Out of the Blue

Book review: One Moment by Kristina McBride

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Wed, 30 May 2012 07:59:00 +0000

Title: One Moment

Author: Kristina McBride

Series: stand-alone

Genres: contemporary YA

Publication: 26 June 2012

Publisher: Egmont USA

Received for review through Netgalley

This book was available as "read now" on Netgalley, plus everyone had been raving about it, so of course I had to get it for myself. It was okay, a good book, but maybe just a bit predictable.

Maggie is about to start the summer before her senior year of high school with great expectations. She has a tight group of friends and an awesome boyfriend, Joey. But when Joey dies after jumping off a cliff, Maggie suffers from amnesia. They were supposed to jump off the cliff together, but at the last moment she stopped, and can't remember anything afterwards.

While she recalls the events of the last few days, Maggie discovers Joey was keeping secrets from her. She starts to feel uneasy and is desperate to remember, but all she gets is small flashes at unexpected moments. The truth will threaten to break apart her group of friends forever.

Either I've read way too many YA books and have become good at predicting what happens next, or this book is indeed predictable. As soon as Joey's bracialet was mentioned (on page three or so), I had the feeling he was keeping secrets. And I had a good hunch Adam was keeping secrets, too. I guess I should start reading thrillers if I want to be surprised by plot twists.

I didn't like Joey from page one. He was the kind of boy I would've liked to beat on the head with a stick, always so focused about themselves. Not to mention his recklessness. Forgive me for saying this, but I felt he had gone looking for it. Who jumps off a cliff, especially if there are rocks nearby? Don't you know it's dangerous? As for Maggie's friend Shannon, I wonder why all girls on YA books with that name are bitches? No idea. Maggie, on the other hand, was easy to relate to.

All in all, an okay book, but it didn't make me go crazy. I'd recommend this book to lovers of contemporary YA.

Cover attraction: pretty. It seems calm and relaxing to me, and I'm not sure this was the intent. Nice touch with the water.

Book review: We Sinners by Hanna Pylvanien

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:26:00 +0000

Title: We Sinners

Author: Hanna Pylväinen

Series: stand-alone

Genres: general fiction

Publication: August 21, 2012

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Received for review through Netgalley

We sinners, we are just lying to ourselves, we are just alone.

I requested WeSinners for review on netgalley because I was fascinated with the excerpt I found on the promotional BEA ebook. It's quite an unusual book.

We Sinners tells the story of the Rovaniemis, a family of eleven (!) of Finnish descent living in modern-day Michigan. They are deep believers of the Laestadianism, a conservative Christian faith which frowns upon drinking, dancing, birth control, make up, TV, and music with a beat. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different family member. It's hard for them to make ends meet, keep their faith, and find their own individuality in such a large family. Eventually, three of the children abandon the religion, and this severs some of the family ties.

First of all, I had never heard of Laestadianism before, so I had to look it up on Wikipedia. It turns out it's like a strict version of Lutheranism which is particularly spread in Scandinavian countries. Anyway, it's not like you need to understand the details in order to get the meaning of the book. What believers can or cannot do is very clear: the girls can't even wear nail polish. Birth control is strictly forbidden (thus the large number of children, even though the repeated C-sections threaten their mother's life). One of the boys comes out as gay, and leaves the family as well as the religion. When his partner dies, his parents don't even attend the funeral.

I've often wondered why people would subject themselves to lives so deeply controlled by religion. I find it very hard to understand. The author was part of Laestadianism, so I'm sure she knows what she's talking about. There are no real answers in the book, other than the fact that everyone needs to find an answer for themselves.

I found this to be a very poetic book; the storytelling is almost lyrical. As each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, the narration is not linear, but evolves as in small circles. Sometimes I would've liked to stay with some characters longer than just a chapter, I would've wanted to find out what happened to them afterwards. It's an effective narrative choice, anyway.

Cover attraction: it gives the idea of a very large family. Each family member is there. It's not particularly impressive, but does its job.

Book review: The Fake Boyfriend Experiment by Stephanie Rowe

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:16:00 +0000

Title: The Fake Boyfriend Experiment

Author: Stephanie Rowe

Series: stand-alone

Genres: contemporary YA, romance

Publication: April 2012

Publisher: self-published (originally published by Harper Collins in 2006, then revised by the author for this new edition)

I usually don't review self-published titles, because the grammar and spelling mistakes bug me to no end. But I actually liked this one.

Lily Gardner spent the summer practising piano instead of having fun. She's preparing for an important audition to enter a piano program, following her parents' wishes. She used to like playing piano very much, but now feels she'd rather do something else. So, her piano teacher arranges for her to play the keyboards in her nephew's rock band.

Lily immediately falls for the guy, Rafe - a tattooed bad boy with a kind heart. Unfortunately, he's already taken. Plus, Lily's friends pressure her into finding a boy to take her to the school semi-formal. In order to feel normal, Lily starts to tell lies - she teels her friends she's dating Rafe, and Rafe that she's dating a football player. At a certain point, of course, things go downhill, and Lily's lies are revealed.

I liked this book because I appreciate romances - I used to read almost nothing else a few years ago. True, the characters here don't have much depth to them. Lily's friends are really shallow - I'd ditch them without a secodn thought if I were in her shoes. Rafe is a nice guy, even though he's a bit of a womanizer - he was together with all the girls in his band! If I were Lily, I'd be afraid of him leaving me for a shiny new model after a while.

On the good side, the concert at the middle grade school when all of Lily's lies are revealed was a nice scene. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. We've all experienced at least one episode like that in our lives, but being the spectator is almost fun.

I'd recommend this book to lovers of YA romance and happy endings.

Cover attraction: so we have yet another girl-whose-face-can't-be-seen cover. I'm not a big fan of those. Plus, we have the extensively tattooed arms of the fake boyfriend in question (I seriously hope Rafe's tattooes are nothing like this, because I find them quite scary). As a whole, this cover doesn't make me go crazy, btu it's not that bad, either.

Book review: Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch-Hummer

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:38:00 +0000

Title: Girl Unmoored

Author: Jennifer Gooch-Hummer

Series: stand-alone

Genres: general fiction

Publication: March 6, 2012

Publisher: BookSparks PR

Received for review through Netgalley

It's 1985, and Apron Branhall is thriteen years old. Her mother recently passed away; her stepmother, a Brazilian immigrant who hates her, is pregnant; and her former best friend now hangs out with another girl. At her father's wedding, Apron meets Mike and Chad, a young gay couple who runs a flower shop. She immediately connects with Mike after seeing him perform as Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar". When Apron is offered a summer job at the flower shop, she jumps at the chance to be out of the house. But then she learns that Chad is very ill.

This book made a good job taking me back to the Eighties, when people didn't carry cell phones, there was no Internet, and AIDS was still a disease limited to "certain men". Apron is the daughter of a Latin teacher; her mum died of cancer, and her mum's former nurse is about to become her new stepmother. Apron got her unusual name because her mother wanted to name her April, while her father disagreed; so she wrote the name on Apron's birth certificate so unintellegibly that the authorities decided it was Apron.

I loved April's relationship to Mike and Chad. How she realizes, at some point, that her job for the summer was not only to help with the flower shop, but mainly to help take care of Chad. I also loved the Latin quotes she wrote on cards for all occasions!

Apron is a smart girl, and seems more mature than her age most of the time. Which is natural, considering she had to go through things that many kids her age don't experience until later in life.

This is a bittersweet book that made my heart ache. I have yet to read a single bad review for this one. I'd certainly recommend it.

Cover attraction: I love the blue colour. It's such a dreamy cover. Nice job.

