Willing to See Less

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:15:00 +0000

Summary: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

The Night Circus is one of those books that, when you see them around the blogosphere, you go "I need to read it. I need to read it NOW!" My darling bought it for me for Christmas after he saw me drooling all over it in the bookstore. I'm glad to report, all the raving reviews are nothing but the truth, even though I have a small complaint or two to throw in...

The Night Circus is unique, truly like nothing I've read before. Most of its marvel sits in the field of visual pleasure, and saying that The Night Circus is a feast for your eyes an understatement. Imagine a circus all black and white, with a drop of red here and there, hiding fantastic secrets, appearing in a field over night when yesterday it wasn't there... It is absolutely beautiful to "look" at. Morgenstern paid a lot of attention to details and appeals to all senses to suck you into the beautiful Night Circus. It'll definitely push your mental eye to its limits, but it is oh so worth it. It was made to leave you in awe, and awed me it did. Fantastic job. I cannot stress it enough.

Now, as for the things I wasn't completely satisfied with...Morgenstern set the bar really high at the beginning. I couldn't guess where the story was going, even less the outcome. I loved the premise, two magicians engaged in a battle that will have the circus as the battlefield. Prestige came to my mind, but scratch that, Night Circus goes far beyond that. The problem is not easy to pinpoint...it's as elusive as the circus itself. The build up to the clash was keeping me on the edge of my seat. And when the two magicians finally meet...that's it. They meet and gradually fall in love. That's where it went downwards for me-plotwise. All the supporting characters were more interesting, even the two main characters were much better to follow separately than together. I didn't really feel the romance, I didn't feel the circus anymore. I was left hanging in the air, lost the strings, and somewhere around that point, it lost a star in my book.

Despite that glitch, I'd still ~~push~~ recommend The Night Circus to everyone. Mogenstern didn't just write a pretty book, she wrote a beautiful book that I loved for having so much heart and soul. It weaves life and magic together, in beautiful writing and with lovable characters. I can only say, kudos for the imagery and fantasy, and thank you for the magic. Reading The Night Circus is a dreamlike experience. Now go grab your copy. Go.

Review: Don't Let Me Go by Catherine Ryan Hyde

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Don't Let Me Go. by Catherine Ryan Hyde by Catherine Ryan Hyde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source: finished copy from the publisher

Don't Let Me Go is a poignant story wrapped in generous amounts of hope and love and optimism. Stories about children of drug addicts generally don't make for fun, amusing or laugh out loud reads, but Catherine Ryan Hyde found a way to make it a very enjoyable book by shifting the balance to things that kind of get lost when talking about the above mentioned.

In the center of the story is Grace and a few neighbors living in the same flat who were strangers to each other until the mutual care for Grace pulls them closer together. I enjoyed getting to know them bit by bit and grew quite fond of them (even shed a tear or two), though at points it seemed like some characters were underdeveloped. They are presented in a specific time span, a limited environment and in close relation to Grace and her well-being, which made me feel like they lacked some depth. You get a brief glance, hear a thing or two from outside the frame and hope to hear more about it, but it's just left hanging in the air. Also, in my case the shifting between radically different voices accounted for a slower reading tempo, especially in the beginning.

I liked the writing and the maturity of the prose. Hyde's experience shines through in every sentence, everything is well-balanced and you really get the sense that every word was carefully chosen. The author did a great job putting us into Grace's (tap dance)shoes. And a little girl will be very concerned about her dancing and her cat and what kind of pizza to order and also about mom who's passed out six days a week. In that order. When you see it through the eyes of a child, you realize that the "grownup" perspective and method are sometimes utterly wrong and as the tagline says, sometimes a child really knows best.

View all my reviews

Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

(Insert a long rant here as to why I hadn't made an appearance on this blog in two months and how I'm just a couple of months away from graduation and that maintaining a blog became almost impossible and now I have sooo many books to review... )

Well. This was my first Jennifer Lynn Barnes novel and I was quite impressed. I absolutely love it when a book grabs me so quickly and so strong like this novel did.

Every Other Day is a must-read for all lovers of paranormal. When it comes to paranormal creatures, JLB has them all, and then some. It was a fresh concept. There's a lot of secrecy, lots of mysteries and intricacies. JLB delivers blow after blow, sparing neither her characters nor the reader. Shocks and surprises keep piling up toward the end when it seems as if every sentence is exploding right into your face. Everything takes place in a short time during which your pulse will race and your mind will be reeling with everything that JLB throws your (and Kali's) way. Every Other Day has its fair share of grit, emotion and action. It's seems only fair to warn not to get too attached to the characters; JLB really has no mercy when it comes to inflicting pain on your darlings.

I loved the voices of the characters and their witty, smart-ass remarks. In general, the writing was good. This book has made me laugh so many times, especially in the interaction between such different personalities.

What I didn't really like was Zev. To me he felt more like an instrument. By the time he actually appears, he's almost already gone, and reappears for only so long. I wish he had a greater part in the novel; despite his constant (psychiyc) presence, I'd like to see more action from him. Luckily, Kali is not a type of heroine who does things to impress a guy, and the romance is everything but your sappy love at first sight.

I really liked it! Recommended for fans of YA, paranormal, adventure.

View all my reviews

Contest Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:32:00 +0000

Hello, lovelies! No Follow Friday today, but it's time to announce the winners of my lil giveaway.

Two randomly chosen winners are

Mateja Gmajnic for Forbidden

Beth Dawkins for The Unit

Congrats, ladies! I emailed you already. I hope you enjoy them!

Many, many thanks to everyone who entered, new and old followers alike. There were more entries in this giveaway than in all my previous giveaways combined, which tells me I made the right choice about which books to give away. For those who haven't made it this time, do not despair, I'll try to have another giveaway soon.

Have a wonderful weekend!

TOUCH Blog Tour!

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:20:00 +0000

Welcome to Willing To See Less, the next stop in the official TOUCH book blog tour!

Make sure to visit the official page at YA Bound where you can check all the tour stops and follow along. Visit and comment on each post to be entered in the grand prize giveaway--an ebook of Touch and a secret gift from Jus herself. Make sure to comment on every tour stop with your name and email to be entered.

