appeal to fans of the YA books who like a little science fiction with their teen romance.

A note on formatting and presentation. There was something hinky going on with my eBook version here, I think. When I read it on my Nook, there was a random question mark at the end of each chapter, but when I opened it on the Nook application on my computer the question mark wasn’t there. There were also a lot of malformed sentences that would have random extra words, or several extra words, in them. This was only my own experience but I have to admit that it negatively affected my overall experience with this book and that might not be the case for everyone.

Busting the Newbie Blues

2012-01-03T07:11:00.000-06:00

Small Review is hosting a fantastic event called Busting the Newbie Blues. It is a great way to increase blogger interaction and to start discussions about being a newbie in the book blogging world.

When did you start your blog?
About one week ago now, on December 26, 2011.

Why did you start your blog?
I read so many great books last year, so many Young Adult ones that I really wanted to talk about. Most of my friends and family don't read YA books and I told myself to get used to the fact that I wouldn't be able to talk about most of the amazing things I read with real, actual people. Then, late last year, I discovered Goodreads and Blogger and I found out that this whole, amazing world of other YA readers existed right under my nose. I just had to be a part of it.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Getting everything set up! I discovered that there are so many different decisions to make when setting up your blog. Layout. Branding. Social Media. I'll still be working on the layout off and on for a while, I'm sure. Actually posting something, whether it's a review or a meme or this survey, is still pretty intimidating.

What do you find most discouraging about being a new blogger?
Sometimes I feel self conscious because I am an older blogger reviewing mostly Young Adult books. I am trying to get the hang of using social media networks like Twitter, Goodreads, and Google + to also interact with fellow book lovers, but sometimes it is discouraging because it is so new to me.

What do you find most encouraging?
I have already met so many great bloggers and found so many great events to participate in.

What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog?
I love blogs like Small Review that post reviews but really also try to encourage conversation and discussion. Sometimes she will leave leading discussion questions at the ends of reviews, like this one. She has amazingly fun things to read like whole posts on Discussion and Review Comparisons. I might try to ask more discussion questions at the ends of some of my reviews. After all, that is what I am here for.

What do you dislike about blogs you’ve read? Do you try to avoid this?
Playlists, music, and widgets that auto-play when you load a page. I definitely avoid using these things on my own blog.

Any advice for other new bloggers?
Oh gosh! I am still so new myself. With all of one week's worth of blogging wisdom beneath my belt I would say just have fun. Read other blogs to see how they operate, comment often, and have a good time. Oh, and always use the Preview button.

Any questions you'd like to ask newbie or established bloggers?
So many! How do you schedule ahead (what types of posts/how much a head of time, etc.)? How do you encourage discussion on your blogs?
ETA: I have thought of another burning question! Spoilers! I have found that a lot of reviews on the blogs I've been reading don't warn for the amount of spoilers that will be in the reviews. Do you just assume that, when reading a book review, you will basically be spoiled for the entire book? Is it okay to talk about specific spoilers in comments (even if the review contains no specific spoilers and leaves things vague)? Or would you not want to in case you spoil someone else reading the comments for the ending or something? I love to talk about books, but I don't want to leave spoilery comments if that is something that is just Not Done.

Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your blog? Feel free to link a few of your favorite posts or posts you wish had more comments.
I am a challenge collector. I can't seem to be able to stay away from them. Even now, I see new ones I want to sign up for. These are the ones that have already caught me in their webs of excitement. Feel free to drop by any time to encourage me or kick my butt or to just mock me in general.

Thank you for reading ♥

Book Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2012-01-01T16:49:00.000-06:00

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes website | twitter
Published: December 27th, 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Format: Nook Ebook (237 pages)
Source: Purchased, $11.29

On every other day, Kali D’Angelo can pass for a normal teenage girl. Sure Kali’s mother took off when she was only three and she doesn’t have the most stellar relationship with her father, but she’s still more or less human. At least that’s what she wants everyone to believe. Because every other day at dawn, Kali turns into a super-fast, decidedly non-human hunter of preternatural beings that may or may not be listed on the endangered species list.

Kali’s status as a social unknown takes a drastic turn toward the spotlight when she is befriended by Skylar Hayden. Skylar is eternally optimistic, even when she finds herself in the crosshairs of the school’s cheerleading team. Kali’s plans to keep the normal and and not so normal parts of her life separate are shot to bits when she notices an ouroboros symbol on the small of Bethany Davis’ back. The same Bethany Davis who is the daughter of her father’s colleague, dating Skylar’s brother, and one of the school’s resident mean girls.

What I like most about Kali is her flaws. Her grades aren’t the best, she almost doesn’t know what to do with people who actually want to be her friend, and she has a frustrating habit of rushing into dangerous situations. The action doesn’t lag for too long because Kali herself rarely ever slows down, especially when she’s in hunting mode. When slower parts of the book do come along, we get a better chance to get to know some of the amazing characters Kali interacts with.

At the beginning of this book it is clear that Kali is a loner and prefers it that way. By the end, her life has changed for the better because of the friendships and connections she’s made. I quickly devoured this book and was sad to see it end. From everything I’ve read, this book is only meant to be a standalone, but the potential for so much more is here.