Book review:The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:34:00 +0000

Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset

Author: Kady Cross

Series: Steampunk Chronicles #1

Genres: steampunk, YA

Publication: May 2011

Publisher: Harlequin

I love a good steampunk novel. I love the mix of Victorian England and fantastic machinery. The first book in this steampunk series aimed at YA readers promised to be "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets teen X-Men". I don't really know much about either, so I can't judge. This book, however, left something to be desired.

Seventeen-year-old Finely Jayne is not your usual lady's maid. For once, she has superhuman strength; and this comes with a dark side that sometimes gets control of her whole body. When her boss tries to impose himself on her, she leaves him unconscious. Then she flees, and stumbles right in front of Griffin King's motorcycle. He is the Duke of Greythorne, and brings her home with him so she can recover.

There, Finley learns that he is the leader of a band of misfits composed by Sam (part robot), Emily (doctor-engineer with a talent for designing and repairing mechanical beings), and Jasper (cowboy from America). Griffin himself has special abilities of his own. The group is on the trail of The Machinist, a criminal who is bent on disrupting peace in England and might be the murderer of Griffin's parents. Finely must decide if she wants in - if she wants to learn to control her dark side with Griffin's help, or rather let it control her.

I enjoyed this novel, I really did. Still, I think the concept could have been developed a bit better. Much space is devoted to love triangles: Finley-Griffin-Jack, and Emily-Sam-Jasper. Jack Dandy serves very little purpose other than Finley's second love interest. I'm still wondering why he would talk with such a blatant Cockney accent if he was so evidently well-educated. Mysteries of steampunk. Griffin, on the other hand, is swoon-worthy and quite admirable. I'm team Griffin all the way. It is true, though, that Finley is a bit too quick to trust him.

As far as accents go, Emily's adding "lass" or similar every two words was more than slightly annoying. Other than that, she was a very good character. Too bad that she appears to be paired off with the village idiot. And yeah, Sam is totally too stupid to live. I wanted to bang my head in frustration against the wall as he met a mysterious stranger in a pub and began divulging secrets. What part of "do not reveal important information to total strangers" did he not understand? I get he needs to be the strong and dim-witted one, but that's a bit too much. No wonder he almost get himself killed at every drop of a hat, superhuman strength notwithstanding.

All in all, an okay book. I'd recommend it to fans of steampunk adventures. I hope the series gets better. The second book is coming out in the next few weeks. The gang is going to America, and this should make this at least a bit interesting.

Cover attraction: another variation on the "girl in a beautiful dress" theme, but so pretty. The red dress is stunning. And I love the steel corset making an appearance!

Book review: Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:39:00 +0000

Paperback cover

Title: Boy Toy

Author: Barry Lyga

Series: stand-alone

Genres: contemporary YA

Publication: September 2007

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

I was going to review a different book today, but I read Boy Toy yesterday and can't think about anything else. It moved me so much, that I was almost in tears by the end, and it doesn't happen often. It's a deeply unsettling book, both for the subject matter and for it being a bit too graphic for comfort in some parts.

Josh Mendel is a senior who lives in Brookdale, Maryland. As a seventh-grader, he was molested by his history teacher, Mrs Sherman. Their relationship was discovered after Josh sexually attacked his best female friend, Rachel, at her 13th birthday party. The case went to court and the teacher was sentenced to jail, while Josh went into therapy.

Now Josh is eighteen and Mrs Sherman is being released from jail. He is still deeply affected from what happened to him: he thinks everyone is always staring at him and remembering what happened; avoids even looking at Rachel; doesn't feel comfortable on dates with girls. His main wish is to go to college and leave his hometown behind, preferably with a baseball scholaship, as he's a talented player.

When he stumbles on Rachel one day, she challenges him to bat on her pitches (she's a very good player, too). If he can hit the ball, she won't bother him anymore. But if she strikes him out, he'll have to tell her everything that happened with Mrs Sherman. And unexpectedly, Rachel does strike Josh out.

I felt for Josh so much in this book. He's a math genius - walks around calculating all these different baseball averages in his head - and the best baseball player in the school. He's had a lot on his plate, with being molested, and them becoming violent. What made my heart squeeze, however, is that in spite of being told he was molested, he thinks the whole affair with his teacher was his own fault. He thinks he initiated it, having a crush on the beautiful young woman in the first place.

Throughout the whole novel, I wondered why a grown woman of 24 would ever approach a 12-year-old boy sexually. It's such a young age, boys are still practically children. In Doing It by Melvin Burgess, one of the boys has an affair with his teacher, but he's 16, and many boys have sex at that age, so in some way it's easier for me to imagine it. Still wrong, of course, for a teacher to seduce their student. But while I can imagine it happening with a 16-year-old, I feel very uncomfortable with a twelve-year-old boy having sex. The feeling grows when Josh seeks out Mrs Sherman again near the end of the book, and she explains how she singled him out the first time she met him in the classroom.

I also liked Rachel a lot. She has guts and a very kind heart. She was Josh's best female friend before the whole incident with his teacher came out. Her coming on to him brought the whole issue to surface. He spends five years avoiding her, even if she's best friends with his best friend's girlfriend. He thinks he almost raped her and feels guilty. But she remembers things differently: she says she liked him a lot, and wanted him to approach her. I found it incredibly touching that she still loved Josh after all that happened. She knew it wasn't his fault. Probably everyone but Josh knew it wasn't his fault.

Hardback cover

Baseball plays a big role in the book. Both Josh and Rachel are big players and fans of the sport; Josh hopes for a baseball scholarship; and various baseball facts and figures are scattered through the whole novel. I must say I've never been able to understand much of the game or its rules. And I watched the Touch anime more than once. So I didn't really know what Josh was talking about as he considered when to hit aball pitched at him, when to foul, when to miss, etc., or when he calculated his average batting scores. I do know that the aim of the game is to have the players run around the bases (thus the metaphors, scoring first/second/third base or a homerun), and I know what a strikeout is. That's the bare minimum you need to know in order to understand the book. It held my interest until the end, even though I didn't know anything about baseball.

This is a deeply moving book. I loved it. It might be difficult to stomach, especially if you have children around Josh's age when he was molested. Some descriptions are slightly too graphic to be ignored. I'd recommend it to older teens.

You can also find interesting deleted scenes and subplots that were cut from the final copy at Barry Lyga's website: Boy Toy deleted scenes.

Cover attraction: I like the paperback cover more. I wonder at the apple, though. It reminds me of the cover for another YA book about a relationship between a teacher and a student, Bad Apple by Laura Ruby. Well, that was different because there was no unappropraite relationship in the first place, but the cover still had an apple on it (partly because of the title, I guess). I wonder if the apple is a symbol for temptation? Anyway, i still like it more than the hardback cover, which doesn't do much for me.

Book review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:09:00 +0000

US cover

Title: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: stand-alone (or maybe series made of stand-alone books?)
Genre: contemporary YA
Publication: July 24, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Received for review through Netgalley

This is one of the most recent titles I got approved for on Netgalley. I read it straightaway because I knew it was just my genre. And I enjoyed it a lot. It reminded me a bit of Simone Elekeles' Perfect Chemistry series, in a way.

Echo Emerson used to be a popular girl who dated a basketball player. Now she's a loner with freaky scars on her arms, and can't remember how that happened. Plus, her Marine brother died in Afghanistan and she misses him terribly.

Noah Hutchins is the bad boy in a leather jacket, smoking hot, engaging only in one-night stands. He's in foster care after his parents died in the fire of their home. His younger brothers are living with a different family who wishes to adopt them, but he wants to raise them himself. In a few months, after graduation, he'll be eighteen and filing for custody.

