Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It’s a time for book bloggers to share the books they’re waiting on. I call it Start Up the DeLorean because only time travel will get me the books on this list. I’ve missed doing these lately, and time is short, so I think I might alternate between WoW and my usual Bookish Bundles. I love digging up new titles that I can anticipate in the coming year(s), so either way, I win!

 

My dear friend Small gave me the heads up on this one. I knew I’d have to post it as a WoW asap because it fits me perfectly–perfectly–with the English setting, a Sarah Rees Brennan mention and the words Summerfield College. I so have to read this book.

August 27, 2013

A supernatural romance about the powers that lie in the shadows of the mind, perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan, Alyxandra Harvey, and Libba Bray.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

What are you waiting on?

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In The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise, super-smart, somewhat geeky Audrey McCarthy can’t wait to get out of high school. Her father’s death and the transformation of her one-time BFF, Blake Dawkins, into her worst nightmare have her longing for the new start college will bring.

But college takes money. So Audrey decides she has to win the competition for the best app designed by a high schooler—and the $200,000 that comes with it. She develops something she calls the Boyfriend App, and suddenly she’s the talk of the school and getting kissed by the hottest boys around. But can the Boyfriend App bring Audrey true love?

Lately, I’ve been really enjoying computer geek stories (maybe it’s all the episodes of The Big Bang Theory that I’ve been watching lately), so The Boyfriend App was one of those books that came along at the right time. But, basically, The Boyfriend App is a romantic comedy in disguise–and who doesn’t love a romantic comedy? Alright–fine! Half the population. Whatever. I’m well-aware that my readership is mostly female, though, so our lesser halves don’t count at the moment. Just kidding. Sort of.

The Boyfriend App is a fizzy bellini of a book. It’s sweet, indulgent and makes you feel giggly and good. They really nailed it with the cover. Sure, there’s a technological twist, but there’s no technospeak to, er, speak of. I’m completely computer illiterate (this is only a small exaggeration), but I understood things as Audrey explained them. Katie Sise does a fabulous job of making the reader believe that Audrey knows what she’s talking about without getting too complicated for the less technically-minded among us. I actually understood an episode of The Big Bang Theory better because of The Boyfriend App. I don’t know if that’s high praise, but it is a fact.

The strength of this novel isn’t in the mystery (it was kind of eye-rolling, to be honest), or the technological twists, but in the characters. There are a lot of them–which I don’t usually like–but each one is interesting and individual. Also, Audrey’s cousin, Lindsey, is a fashion blogger and that gives us a little behind-the-scenes peek into the blogging world we spend so much time inhabiting. That was really fun. The villain is villainous, but not without positive attributes (none that make her actions forgivable, but at least there’s dimension).

The weakest part of the novel was the romance. I liked the love interest, but we didn’t get to spend much time with him. Their breezy courtship fit with the pace and tone of the novel, but failed to add any depth. Surprisingly, that was okay with me because I liked The Boyfriend App for what it was–a light, fun read. Like when a coworker brings in a loaf of zucchini bread to share among the staff. You weren’t expecting it and it is very nice surprise but it’s no chocolate cake.

Questions to nibble on:

• Did you think that Sise did a good job putting the technospeak into plain English?
• Was Adrian believable as a “geek”?
• Do you hope Katie Sise writes another novel?
• If you haven’t read the book yet: Do you like romantic comedy books?

4 1/2 Matryoshkas: I’d go on a second date with this book.

Check out Helen Fitzgerald’s guest post and the Deviant giveaway!

The post Book Review: The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise appeared first on Ruby's Reads.

Less is More (Except When We’re Talking Books)

–A discussion post on my personal philosophy–

What about you?

Do you believe “less is more”?

Do you always want more books? Or would you rather have just one awesome one?

The post Discussion Post: Less Is More Unless We’re Talkin Books appeared first on Ruby's Reads.

Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication Date: June 11, 2013
Format: ARC

When 16-year-old Abigail’s mother dies in Scotland–leaving a faded photo, a weirdly cryptic letter, and a one-way ticket to America–she feels nothing. Why should she? Her mother gave her away when she was a baby, leaving her to grow up on an anti-nuclear commune and then in ugly foster homes. But the letter is a surprise in more ways than one: Her father is living in California. What’s more, Abigail discovers she has an eighteen-year-old sister, Becky. And the two are expecting Abigail to move in with them.

After struggling to overcome her natural suspicions of a note from beyond the grave (not to mention anything positive) Abigail grows close to her newfound sister. But then Becky is found dead, the accidental victim of an apparent drug overdose. As Abigail wrestles with her feelings and compiles a “Book of Remembrance” of her sister’s short life, she uncovers a horrifying global plot aimed at controlling teen behavior: one that took her sister’s and mother’s lives, with vast implications.

One of the things that attracted me to Deviant was the comment someone made (if I could remember where I saw it, I’d link to it, I swear) that Deviant had all the elements of a Dystopian while actually taking place in our world. I think Deviant straddles the line between conspiracy theory and an exploration of society’s current mania for medicating children who “act out.” As a teacher, I’ve worked with medicated children, unmedicated children and parents of both. This is no way makes me an expert on the subject, but I’ve seen children be both successful and unsuccessful on medication and my personal opinion is that there is no neat answer. Medication may work for one child and not another, medication alone might not be enough, medication might be the wrong option… Children don’t fit into neat boxes and we can’t “fix” them.

The greater question–and one that Deviant raises–is whether or not we should try. If children and teens don’t act the way we want (or expect) them to, does that mean we can alter their behavior so that they fit our idea of how they should behave? Well, when you put it that way, of course not! I think this is an oversimplification of the issue, but certainly a valid, thought-provoking point. Parents, teachers, therapists, and doctors should not approach the issue of medication lightly; no one should.

Deviant gave me a lot to think about, which I always love in a book. Unfortunately, I found the rest of the novel less enticing. The pacing was a little too frenetic. Abigail, the main character, is swept up in a flurry of events that are as bewildering as they are suspicious. From foster care in Scotland to family in California, from poverty to luxury, some of the turbulence is to be expected. Only, other than Abigail (because she’s the narrator), we were given precious little time to get to know any of the characters and the romance seriously lacks build up. For a reader such as I, those were serious omissions.

Deviant works best as the set up for a series, but as such, I think it should have been a short story. It lacks substance in terms of plot, characterization and follow-through, but I was never tempted to stop reading. Deviant isn’t DNF material, but neither is is viscerally satisfying. If Helen Fitzgerald writes another Abigail book, I’ll probably check it out, but it won’t be a must-read.

Questions to nibble on:

• What do you think about the question of medicating children?
• Would you like to see another book featuring Abigail?
• If you haven’t read the book yet: Have you read other books featuring teens in the foster care system?

3 Matryoshkas: I would have coffee with this book.

Check out Helen Fitzgerald’s guest post and the Deviant giveaway!

The post Book Review: Deviant by Helen Fitzgerald appeared first on Ruby's Reads.

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating… monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life–a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

I really like apocalyptic stories. I like how they force society to readjust, how they disturb the status quo, how all the rules suddenly go out the window. It’s fascinating to me, far more interesting than Dystopians where new rules have replaced the old ones and they’re bizarre and vastly different from ours. PODs seemed like the perfect book for me, based on my reading preferences. Sadly, though, it fell short of expectations.

PODs’ primary flaw is that it tries to be too many things. It’s an apocalyptic story, a post-apocalyptic story, a zombie story, a survival story, a romance and a coming-of-age tale. I’ve read books where all of these elements have been interwoven, but I think Michelle Pickett threw her net a bit too wide. She didn’t try to incorporate the elements of all of these story styles so much as have all of them occur within the span of her book. Since this is going to be a series, it would have been better to have book one be the apocalypse, book two life in the PODs, three, life in a post-POD community and four, life on the outside. To have all four stages in one book was to do a disservice to each.