One of the reasons I didn’t give this book 5 stars is the ambiguous ending. I like to know what I’m getting into before I start a book and, from my initial research, I was led to believe this was meant to be a stand-alone book. However, the ending is highly ambiguous and there are enough questions left unresolved that I wasn’t sure that was the case just taking in the whole finished product. Also, the "romance" is almost a non-factor in this book. It almost felt like it was thrown in to satisfy some romance quotia. Without the forced-romance, this might have been close to perfect.

Promo Bonus: Figment is hosting an Every Other Day-themed writing contest. Your writing could be read by a professional editor.

2012 Reading Challenges

2011-12-26T21:28:00.000-06:00

This will be my first year participating in any online reading challenges. This will also be the first full year that this blog has been opened and I can't think of a better way to break it in. There are a lot of great challenges floating around and I encrouage you to take up any that might interest you.

2012 Ebook Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
The challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012. You can post reviews to any book site. Any genre or book length counts, as long as it is in ebook format. You can move up levels, but no moving down. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.

Goal:
CD Level - 10 ebooks

How to Date An Alien by Magan Vernon
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I read books pretty much exclusively in Ebook format anyway, and I'm a huge fan and supporter of them. I don't think this one will be too much of a chore. I'm actually worried that I might reach my goal kind of early in the year, but I can always move up to the next level!

2012 Self-Published Reading Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
The challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012. You can post reviews to any book site. Any genre, length, or book format counts as long as it is self-published by the author. You can move up levels, but no moving down.

Goal:
Paragraph Level - 10 books

The Sphinx Project by Kate Hawkings (Feb 28)
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I have an inkling that this might be more of an actual challenge just because self-published books are, to me at least, so much harder to find. So I'm going conservative on this one and sarting at 10 books. I can always level up, though!

2012 Debut Author Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
The objective is to read & review a minimum or 12 young adult or middle grade debut novels between the dates of January 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013. You can post the reviews on your blog, Goodreads, or Youtube. Your blog/video must be in English. Deadline to join is May 31, 2012.

Book Guidelines:
Must be a young adult or middle grade title. Must be the author's YA or MG debut, released in 2012. If an author has previously published works for adults or children, they can still qualify for the challenge. If an author has a previous YA or MG title, they do not qualify for the challenge.

Goal:
Minimum - 12 books // Personal - 30 books

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (Jan 13)
Everneath by Brodi Ashton (Jan 24)
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (Jan 31)
The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker (Feb 1)
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Slide by Jill Hathaway (March 1)
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (Jan 3)
Glitch by Heather Anastasiu (Aug 7)
The Selection by Kiera Cass (April 24)
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I love discovering new authors and I love YA and MG novels. It's like this challenge was created especially for me, so of course I'm going to sign up. I hope to do even more than the minimum, though.

2012 Sophmore Reading Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
The challenge is to read 10 sophomore YA/MG novels in 2012. To officially participate, you need a Goodreads account or a blog where you post reviews in English.

Goal:
Minimum - 10 books

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth
Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver
Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand
Rebel Heart (Dust Lands #2) by Moira Young
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There are a lot of debut authors that I read last year. Most of them were starting some sort of series that I definitely intend to continue with. I think this is a great way to continue to support new authors that I have fallen in love with.

2012 Standalone Reading Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
Read 15 standalone YA books released between Dec 27, 2011 and Dec 31, 2012. Any format counts as long as you read them during the year 2012. Anyone with a Goodreads account or blog where they post reviews in English can participate

Goal:
Minimum - 15 books

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (June 12)
Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (Sept 4)
Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe (Jan 10)
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (Feb 7)
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (June 19)
Above by Leah Bobet (Apr 1)
Struck by Jennifer Bosworth (May 8)
When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen (Feb 28)
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (Feb 14)
Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Sep 18)
Dead to You by Lisa McMann (Feb 7)
Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick (Jan 28)
First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky (May 8)
Revived by Cat Patrick (May 8)
The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin (Aug 2)
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

I love books in a series but sometimes I have SOS Syndrome (Serious Overload of Series). Sometimes I would just like to sit down and read a book that has a beginning and end to the story. I don't have to worry about when the next book is coming out and that is refreshing. So I want to try to read more of these in 2012.

2012 YA Contemporary Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
You can read any contemporary YA novel that is published between January 1, 2012 and December 30, 2012 but you must read them in 2012! (All formats accepted: paperback, ARC, e-book)

Goal:
Level 2 - 10+ books

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz
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Contemporary YA is not something that I read a lot of, but I want to change that!

2012 Dystopian Reading Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
Runs Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012. Books must be started after Jan 1, 2012. All books must be dystopian YA or MG. Must post reviews to either blog or Goodreads account. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.

Goal:
So Hard it Would Have it's Own Apocalypse! - 21+ books

Dystopia and post-apocalyptic novels are my absolute favorite, so dystopia + YA is pretty much going to be the bread and butter of my blog. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that at least 40% of the books I read this year will be set in dystopian societies so, yes, this will probably be an easy challenge to complete.

2012 New Adult Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
Will run Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2012. The book must feature a protagonist who is past the average age for graduation from high school (18 in most places). All genres welcome. If there is no concept of "graduation", go by real world standards.

Goal:

Living On Your Own - 9 books

New Adults read too! I would love to read more books that aim for a bit older audience than the YA genre. After all, sometimes I still consider myself a New Adult (don't we all?) so this is perfect!