About TOUCH (Goodreads summary):

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her. It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy - and her father's "law firm" - than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation - an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons- his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on takin down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secrets of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

My review:

I sat down to write this review the moment I finished reading Touch. There are so many things floating around in my head--especially that last, awesome sentence that made me giggle erratically and left hungry for more.

But before we get to the ending, there are many more good things to say about Touch. It starts head-first, bursts into action on page one and keeps the adrenaline level on highest volume till the very end. There's definitely not a single dull moment in this book. I found myself sucked into it from the opening scene and during breaks I longed to be back in this mysterious world full of intrigues. As the story unfolds and the stakes get higher, the characters open up layer by layer. Kale is a particularly interesting chap. As he learns about the world outside, he also learns how complicated it is and what love feels like. Though he's a lethal weapon, at points I wanted to ruffle his hair and give him a bear hug, followed by hot chocolate and cookies. A boy who could turn you to dust simply by touching you, at the same time he's so wonderfully broken and vulnerable...

Deznee is just as lovable as Kale. When the cracks in her seemingly impenetrable armor started to show, I loved her even more. Jus Accardo did a great job on character development there. Every so often she throws in bits that make you see Dez from a different perspective. I especially loved the past relationship that returns to haunt her. (I'm avoiding spoilers here).

This is a perfect addition to your YA bookshelf if you like X-men or prefer your YA reads to be exploding with action and romance.

Find Jus online:

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website

Sunday Salon: Got Bookmarks?

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:08:00 +0000

Hello, Sunday! I've been counting weeks toward the end of the semester (it's 11 more, by the way), and when Sunday rolls around the corner, I heave a deep breath of relief, make myself a cup of coffee, grab a book and disappear in another realm.

(Not really. But it sounds better than what my Sundays really look like).

Anyway.

Help! Where are my bookmarks when I need them ?!?

I like bookmarks a lot and I have a ton of them. In every book I own, there is a bookmark tucked in, whether I already read the book or not. They vary from themed bookmarks, signed bookmarks, self-made bookmarks, calendar bookmarks, bookmarks from libraries or different organizations, plain paper bookmarks or my precious beaded ones...The paradox in all that is, even though I have bookmarks all over the house, most likely I'll find myself reaching for whatever there is within my reach to mark the page. Bus tickets, tissues, receipts, pens, notes, paper clips...because in most cases, I'm too lazy to get out of my reading nook and get an actual bookmark.

Speaking of, I haven't seen my dog in a while...

It so happened once that I lost my library card and found it months later in Michelle Moran's Cleopatra's Daughter. When I first moved into the place I now live in, I conveniently put my key between the pages. I spent a few panicky hours searching for it (in my defense, it was a hardcover and it was hard to guess). Also, numerous utility bills went unpaid because of the same reason. Now, whenever I lose something, I leaf through my books, chances are 90% that I'd find it there.

My preciousssss....

Over years I collected a few awesome ones, but my favorites are still my Lord of the Rings bookmarks. I have one of these with a little Ring attached. It is now safely resting in my hardcover of Silmarillion. (And I just got sidetracked with the prize of these. Less than $12 for five pieces? I paid 6 Euros for one!)

Even my 4 year old son has found a way to make bookmarks waaaaay more fun. God forbid I leave a book on the table and the bookmark is sticking out. He'll give me his Devilish Dennis look and slooooowly pull it out, just for the funny sight of me running all over the room to stop him. I have a habit of marking pages with little sticky notes. Imagine his joy of plucking them out one by one.

Pardon my French

As I mentioned before, sometimes when I leaf through my books, I find a lot of interesting things. Yesterday I found a dried flower. My guess is, it's been there for at least two years since I have the book. I'm still trying to remember why exactly I put it there because I normally don't do it (yellow stains, yak). There's also many cinema ticket stubs. What year was it when Charlie's Angels was playing in the theater? (The Diaz/Liu/Barrymore one, mind you.) Newspaper cutouts, a Jason Behr autograph card, a long lost Evanescence CD.

'Twas one bloody book.

I also make my own bookmarks (with pretty laces and beads-will show you some time soon). One has a little sea-star pendant that I got the day I found out I was pregnant. The other is partially made from a thin purple lace that my best friend used for her wedding decorations. The third has a little pencil-shaped button that was attached to one of my baby sweaters (of course mom kept it for so many years). This way I managed to connect some of my dearest memory with my dearest hobby.

I found most of these pictured on the web in the last couple of months and just needed an excuse to repost them. As for image rights, clicking on the image will take you directly to the page where you can also order them.

Have an awesome Sunday and a fantastic week!

Feature and Follow My Book Blog Friday #8

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:55:00 +0000

Aaaah, finally Friday! I hope everyone had a great week!

It's time for another Feature and Follow My Book Blog Friday hosted by Rachel @ Parajunkee's Views and Alison @Alison Can Read. Visit their blogs to find out how to participate.

Featured blogs this week:

Sky Ink

The Magic Attic

This week's task is a bit different, and I must say, finally one that doesn't require me go through my entire read-list to jog my memory and find an answer.

Today’s Question is something new, an activity. We want to see what you look like! Take a pic with you and your current read! Too shy? Boo! Just post a fun pic you want to share.

Here I am with my current favorite (I'm really taking my sweet time and bookmarking the hell out of it); Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of The Craft. If you're a writer, this is a must read. If you enjoy King's work, this is a must read. If you want a generally good book, this...well, you got the point :)

Can't wait to see what books you chose!

If you came to my blog via Follow Friday, don't be shy and say hi so I can come and follow you.

Cheers!

Guest Author: Belle Whittington

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:38:00 +0000

I'm so pleased to have this chat with Belle today! If you read my review of Cicada yesterday, you know how much I loved it. I emailed these questions to Belle before I read Cicada, so there are definitely no spoilers and they give you a nice idea of what Cicada is about-and hopefully convince you to read it for yourself.

Belle resides somewhere north of Houston, Texas in a small inconsequential town with the smallest most inconsequential name. There, in the shady reaches of the pines, elms, and oaks, she daydreams of adventures and secrets that she weaves throughout her stories. She shares a home with daughter, Linda Belle, and her Lancashire Heeler, Sascha Marie, and has her mother as a next-door neighbor.