Echo and Noah are brought together when their school therapist assigns Echo as Noah's tutor. They develop a relationship that looks so wrong on many levels, but feels so right. The attraction between them won't go away. How far can they push the limits? Can Echo learn to love again?

First of all, let me tell you this is a long book. It's slightly more than 400 pages. And you can feel it, while reading it, that it is a long book, but notin a bad way. It's like the author had to cram in the whole story about Noah and Echo, so that it could be a stand-alone book and not a series (and this I appreciate very much). On the final page of the book, there's an ad for a second book in the series focusing on Beth, Noah's foster sister. But more on that later.

I feel it's the characters, more than the events, that make this novel. I mostly felt for Echo. She has a crappy name; her brother died; her former babysitter is now her stepmother; and she can't see her real mother, because she's under a restraining order. That's much to take in. Plus, her father is more than a little overbearing, and she can't remember the accident that made her a "freak". It's not a wonder she almost cracks under the pressure.

Noah I could also sympathize with. He had to go through a lot with various foster families, most of them abusive, until he meets one who actually leaves him alone, which suits him just fine. He sees himself as this guardian-type figure for his brothers, who are both much younger than him, and thinks that their foster family is abusing them. They're not. Thankfully, at the end he realizes that taking care of two young boys would be a full-time job and he wouldn't be able to do it on his own, at eighteen, just fresh of high school.

UK cover

I liked the hints about Beth which set up the basis for the next novel in the series. Beth is one tough cookie. I also liked Isaac being in love with her and not saying anything until she figures it out. I would love to see them together. Judging from the first chapter of the next book which came at the end of this galley, though, I guess the main love interest for Beth will be a different guy. Or maybe we'll have a love triangle. Can I have the book now, please? You can't tease me with the promise of another book to come and them make me wait another year, for heaven's sake. Book series, you know I love you, but I also hate you a little for always making me wait and bite my nails.

This is a very good romance book. Totally recommended if you're into love stories between "tormented" teens, and if you're a fan of Simone Elkeles.

Cover attraction: I'm not sure which cover I like more, the US or UK one. Maybe the US one because it features them kissing. I think they used the same models for both covers, which is a plus. The UK cover is more dramatic with Echo's face drawn in orange rather than black. I pictured her hair more on the curly side, though.

Bout of Books 4.0 readathon wrap-up post

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Tue, 22 May 2012 07:30:00 +0000

The Bout of Books readathon finally ended. It was lots of fun, and I even won a book in a challenge (yay!), so it was definitely a good experience. I found myself losing momentum as the week went on, though. 24 hours mught be too little, and a whole week might be too long. Three or four days is the best duration for a readathon, in my opinion.

My goals were to read six books. I managed to finish 12, plus one I didn't finish. That's a good result, I think. I read all the books in my original list but one. I'd have to keep Half of a Yellow Sun for some other occasion.

I wasn't very social in this readathon. On this point, I could've done much better. I guess I run out of encouraging comments very soon. I'm going to try and do better in the next readathon.

Book review: Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Title: Quarantine: The Loners

Author: Lex Thomas

Series: Quarantine #1

Genre: dystopian, YA, adventure

Publication: July 10, 2012

Publisher: Egmont USA

Received for review through Netgalley

When I started this galley a few days ago, I thought it was going to take me a long time to read it - at about 400 pages, it's a bit of a long novel. However, I literally couldn't put it down, and when I got to the end I groaned reading that the second book will be published in the summer of 2013. I need more now! I can't wait more than a year to know what happens next! Damn you, series!

It's the first day of school for brothers David and Will, when an explosion destroys part of their high school and a deadly virus is unleashed on the building. It affects teenagers experiencing puberty, making them lethal for adults and small children. All the teachers die instantly. The army quarantines the school, prevents anyone from coming out, and establishes regular food drops. Inside the school, teenagers are left to fend for themselves.

The different cliques turn into violent gangs: Varsity, the Freaks, the Nerds, the Geeks, the Skaters, and the Pretty Ones. Varsity and their girlfriends, the Pretty Ones, are the most powerful because they're composed of former athletes and cheerleaders. A gang provides protection and more chances to get food to its members. David and Will, however, don't belong to any gang and survive providing a sort of landry service.

When David sees a helpless girl molested by a Varsity member, he doesn't hesitate to help her and ends up killing the boy. Now all of Varsity wants David's head. Will he and Will manage to survive?

I found this novel totally brilliant. Comparisons with Lord of the Flies by William Gibson and the Gone series by Michael Grant come to mind (again, marketing claims it's similar to The Hunger Games; is every dystopian YA book going to be compared to Suzanne Collins' series now?). It's brutal and violent, but also features a love triangle (very nicely done) and has you biting your nails until the very last page, wondering if our hero is going to make it. For the last third of the book, I almost feared he wouldn't make it (even though I knew it was highly implausible; how would the series continue without the main character?)

As for the characters, I loved David and Lucy. I also sympathized with Will, even though his actions weren't always recommendable. It certainly isn't easy living in your big brother's shadow.

The book ends with a pretty big cliffhanger that brings a huge change to the students' situation. I'm very curious to see how the authors (because "Lex Thomas" is actually a writing duo) will develop things from now on. And yes, I can't believe we need to wait at least a year before we find out what happens next!

I'd recommend this novel to fans of dystopian and adventure novels. The love triangle aspect isn't overdone, so you can read this safely even if you aren't into romance. This would be a good book for boys, I think. I'd like to offer a copy of this as a giveaway, together with another book I read as an ARC and loved; maybe a giveaway for my birthday, since both books come out in July. We'll see.

Cover attraction: creepy. It conveys the feel of the book perfectly - trying to survive in a school half destroyed, half abandoned.

Copycat Covers #2

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:38:00 +0000

So, here we are with the second Copycat Cover post. Today I bring to you two translations:

On the right, you can see the Spanish translation of Smaragdgruen (Emerald Green) by Kerstin Gier. On the right, the Italian translation of Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender. While the picture doesn't look exactly the same - the expression on the girls face is slightly different, and it might not be the same model - I'd say these two covers are copycats. They even have a similar background colour.

What do you think? I guess I like the one on the right better, but I'm not sure exactly why.

Book review: Bunheads by Sophie Flack

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:52:00 +0000

Hardback cover

Title: Bunheads

Author: Sophie Flack

Series: stand-alone

Genres: contemporary

Publication: October 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.

This is a good book with a pretty, partially pink cover, describing the daily life of a 19-year-old ballet dancer in the Corps of Ballet at Manhattan Ballet during three seasons - fall, winter, and spring. She struggles with her training, auditions, as well as personal relationships, while trying to balance her ballet life with her life outside of the theater.

Hannah Ward has sacrificed a lot to become a ballet dancer. She left her family home at 14 to come to New York alone and study; she trains constantly; she has never had a boyfriend. Now she's giving it all she's got in the hope of becoming a solo dancer. One night at her cousin's restaurant she meets Jacob, a college student and singer-songwriter. They start dating, but Hannah can rarely find the time to see him, making him frustrated. When Hannah lands an important role, she must decide if becoming a solo dancer is really what she wants for herself.

The dust jacket for the Italian edition of this book says, "As fascinating as Black Swan, as unforgettable as Fame". I have never watched either, so I can't really draw comparisons, but it feels a bit exaggerated (like most marketing claims, I'm afraid).

I found this account of a young ballet dancer's life very fresh and engaging. The author was a ballet dancer for years, so I expect she knows what she's writing about. The narration is in present tense, which feels descriptive more than narrative.