I also didn’t really like the main character. For Eva, out of sight was out of mind–except for David, her love interest. He’s her sole concern once she gets out of the POD. I kept waiting for her to at least try to contact her parents or her other POD-mates. Especially since it was set up for her to try to find her parents when she got out (she convinces them to go to an isolated cabin where they might escape the virus). Sure, they’re probably dead, but doesn’t she want to know for-freaking-sure? I would.

I don’t think I’ll be reading the second book in this series. I’d be willing to try Michelle Pickett’s Concilium series, but the PODs books are done for me. If I had liked Eva better, I might have been able to overlook the mish-mash that is the plot. Since I didn’t, I’ll pass on the rest of Eva’s journey.

Questions to nibble on:

• Was I too hard on Eva? Did you like her better than I did?
• Would you rather have gone into a POD or stayed above-ground?
• If you haven’t read the book yet:Do you like apocalyptic stories? Why or why not?

2 Matryoshkas: I would smile awkwardly at this book when I crossed the street.

Check out the Deviant giveaway!

The post Book Review: PODs by Michelle K. Pickett appeared first on Ruby's Reads.

Check out the rest of the tour!

When 16-year-old Abigail’s mother dies in Scotland–leaving a faded photo, a weirdly cryptic letter, and a one-way ticket to America–she feels nothing. Why should she? Her mother gave her away when she was a baby, leaving her to grow up on an anti-nuclear commune and then in ugly foster homes. But the letter is a surprise in more ways than one: Her father is living in California. What’s more, Abigail discovers she has an eighteen-year-old sister, Becky. And the two are expecting Abigail to move in with them.

After struggling to overcome her natural suspicions of a note from beyond the grave (not to mention anything positive) Abigail grows close to her newfound sister. But then Becky is found dead, the accidental victim of an apparent drug overdose. As Abigail wrestles with her feelings and compiles a “Book of Remembrance” of her sister’s short life, she uncovers a horrifying global plot aimed at controlling teen behavior: one that took her sister’s and mother’s lives, with vast implications.

Deviant is available today!

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Indiebound / Books-a-Million

Teen Thrillers

by Helen Fitzgerald

I’ve always been interested in deviance (funnily), in outsiders who find themselves in terrible situations, straying from the norm, isolated, playing against the rules, set apart from the pack. There’s no better protagonist for this kind of story than a teenager. They’re supposed to be rebellious, and often feel confused and isolated – it’s the world against me. What better basis for a thriller like Deviant?

Helen FitzGerald is the second youngest of thirteen children. She grew up in the small town of Kilmore, Victoria, Australia, and studied English and History at the University of Melbourne. Via India and London, Helen came to Glasgow University where she completed a Diploma and Masters in Social Work. She worked as a probation and parole officer for ten years. She’s married to screenwriter Sergio Casci, and they have two children.

Author Links:Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Contest Rules

• The giveaway is open to US entrants only.
• Contest begins May June 11 and ends at midnight on June 24.
• There are optional extra entries.
• Winners will be notified via email, and will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Deviant Blog Tour Guest Post + Giveaway: Teen Thrillers by Helen Fitzgerald appeared first on Ruby's Reads.

The False Prince

Grave Mercy

The Raven Boys

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The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, read by Charlie McWade (Scholastic Audiobooks)
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, read by Steve West (Blackstone Audio)

The post SYNC’s Back! Free Audiobooks for Summer! appeared first on Ruby's Reads.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It’s a time for book bloggers to share the books they’re waiting on. I call it Start Up the DeLorean because only time travel will get me the books on this list. I’ve missed doing these lately, and time is short, so I think I might alternate between WoW and my usual Bookish Bundles. I love digging up new titles that I can anticipate in the coming year(s), so either way, I win!

 

I love books that play on memory, or that deal with memory loss. As an added bonus, this one is described as a teen thriller. I love teen thrillers. Finally, I dig the splash of red on the cover.