As a student of literature, Belle is earning her degree in English at the University of Houston. She hopes to teach literature at the college level some day.

What Cicada is really about:

There are aliens in Cicada, yes. But there's more of a depth to the story. Cicada is the story of loyalty among friends who accept each other and love each other for what each of them are. It's the story of how friends and family can help each other overcome anything life throws at them...even unearthly beings that leave crop circles in the tall pasture grass.

On exploring new territories:

It was definitely breaking into new territory writing Cicada, when the YA market was demanding vampires and werewolves. Not that I don't love vampires and werewolves, mind you! But it's just if I didn't get Cicada down on paper, I would have exploded! LOL! Oh, yes, it was definitely fun exploring new territory! I love the characters in Cicada and almost feel as if they are members of my own family! Each one of them has as very important, specific purpose in the story, and getting to know them during their very turbulent last summer together was an awesome experience!

Favorite authors:

Oh, boy! This is a very difficult question to answer, because I probably love every author I've read! Being a Literature major tends to make me love all the authors whom I've read! LOL! But I'll try and include a variety of authors whom I love (this is by no means a complete list): The authors of the Anglo-Saxon heroic ballads, especially Beowulf (whomever that was!), J. K. Rowling, Cornelia Funke, Beth Revis (on of my new faves!), Amy Kathleen Ryan (another new fave!), William Shakespeare (love, love, love!), Chaucer, Charlaine Harris... I could go on and on, but I think I've supplied a good variety of authors I enjoy reading :-)

On writing rituals:

This is a great question! Yes, I have a certain routine while I'm daydreaming my stories. Music is definitely a must for inspiration. Each one of my characters have a theme song, and I have a favorite play list of songs to listen to while writing :-)

If it's not a secret, what are you currently working on?

It's not a secret :-) Actually, Cicada is the first in a planned trilogy. It has actually developed quite a following of readers who have contacted me requesting that I extend it beyond a trilogy. But I only see it as being in three books. I'm currently writing the two sequels. The second is Firefly. The third has not been named yet, though I've got an idea of what it may end up being named. I've included a sneak-peek of Firefly at the end of Cicada as a bonus for readers :-)

(Let me just add, it's great. The first three chapters really wet your appetite and leave you hungry for more)

Advice for those of us who are just starting out:

Read, read, read! Read across the genres. You never know from where your inspiration will come! Become an avid people-watcher...there's no better place to gain ideas for characters. :-)

Write, write, write! Get that story out of your head and onto paper without stopping to edit...that can be done after you've finished. And always listen to great music! :-) Oh, and don't forget the coffee! <3

Ivana, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to stop by your lovely blog and chat a while with and your readers! I hope that each and every one of you will stop by and say hi at any or all of these places:

Thank you, Belle! The pleasure was all mine!

Check out the trailer for Cicada! It was made by Belle's daughter, who also designed the beautiful cover.

And what would this interview be without some music :)

Review: Cicada by Belle Whittington

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Ebook: 125 pages
Published: July 14, 2011
Source: copy from the author
My rating: 4.5/5
Find the author online: Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads~ Official page

Summary: Summertime for Blair Reynolds and her friends had always been carefree and fun. Until one summer when they came upon something that was not human. As they band together in a fight for their lives, Blair's true love becomes something more than human. Something unnatural...

And their entire existence relies on their ability to keep a secret.

Some books just feel like they were written for you only. That's how Cicada felt for me.You don't believe that in the course of one summer aliens can change everything, don't you? That this one summer before college or high school your life can be thrown off a previously established route? Well, it happened to me.

When I was 13, I was obsessed with the TV show Roswell. I was just about to start high school when it came on. I loved the show so much, I decided I wanted to study English, never having had a single English class before. Well, 10 years later, here I am, months away from my MA in English and German.

Naturally, the dormant UFO-freak in me rejoiced when I learned that Cicada featured a different kind of paranormal. My kind of paranormal.

Cicada is a wonderfully constructed story about changes and the end of childhood. After summer ends, four out of five characters are going to college, but a different kind of "change" will send them on different paths. Cicada is quite a short read, but by the end, it feels like you're reading a completely different book. Everything and everyone has changed. As summer moves on, secrets and mysteries come up one after another, and the tone grows darker and heavy with the looming danger and unanswered questions. Characters unfold and grow until you barely recognize them anymore. The superstar of Cicada is Everett, the "bug-boy". Going into details would spoil most of the book, but in short, he's the hottest nerdy ever!

As for reasons why it's not a shiny five stars...The beginning of the story seemed a bit forced, I couldn't "feel" it and the first encounter with the characters was not impressionable. It takes a few chapters, some build-up and action to start seeing them as individuals and the purpose each of them fulfills.

I loved how the romance between Everett and Blair developed. It grows out of true, lifelong friendship. It shows in face of adversity and grows stronger in hard times. That's true love.

I all but exploded with joy when I saw the songs Belle mentions in Cicada. Muse and Fireflies by Owl City. My music. My book. My precious!

Anyway. I hereby pledge my undying love for Belle for not only contacting me and letting me read the book, but also for having written it in first place. I'm really fed up with vampires and werewolves, and I can't even tell you how happy I am that I've come across a few YA novels about the extraterrestrial lately. Hooray for new horizons, new ideas, new worlds, new creatures, new books to pine for.

Watch out for an interview with Belle tomorrow!

Sunday Salon: Giving up on Books

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:25:00 +0000

Happy Sunday! For once, today won't be as busy as usual because my working week starts on Wednesday morning first. It means I have two extra days to ~~finish homework~~ do some reading and blogging before we plunge into the first week of November (eeek! The idea that the year is almost over freaks me out! Where did the time go?!)

Today I'd like to discuss something that happened to me last week. I'm not one to give up on books. No matter how bad it is, I will finish it. Naturally, the effort and pain will show in my review. Last week, after two weeks of struggle to make it through the first 150 pages of The Book That Shall Not Be Named, I just had enough. It was a galley I requested, and therefore I felt more obliged to finish reading it and review in a timely manner. And suddenly in a moment of bliss, I decided that there's plenty of other books that I could read instead of wasting my time, gave up, said thank you to the publisher, but this book is just not for me and I won't finish it and therefore there will be no review.