Paperback cover

When thinking of ballet dancers, my mind immediately goes to eating disorders, for some reasons. Eating doesn't seem that much of an issue for Hannah, for which I was glad. She seems to struggle more with relating to the other people around her than ballet dancing per se, with the exception of training to make her breasts smaller, as requested by the main choreographer. She wants to be noticed by the choreographers; be freinds with her fellow dancers, who are often rivals for a part; and to get to have a semi-normal life, having a boyfriend and attending parties. As one of her friends makes her realize, however, being a solo dancer will make her even busier. She will become a total "bunhead", i.e. a ballet dancer with no life whatsoever. Thus, Hannah must decides if this is really what she wants to do with her life.

I sort of spoiled the ending for myself reading the epilogue while I had still to read the last thrid of the novel, but the ending was actually what I expected, so I wasn't disappointed. I'd recommend this book to those who want to find out more about the life of a ballet dancer.

Cover attraction: pretty! I love the optical effect of the circle of dancers and their tutus. The paperback cover is simpler and also more boring, but it still looks good.

Book review: Timepiece by Myra McEntire

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Title: Timepiece

Author: Myra McEntire

Series: Hourglass #2

Genres: paranormal YA

Publication: June 12, 2012

Publisher: Egmont USA

Received for review through Netgalley

After re-reading Hourglass, I was ready to jump into the sequel, Timepiece. I had expectations for this novel, as all the reviews I've read so far were very positive. And I liked the book, even though not as much as those reviewers, I'm afraid.

Timepiece centers on Kaleb Ballard, Michael's best friend. During a party at The Phone Company, the restaurant owned by Emerson's family, a strange individual threatens the Hourglass: they need to hand Landers over, or time will be rewound, with dire consequences to them all. The group is still trying to find Jack Landers, though - and it doesn't look like he wants to be found. Emerson enlists Lily's help - she has a particular talent at finding people, but her grandmother always forbade her to use it to locate people. However, Lily might be the Hourglass's only hope, while chaos from Landers's time travel threatens to disrupt every order.

I found this book to be better than the previous one, probably because Kaleb makes for a more interesting narrator than Emerson. Not that his narrating voice is all that different from hers; and this is not a good thing at all. However, all in all, reformed bad boy Kaleb still tells a better story. His relationship to Lily was good, a sort of love-hate thing. Not the most original stuff, of course. I found Lily's power much more intriguing (think how useful it would be, never to lose anything ever again), as well as the idea that her coming to the US with her grandma from Cuba was caused by Jack's evil plans.

The flow is very good in this novel, as in Hourglass. I like short chapters; they make reading easier.

And yeah, Lily's adorable. Is there any chance the third book is from her perspective? Or what to we get next? I hope it's not Ava. I do not like Ava.

Favourite quote:

I'm a bad ass. I'm a bad ass who bakes when he's depressed.

Because you know, he might look all buff and tattooed, but Kaleb's actually a softie.

I think I'll go on reading this series. I have a feeling we'll get Ava as the next narrator, although I'm hoping not. We'll see. I'd recommend this book if you like paranormal romance and time travel, and of course if you liked Hourglass.

Cover attraction: gorgeous. I love the girl's hair and the blue damask wallpaper. However, I don't think it makes much sense for the girl to be sort of floating mid-air, unable to stand, and her dress to *still* be perfectly in place.

Book review: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:10:00 +0000

Title: City of Lost Souls

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: Mortal Instruments #5

Genres: urban fantasy, YA

Publication: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Another much-awaited book in the Mortal Instruments series. I didn't like the previous one, City of Fallen Angels, too much; I thought it wasn't really "necessary", as the story wrapped up quite nicely in City of Glass. But then came the huge cliffhanger at the end of the fourth book, so I was eagerly awaiting the new adventures of Clary, Jace, and co.

City of Lost Souls starts two weeks after the events in the previous book. The Clave has been searching for Sebastian and Jace, with no results. Clary, Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus have been trying to track them too. But Jace can't stay away from Clary, and comes back to take her with him. Thus, Clary learns a shocking truth: Jace and Sebastian are now linked, and hurting one equals to hurting the other. Plus, Jace is not the same boy Clary fell in love with; his will and ideals submit to Sebastian's. Clary tries to discover Sebastian's evil masterplan, while the rest of the gang is looking for a way to sever the link between him and Jace.

I liked this book far more than City of Fallen Angels. It seemed way more interesting: the link between Jace and Sebastian, Valentine's apartment, the search for an angelic blade... I loved the travelling apartment. Think of the benefits: one day in Paris, two in Rome, one in London, three in Berlin... Ah, the wonder. Travelling without leaving your home. The stuff dreams are made of (well, I'm exaggerating, but still, I'd love it). I also liked that we learned a bit more about the Iron Sisters and got to see Jocelyn in action.

I liked it how Clary can't really bring herself to care for Sebastian, yet she isn't so sure he doesn't care for her. I had the distinct feeling Sebastian's feelings for Clary are more than slightly incestuous (gross), but still, he makes for a very interesting character. The relationship between Alec and Magnus is another interesting point. I was almost sure of how it would end, what with Alec plotting with Camille and everything. Seriously, Alec, can you be more stupid than that? But I'm also prety sure they will be together again by the end of the series. The name Camille taunts Magnus with - Will - made me extremely curious. Was Magnus in love with Will Herondale? I guess we'll only learn about it in Clockwork Princess. Which is still ten good months away. The suspense is killing me.

As for Simon, will he and Isabelle get together already? Also, i wonder what will happen to him now that (spoiler!) he doesn't hae the Mark anymore. I guess Rafael will try to kill him. Not cool. I love Simon to pieces. And I very much need my own "Clearly, I've made some bad decisions" T-shirt!

I'd recommend this book to fans of the series. If you haven't started this series so far, what are you waiting for?

Cover attraction: beautiful. Probably the most beautiful cover in the series so far, and I believe it refers to something actually happening in the book (doesn't Clary wear a red dress at a certain point? Well, she does, but Jace was wearing the same colour then, so it's not really accurate.) I read it somewhere Clary will be on all the covers for the second part of the Mortal Instruments series. I guess the next cover will feature Clary and Sebastian. I also would've loved Jace and Sebastian together for this book or the next one. Too bad the publisher vetoed that.

Book review: Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:28:00 +0000

Title: Blood Magic

Author: Tessa Gratton

Series: Blood Journals #1

Genre: paranormal YA

Publication: April 2011

Publisher: Random House

I had to wait more than a month to get this book thourgh inter-library loan. The queue was long, but the wait was worth it. It's a very good book that I read in just one sitting.

Silla Kennicott is sad and depressed after the violent death of both her parents. She now lives with her older btoher and grandma Judy. One day she receives a package containing a small leatherbound book full of magic spells in her father's handwriting. She tries them, and they work. Silla and her brother can do magic. Silla's new neighbour is Nick, who just moved there with his father and stepmother from Chicago. It turns out that nick can do magic, too; it was her mother who taught him when he was little, before she went insane and tried to kill herself. Silla and Nick fall in love, but they need to be careful, because someone wants Silla's magic book...

I liked it very much that this book is practically a stand-alone; the next book in the series deals with the same theme, but new characters. Still, maybe it would've been good to have new adventures of the same characters, because I loved Silla and Nick together. Even if their love story happened maybe a bit too fast.

Blood magic sounded very creepy in this book, because of the fact that Silla and Nick had to use their blood to make the spells work. Still, it was believable. Suspension of disbelief was not a problem at all.

I hope we learn more about "The Deacon" in the next book. The second book in the series, The Blood Keeper, will be out in August, but galleys are already available on Netgalley. I hope my request gets accepted.