October 1, 2013
Sourcebooks Fire

Chloe didn’t think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can’t remember the last six months of her life. Before, she’d been a mediocre student. Now, she’s on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he’s her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won’t speak to her.

What happened to her?
And why can’t she remember?

What are you waiting on?

Check out my Precious Gem Book Tour Publicity giveaway!

The post WoW (aka Start Up the DeLorean): Teen Thrillers FTW appeared first on Ruby's Reads.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Fox Inheritance

Genre: Teen, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Other Info: Fox Forever is the last book in the Jenna Fox Chronicles. I listened to all three on audio.
Description and link from Goodreads):

Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he’ll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network.

Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine’s life.

Mary E. Pearson brings the story she began in The Adoration of Jenna Fox and continued in The Fox Inheritance to a breathtaking conclusion as Locke discovers that being truly human requires much more than flesh and blood.

Narrator Review: After listening to Matthew Brown narrate The Fox Inheritance, I could not have imagined anyone else as Locke. Not only does Matthew Brown embody Locke Jenkins, he does a delightful job with all the other characters. I don’t doubt that this is because Fox Forever is entirely Locke’s story–all the characters are seen and heard through the filter of Locke’s perceptions–but I think even that is something that Brown manages to convey. The slightest intonation makes me wonder how accurately I’m seeing Raine, Xavier–and especially Jenna–given who is relating the conversations or events.

Book Review: Although The Fox Inheritance and Fox Forever are technically sequels to The Adoration of Jenna Fox, I see them more as companion novels. Jenna’s story was a stand-alone as far as I’m concerned. Jenna reached the apex of her journey long before Locke was ever resurrected and, frankly, I wasn’t happy with the way that their stories converged at the end of The Fox Inheritance. Fortunately, Fox Forever deals with all the issues I had with Locke and Jenna’s reunion, almost without a word on the subject. That’s what I call good writing.

In Fox Forever, Locke is called on to return a favor. Since he promised, Locke knows he must answer the call, even if it means putting living on hold. At the end of the last book, Locke set out to live his life. He’s in a hurry to catch up on all the years he missed. In particular, he wants to hurry up and live so he can get back to Jenna. Locke may have spent 260 locked in a black box, but he’s still got every bit of a teenager’s impatience for life to “start.” And, though he believes that repaying the favor is just a thing he has to do before getting on with his life, what Locke doesn’t realize is that doing so will bring all his desires to fruition faster than he could have imagined. Just not in the way he imagined.

I won’t say that Locke’s job of repayment (aka the plot) held any surprises. I guessed every twist and turn. Honestly, I thought it was slightly run-of-the-mill. Locke’s circumstances (and, I’ll admit, the cool futuristic elements) make it just interesting enough to save the story from banality. Some unique takes on a familiar plot would have upped the ante for me, but I didn’t hate what I got, either. I already knew I liked Locke (and Fox Forever doesn’t change that), and I liked Raine, even if I wanted more depth from her. The other characters were bland, mostly, though I was glad to see the return of sentient bots.

Fox Forever is a love story, a coming-of-age story and an exploration of what it means to be human. While this concept has been a recurring theme in each of the Jenna Fox books, Locke’s story pushes the envelope. Jenna had that all-important 10% that made her still human, but Locke is entirely man-made. His memories, his very consciousness, are/is a product of science. Is it his capacity for love that makes him human? And what about his mind kept him from turning insane, like Kara? Locke doesn’t know, and this book is about how he comes to terms with the strange, bewildering journey that has been his life.

And the ending? Well, it’s a happy one, which is good–but while there were elements I liked and elements that I found to be too convenient. I’m sorry the series is over–I would have liked Kara to have a story–but Locke and Jenna have completed their journeys. Am I any closer to understanding what it means to be human? Sure, a little. But three books can’t answer that question–props to the author for exploring the question.

4 1/2 Matryoshkas: I’d go on a second date with this book.

The post Audiobook Review: Fox Forever (Jenna Fox Chronicles No. 3) by Mary E. Pearson appeared first on Ruby's Reads.