As far as I can remember, there's been only one or two books that I completely gave up on in the last couple of years. One was Moby Dick (I admit it, I just can't look at that thing anymore, with all due respect to Mr. Melville). The other one was Bored of the Rings. That was just plain stupid (pardon my French.)

The problem with The Book In Mention was that I simply didn't care. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care where the story was going. Which is not to say that it was completely bad, it had a quite unique character with a brilliant psychological aspect, but still...meh.

How about you? How long before you stop reading? Do you "force" yourself to finish a book if you received it for review (after all, that's what publishers and authors expect in exchange for the book-an honest review), or is your time too valuable to be wasted on bad books? If you give up, do you still write a review based on what you read? I believe that one cannot judge a book having read it partially, but I've seen it done, and the ratings, needless to say, are mostly one-star. Is saying "I couldn't finish it" a way of dodging negative reviews?
What do you think is worse for the author--a very negative review or the fact that someone thought their book wasn't worth the time to read any further?

Feature and Follow My Book Blog Friday #7

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Happy Friday, everyone! It's going to be a long weekend. In addition to Tuesday (which is a national holiday in Croatia), we also took Monday off from classes. Happy reading Halloween to me :)

It's time for another Feature And Follow My Book Blog Friday.

It's a weekly feature hosted by Rachel @Parajunkee's Views and Alison @Alison Can Read. Each week two blogs are put into spotlight. This week the lucky two are

In Which Ems Reviews Books

and

Reading In The Corner

And as usual, to make it more fun, here's a question:

If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

Ha. Many guys, actually. First of all, Lisbeth Salander. I know she's not much fun to hang around, especially not for a dinner chat, but I guess I'd just stare at her in my lame fan-girlish fashion. We'd eat tuna sandwiches and drink beer.

Also, Damon. I would be on the plate, again in my fan-girl manner.

Have a great weekend!
And while you're here, why not enter my 100 followers giveaway?

Belated Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Didn't I tell you? Whenever I actually make a plan blog-wise, it gets back at me like a boomerang. It's only three weeks into the semester and I'm already super-busy. I promised a little giveaway when I hit the big 100, so here it is, three weeks late, and really little...I wish I could give you guys all the gift cards you deserve, but that's not possible at the moment.

Instead, I'm giving away my signed copy of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

and

a copy of The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist.

It's the UK paperback, the black cover, signed, mildly used (meaning no chocolate stains, dog-ears or pages falling out...I treat my books well). I know some guys expressed the wish to read it, if you haven't already, here's your chance.

I suppose The Unit will appeal more to adult readers. It's very good novel that raises a lot of questions on morality. I love Scandinavian authors AND dystopan so in that sense The Unit was just my cup of tea.

I liked both of these a lot, but with all the new releases and my tethering TBR pile, I don't believe I'll be able to reread them any time soon. Instead of collecting dust on my shelf, hopefully they will find a new and happy home. So if anyone wants them...

Since I'm your international kind of girl, I'll ship these two to wherever you are in the world. I'll leave the giveaway open for two weeks (Nov 10). This is followers only.

To enter, please fill out the FORM.

No extra entries required, but if you'd like to follow me on Twitter, be my friend on Goodreads, or like my blog's FB page, I'll love you very much :)

Good luck!

Review: The Hangman in the Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:20:00 +0000

The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: July 7th 2011 by Annick Press
Source: NetGalley

Summary: Françoise Laurent has never had an easy life. The only surviving child of a destitute washerwoman and wayward soldier, she must rely only on herself to get by. When her parents die suddenly from the smallpox ravishing New France, Françoise sees it as a chance to escape the life she thought she was trapped in.

Seizing her newfound opportunity, Françoise takes a job as an aide to the wife of a wealthy fur trader. The poverty-ridden world she knew transforms into a strange new world full of privilege and fine things -- and of never having to beg for food. But Françoise's relationships with the other servants in Madame Pommereau's house are tenuous, and Madame Pommereau isn't an easy woman to work for. When Françoise is caught stealing a pair of her mistress's beautiful gloves, she faces a future even worse than she could have imagined: thrown in jail, she is sentenced to death by hanging. Once again, Françoise is left to her own devices to survive . . . Is she cunning enough to convince the prisoner in the cell beside her to become the hangman and marry her, which, by law, is the only thing that could save her life?

Based on an actual story and filled with illuminating historical detail, The Hangman in the Mirror transports readers to the harsh landscape of a new land that is filled with even harsher class divisions and injustices.

I absolutely loved it that this book was based on true facts, and it was the reason why I requested it from NetGalley. It didn't really reach my expectations, or my expectations were wrong in the first place, but oh well...

This book is beautifully written. The beauty and smoothness of the prose captured me from the very beginning. Kate Cayley's writing feels like liquid misery and heartache. It's so easy to get lost in her words, and in the bottom line, that's what this book is about-the power of words. A big plus from me on that aspect.

The main character, Francoise, is a unique character; strong-willed, obstinate, a survivor in a world where it's unlikely for a girl like her to get out of the slump she was born into. Does it make her a likable person? In the beginning, I was rooting for her, and my eyes filled with tears while reading about the hardships of her position. But eventually, when she committed the crime that eventually got her into prison and sentenced to death, I took a step back. First of all, I didn't understand her motivation to do it, especially when she had so many chances to undo it. Second, I wasn't convinced into her story (by the way, there's a thin line between stories and lies. At some point I lost the ability to tell Francoise's stories and lies apart). Is she a manipulator? That question is still floating in my head. I'm torn; great job, Francoise, you saved your life. Shame on you, Francoise, if you only told a "story" to escape death.

I know that the author, having based the story on actual facts, didn't have so much freedom to add twists and surprises, but I really expected a bit more. The identity of the hangman was apparent from the beginning, yet I kept hoping for a twist. Surely that's not all there is to the book-waiting for the resolution that's obvious from the word go? Well, actually, yes. That's all there is to the story.