Cover attraction: lovely! I love the flower/blood drop that generates birds; I find it a very clever concept. The paperback cover looks different (why do hardbacks always have the prettiest covers? Why? So that people will have to spend more to buy them?), and while it sort of reflects more the book content, maybe it was done to attract male readers as well. Or at least, the paperback cover doesn't make it immediately clear that it's mainly a "girl" book.

Bout of Books readathon Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:48:00 +0000

The readathon is going very well so far; I've already finished three books. See my update post below for details. I'm not sure what book to pick up now. Quaranteen: The Loners ended in a terrible cliffhanger, which left me reeling. Can't believe we need to wait at least one year to find out what happens next! Damn you, series!

Today's challenge, courtesy of Nyx Book Reviews:

Part One: Share your most shocking, embarassing, or funny book related story.

I don't have many book related stories to share, unfortunately. My brother claims that he witnessed this exchange at the library:

Teen girl: I'm looking for a book.

Librarian: What book?

Teen girl: A book to read.

(Heavens forbid that she could be looking for a book to eat, or to sleep, or whatever).

I've been wondering if this story is actually true. Surely you can't be that naive or stupid? Well, after all, I think you can :/

Part Two:

Physical book or eBook? This is a hard one. I'd say physical copy for the books you want to keep and display on your shelf. Ebook for the others, those you don't really care as much about. Or books that you would otherwise need to have shipped from far away, spending time and money.

Paperback or Hardcover? Paperback all the way. Too bad hardcovers usually get the prettiest covers, for some reason i can't quite understand.

Reality or Make-believe? Uhm. When reality's crappy, go for make-believe.

Adult or Young-Adult? Young adult. I actually realized a couple weeks ago that I read way more young adult titles now than when I was a real teenager. Go figure.

Dog ears or Bookmarks? Bookmarks. Dog ears are evil. Seriously.

Breaking the spine or Barely open the book? I don't really care about breaking the spine. I just try not to do too much damage.

Tea or Coffee? I'm not a big fan of either, as they both keep me awake if I drink them in the evening. Both are good for dipping cookies in them. Yummy.

Reading in bed or On the couch? Either way is good. Maybe on the couch, because my back hurts after a while of reading while lying on my belly in bed.

Series or Standalone? Standalones are better because you don't have to wait for the next book to come out. series are good if you loved the characters and want more.

Original or TV Adaptation? Usually originals are better.

Defy motion sickness or Audiobooks? No, no motion sickness for me, thank you. But I'm not a fan of listening to audiobooks while driving anyway. It's too distracting. I need to be focused, or I'll crash the car.

Author crushes or Who-was-that-guy-again? Ahem, author crushes. Or maybe character crushes...

Interview or Guest post? Guest posts.

Bout of Books: Readathon

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:59:00 +0000

Bout of Books is hosting a readathon for this week. I like readathons because they're so much fun, plus you get to do a lot of reading.

Goals for this readathon:

- get to read books. I'm aiming for one book a day, for a total of six books. Netgalley copies should get precedence, since it's Netgalley Month.

- write book reviews: City of lost Souls, Blood Magic, and The Girlfriend's Guide to Boys series.

Currently reading: Timepiece by Myra McEntire (e-ARC courtesy of the publisher through Netgalley.) It's good so far, but maybe not as good as some other reviews had led me to believe.

Books to Read:

~~- Timepiece by Myra McEntire~~

~~- The Fake Boyfriend Experiment by Stephanie Rowe~~

~~- Bunheads by Sophie Flack~~

~~- Lo que esconde tu nombre by Clara Sanchez~~

- Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

~~- The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross~~

Bookish Question of the day hosted by Sarah Says Read:

“What do you like best about readathons? Do you have any readathon traditions or rituals? If this is your first readathon, what do you like so far? Discuss away!”

I like readathons because I get to read lots of books. I especially like readathons that last more than one day. I took part in Dewey's readathon once, but it was hard to stay awake for the whole duration of the event (partly because it always starts in the early afternoon my time, so I've already been awake for almost half a day). There's less pressure if a readathon takes place during two or three days, or more. I don't have any particular readathon rituals, considering I've only done a couple before. With Dewey's readathon there was some emphasis on updating every hour and so, and this made it more of a blogathon than a readathon under some aspects. Updating every hour is very tiring; doing it only once a day seems feasible.

Updates

5/14

Number of books I’ve read today: 3

Total number of books I’ve read: 3

Books: Timepiece by Myra McEntire; The Fake Boyfriend Experiment by Stephanie Rowe; Quaranteen: The Loners by Lex Thomas

5/15

Number of books I’ve read today: 1 (not completed)

Total number of books I’ve read: 3+1 (not completed)

Books: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (go, team Griffin, go)

Not a very good day, I'm afraid. I've tried continuing Glitch but felt disheartened. Maybe I'll pick it up again later on.

5/16

Number of books I’ve read today: 3 + 1 (not completed)

Total number of books I’ve read: 6 + 1 (not completed)

Books: The Girl in the Steel Corset (started yesterday) by Kady Cross, The Chocolate War by Robert Courmier, Volevo essere una farfalla (I wanted to be a butterfly) by Michela Marzano, part of Bunheads by Sophie Flack.

I'm doing shorter books right now. Volevo essere una farfalla is a memoir about coping with anorexia and learning to be independent, by an Italian author and philosopher. I read it but without much attention; I practically skimmed it. I'm sorry, but it's a very philosphical book (yeah, the author teaches Philosophy at the Sorbonne) and while the subject matter is very interesting, the form doesn't have my full attention.

5/17

Number of books I’ve read today: 2 (almost, 1 left over from yesterday)

Total number of books I’ve read: 8

Books: Bunheads by Sophie Flack (started yesterday), The Scent of Lemon Leaves by Clara Sanchez.
Boy, am I glad that I finished the Clara Sanchez book that had been sitting on my desk for a month. Quite an overrated book.

5/18
Number of books I’ve read today: 2

Total number of books I’ve read: 10

Books: The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.
I feel in a bit of a reading slump now.

5/19

Number of books I’ve read today: 1 + 1(not completed)

Total number of books I’ve read: 11 +1 (not completed)

Books: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGerry; Whispers from the Grave by Leslie Rule (not completed)

5/20

Number of books I've read today: 1

Total number of books I've read: 12 +1 (not completed)

Books: Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Book review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Title: Hourglass

Author: Myra McEntire

Series: Hourglass #1

Genre: paranormal YA

Publication: June 2011

Publisher: Egmont USA

I read this book last year, when it came out. I didn't love it, but didn't dislike it, either. At first I thought it was a stand-alone novel, then I read somewhere it was supposed to be a series. A few weeks ago I received the second book in the series, Timepiece, for review through Netgalley. I couldn't remember much of the first book, so I thought I could read it again. It's a good book, I suppose. Only I'm not ecstatic about it, for some reason I can't quite explain.

Seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole has been living with her older brother Thomas and his wife since the death of her parents. She has a special ability: she can see people from the past. For this reason, she spent a few months in a mental institution. Now she's better, even if she still sees these strange people. She thinks they are ghosts.

In order to help his sister, Thomas hires Michael Weaver, a guy a couple of years older than Emerson. She's diffident at first, but then she realizes he, too, can see the people from the past, whom he calls "rips". They're immediately attracted to each other, to the point that when they touch they feel some sort of electrical spark. But Michael insists in keeping their relationship strictly professional.

Michael works for a mysterious organization called "Hourglass" and is very secretive about it, until Emerson forces him to tell her the truth: she can travel in time, more specifically to the past. As he can travel to the future, they form a couple who can travel through time; and Michael needs her help to prevent the murder of his mentor.