I would recommend this book for its beautiful writing and a character that will have you guessing, but if you're looking for a meaty story, this will seem thin and lacking.

View all my reviews

Feature and Follow My Book Blog Friday #6

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:05:00 +0000

I'm a bit late to the party! Friday was kind of busy, and I took the evening off on purpose to catch up on everything I missed being away from my kid for five days.

Feature And Follow My Book Blog Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel (AKA Parajunkee) and Alison from Alison Can Read. Each week they feature a book blog and ask a (funny) question ~~that sometimes gives me brain hemorrhage trying to think of an answer~~.

This week's features are

Life Between Pages

"Confuzzled" Shannon McGee

The question:

If you could have characters from a particular book meet and form an epic storyline with characters from a particular TV series, which would you choose and why?

Ok, a tough one again. Since Roswell was my favorite TV show when I was a teenager, I was trying to come up with a book to match it with. In all honesty, I can't remember that I ever read a YA about aliens (hint hint, authors. I'd devour it). I'm a sucker for good alien shows and movies. Anyone has a recommendation?

Have a great weekend!

Review: Delirij (Delirium #1)

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Delirij by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: bought
Summary (Goodreads): 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 governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway 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.

I admit that I had VERY high expectations of this book, mainly because I loved Before I Fall and the great premise of Delirium. I've been itching to read it, my world was shattered when I was denied to read it on NetGalley, I screamed when I saw it within my reach for less than the price of a pizza...well, you pretty much get the picture. From the beginning, I had a love-hate relationship with it. First of all, the slow build up didn't work for me (someone told me that they preferred it that way, so it's a matter of taste, obviously.) Lena as protagonist was pretty dull, and I wanted her to be stronger, more decisive, less obliging and all-together more alive. With all that "I can't wait for the procedure", she was already getting on my nerves. Yes, I get it, that's the world she lives in, that's what she was taught, that's what the government requires...At moments it felt like Lauren made her do things for the sake of the story, not the other way round. Like she needs to do them because she is the main character, not because that's what she would do by her own will. I also wish we actually met someone from the other side, because freedom and love aside, I imagine it's not milk and honey there either (guess we'll have to wait for Pandemonium...sigh).

Now that I got the things I didn't like out of my way, here's what I loved:

The great sense of totalitarianism that Lena's world is caged in. The terror of getting caught in doing something illegal that oozed from the pages. The brutality of the system, the submissiveness in the atmosphere. In terms of getting the dystopian aspect done, the author did an amazing job. Like in Before I Fall, there were parts that were so charged with nostalgia that they brought tears to my eyes. I loved the writing, Lauren's beautiful writing was visible even in the translation (which was surprisingly well-done.) And needless to say, the ending. Cliffhanger as expected, but boy, it made me yell and shiver.

The cover of the Croatian edition is beautiful. All over the cover, there's 'love' written. (Recall a particular scene from the book.)

Final verdict? A very good book. Maybe it didn't completely live up to my expectations, but I loved it still.

View all my reviews

Guest Author: J. Gabriel Gates

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:22:00 +0000

I love doing interviews with authors, especially when I loved their book so much and I want more people to know about it. J. Gabriel Gates is the author of one of my favorite recent reads, the YA horror The Sleepwalkers. My review is here. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a well-written and all-over frightening read this Halloween season.

About the author:

Nationally acclaimed author J. Gabriel Gates is a native of Marshall, Michigan. The son of an educator, his passion for the written word began at a young age. During college, another passion – for performing – led him to get his B.A. degree in theater from Florida State University.

During his years in Los Angeles, he appeared in a dozen national TV commercials and penned several screenplays while laying the groundwork for his career as a novelist.

His first two novels, Dark Territory: The Tracks, Book 1 andThe Sleepwalkers, are in stores now.

He currently lives in Southwest Michigan.

In the spirit of the season, I asked Mr. Gates some horror-related stuff. Here's what he told me:

Three horror books that everyone should read:

The first horror book I ever read was "Dracula" by Bran Stoker, and I still think it's brilliant. My favorite book of all time is "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski, which is creepy on complicated levels. It's not for everyone, though - the first sentence of the book says so! Of course everyone loves Stephen King, so I'd have to recommend "The Shining" as a classic book of his. I also really enjoyed "The Taking" by Dean Koontz. His prose is so clean, it's amazing. I guess that was four. Whoops. And while we're going crazy, let's add my book, "The Sleepwalkers." There's five.

On Influences...

I read a really broad range of books, so there are all sorts of authors that have influenced me. I grew up reading fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien and Terry Brooks. For years I've been reading a lot of classics: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dostoevsky, Melville. my mom has read every book Stephen King ever wrote, so I grew up around a lot of his work, too. I also loved "Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux. I wouldn't say that any one author or book had the most influence on my writing style, though. I try never to emulate anyone. It all gets mixed up in the blender of my subconscious and comes out how it comes out!

What I like and what I hate in horrors:

I'm not a big fan of funny, silly, campy, or cheesy horror. I hated the "Scream" movies. To me, if it's horror, I want it to be genuinely scary. I'm also not a big fan of slasher stuff, either. Repetitive dismemberment gets pretty boring after a while. Ditto with zombies--sorry, zombie lovers. "Ten very different people have to band together in a shopping mall / hospital / military compound to fight off a bunch of mindless ghouls." Snore. I feel like it's been done to death. The reason horror can grab us so deeply is that there are dark things beyond our comprehension that are real. I happen to believe that disincarnate spirits of the dead exist. Evil forces exist. Demonic forces exist. And we innately fear them. So horror can be way more than silly escapism-it can tell tales of great battles against forces that we don't know much about, but are intuitively predisposed to revile. It taps into a region of the sub-conscious that's rarely touched except in dreams, and that's profound.