I found this book an interesting take on time travel, which isn't such a common topic in paranormal YA, so it still feels fresh. The whole "chemistry" thing between Emerson and Michael felt a bit overdone - sparks and electricity going out while they touch? Really? - but it was a minor thing, I guess. Among the threads left unexplored, I'm wondering about Murphy's Law, the Cuban cafè run by Emerson's friend Lily and her grandma. I don't think it was necessary to the plot at all; so I guess it will become important in future books. Especially Lily's particular ability in locating things. Which would be damn useful; you wouldn't lose anything!

It would seem that the second book in the series is better than the first. I hope so, because if it turns out to be worse, I don't think I'll be reading on.

Cover attraction: the cover style sort of reminds me of an artist I think I studied in school but can't really identify. Maybe someone in Post-Impressionism? Anyone has any idea? I really love the font.

Copycat Covers #1

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

I would like to start a new meme on my blog - Copycat Covers. It's been inspired by Friday Face-Off at The Book Rat and consists in displaying books with similar or even identical covers. Why do two books, which usually have close to nothing in common, end up with the same cover? Sometimes it's a stock photo that has been used one time too many. Sometimes it's different pictures of the same model, from the same photoshoot. Sometimes it's different images, but with the same underlying concept. Of course, this is also an occasion to display pretty covers. Who doesn't like to look at them?

For the first post, I've chosen two covers that are quite probably the same picture, just flipped over. When I saw the cover for Tutto di personale by Sabina Collaredo at the bookshop I thought, "Hey! They translated Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder into Italian!" Then I got closer and realized that no, it was a completely different book by an Italian author (although it was always YA). Have a look for yourself:

The font is different, and in Chasing Brooklyn you can also see the shadow of the hand on the glass, which is missing in the second cover. All in all, though, it's the same picture. I don't think there's much point in asking which one you prefer, since they look so similar.

Book review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles #1

Genres: dystopian YA, fairy tale

Publication: January 2012

Publisher: Puffin Books

How much do I love fairy tale retelling? Let me tell you: a lot. I particularly like Cinderella retellings. I don't know why, but this is by far my favourite fairy tale to be retold. And what better than Cinderella with cyborgs? Yeah. Cyborgs.

In the future, New Beijing is peopled by humans and cyborgs living together, even though cyborgs are still considered second-class citizens. So is Cinder, a seventeen-year-old cyborg who works as a mechanic and lives with her stepmother, who can barely stand her, and two stepsisters. When her younger stepsister falls terminally ill with the illness that is decimating New Beijing, Cinder's stepmother tries to sell her as guinea pig to find a cure. At the hospital, though, the scientist in charge will discover an incredible truth about Cinder's past and offer her to cooperate with his team.

Due to her job, Cinder also gets to meet Prince Kai, the heir to the throne. He's under a lot of stress to find a bride and about to get coronated, as his father is dying. To keep intergalactic peace, Kai is pressured to get engaged to the queen of the Moon, ruthless and scheming Queen Levana. But he's far more attracted to Cinder herself.

Italian cover

I loved this book, especially the two main characters. Cinder is strong and determined. Her relationship to her younger stepsister is tender and sweet, and especially heartbreaking when the girl gets ill, since Cinder blames herself. The chemistry between Cinder and Kai was so strong it made the air sizzle. Their almost-kiss in the elevator... sweet heavens. I also loved it that Kai is a generous person and wants to do what is best for his people, even if it means sacrificing his own happiness. This novel has dystopian undertones, but that is because of the epidemic threatening the whole population, not because the governants are corrupt.

On the other hand, I must say that the big revelation coming at the end of the book was quite predictable, or at least, I was able to see it coming ever since the alternative heir to the Moon throne was mentioned. Still, it's a good, enchanting book. I loved the ball scene, when Cinder enters the ballroom in her ruined dress and is acknowledged as the prince's personal guest.

And Princess Selene of the Moon kingdom? Sailor Moon reference, anyone? Hehehehehehehe.

I'd recommend this book if you love a good, inventive fairy tale retelling; if you like sweet romances; and if you don't mind the story being a bit predictable. I promise it makes up for it. Too bad it is the first book in a series (of three? Four books?), so you are left wondering what happens next to our favourite cyborg. I understand the next books are supposed to focus on different fairy tale retellings, while continuing Cinder's story. The next book will be titled Scarlett. I'm confused about the fairy tale it's supposed to be about. Little Red Riding Hood, maybe.

Spanish cover

Cover attraction: I love the detail of the iron parts in her leg and the red shoe. I also like the font of the title. It looks... lunar to me. I've also included in this post the Italian and Spanish covers. The Italian cover is a very pretty lilac, and I love the moon in the shadows that you can see in the background. The little stars on the "C" of Cinder are also very pretty. Under the title, you can read, "In the future, too, stories begin with Once upon a time...". I'm not a big fan of the girl on the cover, though. With hair like that, she looks more like medusa to me than cyborg, and she's very different from what I imagined Cinder to look like. She's way too girly. Isn't Cinder some sort of a tomboy? (And no, even if the book is out in Italian already, I didn't read it in translation. I requested if through inter-library loan, but the queue was so long I wanted to bang my head against the wall in frustration.)

The Spanish cover is also very pretty. Maybe the prettiest cover of them all. It's very feminine, and I love the detail of her ball gown, but there's still a hint of her being a cyborg in the exposed leg. I love the red bow on the back of her skirt which recalls the red font of the author's name. Very nicely done.

Cinder Audiobook: please head over to the Macmillan website to listen to a sample to the Cinder Audiobook (courtesy of Macmillan Audio). It's from the first chapter. Sounds good to me :)

Book review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Title: Pure

Author: Julianna Baggott

Series: Pure #1

Genres: dystopian, YA

Publication: February 2012

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/Headline Book Publishing

I'm always in the mood for some dystopian YA. Which is a good thing, considering that YA dystopias are popping up like mushrooms all over the place. Too bad practically all of them are series, so it takes at least a couple of years to see them finished. Here I bring you Pure, thefirst novel in a new YA dystopian series.

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters. We will, once day, emerge from the Dome to join you in peace. For now, we watch from afar.

This is the message spread after the Detonations destroyed almost everything. While people struggle to survive in a world composed mainly of rubble and toxic waste, a few privileged who haven't been affected by the Detonations live comfortably in the safety of the Dome. People outside of the Dome are called "wretches", while those in the Dome are known as Pure.

Pressia Belze is a sixteen-year-old girl who lives with her grandfather after the death of her parents in the Detonations. Like most of the people outside of the Dome, when the explosions happened her body fused with what she was holding, and a doll's head now replaces one of her fists. After turning sixteen, she needs to escape and hide from OSR, a militia who recruits all sixteen-year-olds to either be trained as soldiers or, for those not strong enough, to serve as living targets. OSR, which originally stood for Operation Search and Rescue but now is the acronym for Operation Sacred Revolution, is planning a rebellion to take over the Dome.

Partridge, a Pure boy and the son of an important officer in the Dome government, is finishing his training at the Academy, but isn't happy. His brother is dead and his mother never made it into the Dome. When a casual slip from his father suggests that his mother might still be alive out there, he escapes from the Dome to find her.

I found this book interesting and well.written. I was particularly impressed by the detail in which the author described the damage to the bodies of the "wretches" - people with objects lodged in their bodies, people fused together, people fused with rocks or animals, Dusts, Beasts. It was horrifying and yet compelling.

The events in this book seemed to exist on a whole different level than the story itself, almost as if things really existed. I found the world-building very accurate and detailed. Lenore of Presenting Lenore featured this book in one of her dystopian themed months and gave it an award for big twists. Yeah, there are a couple big ones, but I'd say the strongest point of this book is descriptions more than anything else.

This is the first book in a trilogy, but the ending is neat and not too much of a cliffhanger. Yes, one wonders what will happen next, and I must say I have no idea - I can't make any predictions. Still, it's a good place to end a book, not like some other series where the ending is very abrupt, almost as if it were only one book which had to be cut somewhere.

I'd recommend this book to dystopian fans. The dystopian elements are prevalent here, so if you don't like the genre, there's not much else in this book.

Cover attraction: I love books with butterflies on their cover. The dark background is quite striking in contract to the blue wings of the butterfly. It conveys the idea that there is still life and hope even if the world was almost destroyed. I also found two other covers under a different publisher's name - Grand Central for the butterfly cover, Headline Book Publishing for the other two. They're simpler: one is totally black, the other completely white. I'm not sure if they were meant to be released at the same time, two versions of the same book (as in John Green's Paper Towns). They're probably giving the idea of society divided among wretches (black) and Pures (white), and the contrast between the Pure title and the black cover might be ironic. I like the fond in these two covers, but if I found them in a store, I'd pick up the butterfly cover and not the other two.

Boom review: So Over You by Gwen Hayes

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Title: So Over You

Author: Gwen Hayes

Series: stand-alone

Genres: contemporary YA, romance

I really loved this book. I've read it three times already and I might read it more. It's funny and heart-warming. And yeah, I love those stories in which the main characters hate each other and then they get together.

Layney Logan, girl reporter, is a senior in high school and in charge of the school paper. She's annoyed that she had to share the editor position with her nemesis, Jimmy Foster, whom she calls Lucifer, but she's willing to do what it takes to save the paper from budget cuts. The staff decides to make an all-male calendar to raise funds, and Layney is tricked by Jimmy to interview those guys by going on a blind date with each of them. So, twelve blind dates for Logan who doesn't date at all, not since she broke up with Jimmy in eight grade.

Layney is determiend to be professional and get the best out of her interviews. But as she goes on, she questions if maybe Jimmy knows her better than she thought, and if he's trustworthy enough that she can tell him her big secret.

As I said, I really loved this book, especially the two main characters. They're snarky and passionate and have incredible chemistry. When they kiss in the girl's bathroom, OMG, I almost had a heart attack. This is a fun, light book, even though it gets darker when Layney finally confesses her secret, the reason why she broke up with Jimmy in the first place. Caring Jimmy is a very nice guy. I wanted to give him a good hug at the end. Hell, I might want him as my next fictional boyfriend.

I'd recommend this book if you love romance, contemporary YA, and a tough, snarky heroine who falls in love with her worst enemy.

Cover attraction: simple and cute. That's totally not how I pictured Layney to look like, by the way. In my mind, she has shorter, darker hair and looks more of a tomboy. I like this cover, anyway.

Book review: This Is So Not Happening

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Title: This Is So Not Happening

Author: Kieran Scott

Series: He's So/She's So #3

Genres: contemporary YA, romance

Publication; April 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

So here it is, the much-awaited conclusion to the He's So/She's So trilogy by Kieran Scott with the latest adventures of Jake and Ally. Please don't read this post if you haven't read the second book and are interested in the series, because there's no way I can even summarize the plot without including huge spoilers.

He's So Not Worth It ends with the big revelation that Chloe is pregnant, and Jake's the father. Just when Ally and Jake had finally got back together. Both Chloe and Jake are very confused and don't know what to do, but in the end they resolve to tell their parents. Ally decides to be mature about the whole thing and accept the situation, even though some people criticize her for that, especially Hammond. Things however, are not easy for her when Jake starts standing her up to take Chloe to doctor's appointments. Moreover, Ally's mother is getting married to Gray and Ally has a wedding speech to write.

As Chloe's pregnancy goes on, secrets come out and Ally is not sure that she really knows Jake any more. Will they be together in the end? What with college applications? What with Chloe's baby?

First of all, let me tell you that I think this is the best novel in the series. Both main characters have had to grow up so much - Jake especially in the second book, and now Ally, who needs to accept that her boyfriend is the father of another girl's baby and that her mother is divorcing her father to marry another man.

I'm proud of Ally in this book; she shows she's very grown-up.

As for Chloe's baby... well, I actually didn't believe for a second Jake really was the father. What about Will going in and out of Chloe's bedroom all the summer? So the disclosing of the supposedly big secret about halfway of the book was no surprise for me (and, I suspect, for no reader at all). Still, it made for an interesting read. There's a lot of emotions in this book. I was very proud of Ally for breaking up with Jake when he started being such a jerk to Chloe, and very proud of Jake for winning Ally back and getting into college.

The ending was maybe a little too perfect to sound true. I mean, of all the collegesout there, they both get accepted by the same one? Talk about being lucky. What are the chances of that happening in real life? Considering that Ally had a choice, but Jake miraculously got only into that school.

I'd recommend this book to lovers of contemporary YA and chick-lit. If you read the second book and don't want to give this one a try, well, I guess you really hated the series and there's no point in me trying to convince you.

Cover attraction: I like the blue lockers in the background, as well as the whole feel of it. Good choice, though not especially remarkable. But anyway, I guess you don't pick up the third book in a trilogy just because you like the cover.

Book review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Title: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #1

Genres: dystopian, fairy tale

Publication: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Harperteen

In a palace of rivals, only one can win his heart...

I loved this book, I really did. Gorgeous cover, likeable heroine, swoon-worthy love interest, dystopian overtones, fairy tale content. It's like reality-TV The Bachelor meets Cinderella. (The book pitch laso mentions The Hunger Games, but I think this series is way too light and girly to be compared to the rebellions in Panem). Too bad it's the first in a trilogy and leaves you hanging.

Sixteen-year-old America Singer lives in Illea, a caste-divided nation born out of the war which devastated the United States. She's a Five and comes from a family of artists and musicians. Life is a struggle for them, but they make ends meet. It would be worse to be a Six (clerical workers), Seven (labour workers), or Eight (the homeless); but there's a big gap between her life conditions and those of the privileged One (the royal family), Two, and Three.

America is chosen to participate in the Selection, a reality show competition among thirty-five girls between sixteen and twenty to capture the heart of Prince Maxon and become his bride. America was reluctant to put her name in, and not very happy to be chartered off to the royal palace. She doesn't want to leave her family and her secret boyfriend Aspen. He's a Six, and they meet in secret, because women in Illean aren't usually allowed to marry a man from a lower caste. However, just before the Selection starts, Aspen breaks up with her.

Heartbroken, America has to face the fierce competition with the other girls in the royal palace, which is also threatened by rebel invasions. She captures the attention of Prince Maxon with her sincere and genuine attitude, even though, at their first meeting, she insults him. America tells him she is not romantically interested in him, but asks to stay in the competition in order to provide the prince with valuable inside information on the other girls. She suggests, in short, that they become friends.

Things go on and America finds herself getting attached to Prince Maxon, when (gasp) Aspen makes a reappearance. America needs to ask herself where her true loyalities lie; the attacks on the royal palace intensify; and Maxon has to choose a small number of girls, "The Elite", among whom he will find his bride.

This book was almost perfect to me. Almost, because the ending was way too abrupt. Not that there's a big cliffhanger, mind you. It's just that it ends there, without warning, and you're left incredulous, thinking, "Wait! Isn't there more?" Seriously, the second book can't come soon enough. Too bad we have to wait until the spring of 2013. That's entirely too much. (Wanna bet it's going to be titled The Elite?)