About the characters in The Sleepwalkers:

I love all the characters, but I definitely relate most to Caleb. I feel like a lot of stories have protagonists who are misfits or outcasts in some way, but Caleb is the opposite. He's popular, athletic, smart and ambitious. With a misfit characters, their journey is usually one of discovering their own self worth, gaining confidence, feeling comfortable in their skin. Caleb, on the other hand, is already comfortable. He's doing great and has already planned out every detail of what he believes will be productive, successful life-then he gets a disturbing letter from his long-lost childhood best friend, and everything he thought was true about life gets turned on its head. He has to re-evaluate what's true, what's real. I think that's an interesting and unusual journey for a protagonist to take in a book like this. And I absolutely relate to Caleb. Growing up, I was athletic, smart and fairly popular. I wasn't an angsty teen. Like Caleb, I thought I had everything figured out. Then as my experience broadened, I discovered that maybe I didn't know as much as I thought I did. I was humbled. But the core pieces of my personality-my confidence, my work ethic, my ambition, those things helped me to steer the course. I think the message is, it's okay if you're not a rebel or a misfit. Well-adjusted people can be interesting, too.

About previous and upcoming projects:

My first novel, Dark Territory, book one of The Tracks series, is now available in stores, and its sequel Ghost Crown will be coming out in March. The Tracks is a teen fantasy series about kung-fu, magic, and star-crossed love, set in a small town in middle-America that's embroiled in a gang war. It's awesome. You should read it. Right now I'm working on another novel that I'm really excited about, too. It's an epic dystopian drama called Blood Zero Sky, which is scheduled to be released in fall of 2012 by my publisher, HCI. So, I'm keeping busy!

Many thanks for participating!

Find Gabriel online:
Official webpage ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Weekly Recap (Oct 3-9)

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:02:00 +0000

I used to participate in The Sunday Salon a looong time ago (don't ask...I don't even know whether the page is still up). It's been ages since I last wrote a Sunday Salon post because Sundays usually turn out to be the busiest days of my week. When the entire family is home and everyone demands something, it's even hard to find a couple of minutes to get a few words down. Eventually I stopped posting on Sundays, but I do need a sort of a weekly recap and a place to set bloggy and bookish plans for the following week.

My classes start tomorrow. It's my last year in college and I'm equal parts happy and sad to go back. On the good side, it means I'll have my own routine back and have more time to read, write, blog, sleep (and study, of course.) Sad part is that I'll be away from my munchkin for five days a week. After a long and nice summer, it'll take some time for both of us to get used to it again.

I've been reading like a maniac in the last couple of weeks. After a long period of being a bad, bad blogger, things are looking up, and hopefully I'll be able to keep it up. I reached a milestone this week-- 100 followers (big thanks to everyone, you guys are awesome!)...and that calls for a giveaway. Forgive me for being as poor as a church mouse, so it won't be anything big, but I'll think of something.
Here's my weekly recap:

Reviewed:

It's a Wonderful Life by Jesse Goossens

The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

Received for review:

Death Watch (The Undertaken #1) by Ari Berk (Nov 15, Simon and Schuster) via Galleygrab

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Dec 27, EgmontUSA) via NetGalley

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison (Feb 14, 2012 by EgmontUSA) via NetGalley

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott (Feb 21, 2012 by Doubleday) via NetGalley

Won in a giveaway:

Glittering Ashes by Kelley Smith

*thank you, Book Rat*

Plans for next week:

-interview with J. Gabriel Gates (author of above mentioned The Sleepwalkers)

-review of Delirium by Lauren Oliver

-review of The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayle

-as usual, a Follow Friday post and a weekly recap post

I hope you had a great week. What's on your reading list for the week to come? Any reviews or posts from last week that you're proud of? Post it in the comments and I'll come and read it :)

Feature and Follow My Book Blog Friday #5

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:26:00 +0000

Happy Friday! It's time for another round of Feature And Follow My Book Blog Friday hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's Views and Alison from Alison Can Read. Visit their blogs to find out how to participate and join in the fun!

Parajunkee's feature this week is

Kati @ Jagged Edge Reviews

Alison's feature is

Gee @ A Neverending Fantasy

The question:

If you could pick one character in a book, movie or television show to swap places with, who would it be?

I was surprised to see that Alison has mentioned You've got Mail, because I was going to pick it as well! Ever since I saw it for the first time, I've had a secret dream; one day I'd like to run a cute, warm and cozy bookstore like Meg Ryan's Brownstone. I even dreamed of the furniture, the decorations and needless to say, the books.

I'm not really sure about a book character...considering the fact that sometimes my life seems like a romance/horror novel, I'll just stick to it :)

What's in a star? (quite mad ramblings on ratings and positive reviews)

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:35:00 +0000

Until now, I never felt the need to explain myself for giving a book the rating that I do. I've been lucky to have read a few great books lately and gave them four or five stars. Sure, the question of rating and it's convenience came up many times, and many bloggers have already voiced their opinions on the subject. Is it fair, objective, accurate? What's the little thing for which you'll rate a book, say, 3.5 stars instead of 3 or 4?

I was reluctant to write about it, thinking I'd sort it out over time, but a comment on my latest review implying that I'm too soft and generous gave me the final nudge.

Can you seriously tell me I've rated a book to high-one that you haven't even read?

First of all, I don't think this rating is perfect (I've been using the Goodreads rating spanning between 'I didn't like it' and 'It was amazing'). What do you look for in reviews? Do you see I gave a book two stars and decide it's not worth reading? Or do you read through the review, see the pros and cons? I'd like to believe you actually take the time to hear what I did and didn't like about a certain book, because that's what I do. When I read your reviews, I love to hear what works for you in a novel and what puts you off. But eventually, I decide for myself whether I want to read it or not. It works the other way round. I give it five stars and tell you why I loved it and point out its weak spots. But by no means does it mean that I'm telling you that the book is perfect. Only that there were tidbits I'm willing to forgive because 99% of it was amazing. If you read the books I rated highly, you may give it a lower rating, and you have all the right to do so. We are all different and experience books in different ways. We like different characters, different voices, different stories. If I found what I loved (good writing, gripping story, meaty characters), and if the book made me respond emotionally, I give it five stars. That simple. If I saved my five stars for perfection, it may never come. So, I should intentionally lower ratings because there has to be something better, only I haven't found it yet, but oh my, God forbid I tarnish its perfection by putting it in the same basket with others?

Which brings us to my main point.

If I gave five stars to a book, I'm not saying it's perfect. (Is there such a thing as a perfect book? If so, please let me know so I can experience this piece of heaven.) But I promise that all my reviews are honest and reflect what at that moment I felt about the book. You won't see me sing praises to a mediocre book because I received a free copy or the author is a nice person. If the book sucks, I'll say it, and I respect you that much more if you do the same.

What are the criteria to push a book from 4.5 to 5 stars? By which parameters do you judge? Do you have a mental list of criteria that you tick to see whether the book meets a canon? And is there a canon? What kind of rating system do you use (if any)? Should there be a different set of ratings for different genres and age groups or should we simply stop complicating our lives and forget about the stardust?

Some reviewers are refraining from rating books this way as it's too narrow. I've been thinking about dropping the stars entirely, but I still feel it gives me a general overview. If a reviewer gave a book one star I want to see what they hated so much in comparison to someone who gave it 4 stars.

I've been reviewing books for two years now. Over that time, my tastes, perceptions and expectations in books have changed. Today I might give a lower rating to a book I loved two years ago. What should I do? Go back through my 100+ reviews on Goodreads and lower them? I think not.

I'm trying to be as objective as possible while telling you about the books I enjoyed and thought you would enjoy too, but there's no extra star for individual liking. That may be the factor for which I'll give a book a somewhat higher rating. Or you may lower it. And there we go again.

In the bottom line, I started this blog to share my thoughts and opinions on books. If I'm judged for loving books and sharing my enthusiasm, then what's the point? I may as well just give it up.

Review: It's a Wonderful Life by Jesse Goosens

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:53:00 +0000

It's a Wonderful Life by Jesse Goossens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading level: YA
Published: October 3, 2011 Leminiscaat USA (Myrick Marketing and Media)
Source: NetGalley

Summary: Dutch almost-eighteen-year-old Anna is not allowed to go on a Spanish beach vacation with her friends. Instead her parents send her to small town America to spend the summer with her uncle. To pass the time, Anna starts working in an antique shop where she befriends different kinds of people ranging from the local undertaker--a boy her age--to an elderly Jewish couple. Anna could never have imagined that what she thought would be the dullest holiday ever would turn out to be a time where she discovers what life is about.

*the actual rating may be a bit lower than five stars*

Mild spoilers ahead!

I don't even know where to begin telling you how much I liked this book. I love pop-culture references in books and this one sounded great with all the movie quoting. It was not exactly what I imagined it would be, and the movies are not so much in the focus of the story. A great book, nonetheless.

Anna is a "cinephile" who sometimes responds to people using quotes from movies. Cute and interesting as it was in the novel, if someone did this to me in real life, I imagine it would get annoying. Anna almost gets in trouble for it, so I'm obviously not the only one who thinks so :)

It seems as if the author pulls out some YA cliches and adds a morbid twist to it. It feels like an inside joke, and the book is full of them. Girl moving to a new place and the hardships she encounters? Ordering a burger with chilly is not the same in Netherlands and USA. Hint of a love triangle? Two guys competing to ~~organize her funeral~~ take her out. If I tell any more, I'd spoil the book, but it's anything but cliche.

The characters were amazing. Anna is kind of an outcast even among her friends back home, but you feel she doesn't give a damn. Spending the summer on another continent, away from everything she knows, gives her a chance to look at her life and find out who the real Anna is. Down to earth and real, she's imperfect but lovable. Daniel was very interesting and full of surprises. Probably my favorite-a group of nerds who host an annual Toast to the Hoax where they drink in celebration of the greatest hoax in the history of the USA. Who wouldn't love them?

I already mentioned that it's not so much about movies. It's about death. Yep. Death, and funerals, and the prettier side of it. Sometimes it was morbid and sickening, but there was a scene that had me laughing so hard. Who would have thought that tombstone engravings can be so much fun?

This book is magical while being firmly on the ground. It shows you that it's really a wonderful life. My only complaint is the writing. Since it's a translation from Dutch, I can't really judge, but it was kind of bland, too simple and sometimes odd. Luckily, it makes the story no less interesting and charming. Also, the cover doesn't do it justice, the other one resembling a movie poster is much better.

Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

Review: The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:45:00 +0000

The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading level: YA/crossover
Source: NetGalley
Published: October 3, 2011 by HCI Teens

Summary: A chilling and masterfully crafted teen horror novel guaranteed to keep the pages turning, the mind reeling, and the lamp on any reader's bedside table on long after midnight.

Privileged and popular Caleb Mason is celebrating his high school graduation when he receives a mysterious, disturbing letter from his long-lost childhood playmate, Christine. Caleb and his jokester friend Bean decide to travel to his tiny hometown of Hudsonville, Florida, to find her. Upon arrival, they discover the town has taken a horrifying turn for the worse. Caleb's childhood home is abandoned and his father has disappeared. Children are going missing. The old insane asylum has reopened, and Christine is locked inside. Her mother, a witch, is consumed with madness, and Christine's long-dead twin sister whispers clues to Caleb through the static of an a.m. radio. The terrifying prophesies of the spirits are coming to pass. Sixteen clocks are ticking; sixty-six murdered souls will bring about the end of the world. As Caleb peels back layer after layer of mystery, he uncovers a truth more horrible than anything he had imagined, a truth that could only be uttered by the lips of the dead.

The Sleepwalkers amazed me in more ways than one. I was drawn to it after reading the summary but obviously I didn't have the slightest idea of what I was getting myself into.

First thing I learned- it was not a very good idea to read this book late at night. The creepyness factor is there from the very beginning, and the feeling lingers for the rest of the book. The story itself is scary and disturbing enough. The writing in The Sleepwalkers was superb, unique and fresh. The author knows how to drive you to the edge of your seat page after page, and how to keep you engaged on single sentence structure. Gates tells a story about where the evil sleeps and explores the places in our minds that we have no control over, opening endless (horrific) possibilities. From the first appearance of The Sleepwalkers to the last ominous sentence, it's a chill-inducing story that fans of horrors will love.