This book is marketed as dystopian, but those elements are very light. True, there is the chaste system, rebellions, and mentions of a war which devastated North America. But it's a lot more a fairy tale than a regular dystopia. So, if you like "girly" books but don't like dystopians, don't worry.

America is a very likeable heroine. She has spunk and a good heart. Maxon is totally fascinating as a prince. He comes off a bit awkward at the beginning, not very experienced with girls, but it makes him all the more adorable. He's also a good sport (he gets insulted for no reason by America and brushes it off, then gets a knee in the groin and still forgives her!) and tries to be a good governer. My heart melted when he set up a program to provide food to the poor after America told him about going hungry.

Aspen, on the other hand, I didn't like at all. He's a jerk and an idiot. When he gets upset because America cooked up a feast for him, I wanted to smack him. Even more so when he breaks up with her after realizing he will not be able to give her a comfortable lifestyle. His behavious at the palace is totally inexcusable. Doesn't he realize America risks getting executed for treason? Aaargh. I swear, when the maids almost surprise them together, my heart was thumping as wildly as America's must have been.

At this moment the love triangle is quite unbalanced in Maxon's favour, so I guess in the second book Aspen will do something to redeem himself, or something will happen to level out the field and keep readers wondering. Anyway, I have no doubt that America will get with Maxon in the end. Illea deserve a princess like her.

The Selection is set to become a TV-show by CW. Aimee Teegarden has already been chosen for the main role. She's very pretty, I suppose, although I had pictured America with darker hair. Ethan Peck has been cast as Prince Maxon and William Moseley as Aspen. I'm slightly perplexed, here, because Ethan Peck gives me a blue-collar vibe, while I find William Moseley very princely and noble looking. I'm not sure why. It might be because Ethan Peck was the bad boy and the rule breaker in the TV show Ten Things I Hate About You. Also, America decribes Aspen as very handsome, while she isn't particularly impressed with Maxon's appearance, and I think Ethan Peck is smoking hot. Of course, if he had played Aspen, I would've had to root for him, at least a little. Now I can be Team Maxon all the way! (see button on the sidebar). And I guess Moseley will make a fine soldier.

To make things short: I *can't*wait for the next book! I can't wait to see the TV show! Read this book is you enjoy fairy tales and romance books.

Favourite quote:

Marlee (talking about Prince Maxon): "..funny laugh, but it's cute."

America: "Sure, if you like the lovable sound of an asthma attack in your ear..."

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Cover attraction: love it, love it, love it! My favourite cover in the books published recently. It might be the colour, the dress, or the reflections, but it's totally gorgeous. It has a dream-like quality, sort of. I've also found a slightly different cover for the UK edition. The picture is the same, but the background is light pink, as well as the title. Also, the sentence at the top is different. The hardback cover reads "35 girls. One crown. The competition of a lifetime", while the paperback "In a palace of rivals, only one can win his heart...". The first sentence highlights the reality-show aspect, while the second one hints more at the romance. I prefer the aqua background, and the second sentence.

Book review: He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Title: He's So Not Worth It

Author: Kieran Scott

Series: He's So/She's So #2

Genres: contemporary YA

Publication: June 2011

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

The previous book in the series, She' So Dead To Us, ended with a pretty big cliffhanger. Ally's father is back to town and would like to get his family back. His wife and daughter aren't so sure about it. Plus, Ally broke up with Jake over his part in the video shown by Shannen at her party.

Now Ally is expected to go with her mother, her boyfriend Gray Nathanson and his daughter Quinn to the Nathansons' beach house in Jersey Shore. Ally is not so excited at the prospect to spend two months with the Cresties and would like to stay in town with her father. But she quickly changes her mind when she finds out that Jake is staying in town, and is working at the coffee shop with her dad.

Now Ally is at the beach, but still would like to avoid the Cresties; so she befriends a group of local guys, and has a flirt with handsome surfer Connor. Jake is in town, grounded because of his not-so-good school grades. His mother forces him to find a summer job and attend a college class to get his schoolwork up to par. He gets Chloe to go with him, and the two spend an awful lot of time together. Yeah, because Chloe is in town, too; she doesn't want to face either Hammond or Shannen.

It was a good book, although I think I enjoyed the first one in the series more. The best feature were Annie's field journal observations; she uses a totally scientific approach and jargon to report gossip she witnessed. Her aim is to write a book on the Cresties, after all. Annie is one of my favourite characters in the book, and provides much-needed comic relief.

I didn't like Connor and his posse very much. He looked a tool to me right from the first time Ally met him. On the other hand, Jake didn't act so good either, acting all jealous when he and Ally aren't together and always hanging out with Chloe. Still, I guess he's trying, and redeems himself in the end.

Oh, and I should mention this book ends in the mother of all evil cliffhangers. A cliffhanger so big you'll be left gaping and thinking, "What??" For this reason, I'd recommend reading this book with the third one close to you. I understand the cliffhanger was necessary to create anticipation, and otherwise I probably wouldn't have felt the need to finish the series. It's a pretty big development. Still, it's seriously evil to leave your readers hanging like that.

I'd recommend this book to those who want some light reading, maybe for the beach or so.

Cover attraction: I like it, especially the title font. Appropriate for a chick-lit YA book. I love the light blue background.

Book review: She's So Dead To Us by Kieran Scott

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra @Out of the Blue) — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Title: She's So Dead To Us

Author: Kieran Scott

Series: He's So/She's So #1

Genres: contemporary YA

Publication: May 2010

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

I read this book a while ago, but since I just finished the series, I thought it would be nice to review the three books. So here we are with the first one, She' So Dead To Us.

When I first heard of the book, I thought it was paranormal YA about zombies or vampires, mainly because of the title and the cover, which isn't very telling. But it turned out to be contemporary YA, which is my favourite. The book description pitches it as "Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl". I'm not sure why, but then again, I've never watched Desperate Housewives, so I can't say whether it's appropriate.

Ally Ryan returns to Orchard Hill with her mother after almost two years of absence. They were a rich family, but then her father lost his clients all their money with some risky investments and then left his wife and daughter, forcing Ally and her mother to relocate. Now Ally's mother has received a good job offer in Orchard Hill, so they're back

Ally's former friends keep her at a distance. They're angry that her father practically bankrupted them, isolate her, and play pranks on her. Ally meets a new guy, Jake Graydon, who lives in what previously was her home. They're attracted to each other, but his friends (who used to be Ally's friends first) boycott the relationship and try to keep them apart. Their main issue seems to be that Jake's a "Crestie" (all the rich kids live on a "crest", thus the nickname), while Ally, formerly a Crestie, now lives with her mum in a small apartment in a lower-income neighbourhood and is now a "Norm" (how the working class kids are called).

The book is told from Ally's and Jake's alternating perspectives. It's YA chick-lit, so very light reading, but I guess it tries to make a point about social classes. I'm not sure why teenagers would be so concerned with social status as to exclude someone because she's not as rich as them or lives in a smaller house. Plus, it was not Ally who lost so much money from the Crestie families, but her father. Not that it seemed to make any difference in the mind of her ex friends.

Cover attraction: I found three different covers for this book. The first one has a broken pearl necklace on a baby blue background. It's pretty, and I guess hints at Ally being separated from her friends, but it's not very clear what the book is about. The second cover makes it more clear, and matches the covers for the following books. I'm not sure why there is a third cover, which looks similar to the second one, but more comic-book-like. Still, it seems the publisher is always the same, Simon and Schuster. I don't know if I like the first or the second cover best. The third one is not bad, but leaves me pretty indifferent.