As for the characters, the highlight of this book is Bean. I loved that guy from the moment he entered the stage. Such a true friend and well-developed character is hard to find. Caleb, the main character, was of less interest to me. He's the typical main character who embarks on a journey to find some answers and gets sucked into a world that he and the rest of the world are completely unaware of. I loved to see him grow and mature in the course of the book. I had problems with Christine. Throughout the novel I struggled to figure her out. I couldn't bring myself to trust her, even in the end, and therefore the romance that develops left me indiferent.

Despite the few small things that I wasn't completely happy with, I think the Sleepwalkers was an amazing novel that deserves no less than five stars. Dark, atmospheric, scary and intense, The Sleepwalkers is a great story written by a talented writer that I will highly recommend to everyone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HCI Teens for the opportunity to read this novel. It's out right in time for Halloween!

View all my reviews

Review: Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:09:00 +0000

Nothing but Trouble by Rachel Gibson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published (Paperback) September 19, 2011 (Corgi)
Summary: When opposites attract, the sparks start to fly…

Washed up from Hollywood and in serious need of cash, Chelsea Ross, aspiring actress, jumps at the $10,000 opportunity to act as ‘carer’ to famous hockey player Mark Bressler, injured after a car crash. After all, how hard can it be to play nice and pick up after an incredibly hot invalid in need of her tender loving care? Just three months of playing nurse and the cash is hers.But Mark Bressler doesn’t need help. The moody hockey player’s glory days may be over, but he has no intention of letting anyone aid his recovery, least of all the maddeningly cheerful Chelsea. He’s determined to get her to quit – and Mark isn’t the type to give in. But then, neither is Chelsea…

Oh, this was one sexy book. Since this was my first Gibson book, I didn't know what to expect. It wasn't life-changing, but it was enjoyable and funny and -did I mention-sexy. Very much so.

As for the plot, it's your regular romance plot. They hate each other, they are attracted to each other, they have sex, a secret surfaces, there's tears and eventually a happy ending. I enjoyed it mostly because of the characters. You have a very House-like hockey player and a pixie-sized actress with big breasts constantly at each other's throats. Sparks are flying from the word go. You could cut the tension with a knife. Great job with dialogues. I read a large portion of this book on the bus and got a lot of odd glances for laughing out loud.

This is a nice and easy, feel-good, sit-back-and-relax book. I'd like to read the rest of the series. Hopefully it's just as sexy, witty and funny like this one.

My thanks goes to Lynsey Dalladay from Transworld for sending me a copy for review.

View all my reviews

Feature and Follow My Book Blog Friday #4

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:09:00 +0000

It's Friday, which means it's time for my favorite weekly meme.

Feature and Follow My Book Blog is hosted by

Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read.

This week, Rachel's featured blog is The Bookaholic, and Alison features Starcrossed.

Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?

I'm currently reading The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates. It's out next week, and you will probably read my review tomorrow. That would be an awesome horror. One that I absolutely see as a good thriller is Still Missing by Chevy Stevens, and one of my favorites recently was Coffee at Little Angels by Nadine Rose Larter. And one more-and I promise it's the last one-is The Pace series by Shelena Shorts. Just to see Wes The Hottie.
I'm sure there are others that deserve to be on this list, but off the top of my head these are some I've read recently and wished to see on the big screen.
Whom would I pick to act?
No idea. That's a question for my movie-buff/critique boyfriend :)

What's on your list?

Review: If I Tell

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:14:00 +0000

by
Janet Gurtler

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 10/1/2011
ISBN: 9781402261039
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 4/5

Summary: Her best friend and her mom's boyfriend. Locking lips. This is the secret Jasmine Evans has to keep at all costs. Because her mom is pregnant, and Jaz doesn't want to ruin her life-again (just being born did it the first time). But the harder Jaz tries to pretend everything is okay, the faster her life spins out of control. Until Jackson. He doesn't care about the popularity of her friends or the color of her skin. But can she really trust a guy who just transferred in from reform school? She might be willing to chance the heartbreak, but telling him everything and risking the truth getting out is a whole other level of scary.

If I Tell is first and foremost a deeply realistic novel (maybe you can't tell by the summary which at first sounded to me like a soap opera blurb), but given any other setup, any other place and situation, the core of it is as realistic as it can be. The main conflict revolves around an alcohol-induced mistake. If told, it could destroy several lives. As Jasmine struggles with herself weighing the pros and cos of telling the truth,she learns that everyone makes mistakes, but also that some of them have to be forgiven and forgotten.

Janet Gurtler addressees issues such as alcoholism, postpartum depression, racial and sexual identity with honesty and frankness (given that there was a lot of talk about making gay characters straight in YA literature, I really appreciated it), which added more depth to the novel and characters.

I loved the characters. They are well-developed, multidimensional, perfectly flawed and so real. To quote from the book-We're human. We're an imperfect species. From characters that are easy to judge in the beginning they grow and spread to unveil the morale of the story; can you dismiss all the good in a person because of one mistake?

I read If I Tell in a day. It made me laugh out loud and filled my eyes with tears more than once. What I loved most about this novel, beside it's emotional charge and strong morale, was the tenderness in voice and compassion Janet wraps her characters in.

If I Tell hits shelves October 1st.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Review: Witches

noreply@blogger.com (Ivana) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:11:00 +0000

Witches by Phil Stern

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first thing that I noticed is the writing. Phil Stern has a way with language that left me envious ("I want to write like that!") Really good, tight and intelligent, engaging and all-over great.

The plot is a magic-imbued take on misogynistic men and how witches deal with them. It's not all black and white-on the contrary-sufficient background and psychological insight is given to properly evaluate both sides.

Since this is the second in a series, I don't know how much the story relies on the first novella. I had some troubles following dialogues, I didn't know whether it was because some things were explained in the first book.

I loved the world(s)-building. Some scenes were graphic and scary enough to etch themselves in my memory and spice up the plot, while others were more reminiscing, allowing me to enjoy the language.

This is a novella, 53 pages long, perfect for a coffee break. Don't be fooled by its shortness, it's bursting with action and magic.

Very well written, strong characters (if you're looking for stories with powerful, well-developed female characters, this is definitely something for you.

Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy.

View all my reviews